#and to love them openly and loudly where everyone around me can know I'm a simp without putting my mental health in jeopardy and I want to | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pigeonp0st · 3 years

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hi! I'm new to tumblr so sorry if I request wrong or something but could you do a natasha x reader where the reader is natasha's secret girlfriend and the team finds out? You can take it in whatever direction you want but some ideas are them almost breaking up because one of them doesn't want to tell the team or the team being surprised that the reader is the opposite of Natasha in a lot of ways or the team finding out after one of them casually lets it slip in conversation. Thank you!

Natasha Romanoff x Reader #4

Words: 1,569

Warnings: I don’t think there’s any?

Notes:

Thank you for requesting, I hope you enjoy! (Sorry for spelling mistakes! Looking for them is something I despise to do.)

———-

Natasha is captivating, you’ve come to realize.

You knew it before, when the two of you were just partners and friends, but now—now it shines in the brightest of ways.

Natasha is captivating. She’s captivating to you like watching your favorite character in a TV show, or like honey is to bees, or like the ocean is at first to baby turtles trying to make their way to safety.

Natasha is also safety...which in hindsight probably makes you the turtle, and since you’re the turtle—the Avengers are the birds trying to eat you.

(Yes, this is a messed up analogy.)

Instead of rushing through the birds and taking risk—the risk being coming forward about your relationship with Natasha—you’ve decided to hide in the sand, away from everything scary..and really, so be it if you starve because of it.

Natasha thinks the whole turtle and bird analogy is dramatic, but she says, looking concerned and slightly confused, the ocean and the turtle one is sort of, weirdly, sweet.

Then she says, hesitantly like she’s not sure if she’s understanding properly, “if the birds are keeping you from the ocean—me—then, I mean, you aren’t with me right? You aren’t safe.”

It takes you a couple of long moments to catch what she’s saying, but once you do you slump into bed besides her to curse into the pillow, and for the rest of that night Natasha distracts you with food and movies.

———

You think about the conversation two weeks later and realize that Natasha isn’t safe either. These people, these Avengers, they’re her family. They’re the people who have accepted her, and if this is the one thing they can’t accept—if you loving her, and her loving you in return is the one thing they can’t accept about her—well...it’ll ruin her.

You don’t want the relationship the two of you have to be the thing that ruins her. Even the thought of it, of being the reason she loses something so vital to her...it makes you feel nauseous.

Thus...stuck between a rock and a hard place (a really fucking suffocating rock), sitting in the empty kitchen at six am in the morning, is where you vow to do your best to hide your relationship; for her, but also for you.

It’ll be hard but you have to TRY, because the other option is…

It’s Plan B.

———

There’s a weight on your shoulders that wasn’t there before, and it keeps feeling like it’s getting heavier and heavier, and you just—

Fuck. You just want to love. Why does it feel like you’re hiding and scared more than not. Why does it feel like Natasha’s happiness rests upon your ability to be discreet?

And yeah, maybe you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself but also maybe you’re not, because all it takes is one wrong move. One wrong move.

...maybe Plan A is selfish. Plan B is safer...but sometimes she looks at you with this softness on her face that just...makes you feel selfish.

You can’t break up with her. Plan A will work for as long as it has to, because it has to.

———

Plan A fails.

It’s your fault.

You and Peter are sitting on the couch chatting, with half of the Avengers scattered around the room, and Peter says, distraughtly, “I know you haven’t dated someone for a long time but i’d like for you to help me ask out this girl I like.”

Without thinking you quirk an eyebrow at him and say, “who said I wasn’t dating anyone?” and then proceed to completely freeze when your brain catches up to what you’ve said.

Peter tilts his head at you, confused, “you’re dating someone?”

There’s too much anxiety in your forced out, “NO,” and is everyone looking at you? It feels like everyone is looking at you.

Wanda is instantly intrigued, along with the other Avengers, and though you are using every fiber in your being to not look at Natasha you know she’s looking at you too.

Wanda asks, smiling comfortingly, “who are you dating?” Like your no was a yes, and maybe that’s exactly what it sounded to them.

There’s multiple things you could say to respond to her question. Smarter things then what you actually end up saying, but your brain is full of anxiety, and your heart is much too loud, and the only thing you can think of is to protect Natasha anyway you can, so you force out, trying to keep your voice as even as possible;

“A girl I met online.”

There’s immediate quiet. Your eyes are shut tightly because you can’t bring yourself to see their faces, you can’t bring yourself to see Natasha’s face, because holy fuck. You’re scared. You’re so scared. You’re doing this for her, so she knows how they feel, but why does it have to ruin you instead.

“Y/N?” Wanda says, placing an arm on your hand. Your eyes immediately snap open. Hers are apologetic and concerned. “Breathe.”

That’s when you notice your hyperventilating.

You feel arms wrapping around you from behind and you just immediately know who it is. What is she doing? What is Natasha doing? You don’t look at her, you’re afraid your eyes will give away to much, but you hear Natasha whisper in your ear—her voice so even it’s obvious she’s forcing it not to tremble;

“It’s okay, okay? You’re okay. Look at their faces.”

You do. They all look concerned, and a bit confused.

“I’m sorry,” you croak, laughing bitterly. Natasha’s arms tighten around your torso.

(What is she doing? You’re trying to save her.)

They all look at each other, uncertain, and then finally Steve asks gently, “what’s her name?”

It’s the moment the weight falls off your shoulder. (It’s the moment where the turtle realizes that there’s not actually birds around, and that the turtle isn’t actually a turtle. It’s a human, with a family that loves unwaveringly.)

“Her name…” you pause, eyes growing watery, “uh…”

“Her name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova, otherwise known as Natasha Romanoff,” Natasha says, meeting Steve’s gaze directly, and then the rest of the Avengers. Even Peter. She looks defensive, but not of herself, of you. She’s behind you, but it feels like she’s shielding you like you were trying to shield her.

Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to be needed.

Most of the Avengers look shocked, others look unsurprised (Tony hands Wanda some cash). Some of them looked more shocked when you said it was a person you met online.

Well.

“So...are you going to tell me how to ask out the girl I like now?” Peter asks, his voice unsure.

Natasha looks to be about to say something snarky but you squeeze her hand to silence her and grin at him, “sure thing, kid. Sure thing.”

“I’m sixteen.”

———

Later, before you and Natasha head off to bed you make a loud comment in the hallway that causes a couple of loud antagonized groans. “I’m going to sleep with Nat now! Well—not sleep with her, sleep with her, we’re going to be sharing a bed. As couples do...like we’ve secretly been doing but now are doing openly—the sleeping next to each other. The other sleeping together won’t be open. Well, unless—“

Natasha quickly drags you into the room before you manage to finish that train thought.

“The other sleeping together won’t be open,” Natasha grumbles. “So whatever you were planning with that girl you met online...cut it out.”

You smile at her, completely and utterly in love. “Babe, are you jealous of a made up person?”

She rolls her eyes playfully, then, abruptly, her eyes turn soft and she pulls you into a tight hug you weren’t prepared for.

“Oh. This is nice.” You wrap your arms around her too, though you’re confused. “Are you alright?”

Natasha shakes her head. “What you did earlier...don’t ever do that again. Don’t put your heart on the line in effort to protect mine,” Nat says, and she sounds more vulnerable than you meant her to be. “Your heart is my heart. It hurt me to see you looking that alone and scared. You aren’t alone. We’ll face things together.” Then quietly, Natasha says, “you’re my ocean, too. I need you to be okay for me to be okay.”

“Alright.” You promise, pulling away from the hug to cup her cheek and meet her eyes. You don’t want to hurt Natasha. You won’t. She’s already been hurt too much. “But, by the way, it really doesn’t make sense for you to be the ocean to my ocean.”

Natasha lets out an amused breath in response, then relents with; “then your my sun. You make me brighter.”

She looks so adorably proud of her analogy that you can’t help your laughter. “That’s cheesy as fuck.”

It’s perfect. Especially when Natasha snorts and pushes you away with a mocking; “okay, turtle to my ocean. Whatever you say.”

“You wound me, ocean, you wound me.”

“So now i’m a bird attacking a turtle?” Natasha asks, and now she’s just being rude. “Wounding you like they would?”

“I don’t expect a mortal to understand the poetic words of a god.”

Natasha laughs so loudly you’re sure her room neighbors can hear. You don’t have to care about them hearing anymore. “What?” You mumble, flabbergasted, “it is kinda poetic!”

“You wish.”

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moviesstoriesandbooks · 2 years

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I am crying while typing this. Thots on bad buddy ep 10

1) going through the tags is a game of russian roulette. We're either gonna get tooth rotting inkpa fluff or we're gonna di£🤓

2) fuck you Pat's dad. You disgusting piece of excuse for a human being. Pat raised himself to be a man. You're not even one. How dare you inflict that weight on a child?

3) Pran's mum. You bitch. You did the same thing to pran that my mum did to me. And my feelings to you are the same. I empathize. But i will never forgive.Nor should Pran.

4) school. Both of them are such saps. I thought seeing liddol pat running with the guitar that's somehow seems bigger than him , with his cheeks bouncing ,and eyes lost, was gonna be the most heartbreaking scene in today's episode.

5) It was not. I had to sit through the scene in the supermarket where Pran pushes Pat away , then Pran being fuckin scared in his own house, of his own mother and then i had to see pran sobbing in pat's arms at the terrace. I am not okay. Not at all.

6) everything was fine in the beginning. Everything. They were messing around. Openly. Loudly. For the entire world to see. But that's not the entire world is it? It's... Just like how queer people have their own spaces where they can be loud and free and happy as much as they want , but in reality that's only a corner of the world that they have to make for themselves , while everywhere else it's like having a gun to your head.

7) they're still playing the game.

8) paof you ☀️ of a 🐩, you did it. Did tou ask gmmtv to look the other way when you shot inkpa scenes or did you tell them they were just friends? I can't believe.🤓For the life of me. 🤓 That we got a confession scene🤓 in the dark room🤓✌🏽

9) oh and another heartbreaking moment. 🤓Was when the employee who has no relationship at all to pran offered to go with him to his house because he could see how much in pain he was. He could see the weight on those shoulders and how it ceased to be when pran was with pat. Pran's mother is never seeing the gates of heaven.That nasty Bit*h

10) when pa and pat were getting dinner together , i knew that pat was going to let her talk first. How to flesh out your character to the audience clearly 101 , paof's masterclass

11) wai , hate you but boi you do catch on fast. Now redeem yourself and also *hem hem * relieve yourself in some engineering guy's arms yeah?

12) drake baby , you've never done anything wrong in your life, i know this, and i love you. Please act more and more.

13) ink * eyes on fire * whenever wai comes within 10 ft of pa.

14) pa you're a dumbass but you're ink's dumbass so it's okay. I love you .

15) there's many many things that were lovely to the point of me craving for a pair of hands( or several) to hold me while i watched. When pat said pran smelled good. When Pran watched him with that smile while he was yelling to everyone how much he loved him. The dimpled smile that plays around Pran's lips when he looks at his dumbass bf.

16) "are you friends?" "We aren't friends"

And ,

🍭I don't remember anything else , if i do I'll add them , though prolly not.

🍭There's a reason that though I'm sure this series has high rewatch value , i don't rewatch the episodes. I want to suffer all the pain and all the love altogether at once. I'll rewatch when it's finished and only when it's finished.

🍭 there's this scene in 'kabhi khushi kabhi gham' where jaya bachchan's character describes how amitabh brought a young shah rukh home and how he became her 'jaan'. Pran is like that to us paof. You brought him to me , he's our *praan* now. Please don't hurt him😭💔

#backaof noppharnach #thai bl series #thai boys love series #thailand #thai drama #bad buddy the series #gmmtv actors #gmmtv #gmmtv series #drake laedeke #jimmy #ohm pawat #nanon korapat #ohmnanon #waikorn #kornwai #inkpa

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toomanyfandoms02 · 3 years

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Shameless // Fred Weasley

Summary - The gang challenges Fred and the Reader to fluster eachother after each being called shameless.

Word Count - 1.7k

I'm not gonna lie this was hot LMAOO

Fred and I were often compared to eachother. These were usually the words we were called

Outgoing

Spontaneous

Idiots

Humorous

Shameless

Pranksters

Delinquents

These were said by a mixture of people, but most knew us as best friends. I marched the halls with the twins every day, but everyone knew I was a just a little closer to Fred. There was just some connection there. A connection lots of people took out of context.

Sure, we flirted, but I flirt with a lot of people. Theres another word we were called, flirts! Though this had a good majority of my friends convinced that we were in love. It was at the point where people openly talked about it in front of us.

*"Nice ass Weasley!" I shouted as I entered the Great Hall. This drew a few eyes towards me, snickering. Fred turned around and looked to me, gesturing to his bum.*

*"Oh this old thing? Nothing compared to yours." I licked my finger and made a sizzle sound. Everyone was right, we really had no shame.*

And that's what my friends were on about at the moment. A big group of us were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. This included Harry, Hermione, Ron, the twins, Seamus, Dean, Angelina, and Ginny.

"You two flirt all the time without getting all ruffled. How do you do it?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, it's just how we are I guess." I shrugged to Fred as I answered. He nodded in agreement.

"Matter of fact, I don't think I've ever seen either of you flustered." Dean butted in.

"I say we change that." George said with a simple nod. Fred looked at him with furrowed brows. "I say we challenge them!" It was clear that not one person in the room knew what George was on about, so he continued. "Alright see, I give them 3 days to see who can fluster who first. One of us has to see it though, to know it happened. Can the unflusterables fluster one another you think?" Georges arms were crossed at his chest cockily.

"I think that's a brilliant idea." Hermione agreed.

"That's easy, I'll totally win. I have no shame, no embarrassment." Fred announced with glee.

"We will see about that." I smiled at him with one eyebrow raised.

*Oh its on.*

After barely an hour of thinking about this whole challenge alone in my dorm, I realized that I walked myself right into failure. It wasnt that I though Fred could win, it was that I *knew* I would lose. In the way that I had never really charmed any boy. I didn't have anything up my sleeve. I was really just going to have to wing it.

That being said, Fred was quite the charmer. It was hilarious watching 1st years see him for the first time and swoon over him. Pulling girls in with simple winks and little waves across the room.

But now it was dinner time, so I see this as round one to this weird challenge George has concocted.

I made sure to make my way into the Great Hall nearly unnoticed, walking in with a sea of other students. I immediately spotted Fred and made a beeline towards him. Some of the group spotted me but said nothing, letting me go with my improvised plan.

I stood right behind Fred, reaching my hand into his hair and running my fingers though it. He turned his head slightly to see me.

"Hello love." He smiled at me sweetly. I continued, wrapping my arms around his neck lightly and leaning down so my chin was rested on his shoulder.

"You're hair is so soft." He turned his face to mine, our noses almost bumping.

"Thanks sweet cheeks." He put a small kis on my nose which made me smile, sitting next to him after.

"Nothing? Really? No blushy cheeks, or stuttered speech?" Angelina was flabbergasted clearly, her hands gesturing wildly in the air as she spoke.

"I honestly don't know if it's possible." George shrugged. "I just thought it would be interesting if it was."

"Oh I've got plans don't worry, this sexy ass will be blushing to the moon and back when I'm done with her." Fred looked down to me, smirking. He gave a challenging face.

"I know your deepest darkest secrets Weasley. Don't test me." I raised my eyebrow cockily as the whole group just stared puzzled.

"I wish I could talk to Cho like that." Harry huffed, earning a laugh from most of the group. (Aside from Ginny, who I was quick to tap her hand under the table at the comment. She had told me weeks ago how agonizing she felt.)

Later that night a good portion of the gang was hanging out in the common room again. I had just walked through the entryway and saw Fred sitting on the couch. As soon as we made eye contact he patted his lap. All heads whipped my way. I walked over and sat right on his lap, making myself comfortable. He grabbed my face lightly and put a small kiss on my jaw.

"Where were you love, we missed you." The few first years that had joined whatever conversation was going on looked as if they were going to be sick.

"Just went on a walk handsome." Everyone shook their heads with disappointed looks.

"Nothing, seriously?" Hermione laughed in disbelief. The youngins asked about the situation and it was explained to them. They all giggled about it for a while as we watched. Soon Fred was leaned very close to my ear.

"You should just give up now beautiful, you know you're going to lose." He whispered ever so lightly in my ear. I pushed his face away from mine so his ear was towards me.

"Really cute of you to think so." I whispered back. That was the last we spoke that night seeing as it was 10 pm.

I woke up the next morning hearing giggles from Hermione and Angelina. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. They got very quite as they saw me waking up.

"What are you two up to?" They looked down at the books they had in their hands, ignoring me. Just then I heard our shared bathroom open, seeing Fred come out wearing only a towel hanging low on his waist. I looked him up and down with a smile. "Not bad Weasley. Working out lately?"

I would never admit it outloud, but this one almost got me. He's only in a damn towel. I mean come on, everyone found Fred attractive.

Right?

"Yeah. Maybe you can try this whole thing in my dorm later? Maybe surprise me?" He winked and left the room quickly.

"Hey! Get your arse back here, that's my towel!" The girls followed us close behind, peaking out of the door to watch us in the hallway between the rest of the dorms.

"Oh you want it back? Her you go love." He pulled it right off his body and handed it to me. I knew if I closed my eyes, or covered them, they would count it as a loss for me. So I just maintained eye contact with him and yanked it from his hands. "Nervous?" He squinted at me. Man was the boy lucky there was not one else in these halls at 6 am.

"Never." I replied with a smile and turned away, walking back into the dorm. "Nice try ladies!" I dropped the towel in our hamper and they fell back onto Hermiones bed with a loud groan.

Later that day Hermione, Fred, George, me, Dean and Seamus had free time in Care of Magical Creatures.

"He was literally naked in front of her and she didn't even blink." Mione deadpanned.

"Maybe it's because shes seen it before." Fred elbowed my side.

"You wish." I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe I do." He stared daggers into my eyes.

"At this point I feel like even if you guys made out nothing would happen." George shrugged. This gave everyone a collective evil smile.

"Oh are we doing that now?" I asked as nonchalant as possible. Even with my heart racing a mile a second. Fred looked at me with confusion. "Unless you're too pussy." That wiped the confusion off his face.

"Nope." He grabbed my face and pulled it inches from his.

"I'm just going to warn you, I've never kissed, let alone made out with, a boy before. So I apologize in advance." I laugh-whispered to him, pushing my lips onto his. I grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him closer, running my hands through his hair.

His hand traced my jaw with one hand and the other was gripped to my hair.

"Pretty good for never kissing anyone, you sure you arent lying?" He said quietly in between kisses.

"I would never lie to you." He took my open mouth as an opportunity to use his tongue and deepen the kiss. I was ready to give up at this point, this boy was unknowingly ruining me. "Would you ever lie to me?" More questions between kisses.

"Never."

"You like me don't you?" His nose bumped with mine at the question. Starting to kiss up my jaw near my ear.

"Of course love." He laughed lightly, pulling back from the kiss. We turned back to the group which was a mixture of disgust, confusion, and knowing glances.

"Seemed like a lot of whispers for just making out don't you think?" Georges arms were crossed over his chest. We both shrugged.

"Sometimes friends just make out." I admitted, which was a very obvious lie.

"So you would make out with me then?" George challenged. Fred grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him with a glare to George.

"I think I won in a different way than anticipated." George smirked. "So are you guys going to get together or what?" Everyone nodded.

"Was that what this bullshit was about?" Fred asked loudly.

"Yeah of course. Two dimwits you are, walked right into it." Hermione shook her head. Fred grabbed my hand and squeezed it, making me blush furiously.

"I win!" He pointed to my heated cheeks.

"Shut up ares hole." I elbowed his side lightly.

"It didnt even take 3 days!" George cheered.

*Boy are we going to have some stories when we get older.*

#fred weasley fic #fred weasly x reader #fred weasley #weasley twins #harry potter #harry potter fanfic #harry potter imagine

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fruitcoops · 3 years

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I don't know if you did this already (I'm sorry if you did) or somebody asked but could you do one where they supportive teammates reacts to homophobic teammates

Hello anon! This is a super interesting idea and I’ve been thinking about it for a couple days so I could get the vibe right--none of our boys would be homophobic, but new rookies on the other hand...

Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove, but this features a character who does not appear in SW (I’m not claiming him as an OC because he’s a dick)

TW for homophobic statements, no slurs

James caught sight of the new guy just as he was leaving the locker room, towel draped over his neck. “Rookie! Wait up, man!”

The other man paused, looking rather surprised as he jogged over. “Hey, you’re James, right?”

“Call me Pots.” He held his hand out and they shook. “Didn’t catch your name earlier, sorry.”

“Tanner Chase, nice to meet you.”

“Welcome to the team, Tanner.” James grinned. “You’re on my line, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’m a winger,” Tanner said with a good bit of pride. Oh, to be twenty again, James thought. “Giving you a run for your money.”

“Sure, kid,” James laughed. “You do that. You’d have better luck with me than Loops, though.”

Tanner’s smile turned a little sharp. “Nah, he’d be too easy, am I right?”

James paused. “What?”

“Y’know, since he’s…” Talker gave him a significant look and a stone sank in James’ gut.

“I think you lost me.” I hope this isn’t what I think it is. “Because he’s a rookie? ‘cause I hate to break it to you, but—”

“No, dude, because he’s a fairy,” he snorted, as if they were still joking around.

“Shut the fuck up.”

Tanner blinked and reeled back. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t get to talk about my friends like that. Don’t talk about anyone like that. It’s not tolerated on this team and I won’t hesitate to kick your ass if I hear it again.” James made sure his voice was as even as possible, but he could tell it shook at the edges. “You just used up your one free pass, Chase.”

“Drive safe, Loops!” Talker called as Remus headed for the hall with his bag under his arm.

Sirius opened the door just as he reached it and his face broke into a smile. “Bonjour, mon amour, I was just looking for you. Ready to go?”

“Hiya, handsome.” He leaned up to peck him on the lips. “Yeah, I think I left my phone on the bench, though.”

Their conversation faded out as they wandered off together and Talker returned to his stretch, closing his eyes at the familiar burn in his hamstring. “Yikes,” the new rookie muttered under his breath. Tanner…something, Talker remembered.

“What’s up? You okay?”

Tanner glanced over at him. “Doesn’t it bother you?”

“Stretching? Not really, no. That’s why I do it.”

“No, not stretching. That.” He waved a hand at the slightly-open door.

“I can close it if you—”

“Dude.” Talker crossed his legs and faced him fully. “I mean Black and Lupin.”

Talker narrowed his eyes. “No. Does it bother you?”

“I mean, yeah, how am I supposed to respect a guy like that?” he scoffed.

Talker made direct eye contact with him; he wanted zero miscommunication about this. “You respect him because he’s your captain, which is a title he earned that has nothing to do with who he loves. And you respect Loops, too, or we’re going to have an issue. I don’t know what the fuck you’re thinking bringing that attitude to this team, but you better drop it right now.”

Tanner turned back to his stretch. With a shake of his head, Talker collected his stuff and left him alone on the mats.

III

“Hey, Harzy.” Tanner sat down next to Finn on the bench and passed him a waterbottle. There was a shout from the ice as Remus stole the puck from Sirius’ stick and raced toward the goal, laughing loudly.

“Tan-man, what’s up?”

“What’s the deal with them?” he asked, lowering his voice.

“Cap and Loops? They’re engaged, didn’t you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” There was a slight tone shift that made Finn’s skin crawl. “But what do you think about it? Isn’t it, like, a little weird being on the same team as them?”

“Uh, no.”

Tanner’s eyebrows rose. “You aren’t afraid they’re looking at you or something?”

“What part of ‘engaged’ don’t you understand?” Finn’s jaw tightened. What a little shit. “If this is some homophobic fuckery, I’d like to take this time to remind you I have two boyfriends before you say something that gets you punched.”

Tanner’s eyes went wide and he scooted away without a word.

“Alright, everyone, Sid’s tonight?” Kasey shouted over the noise. The whole locker room cheered in agreement and he smiled as the buzz of victory filled his chest. “Knutty, since my team kicked your ass, I believe you owe me a pizza!”

“I still say Cap is a cheater!” Leo called back; within a few seconds, Sirius had him in a loose headlock as he ruffled his hair. “Alright, alright, I give!”

The volume level did not die down as they all flooded into the hallway—Kasey spotted a flash of mousy brown hair out of the corner or his eye and frustration lodged in his throat. In a smooth movement, he reached out and blocked Tanner from following the rest of the group out. “Not you.”

“But it’s a team dinner—”

“And you’re not part of the team until you get your head out of your ass,” he said coolly. The jumble of voices echoed around the corner. That was his team. “Don’t think I missed those looks you were shooting Cap and Loops. You’re not invited. Go home and think about what actually matters.”

They won the next game by a landslide. Arthur Weasley was furious. Every time an opponent came to check Tanner Chase, not a single Lion moved to help him. At one point, Pots had taken the puck right off his stick and skated down the ice for a goal, leaving him in the dust. Whenever Chase was on the bench, he was pointedly ignored by the rest and left to sit alone; Logan literally sat on Talker’s lap to avoid being within five feet of the rookie.

“Team meeting, everyone sit your asses down!” he barked as he entered the locker room. Immediately, the celebratory whoops quieted. “Anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on?”

Sirius looked up at him in confusion. “I thought we played pretty well, Coach.”

“You played fine, but Chase over here got the cold shoulder like I’ve never seen before. Even the fucking commentators noticed!”

“Good,” Finn muttered under his breath.

“Shut it, O’Hara, this is not good.” He took a deep breath to try and calm himself. “Once again, does anyone want to enlighten me on this sudden attitude toward rookies? Since when are we like this?”

“It’s not toward rookies, it’s toward him,” Kasey said, glaring at Tanner from his stall. “He’s a homophobic douchebag. You want to tell Coach what you said?”

Tanner stared at the floor.

Arthur’s fury vanished. “What? Chase, is that true?” The rookie stayed silent. “Hey, kid, I’m talking to you.”

“Yes, Coach.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Remus’ jaw tick and Sirius’ face grow stormy.

“How long has this been going on?”

“It started the first day of practice,” Pots said, crossing his arms. “Our first conversation, in fact.”

“Eyes on me, rookie.” Tanner winced as he looked up. “I know the organization has told you in the past that this kind of behavior is okay, but right here and right now, I’m telling you it’s not. If you’re going to continue with that, you can leave.”

“I just get uncomfortable when—”

“When what?” Remus asked, standing up and leaning on his stall. He looked overall unthreatening, but there was a stony look in his eyes. “Tanner, what did Sirius and I do to make you uncomfortable?”

Tanner floundered for a moment. “It’s just—the kissing, the cuddling, the nicknames, all that.”

“You didn’t seem to have a problem when Lily came to visit,” Remus continued. “Or Natalie, or Noelle, or Celeste. Is that correct?”

“Yeah.”

“But it bothers you when I call my fiancé ‘baby’, or he calls me ‘sweetheart’?”

“It does.”

“Tanner, I hope you know I’m not going to apologize,” he finally said. “If this had nothing to do with us being gay, we would tone down the PDA, but that’s clearly not the case.”

Sirius sighed. “None of us want to alienate you, but you’re making judgements before taking the time to know us. That’s a shitty thing to do.”

“You’ve never met an openly gay person before, have you?” Remus asked. Tanner shook his head. “Hi, I’m Remus Lupin. I play a wing position on the hockey team that you were just signed to and my favorite color is green. I have a dog named Hattie and I’m engaged to a man. Nice to meet you.”

Sirius walked across the room; Arthur tensed for a moment, but he stopped in front of Tanner and held his hand out. “Sirius Black, team captain. I play center and I hate pineapple pizza. Also, I’m gay. Congrats on being signed to the Lions.”

Tanner’s eyes flickered up, and after a moment’s hesitation, he shook Sirius’ hand. “Nice to meet you.” He swallowed thickly. “Cap.”

“Nice to meet you, too. Are we done with the bullshit?”

“It—it might take me a bit to get used to it.”

“Make it quick. We’ve got games to win and nobody here has time to hold your hand through it.” Sirius turned to look at everyone else, his Captain Face in full effect. “That goes for everyone, got it? No more cold shoulders, we talk this through like adults as soon as it happens.”

“You got it, Cap,” Pots said.

“Black, Lupin, can we talk?” Coach beckoned them toward the door; just before it closed, he saw Talker walk over to Tanner’s stall.

“That’s why you respect Cap and Loops,” Talker said quietly. “Not because of threats or some shit—because of that right there.”

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dolphin-enthusiast · 4 years

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I thought it was a cute idea so: the pillarmen with a s/o who's a skilled animator and proudly shows them like, really pretty or cool animations. Animation is something I'm really interested in taking up and I need something like this to give me the kick in the pants I need to start

Yo this is v e r y wholesome??????

Kars:

- Has already heard about plenty of inventions that humans came up with, technology included. However he’s no expert (I mean, mans was s c h l e e p i n g for a fuck ton of years until recently) and he’s going to eagerly ask away all sorts of questions in regards to your work. Kars finds it absolutely fascinating how creative humans are, especially when it comes to art. Just...the mere fact that you hold so much power in your hand and create with such ferocity is enough to make Kars all the more enamored with you.

- Could literally watch you draw, color and put everything together all day long, not even joking. He may be the big bad ultimate lifeform but when it comes to you Kars just can’t help it, the man turning into an equally as big softie as his eyes constantly flick from your concentrated face then to your hand and ultimately the screen that’s displaying your meticulous work. Truth be told most of the time he has absolutely 0 fucking idea about how animation works (you already explained to him the basics and yet he still can’t grasp the idea of l a y e r s) but that doesn’t mean he won’t shower you in compliments and praise your creations.

- And we don’t talk about that one time when you decided to make a cute little animation of him. Kars literally watched it ON LOOP all day long and since then has kept it saved somewhere purely because he was utterly touched by the details you put into it, specifically just how attentive you were when you animated his silky, flowing mane that you adored so much. All in all, my man is absolutely smitten whenever he watches you work and he can and WILL cheer you on even if animation (or technology for that matter) ain’t his domain. Has tried once to animate you but it ended up like those cringe fail stickman 2 frame masterpieces made by kids using free animating phone apps. You still loved it tho.

Santana:

- Literally THE MOST clueless when it comes to technology and devices and the first time he sees you majestically whipping out your tablet and all the fucking monitors he’s like ??????? My man’s jaw literally d r o p s as his eyes scan over all the technology surrounding him as he asks you what the fuck experiments are you going to conduct using all those screens. You, of course, laugh your ass off at his confusion as you begin lightly teasing him for being such a “boomer” to which he gets EVEN more visibly dazed.

- Eventually grasps the idea of technology and animation in general (even though he still doesn’t really FULLY understand how it all works) and settles for quietly watching you work on your projects. He’s eerily quiet in general so you won’t even notice him behind you until you take a small break and spin around in your chair, nearly choking on your water when you see that Santana was right fucking there the entire time watching you with an almost childish expression of curiosity. You ask him for how long he’s been looking and he just s h r u g s.

- Isn’t the most verbal but you can clearly see that he’s proud of your “little human thing” and thinks that you’re fucking talented as s h i t. His main way of encouraging you is by doing small things such as rubbing your back when he notices you tensely working on your projects, bringing you snacks and drinks as well as reminding you to take small breaks from time to time since he knows how consuming working on big stuff can be. Can and WILL brag to the other pillarmen (and people in general) about what you do even if he doesn’t find the right words to express himself since his main way of telling others about you is by saying shit like “so my s/o makes these tiny detailed moving images and it’s awesome-”

Esidisi:

- NO. 1 FUCKING HYPEMAN BRUH!!! He has no fucking idea how animation works but omg is he going to be loudly and openly encouraging the SHIT out of you on a daily basis. Like the first time he walked in on you eagerly working on your projects my man audibly g a s p e d (which made you almost drop your pen as you severely fucked up a line) as he proceeded to ask you dozens of questions at the speed of a fucking machine gun, the being going on and on about how “lit” all that you did looks and how he wants to keep on watching you do it if that’s ok.

- Sure Esidisi may not be enlightened on the subject of technology but G o d does he find it absolutely fascinating and jaw dropping that you put your blood, sweat and tears into such an intriguing branch of art. Like whenever he’d be leaning his chin on your desk as he’d be watching you work he’s going to have this stupid lovestruck smirk on his face because THAT’S just how amazing he thinks your creations are. The only “downside” to this however is that, as much of a supportive bf as he is, Esidisi is lowkey clingy and he will be trying to distract you and get you to take a break for time to time, the man becoming a whiny mess as he’d embrace you from behind whilst begging you to pay attention to him and take a rest. Then again, it IS beneficial that he reminds you to put your pen down for a while so???

- Brags to everyone about what a talented upcoming artist you are to the point where you’re going to be severely blushing because Esidisi is HELLA touchy and he can and will crush you into a bear hug as he’d ramble to people about how you’re “going to be bigger than Picasso real soon”. Even if his v e r y open displays of love and affection can be quite overwhelming sometimes, he means well and never fails to show you just how much he cares about you and how talented and amazing he thinks you are. In fact, he’s your “reviewer/art critic” because you always put him to rate your creations and you know shit’s g o o d whenever he bursts into tears whilst saying that it evokes intense feelings and vibes. Honestly mans got an eye of art so you 100% trust him.

Wamuu:

- The most fascinated with this entire thing after king Kars. Akin to the ultimate lifeform, Wammu can’t get enough of art and could spend his entire immortal life studying and observing humans and their tendency to create (as well as destroy.) He may not be too talented with technology but he’d be VERY impressed by your work nonetheless and would even ask you to teach him how to at least digitally draw at some point.

- Documents himself on various artstyles, techniques and even fucking drawing/animating softwares then tries impressing you with his vast knowledge which visibly makes you let out a chuckle because he’s t h a t determined to help you out. And when you tell him that art is subjective and that you ain’t trynna animate Renaissance statues or some shit like that he’s visibly blushing and stumbling over his words, a drastic contrast to his usual cool and collected image. Wamuu would feel lowkey embarassed but you’d thank him for being supportive and invested nonetheless, of course.

- Sometimes it would feel as if he’s your pupil (ironically enough) because of how damn eager and patient he is when it comes to learning shit about animating. He just wants to be as supportive as ever and to have at least somewhat of a knowledge of the domain because he values your work alot and wants to be e n l i g h t e n e d. He once stayed up all night trying to draw you but, just like in Kars’ case, poor Wamuu merely ended up drawing a stick figure that had your exact hair, eyes and clothes but you were STILL impressed by the huge amounts of attention he’s put into those. Sure he might have royally fucked up the overall human shape but at least he’s got a talent for small details and features. The only downside is that he broke like 2 of your pens because of the sheer amount of force he has, but you could never stay mad at him.

#words cannot describe how much i a d o r e this #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken #Battle Tendency #kars #wamuu #santana jojo #esidisi #jojo headcanons #headcanons #anon

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inspired-by-the-music · 3 years

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For You: Stand By Me

Taglist: @jineunwootrash @angels-from-california @jayjaydawn

If you would like to be added to the taglist of any of this blog’s works, please ask!

Recommended Reading: For You: 4 O’Clock; these works have separate, independent, but deeply interwoven timelines.

Chapter 15: The Girl Who Woke Me Up

Sehun's POV

It wasn't like Lei to be late, but she was nowhere to be found half an hour into the New Year's party. Although she had been helping her mother set up just a few hours earlier, Lei was not by Manager Kim's side as she made frantic rounds about the room, tiptoeing carefully around Donghae's lingering gaze. Although she and Lucas were nearly inseparable, Lei did not stand by him as he downed another glass of champagne while laughing with Mark Lee at the NCT table.

I was about to send her a concerned text when Taemin said from his side of Jongin, "She is so beautiful."

Like everybody else at the table, I looked toward whoever managed to turn Taemin's voice into a lyrical whisper. It didn't matter that it was none of our business who held Taemin's heart. When somebody loves that openly, everybody wants to watch for a second or two— even me.

My jaw dropped as my eyes settled on her. She was Lei.

Walking beside Baekhyun, Lei held three hearts in the palm of her hand: mine, Baekhyun's, and Taemin's. And I don't even think she knew what she held, what she could destroy with a single touch should she so choose. I think she only felt the weight of my heart because I forced it upon her through forever-kisses at that Christmas Party.

But how— how light, how insignificant might my heart feel compared to that of her ultimate idol? How cold and callous and uncaring might my voice sound compared to his?

How dark, how dull might my love look compared to that of the boy standing next to her? How rough and careless and frozen might my touch feel compared to his when he catches her before she can fall?

My stomach twisted as I fought (and failed) to tear my eyes from the visual of Lei and Baekhyun. They matched so perfectly from head to toe that, had I not known better, had I not believed that she loved me, I would have assumed that she coordinated her outfit with him.

Their dark hair was parted on the left side. Their clothes were crafted from the same sparkling midnight blue material. Their silver masks were a perfect pair that accented their best facial features. Their flowers— their flowers were the worst part. Atop her head, Lei wore a crown of white roses accented by blue baby's breath; she looked like a princess. In the suit pocket over his heart, Baekhyun tucked a white rose; he looked like her prince.

At that moment, I realized that it is much harder to believe in coincidence than it is to believe in fate. At that moment when she was so far out of reach, it was easy to see that Lei and Baekhyun were written in the stars, and I— where was I written?

Suddenly, it was as clear to everyone in the banquet hall as it was to me at the foot of the stairs in Lei's house: they were meant to walk together. Lei and Baekhyun were meant to be viewed as a pair.

As whispers about them, some approving and some disapproving, overtook the party, the tips of my ears burned. My hands formed tight fists under the table. And all I can remember thinking is I have to hide my breaking heart. No, I have to keep it from breaking, at least for now, because it is in her hands. My heart is in her delicate hands, and the jagged shards will make her bleed.

It didn't matter that Baekhyun was standing right there, willing and ready to bandage her. It didn't matter that Taemin could stop the bleeding with a single smile. I didn't want to hurt Lei ever again; I didn't want to scar her anymore. If protecting her meant suffering silently— well— that wasn't anything I hadn't done before.

Quietly, Jongdae whistled. "Who knew that sweet little Princess Lei would grow up to be so pretty?"

Chanyeol laughed loudly as his elbow dug into my ribs. "Someone did, right, Sehun?"

Obviously, I wouldn't have responded to Chanyeol's jest even if I could have found my voice. I wouldn't have known what to say.

Afraid of saying or doing something to shatter the loving image I left with Lei on Christmas, I turned to walk away from the scene that threatened to destroy me. Of course, I wasn't going to hide forever. The plan was to stand some ways away long enough to untangle the knot in my stomach. The plan was to stand aside to remind myself that choices are as significant as fate, and I was Lei's choice. I am Lei’s choice.

The problem, of course, was my promise to stand where she could see me. I won't go far, I told myself. I'll stand right there, right against that wall, and maybe— hopefully— wouldn't it be nice if she comes to me?

That's pathetic, isn't it— the fact that I still dreamed that she would take the first steps? I'm sorry that I wasn't stronger. I'm sorry that I wasn't bolder. Always, always I was aware of my inadequacies. Always, always I daydreamed about filling them with her. At that moment, however, it occurred to me that that was not right; it occurred to me that that is not love. Above all, it occurred to me that I wanted to give Lei the purest love in her life.

And I— I didn’t know how. Nobody ever taught me how.

On my walk, I nearly collided with Taemin. Despite his eagerness to escape the table, he said, "Excuse me, Sehun," through a small smile. The smile wasn't a forced display of manners; it was genuine. I could tell because little wrinkles formed around his eyes.

I had never seen a smile like that before. Although faint, it was not at all sad or indicative of a broken heart even though we were walking away from the same scene: the one we loved beside another. Taemin's smile was joyful, inspired merely by seeing Lei from afar.

I needed to be more like Taemin, I realized as my back pressed against the wall. I needed to learn to love Lei a little more quietly, a little more peacefully, a little more selflessly. Rather than loving her like the careless teenager I had been when we met, rather than relying on her for constant assurance in our relationship that endured storms over a decade, rather than hoping for her to meet me most or all of the way—

I needed to grow up. I needed to find assurance in the steady beating of my own heart. I needed to take the first step for the rest of forever. I would. I will. That’s the promise I made to myself, the promise I made in one of the hearts she held.

I will love you. I won’t love you perfectly. I won’t love you through a smile as gentle as Taemin’s. I won’t love you with an unmistakable, inescapable warmth like Baekhyun. But I will love you in the best way I know. I will love you with every word I say. I will love you with the words I am not yet brave enough to say. I will love you so deeply for the rest of my life that you will never wonder how I feel. You will never wonder who hung the moon and stars in my sky.

While Lei defended herself against Chanyeol’s allegation that she had broken my heart as if she could ever be cruel enough to do such a thing, I wrestled with the best way to express my feelings. A verbal conversation wouldn’t do; she enjoyed debating and pressing my buttons too much. I couldn’t very well write a song; that would require enlisting the help of someone like Chanyeol who had better knowledge of music production, and I didn’t want to share my feelings with him (or anybody else, for that matter).

While Manager Kim captivated the entire room with her heartfelt good-bye’s to Super Junior and Heechul declared that she was resigning from her position as their manager because of her feelings for Donghae, I decided that I could best express myself in writing. Starting from the beginning, I could map out our stars, and there— there I would be written.

There, I could point to myself on a page and say, ‘I belong here too. I love her too. Even if she wakes up tomorrow and chooses one of you, even if my nightmares come true and she outgrows me, once upon a time, she chose me. Once upon a time, she loved me. Once upon a time, we were the best love story ever written, and I— I— I will never forget that I was her first love, so you shouldn’t either.’

That’s what I wrote on the inside cover of the leather-bound notebook containing our story, by the way. That’s the first of my thoughts that Lei read in my handwriting; it made her break into laughing tears. By that, I mean she was gasping through laughter and tears. So I was also gasping through laughter and tears when she set the book on our bed, crawled to me, and cupped my cheeks with her soft, warm hands, whispering onto my lips, “My first love, my endless love, my Sehun— I am so glad the road led to you.”

And I believe her.

When I found Lei standing alone on the terrace where everyone gathered to watch fireworks an hour early at Changmin’s urging, I embraced her. I didn’t think much of the fact that somebody was always watching. I didn’t much care about lingering stares, and I told Lei plainly when she mumbled into my chest, “Someone is going to see, Sehunnie.”

“I love you,” I reminded her in a whisper per her request. My heart melted into a warm golden puddle in my stomach because of the spoken nickname and because she didn’t push me away. She didn’t argue with me as I declared, “I love you so much that I want everyone to see.”

That was a funny thing to say, considering that we were huddled together in the darkest corner where no eyes would have strayed.

I dropped a kiss onto her flower crown because it marked her as a princess— my princess— and it didn’t matter that Baekhyun gave it to her. The affection, I hoped, I prayed, would make me her prince.

“I love you so much,” I muttered against a rose, “that I want everyone to hear.”

That was a funny thing to say, considering that I spoke in the faintest whisper that only she could hear.

Lei giggled as she linked her hands around my waist beneath my jacket. Her laughter was, is, always will be the most beautiful melody in this world. I loved being its conductor. I loved being its audience.

“I’m so happy, Sehun.” She said my name with the brightest smile I had ever seen.

It so closely resembled the smile she gave me all those years ago when she first gave me her name. It was still too big for her face, and it made her look much younger than the scowl she hurled at Chanyeol in the banquet hall. The only difference was that she no longer spoke through a gap in her front teeth; the gap was closed.

After assuring her that I was happy too— far happier than I ever imagined because she stood near— I said, “I miss your gap, Lei. You’re beautiful, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about you, but I really wish I could see your gappy smile one more time.”

“There are plenty of pictures of it.” The tips of her ears burned red at the compliment, and I thought that I had to call her beautiful every day. From the dimple forming in her chin, however, it was evident that she knew the limitations of photographs. “You know, I miss my gap too. I hated it when I had it, but the thing is: I always picture myself with a gap in my front teeth.”

I stared into her wide eyes, finding my lovestruck reflection within them. “I always think of you with stars in your eyes.”

I heard her breath hitch as she held me closer. Breathlessly, she reached for my hand. “I always think of you with my heart on your hand.”

After bringing my frozen, trembling hand up her lips, she left a ruby-red kiss mark where she once left a fingerprint heart. I wanted to carry that mark everywhere with me. I wanted to boast it to everybody, and I promised to learn how to do that. I promised to learn who to tell. I promised to learn what to say to make them understand how much it meant to me— how much it means to me.

I think I have learned. I think I have made you understand. I hope that I have. Please, tell me that I have.

Her gesture rooted in our past, her touch— still electric— made my heart flutter. Her touch, even as my favorite memory, still makes my heart flutter.

Her touch compelled me to say out loud, “I fell in love with you the day you marked your heart on my hand, you know. All at once, I opened my eyes and realized I was on the edge of a cliff, and I—” I choked on my emotions, but I forced myself to continue— “I was so scared that you wouldn’t wait for me at the bottom.”

The wind blew and filled my eyes with tears that I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t want to become an overtly sentimental person, but every wall I ever built around my emotions tumbled at her touch. I didn’t want to shed a single tear, but Lei brought both hands up to my face, wordlessly promising to catch each tear before they fell.

Lei loved me. She loved me so much from the day we met, and I— I am so grateful. I did not know whether love was meant to be repaid, but I resolved in that moment under her moon and all of her stars to return every loving gaze for the rest of my life.

I held both of her hands against my cheeks because her touch made me brave enough to speak. “You said that I could walk with you anytime. And I just want you to know that I want to walk with you forever. I want you to know that I’m so sorry for—”

For trying to walk away. For breaking her mistletoe crown. For failing to regard her heart as the treasure it had been all along.

But I couldn’t say any of those things she deserved to hear. My throat tightened around my words.

Wiping my tears, Lei promised, “I forgive you. I forgive you, Sehunnie. Everything— everything painful is past, and now we are walking hand-in-hand on a path that doesn’t end.” Her thumbs stroked my cheeks, raising goosebumps in their wake. “Don’t carry things we don’t need, angel. Don’t carry things that will only hurt you. It’s okay.”

Lei pulled me into the sweetest kiss. It lasted for about a millisecond, a blink in time, and I knew that was all we were, but God— God— we felt infinite. I think— no, I know this is love: when somebody makes you, a mere mortal, feel as though time has stopped; when somebody makes you feel as if forever, eternity, and fate were words written for you.

“In case you forgot,” Lei said, “I love you too.” She beamed up at me, so I had to smile even as she winked in an attempt to dig under my skin: “In case you forgot, I loved you first!”

Because I couldn’t argue with the truth, I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Okay. You loved me first, but—” I caught her around the waist and leaned to whisper in her ear— “I’ll love you longer.”

“As if,” she scoffed, pushing me away so I could catch the furrowing of her brow. “How can you even make such a bold claim? I told you, Sehunnie, I’ve loved you forever, and I’ll love you forevermore. What could last longer than forever?”

Feigning deep contemplation, I hummed through puckered lips, hoping that Lei would rise to kiss them. (Note: Lei never disappoints.) “Maybe forever in writing? I think I heard once that a love recorded on paper, in a film, or in a song lives forever.”

“If you’re planning to write about me,” she said, “you should know that I’ve been writing about you too. I’ve been trying to map out or stars since we kissed in your car, but I— I can’t figure out how the stars aligned.” Her head went aslant. “But I also can’t figure out how we could have ended up anywhere else with anybody else.”

It had been made clear to me that any misstep could have led Lei to Baekhyun or Taemin. Maybe she will find her way to them someday no matter what I do, but I gave no voice to those thoughts. Taking a deep breath, I soared at the imagination of Lei writing to pinpoint the correlation between the me of the past, the me of her dreams, and the me of right now. I hoped she was proud to have created a place where we could be together forever, even if someday we should wake up on different paths.

It’s romantic, isn’t it, that we separately experienced the same epiphany concerning our stars?

“Some things are just meant to be,” I figured, sounding unlike the version of myself who struggled to believe in things like destiny, the version I had been for almost all of my life. “You and I— Lei, we are the greatest meant to be I can imagine.”

When I stepped into the warmth of the agency building from the winter snow, I quickly found Lei asleep at that table by the vending machine where we met. Her face was almost completely nuzzled into the bend of her elbow, into the cloud-soft baby blue sleeve of her sweater. Her dark hair sprawled over much of the table; it was so long then, almost reaching her waist. She shouldn’t have been recognizable, but I would have known her anywhere, from any distance.

“Wake up,” I whispered into her ear as I settled into the chair next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I’m here.”

Once Lei sat upright and set to rubbing her sleep-swollen eyes, it was obvious that we couldn’t go out on an adventurous date. That much should have been obvious, I know, determined by our roles as idols, but I hadn’t shaken that image of her and Baekhyun standing together at the New Year’s party from the front of my mind.

I wasn’t jealous anymore. That initial towering wave of nausea and the drowning sense of inferiority had passed without casting me overboard. It just occurred to me once the storm cleared and the sun broke through the clouds that I wanted to be the person by her side forever; I wanted to stand by her in the light; I wanted it to be obvious to strangers from a glance that we were meant to walk together.

Rising to her feet and slinging her bookbag— the tiny pink Hello Kitty bag she carried since childhood, the bag still donning the keychain I bought for her tenth birthday— Lei groaned, “I’m exhausted! And I didn’t even realize it until I woke up.”

“I’m sorry I woke you up,” I said as I followed her, “but there are more comfortable places to sleep, you know.”

Lei had worked herself to the point of exhaustion, I know without a doubt, because she made no argument; she loved to argue.

On our walk to the door, I reached for her hand, which was always much smaller than mine. She flinched at the contact probably because my hands were always cold, maybe because she wasn’t yet used to affection, hopefully because my touch was electric.

As shocked as she had been at the start, Lei was the one who interlaced our fingers. Lei was the one who whined when I had to break the contact to open the passenger door and then round to the driver's seat. Lei was the one who reached for my hand as soon as I set it on the steering wheel.

“I just want to feel you.” Her words blurred together drowsily, but her eyes shot open— wide awake— when I glanced at her. “Your hands are so warm, Sehunnie, and it’s so cold outside. I’m freezing!”

After turning the heat up, I said through a budding smile while starting down the familiar path to her house, “Nobody has ever called my hands warm. Then again, nobody ever held my hands before you.”

“And nobody will hold my hands after you,” I almost said. Because I didn’t want to think of a time after her— I didn’t want to think of a time without her— I bit down on my tongue. I left those words unsaid. Unspoken words hold power too.

“Your hand was warm at the drive-in too,” she told me. “Holding your hand made me feel like the moon and stars smiled down at us.”

There was no moon and there were no stars that night, I remembered clearly, but I didn’t remind Lei. Maybe this sounds crazy, but I hope she misremembered a lot about those days before I could love her. In a way, I hoped she romanticized them; I hoped she saw them— I hope she saw the past me— through love-colored lenses. I hoped the stars smiled in all of her memories.

With an almost childlike quality of honesty— the kind that I never wanted to argue with, the kind I only thought I had to argue with— Lei said, “Holding your hand makes me feel like spring has come.”

Butterflies raged in my stomach and told me the perfect thing to say: “That’s funny. Looking at you makes me feel like spring has come.”

I think that might have made her squeal had she not been drifting to sleep. Her head banged against the window every few seconds.

“Lay back,” I tried to demand sternly, but my voice was nothing but a gentle whisper around her after Christmas. “Lei, lean your chair back and go to sleep. You’re gonna bruise your face or give yourself a concussion if you keep hitting your head.”

Without opening her eyes, she argued, “I don’t wanna go to sleep! I wanna stay awake with you!”

She was being rather childish, I thought, but she repeated that sentiment once we sat together on her living room couch, which was no longer tainted by the memory of finding Lucas atop her on her birthday.

“But you’re tired.” Tightening my arms around her waist, I pulled her closer and encouraged her to lean into me, to fall asleep on me. “Just close your eyes, and I’ll go to sleep with you.”

Lei didn’t resist my pull. Her eyelashes tickled the skin on my neck as she laid against me and allowed her eyelids to flutter shut. Without mumbling another word, she fell into that deep heavy-breathing sleep, and I wondered how many nights she had avoided sleep. I wondered how I was supposed to fall asleep with her laying so close. I wondered how I was supposed to close my eyes while my heart pounded in my chest, eager to break free and unite with hers. I wondered how I was supposed to breathe while her breath whispered across my skin.

I was wide awake— I am wide awake— and I never want to sleep again.

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hosts-of-valyria · 3 years

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An epic clash: Yennefer and Jon in Casterly Rock, "Let me do the talking for now, honey", said Yennefer.

Yennefer of Vengerberg vs Tywin and Kevan Lannister; Yennefer instantly recognizes lies

Yennefer's wisdom and strength: Yennefer Stark-Vengerberg and Jon Stark-Vengerberg. Only Yennefer of Vengerberg can get the most out of Jon

"What Makes a Good King or Queen?"

Independence for the Kingdoms

"I am only human, Tywin. Be glad the Iron Throne is gone and the Lannisters are kings and queens in Casterly Rock", said Rhaegar.

"I'm sorry, Cersei, that Emhyr declared war on House Lannister. I run through worlds, screaming, crying alone only to see in the end that chaos awaited me. Only here in this world do I feel good", said Ciri.

Cersei smiled, "Cintra suffered because of Emhyr, Ciri. None of this is your fault. Myrcella, you and I are going to Cintra to unite the armies of Cintra and House Lannister. That would also be in the spirit of Pavetta and Calanthe."

"Everything I did was for the good of House Lannister. Yes i was hiding under Casterly Rock. What's bad about staying neutral that doesn't make me evil if I want to choose the winner.

It stinks of rebellions in the Kingdoms, the treacherous vassals are already mutinous. Gregor Clegane rebels against House Lannister, Addam Marbrand rebels. In the north, the Boltons are rebelling. Brienne of Tarth's father rebels against Robert Baratheon in Storm's End. Yronwoods rebel in Dorne. The hill tribes in the Vale of Arryn attack the knights in broad daylight.

We still need alliances. The Kingdoms of Westeros fought each other even before Aegon the Conquer. I have to break vassalage now or I'll lose Casterly Rock and it belongs to House Lannister. If Winterfell is rightfully owned by the Starks, or King's Landing is rightfully owned by the Targaryen, Casterly Rock is rightfully owned by the Lannisters. Then borders must now be drawn on the maps. I always wanted Cersei to be a queen, she's a queen in Casterly Rock. And Jaime is a knight in Storm's End", yelled Tywin.

Yennefer laughed aloud, "it took 5 minutes for the lies to start. What did I expect from a place held together by bullshit."

Yennefer looked at Jon, "listen carefully honey. We have a man here who believes what he says is wise. Do you know what Tywin is missing?"

Jon nodded, "I listen to you Yen'. Tywin lacks humanity."

Aegon, Sansa, Yennefer, Rhaegar, Lyanna and Elia laughed aloud, "yeah you know things, Jon."

Tywin growled, "then give Jaime back to me, Rhaegar. Then I'll make him a good king at Casterly Rock. Then I'll send Cersei to Cintra. Then Jaime should no longer be a knight in Storm's End for the fat Storm King. When I'm inhuman sometimes I want Jaime back in Casterly Rock. Then Gregor Clegane will stay away from now on, then I'll lock him away. Then I'll send Pycelle and Qyburn back to the Citadel in Oldtown."

Rhaegar nodded, "ok, fine I'll give Jaime back to you as your heir if you give him the chance to fall in love then he can get married."

Tywin nodded, "it's Okay."

Jon smiled, "I love this woman."

Yennefer laughed.

"It makes you evil when you want to shed a bloodbath at Westerosi, Tywin Lannister! Myrcella is a good girl, Tommen is a good boy and Joffrey makes every effort in life and wants to be a king. I think Rhaegar was still born in Westeros. Then dissolve vassalage, then you need a standing army in Casterly Rock. Rhaegar is a human like you! It makes you evil when you want to marry off your children against their will! The Lannisters spent all the gold at an exorbitant price!

You slaughtered House Reyne, Lord Tywin Lannister! You! You! You! You all alone! Yes, then vassalage must be dissolved immediately in all kingdoms. Then borders have to be set on the cards.

Do you want Jaime back as your heir? Then you have to give him the chance to fall in love. And do you think Cersei will be a good queen in Casterly Rock? What makes a good king or Queen, Tywin Lannister? Tell me, I want to know. Tell me and Jon how the procedure works."

Tywin growled like a lion, "I know the answer. Yes, I can't fight against Jon and you. Well done Jon. You found a wonderful woman there. I'm powerless against you, Jon."

Yennefer and Jon looked at each other and they both grinned, "very wise answer, Lord Tywin."

"Yennefer. This is Sansa and Rhaenys", said Daenerys, Lyanna and Elia.

"We heard so much from Yennefer of Vengerberg and wanted to see this wicked witch Jon sleeps with. Benjen, Will and Jeor Mormont cheered over Jon who brings resources from strange worlds to the wall. Jeor Mormont calls Jon a hero of the Night's Watch and gave him Longclaw when he saved his life from a revenant. We have seen cruel things in Westeros since we left our homes. We met Daenerys, a Witcher and a Child of Surprise on Dragonstone. These three spoke of a sorceress who travels with Jon to get support. When Ciri opened magical portals for us, we saw this new world. Robb, Aegon and we haven't seen Jon in years and suddenly it was said he was in another world. Yes, we should have taken care of him more often", said Sansa and Rhaenys.

Yennefer laughed out loud, "Yennefer Stark-Vengerberg. I'll show you two brats right away what this wicked witch is capable of.

You can be very proud of Jon. King Foltest of Temeria was the first monarch in my world to step down as king and make elections in Temeria possible, he is the first Warden to be elected by the peoples of my world. King Virfuril of Aedirn followed suit and was elected Warden of Aedirn by the people. Elections are already coming in my world. Nilfgaard breaks, the people choose their own leader and Emhyr var Emreis is powerless. The people in my world cheer Jon loudly. The jubilation extends from Nilfgaard to the northern kingdoms of my world. People cheer Lyanna Stark's son. They call him Savior of Worlds, empires bow their knees to Jon. Evil people are powerless against Jon. Wars stop across the board in two worlds. Jon brought justice and order, the races and nations choose their leaders and live in prosperity together.

Elves, gnomes, dwarves and humans cheer loudly to Jon, who unites them in times of peace and independence they say he knows what's right.

He told me that you two forgot him. Oh, Your Highnesses, is Robb Stark already ruining the north? Oh Jon is a married man we got married in Vengerberg six months ago. Ciri, Geralt, Daenerys, Rhaegar, Lyanna, Rhaella and Triss were also there. I've seen tyrants. I've seen terrible things in my life. I met Daenerys, Geralt and Ciri at Sodden Hill. I met Jon for the first time north of the wall, he was tired of fighting. I met Lyanna, Rhaegar, Elia for the first time, in Harrenhal with Jon. Sansa, Rhaenys, then you forgot about Jon. Foltest of Temeria is a friend of Jon, he gives him good steel for the Night's Watch. Ah, Rhaenys the whore queen in the north and Sansa the whore queen in King's Landing", said Yennefer.

Elia laughed out loud, "I envy Lyanna, I would like you to be my daughter-in-law too. Such a strong woman."

Three sisters: Rhaenys, Sansa and Yennefer

Sansa looked wide-eyed, "you, Rhaenys and I are similar, Yen. Like sisters. There are men and women who are capable of cruel deeds. This world just sucks like yours", said Rhaenys and Sansa.

Lyanna, Elia, Yennefer nodded, "you're right. There are people who enjoy the suffering of others."

Elia and Lyanna nodded, "What Yennefer is talking about is that damage comes up even in times of independence, that is vassalism and that vassal oath sucks."

Tywin nodded, "I'm just a feudal lord like Rickard or Jon Arryn, that's all I am. Boltons rebel on their own, too, and who comes next? Umbers? Karstarks? That runs like a red thread. Insurgent vassals are everywhere in Westeros. Yennefer is right about that, there are lying vassals in her world too. Wheels of power are also in her world."

Yennefer nodded, "that's what I'm talking about, how far does loyalty go to a feudal lord, Tywin is a feudal lord, Eddard and Rickard are. Damage comes up, Sansa, right before your eyes, tell me how far does loyalty go for a feudal lord or lady? This world and my world are still shitty where everyone wants power, including vassals. These are worlds where you can die if you do something wrong. Jon doesn't want to be king, he says it openly. He's not a bastard, Geralt is happy to have a companion in the fight against monsters, believe me, Geralt just wants friends he can join. You're wrong, Sansa, if you think Jon is power. You and I get into real trouble if you turn Jon into a game ball. And you don't want to mess with me, Sansa. Girl, I see that when you lie, I see that very clearly. I smell lies a thousand miles against the wind. You are a grown woman and you are queen, then you have to take sides too, Jon is afraid of Robert. You say openly that you like beautiful things because it gives you a feeling to be better than others, I am not saying that you are superficial, I am saying that you also want power, that can be seen very clearly. But now listen carefully to me, you are only human, you are not perfect, I am not perfect, I am mortal too. Don't pretend to be a goddess, miss! You can't turn the shit around as you want, at some point it has to be over. You may survive, but I would survive you. It really needs to be made clear now that Winterfell belongs to the Starks, or Casterly Rock to the Lannisters, or King's Landing to the Targaryen. That means vassals need work now and Winterfell needs a standing army of northerners, which smells very strongly of conscription in the north. Given the size of the north, I would estimate 30,000 northerners in Winterfell to intervene in famine and disease. Oh, Winterfell needs big army barracks, money for that can be shot north. Winterfell urgently needs a standing army, otherwise there will be a bang in the north. The vassals become sovereign rulers in their territories. You can't get the Dreadfort under control, if the Boltons in the north skin people alive they have to be captured, the Boltons are already rebelling of their own accord and a thirst for power. Other vassals could take the Dreadfort in a thirst for power and also rebel against the Starks. Then I would append the lands of the Boltons as a province. But if Roose Bolton legitimizes Ramsey and allows him to marry Miranda, they need work, then Robb gets it all bent so that the Boltons no longer rebel. Military service for a few years or for life is possible. Then you have to deal with a military, titles in an army, leaders, generals. Jon and Geralt have been doing military service with the Night's Watch for a number of years. The independence was given by Rhaegar, he did everything right when he burned the Iron Throne with the Wildfire and he removed Aerys as king. Life goes on, now work is waiting for each of us. Banks are already built from north to south, money is in circulation. You want to be better than others, Sansa. That is also a hunger for power."

"We just have the power to protect those we love", said Sansa and Rhaenys.

Yennefer laughed, "This automatically increases your power over others! You only want me as an advisor because I'm Jon's girlfriend and Daenery's, Jaskier's and Geralt's best friend, at the moment I only have power because of Jon. It will be expensive for you to buy me out of my neutrality. You two have no power over me, I will not love you as queens, I will accept you as queens. Jon has power over me, he gives me so much and I give him something back by now aging normally, you two have no power over Jon, Geralt, Ciri, Daenerys or me. Jon believes in Geralt, Ciri, Daenerys, and me. Jon says he wants Geralt to be his best friend. Geralt and Jon stay neutral. Jon already wields power, he too is already powerful, Geralt and Daenerys are powerful too. I am already powerful.

Sansa, Rhaenys, I'm not what I look like, I was powerful before I got this look. Either you want power or you don't want it. There is always a choice. You want to play a game with me? A choice was stolen from me, I am a sorceress but this was forced on me, I could have become a sorceress of my own accord. If Geralt is a warrior then he could have made his own choice instead he was forced to be a Witcher. Jon is a leader that he can learn without taking an oath. If I had become a bad mother, I would have realized that. I'm not a bad mother, if Geralt wants me to be a foster mother for Ciri then he just has to say that. He and I don't have to have an on / off relationship for that. If Geralt wants Daenerys to share her knowledge with Ciri, he just has to say it. Mine and this world are cruel. Daenerys openly says she wants a little girl and there is Ciri. Geralt conjured something up when he tied Ciri to himself, he already has Ciri. Daenerys and I can choose to be foster mothers for her. Geralt doesn't have to force this in a wish where he uses the wrong words. It's not about what he wanted, it's about what he didn't want. I said that I want a child and there is Ciri. I say I want to age normally because power is not everything in life. And now I age normally, Ciri says she wants to hear Jon's knowledge too. No Sansa, no Rhaenys, Jon and Geralt stay neutral, if you have something to discuss you can speak to Daenerys and me. Jon belongs in Winterfell too, Sansa. Geralt loves Dragonstone and Essos. I love Jon because he doesn't run after me, he tends to avoid me, but only I can make more of Jon. Geralt evades Daenerys sometimes, but he loves her and doesn't cheat on her. That is the difference. Jon sees Daenerys as human, that has to be enough. Why should Jon be submissive to the two of you, me, or Daenerys? He can learn anything, but only through me. You don't show enough empathy for Jon. And Daenerys makes Geralt great. When these worlds met, fate linked Ciri, Daenerys, Geralt, Jon and me.

If you Don't want power you still have to do something with your life. Oberyn is a good example, he doesn't want power, that's why he travels the world, Rhaenys. Your uncle Oberyn knows very well that he would be a terrible politician. And your uncle Brandon loves Ashara, Sansa, you can't blame him for that. He lives in Dorne.

And Oberyn takes care of his children, nothing more can be expected. There are no bastards. Lyanna is not power, Jon is not power, I am not power. Ciri is not power.

Sansa's and Rhaenys's uncles: Oberyn Martell and Brandon Stark. Brandon never loved Catelyn.

Jon, go outside for a moment, I have something to say to the two bitches. Jon is Jon Stark through Lyanna. Girls, think. Do you want to sit idle for a lifetime? Do you want to twiddle your thumbs and get fat? You can live another seventy years! What is your incentive in life? What do you want to achieve. Jon doesn't want to be king or inherit Winterfell, he says it openly, he works for money, he gets honors from others, he hunts monsters. You both have to take Jon as he is. Yeah, he doesn't want to be a king, he doesn't want to commit incest, and that's really cool, it makes Jon smarter than the two of you together. Either Jon is part of your family or not, if he's a part you must treat him sensibly. If he's not part of your family then Geralt goes to the wall with Jon, he won't swear the oath and you won't see him for years. You're the older one, Rhaenys. Where is your heart, where is your love? Should I call you a bad queen in the north? Do you want that? If you don't do anything with your life, you two are losers and spoiled brats. Come on, show me how smart and strong you are. Jon would love me too if I was still disfigured. Be careful, you two brats. I eat brats like you for breakfast. What Makes a Good King or Queen? What is wisdom? Come on, this is a test. Have you two ever been little birds or worms? Yes, the three of us are similar but you have to recognize that now. Show me the feminist heroine in you. Haha, yes Daenerys and I have a thing for white wolfes. Daenerys and I are the black wolves because Jon and Geralt are monster hunters. The more successful Jon is in life, the harder I want to fuck with him. Geralt says he wants Jon's friendship and he calls Jon his leader. Geralt says that Jon should share his knowledge with Ciri, Jon knows what is right but there is more, much more possible.

The more successful Geralt is, the harder Daenerys wants to feel him in her cunt. Do you know why? Daenerys and I are chaos, and only Geralt gets Daenerys tamed and only Jon gets me tamed. Geralt, Ciri and I can also teach Jon magical skills, mastering fire and ice. If he wants that, Jon can become anything. I find a magical gateway in Jon. He already has Ghost. Jon is also a white wolf. Do you want to rule fire and ice, Jon? Geralt can teach you sword skills from a Witcher. Jon can go hunting monsters with Geralt in my world too. Ciri wants to be like Jon, Geralt, Daenerys and me, and not like you two bitches! Come on, how big is your heart, Rhaenys Stark, Rhaenys Nymeros Martell, Rhaenys Targaryen! Do the names make you horny? Then Robb should ram his cock up your fat ass until you whimper for mercy! Do you think it's funny to deport someone? How do you think Jon feels you two bitches? Maybe you two bitches should go to the wall and swear the oath."

Rhaenys snorted.

Jon smiled, "Magic is cool."

Geralt patted his shoulder, "Sword training starts tomorrow."

"Daenerys and I suck", said Yennefer.

Daenerys laughed aloud, "we're just cunning."

Sansa nodded. "Yes Brandon never loved my mother Catelyn."

Rhaenys rubbed her head, "yes, Oberyn knows he would be a terrible politician. Sansa and I ran across Westeros and made more of our lives, traveling north to south helping others. I would never drop Sansa and she wouldn't drop me. Sansa runs away from Petyr Baelish. I ran away from Robert too. Sansa and I have been through a lot of shit. We often had nervous breakdowns and we gave each other strength.

I love her brother Robb, she loves my brother Aegon, and Jon is my brother too, I never treated him like a bastard, he rightly called himself Stark. And to Sansa, Jon is a brother too."

Rhaenys and Sansa groaned, "We are not spoiled brats. We are stronger than ever. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. We put a lot of effort into learning. We have earned our power, we wouldn't spend our entire lives in Sunspear or Winterfell. Aegon and Robb are strong kings. We never wanted to learn a Game of Thrones, but we wanted to make more of our lives. We've seen the shit and ugliness of the continent. I'm a good queen in the north and Sansa is a good queen in King's Landing. Sansa and I help women who are abused and raped by their husbands. Sansa sells her own knitted clothes in the capital and I design jewelry, we make money too. Sansa and I brought prosperity to the north and Dorne. I've earned the Crown of the North, I know all about the North and Dorne, and I love Winterfell, King's Landing, and Sunspear alike. Sansa made the capital a better city."

Rhaenys shook her head, "I'm not a bad sister, I never have been. Families are complicated. I give a shit about the name Stark, Martell or Targaryen when I know Jon is happy it's just names.

I'm happy that you two found each other. He is Jon Stark. Aegon and I love Jon. Robb loves Jon. Sansa loves Jon. We would never want him to suffer. Sansa and I would never want Jon to hate us, we're trying to do the best we can, we just want peace like you. Kings and queens are never safe, we have to end this. Robert chose Eddard to be his brother, what should I do Yen. Stannis and Renly protect Jon too. I wouldn't live in Sunspear all my life either, I love Robb. Aegon loves Sansa more than anything. I would never make Robb a king consort. Before that happens, I would resign as Queen. I don't give a fuck about the Realm, i'm human too. Robert called Elia an evil snake and threatens everyone. He hit Lyanna and Cersei. Ciri is so wonderful, we can change your world too, Yennefer. I've seen Kaer Morhen too, Robb and I have ridden through your world. You and Sansa are my sisters, I just want to be strong for Jon like you and Sansa. We need elections, Rhaegar was elected Warden of King's Landing by the people in the capital. We need new offices in the Kingdoms. As Tywin says, the name lasts for a thousand years, if there is a baby boom then the children don't automatically have to become kings and queens, we can create new jobs for heirs. Even if Jaime and Brienne have children together, the children don't automatically have to be kings. Robb and I hardly argue, Sansa and Aegon hardly argue. We do our best, we love Jon and he can always come to us. We are happy that Ciri calls Geralt, Jaskier and Jon father and Daenerys and you mother. Ciri is so wonderful."

Yennefer laughed aloud, "That wouldn't have been justified if you had treated Jon like a bastard! He's Jon Stark, this may or may not suit you two, bitches."

Sansa and Rhaenys huffed, "We are not bitches."

Tywin nodded. "That would be best when kings and queens end."

Yennefer smiled, "ah ok. But families can be great together. Robert is unfaithful, Rhaenys. Lyanna is Eddard's sister.

He just wants to bang Lyanna and the next day he would be gone, he was just fascinated by the idea of marrying Lyanna. You see Robert's character, he hits women when something doesn't suit him. Either you have a decent relationship with no quarrels over small things, or you leave it if you are unable to have a relationship. Jon doesn't hate you. Come back inside Jon. It is very clear, Sansa, you either want Baelish in your service or you don't, he is breaking families apart in his greed for power. Give him politics in Riverrun and you're rid of him."

Sansa nodded, "I don't want Baelish."

Elia smiled, "Oberyn knows that he would be a cruel politician, Rhae. Lyanna, Rhaegar and I haven't had sex in ages."

Rhaenys and Sansa groaned, "Ok, we have to put up with that. Ok, right, we don't want to be inactive. That would make us losers in life."

Yennefer nodded, "Yes that would make you losers."

Lyanna, Elia, Kevan, Rhaegar, and Tywin nodded, "Yes, that smells like conscription. Military service for a few years or for life is possible."

Sansa and Rhaenys nodded, "we got it. Yes then we all have to dissolve the vassalage. House Stark is not going to hand over Winterfell."

Yennefer looked at them.

"An oath can mean doom. Rhaenys and you are the sisters I never had, Sansa. Yes we are similar. It's not difficult for me to fall in love with Jon either. The problem is, Jon must want more than just defeat the Night King. He knows things and he can learn anything and he already sees it. Elia and Lyanna are the mothers I never had when I was a kid. It's nice to see how happy Jon is in the fact that he got the name Stark from Lyanna and he's not a bastard, he never was. Aegon, Jon and Robb are brothers for Geralt, I'm all the more happy that he finally fell in love with Daenerys. Ciri is happy. Ciri can achieve something great in these two worlds, these worlds are very similar. Ciri loves Westeros and Essos. We can make this continent, Essos and my world so great, create a better future. Tywin is right, if you want my advice I'll give you that, but then you have to listen to me, rulers listen to their advisors Sansa. I give Rhaenys as queen in the North my advice, no problem, but not for free! I want money Sansa. That crown from King's Landing gives you no power, Sansa. That gives you no power over me. A crown can break. I will not love you as a queen, I will accept you as a queen. Each of us learns our whole life. If you live a quiet life as a queen, I will call you a bad queen, because then you are no better than Robert Baratheon, as a Storm King. Oh you want my advice. Then we look each other in the eye and we agree that we need to talk about money. I don't give advice for free. I've seen so many bad kings and queens who didn't care about my advice because they enjoyed the power that came with me. Who tells me you're not such a ruler too, Sansa? A feminist heroine has visions, tell me about your vision. Maybe I can relate to it. I've already stopped counting how many bad monarchs I've seen. True to the motto: Good advice is expensive, Sansa. I hold out my hand, if you want me as an advisor you have to pay me. Yes, one doesn't talk about money, but we have to do that briefly. Aegon is a good and strong king, and he loves you with all his heart. I love Jon more than anything. Oh it will be expensive for you two to bring me into your service and alliance. Sansa, Rhaenys listen carefully, Jon and Geralt remain neutral. I can also stay neutral, if you want me you have to offer me a lot. I will not love Rhaenys and you as queens, I will accept you both, Sansa. When I see that you start a project to change the continent I will support you. What are you offering me to give up my neutrality, Rhaenys, Sansa. What does Catelyn offer me to help her daughter as a counselor? I know my worth, what am I worth to you two? I don't give advice for free, I've seen so many bad monarchs. I think the currency was gold dragons, right? I do not give advice for under 500 gold dragons every month when I also pay taxes."

Tywin and Kevan smiled, "yes, because advice usually costs money, it is not for free. I don't want to talk my mouth lint and nobody listens to me. Yes, it is easy to become a bad king or queen. My brother Kevan and I pay you every month, Yennefer", said Kevan and Tywin.

Sansa and Rhaenys nodded, "We deduct the taxes. the taxes are used for schools, roads, the kingsroad has to be expanded. The capital is getting cleaner. Winterfell needs to get cleaner and healthier. 500 gold dragons every month for you. That's the currency. We all offer you a career. I like money too, Rhaenys likes it too. I'm better than Robert Baratheon. Rhaenys is better than Robert. Aegon, Rhaenys, Rhaegar, Tywin, Lyanna, Elia and I pay best in Westeros. Rhaenys and Robb give you rooms in Winterfell and Aegon and I give you money, work and rooms in the Red Keep. I'm building a political council with Lyanna and Elia, I could use you Yen. Your qualifications are great, I will pay you well. I pay you. Rhaegar, Aegon, Lyanna, Elia and I are making new laws. Politics as competition. We pay you every month, Yen. Jon and Geralt get money from Rhaegar, Rickard, Eddard, Robb and Aegon every month. Jaskier is in Highgarden. Olenna and Margaery are fascinated by him as a bard. Your jobs are in Casterly Rock, the Crownlands and the north, King's Landing and Winterfell."

Yennefer looked at with wide eyes, "ah a career, all right. Politics as a competition? That's cool, I'll join in, I'll join this council. Ok I can travel through magical portals, I come to the capital when Jon and Geralt go back north and Daenerys sails back to Essos. Then Ciri, Tissaia and I have to think about expanding the portals. A career, you made it up nicely, you two bitches. Have you studied my path in life?"

Rhaenys and Sansa laughed, "If it works."

Yennefer laughed out loud, "Attention." Daenerys laughed out loud, "Oh that was Geralt, Ciri and me, we told them about your path."

Yennefer groaned, "Ah ok. Well done Ciri. My parents abused me when I was a kid. I was disfigured when I was a kid. I didn't have anything when I was little, I was treated like a pig. Jon gave me back that choice that was stolen from me."

Lyanna and Elia looked at her, "then be happy that Ciri has such great opportunities now. Be happy that Geralt fell in love."

Dany barked at Sansa and Rhaenys, "Geralt and Jon remain neutral. Are you deaf in both of your ears or just stupid?"

Yennefer nodded, "I'm happy about that. I am happy that Ciri has a foster father in Jon and Geralt and a foster mother in Daenerys. Like Jon, Jaskier, Geralt, Daenerys, I want Ciri to be fine. Emhyr is a monster. Yes, I have to put up with the fact that I'm shit and be manipulative. But then you have to put up with the fact that you suck too, Daenerys."

Daenerys nodded, "he's a monster. Yeah, I'm a bitch sometimes, I admit it. But we love Ciri. Ciri doesn't want to experience chaos or on / off relationships, she wants to live a life."

Yennefer groaned, "I know."

Rhaenys smiled, "Oh you get money. It would be so nice if you, as Jon's great love, were mine and Sansa's advisors. I am ready to pay a lot of money for you."

Aegon smiled, "Jon, Robb and Geralt are my brothers."

Tywin nodded, "Yennefer is right. I can't turn Myrcella into a bastard, I can't. Yes, you must want something more than just defeating the undead, Jon. You have to kick yourself in the ass if you want to achieve more in life. Yes, when Myrcella isn't a bastard then neither are you, you're a Stark through Lyanna, you're Jon Stark. Yes, the continent has potential. We can change all this, this is possible. New titles, claims, elections can be created. The Lannister fleet and I join you on the expedition to Valyria. I'm looking for Brightroar. The Lannister fleet and Targaryen fleet sail together, Jon. We get valyrian steel. Expeditions to Valyria to get steel can be planned when we attack the undead together. We need more valyrian steel. Then we have to take care of safety if we should meet stone people, I will definitely not sleep on Valyria overnight. Southern armies can be mobilized for the cold, but I need time for that. It's okay with me if the Wildlings stay in the north as long as they don't start looting south of the wall. Then Wildlings should also be allowed to come to the capital, no problem for me, they should get food and supplies. They can come back south of the wall during long winters. Nobody wants to get sick because of winters or the cold. Then I want to hear from Ciri what Emhyr is capable of, then I want to hear about the cruelty of this tyrant. Myrcella, like you, works for honor and money. I support you on the expedition to Valyria to get valyrian steel to fight the revenants, I know the blacksmith in Essos."

Yennefer smiled, "I'm sending Ciri and Myrcella to you, Tywin. The wall does not fall Tywin. There is magic buried there to stop the Night King. Only dragons can destroy the wall. The sorceresses strengthen the protective magic of the wall. That's what Triss, Tissaia and I do. When we are stronger we hunt the Night King to the wall, all armies of Westeros against the undead. A great story. Yes, Lyanna and Elia are right, at first it doesn't matter whether there is fair rule, at some point royalty has to come to an end, Sansa. A name remains even if there are no longer kings and queens. Now we all take a deep breath, because we have enough to do for the future, we are now fundamentally changing something. We will ensure justice now, and then we have to change continents. I do not serve a queen who makes a quiet life. You and Aegon are political geniuses in King's Landing, fine, start making a change, rights for Lowborn, there's so much to do, Sansa. Lyanna, Rhaegar and Elia are already making new laws."

Aegon and Sansa nodded, "yes, we will change this continent colossally in the near future."

Tywin and Rhaegar nodded, "Yes the kingdoms are independent and the Iron Throne may be gone, but it's too easy to become a bad king or queen. You cannot rule with love, it is impossible that makes others jealous. This is still a shitty world where everyone wants power. That means there has to be an end to kings and queens at some point. Come on Rhaegar, let's get drunk", said Tywin and Kevan.

Rhaegar nodded, "That's a good idea. I can't stand Lyanna's, Cersei's and Elia's cackling any longer."

Tywin and Kevan laughed aloud. Cersei, Lyanna and Elia looked at him, "Be careful Rhaegar Targaryen!"

Sansa, Aegon, Rhaenys, Daenerys, Myrcella, Jon, Geralt, Ciri, Cersei, Yennefer laughed aloud, "we could get used to this atmosphere."

Aegon, Jon and Rhaegar nodded, "we have time, Tywin."

Yennefer smiled and kissed Jon, "just a cunning sorceress", said Jon.

She smiled, "oh yeah. I may be powerful, but in the end I'm just cunning, nothing more. I am not a queen or a princess. If Elia is Princess Elia and Lyanna is Lady Lyanna, I am Lady Yennefer, but nothing more. Yes be Queen Sansa, at some point there has to be an end to kings and queens, remember that. You're too tight-knit there Sansa, you have to widen your view of things. You're in your early twenties girl. I am an old woman, Sansa. I age normally now, live another seventy years and die with Jon. I've seen more than you can ever imagine. Aegon loves you. My head was in chaos and only Jon kept me in check. Even Geralt was hardly able to do that. You have no idea Sansa what Emhyr var Emreis is capable of, a tyrant who uses an ax and a whip to compel allegiance. This man is capable of anything, he would marry Ciri to control Cintra, he would marry his own child. When Emhyr var Emreis finds out that Ciri is in another world he will try everything to get a united continent and three dragons. And then Tywin is dead too. Emhyr var Emreis knows no mercy. He'll kill you too, Sansa. He kills everyone and dances on the bodies of his enemies. Emhyr var Emreis will have everyone from Robert Baratheon to Eddard Stark killed. He's going to kill Cersei, Myrcella, Starks, Martells, Arryns, he just has to let the armies emerge if we don't have any more strength. You wanted a crown, a handsome prince. You were never a little bird. You have already seen bad people. You know power games, a Game of Thrones, lies, you've worked for your crown, you've earned it, but history knows really evil people who dream of world domination. These people don't stop at you either, Sansa. These people don't stop in front of Robert Baratheon, who can also be assassinated. Nor do these people stop before Tywin, who may drink poisoned wine the next evening. These people enjoy dancing on dead bodies. These people tell Tywin what he wants to hear and the next moment he's dead. Emhyr var Emreis only has to send the armies of the Empire and Tywin would be dead if he faced him alone in battle. Emhyr var Emreis is greedy for power, a bad father for Ciri, a tyrant. I'm not saying Emhyr should die, he's a tragic figure. He should just apologize to Ciri. Emhyr, Tywin and Rhaegar could still be best friends, the three of them are similar. Emhyr may suck but is a good leader for an empire, which means that at some point there has to be an end to kings and queens. It is always said that kings and queens are to blame when wars, famine or disease come. The people in the streets must choose their own leaders, not vassals appoint a king. Cruelty? It can be a lot, Sansa. I've made questionable decisions too, I'm a murderer too, and I can cope with that. But no more kings, queens or tyrants. And it is always the fault of the kings and queens because they sit in their castles, have warm asses and the population gets sick because the hygiene is not right. Winterfell, Karhold, Sunspear are dirty, Sansa. You can write pig in the dirt. It may be that Rhaenys and you are good queens, but vassals also want to have more power one day. It's very simple, the king and queen have to pull together. You must make an effort in your relationship and rule as monarchs. Otherwise you don't need to have a relationship if you think there will be kings or queens in the future. I am very happy that Geralt finally shows love and has his true love in Daenerys. But Ciri, Dany and I want Jon and Geralt to be neutral about wars."

Sansa and Rhaenys groaned, "we got it."

Jon, Geralt, Dany smiled, "you are the best.

Jon smiled, "I love you", she smiled, "I love you."

Tywin and Rhaegar agreed, "these types of people and tyrants have no friends or mercy. No more kings and queens in the near future, we are creating new offices.

They are two steps ahead of us, which means we have to hit them with weapons, which they don't have. Tyrants don't have time, an empire must grow or die. And this downfall must be our goal. An empire needs armies and an economy, if one of the two pillars breaks, the other pillar cannot compensate for it. Varys will poison the economy to the core, and we will bring Emhyr var Emreis with all armies directly to Westeros where he is most vulnerable. Then we will defeat him in battle."

Rhaenys, Sansa, Lyanna, Elia, Daenerys, Tywin and Rhaegar groaned, "Yes tyrants are terrible. Yes then we have to destabilize him until he makes mistakes. We're sending Varys to Nilfgaard to overthrow the empire. Then the empire must be disbanded when we have him on the battlefield. Then the conquered territories must be returned to the point of sovereignty. Then we have to increase the number of armies immediately, then we will immediately mobilize from north to south when he soon finds out that Ciri is gone. Then he has to kneel so that an empire can be overthrown. Then the tyrant must be defeated in battle. Then fighting is important", said Sansa.

Yennefer nodded, "That's it."

Sansa nodded and kissed Aegon, "and I love my strong king."

Lyanna cheered like a cheerleader, "yeah Jon. Yeah Yen. This is my girl. This is my boy."

Daenerys, Rhaenys, Lyanna, Elia, Sansa and Yennefer gave each other high five and patted each other on the buttocks.

#yennefer and jon #anya chalotra #charles dance #tywin lannister #emperor emhyr #aegon and sansa #rhaenys and robb #queen sansa targaryen #emilia clarke #henry cavill

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emeraldeyes23 · 4 years

Text

Fictober/Fantober 2020 - Day 7 - Sick Day

"Eiji!" When Ash had heard something break in the kitchen, he had run over within seconds, only to find Eiji lying on the kitchen floor, unconscious. It had scared the hell out of him. He had checked for any sign of injury because of the broken glass shards lying everywhere but had found none. Instead, he had realized that he was burning up. So, he had carried him to their bedroom and had put him into bed again. Since he had been shivering and he couldn't find a blanket, he had put him into one of his warm hoodies. It looked ridiculous because they were much too big for him, but he couldn't help but smile for a moment. Eiji seemed so cozy and cute. "A- Ash?", he croaked out. Eiji's voice sounded hoarse and nearly failed him. "Yes, it's me. Goddammit, Eiji, don't scare me like that!", Ash shouted a bit too loudly, glaring at him furiously. Despite his anger, Eiji never looked scared. Instead, he smiled weakly at him, having noted the fear in his voice. Even Ash had heard his voice trembling at the end. At this point, Eiji knew only too well that his outbursts were a sign that he was genuinely worried about him. He just wasn't capable of showing his real emotions. Most of his life, he had only learned to suppress his feelings, to bury them deep inside of him. In his cruel life, feelings were a weakness that made you vulnerable and killed you in the end. He had tried to show more of his emotions towards Eiji, but it wasn't easy for him... Still confused, Eiji slowly opened his eyes again, looking at him. Ash had placed a cold cloth on his forehead to stop the fever from getting worse. Then, he had sat at his bedside and had watched over him carefully, making sure he didn't get worse. Ash put a hand across his face and sighed in frustration. He should have noticed that Eiji wasn't feeling well. Judging by the high fever, Eiji had probably hidden his discomfort and cold from him for some time. Damn idiot. Eiji looked pale as a sheet and looked so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open. The way he groaned in pain while rubbing at his temples, he probably had a massive headache. Cold sweat was visible on his forehead, and little droplets were running down his face. When he took his hand, he noticed they were sweaty as well, and he was still shivering despite the warm room temperature. Ash cleaned his sweaty face again and put another cold cloth on his forehead. He could see how Eiji relaxed, so it was helping him to feel a bit better. Ash wanted to touch his cheek to comfort him but hesitated, stopping in mid-air. He frowned, wondering if he was allowed to touch Eiji in a situation where he wasn't feeling well. Maybe he would hurt or scare him... Eiji had taught him that his hands could not only kill and hurt people but also comfort and heal people. At the beginning, he hadn't believed him, but he had eventually noticed how his touch made Eiji relax and how he always leaned into his touch. He had never learned kind gestures, so he had started copying the ones Eiji used on him. Still, he often hesitated, still afraid to hurt Eiji. Eiji smiled knowingly at him, lifted his hand and intertwined their fingers. It was Eiji's way of showing him that his touch would never hurt him. Ash tried again, touching his cheek while his features relaxed again. "How are you feeling?" "I'm f- ", Eiji began, trying to sit up but instantly regretted it, grimacing in pain before rubbing his temples in an attempt to soothe it. Ash just shook his head in disbelief and pushed him back into the cushions, gently but firmly. "Don't you dare lie to me!", Ash harshly interrupted him at once, his green eyes tightening. Anger rushed through him while he glared dangerously at him. Then, he took a deep breath to calm himself. His voice softened again, and sadness overcame him when he realized that Eiji always took good care of him but now that the tables were turned, he didn't know what he was supposed to do to comfort Eiji. It always looked so easy when Eiji did it. Even so, he desperately wanted to be there for Eiji.

He'd do anything for him.

"Just let me take care of you for once, ok? I know I'm seriously bad at it, but I want to comfort and help you, too." He sat there with slumped shoulders, his eyes looking down at him but not meeting his gaze. He felt so useless in this situation; how could someone like him ever comfort Eiji?

Eiji suddenly took his hand in his and smiled faintly at him, making him look up in surprise.

"I'm sorry, Ash. I should have told you sooner. I just didn't want to trouble you with that. I felt so pathetic and weak. I didn't want to be a burden to you. You have so much going on right now, with Arthur and your fight against Dino. My cold is not even worth mentioning in comparison.", he tried to explain it to him while pure warmth was reflected in his eyes.

Eiji's words immediately made him feel better. His warm smile always healed his heart and removed any dark thoughts that had crossed his mind within seconds. He moved closer to him and gently ruffled his hair.

"Eiji, please stop saying that. You're never a burden or trouble to me. You're the best thing ever happening to me. I'm so glad I've met you. You gave me new hope and showed me that there are good people in this world who care about me. That life can also be beautiful.", he admitted honestly. He couldn't remember when he had confessed his feelings to anyone so openly before. Usually, it wasn't necessary since Eiji just took one look at him and knew what he was thinking. It was scary at times, yet he secretly loved it that they shared such a close bond.

Eiji smiled weakly at him, yawning. "But - "

"Eiji, be honest. When was the last time you slept for more than a few hours? You always wait for me to come home no matter how late it is. Even so, you still get up early every day, making breakfast for everyone. It's no wonder you're exhausted.", Ash reminded him sternly.

"I... That's not... I can't sleep unless I know you're safe." Then his eyes darkened slightly before he turned away from him, avoiding his gaze.

"I just feel useless if I don't do anything. Like a freeloader. I can't fight by your side, but I can at least take care of your gang and the apartment."

"Please take care of yourself first.", Ash scolded him lightly.

Eiji nodded quietly. He seemed utterly exhausted and couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

"Eiji, don't sleep yet. Take your medication first." He helped him sit up a bit before handing him two pills and a glass of water. "Painkillers.", he explained. "For your fever and your headache. "You'll feel better."

Eiji took them and drank the water. After Ash had helped him lay down again, Eiji closed his eyes again and drifted off to sleep. Ash bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead as Eiji had done so many times to comfort him after a nightmare.

After a while, Ash lay down next to Eiji and began reading a book while watching the sleeping figure next to him. He had apparently fallen asleep next to him because he was woken up by a low mumbling sound next to him. Still dazed, he moved in that direction to make sure Eiji was safe.

However, when he moved, he heard a soft complaint next to him and followed the sound with his gaze. While he had been asleep, Eiji had shifted so that his head rested on his chest now while his arm was flung around him, as if protecting him, his hand grabbing his upper arm. He was sleeping so peacefully that Ash didn't dare to move again.

Eiji had noticed him moving because he pulled him closer and mumbled something.

"Ash... Don't leave..."

Ash stared at Eiji in surprise, then slowly ran a hand through his brown hair. He saw Eiji relax again before a small smile appeared on his face. Eiji has once explained to him that he was afraid that he'd leave without telling him and would be suffering all alone somewhere.

"Idiot.", muttered Ash but couldn't help but smile in return.

"No matter where I go, I'll always find my way back to you in the end."

#banana fish #ash lynx #eiji okumura #anime #manga #fictober2020 #fictober20 #fantober 2020 #fantober 20 #my writing #fanfiction #my fanfic #ash x eiji #fever

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soup-fish · 3 years

Note

Hiya I meant to send you asks like forever ago but I'm bad so I didn't do that so here they are now they're from this ask prompt thing you reblogged

Feel free to answer these about any of your OCs cause I don't really remember any except rabbit and Knight so~

1, 10, 25, 29, 33, 37, 46, 50, 61, 63, 78, 80, sorry there's so many you don't have to answer them all, I am just cursed with insatiable curiosity only balanced out by my fear of asking too many questions and being annoying—

Hi!!! You’re not bad!! You’re one of the coolest aliens ever!!!!

I am absolutely answering them all with multiple OCs because I will take every opportunity I get to talk about them.

Putting it under a cut because it is LONG and I don't wanna bother.

1. What is their gender?

The Knight: (she/her)

Rabbit: agender but they use (they/them) pronouns

The Apprentice: (he/him)

Dijon: (he/him)

Julienne: (she/her) (they/them)

Monty: (he/him) (they/them)

Diana: (she/her)

Captain Pumpernickel: (he/him)

William: (he/him)

10. What are some of their talents/skills?

The Knight: Swordfighting, Dancing, pottery

Rabbit: Parlor magic, puppetry, Acting

The Apprentice: collecting, Dunescotch [the world's rough equivalent of chess], chemistry

Dijon: cooking, writing, gardening

Julienne: biking, photography, bird watching

Monty: people watching, bingo, garage sales

Diana: fencing, archery, calligraphy

Captain Pumpernickel: Singing, acting, swordfighting

William: whittling, philosophy, accordion

25. What is their biggest flaw?

The Knight: her naivete

Rabbit: Their reluctance to be vulnerable

The Apprentice: His aversion to change and the unknown

Dijon: his self-pitying nature

Julienne: Her self-centeredness

Monty: his...not quite human-ness

Diana: She’s uptight

Captain Pumpernickel: hooboy where do I start? For one, his complete and utter dismissal of everything that doesn’t contribut to ADVENTURE

William: his lack of ambition

29. How would they describe their own personality?

The Knight: “Hmmm. I try to be as nice as possible and I’ve been told I’m rhapsodic! I don’t think my singing’s that good but it’s a sweet compliment!”

Rabbit: “Witty. Yes. Sarcastic? Yes. The people’s demon? In more ways than one~ Even hell can’t handle me.”

The Apprentice: “Simple, studious, and an enjoyer of quiet studying. I tend to be rather straight-forward in my methodology.”

Dijon: “God do I even have a personality? What am I besides a vaguely human shaped pile of mistakes and disappointments?”

Julienne: “A fun loving fun person!”

Monty: “Just your average Earth person! Nothing else to see!”

Diana: “Calm, cool, collected, the perfect dignitary”

Captain Pumpernickel: “AN ADVENTURER! And a lover! Of your mother! Bring out the good ale my good fellows! Your captain has won another battle of the wits!”

William: “Personality? Never heard of it. Wouldn’t even begin to know what the word means. I know no such words such as sarcastic, laid-back, carefree. Nooooo.”

33. What is their biggest fear? How would they react to having to face it?

The Knight: Being ignored and unheard. She’d probably get really frustrated and maybe cry a little as a result. If it really got to her, she’d need help being pulled out of a dark place.

Rabbit: Abandonment. Their general reaction to it is to put on a veneer of not caring and close off from the outside world more, even going so far as to act annoying and unlikable so that people leave before getting close.

The Apprentice: Not knowing. Or, by extension, not being able to learn. He’d probably lash out in anger and storm off.

Dijon: Being an unredeemable person. He faces it every day and he deals with it by being melodramatic in all of his writings and wallowing in misery. AKA, not dealing with it.

Julienne: People being genuine. They’d probably get really uncomfortable and try to excuse themselves from the conversation or make jokes to redirect the conversation.

Monty: The republic finding him hiding out on Earth. He’d fight or do anything possible out of desperation.

Diana: Being a disappointment

Captain Pumpernickel: Not being able to bang your mom not having adventures with his crew. He'd probably be reduced to a shell of his former self.

William: Not being able to talk his way out of a situation.

37. How easy is it for them to say “I love you”? Do they say it without meaning it?

The Knight: Pretty easy but she means it when she says it. She's just full of love tbh.

Rabbit: It's really hard for them to say "I love you". Really really hard. Especially at the start of their arc, they would never say it, however much they mean it.

The Apprentice: It's hard for him to say, simply because it's not quantifiable enough. How does one properly explain how much they love someone? He prefers showing love through actions and more direct compliments.

Dijon: It's not easy for him to say, but he says it without meaning it, both knowingly and unknowingly.

Julienne: She doesn't say it often, but she says it to the people she cares about occasionally. She prefers to say it through time spent and physical touch though.

Monty: The Dude Loves Everything. But they also barely understand the meaning of the word so...

Diana: She doesn't say it almost at all, but prefers to use acts of service and gift giving.

Captain Pumpernickel: He never says "I love you" because he usually doesn't really mean it. He'll use some other compliment or compound of it.

William: He doesn't throw it around easily, so when he says it, it has so much more weight behind it.

46. How easily can they express emotions? How easily can they hide emotions?

The Knight: She expresses her emotions a lot and very easily, but she has a hard time hiding them.

Rabbit: They think they're sly at hiding their emotions, but they let micro-expressions slip constantly. If anyone decided to notice, one would

The Apprentice: He's a blank sheet baybee. What is he thinking? Unless it's frustration or anger, you'll never know.

Dijon: He's just kinda sad all the time. He's miserable and everyone notices.

Julienne: She allows some emotions to come through. It's a bit of a calculated effort.

Monty: All of his emotions come through all the time and he doesn't mind.

Diana: Well, she hides her sadness and happiness, but allows her frustration and such to shine through.

Captain Pumpernickel: He expresses emotions very openly and very loudly. He is a dramatic ham of a captain.

William: He keeps a near perpetual smile that occasionally wavers when things go wrong. He doesn't like to open up emotionally.

50. How would you describe their style of clothing? How would they describe their style of clothing?

The Knight: "fun and comfy!" Light armor with room for mobility but colorful

Rabbit: "...sexy" literally naked except a cloak.

The Apprentice: "practical and sensible" like a fucking nerd

Dijon: "presentable" the best time to wear a sweater, is all the time

Julienne: "quirky" quirky.

Monty: "human clothing for humans! :D" weird mixture of 1800s stuff and modern day stuff. Weird guy.

Diana: "regular??? Clothes???" Fancy ballgown at first then swashbuckling but still expensive.

Captain Pumpernickel: "EXTRAVAGANT AND ASTOUNDING" sexy hobo pirate.

William: "only the highest tier clothing/s" ...rags. doesn't care enough.

61. Which season is their favorite season?

The Knight: Spring

Rabbit: Autumn, harvest festivals and such are good for demons.

The Apprentice: Winter, you have excuses to stay inside and work. Plus the vibe is nice when it's harsh outside and cozy inside

Dijon: Summer, fewer holidays and he's not really cold resistant.

Julienne: Summer. They like the general vibe and popsicles and shorts and sunglasses and such.

Monty: Winter, they love the holidays.

Diana: Summer, she likes the heat.

Captain Pumpernickel: Autumn! He just thinks the weather and vibe are RIPE FOR ADVENTURE!

William: Winter! He like staying inside and the cold.

63. What is always guaranteed to make them smile?

The Knight: her partner! Or a silly joke! Or a delicious snack! Or friendship!

Rabbit: schadenfreude

The Apprentice: order and productivity

Dijon: his favorite childhood book

Julienne: her pet rats! Or pet frog!

Monty: A human thing like paperclips

Diana: this one is a hard one. Succeeding at any of her hobbies.

Captain Pumpernickel: ADVENTURE. and friends

William: seeing Diana smile and be free.

78. Who do they consider to be their best friend?

The Knight: The prince!

Rabbit: the Knight

The Apprentice: books

Dijon: julienne

Julienne: no one. Monty is close.

Monty: ALL HUMANS ARE BEST! AND FRIENDS!!

Diana: no one [William eventually]

Captain Pumpernickel: The sea. And his first mate. And his quartermaster.

William: no one [Diana eventually]

80. Are they a morning person or a night owl?

The Knight: Morning person

Rabbit: Night Owl

The Apprentice: Morning Person

Dijon: Night Owl

Julienne: Morning Person

Monty: Morning Person

Diana: Morning Person

Captain Pumpernickel: Morning Person

William: Night Owl

#arc-gx #17th #February #2021 #February 17th 2021 #THIS TOOK FOREVER #IM SO SORRY #FINALLY GOT THROUGH THEM ALL #THIS WAS FUN #THANK YOU #dante babbles

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dreamiesdotcom · 3 years

Text

smile (slow spin-off) | p.js, l.mk

Summary: Jisung looks at the camera and smiles, the kind of smile you show when the person you're in love with is looking — and maybe it's the smile you flash when you're silently hoping that said person falls as hard for you as you fell for them.

Word Count: 1.4k

Jisung remembers the first time it happened. He was in a Ferris Wheel, holding onto his notebook for dear life, eyes closed. In front of him was a longtime friend, and said friend was reaching out to hold his hand. When he opened his eyes, they're at the highest point and they're stuck because the ride has broken down.

Panic bubbled in his gut, but then quickly he realizes there's a hand wrapped tightly around his, that the sun is setting and he's got the perfect view. Peach skies around him, safe breeze. Jaemin was smiling.

Jisung remembers how he spent the night writing about the way he told him that everything will be okay — "I'm here, Jisungie. Sorry for asking you to go even if you're scared. It'll be alright, yeah?" — and he loses sleep.

Of course, he was scared. Hell, he was terrified. Even more when it doesn't go away the day after — or the next week, or the next months, then some more. He didn't want to get his heartbroken. In fact, he didn't want it so much that he would've never even thought of catching these kinds of feelings but oh, it was an easy fall. It was everything predictable.

His first love was way too charming to resist, laid down like an open book that held adventures only for those who looked and actually saw. Sentimental. Charismatic. Affectionate. How was Jisung supposed to resist that?

And if Jaemin so openly held his hands out to him, why would Jisung even try?

"But you know what, you really look good dancing with Jisung. I didn't know you could dance like that..." Jaemin drawls out one of the many times they held sleepovers at Renjun's place. He keens at the mention of his name, but he makes the mistake of looking at your direction — Jaemin smiled at you then. And he was shifting closer.

You only sighed and told him off, warning him "Stop moving or I'll fall!"

And that was normal, just another typical day — Jaemin's taking pictures of everyone but mostly you. He's smiling fondly, just like all the other times he spent with his friends.

Jisung doesn't know why, but it haunts him, Jaemin's reply to your warning — "Promise? You'll fall?"

It feels like if we stayed the way we are, just the two of us... we could've been way more, Jisung roughly scribbled in his notebook. He recalls how flashbacks flooded his mind as he writes the next line — If you knew, would you try?

Jaemin calls his name and snaps a picture. He smiles.

Jisung clearly remembers how he spent his first love wondering when Jaemin would realize that he's in love with someone else.

###

"Sometimes I get worried about Jaemin hyung. The two of them, they never seem to get the right timing," Chenle sighs the next day as they walk home together, peeking from behind the cracks of Jisung's mask.

The other boy stops on his tracks and looks at him dead in the eye, "Then I remember you. How many times are you gonna go break your heart?"

"I don't know," he quickly replies, voice brittle and already cracking. He sees no use in lying to one of his best friends, so he tilts his head and smiles, "How many times can your heart break for the person you love?"

Chenle snickers and spreads his arms out for a hug. Only then does Jisung break down.

The fall to his best friend's arms seemed like a slow motion, but then as he catches him and his tears, everything seemed to speed up and crash. They stay like that for several minutes, then Jisung decides to take the other way home; the one that leads him to the studio.

The only reason Jisung's first love isn't counted in the times he fell in love was because he never fell; it felt like a connection, immediate and instantaneous. He adored dancing without much fuss — there was no struggle. There was no fight. He loved this thing entirely with his whole being from the moment he was born, and then he lived for it. He breathed it like air, loved it like he'd break for it — because he will, heaven knows that. He didn't fall in love with dancing — he ran to it and let it wrap him in its hold.

And that's what he does right now. He lets his heart drop and break and he dances, he dances until his feet burn and hurts so much that it makes him forget the ache in his chest. It works.

A little.

He convinces himself that it does but then —

Flashes of Na Jaemin's hopeless smile. His giggles. His antics. His eyes.

It doesn't work.

###

He's moved on, at least he thinks, but someway somehow, it seems like first love really does hit different than all the others. There are some days when Jaemin still disturbs his memory, and he thinks of what could've been and what they could've had.

Those times don't come as frequent these days, but it only takes Jisung two months to realize that it's because he's been thinking of another person. The one that creates beats for Jisung to dance to, and then watches him with intense admiration and a smile that has become the subject of most of his dreams.

Jisung met Mark on a busy day, his stress level high up, his heart ravaged. It's for some kind of showcase he was a part of — if he knew he'd have to work with strangers, he really wouldn't have participated — and the snowball begins from there. They knew each other. They became friends. They grew pretty close, and that was fine.

That would've been fine.

Only that Jisung tends to take more than he should've and even more than what he can handle.

Now, that was not fine.

But right now Mark looks real pretty stargazing beside him. He looks like something straight out of a dream, the kind of trance that would make you smile. He'd be the heart-fluttering kind, one of the feelings Jisung's always been scared of, but he'd be the sensation he'd chase.

The way he grins is damning, "You did well. Up that stage, you looked like you're competing with literal stars."

Right now, Jisung thinks, nothing this good could be that bad. If it was, he knew that it's the kind that he won't regret.

It's extremely out of character and his cheeks flush crimson as he stumbles over his words, but he dares try — "Well, did I win, hyung?"

Mark stiffens at that, never expecting such daring words from the younger who just laughed sheepishly. His heart does this dumb thing where it beats loudly against his chest, his hands setting down his guitar and opting to reach for his camera. Mark opens it and stares at random photos as a diversion, nervously chuckling.

Jisung understands that feeling well. Although he only fell in love twice in this life, having those two be the most heart-fluttering people he knew just really tends to drive him a little incomprehensible, gives him a preview of how weird the things you can feel when you fall. He doesn't tease him for a similar blush on his cheeks, or the way he keeps on snapping the same picture of the grass. Truth is, his heart is also weakly thumping against his chest. He knew that it was never a good sign, but he can't even deny it now. He knew where it would go.

"The stars stood no chance against you," he drawls out, the sound of a shutter at the end. Jisung turns to his direction, and then holds his breath. That laugh. That damned laugh — the things Jisung does just to hear that.

Mark counts down from three to one, "Jisung-ah, pose for me?"

So Jisung looks at the camera and smiles, the kind of smile you show when the person you're in love with is looking — and maybe it's the smile you flash when you're silently hoping that said person falls as hard for you as you fell for them.

He hears again a count down to three, Mark's lovely peal of laughter, and then bright light strikes. Jisung blindly remembers that they lost themselves to giggles after that picture, and that they were happy, and then everything was unclear.

And maybe he remembers that after everything, later that night when he talked about dreams and the stars, between those hazy moments and the tune of the other's guitar, he hoped that Mark would finally realize that he loved Jisung.

#nct dream #jisung #mark #jisung x mark #member x member #nct dream imagines #nct dream oneshots #slow spin-off #yellow tag 💛

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zerablackwell · 4 years

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Chapter 4: Leverage

A week had gone by since Zera visited with her mother, Seth developed a plan to better her behavior in school. They spent lunch periods on worksheets and assessments in exchange for information from Seth about whatever Zera wanted. For the most part, they agreed and got along well regarding their little pact. They were both pleasantly surprised by how much they had in common.

"Zera, you are almost done with the page, come on. Remember the deal."

She groaned loudly, dropping her head on the page that was three quarters completed. "I hate doing this tedious work."

"If you finish it soon, we can get the assessments out of the way. I want to know how to properly tailor the help you require to get further in this system. As much as you don't like it, the humans value their schooling and make it practically a requirement to move forward in their world." Seth responded, drumming his fingers on the desk.

Zera lifted her head to glare at her uncle, then rolled her eyes. "I still don't get it. I don't like this. I'm only participating so I don't have to listen to Father's lectures."

"I'd honestly suggest you care a little more, you'll be able to open the doors so you can have better control of the world."

Zera stayed quiet for a moment, pondering the words prudently for a moment before nodding, "So I finish this, you tell me one thing. Yes?"

"Well, what is it you want to know?"

"I want to get into Heaven."

Seth was clearly caught off guard, "I...I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, I want into Heaven."

Seth stared at her, then huffed slightly. "Finishing a page does not equate to sneaking you into Heaven."

"Then what does?"

He opened his mouth then paused for a long moment, "No, nope. We aren't having this conversation, if this gets back to your father, he might-no he will have my head."

Zera giggled and stated, "You're scared of him."

"You seem to forget that he is not just my older brother, but also a well-known archdemon. A respected figure in Hell. In our worlds, both Heaven and Hell, everyone knows all that he is capable of." Seth patiently explained, but Zera was not impressed. "You are the only one who is questionably sane that would openly and readily challenge him."

"I take offense to that!" Zera huffed, "I am very much sane thank you." She then stuck her tongue out at him who rolled his eyes.

"Hun, you related to me, you are partially insane. You can blame genetics." Seth chuckled, smiling at her.

Zera lightened up a bit, giggling and enjoying the moment between her and Seth. Then she could hear Luz's familiar whispers in her ear, "Insist little one, you need to get in."

She cleared her throat as they settled down, "Please...I'd like to at least meet my grandparents, really. I want to go to heaven and meet my family."

Seth bit his lip hesitantly, "This is where I may have to draw the line, our family hasn't been together in eons. I'm sure your father would prefer to be present when you meet your grandparents."

"I didn't realize that he still tells you what to do. I thought you were both grown adults."

"I am a grown adult, and unlike you, I actually look like one." Seth glared, pointing a finger at her. "Little Miss One Hundred and something."

"Touché, however, we do age differently. Who knows how old are you Mr. Dinosaur." Zera giggled, amused by her uncle.

"Well, I'm not going to take you for calling me a dinosaur."

"So, you're going to keep me from meeting my extended family because of a preschool insult and homework?"

Seth sat there in complete disbelief and groaned loudly, "You manipulative little beat."

Zera smirked, "I've learned from the best."

There was something in Seth's eyes that Zera couldn't quite decipher. "Fine, fine. I'll help you get in, but for now, you'll only meet your grandmother."

"Why only her?"

"Azazel will be less angry when he finds out you only met Haniel. There was really no ill will between him and his mother." Seth explained then tapped the page, "Before we start that, you have to finish the packet."

Zera's lip twitched upward in a snarl, but she cleared her throat. "Done." She got to work and quickly completed the packet within about ten minutes, then pushed it toward her uncle who eyed her carefully.

"You had to complete it correctly Zera." He glanced over the first page which had nothing but wrong answers.

"Ah ha...That was not mentioned in the deal before agreeing." She smirked tapping her finger on the table expectantly.

Seth's face turned bright red, he growled. "You sneaky little-"

Zera giggled and cut him off, "Language Uncle Seth~" She then propped her head up with her hand on the table, "A deal is a deal."

He groaned, "Damn you are like your father."

The bell rang and Zera hissed, "Damn it."

"We'll talk later, I promise." Seth then stood and waited by the door as students began to enter.

Zera moves back to her corner seat as the students filed into the classroom and filled in their seats. One boy made his way to sit with the grouchy purple haired girl in the back. "You should smile more."

Zera looked at him, glaring. "You should sew your mouth shut."

He chuckled nervously, taking the seat by her. "You are just the image of a bright sunny day."

"You are the image of a parasite, let's go to the doctors." She spat; Seth eyed her warningly from the door causing her to pout. "Please refrain from distrusting me from the lesson."

"You never pay attention to the lesson."

"I'm trying to change my habits, now if you will." She opened her bag, pulling out a notebook and a fountain pen.

Seth made his way to the center after closing the door, "Welcome back class, please leave the energy from lunch outside." He waited for the chatter to settle down before beginning to explain persuasive essays. None to subtly, he glanced at Zera, "With persuasive essays, you must clearly explain the points for whatever the argument may be."

Zera couldn't help but giggle, and the boy feigned a gasp.

"Holy shit, she laughs." He whispered with a smirk, "Her smile is pretty too."

Almost immediately, Zera snarled and flashed her fangs at him. "Shut up, Janice."

He almost fell back on to the floor with a small yelp, "What the-!"

"Jordan! Zera! Must I separate you two?" Seth snapped, slamming a book on to his desk.

The boy returned to his seat nervously, "N-no Mr. Smith."

"Yes Mr. Smith, please move this twat from my space." Zera hissed and Seth's eye visibly twitched.

The students began to whisper and giggle quietly, "Zera, Jordan. Principal's office, thank you." He pointed to the door, she glared and stood. "No snarky remarks please Miss Blackwell, go on, the both of you."

Jordan stood and they both made their way to the door, Zera paused in the doorway. She looked at the teacher and ever so politely flipped him the bird. His face began to resemble a tomato, she finally left for the principal's office in a chorus of oohs from her peers.

Jordan looked at Zera, "Do you have to piss off everyone you meet?"

"Do you have to pester all of your classmates?"

"Only the interesting ones."

Zera rolled her eyes, "What is it exactly that makes me interesting then?"

"Where you come from."

"So, it isn't anything I've done that makes me interesting, it's only my background? You're interesting because of your stupidity." She glared at him.

"Your background makes up who you are."

"My background has nothing to do with me." She snapped.

"You're a real piece a work." Jordan huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I would hope so; Rome wasn't built in a day. It's taken me a lot to be who I am." She walked off.

"Wait, the principal's office is this way!"

"I'm going to the lady's room first, 'less they want to up my piss." She lied, quickly losing him as she walked down the hall.

As she turned the corner to make her way towards the school exit, Luz's voice chirped into her ear, "Young lady, turn right around and march right back in there."

"What? Why?" Zera stopped at the large double doors leading to her freedom from this makeshift hell.

"Don't take your punishment for something small. If you get in trouble, make it worth getting punished for dearie."

Zera smirked and turned around, "Luz, I love you." She giggled as she made her way towards the chemistry lab, her eyes flashed a mischievous red in her reflection of the window.

"Now, where to little lamb?"

"This place is a figurative hell, I'm going to create a little chaos~" She tried to open the door, but found it to be locked. Zera growled and her eyes turned bright red while she kept her hand on the handle. There was a click and she pushed the door wide open.

"Atta' girl." Luz chuckled, Zera smirked and she produced a small flame in her hand. She stood on a table and put her hand towards one of the sprinklers in the ceiling. Once the fire alarm went off, she made her way out of the lab and blended into the crowd of students being escorted outside.

Once outside, Zera was able to speak off away from the students and faculty and left the campus. She began walking towards a plaza just a couple of blocks from the school. Humming as she arrived, she looked around seeing an interesting looking tattoo parlor next to a rather plain looking shop. She made a mental note to remember the tattoo parlor, then continue to look around until she saw a small coffee shop.

Zera began to walk closer when Luz spoke up, "Darling, you seem to have forgotten your bag at school."

"Luz. I have a nifty little invention called pockets, perhaps you've heard of them? They're mini bags inside your clothes." Zera remarked.

Luz chuckled and left her alone, as Zera reached for the door handle to enter the little coffee shop a pale hand grabbed her wrist gently. "Zera Blackwell, you are in extreme trouble."

Zera groaned loudly, looking up at Elijah, "How'd you find me?"

"The real question is; what on Earth were you thinking? Seth called me, telling me you've disappeared after the fire alarm was set off." Elijah took her hand and began walking away. "Of all the things, I've never thought you would have done something so irresponsibly stupid."

"I cannot believe you all thought it would be good to put me in a school full of idiotic, hormonal, and pathetic human infants." Zera snapped back.

"Lower your voice!" Elijah hissed at her, tugging her along. "Why are you behaving like this?"

Zera looked at Elijah deadpanned, "Just take me home Elijah, it seems my fun is done for the day."

Elijah stared at her in disbelief, then tugged her along towards the front door. They both walked in silence as they entered the home and were greeted by their overexcited hellhound, Ace. Elijah pulled out his phone and dialed a number as Zera started for the stairs. "Seth, I've found her. Yes, she's here with me, we're home." He paused and Zera glanced back curiously. "Very well, you can come by after school."

Zera pet Ace then went to her room and closed the door behind them, the hellhound made a beeline for her bed and Zera giggled. "Leave me some room goofball."

Ace barked back at her as she grabbed a book from her desk and sat beside Ace. She opened to the bookmarked page and stared, waiting for Luz to pipe up, but he did not surface. As time passed, she grew agitated and growled at the book.

There was a sudden knock, Zera put the book away as the door opened revealing Seth. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"What?"

"You are now suspended from school for a week, why did you set off the alarms?" Seth scolded, closing the door behind him.

"You didn't take my request seriously." Zera glared, Ace jumped up eagerly to greet Seth who merely waved him off.

"About you and Jordan? What was going on there?" Seth crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot expectantly.

"I'll kill him next time I see him, that's what." Zer a hissed, her uncle sighed.

"You acted out because you didn't like him?"

"He's a pest, vermin, a parasite that sucks out my patience."

"You had patience to begin with?"

Zera glared at him, "So I'm off school for a week then?"

"Yes, Elijah and Azazel are livid."

"Like I care, when will we prepare to go then? We do have a deal after all." Zera leaned forward, smirking, keeping her voice low.

Seth's eyes widened and he groaned loudly, "You clever little-..."

#Secrets Unveiled #Demon's Path #Chapter 4: Leverage #Zera Blackwell #Seth Colt #Elijah Pond #Azazel Colt

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the-observant-frisbeetarian · 5 years

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Chapter 2

We’ll Meet Again by George deValier

Bright sunlight crept under Arthur's eyelids and forced them open. He groaned loudly and threw the blanket over his head to block it out. Weeks of overcast days and it had to be sunny on this one. Arthur clasped his head in his hands and tried to stop it exploding. Why the hell did he feel so… Suddenly the memory of the night before hit him like a fist, his stomach turning violently. What had he done? What had he said? Oh God how had he ended up in bed without his shoes and… Arthur quickly patted himself down and thankfully found his clothing intact, although he had lost his tie, apron and shoes somewhere along the way. He buried his head in the pillow and tried not to scream. Well that was the last time he would ever see that bloody American… but that was a good thing, yes? Arthur only felt sick at the thought. But that might also be from the copious quantities of rum he'd consumed the night before. What on earth had he been thinking?

Well, to be completely honest, he knew what he'd been thinking. He'd been thinking that Alfred was the most handsome man he'd ever laid eyes on. He'd been thinking that no one else in the world laughed like him, spoke like him, smiled like him. He'd been wondering what the hell a handsome, popular, confident young fighter pilot like Alfred was doing wasting his time talking to a boring old bartender like him. And he had drunk heavily to try and make sense of it, obviously scaring Alfred off in the process.

Trying to throw it all out of his mind, Arthur dragged himself out of bed to begin getting ready for the day ahead. It wasn't like he had never dealt with a hangover before. It was just the sudden memories that kept appearing unbidden… Alfred grinning and winking, Alfred leaning towards him, Alfred laughing, Alfred carrying him… "AGH!" Arthur tried to shake his head of the unwanted recollections. They just grew stronger, replaying over and over. Arthur decided there was nothing to be done but get dressed, go down to work, and forget he had ever met an American pilot named Alfred F. Jones.

The morning passed uneventfully. A few Americans came in for an early lunch with local girls on their arms, but the place was generally quiet. Arthur gave thanks for small mercies and spent his time avoiding a certain table by the window, while running a cold cloth over his forehead when no one was looking.

At noon, Arthur stood behind the bar, the cold cloth over his face, working hard on erasing the last week from his memory when it was all blown to hell by two words.

"Howdy, Arthur!"

Arthur jumped in surprise, the cloth falling to the floor. He looked up at Alfred, his face dripping, his heart suddenly thundering in his chest. All he could think to say was, "Good God man, do you have to yell so loud?"

Alfred looked amused. "I didn't yell…"

Arthur pressed on, slightly embarrassed. "Well I just have this flipping great headache…"

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," laughed Alfred. Arthur glared at him and Alfred cleared his throat. "So anyway," he continued, leaning on the bar, "I was thinking, that if this relationship is ever gonna go anywhere, we'd better start seeing each other in the daytime."

"Relationship?" Arthur's head still felt fuzzy… he must have heard that wrong.

"Show me the sights of London!" Alfred was all intensity and eagerness, dressed immaculately in his military uniform and cap along with the ever-present bomber jacket. Arthur tried very hard not to acknowledge the effect it had on him and tried instead to look annoyed.

"What? I'm working, I'm… I'm…"

Alfred grinned. "It's a beautiful sunny day out there, you're gonna spend it all in here with a cloth on your face?"

Arthur closed his eyes. Why could he not resist that bloody grin? "Very well," he said through gritted teeth. "Let me fetch my coat."

An hour later they had hardly seen anything of interest in Arthur's mind, but Alfred was fairly hopping in excitement. As they stood on the deck of a river boat crossing the Thames, Arthur was quickly growing embarrassed by all the stares the energetic American drew from fellow passengers.

"Wow, wow, oh my gosh! What do you call that thing again?"

Arthur peered sideways at Alfred pointing madly. "London Bridge."

"Wow!" Alfred's face lit up like a Christmas tree as he craned his neck looking upwards.

Arthur could not see why Alfred was impressed. "…It's just a bridge."

"It's LONDON bridge!" Alfred cried excitedly. "Like that song! You know… London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down, London Bridge is…"

"Yes, yes all right, for heaven's sake…" Arthur tried to quiet Alfred as his raucous singing caught the humoured and surprised attention of several onlookers. "I know the blasted song."

"Are we hopping off over the river? Where are we going next? Can we see the bridge closer? I tell ya, all this walking is making me hungry." Alfred pulled something out of his pocket and starting unwrapping it. Arthur groaned when he realised it was a chocolate bar. He put his hand to his head, exasperated, and hoped the other passengers wouldn't notice.

"Alfred."

"Hmm?"

"You're eating chocolate."

"I know. Do you want some?" Alfred held out the bar.

"No… I…" Arthur didn't know quite how to tell Alfred that he was being rather rude considering everyone in Britain had been on sweets rations for years. He leant in and whispered. "We've been at war for quite a while here. Things like this are very hard to come by for us."

"Ohh," breathed Alfred, his eyes going wide. He glanced around guiltily. "I have more, should I offer everyone else some?"

Arthur almost laughed, but quickly stopped when he realised Alfred was serious. "Wait, Alfred, what are you…"

"Greetings folks!" Alfred turned and called out cheerfully to the passengers behind him. Arthur was horrified as everyone stared openly, obviously unsure what to make of this loud, strange American. "I'm Lieutenant Alfred Jones, all the way from the US of A, and I just wanted to say that I'm honoured to be here in your terrific city! Now I'm hoping some of you fine people can help me out with a small problem I have. You see, I'm shipping out soon to fight the Krauts in Italy, and I have all this candy I don't know what to do with!" Alfred pulled out a handful of chocolate bars, attracting the immediate attention of several small children who inched closer.

"Candy?" asked a little girl, tilting her head in confusion.

Alfred shot Arthur an inquiring look. "Sweets," Arthur managed to murmur in bewildered explanation.

Alfred turned back to the girl, laughed raucously, and explained, "That's what we Americans call sweets! Now I don't know what might happen if I took these sweets over to Italy with me..."

A little boy gasped and said, "The Krauts might steal 'em off you!"

Alfred gasped also, his expression drawn in mock horror. "They might, too! Well, we can't let that happen can we?"

The children shook their heads, moving slowly towards Alfred, their eyes fixed on the chocolate in his hands. Arthur's face was frozen in shock, as were some of the passengers'. Others, however, were smiling, a few of the women were giggling to each other, and the children were positively enthralled.

"Do you think you might be able to help an ally out and take 'em off my hands?" asked Alfred, smiling widely and offering the chocolate bars to the children. "It's really good... Hershey's, all the way from America!" Each of them took a bar, giggling happily, before running back to their parents. Alfred tipped his hat to his gawking audience. "Have a good day, folks!" He turned back around and winked at Arthur.

Arthur shook his head. "You're quite mad."

Alfred just laughed, then pulled another bar from his pocket. "I saved the last one for you."

Arthur could not stop his lips pulling into a smile. He tried in vain to furrow his brows and wipe the smile from his face. "Fine." He snatched the bar and jammed it in his own pocket.

"I like that," said Alfred, staring at Arthur.

"What?" asked Arthur huffily. How bloody irritating that he could not even control his facial expressions around the American.

"When you smile."

Arthur cast his eyes out at the river, the smile finally falling from his face and the back of his neck flushing with heat. They stood in silence, but he could feel Alfred's eyes on him for the rest of the short journey.

"What is that tall bridge over there?" asked Alfred, after they had arrived at the port across the river and walked a while along the bank. It was the finest day in months, the sun high and a gentle breeze blowing. It was hard to believe it was winter - Arthur could not ever remember a milder one in London.

"That there is Tower Bridge."

Alfred's face lit up again. "That one is terrific!"

"And that is the Tower of London," said Arthur, pointing over the street.

"Ooh, fantastic!" cried Alfred. They stopped and stared over at the imposing buildings. "What's in there?"

"German prisoners of war, currently. And traitors, and enemy spies." Arthur wracked his brains to think of what else they were keeping in the tower these days. "And, uh… ravens."

Alfred looked truly fascinated. "Ravens, really?" He looked around eagerly. "Is there any way we can get in there?"

"Well, there is one." Alfred raised his eyebrows inquisitively and Arthur smirked. "Betray Britain."

Alfred's face fell in disappointment. "Oh. I don't think I want to do that. Even to see the ravens."

"Oh, the ravens aren't the most interesting thing about the place," said Arthur.

"Really?" asked Alfred, intrigued. "What else is in there?"

"Ghosts," said Arthur wickedly. He gazed across at the tower as he spoke. "The Tower of London is the most haunted place in Britain, if not the entire world. There are dozens of ghosts in there… Lady Jane Grey, the Princes in the tower, Sir Walter Raleigh…" Arthur found ghost stories fascinating, and he'd always loved the ones about the tower. "On stormy nights, the ghost of Anne Boleyn is said to walk the tower, dressed all in white and carrying her severed head under her arm…" Arthur turned to find that Alfred was no longer standing beside him. He looked around, confused. "Alfred?" He walked a few paces before spotting Alfred further down the road, leaning against a tree and looking like he couldn't breathe. Arthur gasped and ran to him. "Blimey man, are you all right?" he asked, concerned by the pale green colour of Alfred's face.

Alfred looked up with wide eyes, clutching his chest, sweat beading his brow. "I… don't… like… ghosts!"

Arthur tried not to, but he burst into hysterical laughter. They quickly left, steered away insistently by Alfred, who kept glancing back fearfully as though the ghost of Anne Boleyn was on his heels. Arthur had been happy to walk along the river, but Alfred was desperate to get far away, as fast as possible, and headed straight for the nearest bus stop. Arthur couldn't stop snickering… the loud, brash, swaggering American was afraid of ghosts.

Alfred seemed to get over his terror rather quickly however, and whistled as the red double-decker pulled up at the bus stop. "Wow! It's one of those super tall ones!" he said as he swung himself up onto the platform. "Howdy, Miss." Alfred tipped his hat to the pretty young conductor who giggled and smiled at him. She barely even looked at Arthur as he purchased their tickets.

Arthur made his way into the crowded bus. Finding an empty seat, he was just about to sit down when he realised Alfred was, once again, nowhere to be seen. "What now?" he muttered, then winced when he heard a familiar loud voice shout down the stairs.

"Hey Arthur! There's a whole other bus up here!"

Arthur felt every passenger's eyes stare at him. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Uh… he's American." Arthur hurried up the stairs. He proceeded to spend the rest of the drive trying to get Alfred to sit down, apologising to the other passengers, and on one occasion having to haul the stupid Yank back into the bus when he tried to lean out the window to shout a greeting to some American soldiers on the sidewalk. Arthur was relieved when they finally reached their destination, though probably not so relieved as the other commuters.

It was difficult to keep up with Alfred. Arthur didn't know where he got his energy from, but it was endless. He tried to keep pace as Alfred barrelled down the busy streets, weaving amongst the mass of pedestrians, talking non-stop as he went.

"I've really never been in a city this big before, you know? This place is huge! I mean, I was in New York, but not for long, before we shipped out. Now that was one wild city! I'll take you there after the war, Arthur. We'll see it all together. And then I'll show you where I live. It's only a small town… we don't have nothing so fancy as all this, but you'll really love it, Arthur, I know you will."

"I… I…" Arthur was a little thrown, unable to believe Alfred, and unsure whether he wanted to. "That's rather a long way to go, isn't it?"

"Nah, it'll be fine! I'll fly you there in Lady Beth!"

Arthur raised his eyebrows skeptically. "I don't think your plane will make it from England to America, Alfred."

"'Course she will!" Alfred grinned, and even in this bright, busy street, Arthur felt his breath knocked from him. That bloody grin.

"And how will… um… 'she'… manage that?" Arthur was caught in Alfred's gaze as they walked, unheeding of the street traffic that narrowly avoided them.

"Magic." Alfred winked. Arthur stared, transfixed, until Alfred looked away and gasped loudly. "Ooh, ooh!" Alfred practically skidded to a stop, his eyes fixed upward. "I know that one!" he cried. "That's Big Bob!"

The spell was broken, and Arthur again burst into laughter. "Ben."

"Huh?"

"It's called Big Ben!" Arthur explained. "Well, actually, it's not the tower that's named Big Ben… that happens to be the name of one of the bells."

"Really? Huh. You sure know a lot, Arthur." Alfred stood stock still in the middle of the footpath, staring up at the clock tower. A busy crowd surged around him, but he didn't move.

"Alfred?" Arthur waited a few moments, but Alfred did not budge. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for it to ding." Alfred said it like it was obvious.

Arthur did not fancy his chances of getting Alfred to move, so he simply stood still as the passing pedestrians shot them strange looks and parted around them. He watched Alfred watching the clock, until after only a few minutes it rang in the hour.

"Haha, fantastic! All righty, where to now? Ooh, can we go in that strange looking building over there?" And Alfred took off, headed towards Westminster Abbey down the road. "Keep up, old man!"

Arthur scowled. "I beg your pardon?" he called, hurrying to catch up. He was, however, grateful for the tiny break. He really was starting to feeling like an old man today.

Once inside the dark abbey, Alfred quickly lost his cheerful grin. He moved along slowly, glancing around suspiciously, pressed quite close to Arthur's side. Arthur couldn't help finding it rather amusing.

"This place is creepy," Alfred whispered nervously as they walked slowly past the low stone coffins. "There aren't dead bodies in these things, are there?"

Arthur wasn't quite sure if he was serious. They were coffins, after all. "Oh, no," he said sarcastically. "They're stone all the way through."

"Oh." Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that's okay then."

Arthur glanced at Alfred quizzically. Surely he hadn't taken him seriously... "They're coffins, of course there are bodies…" He fell quiet as Alfred tensed up again. Apparently he had. "Ah, just forget it, Alfred."

Alfred was quite insistent they leave after that. "You Brits sure are big on the scary old buildings, ain't ya?" he asked as he hurried out into the street. Again, Arthur couldn't help laughing.

The pedestrian traffic thinned as they walked further down the street. Alfred started to slow, and eventually came to a stop in front of a roped off bomb site. Only one wall of the building was left standing, fixed at a dangerously skewed angle; the rest reduced to flattened rubble around it. Alfred whistled. "Whew, the Krauts sure did a number on that one."

Arthur nodded. "Quite. We still have quite a lot of sites left like this one. From the Blitz, you know." It suddenly struck Arthur how young Alfred looked, standing there in shock, gazing into the ruins.

"Innocent people shouldn't have to go through this," said Alfred, shaking his head as though he did not understand. "Women and old people and kids and stuff. That's just not right." He turned and looked at Arthur with wide, bright eyes. "That's why I'm doing this, you know." Alfred gestured over the wreckage. "I'm gonna stop this happening here, or back home, or anywhere else. Because we're the good guys, Arthur. I'm gonna go to Europe and put a stop to this, you'll see. I'm gonna save London!"

And Alfred sounded so young also, like he honestly believed he could take on the world. Arthur's heart swelled despite himself. Why did Alfred have to be so naive, so good, so stupid... "Come on, Alfred. There's a lovely park just up here I want to show you."

"Oh, great!" Alfred fell briskly into pace beside Arthur, snapping back into high spirits; but he didn't have quite the same spring in his step as before.

Alfred finally slowed down when they reached St James Park. The air started to chill as they wandered aimlessly past trees and gardens and couples taking an afternoon stroll. As they passed a park bench beneath a dense, leafy tree, Alfred lightly took Arthur's arm and led him over to it. Arthur felt the touch shoot through his nerves, and was surprised by the sudden nervousness it evoked. He sat down and felt something pull tight in his pocket. Confused, he reached in and pulled out the chocolate bar Alfred had handed him earlier. "Oh," he said in realisation. "Blimey, forgot about that."

"Try it!" said Alfred fervently. "American chocolate is the best chocolate in the whole world!"

Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Is that so."

"It is! Try it! Don't you like chocolate?"

Arthur sighed wearily, ripped open the bar, and took a bite. He paused, surprised. It actually was very good. "It's passable, I suppose."

Alfred looked amusedly doubtful. "Passable."

"Mm-hm."

"That must be why you're scoffing the whole thing."

Bollocks. Arthur glared at Alfred. He hurried to finish his mouthful.

"So it's that hard to get candy here, huh?"

Arthur shrugged, discreetly wrapping the last of the chocolate in its wrapper. "Well, we're on rations. Everything is hard to get right now."

Alfred sighed and leant back, throwing his arms across the top of the bench. Arthur jumped nervously when Alfred's hand brushed his back. "You Brits have had it tough for a few years, haven't ya."

Arthur almost laughed incredulously. Alfred had no idea. "London is different now from a few years ago. So much has been destroyed. After the Blitz…" Arthur broke off and shuddered, still overwhelmed by awful memories. The dread of the coming nightfall, the evil of the air raid signal, those horrifying moments crouching in shelters and unable to sleep through the noise. The terror which quickly gave way to a numbing acceptance; never knowing what would be standing and who would be breathing in the morning. Arthur felt a brief brush of Alfred's hand against his.

"I remember seeing a film about it back home a few years ago," said Alfred quietly. "A docmenary."

Arthur tried not to laugh. It was a welcome distraction. "Documentary."

"Yeah, one of them." Alfred shook his head and stared up at the sky. "People all huddled in bomb shelters, and sirens going off, and dozens of Heinkel bombers flying over and flattening buildings to rubble - just like that one in the street before. It looked like you really had it rough."

"We did. We still do." So Alfred did know a little of the earlier war after all. His words brought back memories far too easily. "But we're strong. We made it through then, and we'll make it through now. We're British, after all."

Alfred smiled at that. "I'm starting to see quite a bit about you Brits."

"And does the American like what he sees?" asked Arthur.

"Yes," said Alfred softly, his eyes intense as he stared at Arthur. "He certainly does."

Arthur's neck burned despite the chilly wind. He dropped his gaze to his feet.

"Well, I'm impressed," said Alfred, his voice rising to its usual loud volume. "Your city is fantastic."

Arthur raised his eyes to Alfred's grinning face and smiled back. "I know."

The air was near freezing and the sun quickly descending in the sky by the time they strolled slowly passed the gates of Buckingham Palace. Alfred, as usual, looked excited and fascinated. Arthur could not understand how he was still so energetic.

"Oh, gosh! Oh, wow! That's where the king lives!"

Arthur nodded wearily. "Yes, Alfred."

"Can we see him?"

Arthur furrowed his brows, taken aback. "The king?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yes, absolutely, I'll just trot right in and see if old George will have us for afternoon tea, shall I?"

Alfred looked gobsmacked. "You can do that?"

Arthur shook his head, partly amused, partly exasperated. Alfred obviously had a little trouble with the concept of sarcasm. "Why don't we go back to the Emerald Lion and have afternoon tea there, instead?"

"With the king?" asked Alfred eagerly. Arthur just looked at him. "Oh, you mean, obviously... right." Alfred coughed and Arthur hid a smirk behind his hand. "Well sure, Art, that sounds swell. Only, I don't actually have to drink tea, do I?"

"No. And Alfred?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Arthur."

"Of course it is."

But Arthur couldn't feel angry. Sure, he was a little tired, slightly exasperated, and quite confused as to why Alfred was still intent on spending time with him. But he was also happier than he could remember feeling in years. And he had just spent the best day of his life, in the greatest city in the world, with a slight hangover and the most interesting, wonderful, bloody frustrating American he had ever met.

Next Chapter

Disclaimer: This story belongs to George deValier. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. I own nothing.

#We’ll Meet Again chapter 2

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