#I still don’t have sage so what else am I to do

[im-still-watching-anime]

since i never have actual plans on halloween a few years back i started a tradition/challenge of cobbling together halloween costumes or makeup using only things i already own/use daily but this year i have absolutely zero ideas and i am so mad about it

#i have been thinking about it all month and still got nothing!! #last year i did naruto’s sage mode with some of my old makeup #but idk what to do at all this year because all my clothes are hella boring so they don’t work #and all the makeup options are either too simple or too complicated🙃 #i am Stumped™️ #i also usually try to match it to whatever my current shows or books are but absolutely none of them match this year🙃 #im having a hard time with it this time #BUT #i do highly recommend trying to assemble costumes only out of your day to day stuff #sans wigs face paint or whatever else you have especially for dressing up/cosplay or such #its tricky but always pretty fun! #and you don’t even need friends to make it work😎

[cegantheayugipi]

The Last Padisarah Pudding, Your Last Straw (Alhaitham x Reader)

An Alhaitham x Reader Enemies to Lovers One-shot

Word count: 4.9k

Summary: You and Alhaitham have been rivals ever since your first year at the Akademiya. But when things go wrong during a mission given to you by the Sages, you start to realize it's more than just a rivalry...

part 2 is out now!

Finally, you’d be able to beat him. For the very first time, you would be able to break your stalemate – you had the upper hand in your personal competition.

For years, you and Alhaitham were pitted against each other by the Akademiya. The two of you were separately tasked with the retrieval of forbidden knowledge, the sages knowingly exploiting the deep rivalry that was first founded during your student years at the Akademiya. They, of course, were always right. Their choice of disciple for this mission was carefully curated from several different options, knowing the rivalry between you and Alhaitham would produce results faster than anything else.

~7 years Ago~

“Sage Salazar’s tests are notorious for the abysmal pass rate, don’t worry.” One of your classmates consoled another, their words mixing in with several disappointed and distressed conversations.

“What am I going to do, I’ll be expelled if I fail one more time!” Another upset student lamented.

“You can always switch to another Darshan, it’s only our first year so there’s still time.” Someone behind you murmured to a fellow classmate. “I’ve heard that Amurta has better professors.”

You sat back in your chair, smug. Of course, you were the best student in the class. You looked down at the tome before you. As a part of the test, you had to fill the entire book with thorough analysis on the professor’s chosen topic. You flipped the front cover open, admiring what was written in large red letters on the front page.

‘99’.

You were so close to perfection, you could nearly taste it. One more point and you’d have a perfect score. All your sleepless nights in the library were well worth the feeling of euphoria that overcame you today. You were such a rising star that you were certain you’d become a Sage in the future.

“I take it you did well?” A voice came from beside you. It was your classmate, and you recognzied him during some of the lengthy lectures when you would spot him in the back of the class, feet propped up on a bench, his nose in a book. There was no way he could pass Salazar’s rigorous exams if he couldn’t even pay attention in class. You smirked, turning towards your classmate – you recalled his name was Alhaitham.

“Yeah,” You nodded, giving him a nod as a smug expression began to grow across your face. "I got a 99.”

“That’s good,” Alhaitham nodded. “It means at least I’ll see you next year in the top class.”

“Oh, really?” You questioned, surprised that he even managed to pass, let alone gain a score that would allow him to join the top class. “What did you get?”

“100.”

You gawked. “W-woah, that’s great!” You sputtered, unsure how to react to someone who managed to get a perfect score on the most difficult test in a class he didn’t even pay attention to. “We basically got the same score, well done!”

“No,” Alhaitham responded bluntly, his curt tone taking you aback. “You got a 99 because that was all you could get. I got 100 because that was all there was to get.

“You…” your brows pinched together as your sentence trailed off. You were in complete shock that he could say something so rude when you had worked so hard for what you had.

Crossing your arms over your chest, you turned in your seat away from him. You didn’t know what hurt more – his tone, or the truth to what he was saying – but you knew for a fact you immediately despised him.

~~~

Ever since your first encounter with your overly-rational classmate, you were stern rivals – if anyone so much as mentioned the name ‘Alhaitham’ in your presence, you would bristle with anger and resentment. Somehow, the silver-haired student knew exactly what to do in order to push your buttons.

You stood in line at the busy food stall inside the Akademiya. You had just spent several hours in the library studying, and were absolutely famished. You always ordered the same thing from this place, and enjoyed your mid-afternoon snack that kept you going through hours of pushing your brain to its limits.

“What do you mean, there’s no more Padisarah Pudding?” You questioned, your brows furrowed and eyes wide in disbelief. 

“I’m sorry, we just sold our last one a couple of minutes ago.” The attendant behind the counter responded apologetically, “Is there anything else you might like?”

“N-no, i’ll just have some tea, thanks.”

The attendant handed you the cup of tea, and you mumbled your thanks as you turned away dejectedly. You supposed you could go down to the city for some of your favorite snack, but that would take up precious time you could be studying instead.

Resigning yourself to sit and drink your tea, you walked over to the dining area only to spot Alhaitham at one of the tables – and in front of him sat not one, but two Padisarah Puddings.

“Why, you!” Brimming with anger, you narrowed your eyes at the silver-haired classmate.

“Hm?” Alhaitham mumbled, not even bothering to look up from the book he was reading.

“Why do you have two puddings?”

“I was feeling particularly hungry today.”

Your eye twitched from his sheer audacity. Both of you were well aware that this was your snack of choice, and Alhaitham bought two merely to get on your nerves. Knowing his intention, you decided to bite back with your own remarks.

“Oh, I forgot how much you need to fuel those ridiculous man muscles.” You scoffed, “But make sure you count your macros correctly, because I have a feeling the extra Padisarah Pudding might throw them off a little.”

Out of the corner of your eye you spotted Alhaitham’s eyebrow twitching. He finally looked up from his book, narrowing his eyes at you.

“Perhaps you should watch yours too.” Alhaitham spoke poignantly. “They shouldn’t be an everyday snack, after all. Perhaps that’s why your fitness scores are the worst out of all your grades?”

Despite wanting to wrap your hands around his neck and throttle him right then and there, you turned around and began to calmly walk away – it was the best you could do to still seem like the better person. It took all your restraint in order to not snap and say something stupid and hateful. You made it all the way back to the library, to your seat at your desk, and immediately slammed your forehead into your open book.

“Damn you Alhaitham!” You groaned, wishing you could live your life peacefully without him.

~1 year ago~

There was nothing you hated more than the day you finally graduated from the Akademiya. Students from all six Darshans were gathered in the main hall, dressed in formal robes. You, as the Salutorian of your graduating class, were offered the chance to give a small speech. Of course, you were delighted to – if only Alhaitham weren’t the Valedictorian.

He followed up your speech with one that would haunt your dreams for years.

“Firstly, I would like to thank the Akademiya for allowing me to learn and thrive here.” He spoke, his overly courteous tone obviously fake to you, forcing you to roll your eyes. “It has been a delightful six years of study, where I’ve been able to research subjects I could only dream of beforehand. My success in my studies aren’t solely down to my own effort... I would like to thank Y/N Y/L/N for always being there to encourage me and motivate me to do better.”

You gawked at the classmate you hated – both of you hated each other. As Alhaitham continued his speech, you could hear whispers among the other students from where you sat in the crowd.

‘I do see them together quite often’

‘Are they in a relationship?’

‘That’s so sweet,’

‘I thought they were always fighting?’

‘Sounds like couples fights’

Your body began to shake with anger, and your face turned bright red as you stared daggers into your most dreaded rival. The whispers among the people surrounding you only fueled your hatred for the silver-haired student even more. Alhaitham met your gaze as he continued his speech, his expression completely unreadable while you glared at him in return.

“Hey, Y/N, I thought you hated Alhaitham?” A classmate sitting next to you leaned over and whispered into your ear.

“I hate him more than anything.” You muttered, despite the ferocious blush that stained your face. “I wish I could murder him right now.”

~Current Day~

Alhaitham thought this would simply be another boring mission given to him by the sages. Although the prospect of being able to use the knowledge capsule he retrieved for the Akedemiya, he would much rather be deep in the pages of another book while enjoying the seabreeze by Port Ormos. As scribe for Haravatat, he was often given boring missions that he could complete quickly, spending the rest of his allocated time relaxing and reading.

That was, until he spotted you walking around talking to locals. If this were any other occasion, he would probably approach you with something embarassing and humiliating in order to entertain himself, but this time you were dressed in student’s robes.

He immediately knew something was off – you, an Alchemist for the Akedemiya, who had graduated years ago, were walking around pretending to be a student on break. It was often that students would come to Port Ormos around this time of year to relax and unwind, and you were most certainly using this fact as some sort of ruse or disguise.

He decided to get up and move to a different location to read his book, picking one that was within earshot of you but out of your sight, trying to figure out just what you were up to.

“Dori, you say?”

“Most certainly. If you give her the right price and earn her trust, she’ll deliver anything.”

“Even information on a certain Knowledge Capsule?”

“Yes.”

Immediately, Alhaitham stiffened, realizing you were also here for a knowledge capsule, undoubtedly also sent by the Akademiya. He smirked, realizing this was yet another chance to beat you.

~~~

You had finally found the location where Dori, a merchant dealing in knowledge capsules, would meet prospective customers – a quiet courtyard outside a sleepy tavern at the edge of the city. You were there just before sunset, at your agreed meeting time, but there was no sign of the financially-motivated merchant.

You checked the small timepiece before tucking it back into your pocket, anxious to find leads and produce results for the Sages. The air was also beginning to get chilly; you were eager to get back indoors and eat a hot meal.

However, the last thing you expected was to hear a voice that haunted your studies at the Akademiya and your early years of your professional career.

“You won’t be able to find leads on the auspicious knowledge capsule this easily,” Your stomach twisted into a knot at the words you heard.

Of course, it was Alhaitham you came face-to-face with once you turned around. Your lips pulled into a terse frown, your eyebrow twitching with anger as the pieces fell together.

“You’re the reason why Dori is a no-show.” You growled, pointing a finger accusatively at your rival.

“She seems to not be very fond of me,” Alhaitham deadpanned, giving a nonchalant shrug. “I propose you find a proxy, or simply think of a more creative way of finding it before me. Although, I doubt you will.”

“Watch it, asshole.” You spat, “One way or another, I will beat you.”

Your face burning hot with anger, you stormed away from the courtyard. You no longer felt the chill of the evening – the fury pumping in your veins was more than enough to keep you warm.

~~~

After years of agonizing rivalry, when you discovered the scribe Alhaitham was searching for the same forbidden knowledge capsule as you were, you thought you must have done something to anger the gods in a previous life. The mere concept of him retrieving the knowledge capsule before you made your blood boil – there was no way you would ever let that happen.

Once you discovered you both were vying for the same mysterious object, you immediately threw your effort into overtime. Thus, you worked endlessly, even resorting to underhanded methods to obtain such an item. You even contacted a certain suspicious doctor, one who had been expelled from the Akedemiya, and was associated with the shady Snezhnayan organization known as the Fatui – one who was once known as Zandik.

“It’s about time for me to return to my Alma Mater.” Il Dottore sneered, his tone sending chills down your spine. “I’ll supplement your search for this knowledge capsule, in return for aid in bartering for my ownership of it once you return it to the sages.”

Those words echoed in your head, and despite knowing the Doctor was far too dangerous and underhanded, you still took his advice and used the device he had given you. It was a knowledge compass, a small metallic clock whose hands oriented to point towards high concentrations of knowledge. According to the Doctor, it was one of his latest inventions, and he was willing to lend it out to you if he could have the knowledge capsule you found using it.

And thus you found yourself at Port Ormos, wandering the streets disguised as a young child. The cloak around you hid your adult features, and you walked with light steps to mimic children in the street and avoid the attention of townsfolk who passed by.

Staring down at the compass, you watched as the handle flickered from left to right. In the back of your head, you had uneasy thoughts that you’d pay for taking the easy way out later.

Suddenly, the handle snapped towards one direction, firmly focused on some sort of mysterious power. You came to a  complete stop, realizing you were right before a small alley. You were about to enter it when you heard hushed voices prickle at the tips of your ears.

“One million mora. Take it or leave it.”

“No way, this isn’t even guaranteed to be the real thing. I would much rather go through a more reliable channel, like Dori.”

“It’s your loss, then. I can guarantee you, this is the real auspicious knowledge capsule. You have no clue how many people are trying to get their hands on it.”

At those words, you knew it was the right knowledge capsule. You tucked the compass away, shrugging your shoulders as you tried to put on your best childlike impression.

“Have you seen my mom?” You stepped into the alley and asked in a baby-like voice, your head facing the ground.

“What the hell?” One of the people in the alley exclaimed at your sudden appearance in front of them. 

You flashed forwards, snatching the glowing capsule before scaling the wall and disappearing over the rooftops. You jumped across several houses before disappearing into a knoll in the giant tree trunk that towered over the city. You might have mediocre strength compared to most of the skilled Academics, but you could move fast for short periods of time.

The three men you had just stolen the knowledge capsule from were hot on your tail, but you quickly ditched the disguise and returned to your normal appearance. With the capsule carefully tucked away in your pocket, you walked nonchalantly through the port. The men rushed past you, racing through the streets in search of a small child – not a lazy student who looked like they wanted to kick back and relax after their final exams.

“Where the hell is that kid?!” You heard one of them shout. You did your best to hide your smirk, slowly making your way towards the city gates to head back to Dottore’s lab.

What you didn’t notice, however, was the glint of silver hair that poked out from behind a stack of crates – Alhaitham looked up from his book at your retreating figure, realizing you had finally gotten your hands on what he wanted.

He knew reporting your collaboration with the Fatui to the sages would only result in you reporting his shady actions in return, so instead of following the rules, he chose to shut the book he was in the middle of reading and see where exactly you were headed. After all, it seemed like you had made progress – and Alhaitham couldn’t stand to see you pulling ahead in the game.

He always loved to piss you off. He could tell by the look on your face when when you were cursing at him internally. He loved how satisfying it was to beat you; you were always someone who did everything in their power to be the best, and it felt so much better to beat you when compared to beating any other academic he had the displeasure of getitng to know.

Relishing the idea of spying on you to figure out how he can outsmart you once again, Alhaitham began to slowly walk towards your direction. 

~~~

“Doctor, I’ve brought back the compass.” You bowed in front of the green-haired man, extending one arm as you held out the intricate device.

“Thank you,” Dottore reached out, his gloved fingers tracing along your forearm before reaching the palm of your hand where the compass rested.

You shivered at the way he unnecessarily touched you, wondering why he felt the need to do that.

“I presume you’ve already found the auspicious knowledge capsule,” Dottore smirked, although you couldn’t read his expression through the mask he wore.

“Y-yes, I’ve brought it to the sages already. We can-”

“Ah- ah- ah,” Dottore cut you off, shaking his head as he spoke. “I believe you still have it on yourself.”

Unbeknownst to either of you, Alhaitham was hidden away behind some of Dottore’s strange machinery that he had strewn aside from one of his projects he had abandoned. He listened in on your conversation, realizing exactly who you had made a deal with – and just how deep you had gotten yourself into trouble.

Your eyes widened with fear, realizing Dottore could see through your facade. He was correct – you had gone straight from Port Ormos to Dottore’s laboratory, with no intention of giving it back to the Sages just yet. This knowledge capsule seemed different – it glowed white instead of green. The contents of the capsule were kept vague, nobody seeming to have any idea as to what could be inside of it. You actually wanted to study the capsule more than anything, hoping that you could make some sort of incredible discovery that Alhaitham could never beat.

“I’m sorry,” You immediately shifted gears, understanding what kind of person you were talking to – if the rumors were anything to go by, he was one of the most terrifying people in the world – if he was still a person at all. You should have known that he would have incredible senses, and would be able to tell you still had the capsule on you.

“That’s okay,” Dottore stepped closer to you, his shadow completely swallowing you as he towered above your height. “After all, you’ve done everything I’ve asked for. How could I complain about a little lie?”

You began to cower with fear, realizing that nobody knew where you were right now. If Dottore ended up doing something to you, nobody would ever know. With a cold gloved hand, the Doctor reached out and cupped your cheek. With the other, he slid his hand down your side, his fingers slipping into your pocket to pull out the glowing capsule. 

Your lips quivered as you watched Dottore marvel at the knowledge capsule you had essentially delivered to him on a silver platter.

“After all, you’ll be my first subject to test its contents on.”

Your heart dropped like a rock into your stomach at the realization that Dottore had no intention of letting you leave. You immediately tried to escape, but his hand on your cheek instantly slipped around your neck, lifting you off of the ground as you flailed. Your hands immediately went up to wrench at his unyielding grip. It was like a ring of metal was locked around your neck – his hand simply wouldn’t budge. Your feet swung beneath you, your toes pointing as you tried desperately to find any solid ground to stand on.

“I’ll feed you the knowledge bit by bit, and see how much you can tolerate before you go insane.”

Alhaitham peered around the side of the machinery that hid his presence, witnessing the Doctor engrossed with you as he vocalized how he wanted to experiment on you. His sickening words settled uncomfortably in Alhaitham’s stomach, making the Scribe feel anger and fear that he hadn’t ever felt before.

‘What?’ Your mind reeled at Dottore’s announcement, somehow able to make logical connections despite the stress of the situation. ‘Knowledge capsules should be easily digestible instant knowledge! Could it be, that it’s this highly prioritized by the Sages for a reason, and it’s because humans can’t tolerate it?’

Let’s start with… two percent.” Dottore sneered, and you couldn’t say anything in protest as he cut off your airway.

You writhed more and more desperately as he raised the capsule towards your face, its colorless luminance enveloping your entire vision.

This just might be it. Your rivalry with Alhaitham might have finally gone too far.

You began to close your eyes, your body falling still as you gave up on trying to escape.

Alhaitham couldn’t stand it anymore, he couldn’t bear to watch you get hurt; Dottore was going to drive you mad with his experiments, or worse – kill you. He moved with breakneck speed as he slashed the inhuman Doctor’s arm clean off, rescuing you from certain doom.

A loud crash resounded through the laboratory as you found yourself flying across the room, landing in the arms of someone strong and warm. The white light was gone, and you blinked as your eyes adjusted to see Alhaitham hovering above you.

“WHAT!” The doctor exclaimed, and you realized his voice was now suddenly far away. You glanced in the direction of the voice to see Dottore standing on the other side of the room, missing one arm. Sparks were coming out of the stump that his arm once was, a telling sign that his body was actually part robot. Dottore’s other arm was frozen in the air, still holding onto the glowing capsule, and it seemed like he had some sort of process malfunction.

Alhaitham had carried you across the room to set you down. You felt his warm hands around your neck, and watched as his arms flexed and his shoulders strained. Suddenly you heard a snap and you could breathe again, the metallic fingers of Dottore’s robotic arm finally broken away from your throat. You gasped for air, sitting up on your own as you were finally free from the Doctor’s clutches.

“When will you realize I’m just better?” He smirked, helping you up.

“Shut up,” you rolled your eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Not without the capsule.” Alhaitham spoke, running back towards Il Dottore. The robot seemed to still be malfunctioning as it didn’t react in any way to the scribe’s approach.

Alhaitham snatched the capsule from its hand, quickly returning to where you were still sitting recovering from nearly being strangled and illegal-knowledged to death.

You tried to scramble to your feet, but you stumbled. You were caught by an arm roughly hooking around your waist, lifting you off of the ground and racing out of the laboratory.

“Hey! Put me down!” You exclaimed, kicking in protest to the uncomfortable and embarrassing way you were being carried.

“Fine, fine.” Alhaitham relented, “I suppose we’ve fled far enough away now.”

He set you down on the ground gently, and you were finally able to find your balance and climb to your feet.

“That was incredibly dangerous.” Alhaitham warned. “Both of us aren’t afraid of underhanded methods of achieving our goals… but the Doctor is simply far too dangerous. You were incredibly lucky I happened to be nearby, otherwise you might have become a test subject for a mad scientist.”

“I did what I had to.” You crossed your arms as you turned away, scoffing.

“There were several far less dangerous methods you could have used… but thankfully we won’t be returning to the sages empty-handed, since I managed to get the knowledge capsule in the end.”

He withdrew the glowing capsule from his pocket, holding it in the air to examine it. It was at that point that you realized he had won yet again. Not only did he save you from certain doom at the hands of a mad scientist, but he also had possession of the capsule that you nearly died in order to obtain.

“Why, you!” Anger suddenly filled you to the brim once again – but this time it overflowed freely. You lunged towards your rival, hands wrapping around his throat as you tackled him to the ground.

Alhaitham was so taken aback by your sudden violence that you had actually caught him off-guard. His balance faltered and you managed to knock him backwards. He fell onto the soft grass, but his reflexes were far better than yours as he quickly rolled so that you were now beneath him. You looked furious – but he always loved it when you looked that way.

“Damn you, bastard!” You writhed beneath him, unable to escape the cage he had made around you with his arms. Tears prickled at the corners of your eyes; this was the last straw. Time and time again, he had bested you while barely breaking a sweat, and you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why does beating you feel better than anything else in the world?” Alhaitham smirked as he stared down at you, his face hovering mere inches above yours.

You wriggled your arm free, about to land a punch on his smug face, when you felt something soft pressing harshly down on your lips. It was warm, soft – you suddenly realized Alhaitham was kissing you.

Despite how much he pressed your buttons and made you curse his existence, something drew you to kiss back – and it ignited a fire in your stomach. Instead of throwing a punch at Alhaitham, your free arm began to snake behind his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. He began to lower his body, pressing his chest flush with yours to the point where you could feel the heat radiating off of him.

You let out a soft groan as he slid one knee between your thighs, hooking your legs down and trapping you in the kiss. His fingers raked through your hair, and Alhaitham knew your hair always looked nice but he didn’t realize just how soft it was now that he could finally touch it.

Alhaitham pulled away, watching you pant as your face burned bright red. Your lips were slightly swollen from the kiss, drawing his gaze to them, and making him want to kiss you even more.

Your eyes raked down Alhaitham’s body as he hovered above you, and you burned with humiliation inside. You hated the way he made you feel – he always got on your nerves as if he knew exactly what to do and say in order to piss you off.

“Why is it always like this?” You sighed, gazing into his jade green eyes. Your silver-haired rival merely smirked.

“Even in the Akademiya, you were always too reckless.” Alhaitham responded. “Always too eager to be the best, as if you’d ever be able to beat me.”

“I hate you.” You mumbled, “The way you always beat me at everything so effortlessly, the look in your eyes when you put on that impudent smirk, how you know exactly what pisses me off the most. Why do you hate me so much?”

Alhaitham’s breath fell still at your accusations; he never realized the things he did made you think he hated you.

“I never hated you.” He responded bluntly, causing you to freeze beneath him.

“Y-you… what?” You stuttered, your blush deepening at the realization your hatred was one-sided. You were at a loss for words, and only managed to stare back up at Alhaitham.

“You’re redder than a tomato.” Alhaitham stated bluntly.

“Hey!” You quickly became angry again, embarrassed at how flustered he had easily made you – and how he had effortlessly kissed you, something that nobody before ever had the privilege of doing. You were always far too invested in your academic career to ever focus on romance or relationships. The kiss gave you a realization, awakening feelings for him that you had no clue ever even existed before this. However, the way Alhaitham immediately switched back to teasing you made you forget all of these feelings temporarily.

“First you stole my knowledge capsule, and now you’ve stolen my first kiss too! I can’t deal with this anymore!” 

“You’re just trying to deny you liked it.”

Once again, he was completely right.

“Fuck you, Alhaitham!” You lunged forwards, wrapping your hands around his neck once again. This time, however, Alhaitham let you push him backwards into the grass. The faintest smile was on his lips as he fell, staring up at your face. Your anger somehow faded into laughter as you tackled him to the ground. You were still angry with him, of course, but for some reason he had become slightly more tolerable.

~~~

Read part 2 here.

#alhaitham ate your damn dessert #alhaitham x reader #enemies to lovers #alhaitham x y/n #alhaitham x you #alhaitham #sumeru #genshin #rivalry #al haitham #genshin x reader #genshin impact #al haitham x reader #al haitham x y/n

[l0serloki]

Long Missions!

Valorant Agents reacting to their S/O going on a long mission

(Gekko, Chamber, Phoenix, Sage)

CW : GN!Reader, eating (Chamber), mentions of sadness (Sage), mentions of anxiety (Chamber & Sage), sexual hints (Phoenix)

A/N : I’ve seen a lot of the Sage requests I got and thought she would be a fun one to add to this! I’m currently writing a lot so if I haven’t gotten to your request - it’s not on purpose!

Masterlist

Gekko :

He will BEG Brim to let him go with you. (Brim continues to say no.)

“Babe, I get we are saving the world and stuff but how am I going to sleep alone now.”

100% acts like the world is ending the last day.

“Y/N, hurry and come here! I need to hold you for one last second.. I want to remember how you feel!”

When you go to leave he will continue to wave goodbye and pretend to run with the jet.

“Don’t forget me babe!! I love you!!”

Gekko’s fingers dusted your cheek as the two of you laid in bed. He had just gotten done complaining for what felt like the five hundredth time about your upcoming mission.

“I don’t see why Brimstome won’t let me go. I am a total help to the team! Plus, imagine how lonely I’m going to be at home. Babe, you gotta do something about it!”

“Mateo, what in the world am I supposed to do?” You raised an eyebrow, watching as his chestnut hues fell.

“I don’t know.. Maybe give me a kiss?” He leaned forward, a grin spreading across his face.

You could only roll your eyes, leaning in to peck his lips.

“I’ll give you as many as you want if you stop complaining, dork.”

Chamber :

I just KNOW he sets up a special dinner.

If you don’t want to go out he will surprise you with it at home.

His darling has to have a comforting last day before they leave!

Long talks at the table & him discussing plans with you to make sure you’re okay. (And to put his anxieties at ease.)

He’s the type to rest on the couch with some soft music playing & just rubs your back. It makes him feel super close to you!

When you leave he will give you a kiss and a pat, threatening Brim to take care of you out there.

“You make sure to give Y/N backup, yes? If you don’t we will have problems..”

“Mon amour, are you okay? You haven’t ate much.” Chamber picked at his food, giving you a questioning look.

To be honest, you were worried about tomorrow. Brimstone had asked you to come along on a tedious mission for the whole week. You could already feel your bones aching and the longing for your bed and you hadn’t even left yet!

You shook your head, stabbing at the food your boyfriend made.

“Fine, Vin. I’m just stressed about the upcoming week. I know we went over everything, I am just not looking forward to it.”

Vincent hummed, leaning across the table to give you a forehead kiss.

“That’s a normal response, love. Let’s finish up and we can go lay down. Sound good?”

Phoenix :

“So you’re going without me. WOW. My own partner hates me.” (he is so sarcastic)

He takes you to the practice range to make sure you’re ‘top notch’ before leaving.

Be real though.. he finds your shooting hot and y’all end up making out.

“I guess I can see why Brim chose you. Still won’t be as bright as me though.”

Right before you leave, Phoenix gives you one of his jackets and a kiss on the cheek.

“Be safe, darling. I love you.”

“I cannot believe that Brimstone doesn’t think I’m fit for this mission! I mean come on.. You, me. We are the dream team!” Phoenix exasperated, hands flailing in the air. You could only snort as he continued to complain, pacing back and forth.

“I mean.. Who else would be there to protect you? Well.. More like you would protect me. That’s beside the point! I’m going to miss you.” Phoenix smirked, face touching yours.

“Oh yeah? How much?” You smiled, waiting for his snarky remark.

“Mm.. Why don’t I just show you.”

Sage :

She is a bit anxious but knows you will do fine!

“I will miss you a lot. I hope everything goes smoothly out there.”

She is really affectionate and makes sure that you’re mentally prepared to face enemies!

Cuddles in bed and a movie the night before!!

When you go to leave she will give you encouraging words & a kiss!

“You are so strong. I believe in you, my gem. I love you.”

Sage’s hand was wrapped in yours, head resting on your chest. Everytime she wasn’t invited on a mission you were going on she would get sad - not that she would ever admit that. The two of you had been cuddling in bed and watching her favorite movie in hopes to raise the mood.

You looked down at your girlfriend, her eyes drooped and her breathing was slowing down. You used your other hand to rub through her slick hair, bringing a kiss down to her forehead.

“Goodnight, my angel. I love you.”

A small smile appeared on her face, hand gripping at the material of your t-shirt.

“Night, honey. I love you too. Sleep well.”

#valorant #valorant x reader #valorant x you #valorant imagines #chamber #chamber x reader #chamber valorant #valorant chamber #valorant fanfiction #vincent fabron #valorant headcanons #chamber x reader fluff #valorant gekko #gekko x reader #gekko x you #Mateo Armendáriz #gekko x reader fluff #gekko imagines #phoenix #phoenix x reader #Phoenix x you #phoenix x reader fluff #Valorant Phoenix #Phoenix imagines #Sage x reader #sage x you #sage x reader fluff #sage imagines #Valorant sage

[notelcol]

A rivals desire 🌹

Non gender specific rival/lover✨

A little story inspired by the Wanderers ‘about us: rivals’ voiceline. In this story, reader is studying in Vahamuna with the Wanderer and is his only true academic rival. You and he are the only ones able to really challenge each others work. It will, of course, be set in Sumeru post it’s archon quest.

Mildly edited, apologies for mistakes🫶

——-

“So, you're still stewing over our run-ins from before? Huh. Well, what are you going to do about it? Take your time. I'm in no hurry.” The Wanderer scowled at you, referring to the time you helped thwart his plans to become a god.

“For the last time. No!” Your voice became faster and louder as you continued. “Unlike you, I can let things go!” You glared at him.

“If you aren’t out for revenge, then why would you rebuke my paper?!” He leaned closer as he waved your latest paper around. “Why else would you make a point of disputing every paper I submit?” His voice became quiet, full of venom with a touch of vulnerability.

“I rebuked your paper because it was short sighted. Same as all the others.” You told him. “Your takes on history and society are factually correct and full of potential, yes. But, you always fail to see the true story.” You say, slightly distracted by how close you stood to him. “You miss out the heart of everything by only focusing on the tangible parts. True insight comes from mixing the facts with the feelings that follow in their wake.” You explained, eyes flicking to the ground as you finished talking and realised how long you’d been maintaining eye contact.

When he didn’t reply, you returned his gaze again. He seemed to be lost in his mind, you could almost see the churning of waves behind his blue eyes.

“So you’re telling me, that to reach academic greatness I must tap into my emotions to find the heart of things?” He asked incredulously before scoffing. “You realise I don’t have a heart right?” He folded his arms and raised a brow as he spoke. His words made you chuckle.

“The heart just pumps blood around a body. The brain is where all thoughts and feelings lie….surely you have one of those don’t you?” You smirked.

“Yes. Very funny.” He deadpanned. You rolled your eyes.

“Well, if we’re done here?” You gestured to the path you were on your way down before he interrupted your journey.

“Wait!” He grabbed your wrist as you began to turn away. “If you think you know so much, then show me. Show me how to achieve ‘true insight’.”

You deliberated his request for no where near long enough, given the task it would be to get this man to view society in a sympathetic way.

“Fine. Lesson one. Tell me one emotion you are familiar with feeling.” You looked expectantly, assuming he would give you an immediate answer. After mulling it over he opened his mouth..and then closed it again, before finally speaking.

“Desire.”

“Good! That’s good, you can tap into that. Think of something you want and go after it. Study that feeling. Then when you succeed, focus on how you feel when you get whatever it is you want and it will lead you to another emotion to study.“

“This is ridiculous. Talking about feelings to better writing, how warped.” He grumbled.

“You sound like Azar.” You shook your head at him, remembering the former grand sage.

“Don’t compare me to that old fool!” Offence tainted the Wanderer’s words. “I am nothing like that failure. I am better.” His breath fanned your face as he argued with you.

“Then stop acting like him and prove it! I wouldn’t ‘make a point’ of challenging you all the time if I didn’t believe you could be brilliant.” You exclaimed. His eyes darted around your face as he seemed to freeze. You watched him wade through his mind, slowly you could see his soul becoming clearer in the distance. You had lost yourself in his eyes and possibly would have stayed that way for eternity if he hadn’t grabbed your cheeks, shocking you back to reality. He almost looked as confused as you, before pressing his lips to yours.

Your eyes widened as the space between you closed, but when his fingers started stroking your cheek as he kissed you, you couldn’t help but melt. Your hands wrapped around the back of his neck and you let yourself fall into the kiss. You swore you could feel him smile right before he pulled away.

“Peace.” He spoke as he rested his forehead on yours. “The fruition of my desire leads to peace.”

——-

Thank you for reading 🌹

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin fluff #genshin x you #teyvat #x reader #writing #fluff #the wanderer #scaramouche x y/n #genshin scara #scaramouche x you #scaramouche x reader #wanderer x y/n #wanderer x you #genshin wanderer #wanderer #wanderer x reader #the wanderer x reader #Sumeru #Nahida #akedimiya #enemies to lovers #rivals

[paintyoureyeswithavividmind]

close to home | chapter forty three

close to home | chapter forty three

plot: the reader is brought to her new life at the Sanctuary, and makes a friend that saves her life

series masterlist

Pairing: Eventual Daryl Dixon x f!reader Word Count: 2,232 Warnings: violence, blood, typical twd A/N: thank you for reading!!!

Darkness consumed you once again for many, many hours. You didn’t move from the spot on the floor, curled up in a ball. Your tears, which once were a never-ending wave, finally dried. You were given food thrice a day, so you assumed it had been two days from the six meals you'd eaten. Negan visited one, but you turned your back to him on the floor and refused to talk or move.

You were in and out of consciousness as you fell out of shock, and there were times when your mind hurt so severely you wished for it again. 

Glenn’s face was all you could picture throughout the day, and Maggie’s screams haunted you. The guilt you felt about Glenn’s death was consuming. You didn’t know Negan would do that; you just wanted to save Daryl. And it came at the cost of Glenn. 

When the door opened, you flinched. You were expecting Negan again, but this time it was someone else. It was a woman. She was carrying a tray of food and sat down on the floor across from you, sliding the tray over. 

The food was similar to what you refused to eat earlier. 

“I’m Sherry,” The woman said. “It’s nice to meet you, (Y/N).”

You glanced at the woman and sat up. “What do you want?”

Sherry glanced outside at the door, at the man on guard. Then she looked back at you and nodded toward the food. “Negan sent me to talk to you. He’s taken a liking to you.”

“Yeah, well, he can go to hell,” You said. 

A ghost of a smile appeared on Sherry’s face before she blinked away the expression. “You need to submit to him. It’s only going to make things worse.”

“Submit?” You said, “What am I, a dog?”

Sherry looked down and slowly shook her head. “No. You’re smart. This favor with him will expire if you don’t use it to your advantage. Come on, I’m going to take you to our room. You can shower and meet everyone.”

You looked at her as if she was crazy, but you could see through the look on her face. She was unhappy. And she was trying to help you. So you took her outstretched hand and stood. 

“She’s not hungry right now. I’ll make sure she eats later,” Sherry told the guard, and he nodded to her. What kind of influence did she have over the men?

You followed Sherry quietly down the hallway, after hallway, up many flights of stairs. The area was still a maze to you, and you knew trying to figure it out was pointless. So you focused on the back of Sherry’s head as you walked. 

Finally, you reached a long corridor with a few rooms, and she led you to the last one. It opened into a sitting room with a few couches and a minibar in the back and was beautifully decorated. It was much nicer than anything you’d seen at the Sanctuary. 

A few women were sitting around the room, all in matching black dresses and heels. They all stared at you as you entered, and you felt out of place. You were grimy and dirty, and you knew the exhaustion and depression were evident on your face. They all looked beautiful. They looked clean. 

“This is Amber, Frankie, and Tanya. There are more of us, but they are probably eating dinner downstairs.” Sherry said to you. 

“I don’t understand,” You said. 

Sherry looked at you, “Follow me." 

You did as she asked and was led out of the room and up the hallway. “Mine is across the hall; this one will be yours,” She explained, pushing open a door and leading you into a room. 

It was small, and it reminded you of a studio apartment. There was a bed, a mini kitchenette, a sage green recliner chair, and a television set. There were even windows that let you look out around the compound. It was the first time that you got a look at the area. 

“What is this?” You asked. 

“This is what could be yours if you submit. If you say that you’re Negan.” Sherry shut the door behind you and sat down on the bed. “He wants you to be one of us.”

“One of what?” You asked, wiping your hand along the counter. There was a toaster oven, a deep sink, and a full-sized refrigerator. 

“One of his wives.”

Your hand stilled, and you turned back to look at her. “His wives?”

“There’s a group of us. The girls you just met, and a few more you’ll meet later. Negan took a liking to you. He likes your attitude and the way you talk to him.”

“You can’t be serious.” You shook your head. “I would rather die.”

“And Daryl?” Sherry asked, “What about him? Are you prepared to let him die? He’s here.”

“What?” Your fingers twitched.

“Negan took him. I overheard him talking to Dwight about wanting Daryl to work for him. He knows you care for him, that he cares for you. That will be a weapon.”

You leaned against the counter and crossed your arms. “He’ll kill Daryl if I don’t marry him?”

A ghosted look crossed Sherry’s features. “It might not be that. But it’ll be something. All of us… we all needed something we couldn’t get, so we married him.” 

Your fingers twitched, and you felt tears burning your eyes. “If I say yes, how will I know he won’t hurt him?”

“Negan’s a man of his word,” Sherry said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it. But he is. (Y/N), I want to help you. I know what you’re going through. When he comes to you tonight and asks you who you are, just say you’re Negan. You’ll be treated good by him.”

Your stomach flipped, and you felt bile rise. You rushed to the garbage and emptied the contents of your stomach. Sherry was by your side instantly, pulling back your hair and rubbing your back. 

“I know, I know.” She whispered to you. “Dwight was my husband before and after. But I had to marry Negan to save him. I live with it. So can you. If he loses interest, he won’t kill you. You’ll be a worker, working for points and barely making it. Just say yes, (Y/N).” 

You were crying as you knelt back, wiping your mouth with your hand. “What are they doing to Daryl?”

“Whatever it takes to break him. Marrying Negan will be the only way you might be able to help him. I'm sorry, (Y/N).”

***

Sherry took you to the bathrooms and waited for you to wash up. She gave you one of her dresses and a matching pair of heels and then helped you get ready to see Negan. You felt sick. You felt like throwing up again and again, but you could only focus on Daryl. 

Of course, you were going to do whatever you needed to do to keep him safe. You would be Negan’s wife if it meant Daryl would live. That was what you could do for him. You knew Daryl wouldn't break. You knew he would rather die standing than submit. So you had to do what little you could to protect him. If he were to die, if you lost him... you'd never recover.  

You were sitting in the wives' room with the others, partially listening as they spoke. They didn’t talk about anything substance, and they all had a drink except Sherry. You knew Negan would be here any minute, and you were anxious. 

When the door opened, he walked in, and all the girls dropped to their knees. You looked at them for a few seconds before slowly doing the same. 

“Ladies,” Negan said, and they all moved to stand up. 

You did the same and glanced at Sherry. She gave you a nod of encouragement. 

“Oh my goodness,” Negan exclaimed as he walked around to the couch toward you. “Did you do all this for me? You shouldn’t have, baby,” Negan said. 

You stayed silent and slowly raised your head, meeting his gaze. Negan stared at you with that smile that made your skin crawl, and you brought your shaking hands together in front of you. 

“Who are you?” 

Your mouth was dry, and you felt dizzy. “I’m-I’m… I’m Negan.” You said, closing your eyes for a moment. The words were ash in your mouth, and you wanted to take them back, but not at the cost of Daryl’s life. 

Negan looked at Sherry for a moment and then turned back to you. “Well, I guess I gotta ask the only other question that matters. Will you be my wife, baby?”

“Yes.”

Your lips trembled as he approached you, and you prepared yourself mentally for the kiss he was heading towards. But at the last second, he changed direction and kissed your cheek. “Welcome to the family, baby,” 

When the doors shut behind him and he was gone, your knees went weak, and you fell back onto the chair, sobbing. Sherry came over to you and wrapped her arm around you. “You did good, (Y/N), you did good. It’ll get better.” 

***

The following day was the first time that you saw Daryl. You’d been pacing your room repeatedly, heels clicking and hurting, when you heard a commotion outside. You had run to your window to see and saw him. 

It looked like he had almost escaped but was caught. And your eyes filled with tears when you saw Negan approach him with the bat. Your hands shook against the glass, and you wanted to scream at him. 

But Negan didn’t kill him. And you knew Sherry was right. 

When Negan left, and the group of saviors advanced, you couldn’t stand watching them beat Daryl. You had to look away for a few minutes and then watched them drag his body back inside to a part of the compound you knew you couldn’t reach. 

***

Later that day, Sherry gave you a tour of the Sanctuary. You knew the floor you were on after walking back and forth, all the rooms belonged to the wives, and Negan was on this floor as well, but you didn’t know where. 

But she showed you other areas. You learned where Negan’s men were mainly housed, but it was spread out, and there were rooms in between that she didn’t show you. 

Sherry took you to the bottom level, where you saw just how many people lived and worked in the building. She showed you the trading post and walked with you around the floor. 

“If you see something you want, just go up to the table and take it. You don’t wait in line,” Sherry told you. 

“What?”

She looked around the room and spotted a table where one of the baker’s tables was. The line wasn’t long, and most workers couldn’t afford the points needed to buy them. But the saviors made the baker do it anyway. 

“Come on,” Sherry said. 

You followed her to the table, hesitantly waiting behind her as she grabbed an entire pie from the table. Without saying anything, she turned to you. “We take what we want when we want.”

You didn’t respond as you followed her to what looked like a cafeteria. There was a mix match of tables, with a few people eating. Sherry made you sit and wait and then came back with two forks. 

“You’re one of Negan’s wives now,” Sherry told you. “We have full access to anything we want. If you want it, you need to take it. We’re untouchable.”

You watched as she started eating, and when your stomach growled, you copied her actions. It wasn’t the best pie you’d ever had, but it was better than anything you’ve eaten since the end of the world. 

“Why do you do it?” You asked, “You see how these people live.”

“Because we can.”

“And what do we do in return? Besides dressing like this.”

Sherry’s eyes glazed over, and she forced herself to eat another piece. “You’re expected to do what wives do.”

You nodded slowly. “I’m going to have to fuck him.”

“He’ll give you an adjustment period. But eventually… we all have to.” Sherry said sadly. 

You shook your head and forced yourself to eat a few more bites. Between the two of you, nearly half of it was eaten in a few minutes. 

Someone sat at the table across from you, and you and Sherry jumped. You could tell from the look on her face that this wasn’t usually for her. “Jake, what do you want?” She asked him. 

The man--Jake--ignored her and stared right at you. “My brother was in that outpost you gunned down.” He said. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat and straightened your back, not allowing him to frighten you. “That sucks,” You said. 

Jake chuckled and shook his head momentarily before standing up and walking away. 

Sherry grabbed your arm and looked at you. “You need to be careful. You’re untouchable now, but that doesn’t mean people won’t try. And stay away from Jake. He’s not someone you wanna be around.”

#daryl x reader #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixion x reader #daryl fanfiction #daryl x y/n #daryl dixon #daryl twd #twd #daryl x you

[neon-lights-and-glitter]

Single Hearts - Part 2 Introductions

Summary- Jack and Sage see each other for the second time at their kid's school concert, where Jack remembers to introduce himself this time.

As soon as Jack got home and put Melody to bed, he had one goal, to somehow find Sage. He looked at the tagged location of the amusement park, hoping that maybe she had posted something, but she didn’t. Was it a little stalkerish? Yes. But Jack didn’t intend to be a stalker, he just hadn’t felt the way that he felt when he was talking to Sage about anyone else. Even the few girls that he had gone on dates with since his divorce.

The next afternoon Penelope was picking up Melody from Jack’s house. Even though she had a key to Jack’s house, she still knocked. 

“Melody, you’re Mom’s here, do you want to open the door?” Jack asked, Melody nodded, getting up from the couch and running to the front door.

“Mommy!!” Melody yelled, reaching up to hug Penelope’s waist.

“Hi Mel, did you have fun yesterday?” Penelope asked and Melody nodded excitedly.

“Yeah!! Look at what Daddy won me!” Melody ran to the living room and Penelope followed her as Melody picked up a teddy bear.

“Woah, that’s so cool!” Penelope smiled, greeting Jack as she walked in.

“And Daddy met a girl!” Melody said. After Sage and Charlotte walked away, Melody asked who Sage was, but Jack had no answer.

“Oh, he did?” Penelope asked Melody. “Like a girl or a fan?” Penelope asked Jack, sitting down on the couch. Jack couldn’t stop the blush that appeared on his cheeks.

“Well, both, but the girl Melody’s talking about didn’t know who I was, or at least I don’t think she did.”

“What was her name?” Penelope asked Jack.

“I forgot to get her name or number,” Jack said quickly and quietly.

“You forgot?” Penelope asked, looking at Jack. “I knew you were bad at picking up girls, but I didn’t realize you were that bad,” she teased. Melody was back to playing with her Barbies on the living room floor.

“Hey, I got you to not only date me, but I got you to marry me, so I had to have done something right.”

“I might have married you, but it certainly was not because of your pickup lines,” She teased again. “She could have been the love of your life, but you forgot to get her name.”

“I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?” Jack asked, laughing softly.

“Nope,” Penelope giggled. “Ready to go Melody?” Penelope asked as she stood up from the couch.

“Can I bring my new stuffed animal and my Barbies?” Melody asked and Penelope nodded.

“Yeah, go get a bag to carry them in,” Penelope said, Melody ran to her room.

“Don’t forget about Melody’s school concert on Friday. I know you haven’t forgotten before, but, I just wanted to remind you,” Penelope said.

“I’ll be there. I’m picking her up from school after right?” Jack asked to confirm.

“Yeah.”

“Can I pick her up Wednesday too? I’ll bring her to school on Thursday.” “Yeah, I don’t mind,” Penelope said as Melody ran out of her room with her bag, putting her stuffed animal and Barbies inside. Melody walked over to Jack and Penelope, Jack picked her up.

“Be good for your Mom, I’m going to come pick you up from school on Wednesday, okay?” Jack asked and Melody nodded excitedly.

“Yay! Can we have a movie night?”

“Maybe, you still have to go to school the next day. I’ll call you before you go to bed to say goodnight and then you can tell me all about your day,” Jack said, kissing Melody on the cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too Daddy,” Melody said, kissing his cheek before he put her down.

It never got easier for Jack or Penelope to say goodbye to Melody. The hardest part of their divorce was being unable to be with their daughter all the time. 

Jack and Penelope showed up at Melody’s school on Friday together for her school concert. Every year Melody’s elementary school had two separate school concerts. One was for kindergarten through second grade, and the second was for third through fifth.

Jack and Penelope found seats in the crowded room. They stopped a couple of times to talk to other parents. Jack and Melody made small talk until the show started.

As soon as the kindergarten class was led out on stage, Jack swore he saw the daughter of the woman he met at the theme park. The chances that their daughters went to the same school were slim and Jack knew that. Jack quickly scanned the room but because of how the seats were set up he didn’t see Sage. Jack sighed softly as he leaned back in his seat.

“Are you looking for someone?” Penelope asked after the kindergarten class was walked off stage. Jack shook his head.

“No, I thought I might have seen the daughter of the girl I met the other day, but I don’t know for sure,” Jack said.

They watched as the first-grade class did their performance, then the second-grade class which included their daughter.

After about an hour and a half of watching kids sing off-key and out of time, they were children so it was still cute.

Since the concert was towards the end of the day, most parents decided to check their kids out for the day. Sage was one of those parents. Everyone crowded the exit and Sage decided to stay back for a few minutes until it cleared out. 

“Holy fuck,” Jack muttered under his breath as his eyes landed on Sage who was standing on the opposite side of the room.

“Jack, you can’t curse in a school,” Penelope said. “But what?”

“That’s the woman I met the other day.”

“Oh my god. You have to go talk to her,” Penelope said. “This is like some stereotypical fan fiction where the guy gets a second chance after he does something stupid and forgets any way to contact her. And then they fall in love and get married. Happily ever after type shit,” Penelope looked in the direction that Jack was.

“Don’t make it obvious you’re looking. I’m nervous, maybe she won’t see me,” Jack said.

“You’re six foot three, be real, everyone can see you, you aren’t hiding anywhere,” Penelope teased. 

“I can’t just go up to her. What would I even say?” Jack asked. He never thought that he would see her again so he was nervous.

“Just go up and introduce yourself,” Penelope said. “If you don’t I’ll go be your wing women and do it for you.”

“I never thought my ex-wife would be so adamant that I go introduce myself to another woman,” Jack muttered.

“Well for one, we both agreed to end the marriage. Two, I can tell just by the fact that you got so nervous you forgot something so simple as getting her name, that you like her,” she said.

Jack looked towards the other side of the room where Sage was standing. Charlotte ran up to her mom, Sage picked her up and placed her on her hip. Jack could tell just by the way Charlotte was smiling and giggling that Sage was telling her how good she did and how proud she was of Sage.

“Go before she leaves.”

“Okay,” Jack sighed softly before starting to walk away.

“And don’t forget to get her name this time,” Penelope joked, if there weren’t children around, Jack would have flipped her off.

Jack slowly made it across the room, trying to think of what he wanted to say, but the second he reached Sage, his mind went blank.

“Hi, I’m Jack. I believe we met at the Six Flags the other day. Well, it’s Kentucky Kindom now, but I always still call it Six Flags. I don’t know why I said that. Um, anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself, since I didn’t then,” Jack rambled on, Sage giggled softly.

“I’m Sage, it’s nice to know your name,” Sage joked.

“I’m Charlotte!” The little girl in Sage’s arms introduced herself happily.

“You did amazing on stage Charlotte!” Jack said and Charlotte smiled but hid her face in Sage’s neck. 

“She’s shy,” Sage said, rubbing her back.

“It’s okay,” Jack smiled at Sage. “I was wondering if maybe I could get your number or something.” Jack paused before getting nervous again. “Maybe we could get our kids together for a playdate or something.”

Sage couldn’t help but be disappointed that he only mentioned a playdate between their kids, but she nodded anyway.

“Yeah, I think Charlotte would like that, wouldn’t you?” Sage asked Charlotte, she looked up before nodding.

“I like playdates,” Charlotte said before Jack and Sage gave each other their numbers. Penelope and Melody walked over to Jack.

“Hi princess, you did amazing, I’m so proud of you,” Jack said, picking up Melody to hug her. Melody giggled.

“Thank you,” Melody smiled. “Can we go get ice cream like you promised?”

“Of course.”

“Can Mommy come?” Melody asked Jack, Jack nodded.

“Sure, if she doesn’t have something else to do,” Jack told Melody and Melody looked to Penelope. 

“Mommy, come get ice cream with us!”

“Okay, I’ll join,” Penelope smiled at Melody and Jack before turning to Sage. “Sorry about Melody interrupting you guys she wanted to see her dad.”

“Oh that’s completely okay, she can interrupt anytime she wants, especially if it’s to see her dad,” Sage smiled. “I’m Sage by the way.”

“I’m Penelope, it’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. Charlotte and I will let you all go have your ice cream date, Penelope, I gave Jack my number but either of you can text or call me and we can try and set up that playdate.” Sage smiled at the three of them before they all said goodbye and Sage and Charlotte walked away, on to their own little celebration.

“Did she just say playdate?” Penelope asked, turning to Jack.

“I got nervous,” Jack admitted. 

“At least you got her name and number this time.”

Tag list @jackharloww @harlowcomehome @nattinatalia @hoodharlow @itsyagirljaz @heavyhitterheaux @harlowsbby @awhore4moree @harlowslefttoe @twerkforambrose @jackmans-poison @ilovenudy @taniapri @killatravtramp @easternparkway @macey234 @toocriticalharlow @lightsoutstyles @rachxc13 @iknowdatsrightbih @idktbh101 @blossomluvv @middlechild404 @hufflewhore128

#jack harlow #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow x reader

[batofburnside]

"Tell Me" Part 3

Gekko x (Fem!)Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone! This is the third part of my first Gekko fanfic and my first fanfic posted on tumblr. I just posted part 2 at the same time, so I'm excited and nervous to see what y'all think so far. I really enjoyed writing these. Like last parts, I used google translate for most of the Spanish that wasn’t just a few words so I apologize if anything gets lost in translation, I am not fluent. Words: 8.0K

TW: Character Death, Guns, angst, (kinda?) manipulation, Kidnapping, Blood

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mateo sat on a bar stool in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal while resting his head on his hand. He was exhausted. Not being able to fall back asleep, he sent you an early good morning text,  and then headed right into the training arena. Spending a few hours practicing his aim on the training bots until he couldn’t see straight anymore. After a quick shower to wake him up, he headed to the kitchen for breakfast. It was now nearly 9 AM. A few agents have come and gone while he has been in the kitchen. Sage, who is usually an early riser, entered the training arena as he was leaving, giving the young agent a nod of approval for getting some early morning training in. Mateo had tried to keep his worry and anxiety off of his face, he didn’t want to give anyone a reason to pull him off of the mission. Passing Omen and Fade in the hallway he gave a quick hello to the two. Yoru had come into the kitchen to grab breakfast as well. Mateo gave the dimension walker a nod and the older man exchanged the pleasantry before leaving.

Mateo looked up from his cereal that he was more so playing with instead of eating as Neon made her presence known, “There you are, Mateo!” She said as she made her way further into the kitchen and started to prepare her own breakfast. He looked around, making sure that no one was near to be able to hear his real name, “Lo lamento, you were looking for me?” He questioned.

“Yeah, I heard you yell last night. I went to make sure you were alright, but you weren’t in your room.” She said, grabbing her food and sitting down next to him. “Reyna said she hadn’t seen you yet, either.” 

Mateo’s face flashed red with embarrassment. Neon had heard him yell out after his nightmare. He guessed it would make sense that she would be the one to hear it as their rooms shared a wall, but he wondered how loud he truly was and hoped no one else had heard anything. “Wait, what did you tell Reyna?” He said with urgency. If Reyna knew something was bothering him, she might tell Sage or Brimstone to pull him off the mission.

Neon raised a brow, confused by his sudden worry. “I just let her know I was looking for you and was going to check up on you?” 

“Maldita sea” He whispered, resting his head in his hands.

“What dude? You’re being weird. What's going on with you?” Neon said, taking a bite.

“Nothings wrong. I had a nightmare last night. Eso es todo. I can still go on the mission, everything's FINE. Bien.”

Neon swallowed, smirking, “ahhh, okay. So that’s what this is. You’re psyching yourself out!”

“Que!? No- I’m not- uh” Mateo sighed, shaking his head, “I had a nightmare about (y/n). I died on the mission and she found out that everything since I’ve been here has been lies.” 

Neon furrowed her brow, “You know Sage can bring us back? You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I know, but what if she can’t.”

“Well…” Neon started, “That hasn’t happened yet. But, I bet Brimstone will handle it, and give your family something? I’m not sure.”

Mateo shook his head, “That’s the thing. Nothing Brimstone can give (y/n) will undo any of the hurt I caused. She won’t see me as a hero once she finds out the lies it cost.”

The two of them sat in silence for a minute before Mateo spoke up again, “I’ve been thinking, and I think I’m going to tell her. About us and what I’m doing.”

Neon choked on her food, “You’re going to what!? Mateo you know you can’t.”

“She won’t tell anyone, I trust (y/n).”

“You don’t understand, Mateo. Of course our Omega counterparts know who our loved ones are. There aren’t many discrepancies between who we know and are related to. And the only thing keeping them safe is their ignorance. My parents only know where I am, and even that information could put them in danger.”

Mateo bit the inside of his cheek as he thought he was at a crossroads here. He couldn’t put you in danger. But, like Neon’s parents, his mom knows. Reyna told her months before he joined the Protocol and she’s been safe. There must be exceptions. “I won’t put her in danger, but I need to do something about this.” Mateo said, standing up. “Don’t tell Reyna or anyone until I figure it out, por favor.”

Neon looked up as Mateo stood, holding a steady gaze, “I won’t tell anyone, but I sure hope you know what you’re doing.” She said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a relatively uneventful week for you. Right now you are in the middle of mundane chores. You had just gotten home from grocery shopping for your dad and had begun to put the goods away. The only thing that made today different from the others was, to your surprise, Mateo texting you good morning around 5 AM. You were curious why he was up so early and he told you he just wanted to get an early start to his day and get into a better routine. Something you had wanted to do before but always gave up a few days in. Walking up anywhere between 8AM-10AM is usually how it went for you depending on your classes. You noticed Mateo seemed to have more time on his hands today with random “I miss you”s, “Te amo”s, and check-ins coming in more frequently than they had before. Your heart fluttered as you wondered if he was finally finalizing his schedule and not letting the college have such a strong pull on him. 

You had decided a few days ago that you wanted to try and surprise Mateo for a visit in the upcoming weekend. Since he left you had been putting away extra money from each of your paychecks in order to purchase a train ride up north. The only problem was, you couldn’t remember the name of the city that Mateo is in. Whenever you looked up the college you saw that it had campuses in both Seattle and Portland. And whenever you tried to ask him to remind you, he either wouldn’t hear you or had something else on his mind he wanted to talk about. 

After you finished putting the groceries away you leaned on the counter, grabbing your phone you dialed Mateo’s mother, waiting for her to answer as it rang.

Two rings in you heard and enthusiastic voice on the other line, “(y/n!) Que bueno saber de ti! How are you cariño?”

“Hola, Mrs. De La Fuente. Es bien, and you?” You asked.

“Oh cariño. I am doing really well. It was hard to adjust with how quiet the house has been. Don’t tell Mateo but I’m thinking of getting a cat” Mateo’s mom laughed.

You smiled, you had missed Mateo’s mom and were disappointed in yourself for not calling her sooner, “I’m sure he wouldn’t stop you.” you giggled.

“No, that’s the problema! He would bring an amigo home for it! But, una is enough for me, confía en mí” The woman laughed and then let out a small sigh. You could tell she missed her son as much, if not more than you did. “De todos modos, (y/n). Did you need something?”

“Si, Mrs. De La Fuente. I was wondering what city Mateo was in. I can’t remember if it was Portland or Seattle?” You asked.

Mateo’s mom paused, “...oh, why’s that, cariño?”

You hesitated, confused by her sudden hesitation and change in tone, “well, I um- I’ve been saving up a lot of money. And I finally have enough money to buy a train ticket and surprise him.”

Again there was a pause, “Miel, I don’t think that’s es buena idea.” She said. 

A pit opened up in your stomach, “I’m sorry, Mrs. De La Fuente, but why?”

“Mateo is mucho busy, (y/n). I just think you should wait.”

You frowned, “But it would be on the weekend? I only would have gone up there for a day.” You heard his mom inhale, another pause stagnant in the air before she spoke again, “I just… think it’s for the best, miel.” Before you could question her again she spoke up again “Oh, (y/n)! The oven is going off, that is mi Bizcocho. Tengo que ir! We can talk about this more later. Mantente segura!”

The line clicked as she hung up, the pit in your stomach resting heavy as your thoughts added onto it. The tone change in Mateo’s mom’s words sounded like worry, almost like his mom was covering for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were less than 15 hours until the mission on Haven and Mateo was back to back with Phoenix as the two of them engaged in aim training at the training arena. So far they had been doing well, if they continued like this the duo might make it to one of the top spots on the leaderboard. 

“Watch your eyes!” Phoenix called out for a flash, as Mateo sent out Wingman to stun a few of the bots that were surrounding them.

“So.” Phoenix started as he took out two bots, “I heard you’re having girl trouble, aye?”

Mateo tensed up, switching places with the man and firing his gun at the robots, “Qué!? Who told you that?”

Phoenix chuckled, rolling as he dodged some of the bullets, “So it’s true!” he bantered.

“No es verdad! It’s false!” Mateo said, pressing up against a wall as a few bullets went buzzing by his shoulder.

“Well, Jett told me that Yoru was givin you a tough time.” Phoenix responded, smirking as he occasionally took his eyes off the robots to see Mateo’s flustered expression.

Mateo sighed slightly, he was nervous Neon had said something to someone. But,  if this was just about his encounter with Yoru then it didn’t bother him too much. “Yeah, that happened.” He said, leaving his place on the wall and taking out another bot.

“Well, don’t let him get to you mate. We’ve all been there with our relationship struggles. Oy behind you!” Phoenix said, taking out a bot that was running up to Mateo from behind.

“Thanks”, Mateo said with a small nod and smile to both the words of encouragement and for having his back during their training. Although Phoenix’s words weren’t exactly what he needed as a pick-me-up, he was still grateful for the effort put in.. Phoenix returned Mateo’s nod, “Ready to finish this?” He asked.

Smirking, Mateo responded, “Sí, amigo. You know it.”

“Alright let's go!” Phoenix said, his skin glowing a faint orange as he mowed through the rest of the bots with Mateo, thrash stunning a cluster for phoenix to take out. When no other bots came to confront the two, they gave each other a fist bump. “Now that has to be a top score, for sure!” Phoenix enthused.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the aim training Mateo had taken an early dinner and gone to his room to chill for the night. He had already received a message from Jamie strategizing how they could achieve an even higher score next time. He had also received what he assumed was a sarcastic or playful message from Jett asking why he stole her aim training partner from her. Changing into some comfortable clothes, he laid down on his bed and gave you a call. Wingman snuggled up to his arm and Mateo moved a bit to get Wingman out of the frame of the video, causing the creature to mumble. “I’m sorry buddy. Not yet okay. Very soon she will meet you. Prometo. For now, if you stay down by my arm, you can sit in and listen in. Como es que, amigo?” Wingman purred and Mateo chuckled, “Alright just remember to be quiet.” Dizzy, Thrash, and Mosh also made their appearance, giving Mateo a curious look. “Alright, you three as well. But the same thing I told Wingman. Estar muy tranquila. Okay?” Dizzy and Thrash nodded. Thrash took up a spot near the end of the bed at Mateo’s feet, Dizzy laid on Mateo’s stomach, and Mosh cuddled up next to Wingman.

You answered the call to Mateo smiling and laughing, “Hola, Mi Teo. What’s got you in a good mood?” You returned his contagious smile.

“Well, the fact that I’m talking to mi amor might have something to do with it.” He smirked. 

The two of you chatted for nearly an hour uninterrupted and you both  savored that time that you had together. The longest your last video call was so far had been about 30 minutes max before Mateo got pulled away by something else. You laughed with each other when you caught him up to speed on the shenanigans your friend group was up to together. He asked about your father and your sister. You told him you were thinking of cutting your hair and he playfully begged you not to, but promised that you would look beautiful with any hairstyle you chose. He said you could even shave your head and you would be the most beautiful girl in the world to him. You laughed and told him to be careful what he says or you just might go ahead and do it, but he knew you would never. He knew how much fun you had styling your hair in different ways, it was something you had used often to express yourself.

“I wish I was there with you” Mateo said, he noticed the locket he gave you before he left around your neck, he was hanging next to your heart, but he wanted to wrap you up in his arms. A month away had felt like an eternity.

“I wish you were too.” You said, sharing his look of longing.

“Well, I find out when I’m able to leave soon. But before then I can send you a care package. I can put one of my shirts in it and some snacks from the area.” He grinned.

You smiled, “I’d like that.” Your words drew off slightly at the end of the sentence, as you thought back to your conversation with his mom. Hesitating, you wondered if you should tell Mateo, ask why she was being so weird about you wanting to visit.

Mateo noticed your hesitation and raised a brow, “what’s wrong, mi amor?” 

“Well….” You started but bit your tongue. “So I saved up money from my recent paychecks and I figured with that money I would buy a train ticket to see you. Like a surprise. But then I couldn’t remember what city you said you were in or if you ever said the city you were in. So I called your mom and asked her. I told her my plan but she didn’t think it was a good idea and she also wouldn’t tell me the city and she also wouldn’t tell me why.” Catching your breath after your ramble you waited for him to answer, your cheeks flushed red. He stared at the phone, his mouth opening like he was going to say something, but then closing. “I just felt like she was hiding something from me?” You added on.

Mateo frowned, his gaze faltering before looking back at the screen, “(y/n), I have to tell you something.” He said, in a tone you had never heard before.

Your anxiety spiked, “oh okay… you’re making me a bit nervous. What is it?” You asked.

“So I’m not in Seattle… or Portland. I’m-“ the phone went black. Mateo grumbled, pressing the power button but to no avail. “Merida! Stupid phone” he cursed. Suddenly it powered back on, the screen flashing with a familiar symbol. Mateo narrowed his eyes. He went to your contact and tried to call you back, but an error flashed up on the screen once more with that familiar symbol. He tried to text you but was met with the same fate. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Cypher!!!” Mateo yelled as he ran down the halls. He made it to the computer room where he knew Cypher was most likely to be. He flung the door open and found the room empty. He cursed again, leaving the room and heading down the hallway.

“CYPHER!” He called again, he passed by Neon who looked like she was on her way to her room.

“Woah, Gekko. What’s going on, are you alright?” She asked.

“Not right now, Tala. I’m looking for Cypher.” He said, keeping his steady pace. 

Neon followed behind him, “He’s with Reyna in the strategy room. But-“ he cut her off, “Thanks.”

“But Gekko-“ Neon tried to get his attention but he was focused on one thing.

Mateo flung open the door to the Strategy Room, seeing Cypher, Reyna, Sage, and Brimstone huddled over a holographic map of LA. Reyna’s eyes darted over to the two. “Neon! Gekko is not supposed to be in here right now” She said.

“I tried damn it!” Neon said, raising her hands up.

“I don’t care about whatever secret classified mission this is!” Gekko said, anger in his words. “I just want to know why, he child-locked my device!?” He said, pointing to Cypher.

“Cariño, cálmate.” Reyna said

“I activated the fail safe, because you were close to revealing yourself.” Cypher added in.

“What!? You were listening in on me!? Spying on me!? Esto es ridículo. ¡Esa fue una conversación privada!” Mateo exclaimed, Wingman and Dizzy appeared from his bag after Mateo's noticeable rising anger. “How would you even know to listen in?” He asked.

Cypher remained quiet, sharing a glance between the 3 older agents in the room.

Mateo turned around towards Neon, “ You told them! Didn’t you?” He accused.

Neon crossed her arms, “what!? No I didn’t.” She huffed

“Fui yo, cariño. It was me” Reyna spoke up.

An expression of hurt and betrayal flashed across Mateo’s face, as Wingman and Dizzy made a sound, similar to a faint cry but almost as if they were asking Reyna why.

“Que? Por que Reyna. Why would you have Cypher spy on me?” He asked.

Sage made her way closer to Mateo, “Reyna came to us a few days ago. We agreed that you are being pulled in two different directions. You need to have your whole mind and spirit here, Gekko. With your heart split, you can make dangerous decisions. Brimstone and I tasked Cypher on making sure you were making the right decisions. And Cypher is the one who heard you tell Neon your plan in the kitchen this morning.” 

Mateo took a step back in anger as he cursed to himself. Placing a hand over his face, he shook his head. How stupid was he for thinking that Brimstone and Sage didn’t have eyes everywhere around the protocol, watching them at all times. Or that Cypher, the man who can scrub clean any mention of them from the internet within milliseconds wouldn’t be able to listen in on his private phone calls. Wingman walked up to Mateo, placing his hands on the man’s leg in an attempt to comfort.

“Gekko, we’re here to help you if you need it. I know some things are hard to understand why we do it. But it is for the best.” Sage added.

Mateo stood idle for a second, his eyes darting from person to person in the room. His mind was clouded with hurt, anger, and frustration. The silence lingered, no one having anything else to say. Mateo picked up Wingman and turned around towards the door, pausing in the doorway before speaking to those behind him, “You know, Reyna. You could have come to me first. Actually talked to me. Nunca pensé que irías a mis espaldas. Especially you of all people.” He said as he saw his way out.

The remaining agents exchanged a few glances as the tension Mateo left still hung in the air. Reyna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “He will be okay,” she said to the group, while also reassuring herself. She was disheartened about breaking Mateo’s trust, but there were more important things at hand and she knew this was for the best, “We need to get back to our findings”.

“Yes.” Sage said, looking at the holographic map of LA that was laid out before them. “Your recon mission with Neon and Yoru revealed a big deposit of Radianite under the city, here.” She said pointing to the map.

“That’s close to Gekko’s home.” Reyna said, thinking of her friend. Not wanting to let Mateo down anymore, she needed to make sure this Radianite remained secure. “We need to make sure that a spike does not get detonated here”

“We also need to keep our eyes on Kingdom as well. They could already know about this.” Brimstone said.

Neon was looking towards the door after Mateo left, he was hurting and now he probably felt more alone than ever. Sighing, she turned around and looked towards the group, her eyes widening at the hologram as she made her way to the group. “Woah” Neon said as she walked up to the map, eyeing it in curiosity, “if a spike goes off there how many casualties will that be?”

“Too many.” Brimstone responded, his voice laced with an edge of concern and also exhaustion. 

~~~~~~~~~

“...Teo?” You asked, as his face froze on your screen before the call ended, an error signaling that the connection had dropped. You tried to call him back but was only met by his voicemail.  Resorting to a text, you sent ‘What happened, are you alright?’ only to get an immediate response saying that the message was unable to be delivered. Staring at the screen you blinked, trying to process what had just happened. You looked around through your phone to make sure that everything else was working, and found that you had a full connection to the grid. Whatever happened was on Mateo’s end. You found it odd that as soon as Mateo looked like he was going to confess something that the call dropped. And now suddenly you were unable to contact him back? Did the internet wherever he was suddenly just drop, since he did say that he wasn’t in Seattle or Portland, so where was he?

You sent Mateo a few more texts telling him to call you back if he was able or to let you know that he was okay. You debated on calling Mateo’s mom to let her know about the weird disconnection of his phone. But, with what Mateo had started to say, it had all suddenly made sense of why his mom was acting so weird on the phone. She knew he wasn’t in either of the two cities he had mentioned, she just was trying her best to avoid telling you.

The rest of the night for you drew on longer than you thought it would. You laid in bed, curled up on your covers while scrolling through various forms of media, checking every 30 minutes for a message to Mateo, while also sending one or two to test the connection. So far you had sent around 13 messages, signaling that it had been over 6 hours since your video call with Mateo. You had skipped dinner, your appetite gone and replaced with worry. Around 8:30 you had heard your dad leave for work, and around 11:30 you had heard your sister leave to go to a party. Neither of them bothered you before they left as you said you wished to be left alone. 

It was nearing 1 am and your eyes were starting to get dry and heavy with sleep. You continued to stare at your phone screen, mindlessly scrolling, not even focusing on what was in front of you as you fought the urge to sleep. The thought of Mateo messaging you back as soon as you fell asleep would be your luck, and you wanted to make sure that wouldn’t happen. You would stay up all night if you had to, even if that meant you would miss your classes.

All the struggle you put up against falling asleep seemed to be in vain as your eyes shot open to the sound of your doorbell going off throughout the house. You rubbed your eyes in a daze as you checked your phone, “What the hell? It’s 3 AM.” you grumbled to yourself, closing your eyes and throwing your pillow over your head to drown out the ringing. Whoever was at your front door seemed to be holding down the button.

After a few more seconds you yelled, throwing your blankets off of yourself as you stood up. Exiting your room, you looked across the hall to your sister’s room. The door was wide open, and through the faint light shining inside you could tell she hadn’t made it home yet. “I swear, Gwen, if you forgot your key and locked yourself out I’m going to kill you” you grumbled. Heading towards the front door.

You yawned as you looked towards the peep hole to view who was outside, but the image you saw completely woke you up. “Teo?” you whispered to yourself. It felt like your heart stopped for a second, time slowing as you reached for the door to unlock and open it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The helicopter ride to Haven was uncomfortable at most for Mateo. Luckily, he was allowed to stay on the mission. Though if it were up to him he much rather would have been anywhere else, so was it truly luck? Having Reyna leading his mission completely ruined all the excitement he had when he was first assigned a week ago. He avoided her gaze as much as he could, still feeling the hurt from her broken trust just hours before. He continued to listen in on the debrief that he had heard many times throughout the week, giving her the respect as if they were just co-workers.

It was quiet when they arrived at Haven, giving the team the indication that they had beaten their Omega counterparts to the location. Reyna gave one last debrief before she dismissed everyone to set up their sites. The layout was fairly similar to Mateo’s dream, which made him slightly nervous. The only difference was that Killjoy was to be holding garage, her turret pointing at mid while Omen helped Reyna on A.

“Mateo,” Reyna said, grabbing his attention as he went towards his site. He turned around and paused, walking back up to her. “¿qué?” He asked, showing no emotion.

She sighed, "Escúchame Gekko, I know it doesn’t seem like it. But, I am with you.”

Mateo inhaled, pondering on her words, “mis disculpas when I said that it’s hard to believe that right now.”

“I am sorry that it has felt like you have to do this alone. Nunca deberías sentirte así. Y porque lo haces, es mi fracaso como mentor.” 

“Eres una gran mentora, Reyna. I am just upset my privacy was infiltrado.” He sighed. 

“I know cariño,” Reyna said, “And I am truly sorry.”

“Gracias, Reyna.” Mateo said, his nerves starting to settle slightly. He began to leave again before he was stopped once more.

“Also, Gekko-” “Si?” He asked.

“fuerte y feroz. They will not hesitate, you must not either.” Reyna said, her voice sturn and steady as she believed if Mateo took to heart anything that she said, she needed it to be this.

“Lo sé, Reyna. I know” he nodded, taking her advice in. He gave her a slight smile before he went and made his way to his position at C.

Mateo had scoped out his site, walking down C long and looking for the angles that Harbor had mentioned would be crucial to hold and would most likely be an area that their Omega counterparts would hide in if cornered.

Holding with his Vandal, Mateo aimed down site at C long, staying alert and ready for anyone to appear. His eyes were starting to strain as he had been focused already for 15 minutes at least. “Any signs of movement anywhere?” Killjoy said over her ear piece.

“Negative” Omen responded. “Nope” Jett added in “Gekko?” Reyna questioned. Mateo was about to speak before he saw Omega Jett peak up into C long. He fired his gun but she quickly dashed back from where she had appeared from. “Jett spotted!” He held his aim ready for her to peak again only to be met by a double peak with Jett and Sova. Mateo quickly ducked back behind boxes, The Omega archer sent a tracer dart flying landing on the wall in the back of C site, marking Mateo. “Sova spotted as well, my location has been marked, requesting backup!”

“I’m on it!” Killjoy responded, peaking out C short and throwing a grenade to stop the infiltrators from pushing up any further. From behind the box, Mateo threw up Dizzy who quickly scanned the area, blinding the two enemies. Mateo peaked out from his cover, aiming his gun at the Sova who was now blind in long with nowhere to hide. With three body shots to the chest, the archer was down. Mateo tried to catch his breath, this had been his first kill that wasn’t on one of the training bots. He had to get his breathing back under control and steady himself. One was down but there were at least 4 more to go. 

‘fuerte y feroz’ he repeated to himself the words of advice that Reyna had given him.

“There’s someone A” Reyna said through the coms.

“Sending cover” Omen called out as he placed a smoke down protecting the A site from a quick entry.

“I believe the Jett has rotated,” Killjoy said. Jett spoke up, “I spotted her- uh me- In window! I’m holding.” 

Mateo heard gunfire from across the area, indicating that A site had begun to be fought over. He continued to stare down long, just to make sure they weren’t being faked, until he heard otherwise. Killjoy began to move back into garage to help Jett hold her Omega counterpart.

On A site, Omen peaked heaven with an Operator, peaking into short while the smoke still covered long. Reyna shot through the smoke, taking cover behind boxes as bullets sprayed blindly towards her. A quick flash the two had never seen before, made up of white and yellow sparkling lights, blinded them instantly. They took cover as the omega agents entered the site, forcing Omen and Reyna to fall back. “We’ve lost the site.” Omen growled into his communicator.

“Gekko, Killjoy. Begin your rotation to A, stay alert as I believe they have sent the new agent, Lux, with them.” Reyna informed the rest of the team.

Killjoy began her rotation from garage through the window and the connector to B, leaving an alarm bot behind her incase of an enemy push or rotate. Mateo gathered dizzy up from where she was idling, quietly praising her for the work she did to help him with the Sova. 

He quietly made his way to the C and B connector, where he would join up with Killjoy on B so that the two could arrive at A together. Before he could walk to B, a wall made of a white and yellow swirling energy came up, completely blocking off the entrance. This was something that Mateo had never seen before. He turned around, scanning his surroundings and saw nothing. “Be careful,” He spoke into his com, “I think the new agent put up a wall blocking off my entry on B.” “I see it too, but I don't see any other enemies. Still keep your guard up, we don't know how far their range is for their abilities.” Jett said.

Mateo stared at the wall before him, it didn’t look solid? It had a similar movement about it like Phoenix and Astra’s  walls, though contained to one area as it took up the entire entry way. He carefully reached a hand out to touch it, but hissed in pain as the energy making up the wall instantly burned his flesh with contact. 

He closed his eyes, shaking out his hand as he heard the sound of a revolver hammer locking behind him. He froze, feeling the sensation of someone watching him.

“Careful-”, They spoke. Mateo’s eyes widened, he knew that voice but there was something off.

“-Mi, amor. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself.” They said, venom laced with their words.

Mateo raised his hands in the air, as he turned around and was met face to face with your Omega counterpart. His heart increased, she looked just like you only she was staring at him with an expression he had never seen from you before; Hatred mixed with amusement. “Lux?” Was all he could murmur

“Lux, (Code/Name), (Y/N), any of those work.” She sneered, holding her Sheriff out so that Mateo was staring down the barrel.

“Gekko, status update.” Killjoy was heard over the intercom.

“I-” Mateo started, but he was interrupted by your double. 

“Shhh. Let’s not give away our position, now.” She hummed as she walked towards him, circling him like a Lion does its prey. “You seem so much more fun than my Mateo,” she lulled, “Let me guess, you actually made a move on my counterpart. Lucky her. Mine couldn’t take a hint if it hit him in the face.”

Mateo’s heart was racing, he never once thought that when he looked at the enemy he would see you. The (y/n) he knew wasn’t a Radiant, or so he thought. He remembered Brimstone's talk about discrepancies. But, wouldn’t you have developed your powers by now if you were?

He remained stunned in silence as your double paced around him, keeping the sheriff aimed at his head, his eyes following her. She walked up to him, placing a kiss on his lips, while pressing the cool metal of the gun to his temple. A wave of panic shivered down his spine causing his hairs on the back of his neck to stand up.

She pulled away and took a step back, “Well, I’d love to keep this conversation going, Gekko-”

“-They’ve planted the spike!” He heard Jett yell into his earpiece.

“- But it seems like we’re out of time.”

Your double pulled the trigger on the sheriff twice, sending two rounds flying directly into Mateo’s shoulder. He yelled out in pain as the bullets burned through his flesh. Falling to the ground he squeezed onto his shoulder with his unburnt hand, trying to control the bleeding. He could hear commotion over the earpiece, but all of the words were deafened by the fire he felt on his shoulder.

Wingman jumped out of Mateo’s bag, running towards your Omega counterpart and stunning her, causing her wall blocking B to fall. As soon as it did, shots from a Vandal could be heard flying over Mateo and towards your double, but it wasn’t fast enough. Before the shot could land, your double vanished into a curtain of light, teleporting out of the area of danger. 

Mateo squirmed on the ground in pain, Wingman ran up to his shoulder and pressed against Mateo’s hand, as if to try and help stop the bleeding. The two felt the ground shake below them, before an eruption of darkness shadowed them, indicating that the spike had gone off. 

Omega had won. He let out another anguished cry as a wave of fire spread from his shoulder and down through his arm. “Gekko’s down, but he’s conscious” someone next to him said over the ear piece. He hadn’t realized it but Killjoy had taken a place, kneeled beside him. She must have been the one to try and stop your double. 

The ground rumbled as Killjoy spoke, started to shift and break apart on A where the spike had gone off. “Shhh, shhh now, Gekko. It’s okay. You’re going to be just fine” the girl said, taking off one of her straps and preparing to use it as a makeshift splint to try and stabilize his arm.

Mateo squinted his eyes, trying to force back another wave of pain, “what about- the- others-“ he said through clenched teeth. “Where’s- Reyna-“ 

“She’s coming, Gekko, don’t worry. She’s alright. You’re doing good, keep that pressure.”

“The- new- agent-“ Mateo started, only to be cut off by KillJoy.

“Shh, don’t talk. Save your energy, Gekko.”

“Gekko! Mi cariño!” Reyna yelled out, kneeling next to Mateo across from Killjoy. Mateo looked upwards to see Omen making his way not far behind Reyna, in his arms was Jett, her arms laying heavy, swaying as Omen walked. Mateo’s eyes widened at the site of Jett’s unmoving form lying in Omen’s arms, her shirt drenched in blood. His adrenaline started to spike in that moment, his heart racing. He tensed up, trying to sit, grimacing as he did., “Jett- what… is- is she-“ He tried to speak, wincing with every word. 

Reyna used her hand to avert Mateo’s gaze from his fallen comrade. “Sage will help her, Ahora necesitas quedarte con nosotros, Gekko.” Reyna looked at Omen and Killjoy as bits of derbies from A could be seen floating in the distance, the cracks in the ground spreading towards B, “We need to get out of here. Now.”

The next moments for Mateo moved in stop motion. He heard Reyna and Killjoy speaking to him, but their words merged together, unable to penetrate his ear drums. He blinked and they were helping him up, his good arm over Reynas neck as she helped him stand up. He blinked again and they were helping him into the helicopter, Omen placing Jett’s body on a makeshift infirmary bed before covering her up completely with a blanket. Another blink and he felt Killjoy pressing gauze up against his shoulder, while Reyna watched on, an emotion he couldn’t read in her eyes. He heard himself cry out in pain as Killjoy cleaned his wound, but it was almost like his voice was coming from someone else. Blinking once more, he saw his arm bandaged up, Omen walking up to him with Wingman in his arms. The wraith gently placed the creature down close to Mateo, who wasted no time to run up and cuddle into the crook of his uninjured arm.

As Mateo went unconscious, Reyna made her way next to where he lie, sitting down beside him she watched his chest rise and fall. “Lo siento, Mateo.” She said, giving him a kiss on the top of his head before brushing his hair back off of his forehead. “Eres un luchador Lo superarás.” Wingman looked up at Reyna from his place tucked in Mateo’s arm. She smiled at the creature, “Lo hiciste bien pequeña. Thank you for watching after him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Teo!?” You asked as you opened the door, a mixture of excitement and confusion in your voice, still groggy from sleep. “What are you do-” you continued, pausing as he took a step back. From behind him you saw a small pink creature begin to make its way to you. You let out the start of a scream as it jumped at you, the sonic wave it sent out from its body rendering you unable to move or speak. You winced slightly, feeling the paralyzing energy moving through your body. “mis disculpas, (y/n). Or what your Mateo calls you, ‘Mi amor’?” He smirked. 

Your eyes darted around before meeting his gaze once more, in fear. What did he mean, ‘Your Mateo?’. You had heard of the incident years ago in Venice of a dimension traveler attacking. Was this one of those instances? But if so, what did you have to do with any of this? None of this made sense, you had to still be dreaming. Working against the paralyzing energy through your body, you were able to slowly close your eyes, trying to wake yourself up. Suddenly, you began to feel a burning sensation throughout your body. A mixture of heat and energy shooting through your limbs, leaving you wondering what the creature did to you. You opened your eyes to meet ‘Mateo’’s gaze, his smirk faltering as he saw your normally (e/c) eyes, a golden yellow. He suddenly looked nervous. “Apurarse, Omen.” He said, looking behind you. Unable to see what he was looking at, your heart started racing. You felt hands on your wrist as your arms were pulled behind your back, and fastened with a ziptie. You let out a small groan of frustration as you tried to fight your way free, but your body was not listening to you. Continuing to try and struggle, you were able to let out a small “Why?” that was cut off as a piece of fabric was placed over your mouth. 'Mateo' looked at you  as he stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear “Lo lamento, Mi amor. But, a mission is a mission.” 

A cloud of purple smoke started to surround you and your vision, you found yourself almost weightless for a second before the smoke dissipated. No longer in your house, you looked around as the paralytic was staring to wear off, 'Mateo' nowhere to be found. You didn’t get a great look at the room you were in before another strip of fabric was placed over your eyes, taking away your vision. What you could briefly see told you that the room was some kind of operating room, with various computers on the walls. The hand that had bound you reached out, somewhat gently, and led you to a chair and fastened your ankles to the legs. You yelped and tried to move from your bindings as you felt a prick of a needle on your skin. “I’m sorry.”, your captor said, as he drew your blood. The sound of his voice was haunting, but his words seemed sincere.

You moved in the chair, trying to free your hands. Although the paralyzing effect from that creature seemed to subside, you still noticed the slightly burning, almost electric feelings radiate through your mind and body as your adrenaline continued to pump. The sound of a door swinging open, accompanied by 2 sets of footsteps signified that you were no longer alone with your captor. You held your breath, as if out of instinct to try and go undetected. Never imagining you would be in a situation like this, you were feeling helpless. You weren’t a fighter, but you were smart, you needed to wait until you had resources to use and right now with your senses being taken away from you, the only thing you had to go off of is what you were able to hear.

“Let me see that sample” a woman said as she walked to the far side of the room, her voice sounded aged, and muffled almost as if it were coming through a microphone. A machine whirred up followed by sounds of typing.

The three stood in silence, as one person, you assumed it was the woman, typed.

“What did you find?” The third person spoke up. A male, their  voice older, gruff, and sturdy.  

“It’s positive. She’s radiant. A discrepancy here must have caused her abilities to not activate, which is how they must have missed her and skipped to recruiting Gekko” The woman said.

Your eyes widened behind the fabric, were they talking about you? No, you couldn’t be a Radiant. Radiants are the ones who attacked Venice, and killed thousands in the city. Radiants are the ones who took your mother away from you. You weren’t one of them. 

A new set of footsteps drew your focus back into the group. “Alright, perfect. That means we’re able to move on to phase 2 then?” The voice sent a shiver up your spine. This voice sounded like yours but it couldn’t be. The footsteps began to make their way closer to you. Feeling a pair of fingers loop onto the fabric and pull it down below your eyes, you took in your surroundings. In the room, a  woman with a short black haircut wearing a mask around her nose and mouth, a hooded figure who seemed to be glowing, and a bearded man with a muscular build looked on from the background. Though, your stomach dropped when you saw your own smirking face staring back at you. The only thing letting you know you weren't truly staring at your own reflection was the faint glow of a yellow/gold on the inner iris of her (e/c) eyes, “it’s about time I finally get to look in the mirror” she said.

Your chest rising and falling as you began to hyperventilate, “who are you?” You tried to ask, but it only came out as a mixed mumble through the fabric covering your mouth. Your double began to hyperventilate as well, mocking your mumble before laughing, “Sorry, (y/n). Just trying to get into character.” She smiled, something about it sending a chill down your spine.

She began to reach towards your neck and you tried to squirm away from her hands only to be stopped by the chair you were bound to. She unclasped the locket you were wearing. The gift Mateo had given you before he left. You tried to protest, but your movements were unsuccessful as she removed the jewelry from your neck and placed it around her own, “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of it, and him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reyna entered the infirmary, to see Sage hovering over Jett, a blue glow emitting from her palms. The outgoing girl who now lay still had begun to breathe again just hours before, but there was still more work to be done. Sage had worked on Mateo earlier, his gunshot wound being a more easy fix than the wound that took Jett. The healer had praised Killjoy and Reyna for the work they did on the field to keep Mateo’s breathing controlled, as it likely saved his life.

“How is she?” Reyna asked. She was always fond of Jett. The young agent had such an upbeat attitude about the world. Similar to Mateo.

“Better.” Sage said, a wave of exhaustion coming through her words.

“You should rest. recupera tu energía. I can watch them until you return.” Reyna looked over to Mateo’s sleeping form as well. Wingman sat at the edge of his infirmary bed, looking on with an expression of concern and worry as Sage worked on Jett.

“I will be okay, Reyna. Jett needs me right now. Besides, I have had great company.” Sage replied, looking up to smile at Wingman.

Reyna sighed, “You can help her more once you have rested. She is breathing now, I will alert you if that changes.”

Sage paused, looking up at Reyna and nodding, “Thank you.” She said, giving her a reassuring touch on her shoulder before leaving. 

Walking over to the two beds, Reyna looked at Jett a moment before pulling a blanket up over the sleeping woman’s form. These two in the infirmary were too young to be the ones injured on this mission, and even Omen had agreed. Had Reyna called a retreat earlier, perhaps Jett wouldn’t have dashed in as a last ditch effort to try and defuse the spike only to be ambushed by an Omega Cypher and an Omega Harbor.

Grabbing a chair, Reyna pulled it up next to Mateo’s bed and sat down, Wingman quickly hobbling over to her. The woman gave the creature a quick pet of affection before resting her hand on Mateo’s. She should have realized quicker that he hadn’t been heard on the communicator and wasn’t in the gunfight. She should have been more alert that something had happened to him. She had promised his mother she would protect him, and now he lay in the infirmary after his first mission that she had led. “lo siento, no estaba allí, Mateo”

With her free hand, Reyna continued to pet Wingman, who had quickly fallen asleep under her touch. Lost in her thoughts, Reyna continued to listen to the rhythmic beeping of the machines that both Jett and Mateo were hooked up to. Eventually, Wingman began to stir slightly as he woke up, and as if on queue Mateo began to move as well, mumbling as he fought for consciousness, “…(y/n)” he groaned.

Reyna perked up, “Mateo, it’s okay, mi cariño”, She said in a soft voice, trying to calm her protege.

“(Y/n)….” He repeated.

“ella no está aquí, but you can contact her later”

Mateo opened his eyes and quickly sat up, as if waking up from a nightmare. He winced as he grabbed his shoulder, now alert he looked at Reyna, doing his best to ignore the waves of pain shooting through him.”

“No, Reyna... it’s (y/n). Lux is (y/n).” He said.

#gekko x female reader #gekko #gekko x reader #gekko x fem! reader #gekko valorant #valorant #reyna valorant #valorant protocol #the first light #fanfic #angst #valorant x reader #valorant x you #gekko x you #gekko x y/n #valorant x y/n #Gekko wingman #valorant fluff #fluff #valorant headcanons #female reader #neon valorant #jett valorant

[wayfayrr]

I feel because of the chain having a lot of fights as strangers and since reader would be seeing wind sulking after when they have to leave since the other links are getting physical and because of that I would believe there be a lot of days where the links and reader would just have a movie night just some time to not think of the world for reader while feeding the chain's curiosity of this world. So I give you this, reader showing wind the pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

So I hope you don't mind, I've written this as a sort of continuation of one of your recent asks where reader took Wind to the beach as a reward, but since the rest of the chain decided to argue and ruin it - he gets a private movie night instead!

“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with your dad arguing with every single living being Wind, I mean I know he’s getting better but you shouldn’t have to deal with it all the time.”

“Is that why you set all of this up [name], because he keeps arguing all the time? Are Wild and Calm gonna join us as well then?”

“Wild said they wanted to try and get closer to Sage actually. They’re doing their own thing, right now I’m focused on cheering you up kiddo. Don’t think I didn’t see you sulking when your day was ruined.”

He’s got his typical pout back, so clearly what I said was right even if he won’t say it aloud, Wind’s fairly easy to read like that. Asides from his very blatant dislike of the beach day being ruined by sage and time getting into a full-blown fight, he seems very pleased with the fact he gets my attention to himself like this. Burying himself in the pillow fort I made on the bed with a smile shows that clearer than day. 

“So we're going to spend the night talking and eating a bunch of snacks?”

“A bit more than that, I’d like to show you some of my favourite films. I think you’ll love them even more than I do though.”

Setting this all up was far more complicated than I would’ve thought originally, and I’ll have to thank Wild for offering to distract Sage long enough so he won’t disturb us when we’re watching one of the best trilogies of all time, I’m sure I can come up with something to thank him. Right now my focus is all on Wind, and making up for his day being ruined; captain jack sparrow always helped cheer me up whenever I got upset so it should help Wind. Poor kid deserves to have some kind of reward for adjusting to his new life this well and as his parent, it falls to me to make sure he gets one that’s right for how incredible he’s being. 

“So what are they about [name]! Is it one of those family traditions you said you were going to teach me, Wild and Calm!”

“No it’s not a tradition, and I wouldn’t be teaching you without your brothers either Wind.”

“You didn’t say what it’s going to be about though. Please [name]?”

Ruffling his hair with a laugh, settling next to him with the remote in my hand ready to show him something I was saving to cheer up a bad day. Making it beyond perfect for this exact moment. With the fog on the screen showing a ship emerge with the eerie singing, Wind’s attention was instantly hooked when he heard the faint lyrics of a pirate's life for me. Good, This is what he deserves after everything else. He’s more focused on this than anyone would have thought possible. Now I just hope he doesn’t have a Jack sparrow like I did the first time I ever saw this film, with his natural energy I don’t think any of us could survive that. After the escape and the botched execution of Jack with will turner saving his life I heard the first thing out of Wind since the film started.

“THAT WAS AWESOME!!! AND YOU SAID THERE’S MORE!!!”

“There’s still another two films to go kiddo, you sure you’re up for that?” “DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK!! OF COURSE, I AM!!”

“So you wanna start the next one straight away?”

“COME ONNNN! I REALLY WANNA WATCH IT!”

“Alright kiddo, just don’t exhaust yourself you can ask me to pause it if you want to eat something.”

After watching the next two films, I can safely say I’m exhausted even though Wind still seems ready to watch more. Wait no, scratch that he looks like he could pass out at any moment, he’s barely keeping himself awake. 

“‘M ready to go to bed now I think [name], do you mind if I-”

And there he goes, he didn’t even manage to finish his sentence before falling asleep. I’m just glad I managed to cheer him up after the failure of today. I’ll be careful not to wake him now. After all, I know better than to wake a man when he's sleepin'. It's bad luck.

#links✦react #linked universe x reader #yandere linked universe x reader #yandere linked universe #link x reader #househusband sage #moss✦answers #moss✦writes

[hopepetal]

If you’re still doing request may we please have a little bit of sky or vampire au? I love them both so whichever you feel like.

A lot of people asked for vampires au so have a little sky au <3 as a treat

-

Let me lead, Pearl had said. It’ll be fun! 

It was not. It was not fun at all. 

Still reeling from flying head first into the giant golden mechanism, Grian honked as they flew at very concerning speeds toward a wall. “Pearl!” he yelped, trying to spread his wings to slow them down. “Pearl, slow–!” 

Ding!

They bounced off the wall and caught the updraft once more, Pearl giggling mischievously as Grian let out a long groan. “Isn’t this fun, Griba?” she teased, holding tight to his hand. “You should let me lead more often!”

“I see why you like to go to the forest now,” Grian muttered, “the one place you really can’t fly in.”

Pearl honked out a laugh. “You’re just jealous of my skill. Watch!” She began flapping her wings again, dragging Grian along for what was certainly about to be one of the most interesting adventures of his time.

“...and that’s why I don’t let Pearl lead anymore,” Grian finished, leaning back in his chair. “She’s a menace, I’m telling you.”

Scar nodded sagely, putting on an accent. “Ah, yes. Compared to Grian, the master of flight, who could ever go up against you? You are just too good at what you do to let anyone else do it for you.”

Grian giggled. “Scar, that’s not– that’s not at all what I meant. And why are you talking like that? I sound nothing like that don’t you start–”

Scar continued with the voice, holding back laughter as he spoke. “I, Grian, am the best sky kid to ever grace the winds with my light! All shall know true mastery of flight when they gaze upon my magnificent wings and majestic fly patterns!”

“Scar!” Grian honked, laughing uncontrollably now, “I do not– stop it!” 

He continued to ramble, becoming more and more dramatic as he did so. “Ah, yes! With my incredibly high flying I will gaze down at all the ski- skiddles– skids! Sky kids! I will gaze down at all the sky kids with judgment if they do not fly as high as I! I laugh in the face of the dark dragon because they’re too stupid to fly as high as I do!” Finally, he broke down into a laughing fit, unable to stop himself. 

It was several minutes before the both of them were able to pull themselves together and calm down enough to speak again. “I do not sound like that,” Grian gasped out, still softly chuckling. “You are being dramatic.” 

“I think not!” Scar contested playfully. “I think Pearl would tell me I’m right.”

“Do not bring Pearl into this–” Grian jumped up from his seat as Scar did– “stop it, Scar–!” 

Scar took off toward the hidden forest’s portal. “Catch me if you can!”

#answered ask #joodles tag #my writing #desert skies au #grian #gtws #pearlescentmoon

[avastrasposts]

Some end of year mush for my readers

Below is a longer message that’s more personal so I’ll hide that below the cut for anyone who’s not interested. But before I get to that I just wanted to send a message to all of those who have read my fics this past year. You’re often a bit more anonymous to me than the people I count as friends, but that’s only because I don’t know you yet (seriously, come yell in my inbox, that’s how all friendships here start!).

But I see you all, whether you’re liking your way through 300k+ words of The Pilot and his Girl or just randomly reblogging something short I wrote back in March, I see and appreciate you all. I love hearing what you think about what you’ve read, but if you’re more comfortable just reblogging or liking, that’s more than fine. But I do really notice and appreciate all of you who read and react what I publish. I hope my stories bring a little bit of entertainment and distraction from whatever else your life is. The responses you’ve all given me, it really means the world. Love you all ❤

/M

So to the more personal message.

I want to send a little message out (who am I kidding, I’m unable to keep things short) at the end of the year and tell you all what a difference some things make. But first, to be honest, I haven’t had a very difficult year, I’m ridiculously privileged, and I try to remember and appreciate that. I count my blessings because life hasn’t always been this easy. But I think it makes me notice the difference small actions make, how one act of kindness really creates ripple effects. 

I know others have had very real struggles in 2023 and have overcome, or are still struggling with, real issues and this year has given me the opportunity to see how much of a difference a small online community can make. I appreciate and love everyone of you who has had the guts to open up when things are tough and ask for help, who opened their (digital) arms and inboxes and wanted to help, genuinely help, those who were struggling, by sending a friendly message, by understanding and responding, offering to help, to let them know that they’re not alone. And to let us all have a safe space online where we can be as weird and sad and irrational and deluded (and horny) as we want. 

I know all fandoms have drama but the amount of nice people I’ve met on Tumblr this year by far outweighs any drama. For 99.9% of us, Pedro should be so lucky to have us as his fans! I feel like the goodness that he seems to spread, is emulated among those who go slightly feral (in the best possible way) for him. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to have made a small group of friends this year in the fandom, and these past few months with you guys (you know who you are), have been the best. You’ve made me laugh and cry (and stress out over how the hell I’m supposed to read all of your amazing fics!). I’m constantly amazed by how supportive and kind you are, how, by pure chance, we all stumbled into each other's paths at just the right time and how we now just seem to fit together. Whether it’s about how we’re going to survive the release of Gladiator 2 (seriously, we’re going to need a phone chain or something for welfare checks….) or how to handle any number of just “life” things that we all have to combat. You lot are always there with sage advice, supportive words and encouragement in a way I’ve never experienced with a group of friends before. Seriously, you’re all the best and I’m so happy to be your friend. 

And here's my our sweet Pedro just because this man somehow inspired me to write so many words this year...

#personal

[swallowtailed]

palisade 43

man. incredible episode.

really pulling the entire divine cycle together—calling back to the hypha, to strati, to volition—and the whole sweep of partizan/palisade.

extremely cute intro. hopping back on air (while high) to freestyle for the entire twilight mirage, honor the dead, drop one “valence” in there real quick, and get out again. parti rights. we’re baaack~ :D

thisbe this episode: hooting hollering etc. worldwide resonance!! her conversation with volition was really compelling. it did strike me that volition seemed to approach the question of divine autonomy from a rather individualist angle (just think yourself free! let people do what they want!), which i suspect is an artifact of (a) living in a supportive community for 500 years & so somewhat forgetting the importance of that, and (b) being volition. i do think that thisbe is on the right track in the principality context, looking toward community building.

also it’s so funny that volition just is an obsidian orb again sometimes. trans rights

brnine this episode: describing grief as a disconnect from your past akin to leaving entire planets is so perfect for brnine. also devastating. loved the sandwich callback as well, that was one of my favorite twilight mirage beats.

am pulling together thoughts about brnine getting challenged to stay in the mirage or leave and fight. when you’ve been defending the distant concept of an ideal, how do you handle the reality of it—especially when that reality is something you were never meant to see, and is so disconnected from the circumstances of your life and your cause. but of course brnine’s tied their life entirely to their idea of keeping up the fight, and haven’t thought that anyone they’re honoring could ever have wanted anything else. (it is also: blue channel going back at the end of partizan.)

have we considered the possibility that ali isn’t gonna have brnine say valence’s name unless and until it’s with their last words

on that note: you know, if someone was terrified of dying, but also sort of craved death, and also grounded their self-worth in their fight for their cause, it would seem awfully appealing to be promised endless life as long as you don’t stop moving. very here for jesset’s motion era. i don’t think there’s enough left of motion to take an elect… is this a dark mirror of integrity? something burrowing in? jesset’s brain gets hooked into that mech…

but also what do we think he’d pick for his elect name if he did pick one. has to be a plant, right? and he already has another naming scheme to fit as well… i think it should be catnip

eclectic this episode: of course he’s trying to arrest the divine who killed his squadmate in front of him, aka the first chapter of every noir procedural ever.

what is futgure doing ohhhhh my god

hey also we still don’t know dre’s new character? many questions

cori this episode: SO glad she’s joined perennial. love this for her. also the… black russian sage wings???? excellent. her entire conversation with perennial was so moving—reaching out to figure and finding their god doing the same is such a piece of tragedy. and the way the need to protect is shared among the three of them—have not stopped thinking about figure just wanting to see cori safe and happy. and then cori holding perennial as she sobs.

“we were figure’s people” is exactly what i wanted someone to say but also ;-;

the conceit of doing a story in a time loop is that you’re gonna repeatedly say, well, can’t do it this time, better move on—which sucks when the loop is a revolution, right, because then it’s implied that liberation is a one in a billion chance and more than likely impossible. (fine starting place, frustrating ending.) but with perennial no longer able to turn back the clock, it gives cori room to declare that there’s no need to keep restarting, they can win it here and now. it’s never impossible. which i am glad for.

look i’m sure they’re just gonna do 1-2 more downtime eps and then 4-7 finale eps and that’ll be palisade but. clears throat. taps mic. It’s Gonna Be Really Funny When They Do Thirty More Episodes. ok that’s all

#fatt #palisade #fatt spoilers #hello world #fatt lb #god. extremely good episode. palisade…………….

[zorejar]

Of young maid Olysam and the King Serpent / Оповідь про Олисам-дівку та Царевича Змій

A nebokrajan etiological myth explaining how humankind discovered fire and got themselves a soul. English and Ukrainian versions below:

OF YOUNG MAID OLYSAM AND THE KING SERPENT 

It happened when creation was new; when first men didn't yet have a soul and lived amongst beasts, and died like beasts. A man and a woman had a daughter, a young maid whose name was Olysam. She was their only child and they loved her much, and she was of great joy to them. 

The creation was new, and so they knew only summer and never had they saw a winter; but nevertheless, winter came. And they saw how weeds died and animals hidden, and they didn't know how to find food, and their home and garments were unfit for the cold. And so they knew they were to die soon, and the wife got very ill. 

And the daughter said: Don’t you despair, my beloveds, for I will go to the Brass mountain, where the Serpent King resides; I will go to his mountain and I will take him as my husband, and you will be named his mother and father, and he will save us, for we are his kin. 

Man and woman cried, as she was their only daughter and she was of great joy to them; and the girl cried, for she didn't want to take a serpent as her husband. And so they fashioned her in bride garments, and they laid her on a boat, and gave her trinkets, and sent the boat across the river. And Olysam laid in a boat for three days and three nights, until she crossed the river to the other side. She took her trinkets and knocked on the Brass gates, and a voice asked her: ‘Who are you, intruder, knocking on my Brass gates, when it is not your time?’ 

The girl said: ‘I am Olysam, the daughter of man, and I came here to take the Serpent King, the Lord of the Soul, as my husband.’ 

'Why would you want a serpent as your husband, girl?' 

'For my family is dying and only he can save them, and I have nothing else to give.' 

'Come and look at me, then.'

And so the Brass gates opened, and the girl wandered forward. And she saw a palace of great beauty, and a husbandry of great wealth, and on the throne there sat the Serpent King. He was an old man of frightening appearance; his beard was long and green, and all kinds of weeds were entwined in his hair: wyrmwood and sage, and thornapple, and periwinkle; his neck was long and scaled, like that of a snake, and his face was golden, and he himself glistened like a gem. 

‘Do you still wish to take me as your husband, girl?’ he asked.

‘Your visage frightens me beyond any words’ she said ‘But I will do it, if you save my beloveds’

‘If you take me as your husband, and I take you as my wife, then you shall never return to the world of men’ he said ‘For when you share a meal and a bed with this world, you become a part of it’

‘I agree to it still’ she said ‘If you save my beloveds’ 

The Serpent King marveled at the girl’s fortitude. He ordered his serfs to forge a flame in mountain’s deep, and he gave it to her in a golden basket. 

‘You will now return to your beloveds, Olysam, the daughter of man’ he said ‘and you will give them my flame; and with it you will light your houses, and fright the beasts away, and lure them into your traps; and when you kill them, with my flame you will cook their meat' 

‘But what of our marriage?’ the girl asked.

‘From now on, when a man dies, he won't return to earth like a beast would. Instead, he will enter my husbandry as a spirit; that is our marriage. And you shall be the first to die, Olysam, daughter of man, and the day of your funeral shall be the day of our wedding."

***

ОПОВІДЬ ПРО ОЛИСАМ-ДІВКУ ТА ЦАРЕВИЧА ЗМІЙ

Сталося це тоді, коли іще світ був новим; коли людина не мала ще душі, а жила серед звіра, і вмирала, як звір. Були собі чоловік та жінка, і була у них донька, молода дівка, що звали її Олисам. Була вона в них єдиною дитиною, і вони нею дуже тішились. 

Отож, світ був новим, і людина тоді знала тільки літо, і не знала вона зими; але зима прийшла. І побачили люди, як усохла рослинність, і сховався у норах весь звір; і не знали вони, як знайти їм їжі, а їх дім та одежа були непридатні для холоду. Зрозуміли тоді люди, що скоро прийде до них смерть, і жінка вже занедужала. 

Тоді сказала донька: — Не журіться же ви, мої любі, бо відправлюся я до Мідної гори, де володарює Царевич змій; туди я відправлюся, і візьму його за чоловіка, і назветеся ви його батьком і матір'ю; і доведеться йому тоді нас врятувати, бо не зможе він залишити у біді свого роду. 

Заплакали тоді жінка із чоловіком, бо то була їх єдина донька, і вони нею дуже тішились; і сама дівка заплакала, бо не хотілося їй брати змія за нареченого. Тоді одягли вони дівчину у весільний стрій, і поклали її у човен, і поклали із нею усякого добра, що в них було, і пустили човен по ріці. Пролежала Олисам у човні три дні та три ночі, аж поки не пристав він до берега. Тоді взяла вона усе добро, що при ній було, і постукала вона у Мідні ворота. І спитав її голос: — Хто ти, чужинко, що стучить у мої ворота, коли ще не настав її час? 

Відповіла тоді дівка: — Я Олисам, людська донька, і я прийшла взяти Зміїного царевича, Господаря душі, за свого чоловіка. 

— Чого же ти волієш узяти змія за свого чоловіка? 

— Бо родина моя вмирає, і лише він спроможний її врятувати; а більше дати йому мені нічого. 

— Заходь тоді, і роздивися мене, як слід.

Відчинилися тоді Мідні ворота, і дівчина увійшла. І предстали перед нею палати великої краси, і господарство великого достатку, і на престолі перед нею возсідав сам Царевич змій. Був він старим чоловіком химерної подоби: борода його була довгою та зеленою, і були у неї уплетені цвіт-зілля різного виду: шавлія та полин, і дурман, і барвінок; шия в його була довга та луската, неначе в змії, і обличчя в його було позолоченим, а сам він виблискував, наче смарагд.

— Усе ще волієш взяти мене за чоловіка, дівко? 

— Подоба ваша химерна, і страшить мене так, що словом не скажеш, — зізналася Олисам, — але я піду на це, якщо ви врятуєте тих, що мені любі.  

— Коли візьмеш мене за чоловіка, а я тебе — за жінку, то не повернешся вже до світу людей, — сказав він, — Бо розділивши з цим світом їжу та ліжко, назавжди залишишся його частиною. 

— І на це я піду, — відказала дівка, — Якщо ви врятуєте тих, що мені любі. 

Зміїний царевич дивувався її стійкості. Він наказав своїм служкам скувати пломінь у гірських глибинах, і дав його дівці у позолоченім кошику.

— Ти повернешся до своїх рідних, Олисам, донько людини, — сказав він, — і ти принесеш їм мій вогонь; і моїм вогнем ви запалите оселі, і моїм вогнем ви будете гнати звіра в свої пастки; і коли ви уб’єте звіра, моїм вогнем ви зготуєте його м’ясо.  

— А як щодо нашого шлюбу? 

— Із цього часу і надалі, як вмре людина — не повернеться вона до землі, як то робить звір. Натомість, увійде вона духом в мої володіння; це і буде наш шлюб. І ти будеш першою на смерть, і день твого хорону буде днем нашого весілля.  

#nebokraj #krajan folklore #krajan religion #lore post

[isabella1798]

Who are Violet Sorrengails REAL family ?

I mentioned this earlier in my previous theory but I’m going to go more deeper in to it… the fable of the barrens I believe is not just a story but a prophecy.

The Fables of the Barren discusses three brothers who fought to control the magic when an ancient kingdom spanned ocean to ocean. One brother bonded a dragon, one bonded a gryphon and when the third grew jealous, he drew directly from the source (becoming the first venin), loosing his soul and waging war on the other two. The Fables of the Barren also state that 'it was the third brother, who commanded the sky to surrender its greatest power, who finally vanquished his jealous sibling at a great and terrible price.

In fourth wing when a venin approaches Violet she tells her “no wonder you were sent here, you could command the sky to surrender all of it power, you do not know what kind of power you possess”.

The venin sage also wants her bought to him ALIVE and the venin are wanting just her SPECIFICALLY.

Violet is the third sibling (the lightning wielder)

And her parents or one of her parents aren’t her real parents because Mira and Brennan are both riders not a gryphon rider and a venin…

Dragon Rider Lightning Wielder sibling = Violet

Gryffon Rider sibling = ?

Venin sibling = ?

Who could be violets siblings??? Well we don’t know many gryffon riders but Cat and that would be a terrific plot twist (Xadens ex and current girlfriend)

The venin sibling could be Jack? But the venin sibling is definitely…

‼️Leading the Venin‼️

Because this sibling is said to be jealous and became the first venin. I’m not saying this sibling is the VERY first venin but the one that restored the power in recent years after the stop of them 600 years ago.

This is why I’m leading on towards Naolin who was Tairn’s previous rider. It is said “he did not fail but lost everything”. Which confirms he is not dead and the only way Tairn could live without his rider is if he died or turned Venin.

Naolin has a lot to be jealous of Violet for, she is bonded to his old dragon and possesses a lot of power.

But… this sibling could not bond with ANY dragon or gryffon so it must not be Naolin. But I still do think Naolin is alive and will be an enemy of Violet until he gets cured, I can see Naolin and Violet teaming up and Tairn being so proud of his riders *awww*

So I believe we haven’t met her real siblings yet but what about her parents?

We know Violet never had a great relationship with her mum but had a great one with her dad. But if I’m being honest I don’t think Lilith and her husband are violets biological mother and father. It is never stated that Violet has any resemblance to her family but it is mentioned all the rest of them look alike.

If you read my theory before this one you’ll see what I mean by her real parents still being alive and venin but either way I have no idea who they are.

And this sibling who is jealous knows of violets existence but how? Are they older than violet and remember her from when she was a baby? Did they grow up together but Violet had her memories wiped? Do they know of her because of the prophecy? Or have they known Violet her whole life but never revealed to her their relation?

If Violet had her memories wiped by someone who had the signet to wipe memories and joined the sorrengails later in her childhood then Brennan and possibly Mira must remember and know that she is “adopted”.

SO IN CONCLUSION I THINK THAT HER REAL FAMILY IS OUT THERE AND WILL MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN AN UPCOMING BOOK. I ALSO THINK WE WILL HAVE A BIG SHOWDOWN AND A BIG “WTF” MOMENT WHEN IT IS REVEALED THAT THIS VENIN IS HER BROTHER (could be sister) AND A GRYFFON RIDER IS ANOTHER SIBLING THAT SHE HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF. HOWEVER THE VENIN ONE WILL BE A BIT LIKE “no luke i am your father” MOMENT HAha… PLUS VIOLET WILL KILL THIS SIBLING IN BATTLE AND WHO EVER ELSE TURNS EVIL!

This is just unhinged theory of mine and again pls correct me if I’m wrong about anything 😭👍

#fourth wing #iron flame #violet sorrengail #xaden riorson #tairn #the empyrean #theory #andarna #venin #basgiath war college

[vollmond-laboratory]

In Love with this Noche of Imprisonment — Part 1

(Northern Tundra)

[Flashback starts]

Bradley: “You’re pretty damn persistent, Mia.”

Bradley: “Y’here to try and kill me again?”

Mia: “What if I am, huh?”

Mia: “You’re my prey, trash. This’ll be the day you take your last breath.”

Bradley: “Jeez, calm down for a minute, would’ja? Look here. I’ve brought you somethin’ good today.”

Bradley: “Somethin’ you’ll wanna eat almost as much as my mana.”

Mia: “What?”

Bradley: “Lookie here.”

Mia: “…Are you mocking me right now?”

Mia: “You must think I’m an idiot, trying to gift me the mere fruit of some common tree.”

Bradley: “Hey now, don’t jump to conclusions. My chef told me spoils like these are damn near unobtainable.”

Bradley: “It ain’t exactly easy to come by fancy sweets up here in the North, and these don’t taste half bad.”

Bradley: “Y’like sweet things, don’tcha?”

Mia: “…!”

Mia: “…”

Mia: “…I do like them.”

Bradley: “Glad t’hear it. We found it mixed in with some shit we stole a while back, but me n’my men don’t have any use for somethin’ so cutesy.”

Bradley: “If I’m rememberin’ right, it’s name is—”

[Flashback ends]

Mia: “…Bradley…”

Mia: “How long has it been since you were separated from these Northern lands…”

Mia: “…Ugh. Dammit, I’m furious… Just remembering it makes me so mad I want to scream.”

Mia: “…Ahh…”

Mia: “Bradley… If only I could see you again, just once more…”

Mia: “When that time comes, I’ll finally be able to—”

Bradley: “Achoo!”

Mia: “…!”

Bradley: “Tch, got sent flyin’ again… This fuckin’ injury…”

Bradley: “…Huh?”

Bradley: “Wait, ain't that…”

—

(Manor Dining Room)

Akira: “…Not here today either, huh…”

Looking around at everyone eating their breakfast that morning with Sakitty, I let my shoulders slump with a dejected sigh.

I could see Rustica gracefully drinking some tea…

Mithra stuffing his cheeks full of meat…

And even Mitile sipping at some delicious-looking corn soup — but still not the person I was actually looking for.

Mitile: “Are you looking for someone, Master?”

Akira: “Mitile…”

Akira: “To be honest, yes… Nobody’s seen Bradley around lately, and I’m starting to get worried.”

Akira: “It doesn’t seem like he’s out on a mission or anything, so I was hoping to see him show up today…”

Mitile: “Ah, I thought so! I’ve been worrying about it too.”

Mitile: “I’ve been up to his room a few times now, but he clearly hasn’t been there for ages… I was wondering if something might have happened.”

Mitile: “…He gave me some advice on my magic I forgot to thank him for the other day, so I was hoping to see him soon…”

Akira: (Diligently wanting to convey how he feels even though the moment has already passed… That’s really nice of you, Mitile.)

Mitile: “At first I thought maybe he’d sneezed himself somewhere far away again. But there’s no way he could’ve gone that far, right…”

Mitile: “What about you, Mister Rustica? Have you seen Mister Bradley around lately?”

Rustica: “No… I haven’t, regrettably.”

Rustica: “How about you, Mithra? Have you come face to face with Bradley recently?”

Mithra: “Now that you mention it, no, I have not. His presence has been gone from the manor for some time now.”

Akira: “So it’s true, huh…”

Akira: (I know that Bradley’s a powerful wizard, but still… I can’t help worrying when it’s been this long since anyone last heard from him.)

Akira: (There has to be some way we can find him, right…? Maybe I should ask Snow and everyone else for advice.)

Suddenly, a sweet and gentle scent tickled at my nose.

When I lifted my downtrodden gaze, Nero was there offering me a gently-steaming cup.

Nero: “Here, Sage. Why don’tcha drink this hot milk and take a breather for a while, yeah?”

Akira: “Nero…! Thank you…”

Nero: “Don’t mention it.”

Nero: “Uh, y’know… I’m sure that guy you were talking about just now is doing fine. He ain’t the sorta person who kicks the bucket that easily.”

Nero: “Could be worse, yeah? At least this time we can say he probably ain’t boiling to death in a pit of magma, or something like that.”

Nero glanced furtively over at Mithra as he spoke.

Then placed the plate of freshly-cooked meat in his other hand down in front of Mithra.

Mithra: “Oh, has something like that happened before? Whoever you are talking about must be having a hard time too, hm.”

Talking as if it had nothing to do with him, Mithra swiftly devoured his food. Somehow, despite his haphazard way of eating, he still managed to look like he’d be perfect for a picture.

Mitile: “Jeez…! It’s your fault that Mister Bradley is missing, isn’t it, Mister Mithra?”

Mitile: “He probably crashed through one of your doors in space while you were fighting a magical beast or something!”

Rustica: “Is that so? As expected of someone like you, Mithra. Always so magnificent.”

Mithra: “Is that so, indeed. I must say, I do not remember anything of the like occurring recently.”

Akira: (He really has no idea, huh…)

Nero: “…I understand why y’might be worried, and y’don’t have to try and force yourself to put it outta your mind or anything like that, but…”

Nero: “Y’gotta at least have something warm to drink to take the edge off once in a while, or you’ll end up wearing yourself out.”

Mitile: “That’s right… You’re always thinking about other people first, Master Sage.”

Mitile: “And anyway, Mister Bradley has always been fine no matter where he’s sneezed himself off to before. I’m sure he’ll come home unhurt this time too!”

Akira: “Nero… Mitile…”

Akira: “You’re right. This is Bradley we’re talking about, he’s probably doing just fine!”

As I spoke, I could feel some of my worry disappearing. Just as I thought about taking a seat to drink the hot milk I had in my hand—

Rustica: “If you’re looking for a distraction, Master Sage, why don’t you take a seat beside me?”

Smiling, Rustica pulled out the chair next to him. When I sat down there gratefully, his smile widened.

Rustica: “Oh, our kind and gentle Master Sage. I can only wonder how much distress and anxiety you must be carrying within your heart for our friend who has yet to return home.”

Rustica: “I hope this gift will help to clear away some of those clouds within you.”

Rustica: “«Amorest Viesse».”

After Rustica recited his spell, a small box appeared in my hand with a twinkle of light.

Inside the box were some beautiful looking truffle chocolates.

They were a gorgeous dark brown colour, adorned with something like pink topaz sculpted into the shape of a snowflake — or a magnificently blooming six-petalled flower.

Akira: “Wow…! This chocolate is so stylish!”

Mitile: “You’re right! They seem more like gemstones in a treasure chest than chocolate. I’d want to put them on display somewhere just so I could look at them all the time.”

Nero: “Hold on, there ain’t no way…”

Nero: “Issat Benedetta fruit?”

Rustica: “As expected of someone like you, Nero. You must already know all about the ‘fruit from the Tree of Victory’.”

Rustica: “Unfortunately, however, this is nothing more than an imitation — merely chocolate that resembles the fruit’s appearance.”

Rustica: “Please, forgive me for being unable to truly satisfy you.”

Nero: “Nah, it’s my bad for getting all flustered like that.”

Nero: “I was just thinking there’s no way an actual, real-life Benedetta fruit could be here with us right now, y’know?”

Mitile: “…Um, are Benedetta fruits really that rare? I’ve never heard about them before…”

Mitile: “That thing Mister Rustica said about them being from a ‘Tree of Victory’ is kind of cool, too…!”

Mitile: “Does eating the fruit make you stronger, maybe?”

Nero: “Haha… It ain’t anything as cool as that, sorry. It’s just some fruit off a tree.”

Rustica: “The nickname ‘fruit from the Tree of Victory’ comes from the guardian who once protected the Benedetta tree.”

Akira: “Eh? There’s a tree out there lucky enough to have its own guardian?”

Nero: “Yeah. If I’m remembering right, some kinda monster made the area around that tree its territory a long time ago. The sap it gives off is its favourite food.”

Nero: “Even if y’happen to run into some just laying on the ground, y’can’t try picking ‘em up ‘cause you’ll just end up getting attacked.”

Nero: “Besides, the Benedetta tree is a real rare species. It only grows up in Northern Country, so it ain’t exactly easy to find.”

Rustica: “Which is precisely why both the taste of the fruit and the process of acquiring it have so stubbornly remained in the minds of all that have tried.”

Rustica: “And so the nickname gradually spread. The fruit of the Tree of Victory, which only those who have defeated a terrifying monster may eat… You see.”

Mithra: “…Nom. Hmm. It appears to be nothing more than some sickly-sweet confectionary, however.”

Mitile: “Ahh, Mister Mithra! That wasn’t the fruit, it was chocolate…!”

Rustica: “Ahaha. I think it’s about time we all have an after-meal dessert too, hm?”

Rustica: “We’re all waiting eagerly for Bradley to return. So long as we keep our conversation going, the time between now and then will surely fly by.”

Akira: “You’re right…! Thank you, Rustica. I’ll eat this together with the milk Nero gave me.”

Indulging in the warmth of both Rustica and Nero’s care, I carefully picked up one of the glossy, shining chocolates. Right as I was about to bite into it, though…

Figaro (offscreen): “—Therefore, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

Snow (offscreen): “You’re such a meanie, Figgypoo! Ozzy is already out on a subjugation mission, there’s no one else left I can turn to!”

Mitile: “Those voices… Is that Doctor Figaro and Lord Snow?”

Nero: “Sounds like they’re having some kinda spat.”

The two of them were clearly arguing as they walked into the dining room together. It seemed as if Snow had something he needed from Figaro.

Akira: “Good morning, you two. Is something going on?”

Snow: “Ah, Sage. You, at least, will listen to me, yes?”

Snow held a piece of paper out towards me.

Snow: “‘Tis a subjugation request. According to this, there is a monster rampaging among the snowfields further north than the City of Ice.”

Snow: “Its appearance is that of a gigantic snake, and its power is of considerable concern — or so I have heard. As such, the plan was for us Northern wizards to deal with the matter.”

Snow: “But, alas, I have seen neither hide nor hair from Bradley as of late. And so I am asking Figaro to fill in for him in his absence.”

Mithra: “So that is how it is, hm. Well, good luck with all of that, substitute Bradley.”

Figaro: “Hold on a sec, I haven’t agreed to anything yet — and you’ll be the key player there, Mithra, not me.”

Mitile: “Um… But, even without Mister Bradley there, Mister Mithra and Mister Owen are both incredibly strong, right?”

Mitile: “Even a horrible monster like that is no match for them combined.”

Mitile: “So why bring Doctor Figaro along at all? …He’s only a Southern wizard, isn’t he?”

Snow: “Ah, well, both Mithy and Wenny are terribly naughty children, you see.”

Snow: “If either of them were to realise someone who should be working isn’t, they would claim the circumstances to be unfair and vanish on us as well…”

Snow: “Even if we could get them to stay, ‘twould only be a matter of time until they decide to waste their energy fighting each other instead, neglecting the monster they were supposed to be dealing with in the first place. The fallout of such an event would almost certainly impact the City of Ice, too.”

Snow: “‘Tis situations such as those where having your dear Doctor around would be wonderfully beneficial to us, considering his social aptitude. Simply speaking: we want to take it easy!”

Figaro: “…So that’s how I ended up getting asked to help out, kind of. You’re really putting poor Doctor Figaro on the spot like this.”

Mithra: “You know, I suddenly find myself feeling as if I do not particularly want to go after all.”

Mitile: “I–I see…? So in other words, um… You’ll be supporting Misters Snow and White?”

Snow: “Yes, exactly! Normally we rely on dear Braddykins for that sort of thing, as he’s usually rather good at it.”

Snow: “Good grief. Where in the world could that boy have possibly disappeared off to for so long? I shall have Oz search for him when he returns, I think.”

At that moment, a sound suddenly reverberated through the dining room.

Rustica: “Oh? It sounds as though there’s someone knocking on the windowpane.”

Mitile: “Did something hit the window, maybe…? …I’ll go take a look.”

Mitile: “...This is…”

When Mitile turned around, what he had in his hand was a small cork, like the kind used to seal bottles of alcohol.

#mahoyaku tl #mhyk tl #mhyktl #In Love with this Noche of Imprisonment

[liyue-harbour]

𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚

pairing :: dottore x (ghost) reader

part 2

rumour has it that a student’s soul who had died on campus at the time lingers there forever. sages and students alike have seen them. the spirit had h/c hair with glowing eyes and an unfriendly gaze, and often seen in the sumeru akademiya kshahrewar uniform looking neat and tidy.

their appearance was so realistic that if it wasn’t for their see-through appearance, people would mistake her for a living student. however, actually getting a glimpse of them was a more rare occurrence than hearing them.

students and sages claimed to have heard things being whispered to them when no one else was there. were they about how she died? or were they just trying to help with whatever work others had? no one really knows, for the whispers were mostly inaudible.

their name?

y/n l/n.

and there he was, rummaging through the restricted section of the akademiya library.  zandik flipped through the pages of a book, desperately trying to find information he could use for his research on mechanical lifeforms. unable to find it, he circled moved on to the next.

that was when he heard it, a soft whisper in his ear. “such interesting research you’re doing, zandik.”

he turned around, expecting to see someone but he saw no one. he shrugged it off, thinking that it was just his imagination until he remembered what he had overheard the other students talk about yesterday.

what was it again? ah, yes. the famous spirit of the akademiya. however, zandik wasn’t one to believe in ghosts. at least, he thought he didn’t believe in them. his imagination began to run wild. could that have been them? the y/n l/n? there’s no way ghosts exist, right?

“who’s there?” he questioned. nothing. zandik was about to ask again but the whisper came back.

“you don’t know? looks like i expected too much of you…” they whined, voice muffled. zandik could feel the air around him turn sad but it soon became lively again. “anyway, your work looks interesting!”

he blinked and muttered a quick ‘thanks’. he thought it was strange, if he really did meet a ghost, why would it talk to someone like him? besides, weren’t they supposed to scare others? zandik blinked. he was still confused but continued with his research, a little more seriously now. he wondered how they had known his name. hearing their humming getting further away, he spoke up.

“how do you know my name?” his hands started to feel sweaty, and the humming stopped. the spirit let out a small giggle and answered the questioned proposed to them.

“are you for real? your name is very well known around the akademiya…” you stopped talking and hovered around the shelves. pink dusted zandik’s cheeks, and he wondered why he had asked such a silly question. soon, another round of humming started up. you let your fingers linger over some books.

he started to get restless. your humming wasn't horrible, it was just that he was trying to get as much information from the restricted section he could without getting caught. not being able to ignore you any longer, he decided to start a conversation with the ghost.

 "so….l/n" he started, "if you really are real, you're going to need to do more than whisper in my ear to convince me." zandik gulped as he felt the air turning heavy. he could not tell where the ghost was, for you were invisible.

 “of course i am!" you pouted, "and please, call me y/n." you floated behind him and materialised― eyes boring into his, hands behind your back. he saw you, standing on the ground in the akademiya uniform and kshahrewar beret. zandik was convinced that you are real. "does this make you believe?" he nodded and proposed yet another question and the air turned heavy once more.

“why are you still here?”

“because i can’t cross over.” suddenly, an idea popped into your mind. “let’s make a deal.” you had piqued his interest and it was evident in the way his eyes shined. 

smirking, you disappeared, only to re-materialise next to him. “i help you with your research and you help me find a way to cross over to the other side. as a former kshahrewar dastur and someone who has been in the akademiya for many years before you, i will be a lot of use to you.”

zandik roared with laughter. he accepts your deal and makes a final decision mentally. he would achieve his goals and find a way to bring you back to life.

masterlist | part 2

#il dottore x reader #genshin impact #genshin #genshin impact x reader #x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin imagines #genshin drabbles #genshin impact drabbles #dottore #il dottore #dottore x reader

[imkillerbae]

Dancing in the Dark (Part 2) (Valorant Yoru x Fem!Reader x Valorant Sova)

Part 1 Here.

Summary: You're confronted by Yoru about your lies and decides to have his way with you in a broom closet.

Words: 2k

CW: Crying, regret, FLUFF. Happy ending

(A/N: I was supposed to add a smut after this but got lazy so I didnt hence the broom closet AHAHA anyway here's the ending! REQUESTS ARE OPEN. Please send me ideas i am running out of ideas i beg) Listen to 'Dancing in the Dark' originally by Bruce Springsteen covered by LOLO for better experience.

The bottle of whiskey was barely drunk from, and you held the neck of it with a tight grip. You were glaring at the man in front of you, and he returned the look, although less hostile. Yoru tried to tug the bottom of the bottle from your grasp but you did not relent, pulling it towards yourself even more.

“You’re not planning to drink all of this yourself, are you?” You ask in annoyance.

“And what’s that to you?” He muses, raising his brows to taunt your question.

Sova’s birthday party was getting more and more unbearable for him, especially with the mind blowing news he received just moments ago. He needed to go numb, to just let his brain go blank even just for a moment. You weren’t helping the situation, because it was taking all his self-control not to drag you to the nearest broom closet and—

“I know how you get when you’re drunk.” You reply, looking at his shoulders rather than his eyes. He was much taller than you, something he liked to relish in.

You couldn’t help but intrude when you saw him heading for the bar, Sova walking the opposite direction of him. You didn’t see them talk but you could tell he didn’t like being around Sova anyways. And when he’s drunk, he gets a bit violent and destructive. Not the bad kind. He just becomes painfully unaware of how strong he is and just breaks things. During Phoenix’s birthday, they dared him to dance on top of the tables, and he broke them in half.

The tables were made from metal.

“I don’t think that’ll be any of your business.” He reaches for the bottle again, and you switch it between your hands, holding it out of his reach. “It is my business. Sage took extra effort to get this whole party perfect and I’m not gonna let you ruin it with your drunken antics,” you lied, trying to seem uncaring. He furrows his brows at you, his blood simmering under his skin. Ruin it? He would never. He didn’t even think of doing that at all. Not even slightly.

“Oh, sorry if my presence disturbs the party. Wouldn’t want your archer boyfriend to get upset right?” He taunts, trying to confirm what Sova told him before. Her heart is set on no one else but you.

You sigh and shake your head. “He’s not my boyfriend.” You say in defeat. He’s still hung up about it. Rephrase: he’s still hung up about nothing. Sova wasn’t anything to you other than a friend and a teammate. Why couldn’t he see that?

Yoru tries another time to grab the bottle from you and succeeds, your low mood affecting your reflexes. He pops the bottle open and drinks from the spout, not bothering to put it on the glass anymore. “Oh yeah, he’s a brother to you. Although brothers don’t usually confess their love to their sisters, but whatever floats your boat Y/N,” he glares after drinking, his voice full of spite that you almost shudder.

You stood in place, shocked. He knows? How? Did Sova tell him? But you agreed to keep it a secret. Your blood runs cold even with the alcohol in your veins. Yoru knows that he was right to be suspicious. And now he thinks you’ve cheated on him. “I-I…” You start, but he intrudes.

“Strange family dynamic but I’m not judging,” he laughs at his own joke, pushing your arm gently to get you out of your trance. “You lied to me Y/N. You lied to me about him, got me worried sick about you, and you tried to gaslight me into thinking I was wrong,” he smiles an empty smile at you, tossing the whiskey glass over the bar. You don’t hear it shatter, getting caught by the fine sand.

“Why did you have to lie to me?” He asks, shaking his head in disbelief. You clench your fists, looking down guiltily. You thought you could have gotten away with it. But in reality you knew he was bound to find out eventually. You just didn’t think it would be so soon.

“I-I’m so sorry Ryo… I-I thought it would be best you didn’t know! I know you would be mad at me for not seeing it, and angry at Sasha a-and confront him about it,” you start, tears forming and flowing down your cheeks and nose. He tilts his head to the side, listening intently. “I was told that if a fight broke out, one of you w-would be fired from the protocol, a-and I didn’t want to lose you…” You grab your own arm and squeeze, trying to get yourself together.

“Y-you were right, a-and I was wrong and naïve and stupid a-and I broke your trust… I shouldn’t have lied but I was scared what you’d do if you knew you were right about him… I was scared that you’d hate me for being so naïve and not listening to you…” I hate myself for not listening to you, you thought but didn’t say anything of the sort. You didn’t want to turn this into something about you. You hurt Yoru and tried to make it seem like he was the bad guy in all of this, just so you could play peacekeeper.

With that, you were already crying as you stood, and you muffled yourself with your hands. He stood there watching you, wanting to hug you, hold you in his arms, but he couldn’t just do that. You needed to learn your lesson. Seeing you crying was the last thing he wanted tonight.

“Puta no!” You both hear Neon yelp, but it was too late. You didn’t see what happened but somehow Neon short circuited the lights, causing all the lightbulbs to pop above you, surrounding you all in total darkness.

“Merde, has anyone seen my glasses?”

“Everyone, stay calm, the generators will open in any moment.”

“Ow! That was my foot Gekko!”

“I—I’m all the way here! That wasn’t me!”

“Can’t you go up in flames or something Phoenix? We need light!”

“With all the flammables lying around? Do you want to get toast?”

You uncover your face and you couldn’t see anything. You could only hear the sounds of the ocean waves and the ruckus going on in the crowd. You then hear a sigh before you’re dragged by the wrist by someone, Yoru you’re guessing. You stumble after him as he walked quickly, opening a door and ushering you inside. He closes it and you hear a clicking sound.

“They won’t hear us talk here.” He says. You reach out your arms and hit his chest mistakenly. You step back and step on a few things, making sounds. “Will you stop that? They’re going to think there’s someone out there that isn’t us,” he scolds, and you make an angry face at him, or wherever your face was directed to. “I can’t see you!” You complain, reaching for him again until he reaches for your hand and puts it on his cheek. Your heart skips a beat, and you blush. He couldn’t see that though.

“There. Is that better?” He asks, his voice more quiet than usual. You nod, but then remember he can’t see you too. “Y-yeah. Sorry if my hands a-are wet.” You wipe your other hand on your sundress frantically, and he grabs hold of that too and places it on his shoulder. He then grabs your waist, pulling you closer. You start to feel him move side to side, and a picture formed in your head.

You were dancing in the dark.

“I get up in the evening, and I ain’t got nothing to say~” You sang quietly, and he laughs a bit. “I go home in the morning, I go to bed feeling the same way~” You continue, humming.

“I ain’t nothing but tired. Man I’m just tired and bored with myself,” he sings along after a while, and you pull him closer. “Hey there baby, I could use just a little help.”

Can’t start a fire, can’t start a fire without a spark.

This gun’s for hire, even if we’re just dancing in the dark.

“I was dying to dance with you all night,” you admit, whispering it in his ear. He nods, breathing against your neck. “Me too.” He replies quietly. “I missed you so much. So much. I’m so sorry for lying, I’m so sorry for being so naïve and not listening to you. I’m so sorry,” you cry, and he holds you closer, letting you sob on his shoulder.

He was still mad, but hearing how sad and lonely you sound, he knew this was hard on you as it was for him. Miscommunication was a bitch, and you both became a victim to it. Ironic since you had excellent communication systems.

“I understand why you lied to some degree. And you were right, I would’ve murdered him in his sleep. But you know I could’ve gotten away with it,” he chides, and you step on his foot. He feigns hurt but keeps dancing. “You tried to protect me and had the protocol’s best interest in mind. Can’t fault you on that too much. But it still pisses me off that lied. You shouldn’t feel the need to lie to me.

“But that was my fault. You were scared of how I’d act. And yeah, I know I can get carried away most of the time. Just a few minutes ago, I almost broke Sova’s nose,” he chuckles at the thought but continues. “Point is, we both made mistakes.” He finishes with a sigh.

“Please take me back,” you ask, and as soon as you did, the power went on. You adjusted your view, and saw that Yoru was also a bit teary eyed. You smile tenderly and hold his face with your palm, caressing it. “Please take me back. I love you and only you,” you begged. He stops moving both of you and leans into your touch, thinking. He hasn’t seen you this close in a while, and from the bags under your eyes, he could tell how unwell you’ve been without him.

“Promise me you won’t lie to me anymore. Promise me you’ll tell me anything that bothers you, even if you won’t like my initial reaction. And I promise to listen to you more, and to never doubt you again,” he asks, leaning his head on to your hands, melting him like putty. You nod, your smile quivering as you cry. “I promise. I promise,” you were able to blurt out, pouncing on him and hugging him tightly. You both dance again as you hum the lyrics to your favorite song.

They say you gotta stay hungry, hey baby, I’m just about starving tonight

I’m dying for some action, I’m sick of sitting round here tryna write this book

I need a love reaction~

“C’mon now, baby give me just one look,” he pulls away, giving you a smile before he kisses you longingly as you dance the night away. He missed you more than you know. And he was glad that he was your last dance tonight. He wanted to dance with you so bad.

You can't start a fire, sitting 'round crying over a broken heart

This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark

You can't start a fire, worrying about your little world falling apart

This gun's for hire

Even if we're just dancing in the dark.

(Tagging: @sv03, thanks for waiting!)

#valorant sova #sova x reader #valorant sova x reader #valorant imagines #valorant #valorant headcanons #valorant sova imagines #valorant sova oneshot #valorant oneshots #valorant oneshot #sova #fanfiction #valorant fanfiction #valorant yoru #yoru x reader #valorant yoru x reader #valorant yoru oneshot #yoru