#but anyway. weird big feelings. possessive instincts. too big emotions. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

maplerin99821 · 3 years

Note

hey if you accept requests can you make a fluffy fanfic about Lucifer and Mammon being close? like that pic that you reblogged?

Hello, Anon! Omg, sorry for the long wait!!! 🥺💖 I was busy with irl stuff but AAAA I have finished the fluffy fic! I'm sorry if it didn't reach your expectations.😓 It was a bit difficult to write 'cause I'm not really used to writing fluff.😂 But I hope you like it!! (Also, I didn't base this fic off to the art that I had reblogged, but it's still a fluff fic!! It's fan art, and I think I need permission to write a fic about it.😅 So here's fluffy fanfic of Lucifer and Mammon being close.) Thanks for being the first person to request me haha. Please enjoy this. _ A Day To Relax. [ 1 & 2 ]

Mammon's back hurts; he did the best he could to organized the library at RAD. Maybe he deserves this, or maybe not. He sighs for the tenth time of the day.

There's nothing he can do about it because this was his light punishment for skipping classes again. Although he hates doing chores for his discipline, he needed to be a good big brother for Asmodeus.

Mammon decided to skip his classes so that he could be there to support his little brother. Everyone was busy at that time, with upcoming exams and projects, not one of the brothers could make time for Asmo. The latter understood. It's not like he could force his brothers to watch the stageplay with his classmates. But when he saw Mammon among the crowd with his D.D.D out, he almost cried while performing on stage.

(He felt a bit guilty when he found out that Mammon, believe it or not, skipped classes to watch him.)

Mammon stretched his back when he felt his phone vibrating. He took it out from his back pocket to receive a message from Asmodeus.

[Hey.

I just wanted to say thanks for supporting me there.

This beautiful brother of yours is going to treat you tomorrow! <3]

His lips cracked a smile. He feels soft and loved. Mammon chuckled as he took his bag, ready to go home. He had finished organizing anyway; he preferred to play on his phone for a while.

He started walking to the hallways; almost all of the demons were back to their places already. Some are doing their part-time jobs, and some are being lazy at home (Preferably Belphegor.)

"Mammon."

In instinct, Mammon quickly turned around. He already knows that deep voice.

"Are ya gonna assign me another chore to do?" Mammon quickly questioned his older brother, who was leaning into the student council's door frame.

Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose, seemingly annoyed already. He pushed back his hair and fixed the wrinkles of his uniform.

"No. Well, if you want to do more. Your choice." With that answer, Mammon crossed his arms, a pout on his face— ready to complain. But Lucifer stopped him.

"Remember that cafe I showed you the other day? Let's go there, my treat." Lucifer stated; he laughed when he saw Mammon froze.

"I don't believe you." His eyes narrowed, looking for a flaw in Lucifer's face and words. "Are ya' truly Lucifer? What if you're a ghost possessing my big bro's body?"

Mammon intentionally loudened his gasp; his eyes were wide, one hand placed on his heart, while the other was grasping on his hair. He paused for a dramatic effect.

Lucifer brought his hand up quickly to pinch his brother's cheek. "You idiot. It's me, of course." He proceeded to ruffles Mammon's hair. "Come on, let's go before I change my mind and give you another chore as punishment. Maybe you could clean up the laboratory next time for a month."

He whispered the last part, but Lucifer knew Mammon could hear him, making the second-born whine.

The two exited the school, taking a detour through the streets.

"I thought yah were gonna give me another punishment." Mammon broke out the silence; Lucifer hummed before replying.

"Why would I? I only gave you a chore for skipping classes, but you being there for Asmodeus? You don't deserve punishment for that."

Mammon stared at the far distance. The cafe they were going to has a nearby sea, and he smiled at his elder brother's words; he enjoyed these simple moments between them. (They're rare. They don't hang out anymore like they used to do in the Celestrial realm. That's why, as much as possible, Mammon cherished these moments.)

Mammon could say that he's close with Lucifer, but not like before— It's weird. Lucifer is his older brother, his family. But as time passed by, Mammon started to get nervous whenever he had done something wrong. He doesn't want to anger and disappoint Lucifer. (But sometimes, he can't help it— he misses his big brother's attention.)

"We're here," Lucifer said. Mammon followed the latter's gaze and immediately formed star-shaped eyes.

"WOAH!! I didn't expect it to be this cool! I only saw the picture but never expected that it would be this big!"

Mammon kept looking around the newly built cafe. The cafe was a bit massive, with a view of the sea beside it. Its structure is similar to a casino. Mammon could already smell the fresh-baked bread and pies inside, making him giggle.

Mammon had loved the view it was showing; he could eat while staring at the horizon. The cafe was located on top of a hill, not too far from the beach. It looks so nostalgic and therapeutic that Mammon took his time admiring the whole place while Lucifer already entered the cafe.

Mammon wished it wasn't too expensive. He knows that Lucifer would be the one to pay, but he doesn't want to burden him with that kind of responsibility. The second-born tried to grasp the wallet on his bag, but then he hesitated. Mammon recalled that the money in there was a payment to his debt.

Ah, yes. Mammon needed to pay it today but decided it would be better to bond with his brother first.

He sighed, still has a firm grip on his bag. He's feeling unwanted emotions today. He wants to cry, laugh, or do something he doesn't usually do. Mammon was overwhelmed with emotions.

He remembered Levi's words that it's okay to be feeling emotions you usually can't explain. Sometimes, it doesn't have to be a reason.

Mammon's snapped out of his thoughts, thinking that Lucifer was likely waiting for him inside. He turned to see the display of different pastries outside, and Mammon immediately recognized Simeon's art.

Mammon recalled Simeon's word. He said that he's going to work part-time somewhere near the sea. And this made Mammon excited. He had already counted the treats and thinking which one would his brothers choose. After planning, he tried to hurry inside but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Mammon looked over to his shoulder to see an unfamiliar demon. Their body is most likely the same size as Beelzebub but with a strict stare present. Mammon felt like he was burning.

"Heya! May I ask—who are you?" Mammon said; his tone wasn't that confident, and it's evident with his form that Mammon's going to run away in any second now.

He felt the grip on his shoulder got tighter, and the demon dragged Mammon into a less crowded area. He knows he's far powerful than this guy; he's one of the princes of Devildom. He's the Avatar of Greed. But man, he entirely wants to relax today. Mammon tried to stand with honor and kept his breathing in control.

The demon startled him. "Where's the money?"

And then Mammon realized.

"Oh!? You must be the brother's witch! Ah, here— give me a minute," Mammon took out his wallet and gave them the money. He doesn't feel that nervous anymore. Okay— he lied, maybe a little bit. Can't a demon have fears too? "Geez, you scared the hell out of me for a second there. The agreement was me and her meeting later." He muttered the last part.

But a dark aura surrounded him, and Mammon quickly backed away. He can't meet the other demon's eyes, but he can feel the rage from him.

Is the money not enough?? It can't be. I perfectly counted this; I also worked hard for this. What else could be missing???

"With all due respect, please don't go any nearer to him."

A voice. It must be Lucifer's. Mammon couldn't stop overthinking. What if Lucifer scolds him after this? What if Lucifer started to regret spending time with Mammon because of this?

Mammon looked up, tears threatening to fall. He saw his elder brother, standing behind them as classy as ever. His composure is straight, yet the glaring eyes are full of terror. Mammon recognized Lucifer's stance. It's for preparing himself to change into his demon form if the rest of his younger brothers are in serious trouble.

When the demon started to get closer to Mammon, the latter only felt a swift wind before realizing that Lucifer was there, in front of him now. "Didn't you hear what I said? What else do you need from him?"

"The money."

"It's not sufficient? Then alright, here." Lucifer took out his wallet to satisfy the demon in front of them. Mammon's full-out panicking now. His older brother saved him from trouble, and now he's going to be a disappointment in Lucifer's eyes.

"There, you got the money. Tell your sister that my brother had paid the debt." Lucifer dragged Mammon out of the other demon's sight. He looked back with sharp eyes.

"And as great as reasonable, if you're looking for Mammon—" He looked back with sharp eyes. "—strictly appear to see me. Thank you."

Both never turned their eyes back again as they entered the shop. Mammon quickly explained the whole situation. "I'm sorry! I'm sure— precisely sure that I had counted that money. And it's exactly the price the witch had been asking. I don't know what he's up to with—" He kept on babbling as they reached their reserved seats. Lucifer sighed.

"Look, stop chattering; it's annoying. I believe you. Can't I have a day where I relax with my little brother under no stress or orders whatsoever? Seeing you outside in that kind of situation is making my blood boil. How dare he waste such time when you and I could have been eating here already."

Mammon snickered, ah yeh— It's been so long that he forgot how dramatic Lucifer could be at times.

"Forget about it, Mammon. You had settled the debt, and the food that I ordered is already here. But make sure whenever you're going to meet someone concerning payment, always inform me. I'm serious. If the shares had been a burden to handle, you are welcome to visit my office anytime."

Lucifer already had bread in his mouth, but his expression is still irritable from the situation earlier. Mammon can feel his tears coming back again. Why am I so emotional today?

"Ah. Uhm, hey—" He called out to his older brother. "Thanks for backing me up earlier. I appreciated it!"

Lucifer munched the donut he was holding and then drank the newly served tea. His gaze was on the view outside, seemingly avoiding eye contact. "Hm? Of course. I'm your big brother after all, in case you forgot about it."

In moments like this, it was a rare scene between him and Lucifer. They usually argue and sometimes making each other's day stressful. But, just them eldest brothers, talking and sharing random topics— Mammon cherished this.

And behind that frown the eldest always wears, Lucifer could say the same too. He loved calm moments like this.

"But ain't Michael my first big brother?" Mammon teased. Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Silence, you have no elder brother other than me. Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Belphegor, you all are my baby brothers." And when Lucifer realized what he said, he quickly replaced the topic. "And eat the dessert I ordered for you."

Mammon's eyes turned into stars immediately when he recognized the smell, "Woah, no way?! How did you know this was my favorite?!!! This desert is expensive! Big bro! You do love me."

Then they chatted, random topics or something concerning about their home that needs fixing. Nevertheless, the atmosphere around them is comforting and warming. After a while, they had finished eating, and the moon was already out. Both agreed to go home.

"We should invite the others here too!" Mammon stated as he breathed the cold wind that passed by them.

"Yes, that would be a pleasant bonding time. Just don't be too chaotic, please. It's hard to handle all six of you."

It was a great day, Mammon thought to himself. It was entertaining and soothing to talk with his big brother without insults nor orders. Lucifer treated him today; it was— nostalgic for Mammon. It's like he doesn't want this kind of treatment to end. But of course, as the little mischief, as he is, he asked one more request.

"Lucifer!" Mammon rolled the letter r, a bit of a whining tone. "It's night, and I'm tired, yah know? Can I request a piggyback ride?" He knows Lucifer will reject it immediately. So it wasn't like he meant it, already hoping for the worst.

But then Lucifer looked at him, a contemplating expression, before getting down on one knee.

"Alright, just this once. Hurry up before I regret my decision."

Mammon's eyes were wide; he smirked before quickly hugging Lucifer from behind. He felt himself getting lifted off, and it reminded him of the old times, back in the Celestial Realm.

Lucifer doesn't mind; he also missed this. But not like he's going to say this out loud.

I should start spending time with my little brothers whenever I'm free. That would be nice.

#obey me #obey me fluff #obey me fanfic #fluffy fanfiction #obey me mammon #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon and lucifer #mammon #lucifer #mammon and lucifer #i hope you enjoyed this fanfic #soft fanfic #i tried my best #huhu

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beclynn-herondale · 3 years

Text

Inside TMI Gang's diaries part 5 2/3

Clary: Dear diary, I ran away with Jace, mom won't be happy, but I have to save my Jace. Simon is covering for me, although that won't last long and mom may go mama bear on him, I do love him though and I'll owe him one. So far things have been weird, seeing Jace get along with Sebastian is strange and I don't like it, and Sebastian is as evil as ever, i miss Jace so much, this Jace isn't my Jace. And Sebastian doesn't trust me I know this for a fact, but I don't trust him either and you better watch your back Sebastian.

*Later*

So Jace's room is the same as it always is, so clean not a mess, everything is neat, but he isn't Jace. We went on a date, Sebastian let us cause Jace would be with me, Jace cam speak italian and hates ducks, I'll have to mention this stuff when he is my Jace again, we stole a boat but that's nothing new from what we usually do, the date was nice but I felt guilty for enjoying it, when we came back Sebastian was occupied and creepy, anyway, we had a talk when I woke up later and he is starting to confuse me, but that's what he wants. I went back to bed and got up again, also Jace can make eggs, I don't like them but can't tell him that, also I wonder if he can cook other things, need to make a list of things to ask him when he's back to normal Jace. We also read a copy of his ancestor's book.

*Later later*

Me, Jace and Sebastian, went on a mission kind of thing, Simon calls us team Evil, we fought a demon, and I actually kicked a demons butt, Sebastian took us to a kinda night club, me and Jace got high, Sebastian told me I have a dark heart and like bitch whatever. Me and Jace made out in the club and uh things kinda got outta control, I am not proud, ok, I thought I saw dead people and passed out, I woke up to Sebastian leaving and followed him, demons almost killed me and he saved me, what is he doing? I lost my ring and can't get in contact with Simon, everything is bad and maybe this is all hopeless, no, I just need coffee, sweet sweet coffee, I need a coffee high *coffee/knife/serious emoji*

Possessed Jace: Dear diary, things are good, Sebastian keeps giving me weird looks when I am with Clary though, Sebastian we are still cool though don't worry. Clary is here and it's nice, I want her to be happy and her to have whatever she wants, I am gonna be so romantic but cool about *sunglasses emoji* I am Jace Lightwood, and extremely smooth and she loves me.

*Later*

I took Clary on a date and I nailed it *sunglasses emoji* we went back home after that and I read to her and we went to sleep, after that we went on a mission, my fire goddess kicked ass, and Sebastian took us to a night club place to take care of evil stuff, me and Clary got high and we did some things at the night club. In the morning I made her eggs, I'll make her eggs all the time, Sebastian wants to discuss evil plans now.

Trapped Jace: *sharpening knives* just wait you little shit, keep looking at Clary like that and I'll stab you, I am gonna beat you up, you shall know my wrath, and I will bring it upon you. *Knife/murderous emoji*

Sebastian: Dear evil diary, what can I say, the fruit of evil is ripe, I have evil plans, I have Jace under my finger, I have Clary now too, and soon she'll understand. Jace will do anything I say and Clary will do anything for him, love truly does make one weak. And I wi burn shit. Also maybe I'll play with stuff as well. *Devil emoji*

*Later*

We got into a fight and Clary can kick ass, maybe I underestimated her a tiny little bit. We went to a night club and I talk to Meliorn and I do believe the fair folk will stand with me, and after all I do have something with the queen, and I know what you are going to say what about Jace? Well you see Jace is my backup plan he has no idea ;)

Alec: Dear diary, still sneaking around, Jace is still gone, Clary is gone now too, Jocelyn is angry and I know why she scares Jace now, Izzy and Simon are something, Idk but my big brother instincts are kicking in. Jocelyn and Izzy went to the Iron Sisters and found out there isn't a weapon to separate Jace from Sebastian, unless it is of heaven itself or something. *Shrug emoji*

*Later* so we summoned a demon, and then a greater demon, what have we become? I'll do whatever it takes to save Jace, but like when did we start summoning demons and greater demons like it's not a big deal? I think we've lost our minds, and we are also now apparently going to summon Raziel, what are we doing, but it's for Jace. Also Magnus does look good in his outfit today but there is stuff between us. When did life get so complicated? *shrug emoji*

Magnus: Dear diary, welcome back to the crazy chaotic would of Shadowhunters, I may have lost Clary, but it's not my fault she can make portals, I see an angry Jocelyn in my future. Alec is kinda weird lately but it's probably nothing, Isabelle and Jocelyn were going to the Iron Sisters to see if there is a weapon that can separate Jace and Sebastian, blondie needs to come back so all this Shadowhunter drama will calm down.

*Later*

We summoned a demon and after that we summoned the greater demon Azazel, the little shit almost told Alec who my father is, and I swear what have I gotten myself into? Oh! Also apparently we are gonna summon an Angel now, I have a feeling we'll all be dead by the end of this, it's a miracle we haven't died already, I have to do research and stuff, also Sheldon saved my cat so I am thankful for that, Isabelle and Simon have something going on, Jocelyn is gone, and I want to drink and drink, cause Magnus is done bitches. But also Alec is looking beautiful today. *throws glitter* *sunglasses emoji*

Izzy: Dear diary, Simon came to me like I asked him to, and he told me about starwars or something, I don't remember the plot exactly but I think they had something called lifesavers???? Or something, also they are apparently in space which is cool, and the good guys win. Also me and Jocelyn went to the Iron Sisters and they said I would make a good one but like bish ya girl needs her heels, idk what has gotten into me lately, but when I think about Simon I feel happy and I get this feeling and I want to spend time with him and hear him talk endlessly about starwars cause he is so passionate about it. *Confused emoji*

*Later*

We may have kinda summoned a demon, and then a greater demon, and now we may kinda be getting ready to summon an angel we are on our way to Luke's farm so yeah. . . But yeah, Simon may die and idk what to do... *Blank emoji*

Simon: Dear diary, life just doesn't seem to be letting up, first Clary ran off to do reckless shit, Jace is literally possessed by her evil Brother and is like a puppet, Jocelyn is mad I didn't stop Clary, but honestly who can stop Clary?!?! — Izzy went off to the Iron sister earlier with Jocelyn before she found out Clary was gone and apparently they can't make a weapon to separate Jace and Sebastian without killing them both, this is the part where that intense action yet hopeless music would start playing. *Nerd emoji*

*Later* I told Izzy the plot of Starwars and she listened and laughed and said it was neat, she said It was neat and even though it is so much more than neat for some reason her just listening to me talk about it made me so happy, she may become a fan *Shooketh emoji* but also we summoned a demon, and then a greater demon and now we are going to summon an angel to try and get the angel Michael's sword called glorious cause it's apparently the only weapon that will work, but I may die so rip, but also please let everything be alright but also I do have the mark of cain it's just a matter of if it works. *Worried emoji*

Church: Dear Cat diary, I come to you with the heavy weight of the most fucking done I have ever been, Jem is still hasn't come and saved me, Herondale is still possessed and honestly I am done, fire ball ran away, archer boy is off doing shit, Izzy is falling in love now too and I thought she would be the one who wouldn't like girl love drama? And Simon is probably contributing to whatever chaotic plan fire ball has. evil shit is probably off doing evil shit, where's that sweet little boy? Gone! Because an ass had to be an ass. Sorry I need to control my emotions, I just miss Jem so much, and these kids are driving me crazy, also Magnus you are contributing as well now,Jem Jem Jem pls. Anyway I am gonna go sharpen my claws and eat tuna and drown my sorrows in tuna. *Cat/tuna/murderous emoji*

Tag list: @khaleesiofalicante @chibi-tsukiko @megs-readstoomuch @spotsandclawsthings @magnus-the-maqnificent @replayfootsteps @sarcasticmalecfan @simply-ellas-stuff @my-archerboy

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sayakas-dr-imagines · 4 years

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Hello! Buuuut hajime, kazuichi and celestia being jealous of their s/o?

Hi! So, when I wrote this request, I didn’t know if you meant being jealous of their S/O, or being jealous over their S/O. That probably doesn’t make any sense.

If this isn’t what you were looking for then please, please, please, please, please tell me, and I’ll write another version! Okay? Deal.

- Mod Sayaka

Hajime Hinata, Kazuichi Souda and Celestia Ludenburg Getting Jealous Over Their S/O!

Hajime Hinata

- Hajime likes to think of himself as quite a relaxed and laid-back kind of guy. He doesn’t get too uptight in situations, but he’s just the right amount of logic you need to get you out of a situation when given the opportunity to help in any way possible.

- Jealousy has never really been an emotion he feels much. Sometimes he finds himself with a minor case of jealousy when people somehow stay calm in situations where even he is stressed out in. But it had never really gone beyond that sort of petty jealousy before.

-Yet as he looked on at you surrounded by guys, chatting with them and laughing with them, he couldn’t help but feel a pit in his stomach. He cursed himself for being so overprotective, since he knew it wasn’t a reasonable thing to get jealous over at first.

- But then he noticed one of the man’s advances. Most of the guy’s intentions with you were shown clearly through his body language and that certain twinkle in his eye that shows he’s up to no good.

- He has an inner argument with himself for a couple of moments.

- It’s perfectly reasonable to get jealous when guys are flirting with your S/O, right? But then again... what if he wasn’t? They’re laughing. They might be jokes. But still...

- He let out a puff of air as he ran a hand through his spiked hair - conflicted beyond belief. He couldn’t help how he feels, but sometimes it isn’t right to feel a certain way about things. He could very well be in the wrong. Yet, as he looks at that guy casually wrap and arm around your shoulder...

- Now he feels anger. Anger that not only did he clearly have the intention of wooing you, but this man had the guts to touch you. He took one look at your face. You didn’t seem uncomfortable, but you did seem to try to step away from the man who put an arm around your shoulder.

- His body was moving on its own at this rate - as he casually walked over to the group. He couldn’t help but notice how your face lit up upon seeing him walk over. “Hajime! Come here, wanna hang out with us?”

- Honestly, Hajime had no response to that. He didn’t want to let you down or cause suspicion that he’s being possessive, but he also has no intention of speaking with any of these men who sparked something deep inside of him that he didn’t even know he had.

- Without thinking, he nodded his head in order to avoid the slim chance of you thinking he was being far too overprotective. Immediately after, you went back to chatting with the other guys.

- He appreciated how to did your best to include him in the conversation, but he really wished you were psychic at the moment, so that you could know just how much he would pay or do to not be involved at all. This was the last thing he wanted to do - and he answered without thinking, which got him involved in the end.

- “Excuse me, guys,” you say as you take Hajime’s hand in yours. His heart stops for a moment. He hates that he does, but he takes pride in the look of fury and shock in the face of the man who was making moves on you. “I’m gonna leave now, ‘kay? See you later!”

- You pulled on his arm before he could register that you’d even started to walk away, and so he hastily walked after you as you led him around a corner or two. Somewhere, deep down, he was afraid of you telling him that he was being a terrible boyfriend by being jealous. But how would you even know exactly how he was feeling? He wasn’t that transparent, was he?

- You stopped abruptly, causing him to awkwardly bump into you. He mumbled an apology as he took a small step backwards. You turned around to face him, and you took a moment to even say a single word.

- “Hajime... is something wrong? You’ve been quieter than usual. Are you mad at me?” Panic flooded through his mind as soon as you said that. Did it really come off as if he was angry at you? He internally screamed at himself for letting you feel that way.

- He raised his hands. “No, no! N-not at all, I’m not mad at you, I swear!” He says this all too quickly to be believable, and be notices that, too. “Seriously, it isn’t you. I could never be mad at you.”

- “Then what’s up?” you asked frowning. Your gaze never left him for even a second - to the point where Hajime found it almost intimidating. He’d never felt like that before whenever your gaze was transfixed on him for another reason. Maybe it was the circumstances that made him feel intimidated.

- “I just... That guy, the one who wrapped his arm around your shoulder? Yeah. He clearly had alternative intentions with you - and... I was jealous.” It was almost painful for him to admit it, but relieving nonetheless.

- You didn’t look upset, or mad, like he thought you would. Instead, a big grin spread across your face. “Aw, Hajime! It’s fine. Next time just tell me, okay? I don’t actually like that guy, anyway. Too touchy-feely, y’know?

- The utter relief that he felt was overjoying, and he smiled back at you. “Yeah. Of course, I should’ve known there was no reason to be jealous.”

- He was caught off guard as you pulled him down by his tie and kissed him, but he settled into it after a quick moment of realisation.

- Now he realised how stupid it was to be jealous over something like that.

Kazuichi Souda

- Kazuichi was just wandering around through the halls, whistling to himself quietly when he turned a corner and was immediately stopped by his own shock. His thoughts were actually what brought him back to reality.

- Around the corner, he saw you, being hit on by another guy. He had a typical jock aura to him, the type of one where they clearly aren’t to be messed with. He stood in shock for a moment, before deciding to get a good read on the situation before jumping to conclusions too early.

- He felt anger boiling up inside him as he heard him casually add in pickup lines to any decent conversation you two seemed to be having. They weren’t even that good - was this guy for real right now?

- This guy had the balls to hit on you when you clearly just wanted a casual conversation. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand - like, you’re hot as hell, Kazuichi would honestly hit on you too. But he had the decency to have a conversation with you without completely ruining it with weak pickup lines.

- No, he’d ruin it with good pickup lines.

- But still. Even though he understood how the guy felt, that didn’t change how he felt. You’re his S/O, and by all rights, he should feel like this when guys are hitting on you. But what if he was joking around? What if he screwed something up while confronting you two about it?

- He was overthinking things. Which was never a good sign, no matter the circumstances. He gripped his beanie, distress, as different options ran through his mind.

- After seeing the guy give you a small punch to the shoulder, he snapped. He walked over - fully prepared for any conflict that may lie ahead of him. “Hey, man! The hell you doing?”

- The guy obviously didn’t want to see Kazuichi - because he previously confident and smug facial expression faltered and he looked almost disappointed. There was no response, but you turned to him with a look in your eyes that screamed “help me”.

- “Back off, dude. S/O doesn’t want you here.” Kazuichi pushed him back, standing next to you after saying that. The guy simply tried to regain his place next to you by shoving back.

- Kazuichi was fully ready to get physical with this guy - no matter what consequences were sure to follow. He stopped as soon as he felt your grip on his arm, pulling him back. “Stop it, Kazuichi. It’s fine, really, let’s just leave now. Okay?”

- He nodded, but ended up being shoved back again by the guy, who was clearly not just going to let him go without a fight. He stepped up to glare at him, but ultimately turned around and rushed out of the area with you trailing close behind him.

- He stopped when you two arrived at a bench. He practically collapsed down onto it, letting out a dramatic sigh as he did so. You were quick to follow, sitting down next to him. “You really didn’t have to do that, Kazuichi. But thanks - that guy was getting pretty forceful.”

- “I did have to do it, S/O! Listen - I know it sounds weird - but seeing guys treat you like that makes me real uncomfortable. You’re my S/O. Nobody else’s, right?” He looked at you, as if for confirmation, even though you both know nothing he just said needed any sort of confirmation from anybody, even if it was phrased that way.

- You smiled gently, leaned down, and kissed him. He seemed as if he was already prepared for this - kissing back almost immediately after.

- At least the worry he previously had was gone by now.

Celestia Ludenburg

- Celeste was normally a very calm and composed person. Even in times of crisis she was always able to stay level-headed and logical, which was a trait that many people admired. It was a trait of hers that she, herself, admired and found herself lucky to have.

- She was rather intimidating, too. Sometimes this was something she used to her advantage when people were being a thorn in her side - other times it was something that inconvenienced her when she needed people to trust her wholeheartedly.

- Yet as she walked into the library only to be met with a couple of guys making moves on you, she couldn’t help but feel like her calm and composed nature was faltering and deteriorating by the second.

- Her first instinct would usually be to walk right up there and confront the situation as it is. Tell the guy to go away so she could talk to you about it, and then the main problem would be solved. That has always been how she thought she would handle a situation like this.

- But when it happens in real life and she was faced with the decision for the first time, not in a hypothetical situation, it became much more difficult to work up the courage to bring herself to do anything at all.

- She was rooted to the spot, and she was left to unwillingly listen to what was happening between you two. What she heard only increased her rage by an amount she didn’t even believe was possible.

- This absolute imbecile was repeatedly telling you how much he “knows you want to go out with him”, and how much he’d “like to take you for a ride”. She couldn’t help but feel proud as you repeatedly told him to leave you alone without losing your composure completely.

- She finally regained control of her own body and forced herself to walk into the room - taking a good look at the situation ahead of her.

- Currently, you were sitting at a table with a book in front of you. Your struggle to keep focused was apparent in both your expression and how loudly the man was babbling on about himself.

- First, she walked over and took a seat near you. She saw your face light up, and felt her anger melt away slightly. “Good evening, dear. How are you today?” She rested her chin on her hands as she looked at you with the same deceitful smile on her face as always.

- “I’m doing great, Celeste. I’m trying to study, but-”

- “Excuse me, lolita girl, I’m having a nice conversation with this lovely person here.” Celeste looked up at the man, who had a smug look on his face. She gave him a smile.

- “Actually, I believe S/O here is attempting to study. They should not be having a conversation with anybody - unless it is one sided, yes?” Her passive-aggressive comment was not met kindly with the man it was directed towards. He slammed his hands down on the table in an attempt to be threatening.

- Celeste let her smile drop. She stood up, using her hands to lean over the table and be closer to the man. “I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave my dear S/O alone to study. A foul man such as yourself should be in the garbage dump - where you belong. Now do me a favour and get out - before your stench invades this entire library.”

- The man was either stunned into silence or embarrassed into silence - because his face turned red and he exited the room faster than a lightning bolt. Celeste turned back to face you.

- “Are you alright? Did that imbecile harm you in any way at all?”

- “No, I’m completely fine. Thanks for that, though. He was really overbearing.”

- “It was nothing.”

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authortango · 3 years

Photo

“Write a story that ends with a character asking a question.” - Prompt #42

Summary: A young boy named Atlas struggles with the meaning of life due to some strange dreams he’s been having.

Song Inspiration: The Sun by Jukebox the Ghost

Genre: Speculative fiction

Word Count: 1,751 words

One bright, ninety-degree summer morning, two brothers played basketball in an apartment division basketball court. Their names were Atlas and Apollo. Their similarities only stretched to appearances; their brown curls tangled together with the antics of boyhood, their dark skin becoming darker with the heat of the sun. On a day such as this, Apollo felt light as a feather, while Atlas felt that he had the world on his shoulders.

“Apollo,” he said, holding their ball captive for a minute as he tried to get his thoughts off his chest.

“What do you think we’re here for?”

“We’re here to play basketball dummy! Duh!” Apollo rolled his eyes, a grin of amusement spreading across his freckled face. Atlas just shook his head and tossed the ball to Apollo.

“No, no. I mean, like, what do you think we were created for? Like why are we living here on earth? What’s our purpose?”

Apollo took the basketball and dunked it into the hoop, giving himself a moment to think.

“Those are heavy questions man. I’m not sure I have an answer. I don’t really think about time on earth and stuff. I’m just trying to live.”

“Just trying to live…” Atlas repeated, becoming lost in thought as though he were making a note of Apollo’s answer. Apollo, uncomfortable with thinking so existentially, tried to change the course of the topic.

“Why are you thinking about all this anyway?” Atlas looked into his brother’s eyes, gauging how much he should tell. He loved Apollo, but you never know when a sibling is going to tease you for something you take seriously. At this moment, however, he decided to trust his brother. His thoughts were still too heavy anyway.

“I keep having this dream. I see waves, like, skyscrapers knee-deep in waves. And then like, I’m standing on one of the skyscrapers, and this window, or maybe a door, of light appears before me. I hear a voice, but I don’t understand it. The door starts to open… and then the dream ends.” Apollo whistled to release the breath he had been holding in.

“That is… quite the dream brother. And you think maybe this has to do with… the meaning of life?”

“The dream has happened for the past two weeks now. If it’s not about life, what is it about? Either way, I feel like something big is coming. And I feel like I need to figure some things out before it does.” Apollo gave the ball back to Atlas and clapped him on the shoulder.

“I think it’s gonna be okay man, whatever it is. You’ll figure it out.” Atlas started to dribble the ball again, feeling a little better already. He started to smile and do tricks with the basketball, his previous worries falling away.

“Thanks for listening man. I appreciate it.”

“Yeah yeah. Who knows? Maybe your dream won’t happen again now that you’ve talked about it. That’s a thing, right?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Apollo replied, putting the dream in the backburner of his mind. He wanted to try and enjoy the day before he continued to worry about the night.

[Line Breaker]

Atlas, unfortunately, did have the dream again, despite Apollo’s prediction. He tossed and turned in his sleep as Apollo slept peacefully in the bed next to him. Atlas’ vision filled with waves, his sight in the dream feeling like a camera panning into landscape view. He saw the water come up halfway to some of the skyscrapers in view, just like he had described to Apollo. His vision zoomed in onto one skyscraper, following the windows up to the top until he realized he was once again standing on it.

For the first time in his dream, Atlas realized that he felt more freedom of movement now than he had in previous dreams. On instinct, he looked down into the city below, into the waves, and saw that smaller buildings had been swallowed by the new sea before him. There were no cars, or other people though, like one might expect. Instead, the only life Atlas could see were these strange fish. They were bright, vibrant colors, and had weird appendages like antennae along with long, elegant fins, like that of a coy fish. It seemed like they came from a different world entirely.

Atlas then heard a noise, like the dinging of an elevator door as it arrives on a floor, and turned his attention upwards. There was an outline of light not two feet from Atlas’ face, and he stepped back from the side of the skyscraper to give the door some room. His breath caught in his chest, preparing to wake up as soon as the door opened, and for once hoping that he could just sleep a little longer to find out the answers to his questions about his peculiar dream.

Atlas watched wide-eyed as the door of light opened up, and to his delight he didn’t wake up. Perhaps he would find the answers to his dream after all! His body clenched in anticipation as the door slowly opened. He felt a light breeze blow through his hair and rustle his clothes, and he had to squint as the light became brighter. The doorway became so bright, he had to shield his face with his hand, but he could still see through his fingers a staircase descending from the mouth of the open door.

Suddenly, the light vanished, and as Atlas blinked back into focus, he saw a tall, obsidian colored being, who’s body seemed to twinkle with swirls of stardust. Their eyes were the same type of light that had just blinded Atlas for a moment, and as Atlas peeked behind the being he saw that the doorway had now turned into a window to the universe, the stars and galaxies swirling in the same way as the mixture of the being’s skin. Atlas, now fixated on the new figure before him, asked shakily,

“Who are you?” The being regarded Atlas with something close to warmth. They had all the features of a human man, but it was difficult to distinguish their emotions through features alone.

“I am called Onyx.” They said simply, sweeping their arms in a gesture of presentation. Atlas, still sensing a general kindness about this being, became less cautious, and more curious.

“Are you an angel? Are you sending me these dreams for a reason?” Onyx laughed, their teeth pearly white and the sound of their voice making the entire skyscraper rumble. The waves sloshed below them as if pleased by the turn of events, trying to get closer to this ethereal being.

“I would not call myself an angel, but if it helps you to describe me, it would suit me fine all the same.” They replied, their tone a low, comforting rumble.

“I understand that these dreams have caused you to have some weighty thoughts about your place in the universe. I cannot give you all the answers right now, but I can do my best to help you understand.” Onyx kneeled on one knee and beckoned for Atlas.

“Please, come closer.” Atlas approached gravely, humbled and awed by this great being. As he stepped nearer to Onyx, he felt increasingly warm, as if the sun had come out from behind a cloud. He felt in his heart that, somehow, this being was the universe, and it cared about him very, very much.

“I have a gift for you, young Atlas, so that you may one day find some of the answers you are looking for. Please, hold out your hands.” Atlas did as he was told, and Onyx placed two things in Atlas’ hands; a small sphere, covered in engravings that he didn’t understand, and a small pocket telescope, with the names of planets and constellations Atlas had never heard of engraved into the covering. Atlas held the things to his chest protectively, and looked back up and the being with curiosity in his eyes and a thousand questions on his lips. Onyx simply shook their head, but their expression remained jovial and caring.

“I hope to see you again in the future, Atlas. Change is coming. I have faith you will adapt well.”

And as Onyx tussled Atlas’ already messy hair, and the breeze picked up and the waves crashed below…

Atlas woke up. The sun shone on his face with warm rosy fingers. His mother must have opened the curtains to wake him and Apollo up. The window was also open, the wind playfully breezing through the curtains and caressing his warm face. His hair was stuck to his forehead, and as he reached up to push it away, something fell from his hand with a thump into his lap. Looking down, he saw the sphere that the being, Onyx had given him. And still clutched in his left hand, pressed into his chest, was the telescope. Both items looked a little more tarnished then they had in his dream, but he was too awed to care. He was surprised to see that they were even real, his heart racing as he remembered his dream and its implications.

Footsteps called loudly from the stairs as Apollo bounded up them, two by two. He caught himself on the doorframe to their bedroom and hollered,

“Atlas! Breakfast is ready! Mom told me to come get you.” He beamed at Atlas, before noticing that his brother was fixated on some weird bronze cylinder in his hand, and a sphere in the other. His attention swiveled back in forth between the two objects, as if he had never seen them before.

“What are those?” Apollo asked, walking towards Atlas and sitting on his bed. Atlas looked up at him, a far off expression on his face.

“This… this… angel gave them to me. They said maybe it would help answer my questions.”

“Well that’s… neat. And frankly strange. If they’re dream things, how are they here?”

“I don’t know.” Atlas whispered, staring again at the objects now in his possession. Apollo stared too, for a moment, before asking absent-mindedly,

“So do you have a guess as to what we’re created for? You were talking about it yesterday, in relation to your dream.”

Atlas, lost in thought by his brother’s question, opened the telescope fully, and ran his fingers across the faded engravings of constellations from another world.

“What if…” he said softly, almost to himself.

“What if we were created to gaze at the stars up above?”

#my writing #writing #short story #short fiction #speculative fiction #reedsy prompts #existential fiction #existentialism #song inspired #jukebox the ghost #reedsy prompts short stories #writeblr short stories #writeblr #short stories #the answer #boyhood #dreams #weird dreams

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fiercestpurpose · 4 years

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Do you think Scott loved Jean more than Jean loved Scott? I have always read their relationship as one sided, not really one sided but Jean love to Scott was healthy and loving meanwhile Scott .. was ... just .. obsessing over her. He seems to be too attached to Jean. To the point he married her lookalike, thought of her constantly while making love to Emma. Even his notorious cheating scandal happened after the fact Emma “transformed” to Jean. The love he holds for Jean while endearing.. it’s kinda unhealthy. What’s your thoughts? I love ur Jott input 💚💙

My first instinct is to be like NO! but I do think you’re right, to a certain extent.

In the Dark Phoenix Saga, for instance, at the end Scott is like “I don’t care if she’s Dark Phoenix, I love her too much to lose her,” which is a little troubling. If Dark Phoenix is a perversion of all of Jean’s morals and decisions, then what is it that remains that he loves about her? He is a little obsessive, a little unhealthy. Unconditional positive regard is unhealthy, as anybody who’s taken Psych 101 can tell you.

His marriage to Maddie is a different case. I am of two minds on this, in part because the canon itself is of two minds. The way it was originally written, Scott married Maddie because he loved her. She did look like Jean, but she wasn’t actually much like Jean. She was a pilot, like Scott, and a lot of their relationship was built on their mutual interests and experiences. Later, there are several attempts to retcon it that he only loved her because she reminded him of Jean. For some reason, Marvel in the 80s thought Scott couldn’t possibly have loved two women for their own selves and he had to have one “true” love. Which is kind of silly. So yes, there is the fact that he married his dead fiancee’s clone (which is weird... don’t do that, guys), but that marriage was originally intended to be Scott moving on from Jean, him finding someone else so that he doesn’t have to obsess over Jean anymore.

I think the place where this changes is the place where so much of Jean and Scott’s relationship changes - X-Factor volume 1. This is where Jean and Scott have to learn how to see each other as people again, and Jean pushes back against Scott constantly comparing her to Maddie and to Phoenix. Jean is combating the obsessive nature of Scott’s love and saying no, no, I need you to like me for me, not for whatever image of me you have in your mind.

And then in the early nineties, it’s Jean who gets jealous of Scott’s relationship with Psylocke (to the point of accusing them of having an affair) and Scott who regularly says that it’s important for the two of them to actually talk about things. He’s not trying to bury his doubts or problems with her under a smothering devotion anymore, he’s prepared to actually address them, and that’s an important part of a healthy relationship.

A big piece of context for this is Scott’s own character development. Scott has serious abandonment issues due to his childhood trauma and abuse, and part of how he copes with that is being overly dedicated to the people he loves. As he starts to be more secure in the fact that he is worthy of love, he no longer has to idolize the people who love and care for him. 90s Scott is not all the way to confident and sure of himself, but he’s getting there, and he’s much more in touch with his emotions overall. I think the relationship Scott and Jean have at this point is much less him fixating on her and much more them being two people who understand each other and are very, very deeply in love.

And then there’s Morrison. Morrison admits that he didn’t think anything after DPS was important to the Jean/Scott relationship. And that might explain why he broke them up the way he did. If he was still thinking of their relationship as Scott fixating on Jean, then all he has to do is flip a switch and transfer Scott’s fixation. But by that point their relationship was based in CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION, which they recognized they were not naturally good at and therefore tried all the harder at maintaining. [Insert very long rant about how Morrison doesn’t even attempt to stay in line with previous characterizations.] Anyway, the point is that the obsession resurfaces with the beginning of his affair with Emma, but it doesn’t stay throughout it.

Scott’s thoughts on Jean throughout his relationship with Emma are pretty reasonable, all things considered. I don’t know from personal experience, but I think it’s natural to continue to have romantic and sexual thoughts about someone you were married to for over ten years, even if they’re now dead. It’s just that Emma, unlike most people, has the ability to know every time Scott thinks about Jean. And it’s often Emma who initiates the roleplay of her as Jean, probably because she wants reassurance that Scott likes her as her and is not still obsessing about Jean. And he isn’t! Even when they get possessed by the Phoenix Force, which would be a perfect opportunity for Scott to get weird about Jean, he still likes Emma for Emma. Because he was able to move from a notion of obsessive love that exists independent of the object to a notion of love as existing between two equal people, he’s able to love Emma as well as Jean. They’re different people and he loved them both and had different relationships with them. And while I will always maintain that Scott/Jean is better than Scott/Emma, I don’t think that it’s true that his feelings for Emma were an extension of a larger obsession with Jean, or that his feeling for Emma were healthy while his feelings for Jean were obsessive and unrealistic.

In summary, yes, I think Scott can be obsessive and unhealthy in his attachment. However, I don’t think that was true for the majority of the time that he and Jean were together. Thank you for the question, and thank you for saying you value my input on this ship. ☺️ Sorry my response got so long and that there were no pictures, but honestly I’ve been thinking about this all day and I didn’t want to stop to hunt down illustrative panels.

#Anonymous #scott summers #jean grey #asks #otp: a hurricane and its eye #x men blogging

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yandere-society · 5 years

Note

Please do a yandere! Sugar daddy au where the OC does not need them anymore. Thanks 💜💜💜

Admin/Writer- Chinkbihh

Trigger warnings- yandere, manipulating, invasion of privacy

Words- 2.3k

Postponing a Farewell

You had to hurry.

The alarm and frenzy that rushed through your body in reckless waves was reminiscent of a prey trying to outrun a predator.

You supposed this situation wasn’t that much different either.

God only knows what would happen if you slowed down enough for him to catch you.

Clothes? Check. Money? Check.

You bit your lip and went over the mental checklist once more, pacing wildly in the master bedroom and keeping one paranoid eye on the time.

If your escape plan went well, then you should be able to leave about an hour before he got back home from work. ��That should be plenty of time to cover enough ground between the two of you. Or at least keep him away from you until he would eventually give up given your head start.

If he would ever give up.

You pushed that doomful thought to the back of your mind and tried your best to focus on the task at hand.

You just needed to grab some hygiene products and the little possessions` you would be able to shove into your mini suitcase.

You ran into the marble granite bathroom, shaky hands grasping for your toothbrush and other necessities.

However a sound caused you to halt your frantic scavenging.

The familiar ring of the front door to the luxury condo being opened caused your heart to drop.

He was here.

There was a time when you would have been thrilled to hear of Namjoon’s arrival.

But there was no joy to feel this time.

You were frozen in place as you heard his weighted footsteps beckon closer and closer, the terrorising sound echoed within the expensive dwelling that was empty besides the two of you.

Despite the walls that separated you and muffled the noise...you could still hear him loud and clear.

You couldn’t bring yourself to move.

Namjoon’s presence alone was paralyzing. And it was closing in on you at rapid speed.

So you stayed still, awaiting the domineering man with the pathetic will power of a cornered animal.

“Y/n?” his baritone voice called out, the closeness of the sound hinted that he was now in the bedroom the was connected to the bathroom you were in currently in.

Your mouth wouldn’t move to respond.

A few seconds later he materialized in the doorway, sculpted face showcasing confusion and some relief for having found you.

That relief was quickly melted off his face when he quite literally caught you red-handed.

It was obvious what was happening, the panic was in your eyes and the items in your hand only confirmed his suspicions that without a doubt formed when he saw your suitcase on the bed.

You were trying to leave him.

Namjoon’s face was a beauty within itself. It’s oval shape was the canvas for his dusky and gold tinted pores, sat upon it were his features; strong and prominent from his plush lips to his downturned yet long and regal nose. His eyes were always somewhat hooded, confident and smoldering as his raven orbs bored intensely into whatever he set his brilliant mind to focus upon. Above those two eyes, were darkly arched eyebrows that naturally took on a shapely nature.

He was wearing a suit, as was his custom, and glasses that he often relied on after staring too long at the pixelated screen of the computer in his office. His black tie was loose and untucked around his neck, revealing his frustration as he must’ve pulled at it in response to aggravation.

But...Namjoon didn’t get aggravated.

It was one of his traits.

He got clever.

His expression was indifferent as he took one step closer to you, eyes never leaving your hands and the objects they held.

He was a very intelligent man, very little got past him. Of course, this too wouldn’t be any different.

He arched a brow.

“....and just what do you think you’re doing?”

You opened your mouth to answer the alpha-like man, but the words got jumbled in your throat causing you to release stupid splutters.

How could you be expected to explain that you were just going to flee him without explanation? That was a sure deathwish. Yet, lying was also out of the question….

The silence suffocated the room for another moment, neither of you willing to make a sound or move too hastily.

Then he spoke, “I sure hope you weren’t trying to leave me baby. Because that’s what it looks like.”

You shook your head crazily out of instinct, although the dread in your eyes told another story.

Namjoon grinned, although this sentiment didn’t reach the inky seriousness of his eyes.

“Well….I want to believe you but the suitcase on our bed sure is damning.” He purred, stepping closer with a mock thoughtfulness as if he was a parent lecturing a child.

You licked your lips as cold sweat gathered on your forehead, shaky orbs glancing at the doorway that he was blocking with his much larger frame. You hadn’t planned for this to happen, you had planned leaving a letter or a text for him to read after you had left. But suddenly your throat was coated with sticky tar given you couldn’t form the words you needed to say now that he was staring at you, eyes almost begging you to give him a reason to snap.

But, you couldn’t let him get to you.

You had to advocate for yourself. Because if you didn’t, no one else would and you’d be left with Namjoon for as long as he’d like (forever).

Despite it being the farthest emotion you felt, you slapped on a brave face.

“N-Namjoon, I think this arrangement needs to end.”

He chuckled at this and casually leaned against the doorway, as if he was preparing to be there for a while. “And why is that? That’s kind of a big decision for a small babe like you to make all by herself.”

Your brow ticked in annoyance at him calling you too young and stupid for you to make choices on your own.

“That’s why Namjoon! You always degrade me and treat me like a child! I know I call you ‘daddy’ sometimes but it’s not okay for you to literally treat me like a 5 year old. I’m a grown woman-”

“A grown woman that is dependent on me because you cannot take care of yourself.” Namjoon interrupted, voice smug.

You scoffed and glared at him. “That’s low.”

“How so? I didn’t say there’s anything wrong with that. I enjoy being your sugar daddy and it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. It would be idiotic to end it all over nothing.”

“Namjoon I think you have serious issues. It’s not healthy how you treat me.” You weakly confessed. He just quirked a brow in signal for you to elaborate. “You have me under constant surveillance and won’t let me talk to anyone you deem ‘untrustworthy’. You freaked out when I had a study date with someone because you’re so obsessed with me only relying on you for everything! I live in fear that you’ll snap at me just for looking at someone too long. It’s borderline insane.”

He stood there for a moment, staring at you with a odd gleam in his eyes as your words and heavy breathing penetrated the walls of the bathroom.

Then he chuckled in that deep voice of his.

“You take one psychology class in college and think you’re a qualified enough to call people insane. Trust me, you haven’t seen crazy.”

Your jaw dropped at the sheer disrespect. He literally just downplayed your entire argument as if your thoughts were too immature for him to even bother considering for a second. He was past the point of reasoning and it terrified you just as much as it angered you.

You didn’t care that he was blocking your way to the door, you briskly pushed him aside as you ran into the conjucting bedroom while tears blurred your vision. You had to get out of here….he was not only crazy….he was a narcissist.

“Where are you going to go Y/n?” He called out from behind you. “Who is going to take care of you while paying for your classes at the same time?”

You were rushing and shoving the last of your belongings into the suitcase. “My parents reached out and said I can stay with them.”

You didn’t know why you answered him, it’s not like he deserved a response. But you didn’t want prove him right by letting him think you were just a child who was storming out and ‘running away’ without a plan.

You heard footsteps sound behind you as he approached the side of the bed, watching your accelerated packing with a look of confusion. “Your parents? Y/n….they can barely take care of themselves, much less you.”

Your breath hitched as the subject of your parents was brought up. Your mother and father were not rich in any means, and when you left for college; it was completely up to you to support yourself. But a shitty part time job wasn’t helping much, especially since you were a full time student so your availability for work hours was very limited. That’s how you met Namjoon. You had a friend who said she would hang out with this guy she met through a sugar daddy website and get a weekly allowance in return. You were envious of this and thought it was worth a shot, so you signed up for the same site and met Namjoon through it. He was by far the most handsome and wealthy man on the platform, so of course you responded to his messages. But slowly you became more and more dependent on him and he became a weird hybrid between a boyfriend and a sugar daddy to you.

You told Namjoon about your parent’s lack of wealth, and he spoiled you in an effort to make up for what your parents were never able to give to you. (Also he just loved doing it anyway.) But it didn’t take long until you began to notice his odd compulsion of needing you to only depend on him and no one else. And whenever you tried to bring it up to him, he would always condescend you and your thoughts before shutting the whole observation down all together.

“I rather stay with them than you right now Namjoon. I’ll pick up a job if I have to but nothing is worth staying.” You told him while zipping up your suitcase

You felt Namjoon wrap his arms around you and rest his head upon your shoulder, brushing his nose against your neckline. “Y/n, I don’t know how I feel about you staying with them. Remember when you visited for Christmas and their power went out because they couldn’t pay the bill? That’s no place for you baby. At least with me you wouldn’t have to worry about trivial stuff like that.”

You huffed. “It’s not like that anymore, Joon. Mom said she got a new job and they’re doing better.”

“They could be doing better just because it’s only two of them right now. But if you move in and they have another mouth to feed….are you sure they could support you?”

You froze because Namjoon did have a good point, he was a lawyer after all and he argued like one. You knew your mother got a better job but it still didn’t pay that well given they were barely over the poverty line.

Namjoon tightened his hold on you and nuzzled you before whispering into your ear;

“Listen, I know I can be a bit….possessive but I promise that’s an issue I can work on. But just because you’re mad at me right now doesn’t mean you should up and leave to abandon all the stability I have given you so far. If you really need to be on your own for a bit, let me get you a hotel room where I’ll at least know you’re getting the shelter, food and comfort you need.”

You sighed as you began to feel his distinctive lips nibble on your neck with precision towards your weak spots. You were melting like butter on toast as this man manipulated you like it was the only thing he knew how to do.

“I-I….you promise me you’ll work on your attitude?” You asked, voice foreign sounding given the distraction of the pleasure you were receiving.

“Of course. Now, text your parents and let them know that you will stay at a hotel instead.” He purred.

Well…..technically it wasn’t that bad of deal.

You would get the space you needed while you and Namjoon would work through your relationship problems. Plus he could continue to fund you so you could focus on your studies, a luxury you probably wouldn’t get if you went to live with your parents.

You nodded your head and reached for your phone to send the text.

When all was said and done, Namjoon suggested going out for lunch before taking you to whatever 5-star hotel he deemed fit for your stay. You agreed due to your hunger and went to exit the room to head to the garage. Namjoon reached into his pockets and handed you the keys before telling you to start up the car because he had to use the bathroom.

Only when he heard your footsteps descend down the hallway did he allow himself to smirk.

So you really thought that you were a grown woman?

How laughable.

Namjoon still found it hilarious how you didn’t question why he left early from work coincidentally at the same time you were preparing to leave.

Namjoon crossed the bedroom and approached the bookshelf pushed to the corner, he bent down and quietly tapped the hidden camera between the books ‘Lolita’ and ‘The Beautiful and the Damned.’

It was perhaps the smartest purchase he ever made, given it allowed him to keep tabs on you at all times and you still haven’t suspected anything. Namjoon quickly repositioned the camera to ensure it’s secrecy before standing up and exiting the room to follow you.

He would always have the head start.

(So this was kinda….idk lemme know what you thought. Namjoon is daddy to me and I think he would be very manipulative instead of being a very loud yandere. Comment below and thanks for reading - chinkbihh)

#kim namjoon #yandere namjoon #yandere bts #namjoon #namjoon x reader #yandere rap monster #bts namjoon #yandere #yandere kpop #sugar daddy au #yandere bts fic #bts x reader #my writing #dark #requests #rap monster #bangtan fanfiction #bangtan boys #obsession

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maxknightley · 5 years

Note

"Re: The third point, I could go on about the specific example of Dragon Quest and how I think Undertale works best when read as a response to that franchise + similar series in particular" do you think you could find the time to elaborate?

Fair warning. This one is a bit long.

Let’s talk about Dragon Quest.

Overview

The Dragon Quest series of games (originally localized as Dragon Warrior in the U.S. due to a copyright/trademark issue) is pretty much one of the “Big Two” JRPG franchises alongside Final Fantasy. It’s extremely big in Japan, while enjoying more moderate success in the United States.

I’m not going to go into too much detail comparing the two or talking about their history, but I think it’s relevant to note that Dragon Quest games tend to be straightforward, high-fantasy stories in a way that a lot of beloved JRPGs (Final Fantasy included) aren’t. You’ll fight a robot from time to time, but sci-fi elements beyond that are rare; explicit social commentary/allegory is extremely rare; the plot rarely becomes especially bizarre or complex, with the narratives tending to rely a lot on characterization to make an impact; and so on.

(I should note that none of this is a bad thing, per se - I love Dragon Quest games. DQ8 and DQ11 are some of my favorite RPGs of all time, in large part because of their gorgeous settings and excellent character work, and I’ve played a fair few!)

Monsters

With that being said, if you know anything about JRPGs, you probably know how the player spends most of their time in a Dragon Quest game - going from town to town and dungeon to dungeon, fighting a wide array of whimsical monsters. (big ups to Akira Toriyama for his excellent character designs, with the exception of the Cyclowns, which I hate a lot.) There’s sidequests and minigames and such, but by and large, this is how the player interacts with the world - find monsters, fight monsters, get strong enough to fight the Big Boy monsters, maybe halfway through you start fighting the occasional anime boy or possessed dog.

The role that monsters play in the narrative is also, for the most part, very simple: they’re almost exclusively the minions of either the local boss/miniboss, or of the big mean demon lord you fight at the end of the game, and pretty much all they do is terrorize villagers, cause mayhem, and so on.

Note that I said almost exclusively...

“Don’t worry, I’m a nice monster!”

...because in basically every Dragon Quest game, some monsters are chill and friendly. Most commonly, this will be a slime, the franchise mascot:

Sometimes they’ll show up at the bottom of a well and give you a trinket for talking to them, other times they’ll hang out in a dungeon and give you some lore or a hint about a nearby puzzle. They say a lot of things like “goo-ness gracious” and it’s very cute and charming, and, uh, hang on, these guys talk, and make puns, and aren’t just bags of XP and herbs? Okay. Sure.

Depending on the game, you can often encounter other monster friends as well. Sometimes there’ll be a town with friendly monster NPCs to talk to; other times, beating monsters allows you to recruit them to your party or your Monster Arena team. It’s neat.

But what never changes is that it’s some monsters that are nice. A tiny minority. And they’re only ever a curiosity, a side note. They’re the exception that proves the rule, and the rule wants to kill you.

Which brings me to:

The One Guy Who Isn’t Evil

There’s a thing that a lot of speculative fiction does where cultures are set up as broad and all-encompassing. These are the Primitive But Kind Bear Goblins, and over here are the Mafia Slugs. These are the Prissy Forest Guys, and they hate the Gruff Cave Guys.

This isn’t necessarily bad writing, but it can be a bit repetitive and one-note after a while, so a lot of speculative fiction also has The One Guy Who Isn’t Like That. The illogical robot, the pacifistic/intellectual barbarian, the pragmatic and materialistic guy who bailed on the monastery.

And, of course, The One Guy Who Isn’t Evil. The vampire who doesn’t drink human blood. The dark elf paladin. That one dragon from Skyrim with the cool speech. They’re very useful characters, in that they soften the Troubling Implications of an entire species or ethnicity of bastards, and there’s a lot of cool stories you can tell about their conflict with family and former friends, and perhaps even... with themselves... with the beast within.

At the core of these stories is the assumption that a creature capable of thinking independently and acting on their own free will can always choose to be good, regardless of their “nature.”

But this goes both ways. If something is capable of choosing to be “good,” or even “nice,” they have to be able to conceive of these concepts. To make that choice. They can’t truly be Made Of Pure Evil, or be beasts acting on instinct, or be slaves to the will of a much more powerful entity.

Are Slimes People?

So, in the example of Dragon Quest, we’ve reached a conundrum. Some monsters - very few, but some - are nice, or at least open to conversation. Most are only there to, pardon the phrasing, kill or be killed.

Which means there’s basically two main possibilities:

Some slimes are nice and they’re always already nice. They attacked you first so it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.

Slimes are definitely all thinking, feeling beings, and it’s probably a little fucked up to kill a bunch of them because you’re saving up money for the casino, even if they “attacked you first” after you spent a half hour running in circles, Erdrick.

The first one works fine for the context of a story like Dragon Quest, because we can employ suspension of disbelief. But it kind of unravels if you look at it for too long. In some installments, there are evil but non-hostile monsters who won’t attack you, but will deliver a whole little monologue about how cool Lord Merdur of Fort Finalboss is. And, hey, what causes a monster to decide to be nice instead of evil?

For the most part, we never learn, because it doesn’t matter. The Nice Monster is a throwaway character, usually a bit of a joke. They’re there for flavor, not because of what their existence implies.

And that’s kind of weird, right?

Undertale As Response

It’s obvious how Undertale works as a critique on level grinding and the like, but this alone would be kind of facile, imo. People will say, “well, that monster was trying to kill me, so I acted in self-defense. It’s only fair.” And it can be difficult to argue against this without getting into weird arguments about monsters’ Actual Motivations or the relative negative utility of thousands being imprisoned beneath a mountain vs. seven children being killed.

Here’s the thing that I think a lot of people ignore, though. Undertale is also a critique of the idea that Some Monsters Are Nice, as seen in Dragon Quest and similar games. And part of why that critique works is because it does not allow you to set up a dividing line. All those monsters have a place in Underground society - you can’t simply write some off as Fights while viewing others as worthy of kindness or redemption.

If you spare Toriel and Papyrus, because they’re nice and well-meaning... then how can you justify killing Undyne and Mettaton, who are kind of assholes, but have good intentions, and are pillars of the community?

If you spare Undyne and Mettaton, how could you justify killing Whimsun, who’s terrified of you? Or Temmie, who’s just kind of scatterbrained and weird? Or Snowdrake, who constantly tells bad jokes, just like your friend Sans would if you had to fight him?

So how could you justify killing Tsundereplane and Vulkin, so desperate for affection?

So how could you justify killing Muffet, so desperate to save her family and friends?

And so on, and so on, until we reach Moldsmal.

Oh! That One’s A Slime! Is Maxie Tying It All Together?

Trying to, anyway.

This is Moldsmal and Moldbygg. They’re called that because they’re Jell-O Mould monsters.

Moldsmal just kind of sits there, lazily firing bullets. Its description says it has “no brains.” If any monster is okay to kill, it’s this one, right?

Moldbygg pretends to be a Moldsmal, but is actually big. It also has explicit boundaries and preferences: It does not want to be hugged. You spare it by Not Hugging it. It’s goofy, but still: Moldbygg, explicitly, has thoughts and emotions.

And if it’s not okay to kill Moldbygg, how the hell are you going to justify killing Moldsmal? They’re both slimes! They’re practically identical! Maybe they have family reunions where instead of eating the Jell-O one of them just sits on the dining table! You don’t know!!

So Here’s My Thesis On The Morality of Undertale Or Whatever

Fundamentally, the commentary Undertale is making on the idea of the “nice monster,” the “recruitable monster,” the “monster town,” is this:

If one monster can be your friend, is there actually a reason all of them can’t be?

And it says “no, what, that’s dumb,” and I don’t think it’s wrong to do so. Viewing Undertale specifically with this additional context, of the weird push-and-pull certain RPGs have between “that’s a monster! kill it for loot!” and “okay well not that monster,” shores up the related critique of XP grinding by rooting it in a more specific moral core.

Anyway I hope that all made sense, I’m gonna go eat exactly one maraschino cherry and have a glass of water

#ask #anon #undertale #dragon quest #long post #this is a bit meandering but i hope y'all enjoy it regardless

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why-this-kolaveri-machi · 4 years

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what more can you do?

WOO! this week’s episode was sad and weird and badly paced and startlingly, unevenly mature in true titans fashion. i loved it (with reservations)! let’s talk about it in excruciating detail:

SPOILERS ahead.

1. i can’t say that i’m awfully thrilled about the show following up on a character’s literal suicide attempt by... not addressing said suicide attempt at all. maybe it’s the awkward way an entire episode’s worth of flashback was shoehorned in between the end of 2.07--where dick literally talked jason off the ledge while in the throes of a psychotic break of his own--and the beginning of this one, but it’s honestly not just bad storytelling, but irresponsible storytelling.

1.5. in a general sense, tho, the tableau at the beginning of the episode is so egregiously unfair--so shockingly, plainly one-sided, with a slump shouldered dick facing the world, only kory on his side, that it’s quite apparent that it’s the lowest these heroes can go. and i do think their individual reactions to dick’s confession provide an interesting insight into their characters. hank and dawn have been operating alone for so long, each a reminder of their traumas and losses and very human frailty to the other, without even the resources that dick and the batman enjoy. it’s been them v the world for so goddamn long; is it any wonder that they were looking for the first excuse to bail out of there, to not Deal with the idea that what they were doing to deal with their traumas and guilt was clearly not working, and dick was--and has been always--so willing to be the scapegoat? hank punching dick was utterly unwarranted--but i can accept that as part of the unaddressed emotional outbursts arising out of years of accumulated head injuries from both college football and vigilantism. (this isn’t to excuse what he did but to contextualise it within hank’s history and personality.) their instinct when facing ugly truths is to retreat to what they think is familiar and what they need--except, as hank realises later in the episode, that’s exactly what’s fucking them up further.

rose is understandably upset at being lied to about her brother’s death and the titans being complicit in the same--but i’m curious that her reaction was to merely leave and not try and fight them. maybe after being defeated by dick while sparring and nearly being killed by rachel she was sensible enough to realise that she couldn’t take them on all at once? i don’t know--she’s curiously been a bit of a cipher this season. jason leaving with her made sense tho--unburdened of the weight of being the team’s scapegoat, understandably miffed at dick for keeping a secret that nearly cost him his life and left him with a great deal of trauma, just Angry at the world in general, he gravitates towards rose, the only other outsider/rebel who tried to reach out to him when everybody else shunned him or looked at him like an impostor. i think the decision was more impulsive than anything--they still look confused and uncertain in the taxi as they leave the tower behind. but--i don’t know. theirs is the storyline that i’m the most perplexed about. we just don’t have a lot of information about either of them, rose especially.

(a part of me still thinks she’s slade’s mole in the tower. but why would she leave if she is? to keep up appearances bc to react in any other way to the news of her brother’s death would be suspicious? maybe she left because her job is done and the titans were splitting up? maybe she was part of the long game to seduce jason over to slade’s side--seeking revenge for dick swaying jericho over to the titans’? am i going to stop asking myself questions in this post? am i ever going to write a review that’s not just stream-of-consciousness nonsense? only time will tell.)

DONNA. oh, donna. her decision to leave seems to me a logical continuation of her s2 arc that i’d talked about in a previous review--paranoid, insecure, retraumatised, and taking out her frustrations on jason and dick. it’s also very interesting to me that she complained to rachel about dick treating them like “soldiers” and only told them things that he deemed that they “need[ed] to know.” it was because of jillian and whatever mysterious business that themyscira was conducting in sf that she and garth and slade ever landed up in that airport at all; even worse, jillian deemed it was something that donna didn’t need to know until it was too late. donna lost so much in that fiasco--the man she loved, her friends, several members of her amazon family, and her sense of purpose, her belief in her strength and her destiny and her faith that other people trusted her as a warrior and as a leader. she’s projecting all that pain onto dick--who again, doesn’t deserve all this shit but takes it anyway because of his own issues.

1.8. and, like. as much as jericho’s death became the Traumatic Event that overshadowed almost everything else in dick’s life for the last five years and helps explain a lot of his hang-ups right from s1, it just doesn’t have the same significance for the others. don’t get me wrong--i’m sure hank, donna and dawn are devastated and guilty about the part that they had to play in manipulating jericho and his eventual death. but their issues with each other, with the titans tower and with their past run deeper and in different directions, and i think all of that came into play when they each decided to go their separate ways.

1.95. idek what the fuck is going on with rachel. i felt every ounce of dick’s heartbreak and devastation when she got up to leave with donna. for all that she saved dick in the first episode of this season, she still hasn’t reached the point where she’s willing to unburden her emotions and issues on him. it must be frustrating and sad for her to realise just how much dick didn’t trust her either. but there’s something else going on as well: maybe she’s realised she has no real control over her re-emerging powers, and, carrying on with the fatalistic attitude she had at the end of 2.05, she wants to spare the titans the chaos and darkness that she carries around with her. (she’s used to running away at this point, after all.) she goes with donna bc donna knows her the least: it would therefore be easy to fool her and escape.

2. more faddei! and kory backstory! \o/

it’s curious that they never once bring up trigon, because s1 gave the impression that she’d come to earth with a specific mission to seek his portal out and destroy it before he could, y’know, Fuck The Universe Up. faddei makes it sound like kory just went on this fun little sabbatical before taking up royal duties, which kiiinda undercuts a lot of what was cool about her s1 arc. i realise you aren’t entirely happy with your freshman season, titans, and s2 looks like it might be a soft reboot, but you don’t have to mutilate it like this!

but seriously. the stakes just got upped exponentially for kory, and it would be really interesting to see where she goes from here. apart from a promise to rachel, she doesn’t really owe the rest of the titans anything--not that i think she views relationships in such transactional terms, of course. on the other hand, abandoning her responsibilities on tamaran has led to its takeover by an unfit leader and the deaths of several of her family and friends. the choice shouldn’t be a choice at all. she should go back home. and yet--she waited too long, and the choice has been taken away from her. faddei is dead, both of their ships are destroyed, and she is stuck on earth, grieving and frustrated and furious. kory is usually very clear headed about exactly where she stands emotionally, but after such a big event, she must be feeling so much pain, guilt, sorrow, anger, even resentment. it’s so easy to look at kory’s level-headedness and open, empathetic personality and use her to prop up other characters, but i hope that this isn’t always the case, and that she’ll be allowed to really work through these emotions while somebody else looks out for her.

2.35. (the little snippets of faddei and kory just enjoying the shit out of the Little Things that humanity has to offer is just... it filled me with so much warmth. i wouldn’t mind an entire episode of them just chilling and exploring and annoying each other with badly-applied out-of-context pop culture references)

2.5. blackfire! i don’t know much about comics!blackfire beyond “she was starfire’s sister, Evil, and possibly sold her sister into slavery??? yikes” so i’m just going purely off what the show has revealed about her so far. it was honestly disconcerting to see so many references to her possible disability (?) and to see both that and the efforts to accommodate her spoken about in... i want to say mocking way? i don’t know. i just saw a murder mystery/thriller movie today where the serial killer was revealed to have been both disabled from birth and mentally ill, and maybe i’m just feeling extra sensitive to the truly disturbing and pervasive trope of having disabled characters be Evil--and tying their Evil to their disability.

2.8. anyhow, blackfire appears to have accumulated a fair bit of power in the time that kory’s been gone: not only can she remotely possess other tamaraneans but she can blow up their ships too. (and didn’t faddei say that she had goons on the ground, looking for starfire?)

2.9. it’s a Lot to deal with this late in the season. maybe kory will leave for tamaran to deal with blackfire once and for all at the end of the season. and if titans ends up cancelled, wouldn’t that be a bittersweet ending.

(wherein ‘bittersweet’ translates to ‘devastating’ ofc)

3. oh where do i even start with dick

his worst fears came true. after his confession, not only did his old friends up and leave, but so did rachel and jason, which he found more heartbreaking than anything else. utterly consumed by guilt and convinced more than ever before of his culpability, he actively seeks out ways to self-flagellate, first by going to adeline to apologise, then by banishing himself, then by making sure he is punished (tho i have my doubts on that last one; will elaborate a little later). after watching him have an extended psychotic break and dash into not one but two suicide missions, watching dick grayson do this to himself feels like watching an extended feature on human suffering. it’s not fun, or pretty, and i can feel it reaching its nadir so that dick can bounce back up again, but i hope it happens soon.

(dick’s natural tendency to internalise guilt and responsibility into a hard little diamond core at his centre and his long training with batman with all the emphasis on secrets and subterfuge with a healthy underpinning of paranoia ironically means that he does so much goddamn emotional labour for this team. he’s the glue that keeps them together, that gives them purpose. he’s trying so hard to do good by everybody that he isn’t really able to achieve it with any of them, which leads to another self-flagellating spiral and him determining to try harder and the cycle just keeps going on. only kory seems to have ever broken this cycle, because she’s never demanded anything of him, nor he of her. it’s really sad to think how bereft dick feels right now, and more than that, how it’s stopping him from being there for the people who really do need him and trust him, like gar and rachel.)

3.25. adeline makes a very good point about how merely apologising doesn’t mean you’re owed forgiveness, and that seeking it out after all these years is a self-serving exercise in itself. but i can see dick taking it hard, especially after discovering that she’s letting slade--the man who actually killed her son--recuperate at her home. (and let’s be clear: however good her intentions, she participated in lying to her child about the truth of what his father actually does. wow, jericho was really just fucked over by pretty much every one he loved, wasn’t he?)

but i am glad to see dick isn’t so far gone that he takes the blame for jericho’s death in front of slade. he’s very aware that slade has permanently broken the team and very aware of the threat slade poses if they ever try to get back together again, but he’s not going to completely surrender every last shred of his self-worth and dignity to this man, and that was refreshing to see.

3.5. so he banishes himself to the farthest place he can think of with nothing more than the shirt on his back and a single duffel bag. it’s so over-the-top yet so... dick grayson.

3.8. BUT WAIT! ~PLOT TWIST~

ok so here’s what’s happening, all right? strap in:

a) jericho is one hundred percent inside slade. i have no doubts about this. adeline knows this too. it’s why she was so even-keeled while talking to dick, why she confidently said that jericho loved dick, and why she said “they” might be willing to forgive him. i’m thinking when slade crawled back home, jericho took advantage of his father’s momentary weakness to tell what was happening to his mother.

b) jericho tried to communicate to dick. i saw something somewhere which said that slade had gestured something very specific in asl while conversing with dick? i’m willing to believe that was intentional.

c) when dick was turning to leave and slade called him one last time and gave his “banishment sentence” jericho likely jumped bodies from slade to dick

d) so why did dick get himself arrested at the airport?

- dick was going through, as others have speculated, a dissociative episode. given how he’s exhibited signs of mental illness throughout this season this isn’t that far out of the realm of possibility, but it’s a weak and redundant narrative bridge and wasn’t shot in a way that suggested that it was a mental break. so i’m ruling this out.

- jericho took over. maybe he felt that this was the only way he could force dick to stay in sf. maybe some of his father’s anger/resentment leeched into him and he wanted to dick to experience some actual punishment instead of scarpering again. maybe he was overwhelmed by dick’s own self-flagellating tendencies and chose the shortest route to maximum pain. maybe it’s a combination of all three.

- dick finally got his brain into gear and realised at the last minute that jericho had possessed slade and was trying to tell him something. why he then proceeded to get himself arrested instead of running out of the airport is a mystery.

personally, i’m leaning towards the ‘jericho possessed dick’ possibility.

4. gar is such a sweetheart and i am so glad that he took centrestage this episode, even though, like always, it was to support another character and ended up with him crying and begging for help from an unresponsive dick. *sighs*

4.5. much like dick himself, he’s trying to do good by everybody, only to end up badly misjudging a situation, and all alone.

5. oof. this has gone on for far too long and i am Tired. more thoughts to come later, because right now my brain is as disorganised as... as disorganised as a titans episode. hah! self-burn!!!

#titans #titans spoilers #dick grayson #koriand'r #garfield logan #hank hall #dawn granger #donna troy #rachel roth #slade wilson #meta #aaaah this is 2.6k+ words long I'M SORRY

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werewolfdays · 4 years

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Pack Gathering

here’s some actual plot for once! Quarantine gave me enough time to finish this beast of a snippet. This is kinda long, but I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! -

The Kincade manor had to be the richest house I have ever seen in person. It was probably big enough to be considered a castle. Jayde was right about one thing, it was a ridiculous flaunt of wealth. With its white marble steps and columns, dazzlingly intricate windows that reflected the sunlight, and granite wolf statues guarding the grand entrance, it was impossible to dispute that the owners didn’t think of themselves as royalty.

Not only that, but nearly every single person in that mansion right now is a werewolf. Very prestigious and powerful werewolves. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel safe, Jayde promised she would be by my side no matter what, it’s the fact that I was starting to feel unprepared for this. I was only human after all, I honestly didn’t know what to expect from everyone in there. I tried to focus on the other prominent emotions I was feeling to distract me. Like my excitement for entering a completely different world. The Lodge was filled with werewolves that I’ve grown accustomed to, but this place already felt different and I haven’t even stepped inside yet.

Jayde’s hand fit into mine before we set foot on the steps, “You’re nervous.” she stated quietly, moving closer to me.

Jayde’s version of dressing up was throwing on a black blazer over a white shirt that had an artistic graphic of some kind, tucked into sleek black jeans with Chelsea boots to match. It was very simple and didn’t really come off like she put in much effort, but she admittedly still looked extremely attractive. Especially with the sleeves of her blazer rolled up to her elbows and her stylishly unkempt blonde hair brushed over to one side.

I was relieved by her proximity and leaned into her, “A little.”

“I should warn you,” she began, taking me off to the side of the stairs while people passed us to enter the party, “These wolves, they’re very old fashioned. Alphas, mates, all that crap is really important to them. And the most important of all is being a purebred, so don’t be surprised if they act weird around you.”

Her words didn’t really help my unease and I glanced up at the manor again, even more unsure of myself, “Is me being here going to cause problems?”

Jayde took a second before she answered me, like she was struggling with a response. Then she nodded, “Yes. But don’t take any of it to heart.”

“Don’t take the fact that my human existence is offensive to them to heart?”

A brief smile tugged at the corner of her mouth like she just realized how that sentence sounded, “I won’t let any snide comments slide.” her brows furrowed with another thought, “Are you… comfortable with me calling you my mate?”

“Your mate?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Jayde replied, looking down bashfully. She started to fiddle with the necklace she gave me, slowly readjusting the chain, “Werewolves usually mate for life and when we find the right person, that’s what we call them. Or more accurately, claim them. My parents didn’t really care for most of the old world traditions, but they did claim each other as mates. It’s sacred. If I tell the people here that you’re my mate and I’m yours, then there’s a chance that would get them to back off a bit.”

The explanation didn’t surprise me at all. It actually kind of appealed to me, but I sensed some aversion from the emphasis on claim. “You don’t like the idea?”

Jayde gave a half shrug and once the clasp was at the back of my neck, she ran the tips of her fingers along my skin for a moment longer than necessary when she pulled her hands away. I missed her touch as soon as it was gone.

“No, I do. Or the main gist, I should say.” She finally met my gaze, her demeanor exuding some embarrassment, “It’s just that wolves can be so territorial. You know, like, possessive. That’s the part I don’t like, you thinking that I’m trying to take possession of you, because I do have that instinct. And the people in there will definitely see it like that. Especially since you’re human.”

“I don’t care what the people in there think of us.” My hands went to her waist to reassure both her and me, “I know what your intentions are. I know you’re not trying to own me or anything, so I don’t mind you calling me your mate. And not just here either.”

There was something comforting about Jayde calling me her mate and me calling her mine. I was content with girlfriend, but mate felt like a bigger, better word. Like it carried more weight and meaning. Using it every now and then definitely wouldn’t be a bad thing.

She smiled at me, her shoulders slackening with relief, making me think that she felt the same about it. Her index finger came up to tap under my chin while she leaned in to kiss me. We didn’t let it become more than a long peck considering we were in a public place. Jayde wasn’t too fond of people watching us, and I can imagine these werewolves taking any interest in our intimacy would annoy her even more.

“You ready?” she asked once she pulled away.

“I’m ready.”

Jayde looked me up and down fondly, “You look gorgeous by the way.”

Skye helped me pick out the dress. It was elegant, yet simple overall. Skye thought that the navy blue color went well with my hair and skin tone, which I couldn’t argue. The sleeveless lace bodice didn’t constrict me or make me overheated from nerves. The flowy skirt reached my knees, giving me enough movement to feel comfortable, and the flats I was wearing wouldn’t kill my feet too badly. I didn’t wear dresses very often, but I always enjoyed it when I wore one like this.

I blushed at Jayde’s praise and accepted the arm she held out to me as we ascended the steps.

The inside was just as grand as the outside. Perfectly spotless tiled floors that I could see our reflections in led to a grand staircase that curled around the whole foyer. People were mingling about with fancy glasses of various alcoholic beverages, dressed like they were trying their hardest to promote their status to each other. As soon as Jayde and I entered the foyer, gazes landed upon us, followed by quiet murmurs. Curious and even scornful gazes, I noticed. My flushed expression turned to slight embarrassment from all the attention and I instinctually moved closer to Jayde, clinging to her arm and trying to hide my nerves. No doubt they could all sense it anyway.

“Let’s go get something to drink.” Jayde suggested, leading me away from the prying eyes in this particular room. As we walked by a couple looking me up and down very carefully, she growled at them, making me smile to myself.

This was going to be an interesting day. “It’s gonna be a lot of that, I’m guessing.”

She groaned in agreement, “If Skye hadn’t asked me to go to this damn thing for her, I wouldn’t have come within a hundred miles.”

I remembered all the stories Jayde told me about coming here with her family when she was a kid. I gathered that if her father hadn’t been such close friends with one of the alphas, they wouldn’t have even come here at all. It sounded like every visit was painful for both families on account of their opposing views. I was dreading the inevitable moment I meet the alpha female, Miranda. She sounded like a very strict and uptight woman, which made me fear that she was the one who was going to have the biggest issue with me.

The open bar was in the next room, filled with even more werewolves of high status. Strange looks continued to come our way, which I ignored as best as I could. “They can all tell that I’m human right away, can’t they?”

She nodded, “Most of them, yeah.”

“Am I the only human here?”

“I haven’t caught any other scent besides yours.” she answered, quickly asking the bartender for a whiskey and a glass of champagne. “Your scent is pretty distracting though.” she added with a small side-grin.

I accepted the glass of bubbling liquid that was being handed to me, offering my thanks to the bartender before I replied to her, “I hope not too distracting.”

Jayde took a generous swig of her whiskey, “Not distracting enough, actually.”

We stood quietly for a few minutes while Jayde surveyed the crowd, her shoulders slightly tense like she was preparing for an attack. I tried to commit some profiles to memory too, in case I recognized anyone from the descriptions that Jayde had given me earlier, but every time I looked at someone for more than a second or two, their gaze found mine like they somehow knew I was watching them. Can werewolves sense people watching them? The idea was a little unnerving considering how many times I’ve stared at Jayde before we got together. Did she know I was staring at her all those times? And she didn’t think I was a psycho?

“Jayde,” a man called as he approached, pulling me out of my embarrassing thoughts. He must’ve been about thirty years old or so. Kind looking face, clean shaven with his light brown hair combed perfectly.

“Jonas.” Jayde greeted back with a nod.

“You got roped into this, huh?” Jonas asked with a hint of humor.

“Just when I thought the torture was over.” she said somewhat sarcastically.

Jonas smiled, then noticed my presence beside Jayde and eyed me curiously, though I noted it wasn’t judgemental. It might’ve even been concern. “Who’s this?”

“This is Nadya.” Jayde put an arm around my waist, “My mate.” I watched his eyebrows shoot up in surprise while she addressed me next, “Nadya, this is Jonas. He’s Miranda’s first born son with her first mate, Arthur.”

I recalled Jayde telling me that the previous Kincade alpha male, Arthur, had been killed by hunters when Jonas was very young. “It’s nice to meet you.” I said, reaching out to shake with him.

Jonas’s grip was firm, but gentle when he took my hand. I realized from his expression that he was offering respect, which wasn’t something I thought I would receive so easily here. “It’s lovely to meet you too, Nadya.”

“I’m…” I started nervously after letting go of his hand. I probably should’ve left it, but I felt like I couldn’t, “I’m sorry about your father.”

His expression softened, “It’s alright, it happened a long time ago. Truth be told, I barely remember him.”

“He seemed like a good man, from what I’ve heard.” I said sincerely, “I’m sure he would be proud of you.”

Jonas studied me quietly for a moment while he swirled the drink in his hand absentmindedly. He didn’t look me up and down like a lot of people were, he just kept his gaze right on mine until the corners of his mouth tugged up in a smile. Then he nodded and said, “Thank you.”

I smiled and nodded back, but was slightly unsure if that offended him or not. “Of course.”

The moment passed with Jonas standing up straighter and taking in a breath, “Well, I won’t hold you up any longer, I have a couple toddlers to track down. You know, make sure they don’t get into my mother’s closet upstairs. You two enjoy the party.”

“See you around, Jonas.” Jayde said, shaking his hand like an old friend before he went to walk away.

He got a couple steps, then halted and turned back to us, “Oh, Jayde?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s good to see you.” He had an almost familial fondness in his eyes, “Alive and well.”

Knowing that he must have been referring to the fact that he hasn’t seen her since before she was captured, Jayde’s eyes sparkled with gratitude and she smiled, giving him a meaningful nod, “Thanks.”

Once he disappeared in the crowd, I asked Jayde, “Was that okay? What I said.”

“You have a way with words, Nadya.” she answered, lovingly caressing my arm, “I don’t think anyone besides his wife has told him that his dad would be proud.”

“Really?”

She nodded, “Miranda didn’t take it too well when he told her he didn’t have any ambition to be the next alpha. She thought that was disgracing Arthur’s memory.”

I suppose that kind of made sense for people like this, in a twisted way, but that still wasn’t fair to Jonas. “Well, he seems to be doing pretty well for himself.”

“He has the family he’s always wanted. A mate. A couple of kids. Miranda might not think that's ambitious, but I do. Jonas sought a more modest life, and when you’re a werewolf, that can be more difficult than just staying in a large pack.”

This subject sounded familiar. “Your dad did that, right?”

She hummed in confirmation, “The Thatchers were another major purebred pack. My dad loved his family, but he also wanted something of his own. When he met my mom, he just wanted it even more. It’s never easy to break away from a big pack to form your own. There’s a lot of bravery in that.”

“You and Skye are the only Thatchers left?”

“Us and you.” Jayde told me with a smile, “And Toby. Even though he’s a Cortez, I call him both. You know, we might run into his siblings today.”

The fact that Jayde basically called me a Thatcher caused an incredibly light flutter in my stomach, “It’ll be interesting to meet them.”

“Celina has a bit of a stick up her ass, but she’s good people.”

As I was about to reply, there was a loud and booming voice shouting, “Thatcher!”

When Jayde saw another man approaching us, she swore under her breath, “Fucking Christ, here we go.” and downed the rest of her whiskey, turning around and motioning for a refill from the bartender. “It’s Garret.”

Apart from Miranda, Garret was one of the Kincades I was hoping I wouldn’t meet. He sounded like the worst type of frat boy and all the times that Miranda tried to push Jayde and Garret into a relationship, basically grooming them to eventually become mates since they were small children, made me extremely uncomfortable.

Now that I could see him in person, with his arrogant smirk surrounded by patchy stubble and overly gelled dark brown hair that was slicked back and cropped close at the sides, I wanted to be in any other room besides this one. There was a pendant around his neck that suspiciously looked like a bullet. Specifically a silver bullet. I wasn’t sure if it actually was one, or just for show, but it didn’t exactly match his tailored suit. The fact that he wore it so blatantly made me think it was a trophy of some kind.

Garret carried himself like he owned the place, but it almost came off like he was trying too hard. Once he sauntered over to us, he gave Jayde a long once over and it was difficult to keep my expression neutral. “Wow, you really did make it out, huh? I mean, shit, look at you.” he motioned at her dramatically with his hands, taking a special interest in her most visible scars, and let out a chuckle, “Maybe a little worse for wear, but I guess it’s kinda badass.”

“Okay, you said hello, you can go now.” Jayde said dryly, letting all of the amber liquid in her glass fall down her throat while glowering at him.

“Still playing hard to get after all this time?” Garret asked with a cocked eyebrow.

She wasn’t amused, “I was never playing your game, Garret, I just genuinely can’t stand you.”

“Oh, come on,” He groaned dramatically, “You’re being rude to the next great alpha? Under his own roof?”

“I’m actually being pretty civilized.” Jayde remarked, motioning for yet another refill of whiskey, which was starting to worry me a little, “You’ll know when I’m being rude.”

Garret looked like he wanted to say another snappy joke, but then he focused on me. The look of surprised interest on his face made me realize he literally just noticed my presence. His pale blue eyes slowly looked me up and down, glittering like a kid in a candy store, and I felt Jayde stiffen beside me. “What’s up with the human?” he asked her nonchalantly without taking his eyes off me.

“This is Nadya.” Jayde answered through clenched teeth, barely holding back a snarl.

“What’s she doing here?” he finally looked to Jayde for an explanation, “What, we just gonna have fun with her later?”

While I wasn’t entirely sure I knew exactly what his assumption entailed, my mind did go to a few possibilities. Like how it was a full moon and the participants of this party were invited for a hunt during the night. The way Garret had been looking at me started to make sense now. It made my skin crawl.

A brief sparkle of yellow shimmered across Jayde’s dark blue irises, I only noticed it because I was standing so close. She tensed up further, scowling darkly, an opened her mouth to say something, but I spoke up first because I had had enough of Garret’s comments making both of us uncomfortable, “Jayde and I are mates.”

He locked eyes with me again like he was shocked I had the ability to speak, “What would you know about that?” he snapped.

“She understands it a lot more than you do.” Jayde said calmly, not taking her dangerous glare off of him.

Garret addressed her with a scoff, “So, being tortured for years gave you a sense of humor?”

“No,” Jayde shook her head patronizingly, “Just gave me some perspective.”

“Pretty twisted sense of perspective, if you ask me.” he grumbled.

“We didn’t ask.” I pointed out. He shot a look at me again, this time looking furious that I had the audacity to speak to him like that. Maybe I should have held my tongue or used a little more caution with a werewolf like Garret, but something about him made me especially impatient and unwilling to just let his behavior go unchecked. Not to mention I hated the way he was talking to Jayde. “Why does it matter to you anyway?”

“Because my big brother cannot stand it when he can’t get what he wants.” Replied a girl that suddenly appeared next to our disagreement with a glass of wine in her hand and a giant grin, “Isn’t that right, Garret?”

The beautiful young woman was around my age and had the Kincade family resemblance for sure, though she also had a smirk that was familiar in a different sense. It was the same mischievous smirk that Skye wore on a daily basis. It wasn’t hard to recognize this girl as one of the twins that taught Skye everything she knows about being a troublemaker.

“Amara,” Garret glowered at his sister, using a clear warning tone, “Go away.”

“Do you have to be such a sore loser?” Amara replied and shrugged, “I mean, Hell, after all this time Jayde still won’t fall for your shitty flirting attempts. Learn to give up, you’re just embarrassing yourself.”

Garret’s face took on a reddish hue, either enraged, embarrassed, or both. The siblings stared each other down in a tense silence to the point that I was worried about it ending violently, but then Garret drew in a long breath before releasing it slowly. Without another word to any of us, he trudged off. He threw me a quick glare as he brushed by me and I noticed that he had reached up to grab his pendant, the silver bullet now lost in his clenched fist. I frowned. If that really was a silver bullet, that must be burning his hand.

Jayde must have noticed it too, “What’s the deal with the stupid necklace?”

“Oh,” Amara snickered, “He killed a hunter a while back and took the loaded silver bullet out of the guy’s gun. Now he goes around showing it to people and saying, ‘This was the bullet that was gonna kill me, but I showed that hunter bastard how a real man fights!’” She scoffed and shook her head, “I swear he becomes even more of a douche after each day.”

I shook my head, mumbling, “You don’t say…” into my glass of champagne, not at all surprised.

“Some things never change.” Jayde remarked.

Amara fully looked at the both of us, “You do. Strolling in here as one of the last surviving members of your family’s pack with a human girl on your arm. Kinda wish I could’ve thought of something like that to drive my mother crazy.”

“Nadya really is my mate.” While there wasn’t any full-blown animosity in Jayde’s voice, she was still being assertive, “I didn’t bring her here as a joke. Sometimes werewolves realize they don’t have to stick to archaic pack beliefs. It is the twenty-first century, after all.”

“Wow,” The Kincade wolf stated slowly, her perfectly manicured eyebrows arched in surprise at Jayde’s intensity, “Is it hard to hear me up there on your high horse with your little human?”

“It is a bit windy, yeah.” she replied sarcastically.

The energy between the two was different than with Garret. It wasn’t like they were overly fond of each other, but I could tell there was still some respect, as well as amusement with the other’s presence. The banter was also interesting. Almost sibling rivalry-like. Then I realized that it was exactly that because these two had a long history of growing up together.

Amara chuckled at Jayde’s retort and looked to me, “Well, if she really is that important, then I guess I should introduce myself.”

I accepted her extended hand, “I’m Nadya.”

“I gathered.” she replied with that smirk, “I’m Amara.”

“I gathered.” I said, mirroring her tone cheekily and releasing her hand.

“Oh, she’s got a little bit of sass,” Amara grinned at Jayde, “I like her.”

Jayde gave me a soft and proud smile, reaching out to briefly brush the back of her finger against my jaw. The small touch was both comforting and energizing. “So do I.”

“Well, this has been fun, but my main source of entertainment went that way.” Amara pointed in the direction that Garret went, “Mitchell and I are shadowing him all day and whoever makes him flip his shit in front of everyone first wins.” she leaned in as she passed us to wink at me and say, “Don’t let these wolves scare you.”

I grinned back at her and nodded, “They’re more bark than bite.”

Amara let out a hearty laugh, walking backwards and pointing at me, “You’re funny.” Then she disappeared into the crowd to go annoy her older brother with her twin.

When I looked back to Jayde, I saw that she was watching me very intently and I wasn’t sure why. “What?”

“Come on,” She said, setting her glass of whiskey aside and plucking my nearly empty flute of champagne out of my hand to place it down as well. Before I could ask why, she grabbed my hand and began leading me through the main bustle of the party.

I uttered a quiet, “Excuse me.” whenever we closely passed guests and offered a few sorry’s as well to those that I couldn’t avoid while Jayde pulled me along. We eventually broke through the crowd and made our way down some nearly empty hallways. This place was so big that even if I lived here, I was sure I would get lost on a daily basis, so I was impressed with how Jayde seemed to know exactly where to go.

We took a couple more turns, until there was no one else in sight, and I finally asked, “Where are we go-”

Jayde suddenly stopped, her hands going to my waist, and I was cut off by her mouth crashing into mine as she pushed me back against a wall. It left my head buzzing with disorientation for a second, but I quickly recovered, reaching up to grab her shoulders and eagerly return her kiss. Her hands squeezed my hips, drawing me completely against her until there wasn’t even an inch between us. Within the span of a few fluttering heartbeats, I was totally overtaken by the sensation of her lips moving against mine, the taste of whiskey on her tongue, the sudden flooding of warmth that went throughout my limbs.

She pulled away, allowing me to catch my breath in flustered pants. “Sorry,” She murmured, resting her forehead against mine, “I just really had to do that.”

“I’m not complaining.” I said, laying my forearms on her shoulders to play with her hair, “What was it for?”

“I was about two seconds away from knocking Garret’s teeth out,” Jayde explained and leaned back to smile at me, “Then you talked back to him like that, wiping his stupid fucking smirk off his face, and I swear I fell in love with you all over again.”

Having had no idea that my actions had that effect on Jayde, and feeling rather proud of myself because of it, I pulled her in again. This was exactly the kind of break I needed after the few interactions we’ve gone through already and I sure did need something to get me through the rest of the inevitably uncomfortable meetings. Jayde indulged herself too, deepening the kiss for a few breathtaking moments before letting her lips trail down my neck. Her teeth teased the sensitive skin along my pulse and one of my hands gripped her upper arm in encouragement while the other tangled in her hair. A harder nip caused my nerves to spark and crackle like lightning, making me suck in a sharp breath.

An excited gasp escaped her lips, tickling my skin, and then her mouth was on mine once more. I could feel we were both getting lost in this, perhaps too much, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop her. Not when she felt this good. Not when I knew I wouldn’t get this again until we left this place.

Then there was a noise close to us, a door being slammed shut, and Jayde broke away from me with a startle. She looked over her shoulder, as did I, and we saw a woman had come out of the bathroom that we failed to notice we were right across from. The strange werewolf simply stared at us and we stared back, me sheepishly wiping at my mouth with a blush since Jayde and I had gotten a little intense just moments earlier. After a few awkward moments, the woman shook her head in bewilderment like she was trying to shake herself out of a hallucination and continued on her way.

As soon as she was gone, Jayde made eye contact with me and we immediately burst into laughter. Her head fell against my shoulder and I buried my face in her neck to muffle my giggles. It felt like we were teenagers getting caught making out in the hall during class. After a few moments or so, we regained some composure and Jayde took my hand again to lead me somewhere else.

“There’s a room I used to go to as a kid when I wanted to get away from these people. No one besides my dad ever found me there.” she said with a grin.

A thrill went through my body as I laced our fingers together and followed her. I couldn’t deny the excitement I felt sneaking around with her like this, and the implications of going someplace more private intrigued me too. Then I remembered the senses that werewolves have. Everyone would pretty much be able to tell immediately if we went further. It was already uncomfortable enough being stared at for being human, but if the people here also sensed that Jayde and I sneaked away for a quickie, I can imagine that would only increase the level of awkwardness.

I realized that couldn’t have been Jayde’s goal because there’s no way she would want the wolves glaring at us more than usual. But taking us someplace where we could have a proper break from the party and indulge in some passionate kisses appealed to me just as much as the former idea.

As we continued on, I brought Jayde’s hand up to brush my lips against the back of her hand, giving her a sweet smile. The heated expression that came across her face when her eyes met mine made me think that she didn’t really care what the other werewolves ended up sensing. Well, if she didn’t have a problem with it, then neither did I.

We reached a closed door and Jayde quickly pushed it open. I was so focused on her, and distracted by the anticipation of contact, that I didn’t notice someone else was already in the room until Jayde stopped in her tracks. She let go of my hand and held out her arm to prevent me from taking another step and I was puzzled by the sudden seriousness in her expression. That is until my line of sight followed what she was so intently staring at.

There was a young woman, nicely dressed in a black dress with gold trim, sitting on one of the lounge chairs. Her dark curly hair, that was intricately braided on one side, rested on her squared shoulders, tensed up in a specific position to keep her spine straight.

I could tell from here that she wasn’t a Kincade wolf. At least not part of the main family, but there was something about the air around her that made me think she was more important than a subset of the pack. The young werewolf’s eyes were closed and I realized she must be in a meditation of some sort. Then her eyes snapped open, immediately finding Jayde, and I saw the telltale glow of her wolf surfacing.

While Jayde’s wolf eyes were a deep golden, this girl’s were a pale yellow. She silently regarded Jayde’s presence, then mine and that’s when I heard a soft growl beside me. When I glanced at Jayde, I saw that her eyes had shifted too, her growl a light warning to the other wolf as she was unsure of her intentions. As far as I could tell, the girl wasn’t being aggressive. Still, Jayde remained alert, her arm still held out over me protectively.

Finally, the girl’s eyes shifted to a more human looking gray, and I felt Jayde relax a little. Then the girl spoke.

“You don’t see many of your kind these days.”

I could only think that she recognized Jayde as one of the very few remaining Thatchers.

“We don’t give up too easily.” Jayde replied.

“I can tell.” Her voice was calm, almost soothing, but there was a hint of strain buried underneath.

“Elaine, right?” Jayde asked, lowering her arm and taking a couple steps further into the room, “Reinhart?”

“That would be me.” Elaine confirmed flatly.

So this was a werewolf from another old purebred pack. I started inching my way forward too out of curiosity since Jayde had a lot of respect for the Reinhart pack, but then Jayde’s arm went up again to halt me. She didn’t want me near Elaine for some reason, which confused me. The other werewolf seemed very relaxed in our presence.

“I’ve heard things about you.” Jayde said.

Elaine shrugged, leaning back in her seat nonchalantly, “Probably all true, albeit a bit exaggerated.” her eyes briefly drifted over to me again before settling back on Jayde, “I’ve heard things about you too, but nothing about a human girl.”

“I can be full of surprises.” Jayde’s arm still hadn’t lowered and I was getting impatient with it. It seemed like a rude gesture, even if she was only trying to protect me. But she ignored my touch when I set my hand on her arm to urge her to lower it. “I’m sure you’re full of them too.”

Elaine gave a slightly bitter smirk that nearly looked like a snarl, “Not the random maulings of humans type of surprises anymore, I assure you.”

That made me hesitate. Jayde being so unyielding made sense now. Elaine isolating herself and seemingly practicing meditation suddenly made sense too. She must have been using it to help with control. Though I knew enough about werewolves to know that a purebred struggling with control like this wasn’t a common thing. Even Garret didn’t show signs of it. That only made me more curious about Elaine.

“That’s why you’re here then?” Jayde started sarcastically, “Tucked away in a back room because you have control now? It’s a full moon tonight, how are you feeling?”

“Jay,” I scolded softly, unsure why she was being so rude.

“I know it’s hard for you to understand, but being this was never easy for me.” Elaine said slowly like she was explaining something complicated to a child, “I never wanted to hurt anyone. I exiled myself from my pack for years because of it. I sure as shit wouldn’t be back here if I thought I couldn’t handle it. Though, I will admit that I believed it would just be wolves.” Yet again, Elaine met my expression. It was hard to read her, but I could tell my presence was making her uneasy.

“I’m sorry we interrupted your meditation.” I told her sincerely, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Then I spoke to Jayde. “We should probably leave.”

The smile Elaine gave me was small and brief, but actually genuine. “You’re fine. Besides, it looks like we interrupted each other.” when she looked back and forth between us knowingly, I realized with a hot flush to my cheeks that we had been a bit obvious with our intentions in coming here. Thankfully, she shifted the topic before I became too embarrassed, “What’s your name?”

“Nadya,” My first instinct was to go up and offer my hand, but I wasn’t sure she would be entirely comfortable with that, “I’m part of Jayde’s pack.”

“That makes sense, considering,” she eyed Jayde and noted how her body language was still defensive. While she had finally relaxed her arm, Jayde was still positioned half in front of me. I knew I wasn’t in any danger, so I stepped out from behind her to stand beside her and offer Elaine some trust. Jayde looked over at me like she wanted to argue, but Elaine spoke up, “I promise she’s safe around me.”

Jayde didn’t take her eyes off me while watching my expression very closely. As soon as I nodded, silently agreeing with Elaine, she backed down, trusting my judgement. “I hope so.”

“I wouldn’t have let this conversation go on this long if I wasn’t sure.”

“Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“I do usually keep my word, if that makes you feel any better.”

Jayde nodded, “It will once I see the evidence for myself. I hope you don’t take any offense.”

Elaine seemed to soften towards Jayde in understanding, “I get it. It’s hard enough for a normal werewolf to trust others. If I had gone through what you have, I wouldn’t trust anyone.”

“It’s gotten me this far.” Jayde said with a shrug.

“Trust has too.” Elaine nodded at me, “You have a human at your side. And here of all places. That’s a shocking amount of trust.”

Jayde blinked at Elaine with a subtle tilt of her head like that hadn’t ever occurred to her. I smiled to myself, remembering how we met. How Jayde was forced to trust me as I was forced to trust her when neither of us knew each other at all. We both had to depend on the other to save lives. It worked, and here we are now. Together like family and in love. It was pretty funny to me.

“Good point.” Jayde answered.

“We can leave you, if you’d prefer more alone time.” I offered, knowing how overwhelming a crowd like this could be. It must be especially overwhelming for Elaine. “I could go get you something to drink or snack on.”

Her smile towards me became warmer, but she politely shook her head, “No, that’s alright. I should be rejoining the party anyway. My parents will be wondering where I am. This was supposed to be a test to show them how much I improved, and I snuck away instead.”

“Don’t feel too bad, we did the same.” I reassured her as she stood up, “But less innocently…”

That made Elaine laugh. She moved closer to us, but gave me a wide berth, probably to keep Jayde, who had tensed ever so slightly again, comfortable, “I’m a bit envious of you guys, if I’m honest. It must be kinda fun to sneak away like that.”

“It is,” Jayde confirmed, “until you get an earful from someone responsible later.”

She gave us a lopsided grin over her shoulder on her way out of the lounge room, “That’s the worst, isn’t it?”

Elaine almost ran into someone in the doorway, sidestepping at the last second. The new arrival offered her his apologies, bowing his head. The overly formal greeting made me think he was a lower level wolf because he addressed Jayde in the same fashion. He folded his hands behind his back and bowed in a way that was more submissive than respectful, keeping his eyes on the floor when he spoke.

“Miranda would like to speak with you.”

Speaking of getting an earful, I thought.

“Oh, I’m being summoned now?” Jayde asked.

“You are in your alpha’s home.” the young werewolf stated carefully, “You should show some respect when she calls for you.”

Jayde rolled her eyes and motioned for me to follow her. “My alpha…” she grumbled under her breath like that was the most ridiculous joke ever told.

“She’s waiting for you in her office.”

“I know where.” She replied without looking back.

Elaine offered us a quiet, “Good luck.” though the look on her face made it obvious that she was beyond glad she wasn’t us right now.

Jayde’s demeanor completely changed. I’ve seen her like this before. She was gearing up for a fight. Whether it was physical or otherwise remained to be seen, but she wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from the Kincade alpha female. I could tell that Jayde was preparing for every possibility and I was worried that it was all because of me. I never should have come here. It’s caused too much trouble already.

The office was apparently on the other side of the mansion, which made that lounge room Jayde took me to more appealing. I guess that’s why she would escape there as a kid. It was as far away from Miranda as possible without leaving the house. We had to go through the main bustle of the party again and I couldn’t help but feel like Jayde was heading towards the chopping block. Was all of this really that big of a deal? I guess so, if the way people were looking at us told me anything. I frowned deeply, linking arms with Jayde protectively. She had to know that the opinions of these werewolves didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. We still had a proper home to go to.

A middle aged man was waiting for us on the outside of what must have been the door to Miranda’s office. He smiled at Jayde as we approached, though there was pity in his eyes. I was surprised at how much this man looked like an older version of Garret. This had to be his father. The Kincade alpha male and Jayde’s father’s closest friend back in the day.

“Hey, kiddo.” Logan said sheepishly, “Wanted a proper hello with you before you head on in.”

“‘Cause it isn’t going to be pretty?” Jayde asked.

“She was really banking on you being…” He started, but drifted off and shook his head, “Well, she’ll tell you. It’s really good to see you. I can’t tell you how relieved I felt when I heard you had made it out alive. Tristan would be glad that his legacy continues on with you and Skye.”

Jayde fixed him with a level stare. “Is that what this is about? His legacy? Or hers?”

To my surprise, Logan couldn’t hold her gaze. I would’ve thought an alpha of a large pack like this would be more confident, but I was getting the impression that Logan was mostly an alpha in name only. It seemed like he was bowing to his wife’s will quite easily, no matter how he felt about it. Then he looked at me, the only emotion I could gauge from his expression was indifference.

“You should probably stay out here.” He said, “Miranda only wanted to speak with Jayde.”

Jayde turned to me, “Do you want to?” she asked sincerely, giving me an out if I wanted it.

I wasn’t overly fond of facing off with an alpha like Miranda, but I didn’t want to just abandon Jayde to that. “I want to stay with you.”

She smiled at me, in both relief and pride. I had no doubt that she could have handled this without me, but that didn’t mean she had to. “She’s coming with me.” she told Logan firmly.

He didn’t argue, but sighed and nodded us on, “Okay, go on in. And be careful with your words, please.”

Jayde didn’t reply to him, only stepped forward and opened the door.

Miranda’s office was highly decorated in both modern and historical items. Medieval weapons hung on the walls above bookshelves that were full of very old and worn looking books as well as clean and crisp ones, all perfectly organized. I had to resist the urge to go over and browse the spines. There were deep red velvet curtains on the windows that could drown out all the sunlight if they were pulled closed, but thankfully they were open and allowed the sun to illuminate the entire room. I would’ve felt trapped if they weren’t. The desk had all of the most modern necessary technology equipment, though the desk itself looked very old and grand with intricate carvings. I also noted a large crest hanging on the wall above the leather office chair. It was a wolf sat on his haunches on the face of a shield with a crown around its neck and a dagger in its mouth.

The Kincade alpha female, Miranda herself, stood with her arms crossed in front of the desk. She bore a resemblance to her daughter, though with lines along her forehead and around her eyes and mouth to show how she had held this stern expression for who knows how many decades. Streaks of gray ran through her long dark hair that had been stylized perfectly for this event. Or maybe she put in that amount of effort into her appearance no matter the occasion. Her light blue eyes showed no warmth or sympathy, only a demand for order and respect.

She hadn’t been waiting alone in this room. Garret stood close to her with a large grin on his face like he had won a prize. It didn’t surprise me that he had gone crying to his mother after our encounter with him.

The office was silent for a long time as Jayde and Miranda faced off with each other. Logan had entered the room too and closed the door behind him, though he kept a distance back and started wringing his hands nervously. Miranda paid him no attention, just kept her eyes on Jayde.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Miranda finally asked, breaking the unbearable silence.

“Excuse me?” Jayde asked with a scoff.

“Jayde, I have always been patient with you,” the alpha said, ironically with little patience, “because I respected your parents and I greatly admire your bloodline, which is even more precious now, but you have truly crossed a line.”

“Could you be more specific?”

Miranda raised her eyebrows, “Do I need to be? When you have her by your side?”

I looked down in shame. This really was because of me…

Jayde grinded her teeth in frustration, “You invited me here and I came because I owe you thanks for taking Skye in when my family was lost. That’s a debt I can never repay, but that doesn’t mean you get to judge me for anything.”

“I don’t get to judge you?” Miranda scoffed incredulously, “I don’t get to judge you for parading a human around my home and claiming that she is your mate to my son's face!? You have a duty to your lineage! We are being hunted to extinction and you want to play around like a child with a human girl?”

As much as I wanted to chime in and defend Jayde, I also knew that speaking or talking back in any way would not help this situation. I was the problem. All I could do was watch on in silent suspense.

“Your father would have wanted something better than this for his legacy.” Miranda added bitterly.

Jayde advanced on Miranda aggressively. Both Logan and Garret tensed, taking a step towards their alpha in case she needed aid, but Miranda didn’t so much as flinch.

“Don’t ever talk about my father!” Jayde said furiously, “You don’t know a goddamn thing about what he wanted for me! You do not speak for my dead family!”

While I have seen Jayde mad before, this felt different. The Kincade struck just the wrong cord and the twitch of Jayde’s muscles told me that she was using all of her willpower to not attack the rival werewolf in front of her. Miranda’s eyes began to glow an inhuman pale green, and I knew that Jayde’s eyes were golden without seeing her face.

“Someone should, since you are clearly incapable of doing so.” Those terrifyingly cold eyes landed on me and I don’t think anyone has ever given me such a hateful look without even speaking to me at all. Then she focused back on Jayde, “You disgrace your kind.”

“Nadya is my mate.” Jayde continued with a fierce growl, “She is my part of my pack. You will treat her with respect.”

The fact that she was fearlessly defending me in front of an intimidating alpha made me stand a little taller. If she could be this brave, then so can I.

Miranda looked angry as ever, but she somehow kept her terrifying calm, “Why should I? You’ve never afforded me even the most basic level of respect before. As your alpha, I should have received as much from the very first moment you walked through my doors.”

“You are not my alpha!” The younger werewolf stated with her fury rising again, “You never were and you never will be. I don't have an alpha.”

That last sentence made the room go very still. Miranda regarded Jayde with a new expression, like she had witnessed her setting the whole house on fire.

A few incredibly tense moments passed with Miranda staring Jayde down with a glare almost as scary as the ones I’ve seen on Jayde. “Are you declaring yourself?”

I didn’t know what that meant, but the entire room held its breath. That question was clearly a huge deal. Even I went as rigid as the others, waiting on a knife’s edge it seemed.

“Yes.” Jayde answered, her growl so low that I almost didn’t catch it. She directed her glare at Garret next, actually making him shuffle back. Then looked back at Logan, who avoided her eyes again. Her amber irises settled back on Miranda once more, but the woman didn’t seem to have anything else to say, so Jayde shook her head and turned her back on her.

Jayde caught my hand when she came to me and started pulling me out of the room. Once we left, we saw three young werewolves scrambling away from the door, clearly having been eavesdropping. One of them was Amara, and the guy to her right had an uncanny resemblance to her, which must have made him her twin, Mitchell. The third was a slightly younger boy that I guessed was the last Kincade child, Declan. Miranda’s children had been listening intently to the drama and looked both overly entertained and shocked about what they heard.

“Enjoy the show?” Jayde asked as she continued our path away.

“It was better than I could’ve hoped for,” Amara answered with her brothers snickering, “Alpha.”

We left them behind and after what I witnessed started to really sink in, I whispered quietly, “So, what exactly just happened?”

“I uh…” Jayde sounded distracted and when I looked at her, I saw her furious golden-eyed expression had been replaced by bewilderness. Her own actions hadn’t hit her either until now, “I think I just declared myself an alpha in front of Miranda Kincade at her own gathering.”

“That’s a big deal, right?”

“I would say so, yeah.”

The rest of the party that we passed through didn’t seem all that interesting anymore. It went by in a blur as we retraced our steps out of the building. Even the looks and murmurs didn’t really register. We were both quiet until we got back in the car and started driving away from the manor house, putting its great columns and statues in the rear-view mirror.

“I didn’t mean to cause all that trouble.” I told her after I spent some time staring at the trees we were passing by and spacing out.

Jayde glanced over at me, shaking her head, “No, Nadya, that wasn’t because of you. That was a long time coming.”

“Maybe, but I definitely didn’t help the situation.”

“That would have happened whether you were there or not.”

I went quiet again, watching the road in front of us for a minute. She was probably right, but I still felt bad.

“Look, I’m not an alpha,” Jayde explained patiently, “I had to say that because I knew it would be the only way to stop Miranda’s bullshit. She doesn’t care about my bloodline, she wants to claim it. I’m pretty sure she didn’t feel all that bad when my family's pack was wiped out because she had Skye; what she thought was the last of a respectable bloodline to strengthen hers. Then I came back and she invited me here so Garret could shoot his shot. It wouldn’t have gone her way even if I wasn’t with you. So don’t put any blame on yourself at all, this mess was because of her.”

Her explanation helped me make some sense of Miranda’s behavior. It also lifted some of the guilty weight on my shoulders. I still kept quiet for a bit, trying to process everything she said and everything that happened. Then I looked over at Jayde and smiled, “You sure acted like an alpha.”

She chuckled, “It is in my blood, I guess. You’d be surprised by how easy it was for me.”

“I think you’d be a good one.”

Jayde sat up a little straighter at my words and gripped the steering wheel a little more firmly, “You know what?”

My brows furrowed in curiosity, “What?”

“We’re dressed nice,” she pointed out, “and there’s still some hours left in the day. Let’s go somewhere and have some fun.”

My smile was broad, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” her smile was just as big and absolutely gorgeous.

There was a bar we ended up going to that had delicious food and a live band playing. The dance floor had hardwood floors that reflected the beautiful string lights hanging from wooden beams, giving the whole place a cozy barn vibe. Everyone was laughing and dancing with each other even though they were mostly strangers. These people were just happy to be having fun with good music and drinks. I dragged Jayde out to dance with me and she didn’t even complain once, only let herself enjoy the fact that she was here with me, far away from the Kincades and their backwards ideals.

The band took on a more slow tune, their instruments and voices becoming soothing and reverberating through the bar. I fell into a slow dance with Jayde, one of her hands on my waist while the other held my hand as she made us sway to the beat. I watched her silently, appreciating all of her features, even the scars, loving every inch that my eyes traced. When I focused on her lips, I saw the edge of her mouth curl up and looked up to see that she was studying me the same way.

“I’m proud of you, you know. For what you did.” I told her, softly adding, “Your dad would have been proud too.” I didn’t care what Miranda said, I knew in my heart that I was right.

Jayde lightly bumped her forehead against mine and I closed my eyes, listening to her hum along with the song. “Thank you.” she whispered before leaning in to gently press her lips to mine.

That filled me with such an indescribable feeling. Amazing in every sense of the word. I kissed her back, letting that warm feeling carry me up into the stars. Making the entire bar disappear except for her and us, holding on to each other and moving to the music.

#original characters #original writing #original story #ocs #werewolves #My writing #yall want some fucken uhhhh werewolfery up in here?#i gotchu #plot? on my gay ocs side blog? its more likely than you think #pls enjoy i am tired now #my ocs #Jayde #Nadya #a billion other character intros that I'm too lazy to tag #Nadya pov

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adelheidvonschicksal · 5 years

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Marriage Alphabet | B, D, I, and P | Dabi and Todoroki

Baby “Would they want kids with you as soon as possible?”

🌡 Dabi wouldn’t really want children. He does enjoy having some freedom in the relationship and a child would tie him down too much. With just you, it’s slightly different since you’re an adult and can take care of yourself when he’s not around or if something happens to him. He also doesn’t really think he’d make a good dad anyway so why try.

🌡 That’s not to say he hasn’t turned the idea in his head every now and again. He would want one eventually, but he would want to be much older, at least in his 30′s. This is mostly because “that’s kind of what happens next, right?”

🌡 If you want a child really badly early on, he will probably reject this but eventually give in if you’re really, really begging for it, mostly because it gets annoying. “Fine, I’ll knock you up if you want so badly.”

🌡 He finds the extra sex and breeding prospects pretty hot, just don’t expect him to really be invested in the child much at first or change his routine around since you were the one who wanted it.

🌡 Strangely enough, he will talk to them when he wants to sort his thoughts especially if he did something he feels guilty about.

🌡 “I think your mom is mad at me again...” but all the baby can do is giggle and coo at him. It does make him smile though when he thinks about how the two of you could make this together. “Yeah, it’s pretty funny I guess, huh?”

🌡 He’ll build up a connection on his own without even realizing he’s doing it. Even before then, he runs on instinct with the child. If they start crying for a long time and you’re in the shower or can’t get there right away, he’ll come over naturally.

🌡 After thinking about it, Dabi does want to prove to you and himself that he could be a good dad especially once your child gets a little older and starts to talk to him and basically become a little person that loves and looks up to him. He wants to be there for you from now on. He won’t be perfect, but he will try and there won’t be any doubt that he does care about his child.

🌡 He’ll be safer in his missions, he’ll be pretty soft to his child, and pretty much let them do what they want if it won’t get them hurt. You’re going to have to be the bad cop.

🌡 He absolutely loves when his kid runs up and hugs his legs or call him dad. It’s nice having someone so excited to see him. If anyone touches or mess with them, they’re dead guaranteed.

Divorce “How would they handle if you wanted a divorce? What caused it?”

🌡 The most likely cause would be Dabi’s indifference towards you from time to time. He can be pretty aloof and apathetic or comes across as plain uncaring about your feelings or even a bit mocking of them especially if you’re an emotional person.

🌡 Your problems are on an emotional level rather than a physical one. He likes to touch you and he is slightly possessive/protective of you around other people when the situation calls for it, but he doesn’t really tell you that he loves you or expresses any sweeter emotions or when he does it’s with this sort of teasing undertone. You’d just like for him to open up to you more and if you pressure him too much, he gets annoyed.

🌡 Dabi can’t really see the big deal or why it would bother you so much. You knew this about him before the two of you got married. You should understand that he shows his care through his actions. In reality, it’s just a bit difficult for him to be open or appear weak especially to you. You’re supposed to be able to rely on him.

🌡 When you first tell him you want to leave and want a divorce, he’s kind of “meh” about it at first. “Go ahead then. The door is right there.” He just kind of figures you need to blow off steam, and you’ll be back. It isn’t the first time.

🌡 When you don’t come back for a few days though, that’s when he realizes that you were serious and he starts to inwardly panic. It’s pretty noticeable to others around him that he’s antsy and on edge because he’ll pace and fidget a lot and he’ll keep staring at the door or his phone, waiting for you.

🌡 Dabi is going to track you down within the next few days and confront you about leaving him. He’s going to try to bring you back. He isn’t going to let you go that easy.

🌡 No matter how much you try to avoid him, Dabi is going to place himself in your life one way or another, even if it’s just as a weird guy who kind of follows you around and does odd jobs for you.

🌡 “Hey, (Name), I went and got you some stuff from the store that you needed...you’re about to have dinner right?”

🌡 “Dabi..sit down, but this doesn’t mean we’re back together.”

🌡 “I’m aware.”

🌡 He’s pretty satisfied with himself if you let him stay around. Although, there’s still this strain that makes him sad when he realizes that your relationship isn’t the same anymore.

🌡 Dabi will eventually let you go and decide to watch you from the sidelines if you remain firm in your decision. His overall attitude won’t change much, but the league can tell he’s a bit colder and ruthless when it comes to his work. He’s also serious more often rather than sarcastic.

🌡 If he does win you back, he will try to tell you that he does love you a little more often and be more vulnerable with you, because he really does love you even if he isn’t the best at saying it.

Invest “How much do they contribute to your marriage?”

🌡 You’re going to do most of the contribution. Believe it or not, he’s actually the one dependent on you to keep him together and thinking clearly. You’re the voice of reason. You’re his anchor. He doesn’t really want to go back to a life without you if he can help it. He likes having you worry about him and watching out for him, he even likes it if you make a fuss over him every now and again. It makes him feel loved and important.

🌡 Dabi will keep you safe and protect you from anything that might hurt you or if someone makes you cry (he will feel like shit if he’s the one responsible). You’ll always feel safe with him around even if you’re not on good terms or he’s away, you can count on him to have your back against anyone else.

🌡 Dabi is sentimental and will go out his way to do small things for you without you being completely aware of it, but he’ll deny it to the very end and won’t relent unless he’s caught and you don’t let it go. Then, he’ll be a little embarrassed on the inside about it. So, he does contribute more than you really know.

Petnames “What pet names do you two give each other?

🌡 Unlike Todoroki, Dabi loves nicknames. Mostly because he’s a huge teaser.

🌡 If you’re female, Dabi likes to call you his doll or baby girl if you’re comfortable with it. Princess is a popular nickname for him, too, or if you’re happy-go-lucky, you’re “Sunshine” regardless of gender.

🌡 If you’re male, you’ll be stud or doll face.

🌡 If you’re a hero, he’ll call you Romeo or Juliet since your relationship isn’t really the smartest one to make work.

🌡 If you’re shorter than him no matter by how much, he’ll call you squirt or kiddo. He’ll do this to a taller partner too if they’re younger than him.

🌡 A lot of the time, you really like to call him handsome because he is. It’s the obvious choice. At first he didn’t really like this nickname because he thought you were mocking him, but then he comes to really love it when he realizes you’re being honest. His ego kind of likes it, too.

🌡 “Hubby” is also one he likes thrown in there.

Baby “Would they want kids with you as soon as possible?”

🔥 No, Shouto isn’t really into the idea of having kids at first. Todoroki likes being with you, and the way your marriage is with just the two of you.

❄️ Todoroki worries about being a good dad or being able to connect to his child. Since he’s a hero, he also worries that he wouldn’t be able to give them the amount of attention and quality time they deserve.

🔥 If you have a child early on in your marriage, most likely its an unplanned pregnancy.

❄️ Todoroki will be a little upset at first. It might even be hard to get him out of his own zoned-out headspace for a day or two after you tell him the news. He might leave to clear his head for an hour or so, but he will come back. You don’t have to worry about that.

🔥 Once you start showing though, he’s actually very invested in yours and his baby. He’ll read more books and fuss over you more than your own self. He’s a giant worrywart.

❄️ You can just be getting a drink late at night and it’s suddenly, “Why are you walking around so much? You should be resting.”

🔥 “I was just getting a drin--”

❄️ “I’ll get it for you. Go lay down.”

🔥 He prefers the idea of a girl because they’d look like you most likely, and little girls are usually daddy’s girls. He’s a huge softie for any daughter.

❄️ If you have a boy, he might get a little competitive for your attention if they’re a mama’s boy, but he’d really love them, too.

🔥 He’ll honestly want more after seeing how much he likes having another person in the family to take care of.

❄️ With Shouto, you’re either going to have a small family of just you, him, and one very doted on child or you’re going to end up with a huge family of 4+ kids. There’s not really a middle ground with him.

Divorce “How would they handle if you wanted a divorce? What caused it?”

🔥 Any divorce would probably be caused by either of you losing the will or interest to care for the other. Your relationship works because you both put effort into it; but if your communication breaks down, the entire relationship breaks down and very quickly at that.

❄️ Todoroki will seem more like a guest you see every now and again. If he stops talking to you and goes back to a more aloof nature, it’s hard for you to feel wanted, and you’ll start to feel like a burden.

🔥 If you turn away from him or seem uninterested in wanting to spend time with him, he starts to feel inadequate for you and sometimes a little resentful towards you.

❄️ There’s going to be a lot of unspoken tension in the house.

🔥 This may lead to arguments and butting heads more often. You and Todoroki didn’t used to argue a lot; but when you did, usually it was over something serious. Now, it seems like you argue all the time over the most insignificant things just for the sake of arguing.

❄️ Todoroki doesn’t handle a divorce well. If the divorce isn’t mutual, he’s going to break down.

🔥 This is probably one of the only times you might see him cry a little as he tries to hold it in, he won’t really shed a lot of tears, but his eyes will water and get red and very puffy.

❄️ He doesn’t know what went wrong, and he’d want to constantly apologize and ask you to stay and give it another chance to fix it. He will try to make small talk and increased pleasantries to try to start a dialogue with you again.

🔥 In this time, he’s going to rely on his mother and sister a lot for comfort if he loses you, and it’ll take him awhile before he can even consider moving on.

❄️ If you’re both single a few years down the line and see each other again, he will most likely try to ask you out again.

Invest “How much do they contribute to your marriage?”

🔥 You both evenly contribute to your marriage for the most part. Really who contributes more depends on what’s going about in your lives at the moment, but I’d lean on him contributing slightly more on average but not by much.

❄️ Shouto makes sure to take care of you in terms of meeting your basic needs. You’re going to have a nice place to live, you won’t have to worry about needing anything or going without. You’re going to be taken care of regardless.

🔥 You’re the person that brings in the emotional stability. Todoroki kind of feeds off the energy from you. If you’re exuding a depressed aura, he’s going to be a bit more sullen, too. If you’re cheerful, he finds it easier to be more cheerful.

Petnames “What pet names do you two give each other?

❄️ Like Dabi, Shouto likes to call you his “princess”.

🔥 He will refer to you as “love” if he wants your attention, is trying to comfort you, or to bring you down from something that made you angry.

❄️ Other than that, Shouto isn’t a huge fan of using pet names. He much rather refer to you by your first name or a shorten version of it.

🔥 For Shouto, you like to refer to him as your “prince” or tease him with pet names like “lover boy” or “Candy Cane/Peppermint”. You’ll even add some throwback nicknames from Bakugo.

@the-temple-pythoness

#shouto todoroki x reader #touya todoroki x reader #dabi x reader #todoroki x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #marriage alphabet #todoroki bnha #shouto #bnha

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demaury · 5 years

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the best of me (chap.1)

“If anything bad happens I flush the rings, I leave my bestman spot to Baz, and I fly back to Paris.“

OR. Eliott and Lucas have never worked up the courage to actually make a move, and thus spent years dancing around each other without ever acknowledging their feelings. However, an engagement party gone a little too wild, an hotel room and a very bad idea might be all it takes to make everything blow up. (read on ao3)

Lucas had never truly believed that marriage would be something that could happen to him.

Or to any of his friends, for that matter.

It was something vaguely intimidating, that they occasionally joked about but never took seriously enough to consider it. It’s not like we’re gonna get married, he would scoff whenever his friends showed any interest in the new protagonist of his dating life — who never stuck around long enough to even think about it anyway. Marriage wasn’t real. They were still in their twenties, they were still meeting up for predrinks and playing video games until ungodly hours.

Lucas often forgot to lock the door before going to sleep. He sometimes considered candies, potato chips or spoonful of Nutella to be actual meals. He had no idea what was a tax stamp, what was his social security number, who the hell was his emergency contact (did he even have one?), and on the last round of the Presidential Elections the weather was just too good to bother waiting in line to vote for people he didn’t even know — nor cared about. He hated wine, even the fancy ones, didn’t like Champagne, and sitting on a chair was a challenge in itself at work because his first instinct was always to twist his legs at weird angles. He had been gifted a Pikachu Onesie a couple of years ago as a joke present for his birthday and he sometimes liked to wear it during winter because it was warm and comfy and nobody had to know about it. He still cart-surfed down the empty aisle at the supermarket, still felt like the cashier judged him whenever he bought condoms, and he had survived a running nose for a full year because he had dragged taking a doctor appointment.

Marriage? No, not happening.

So there was really no logical reason as to why he would find himself buckling up, in a plane, on the way to Barcelona, one fine July morning. Well, at least he didn’t have any a week ago.

It was precisely two days after a wave of heat had fallen upon Paris. In the span of twenty-four hours, the thermometers had reached well over 30°C, and effectively turned Lucas’ flat, along all the other buildings in the city, in some sort of furnace where you had trouble breathing at all. He should have known that it was the sign that something very weird would happen. Last time there had been seven centimeters of snow was the same day he had found out one of his now-exes was sending nudes to someone else, and one particularly rainy evening, while the Seine was already overflowing its banks, his dad had called to tell him that he wanted him to meet his new girlfriend.

So technically, yes, he should have known something weird would happen, the very moment he had exited his air-conditioned office at 5 in the afternoon, only for the dry summer heat to hit him with the strength of a sledgehammer. Yet, it wasn’t until three hours later, when his best friend called him via Skype all the way from Barcelona, that Lucas started thinking something fishy was happening. And definitely, marriage was not on the shortlist of things he’d have thought about.

“You did what?” he had blurted out, nearly dropping the plastic spaghetti jar he had just picked up from the kitchen elements, spinning around to face his best friend through the screen with wide eyes.

“I proposed,” Yann had repeated diligently, very proud of the emotion he had just caused. “And Nola said yes.”

On the moment, Lucas hadn’t been sure of what to say.

A week later, he still had no idea.

Apparently, though, he was the only one, if everyone else’s reaction had been any indication. Ever since the others had received the news, boys and girls had all been literally buzzing. Basile and Arthur had created a groupchat five minutes after Yann had called them, to gather as many embarrassing material as it was possible to dig for whatever thing he had planned for the weeding, while Daphné had taken over the organization of the trip with Nola, since they had all been invited to celebrate with them in Barcelona for a three-day weekend.

Don’t get him wrong, Lucas would have been thrilled to get an opportunity like this one, considering the fact that you could make fried-eggs on the sidewalks and that he hadn’t had a proper night of sleep in days because he felt like he was suffocating whenever he laid down. But apparently the stars had aligned to mess it all up, and that was the exact reason why he was forced to fly on Saturday morning, an entire day after everyone else had already flocked in Barcelona — save for Emma.

“Dude, I had to literally fight to get this weekend off, don’t even get me started,” she had groaned while they were taking possession of their seats. “Emilie was a total bitch, like apparently it’s rude to ask her to switch shifts when her kid is sick. What do I know? How am I supposed to know that her stupid kid’s got fever? I’m not a psychic.”

Lucas snorted, leaning back against the backrest of his seat. “Maybe she dropped clues and you didn’t hear. Not the first time it’d happen.”

Emma pulled a face. “Rude.”

Lucas shook his head a little. The plane was filling itself with other passengers surely taking off for weeks, instead of a short weekend. Until the middle of the week, he had been set to fly on Friday morning, and he had already made plans to meet up with everyone else at the gate in Orly Airport. But on Wednesday, his boss, Julie, had barreled into the small office he was sharing with an intern to inform him that she had an emergency situation and wouldn’t be available on Friday.

“I’ll need you to cancel your plans that day, I need someone to keep the firm open,” she had said, and Lucas had almost started complaining out loud.

“What about Bérénice?”, he had tried, helplessly gesturing at the empty desk of the intern.

Julie had grimaced. “I’m sorry but I don’t trust her enough to give her full authority. Clients will come to retrieve contracts and she’s not familiar with the whole process. I’m sorry.”

Before he could even protest she had disappeared through the door to her own office, and Lucas had been left to stare begrudgingly at his computer screen with the feeling of having been betrayed on a deep, deep level. He had always gotten along rather well with Julie, ever since he had started working in that architect firm, but right now he wanted to murder her with his bare hands. Or maybe just set the firm on fire. In the end, Alexia, who had managed to score her day off last minute had exchanged her plane ticket with him, so at least he didn’t have to pay another 145€ for nothing, which was probably still better a consolation that nothing.

Still.

“Don’t you find it weird that Yann’s getting married?”, he said after a while.

Emma turned a blank look on him as she glanced up from her phone. She pondered the question. “Dunno. I mean, if he feels like it…”

Lucas gave her a face. “C’mon. We both know he’s not exactly… eh, the best at relationships,” he said emphasizing the two words with a pointed look.

Emma shrugged, waving slightly. “It’s one of those things you never know if you’re good at until you tried. Frankly, what’s the worst that could happen? A divorce never killed anybody.” She widened her eyes slightly then winced when she looked up at Lucas’ clearly annoyed face. “I mean, it’s not that big of a deal until kids come around and-”

“Whatever,” he huffed. His parents had divorced years ago. In the meantime he had grown up and mostly gotten his shit together, so it was safe to say he was mostly over it. “He’s your ex. How many times did you guys start it all over? I’ve lost count.”

“Are you trying to make me freak out to hide the fact that you’re freaking out?” she snickered.

“I’m just saying that three years ago no one would have bet a penny on the two of you waving hello.” And certainly not more than that, he added to himself. It was frankly the understatement of the year. Not only Emma and Yann had started talking again, but Lucas had stumbled on them with their pants down during a particularly memorable New Year’s Eve party, where he had to eventually find an alibi for Yann’s girlfriend.

“Look, it’s not the same,” Emma rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t happy with Marion and we just had comfort sex.”

“That stretched out for weeks.”

“Do you know the very concept of fuck buddies?”

“I’m not sure that fuck buddies usually attend their booty-call’s engagement party,” Lucas observed, fishing his phone in his pocket.

“You know we stopped this months ago. It’s really no big deal and Nola’s okay with it.”

Lucas cocked an eyebrow, unimpressed, before nonchalantly unlocking his phone. “Does she know about the fuck buddies part?”

Emma opened her mouth, then seemed to think about her answer before shrugging one more time. “If Yann came clean about it then yeah, I bet she does,” she eventually said.

Lucas’ eyes snapped up and he stared at Emma, eyes bulging. “Oh, man, this is gonna be a mess,” he huffed, shaking his head. “You do know Basile’s already there, right? Basile and his big fat mouth? Basile no-filter Savary?”

“So is Eliott,” Emma bit back.

It was his turn to open and close his mouth, without being able to get a word out. “What the fuck does it have to do with Yann getting married?”, he asked haughtily.

“I don’t know,” she said slowly, “I’m just saying that while we’re talking about weird as shit relationships you need to take full responsibility of your own mess.”

He scoffed, but his eyes were glaring holes. “It’s gonna be easy then because there’s nothing weird about Eliott and me.”

“Right,” Emma drawled. He almost thought that was it. That she would gracefully drop the topic, a topic that was not even a topic in the first place, let alone her business. But instead, she pretended to give it a thought before she turned to him. “You know what? You’re right. After all ten years might not be enough for it to become weirdly comical. Because, y’know, the first five years it was fun to see you both dancing around each other, then the last five years it was just, well, plain depressing. Maybe in, like, five years, it’s gonna be fun again.”

“Just fuck off,” he gritted. “Eliott is my friend, and he was always there for me just like I’ve always been there for him. I don’t see how that can compare with the weird shit you and Yann keep pulling every three years or so,” he retorted dryly. And with that he grabbed his earbuds, put them on, and ostensibly turned his head the other way.

Okay, here was the thing.

When Lucas was young, he had started believing in alternate universes. Parallel worlds never really colliding, but with another Lucas in every single one of them, experiencing different lives and various fates. There was something comforting to it, to simply think about all the roads he hadn’t taken, the choices he hadn’t made, that other Lucases got to experience for him.

It had been comforting, really. To a certain point, at least.

He hadn’t exactly seen the biggest downside of it all until he was 16, and until he met Eliott. The guy had barged into his life during his second year of high school, after Christmas Break. Lucas could still remember the way the walls had seemed to collapse when he had entered the common room meeting — the way his eyes had travelled up all the way to him as if he was a magnet, and the way his breath had caught in his throat, lungs crumpling in his chest. Eliott was beautiful, with his crinkly eyes and his disarming smile, but he was also insanely hot. Hotter than anyone Lucas had ever met. Prettier than anyone he had ever seen. And, well. That’s exactly where the problem had been since the beginning, since the first time they had met, since the moment they had hit it off at that vending machine, right after the common room meeting.

Lucas Lallemant wasn’t a match for Eliott Demaury and would never be.

It had been mostly fine until the night Eliott had told him bluntly, on the way back from a short-lived party on the school grounds, that he wasn’t necessarily looking for a girl to date. A straight guy was just a straight guy until he wasn’t anymore. But still, for better or for worse Eliott was still dating his long-time girlfriend, Lucille — it wasn’t like he was on the market.

It had become much more complicated when, a month or two after starting uni, Eliott had eventually dumped Lucille for Julien. An asshole, if you asked Lucas. Ridiculously good-looking for a philosophy major, and overly confident at that. He was tall and slightly lanky, about the same frame as Eliott — in short, the perfect size not to make hands holding or kissing awkward. Lucas had been on the shortlist of people who had gotten to meet him first (a privilege he’d have been fine not having), and when everyone had bombarded him with questions about Julien, all he had found to answer was 'they look good together’. It wasn’t a lie; they really did look good together. And frankly, it was the only thing Lucas had allowed himself to say about it, because he just couldn’t bring himself to lie.

What was the problem with the parallel universes, you’d ask?

Well, it was the very night Eliott had come out to him that Lucas faced the bitter truth. He was lying in his bed, wide awake, eyes fixated on the ceiling when it hit him like a truck: somewhere, in another universe, Lucas n°99942 was hot enough to be considered a match for Eliott Demaury. You’d think it’d be more complicated to go on from there, to keep being friends with Eliott, to keep seeing him dating other people, but it wasn’t really that complicated. There was just nothing Lucas n°1 could do about it and water had flowed under that bridge. He had found cute guys for himself, not as hot as Eliott, and sometimes not nearly as caring as him, but that was just how it was.

For the most part, Lucas had made peace with it. Well, key words being ‘for the most part’. There was just no point in pretending that he wasn’t feeling his heartbeat rise up suddenly whenever Eliott’s face would brighten up at the sight of him during a party, or the way he’d always make sure that Lucas had a spot next to him whenever everyone would gather at a random bar. There was also no point in denying that a pair of stormy grey eyes sometimes popped up in his brain at… well, odd times. Nevertheless he’d blamed it on Eliott, and Eliott’s personality altogether. Everyone had feelings for him to a certain degree, even the straightest of their friends. Even Basile, Arthur and Yann had already put Eliott at the top of their list if they ever were to switch sides. Sure, for the past few years Lucas and Eliott had gotten even closer, but it wasn’t anywhere like Emma made it sound. It wasn’t odd and it wasn’t toxic. Maybe he hadn’t been fond of all of Eliott’s relationships. Maybe he hadn’t been thrilled to see Eliott get himself into a polyamory thing with a guy and a girl, particularly because he was afraid Eliott would end up hurting. Maybe he had told Macha, Eliott’s most recent ex to this day, to fuck off once. He wasn’t proud of himself but he had always made amends afterwards and Eliott had always told him it wasn’t the end of the world.

They were glad to have each other, and it didn’t make it any more awkward between them that it did with Yann, plain and simple. It was nearly 11 when they made it to the hotel and he just couldn’t wait to let the pressure out and see everyone, he thought as he pushed open the door to the hotel’s lobby.

“Hey, don’t we know these two?” Emma asked, smirking as she gestured from her chin.

Yann and Eliott were chatting by the counter of the concierge. Eliott flashed them a smile, interrupting whatever he was saying, and Yann spun around to grin brightly at them. Hugs were in order and Lucas was soon wrapped in the arms of his longtime best friend. “Bro, congrats for Nola and you,” Lucas said, hugging him back. “You’ll make her super happy.”

No matter what he thought about the whole ordeal — he had figured it was the best to say. Right?

“Thanks Lulu,” Yann replied, still grinning broadly, then he went on to hug Emma. “Fuck I’m so glad to have you guys here. It’s gonna be awesome, everyone’s waiting for you!”

Eliott crossed his arms over his chest, and the loose tank-top he was wearing did a lot in favor of his biceps. “Don’t I get a hug or what?”

“Fuck you’re so needy, we’ve seen each other three days ago,” Lucas snorted, but he still went for a hug nonetheless.

Eliott chuckled, pulling him close. “It’s just nice to have you around.” He ruffled his hair a little as Emma and Yann were talking close by.

Lucas smiled and parted from him with the feeling of not having had nearly enough. “You too,” he smiled, looking up.

Eliott slid an arm behind his neck, just like he casually did so often, making them both turn around toward Yann and Emma.

Lucas voluntarily ignored the pointed look she gave him as the four of them made their way to the elevator.

#eluficrecs #skam france #elu fic #lucas lallemant #eliott demaury #elu #mine #*#*tbom

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inevitably-johnlocked · 5 years

Note

Hey, so it’s kind of specific in terms of requests, I’m sorry. But, uh, do you have any like fics where John can’t sleep or like just John angst to do with nightmares? And Sherlock helps out? Sorry it’s kinda specific

Anonymous said to inevitably-johnlocked: hey Steph! Do you have any angst fics with John and nightmares?’

Anonymous said to inevitably-johnlocked: Any where Sherlock’s overwhelmed and John talks him down from like a full blown panic attack?

Hi Nonnies!

Not sure if these are all from the same person (the first two came a couple days apart, which I thought was rather coincidental, and the last one just a day or so ago) but I’ll put them together anyway!

Actually, I started a list an age ago, because I think someone asked me for it and I never posted it (mainly because 2 years ago I didn’t have my fics sorted as well as I do now, LOL). I’m going to give you both John and Sherlock fics, if that’s okay! I’ve sorted them with my PTSD and Panic Attack fics, since some of my fics have both in them as an aftermath to the nightmares, LOL. Hope you find something you’re looking for here!!

If any of y’all have your own fic, you know what to do :D

NIGHTMARES, PTSD, PANIC ATTACKS & MENTAL or EMOTIONAL TURMOIL

Voices by fizzingweaselbee (T, 607 w. || Angst, Mental Turmoil, Suicidal Ideations) – “We would never do that to John Watson.”

The Hollow Man by HHarris (G, 639 w. || John’s Chair, Introspection, Sherlock’s Big Feelings™, Post TRF, Angst, Emotional Turmoil, POV Sherlock, Pining / Sad Sherlock) – Still reeling from the apparent loss of his one and only friend, Sherlock returns to 221B for the first time after the events of The Reichenbach Fall.

Whispers in the Dark by coloured_ink (G, 833 w. || Bed Sharing, Anxious Sherlock, Anxiety, Caring John, Spooning, Little Spoon Sherlock) – Sherlock has anxiety attacks. Good thing John always knows what to do.

Possessive by Fang323 (T, 850 w. || John Whump, Hospitalization, Possessive / Protective Sherlock, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort) – His John did not belong. Not here. Not in this blasted hospital. It simply was not logical.

Burn Burn by Jenn1984 (K+, 925 w. || Post-TGG, Angst, Worried / Panicked / Possessive Sherlock) – A week after the events of “The Great Game”, Sherlock returns to 221B Baker Street to find it empty.

Mentality by Cumberbatch Critter (T, 1,350 w. || Friendship, Hurt / Comfort, THoB Fic, Doctor John) – It was weird. But Sherlock was having a panic attack. Re-write of the Hounds of the Baskerville scene.

Peaky by mattmetzger (K+, 1,404 w. || Friendship, Angst, PTSD/Nightmares) - A nightmare is nothing but a brain processing recent events, and having a bad light to do it in. It will run its course. So why can’t Sherlock just leave?

Might Be Stronger by Starlight05 (T, 1,801 w. || Angst, Friendship, Nightmares) - John isn’t the only one who has nightmares. When Sherlock returns, they bring him down, almost as far as he fell before. So the question is if he can find a way, after everything he has been through, to find hope again. Post-TRF one shot.

Quite Contrary by Hollyesque (T, 1,805 w. || HLV Fic, Sherlock Whump / After Mary Shot Sherlock, Hallucinations / Flashbacks / PTSD, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Lestrade POV, ) – A short one-shot, alternate scene to Greg’s hospital visit in HLV. Instead of Sherlock disappearing, Greg is faced with an unexpected reaction to a hospitalized Sherlock and winds up figuring out something that he really would have rather not known.

Personal Space by probablyquantum (T, 1,814 w. || Pre-Slash, Cuddles, Nightmares, Awkwardness) – John and Sherlock renegotiate the rules governing personal space. Pre-Slash.

Fractured by Starlight05 (K+, 1,865 w. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Unconscious Violence, Nightmares) - John has a nightmare, and Sherlock, worried, goes to help him, with consequences.

Tangential by Bitenomnom (NR, 2,047 w. || Ace Sherlock, Fluff and Love, Cuddles, Friendship, Sherlock is a Kept Man, Sherlock Divorces his Work, Nightmares) – In which John stitches up Sherlock’s head (but not really), Sherlock comes into John’s room at night to take his laptop (but not really), Sherlock is married to his Work (but not really), and John is more than proficient at keeping Sherlock (really, definitely). Part 48 of Mathematical Proof

In The Wake by Ambikai (K+, 2,057 w. || Post-THOB, H/C, Friendship, Nightmares/PTSD/Panic Attack, Bittersweet Ending) – After returning from Baskerville, Sherlock and John deal with the aftermath: unsure of where they sit with one another.

Feel your breathing by Mixxy (T, 2,129 w. || Post-TRF, Cuddling, Separation Anxiety, Platonics) – And he was numb yet feeling far too much, he was back on that pavement, and his mind was buzzing far too hard, whispering you didn’t do it in time, Mrs. Hudson is dead, Lestrade is dead, your John is dead dead dead- And then John’s hand was around his wrist, thumb rubbing over his pulse point, and Sherlock’s not sure if it was to comfort him or John but either way it worked.

The Case of the Missing Blogger by nicknack22 (K, 2,147 w. || Fluff, Humour, Friendship, Worried / Anxious Sherlock) – Alternately titled, The Case of the Oblivious Consulting Detective. In which Sherlock comes out of his mind palace to discover John missing. 221B does not fair well as a result.

Those Days by StillWaters1 (T, 2,663 w. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD / Sensory Attacks, Caring Sherlock) – If Sherlock had danger nights, then these were John’s danger days.

Not My Proudest Moment by charlock221 (K, 2,695 w. || Lunar New Year, Mild PTSD / Panic Attack, Coping Mechanisms, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort) – John tries his best not to get in the way of Sherlock’s cases, but when the vivid noises of fireworks unnerve his senses and begin to bring back unwanted memories of Afghanistan, he cannot help but to hope Sherlock will notice and help him before things go too far.

Turn the key, and come home by TooManyChoices (M, 2,718 w. || First Kiss / Time, Angst With a Happy Ending, Emotional Messes, Implied Sex, Angst and Humour, Bed Sharing, Post-TRF) – Sherlock and John have been dancing around what’s between them for years. Will John return to Baker Street, and if so, will things ever be the same?

In My Life (and dreams, you take my breath away) by Nina36 (NR, 2,847 w. || Post-TRF/TEH, Angst, Pining Sherlock) – The first time he had dreamt about John he had been in Peru. He had been “dead” a little over a month, squatting in a tiny rented room, the heat and the stains on the walls making him slightly claustrophobic. It had been a nice dream: John and he eating take away Chinese in their kitchen, a song coming from Mrs. Hudson’s radio downstairs, something about friends and lovers and how no one compared with him, his mind supplied in his dream.

After the Bombs by VampirePam (T, 3,337 w. || THoB AU, Drugs, John’s PTSD, Panic Attack, Nightmares, Caring Sherlock, Cuddles, Bed Sharing, Angst, Hurt/Comfort) – In which the drugs Sherlock used to dose John trigger a severe episode of PTSD. When terrors old and new cause John to fall apart, Sherlock must rectify his mistake and pick up the pieces.

Stay by msdisdain (M, 3,561 w. || First Kiss / Time, Angst / H/C, Bed Sharing, Nightmares, Blow Jobs, Anal) – John’s nightmares are nothing new. Sherlock’s inability to ignore them, however, is.

All That I Have by the_arc5 (M, 3,721 w. || Post-TGG Canon Divergence, Pining Sherlock, John Whump, Anxious / Worried Sherlock, Light Angst) – In the aftermath of the Great Game, Sherlock finds himself with a new weakness. John is both the cause and the cure.

Bitter Nights Turned Sweet by Hyliare (T, 4,076 w. || Pre-Slash, Insomnia/Hallucinations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, POV Present Tense John Watson, Cuddling/Snuggling) – Sherlock has always had trouble sleeping; he hasn’t always had someone in his life willing to help.

Afghanistan in Baskerville by Amaya Ramiel (K+, 4,357 w. || THoB Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Drugged John, PTSD / Panic Attack, Hallucinations, Worried Sherlock, John’s Past, Friendship) – What if John hadn’t seen the hound when Sherlock trapped him in the lab? What if instead, his very real nightmares of the war had materialized all around him? Trapped and drugged, John can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. How will Sherlock react?

Living In Fear by Lady Sam Mallory (T, 4,929 w. || H/C, Angst, Post-THoB, Nightmares/PTSD) – Missing Scene for Hounds of the Baskerville. John suffers from massive PTSD episodes upon their return from Dartmoor.

Bed-Sharing Between Flatmates by testosterone_tea (T, 5,053 w. || 5 and Ones, Bed Sharing, PTSD John, Science, Whump, Insecure Sherlock, Asexual Sherlock) – 5 times Sherlock had an excuse to share John’s bed, and the one time he didn’t need one.

21 - Draft Folder by distantstarlight (E, 5,604 w. || Post S4, Epistolary, References to PTSD, Depression, Healing, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, Confessions, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is doing his best friend a favour by doing some routine maintenance on John’s laptop. While doing so he stumbles across a well-filled file folder. Part 21 of 31_Days_of_Porn_Challenge_2017

No Light, No Light (in your bright blue eyes) by orphan_account (G, 5,915 w. || Angst, Pining, Songfic, Mutual Unrequited Love, Unresolved Tension, UST/URT) – Relates to both Sherlock’s and John’s feelings for each other and highlights select moments of hurt and inner turmoil starting from right before the fall all the way to HLV.

BANG by ElvendorkInfinity (T, 7,016 w. || Post-TGG AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Worried / Scared Sherlock, Alternating POV, Whump, Hospital Recovery, Open Ending) – ‘I should warn you,’ Sherlock says, his voice steady and his eyes fixed on Moriarty. ‘You are sadly misinformed.’ And he fires. Prequel to M Is For Moriarty

Survival Instinct by shirleyholmes (T, 7,162 w. || Post-TRF, First Kiss, Schmoop, Nightmares, Fluff & Angst, Grief, Idiots in Love) – After Sherlock’s “comeback” John starts obsessing with constantly making sure he’s alive (checking his heartbeat etc.)

Victim, Bait, Hero, Friend by KimberlyTheOwl (T, 7,887 w. || Post-TGG Epilogue, Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Past Kidnapping / Torture / Implied Rape, Panic Attacks, Worried / Possessive Sherlock, Lestrade is a Good Friend) – Some insights into why John was perfectly willing to throw everything away for a chance to kill Moriarty at the pool. Trauma, ugliness, and finally healing. Some nice supporting work by Lestrade as well.

Nightfall by CKLizzy (T, 8,001 w. || Nightmares, Graphic Desc. of Violence, H/C, Cuddling/Snuggling) – Awoken by nightmares, John and Sherlock seek each other’s company at night. They find more than either of them knew they were missing. Part 1 of Solace

Until I See the Sun by Vintage Tea Party (T, 8,194 w. || Nightmares, Mild Whump, Friendship, Mild Violence, Angst) – After a particularly dangerous case, John suffers from night terrors. Will Sherlock be able to comfort him? Will he be able to find out what is really troubling John?

We are all together alone by Mildredandbobbin (M, 10,461 w. || Mutual Pining, Implied Torture, PTSD, Child Loss, Post-S3) – John is back at 221B but his relationship with Sherlock is not what it used to be.

The Five Stages of Mourning, Plus One by SunnyRea (T, 10,557 || MCD, Pining / Grieving Sherlock, URT, Heavy Angst, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Drug Use, Graphic Death, Depression, Unhappy Ending) – Sherlock did not want this, did not want another stalemate with John in the middle, a gun in Jim’s hand. This cannot have happened without a sign. There has to be something he missed anything which said today is the day I kill for real.

A Is For Aftermath by ElvendorkInfinity (T, 10,567 w. || Injury / Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Pre-Slash/Bromance/Platonics, Hallucinations, Introspection, Insecure / Worried John, Big Brother Mycroft, Alternating POV, Anxious Sherlock, Self-Deprecating, Mildly Possessive Sherlock, 3G Moment) – John is still hallucinating, Sherlock cannot sleep, and Lestrade has a new case for them. But will life at 221B ever be able to return to normal? Epilogue to M is for Moriarty.

Where the Sun Never Shines by teahigh (T, 11,634 w. || PTSD, Nightmares, H/C, Post-TRF, Implied Sex) – John is a mess. Sherlock can’t fix him, but he tries. That’s good enough, John thinks.

I See You Through by belovedmuerto (T, 12,078 w. || Psychic AU || Empath John, Alternate TGG, Whump, Nightmares, Bedsharing, Slow Burn, Pre-Slash) – John has never asked Sherlock about his past, his childhood, the reason he quails in lonely misery almost every time he sees his brother. He’s never needed to. Part 2 of An Experiment in Empathy

A Building of Bridges by Unique (K, 12,325 w. || Drama, Alternate First Meeting, John’s PTSD / Flashbacks, Mute John, Dialogue-Heavy, Caring Sherlock, Friendship) – No one would ever send Sherlock in to diffuse a stand-off; but on one unlikely day, that’s exactly what happened. “Congratulations, Lestrade,” he called out sarcastically. “You’re traumatizing a war veteran.”

Always the sun by Rose de Sharon (K+, 12,377 w. || Song Fic, Alternate Post-TGG, Friendship/Bromance, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection / Reflection, Injury Recovery, Obsessive / Protective Sherlock, Nightmares, John’s Past, Bed Sharing / Cuddles) – Sherlock ponders about how much his life has changed since John has become his flatmate.

The Meaning of Sacrifice by arts_and_letters (T, 14,101 w. || Angst, Reunion, Hurt/Comfort, Mental / Emotional Turmoil, Pining Sherlock) – Sherlock has risked life and limb to protect John Watson, sacrificing his freedom and safety to fulfill his last vow. When Sherlock comes back bruised and battered from his second exile, will John’s love be enough to help Sherlock heal? And will John ever know the truth behind Sherlock’s enigmatic farewell?

The Consequences of Caring by Richefic (K+, 16,156 w. || Friendship & Angst, Domestics, Platonics) – Sherlock might scoff at this ‘caring’ lark. But John Watson’s situation cries out to be ‘solved’ and there is nothing that Holmes likes more than solving things. A series in four parts.

Achieving the Together-Coloured Instant by teahigh (E, 20,776 w. || Est. Rel, PTSD, Codependency, Fluff & Angst, H/C, Smut, Demisexual Sherlock, Experiments) – John wonders if this is how it’s going to be: A life speaking in code, because they’re both too stupid to figure out how to say, “I love you.”

a good old-fashioned happy ending by darcylindbergh (E, 32,731 w. || Christmas, Frottage, Comfort, Est. Rel., Fluff, Insecure Sherlock) – For Christmas this year, Sherlock wants to get John something special: something every fairytale deserves. Part 2 of things fairy tales are made of

The Yellow Poppies by SilentAuror (E, 34,952 w. || H/C, Nightmares, HLV Fix-It, PTSD, Trauma, POV Sherlock, Doctor John) – Sherlock is threatened and assaulted in the hospital immediately after having been shot in the heart, first by Mary, then by Magnussen. As he recovers at Baker Street with John and plans the attack on Appledore with Mycroft, he fights to work through the trauma caused by these two visits. Set during His Last Vow.

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea by DiscordantWords (M, 39,968 w. || Post S4 Fix It || Grief / Mourning, Victor Trevor, Friendship, Angst, Sherlock is Not Okay, Nightmares/Flashbacks/Panic Attacks, Parentlock, John Comes Home) – Baker Street is very much the same. Only different. And Sherlock is just trying not to drown.

The Soul Remembers by i_ship_an_armada (E, 43,636 w. || Oblivion AU || Post-Apocalypse, Movie Fusion, Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, Angst, Dreams, Bittersweet Ending) – John Watson is the lone security repairman stationed on a desolate, nearly-ruined future Earth. His dreams are plagued by a tall, dark-haired man, and when his dreams meet reality, he will be forced to question everything he believes is the truth about his life.

The Homecoming Series by sussexbound (M, 51,744 w. across 12 stories, WIP || Domestics, PTSD, Love Confessions) – Sometimes home is all you need. After three years of horror, betrayals, and crushing loss, John and Sherlock find their way back home to one another, and together find new footing in a world that has changed forever.

Lost Without My Blogger by starrysummernights (E, 52,155 w. || Rev. Reich, PTSD, Hurt / Comfort, Fluff / Angst, Psychological Torture, Reunion Fic, Friends to Lovers) – John is abducted and declared dead. How will Sherlock cope without his blogger? How will he react when John comes back from the “dead?” Drama and angst with a healthy dose of romance. Part 1 of I’d Be Lost Without My Blogger

Scars by SilentAuror (E, 60,493 w. || Rape / Non-Con / Abuse, Gaslighting, Manipulation, Dub Con Elements, Homophobia, Angst With Happy Ending, Mary is Not Nice) – S3 rewrite, showing Mary’s manipulation of John as he realizes his love for Sherlock. Mary is not having it.

The Progress of Sherlock Holmes by ivyblossom (E, 62,006 w || First Person Sherlock POV, Pining, Angst, Slow Burn, Infidelity, Sherlock Learns About Himself, Happy Ending) – Sherlock struggles with his feelings for John, makes a mistake, and learns just how important he and John are to each other. Non-BBC Mary / John, but it’s a *complicated* relationship.

An Experiment in Empathy by belovedmuerto (T, 62,397 w. across 13 stories || Empath AU || Psychic John, Psychic-by-Proxy Sherlock, Empathy, Psychic Bond, Romance / Bromance) – In which John is an empath, Sherlock is Sherlock, and an epic bromance happens. In the aftermath of The Great Game, John creates an unexpected bond between himself and Sherlock. Now they have to learn how to deal with it. John is better at this than Sherlock is.

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier (T, 67,085 w. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) – John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

Darkling, I Listen by You_Light_The_Sky (T, 73,254 w. || Fairy Tale AU || Loosely Based on Beauty and the Beast, Magical Realism, Suicidal Themes, Romance, Creepiness, Adventure) – No one who enters old London ever comes out. They say that the beast devours them. When his sister disappears, John ventures into the dead zone beyond the wall, and finds a brilliant madman under a terrible curse… Part 1 of Darkling I Listen + Extras, Deleted Scenes

Maintenance and Repair by patternofdefiance (E, 106,650 w. || FutureAU, Augmentation || Augmented John, Depression, Body Modification, Slow Burn, Worldbuilding, Sci-Fi, Self-Care, Body Dysmorphia) – John wants to explain the rush of sensation and data, which is just another form of sensation (or is it the other way around?). John wants to say:Augmentation circuits report temperature, pressure, various forms of quantitative input. Sudden changes are reported as pain, since sudden changes are dangerous, and pain is the quickest way to encourage reflexive extraction. But all John can manage is, “Nng.” Because this sudden touch is not reporting as pain. Part 2 of STATIC

Shatter the Darkness (Let the Light In) by MojoFlower (E, 109,683 w. || Genie/Djinn AU || Magical Realism, H/C, Kidnapping, Genie Sherlock, First Kiss / Time, Case Fic, H/C, Angst, Clubs, John Whump, Mild DubCon) – Fairy tales are for those who remember how to dream; not John Watson, broken and hiding from his bleak future in a beige bedsit. But then he discovers a lamp and finds himself in the dangerous riptide of an enigmatic man whose very existence is unbelievable, murder charges against his sister, and the growing pains of feeling alive once more.

Colors by Quesarasara (E, 140,537 w. || Pleasantville-Inspired AU || Soulmates, Colour Bonds, Alternating POV, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Case Fic, Medical Procedures) – Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We’re all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception. Part 1 of The Colors ‘Verse

Unkissed Series by 221b_hound (T to E, 184,168 w. across 46 works || Established Relationship, Ace Sherlock) – Sherlock returned from the dead a year ago. John returned to Baker Street six months ago. They’ve been in a couple since then. or at least, not NOT a couple. For two smart men, they sure can be dumb. Luckily, an art thief tries to drown Sherlock, Sherlock has a fever dream and things are about to change.

COMICS

Endless Dream by Navydream (M, 236 Pages || Sandman AU, Nightmares, Dreams, Developing Relationship, Transversing Time, Tragic Love Story, Happy Ending) – John’s been having strange dreams lately about a man who’s eyes are made of starlight…

MARKED FOR LATER

Pulse Points by Irrevocably_Sherlocked (E, 2,719 w. || PWP, Anal Sex/Fingering, BJ’s, Fluff and Smut) – Sometimes John needs extra reassurance that Sherlock is alive and well.

Experimental Comforts by Irrevocably_Sherlocked (E, 2,752 w. || Femlock, First Kiss / Time) – Sherlock tucked her right hand up under her head and took the rare chance to look her fill at her blogger and friend. During the day, she couldn’t dare let her gaze linger too long, lest John learn the true nature of her feelings. Now, with John asleep, it was safe, she could look and watch without any fear. Sherlock let her eyes travel over John’s quiet form. If possible, she looked even more beautiful like this, relaxed and at peace, the usual frown of worry gone from her lovely face. Sherlock wanted to touch, to stroke her jaw, her shoulders, trail her fingers down that smooth flesh and feel all the mottles and softness. Fighting that urge caused her to dig her nails into her own palms, the pain a stabilizing force, keeping her from doing something colossally stupid. Like pressing her lips to that same skin, or attempting to learn what John’s lips felt like under her own. Sherlock took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to regain control over her rapidly-beating heart. Sleep. She needed sleep. Sherlock closed her eyes, and willed herself into slumber.

A Study in Night Terrors by Dovahlock221 (T, 2,811 w. || 5 and Ones, Night Terrors, (Emotional) Hurt/Comfort, PTSD Sherlock, Worried John, Hurt John, Angst with Happy Ending) – Five times Sherlock suffered from night terrors and the one time he had the best dream of his life.

Panic Series by Dovahlock221 (G to T, 11,528 w. across 8 fics || Panic Attacks, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Hurt John, Protective Sherlock/John/Mycroft, Character Injury, Sick Sherlock, Post S4, Anxiety, Nightmares, Caring Sherlock/John) – A series about Sherlock dealing with Panic Attacks and the people who help him through it.

#steph replies #johnlock fic recs #my fic recs #ptsd fics #nightmare fics #Anonymous

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silvensei · 5 years

Text

Supplementary

Ritsu, the smart student with budding supernatural powers that he is, learned the best way to sneak out of the house is to just leave his body behind.

Words: 6k

So I wasn’t planning on writing another one, but @hydrachea went and was a muse again like the day after I posted Complementary, so. Two weeks later, here we are.

A continuation of a scenario that will be linked in a reblog because links, ‘member? Also on AO3! (also in reblog!)

“Bro!”

The thump of feet landing outside his window and subsequent clambering at said window would’ve startled most people. Ritsu was used to it by now. He even left the window cracked for this very reason.

Catching a handhold, Shou opened the sliding glass door to his bedroom and poked his head in. He found Ritsu at his desk, just closing up a textbook. “Bro, we gotta go!”

Ritsu raised an eyebrow. He clicked his pen and set it back in its cup with its mates.

His friend jumped into the room proper and hopped from foot to foot, eyes wide, impatient, like Ritsu was holding them up. “Go where?” Ritsu asked when he didn’t expound further on his own.

“To the Pokémon midnight release! Ritsu, come on, we’ve been talking about it for days! I thought you were the smart one!”

“Yeah, but I thought it was a given that I can’t go. It’s already after ten.” He glanced at the clock: 10:12 PM.

“But this game, man! I need someone to trade with!”

“I can just get it tomorrow after school. It’s not the end of the world.” Ritsu pushed his chair back and stood up.

He didn’t get the chance to put his notebook back in his bag, stopped by Shou gripping his shoulders, staring him in the eye. “But they’re only giving out keychains of the starters tonight.”

He knew that; even if he didn’t listen to Shou’s obsessions, his classmates have been talking about it all month. “You know I can’t. My parents are extra vigilant these days, what with exams coming up.”

“But don't you wanna go?”

Ritsu looked at him. He did. He did want to go. But his parents had been strict about their curfew, and both he and Shigeo weren’t allowed out late at night. He understood why. He knew the importance of sleep and the dangers of a city at night.

But Pokémon.

He shook his head. “It’s a school night, and I need to sleep. School may not be your thing but I have grades to uphold.”

“But—!” Shou cut himself off with a small whine, biting his bottom lip. He tightened his grip on his sleeves as he frantically tried to think of a solution. Ritsu gave him a moment to try, after which he was going to shake him off, send him on his way, then get ready for bed. He was just about to do that when he heard, “Doesn’t just your body need sleep?”

“Wh... What?”

Shou perked up. He had found a lead. “And it’s just your body that has to be here! You could leave it here to get some shut eye and ride along with me to the game store!”

His breath caught. Back at it again with possession, but this time suggesting that he do the possessing. “I— Shou, I—” he protested, trying to grasp something, “I can’t astral project, and I don’t know if I’d want to do that to you just for a keychain, and sleep has mental and emotional benefits outside of the physical, too, like—”

“Duuude, c’mon, it’ll be fine! It’s not that hard to learn, and I don’t care about my body, and it’s only fair, right?”

Stomach knotting like it always did when this topic came up, Ritsu stepped back and out of Shou’s reach. “It doesn’t have to be fair, it’s possession. Even the name implies partiality.”

He could see a grin starting to creep onto his face. Oh no. “Nah, nah, nah, dude, it’s cool, normal rules don’t apply to us, ‘member?” He drummed his newly-freed fingers against his thigh and added, “And I gotta check out what the big deal with this thing is anyway. I’m like the only one that hasn’t been possessed yet.”

“It’s not a competition!”

“Ritsu, come on. I swear it'll be fine.” Shou stopped, having stated his case and now waiting for an answer. He held his lip between his teeth again. “I want you to come with me.”

The decision's on him. And there was a right answer. He was thirteen, it was Monday, he had a test in two days, and his life wasn't at risk. He should decline. He should curl up in bed and enjoy some sleep, leaving Shou to his delinquency.

Then he remembered how boring that would be.

Ritsu pursed his lips. “The fact still stands that I don’t know how to astral project.”

Shou nodded. “Young Padawan, it is time for a lesson in the psychic arts.” He sat on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest, his aura faintly flickering into view around him.

Ritsu sighed. Here goes nothing. He crossed his legs and sat down with his back against his desk. “So, how do I...go about this?” he asked.

“Fire up your powers; seems easier that way.”

He took a breath. His last chance to just go to bed.

He felt his skin tingle as his aura lit up, a glittering blue mosaic ionizing the air. His hair shifted in the lessened gravity. “Alright.”

Shou’s own aura emboldened into a more defined shape, but it still was a shadow of what it normally was. That’s right, he realized, I’m supposed to be the one going ghost, not him. “So your powers are you turning an idea into a force that you send out into the world, yeah?” He held up his hands as he spoke, absently bouncing a ball of energy between them. “Once you get used to them, you might not know exactly what the idea is anymore because it becomes an instinct instead of a thought, but it’s still there. So to project, instead of using your powers as a conduit for the idea to leave your head, use them so that you can.”

“Just...follow my powers?” He was right: It did sound simple.

“Pretty much.”

He couldn’t help a small, inquisitive frown. “Why haven’t more people done this, then?”

Shou shrugged. “Many can’t. Most don’t try. A lot of espers find one thing they can do then stick to it. Then there’s also that most espers don’t have a high enough power level to be able to remember it if they do actually project. You’re just held together by psychic energy without your body, so you gotta have a lot of it to function on the same level as usual.”

That was concerning. “And you’re sure I’ll be fine if I—?”

“Of course, dude! I wouldn’t’ve even suggested this if I wasn’t sure you could handle it. You’ve got more skill than you realize.”

“Oh.” Ritsu looked away, a bit embarrassed at the unsolicited praise. Why was he doing this. He allowed himself a brief smile before closing his eyes and muttering, “Okay…. Just follow my powers to...wherever they go.”

The thrum of energy wove through his skin. Apparently, there was an idea at the core of it; of what, he hadn't the foggiest, so he tried to make another: He wanted his powers to pick something up. How about his discarded notebook, wherever that wound up? Easy. The energy moved to concentrate in his hands, spilling over into the room, exerting a slight force on everything as it searched out its target. He tried to follow it, to picture its path in his mind’s eye.

After a minute or two—after he was about to give up and declare perpetual corporeality—a faint trail appeared amid the phosphenes behind his eyelids, a blue leading away from him that grew stronger when he noticed it, a hazy mosaic pattern cracking its color. He hesitated, just for a moment. Then he changed the idea. Instead of sending a generic, nameless force, he pictured sending his consciousness, sending himself—

Everything felt light for some reason.

The room melted into view around him, just blurred around the edges, through clouded glass. He wondered why that was. When he tried to ask, the words refused to form. That was weird. He couldn’t really feel his mouth either. He reached up to check if it were still— did he have hands? The only movement he saw was a shape of smoke appear in front of his face. Why would he be smoke?

A waving of green and white along with what was possibly sound bubbling through the fog caught his attention. There was a figure sitting below him: green torso, blue legs, orange head, even more orange haloing him. Shou’s aura seemed really bright, or maybe it was just because it was the clearest thing through all this haze. His mouth was moving at breakneck speeds. What was he gesturing at?

He looked down. He couldn’t see his feet—oh wait, there they were, a meter or so away, tucked under the crossed legs of a figure slumped against a desk. He couldn’t recognize them through the hair shading their face, but he liked how it was styled. Reminded him of his own hair. Or that was his hair. Why was his hair all the way over there with his body, dropped lifeless after he left?

Oh. Right.

Ritsu shook whatever now passed as his head as he recalled his situation. He’s a spirit now, or a mind held together by energy. He had to focus on his powers, then, since he couldn’t rely on Newtonian physics anymore. As soon as he realized that, he felt coalesced, contained, thoughts running more smoothly.

“—na grab one of those pens— you don’t snap out of it, Imma draw dicks all over— Earth to Kageyama! Come in, Kageyama!”

He turned his full attention to Shou, his aura still the only point of clarity in the room. He still couldn’t answer as he did in fact not have a mouth, but he nodded and tried to drift down to eye level. It took some getting used to.

Shou applauded, his grin not as toothy but just as bright. “Told ya!” he cheered. “Not so hard, ain’t it? The hard part is keeping your head straight as a spirit, and all you gotta do is be smart about it.”

Floating just above the ground now, Ritsu glanced back at his body. He worried a bit about whether sitting limply like that was good for his posture, but what he noticed most was the lack of emotional response. He should be feeling some serious vertigo or whiplash or something, but there was nothing there. When he had hormones and neurotransmitters again, he’d feel sickened by his apathy.

“So?” He turned back to Shou as he prompted, “You gonna take the wheel or what?” He stretched his legs out in front of him, drumming on his knees for a second before holding his arms open. “C’mon, it’s like a ghost hug. Doesn’t hurt.”

Ritsu thought through the situation once more. He should be uncomfortable at the notion of body hopping, of rejecting his existence as a singular physical being and foregoing nature to possess another. However. He didn’t have a stomach that could practice gymnastics at the moment.

What he did have were thoughts, including that he was curious what it was like from the other side and that he was certain of the banality of the alternative.

What the hell, he concluded before drifting forward, reaching out to grab hold of...something. Whatever he could find.

He hit a psychic wall briefly before it disappeared, but it was enough to throw off his momentum, tripping him into a tumble from tangerine into blackness. He fell, possibly for only moments, before something seemed to snap. Like running a finger along a switchboard, his senses reconnected, turning on one-by-one in such quick succession that he couldn’t discern the order. One moment he was nothing, then the next he was on the ground with a phantom jolt, fabric rubbing his skin and air in his chest, until finally a projector slide of his room dropped in front of his eyes. He blinked, but the view stayed the same, solid and real, as if the last minutes hadn’t happened.

His arms ached a touch, hanging out into space. His wrist felt weird, too; not painful, but certainly not right. Ritsu pulled his hands into his lap, holding his right wrist and rolling his hand in slow circles. His sleeves were off-white, his hands too pale, his vision unobstructed by bangs—all minutiae that added together into an experience that was slightly, unsettlingly off.

He swallowed and asked, “You alright?”

Fuck, the timbre was all wrong.

A thought appeared in his head that sounded like Shou whispering, Wicked.

“You say that every time.”

And you say that like it’s a bad thing.

Pressing his palms together, Ritsu bent his hands—Shou’s hands—back and forth. “What’s up with your wrists? They feel...not great.”

I dunno, they’re always like that. I thought it was normal, but yours aren’t the same.

He hated that Shou knew what his wrists felt like. That’s such a weird statement. Back in possession of internal organs, they were able to resume their somersaults at his discomfort.

Ritsu pushed himself off the ground, standing to his full height. Shou was a bit shorter than him but without any obvious point of reference, he couldn’t notice the difference. He tugged his cuffs into place over his wrists and ran a hand along an unfamiliar jaw. He didn’t have time to ask himself how jaws could be unfamiliar before he stopped short at the sight of himself—of his body. His breath caught with the sense of vertigo that washed over him, the very sense he knew he was missing earlier. He didn’t even notice he had stepped closer until he crouched in front of it.

Wack, isn’t it? Shou commented. All he had to go off of was the tone of Shou’s mental voice, but he could picture him reclining, arms pillowing his head. Ritsu didn’t answer as he reached out to lift the body’s chin. It was like looking in a mirror, only...not. Not at all. His face looked pale, peaceful, like he was sleeping, but his head felt heavy in his hand. Like dead weight. A chill pricked at the back of his neck. Was he technically dead?

You gonna kiss or what?

“What?!” he yelped, Shou’s voice hitting the next octave as he shied back, throwing his hands out to catch himself before he hit the ground. Then, startled into action by his body falling over, he pushed forward to catch its shoulders, ramming one into his desk drawer. He cringed at how that was going to ache when he got back.

I don’t blame ya, continued the voice in his head. How many opportunities do you get to kiss yourself?

His tightened his grip on his shirt—or his body’s shirt—his original body’s shirt—to steady himself, frazzled from the brief adrenaline rush. “A lot, apparently! You’ve possessed me like, three times! And as far as I remember, you haven’t made out with yourself at all!”

I’m not, like, completely opposed to the idea, but they’re kinda practically dead without us, y’know? That’s just weird then, like kissing a corpse. Not my kink. And also you would be there, too, and it seemed awkward to just do that without asking, but like, how do you phrase that question to begin with. Wasn't worth the effort.

Ritsu scrunched his nose, growing more uncomfortable by the second. He wanted to change the subject. Without another topic in mind, though, he settled for ignoring Shou and wrapping his body in a telekinetic net. Hair swimming in the aura, it floated limp on the energy, rising a few feet off the ground. He directed it to his bed, standing as he watched it drift. He couldn’t shake the vaguely somber atmosphere of it all.

It bounced on his mattress when he let go. Rolling it onto its side so he didn’t have to look at his own face, he pulled the covers into place over it. Looked normal enough.

Dude, it’ll be fine. It’s only in a coma.

Ritsu took a breath. “Maybe, but it’s still uncomfortable to….” He fumbled his words, the knot in his stomach tightening. “To...be on the outside.”

You don’t have to keep staring at yourself, then.

Ritsu tore his eyes from his messy hair peeking over the blankets and nested his hands in Shou’s jacket pockets. “Morbid curiosity.”

That’s true. You’re first out-of-body experience does something to your view of self. He trailed off for a moment. You alright to come along?

“After all that, now you ask me?” He gave his bed one last look before flicking off the lights. “Come on.”

Fuck yeah!

Stepping out onto his balcony, he turned his powers on himself as he slid the door closed. With a thought he was on the ground, walking down the street into town.

Shou made some kind of noise, one Ritsu couldn’t decipher without the corresponding body language. You can fly us, y’know. Or I can.

“Yeah, rather not,” he said, trying to keep his voice low. There was no one around, but in the quiet night, unaccustomed to his voice, he was worried it would carry further than expected. “It was tough enough to get used to our powers when you possessed me; I’d guess it’s different in this configuration, too.”

I dunno, maybe! Gimme that— And like that, his right arm went cool. It wasn’t the spiking numbness that he felt when thrown out of control before. He might’ve thought it merely a breezy evening if he wasn’t wearing a long-sleeved jacket and also if his arm didn’t move on its own. His hand reached up and snapped, sparking into existence a ruby-orange pulse that wove through his fingers and collected into a vibrating ball. He didn’t realize he was pushed back until Shou said, “Feels the same to me, dude.”

Losing control wasn’t nearly as drastic as before. It was like comparing getting misted with a spray bottle to being thrown into the ocean. He drifted in this vague awareness, pulled along for the ride as Shou continued walking. Their gait changed with the pilot, more pep peppered into their step.

Of course it feels the same, it’s your body, but I’m new here, and I don’t want to be flung into the air without being absolutely sure of our abilities.

“Alright, alright. You are the smart one. Next time.” Shou rolled the ball along his knuckles before flicking it into the air.

Ritsu caught it, watching aquamarine swirl into it as he rolled it in his palm. “Always with the ‘next time’s,” he muttered. He hadn’t meant to take over; he just fell to the front. After tossing the ball onto the sidewalk to see it firework on impact and fizzle out, he decided to voice his observations.

Yeah, I noticed that. I had to really focus on taking over to do it. Like not really focus, but more so than in your body. Maybe the possessor is the default designated driver.

“That doesn’t sound safe for the host.”

Well, what do you expect? You’re pure energy right now; of course you’d get a leg up in mental tug o’ war.

“But what about people without any powers? If they get possessed by an evil spirit...?” A chill ran down his spine. That could’ve been him not too long ago. “They wouldn’t have any say in anything.”

A hum buzzed between his ears. That’s what exorcists are for. But don’t worry, dude, we’re good. I can always kick you out if you get too malevolent.

“That’s reassuring.” It was said out of snark but it actually did help assuage his worry, knowing he and Shou had some defense against possession. It was better than most people could rely on.

As they neared downtown, the streets grew more populated. One person they passed gave him a brief look. It was probably because of Shou’s ostentatious hair, but it made Ritsu self-conscious of how he was walking along as an imposter. “So are we just not going to talk this whole time?” he asked under his breath, pausing to let the next person to pass. “Because the whole ‘talking to yourself while wandering at night’ thing isn’t great for appearances.”

It’s the technological age, Ritsu. I’ve got this. He noticed the shift this time, the gentle offsetting of his senses that pushed him to the passenger seat. Shou dug around in his pockets while Ritsu theorized why things felt different than the previous times (Because I’m not completely rooted in the body? I’m a visitor anyway?) until he snagged some headphones. “Problem solved!” he announced as he put them in. After a second, he plugged the jack into his phone to make it fully convincing. “Everyone talks to themself when on the phone.”

That’ll work.

“That’ll work!” Unlocking his phone, Shou grinned as he opened the camera. The front camera was already defaulted, giving Ritsu a sudden look at his face: bright hair, brighter smile, and oh-so-dark eyes. Shou hesitated. “Oh, shit.”

What? Quid pro quo, Shou. I got your eyes, you get mine.

“Yeah, I know, as expected, but….” He brought his camera closer, his face getting an odd glow from the screen’s light. “I didn’t think it would be this dramatic. I look….” Grin faltering, he said, “Even with the ginger thing, I look real boring. I can’t intimidate anyone like this. The piercing gaze is my thing, man, y’know?”

Ritsu would’ve smirked if he could. As a matter of fact, Shou, I do know.

“It’s just...weird.” Their head turned back and forth, watching the screen. Shou paused mid-stride in one position and snapped a picture. Blinking away the flash, he zoomed in on the image. “Hey, you’ve kinda got a bit of red in there, too,” he noted.

Technically, they’re russet and amber.

“Amber, schmamber. It’s red and it’s rad.”

I guess, but it only shows up in bright light. It’s caused by patches of low melanin in the iris so that when light reflects—

“Ritsu, I appreciate you and your trivia knowledge very much, but I’m not gonna remember that. It’s just hella sweet that you’ve got red eyes with your anime-ass hair.”

You’re one to talk. How much gel do you go through a week?

“Touché.” His phone returned to his pocket, but he didn’t continue walking. Ritsu felt a touch of confusion before realizing they were waiting at a crosswalk. The light changed, letting Shou jog across the street and the remaining few blocks.

They saw the crowd before they saw the store itself, a line of people chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Shou jumped into place at the end and bounced from foot to foot. “Bro, I am so pumped!” he gushed. The girl in front of him turned for a moment before noticing his headphones and returning to her DS.

The energy was infectious. Ritsu smiled, content. He didn’t have a mouth with which to actually smile, but the intent was still there. Do you know which starter you’re going to pick? he asked. They had a while to wait. Plenty of time to converse.

“Oh, I always go fire, man.” He settled into a stance, resting his weight on one leg and hooking a hand in his pocket, leaving the other to gesture in the air. “My Cyndaquil back in the day? She was great. I called her Cyndi. Cyndi the Cyndaquil, ‘cause Cyndi’s ‘bout to kill. Loved her.”

But the first gym is usually rock- and/or ground-themed, and fire isn’t effective against either. And since the water and grass gyms often follow soon after, a grass type would be the most logical for low levels.

“Pshhh.” He waved his hand. “Who needs logic when you have love and chutzpah?”

Ritsu laughed—actually laughed; he felt their chest shaking, his own type of smile on their face, Shou’s voice mimicking his thoughts. Dumbass…, he muttered in their head.

Shou cleared his throat, reigning it back under control. “You just have to work that much harder from the beginning. A challenge mode, if you will.”

Sure.

Shou rubbed his nose and leaned against the building they waited by, watching the occasional car come and go. After staying like that for a moment, Ritsu guessed he was listening in on the excited chatter of their companions. Ritsu would be fine with that, some eavesdropping and people-watching was a good pastime, but another idea came to him instead. Mentally, he tried to copy Shou’s pose: hand in jeans pockets, thumb hanging on belt loop, shoulders loose, head against wall, more weight on his left foot than right. Once he thought he had it right, he tried to add in physical feeling: pressure on his palm and thumb, rough brick digging into his back, headphones plugging his ears—until he felt the ground underfoot before he imagined it.

He blinked. It didn’t take much at all to slip to the front. Was it natural for a bodiless entity to want to be corporeal? Or was he just that much more psychically versatile as a collection of energy? Or Shou just let him take over, but based on his silence, Ritsu doubted he had noticed. Whatever the case, it was mere conjecture for now; he put it to the side and instead listened to a nearby pair debate game strats.

Hey, Ritsu, if I were a Pokémon, what type— hey, hold up. He heard a smile pitch up his voice. You sneaky bastard! When did you—?!

“A couple minutes ago.”

The subsequent noises in his brain tugged a smirk to his lips. Oh! The betrayal! The deceit! To be taken advantage of like so! I thought you were my friend, Ritsu, but nay, to have my very flesh robbed from my grasp! The subterfuge! I’m feeling so fuckin’ attacked right now!

“So when you want to try something, it’s novel and exciting, but when I do it, it’s a crime against you personally. I see.” Ritsu rotated his wrist a few times before crossing his arms. “And I think it’s pretty obvious you’d be a fire-type, given both our conversation and your history.”

Jeez, dude, will you just let it go?

“Maybe fire and fighting.”

Well, you'd be a dark type on account of all this shade you're throwing!

“I'll accept that. They're pretty good.”

No argument? Just gonna take it?

“It's accurate.”

He barked a laugh. You fuckin’ smartass, c'mere!

Ritsu felt a pressure in his head. Shou managed to snag his hand and flip him off before he wrangled it back, gripping his sleeve. He felt a prickling along the back of his neck from an aura; he wasn’t sure if it was his or not. “Nah, I’ve got the high ground here, Suzuki,” he said with a smirk, closing his eyes. “It’s gonna take a lot more than that.”

Fuckin’ try me, Kageyama!

He shifted his feet into a more stable stance, but outside of that, it was a game of mental Twister, trying to keep control. The smirk more or less remained throughout it all as Ritsu tried to stand his ground, his aura dancing on his skin as support. Shou managed to wrestle complete control only twice: The first, soon after the challenge was declared, when he fired up his powers to forcibly pull Ritsu back. Once Shou was able to feel the sharp headache that suddenly caused, though, he held back, and Ritsu was able to use his wincing and hiss of pain to tackle him from behind. The second, Ritsu had slipped up; Shou caught a foot and slid it forward, throwing Ritsu off-balance and stumbling out of his senses. Shou stepped in with a subtle victory fist pump before Ritsu was able to do the same thing right back.

The third time, Ritsu let him win. Alright, alright, he laughed, fine, take it.

Shou adjusted their smile to his own. “Well played, dude! Now that’s what I call a mental workout! How much time did that kill?” He lit up his phone screen. 11:28 PM. He tch-ed. “Not enough.”

Ritsu relaxed, finally able to kick back and put his metaphorical feet up. Don’t worry about it. It’ll go by quick enough.

Digging around in his pocket for a moment, Shou retrieved a compact stylus. “What should I draw?” he asked, opening an app.

I dunno.

“Fat lotta help you are.” He thought for a moment before pulling the stylus out to pen length with his teeth. He opened a new canvas in the app and drew a handful of circles and ovals around the page. Ritsu watch, unsure if it was a bit he should laugh at, until Shou zoomed in on one and changed the brush color. The stylus sketched around the shape, occasionally adding crescent curves and spikes protruding from the rough outline, hatching the bottom to give it a spherical shape. In under a minute, he dotted a nose to finish a little hamster holding a strawberry.

Ritsu watched him finish another hamster—this one sleeping on its side—before he said, I didn’t know you sketched.

“Sure you did.” He furrowed his brow and glanced upward, implying shooting a confused look Ritsu’s way, before moving to a third circle.

I mean, I knew you draw, but I imagined it was, like, setting aside an afternoon with a whole collection of pencils. I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t expect a bunch of round hamsters on your phone.

“I’ll have you know, this one’s a hedgehog,” he corrected, adding more quills. “And yeah, man, any drawing is practice. Quick shape studies and gestures are great for doodling on the go.”

Huh.

“Wanna try?”

Huh?

“Here.” Shou panned the canvas back to his first hamster, drew another circle next to it, and held up the stylus. “Just try to draw it again.”

Ritsu hesitantly took the hand and pen, holding it for a second before sitting down at the helm. “I don’t know how to draw.”

Just copy what you see.

He sighed, but he tapped the stylus on the screen anyway. A collection of dots appeared. He undid the inputs and tried to mimic what Shou had done, roughing out the outline to give the impression of fur. It was a bit of an uneven shape. Adding in the lumpy strawberry, round hands, and eyes that were too big, it did end up looking like an animal. Whether it was a hamster or not was up for debate. “How’s that?” he asked reflexively, immediately regretting it.

Not bad, not bad! It’s cute! It’s shaped like a friend!

“Doesn’t look much like a hamster. Like, I know it’s a simplified drawing, but yours is still recognizable.”

Maybe so, but you gotta start everything from somewhere, and it’s easier to modify an existing image than to keep fretting over it in your head. Plus there’s more art in the world now because of it.

“Well, aren’t you inspirational.” It was a nice thought, though. He handed the pen back, ducking once again into the passenger’s seat like stepping through morning mist. Maybe that’s why your wrist feels odd, he pointed out to take the attention off of him. Maybe you’re not drawing right.

Shou panned to the next circle and said, “It’s just drawing. How is there a wrong way to draw?”

I don’t know, like putting too much pressure on the tendons or the joints.

“It’s just drawing, though, not running a marathon. It’s not like I can warm up before drawing.”

Are you sure about that?

He grumbled, drawing another hamster. “I guess not….”

Ritsu metaphorically shook his head. At least they found one beneficial use of possession: mediocre self-diagnosis.

The next half hour passed quickly. Shou filled in most of the circles with various small animals (and one smirking, blue-eyed Ritsu to torment his companion. Ritsu was indeed tormented. He’d never feel right about that warped reflection of himself). He narrated as he went, describing how he was drawing shapes that looked like animals, not the animals themselves, how hatching and cross-hatching worked, and where to look to draw cleaner circles. Ritsu was fairly certain he was bullshitting a lot of it, but it was interesting to listen to nonetheless.

The rousing of the crowd caught their attention. The compartmentalized chattering became a wave of excitement as the doors opened, the closest barreling through immediately. Turning off his phone and retracting his stylus, Shou put both back in his pocket as he hopped into motion. “Bro—!”

Ritsu would've smiled. I know, man, just go.

Suddenly, he paused. He patted his sides. His face fell. “Dude. I think I forgot my wallet.”

What? You just now—?! He groaned, his hopes crumbling. Leave it to Shou to—wait a second. No, you didn't, it's in your left pocket.

Shou's smirk was back before he finished his thought. “Oh, so it is.”

You son of a bitch.

Ritsu's chastisement and warnings not to do that again (do you know how much I've been through tonight god damn it) only fueled the pep in his step. For being in the middle of a line of a hundred or two, they got in the store fairly quickly, soon wading through the crowd to one of the registers. “Two, please!” he chirped. “One of each.”

The cashier gave him a tired smile. “Sorry, one per person tonight.”

Shou paused. “But we're two.”

“Uh…?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Ritsu jumped in, easily slipping by his stupefied friend. “I meant I was buying for two. Surely you know it's exam season, and I wouldn't dare let my little brother stay up so late before an important test, so he asked if I would go for both of us.”

“I know, it's crappy timing, but we didn't have a say on the release date. Nothing I can do.”

He put on his best pout, just taking a guess at how it looked on Shou's face. “Is there any way to at least get two keychains?”

She shook her head. “No can do. We might have extras tomorrow, but I doubt it. Maybe if— uh…. Kid, if you're trying to flip me off, first: don't shoot the messenger, and second: that's the wrong finger….”

“What?” Ritsu raised his brow before he realized his hand was up, index finger pointing an orange aura into the air. Of course, she couldn't see the energy. He felt his hand catch something invisible and keychain-sized in a fist accompanied by a whispered, Gotcha!

Ritsu stuffed the prize in his pocket. “No, sorry,” he lied, “I was going to try and make another point for my case but decided against it. I understand.”

“Don't worry, you'll have all the time in the world for midnight releases after college. Now, which game?”

Shou took over again, picking out and paying for his game. Ritsu sat back, his mental self-image sporting a dumbfounded expression. Why hadn't they realized that before. Of course they can't get two when they're in one body. What a rookie mistake.

As soon as he was outside and around the corner, Shou jumped and punched a fist into the air. He hung there a second longer than normal before touching down lightly to continue his walk. “Not the simplest way, but that was a success, my friend!”

I'll still have to come back tomorrow to buy my own copy, though.

“That's fine, that's what you were planning to do anyway! Only now—” he pulled out the little red and white bag from his pocket, “—now you got a limited edition collector's item, too!”

Well, don't keep us waiting. Which is it?

“I got it, man, I got it.” He dug through his shopping bag for the other, held the two together, then ripped off the tops simultaneously and upturned them into his palm. Ritsu caught a glimpse of orange and green before their eyes closed, squeezed shut from his wide grin, and he sung, “Sweet~! Dibs on fire!”

The energy was contagious. Fine by me, he said. He'd smile if he could; fortunately, Shou had it covered enough for both of them.

He looked them over, tracing a thumb over the paintwork before again resting his hand in his pocket. “So, where to next?”

Next? You're not going to go home and play through the night?

“I mean, I could, I really want to, but I can wait until tomorrow for you to get yours. But I mean, anything to do right now while out and about?”

He pictured a shrug. I don't know. I'm not usually out this late to know what there is to do.

“Oh, my friend, you are getting the full tour, then. ‘Seasoning City by Night,’ I call it. It's peaceful, it's dim, it's neon, and it's completely different from the town you thought you knew under the sun! What d'ya say?”

Ritsu thought a moment. He sure hoped his body was getting a full night's sleep without him.

Lead the way.

#Mob Psycho 100 #MP100 #Kageyama Ritsu #Suzuki Shou #MP100 fanfiction #Complementary #my writing #I spent two weeks writing these 17 pages #finished and posted it on a bus through Portugal on my phone #would not recommend doing that #especially with all these italics I had to redo because AO3 didn't pick up on them the first time #computer AO3 feels like a charm now as I'm going through and correcting all my phone's formatting errors

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