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#but from experience having an awful parent and a slightly less awful one makes you cling to the slightly less awful one
xxgoblin-dumplingxx · 10 months
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Alfred teaching arrangedverse reader how to bake could be cute! You mentioned she likes sweets, and I feel like she’d jump at the chance to learn any basic life skill that would help her feel more dependent
(Plus her presenting Bruce with some cupcakes or sum would make his fragile heart split into even more pieces)
When the chatter in the kitchen died down, Alfred looked up from his tart with a frown, only to relax slightly when it was just you. Holding your tea things in one hand and some brushes that needed cleaned in the other.
"I don't want to be in the way I just wanted to-"
"Nonsense," Alfred said, shooing the staff out feeling like he was shooing chickens, "It would be much less crowded in here if they'd all stop dawdling."
"I didn't want to interrupt I just left these too long and they need scrubbing."
"Have at it," Alfred said gesturing to the sink. It was often you ventured to the kitchen in the middle of the day but- then you'd been keeping rather irregular hours recently. And it dawned on him that you'd probably been coming down while the rest of the house was asleep.
"Thank you."
From the corner of his eye, he watched you roll up the sleeves of your blouse, setting out to clean your brushes. "How is your new project going?"
"Slowly," you sigh, "But it goes."
"Inspiration is a fickle mistress," he said, reaching over to flick the electric kettle on, trying to gauge your mood. It was tricky. You were never terribly outwardly emotive- at least not genuinely.
You hum agreement and frown at your brushes for a moment.
"Those will need to soak, I think," Alfred said. "Not that I have much experience with anything past interior painting."
"Do we have an old bowl? One that it won't hurt to-"
"Luckily," Alfred said, "Stainless steel mixing bowls can take quite a bit of abuse. I doubt a little paint and soapy water will hurt them." And he turned to grab one for you, along with a tea towel to dry your hands.
"I wouldn't want to-"
"It'll be fine," he assured you, "And if it isn't. Well. Master Bruce wouldn't know the difference and we can make that one your designated brush bowl."
You smile a little and take the bowl he proffered, "I'll be out of your way in a minute."
"Stay as long as you like," he said unbothered. "If you're down here then I have fewer people underfoot."
"Am I really so awful?" you ask ruefully.
"No," he chuckled. "But everyone heard the earful Lizzie got- and then she got sacked. So no one is terribly eager to be in your bad books. Even if they're all very glad Lizzie is gone."
"I don't want anyone fired though-"
"I know that," he said reassuringly. "They all rather enjoy you. You're polite. And even tempered. Even if you are a little distant."
"Just as long as they don't have the same pet name for me as my parent's household has for my mother-"
"I assure you it's nothing so... vulgar."
"Well that's something."
"They're all going to get very fond of their Grey Lady, I think. It's just going to take time."
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velvetcloxds · 2 years
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RAINBOWS AND ROCKSTARS | S.B.
pairing: rockstar!sirius x kindergarten teacher!reader
word count: 0.9k
warning: fem reader, kids
summary: sirius has played in some amazing stadiums filled with thousands of adoring fans, but none of them could compare to your rainbow classroom and no one adores him more than you and your little munchkins
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Sirius had already gotten an earful that morning from his band members, was already equipped with about a hundred reasons why this little favour would be extremely damaging for his reputation if it were to get out and he was very much aware, but hell, he couldn’t care less even if he tried. He could already hear your voice as he made his way down the school hallway, little giggles following your instructions as he had to suppress the need to clutch his heart at the sweet sound.
Music time was your favourite part of the week, you loved making it a fun experience for the little humans to appreciate and look forward to as well, so when you rather bashfully told Sirius that you wanted to play them one of his songs and couldn’t pick one- he had no real choice other than to offer to come to play one for them in person. He had done it before, of course, in fact when he was still playing in empty bars and washed-up restaurants, his favourite place to play was right there on the alphabet carpet- that never changed, never would really if only he had the chance and the time, which was why he was all but ecstatic to be doing it again.
You were perched up on one of the little wooden chairs, one foot keeping you steady while the other rested against the top of the bookshelf as you hung the rainbow paintings your kids had done this week onto the wall, still completely engaged in their conversation and excited musings. Sirius was in awe, always was when he saw you like this, in your natural habitat, he’d say- you were most at home in these four walls surrounded by your little monsters, and he loved having the opportunity to see it.
“Teachi,” one of the little voices noted tugging lightly on your skirt, being quietly scolded by her friends for messing with your balance. “Mister Teacher is here,” she explained with a little roll of her eyes, waving at the man in question with a sweet smile.
At the mention of his name, you were quick to turn around, slightly stumbling out of position as a smile not very different from hers fell onto your lips, not quite being able to contain your excitement as he stood leaning against the doorframe, one hand holding his guitar in place while the other was tucked loosely into his pants’ pocket.
“Did someone order a rockstar?” he smirked innocently, stepping into the room when you were guided down by the munchkins below you, little demands to be careful and declarations of assistance surrounding you.
“A rockstar?” you played along, a sort of skip to your step as you sauntered towards him. “Whatever would my parents say,” you giggled, allowing him a quick kiss to your forehead before stealing the hand from his pocket to guide him to his place.
“The boys send their love,” he noted, eyes lovingly drifting over your figure as you shook your head, scoffing lightly as you habitually accepted a bunch of hugs on the way to your desk, shooing the kids to the carpet before picking up a pile of pages, one of which had his name written in bright pink attempted letters. “What are those?”
“Love letters,” you shrugged, a hand falling down by demand when the shyest of your class leaned against your leg with a soft groan. “Fan mail,” you corrected, and he smiled, looking back to where everyone was eagerly waiting for him. “They’ve been asking for you all day, could barely keep them busy,” you informed him with a playful look of exasperation, though truly the idea made your heart happy, because how could it not, this big shot rockstar of yours being here in a little public school kindergarten classroom all because he loved you- it was insanity, utterly, drive you mad, lovesick behaviour and boy were you suffering from it too.
“Only them?”
“Not at all,” your cheeks warmed up at that, that same bashful look he’d become rather accustomed to flashing through your eyes, making his heart ache at the idea that he couldn’t do much more than smile back at you at that second, he would be sure to kiss you silly the first chance he got.
“Well, I shouldn’t leave them waiting any longer, should I?” he suggested and you squealed softly, excitedly leading the girl at your side to join the group, sitting in the middle as they piled around you, eyes full of wonder purely looking at you and Sirius wasn’t quite sure they had any care for his goofy big figure standing in front of them despite what you told him, attention solely on you as you explained what they should do while he sang- he couldn’t blame them, if he was given the choice, he’d never take his eyes off you either.
harry potter taglist: @mirclealignr @moonbcrry @oliverwoodmarrymepls @saintlike78 @cupids-crystals @scarlet-prey @fandom-life-12 @natashxromanovf @justreadingficsdontmindme @alexxavicry @murdockcastleslut @onyourgoddamnleft @wrathspoet @eichenhouseproperty
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daniel-profeta · 3 months
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daniel profeta Interview
Hey y'all!! Back around March/April 2023 I was approached by a diy "magazine" that was more of a blog about artists in Georgia, to record an interview about my music and other projects. Sadly they decided against using it, but they just sent me a transcript so I could post it myself. It's slightly disjointed, but maybe you'll find some enjoyment out of it.
daniel: My dad got a used acoustic guitar when I was 13, and I kinda stole it to practice with all the time. So began my awe-inspiring journey of entirely mundane events. I taught myself how to play and sing with YouTube and just went forward from there. All throughout my life I've had problems expressing myself, but music, and art as a whole, have become my voice and taken over nearly every aspect of my life.
With hindsight I realized this always was the case. As a kid I was always enamored with storytelling… From reading for hours a day to attempting and failing to write a fantasy novel, from crying listening to Elliott Smith, Alex G, Mitski, Car Seat Headrest, Phoebe Bridgers, and countless other artists and bands to writing and recording hundreds of songs that never saw the light of day, my life has been a string of "failures" that's slowly becoming a vessel for expression. Meeting that one person who knows your songs and sings along with you, knowing you wrote something that meant anything to another human, makes me feel less alone. That's what it's all about.
I owe a lot to my parents for cultivating an appreciation for art, and while they never exactly "approved" of my life choices (laughs), they never really tried to stop me. Maybe they should have tried harder, who knows. When I was really young my mom tried and succeeded at getting me interested in acting in films. While I started as an extra in shows and movies like Stranger Things and The Hunger Games (it's a lot easier to be a movie extra than many people think), I eventually started getting actual roles. I've been in a few horror short films, and if you ever try to talk to me about horror I will talk your ear off… But the highlights of my acting career have been working in the incredible educational series Super Science Showcase as the geeky character Caleb, and meeting and working with the innovative director Barry Jenkins on the show The Underground Railroad (while my role was fairly small in that, that week of filming was one of the most surreal and rewarding experiences of my life, second only to playing live music and having people scream my lyrics in my face).
I was homeschooled growing up, and my family was forced to move around a lot as we struggled to find affordable housing and jobs. The cool thing about being homeschooled is you kinda set your own hours and have a little more free time, but the bad thing (for me) about homeschooling was the feeling of isolation and inability to do much besides write and try to make stuff. I wasn't allowed on the internet until I was 14-15, but then it was like a whole new world opened up for me.
One interesting thing about trying to create this life is the weird relationship most people have to it. Like, no one supports you unless you're successful, yet it's almost impossible to be successful without support. For example, I have a YouTube channel where I have uploaded nearly 2000 videos over the course of 3 years (yes, I know I have no life, don't rub it in) that's just called "daniel profeta" (stylized lowercase cause I'm cool). In the last few months I went from having 1000 subscribers to having 25,000 subscribers. My point being, "overnight" success is only real to people on the outside, people who don't see the thousands of failed attempts. People who don't hear the conversations where everyone close to you tells you to give up. Every step of the way there are opportunities to learn and grow and adapt, but you must be willing to block out the noise and get up every time you fall. That's the realest thing people who make art will learn, not everyone will like what you're doing. It takes time and effort to find YOUR people. But just know they're out there, and never give up.
I never had formal training of any kind, for acting, writing, guitar, vocals, bass, piano, recording, editing, the list goes on. Quickly I learned that I would never have the equipment, connections, or resources that many others did, but that's where you become resourceful. I am forever indebted to lo-fi music like Car Seat Headrest, The Mountain Goats, Bright Eyes, and Daniel Johnston, because without them I probably never would have had the courage to start. The ethos of DIY is one outside of gatekeeping and elitism, the ideas and community are open in mind and heart. We will "make it", and we will do so on our own terms. So, to keep this explanation brief, I have made multiple albums of music with no "real" recording equipment and recorded music videos myself with a crappy camera and some friends. I play all the instruments and do all the mixing myself. It's incredibly fun yet tedious, but the feeling of uploading or playing something is the greatest feeling in the world.
Your question was if my road was a smooth one, but I would say there really wasn't a road at all. Just foreboding uncharted wilderness with a few guiding lights of inspiration to help me on the way to creating the life I hope to have. But the way I see it, each failing, each stumble, and each limitation were just blessings in disguise. Take my music for instance, I used to feel ashamed of the low recording quality of my early work, but now I see it like a badge. It's honest, raw, and ultimately more powerful and unique. And the people I've met are some of the most driven and ambitious people in the world. We will make it, and when we do everyone who doubted will eat their words (laughs again), not that it matters. To quote Frank Lopez Jr. "Probably won't taste like the blood sweat and tears and the fear of regret and the ever elusive 3% chance I’m going to make it."
My main thing right now is music, and I play all over Atlanta and the rest of Georgia (if any venues or people with cool basements hears this and wants to book me, hello…. My name is Daniel, and I'm a pretty cool guy who's fairly easy to exploit. Feel free to reach out as I'm nearly always desperate for work) and hope to start playing more states soon. I currently don't have a band (if any cool people hear this and want to join my band, hello…), so my live shows are a mix of covers and original music done with an acoustic guitar. Folk music, punk music, indie rock, confessional songwriting, and the heaviest industrial metal/noise music you've heard since Swans. Or 100 Gecs.
But I am most proud of my recording efforts to be honest. The website Bandcamp has been a godsend. One of the only companies that fairly pays artists right now (looking at you Spotify…), Bandcamp is a place artists can upload music and charge for it and whatever. Anyways, I have 2 full albums and a 25 minute EP on Bandcamp and on my YouTube channel. I recorded many many songs and sequenced albums before this, but none of that has seen the light of day.
The first album is called Mania Machinations and it was pretty depressing to make and to listen to. But it was incredibly therapeutic to me, it felt like casting out demons. There are also a few songs I still think are really pretty, like the song Go to Bed which is about that feeling I mentioned earlier. I remember I was on a call with someone I trusted for hours and at the end they told me I should stop trying to make music because it didn't sound good. They told me I was going to end up broke and homeless and that I was pretty stupid for even attempting to do this stuff.
To me, the point has always been about expression and catharsis. And once I found a few people who my messages resonated with, then the point expanded to almost a group therapy thing. Casting out demons. So anyways, I got off that call that fateful night at 5 am and went to my room and wrote Go to Bed to try and describe all the thoughts in my stupid head. It started out bitter, but then changed and became something beautiful.
The second album is Paper Skies, and in that one I tried to adopt a character to live the life I want to live. Themes of touring, meeting people, and still not quite finding whatever it is I'm looking for. Ideas of ascending to the stars by shooting for the moon. Lots of pipe dreams and sad breakup songs. But about halfway through, the "character" starts to fall apart as imposter syndrome takes hold. In the end I go back to themes of mental health and isolation. This album is lyrically super meta and kind of pretentious, but when I wrote it, it didn't feel that way.
And my latest project is an EP called The Sighting, which I highly recommend as a starting point if you want to listen to my music. The Sighting is titled to sound like a UFO encounter. I tried to tone down some of the darker elements, and I just really like the way this one turned out. I'm a big album person, and when I write I try to sequence things right. Everything has purpose and is tied together thematically, and in this case I was thinking of the future. Of the possible end of the world or breakdown of society as we currently know it. But instead of making songs about that, I just used a post-apocalyptic setting as a backdrop for a bunch of songs that at their heart are love songs. The music videos I made I'm really proud of, especially one called Lighting in a Bottle (which was inspired by Elliott Smith's video for Coming Up Roses).
Oh, almost forgot to mention this, but if you download any of my music off Bandcamp you get access to liner notes and cool artwork. Also, exclusive to The Sighting there is a pdf that serves as a book of short stories to flesh out the post-apocalyptic world. There's a lot of recurring themes and motifs in my work, and a lot of them get explained in much further detail. Plus, they took months to write so it'd be awesome if people got to read them.
Finally, I'm currently obsessed with YouTube. On my channel I talk about music, weird media, horror, and make video essays and commentary style videos on pretty much anything I'm interested in. Every now and then I go live and play music. I think I'm funny, maybe you will too!
The music industry is so vast, I don't think I can even begin to predict how things are going to shake out, I can only speak to my little bubble. But one thing I know for certain, you'll be hearing about me and my associates more and more as the years go on. Just kidding… Or am I?
In all seriousness, I am seeing some interesting trends develop among people my age (I'm 19) {note from current me: I'm 20 now lol}. More and more bands like, I don't know, Pigeon Pit, are finding success. The Front Bottoms are getting huge. Phoebe Bridgers is a cultural icon. People like Mac Demarco are able to release music on Bandcamp and actually become millionaires. Some would have you believe music is dying, I believe there has never been a more interesting time in music. The variety, lack of extreme censorship, ability to find fans and friends without needing a record label, power to play almost anywhere, at this point all you really need is patience, drive, determination, and something to say. Everyone has something to say.
Indie rock and psychedelic rock seem to be making a comeback into the mainstream, and so does pop punk and nu-metal. Lots of genres being mashed together to create new things. 100 Gecs basically made a whole new genre super popular. An artist called Weatherday made one of the coolest albums ever only a couple years ago. Will Toledo went from recording albums in his car to playing big venues.
The world seems to be able to tell when an artist is being real, so my advice for artists that want to find lasting success would be to do whatever you want. Don't worry too much about trends, there's a place for pretty much everything and you'll have way more fun making the weird stuff you want to make instead of making something that looks or sounds exactly like whatever happens to be popular at the time. Sure, the culture shifts, but it's never boring.
That's my whole thing, at least art is never boring. I can try to approach life as an adventure instead of as a terrifying slog through hardship and pain. Whether or not I'm deluding myself doesn't really matter at that point. Perspective is like 50% of your entire outlook and attitude I've come to learn.
thanks for reading, if any blogs wanna interview me and also not be too scaredy-cat to publish it:)
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vampire6bux · 1 month
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satanick forgive me i forgot the name of the oc but its the wet pathetic /lh one thats the rich family background and has a suit and a bodyguard maybe???? :(((((( anyways 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9 for them :3
they haunt me when i dont have any thoughts running in the backround /pos
LIDNEYYYY KIDNEYYY KODNEYYY ILYY YES THATS POET I THINK U R SPEAKING OF <3 and his bodyguard(more like his caretaker) that’s sylie :D it makes me so hapy to hear my characters haunt u I SMILEEE.
1. would he fight me No absolutely nottttt he is a pussy & scared of being breathed on the wrong way. At least at the beginning of his story, he wouldnt even want any thing to do with me and wouldn’t believe that he even had the Chance to confront the person who made him . At the end of his story still wouldn’t fight me, but throughout it He becomes a little more self confident and less scared of the world and gets life experience , he would maybe ask to sit and talk with me, he would still be deathly anxious about it thou
3. if poet could change anything about his life he would change his upbringing , after the events of his story he begins to resent his parents just a little bit for making him scared of being alive basically and coddling him and preventing him from ever being able to live his own life despite the fact he is an adult , using his chronic illness against him . I would not change it for him because i like seeing his development from a terrified little boy stuck in the body of an adult to a ummmm slightly less terrified person .
5. HE WAS CREATED BECAUSE UMMM Idk I think I was thinking about an old cabbit (cat/rabbit) oc I had years ago and I was like wahhh I want another one but .. what if the cat was a. BIG CAT .. or a LESSER CAT.. and now MAKE HIM SCARED!!
8. yes. the parts of having him That are difficult is probably , for the most part, my own disposition to portraying him as Only pathetic and scared . Just because it’s fun to draw and write him as so, but there is a lot more to him. I really really want to begin working on the comic hes in again and show everyone how he really is as a character … i can’t even describe him properly right now, he’s so vivid in my head, i have a scene where he sort of snaps . And it is delicious .
9. my favorite part of having poet And any of my other ocs tbh, is thinking about their relationships with one another and how they interact . Diamachi + poet are so much fun, the “YOU RUINED MY LIFE” vs “I DONT KNOW YOU” that gets the story rolling, sylie and poet as the rock he has been able to rely on his whole life and sylie watching him grow up and feeling awful about how he turned out and how little he could do to help, Virgo and poet being Complete character foils. Virgo who has experienced some of the worst pain life has had to offer repeatedly, never being in a stable environment , never knew peace before being literally sold to poet’s parents for use to test medicines and getting to stay there when they died But doesn’t outwardly seem to be affected by anything vs. Terrified lynx bunny with rich parents never left his house, why are you scared ?
I love him. I love himmmm
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Aww hey guys :'))
Hmm something tells me you cleaned up Morgan xD
Like yourself I mean lol
Awww 😭😭❤️ Morgan noo, it's okay :'((
Girl this doesn't mean you're a bad mom <33
Awww :'((
I mean why don't you just do it xD
LOL yeah she is persuasive
Nahh I think he's more angry than that xd
Yeeaahh xd
Well hey at least he'll try :D
I mean that's honestly fair
But like with the memories why couldn't he try and be like that? Knowing what he was like :(?
Aww 😭😭💔❤️ that's sad :'(( yeah I do see wanting to spend the rest of your life happy instead
:'O Wait so there is a way :'))??
Awww yayy 🥰🥰🥰
Lol and yeah, he has the experience xD
Hmm 👀 but Shaun's definitely gonna join him xd 😬
Aww :'((
Uh ohh 😬😬
The tension with these parents is slightly stressing me out xdd
Well I mean yeah we can try something :( :'))!
Aww Morgannn xdd girl is going through it fr
Nahh you're gonna fall asleep lol
Lol yup xD
UH OH o.o
Phew lol
Aww Morgannn xdd
Shaun watch yourself xD
Shaun. Chill xD
Nah bro just listen to him, it'll make it easier for everyone
Okay lowkey the "not the one doing the surgery" is funny XD
Oof though xd 😭
Ayy a solution :D hopefully anyway :))
That's good 🥰🥰
Yess thank you Lim xd he doesn't need to hear it from Shaun <3
Yeah Shaun she's right, you don't want this to affect you :'((
So ik it's hard but stay out of it xdd
Aww hey Morgan <33
Aww girl 😭😭❤️
Ohh noo :(( 😬
Ooh Park 👀
Girl c'mon, you just gotta answer the door xd no other options lol
It would be funny if he doesn't know she was faking earlier and just thinks it all fell apart between then XD
Aww girlll 😭😭😭❤️ it's not your fault <33
He's done this before bestie :')) it's okay <33
Also yayy he has diapers :D xDD
Awww lol xd
SLGJDHKS not the window xD
Did you jump out lol
Ah okay no one did xD
Aww they fell asleep :'))
You'll figure it out bestie <33
Aww hey y'all :))
Oope talking about it 😬
Oh 👀
Yeah both of you try it :D
I mean maybe they can work better together now, listening to each other :D?
Like, a link :)
Aww 🥰🥰
Oh no D:
It's not gonna work is it :'((
Nooo 😭😭😭😭
This poor kid :'((
Oof Jordan xD
Lea why are you here though lol
Like hi I'm not complaining but why xD
Girl I think you're both just nervous :))
Aww yeah that sounds fun :D
Idk what it is but it's probably good :))
See? 🥰 It'll work out
Shaunnn
Bad decisionssss xdd
Shaun
Leave the man be XD
Aww because of the patient :((?
Wait that stuff too
Oh no did it not work D: :((?
With the board I mean?
Okay phew no news on that yet
Uh ohh noo she has bad news xd
Yep xdd
I'm sorry Andrews :(
-
UH??!?!!!?
SIR????!
What's your excuse to try and change their minds?
Maybe that's your reasoning but still, it's thin and even if she trusts you I still wouldn't tell XD
Check yourself lol
Ik he's off balance but yk xd
ShaunnNNNN
This is stressing me out xd
Less because of the surgery more because of your guys' relationship xD 😭
Awww 😭😭😭💔💔❤️ besties I am so sorry :'((
No dude I'm sorry :'((( but you need to think about making it the best it can be
You don't mean that :( <33
Oope Andrews :'o but yeah he needs the tough love right now :((
It's awful and it's not fair at all, but yeah :((
You need to focus on the now, and things to have memories of <33
Awww 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
They don't deserve this <333 truly, no one does :'((
Not like I ever joke about people deserving it or something I just mean truly as in like I'm being extra genuine? Idk I can't explain it xd
I do wish he could go to that Christmas festival though :(( maybe they'll try and find some way to set something like that up for him sometime :')
Aaahhhhh 😭😭😭😭💔💔❤️❤️❤️🥰
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ameleah · 3 years
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a different somewhat controversial take:
what if Emilie was as bad as Gabriel (as a human and a parent), except she was more affectionate towards Adrien?
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taeyongdoyoung · 3 years
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summary: as someone who’s been tormented for being a nerd, you’ve never viewed your friendly teasing towards your best friend seonghwa as bullying. but that is until he completely changes his style and image in school, confronting you about your past behaviour, so you have no choice but to admit the real reason why you’ve been making fun of him...
pairing: popular boy!seonghwa x nerd!reader
genre: high school!AU (the characters are 18 for the spicy parts huehehe), best friends to fake dating to lovers, angst, romance, smut, fluff
warnings: friendly teasing, clichéd/unrealistic portrayal of high school dynamics, hwa does kabedon on yn like once, seonghwa’s a bit of a tsundere, fake dating, hints of possessiveness, slightly problematic remarks, yn is briefly hwa’s slave?! (no, i will not elaborate), bullying, mean girls, insults, hair-pulling, kicking, death threats, some swearing, self-blame, power play, overuse of pet names (princess, baby, little girl, etc.), sir kink (i won’t apologize lol), begging, yunho being nosy (yes, that’s a warning), mention of hypothetical collars, insecurities, making out, loss of virginities, lots of kissing, soft dom!hwa, eating out, fingering, blowjob, consensual protected sex, dirty talk, praising, aftercare, crying, hurt&comfort, a lot of dorky references (cuz that’s me, after all), jumping off a balcony (don’t try this at home!), happy ending
author’s note: will i ever stop bullying poor hwa’s kermit hoodie? no. jk, i lov him so much, he’s so talented & gorgeous no matter what he wears ;-;
disclaimer: all jokes aside, i do not in any way condone bullying and this work is entirely fictional for entertainment purposes! i’ve been physically and emotionally tormented in school and though i have not talked much about it, i do not wish such an experience to anyone! treating people with kindness is cool and i hope everyone spreads more love! ❤️
word count: 9.4k
Having been best friends with Seonghwa for four years now (ever since your first year in high school), you couldn’t help but making fun of every little adorable thing he did. And honestly, you admired his patience when it came to putting up with your incessant teasing. Diligently cleaning up everything after him? You’d call him a neat freak. Not being able to drink coffee? You’d call him a teacup loser. 
So, when he started wearing that green hoodie of his to school, you couldn’t resist the temptation to call him Kermit the frog. And at first, it all started as a joke. But then the nickname kinda stuck and you just kept addressing him as Kermit, even if he wasn’t wearing the delectable green hoodie. And at one point, you could tell that poor Seonghwa was not a huge fan of the whole thing. But he never called you out on it or told you to stop. He never teased you back for being a hopeless nerd who studied 24/7 and read books for fun. So, you kept going.
Until the summer before your last year in high school arrived. Sadly, Seonghwa was going to be out of the country for the whole vacation. You were going to miss him terribly, you realized. You had become so used to seeing him everyday that you couldn’t imagine how you’d last three months without being able to see his pretty face all the time. You’d occasionally text him memes and ask him what he was up to. But as the summer was coming to an end, his replies became less and less frequent, more and more concise. You kept wondering if you’d done something wrong. It couldn’t be the Kermit thing, you began telling yourself. After all, it was normal to tease your best friend every once in a while. Right?
When the first day of your last year in high school came, you were nervously anticipating the moment when you’d see Seonghwa again. Summer without him had been so boring and you couldn’t wait to hug him again and find a new thing to joke about.
The second you saw him, you instinctively knew there would be no more joking around. Seonghwa practically walked into the school hallway like he owned the place. He’d completely changed his style and overall image. Gone were the dorky hoodies you secretly loved so much. Instead, they were replaced by a black leather jacket. Gone were the casual sweatpants he looked so good in. In their place were dark jeans that made him look kinda dangerous. And the whole confidence with which he carried himself was just totally different. 
If you had known that a summer abroad could change a person so much, you would have tried harder at convincing him to stay in the country. On top of it all, he was now hanging out with a bunch of popular a-holes that you had never talked to before. Honestly, you couldn’t even gather the courage to approach your best friend. He looked so distant and unfamiliar that you couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. Especially when you heard him laughing at the cool kids’ jokes. That should have been you...
You remembered when you were the one making him giggle, as if it was a century ago, when in reality it was just a couple of months. You kept sighing during the whole day, not daring to even talk to him. If he wanted to still hang out with you after his sudden “change in status”, he would, you kept convincing yourself. But he didn’t. In fact, he ignored you the whole day, making you feel like shit.
Just as you were leaving the school building in a hurry, mentally prepared for an evening of crying your eyes out and eating ice cream, you felt a hand grabbing you tightly. Turning around, you were surprised to find Seonghwa’s eyes staring back at you.
“Hi, princess,” he greeted you calmly.
“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you responded dumbly.
“What? No witty comeback?” Seonghwa scoffed, smirking.
“What are you talking about?”
“Aren’t you gonna bully me and call me names again? Kermit? Teacup loser? Neat freak? What’s it gonna be this time?” he spat out, pushing you against the school wall and extending his arms to touch the cold bricks so that you would feel trapped.
“Bully you?” you whispered in disbelief. “H-hwa, I wasn’t...I didn’t m-mean...”
“Oh, yeah?” he mocked your stuttering self. “Then, why did you say all these things, huh?”
“You know why,” you replied.
“No, I don’t. So, tell me right now or I swear, I can make your existence a living hell,” Seonghwa threatened.
“Because I like you, you idiot!” you cried out. “I like you so that’s why I’ve been teasing you. Because if I didn’t, I would have to admit how attractive I find all your habits. How adorable it is when you used to tidy your desk and how sexy you looked in that damned green hoodie. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”
You were so frustrated with the way he ignored you all day only to accuse you of bullying him that you ducked your head swiftly beneath his arm, simultaneously bending your knees, and, thus, successfully escaping from Seonghwa’s ambush.
“Y/N, wait!” he called after you, but you were running too fast and luck was on your side, as the bus arrived at that exact same moment, allowing you to get on it, before he could.
You couldn’t sleep much that night, tormented by the fact Seonghwa had confused your friendly jokes with bullying and how foolishly you’d confessed your feelings for him. You were certain that your affections were unrequited and now that he had this whole new position in the school hierarchy, he would undoubtedly make fun of you for them. You were even considering transferring to another school to avoid the potential embarrassment.
In the morning, no sooner had you finished breakfast in the comfort of your room than you heard loud honks. They were unlike the ones in your dad’s car so you couldn’t help but wonder what jerk had decided to park in front of your house and make your day even worse.
“Sweetie,” your mom informed you a bit after. “Your friend Seonghwa is here. He said he’ll drive you to school today. As promised.”
“He did?” you mumbled in confusion. But maybe because you weren’t ready to talk to your mom yet about what happened yesterday, you lied. “Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot.”
Hurriedly, you grabbed your bag and practically sprinted downstairs. You were curious to see what he wanted. And that’s exactly what you asked the minute you entered his car.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Aw, no good morning for me, princess?” Seonghwa pouted and God, you hated how cute you found him after the way he’d treated you the previous day. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he rolled his eyes, starting the engine. “I’m driving you to school.”
“I can see that. But why?” you hissed.
“Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” he groaned. “If you’re so insistent on finding out, I’ll tell you. Ever since you told me how you felt yesterday, I’ve been thinking...And I’ve come to the conclusion that you have two options. Option number one is to enjoy your hellish last year of high school. You’ve had your fair share of teasing me so I’m definitely going to enjoy telling everyone about your little crush on me. It’s going to be so much fun to embarrass you in front of the whole school.”
What the fuck was wrong with him? Seonghwa was supposed to be your best friend! Why was he suddenly acting like you were worth less than a dirty rug? Was it possible that he had changed so much in the span of three months? Or was he always like that? Had you been blinded by his good looks? No, that definitely wasn’t the case. Seonghwa was the sweetest guy you’d ever known. How did he get so...cold? Cold enough to chill your bones.
“And what’s option number two?” you grunted, already anticipating the worst.
“So, there’s this annoying girl in our class I want to avoid at all costs. Just because her parents are doing business with mine does not mean I’m into her. Option number two is for us to pretend we’re dating in school. Considering how much you like me, I’m assuming it won’t be very difficult for you to pretend. If you agree, that is.”
What a jerk...You shared your sincere feelings with your best friend and that’s the first thing that crossed his mind? To use you in order to avoid some random girl? If it was any other guy, you would have said no. If you weren’t desperate for even a fraction of Seonghwa’s time and attention, you would have said no. If you weren’t so pathetically whipped for him, you would have said no.
“I’ll do it,” you said. “For how long do you need me to be your fake girlfriend?”
“Just until graduation. Then, we’ll fake break up and each go our separate ways. How does that sound?”
It sounded terrible! You wanted Seonghwa to be a part of your life forever. But with the way he was treating you, you weren’t confident he felt the same way anymore.
“Sounds great,” you lied, because you couldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing your thoughts. You’d never be perceived as weak again.
The second you walked into school, Seonghwa’s arm wrapped possessively around your shoulder, everyone’s eyes were on you. It was like high-schoolers had no better thing to occupy their time with but to gossip around the latest dating news. If you weren’t enjoying his company so much, you would have found their reactions pathetic. And somewhat unnerving.
“When did you two lovebirds start seeing each other?” one of Seonghwa’s popular friends Yunho asked.
“Oh, you know what they say. A girl and a guy can’t stay just friends for long,” Seonghwa responded.
You internally rolled your eyes. Your best friend before the summer would have never said such a thing. Whatever the reason for his current behaviour was, you would get to the bottom of it. And right now, you felt like going along with this whole fake dating thing was your best chance at unraveling the mystery.
For the first day of your little arrangement, everything seemed to be going fine. Everyone was staring at you two but you didn’t mind. All you cared about was him. However, soon enough Seonghwa started asking you for weird things.
“Carry my bag for me.” / “Get me a drink from the vending machine, will you?” / “Bring me a snack from the supermarket across the street.” / “Oh, and for my friends, too, doll.”
Seriously, it was getting infuriating. You no longer felt like you were his bestie. You didn’t even feel like you were his fake girlfriend. At this point, you had practically become his slave! Running any errand and carrying his stuff for him. But what was the alternative? If you refused to play your part in this pretend dating scheme, he could easily turn against you and make fun of you in front of the whole school. So, you kept your mouth shut and swallowed your pride.
One evening, around a month after the fake dating agreement had started, you had stayed in the library a bit longer to prepare for an upcoming assignment. By the time you were out of the school building, you supposed that Seonghwa had already gone home. Frankly, the only nice thing he was intent on doing for you was driving you to school and back to your place most of the days.
As you were making your way towards the bus stop, you had the strangest suspicion you were being followed. Not daring to turn around, you started walking faster. But unfortunately, your attackers also sped up and soon enough, you were surrounded by a group of angry faces. Their leader was obviously Eunhee, the most popular girl in the whole school. And coincidentally, this was also the girl whose parents were doing business with Seonghwa’s parents. The very reason you were fake dating your best friend in the first place.
“Well, if it isn’t the little bookshrimp,” she mocked you, sticking a sharp nail into your chest. You didn’t bother correcting her that the right term was bookworm. You were already in enough trouble as it was. For some reason, teasing Seonghwa had been easy because you meant well and you were sure he wouldn’t hurt you. Not really. Because he knew how badly you’d been bullied in middle school. But now that you were met with so many threatening figures, you froze rightaway, unable to defend yourself.
“Just l-leave me alone,” you stammered.
“Aw, aren’t you a little pathetic shrimpie?” Eunhee cooed and started pulling your hair harshly and kicking you onto the ground. The other girls were holding you down so that you wouldn’t fight back. “Did you seriously believe you can steal Seonghwa from me? We’re meant to be together and if you stand in our way, I will fucking kill you!”
“S-stop, you’re hurting me!” you exclaimed sorrowfully. You tried your best to shield yourself and push her away but her loyal minions were preventing you from doing so. Just as Eunhee was about to slap you across the face, you witnessed as her threatening hand was stopped mid-air by the interloper whose features you couldn’t quite discern in the dark. But whose voice you would recognize anywhere.
“You think you’re so brave?” Seonghwa yelled at Eunhee and her friends. “Ganging up on her like that? Six against one? You’re the pathetic ones.”
“Hwa, we were just trying to teach her a lesson. She should learn her place, after all,” Eunhee tried to explain.
“A lesson?” he scoffed. “You dumbasses can’t even pass Calculus and you want to teach the smartest girl in our school a lesson?” your heart melted with warmth at how highly he thought of you. “Oh, that’s rich.”
“You won’t tell my dad, right?” Eunhee was suddenly on the defensive. She’d probably be in big trouble if he found out how his precious daughter was behaving in school.
“Get out of my sight right now or I’ll tell the whole country,” Seonghwa threatened through gritted teeth. (Later on, he actually did tell her dad about the incident and Eunhee, along with her followers, were suspended from school for two weeks. Oh, and their rich parents cut off their money, which was pretty impressive an accomplishment). And so, the vicious girls scattered like roaches in daylight. Pulling you onto your feet, Seonghwa grabbed your hand and started walking towards his car which you somehow hadn’t noticed parked nearby. Getting inside, he started the engine immediately but his hands were clutching the steering wheel so hard you were feeling a bit scared. You had never seen your best friend so angry. Well, maybe the only other time that came close was when you were telling him about your past experiences with bullying...
“Are you mad at me?” you asked sheepishly.
“At you?” he chuckled harshly. “Why would I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I don’t know...”
“Why didn’t you fight them back?” Seonghwa inquired.
“I tried, but I was reminded of middle school and just...froze. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, I’m not blaming you,” he replied calmly. “I was just wondering. Cause I know you’ve been going to self-defense classes. And I thought you were making progress. I mean, the last time I came to watch, you were pretty good.”
That was before the summer. Of course it was. Still, you were touched by the fact that he remembered. Despite acting like he didn’t care, you instinctively knew he did.
“I mean, I was,” you said. “But I panicked.”
Seonghwa let go of the wheel with one hand and placed it on your bare knee, rubbing calming circles around it. You two were alone so you were certain this was no longer the fake dating thing. This was just your best friend being there for you when you needed him the most.
“If anyone tries that shit again, just tell them you’re my girlfriend, alright? They have to be idiots to mess with you,” he spoke angrily.
“Fake girlfriend,” you reminded him sadly.
“That’s none of their business,” he replied, but didn’t correct you. Oh, how badly you wished to be his real girlfriend. To show him how much you cared for him.
“Why did you change so much over the summer?” you suddenly asked, while Seonghwa was driving you home.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Seonghwa responded harshly. “You don’t like my green hoodie and you also don’t like my leather jacket? There’s really no satisfying you, is there?”
“I didn’t mean your clothes,” you mumbled. “Just...your overall attitude towards me. Before the summer you used to let me squeeze your cheeks and sit in your lap and now you seem so...unapproachable. I’m just saying, we were closer when I was your best friend than we are now that I’m your fake girlfriend.”
Seonghwa stopped the car abruptly, making you blink in shock.
“I changed because I was sick of you treating me like a little boy and I wanted you to start seeing me as a man,” he admitted but without looking into your eyes.
“W-what are you saying?” you swallowed nervously.
“Nevermind.”
“No, you have to talk to me, Hwa!” you insisted desperately. “If you still consider me your best friend, be honest with me. Please.”
“This,” he gestured vaguely at you as he finally met your gaze. “This is exactly why I changed so much, Y/N. I don’t want to be your best friend anymore.”
His cruel words hurt you more than anything you’d ever experienced in your life. More than all the bullying, the slapping and getting pushed against a wall. Losing your best friend was your worst fear. But you had promised yourself to never be weak again. So the second he said that, you pulled the handle of the side door, attempting to get out of his car. Before you could do that, Seonghwa grabbed your hand, effectively keeping you in place.
“I want to be your boyfriend. For real this time,” he elaborated.
You stared at him in utter confusion.
“But...when I confessed, you acted like you didn’t care. Like I meant nothing to you.”
“Forget how I acted. I only offered the fake dating shit because I wanted to get closer to you again. Make up for the lost time during the summer. Do you honestly think I give a fuck about what Eunhee thinks or says about me? I just used that as an excuse. I’ve told her I’m not into her hundreds of times. And yes, maybe I have changed. Not because I don’t care about you. But because I do. You used to gush about Count Dracula and Darth Vader so much that I thought if I became the bad guy, you’d finally notice me. I wanted so terribly to impress you and make you stop seeing me as your adorable best friend that I got too lost in the feeling of holding power over you...Too lost to notice you liked me all along, didn’t you?”
“I did,” you whispered teary-eyed. “I do,” correcting yourself. “H-hwa, I’m so sorry to break it to you but-”
“If you reject me, I won’t be responsible for attempted murder,” Seonghwa interrupted you jokingly.
“I’m so sorry to break it to you,” you repeated with a sly smirk. “But no matter how hard you try to change, I will always see you as my adorable best friend. And though I have to admit I did stop teasing you temporarily, that was only because you suddenly started behaving like the dangerously sexy king of the high school. Can you blame me for feeling a little intimidated? I know I’ve said this before but I didn’t think me teasingly calling you Kermit would go this far. I never meant to hurt you, Hwa.”
“I know you didn’t, princess,” Seonghwa whispered, gently stroking your cheeks.
“And yes,” you smiled shyly, leaning into his touch.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I want to be your real girlfriend. It would be a dream come true.”
“Yeah?” he chuckled, as if the very idea seemed amusing to him. “How badly do you want it?”
“So badly, I would do anything for you, sir,” you uttered the last word without thinking much, your brain somehow recalling a time when you two had discussed how you’d enjoy being called by a potential significant other. In retrospect, that wasn’t really a thing best friends generally talked about.
“Sir?” Seonghwa grinned, leaning his head against your forehead. “Keep that up and your real girlfriend status will be confirmed.”
“I want to kiss you so much,” you were on the verge of begging. Oh, screw it. “Please, please, let me kiss you.”
He didn’t respond, just connected your lips with his own softly, taking his time with you. It was pure magic. You had thought about kissing your best friend thousands of times. But nothing compared to the reality. Parting your lips further to let his tongue in, you physically couldn’t prevent yourself from moaning into his mouth, overwhelmed by how good it felt. How insanely intoxicating he tasted. How you were burning alive and it would be the sweetest death imaginable.
“Not if I kiss you first,” Seonghwa said once he broke the kiss apart. “Oh, wait, I just did.”
What the hell...had just happened? Sneaking a peak at the time, you were suddenly panicking by how late it was.
“Holy shit, my parents are going to kill me!” you exclaimed. “Can you please drive me home?”
“Sure thing, princess,” he laughed, increasingly amused by your flustered self. “That’s exactly what I was intending to do anyways. I’m not in the habit of keeping little girls past their bed time.”
“Shut up, I’m not a little girl!” you complained. “I’m just a few months younger than you. Asshole.”
“Hey! Is that any way to speak to your devoted boyfriend?” Seonghwa scolded you teasingly.
Oh, God. You loved the sound of that. Your best friend was now your boyfriend. It still felt unreal.
“I’m sorry, sir,” you mewled apologetically, already knowing how to make him weak for you with just one tiny word. “And thank you for taking me home.”
“Anytime,” Seonghwa smiled. “See you tomorrow, baby.”
You could get used to it. Reaching forward to open the door for you, he whispered in your ear:
“I’m taking you out on our first date. Doll yourself up for me, will you?”
You nodded, your heart beating too fast to actually manage a verbal response. After you got inside and suffered a brief interrogation from your parents (using the library+extra assignments excuse), you hurried up the stairs, took a quick shower and then went to bed. No sooner had you closed your eyes than your phone buzzed with notifications.
Kermit the Frog: You still up?
Kermit the Frog: For fear of sounding lame, I moss you already
Kermit the Frog: *Miss...damn autocorrect
You chuckled upon seeing his messages. Whatever demon possessed you to still keep that nickname in your chat, you knew you had to change it immediately. If he saw it on your first date tomorrow, you would never hear the end of it.
You: I’m awake, yes
You: And I moss you too 😉
You purposefully misspelled the word to tease him. After all, it was only in order.
Boyfie 🐸: That obnoxious Kermit nickname better be gone by tomorrow
He texted as if he’d read your mind and you gasped in surprise.
Boyfie 🐸: Or we’re having our first couple fight!!
You: How did you know?!?
Boyfie 🐸: Not my fault you keep your phone unlocked sometimes
Boyfie 🐸: I’m not kidding, change it right now 😡
You: Changed it already
You texted him back quickly, sending him a screenshot.
You: Can I at least keep the frog emoji? 🥺
Boyfie 🐸: NO!!! REMOVE IT OR WE BREAK UP 😡😡😡
You: Damnit, Hwa, your angery Aries is showing...okay, fineee
You sent another screenshot of the now changed emoji.
You: Happy now?
Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Much better, princess 🤗🤗🤗
Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Now go to sleep, we have early classes tomorrow
You: Wow, so bossy. Okay, sir, I’m going
Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Good night, my baby 😘
You: Staaahp, ohmygosh. And good night, Hwa 🥺
The next morning you ran outside faster than The Flash as soon as you heard the oh-so-familiar honks. When you saw Seonghwa waiting there to pick you up, your heart did a backflip as you excitedly took the passenger seat.
“Good morning, boyfriend,” you greeted him and kissed his cheek. “This still feels so strange.”
“Well, you better get used to it, doll. Wow, you really cleaned up nicely today,” he complimented your pastel pink dress. “Not that you usually don’t! You’re always gorgeous, I just meant that you’re especially gorgeous and...nope, that also sounds wrong. Okay, I shut up now.”
“Relax,” you giggled. “It’s fine. I appreciate the effort. You don’t look so bad yourself. Oh, who am I kidding? You’re practically sex on legs 24/7. I think it’s time for me to shut up now.”
“You’re so cute when you get flustered. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“Just you,” you admitted.
Once you walked into the school, it was like everyone noticed the subtle change in your dynamic. Because Seonghwa did something he never did before. He carried your bag and gave you his leather jacket! And Hwa’s friends were immediately onto you like bees to honey.
“I mean, I knew you guys were dating,” Seonghwa’s friend Yunho observed. “But I never saw the chemistry before, to be honest. Until now. I mean, come on, Y/N was like a loyal puppy, always following Hwa around.”
“Hey, don’t give him any ideas!” you joked.
“Too late. Already ordered the collar,” Seonghwa winked.
“Kinky. Can’t tell if I’m into it or want to cut off my ears,” Yunho grinned. “Probably both.”
“Nice chat, but we gotta head to class, Yu,” Seonghwa said because his friend was in a different class.
“See you for lunch?” Yunho suggested.
“Can’t. Already made plans with this little girl,” Hwa tilted his head towards you.
“Whoo, enjoy, then!”
“It’s not what it sounds like!” you groaned, feeling uncharacteristically embarassed.
“Isn’t it?” Seonghwa smirked mysteriously and pulled you towards the room you had class in.
“Nothing involving collars and puppies, I assure you!” you yelled (perhaps a little too loudly), twisting your head, not wanting to give Yunho and the rest of Seonghwa’s friends the wrong idea.
When your classes for the day were over, Seonghwa led you towards his car once again. You were a bit nervous to make a good impression on your first date. Even though it was silly. Your best friend of four years had surely made a first impression a long time ago.
“Where are we going?” you asked to break the awkward silence.
“It’s a surprise, princess. Can you be patient for me?”
“I can,” you promised dutifully and placed your tiny hand on top of his. “Anything for you, sir.”
Seonghwa lost focus on the road for the briefest of moments in order to give you a warning look. One look and that was all you needed to keep you quiet and obedient. Eventually, you realized where he was taking you. Though you hadn’t been to his place for a couple of months now, you couldn’t forget how the drive to Seonghwa’s home looked.
“I dressed myself up and we’re just going to your place?” you hmphed in playful annoyance. “So much for our glamorous first date.”
“Don’t underestimate the power of my cooking skills. Shit, I sorta ruined the surprise, didn’t I?”
“Aww, you were planning to cook for me on our first date? Hwaaa, I’ve only had you as a boyfriend for less than 24 hours and you’re already pulling out the big guns! I don’t mean to push my luck but if you’re cooking now, I’m trembling to witness our one month anniversary.”
Seonghwa rolled his eyes.
“You’re very ambitious to think you can put up with me for an entire month.”
”Hwa, sweetie, I’ve put up with you for four years.”
“Not as your boyfriend, you haven’t.”
“We’ll talk again in 30 days,” you vowed enigmatically.
“Here we are,” Seonghwa announced once he parked in front of his home. “My parents are currently at work so you don’t need to worry about...well, anything, really.”
“What’s the supposed to mean?” for some reason his words made you even more worried.
“Nothing, I just meant you can...like, be yourself. There’s no one to impress.”
“There’s you,” you pointed out. “Don’t forget your parents already know me. And besides, you’re the only person I care about impressing.” 
“Not to stroke your ego, but you’ve already impressed me. After all, you’re the only one who’s had the audacity to compare me to a freaking muppet and survived.”
“Point taken,” you chuckled.
“Come on, let’s get inside,” Seonghwa suggested and the two of you entered his house. No matter how much you begged him to let you help with the cooking, he was insistent that he would do all the work. Said something about making up to you for the times you had to carry his bag or buy snacks to him and his friends. When you argued that you also had some making up to do for all the times you teased him a little too insensitively, he said that you agreeing to be his real girlfriend was enough to satisfy his wounded heart. Seeing that there was no point in arguing, you gave up and occupied yourself by mindlessly scrolling through social media. About an hour later, Seonghwa finally deemed his culinary masterpieces ready to be eaten. He allowed you to at least help set the table which you considered a small victory. The second you tried the first meal, you were so overwhelmed by the exquisite tastes that you spoke without thinking much.
“God, I wanna marry you.”
Seonghwa simply chuckled, amused by your unexpected reaction.
“Did I say that out loud?” you whispered, completely mortified, covering your mouth in embarassment.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Shit, I’m such a mess,” you mumbled.
“No, it’s fine. I take it as a compliment. Now, eat up before it gets cold. If my wicked plan works, you’ll have bought me a wedding ring by the time dessert arrives.”
“Truly wicked. I’m in danger,” you laughed and kept enjoying the various meals Seonghwa had prepared. 
Once the plates were empty, you felt so full and warm you couldn’t possibly move. And no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. Seonghwa had to physically carry you to the couch so that you two would re-watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi together, warmly cuddled up under a blanket.
Suddenly, you were possessed by the urge to speak your mind and be as honest with him as possible. After hiding your true feelings for four years, now that you were finally given the chance to be yourself, you were feeling uncharacteristically brave.
“You know, even though I was messing around earlier, I had indeed daydreamed about marrying you back in our first year of high school. You were the first boy who ever treated me like I wasn’t the walking joke of the universe. The first who ever hung out with me not as a prank but because you actually saw me as a friend. When I started teasing you about your cute habits, I hope you know I never wished to hurt you. I just wanted to show you that I notice and appreciate every single detail about you. So, yeah, I really like you, Hwa. Have liked you for a long time.”
Seonghwa had paused the movie the second you started talking. And now that you were done sharing your thoughts, he seemed unable to say anything. The silence was a bit awkward so you interrupted it once again.
“I’m sorry, that was silly. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable so early in our re-”
This time, he interrupted you with a kiss, pulling you into his lap, just like the good old days. You smiled into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him.
“It wasn’t silly. I appreciate you saying all that,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And for the record, I know you meant well with all the teasing. In a sense, a part of me even suspected that you liked me back. But I was also feeling a bit insecure. I kept thinking that you could do so much better than go out with dorky Kermit guy who has an obsession with tidying up, you know? That you deserved someone else. But I couldn’t allow anyone else to be that someone. So, I changed myself.”
“Maybe you did change a little. But in my heart, you’re always going to be my Frog Prince Hwa.”
“I hate you so much,” he rolled his eyes.
“Naw, you don’t.”
“Fine. I hate that you’re right.”
Things between you and Seonghwa were going great. It had been three months since you two started dating for real. He was super attentive and caring towards you. However, you were a bit bummed out since not much changed compared to his behaviour as your best friend and as your boyfriend. Sure, you did start kissing each other and occasionally making out (which wasn’t exactly a best friend activity). But there was one thing that still had not happened. And the more time passed, the more anxious you felt to bring it up.
One evening, you had miraculously convinced your parents to let you have a sleepover at Seonghwa’s place. After insisting that nothing out of the ordinary was going on between you two and even if something unusual did happen (which you highly doubted but secretly hoped for), you were going to use protection (and no, you were certainly not referring to Seonghwa’s collection of action figures who carried weapons).
As you and your boyfriend were enjoying your snacks while watching TV from the comfort of his bed, you couldn’t help but finally raise the question that had been tormenting your mind for a while now.
“S-seonghwa...do you not find me attractive?”
“What the hell are you asking me that for? Would you be my girlfriend if I didn’t find you attractive?”
“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never dated anyone before so...I was just wondering if there’s a particular reason why we still haven’t...taken things to the next level?”
“The next level?” he chuckled. “Relationships aren’t video games. And to answer your question, the reason’s actually the exact opposite of your concerns. We haven’t done anything more than making out because I find you ridiculously attractive. And it’s taking every last inch of my self-restraint to not pressure you into something you’re not comfortable with. I just wanted to wait until you’re ready.”
“Ready? So you knew that I haven’t...with anyone...yet?” you purposefully left out some words because you were feeling incredibly shy discussing this with Seonghwa.
“Of course I knew, princess. You’re my best friend. And my girlfriend.”
“Well, that’s a relief, at least. That you’re not repulsed by my...inexperience.”
“Why would I be when we’re in the same boat?”
“We are?” you whispered in shock.
“Why do you look so surprised?” Seonghwa laughed. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since forever. Did you honestly think I would just screw anyone else?”
“Well, it’s not like you didn’t have options,” you pointed out, referring to all the potential love interests swarming around him like bees. “Unlike me.”
“Are you regretful, little girl?” he inquired, running a lazy finger across your cheek. “Jealous?”
“No, I just...want to be the best for you, sir,” you confessed nervously.
“You’re already the best I could hope for,” Seonghwa responded and kissed you hungrily, burying his hands into your hair.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” you curiously needed to know. “That you haven’t either...”
“It’s not something that comes up in everyday conversation?” he pointed out. “What was I supposed to say? Hi, bestie, let’s have lunch together. Oh and by the way, I’m a hopeless virgin pining over you?”
“You’re right,” you laughed. “It would have made things awkward.”
“Now, unless you have any other pressing issues, I suggest we go back to kissing.”
And without giving you the time to argue, Seonghwa devoured your lips rightaway, gently pushing you down so that your back hit the sheets. Then, he started slowly taking off your jeans. Anxiously trembling under his vigorous touch, you placed a hand against his chest. He immediately noticed and put a temporary halt to his ministrations.
“We don’t have to do this right now,” he comforted you with all the seriousness in his voice.
“No, I want to, I swear,” you nodded eagerly.
“Princess, you’re literally shaking,” Seonghwa remarked.
“What’s wrong with me?” you sighed.
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect. Tell me to stop if you feel even the slightest hint of hesitation or discomfort and I will, I promise.”
“I know you would, Hwa. I trust you. But even if I’m a bit nervous, I want to do this with you. Please?”
“Well, I can’t deny you since you’re asking so nicely,” he grinned and continued where he left off. “Can I get rid of these?” Seonghwa inquired, carefully pushing your panties to the side.
“Yes, you can do anything to me.”
“Oh, sweetheart, you really shouldn’t have said that,” he chuckled darkly and tore your underwear savagely. You couldn’t even gather the energy to complain about the ruination of your new pair, you were far too turned on by Seonghwa’s aggressive nature to care. He didn’t waste any more time, grabbing your thighs to hold them in place, he began licking your pussy with his tongue and stimulating it with his long fingers. It didn’t take long for you to start squirming beneath his touch, helplessly moaning his name. He didn’t cease his merciless movements until you reached your orgasm. When your breathing finally eased, you gathered the energy to speak again:
“I thought you said you’ve never done this before? How were you so...so...”
“So good?” Seonghwa smirked confidently and bit his lower lip. “I mean...I’ve seen videos. Read some things here and there.”
“Honestly? I think you’re a god.”
“You’ll have to stop complimenting me so much or I’ll develop a god complex,” he joked. “What do you want to do next, baby?”
“I want to suck you off,” you mumbled.
“Who taught you such dirty language?”
“Hey! I read, too,” you pouted and assuredly made your way towards the carpet next to his bed.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Seonghwa asked.
“Aren’t I supposed to kneel in order to pleasure you, sir?”
“Princesses never kneel,” he instructed and got up from the bed, urging you to lie down with your head hanging from the very edge of the bed and make yourself comfortable. “Open up that pretty little mouth for me, will you?”
You did as he asked obediently and even went the extra mile to stick your tongue out. Unbuckling his belt and throwing it to the side, Seonghwa was quick to follow your wishes and let his cock spring free from his jeans. Your mouth went dry at the sight of his monstrous size. Seeing your worries if it will fit reflected in your eyes, he expressed his concern for you:
“Are you sure about this?”
“Please, please, I need you,” you whimpered without thinking, eager to have a taste. Without making you wait any longer, Seonghwa pushed the tip of his cock inside, gently letting your cheeks get used to the unfamiliar feeling. Slowly, he went deeper, allowing you to acquaint yourself with the stretch. When you kept blinking at him in anticipation, he realized you were ready for more and began moving faster, fucking into your mouth at a steady pace. As he neared his high, his motions became less controlled you were sucking more intently, impatient to swallow every last drop of him.
“Shit, I’m going to-” he attempted to break away, but you managed to wrap your hands at the back of his legs in order to keep his cock inside your mouth. 
Seconds later, he released his cum and you began drinking it thirstily. When you had made certain that no drop was wasted, you finally let go of his legs, allowing your boyfriend’s dick to dangle freely outside of your mouth.
“You’re fucking incredible,” Seonghwa praised you and placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. “My incredible girl.”
“I’m only yours, sir,” you mumbled, way too affected by him.
“You like this, don’t you?” he mocked you teasingly.
“Yes, sir, I want to belong to you,” you whimpered and turned around to pull him back into bed.
“Your wish is my command, princess,” Seonghwa smiled fondly and took a mysterious package out of the back pocket of his jeans. Soon enough, you realized what it was, as he started lining up the condom on his cock.
“Oooh, I brought one of those, as well!” you exclaimed in surprise.
“You came here on a mission, didn’t you? Wicked little thing,” he tsked in fake disapproval.
“It’s not my fault you’re walking around like an Adonis,” you defended yourself boldly.
“You’re one to speak. Freaking goddess,” Seonghwa complimented you and slowly began unbuttoning your shirt you had somehow forgotten you were still wearing. “Is this okay?” he asked softly, always making sure you were feeling safe.
“More than okay,” you consented. Left in nothing but your baby pink bra, you unintentionally shivered at the sudden cold air surrounding you. Soon after that, Seonghwa undid the clasps and you were now only wearing your birthday suit. Feeling a bit timid, you self-consciously covered your breasts and broke eye contact with your boyfriend.
“Hey, hey, look at me,” he pressed the palm of his hand against your cheek. “Do you want to stop?”
You weakly shook your head and somehow managed to gather the strength to look into his beautifully dark eyes once again.
“Then, let me see you, yeah?” Seonghwa nudged your hands away gently. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”
You blushed at his sudden praise and allowed him to have a look. But seconds later, you were getting a bit impatient.
“Please, Hwa, I want you so much.”
“Anything for my princess,” he chuckled and coaxed his tip at your entrance slowly. When you gave him a sign he could go deeper, his movements became bolder. “Fuck, you’re taking me so well.”
“M-more, sir, I swear I can do this,” you begged as you were beginning to unravel beneath him. As he fucked you faster into oblivion, you were no longer thinking straight and his name was the only word you were capable of uttering. Over and over again. Until you both came, blissfully lost in each other’s arms.
“Here, let me clean you up,” Seonghwa offered sweetly, picking you up with little effort and carrying you to the bathtub. 
When he started shampooing your hair, rubbing body lotion into your sensitive skin and covering your neck with soft kisses, you couldn’t stop your tears from falling, touched by his infinite tenderness and by the sheer intimacy of the gesture.
“Darling, are you crying?” he questioned you upon hearing your hiccups.
“N-no,” you lied but it was useless, because it was quite obvious you were, in fact, bawling your eyes out.
“Did I hurt you, my sweet princess?” Seonghwa asked in concern.
“How...how could you think that?” you whimpered. “You’ve been nothing but kind and caring towards me. It’s just that...this is the first time I’ve felt so...special, so worthy, so...”
“Loved?” he offered the word you had been seeking for but had been too scared to utter out loud.
“Y-yeah,” you confirmed shyly. “Is it too early to say this? I’m sorry if it is but...I love you, Seonghwa.”
He simply stared at you in disbelief for a couple of seconds. This time, you were once again the one to break the deafening silence.
“You don’t have to say it back. I just...I wanted you to know. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way but-”
“I love you too, baby. Of course I do,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And I’m not just saying it, I don’t feel obliged to say it. As my best friend, you know me better than anyone else. And you know I don’t do things unless I want to. So, believe me when I say this.”
“Fuck,” you uttered and only started crying harder in his arms.
“Shhh, you’re safe with me, sweetheart. I would never harm you,” he comforted you and stroked your hair lovingly, putting all your worries and self-doubts at the very back of your head.
After you were all dried up from the bath and had put on your boyfriend’s shirt while he was still in the shower, you were feeling uncharacteristically confident. Confident enough to look for something you hadn’t seen for a while. You had been wondering if he had it hanging around somewhere in his wardrobe. And after a short period of rummaging you found your treasure. The green hoodie. The Kermit hoodie. You smiled mischievously as you changed into it. It still smelled like him, you beamed. Back when he was simply your best friend, the amount of times you had fantasized about him lending it to you should have been illegal. So now that you had been promoted to his girlfriend, you simply couldn’t let such an opportunity pass you by.
Once Seonghwa got out of the shower, water droplets running down the divine skin on his bare chest, you were too busy staring at him in all his beauty and glory to notice the angry look on his face.
“How did you even find this? It was hidden so well in my wardrobe,” he scowled.
“Don’t be mad,” you pouted adorably. “I look so cute in it, right?”
“Cuter than me, that’s for sure,” Seonghwa rolled his eyes and tickled your belly.
“That’s impossible, you make the cutest Kermit,” you giggled, enjoying how easy it was to get on his nerves.
“You’ll never let me live this down, will you?” he groaned.
“Never ever, my stunning Frog Prince,” you vowed and kissed him quickly, taking him by surprise. His eyes widened in shock and he seemed too flustered to continue scolding you.
“You’re in luck today. Nothing can ruin my good mood,” Seonghwa was determined.
“Great,” you grinned gleefully. “Cause from now on, I intend on making all your days filled with joy.”
“From now on?” he chuckled sarcastically. “Oh, princess, my days have been filled with nothing but joy ever since I met you.”
And indeed, both Seonghwa’s days and yours were nothing but pure happiness ever since you decided to make your relationship real. And despite his foolish statement that he no longer wanted to be your best friend, you had somehow managed to convince him that he was both your boyfriend and bestie and that was perfectly okay. As if in the blink of an eye, spring came which meant that the whole school was in nervous excitement about the upcoming prom. Generally, you weren’t the type to get overwhelmed about such a trivial topic. But now that you were dating Seonghwa, the most popular guy in the school, you couldn’t help but worry a little. What if he wanted to go with someone else? Someone equal in “status”? Your worries and insecurities further intensified when he started asking questions in a weird way.
“I need your help,” Seonghwa blurted out over lunch.
“Shoot.”
“Okay, so, I have this friend. And he really likes this girl and wants to ask her to prom. What do you think would make her happy?”
You blinked in surprise. You knew that when people pulled the “I’m just asking for a friend” card, they were most likely talking about themselves. Was he seriously thinking of inviting another girl to prom? You tensed a little but tried really hard to remain neutral in your answer and actually make an attempt to help your bestie.
“I mean, all girls are different,” you reasoned. “If you describe her to me, maybe I’ll be able to give a more appropriate suggestion.”
“She’s a bit like you. You know, kinda bookish and-”
“It’s alright, Seonghwa, you can say it. I’m a nerd.”
“Well, yes, but...”
“It’s not exactly a slur,” you chuckled coldly.
“I know, but that’s what your bullies in middle school called you. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive,” Hwa put his hand on top of yours in a gentle, comforting manner.
“It’s fine when if you say it,” you smiled. “I won’t get offended.”
“I was going to say my friend’s crush is intelligent like you but, oh well.”
“That does sound better, I admit,” you giggled.
“She’s also a bit shy and introverted so maybe she wouldn’t enjoy a public promposal. Crowds tend to make her nervous,” Seonghwa observed.
“Seems like you didn’t need my help after all,” you scoffed playfully.
“No, I do! I still haven’t come up with an actual way to propose. I mean, for my friend.”
“Right. Your friend. Well, he can’t go wrong with some poetry under her balcony. If she has one, that is.”
“I’m pretty sure she does.” Seonghwa smirked. “Alright, thanks.”
He jumped from his seat, not even having finished his lunch.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“I gotta prepare my friend’s promposal,” he shrugged and disappeared from your sight, leaving you a bit crest-fallen. If he was intending on asking you, he wouldn’t have turned to you for help, right? That would sorta ruin the element of surprise, wouldn’t it? And yet, you knew that Seonghwa wasn’t the type to care about people’s opinions and randomly ask a more popular girl out because of public demand. And he definitely wasn’t the kind of person to just date you for kicks and then ditch you at prom. Despite those very logical reasons, you couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.
A week later, you realized all your worries had been for nothing. It was a Sunday morning and you had just finished having breakfast with your family. You were leisurely reading on your bed when you heard some suspicious noises coming from your window. You looked up from your book and you could swear you saw tiny rocks hitting the glass! You jumped up angrily, half-expecting to find a bunch of neighbour kids pulling a prank. But you were surprised when you spotted your boyfriend standing under your balcony. Wearing his iconic green hoodie.
“What are you doing here?” you whispered, though a hopeful part of you already knew the answer.
“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” he recited diligently in a song-like manner.
You couldn’t help but chuckle at his overdramatic acting but it was the effort that touched you immensely.
“And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were!” he continued sweetly.
You were so in love with this man it was insane.
“Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return,” Seonghwa kept going.
You couldn’t resist the urge to leap off the balcony. It was just the second floor so what could possibly go wrong? Other than a scraped knee and a bit of a limp. God, you were such an idiot.
“Shit, are you okay?” Seonghwa asked in terror and wrapped his arms around you.
“The excruciating pain is worth it if I get to hug you like this,” you grinned, leaning against him for support.
“Why couldn’t you just walk down the stairs like a normal person?”
“And what’s romantic about that?” you joked. “Jumping off a balcony makes for a much better story.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Only for you, my sweet Frogmeo!” you teased and kissed his cheek.
“Wait, I wasn’t finished!” Seonghwa exclaimed excitedly, not bothering to act offended about your obsession with him and that Kermit hoodie. “There was something about cheeks, I swear.”
“See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!” you helped him out dutifully.
“O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!” he finished proudly and placed his palm against your cheek.
“Only you could possibly mix Romeo and Juliet with The Frog Prince and somehow make it work,” you praised him.
“Does that mean you’ll go to prom with me?” Seonghwa tilted his head to the side adorably.
“Of course I will, baby,” you responded happily.
“Thank God, ‘cause learning that monologue drained my soul and brain,” he whistled playfully.
“You know, you had me worried there for a second,” you confessed reluctantly, because you didn’t want to keep any secrets from your doting boyfriend.
“When?” Seonghwa asked in confusion.
“Lunchtime. A week ago. When you asked me for advice. I thought that...”
“That I would ask someone else?” he correctly guessed your suspicions. And you nodded. “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”
“No, you’re perfect. In fact, too perfect. It makes me feel like I don’t deserve you.”
Seonghwa smiled sadly and kissed the top of your head. But he wasn’t angry with you. Just wanted to erase those silly thoughts from your mind.
“You deserve so much more, princess. But I’ll try my best to give you all I can.”
“As will I,” you promised and mischievously pulled the drawstrings on his hoodie, making his face squished adorably.
“If this is the best you’re capable of, I dread to see your worst,” he shook his head in amusement.
“Prince Frogmeo and the Nerdy Princess,” you sighed wistfully. “That would make a hell of a fairy tale, wouldn’t it?”
“How about Kermit the Frog whoops the Princess’s ass for being a brat?” Seonghwa threatened jokingly.
“You know what? I wouldn’t say no to that,” you giggled and started running away from him. “If you catch me first!”
Prom night arrived and despite all the preparations and excitements around it, it was nothing special in itself. What made it special, however, were the moments you spent with Seonghwa. Just dancing and talking seemed to be enough to make your heart leap with joy. And the smile never left your face the entire night.
“School’s really ending, huh?” you spoke aloud without thinking, while you were swaying slightly to the music in your boyfriend’s arms.
“This isn’t the end of us. We’ll go to college, we’ll grow up. The best is yet to come, darling.”
“You know what I meant,” you replied, a hint of sadness tinging your tone. “In college, I’ll study Literature, you’ll study Music. We’ll no longer be able to sit next to each other in class or exchange notes or hold hands under the desk.”
“We’ll do all sorts of other things,” Seonghwa responded cheerfully, trying to think positive. “We’ll have study dates in college, we’ll visit new restaurants and make more memories together. Just because high school is over, doesn’t mean we are. I’m not giving up on my best friend ever.”
“Your girlfriend,” you corrected him playfully.
“My best friend,” he repeated. “You were right. Being in love with each other doesn’t nullify our friendship. Both are equally important to me. You are the most important to me.”
“God, Hwa, how can you say such things so easily?”
“Is your heart fluttering?” your boyfriend and best friend teased you, swirling you around while dancing. You were met with his beautiful dark gaze again as he murmured: “Hi, princess.”
“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you chuckled in response.
And you were finally home.
The End
323 notes · View notes
lepusrufus · 3 years
Text
To bargain for immortality pt.1
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It's here fellas, the mutation sequel that I've mercilessly teased you with!
Content warnings: gore, torture, blood (like... lots), just a bunch of puking up blood, Miranda being her usual mad scientist self, torture in the name of science, Nicole be sick af (both literally and of crow mommy's bullshit), a little bit of blood drinking as a treat, medical procedures.
////
Tic toc tic toc
God that clock is so annoying.
Nicole wasn’t nervous. No. She chose this, at least for the most part. She had a long conversation with all her family, Alcina and Esteria both assuring her that it would work. It’s been years since the beginning of the experiments and by this point the process was almost perfected.
Miranda knew what she was doing.
That mattered little to her nerves though.
She instinctively pushed herself further into Cassandra’s side, who’s grip around her waist tightened ever so slightly.
The waiting was downright tortuous.
She, along with Cassandra and her two sisters were in her infirmary. The room mixed the ancient decor of the castle with modern medical equipment in a beautiful way. Not that anything less would be acceptable. Not that the familiarity of her workspace brought her any comfort either.
All their eyes snapped in the direction of the door when a heavy set of footsteps, with two lighter ones, were heard down the hallway outside. Soon the door opened with a barely audible creak and the two matriarchs entered, followed suit by Mother Miranda. Her presence alone was enough to make Nicole’s breath get lost somewhere in her throat, on its way to an exhale. The black wings, even partially folded as they were, did their job of making her look so much more intimidating than she was. Not that she needed them to begin with, a look from those icy gray eyes more than enough to send anyone to their knees.
Mother Miranda was, in all ways that mattered, a goddess.
A goddess that was about to infect her with the same thing that failed countless times in the past. The same thing that made the crawling mindless beasts used as guard dogs in the undergrounds. Or that made all the lycans.
Nicole gulped, a gesture gone thankfully unnoticed to anyone other than her painfully dry mouth.
But Miranda didn’t spare her a glance. She simply busied herself with some tools she had brought on one of the metal tables. With each clink the room seemed to close in on her slightly more, until Nicole felt as if she somehow ended up in one of Heisenberg's death traps. Spikes moving closer and closer until they would pierce her body and leave her in a messy pool of blood and entrails.
She shook her head and took a long inhale. No. This was going to work. She was not about to lose her family over a pesky thing such as mortality. She was not about to lose Cassandra. If getting infected by the Cadou was what it took to spend eternity with her lover then so be it. Possible side effects be damned.
Mother Miranda finally seemed to have finished, a now empty flask labeled Cadou sitting on the desk behind her while the parasite was writhing in her hand, thin whip-like tentacles extending frantically around itself. She called her over with a nod, and with a deep breath and a parting hand squeeze from Cassandra, Nicole forced her legs to take her across the room. Her steps didn't waver, she'd be damned if she'd show any hesitancy in front of this.
"Shall we begin."
It wasn't a question really, merely veiled impatience. Miranda did not like her, plain and simple. The fact that she was there to begin with was already a miracle. Miracle that wouldn't have happened were it not for the Ladies themselves asking for it.
"Yes of c-"
Before her words even had time to completely slip out of her mouth, golden talons plunged into the base of her sternum.
"Hopefully this can teach you that I don't like people going behind my back."
Nicole let out a choked gasp, hands instinctively wrapping around Miranda's arm, weakly grabbing at black robes. Ironically enough, those very talons were keeping her upright and, when they were removed from her flesh with a disgusting squelch of blood, Nicole curled in on herself, falling to her knees.
"Wha-... cking ki-... -er!"
Cassandra's voice reached her ears broken up, barely passing through the deafening ringing. Miranda also gave a reply and then seemed to address someone else but her much calmer tone meant that it only sounded like a vague mumble.
Not that Nicole particularly cared at the moment.
She curled into a ball, her hands almost clawing at her chest trying to find some sort of relief. It seemed as if vicious tendrils were making their way into every vein and muscle, tearing their way through any tissue they found. Her chest felt as if it had a hot iron pressed directly onto the skin, searing pain radiating in a cruel pulse matching her frantic heartbeat. By that point she was either sobbing or heaving, something that involved shallow breaths for sure. Her lungs were protesting fiercely, emptying of oxygen and then refusing to refill if not with great strain.
To make everything worse, the pain seemed to shift, now engulfing her spine and sending jolts that made her head spin and want to throw up despite her jaws being clenched shut so tightly that she was sure she'd start to taste copper soon.
She was only vaguely aware of hands shifting her body and soothing words that fell on deaf ears. She was now on a softer surface, but that did nothing to alleviate the assault on each of her senses. Probably she had thrown up at a certain point as her sinuses felt like being scraped by sandpaper with each shuddering breath. Her mouth too had a lingering taste of both bile and blood that made her stomach turn all over again. She would give anything for her body to finally shut down.
Why was she still awake and conscious god damn it. There was only so much her body was supposed to take before the brain shut down and she was reaching her limit of how much agony she could endure at a moment.
Please please please just pass out please.
She didn't though. Her body seemingly deciding to feel every single bit of the infection process, complete with the unending waves of pain and nausea that hit her more than she wanted to count. Any bit of sanity left in her would've probably disappeared had she tried.
---
It took two days for the agonizing pain to subside. Another two for Nicole to be able to form any kind of coherent sentence. Cassandra's soothing voice was of immense comfort, always there to tell her how well she was doing and how it would all be better soon.
God she hoped.
On the fifth day, her stomach still lurched at any movement too sudden. Her lungs seemed to fill with blood, courtesy of the still gaping wound at the bottom of her sternum, with any inhale too deep. The fact that she got used to the coppery taste rising up in her throat was disgusting in and of itself. At least there weren't jolts of pain shooting through every nerve and muscle in waves anymore though. That was something.
The fog in her brain was still clearing. It was hard to focus on anything, and each time Cassandra, or anyone else, asked her a question they would have to repeat it at least three times. It was beyond frustrating, the mind that got her through med school drunk half the time was failing the insurmountable task of saying whether or not she'd like some water. Glorious.
A faint knock on the door reached her ears. A redundant gesture really, as she didn't exactly have the clarity of mind to answer. Besides it was hard to catch her in a more compromising state than curled up in the fetal position, covered in sweat and most likely blood clots stuck to her lips.
Esteria came in, her one blue eye that wasn't covered looking at her with all the gentleness neither of her parents had ever offered her. Or it was just the cruel trick of a delirious brain. Either way, light barefoot steps took the Mistress to her bed. She sat in the chair adjacent to it and, with taloned fingers brushing strands of auburn hair out of Nicole's face, she spoke softly.
"How are you feeling today?"
Her voice was just as melodious as ever. It was the voice one imagines they would hear from an ancient being found deep in the forest. It made Nicole just a tad guilty when the only answer she could give was a pathetic whine.
Esteria simply hummed, talons running through the long messy locks of hair sprawled on the sheets.
"Would you like me to braid this for you dear?"
Nicole frowned. The Mistress was an expert at braiding, quick fingers able to make beautiful designs, both simple and complex. Comes with having floor length hair, her hazy mind guessed. On any normal day, Nicole would've accepted without a second thought. But now? Now she was painfully aware of the state she was currently in.
"It's filthy," she croaked, her voice raw and like stones in her mouth.
And it was. Her hair was waist length and right now it was slowly becoming a curse. It was greasy and sweaty thanks to barely being able to move a limb for nearly a week, which meant no showers. Not to mention how she lost count of the times she bent down to empty the contents of her stomach into a bucket, only to have some rebel locks fall in her face and get subsequently dirty. God she felt awful.
Esteria didn't seem to care too much though, as she simply helped Nicole shift slightly and talons started to work at some pesky mats. In no time, her hair was in a comfortable braid that started relatively high, keeping the locks away from her nape which meant just a tad less overheating. Not to mention it kept it in place and away from her mouth that she didn't trust in the slightest right now.
"Thanks," she actually managed to not let her voice crack this time.
"Oh it's no problem. Also," there seemed to be an odd strain in her voice, "Mother Miranda is coming this evening. She said something about an examination."
Nicole couldn't help but openly wince and curl in on herself a little more at the mere mention of the woman. Her chest seemed to pulsate painfully at the memory of the golden talons embedded deep in her flesh. Right now she wanted those hands anywhere away from her.
"What time is it?"
Esteria looked at the clock placed somewhere on the wall behind them. "About twelve. Still got time."
How hard would it be to drag herself to the adjacent bathroom for a quick shower? The only way her situation could get worse was if none other than Mother Miranda came in to see her in that state. She took a deep breath that her lungs protested against and pushed herself onto her elbows. At Esteria's skeptical expression she tried to sound less horrible than she felt.
"I need a shower."
Esteria pursed her lips. "Sorry dear but I don't believe for one second that you can stand for more than a minute. I'll ask a maid to draw you a bath."
Nicole only nodded weakly and let herself fall back into the cushion.
---
It took far longer than Nicole would ever admit to get herself fully clean. Her muscles were sore and protesting at every pass of the soapy sponge. Her hair was a whole other battle and she had to bite down on her pride and ask the maid positioned outside her door for help. It was a tortuous fifteen minutes until the poor girl managed to detangle the long locks enough to be shampooed and washed.
After she was content with the level of cleanliness of her body and the maid was dismissed, she stood there preparing herself to get out of the basin. In the meantime she looked down at the wound at the bottom of her sternum. Maybe wound wasn't the right word. It looked more like a gray and black scar with vein-like tendrils spreading across pale skin. It looked downright gruesome. Miranda really did not try to do a clean job in the slightest. Didn't even think to use anesthesia, like she had with most other experiments, according to Alcina.
She sighed and finally pushed herself out of the water with shaky arms.
By the time Mother Miranda arrived she was feeling slightly better. Why she came personally was still a mystery to Nicole. Maybe some sick sense of satisfaction in seeing her in pain.
Either way, by the time their so-called goddess came into the infirmary and told Nicole to lay down on one of the tables, she managed to shuffle her way over without her body protesting too much. Cassandra also quietly made her way on the opposite side of Miranda, gaining herself a glare.
"Must you hover over her like that?" Miranda's tone was as even as ever, but her eyes betrayed annoyance.
"Does it hinder you?"
Cassandra was not an idiot, the growl she wanted to add into her question was instead replaced by a tone not too dissimilar to Miranda's own, who simply tugged her lips into a grimace.
"Very well."
At first they went through a normal examination. Pupil dilation, reflexes, all things a normal doctor would do. Then Miranda told her to unbutton her blouse so she could take a look at the infection scar.
Nicole couldn't help flinching when thankfully gloved fingers would poke and prod at the sensitive flesh there. Her cold digits felt like hot coals were spread on her chest and nails dragged uselessly on the metal underneath her body for some sort of distraction.
Mother Miranda decided to get a tissue sample and that's when Nicole decided that maybe she would rather spend eternity as a ghost. She squeezed her eyes shut when a scalpel was brought to the overly sensitive skin. It took her back to when she would do autopsies, years ago. Tissue samples were always an integral part of her work. How ironic that she found herself on the other side of things.
It's fine.
She winced when the blade cut into flesh and sent a jolt of pain through her chest. Nicole couldn't help but think of the long days she spent agonizing while her chest felt like it was burning her alive and hoping that it wouldn't repeat. A sigh of pure relief slipped past her lips when whatever fake deity there was besides this woman, listened to her and the sensation died out quickly. She dared to open her eyes, only to see Mother Miranda frowning down at the small vial in hand.
It was quickly given to an assistant and she unceremoniously grabbed Nicole's wrist, dragging the blade across the length of her forearm.
Nicole gasped at the sudden sharp pain, and even Cassandra dropped a few choice words in romanian due to the surprise. No. No no no. What the hell-
Any questions, or less dignified reaction, died in everyone's throats as they watched the skin stitch itself back together. The repairing muscles gave a tingling sensation but soon the only proof that a cut had been there were thin trails of blood.
Mother Miranda chuckled and wrote down something in the notebook she brought with her. "Accelerated healing. That can be of use."
Nicole couldn't help but throw a glance at Alcina, who was sitting in one of the many chairs with Esteria by her side. Her expression was unreadable, a mix of conflicting emotions flashing in her eyes like rapid lightning. She would've tried to decipher their matriarch's probable thoughts were it not for the smell that was starting to assault her senses.
"Ugh what's that…blood… "
Coherent sentences were still not something her brain wanted to do apparently, but judging by how her nose scrunched up in a grimace, Cassandra got the gist of what she meant.
"Um… your arm," she pointed to the still fresh blood slowly dripping from her skin.
Right. Dumbass.
"Or damaged sinuses. Should go away soon," Miranda added from where she was noting something down and giving instructions to her assistant.
Also fair.
She sighed and tried to ignore it. Her sinuses still felt like sandpaper all the way to the back of her throat. Every time she swallowed, it felt like needles scraping the inside of her neck down to her stomach.
Ugh.
Thankfully, Mother Miranda did not linger for much longer. She wrapped up any samples and was out of the room soon after with her assistant in tow. Then, Nicole could finally go back to laying down in bed and feeling miserable.
And miserable she felt. Her body seemed to have decided to rewire itself into its new mutation. It didn't have any effect on her physical appearance, but the insides seemed to want to liquefy only to be mended back together. It was another week of basically living with a bucket in her lap and throwing up blood clots that seemed to invade her lungs and organs. How she didn't straight up asphyxiate was a mystery that she didn't think she wanted solved.
And to top it off, she was starting to think that humidity from some leaky pipe somewhere in the castle was causing a slight mold problem. Almost everywhere she went, there was this faint moldy scent lingering in the air and it was mixing horribly with the coppery feeling inside her still offended throat and sinuses. Nobody seemed bothered by it though, so maybe it was simply a side effect of the infection that was yet to go away. It wasn’t nicknamed the Mold for nothing, after all.
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yandere-sins · 3 years
Note
hii! may i request soft yandere akaashi x fem! reader? she is smol, sweet, and innocent. akaashi loves her so much and act so soft towards her, but he secretly manipulate her and one day when they cuddle she asked him why he never let her hangout with her friends and why he never introduce her to his friends
sorry if it's too detail, you can add or change the scene if it's too hard. thankyou so much! have a nice day!^^
Thanks for your request, sorry it took a while! ^-^
»»———————— ♡ ————————««     
It could have been perfect.
His arm around you, fingers drawing circles into your back. Akaashi smelled like the peachy soap you put into the bath, and his still-damp hair tickled your face when you nuzzled deeper into his shoulder. From the way that your legs were draped over his, his other hand tenderly squeezing out the tension from your shins, to the movie playing away on the big television in front of you, everything was so perfect.
You two had saved up for a bit over a year to afford a lovely city home. Akaashi had come with you to buy decorations, and you two would fetch late dinners on your way home with full IKEA bags. He always took the big and heavy ones from you, even if you complained. Last night, he asked you if you two should take the next step.
“Like a child?” you asked him, and he began to splutter, turning his face away. “Or a bird...” was his curt answer before he hid under the covers as you laughed loudly. But soon enough, even that joyful moment turned indifferent. When the lights were out and Akaashi asleep, the world seemed to slow down. Even if you were grateful for the pleasant life you had and the loving husband by your side, why was the feeling of everything being perfect so... so...
Boring?
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” you asked, filling your mouth with the popcorn that sat in a bowl on your lap.
“I’ll be working late,” he noted, giving your back soft, comforting pats. You didn’t really need him to comfort you. Working late wasn’t the end of the world for normal people. And normally, it wouldn’t be to you either.
“Ah, I see. No worries, I’ll be out with friends, so I will leave dinner in the fridge--”
Ah, you thought, feeling his hand grab your shin tightly. It’s about to be not so boring anymore.
“Which friends?” he asked, choking back the bothered undertone in his voice.
“You know, from college.” Your answer was dissatisfying, that much you could read from his face as you looked up at him, meeting his cold eyes. “Why them? You haven’t been in contact for a while. I thought you guys grew apart.”
“I thought so too, but they invited me out to drink.” Sighing, you pushed off his hand, still digging into your leg, pulling your limbs off his lap to sit properly beside him. The moment you set down the bowl of popcorn, you heard the television switch off, Akaashi taking a deep breath. Arguments weren’t so uncommon, even in a relationship as perfect as yours. Sometimes it were just the pickled vegetables he didn’t like, and sometimes it were the friends that Akaashi hated so much ever since you met him that would cause them. Either way, they were always awful for you.
“I haven’t seen them in a while! I’m excited!”
Honest emotions. That would do, right? If you were happy, so was he, right?
But he wasn’t.
Akaashi simply stared at you quietly, judging. He was scolding you with his silence, even though he wasn’t a big talker to begin with.
“You know I can’t stand them,” he snarled.
“But they are my friends, not yours.”
“It would be better if you didn’t see them.”
There was no reasoning with him when he was like that, you found. Akaashi would rather bite his tongue while arguing only his viewpoint than take up the truth he didn’t want to hear from you. There was no amount of ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ you could have plead to him that would have made him less aversed to saying ‘no’ to you in return.
“Why are you like this?” you whispered, genuinely feeling hurt. Everyone admired you for the strong bond you two shared. Your parents shed tears of joy at the wedding. Everything was so perfect, but why was it only perfect when you were unhappy?
“You never let me go out, and I haven’t even met any of your friends yet! What harm is there in spending time with my friends rather than twiddling my thumb while waiting for you to return here? What could possibly happen that would make it impossible for me to do something without you?!”
Silence. As always.
Sighing, Akaashi got up, and you felt a string of anger forming a knot in your stomach. No one liked arguments, not even you! But running from them wasn’t a solution. Running away from your partner’s feelings wasn’t something you could do when you chose to be together!
“You wouldn’t understand,” he muttered as he reached for the door handle to walk out, and you sprung up, almost beggings as you pleaded, “Then please tell me!”
You were sick and tired of being left alone and snubbed. If only there was a good reason for him to act the way he did, but by all that was holy to you, you couldn’t find it. Akaashi, however, did stop, taking another deep breath before pinching his nose. If he left now, you knew it would take days for you to reconcile, you two pouting and only pretending to be fine in front of your family to keep face. Eventually, you’d just forget and move on, but that too was something you were sick and tired of, always having to swallow what happened in favor of a happy home life.
“It’s just going out with friends for a drink...” you mumbled, shoulders slumping in defeat.
Say something! you wished quietly. Anything! Just don’t go.
“It’s just going out with friends now,” Akaashi sighed, turning around to face you. Again, you were met with this cold stare of his, making it impossible to read him. Was he angry? Probably, but you wouldn’t know just from his expression. “And then? What if they want to go to a club? Will you go with them?”
Furrowing your brows, you questioned what he was going at, but now that Akaashi suddenly began stalking back to you, you were overcome with a very different type of panic. He had never advanced towards you like this, with his footsteps echoing in the silent room loudly and his body appearing to be bigger than it was just from the tension in it.
“So what’s next? Are you going to let others leer at you? Have them grab your shoulder, grind up to you on the dancefloor? Are you going to let them ask you to go to a hotel with them?”
“What?! N-No!” you stammered, unable to believe what he was suggesting.
“How will you know? What about your friends? Did you check them? What are they doing? Who are they with? If one of them has a crush on you, are you going to allow them to confess it? Are you going to run our marriage into a ditch just because they invited you out for a drink?”
Akaashi really did manage to make you ask yourself twice if this was all your fault as you heard his arguments. He made you question if there was truth behind his words or if the feeling inside of you was just the paranoia that he created.
Your relationship was so perfect, except when it wasn’t.
“Of course not...” you whispered, standing still as he laid his hands on your shoulders. You couldn’t even look him in the eyes, but you knew he was staring holes into you. All you wanted was to go out, to live a little. To experience and make memories, even if they didn’t include him. You didn’t think about these things, and you believed in yourself to not be unfaithful. But had this always been such a big concern in your relationship?
“I worry because I swore that we’d be together until death do us part! I care so much about you--I love you!” His assertion was barely meaningful to you now. After so much time at Akaashi’s side, you were sure that deep down, you loved him. You just didn’t love this perfect world you had with him. The ideal that he created.
Not, if perfect meant this.
“I’ll come home early tomorrow, and we can go to the cinema,” he tried to console you, fingers snaking under your chin to lift it. You barely returned the kiss he planted on your lips, ever-so-slightly averting your head from the affection. Akaashi paused, asserting your every move before pressing you for your answer. “Cancel your plans with them, okay?”
“Okay...” you mumbled unenthusiastically.
His touch lingered for a moment more before he finally pulled away, breathing out slowly before making his way to the kitchen. “Do you want some water?” he yelled back over his shoulder, but your answer never came. No amount of water or love could make up for how suppressed you felt by him and the conversation you just had. He loved you. He worried. It was always his feelings that mattered.
But what about you? Were your feelings irrelevant again?
Did it not matter that you felt like a caged bird by his side? That all the perfection made it truly suffocating? That everything had to be his way but never yours? He decided when you two went out and where. Akaashi was the one to put everything into motion, and you were glad if you could manage to surprise him with his present on his birthday. It was his schedule you followed, but he never asked if you were happy with how things were going. As if he didn’t care that you were bored and longing for more in life than just being by his side.
Your life could have been perfect. You two could have made it work and lived happily. But Akaashi didn’t want to work it out. He didn’t want to compromise or give you your own will. Instead, he chose to possess and monopolize you over true love and happiness.
And you were left to wonder for how long ‘perfect’ had actually just been ‘hell’.
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brawltogethernow · 3 years
Link
@mirrorfalls​ submitted: Came across this while searching for James Bond’s scrambled-eggs recipe (long story). Your thoughts?
~~
But did you find James Bond’s scrambled eggs recipe?
In this article, Scocca laments his inability to find accessible, lighthearted superhero comics suitable to read with his young son, while also demonstrating a mysterious aversion to looking at DC and Marvel’s lines of comics for children, which is where the accessible, lighthearted superhero comics suitable for reading with young children are. He wants his elementary schooler to be able to safely have the run of all superhero media so he doesn’t have to touch the yucky baby books.
This is not an industry-wide crisis. This is just one dude who got paid to write an article where he accidentally exposed one of his personal hangups.
The child headed toward the trade paperbacks of Marvel and D.C. superhero titles on the side wall […] a few steps in front of me. […] Is he with you? a clerk asked me. I said he was. You know, the clerk said, we have a kids’ section. The clerk gestured backward, at a few shelves near the entrance. I said, Thanks, we know and tried throwing in a little shrug, as the kid kept going.
You can’t just turn a seven-year-old child loose in a comic-book store to look at the superhero comic books. […] My seven-year-old really wanted to see that last Avengers movie […] that is, he wished it were a movie he could see, but he understood that it was, instead, a movie designed to scare and sadden him—a movie actively hostile to people like him.
They have a children’s section. Because comics are a medium suitable for stories for everybody, and they are sold in comic book shops, which have sections, like bookstores. You can use this organization to find books that you know in advance are suitable for children. What goes in that category is determined by industry professionals. This area will be bigger the bigger the shop is. These comics are not lower quality that titles from the main lines. They are actually slightly better-written on average.
Your local comic book shop has considerately wrapped Empowered in a plastic bag, so your child will not be drawn in by a colorful superhero and accidentally read a graphic scene. If you think your kid might find a memoir about internment camps upsetting, it is your job to notice them picking up They Called Us Enemy and read the blurb on the back before you let them have it. This comic adults are meant to read is in a comic book shop because that is where comics are sold. Not every public place is supposed to be Disneyland.
Movies have ratings systems. If you do not want your child to watch a PG-13 movie, you will find that most superhero cartoons are for children. They are about the same characters. Some are quite good! I really enjoyed Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Your child may like Avengers Assemble. At least I think that’s right. I’m always mixing those titles around.
This is a deeply weird bias for Scocca to casually demonstrate, because he identifies in the article that real childishness is striving for empty maturity.
He compares an old comic,
[…]a 1966 Spider-Man comic in which Spider-Man meets, fights, and defeats the Rhino; participates in a running argument between John Jameson and J. Jonah Jameson about his heroism; buys a motorcycle; breaks up with his first girlfriend, Betty Brant; flirts with Gwen Stacy; and reluctantly agrees to let Aunt May take him to meet her friend Mrs. Watson’s niece, Mary Jane.
and a new comic,
[…]a 21st century comic book in which Thor, brooding in a Katrina-destroyed New Orleans, beats up Iron Man. He also yells at Iron Man a lot about some incomprehensibly convoluted set of grievances, including involuntary cloning, that he believes Iron Man perpetrated against him while he was dead(?), and then summons some other Norse god from the beyond somehow for reasons having something to do with real estate. I think. Where the 1966 comic is zippy and fun and complete, the whole contemporary one is muddled and lugubrious and seems to constitute a tiny piece of a seemingly endless plot arc—simultaneously apocalyptic and inert.
and concludes that the edgier comic is actually less mature. This is true. (This is not news about mediocre comics.)
It also has nothing to do with either comic being child-friendly, the article’s nominal thesis, except in the sense that ASM #41 (yes, I eyeballed that from that summary, yes I am just showing off now) is better written, making it more everyone-friendly. It also has practically more space dedicated to word balloons than art and is about a college student juggling girl problems and a part-time job with a tyrannical boss. But the immature one, as Scocca points out, is dour.
These are both teenagery issues, separated only by quality. It’s true that lots of new comics published by the big 2 are bad in the specific way Scocca describes here, taking themselves too seriously and hauled down by associated stories instead of buoyed by them. Some are not! Some titles from these companies’ main continuities are zippy, contained, and child friendly. Give your child The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl! Or if you like vintage comics so much better, why don’t you…buy some?
The books on the kid’s rack are good and fun and totally suitable for parents to read with their children without wanting to scoop their eyeballs out. Scocca cites the Batman ‘66 comics as the brightly colored, tightly written all ages solution to his problem about sharing superhero stories with his son. My local comic shop stores this title in the kid’s section. I am glad that Scocca’s does not, as he seems to have a peculiar aversion to looking for comics to read with his son there.
Scocca cites Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as a superhero movie he could watch with his kids. (I was surprised when this line made it sound like he has several. I don’t want to assume the other one isn’t in this article because they’re a girl, but I very much am assuming that.) Great! Go to the kid’s section and look for Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man. It’s a fun, zippy title directly inspired by ITSV where Miles, Gwen, and Peter superhero together. It’s much more tightly written than most of the various Spider-Verse comics, which are ambitiously messy ubercrossovers. You may not want to give those to children because they include murder and so on, but also you just have the choice between the two as an adult reader deciding how much continuity you want to deal with. Adventures is one of the only titles I would buy on sight before corona. The kid comic rack is a reliable place to take a break from How Comics Get Sometimes regardless of how old you are.
This article makes me feel quarrelsome. Maybe it’s that it doesn’t seem like exploration of a single idea so much as a loosely grouped bundle of things to kvetch about. Maybe it’s that the experience of getting into superheroes that Scocca describes experiencing, projects his seven-year-old son will experience, and from which he extrapolates a metaphorical microcosm of the history of the genre is completely alien to me.
Comic books [and] comic-book movies—are […] trapped in their imagined audience’s own awful passage from childhood to adolescence. A seven-year-old has a clean […] appreciation of superheroes. They like hero comics because the comics have heroes: bold, strong, vividly colored good guys to fight off the bad guys and make the world safe.
But seven-year-olds stop being seven. […] They become 13-year-olds, defensively trying to learn how to develop tastes about tastes.
The 13-year-old wants many things from comics, but the overarching one is that they want to prove that they’re not some seven-year-old baby anymore. They want gloomy heroes, miserable heroes, heroes who would make a seven-year-old feel bad. (Also boobs. They want boobs.)
Not because of the boobs line, although that does illicit an eyeroll that this gloomy thinkpiece is fretting over preserving the superhero experience of little boys who resemble the little boy the writer was while casually dismissing everyone else. I was one of those unlikable little seven-year-olds with a college reading level and the impression that maintaining it was the crux of my worth. I only read Books - distinguished media you could club someone with. I have a formative memory of pausing, enraptured, in front of a poster for Spider-Man 3, preparing to say that it looked pretty cool, and being beaten to the punch by my mother making a disparaging comment about how the movie was trash. It wasn’t out yet, but it was a superhero movie. That meant it was for loud, brainless children.
That was the total of my childhood experience with superheroes, excluding being the unwilling audience to incessant renditions of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” that left me wondering why in god’s name Batman’s sidekick was named Robin. I certainly never visited a comic book shop. I got into TvTropes, which got me into webcomics, which got me following David Willis, who got me into Ask Chris at ComicsAlliance, which led to me rewarding myself for studying like a demon for the AP tests with three volumes of Waid’s Daredevil, pitched as a return to the character being colorful and swashbuckling. I was seven…teen.
This is of the same thread as Scocca’s point that immaturity is running from childish things. It leaves me baffled that he doesn’t follow that maturity is embracing them.
I will disclose here that while I think it was dumb I had to overcome my upbringing’s deeply embedded shame associated with enjoying arbitrarily defined lowbrow media and children being childish, I think it’s fine that I was allowed largely unchecked access to technically age-inappropriate content. In my limited experience, content small children are too young for is also content they’re too young to understand, so it kind of just bounces off of them, and what actually ends up terrorizing them is unpredictable collages of impressions that strike out at them from content deemed perfectly child-friendly. I would not forbid a seven-year-old I was in charge of from seeing an MCU movie unless I had a reason to believe that specific child would not take it well. These are emotionally low-stakes bubblegum films. It will probably be easier to socialize with other kids if they have seen them.
But then, when I picture being in charge of a hypothetical child, I usually imagine this being the case because they are related to me, and the pupal stage in my family strongly resembles Wednesday Addams. ALL children love death and violence, though, right?? This isn’t a joke point. I know it looks like a joke point.
The MCU thing seems especially weird in light of the article’s particular focus on Spider-Man, which is the kiddie line of the MCU, even if they refused to waver from their usual formula enough to get a lower rating. Though I am more inclined to describe it as “preying on the young” than “child-friendly”.
(MCU movies are increasingly dubious propaganda, but I would not judge them in front of a child who wanted to watch them for that reason, just in case this led to them partaking of them without me the second they were old enough to and then they grew up to run a blog about them while our relationship suffered because they didn’t feel like it was safe to talk to me about their interests…Mom.)
I tried to overcome the philosophy of letting anyone read anything while compiling this handful of mostly-newish superhero recs for the road that anyone can read. (Handily, I have been in spitting distance of being hired as a comic shop clerk enough to have thought about it before):
For actual children:
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (the new one is reminiscent of ITSV, the old one is more like 616) any DC/Archie crossover, Archie’s Superteens The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (for bookish children who think they’re too good for comics and adults afraid of the kid’s section) Teen Titans Go (even if you hate the show) Superman Smashes the Klan
For teens:
Ms. Marvel Young Avengers (volume 2) Unbelievable Gwenpool Batman: Gotham Adventures Teen Titans Go (the tie-in comic based off the old show was also called this)
Here are a bunch of relevant C. S. Lewis quotes.
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goosedawn · 3 years
Note
//Oh gods, welp, here I go [cracks knuckles]
//Tiny farmer Techno Au,,,, prepare for some future lore cjkhcxk
Timestamps from: "I Became the Mayor of Skyblock" by Technoblade
--
(5:39) "I decided to call in an old rival..." - Technoblade
Techno continues on with his life for days on, but finally, he somehow finds his way to society again, seeing that the entire town has been taken over by a tyrant of a mayor. The townspeople called for aid, and from the depths of his cold heart, he decided to help (....what do you mean he only did it so people would buy his potatoes-).
For a bit, he did his work by himself, only getting help from some other living scarecrows (listen, I really like the idea of some scarecrows coming alive [cough] PHIL [cough]), TimeDeo and Jyn (...? Is that how you spell their name?). (Dunno what the process for taking over the mayor would be exactly but,,, chchskdlcx,,,)
But you can only do so much work with... living scarecrows. With a bit of reluctance, he calls for help from SquidKid. And then together they defeat Dante :]
(Also, it's funny to think that the town has a mayor that they've never seen. All they know is that the previous mayor is gone, and the new one is pretty chill. /Lh)
--
(6:31) "Is there any way to do the teleport room without just like.. guessing?" - SquidKid
(6:36) "You are like... little baby, watch this." - Technoblade
-
Being tiny has its perks.
"Wait, what do you mean you can solve this maze in an hour or less?"
Techno turned towards the bigger hybrid, crossing his arms as he nonchalantly stared up at them. SquidKid only gives him a baffled look back, their tentacle-like hair slightly sprung up to further show their confusion.
He knows this only because he's known the man for far longer than they've known him.
He knows more personal information than should be shared, somehow finding the other farmer's parent's numbers along with a few other things. He had jokingly pocketed away the parent's number in the back of his mind, although, he had no real plans of ever using it. Well, maybe he had played with the idea of calling SquidKid's parents to dunk on the fact that a wild borrower had been winning their competition, but he ultimately decided not to for obvious reasons.
He knows the hybrid's schedule like the back of his hand, having to work around it for the better part of an entire year. Using that knowledge, he had sabotaged countless of SquidKid's tools, poking small, unnoticeable holes into their hoses and irrigation systems.
And he knows SquidKid's behavior from how they speak to how they express any sort of emotion. Lies were easily debunked from the small twitch of the corner of their mouth as they suppressed a smile, and anger was easily shown from how their strange hair pieces would spike up.
Yet, he can't help but feel slightly at unease in front of them. He supposes it's only natural, seeing that there's a huge height difference between them. Plus, this was practically the first time they've been closer than two fields of length in between them. Well, disregarding the times he's gone snooping around the bigger farmer's place, but that's neither here nor there.
"Squid, look at me," he raises his hand, gesturing towards himself, "I'm tiny, yes?" the squid hybrid nodded slowly, and he pointed at the stalks of tall fern and crop, "to you, this would basically be a wall you can't get through. For me, though...."
He jumped off his perch, tightly holding his trusty bag and sliding towards the flora before easily disappearing behind the thicket and appearing moments later at eye level, holding the stalk of the crops easily,
"It's easy to go through."
SquidKid makes a quiet 'oh' sound with another nod of their head, looking slightly in awe. The amazed look turns to one of confusion again, though, and he awaited their next question with a raised eyebrow, "but... the maze is big, how are you going to get through it all without tiring?"
Techno grinned, lifting a hand to his mouth and loudly whistling. He doesn't hesitate to slide back to the floor as a blur of white fur bounds towards him.
"Carl!" he exclaims, wrapping his hands around the rabbit's fluffy neck and combing through the fur with his fingers. He backs away to pull out a broken-off piece of a carrot, feeding it to the eager bunny before turning towards the astonished squid hybrid with a grin, "my noble steed," he waves a hand towards the still feeding rabbit.
"You tamed a rabbit," they dumbly point out, having to metaphorically pick up their jaw off of the floor.
"Yup, I did. you can stop gawking now," he huffed, "you're going to catch a bug with your mouth if you keep your mouth wide open."
"...And you named it Carl?"
"What kind of question is that?" he snorts, shaking his head, "yes, I named him Carl, and yes he's going to be the one helping me through the maze. Any other silly questions?"
The man stumbles over their words for a second, and he amusedly watches from below, "I- yeah, yeah, you bozo," they finally settle on saying.
"Alright, cool, I'm going to go find the exit now," he turns away from the hybrid, climbing on the back of the rabbit's back, "see you there."
He doesn't give SquidKid the chance to respond, already setting off through the thicket. And he sure doesn't suppress the grin that crawls up his face as Carl bounds past stalks and stalks of crops.
Having distracted SquidKid enough to get away, the bigger farmer had barely thought to ask how they themselves would traverse the maze.
They must have realized soon enough, though, since not seconds later, he hears a strangled yell of his name along with a loud groan.
--
Pain, it's been too long since I've written something /Lh
--
"(Also, it's funny to think that the town has a mayor that they've never seen. All they know is that the previous mayor is gone, and the new one is pretty chill. /Lh)"
When the townspeople come to greet the new mayor, they come thinking that it's SquidKid who's done everything since it's always been SquidKid going into town and doing the talking- the scarecrows being unable to do so for obvious reasons, and Techno unable to do so without revealing his entire existence.
So when the sheepish farmer calmly explains that he's just a helper of the mayor, they're... rightfully confused. At first, they want to know the real identity of the mayor, but SquidKid wearily tries explaining that said mayor really doesn't want to be revealed. They only conceded when he shakily points to the unknown farmer's territory, most of them getting the message.
Techno is very thankful that SquidKid doesn't take his title and also doesn't reveal his existence.
-
"It would have been so easy for the squid hybrid to just pluck his tiny form from their back pocket and shove the wrathful spotlight onto him.
He wasn't even able to even escape now as he found himself stuck in the hybrid's pocket. The crowd had come quickly after SquidKid had removed the other mayor for him, and he remembered feeling panicked as he stared at the other hybrid. The next thing he knew, he was shoved into their pocket.
He couldn't get out without tumbling to the ground with a splat, and, even worse, the possibility of one of the townspeople pointing him out with gossip-drinking eyes was incredibly high too.
He shakily gulped, greedily taking the air around him as he tried to stay calm. He never liked being near anyone- not even the scarecrows - so the second-hand contact with his past rival was not the finest experience.
"I- uhm," the squid hybrid stumbled over their words, "t-the mayor really would rather not... have the entire town to greet them.."
The crowd hushedly mumbled to each other, and one straggler called out, "well, tell them to come out anyway!"
By the Blood God, he hated this. He shrunk to the bottom of the pocket. This was one of the worst worries for a borrower; he had already been pushing his limit with the scarecrows and SquidKid, but this was another level for him.
"...Uh, well, in that case," he felt SquidKid shift, and a hand brushed over his pocket. He tenses, waiting for the fingers to tug him out and waiting for SquidKid to finally prove that they're not as kind as they look, for them to finally get some semblance of petty revenge.
"You can find them over there." He pauses, confused to as why there's no hand reaching down for him. The words finally dawn on him, and he's both relieved and perplexed to what SquidKid could have meant by that.
But hatever they've done has made the crowd fall unnaturally silent, and so he's at least a little relieved for that too.
The same voice that was brave enough to speak before pipes up, "you mean the ghost farmer?"
....He didn't know that the townspeople had come up with a name for him, but he's suddenly thankful that he's gained enough popularity that people stop and gawk.
"Y...Yes," SquidKid slowly acknowledges the villager, "they were the one orchestrating all of this. I was just helping with the... talking parts," the hybrid is silent for a moment before they burst into a stammering mess,
"And- uh, I-I should take my leave now, b-because I should really h-head back and ch-check up on them," he feels the bigger farmer start to take a few steps back, supposedly away from the crowd, "I'll answer any questions later!"
He has to push against the fabric to keep himself from bouncing around in the pocket as SquidKid starts running. He faintly hears the townspeople shout for the male, but it's muffled through the fabric.
As it starts to seem as if the squid hybrid would never stop running, they finally start to slow down, their breaths coming out labored and airy.
He doesn't speak up for a moment, letting the other regain themselves first. When they finally seem well enough, he speaks up,
"That's the best you can come up with?"
--
chKFCHKDSJFSDF oh my Primes, this is so LONG,,,, I have no idea how to write SquidKid,,,, plus, I had no idea how to like,,, oOGHgds,f,, pain.
Anyways, hope you had fun reading ALL of this cchjxcvxkdsf,,,
AAUBHJDUHFJHBFNDKUFHN WENDYYY /POS
i dont have anything to add this is just fantastic,,,,, DEO AND JIYN AS SCARECROWS AS WELL,,, FBJHDKUHSJHHDV,,,,,, i love that techno gets to have Carl still 🥺🥺🥺 and him leaving squidkid on the other side of the maze??? FHJBDJNJKBF
ALSO 🥺 squid protecting techno and not telling people abt him,,,,, aaajfhkdojfh good,, i also appreciate that everyone in the village just has to be like. "the ghost farmer is mayor????... well this isnt the weirdest thing thats happened to me"
SQUIDKID RUNNING AWAY,,,, "ill answer any questions later" djhshhjhjhbhbfhdjhbe
*holds this gently* aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i adore
99 notes · View notes
katsukavi · 3 years
Text
"OH SHIT!" part 2
"I WANT AN ABORTION." Sung Jin-Woo said abruptly, tapping his foot up and down from the agitation. "I'm afraid that's not possible. The baby is far too healthy and because of the amount of health potions you drank, it will be almost indestructible by our means. It even accelerated its growth.."
Sung Jin-Woo didn't think that far into it that night. He gave the baby's father an icy glare and took out his dagger from his inventory. "You can't abort it by your means huh..." he locked (M/n)'s hand onto the hilt and pointed it at his stomach.
"(M/n)! Stab me!"
"HELL NO!"
"Why not? We're already at the hospital, so you could just rush me to the emergency room when I start bleeding," Jin-Woo explained, but that still didn't make a drop of sense to (L/n) (M/n). "NOT IN A MILLION YEARS WILL I STAB YOU!"
"Fine. I'll stab myself."
"No!"
The doctor's face paled at the S-Rank hunter's lack of care for his unborn baby's life—even attempting to stab himself. Luckily, (L/n) (M/n) was there to stop him before the blade could touch his skin.
"Jin-Woo! Come on, you could just hold on to it until you give birth. We could set it up for adoption later.."
"I don't have time to wait 5 months. I could be leveling up using that time."
Scratch that. (L/n) (M/n) was also a horrible parent-to-be. The doctor forced a smile, wondering if all S-Rank Hunters were like this. He cleared his throat and stared back at them.
"How did you even conceive this child?"
"I have no idea. I drank too much. Hey, aren't you immune to alcohol?" (M/n) nudged Jin-Woo's shoulder, since he was the one that wanted to play video games all night. "I don't know. I can't remember much either. There was this scent.."
"I see. It must've been a heat."
"No? I wouldn't have left the house if that were the case."
"Then..." The doctor's eyes set on to (L/n) (M/n), making him feel a cold sweat. The man with red eyes smiled awkwardly, blinking repeatedly at the doctor. "Why are you looking at me?"
"It's incredibly rare but I assume you went through a rut, Sir. So I understand how you may perceive this as unbelievable since this situation is one in a billion or even more so." The doctor scratched the back of his head, trying to consider the rarity of the situation.
It was even more impossible if he considered the fact that male alpha and omegas were less likely to have a baby, then they were both S-Rank Hunters, both with their respective systems and (L/n) (M/n) had suffered from a rut that only one in five alphas experience.
[The Orion System is extremely happy!]
[☆*:.。. o(≧▽≦)o .。.:*☆]
[The Orion System is wondering if it would be a girl or a boy??]
[The System is rejoicing for your offspring.]
"I hope it becomes a miscarriage. I'm too busy for this," Sung Jin-Woo said, glaring at his slightly bloated stomach. "Since you are a male omega, there is a 78% chance it would be a miscarriage if you're constantly stressed and you didn't receive professional help from us.."
"Good. I'm already stressed from this situation."
[The Orion System is ignoring your wife's statement.]
[Yay! Baby! \\\\٩( ^ω^ )و ////]
'He's not my wife, you stupid system. We're friends at best,' (M/n) thought at his system. He and Jin-Woo left the hospital with conflicted thoughts. (M/n) wasn't as extreme as Jin-Woo to forcibly kill it, but he was wondering what he should do next.
That's right. They were hunters. They didn't have time to raise a baby when they could be saving lives through dungeons. It's a simple choice of one life for one hundred.
[The Orion System is rejoicing for you.]
[The Orion System has contacted (totally didn't take over wink wink) the Player System for the child's sake. (*'ω`*)]
[The Player System has agreed!! ٩( ᐛ )و yay! yay!]
'What are you celebrating for? Stupid Orion..' (M/n)'s mood turned sour, looking away from his system. Jin-Woo held his phone and pressed Jin-Ho's contact, making (M/n)'s eyebrow twitch. "Oi, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to contact Jin-Ho. He's the Vice Guild Master of Ah-Jin so he has to understand our circumstances."
"What? You know how weird that kid's imagination is. What if he thinks something weird?"
"I'll blame you for that then." Jin-Woo shrugged, his phone ringing for a few seconds before Yoo Jin-Ho picked up. "Hello Hyung-nim. Are you doing okay now?" Jin-Ho's voice made Jin-Woo smile, responding quickly.
"Yeah. I just visited the hospital."
"Ohh. Is (M/n) Hyung with you?"
"Yeah, he's right beside me. Turns out I have to lessen my work hours."
"I understand. You are the Guild Master, Hyung-nim. Everything is up to you. But why do you need to?"
"I'm pregnant."
Yoo Jin-Ho choked on his saliva, falling into a coughing fit as he doubted his ears. "Excuse me? What?"
"You didn't hear? I'm pregnant?"
"THAT'S BAD HYUNG-NIM! YOU NEED A FULL VACATION, NOT REDUCING YOUR HOURS!" The beta shouted, making everyone else in the office stare at him. What?! His Hyung-nim was pregnant? So he had a secret lover this entire time, and he didn't know?
"Then, could you decrease (M/n)'s work hours?"
"Yeah, sure. Why him though?"
(L/n) (M/n) hid his face in his hands, feeling so embarrassed that Jin-Woo just admitted that out loud. His own system was bombarding him with weird messages as well, it was creepy.
[There's no need to be embarrassed, Predator-nim~]
[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). We all know what you did~~]
"He's the father of my child."
Jin-Ho choked yet again, throwing his fist at his desk as he fell silent. So (L/n) (M/n) and Sung Jin-Woo had been in that kind of relationship the entire time? Sure, he didn't know a lot about Sung Jin-Woo but even (L/n) (M/n)?
Is that the reason he joined Ah-Jin? So he could see his lover?
Then all those times they left together..
"Jin-Ho? Are you still there?"
"...If you need any help, you can call me Hyung-nim."
'Oh my God, so they were doing that so many times Hyung-nim got pregnant?!' Yoo Jin-Ho's face flushed as his imagination ran wild, smashing his forehead on his desk to cleanse his mind. 'I'M SO DENSE! I SHOULD'VE REMINDED THEM TO USE PROTECTION!'
"Yoo Jin-Ho-nim.. Is anything wrong with the Guild Master?"
"Ah nothing, he's just on maternity leave."
"What?"
"Huh, he hung up. He must've been shocked.." Jin-Woo said, looking up blankly as (L/n) (M/n) gritted his teeth. His face was red, mostly out of embarrassment than out of anger. "SHOCKED MY ASS! OF COURSE HE'D BE SHOCKED! AND WHY DID YOU TELL HIM IT WAS ME?"
"What else should I tell him? He politely asked who was the father."
[The Orion System agrees with your wife.]
[Calm down, host!! \\\٩(๑'^'๑)۶////]
(L/n) (M/n) took a deep breath, rubbing his temples to soothe himself. "Okay, let's just call it a day and go home and sleep." (M/n) felt like it had sucked his life out of him, so he just wanted to sleep.
"I'll see you then."
Sung Jin-Ah was feeling suspicious for the past two weeks, noticing that her older brother's movements have become strange. At first she thought he got sick, but that would be strange for a sickness to last weeks, especially since he's an S-Rank Hunter.
"Hey, I ordered pizza. You feeling okay, bro?"
"Yeah. I visited the hospital earlier," Jin-Woo said, plopping down on the couch beside her. "Where's Mom?" he asked, grabbing a slice of pizza from the box. "She went out to get something. So she said she wouldn't be able to cook tonight," Jin-Ah answered him.
As soon as Jin-Woo took a bite from his pizza, his face turned sour. He swallowed it and bitterly gulped a glass of water. "Actually, I don't want any."
"Huh? What do you mean you don't want any? You practically inhale this stuff!"
"It doesn't taste good."
"It tastes just fine, get over here!"
Sung Jin-Woo completely ignored his beta sister and holed up in his room. Confusion crossed her face as she gobbled up a slice of pizza. 'Something weird is definitely going on with him.. He's sus...'
The next morning, Jin-Woo got up early to do his daily regimen. But his fatigue had raised twice the number it had before. He felt annoyed from it and tried even harder, exhausting himself in the process.
'I haven't even done half yet?'
[[The Player System has cancelled the 'Daily Quest: Preparation to be Powerful'.]]
[[The Orion System has requested it to be changed to 'Daily Quest: Meet up with your Husband<3']]
Sung Jin-Woo wanted to middle finger the systems and ignored the new Daily Quest, thinking it was an awful prank from Orion. (That Constellation liked to bug them a lot.) So he continued to do the old Daily Quest, but he unfortunately got sent to the Penalty Zone all the same.
["Since you lovers don't wanna meet up. I have no choice but to force you! Hmph!! ヽ('⌒'メ)ノ"]
"I— Jin-Woo?!" (L/n) (M/n) hollered, his eyes setting on his partner on top of a floating marble platform. Jin-Woo was behind a translucent wall, safely protected in a small room filled with comfortable pillows, blankets and cute stuffed animals. Just in front of him was a coffee table with a full set of snacks one could crave for.
[[You can sit back and watch the show~ Daddy is going to go on a little run!! \(٥⁀▽⁀ )/]]
FWOOSHHH!!
On (M/n)'s side of the wall was a scorching, fiery desert, his shoes sinking in white sand as an enormous monster rose from the ground. The gigantic lizard roared, sending a breath of flames towards (L/n) (M/n) as he tried to run for his life. He screamed and cursed at the system while Jin-Woo watched from above like his Alpha was a gladiator.
"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?!"
"ORION! WHY THE HECK IS HE BEING CHASED BY LIZARDS?!?" Jin-Woo punched the orange wall, making it glitch for a few seconds before spitting his fist back inside the enclosed room. He could only look down at (M/n) with worry, slamming into the wall to attempt an escape to go help him.
[[HEY!! Don't help that idiot! He's a loser who doesn't even bother to look after his pregnant wife! (҂' ロ ')]]
[[You know what! Since he's so bad, let's go torture him more! Yay! Yay!!]]
Three more lizards surfaced from the sand, breathing fire like dragons. (M/n)'s face paled in shock as he retrieved his rapier from his inventory. A fifth lizard rose from where he stood, making him tumble down on the sand as it bellowed a menacing tune.
"UGH.. FIVE OF THESE THINGS?!" (M/n) shouted, burning his palms from the hot sand as he tried to get up and away from such a life-threatening situation. Sung Jin-Woo felt more anxiety for (M/n) and banged on the walls.
"DO YOU WANT HIM TO DIE!?"
[[Don't worry~ He won't die. He can handle it! (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b]]
[[He has to be at least this strong to be a wonderful Daddy of course. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]]
"We're not even keeping the baby!" Jin-Woo glared at the cute emoticon on his screen and gave it a middle finger. He took out his dagger from his inventory, slicing open the wall and using the slight gap to escape.
[[Wait! No! If you get hurt, the baby will die! \(º □ º l|l)/]]
"Good," Jin-Woo said with a smirk, landing on top of one of the lizard's heads. "Hey, you need a little help?" he shouted after (M/n), riding safely on the monster. It only seemed to be hostile towards (M/n) and not him.
[[NOO! IF IT ATTACKS MOMMY, ALL HOPE IS LOST! \(╥ _ ╥ l|l)/]]
"Nah, I got it!" (M/n) responded, sliding under one lizard's feet and stabbing it's heart from underneath. Its skin was thick, but (M/n)'s high strength stat could make up for it. The beast let out a small cry of pain as his blade pierced through like a needle. He soon coated the blade in a reddish orange hued mana, poisoning the lizard internally in just a few seconds.
"Jeez. I was a little panicked. But I'm fine," (M/n)'s skin was harder than steel, like an indestructible material. Just like in the myth of Orion, he was like the indomitable scorpion that the legendary Hunter could not beat.
"I was a little offended, you know."
[Noo!! Predator-nim, I hate you!! ((╬◣﹏◢))]
[Hmph! Hmph! You big IDIOT! ]
"Orion, shut up."
[FINE THEN! I'LL REMOVE ALL OF THESE LIZARDS! ヽ( 'д'*)ノ]
[I'll be nice to you just because wifey's pregnant okay! humph!]
[Go kiss kiss fall in love now! I don't wanna see you be stupid IDIOTS! (҂ òзó )]
The lizards evaporated quickly like Orion made them out of ice in the blistering sun, making Jin-Woo suspended into the air. (M/n) reached out his hands and ran under him, catching him quickly in his arms. Jin-Woo could've landed safely on his feet, he wasn't that fragile..
But in (M/n)'s princess carry, he felt some sense of relief. Jin-Woo hugged him, inhaling a breath of his friend's pheromones. (M/n) really enjoyed wearing Axe Body Spray (a pheromone masking agent in this world) because he always met up with an Alpha female named Cha Hae-In. It was because of that, Jin-Woo didn't notice any of his alpha pheromones.
But with a whiff, he preferred this version. It made him imagine the fragrance of lit scented candles. It was a very specific scent that calmed him down. "Hm, are you okay?" (M/n) asked, making Jin-Woo snap out his momentary trance. What was going with him?
"Yeah, uhm. Were you still sleeping?" Jin-Woo took notice of (M/n)'s disheveled hair and casual set of light blue pajamas. "Oh right, I haven't showered yet.. Fuck. My handsome complexion!" (M/n) said dramatically, looking down to his lovely rapier covered in sand.
As much as he wanted to get it and polish it until it was shiny, he didn't want to drop Jin-Woo yet. It seems like Jin-Woo was the same, wrapping his arms around his neck in a comfortable hug. Yeah, they should hug more often. It was very comfortable.
[Yes!! NOW KISS!! ٩(♡ε♡)۶]
"Ew gross, Orion is back from a tantrum.." (M/n) set Jin-Woo back down, making a look of disgust. Jin-Woo also didn't like the constellation. So he joined (M/n) in spiting it with all the malice he could.
[Ugh, you guys are so mean! (︶︹︶ ||| )]
[It's like you're perfect for each other. (You are btw (^ω~))]
[I'll bring you back home now. (╬ Ò﹏Ó)]
"Oh nice. This is your room?"
"It's a little messy, but don't mind it too much." Jin-Woo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, not knowing what to do in such a situation. He and (M/n) had teleported back to his house together, convenient for him. But (M/n) was still in his pajamas.
"Damn, I haven't even combed yet. How do you expect me to walk home in this?" (M/n) sighed, fixing his bedhead with one hand as he scratched his stomach with the other. Even though he just went through a terrifying experience, he was still tired and planned to sleep until noon.
"I mean you could run like really really fast. You'd just be a blur to normal people."
"But.. I haven't been to your house before.." (M/n) looked around Jin-Woo's room. Despite him claiming that it was messy, no clothes or wrappers were on the floor and the only thing messy were his blankets. This guy's sense of "messy" was on a whole other level.
(M/n) just leaves his cans of energy drinks, chips and bowls on the floor and leaves the cleaners to go clean it up. His appearance was the only thing that was respectable.
"So I can't navigate on my own. You know."
"You can use Google Maps."
"I don't bring my phone everywhere."
"You don't? I thought you were an addict."
"Your perceptions of me are so warped. What even made you think I was a beta?" (M/n) sighed, glancing over to Jin-Woo's stomach before blushing. He wasn't that different. He thought Jin-Woo was an alpha precisely because he gave off those vibes.
"Ah, it was your Hunter Wikipedia page. I skimmed over it a while ago.."
"My Hunter Wiki what??" (M/n) got confused, watching Jin-Woo take out his cellphone and search something online. He peered over his shoulder, watching him scroll down to the gender option. It actually said [Beta Male].
"That's really stupid. What part of me is beta?"
Sung Jin-Woo looked over to (L/n) (M/n) for a few seconds, his appearance to his language. Yeah.. (M/n) was right. What part of him seemed Beta? (M/n) right then screamed 'I-AM-A- DOMINANT-ALPHA. STAY-5-METERS-AWAY-FROM-ME-BECAUSE-I-WILL-ATTACK-YOU'
Then, he saw his picture on the wiki. Jin-Woo held his phone up and looked to his left and right, comparing the one in person, to the picture. "Now that I've thought of it, this is the first time I've seen you in pajamas."
(L/n) (M/n) was someone that barely swore, kept calm and wore modest clothing. But it looked like stress took over him so much it affected his personality. His mouth was foul with curses.
"Yeah, I mean the last time you saw me, I was naked."
"Oh," Jin-Woo blurted out, his face heating with that in mind. (M/n) quickly shut his mouth and looked away shyly, fixing his hair to seem more like himself. "Now we're in this situation, huh?" (M/n) mumbled, staring down at Jin-Woo's belly. It wasn't noticeable, but it showed a bump if you touched it.
"Do you.. wanna hug?" (M/n) diverted his vision away from Jin-Woo, a light blush on his face. "What made you say that?" Jin-Woo asked calmly, avoiding looking at (M/n). The (h/c)-haired alpha cleared his throat, extending his arms in the air.
"I don't know. You seemed to like it earlier.."
[Definitely you right now: Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→]
[(¬‿¬ )]
Sung Jin-Woo nodded, placing his chin on (M/n)'s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around his torso. The same fragrant pheromone relaxing him enough to close his eyes. He felt safe in those arms, like he was under an unbreakable set of armor. "I feel like I could fall asleep like this.."
(L/n) (M/n) didn't know why his heart was beating so quickly, making his skin feel like they were on fire just from touching this omega. "We should hug more often," he said, rubbing on Jin-Woo's back calmly. It was fine for friends to hug, right?
But could we could even consider them friends when one of them was pregnant?
"Oppa, I think we ran out of dish soap—" Sung Jin-Ah opened the door, letting out an 'Oh' sound as she gazed at her brother. Then, Sung Jin-Woo noticed how odd it was to have (L/n) (M/n) there. "Wait, Jin-Ah! It's not what you think—"
"MOOOMMM!! JIN-WOO HAS A SECRET ALPHA BOYFRIEND!!"
"Sung Jin-Ah!" Jin-Woo yelled, squeezing her cheeks with one hand as she struggled to run away. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT SO BAD WHEN I SMELLED ALPHA PHEROMONES ON YOU! IT'S VERY STRONG NOW!!" she screamed and kicked her feet in the air.
"Hold on. I'm not his boyfriend—"
"LET GO OF ME, OPPA! WHY ARE YOU SO STRONG?!"
(M/n)'s voice gradually got weaker as he pursed his lips awkwardly. There was no room to protest in the screaming girl in the room casually being battled to the death by her older brother. He just gave up.
It was that quick giving up that people thought he was a beta.
"Oh! You finally brought home your boyfriend. That's great," Park Kyung-He said as she stood on the doorframe. She smiled at (M/n), then stared at his sleepwear. "Jin-Woo! You even let him stay without telling us?"
"I didn't—"
"Shush! I know it could be embarrassing to reveal your first love. Come on, dear. What's your name?" she looked over to (M/n), waving her hand to call him over. "It's (L/n) (M/n), Maam.. Nice to meet you," he said shyly, not even refuting her words at all.
His cute demeanor made Kyung-He fall in love with him already. What a good future son-in-law. No wonder Jin-Woo liked him.
"Ah, come here now (M/n). I'll cook you breakfast too."
"If you don't mind me intruding. Thank you.." (M/n) said, following Kyung-He like he was an imprinted chick. "I'll be there too!" Jin-Ah said, wrestling with Jin-Woo's arm. "Let me go, you jerk! I wanna see what your boyfriend is like!"
"I already told you. He's not my boyfriend."
"Why are you even saying that at this point?" Jin-Ah made a face at him and slipped through his grasp, running out of his room in fear that he would catch her again. "I caught you red-handed! Hehe!!"
[[(¬‿¬ ) hehe..]]
"Orion.. What have you done to my system?" Jin-Woo grumbled, walking out of his room with a long sigh. He could explain to them later that he and (M/n) were just friends. But sadly, he would never get the opportunity to.
"So, when did you and Jin-Woo meet? Was it nice?"
"Oh! I met him at work. He was my partner for a while. And you know, when I saw him, he was so scary I thought he was an alpha!" (M/n) was suddenly very talkative, amusing the curious Kyung-He and Jin-Ah.
"Ohh.. So how did you fall in love?"
"We didn't!" Jin-Woo butted in, receiving sympathetic eyes from his family. "Oh, so it was Jin-Woo who fell first. I see," Kyung-He assumed. He asked (M/n) how he did, but it was her son that answered. Their romance was very cute.
"No.. That's not.."
"Wow, I didn't think Oppa would be the one to confess. He's being super shy about it right now. How could he even proclaim his love now..?" Jin-Ah exclaimed in shock, looking over to (L/n) (M/n). He did provide the juicy details she wanted in a romance novel. Jin-Ah approve!
But even though he was the one who confessed, why is he suddenly saying they weren't together? Was her Oppa too shy about it and only stayed sweet in front of his one true love? Isn't that.. too cute?!
"Huh? What are you all talking about? Jin-Woo didn't confess to me?"
Sung Jin-Ah's world was then flipped upside down. It all made sense. Jin-Woo was denser than the Earth itself. If (M/n) was he one who asked him out, it would make even more sense! Their trope was... Shy Omega x Outgoing Alpha! Jin-Ah prayed internally to her lord and savior, KatsuKavi. She was in a romance novel and she could watch the protagonists.
"Oppa, you're no fair! How did you get this lucky with KatsuKavi's pairing rituals?!"
"Who?!"
"The author!"
(A/N: ignore the fourth wall. There is no such thing.)
"Ah, we got too distracted! (M/n) could you clear the table?" Park Kyung-He stood up, moving towards the sink. (M/n) nodded obediently and helped her wash the dishes. Jin-Woo was dumbfounded at his goody good behavior.
He didn't even clean up at his own house. What was he doing being so good with his mother and sister?
"You're a good kid, (M/n). I approve of you."
"Thank you," (M/n) said, chatting a little bit with Kyung-He until he could call her 'Mom'. Sung Jin-Woo gritted his teeth as he watched (L/n) (M/n) be the new favorite.
"Oppa, (M/n) is so good to us. How dare you hog him for yourself," Jin-Ah glared at him from across the room, getting an angry look from Jin-Woo. "Wow, so possessive.." she murmured to herself, skipping happily to her new brother-in-law.
Possessive? No, Jin-Woo wasn't being possessive. He must've just been jealous (L/n) (M/n) was getting all the attention. But when did Jin-Woo start caring about being the center of attention?
He looked over to his best friend, biting his lip to ignore the tight feeling in his chest. He wanted to scream 'look at me!', but he was so dense he didn't know who he wanted to look at him.
"Ah, that's Jin-Woo?! He looks totally different!" (M/n) exclaimed, looking through Jin-Ah's older photos of Jin-Woo. He did look like an omega before, but he drastically changed after becoming a S-Rank Hunter. It was like he was a totally different person.
"Yeah, he used to be so cute and sunny. Now look at him! He's growling at me for taking you away from him."
"I am not growling at you!" Jin-Woo argued, knitting his eyebrows together. He didn't know why, but he felt so annoyed being so far away from Jin-Ah and (M/n). Normally, he wouldn't care but for some weird reason, he didn't like being treated like air.
(L/n) (M/n) soon changed out of his sleepwear and took a nice shower. He didn't wear any pheromone masking agent, so everyone could smell his masculine pheromones leaking out. As much as Jin-Woo liked it, he felt a little annoyed that his 'friend' was being used as incense.
"Mom, did you let him wear dad's clothes?"
"Mhm. It wasn't being used anyway," Kyung-He answered Jin-Woo. She put her hands together, making a sad smile as he looked over to (M/n). "I think it should go to good use, you think?"
"Yeah."
"He suits it well, right?"
"Yeah."
"He's more handsome now, isn't he?"
"I agree."
Sung Jin-Woo crossed his arms over his stomach. (L/n) (M/n) was very attractive in his eyes and a fuzzy feeling would come when thinking of him. "I can tell you really love him. So don't let him go." Kyung-He coaxed Jin-Woo. His mind was blank, only focusing on (M/n).
"Yeah."
"Oi, Jin-Woo! Why did you smile so weirdly in this photo!"
'Ah, I hate him so much,' Jin-Woo thought as (M/n) made fun of him. "Don't look at those!" he marched over, snatching the photo album from his hands while Jin-Ah and (M/n) laughed on the floor.
"Pfft! I don't want our child to look like that!"
"It'll be even worse if it looked like you!"
"I'm a handsome bastard and you know that!"
"I didn't know you wanted children. I hope they look beautiful in the future," Jin-Ah's eyes sparkled at the thought of cute children saying 'Aunt' at her. She wanted to squeeze their chubby cheeks immediately.
"Wait five months, then you decide if the baby will look good."
"Five months? So you're getting married in five months?"
"What? No, I mean Jin-Woo is giving birth in five months." (M/n)'s laughter soon ceased into silence as Jin-Woo walked closer to him menacingly. He then understood why (M/n) didn't want him to tell Jin-Ho about his circumstances. It was so embarrassing for them to know. Now they're never going to let him give it up.
In front of his family, his face became tomato red with both anger and embarrassment as he crouched down to strangle (L/n) (M/n). "Why did you tell them, you dumbass?!"
"Eh?? I thought they already knew from how you told Jin-Ho from the moment we left the hospital."
"Shut up." Jin-Woo balled his fist and set it in the air, his other hand on (M/n)'s chest to prevent him from moving. "Wait, wait! Don't actually—"
"Oppa, you're pregnant?" Sung Jin-Ah's shock had multiplied by 900, so did her happiness. "MOM! IM GOING TO BE AN AUNT! WOOHOO!" She stood up from her place and fetched her phone with a massive smile. She was going to brag to all her friends all about it, wasn't she?
"This is a pleasant surprise. Jin-Woo! You don't tell us about anything going on your life." Kyung-He also smiled, half scolding Jin-Woo. He was already 24, so he could decide as an adult. She had no problem with it. "First, you're a hunter, then your secret fiancee, now your child? Hoo, you.."
Wait, why did secret alpha boyfriend evolve into fiancee? They weren't getting married after the birth of the child!
(M/n)'s ears were about to bleed. He forgot about it! But because of their excessive happiness, he couldn't bring himself to disagree with what they were saying in fear they'd be disappointed. So he could only regrettably nod.
[Yay! Yay! Baby!!]
[We're getting a little hunter!! (☆ω☆)]
Jin-Woo's complexion became pale blue. They were doomed.
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mortuus-poet · 2 years
Text
Can you do a Headcannon about all the boys (better if it's together) comforting you after a fight with your parents or if you have low self-esteem?
I absolutely can! This one will be the poets comforting you after a fight with your parents!
Neil:
Oh boy, he knows what that’s like
He will be the most sympathetic person ever as soon as you tell him what happened
First thing he does: ask if you’re safe
If you say no, he goes completely series and takes every single precaution he needs to before addressing and evaluating the severity the situation
If you say yes, he takes a breath of relief but it’s right back to comfort mode
Instantly asks you what you need, what he can do to help etc
Whatever you need, he gets for you instantly
Hugs hugs hugs
If you’re okay with that! Obviously! He checks multiple times before he even thinks about hugging you
He’ll sit with you, give you lots of blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, anything to help comfort you and/or calm you down
Will listen to you scream, cry, yell, and rant about your parents for hours without a single interruption
If you tell him it’s okay to do so, he’ll talk shit about your parents with you
After you’re done ranting/crying/etc his next goal is to make you smile
He’ll turn on your favorite tv show/movie, get you you’re favorite food and drinks, and sits down to watch with you, cracking jokes with you until he hears you laugh
He makes sure you know he’s there for you no matter what the situation is, and if you ever need anything, he will get it for you or do it for you without second thought
Todd
God, parents are the worst, huh?
The second he sees your upset, he can kind of tell it’s because of your parents
He knows the feeling, trust me
He quickly pulls you into a soft hug, apologizing to you for having to go through any of that
He asks what happened and listens patiently the entire time you talk
If you need to cry, he’ll hold onto you while you do so, if you need to scream, he gives you pillows to scream into
He’ll probably call your parents assholes quiet a few times
Once you’re done, he assures you that you did absolutely nothing wrong and did in no way deserve their poor treatment
He tells you stories of arguments he’s had with his parents so you know you aren’t the only one going though this
He’ll sit with you for the rest of the day/night, trying to keep your mind off of it
Or, if you need to, he’ll spend the day/night listening to you rant and talk about how awful they are to you, he doesn’t mind either way, as long as it helps you feel better
1000% lets you stay with him for as long as you need if you need to get out of your house
Charlie
The second he sees you upset he’s ready to kick someone’s ass
HE comes to YOU before you get the chance to go to him
He heard from someone that you had seemed upset and instantly went to find you to make sure you’re okay
When you explain to him that it’s your parents that upset you, he gets even more angry
His parents aren’t exactly horrible to him, but they aren’t great either, so he knows where you’re coming from at-least somewhat
He will probably ramble about how shitty parents are for a second before stopping and asking you if you wanna talk about it
He’ll sit and listen intently, making a few snide comments towards your parents here and there
Once you get it all out of your system, his main goal Is to make you laugh
He’ll make jokes about your parents, call them stupid, childish insults, tell dramatic stories of the things “he would do to them”, anything he can do to make you smile or laugh
When he sees you even slightly smirk, he considers that a win
He’ll get serious for a second, assuring you that is wasn’t your fault and that they were the assholes here before he goes back to joking around with you about the situation
Jokes always make it feel less serious and painful, he knows that from personal experience, so he hopes his jokes about it make you feel a little less heavy and upset
Hangs out with you for the rest of the day/night
Expect him to give your parents a mean, nasty look the next time he sees them
Knox
Panic
You’d expect Todd to panic the most
Nope, it’s Knox.
His parents are actually good to him, so he doesn’t know first hand what it’s like, but he tries his absolute best to be sympathetic
After a bit of fumbling over his words and trying to figure out what’s happening, he calms down (atleast looks like he does) and asks what you need from him
He’ll do whatever you ask him to before settling down with you and letting you rant and talk about it
He might accidentally tell you “they’re your parents, I’m sure they still love you” or something along the lines
Once he realizes that upset you more, he profusely apologizes and lets you continue talking
He’ll hold your arm/hand/leg and draw small circles with his fingers to try and calm you down (with consent, ofc)
Once you’re done, he just apologizes that it happened and asks if there’s anything you want to do to help cheer you up or distract you
He will do anything you say you want to do happily
The next few days he comes up and checks in on you and how everything’s going
Meeks
You don’t need to say anything to him before he realizes that you’re upset and asks what’s up
When you tell him its your parents, he gets visibly upset but stays calm and asks if your safe and/or if you need help
If you say no, he’ll just sit down and let you talk
If you say yes, he lets you stay at his house and will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe and away from them
After that, he asks if you want to talk about it
When you say yes, he gladly sits down and listens to every word patiently, maybe asking a few questions and making a few comments here and there
He lets you lean on him, gives you hugs, holds your hand, and does really anything he thinks will help you feel better while you talk
After you finish talking, he will very gladly talk shit about your parents with you
He invites you to stay the night so the two of you can play games, watch movies and eat junk food to cheer up
Lets you pick every game you play, every movie you watch and every snack you guys eat
Pitts
The second he sees your upset, he opens his arms and hugs you as tight as he can
Quickly asks what’s wrong, if you’re hurt, who upset you etc
When you say your parents upset you, he just hugs you again and asks if you wanna talk about it
He sits and sympathetically listens to you the entire time,hardly even taking his eyes off you so you know he’s listening
As soon as you finish he hugs you again and asks what you wanna do to cheer up
He will very happily suggest the two of you make dinner and/or dessert together to take your mind off of it
He says baking always helps him, so he figures it’ll help you too
He’ll let you chose what the two of you cook together
Cameron
Confused older brother energy
He’s panicked when he sees you upset, but his big brother instinct kicks in and he really really wants to help
As soon as you come up to him upset, he gets the two of you sat down somewhere safe before asking questions
First thing he asks is if your parents are at fault
When you say yes, he asks if you’re safe and okay
If you say no, he will immediately start making a place for you in his house before addressing the situation and informing the authorities if he has to
If you say yes, he just prompts you to talk about it with him
He gives genuine advice as you speak, trying to comfort you and solve the problem at the same time
When you’re done, he asks if there’s anything he can do to help you either resolve the problem or atleast make you feel better
He will do whatever you need him to without any further questions, he’s just happy to help you out
If you want him to, he’ll talk shit about your parents with you, even if he feels bad about it afterwards
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lesbianlotties · 3 years
Text
What if when Deena kills Goode and the Shadyside curse is broken, all of the victims finally get to rest in peace, and they are all reunited?
Starting with Sarah, waking up to meet Hannah again. All the killers waking up, reunited with their loved ones. Everyone from 1666, 1978, 1994, waking up in some perfect place and then meeting each other and...
okay i wrote it
Sarah…
Sarah…
At first, there was only darkness, calling out her name.
“Sarah?”
The darkness started to bleed. Black gave way into powerful red. It was a familiar voice calling out her name.
“Sarah, dearest, wake up.”
Light started breaking through the red. A blue sky above was revealed, and then, the loveliest of faces. The woman she’d loved and died for.
“Hannah?”
“There you are,” Hannah smiled, as she continued to lovingly brush away the red moss covering all of Sarah’s body.
Sarah gasped for air, and jumped to a seated position. She took a deep breath. It felt like being born again. Soon, it registered there wasn’t an ounce of pain in her entire being. In fact, all she could feel was the warmth of the sun, the softness of the moss around her, and the tenderness of Hannah’s eyes.
“You’re finally here,” Hannah whispered in awe, placing a gentle hand in her bewildered lover’s cheek.
“Oh, Hannah, my love,” Sarah returned the gesture.
Then before wondering at all about explanations or reason or logic, Hannah pulled her in for a kiss. It felt exactly as Sarah remembered, and even better. Better than life itself, Hannah Miller’s kiss. When they had to pull away, due to Hannah’s growing smile and Sarah’s overwhelmed tremble of her entire body, they continued to rest their foreheads against each other until their breathing calmed down. “Hannah,” Sarah said, pulling back a little more to look around them, “What is this place?”
“Peace,” Hannah replied.
“What?” Sarah frowned. She stared at the ground, covered in that recognizable red shade as far as she could look. The trees, the large rock beside them, it was all familiar. “Where are we? Is this Union?”
Hannah shook her head softly. “It’s just… peace,” she insisted. There was no other way to explain it.
It appeared Sarah didn’t need to hear more. She exhaled a sigh of relief. Then her eyes met the love of her life again. “I’m so sorry it took me so long,” she apologized.
For the first time since their reunion, Hannah looked slightly less than blissfully happy. “It was nothing, Sarah. Time was meaningless without you,” Hannah stated with loving fierceness, “Eternity begins right now, with you, and only with you.”
Simultaneously they moved in for another kiss. Sarah’s instincts told her to keep kissing her lover. Danger could be around the corner. Threats. Neighbors. Evil. They had to make the most of whatever time they had. But… hadn’t they left all of that behind? Didn’t they win? That victorious feeling blossomed inside her chest and soothed her fervor. As the kisses slowed down, they found the strength to pull away from each other.
“Who did it?” Hannah wondered as her hands caressed Sarah’s hair. “Finally, who managed to break the curse?”
Immediately, Sarah grinned. “Two girls. Two wonderful, wonderful girls. I am sure you would have loved them. And their marvelous friends. And I pray we won’t see them around here for a long, long time.”
The two girls shared a blissful chuckle. “Good,” Hannah nodded.
There was a brief moment of silence then. Hannah studied Sarah. How terribly she had missed her all this time. How long had she waited for her lover to achieve her well-earned peace. And Sarah Fier wouldn’t have let herself rest until her entire land had also reached equal freedom. Sitting beside her, Sarah took a moment to look around them again.
“This is pretty,” Sarah commented about the red moss that covered the entire ground. She ran her hand over it and marveled at the lovely, perfect softness of it.
“You’re welcome,” Hannah replied with lips pursed into a playful smirk. It was true she had been the one to place the crown of red moss on her fallen savior’s head.
“The afterlife has made you even more playful, love,” Sarah lovingly accused her.
Hannah looked nothing but proud to hear that. It wouldn’t be paradise if they weren’t there laughing together. Suddenly, Hannah’s visible joy increased, and she turned eager to be on the move. “Follow me,” she said, standing up and offering her hand to the other girl.
“Where, my darling?” Sarah asked, despite the fact that was already standing up and willing to follow Hannah anywhere, to the ends of heaven and hell if necessary.
“There’s a lot I want to show you,” Hannah smiled. “They’re all coming here.”
“Who?”
Sarah was being led by the hand. Hannah looked over her shoulder at her with a brilliant smile that had been the light to inspire Sarah’s fight and therefore became the miraculous force behind the ultimate liberation from the curse. Hannah was all light, and hope, and love, and good news, for eternity.
“Everyone,” she replied.
--
Sarah and Hannah knelt behind a rock and looked on at the most wonderful sight.
“Henry?” Sarah exclaimed in a breathless whisper.
Hannah was holding her hand, and Sarah’s grip was so strong it nearly hurt, if they could hurt in that place. “And my dad,” Hannah added, “and everyone else.”
It was true. Not everyone had made it, but a group from Union was right there, happily wandering around the woods, stepping on the soft moss, exchanging fresh, delicious fruits, and talking to each other. Henry looked perfectly healthy and happy. He was talking with Lizzie and Isaac, the pair of friends were smiling brighter than ever. Pastor Miller looked as happy as a man could be, surrounded by children that looked all healed, that couldn’t feel nor remember any pain. The Berman sisters were there too. Abigail cried in relief and Constance made fun of her for it, while eagerly returning the embrace. A few feet behind them, the widow Mary was dancing with her husband and child.
“Look at them!” Sarah sighed, there were tears shimmering in her eyes. Joyful tears.
“You made this possible, you know?” Hannah told her.
Overwhelmed by her emotions, Sarah wrapped her arms around Hannah’s waist, and held tightly, perfectly safe and comforted by her lover’s arms wrapped over her shoulders, holding her close.
“What did you do?” Sarah wondered after a while of the two of them simply holding each other. “After… what happened with you?”
“I left,” Hannah replied simply. “I left, and Union separated in two. I was a widow, I decided, and our friends weren’t many, but eventually, we made a place for ourselves.”
“Shadyside,” Sarah smiled.
“Oh, have you heard about it?”
Sarah laughed at Hannah’s playfulness once more. “I have seen glimpses of it.”
“Then you will love what’s next.”
--
Hannah hadn’t been wrong. The more they walked around the woods, the more Sarah’s heart overflowed with joy. Everywhere around them were victims of the curse coming home, families reunited, lovers embracing, kids being kids.
A tall man taking off his mask, breathing freely for the first time in too long. A little boy being picked up by his loving parents. A man throwing his arms around his friends. No weapons on sight. Nobody a killer. They were who they always had been. Their loved ones remembered them as such. Forgiveness filled the air. They were free, and loved, and at peace. And there were more of them.
“Ruby!” Sarah exclaimed. It was her turn to drag Hannah by the hand as she rushed to take a closer look at the young girl. “She was so strong,” Sarah praised her, her voice trembling with emotion. The young Ruby Lane was running into the arms of her friends. There was no need to forgive. There was only forgetting the bad things that happened, things that weren’t the killer’s fault, for they weren’t killers but the first victims each time.
“Where’s her mother?” Hannah wondered.
“Not here yet,” Sarah replied, “By now she has probably heard the good news, I am sure. Last thing I heard, she has a good friend.”
“She will be welcomed by her daughter when her time comes,” Hannah added. “They will be eternally happy.” After thinking about it for a long moment, she looked at the love of her life with a proud smile. “You were looking after them, weren’t you?”
“I did my best,” Sarah looked down bashfully. “I’m not as strong as the curse. But I could nudge certain things to go the right way here and there.”
“You’re mistaken, my heart,” Hannah fondly shook her head. “If anything, you have proved you are stronger than even the Devil.”
Silently, Sarah lifted their joined hands to leave a kiss on the back of Hannah’s hand. She faintly wondered if this entire experience would consist of always being overcome by emotion. Her angel. Their friends, their people, the Shadysiders.
“This is... incredible,” Sarah sighed.
“It’s all thanks to you, Sarah Fier,” Hannah said.
“No…”
“Yes, of course it was you,” Hannah looked at her earnestly. “You kept your promise. You haunted the Goodes until you found someone that could help you break the curse. They couldn’t have done it without you.”
“And I couldn’t have done it without you,” Sarah replied with a trembling voice.
Hannah wouldn’t let her remain wistful too long though. “There’s more,” Hannah said, lighting up smiles in both their faces, as they resumed their journey across the woods.
--
“Oh! Hannah, look!” Sarah exclaimed, hurrying her pace as the couple neared the next clearing in the woods.
“Calm down, Sarah,” Hannah laughed fondly. When they were close enough, she stopped her, and wrapped her arms around her to keep her still. “We can’t meet them yet.”
“Why not?” Sarah wondered. She turned her face slightly to look at her lover, and seeing her face so close over her shoulder, she couldn’t help but place a sweet kiss on that inviting pair of lips.
Hannah blinked slowly. Life, death, and beyond, she would never be unaffected by Sarah’s affection. Finally, she smiled. “You will be famous, dear,” she said, “And I am not ready to share you yet.”
The two of them shared a laugh. Sarah seemed to accept that answer, and relaxed in Hannah’s arms. They rested their foreheads together and basked in the silence for a moment. It didn’t last long though. A loud yelp of surprise coming from somewhere nearby startled them.
“Oh, I’m happy to see her,” Hannah chuckled as the two of them moved closer and hid behind a tree to watch the scene in front of them unfold.
Cindy Berman stood up from the ground with a gasp, staring at her somehow not pristine polo shirt. “There’s still moss?!” she nearly yelled.
“Seriously, Berman? Even here?” teased a voice from behind her.
“Alice!” Cindy really yelled then. She jumped in the arms of the other girl and started peppering her face with kisses while Alice laughed loudly and happily, holding her close.
Observing them from a safe distance away, Sarah and Hannah shared an amused look. “They are a lovely pair,” Sarah whispered.
The blonde girl nodded, then asked Sarah, “How is her sister? The younger one?”
“Older now,” Sarah replied with an affectionate smile. “She is fine, and she will be doing better.”
“I hope she won’t be here any time soon. But that will be a reunion I will love to see,” Hannah added. They were watching as the realization dawned on Cindy Berman’s face. Her younger sister wasn’t there. Ziggy was alive. It was the best part of this entire moment for her.
A few steps behind Cindy and Alice, Arnie affectionately slapped Tommy Slater’s back. “Don’t worry man, you’ll get a hug too,” he said.
The blonde guy chuckled. He glanced at his hands, as if expecting an axe to still be there. Seeing himself free, he took a look around. They were surrounded by a group of children in their blue t-shirts. At first, they looked confused, dazed, but they quickly gained their footing. They started running around, openly laughing while a couple of teenagers almost chased after them to protect them, carrying the instinct of old camp counselors with them. They weren’t in danger though. There was nothing to fear. Everyone greeted each other with smiles, and Tommy smiled the brightest.
--
“Oh…” Sarah breathed out. She was delighted to see so many people reunited, but it didn’t come without a heavy weight on top of it. “So many children…”
“I know,” Hannah agreed. She kept a hand on Sarah’s shoulder, offering silent support. Noticing this, Sarah placed one of her hands atop Hannah’s. They’d missed each other. She felt she needed to be touching the other girl at all times.
“Why… How was so much cruelty possible? So much horror,” she wondered out loud.
“It was the devil’s work, Sarah,” Hannah did her best to reply. “It wasn’t human. Nobody here was ever cruel. And the horror is all over now.”
“It is?”
“It is,” Hannah promised. Her hand had moved to Sarah’s face, and with the back of her fingers, she tenderly caressed the girl’s cheek.
Sarah took her time breathing in and out. Staring at the love of her life, as alive as she ever knew her. Breathing in and out. The ethereal world around them, perfectly real. Breathing in and out. Her racing heart had barely calmed down enough when she was startled by a sound of rustling leaves coming from behind her. “What was that?” She asked in a tense whisper.
“Do not be scared, Sarah,” Hannah replied quickly. “There is no evil here. nothing to hunt us anymore.”
“No threats?” Sarah wondered, staring at Hannah with a small frown on her face.
“No fear,” Hannah reassured her.
“No hate?” Sarah inquired, though this time a small smile was growing on her lips.
“Nothing but peace.”
“And joy?”
“And love,” Hannah grinned. Then, seeing as she couldn’t find a reason not to, she leaned in forward quickly to steal a small kiss. “And friendship,” she playfully added. She took Sarah’s hand in hers once more to lead her to a new spot. “Take a look.”
--
There, with his hands behind his back as if afraid of himself, Ryan Torres was repeatedly apologizing to his friend. Heather was tearing up, shaking her head and dismissing his apologies. Her hands had been on his shoulders, but she soon pulled him into a warm hug. Nervously at first, he eventually reciprocated the embrace, carefully holding her close as she whispered soothing words to him. A few steps away from them, staff from the mall, and the hospital, and the police station were sharing awe-struck conversations. The heavenly spectacle of watching old friends come together, victims open their eyes again, friendship being born in the afterlife… it was all a mesmerizing sight. Sarah believed she could have spent a good portion of eternity simply staring at the people around her.
That’s when Sarah and Hannah were startled by a pair of voices coming from nearby. They simply had to move closer to get a better look at them.
“How does my hair look?”
“Aren’t you dead?”
“Yes, idiot. But how’s my hair?”
“It’s fine!” Simon laughed, accepting the hand Kate was offering him to pull him up from the ground.
He didn’t waste a single second wrapping his arms around her and holding her as closely as possible. Kate pressed her face to his chest, closed her eyes tightly, and didn’t even try to hide her smile. The two best friends enjoyed the embrace for a while, and eventually pulled away slowly. They brushed away the red moss that lingered on their clothes and slowly started taking a look around them.
“Where are we?” Simon wondered.
Kate didn’t really hear him, though. She’d seen something that stopped her in her tracks. “Deena?” Kate blurted out.
“Sam?” Simon exclaimed, equally as surprised.
Realizing they’d been caught, Sarah and Hannah hid behind a tree. They shared a look, wide eyes, and guilty smiles. A second later, they were running away, hand in hand, to avoid causing a confusion, for the time being. When they were safely away from most curious eyes, right in the middle of their gorgeous, red-tinted forest, they stopped. They had been laughing the entire time. They came together at once for a new kiss, familiar and exhilarating at once. Their hands lovingly cradling each other’s faces. A perfect embrace. A love that resisted life and death and three hundred years in between. They could kiss forever, until the end of times, and even then, with souls intertwined, their love would last longer than time itself.
All around them, love continued to blossom. There was the red moss, spreading further and further away from the spot where they stood, welcoming more and more souls. The freed victims were starting to leave the spots where they woke up, they were starting to explore. All over there were stories intertwining, timeliness melting into one, friendships being born. People were confused, and shocked, and fascinated by everything around them. Cindy Berman met Abigail and Constance. Tommy Slater shared a hug with Ruby Lane. Heather started a conversation with Alice. Pastor Cyrus Miller carried Billy Barker on his shoulders. Ryan Torres shook hands with Harry Rooker. Isaac met Simon, and Kate met Lizzie. Ruby Lane’s friends joined the Camp Nightwing’s counselors. Parents found their children, friends were reunited, lovers found each other, everyone searched and found new friends and people they had lost, and some of them patiently waited for the distant future where they’ll meet again the ones they left behind. Tales from the seventeenth century met myths from the eighteenth, legends from the nineteenth, and songs from the twentieth century. Every now and then, somebody made a joke about a certain family that wasn’t present, and would never be. Even the trees, the leaves, and moss at their feet seemed to laugh and rejoice in the Goode’s absence.
At the center of it all, Sarah Fier and Hannah Miller remained. They kissed, they laughed, they danced, they held each other, and their love continued to shine strong enough to sustain a land of pure and absolute peace that would last forever.
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wesimpforxiao · 3 years
Text
Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 10.2
Author’s Note: I got all 4 wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday and now I look a bit like a chipmunk hehehe XD
"Haah...ngh..."  Squinted eyelids prevented you from panicking at the sight of the branch retracting from your abdomen while you slowly pulled yourself away from the tree.  Still, the movement only enhanced the stars that obscured your vision.
"Your opponent's right here."  A cold warning caught your attention, and you glanced up to see Childe with another arrow knocked against his bow and aimed at Scaramouche's head.  Apparently the sixth harbinger was contemplating on striking you down while you moved.  "Your fight is with me."
"You have three seconds before I end you for betraying the will of the Tsaritsa," he growled back.
"Well, Mezzetin? What're you waiting for? Get out of here."
"Mhmm..."  You scooped up a handful of snow and pressed it to your stomach.  You don't have to tell me twice.  You turned your back to them, trusting Childe with your literal life in his hands, and--froze.  Dammit.  Why is he throwing his life away for me? He has a family to return to.  "Childe-"
"Go! I can handle him."
You peered over your shoulder to gaze at his profile.  He didn't bother looking your way which was the smart move given the dangerous situation.  His expression was nothing less than determined and focused on the opponent in front of him.  "Be careful."
Childe didn't respond, though his lips did twitch slightly upward at your heartfelt warning.  The sound of retreating footsteps that crunched in the snow allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. He dismissed his bow and summoned two hydro blades in his hands.  "Now then.  I've been wanting to fight you for awhile now.  What do you say we have ourselves a friendly fight to the death? Show me your strength."
.................................
"What do you think you're doing?"  A faceless god struck Xiao across the face and sent him sprawling to the ground.  "You have the audacity to disobey my commands?  Who do you think you are? You are nothing without me.  You hear? You're nothing, Alatus."
Xiao licked the blood that covered his teeth and bit his lip to prevent himself from fighting back.  This wasn't a new occurrence by any means...or at least, the little rebellion wasn't.  He would fight, claw his way out of this god's grasp if he could, but every day he was back at square one:  nothing but a slave.
"What's your excuse this time," the god questioned, yanking Xiao into the air by construing a firm grip in the adeptus's hair, "that you couldn't fulfill your duty?  Did it make you sick, killing those creatures?  Exterminating those gods that were strangers to you?  You're weak.  You're worthless.  You're worthless!"  
The god dropped Xiao and he fell to his knees.  He couldn't bring himself to speak with the growing lump in his throat and the tears burning his eyes.  Who was he but a murderer now?  Could his soul even be redeemed for the sins he's committed?  He's only been in this god's grasp for a couple months now, but the amount of beings he's killed is--
"I have a special punishment for you."  The god summoned what looked to be a young god, no older than a child and an orphan by the tear stains on his cheeks.  He was beaten, like this god had already decided to have his way with the child; bruises colored his pale malnourished flesh with blues and purples.  There was no light in the kid's eyes; they were empty, devoid of hope, devoid of rage, devoid of even sadness.
The sight alone was enough to scar Xiao.  Would he too become devoid of all emotion in due time?
His master shoved the god spawn forward so he fell before Xiao's stiff body.  "Kill him."
"What?"
"You heard me loud and clear, Alatus.  Kill him, and eat his dreams.  This is what you will do from now on when I give you the order to kill."
"I can't," Xiao wavered and stared at the broken child in front of him.  "I won't."
Xiao would very much rather be dead than do these awful tasks so the god never bothered to threaten death.  Doing so would give this worthless servant release from a job that needs to be done.  Torture seemed to work on some occasions, but eventually Xiao had become used to the pain and rarely cried out.  So the best way to get this stupid creature to follow orders--  "If you don't, I will.  And you know what that means."
Unnecessary torture until his dying breath, the yaksha thought as his wavering gaze lowered to the child once more.
"What'll it be?"
The child held Xiao's gaze, but he felt no hope looking at the adeptus.  His life was over; that much, he was sure.  There was no point in living anyway.  His entire family was slaughtered.  Where could he go but wonder the lands alone?  Nothing would fill the void in his heart nor replace his loved ones.  
Xiao recognized the acceptance, the defeat, in the child's broken demeanor.  He didn't want to kill him but if it prevented a much slower, painful death, then this is an act of kindness.  It's an act of kindness.  It's an act of kindness.  He's doing this for the orphan's benefit.  This is a way of saving the child.  This is--
"...Forgive me."  
The blade of his polearm shot through the god spawn with the utmost precision and speed.  A weak labored gasp escaped him from the contact, but all he felt was a small pinch.  It was peaceful, or at least as peaceful as death could be.
This is for his own good, Xiao told himself as he watched the life drain from his eyes.  A desperate persuasion of the mind to preserve what little innocence he has left.
"Eat his dreams."
"I won't disobey again.  Please, spare me," he begged.  But the unwavering glare of his master said there was no room for bargaining.  
Xiao returned his attention to the boy who was now hanging by a very thin thread.  To extract one's dreams, they must still be alive--and the last moments of their death are a frightening eternal nightmare.  He did as he was told and pulled the boy's dreams out until a glowing substance sat lightly in his hand.  The smell was different for everyone's dreams, those with pure hearts having the sweetest of fragrances just like this boy's.  The tastes of dreams themselves were rather unrememberable, but the textures were all the same.
He devoured it as quickly as possible, holding his breath so that sickly sweet aroma wouldn't stick around in his nose to haunt him.  As he did, the dying boy's expression changed from empty to horrified, and then his body finally gave in to the drastic wound in his chest and slumped over.
He just stared helplessly at the body for awhile while his master nodded in approval.  The weight of the god's hand clapping his shoulder barely managed to snap Xiao out of his distraught gaze.
"You'll learn to love the taste, Alatus. Then their distraught expressions as you take from them."  Then the god dismissed himself from the room leaving Xiao to stare brokenly at the corpse before him.
Xiao's nose scrunched up in anger while his stomach flipped with displeasure.  He hated this god.  He hated him.  'You're wrong, I could never,' he wanted to protest, 'I could never be like you,' but his stomach twisted in self-disgust.  A part of him did enjoy it, if even by the smallest amount, and it made him hate himself even more.
If killing the child broke him, then devouring, tasting, and seeing the child's dreams devastated him.  They consisted of the child with his parents living together again.  Smiling, laughing.  No sign of torture, only peace.  Something pure and loving, that he would never have again nor will Xiao ever get the chance to experience.
Just as that child died, so too did Xiao's remaining innocence.
Years passed, and what once was a kind-hearted adeptus was now a cold-blooded killing machine.  Slaying gods left and right, increasing the death toll in the honor of his wretched master until a major war broke out throughout Teyvat.  That was when he saw fear in his master's eyes for the first time--the threat of his domain being overthrown loomed heavily over his head. Though Xiao felt a sense of hope, it was quickly shattered when he was once again put to work.
It was one gloomy day during the Archon War when he and his master were confronted by Morax.  They tag-teamed the god, but the master was quickly slain while Xiao was trapped between a few pillars summoned by the god of geo. The master's blood spilled onto the grass and he felt his knees weaken with relief and trepidation.
Finally, he was free.  He sank to his knees and watched Morax approach him with a bloody spear.  He can die free.  Morax had other plans for him and welcomed his presence with open arms.  But the words that came out of his mouth did not belong to him.
"Xiao, can you...hear me?"  The voice that came from Morax was heavily distorted and high-pitched.  "Please..."
"That's not part of this memory," Xiao, now aware that he was dreaming, spoke out.  "Who's calling me?"
"Please don't die!"  Why was it suddenly hard to breathe, and what was this grief and anger washing over him suddenly?
"P-please don't die!"  I have to go back for him.  He can't--  You stumbled forward through the snow, still hesitant on whether to follow Zhongli's trail or make your way back to the palace rubble.  It was only a moment's hesitance, though--you were already making a beeline for the palace and making a point to avoid Childe's fight by the time you realized what you were doing.  It wasn't long until your wounds and exhaustion caught up to you about halfway back to the palace.  You force yourself to continue on all-fours for a little ways, but your fingers were growing numb from the cold now that you lacked a vision.  "Rex Lapis, please, I can't--I need to reach--"  Wait.  The wind can carry me, can't it?  You tried despite the growing pain in your stomach.  It barely lifted you off the snow, but it was something.  You can do this.  It's just another mile or so.  
But just as your body was lifted from the ground, something grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and lifted you higher into the air like an animal carries it's offspring.  "It seems I cannot dissuade you from running back to danger."
"Z-Zhongli?" You winced, and your hand pressing tighter against your side.
"You're injured!"  Aether immediately moved to inspect the wound, but you swatted him away just as Zhongli set you back on your feet.  "Were you able to defeat Scaramouche?"
"I'm fine, it's not fatal--I think."  Your gaze swept across your companions' faces.  "...Childe intervened and is fighting him now."
"Wait, Childe betrayed the Tsaritsa?"  Paimon appeared out of thin air after hearing this.  "Why the heck would he do that? And now of all times?!"
"Perhaps it's best we save the questions for later," prompted Zhongli.  This may as well be some form of apology for the harbinger's actions against you and the rest of the group; he hinted a possible alliance when Zhongli confronted him above the harbor after the Lantern Rite ended.  Regardless of the intent, they need to take advantage of the time they were given now.
"Either way, I don't care.  I'm not leaving Xiao.  You all came to rescue me, but I refuse to have my life traded for one of yours."
"That much is clear," the consultant let out a heavy sigh, but there was a certain fondness and respect in his eyes as he looked at you.  "Very well.  But as soon as we recover him, we leave immediately.  No more impulsive decisions."
"Yes sir."
"I too have begun to suspect all is not well," he murmured thoughtfully, but you couldn't quite hear him.  "Do not push yourself further, I'll carry you."
"Wha--? Ah!"
The palace was a literal heap of smoking rubble.  Not a pillar was left standing.  Whatever fires may have started were immediately smothered by the snow, leaving ominous black pillars of smoke that didn't have an origin.  The silence was overwhelming despite being filled by the wet shoes that crunched in the snow.  By the looks of it, not a single agent survived the fall.  How would they? For humans are but fragile creatures incapable of healing themselves unless they had the specific power to do so.
Paimon frantically flew over the rocks and columns ahead of the group.  "The mess goes on and on! Where would we even start?"
"We should split up to cover more ground."
"But what if the Tsaritsa reappears?"
"I doubt she will be in a fighting condition after facing Xiao.  Paimon and I will start here.  Aether, would you two search to your right?"
"Sounds like a plan."  The traveler joined your side while throwing your arm over his shoulder to assist you.  You weren't looking too hot; your skin was pale but it was unknown whether it was more from the cold or from your injury.  "Leave the heavy lifting to me, alright?  Don't push yourself too much."
"Xiao's always pushed himself to protect me.  It's time I do the same for him."
A wry grin lifted the corners of Aether's lips.  "That might be true, but he's more equipped to handle it don't you think?"  He escorted you to a suspiciously large pile of rubble.  "Wait here.  I'm going to use Elemental Sight to see if I can locate him."
"Elemental Sight?"
"Oh...right...you never learned how to do that since you haven't held a vision for long," an awkward laugh escaped Aether as he began pushing boulders away from the pile.  "I'll tell you about it after this is over."  The elemental traces left behind were crowded with a mix of cryo and anemo energy, which made it difficult to decipher the strongest trail that Xiao left behind.
"...What'll we even do once we find him?  Where would we go?  The Tsaritsa wouldn't just give up on hunting us down."  Your palms pressed against the next boulder and it tumbled unceremoniously into the snow.  Then they gripped the next one, and your shoe needed to push against it for it to budge.
Aether didn't answer at first and the two of you removed several chunks of the wreckage over several minutes.  Then he used his Elemental Sight again and scanned the area.  "I was actually talking to Zhongli about that after we left Scaramouche to you.  I was gifted a Serenitea Pot a few days after you joined the Fatui; it's an adeptal realm only I or those I invite can access."  Aether's gaze hovered over a spot and his brows furrowed with concentration.  "The two of you can stay in there until the situation calms--There."
"Huh?"  You followed his line of sight but didn't see anything.  "What's there?"
"He's very close.  Hey, Zhongli! Paimon! Over here!"
"Did you find him?"  Paimon beat Zhongli to the punch and worriedly scanned the surrounding area.  
"I think he's trapped back here.  Zhongli...?"
"Allow me."  The boulders of rubble carefully rose away from the pile one by one to prevent any possible cave-ins that could injure Xiao.  He must've removed at least twenty chunks from the debris before a small cavern was revealed.
"--wake up!  Xiao!"  The ringing in the yaksha's ears finally faded until a girl's voice filled its place.  Slowly, his drowsy eyelids opened to see a blurry figure stare down at him.  Despite his unfocused gaze his reflexes were as quick as they always were.  A flash of silver nearly slashed at your neck, but a golden shield erupted around you and Xiao's polearm bounced off.  You were unfazed.  "It's alright.  You're safe now."  A numb hand was placed against his cheek.
Zhongli stared thoughtfully at the boulder that sat on Xiao's abdomen and stained his clothes red.  "Aether, can you grab a few handfuls of snow?"  
"Yeah.  I'll be right back."  Paimon glanced at the two of them before flying after Aether.
"Don't do the stupid thing and move yet," you nagged once you finally caught sight of the blood.  
Something between a pained groan and a scoff left his lips.  'Don't do the stupid thing?'  Who do you think you're talking to?  "You're one to talk," his gaze grazed over your side, where the snow you had pressed against your body was melting and soaked with blood.  "...Here.  Put more pressure like this."  Despite being pinned, his heavy arm lifted enough to push against your skin.
"I would do the same to you, but your injuries are more extensive--"
"Yes, it would be wise to refrain from doing anything until Aether returns."  Zhongli knelt on the other side of the yaksha, his gloved hand ghosting over the boulder.  "I may have a solution, though it depends entirely on the presence of those Aether has authorized to enter his teapot..."
"Okay, do you think this should be enough?" The traveller entered the cramped cavern once again with an armful of clean snow and his scarf removed.  "We can tie this around his waist so the bleeding slows down--"
"Aether," Zhongli turned to him.  "Have you by chance invited a healer to your Serenitea Pot?"
"...Yes, actually.  You're thinking I bring them here?"
"The opposite; I want you to enter your teapot now and see if they're taking residence at the moment.  If they are, we could potentially send these two into the teapot where the healer aid them."
"T-That's brilliant!"  Paimon immediately went to pull the Serenitea Pot out of Aether's bag.  "Paimon would've never thought of this! Quick, Traveler! Hurry up and go see if Bennett's inside!"
"Right!"  Aether handed the snow and scarf to Zhongli.  Then he opened the teapot and a vortex sucked him inward in an instant.
"It shouldn't take him long to return.  Quickly," he handed the scarf to you.  "I will lift the debris and place the snow on his injury.  While I do that, tightly wrap the scarf around his abdomen.  Ready?"
"Y-yes."  Xiao looked displeased, but he nodded at you.
"One, two, three." The debris was easily lifted off of Xiao's body.  
You did your best to ignore the gruesome wound and the dark blood that had soaked into his clothes, carefully sliding the fabric beneath his back and tying it at his front.  A low grunt escaped Xiao when confronted with the sudden movements, but other than that he remained silent.
Aether was thrown out of the teapot and almost stumbled onto the three of you.  "Okay, he's inside! Give me your hands."
"Our hands?"  You and Xiao exchanged confused looks before returning your attention to Aether.  Despite the confusion both of you lifted one of your hands to him.
Aether pulled out what looked to be some sort of marker from his bag and drew a symbol on your palm, then Xiao's.  The symbols then glowed a bright gold before fading like they had never been on your skin in the first place.  Next, Aether tapped both palms twice.  "Okay.  You'll be able to enter the realm now.  All you have to do is tap your hand like I did."
"...A-Are you sure about this? Xiao's..."  He's not looking well anymore; he was still bleeding heavily from his stomach and blood was still dripping from a wound somewhere behind his hairline.  "This won't hurt him, will it?"
"Relax.  Bennett will be there to treat him the second you guys enter."  
You and Xiao simultaneously turned to Zhongli, who nodded in confirmation.  "Go now.  We will contact you once we're out of Snezhnaya."
"Okay.  Be careful."  It was your turn to look at Xiao, and both of you then brought your hands together to enter the realm.
Tap, tap.
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miamlfy · 3 years
Text
Gryffindor Scum
A/N: WOOH PART THREE IS FINALLY OUT! There was so many ways I could have written this part and I actually rewrote it a few times. This part is more centered on Draco rather than the reader but I guess this series is mostly on Draco. Feel free to give me feedback/ideas!
Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem! Reader
Summary: Draco has an unwelcoming experience with Blaise and Pansy. 
Warnings: Implied depression, Pansy, and a few swear words. Perhaps spelling/grammar mistakes as well. 
Word Count: 1,9k
Series Masterlist
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Enjoy!
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Draco laid wide awake on his bed, staring onto the ceiling. He spent hours tossing and turning, just wanting to fall asleep just like everyone else in the house, however, his body refused to shut down. Draco continued to glance down to Harry’s muggle alarm clock he had on his nightstand, 3:46am it read. He let out a sigh, your mum wanted everyone up by 6am. So much for a good night’s rest, he thought to himself. 
His stomach was filled with the nervous feeling, his whole life had changed for him during the summer and he knew life at Hogwarts would also change. If someone told his past self that he would be dating a half blood or better yet living amongst Gryffindors, he would’ve laughed in their faces and told them to fuck off. Draco would have never imagined that this would be his life now, not that he hated it. He loved it, every second of it. He loved being in a household which held warmth, love, and security. He loved having parental figures that asked him on the daily if he was okay but most of all, he loved having you at his side. 
You were there for him for anything he needed the minute he stepped foot into your house. At first, Draco was scared your relationship would have declined when he moved in but instead it got stronger and the love was blooming more than ever. They spent many nights together alone, talking about the present and the future. 
“If I become a professional Quidditch player and you a healer, you can help with any injuring I get.” You said while picking on the grass you were laying on. 
Draco chuckled besides you, “I’ll also be on the stands cheering you on and being the loudest there.” 
Those moments the two of you had are what kept Draco going. You were his world and his yours. He got so used to spending each day with you that he wasn’t sure if he’ll be the same spending less amounts together at school. Now, Draco wasn’t much of the clingy type but after living in the same house for almost three months only to go back to school and being separated by house rivalry but going to take its toll. 
Draco scoffed to himself, whoever created such things and made him believe them were children, he thought. House rivalry was nonsense. Draco looked over to the clock once again, not much time has passed since he last checked it. He rolled onto his side and decided to at least get some sleep to avoid being an awful mood the in the morning. 
Draco was woken up by the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. He looked over to Harry’s bed to see it empty and unmade, no doubt already waiting for the delicious delights Lily was cooking.
Draco was still getting used to seeing a human cook rather than house elves. Lily wasn’t the only person who cooked in the Potter household, he also learned that you, along with Harry were taught some things. James, however, was often kicked out of the kitchen after his many, many, failed attempts on cooking. 
He got up from his bed and quickly made it along with Harry’s. Although your twin brother was fully capable of making his own bed, Draco hated a messy room and often opted into making your brothers bed. Heading downstairs, he saw your luggage packed and ready to go by the front door. Lily made the three you do it the night prior. 
“Ah, he’s up.” He heard you say, you stood on your tippy toes to place a kiss on his cheek. You always complained about your shortness to him, and how it wasn’t fair the Harry got the tall gene. 
“Come sit down, there’s pancakes, eggs, and bacon on the table already. Help yourself.” You said to him. 
Draco nodded and took an empty seat next to James. He began adding foods onto his plate, before he could start eating, James began speaking to him loud enough for him to only hear. 
“Draco as you know, the trial between your parents and us is still happening.” Draco nodded as James spoke. 
The trial was taking longer than expected and although it was unrealistic to think it would end with an agreement immediately, Draco wish it was over. Both parties refused to step down. Not that Draco wanted your parents to give up, he knew they wouldn’t. He just wished his own parents would come to terms that Draco wasn’t returning to them and to drop whatever they doing to claim themselves as the best wizarding parents out there. 
Well, he just wished his father would stop. He knew his mother couldn’t do much, she was just there to be a wife of a pureblood and a mother to heirs. Draco knew she tried to be there for him but the way she was raised proved that the only way she could try to show her love for her son was to buy him things and spoil him with anything and everything he asked for. 
Narcissa still sent him letters once a week, whether it was sending him money, treats, or asking a simple ‘How are you doing?’. 
Draco stared at James and nodded his head allowing James to continue. 
“Word has gotten out and it’ll most likely be in the papers soon which means people will say things to you. Don’t let them get to you and force you to pick a side, in the end it’s you who decides.” 
Draco already had a side picked but he knew Mr. Potter was right. His ‘friends’ will no doubt try to make him change his mind about everything and force him back into being the self-centered prick he was. 
Once everyone finished the very delicious breakfast and got into the muggle car Lily owned, with complaints from you for having to sit in the middle seat, the five of you headed towards the train station. 
“Harry move your bloody elbow!” You yelled out to your brother. “It’s stabbing me in the side!” 
“Maybe it’s you who should move, my elbow is fine where it is!” 
Draco slightly laughed at the interaction, leave it to the two of you to cause some sort of chaos in any given situation. He sat back in his seat and looked out the window, watching all the cars drive by. 
His stomach was getting the same feeling it had during the night. He began chewing on his lip, a habit he had of doing whenever he was nervous. Taking notice of this, you took his hand into yours. 
“Are you okay?” You asked looking at him. Concern was written all over your face as he looked at you. Looking at you is what made him more present and calmer. He loved looking at you, you were always so beautiful to him. 
“Yes, I’m fine.” He responded, giving you a genuine smile. You reciprocated the smile and leaned your head on his shoulder. 
Draco let out a yawn, his lack of sleep getting to him. Perhaps he’d be able to nap on the train. 
Arriving at the station, the three of you said goodbye to your parents. Lily was making sure everyone had everything they needed while James looked ready to cry. Regardless of this being the fifth year of doing this, he was never ready to say goodbye to his children. 
Draco noticed some Slytherins giving him weird looks as he stood with the Potters, a few gasps were heard from others when he hugged James and Lily goodbye. He didn’t care though; it was a bit amusing to see some of his peers sporting confused looks. 
“Alright kids be safe and be good, I don’t want to hear about any more pranks on teachers or students,” Lily said, looking directly at you and Harry. “Includes you now, Draco. These three gremlins can be quite the influence.” 
“Three?!” 
“Yes James, three.” 
“Now that’s not fair, Sirius should be in that list too!” James said. Lily shook her head as if her point was proven. 
Draco followed Harry and you onto the train, he saw a few first years still waving goodbye to their parents through the windows. He saw you poke your head out of one as well, he wanted to laugh at the fact that you looked no different than a first year, but he knew it was best not to as he didn’t want to make you mad. 
“Tell Uncle Moony that I say hi!” He heard James yell. You replied with a ‘will do’ and pulled your head back as the train began to move. Draco could’ve sworn he saw James wipe a few tears from his eyes. 
“Are you going to come sit with us? Harry already went with Hermione and Ron to find an empty compartment.” You asked your boyfriend. 
Draco shook his head, “It’s best if I go sit with the others, Granger and Weasley aren’t much used to having me around unlike Harry and you.” 
“Alright well if anything happens, you can come find us.” 
Draco nodded, allowing you to place a kiss on his lips as a short bye. Watching you skip as you went to find the others, Draco went on his way to find the people he calls his friends. 
The compartment in which they were in wasn’t hard to find, upon entering it Draco placed his luggage above and sat down next to Blaise. 
“Strange,” he heard Blaise say. “We didn’t think you’d be joining us.” 
“And why is that?” Draco asked turning his head to look at Blaise. 
Blaise continued to look down at the book he was reading, “It seemed to us that your alliance has changed.” 
Draco scoffed but before he could speak back, Pansy had already taken the stage. 
“You left us Draco.” She said, forcefully making herself sit in-between Draco and Blaise. She placed her arms around Draco’s neck. 
“Come back to us Draco, we know you’re still in there.” She shook him as she spoke, “We know they brainwashed you now come back.” 
Draco threw Pansy’s arms off of him with a bit of force, making her pout. “No one has brainwashed me.” 
“They clearly did, you don’t even want to be with me anymore!” She screeched. Draco rolled his eyes at her delusional self. 
Blaise closed his book and made Pansy go back to her original seat. He looked directly at Draco as he spoke. 
“We don’t want you here anymore, Draco. You made it clear to us that you no longer want to be in this friend group the minute you hugged that mudblood and her blood traitor husband. Not to mention how friendly you’ve gotten with Y/n Potter.” 
Draco felt his body becoming hot with anger as Blaise targeted the slurs towards your parents. 
“Now leave us and perhaps you’d want to change your house tie as well, seeing as you’ve become Gryffindor scum.” Blaise finished. 
Draco angrily stood up, glaring at Blaise as he grabbed his luggage and stormed out slamming the compartment door with such force. He stood there for a few seconds, taking notice that his hands were shaking as he rubbed his eyes with them.
“This is going to be one long fucking year.”
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