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cyanide-sippy-cup · 25 days

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Okay now that Anissa is in the show, I have to talk about THAT storyline. There's not much particularly new I can say that hasn't already been discussed but I need to gather my thoughts on what the show has to do to be successful in this regard. With that being said,

Spoilers for things the show has not covered yet

And massive Trigger Warning for discussions of sexual assault and post-assault trauma.

So first things out of the way, I do not believe they should cut it. The changes the show has made are ultimately pretty minor. A character change, order of events swapped. With them sticking as close as they are to the comic, I think it would be a massive problem to skip over it from a story telling standpoint.

From a real world standpoint, it's even more important. Male sexual assault is something that rarely gets depicted properly. It's usually a joke or a moment of triumph and that very much has had an effect on the way we look at it in the real world. And since Invincible is now a show pretty much everybody has their eyes on, choosing not to talk about it would be missing an opportunity to have a very real, very important conversation that very well could educate men on how to navigate and survive what they are going through.

I'm also worried that they'll be too afraid to actually say the word "rape". Lots of modern adaptations delete important discussions like Sokka's sexism or the gender discussions from Cowboy Bebop in order to avoid properly handling them and usually replace them with something worse in a sort of "all bark and no bite" liberalism. Directly saying it as it is is incredibly important to showing that talking about it is not only NOT shameful, but also necessary in getting the help you need and the healing that is necessary to survive.

And from a storytelling standpoint, saying it is important too. The moment where Mark tells Eve what happened is not only great in showing that telling someone is important but is also the moment where Mark is forced to admit the truth to himself. "She raped me." Those three words are a massive turning point for the whole story. Character dynamics change, this becomes a focus for most of Mark's loved ones, and it fundamentally changes his life.

Markus. This is a piece of the puzzle I don't see many talk about. While the rest is a showcase of what to do, Markus as a character is a showcase of what not to. It is so, so rare that a child conceived of a rape is properly depicted, nevermind discussed. From Mark's POV, he holds no ill will towards his son. He simply wants him to live a life on Earth with his family like he did and just can't be with him because he is needed in space. But to Markus, his dad hates him. He thinks his father keeps him on Earth so that he doesn't have to think about him. And this idea of his father's disgust contorts his image of himself. He begins to feel self-hatred, hatred towards his mother for making him this way, and hatred towards his father for abandoning him and leaving him to despise what he sees in the mirror. "You made Terra with love. I was made with hate."

Whether Mark meant it or not, his neglect of Markus ruined his early life. No matter how many friends he made, what groups he joined, they could never fill that hole. He idolized his father. I mean, how could he not? His father was, IS a great hero. A man who was out at that very moment leading the movement for universal peace. But because Mark barely visited him, he only had an idea of what his father was like. A man who sacrificed so much to help the world, who fought in space and yet still managed to save the Earth dozens of times. A man who had the time to help everyone and yet couldn't make time for him.

(Important edit: in no way do I mean to say Mark is obligated to be a part of his son's life, I meant that Mark chooses to be there but ultimately fails to do so and that causes issues)

And don't get me wrong, this story has some pretty glaring flaws. For example I think they tried a little too hard to teach Mark that the person who hurt him is human too and has positively affected the lives of many. Like absolutely there is a conversation to be had there but because they had to move on with the plot they kinda just went "HEY MARK DON'T BE SAD SHE'S COOL NOW AND ALSO SHE'S DEAD SO THERE'S NO POINT IN LINGERING OKAY BYYEEEEE". But I think instead of these flaws scaring the show away they should invite the show forward. It's an opportunity to improve on the story and discussions rather than shy away from it.

Oh and also harking back to my previous point in paragraph 2, there's another aspect that makes it stand out in an important discussion. If I'm remembering correctly, the comic makes it pretty clear that Mark could have overpowered Anissa but didn't for a couple of reasons, namely not wanting to hurt her. And that is SO important and SO rare. A discussion surrounding an assault victim who could have fought back but didn't where the victim is NOT portrayed as in the wrong and in fact just as worthy to be traumatized as any other victim is SO DAMN IMPORTANT and could legit change a lot in the way we look at these topics.

So yeah, I think the series should adapt it. Also I think it would be great if they brought on actual victims and experts and whatnot so their depiction could be just that much more focused around what needs to be said. Sorry if all this read as klunky, I have a lot of thoughts bouncing around up here that I kinda just spewed onto the page with no particular order. I'm also obviously not the most educated on the topic. My personal experiences with this were relatively minor and not something I've ever felt comfortable addressing. And yeah I know it's important no matter how "small" or "minor" it seems and I'm not trying to downplay any of that but I just don't really have the words to phrase that differently. Which is exactly why I think we NEED education and discussions about this stuff so that we DO know the words to navigate the topic.

#tw sex assault #tw sa #tw trauma #invincible series #invincible spoilers #invincible comic #invincible #mark grayson #anissa invincible #tw r4p3 #tw rap3 #why are the tags censored like that that only makes it harder to discuss and to figure out what tags people have blocked #if we have like 87 different versions of the tag then the people who need the warning can't block all of them and thus can't avoid the post #what are we doing tumblr

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punkshort · 9 months

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Chapter warnings: sexual tension, language, f masturbation, angst

Chapter Four

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader, pre-outbreak and post outbreak

AU (the only thing I kept was the outbreak, Joel, and Tommy's characters. Joel's backstory is different, and the way he finds Jackson is different. I may include Ellie one day, I just haven't planned that far)

Fic Summary: You worked for Joel and Tommy a few months before the outbreak. The outbreak happens, and you and Joel get stuck traveling the country and keeping each other safe. Neither of you spoke about the feelings you had for one another pre-outbreak, and in a post-apocalyptic world, it seems like survival should be your only focus. But feelings can't be ignored forever.

Fic tags: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI), Smut, Language, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use, Age Difference (Reader is 10 years younger than Joel), slow burn, mutual pining, angst, trauma, SA referencing later but I will put a big warning on those chapters

June 2003

The audit had been underway for roughly a week. You had volunteered, along with Colleen and Debbie, to work some overtime. The three of you and Heather blocked off a conference room on your floor for the next two weeks after hours, diligently working until about 8pm almost every night.

The audit was pretty standard. The auditors supplied a huge list of reports and documentation they wanted to review, and you spent most of your evenings working away on your assigned items. The evenings went by surprisingly fast, and it turned out to be kind of fun. You ordered in food to eat together while working. You got to know a lot more about your co-workers, finding you had much more in common than you thought. One evening, you and Debbie discovered she had grown up in a town only 20 minutes away from your hometown. Needless to say, you spent the rest of the night talking about favorite restaurants and mutual acquaintances.

One day, you were walking from the conference room, your grey ruffled skirt swishing around your knees, heading back towards your department. You were looking down at the paper in your hands, reminding yourself what files you needed to look for in the cabinet. Given the time of day, you were surprised when you ran headfirst into a hard wall of muscle as you rounded a corner, dropping the paper in your hand. It was almost 7pm, you hadn’t expected anyone else to be working.

Two large hands reached out and grabbed your shoulders to keep you steady. His scent hit you first, a comforting aroma of leather and citrus, and you knew it was Joel before you even looked up.

When your eyes met his, his face showed as much surprise as your own.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Miller. I didn’t expect anyone to be here this late,” you apologized, leaning forward to pick up the paper you dropped, but he held out a hand to stop you.

“My fault. Here, let me get that,” he said, bending down. “I wasn’t payin’ attention. What are you still doin’ here?”

He picked the sheet of paper off the ground, his face inches away from your bare calves, causing your throat to tighten. You shifted your weight, trying to subtly create more distance between you two. Joel turned his face towards you at the movement, eyes briefly flashing up and down your legs as he slowly straightened himself upright, towering over you. He held out the sheet of paper, which you took quickly, trying to hide the slight tremor in your hand.

You cleared your throat and glanced down at the paper. His eye contact was intense, it made you nervous and excited at the same time, and you found you fared better when you took a few moments to collect yourself by looking elsewhere.

“I volunteered to help with the audit," you explained. "A few of us have been working most evenings, I was just heading back to look up some files,” your eyes flicked over to the locked door, then settled back on him. His face was softer than usual, plush lips parted, and hands shoved in his pants pockets as he listened.

“I’ll come with you and carry 'em back, that looks like a long list.”

Before you could respond, he turned around and was punching his security code into the keypad. He opened the door and looked back at you.

“Are you coming?” he asked. Your cheeks flared at the direction your mind took with that question, scooting into the room as the door fell shut behind you. You walked by the printer and grabbed an empty cardboard box. Heading in the direction of your cube, you placed the box on the floor near your desk and began getting to work rifling through the file cabinet across the aisle.

Joel slowly trailed in after you, glancing around the room curiously, noting that you two were completely alone.

“I don’t make my way down here as much as I should.” Joel said, leaning against the wall of your cubical and crossing his arms. “Looks like you’ve settled in,” he added, eyeing up a few picture frames placed on your desk.

You looked over your shoulder, taking a moment to appreciate how strange it was to have him standing at your desk.

"Yep," you agreed, turning your attention back to the files, trying to work fast.

Joel leaned in a little closer to examine your photos, seemingly unaware of how distracted he was making you. He smugly noticed you didn't have any pictures of the Ken doll. He straightened back up, glancing down at your half-filled banker's box, then his eyes traveled over to the empty cubicle on the other side of the room.

"Did your boyfriend land on his feet?" he asked before he could stop himself. His eyes remained glued to the empty desk, unable to look you in the eye.

"I'm not sure, we broke up," you replied, distracted. Then the impact of his words hit you. "Wait, how did you know we were together?" You stopped sifting through files and turned towards him, waiting for his answer.

Joel shrugged and turned back around to face you, but only once he was able to wipe the stupid grin off his face at your admission.

"Wasn't hard to figure out, the way he'd look at you and couldn't keep his hands off you." Joel stated matter of factly. His heart was beating faster at the direction the conversation was headed, and he couldn't keep his mouth from turning up into a half smirk at how flustered he seemed to make you.

You tucked a piece of hair behind your ear nervously, shifting your eyes between him and the file cabinet, before giving the file cabinet your full attention again.

He noticed when Justin put his hand on your leg during that meeting.

"I'm sorry if that was inappropriate. He was only trying to calm me down." You kept your eyes down on the sheet of paper in front of you, looking at what was next on the list. He was your boss, and no matter what attraction you may have for him, you had to remind yourself this was a professional workplace.

Joel's face fell, and he immediately felt guilty. He hadn't meant to imply you had done anything wrong.

Why was he so bad at this?

"That's not what I meant, I..." he trailed off as your fingers stilled on the paper before you, intently listening but still not looking at him. "I just meant... shit, I don't know, I was just explainin’ how I knew, is all." He ran his fingers through his hair, getting frustrated with himself. His gaze fell on your pictures again.

"These your folks?" he asked you, pointing to one of the frames.

You turned to look at the pictures. You nodded and smiled warmly. His pulse began to return to normal: you were back on track.

"Yeah, those were taken at my graduation, so a bit old now. I should update those." You looked at them once more fondly, before turning back to the file cabinet.

"I gotta do that too," Joel murmured. "Change my pictures, that is. Tommy pointed it out the other day."

You smiled sweetly in his direction, making his heart flutter, and announced you were done. He bent forward to pick up the box of files. This time you were ready, and you made sure you had more room between you.

You held the door open for him as you both exited the room, back into the hallway. You passed Heather's closed office door, hearing her muffled voice as she talked on the phone.

Luckily, the conference room wasn't far. You opened the door, confused to just find Debbie still working. She did a double take when she saw Joel behind you holding a box. Debbie straightened up in her chair, gave a stiff greeting, and hunched back over her computer, trying to look busy.

"Where's Colleen?" you asked, sitting down in front of your laptop. Joel placed the box next to you on a chair, and you lifted your head up to smile your thanks to Joel, which he returned.

"Tommy asked for her help with something right after you left." She was responding to your question, but she was staring at Joel, stunned to see him smiling.

Suddenly, the conference room phone rang out shrilly. Debbie snatched it up. It was Heather, asking Debbie to come to her office to help her with something on her computer. Being a younger employee in the department meant you were the first line of defense against technical issues.

Debbie looked relieved as she got up to exit, but not before giving one more curious glance in Joel's direction as she left, shutting the door.

It was just the two of you again. He wandered over to the white board in the room and read over the list of tasks under each person's name. You wondered why he was still here, but you didn't want to draw attention to it. You stared down blankly at your computer, trying to think of something to say.

Fortunately, you didn't have to.

"Your friend seems jumpy," he stated, still turned towards the white board.

You grinned at his back. Surely, he was joking. Feeling a little more comfortable around him, you said sarcastically, "Yeah, I can't imagine why."

At that, Joel turned to look at you, genuine confusion painted across his face. You looked at him incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"

Joel shook his head and you let out a small huff of laughter.

"You do realize everyone is afraid of you?" you boldly asked.

The corners of Joel's mouth turned up slightly, and he cast his eyes down quickly, quirking an eyebrow, before meeting your gaze again.

"Not you," he said, ticking his jaw to the side.

You gave a breathy laugh at his response.

"Are you sure about that?" you teased.

You watched as his gaze slowly turned from playful to heated, sending your pulse racing and making your grin vanish. His smile faded away as he walked around the table towards you. Like an animal hunting its prey.

You parted your lips slightly to accommodate your need for more air, your chest rising faster. The tremor returned to your hands that were delicately placed over your keyboard. You kept your head facing forward towards your monitor, but your eyes were glued to him approaching you from the side.

Joel placed one large hand flat on the table next to your computer, inches from your own. He leaned down, hovering over you, as his other hand gripped the back of your chair. Your heart was beating so fast, you were beginning to feel lightheaded. Your quickened breath was making your lips dry, so you shot your tongue out to dampen them, keeping your head positioned straight in front of you.

Joel's gaze caught your tongue shooting out of your mouth, and his breath hitched. He closed his eyes for a few moments and inhaled the floral scent drifting up from your hair. He could feel himself getting hard at the tension filling the room.

"You don't gotta be scared of me, sweetheart. I don't bite," he said to you, his voice husky, barely above a whisper. "Well, that’s a lie. Sometimes I bite," he couldn't resist adding with a smirk.

You couldn't stop the gasp that left your mouth at his words. Your eyes fluttered shut as you tried to stabilize your breathing, and you squeezed your thighs together under the table. The way his voice sounded and the innuendo in his words was causing your panties to grow damp. You opened your eyes and turned your face up towards him, finally seeing the heat behind his stare and the tension in his jaw. The hand that rested on the back of your chair was gripped so tight, his knuckles were turning white. Like he was fighting to hold himself back.

You opened your mouth to say something, but words failed you. When you went to shut your mouth, you gently sunk your teeth into your lower lip. His eyes flicked towards the movement, his own lips parting, and released a shaky breath.

The door banged open suddenly, revealing Tommy with his arm loosely wrapped around Colleen’s waist, giggling as they entered the room. Joel jumped away from you, shoving his hands back in his pockets as you clamped your mouth shut ruefully.

They seemed just as surprised to see you both, but slower to untangle themselves.

“Hey there, brother, didn’t realize you were still here, too,” Tommy gave Joel a mischievous grin, looking back and forth between the two of you. He glanced at Colleen, who looked disheveled and was smiling playfully at him. “Up to no good?”

Joel huffed and headed towards the door, your heart sinking in your chest, disappointed the moment was over.

"I was down here lookin’ for Heather, she needed my input on somethin’, what’s your excuse?” he shot back.

Tommy grinned and looked back towards Colleen, who had sat down in front of her computer, still smiling at him like a fool.

"Uh, yeah, same, came down to see what the status was on the thing…” his thoughts drifted away as Colleen giggled at his response.

“You mean the audit?” said Joel dryly, trying to draw Tommy’s attention away from your friend.

“Yep! That’s it!” Tommy said, snapping his fingers and heading towards the door to join his brother. “We'll see you ladies later, be good now.” He winked in Colleen’s direction, which triggered another giggle from her.

Joel rolled his eyes and grabbed Tommy by the bicep, hauling him out of the room without giving you another glance.

The moment the door shut, you and Colleen whipped around to face each other, speaking at the same time.

"Joel?!"

"You've been dating Tommy?!"

Colleen grinned, with a dreamy look in her eye, answering first.

"Not exactly. We just hook up now and then."

You gave her a suspicious look.

"I'm not stupid," she continued. "I know he's done this with more than a few other girls who work here. It's just for fun, nothing serious."

You hummed thoughtfully, still in shock. You had no idea. Colleen must keep secrets better than you gave her credit for.

"Wait, what about you two? What was that all about?" Colleen asked. "Now it's starting to all make sense, no wonder he isn't tough on you! And - oh my god! Justin?! Did Joel force your boyfriend to quit so he could have you to himself?"

Your jaw dropped at her suggestion.

"No! Absolutely not! Nothing is going on between us," you could feel your cheeks heating up. It was technically true, nothing had happened. You just flirted a little bit, that didn't count. Right?

"I don't know, you both looked really cozy when we interrupted you just now." Colleen teased. "I've never seen him look that human before, I thought he just lived and breathed work." She laughed as she turned her attention back to her laptop, a silly grin still plastered on her face from her run-in with Tommy.

After speaking with Heather, Joel kept quiet until they were safely on the elevator heading back up to the 10th floor.

"What did I ask ya to do, Tommy? Stop screwin' all our employees, we are gonna get slapped with a lawsuit one day!" Joel wasn't sure what made him more furious - the fact Tommy ignored his request, or the fact that his moment with you was interrupted. The hypocrisy wasn't lost on him, but he knew your flirtatious relationship would only go that far. He was too old for you, and, considering your ex-boyfriend, he clearly was not your type. It was just harmless and playful, he told himself. Nothing more.

"Oh, spare me, Joel! I saw you two when we came in that room! I'm tired of your bullshit!" Tommy fired back, fists squeezed at his side.

Joel spun around, facing Tommy head on with his jaw clenched and pointing a finger in his brother's face.

"I ain't gonna say it again, there's nothin' goin' on. I was just helpin' her carry a box after I nearly ran her over. I'm not stupid enough to think she's interested in me, she's just bein' nice 'cause I'm her boss."

His words hung in the air for a moment, and Tommy relaxed after he processed what Joel had said. He leaned back against the elevator wall, crossed his arms, and nodded.

"Oh, I get it now."

Joel shook his head and turned back to face the doors, refusing to acknowledge Tommy's statement.

"Joel, I think you're wrong. If you want, I can ask Colleen-"

"No," Joel cut him off, his voice softer now, feeling guilty about his outburst. "No, just... just let it go," he begged.

The elevator opened and Joel walked briskly in the direction of his office. Tommy faltered for a moment, then decided to follow him. He cleared his throat to make his presence known, but Joel didn't seem to care. He picked up his leather jacket and cell phone, and shut down his computer, getting ready to leave for the day and still avoiding Tommy's gaze.

"Listen, brother, I'm not sure how that Amy got your head all twisted and made you think you don't deserve to be happy, but you do. Now I know what happened was fucked up, and I don't blame ya for being hung up on it, but it's been years." Tommy said calmly, trying his best to get through to him.

Joel stilled, staring down blankly at the cell phone in his hand. He averted his gaze out the window, trying to think of what to say.

"You gotta understand, what happened makes me want to avoid relationships in the office. I caught them in the copy room, for Christsake," he croaked out. Still avoiding Tommy's eyes, Joel brushed past him and back towards the elevator.

Tommy jogged back out to the lobby to keep up with his brother.

"Oh, shit, Joel, I'm sorry. That didn't even occur to me, no wonder you are so gung-ho about me leavin' the girls alone." They stood together, waiting for the elevator doors to reopen.

"Well, I don't wanna get hit with a lawsuit, either, but..." Joel trailed off as he entered the elevator again and pushed the button for the parking garage.

Tommy slapped his hand against the side of the elevator to keep the doors from closing, and finally Joel looked up to look his brother in the eye.

"I'll leave 'em alone, I promise. I thought you were just givin' me a hard time, I didn't think it through," Tommy relented. "You gonna be alright?"

Joel scoffed lightly, "Yeah, 'course. See ya tomorrow."

Tommy removed his hand and the elevator closed.

July 2003

The audit had been wrapped up for a week now, the rest of the time very uneventful compared to the night you discovered Colleen’s secret. The same night you and Joel had that charged moment in the conference room. Whenever your mind wasn’t occupied with something else, you found that your thoughts always drifted back to that night. You replayed it over in your head as much as you could remember, desperately trying to recall the exact tone of his voice and the feel of the heat rolling off his body as he hovered over you.

On more than one occasion, you found yourself thinking about that night before you fell asleep: your hand sliding down the front of your sleep shorts, a finger dipping into your entrance to collect the wetness pooled there as you thought about Joel caging you into your seat. You had been interrupted that night, but you liked to imagine what would have happened.

You pictured Joel grabbing you by your arms and pushing you up against the conference room wall, his hands roaming up and down your sides while your hands raked through his hair. He would run one of his hands around to cup your ass, while the other went up to squeeze your breast through your blouse. Joel’s mouth would latch onto your neck as you moaned his name, grinding your hips up to his, desperate for contact. In your fantasy, Joel would feverishly rip your panties off and sink into you slowly, stretching you out and groaning in your ear about how wet you were for him.

You have replayed this fantasy over a lot in the past couple weeks, as you would hastily circle your swollen clit while another finger probed inside you, moaning out into the darkness of your one-bedroom apartment, grateful you finally lived by yourself and no one could hear.

At first, seeing Joel in the office felt awkward, embarrassed by your actions in the privacy of your own home. It became such a regular occurrence, however, that the awkwardness eventually faded away.

In fact, during your department’s monthly meetings with him, you felt more at ease. It was a stark contrast to the way you felt in your first meeting. You stayed quiet, not wanting to draw attention again, especially because Colleen thought something was happening between you and Joel. The only sensational thing was if one of you caught the other looking in their direction, which was typically met with a secret smile or a playful glance.

Today was the July monthly meeting. You sat, bored, listening to Heather discuss in great detail the end result of the audit, only looking up when she gave kudos to you, Colleen, and Debbie for helping out after hours. You smiled at her in return, feeling Joel’s gaze on you. You had a feeling he was recounting that one evening you ran into each other. You resisted the urge to look in his direction, afraid you wouldn't be able to hide your reaction.

When Heather was done, she quickly added that she had found a suitable replacement for Justin – a guy named Kyle, who had come from a competitor and had 5 years of payroll experience. He was scheduled to start Monday, which the team universally looked grateful to hear. Picking up the extra workload the past couple months was getting old.

Joel stopped Heather as she began gathering her things at the end of the meeting.

"Remember to bring me last month’s numbers before 3:30 today, I'm offsite after that.”

Heather froze for a half a second, then said enthusiastically, “Absolutely, will do!”

Everyone filed out and waited for the elevator. You chanced a look over your shoulder when you heard Joel and Tommy leave the room. Joel was wearing black dress pants and a dark blue button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, which you greedily noticed had become the standard lately. His eyes immediately caught yours and gave you a quick wink as he headed back to his office. You could feel the tips of your ears getting hot and you had a stupid grin on your face. Luckily, no one seemed to notice the exchange as you climbed into the elevator and headed back down to the 6th floor.

Everyone was settling back into their cubicles when the keypad began pinging and the door swung open, revealing a worried looking Heather.

“I hate to ask, but can anyone please take these reports up to Joel’s office? I completely forgot I had promised him, and I just don’t have the time, I have a meeting with HR in 10 minutes to go over onboarding for Kyle, and it won’t be over by 3:30.”

The room remained completely silent, nobody wanting to offer up their head on the proverbial chopping block.

"I’ll do it,” you quietly piped up, much to everyone’s, including Heather’s, relief.

She handed you the file and briefed you on what information was inside in case Joel asked questions, and then quickly exited, on her way to HR.

Colleen grinned at you and whispered, “Why did I guess you would volunteer?”

You hushed her and once again confirmed you were not sleeping with the head of the company. She rolled her eyes.

"Don’t worry, I won’t say anything! I know that can be damaging, that’s why I didn’t tell you about you-know-who.” She winked at you and turned back to her computer, but not before whispering, “You better hurry, your boyfriend is waiting.”

For the second time, you found yourself face to face with Ruby Potter. Still ancient, and still had lipstick smeared on her front teeth. She seemed to recognize you, because this time she didn’t ask who you were here to see, she just said, “Go on in, dear, he’s free.”

You walked to his open office door and gently rapped your knuckles on the wood. He didn’t look up from his cell phone but motioned you to come and sit down. This time, you left the door open.

You sat down in the same chair as before and waited for him to acknowledge you. You took the time to glance over your shoulder at the cluster of picture frames he said he needed to update. You couldn’t really make out any of the faces, but you thought you saw Tommy in a few of them.

Joel set his cell phone down on his desk and finally looked up. The frown that seemed permanently etched on his face instantly eased when he saw it was you. You turned your head back and smiled warmly at him, which made him smile in return. You held out the folder in your hand.

"Heather was busy this afternoon and asked me to bring these up to you.”

He looked down at the folder, taking it and placing it carefully on the desk before him.

"Thank you, sweetheart... I'm glad she chose you," he said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

You could tell he felt uncomfortable after that, because his eyes were shifting all over the surface of his desk, looking anywhere but at you.

"I actually volunteered," you told him. He looked up at you then, not sure what to say. "You scare the rest of the department, remember?" you teased him.

You could tell his thoughts definitely traveled back to that evening in the conference room now by the way his gaze darkened, still fixed on you.

Nervous about where the conversation was going, you tried to change the mood. "Did you have any questions about the numbers, Mr. Milller?"

You did your best to sound professional, and you thought you had succeeded, but his gaze only became more heated.

"Please," he croaked out, "please call me Joel."

He sounded like he could barely say the words, like he was drowning and it was all he could get out. His face looked borderline pained as he pinned you with his stare.

"Ok... Joel," you whispered heavily. At the sound of his name, his eyes fluttered shut for a few moments, as if to savor it.

You pressed your knees together again, knowing for sure now that the attraction was not just one sided. And you think he knew it, too.

Joel opened his eyes, taking you in from across the desk. You sat there, so pretty, and looking at him expectantly with those beautiful eyes. You had asked him a question, but neither of you were worried about the answer. He could see it now, the way you looked at him and said his name. He knew he had to do this right.

He cleared his throat and opened the folder, his gaze dropping to the reports in front of him. He pretended to read them but in reality, he was watching you in his peripheral. You shifted in your seat as you waited for him to acknowledge you again. He had to make sure you didn't leave here thinking the attraction wasn't mutual. He couldn't act on it yet, he needed time to think, when his head was clear.

Joel looked up at you after he pretended to review the reports. "No questions, sweetheart. Thank you... for volunteerin'. Made my day."

You felt the blush spreading across your cheeks. You stood and thanked him, heading towards the door.

When you reached the exit, you turned around and said, "Have a nice weekend... Joel." And disappeared back into the lobby.

Joel sat there, staring at the empty doorframe, replaying the way you said his name over and over in his head.

"Fuck," he muttered. He got up and headed to his bathroom.

Chapter Five

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aceinejghafa · 1 year

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From Six of Crows:

“Some people see a magic trick and say, ‘Impossible!’ They clap their hands, turn over their money, and forget about it ten minutes later. Other people ask how it worked. They go home, get into bed, toss and turn, wondering how it was done. It takes them a good night’s sleep to forget all about it. And then there are the ones who stay awake, running through the trick again and again, looking for that skip in perception, the crack in the illusion that will explain how their eyes got duped; they’re the kind who won’t rest until they’ve mastered that little bit of mystery for themselves. I’m that kind.”

This quote says a lot of things about Kaz, but I’m going to focus on one aspect: Kaz doesn’t believe the magic trick. He can’t say “oh that was cool” and forget about it because he needs to know how. He needs to understand how he was fooled, how the trick works, how it fits into his worldview. He can't rest until he figures it out.

Magic is when something happens that we can’t explain. Kaz needs to find the explanation.

But we also have this quote:

“The harbour wind had lifted [Inej’s] dark hair, and for a moment Kaz was a boy again, sure that there was magic in this world.”

“A boy again” — this is suggesting that Kaz’s disillusionment with magic is because of everything that happened to him because of Pekka. Pekka fooled Kaz and Jordie; Kaz failed to figure out what was going on. It seemed like magic, but then it wasn’t. Now, Kaz doesn’t believe that there’s magic anymore. Pekka shattered his belief that things could be inexplicable.

But Inej is the exception to this: she makes him feel like there’s still magic in the world. Kaz can’t explain her (or doesn’t want to).

Now, Kaz often seems to function by figuring out what drives people and using that to his advantage.

“It was a guess. Pekka’s pride in the Dime Lions is plenty predictable. Kid probably has a thousand lions to play with and a giant wooden lion to ride around on.” “How did you even know he had a child?” “I figured it out that night at Van Eck’s house. Rollins wouldn't stop flapping his gums about the legacy he was building. I knew he had a country house, liked to leave the city. I’d just figured he had a mistress stashed somewhere. But what he said that night made me think again.” “And that he had a son, not a daughter? That was a guess too?” “An educated one. He named his new gambling hall the Kaelish Prince. Had to be a little red-headed boy. And what kid isn’t fond of sweets?”

Kaz figures out what motivates Pekka — the explanation for Pekka’s behaviour — and uses that to beat him.

He even does that with his own people, like Big Bolliger at the beginning of SoC:

“You’re lazy. I know it. Everyone knows it. So I had to ask myself why my laziest bouncer was getting up early twice a week to walk two extra miles to Cilla’s Fry for breakfast, especially when the eggs are so much better at the Koperoom.”

That’s how he realises that Big Bolliger is a traitor. He analyses people and figures out how they work, friend and foe alike. That’s why he wins.

But Kaz doesn’t know how Inej works — if he did, she wouldn’t be magic, would she? Kaz trusts Inej to gather secrets for him, even though he can't control her the way he controls everyone else.

And then we have a quote about Inej:

“But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.”

“To wring magic from the ordinary.” Inej is talking about herself, but that's what she does for Kaz, too — she shows him the magic in the ordinary. She tells him that not everything is ordinary; not everything can be explained; not everything is a magic trick. Sometimes, it’s just magic.

This is why I am obsessed with Kanej. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

#kanej #kaz x inej #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #soc #six of crows #meta #ish

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ghostofskywalker · 4 months

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I saw your winter ficlet thing!!

Could I perhaps request Obi-Wan Kenobi x fem!reader, with the prompt "I need you to kiss me. Right now. Please."?

Happy holidays, and I can't wait to see whatever you write!!

happy holidays to you too! i hope you enjoy this :)

words: 875

summary: a fancy gala + a fake date mission = unbearable romantic tension between you and obi-wan.

This Torturous Tension

obi-wan kenobi masterlist || request a winter ficlet!

The band hadn’t once stopped playing, but to you all their music had faded away throughout the time you spent in this room. All your focus was kept on making the right steps, because you would never be able to forgive yourself if you stepped on the feet of your best friend while dancing.

Obi-Wan wouldn’t really care if you missed a step, and deep down you knew that, but you would still not want to be anything less than perfect. It certainly didn’t help that he was dressed in the fanciest robes you’ve ever seen, and the dress you wore was much heavier than your usual lightweight Jedi robes, which sometimes limited your range of motion.

So many things had already happened on this night, and you honestly weren’t sure how you had managed to survive them. You had been told just mere hours ago that you were going on this assignment with Obi-Wan, and that you would posing as lovers in order to get intel about a potential Separatist faction forming in the very heart of Coruscant. It certainly didn’t help that the outfits provided for both of you were some of the finest and fanciest things you’ve ever seen, and that Obi-Wan Kenobi had the unique ability of making you forget all your thoughts when you looked at him.

And the worst part of it all was the fact that he seemed wholly unaware of the effect he was having on you.

“We haven’t gotten a chance to talk in a while,” he said softly, right before twirling you across the ballroom floor. You were now dancing towards the corner of the space, quiet and secluded. “This is nice.”

“It is,” you agreed softly, fighting back the urge to glance at the hand that was resting so delicately on your hip. Okay, you were lying. As nice as the idea was (and as amazing as he looked in those robes), this entire evening had been nothing but torture, and it was showing no signs of stopping.

“I hate that we haven’t gotten a chance to talk more,” Obi-Wan said.

“I know,” you said. He had that look on his face, the one that you could never say no to. You wanted to kiss him more than you’ve ever wanted anything else.

“Maybe the war will be over soon,” he said, a melancholy smile on his face.

You smiled at his hope, knowing that you shared the sentiment. “And we can go back to causing trouble like we used to do as padawans.”

“Oh I think that’s going to be Anakin’s job from now on,” he responded. “He has informed me that I’m too boring and that I might as well have settled down.”

Your eyebrows shot up. “Didn’t you just blow up a droid factory a couple rotations ago?”

“Yes, well-”

“Without a lightsaber or any kind of backup?”

Obi-Wan looked sheepish, another absolutely adorable expression you never wanted to forget. “I suppose in comparison to my former padawan, I must seem like one of the elders.”

You laughed at the idea as memories of adventures and chaos came back to you, all of which had featured Obi-Wan at your side. That was simply another wound you had to bear right now, because you’ve loved him for as long as you could remember, but the reality of the Jedi Code had been ever-looming above you. And as time went on, you wanted more and more to ignore it, even if it was for a few fleeting moments.

In between moments of comfortable silence, you could feel the tension growing. It had been on a steady incline since you set foot in this gala, but this was unbearable. His face was closer to yours than it had ever been, and you could feel your heart skip beats every time he smiled.

Maybe it was the energy in the air, maybe it was the Correlian wine you had drank two glasses of, or maybe it was fact that you finally had the opportunity to do one of the things you’ve always wanted to do, but in that very moment, you decided to take a risk. "I need you to kiss me.”

He looked at you with surprise in his eyes, but you didn’t want to worry about the potential ramifications until tomorrow morning. “Right now,” you breathed. “Please?”

Now you’ve dreamt of moments like these before (quite possibly more often than you’d like to admit), but there was truly no way to describe the feeling in your body when he actually obliged your request.

And when he pulled away, you couldn’t help the way a breathless sigh escaped your lips. “I was wondering if I was going to regret asking,” you whispered, searching his face for some kind of reassurance.

“And?” he asked, one eyebrow moving upwards. “Do you?

The response came tumbling out of your mouth almost instantly. “I don’t think I’ve ever regretted anything I’ve done, as long as it was with you.”

As you leaned in to kiss him again, you could feel his other hand find your waist and hold you closer. And when your lips met for the second time, it was somehow even more perfect than the first.

- the end -

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

#winterficlets23 #obi wan kenobi x reader #obi wan kenobi #obi wan x reader #obi wan kenobi fanfiction #obi wan kenobi x female reader #obi wan kenobi x you #star wars x reader #star wars fanfiction

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wontlasttwodays · 1 month

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Episode 4

Spoilers

Rick eyeing Michonne's thighs and ass. That man. Since day fucking one.

The way Michonne flicks her wrist when she says, "Poetry." Flick, swish, like her sword work. It was in the leaked scene and I've been emulating it for days.

The first time I burst into tears, Rick's trembling hand over the apartment door handle.

Rick having a panic attack connecting with Michonne again, JFC! I didn't cry the first time but because of the confession that comes later I ugly cried the second time. And I know we love Richonne smut but honestly that was so damn intimate and real I had to look away and give them some privacy.

"I can't live without you. Without you, I die."

"When I saw you I got so scared. I needed to get ahead of it."

"Knowing. Seeing that loss, I can't- I won't survive that Michonne. I just won't."

If Andrew Lincoln doesn't get acting awards for this series I will get violent. He triggered a goddamn heart condition.

When Michonne places that drawing of Carl in Rick's hand - I have only ever cried like that one other time in my life, over the cancer diagnosis of a real loved one. I could literally feel my heart breaking. It still hurts hours later. My wails didn't even make a sound, I was speechless with grief, breathless.

Danai Gurira, ladies and gentlemen. She protected her piece from AMC and brought us here.

"That's how we make it all make sense. We love on each other as hard as we can while we can."

The reason why this series is so hugely successful is because it improves the mothership, TWD. I don't even call all the themes this series weaves, the characterizations, "call backs." The series makes TWD better. It threads humanity and real love into all the silence and stoic dialogue. TWD's most character conflict season was S2 and it was quarantined from the rest of the series, they never let interpersonal and internal conflict get that externalized ever again. [Think about how terribly the scripts fumbled after Glenn died, because they were so eager to get to Negan.]

I've seen some commenters focus on how Michonne hasn't yet said "I love you" in this series. But look how Rick has said it and when he's said it in the series and in TWD, he uses the phrase as an apology. Michonne doesn't need to say it because her actions show it. Rick doesn't feel the need to say when his actions show it too.

Let's fucking go! The best couple ever written for television is on the same page again. They can do anything.

#richonne forever #sexy committed key #towl spoilers #twd towl ep4 #after waxing on about Carl whatifs last night I was not ready #I still don't forgive Gimple for that shit but I'm glad they haven't let the grief go.

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justrainandcoffee · 27 days

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Against all odds (Alfie Solomons x fem!oc) Part 2

Crossover Peaky Blinders - Hunger Games

Series Masterlist - Part 1

Summary: The 60th edition started and Philip and Reah are in the Arena. Alfie knows this will not be easy and his hopes aren't very high. But those being officially the first games for Rose, she has other expectations. She's has hopes. || Two years later, during the 62th edition, Alfie is facing the consequences of being close to Mrs. Evert.

Series warnings: Mentions of sex (consent and non-con). Murders. Blood. PTSD. Cheating. Prostitution. || This is set in Panem universe. Topics as minors being sexual corrupted are also mentioned because it's CANON.

Words: 3.6 k || Alfie x Rose masterlist || Here I mentioned the OCs Eva who belongs to @evita-shelby and Lucy who belongs to @emotionalcadaver.

Hearing Alfie's advice, both kids survived the bloodbath but they got separated. While Reah was inside a stone cave, Philip went downhill in search of water. Neither of them had weapons yet, but the cameras showed how Reah was sharpening a rock to make a knife.

Alfie was watching everything in silence. It was as good that they survived that damn bloodbath. The previous year, both of his tributes died there. But they were weaker than the Philip and Reah, despite they were older. At least now Alfie could focus on searching sponsors.

His own bloodbath. His mind went to six years ago. The first one was a boy from district 7. Alfie grabbed him by the neck and smashed his head against a frozen rock. Two times was enough to kill him. Then, against the probabilities, he murdered the girl from district 1 who attacked him by the back. She was a well toned girl, trained to kill people even stronger than Alfie himself. But he managed to grab her by her braid and pushed her down. When she screamed and let him go, Alfie threw her to the ground and mounted her. The boy stabbed her in the eye with her own knife, she died instantly. The girl's body remained there with the handle protruding from her blue eye, the blade was deep in her brain. He grabbed the sickles and ran away.

"How are they?"

Hearing Rose's voice helped him to clean his thoughts. She had a plate of pastries in her hand and offered him one, which he accepted.

"Alive."

"That's good. How many died?"

"Seven. But there's one, the girl from district 10 who's severed injured. She's not gonna make it, she can't. Even if the mentor sends her medicine… so, eight."

"Poor girl. Suffering it's the worst part."

"I guess."

The screen showed a pack of tributes chasing a younger boy. They were laughing and cheering as usual. It was the adrenaline speaking for them. At the end of the third or fourth day, neither of them will be laughing anymore and probably most of the pack will be dead. But now their brains were still under the influence of the adrenaline and they were not conscious at all what the games were really about.

Rose saw how the man was staring the screens and decided to leave him alone. She didn't know what to say, after all and Alfie needed to focus on the kids. Maybe, one of them could be lucky enough to win the games.

The third night since the beginning of the games, Alfie returned to their floor to sleep. He needed to go to his bedroom to rest. But he found Rose at the table, she was clearly crying but tried to hide it when she heard him. She closed her sketchbook.

Alfie sat next to her. He didn't need to ask what was wrong with her, the reason was that Reah was dead. No one but the gamemakers killed her. She was running when an avalanche of stones fell over her head. Other two tributes died with Reah.

"You get used to it," he said. "Sooner or later."

"She was sweet."

"She was, yes."

"You really get used to it? Seeing the same kids you laughed with, you ate with… die like animals?"

"You need to get used to it, Rosebeth, or your going crazy," Alfie picked up some grapes that were over the table.

She shook her head, "that's not my fucking name."

"It's not? Then what's your name?"

"Just Rose."

"I prefer that. Why do you call yourself Rosebeth, then?"

"Because I need to be a new person here. I can't be Rose. Rose can't smile and pretend that everything here is fucking fine, when it's not. But Rosebeth can. She can. When I cross that fucking door I need to pretend. I have to clap, I have to laugh. It was my secret, no one knew my real name until now. But it doesn't matter now."

Alfie studied her. She wasn't just sad. The woman next to him was angry. Alfie remembered her words from the past week when they argued on the balcony. The eyes of a person who knew what you felt when you're waiting for a death sentence when you're only 12. Even if she escaped from it.

"Did you lose someone on the games?"

"No. At least no one I knew. My mother lost her best friend and the sister of hers, before I was born. The three of them were friends, apparently and my middle brother lost an old buddy. He was 15. This girl, Reah, she was… she was the first one I was close to," she didn't realise she was crying again. She kept talking while sobbing. "I thought… that maybe… I-I- even was designing a dress for her in case, she was the winner. FUCK!"

He couldn't help but put an arm around her. He was sure she wasn't the frivolous and indifferent woman he thought she was at first. At least she cared for the kids and her sadness was real. Rose was crying against his shoulder.

"It's okay, Rose. Sometimes is better to die there than face the consequences of surviving the games. Believe me: You don't win the games. You survive them... Sometimes not even that."

It wasn't uncommon for some victors to commit suicide. Alfie himself thought about it, but he never did it.

Rose relaxed when his fingers started to stroke her hair.

"I'm sorry," she said still against him.

"For what?"

"For everything. I'm not part of this, but living here I feel I own you an apology. For having to kill to survive, for whatever people did to you after the Games, for Reah… the other kids…"

"You did nothing. You're not the enemy."

"I married the enemy."

"But you're not him."

Finally she pulled apart from his shoulder. There was a wet spot on his shirt where her face was, she tried in vain to dry it out with her hand. For a moment both of them stared at each other in the eyes. Alfie wiped away the last tears of her face and she closed her eyes. She didn't need to see to know that Alfie was leaning towards her. Rose first felt his breathing against her skin, then his beard and finally his lips on hers.

It wasn't love. It wasn't even a 'I like you', it was a 'this is the only way I know to find comfort.'

It wasn't passionate, hot, messy either. It was a calm, soft but firm. If usually sex calmed his thoughts, Alfie discovered that kissing her gave him peace. Something he forgot he could feel.

"Thanks," he said later nuzzling his nose against hers.

"For?"

"For understanding."

This time it was her who kissed him. It felt good, probably the only good thing she felt since she put a foot in the Capitol four years ago. Alfie's hand was on the back of her head pushing her against him. For a moment the kiss was hotter than before. But Alfie stopped himself.

"I can't."

"Don't worry. It's okay. It's already late… probably we should go to sleep. It's… don't worry." Rose smiled at him, even when her eyes are still puffy and red. "Philip still needs you."

Alfie stood up and kissed the crown of her head before leading to his own bedroom. He couldn't sleep until hours later.

The next morning to Alfie's relief he discovered that Philip was still alive unlike tributes from district 11 and 12. The girl from 12 died because of Philip. Alfie was still amazed that a boy with only one had could be so skilled and strong. But the kid was and after four days he was still alive.

"Any luck with the sponsors?" Rose asked him.

"Not really. I think he needs water, maybe. I haven't seen him drink since yesterday and the landscape is terrible."

"Mmm. Let me help."

Alfie saw her fix her dress and after looking around she went to talk with an old man. Alfie understood what she meant with Rose and Rosebeth. The latter was chirpy and flirty, was full of joy and was very persuasive. Not long after, the old man approached Alfie and with his help Philip received not just water but necessary food.

Minutes later when they watched the screens both of them saw the moment that Philip received his gifts. The boy was happy. Alone behind a big rock, Philip calmed his thirst. Rose was happy too. Before going with the rest of the staff, she smiled and winked at him. And Alfie couldn't help but smiled too… for the first since he visited that damn place for the first time.

But happiness isn't something you can feel during the Hunger Games.

Philip survived, against all odds, to the sixth day. Not only that, he was one of the two last survivors.

The tension was palpable. It was him, a boy from the third poorest district, or the boy from district 4, one of the richest. But when you're about to die, the fact that you're poor or rich doesn't matter. Alfie could see his boy was tired, sweating and sick. But the boy from district 4 wasn't doing well either. One of his eyes was closed and his right knee was bleeding. Both boys were staring at each other. Dmitri, the other boy, had a hatchet but Philip had his spear. If Philip threw his spear and failed it was over. But Philip never failed. So, he did it, he threw his spear which ended in Dmitri's liver. The boy from district 4 fell on his knees.

Alfie forgot to breathe. He never, never wished the dead of any boy or girl, but…

Philip never failed. But Dmitri either. Even when he was half dead, his hatchet ended on Philip's skull. And the games were about the last man standing. And that was Dmitri. Philip was dead.

Alfie walked blindly towards the elevator. He barely saw around him. He pushed away aggressively the male mentor from district 12 who was on his way but this one said nothing. He knew what Alfie was feeling. Whatever he wanted to say it wasn't the moment. A red haired girl at his side remained in silence as well.

Alfie broke two glasses against the wall. Rage, fury… there weren't words to describe his anger. The young, cheerful, sweet Philip was so, so close to win his games. How many more times he was going to tolerate that? How many boys and girls were going to die under his protection? No one, except him, knew about the hate he experienced every time he had to face the family of those who died. As it was his fault that the games exist. As he himself wasn't haunted by his own demons. The faces of those kids… 12 mentored, 12 dead.

Alissa was quiet, too. Every year she had to see too those kids dying over and over again. When Rose opened the door, saw the broken glasses on the floor and Alissa on the sofa. But Alfie wasn't there. Carefully entering his bedroom, she saw him sat on the mattress with his face in his hands. She wasn't next to him when happened but in her studio. She was devastated like happened with Reah, or even worse because Philip was about to win. Just seconds away from his victory and in a millisecond… he was dead.

Alfie didn't watch at Rose when he heard her. Nor didn't react when she caressed his back. His mind wasn't there. The hatchet. Alfie could see Philip's death in his mind in loop.

He didn't realise he was trembling. But Rose did. He forced him to look at her by putting one of her hands on his cheek. She stroked his beard with her thumb, slowly and kissed him. Same as happened when Reah died, it was more comfort than other feelings. Alfie reciprocated. This time she ended on the mattress with him on top of her.

If it wasn't because of the fucked up situation. If it wasn't because of two kids were dead, the whole scene could've been interpreted as the beginning of something especial. Alfie was caressing her abdomen and she had her arms around him. But it was just a kiss. It helped both of them to feel better, if that was possible, at least for a moment.

"Maybe next year," she whispered against his mouth.

"Maybe next year."

But it wasn't the previous year. The winner was a boy nicknamed Jack from district 2. Tall, handsome and lethal.

But destiny it's so cruel that this year it was his twin brother who was competing. If he was like his brother, then the poor children from district 9 competing this year didn't stand a chance. In Rose's mind still was alive the memory of Philip two years ago. Last year the girl died during the bloodbath and the boy after two days.

She saw the reaping celebration. This year district 9 was represented by Armand (17) and Theresa (14). Alfie was right, you get used to kids' death as cruel as it sounded. She felt the death of the previous kids but it wasn't like with Reah and especially Philip.

She didn't have much hopes. Probably the winner was going to be the boy from District 2 and could join his brother in the glory of being a champion. Unless someone could bet him against all odds.

Alfie was staring through the train window. Theresa and Armand were talking to each other and giggling. Alfie didn't know if they were pretending that the train trip was something enjoyable or they were just ignoring their probably fate. Seven consecutive years as mentor and not a single winner. Alfie was sure that he'll never going to return home with a victor.

"I saw her the other day" Alissa commented sitting down at his side. She had a glass of orange juice in her hand.

"Who?"

"You know who, Alfie…" Alissa smiled sideways.

"Mmh."

"Her hair is shorter now. You should compliment her. We women like that."

Alissa looked at him. She had been there when Alfie was reaped eight years ago and saw him became a mentor, too. He was always a grumpy young man. But if Alfie thought she was an idiot, he was wrong. She saw the changes two years ago. She saw the way his eyes softened when he looked at her after the girl's death. And the previous year Alissa saw the way he brushed her hand when he thought no one was watching. And even if Alfie was determined to remain in silence, that it was his right, he couldn't lie to her.

"Anyway," Alissa said "I'm going to prepare for our arrival. You should do the same, Alfie."

"Her hair is shorter now."

Alfie found himself imagining her new look.

The first year together they kissed because they found comfort with each other. The second year they kissed for the same reasons but also because they wanted to. And it was almost every night.

And now… honestly he didn't need reasons. He just wanted to feel her.

He missed her.

She missed him.

While she was changing her clothes Rose realised that part of her anxiety it was because of Alfie. It wasn't just for the beginning of games, the costumes, the Arena… but him.

Last year, the last night, they slept together. Nothing sexual, just sharing the bed. They had been kissing because they had nothing better to do. Because it felt good. She was tired, so she cuddled up with him and fall asleep. The next morning she woke up with his arms around her waist.

Rose was still thinking about him like a friend. A friend she kissed on the mouth, french style.

But just a friend.

She tried not to run when she heard the train. Her electric blue dress with golden decorations followed her movements when she walked quickly towards the door.

Rose found Tigris in the hall waiting for the old mentor from district 10, a morphling woman, and her two new tributes. Rose didn't remember the name of the boy but the girl's name was Eva.

While she was waiting she saw the kid from district 2 and indeed it felt like she was looking the same boy from the previous year. Same smile, eyes and probably height, too.

Tigris was already talking with the old woman and greeted Eva and her male counterpart. Even when Rose never talked to Tigris personally, she knew it was a talented designer. And probably this year both teens were going to shine.

"Hello, hello!" Alissa captured Rose's attention with her loud voice.

There they were. There he was.

"Good morning, Alissa… Alfie."

"Good morning, Rosebeth," he greeted her using her fake name.

She smiled at him and then introduced herself to Theresa and Armand and told them about the ideas she had for them. The usual.

Another year. The sames hopes and the same fate for them, too. Alissa leaded the way to the elevator. Both kids were at her side. The other two, slightly behind them.

"You got your hair cut," Alfie commented remembering Alissa's words.

"Yes! I did!" she replied surprised that he had noticed it.

"I like it."

"Thanks, Alfie."

Alissa heard it, but avoided smile.

The Arena that year it was a desert. Rose heard the conversations about it inside the control centre. The microphone this time was inside a flowerpot she gifted to one of the gamemakers. The woman put the plant next to her desk and that was exactly what Rose was expecting.

After three years knowing him, Rose trusted Alfie but she was still scared of telling him her real reasons of why she joined the Games. She knew him and his temperament. Alfie was pure fire and the last thing she needed was him, or anyone else, interfering with her work.

The notes were hidden inside a painting that represented the Capitol. No one touched ever and since the first day it was there. Although it was obvious she was going to need a new place to keep the rest of them.

For their costumes this year she had decided to simulate a wheat field. A really long golden cape for both of the tributes that could fly in the wind with a lot of little wheat ears vertically sewed on them.

Alone in her studio, Rose was lost in her thoughts and enjoying the summer wind that entered through the open window. The background music relaxed her.

The sound of the door made her lift up her head from the clothes. She smiled.

"You shouldn't be here. It's late. And you should be sleeping to accompany the kids tomorrow."

"And I will be," Alfie replied "I'm just checking you're doing your work."

"It's that, so?" she looked at him who was sitting next to her now.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm doing my job, Alfie. And pretty well."

Rose grabbed one of the golden wheat ears and sewed it on his shirt. She was close to him and Alfie kissed her forehead.

"Don't move or I can prick you." It took her just few seconds to add the ornament to his shirt. "Now you're part of the team, too."

"I thought I was part of it from the beginning."

"But now is official."

He chuckled and finally they kissed. One more year. And they didn't have any more excuses for their actions.

The last thing Alfie wanted was to fall in love with a girl from the Capitol. But as he kissed her, Alfie realised that he lacked of words to describe that feeling.

"I missed you," she admitted.

"I missed you, too."

That was the third day in the training centre after the official presentation. Theresa was talking with the girl from district 11 and it seemed that she was teaching her about different techniques to create a trap. Armand was practicing with knives.

Rose was outside that place that was exclusive for trainers, mentors and tributes but she could see them through the windows. Next to her were other people, including Alissa and Tigris.

"Take a picture, last longer."

Alfie turned around and saw a read haired girl that he knew from being one of the mentors from District 12. Another mentor with the same luck as him. She had won the 58th games.

"Lucy."

"Hello, Alfie. If you continue staring her, you'll cause her a headache."

"I wasn't staring."

"Yes, sure." Lucy whispered to him "She's a married woman, you naughty boy. And a hell of husband she has."

"Exactly. She's a married woman means I'm not interested. Besides, this not a fucking romantic place. It's the fucking Capitol and this is the butchering season. 99% of this kids are going to die, the last thing in my mind is a married woman."

"How often do you lie to yourself?" Alfie huffed at her words, but Lucy still had things to say "people are commenting, Alfie. You're too close to her."

Alfie gritted his teeth. He whispered to her, too "she's not her fucking husband. She's not like him or any of the Capitol. How dare you to judge me when I suffered the same as you?"

"I'm not judging you, Alfie. But other people…" Lucy pointed with her green eyes to Aveline Young "Volcano girl thinks you're a fucking traitor. Tommy… I'll talk to Tommy. I spoke with Rosebeth once, she seems nice. But a lot of them suffered because of her husband. And now you're after her like a little dog. Don't blame them either. They don't know her but they do know him. And in their eyes, they are the same."

Next part.

Taglist: @call-sign-shark @peakyswritings @hoodeddreams13 @leenieweenie12 @lunarubra

#alfie solomons #alfie x rose #alfie solomons x oc #alfie solomons x ofc #hunger games au #peaky blinders #alfie solomons imagine #alfie solomons fanfic

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coraniaid · 2 months

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I have decidedly mixed feelings about Season 4 as a whole but The Freshman is a very very good episode.

It's also, however you choose to work it out, in the top three episodes of the whole series in terms of how much dialogue Buffy Summers herself gets [see note A below]. Which makes sense thematically -- if Season 4 is about anything (note that I said if) then surely it is about Buffy attempting to answer the question "who are you?" posed by the title of one of its stand-out episodes. Who is Buffy (and what is this show about?) now that high school is over? That's a question this episode will begin to explore.

Part of the reason I like this episode so much is that it's focused on the character of Buffy herself in a way none of the other season openers get to be. Half of the focus of S3's Anne is on a town where Buffy isn't anymore and the other half is on a girl who doesn't want to be Buffy anymore; S5's Buffy vs Dracula is .... it's about ... no, I can't lie, it's just shit, sorry (and Real Me, morally that season's true opener, is certainly about Buffy in a sense but it's about her as seen through the prism of Dawn Summers); Buffy spends most of S6's Bargaining dead and as such doesn't talk that much; while S7's Lessons is focused on setting up the Dawn-focused, back-to-high-school season that, in just a few episodes's time, the writers will give up on entirely (in fact we never see Dawn's new friends Kit and Carlos on screen again).

S1's Welcome to the Hellmouth comes close to the underlying numbers of The Freshman (in keeping with the rest of Season 1, Buffy definitely has a lot of speaking time in this one), but that episode is an attempt to introduce the whole world of the show as much as it is the character of Buffy herself. By design, the Buffy we meet already knows the basics about vampires and Slaying and destinies: the exposition Giles offers is for the audience's benefit rather than hers. Even having moved to a new town, Buffy is instantly more comfortable in the halls of Sunnydale High than she is on campus at the beginning of this episode.

Only S2's When She Was Bad comes as close to being purely about Buffy as this episode does, but it doesn't score very highly among the season openers in terms of raw speaking time numbers [see note B].

That's because while When She Was Bad is about Buffy and who she is after (not exactly) surviving the events of Prophecy Girl, it's at least partly about who she is as seen from the perspective of her friends and family. So we open with a scene of Willow and Xander waiting for Buffy to get back, we have a rare scene of Buffy's parents alone together discussing their daughter, we see that (in their own different ways) Giles and Cordelia and Angel are all worried about her although she resists their various attempts to connect with her. In her absence, the gang briefly debate whether she might be posessed -- that this might not even be the real Buffy at all. There's no such confusion about the Buffy we see on screen in this episode. Giles is reluctant to help her, insisting that he's not her Watcher anymore; Cordelia has left town and goes unmentioned; somebody who watches Angel will know that Angel tries calling but Buffy doesn't find this out. Unlike When She Was Bad, The Freshman is completely about Buffy's understanding of herself. With a couple of brief exceptions near the end, the perspective and camera remains tightly focused on her: we see what she sees, and only that.

The Buffy Summers of When She Was Bad was trying to cut herself off from the world and is saved by her friends; the Buffy Summers of The Freshman is trying to make her own way in the world without a familiar safety net and -- though she is reassured to eventually realize her friends are still around and still want to help her -- she also learns she can succeed even without them. (Arguably, this is a lesson she learns a little too well.)

Also Sunday was great and should have been in more episodes (and so should Cathy and Olivia, frankly, though they do at least appear again a little).

[A] Per Julian Freedland's timestamp data, Buffy's top three episodes in terms of absolute speaking time are 1) S1E05: "Never Kill A Boy On The First Date"; 2) S3E18: "Earshot"; 3) S4E01: "The Freshman" . Adjusting for the fact some episodes are just more dialogue-heavy than others, Buffy's top three episodes as a percentage of total speaking time are 1) S4E02: Living Conditions; 2) S4E01: The Freshman; 3) S3E03: Faith, Hope & Trick.

[B] Technically When She Was Bad is only the fifth highest ranked of the seven season openers by Buffy speaking time, with Buffy having 23.5% of all dialogue, but there's very little difference between third and sixth here: 24.9% for Anne in third versus 23.4% for Buffy vs Dracula in sixth; compare 30.8% for Welcome to the Hellmouth and 35.6% for The Freshman and either nothing or almost nothing for Bargaining depending on whether you treat it as a two-parter or one double-length episode.

#btvs #don't know if I'm going to commit to a rewatch of the whole season yet but this was a fun one

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hiddenfolk · 11 months

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fish,,

Davy Gamigin • Rank 7

Bloodline ability: Flying Dutchman

Gamigins can create spectres, ranging from abstract balls of light to more humanoid ones. These spectres can possess and manipulate objects much like a poltergeist. At close-mid range, Gamigins have full control over the actions of the spectres, but at longer ranges the spectres can only follow very simple commands, given to them beforehand. Also, spectres cannot alter the physical properties of an object in any way; they can merely move it. They can however activate any intended functions of a tool.

Backstory:

The Gamigin family isn't a particularly prestigious or high class family, but they have built up a decent level of respect within their small corner of the world. The Gamigins live by one of the most brutal and dangerous seas in the demon realm, one too vast to be crossed by flying. They essentially function as guardians, helping ships navigate dangerous sea routes, rescuing drowning demons and manning the local lighthouse. It's quite a tough job, even for an aquatic demon, but the Gamigins take it with a quiet but resolute diligence that those around them have come to acknowledge.

Bio:

Pretty much as said above. Davy spent his days on the high seas, fighting the elements and guiding ships through storms, slowly but surely building up a decent reputation within the circle of Lady Levy. At some point she invited him to become a teacher at her school; after all with his experience, he'd be able to provide the students with a lot of real-life survival knowledge.

Unfortunately for him, Gamigin REALLY didn't fit in at Levialon. His rough-around-the-edges personality and messy approach to life didn't exactly align with Levialon's focus on good manners and discipline, and the other teachers weren't exactly enthused with him. At some point he decided to move away, and transferred to Babyls. It's not 100% clear whether he moved because he was transferred or transferred because he moved.

Gamigin is the senior's Practicals teacher. Since he spends most of his time in the senior's buildings, he is not very well known to the younger classes.

Personality:

Gamigin is a pretty quiet person who tends to keep to himself. Not necessarily out of shyness, more because he's vaguely out of it. To others he comes off kind of messy and disorganised, wandering away wherever the wind takes him and coming back whenever he pleases, usually mysteriously damp and smelling of seawater. However he is by no means incompetent. An incredibly practical, no frills person, Davy doesn't waste time on anything but the most important, integral survival skills and drills them in like a drill sergeant.

Simply put: Davy only expends his time and energy when it's something vitally important. However when that important moment comes, he is always the first to act. He's a quietly observant person, who pays a surprising amount of attention to others even if he doesn't show it.

Davy cares about other people, but doesn't necessarily know how to socialise. After all he spent years in the middle of nowhere, where the only interaction he had with others was making sure they didn't die. It matters to him that people have the ability to protect themselves in any situation, but he can't help but see others as living in a fundamentally different world from him. Two ships passing in the night, if you will. He doesn't really expect anyone to stick around long term, so he doesn't really put that much effort into forming a strong emotional attachment with them. He doesn't feel positively or negatively about this, it's just kind of a neutral fact of life. In practice though, that means he has no particular social skills and doesn't really put effort into learning any. He's kind of awkward.

Trivia:

•While he's away teaching, the sea/lighthouse isn't unmanned, don't worry- the rest of his family are still around and they're doing fine without him. In addition, the amount of ships navigating the area, and periods of bad weather are pretty seasonal, so there are definitely plenty of peaceful months in the year. Davy does still take time off to pitch in during the busiest seasons.

•Davy's room is on the bottom floor of the teacher's dorms because he sleeps in a giant water tank.

•Has a LOT of scars all over his body. He does deal with chronic pain from old injuries.

• Younger students are scared of him but the senior students tend to see him as kind of a pathetic mop. The kind of teacher who's pretty chill about being the butt of the joke.

Likes:

• Water. Babyls is inland and therefore has much less access to bodies of water, so he will embrace every single opportunity to be in water. Has gotten in trouble with Dali about running up the dorm's water bill before.

#m!ik #mairuma oc #welcome to demon school iruma kun #hidden draws #Davy Gamigin #Pls... ask abt my ocs... i beg #haha just kidding #Unless?

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dangraccoon · 2 months

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Oyuba’din - Chapter 27: Focus

Summary: As the Batch struggles with the loss of one of their own, Hunter tracks something the others can't see.

Warnings: discussion of major character death, grief, mention of torture and near death experiences

Author’s Note: Hope y'all don't hate me right now 😅 btw there’s going to be an epilogue 🤘

3 4?! chapters remain

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“‘How many time’s she’s’ what?” Hunter asked.

Sinya shook her head rapidly. “I said too much, I can’t-”

Hunter moved in close. “Tell us…now,” he growled.

The intimidation sunk into the twi’lek, and she appeared to become more uncomfortable by the second. She swallowed, her fingers fidgeting.

“How many times she’s died.”

“She- that’s not possible,” Echo muttered, eyes wide.

“It’s a curse,” Sinya shrugged. “It happened when she was young. She doesn’t like to-”

“Unless she was resuscitated, it would have been impossible for her to have died,” Tech interjected.

Crosshair shook his head. “But that blaster shot she took before she was assigned to us; she couldn’t have survived that, right?”

“I mean, she’s here, isn’t she?” Sinya replied. “Obi Wan told me about that one. It was pretty rough.”

“You can say that again; that shot knocked her out of the frontlines for six weeks,” Echo scowled.

“We’re still not sure what she lost that time,” she hummed, mouth pulling into a tight line. “She won’t go through the list with me, not that she’s added anything to it recently anyway.”

“Jainey loses stuff, too? I lose stuff all the time,” Wrecker chuckled nervously, earning a sharp look from Hunter.

“She doesn’t lose objects like that. She loses memories. Obi Wan told me that the first one she lost was of her first love.”

Tech cleared his throat. “Her-”

“That isn’t something I’ll tell you,” Sinya interrupted, her words forming a sharp edge. “That story is hers to tell if she wants.”

Wrecker shifted his weight between his feet, eyes trained at the floor. “What if she- will she forget us?”

“Wrecker-” Tech’s voice came, vague irritation along with it.

“I don’t know,” Sinya answered, the corners of her mouth coming up in a reassuring smile. “But I don’t think she could forget you boys if she tried.”

Wrecker nodded, a small grin matching hers.

The rest of the recording included Sinya saying her goodbyes and a brief squabble over taking watches.

“So it’s true then; she has to come back. She’s cursed to come back,” Crosshair rasped, his voice still shaky, as he combed Jaine’s hair away from her face, her head in his lap. “She has to come back.”

“Cuir’ika,” Tech said, his voice low. “We cannot begin to understand how this supposed curse works, or if it exists at all.”

“She has to come back,” Crosshair repeated, making it clear that he wasn’t listening to his twin any longer.

Tech sighed, pulling himself to his feet. Camp had been made here at the bank of the river, despite Tech pointing out that it was not an ideal place to set up, even for a short period of time. But there was no moving his brother.

Tech walked the short distance to the small shelter Hunter and Wrecker set up.

“Still won’t budge?” Hunter asked, already knowing the answer.

Tech gave a small nod. “His vitals show no sign of deterioration, even if he seems to be in shock.”

Hunter hummed an acknowledgment.

“Have Echo and Wrecker had any luck finding a signal?”

Hunter sighed. “Last he checked in, he was trying to find a tall tree to climb. We managed to get a partial message through to Cody, but it wasn’t much.”

Tech nodded. For the first time since- well, ever in his life, everything seemed still. The numerous sounds that always surrounded him, constantly pulling him in and whipping his brain into a faster pace, seemed to be somewhat quieter now. He could still hear them if he listened; the rush of the water flowing down the river, the leaves rustling as the wind shook their branches, Crosshair’s quiet, reassuring mantra.

“You look tired,” Hunter noted, having watched Tech’s eyes close as he concentrated on what he could hear. “You should rest.”

“I have the most training in field medical aid out of the rest of us,” Tech replied. “I should be alert if anything were to happen.”

“Tech-”

“I am fine, Hunter,” Tech asserted as he began to tap rapidly at his data pad.

Hunter sighed heavily. “Tech, don’t you think it’s time you stopped lying to me?”

“I am not-” Tech began, but was cut off by the tired incredulous look on Hunter’s face.

“We’ve never…lost one of our own,” Hunter lamented, his eyes focusing on Crosshair by the riverbank. “Years of testing and training and torture, hundreds of missions, too many close calls, but we made it through it all. But now…”

Tech watched as Hunter’s eyes squeezed closed, noticed the way his jaw and fists clenched, saw his shoulders slump almost imperceptibly, heard his breaths quicken. He always had to see the details- all of the details. He put it together in his head; it had been a long time since he had seen these tiny clues on his eldest brother. Hunter was scared- terrified, really.

“Sol’ika,” Tech whispered, knowing it would be loud enough for his brother to hear. “This is not your fault.”

Before Hunter could begin to respond, a small ping sounded from his vambrace, followed by a shout from Wrecker, not far away.

“It’s Cody,” he said, standing up.

“Sergeant,” Cody greeted, the sound of blaster fire and explosions in the background. “Heard you boys are out on Damussa, but you said this was urgent?”

“Yes, sir,” Hunter uttered. His heart had dropped into his boots and his mouth felt drier than the sands of Tatooine. “Commander, Is the General available? This message concerns both of you.”

“We’re a bit busy,” Cody hummed, his head snapping towards some sound that barely came through the static. “Can this possibly wait?”

“Commander, it’s-”

Another explosion sounded through the comm, followed by a crash and a loud grunt.

“Hello dear,” Obi Wan’s voice dripped like honey. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Sergeant Hunter, you’ve got your window now. Make it quick.”

Hunter tried to steady his breath. “General Kenobi, sir. It’s J-...I regret to inform you that Lieutenant Vale-”

The words choked in his throat, the air in his lungs seemed to turn to lead.

Through the static of the signal, the blaster fire, the bombs, Hunter could make out Kenobi’s faint voice. “Jainera?”

The line continued with simply the background noise of war.

“Thank you for informing us, Hunter,” Obi Wan finally answered, his voice a schooled calm, but lacking its usual character. “We are less remote and will have better luck getting a message through to Sinya on Coruscant. Stay safe, Sergeant.”

With that, the line cut, and Hunter sank back down onto the log he’d been occupying before, praying to gods he couldn’t believe in for…someone- anyone to guide him through this.

Starlight, a quiet voice hummed in his ears, causing his whole body to tense up. His hair stood on end as his eyes darted around.

“Hunter?” Tech questioned, but his voice seemed distant.

Relax, the voice called again.

Hunter scowled as he stood up, eyes searching the area. He couldn’t see anyone - or anything - that could be calling to him like this. He was vaguely aware of Tech vying for his attention, asking if he was okay or what he was hearing, but right now he could hear a threat and he needed to gather information.

I’m no threat, Starlight.

Hunter just about growled, somewhat startling Tech.

“Hunter,” he repeated, placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder, following his line of sight towards Crosshair and Jaine.

“There,” Hunter breathed, slowly approaching the riverbank. The unshakable focus in his expression and the way his stance adjusted reminded Tech of a predator stalking some prey, and not for the first time.

Thanks for reading! - River

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slutforkakashi · 15 days

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Warnings: SMUT with slight plot, cumming untouched, story testing?, MDNI‼️

A/N: tbh I can't exactly give you a summary cause I don't even know what I made here but I hope you enjoy

Word count: 3.1K

Long ago lived a clan so powerful they could almost be considered demigods. Although wanting to do good, people saw them only as a danger to the balance of life itself.

One night, many years ago, began the rebellion and war against this mighty clan, a war that took years to end. Nations across the land came together to defeat this clan and succeeded. Every member of this mighty clan... gone... but one…

~Several Years Later~

The sound of wind filled the peaceful and serene streets of Konoha as the people of the Hidden Leaf went peacefully about their lives. No worries, no stress, no annoyance, no-...

"Ugh! Why is Kakashi sensei always late?" A young Naruto Uzumaki groaned at the absence of his sensei.

"He probably just saw a black cat and had to take the loooong way around," Sakura Haruno remarked sarcastically, annoyed too her sensei was late.

Sasuke Uchiha stood near his teammates, leaning against a tree, not saying a single word. Unfazed by his sensei's constant tardiness, he felt no need to speak.

Just then, Kakashi Hatake, their sensei, finally showed.

"Kakashi sensei, what took you so long?" Naruto asked.

"Today's training will have to be skipped. Some important business came up. The Fifth Hokage has called all chunin and jonin for an urgent matter. You can all go home" And with that, Kakashi left.

"Aw, man! This stinks! I was looking forward to training today.." Sakura said.

"Yeah right, Sakura. All you do is focus on Sasuke" Naruto exclaimed. A light blush appeared on Sakura's face as she turned to look at Sasuke, only to see that he had already gone.

Naruto rested his hands behind his head and began to walk off. "I'm gonna go get some ramen. I'm starving!"

~Meanwhile In the Fifth Hokage's Office~

"I have called you all here today because there is a possible emergency... There have been rumors going around that a ninja from a clan that was defeated long ago has come back. We don't know their intentions so everyone must be on their guards" The Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, informed the ninja in her office about the clan's only ninja that is alive.

The rumors were true, yes. The ninja from the clan long ago has come back, but not for the reasons people assume...

~Time Skip~

After dispersing all the capable ninjas throughout the village, Lady Tsunade got to thinking of a way to stop this ninja in case things were to go south.

No one knew what this ninja looked like. They only knew of the tales told by the few ninjas still alive today after fighting in the war with the powerful clan.

They say there was once a very powerful child within this clan that surpassed even the elder's powerful might. This child was the last of the clan to survive. People assume the child has come back after all these years to seek revenge on the nations who fought the clan.

There was one man who knew the truth about this clan, who knew that they never wanted war but peace among the people. He was the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage not only knew of the child's existence but practically raised the child in secret. He knew that if anyone were to know of the child's location they would try to do to them what they did to the clan... or perhaps try and claim the child's power for their own selfish reasons.

The Third Hokage only wanted what was best for the child. As the child grew they understood why the Third Hokage hid them from the rest of the world. They agreed with him that it was best for everyone.

After hearing that the Third Hokage had passed, the ninja was devastated for he was the only person they had. He was the only person who truly understood...

The ninja from the powerful clan sat in the middle of a field with three logs, leaning against the one in the middle, deep in thought when suddenly their thoughts were interrupted by a frustrated Naruto groaning in annoyance.

"Why can't I get it?!"

Curious about what they heard, the ninja jumped toward the noise. They hid up in a tree, looking down at the boy with spiky yellow hair.

Naruto seemed to be trying to hit a target with a kunai but was unable to do it. Entertained, the ninja kept watching as Naruto failed countless times but kept trying.

Everything was calm until a kunai was thrown in the direction of the ninja, aimed straight for their back. The ninja quickly moved out of the way, sensing the kunai coming their way.

They looked around but saw no one, but sensed more than one person in the area. At first, it was just one but now there were two.

"You there, up in the trees... show yourself!" A man shouted up at the ninja, somehow knowing they were there.

The ninja closed their eyes and tried to locate where the two people went. Once they found them they grabbed the kunai that was thrown at them and threw it in their direction. The kunai landed right in front of them, startling them but not harming them.

The ninja had no intention of harming anyone, so they jumped out from the trees and landed on the ground almost perfectly.

The ninja wore a mesmerizing white and gold dress with little fabric. This was the style of her people who were pretty free spirited, and she wore it proud.

She stood there not saying a word. The two strangers came out of hiding and revealed themselves to the ninja. One was the spiky yellow-haired boy, the one practicing with the kunai. The other was a taller, white-haired, mask-wearing ninja. It was Naruto and Kakashi.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked the strange yet beautiful woman, but she didn't speak.

Then, none other than Master Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, appeared out of nowhere behind the ninja, but she did not flinch, not one inch.

"Hey, you, the Fifth Hokage would like a word with you," said Master Jiraiya to the ninja. She turned to face Jiraiya, one of the three famous Sannin she had heard so much about.

The ninja didn't want any conflict, she didn't want to fight. She bowed her head to Jiraiya as a sign of respect and peace and Jiraiya picked up on this so began to lead the way.

"Oh, and Kakashi," Jiraiya stopped and turned to him "the Fifth Hokage wants you there as well."

And with that, the three of them proceeded to walk toward the Hokage building. Of course, Naruto wanted answers but before he could ask anything they all vanished.

~Time Skip~

Lady Tsunade filled them in on who the ninja was and how she found out about her. The Third Hokage had documents of the ninja explaining everything about her and her abilities, her Kekkei Genkai. The ninja stood respectfully in silence as Lady Tsunade explained everything she found about her.

Lady Tsunade assigned Kakashi, one of the strongest ninjas in The Leaf, to watch over the ninja. Tsunade might have found the documents of the Third Hokage about the ninja but she still didn't trust the ninja herself.

~Time Skip~

Kakashi and the ninja walk around The Leaf Village looking for a place to eat. Lady Tsunade guessed that the ninja was hungry so she ordered Kakashi to get them something to eat. They decided on Ichiraku Ramen.

They sit down and take their orders. The ninja still hasn't spoken a word, only pointing to what they wanted to eat.

"So, Akari, is it?" Kakashi asked the ninja, Akari. She shot him a glance with her shiny gold eyes peeking through strands of her raven hair.

Kakashi's POV

Her eyes were so bewitching, captivating, attracting, enticing, and almost tempting. Her gaze made me feel... things.

Before I could make any sense of what I felt, her gaze fell back to the table. There rested her elegant, delicate-looking hands. Those hands, who knows what things they committed. Perhaps I'm looking at this through the eyes of the frightened people.

They say those hands committed carnage and manslaughter... but this ninja seems far too relaxed to be some kind of killing machine. Although she did not speak, her poised complexion spoke deep.

A gust of wind flew past and I caught a whiff of her scent. She smelled like a cherry blossom tree. I don't know what came over me but I inhaled her scent once more and I got a hint of... lemon? Strange, but very alluring.

I don't know what's come over me but there is no doubt in my mind that it's connected to the mystery that is sitting beside me. The clans Kekkei Genkai, along with their abilities as a ninja, are unknown to me.

Who knows? Maybe it isn't their Kekkei Genkai that's doing this...

Narrator's POV

Naruto Uzumaki strolled along with Iruka sensei and came into Ichiraku’s. They took their seats, Naruto sitting to the right of Akari, Iruka sitting to the right of Naruto. He sees the mysterious ninja and remembers the brief encounter they had.

"Hey, it's you!" Naruto exclaimed, turning to face the ninja "Oh-.. Kakashi sensei?"

"Naruto, I trust that you completed your training today," Kakashi stated, almost as if he knew Naruto didn't complete his training.

Naruto put a hand behind his neck and laughed nervously "So, who is this anyway?"

"That's classified," Kakashi told Naruto.

"Aw! C'mon Kakashi sensei pleeeeeeaaaase??" he pleaded.

Akari's head turned slowly toward Naruto, her golden eyes peeking through her hair again. Once Naruto caught a glance at her beautiful eyes he calmed down. It was as if the ninja's eyes had comforted him into being more relaxed. And just like magic, Akari pulled a piece of paper out of thin air. She gave it to Naruto and he read it out loud.

"Akari?"

She looked at Naruto for a second longer before turning toward the table and seeing her bowl of ramen placed down. Next to hers was Kakashi Hatake's bowl... empty. Akari grabbed some chopsticks and ate her ramen peacefully and elegantly.

~Time Skip~

It was dusk now, Kakashi and Akari walking through the dimly lit streets, trying to reach their destination. While on their walk they strolled past a place of sweets.

Akari stopped in her tracks and stared into the sweets store, slowly walking in, Kakashi following after her. She peeped around and saw a sweet snack she craved.

Kakashi's POV

The sweets that she picked out... lemon mochi. That explains the unexpected smell of lemon earlier today. Of course, I paid for the sweets. We started to make our way to the place I rented. The reason I rented out a place was that I didn't want to take her to my home. It would be inappropriate and unprofessional.

As we walk there she slowly eats some of the lemon mochi balls she had gotten. In a way, it was kind of cute and... sweet.

We get to our place of stay for the night and Akari takes her time settling in. I watch her as she ruffles pillows and eats more of her lemon mochi.

Akari walks past me to the bathroom to shower and I get that fragrance of cherry blossom and lemon again. My body takes over me and my eyes close as I silently inhale, taking in the stimulating aroma. I turn toward her as she walks away and watch as she enters the bathroom. She looks at me with those mesmerizing golden eyes just before she closes the door. It was as if she knew why I was watching her every move.

What is going on with me? Why am I acting like this? It's as if she was charming me, attracting me towards her.

A few minutes go by and I took off a few layers of clothing, getting relaxed.

I made my way onto a very large and comfortable couch. I pull out my book and start reading, waiting for my turn to shower.

I hear the bathroom door open and I look up to see Akari walk out ever so elegantly.

I scan her body up and down beholding what she was wearing. The Fifth Hokage warned me that the style of her people was more on the... free spirited side... but I didn't think it would be like this.

I can't take my eyes off of her. I've never seen such beauty in a woman. Though most of my face is covered, I look up at her and see her face and it's as if she knows... as if she knew what I was thinking and... how my face looked?...

She slowly approaches me where I sit and moves onto my lap, straddling me. I did not resist. I couldn't. I don't know what has come over me but I just can't resist her... and I can't restrain myself.

My hands move and rest on her thighs, almost as if they had a mind of their own they start to move upward. My hands trace her body's silhouette, her skin, her body, so soft and supple.

I look up at her and she's looking down at me through the strands of hair on her face. I slowly raise one hand and move the strands of hair out of the way.

At last, I see her full complexion for the first time. She's... beautiful... she's stunning... she is extraordinary. And those honey golden eyes that lured me in...

I place my hands behind her neck and slowly pull her in, our faces only mere inches apart, the both of us not pulling back.

I take it as a sign and pull her face closer to mine. Our noses were touching and our lips were centimeters away from one another. She was looking directly into my eyes as I was looking into hers for any indications of discomfort but I saw none. She parted her lips slightly and I could feel her uneven breaths on my mask. I couldn't help but smirk at the feeling, noticing I was affecting her just as she affected me.

With one swift movement, I wrapped my hands around her waist and stood up making her wrap her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck. I moved my hands down her body till I got to her thighs, holding her up with a better grip.

I walked over to one of the beds and slowly climbed on, laying her outrageously gorgeous body down on the soft fabric of the bed sheets. I hovered over her warm body, looking at the mesh black fabric.

Akari's POV

Kakashi leaned over me, his arms beside my shoulders, his arm muscles apparent and mesmerizing.

I reach a hand up to his face, wanting to pull off his mask, but he grabs my wrist and pins it above my head grabbing my other hand and pinning it above my head. He held both my wrists with one hand, the other roaming my body. It feels as if this all came out of nowhere. Then I had an idea...

My Kekkei Genkai.

I mentally smirk at the thoughts running through my head.

Let me elaborate a little. My Kekkei Genkai is having all types of Kekkei Genkai. From Byakugan to Sharingan and my own unique Kekkei Genkai I developed by having all types of Kekkei Genkai.

My clans Kekkei Genkai is not having all types of Kekkei Genkai. My clan consisted of numerous people with different kinds of Kekkei Genkai but for some reason, I was born with the ability of all the Kekkei Genkai.

My unique ability is being able to control chakra, not just my own, and it doesn't just end there. I can form a... how can I put this... special kind of chakra. I can make people feel certain things and create other things out of thin air like magic.

I look up at Kakashi, my hair out of my face. My eyes start having a light glow. The expression on Kakashi's face changed slightly underneath his mask and soon after, out of his mouth comes out a sound of the heavens...

Kakashi shuts his eyes lightly as a deep, breathy moan escapes his lips. My eyes twinkle in excitement, knowing I caused it, knowing I could do more without a single touch.

"What are you doing to me?" he asks. I speak not a single word and just tilt my head to the side, still looking at this beautiful man straight on.

His hand starts to grip my wrists as I use a little more power, making him feel all kinds of things. He moans more and more as I keep going.

I see an opening... I take the opportunity and speak. My voice holds more power than anything else. I lift my head closer to his ear and I whisper...

Kakashi's POV

"Cum for me..." I hear Akari's quiet, raspy voice in my ear, and my body loses control. It's like my body is listening to her command. I feel a strong sensation rising in my body, coursing through my veins, and just as she says I feel something exhilarating, and my pants soak with the hot liquid I know all too well.

I lean my head back letting my body feel the euphoric sensation burning through it. My mask slowly slides down revealing my face in pure ecstasy, my mouth open, my eyes tightly shut. My body releases a moan I've never heard come from myself before and I feel Akari lightly shift under me.

As I come down from that invigorating high I look down to face Akari but she's nowhere to be seen. Suddenly everything goes dark and it feels as if I'm falling from the top of a cliff.

I awaken, shooting up from my bed breathing heavily, my heart beating rapidly. I look around my room and there is no one around. Then as I'm breathing I smell a familiar scent... cherry blossom and lemon.

She's back…

A/N2: okay so I had no idea what I was gonna do with this idea I had but I did something with it somehow. Think of it as a test run or something idk. I'm not taking this too seriously. It's really only to see what people think I guess. Although I could make this plot into a story of its own? That would be cool I think. What do you think? Pls let me know cause it is actually tempting to make it into a whole story

#kakashi hatake #kakashi sensei #kakashi smut #kakashi hatake smut #naruto smut #smut

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