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mythicamagic · 15 days

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Xiaolumi Week Day One: Magpie. Chapter One.

Summary: Xiao has been acting strange- bringing back all kinds of pretty things to his room. Jewellery, nick-nacks and fine silks. After seeking out advice for this behaviour, Lumine comes to learn that her adeptus lover is...nesting.

Rated E for eventual smut. Read the whole thing on Ao3 soon: here

AN: For Xiaolumi Week 2024! I wanted to write a new oneshot everyday for it but didn't have the time after my assignments, so I've decided to break down this story into smaller chunks and just post a chapter every day for the ship week.

Todays theme was either First Encounters or First Time - and though this fic will include smut later it won't be for a few chapters, so I picked 'first time' but changed the meaning a little here. Enjoy!

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Chapter One

Xiao had been acting somewhat…odd, recently.

Not that a little weirdness was a bad thing, Lumine mused. Especially for someone like Xiao, with his sense of duty enforcing strict daily patrols- newness was usually a good and unexpected happiness in his life.

But that didn't make this any less baffling. Lumine sat atop Xiao's bed, or rather, what resembled his bed at Wangshu Inn. During the past week, he'd been changing it from its usual style:

The bedding was now comically fluffed up with comforters and excess pillows like a stowaway sumpter beast was hiding underneath the covers. He'd been adding so many blankets and covers it was any wonder they could both climb into it at all.

That was just the start though. Next, he'd begun adding random things to the walls and rafters, leaving and returning with new hoards each day. Silk scarves and gossamer drapes wrapped around his bed posts. Trinkets he'd usually never care for were abundant. Tiny glass figurines, starconches, ore stones, fresh qingxin flowers and jewellery littered the nightstand and windows. They glittered in the sunlight, casting pretty hues.

During it all, Xiao added everything with quick, agitated movements. He'd occasionally stop and look at his handiwork, before tucking more filling under the bed or adjusting the drapes.

"This Spring cleaning session has been going on for a little while now, hm?" Lumine smiled. She'd tried gently asking about it before, but he always brushed her off.

"Almost done…I think," Xiao muttered distractedly. He didn't look at her, focusing solely on the bed. "No, there’s still something missing…"

Lumine's brows pulled together. She reached out and caught his face in her hands. "Xiao, look at me."

She waited until his murky gaze connected with hers, offering a concerned smile. "I think it's great you're interested in something new like this for the first time. Decorating is a really fun hobby- but you're kind of worrying me. You seem distracted, almost like you’re losing sleep over it. Anything you want to talk about?"

Xiao took a shaky breath. His skin felt hot and clammy under her touch. He reached for her, only to gently grasp her wrists. He kissed her outstretched fingers in parting as he pulled away and created distance between them.

"I'm fine. Don't be concerned."

Lumine frowned.

He took one look at her expression and faltered, clearing his throat.

"That is to say, this is just something I feel like I need to do. I'm not entirely sure why. It's as though there's an itch in the back of my skull," he uttered thinly, gazing at the room again as if he couldn't bear to stop looking at it, searching for something inexplicable. Luminous golden eyes then swung to her unexpectedly- striking her like a lance. Intense. Hungry.

"And I can't add to the room unless you're here. It's not right until you're with me. On our bed."

Her heart skipped a beat and picked up the tempo until it pounded. Xiao was usually so logical. Curt and no nonsense. The only time she glimpsed a more feral nature, befitting of a Yaksha was in the field fighting monsters. This was no fight or flight response though- there was an unfamiliar quality about how he was holding himself: looking at her. All coiled tight, tense muscles at the ready.

Why was he looking at her like that?

Heat rose to her cheeks. It was Lumine's turn to look away and distractedly gaze around the room. “Right. Okay. Well, if that's the case, and you really feel you need to- then sure, keep going! But can I help too?”

“You want to…help me build it?” he rasped, eyes widening.

Build it?

She nodded slowly, not sure what she was agreeing to but wanting to be useful. "Sure, of course. Always happy to lend a hand."

A shudder went through him like he'd been afflicted with electro. Xiao closed his eyes, breathing deeply as his chest heaved. Lumine quickly stood from the bed. “Xiao? Are you alright?”

He held up a palm to signal she stay back, panting softly and bowing his head. Inky dark hair obscured his expression- but his ears betrayed him, holding a faint red tinge.

Lumine felt her own blush return with a vengeance. Had she said something strange?

“I'll…see you later. Just add whatever you want to the room-” was all he said, disappearing shortly after in a plume of dark matter.

#xiaolumi #xiao genshin impact #lumine genshin impact #Xiaolumi fanfic #xiao x lumine

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writing-by-mimi · 2 years

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Nine Demons and A Baby

Fandom: Obey Me

Pairing: Diavolo x F!MC

Chapter: 16 Of ?

Summary: Demonus may just bring your dreams to life.

Adult content. Read at your own risk. Not beta read.

Diavolo held your hand through the rest of breakfast. Even while everyone discussed having sex with you. If he was bothered, he did well hiding it. Perhaps the talk of Dreka weighed him down with more guilt.

The schedule had been set, safety measures talked about. Even emergency plans should your magic begin to act up. The table had been absolutely thorough of every possibility and had a plan in place. Even kinks and fetishes had been discussed, with the entirety of the table knowing you were willing to experiment a bit and where your hard lines were... you wanted to crawl inside a hole and vanish, but you had made it through breakfast.

Diavolo had escorted you to the garden after breakfast, his hand never leaving yours as you both sat on one of the benches further in than you had ever been before. It was beautiful.

"Before our wedding, I'd like you to pick decor for our marriage chamber. The nursery will be right across the hall. You may take as much time as you like on it."

"I just assumed we would use your room..."

"The thought had crossed my mind, but I wish for a fresh start. It was what we agreed upon, so I see no better way than a new room to help that. Plus, our martial bedroom will have a walk in closet for you as well. I imagine my mother will help you fill it in short order, though I will miss watching you be mystified by your own bras and panties as you stand topless." He teased. "I sent Barbatos with my card to purchase the items, he is very good at such things."

"I'll say, this bra fits like a frickin dream." You smiled before blushing heavily. "How did he know what to get? You two didn't do something weird like measure me while I was sleeping, did you?"

A laugh left him. "No, nothing as exact as that. I simply told him how your breast sat in my hands. How much of my arms you fit in. How my hands sat on your hips..."

"And he got this from that?" He blushed as you laughed. It was absurd.

"He is a man of many talents. I imagine after he takes his time with you, they'll fit even better." He gently shoulder bumped you.

You could feel your face heat again. The thought of Barbatos knowing you so well...atleast the clothes would fit great.

"I've accepted my fate, Mc. It bothers me, but knowing you will be safe and well cared for helps ease my mind. It is purely physical with all but one of them. I trust you, and you are to spend your life with me. So in the end, all works out as it should. Though I will admit, I will be very...jealous and on edge tomorrow, even knowing all of this..." He gestured with his free hand.

"Am I completely terrible that it makes me happy to hear you say that?"

"Which part? That I will be extremely jealous and most likely unable to keep my hands off of you after your done?" His eyebrows raised as he looked down to you. "Or that my mind is eased?" His smile was crooked as he bumped your shoulder again. "I will be a man crazed. You will smell of them, be marked and bruised, wet and stretched... I will have no choice but to heal you of all of it and leave my own marks." He said confidently. "Or we could wait until the night of our marriage. The coupling and the days after should be sufficient time for me to mark you as forever mine."

"The wedding," You nodded, "let's wait until then." You wanted to push off being...biblically joined with him again for a small bit. It still just felt too soon.

A groan left Diavolo. "Next you will say you wish to do things properly and sleep away from me at night until the wedding."

"It's not a bad idea. Besides, before everything went tits up, I was going to tease you and leave you to blue ball until the wedding." Your own crooked smile took your lips. "I'm glad we're being completely honest with eachother. It helps." You admitted. "Except for birthday parties and gifts." You added quickly.

Diavolo stood to take his place in front of you, holding out his free hand, you placed yours in it. "I would like to formally apologize. For what I did and for hurting you so deeply. The fact you've given me another chance is more than I deserve, and I will spend the rest of our days making it known to you that I hold feeling for you, and only you."

Looking down to his shoes and yours, you bit your lips. "I'm working on forgiving you...but I don't know that I'll ever truly forget... I'm taking this on faith of your words...that you'll prove it in actions." You slowly removed your hands from his. "I appreciate the actual apology though. I just..."

"I know it will take time. That you may never fully trust me as you did before I broke my promise to you, but I will prove to you that you need not worry. I am simply grateful for the chance." His large hand swept some hair from your face as a breeze traveled through the garden. "I truly was an idiot. If not for your mercy, I fear I may have fallen completely apart."

"Or cut yourself to pieces." You scoffed crossing your arms. "I'm still mad about that." Unloading all of your honest feeling on Diavolo was actually helping

"Lucifer explained to me how you could see it as manipulative. I did not mean it that way, but as a show of my loyalty from that point forward." The Prince stood before you nervous enough to wring his hands. "If I had known you might see it that way, I never would have approached it as such."

Grabbing his hands you let out a sigh. "I thought it was just theater...that you wouldn't actually do it..."

"I will admit, I was not very happy when Solomon undid my work...it was quite painful to get as far as I did...but I would have gladly done the rest and remained blinded if it would have helped you to give me any sort of chance." He squeezed your hands gently. "I am also sorry for putting you through that. In the future, if we should quarrel, I will find a different way to express my feelings."

You nodded, looking up to him. "Thanks." You continued to bite your lips. Today had been long, and it wasn't even lunch.

Diavolos hand rested on the side of your face, thumb gently poking your lips. "You are biting your lips again. Something I've seen you do more and more of."

Releasing your lips, you ran your tounge over them quickly and rubbed them together. "Nervous habit, I guess." You shrugged as you popped your lips.

A deep sigh left Diavolo. "Even your 'nervous habit' serves to ensnare me." His face was turned away blushing. "It is extremely hard to resist you, even more so since I've gotten you pregnant. You could ask for any number of things, and I think I would get it for you, just for a simple kiss."

"Anything?"

"Yes." The Princes voice held a tone of desperation, his pants had already started to tent and his eyes focused solely on you. "Name it, and I will make it yours, just for the chance to taste your lips again."

"Don't fall in lust with anyone else...and if you do, keep your cock out of them." You gave a sweet smile. It felt nice. Getting all the anger out and being honest. "Maybe I'll consider giving you a kiss if Dreka proves not pregnant in a month or so. Until then... I don't know when I'll be ready for anything like that...with you. I mean, I know we have to do the coupling." Your eyes focused on the flowers to your left. "I'm sorry...I do love you...I just..."

"You do not trust me." He nodded as he dropped your hands.

"I trust you to not let your kingdom down or to be gambled away." You referred to the prenuptial, "I used to blush just from you calling me 'princess'," You traced the out line of his erection, making him shudder. You wished it drew more feeling from you as it did him. "Now... everytime you try to kiss me or be sweet... it's not the same. I don't know if it will ever be the same." You dropped your hand from him. "Maybe I'm just thinking too hard about things, maybe after we're wed and it's just us...maybe that'll change things, because it'll all be behind us. I don't know, I just know I'm willing to try though. Maybe one day when you hug me, or kiss me, I won't immediately wonder why your doing it, but I'll just know it's because you love me. Maybe it'll be a month, maybe it'll never happen...I don't know. All I know is that I wish it didn't feel like this. That it didn't hurt, but it still does." You blinked away the sting taking over your eyes. "I just wish it would be sooner rather than later. I miss what we had...it wasn't even a full day, but I saw what it could have been and my hearts broken, Diavolo." You sighed. You hadn't meant to sour the mood, but honesty is what this relationship had to be built in. The foundation had to be strong so your house of love wouldn't collapse again.

His hand found the side of your face once more and turned it up to his eyes. "I will wait for you for as long as it takes. One month, one year...even another lifetime. I will wait for you."

"Maybe you will...or maybe another 'Dreka' walks by and suddenly the mother of your children isn't fit for queen in your eyes. Or they'll have the best tits in all of the three realms." You wrapped your arms around yourself as you pulled your face from his hands and let out a sarcastic laugh. "I just wish love wasn't so complicated. That I could care less." You looked back to the flowers on your left. "Every ounce of love I have for you, I'm putting it in trust that this gets better. That one day I won't have to worry if my husband thinks of someone else while he fucks me, just to save his realm from bankruptcy..." You blinked quickly, subsiding your tears. There was no reason to cry anymore about it all. It did nothing other than give you a headache. "I'm sorry I brought all of this up... I just had to get it out before tomorrow." You admitted. "After that, it's a fresh start." You assured yourself more than Diavolo. "Moving forward."

"I can push back the wedding, if you would like. To give you more time."

You shook your head. "No. The wedding date is fine." You looked up to the Prince once more. "Can you do me a favor?"

"I told you, anything you need..."

"Please tell me you actually want to marry me for love, not just because I'm pregnant or you have something to prove."

"It's love. We may have lost our way because of me...but I believe we can find our way back to eachother and back to our path." His golden eyes were soft.

"Okay." You stood and grabbed his hand once more. "Then we try to find the path."

"One step at a time." He gently squeezed your hand.

"One step at a time." You repeated.

After saying what was deep in your chest, coupled with plans of the future, you felt a bit better. Still a bit worried, but over all, a step in the right direction had been made confessing your feelings to Diavolo.

"Yo, Mc!" Mammons happy voice caught your attention from down the hall. The Avatar of Greed was skipping down the hallway towards the Prince and yourself. Literally skipping like a happy child...

"Did...did you win the Devildom lottery?" You couldn't help your giggle.

Holding up a shiny golden key, ornate in nature, Mammons smile was a mile wide.

"Am I supposed to know what that is too?" Your confusion showing on your face.

"The royal treasury." You could see the hearts and flowers pouring from every angle of the demon before you. "I only peaked inside for a second before I almost came my pants." He sighed akin to a love struck teenager. "I ain't gonna last long tomorrow, but I sure as hell am gonna give you a ride."

"That...that doesn't seem like something you should brag about, Mams..."

"Have you ever seen it? I'll let ya in on a secret, the royal treasury in the castle, it's just the poor man's riches. The good shit is hidden away an I ain't never gonna be able to see that. I know that and have made my peace a long time ago...but this...that baby is packed full of Grimm and jewels an all kinds of shit." Another sigh left him. "Have ya seen just how rich ya are gonna be? Like ya could spend everything in there an it ain't even like one percent of the realms wealth!"

"I guess I'll see it tomorrow. I'm not really worried about owning the money."

"You can count it to your hearts content after your three minutes with Mc." Diavolos taunting smirk to the second born almost made you giggle.

"Hey! Imma atleast hold out for ten...but I ain't even mad. I'm gonna fuck Mc in the treasury." His smile persisting as he skipped past the both of you, on his way to carry on with his business.

"You know the 'I fucked your wife" card is going to be a free and easy jab at you now, right?"

"Yes. Even if they fuck you for hours and make you cum, I know for a fact I'll be the only demon that can make you truly feel satisfied, body and soul. So your hours may bother me, but they themselves won't"

"Even if Satan were to say something like that to you?"

"I plan to sit down and have an...ambical talk with him" Diavolo tilted his head as he searched for the word.

All you could do was sigh, "Well, if ya beat the shit out of eachother, just don't permanently harm him. He's my friend, and my pact mate." You shook your head. "Men are so stupid."

"I promise not to kill him. Many...ailments can be reversed or healed."

All you could do was shake your head.

"Though it is tempting to tear his fingers off. Magic would help them regrow. It's painful and I would be delighted to watch him try as he might to finish his council duties with unpracticed hands."

The gleeful smile on his face made you roll your eyes. "Just... nothing permanent. You're both so dumb." Your words were quiet.

"You're to be my wife. Allowing me mercy to become your husband...I will not take that role lightly. You deserve better and I intend to see to it that you recieve it."

"Honestly, just keep your cock out of people. That's all I really need from you. That and to be a dad that actually sees his kids and doesn't suck."

Diavolo stopped and grabbed your wrist gently, turning you to face him. "I will not fail you, or our children ever again. I will be the best father this realm has ever seen." His eyes holding a softness as his gaze fell to your tummy. "They are so bright now." His free hand softly slid over your abdomen. "I wish you could see our children's souls. I believe it would bring you to tears though."

"Well, I've done enough crying for the year." You tried to shrug off his words. The kindness and love in his voice made your heart beat a bit harder.

"For a lifetime." You almost missed the words, they were so quiet. Falling from the Prince as his gaze still rested on your stomach.

You took dinner in a guest bedroom. Tomorrow was...well...a busy day, and the day after. Every demon you knew was hovering around you...from worry about pregnancy to waiting for tomorrow's 'activities'. You had been allowed to have some private time to yourself for part of the night.

Two more days of being single...then forever committed to Diavolo.

You just hoped he might actually stay interested this time around, not break promises or say and do things that made you feel this way again.

You couldn't sleep. Not matter what you tried to do, your brain just wouldn't shut off. From worry or excitement, you weren't truly sure.

The third born.

Levi would be first, he had called dibs and it was part of the known plan. He'd be a mess, probably not sleeping and worrying like you were too. Maybe Leviathan calling dibs was the best thing to happen to you, because you'd both be feeling the same. It would be a... 'softer' start to all of this.

Levi would be awake, just as you. Probably laying in his tub thinking the same thoughts. Taking a deep breathe, you texted him.

Still up? I am. Ngl, I am freaking out a bit...would you just wanna come over to the guest bedroom here in the castle and hang out atleast?

The thirty seconds it took him to respond was nerve wracking. Levi seemed...excited when it was brought up before...but talking about doing something and actually doing it were two very different things.

I'll be there.

As much as it was embarrassing...it was a small comfort. He atleast wanted to hang out, even if nothing happened until it was scheduled.

Less than fifteen minutes later a soft knock in a rhythm you distinctly knew as Levi hit your ears.

Opening the door you couldn't help your shy smile...the implications of what were to come in a few hours still in the front of your mind. Levi wasn't much better. Pink faced and standing as straight as a board.

"This is weird isn't it. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed things, I just thought hanging out would help."

The third born cleared his throat and slipped through the door. Before you could get your self clear, his hands were on both sides of your head and his warm lips were on yours. Fast and awkward, yet hungry to go further.

The door closed with a thump, back pressed tightly to it as Levi held himself against you. When your eyes opened slowly, Levi was frozen in place, face red and a look of horror on his features. "I-I didn't...I'm sorry!" He blurted out, functions seemingly returning to him as he pulled his hands away and stood back from you. "I freaked you out! I should have never ever considered reading Asmo's stupid normie magazines. I messed it all up and it was terrible. Now you'llneverwannadoanythingwithafreaklikeme!"

A soft smile took your lips as you slowly hugged Levi, the man freezing absolutely solid at your touch. "It's silly...but it was nice. It'll sound like a normie thing to say...but knowing you tried and actually seem to want to do this helps a lot." Leaning your head on his shoulder you couldn't bring yourself to look him in the eyes, a flush on your cheeks too as you pulled away. "After everything with Diavolo...it's really sweet. Trying so hard to show me that you want to."

"W-well why wouldn't I?" The third born couldn't help but look to the wall, face still just as red as before while he clutched the bottom of his shirt with a death grip.

"I could think of about forty reasons." You joked, stepping back to give Levi some room to breath. His hand grabbed yours quickly, holding tightly. "F-forty isn't a reasonable number."

You couldn't help the sigh that left you. "It feels like it is though."

"Your p-perfect to me, Mc. Lord Diavolo is just a normie. H-hes lucky you even g-gave him a second g-glance."

The quiet laugh that left you made the male finally look you in the eyes. "I'm serious, Mc. H-hes an idiot. You're so pretty and kind, and great at games...he's an idiot." Levi averted his gaze once more.

"Not pretty enough." A small bitter laugh leaving you. "Is it completely crazy to try and give this a second shot? The saying 'once a cheater, always a cheater' keeps playing in my head and I can't get it out, but we technicallyweren't togethe, but he broke his promise?" You let put a sigh. "Just because of how I feel doesn't mean it doesn't end in heartbreak for me again... should I really try this again?"

"D-does the s-stupid normie make you happy?"

A genuine laugh left you, Leviathan calling his future king a 'stupid normie' tickling a spot inside of you. "He's betting his whole kingdom that he can. He seems to think he really means it..."

"T-then let's make him r-regret ever thinking of anyone else. I-I'll make him j-jealous." Levi pulled you from the front of the door and opened it all the way.

"Levi, I don't think it'll work I-"

"I'm the Avatar of Envy. I c-can do it."

"Ya, and Lucifer and Beel also got some action, all while I was on his lap. He didn't seem to care too much."

"He had to save face. N-not only that, but it wasn't actually sex." Levi was so red, you could start a fire off of this man's cheeks alone. "I-I can do it, Mc. M-make you feel nice and make p-pretty sounds and make Diavolo mad. H-hes been hovering around your room....so if we kept the door open while we started, he'll see it."

You gave a small frown, as much as you would love to show Diavolo first hand how much others could do for you, and that there were those that would hold you first always... it still just didn't seem like it would work...

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Sorry it took so long, life has been life. Thank you for all the support and patience!

Taglist: @luciferwifu @my-perfect-machine @archangel1206 @tigress1 @trendyharold @welcometodemonschoolfan @littlelias-stuff @downbadsad @my-simp-land @itsmeninerz @bunna-does-stuff @obeymediasimp @dont-ask-me-pls @aviyannahernandez-blog @fugeycreeper @madieg02 @too-much-stresss @pearlofabyss @lloydlovebot @night-snows00 @chocatie @weirddutchgirl @mocahbutterfly @zanyballoonxombie @blackstarqueen @lovelessaching @lovekaku @idfk-lolll @tojitsukaisen @hauntedcatnerd @mewchiili @kita-sds @dotster001 @futurecorpseinspector @purple-thrill @flaringfoxsoul03 @heatofmyexoheart @undeaddevildom @kokoirne @its-kitten-now @deepstartisanhumanoidshark @momokotuharumaki @renownedmeme @darkflowerav @anotheraddicted23

#obey me #obey me!#obey me! diavolo #obey me diavolo #diavolo x mc #lord diavolo #diavolo x reader #diavolo #shall we date diavolo

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gffa · 6 months

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Oh my word, thank you for such a lovely, detailed reply to my ask about comics???? I was expecting to be redirected to some links or blogs, which is ofc great too, but thanks so much for taking the time to type out and formulate all that for me?? I’ve never actually read a comic before so your first paragraph was a bit mind blowing (I had no idea comics worked like that, I thought each comic was like a chapter in the same book ahaha). I also had NO idea about the different eras but it already makes so much of what I’ve seen from the fandom make so much more sense, so thank you for that! (It’s reminds me, like, where people in history never bothered to write down stuff they thought was obvious bc it was obvious to them and then people came along and went ???, so following with this metaphor, thank you for making me “???” lol)

Anyways, sorry, super rambly ask, but thank you so much for taking the time and effort to reply so succinctly and also thoroughly, and also explaining what pieces of media are significant and why so… like seriously, that was so nice of you and I’m??? Ajahwjehrh??? Thank you sssm, once my exams are over I’m definitely gonna have a new media obsession :)

Aww, you're very welcome! I'm glad that I could help ease the way for you! As someone who started with Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond as my first real understanding of these characters (cultural osmosis doesn't count!), it was kind of a hard leap into comics, trying to understand how all of this fit together. To be fair, I don't want to give the impression that there's no coherency in comics from one author to another--it's very clear that a lot of authors are big fans of other authors' runs or they're building on stuff that came before their own run, but I emphasize the lack of consistency between authors because you absolutely cannot rely on that consistency being there, even if it often happens. You cannot pick up a comic from 20 years ago and expect the story to be exactly the same, because it's constantly being retold--authors want to be able to tell flashback stories at multiple points in the timeline, like take Dick Grayson, that "Robin & Batman" series I recommended is a retelling of their early days, of how Dick came up with the Robin costume, and it changes things (like gave him pants this time around, which I'm fine with) and I love that we can get retellings, because now I get to choose if I want to read that one or one of the older ones! We get a lot of really fun new stories able to be told, updated versions that weren't written back in the 1940s with different social norms, and I think that helps keep the comics fresh and interesting! And you're not wrong that some comics are like a different chapter in a single book! That's what Star Wars comics are aiming to be (well, within their own three distinct continuities) or what a lot of non-mainline DC/Marvel comics are like. It's just the main shared world superhero comics are a constantly shifting landscape! (To be fair to fandom not talking about a lot of this, it's also because the different eras are HELLA complicated to talk about if you haven't been reading comics regularly and broadly for 20+ years, like I had a solid grip on things until I left, and now I've been back for five months and I'm STILL fuzzy on just what Dawn of DC even is. It's hard to talk about stuff when you have a fuzzy idea of something, enough to pick up a comic and read, but can't explain high level detail in a post that would take you an hour just to write out all the weird little connections that lead up to an event!) But also thank you for letting me know your level of familiarity with cultural osmosis and what you're interested in getting into! Often times it's hard to know, "Okay, do I have to explain the different Robins or has cultural osmosis taught you enough that we can skip straight to the finer details?" because I love writing out broader views of the characters, but I don't want to patronize someone who is just looking for recs for starting places when making the jump to comics! I want to drag you guys in, but sometimes that requires tailoring things a bit more to where a given person is at/how much they know/what they're specifically intrigued by! Give me more info and I won't shut up in trying to reel you in. :D

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam

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asha-mage · 7 months

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17, 23, 49! Gratz on finishing the next chapter of Sworn btw!

[Send me a number and I'll answer your fanfic related questions!]

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

This is hard to answer because my first response to most new media is 'a WoT AU would make this better'. It is my Forever Fandom.

That said, to delve into the Deep Cut Zone for a moment (and maybe expose myself as utter nerd), I got pretty far into an outline for a Danganronpa X WoT crossover where pre-War of Power versions of the Forsaken + Rand and Moiraine where locked up to play the Killing Game together. The idea was to show off the flaws that led to the Forsaken falling to the Shadow, and examine the disparity between where they started/where they ended up/what drives them. I'd like to say more but I've always vaguely kept the idea of doing it around in the back of my head, and its' the kind of thing can't be spoiled and still be good.

For a non WoT contender? I have the first two chapters of a Adam Taurus/Jaune Arc fic written out that I want to go back to one day. Basically a 'they get stranded alone in the north of Anima and have to work together to survive' type thing that is meant to get into a lot of what makes the two characters tick. Love me a good Dark Knight/Paladin combo. It would have a potential audience of like, four people, but I still might go back to it one day if I get back into RWBY again.

23 - What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

This will come as a shock to absolutely no one who knows me but- ABO. I find ABO fascinating less for horny reasons and more for the potential it has to impact world building, character relationships, and general societal fuckery in interesting ways ways. A good example is WoT- one day I really want to write a ABO that would explore the weird intricate of Omega Rand for example, and how that effects the already profound Gender Fuckery of WoT.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Heh. I should have known this was coming when I posted about finishing the Sworn Chapter 15 rough. Have this preview:

Rand resisted the urge to shiver at the sound of dead grass and fallen leaves crunching underfoot. So many layers of it had fallen and turned to mulch and fallen again that it made a thick blanket of under brush through which only peaks of strangely veined marble where visible, at least on the outer edges of the grounds. Even with his height, the grass rose well past his knees out here, and would likely grow taller and thicker, as spring turned to summer. It was late in the evening he thought, but it was hard to tell in this place. The trees made a thick canopy over most of the grounds, some towering higher than the highest oaks Rand ever seen in the Waterwood. That canopy let in only thin rays of light that allowed a vague sense of the time of day. He had slept more he knew, after they had settled with a fire in the main hall, out the way of the strange Aes Sedai, but how long before he had awoken he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t dreamed again, or if he had, he didn’t remember anything beyond unsettled lurching darkness. He would have stayed in the hall still, to keep watch over Mat, waiting for him to awaken, but Loial and Selene between them had managed to convince him that he wasn’t helping by looming. Stalking about Loial had called it, though Rand hadn’t agreed with that assessment. Still he had needed some fresh air, so he had come out here, to the edge to wander about the manor grounds and try to avoid brooding over Mat’s fate. It had been that or submit to a lecture from Loial about how beautifully preserved the ruins where as he made notes in his little book. Mat will be fine. Rand told himself firmly. The Aes Sedai had said as much as she worked her healing over him and they could not lie. If you believe that- A voice began in the back of his head, the one that sounded like Moiraine. Rand crushed it ruthlessly. Moiraine was wrong. It was that simple. It had to be that simple. He was not the Dragon.

More then a few lines. I hope that's okay 😉.

#asked and answered #fanfic ask game #WoT #woT Fanfic #Sworn #Danganronpa

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oonajaeadira · 1 year

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Adira!!! For the end of the year ask I wanna ask you...

F. What stories are you planning for the future?

N. Anything you were planning to write that never got written?

T. Themes, motherfucker, do you have them? What are they?

💜

Hello, my sweet Rae!!! Sorry it's so late, I got swept up in chatting with some pals I haven't talked to in a while and they had a new puppy and before I knew it it was midnight. BUT THERE WAS A PUPPY. A PUPPY, RAE. You understand.

F. What stories are you planning for the future?

Sooooooo many. I mean, I'm doing a Year of Tropes, so there's 12 at least! A/B/O Javi G is coming in January, there's a Tovar trope fic set for February, and probably Javier for March. I'm keeping the tropes close to the chest, but I hope you'll like them!!!

I have the end of I'll Never Fall In Love Again ready to write. That was supposed to be two more chapters, but I covered enough in the most recent chapter that it may only end up being one more. Or one and an epilogue. (Exciting tidbit is that I just commissioned a piece of art for it--for the final scene specifically! I told the artist that she could dress Dieter and Cakes any way she wanted that fit the scene and I'd write it in. I can't wait to see what she creates for it!)

I'll keep writing Losing My Religion and Sweets Series for sure. I may be wrapping up Pats very soon though; I have another big chapter planned and that may be where I leave them for a while.

I may be continuing my Tarot reader Oberyn story...it has a rough outline, I keep playing with it, but I guarantee it would get really weird...

I'd like to take Light Only Shows You Where the Shadows Are (Max Phillips) further. I’m rather proud of this one. I absolutely loved playing with making Max both very unsettling/dangerous and very protective/soft at the same time and wonder if I can continue that. I like very still, very quiet horror and don't get to play with that enough here.

And my brain just came up with an idea for Joel. It's not an earth-shattering idea, but the format would be completely different than what I usually write. It's not a media fic or anything at all like you're doing, but I do take some inspiration from your Formula 1 fic and your bold format shake up. I've been wanting to do something that is challenging in execution but freeing in structure, if that makes any sense. And it's different enough that I don't know if anyone will read it. (I'd still write it if I really loved it though.) But. I'm going to wait for the series to come along. I'd rather write for Pedro's Joel than Troy's. Start fresh. With a Pedro face!

I may also have some soft series ideas for Frankie and Javier...but we'll see what happens with the other boys first.

N. Anything you were planning to write that never got written?

I had a series set in Salem with Ezra that was inspired by my trip there a year ago. It's completely outlined and could still happen...but I didn't get to it this year. 2023 may be the year I return to Ezra!!!!

T. Themes, motherfucker, do you have them? What are they?

The theme, my good lady, is soft, dammit. The theme is yearning and love and romance. The theme is working on your own faults and insecurities in order to love yourself and your person better. The theme is trust and communication and understanding. The theme is suffering through just enough angst to pop your heart open like a chestnut so you can get to all the sweetness inside. The theme is Pedro boys, but marinated in butter and sugar, gooey, sweet, with just a dash of spice, but meant to be a very nice indulgence. The theme is I WRITE WHAT I WANT AND I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN TOO.

End of year asks!

#ask games

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smblmn · 2 years

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Promote-Your-Fic

A fun way for writers to promote one fic they think deserves more attention. Add a comment from the fic if you want.

Okay, I feel a little bit weird about doing this, but let's go.

I was tagged by @mallpretzles, thank you so much! 💖 sorry for being so late, I love it when you guys tag me on things but my life has been a little bit chaotic lately.

On the Outside Looking Through

A Schitt's Creek Pride& Prejudice AU

Summary: Alexis chooses that moment to wave enthusiastically in their direction –apparently ready for them to meet her new acquaintances– so David sighs and stands up from the bench, taking Stevie’s hand to lift her up too. The whole group turns to look at them then and David can see the moment the accountant –as he is calling him in his head, because ‘very nice ass’ somehow sounds worse– looks at David and their gazes meet. David’s stomach plummets to the ground at the immediate change in his demeanor. The man goes from relaxed and carefree to tense and annoyed? –Is it annoyance what David sees in his face?– in the span of two seconds. He drops the arm he has over the cute redhead’s shoulders and looks at the floor.

Why I wrote it: I've seen the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie an unhealthy amount of times and after one of those times I thought: hey! why don't I put these guys in that situation? So I started writing it last october (I think), before being active in the fandom and just for fun. I didn't have any intention of publishing it because I had never posted anything before, but then the SC MediaFest happened and one of the prompts was for a P&P AU and despite all my doubts some friends told me I would regret it if I didn't post it, so I did. I'm pretty sure having that deadline was the only thing that made me finish it.

Why I'm plugging it: I spent a lot of time thinking about the ways in which this story could take place in a modern setting and I think I did a good job of blending the two worlds.

A couple of comments: I'm not exaggerating when I say I love and appreciate every comment I've gotten. I didn't expect people to read it to begin with, so to receive such a positive response is amazing. There were even people who commented on every chapter, which really blows my mind 💗💗

Really enjoyed this! I'm commenting on this chapter because I thought the rain scene was so well done. Patrick's energy was palpable. I thought you handled the adaptation from the source material really well, keeping the spirit of the story here without it being a word-for-word retelling. Thanks for writing! by @wordthieve (the rain scene was the first one I wrote -though I changed it a lot in the end- It's such an important scene and I was so worried it wouldn't have the emotional impact the original has that this comment meant a lot).

The Sebastien storyline is so smart and makes so much sense! Omg the scene in the car, I thought for sure they would kiss. And the Your Song scene! I was losing my mind!!! by @petrodobreva (because I wasn't sure I could make Sebastien work as Wickham so someone telling me it was smart made me soooo happy).

This exceeded my expectations in every way. You hit all the notes of my favourite story, but made it fresh and interesting, so told the story in an unexpected way. I'll be coming back to this time and time again. Loved it. Beautiful work. by @obsessedwithdavrick

I'm not tagging anyone because I'm veeery late for this.

#tag games

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echoing--stars · 1 year

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10. Cltr+f “blinks” on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

I didn't have "blinks" but I had blink so I'll give it to ya!

Wind was asleep, but the flurry of movement as everyone rushed to pack their bags was enough for him to blink awake.

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

Three?? Only three?? Hmmm...

Proximity bias or whatever that's called probably plays a part since I read these recently but I've really enjoyed:

Rise and Shine and Fall by Zarvasace, particularly Chapters 11-13 which I am still reading. The Wars angst is *chef's kiss*

It's Dangerous to Go Alone by CrimsonRavioli - Rav writes Warriors astoundingly well, and this was SO well written. It made me feel things 😭❤️

Apple Butter Breakfast by Zartophski. Picture a lazy, sleepy Sunday morning. It's dreary outside, you have your warm drink of choice in hand and nowhere to be for a few hours. This is the perfect fic to read in that moment, and has those same vibes as well. Plus, big brother Legend!!

12. how does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

So I was talking about this earlier, and I will admit that I mostly write for myself (and Rock, tbh). If I was only going for hits/comments/etc, my ao3 would look very different (and I wouldn't continue to write Rowan stuff 😂). However, I love getting comments and interaction! If I suddenly stopped getting it, I'm sure I would slow down. But I also love talking one on one about my current WIPs or just ideas, and that is fulfilling in and of itself too.

23. Best writing advice for other writers?

The best thing I've ever done for my writing is making it a habit. I wrote nearly every day for... hmm... a month? two months? And now I have like 30,000 words of fics that I'll probably never post. Because I was using them to create the habit, find my voice as a writer, etc. But now, while I don't write every day, it almost feels weird if I don't at least get a few sentences down.

Writing a little bit every day adds up fast!

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Edit as you go. It works for some people, and that's great! But for me personally, if I reread my chapter/fic before I continue writing, or try to edit as I write (beyond correcting small things like typos), I will hyperfocus on that and not get any new words down. Plus, again for me personally, taking a break before editing gives me fresh eyes and a new perspective, especially if I was struggling to write it to begin with.

#Silver!!#ask game #worm writes

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dracereads · 2 years

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BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: A MAY WRAP UP POST

Hello, yes. Guess who's a week late to wrapping up the month of May? Me. It's always me. Time is a social construct, and I'm off on a Tuesday instead of a Thursday and this was on my to-do list. I wanted to start doing monthly wraps with not so much the books I read, but what I was doing and how many I ultimately got to start, and any commentary I had for the month to look back on in reflection. On the blog side:

I've gained a few new followers! Hi, yes. Hello. I'm your local idiot who runs a reading blog specifically at a glacial pace. I talk entirely way too much, and if you're ever in the mood for a good chat I'm the one you want because I can never tell when my chattiness is unwanted. It's a character flaw, I think. Real life and summary + goals under the damn cut you're welcome.

So to start off with May: May, you sucked. Hardcore. The beginning two weeks of May were both Hell Weeks. I live in a University town, so the University dropped right at the start into their progression into finals. I work in a restaurant, which translate into someone had collectively disabled the safety button on a college kid’s well-intention'd budget. It’s take out to compliment the side order of tears and stress studying. Then every single organization had awards, grad ceremonies. Catering was a miserable spectacle to prepare. I imagine it was extremely good to enjoy and eat. but. when you've got like 4-5 of them in a day it's a stress-induced nightmare.

Right after College let out, the local high schools started their hell weeks + ceremony wrap-up weeks. So it restarted the whole process with a little more gusto because we serve TWO high-school districts. During the first two weeks I was hamfisting books. I think I started a reading circle with 3 books; then that circle grew to five. Definitely a string of come home and read a bunch of chapters and go to sleep kind of environment. It's actually very cathartic to think about weird fantasy trope filps vs wondering if you didn't count out the correct amount of utensils for the first catering order of the day for the Doctor's Office your CC has been DYING to get into a contract with. This is the better mental habit, even if you have to force yourself to sit and read, Drace. The third week of may brought all of that last minute sales ventures to a screeching halt. With that, I shifted gears into deep cleaning and renovating my room a little bit. As of the day this post goes live (6/7) I will have been without an working air conditioning unit for an entire month. Luckily the gods of Southern heat have been merciful and have tried to deep fry me only twice. I fear for the worst as I get into the heat of June. However, with this sudden need to heat proof my room I finally installed my curtains and UV screens and my room is looking EXCELLENT! Though. Drilling into wood paneling is really dusty. excessively dusty. So book photos and photo shares from now on will have beautiful windows and aesthetic-y stuff because I am definitely striving to add some decoration. I feel like a hamster that's actively trying to enrich it's environment over here, folks. During the last two weeks, I think I only target read. Which is to say: "sucks to be all other books than the ones I want to read with hyperfocus." I have a stack of round table reads that I am going to queue more books into and start fresh again this week. Reading-habits: I think I managed to finish 7 or 8 books in the month of May. Which is a lot more than I was expecting given the fact my schedule was an absolutely maddening crap-shoot.

Goals for June: I want to finish at least a half-dozen or so books that I didn't mange to get finished before May went out like cold bathwater. There are a couple of books sitting with like 3-4 chapters left that I've been savoring because I just don't want to let them go. If I don't finish it I can still hold onto it right? (Wrong, it's time) I have a bunch of stuff that I didn't get around to in May that I would like to sink my teeth into as well. However, that progress is going to be slow and take me forever. Because if you haven't noticed, taking this glacially is the whole point. As for DNFs, there are a couple on my list that I think I'm just going to try and pick back up. If anything I'll give them a few more chapters to get the story out before I decide to DNF them again or finish them for good. The goal here is to just keep on the course of clearing out my physical TBR before I add more things in.

#blog updates #no pictures this time sorry guys #I want to do more drawings this month if i can #don't uh hold me to it though #misc #monthly wraps

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yvesdot · 2 years

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yves.’S 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

(2018) (2019) (2020)

(view the image in highest quality here!)

A look at something I wrote every month in 2021. All of the above excerpts can be read in order at this link, and I've included a few notes below on the pieces and months in question. It feels as though I spent so much of my time writing for Patreon and editing Forest Castles and so on, but there was still a lot of fresh content every single month!

JANUARY - In Her Arms (unpublished)

COVID's been pretty bad, hasn't it? I think it's been pretty bad. Wrote this piece almost a year ago now to deal with it, and have workshopped it several times since. Eventually I'll get a version I'm happy with, and then you'll see it published!

FEBRUARY - KAY Valentine's Drabble 2 (read online)

I made sure to come up with something to post for Valentine's Day 2021-- a cute little moment between Kay/Atlas, and then Constantine/Julia. Still warms my heart to read over this... that transphobic dad of Kay's isn't always completely useless!

MARCH - mortālēs (unpublished)

I've had a lot of ideas for erotica this year (all excerpts here are SFW!) but haven't managed to post them yet-- I'd probably put them on a separate NSFW writing blog, as I've mentioned before. Well, here's one, inspired by my sudden apparent interest in historical m/f.

APRIL - Silvia (unpublished)

While in the car on the way to a more wintry setting, I listened through the entire Miike Snow self-titled album, and was struck by a sudden intrigue caused by this song. Here was something out of the box, intense, explosive in its unrequited emotion. I could see it all playing out in my head, so clearly I knew I was coming up with a 'true' narrative totally disconnected from the original... but, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't set it to paper. I'm going to let it percolate.

MAY - Forest Castles (first two chapters)

Again, I did edit FC year-round, so I only displayed it here in months where I honestly couldn't find any other new writing (probably hiding in the depths of my Drive.) This was a fun scene to write, though who knows if it'll survive later cuts.

JUNE - THE LOVER RISES FROM THE ABYSS・恋人が黄泉から生えてくる (read online)

I wrote this flash piece in either early June or late May, and then I was stuck revising it for quite a while. You can read about the process of that on Patreon! I worried over it until I felt it couldn't be worried over one second more... and then I edited it as I posted it on Tumblr ^__^

JULY - Something Weird I Heard About Rebecca (available in BLOOD&BREATH zine)

I wrote this so long ago! And, honestly, I expected to spend even longer editing and submitting it, but when the Blood & Breath submission form came around, I knew it was perfect. Preorder the LGBT vampire zine before January 5th to read the story in beautiful, physical form!

AUGUST - Forest Castles (first two chapters)

Day One Hundred And Seventeen Billion: Eliza Is Still Stuck In White Castle. To be fair, though, I remember when I thought I'd never reach White Castle! I hit quite a block around here, which I am still unsnarling, and I like that I've chosen to lean much harder into Eliza's princess nature.

SEPTEMBER - WTWBingo drabbles (read online)

Oh, God, what a timesuck! In addition to The Death of The Author (more shortly), in joining the WTWBingo event, I found myself tormented by hundreds of ideas for drabbles! Thanks so much to the WTW folks for inspiring me to write 10,000 words of these stories.

OCTOBER - The Death of the Author (read online)

I love Halloween. I love Halloween writing, and I love Halloween Episodes. More than all of that, though, I love murder mysteries, and so I am thrilled to present to you, with no further context whatsoever, The Death of the Author.

NOVEMBER - The Proposal (unpublished)

More erotica, with an eerie amount of people waiting on it. Very, very simple romcom MILF nonsense, which apparently is not only a thing I can write but something other people might want to read. I absolutely loved this piece, and it was responsible for my incredible 8K start on Day One of NaNo.

DECEMBER - Exhaustively (read online)

Exhaustively's had a big edit, and I'm now formatting it to release in limited edition paperbacks, in honor of beloved Archivist Max @goose-books! I highly recommend taking a look at it in this graphic (instead of just in the transcribed version) for full formatting joy. Also, I wrote 10,000 words in a day... but that didn't make it in here.

Man, was I prolific this year! I really enjoyed my writing, and I explored all sorts of artistic nooks and crannies (as Patrons especially will appreciate, what with all the experiments and behind-the-scenes things posted to Patreon this year. Fun Patreon surprise coming for free shortly...)

I also spent a lot of time on non-writing writing things, such Exhaustively's formatting, and, well, this Year in Review! I tried to show myself how much of my work wasn't just sitting and writing but reading and thinking and promoting and posting, and I think it worked... though I do miss just-plain-writing this week, as I wrap up all these New Yearly loose ends.

This upcoming year, I want to work more steadily on Forest Castles. It's hard to fit in with all my other priorities, especially when I don't have too much time to write a day. Do I need to set aside an amount of time daily to get it done, or is it better to dedicate full days? That's something I am still exploring.

Finally, this year I began using 4thewords, and I quite like it! Makes writing addictive and much more naturally fun. If you'd like to join up, feel free to DM me any questions, and my referral code is LOMDY47116.

And please, if you feel inspired by this post, make your own! That links to my template, which shouldn't be too painful to use. Just hop in there and change my name to yours, and tag me when you're done so that I can see it!

As always, you can read all of my posted writing here, and if you’d like to support me, I have both a ko-fi for one-time donations and a Patreon for exclusive monthly content. Thanks for being here this year! It's been a big one for so many reasons, and I'm so grateful to have had you along. Have a wonderful 2022, and I'll see you then.

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sebstanseabass · 3 years

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Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 9

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

CHAPTER NINE

For the first time in your life, you awoke in your own pool of sweat and with the fresh thoughts of Bucky as he managed to scoop you up with his strong lean arms and take you right then and there at the kitchen counter in your wild, vivid memory of dreams.

You blamed Nat for this. If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't even have inappropriate thoughts towards Bucky. Yes, you did notice his strong masculine exterior, jaw sharp as a killer's knife, body as strong as a boulder, and legs that could easily kill but did you have any thoughts on advancing towards him? No, absolutely not. He was Peter's stepbrother for crying out loud. But last night, something changed in the laws of physics. It was as if two resting bodies silently reacted to one another without a sudden force acting upon the two.

That morning, you didn't dare find out if Bucky was still in your apartment. You skipped your morning run and headed up towards the rooftop using the ladder right outside your window with a hot cup of coffee in your hand (which spilled a bit on the way up, by the way) and enjoyed the scent and sight of the dirtier part of New York City -- all its damp, cigarette covered pavements.

For the next few days, you saw no sign of Bucky. He hadn't been in the bar or in your apartment, as much as you wished he would stop by once in a while. But then, you would hear Peter talk to him on the phone every single night.

You never thought Bucky's lack of presence would start to bother you. It wasn't just the feelings of sudden desire you had for him but also the weird time you shared together -- as if you were just old friends catching up. You found it absolutely crazy how a lot of things just happened in the course of a day.

You wanted to ask Peter about Bucky's whereabouts, just a casual slip of "Hey, where's Bucky?" but you never dared to ask. So when Peter blabbed during a movie night that Bucky had been way too busy managing some business meetings, gatherings, and whatnots ever since he got back in the city, you were more than glad.

Nat had been coming to the bar every night ever since Tuesday, picking up extra shifts. She kept badgering you about Bucky this and Bucky that. She was one of the reasons why you couldn't keep Bucky out of your head. Her sudden long shifts at the bar wasn't only because she was so invested with your nonexistent dating life or, to her, a possibility of one with Bucky, but because she and Steve were secretly hooking up. Of course, she didn't tell you that. It's not like she needed to, anyway. It only took one sniff of Steve's strong scent on hers for you to find out.

Every passing day at the bar felt so slow and the same. The only thing that changed was Peter rejecting a drink on one Thursday night.

"Woah, what got your knickers on a twist?" You asked as soon as he approached the counter.

"I'm just not in the mood, y/n." He sighed. "Can I just have a glass of water, please?"

"Of course. Coming right up." You slid the glass of water on the counter towards him, your fingers drumming against the thick wood. "So, what's bothering you?"

He looked up at you with sulky eyes. "Oh god, you really are a bartender."

"And your best friend. So, what's up?"

He shook his head nothing, sipping the glass of water like a scotch.

His little act was unconvincing. Especially that he didn't try hard enough to conceal whatever he was feeling.

"Parker." You insisted. "Come on, what's up?"

"You see right through me, y/n."

"Don't flatter me too much," you rolled your eyes, "you're just easy to read."

But Peter was also stubborn as a bull. He wouldn't budge or give you any clue on what was bothering him. You thought that leaving him as you tended to other bargoers would eventually give him time to change his mind but you were proven wrong. It itched your brain that he wouldn't tell you whatever it was. You usually told each other everything. But then again, you haven't really been open with him with your growing desire for his stepbrother -- which, you hoped you never would, as you hoped all those feelings would eventually go away and keep it in a state of latency.

Peter stood by his ground, consuming no ounce of alcohol and keeping his mouth shut the rest of the night. You knew when to keep away from other people's business, even if it was your best friend's. You did try to make his evening lighter though, checking up on him and telling some old, classic bartender stories, seeing as he was clearly in an uncomfortable state but all he kept telling you was: "You're killing me, y/n. You're absolutely killing me."

You felt a heavy feeling on your chest with his surprisingly fierce tone. You urged him to go home after that, so he did.

"Dick." You mumbled after he left.

Nick walked towards the counter. "What's wrong with your roommate?"

"Wish I could tell you."

You and Nick have been getting along well despite you rejecting him. Nat kept telling you it was a way of manipulating you or some sort, to get you close to him but nothing has really happened ever since he asked you out. There wasn't a change in mood in the atmosphere, or even the way he treated you. Just some good colleagues working together.

The next night, Peter was more in the mood and even apologized to you for the way he behaved last night. "Now, for some great news."

"Does this mean you're having a drink?" You asked.

He nodded eagerly and patiently waited for his beer. Once he got his cold sip, he continued talking: "So, I've been really in a slump lately because I'm kind of lovesick. But then -- "

"Wait, what did you say?" You knitted your brows together, catching the last word he said. "Did you say lovesick? You son of a bitch, are you in love?"

"Language!" Out of nowhere, Steve yelled over the buzzing noises inside the bar. You snickered and he just gave you a look before he disappeared back into his office.

He is such a grandpa.

Peter chuckled. "To be honest, I have been for a very long time."

Your jaw dropped on the floor, ears all perked up, wanting to hear every detail of this. "And you never thought to tell me? Parker, I've been your best friend since forever. Why the hell wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because..." He trailed off, avoiding your stare. "It's not that big a deal."

"Okay, was this after that bitch Denise?"

"Actually, waaaay before that."

"Oh wow, that long, huh?" You replied. "Oh my god, is it someone we know from college? Shit, is it MJ?"

"No, it's not!" He replied. "And I'm not telling you who because I don't have actual plans on pursuing her." He sighed through his nose while taking a big sip of his beer. He brought down the bottle on the counter with a loud thud.

"So, it's a girl."

He grunted in reply.

You laughed. "So, why not pursue her?" You asked while multitasking. You handed a bowl of peanuts to the man beside Peter who was asking for it. "Is she taken? Does she have a boyfriend? A girlfriend?"

"No, she doesn't."

"So, why the hell not, Parker?"

You impatiently waited for an answer from Peter as it took him a couple of minutes to do so.

"Because I don't think it's a good idea. I don't think it will ever work." He answered, scratching the label on his beer bottle with much frustration. "I've thought about all the probabilities, but every single one of them ends the same."

"And what is that?"

"That it won't work out."

The thing about Peter was he never dive into things headfirst. Even though he was a dumbass, he was always a man of intellect who calculated everything in his head before committing to something.

"Why is it always statistics and probabilities and all that crap with you?" You let out an exasperated sigh. "What if for once in your life, follow your goddamn heart? You keep treating everything with a business mind. Go with what your gut tells you to do. Don't think too much about it because the heart wants what it wants, Parker."

Peter gazed at you for a few moments, perhaps finding the right words to say but he just shook his head and fought against his feelings. "I can't do it, y/n. I badly want to, like, it's already at the tip of my tongue. I badly want to tell her but I can't. I don't want to know what's gonna happen next. I'm just scared of what's gonna happen. I don't think I can take it."

As much as you wanted to convince him to go for the girl, you let it go. You've said what you had to say but it was always up to him whether he takes your advice or not. "So, what now?"

"Well now, I'm going to tell you the good news, the one you robbed me off when you batted in."

You rolled your eyes. "What's the good news, Parker?"

"Me and my colleagues will go on a corporate retreat for at least a week!"

You raised an eyebrow, writing a confused expression on your face. "How is this good news?"

"I'll be gone for a week, away from the city, away from my love problems and all that. I think it'll be good for me." Then, a smile started to form on his lips. "There, I'll leave all my worries behind."

"Parker, it's just a one-week corporate retreat, not a sabbatical." You grimaced, unimpressed with the whole thing. "You're not gonna get over this thing in just seven days."

"You don't know that." He scoffed. "I'll be a new man once I get back. You'll see."

"Sure." You replied, a hint of sarcasm laced in your tone.

"Oh, one more thing!"

"What, another corporate retreat?" You snickered, amused with all the clever remarks you were throwing at him. Peter, on the other hand, wasn't.

"No!" He gave you a look. "Bucky will look after you while I'm gone!"

Shock crossed your face. "Bucky?"

"Yes, me."

And on cue, a figure emerged behind Peter.

You were so bewildered with Peter's troubles that you hadn't noticed Bucky creeping up towards the counter. He was wearing what seemed like a navy blue tailored Hugo Boss suit, paired with a nice, sleek tie. His whole fit, illuminated by the iridescent lights made his blue eyes pop even more. Like last time, he opened up a button on his waist, tossed the end flaps in the air and sat down beside Peter on a high stool.

Watching him, you could feel the air around you tighten, paired with a clump of saliva caught in your throat. He placed his elbow on top of the counter and tucked his chin on his palm.

"B-bucky," you finally breathed, silently choking up on your own saliva, "hey, it's been quite some time."

"Hello, doll." The vowels on his words seemed to drop, accompanied by that rhythmic sound he usually does when he speaks. Oh god, one day with Bucky and I've already picked up on that, you thought. "Missed me?"

You felt some blood quickly rushing to your cheeks but you played it cool. "Don't flatter yourself, James." You pretended to get quite busy, wiping some clean glass off the counter then faced Peter. "So, what's this thing about Bucky looking after me?"

"Well, I'll be gone. You'll be alone. Bucky will look after you." Peter tried to "expound." "What's not adding up, y/n?"

You rolled your eyes at the two and scoffed, placing the glass on the counter. "No, thanks. It's just one week. I can take care of myself."

It was true. You once spent a two-week vacation all by yourself to California after high school and you came home in New Jersey without a scratch -- like a brand-new car. You walked around the place as if it was your turf, and blended in with the locals while basked in the glorious heat of the California sun.

"Bucky insisted." Peter chimed in defensively.

"Oh. Bucky insisted." You said, your gaze averting to Bucky's eyes. "Again, I appreciate the offer but I can handle myself. I'm not a baby."

Bucky, clearly amused with the whole situation, leaned back with careful eyes fixed on yours. "Come on, y/n, don't you want some company?"

"Aren't you busy with your company?" You retorted.

"Yes, I have been but not anymore." He replied. "Unless something comes up. A week without Peter must be somewhat lonely. Come on," he insisted once again, "it's also for me. It'll give me something to do for a week."

"Wait, what?"

"You guys could get to know each other better and get along!" Peter blurted. "And without me around, Bucky won't have someone to hangout with. Please, y/n? I'd feel so much better."

"Hang out? What are you guys, like sixteen?"

Your mind was still set on Bucky's last choice of words but you saved it for later.

"Pleaaaaseee?"

You sighed, knowing you could never refuse your best friend's pleas. "Fine."

"Great!"

"Just for the record," you said, holding up a finger, "I'm just agreeing because of Peter, not because I can't take care of myself."

Peter rolled his eyes while pulling out his phone from his pocket. "Yeah, yeah, you're an independent woman. Okay, I gotta take this call. I'll be right back."

And all then there were two: you and Bucky. While making two grasshoppers for a couple of girls who just entered, you could feel Bucky's intense stare towards you. Your mind, clouded with thoughts, wished it could tap into his and take a sly look at what was going on inside.

You locked eyes as soon as you handed the girls their drinks. Bucky wearing such a neat, tailored suit made you forget about all his child-like ways in Peter's countless stories. All you saw was a man favored by all the gods and at the same time sent by the devil to test you in so many ways imaginable. You wondered if he felt the same. Of course, you weren't like him or any other people carved perfectly by the gods, but his vehement stare said otherwise.

"Are you gonna order a drink?" You asked, breaking the silence, and also your train of thoughts.

"No." He replied. "I'm good."

"Okay."

Peter, where the hell are you?

"Hey, y/n?"

"Yes?"

"You look beautiful tonight."

A plain black tank top, paired with some old jeans, minimal makeup and this man just told you that you looked beautiful. "Well not just tonight. You've always been beautiful. I just hope you know that."

"Okay what has gotten into you? You're being... weird."

He shrugged. "I'm just stating facts."

You hummed, a look of confusion spread across your face. "Thank you, I guess. Y-you look good yourself. Very different from when I first met you." You chuckled.

"Well, I was naked the first time we met so yeah."

Peter got back from his phone call and for the whole night, you spent your time working your shift while Bucky and Peter moved on to play some billiards and darts as well. Nat kept shifting her eyes between you and Bucky and you just shrugged her off, flipping your middle finger on her in which she reciprocated.

The next day, Peter was all set for his corporate retreat, surprised he didn't need any help from me at all. You helped him with some of his bags towards the sidewalk ("Jesus, Parker, are you going out of the country?"). While you waited for his Uber to arrive.

"You better take care of yourself, Parker." You said, standing beside him on the side of the street. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Really? I'm gonna miss you too."

"Well, yeah, of course. You're like a little brother to me." You smiled, ruffling his brown locks even though he was taller than you.

He looked down on the pavement with a tight-lipped smile. "Right, right."

Smiling, you grabbed his hand and leaned your head on his surprisingly broad shoulders. "Come on, cheer up. You needed this, right?"

"Yes, I definitely do." He whispered. "More than you know."

A few seconds later, the Uber arrived. Before climbing in the black vehicle, you were pulled into Peter's embrace with a soft, fluttery kiss landing on your forehead. Taken aback, you just smiled at him and watched the car get tinier and tinier as it drove further.

You got back in the apartment and five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Behind it was a smiling Bucky wearing some casual clothes. "Good morning, doll. Missed me?"

You rolled your eyes letting him inside the apartment. Closing the door behind me, you replied: "You've already used that line last night. Pick another one."

"Aw, you haven't heard the rest of it."

You went to the kitchen, grabbed some water from the fridge, and took a drink. "Which is?"

"Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me."

With unsteady hands, you choked on your water and felt the liquid on your skin as soon as those words left Bucky's mouth. Great now I spilled the drink on my chest.

You turned around only to be faced by Bucky. "Now I gotta what?"

His laughter echoed in the kitchen as he backed away from you. "I'm just messing with you. So, what's for breakfast?"

He left you there standing flabbergasted, with some water dripping down your top and shorts, down to the floor. You bore your eyes into the back of his head as he turned on the television.

Bucky tilted his head towards you, eyed you up and down and finished it with a swipe of his tongue on his lower lip.

Oh, this was going to be a long week.

A long, agonizing week.

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kplinky · 3 years

Text

OKAY JOJOLION HAS ENDED

And I wanna talk about it!

To be honest, I LOVED JoJolion, the whole way through. Start to end, first page to last.

What I want to talk about is my interpretation of the part and why Araki did what he did. Some things that I think we're great, some things that I think could have been done better and may be fixed up once this part is animated in 2100 lol.

First of all, I want to talk about the artwork.

At first, I thought the art was off-putting, mostly because I saw that cover of Josuke and Koichi in the new style and I felt weirded out lol. Once I got into the part and read it though, I warmed up to the style and I even considered it to be downright beautiful, which it is. The close up panels of terror and the features of Josuke's split face in the early chapters were absolutely amazing, some of my favorite panels in the entire part.

Next, Araki taking risks and reoccurring themes.

For a while now I've pretty much known that Araki wanted to do something different with JoJolion. He's avoided some tropes and themes, and even plot devices that he's used in the past. (I'm not saying he's ditched them entirely, but he's trying not to use them as much.) It's clear Araki wanted to be a bit more unique with JoJolion, to give something fresh to the audience.

The theme of family was something Araki hasn't fully developed before. It's weird that a story about passing the torch on to your descendants was lacking in a theme about... Your family.

Yes, Jotaro travels the world to heal his mother. But during part 3 sometimes you just... Forget that Jotaro is doing that. At least I did. Every other story also had very little messages about family. Hell, some of the JoJo's have horrible family lives.

Part 8 gives Josuke the chance to make a family of his own, which is found in the Higashikatas and Yasuho. The Higashikatas warm up to their new family member and eventually trust him enough to make important decisions, like choose the cake that would help their family build itself back up. Josuke went from not knowing who he was to someone with a loving family surrounding him. The Higashikatas are so close to one another, that some would do anything to keep eachother safe and alive. That's something we have almost never seen before in JoJo.

Another thing I think Araki risked was the villain.

The rock human organization, they want to become the superior race to humans, they want to be the highest in society and eventually take over the world. Tooru is the leader of the organization. Using the Rokakaka, they can easily manipulate people and use it as a tool to give humans whatever they desire.

I think Tooru has been lead up to the moment we find out the rock human organization is, well, an organization. It's natural that it would lead up to that point because the main group has been taking out each member one by one. Sort of like part 5 to get to Diavolo/The Boss.

I will agree, Tooru is by far not the greatest JoFoe. He was introduced too late and maybe should have been alluded to more in previous chapters, like characters talking about a "leader" or something of the sort. Anything would have been fine. I still like Tooru, but I don't think he is a great villain. I didn't get what he wanted until I put some more thought into it. Perhaps the anime will change this and maybe add Tooru in the background in some scenes before his big reveal, walking amongst the others or something. Just to give him a looming presence. DavidPro did it in part 4 with Kira, I don't see why not with Tooru.

I feel like people don't give Jojolion the credit it deserves, saying things were too confusing or that the story plain sucks. I think it may be because of the monthly release schedule, where people tend to forget certain details over the next month until the new chapter rolls out. I'm afraid this sort of thing will happen to part 9 as well. I read most of JoJolion in a few sittings, and I thought the story was very smooth and didn't take long at all. Especially the final arc with Tooru and the WoU.

But that's my personal take on the part as a whole, I appreciate it a lot and all the little illusions to the parts it takes inspiration from, like parts 2,3 and 4. JoJolion is my favorite part besides part 4, so I like to pay attention to a lot of the little things inside it.

If anything sounds confusing or should be cleared up better, feel free to ask! Ask anything about the part at all and I'll answer. ^^

See you all when part 9 drops!

#jojolion

27 notes · View notes

malachi-walker · 3 years

Note

Happy birthday, Mal! I love your fics, they evoke so much emotion in me and have made me cry many a time. I don't often reread fics, but i've reread multiple chapters of Rhythm and Blues because they're stuck with me so much. You capture the emotional pain of their trauma and the catharsis that comes with their growth so beautifully. You also write some brilliant meta and just consistently post some fantastic thoughts. Also your love for swords is very appreciated. <3 have a lovely day!

First of all, my apologies for not replying sooner. I was making my mind up about something that would definitely require the use of a read more and thus necessitate dragging myself to desktop (which I hate because my laptop predates the dinosaurs.)

But seriously. Thank you so much. This is honestly one of the sweetest comments I've ever gotten and definitely made my already pretty sweet bday even better.

So about that read more. In honor of you, @metalesbo, my friends @n7punk and @jem-jarrett and everyone else who sent me well wishes or just really loves my work... Here's the opening section of the next chapter of R&B. Enjoy. It's a long one.

Adora Eternia is about two months shy of her fourteenth birthday when she first realizes she's in love with her best friend.

Though--if asked--she would hasten to explain that it wasn't when she fell in love. But trying to pinpoint the exact moment is an exercise in catching mist: the more she tries to grasp it in her hands the more it spreads out and covers everything. It just is: pure and simple and very, very complicated.

It's the beginning of December and the whole town is covered in a thick blanket of snow. Winterfest will be here in a few weeks, so to help out the kids who want to get gifts for their friends the Right Zone administration has shuffled around the groups that usually take their monthly trips on the third and fourth Sundays of the month to double up with the other two. As part of group three, she and Catra got the first week (the other three members of their crew are week two folks anyway and thus outside the reorganization.)

It's still kinda weird to think that: their crew. For so long, it was just Catra and Adora. Adora and Catra. One unit bound together, just them against the world. But there's also something nice about being part of a small cluster, their "scrappy little lone wolf pack" as Catra had once put it with a wry grin before Lonnie shoved her over with an, "Excuse you, I'm a great people person when I'm not busy making sure you idiots haven't set yourselves on fire!"

They all got a good laugh out of that one.

But regardless, the holidays are coming up and this is the first year that any of their group has felt like actually doing anything for it, aside from wrangling together a sleepover and seeing if they can convince the kitchen staff to slip them some leftover eggnog.

They made each other promise not to go too extravagant and keep each person's gift to ten dollars or lower. Even though their quarterly stipend has increased from three hundred to four hundred to match with inflation over the past eight years, it still isn't a whole lot for three month's worth of expenses, especially when they also have to budget regularly for clothes to keep up with the seemingly endless growth spurts.

There's also the usual budgetary concern of keeping her and Catra's first aid kit well supplied...

Adora shakes her head to dislodge the intrusive thought and continues marching onward through the snow. This trip is a good thing. She won't let all the awful realities of their life taint it.

With so many kids running around and wanting to shop on their own to surprise their giftees, Right Zone had to negotiate with both the local police and whatever other civic authorities they could get ahold of to come out en masse and keep an eye on them all. The kids had still come with their usual teachers, of course, but doubling the load and also splitting up was a logistical nightmare. Which is just a convoluted way to say the town is positively crawling with uniformed officers, off duty members of the fire brigade, emergency personnel, and other such authority figures quietly keeping watch and making sure no one tries anything.

Adora knows that somewhere in the press of bodies, Grizzlor's busy wrangling two new "brats" (seven and nine, respectively, and definitely not friends.) Somewhere, a certain Magicat is probably grumbling over the indignity of being forced to wear shoes and kicking every snowpile she can, like she can send a direct message to whatever cosmic force is responsible for her current frustration.

On an ordinary month she and Catra--being old enough to be allowed a bit more freedom to do what they want--would buddy up to watch each other's backs while they did their shopping. But this isn't an ordinary month, so once they'd each gotten gifts for the other three they'd split up on opposite ends of Main Street with an agreement to move clockwise to avoid running into each other. Afterwards, the entire group would rendezvous at the small clock tower in the park a block over before heading back to Right Zone.

Ten dollars wasn't a lot to work with, but Adora had done her best: a new stress ball for Kyle, some moisturizing oil for Rogelio since the early winter shed had wiped out his supply and he'd been too busy to pick up some more, a twelve pound kettle weight for Lonnie now that their shared exercise routine was getting a bit too easy for her... Utilitarian choices, to be sure, but she's been paying attention and that has to count for something.

Catra's the difficult one, of course. Partly because Adora doesn't want to just get her something practical, but also because they share nearly everything between them already. About the only thing that is definitively off limits is Catra's guitar, and she's told Adora enough about her time with Tao over the years that Adora wouldn't even ask. Beyond that... Well, there's a reason why most of Adora's day off hoodies have small strands of orange fur stuck to them.

Still. I want to get her something that's hers. Something she'll like. Something she doesn't have to share with anyone, not even me.

In the end, she nearly walks past it. In one of the artisanal shops that dot small towns like liver spots, she finds a display of hand stamped necklace pendants, with a design sheet beside it. There are a lot of the usual nature designs and such, but the one that catches her eye is a treble clef with the five staff lines bleeding out from it. They ring the edge of the pendant in a half circle, and scattered haphazardly along the lines are the other music notes.

The lack of proper order would drive Adora insane. She understands that it's just meant to look pretty, not be an accurate representation of musical notation, but still... She knows her own (broken) brain well enough to know that.

It suits Catra, though.

"Hey," Mismatched eyes looked down at Adora as her head draped backwards over the back of their desk chair, the throbbing behind her left eye threatening to escalate into a migraine. "Guess I don't have to ask how the composing's going."

"It sucks," Adora groused back, sitting up and gesturing Catra over. She jabbed at two particular spots with the half chewed off eraser end of her pencil, two hard jabs each, like she was filing a complaint. "Most of it is just what I'm going for, but these two places here... They aren't sounding right. I've been going back and forth over structure all afternoon, but nothing I do helps."

"Hmmm..." Catra stroked her chin and nudged Adora over so she could sit on the arm of the chair (they'd never gotten around to requesting a second, mostly because Adora didn't want to risk Shadow Weaver suspecting they were getting too chummy.) "Got any scratch paper?"

Adora pointed to the pile of half crumpled notebook paper she used when making adjustments and Catra snorted. "Ok, dumb question. Just let me see here..."

Grabbing a pen, she quickly inked a fresh set of staff lines and copied the notes Adora had already put down, making sure to leave space to work. Glancing between the two, she drummed her fingers on the desk, playing along in her head.

"Hmm..." Catra murmured, worrying at her lower lip with a fang in a manner that was... Oddly distracting. "Ok, how 'bout this?"

Adora jolted, tearing her gaze from Catra's face to look at the sequence of notes scribbled onto the scratch paper. She paused, brow furrowing as she played them over in her mind's eye. It was a little unorthodox, veering away from the path she had carefully laid out... But also blending well with the next part. Almost like the notes took a quick detour and then lead the listener back to where she wanted them.

"Yeah..." Adora replied thoughtfully, the tension all over her body starting to smooth out. "Yeah, that could work."

"Awesome. Let's take a look at the next part."

They ultimately ended up spending several hours going over the entire piece, sussing out every place where Adora was having even the slightest niggle of unease. She didn't accept all of Catra's changes and Catra didn't push the matter, but the ones she did...

They felt right. More right than they had ever felt when it was just Adora running circles around herself.

When they finally finished up she looked over at Catra, tail waving sedately in that way it got when she was simultaneously engaged but relaxed, and asked, "Umm... Do you want to learn with me? I like doing this."

'I like making music with you.'

Catra paused, looking over at Adora searchingly, almost like she couldn't believe the question had come up. No matter how many years had passed between them, that look never really went away, and every time she saw it Adora's chest ached in a way that was hard for her to process.

"I'd like that."

Catra's composing style is very different from Adora's. More wild, more willing to bend and break the rules if it means maintaining audience engagement, but there's always an underlying order to the chaos. To her surprise and pleasure, Adora found herself learning just as much from Catra as Catra was learning from her. Their styles brought out the best in each other.

The jingle of a bell kicks her out of the memory. Mind made up even though it's nearly double her budget, Adora scans the stand of necklaces for the one with the treble clef pattern.

It isn't there. Adora swallows down the disappointment, though she can't help the sigh. Of course. The town was well aware of the large population of music students a short drive away and catered to them accordingly. But there are also dozens of kids out on the street tonight. It isn't that big of a surprise that the design sold out.

Not surprising, but disheartening nonetheless.

She's just begun to turn away when a voice calls from the back. "Hang on a sec there, little miss."

Adora jumps, but remains where she is as a large Taurian man with a massive snow white beard trundles out from a door behind the counter, wiping his hands on his apron. "Was there a particular design you were interested in?"

Adora points at the treble clef, hope rising. "This one. But it looks like it's already sold out."

"Hmm..." The man scratchs at his chin. "Well with Winterfest coming up, I'm out of blank pendants-"

Adora's shoulders slump.

"-But," The man continues with a smile. "I can double stamp it onto the back of another. Ordinarily I'd charge extra for that, but it's my fault for not ordering enough blanks. Rookie move. Besides, it's the holidays. Now would that be all right by you?"

Nodding frantically in case he changes his mind, Adora scans the other designs, quickly alighting on one in particular. "That one!"

"The claw marks? Bit of an odd combination, but the customer is always right," The old man winked as he reached out to take the necklace from her. "My jig and press is in the corner over here if you wanna watch."

Adora was glad he specified, because as nice as the man seemed there was no way in hell she was going into a back room with a stranger. But she stood next to the window beside a display of miscellaneous knick knacks and puzzles, watching him carefully place the pendant in a cushioned stand to avoid damaging the already printed side and tighten it into place before moving beside the machine.

"You're gonna want to cover your ears," He tells her, patting the machine with one massive hand. "Had to switch to a steam press when the arthritis caught up to me. Used to do it all by hammer. This boy's okay, but he gets loud."

Adora nods, glad for the warning when he bellows "Clear!" and the machine's hammer comes down once, twice, three times with a sound like the ringing of an enormous bell. Once the machine is stopped and carefully turned off, the old man removes the pendant from the press and hands it over to Adora for inspection. "What do you think? Does it pass muster?"

Adora runs her fingertips over the impressions in the metal, memorizing the feel of it, the leftover warmth of the impact. "Perfect."

"Good. Now let's get you rung up."

Counting the five dollars she attempted to surreptitiously slip into the tip jar (the old man winked as he turned back around, so stealth fail) Adora went very over budget, but the others would have to put a gun to her head for her to admit it.

Besides, it's Catra. They already know she's the sole exception to all of Adora's carefully maintained rules.

With everything finished, she continues trudging through the snow toward the park, breathing a sign of relief as she moves away from the shopping district and the people thin out; no one wanting to go to the park in the middle of such bleak weather. Angling around a clustered group of bare trees, she spots the small clock tower in the distance, as well as the figure already standing beside it. Grinning, Adora picks up the pace a bit until she can see Catra clearly and--

Her breath catches.

Since her only experience with this kind of thing has been through books, Adora always expected this moment would be more dramatic. Like back to back in the middle of a fight, or eyes locking from up on stage. Something spectacular, like fireworks, lime explosions, like the feeling of playing a song without a single mistake for the first time. It's always seemed like such a big deal in the stories, and in a way, it is.

Because there's Catra, lost in her own world as she gazes up at the streetlight that's just come on, her left hand extended to let the snowflakes fall into her palm and the light catches the orange of her fur just right to make a blaze of color against the black of her coat. She looks so small, standing in that space all alone on a cold winter's night, but Adora knows deep down that she could never be that small, not when she's Catra, not when she means so much...

Pretty much everything about the past hour--about her entire life since they met if she's being honest--snaps into crystal clear focus.

Oh. I get it now. I'm in love with you.

It's a bad idea. Adora knows that. Shadow Weaver is enough of a menace while believing Catra is simply her roommate, her sometime tool--and Catra had ended up being all too right about the torture not stopping, even after years of Adora trying to direct Weaver's attentions away from her. If the evil old bitch figures out Adora's feelings run deeper, so much deeper...

Her heart beats double time. This whole thing is an unmitigated disaster.

But it's still the best worst thing that's ever happened to her.

She must make a noise, because Catra's ear twitches in her direction, snapping her out of that distant contemplation. She turns her head and looks at Adora, lips curling in a lopsided grin. "Hey, Adora. Wow, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Adora blinks, coming back to herself and mumbling the first excuse that springs to mind. "... Just cold."

"Well no shit. C'mere."

When she closes the distance Catra glances around warily, making sure they're the only ones around, before reaching up and retying the scarf around Adora's neck, patting it once when she's done. "There. I know I make it look good, but you don't have the advantage of fur like me."

Adora looks down at the thin AC/DC t-shirt that Catra's wearing beneath her half open coat, the line of her collarbones and neck, and makes a snap decision. "Is it okay if I give you your present now?"

Catra blinks, a little thrown by the non sequitur. "I mean... Sure? Do you want me to give you yours?"

"I'm good with either," Adora shrugs, trying to ignore how fast her heart is beating, how much she wants to do this before this moment slips away. "I just want to."

There's a long moment of silence as they each examine the other, equally searching. What Catra's looking for, Adora doesn't know. She isn't sure she wants to know.

"Okay."

Breathing deep, Adora reaches into her pocket and pulls out the necklace on its leather cord. Careful to keep the pendant hidden in her hand, she passes it over, fingertips sparking as it's taken. Catra brings it close to her face, running her fingers over the four parallel slashes on the side facing her.

"Why the claw marks?"

Adora laughs, nervous butterflies positively rioting in her stomach. "Because you're a badass. Duh."

"True," Catra smirks, flipping it over and squinting at the other side. "And this?"

"Badass, loves music with all your heart. Not mutually exclusive concepts," Adora says, trying not to give away how much she thinks about this, how much she wants to take that hand in hers. She settles for a playful shoulder bump instead. "Plus we all know you're secretly a big softie."

"Excuse you, I am all sharp edges," Catra giggles, lightly elbowing her before transitioning into a soft little smile. "... Just not with everyone."

Oh God oh God oh God. That smile will absolutely be the death of her.

Swallowing past her horrible awareness of that softness, Adora asks, "So you like it?"

"I love it. Good luck ever getting me to take it off," Catra laughs, then frowns, flexing her fingers. "Hands have gone a little numb, though. Help me put it on?"

Adora.exe promptly crashes to desktop. But she still somehow manages to move, helping Catra hold back her mane so she can slip the leather cord over her head and tuck it beneath her hair. If she hesitates a moment too long in letting go, at least Catra only shoots her an amused glance. "How's it look?"

"Great," Adora manages to croak out, trying to swallow past the sudden dryness in her throat. "You look great. Umm... Happy early Winterfest, I guess?"

"Well, I'm gonna hold onto yours a little longer," Catra laughs, playfully sticking out her tongue before reaching out. "C'mere, you big dork."

Adora shuffles closer, mind and heart both screaming as Catra draws her into a hug, nuzzling her head against the side of her neck. A little whisper. "Thank you."

Adora swallows again, even harder. "You're welcome."

Between them, the necklace rests, the music side pressed right up against Catra's heart.

----------

Fun fact: the shopkeep is based off a cool old dude selling machine pressed necklaces I ran into at a Scottish festival when I was 13, and he made such an impression I never forgot him. Anyway, happy Valentine's! Have a Big Gay Realization!

#answers #rhythm & blues #the catradora rockstar au #featuring adora's big gay realization #and also fantasy christmas

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a-mended-pact · 3 years

Text

Unsteady Keys: Chapter 9

A/n: Hey everyone. I hope you're all doing well. I'm pretty proud of this chapter. Please let me know what you think.

Warnings: this chapter does contain flashbacks, mentions of slightly toxic relationships. Mentions of Spencer's mom. Panic attacks. If there are anything more to add let me know

Requests are open

Word count : 3,024

It's been a couple of hours since we've gotten to work. I couldn't find Spencer anywhere. I needed to tell him that there was a lead on Lindsey due to Simmons giving Ethan a cognitive interview. I had called him a handful of times and gotten no answer. Which is weird but with everything that's happened he has every right to have some alone time. I was still trying to call him when I found him in Morgan's old office. I don't know why I checked the cafeteria and the break room first. I felt myself facepalm as I looked around the room.

He was in a daze and hadn't even noticed my presence until I moved myself into the floor across from him. I leaned against the desk for support as I looked up at him. He glanced at me and then looked away. The hand he was using to prop his head up seemed to tense.

'You smell like mint and your cologne.' I said it with a small amount of amusement. I knew he would change. It didn't bother me if anything. I'm surprised he even went to work with the smell of my essence laced into his skin and his breath. He nodded to acknowledge what I had said.

'Love? Is everything alright?' He looked at me then and held my gaze. 'I know I said I'd talk to Ethan too but I can't seem to bring myself to. Seeing him for longer than a couple of hours has me remembering things with him so intensely.'

A soft comforting smile formed on my face as I gently grabbed the hand that rested on his knee and squeezed. 'There's a lead on Lindsey. I was going to leave with the rest of the team to go check it out. If you wanna stay here I can tell Em. Maybe you can get something more from Ethan. Then Matt did. ' I kissed his forehead gently.

Just like that. I left him to his own devices letting him figure everything out for himself. I was gonna need to tell Em he wasn't coming.

-------------

I walked into the interrogation room with Ethan and undid his handcuffs immediately. I didn't like seeing him like an unsub. So until further evidence came about I wasn't going to treat him as such.

'You look like you've seen a ghost Reid. What's wrong?' I looked at him as I stood against the wall. 'Did- did you?- ' I found myself stuttering and searching for words. My hands moved about as if I were trying to grasp each word that flew around my mind until it formed a sentence. How do you speak to someone that you haven't spoken to in years? Not in depth anyway.

'You're a big hot shot Mr. FBI. Married, professor most likely with a couple books published or at least articles and yet you are still just the same man I adored back then.' He spoke with care and love in his voice as he watched my face blanch at what he said.

If it wasn't for the fact he has seen me this way before I would have been far more embarrassed then I was. My mouth was still opening and closing and my hands had finally stopped. 'Did you? Was it you? I- was it you that hurt me? With the blade?'

I had finally managed to collect my words and form a complete sentence even if it was laced with fear and sorrow. I was terrified he'd say yes. I was even more petrified if he said no. If he hadn't done it then I'd have nothing to hold against him.

There was no way I could remain upset about something that happened in college and it wouldn't make me seem like an upset child. I hadn't bothered to meet Ethan's eyes. I was honestly too afraid of what he'd see residing in my own.

I didn't hear him move and I didn't notice how close he got until he spoke. Making me jump and look out of the two way glass. This was a bad idea. I need to get out of here. I feel like the room is shrinking.

Ethan cupped my face and forced me to look at him. The fact that this was being recorded made me even more nervous. What if the rest of the team found out what happened between us.

I finally met his gaze. I knew my eyes probably reminded him of the first time he ever hurt me. This time had nothing to do with the kiss I walked in on years ago.

'Spencer.' As he spoke his thumb traced my jaw. 'I would never. I could never hurt you.' I laughed bitterly and flinched when his thumb met the side of my lips. 'This was a mistake. I - I need some fresh air'. I quickly rushed out, locking the door behind me.

I blew out a breath I didn't realize I was holding within my lungs as I felt my breathing start to quicken. I made my way to the roof of the building that no one really used. I slid down the door as I made it fully outside.

I watched as the sun began to set. The sky turned different colors until emerging me in full darkness besides for the buildings lights I closed my eyes. Why do I feel like a young adult all over again? Why am I letting him get under my skin? The worst part was that he isn't even trying to make me feel like this.

One minute I was on the rooftop the next I was in the band room of our college laying on the ground with my head resting on Ethan's jacket as he played the piano.

'I could fall asleep to the sound of you playing. You know.' I said as each key played from his fingertips. His cologne was all over me because we may or may not have been making out on the floor before I scolded him that he needed to practice. He had a big concert event coming up.

'I could think of better things to do in here than you falling asleep.' His voice was teasing, making me blush. It had only been a few weeks since our first actual time together and in all honesty it made me nervous just thinking about it. Ethan seemed to want to sleep together constantly. Which is fine. I loved having sex with him but sex was never something I thought I'd experience so I'd much rather be reading or learning something new.

Just the other day we got into an argument because I turned him down.

I was sitting in a lecture with the man that created the Behavioral Analysis Unit. The BAU for short. At the time, I didn't want to get laid. I wanted to learn more about how learning to understand a serial killer could help catch them. I was deeply intrigued and asked many questions as the lecture hall went on.

'You know you did ditch me for some cop I don't see why now would be a bad time to make up for it?

'A federal Agent is hardly a cop and if you can't remember his job at least remember his name. Jason Gideon.'

Ethan scoffed in small annoyance as he continued to play. Only this time the sound of the piano sounded like chase music. I felt like it should play in Tom and Jerry.

'You can't seriously be upset with me about that?' I said trying to sound calm and collected in reality I was upset. I originally went to college to learn all the things needed to be someone that taught others. I had been debating on changing my career path for sometime now and I think I finally found it.

'I think I wanna try to join the BAU. Gideon already told me with how interested I was in the lecture and with how smart I am. I'd make a great addition to the team.'

He smashed his fingers on the piano and groaned. 'Reid we already planned our future together. Do you really wanna give that up to join the FBI?' The way he looked at me was as if I had broken his heart. It's not that I had forgotten our plans after college. The only problem was that I used to be able to see that future and now I couldn't.

Since the class with Gideon and all the research I've done. Working for the FBI just made sense. It would cover everything for my mother's doctor's and Care facility. Plus being able to keep a great roof over my head and food in my belly. I suppose to Ethan not living life on the edge was boring.

I shook my head to escape the memory. Out of all the ones to have right now, why did that one resurface? My head fell in my hands as I combed my hair out of my face. My phone went off with a text from Y/n.

'Hey, so we found her abandoned hideout but it looks like she hasn't been here in a bit. I don't know if you've gone to see him or not but I figured you could maybe get more info? If you're feeling up to it of course. Otherwise he made a bond with Matt. He can try again when we get back.'

I sighed. I wasn't in the mood to see him again. I thought I could separate my feelings towards him from this case and I know I'm not doing it. Perhaps I should step back from this case. I should talk to Emily. I know I'd still have to deal with Cat ever so often but otherwise she was my wife's problem now. I slipped my phone back in my pocket and closed my eyes. Everything just seemed like too much right now.

'Seriously we are not doing this right now Ethan?' I was putting back on my clothes. Situating my hair as well. 'You are not going to make me late. I refuse to miss seeing my mother again because you can't not want to sleep with me when we are alone.'

I walked around him as I grabbed my bag to take with me to go see my mom. It held some overnight clothes. I had missed the last time they were going to allow me to stay. All because I gave in to Ethan's advances to make him happy. I loved him and when we weren't bickering things were fabulous. After a year of it though it's exhausting.

He caught me by my hips and pulled me to him. I swatted his hands away. He may not have wanted anything from me but a proper goodbye but I didn't want to give him the chance. I had already prepared myself mentally for the arguing that was gonna come from me turning him down. Me leaving him alone for long periods of time made me nervous.

He'd never done anything to make me anxious about leaving him. He'd only go to bars and play and have a couple of drinks with other musicians. I had accompanied him plenty of times. Nothing ever happened besides musicians talking about anything and everything underneath the shitty neon lights of the bar.

'Tell your mom I said hi and that I hope she's doing well. Also tell her I'm sorry I kept you away last time. I don't know what came over me. ' He cupped my face and went to kiss me but I turned my head slightly. Again. I'm not taking any chances. I'd happily lose anyone or anything as long as I still had my mom. He ended up kissing my cheek.

A sigh escaped him as he let me go. 'I'll see you when you get back. Yeah?' I nodded and smiled at him as I headed toward the door.

'Wait, Reid. I'll be going out tonight to play. I'll message you when I arrive and when I leave. I know how you worry. Tell me when you make it to your mom's. I love you. ' I smiled as I ran off to see my mom.

A groan escaped me. Why? I'm so sick of these memories coming up. I looked around the roof and let out another sigh. I really need to let what happens next go. Yet before I could stop my brain it quickly wraps me and surrounds me in the memory and as it unfolds like a movie before my very eyes. I kept my vision from blurring from the unleashed tears.

Time with my mom had gone by well from when I got there until now. She started having a violent episode one that if I had stayed would have ended in her calling me crash again. I'd never tell her she'd hit me. I just wanted comfort. So I came home early. Well to a place Ethan and I were renting together. I hadn't told him I was on my way home. So when I came home to an empty place I wasn't surprised. I quickly dropped off my things and ran to where I figured he'd be. The bar with his friends. It was rare anyone would be there right now actually drinking; they should just be setting their instruments.

Only when I came in I found Ethan behind stage with a girl's tongue shoved down his throat. There clothes slightly askew He pushed her away when he realized I was there. 'Spencer this isn't what It looks like!'

I just stood there frozen. I couldn't form a word, I could barely comprehend what I saw. When he stepped towards me. I turned away and just walked away. I felt like my heart had just been stomped into the ground after being clawed at unintentionally by my mother. I was broken.

That night I got multiple calls and texts from Ethan. I ignored them all. I ended up sleeping on a campus bench. Comfy truly.

I never fully spoke to Ethan after that day. Things with my mom got chaotic and I didn't have the time to focus on anything but getting my PhD and taking care of my mom. As long as I was busy I couldn't blame myself that I was too afraid to face Ethan. He broke my heart and I didn't even give him the opportunity to even try to explain himself.

That was ages ago though so why am I still thinking about it. Why won't my brain just shut up. I need to get back Inside. Maybe the team is back by now.

------------

Having to find Spencer recently was starting to become a habit. I looked everywhere for him everywhere besides outside. I finally found him walking in from the stairway that led to the roof.

'Hey.' I gave him a small wave and what I hoped was a reassuring smile. This case was getting to him for obvious reasons. He honestly hasn't looked this distraught since after he came back from prison.

His eyes widened slightly. 'Good you're all back already then?' I nodded. My eyes didn't want to leave him. I knew something had happened. I just didn't know what. Pushing him was never something I had done and I wasn't gonna start now. Maybe I'll just bring it up a little to see if he decides to tell me. If not then it can wait until he sorts out his mind.

'So we didn't find Lindsey. We did find a couple of things though. Photos of you in Mexico. Photos of you even in the prison yard. Among others of max and you and us together. Lindsey appears to be stalking us. Maybe it was something Cat asked her to do. Or maybe Ethan was the one taking some of the photos.' I looked away and was staring at my hands as my brain started putting small pieces together. Theories really.

Spencer grabbed my hand gently and brought it up so I'd follow it with my eyes. 'I am actually debating on taking a step back from this case. I was gonna tell Emily and see what she thought.' The smile he gave me didn't reach his eyes.

'Let's be honest it's probably for the best that I do. I know too much and I am far too involved, especially with Cat and Ethan both being a part of this. It's just more than I think I can handle. I could be wrong. Maybe I just need a day to breathe. I'll have to figure that out though.'

He placed my hand on his face and all I could do was rub my thumb across his jaw. I let out a small laugh suddenly. Which surprised him. 'I'm sorry it's not funny! I just kept thinking that If I pushed hard enough on your jawline would it cut me?' It was a terrible time for me to not be able to keep things to myself. He needed me serious, right?

A laugh bellowed out of him and I could see some of the stress and pain he was carrying with him lift a little. I myself smiled too when he pulled me into his chest. 'Oh how I love you and your random thoughts.' He moved his hand to cup my cheek and leaned in as if he were gonna kiss me.

One of our arrangements when we started dating was no PDA in the workplace if any, keep it always at a minimum. With what he was doing it was making me question if he was about to break that small rule. Not that I minded if he did or not though.

He stroked my cheek and smiled at me as he pecked the tip of my nose and walked away.

I couldn't help but scrunch up my nose the way a bunny would. It tickled. A smile formed on my face as I watched him leave.

Taglist:

@sassymoon @rainsong01 @onlyhereforthefanfics @itsdars @dreatine

#unsteady keys #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer x reader #spencer x you

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hauntedpearl · 3 years

Text

Yours, for eternity...

Read on AO3

A/N : Writing this has murdered every last cell in my brain and body but I FINISHED IT and I’m proud of myself for that! I know this is kinda garbage and also Dean is very weird but I’ll do better next time!! I hope y’all still enjoy it!!

Chapter 1- The Letter

Chapter 2 - Discovery

Chapter 3- Confession

[...the ink gleams, almost as if it is fresh, like the glistening dew on a blade of grass, the silver glint of a knife, shimmering grace and stardust. Shaky words form a tapestry, unclear lines and run-on sentences painting one confession over another...]

12/4

Cas —

I don't know why I'm doing this. It's not like you’ll get to read this if I’m gone…but, I need to say something while I still can. I need to feel like I’m leaving this part of me behind where you can find it, instead of folding my words into prayers that disappear like empty promises the moment I open my eyes to your deafening silence. Your stifling absence. I need to feel like you’re going to be able to hear me, Cas, because if I don’t, I don’t….I don’t think I’ll have the strength to keep going.

Jack was here, a few days ago, and he’s got a plan. Just like he promised. But, he needs a volunteer for this kamikaze mission. We knew it was going to be me. Of course, it was going to be me. Sam thinks there’s no shot of this whole thing going bust - that there is only life and happiness on the other side of this. My brother was always the one with the strongest faith, wasn’t he? I want to believe with him, though, just this one time. I want to share that faith of his. But I can’t. Because I know better. Jack knows better. I’m going to fight with all I have, but there are some things you can’t always bet on. I’ve fought and lost enough to know this by now.

I guess, however this goes, we’ll end up on the same side of this mess, huh?

There’s so much I wish I’d said to you, so much I know I should have….so much you deserved to know, Cas. And now, I don’t know if I can ever give you that. I don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to look you in the eye and tell you all that I’ve wanted to.

There are words I'd changed the shape of - words I'd masked...and hidden - because letting you see would've meant breathing life into them. It would've meant looking myself in the eye, and I was never that brave.

And now, you're gone, and all these unsaid things I’ve kept locked in my throat have festered there, rotting, like the rest of me. Now you're gone, and I'm at the edge of this cliff, a breath away from the fall. I don't know if I'll live to see another day, and the weight of the lies I've told myself, all the falsehoods I've cloaked myself in, is smothering the hope out of me.

Maybe this is all too little, too late. Maybe there is no point to anything I do now because I... I've lost you forever. But I have to believe that there is a chance - even if only a sliver of it - that it isn't. I have to.

There isn't much you don't know about me, Cas. You'd seen the shape of my soul, hadn't you? When you returned me to life? When you raised me from hell and remade me from dust and shadows? I wonder...I wonder if you saw the slick film of deception coating it, when you did. I wonder if you sensed the truth of a thing that I hid and hid and hid for so long that I couldn't even find it myself. I wonder...if you knew, before I ever did.

I learned to hate the parts of me that yearned for love, even before I understood what any of it meant. I knew it wasn't...people didn't think it was natural, at the time. I'd seen the disgust in the eyes of the man who was God to me, and I feared that loathing more than anything. Maybe John was a great man, for everything that he did for this world, but he wasn't a kind father. And I wasn't going to test him. Not when I still had Sammy to take care of. Emptiness and sorrow weren't new to me, anyway. Anger at failing wasn't new. Hatred wasn't new. So I did the only thing I could. I let myself disappear under the lies.

It was easier than looking at myself - truly looking - and accepting the pieces of my soul that dad would've condemned. That he would've called unholy. Impure. Corrupt. It was easier to play the good soldier for him and for the rest of the world. They called me a rake, so I became one. They called me a drunk, so I became that, too. Every time the world said I was something I wasn't, I wore those words like a shield and hid behind them. When there were slips, I rationalized them. Lips were lips, when the world tilted on its side and there was only the scent of beer and sweat in the air. A fumble in the dark could be a dream, a thing to forget when you open your eyes to the harsh glare of the sun.

I snipped the roses, but the thorns still bled me. And I let them, because it was easier to drown in blood than it was to face the truth of it all.

I never told anyone - of course I didn't. Not even Sam — and I know he wouldn't have cared...I knew it then, too. Even when the world was changing...I couldn't. So I told myself it didn't matter because there was never going to be a love in this life, anyway. There was never going to be a home, a family. I told myself - why rock the boat when it won't change the way we're going?

I told myself a thousand other things over the years...all except the one thing that was the truth — I was terrified. Everything was always on the verge of breaking, Cas. Always. There were cracks in this life we'd built...cracks everywhere. So why upset something that is only the most fragile imitation of normalcy and risk losing everything? Why chance a little courage when cowardice served me well enough??

But now you're lost to me and I sit up in bed every night plagued by the consequences of that cowardice. Would you have chosen differently if you'd known all that I fought to keep hidden from you? If I'd told you that every night that I prayed to you, I forgave the pieces of myself that I'd learned to hate. Because how could I keep the shame and the guilt and the hatred in the same place that I kept you? How could I curse the pieces of me that chose you? And I did, Cas. In the heart of my heart, away from the whole world and sometimes, even myself, I chose you.

I think I felt your love, even as I denied the truth of it, and it guided me back to myself. It brought me back to life, just as you once did. Because that is what you did, Cas. You saw me - all of me - and chose to trust me, to stay by my side, and in your trust, I found my own redemption. My salvation. You said that I was your anchor. Your faith...your hope. But...you never realized that you became mine. Every time that I've had to lose you, I've lost myself. I don’t know how to...fit myself into this world without you. I don’t know how to exist. To just...be.

I got so angry after you were gone. I got so angry when I found the letter you’d left me. I broke the world around me because, I think, despite everything, I was still so damn scared. But we’re at the end of the line now. And you were right when you said that there was happiness in just saying it. This isn’t the same, I know, but if there is a little joy that I can steal - little hope that I can still salvage - then I will.

Because I love you. Of course, I love you.

And if I have to lose myself in worlds unknown to bring you back, to bring you home, then that’s what I’ll do. I know what you’d say if you were here - you’d ask me to stop, to not let the world lose more than it can gain. But, you asked me to choose myself over the world, Cas. And that’s what I'm doing now.

I'm choosing myself - I’m choosing you - even if all I have is a shot in the dark.

I’m coming, Cas.

What was it that you said?

Yours, for eternity,

Dean.

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moonlight-mellohi · 5 years

Text

Finding Our Stars - Bonus Mini Chapter

Ok @sugarglider9603, here is chapter one!

Alright I want to make something clear.. I chose Pecha because of Picani, please accept my reference :)

Also READERS PLEASE NOTE the Bonus Chapter links will be available ONLY ON THE MASTER POST, this includes the minific of MJ and and Iris that I've posted before, I have adjusted the links so it is no longer the Part 2 link on part one and (now) part three, Part 2 link is now Shine Freely My Friends. If want to read these extras later on, check out the Master post link, you can also find Pokeside art from me as well :D

Ao3 link

Ao3 series link

Chapter 2

Master Post

Words: 1,447

Summery: 'They seemed to be in a room with many other brown Eevee eggs, some still as rocks while others shook a bit, one on the other not to far away having a few cracks of its own. They lay in nest of blankets, the warm sun shining through a window straight onto his egg shell pieces. The Eevee squinted, he could see perfectly fine, but the light bothered his eyes, most likely since he basically stared straight at it as he entered the world.

The human opened a door to what seemed to be a large shed or small barn, for they exited onto a sprawling green field, trees sprouting here and there. Berry bushed lay at their bases, Oran, Sitrus, Logan, Pecha, Cheri, and many others spread between.

But what was fascinating were the brown pokemon currently turning to watch the human.

The Eevee's eyes widened as Eevees like himself stared back, brown eyes curiously inspecting him.'

A world were they were wanted to be one thing, but then ignored as extras when not. Where when every other of there kind around them kept separate, two connected like puzzle pieces. All was normal for several months

Until a new Eevee hatch.

And without realizing, Sleep and Pecha connected to a much bigger puzzle on a journey to find their little dark Star

Chapter One

Crack

what.. was that? 'Light' his mind supplied. The creature pushed a paw to the egg's shell, lightning bolts shooting along.

crack

"C'mon c'mon c'mon" a voice? Someone was talking outside wherever he was, instinct kicking in. The creature kicked the shell's inside, pushing.

crack

The light grew brighter and brighter as more fell through the splits, causing the pokemon to blink, the light bothering his eyes.

crack

Almost out.

crack

Just a bit more.

crack

Almost-

CRACK

The egg split open, the Eevee inside tumbled out.

"Ugggh, another normal" the voice muttered, making the Eevee look up.

The figure above him reached out a hand, patting him head "sorry bud, you not the one. Let's go put you with the others" the Eevee blinked, shaking his fur as he stood and chirped a confused ok.

The human picked him up, letting the Eevee look around.

They seemed to be in a room with many other brown Eevee eggs, some still as rocks while others shook a bit, one on the other not to far away having a few cracks of its own. They lay in nest of blankets, the warm sun shining through a window straight onto his egg shell pieces. The Eevee squinted, he could see perfectly fine, but the light bothered his eyes, most likely since he basically stared straight at it as he entered the world.

But what was fascinating were the brown pokemon currently turning to watch the human.

The Eevee's eyes widened as Eevees like himself stared back, brown eyes curiously inspecting him.

"There's another one hatching right now" the human announced to the crowd, setting the newly hatched Eevee down. No Eevee made a move toward the human, just continuing their business when they walked back inside.

Eevee blinked, confusion filling him "excuse me" he squeaked to a nearby Eevee. She stop confused "what's going on?" He asked, curiosity filling his mind.

"That's Manti" she explained, shaking out her fur "they/them pronouns. Apparently they're breeding for shiny grey colored Eevees, when ever they come out with one it's brought over to their house instead of staying with us" Eevee stared at the large house she pointed at before walking away.

He jumped a few minutes later as the door opened again, 'Manti' sighing as another brown Eevee lay in his arms. He set the squinting Eevee down next to the other before walking away.

"What going on?" The squinting Eevee asked, confused. The older Eevee explained as the walked over to a shaded spot, apologising with his small knowledge.

"That's so weird" the younger mumbled softly, starting a tad scared out at the other pokemon. They ended up curling together near a Peacha Berry bush under a red apple tree, the younger enjoying the sweet tasting berries. The taste was ok with the older, but maybe a bit too sweet.

"Hey" the younger looked up "it's ok to be scared, we're new to all this" the older snuggled closer "we'll stick together."

The younger hummed "it might be possible Manti could name us, or give us to someone else to name, but do you wanna give each other nicknames? Might be easier since we're both Eevees" he giggled.

"Hmm ok, how about Sleep for me, since that's all I want to do right now" the older joked, causing the younger to laughed. "All right then Sleep, what's mine?" Sleep felt his cheeks heat up slightly, but couldn't help but let out a small laugh "how about Peacha, since your so sweet?" He suggested, giving a grin as the younger gave a very noticeable blush and froze. Sleep felt sudden fear, what if he took offense, what if he didn't like it, what if-

The younger smiled, tucking his head under the older's chin "I love it" Peacha whispered.

______________________________

Sleep watched sleepily as Manti entered the Hatchery. It had been several months since Sleep and Peacha hatched, only one shiny grey Eevee had appeared. Manti seemed very happy, the two being close enough to hear them mutter "finally a Jolteon" before walking off. Apparently the human had been attempting for a long time to gain every shiny Eevee and Eeveelution, already having the normal furs.

It had been quite a while since the last shiny though, Manti gaining more and more annoyed.

"FOR ARCEUS SAKE" a scream raged from the Hatchery, startling Peacha from sleep. Manti exited, clearly upset but just let out an sign, setting the Eevee down before walking away. Sleep looked curiously at the new Eevee.

Even for a newly hatched, the Eevee was very small. It crouched in the setting sun's lights, darker than normal furred slightly spiked in fear. Poor Eevee must have been terrified having a scream be the first noise he heard. Anger at Manti bubbled in Sleep for a moment before Pecha stood up, bounding over to the curled up Eevee.

"Hey" Pecha whispered and Sleep wandered up behind "are you ok?" The Eevee glanced up, brilliantly rich violet eyes stared. Sleep blinked. Manti really must have not gotten a good look at this Eevee, otherwise it probably would have never left his sight.

"I- I" the dark Eevee mumbled, shrinking down. Pecha blinked "oh no it's ok, Manti's not mad specifically at you" he comforted.

Sleep gently nudged the Eevee up, the small one following them. After that day the two hatched, the Pecha bush under the rich red apple tree had become their sleeping spot. There was a large radius of open grass between that tree and other objects, giving the two, now three privacy.

The two calmed the Eevee down, explaining the situation as they curled him between the two.

"So, Manti is a shiny breeder?" The Eevee mumbled tiredly as the others nodded. The violet eyes were locked on the sky as stars started shining brightly, calming the Eevee even more.

"Do you.. do you want me to leave you guys alone?" He whispered asked.

"No!" Pecha cried, snuggling up closer. The Eevee blinked "but your so close, I don't want to interfere."

Sleep shook his head "we choose who we want to be around" he looked up at the stars alongside the Eevee "and to prove that I, the amazing Sleep, with give you a nickname" Pecha swatted him with his tail "of course, only if you want one."

The Eevee looked over and hesitated "are.. are you sure?" Sleep nodded.

"Alright.." Sleep and Pecha snuggled the small one closer "how about Star, dark one?" Sleep mumbled sleepily, glancing one last time at the sky the violet eyes were still latched onto.

The dark one thought for a moment, before nodding.

"I.. I like it" Star mumbled, smiling.

______________________________

Manti walked out, fresh air shifting around them. Footfall behind them made the breeder turn, smiling as an old friend walked out.

"So I heard you were looking for an Eevee. I just had a special looking Eevee born about two weeks ago, bright purple eyes. It's not a shiny so it's useless to me, but a dragon evolution would look cool with those eyes.

When Sleep and Pecha woke up, their little Star was gone.

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Sleep comforted Pecha as the younger cried. "Don't worry, we'll find him" Pecha just shook his head.

"Manti took him while we slept, he probably gave him off to a trainer" he mumbled between tears. It was probably true, occasionally humans would come by and take one of the 'extra' Eevees along with them.

Sleep growled "we will find him" the tone causing Pecha to look up as Sleep stood up, making his way to the fence.

"But we can't leave!" Pecha exclaimed, eyes wide. "Yes we can" Sleep argued calmly, hopping through the boards "just no one has. Listen, Manti doesn't care about us, we might have been split anyways because they gave us to two separate trainer" Pecha hesitated, remembering the sad truth.

"I'm leaving to find our Star, whether your coming or not" Pecha finally looked up, determined. He hopped through the fence, tucking his head under Sleep's chin and nuzzling the Eevee's chest "like you can get rid of me that easily" Pecha purred.

the two split, glancing one last time at the Eevee farm, seeing other Eevees watch them with shocked faces as the turned away.

"Now" Pecha growled, walking into the forest, the unknown "let's get our Star back."

#sander sides #pokemon #remy sanders #emile picani #emile sanders #virgil sanders #manticore chimera #dragon witch #tw crying #i just realized Virgil is connect to all three groups now #like Remy and Emile #Deceit and Remus #and Thomas Roman Logan and Patton #woops now i need to change the center piece to Virgil instead of Thomas #shiny hunting #running away #Teaming the Pieces Together

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