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muniimyg · 9 months

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SAUDADE // JJK

once found, now lost; it’s a love that lingers and struggles to find closure

jungkook and oc attempt to be friends after a break-up

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pairing: (somewhat) badboy jk + oc

au/genre:

post-break up au

one shot

angst, smut, vibes...

warnings:

mentions of blood, drinking, smoking, and drunk driving

smut ! creampie !

self loathing / bad habits

miscommunication

note: dedicated to @joonsjuice because she flew to meet me & all we did was laugh abt my fics 😭 my biggest fan frfr … i promised her i’d write so… surprise !!!

🏷️ permanent taglist: @joonsjuice @taetaecatboy @pb-n-juju @miss-rainy-days @firesighgirl @whoa-jo @vantxx95 @pamzn @kakixaku @casspirit0705 @tae165 @prdshobi @sopebubbles @leefics @ggukkieland @bebebutbetter @yoongimentita7 @boraength @era-genius @heem145 @4ksj @vampcharxter @miss-jupiter @floweryjeons @taegijns

Tonight was no different from the other nights Jungkook would waste away.

At least, it began like a regular Friday night party. It was the usual routine of getting high as he made his way to the party, some beer pong, and downing some shots of hard liquor, before stepping out to take a cigarette break. Soon, the night would be a blur and a pain in the ass of a headache to deal with the following morning.

Except, tonight, the people Jungkook usually ignores were extra irritating. So irritating that one guy came up to him mid-puff and asked; “are you still fucking ___? Heard she dumped you and shit, so she’s up for grabs right? She’s here tonight and I heard that she was a virgin before she met you… My guy, did you fuck her out or is her pussy the type to be just as tight as it was when you first fucked her?”

It’s no surprise what happens next.

A little cussing, a little shoving, and a little punch here and there… Suddenly turned into a full-blown fight with other people intervening and pulling Jungkook’s body off the imbecile.

That brings him here.

Jungkook struggles to fit his keys into his apartment locks and stumbles his way to his bathroom. There, runs a shower and steps in. He cleans himself, scrubbing the smell of his vices away. Blankly, he watches as the blood from his hands drips down and goes down the drain. When he finishes, he turns the water off and dries himself. Yet, his knuckles continue to bleed and for a split second, he sees how deep the cut is. His knuckles are absolutely busted. He wipes his foggy mirror and sighs at the sight of his face.

His lip is also busted. His eyebrow piercing is messed up and his eye will probably bruise up by morning. Honestly, he didn’t lose the fight.. But, it sure came with a cost.

Perhaps his adrenaline begins to wear off because his injuries begin to hurt like a bitch. He rummages through his cabinets and hisses, “fucking shit.”

He had no bandaids.

He barely has any ointments to tend to his wounds.

Jungkook winces at the pain as he runs water over his bloody knuckles. He’s been in fights before and even injured his hand a few months ago, but for some reason, this pain hits differently. It aches, it throbs, it feels like it’ll probably scar.

This stresses him out.

If the physical pain wasn’t bad enough, suddenly a million and one thoughts were flooding in and his heartbeat instantly begins to race. He could feel all his emotions come up and it made him nauseous. His head was spinning and before he knew it; his heart was beginning to ache.

He was truly hurting.

He had been thinking of you nonstop these days. It’s not like he ever got over the break-up—how could he? It’s only been three months since you. You two had been together for almost two years at that. How could he suddenly just be okay after three months of no you? If anything, he was only beginning to process the absence of you.

It’s not like he cared if you were at this party or not. If anything, he was happy to know you were around him. Even if you’d probably ignore him or offer him a generic greeting; he’d take it. It didn’t bother him that you were here… What bothered him was the mere idea of you taking one step closer, one fingertip brushing against his as you two bump into each other in the crowd; one moment. One mere second where you’d look at him a little longer than you should. One mere second where you’d smile at him the same way as you used to and then it’d be over.

He’d fall down to his knees and do it.

He’d beg for you.

He’d make promises, fully knowing he’d probably break them within the week. He’d cry and then he’d loathe himself for the rest of his life.

And loathe himself he does the minute he hears a knock on his door.

Quickly, he puts on his grey sweats and makes his way to answer. Without much thought, he swings the door open and it reveals a barefoot you.

“I figured you wouldn’t have any bandaids,” you hold out a plastic bag filled with First Aid materials. “We threw them out, remember? Because you promised me you wouldn’t get into fights and get hurt.”

“Where are your shoes?”

“M-my shoes? Oh. I had heels on. I think I left them at the pharmacy. I ran here.”

Jungkook sighs and shoves his hands into his pockets. He hangs his head low and mumbles, “I’m sorry.”

“I knew you were a bad boyfriend,” you choke, trying your best to keep it together. “But you didn’t need to break your promise.”

He looks up and is instantly wrapping his arms around you as you bury yourself in his chest. In between light sobs, you curl your fists and hit him. “I hate you.”

“I know.”

“I hate you so much,” you utter with as much annoyance as you can. “I really hate you, Jungkook.”

“I know, baby.”

“Don’t call me baby.”

“I—okay. Whatever you want.”

You take a deep breath and lift your head. You sniff as let him wipe your tears with his thumb. Swiftly, you take hold of his wrist and analyze his hands.

“I’m okay,” Jungkook promises. “It’s not that bad. Might need stitches but I’ll just go tomorrow morning. It’s kinda late.”

You roll your eyes at him. It’s just like him to neglect his health and well-being. “Hospitals are 24/7, Jungkook.”

“Yeah, but you’re here.”

A beat.

“So what?”

“You brought me bandaids.”

It feels weird being in Jungkook’s bathroom again.

All you can think about are all the times you two stood side by side, brushing your teeth. How you’d flush the toilet while he was showering or how he’d barge in while you were taking yours. The slow morning back-hugs and the irritating haste of running late to plans.. It’s all in here. It all happened here as silly as it sounds.

Though it’s only been three months, it’s a bit painful to be sitting on the floor with him and patching him up as if the bandaids were going to fix anything. His cuts ran deep and the bandaids only covered the damage. Yet, you two sit there in silence and pretend like this is a solution. Like sticking bandaids on a wound that clearly needs stitches wasn’t an excuse to just be with him again.

“This isn’t the you I know,” you comment, half-heartedly trying to pick a fight.

“It’s the me I’ve always been. I mean, isn’t this why you broke up with me?”

“No,” you shake your head in disagreement with his vile words.

Jungkook bites the inside of his cheeks. “I’m sorry for bringing so much shit in your life.”

“You didn’t,” you reassure him. “You don’t.”

You don’t say anything further. Could you even? The situation is already as horrible as it can be. Now, it has this awkward yet intimate pull on you. It just burns. If anything, you want to say it. You want to spit it all out and tell him everything.

Tell him that you broke up with him because you would’ve stayed through it all. You would’ve bailed him out of every charge pressed against him. You would’ve forgiven him every time he forgot a important date. You would’ve gotten into the car even if you knew he had been drinking. You would’ve skipped every morning class to sleep in with him. You would’ve loved him more than your own life and that horrified you.

Nonetheless, he was always good to you. You just wish he was good to himself. Though you believe him when he told you he loved you; you couldn’t wait for him to change. As much as you love him as he was—the essence of youth, anticipation, and longing he carried soon turned into a mess of anger and fuck ups.

But how could you ever think that as he sits in front of you, hurting, and still completely in love with you?

Jungkook breaks the silence. “Thank you… For this.”

“Don’t thank me,” you say sternly. Peeling another bandaid and eyeing it to perfectly cover his wound, you encourage him; “just do better.”

“I’m trying,” he says softly.

Your heart sinks.

“I know,” you take out an ointment and squeeze a bit on a q tip. Tilting his face, you reach up and apply the medicine to the cuts on his face. “I believe you.”

It’s the truth.

You do.

Jungkook can’t help himself.

He wraps his hands on your wrist, causing you to pause. There’s a look in his eyes—the kind that makes your heart feel utter heartbreak and relief at the same time. It’s devastating… To love someone and want them so bad that it hurts.

“J-Jungkook… Don’t,” you croak, trying your best to keep it together. “Don’t ruin this.”

“Ruin what?”

You push away. “This. I’m trying to be a friend, Jungkook. Don’t make it any more than it is. We broke up—”

“You dumped me,” he corrects you. “When did I ever say I didn’t want to be with you?”

“Jungkook—”

“Please, ___, I’m sorry. Believe me when I say that, okay?” He begs, bringing your hands to cup his face. “I can’t do this anymore. I hate not being with you.”

Your eyes tear up and your walls come crashing down. You hate the way he sounds right now. His voice sounds so desperate and honest. You’ve never heard it sound like this before.. Even when you dumped him, he was silent. This… This is new.

“I don’t know what to say,” you admit. “Why are you sorry? How did it get this way?” It’s the most painful thing you’ve managed to say to him tonight. Your heart continues to break as his breath hitches.

“I’m no good for heartache, baby.”

Your mind spins.

Your stomach feels like it’s just been hit with a gust of wind so strong that you’ve lost all the words and thoughts you gathered before coming over. It’s like every reason you made up on your way here is just being tossed out the window.

“You’re the only thing that ever made sense to me.”

Then, it hits.

You remember exactly why you stayed for so long. Regardless of how much the break-up needed to be done, the truth remains; you and Jungkook have always understood each other. In any language and in any universe, that’s the most romantic feeling to ever encounter. To have the privilege of loving someone and understanding them runs deeper than any cut.

You two stay silent for a moment, trying to process and convince yourselves to take your words back. Anything. Take anything back.

But your attempt fails.

Self-betrayal takes place as you lean in and close your eyes. Jungkook dips his head low and kisses you. Little drops of water fall down the side of your face because of Jungkook’s wet hair. Honestly, if someone had told you it was your tears; you’d believe them. At this point, did it really matter?

For the first time in three months, Jungkook feels at ease.

His sheets still smell the same. They feel the same too. Soft, clean, and just so him.

At first, Jungkook attempts to take charge. Just like before, he had you lie down to take care of you. Unfortunately for him, because of his condition, he wasn’t able to do much. Instead, he hovered on top and took his time kissing you. His hands wandered around your body, ultimately settling for the spot in between your neck and cheeks.

Your hands traveled down inside his pants.

“Calvin Klein boxers are still by far the hottest look on you,” you claim in between kisses. He smiles into the kiss and mumbles; “yeah, yeah.”

You laugh as he attempts to slip his fingers down your panties. He hisses in pain and groans. “I fucking hate this.”

“Oh? I can go—”

“Shut up.”

“Meanie.”

He rolls his eyes at you. “I’m literally trying to get you off and you’re insisting on leaving. Do you resent me that much?”

Shaking your head, you digress. “I don’t resent you.”

He kisses you in response. As he sinks into it, you put your hands on his waist and catch him off guard. You shift your weight and bring yourself on top of him. Making yourself comfortable, you roll your hips on top of his bulge and lift your arms. He sits up halfway and helps you take off your shirt. Without hesitating, he unclasps your bra and wraps his arms around you. He brings you down and kisses you so deeply. Slipping his tongue in and even biting your bottom lip as he breaks away for air. With as much strength as he can, he feels around your breast.

God, this was the worst fucking time to have busted hands.

“It’s okay,” you tell him as you take his hands off your breasts. “Let me take care of you.”

Jungkook gulps but nods and agrees with you. In all honesty, he was tired. He wants you so bad and this was helping him feel relieved. However, it was just too painful and inconvenient to part-take the same way as he used to. He’s glad you understand and are comfortable enough to take over. He’s glad he feels safe and that his ego wasn’t being jeopardized.

He was no less of a man for letting you love him the way you do. If anything, it made him feel another level of security with you.

You lift yourself a little and take his length out. On top, you continue to grind on his velvet skin. It feels so good even with the fabric of your panties. Jungkook moans, beginning to feel the tingly feeling arise. He hooks his thumb on one side of your panties and pushes the fabric aside. He pushes it just enough for your folds to come in contact with his cock.

Oh, it felt so fucking good.

You gasp a little before giggling. “Feels so good.”

Jungkook sharply inhales. “Baby, I’m gonna cum so fucking fast if you don’t start riding me.”

You laugh, but listen to him. You lift yourself up once again and this time, you sink into his throbbing cock.

The precum from grinding on him makes it a little easier for you, but it still burns a bit. You stay still, trying to process the feeling and Jungkook takes a minute to calm his mind. He would literally bust a nut if you moved.

“Okay,” you huff. “I’m good to go. Do you still need a minute?”

“Fuck you,” Jungkook breathes.

“That’s a yes,” you tease. “I need to move or I’ll start to feel icky. You have ten more seconds.”

Jungkook glares at you. “Generous timing. Thank you, baby.”

“Aren’t I just the best?” you laugh, moving closer to him. You squish his cheeks together and place a kiss on his pouty lips. “Times up. Gonna ride you now.”

He takes a deep breath before placing his hands on your hips. You take that as the signal to begin. Also, you can’t help but love this view.

His bare chest and tattoos are displayed so perfectly for you. His damp hair adds to his needy look. If you were standing, your knees would have buckled. Instead—and God bless—you’re here. On top of him, ready to ride the shit out of him.

Easily, you begin to ride him. Every time you sink into his cock, you shift your body. You feel him inside you get harder and harder and love the way you can feel him hit your walls from various angles. It just feels so good to be with him again.

As you ride him, you two fall into the perfect pace. The high kicks in and suddenly the view of your breast bouncing, you throwing your head back, and the way your wet pussy eats him up—he creams inside you.

Satisfied, Jungkook lets out a breathy moan and watches his cum leak out of your pussy. You continue to ride him, but your hips move slower and you lift yourself up higher. Jungkook lifts his hips at one point and thrusts as you bounce. You gasp, unable to fathom just how fucking euphoric this feels.

“Ohhh my god!”

You hit climax and cum.

After all that, your body practically trembles and falls on top of Jungkook. He holds you, runs his fingers through your hair, and tells you how much of a good job you did. As you catch your breath, your breathing stabilizes but also welcomes the sleepiest relief.

As your eyes flutter close and your body fully collapses on Jungkook, he kisses the top of your head and murmurs; “you’re still the one, baby.”

When the sunlight seeps in, Jungkook slowly wakes up.

Immediately, he feels a sharp pain in his hand. He looks over and sees that you’re holding it. His hand is kept close to your chest and quickly recalls the night.

Though he feels a bit embarrassed that he had been that desperate for you; he’s glad it got him here. Yet, a feeling of sadness lingers because he was no idiot.

Though you wake up next to him in the morning, bare and tangled in his embrace, Jungkook knows that deep down; even here—at the very end of you and him—you are you and he remains him.

The sad truth is that Jungkook understood it. He understood you. Which is why, he’ll never tell you why he got into a fight that night and also why he’ll continue to fight for you until the end.

“Even if it’s the end for us.”

720 notes · View notes

dameronology · 1 year

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can we get the star wars boys (or just poe or din) with moments of angsty slow burn attraction??? pls and thank you

i am a slut for angsty slow burn attraction so i did all the boys lol

din djarin

tbh any attraction with din is gonna be slow burn because he's gonna need a LOT of ✨context✨ before he ever even THINKS that you might like him romantically. angsty, though? that won't be hard to achieve, because he's gonna spend a long time trying to push you away and convince himself that he doesn't feel anything for you. he's also used to most people in his life being semi-permanent at best so in some sense, he's trying to protect himself from the hurt of losing you. but, once you prove that you're not going anywhere and that your love for him - at whatever stage it's in - is truly and wholly unconditional, he'll open up. it's sort of like a dam that breaks; he gives you absolutely nothing but once he realises he loves you, you have everything. his word, his love, his support, his protection. the angst-iness might still linger a little bit because he's super protective of you - now he's convinced you're here to stay, he's determined to make sure no-one else will take you away - but you know it all comes from a place of love.

poe dameron

any angsty slow burn with poe would stem from him catching feelings for you as his rival (did you mean: enemies to lovers?). like, this man is going to try and swallow those feelings and act like he doesn't care for you and that he isn't falling in love with you, but cracks will start to appear eventually. maybe you get injured one day in battle or come home late from a mission, and he is far more concerned that a competitive colleague should be. he'll hide behind a facade of sarcasm and flirting but you can see in his eyes that he was worried. that's the first hint for you, and it's both a blessing and a curse because it confirms what you're feeling to. once one crack has appeared in the foundations, it's only a matter of time before they collapse completely and it's obvious to everyone and their mothers and their mother's mothers that you two love each other. maybe it takes a few soft moments - a late night conversation when you catch each other getting caff at midnight, or when you're on a stakeout together that leia definitely didn't strategically plan - for you to both realise that you connect on an emotional, human level too. that probably makes you fight more - with each other, and the realisation that you love one another - but eventually, one of you will come clean and i have no doubt that poe cracks first, because when he loves he loves fucking hard and trying to keep it a secret will eat him up inside.

finn

slow burn with finn will mostly stem from the fact that he doesn't really know how to pursue you. unsurprisingly, it's not something he learnt during his time at the first order and now that he's out, it's even more confusing. he doesn't mean for it to be angsty either, but he's so bad at this whole thing that he ends up coming across as rude and because he's normally sweet and caring to everyone else, it's easy for you to assume that his coldness is because he hates you. and because that makes you act cold towards him, he then assumes that you hate him too. really, it's all a miscommunication. it would probably take you confronting him and asking why he hates you for finn to have an oh! moment and declare his love for you - or at least his developing love - and then things start to make sense again. it's definitely a quicker slow burn than the rest of the guys, simply because he's so enthusiastic and has this massive love for life that makes him want to spend it with you, so he's not gonna beat around the bush.

han solo

han is the chief executive officer of slow-burn angst. because a) it takes him about ten thousand working days to admit to himself that he has feelings for you and b) he will become immediately defensive about it. he's just not good at letting other people in and sharing his feelings so a relationship is terrifying to him but the only thing scarier than that is the idea of losing you. even though that looks like it's about to happen because he's suddenly pushing you away and acting distant, and it's not until you call him out on his bullshit that he realises. he won't tell you the truth (c'mon, it's han we're talking about) but he'll force himself to go back to normal. there will be something that makes him cave though - probably you starting to date another guy, or the realisation that such a scenario is even a possibility - and han realises he has to do something. cue a very awkward conversation that takes him at least half an hour to get to the point, but once he does, everything sort of makes sense: the sudden distance, the grouchiness, the holding you at arms length. and even though you want to hate him for being so confusing and causing you grief, it's all outweighed by the fact you obviously love him too. there's definitely a learning curve for han, especially as he adjusts to being in a relationship and being vulnerable with you, but it's one he's happy to do with you.

luke skywalker

in my mind, slow burn angst with luke would happen in a situation where you'd been in a previously established relationship before he becomes a jedi. maybe you break up because you're young and don't know what you want, or maybe it's because you want to take a step back and let him explore his newfound career options (?? weird way to describe being a jedi jazz) but either way, he promises to come back to you. and you know that luke skywalker is never one to break a promise, but waiting round is fucking tiring, man. it's probably a scenario where he's back and forth over a long period of time and every time you think you finally have him, he goes away again. then the war ends and you're at your wits end, and luke realises that this time, you're the one who's about to slip away from him and he has no choice but to re-assess his priorities. when he does, he comes back to you immediately. actually, no, he chases you across the fucking galaxy to declare his love for you, and let you know that this is it now.

obi-wan kenobi

obi-wan has no qualms in admitting his feelings for you to himself; it's just admitting them to you that takes fucking forever because of the complications with the jedi code. he tried to do it before with satine and he's quite honestly still recovering, so the idea that he's in the same scenario again is scary but even more so because his feelings this time are so much stronger. and this is no slate to satine, but the situation with satine is like a drop in the ocean compared to where he's at with you. it feels like it could drown him because he wants to be with you to the point where it physically aches but how can he be? and obviously, you've got feelings for him to but waiting around for months whilst he sorts out his own emotions is tiring. tiring to the point where you question how worth it is is, because even if he does decide to give it a shot - and the chances feel slim - it'll mean that you have to sneak around constantly and risk being stripped of your titles completely. obviously, this is something that obi-wan has thought about over and over but one day, he just sort of cracks and realises that he has no choice but to be with you. like, it literally isn't a choice. he can't know you exist and not give it a shot.

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cuubism · 2 years

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I don’t even know if you accept writing prompts, but just *Imagine* this

Dream, has no fuckin idea how Hobs immortality works

His sister just said “you could find out” and gave no other word other than the IMPLICATION that hob is immortal, so aside from knowledge that hob has been withheld from her gift, dream doesn’t know how the whole immortality thing works for hob

Meaning the first time Dream sees Hob DIE

I feel like he’s in for a ride

I always pictured Hobs immortality as a Deadpool kinda thing. He does TECHNICALLY die from whatever killed him, but he pops back as soon as his body heals. Not a fun experience, definitely some trauma involved (being drowned as a being that doesn’t die permanently seems ROUGH) but all in all Hob can walk away from everything pretty alright.

Now if Dream DOESN’T KNOW THAT. If he thinks hob is simply un killable, that could lead to a WORLD of delicious Temporary or Presumed death angst.

*looks at the ancient unfilled prompts lingering in my inbox from years ago* of course i take prompts what do you take me for! :D 😂 i love them, i don't always manage to write them

in retrospect 'you could find out' is QUITE mysterious and ominous, thanks Death.

yeah i usually imagine Hob's immortality working like it does in The Old Guard, where he basically does die but he comes back after a few minutes. i'm still undecided on whether he heals faster than normal, like, for plot purposes it's easier if he does, but there's something compelling also in the idea of hob having to struggle through the same long healing process as other people, just with the certainty that he will heal. i also always ask myself, can hob be permanently injured? like, if he lost an arm, would it... grow back? i don't know the answer to that. i like the idea of him being able to have scars for Symbolism, but him not having scars is also compelling, like, having no real record of anything that's happened.

drowning would... suck, especially as it probably took him ages to break free of his restraints so he probably drowned over and over and over...

dream seems to get in the 1789 scene that hob couldn't be killed by being attacked. but i feel like... like Death is not the only powerful force in the universe and she isn't all powerful. i could see dream being worried about hob being like, destroyed in some other way? like his... Being being destroyed? i don't think there's any being or creature in the story's universe that can't be killed in some way, even Dream can be killed - or, I guess, Morpheus can, is more accurate. so the fear could still be there. either way, seeing hob die would still be a hell of a shock, even knowing it's temporary.

i actually wrote something really similar to this in an as-yet-unfinished fic so i think instead of starting another wip (i have soo many ack) i will just share that scene

[ preface - there was a whole Fight and the Corinthian cut Hob across the throat (rip) and then Bounced because Dream was kind of, well, distracted ]

When Hob woke, Dream’s hands were around his throat.

Pressing, holding. Trying to keep him together.

And he was… just absolutely drenched in blood. It lay slick on his hands, smeared up his wrists, soaked in blacker patches on his black shirt and coat, he’d even managed to get a few droplets on his face. Dear God. Hob had almost forgotten how much blood could come out of a human body. It had, fortunately, been quite a while since he’d had to watch somebody exsanguinate.

Their gazes met. Hob’s bleary, Dream’s swirling with colliding galaxies.

“See?” said a voice out of Hob’s eyeline. “I told you he’d come back.”

Hob craned his neck carefully to see. A woman was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, apparently unconcerned by the scene of theatrical death and carnage playing out before her.

“Dream,” she repeated, when Dream didn’t move. “I told you. Let the man breathe.”

For all that her words were spoken lightly, there was a note of concern underneath them. Hob didn’t think it was directed at him, though, even if he had been to one to get his artery sliced open. The woman’s gaze kept flickering over to Dream.

“I had to be certain,” Dream ground out. His voice rumbled against Hob’s ruined throat.

“You don’t trust my word?”

“I had to be certain,” he repeated.

Hob wrapped a careful hand around his blood-soaked wrist, squeezing until Dream looked at him again, and rasped, “Hey. Can’t die, remember?”

Then his chest spasmed and he coughed up a truly horrific amount of blood. Dream released him, with some reluctance, allowing him to turn on his side, and Hob coughed until his throat was clear.

“Fuck,” he gasped, and spat one last clot of blood onto the absolutely destroyed living room rug. “Goddamn. That was a new one.”

“See?” said the woman, gesturing at Hob. “He even has a good attitude about it!”

Dream did not seem comforted by this. His hand fell to rest on Hob’s shoulder and gripped tight.

“Oh, I’m Death, by the way,” said the woman, catching Hob staring at her and waving at him. “Hey.”

“Um,” said Hob.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Death hastened to reassure him. “I’m not here for you. Or, I mean, I kind of am, but not to collect your soul, just because my brother here is a worry wart.”

Hob looked back and forth between them. “You… were worried Death would take me… so you… called her here?” he asked Dream incredulously.

Death sighed. “Not always the brightest bulb.”

Dream watched him intensely. “I needed to be sure she would not.”

“Dream, I told you—”

“I had never… seen you die before.” He held Hob’s gaze, but his expression wobbled into something close to fear. “It was… challenging.”

Hob supposed that knowing, abstractly, that your friend couldn’t die didn’t hold much water when seeing your friend die.

“Oh, Dream,” he murmured. Dream only looked more pained when Hob said his name. Hob found his wrist again and squeezed it. “Hey, it’s alright, yeah?”

Dream swallowed, a very human, nervous thing. “Evidently.”

“Come on, let him up,” said Death, and helped Dream haul Hob up to his feet. They dragged him over to the couch, where Hob sat, hand pressed to his still-aching neck. What a strange moment this made, he reflected. Two Endless, one covered in blood, dragging a half-dead human across the living room. Hob was going to have to give up on his life making a lick of sense anymore.

Dream’s fingers flexed, still slick with Hob’s blood. He wavered on his feet, then said, “I should— the blood,” and disappeared in the direction of the washroom at a rapid pace.

“Can’t he just—” Hob waved his hands in a gesture he hoped conveyed change his clothes magically.

“Could,” Death agreed, perching on the arm of the couch. “But he’s feeling an emotion so I think he needs a minute.”

“Ah.” Dream’s stricken expression hovered in Hob’s mind. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like seeing that forced split in his friend’s composure at all.

“You’re good for him, Hob,” continued Death.

“Because… I got my throat cut and kind of almost died and upset him?” Hob said, expecting her to correct him.

“Yup!” Death agreed cheerily. Her eyes lingered on the hallway that led to the washroom. “Among other things.”

As if any of that was reasonable. Hob leaned against the back of the couch, rubbing his eyes. “You all are so cryptic.”

Death laughed, but didn’t elaborate on what she’d said any further.

Hob lingered on it, though. You made him upset. Hob hadn’t seen Dream upset before, not like that.

Did he ever get upset like that? Or, rather, did he let himself?

Hob quickly found himself also watching the hallway for Dream’s return. He half-wondered if he’d just bolted back to the Dreaming, or maybe gone after the Corinthian, if he’d escaped after Hob had… died.

When he didn’t return for several minutes, Death let out a long breath and got up to go after him.

Now alone on the couch, Hob clenched his fingers in the fabric of his pants, gritting his teeth as a shiver of shock ran through him. Sort-of-dying sucked, but often, Hob had found that the aftermath was worse – human bodies were meant to either die or live, not land somewhere in between, and each time he’d recovered from situations he should have died in, he’d faced a sort of belated panic response, fight-or-flight kicking in with no danger present.

He stood jerkily, stumbling to his bedroom, where he stripped off his absolutely ruined shirt – he was going to have to burn that, he’d look like a serial killer throwing it away – and jeans, and scrubbed off the blood as best he could with a spare towel considering Dream was still hogging the washroom.

He’d just gotten on a clean pair of jeans and was reaching for a shirt when the door clicked open. Dream stepped in, so quiet he was less person and more shadow. Gone were his long coat, and his boots. His black skinny jeans and long sleeve shirt were functionally identical to what he’d been wearing before, but Hob had a feeling the actual blood-soaked ones from before had been destroyed – if they’d ever existed outside of dreams in the first place.

He stepped quietly, barefoot, over to Hob, and Hob looked up and down at this change in attire. “Planning to stay awhile, love?” he asked, a weak attempt at levity.

Dream stopped before him. His eyes were deep and very dark. “You are shaking.”

Hob chuckled self-consciously, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yeah, turns out that sort-of-almost-dying is a bit of a shock to the system. It’ll pass, though.”

“It will pass,” Dream echoed, expression unreadable.

“Has before,” Hob said, tension prickling up his spine at the utter stillness of him now. And not the relaxed stillness that Hob had become accustomed to when they sat and drank together at the inn. No, this was the stillness of water about to overflow. Surface tension.

“Before,” Dream repeated, again.

Hob smiled weakly at him. “Promise.”

Dream’s night sky gaze flicked over his face. His shoulders were even narrower without his coat, and the lack of structured fabric made him look softer, human, normal.

But Hob’s friend, his love, his stranger had never felt less normal. He moved in like the approach of nighttime, hovering clouds and darkness and rain, a blanket pulled over one’s head that might cocoon or suffocate.

Hob would have accepted either.

Dream caught him by the jaw with fingers soft as lamplight, murmured, “Promise,” and kissed him.

#this fic is getting long af but one day it'll be done i suppose #ask #aroace-get-out-of-my-face #my writing #dreamling

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runabout-river · 20 days

Text

Thoughts on JJK chapter 261 (Spoilers)

The Fuck

We start with Yuji's last attack and a redraw of last chapter's last scene. Yuji didn't manage to injure Sukuna's heart further and gets thrown to the side being forgotten immediately together with Todo because Sukuna has a new/old opponent now: fucking Yuta.

We do get one more panel of Yuji thinking of Choso which fits my recent post about Yuji's accumulated trauma. Other than that Yuji/Todo get sidelined for the rest of the chapter but that was needed to explain what the fuck Yuta had done

Also, Okkotsu Yuta is now on name-basis with Sukuna, a place only very few people have reached at this point like Fushiguro Megumi and Gojo Satoru.

When I first saw the stitches on Gojo's head, I thought of Kenjaku and Kenjaku only. Even after Sukuna called him Yuta I needed a moment to understand what had happened here. Do you all understand how awesome that is 👀 JJK has an active theory based fanbase and I at least have never heard or thought of this possibility 😣

We get a flashback to explain how we got to this point: the idea of taking over Gojo's body came from Yuta and most people were initially against it. Of note: Yuji was not part of this discussion probably for the same reason why no one told him about Todo.

We get a reminder why it has to be done this way but Maki throws in that Yuta's copy only lasts 5 minutes. So the question is, what happens when those 5 minutes are up?

Yuta dies because Kenjaku's possession ability needs to be active constantly

Yuta dies at some point because Kenjaku's possession ability needs to be activated again and again

Yuta's new body permanently becomes Gojo's body

Honestly, I don't think 3) will be endgame for Yuta. It might happen that he will become Gojo in body permanently but story-wise his death signs are through the roof. I don't believe that Yuta will survive inside Gojo 😢

1) is has to be false otherwise Kenjaku wouldn't be able to use other CTs like CM and AGS. 2) is a probable option as in Kenjaku had to intermittently re-activate his original CT but he still had the option of using other CTs as well.

Also, secret 4th option: Yuta dies but his body hopping shenanigans bring Gojo back to life.

It's good to see how Yuta is concerned about Gojo. Yuji would've been right there with him. He told Gojo about his plan but the guy was absolutely sure that he wouldn't lose anyway, haha...

Gojo speculates that Yuta might also be the descendent of the Fujiwara in addition to being one of the Sugawara and I'm not a genetics experts but I'm pretty sure that after 1000 years without migration happening in your family tree that you're descendent of everyone who lived that long ago. Except for Sukuna because he never had children.

Also, the original gang from JJK 0 came together to be part of some murder. The deaths of the higher-ups we saw at the very beginning of the Sukuna fight is now explained: Gojo killed them for a better future of the JJ Society but he was a little hesitant about it.

The flashback jumps first to Yuji's old friend who's name I forgot. We learn that his CT is sugar (??) based which leads to him becoming part of the medical team. Then the FB jumps to the aftermath of Yuta's fight against Sukuna: he was cut in half and is about to die

In a funny call back to when Yuji died at the Detention Center, Gojo is both dead and completely naked on a table. Just like Yuji, he also rises again albeit not completely alive when it comes to himself.

(Why did Yuta waste crucial seconds to put a shirt on?)

Shoko says that she fully sutured Gojo's bisected body and because Kenjaku's CT (as far as we know) only works on dead bodies, we have the confirmation that Gojo has indeed died against Sukuna. Except of course that he's about to be revived again.

Let's not forget that as far as Kenjaku's CT is involved, body and mind are treated the same. Something that will involve Gojo and his consciousness is going to happen at some point because of Yuta's decision to do this body hopping.

A new Domain Battle between Sukuna and GojoYuta is about to start. Yuta not only watched the previous battles, he also acquired Gojo's memories so it's exciting to see how that will play out.

It's also interesting how the visuals of the domain clashes changed so much. GojoYuta's is still the same (the first confirmation that a possessor can use the possessed's DE) while Sukuna's deteriorated somewhat, represented with the beastly construct in the background. He also has to use Gojo's handsign.

Break next week but now we can speculate to hell and back about what will happen now.

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #sukuna #gojo satoru #yuji itadori #itadori yuuji #yuta okkotsu #meta #shoko ieri

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canirove · 1 month

Text

Broken Hearts Football Club | Bonus chapter 1

Author’s note: Suprise!! Look whose muse paid her a visit! 😅 I wasn't planning on writing more of Ben and June's story, but a couple of weeks ago I got inspired (probably because I miss seeing Ben more often and we've been talking a lot about him), and here we are. So far there only are two bonus chapters and there may be a third one in the future, but I can't promise anything since I still don't know how I want to approach the topic it will be about if I end up writing it. Also, these chapters don't continue the story where it ended, they happen some time after what you last read (this first one is like a year after or so). I just I hope I've managed to keep the vibes of their relationship and their dinamics. Sometimes that can be a bit tricky 😅 Anyway, hope you like it, and as always, thank you very much for reading! 💜

First chapter | Last chapter | Bonus chapter 2

Masterlist

“I swear to God, Chilwell. If I trip or hit something and end up injured…”

“You'll fucking murder me, I know.”

“Don't make fun of me” June said, moving her arms in the air, trying to hit him.

“Just keep walking and stop complaining.”

“I'm playing against United tomorrow. If we win…”

“You'll be a step closer to winning the league, I know. I'm commenting the game, remember?” Ben chuckled. “Wait there.”

“What?”

“Just wait there, June” he said, moving around her and taking her hands. “Now, keep walking.”

“Are you going to tell me why we are in the garden and I have to wear an eye mask or...”

“You are so impatient, Maxwell.”

“Well, you promised me food and cuddles, and I am getting nothing!” she protested.

“Just a few more steps… Here. Stop.”

“Can I get rid of this now?”

“You can.”

“Finally” June sighed while taking off the mask, her eyes taking a minute to adjust to the light. “Now what?”

“Look at what you have in front of you” Ben said.

“That's… What is that?” she asked with a confused look.

“A raised bed garden” Ben smiled.

“A what?”

“It's like a little patch of land where you can grow your own vegetables or whatever you fancy.”

“And why did I need to have my eyes covered to see this?”

“Because of that” he said, nodding towards the little envelope hanging from one of those tags people use to know where they've planted what. “It's for you, take it.”

“Ok” June said, doing as Ben had asked her. Inside it, there was a key with a J keychain. “I… I don't understand.”

“June” Ben said, grabbing her by the waist and making her look at him. “That's a key to my house. I know you already have one, but this one is different. Because I… Because I want it to be our house.”

“You… what?”

“I want you to move in with me, June. You've basically been living here since we started dating, so why not do it permanently?”

“Ben, I…”

“That's why I set up this” he continued, nodding towards the garden bed. “Because I want you to grow your own vegetables and herbs for all your recipes just like I grow my flowers. To have something you can take care of and help you disconnect from football and everything going on out there. I've actually already imagined us both here during a sunny day like today, taking care of the garden together” he said with a shy smile. “And think about Pepper. Here he could have his own room with all his toys, his bed, one of those big scratching towers… And we could even give him a little brother or sister.”

“A feline one, you mean.”

“Yes, yes, of course. It's too soon for the human one.”

“Oh, so you've already thought about that too.”

“I've been thinking about our life together since the moment I realized I had fallen in love with you and that there was no going back, June. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, grow older with you. I want it all with you, June Maxwell.”

“Ben, I… I…”

It made sense. All he had said made sense. She had started to spend more and more time at his house than hers, and not only because John was seeing someone and she didn't want to walk into them doing… things. Ben's house was closer to the training grounds and to where Lauren and Vittoria lived, and during the season it made things easier for her. The neighbourhood was quieter, people not caring about who she was since they were used to seeing famous people and especially football players all the time. She could also go for walks or a run and not have to care about the traffic, and there were shops, cute coffee spots, parks, and everything she may need.

And she also was in love with Ben's house. She had been since the first day she had set foot in it. It was the style she liked, and even though the inside still needed some work, it was a place where she could see herself living for a long time, getting older, raising her own family. Like Ben had said, there was enough space for Pepper to enjoy himself, but also for… children. Children with blue kind of grey eyes and brunette curls. Children playing football in the garden, hitting Ben's precious flowers and making him scold them but a minute later cover them on kisses, all while June watched them from the kitchen, cooking them their favourite meal with Pepper at her feet asking her for something to eat.

It was all there, and imagining it, thinking about it, wasn't making her freak out like it could have happened in the past.

That was the house where she had fallen in love with the man who had changed her life, the one who had mended her broken heart. And whatever the future held for her, for them… she wanted it all with him.

“June” Ben said, caressing her cheek and bringing her back to reality. “June, are you…”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes. I want to move in with you, Ben. I want to use this thing to grow my own tomatoes while you do the same with your flowers, and I want to see Pepper run like crazy around the house trying to catch flies, and I want to argue about who has to take out the rubbish or empty the dishwasher…”

“We already do that” he chuckled.

“Don't interrupt me, Chilwell.”

“Ok” he said, trying really hard to not smile.

“And I want to throw parties with our friends, host dinners for our families, and then maybe get another cat that will destroy our sofa and pee the carpet, and if it's possible… Maybe one day find ourselves renovating a room for a litte one with brunette curls who will drive us crazy and definitely break at least a couple of windows while learning how to play football. And I want to sit on those sofas and watch the sunset every day while resting my head on your chest, cuddling and hearing your heart beating healthy and strong, and I… I want it all. Because I love you, Ben.”

“Can you say that again?”

“All of it?”

“Just the last three words. Well, four if you count my name” he smiled, pulling her closer towards him.

“I love you, Ben” June repeated, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Say it again, please.”

“Chilwell…”

“Please?” he pouted.

��Fine” she sighed. “I love you. And I want to move in with you. Because I love you.”

“Because you love me.”

“I do, yes. Very much.”

“I love you too, June.”

“I know” she smiled. “Are you gonna kiss me now or do I have to do everything first?”

“You? Seriously?” he laughed. “Who kissed the other first? And opened up first? And say I love you first? Or ask the other to be boyfriend and girlfriend? Or…”

“Shut up, Chilwell.”

“Make me” he smirked.

“Gladly” June said before kissing him. “Do you want to go practice how to make one of those brunette babies?” she whispered against his lips when they managed to break apart.

“Weren't you hungry?”

“We can do that later, we'll need to recharge” she said, making them both laugh. “Besides, we have all the time in the world to cook together in that kitchen.”

“Our kitchen” he smiled.

“Our kitchen” she smiled back.

“I love you, June Maxwell.”

“I love you too, Ben Chilwell” she replied, giggling like an idiot as he threw her over his shoulder and walked her inside the house.

Their house.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Thank you very much for everything, Fred. We could have not done this without you” Ben said.

“You’re welcome. And thank you very much for the photos and the autographs, June. My girls are gonna love them.”

“Of course” she smiled. “And thank you.”

“Just doing our job. Goodbye, lovebirds.”

“Bye” Ben and June said at the same time.

“So…” he said while they watched the moving guys drive away.

“So” June repeated.

“Ready to start the new chapter of your life, Maxwell?”

“Ready” she replied, taking a deep breath. “Wait, no.”

“No?” he asked with a confused look.

“We can’t just walk in as if this was something normal.”

“What?”

“We are moving in together for the first time, Ben. This is important.”

“I know.”

“Then we can’t just walk in as we always do. It must be special.”

“Ok… What do you suggest?”

“I want you to carry me inside like newlyweds do in movies.”

“You what?” Ben laughed.

“You know what I am talking about, don't you?” she asked him.

“Of course I do, Maxwell.”

“Then c´mon. I’ve always wanted to do it” June said, extending her arms towards him.

“Really? Has it been like a childhood dream or something?” he teased her.

“It actually has, yes. So come here, Chilwell. Pepper is inside already, and I’m pretty sure he is freaking out in his carrier, asking himself where the hell he is.”

“Fine” Ben sighed, trying to hide his smile. “Let’s go” he said before lifting her in his arms. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Yep” she smiled, kissing his cheek. “Thank you very much, Chilwell.”

“Anything for you, Maxwell” he smiled back.

“And I love you, by the way.”

“I love you too, June” he said before walking into his house.

Their house.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Not again, bro!”

“Everything alright, Chilwell?” June said from the living room.

“Of course not!” Ben replied, joining her. “That bloody cat did it again!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Him!” he said while pointing at Pepper, who was sitting on the sofa next to June, too busy cleaning his paws. “He did it again!”

“Do what?”

“Pee on my trainers, June!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Pepper, did you pee on Chilwell's trainers again?” she asked him while petting his head.

“He isn't going to reply, Maxwell. He is a cat” he said, rolling his eyes. “And he did. Smell this.”

“Eww, Ben. Get that away from my face!” she said when he moved his trainer closer to her face. “And it isn't Pepper’s fault.”

“Isn't it?” he laughed.

“He still is adjusting to the new house and is a bit stressed. He needs time.”

“June, it's been three months.”

“And?” she shrugged.

“Urgh” Ben groaned.

“But you know, maybe he would pee somewhere else if you kept your trainers in just one place and not all over the house.”

“What?”

“This morning I tripped with one and almost fell on my face, and I have a photoshoot tomorrow. What if I had broken my nose or something?”

“Oh, so now it is my fault that your cat isn't properly trained?” he said, raising his voice.

“He is properly trained!” she said, also raising her voice. “But maybe you are the one who isn't, Chilwell.”

“Oh, fuck off, Maxwell!” Ben said, leaving the room.

“Yes, go away! But be careful, you may trip with one of your trainers!” she replied, hearing him close a door somewhere in the house with a loud bang.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“June, is everything alright?” Lauren asked her.

“Yeah” she said while taking off her boots.

“Is it? Because you sucked at training today. Big time.”

“Did I?”

“C'mon, June. You know it better than anyone. What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“June…”

“Ok, fine” she sighed. “Ben and I had an argument.”

“Again?”

“Yes, Lauren. Again.”

“What happened now?”

“Pepper peed on his trainers. When we moved in he started doing it in different corners of the house and the vet told us that it was normal after such a big change. But lately he's started to do it on Ben's shoes.”

“Could he be marking his territory?”

“I don't know, Lauren” June sighed again. “They've always gotten along, you know? Like, Ben was with me the day I took Pepper home, he helped me with everything. But now… I don't know.”

“Maybe you should go to the vet again.”

“Maybe… But all this mess with Pepper isn't the only thing going on. Since I moved in, we've been constantly arguing because of the most stupid things. Things that we were ok with or that didn't bother us when I was just staying in the house and nothing was official. And I just… I…”

“You what?” Lauren said, taking her hand on hers and giving it an encouraging squeeze.

“What if we weren't ready to take this step just yet? What if it was a mistake? What if we are…”

“June, don't.”

“Don't what?”

“Don't you dare going there” Lauren said, threatening her with her finger.

“Go where?”

“To start thinking you and Ben being together is a mistake or whatever crazy thought was crossing your mind right now. You didn't go through everything you went through to end things just because your cat has a weak bladder.”

“What?” she laughed.

“June, you love Ben and he loves you, and you are meant to be. But living together isn't easy, and things won't always be rainbows and glitter.”

“I know. But Lauren, we've been living together for three months, and all we've done is argue.”

“I'm pretty sure you've done more than just argue” she smirked, making June roll her eyes. “But you also chose to move in together before the most stressful months for both your jobs. Feeling like this is normal.”

“Is it?”

“It is, trust me. You should see the arguments we have at home. And when I meet on the weekends with my parents, and Reece also is there… You don't want to witness that.”

“You can be quite scary when you are mad” she chuckled.

“I know” Lauren smiled. “So stop overthinking so much, and talk with Ben about all this. He may be feeling the same too.”

“Yeah, I guess. Thank you, Lauren.”

“You're very welcome, June. Now go shower, you stink.”

“Me?” she gasped.

“Actually, you both stink” one of their teammates said, June and Lauren both throwing their dirty shirts at her before they all started laughing.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Ben?” June said, meeting him in the garden once she got home after training, Pepper running inside the house as if his life depended on it. “Ben, what happened?”

“That bloody cat of yours, that's what happened!”

“Pepper?”

“Do you have more cats?” he spatted.

“There is no need to use that tone, Chilwell” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “What did he do now?”

“He ruined my flowers, that's what he did. Just yesterday I planted some new seeds here, and look” he said, pointing at the soil at his feet. “He dug them all out to do his business.”

“Are you sure it was him? I haven't been in the garden for the past few days, and I don't allow him to be outside if I'm not with him in case he tries to run away.”

“He did it today while I was watering the other flowers.”

“Then it is your fault, Chilwell. Not his.”

“What?” he laughed.

“You let him outside and didn't keep an eye on him” she shrugged.

“I can't fucking believe it, June. Why do you keep defending him?”

“Because he's done nothing wrong?”

“He's not… Whatever.”

“Ben, where are you going?” she said as he walked past her, completely ignoring her.

“To Mason's.”

“I thought we were going to cook dinner together.”

“Not today” he said before taking his car keys and leaving the house, those being the last words he said to June for the rest of the day.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Pepper? Pepper, where are you?” June called. “Pepper?”

“Can't find that devil of yours?” Ben said while going through his notes for the next game.

“I can't, no. Have you seen him?”

“He was chilling on the sofa when I sat down.”

“Well, he isn't there anymore.”

“Have you checked where I keep my shoes? He may have needed a wee wee.”

“Not funny, Chilwell” she said. “But I already checked upstairs and he wasn't there.”

“Did you check all the wardrobes and under the beds? He likes hiding there.”

“I checked every corner, Ben.”

“That's weird” he said, putting down his pen and finally looking at her. “Let me help you.”

“You want to help me find that bloody cat like you like calling him?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes, I do. What rooms have you checked down here?”

“Most of them. Ben, if we can't find him…”

“June. June, hey” he said, suddenly showing up next to her and taking her hands on his. “We are going to find Pepper. He probably is sleeping inside a cupboard and that's why you can't find him.”

“Yes” she nodded, trying to not start crying.

“C'mon, let's go room by room together.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“He isn't anywhere, Ben” June said, now properly crying. “If something has happened to him…”

“He is ok, you'll see.”

“You can't know that!”

“June, we are gonna find him. I promise you” he said while hugging her.

“But we've checked everywhere! Everywhere! Upstairs, down here, in the garage, the gym… He is gone, Ben.”

“There is one place we haven't checked yet, tho.”

“What?” she said, lifting her head from his shoulder and looking at him.

“The garden” Ben said, biting his lower lip. “I went outside earlier, and I think…”

“You think what, Chilwell?”

“I think I didn't close the door.”

“You… Benjamin!” June said, slapping his face and taking a step back, leaving his embracement. “What if he's gone outside? What if he jumped the fence and went on the road and a car hit him? What if he's… if he's…”

“He's gonna be fine, June” he said, his face burning where she had slapped him.

“You can't know that, Chilwell! If something has happened to him, I… I… He's like family, Ben” she cried. “I know he is just a cat, but he is like family to me. And if something has happened to him…”

“Nothing has happened to him, June” he said, closing the space between them again and wiping her tears. “He's a clever boy. Sometimes too clever” he chuckled.

“But he's never been outside, Ben. He's grown up inside a flat, he doesn't know what a car is. Or dogs! What if a dog attacked him and…”

“He is ok, June. He… Are you waiting for someone?” he said when someone rang the bell.

“No” she replied.

“Wait here, I'm gonna check who it is.”

“Ok” she nodded, sitting down on the sofa and trying to control the tears that were threatening to come back. “Who was it?” she asked when she heard Ben coming back.

“June…”

“I hope that if it was someone coming to pay us a visit, you told them to go away. I'm not in the mood to see anyone.”

“Not even him?” Ben asked her.

“What… Pepper!” she screamed before running towards where Ben was standing, the cat in his arms. “Oh, Pepper!” she cried.

“Told you he was ok.”

“Is he?” she said, checking him while he just purred.

“He is. He apparently jumped the fence and was chilling with the neighbours’s dog.”

“What?” June said, her eyes wide.

“The neighbour said that she found them sleeping together on her dog's bed, but that earlier one of her kids also saw them eating and playing together.”

“They… Is that true, Pepper?” she asked the cat.

“Meow” he replied as if understanding what she had just said.

“I can't believe it” she chuckled, giving him a hug before he complained and ran away. “Now he'll go take a nap as if he hadn't scared the hell out of me.”

“And it was all my fault” Ben sighed.

“What?”

“I'm sorry, June. I'm sorry about not closing the door today and about the way I've been behaving lately and especially with Pepper. That slap you gave me… I totally deserved it.”

“I… Umm… It's ok.”

“It isn't, June. Like, we just moved in together. We should be happy and on cloud nine, not constantly arguing about the most stupid things. And it is all my fault.”

“Arguing about stupid things is part of the experience, tho.”

“Not like this, June. Not like this.”

“Ben…”

“There is something I have to tell you. Something I've been thinking for a while and that I think is what has had me so on edge lately, making you pay for it.”

“What… you…” There it was. He was going to break up with her. He had realized that things weren't working out between them anymore, and he was going to end things with her, breaking her heart in so many pieces that she was sure she was never going to recover from it and…

“I'm quitting my job” Ben said.

“I beg your pardon?” June replied, raising her voice.

“I’m quitting my job” he repeated.

“But… why? I thought you loved being a pundit!”

“And I do, but… I feel a bit burnt out. And before you say anything, no, it isn't because of my heart. That one keeps being healthier than it has ever been, all thanks to you” he smiled. “It's just that… I don't know. I need a break.”

“A break?”

“Yes, a break. There are gonna be changes at work and… well. Let's just say that I don't agree with some of the decisions they are going to make.”

“Are they going to fire people?”

“Among other things, yes. But besides that, lately we both have been so tired, especially after a game day, that we can't even enjoy having dinner together without one of us constantly yawning, and I feel like we only spend actual time together to have sex. Not complaining about it tho, don't get me wrong. It keeps being amazing” he smirked. “But I want to go back to doing all the things that made us fall in love with each other. The things that make us happy. Like cooking together when you are back from training, me picking you up after a game and having a kinder egg ready to cheer you up or congratulate you if you've scored, going out for a walk and getting breakfast at our favourite spot… I miss all that, June. I miss us.”

“I miss it too” she said.

“So that's why I'm quitting. Because I love you and I want our relationship to work. Because I want the same things you told me about when you said yes to moving in together. From growing tomatoes, to watching the sunset in the garden, to starting our own family one day. I want it all with you, June Maxwell” he said, caressing her cheek.

“And I with you, Chilwell” she replied. “But I can't let you give up on your career because of me. I can't.”

“I'm not giving up on anything. I actually have a plan b” Ben smiled.

“You do?”

“Yep. I'm gonna get certified to be a manager.”

“Wait, what?”

“It was something that had never crossed my mind, but now… I don't know. After commenting football for so many years, I think I could be a good manager. Maybe not to be on a Premier League team, but with kids…” he shrugged.

“Gaffer Chilwell, uh? It doesn't sound that bad” she smiled.

“It doesn't, does it?” he smiled back.

“But Ben… Are you sure about this? Are you sure this is what you want?”

“100% sure, June. It's time for a new chapter. One where I'm gonna keep loving you and supporting you every single day.”

“And one where I will do the same with you, Chilwell. Loving you and supporting you every single day and on every step you take. Because I love you, Ben.”

“Say it again, please. I think I haven't heard you properly” he smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

“I love you more than anything, Benjamin James Chilwell” she said, putting her arms around his neck.

“Even more than kinder eggs?” he asked with a teasing smile.

“A lot more.”

“Wow” he chuckled. “That is a lot.”

“Yep” June smiled. “And it will be forever.”

“Forever?” Ben asked, brushing his nose against hers.

“Forever” she repeated before kissing him.

#ben chilwell #ben chilwell fanfic #ben chilwell imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

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bethanydelleman · 9 months

Note

Hi! Love your blog :) I saw your previous reply about Jane Austen and cognitive neuroscience and it reminded me of a question I have about Persuasion that still haunts me, which I can't seem to find a definitive answer for on the general internet. So after Louisa is injured, its like she undergoes a pretty massive personality shift, leading up to her falling in love with Captain Benwick etc. My question is, is that change (in your opinion) supposed to be a mental trauma reaction, or more of a physical trauma reaction? Like are we supposed to infer that the brain tissue injury changed her or is it more like, she was in mental shock and also an invalid with plenty of time to brood on her role in things and that's what resulted in her being in a state of mind to love some poetry & Benwick? I do wonder if the total personality change is temporary or permanent, because sometimes people who undergo near-death experiences often have mental trauma-based reactions including apparently 180 degree personality shifts, but those don't last and as they heal from the trauma, they become closer to their older selves. In Louisa's case that would make for an interesting dynamic in her married life with Benwick if she goes back to her earlier personality eventually.

I personally think Louisa and Benwick's marriage is the most questionable one in all of Austen's works! Forget age gaps, no one should be getting married a few months after major brain trauma... I mean unless they were already engaged... maybe.

These are the two quotes about Louisa after the injury that are important here:

She saw no reason against their being happy. Louisa had fine naval fervour to begin with, and they would soon grow more alike. He would gain cheerfulness, and she would learn to be an enthusiast for Scott and Lord Byron; nay, that was probably learnt already; of course they had fallen in love over poetry. The idea of Louisa Musgrove turned into a person of literary taste, and sentimental reflection was amusing, but she had no doubt of its being so. The day at Lyme, the fall from the Cobb, might influence her health, her nerves, her courage, her character to the end of her life, as thoroughly as it appeared to have influenced her fate.

and

He answered rather hesitatingly, “Yes, I believe I do; very much recovered; but she is altered; there is no running or jumping about, no laughing or dancing; it is quite different. If one happens only to shut the door a little hard, she starts and wriggles like a young dab-chick in the water; and Benwick sits at her elbow, reading verses, or whispering to her, all day long.” Anne could not help laughing. “That cannot be much to your taste, I know,” said she; “but I do believe him to be an excellent young man.” “To be sure he is. Nobody doubts it; and I hope you do not think I am so illiberal as to want every man to have the same objects and pleasures as myself. I have a great value for Benwick; and when one can but get him to talk, he has plenty to say. His reading has done him no harm, for he has fought as well as read. He is a brave fellow. I got more acquainted with him last Monday than ever I did before. We had a famous set-to at rat-hunting all the morning in my father’s great barns; and he played his part so well that I have liked him the better ever since.”

So firstly, Louisa was already into the navy and Wentworth, she has retained that interest. However, we will recall that Louisa's interest in the navy sprang to life in moments after meeting the handsome captain. But she's 19 years old, so sudden interests in things that a handsome guy likes are perfectly normal! I'm sure she's learned to appreciate poetry in all the time she had to be quiet and still.

Secondly, what Charles observes is likely lingering effects of brain trauma or what we might call post-concussion syndrome (Louisa had a worse injury than what is commonly called a concussion). Louisa's brain is still healing. She will probably begin to dance again at some point, depending on what damage is long lasting. This is the tricky thing with brains, permanent damage can be extremely varied. One person ends up with aphasia (trouble speaking), another with ataxia (trouble with muscle coordination), and a third with memory problems and so on. However, Louisa is young and her brain is still plastic (adaptable); hopefully she will recover completely without deficits.

Lastly, I included the part about Benwick being a great rat-hunter because we have to remember, he's not all poetry. He is in the navy, he is apparently competent to be promoted so early and we know he has a good fortune. He's a good guy, he's passionate, I'm sure he wants to make his wife happy.

So... I think they'll be fine. Louisa was going to mature no matter what, Benwick is a good person, and they will grow more alike. If not, navy wives weren't always able to travel with their husbands, so Benwick might be away for long periods of time and Louisa might be home with the kids.

But I still advise anyone to wait at least a year before marrying after a major brain trauma! (semi-expert advice, don't sue me)

#question response #jane austen #louisa musgrove #captain benwick #bad life decisions

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millenialfanfictionaddiction · 2 years

Text

Being Inarizaki's Manager:

Dating Atsumu Miya

*he really does have gorgeous eyes tho 😫

Atsumu Miya featuring Inarizaki x Fem! Manager Reader

Warnings: Swearing, possessive Atsumu, reader gets injured (very minor injury but this is Atsumu we are talking about 🙄)

AN: This was requested by Atsupremacy!

Oh YN... dear dear YN

You absolute sweet angel 🥺

Honestly we are all wondering how you got here

How did you manage to snag THE Atsumu Miya

Seriously, his fan girls are SEETHING rn we all know it

But, to many peoples surprise, it's not as complicated as you might think it is

It all started when you first became a student at Inarizaki

You were the new girl in the school so automatically you became the subject of many conversations

"Have you seen the new girl? She's gorgeous!"

"Hey that new girl? She's a second year right? Lucky assholes!"

It didn't take you long to become familiar with everyone

And soon, you found yourself befriending Osamu Miya

You probably shared a cooking class let's be honest 😏

You got paired up with Osamu who had noticed you around school

"Hey, yer that new girl aren't ya?" He asked

"Yeah! And you're Osamu Miya. I've heard all about you from the girls. You are quite the popular guy," you say smiling

Please YN you made Osamu blush so hard 😊

You chat and work with Osamu just as the bell for lunch rings

You grab your stuff, walking towards the door when Osamu approaches you and asks you if you want to have lunch with him and his friends

"Sure- I'd love-" you start to say

When all of a sudden, I hear this agitating, grading voice

"SAMU! WHAT THE HELL, IVE BEEN WAIT-" a man looking a lot like Osamu saying coming up to you, stopping as he stares at you

Atsumu rn 👉🏻👁👄👁

Osamu just rolls his eyes and walks away, hoping you'll get the hint and follow him

You don't get the hint 😐

"Hi! I'm YN," you say, smiling at the blonde version of Osamu

Atsumu is still just staring 👁👄👁

Osamu stops, turns and rolls his eyes again at the scene, "come on YN, I don't want to the stupid rubbing off on ya"

Osamu grabs your hand as you giggle, Atsumu still standing there

"Would you like to come with?" You say

Atsumu only nods, still looking like a fool and follows

From then on, I'm sorry to say but you've got yourself a permanent Miya shadow

Literally, once Atsumu opens up to you, he doesn't stop talking

Soon he's waiting for you after class, for lunch, heck the man is even LATE TO PRACTICE A FEW TIMES 😱

YN what is this affect you are having?!?!

It's one day during lunch that the situation of needing a manager is brought up

"Gin it's your turn to fill water bottles today," Suna says sitting down as Ginjima grumbles

"God I hate that!"- he says as Aran laughs, sitting across from you

"Well it wouldn't be a problem if we could actually have a manager,"- He says, chuckling

"Yeah that will never happen," Michinari says rolling his eyes 🙄

You look at everyone confused and ask, "why?"

"Because of dumb and dumber,"- Suna interjects, the table laughing

"I'll be your manager!" You say, smiling wide

Atsumu stops eating half way to his mouth, Aran and Omimi just look at you

"I dont know YN," Kita says

"Why not? I mean I can fill water bottles and help set up nets. I'm not incapable, plus I know a little about volleyball from watching you guys practice," you say, defending your case

Atsumu is just looking at you

Please this man is falling so hard for you

But it could be a catch 22 having you as the teams manager

Sure he'd be close to you all the time but that would mean the team as well as other guys would be close as well

And Atsumu is a jealous and possessive man YN ✋🏻

Before Atsumu can even open his mouth, Aran speaks up

"I say we give her a shot. I mean she seems to be able to stand Samu and Sumu so she can't be that bad right?"

"I'm beginning to think we should take offense to this Sumu," Osamu says

Atsumu doesn't say anything, still staring at you as you look to him and smile

God he loves when you're happy and if this makes you happy, then he'll do it

Unfortunately for Atsumu, his daily affirmations of "YN likes you and nobody else. You are the greatest setter in the entire world. You are better than Tobio" doesn't work ☹️

Because the first week of you being the teams manager, Atsumu has almost lost it on all of his teammates

Several times in fact, Osamu has had to talk him down off the "YN is not yours" ledge

Atsumu's blood would boil everytime he saw Suna's fingers graze yours when you handed him a water bottle

Or when Omimi caught you after you tripped over your own two feet carrying towels

But the final straw was hit when it was Osamu who was on the receiving end of your affections

Atsumu had just set the ball to Osamu for their famous minus tempo attack

When Osamu slammed the ball into the other court, you screamed in excitement

"SAMU THAT WAS AN AMAZING KILL!! HOLY CRAP I CANT BELIEVE THAT,"- you just being adorable

That is what set Atsumu off

"WHY ARE YOU CHEERING FOR SAMU WHEN IT WAS ME THAT SET THAT SPIKE UP PERFECTLY YN?"- Atsumu shouting

Ope 👀

The entire gym falls silent

You stare at Atsumu, lips pursed shut

You had no intention on hurting Atsumu's feelings, you were just so excited 🥺

"I'm sorry Sumu. You're right I shouldn't have done that. That was a great set," you say before turning to go to the hallway

Atsumu knew he messed up and he was so mad at himself

He let his jealousy get the best of him

Before anyone could say anything to him, he ran after you finding you sitting on a bench

He came up to you, kneeling in front of you as he grabbed your cheeks and lifted your delicate face, your eyes meeting his

"YN I'm so freaking sorry I yelled at you! I- I just got so jealous. I really like ya YN and I just want to impress you,"he said, his sad eyes now looking into yours

"You- you like me Sumu?" You said, stuttering

"I do pretty girl, I really do," he said

"I like you to Sumu," you said grabbing his face back and pulling him in for a light peck on the lips

When you pulled back, he smiled, pulling you in, kissing you harder

"Ugh will you two knock it off?!? YN I told ya the idiot liked you," Osamu said, Suna right besides him recording

"Wait you told YN I liked her?" Atsumu said looking from Osamu to you

"He told me this morning after I told him I liked you. I asked him how I should confess and.."

Atsumu smiled at you, kissing you again before pulling you into a tight embrace

"You're mine now YN," he said, whispering into your hair as he hugs you tight

"Sumu let yer girlfriend go! You're suffocating her!" Osamu yelled again

Atsumu pulled back, standing up and extending his hand to yours

You walked back to the gym, hand in hand as you continued practice

The next few months were a dream

You and Atsumu got into a routine of being a couple, much to the dismay of ALL of the Miya fangirls

You got use to the name calling and jealousy they brought because of your status as Atsumu's Girlfriend

You knew Atsumu adored you, always holding your hand or holding you close as you walked together

When Spring Nationals rolled around, you were so excited!

This was your first big tournament and you were ready!

You walked in the back with Atsumu as he held your hand, Osamu, Suna and Ginjima following

YN and her bodyguard squad I can't 😫

You started setting up for the teams first match against Karasuno

The boys were warming up when you decided to run to the bathroom

Karasuno had been warming up as well and everyone was ready to go

You figured a quick break wouldn't hurt so you didn't tell Atsumu or the team you were leaving

Bad choice already YN

Coming out of the bathroom, you walk back to the gym, the doors suddenly swinging open just as you reached for the handle, causing the heavy door to slam into your hand

"Ohh ouch!!" You wince as you see the person opening the door peer around it

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I had no idea someone was out here," the tall boy said, his Karasuno orange beaming

You shake it off and smile, you're sure you'll have a bruise there but it wasn't the boys fault

"Hey its OK! It wasn't anyone's fault," you say, putting your hand up and wincing again as the funny movement made your hand hurt

"Here let me look at that," he says, grabbing your hand

"I'm Tobio Kageyama by the way, I play for Karasuno," he says, checking over your hand

"I'm YN LN, Manager for Inarizaki," you say

"Yeah I know, I-I saw you in there," he says blushing

He looks so cute when he's blushing I can't 🥰🥰🥰

You chat a little as Kageyama checks your hand out, making sure it's not broken

What you both don't know is that the door to the gym is still open 👀

You know the gym where everyone is practicing... 👀👀

The gym where your boyfriend currently resides 👀👀👀

It's literally like 30 seconds of you and Kageyama talking before Suna notices

"Hey- what the hell," he says studying you

Osamu looks up at him and then to the door

"Oh shit-" he says

Atsumu turns around to see what's happening, his eyes following his brother and Suna's to see you standing with Kageyama

It takes 0.02 seconds to register before Atsumu absolutely loses his shit

"KAGEYAMA GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER," Atsumu says, running full speed towards you and Kageyama

Atsumu grabs your bad hand from Kageyama, causing you to wince and whimper

Atsumu looks at you, then at Kageyama, his eyes filled with rage

"WHAT IN THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HER?" He growls, ready to fight Kageyama on the spot

Osamu and Suna come up, the rest of the team as well as Karsuno in toe

"Sumu stop! It was an accident! I hit my hand on the door as Tobio was coming out. He didn't do anything to me," you plead, looking at your boyfriend

His gaze is locked on Kageyama, arms possessively around you

"Sumu please-" you beg as he finally breaks his stare with Kageyama, looking down to see you smiling at him

He breaths in, looking back up to Kageyama before turning away and walking you to the bench

You sit down, Atsumu at your side as he gently grabs your hand and looks it over

He grabs a wrap and tape, making sure to be gentle as he bandages you up

He doesn't speak, still seething with anger

You don't say anything, waiting for him to cool down

When he finishes, he grabs your injured hand, turning it palm up and kisses it lightly

You meet his eyes and melt 🥺

"I love ya pretty girl, and I don't like anyone touching what's mine," he says, pulling you closer

"I love you too Sumu," you say back, giving him a light kiss before he returns to the court, his intense gaze reappearing as he narrows in on his target

Boy would I hate to be Kageyama right now 😅

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alex-procrastinates · 3 months

Text

my thoughts on the magic potion

HELLO i am so sorry i havent done any finished art in ages. school is kicking my ass and probably will continue to kick my ass for a while yet, but i promise i am working on things! and i am very excited to get them finished! im just swamped with homework and kinda suck at time management lol

but in the meantime, i have a 17 page google doc where i put all my asterix headcanons when i think of them, so i thought i would share my ideas about how the magic potion works :D

The potion is said to increase someone’s strength tenfold. That means it only builds on the strength they already have.

This means the potion will work differently for different people, based on their original level of strength.

For most people, they have about the same average strength, so the potion will appear to have the same effect on them. This is also due to the fact that the potion is simply so powerful that everyone who drinks it is insanely strong relative to non-potion drinkers. However, in some cases, the differences are noticeable.

For example, Fulliautomatix would have more brute strength than, say, Cacofonix, when on the potion. Or Asterix would be able to run faster than Geriatrix when on the potion.

The potion builds on strengths the person already has - for Asterix, it makes him extremely fast, as he is already agile and a fast runner without it. For Cacofonix, it allows his voice to create more powerful soundwaves, which can even have physical effects.

(Edit: As pointed out by @elkaos, this actually conflicts with some of the books, where the potion is shown to have the same effect on everyone, and that's relevant to the plot in some cases. I did sort of know this, but it slipped my mind somewhat while I was writing this post. So I guess I'll have to retcon either this idea or the events of books 3 and 12 from my headcanon. These headcanons are based on my own interpretation of Asterix, which is inspired by a lot of fanfics and other creators' ideas as well as the books. Personally I find the idea of the potion's effects varying from person to person more logical, as it's described as multiplying the drinker's strength tenfold. Although maybe the effect being the same has something to do with how it was developed? I've seen a fic where the secret ingredient of the potion is Vercingetorix's ashes - maybe it's something like that where the essence of a person is used in the potion and its effect is equivalent to that person's strength multiplied tenfold.)

The potion also increases a person’s durability - their bones, ligaments, tendons, organs and muscles are stronger and more resistant to damage. This is necessary to make sure that they don’t injure themselves by doing things like punching solid rock.

Even if they do get injured, which can happen when they are faced with sharp blades, the potion also fills their system with adrenaline, which means they usually don’t feel and are not really affected by most injuries until after the potion wears off.

The potion also increases the drinker’s stamina and speed, although this also varies depending on the drinker’s non-potion-enhanced abilities.

Obelix is a special case. But why exactly did drinking a whole cauldron of potion make it have a permanent effect on him? The potion’s effects can’t be stacked by drinking more potion while you’re already under the effects.

I suppose the quantity of potion does matter when determining how long the effects will last - the more potion is flowing through the drinker’s bloodstream, the longer it will take to dilute enough to not have an effect anymore.

Wait. If the potion flows through the drinker’s bloodstream, then how does it have an immediate effect? Digesting it would take at least a few hours.

I guess it might have some magical property that lets it sort of phase into any blood vessels it encounters? So maybe it just radiates out from the stomach, gets to the heart really quickly and starts being pumped around the body almost immediately.

So if Obelix drinks, like, his entire body weight in potion, it’s probably going to last long enough in a large enough quantity to spread and be infused into practically every part of his body, so that then his bone marrow actually starts to make potion-infused blood.

Therefore, every cell that blood flows to, which is basically every cell in his body, is enhanced by the potion, so it becomes an actual part of his biological composition. His blood, muscles, organs, bone marrow, fat, saliva, even his stomach acid is infused with magic potion. The only things that aren’t are his hair and nails.

This is why the permanent effects of the potion are so important to his survival. There would have been a couple of years where they could have gotten it to wear off, but that would probably have involved bloodletting or something, and obviously they’re not going to do that to a six-year-old kid. It doesn’t cause him any adverse effects, anyway, so it’s not something that needs to be reversed. He’ll just have to learn to control his strength.

He wasn’t the strongest before he fell into the potion, but because of how the potion became an actual part of his muscle tissue, he was still able to grow his muscles like a normal person would - just with much heavier weights, like menhirs. Which he has probably been lifting and carrying nearly every day since about his mid-teens. Also because the potion is part of his bone marrow and the blood his body makes is naturally infused with the potion, it creates a sort of positive feedback loop where the effects of the potion, and therefore his strength, keep increasing. This is why he seems to be stronger than the other villagers on the potion, and why his feats of strength increase in magnitude across the series, until Chariot Race when he’s able to catch the huge lump of volcanic rock that explodes out of Mt Vesuvius.

The potion also increased his durability to a very high level. His bones are as hard as granite, and his skin is also quite thick and resistant to cuts. He can still get hurt, but it takes a lot, and almost never happens. This is also why he is so mobile and flexible despite being obese.

Obelix is a bit of an extreme case, but for everyone who drinks the potion regularly (mostly just Asterix and maybe some of the other warriors, hunters or guards), it speeds up their metabolism considerably in order to provide them with the large quantities of energy they need to function while on the potion. This is how Asterix is able to eat most of a boar nearly twice his size. (Although that was pushing it and he usually doesn’t need that much energy.)

The potion does not actively heal wounds except in the very short term, when it can exacerbate the effect of adrenaline to such an extent that it will completely heal minor to moderately serious wounds if taken within about a minute after sustaining the injury. However, it does give the body more energy, enabling it to heal faster. It also helps the immune system fight infection and the body to remake lost blood.

It won’t cure concussions, but it does get rid of them faster and reduces long-term damage. (This is how Asterix can have had no less than six concussions in the space of a few years and not feel any lasting effects.)

Chronic illnesses and fatigue can be treated, but not cured by the potion. It unfortunately doesn't help with nerve pain, because there's no wound for it to help heal or inflammation/ bacteria/ etc. for it to fight.

Over time, this will cause regular potion drinkers to have stronger immune systems and heal more quickly. (Cacofonix still gets sick easily, but without the potion he’d probably have been dealing with asthma or an autoimmune disease. Obelix still gets hay fever in spring, but I guess maybe the potion doesn’t help with allergies. He does sometimes get mild colds and stuff, but the potion protects him from a lot of more serious diseases.)

The potion also increases a drinker’s core body temperature slightly and makes it easier to maintain, which is how all the Gauls can walk around in the snow either in sleeveless tops or just straight up shirtless, with only maybe a scarf or gloves to keep them warm. This effect also lingers over time if you drink the potion regularly. (Or if you’re Obelix. He’s like a walking heater.)

In Asterix the Gaul, we see the Gauls take potion regularly and use their strength for everyday tasks. This is because they used to take potion in shifts, so that some people would always be ready to go fight the Romans if they attacked. Doing chores while on the potion was just an added convenience. (As I speculated earlier, the potion lasts longer if you drink more of it, so maybe they used to drink more potion with each dose to make it last longer - maybe half or even a full day.)

This seemed like a great strategy until one day, a new centurion decided to attack the village at an unexpected time. The people who were on the potion went out to fight, but Asterix's potion wore off mid-battle. Not realising in time, he got into a fight with the centurion and ended up getting pretty badly hurt. (Inspired by this post - I came up with this idea while I was thinking about what might have happened in that scenario)

After that, they decided to just take the potion when needed to prevent something like it happening again. This also enabled Getafix to spend more time experimenting with new potions because he wasn’t making the strength potion every day.

so yeah! that's all i got. thanks so much if you read this whole thing. hopefully i'll have time to finish something else soon :D

#asterix #asterix headcanons #headcanons #alex's rambles

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raviollies · 5 months

Note

nightmare, pain, secret, and wound for blythe, raha, and lorelai, please!!! (for the not-so-nice OC asks)

Here they are! Enjoy :)

nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?

Blythe very much has long standing melancholy over the fact that unlike Raha, she is eternal. She is not mortal, and one day he will fade away, and she will remain. She wonders if she will become a Hag at that point, if she will give in to the loss and turn to the Faewild to be with those as unchanging as herself. Raha is her first and only love, so the concept of losing him is a horror she doesn't want to consider.

Raha fears losing the party members, as they are his only friends. He doesn't enjoy being in cities, interacting with others and his only connection to people is the party. Without them, he genuinely wouldn't quite know what he is living for even.

Lorelai fears losing control and attacking others in a blood frenzy, in hunger, consuming her (similar to Raha) only friends, to commit her cardinal sin once more. She wouldn't know what to do with herself, and probably wish to embrace the sun.

pain: What's the worst pain your OC has ever felt? Do they have a high pain tolerance?

BLYTHE IS A BABY - She does not have high pain tolerance at all. She rarely gets hurt and even the small injuries she tends to get whiny about. She also does not do a lot of physical manual labour, so even with small injuries she will dramatically toss her hand over her head and proclaim someone else must carry her things.

Raha has high pain tolerance as he is quite used to being injured with his numerous scars from his contracts. He tends to downplay his injuries and not voice any complains often leading to others having to forcibly sit his ass down and patch him up (That's what happens when you're traveling alone for about 150 years)

Lorelai actually almost doesn't feel any pain at all. The only things that can make her feel pain is holy magic or the sun (The only time she has gotten injured over the course of the campaign is when Eirwen accidently splashed holy water over her hands, which took a while to heal as Vampire regeneration is much slower when it comes to such forces). So I guess she has very high pain tolerance? If that counts?

wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?

Blythe has very rarely gotten physically hurt, usually limited to just small wounds that she heals with magic right away. I wouldn't say she has many emotional/mental wounds outside of Theta - she very rarely holds any care for people outside of the few that she cares for, and they have not

Raha is very much covered in scars, majority of them inflicted by monsters he's hunted through out the years, but the very first scars he got was when he was a child and his village was raided and subsequently destroyed. That is where he got his face scar and signature ear nic, was from that event, when he got trapped under a collapsed building when it collapsed during the raid.

Emotionally, the razing of the village was only the start, and the distrust and rejection from the Elves from a different village that took in the refugees, arguably deeper scars, as it left him feeling isolated and lacking any feelings of belonging to a community. After that he avoided not just humans and elves, finding no kinship with either. Neither elf, nor human.

Lorelai is haunted by her rebirth as a vampire, both physically and mentally. As I mentioned, she was turned into a spawn by her father, which does mean she has a permanent scar on her neck, and had killed him when she became a full blooded vampire. The wound on her neck remains a permanent reminder, and is the oldest and only

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

Blythe is a big fan of bad erotic novels (think booktok.)

Raha has a thing for stockings and heels.

Lorelai doesn't think Tarrasques exist.

#FORGOT ABOUT THE SECRET #raha #blythe #lorelai #woof.#ask #anon

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thefirstknife · 9 months

Note

Has there ever been a case where a Ghost is killed during a crucible match? I've always wondered what would happen to a Guardian who accidentally or even deliberately kills a Ghost during what is essentially a live round training exercise turned sport

Yep! With a few caveats.

Deliberately, yes. Dredgen Yor permanently killed Pahanin and Thalor in the Crucible with Thorn. Thorn can drain Light so it's unclear if their Ghosts were also killed or just the Guardians that then couldn't be rezed, but messed up stuff definitely can and did happen in the Crucible, especially early days when it was much more lawless.

Accidentally, sort of. A Guardian died in the middle of Trials of Osiris permanently because the death happened in the exact unfortunate moment when Ghaul put a cage on the Traveler and blocked the Light. The Ghost was destroyed at the same time:

Many lives were lost today in a barbarous skirmish across the Last City, but none as important as the life lost in our Trial. I believe Guardians have adopted the term "final death" for these such instances. A competitor was defeated at the precise moment the Light was stripped from him; his Ghost destroyed in the concussive blast from a pulse grenade.

This obviously only happened because of Ghaul's attack, but there's something else interesting in the same lore book from a prior entry:

"Brother Vance. I believe a Ghost is in danger. It is against Sanction-C2-1 to harm a Lightbearer's Ghost."

The fact that there's an actual rule for all Crucible engagements that states that it's against a specific sanction to harm a Ghost, means that this sort of thing probably happened before or at least that there's a real risk to Ghosts in the Crucible. Ghosts either got injured or killed and rules were established to monitor this sort of thing and act on it if a Ghost is in danger. In this case, the threat to the Ghost was deliberate, for no reason other than Trials players are canonically kinda assholes.

There were also incidents in Gambit, when Drifter was setting up Gambit Prime. A Titan, Joxer, was one of the people that volunteered to test the game and he ended up being the only survivor; the rest of his team permanently died, though that wasn't anything between Guardians, it was due to the uncontrolled Taken that the team couldn't save themselves against. Incidentally, Joxer is the Titan that died trying to enter the portal in the cutscene we've seen at the start of Season of the Deep, identified in a tab that summarises the scene.

#destiny 2 #ghost #ask

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drabbles-of-writing · 10 months

Text

A Little Kindness: Chapter 12

AO3

Explanation of AU

Previous Chapter

Summary: In which Raine meets Hunter years before canon, and decides that a kid like him could use all the help he could get with an uncle like Belos. Even if they couldn’t go much, they could try something, couldn’t they? Years down the line, Raine is exposed as a traitor to the Emperor’s Coven, and they are bound by the brand on their own wrist. Hunter notices. And as to be expected, he has more than a few complaints. It’s not a big surprise on who he goes to for help.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“That is the Golden Guard.”

“I am aware of this.”

“He is in Edalyn’s house.”

“You know she only ever goes by Eda, and yes.”

“He is… not trying to kill any of you.”

“As if he could.” Amber snorted quietly, and Katya flicked her forehead.

To be entirely honest, Hunter almost wished he’d left that meeting and gone straight to his room. Almost wished he’d landed face-down on the bed and never moved for the rest of the week. He wished that many times in his life, and right now, it was especially potent.

Darius and Eberwolf, per the anxiety of everyone in the House, remained perched on the open windowsill Raine was previously seated next to. Everyone else was scattered across the living room, Willow sitting halfway down the stairs, just as a precaution.

Hunter kept himself well away from the side Darius and Eberwolf were on, leaning against the wall right next to the opening to the kitchen. He hoped he looked a lot more confident and ticked off than he actually was, arms crossed against his chest.

He would’ve been even further away, but Raine was seated on the couch, on the end closest to the Head Witches, and he’d be damned if he left them. No matter how closely Derwin was pressed to their side on the couch, and everyone's eyes trained right on the newcomers.

Raine was probably the whole reason he hadn’t ditched and run back before Darius and Eberwolf could realize what the hell he was doing. He’d even considered just hiding. But Raine was already talking when he had the thought, and then Darius was shoving his head in through the window before Hooty could even think about hissing, staring directly down at Hunter, who was peering back with his eyes between his fingers.

Later, he’d find Darius’ purely aghast expression absolutely hilarious. He looked practically affronted, as if Hunter dared to be in the Owl House and wasn’t there through a series of unfortunate circumstances he deeply wished never happened.

In the moment, all he could muster was an anxious, lopsided smile and a jerky nod, as if he were greeting him in the hallway and not within the home of a traitor.

It was more stressful than anything, really, when the chaos of that whole debacle settled enough for an actual conversation to be had. Hunter was offered to leave, he staunchly refused, Raine warned the Head Witches to stay out of the house, and Hooty remained in the background glaring holes into their heads.

And Darius was still staring at him. At least he looked less like he’d had paint dumped on him and more like he’d realized someone filled the vending machine with roaches as a prank. Again.

In Hunter’s defense, he’d only done it the first time. He still had no idea who was responsible for the second catastrophe. Or the third.

“Well, obviously I have little belief that this scrawny thing could maim someone,” Darius huffed, throwing out an accusing hand Hunter’s way, “but that certainly hasn’t stopped him before.”

“You do not want to see my reports from five months ago if you believe that.” Hunter muttered, brows furrowed in a permanent scowl since the whole disaster settled down.

“It’s not as impressive as you think it is to boast about seriously injuring people.” Darius grumbled, and Hunter rolled his eyes. Mostly so he didn’t have to look at the worried expressions the others shared. “And whatever you do with that scam of a staff doesn’t count—”

“Scam?”

“—and considering the fact you’re supposedly on our side,” Darius continued despite the outcry, “that’s even more concerning to hear. But we have much more important things to worry about.”

“I am not on your side.” Hunter growled, grip on his arms tightening as he curled a lip. “I am the second-hand to the Emperor, and that is final. I’m only here for them.” He insisted, jerking his head in Raine’s direction.

“How’d that happen, anyway?” Darius asked, much too casually for Hunter’s liking, waving a hand in his direction while raising a brow towards Raine. “Still not following on however you domesticated this kid.”

Eberwolf snorted his own agreement, ear flicking.

“Please do not call it that—”

“Welcome to the club, pal.” Katya snorted from where she was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. “He hasn’t answered that question, and Raine’s been too out of it for us to bother trying.”

“Which is a discussion we will have later.” Raine stressed, and Hunter hadn’t realized he’d tensed up until those words made him relax a margin.

“Or never, preferably.” Hunter added. “I owe them one hell of a favor, that’s more than enough of a reason.”

“A favor—?” Raine echoed, head jerking to him with…an oddly alarmed expression before they shook their head and wiped it off. Well, he should keep an eye on whatever that entailed. “Never mind, the point is that Hunter is helping me, and is not going to rat anyone out to the Coven.”

“Right?” Amber jabbed, a few feet on the floor away from Katya, turning the ire of her gaze towards Hunter.

It was a damn lie, but one he was happy to play into. Oh, sure, for the moment he wouldn’t be saying anything, he wasn’t stupid, but once Raine was gone, all bets were off. Belos can replace a powerful Bard, probably, but he can’t replace three Coven Heads with the Day of Unity so close.

Belos could probably still use unwilling participants, right? He’d seen the graph for how the Day of Unity would more-or-less play out. It might work. Just stand in a circle, and bam, portal opened. That’s what he was told would happen, at least.

He’d figure it out later.

“Yeah, yeah, no ratting to the Coven, I’m not a moron.” Hunter scoffed, waving a hand. “Though I do question our employing tactics if rebellious ideas have managed to seep their way into the minds of three highly powerful witches.” He muttered, pressing two of his fingers to the side of his head and slumping into it. “We really need to do more thorough background checks.”

“Good luck,” Darius snorted, Eberwolf chuffing their agreement, “it takes half a decade for advice like that to be considered in the Coven. I know you’re much too young to realize such a thing, but I speak from experience.”

“Patronize me again and I’ll do worse than swing this into your thick skull.” He growled, ears flattening as he uncrossed his arms to reach into his cloak, halfway withdrawing his retracted staff.

“Terrifying, truly. You take after your Emperor. Was it a product of licking his boots every hour of the day?” Darius drawled, Eberwolf snickering along. “Finally got sick of the taste, did you?”

“Okay, both of you, quit it.” Raine snipped, and Hunter straightened where he was on the wall and moved his staff to his belt, clipping it in-sight rather than stashed away. “I am not in the right state to tell you how to behave.”

“I am behaving.” Darius scoffed. “I’d think you know I’m being exceptionally polite, given the circumstances. I deserve a little mockery after what this Prince put me through.”

“Prince—?”

“Nick. Name.” Hunter gritted out only moments before voices rose up. “Don’t ask me, he feels better about himself by being condescending, or something.”

He supposed he couldn’t be too annoyed by the immediate assumption. The first time Darius had called him Prince, two years before he was even the Golden Guard, he’d panicked so badly over the idea that Darius knew he was Belos’ nephew that he’d made a spreadsheet for a plan of escape when his uncle inevitably became furious. After two weeks, he realized Darius was just dangerously close to the truth with his bothersome nicknames.

By the time those rumors actually started spreading, they were already in far too deep.

“Mm, no, I think it fits you rather well, Coven Head.”

“And as Coven Head, I’m ordering you to know your place—”

Something small hit his head.

Hunter blinked, staring off for a moment in surprise more than anything before whirling his head around.

Willow, stood at the doorway leading to the stairs, held what looked to be old shriveled garlic that hung around the entryway. Most of one, at least. A piece of it was missing.

“Are we done?” Willow deadpanned, a brow raised. “Can we be done?”

Hunter stared at her for a moment, baffled, and maybe a bit aghast. He blinked, slowly.

“You wanna try that again?” He challenged, expression not changing.

“Do you?” Willow replied, entirely unbothered.

Hunter opened his mouth. Paused. Closed it.

Now, he didn’t know much about Willow. She was Luz’s friend, she was formerly in the Abomination Track, currently practicing in Plant magic, and had also saved Raine’s life. Via a spell that Snapdragon had said would be difficult to undo herself. Which was not something she said lightly.

“...you have a warning.” He decided on.

“Appreciate it.” Willow drawled. Unimpressed.

“Thank you, Willow.” Raine sighed, leaning back on the couch, Derwin’s arm snaking around them. Hunter felt a little shittier, the vines retracted back to a simple, loose wrap around Willow’s arm, when he saw just how tired they looked.

Which, obviously, they’d barely been awake for over twenty-four-hours, maybe not even then. No wonder they were exhausted, running around everywhere and dealing with this whole mess at…whatever time it was. Afternoon?

Eberwolf snuffed, shaking out their fur and nudging Darius’s side when he cautiously approached again. Overall, despite the annoyances, he had honestly taken the whole thing decently well. Moderately well. Better than Hunter himself had. Though he swore he could hear a “duh” in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like Luz.

His eyes darted up to the ceiling, then back down. Nobody had told Darius and Eberwolf that Luz was in the house, and sick. He imagined they wouldn’t try now.

“Do we have any questions about the present scene, then?” Raine tried, running a hand over their face as they slumped back.

“Is he here often?” Darius asked immediately, thumb pointing in Hunter’s direction.

“Can we stop making a big deal out of this for two seconds, maybe?” Hunter shot back.

“Forgive me for being curious about the details of the Emperor’s loyalist soldier going renegade.” Darius drawled, unphased.

“I am not going renegade—”

“Yeah, he’s here often.” Derwin cut in before more bickering could start. “Mostly scowls and complains a lot.”

“Have I ever complimented you before?” Hunter narrowed his eyes.

“Well, I mean—”

“If I have, disregard all of it. It’s null and void now.”

“Good to know.” Darius nodded sagely. “Moving away from that, can we set up another meeting?” He asked Raine. “Would love to stay and chat, truly, but I have a feeling the tensions are a bit too high for that. And we didn’t happen to inform anyone we’d left. Actually,” he turned back to Hunter, “did you tell anyone you left?”

Eberwolf snarfed, puffing the fur on his back to shake it out. Hunter wasn’t as good at reading Eberwolf as Darius was, but he imagined they were saying something much more crude.

“You are not freeloading off of me.” Hunter pointed a finger in their direction, to which he used as movement to step away from the wall. It especially wouldn’t work out, considering he was going to get the scolding of the year when Belos realized he’d left again. “Which reminds me that we do, in fact, still have two unconscious scouts outside.”

“The ratworms are handling them.” Darius scoffed.

“I do not care whatevers ‘handling’ them, there are still scouts outside.” Hunter stressed. “And the Coven is expecting a report from them sometime soon. You need to get them out.”

“Ungrateful.” Darius muttered without an ounce of bite to it.

“Alright, alright, yes,” Raine nodded, who honestly looked like they’d processed maybe half of the words going on around them, “set up another meeting, remove the Coven scouts, all of that—”

“Would the weekend work?” Darius questioned. “Can’t say the exact time I’ll manage to wiggle away, but Eber is good at causing a scene.” He said, to which Eberwolf in question puffed up with pride.

“Scouts.”

“I heard you, Prince.” Darius said calmly, giving Hunter a woefully undeserved blasé expression.

“Then move.”

“Whenever, yes, weekend.” Raine mumbled, pressing a hand to their face, Derwin leaning closer to their side. “That–that works.”

“Then we’re done here.” Hunter said, hesitating half a second before striding across the room.

“What, are you spontaneously moving in here?” Darius huffed, Eberwolf scoffing something as well.

“I’m making sure these idiots don’t make all this effort pointless.” Hunter sniffed, coming around to Raine’s other side, which was unfortunately closer to the window, and sending a glare. “Now are you leaving, or not?”

“Maybe I should have tried to attack him.” Darius hummed, sharing a look with Eberwolf that had him snickering.

“Do not.” Raine muttered, to which Darius finally stepped back.

“Yes, yes, whatever, don’t die.” Darius waved a hand, stepping further away as Eberwolf snarfed, glanced back in, then hopped off the windowsill. “And tell Eda I’m not breaking her out if she gets caught again, I worry significantly less about her escaping abilities.”

“You don’t worry about her at all.” Raine muttered, which Darius could in no way hear, but from Eberwolf’s light yip, they definitely did.

“I should—” Hunter paused, hands twitching, head raising to look towards the window, “I should make sure they leave—”

“Hooty’s still out there.” Katya pointed out, even as Hunter leaned back a bit to look out the open window to where Darius and Eberwolf were heading back to where the scouts were dragged off.

Reasonably, he should follow them. Tail them back to the Emperor’s Coven just…in case. Obviously, they can’t be lying, but the point still stands that they don’t get along. And Hunter isn’t even really working with them, anyway, and Darius is naturally a very suspicious person.

And he’s the Golden Guard, so of course—

He paused.

Hunter then quickly went to the window, threw caution to the wind, and hissed in a whisper-yell; “you required my presence for watching the scouts, got it?”

Eberwolf turned first, because obviously, they had the best ears. They turned and tapped Darius’s ankle, who also frowned as though he might not be hearing it right.

“Pardon?” He slowly blinked.

“The guards are under the impression I’m on scout watch while they patrol.” Hunter clarified, still hissing, and decided to allow Darius a few steps closer to hear him better. “Technically speaking, I’m supposed to be doing work within the castle,” he continued, because saying ‘put on house arrest’ is just humiliating, “and Emperor Belos is bound to hear I’ve left. When he asks, you were the ones who insisted upon it, and asked for my, I don’t know, advice.” Hunter waved a dismissive hand. “You were not made aware I was to be kept within the castle, and I’m expected to help Coven Heads, so it’s easier if I went against a small order. It’ll save us both some trouble.”

It was very much a lie. Belos was more vigilant of his Coven Heads after Raine, but two Heads briefly leaving before reappearing again wasn’t out of the ordinary, especially considering how much loyalty the two of them have convinced Belos of in the last few weeks.

They were covering for him. That’s all it was, and Hunter ignored the little cardinal in his head calling him a hypocrite. He was more important than both of them for this mission, anyway.

And he was not looking forward to them trying to drag Raine back into the rebellion business.

“You want us to be an excuse.” Darius deadpanned. Because of course he wasn’t that stupid.

“I am the entire reason this rescue mission succeeded.” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “If I am put under surveillance, nobody is going to get far. I have plans to keep Raine out of trouble, plans which it’s clear you have never conceived of. You’ll barely get a slap on the wrist.” He brushed off.

“Because we want a slap on the wrist.” Darius muttered, already turning away. “You better have as good a plan as you claim.”

“And as your superior—wait, what?”

Hunter balked at Darius’s back as he walked back to wherever the scouts had been dragged off to. Eberwolf noticed, smirking at him before turning to trot after, nose high. Bastard.

“Don’t make our jobs twice as difficult!” Darius called over his shoulder. Hunter was too stunned to bother snipping at him.

He heard a snicker behind him, jerking him out of his staring to send a glare. Apparently, it was Katya, who just waved a hand and walked elsewhere when he turned.

“Well,” Raine sighed, leaning far back enough that their head was over the top of the couch, face upturned to the ceiling, “let’s hope that doesn’t go poorly.”

“I think it’s required.” Hunter muttered, glancing out the window once more before reaching out and pulling it shut. “Titan’s sake,” He ran a hand over his face, “is there any other need-to-know-event that I have to deal with?”

“I don’t think you need to deal with any of this.” The short kid piped up. “Technically speaking.”

“And who are you supposed to be?” He sighed.

“Oh—” The kid blinked, pointing to himself, “I’m–I’m Gus.”

“He’s a close friend.” Willow said, weaving the garlic back onto the vines. “And was supposed to help make sure Luz stayed stable while the others were out.”

“Speaking of which,” Gus looked up to the ceiling, “we should probably check on her.”

As if on cue, a resounding thud shook throughout the upper floor. Everyone winced with the sound, followed by faint mutterings from above.

“I’m it.” Willow said immediately, raising a hand and turning on her heel. “Amber, come help.”

“Fine,” Amber sighed, getting off the floor, “I’m not holding her down.”

Hunter had a moment of wanting to follow, just to check-in. After all, Luz was human, and if this was something that could actually keep her down for the count, then it succeeded where a highly secure prison could not.

Then again, he wouldn’t be much help. And might piss off Amber again.

And that left option B, which was feeling a little less ideal.

Gus was still perched by the window, Derwin at Raine’s side, and Katya, who seemed to also be unsure as to what to do, elected to meander her way to the kitchen. Hunter began to follow before he could think twice about it.

Not that he didn’t want to be with Raine, he did… it was just too messy of a situation, is all. And he wasn’t particularly looking forward to everyone staring at him as though they'd understand whatever hole he’d dug himself into, with Raine holding the other shovel.

Not like he could answer half of it.

Katya, he found, had migrated to the fridge. He watched from the doorway as she, without missing a beat, proceeded to pull herself up onto the counter, then on top of the fridge.

“What in the Titan’s name are you doing?” He balked.

“It’s not illegal.” Katya called over her shoulder, turning away and reaching behind the fridge.

“That—that’s not what I was even—“

Katya sat back with a bag of some kind of snack in her hand, grinning victoriously. Hunter squinted as Katya crossed her legs overtop the fridge, popping open the bag.

“We’ve learned that Eda stashes things around like a squirrel.” She said simply, plopping what looked like some chip-gummies into her mouth. Hunter didn’t want to imagine how disgusting it was.

“This place is like a sentient squirrel lived here.” He muttered, and Katya snorted.

“Pretty easy to get used to once you hang around for a while.” Katya shrugged, movement so casual Hunter wondered if she’d meant it as a jab. “But also, just to get this straight, you said you tried to smack a Head Witch in the face?” She asked, looking up.

“We already explained the basics,” Hunter waved a hand, “I see no reason to repeat—“

“No, no, I’m just impressed.” Katya flashed a smile, and Hunter squinted. “Y’know, since you’d probably be fucked if Deamonne and Huntsman weren’t also rebels.”

Hunter stared for a few moments.

“I had a backup plan.” He settled on.

“Did you, now?”

“I am not a moron.” He hissed, already turning away. “There was a plan. There is a very specific way in which this can work out for everyone, and there are some bumps, I admit, but so far, if we all listen, it should—“

Something soft thwacked his head. He startled, jerking around to see the chip-gummy falling to the floor, heard a snicker, and glared back up at the witch.

“You ever gonna tell us why you're doing all this for Raine?” Katya asked, just a tiny bit softer, not pleading in the slightest, sounding open, and it made Hunter suspicious. “I mean, I get it, I’d probably turn traitor for Raine, too, but you're still a surprise.”

Hunter’s eyes darted to the kitchen opening. Where Raine had their head resting in one propped arm, nothing short of exhausted, and Derwin murmuring to them. Gus was somewhere at the edge of his vision, probably just as lost on what to do as he was.

Even through the fading light in the window, dusk falling upon the forest, he could still see the twisting scars across their body, the bags under their eyes, and the wrinkles that didn’t just come from getting older.

He turned away, quickly, as though that’d make a difference.

“They’ve done me a great service,” He dared give up, staring at Katya’s feet hanging off the fridge, “numerous times, and all without a single request. It would be beyond dishonorable to leave a debt like that unpaid.”

“You’re really set on that debt thing, aren’t you?” Katya snorted, one ear lazily flicking. “If I knew you abided by the honor code, I would’ve staged saving your life way before I even got to the BATs.”

“It is not an honor code.” Hunter glared, stepping a bit further away, turned to the side, still facing her. “It’s far more complicated than a simple favor, one that I do not have the time, nor patience, to explain to you.”

“Starting to think you never had patience in the first place.”

“Hey, Hunter?”

Hunter quickly turned his head back through the kitchen opening, straightening up. He heard Katya snort, and he resisted the urge to glare at her.

It was Derwin, one hand clinging to the doorway, leaning heavily to the side, lazy. He raised a slightly amused brow Hunter’s way, to which he did glare at him.

“How long are you staying, anyway?” He asked, head heavily tilted to the side. “Just so we can plan accordingly, cause it’s late, and Eda should be back soon.”

“However long I deem fit.” Hunter muttered, ear flicking. “Which won’t be long, so long nothing tremendously troublesome happens.”

“Dude, if that��s what your criteria is,” Katya snorted, “you’re gonna be here for the rest of your life.”

“Looks like Hunter’s moving in!” Derwin called over his shoulder.

“I am not!” Hunter squawked, Derwin already snickering and ducking out of immediate swiping range. “That is untrue, it is a blatant lie!”

“Do we have to yell at this hour?” Raine sighed, head tipped far over the back of the couch, but Hunter swore he could see them smiling.

“Oh, uh, right,” Hunter immediately lowered his voice, almost a whisper, “er, sorry.”

“Seriously, Raine, did you train him, or something—?”

“I will turn you in!” Hunter hissed, sending a glare Derwin’s way, only barely remembering to try and keep his voice down.

Derwin just cackled, perching himself by the window, where the boy, Gus, startled and looked between the two of them like he wasn’t entirely sure how he was supposed to react. But he seemed to decide Derwin’s was the most trustworthy, because he started to smile, too.

Hunter just prayed he wasn’t flushed up to his ears.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.” Raine chuckled, to which Hunter just drew his arms back in closer to himself, head ducked, ears pressed flat. “Just to avoid the hassle.”

“I don’t make promises.” Hunter grumbled, and Derwin’s grin just widened. For some reason.

“Hey, guys?” Gus tapped Derwin’s shoulder, peering around him outside the window. “Someone just showed up.”

“Scouts?” Hunter straightened, resting his hand over the staff clipped to his belt. He could see Raine raising out of the corner of his eye, tense, and he could hear Katya stumbling off the fridge.

“Uh, don’t think so?” Gus raised a hand as he looked out the window, Derwin following suit. “Looks a little too…wingy?”

“Okay, so, either a griffin, or Eda.” Derwin decided, straining his eyes, then leaning back. “But the owl beast form is the only time she’d have wings, right?”

“Did,” Raine jerked up, eyes a little wide, “did something happen?”

“Are we causing problems down there?” Willow’s voice drifted, somewhere up the stairs. Hunter flicked an ear, and heard something like voices mingling together in strained worry. Looks like Luz was up.

“Uh, maybe the other way around?” Katya called back, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen, hand twitching like she was itching to draw a spell circle. “Maybe keep Luz up there for a minute—”

The door, promptly, burst open.

Hunter noticed a few things. First of all, that Katya jumped and startled like how he imagined a cat would. Second of all, that Derwin sprung off the windowsill, but Gus stayed on and hunched down. Third of all, that Raine sat up even quicker, not standing up, but clearly prepared and ready to do so if needed.

Hunter, for his part, stayed right in place, only his head jerking back to the door. His hands itched over his staff.

Oh, and, fourth of all, he noticed the fumble of feathers and claws trying (and failing) to force herself through the front door.

“This is such— oh,” Paused the Harpy, blinking at all the stares around the room, “hey, was there…a party happening, or something?”

“Or something.” Derwin relaxed instantly, and Hunter took a slightly wary step back as Eda resumed trying to shove herself through the front door. “Where’s—?”

“Today blowed!” Came a familiar shout, and King promptly rushed in between Eda’s legs and into the room. “There were so many Coven guards all over the— when’d Hunter get here?” He stopped, eyes locking in on the boy in question.

“When’d you leave?” Hunter shot back, catching some flashes of purple behind Eda’s massive wings. “Owl Lady, I feel as though it’d be easier if you weren’t—”

“Yeah, see, I would,” Eda gruffed, giving him an exasperated look, “but I can’t at the moment.”

“Ah,” Came the slightly strangled voice of Raine, and Hunter worriedly glanced over to find them staring at Eda, who was now getting shoved from the outside of what Hunter could glimpse from what was definitely someone new. Their eyes were a little blown out.

Hunter slipped himself over to the couch, standing in front of the other cushion next to Raine. He was a Guard, after all. He could do that. He could do his job. Part of it, at least.

“Hunter’s here?” Came an unfamiliar voice from outside—right before Eda popped through the door.

She collapsed to the floor in a pile of feathers and disarray, groaning in what appeared to be mostly dramatic annoyance. Raine snorted, that moment of shocked silence slowly being taken by a more relaxed amusement when Hunter spared another look their way.

And in popped the head of…honestly he wasn’t sure. No one else seemed to really react to her, so he didn’t believe it was an issue. She was clearly Luz’s age, and her eyes were moving about the room and glancing at Eda with something like an uncertain, mild disgust, which, fair, Eda was a jumbled mess. And that was putting it lightly.

He swore her face was familiar. The purple hair was throwing him, though. Like a wall over the answer on the tip of his tongue.

Then, she saw him.

A moment of tense silence.

“Is that supposed to be the Golden Guard, or…?” She started, pointing a finger at him, doubt in her tone.

“Wh—?” Hunter fumbled, then flattened his ears, “the hell you mean, is that supposed to be—?”

“Amity!”

Hunter reared back slightly, the back of his knees bumping against the couch cushions as a blur ran past from the stairs—Luz, that was Luz.

The girl, Amity, looked just as surprised before getting unceremoniously tackled into a hug. Hunter blinked bewilderedly, for a number of reasons, but mostly because no one else seemed very surprised by this. They just looked at them, and a few smiled, then Gus and Katya moved over to help Eda back up to her feet.

Raine started to reach out, and without really thinking about it, Hunter held out a hand in front of them, eyes going back to surveying the room, where Willow and Amber were descending the stairs at a slower pace. This started as an instinct, then morphed into him not daring to see Raine’s expression as they lowered their hand, and he did the same.

Realistically, he was making perfect sense, honestly. Raine was clearly worn out, tired from both the side effects and the disaster this day had brought, and they’d be of no use trying to help Eda. Even if she wasn’t significantly taller, sharper, and heavier in her harpy form.

Therefore, he should not be feeling… weird. He blamed the house for this. Who knows what kind of disease it has in the air? It was messing with his insides. He should probably leave.

“I’m so glad,” He heard Luz muffle into Amity’s shoulder, and he swore he recognized that name, “my awesome girlfriend is okay.”

Amity paused, blinking like this news surprised her. Then, she smiled, a very sickeningly soft thing, and hugged Luz back.

Alright, so that was two things for him to check off. The more unimportant one being that, watching them, he noticed some drying mushrooms clinging to Luz’s hair. Common mold, right, they said she had that. A part of him was saying it was good to know they were honest about that—and surprised himself, when he found he hadn’t doubted that claim at all. Or properly verified it beyond a quick glance.

That was worrying.

The second thing was that this was the supposed girlfriend. The purple hair he expected. Not that he was really giving it much thought, he could honestly have cared so less it was in the negatives, but if he had expectations, they weren’t…a fancy, pristine coat, trimmed earmuffs, and fuzzy very well-made boots.

Amity was still ringing a bell for him. It was in the back of his mind, he knew it from somewhere. Which was mildly alarming, because almost all the names he heard of were in the Emperor’s Coven, or otherwise related to the Coven. If this was a double-spy situation going on, he was royally fucked.

If this was Luz somehow finding another traitorous witch in the ranks, he was just going to give up and implore his uncle to fire everyone and start from scratch.

He came out of his cataloging trance to Luz swooping down to grab King, happily prancing up and squeezing him like a doll. King was protesting loudly to this, much to everyone else's amusement, and Hunter almost snorted. Almost.

“How did it go?” Raine asked, and he quickly jerked his head back to them, where they were still watching Eda.

“Horrible,” Eda muttered, brushing herself off and nearly smacking Gus and Katya in the head with her wings as she moved to shut them, “they had nothing left, nothing but a bunch of scouts. Almost woulda thought we’d been had if we hadn’t come up with the idea to leave this morning.” She snorted, as if it were a joke, monstrous eyes flicking his way.

“I’d doom myself if I did that, and unlike most of you, I’m not an idiot.” Hunter snarked, crossing his arms. “Where the hell were you?” He hissed, narrowing his eyes in accusation. “You have multiple escaped prisoners in your very house, a sick apprentice, and the Golden Guard who can just waltz into your home, and you go on some stroll?”

“She had good reason, Hunter.” Raine said gently, raising a hand to his shoulder. He stepped (not a flinch) away as smoothly as he could, brushing it off as some sort of weird pacing.

“Like what?” He threw up a hand, gesturing to the room gathering about each other, talking over one another and no doubt sharing what idiocy they’d done for that day.

“We—” Eda paused. A hesitation. Which was not a good thing to see on an impulsive wildcard.

Hunter’s eyes narrowed further, hand tightening over his arm. His eyes shifted to Raine, who was giving Eda a perplexed, slightly pleading, look. Which was doubly surprising.

“Oh, Hunter!”

He jerked his head away, barely managing to duck out of the way of Luz’s hand aiming to grab him. He hissed in the back of his throat on instinct, found it wasn’t as genuine as he thought, and he was annoyed that, from Luz’s mildly exasperated expression, she damn well knew that.

“Why does no one tell me when you show up?” She puffed, hands on her hip. “When’d you get here?”

“While you were sick off your rocker.” He drawled, squinting at her head before reaching out. “You still have mushrooms on you.”

“But they’re cool!” Luz whined, ducking away.

“Cool—they’re mushrooms.” He scoffed, bewildered, and snagged her sleeve before all but shoving his hand into her hair. “You’re going to grow actual mold!”

“That's my sacrifice to make!” Luz protested, batting at him as her head was awkwardly jerked to the side. He was not gentle with his shoving, and he had no care to be.

“You’re disgusting.” He sneered, giving a push to her head that sent her stumbling a step before drawing back. “Have I mentioned I feel bad for your girlfriend?”

“Hey!” Puffed the girlfriend in question, of which Hunter immediately narrowed his eyes on when she popped out from talking with Willow and Gus. “Luz is a wonderful girlfriend to have, and I am lucky to have such an awesome—”

“Oh, Titan,” Hunter groaned, turning his head away and giving Luz a pained look, “she’s a sap? Of course she's a sap.” He scrunched up his face like he ate something sour. “No wonder she can stand you.”

“Hey, she—”

“I happen to love Luz’s company—”

“Don’t care.” Hunter raised a hand, turning right on his heel—and only then remembered that Raine and Eda were still right there. Watching the entire thing. With highly amused expressions.

Eda was full-on snickering quietly, fangs revealed in the upwards curl of her mouth. Because she was the Owl Lady, and a gremlin at heart. At least she was consistent.

Raine was, despite not actively snickering, somehow doubly humiliating. Their eyes were alight, fully smiling, leaned forward with one elbow braced on their knee, hand only partially covering their mouth. Entertained.

Hunter bristled, ears pressing back. He could hear Luz and Amity still protesting their sappiness behind him, and he cared so astronomically little it was beyond the negatives.

“What?” He snapped, glowering.

“You’re a fun kid, blondie.” Eda grinned, and—

He wasn’t sure how to describe that, actually. He didn’t like it, was sure he was supposed to be feeling dislike . It was an odd way to feel dislike. It felt kind of like floundering, and another twist in the gut. Seriously, what kind of diseases were in this place? He was probably catching mold.

“Nothing,” Raine said a moment later, waving it off, not even bothering to sound honest, “nothing at all.”

It clung to his mind like a burr. No matter how much he tugged, he couldn’t get it to cooperate, and go into its proper file to be inspected later.

“Whatever,” He muttered instead, glaring about the room, where Luz was now saying something mushy to Amity he very much didn’t care about, and the BATs were talking up a storm to Willow and Gus, “the mission you were apparently on.” He drew his eyes back. “What was so important, exactly, that Raine here could’ve very nearly been dragged back to the Coven?”

“Excuse—” Eda started, then the feathers all along her fluffed up. He tensed on instinct, because that was very much a predator growing agitated. “What happened?”

“We’ll explain everything, I promise.” Raine soothed, reaching out a hand and gently laying it on Eda’s arm. Almost instantly, some of those feathers lay flat again, and Eda looked down to watch their hand.

More credence to the long time friends who aren’t going to make Hunter’s life any easier theory.

“But,” Raine glanced to Hunter, then to Eda again, that pleading remaining. Eda gave a thin-lipped, tense smile, and looked almost a little guilty as her eyes fell away. Apparently, that was the answer, because then Raine fully turned their head to Hunter, “they were looking for Titan’s blood.”

The information hit him like a freight train, and he wondered if anyone could tell how fast he was filing everything away into its own neat little corners. Because that just made an already complicated situation into five different wires all knotted together and tied tight.

Nothing left, and crawling with scouts. They were at the veins. It was reasonable to assume there was nothing left at the Titan’s veins. This either meant the Coven got it before them, or it was all gone. Considering how stubborn all of these people were, he suspected the latter. Which was, decidedly, very fucking bad news.

And also, you know, sworn enemies of the castle were looking for Titan’s blood. That was bad. That was very bad, and knowing these people, that meant they’d been looking for two reasons. The first option was that they wanted to hoard it all to stop the Day of Unity. The other…

“You’re…making a portal?” He tried, tilting his head slightly.

“Trying to get the kid home.” Eda said, head turning back to him, something a little complicated and nearly sad in there. Luz said something rather loud in the background, and he wasn’t sure what.

Luz was human.

Humans weren’t from the Boiling Isles.

“And there was no blood.” Hunter finished, slowly. “So, no portal.”

“Yeah, uh,” Eda scrunched up her face, “we’re…yeah, we’re gonna see if, I dunno, anything else—”

“Oh!” Luz perked up suddenly, heads turning to her as she broke away from Amity for a second, who was starting to mess with the buttons on her heavy coat, and he caught sight of some weird rope, like a necklace around her neck, before his focus went back to Luz. “Oh, actually, the–the echo mouse,” She pointed vaguely upstairs. “It's in the—”

Like a mouse to a cat, Luz’s eyes snapped directly towards Hunter.

Hesitation.

Hunter stared right back. Didn’t narrow his eyes, didn’t flick an ear, nothing. He’d been told he was more unnerving that way. Staring without blinking, without losing eye contact, no matter how much it stung at his eyes. Unnatural.

Luz’s eyes darted away. That was her admission.

“Some other place.” Luz finished lamely, voice more mumbly, and that split second of pause was gone. “I don’t think it was actually written down where it was.” She continued, and he had to give her credit, she was pretty good at lying when it mattered. “But they said it wouldn’t be in the veins. Dried up a while ago.”

Liar, he wanted to hiss, just to see what would happen. See what it’d stir up. How quickly he’d get everyone baring fangs at him.

He found himself impressed, in a bitter sort of way. Luz, to him, felt like a rather open book. Heart on her sleeve, and all that. Has to help and befriend everyone. Trusted him, for some reason, that he was now her friend forever after one incident with the palismen.

And here was a lie, right in front of his face. For something they both very desperately needed.

Then again, that bitterness was wholly unwarranted. First of all, they weren’t friends, she was just…she was okay. She was a decent person, he guessed, who was still a pain in his ass, and he was still on the opposite side of her. She was just good at breaking people out.

Second of all, why should he be surprised? She trusted him once, and he still leveled a staff at her. Sure, she got away, but he still hissed and snipped. He had proven himself untrustworthy, and so she didn’t trust him. It was simple, it was smart, and he was glad she was learning. Really, he was.

No, that's why his hackles felt like raising. Because he needed that information, that was it. He could be glad she was learning and upset that it was inconvenient. Actually, no, why should he be glad? She’s not on his side, she’s not, he shouldn’t be glad, for Titan’s—

“We’ll have to look some other time, then.” Raine said, easily enough. “In the meantime, we had…a bit of a surprise while you were gone.” They chuckled, easing back slightly.

“Raine sucks at finding rebels!” Amber called. Raine’s face almost immediately fell to mild annoyance.

“Right, well,” Hunter took a step back, darted his eyes to Luz, who was talking in hushed whispers with a rather perplexed Amity, and decided that, you know, they probably didn’t need him anymore, and they sure as hell weren’t going to spill anything tonight, “you lot do that.” He waved a dismissive hand, taking more steps away from the couch, not looking at Raine when they noticed first and furrowed their brow. “I am going to start looking suspicious if I’m not back soon.”

“But didn’t they say they’d cover—”

“There is only so much covering,” Hunter narrowed his eyes Gus’ way, who thinned his mouth and didn’t continue, “that I’m sure they will be willing to do.” He cast his glower back to the front door. “And I have a palisman who's going to be very upset with me. So, have fun.” He offered a lax wave, beelining it for the door.

“You coming back sometime soon?” Derwin asked after him, voice drifting from elsewhere.

“Classified.” He lazily said over his shoulder, reaching for the handle and thoroughly ignoring King skittering away from his feet, seeming much more grateful that he wasn’t being smothered anymore. “Can’t have that information leaking. You’ll find out when I show up.” He said simply.

“See you tomorrow, then!” Luz called, chipper as ever. Hunter clenched the door handle a little tighter than necessary and swallowed back the liar still bubbling in his throat. Tonight was just a lot. That’s why he was bitter. Maybe it was the confusion over the bitterness that was making him worse.

“Hunter, hey—”

“I won’t be gone long.” He said instantly, head turning right to Raine as they started. “I’ll—” He darted his eyes away, then back again. “It won’t be long.” He instead repeated.

“Yes, well,” Raine frowned, though it was softer. He wasn’t sure why they had the hint of a smile. “Do be careful, please?” They turned their head to the side a bit. “Someday I’d like to have a normal conversation.” They chuckled.

Hunter stared, only for a few seconds. Or maybe it felt like seconds in his head. It was probably only a fifth of a second in reality. Everything felt much slower in his head.

“Right,” He echoed, then made himself pull the door open, “course, I’d, um,” He glanced at them for a moment, then looked out the door, to the surrounding night, “I’d like that, too.”

With that, he unclipped the staff from his belt, and forced himself out of that disease-ridden house.

“Please tell me you can teach me how to do that,” He immediately heard Amber start, “because that would save so much trouble—”

He promptly slammed the door shut. Much to Hooty’s very loud, very annoying, protests.

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