Tumgik
#actually i lied i might draw her other outfit. maybe
moonshineinkwell · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media
breaking out of art block for 5 seconds solely to draw her bonus:
Tumblr media
170 notes · View notes
redhairedgirl95 · 9 months
Text
Vigilante sh!t is such a Diaspro song, a ted talk by me.
Draw the cat eye, sharp enough to kill a man = have you seen her? She looks drop dead gorgeous. Always.
You did some bad things, but I'm the worst of them = she and Sky have definitely kissed. She has kissed him. Maybe she’s done something more to him …
Sometimes I wonder which one will be your last lie = he lies and lies and lies. You are betrothed, man! Don’t go around flirting with other girls! (Also the whole switch with Brandon. Not cool)
They say looks can kill and I might try = they do. Drop dead gorgeous, as I said. Princess and Fairy outfit = both iconic.
I don't dress for women
I don't dress for men
Lately I've been dressing for revenge = Just … YES.
I don't start shit but I can tell you how it ends = not her fault she was engaged to him. Oh, but she is gonna get revenge.
Don't get sad, get even = she doesn’t care for your tears, your excuses, she wants payback.
So on the weekends
I don't dress for friends
Lately I've been dressing for revenge = see above.
She needed cold hard proof so I gave her some
She had the envelope, where you think she got it from? = SHE TOLD BLOOM. Not Sky. Sky was forced to explain after Diaspro had told the truth.
Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride = well, I guess Bloom goes home after the whole chaos
Picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife = the duo we have been deprived of. Diaspro and Bloom, riding into the night
And she looks so pretty
Driving in your Benz
Lately she's been dressing for revenge = Bloom should have pulled a Princess Diana. I strongly believe Stella has. And Diaspro has, duh.
She don't start shit, but she can tell you how it ends = Bloom goes away. She ends the whole thing. Was it even a thing if he was already engaged?
Don't get sad, get even
So on the weekends
She don't dress for friends
Lately she's been dressing for revenge = the Princess Diana thing, see above.
Ladies always rise above = Diaspro DESERVES to come out on top. To fall in love with an even richer, mightier, handsomer guy. Or, as Cher teaches us, to BE the richer, mightier, handsomer guy.
Ladies know what people want = she knows exactly what she wants. And she isn’t afraid to go and get it.
Someone sweet and kind and fun = and respectful. And trustworthy. And, for Diaspro, I would stress the fun part. I mean, fun.
The lady simply had enough = indeed she had.
While he was doing lines
And crossing all of mine = he makes the rules (his family, but anyway, he doesn’t question them) and crosses them over and over again.
Someone told his white collar crimes to the FBI = Bloom is the FBI in this scenario. Bloom and all the people in the Magic Dimension
And I don't dress for villains = that’s you, Sky.
Or for innocents = Bloom. But Diaspro herself, too.
I'm on my vigilante shit again = doing the Gods’ work and exposing men and their bullishit
I don't start shit, but I can tell you how it ends = with you in the gutter and she on top.
Don't get sad, get even = advice for all us girlies to follow.
So on the weekends = and always, actually
I don't dress for friends
Lately I've been dressing for revenge = Let’s all learn from Diaspro (and Princess Diana 🫶🏻)
6 notes · View notes
skyward-floored · 2 years
Note
I’d like a tour of the Courage of Ages Links, please!
Lemme just preface this by saying I LOVE QUESTIONS LIKE THIS THANK YOU!! I think I made a post like this awhile ago, but it needed to be updated so this gives me an excuse to
And now a very very long list of Links :D
Cloud — Skyward Sword Link, he’s a nice guy at first glance but has an exceptional ability to go from pleasant to terrifying in about two seconds flat. Has some white streaks in his hair from channeling Demise’s lightning, and his eyes are a little extra bright during storms. Married his Zelda less then a week ago, he’s rather upset his honeymoon got interrupted.
Mini — Minish cap Link, he’s the youngest of the crew at 10 (and a half). Polite and pretty mature for his age, he’s like the epitome of “small but mighty”. He’s horribly superstitious though, and has a mighty fear dislike of cats.
Kaleidoscope — original Four Swords Link, he got nicknamed after the way the colors in his eyes shift around and swirl, kinda like a kaleidoscope. He’s a quiet guy and keeps to himself, but he’s also a great listener when he’s not having... issues. The seamster of the group, he usually ends up darning everyone’s socks.
Sprite — Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask (and sorta Hyrule Warriors) Link, he puts on a grumpy face but is actually a pretty sweet kid underneath. He’s on this little adventure with a mix of intense annoyance and grim acceptance. He thought he was done with time travel shenanigans, this’ll be the FOURTH TIME—
Gloam — Twilight Princess Link, he’s the big brother of the group, maybe is a little overprotective of the younger Links. Calls pretty much everyone younger then him “puppy” as well. He’s a huge animal lover, he’s almost always got a hawk on his arm or a cat or dog following him. Misses Epona, but knows Ilia is taking good care of her (also misses Ilia. Never takes off her charm).
Light — Four Swords Adventures Link, one of his eyes is red and blue, the other is green and violet, and his mood sometimes swings a bit sporadically. Despite all this he’s a great team player, and he’s definitely in his element having all these other fighters to work with. Really hates being alone.
Windy — Windwaker and Phantom Hourglass Link, he’s got a big mischievous streak and is very upbeat. His big brother-ness make him worry sometimes about the younger Links, but he’s not that old himself so he tries not to be overbearing. Rough-and-tumble, but he’s actually pretty polite despite being a pirate (it’s his grandma’s fault).
Spirit — Spirit Tracks Link, he’s not exactly the greatest fighter, his strength lies more in, well, trains. That isn’t to say he can’t fight, but he doesn’t prefer it, and injuries bother him a lot. Likes drawing and tinkering with stuff, the sheikah technology in botw fascinates him. He can see ghosts without any aid and is very close with First.
Hibiscus — A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, and Link’s Awakening Link, he’s definitely the most experienced of everyone, seems way older than 18. Won’t admit it but Koholint screwed him up, enough that he was in a really bad place for a while (maaaybe kinda still is). He’s also a really good medic, one of the best out of the Links, and adapts very well to new skills.
Hue — A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes Link, he’s got an outfit for every occasion. Literally. Any occasion. His red and blue link buddies convinced him to dye his hair green and he maybe regrets it a little but it’s mostly grown out anyway. He’s a blacksmith apprentice like Mini, and likes making blades as useful and stylish as his clothes.
Brownie — The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link Link, (heh) he’s a little anxious, kinda paranoid, but a really good fighter with both magic and blade, and knows a lot more then the others might think. Tends to get underestimated due to his appearance but he’s the most magically powerful of all of them.
Era — Hyrule Warriors Link, sort of the leader, he seems like he’s got it the most together (he does not) but he’s good at faking it. It’s what got him through the war anyway. Technically the oldest only by a year or two, he may or may not have adopted Sprite during the war and is kinda the dad of the group (oh no shoot shoot when did that happen—). He’s got a weird relationship with compliments and his appearance.
Slate — Breath of the Wild Link, he’s quiet, but cheerful. Sometimes gets caught up in his head which can end badly, (even worse if he gets stuck in a memory) but he’s trying. Crazy good archer, and master of silent movement, when he’s not trying to be quiet he’s nearly always quietly humming some tune or other. Also loves food with a passion.
First — Link from the manga at the end of Hyrule Historia, First is a ghost. He’s not quite sure how he’s here. Also Spirit is the only person who can see him and actually knows he’s here. He’s actually okay with only Spirit seeing him, and he’s able to do a few things to help out (fight ghost enemies). Has a distinct sort of sadness about him though, and Spirit wishes he wasn’t dead and could hug him. He seems like he could use it.
29 notes · View notes
divinefireangel · 3 years
Note
Hello ✍️Writer✍️, I would like to 🤌request🤌 a reaction where their s/o likes ❣️kissing❣️ their ❤neck❤ 🌠Innocentlly🌠but it 🌌turns the 🕺Bois💃 on🌌 🤡accidentally🤡 Thank you for blessing us with your Beautiful 🤌 beautiful 🤌 works✍️❣️
Idk why but so many emojis are making very happy 😂
I HAVE SO MANY DRAFTS HELP
Warnings: Suggestive? Fluff? Crack? Well idk. Mentions of food. Domestic af SF9. Yes that is a warning. Sensitive neck! SF9. Just go with it 💀.
Youngbin
"I'll hug you and you click the picture"
"Okay. But you'll have to help me angle it properly cause of your outfit."
"I know I know. Just turn it a bit towards me. Okay. Yes!" You exclaim finally happy with the angle. Clicking a good number of selfies with your boyfriend Youngbin, you check them to make sure that you atleast got a few you can post.
Monitoring the pictures along with you, Youngbin holds you close to him even after the photo session. You see, there was a wedding. One of your friend's. And being your boyfriend, Youngbin offered to be your date.
So here you both are, all doll'd up and pretty, finally taking couple pics after what seems like forever. Smiling happily you bounce on your feet. The pictures turned out perfect!
To celebrate, you kiss him joyfully, well you ended up kissing his neck because that the height you are able to reach with your heels right now. Pulling away with a small smile, a frown takes over when you notice your lipstick mark on his neck.
Widening your eyes, you panic trying to figure out how you can remove the mark quickly. Remembering that you have tissues in your bag, you take take it out and begin to clean.
"I'm sorry. I forgot I had lipstick." You say sadly, but concentrating on the task in hand. Youngbin, however, is still frozen in his spot, not even moving his eye lids. When you finish and move away, he breathes out contracting his chest.
"Jagi." He huffs slowly. "You, you can't just do that." He says in a small pout.
"Do what?" You look in his eyes. Realizing that you meant nothing by it, his face just breaks into a smile.
"Nothing. Let's go. Or we're going to be late!" He exclaims wrapping his arm around your shoulder, pulling you to walk with him.
Inseong
A lovely afternoon spent with your boyfriend. Aka. You having your nose in your novel and him having his nose in his novel. It's actually something you both do often. And then comes the regular discussing favourite parts, which he claims is the best part of your mini book club.
You were both seated at opposite ends if the couch, when you huffed closing your book. Now, normally you would've finished it, but for some reason your eyes were starting to lose focus. Maybe it was stress or overworking. Keeping the book on the table in front of the couch, you slowly crawl away from your side to his.
Peering over his shoulder, you try to see what page he is on.
"What are you doing?" Inseong asked with a smirk.
"Nothing. Just cuddling my super cuddly boyfriend" you said whilst moving your legs on his lap and hands landing around his shoulders. Kissing his cheek with a smile, you nest your head in his neck, closing you eyes when you feel his arm on your back.
Blinking your eyes open, you mindlessly pout, tired and a bit bored. 'Hmm, he smells nice', you think to yourself. Sliding your head back a little on his shoulder, you start to drag your pouty lips against his neck, occasionally pecking it too.
Biting his lip, Inseong shuts his eyes, moaning in satisfaction as you kiss his neck. Giggling at his reaction, you stop what you're doing. "Are you actually getting turned on by me just kissing your neck? " you ask with the biggest smile on your face.
Reciprocating your smile, Inseong chuckles, opening one of his eyes to look at you. "Not my fault. You just know how to drive me crazy for you." He says leaning forward to capture your lips in a dizzying kiss.
Jaeyoon
Sitting on a chair near the dining table, Jaeyoon scrolls through his phone, scouring for a new recipe to try out. Finding one that seems interesting, he clicks on it and starts to read. Being so engrossed in learning it, he fails to notice you come out of the bedroom.
Almost walking past him towards the fridge, you stop in your tracks and decide to have some fun. Tapping his left shoulder, you wait for him to turn but quickly move to the right. Snickering silently, you repeat the same action again, now tapping his right side, but he notices your hair before you moved.
Chuckling he looks down shaking his head. "Jagiya, you're very cute. But not very slick." He laughs when you whine into his neck. Relaxing onto his back, you pout sadly.
"What are you seeing?" You ask curiously.
"A new recipe you might like. I think we have all the ingredients, so I was planning on trying it. What do you think?" He hums in question, raising a hand to pet your hair.
"Okay. I'll be happy with whatever you feed me." You reply genuinely. Playing a kiss on his cheek first, he turns to look back to his phone smiling. But you wanted to kiss him more. So instead you just choose to kiss his neck.
Licking your lips a little, you press a medium kiss on his neck, making his stop everything he was doing. Unfazed, you walk to the fridge to take a cold water bottle from it. Turning you gasp, almost colliding into Jae's chest.
"Jae... " you say looking at him, wondering why he's standing so close to you. Sighing he leans down to your height, kissing you on the lips once. Twice. Thrice.
Keeping the water bottle on the kitchen counter next to the fridge, you wrap your arms around his broad shoulders, feeling his back muscles as you make out with your boyfriend. Loving your reciprocation, Jaeyoon lifts you off the ground and makes you sit on the counter, not breaking the kiss for one second...
Dawon
You gasp in surprise when you feel a strong chest hug into you. Kissing the side of your head, Sanghyuk smiles, happy to finally have you in his arms after another long day of work.
"Hi"
"Hi baby. You took a shower?" You ask, noticing that he's wearing only sweatpants.
"Yeah. I went to the gym after work." He replies, walking towards the mirror to apply his moisturizer.
Nodding you change out of your work clothes, finally feeling like you can breathe again. Now it was your turn to hug him.
Approaching him slowly, you tickle your way around his torso and abs, resting your forehead against his ear you sigh satisfactorily. Smiling widely at your clingyness, Sanghyuk continues to moisturize. "Tired?"
Humming a response you open your eyes and breathe out, having closed your eyes as soon as you hugged him. Pluckering your lips, you lean up to kiss one long sweet kiss on his neck. And then another next to it. And another.
"I thought you were tired." He says in a deadpanned tone.
"I am" you hum.
"Fuck it. I'll do most of the work then" Turning around, Sanghyuk stares down at you, biting his lip sexily making your breath hitch and mind go blank. Grabbing your waist in one hand to pull you flush into him, he leans down to connect your lips together while his other hand cups your butt, asking you to jump into his arms so he can take you to bed for a long, long night.
Zuho
You were laying across the couch, you boyfriend Juho sitting on the ground, his back on the same couch near your head. You were waiting for your lunch to be delivered, the app saying it'll take only a few minutes.
The day was spent well with taking the cats to the vet, then going grocery shopping and coming back home and putting them in their respective containers. Of course the whole ordeal tired you both out. So you decided to treat yourselves by ordering in.
You laugh silently as Juho played with Kompangg, making weird sounds to get the feline's attention and to make her meow. Huru of course the rebel, in his own world, sleeping cutely in his bed.
Pulling yourself forward by your arms, you place you head on Juho's shoulder, trying to help him play with his younger pawed child. When she finally meowed after a lot of both of your efforts, you cheer extending your arm to pet her ears.
Smiling at her doey eyes, you place an innocent kiss on Juho's neck, resuming your previous position on the couch.
"Why did you do that? " Juho asks, putting Kom in the ground. Turning to you with a smirk, Juho leans his hands on the couch.
"Do what?" You ask quizzically, cause you really didn't know. Looking at your clueless expression, Juho realizes that you didn't mean anything by that kiss. Pursuing his lips, he looks down on his lap, cringing at his dirty mind.
"Did you think I wanted sex?!" You accuse him when you figure out what he was thinking. Scratching the back of his neck, he laughs timidly trying to think of an excuse when the front door bell rang.
"Ah! Yes food's here!" He says quicky, sprinting off towards the door while you laugh.
Rowoon
Sprawled widely on the bed, Seokwoo replies to his texts with a pout on his lips while waiting for you to join him so he can cuddle you to sleep. Jumping onto the bed, you grab your pillow and lay on top of it for support while looking into his phone too.
"Why do you have so many at this time? "
"I ignored the group from morning." He replies.
Nodding your head, you sigh in exhaustion from the day's work. Pushing half of your body on his, you rest your chin in his neck and close your eyes. What you've been addicted to since dating him, was situating yourself on top of him whenever where ever he lies down. It always gave you warmth. And him a sense of feeling small. He also loves it when you give him a back massage or draw on top of his wide back, just for the fun of it.
"Okay! I'm done. Let's sleep." Seokwoo says making you open your eyes in surprise.
"Okie" you say in a small voice, bending down to peck his neck before rolling off him onto your side if the bed.
Opening his mouth for a good ten seconds, he licks his lips and turns his head to look at you. Seeing you wrap yourself in the comforter like a burrito, he blinks in confusion.
Once settled, you look at him in question, wondering why he isn't tucking himself in. "Why are you not turning? Are you okay? "
Your words pull him out of his trance. Opening his mouth to answer, but closing it again when he realizes that he doesn't have one, he just looks at you.
"Nothing. Good night." He finally says, wondering why such a simple action took him by so much surprise.
Yoo Taeyang
Smiling lovingly Taeyang stands in the kitchen preparing an even more love filled meal for you. He knows how you've only had a small breakfast, so he took it upon himself to make you something delicious for when you come out of the bedroom after attending all your meetings.
Humming along with the song playing in the background, he stirs the contents of the pot. "Y/N will like this." He says to himself. And as if you cue, he hears the bedroom door open and from there came out a very tired you.
Walking into the kitchen, you let your feet drag you till you're behind Taeyang. Wrapping your arms around his torso while being careful of the hot vessel on the stove, you rest your head on his back. "I hate work" you complain pouting.
"I know. " he agrees, chuckling at your childish behaviour. Taking in a deep breath, smelling the aroma of your lunch, you sway in happiness while still hugging Taeyang. Rising on your tippy toes, you place a small kiss on his neck, squeezing him tightly in your arms. Freezing he widens his eyes as his shoulders tense at your actions.
"You're amazing" you compliment him. Pulling away you begin to walk towards the bathroom, completely failing to notice your blushing mess of a boyfriend.
"You can't just do that!" He complains loudly to a still very clueless you.
Hwiyoung
Tired from overworking yourself, you close your eyes leaning back in your chair. Youngkyun was sitting next to you, doing his work. Noticing your despair immediately, he pauses and saves his work first, then yours.
"Let's go take a nap. We've been here long enough." He says, worry laced in every syllable.
Nodding you push your chair back a bit, until your legs are out. Lifting your arms up to him, you silently ask him to carry you to bed. Smiling at your cuteness, he obliges, not having the heart to say no to you. Like always.
And so he gently picks you up bridal style and walks to the bed. And just as, if not even more gently, he places you on the bed. Unfolding the blanket, he spreads it on the bed before getting in with you, making sure you are tucked in well.
Attacking him as soon as he's settled next to you, you throw one leg across his torso and intertwine your hands on his chest,nuzzling your nose shamelessly in his neck. Chuckling he starts to pat your shoulder, back and head, to put you to sleep.
Releasing a breath finally feeling relaxed, you turn your head up to kiss him, not really caring where you ended up kissing him, but you kiss him. "I love you" you mumble against his skin.
Biting his lip, he continues to pat you to sleep, while he lays there wide awake, still feeling the aftermath of your simple kiss. Little do you know, he's silently begging his hormones to calm down or else he will never hear the end of it.
Chani
A typical Saturday afternoon for the two of you. You are engrossed in your work while Chanhee is on his desktop playing games. Being cooped up in your work for so long, you decide that you needed to take a break. Probably a snack too.
Getting up from your position, you walk towards Chanhee's chair to wrap your hands around his shoulders. Smiling when he feels your presence behind him, he just continues to play his game. Playing a sweet kiss on his cheek, you lean your head against his temple, averting your attention to the screen.
"What"
"Nothing. Just trying to see what's so interesting in the game."
Lifting your head to look at him for a moment, you bend down and press your nose to his neck. Giggling at your action, Chani is about to protest when he freezes in his spot. Playing tiny pecks of admiration on his neck repeatedly, you close your eyes happy to be in his warmth.
"Stop! " Chani exclaims in surprise, pausing the game.
Opening your eyes at this sudden outburst, you look at him with curious eyes. "Why?"
"Do you- Are you- ah.... " Gulping he is at a loss for words. Staring at your with wide eyes he just opens and closes his mouth.
Blinking you giggle at his flush state, not really catching what's going on in his mind. "I'm gonna make myself a snack. When you decide what and how you want to tell me, I'll be ready." You laugh exiting the room, leaving a very dumbfolded Chani in your wake.
218 notes · View notes
sunflowersseemhappy · 4 years
Text
The Arcana | Little Romantic Gestures Headcannons
Asra
A lot of Asra’s little romantic gestures are aimed at getting you to smile, he spent so long watching you struggle after he brought you back that all he wants is to see you happy.
Ever since he started travelling Asra has always brought souvenirs from his trips. Things he thinks you’ll like. Although he knows you so well that what he brings you never fails to make you happy at how thoughtful he is. It’s only after the whole ‘saving the world thing’ that you realise this was a gesture of his affection for you all those years.
Tied in with bringing you souvenirs Asra loves to spoil you every once in a while with a outfit tailored to you. Clothes that make you look stunning in the most modest of ways, leading to everyone else complimenting you. Asra has a critical eye when it comes to fashion and making the love of his life look good.
His goofiest gesture is probably making heart shaped foods for you, this only began after his confession of love (before then he made little animals and flowers from the food he gave you). Its an intricate process, but Asra definitely has the patience.
Once every-so-often Asra will ask if you want to bathe together, there is generally no other reason than he wants to pamper you/feel you close to him. Asra will draw a bath and cradle you in the water, and you’ll both just talk and give each other soft kisses.
When the night is waning and the candles burn low Asra will ask to cuddle in close with yo u and puts his head against your chest listening to the beating of your heart. He doesn’t consider it his anymore, he gave it to you, therefore it is yours. But he hopes the connection between your hearts will always be this strong.
Julian
Julian can be a little distracted when if comes to romantic gestures, big ones get lost in his planning for them. The little romantic gestures Julian gives you have no plans, just him and his complete adoration for you.
It’s like clockwork. Julian is awake as soon as the sun rises and quickly brings you morning coffee/tea/or whatever you favourite morning wake up beverage is. It’s simple and maybe you do or don’t notice it, but it’s always fresh, like he knows exactly when you’ll wake up and makes it just before you do. If you manage to catch him after he leaves it on your bedside table you give him a good morning kiss (he deserves it).
If either of you are out and separated from each other for the day Julianhides lovely little notes in your pockets. Poems, quotes, even simple ‘I love you’’s. One is always there, you save each and every one in a box under your bed and look through them while he’s gone. You plan to one day stuff them all in his coat as both a prank and a grand romantic gesture. He has the same idea, so right now it’s a waiting game to see who gets to it first.
He doesn’t necessarily do it on purpose or even in your presence, but Julian absentmindedly sketches little portraits of you in the margins of his books/scrolls/whatever paper is on hand. He’s committed you to memory and when he realises Julian gets flustered, is it weird that he just does that? After you discover a whole sketchbook of you, you pretend not to know even though you secretly love it. He can show you when he’s ready.
If he’s drunk or sober Julian will shamelessly flirt with you when he knows you need some love. He loves it when you do so back. Most of it is PG, but if you want him to Julian will most certainly compliment you on your finest assets *wink, wink*.  
Anywhere and anytime Julian will just stop, look into your eyes, smile and honestly tell you how much he loves you. It’s probably the most beautiful gesture of love you can think of, its just that pure. 
 Nadia
The moments spent with Nadia would usually be considered mundane to most, but that’s what makes them so pleasant. As a countess and former princess, Nadia doesn’t usually get to enjoy ‘normal’ so the moments spent with you are the best sense of normality that she can get.
Nadia is such a busy bee that by the time you wake up she’s off doing her morning duties, so she (like Julian) leaves you little love notes, usually accompanied by breakfast. The notes are always written in her hand, on scented paper and laid with a beautiful flower. On more than a few occasions her notes have made up mini scavenger hunts, just to keep you on your feet and lead you to where she is in the castle at a later time.
If she can avoid morning duties Nadia will spend time helping you with hair and makeup, she likes making you feel beautiful/handsome/gorgeous and just looking at your face brings a smile to her lips. Her skills always seem to make you look better and you wonder how she’s so good at it.
As anyone would Nadia finds your magical abilities fascinating and loves to watch you work on spells and the like, she also asks about things genuinely interested in what you are doing and how you do it. She thinks possessing such a skill as magic is like an extension of you yourself and she loves all of you (therefore she loves your magic). Given the chance Nadia could watch you work all day, alas palace duties call but she always asks you later in the day how that spell you had been working on went. 
Nadia is forever inviting you on long walks through the palace grounds at the end of her day. There’s nothing more relaxing than walking though the palace grounds and just talking about each other’s days. She’ll always let you talk about your day first, no matter how dull it may have been. She likes to find things out, figure out ways to entertain you while she is busy and plan out activities the two of you can try out together. She also just really likes listening to you, she’s had people talking AT her all day. It’s a nice change of pace to actually have a person to talk to about everything.
Tied in with doing your hair Nadia can’t help but play with your hair,she only usually does it in the privacy of your room but when she does you’re on cloud nine. Something about her hands trailing though your hair is so soothing that it sends you to sleep, which isn’t a problem in itself. The problem is; you fall asleep on her, and Nadia hates waking you up. So she just lies there and accepts her fate with a smile. 
 Muriel
Muriel doesn’t necessarily realise he’s making his little romantic gestures, to him they just feel like a normal part of his day but he’s glad to do them. They make him feel close to you and make him more comfortable with being in a relationship.
Muriel can cook, but he’s spent so long making meals that just state his hunger he forgot food could taste good. Since living with you and learning about you Muriel has discovered he quite likes making your favourite meals, not only because they are tasty but it’s nice seeing the smile on your face when you realise he made the meal just for you. Also you seem to like his way of making your favourites rather than your own.
It’s normal for Muriel to do his own chores around and out of the hut, and although you usually tell him to leave your own messes for you to clean up later Muriel can’t help but get itchy fingers. Doing your chores for you, he thinks he might as well, what’s more he wants to. You’re so busy running the shop, buying nice things for him and just making his life brighter, its only fair to lighten the load.
Even Muriel knows people like flowers, and what’s more you give flowers to the people you love. So Muriel finds flowers everyday and gives them to you, it might just be a single rose or a bundle of forget-me-nott’s but each flower he picks out is carefully chosen and perfect. It took him some time but Muriel soon figured out the perfect combinations of flowers to give to you, sometimes they say things better than he can.
Being the big shy boi he is Muriel remains pretty quiet when the two of you are out and about among other people. Even among your friends he can get pretty uncomfortable when trying to love and dote on you, therefore it’s not uncommon for Muriel to pull you aside to compliment you. It’s easier getting words out when it’s just the two of you and he wants you to know that he does notice things. Like how shiny your hair looks and how well your clothes suit you, it’s not just physical things either. He might mention how kind you are after helping a lost child find their parents or that he just really likes being with you. 
Once he’s gotten used to them being enveloped in a Muriel hug is probably always a great feeling.You don’t actually notice at first but he holds you in that embrace for a little longer than a normal hug (especially when you’re leaving to go on an errand, etc...), when your arms loosen his own take a little longer to do so. He gives you a gentle squeeze and sighs in his head, he wants to hold you longer. Forever, maybe. He’s too afraid to ask though, but when you finally do notice his hesitance and think back on all the times he was the last to let go, it clicks. You can be late opening the shop, as long as Muriel knows that you love him as much as he does you. You both hug each other a little longer. 
 Portia
Portia romantic gestures almost make it seem as if you are married already, her little gestures are comforting and you’re always aware she does them because she always states; ‘I’m doing this because I love you!’ She needs to make sure you know because she loves love, and loves you.
A good meal never goes amiss when it’s with Portia, you know how a lot of people leave the best thing on their plate till last? That’s what Portia does. However she always offers the last bite of her food to you, even if you’re eating the same meal. If you’re in the same room, eating at the same time Portia will lift her fork to your mouth and offer it to you. It’s usually quite funny because she kids around, making silly noises as she puts in your mouth or teasing you by holding it just out of reach.She’s a good cook, Portia’s peach cakes are to die for. 
She’s aware of how much you like her cooking, so when you’re off to work in the shop for the day she will pack you a hearty lunch and send you on your way with a kiss on the cheek. She want’s to make sure you have a balanced meal ready for you when you need it, it helps that she makes it because it’s irresistible! The first time you made a packed lunch for her (because damn this girl works hard, and how does she make the time?) she burst out crying saying how happy she was that you loved her enough to make her lunch. You figured out that that was one of Portia’s romantic gestures that day, now you make packed lunches together. 
Days off with Portia are full of sunshine and relaxation, most of which is spent in her veracious garden tending to the plants and chatting away about your week so far. It’s a peaceful pastime, when the sun is highest in the sky and it becomes too hot to work you and Portia take up residence beneath the maple tree she has growing on the fringes of the garden. There the two of you lay back and feed each other berries/fruit/veg from garden, there’s always something ripe and fresh that tastes like sunshine and rain. It’s got to the point where it’s become a part of your day, where Portia and you just flirt and kiss and enjoy the mundane parts of your lives. It’s her favourite thing to do.
She wouldn’t be Julian’s sister if Portia wasn’t a shameless flirt, she’ll do it anytime, anywhere and in front of anyone. She gets a certain kick out of seeing your cheeks redden, but she’s careful to keep it at a comfortable level for the situation. You wouldn’t think a simple ‘I love you’ could sound so... flirtatious but Portia may just be better at this than her brother.
Even Portia doesn’t realise she’s rubbing your back for no reason until she’s actually doing it. It’s not always a situational thing, but it often happens when your uncomfortable/scared, or when you’re relaxing. It makes the both of you feel better, you’re both together standing by each others side and figuring things out together. She’s glad the two of you can be there together, but she’s still not sure why she does it. After mentioning it to Julian, he says something about how their mother used to do it to the two of them when they were upset. Their mother had always whispered ‘I love you’ as she did so, Portia figured out it was her subconscious way of saying ‘I love you’. It was a strange time when you did it back, because for a moment she felt like she had her mother back. For a moment you made her feel complete. 
Lucio
Lucio’s extravagant, and so are his ‘little’ romantic gestures (it scares you to think what his big romantic gestures must look like). But whatever he does it’s with good intentions that become skewered when he goes over the top. You’re his king/queen, he intends to treat you as such.
One day Lucio, left alone as you tend the shop, thinks back to your conversation about favourite meals. He remembers you saying about a dish you loved but could never find a certain ingredient, so a scheme forms in the back of his mind. How better to express his love for his dearest by making their favourite meal. He debates getting the servants to make it, but... When you come back Lucio is nowhere to be found, you search everywhere and almost pass by the kitchens. There are audible crashes and some swearing, when you step in you find Lucio covered in flour. He’s very embarrassed, but explains that he found the ingredients and wanted to make it himself. He got confused and ended up making a mess instead, you can’t laugh because it’s almost too sweet that he tried. The next day you spend together is teaching Lucio to cook the dish and enjoying the fruits of your labour.
Lucio just so happens to like your face a lot, so he brings in an artist and commissions a portrait of you you. Only problem is he want’s it to be a surprise, but the artist can only paint what he can see and you’re not there. The end result is a culmination of his terribly drawn doodles and the vague descriptions he gave the artist. You’re horrified when you find it in your room. Lucio instantly throws it out and begs you to pose for the artist this time, he just wanted a really nice portrait of you so that even when you’re gone he can see your beautiful face. You insist that he poses with you and you get a much better portrait of you and Lucio.
You often humour Lucio while listening to his stories time and again, and he’s kind of aware that he’s probably told you a story before. He does about 90% of the talking in this relationship, but when you tell him stories he hangs on every word. While you let him ramble non-stop Lucio is always politely asking you to elaborate on things because he wants to hear more! No matter what Lucio has never once told you that he’s 'heard that story before'.He’d be fine with you saying it to him, but he could never do so to you. All he wants is to hang on your every word and see your face shift into different expressions, happiness, sadness, excitement and disgust. He wants to see it all because knowing every part of you as a person makes him happy and love you all the more.
Lucio believes the most romantic thing ever is people dancing together (at a point he thought it was fighting together, but the two are close enough), the way he saw people at his masquerades dance together made him long for the perfect partner. Although Nadia was always a good dancer it never felt natural with her, when you came along he found his true partner. There have since been many times where he has led you into and impromptu slow dance. No matter when, where or who is present, its like a natural part of your lives, Lucio loves it. Twirling and dipping you and making you feel like the centre of the solar system, because to him he is just a planet and you are his radiant sun.
I had a lot of fun writing this, but what I really want is you lovely people to send in requests to my ask box! Don’t be shy, I accept any type of request (fluff, angst, smut, etc...) for any of the main six. Anonymous is on, but if you’d like to request with your handle that would be great!
Lots of love! XOXO 
594 notes · View notes
jaskiersvalley · 3 years
Text
(Nearest) Furthest and Dearest
Written for @aphelioo as part of @thewitchersecretsanta.
Rating: Teen and up Relationship: Geralt/Jaskier Summary:  With so many suitors and adoring fans to swoon over Jaskier, Geralt had no hope of ever being more than a protector and source of inspiration. He'd all but given up, accepting his fate. It wasn't like Witchers should want or need anything anyway.
It was an understatement to say that Jaskier was popular. He had fans across the Continent who adored him to an almost alarming extent. This made Geralt both happy for his friend but also rather sad for himself. Because, in the constant stream of admirers, Geralt didn’t stand out. He didn’t have a special place in Jaskier’s life. Well, he did, he was Jaskier’s muse, took him on adventures and provided inspiration for songs. But that wasn’t all Geralt wanted to be. Like the many other adoring fans, he had only gone and lost his heart to Jaskier. Unlike the masses, Geralt didn’t just love the image of Jaskier and his songs. Nobody else got to watch Jaskier wake up, squinting worse than a startled mole into the sunlight while creases from the pillow lined his face. Geralt quite doubted Jaskier would have quite as many fans if they had to bear witness to not just the songs in the taverns but the grunt and whining in the forest after a slightly underdone squirrel meal. Over the years Geralt had seen Jaskier in every state of being and still loved him, no matter whether he was belching after an ale or snoring thanks to a cold.
The problem was, Geralt could watch from afar as Jaskier charmed his way through life, got invited to bed after bed, often with the offer of more than just a tumble. All those suitors, they could offer so much more than Geralt ever could. A Witcher didn’t have a lot, they have even less to spend on frivolous gifts. The scarf Geralt managed to save up for and present Jaskier as the weather turned cold was, by Geralt’s standards, extravagant. Yet it paled in comparison to the three others that were given to Jaskier over the following week, each more ornate and of softer material than the previous. It was no wonder Geralt’s measly offering got shoved to the bottom of a pack and forgotten about.
Anything Geralt offered, it was vastly surpassed in value by others. When he could offer a nicer room at an inn for the night, a suitor whisked Jaskier away to a cleaner, larger and less drafty room for the night. The food Geralt could buy was pigswill when Jaskier could dine at any court he wished because he had invitations from all over the Continent to play for the rich and elite. It wasn’t like Geralt could even offer Jaskier a horse to ride with him. Feeding two humans and a horse was strain enough on Geralt’s coin pouch already, he went hungry so Jaskier and Roach wouldn’t more frequently than he’d hoped. It didn’t matter anyway, any horse he could have offered Jaskier would have been good for nothing more than glue when compared to the carriages that came to whisk Jaskier away if he so wished.
Despite all this, Jaskier still stuck by Geralt’s side. It certainly wasn’t for all the gifts Geralt had tried to bestow on him, it wasn’t for good company because even Geralt knew he was sullen and bitter most days. The only reason Jaskier stuck around was probably for the safety of travelling with a Witcher while exploring the Continent. Geralt couldn’t begrudge him, he knew Jaskier craved the new and the exciting, was familiar with how Jaskier would pout when a contract was something as mundane as a handful of drowners. He had even begun to turn his nose up at kikimoras, preferring to stay at the inn and entertain his loyal fans than get dirty and be in danger for such boring contracts.
If all that hadn’t been enough of an unfortunate mess, Geralt’ heart had one more painful twist to choke itself with. Namely that he was failing as a Witcher. He was meant to be aloof, above frivolous things like matters of the heart. Maybe the second round of trials were wearing off, weakening him. Geralt had no idea what was happening to him. Working through his inner turmoil and allowing himself to gift Jaskier things had been difficult enough. Now, he was left holding the tatters of his heart and trying to figure out whether it was terminal.
So caught up in his worries, Geralt didn’t notice at first that Jaskier was chattering away. That was another problem. Jaskier spoke so many words but rarely actually said anything and Geralt didn’t have the time and energy to parse all of them. Thus he often found himself humming along to Jaskier’s chatter without actually paying much attention. There were more pressing issues to concentrate on, such as the surrounding area and listening out for any danger as they settled for the evening. What did draw Geralt’s attention was Jaskier huffing as he dug through his bag.
“Honestly Geralt, why do you let me carry so much crap around? I don’t even need three scarves.”
Said scarves were being pulled out of the bag and being dumped unceremoniously in the dirt by Jaskier’s feet. Rich, vibrant silks that were now covered in dust. Geralt never could understand how anyone could have such disregard for their possessions. Then again, Jaskier didn’t treat Geralt’s heart any different either, maybe he just didn’t value what he had.
“What do you keep them for then?” They could sell them or burn them and they would be more useful than when they lugged them around, bursting their bags with frivolous gifts.
“We might need them.” Jaskier frowned at Geralt as though he’d heard the worst suggestion on earth. “I’m certainly not tearing up my doublets to bandage your wounds with.”
Not that Geralt ever expected him to. “I don’t need or want you to.”
“I know.” There was a hint of sadness to Jaskier’s words. “You don’t want anyone or need anyone. I know.”
Which was an absolute lie but Geralt couldn’t refute it. A Witcher didn’t have wants or needs. They had the Path, their swords and their purpose, and that ought to be enough. They shouldn’t be mooning over a bard who could have anyone and anything. They most definitely shouldn’t be trying to impress them. Maybe there was a ballad in it that Jaskier would never realise: the Witcher who gave his all and still wasn’t enough. Usually, those Witchers ended up dead.
A soft huff from Jaskier drew Geralt out of his introspection. His friends was staring into the bag with a small, almost bitter smile twisting his lips. Whatever he had in the bag, he was running his thumb over it.
“I imagine it’s nice, not wanting anyone. It gives life a certain simplicity surely.”
“I guess.” The lie burned Geralt’s throat.
“Makes me wish sometimes that I could have some of your stoicness, some of the stones of the fortress around your heart.”
So someone had caught Jaskier’s fancy. It was only a matter of time, Geralt knew. Their time together was limited, dictated by Jaskier’s whims and desires. Geralt had done all he could to entice Jaskier to stay but, like always it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t enough.
“We can go back and find them. It’s not too late.” If the lies had burned, saying those words was agony. Geralt didn’t want to let Jaskier go, didn’t want to deliver him on a platter to someone else. But Witchers didn’t want anyone, Geralt didn’t need Jaskier. That wasn’t a luxury he could afford, both literally and metaphorically.
“It’s okay Geralt, they don’t want me. I know that for sure.”
How anyone wouldn’t want Jaskier was beyond Geralt. He cleared his throat, wanting to comfort but that was a skill he never developed. When Roach was upset, he pressed against her side, so with great simplicity, Geralt shifted to sit close to Jaskier, shoulders together. It meant he also caught a glimpse of the item in the bag that had Jaskier all misty eyed.
A cheap scarf. A very familiar one at that. Geralt could distinctly remember buying it and shoving it at Jaskier’s chest in a market when it was cold. It was never worn after that first day and Geralt had known he’d failed at giving a gift once more. Now, it was in the bottom of their bag, being caressed by a sad Jaskier while other, fancier scarves were still on the ground.
“It’s silly, I know,” Jaskier whispered. “But I couldn’t bring myself to wear it for fear of damaging or losing it.”
“It doesn’t match any of your outfits.”
“I don’t care.” Jaskier turned to Geralt, pulling the scarf out. Keeping eye contact, he linked his fingers with Geralt’s and wrapped the scarf around their joined hands in a mockery of handfasting. “You gave it to me. That makes it important.”
Speechless, Geralt frowned, trying to make sense of it all. He didn’t have to because Jaskier’s eyes were flicking down to his lips as they leaned in closer together. As their lips brushed, Geralt had a thought. Maybe, just maybe, he had been enough all along.
159 notes · View notes
silvia7272 · 4 years
Text
ML Salt ~ The Cardigan Story
This is based on a true story.
Honestly, I always remembered this story because it constantly made my Sister and Mum laugh when I told them I outed a liar at school by wearing a cardigan, they were so proud of me because what I did wasn’t mean and I wasn’t even doing it out maliciousness so I thought, hey why not put it in the ML universe?
This isn’t canon to my main series so no Rosina since there isn’t any need for her, sorry sweetie.
And since I doubt Mlle Bustier would never out Lila, I’m changing the teacher to someone who actually has a backbone.
Word Count: 2303
Tags: @queenmj10, @fangirl39, @animegirlweeb, @northernbluetongue, @maribat-is-lifeblood, @raisuke06, @indecisive-mess-named-me, @luleck, @themotherofhogwarts, @more-or-less-human-i-guess, if you wish to be tagged all you have to do is say. Also, if you change your name please tell me, I don’t want to leave you out since you’ve asked to be tagged.
I know you may not wish to be tagged for one-shots, but I thought you might enjoy some salt I was able to come up with.
Also, I wrote this in one day so I’m extremely proud of myself.
***
If you told Marinette that Lila’s reign over the school would end over a cardigan, she would tell you you’re as crazy as she was about Adrien.
A lot.
But, she did just that.
She had to thank Adrien really, the ‘advice’ he gave her was what really pushed her.
She wouldn’t outright expose her, no, she had tried that before and look where that got her, near expulsion that’s what. And not one of her friends tried to stick up for her. She always remembered that glare Alix gave her, and since then she had been ignored, turned away by them.
Even after Lila came out with ‘the truth’ she was still seen as an overly jealous girl.
“Lila’s promised she hasn’t lied about anything else she’s said to us, it only acts up around people she doesn’t know as well, maybe next time, instead of being jealous you should give her a chance and stop being a baby. Girl this all could’ve easily been avoided if you weren’t so Adrien crazy”
Really? They actually believed that load of crap?
Whatever, Marinette was done, done with everyone.
If they wanted to show her how wrong she was then she’d let them wait until hell would frost over, because fat chance that would ever happen.
If Marinette was proud of one thing about her then it would have to be her stubbornness to get to the truth.
And she could be extremely patient.
***
It was just an average day at Collège Françoise Dupont. There weren’t any Akuma’s caused by anyone the previous day so Marinette was finally able to have a good night’s rest, something the exhausted teenager really missed.
She felt so re-energised she danced in the kitchen as she made breakfast without a care in the world.
.
Before she fell over that was.
“…Owww”
“Careful dear, you wouldn’t want to be hurt before school hours, now just sit tight and I’ll get you something to eat,” Her Maman said. Marinette felt grateful. After breakfast, she gave her Parents a kiss before leaving.
She had loving parents that supported her every beck and call.
…Well most of the time, but that didn’t matter, she would never let Lila manipulate them ever, her Parents were off-limits.
By the time she arrived at school she was one of the first ones there, Nathaniel in the back drawing his comics, texting Marc as well, it seemed like he was in his own ‘do not disturb’ bubble. Max was talking to Markov about some new type of game, and Rose and Juleka were just cuddling.
She made her way to the back feeling a positive emotion before exhaling.
Because it was about to be ruined.
Lila walked in with Alya, Nino and Adrien by her side.
She was telling a story about her ‘one of a kind cardigan-
Wait-
“My Grandmother made this cardigan especially for me carving her signature on as well, it’s the only one in existence because shortly after she made this, she ended up being in a terrible accident that left her bedridden.” They pandered to her of course. But for once she wasn’t focusing on the lie but the cardigan.
Oh, Lila’s only gone and done it now.
“I’ve always wanted to wear it, but I didn’t want it to end up ruined by someone” Her gaze casually went up to a lone bluenette, but she really wasn’t bothered.
“Don’t worry girl, I’ll keep a watchful eye on your cardigan for you. Ain't nothing gonna come between me and my besties property” They hugged before sitting down in their spaces.
‘Oh my god, I have a plan’ Marinette had that thought circled around her head until break. It was all she thought of.
Mind you, she wasn’t trying to expose everything she’d done, just that one lie. And that would be enough.
As soon as the bell rang, she was ready, she gathered her stuff and rushed home.
And thank god as well, Lila would not shut up about that cardigan, through Literature, Science and PE, it was constantly my Grandmother made it for me this, it’s the only one of its kind that.
Ugh, she wanted to rip her ears out at some point but had to endure it. No one else was bothered since they all believed her, even the teachers!
Yeah, you don’t really need any proof if it was handmade, some of Marinette’s earlier stuff didn’t have her signature on, but still, it was the principle of the matter!
And she could right that wrong.
In her room she was frantically searching for that item as Tikki dodged different articles of clothing, one hit her as she wasn’t looking, and she was down for the count.
“Marinette what are you looking for?” Marinette paused to look back at Tikki before continuing a bit calmer.
“Lila’s been lying about that cardigan and this time I can prove it.” Her eyes lit up as she lifted a cardigan up from her cupboard.
“One of Maman’s friends gave this to me a few years back, it was one of the reasons I got into fashion because of how soft it is and I wanted to replicate that. Don’t you think it looks familiar?” As Tikki looked over it her eyes widened, she knew Lila was lying anyway but she had no idea Marinette had definitive proof of it.
“That’s the same cardigan Lila has!” Marinette nodded before wearing it.
At least it still fit.
“But Marinette I thought we were gonna take the high ground?”
“Tikki it's tiring having to listen to them being lied too. I may not want them to be my friends anymore, but I just want the lying to stop. If I go and tell them that she’s lying with this as evidence they’ll clearly see she’s lying”
“But outing her like that won’t make it better!” Marinette wished she could respond with ‘are you sure’ but didn’t want to piss the mini-god off.
“Fine, what if I just wear it until someone notices, that way I’m not actively looking to publicly shame her? Better?” Tikki gave a reluctant nod, she knew her chosen wouldn’t let up about the situation, besides this whole thing was really just pettiness, nothing too serious. If no one noticed nothing bad would happen.
“Bye Maman, bye Papa” As she began walking back, she grew a bit nervous with her plan.
What if Lila made a whole other lie about her cardigan? What if she lied that Marinette had stolen it out of jealousy and everyone would try to take hers? She’d have to run away and live with a secret identity, all before getting caught and going to prison, and she’d never have her three kids and her hamster named-
“Ahem Marinette, is thou there?” A hand brought her out of her trance
“Ahhh!” She waved her arms before composing herself and seeing D’Argencourt in front of her.
“Ah, yes Monsieur?” How long had he been standing there? How long had she been rambling in her head?
“As I was saying, these new garments of yours, where did they originate from?” It took her a while before realising he was talking about her cardigan, she was so used to wearing her jacket it felt strange she had changed.
“Ohh this, well it was a present from Maman’s friend. They were on sale a few years back, so I thought I’d wear it again” He furrowed his brow before telling her to carry on with whatever she was doing.
“Well, that was weird. Do you think he liked the jacket?” Tikki ponded as her head ever so slightly popped out the small handbag.
“He’s always been weird Tikki. But whatever, let's just get back to the classroom.” All she had to do was wait.
***
‘How the hell hasn’t anyone noticed yet?’ Marinette was secretly fuming in her mind right now. None of her classmates noticed the change in her outfit.
Not one.
Bustier did however, the bluenette was sure because she’d see her teacher quickly glance from Marinette to Lila but never said a word. Probably thinking of that whole, ‘be the bigger person’ crap.
And not even the excuse of maybe Bustier didn’t know, bs. By the time break happened everyone in the school knew about that damn cardigan so don’t get her started.
‘Oh well, looks like that’s it. My petty revenge came flat… At least Lila didn’t pull a Marinette ruined my belongings stunt’ That would’ve been the last thing she needed.
Knock Knock Knock
The door opened before Bustier could reply, a teacher would reprimand a student for this type of rudeness, but it wasn’t a student.
It was a teacher.
And it was Monsieur D’Argencourt.
‘What the-’ Marinette didn’t remember this part of the plan.
“Excuse me Caline, but I need to interrupt the class for an announcement.” Bustier was about to deny but D’Argencourt the stubborn teacher as he was, walked straight on through ignoring whatever Bustier would’ve said.
“Lila Rossi, may you please step in front of the classroom?” Lila looking completely confused let go off Adrien, much to the relief of the boy, and walked in front of her desk.
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” He didn’t need to repeat the command.
Yes, command not a request.
“Can I ask you where you got your cardigans from?”
“Armand, I don’t think this is appropriate-” He shot a glare back at the teacher.
“I can assure you this won’t take long if I’m not interrupted”
Lila looked over to Marinette and realised with a sinking feeling what was happening. But she would win this time. Just like all the others.
“My Grandmother made this specifically, you see-”
He held a hand up to silence her.
“Yes, that’s quite alright, and Marinette would you like to repeat what you said before?” As Marinette did just that Lila was seething, he cut her off. How dare that simpleton cut off Lila Rossi!
He would pay.
“Well, it appears one of you is lying, and I expect that person to own up to it now” The class gasped as they all looked expectedly at Marinette, they knew she was petty but to do this was so low.
Lila looked at her smugly, she had tried to play with fire but got burned in the process. How could she even think she’d get away with this?
“I was talking about you, Lila Rossi”
“Eh, what?” The class gasped as they tried to say of course Lila was innocent, Marinette was the one lying. Or that Marinette must’ve tricked him.
He shot a glare towards all the class members as they instantly shut up.
“I don’t remember this being a class discussion, if I want your opinion, I will ask for it. Understood?” They nodded before giving sympathetic glances towards the brunette, D’Argencourt almost had the urge to shout at their incompetence but alas they were kids.
“I can tell you why you are lying Lila, with a photo. But as I’m feeling generous, I will give you one more chance to reveal yourself.” The class was silent as they all looked on in anticipation.
But Lila stood her ground defiantly, as if he actually had proof-
Oh…
Oh no she’s doomed…
“Then I don’t suppose this looks familiar? Hmm?” On his phone was a picture. Lila immediately lowered her head, too ashamed to look him in the eye.
3 guesses of what it is?
No.
.
.
No one?
.
.
Too easy?
.
.
Ok, it was the cardigan.
And at a fairly cheap price. No wonder she had it in brand new condition.
“I first knew you were lying once I saw Marinette wear the exact same one, however, hers was clearly worn out, evidently she has worn it for several amount of years. You had already messed up when you said it was the only one made. So please…” Lila looked up to see D’Argencourt giving one of the most frightening glares of the century.
“Don’t ever lie about anything to my face or anyone ever again, you will be court out and I will be keeping an eye on you. Is that final?” She meekly nodded her head, trying to give a frightened appearance to make him have sympathy but he was immune.
“That will be all. I hope your class has learned a valuable lesson of not taking things at face value” And with that, he left. Leaving Marinette with a different impression of her PE teacher, it seemed he didn’t like liars all that much.
Marinette smiled, her plan worked, and she didn’t even out her herself. Tikki surely can’t be mad at her now.
Bustier tried to get the class to go back to normal but she couldn’t. The class erupted into a screaming fit, asking how Lila could lie about that sort of thing?
It wasn’t until someone unexpected said the next few words she wondered if this was a dream.
“Hey if Lila lied about this what else did she lie about? She even said herself she doesn’t lie to her friends but that was a lie” That made the class tick as they soon realised and soon torn into her about it.
Leaving Lila, a ‘sobbing mess’ on the floor. All before she stopped that fake display and arguing back.
But the one who said that…
Was Adrien.
He was able to slip by the crowd and stand next to Marinette.
No words were said, she knew what he would’ve said even without the noise.
‘I’m sorry’
It was a start, and maybe through time, she could start trusting again.
But for now, she just wanted to enjoy this chaos…
.
.
Before there was an Akuma alert.
***
I want more D’Argencourt I want more D’Argencourt I want more D’Argencourt. I probably screwed his speech but oh well this is salt, doesn’t have to be accurate.
Phew, hope you enjoyed it, sorry its shorter than the others but this happened when I was in Year 5 and I was 9/10 years old. Woo 10 years ago, god that makes me feel old. Also, not everything was exactly this way, the teacher did out the person in front of the whole class, but she admitted it and went back to her class, we had two classes for maths. Anyway, I actually have to give Lila credit compared to the liar we had at our school, this person actually knew I had that cardigan and actually complimented me on it like months earlier and still had the audacity to say that. I think that’s the reason why I think if I was in their world I wouldn’t believe Lila because I already had a Lila at my school who would always say they’ve done the exact same thing as we had (They even said they had the same Aunt as me living on the same street, crazy right). Mind you they never said anything to me, I think they were too embarrassed plus, I was a goody little two-shoes there.
Anyway I really hope you enjoy it and if you like real-life stories so much I can always try to ask my friends for more ideas, I did have like some slightly toxic friends there that I may be able to tell you about but I’ll try to think how later.
Cya next time.
1K notes · View notes
kitty0boy · 3 years
Text
So it’s like 2 am rn and I’m tired but can’t sleep so I wrote this down quickly. It’s a little Marichat fic that probably won’t be very good because I’m running on like 5 hours of sleep. I’ll probably fix spelling mistakes tomorrow or even just delete this but for now, enjoy.
—————————
The class decided to have a picnic to celebrate their last year at Francois DuPont high school. They were about 17 now, some were 18. Everyone lounged around, eating pastries, talking about their first day back from summer and just genuinely having a good time. Unfortunately Adrien’s father had instructed him to go home so while he packed his belongings, he listened to his friends conversations. That was when he saw a younger girl run up to Lila.
Now Adrien knew he had a lot of fans, as Chat and as himself. The older and more, how you say, well defined he became, the more fans he acquired. Though when it came to Chat, being a fangirl was much more dangerous. At one point it got so bad that Ladybug had to schedule an interview with the Ladyblog telling them to stay away during akuma attacks. They would quite literally, chase after Chat while he was being chased after by an akuma. He even saw one of them pretend to be hurt so he would swoop in and save them. Yeah very dangerous stuff. Which is why it was quite a scared to hear that Lila was a fan.
“Of course I’m a fan of his, in fact, I’m quite close with one of Paris’s superheroes.” She spoke, hiding the lying tone to her voice. As irritating as she was, he had to admit she was good. “Really?” The girl squealed. She was on the younger side, maybe 13 or 14, about his age when he first got his Miraculous. “Oh leaving so soon Adrien?” She said in a sickeningly sweet voice. “Yeah, my father again.” He replied, trying to sound friendly. “I can walk you home if you like! I wanted to speak with Mr. Agreste anyways. About our up coming photo shoot.” Damn it, he’d almost forgotten about that. He hated shoots with Lila. Adrien had always liked physical affection, but with her it was almost unbearable. “No that’s ok, I can walk him.” Marinette offered, stepping in to shield him from the object of his discomfort. And what a beautiful shield she was.
Her days of pigtails were over, instead she would wear her hair in different styles everyday. Today was a half up half down style with space buns, very reminiscent of her fight as Multimouse. She has also settled for a mint green t-shirt and a black skirt which clearly paid homage to his superhero self. It was nearly impossible to wipe the Cheshire grin off his face as she strode over, picnic basket in hand. He was visiting her while she finished the little paw prints along the hem of the skirt, but of course she wouldn’t know that. “Wow miss, I really like your outfit! Where’d you get it?” The girl squeaked rushing over. Her eyes shining with pure joy. “Oh why thank you, I actually made it myself.” She curtsied, very adorably in his opinion. “Wow that’s so cool! Could you make me one?” If she got anymore excited she would float into space. “You know, I can get Chat to stop by if you wanted.” Lila chimed in, drawing the girls attention back to her. “Really?” She turned and ran towards her new favourite person. “Of course I can, my boyfriend always seems to find me.” She faked a gasp and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “Whoops.” She exhaled. The class gasped. That was what she was looking for.
“You’re dating Chat Noir Lila?” Marinette snickered, silencing them. It was clear that Lila had more influence over the class now. As much as they all loved Marinette, Lila had successfully made herself more interesting. “Yes I am, but I wasn’t supposed to say that. Oh no, I’m going to get into so much trouble.” She delicately placed her fists over her chest for added effect. Marinette burst out laughing and that’s when Adrien slowly started to back away unnoticed by his friends.
He ran and ducked into an alley way making sure he wasn’t followed. “Oh come on kid, I didn’t even get anything from the picnic. You should have at least slipped me something.” Plagg groaned. “I will after I go sort this mess out, it’s dangerous if people think Lila is dating me, she could be targeted by Hawkmoth.” He rationalized. “Big deal, if she gets akumatized we can just purify her no problem.” “Uh yeah Plagg it is a big deal. What if Hawkmoth kidnaps her instead, as much as I don’t like her I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.” “Well kid if she gets kidnapped because she lied about dating you it’s not your fault is it? Now can I at least finished eating?” He sighed, Plagg was right. If she got kidnapped now she only had herself to blame. An idea did pop into his head. Maybe if she was proven wrong, she might stop saying things like that, and he knew the purrfect purrincess to help him achieve his goal. “Later, Plagg Claws Out!” A flash of green later and there’s stood Chat Noir, in all his leather-clad glory. Hopping onto the roof, he made to move towards them when the sound of shouting caught his attention.
“Do you realized how dangerous it is to even say things like that!” Marinette squeaked, really living up to her super identity and the mysterious multimouse. “You can’t just tell people you’re dating superheroes for attention Lila, you’re safety could be at risk.” She pointed, Lila seemed to be unphased but there was something about her posture that showed she was guilty and ticked off. “I already told you I didn’t mean to let it slip, I have a rare condition c-“ “called Liars Luny or something like that right?” Marinette interrupted. He had to hold back a laugh at her clever remark. “Marinette that was incredibly rude.” Rose intervened, and one by one everyone turned their faces to Marinette, a glared placed on almost all of them. All but Nino and Alya, who had long discovered Lila’s manipulative ways. Though they were still afraid to say anything about it, they didn’t want her to get akumatized after all.
“Look Marinette, if you’re jealous just say so, I won’t be mad. I’m sure a lot of other women would love to get their hands on my sweet kitten. I mean, considering your outfit it’s pretty obvious you have a crush on him.” You know, for a compulsive liar, Lila seemed to be good at getting the truth out of others. Marinette’s face turned pink and her fists began to clench. Her back stiffened up too, was she really jealous? Or was it just his imagination. Maybe he hoped she was, he had fancied her for a while now but he never made a move. Suddenly his classmates were surrounding her and she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
His anger from earlier started to rise to his chest as he let out a low growl and leapt off the roof. Thankfully, his years as a model made him a fairly decent actor as well.
“Fancy seeing you here my purrincess.” He purred walking over to the group. “You look radiant as always.” Lila stiffened but quickly tried to look relaxed as she confidently strode towards him. “It’s nice to see you here too kitten, couldn’t stay away from me I see.” She smiled, it almost looked genuine. It didn’t take long for her possi of classmates to follow behind, leaving Marinette standing there clearly distraught, he growled again as a tear slid down her cheek. Keeping it cool, he cooked up a response. “Umm, I’m sorry but do I know you?” He said in mock confusion. The class gasped slightly, “Of course you know me, didn’t you just call me your princess?” Lila chimed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “No. I have no idea who you are, I was talking to the lovely lady in green and black. She is radiant isn’t she, and she looks fantastic in my colours.” He replied cooly. Before anyone had time to react he ran through the crowd and picked up Marinette, twirling her in a circle. She giggled slightly, her throat a little strained. She placed her forearms on his shoulders, intertwining her fingers behind his head as he slowly lowered her to the ground. “What’s wrong love?” He reached up, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. She got the hint to play along. “Nothing I’m all good kitty.” She smiled genuinely and he smiled back. Ignoring the eyes of everyone around them. He held up his arm and gestures to her skirt. “Do you see all of these little paw prints? She sewed them all herself! It took her 4 hours too, I almost couldn’t draw her attention away from the stitching.” She blushed and buried her face in his shoulder, oh mon dieu she was so cute. “And these shoes,” he scooped her up bridal style and she laughed. “See the little toe beans, how adorable.” The girls squealed and ran over to admire her craftsman ship while the boys kept glaring daggers at Ms. Lie-la. “Ok now stand back everyone! We have to show you how it spins.” Marinette cocked and eyebrow at him. “How it spins? Excuse me sir but my pronouns are she/her.” He chuckled before pinching the black fabric of her skirt. “No I mean this, you did wear shorts today did you not?” “I did.” She confirmed. “Good,” he subtly winked at her before continuing, a little louder than necessary, “Wouldn’t want everyone else seeing what’s mine now would we.” Before she could register his words he held a hand above her head and gave her a little twirl, her skirt flowing beautifully in the wind. “See what’d I tell you? Absolutely beautiful.” He turned and smiled down at her, she blushed back up at him. Dieu, he could happily die drowning in her eyes. The two of them seemed to be in a world of their own, just looking at each other.
Until a voice snapped them back to reality. “I can’t believe you! You filthy cheater!” As well as a liar, Lila was a good actor. Tears streaming down her cheeks, arms straighten and hands curled into fists. He rolled his eyes before forcing them to look at a more revolting sight. “Like I said miss, I have no idea who-“ he paused “Oh wait I remember you! You were the liar that nearly got Marinette expelled weren’t you! The one who tried to intervene when Onii-chan was akumatized just because you disliked Ladybug.” He didn’t mean to get so angry but he couldn’t hide it anymore. His hand gripped Marinette’s shoulder a little more tightly than he would have liked but she wasn’t hurt by it. Everyone gasped on cue and turned to Lila who stood there pale. Karma is a bitch isn’t it? In his fury he barely registered Marinette’s hand on his arms. “Come on Chat, let’s get out of here.” She whispered. Coaxing him back to the present. “Yeah ok, I’m sure your friends will deal with her.” She smiled at her classmates who had turned towards Lila with furious looks on their faces. “Did you have a place in mind mousinette.” She giggled at that. “Well there’s always that spot you took me to the first time you came to visit, remember where it is?” She smiled. “I don’t think I would forget that.” He turned towards the crowd. “Welp, me and the princess will be taking our leave now, though I did enjoy seeing you all again.” Then he stooped down to pick her up bridal style as she giggled. For good measure he placed a light kiss to her temple before racing off towards that lovely spot they had just discussed.
“WHAT THE F***.” The fangirl screamed after all the confusion.
———————————
So it’s been a month or two since I first posted this and I decided to clean it up a bit and add a few more details to it. Not that this is suddenly going to blow up but I do like the impurrovement (hehe I have puns for days). So yes, if by some miracle you are reading this, I hope you enjoyed!
75 notes · View notes
sciralta · 3 years
Text
Hello and welcome to my Ted Talk on the difference between the old vs newer choices sprites.
Tumblr media
So people talking about how the choices smiles are not great got me thinking about how in my opinion there’s a real difference in the quality between sprites of older and newer books
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
As a case study in the older books we’ll use It Lives in the Woods. In this book, characters are more expressive because their facial proportions actually change with different expressions. Look at how Andy’s brows scrunch and his eyes narrow when he’s angry. And the way they express is different with each character—Ava’s brows lift comparatively high when she’s smiling while other characters’ brows don’t; Noah doesn’t smile with teeth. Their posture (while not dynamic) isn’t ramrod straight and there’s variation between characters. Ava is leaning casually on her right leg, and Noah is slightly hunched. It makes the characters feel a little... more and not like they’re plastic dolls with immovable joints. You could go even further and say that their posture reflects their character. Ava’s casual and blasé posture makes sense with her character as she purposefully acts indifferent and like she doesn’t care what others think of her. Noah’s slight hunch reflects how he’s a loner who puts up walls so people don’t hurt him.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
So let’s compare that to newer art. They’re posed like they’ve got a broomstick strapped to their spine, and there’s almost never any variation. If you’re lucky, you might get a female sprite with a hand on her hip. And their expressions... Ever wondered why your LI has the serial killer smile or why their doesn’t look like it fits their face? Because they don’t change the face’s proportions/features with different expression. I honestly think someone just used the transform tool in photoshop on the neutral face to get the other ones, which is why there’s little to no variation in different characters’ expressions—because they’re not actually drawing that face angry/happy/sad/surprised.
And yes, I know PB is probably using different artists than from before but there’s only so many times I can see that every characters’ surprised face is 😲 before you go “OK girl come on now...”
So why would Pixelberry do this if immersion arguably suffers? Probably so they can reuse assets. The stiff posture is probably so they could swap outfits between characters, and the less expressive faces might be because it’s easier to use that face on a different body when it’s not designed for a specific character.
Anyway I don’t know how to finish of this tinfoil hat crock pot other than saying 🤷‍♂️ I wish the new spites were more expressive and maybe played with their character more.
33 notes · View notes
a-n-conrad · 4 years
Text
Bad at Secrets (PS4 Spider-man x Reader)
[Summary: For as long as you’ve known Peter Parker, he has been pretty bad at keeping secrets. Lucky for him, you’re much better at it. At least, until you end up drunk at his house after a party.
Warning and Notes: Drinking, Drunk Reader, Awkward convos, PS4 game spoilers, swearing, May didn’t die because I refuse, gender-neutral reader]
Peter Parker was never very at keeping secrets from you. He was clumsy and always managed to leave something obvious out in the open. You were surprised that the entire city of New York hadn’t figured it out yet. Perhaps it was because you were helping him constantly. Whether it was casually introducing him to voice modifying technology, or helping him set up his phone to have two different numbers, you know, for “business”. 
You still couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t told you yet. You knew MJ knew. Did he just trust her more? Maybe you were just jealous. They had dated, so it probably came up then. And to be honest, you had to admit you had a crush on him. But you knew that wasn’t going to go anywhere. You and Peter had been friends for so long, that if anything was going to happen, it would have by now. So you’d be his friend. And you wouldn’t push him to tell you anything he didn’t want to.
- - - - -
It had been a couple of months since the city went to shit. Peter’s mentor, Otto Octavius was imprisoned at The Raft, Feast was now being run by May after Martin Li was arrested, and it took a whole month to get all of the run-aways from Rykers off the street. Everyone was stressed and tired, and you really needed a second to de-stress. So when you got an invitation to a party at one of your old college friend’s houses, you really couldn’t turn down the offer.
Maybe you went a little crazy. You didn’t have the highest alcohol tolerance, and before you knew it, you were starting to get a little wobbly on your feet. Definitely a bit too wobbly to be walking home through the streets of New York City. So without thinking, you picked up your phone to call a friend of yours.
You knew he’d be busy, but Peter was really the only one you trusted to walk you home. I mean, who better than Spider-man. You were surprised when it only rang twice before he picked up, “(Y/n)? I thought you were at a party tonight, is everything ok?”
You giggled a little at the concerned tone in his voice. He overthought a lot, and it was honestly kind of endearing, “Yeah, Pete, I’m fine. I was just wondering if you’re free to walk me home.”
“You didn’t bring anyone with you to walk with?” He asked, “Isn���t that a little dangerous?”
“Mhm,” You hummed, grabbing another can for something. You weren’t sure exactly what you were drinking anymore, but it was fine. Honestly, as much as you’d normally worry about the dangers of a situation like this, it was a lot harder to worry about stuff like that when you had just almost died from a supervillain attack, “That’s why I’m calling you. If you’re busy, though, I’ll figure something else out.”
“No, no,” You heard some noise in the background. He was definitely busy, but knowing him, he wasn’t about to let you walk home yourself, “I’ll be there, just hang tight for another fifteen minutes or something.”
“Sure,” You took another drink, “I’ll see you soon.”
- - - - -
By the time he got there, you had gone through another four cans of, well, you still couldn’t remember. Either way, you were pretty drunk. When Peter got there, he had found you dancing on a table, your hair extra messy and a little bit of your drink spilled on the front of your outfit. You looked like you were having so much fun, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Come on, (Y/n), let’s get you home,” He said, walking up to where you were. You smiled down at him before jumping down from the table.
“Pete!” You exclaimed, grinning at him, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, (Y/n),” He chuckled, “But we should get you home. You need some sleep.”
“But I don’t wanna go home,” You whined, “It’s boring. There’s nothing to do. Can we go to your place instead? I wanna watch movies.”
“Sure,” He sighed. He could tell you were a lot drunker than you were when you called him. It had been a while since he had to babysit you while you were drunk, but he honestly didn’t mind. You were always fun when you were drunk.
- - - - -
Peter’s house wasn’t too far away from the party, but it was a long enough walk that the two of you had to talk about something. And eventually, you ran out of your normal things to drunkenly ramble about. So things started to get a little more interesting.
“Do you think Peter trusts me?” You asked out of nowhere. It caught Peter a little off-guard. 
“I think so,” He said. You obviously didn’t know you were talking to him. He wondered if he should tell you, but honestly, he was a little interested in what you’d say.
“Then why doesn’t he tell me anything?”
“What do you mean he doesn’t tell you anything.” You were always so confident that you knew everything. And Peter tried his best not to keep too many secrets from you. There were just two, so which one had you started to pick up on.
“He has a secret that he’s had for years that he won’t tell me,” you pouted at him.
“Do you know what it is?”
“Yeah, Pete isn’t very good at keeping secrets,” Shit.
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you,” You replied, crossing his arms, “It’s Peter’s secret.”
He couldn’t help but laugh a little bit. You were so sweet and protective. He should’ve known better than to think you’d rat him out to someone you thought was a stranger. He’d just have to ask again when you were sober. 
Eventually, the two of you made it to his apartment. He had gotten a new one a while ago after he got evicted from his. Aunt May was helping him out until he got a new job, and he was working pretty hard on finding something just as fulfilling as his work with Otto. 
“What movie do you wanna watch?”
“Mmmmm, Superhero movie.”
“I didn’t know you were a fan of superheroes, (Y/n),” He chuckled.
“Mhm, I love Spider-man.”
He laughed a bit, causing you to pout, “I didn’t know you were a Spider-man fan.”
“No, I love Spider-man. I love him. He’s so smart and funny and caring.”
Peter couldn’t help that blush that coated his cheeks. He hoped maybe you were too drunk to notice. And lucky for him, you were. In fact, you had fallen asleep on his couch before he could even get the movie he had picked out started.
He smiled at you. You were kind of cute when you slept. You looked so calm. He had missed seeing you calm and happy. So much had happened, he was just glad you were ok. And alive. 
He carefully picked you up, he could pull buses and helicopters, lifting you up was really no problem. He decided that you could take the bed tonight. What kind of hero would he be if he made his friend sleep on the couch? He set you down carefully, tucking you in to the covers, before heading over to the ouch and making a little bed for himself. This might actually be the first night he had gotten a decent amount fo sleep in a couple of months. 
- - - - -
Waking up with a pounding headache should have been expected. Waking up in Peter’s bed with a glass of water a couple of painkillers next to you, however, wasn’t. And what was even more unexpected was the sounds of someone cooking breakfast coming from the other room. Did Peter even eat breakfast?
After taking the painkillers and drinking the water as quickly as possible, you wandered into the kitchen, your hair a complete mess and the clothes you were wearing to the party last night crumpled from being slept in. Standing over the stove, watching the food intently to avoid his habit of getting distracted and burning his cooking, you found Peter.
“Morning, Pete,” You yawn, sitting down at the table.
He turned towards you with a smile, “Morning, (Y/n). Are you feeling alright?’
“Mm, my head still hurts, but I’m sure that’ll go away. Thanks for letting me stay here. I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother.”
“Do you remember anything you told me last night?”
“Ugh, not really,” You shook your head, “The last thing I remember was calling you, honestly. I hope I didn’t say anything too stupid.”
“No, it’s not that,” He said, quickly getting distracted from your conversation, by the toast popping out of the toaster.
- - - - -
Eventually, he sat down at the table with you, placing a plate in front of you and another plate in front of himself. You really hadn’t realized how hungry you were until the food was right in front of you. And to be honest, Peter was getting pretty good at cooking.
“So what exactly did I say last night?” you asked, shoving food into your mouth. Did you eat last night? You couldn’t remember.
“Well, that you were in love with Spider-man,” Peter chuckled, but you knew that wasn’t really what he wanted to talk about. He was just trying to lighten the mood first. You still couldn’t help but blush. You supposed it was true, “But also that you knew that I was keeping a secret from you.”
“Oh.
“You still wouldn’t tell me what, though. I don’t think you knew you were talking to me. I appreciate the loyalty, but I’m wondering what secret I’m keeping from you.”
“Is there more than one, Pete?”
He froze.
“I know that you’re Spider-man, Pete. You really suck at keeping secrets. You think I can’t figure it out when you leave drawings for all your gadgets out all the time?”
“How long have you known?”
“A year or so? Maybe more?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“I just didn’t want to get you swept up in anything. You know, with the villains I have to fight, Spider-man ends up with a lot of enemies. I just wanted to keep you away from that.” He sighed. He looked like he was trying to think of something to say until a realization crept its way onto his face, “In love with Spider-man, huh?”
You choke a bit on your food, causing Peter to laugh a bit, “No, we’re not changing the topic. You’re a superhero.”
“And you’re in love with my superhero self,” He laughs before it seems like his brain clicks again, “Wait if you already knew...”
“Um…”
“(Y/n)?”
“Um, hey, Just let me finish breakfast and I’ll head out. Really don’t worry about it, Pete,” You scrambled. You had avoided that conversation for years. You had sate through him dating MJ, through him risking his life over and over, through him crying to you over and over about everything in his life going wrong without saying anything. You really didn’t want this to be the point where you lose him.
“Woah, wait, no,” He looked panicked, “Why are you running away?”
“Look, Pete, I’ve avoided this conversation forever, I don’t want things to be awkward, or to make you feel like we can’t just hang out. I just don’t want you to stop being my friend,” You rambled, only cut off when Peter grabbed your hand, a grin on his face.
“Ask me again if there’s more than one secret.”
“What?”
“Ask.”
“Do you have more than one secret, Pete?” You were still pretty nervous, and you had no idea where he was going with this, but you trusted him. And you were pretty sure that he wasn’t going to make fun of you.
“Yeah. I’ve been keeping two secrets from you,” He said, “The first is that I’m Spider-man. And the second is that I’ve been in love with you for months.”
“What?”
“Yeah,” He said, “Remember a month or two after MJ and I broke up? When we went to the park in the middle of the night because neither of us could sleep? And we just talked for hours about life and our goals and everything? The next day I realized I was in love with you.”
“I guess you’re better at keeping secrets than I thought you were,” you laughed.
“I guess so,” he laughed, “But I don’t plan on keeping anymore.”
(A/N: This might be trash, but my Spider-man hyper fixation from when I was a kid is back full swing.)
207 notes · View notes
thewatermelloncat · 3 years
Text
Backstage (Rosénali CH 1)
Summary: Denali is a new student at a Boarding School for the Performing Arts. She can’t make it 10 minutes into her first class before a girl with pink hair catches her eye. Being told to stay away from her just makes her want her more.
Boarding School AU
Kinda Pastel/Punk AU
Author’s Note: Be on the look out for links to extra stories within the chapters.
Warnings: Underage smoking
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“What’s on your mind gorge?” Mik asks breaking the silence of the dorm room.
“Uh, nothing” Denali lies.
“Bullshit” Mik sits up on her bed. “You finished your homework ages ago and you’re still sitting at the desk.”
Denali sighs and closes her book in front of her. “What do you know about Rosé?”
“Ooh, got a crush, do we?”
“No!” Denali is quick to answer, and Mik raises an eyebrow. “Well maybe – but Liv said to stay away from her.”
She thinks back to her first class when a girl with pink hair had waltzed in seeming not to care that she was late. Denali had watched her as she sat down at the back of the room, ignoring the teacher’s disappointed stare. Their eyes had connected when Denali hadn’t looked away quick enough and since then she couldn’t stop thinking about the girl she’d asked Olivia the name of.
It didn’t matter that Liv had told her that Rosé was “bad news” and that no one really hangs out with her, the mystery only made Denali want to get to know her more.
“Ugh” Mik makes a sound of dismissal. “Liv’s just being perfect and dramatic. She’s not bad – kind of cool actually. When she wants to talk to you that is.”
“She doesn’t have many friends, does she?”
“I mean, she has people she hangs out with from time to time, but she doesn’t stick around with them for long” Mik shrugs. “She’s a tough one to crack. But if you ever get close to her, ask her how she sneaks out at night. She’s the only one who’s never been caught breaking curfew even though everyone knows she does it.”
“Do you have a bad girl streak that I should know about?” Denali jokes with her.
“I have one that you shouldn’t worry about” Mik corrects. “Now come on, it’s nearly time for dinner.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Just leave it alone, you look fine” Mik smacks Denali’s arm as she keeps readjusting the outfit she’d just spent 10 minutes picking out. Dinner being the only time allowed to wear mufti, she wanted to make a good first impression in her pastel purple dress and bleached denim jacket.
“In no time you’ll be rolling up in sweatpants and mismatched socks” Mik continues as they move along the buffet line.
“Where do you normally sit?” Denali asks as they move away from the bench.
“Anywhere” Mik says, sliding into the closest seat.
Denali sits next to her and as soon as she looks up ahead of her, her eyes get fixed to the image of Rosé sitting at the edge of the room in a black leather jacket. She doesn’t know why she didn’t expect it, but it suits her perfectly with her already edgy pink hair.
“Might want to quit your gawking angel, or someone will catch on” Mik warns playfully and Denali ducks her head blushing.
“What are you teasing her about?” Liv asks, sitting down across the table from them.
“Denali’s crushing on Rosé” Mik earns herself a whack on the arm from Denali.
“I didn’t picture you as someone who has a thing for bad girls” Liv says, looking behind her at Rosé.
“What’s wrong with bad girls?” Mik asks.
“Oh please” Liv turns back to the table with a scoff. “You’ve had, like, three detentions. Rosé is raking up around thirty.”
(Short Story: Detention)
“Come on, Liv. You know that’s an exaggeration” Mik levels with her. “Just because she bet you out for the lead role in the production last year.”
“You know my vocals are killer!”
“Yeah, but” – Mik gets cut off.
“What about that fight she got into?”
“To be fair, I think that was justified after what they said about her” Mik weighs up but before Denali can ask about the memory, a teacher walks up behind them and Mik and Olivia both shove a forkful of food in their mouths like they hadn’t been talking.
“Miss Foxx” Denali turns around to smile at who she recognises as Mr Kressley. “After dinner Ms Visage would like to see you in her office.”
“Okay” – Denali’s voice cuts off when he turns abruptly and walks away.
“You get in trouble on your first day?” Mik teases.
“No” Denali shakes her head. “Probably about class scheduling or something.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Denali was right, the meeting was only checking her timetable was in order and asking how her first day was. Ms Visage intimidated her somewhat but she was able to make enough small talk that she figured the Deputy Principal didn’t hate her.
It was dark by the time she left the office block and stepped outside. For a second she got disorientated without the sunlight to help her find her way back to the dormitories but as she turned slightly more to the right, she saw them in the distance.
Wondering along the path she could hear voices of students through the windows of the student lounge as she passed it. Though she didn’t bother to step inside, knowing that Mik was going to hangout in their room with Liv until curfew.
“You not found any friends yet?” a voice startles Denali so that she flinches back – quickly being followed by the sound of soft laughter.
“It’s weird to walk around by yourself at night, anyone ever tell you that?” Denali’s eyes are drawn down to Rosé sitting on the concrete in a recess of a building.
“I have friends” Denali breathes deeply to get her composure back. “And has anyone told you that it’s weird to sit alone in the dark?”
“Fair” Rosé shrugs and nods her head to the ground in front of her, inviting Denali to sit down.
For more than the reason that she didn’t want to be rude, Denali accepts the invitation and sits against the opposite wall. After she’d settled against the brick Rosé reaches forward and offers Denali the cigarette in her hand.
“No thanks” Denali shakes her head.
“You can have your own if you like” Rosé offers, already reaching into the pocket of her jacket.
“No” Denali shakes her head again and Rosé only shrugs before taking a draw. “Where did you get them anyway?”
“I don’t tell you my secrets, you don’t tell me yours” Rosé says after expelling the smoke in a long exhale.
“So, nothing happens?”
Rosé nods her head in confirmation. “So, what are you doing out here, you never said?”
“Was in the office.”
“Got sent to the office on your first day?” Rosé teases just as Denali’s friends had.
“Scheduling thing” Denali says.
“Well, if you ever get sent back, you’ll probably find me in there” Rosé smiles to herself.
“Why is it that I get the feeling that it’s not because you have an extracurricular job?”
“Because you have good instincts” Rosé answers casually, taking another draw before exhaling out the side of her mouth. “I could probably walk there with my eyes closed – thought about trying it once.”
Denali means to say that that’s not exactly something she should be proud of but before she can the sound of footsteps approach them from around the corner.
“Oh shit!” Rosé whispers and moves quickly, stamping out her cigarette with the heel of her boot while simultaneously reaching into her other pocket and pulling out a tab of gum. With the cigarette well put out, she puts her leg over it and throws the gum in her mouth. A spicy mint smell instantly appearing in the air just as a teacher rounds the corner.
“What’s going on down here?” Denali once again recognises Mr Kressley.
“Hanging out” Rosé answers casually like she hadn’t been breaking a major rule only a few seconds before.
“Outside, in the dark?”
“It’s before curfew” Rosé reasons nonchalantly.
“Very well” Mr Kressley relents with a sigh, turning on his heels. “Have a good night.”
“Good night” Denali echoes sweetly to him as he walks away.
“I’ll probably see you Saturday!” Rosé suddenly calls out after him but he ignores her.
“Why Saturday?” Denali turns to her.
“We have a romantic fling in the P.E shed” Rosé answers sarcastically.
Denali knows she’s joking but she still looks at her like she’s lost her mind.
“I’m kidding” Rosé amends. “Detentions are always on Saturdays.”
CH2
28 notes · View notes
megashadowdragon · 3 years
Video
youtube
fgo theory is caster cu really odin 
comments : 
There is also the 10 bond CE for him being the Yggdrasil Tree, which is very Norse. (the fact he needs a bunch of Yggdrasil seeds may also be a bit of a hint.) Interestingly, the Wickerman festivals were held throughout Europe (Areas such as England and Scotland) and were regarded as a neo-pagan festivity. Chances are, if CasCu really is Odin, it is highly likely he will take action in the English Lostbelt second part. I think itd be really cool, but if that was the case itd be more likely Cu caster was a Cu-Odin fusion similar to Scathach-Skadi. We know its within Odin's ability to do a fusion like this due to how he did the same for Skadi. It also explains how caster cu retains the protection from arrows and disengage skills. It also makes more sense how he's kept his identity a secret, because it's not false that he is Cu.
www . reddit . com/r/grandorder/comments/lkw9xm/summary_of_the_caster_cu_chulainnodin_theory/
At absolutely no point does he ever give his name or makes any mention to it.
Other Servants who initially don't give their names say that they'll give it to you later. Caster does not even bring up the subject.
In the Garden of Sinners crossover event, he says "there's no Cú Chulainn here". It's treated as a gag, but...
In the Singularity F Memorial Quest, he's the only Servant referred to by his Class name instead of his True name.
In Lostbelt 6 he finally introduces himself... as Grimnir. This is an alias that Odin uses in the Grímnismál.
He's not supposed to be the Caster of the Fuyuki Grail War in the first place. In the original reality, it's Medea, while in FGO reality it's Solomon. Material states that Singularity F is the result of data colliding, and Caster resulted from that. However, in that case it should be either Solomon or Medea who appear in Singularity F, not Cú Chulainn.
One of his lines goes as following: "Isn't bit boring to play a game that never ends? For better or for worse, it's like you can't move the pieces forward, yeah?" Is he talking about Singularity F? At any rate, this sounds weird.
His Final Ascension art and animation update features two white wolves. Odin is stated to have two wolves named Geri and Freki.
His second Noble Phantasm, which he mentions in one of his My Room lines, is called "Ochd Deug Odin - Seal of the Great God". It's an exceedingly powerful Rank A Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm with potentially Game Breaking effects, but what's interesting is its description: it activates by chanting its True Name and using all 18 primordial runes granted by Scáthach at once (keep in mind she taught him the Norse ones) and it "temporarily unleashes the power of the rune possessed by the Great Odin". Aside from the weirdness of him even having that Noble Phantasm in the first place (he's not supposed to have Wickerman either, but at least we get an explanation for that), why can't he use it? (Potential Game-Breaker status not withstanding).
In the North America version of the game, his Bond Craft Essense is called "Yggdrasil Tree". That's taken from Norse Mythology, so why would a Celt have it?
In addition, the Yggdrasil tree has a particularly strong tie to Odin. The Ygg bit is another name for him, and according to legend at some point he hanged himself from one of its branches to gain wisdom.
For some reason, he's in the Nordic Fields during Boudica's 3rd Strengthening Quest.
During Valentine's Day in the return gift scene, he talks about the Human Order Incineration and the Human Order Reorganization - a.k.a. the Lostbelts. Somehow he knew about the Lostbelts before the game even got to that point.
In the 2019 Valentine's event, he's seen reading the book "Scandinavia's Beautiful Mountains".
In the FGO mats, Sigurd takes special notice of him and then has a Double Take. He also seems confused about him in his material profile. The fact that Sigurd noticed Caster is odd, but it should also be noted that Sigurd encountered Odin a number of times in his legend, thus making him one of the most likely people to recognize him.
Scáthach's Interlude brings up a LOT of questions. The regular Lancer Cú Chulainn says that his power is reduced because half his Saint Graph is missing. Mash suggests that the reduction in power may be because he was separated in numerous classes, but Lancer Cú is surprised that he can be summoned as a Caster. In addition, there are several Servants summonable in numerous classes, and none of them has this problem. There's a possibility that the other half of the Saint Graph went to Caster, and he's using an external source to stabilize it.
According to the Arcade version of FGO, it's impossible for any version of Cú Chulainn to be summoned without Gáe Bolg or the skill "Martial Arts Disciplining in the Shadow Country". Yet Caster has neither, thus making him an impossible summoning.
Not very noticeable in the English version, but he occasionally slips into using the "washi" pronoun during dialogue. For those who might not know, "washi" is actually pretty formal, and contrasts Cú Chulainn's much more casual "ore".
A lot of his official art has him looking subtly different that the other versions of Cú Chulainn.
He has lighter-coloured hair in all of his artwork, and Fate/Grand Carnival gives him wrinkles under the eyes. This trait is usually used in anime to show a character around 40-50 years old; an age that Cú Chulainn never reached.
In his card art and formal outfit card, his eyes are almost orange rather than red. In addition, one eye is always at least partially hidden.
In his April Fool's card, he has different facial features than the rest of the Cú Chulainns.
Tying to the above, Odin is known for disguising himself as an older man, usually a wizard, in a hood, and he's missing an eye. Missing eye aside, Caster fits most of that criteria, and as pointed out above, most his art hides his eye anyway. Odin gave said eye in exchange for wisdom, and there are a few remarks that Caster is getting smarter.
In the original Fate/stay night, Emiya draws a connection between Gáe Bolg and Odin's spear, Gungnir. Considering that he has picked up things like Rho Aias and Caladbolg, we can probably take him at his word. In his animation update, Caster throws his staff above the enemies heads, and then it changes tragectory to attack them from behind. While this could easily be a reference to Gáe Bolg's actual method of killing in the myth (it entered the victim through the asshole), it could also be a reference to how Odin would throw Gungnir above the heads of his enemies to declare a war.
Another detail from his animation upgrade is that his Instant Runes often take the form of a Valknut; this symbol according to some scholars is associated with Odin.
There are overall several indications that Caster will play a significant role later in the story: he's featured in the trailer of Lostbelt 6 and received his animation update during the Lostbelt 6 livestream, and Word of God has implied several times that we will be returning to Singularity F at some point.
Tying to the above, in one of My Room conversations, he say's he'll teach you how to use Runes later. Maybe it's not Blatant Lies after all.
Caster and Odin share several personality traits. Both of them are known as "the raging one", are strongly tied with the concept of war, magic, and wisdom, and both of them are The Gadfly - as Caster displays in Singularity F when he tries to get Mash to activate her Noble Phantasm. In addition, in various events Caster seems to have a gambling problem, which is also one of Odin's traits. Not to mention "summon me as a Lancer" works for Odin too.
The recent Lostbelt 6 update also adds fuel to the fire. In My Room dialogues, Scáthach tells him that his Rune magic is slightly different from what she taught him. He asks Sigurd not to look at him with the glasses, when he sees Brynhildr he muses that this must be fate/karma and specifically refers to Scáthach-Skadi as "Lostbelt Skadi."
His new battle lines from the same update are just as interesting.
"Witness the essence of the Rune magecraft taught by Scáthach... Sure, let's go with that." Along with Scáthach accusing him of his Rune magic being different, this could easily imply that he didn't learn them from her.
Another line is that "he doesn't have the noose of his neck anymore". As an above point states, this Odin did this to learn his runes. The noose bit also never happened to Cú Chulainn.
One of his victory lines references "wolves and crows" and that he has "no idea what they're talking about". The crows part could be a reference to the story of Cú Chulainn's death, which features a crow sitting on his corpse, but the whole quote seems to better reference Odin and his pets; the wolves Geri and Freki, and the crows Huginn and Muninn.
Lostbelt 6 also gives his a buff to his Disengage skill. More specifically, it's actually two buffs that activate back-to-back, with the first called "At the Fountain" and the second called "Sacrifice to the World Tree". Very specific, game.
In Lostbelt 2, it is outright stated that it was Odin who fused Skadi and Scáthach together. Who says he never did it before?
16 notes · View notes
dc41896 · 4 years
Text
Perfect
Tumblr media
Hey guys👋🏾! So I saw in the video from the recent USO live chat that Chris said if he wasn’t acting, he’d be doing something where he has to work with his hands a lot and thus here we are lol! Hope you like it😊!
Pairing: Builder!Chris EvansxBlack Reader
⚠️: Slight angst, fluff
“Ohh this one is pretty! What do you think Ivy?,” you ask lying the lilac onesie against your swollen abdomen. With only a month left until your due date, you finally decided to try to organize your closet to accommodate her growing collection of clothes.
Although tiny, the amount of outfits and other supplies bought by you, your fiancé, and both sets of your family and friends warranted her own room really, but being stuck with your quaint one bedroom apartment the small plastic dresser in your closet would have to do.
“I’ll tell you this baby girl, you are definitely spoiled already.”
“And your grandparents wouldn’t have it any other way,” you hear from behind paired with the light thud of work boots hitting the floor. “Can’t blame them entirely though, me and your mom might have had something to do with that too.”
“You’re home early.”
“Yea the floors didn’t take as long as we thought they would.”
Kissing your cheek, he notices the box of diapers you were currently trying to move with your foot but not getting far. Bending down reaching for the cutout handle, he moves your hands beating you to the box before placing it with the others. “Here babe let me get that. Remember the doctor said-,”
“I know what he said Chris. I’m the one who told you what he said since you weren’t there remember?”
You didn’t mean for it to come out as bitter as it did, but you also couldn’t hide your frustration anymore. He was always a perfectionist when it came to his work. From the paint to the furniture placement, and even the plants outside, he never wanted a client to walk in seeing anything out of place or thinking he didn’t care about what he did.
You understood and loved how much he cared, but with your heightened emotions and the fact that this was a pretty important time in both of your lives, him not being there broke your heart a little more each time it happened.
“Y/N, I know I haven’t been around like I want to and I’m sorry, but it’s just I really want this house to be perfect.”
“I know you do, but I’d also like for you to actually see her moving on the screen rather than me tell you what happened. Or hear her heartbeat in person.”
Grabbing your sides, he gently pulls you closer bringing his calloused yet soft hands up to cradle your face and graze his thumbs against your cheek while peering into your eyes.
“I promise you things will be different as soon as everything’s done. Then I’ll be at every appointment and by your side so much you’ll be sick of me,” he smiles.
“You really shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.” Sliding out of his grip, you make your way to the kitchen, hands rubbing the base of your belly as he follows close behind.
“It’s not my fault this all had to happen while you’re pregnant.”
“I know.”
“Really? Could’ve fooled me,” he sighs, back leaning against the counter watching you remove different items from the fridge trying to put something together for dinner.
There’s silence as you chop bell peppers to sauté in the pan slowly heating up on the stove. You could feel his eyes still on you though as you moved about getting different seasonings and other tools to help make your meal, but you refused to say a word.
“Guess I’ll go shower then,” he states under his breath ready to leave so you could have the space you clearly needed.
“What’s so different about this house?”
“What do you mean?”
“Every other build you’ve done you’re telling me any and every detail about it and even a little about who it’s for,” you explain still focused on the sizzling pan in front of you. “This one, you haven’t said one thing about it other than you finished the floors today. Then you’re rushing out the room to take secret calls and working later than usual, which makes me believe this house must be something special.”
“I haven’t really had the time to tell you since I’ve been so busy.”
“...sure you’re not just trying to bury yourself in your work?” Hearing your sniffles, he walks up behind you turning you around to see your glossy eyes as tears begin to fall. “I mean I know I’m a bit more emotional and probably more annoying-,”
“Shh, stop,” he softly speaks wiping away your tears and hugging you close to his body. “You’re not annoying and I’m definitely not burying myself in my work. If I could, I’d spend every second with you doing anything you want.”
“You say that now, but I’m sure you’d think different after.”
“Nope. Never.”
Bringing your hand up to his lips, he kisses the diamond on your finger before moving to your lips making them move together as if they were part of a passionate dance.
“You’re gonna make me burn dinner. Again,” you smile resting your forehead against his.
“Sorry,” he chuckles leaving one last peck on your lips. Letting you turn back around, his chin sits on your shoulder and hand lightly rubs up and down your belly as he helps with the remainder of the meal.
———
The following week, Chris finally finished the house and couldn’t wait to give you a tour through the bare home. He was practically glowing with excitement each day leading up to the weekend, when you both agreed he could show you.
Driving through busy streets and backroads shaded by canopy trees, you eventually arrive in the driveway of a grey house trimmed in white with pillars of the same color. On the wrap around porch sat two dark brown rocking chairs seemingly waiting for someone to rest in them, while bunches of orange and yellow chrysanthemums were planted in the flower beds just below it. Carefully stepping out of the black Ford truck, with his help, a small smile forms on your lips as you look from the building to your future husband.
“What?,” he shyly asks nervously fidgeting with his hands.
“Nothing, just amazed again by what you do. And also wondering what made you chose to plant my favorite flower?”
“Guess you were stuck on my mind,” he winks kissing your lips before grabbing your hand and leading you up the steps to the door.
Your footsteps against the dark hardwood and Chris’ voice echo throughout the empty house as he takes you to every room, noting how the furniture would be placed once it arrived and asking your opinion on how it would look. Walking down the hall, he points out the master and guest bedrooms pausing in front of the last door with his hand on the knob.
“I’ll tell you now, I did this room all by myself so go easy on me okay?,” he states making you giggle.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s just as beautiful as the rest of the house.” Slowly opening the door, you notice it to be the only furnished room in the house with a grey crib, dresser, changing station, and cloth rocking chair all matching in color.
“Aww babe! Why didn’t you tell me they were expecting a baby too?”
Black butterfly stencils staggered along the pink wall above the crib, seeing the teddy bears placed on top of the changing table instantly draw your hands to your stomach as you become even more excited for your own bundle to come into the world.
“I uh also got them an extra little present from us,” he states opening the top drawer to reveal a folded baby blanket covered in clouds. “Think it’s okay?”
“Yea it’s-,” you start as you notice the shine of golden letters embroidered in the corner. Stepping closer to him, Chris can feel his heart pounding in his ears as he watches you read what’s been sewn on the blanket and look at him confused.
“Why does it have Ivy’s on it?”
“Because it’s hers, along with everything else in here.”
Words seemed to be something foreign to your brain as you continued to stare at the man in front of you wondering if he was being serious.
“Wha-? How-?”
“Grandma Peggy left this land to me in her will and I always planned to build a house on it but never got around to it. When little Ivy came in the picture though, I thought now was the perfect time.”
As you scan the room holding onto the blanket, he starts to feel a bit scared from your silence.
“W-We can always change stuff around though if you don’t like it,” he stammers rubbing the back of his neck. “Like maybe the crib can-,”
Unable to complete his words, he feels your arms wrap around his neck as your lips press against his moving in perfect sync.
“It’s perfect!”
“Really? You think so? It’s okay if you want to change anything I swear.”
“No I promise I love it how it is,” you giggle kissing him again. “I love everything, thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me love. I’m gonna do anything I can for the both of you to make sure you’re taken care of, and nothing will stop that.”
“I know, which makes me feel worse about thinking you were purposely trying to stay away,” you sniffle looking down at the blanket in your hands.
“Well, it didn’t help that I wasn’t being as open as usual.”
“But still I shouldn’t have even let my mind go in that direction and I’m sorry.” Wiping your tears away, he lies your head on his chest rubbing soothing circles on your back.
“That’s in the past okay? Now we focus on what comes our way next,” he smiles to which you nod your head wrapping your arms around his waist and enjoying breathing in his scent as you both stand in the peaceful quiet.
“So you really love everything? Be honest.”
“So much that if I wasn’t pregnant, I probably would be in the morning,” you bite your lip looking up to see his raised brow and amused expression.
“Looks like you might be getting another sibling soon Ivy,” he whispers down towards your stomach making you laugh.
Taglist: @fumbling-fanfics @honeychicanawrites @honeychicana @lady-olive-oil @themyscxiras @melinda-january @lovelymari4 @maxcullen @literaturefeen @damnitaa @curlyhairclub @plokyu23 @fullofmelaninsarcasmandepression @nunubug99 @felicity-x0 @ellixthea @jojolu @jnk-812 @brwn-sgr @captainsamwlsn @wildfirecracker @nina-sj @iammyownlover @chaneajoyyy @secretmysteriousperson
If anybody wants to be tagged, has asked to be tagged but don’t see your name, only want to be tagged for certain people I write for, or no longer wish to be tagged just let me know🤓!
135 notes · View notes
bloomyn · 4 years
Text
you can be the cherry on top
Helloo! If its okay can I request prompts 16 and 27 from the random prompts with Ushijima where the reader introduces some spontaneity into his life, teaches him to take risks and go off a routined lifestyle like going for a drive at 2am to a convenience and like cheating a game at an arcade or something ? And he actually kinda enjoys the thrill of going out of his comfort zone and wants to get to know her more ! Thankyouu srry if it doesnt make sense😊
pairing: ushijima wakatoshi x reader
tags: fluff, strangers to friends to lovers, breaking records ; fixing hearts, learning to live a little
warnings: none
tendou screeched.
“wakatoshi! you’re never going to beat the high score.”
olive - colored eyes narrowed, focusing on the screen in front of him. it was stupid game, nothing more than something he would’ve played as a child but it was the score board that ticked him off. 
1. ‘ur mom’
2. ushijima
3. ushijima
4. ushijima
5. miracle boy sa to ri!!!!
“wakatoshi let’s head back to the dorms. it’ll be fine, you can’t beat the high score so what.” 
the taller man scowled.
-
you’ve grown to hate the oak brown of the desk in front of you. the imitation wood has glared at you every second of everyday for the past three years and you might throw up if you have to look at them for another second. when you drop your forehead against the desk no one pays mind, you’re sure their all bored out of their minds too. it doesn’t help that the sickly gray walls of the classroom love to tease the tangerine sunlight that’s blocked by the thick window curtains. 
being a teenager is horrible. 
being a teenager stuck in a classroom with possibly the most boring people in the world is catastrophic. 
you could care less about modern japanese literature, you’re more worried about the sweat that’s pooling under your arms and the back of your thighs and..have they fixed the ac in your dorms yet?
outside of the window you could see a student jogging, it wasn’t surprising, he was always there. purple tracksuit, you had called him, always the same outfit at the same time, every single day.
how boring
-
“[l/n] please do not take my advice lightly, entrance exams are coming up and it is very important that-”
you nodded your head, “yes sensei i know, trust me, i’ll figure it out!”
your homeroom teacher sighed. “just, please. shiratorizawa wants to make sure that all our students succeed.”
plastering on a fake smile you started stepping backward slowly, “yep, mhm, i understand.”
“just go.”
“thank you bye bye!”
you rushed out of the hallway, passing through the classrooms and out of the gates of shiratorizawa academy. thankfully, the streets were pretty much empty save for the occasional student or cat making their way down the street. 
the arcade was visible for miles. blinding lights that lit up the block and the smell of sweaty seats that lingered for ages. 
yum.
 you waved a hello to the attendant and made your way to the back, searching for your high score (you couldn’t help it, seeing ‘ur mom’ on top the scoreboard was almost intoxicating), only to find a boy (man? maybe.) pounding harshly at the keys. you almost wanted laugh, watching this mountain of a man get so frustrated at what was no more than a child’s game. 
“you good there buddy?” you teased, making your way next to the boy. he only grunted in response, his fingers wrapping tighter around the consoles and eyes narrowing themselves, focusing solely on the screen in front of him. 
leaning against the side of the game you sighed, pretending to flick dirt out from your fingertips. 
“you know,” you drawled lazily, “ i have the high score.”
the boy froze, you could practically see his back stiffening at the sound of your words. a cold chill ran down your spine at the mere sight of his face (or more specifically the look on his face).
on the screen the “game over” flashed loudly, displaying the score board, and by the consecutive list of ‘ushijima’ underneath ‘ur mom’...
“oh, are you ushijima?”
he nodded stiffly. “you have the high score. how?”
you grinned cheekily, ignoring his obvious disbelief and disgruntlement, “wanna watch me play? i’ll blow your score out of the water. i promise.”
ushijima smirked, “show me.”
you started the game up, playing just as usual, you know; following the rules. behind you ushijima crossed his arms. you weren’t doing anything special, in fact he was pretty sure you were moving slower than him how could---
and with a quick flick of your fingers in an unknowable combination, the screen was cleared of the ‘bad guys’, and “NEW HIGH SCORE!’ bounced around on the screen. you licked your lips, whipping around to see his reaction and oh, it was so much better than you’d expected. 
“good game right?”
slowly, the taller man closed his eyes, “how?”
should you tell him the truth? you wondered. it’d be so much more fun if you lied instead; leaving him frustrated and flustered over your effortless ability to wreck his scores. 
“cheat code.” you breathed lazily, “it works for a lot of games actually, it’s really common.”
“you...cheated?”
you almost rolled your eyes, “it’s just a game ushijima, don’t tell me you haven’t cheated at a game before?”
his silence spoke for him.
had this man had any fun ever? at all? even a little?
“come on ushi-kun, live a little why don’t you.”
your persistence was refreshing. maybe it was because he had only just met you and you had no idea who or what he was like that you would push him like this. he knew was blunt, there was no point in lying or drawing the truth out. but you seemed to be immune to that. 
so he held out his hand, asking for the coin.
“i can try to be more exciting.”
besides him you blew air out of your lips, “ i don’t want you to try and be more exciting, just like,” you paused, looking him up and down. “what do you do for fun?”
“volleyball.”
“and when you’re not playing volleyball...”
“i’m at school.”
you really had to think of different response besides groaning. begrudgingly you held out your hand.
“come on.” you huffed.
tentatively ushijima placed his hands in yours. “will i regret this?”
“i’d be insulted if you didn’t”
-
so you were breaking into your own school. well, it wasn’t exactly breaking, just sneaking into the closed volleyball gym. 
“it’s locked.”
rolling your eyes you shoved your hands around in your pockets, hoping that somehow you’d have a bobby pin, and voila! you smirked, whispering a ‘got it!’ before jamming it into the lock. 
“this would be a lot easier with a key.”
suppressing the fattest eye roll you could possibly think of you turned around, 
“obviously it-- oh.”
behind you ushijima held up a single bronze key, matching the same company as the one on the lock. oh.
“you play for the volleyball team?”
he nodded.
“wait you go to this school?”
-
this was not fun anymore. holy shit this was not fun.
a screech left your throat as you dodged another one of ushijimas serves. you thought volleyball was all fun and games, this was a nightmare. 
“i thought you wanted to play?” he quirked, tossing the ball up one more time.
“yeah, play. not die!”
you dove to the floor barely dodging the ball. on the other side of the net ushijima was smiling, laughing almost. 
at least one of you was having fun. 
-
“god ushijima do you enjoy torturing yourself?”
ushijima tossed a towel to you, while continuing to sip from his water bottle. 
“hm?”
grimacing, you wiped the sweat from your forehead onto the towel. 
‘geez, this guy hasn’t even broken a sweat’ 
“why volleyball?” you breathed softly.
“my father taught me how, he used to play for shiratorizawa.”
you nodded along, “that’s cool.”
an icky silence spread over the two of you as cooled of from your unintentional work out. you smiled to yourself, it was fun though, even if your bones seemed to be in danger. 
“something wrong?”
you blinked a couple times before looking up. had you accidentally made a face? (your mother had made it point to call you out whenever that ‘pinched look’ arrived) 
“no? what do you mean?”
this time you were frowning, but of course ushijima didn’t notice (or simply just didn’t care).
he set his water bottle down, “you look disappointed.”
scoffing you tossed the towel back to him. “i’m not.”
“i don’t believe you.”
this man. 
so you shrug. “ i don’t know, just feels like the day has so much potential and instead i’m going to end up laying by myself in a dorm where the ac doesn’t work.”
“it’s only 7:22.”
you sighed, “yeah but it’s too late to do anything and too early to go back to the dorms.”
in his mind ushijima had two options:
1. leave and maybe never talk to you again
2. stay and, not have any regrets about what you were going to do or if you were going to do anything because he wanted to be there, not to be with you, but to have fun, yeah to have fun, he needed to have more fun. 
“come with me.”
-
ideally ushijima would’ve whisked away in his new car and driven you into the sunset while listening to your ‘don’t cry just vibe’ playlist. 
unfortunately the two of you were broke third years who had no form of personal transportation and had to worry about missing volleyball practice the next morning. 
so you were on the train. 
“ushijima where are we even going.”
he hadn’t given you an answer for at least 15 minutes prior to asking so you jabbed a finger into his chest.
“answer me.”
peering down at your figure he nodded his head. “i can’t tell you.”
already you were starting to receive some stares from the others from the train so you dropped the subject. i mean you had been the one to tell him to live a little. god he didn’t even know your name! he wasn’t gonna kidnap you, no, but he could! especially with those serves--
“we’re here.”
-
“i only come here during school breaks but, i figured now might be an appropriate visit.”
the moon hung heavy over the dips and curves of the hills. the small lights flickered in and out, lanterns most likely, setting the scene. wonderful. 
“well.” you huffed, “aren’t we just full of surprises today.”
smiling at your words, ushijima motions upward.
“step there. you’ll have a better view.”
ah, so he was going to push you off the cliff and they would never find your body. that’s how this was going to go down. 
“just so you know ushi - kun, if any murderers coming running at us--” you take his hands, wiping a fake tear off your face, “i would die for you, i would sacrifice, my life so you could escape.”
“you just met me.” he deadpans.
stepping up on the rocks you extend your arms out. wind swept underneath them, the sounds of the hills working in tandem, your mind was gone, too absorbed in the view.  “i know.”
-
“does it still feel like a waste?” 
this time you shook your head, “here with you? absolutely not.”
-
two weeks later:
“you stole a car.”
those are the first words he speaks when he finally sees you again. after your little moment at the hills you’d disappeared for two weeks. he was starting question your existence. but here you, waiting for him at the front of the school swinging car keys between your fingers.”
“technically,” you start, “it’s my aunt’s and i’m just borrowing it.” 
you can’t describe the look he’s giving you. you can but, it wouldn’t accurately describe whatever he was feeling. “so are you getting in or what.”
“i have volleyball practice.”
you hold up the little bronze you’ve stored in your pocket. “not anymore you don’t”
-- he forgets to ask if you even have your license yet. (it’s fine, it’s you we’re talking about)
.
.
.
you don’t immediately start dating after that. it takes three more spontaneous tokyo roadtrips and six almost ushi - abductions for him to ask you out. and when he does, you beat him to the punch. 
“well.” you say, poking his chest a bit. “who else am i gonna drag to the arcade at 3 in the morning?”
(he says yes.)
153 notes · View notes
effymaybe · 4 years
Text
Even when the seasons change (I don’t)
Jenlisa AU -
Jennie doesn’t like nightclubs. She goes, anyway. Maybe there’s something there for her. 
Tumblr media
Electropop music is blasting against her eardrums, vibrant neon lights are blinding her narrowed stare, her feet are hurting due to the high heels she chose -much to Jisoo’s amusement- to go to the club she was going to have oh so much fun at, and Jennie is wondering for the fifth time in the night what the hell she was thinking about.
She enjoys going out with her friends, truly, but sweaty people sliding against her body in an attempt to keep up with their friends – and sometimes with not so innocent purposes – is not exactly her favorite scenario. She prefers slightly expensive bars, with dark wooden furniture and elaborated drinks she can actually take her time choosing. And definitely places that are not so overpopulated that it’s hard to find your way to the exit and then a taxi to go back home when your best friend meets the love of her life. Which is kind of her situation right now. She doesn’t actually know if the angelical-looking blonde Jisoo spotted leaning over the bar asking for a drink is the brunette’s soulmate, but judging for the expression of astonishment her friend wore for ten long minutes before growing the guts to approach the girl, Jennie guesses it might as well be the case. Leave it to Jisoo to find love in a club.
Jennie sighs as she stares down to the orange-y substance in her plastic glass. She sips it carefully, not as disgusted by the cheap drink as she thought she would be, and her mood almost lifts up a bit until she catches the sight of a guy that might as well double her age staring at her with a lascivious expression. She’s about to turn around and actually kind of run, but somebody grasps her arm tightly, making Jennie gasp.
“Don’t go. Meet Chaeyoung!”, Jisoo half-screams over the music.
Jennie doesn’t even think about it. She’d rather be a third wheel than a disgusting man’s next pray.
She doesn’t have much choice, anyway, because her friend is already dragging her to where the beautiful blonde is sitting, a pinkish drink in her hand.
The girl has the grace to smile at Jennie actually, without seeming annoyed at all, and the brunette has the flash thought that if Jisoo were to actually date this girl, she would approve without major questioning.
“Chae”, Jisoo begins, her mouth curling upwards in a whipped smile, “this is Jennie, my best friend. Jennie, this is Chae”.
“I don’t have any titles”, the blonde comments humorously, gifting Jennie a grin as she holds her hand for the brunette to shake, “for now, at least”.
Jennie smiles back, turning to see her friend blushing deeply with sparkly hope shinning in her coffee eyes.
“You better not be going for the ‘best friend’ one because that’d be awkward…probably for all of us”.
Chaeyoung laughs openly now, and she stops only to smirk at Jisoo.
“Yeah… not the title I had in mind”.
“That’s a relief”, the shortest brunette flirts back, and Jennie is torn between having a bit of fun at expenses of Jisoo’s blush or leaving the girls at their thing so she can fight for a taxi and wrap herself in favorite blankets.
When Jisoo and her not-best-friend-to-be stare at each other suggestively for a long, tense moment, Jennie makes her decision.
“Hey, I’m gonna leave you to-”
“No!”, her friend interrupts, snapping out of her spell, “Chaeyoung is not alone”.
Jennie looks at her friend with an eyebrow dangerously raised.
“What?”
“She means that I came with my friend, Lisa”.
The tallest brunette parts her lips in mid-surprise before shaking her head.
Come on, there is no way…
“I think it’s Lisa, Lisa, you know?”
“What? There is no way”.
“Lisa, my best friend Lisa, went to Kyungnam”.
“Our high school”, Jisoo states proudly.
“There were, like, at least other fifty Lisas at our school”.
“Yeah? How many were ridiculously tall, had Barbie eyes and an annoying laugh?”
Jennie frowns unconsciously at the vague insult and crosses her arms with the hint of a stubborn pout drawing on her lips.
“Also, she has mentioned you”, Chaeyoung comments, her voice careless, but her eyes boring into Jennie’s.
“What?”
“I mean; she has mentioned a Jennie… a few times. Maybe more. The way she described you was… extravagant to me, but now that I see you I definitely get it”.
Jisoo is full smirking right now, her eyes singing a loud ‘Itoldyou’ tune that Jennie despises, but she’s too busy trying to keep her thoughts at bay to search for a creative insult.
“Look, I just don’t think… It’s much of a casua-”
“Jennie?”
Jennie shuts her mouth as her eyes widen in sincere surprise. Her spine tenses and it actually takes her a few moments to get over her skepticism because it can’t be.
She turns around hesitatingly, slowly, taking the time to compose herself before facing the girl that broke her heart seven years ago.
And there she is.
Lisa. High school beauty, Barbie-eyes, model-tall Lisa, looking as young as ever, now with her chocolate hair caressing past her mid-back. She’s wearing skinny jeans and a crop top that allows her to show off her still prominent abs, framed in a leather jacket that makes her look just the right amount of dangerous.
She looks so alluring, so Lisa, that Jennie can almost hear her whispering sweet things in a bathroom stall. Sweet lies. All that time ago.
“Lisa?”, Jennie tries, as if she doesn’t know, but the tallest girl does not answer for a moment, her mouth still open, her eyes running up and down staring at her figure as if desperately trying to look for something.
So she waits until Lisa’s eyes meet hers, and the girl seems to finally snap out of her stupor.
“I- wow, Jennie, you are… here”.
The brunette smiles softly, finding Lisa’s amazement a bit puzzling.
“Yeah… not my scenario, I guess?”
The tallest girl denies with her head quickly as she takes a step forward.
“No, no, I mean, you look amazing, perfectly here, but”, she stumbles with her words, “I’m surprised. It’s been many years”, she finishes, and Jennie shifts in her place.
“Yeah, you are right. I’m quite surprised as well”.
Lisa doesn’t say anything else, just stares at her with burning gaze that looked as if it wanted to tell a whole story by itself. They just stay like that for a moment before the sound of fake coughs make her turn around, slowly enough to catch the tallest girl’s face transform from amazement, to annoyance, to renewed surprise.
“What? Chae?”, Lisa asks, her eyes falling into her best friend’s figure and then moving to look at Jisoo, both sitting at the bar with twin amused expressions.
Jennie doesn’t fail to notice the way Chaeyoung’s hand caresses Jisoo’s thigh absentmindedly.
“Jisoo and I just met”, the pinkish-blonde explains, “and she happens to be Jennie’s best friend”.
“Yeah… I remember”, Lisa murmurs, her brain clearly still trying to catch up with all the information.
“It’s all kind of crazy, right?”, Jisoo adds now, a smirk adorning her expression.
“Destiny”, Chaeyoung agrees, and her hand inches closer to Jisoo’s upper thigh, now less casually and more purposefully.
The shortest brunette coughs, bushing deeply, but Lisa and Jennie are too occupied taking into each other to realize.
The tallest blonde stands up from her booth suddenly, taking Jisoo’s hand and prompting her to follow her.
“We are going to the bathroom”, she announces, and the other two girls stare at them with surprise.
“Really, the bathroom?”, Lisa asks, her head tilted to look at her best friend with slight disapproval.
Chaeyoung merely shrugs, smiling almost predatory, “You do what you have to do”.
Jisoo is still blushing, probably more prominently than before, but she’s visibly excited as she follows the blonde in a rush to the bathroom stalls.
Jennie and Lisa are left alone, surrounded by a sea of people, hyperaware of their situation.
“Uh, so-”
“Want a drink?”, Lisa asks suddenly.
Jennie stares at her with hesitance plain in her face.
“I mean I can buy you a drink and we can talk – catch up… If you want”.
The brunette finds herself nodding. She really hopes her chat with Lisa will be worth the five hours she spent choosing for her outfit.
“What do you want?”
“Whatever you are having is fine”, she answers, and offers a grateful smile, putting her now empty cup on top of the bar.
Lisa smiles back, clearly relieved, the tension of her shoulders almost gone completely.
Jennie is left then, with some minutes to think.
She kind of feels that she should leave.
Her thing with Lisa didn’t las for that long, really, and it happened many years ago. It shouldn’t have been an irreplaceable, unforgettable event of her life.
But it was.
It was because she loved. She loved truly for the first time, with passion, and dizziness, and heart clenches, and tears, and whispered words. She loved deeply, from the bottom of her heart to the extension of her body. She opened herself, body, mind, and soul, wrapped herself up in the prettiest smiles she could muster and handed herself to Lisa, to her deep voice, to her delicate hands.
And she was hurt just as strongly as she loved.
“Jen?”
“Oh, sorry, thanks”.
The brunette takes the glass the tallest girl is offering and sips on the red liquid inside of the cup. It tastes good, and Jennie grins slightly.
Lisa seems extremely pleased with her reaction, a big smile extending on her face.
“You haven’t changed much. Just managed to get even prettier”, the youngest states, and Jennie tries not to think about the compliment too much.
“You look the same as well. Maybe even taller”.
Lisa laughs openly, and Jennie smiles into her glass.
“It’s the heels. So, how is it going for you?”
“Well. I’m an interior designer”.
“One of the best in the city, I’ve been told”.
Jennie raises her eyebrows in sincere surprise.
“You’ve been asking?”
Lisa swallows.
“Everywhere”.
Jennie takes a deep breath and a big sip of her drink.
Come on, she must be doing… her thing.
“I’m sure they are exaggerating. How about you? How are you doing?”
“I opened my own dance studio like two months ago”.
The brunette is struck with sincere happiness, her face breaking out in an excited smile.
“Really? Lisa, that’s great! I thought you were studying to become a lawyer, though”.
“I was”, Lisa explains, her eyes softening in a way Jennie is surprised to realize she has never seen before, “but I decided to follow my heart”.
“I so happy for you, then”.
“I am happy too… It’s something I should have been done a lot of time ago.”
“Choosing dancing?” Jennie asks.
“Following my heart”.
Lisa’s coffee eyes burn on Jennie’s, her expression tinted with longing. The brunette becomes a bit restless, but she tries to shake off the warmth that threatens with filling her chest.
It’s not like that.
“Well, I’m glad you did. My humble opinion is; you were born to dance”.
Lisa chuckles a bit, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“You’ve always been supportive. Thank you for that. You should pass by some day! Your own dancing skills are impressive as well”.
“Ah, you are just saying it”, the brunette teases, “I haven’t danced since high school”.
“What? Seriously?”
Lisa looks genuinely surprised, and Jennie can’t help but to duck her head a bit to hide a slight blush.
“Well, it’s not like I had a lot of time to do so… also, where I am supposed to dance?”
“I don’t know… it would be great if you’d known someone who… you know… owns a dance studio”.
The brunette chuckles airily and takes a sip of her drink.
“You would have to work very hard with me”.
Lisa gasps.
“That’s totally not true! You are a great dancer!”
The brunette raises her eyebrows playfully.
“Really”.
“Yeah! Besides, you would immediately be my favorite student”.
“And what’s the benefit of being your favorite?”.
Lisa pauses for a second.
“Uh…golden star stickers?”
Jennie laughs again, this time more freely, and Lisa can’t help but to join in, the feeling of achievement spreading through her body. She drinks a bit of the content of her plastic glass but immediately ditches it. She wants to be fully aware of the moment.
“I guess I have to start polishing apples, then”.
The brunette is almost startled when she looks at Lisa, the tallest girl’s eyes exuding a warmth that she can almost feel wrapping up her soul. The softness of her features reflect a fondness that can’t be there, just can’t be there.
“Just bring yourself”.
Jennie stares at the tallest girl as her eyes drift to her side briefly, a somewhat somber expression making itself apparent in her doe eyes, only to set her gaze in the brunette once again.
She shifts, trying to anchor herself, looking for any topic to deflect her mind from the feeling that is blooming in her chest.
“So… how-”
“I miss you, Jennie”.
Jennie stares back at Lisa, her eyes wide.
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I won’t interrupt again. I just wanted you to know. It was driving me crazy”.
And Jennie sees with astonishment the way the other girl’s eyes begin to become watery.
“Lisa…”
The girl stares at her side once again, somewhat annoyed, but turns to Jennie once again.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you this for years. I just want you to know, Jen”, she moves closer, their faces just some inches apart, “you are the best thing that ever happened to me and I miss you. I miss you so much”.
“Lisa, I… don’t know what to say”.
“You don’t have to say anything. I know I fucked up in ways… Oh, just-”.
And Lisa leaves her like that, rushing past her, her heartbeat hammering against her chest, a blush spreading from her cheeks to her neck, and Jennie has no idea what could possibly had made the tallest girl disappear from her personal space in such a touching moment, so she turns her head to follow the brunette’s figure. She sees Lisa’s back facing her, the girl talking to a mildly-good-looking guy that reminds Jennie of the jocks Lisa dated in high school - the jocks she chose to cheat on her with in high school – and feels tears rushing to her eyes.
Again.
Fucking again.
Jock guy smiles at Lisa crookedly, leans in, and Jennie can’t see it anymore. She runs out of the bar, sliding through heated bodies, her cheeks wet with hot tears as her body burns with shame and regret.
She makes it out of the place quite quickly, but doesn’t stop until she reaches a half-illuminated alley, not fond of the idea of tons of people watching her cry for her high school girlfriend. Once again.
She covers her face with her hands as she thinks how could she have been so stupid, so naïve to think that the girl who had broken her heart so many times would even think about-
“Jennie, please!”
The brunette hugs herself as Lisa’s voice reaches her ears.
“Jen, where are you? Please, talk to me”, the tallest girl’s voice sounds completely shattered, but Jennie remains quiet.
Steps sound closer, and the dark brunette knows that Lisa is about to find her.
“Jen- oh, you are here”.
Lisa rushes to her as if she just found something invaluable that she had lost many years ago.
“Leave”.
“Jennie, let me explain”.
“What do you have to explain? That you were telling me oh how much you missed me, but decided to ditch me for some half-decent-looking guy?”
“No! I…”
“I can’t believe I was so fucking stupid, honestly, it’s clear that you don’t care”.
“Jennie, it’s not like that!”
“But you never did, did you? I knew this, I know this and yet you manage to-”
“He wasn’t trying to get me; he was trying to get you!”
The wind blows between the girls as a beat of silence makes itself present.
“What?”
“He was staring at you, and then… gesturing, and then he called his friends and I was trying to tell you everything I never told you, and he was there being a fucking prick. And I felt this rush… this need to protect you like I never did, and take you home, and cuddle watching all those Disney movies you love, and attempt to cook all the waffles you can eat, and just do anything on my hands and beyond to show you that I love you so fucking much. I’ve been in love with you for so many years and I never could… I never had the damn guts to show you how much whipped for you I am, how easily you can destroy my heart. Fuck! Fuck that fucking guy. I love you so much”.
Lisa is painting now, each of the words she uttered echoing in Jennie’s mind almost as if foreign.
When the tallest girl beings to cry - to sob loudly between her hands – shattered in a way that nobody has witnessed before, Jennie snaps out of it. She takes a step closer and lets her right hand press against a wet cheek.
Lisa doesn’t hesitate to put her own hand over Jennie’s, desperately trying to anchor herself.
“It has always been you, Jen. I know I fucked up many times, and I understand if you can’t forgive me, but”, Lisa’s voice breaks, “I want you to know. All those boys meant nothing. I cried every time I kissed somebody that wasn’t you. Back when we were together… and also after we broke up. I just wanted you. And they weren’t you.”.
Jennie feels her own tears running down her cheeks.
“Then why, Lisa?”
“Because of my parents. I wanted to make them proud, keep the whole ‘Manoban’ name squeaky clean and all. And they wanted me to get straight As, to be popular, to marry a rich man, to become a lawyer…fuck, they even thought about what kind of dog I should have… a damn poodle”.
Jennie lets out a watery snort.
“I don’t think that you look like the poodle type”.
Lisa smiles brokenly, and Jennie’s heart aches.
Back to the time when they were together, Lisa always wanted her parents to be proud. It is true. Jennie saw her spending days and days studying for tests, late at night, early in the morning, the dark spots under her eyes becoming darker and darker each passing day. She saw her befriending all that trashy people not even Lisa herself could stand for more than ten minutes. She saw her giving up dancing. She saw her losing the stars in her eyes, losing her bright smile, losing her cheerful aura. She saw her crying, sobbing, breaking herself again and again just to earn a pat on her back.
“What do you want, Lisa?”
Jennie caresses the tallest girl’s cheek softly.
“I want the two things I’ve ever loved. Dancing…and you”.
The shortest brunette stares at Lisa for a moment.
“It’s fine if I can’t have you. I know what I did is not worth forgiving. I just… want you in my life. As a friend. Or anything you’d like. I just want to know if you could…at least tolerate me”.
“Lisa, you broke my heart, almost beyond repair”.
Trusting is hard.
The tallest girl lets her head hang low in shame.
“I know”.
Jennie takes a step closer, now both girls’ bodies almost touching.
“So you better do a great job fixing it”.
But I can do it again… just one more time.
Lisa’s head snaps quickly, her eyes widening as she reaches out with her hand to grasp Jennie’s arms gently.
“Jen?”
“I love you back, Lis. I… this is not rational. I’m terrified, but I don’t know what else to do. I just can’t help it. I love you back. So much, I think we can move on. I think we can work it out”.
Lisa gasps, and lets her arms wrap themselves around Jennie’s waist, unsure about the shortest girl’s reaction. When she simply smiles and puts her hands on her shoulders, Lisa launches her body forward to hug her lover tightly.
“I’ll make it worth it, Jen. I promise. I love you so, so much. Thank you. Thank you”.
Jennie simply hums in content against the girl’s collarbone, her thoughts a bit dizzy due half to the contact and half to the sweet memories triggered by Lisa’s perfume.
When Lisa pulls slightly away, their faces are left some inches away.
“We would have to… get to know each other again”, Jennie whispers, and the tallest girl is shedding tears once again, staring at her with the heat of absolute devotion.
“Go on a date with me?”, she blurts unsure, and the vulnerable look in her eyes almost makes Jennie melt.
“Mmh… I don’t know”, the shortest girl plays.
“We can do anything you want”.
Jennie laughs.
“I want you to have fun as well”.
“We’ve always had fun together. I’m sure now won’t be different”.
“You know how to charm a girl. It’s a deal”.
Lisa smiles beamingly and squeezes Jennie’s waist a bit.
“Thank you”.
“Thank you? So I don’t get a kiss?”
The tallest girl looks surprised, but not less excited.
“You want one?”
“A few, actually.”.
Lisa inches closer, not keen on losing an opportunity as such.
“To make up for the time lost?”, she asks.
“Yes. And to take profit from the time we have now”.
And Lisa lets her lips melt against Jennie. They dance in a way they’ve learnt out of practice, they’ve always gotten out of pure chemistry. Both girls feel their breaths leaving their lungs as their minds try to catch up with the feeling of finally, finally being where they wanted to be. When Lisa tilts her head a bit to find another blissful angle, Jennie lets out a soft mewl, and the tallest girl has the faint thought that she would do absolutely anything for her lover’s happiness.
No more fear.
“I’ve been looking for you for years. Everywhere. I searched for you at the better spots to watch the sunsets. I visited all the dog cafés with dark wooden furniture in town. I went out every hill around the city to see if I could find you gazing at the stars”.
Lisa’s confession is murmured against Jennie’s lips.
“Out of all the places possible, I didn’t expect to find you here”.
Jennie pulls slightly away to stare at Lisa’s eyes, her own hands entangling in long, chocolate hair.
“And yet, you found me”.
“I found you”.
Lisa lets her lips press against Jennie’s mouth, the bridge of her nose, her forehead, her left cheek.
“And I’m not letting you go. Never”, a pause, “unless you want me to”.
Jennie smiles as she hugs Lisa again, entertaining again her thought of going home and wrapping herself in her softest blankets.
This time, with somebody just by her side.
She does not want Lisa to let her go.
105 notes · View notes
carewyncromwell · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media
The next Cinderella AU part is here...and I am so thrilled about this part, because not only do we get a new character (who I’m quite sure you can identify from the sketch above -- only my second time drawing him ever, and I’m actually pretty happy with it!), but we’ll also get a nice serving of drama! Goodie!!
Robin Hood as a legendary figure first originated through the oral tradition, so its history is a little hard to plot out, but his first reference in writing is a ballad from the 15th century. Although our modern image of Robin Hood is that of a chaotic good heroic figure, his original incarnation was decidedly less saintly -- he was a bandit, and although he did refrain from stealing from women, he was rather violent, reckless, and hot-tempered, as well as flagrantly against both clerics and all nobility. Robin Hood’s backstory of being a disgraced nobleman who turned outlaw after losing his title and land and who remains loyal to the “good king” Richard while opposing the unlawful regent Prince John was added later, presumably to make him a bit more “approachable” to an Elizabethan audience who was more accustomed to hearing tales about nobility (just look at a lot of Shakespeare’s plays from that period -- many of them center around royalty or the upper class). Plays about or referencing Robin Hood then increased in popularity on the British Isles throughout the 16th and early 17th century, until the rise of Puritanism in the 1640′s put a halt to theatrical productions. (Bloody kill-joys.) For more information on the history of Robin Hood’s development, I strongly recommend this analysis done by Overly Sarcastic Productions (...actually, just watch everything on their channel, it’s all great XD).
Previous part is here -- whole tag is here -- Katriona “KC” Cassiopeia belongs to @kc-needs-coffee -- and I hope you enjoy!
x~x~x~x
Carewyn had a lot of trouble returning to her daily routine at the palace the following morning. Getting so close to the border with Orion and hearing about how much scarier it was likely to get on the battlefield made her all the more worried for Jacob’s well-being. Even if the spell Charles Cromwell had paid for nine years ago made it so that Jacob would stay alive as long as he willed it, Carewyn dreaded the thought of what harm, physical and emotional, that Jacob might face. If she only had some idea which battalion he was a part of and where on the front he’d be, then she could always just try to send a letter his way...maybe even ask Orion to drop it off to the camp for her, since his father was an officer. But Carewyn had combed every military roster she could get her hands on, but hadn’t been able to find a single record of Jacob anywhere.
‘He must be under another name,’ Carewyn told herself. 
It wouldn’t be too unreasonable that Charles wouldn’t want Jacob to advance in the ranks on the back of their family name. And really, Carewyn knew full well how displeased her grandfather would be if he found out she was trying to reach out to her brother without his approval -- he could’ve even forced Jacob to take on another name, just to try to make it that bit harder for Carewyn to contact him without his approval...
Carewyn’s friends noticed a rather abrupt shift in her mood. She was singing as always, but her choices were a bit less upbeat and her voice sounded oddly distracted and nostalgic. At one point, Andre mentioned offhandedly that he’d been designing themed outfits for his friends to wear to his mother’s New Year Eve’s Masque Ball, but Carewyn had trouble putting much attention on it.
“I’ve already finished some ‘owl wings’ on a cape for KC and a fur-trimmed wolf mask and gown for Erika...I was thinking perhaps a stag for Bill, a dragon for Charlie, and a lioness for Ginny? I considered a horse at first, but I think a pale gold would make her just glow, don’t you think? Yours I’m most excited for, though...I’m hoping to actually make your newest pair of shoes with fabric on the inside for comfort and diamond on the outside for sturdiness, if I can manage it!”
“Mm...that sounds great,” said Carewyn absently.
Her gaze was drawn out the nearest window, as far out as she could.
“...Andre,” she said slowly, “I realize this is very last minute, but...may I have this afternoon off, to go see my family?”
Andre blinked. “Is something the matter?”
“Oh no, no,” Carewyn lied with as pretty and reassuring of a smile as she could. “It’s just...well, it’s nearly Tristan’s birthday. My uncle keeps him very close to home, compared to my other cousins...I merely thought I might stop by and bake him a little something, as a surprise.”
Andre frowned slightly. “You...get along better with your uncle and his son than with Iris, then?”
“No, but Tristan is only a boy. It’s hard to hold any bad behavior against him. And well, maybe if he and the others don’t know I made it, he’ll enjoy it better.”
Carewyn could see Andre still looked confused and a little dismayed, so she quickly added, “I’ll be back by tomorrow morning, in time for my rounds. I won’t allow it to interrupt my duties.”
Andre offered a hesitant smile. “Well, all right...if it really means that much to you.”
Carewyn’s eyes softened. “Thank you, Andre -- I really appreciate it.”
Fortunately for Carewyn, Andre wasn’t the best at picking up on other people’s pretenses. Unfortunately for Carewyn, two of his most regular confidantes were his cousin KC and fencing instructor Erika, and they did pick up on Carewyn’s odd behavior.
“She said she wanted to surprise her cousin with something for his birthday?” asked KC, frowning deeply. 
“Well, yeah,” said Andre. “I admit, it seemed a little weird to do something so nice without even wanting credit, but Carewyn is an awfully selfless sort. From the way she made it sound, she just wanted to do something nice for him.”
“And you believed her?” said Erika rather coldly. 
She whacked Andre’s practice sword out of his hand with her own, making the Crown Prince hiss in pain. 
“I’ve told you before, Prince Henri -- you all may think Carewyn Cromwell’s nothing like her family, but that’s absolute bunk. She might be more pleasant than them, but she’s not stupid and she’s not honest. Or did you not notice that that weird guy she hangs out with keeps calling her ‘his lady,’ as if she weren’t the penniless orphan of a deadbeat merchant?”
Erika picked up Andre’s sword and tossed it back to him with ease. 
“Then of course that guy himself is shady as all get out.”
Andre frowned. “You mean Orion? Come on, Erika, he isn’t that bad -- I thought he seemed quite amiable, myself. Don’t you agree, KC?”
“He is,” said KC fairly. “But Erika isn’t completely off-base. There is a lot about Orion that we don’t know -- that even Carewyn herself doesn’t know. She admitted as much to me, after I first met him. That being said,” she raised her own sword and got into position to attack Andre, “I don’t think Orion’s a threat. You would think anyone with the ability to sneak over the palace walls not once but twice would’ve tried to make some move to attack you by now, but he’s only ever come looking for Carewyn. And although I don’t completely understand the reason behind why she’s acting like a lady around him,” she shot Erika a faintly reproachful look as she and Andre traded blows, “I’m pretty sure it has more to do with her own insecurities than because she’s a terrible person -- ow! Damn it!”
Andre had successfully disarmed KC. 
“Insecurities?” he said, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. “What is there for her to be insecure about? I mean, yes, she has no dowry, and taking Orion’s wardrobe into account, I’d suppose he has to come from a family with modest wealth -- but Orion seemed to enjoy the Weasleys’ company quite well, and their family is poor. I think they’d make a lovely match, really,” he added with a rather smug grin. “They even matched at the Festival, without realizing it.”
KC massaged her wrist, frowning a bit sourly. “Yes...but Carewyn is solely under Lord Cromwell’s charge. He’s the one who sent her here. He’s the only guardian she really has. And I think it’s quite clear how much influence he has over his family -- even his daughters who married into other esteemed families still live at his estate with their husbands and children, rather than moving out onto their own estates. And in Carewyn’s case, she doesn’t even have a parent to help shield her from Lord Cromwell’s will. She doesn’t have a penny to her name. So that means, in effect, she’s chained to him, and in those circumstances...well...”
She hesitated. 
"Well what?” Andre prompted her. 
KC looked incredibly uncomfortable. 
“I didn’t want to say anything before without knowing for sure...but I think someone’s been looking at our military ledgers, documenting troop placements. Everything’s neatly put away the way they should be, but there are more fingerprints on them than before. And usually I’m the only one who has much use to look those up, whenever I’m ready to suggest a new war strategy...”
Erika’s eyes narrowed very sharply and she got right up into KC’s space. “And you’re only just saying this now?! That information could be critical to Royaume’s enemies! What if that guy Orion sneaked in not just to see Cromwell, but to get his hands on those? Or what if it was Cromwell herself, working in collusion with him?”
“Impossible,” Andre said forcefully. “Carewyn would never be a spy for the enemy -- it’s not in her character.”
“And I don’t think Orion would know where those documents would be, even if he did sneak in,” said KC. 
Erika, however, looked unconvinced as she made for the door. “You can coddle those two all you want, but I plan to tell the King and Queen -- they’ll want to interrogate Cromwell and this ‘Orion Freeman’...”
“Erika, belay that!” Andre said in a suddenly much sharper and more authoritative voice. “That’s an order.”
Once Erika had stopped walking and turned back around, the Crown Prince exhaled heavily and crossed his arms in a business-like manner. 
“I’ll get to the bottom of this,” he said firmly. “If Carewyn is heading to the Cromwell estate, she’ll have to take the road through town, correct? I’ll simply take a horse and follow the road after her.”
Erika and KC looked startled. 
“Uh, Andre,” said KC, “you haven’t forgotten that you’re not allowed to leave the palace, have you?”
Andre smirked. “No. I’m just sneaking out.”
Before Erika and KC could articulate an argument, he added in a much sassier voice, “Look, I’m doing it whether you come with me or not. I’d appreciate the company if you want to come along -- all I expect is that you’ll dress appropriately. I hear linens and cottons are fashionable for those who don’t wish to attract attention.”
And so Andre, KC, and Erika made preparations to follow Carewyn...completely unaware that a half-hour earlier, Bill and Charlie Weasley had -- after having a similar, but much more concerned conversation with Badeea Ali about Carewyn clearly lying to Andre’s face -- decided to take their horses and tail their friend themselves. And sure enough, the two eldest Weasleys soon enough found themselves following Carewyn on the road heading northeast, avoiding the Cromwell estate all together.
At the very same time, in Florence, Orion had finalized his plan. Today was the day he was going to request a formal audience with Prince Henri, as Prince Cosimo VII. As Carewyn had said, he’d need to act fast if he was going to stop his father from finding a way to complete his own ruthless strategy -- the battlefield itself would be a difficult place for Orion to make his case, with so many distractions, but he knew a more balanced, peaceful setting wouldn’t be. And so he wrote a long letter to the King, explaining everything that he had learned from Royaume and its people as well as Florence’s own, so as to make a case for peace. He then had the court magician Severus Snape deliver it to the Florentine camp in his stead, while he dressed in his finest and prepared to leave for Royaume. 
When he made as if to take his own horse, however, Orion found Skye and McNully waiting for him, a black coach already prepared. 
“If you’re planning on going to meet Prince Henri, you really should arrive in style,” said McNully with a wry smile. “A good first impression to the King and Queen would help your case by a good 45%.”
“And you have to know there’s no way in Hell we’re going to let you go out and expose your true identity to the enemy without back-up,” Skye added, her arms crossed over her chest. “
Orion’s black eyes softened. “...Thank you.”
As he climbed into the carriage, both McNully and Skye’s faces nonetheless betrayed some hesitation. 
“Are you sure you want to do this?” McNully asked. “There’s a 74% chance they’ll respond badly to it -- I reckon there’s a 39.5% chance they’ll try to arrest you on the spot and hold you as a prisoner of war...”
“I carry no weapons with me, and I come with the explicit purpose of diplomacy,” said Orion levelly. “Therefore I’m not an enemy combatant. As long as I follow their direction while under their roof, then any harm they might do me would be violating the conventions of war...and the Royaumanians, for all of their flaws, do have honor.”
“One could make a case for you having been involved in espionage, though,” McNully pointed out, but Orion ignored him and settled down in the carriage, crossing his legs offhandedly. 
“What about Lady Cromwell?” said Skye, her voice a bit lower and more concerned. “She’ll find out you’re a Florentine. And not just any Florentine, the Prince of Florence.”
Something sad flickered through Orion’s confident, unflappable expression.
“She was going to learn the truth sooner or later,” he murmured. “If our time together has come to an end...then at least I may have the memories to hold onto...and the knowledge that by ending this War peacefully, I may have spared her of more heartache.”
He closed his eyes and began to meditate, clearly having said his piece on the matter. Skye and McNully, however, couldn’t help but exchange a look that was both anxious and very sad. 
As long as they’d known Orion, he’d always been a little reckless, but he was also passive and avoided direct confrontation. This plan to directly appeal to Royaume’s royal family, however, required a lot of guts  -- far more than either of them had thought Orion possessed. And they knew such courage could only have been encouraged by one person...the very same person who Orion loved so much that he would choose to follow her example and protect what she loved, even if it meant destroying their relationship forever. 
Orion meditated during most of the journey to the Royaumanian palace. It was merely fortunate that, as they approached, McNully broke him out of his trance by tapping him on the shoulder and pointing out the window. If he hadn’t, then Orion would not have seen a rather familiar trio of riders on horseback, riding through town past them -- a short, stocky lady with dark red hair and freckles; a very tall blonde with a square jaw and sharp eyes; and a very handsome dark-skinned man dressed in a purple tunic, emerald green pants, and gold-buckled black boots. 
“Stop the carriage!” said Orion, his soft, level voice nonetheless very firm despite not rising in volume. 
He barely waited for the carriage to completely stop before slamming the door open and jumping out.
“Andre! KC!”
Andre, KC, and Erika all stopped their horses in an abrupt halt and turned around as Orion dashed up to them.
“Orion?” said Andre, startled. 
KC looked from the rather finely dressed Orion to the expensive-looking black coach behind him and back. Erika’s eyes narrowed critically upon Orion as he came to a stop in front of them, his hands clasping in front of him. 
“I...had not expected to see you out and about,” said Orion, trying to put on his most pleasant, calm expression. 
Andre glanced over his shoulder up the road, frowning deeply. “Yes, well...some business has come up.”
“Orion, have you seen Carewyn?” KC asked him, her face very serious. 
Orion blinked. 
“Not since last night,” he said. He could feel his heart starting to beat faster. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“Never you mind,” barked Erika, as she turned back to the road. “Come on, we don’t want to lose the trail -- ”
“Erika,” reproached Andre, before he turned back to Orion, his face visibly concerned. “...Carewyn asked for the afternoon off to go see her family, but it was very last minute, which isn’t like her. And according to what we’ve heard in town, there’s been no traffic down the road toward the Cromwell estate in the last four hours...”
“So Carewyn had to have been lying about where she was going,” finished KC, her face much more stoic but her voice no less tense. “We need to find her and figure out why.”
Orion’s eyebrows had furrowed over his widening black eyes. His heartbeat was slamming in his ears as the memory of Carewyn in the woods returned to him -- looking northward, toward the army camps, as if longing to run toward them --
“I know where she’s gone,” he said at once. 
He rushed back to the coach, grabbing onto the window frame and standing on the boot of the carriage. 
“To the northern border,” he urged Skye, who sat in the driver’s seat. “Quickly!”
“The border?” repeated Skye as a sharp whisper. “But Orion, your meeting with the Prince -- ”
“Can come later,” Orion told her very firmly under his breath. “Both he and I must get to the war front.”
He shot a significant look over his shoulder in Andre’s direction. McNully, putting two-and-two together, nodded and inched himself up to the window of the carriage. 
“If you tie one or more of your horses to the carriage, we should decrease our travel time by a good 21% per horse,” he told Erika, KC, and Andre. “If Carewyn left an hour ago, then with one horse, we should be able to overtake her within an half-hour -- two, within twenty minutes, and three, within ten. Though with Orion on the boot, there’s a 12% chance he’ll fall off if we ride at full speed, so we might have to go at 95% instead -- ”
KC fixed the blond-haired man with an incredulous look as she leapt off her horse. 
“Are you really calculating all that on the fly,” she asked, looking as if she wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or amused, “or are you just pulling those numbers out of fat air?”
McNully couldn’t help but grin. “Excellent! Now I can officially say that I’ve been asked that question over a hundred times before.” 
Still looking faintly bewildered, KC moved to help Andre, who’d quickly started attaching his, Erika’s, and her horse’s to the front of the carriage with the two black ones already pulling it, ignoring Erika’s incredibly sour and distrustful expression. There was no time to lose. 
From the boot of the carriage, Orion directed Skye down the same road he’d taken with Carewyn the previous night, Andre, Erika, and KC riding with McNully inside the coach. Once they’d reached the forest, Orion caught sight of a familiar-looking golden eagle with a bandaged wing -- at the sight of the Florentine prince, the eagle gave a loud shriek and flew down into the trees, and Orion urged Skye to pursue him into the woods. The road took them deep into the trees, until at last the eagle landed on a branch over the heads of two familiar-looking ginger-haired men, who were bound with thick rope to a tree. 
Bill and Charlie were stunned at the sight of such an elegant coach, but were absolutely beside themselves with relief at the sight of Andre, KC, and Erika. Erika immediately yanked a knife out of her ankle boot and set about sawing off their bindings -- once she’d cut Charlie free, he immediately rushed forward and grabbed Andre’s shoulders. 
“We’ve got to hurry!” he said anxiously. “They’ve got Carey!”
“‘They?’” said Andre, very startled. “They who?”
“This band of Florentine bandits,” said Bill, his voice very low and urgent. He kept maneuvering his bindings as Erika cut them to try to sever them faster. “They cornered us so they could try to rob us -- they were willing to let Carey go since she was a lady, but she bartered with the leader, saying that they could take her so long as they left us alone. Claimed that they could probably get more money from holding her hostage than us, given her family...”
Both Skye and McNully glanced at Orion. The Prince’s face had lost most of its color -- he’d turned his face away and closed his eyes, breathing in and out slowly as he tried to stabilize his emotions. 
“The bandits in these woods are Florentines, so I doubt they will harm you,” Baroness McGonagall’s words returned to his mind, “but I cannot be sure how they would respond to a Royaumanian, especially one related to one of their wealthiest noblemen.”
“They took all three of our horses and tied us to the tree so that we wouldn’t follow them,” growled Charlie. “They left us a knife so that we’d be able to cut ourselves free, but it’s so dull I reckon it would’ve taken us hours to do it ourselves...”
Bill succeeded in snapping the weakened ropes in half and leapt back to his feet, massaging his wrists. 
“They must have taken her to a camp of theirs,” said KC, her dark blue eyes narrowing. “Even bandits need some base of operation.”
McNully nodded, resting his arms on the edge of the coach’s window. “The lady is right. Given where we are, I’d say the odds are fairer that it’s southeast of here.”
“Closer to the Florentine side of the border, you mean,” presumed KC, and McNully nodded again. 
“They were heading south through the woods,” said Bill. “But we won’t want to bring the coach. They stopped us because they wanted money -- if they have any reason to think any of you have it, they’ll no doubt want to imprison you too...”
“On the contrary,” said Orion in a very low voice, “this carriage may be just the thing we need, to ensure that they don’t imprison us.”
Everyone looked at Orion, their faces all a mixture of incredulity and revulsion, but he seemed disinterested in explaining himself. 
“We must be quick, McNully,” said Orion, and although his voice and face were as level and unreadable as ever, they both betrayed a slight edge. “Time is not on our side.”
With Bill now sitting with the driver’s seat next to Skye and Charlie hanging off the boot with Orion, the black coach set off again. Overhead Orion caught sight of the wounded eagle again, which shrieked at them warningly -- the Prince thought it must mean they were close, but did not respond fast enough to the trap set out in front of them. 
The coach rode right through a certain cluster of vines, and within seconds, they had magically sprung to life, lashing themselves around the limbs of the five horses pulling the coach. The steeds reared back, panicked -- Skye immediately yanked out a sword from her belt and began hacking away at them, and Erika and Andre both leapt from the carriage with their own swords to help, but it was no use. The vines only lashed onto them, binding all three of them fast and making it impossible for them to move. And when things seemed like they couldn’t be any worse, without warning, a group of green-dressed men and women had swung down from more vines attached to the nearby trees, surrounding them in a tight noose-like circle and pointing their arrow-decked bows at them. 
They were trapped. 
“Well, well,” said a voice from the trees above, “we don’t often see coaches that ritzy out here.”
The voice’s owner leapt down to the ground. Unlike his companions, his hooded tunic was yellow instead of green. When he lifted his head enough that they could see his face, it was the host of a mischievous smirk. 
“Especially ones crafted in Florence,” the dark-haired and eyed bandit said breezily. 
Andre, KC, Erika, and the Weasleys all stiffened. 
“Florence?” breathed Bill. 
They all as a unit whirled on Orion. His face was remarkably calm and solemn as he stepped off the coach and in front of the others and faced the bandits’ leader, his hands clasped in front of him. 
“We do not come seeking trouble,” he said. “We merely come to retrieve a lady who surrendered herself to you. Frame like a robin’s. Hair the color of a red sunset. Eyes the color of the sky.”
The bandit’s leader raised his eyebrows curiously. “The maid called Cromwell?”
“That is her.”
“And what reason would you desire her in your custody?” challenged one of the green-dressed bandits with a cocked eyebrow, a dashing man with tanned skin and dark brown hair. 
“Wants to ransom her off himself, no doubt,” sneered another woman with messy brown hair and cold magenta eyes. “He probably works for Lord Malfoy -- we all know he’s the sort to make money off illicit enterprises and keep it all to himself, rather than give it to anyone who actually needs it...”
Two of the other bandits -- a pair of women with long red and short pink hair, respectively -- exchanged a sour look. 
“We have nothing to do with Lord Malfoy,” spat Skye, vainly tugging against the vines binding her. “We wouldn’t collaborate with that rat if you paid us -- !”
“Skye,” said Orion in a quelling voice. 
The last bandit, a very strong-looking man with dark red hair and emerald green eyes, frowned deeply at the leader, who considered Orion carefully. 
“I know your face,” he murmured. 
Orion inclined his head, his black eyes boring into the other man’s face. “I’m sure you do.”
The leader’s thin-lidded eyes narrowed critically -- then they widened, realizing. 
“Bring out Lady Cromwell at once,” he said abruptly. 
The others all whirled on him. 
“What?!” cried all three women and the dashing man. 
“Jae, are you mad?!” said the woman with the magenta eyes. 
“Do it,” said the leader called Jae firmly, without flinching. 
The strong bandit -- the only one who hadn’t questioned the leader’s direction -- grabbed a vine, which immediately retracted back up above them. 
Jae glanced at the magenta-eyed woman. “Merula, have the vines set them loose.”
Merula looked rather scandalized. “What? Oh come on, you know how much of a pain it is, to have to recast a spell after it’s broken -- ”
“Better that we do it now than wait around for the spell to expire on its own,” Jae said dryly. 
Still looking very reluctant, Merula nonetheless did as she was told, holding up her hand, which glowed with light green. 
“The terms are now invalid,” she muttered sourly at the plants. 
The plants sparkled with a similar green flare before falling limply off of the horses, Andre, Erika, and Skye. KC and Bill moved to detangle the now harmless plants from their companions and around the horses’ legs, and Charlie moved to soothe the frightened steeds. 
Within a minute, the strong bandit was back, holding onto the vine easily with one hand and holding Carewyn under his opposite arm. She had her ginger hair tied back in a loose bun and was dressed in the green peasant dress she’d worn to the Festival and her slightly oversized brown shoes -- no doubt because it was the most comfortable dress for travel she had. Orion was also beyond relieved to see that she was perfectly unharmed -- not a single cut or bruise. 
“CAREWYN!” cried KC, Andre, Bill and Charlie in relief. 
All three of the men immediately dashed right over to her and threw their arms around her in a group hug. 
“It’s all right,” Carewyn reassured them with a small smile. “I’m all right.”
“They didn’t hurt you?” Bill interrogated her. 
“You must have been terrified -- ” said Andre. 
“Where are the horses?” asked Charlie. 
“Tied up in a makeshift stable over there,” said the pink-haired bandit with a wry grin and a vague hand gesture. 
“A bit tricky to lug them up into treehouses,” added the red-haired one cheekily. “And no, for the record, we did not hurt Carewyn Cromwell. She may be a stick in the mud, but she’s a decent sort.”
“And brave too!” said the muscled man, beaming. “She wasn’t scared at all, not even when Merula stuck a knife in her face!”
“I was only getting fed up with her smart remarks,” huffed the magenta-eyed bandit called Merula. “You’d think she was the Queen of Sheba, with how she acts...”
“She is a proper lady, to be sure,” said the dashing bandit, shooting Carewyn a rather Casanova-like smile. 
Carewyn tried to stifle a snort of laughter behind her hand as Jae approached her. 
“Seems you’ll have an escort after all, Carewyn,” he said, lowering his bow with a slightly more serious look. “I don’t think I can convince you to reconsider, but under the circumstances...well, just make sure you’re careful. I’d hate to hear of Royaume losing one of its only honorable citizens due to their own stupidity.”
Carewyn inclined her head to him, her blue eyes very solemn. “I’m far from Royaume’s most honorable citizen, Jae, nor from any other country, I daresay. But thank you.”
Jae nodded. He then looked up at Orion. 
“By your leave then, your Highness,” he said with an abbreviated bow. 
He then nodded to the other bandits, and one by one, they all disappeared back up into the trees. 
None of the people on the ground, however, gave them much mind. All of them had turned back around to face Orion -- Carewyn felt like her heart had stopped still as she stared, taking in his neat ponytail and finely tailored black doublet and hose and boots. 
“...‘Your Highness?’ ” repeated Charlie, shocked. 
Andre’s eyes widened. “Then...then you’re...?”
Orion swallowed, but somehow managed to keep his composure as he nodded. His eyes were locked on Carewyn’s face, never shifting and as turbulent as a black ocean. 
“King Cosimo’s new heir,” KC breathed, her face flooding with fresh understanding around her amazement. “Cosimo VII.”
15 notes · View notes