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dark-lord-of-the-simps · 3 years

Text

Solah; chapter 3

An Hux/sith!reader fic

part 1 ; part 2

just so you know I did an ungodly amount of research on the Finalizer’s internal architecture and didn’t find the information I was looking for

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Your interactions with the General were kept below the bare minimum after that evening in your quarters, you often sat in the same meetings but he seemed to try and avoid talking to you apart from the essential work-talk which he would always make colder than necessary.

Meanwhile Kylo Ren settled for a facade of respect for you. You knew better than to think that it was out of fear, more like a sense of self-preservation as he waited for the right moment to eliminate you. Perhaps that was why Snoke welcomed you on board, to test his apprentice’s skilles with an adversary with a little more experience than that jedi girl from Jakku.

It was a rather uneventful evening on the Finalizer so you decided take a walk around the ship, after all you weren’t given a proper tour of it upon your arrival and you always liked exploring - even though you suspected the ship’s internal architecture was all as monotonous as what you’d already witnessed. The hallways were pretty empty except for a couple stormtroopers and officers who respectfully saluted you as you walked past them.

After some blank hallways you arrived to what you suspected to be one of the lesser used briefing rooms, probably for its position in the most exposed sector of the ship. You were about to use the force to push the door open when you noticed it was already unlocked. Despite its strategically inconvenient position, the room admittedly offered a stunning view on the sky outside the star destroyer’s wall, much better than what you usually saw from the bridge. In the exact centre of the room stood General Hux, gazing out of the window.

“General” you said, as you took a couple steps in his direction.

“Ah, Master y/n, what brings you here?” he stood still, not turning to look at you.

“I could ask the same question”

“This is my ship! I don’t have to account for my location when I’m not on duty to anyone but myself” he raised his voice, as if what you said was akin to blasphemy.

“Not even the Supreme Leader?” you took a couple steps in his direction to stand a couple meters to his left and sat on the edge of the briefing room’s table.

“The Supreme Leader commands respect but what I do when I’m not on duty is of no interest to him”

A well fabricated answer, you huffed a laugh.

“Not even if what you did in your free time was of some danger to his authority?”

He forze in place and, even though you weren’t purposefully searching his mind, you could feel his slight distress accompanied by some other feelings you couldn’t quite place.

"Are you suggesting treason?"

You turned to face him with a slight smile, his face was contracted in a frown.

"No, are you? You didn't seem too repulsed by the idea of it" your tone went from playful to more serious as you looked straight into his eyes.

"Nonsense, they're building the new hangar, I was merely observing that"

"Aren't there supervisors for that?" you asked, sincerely curious.

He dropped his gaze to the ground and hesitated a little before speaking again.

"It's interesting, I enjoy it... I guess" he said, the last part almost a whisper.

The way he said it made it feel so private, almost a confession, and knowing that insignificant bit of information about him that probably most people on that same ship weren't aware of made you feel something you couldn't even name. You smiled, a soft and sincere smile you though you weren't capable of.

"A hobby, then, didn't seem like the type to be bothered by the practical aspects of this all"

"Couldn't you figure it out with the force?" a smile flashed on his face, breaching his emotionless facade for just a brief second.

"You seem to really want me to intrude your mind, General, I already told you I don't do that"

He stayed silent for a moment, pondering what you just said. It was an half truth, of course, reading minds wasn't a problem for you, on the contrary it was rather a regular practice. The thing was, even though you wanted to know more about him since the first time you saw him, you really didn't want to invade Hux' mind. It was the reason he hated Ren after all, resorting to the same practices wouldn't be wise in the grand scheme of your strategy to overthrow Snoke. It was all you needed Hux for, strategy - or so you told yourself.

"It's engineering, by the way" you turned to look at him with a curious smirk, "the part that interests me" he explained.

"Unexpected, really, I thought it was just an excuse for stargazing"

"Not plotting Snoke's dimise?" he asked, a trace of humor in his voice.

"No, you're a smart man, you know where your loyalties should lie, for now the Supreme Leader, of course"

He nodded, not noticing the for now you purposefully included in your sentence or, more precisely, pretending not to notice.

"Was stargazing why you came here?"

"Not really a fan of it, but I must say your company's quite enjoyable"

There was a slight triumph in your smile as you saw a blush creeping up his neck, as red as the blade of your saber.

"Well, ah.. Thank you" he said, stumbling a little on his words.

You didn't suppose he was used to the company of others, even less to that of people who claimed to enjoy it.

"It's getting pretty late" he said, after a moment of silence.

You looked at the sky one last time and nodded.

"I should go to my quarters, walk with me?" You offered.

He nodded, seeming a little eager at first and immediately correcting his behaviour to his usual coldness.

“You look better than last time, healthier, I mean” you said, noticing how he quickly picked up his usual fast pace unlike the last time you met him near the training rooms.

“I’m not some fragile young cadet”

“Oh, don’t worry, I know that well” you smiled, the rest of the walk towards your quarters was silent but you could feel the General slowly becoming more relaxed in your presence.

Eventually you arrived in front of your quarters’ door, you debated on inviting him inside but you supposed he wouldn’t exactly welcome it, you still didn’t know if he actually trusted you and that made you feel somewhat disappointed, sad even. Everything was going just as planned, you’d quickly become a key figure for the Order, and yet deep down you felt a desire stirring to spend more time with the General, to learn more about him a part from the work related things. You tried pushing that feeling away, knowing you were going to be doomed if you strayed away from the path your Master put you on.

“So.. I’ll see you on the bridge, I suppose” he said, his voice taking you back to the real world.

You smiled, hoping to regain your confident and unreadable demeanour.

“Goodnight, General” you smirked before closing the door behind yourself.

Before you could start overthinking your latest interaction with Hux, your comm beeped, signaling an incoming transmission from your Master.

"Yes, Master?" you bowed your head slightly as Palpatine's translucent blue figure came to life.

"I have great news for you, my apprentice"

You looked up to meet his gaze, cold and calculating like always, he continued talking.

"Thanks to your efforts Snoke's power begins to crumble under the remainders of the Empire, the First Order will soon be ours, there's one last step we need for our plan to succeed"

"What is it, Master?"

You held your breath as he scrutinised your face.

"Do you remember Enric Pryde?"

You nodded, not seeing the point he was trying to approach.

"He needs to replace General Hux"

You shook your head slightly.

"But Master, General Hux is a valuable ally, he’s power-hungry and mistreated, besides he’s a son of the Empire, he could be a key asset if you just let me..."

"Let you what, romance him? I believed you above letting your personal feelings interfere with our goal"

You looked down, you felt like your Master could see right through.

"I'm sorry, my Master"

"This is your last chance y/n, I instructed you well and I trust you haven't completely forgot what I taught you. Do what you must, or face the consequences"

You tried swallowing your pride and whatever form of affection you had towards Hux and looked up again.

"Yes, Master, I will do what I must"

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Local y/n catches feelings, local sith lord is an asshole.

Taglist: @trashbile @b0nnyzz @abysshaven @fuxk-no

Lmk if you want to be added to the taglist!!

#solah #hux x reader #general hux headcanons #general hux #armitage hux #star wars #star wars x reader #star wars reader insert #general hux x y/n

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debu-neko-kun · 4 years

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Brand New Moo

A brand new story, idea courtesy of the ever-excellent commissioner (https://www.deviantart.com/doom7951) I really really liked working on this for ideas that may be obvious! Stay tuned for more flubby boys soon-ish! Contains: male weight gain, ssbhm, male lactation, human to boy-cow, cute fat gay stuff

James slumped down in the seat. It felt so wrong to be waiting here, he thought, thinking about what his boss would say if he saw him sitting here… he tapped his foot on the floor, hoping that would make him feel busy, but it just earned him a dirty look from the receptionist, so he opted to just slump deeper into his chair.

“James Rode?”

He sat up, smoothing out his button-up shirt. “Yes?”

“The doctor is available to see you now. Please enter the door to the left.”

James entered the office, expecting to see a sterile hospital room with gurneys and little jars of tongue depressors… Instead, he found himself in a carpeted room, the walls all wood paneling and decorated with diplomas and woodsy paraphernalia like bundles of herbs and wooden carvings.

Perhaps he knew less about this therapy stuff than he thought.

“Hello, Mr. Rode. I’m pleased to see you’ve made it; have a seat, if you’d like.”

James hesitated by the door. ‘I would *like* to go home…’ he mumbled, but stepped his way to the wide couch situated in front of the desk. He gently lowered himself into it, feeling more than a little small with his slender frame surrounded by so much empty seat.

“A little introduction, if I may.” the therapist smiled, tapping the plaque on his desk. “Dr. Maxwell Sweet. I used to own Sweet Farm Dairy, if you can believe it.”

“Never heard of it.” James spoke.

“Ah, well, can’t impress every time.” he chuckled, continuing on about his schooling, but James was already zoning out, sizing him up in his head. Dr. Sweet was slim, pale, well-dressed… probably didn’t spend too much time outside anymore, if the dairy story was to be believed. He wore glasses, making him seem bookish, and the clean-shaven face and well-kempt part in his smoothly combed brown hair made him seem concerned with appearances… not much to go on yet, but James felt like he’d make a respectable adversary in the boardroom regardless.

“…but I felt genetics wasn’t as fulfilling by itself. Are you okay, Mr. Rode?”

“Hmm?” James snapped out of his focused expression, taking a moment to rub his sharp blue eyes. “Sorry, a little tired. Late meeting yesterday…”

“Do you have a lot of late meetings, Mr. Rode?”

“James,” he corrected, “But yeah, I suppose I do. It’s the only way to stay ahead out there, you know?”

“I understand.” Dr. Sweet smiled, scribbling something on a pad on his desk. “Would you say this is the main source of your stress? The pressure to succeed, that is.”

“I, uh-” James stammered. “Are we starting already? I thought you would say when we were starting.”

“Just building a picture, that’s all. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to let you know when we get into the real stuff, if you’d like.”

“Okay, well… thanks.” James wilted a little. He wasn’t used to this, showing his cards so openly…

“Stress is the main reason you’re here, correct?”

“Yes… I mean, well, I’m here because of my boyfriend… I didn’t notice anything, but my boyfriend Kriss says I’ve been acting stressed.”

“Stressed in what way?”

“Distant… angry, sad, stuff like that. He says I haven’t been eating either, but I mean, when do I have the time? There’s just a lot to do, and nobody gets that. Nobody understands how hard it is to keep doing the same damn thing day after day, never getting a moment to just stop and relax. It’s not my fault I have to stay a few hours over every day, it’s not my fault I miss the train, it’s not my fault I have to stay with this job or else-”

James stopped, noticing the psychologist watching him intently, a furrowed-brow intensity in his expression.

“Sorry.” James sighed, folding his arms over his ribs, his gaze drifting back to the dried lavender on the wall. “Yeah. Just stressed.”

“I see,” Dr. Sweet said, underlining something on the pad with a quick scratch. “Well, I’m very glad you came to see us, James. I think this treatment will be very helpful in getting you into a better state of mind.”

“Yeah… that’s what Kriss said, too. What is this treatment, anyway? Are you just going to ask me about my past and… give advice, or something?”

“Oh, nothing like that, no. You see, I specialize in a sort of blended treatment. It’s quite ahead of its field, really. Good for people with a lot of stress and little time on their hands.”

Dr. Sweet drew a pile of papers out of his desk, dozens of forms and documents all neatly compiled into a novella of legalese. He set it gently on the desk, in front of James, and extended a pen out for him.

“…Provided you’re willing to participate, that is.”

James took the pen and the papers, sitting back to read over the front page. It was mostly filled out with his insurance information and medical history, employment information from his company, current address… everything except his name. He flipped it over, just finding more information about liability and “understanding patient responsibilities.” Just thinking about pouring over fifty sheets of legal information outside of the office, and for free, made him flip back to the front.

“Alright… well, whatever gets me out of here faster, I guess.” he murmured, scribbling his name at the bottom of the paper.

“Excellent! If you don’t mind, I’d like to get started immediately.”

Dr. Sweet’s drawer slid open, and out he pulled a small bottle of milky white fluid and a syringe.

“W-What is that for?” James asked, shocked at the sudden development. The therapy scenes in movies certainly hadn’t mentioned needles.

“Just something to help you become a little more pliable. We need you like putty for the hypnotherapy to take hold; don’t worry, it only lasts for a few minutes, and it’ll keep you relaxed for the rest of the day. That’s not so bad, is it? I promise you won’t have to keep up with any medication from here on out.”

Despite the cold sweat forming on his brow, James rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. Dr. Sweet drew some of the liquid from the bottle with a casual precision, stood up, and slowly approached the nervous patient.

“Hold still, and…” James felt a small pinch, followed by the dull ache of the injection. “That’s it. You’ve done wonderfully already, James.”

“Hmm… thank you, I guess.” he grumbled, letting out a heavy sigh.

“The medication should activate momentarily. While we wait, why don’t we pass the time with a bit of word association?”

The room around them was already starting to feel a bit… warmer. Familiar, even. He adjusted his collar a bit, leaning back against the couch.

“Do you know how this works, James?”

“I just say the first thing that comes to my head?” he asked, stifling a yawn with his palm.

“Correct. Alright now… your first word is “barn.””

“Tractor.”

“Good.” Sweet smiled. “Your second word is ‘pasture.’”

“Uh… grass. No, hay.” He muttered hazily. He felt like laying himself down on a soft patch of land, sunlight warming his pale flesh,,,

“Very good, James. Don’t think too hard about them. Now, your third word… ‘milk’.”

“Moo…” he spoke dreamily, still thinking about the sunlight and the field. A bubble of lucidity popped to the surface suddenly, bringing a blush to his face. “N-No, I, uh, I mean cow. Cow, that’s it.”

“Excellent.” Dr. Sweet continued, scribbling more notes on his pad. “And when you think of cows, what are some words you think of?”

“Big… u-uh, soft? I don’t really know…”

“That’s fine, James. Imagine a cow standing in a field… what do you think it’s thinking about?”

A warm, electric tingle trickled down from the top of his head, flowing into his spine and down his back. He tried to focus on the words… what does a cow really think about?

“Uhm… eating? How nice the sun is on its back?…”

“And how do you think it feels when it’s warm and fed? Do you think that would make a cow happy, James?”

The tingle turned into an odd, pulsing sensation, coming from somewhere in his core… or maybe deeper than that. A warmth in his cells.

“Y-Yeah… doctor, this feels… weird…”

“The medication can be a little strong, especially the first time. But just focus on my words… would that make you happy, James? Softness, warmth, food… nothing to think about but being tended to? I like to think so.”

“Hmf… y-yeah, that’d be nice…”

Soft… warm… hungry…

“Good,” Sweet began, suddenly dropping his pen. James jolted upright, forced free from his mental drift as quickly as the pen hit the desk. “That’ll conclude our session. Remember what we’ve talked about today; it’s always good to stay in touch with that simple, wholesome part of yourself. Try and slow down a little, and indulge it; I think you’ll be feeling a lot better if you do. See you again in a week?”

“Y-Yeah… yes, that’d be fine.”

“I look forward to it. Be well, James.”

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The sun was just beginning to set by the time James arrived home. Warm wafts of sweet and savory air swept around him as he shuffled through the threshold, inviting him straight through the living room and into the kitchen. There, a tall, clean-shaven man with swept back blonde hair stood, whistling to himself. The creak of the floor alerted him to James’s entrance, the apron-clad gentlemen turning to greet him.

“Oh, hey! I thought for sure you’d be running a little late, I’m not totally done with dinner yet. How did your appointment go?”

“Mm, that smells wonderful…” James murmured, slumping into one of the dining chairs. “God, I’m starving….”

“Here,” Kriss, his boyfriend of two years, spoke, setting a dish of buttered buns in front of him. “But don’t fill up before you get to the ham. I worked really hard on it as a nice reward for you finally going to that clinic. Speaking of…”

Kriss sat down in front of him as he stuffed a bun into his mouth, propping his face up on his hand. “You didn’t say how it went.”

“The appointment? Right, sorry… it was okay. Good, actually. It was good. It was kind of weird, and I didn’t think I’d need a shot for psychotherapy, but… it was nice. I feel all calm and… gooey? I can’t really explain it… really hungry, too. Mostly hungry, actually.”

James reached for another bun, nibbling on it gently.

“Well, I guess it’s working already. I haven’t seen you eat like that in… well, ever. It’s nice, honestly.”

The oven alarm beeped as James polished off a third bun, absentmindedly chewing while Kriss got up to retrieve the ham.

Soft… warm… hungry… the words bounced around his brainstem, burying themselves somewhere in the middle of sub and thoughtful consciousness. He remembered saying them, but the meaning was mostly detached… regardless, they just sounded so right.

His ruminations were interrupted by a loaded plate being placed in front of him, also interrupting his roll supply. He breathed in the delicious scents of brown sugar in the ham, cinnamon in sweet potatoes. It was like nothing he’d ever smelled before; it was comfort, it was calm. It was… “Mmf, Kriss, this is incredible. Is this a new recipe? I could eat this forever!” he lit up, happily nibbling on the ham slice with gusto.

“Oh, uh… we had it last week, actually. Whatever they gave you sure made you hungry, huh?” he chuckled, looking a little confused, but relieved at the new development. After all, it was healthier than watching him starve himself on coffee and the occasional stick of gum. In only a few moments, James had the entire plate polished off, and returned to munching on bread rolls. “Want some more? I made extra in case you wanted to take some to work, but-” “There’s more?”

Kriss hadn’t seen him this happy since he’d said yes to their first date.

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“A-Ah, Kriss-!”

“Shh, we’re almost there.” Kriss cooed, shouldering the bedroom door open, his boyfriend carried bridal-style in his arms. Normally, this would be like carrying a bag of flour, but after his uncharacteristic gorging, James felt more like a sack of potatoes. Or, perhaps, one large sack filled with one very large, round, painfully full potato in the center.

“I’ve never eaten so much in my life…” James whispered as he laid out on the bed. He immediately curled onto his side, holding his stomach in his hands. “I can tell… are you sure you’re okay, babe? You can tell me anything, you know.” “I-I’m fine, honestly… just ate too much.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” A familiar silence crept out of the dark now, cutting into the dim room between them. Finally, James spoke, “Kriss, I just- well, I’m not good at this, I haven’t… been there, like I should have. We’ve been together for a long time now and I still haven’t really… opened up.” Kriss sat down on the bed next to him, looking at the sheets next to James. James reached out, grabbing Kriss by the hand. “I’m sorry. Really. I’ve been too into my job and I want to spend more time with moo-”

He hiccupped, covering his mouth in sudden embarrassment. “You! God, I’ve had cows on the brain lately…”

“You certainly eat like one.” Kriss smiled gently, poking his stomach. “H-Heh… so, uhm,” James said, “Will you give me another chance? To show you the real me… not the work me. Actually me?” Kriss leaned over, brushing the tousled hair out of James’s face. “Of course, sweetpea. You know I’ll give you all the time you need to get back in your own head again. And while you’re still trying…”

Kriss cupped his cheek, and leaned in to plant a little kiss on his soft lips. “Maybe I can do something to keep you motivated.”

“C-Careful, my belly’s still sensitive…!”

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Kriss woke before James-- given his “work early, work late” schedule, this was an uncommon occurrence, but not an unwelcome one. He liked the way James looked peacefully slumbering; it reminded him that he could still stop and relax, that at least he wasn’t hard-wired to run until he dropped. That the hamster wheel didn’t spin forever. He snuggled up closer to his slumbering partner’s back, looping his arm around his side in a gentle embrace. Kriss’s fingers brushed his chest, expecting to feel cool, taut flesh on ribs… instead, his hand touched soft, plush breast.

“H-Huh?” he muttered, startled, his hand recoiling instantly. He knew James, and had never known him to be any more than twiggy at best. Panic rising, he threw off the sheets and flipped on the bedside lamp, exposing the tubby imposter. There, on the bed, was James-- or, at least, he thought it was… same messy black hair, same little blotchy brown birthmark on his shoulder, same pink underwear. This James would have been a perfect replica, if it weren’t for one big thing:

This James was fat.

Well, fat was pushing it, but he definitely had a lot more of it than when he went to bed. His back, once a bony map of shoulder blades and ribs, was now a padded mat of pale pudge, the vaguest hint of love handles forming at his sides. Butt fat pulled his briefs tight, the waistband receding back to squish the tops of his cheeks into two blubbery cupcake tops. His thighs, once slender and toned from his constant jogging around the office building, smooshed together like gently dimpled bags of thick jelly.

“Mmmn?...” he stirred, sitting up. His round face squinted against the harsh light, and he raised a chubby hand to shield himself from it. Kriss’s green eyes darted up to his rounded arm, down to his puffy chest, back up to his cutely dimpled chin, back down to the subtle dome of his belly.

“Kriss?... Oh no, did I oversleep?”

The words clogged in Kriss’s head; what could he say? James was nervous, prone to panic at the slightest change… “You’re… you-” he choked quietly, staring in disbelief. James, following his line of sight to his belly, let out a little yelp of surprise.

“W-What happened to me? I-I didn’t eat that much, did I?...” he stammered, poking the peachy flesh of his abdomen gingerly.

“Impossible…” Kriss whispered, stepping back towards his boyfriend. “Maybe it’s just… water weight? Temporary swelling? Are you allergic to anything?”

Pressing the gentle swell of his arm, it was impossible to think this could just be temporary. “I don’t think so…”

“Well, in any case, I think we should call a doctor.” Kriss said, stepping over to the dresser. “If I can find my phone…”

“Just… use mine.” It took a moment to tear his eyes away from his freshly-plush body long enough to reach for his cell, thumb tapping the home screen. The time-- 5:55 am-- appeared on the screen.

“Oh! No no no, I’m going to be late!”

“James, the doctor-”

“I’ll go after work! I need to get ready; how did I forget the early meeting? I never forget!”

James scrambled to his feet, butt bouncing in his underwear as he bounded into the bathroom, the door shutting quickly behind him. “Kriss, can you find a white shirt for me, please? And my good watch!”

“If they still fit…” Kriss mumbled with a sigh, shuffling to find his clothes. So much for the fast-track relaxation therapy.

‘Give it time,’ he thought, ‘Nobody changes overnight.’

But as he pulled out the obviously too-small button-up from the closet, he suddenly began to doubt these words.

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James rushed into the office, speed-walking his way through the lobby to the elevator. He barely managed to squeeze by in time for the doors to shut, his belly bumping against the metal as he slipped in.

“Ouch…” he murmured, regarding his sensitive new softness with a little rub. It was only with this did he notice how stressed the buttons were on the shirt, or how a thin sliver of belly fat was drooping out of the bottom. He quickly pulled his pants higher to disguise it, tucking in the shirt like he wasn’t covering for a freak medical condition. Not like it helped much… the fabric was still ungodly tight against his chest, outlining his newly-blossomed moobs like half-filled water balloons in cloth, and similarly highlighted the uncharacteristically pudgy belly beneath. At least his pants had always been a little big for him… they, at least, did a little better at preserving his modesty.

He waited impatiently for the ding, and squeezed through the doors before they’d fully opened, managing to narrowly avoid two coworkers on his way to the meeting room. They said something he didn’t quite hear, but he heard the word “wide”, which was enough to make him flush gently. No time for that, he thought, walking as fast as he could muster with what felt like fifty extra pounds bouncing on his frame. Sweating lightly, he finally arrived at the meeting room, slipping in just before the last coworker. They scoffed at his speedy entrance, but upon seeing his unusually rounded face, decided that it wasn’t worth starting a fight over-- he was clearly suffering enough if he looked like *that* after just one day.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen…” James’s boss began, addressing the crowd. And so it was, James thought, letting the voices around him whisper out into the back of his mind. He’d wait until his name was called, he’d give his report, and then he’d be back to hammering out the numbers until home time. The daily routine… though, there was nothing ‘routine’ about today, as the chair was quick to remind him. Where he used to sit at the edge of the seat, he now filled it out plentifully; so much so that the chair arms touched his sides if he fidgeted an inch or so in either direction. It was an alien feeling, being so plump- he couldn’t even bring himself to say it, but the words hung there in his mind.

Round. Chubby. Soft. Thick. *Fat.*

He grabbed his thigh amidst his anxious ruminating, fingers squishing pliable blubber beneath the trouser fabric. The sensation sent warm, pleasing tingles across his flesh, rumbling deep into his core. It felt… nice?

He scanned the room, making sure nobody could read the feelings passing through his mind and body, but everyone else seemed to be knee-deep in their own happy places too; zoning out to cope was half of the job, after all. A sudden, deep gurgle bubbled in his belly, his hand shooting up to grab at his belly. Where his thigh had been plush, his belly was absolutely pillowy… the silky smooth glob of fat oozed around his fingers where he pressed, sending out another wave of delight across his body. As if to respond to his pressing, another gurgle rumbled against his palm, and he could feel his stomach rising like slow baked dough with his breaths. In, out… warm, soft. He couldn’t help but smile, sucked into the world of squishy comfort. Even as his belly rose in the *out* breath. Even as the chair began to press into his sides ever so softly. Even as the buttons stressed and strained, struggling to keep up with his widening form until-

*PING* The first button on his shirt reflected off a steel mug, snapping everybody out of their stupor with a jolt.

“What was that?” the boss asked. Everybody looked around, but thankfully James’s airy belly was covered by the desk.

“Hmm… well, in any case, that’s the long and short of it.” the boss shrugged, shuffling some papers in his hands. “James, you’re up.”

James looked up, half-lidded in a relaxed daze. “Huh?...”

“Your numbers. You *do* have your report, don’t you?”

Like an apple in a cauldron of caramel, the thought of the report slowly bobbed back to the top of his focus.

“O-Oh, right, yes sir, I uh…”

He reached for his briefcase, grasping at air beneath the desk.

“Is everything alright, James?”

Everybody in the room shuffled, slumped, retreated back to the comfort of the sounds and sights of desert islands and snowy cabins. Meanwhile, he was out in the open, and floundering.

“They’re, uh… late. Late client.” he smiled nervously. The boss looked at him, eyes narrowed in confusion, but simply shook it off.

“Just have them on my desk by tomorrow, okay? Now, who’s next?”

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Back at his desk, (and with his pants hiked higher than ever) James let out a deep sigh, wincing as his buckle pinched sensitive belly fat.

“Just keep it together, James....” he whispered to himself. He tried to bounce his leg, but found that it just made the rest of him bounce too, and stopped. He logged into his computer with one hand, the other squeezing the stress ball on his desk, but it only reminded him of how much softer he was…

Throwing the ball in the trash can by his foot, he decided his best bet was to focus on his work. Not on the fat ass threatening to blow out the seat of his pants, not on the small overhang his belly would surely be creating if he wore his pants correctly. And not on the strange warmth rushing to his head… just financial information, market watches, and emails.

Five minutes later, and he was still staring at his home screen, unable to bring himself to start working. There was just something at the back of his mind, something creeping up on him; a deep hunger that swelled up inside of him like a consumptive balloon.

“That’s it… just hungry is all…” he assured himself, pushing away from his desk. All he needed was an early lunch, and it would be back to work as usual. Something light…

Before he knew it, he was sitting down at the cafeteria with three hefty cheeseburgers and a heaping plate of thin fries drowned in cheese.

James took a thick, mouth-filling bite of a burger, losing himself in bliss.

“Mmf, so good…” he moaned to himself, prompting a blushing intern to speedwalk to the exit. One hefty gulp down, he sucked down a glob of sugary vanilla milkshake, chasing it with a handful of fries and another bite of burger. Not only did it chip away at the hunger, but his worry too. Suddenly he felt okay; eating like this felt *right*. He absentmindedly rubbed his belly, the gentle touch enough to rip away another button and rub cheese onto his shirt. He didn’t care; why should he? The belly beneath his hand was soft, fat, and jiggly, and it was fun to pat and wobble. And the more he ate, the more he was able to wobble it. One burger down-- and another button popped-- he felt twice as comfortable. Arm fat billowed out in his shirt, small rips forming that pushed dollops of fat through. Pant fibre finally reached capacity, pulling back from his pudgy calves as his thighs claimed ever more real estate within them. Fingers and toes chubbed into cute little sausages. Wrists, ankles, and neck slowly became less defined. Cheeks chubbed, chin flubbed; his masculinity was smudged by the heaps of fat, androgyny taking the wheel.

But still he munched, a happy grin on his face as he grazed the haystack of fries. The warm feeling in his head turned hot, two points burning the warmest… but two points on his chest gained his attention the most. His chest-- rather, his breasts-- ached terribly, prompting a whine from the freshly cherubic gentleman. Pudgy fingers pawed at the last button left on his shirt, but it was simply too tight to be undone. Instead, he opted to just rub at his moobs beneath the fabric, gulping his shake heartily. Finally, the button popped, and he let out a sigh of relief as his fat breasts plapped onto his belly. The sudden motion forced milk out of the little pink nipples in small rivulets, drops running down the curve of the swollen mounds and dripping onto his belly.

“G-Guh…” he groaned, scooping the last of the food into his maw just as his belt buckle burst off. He was exhausted, but sated… for now. Already, his mind was feeling clearer, and already he was starting to regret the sudden gorging… he was huge! And was that… milk?! “Sir, if you’re going to be in here, you need to put on some clothes-”

The security guard looked taken aback as James turned and unsteadily rose, his pants open and his shirt hanging free. His ass fat rose behind him like two fat pumpkins squeezed into a pair of briefs, rising up with plentiful flesh visible.

“A-Are you okay?...”

James huffed, wobbling on his feet as he attempted to center himself. “I’m- *bruuuarp* o-oh, sorry…”

The guard just stood, watching him slowly lumber out of the cafeteria and off towards the elevator.

“They don’t pay me enough for this…”

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The slow drive was filled with a quiet anxiety, wondering if Kriss was right: what if he had just gone to the doctor in the first place? Why didn’t he just go to a real hospital to see why he was dripping milk all over the upholstery? That was it, though. He knew why he was like this… where else could it have come from?

Doctor Sweet.

Sweat dripped from his apron of a belly as he squeezed in through the front door. The receptionist simply buzzed him through, and he waddled straight into the pastoral office.

“Aha, James! Right on schedule. Please, have a seat.”

James panted heavily, taking the time to rest on the doorway before he entered.

“What… did you do?” he huffed, continuing on towards the desk. “Look at me! This… has to be some kind of reaction… to that medicine!”

The doctor smiled, unfazed by his bloated appearance. “I’ll say. I’d be more than willing to explain it, if you’d just have a seat.”

James stopped, the exhaustion he felt quickly overtaking his urges towards aggression. “F-Fine…”

The massive boy collapsed in the seat like a falling boulder, nearly taking up the whole couch with his bulk.

“Excellent. Now then… you said there was a reaction, yes?”

James gestured to his body.

“So… chills, fever…?”

“I’m fat! I’m huge! I’m… l-leaking!” he burst out, wobbling in anger. Try as he might to seem imposing, he felt like a bowl of pudding.

“Oh. Oh dear, I see the problem… you must’ve skipped the waiver.” Dr. Sweet sighed, shaking his head. “Well, too late for take backs now, I’m afraid.”

James put his hands on his belly in worry. “W-What do you mean?”

“Well, if you’d read the waiver… you’d see that this therapy involves a permanent genetic alteration.”

“G-Genetic?...”

“Yes. We force a mutation-- I won’t get too deep into it now, there’s really no use-- to shave off the rough edges, essentially. I felt it would be important in your case to emphasize the potential for softness, and it seems your body agreed. Surround yourself with soft, and become soft.”

“That… that’s-” James struggled, trailing away quietly.

The doctor continued. “You see, I was like you at a time. Angry, frustrated, stressed, upset at life… but my time as a dairy worker gave me new insight. Being surrounded by gentle docility at all hours of the day taught me to be gentle and caring myself. But this process took years... once I started in medicine, I spent endless hours trying to find how to distill this process into a formula, to turn the experience into a chemical.”

James watched him with confusion, hands gently kneading his fat to keep himself calm.

“Well, I discovered it alright. It’s a bit unwieldy, but with a little guided thinking, it works wonders. Really brings the farm experience home, wouldn't you agree?”

James looked down at his belly, at his nipples streaming milk onto his bellybutton. “Y-You’re saying I’m turning into…”

“A cow, yes. You’re well on your way, in fact. Here, take a look.”

The doctor withdrew a handheld mirror from his desk, and held it up for James to see. He felt like he was staring into a barber mirror, only instead of finding himself with a new haircut, it was fuzzy cow ears and a set of tiny, nubby horns on his head. And somehow, it didn’t feel wrong… in fact, he felt pretty cute.

“Oh… woah…” he murmured, poking the ear gently.

“See? Nothing to worry about! And just as stated in the forms, you’ll be paid a weekly sum for participating in this new therapy. I doubt a cow would be acceptable in an office building, aha.”

James patted his cheeks, a smile forming on his face.

“And if you’ll allow me…”

The doctor set down the mirror, and withdrew a familiar milky white bottle.

“...I’d like to finish what we started.”

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Kriss waited in the kitchen, checking his watch every few minutes, waiting for James to get off of work so he could take him to the hospital. He shouldn’t have even let him go to work… what if he was more sick than he thought? What if it wasn’t just swelling? What if-

*Thud* The front door shut, and Kriss sprang up from his chair, scrambling into the living room.

“James-”

The breath caught in his chest as he took in the full scope of his boyfriend. The 200-and-change chubster who had left that morning had blossomed into a wide, easily 600 lb. wall of blubber. He stared up at his polished, nubby horns, at his furry ears, down at his absolutely shirt-shredding tits… blood rushed into his face so fast he stumbled, nearly falling forward.

“Oh no, are you okay?” James asked, bright blue eyes full of worry. He waddled forward, belly rippling against the front of each knee as he slowly walked like he was wading through waist-high waters. His chest swayed back and forth, barely contained by a tiny stretched-out tee. Despite being more than three inches taller than him, Kriss suddenly found himself pressed face first into warm boy cleavage, peachy flesh enveloping him. James’s flabby, pillowy arms pressed around his back as he cuddled him in an embrace.

“What… happened?” he breathed, head spinning as he tried to process the changes in his boyfriend.

“O-Oh! Right… it’s part of the therapy! Dr. Sweet made me into a big cuddly cow, and I really like it!” he smiled, clasping his chubby hands together. “Though, we may need to get some new clothes… these shorts are kinda tight on my butt.”

For added emphasis, he slowly turned around, revealing the skin-tight shorts had all but retreated into his huge, bare ass, the rolls of his back flab sagging down to nearly meet the top of them.

“A-Aha... “ Kriss said, woozy once more. He clutched the wall to keep from falling over.

“Do… do you not like it?” James asked, timidly pushing his fat thighs together. His ears twitched gently, sending an arrow straight through Kriss’s heart.

“When I read the waiver, I didn’t expect it to be like, well… all of this. Babe… you’re so adorable my head is going to explode. ”

A happy smile brightened his face once more, and James let out a little laugh. “G-Gosh, don’t scare me like that!”

Headrush fleeting, Kriss managed to push off the wall and back into the arms of his lover. He pecked at his blubbery neck, giving him gentle kisses up and across his cheek.

“O-Ooh, these are nice…” Kriss murmured, squeezing his arms around his chest. “You’re like a big stress ball, I love it.”

“H-Hey, careful, they’re still a little full…”

Kriss moved in for a kiss on the lips, pulling away to give his chest another little squeeze. “Full? Like… with milk?”

James nodded. “You’ll have to milk me until the pump arrives, otherwise they’ll get too full and I’ll start to ache… that is, if you want to. I can still just go to the clinic-”

Kriss tugged at his shirt, freeing one of his blubbery boobs. His thumb traced the nipple gently, practically melting James into a puddle.

“A-Ah, god, have you done this before?...”

“No…” Kriss said, bringing the breast to his mouth. Sweet, creamy milk flowed onto his tongue, which he swallowed down. “But I can learn.”

#male weight gain #fat male #male lactation #ssbhm #boycow #moo

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misssophiachase · 4 years

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For Klaroline AU Week: Day 1 - All Human. This is a continuation of my story, you can read chapter one (Meet the Mikaelsons) and chapter two (Creative Control) HERE

Synopsis: Caroline is the long-suffering producer on America’s number one reality television program “Meet the Mikaelsons.” The wealthy, English family are difficult but Caroline has to stick it out so she can get the promotion she’s been eyeing. Enter arrogant, second-eldest sibling Klaus Mikaelson who has every intention of messing with her plans. Inspired by Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Reality Bites - Chapter 3: Doctor Feelgood

Flight AA372 - LAX to Los Cabos International

“You should probably put your tray table back in its upright position for take-off,” Caroline’s eyes were closed but the instant she heard the familiar English accent, they flew open.

“What are you doing here?”

“I assume you’re not going to bother with the tray table then?” He gestured to it curiously. She rolled her eyes and snapped it back into place, almost breaking it in the process.

“You didn’t answer my question, Mikaelson?”  

“You’re making a scene, love,” he whispered, looking around the airplane.

Caroline realised he had a point. She was so used to being able to yell at him on set without prying eyes, she forgot about unwanted, public attention to one of the newest reality stars on television.

“What are you doing here?” She whispered.

“I’m in the window seat,” he motioned next to her.

“You are not.”

“Would you like to see my boarding pass?”

Caroline really couldn’t believe her luck. It was as if Klaus Mikaelson’s job in life was to gradually tip her over the edge.

She stood up, moving slightly so he could pass. As he did, his body grazed hers and Caroline was trying to ignore just how good and right it felt. It didn’t help that his spicy aftershave was infiltrating her nostrils and messing with her composure either.

“Since when do you travel coach?” She hissed as soon as he’d sat down.

“Since always.”

“Liar,” she shot back.

“Fine,” he conceded. “I didn’t want to be stuck on a private jet with my siblings, I’d probably be tempted to throw one, if not all of them, out of the plane without a parachute.”

“Kol, would be the first to go, right?” she couldn’t help herself.

“There would never be a question about that,” he grinned.

As much as she wanted to hate him, they’d have these fleeting moments where she wasn’t a producer and he wasn’t rich, reality television royalty. They were just two people enjoying each other’s company. Unfortunately, it never lasted past about five minutes.

“So, how is it that you are on the exact same flight as me?”

“You don’t own this flight you realise, Forbes?’ 

“Fine, how did you come to be sitting right next to me then?”

“As co-producers I thought it would be useful, you know in case we needed to discuss anything before arrival,” he murmured.

“You’re going to crash your ex-girlfriend’s wedding,” she replied. “I think we’re all on the same page about that. You know unless you’re getting cold feet?”

“Why? Are you?”

Caroline was taken aback by his comment and the way he was gazing intensely into her eyes at the same time. There was no denying he was extremely attractive, and those dimples had a mind of their own, but Caroline had to keep reminding herself that he was an egotistical, arrogant celebrity that she wouldn’t be in her life much longer.

For some reason she didn’t like thinking that. Caroline decided to blame it on temporary insanity and his ability to insert himself into every part of her life.

“Why would I be getting cold feet? We’ve only been planning this for the past week.”

Caroline thought planning this plot line would be just like everything else but for some reason it had irked her more than anything.

Hayley Marshall was a doe-eyed brunette who was the face of an International Cosmetics Company. They had dated on and off during college. Klaus acted like she didn’t mean much to him but the fact he wanted to crash her wedding and instigated the trip to Mexico didn’t sit well with Caroline, although she wasn’t exactly sure why. Maybe there were more unresolved feelings between them than he’d let on.

“Of course,” he murmured. “I just meant we need to discuss our accommodation arrangements.”

“Our accommodation arrangements?”

“You have this thing about repeating yourself, has anyone ever told you that?”

“And has anyone ever told you that you have this annoying habit of not answering questions, mine in particular?”

“Touché,” he smirked. “I thought it best that we stay together the next few days.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, I think you heard me.”

“Klaus!”

Given the amount of crew, not to mention privacy required they had booked out multiple private villas on a secluded beach. Caroline had her assistant book her at a resort which was only ten minutes away by foot.

“I’m not enamoured about staying in the family villa, there’s only so much I can take from Rebekah preening in front of the mirror and Kol singing off- key in the shower.”

“You have your own villa, princess,” she muttered.

“And it boasts two very spacious bedrooms,” he murmured. “It seems fitting that we stay there together, you know for work.”

“I cannot believe you,” she growled. “First you take half my job and now you’re making accommodation arrangements? I have a perfectly good room booked at the nearby hotel.”

“Well, you did,” he offered. “I had your assistant cancel it.”

“You did what?”

“And given it’s peak season I think you’ll find it difficult to book anywhere else at this short notice.”

“You are unbelievable!”

“As you keep telling me,” he murmured.

“What is going on here?”

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“Yes, you do,” she shot back. “Why are you suddenly so clingy?”

“Okay, just so you know, Klaus Mikaelson doesn’t do clingy.”

Now that Caroline was thinking about it. Klaus had been acting even stranger than usual the past few days. He’d become less adversarial and more inquisitive. Less arrogant and a little more insecure. Which was completely out of character.

Then it came to her.

4 days earlier

“What do you mean you fired the medic?” Caroline hissed, trying to keep her voice down and not alert the rest of the crew.

“I didn’t fire the medic,” he shot back. “She quit yesterday. Apparently, she didn’t appreciate Kol’s attempts to woo her.”

“Woo her? Who are you?” She muttered. “And you only felt the need to tell me this today?”

“Well, I’m sorry but I’ve been busy wrangling my siblings from almost killing each other. Whoever thought tennis racquets weren’t a lethal weapon never met my family.”

“Welcome to my world,” she growled under her breath. If Klaus wanted to be co-producer, then he could deal with his sibling’s antics too.

The Mikaelsons were holding their annual mother-son tennis competition. It had begun when Finn was younger and had become one of the main events on their social calendar.

This year, it was Henrik’s turn to be initiated into the tradition. Given Esther’s competitive nature, Caroline felt immediately bad for him. It didn’t help that her sworn enemy, Macy Roberts, one of the famed Housewives of Beverly Hills, was competing with her son too.

Turns out giving two society queens tennis racquets wasn’t the brightest idea, even if it did make for good television. They’d yelled cut as soon as the obligatory cursing had died down but turns out there was no medic to check their injuries.

Macy seemed to have only sustained some bruising, but Esther hadn’t fared as well.

“It’s bloody broken, I know it!” Esther wailed. “I need some Oxy-Contin, straight vodka on the rocks and my lipstick touched up, not necessarily in that order.”

“See, she doesn’t even need a medic,” Klaus shrugged his shoulders.

“You are unbelievable.”

“You really need to stop complimenting me, love,” he smirked. Caroline was far too stressed then to call him out on that stray endearment.

“I can help,” Kol offered.

“Where’s your medical degree?” Klaus asked, raising his eyebrows.

“I dated this girl once, a med student, she used to practice on me by…”

“Please don’t go any further,” Caroline groaned, trying to work out whether it was in their best interests to take Esther to hospital given all the unnecessary interest it would attract, especially given how she came to be injured. They didn’t sign non-disclosure agreements for no reason.

They needed something more discreet. Then an idea came to her.

One hour later

The bell rang out and Caroline rushed to the front door. Opening the door, she immediately smiled; he always had that effect on her.

“Why do I always seem to be bailing you out, Care Bear?”

“Just lucky I guess,” she grinned. “And what have I told you about not calling me that.” He dropped his bag and she jumped into his arms, excited to see him after all this time.

“Not to do it,” he teased, putting her back on the ground.

“Care Bear? I’ll have to add that to my repertoire,” Klaus chuckled. Caroline fought the urge to roll her eyes, of course he was eavesdropping. “Who is this?”

Caroline pulled back, annoyed that yet again her annoying co-producer had interrupted.

“Klaus Mikaelson, this is Enzo St John,” she introduced the two. “Our medic for the afternoon.”

“How do you know each other?”

“Enzo is my best friend Kat’s cousin, we grew up together, well until he decided to leave the country on us.”

“Duty called,” he smiled.

“Enzo decided to go and join Médecins Sans Frontières.”

“Doctors without Borders?” Klaus asked, his tone telling Caroline he was clearly impressed but was trying to play it down.

“I’ve been in Burkina Faso most recently,” he explained. “But came home for some downtime, see what my cousin has been up to and of course to save Caroline, yet again.”

“It was once and you know how handsy my prom date was,” she said.

“It was my pleasure to punch him out,” he smiled. “How is Stefan Salvatore doing these days?”

“I have no idea and don’t care,” she muttered. Klaus coughed interrupting their chat.

“Well, maybe it’s best we get to the patient?”

“Can someone please give mother a gag? She is howling like a banshee,” Rebekah muttered, walking into the room. “And who do we have here?”

“I’m Enzo,” he introduced curtly. “I assume I’ll be taking care of the banshee?”

“It’s only funny when I say it,” she drawled, sizing him up. Caroline could sense the tension from a mile off but she wasn’t sure whether they wanted to kill each other or rub up against each other.

“Right on that note,” Caroline interrupted awkwardly. “Let’s go outside, shall we?”

“Why do I feel like I’ve entered the twilight zone?” he asked as she led him toward the tennis courts.

“Because you have,” she murmured, attempting not to laugh aloud.

Enzo was an instant hit with Esther, no doubt due to his nationality, good looks and charm which he possessed in spades.

She also decided that he needed to come to Mexico and play medic. Klaus and Rebekah thought otherwise and had tried to change her mind but being the matriarch of the brood, they all knew it was pointless.

Caroline had a feeling it wasn’t too much of a hard sell after what he’d come from. Although Caroline wasn’t quite sure he was ready for this type of jungle.

“This is about Enzo,” she drawled.

“Excuse me?”

“Now who’s asking the questions,” she huffed. “You don’t want me staying at the same hotel as him in Mexico.”

They’d arranged their travel together, Caroline hoping to get some downtime to chat with one of her oldest friends. There had never been anything between them, their relationship was strictly platonic.

Also, Enzo loved himself too much to love anyone else but obviously Klaus didn’t know that.

Caroline put it down to the fact Klaus was determined to ruin her life for whatever reason she had no idea.

“That is so not true,” he growled.

“Why don’t you tell me the truth for once, Mikaelson? I’m growing incredibly tired of this arrogant bluster.”

“Says the woman who uses insults as a defence mechanism?”

“Are we interrupting something?” Caroline looked up into the warm, brown eyes of Enzo.

“Not at all, in fact we were just talking about how excited Klaus is to have you along for the trip,” she smiled, nudging Klaus in the ribs as she said it. “Hold on, what do you mean we?”

“You can’t go to Mexico and take my cousin with you and not expect a few extra guests, Care.” Katherine and Bonnie stood there, bags in hand.

“You did say there were two bedrooms, right?” She asked Klaus sweetly, happy that she’d beaten him at his own game this time, or so she thought.

You can read this chapter and follow the story HERE or HERE

#kcauweek2020 #klaroline fanfiction #misssophiachase #reality bites

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creativespecialism · 4 years

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Film Language: Taking A look At Black Swan

Black Swan is an American Psychological horror film directed by Darren Arronofsky. I is based on an original story by Andres Heinz. he film stars Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Babara Hershey, and Winona Ryder. The plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by the New York City Ballet company. The production requires a ballerina to play the innocent and fragile White Swan, for which the committed dancer Nina (Portman) is a perfect fit, as well as the dark and sensual Black Swan, which are qualities better embodied by the new rival Lily (Kunis). Nina is overwhelmed by a feeling of immense pressure when she finds herself competing for the part, causing her to lose her tenuous grip on reality and descend into madness.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The film opens with a shot of Nina’s feet. she is wearing ballet shoes and the light is white. This establishes her character very early on as it tells us that she is pure, naive and that dancing and ballet is the most important element of her life. I think it’s interesting that this opening scene is also a dream sequence. Nina dreams that she is the Swan Queen so at this point in the film it is but a fantasy and is even interrupted by the nightmarish black swan creature and we are made aware of this through the use of music. It quickens in pace making the situation seem panicked and dire. It could also be said that the fact that the surrounding area is symbolic of Nina’s underlying darkness and her blindness to the reality of the outside world.

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When Nina is walking outside it is always a shot from behind and the camera is slightly shaky. This makes us feel like we’re following Nina in a documentary style film and it makes the whole thing very personal. like we’re their on this journey with her.

Early on in the film we get introduced to Nina’s foil, Lily. Lily is a stark contrast to Nina’s innocence and naivety. She’s confident and sexually secure.

This is where the wardrobe really comes in. Even before this contrast we have a pretty good idea that the costume design is gonna play a huge role because Nina’s scarf looks particularly like a swans plumage. and could be seen as restricting.

Lily wears black and grey throughout the film and rarely wears white, using it as an accent to the black, most notably with her delicate white feather earrings. Whilst Nina wears mostly white, pale greys and very pale pink. All very delicate colours that preserve her innocence. This carries over in the makeup choices as Lily’s eyeshadow is dark and bold, heavy and Nina’s is light, more natural with hints of glitter.

The crux of the film is Tchaikofsky’s Swan Lake. Thomas the director of the dance company has to choose his swan queen but they have to be able to play both Odette and Odile. The white and black swans. The wardrobe choices eludes us to the fact that Lily is the black swan or at least resembles what the black swan is supposed to be.

Nina finds out that she isn’t picked to be the swan queen and goes to confront Thomas who assaults her with a kiss. this is what earns her the role because she retaliates with a bite. After this scene Nina calls her mother and calls her “mommy” this is a reaction of regression to childhood, perhaps a retreat to a time of safety? I say this because it’s already established that Nina refers to her mother as mom and has her saved as this in her phone. This regression is Nina’s way to deal with this unwanted advancement. But later on in the film we get the impression that her mother is narcissistic as their apartment is littered with self portraits and she resents Nina for ruining her ballet dreams by being born.

Whilst we’re on the subject of childhood I find Nina’s bedroom incredibly interesting.

The main colour is this incredibly pale pink, almost off-white and it’s cluttered with lacy furnishings and stuffed toys that scream Sanrio aesthetic. Don’t get me wrong I love stuffed toys and I have many at home but within the context of the film and how they’re used here. It’s clear that they are supposed to be this symbol of childhood and childishness.

One time when Nina is walking home she has a visual hallucination.

She sees herself in a darker attire with darker hair and more confidence as if she’s daring herself to defy and question the inevitable existence of her darker side. This can be seen as foreshadowing to the point in the film where Nina begins to embrace the darkness that’s underlining her innocence.

At one point in the film Lily takes Nina to a club. there’s lots of flashing lights, red lighting. It’s quite intense. Lily offers a skimpy black top to Nina so that she can dress more club appropriate. At first Nina refuses but later we see her wearing it over her white top. This not only shows us that Nina hasn’t fully embraced the darkness but it also marks the start of her transition into the black swan. Lilly also offers Nina a white pill of Ecstasy. Which she takes, albeit with reluctance.

The sex scene is very interesting especially since it was completely fabricated. Lily wore black underwear and Nina wore white underwear. Lily was on top, the more dominating position. Nina was very submissive and and at the end she saw Lily as herself. This tells us that Nina will eventually allow her darker side to take over and dominate what she is now.

Nina actually oversleeps after this night and because she comes in late Lily is named as her alternate. This makes Nina paranoid and is the true catalyst to the decline of her sanity. She also has a visual hallucination of Thomas getting it off with Lily and Thomas turns into the black swan creature we saw a the start of the film.

We can say that this is a wake up call of sorts. She rushes home and gets rid of all her stuffed toys. Literally disposing of the symbols of her childhood and by extension her innocence. She does it quite forcefully too.

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This is a great scene as It’s so unexpected and intense. Beth is the old and forgotten prima who winds up in hospital after a failed suicide attempt. Nina returns the items she stole from her dressing room, one of them boing a small knife, probably a letter opener. Nina hallucinates Beth stabbing her self with the knife. Since Beth represents a future version of Nina we can say that this is foreshadowing that Nina will be her own undoing.

We also get this scene.

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The ballet music is building in the background and is competing with the factitious screams and that her and her mother exchange. She forcefully locks herself away and pulls jagged black feathers out of the self-inflicted scratches on her back. Her eyes are red and intense. and we get a close up shot of them to give us a feeling that she’s looking at us, pleading for help.

This is the night before the show so it’s all getting very intense and we can see that the pressure is getting to Nina. She hallucinates her legs breaking which cause her to fall and bang her head. on her bed. This can be read as her not having a leg to stand on. Or that she’s on her last leg as it were. However you could also say that this is a nod to the idiom “break a leg” which is used to with good luck to someone out of superstition that “ good luck” would be a jinx.

In the final act it’s time for the show. Nina goes on and an is riddled with anxiety which is made worse by the fact that her prince drops her. We get a close up of her knee as it makes contact with the floor to emphasise the importance of this. In a high class ballet production you expect everything to be perfect and run smoothly and Nina knows this so this mistake really plays on her mind.

After this Nina returns to her dressing room to find Lily there, powdering her nose and wearing Nina’s costume for Odile. This is a fight scene of sorts.

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Nina hallucinates Lily as herself but a more dark and confidence version who is determined to take Nina’s place on stage as Odile so, Nina trusts this adversary against the mirror and stabs them with a piece of broken glass. After which they turn back into Lily. Personally I read this as symbolic of Nina killing her anxiety and insecurities and ridding herself of them so she can be free to fullylet go and embrace her darker self.

This is clear in the scene that follows.

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Here we can see right away that Nina is much less rigid and controlled as she was at the start of the film. The dance is her advantage rather than a prison her mother put her in. Nina undergoes metamorphosis into a black swan. It starts at the hands, a symbol that blood is on her hands due to the murder of Lily/her darker counter part. this grey colour travels up Nina’s veins and eventually consumes her arms. Feathers begin to form and her foot work sounds like feathers flapping. Her eyes are red and swan like and her makeup looks like a pair of angular wings. eventually her arms turn to actual wings and her dress grows to fit the rest of her body, drowning it in black. We get a striking shot of of Nina in the finishing pose with two large shadows cast on the bare brick wall. It’s wonderful. Also after this Nina forcefully kisses Thomas which is a parallel to when he kissed her earlier on in the film as this time Nina is the one who is in control and passionate. She’s now the seducer.

After this performance it is revealed that Lily is still alive and Nina actually stabbed herself. In the final part of the play Odette returns and commits suicide by jumping off a cliff but safely onto a mattress. This means Nina has to become Odette again so the film shows her taking the shard of glass out of her wound. she is effectively removing this part of her so she can resume her innocence but as she dances for the last time we learn that this isn’t possible. The wound begins to bleed and stain the white dress representing the underlying issues Nina has and how they are bleeding through into her life. She jumps and we discover that this wound was one of the only things that actually happened to Nina and her final words “I was perfect” fade to white.

I think fading to white is interesting. It represents peace but also vulnerability. Naked and in your face about it. I always get quite tense when I see a character wearing white. most of the time one of three things happen; there’s gonna be blood because it shows up nicely, they’re gonna get married because wedding dresses are normally white and it’s subtle foreshadowing, or they’re going to die, especially if it’s a bloody murder but more importantly because angels and heaven are often associated with white. So having Nina be a white swan in her final costume is very fitting.

Black Swan is an amazing film that probably needs a few watches to really catch everything. it has amazing performances and direction and the costume design and lighting and shot work are just amazing. There are still somethings I didn’t talk about and I know I’ve kind of already spoiled the majority of the film but I really recommend watching it for yourselves.

#filmlanguage

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writingfromkitchenator · 5 years

Text

Thorin ~ True Colours

800 Followers Challenge!

Requested by Anon

Based on the song True Colours by Cindi Lauper

Words: 1315

Warnings: Gold sickness

The last thing that you ever expected, especially on a quest that was so risky and dangerous a part of you thought you might not just survive it, was to fall in love.

It hadn’t clicked originally, at least, not the way the few dwarves had described finding their one did, but once it did, it was a thought that you didn’t want to let go, even if said one was trying to avoid you like the plague.

It was frustrating, but you understood. Thorin had a responsibility to his Company and to his people, his duty had to come before emotions and feelings and trying to deal with the repercussions that those came with. You didn’t like it, but you could tell, in his own small way that Thorin knew too.

Which put you just a little more at ease about it.

Thorin had his own small way of showing affections, such as small smiles only directed at you when you made a certain comment, or small flowers that you often find placed into your pack. It was nice and subtle enough that it didn’t get the others of the company talking unnecessarily. There was a time and place for these things and the road wasn’t one of them.

The best times you found were when the two of you were on watch, it was safe enough to delve into quiet conversation and in those moments, you learnt more about him than you thought you would in this time.

It grew a little more obvious at Beorn’s and then later, Lake Town, Thorin keeping you close to his side, wanting to make sure that you were safe and away from the worst bite of the cold. It started some talk amongst the dwarves, but he was quick enough to quite them.

“They will know when I am ready.” Thorin said quietly to you one night, his gaze soft and hand carefully wrapped around yours, as if not to frighten you. “But for now, we need to wait.”

It made your heart ache in a way, seeing him so strong and formidable in the face of such adversary, but knowing that deep down, he was soft and gentle and loving, with more care for you than you really know what to do with.

You were in love with Thorin Oakenshield and everyday he seemed to do something that just made it deepen further.

Then you finally made it to Erebor. Then, the impossible happened and Smaug was killed.

Then Thorin changed.

You had all known it was a possibility, that the dragon sickness ran in his family, but you didn't think it would make you feel this broken and helpless.

Those that had suspected what was happening between you and Thorin did their best to comfort you, and for the most part, you stayed strong, but as calls went out for war, it became a lot harder to turn a relatively blind eye.

It was the other thing you didn't expect. War.

Sick as he was, Thorin was showing his affection towards you now, as if it no longer mattered about who was present and the task still ahead.

It was unnerving, as nice as it was, the part of you that wanted it, also knew it was wrong.

This was not your Thorin.

He asked to marry you, for you to become Queen of Erebor, and it took all your effort to tell him that something like was best to wait, till the battle was over.

He didn't take it well.

This was not your Thorin.

The day before battle was hardest. You were always a warrior, but this time, you wanted someone to tell you that it was going to be okay, that everything would work out, that there wasn't the high chance of dying today.

You wanted Thorin to tell you this.

Instead, as the battle roared beneath the walls of Erebor, he demanded that you all stood down.

It was the final straw for you, the final thing in knowing that you may just have to do something risky, something that may break your heart, to get him out of it.

The large hall felt so cold as you entered, your hands clenching nervously by your side, eyeing Thorin nervously at the end of the hall, his gaze distant from the throne, only looking up as you stopped just before him, far enough away that it would take two steps should it go wrong.

You kept yourself held confidently, but not overpowering, not wanting this to be a challenge, and you could tell by his piercing gaze that he was already deciding what your intention here could be.

Swallowing, you spoke softly. “Thorin…”

“Y/N.” There was an uncertain bite in his tone, one that made your heart starting to pound faster than what it already was. “What do you want?”

“To speak with you,” You continued softly. “If this is how today will go, then I do not want bad blood to be between us.”

Thorin frowns. “If you did not wish bad blood, then you would not have refused.”

“If you were in your right mind, you would not have asked.” You broke away from the anger in his gaze quickly, biting your tongue and cursing yourself for reacting that way.

“You are not helping yourself.” He said coldly. “And frankly it disappoints me that my one would react like this.”

You took the words, not looking him in the eye as you fought back possible tears that pricked at the corner of your eyes and took a steadying breath.

“I did not come here to fight Thorin,” You said. “I just…I felt I had to talk to you, I wanted you to know what I felt and what…what you mean to me.”

Thorin remains silent, just watching you.

Drawing in another breath, you finally looked back at him. “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” You cringed a little. “And for most of this journey, that’s all the two of us have really been, a thought and idea, we’ve kept it away from the others, and I wanted you to know that those quiet moments that we had together…it made you my world Thorin. You’ve changed me more than I could ever say and it’s not just because I fell in love with you, it’s because I saw the real you, the dwarf, not only destined to be King, but also the individual who didn’t always have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Thorin, I promise you I do, but…” You swallowed and felt a hot tear on your cheek, choosing to ignore it. “Please Thorin, hear me, truly, not through a clouded mind. Please come back. This isn’t who you are.”

The coldness had left Thorin’s blue eyes as you focused back on him and you could see him thinking heavily on your words, a slight tremble in his hands. “Y/N…”

You didn’t want to hope, but you held his gaze.

“Am…I a monster?”

The break in his voice broke your heart. “No Thorin, you are not. We can still make things right.”

He swallows and half nods, his gaze breaking away with a slight frown. “I…leave me for a little while. Please. I need to…”

His voice drifts off and you only hold for a moment before you nod. “Of course my love, I will be waiting for you, as I promised.”

Your heart was still racing as you left the hall and it wasn’t until you were out of sight that you wiped the tears from your cheeks, hoping, despite yourself, that it had been enough, that the Thorin you all knew would come true again and help put an end to all this madness.

#the hobbit #thorin #thorin x reader #short #drabbles #800 followers challenge

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d20owlbear-deactivated · 4 years

Text

Discorporation III

From the Ineffable Bingo prompt A4, "shoulder kiss"

1749

The strains of a lively waltz played in the rotunda in Ranelagh Gardens and there were few people left along the edges of the extravagant building, more were at the ‘house’ on the water with pointed and arched roofing reminiscent of certain Chinese stylings. Crowley laughed charmingly at whatever her companion had said, her eyes hidden by the mask that gave her an elegant air of mystery about her and something dangerous, which seemed to be a draw rather than something to be wary of for the men surrounding her.

Aziraphale took a moment to take in the scene. Her dress was ostentatious, of course, dripping with gold and rubies that looked like blood droplets and trimmed with beautiful black lace over a red velvet dress with gathering that denoted the sort of handiwork Aziraphale usually looked for in his tailors. Her mask was just as over the top, rubies bleeding from the eye holes that were veiled over by black fabric giving her the look of a dazzling skeleton, and only her nose showed through on the upper half of her face, through the hole in the mask there.

She was surrounded by a group of men, all who seemed to be growing more and more agitated with each other as she spoke, vying for her attentions. With a sigh, Aziraphale repositioned his own mask, something white and feathered and with a few hidden pearls with gold chains draped from it, before striding over.

“My dear!” Aziraphale greeted happily, breaking through the group to take Crowley’s arm, and she smiled up at him with a touch of aggression that made his heart skip a beat.

“Wicked thing,” he tutted at her, and smoothly nodded at the gentlemen around her, pleased she let herself be carted off. For the sake of the other men, of course. Only an angel could save humans from a demon’s direct wiles. It was his duty, to be sure.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, angel,” Crowley said lightly as they made their way into the gardens themselves, where a few people could be seen. There was something in her voice that made Aziraphale pause before replying.

“Yes, nearly four decades now isn’t it, my dear?” He hummed and pat her hand, “Not quite so long as it might have been, I hadn’t known you were here. Though I should have suspected a masquerade like this would be your doing.”

“Not my doing, not in the sslightesst.” Crowley hissed, though she sounded tired more than upset, or perhaps the sort of upset people got when they hadn’t slept in some time.

“Are you alright, dear?” Aziraphale stopped them and turned to face her, removing her hand from his elbow and instead took both of hers between his. “I apologize about last time, are you still cross about–”

“Yesss I’m ssstill crosss about the Honourable Eassst India Company!” Crowley hissed loudly, baring fangs she surely manifested for this purpose alone, “And in any case, it’s more that Head Office is upset about it. Crowley forcibly calmed herself so she no longer hissed, though Aziraphale could feel her glare through the veiled eyes of the mask. If he looked closely enough, he could nearly see her golden eyes glowing underneath.

“My dear,” Aziraphale said mournfully, “I am so sorry. I had no choice, you know, it was direct orders. Something about colonizing to spread Christianity, or resulting in it.” He sighed heavily and grimaced. Those sorts of orders always sat poorly with him, time and time again it was simply people bullied into believing something new they didn’t much care for in the first place and it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Yeah, well, it’s your turn, angel.” Crowley murmured and then whisked two glasses of wine into her hands from the private table in the rotunda with a snap. The expensive stuff. She handed one over solemnly to Aziraphale, who took it with an inquisitive hum and raised eyebrow.

She looked him in the eyes and tipped open the contents of a poisoner’s ring into his glass before shutting it once more with a soft click that echoed impossibly in the empty gardens.

“Oh. Right then. I suppose you’re right, it is my turn, isn’t it?” Aziraphale sighed heavily and grasped for her hand. “You’ll stay?”

“Always.” Crowley murmured, looking away for a moment and then threaded her fingers through his, squeezing his hand with a regretful frown on her face. Delicate and as red as the wine in his glass, even darkened by poison as it was.

“Don’t worry,” she murmured, voice low as if she was worried about being caught, “It’s my venom. It’s fast and tasteless, you’ll barely feel it this time. ‘S the least I could do.”

“Ta, then.” Aziraphale smiled and toasted her with his glass in the air, and drained his drink at the same time Crowley did. Ah, yes, it was fast-acting, wasn’t it? He could already feel the turn of his corporeal stomach, a demon’s poison quickly invading the rest of him and he stumbled into her arms in response to the overwhelming numbness it caused.

“Oh, that’s not so bad.” He muttered, blinking in disorientation. When had she set him down on the ground, propped up against a tree? And when had Crowley knelt beside him? Bugger, he’d lose most of this wouldn’t he?

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t be, angel.” Crowley didn’t have to say it, but he knew. She’d concocted the poison just for him, and if that wasn’t the closest he’d get to an admission of the love he felt from her every time they were near, then he’d eat his hat. Not really, of course, the phrase hadn’t come into use yet, but the idea was the same. If this was all they had, the moments between life and death and discorporation to be kind and sweet to each other, then so be it.

This was the safest they could be together, Aziraphale knew, and his breathing grew heavier and rough as he felt Crowley lean against him, wrap his arm around her waist as if they could be lovers like anyone else at this masquerade instead of hereditary enemies. Greatest Adversaries. (And if Greatest Adversaries had started to sound like My Most Beloved more and more as the years went by, then so be it.)

Crowley said something Aziraphale didn’t quite catch, too involved in feeling her body against his failing one to hear her. But she only shook his head and kissed his shoulder.

It felt like love, and an apology, and something of a necessary evil.

But most of all, it left a perfect red stain on his white coat, hidden between frills, that if Aziraphale were more romantic and less aware of every part of his corporeal body, might call over his heart. (He’d call it that anyway, it made him feel better, to know she cared just as much as he did, no matter that they very carefully never spoke of it.)

#good omens #good omens fanfic #good omens crowley #Aziraphale #aziraphale/crowley #Crowley and Aziraphale #my writing #Help I've fallen into Good Omens and I can't get out #IneffableBingo #Ineffable Bingo #discorporation #discorporation series

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 years

Text

Witness : 20

Compromised

moodboard created by @chuuulip

Character(s): dark!Bucky, later dark!Steve, too

Masterlist

Warnings: this is a dark!fic, it contains non/dubious-consent elements. Some violence as well at the beginning. It goes without (and with) that this is 18+. In this chapter there’s not much but a set-up for the next. We'll go over warnings then.

Summary: The reader is invited out for some after-work drinks.

Notes: Okay! Sorry about being a bit late today but as promised here is another part! Hopefully, everyone saw yesterday's and is all caught up, if not you can always go back and catch up! And wowee, we're already on part 20! Thank you all so much and please leave a comment if you read :) !

The rest of the week saw Bucky at your apartment nightly. You weren’t sure what was going on but you didn’t dare to ask. If you did as he wished, he was pleased, even close to amiable. You found that if you behaved, he did what he wanted and left you with a few hours to yourself. You treasured that alone time and it was worth the momentary distraction. When he was done and you were alone, you felt empty; a mixture of physical longing and feeling of exploitation. The satisfaction never lasted beyond the act itself; after you couldn’t help but deflate, stewing in resent for him and disappointment in yourself.

Friday used to be a day of celebration for you. Those times seemed a distant past. You would hang with Allie or go home and order take out and watch something on Netflix. Now, you were too enamoured in anticipation and dread to focus on that. What use was it when it could easily be interrupted? It was worse when you were ready for a quiet night in only for the your solace to be shattered. Even so, you stared at the clock and waited for your cue to leave. Another hour...it felt like forever. What exactly were you so eager for? Based on the the last few days, you were to expect another visit from Bucky. You flipped back to Pepper’s emails which included forwards of every email sent to Tony. You guessed he had left so much on her plate that she needed to spread some onto yours. What were temps for but grunt work? That’s all you ever did. Down on your knees for Bucky every night, as good as bending over backwards for Pepper. You really were taking it in both ends. Your mind strayed again and you found yourself fixated on daydreams of a metal arm flexing around you, familiar grunts in your ear, an almost comforting sensation flowing from your core. You snapped up and touched your forehead in shame. No...he could have your body, but your mind was still yours. That small part of you was still there; you weren’t truly his, you were merely biding your time, but for what?

“Y/N,” A voice drew your head up and you masked your dilemma with a smile. Steve approached, Bucky not far behind. Not good. “You alright?”

“Fine,” You lied, “I was just working. It’s a bit repetitive so I was resting my eyes.”

“I imagine it’s very exciting,” His hands were on your desk as he leaned on it, biceps peeking out from beneath the sleeves of his tee. He was dressed more casual than usual and you couldn’t help but notice the lines above the vee of his shirt. For once, you were the one distracted. “Me and Buck were just about to grab some drinks, you wanna join?”

You glanced behind him and Bucky nodded, a smirk plain enough. You suspected this wasn’t entirely Steve’s idea and that stoked your anxiety. What was he playing at? You scrunched your lips and looked to the monitor. “I’m here until 6 today,” You said, hoping it was enough of an excuse, “I really can’t just leave.”

“No worries, we’re just headed down the street to Luis’,” His eyes strayed to your chest, admiring the top of your cleavage just visible above the frill. “We’ll have a drink and you can join us for the second round.”

“I don’t--”

“Come on, Y/N,” Bucky stepped forward, just opposite Steve and you felt like a cornered deer. “It’s Friday. You should get out, have some fun. I mean, me and Steve, we get our kicks out in the field but you just sit here all day and...type. One drink won’t hurt, will it?”

You looked between the super soldiers. This was not an invitation, this was an order. Steve was so hopeful, his eagerness underlined with his more sinister intentions. And Bucky was determined. You couldn’t say no unless you were prepared for the consequences and you suspected those were worse than whatever it is he had planned. Besides, he never asked, he told. “Sure, why not?” You tried to sound normal but you couldn’t help the jagged response. “I’ll just finish up here and head down when I’m done.”

Bucky winked and turned to Steve who grinned back at him. There was collusion in their eyes but it could very well just be the recognition of two adversaries. “Alright, see ya soon,” Bucky chimed, “We’ll keep a tab open.”

You mumbled a goodbye and watched them approach the elevator, pulling on their jackets as they disappeared behind the metal doors. You sighed and brushed back your hair as you leaned against your chair. What the fuck? You were prepared for Bucky but not both of them. Surely it was just another scheme to watch you squirm, you told yourself. You’d end up going home alone, if only to have Bucky follow, but Steve was just another pawn. Wasn’t he?

You did all you could to delay your departure for the day but you knew if you kept them waiting, Bucky would make you pay for it. That had to be the reason you were growing so anxious. It was fear, not excitement. Right? Right? Oh, fuck, you were going crazy. You left your jacket open as you walked the chill New York sidewalk, heels clicking as you hurried along. As you stopped before Luis’ shining red lights, your legs wobbled and you felt a peculiar pluck deep down. No, just one drink. Nothing more.

You stepped inside, wary of the other men along the bar who watched your entrance. This wasn’t exactly a joint you frequented. In fact you had avoided it for the shabbiness of its facade and the fact that you rarely saw any female denizens going in or out. It was a greasy corner in the heart of downtown with more than its share of regulars and unshaven drunks. This was like that tavern in London where that guy had shoved his hand up your skirt on that summer trip with Allie. Fond memories, indeed.

You spotted the two men in a booth near the back of the bar. You sidestepped a few reaching hands on your way to them and felt almost thankful when you came upon their table. “Hey,” You said quietly, looking around yourself to make sure no groping hands hovered behind you.

“Ah, just in time,” Steve stood and waved his hand to the curved bench around the table, “We saved you a spot.” You stared at the seat he offered, closed in between the two of them. Reluctantly you accepted it, sidling awkwardly around the table and to the space on the cushion. Steve sat and blocked you in, motioning to the waiter who sported a long grey ponytail and a greasy leather vest. “We’ll have a second round and whatever the lady wants.”

“Water is fine,” You smiled sheepishly.

“Whiskey for her,” Bucky corrected, “May as well unwind, Y/N.”

You resisted sending him a glare and just nodded, the waiter moving sluggishly to fulfill the order. You were starting to sweat already, trapped in the body heat of the men book-ending you in the booth. “Take off your jacket,” Steve said, “Stay a while, won’t you?”

You gave a weak laugh and peeled of your coat, Bucky swiftly moving it to lay atop his and Steve’s on the end of the bench on his other side. “So how was work?” Bucky prodded, leaning on his arm as if genuinely interested.

“It was work, I guess,” You could feel tendrils along your neck, the blush burning your flesh. “You two having fun without me?”

“No, but I’m sure we’ll have more now that you’re here,” Bucky smirked and your eyes nearly popped out of your head. You felt like the entire bar could hear the conversation and it was as clear to them as it was to you that this wasn’t just an after work get together. Your whiskey arrived and you reached for it in your desperation. You hadn’t wanted to compromise your senses but the tension was overwhelming and your nerves were wild. You had to keep yourself from draining the glass entirely, lowering your glass and exhaling shakily. Steve and Bucky were watching you closely.

“Well, you must be thirsty,” Steve mused, stretching his arm across the bench behind you as he sipped from his beer.

“Working for Stark will do that to ya,” Bucky kidded, “How are you liking it?”

“It’s fine,” You shrugged, resisting the urge to finish your whiskey. This all seemed to casual. A farce.

“Come on, it must be exciting. All the people you get to meet, aside from the heroes like us you see almost every day,” Steve teased, “I mean, me and Buck are nice enough, but the others, they’re a bit--”

“Pompous,” Bucky added smugly.

Boy, they were really quite the team. Two murderers who fancied themselves crusaders. Sure, they used to fight the bad guys but now they were the bad guys. Ever since the Sekovia Accords had been overturned and Stark Industries had become entirely privatised. For every genuine criminal they were sent after, they killed a dozen civilians on behalf of the same brand of thugs. I guess money made morality an afterthought.

“Yeah,” You forced out and gulped back the rest of your drink. “It’s definitely the most famous company I’ve worked for but there aren’t many bigger than Stark himself.” Bucky squinted at you, catching the subtle jab. He wouldn’t forget that.

“Well, me and Steve were just talking about something that happened with Stark today.” Bucky began, “We were testing new armour, it’s good stuff; lightweight but it does the job well. Or at least we thought…”

You listened to Bucky and Steve as they told of the fiasco, soon trading war stories back and forth with little interjection from you. When the waiter returned, Bucky ordered you a double, then another upon his next check in. You were downing them out of nervousness, the burn of alcohol growing less as you tried to sink into the bench. You were giggling at Steve’s recount of Bucky getting his arm stuck in a wheel well when suddenly the attention turned to you. You suddenly remembered where you were and who you were with.

“Another?” Bucky asked as you found yourself sipping from an empty glass again.

“N-no,” Your words were almost slurred but you kept it together. “I think maybe I should have that water now.”

“Oh, Y/N, it’s fine to just kick back once in a while,” Steve’s arm was once more behind you, “We don’t mind.”

“Really, I like this side of you,” Bucky added, “Giggly and laid back. But I do wish you would speak up more.”

“How rude of us?” Steve announced with exaggeration, “We’ve been here talking all about ourselves. I mean, come on, we didn’t invite you hear just to sit and listen to two old men banter.”

“Surely not,” Bucky’s metal finger tapped on his glass. You stared at the half-finished beer and tilted your head. You couldn’t recall either of them ordering past their second round and yet your glass had been refilled on a loop. The suspicion quickly faded into the tipsy haze behind your eyes. “Actually, we were hoping to learn more about you.”

“Such a quiet little thing,” Steve’s voice was dusky as he leaned in, your head swiveling between them as they spoke. You were starting to get dizzy.

“I’ll start,” Bucky nearly sang, “Well, I mean there’s really only one question that I have.”

“Can I please get a water?” You asked, a hiccup rising in your throat.

“Here,” Steve pushed over his beer, “Have a sip of this.”

You hiccuped again and accepted, wanting to rid yourself of the bubbles more than anything. As you drank daintily from the pint, you realized both men were staring at you expectantly. “Anyways, what I was going to ask is…” He raised a brow, pausing dramatically before continuing, “Do you want to fuck Steve?”

You choked and the foam splashed in your face, causing you to slam the glass on the table. You were certain your drunken mind was betraying you, but the two men assured you otherwise. Their thighs were suddenly flush against yours, you felt as if you were crushed between them. Steve’s hand played with your hair and Bucky’s hand rested on your thigh. “Wh-what?” You tried to resist them but their touch felt so nice. “I…”

“Be a good girl and answer the question,” Bucky warned. You realized that this was a conspiracy. Maybe Steve didn’t know that Bucky had been fucking you for weeks but he certainly knew that he had some sort of hold over you. You suspected their conversations about you had gone well beyond the single kiss you had shared more than a week ago.

Your mouth opened and closed, you gulped and steadied your breath. You bit you lip before running your tongue across it as you steeled yourself. “Yes,” You whispered, trembling at the confession. Surprising even yourself.

“Hmm?” Bucky feigned deafness, “Sorry, I can’t hear you.”

“Yes,” You said more firmly, almost growling at him. Your drunkenness was not enough to mute your anger as the humiliation washed over you.

“Well that can be arranged,” Bucky smirked as Steve’s hand ran the length of your arm, “Right, Steve?”

You heard a dark chuckle in your ear and Steve’s lips graze your cheek, his chest pressed against you. “It can,” He confirmed, “What do you say we go back to mine for a night cap?”

You stared at Bucky, Steve’s hand slipping down and cupping the top of your ass. “I think she’d love that,” Bucky smiled, turned to grab your jacket and handed it to you. “Well,” He stood and Steve removed his hand as he mirrored his movements, “Shall we?” Bucky offered his hand, staring you down until you took it and stood, letting him guide you out from behind the booth. He let you go, walking behind you as you followed Steve, who dropped some bills on the counter along the way. The other patrons watched your exit and you were certain they knew everything. Hell, it must have been plain enough as you couldn’t wipe the dazed look from your face.

You stepped out on the street, Bucky came up beside you and wrapped his arm around you. He bent to whisper in your ear as Steve led the way, “Good girl,” He cooed, “You remember your rules.”

tags: @petit-funsize @alexakeyloveloki @ladyofmyst @kellyn1604

#dark!bucky #dark!bucky barnes #dark bucky #dark bucky barnes #dark!fic #series #witness #darkverse #au fic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fic #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #mcu #marvel

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hidekikitsune · 4 years

Text

Coffekinoid | Nell & Hideki

tw: blood, brief mention of self-harm

Location: Coffee Plus

Characters: Nell (@https://nelllraiser.tumblr.com/) & Hideki (@https://hidekikitsune.tumblr.com/)

Summary: What was meant to be a brief battle of the wits morphed into a karkinoid cook-off, the likes of which Coffee Plus shall never witness again. ft. an interesting jacket, an overpriced cardigan, soft boi Hideki, and spicy girl Nell. Oh, and glass. Lots of glass.

It had been a moment since Penelope has come to a Coffee Plus since it was fairly close to campus, and she didn’t really have a reason to be near the campus in the first place. But sometimes she just really wanted the chocolate muffins they had here in particular, even if their desserts weren’t as popular as their beverages. Nevertheless, she was hunkered down over her muffin and mocha, all too eager to dig in when she saw a familiar face pop into the shop. Damn it, she really should have left her Amphisbaena jacket at home today, especially after it had struck Hideki’s interest the last time he saw it. But with all these karkinoids roaming around and...raining fish- she’d figured it was best to be protected.

The cold had never bothered Hideki much. What did bother him was the slush that just loved appearing to ruin his favorite shoes after the snow melted a little. He knew he should have just worn his snow boots to work today. He sighed as he tugged the door open to Coffee Plus a little stronger than he needed to. The baristas took one look at him and immediately started making his usual drink - proof that he came far too often. He went through the motions of paying for his drink and making small talk, but didn’t bother to address the feeling that someone was watching him until his americano was solidly in-hand. When he realized it was Penelope staring at him, though, he suddenly felt a surge of energy that could only come from the need to antagonize the poor soul in front of him. “Afternoon, Penelope.” He said her name with an unnecessary amount of entertainment as he slid into the seat across from her without permission. He raised a meticulously groomed eyebrow at the spread in front of her. “I never imagined you’d be one for sweets.” Hideki reached across and plucked the muffin from in front of her, though he took care to keep his fingers on the muffin liner so as not to dirty his fingers with the sweet. “Tell me… how does a girl like you get a jacket like that?”

Nell nearly groaned as Hideki slid into the chair across from her, her eyes narrowing in his direction. Though...it was mostly all in good fun. After all, it was amusing to try and ruffle his feathers in return whenever he decided to make his attempts to prey on her. “Old man, Hideki,” she commented back in as neutral a tone as possible, as if greeting an age old, but respected adversary. “Why not?” she asked, figuring there was no other choice but to take that bait if it was indeed bait. But the moment he took her muffin her eyes bugged out. Normally- she managed to pretend like she wasn’t as bothered by him, but this was crossing a line. Messing with Penelope was one thing, but messing with her food? Unacceptable. “Get your own muffin. That’s a great way to lose a finger,” she said gruffly as she reached across the table to make her attempt to snatch her muffin back. “A girl like me?” she replied indignantly. “What’s that supposed to mean? How’s an old man like you get out of bed every morning to terrorize the youth of this coffee shop? Don’t your bones creak? Nearly break when you force their tired selves out into the world?”

The girl’s ceaseless teasing had always been a bit of a treat for Hideki. He looked to be in his early thirties at the latest, but only he knew he had lived long enough for the average human lifespan already. He chuckled and let her snatch the muffin from his clutch. He rubbed the pads of his fingers with his thumb, trying to remove any remaining crumbs before crossing his arms and resting them on the table, leaning into her onslaught of questions with a perfectly amicable smile. “With such a fiery personality, I always assumed you wouldn’t have much of a sweet tooth,” he admitted with a slight shrug. “But you are absolutely correct, Penelope. My bones nearly break with every step I take in this harsh, cold world. The only warmth and joy I can ever find in my boring old man life is to steal nourishment from youths such as yourselves in this very coffee shop. It’s your own fault, really. You should have known better than to come to my hunting grounds.”

Obviously Nell knew Hideki couldn’t be much older than Bea at most, but still— it was amusing to make fun of the way he acted like he was an old man in a younger one’s body, saying the strangest things and proving himself time and time again to only have more traits she’d expect of someone much older. But as she regained her muffin she hummed pleasantly, easily placated by the re-acquirement of the little pastry. But her lips pursed in the slightest at the mention of fiery. It seemed her personality was the only part of her family’s legacy she’d inherited. Though she’d made a name for herself without the connecting link to their fire elemental tendencies, it still wasn’t exactly fun to be the odd one out. “Yeah well- human beings are very complex creatures, Hideki,” she said with the element of a tease back in her tone. Despite her attempts to always seem unamused by him, her lips still tilted up at the corners in a small grin. “I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you. Maybe you should just spare us all, and stop hunting for the sake of your rapidly decaying body.” But she snickered at the mention of hunting grounds. “Not a very good hunter when you return the food.”

Hideki snorted and leaned back in the seat of the booth, finally letting himself take the first sip of his americano. It had been far too long since he’d last had an adequate amount of caffeine coursing through his veins so it took a shameful amount of self-restraint to keep himself from downing the entire thing in front of… present company. “You have no idea how complex…” he muttered around the rim of his cup, eyes glittering with entertainment. He would always wonder at how rash young humans could be despite how delicate they were. Although, he still questioned what the woman sitting in front of him was. His eyes shamelessly scanned the details of her jacket, his recent obsession. “Well, that’s quite a good proposition to make. Perhaps, since you like bantering so much, you might be inclined to study political science at the local college. Our debate team is quite good from what I hear. I’m sure you’d have a great deal of fun as a lawyer.”

A little frown crossed over Nell’s lips, never sure what Hideki meant when he said such cryptid things. Maybe he was just being weird. Who knew? Nevertheless, she fixed him with a disapproving look as she noticed him focus in on her jacket, and she subconsciously gripped the edges of it, pulling it closer to her body in a somewhat defensive maneuver. How could he know what it was made of? He’d have to be supernatural himself. Or perhaps a Scribe? A Scribe seemed more likely, and much more Hideki’s speed. “Mmm you know it’s funny you mention that. I have considered applying recently.” She dangled the carrot for a moment, wondering if he would bite. “Would you like to know why?”

Hideki couldn’t help but lean forward on his elbows a bit, eager to hear whatever tale the young lady had decided to weave up for him this time. “Oh, please do enlighten me.” He had to resist being sarcastic, just in case she was genuine, even for a single second. That second’s pause was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. Hideki cursed in Japanese under his breath and dove under the booth table to shield himself. He tugged not-so-gently on Nell’s arm to try and drag her under the makeshift barrier with him. “What in God’s name…?” he hissed, eyes going wide as the tiled restaurant floor echoed with the sound of strange clicks that could be heard around the other patrons’ panicked whispers.

For a moment, Nell felt the smallest bit guilty about possibly teasing Hideki. It really did seem that he was at least partially genuinely excited at the prospect of her going to college. And she didn’t need to disappoint more people in her life. So she hesitated, that pause made longer by the sudden outburst of the broken windows, and a clicking sound she thought was vaguely familiar, but couldn’t quite place. “Hey!” she exclaimed as Hideki tugged her downwards, hiding certainly never being her first instinct when it came to danger. Though...she supposed it was nice of Hideki to think of her. Still, she wasted no time in straightening herself to sneak a peek over the top of the table, a rather passionate curse of, “Fuck, god dammit,” falling from her lips as she recognized the karkinoids. “It’s the kar- the giant lobsters.” Fiddling with her clothes, she pulled out a dagger from who knew where, readying herself to fight. “Uh- just- stay here,” she told Hideki, not wanting him to get hurt.

Hideki felt his hands starting to shake despite his best attempts to keep calm. He was not ready for this. The thought that there were other people - that Nell was there - was a good reminder that he needed to figure out how to handle the situation. At least, that was what he had been telling himself until he realized that Nell had pulled out a dagger. “Woah!” He grabbed her shoulder to stop her, only just then realizing she had almost said the word ‘karkinoid’. “What the hell are you doing?” He hissed, cautiously leaning his head around the booth. “There’s… at least six of those…” He paused, scanning her expression and only found reassurance that she knew exactly what she was doing, so he resigned himself to slipping out of his guise. “There’s six karkinoids. Whatever experience you may have, you’ll need some back up.”

Nell frowned at being pulled back by Hideki, though she should be very used to people holding her back when she was constantly attempting to dive head first into situations. “I’m gonna kick their ass!” she said restlessly, annoyance coloring her words that she was having to wait to make sure these little shits didn’t hurt anyone in the shop. But then he uttered the word karkinoid, the very one she’d done her best not to say, and she the small suspicions she’d had were at least somewhat confirmed. Unless...Hideki was simply very into the mythology he was responsible for teaching. But he didn’t seem unfazed that apparent mythology could come to life. Her pride made her say, “You don’t know how capable I am or not.” But now wasn’t the time for pride. “The longer I wait, the more likely people are going to get hurt! So unless you have a bazooka hiding under that cardigan-” She let her words cut off, her impatient look cutting into him.

The kitsune sighed as she argued with him. Though, she was right; he had no idea what she was. For all he knew, she was a 600 year-old-vampire who just liked acting like an absolute child at the most inopportune moments… He doubted it. Hideki grumbled under his breath as he pulled off the aforementioned cardigan to protect it; it was $300 dollars. And really soft. “Alright, kid. Let’s see what you can do.” He tossed a smile her way and slid out from beneath the table, just in time to see a karkinoid descending on one of the baristas who’d been brave enough to try to fight them off with a broom. With a flick of his wrist, a carefully aimed burst of fire engulfed the creature. Thank God the windows were broken, though. The stench...

Nell’s impatience turned momentarily to confusion as she watched him take the cardigan off. What the fuck was he doing? But her confusion quickly turned to intrigue as he seemingly put out a challenge. He was...encouraging her now? The surprise one her face only grew as she watched him throw himself into the battle, and fire sprouted from his hand in a similar fashion to the methods her family of fire elementals had used all their lives. But...she didn’t feel any magic in the air as he did it. Nevertheless, she let out a delighted bark of a laugh as he torched the karkinoid, her hands flying straight into the air in triumphant fists. “Haha! Yes, old man! Yes!!” And then she wasted no more time in launching herself into the fray, grabbing the brave barista by the arm, tossing her towards the door, and telling her to “Get the hell out of here!” And then relaying it to anyone else who was in the shop by yelling it over the mess of a shop. In another moment, she was jumping onto the counter, overlooking the field as the karkinoids went in search of whatever food they were trying to find. Picking the first overgrown lobster she saw, she dove from the top of the counter onto it’s back, quickly pinning it’s fatal claws to the floor as she grabbed one of it’s legs nearest it’s middle and yanked it off. “Hideki, I got us dinner!” she yelled after tossing the leg aside. Then she promptly drove her knife into the weak spot she’d created, and the thing’s struggles began to wan.

Hideki rolled his eyes at her encouragement, but was unable to deny the genuine smile that was creeping onto his face. It had been a long time since he’d felt so excited. Hideki was quick to spring to action though as patrons began flooding out of their hiding spaces to run. “Go through the backdoor! Quick!” He shouted, holding open the kitchen door as he ushered everyone to safety. When he turned around to see Nell practically tackle a Karkinoid, it was all he could do to keep from laughing. “Dinner, you say?” He caught the leg and set it ablaze. “Seems as though we’ll be having fire roasted lobster tonight.” He chuckled, but only then realized his mistake in getting distracted. A Karkinoid was coming to the aid of its friend and was dangerously close to Nell. Fearing he might burn her if he were to use his fire, he quickly unbuttoned his pants and shifted. With a vicious snarl, the kitsune tackled the bottom feeder, fangs ripping deep into its exoskeleton.

Another bright laugh fell from her as he ‘prepared’ their dinner, and she finished off her first karkinoid, driving the knife into the weak bit of flesh she’d created again and again. “I’ll have to pick up some butter on the way home.” The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end, battle instinct kicking in as she whipped her head around and saw another karkinoid coming her way. Magic gathered at her fingertips as she got ready to blast it into oblivion, but instead out of the corner of her eye she saw Hideki...taking off his pants? What the fuck. But it all became clear as he shifted, and she barely even blinked as he took out the karkinoid. “Are you shitting me?! A fucking kitsune?!” It was a mix of shock and excitement. She’d met a few of them when she’d been travelling in Japan during her five-year-long attempt to see the world and all it had to hold. “You’ve been holding out on me, jerk!” Then she joked once more in the midst of battle. “Also rude of you to take the one I wanted.” Speaking of ones she wanted it seemed that the rest of the karkinoids were quickly pegging Nell and Hideki as the threats to be most worried about at the moment, and were gathering their forces as the advanced on the pair. In a flash, she’d run her knife down the side of her arm, letting that glorious river of red blood run free as she felt its power flow through her veins, and she dropped it onto a bit of glass on the floor. In another moment, the glass that had shattered in perfectly sharpened bits began to hover in place. Normally, they wouldn’t be enough to make a karkinoid flinch, but if she summoned them to her all in conjunction, and with a lot of muscle behind them. Well...they’d see whether it worked or not. The only problem was at the center of this circle was Nell and Hideki. “When I say jump- jump. After three.” Then she began the countdown. “1...2…3...Jump!” The glass shot inwards as her feet left the ground, doing its best to imaple anything that was in its path.

Hideki only rolled his eyes as the woman cursed at him. Well, at the very least she seemed to know her stuff. At this point he’d believe she was a hunter with the way that she handled that dagger… which was a terrifying thought he didn’t dare to think that much harder on; the massive lobster in his mouth did not want to die. He was forced to let go of the creature as a massive claw clamped down where he had been standing on it just a second ago. Instead, he took a few paces back as the side of it that was the furthest from Nell burst into flames. Just in time for him to see her rip into her own arm. He let out at alarmed yip and ran towards her. Had the girl lost her mind? Things were dire, but not that dire! He was about to try and pull the dagger from her when he realized the glass was floating. Magic? Well… he had asked to see what she could do. Still, his ears pressed nervously to the back of his head as he circled anxiously, waiting on her count. On her command, he leaped, delicately tucking his tail to avoid any injury as the glass rushed forward. All he knew was that he did not want to be those karkinoids at the moment.

Generally, Nell wouldn’t have resorted to magic if she could help it when in public, and in front of a man she didn’t know all that well— but he’d shown his so it didn’t seem all that bad to show her’s. Besides, she knew he wasn’t a witch hunter...right? She’d never heard of a shifter being a witch-hunter. Well- it was too late now. This was much faster than dispatching them individually, anyway. She jumped on her own command along with Hideki, and the glass pieces impaled anything in their path, driving deep into the karkinoids. Her feet touched ground once more as the pieces of glass came to settle, the ones that hadn’t come into contact with anything crunching under her shoes. The karkinoids had been considerably slowed, some of them dead in their tracks, though a couple still managed to crawl towards her and Hideki. “One last one for you, and one for me?” she asked, a blood-thirsty grin on her face as she looked at the carnage of the overgrown lobsters they’d wrought, and delicious adrenaline pumped through her veins.

Hideki landed delicately on his feet, doing his best to ignore the small shards of glass piercing his paws. The small pads on his feet had grown rough from long summer adventures in the mountains where he’d grown up in, but glass was a new sensation that he didn’t ever want to experience again. Still, there were karkinoids to be grilled. He let out a tiny huff in response to her proposition. He took a step forward as though to launch himself at the remaining karkinoid he’d chosen, but let out a small whine as more glass stood in his way. He growled in indignation and set the whole damn creature on fire - perhaps a bit hotter than he’d intended. Still, the sound of sizzling karkinoid was confirmation enough that his part of the job was accomplished.

It took a moment for Nell to realize what was desparinging Hideki, but a little flash of guilt ran through her as she realized the problem. His paws. Sure, she had shoes to protect her feet, but he was working with just the skin of his feet. But it had occurred to her too late, and he was already dispatching his karkinoid, glass be damned. Meanwhile, she approached her own opponent. It had a couple shards of glass sticking out of its shell, but still seemed determined to fight until its last breath. Or at least...get to whatever food it had come here for to begin with. It was easy enough to dispatch the thing, and she did so by magicking one of the heavy looking trash cans over to it, before unceremoniously dropping it on top of the overgrown lobster with a loud crunch. “Well...I guess we can’t eat that one.” Finally- there was silence in the shop, and she remembered Hideki’s dilemma. “Are your um- feet alright? Sorry.”

Hideki jumped a little as the sound of the trash can landing on the karkinoid echoed around the once packed coffee shop. He sighed as he picked his way through the glass and back towards his discarded pants. He dragged them behind the counter, where he could shift without ‘injuring her delicate nature’. He slid his pants on with a quiet grunt, ignoring his bare chest for the time being as he pulled himself onto the coffee counter to examine his feet. “It’s alright. Considering how dangerous karkinoids can be, a little glass means nothing.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile but was keenly aware of the blood dripping from his hands and feet. “Do you ah… Would you please get me some paper towels? And a first aid kit? They must have one here somewhere.”

Nell was going to tell him to stay put, and to just let her clear the glass before he went wading through it, but it seemed she was too late as he disappeared behind the counter, and for a moment there was confusion on her face. Was he....hiding? But his emergence along with the pants made it easy enough to put two and two together. Still- perhaps it would have been better if she hadn’t been staring when he came out from where he’d gone. She might call him old man but...lack of shirt considered— Hideki was decidedly...not old. In a moment she looked away, a bit embarrassed simply because she felt intrusive when he obviously hadn’t meant to end up shirtless in a coffee shop. But her frown came back once more when he answered her, and she didn’t hesitate to step closer, holding out an open and upturned palm that was demanding his hand. “Let me see. I’m not the best healer, but I can get by usually. At least make it stop bleeding and keep you from dying of infection.”

The Kitsune blinked at her outstretched hand. He supposed after what they’d just been through, a little truce was more than due. He placed his hand in hers, allowing her to examine at will with a soft smile on his face. “That is… a relief. Most of my family were healers. It had become a bit of a tradition, so everyone was rather surprised when I was useless when it came to injuries. The fire comes in handy though.” He chuckled a little and nodded towards the burnt husks of the karkinoids. He was silent a moment as he deliberated. “Penelope… What was that back there?”

Nell knew that this was a bit...out of the ordinary for them, and it was rather strange to think that not fifteen minutes ago she’d just thought of Hideki as some stuffy, college professor who lived to shame her about college and steal her muffins. But her brow furrowed as she worked, not in the nature of letting people suffer around her unless they deserved it as her small hands traced the air above his injuries. It was true what she’d said about healing, and her work was slow as she did her best to patch up his hands. Though at the same time...blood injuries had always behaved well for her, it being easier for her to will the red droplets to cease, and bring those platelets together to scab over. The part that consisted of turning those scabs into new flesh was where she often ran into trouble. She couldn’t help but pick up on his phrasing, and asked before she could think not to. “Were healers?” Nevertheless, the corner of her mouth turned upwards, certainly being able to relate to not holding up family traditions. “My family’s just the opposite. A bunch of fire elementals and I can’t even make a puff of smoke.” She looked up from her paused work when she heard her name, even if she was still a little thrown that he tended to use her full one. “What was...what? The karkinoids? You said their name?” He’d known what they were, hadn’t he?

Well, Hideki had always admired Nell for her quick wit, though this was one of the few times he wished she hadn’t caught on so easily to his slipping up. He continued to stare at her hands as she worked - it was a good distraction from the memories and emotions bubbling up. “Were healers,” was his simple response. He hoped that was enough to satisfy her and, thankfully, her slight joke was quick to bring his smile back, even if it was only a small one. “No, not the karkinoids. Your abilities. I hate to assume things, but you are quite skilled and most certainly not a regular human. Call it… an old man’s curiosity.”

For the moment, it seemed that Nell had forgotten her own arm that she’d cut open during the fight for her magical purposes, rather intent on fixing Hideki. Besides, she was used to parts of her bleeding, and as far as injuries went it wasn’t that bad. But Nell knew a dismissal when she heard one, or rather— the shutting of a book Hideki didn’t necessarily want her reading when it came to his family. She was curious, but she wouldn't pry at the moment. It was probably easier, anyway. Nell didn’t think she was particularly good at helping people sort through emotions. “Oh-” Despite herself, her pride granted her a bit of a smile as he called her skilled, and that grin widened as he took it upon himself to claim his ‘old man’ title. “I’m a witch,” she shrugged, as if it was everyday news. “A spellcaster, if that’s easier for an old man to grasp. And you’re...a kitsune?”

“A witch?” Hideki echoed, gears turning in his mind. That made the most sense, but he was admittedly still wary of her. What kind of witch had knife skills like that? And blood magic? Clearly, its healing abilities had done him some good, but, as far as he understood it, blood magic was generally… disapproved of. He’d need to do more research on the subject to be sure. Most concerning of all, was that he wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t a hunter. He did his best to keep his face calm as he weighed his options but mainly kept his gaze downcast. “A+, little witch,” the subtle insult made him chuckle as he finally met her eyes, his own glittering mischievously. “I am what is known as a Kasai - or Fire - Kitsune.” His Japanese accent slipped a little as the words from his native tongue rolled past his lips.

Nell wasn’t sure what to make of his tone, feeling like something was shifting back into the territory they normally inhabited of tit for tat, and sizing one another up. Perhaps their momentary little truce was over? “Yep,” she simply said, confused what other answer he might be looking for. “Black cat and all. Pointy little hat for sure.” Well...the black cat comment wasn’t entirely wrong. And then she was back to her impassioned outbursts as he hit just the right button. “Well we can’t all be freakish giants!” But then she was coming down a little once more. “And your A+ isn’t going to get me to enroll.” Kasai, she knew she’d heard the word before when she’d been talking with her kitsune friends she’d met in Japan, but she hadn’t stayed long enough to know all the types of kitsune and their names. “Funnily enough- I might have guessed the fire bit from the whole barbecue shrimp act. At least we’ll eat well tonight, right?” She’d finished with his hands, and pointed to a nearby counter, indicating he should sit on it. “Alright, feet.”

Getting the desired rise out of her made him laugh. It wasn’t his fault he was over a foot taller than her. Hideki shrugged his shoulders as she refused to enroll yet again. “Perhaps one day you will change your mind and prove to the rest of the professors that you could be a fantastic student.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, knowing full well how ‘cringey’ it may be. His students taught him that word the other day. He nodded, in agreement and slowly shifted a long leg up on the counter so she could have better access. “We might as well open up a seafood restaurant. A one night, lobster-only buffet. It could be quite profitable if we play our cards right.”

Nell’s nose scrunched in her disapproval as she pushed out a hand to shove him lightly in the shoulder. “Stop laughing! Short is normal!” But her face quickly shifted to entirely nonplussed, looking mildly concerned and perhaps disturbed at such movement of his eyebrows. “What was that?” But then her next reaction was to laugh a bit. “That was terrifying. You should have done that at the karkinoids!” Her amusement was kindled by talk of a restaurant as she bent a bit to begin work on his feet. “One-night while supplies last. We could be rich. We’ve already got the place and the health code...grade thingy,” she finished while pointing towards the window where the paper was posted.

“Oh yes, I’m quite certain my eyebrows would have stopped the karkinoids in their tracks,” Hideki mused, as he leaned back a bit, examining their surroundings. “I suppose… we really should donate any profits to the owners, though,” he said with a soft sigh. “I do hope the repairs to this building don’t take too terribly long.” Hideki’s apartment was only two blocks away and he stopped into Coffee Plus on his walks to school each morning. He knew he was fully capable of making his own coffee, but the mere thought of such inconvenience. Which reminded him… “Whatever happened to your muffin?”

“You never know. Have you tried it?” As he leaned back her gaze shifted upwards for a moment to make sure he wasn’t falling or something, and she was once again reminded of his lack of shirt. In a moment, she was floating his discarded cardigan towards them, it landing just beside him on the counter. “Yeah...probably. This kind of thing isn’t exactly uncommon here, though- you know?” Now that she thought about it, she realized she hadn’t the faintest idea how long Hideki had lived in White Crest. “Are you upset for the owner, or your loss of coffee?” she teased. But at the very mention of her muffin, her eyes widened in the slightest, her lips uttering a mournful cry of, “My muffin.” She didn’t spare a second to summon that too, though her pout only strengthened as it came into view. It was in miserable shape, and was there a....bit of karkinoid shell sticking out of it? “My muffin,” she repeated again, this time it being more of an acceptance of the poor thing’s fate. “I guess...would you like a bit of it now? I might be able to share.”

Any kind of response was lost on him as his precious cardigan came floating into view. Sure, he was rather accustomed to magic considering his upbringing, but making things float was not something his family members were generally capable of. He watched like a fascinated child until it finally came to land beside him. “Thank you,” he muttered as he pulled his sweater back on. Hideki purposefully refused to answer her question, though; he was definitely only upset about the coffee, but he wasn’t about to genuinely admit that. The muffin floating still surprised him and he watched as she examined it. “Share?” Bewildered, he stared at her for a moment before laughing. “No, I think we should leave it as inspiration for our dessert menu instead.” With his hands and feet nearly cared for, he finally stopped joking around and leaned forward. “However, I think we should focus our priorities on your arm instead of our faux restaurant. Are you… able to heal yourself? Would you like me to fetch you some bandages?”

Nell watched with some amusement as he seemed to be all too eager to have his cardigan back, though she did not more than shrug in response to his thanks. A small, non-verbal motion that simply meant ‘don’t mention it’. But she also wasn’t going to let him get away that easy with avoiding her teasing question. “Hmm, your silence is awfully telling. Don’t you think?” She wouldn’t judge though. At least not right now. Her own chuckle peppered through the air as he seemed mystified by the muffin. “Oh- come on. I’m being so generous, and this is the thanks I get?” As he shifted his posture, again she looked up, surprised to find that he was closer than before. “I- what?” Oh her arm. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It kinda comes with the territory.” Nevertheless, this time a small pile of bandages appeared from seemingly thin air on the counter, Nell having magicked them here from home. Suddenly, she was hit with a small wave of fatigue. Perhaps she’d done one too many spells in quick succession after the glass stunt, but she brushed it off. After all, healing generally took more out of her than other magics. “I’ll just put them on in a bit. Magical healing isn’t always as prudent for me.” She’d healed her sacrificial wounds before, the ones she made in exchange for power, but sometimes doing so had...unexpected consequences. It seemed that something in magic didn’t always approve of healing something that was meant to be freely given in exchange for power so quickly. Perhaps it felt cheated. “Thank you, though,” she said, remembering her manners at the last moment. After all, it was nice of him to ask.

“When you get to be my age, you learn quickly where your loyalties lie. Mine just so happen to belong to a caffeine addiction,” Hideki finally admitted with a quiet but knowing laugh. Nell was right in that things like this just… happened in White Crest. He’d been there about a year and a half and had learned that lesson quite quickly. The sudden appearance of the bandages on the counter startled him, making him jump. He scrutinized them as though they might come alive, and then he scrutinized her calm demeanor. She wasn’t acting as though anything were out of place… so it must’ve been her doing. He relaxed and turned his gaze to his palms, where he experimentally made a fist. The scabbing would restrict a bit of his movements, but he figured his fine motor skills weren’t too impaired. “Come now, little witch. No need to be stubborn over a simple fix.” He leaned forward - proving himself to be quite flexible - as he gently took her by the elbow of the injured arm and led her towards him for better access. He examined the gash and plucked the bandages off the counter. “I may not have the magical ability to heal, but I’ve cleaned my fair share of wounds.”

Nell’s head tilted to the side, realizing that along with him being a kitsune, she really didn’t know how old he was. “Are you admitting to being an old man, in the same breath as being willing to do anything for coffee?” She was teasing, but also genuinely curious about an answer to her first question. Trying to remember back to the rush of the fight...she couldn’t recall staring at any tails he may or may not have, but she didn’t think there’d been a plethora. Nell shouldn’t have been amused by startling him with the bandages, but another small grin slipped over her lips nonetheless. She’d have to warn him next time. “How’s it feel?” she asked, craning her head a bit to try and get a look at his hands. Be careful though, I don’t want you to open up the scabs.” She grumbled a bit over her apparent new nickname that he’d settled on. Apparently he was determined to make it stick. But her barbs were lowered for a moment when she realized what he was doing, and let herself be brought closer. Still, she was uncertain, mind still decently confused about how they’d gotten from swiping muffins to this. “I- um- alright.” Perhaps the first time she hadn’t fought him on something. “Thanks.”

Hideki made a soft humming sound as he contemplated his answer. “By human standards, I am very much an ‘old man’, but, in the eyes of the ancient ones, I am still a baby.” He winked knowingly and set about the task of cleaning and bandaging up her arm. His touch was gentle, but a bit clumsy with how he couldn’t fully bend his fingers. It didn’t help that his hands were shaking again. He frowned as he realized he hadn’t eaten anything… again. When was his last meal? He’d had… a bowl of rice for dinner two nights ago? No wonder. His brow furrowed as he concentrated, willing his muscles to comply until he could scavenge something up. “They’re a little stiff, but I should be just fine, thank you.” Despite his shaking fingers, he tied off the bandages with a practiced ease. With his immediate concern appropriately addressed, he finally noticed the scarring that undoubtedly came from her magic. He made a mental note but decided it would be best if he simply… didn’t ask. “Now then… I vote we find my shoes and get out of here,” he muttered as he wiggled his feet, testing their new flexibility too.

Nell let out a hum of amusement before she simply said, “Baby, old man,” still having no qualms with poking some fun at him. “That explains a decent amount, though.” Like why he literally sounded like he’d come out of a different century at times. But she stilled as he went about his work, watching curiously as he did what he promised. She couldn’t...entirely remember the last time she’d let someone help this way. It seemed different than letting the healers at the Ring heal her, and she didn’t even always let them do their work. Her frown joined his as she watched his hands tremor, and she didn’t waste time to ask, “You’re sure you’re alright?” Yes, shoes would be a good idea. Despite her wave of fatigue earlier, she didn’t hesitate to call the shoes to them, as she was fairly certain she could at least handle this one other thing for the moment. “Should we see if it fits, Cinderella?” she asked, presenting them to him.

The Kitsune only nodded in response to her question, not wanting to have her worry over him. While he undoubtedly enjoyed her presence, there were some things he still needed to work out about her - such as whether or not she might be a genuine threat. He was slowly getting accustomed to things just floating towards him, but it didn’t stop his eyes from going wide as he watched. “Ah yes, my good prince. Let us see,” he laughed and held up his foot, but the laughter died in his throat as the sound of distant sirens started getting closer. Hideki paled as he looked around the destroyed coffee shop. Of course, the police would be on their way. His eyes met Nell’s for a beat and he opened his mouth, but the words refused to come out. All he could communicate was panic. He snatched the shoes and slid across the counter, bolting through the kitchen door and out of the emergency exit as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn’t even bother to pull his hair from his face as he sprinted down the block, completely bypassing his apartment and heading for the woods. For familiar territory. For safety.

Hm. Nell wasn’t sure how satisfied she was with his nod, but she’d have to take it for now. They needed to get out of this mess. She laughed before leaning over to help him get his shoes on, but it seemed she wouldn’t get the chance to see if the slipper fit. In another moment, she’d heard the sirens as well, and cursed lightly. “Shit.” She doubted the police would blame them for this, but you never knew who might become the scapegoat in a town such as White Crest. But Hideki’s panic held her captive for a moment, making her want to reach out and take the reins when it came to getting out of this. No sooner had she thought such a thing was he bolting for the door in a way that only raised more questions for her. Nell ran after him for a moment, but didn’t get all that far from the shop before she stumbled onto the pavement her shaky legs giving out for a moment as the cost of her magic left her less coordinated than usual. And by the time she looked up he was long gone, nothing but a single shoe left in his wake.

#c: nell #nellraiser #tw: blood #awwww yeeee

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nelllraiser · 4 years

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coffeekinoid | hideki + nell

LOCATION: coffee plus. PARTIES INVOLVED: @hidekikitsune and @nelllraiser. SUMMARY: hideki and nell decide to go in on a seafood restaurant together that serves fresh-killed karkinoids.

It had been a moment since Penelope had come to a Coffee Plus. Since it was fairly close to campus, she didn’t really have a reason to be near the campus in the first place. But sometimes she just really wanted the chocolate muffins they had here in particular, even if their desserts weren’t as popular as their beverages. Nevertheless, she was hunkered down over her muffin and mocha, all too eager to dig in when she saw a familiar face pop into the shop. Damn it, she really should have left her Amphisbaena jacket at home today, especially after it had struck Hideki’s interest the last time he saw it. But with all these karkinoids roaming around and...raining fish- she’d figured it was best to be protected.

Hideki snorted and leaned back in the seat of the booth, finally letting himself take the first sip of his americano. It had been far too long since he’d last had an adequate amount of caffeine coursing through his veins so it took a shameful amount of self restraint to keep himself from downing the entire thing in front of… present company. “You have no idea how complex…” he muttered around the rim of his cup, eyes glittering with entertainment. He would always wonder at how rash young humans could be despite how delicate they were. Although, he still questioned what the woman sitting in front of him was. His eyes shamelessly scanned the details of her jacket, his recent obsession. “Well, that’s quite a good proposition to make. Perhaps, since you like bantering so much, you might be inclined to study political science at the local college. Our debate team is quite good from what I hear. I’m sure you’d have a great deal of fun as a lawyer.”

Nell frowned at being pulled back by Hideki, though she should be very used to people holding her back when she was constantly attempting to dive head first into situations. “I’m gonna kick their ass!” she said restlessly, annoyance coloring her words that she was having to wait to make sure these little shits didn’t hurt anyone in the shop. But then he uttered the word karkinoid, the very one she’d done her best not to say, and the small suspicions she’d had were at least somewhat confirmed. Unless...Hideki was simply very into the mythology he was responsible for teaching. But he didn’t seem unfazed that apparent mythology could come to life. Her pride made her say, “You don’t know how capable I am or not.” But now wasn’t the time for pride. “The longer I wait, the more likely people are going to get hurt! So unless you have a bazooka hiding under that cardigan-” She let her words cut off, her impatient look cutting into him.

Nell’s impatience turned momentarily to confusion as she watched him take the cardigan off. What the fuck was he doing? But her confusion quickly turned to intrigue as he seemingly put out a challenge. He was...encouraging her now? The surprise on her face only grew as she watched him throw himself into the battle, and fire sprouted from his hand in a similar fashion to the methods her family of fire elementals had used all their lives. But...she didn’t feel any magic in the air as he did it. Nevertheless, she let out a delighted bark of a laugh as he torched the karkinoid, her hands flying straight into the air in triumphant fists. “Haha! Yes, old man! Yes!!” And then she wasted no more time in launching herself into the fray, grabbing the brave barista by the arm, tossing her towards the door, and telling her to “Get the hell out of here!” And then relaying it to anyone else who was in the shop by yelling it over the mess of a shop. In another moment, she was jumping onto the counter, overlooking the field as the karkinoids went in search of whatever food they were trying to find. Picking the first overgrown lobster she saw, she dove from the top of the counter onto it’s back, quickly pinning it’s fatal claws to the floor as she grabbed one of it’s legs nearest it’s middle and yanked it off. “Hideki, I got us dinner!” she yelled after tossing the leg aside. Then she promptly drove her knife into the weak spot she’d created, and the thing’s struggles began to wan.

Another bright laugh fell from her as he ‘prepared’ their dinner, and she finished off her first karkinoid, driving the knife into the weak bit of flesh she’d created again and again. “I’ll have to pick up some butter on the way home.” The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end, battle instinct kicking in as Nell whipped her head around and saw another karkinoid coming her way. Magic gathered at her fingertips as she got ready to blast it into oblivion, but instead out of the corner of her eye she saw Hideki...taking off his pants? What the fuck. But it all became clear as he shifted, and she barely even blinked as he took out the karkinoid. “Are you shitting me?! A fucking kitsune?!” It was a mix of shock and excitement. She’d met a few of them when she’d been travelling in Japan during her five-year-long attempt to see the world and all it had to hold. “You’ve been holding out on me, jerk!” Then she joked once more in the midst of battle. “Also rude of you to take the one I wanted.” Speaking of ones she wanted, it seemed that the rest of the karkinoids were quickly pegging Nell and Hideki as the threats to be most worried about at the moment, and were gathering their forces as they advanced on the pair. In a flash, she’d run her knife down the side of her arm, letting that glorious river of red blood run free as she felt its power flow through her veins, and she dropped it onto a bit of glass on the floor. In another moment, the glass that had shattered in perfectly sharpened bits began to hover in place. Normally, they wouldn’t be enough to make a karkinoid flinch, but if she summoned them to her in conjunction, and with a lot of muscle behind them. Well...they’d see whether it worked or not. The only problem was at the center of this circle was Nell and Hideki. “When I say jump- jump. After three.” Then she began the countdown. “1...2…3...Jump!” The glass shot inwards as her feet left the ground, doing its best to imaple anything that was in its path.

Hideki only rolled his eyes as the woman cursed at him. Well, at the very least she seemed to know her stuff. At this point he’d believe she was a hunter with the way that she handled that dagger… which was a terrifying thought he didn’t dare to think that much harder on; the massive lobster in his mouth did not want to die. He was forced to let go of the creature as a massive claw clamped down where he had been standing on it just a second ago. Instead, he took a few paces back as the side of it that was the furthest from Nell burst into flames. Just in time for him to see her rip into her own arm. He let out at alarmed yip and ran towards her. Had the girl lost her mind? Things were dire, but not that dire! He was about to try and pull the dagger from her when he realized the glass was floating. Magic? Well… he had asked to see what she could do. Still, his ears pressed nervously to the back of his head as he circled anxiously, waiting on her count. On her command, he leapt, delicately tucking his tail to avoid any injury as the glass rushed forward. All he knew was that he did not want to be those karkinoids at the moment.

It took a moment for Nell to realize what was troubling Hideki, but a little flash of guilt ran through her as she realized the problem. His paws. Sure, she had shoes to protect her feet, but he was working with just the skin of his feet. But it had occurred to her too late, and he was already dispatching his karkinoid, glass be damned. Meanwhile, she approached her own opponent. It had a couple shards of glass sticking out of its shell, but still seemed determined to fight until its last breath. Or at least...get to whatever food it had come here for to begin with. It was easy enough to dispatch the thing, and she did so by magicking one of the heavy looking trash cans over to it, before unceremoniously dropping it on top of the overgrown lobster with a loud crunch. “Well...I guess we can’t eat that one.” Finally- there was silence in the shop, and she remembered Hideki’s dilemma. “Are your um- feet alright? Sorry.”

“A witch?” Hideki echoed, gears turning in his mind. That made the most sense, but he was admittedly still wary of her. What kind of witch had knife skills like that? And blood magic? Clearly its healing abilities had done him some good, but, as far as he understood it, blood magic was generally… disapproved of. He’d need to do more research on the subject to be sure. Most concerning of all, was that he wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t a hunter. He did his best to keep his face calm as he weighed his options, but mainly kept his gaze downcast. “A+, little witch,” the subtle insult made him chuckle as he finally met her eyes, his own glittering mischievously. “I am what is known as a Kasai - or Fire - Kitsune.” His Japanese accent slipped a little as the words from his native tongue rolled past his lips.

Nell wasn’t sure what to make of his tone, feeling like something was shifting back into the territory they normally inhabited of tit for tat, and sizing one another up. Perhaps their momentary little truce was over? “Yep,” she simply said, confused what other answer he might be looking for. “Black cat and all. Pointy little hat for sure.” Well...the black cat comment wasn’t entirely wrong. And then she was back to her impassioned outbursts as he hit just the right button. “Well we can’t all be freakish giants!” Then she was coming down a little once more. “And your A+ isn’t going to get me to enroll.” Kasai. She knew she’d heard the word before when she’d been talking with her kitsune friends she’d met in Japan, but she hadn’t stayed long enough to know all the types of kitsune and their names. “Funnily enough- I might have guessed the fire bit from the whole barbecue shrimp act. At least we’ll eat well tonight, right?” She’d finished with his hands, and pointed to a nearby counter, indicating he should sit on it. “Alright, feet.”

Nell’s nose scrunched in her disapproval as she pushed out a hand to shove him lightly in the shoulder. “Stop laughing! Short is normal!” But her face quickly shifted to entirely nonplussed, looking mildly concerned and perhaps disturbed at such movement of his eyebrows. “What was that?” Her next reaction was to laugh a bit. “That was terrifying. You should have done that at the karkinoids!” Her amusement was kindled by talk of a restaurant as she bent a bit to begin work on his feet. “One-night while supplies last. We could be rich. We’ve already got the place and the health code...grade thingy,” she finished while pointing towards the window where the paper was posted.

Nell watched with some amusement as he seemed to be all too eager to have his cardigan back, though she did not do more than shrug in response to his thanks. A small, non-verbal motion that simply meant ‘don’t mention it’. But she also wasn’t going to let him get away that easily with avoiding her teasing question. “Hmm, your silence is awfully telling. Don’t you think?” She wouldn’t judge though. At least not right now. Her own chuckle peppered through the air as he seemed mystified by the muffin. “Oh- come on. I’m being so generous, and this is the thanks I get?” As he shifted his posture, again she looked up, surprised to find that he was closer than before. “I- what?” Oh her arm. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It kinda comes with the territory.” Nevertheless, this time a small pile of bandages appeared from seemingly thin air on the counter, Nell having magicked them here from home. Suddenly, she was hit with a small wave of fatigue. Perhaps she’d done one too many spells in quick succession after the glass stunt, but she brushed it off. After all, healing generally took more out of her than other magics. “I’ll just put them on in a bit. Magical healing isn’t always as prudent for me.” She’d healed her sacrificial wounds before, the ones she made in exchange for power, but sometimes doing so had...unexpected consequences. It seemed that something in magic didn’t always approve of healing something that was meant to be freely given in exchange for power so quickly. Perhaps it felt cheated. “Thank you, though,” she said, remembering her manners at the last moment. After all, it was nice of him to ask.

Nell’s head tilted to the side, realizing that along with him being a kitsune, she really didn’t know how old he was. “Are you admitting to being an old man, in the same breath as being willing to do anything for coffee?” She was teasing, but also genuinely curious about an answer to her first question. Trying to remember back to the rush of the fight...she couldn’t recall staring at any tails he may or may not have, but she didn’t think there’d been a plethora. Nell shouldn’t have been amused by startling him with the bandages, but another small grin slipped over her lips nonetheless. She’d have to warn him next time. “How’s it feel?” she asked, craning her head a bit to try and get a look at his hands. “Be careful though, I don’t want you to open up the scabs.” She grumbled a bit over her apparent new nickname that he’d settled on. Apparently he was determined to make it stick. But her barbs were lowered for a moment when she realized what he was doing, and let herself be brought closer. Still, she was uncertain, mind still decently confused about how they’d gotten from swiping muffins to this. “I- um- alright.” Perhaps the first time she hadn’t fought him on something. “Thanks.”

Nell let out a hum of amusement before she simply said, “Baby, old man,” still having no qualms with poking some fun at him. “That explains a decent amount, though.” Like why he literally sounded like he’d come out of a different century at times. But she stilled as he went about his work, watching curiously as he did what he promised. She couldn’t...entirely remember the last time she’d let someone help this way. It seemed different than letting the healers at the Ring heal her, and she didn’t even always let them do their work. Her frown joined his as she watched his hands tremor, and she didn’t waste time to ask, “You’re sure you’re alright?” Yes, shoes would be a good idea. Despite her wave of fatigue earlier, she didn’t waste time to call the shoes to them, as she was fairly certain she could at least handle this one other thing for the moment. “Should we see if it fits, Cinderella?” she asked, presenting them to him.

The Kitsune only nodded in response to her question, not wanting to have her worry over him. While he undoubtedly enjoyed her presence, there were some things he still needed to work out about her - such as whether or not she might be a genuine threat. He was slowly getting accustomed to things just floating towards him, but it didn’t stop his eyes from going wide as he watched. “Ah yes, my good prince. Let us see,” he laughed and held up his foot, but the laughter died in his throat as the sound of distant sirens started getting closer. Hideki paled as he looked around the destroyed coffee shop. Of course the police would be on their way. His eyes met Nell’s for a beat and he opened his mouth, but the words refused to come out. All he could communicate was panic. He snatched the shoes and slid across the counter, bolting through the kitchen door and out of the emergency exit as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn’t even bother to pull his hair from his face as he sprinted down the block, completely bypassing his apartment and heading for the woods. For familiar territory. For safety.

#chatzy #coffeekinoid #ch:hideki #wickedswriting

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braincoins · 5 years

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@tybunnythehellmoose

“You don’t mind if I record this, do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Thank you.” The investigator from the United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Extrahuman Affairs started the recorder going on his phone and set it between them. He slid the file folders with him - Kairos’s DoVE folder was right on top - to one side and clicked his pen, setting it to the pad of yellow legal paper. “So, you are Kairos of Knossos, also known as Kairos Kineso, also known as Kairos Caine...”

“Ugh, I never use that last one anymore,” he groaned. “It was almost a joke to use it in the first place.”

The man arched an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Inside joke,” he added on, waving his hand dismissively. “And yes, I was born Kairos of Knossos, in the third year of the reign of Lycastus - in modern dating, 1653 BCE - in the fifth day of the reaping time. I was a scribe to Minos II in his palace before the Master turned me in 1630 BCE.”

None of that was written down. “And this was the Bronze Age, yes?”

“Yes. Quite a long time ago.”

“You are one of those known as ‘the Firstborn’?”

“I am,” he agreed with a nod. So far, this was incredibly boring. Why am I doing this again? he asked Caitlin.

Grant says he was told to accommodate the man and aid in his investigation.

Investigation into what, exactly?

Firstborn, apparently. There was a sense of uneasiness that came with the message, and Kairos tried not to frown. Caitlin’s... status was hard to explain, and it was usually better to avoid it entirely. Most people assumed he had turned her and that she was, therefore, a Secondborn. He let them believe that, because it was the easiest way to explain how a woman whose birth certificate read “1985″ could possess so much power.

“Do you know the Watcher?”

If his blood had been capable of such a thing, it would have gone cold at the question. “Most vampires know of the Watcher,” he replied carefully.

“Yes, ‘know of’. But do you know the Watcher personally?”

He wasn’t about to tell this random stranger the truth. “The Watcher is the mysterious adversary to the Master,” he answered.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“No one knows the Watcher, except the Watcher themselves.” Being philosophical about it kept him from lying. He would, if he had to, for Caitlin’s sake. Most of their kind viewed the millennia-long grudge match between the man who had made vampires and the Watcher as a kind of sporting event: amusing, but ultimately of little consequence. But he couldn’t be sure someone out there didn’t have a misplaced sense of loyalty to “the Master” and wouldn’t try to come after the love of his entire life and death.

This human could be in the service of such a vampire, or he could just be too nosy for his own good. Who knew what his plans were for the Watcher?

The investigator snorted in annoyance. “Is the Watcher a Firstborn?”

"Who can say? We know of seven, and even most of those are lost to our knowledge. Perhaps the Master made more and we don't know." He dearly hoped he hadn’t made more.

"Is the Watcher even a vampire?"

"I've heard a great many tales, but, to me, the Watcher is an angel." He smiled innocently.

“An angel?”

“Not literally. More in the ‘better angels of our nature’ sense.”

The investigator frowned and scribbled some things on the pad before looking up. “Are you hiding something from me?”

“I’m hiding a great deal,” he agreed. “For example, in my day, we didn’t wear this many clothes.”

The man looked at him, eyes flashing with anger. Kairos simply sat there and radiated his own amusement. This man, well-fed and of good stock, stood near 6 feet tall and thus would have towered over him if they were standing. But he was human and facing a Firstborn, a vampire of singular power and strength. As the investigator’s anger increased, Kairos swapped his amusement for just the barest hint of warning. I could drain you dry before you could scream, had I the inclination. But that wouldn’t do anyone any good, least of all his brother-in-law, who was caught up in the DoVE bureaucracy and would not have a good time explaining to his colleagues over at RSEA about why their investigator was a desiccated husk.

The man sat back and stopped glaring. “Very well, let’s get back to you then.”

“Oh yes, let’s,” he said cheerily.

“You are currently married.”

“Happily, so don’t get any ideas.” He was having fun now.

The investigator said nothing to that. “And you have twins with your wife...”

“Yes, Ciaran and Brigid. Do you want to see photos?”

He went on as if there had been no interruption. “...who is also a vampire. How is that possible? We know that ova production ceases immediately upon death and that the uterus and remaining ova quickly become... inoperable.”

This was a truth he would have dodged with damn near anyone, if for no other reason than that he wasn’t sure how to explain it, really. Instead, he pointed out, “She wasn’t always a vampire,” and left it at that.

“The twins are dhampir, then?”

“Yes.” True, but, again, inexplicable.

“And you’re sure they’re yours?”

Anyone else might have been angry, but Kairos just burst out laughing. He probably should have been worried by the question, truth be told, because the implication was that a female vampire had somehow had children with a male human, which was thought to be impossible. That would point to some power or ability previously unknown, which would bring Caitlin back into the spotlight as a person of interest.

But Kairos was too amused to go through that train of thought. “You came here to interview me without doing the minimum of research? Or did you just forget?" He reached over to tap his folder on top of the stack. “I’m fully-registered with DoVE and all other relevant agencies in the countries where I do business - including your RSEA. Did you read my file? My information is all right there, including my Gift.”

The man shifted in his chair. “Yes, I read your file,” he all but growled. “I know about your ‘expanded Sire’ Gift: you can Command all those of your bloodline, not just your Children. You can sense them, communicate with them telepathically at any distance, etc.”

“Did you miss the full implications of the phrase ‘of my bloodline’?” He had (mostly) stopped laughing - an occasional giggle escaped - and was in Patient Teacher Mode. “The twins are currently at school; I don’t even need to close my eyes to feel them there. So, yes, as they are ‘of my bloodline,’ they are my children, even though they are not my Children.” He smiled again, but more coldly this time. “Should I let them know you say hello?”

“That won’t be necessary. This is enough for now.” He stopped the phone recording. “I may want to interview you at another time.”

Kairos stood, and though he was not of impressive stature, the sheer power at his beck and call made him seem taller and more muscular. He was the founder and CEO of a worldwide import/export business, with seats on the boards of many other companies. He was a multi-billionaire who was on a first name basis with many powerful people. And, of course, he was one of the oldest and most powerful beings on the planet.

He pulled all that power to him, wearing it like a mantle draped over his expensive business suit, and raised his chin just a little as he looked at the human.

“Mr. Kineso, sir,” the investigator added quickly.

He nodded. “Of course. I am at your disposal, day or night.” He added that last phrase on as a reminder: he was so old that even the noonday sun was a nuisance and not an immediate death sentence.

The investigator gathered up his phone and the files and scurried out of the room...

...where Grant caught him. “So, how’d it go?” Before he could answer, Kairos’s brother-in-law (and head of the New York City office of DoVE) kept going. “You can tell me all about it at this great bar I know, right around the corner. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.” He all but pulled the man away from Caitlin and down the hall.

Kairos walked out and looked at his wife. He was the Fifth of the Firstborn, uniquely powerful, it was true. But he relinquished his mantle of power and smiled fondly at Caitlin Kineso nee O’Leary, his wife, the mother of his children, and the Fourth of the Firstborn, known to the vampiric world as The Watcher.

“Do you think he’ll want to interview me?” she asked, more curious than afraid.

“Grant will no doubt convince him it’s a waste of time. Everyone thinks you’re Secondborn. What about Abrihet?” A sister Firstborn, and a friend of theirs.

“She’s conveniently on vacation, visiting Athanasia.” She wrapped him up in a hug. “I hear they might go to Crete.”

He hugged her back. “Oh good, she’ll finally get some culture then.”

Caitlin laughed, and his heart that had stilled thousands of years ago felt like it skipped a beat. “It’s unbecoming of a Firstborn to fight so childishly with a Secondborn,” she teased him gently.

“It’s unbecoming of a Greek Secondborn to try to tell a Cretan Firstborn that hers is the superior culture,” he shot back.

She snorted. “But seriously, Kairos, what should we do about this? Is it really so big a deal to let RSEA or DoVE or all the rest of them know I’m the Watcher?”

“You want to have to explain all of that to them?” he asked. “Do you want them trying to figure out how you traveled through time so that they can manipulate it for their own ends?”

“They won’t figure it out. I don’t even know how it happened.”

“But if they know it’s possible, they’ll try to do it.” He tipped her face up to his. “You already spent millennia setting the world right so we could be together again, my dearest. Do you want to do it again?”

“I would,” she said softly, looking into his eyes. “For you, I would.”

He murmured his thanks in his own long-forgotten tongue, pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’d rather you not have to. DoVE doesn’t need to know this, and neither does some limey Brit.”

She laughed again. “Has my Irish bloodline’s hatred of the British rubbed off on you?”

“No, I just like hearing you laugh.” And it was the truest thing he’d said all day, right up until he said, “I love you.”

#long post #OCs #and Tybunny's OCs #and all the weirdness we've done with them #how the twins came to be is a whole nother bit of weirdness #but yeah time travel #and vampires #and werewolves and witches #and Fey #and all kinds of fun stuff #DoVE #Kairos

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brazenbells · 5 years

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stretched on your grave

Happy birthday to my dearest @imindhowwelayinjune!

I wasn’t sure what to do this year for your annual dose of brotherfuckers, but then I stole an idea from @hylianthvs (SORRY I TAGGED THE WRONG PERSON WHEN I POSTED, OMG I’M SO SORRY IT WAS 4 AM MY BRAIN WASN’T WORKING) and decided to make some OCs in the Kingdom of Rust sandbox.

These OCs....may seem somewhat familiar.

(Also, please enjoy the titular song, which is eerie and terrific, as a sort of unofficial soundtrack)

Warnings for implied incest and implied dubcon/noncon. Everything’s offscreen though.

His half-brother was a complete bastard.

Oh, not in the literal sense, that was Taidgh himself—but in the common usage, yes. Indisputably.

Nothing stuck to him. His hands were, somehow, always clean—not the glamoured sort of clean either—and yet he advanced. In the cutthroat, smile-at-your-front-and-knife-at-your-back court, where ‘friends’ was a polite word for people low on your hit list, people genuinely liked him. What was that about? And it was a mystery how he found himself in their company to begin with. How did he get his title, how did he keep it? He could have killed their father at the height of his power, but instead he waited till the man was laid low, unable to conceal the pain anymore. A mercy killing. Who fucking did that?

Who did that and didn’t immediately get overtaken by a stronger adversary?

Fucking Gale, that’s who. He always came out ahead.

Taidgh had a little extra salt about that mercy killing, anyway. It was his kill to make. He’d struck the penultimate blow, the wound that wouldn’t put their father in the grave directly but finally made him weak enough to show pain. It had cost him dearly; he’d had to lay low for a month waiting to die or get stronger, and when he’d finally pulled himself together, his fucking brother had already put the man out of his fucking misery.

He wound through the dark garden, careful of the thorns (there were always thorns, in the gardens of Faerie). Gale would be here somewhere, and now Taidhg was ready for him.

In the distance, music welled up right at the edge of Taidgh’s hearing. Mysterious, directionless snatches of music weren’t unusual in Faerie, of course, but this wasn’t the usual haunting melody of not-quite-definable instruments. This was a soft, soaring baritone, with a distinct location; as Taidgh wove nearer through the hungry brambles, it resolved into a dark Irish ballad, because of course it did.

We’re not Irish, you pretentious fucker. Taidgh could overlook the hypocrisy inherent in thinking that, given what he called himself—because spelling it Tig and hearing people pronounce it with a short i was not to be borne.

“My apple tree, my brightness, it's time we were together…”

At least the singing made him easy to find. And, likely, masked any slight sound made by Taidgh’s approach.

“For I smell of the earth, and am worn by the weather…” Gale did smell of the earth, that was true enough. Not the damp graveyard soil of the song, though: dry, sunbaked earth, and nothing else. That made him stand out too, in the court, where everyone was masking something. It should have been suspicious. It was suspicious, to Taidgh, even if no one else seemed to catch it.

It didn’t matter. He’d killed their father, however pitifully, and now Taidgh would kill him; it was the way of things, the cycle proceeding as intended. The title would pass, justice would be done, and he would have all the power that was his due. It wasn’t the first time a usurpation had been short-lived.

Gale’s voice threaded through the hedges like a ribbon in a maze; Taidgh had only to reel it in, following its brightness through the moonless night.

There was a brazier burning in the clearing where the voice led to at last. Gale was facing away when Taidgh came upon him, the fire at his back; he wore a loose shirt of some gossamer nonsense that did nothing to obscure the fine musculature of his shoulders or the warm brown of his skin. The flame gilded his curls, tumbling loose to a little below his collar. He was sculpted very finely, even Taidgh had to admit; why had he never noticed it before? Maybe he should—he wanted—

He could swear he didn’t make a sound when he stepped into the clearing, but Gale broke off singing and turned, his face lighting in a smile that was far too genuine for someone in his position. “Tiger.”

Taidgh mentally shook himself—what nonsense had he been thinking? They were half-brothers, which was bad enough, and enemies, which was worse. You didn’t fuck with people you sought to eliminate; it was a good way to put all your vulnerabilities on display. Admiring (he didn’t even let himself think the word desiring) Gale would be positively unacceptable.

Not that he did—it had only been a strange passing thought. Maybe he wasn’t quite as recovered as he’d believed. Never mind, though. He was still hale enough to put a knife in his brother.

“Lord Nightingale.” He gave him the title, to keep his guard down.

“You heard the news, then.” Gale’s smile dimmed.

“I came to congratulate you,” Taidgh offered, and Gale’s expression shuttered completely. Pathetic. Soft hearts have no place in court.

“I wish you wouldn’t,” he said, and turned again, taking a few steps away from the glow of the brazier, staring moodily off into the darkness. It was inconceivable that he had survived this long. Who would turn their back on Taidgh in such circumstances, alone in a dark garden?

Taidgh took a silent step forward.

“I let him suffer as long as I could,” Gale said, and Taidgh stopped, confused. It was a strange sentence to hear in Gale’s voice; like his namesake, it was a sweet voice, cutting through the darkness with no darkness of its own. “I know it wasn’t enough, but you know I couldn’t leave him that way for anyone to see. I promise, I made it as terrible as I could.”

Taidgh didn’t know how to answer that. He also didn’t know why his arms were prickling, the hairs standing up; if anyone could startle him with brutality, it certainly wouldn’t be his brother.

Gale glanced briefly over his shoulder. “I’m sorry you weren’t here for it. I couldn’t find you, so I assumed you’d come to me when you were ready. We have a lot of work to do, you know.” He turned back to gaze into the night again. “Our name isn’t what it once was, and he let too many greedy hands take from what should have been our holdings. That will take time to build back up.”

Taidgh shouldn’t have lingered, but he couldn’t help the itch of surprise and curiosity. “We?”

“I need a lieutenant, of course. Name your terms. I assure you I can meet them.”

Maybe Gale wasn’t quite as much of a fool as he seemed. That might have neutralized a weaker challenger, forced teaming and the offer of reward without the risk of an open fight. It didn’t matter; there were no terms Taidgh would take.

“You want me at your side?” He let the slightest bit of reprimand slide into his tone; do you know you’re clutching the asp to your breast?

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Gale was impervious to the warning.

Taidgh didn’t have to be fair, but no one could claim he hadn’t been, even so. A flick of his wrist put his knife in his hand; he crossed the clearing to join his brother, opening the arm as if to embrace him.

Gale did not turn when he drew nearer. He seemed to have forgotten Taidgh was there at all; his voice raised again in song, a golden thread against the night.

“Do you remember the night we were lost? In the shade of the blackthorn and the touch of the frost…”

Taidgh hesitated.

Maybe—maybe this was a mistake. Was it really so unappealing, being Gale’s lieutenant? Especially when he could name the terms—assuming that was true. He could demand the manor. He could demand the right to come and go between Faerie and the mortal world as he pleased—he certainly hadn’t had that under their father’s command. He could demand all the resources at their disposal, for whatever pet project he might want to tackle.

He could demand—

“The priest and the friars they approach me in dread, for I love you still, oh, my life, and you're dead…”

Taidgh lowered the knife. He had come around halfway now, could see his brother in profile; even silhouetted in shadow, Gale was striking, the shape of his lips as he sang stirring something that shouldn’t be stirred.

“I still would be your shelter, through rain and through storm. And with you in your cold grave I cannot sleep warm…”

He could demand anything.

Yes, there were terms he would accept. He opened his mouth to say so; he tossed his knife away, somewhere in the hedges, who-cared-where. Gale was watching him now, still singing, still singing; then he realized he didn’t need to demand anything, because what more did Taidgh really desire than to please his brother?

The curve of Gale’s smile said that he understood; of course he did, because he was clever as well as fair. Taidgh came the rest of the way around, standing before him now.

“I am stretched on your grave and I’ll lie here forever. If your hands were in mine, I'd be sure they would not sever…”

Gale lay a hand on his shoulder, pushing him gently down to his knees. Taidgh went, with gladness; seeking to please, he leaned forward to nuzzle his face against the front of Gale’s trousers. Gale laughed softly and caught him by the braids, tugging him back. “Time enough for that later. I told you, we have a lot of work to do, first.”

“Command me,” Taidgh begged, and couldn’t make sense of the part of him that recoiled to hear the words. Why shouldn’t he say them? He was Lord Nightingale’s lieutenant.

What greater joy could there be?

But he had not pleased Gale either, it seemed; he sighed, looking almost regretful, and passed a hand over Taidgh’s braids like a benediction. “I did offer you the choice,” he said at last, shaking his head.

Maybe that was why he was unhappy. He had told Taidgh to name his terms, and Taidgh had not named any. He could do that, though, easily. “You. I want you.”

“I know,” Gale said, with exasperated fondness. “Maybe someday you will in truth. Or maybe,” he cupped Taidgh’s cheek, “you will go to your grave first.”

Taidgh would dig it himself, should it please his lord.

“For now, get up.” Gale put out his hands and Taidgh took them, letting himself be pulled to his feet; Gale took a half-step backwards just as Taidgh came to his feet, setting him off balance so that he had to catch himself against Gale’s chest. They lingered like that a moment, faces close, Gale’s gaze fixed on Taidgh’s mouth; but by the time Taidgh realized he should offer himself up again, Gale set him right and stepped back. “Later,” he said again, more to himself than to Taidgh.

He left Taidgh’s knife where it had fallen; made a short gesture to quench the brazier, and put them in darkness.

They didn’t need light, though. Gale knew the path blind, and went along it singing; Taidgh followed behind, leashed by the golden thread of the Nightingale’s song.

#my fic #incest tw #tiger prince #or at least #KoR/Tiger Prince crossover AU fic #the darkest timeline i guess #don't tell me it's pronounced 'teague'#the internet says 't-eye-g' is a valid pronunciation and i'm fucking relying on that #taidgh as in tiger prince okay #just go with it

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thefredricus · 5 years

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New Year Surprise (☆▽☆)

I hope you’re all having a lovely New Year’s eve! I have something special for you all tonight: My very first Ripto fanfic! (<-- Link!)

This is the daruma doll that I made a promise to at the beginning of 2018. The promise was to write and publish a fanfiction before New Year’s. I originally planned to write for another fandom, but things happened, yet I decided that I didn’t want to break the promise I made to myself and burn the daruma doll.

However, I decided to split the story in two chapters. The first one was just published and ready for some reading! The second one is on its way and will be posted later this week. I’m so excited to share this with you all! <3

You can either read it below the cut, or go to AO3 and read it there!

Year of the Dinosaur

The sun scorched the cloudless azure sky. Waves were seen lapping against a non-existent shore along the horizon, as non-existent trees reflected in the mirage. But the heat was real. The sand that stung their eyes and nostrils was real. The hunger, thirst and fatigue -- they were all real. The outskirts of Skelos Badlands at solar zenith showed no mercy to the broken duo. Ripto ran a sleeve over his brow to wipe off a disgusting lump of sweat and dust. He wasn’t accustomed to the feel of a new set of scars and still open wounds that ran across his face. Not only did they ache, but they made him feel hideous, even though he hadn’t dared to look at his own reflection since that night. That fateful night… He quickly shook himself out of his stupor.

“Gulp! Is that mountains I see over there? Or is it just another hallucination, like the time you tried to drink from that oasis and ended up with a mouthful of dry sand,” Ripto spat between chapped lips.

The massive quadruped grunted guiltily under Ripto’s frame as he walked and looked away, embarrassed.

“Well, it’d better be! I mean, how far could that bonehead have gone? Crush can’t go more than five minutes without food, we’d have found him dead by now-”

Ripto’s last words echoed out in rough coughs that left the small, wounded dinosaur gasp for air. He clenched his chest with both arms and bent forward in a sickly bark. Reflexively, he reached for one of Gulp’s horns for support, but he crabbed nothing but air and fell forward, rolling off his companion’s muzzle and into the sand below. He felt panic build in his stomach, climbing up his chest, oozing in his throat like acid that ate away everything.

Is this where it was all going to end? Did he escape one hell just to get flung into another?

Ripto’s thoughts were caught short when he felt a tender touch against his forehead and a breeze of warm air that brushed his skin, leaving him with momentary comfort. Gulp hummed softly and kept nuzzling his master, ever so gently. Ripto exhaled slowly, lifting his hands to his companion's face, pressing his forehead against the gentle giant.

“At least I can count on you,” he whispered, more to himself than anyone.

Struggling to get out from the molten lava and grasp whatever debris he could find was an ordeal in itself. Feeling every part of his being burn like a thousand suns on top of that would have been too much, if he wouldn’t have been so excruciatingly headstrong -- and if he wouldn’t have had some help from a certain green dinosaur who pulled him out from the burning inferno and who stayed at his side to nurture him back to as close as what health could be, given the circumstances. After Avalar was reclaimed, with the help of a filthy dragon no less, all dinosaurs were banned to the deserts and crags of Skelos. Whatever vapor Ripto ended up in there and then, finding Crush seemed like a good idea at the time. Better to reunite the trio, he thought. Better wallow in each others’ company, he though. But right now he was not sure if he could even think at all. His head was spinning, his mouth was as arid as the endless dunes surrounding him and his delusions blended seamlessly into reality.

“Are those mountains real, Gulp?” Ripto persuaded, even though they seemed to be miles away.

He could feel the big dinosaur’s snout lifting him up. Slump, the fallen king lay across his servant’s face. The weight of his heavy head and his agonies left him incapable of sitting up. His vision blurred as he faded away.

“Gulp... Take us there.”

***

Ripto’s consciousness returned along with a throbbing headache against his temples. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was seeing double when he opened his eyes, his pupils nothing but sharp slits in the brightness. The sun stood seemingly lower on the sky now, however, and with the sinking sun a cold night would follow. The thought of him staying alive for that long gave him a little bit of comfort. Just then, Gulp stopped abruptly and nodded a gesture, Ripto nearly getting flung off in the process.

“Gah! W-what are you doing, you-”

The irate dinosaur locked eyes with his servant, who now gestured enthusiastically with eyes and eyebrows for his master to turn his head. Having no choice, unless he wanted to get shook off again, he spun his horned head around, the rest of his body still laying flat on Gulp’s snout. Ripto’s eyes grew big in surprise, as his gaze met a large cavern protruding from a vertical crag in the sandy dunes. Partly because the crag was indeed not a mirage but a real, hard mineral formation, and partly because it was coated in a much familiar scent. Ripto sniffed the air. Ungraciously he slumped off Gulp’s wide muzzle and continued sleuthing, ignoring the grains of sand that got stuck in his nostrils and mouth. It smelled stale. It smelled of dinosaur. It smelled of flesh and blood. Ripto wobbled forward.

“Crush? No more hiding, we crossed this god-forsaken desert only to-”

Stale. Crush wasn’t famous for smelling of roses, that was for sure, but… this smelled wrong. It smelled of death. And when a dinosaur of Ripto’s size scented death, it ran. But there was nowhere for him to flee.

It all happened very fast when the lava lizard attacked.

All Ripto could see was a blur of sharp teeth plunging towards him, like an extension of the gaping maw in the rock itself. He wasn’t sure if it was deeply rooted survival instinct or sheer luck that made his body move on its own, throwing itself to the side and dodging his assaulter’s deadly strike. Stuck face-down in the sand, all Ripto could hear was a bone-chilling snarl that sent shivers down his thin frame. The noise eventually died out and a minute of silence followed. Or perhaps it was less than a second. Ripto couldn’t tell. Maybe it was an hour. Just as he was about to get up and shake it off as another hallucination, a heavy foot dug itself into the back of his head, forcing him harder down into the ground. One of the predator’s curved claws clicked against Ripto’s horn, once, twice. The helpless dinosaur felt the grip tighten around him. And then--

The pressure lifted in the fraction of a second, followed by a guttural roar and a blow that shook the earth around him. Yanking his head from the ground, Ripto realized that Gulp had rammed into the lava lizard head first, making use of his body mass and sharp horns to force their attacker off balance. The lava lizard scrambled back onto its feet as quickly as it had fallen, and it wasn’t quite until now that Ripto realized how massive this creature was; a monstrous biped standing a good three meters over the ground, with rough scales draped in a deep burgundy making it look like it just climbed out from the depths of hell. From its forehead grew a twisted horn, much like Ripto’s own. To complete the nightmarish image, its long jaws housed a jumbled mess of fangs and tusks. Ripto could only imagine how much of him there would have been left had the attack succeeded. Seeing Gulp and the lava lizard at a standoff was truly like witnessing a clash of giants. Ripto couldn’t help but feeling very small and insignificant. More so than usual.

Empty handed with his magic scepter long lost, he was helpless against this adversary. So he resorted to doing the only thing he was good at.

“Gulp! Finish it off! Kill it! KILL IT!”

Gulp didn’t need any second command to motivate him further. He swung his horned head into the side of the lava lizard once more, except this time the creature came prepared for his onslaught. With nimble hands, it grasped Gulp by the jaws and bit down his neck, more to catch the quadruped off guard than to do lethal harm. Gulp roared and shook his head frantically, foam flying from the edges of his mouth.

“Behind you, BEHI--!”

Ripto’s cries were in vain, as the massive red lizard shifted and chomped down on Gulp’s back, away from his victim’s reach, and sunk his hellish teeth deep into the green dinosaur’s rind. Gulp’s roars turned into howls that shattered the dead silence of the desert. Using all of its strength, the predatory dinosaur took advantage of the moment and pushed Gulp onto his side. Gulp flailed with his clumsy legs in the air, kicking someone who was out of reach, his mouth foaming and eyes tearing. The lava lizard slowly released his bite with a shrilling wheeze, fresh blood running between tusks and fangs, dripping down on Gulp’s leafy green skin.

Ripto couldn’t look away. Being a predatory dinosaur himself, he knew what was coming next. His companion’s vulnerable underbelly was dangerously exposed for the lava lizard and it would only take moments before a chunk of flesh would be pulled from his chest. Gulp would be eaten alive and Ripto would stand there and watch. Until the lava lizard wanted dessert.

There was really nothing but one option at this point. Ripto inhaled through his nose, puffing himself up like a bird ready to fend off a much bigger rival, and let out the loudest and most fearsome war cry he could ever muster. Then he leapt forward as nimbly and fast as he could, ignoring the tough resistance of sand and grain under his feet, dashing towards Gulp, up over his fallen body and jumped -- claws out, fangs bared -- against his enemy.

When Ripto fell into the pool of lava in Winter Tundra, he remembered that the impact had hurt a bit. But the actual sinking had strangely enough not been that intensely painful as one would imagine. That said, it wasn’t by any means a pleasant experience. His whole body was assaulted with what felt like a million needles that pricked him just at the surface, never truly going under the skin but still causing him plenty of discomfort. The suffocating, however, felt oddly… nice. Relieving, in a way. It felt like a warm hug that embraced him from the inside. He didn’t panic. His mind just slowly wandered off. He didn’t think of the dragon that did this to him. Nor did he think about how small and insignificant he was. Sinking into the lava, he felt bigger, somehow. Maybe even stronger. He couldn’t remember for how long he drifted, lost in oblivion, until all those millions of needles all at once decided to

PIERCE HIS SKIN.

Ripto gasped and filled his lungs with the dusty desert air. But it felt like his lungs never filled up completely. The lava lizard had seen the small dinosaur’s attack miles away, and simply snapped at Ripto, locking him shut in his jaws. Pointed teeth chewed Ripto’s skin and that warm, familiar feeling bubbled up inside of him. But that was only for a second. The lava lizard spun around and flung Ripto effortlessly, but with great force, into the crag horn first. Ripto’s mind went black the moment his head hit the rock.

***

When Ripto woke up again, the air was quite cool. So was the cavern floor he found himself laying on. The contrast from the searing heat was relieving and the air felt much easier to breathe. Ripto’s mind begun wandering back, but his body was still paralyzed, spread out in the darkness of wherever he was. After a minute or so of doing nothing, Ripto had found himself to have let out a monotonous moan ever since he woke, which he ended with a masked cough. Self-aware, but still laying flat on his back with limbs spread out, he scanned what parts he could of his surroundings with half-closed eyes. All he could see was naked rock hidden in the faint light. He slowly turned himself over in an attempt to sit, but vertigo got him immediately and the tiny dinosaur slumped back on the ground nose first. Ow. Something stung him. He opened his eyes and gently raised his head. Some sort of sticky twig was stuck to his delicate snout. He shook his head fast, but that only made him dizzier and the little branch only seemed only to attach more.

“Argh, what the-!”

Furiously, he clawed at his own face in an attempt to free himself of the nuisance. That’s when he noticed that the twig was covered in -- what he assumed to be -- tiny thorns. More enraged than his energy levels should allow, he grabbed the twig from his face with both hands and ripped it off like an old, glued up band aid. Ripto grunted out loud and grinned in anguish, his eyes tearing up. He threw the prickly branch as long as he could muster, only to notice that it was still attached to his hand after the throw.

“Oh, come ON!”

After shaking his hand frantically up and down and back and forth, the little piece of plant finally let go and soundlessly hit the cavern floor. Ripto used his free hand to rub his eyes while cussing under his breath. Blinking back his focus, still a bit wobbly, he tried to regain his balance. It was when he scanned his new home once more that he noticed something odd at the center of the room, a faint shimmer and a very familiar fragrance. Spreading his eyes wider, slit pupils dilating, he had to stare for a good moment to make sure his senses didn’t betray him. There was a smooth depression in the rock which almost looked like it was handmade, and it seemed to be filled with clear, fresh--

“Water!”

Ripto waited no longer. Endless days of thirst with nothing to quench himself but dry, rough sand caught up with him and before he knew it, he plunged himself at the water source, stuffing his whole face into the craggy bowl, not drinking but rather devouring the water inside. He even swallowed gulps through his nose, but he didn’t care, he wasn’t going to stop until every last drop was gone. He would soon find out, however, that the container was somehow refilling itself from the bottom through a pipe-like tunnel that went through the stone, where it must have originated in a freshwater spring, like an oasis. Grabbing the rocky water bowl with both hands, he pulled his head up from the much needed drink and gasped for air, as he caught up in the moment and forgot that dinosaurs can’t breathe underwater. Then he just stood there, silently staring at the water surface, watching as the liquid slowly filled up the small basin. That was the first time in a very long time he had seen his own reflection. He couldn’t tell if the reflected image looking back at him was distorted because of the bubbling water gurgling up from within the depths of the cave. Every part of him seemed to boil, bubbles rising up from under the surface, as if they tried to break free from inside of his skin. A part of his jawline had ripped open, revealing his red gum and sharp teeth beneath. His eyes looked more like dull, scratched up glass beads than real organs. The crooked tip of his horn was missing. The point where it had broken cried brown tears of dried blood.

As the water came flowing back, so did Ripto’s senses and his body woke anew, piece by piece. With it returned the aching of his head, torso and limbs, and the painful memories that accompanied every part. He could feel a distinct stabbing in his chest and with it came the memory of almost being bitten in half by a giant monster. Ripto clenched his small chest with his hand. And noticed-- that it was sticky. Blood? No, this wasn’t it. Looking at his fingers, sniffing, then carefully licking the alien substance with the tip of his forked tongue, he figured it must be some sort of sap. Gasping, he took another look into the water mirror. The tip of his horn was also clogged with the brownish glue, different from the streaks of dried blood that ran down along it. It was almost as if it had been applied there deliberately. Ripto turned around, touching all over his small frame with quick, clawed fingers. There, another lump of sap on his right shoulder, and, oh, it was even on his back too, at the place where the lava lizard’s teeth had pierced his skin. There was even some on his kneecaps and elbows, easily noticeable through his torn attires. Dancing around the room in this curious manner, Ripto misplaced his foot on something that made a cracking noise.

“Ow! What on- YEAGH!”

He had stepped on the prickly twig that was stuck in his face just before he had found the water. Skipping up and down on one foot while swearing excessively, he tried to pull off the unrelenting plant now attached to the underside of one of his feet. While doing so, he noticed that the surface of the cavern floor wasn’t all cold stone. There were leaves. Plenty of them. A pile of it was arranged as bedding, which Ripto must have woken up on. After having forced off the prickly brush and sent it flying a good few meters, Ripto brought one of the leaves up close to his nose and sniffed it. Its scent had a distinguished familiarity to the twig and sap. Could this be-

“Catbat claw?”

Ripto raised an eyebrow. He was indeed familiar with this plant. Dinosaurs, critters and humans alike had used this brushy desert plant as a medical complement since the beginning of time. It grew sparse and only in inhabitable places, but he remember that they always kept some at home when he was a child. It was named after those pesky animals because the thorns were needle sharp and slightly curved and once they got hold of you, they wouldn’t let go. The thorns of course didn’t possess any medical properties, but the leaves did wonders as pain relievers, and the sap could be used to help stop bleeding and speed up the coagulation process. Furthermore, it covered up the smell of blood which could attract other, bigger monsters.

The handmade water basin and leaf bed, the roomy cavern, the Catbat claw -- Someone had saved Ripto and brought him here. Someone was nursing him back to health. But who? Had Crush found him? Ripto looked up. The cavern was dark, but he could still make out a rugged ceiling. Had his horn not be broken off at the top, he would have barely been able to stand straight in the innermost corner of the cavity where he woke up. Past the water bowl in the center of the room, the cave widened as well as the ceiling got higher, but it was still much to small for Crush, or Gulp for that matter, to fit. Besides, Ripto though, Crush was dumb as a doornail. He would never know about the Catbat claw, or be able to apply it as delicately with those huge hands of his. Crush was good at crushing, not nursing, or cooking, or anything at all for that matter.

“And it’s all because of him I’m in this awful mess,” Ripto whispered to himself through clenched teeth.

The thought escaped him immediately as a scraping noise could be heard from the cave’s entrance. Ripto flinched and quickly looked in the sound’s direction. The light outside was dim and cold, and whatever source illuminated the outside world just barely made it possible to distinguish the outlines of the cavern mouth. He stood still for a good few moments. Then the noise stopped. Ripto’s heart pounded fast against his tiny ribcage, and despite trying to stay unnoticable with teeth tightly pressed together, heavy breathing from his nose would betray him. But silence had laid a blanket over the cave and that perked Ripto’s curiosity. Slowly, he tiptoed towards the entrance gap of the cave. He stuck his nose out first, then carefully the rest of his face, eyes deadly focused forward, as if balancing on a tightrope over a canyon. The air against his face hit him as chilly, but not freezing. He cautiously examined his surroundings. Instead of seeing desert sand or dusty, empty plains ahead and around him like he thought he would, he saw more vertical rocks to each side. His gaze climbed down the rock’s surface. There were even more rocks, and it went on for as far as his vision could reach. The air lay completely still and the silence bounced between the high cliff walls. Was he truly up in the mountains, the very mountains he thought he had seen before while on Gulp’s back? Then he looked up. It was night. He didn’t see the moon. But he saw a vast sea of stars. Ripto had always enjoyed nighttime with the twinkling and sparkling of millions and billions little stars. But this was something else entirely. The stars here were drowning the black vastness of the universe, illuminating the sky with whites and yellows, blues and reds. He could hardly even make out any common constellations, because between every zodiac there were countless tiny specks merging into one another, making the ocean of stars more like one enormous celestial body. It was mesmerizing. He may have felt very small that night, but he also felt very alive.

#stay tuned for chapter 2!#ripto #gulp #fanfiction #fanfic #my work #Happy New Year #spyro the dragon

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becomestorm · 5 years

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@atlascash.

A LOOK OF SCORN IS HENRY’S KNEEJERK REACTION; of course, any battle-tested huntsman had the right to their own assumptions and perceptions, and as far as Henry is concerned, Ren is factually correct this one time. However, the stoic faces of the nearby Blake and Weiss fizzle out all six of the retorts he had just come up with that very moment, and so Henry’s glance falls, himself unable to shake the notion that somehow, the verdant warrior had criticized him with words that sounded otherwise.

Then again, he could live with that. His side of the business world was carefully populated with plenty of nefarious double talk and subtle acts of backstabbing, but if he really had to factor this medley bunch on the scale…. then perhaps the risk their proposal poses to him and his connections probably would be minimal…… emphasis on probably. This venture did run a considerable chance of backfiring after all, one that he could not ignore as a banker.

As his maid Nelly walks in with a tray of coffee mugs, Henry smiles at her, and then back at his guests. When they had sought a meeting with him, he had welcomed them into his family mansion; wherever they chose to wander inside, they would find no room for doubt here.

“ I wouldn’t have it any other way, Ren. ” Henry responds with a polite bravado, turning his hand over to show his open palm. “ I mean, all of life’s adventures that are worth going on are never that simple in the first place. ” A profound statement, were it not for the fact that Henry’s pursuits revolved around business alone, but he intertwines his fingers and leans forward, hoping to push past his silent hypocrisy.

“ Ren, Ruby, Mr. Branwen — I’ll give you an honest assessment ——– nobody really discusses Dr. Watts and his operations in Atlas ever, and for good reason. Breaking and entering into his facilities? That is, by far, the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard all month. Most people in Atlas would probably keep a healthy distance from you if they heard that idea, let alone offer a helping hand. ”

A simultaneous combination of Weiss’s grunt of disapproval and the entrance of Jaune, Yang and the rest of their crew provides for an intended shift in tone, and Henry gestures towards the far side of the room.

“ Please, feel free to drag over those chairs by the wall. ” he offers out loud, before turning back to his original company with a smirk. “ As I was saying, most people would have you stop right here. However, I, Henry Marigold, am not most people. If your gamble was on whether or not your infiltration mission overlapped with my interests, then I believe it’s my job to say that you’ve won your gamble ——– back in the day, the Doctor drove a dear family friend out of business. As you can imagine, that whole episode was a tragedy on its own but you see, I’ve been looking to pay back the favor for a while now. ”

The glances between the group are telling enough, and to this, Henry takes his first sip of coffee, before stopping and glancing what was now a lukewarm cup of his favorite drink. Well, there was no crying over spilled milk at this point. All that was left to do was lean back on his chair, add sugar to the coffee, and stir this into something exciting.

“ If this was up to me, I have no issue about hiring the lot of you as escort for the Marigold Banking’s convoy, though now that I’m considering it, we would most likely have to make arrangements for Weiss, as she is stillquite the celebrity here in Atlas. However, I’d like to hear what you had in mind. After all — ” Henry pauses, before smirking once more. “ — this is your operation, isn’t it? ” from.

far be it from ren to waste words on any comment that wasn’t absolutely essential. random quips and ill - timed humour was fine around familiar company, though not around strangers. they were evaluating the probability of success, given their gargantuan consequences should something go wrong. after what happened in argus, they had to think far more intricately on the butterfly effect should their plans go awry. henry had a flourish to his words that ren considered unnecessary extravagant, words and tone that ren tended to dissect until they extracted the most essential pieces of information. whether their straightforwardness stemmed from the realism necessary to successfully complete the mission ren didn’t care ; they were nothing if not blunt.

elegant brow raised at such a flowery, elegant gesture, tilting their head slightly to quite literally observe it from a different angle. it wasn’t that they particularly liked or disliked henry, but something about the way the atlesian talked made it sound like every sentence was laced with a double entendres, multiple meanings. unfortunately, without the activation of ren’s empathy semblance, they couldn’t quite place whether tone was snide or mocking in nature, and it would be better not to engage that with a recently acquired ally. that they’d found someone who not only was already acquainted with weiss, but had prerogatives against dr. watts was the break they needed after barely escaping their airship battle.

‘ whatever arrangements are made with weiss, her team has made it a priority to stay by her side. ’ ren glanced over at their teammates, recalling the conversations made in argus prior to the unfortunate splitting of their party. if they split, and even then it would be the last resort, they did it by teams. ‘ my operation ? ’ the confused lilt on the end of their sentence failed to escape usually toneless vocals, intentionally relaxing shoulders instead of the instinctive need to tense them upon smirk, upon the way his words wrapped around the question like some kind of subtle threat. ‘ we work together under a common goal and keep everyone’s suggestions in mind, but we usually default to the leadership of jaune and ruby. ’

even though ren didn’t actively participate in mission debriefs usually, there was something refreshing about being asked. they usually fell into whatever role was assigned them ; a foot soldier, a distraction, a saboteur, they usually worked better with lose guidelines, and improvised from there, relying often on instinct. this was a far more tricky assignment than hijacking an atlesian airship however, if breaking into top secret research labs at the heart of atlas wasn’t already a terrifying goal. ‘ i believe we need more time to gather intel, a day at most. ’ a pause. ‘ there’s good reason to believe we’re being tracked, and that our adversaries are already expecting us. any advantage we have is paramount. do you have connections that could provide information on the security of the site ? shift changes ? maps ? we’re ready to exploit any weaknesses. ’

#atlascash #vi — vii limbo.#hnnn i love the way you write #any subtle salt henry's trying to send ren's way is just going right over their head

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codename-bewareofthefangirl · 7 years

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Can I request a scenario - or headcanon if you don't want to do a scenario - of Todoroki's s/o and Momo ( one of Todoroki's closest friends ) who hate each other? It can be about Todoroki finding out that they can't stand each other, how he deal with it.. Anything, I leave the story to you :^) I just thought it would be funny since Momo is one of my faves and Todoroki my fave lol

Hi dear! Omg, I laughed so much when I read it the first time because, really, poor Todoroki. We girls can be hella scary when mad! I choose to do headcanons because I had too many ideas and didn’t know how to combine them together I hope it’s fine! It was so funny to write, thank you! (In case you want more, let me know what!)

Have a nice day!

Todoroki x ReaderWhoHatesMomo Headcanons

-Okay, let’s be honest. Todoroki doesn’t get it immediately that you and Momo hate each other. It’s true that you tried to hide it a bit, but he’s just dense. He also can’t quite understand why. I mean, Momo is such a nice girl?

When he says that to you, you usually growl and he backs off because he can still recognize when an animal is angry and dangerous.

-Imagine all the little moments when is totally confused because he doesn’t know of your rivalry.

“SO…is that Bakugou’s extra-spicy tabasco sauce?”

“Uhm…yes?”

“And isn’t that Momo’s glass?”

“Uh! How stupid of me! I made a mistake.”

“There’s her name written on it.”

“Then I just made a big mistake.”

“Wait- What was that?”

“What, Shouto?”

“The expression Momo just made, for half of a second.”

“A glare, Shouto. It was a glare.”

“Momo doesn’t glare. She doesn’t know how to glare.”

“How naïve. Trust me, she glares and she’s good at it.”

“I didn’t know Momo knew that kind of words…”

“Yeah, she came up with new creative insults recently.”

“What? You have heard her swearing before?”

“I’m her principal inspiration, of course, I’ve heard her swearing before.”

“During training, we shouldn’t send our adversary to the infirmary SO!”

“Tell Momo.”

“I would, but she’s lying unconscious in a bed in the infirmary!”

“Aren’t you proud of how strong your girlfriend is?”

“I’m more concerned about your smirk now.”

“Which smirk?”

“The one that you’re making now, the same Bakugou shows when he looks at Midoriya.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

-The moment you two finally tell him the truth he’s dumbfounded. He doesn’t know how to react, just stays there in silence as you two start quarreling about something trivial.

It dawns on him like a cold shower: this is going to be hell.

-He gives you The Talk where he explains that it’s not a problem for him until things don’t escalate and he won’t force the two of you to be friends. He also asks you to be honest but not exaggerated. The last part went unheard, the only thing you promise is to try and fight when he’s not present.

-He usually tries to divide his time wisely. He spends an afternoon or have lunch/coffee with Momo at least once or twice a week to not lose her friendship, but spend the rest of the time with you.

-However, during group hang-outs or parties he suffers. A lot. Sometimes he freezes the two of you when things escalate or picks you up and drags you away, while Mina or Jirou keep Moko down and try to calm her.

Unfortunately, he can’t freeze your tongues. He never knew that coldness and sharp witness could be that devastating without using a single curse, he’s partially impressed.

-It’s going to remain impressed in everyone’s memory the day Bakugou clapped during a particularly heated verbal fight between you and Momo and whistled an “I’m fucking impressed.” Todoroki slammed his head against the table.

-The only times he takes action seriously, it’s when you start feeling insecure or doubting his love for you. Saying that maybe he’d be better off with Momo. He accepts none of that crap. He makes you sit down, cups your cheeks and speaks in a calm, but firm voice.

“I’ve chosen you, not Momo. She’s a dear friend, yet you’re my only girlfriend and the only person I love with all my heart. This is something you should never doubt.”

His kisses afterward are very convincing.

-Everyone is surprised that in the end, he gets used to it. Freezing you both, dragging you away, placing a hand on your mouth, wrapping an arm around your waist to keep you calm…he’s unfazed, face blank as usual.

-He also gets resigned to the fact he’s going to be an accidental, innocent victim of the pranks you to make to each other. He’s going to never forget the day he drank the tea Momo had salted thinking it was yours.

He’s also very wary of doors and strange objects in the bed. Or unknown food/drinks. Or wrapped gifts. Or…well, practically everything unknown.

-The only days you establish a truce are Christmas and Todoroki’s birthday. They’re the most important occasions of the year and you have to join forces to make him happy. First thing is forcing him to celebrate with everyone and not getting stuck at home with Endeavour. Second, you accompany him to his mother (She’s known about the rivalry from the moment she met you and finds it incredibly funny). Third, you give him the hugs and warmth he deserves.

-You’ve learnt that when Todoroki clicks his tongue and frowns, he’s going to freeze you. So, suddenly you and Momo are all quiet and calm again, seated and enjoying the company.

-Bakugou cheers for you and Todoroki smacks his head every time he yells aloud to “beat her ass”. Obviously, this enrages the blond and in ten seconds you and Momo have to put your rivalry aside and avoid Bakugou and Todoroki destroy something.

-Rumors say that Todoroki has once asked Shinsou to use his Quirk to keep the two of you calm and peaceful for a day. Rumors also say actually Shinsou refused because he finds your arguments amusing. Someone dared to say he and Bakugou have bets going on.

-Aizawa once put the two of you training together so that you could vent and sort it all out. His mistake. He had to deactivate your quirks. Todoroki was slightly traumatized: he didn’t expect to feel such a blood-thirst coming from his favorite, petite girls.

-All the girls find this situation amusing and the force the two of you to behave during all-girls outings. You’ve soon discovered that an angry Uraraka is scarier than everybody else, even than Aizawa.

-Todoroki’s worst nightmare? The “Who’s right?” Question. Different people testify they have seen him fleeing from the window once.

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mbtizone · 7 years

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Kara Danvers (Supergirl): ESFJ

Dominant Extroverted Feeling [Fe]: All of Kara’s decisions are based on her feelings. She cares so much about everyone and all she wants to do is help. She’s warm, affirming, supportive, selfless, affectionate, and kind. Kara is sensitive to the feelings of others and takes care of other people emotionally. She is extremely encouraging and always knows how to make people feel better about themselves. Kara often lets her emotions control her, and she can become consumed by them. She always tries to see the good in other people. She is forgiving and willing to give second chances. Kara always goes above and beyond the call of duty, especially when it comes to helping her friends and family. Kara enjoys teamwork and she enjoys being part of a group that’s working towards a common goal. Although Kara engages in fights with villains on a regular basis, she doesn’t particularly like confrontation in her personal life, and although she favors harmonious environments, she can become very hot-tempered when she feels attacked, or when other people are being threatened. She’s very empathetic and good at relating to other people, even her adversaries. Kara needs validation and is very sensitive to other people’s opinions of her. She gets very upset when Supergirl is attacked in the media, often becoming defensive or filled with self-doubt. It’s difficult for Kara to take criticism, but she does want to improve herself and be the best possible version of herself. She likes to do things for other people, whether it’s something big, like saving them from a plane crash, or small, like flying all the way to Chicago just to get Alex some food from that truck she likes.

Auxiliary Introverted Sensing [Si]: Kara bases her judgments on her experience. When she’s presented with evidence contradicting her stance, she’s likely to dismiss it because of her own subjective history with someone or something. When everyone is trying to convince her that Lena Luthor is a member of Cadmus, Kara vehemently disagrees. She stands by Lena, because her experiences and history with Lena are what matters. When everyone else turns against Lena, Kara refuses to lose faith in her. She also initially refuses to accept that Jeremiah may not be the man she remembers (though she later comes around) and gets angry with Mon-El for even implying that something about him might be off. Kara enjoys traditions, like holidays and game night. Although Kara loves being Supergirl, her day job is very important to her. She likes her routine at CatCo and enjoys learning and growing within the company and she doesn’t mind performing the same repetitive tasks each day. She needs it to keep her grounded. Kara’s past is important to her and she likes to reflect on it, as well as use it to help her make decisions in the present.

Tertiary Extroverted Intuition [Ne]: Kara is an optimist and likes speculating about favorable outcomes. Though she enjoys her familiar routine, every now and then, Kara likes to step outside of her comfort zone. Ideas and possibilities are stimulating to her and she likes to try new things. The unknown doesn’t typically frighten her – it excites her. She wants to have new experiences and doesn’t allow herself to get hung up on what might go wrong.

Inferior Introverted Thinking [Ti]: It’s nearly impossible for Kara to put her emotions aside or be detached in any situation. Sometimes, when Kara is presented with facts and evidence she disagrees with, she has trouble making logical arguments. She just feels that she’s right and her opponents are wrong. Because Kara is so concerned with getting things done, she rarely stops to think critically about the predicaments she finds herself in. When Winn pinpoints Alex’s location after she’s been kidnapped, Kara wants to go and get her right then and there. Maggie tries to convince her to stop and think. Rick doesn’t look concerned. Maybe we should take a minute here, Kara. But nope, Kara’s already flying off with a rescue in mind. When she arrives, she finds that her sister isn’t there and the time that they have to find her has been cut down to four hours and Kara watches as Alex’s cage begins to fill with water. Kara doesn’t like when people try to make her (or Supergirl) out to be inadequate in any way. Sometimes, she can become quite stubborn if she feels that she knows the best solution to a problem, and can shut out other people’s opinions.

Enneagram: 2w1 So/Sx (Tritype: 216, possibly 217)

Quotes:

Alex: [cleaning James’ wounds] You’re lucky you didn’t take a direct hit. Kara: Very lucky. James: I had my shield. I love that shield. [Kara gives him a pointed look] James: And I know what I’m doing, Kara. Kara: Even if Metallo is weakening though, he’s still a fanatic follower of Lillian Luthor. We have to find out where he’s taking Lena and how to help her. James: What is it gonna take for you to realize that Lena is a criminal? She’s not the victim. She got the kryptonite. He broke her out of prison. Kara: Lena’s not a member of Cadmus! She’s not! She stopped the gang with alien weapons. She saved Alex’s life when Corben tried to kill her. James: She shot Corben and then her crazy mom turned Corben into Metallo, so that could’ve been the plan the entire time. J’onn J’onzz: We have to start treating Lena Luthor like a hostile. The evidence is too overwhelming. Kara: Winn? If you watch that video, I know you’ll find something. Winn: I did, it’s… it’s clean. Kara: Then find something to prove her innocent. J’onn J’onzz: Everything we’ve seen so far says the exact opposite. Kara: Well, she’s my friend and I believe in her. [leaves room] James: [follows Kara out the room] I’m your friend. Which is why I don’t understand why it’s so hard for you to believe me. People don’t remember this, Kara, but Clark and Lex Luthor used to be best friends. For years and Clark believed in Lex for the longest time, no matter what people said, no matter what kind of proof he saw with his own eyes. No, Lex was his friend. But Clark was wrong. Kara: Lena is not Lex. James: But they grew up in the same house, Kara. I don’t understand why you keep defending her. And you have so much faith in her, but none in me as Guardian. Kara: That’s entirely different. I am trying to protect you. James: I do not need your protection. I need your trust. You have mine. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for me to get yours.

Lena: [putting down Kara’s article about her] It’s a good article. You flatter me. Kara: I only wrote the truth. I’m learning to keep digging, even when all the evidence points one way. There’s always another side. Lena: Even when it’s hard to find. Kara: Especially when it’s hard to find. [pause] Kara: So my office is overflowing with flowers… Lena: Really? Kara: Yeah. [both smile] Kara: You didn’t have to do that. Lena: Yeah, I did. Supergirl told me that it was you who sent her. I don’t know how to thank you. Kara: Well, that’s what friends are for. Lena: Yeah, never had friends like you before. Come to think of it, I’ve never had family like you. No one’s ever stood up for me like that. Kara: Now you have someone who will stand up for you, always. Lena: Well, Supergirl may have saved me, but Kara Danvers, you are my hero.

Kara: I stopped by that food truck you like. Alex: The one in Chicago? You are my favorite person.

J’onn J’onzz: You know, I wouldn’t have minded you coming to work for the DEO full-time. Kara: I can’t leave this place. It’s not just a secret identity to me. I almost did something today that I would have regretted the rest of my life. J’onn J’onzz:: What stopped you? Kara: My friends. The DEO keeps you human. They do that for me.

Kara: Either of you have saved the world before? Barry: Mm-hmm. Oliver: Last year. Barry Allen: It sure beats screwing up the world. Kara: Hey, you are too hard on yourself. Oliver: That’s what people usually tell me. Kara: And for good reason, I’m sure. But, back on my Earth, it’s just me and my cousin. Between the two of us, we’re more powerful than… Barry Allen: Yeah, everybody in this room combined. Kara: No, no. That’s the point. That’s what you’ve all proven her. Meta-humans or not, superpowers or not, you are Earth’s mightiest heroes.

Kara: I know you said you don’t get unnerved. Oliver: Well… Kara: But if you did, I think hardship is what makes us stronger. That’s probably why these people look to you as their rock.

Snapper Carr: Teenage runaways are not news. They are clichés. You have more important stories to cover. Kara: More important? What’s more important than a mother finding her daughter? Snapper Carr: My coffee, my Danish, and the five minutes of peace and quiet you stole from me.

Kara: [seeing the inter-dimensional portal] Go back to the DEO. Tell Alex what happened. Make sure a strike team follows me. Mon-El: [as she changes, she tosses her civilian clothes to him] Right. Kara: I’m going in there. Mon-El: Uh… we don’t know what’s on the other side. Kara: Izzy’s on the other side. And that’s all that matters.

Snapper Carr: Slaver’s Moon? Very catchy. Kara: All those runaways? They were being sold as alien slave labor. That’s a big story. 8,000 words, personal accounts from the cells, from the auction house, from the daughter, Izzy, whose disappearance you didn’t want me looking into. Snapper Carr: You want a medal? Submit yourself for Pulitzer. Kara: I know that you want me to follow my head, but I would rather be wrong about a dozen leads than not follow the ones I believe in. That’s the kind of reporter I want to be. I’m always going to follow my heart.

Kara: James, part of being your own man is knowing when to ask for help.

Alex: You’ve been weird ever since I told you. Kara: I don’t mean to be. Alex: Kara, I know when you’re sad, or when you’re disappointed. I don’t know what I would do if you were disappointed in me. Kara: I would never be disappointed in you, but you said you didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Alex: Well, I do. If… if you’re not okay with it… Kara: I’m SO okay with it! Sit down. Alex, come and talk with me. [Alex sits] Kara: I think I owe you an apology. Alex: For what? Kara: For not creating an environment where you felt that you could talk about this with me. All those years we spent together growing up, the endless nights talking and sharing, now I realize that they were all about me and my secret. There’s never been room for you, and that’s my fault. And I’m so sorry. Alex: You didn’t do anything wrong. Kara: And I know… I know that this is not the same at all, but I do know how it feels to keep a part of yourself shut off, to keep it inside. And I know how lonely that can make you feel. But Alex, you are not alone. Alex: I can’t do this without you. Kara: You don’t have to. So what about Maggie? What’s she like? Alex: I… I just like her so much. You know, she’s smart and she’s tough and she’s just beautiful. She’s so beautiful. Kara: So are you.

James: [shows his signal watch] Kara, he gave me this a long time ago. If I ever got in trouble, I could contact him. Kara: But you weren’t in trouble. When did you even call him? The second I left? James: Kara, I made a promise to your cousin. If anything ever happened to you… Kara: My cousin doesn’t get a “get out of a jam card” when he first started. Neither should I.

Kara Danvers (Supergirl): ESFJ was originally published on MBTI Zone

#2w1 #Kara Danvers #So/Sx #Supergirl #ESFJ #Type 2 #mbti #mbti types #enneagram 2 #enneagram #enneatypes #enneagram type #mbti personality types #fictionalcharactermbti #fictionmbti #tv mbti

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