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misguidedasgardian · 1 year

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The Winter Sun (16)

16. The God's wood

MASTERLIST

Summary: A child born in Winter was a good omen

Pairing: Cregan Stark x Fem!Targaryen Reader

Warnings: Cursing, medieval and asoiaf customs, AGE GAP, Cregan is 12 years OLDER than reader), arranged marriage, birth of a baby (nothing described), fluff, talk about death and miscarriages, talk about childbirth, and death in childbirth, breastfeeding, might miss some warnings

+18, MINORS DNI

Wordcount: 3.3 k

Notes: I don’t really like how I name the baby BUT that is canon! Cregan’s first child is name like that so… anyways IT'S HAPPENNING PEOPLE THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL

Cregan was stunned… he couldn’t find you anywhere, he was also becoming scared, but the alarms didn’t go off so he doubted something bad had befell you. He looked for you in the battlements, and nothing, you were not in your rooms, not in the library, nor in the Kitchens, not the room that had turned into yours and Sara’s sewing room, and you were not with the Maester. He finally had the courage to scout the Godswood, but you weren’t that either.

So he started to ask around if people had seen you, and the path took him to the kitchens again.

“Yes, she and Sara are down the earth, in the hot springs”, said Thelma, as she whisked the batter for a pie Sara had requested of her. Cregan looked at the woman incredulously

“Couldn’t you just tell me that earlier?”, he asked, and she looked at him and chuckled

“Made you look!”, she teased, and he chuckled darkly, and left the kitchens

So you where in the Hotsprings below the castle

He was not surprised, but he tried to suppress his anger, those hot springs had a very high temperature, specially in your state, but he had to remind himself that one, Targaryens did prefer the heat, it had been proven by maesters that you had a higher tolerances for higher temperatures than normal people, and two, that you had good instincts you had learned to follow, so if you were in the Hot Springs, it meant you really felt the need to go, that you really believe it could do you good.

He had to dispose of his cape, his vest and his boots before he went down the stairs, because he was already sweating, the steam that came from down below was hitting him strongly.

The set of old stone stairs opened to a wide cave, that looked like a pavilion, a huge bath house for the natural hot springs that had been here since the beginning of time, and the reason Winterfell was built where it was

You were lying down in the edge of the hot pool, on your side, your big belly between your hugging arms, Sara was by your side, half of her body in the waters, you were both dressed in short light dresses, that were completely soaked. You were conversing happily, giggling like two little girls, Cregan stopped on his tracks and just watched the scene, amused.

How did he get so lucky?

Fate had brought his sister to Winterfell’s doors, and he loved her dearly, a dragon had brought you to Winterfell’s gates… you both, you three… were everything to him

“Cregan!”, greeted Sara, you turned around with a smile on your face

“My love”

“Hello you two, can I join you?”

“Well of course!”, you said, patting the palace right by your side, where he took a seat, placing his feet under the hot, almost boiling water.

But it was relaxing nonetheless once you get used to it.

You went into the waters and floated around happily Cregan soon joined you, taking you in his arms

“this is the only place that gives me comfort”, you whined, smiling, “I feel so heavy all the time, floating around soothes me”

“I understand that”, he kissed your wet temple, as you floated around happily

“I don’t understand why we don’t come to this place more often”, muttered Sara with a shy smile, “it is so relaxing”

“It is”, said Cregan

“Agreed”, you giggled, “if it was enough my dragon could be happy here”

“Speaking of dragons, how is Dragonstone?”, she asked you both

“It is one of the greatest things I have ever seen”, Cregan muttered, “The whole island rests on Dragon glass, and the castle itself seems to be carved right off the stone, dragons sculpted everywhere, a great fortress, it is breathtaking”

“Did you see the dragons?”, she asked, amazed

“Only flying from afar”, he said, “it is very dangerous to get close to them”, you added

“One day we will take you”, promised Cregan, and you nodded enthusiastically

Perhaps, when Rhaenyra is Queen, you could ask her to proclaim Sara legitimate, you haven't spoken about it with Cregan or Sara, but it is something you wanted so badly for her. Perhaps when it’s done…

“When winter is over, you could travel through the kingdoms on dragonback!”, you said happily

“You know Vhaelar actually likes me!”, Sara offered, “Well, she hasn't thrown fire at me, so I’m guessing it’s a good sign!”, she giggled

“That is indeed a good beginning”, you giggled

You spend the rest of the afternoon in the Hot Springs, until Cregan dragged you both out, saying it was too much, your baby moved around in your belly, restless. So Cregan took you to the kitchens, to feed you both.

The pie Thelma had cooked for you was ready, so you enjoyed it together in the great hall

“I have to go to the woods to hunt”, Cregan told you, “a group of stags had been spotted near the river, It would be good to have some extra meat if needed”, he explained

“I wish you luck husband”, you whispered with a shy smile

“It shouldn’t be more than a couple of days”, he said simply, grabbing your hand over the table

Cregan left the very next morning and came back in two days, as promised, tired and freezing, but with fresh meat to eat.

You celebrated with roast deer those coming days.

So you kept navigating through winter, Cregan was exchanging letters with his friend Ben, of how much he wanted to see him, you haven{t met him yet, but Cregan had told you many stories about him, how he was his closest friend, he had even send you a present for your unborn child, and you couldn’t wait to meet him.

You also couldn’t wait to meet your child, you were growing heavier by the day, so uncomfortable, your feet hurt at the end of each day, your belly button had begun to pop, and according to the servants and the midwife it was a sign that the birth was near. And you were happy for it.

Cregan had been occupied most day, making preparation, he covered every window in your rooms with a plank of wood and furs except for one, so you could still watch over Winter’s Town

You were over a moon shy of finally having him in your arms.

It was the middle of the morning and still, there was darkness everywhere. The presence of the Lord of Winterfell was required in Winter’s Town, a problem between lords, and cattle to take meat, so he had to go to settle the quarrel. It was easily resolved by throwing a few coins at the problem.

The snow and cold had taken hold of his body, but still, you were nearing the end of the pregnancy, so the freezing cold did not deter Cregan, who had grabbed an oil lamp and ventured himself deep in the Godswood, with the Heart tree being the only destiny in his mind.

With the ghostly face in front of him, he fell to his knees and placed his hands together in prayer. And with one last look towards that carved face, he closed his eyes in concentration.

“Gods”, he called, “Gods of the streams, the forests, the rocks, Gods of beasts, of men, of children, I beseech you”, he spoke with a trembling voice, begging, “You who whisper when the winds blows and when the birds sing, all of you who linger in the winter, who bring life in the midst of death…”, he opened his eyes again, looking at those eyes who were looking right back at him, “I beg of you, protect my wife”, he said gently, “protect her and my unborn child, let her live to see our baby grow big and strong, she is a good and kind woman, please protect her….”

Only silence was his answer, but he felt at peace when he heard the wind blows through the trees

After everything he had lived through and everyone he lost he found himself constantly feeling this horrible sensation, of that the same fate as his first two wives might befall you, his young wife and mother to their unborn child.

And he couldn’t bear it, not again, if he loses you, he might as well die right by your side, he was going to do everything in his power to prevent it

But there was this moment where he felt content, even if he followed the Old Gods and their traditions, he wasn’t quite devote, so he really hoped his prayers were answered, and for a second he believed they were, he heard the rustling of the leaves, a soft whisper in the air, and far, far away, the howling of Autumn deep in the Wolf’s wood

It was so peaceful

“CREGAN!”, and now the screech of his sister, “CREGAN!”, She called again and he turned, alarmed, he could not see her, so he stood up, grabbing the lamp and he started running towards the entrance of the God’s Wood

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?”, he asked, alarmed

“You fool! Where were you? I have been looking for you everywhere!”, she cried, grabbing into his arms, “it’s time! She is in labor! she had been for hours!”, she said with a wide smile

“I am going to be a father?”, he asked, his eyes shiny, and Sara nodded enthusiastically

“YES! NOW GO YOU IDIOT!”, he passed by her running, dropping the lamp that broke against the ground, but he couldn’t care less

He was going to be a father!

He thought fleetingly that he had never run so fast in his life, everything around him going by in a blur. He almost jumped the short steps towards the entrance of the castle and he shoved every person on his way screaming how sorry he was, he found the stairs and ran even faster, when he finally reached the last floor of the castle, where his rooms were, he heard your screams. They were like screams of someone fighting for their life, screams of war and battle… He stopped in his tracks, scared out of his mind, not wanting to go in.

What if something went badly?

What if you perished afterwards?

What if his babe…?, he didn’t even want to think about it.

And then, there was calm, silence, you had stopped your screams, and he decided, really, he didn’t decide anything, his feet took him to venture inside the room, he ran, opened the door widely, just as the cries of his first born child reached his ears.

He didn’t realize he was holding his breath, not until he let out all the air in his lungs, and you found his eyes and you smiled, widely, you were sweaty, bloody, messy, and you never looked more beautiful

“It’s a boy!”, screamed the midwife, with a crying, bloodied bundle in her arms

“Cregan!”, you called, and he ran to your side

“I was not here!”, he lamented, kissing your face, your sweaty forehead, taking your hands in his, “my love I’m so sorry!”, he cried

“It was so fast!”, you chuckled tiredly, “it came very quickly, you do not need to be sorry”

“Two pushes and he was out my lord!”, cheered a maid that had helped you through the whole delivery

“Here he is!”, the midwife said, “cleaned and ready to meet his parents! a healthy baby boy”, your babe was crying softly, his little hands above the fabrics searching for something, or someone.

She placed it gently in your arms, and you looked down at his little reddened face, you accommodated him against your chest, and his cries stopped, he tried to open his eyes but he barely could, he was so small, and chubby, his hair dark just like his father’s

Cregan fell to his knees by your side, to look at him, you didn’t even realize you were crying happy tears, relieved tears

“Our baby!”, he cried as well, placing hand on it’s head, so small in comparison, “look at him”, he said, enamored, “he is so perfect”, he whispered

“He is kind of small isn’t he?”, you asked, “it’s a little red…”, you were not quite convinced, and you were weary and scared, if something was wrong you wouldn’t know how to tell

“It is normal my lady”, giggled the midwife, “I shall fetch the maester, to have a look at him”, you nodded. “You did not had any reapings, so you should have make a quick recovery, no blood was lost, either way, I will fetch the maester”

You look at your son and you couldn’t believe you had him in your arms, it felt surreal, you knew why they called them “bundles of joy”, you felt so happy, a warmth in your chest that took a hold on you whole, you felt joyous, you felt like you could explode with love for this little person that you held so comfortably against you, like he belonged there, like he was created to fit perfectly in your arms and against you chest. You whined in happiness, still happy tears rolled down your eyes

You looked up at Cregan and he was looking down at you with suck love and wonder in his gray eyes like you had never seen before

“Would you like to hold him?”, you asked Cregan, and he nodded. You passed on the baby to him, and he held it in his arms carefully. Once he was safe in his father’s arms, the maids and the midwife cleaned you, took the afterbirth with them, and left you with cleaned sheets, and then they left.

“We must tell the happy news to everyone!”, one said, and the left you in the comfort of your rooms

Your still nameless child had fallen asleep in Cregan’s arms, and you sighed, tired. Childbirth brought you a pain you had never felt before, a crippling pain, and then when you finally expelled it from your body you felt an incredible relief, a soothing sensation washing over you, but now, that adrenaline has passed, the pain has returned, and also, you felt so tired…

“How are you feeling my love?”, he asked softly

“I feel like I’ve been trampled by a herd of wild horses”, you said with a tired smile, “but I will be alright”

“If something happens to you I swear…” he sighed heavily against your temple, “I’ll die right with you”

“I’m fine”, you assured him, and he smiled, “we have to name our child”, you said with a tired smile.

He laid down by your side, your sleeping baby in his arms, you both looked at him

“How shall we name him?”, he asked then

“Should we name him like your father?”, you asked, “Rickon?”, he looked at you wide eyed

“Would you like that? Name him as my father?”

“I love that name”, you whispered. “It’s a northmen name”, you said happily, so he nodded

“Then it’s Rickon Stark”, he said

The maester showed up shortly after, with a shy smile. He entered the room after knocking

“The old gods had blessed you, my lord!”, he said, “they brought you a son!”

“They did”, he said gently

“Would you let me examine him?”, you begrudgingly agreed and let him take Rickon, he placed him gently at the foot of the bed and he undressed him, his little chubby arms and legs moved desperately

“It’s cold!”, you complained, but Cregan only chuckled

“10 toes”, the old man said, tickling his small feet, “10 fingers”, he said then, and he touched him in his belly, he grabbed his arms gently, and his legs, he examined him, then he placed his finger in front of his little face and move it around, he hummed, contented, “he has your eyes princess”, he said, then looking at you, “the eyes of old Valyria”, you sighed happily, “he is a healthy baby boy”, he placed him back into your arms, covered in a small fox fur

“You can tell the people of Winter’s town”, Cregan said, proud, “Winterfell has it’s heir, is a boy named Rickon, like my father before me”

“A strong winter child”, he said, “the people will be happy”, he gave you sips of milk of the poppy and then he left your small family again

“Are you proud?”, you asked, your eyes filled with hope and wonder

“Proud?”, he asked, raising his gaze from the babe in his arms to look at you

“I want you to be proud of me, and our little family”, you explained gently

“I’m not only proud, but I’m possibly the happiest men on the world right now”, he said, “look at our child, look at what you give to me”, he said gently, “I love you, and I couldn’t be prouder”

With that in mind you dozed off, thanks to the milk of the poppy, and relying on Cregan’s body for support

“We have a big bed wife, one day we will be all squeezed up with all the children we are going to have”, you heard faintly before falling asleep.

You woke up a couple of hours later, with the cries of RIckon, you jumped out of bed to find him crying in Cregan’s armas, who looked kind of desperate and once you were awake, he looked guilty for awakening you

“I think he might be hungry”, you whispered. The midwife had come close to you the last moon, to talk to you about this kind of thing, cares for your babe, you had insist you wanted to breastfeed him yourself, you reached at Cregan and with a wide smile, he placed Rickon back into your arms

“There you are little one”, you greeted gently, you released one of your breasts from your night shirt, and palace him near your nipple, he latched on immediately, and it tickle you when he started to suck, it felt so strange

Cregan held you in his arms as you fed Rickon, dropping comfort kisses on your shoulder, and he caressed your arms.

There was no need for words, you only shared this intimate moment, with your newborn in your arms, and your husband by your side.

Rickon fell asleep soon after, and you giggled, Cregan grabbed him and placed him in the crib that you had placed specially for this moment, a beautiful wooden crib, carves with beautiful Northerner designs, sent by one of Cregan’s closest friends, Ben Tallhart, Lord of Torrhen’s square.

He look through the window and gasped in surprise, he then looked back at you

“Look” he said softly, you reached for him and he helped you raise from the bed with difficulty, and then walk towards the window with a view of winter’s town, you gasped, amazed, all around town big torches had been lit up, pires all around, it looked like the town itself was aflame, but the reflection of the snow made it wonderful, “do you know what it is?”, he said, amazed, “the people of the town lit fires in your honor, their fire lady, in celebration of the birth of our son”, he said proudly

“Really?”, you asked, tears in your eyes

“Really”, he assured you, he hugged you kissing the top of your head, “thank you my love”

“For what?”, you giggled

“For everything”, he said, kissing the side of your face

. . .

What you did not know is that as your baby boy drew his first breath, King Viserys, in King’s landing, drew his last.

More notes!: I wanted to make the birth swift and quickly... because she will have more children and just didn't want to make it very dramatic...

ANYWAYS como se dice en espanol... ya va llegando gente al baile! hahaha

Taglist! ❤️

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@lyannesworldrld @arujee @kamisunshine @mss-nthng @partypoison00 @grimistangel @elleclairez @may-machin @prettykinkysoul @justagurlwithships @champomiel

@laura-naruto-fan1998 @zoleea-exultant @devotedlythoughtfulanchor @zoleea-exultant @llleon666 @dark-night-sky-99 @bitchigoteverythingissues @harrypotteranna23-blog@esposadomd @ajanauia @phantomtea19 @let-love-bleeds-red @kishie8 @dreamingofyourmoons @esposadomd @sandronebabyy @kemillyfreitas @trifoliumviridi @dreamingofyourmoons @darling-jace @biblichorr

#misguidedwinter #cregan #cregan stark x reader #cregan x reader #cregan stark #hbo house of the dragon #house of the dragon #house targaryen #house stark #targaryen!reader #targaryen!oc

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rimunagenius · 1 year

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You Scared Me

pairing: DARYL x fem!READER

summary: When Rick makes a plan to deter a herd of walkers away from Alexandria, he didn't know that a dangerous group massacres everyone back home. When the herd is drawn back home, Daryl needs to get back home to you to confess.

era: season 6 !!!SPOILERS!!! (especially s6e2)

A/N: This is the first imagine i've written on here, so please be nice.

words: a LOT (super sorry)…..not rlly ;)

warnings: angst and fluff

———

"Come by around 3:00.” Carl turned around and kept pushing the stroller ahead of the both of you as you and him walked the calm streets of Alexandria.

Walking Judith was yours and Carls favorite past time ever since this community opened their welcoming arms to you and the group. You guys were out there surviving on the road far too long. It was only a matter of time. This was the perfect change and chance for the whole group.

Judith was clapping her hands as you looked over at the girl, big grin covering both your faces as you neared them Grimes home. "Do you think it's a bad idea?

“Y’know, teaching Gabriel? After everything he did to get us kicked out of here?" Carl looked at your face, confusion and denial written all over.

"Nah. I think it's good that your still being kind to the man. Regardless of his ulterior motives against us. Shows a lot about your character Carl Grimes. Your father taught you well." You just smiled at the boy, tipping his hat down covering his eyes. Although you weren't necessarily pleased and friendly with the man yourself, you admired the teens welcoming nature that came to him naturally. You loved him and Judith dearly, they could never do wrong in your eyes. They were a breath of fresh air and a reminder that the world wasn't just a cruel place with heartless asshats wondering around.

“I think it's time Judith takes a-" You we're cut off by the screams of a woman followed by rounds of gunfire. Her shrieks piercing your ears, and the sound of semi-automatics leaving a ringing sensation. The newfound mayhem caused you to instinctively push Carl, who was now holding Judith in his arms, further behind you into the house.

Immediately locking the front door, you moved as fast as you could to the nearest window locking it shut. "Carl! Lock the windows now, and grab the gun your dad has in the closet!" Carl looked at you, worry ridden in his big blue eyes as he set his sister down and helped with the windows. As he grabbed his fathers assault rifle, you grabbed another that was placed right next to it. Checking for your knife that you always managed to keep on your right hip, you sprinted to the back door of the home, the Grimes boy following suit.

"Where are you going?!"

"Carl, keep Judith safe. I gotta see what's going on, do not unlock the doors, and stay in this damn house. You do not leave til i come back, understand?" The boy gave her a blank stare, wasting the time you had to help. "Carl! Do you understand me?! Keep your sister safe, i'll be right back. Lock this door behind me, I love you!" You had to let the boy know that you admired and cared for him, had to let him know that he was loved by you, his dads bestfriend, if it was his last time seeing you.

Running down the street behind the house, assault rifle strapped to your shoulder, you ran into a woman lying on the ground. Unconscious, blood covering her abdomen, you knew she was dead so you took your knife and slid it through her temple. Your gaze shot upwards as the back door she was lying infront of swung open, a scruff, heavy built man, 'w' carved into his forehead, approached you quickly. Swinging his knife close to your own abdomen, you threw yourself backwards avoiding the blade completely. He tried again, coming from the opposite direction this time, succeeding. He slashed a shallow line across your stomach. Oh Daryl is not going to let this go. Kicking the man's knee inverted, the man doubled over screaming in agony at his broken knee, as you took this opportunity to stab him from under his chin. You dropped the body and moved on.

As you killed two more people, a big truck crashed through the gates of Alexandria and straight into the south wall of the community, it's horn relentlessly blaring as it came to an abrupt stop. You hoped that the your family wasn’t close, the herd could be headed back this way if the horn didn't stop. Running towards the truck, you met Spencer, as he was the one who shot the driver from the tower. Hopping inside, the driver who had already turned lunged for you as you intercepted his arms and stabbed him in his temple.

You flipped the switch to horn back down, shutting it off entirely. You jumped back out of the truck, shooting down a man roaming the streets with his knife raised, as he approached a kid you knew as Ron.

———

Daryl's job was to just drive slowly infront if the herd, give them something to look at, and lead the away. Everything seemed to work out but then a loud horn began to echo through the woods. Looking behind him, he saw most of the herd break off and follow the noise.

He grabbed the walkie clipped to his vest and tried to radio Rick and Glenn. "Rick!"

"Im here."

"What's going on back there?" Daryl wasn't the guy to get worried about anyone. If that person didn't hold a special place in his heart or if that person wasn't as important to him as she was..he didn't give a flying fuck what they went through because other people always have it harder. Although he necessarily wasn't the type of man to worry, he started to worry.

The sound was close and so was he from Alexandria. He was out far, but not too far that the herd wouldn't make its way back towards home.

This is what he feared. He feared that the group would get to the community and they'd let their guard down. He was afraid that if he was out here, you'd worry if he was safe, slowly driving yourself insane; but him being out here and the herd heading your way...he couldn't help but worry about if you were still safe. He hoped that they wouldn't head home. Not to you. Not to his girl.

“They broke off. They're headed towards Alexandria!" Ricks voice came in static through the walkie and came in like distant echoes to Daryl's ears.

"Imma gas it up, turn back.” Daryl suggested through the walkie talkie. "We have it. You keep going." Rick asserted back to the archer as his growing nerves didn't settle. Daryl was scared. He only ever was when it came to you. "They're gonna need our help! Y/N, Carol, Rosita, and Maggie are the only ones tha' know what the hell they're doing! If it's bad man, i'm turning around. I can't leave 'er there." Daryl screamed to Rick.

"Gotta keep the herd moving!"

"Not if they're going down, we don't."

Granted you never made it official with the archer. You both had an unspoken relationship. You'd flirt, steal glances at one another, and left lingering touches, but neither of you ever made a move. He regretted it. He regretted not being able to express how he felt because human bonds and emotions weren't his fortier. You both just never had the time to appreciate eachother the way you both wanted to, they way he felt you deserved to, and the way you felt he deserved to.

Not knowing if you were ok was eating him alive, he needed to make it back home to you. He needed you to know that he was madly inlove with you and wouldn't even entertain the thought of his life without you in it and he'd be damned if you or him died before he told you that he'd follow you forever. That he'd follow you to ends of the earth if you asked.

Replaying every moment you two ever shared, not forgetting one because they all meant the world to him, Daryl kept riding. He then played every horrible scenario, praying for it to never come true as he kept pushing his will to keep going.

As he was frightened that he'd lose you, the horn stopped. The loud noise left a ringing in his ears as the phantom noise of it started to dissapte. He'd only hoped that the horn stopping was a good thing.

———

Approaching the main gate once again, Morgan startled you and you turned around quickly as you rose your gun level within the center of his forehead. Dropping it immediately you hugged the man, grateful that he was safe.

Your happiness was short lived as you were then surrounded by another group of the vigilantes massacring your people. "You two. You live here?" A very dirty man asked. Morgan maneuvered his staff, creating swift and smooth motions as you raised your gun at them. Back to back, you and Morgan were ready. “Leave." The man behind you warned them.

A girl making a move on Morgan, him beating her with his staff and stopping her quick movements. The man infront you raised his gun at you but you were faster, killing him. You didn't want to but he was here, threatening your people and putting the kids in danger, and that, that you couldn't have. 'When im not there, do whatever it takes to keep you safe so I can get back to ya,' so I can still see my pretty girl, alright? Ya' here me sunshine?' You remembered the night Daryl had told you that. You remembered the look of seriousness and thoughtfulness in his eyes as he held you face in his hands. He always worried about you, even before whatever you two had going on became whatever it was.

Trying to justify you murdering a man wasn't a good thing, but if it meant that you could see Carl and Judith happy and safe, your family safe and sound behind these walls, see Daryl smile the smiles he only reserved for you, it was worth it. You had to.

After the mans body hit the floor, his friends wasted no time in coming at you and Morgan. One swung her knife to your face, again grazing your skin ever so slightly, leaving a small gash on your cheekbone.'

"You bitch." You seethed as you landed a strong, hard, blow to her face, smacking the butt of the assault rifle into her face, knocking her out. This tall lanky guy wrapped his arms around your neck, tightly squeezing but you played an already used card. Kicking his right knee as hard as you could, he hunched his body as you unsheathed your knife, jabbing it into his side. You slid underneath his grip and turned around quickly raise your knee into the bridge of his nose. Out cold. Once his other friend saw you and what you did to his friends, he cowered away, backing away from you slowly. Approaching you grabbed your knife, tossing it in seamless circles in between your fingers. You stabbed him in a part of his shoulder that you knew wouldn't cause any harm, and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Sorry, but…it's unfair that your friends got the short end of the stick and you didn't." Sliding your blade out quickly, elbowing the man in his temple, knocking him out cold. "Nevermind. Im not really sorry"

You and Morgan dragged them back outside the gates, or what was left of them, leaving them there. This is was probably cruel and you don't kill the living but that was before the living tried to kill you.

"Im going to do a quick check, make sure i didn't miss anybody" Morgan looked at you turning heel. "I'll join you" you replied following him as you walked through the streets. Stopping infront of a house with the door wide open, you and Morgan shared a look. Him stepping in first, you waited outside by the door totally disregarding your surroundings. You didn't hear what was behind you before it was too late. A gunshot rang out and you looked down. Your once white tank top, had a small hole in the center of your belly, a ring of red slowly spreading bigger and bigger as you touched your own blood. Your hand shaking as you lifted your hand to see your blood coating your fingers, Morgan was quick to shoot the man behind you.

"Oh shit." Was all you could muster out as another gunshot rang from two doors down. Oh no. Carl. Judith. Weakly running to the house with all the strength you could muster, you ran for the back door, twisting the knob to find that it was unlocked. He never locked it behind you. Goddamit. Running to the front room, wincing with each step you took, drawing more blood from your already weak body. You saw a man standing at gun point, Carl behind the gun, hand hovering over the trigger. Looking for Judith as you didn't see her anywhere in the living room, you looked at the man once again, this tim noticing that he looked to be holding something in his arms. Judith.

Moving next to Carl, you pointed your gun at the man asking for Judith. "Give me the baby and nobody has to die." Your eyes never leaving the man's grey ones, you prayed that he would hand her over, no scratch on her. He stared at you blankly, silently refusing to hand her over. "Give me the goddamn baby or so help me God, me and this boy will blow your brains out all over this damn living room." The man hesitated, considering all his possible options before coming to his conclusion. He handed her over to you, and it wasn't long before Carl shot the man dead regardless. Bullet between his eyes.

"Y/N, your bleeding." Carl took Judith from your arms as you looked down at your wound seeing significantly more blood than before. Your head spinning as you saw so much blood now covering the lower half of your shirt and waistband of your jeans. Your legs finally giving out you fell against the wall and slid down, clamping both hands to your stomach trying to slow the relentless stream of red. You needed to stay awake for Carl and Judith just incase. "Y/N!" Carl set Judith down as he rushed to your side, and held you by your shoulders.

"Hey Sheriff," you let out a breathless laugh as you looked the boy you'd grown so fond of in the eyes as he held you in your probable final moments. "Can you do me a favor?" The boy next to you just gave a simple head nod as he managed to hide the tears staining the corners of his eyes. "Tell Daryl that I love him." Carl knew that you and Daryl were complicated. He knew how big of a step this was for you as you weren’t exactly a couple who exchanged such powerful words. He was the person you told first being he was your best ‘kid’ friend, and you just wanted to pry him about Enid. He wouldn’t tell you unless you exchanged details about Daryl. He looked wise for his age and was always willing to listen. You'd always admired that about him. You had always admired Ricks kids. You’d die for them, and it seems like you were going to do just that as your vision blurred from the blood loss. Black spots clouding your vision as you looked at Judith, a small smile creeping as you locked eyes with the beautiful girl. You took a bullet trying to keep their new home safe and you’d do it ten times over.

"Tell him yourself." As if on cue, the familiar sound of a revving engine of a vehicle you had grown to love because of him, rolled through the gates. You managed to keep your eyes open for five more minutes before Rick, Glenn, and Michonne bursted through the back door. They all stopped and took in the sight of you. They looked horrified at the sight of you bleeding out in the embrace of Carl.

"Daryl! She's in here! Hurry! We need to get her to the infirmary!" Rick shouted before the all too familiar thump of boots ran into the home and to your side before you closed your eyes.

"Y/N, stay with me! You hear me?! Stay with me. Open your eyes, pretty girl. C’mon hang on just a little longer sunshine." Daryl lovingly tucked your fallen bangs that curtained your perfect face just as perfect behind your ear. Daryls words of encouragement was all you heard as you felt like you were being lifted off the ground and into the arms that had held you in secret ever so often in the dark of your room. You always loved his strong, veined, lean arms. The touch. His touch. That's all you could think of when everything went black.

———

The muffled noise of feet and soft voices was all you heard, still struggling to open your eyes. Your body refusing to wake up.

Every nerve in your body longed for the rest your fatal wound had provided you. You lacked the sleep you always chased. Peaceful nights, eight hours of well restful sleep was very hard to come by nowadays. It didn’t help that your group had spent months and months on the road after terminus, after everyone had rejoiced at the reunions that took place. You never got sleep out in the road, especially after Terminus. All the bad people who survived, just seemed to have it out for you guys, always causing problems your group didn’t need. Stealing the food you didn’t even have. You spent most rationing your rations for the kids and Daryl, you spent most nights not sleeping because the night, when no one was awake, was the only time you got with Daryl. Alone. You’d be damned if you spent those precious seconds, minutes, hours sleeping.

Your body fought the state of wake that your brain had already succumbed to. Your body was finally taking advantage of the best chnace it’d have at a good rest.

“Daryl, I think it’s time you head on home. Y’know shower, change, sleep.” Daryl had refused to leave the infirmary after he had carried you the whole way. He stayed there all night long in the most uncomfortable green chair. He refused to leave to eat, to sleep, he refused to leave your side. Just like always. The gravitational pull his body and his soul has with your own was one he would never disrupt. He enjoyed your company, your smile, your everything. He wanted to stay beside you so you could know exactly that.

You brain internally smiled as your body couldn’t wake up just yet, but your brain still processing and hearing everything any one said around you. Smiling even wider when you heard his voice.

“Nah, l gotta stay here. I wanna be the first face she sees when she wakes up. Imma stay for ‘er. Not leavin’ until she open those pretty eyes of hers.” Daryl had no shame in what he admitted to his brother Rick. Rick had known how he truly felt about you since before you both knew yourselves. He encouraged him to talk it out with you to actually make a label for yourselves. ‘Stop bein’ a kiss ass, and and tell er’ how you feel’ Daryl replayed those words all the damn time. He just never grew the balls to actually tell you.

When you woke up that’s what he planned to do. No more waiting. No more near death experiences to make him say that he wanted to spend the rest of whatever was left of his life, with the prettiest person he’s layed eyes on—you.

“Alright.” Rick left with a simple head nod to the archer as he walked out the infirmary, leaving Daryl with your resting body across from him. He’d wait as long as it took til you woke up.

After about another hour or two, Daryl’s eyes grew heavier by the second resting his head on his crossed arms close to your upper body, level with your hands that rested over your bandaged stomach. He had finally closed his eyes, his view of anything was blocked from the pitch black his thick arms created, even if his eyes were open he would be enclosed in darkness. Falling asleep, you had opened your eyes, looking around the quiet, empty room, your eyes landing on the sleeping man resting at your hip. He looked so beautiful like this. Peaceful.

Moving your left hand, you had touched his hair. His soft yet nappy hair. You loved it so much. He was finally back and you got to worship him silently in his glory.

Playing and lightly massaging his scalp, he groaned quietly at the sudden movement on his head. It took him a while to register what had been actually going on where he actually was. He lifted his head to look at you.

“Hi.” His hoarse, sleep ridden voice carried in the room. A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth and you couldn’t fight the urge to let your eyes fall to his lips and let a smile form on your own lips as his smile was very contagious. Regardless if it was a small smirk or smile, he was always so beautifully pretty. He was so pretty, it hurt. He could definitely say the same about you.

“Hi.” Your smile growing bigger the longer your eyes lingered on his tired face and figure. Had he really stayed with you til you woke up? Of course he had. He’d wait for you no matter how long it takes. He just hoped you would do the same for him. You definitely would. “Im glad your okay.” You spoke softly as he moved from his chair to sit on your bed, moving closer to your upper body so he could be closer to the beauty that adorned your face.

“Me? Ya’ damn near almost died, and yer’ worried ‘bout me? What’d I do to deserve someone like you.” He scoffed at the thought that even when you almost died, your one and only thought had been the well being of him. Some no good white trash. You laughed but quickly faltered as you felt the pain of your addressed gunshot wound. He felt guilty that he hadn’t been there. That he wasn’t there to keep you safe. That’s all he ever wanted to do. “You scared me, sunshine.”

Dropping his head lightly to hide the frown that covered his face, you immediately reached up. Lifting his chin with your fore fingers, your expression shifted to a stern yet calming gaze. “Don’t. Don’t do that—you could’ve never known what would’ve have happened when you left. Im not going to let you blame yourself when I was the one who wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. This isn’t on you. My carelessness isn’t your failure, Daryl.” You smiled at him, never breaking eye contact with the beautiful shade of blue that you found even prettier compared to the sky itself. “Plus, your too pretty to worry about me, Dixon. Your gonna get frown lines.” Shooting him a wink at the end of your statement. He already had frown lines, it was just the nature of his face regardless. He always had a scowl formed to his face and he got frown lines in the process. Not that they were unattractive because God—anything that man did was attractive. You worshipped the ground he walked on and nothing ever deterred you from him. Plus, it’s not the first time you’ve told him that.

He laughed, his favorite smile of yours, again..only ever reserved for you, taking up his features. “Shut up. I aint pretty. An’ im never gonna not worry about ya’.” A blush creeping on both of your cheeks, both of you getting shy around eachother. You flirted, touched eachother a little too long, and almost kissed a handful of times and you weren’t shy then, why would you be now?

“Did you stay here all night?” You looked concerned that the man was probably uncomfortable sleeping in the chair next to your bed, a blanket draped over back rest.

“Uh— Didn’t want ta’ leave yer’ pretty face in a frown when ya’ woke up to no one bein’ around. You’d give yourself frown lines.” He smiled at you as you erupted into a short laughter, your wound still being sore.

“Shut up, Dixon,” you lightly slapped his arm, trying your hardest not to smile as you didn’t want to burst the stiches on your cheek. “I adore you, you know that?” Your beaming smile warming his chest the longer he looked. He felt he might combust if you continued to be as beautiful as you are. Hell, in his opinion, it definitely wasn’t the worst way to go.

“I love ya’, ya’ know that?” He didn’t mean to be foward. He wanted to tell you slowly, affectionately, and in a more loving way than that but whenever he thought of you, no word ever came as close to describing the feeling he got whenever you were around, or whenever you were in his thoughts—all the time—better than ‘I love you.’

Your eyes never became so small, but you smiled so wide that your eyes couldn’t take the average size. Your stitches becoming stretched and super sore, but you didn’t care anymore. Looking at him was so worth it. You loved this man with your whole being and he with you. Not in a million years did you think that the end of the world would bring you such a kind, loving, gentle man like Daryl—but you couldn’t be more grateful.

“I love you, Daryl.” Daryl held your hand as you forgot the pain in your body, your senses and body being overwhelmed by his touch. A smirk playing at his lips, he opened his mouth the speak again.

“I wanna spend forever loving you. The way ya’ deserve. I wanna be the reason ya’ get up in the mornin’ because your my reason. I ain’t ever felt like this about anyone but with you it’s different. And I’on wanna spend another moment in this infirmary wishin’ I wouldve said it sooner. No more us almost dyin’ before one of us says anything. So, I wanna be your reason, your forever, and i wanna spend our forever lovin’ ya,’ til my last breath if you’ll have me.” Daryl grew embarassed and bashful that he just poured his whole heart out to you, but his embarrassment and bashfulness dissapeared when he heard you speak.

“It’s about damn time, Dixon. I was starting to think that you were only playing and joking around with me all this time.” You laughed a little, bringing him out of his shell. “I’ll have you—I want you. Forever. All of you. I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you the best I can because you, Daryl, are worthy of all the love this universe has to offer.” Lifting his hand to your mouth to place a kiss against his knuckles, you both look into eachothers eyes, finding your home, wishing for it to never disappear.

Reaching for his face, your right hand cradled his cheek, and your left hand cradled the other. You knew he knew where you were going with this, but it never hurt to ask if it was still okay. “Can I?” You whisper to the godly man infront of you, not getting an answer in return because his lips crashed into yours as you both melted into the tender and sweet kiss.

Kissing him was something that was soon going to become your favorite thing. Everything about him you loved and favorited, but nothing—nothing—could beat this. This is all you’ve ever wanted to do. Now the both of you just don’t have to hide it.

Breaking the kiss, giggling softly, he furrowed his brows. “What?”

“We should get married.” You beamed as he rolled his eyes.

“Les’ not get ahead of ourselves here, woman.” He whispered against your lips before pulling you into another kiss.

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aphroditesmoon · 9 months

Text

whatever fits together

gwen stacy x spidergirl!reader

summary: gwen meets your little brother for the first time (･ω･)

warnings: afab!reader, orphan reader, makeout session.

A/N: idk man I just want gwen to wife me up fr.

♡♡♡

ALL YOUR LIFE, you've only ever saw your brother in your future. There were other people, of course. Whatever friends left that you you haven't ghosted or the ones that haven't left you at the time. But the only constant present you've ever considered in the decisions you make for yourself, has always been your brother.

You were orphaned at 14. Technically only your mother had died in the bus accident, but you can barely remember your father's face, he was dead in your mind.

When Miguel scouted you in, you saw how he tiptoed around your story, and how he tried to sympathise with you, but if you were being honest, you can't really remember how you managed to raise your brother on your own for 3 and a half years while also learning to manage your newfound powers. You knew you it was hard, but you also knew that before you joined the Spider Society, every decision you made was for survival, it was your natural instinct.

There were no space in your life for you to sit around and be a child, nor were there any time to consider every emotional and mental consequences your choices could've provoked. You had to grow up. You had a 3 year old to raise then.

Once you've joined Miguel, you thought you'd finally find some sense of peace within yourself, with all the security and stability the spider society provided.

But coming home to an apartment you've been provided after your first mission, all you felt at the sight of your clothes, arranged in an actual closet instead of a duffel bed, and your brother sleeping in a room he could finally call his own, was nothing, except for a terrible and tremendous stab of pain in your chest.

It was all worth it for him, you truly believed that. And yet you felt like it wasn't worth anything to you.

The strangeness of feeling so alone around a place filled with so many people. You didn't know the first thing about making friends, or having hobbies. In fact, you weren't even sure if you knew what you really looked like anymore, with all the crime fighting and changing hotels every week, you didn't really have the time to be looking in the mirror. It was terrifying.

And yet despite all of that, the universe has somehow managed to slip in an angel shaped as a blonde and witty girl in your life. Somehow she was a lot more shittier in starting up conversations than you were, but from the first glance you shared with Gwen, a mutual understanding was formed.

And from there, a bond was made.

You love early mornings, even when you were often alone, the hours spent after the clocked reaches 11pm have always felt loud, and suffocating. Shops are fully opened and streets are filled with people off to work. So every day, like an automatic alarm clock, you'll find yourself waking up around 7 to 8am to fully enjoy that morning glory.

You've seen the sun sparkle everday in your life, but never have you seen it shine this beautifully through your light blue curtains. Looking below it, your eyes meet the sleeping form of Gwen Stacy by your side.

She was snoring lightly, and though it annoyed you at first, it was also a subtle reminder to you that she was there, next to you, as you tossed and turn in your bed trying to get used to the alien feeling of sleeping with someone else besides your smaller sized brother sharing your bed.

Checking the time on your phone, large numbers of 9:15 reflects on your eyes. making you let out a low sigh.

You came home and slept late last night. Arriving to your apartment through a portal past midnight, hand in hand with Gwen as you introduce her to your house, and to your roon.

It was a Saturday, you comforted yourself. And you were in your bed, making out with the most beautiful girl you've seen, what's the rush anyways. The sudden slam opening of your door jolts you up, and enters from there, a very loud and jumpy 7 year old who was expecting the joyous feeling of finally being able to wake up earlier than his older sibling and getting to brag about it.

He halts on his step when he sees the stranger at your side, who is now wide awake thanks to the slammed door.

"God's sake, what did I say about knocking?" You scolded while getting yourself out og bed, toes clencing at the cold tiles when your feet reaches the floor.

"There's someone next to you, can you see her?" He asks, ignoring you.

Gwen's face was dazed and confused, her eyes were squinting and she wasn't showing any signs of getting up. "Yeah I see her." You replied, walking over to him. "That's my buddy, yeah? Be nice to her."

You hear a incoherent mumble from him as he remains staring at her strangely.

"Why don't you help me get the eggs out? You can help me make breakfast?" You suggested, turning him around and kissing the back of his head. "Is she getting breakfast too?" He asks while walking away to the kitchen, his loud voice bouncing off the walls. "Yes, please." You shouted back to him before moving towards your girl again.

"Sorry about that." You spoke with a much hushed tone. Gwen has her upper body up and againts the headboard, eyes fully open as she takes you in under the sun's glow. "No it's fine, I actually forgot you had a brother to be honest." She admits, smiling as you crawl onto the bed towards her. "Really? I thought I must've been talking about him too much that everyone probably has his name memorised." You chuckled. She hummed and shook her head.

You let your fingers intertwine with her laid out ones, closing your fists into hers. "Do you like eggs?" You whisper at her, leaning in closer to her face. "Yeah, I do." She whispers back, booping your nose. "I also like your brother, he's cute." She adds.

A laugh sprouts out of you as your foreheads lay againts eachother's. "Oh no, he's a real fox once you get to know him, next thing I know you two will be teaming up againts me." She snorts and pulls away slightly to properly look at your face. "Also buddy?" She teases, recalling your early words. "I had my tongue down your throat like-" You groaned and shoved her playfully trying to hide your blossoming smile.

"Oh yeah, sure, lets tell him that." You intererject sarcastically. She rolls her eyes and presses a kiss on your cheek before climbing off the bed where you're still on.

She walks over to your desk and then to your vanity, last night's crumpled shirt still on. "You have a vinyl player." She noted, pulling out your vinyls.

"Japanese Breakfast-" She reads, "and Mitski. Of course you like Mitski." You huffed at her words, nearing her. "What's that supposed to mean?" Gwen makes an incomprehensible noise and shrugged her shoulders. "I don’t know, like, you're, emo?" You choked out a laugh, eyes widening at her explanation. "What?" You breathed out, still laughing. Gwen joins in with a giggle as she tries to reason.

"I've never seen you in anything but black, I mean except right now." She gesturesnto your teal shirt. "Also, having a Mitski vinyl is already one of the requirements, I think."

"Anddd, Radiohead? You're a cliche."

You scoffed, pulling her away from your vinyl player towards the door. "You would know." Gwen gasps loudly. "What is that supposed to mean?" You only smile while pushing her to kitchen with your arms around her waist, holding her from behind.

The smell of eggs fill your nostrils when you entered the kitchen, untangling your hands from Gwen, you swore under your breath before sprinting to your brother, cracking eggs on the pan. "I told you to get the eggs out only." Pulling him away from the pan, you tell him to take a seat while you handle the eggs.

"I've seen you do it, I know how to make them myself." He mumbles. "I can hear you." You voice out. "Elephant" He tries again. You gave him a glance, frowning. "I heard that too?" "Good." He responds.

Hearing Gwen chuckling quietly, you spare her a glare too. "Just like I said, already teaming up."

Your brother hops off his seat after a long minute staring at Gwen from the fisheyed view his glass of water gave, Making her eyes look ten times bigger than they are.

"My sister says you're her buddy." He says it like it's a question. Gwen raises a brow at him. "Did she? I don't know, I think we're a little bit more than buddies." You tense, turning around to glare at her again. "Gwen-" you called out in a warning tone.

"You're best buddies?" Your brother's voice speaks before shw could. "Oh my god." You groaned to yourself. Gwen actually laughs at that. "Yeah, something like that." He analyses her answer until he decided it was good enough. "Okay, she's never had any friends before." This time you actually spin around towards them.

"Dude." You chastised him. "I have friends, you've met them!" You defended yourself as he starts to giggle loudly at your offended state. "No you don't." He affirms, making you stick out your tongue at him before placing the plates of breakfast on the table.

"Don't worry little dude, I can tell." Gwen tells him, the both of them giving you a top from bottom look.

"One more word and I'm throwing both of you out." Your brother has the decency to look scared before digging into his meal, but Gwen only grins at you widely before winking. She also notices how much your brother likes to kick people's feet under the table and then immediately blaming someone else when you scold him. "Your buddy did it! My feet can't even reach you!" He yelled. "Yes it can, I can literally feel your tiny toes right now, don't make me kick you back." You threatened, earning another kick before he seriously stops.

Once everyone has finished eating, you went straight to do the dishes, profusely refusing any help from Gwen, enjoying the bits of control in your life you feel whenever you're cleaning up things.

"Can I show Gwen my spidergirl collection?" Your brother begged. You fight againts a grin, saying yes to him.

Despite keeping a very strict no contact rules you had for authoritative figures and the press, your New York has still found a way to capitalize off of you, which was the Spidergirl Dolls that came with many different stylesnof clothing fron the same theme of your suit.

Gwen gives you a smile and a thumbs up before following him, his voice echoing from the hall as he explains the difference of the dolls. "-and this other doll has a samurai sword too-", you shook your head.

How the hell did they even came up with these concepts?

Finishing off the last few dishes, you make your way to the hall, where both of your favourite people are sitting crossed legged on the flower patterned carpet.

"What's up here?" You ask him as you crouch down to sit.

"The sky." He jokes. "Funny." You respond dryly. Gwen gives you a look that says 'I wonder where he gets it from', making you toss a doll at her that she catches easily, smiling.

Gwen turns to your brother, holding up a caped spidergirl doll. "How much are these anyways, where im from, these kind of figurines are expensive." He looka at her dumbly and shrugged. "Figyu-?" She ruffled his hair, "Never mind."

Moving to sit closer to her, you explain the pricing. "If you buy directly from the store, they definitely cost like a $100 or more, unfortunately I don't think even the real spidergirl would've been give a discount." You explain, hinting that your brother has no idea about your secret identity.

Gwen snorted at your last sentence. "Foul, so what, you bought fake ones?" You slapped a hand across your chest, feigning hurt. "No, excuse you, I bought them second hand. You have no idea how many people there are online, giving up good quality figurines for less than $50." Gwen responds with a knowing 'ahh' while nodding her head. "That makes sense."

"Most of these were bought for his birthday, though I think this year he'd like something else, hm?" You question from his side, wiggling your brows.

"I want a Transformers." He answers simply. "A trans what?" Gwen exclaims, confused.

You smiled at her face expression that was similar to a terrified cat, eyes widening in a bewildered manner. "A Transformers." You repeat aloud. "It's a car robot, like its a car that turns into a giant robot." You were describing it horrendously, but it got the job done. "I don't think we have that in my place." Gwen justifies her reaction. "Are you from loser planet?" Your brother asks, receiving stutters from a baffled Gwen and a embarrassingly loud giggle from you.

"I'm from a very normal and cool place alright." You share a look with your brother, side eyeing her. "I saw that." She calls out. "No you didn't!" He yells out all of the sudden before getting up and running to his room.

You flinch at his movements and shouted loudly, "Where are you going?" After a few seconds of loud breathing and feet stomping, he finally responds. "Im showing her our Transformers CDs!"

"Oh." You exhange a look with Gwen. "Looks like you're in for a ride, feeling alright for a movie?" She looks suprised but accepts the offer easily. "Bring in the trans cars."

---

The little boy lasted two hours before passing out. His head on Gwen's lap triggered a slight jealousy in you. Although knowing that he will grow up and eventually meet new people he'd be fond of more than you, it was still jarring to see it play out right in front of your eyes.

You reach your arms out gently to him, "Let me take him to bed." You whisper to Gwen who only responds with an okay.

He's deep into slumber as you carry him into his room and gently place him onto his bed. After fluffing out his pillow, you let go of your palms holding on his head, letting it gently fall onto the soft material.

Gwen's footsteps are quiet behind you, the small sound of the creaking door tells you she's there.

Getting back up on your feet aftet tucking your brother in, you spin around to the curious girl who's eyes are roaming his walls. "Did he draw this?" She giggled, pointing at a drawing you made. "I love him but this literally looks like a deformed Mickey Mouse."

She glaces to you in hope of sharing a laugh but immediately turns quiet when she notices your frown. "That's mine you dipshit." You snapped and walked over to flick her forehead.

"Ouch, sorry." She apologizes in a groan. "It does look like a deform-" you shove her out of the room before closing the door behind you.

"It is not a rat, its a bear." She grins at your pouting face. "Whatever you say."

You thought she'd be opening a portal back to her universe by now. How is her father now worried? Does he not see what's he's been gifted with?

It was visibly dark outside, the clock barely striking 10pm yet. You'd spent the whole night yesterday with eachother, and the whole day too, binging Transformers movies. If it were you in her shoes, with someone else that wasn't her, you would've left much earlier, the tiring efforts of socialising was usually worst than any weekly villain.

She stops walking when she realizes you've halted in your steps behind her. Her head tilts to look at you. "What's wrong? You don't want to sleep?" She asks.

You open your mouth to speak, but nothing leaves your lips. Gwen's face contorts anxiously as she turns around towards you. "What's wrong?" She asks again. You force yourself to talk. "I want to sleep." Silence fills the space between you and her for a solid minute. "So do I." Gwen finally decides to say cautiously.

Your shoulders drops, letting your strained body and features relax. "Yeah, okay. Let's sleep." Gwen is cut off before she coukd even start as you continue where your words left off by intertwining your fingers with hers and leading the way to your bed. She says nothing about your behaviour after, accepting your returning affections. "If you wanted to makeout instead, just say that." She jokes earning a tired chuckle. "After that long ass movie? No, I'm wrecked."

#gwen stacy x reader #gwen stacy atsv #gwen stacy #spiderman across the spiderverse #atsv x reader #atsv fic #ghost spider x reader #ghost spider

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anxiety-elemental-kay · 8 months

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On Plants, Selfhood, and Seeking a Collective

[Image ID: Crop of several panels from TriMax volume 11 chapter 8. In this scene Chronica is interfacing with the used entity that consumed Domina. Chronica observes the mass and says "We as a species naturally do not have a concept of self, and therefor instead have a deep shared consciousness. That is why these plants are able to use without major difficulties." Then we see Chronica reach her hand toward one of the plants within and appear to gain information from her. End ID]

I told myself I was going to hold onto my Trigun thoughts until book club finished the series because I keep falling behind. Then I saw these panels and started chewing on a thought and since it's not really meta and more speculation I figured I'd write a quick little thing about Independent plants and selfhood.

Here we see Chronica interacting with the fused entity Knives made that was left behind/still attached to Domina. Chronica's comment about "We as a species naturally do not have a concept of self, and therefor instead have a deep shared consciousness." has really stuck with me and I've been trying to suss out possible implications for this, because she doesn't seem to be talking just about the dependent plants here. It's 'WE as a species', no distinction is made between different kinds of plants. Maybe it's nothing but the thought won't leave me alone SO:

I've been trying to look back at Vash and Knives through this lens to see if there's anything to glean there. Independents clearly do have a sense of self, and understand themselves to be unique individuals. They don't seem attached to any kind of hive mind the way dependent plants are, though they do have some minor telepathic powers and can communicate with dependent plants.

Mostly I was wondering if Independent plants have some instinct/predispositions toward certain needs or behaviors they cannot meet or fulfill as Independents?

(Subtopic: Does this mean there are therapists that specialize in Independent mental health, if they have specific needs/pressures that are different enough from humans?)

Knives and Vash suffered similar trauma when they discovered Tesla, and both felt sudden and violent isolation from everyone else on that ship, albeit in different ways. As adults they both isolate themselves in different ways: Knives keeps others at arms length so as to not disrupt his worldview, where as Vash's wandering lifestyle and danger-magnet-ness generally keeps him from forming lasting relationships.

Humans are social creatures and we'll generally pack-bond with anything, and it's hard to tell if it's similar for plants. Do they feel the same need to socialize/form bonds, or are Independents seeking out a collective/hivemind they instinctively seek but can never find? They clearly can feel lonely and isolated, but does it feel different for them? Does that pain come from a different place for a plant than a human?

Then there's this spread in the same chapter as the above panels:

[Image ID: A two page spread from TriMax volume 11 chapter 8. It's a closeup of Vash, bleeding from every hole in his head, his eyes wide. He lays near the edge of a huge drop-off, and far below him is pitch darkness lit with lights like a city at night as seen from above. It is unclear if the lights below are the plants, from the human city, or something else. End ID]

Since this is in the same chapter which opens with Chronica saying the line above, I was wondering if these two moments were connected somehow. Does the reminder that there are people who depend on him, a collective who needs him? He seems surprised when Brad, Meryl, and Milly made their diversion to stop the military. He generally seems to struggle with the idea that other people want to help him. Something something Vash both is and isn't part of the human society he lives in???

To what degree does Vash see himself as a person versus something that belongs to a collective, whether that collective is humans, plants, or both? Does an inborn need/desire to serve a collective predispose him to self-destructive behavior? Same with Knives, did the trauma of losing a perceived collective (discovering Tesla and losing the sense of belonging with humans) fuel his future hate and fear of humans in a way that he wouldn't have felt if he weren't an Independent?

Maybe there's something in the next volumes I don't remember that address this somehow. Part of what's fun about this reread is rediscovering things or connections I missed the first time, and all the meta people write pointing out things I might have missed entirely on my own! (Blows a kiss to everyone who posts meta on Tumblr ya'll are great and smart and thank you for sharing!)

Like I said, there's no real conclusion I'm making here, just kicking around an idea to see if it fits. Not sure it does, but putting it out there to get it out of my head and see what other people think.

#trigun #trigunbookclub #kay writes things

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vilentia · 11 months

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okay i have another request. you know that one scene where daryl and beth are in the house with the moonshine? i was thinking something where the reader left the prison with them because she wouldn’t leave daryl and when there’re playing never have i ever. the reader is sitting next to daryl and when he gets annoyed with the thing beth said and flipped out reader tries to calm him down. then when they go outside and he starts screaming at both of them about never seeing their friends again, that’s when daryl starts crying then reader hugs him saying stuff like “it’s not your fault” and “i’m sorry” he he’s holding on to her for dear life and beth backs away to give them some space.

sorry it’s so long 😅 make any changes you need if you’re not comfortable with something 😌

Solace Amidst Chaos

Daryl Dixon x reader

I finally got around to writing something about this. I've wanted to do this for so long, but every time I started, I had writer's block. I hope you like it.

You find yourself sitting next to Daryl in the dimly lit house, its walls whispering stories of a life once lived. The faint scent of dampness lingers in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of the moonshine they had discovered. Outside, the night is shrouded in darkness, a constant reminder of the world overrun by relentless walkers. Despite the eerie ambiance, you couldn't bear to leave Daryl's side, even in the midst of the chaos they've been through.

As the game of "Never Have I Ever" unfolds, the tension between Daryl and Beth gradually rises like an approaching storm. Each statement carries an underlying weight, an unspoken reminder of the losses they've endured. You watch as their gazes lock, filled with unspoken emotions and the weight of shared trauma. It's in that moment you sense Daryl's rising anger, like a fire building within him.

Beth looks at Daryl, her eyes filled with hurt, her voice trembling slightly. "Never have I ever lost two boyfriends and not shed a tear."

Daryl's face contorts with annoyance, his brow furrowing as he tries to keep his emotions in check. The harsh words slip past his lips, tinged with bitterness and pain. "Too close, huh? You know all about that. You lost two boyfriends, you can't even shed a tear. Your whole family's gone, all you can do is just go out looking for hooch like some dumb college bitch."

Beth's expression shifts from hurt to anger, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She clenches her fists, her voice trembling with indignation. "Screw you. You don't get it."

The room falls into a heavy silence as the weight of their losses hangs in the air, suffocating the space around them. Daryl's frustration becomes palpable, his voice growing louder with each word.

"No, you don't get it! Everyone we know is dead!" Daryl's voice echoes through the house, his anger reverberating in the emptiness around them.

Feeling the tension escalating, you instinctively reach out, your touch grounding and steady as you place a firm but gentle hand on Daryl's arm. The warmth of your presence radiates, a lifeline in the midst of the emotional maelstrom. "Daryl, calm down," you say firmly, your voice filled with determination. "I understand you're angry and hurt, but this won't help anyone."

Daryl's gaze shifts, his eyes meeting yours, searching for solace and understanding amidst the turmoil within him. His frustration gives way to a mix of vulnerability and exhaustion. "You don't understand," he mutters, his voice strained. "I can't stand the thought of never seeing our friends again. Maybe if I had done something different..."

Your heart breaks for Daryl as you step closer, enveloping him in a comforting embrace. The weight of his anguish is palpable, and you offer him a safe haven, a sanctuary amidst the chaos. "Daryl, listen to me," you say, your voice filled with empathy. "You did everything you could. None of this is your fault. We're all grappling with loss, and it's natural to feel angry and guilty. But we can't let it consume us. We have to keep fighting, for ourselves and for those we've lost."

Daryl's body initially tenses, his grip tight on your shoulders, but gradually, you feel him begin to relax, his anger subsiding. He leans into your embrace, allowing himself to be vulnerable, finding solace in your presence. You run your fingers through his hair, gently soothing him, and he buries his face in the crook of your neck, his breath warm against your skin.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, his voice filled with a mix of sorrow and exhaustion.

You hold him tighter, offering him reassurance and comfort. "It's not your fault, Daryl," you assure him, your voice a soft balm against his pain. "You're strong, and we'll get through this together. Lean on me when you need to. I'm here for you."

Daryl's grip on you tightens, as if he's holding on for dear life. Tears stream down his cheeks, and you gently wipe them away with your thumb, offering a tender and understanding gaze. "You don't have to face this alone," you whisper, your voice filled with love and compassion. "I'm right here with you, and I'll always be."

Beth, sensing the depth of the moment, takes a step back, giving you and Daryl the space you need. She understands the significance of your connection and respects the intimacy of the moment. The three of you may be bound by survival, but in this moment, it's just you and Daryl, finding solace and comfort in each other's arms.

In the tearful embrace, you offer Daryl a haven amidst the turmoil, assuring him that he's not alone. Together, you'll navigate the trials of this harsh world, finding strength in each other and cherishing the moments of vulnerability that deepen your bond.

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yuesya · 3 months

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I see you've taken after the Nasuverse quite well, making so many alternate versions of your main heroine :)

This latest one actually reminds me a bit of Zero from Drakengard 3. Both of them have similar backstories, being sold into slavery and suffering a cruel betrayal at the end of it. Both have a devil may care attitude towards murder and do it on a whim or as a reflexive response. Both also share similar appearances with their stark white hair and skin.

Moreover, since Shiki probably wasn't raised as a proper young lady like her canon counterpart and being more open about her visceral desires she'd likely have a more crass vocabulary. Once agian, quite similarly to her Drakengard counterpart.

Although I am a bit befuddled about Jujutsu society's response to Shiki since it seems kind of... muted. Yes, Shiki is a special grade curse user who definitely killed her fair share of sorcerers to earn that title. However, I don't think the sorcerers would let her go around committing whatever atrocities she wanted without offering some resistance, they certainly didn't with Geto.

On that topic, Geto and Satoru would also definitely take an interest in her for a variety of reasons. Geto would likely be thrilled to have another special grade helping achieve his genocidal ambitions, especially one as murderous as Shiki. Whereas Gojo would've likely encountered her one way or another since he is already on the look out for a homicidal special grade curse user.

Although given what little we know from the AU so far it's likely Shiki would reject them both. Shiki would probably want nothing to do with Geto's dream since she'd see no difference between sorcerers and "monkeys." She would also be uninterested in making the world a better place.

As for Satoru she would probably mix with him as well as oil does with water, meaning not at all given their tense interactions in a different AU. This would likely culminate in a battle between the two leading to the infamous [REDACTED] incident, which leads to both of them developing a mutual understanding to stay out of each other's way.

There are so many AUs haha. It feels like a new one crops up whenever I turn around...

Interesting parallels to Zero! And fitting, in some ways. Araya doesn't strike me as someone who would take an active parental role for Shiki; he'd probably decide to observe her 'natural behaviors' instead. Remember how in zenith of stars Shiki experiences some struggles with her desire to 'be good' versus her instinct to kill? How she initially tried to claw out her own eyes because she recognized that humans aren't supposed to visualize death?

In this 'verse, Shiki has no such restraints tempering her. She was never taught the difference between 'right' and 'wrong.' There's only Araya, who watches her silently no matter what she does.

I haven't sorted out timeline details, but Shiki would escape from Araya sometime while Geto is at large, which means that most of the jujutsu headquarters' attention is focused on Geto as the major threat. Shiki gets mistaken for one of Geto's compatriots multiple times. Geto attempts to recruit her and fails, but he doesn't particularly mind. Shiki has killed many non-sorcerers according to her whims, after all. He probably tries to direct her towards non-sorcerers as best as he can from the sidelines.

Shiki comes into prominence after Geto's death, and that's when people start realizing that this girl is a lot more dangerous than she seems at first glance. There are multiple sorcerers sent after her -all are killed. They need to cut their losses, and their last resort is Gojo Satoru-

But what if Gojo tries to recruit her to his side? The girl is like a wild beast that can't be controlled; worse than Tsukumo ever was. What kind of damage would she cause? What if Gojo succeeded in taming her? Which probably then leads into the attempt to bribe Shiki out of Japan with one of Sukuna's fingers.

I haven't made up my mind on how the meeting between Shiki and Satoru would go, but lots of collateral damage sounds like it would be on the right track haha.

#QA #zenith of stars au #villain shiki au

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chiriwritesstuff · 3 months

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How do you think Joel would take care of sugar if she wasn’t feeling good with her mental health? 🥺

I’ve been feeling depressed lately and TGIIT Joel made me think. I always keep to myself when I start feeling like that and I feel like Sugar would be similar, in a “deal with it myself” kinda way and I think Joel would probably feel a bit hurt about it at first… but once sugar opens up to him about things, he realises that this is actually a very important thing for her and he feels very honoured that she trusts him with this too…

I just want a TGIIT Joel to hug me and tell me it’s gonna be okay tbh 🥺😭

My sweet Nonnie, thank you for reaching out. I can't say I know exactly how you feel because everyone experiences depression differently, but what I CAN say is that I've been there, and it's shit, and I'm sorry that you're going through it.

Sugar is definitely more on the introverted side and would very much try to shoulder her pain on her own. I modeled Sugar to be a lot like me - I tend to shut myself out from everyone, mostly because of trust issues. I would imagine because of how emotionally detached Sugar's parents are towards her, it's second nature to not let anyone in.

Being with Joel is definitely something new and uncharted. She's not used to people who actually want to stay and help her through her pain, so she will push him away, and like you said, he will be hurt about it, mostly because his relationship with his family has always been nurturing and warm - I imagine there's little to no secrets between them (Tommy & Sarah - Ellie, is a bit like Sugar).

I think adopting Ellie trained Joel a bit to be patient when it comes to comforting the people he cares about, so I imagine how he would help Sugar by giving her space and reminding her that he's right there if she needs him, if she needs a hug, or a talk, or even to 'take her mind off of things'. He would instinctively have her favorite snacks and meals ready if she gets hungry and even serve them to her from the comfort of her bed if she can't find the strength to go outside on her own. He won't push or give her tough love but will try to understand her without inserting his ego into the situation. He would just be present, and patient - the more times that he shows up for Sugar and her hard times, the more she will find herself opening up, and I think the knowledge of Joel waiting for her for 10 years certainly helps his case!

I'm giving you a big hug, Nonnie! I hope this helps!

#ask chiri #chiri replies #chiri's inbox #The Girl in IT #pedro pascal #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller #joel miller x you #pedro pascal fanfiction #joel miller x female reader #joel the last of us #joel tlou #joel miller fan fiction #joel x reader #joel miller fluff

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bbangpurin · 10 months

Text

press play • kim seungmin

genre: stray kids seungmin angst + fluff. post-breakup/established relationship au. (seungmin x implied fem!reader)

synopsis: certain songs remind you of the past you shared with seungmin.

warnings: none.

wc: 1.6k words.

notes: was hit with inspiration on the bus! all of these songs are actually taken from a playlist an ex made for me LOL.

It was almost silent — the only sound filling the air between you and Seungmin being the soft whir of his broken air conditioner — in his car when he told you about the playlist he made for you for the first time. It was full of songs he thought you’d like, songs that reminded him of you, and songs that he loved for no reason in particular.

It was after your third date — a short hike to a local lookout where he had planned for you to watch the sunset together despite a cloudy weather forecast — that he told you about the playlist. He had parked in a space near the entrance to your apartment building like he did after each of your dates so far. Every time, you would sit for almost an hour after the date was over, talking and talking, because neither of you wanted your time together to end.

It was a simple love — one in which you always felt content simply being with Seungmin. The playlist reflected that somehow, which is how you knew Seungmin saw your relationship the same way you did — as a source of comfort, of safety, of home.

“Pull out your phone,” Seungmin had said as you were about to get out of his car after an hour of debriefing post-hike. “I want to send you something.”

You nodded and watched Seungmin send you the link to the Spotify playlist.

“What is this?” You asked.

“You said you’ve always wanted someone to make you a playlist, right?” You nodded. “So I made one for you.”

With that, you almost melted — your heart fluttered in a way that it never had before and you cast your gaze on the boy you were pretty sure you were beginning to love. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at your reaction, the glisten in his eyes making him seem all the more endearing to you.

“Listen to it when you get back,” he said and you nodded excitedly, “and think about me while you do.”

“I always think about you,” you said instinctively, and you thought you should be embarrassed for confessing something like that so fearlessly, but Seungmin’s smile and nod in understanding ensured you that you had nothing to be scared of with him. “I’ll go now.”

“I love you,” Seungmin said softly, but suddenly.

“I love you too,” you said naturally, and he wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug before you left his car and walked up to the front door of your apartment, ready to listen to the playlist for the very first time.

The playlist sounds different now when you listen to it. You and Seungmin had broken up nine months ago, for reasons you still don’t really understand.

Each of the songs that he included in his playlist — a tangible representation of the love he had for you — remind you of him in some way: a flashback of a memory together, a weird depiction of some facet of his body or his personality, a false hope for the love you thought would last forever.

“I just don’t feel a spark with you anymore,” he had said, sitting with you in his car parked in the parking space in front of your apartment after what you realized was your final date.

“I don’t understand,” you replied. “I thought things were going well.”

“I think we’d be really good friends,” Seungmin said. “And you’re great, and someone will love you one day. But I don’t think I’m that person.”

“You said you loved me before,” you responded in a frantic attempt to understand what exactly had shifted in your boyfriend’s mind. “What changed?”

“I should go,” he said sternly. “I’m really sorry.”

When Haewon texted you that she ran into Seungmin with a new girl at the grocery store two weeks ago, it felt natural for you to listen to the playlist again. When Jisung called you after seeing Seungmin and the new girl walking his dog around your shared neighborhood, the playlist was the first thing you turned to. As you saw Seungmin tangibly move on with his life without you, the playlist served as the sole thing that proved to you the love you had shared with him was real.

You see Seungmin and his new girlfriend today on the bus. He looks good and happy in a way that he looked with you. It hurts, especially seeing how beautiful and content his girlfriend appears. You hate that you feel jealous of her — jealous that she’s the sole receiver of Seungmin’s love now, that she will probably never feel the heartache you feel right now as you watch them.

They slide into a pair of seats near the front of the bus, close to the front doors. They don’t see you, you don’t think, too enamored with each other to notice anything around them. They don’t notice you pull out your phone and open Spotify. They don’t notice you plug your AirPods in and press play.

“Late Night Talking” reminds you of when you first started dating Seungmin. You’d lie in your bed every night and text Seungmin until the sun came up. You’d discuss everything — your days, your most irrational fears, your astrology charts, your favorite animals and foods and colors, your dreams. You never felt tired. Eventually, your late night texting became late night phone conversations, which became late night FaceTimes. Your favorite calls would be the ones where you’d fall asleep on the line, and you’d wake up the next morning to a sleeping Seungmin on your phone screen, the FaceTime 10 hours in. His fluffy hair would be rumpled and sticking up from a night of tossing and turning in his bed with his phone on all night. You thought he looked the cutest when he’d wake up and smile at you. You imagined the days when you’d wake up to each other without screens between you two.

“Cruel Summer” reminds you of one of your favorite dates with Seungmin. You took a long drive one night, driving up and down the highways surrounding your city with no cares in the world. Seungmin didn’t know a ton of Taylor Swift songs, but this one was always his favorite and he never let you forget it, especially as he belted it with you on this particular drive. His voice was loud and clear, harmonizing so perfectly with yours as your voices filled the car on the drive. You lowered the window of the passenger seat, letting the crisp air blow through the car. Seungmin had reminded you to bring a jacket when he picked you up from your apartment earlier that night, knowing that you get cold easily. Of course, you had forgotten your jacket, and the cold air bit against your skin. Your cheeks were turning red from the sharp wind, to which Seungmin tsked, shrugging off his hoodie at the next stoplight and passing it to you. You had never felt so warm.

“Vintage” reminds you of the little things that comprised your first love. You remember every good morning text and the specific emoji Seungmin would use to sign each one. You remember the way Seungmin’s arms felt wrapped around your body when you watched movies late at night, the way he’d pat your head endearingly when you smiled at him so brightly, the way his lips felt against your forehead, your nose, your neck. You remember how happy your friends said you looked when you were with him, how sad your friends said you looked when you were apart. You reminisce about him when you listen to this song — in a way, you wonder if its inclusion in the playlist signaled the beginning of the end.

Your bus stop approaches suddenly. You pull on the yellow string laced around the bus, signaling to the driver that you need to get off at this stop. The bus pulls over slowly, and you stand from your seat to move towards the front of the bus to leave. You weave your way through the bus’s skinny center aisle, your arms accidentally brushing the sides of people sitting in seats on either side of the bus. You apologize softly yet profusely as you move forward.

“Sorry,” you say quickly as you brush past Seungmin and his girlfriend to depart the bus as quickly as possible.

“Y/N?” You hear him say, and you step out of the bus, knowing that if you look back at him, you don’t know if you’ll be able to leave him again.

“Who was that?” Seungmin’s girlfriend asks, leaning her head on his shoulder as the bus resumes motion.

“No one,” he answers. “Rest, babe.”

She closes her eyes, head growing heavier on Seungmin’s shoulder as she falls asleep. Seungmin leans his head back, remembering how your head would feel on his chest when you’d fall asleep in your bed together.

He pulls out his phone and opens Spotify. He reaches into his pocket for his wired earbuds, plugs them in and presses play on the only playlist he’s ever made for someone else — the playlist he made for his first love.

He listens, and he remembers.

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killakirby · 1 year

Text

‧͙⁺˚･༓☾ hummingbird ☽༓･˚⁺‧͙

notifications ☽︎: fem!navi!reader, selectivelymute!reader, deaf!reader, sully family x reader (platonic), side!neteyam x reader, self harm, panic attacks, sensory overload, child neglect and abuse, canon typical violence, no proofreading whatsoever lmao, 7.5k words

requested ☽︎: uhh sort of?? i reached out to the lovely @inutheangel who happily dealt with my rambling and decided to give writing a mute and deaf reader a shot! so i am really thankful they wanted to see this!

developer's notes ☽︎: okayyyyyyy! i am back! i was originally planning to get this out like last friday but i got reallyyy sick. like 103 degree fever for two days sick, multiple antibiotics, bed rest, no energy type beat. and i worked on it when i could but school started for me and it was taking everything in me to recover lmao. n e ways…. this is my child now. thank you @inutheangel, for gracing me with the opportunity to write this, and for answering all of my questions, and i hope you are pleased!!

so this is a fem!reader, who’s also selectively mute and deaf. i did a bit of research to have a deeper understanding of these conditions, but i didn’t get too technical with it because i didn’t want to bore anyone, and this piece is already long enough without drawn out details. so it’s sort of? family-centric and follows the plot of the second movie loosely, because i couldn’t decide how to include it fully and that would’ve been an even longer work. it’s an 18 page long google doc, please spare me. i apologize to the besties reading on mobile. this whole work consists of headcanons, but i’m lowkey thinking about writing scenarios, and drabbles about fem!mute!deaf!na’vi!reader, which is a mouthful so i’m just going to call her hummingbird!reader, because jake calls her that in these hcs lol. if you want to see more of hummingbird!reader, and have any ideas of your own, or any fun thoughts about her and interactions with the sully’s let me know and i genuinely will respond and enthuse about this!

if i missed any tw's let me know, if you want more of hummingbird!reader let me know, and of course, enjoy!

much love, kirby <3 !!!

your father who died due to wounds being sustained when fighting the sky people

neytiri gave birth to neteyam 4 months before your father passed, and is the one to inform reader’s mother as they are close friends.

your mother is barely 6 months pregnant with you, and the news about her mate sends her into distress and early labor

jake who was close with your parents (being two of the few omatikaya who eagerly helped him learn their ways) frantically got in touch with norm and max when the elders who were assisting your mother said that both you and your mother would probably die during childbirth.

norm and max perform a successful c-section not only saving you and your mother; you are born drastically underweight, barely half the size of your mother’s forearm, and you fail to breastfeed properly and you are transported to the lab to receive proper nourishment

your mother comes with, needing time to heal from c-section and the instinct to be close to you, but her behavior will change unbeknownst to everyone

when you become healthy enough to leave with your mother and return to the omatikaya clan, she’s aided by the women in the tribe helping her raise and nourish you in the absence of her mate, but it is mainly neytiri who sticks by her side bringing neteyam and, jake who stops on his own to watch over you as he promised your father he would

but when she’s alone with you… her instinctive mothering nature begins to dwindle, your face mirrors your fathers, and your mother hurts whenever she looks at you

she ignores your cries for her attention only seeming to return to the present when other na’vi come to check in on why your screams haven’t ceased

and as you grow stronger and older, her feelings of anguish and despair transform into anger.

she refers to you as a demon child, never stopping to remind you that you nearly killed her in the process of your birth, that she wishes you were never born, and that she’d trade your life for your father’s without hesitation

you do not understand her words yet, you understand her body language and the hostility radiating off of her

you're nearing two years of age, and it gets worse. you have yet not begun to speak. no first words, not a single babble besides cries. and she begins to compare you to other children your age who are developing normally

she yells at you for being a stupid, worthless child, embarrassing her with your silence. her volume raises even more when she finds you not even turning to look at her while she screams at you talks to you, failing to notice that you literally cannot hear her

she’s practically breaking the sound barrier raging for you to look at her while she’s talking to you. she marches over—roughly pulling your arm to get you to look at her— and your pained yelp is the only sound that escapes you as she continues to berate you

tiny ears pinned back in distress, tail tucked between your legs to match eyes wide with fear and confusion— not understanding why your mother only treats you like this you’ve seen how sweet neytiri is to her children

you’ve become numb to your mother’s behavior. you adapted to survive her anger. learning to avoid her at all costs; staying as far away from her as possible when she begins one of her tyrants. but this is her first time becoming physical with you

her bruising grip at your arm drops and switches to ripping your hair out yanking at your braids pulling your head backwards uncomfortably, scalp burning, and you begin to scream and cry

she’s completely delusional, cackling, “now you start making noise”

jake who was not far from your dwelling, is preparing a few carcasses to be cooked, when his ears picked up on your cries

he brushes off the first wave of your tears assuming it's just regular childlike tantrums which you rarely have without good reason anymore

jake who fails to brush off tears the second time, your mother’s vengeful screams paired with your terrified cries—his paternal affliction for you overrides him and he rushes to get to you

you blank out of most of the altercation, only remembering seeing the olo’eyktan’s angry expression when he enters the tent, and eventually ending up returning to awareness in neytiri’s arms head hugged to her chest, feeling her sobs

you pull away confused at the change in scenery, looking around a little panicked unknowing of how you ended up in the sully’s tent; neteyam, kiri and jake nowhere to be seen

neytiri who tries to calm you down, but you do not even react, only turning to reach up at her face— a painfully adorable confused expression on your face as you pat her face trying to wipe her tears her heart breaks for you

your mother is probably banished to another clan i don’t know the logistics of that but she is definitely not welcome to stay neytiri would rip her fucking tracks out on god

and from that point forward you are basically adopted by the sully’s

neytiri accepts you as her own daughter, feeling responsible for not being aware of your mother’s neglectful and abusive treatment of you. she’d do anything for you (when you reach an older age she offhandedly mentions that she almost slaughtered your mother lol)

jake fully accepts you as well; he’s angry at himself for not protecting you as he should have. he’s extremely gentle with you, still treating you carefully as you’re still on the smaller side of average you’re barely bigger than kiri even though your almost a year older than her

neteyam and kiri are thrilled that you’re here to play with them forever. both of them accept you with minimal confusion; kiri is extremely grateful that she has someone to help her in bothering her older brother

when lo’ak is born, neteyam and kiri were interested in their baby brother at first but soon become bored when they realize he can’t play with them yet and even more uninterested when all lo’ak seems to do is eat, sleep, and cry. emphasis on the crying part

you on the other hand, are thrilled at having a baby brother, eager to hold him and stay by his side with neytiri and jake.

when neytiri and jake awake to lo’ak’s shrill screams in the middle of the night, neteyam and kiri are awoken as well disgruntled at the interruption of their sleep. but you stay asleep, as if you never heard his cries.

neytiri and jake, who take this as a blessing at first, because they don’t have to soothe all of their children back to sleep. but as all of you continue growing, neytiri and jake begin to become concerned

you still haven't made any effort with words, and they start to notice your lack of reaction at speech, and the sounds of pandora all around you

jake’s sweet call of your nickname “hummingbird” because all you seem to do is hum so quietly it’s almost inaudible, he repeats himself multiple times to try and get your attention, but ends up having to insert himself into your field of view for you to pay attention

neytiri’s warning for you not to stray too far from them at the river in the jungle, toddling off on your own intrigued by the feeling of the water rushing across your feet, ending up alone by yourself further downstream, hysterically crying (so quietly that its hard for them to find you), the only thing you're able to feel is the vibration of the water that soothes you as it gets darker. and the vibration of her panicked footsteps through the ground rush in your direction before your scooped up by her

kiri asking you to add some beads to her hair, distracted by the field of flowers in front of you, only becoming aware of her request when she pats you on the shoulder and you jump unaware of her being that close

neteyam asking if you want to play hide and seek with him and a couple other kids, he knows you get scared if you’re randomly touched,so he stomps on the ground behind you and you turn around curious at the vibrations, and he asks you again and you squint to read his lips

couldn’t think of anything for lo’ak since he’s just a littol baybee

neytiri and jake who finally bring their questions to norm and max after they see neteyam’s manner of interaction with you

and they finally receive an answer for your behavior. you're selectively mute, and completely deaf !!! wow shocker crazy breathtaking shook unbelievable

this isn’t that much of a surprise to jake, but to neytiri this is unheard of in na’vi society, or at least so rare it’s not talked about

norm and max who theorize that your deafness was due to complications of your premature birth, and that your selective mutism stems from the traumatic relationship with your biological mother

jake and neytiri who are at first distraught with this revelation–and the fact that you won’t be able to experience life like other children– but are quick to ask for ways to communicate better with you

and at around 5 years old you begin speech therapy and your own special version of listening therapy with norm and max!

they do a couple tests with you to see where you are developmentally, and find that you’re actually smarter than most kids your age lmao, when you find out about this you definitely rub it in neteyam’s face.

neteyam who allows your non-verbal smugness parade, finding himself happy at your confidence

they learn that the squinting when you talk isn’t because you can’t see, it’s because you're trying to read their lips as they talk. you struggle with it now. not only because you’re a kid, but also because you’ve never heard the language

and as you spend more time in the lab with norm and max, you get more comfortable with them and learning speech.

the lab is the only place you feel comfortable with your attempts at talking because there’s no pressure from the two, unlike the other na’vi. being around everybody who can hear you struggling to speak correctly, and being teased and mocked by kids your age

norm and max suggest that your family learns sign language to try and help communicate with you

when they taught you how to write to more accurately represent yourself the first thing you wrote was “head hurt,” and tried to gesture that it was because of all the eye strain from squinting to read lips

the sully’s who are now dedicated to learning sign language for you <3

jake, norm, and max all work on developing your special language quickly developing it with the help of fancy sky people technology

and you take to it like a ikran does to flying (i’m working on relevant phrases as you can tell i am struggling lmao)

yet you only use it outside of the lab whenever you muster up enough confidence too, it’s still a form of communication and sometimes you just get so anxious that you shut down even more

the first time you sign with your family is in the comfort around the fire, when lo’ak sets his food on fire. you all freak out for a moment, jake scrambling to put it out, and it’s silent for a minute.

lo’ak who is on the verge of tears, and you hum above your normal volume of damn near silent and everyone’s attention flickers to you, but you do not notice.

you sign a simple, “skxawng. eat mine.” offering him your food

everyone laughs a bit shocked and hysterical at tonight's two big events, lo’ak being a lost cause, and you calling him an idiot

when tuk is born, you are happy to have another girl around to outnumber lo’ak and neteyam.

as a baby tuk loves your consistent quiet humming to your own tune, and you love the vibrations of her giggles and even her cries. you quickly decipher the different feelings of her cries understanding what she wants better that her own parents

now you and neteyam are both around 7, kiri and lo’ak roughly 6, and tuk a newborn

you’ve adapted so quickly in pandora

you’ve become way better with understanding the vibrations you feel beneath your feet; whether it’s an ikran pushing off from the ground, a pa’li nearing closer, a stream flowing nearby, or now spider’s failed attempts to sneak up on you (idk what to do with spider can you tell)

with how much you spend time in the lab with norm and max, you eventually start speaking in small quantities around them

your voice incredibly quiet, as you cannot hear yourself, but you watch their surprise and preen at the praise they give you as you succeed and excel

neytiri and jake who are pissed at the fact that norm and max are the only ones who have heard your voice lmao

the labrats take you out into the jungle to study your reaction to the stimuli in the jungle and notice that the mid-tone humming you do in your throat, actually changes to a higher pitch and sometimes you click

your ears flick towards the ruffling of leaves, the fluttering of insect wings, the rushing of water, the growling of animals, as if you can actually hear

they also notice how you hate when your feet are not touching the ground, your feet are always firmly planted, to feel

you’ve grown so much around norm and max with your speech that you can even read some of their english paperwork to them outloud even if you have no understanding of the bigger words but you still verbally close off when you return to your clan

but hey that’s selective mutism, when they ask why you are unable to speak you find that it’s not because you don’t want to…it feels like you physically can’t

when you and lo’ak are running around out of your parents’ range of hearing you love to speak to him (no matter how quiet your voice is) and everytime lo’ak bursts with joy at the fact that you feel comfortable enough to talk to him #youngerbrotherprivileges

he runs off to tell your parents and siblings that you spoke to him, but you pretend like nothing ever happened and that lo’ak is just imagining things

nobody believes him lmaooo, (i’m grinning)

omg! jake who brings you along to war strategy meeting when the sky people return, with you resting against his chest soaking up the feeling of his strong heartbeat, the softest purr continuously rumbling your tiny body

jake who holds you on his hip and explains the strategies of war to you and the various maps, lowkey using you as a medium to help remember plans better not realizing you’re eager to learn more about how to protect your people

omg major plot point alert!! when you come for a yearly checkup with norm and max, they mention cochlear implants for you

neytiri and jake are thrilled that you may have a possibility to actually hear

but you are scared at the idea of hearing everything

the discussion continues norm and max letting you know it would be a few years until you implants are made as there isn’t a audiologist around to assist them in their creation (idk how this would take realistically, but i’m going with this)

eventually you agree, starting to realize that you’d be able to hear your mom and dad’s voice, your sibling’s laughter, and neteyam’s laugh <3

at this point you have lurked around mo’at soaking up all of her tsahik practices, while neteyam is being taught how to use his bow and knife by jake and neytiri

at first your fine with just learning to be a healer, but eventually you start to see how jake and neytiri treat you and neteyam differently

they still treat you as if you’re the defenseless little girl they adopted years ago and neteyam as if he’s a full blown warrior

one more morning of watching neytiri and jake gather their various weapons, and neteyam begin to grab his own, while you’re being sent to mo’at to learn more about eywa (whom you love, but it’s begin to become repetitive, as you’ve heard her lessons many times before) you’ve finally had enough!

you walk up to jake and neytiri, shoulders raised upwards with unbridled anger and begin vigorously signing and them, a little to fast for them to catch up

neteyam who translates the bits and pieces he catches from the side “i….fight too….same…learn…defense…arrows…knives…”

jake who squats to your level and asks you to repeat yourself

slowly you sign as if speaking to tuk a child, “why can’t i learn to fight too? neteyam and i are the same age, we should be equal! i want to hunt fish too, learn to be a warrior, how to defend the people, shoot arrows, and cut with knives!!”

jake who is vehemently against you learning to use weapons and fight, and neytiri agrees

you spend the whole morning arguing as best as you can, before jake dismisses you and trashes your wishes to become a warrior

you break down into sobs, and jake reaches out to pull you his chest, neytiri to pet your hair but you shove their hands away from you, and your very first words to them are an anger-filled “i hate you!” stunning neytiri and jake long enough for you to rush by them and into the forest, narrowly avoiding the other na’vi’s grasps to bring you back to your parents

you travel in a direction you’ve never been in; leading yourself to a part of the forest your unfamiliar with, and discover you’ve gotten yourself lost (skull emoji)

you sit down expecting jake or neytiri to find you but when you feel the vibrations of footsteps reaching you, you realize it’s neteyam

you turn to hiss at him (one of your louder sounds) but he ignores it, going to sit right next to you and throwing an arm around your shoulder

you begin to cry again, using neteyam’s shoulder to literally cry on

he lets you tire yourself out before he pats your cheek causing you to look up at him and he says, “mom and dad are dumb.” (wide eyes emoji) “i will teach you what i learn from them when we are supposed to be playing, okay?”

and you accept his offer (girl boss and boy boss locked in bound 4 lyfe by their treasonous?? actions)

when neteyam leads you home, you allow yourself to be scolded and hugged by your parents and siblings, but their stance on you becoming a warrior hasn’t changed, so you fully rely on neteyam’s plan.

jake who does the bare minimum™ and gives you a little dagger for protection and teaches you how to use it, but refuses to do any more than that

a few more years have passed, sending you and neteyam into awkward growth stages, long limbs becoming lanky, the height difference between you becoming more obvious even though you are only four months younger than him. lo’ak starts learning to fight like his brother, you and kiri fully become apprentices training with mo’at and the other healers, and tuk shadowing her sisters everywhere

for 5 years you and neteyam have kept your promise learning how to fight through everything he teaches you, and the both of you stalking watching omatikaya warriors to perfect your form

anytime you try to tell neteyam that his grasp on his knife is incorrect, or his bow string isn’t taught enough, he automatically claims that you’re wrong and he’s right because “he’s older”

and everytime you say “only by four months!” receiving a smug “i'm still older” in response lol

you’ve definitely developed a little puppy crush on him, making a disgusted face when the other na’vi girls your learning to heal with refers to neteyam as your brother

you are quick to correct them tho, with an audible “no. he is my best friend, not my brother.” stunning them into silence at your firm yet light–quiet voice

kiri and tuk hear all of this of course, and start to prod at you about your crush on neteyam and suddenly you’ve lost the ability to understand sign language and how to read lips (reader is a comedian lmao)

while you and neteyam are locked in, 4 lifers, bound by your mutual-disobedience to your parents; you and lo’ak become a different breed of na’vi

apart from him, you are a poster-child for the poster-child. you weave many clothes, bracelets, baskets for everyone. address younger children's wounds when they played too rough, and genuinely strived to brighten everyones day with your mere presence, not needing to speak to do so

but with lo’ak… y'all are menaces to society, playing pranks on everyone but they’re generally pranks of minor inconveniences. y’all also stay out too late in the jungle, precariously explore areas you shouldn’t, etc. casual lo’ak type beat

jake still brings you to the strat meetings, letting this be the closest you ever get to war, and eventually asks for your point of view on things and starts taking your input into account, and sometimes even says to the other warriors, “my daughter notices that…my daughter thinks it may be better if..” and you preen, happy to accept this level of acknowledgement even if you are still not allowed to fight :(

ding dong! your ears have arrived!!!

as your listening and speech therapy has continued you’ve started to refer to your implants as your “ears” (i just thought it would be cute to call them that lol)

neytiri and jake drop you off at the lab for surgery, and it all happens pretty quick. (small incisions behind the ears while under anesthesia, instructions to keep them clean, and you have another four weeks to wait until you can use them to hear)

a month passes, and this time the whole family ventures to the lab to be there for your first experience of full volume

norm signs to you that he’s turning the ears on and when you begin to hear noises, you gasp, scaring yourself at your own volume, hands covering your mouth, ears perked upwards reaching and grasping for every sound around you

and the very first thing you hear is neteyam laughing at you, you turn to look at him, shocked that you can actually hear it, and then everyone begins talking with you, well at you

the rowdy sully’s are instructed to calm down before they overwhelm you with their voices, and the first words you grace them all with after you told neytiri and jake that you hated them are:

“i love you.” and then you begin crying bc your a soft soul who can’t take all these life changing moments you’ve had with the sully’s

talking is still very hard for you, so when you return home you shyly sign, “even though there are so many beautiful sounds, my favorites have to be the sound of your voices”

you are a rizzologistTM, there go the whole family blushing and kicking their feet

now there are two downsides to your “ears”

1. the fact that they rely on battery and last only around 8 hours (i feel like they’d still be in their prototype-era idk)

and b. that you become incredibly overwhelmed at all the sounds you’re hearing. the switch up was intentional ty (but i think overstimulation is normal for a person who has never experienced hearing before??)

almost everyday, after 4 hours you yank the ears off your head exhausted at hearing and return to the family tent happy with your silence as you recover

one particular day, you go through your daily duties, assisting mo’at in organizing in prepping and preparing medicines, delivering goods to various families, drawing new supply lines for the warriors, refereeing a children’s game, braiding hair, refining your arrow accuracy–and the noises are starting to make you physically hurt

the breaking point is when your whole family is sitting and waiting for dinner to finish cooking, and the sound of neytiri’s knife hitting the board sounds like a gunshot right by your ear

you abruptly burst into tears, the sound of your own distress further upsetting you. your hand cover your ears, before you finally rip your hearing aids off throwing them away from you, uncaring about damaging the precious technology

jake who immediately tries to soothe you asking you questions you can’t hear, and then you begin to claw at behind your ears as if your trying to dig out the internal mechanisms, starting to draw blood

kiri’s who’s sitting next to you tries to pull you hands away, but you shove her off of you, and you now curl up, knees to your chest rocking back and forth frantically

neytiri is the one to manage to get you to stop scratching at yourself, hugging you tightly and not letting you go no matter how hard you try to push yourself away from her gasp

your still inconsolable even though you’ve stopped hurting yourself, rocking back and forth as much as you can in neytiri’s grasp, and neteyam offers a solution

neteyam requests to bring you to a spot that he “found” implying that it might help you calm down. jake and neytiri are against the idea, not wanting to move you in this state, but he pleads, “if this doesn’t work then we can come back and try something different, but i know it will!”

mo’at is called over to watch over the rest of the kiddies as you, neteyam, neytiri, and jake make the trip to this “secret spot”

you being princess carried (i think it’s the bridal carry but nah u a princess today) by jake *sob sob* it the calmest you’ve gotten so far but you’re still unresponsive and very far away from the present

they approach a clearing in the jungle after an 30ish minute walk, and neteyam gestures for you to be set on the ground, while gesturing for neytiri and jake to stop hovering around you while he sits in front of your still rocking body

the grass is a luscious green even in the dark, the area illuminated by the glowing fauna on the outskirts, and neteyam gently brings your hand up to his chest placing it directly over his heart, and presses his forehead to yours, his eyes closed, as he slows and strengthens his breathing

you slowly stop rocking, your eyes clearing as your breathing matches neteyam’s, the bioluminescent freckles on both of your body's flickering in the same pattern, and grass starts to pulse in time with your synced breaths

your eyes flutter closed as well, and a few atokirina start to float around the both you landing on both of you two–and when one lands on neteyam’s head he opens his eyes and carefully pulls his head away, a sigh escaping him as he relaxes fully

and then he turns to see jake and neytiri’s faces (i’m screaming, as i'm writing this) of shock like, he’s never seen his parents this off balance, and figures he owes them an explanation

“we discovered this place when we were kids, and she really liked it because she said that she felt eywa’s presence was strong here, and that it was like she could almost hear my voice when i spoke to her. and when she got her ears, we’d visit here more often whenever we both could sneak out between our tasks so she could relax from the constant noises.”

his last sentence brings neytiri’s and jake’s attention that they’re are very few sounds escaping into the clearing from the dense brush surrounding them, it was a void masking the noises of the jungle

neteyam continues, “it was a little trial and error process to figure out how to calm her down when she got overwhelmed like she did tonight–” he pauses as you slump forward into his chest exhaustion besting you as you fall asleep, “but i managed to figure it out after she crashed during one of our sparring matches.”

and then he does a verbal “oh shit”

jake repeats him, “one of your ‘sparring matches’????” neytiri stunned into silence at his side

and now neteyam realizes he might not make it back alive to the rest of your family as he explains for the past almost 6 years that he's been teaching you how to fight, and jake and neytiri start to lose their mind at neteyam’s prolonged betrayal of their wishes

hey but he’s saved by your sleeping, and jake stonily tables the discussion for the morning

the morning is not very fun for you or neteyam, being lectured for many hours about your secret lessons and everything and jake tries to use your recent overstimulation-episode as reason as to why you shouldn’t be fighting and you lose it at him

you speak, desperately, “you have not even seen my skills yet! it does not matter if it is a bow, or a knife, or a spear, i am very skilled. neteyam says that i have even better aim than him! instead of using my weaknesses as a reason for me to not learn, you should try to teach me to become better! not ban me from protecting myself, my family, or my people!” your voice breaks, “will you not even allow me the ability to defend my home?”

and with those words, neytiri–sees herself mirrored in you–breaks and suggests to jake that he he does teach you how to fight, soothing his worries with the stance of you at least being prepared to defend yourself and your family, while not necessarily having to be fighting on the front lines

spoiler alert jake caves, you and neteyam rejoice before your both consequently punished with morning training and evening training sessions

you have a lot of catching up to do, even lo’ak knows more than you as he teases you in the morning sessions he now tags along in

your relationship with neytiri grows stronger as she teaches you the way of the bow.

it’s like you’re her clone, as you grow up you begin to resemble her more than your biological mother. you become more confident, your presence assertive, not being afraid to speak your mind more often.

your relationship with jake takes more time to mend in the start. you feel his hesitation when you deal with any slightly dangerous matters. but it improves as you make a clean kill on your 13th birthday so precise many of the people debate if you or neteyam had a cleaner kill on your rites of passage. when you beat neteyam’s time for your own iknimaya by a few seconds (a whole seven seconds you taunt to neteyam) jake is berating himself for suppressing your talents

lowkey, i think you would hate flying in the begin because your feet aren’t touching the ground, but that is a story for another time because this is getting way too long

and he begins to allow you to join supply raids with neteyam when you turn 15 (as long as your ears are full charged up)

(let’s pretend like they never went to the metkayina clan for this i am too tired to make this chronologically/canonically accurate; i promise i have a plot somewhere in this long ass headcanon)

you and neteyam are excelling at being the eyes for your father and the warriors, always alerting everybody of sky people and leaving with no casualties or low numbers during the unfortunate but rare circumstances

the warriors ask for your thoughts when planning raids, and even happily utilize your suggestions

when lo’ak joins you two on raids, too eager, it always end up with he and neteyam getting hurt, but when that missile hit you almost lost yourself thinking your little brother and first love died

but unlike jake, you don’t berate lo’ak you only tightly hug him, quietly conversing with him expressing your worry that you lost him, which does begin to have him start considering his reckless behavior

after caring for lo’ak and addressing his few scratches and knicks that were bypassed by your mother and father, you direct lo’ak to the tent with neteyam, your sisters, and your grandmother

the healer in you automatically awakens, taking care of the scrapes kiri and mo’at have not gotten to

you hold his face and clean the knicks from rubble, applying a paste to prevent scarring, and feel his gaze warming your cheeks, you steadfastly ignoring him

mo’at and lo’ak making eye contact and almost bursting out laughing and snorting at the two of you (i hc that mo’at and lo’ak are besties)

omg after that night when neteyam took you to the clearing with your parents, neytiri and jake automatically consulted mo’at about the atokirina and the pulsing of the grass and all she had to say was “eywa has chosen” with a smug ass look on her face (the smug look must be genetic)

lo’ak of course eavesdropping and then gossiping with mo’at constantly about how dense you two were lmaooo i love him so much

the sky people still capture spider. you are unaware of the situation as you’re hearing aids were undergoing updates with max and norm, and you were in the lab with them

when you return to the depressing aura surrounding the omatikaya, kiri’s haunted expression, you get the full story from poor tuk, pulling her into your lap as you wait for your parents to finish their discussion

obviously, when you hear about jake’s plan to leave you tell him that’s utterly stupid, obv he doesn’t want to hear it, but you plead for him to listen as the olo’eyktan, and not as a father

something along the lines of you'd be bringing the fight to clans who have nothing to do with it, you have better knowledge of the mountains than of the sky people yadayadayada,

and he agrees! wow ur so strong and persuasive with logical reasoning, but he still does make a trip to the island to try and recruit some of the homies

you, neteyam, lo’ak, neytiri, and the other warriors start drafting so many war plans together while jake is toruk-makto-ing his ass of in foreign lands, intertwining the reef tactics with your own forest tactics

the metkayina agree to aid you in the rivers meeting the sea underneath the mountains, and secure the coastline of any fleeing sky people and stuff

fast forward, jake draws the sky people into the mountainous area, battle being fought successfully on the na’vi part but the same capture situation of lo’ak, tuk, and kiri occurs

you take tuk and kiri, while lo’ak and neteyam stupidly try to find spider on their own.

you fly kiri and tuk to safety on a nearby cliffside with a trusted ally, and circle back calling the boys’ ikran for a quick getaway

as you order lo’ak to jump for his ikran with spider, gunshots narrowly whizz by and neteyam follows after

his ikran gets hit, and so does he, plummeting out of the air

you dive after him, your ikran just barely getting you close enough to grab and pull him onto your saddle before they crashed

you feel his blood spill onto you, and you abandon the battle to take him back to mo’at and the healers knowing they have all the material prepared for caring for injuries

you dismount, screaming for help, as you lay him on the flat ground, hands applying pressure to the wound above his heart, neteyam whimpering out an “i-i’m okay, you can hear me right- i won’t leave you before…” and he struggles to continue

you cry, as the healers all join you doing the most to staunch the bleeding, on his back as the bullet went straight through, and at the pain he passes out, and you begin to panic at the thought of losing him forever

norm and max are there tho, and with their swanky human technology and endless prayers to eywa–the healers, a dreamwalker, and a human are able to stop the bleeding and stabilize neteyam!!!! (aye i really am not ready to kill neteyam in one of my works my soul is too fragile for that)

ding dong the wicked quatrich is dead!!! or maybe not i’ll let you decide whether or not spider saves him in this scenario it’s not key to the plot at this point

the sky people turn running with their figurative tails between their legs

the metkayina annihilate any stragglers trying to escape off the coast

your family returns learning how close neteyam is/was to death, and rush to see him

you’re sitting by his side, hand over his heart making sure it doesn’t miss a beat, eyes trained on his face, your other hand with a damp rag cleaning all other debrief off of him

mo’at stands behind you, hands on your shoulders, staring at her grandson with worry seeping through her usual expressionless face

your hearing aids have died, so you can’t hear you’re family entering

tuk startles you as she climbs into your lap, and hugs your arm while her own tiny hand joins yours on neteyam’s chest

you look up at your mom and dad while lo’ak, spider, and kiri, rush to neteyam’s side, the tears beginning to flow from your eyes again, a raspy “i was almost too late to save him” spills from your lips

jake embraces you and mo’at, while neytiri kneels next to you, a hand on your knee while dampening your cloth to continue cleaning her son

as everyone begins to get treated for their injuries, various warriors spilling in, you refuse to have you own wounds looked at if it requires you to leave neteyam’s side

you stay in the tent by neteyam’s beside, numb to all the chaos happening around you, and it definitely helps that you can’t be disturbed at the sounds around you

it’s three days before neteyam awakens

you’ve slept in the tent, picked at your food, only eating enough to please your mother, kiri treated your wounds as you refused to remove your hand from his chest.

and when he rouses with a groan, and eyes squinting open, you call for mo’at, max and norm frantically, your whole family tumbling in too

and as dry as his throat must be, the first thing he asks is, “did we do it?”

and you all start crying again, jake walking over to sit on the ground by neteyam’s side and pets his head, nodding softly, choking up

and you finally slip away from his side, neteyam not missing your withdrawal, before his siblings fill up your absence, and you allow mo’at to finally get a closer look at your injuries

neteyam stays in the medical tent for a week, before he’s allowed to be transferred back to his family, and you’ve haven’t been to see him since he’s woken up

you’re afraid

you’ve spent seven days constantly working, over-working, so you don’t have to go to sleep; checking everybodies injuries to make sure they’re healing properly, guiding prayers for the na’vi’s that are returning to eywa, cleaning up debris from the mountain and surrounding area and stockpiling any material/tools that may be useful in the future, healing injured ikrans and pa’li, hunting for hours to gather enough food for the injured, and when you join jake to speak with the metkayina leader with the deepest eye bags and gaunt form he’s ever seen he’s had enough

lol as he’s inviting the metkayina to return when they omatikaya have settled back to normal ronal tsks at him, and gestures to you, you struggling to stop yourself from falling asleep standing and says, “you cannot even take care of your daughter. our visit can wait longer.”

jake who pulls you to his side on the walk back waiting for you to open up to him, and you finally break, “i can’t close my eyes without seeing him die.”

he slows you both to a stop, cups your cheeks and tilts your head upwards so you can read his lips, “babygirl hummingbird, maybe what you need is to remind yourself that you saved him. he’s been waiting for you to come see him. i’m confident that neteyam won’t mind if all you do is sleep next to him, he’d be comforted knowing that you are safe too.”

you end up falling asleep in your father’s arms, getting carried the rest of the way back, and waking up the next morning cuddled up with neteyam

he’s playing with your hair, gently massaging you scalp as he talks with neytiri, a smile on his face, as he watches her prepare breakfast, being scolded when he offers to help

you make a soft questionable hum, and his head automatically turns to look at you, his smile turning into a smirk as he teases, “i heard you couldn’t fall asleep without me?” (RIZZ level 99)

you shove him away from you, cheeks turning indigo and you snark out a “shut the fuck up”

lo’ak and kirk dramatically losing their minds over you cursing in english, and tuk really overselling it with a “she said a bad word! she said bad word!” while jake and neytiri laugh and half heartedly scold you for your choice of words

both of you stick to each other as you eat breakfast, elbows and knees knocking together constantly but you two refuse to even allow a millimeter of space come between you

after everyone’s stomach’s are full, energies high, suddenly everyone is finding an excuse to leave you and neteyam alone in the tent, jake grounding you to bed rest for a few more days to recover from sleep deprivation

lo’ak’s like: “i gotta go walk my ikran real quick” did i say i love him already

before neytiri leaves she gives you a rundown of how to clean and monitor neteyam’s wounds (even though you’re capable of figuring it out yourself, being mo’at’s best student after kiri), but you let her to soothe her maternal instinct

finally alone, neteyam signs to you, “i was asking for you the moment i could speak again, but you never came to see me. i was beginning to accept the idea that you…that you didn’t care for me.” your head snaps up to make direct eye contact with him, tears clouding the dismayed look in your eyes (matching his own broken expression), vehemently shaking your head and you speak, your volume nearly reaching a yell, “do not think for a second that i do not care for you. that i do not need you anymore. like you are not my reason to fight for our lives here.”

neteyam who is stunned to silence not only at the borderline confession within your words but also at the traumatized look in your eyes that you are unable to hide, and you switch to signing, “i was the reason you died if you think about it. it was my idea for us to stay here and fight when we should have just listened to your dad and left! maybe you wouldn’t have been near death! maybe all of us would have never been found! maybe we could just be normal children again!”

neteyam places his hand on your cheek, and you raise your own to hold his wrist as you nuzzle deeper into his grasp and you lightly brush your lips against his palm. your eyes flicker to his own again and he brushes the tears off your lashes and comforts you, “but none of that happened. we made our decision, and your idea to stay here has saved us, saved me. while the sky people have not been ousted completely, we have pushed them back, only because of you and your brilliance. i live to see you grow and flourish because you are a strong warrior, strategist, healer, and more. and most of all, i am thankful you have saved me so i can stand by your side, if you allow me to…?”

you smile, fangs you have yet to grow completely into making you look a lil adorable, and sign the english phrase “i love you,” and you follow it up with an audible, “oel ngati kameie.”

neteyam with hearts for eyes, physically swooning for you, parrots your words and signs, voice velvety, “oel ngati kameie.”

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paintedstarz · 5 months

Text

Heiji Hattori's lack of boundary was a lot for most people to handle, but for Hakuba, and his lack of understanding of body language and tones, does not mind. Hakuba took it as a privileged offering of comfort Hattori had opposed on him.

This was untrue, as the two had never naturally gotten along. Although, through mingling upon cases and with a enough of Shinichi's exasperated sighs, the two learned to tolerate one another.

Hakuba felt delighted to have Hattori offer supposed kindness, "a step to ease the tension in our new acquaintance," he thought aloud one day, striking a bizarre look from Hattori.

"Nah, I do that wit' everyone. It bothers m'real bad though, but I don' mean to," Heiji rambled, though the quality of his explanation was so poor that Hakuba squinted in confusion as if he could attempt to see it better.

"Ya don' seem ta' mind though. Ya surprised me!" Hattori smiled. He jutted out his elbow to prod at Hakuba's side playfully.

Hakuba looked down in a bashful manner, feeling a pleasant warmth blossom in his chest. No, he didn't mind. No one else had ever been so outward at expressing their affections like Hattori had been towards him.

"People like Kudoh' fer' example hate it, then again he's always pushin' everyone away," Heiji murmured, frowning. His gaze suddenly fixated elsewhere, as if his trail of thought were drifting off up into the sky.

Hakuba blinked, he had to constantly remind himself of Kudo Shinichi, who had suddenly reappeared. Shinichi never stuck around in one place, but that never stopped Heiji from taking almost every chance to mention him.

"Kazuha doesn't like it either, but I forget that a lot." Heiji chuckles, erupting a small, unexpected smile from Hakuba. He hadn't meant to smile, it was just instinctive to smile whenever Hattori did.

"Ran is nice 'bout it, but ya can't hover 'round a girl yanno? Especially since we ain't datin' or nothin'." Heiji clicked his tongue disapprovingly, leaning over the fencing, before resting his elbows over the rusted edge.

"Ya met Ran before, yeah?" Heiji cocks his head to the side, looking over at Hakuba.

Hakuba has the slightest instinct to frown, but he fought off the urge and pursed his lips instead.

"You're interested in Mouri's daughter?" Hakuba asked, voice slightly out of it's usual pitch.

"What?" Hattori's shoulders tense.

Hattori opened his mouth slowly, exhaling through his nose deeply as if Hakuba had uttered the stupidest words in coherent human language.

"We ain't datin' so it'd be weird for me ta' invade her personal space, and it'd look weird too! I ain't know her all dat' well!" Heiji spat, he seemed rather revolted at the thought.

"She's pretty n'all but I ain't got my eye on her, yanno?" Heiji said, straining his jaw in a rather exaggerated pout.

Hakuba meekly lowered his shoulders and drove his hands deeper into his pockets as if they were to swallow him.

I want to disappear, he thought miserably.

He had misunderstood as usual.

Hattori smacked the back of his head playfully, "Don' get tha' wrong idea pal," he warned.

What on earth did that mean?

His reaction was so defensive. Did that insinuate he's dating someone else?

Who did Hattori have eye for? Hakuba frowned.

Timidly, Hakuba's eyes wander to make contact with Hattori's. Hattori beamed a playful smile in response, glowing in the golden sun. The light danced over his dark skin, engulfing him in the golden light as if it were honey.

It was quite a beautiful color, the sunny hues over such melanin-rich skin.

Hakuba raises a hand to wipe at his face in disbelief.

He frowns deeply at the thought; Have I caught eye for Hattori?

#detective conan #dcmk #magic kaito #saguhei #hakuba saguru #heiji hattori #shinichi kudo #my writing #short ficlet #》 my writing.★》

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3d-wifey · 4 months

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So idk if you’ve thought about this but since star “attends” I’ve thought about how star could remind snow of Lucy gray??? Lucy gray has an Appalachian accent and the Appalachian mountain range goes through what would be district 11 (from what I understand at least???) and the whole thing about how star is also a musician kinda makes me thing that star reminded him of Lucy gray (not necessarily by looks but by…vibes???? Idk how to describe it)

(This could also be my thoughts because I was told like 3 times I look like Rachel Zeglar and I’ve never lived it down)

Oh yeah that's exactly the case. This isn't a spoiler bc it's something the characters will never know. But Snow knows, and we as the audience knows. Like, they're both pretty, young, poc victors, both musicians, both can command a crowd, very persuasive, natural leaders, both from butt fuck poor districts, both have that heavy lower district accent (southern). Both rebellious, both kind and care for their little communities. Both incredibly desired. Both pretend to be dumb/unassuming, but are very clever/observant. Snow saw 15 y/o Star in the arena, saw how much the ppl rooted for her as an underdog, and didn't think twice about claiming her in his own way. Seeing how she acted in her interviews afterward only further cemented that this was his second chance. Bc he never loved Lucy, he loved knowing she was his. He didn't even fuck with her music fr until she made a song for him. It's why he alway has Star perform for his birthday parties where she composes a song for him as a present (she's actually just improving on the spot).

here's a note i left for my beta reader:

in the book, Lucy Gray is quiet but cunning. She doesn't have the "girl bossified quirky" demeanor she does in the movie and I blame Disney for that. As such, she doesn't have the "loud and proud/nothing affects me/cocky without a cause" attitude in my canon. What attracted Snow to her was that survivor instinct he saw in her that he felt he himself had. Everything that made Lucy Gray interesting to him can be found in Star. I think Katniss's personality is so much like Sejanus's that it pissed him off. close enough to District 12, but not exactly. district eleven has the exact background that Snow wishes he had with 12. He has more control over Eleven, they're easier to control/oppress as opposed to the free-spirited District 12. With Star, he strives to fix what mistakes he made with Lucy Gray.

think about it

#3d wifey talks #3d wifey answers #finnick odair #hunger games catching fire #finnick odair x reader #and they'd find us in a week #can you believe that i didn't even do this intentionally?

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jasonrae117 · 8 months

Text

Just Another Hollywood Scene

CHAPTER 2- Media Frenzied

Damian was furious, that insufferable woman at the pathetic excuse for a coffee shop made him look like a complete asshole when in reality he was simply trying to expedite the process because they were taking too long. Now here he was drinking the subpar coffee in the lobby, grinning at his win. That will be the last time I see her.

“Ahem, Damian?” The receptionist, Barbara Gordon, called.

He pulled himself out of his short lived reverie, “Yes Gordon?”

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49727071/chapters/125517982

“I really wish you’d stop using my last name, reminds me of waiting for my dad to be done at the police station.”

“We are at our place of business, and we must conduct ourselves professionally.”

“You call me that no matter where I am!”

“Hm, instinct I suppose since I don’t see you that frequently outside of work hours. Anyway, what room is the meeting in? I’m already behind schedule, I don’t want to be late.” He leaned against the counter slightly.

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes as she typed something into the computer. “Looks like your father canceled the meeting and rescheduled it to…friday at one o’clock.”

“Four days from now? But the article is supposed to be released tomorrow!” He almost yelled.

“Oh, there’s a note in the memo. The media team delayed the release until Friday as well, but at five.”

“They can’t be serious! What did my publicist have to say about this?” He took a step back and began pacing.

“Damian, I don’t know why or what happened, I just have the new times. Why don’t you ask your father or Dick?” She said gently while readjusting her glasses.

“No, I don’t need their excuses. Well then I’ll see you on Friday.” He huffed.

“Mm, not so fast there. You have a preliminary costume fitting on wednesday.”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, I’ll see you on Wednesday.” He stormed out of the office building.

How could they just cancel the meeting discussing the procedures of handling the media frenzy. They were supposed to announce his involvement with the movie and begin his media tour to garner buzz for the movie. Now that it’s delayed the Gotham Gazette won’t be happy that they didn’t have their front page news when expected and that might reflect poorly on him, like they weren’t confident it would sell well.

Here’s the problem Damian always had when it came to his own stardom. Many people assumed he got his starring roles because of his father’s connection to the industry or his adopted brother’s ties, and while he in no way claims that he does not benefit from nepotism, a lot of the roles he earned on his own.

Damian started out like anyone else in this business, background roles or extras. Sure he had the best access to those roles, which he publicly thanked nepotism for, but he did his time in the background and it was other directors, lead actors and actresses, and the public that begged him to start aiming for starring roles. So, he did just that and he was a natural of course, you can’t live with one of the best actors in the world and not pick up some skills, but Damian brought something totally new to the game.

For starters, he was half Middle Eastern which he takes a lot of pride in and is happy to bring at least some representation to Hollywood. He also liked to think of himself as more in tune with his characters, that he delves deeper into who they were to better understand who they are. Not to discredit his father, but Damian simply believed he was in some ways, if not most, a better actor than anyone in his family. He wouldn’t dare openly admit that, but everyone around him seemed to suspect he felt that way.

Unfortunately Damian was somewhat of a diva. He had no intentions to be but when he sees something that can be better, he speaks up. If he thinks something is out of character or doesn’t make sense he brings his complaints to the writer and director. But the thing that most directors hate initially is that Damian would go off script and completely improvise very dramatic scenes.

Why then would he keep landing these roles if he is such a nuisance to work with? It’s because he was almost always right about the changes and his improvised scenes were arguably his best work and has won him countless awards. He was, plain and simple, a phenomenal actor.

Even with all the praise he gets, Damian still has to answer to the trolls that ruin every interview or live Q&A. The ones that demand he acknowledges his privilege with nepotism and being half white, which he does, every single time. It’s like these people don’t believe the awards or the raving reviews of his movie, or even the general consensus online. They make him feel like he has to continually prove himself, make a bigger name, to show that he is more than his father’s name. That’s why Dick went into directing, to get out of Bruce’s shadow.

Damian thinks that staying out of the public eye as much as possible will help his image and have him not come across as wanting to always be in the spotlight. But Bruce pointed out that all that does is make him seem like a recluse that only wishes to grace people with his presence when he has won something. Damian hates PR and having to do those talk shows or Buzzfeed Interviews but it's the only way he can change this image of himself according to his father. The only public thing Damian enjoys is his charity work with the zoos across the nation and the local animal shelters. Damian trusts animals more than people and he can tell they don’t think he is who he is purely because of his familial ties.

This life was exhausting but rewarding all at the same time, he wouldn’t give it up for anything. Which is why he was incredibly irritated they had rescheduled his article in the Gazette, because now that meant more PR meetings and probably more interviews to make up for the delayed information.

Damian had gone to his favorite vegan cafes a block down, he made the trip down here, might as well make it somewhat worth his time. As he was about to head out and back to his condo, he changed his path walking back toward the offices, promptly deciding to see if his father or brother were in so they could discuss the delay. When Damian got out of the elevator on the seventh floor a half dozen assistants and execs were milling about and chatting excitedly. When they saw him, some tried to scatter but still offered a polite smile.He gave a nod in their direction but continued his way towards Dick’s office.

He couldn’t clearly make out what they were talking about, but everyone was in unusually high spirits. The beginning of a large budget movie was often hell for everyone, so something must have recently happened to garner this much excitement.

As he approached the Dick’s office, Jason Todd came strolling out with the ever present smirk he always had. Damian had known Jason for almost half his life, he played one of Bruce’s sons in a project for several years and then got his own spinoff from that. He was your average roguishly handsome actor with a ‘I don’t give a shit’ mentality, he did come from nothing unlike Damian and worked his way to the top. He was in some theatre production at a local underfunded middle school that Bruce donated money to and stopped by to see their fall play. Bruce was blown away by Jason’s performance at such a young age, but what’s more is that when Bruce exited the theatre to go back to his car, he caught the young Jason trying to steal the tires. Instead of involving the police, Bruce introduced himself and offered to pay for acting lessons for the kid and got him a few auditions which he landed.

Since then, Jason has almost been a part of the family. Bruce and Jason didn’t always see eye to eye as Jason was brash and prone to scandal, but it was almost as if Bruce had officially adopted Jason, he was around the manor often enough, he might as well have been a legal son.

Still Damian was often annoyed by the slightly older man’s behavior, always feeling like Jason was squandering the opportunities his father gave him by being drunk in public and saying outlandish things, as well as literally fighting off paparazzi. He also toted around a new woman every week and it felt like gross behavior from someone who was given everything.

Damian resented Jason in some ways too, because the only thing that separated the two of them was that Bruce chose Jason to follow in his footsteps, but he was forced to give Damian those same opportunities. Except as the media saw Jason as an underdog story that made it big, Damian’s success was purely nepotism. Not to say Jason didn’t also deserve the roles he got, he was admittedly a good actor, but it wasn’t fair to be so similar yet treated so differently.

“Hey little D.” Jason said, meeting him a few steps from Dick’s office.

“Todd, what did I say about nicknames?” Damian narrowed his eyes at the taller man.

“To be fair, I don’t remember half the things you actually say to me. I try to block you out but your incessant complaining really knows how to pry its way in my head occasionally. “ He shrugged and was about to continue walking but he stopped himself just to the side of Damian’s shoulder. “We’re all in a pretty good mood, Dick especially. Try not to sour it for fucking everyone.” He patted him on the shoulder, which Damian instinctively shoved off.

“I only complain when there is something reasonable to complain about, and how other people perceive my constructive criticism is not my problem.”

“Yeah because telling me to stop wearing my leather jacket is such a reasonable complaint that entirely affects your life.” He rolled his eyes.

“You wear it year round and half the time you don’t even ride your motorcycle because you’re being driven around. It's pointless and you think it makes you look cool, but in actuality you look like an imbecile. But I’m glad to see that maybe the tides are changing since it seems to be absent from your outfit today.” Damian smirked smugly, but was confused to see Jason shoot back the same look.

“You’re wrong about pretty much everything you said just now, but I don’t give a rat’s ass what your opinion is on my outfits or why I chose to wear what I do, but I will let you in on a little secret. I was wearing my jacket today, took it off while I sat in on a few auditions for your little superhero movie, and now it rest on the shoulders of one fucking hot new actress in town that, and here is the secret,” He leaned into Damian’s space whispering, “ will probably be your leading lady.”

“Great so I may have to deal with some bimbo that probably slept her way into the audition and-” It was Damian’s turn to roll his eyes but Jason’s unforeseen shove made him stumble and swallow the rest of his sentence.

“Don’t fucking say things like that. She had a fantastic audition while also being fucking hot. Don’t be such a prick and just assume things about someone because I say she’s hot.”

“Only girls you think you have a chance with do you even bother bringing up and 90% of the time they’re bimbos so excuse me for jumping to conclusions. Besides, there’s still auditions for the roles over the next couple of days, we don’t know anything yet.” Damian took a step forward but looked over his shoulder, lowering his voice, “And don’t even think about laying hands on me again Todd, we’re not friends, and we are not family.”

“Fuck you little D, you used to be a touch nicer when you were younger, guess that stick never came out on its own. I can just see it now though, you being jealous when you see your co-star and knowing that you can’t have her because I already will.”

Damian fully turned to him now. “First, I don’t date coworkers. Second, anyone interested in you isn’t smart enough to be interesting to me.”

“Mark my words Dami.” Jason called out making his way down the hall and to the elevators.

Damian was already frustrated on his way up, now he was just down right pissed off. Jason sure as hell knew how to push his buttons. He tried his best to shake the conversation and took a deep breath before heading into his actual brother’s office.

“Hey D! Everything alright out there? I heard you and Jay’s conversation get a little heated.” Dick was milling about his office, collecting stacks of files together.

Dick’s office was very cluttered but in particular groupings. He thrived in organized chaos, he was a researcher at heart and made sure to analyze every bit of data before making a decision. It’s why he was such a good director, he really understood the background of his movies and would make sure they were as accurate as possible. His mahogany desk could barely be seen beneath the mounds of different colored folders representing anything from future projects, schedules, resumes, and even lunch menus to his favorite restaurants. The floor to ceiling window across the back wall of his office gave him an impressive view over the city and let a lot of natural light in. The office was still overall bright and clean, with off-white walls and light tan wooden panels, the light reflected well around it. Knick knacks from his early days with his real family in the traveling circus were placed neatly on the many bookshelves around the office. He had a plush couch and armchair in the corner facing a large flat screen TV and a coffee table that matched the rest of the wooden furniture in the room. On the other side of the desk were two comfy green velvet chairs for guests to use. It was minimalistic, but full of life. Damian didn’t feel cooped up in here like he did in Bruce’s office that had a much darker color palette.

“Just Todd being his usual irritating self.”

Dick set his current stack of papers he was carrying down and excitedly started searching for something else in a file cabinet. “He’s been in a better mood since the audition we saw today just before lunch, this Ra-”

“Dick, I really don’t care to hear about it right now. From what it sounds like, she probably isn’t worth the headache she’ll give us if she’s already throwing herself at Jason.” Damian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a seat in front of the desk.

Dick straightened up, a perplexed expression resting on his face. “I wasn’t aware they knew each other, she just borrowed his jacket for the scene but he didn’t mention he knew her.”

“To be fair, I’m not sure how acquainted they currently are, but he made it clear he wanted to get more acquainted.” He scoffed.

“Well then I’m going to tell him to back off, I don’t want anything ruining the potential this girl has. I think she’s our girl. She is our sorceress!” He threw his arms dramatically into the air.

“Be reasonable, Dick. You still have more auditions for that role coming up. You were probably just hungry.”

“Maybe, but maybe not. I’m telling you, you’re going to love her. I can pull up her audition tape so you can see what I’m talking about.” Dick practically ran to his computer, typing in his password. He barely was able to hit enter when Damian snapped the laptop shut on his fingers. “Ow!”

“Not interested until you’ve seen the rest. I don’t like you making rash decisions, that’s Jason’s brand, not yours. Besides, I came here to talk about something actually important.”

“Idunno Dami, I have a feeling about this one. But I hear you and I’d hate to be rude to the people that have worked hard on their auditions and count them out just yet. So I'll finish them out and go from there. However, this is actually very important, arguably more important than what you’ve come here to discuss.This is our lead female hero, your right hand woman. She needs to be good enough to stand beside you.”

“You’re opening auditions for this massive role to anyone that can speak. I don’t know why you didn’t just go with someone we’ve worked well with before.” He crossed his arms.

Dick leaned his forearms on the desk. “ Like who? You’ve berated me for anyone I’ve ever suggested. Besides, how are we gonna evolve as an industry if we keep using the same handful of actors, it gets boring. I want fresh talent, and the chance to give someone their big break!”

“How charitable. I haven’t hated everyone you’ve said. Brown was okay to work with.” Damian huffed.

“Stephanie is not the right fit for this role, the Sorceress is dark, mysterious, temperamental. Steph plays the girl next door, happy go lucky type. Plus she hates you.”

Damian shrugged “True.” He always had a hard time with his female co-stars, either they were hired because they were pretty but couldn’t act their way out of a paper bag or they wanted to start a relationship with him to increase buzz surrounding the movie. He tried that once with Emiko Queen and after the movie premiered, just as he was coming around to it being a real relationship, she breaks it off right before announcing her next movie. He felt used and she somehow spun the tale to make him out to be the bad guy, and with his record, it wasn’t hard to sell. He swore that he’d never do that again, or even date co-stars in general.

He’d done a pretty good job of making it clear from the beginning, but some leading ladies still tried, thinking they could change his mind. They never did.

“Anyway, if you came here to appeal the press release date change, I’m sorry but there’s nothing we can do about it.” Dick opened his laptop once more and typed something.

“You don’t understand how bad this is going to make me look to the Gazette, and if they mention it to anyone else, it’ll be even worse. If this is because you guys are afraid about what I-” Damian was leaning forward in his chair, his voice raising just a little.

“Damian, stop. Everything will be fine. We wanted to wait until your costume fitting so we can send some pictures with the announcement so people see this is happening and real and that we stand behind you fully. Bruce explained everything to the editor-in-chief and told them how much the pictures were going to enhance the story and they agreed. Plus with first look photos of the costumes, all the blogs are going to be jumping on the news and spreading it. By Saturday, everyone will know you’re heading my movie!”

“But won’t this put us behind schedule for the press tour?”

“Not at all, I didn’t schedule your first talk show until the following week as a precaution if we didn’t gather much wave of media presence. But I now worry we’re going to cut our impression short with the new stuff you'll be talking about." He was now reclined back in his seat, hands folded in his lap.

Damian wanted to argue, but it did all make sense. "And the other cast announcements?"

"All will be released in due time. I'll probably save the Sorceress announcement until last though, really build up speculation and buzz."

"Not to mention drama." Damian muttered.

"Hey, drama isn't all that bad when it's speculation." Dick retorted, pointing at him.

“This feels like the ‘no such thing as bad publicity’ excuse. And that always goes horribly wrong.” He crossed his arms, slouching a touch into the chair.

“That’s because it kinda is Dami boy. Except it’s truly not bad publicity, sure some people will get disheartened that it’s not their pick, but we’re working with entirely original material, no fanboys to worry about.” Dick seemed way too relaxed for a director releasing what is thought to be the biggest movie of the decade.

“You still seem to be grossly overestimating the weight of the news about the Sorceress.” Damian stood from his chair and did his best to brush the wrinkles from his suit.

“And you seem to be a misogynist that doesn’t think his female co-star is as important as him!” Dick said firmly as he stood as well, palms on his desk with his body leaning towards the accused.

Damian sputtered his words, his eyes darting for anything to come to his mind right now. “I am not a misogynist! I just think that after my announcement, everyone else is gonna hold the same weight.” He settled his hands on his hips to help him look confident in his statement, but Dick could see right through it and Damian knew it.

“Admit that you’re scared some relatively unknown actress is gonna steal your limelight.”

“That’s not it.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah…” Damian watched as Dick slowly sat back down, a calm smile on his face as he rested his right ankle on the knee of his other leg and folded his fingers in his lap. “Ok, maybe I think that we are putting too much stock in the idea, but maybe I’m worried that my chance to change the public's opinion of me is going to be overshadowed, especially with how big you’re acting like it’s going to be!”

“Let it out, Dami. We can’t ease your mind if we don’t know what’s going on inside of it. Look, I know that the press has been up your ass since the Emiko incident. But anyone that’s worth anything knows the truth and will not hire her ever again. But if our sorceress is the next big thing, it may not hurt for her to like you…not in any sort of romantic way. Lord knows we won’t push that angle again, but literally just think you are a decent guy.” Damian scowled at his older brother implying the task for the new girl to be difficult. “Then, if she does reach mega popularity as we hope, then she’ll be willing to do interviews with you and about you and then everyone can see how…charming you really are.”

“I see you and your committee have put a lot of thought into this. It would be foolish to not give your theory at least a small glimmer of a chance.” Damian pulled away from the desk and headed toward the door. He turned ¾ of the way back to Dick, “But she has to be tolerable too, I won’t fake liking someone just because it’ll be good press, someone will notice eventually and then it’ll blow up in your face.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way Damian. Now I’ll see you Wednesday for a moment to check on your costume, but we’ll really touch base again on Friday. Have a great rest of your day Dami.”

Damian nodded in response, closing the door behind but watching Dick’s annoying cheery smile disappear behind the door. He really hoped that they cast this role well because it’ll either be hell or the best thing to happen to him in a while.

#raven #teen titans #raven roth #robrae #damian wayne #damirae #jayrae #dc fanfic #hollywood au

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