#fam: the silence is so loud

[auxiliarydetective]

OC Pride Challenge: Day 22

You can find the challenge here

Today's prompt is Pride/Proud and I decided to use it to write a snippet of Klaus and Kassandra going to a pride parade together, Kass's first pride parade.

When Kassandra turned the corner, Klaus was already there, waiting for her. He smiled widely, a smile that Kassandra recognized immediately. He was high again.

“Kass!” Klaus called out. “Glad you decided to come with me.”

“Dad’s gonna be so mad if he finds out,” Kassandra murmured as Klaus wrapped an arm around her and started leading her off.

“Why? Didn’t you have Mom tell him you’re sick?”

“I did, but-”

“See?”

“You know he’s not gonna accept that.”

“C’mon, you can afford to make him angry just this once. I do it all the time and I’m alright!”

To this, Kassandra bit her tongue to avoid a comment. When he met no resistance, Klaus grabbed her by the hand and pulled her through the back door, out into the summer air. It was a warm day, but not too warm. Just a normal day for June. But today was a special day because today was the city’s pride parade.

“You know, last year I had to go alone,” Klaus reminisced as they walked down the street.

“I know, I waited for you to get back,” Kassandra said. “Did you ever hear from the guy you met there again?”

“Nope. But he was such a good kisser it was almost a crime. - Speaking of crime, you’re still wearing your uniform, aren’t you?”

“I tried to tone it down,” Kassandra murmured. “Do you see a coat of arms? No. I even took off the tie and borrowed some shorter socks from Allison.”

“Oh, right,” Klaus gasped. “You don’t have any other clothes, do you?”

“No, I don’t. The only thing I have diverse sets of is gloves. How do you like these by the way?”

“They’re nice. I love the mesh-iness of it all. Hey, but if you really don’t have any other clothes, you know what that means…”

“What?”

“Sibling shopping trip!” Klaus cheered, hopping up and down.

“Alright, alright. But you know it’ll take me about a week to recover from today with a huge crowd like that. And I can’t promise we’ll find anything I like that’s too far off from what I’m wearing right now. I actually really like dress shirts and pinafores.”

“That’s okay, everyone has their own personal style! Bet we can find something really pretty. A dress or something.”

“Yeah, maybe. Oh, also, we should take Allison with us. I’d really like her opinion, too. And Vanya.”

“Then it’s gonna be a big shopping trip.”

“That’s not a problem for you, is it?”

“No, but sometimes having too many opinions is bad too.”

“I guess you’re right.”

They could hear the parade now, the music and cheers. Kassandra could sense the people, too, their thoughts mixing into each other. So, Klaus opened his bag and pulled out a set of rainbow-colored sweatbands that he put on his wrists. Then, as if he were doing a magic trick, he pulled out a large rainbow flag that he threw around his shoulders. Then, he looked at Kassandra.

“You’re definitely lacking rainbows, Kass,” he declared. “C’mon, this is a pride parade! Dad isn’t here! You get to be proud of who you are!”

“But people might recognize us. We’re still in magazines and we still have these,” Kassandra said sharply, pointing at the tattoo on her arm. She should have covered it up somehow, she thought.

“It’s a huge crowd! No one’s even gonna notice we’re there. - Look, they do facepaint there!”

In the street leading up to the actual parade, a set of stalls was set up like an entrance ritual to the event beyond. People walked up to the stands, offered their faces and walked away with rainbow flags on their cheeks.

“Doesn’t that look fun?” Klaus asked excitedly.

Kassandra just felt the anxiety cooking up in her stomach. The joy coming from the parade was intoxicating yet overwhelming, adding to her nervousness. But Klaus had her hand clutched in his and pulled her onwards to the stalls. They only had to wait in line for a short while until it was their turn. To Kassandra’s surprise, they didn’t even have to pay anything - which was good because Klaus certainly had no money and she’d probably have to buy him enough things. She had brought food and water and he probably had too (and maybe alcohol too, in fact almost definitely), but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t stop for a snack. Also, he had been guishing about the various stalls with pins, flags and other merchandise that he probably also wanted to buy something from - or have something bought for him because it was clear he’d probably never pay her back. But that was okay with Kassandra, at least to some extent. Klaus deserved to be celebrated and that included a gift. Once Klaus had the flag painted on his face, it was Kassandra’s turn. But when the lady behind the stall reached for her face, she pulled back.

“Does this come off?” she asked, gesturing at Klaus’s cheeks.

“Don’t worry,” the lady said with a kind smile. “Just use water and a bit of soap and it’ll come right off.”

That eased Kassandra’s worries at least a little bit. She took a deep breath. “Alright.” Then, she closed her eyes. She felt the lady’s hand on her chin as she held her in place, followed by the facepaint being smudged on her cheeks. First one, then the other.

“There!” Klaus said proudly. “Feeling proud yet?”

“I’ll get there,” Kassandra said, smiling lightly.

“You’ll get there. - Hey, thanks, lady! - C’mon, let’s go.”

With that, he took Kassandra by the hand again and they moved onwards towards the parade. Klaus even managed to get them through the crowd to the front where they could watch the parade easily. As soon as they had settled in, Kassandra’s heart was clutched by absolute awe. What she saw was beautiful. Floats, dancers, people with wide grins on their faces and rainbow flags everywhere. All these people were like her and Klaus… and they were happy! They were out in the streets, loudly proclaiming their sexuality, their love… Was this what pride felt like?

That was when she spotted someone in the crowd of people passing by. It was a man in a tank top with huge letters on them, spelling out FREE DAD HUGS. She stared for a few seconds, then Klaus gave her a little push. The man seemed to notice this as he approached her.

“Go, I’ll save your spot,” Klaus told her.

Kassandra took a deep breath and started walking too, meeting the man halfway. He opened his arms to her and, to her surprise, she fell into them without hesitation, hugging him as tightly as she usually only would her siblings. The man hugged her back just as tightly rubbing her back.

“I’m proud of you,” he said.

When they parted, Kassandra noticed she had tears in her eyes, quickly wiping them away.

“It’s alright, you get to cry. Let it out.”

Kassandra couldn’t avoid a chuckle. This was ridiculous. She had just hugged a complete stranger just because of his shirt and now she was crying. But it had felt so comforting that she would do it again and again.

“You’re from the Umbrella Academy, aren’t you?”

As soon as she heard that, Kassandra’s eyes widened. “Uh, yeah,” she stammered. “But we’re not here officially, we’re just-”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” the man interrupted her. “It’s just that it makes it double the reason to be proud of who you are. Anyone should get to be proud of their sexuality. But you especially - it’s not fair that someone who does so much for people feels like they have to be ashamed of their sexuality or not good enough for their dad.”

Kassandra just nodded with a crooked smile on her face, wiping her tears again.

“I want you to remember this, alright?” the man continued. “You’re strong and you have every right to be who you want to be. You’re not just a part of the Academy, you’re your own person, okay?”

“Okay,” Kassandra said shakily but she had a smile plastered on her face.

Now, the man had to keep following the parade, so he had to leave her behind. But in her mind, as she returned to Klaus, as they explored the surroundings, as they returned home, even when she had long since washed off the flags on her cheeks, he stayed.

#tua oc #oc: kassandra hargreeves #fanfiction #opc2023 #fam: the silence is so loud

[thehusbandoden]

Burnt -Dabi x Reader

A/n: felt angsty lol. I'll write an alternative ending or maybe a second part soon~! <3

General info:

Genre: pure angst \\ wc: 1,224 \\ posted: 01/03/2024

Summary: you gave the love of your life too many chances already. But this time? He crossed a line.. a line that should have never been crossed.

Warnings!: pure angst, no happy ending, spoilers of Dabi's backstory, Dabi's real name, arguing, toxicity, crying, mention of blood, suggested abusive childhood, trauma, gaslighting, manipulating, being badly insulted, being unable to apologize, flinching, being physically harmed, break up, shame, guilt, annd I think that's it! Pls let me know if I miss anything! <33

Alternative Ending- More Than Life Itself (Dw he doesn't get away with it, but it's fluff/comfort!)

Hurt coursed through your being as you glared at your beloved, biting your lip in pent up anger. “Why can’t you just trust me?! I’m not going to hurt you Touya!”  

“Do not call me Touya.” He growled, his hands clenching into fists. “You’ve done nothing but use me. All you ever care about is yourself, you’re a lazy, selfish, manipulative, and flat-out disgusting woman.”  

You open your mouth to retort, but quickly close it, shocked at his words. You only want him to be happy. All you do is provide love, support, shelter, and safety for him. You haven’t left him no matter how many times he’s insulted, manipulated, or gaslit you.  

You gave him shelter in your own home, no matter the risks of police, heroes, or other villains. You sat there as he yelled at you, insulted you, and belittled you.  

But... this? 

This was too far.  

“Do you mean all that?” You murmur, your eyes lowering to the floor. Your lip started to tremble.  

Dabi sneered. “Yes. Every single bit of it.” His turquoise eyes were filled with pure hatred.  

“Then just leave me.” You murmur, your hands shaking.  

“What did you say?” Dabi scoffed.  

“If I’m such a terrible person, just leave me and find someone better.” You spit, your e/c orbs filling with tears.  

“Are you really crying? Pathetic. Maybe I will... I’ll find someone who’s a lot better. She’ll be gorgeous, loving, selfless, and best of all- completely opposite of you.” Dabi snickered, pulling his black combat boots on.  

You don’t say anything. A few tears strayed down your face. Dabi scoffed. “Good.” You whisper. 

Rolling his eyes, Dabi pulls on his long leather jacket and his large backpack stored with all his belongings. He came home only a few hours ago... you tried to tell yourself to stay quiet, but you couldn’t help it... 

“Did you ever even love me?” You whisper, a few more tears joining the first.  

Dabi paused, his turquoise orbs moving to the floor. He doesn’t say anything, hardly even breathing. Silence envelops the two of you for a few moments before he speaks. “I... don’t love anything. Or anyone.”  

More tears fell.  

“So what? I was just- a- a game?” Your voice shook. Your control began to tremble.  

“You were something to pass time.” He muttered, running a large hand through his black hair. “Nothing more.”  

A choked sob broke through your lips. “Nothing? Nothing else at all?”  

“Yes. You were nothing but a stress relief.”  

A second sob followed the first. You could have sworn you saw Dabi’s sneer falter for a mere second.  

“What? Did you really think I could love someone like you?!”  

“Just go. I would wish you misery-” your voice cracks, “-but you’re already cursed. You break whomever and whatever is around you. You destroyed us and you destroyed your fam-" -a loud smack echoed across the room. Everything but you and Dabi’s heavy breathing were heard.  

You stared at the floor, your cheek burning. You couldn’t believe that the man you once loved and trusted could ever do something like this... he was not only cursed- but a liar at that.   

Biting your lip, your tearful eyes meet Dabi’s cold ones. No one other than you wouldn’t be able to tell how he was truly feeling. But you knew that his eyes were full of regret, guilt, and shame. But he wouldn’t apologize. He never would.  

“Get out.” You whisper, clenching your hands into fists. Dabi’s mouth opened ever so slightly.  

“What did you say?” He asked softly.  

“I said get out.” You demand. Tears fell down your face, making your cheek sting further. You silently cursed at your vulnerability.  

“Oh, come on y/n- it wasn’t that big of a deal.” Dabi protested, reaching out to hold you. He was gaslighting you. Again.  

“No! It was that bad! You didn’t only slap me Dabi, you burned me.” Dabi froze, your words finally pulling himself out of his delusional state. His eyes widened as he eyed your bruising cheek- it was not only bruising but burned.  

His face fell in horror. He subconsciously reached his hand to your cheek. You flinch, and he slowly falls apart.  

“Y-y/n- I-I...”  

“Get out. Now.” Your gorgeous e/c orbs hardened in rage, and he finally realized how serious you were.  

“O-okay... I’ll go.” He murmured, moving his heartbroken orbs to the floor. “I don’t want to see you again. Ever.” You murmur, wrapping your arms around yourself.  

“E-ever?”  

“Ever. You crossed a line, Dabi.”  

Dabi froze as he heard you call him his villain's name... you always called him Touya... you were serious. He yearned to apologize, to hold you in his arms as he coos at you, to fix everything he ruined.  

His body jerked forward, but he didn’t budge. Opening his mouth, he inwardly screamed at himself to just- do it. The words were at the tip of his tongue. 

Memories of his childhood flashed before his eyes- the screaming, the insults, the endless apologies left ignored, or even punished. Something inside him snapped and he just- broke.  

“Good. I’m glad. I’ll be much better without your pathetic self weighing me down.” He sneered, pushing you aside, sending you scrawling to the floor. “You’re pathetic. Did you think that I loved you?!”  

Another sob broke from your lips. “Out.” 

“Y’know what? Why should I? You get out. I’m staying.”  

“I pay for this apartment Dabi! I buy the groceries, pay the bills, buy the furniture, pay for the repairs- this is my place!”  

“And I’m going to stay. Now either shut up and deal or leave.” Dabi growled. You glared at the man, your fingernails digging into your palms.  

“Dabi- leave. You’ve overstayed your welcome. Not only have you physically harmed me- whom you swore to protect, but you’ve insulted, belittled, and totally disrespected me. I want you out of my apartment by-” you were interrupted by Dabi tightly grabbing your arms, his flames burning into your flesh. Hissing in pain, you push Dabi to the ground. He lets out a loud curse before shooting back up to his feet, glaring at you. His hardened eyes involuntarily softened as he met your teary eyes. His heart stung as he watched you fall into yourself, sobbing.  

Dabi kneeled to the floor, trying to make eye contact with you. “Listen y/n... I-”  

“Leave! Go! I don’t want you or your apology! Leave or I will!” You sob, gripping onto your shirt tightly.  

Dabi’s cold, broken, and at most times invisible heart- shattered.  

He did this to you. He was a monster... he was just like Endeavor.  

Nodding, Dabi stood up. He turned away, walking towards the door. He glanced at you once more before walking out. He could hear your sobs as he closed your front door. He clenched his hands into fists. After a few moments of listening to your wails of betrayal, lost, and hurt, he couldn’t take it anymore.  

He threw a punch to his cheek, cursing himself out as he walked away. Blood streamed from his eyes; his burnt tear ducts burning in agony as his body attempted to cry. 

He insulted you.  

He lied to you.  

He broke you.  

He burnt you.  

And the worst part? 

There was nothing he could do to fix it. 

~~~~~

Dabi's masterlist | Masterlist | Navigation | You can tip me here <;3

~~~~~

Reblogs and feedback are greatly appreciated <33

Alternative Ending- More Than Life Itself (Dw he doesn't get away with it, but it's fluff/comfort!)

Do not copy, repost, nor plagiarize my work. Ask before you translate or use my work in any way -minus reblogging.

#mha #bnha #mha fanfiction #mha x reader #bnha x reader #thehusbandoden #angst #mha angst #pure angst #mha pure angst #bnha x reader angst #x reader angst #x reader pure angst #dabi x reader #mha dabi #bnha dabi #dabi x reader angst #dabi x reader argument #dabi x reader pure angst #bnha touya #touya todoroki x reader #todoroki touya #touya todoroki #mha touya #touya x reader #touya x reader angst #touya x reader pure angst #touya x reader argument #x reader argument #mha x reader angst

[aoteyam]

Avatar | ATWOW : RECCOMENDATIONS (main nav)

Welcome to the RECCOMENDATIONS main blog!

I’ve tried to fit all the fics on to this blog but there is way too many…. As mentioned in my previous blogs I’ve seen a lot of post asking for more avatar fics or wanting to find more fics. So I took one for the team and put together a list of Recs for each characters!

I also know there’s a lot of minors, I may add mature/ nsfw fics so please read the authors notes before going on ⚠️

Remember to check out the tagged blogs and support, interact and request!! ✨

General : Sully Fams

The Sully’s stick together. @fleursbending

Neteyam x Reader x Sully Family @lolita-lollipop

Taken in by the Sully’s @skxawngg

Bittersweet @rheasesposts

Suffering in silence @skeletondeerart

Eywas mystery @music-royal01

You were a sully, sullys stick together @stomach-bugg09

Trouble @/rheasesposts

Big bro privileges @klineinie

I was never there @wiltedkyinn

You’ll have to catch me first @/stomach-bugg09

You’re one of us now @/skeletondeerat

Imagine being a Faerie and adopted by Jake sully @elxrastra

Silent world loud mind @/music-royal01

I did it @wildzin

….more to add….

FIRST gen: (will be added after the second list are all up)

; Jake. Neytiri. Tonowari. Ronal. Quaritch

; Tsutey. Norm.

SECOND gen : (IN PROGRESS)

Neteyam

Lo’ak

Kiri

Tsireya

Aonung

Rotxo

Spider

#avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #reblog #aoteyam’s library #aonung x reader #avatar fanfiction #avatar recommendations #neteyam #fanfiction reccomendations #fic rec #loak sully #sullys stick together #jake sully #neytiri x reader #neytiri #metkayina #omaticaya #neteyam sully #kiri sully #spider socorro #aonung #tsireya #ronal avatar #tonowari #norm avatar #tsutey

[floppydiskettess]

Hello! I was wondering if you could do headcanons for the valorant agents: Gekko, Neon, Yoru, Phoenix with sova and chamber or whoever you feel with an s/o that when they’re in danger is able to kill whatever or whoever’s endangering them wether it’s like 15+ people or so (like Millie with moxie from helluva boss)

hi anon! tysm for the request!!!! this was a blast to write ahhh!!! :D (also i love helluva boss omg)

but i hope i wrote this right!!!

Gekko

the two of you were on a mission at bind, it was simple. you go difuse the spike while he was assigned to watch your back.

he had to walk a few feet away to pick up wingman for five minutes, you would be fine right?

once he picked up wingman, he heard a loud bang behind him and a loud celebratory woop

"oh fuck."

he turned around and saw the familar wild colours from raze's showstopper.

"no no no! shit you good?" he called through the smoke

he hated the silence he recieved back. as the smoke cleared he saw your paint covered and burnt body.

"...cariño?...shit, wingman, go get the others. i got these guys."

he pulled out his customized spectre as he prepared to fight. he detained as many as he could before swiftly wiping them out one by one.

when the team arrived with wingman, sage quickly rushed to your side to aid you.

once he finished taking care of the enemies, he ran to your side

"i am so sorry...i thought i could go grab wingman but you got hurt...i am really sorry.."

Neon

a/n: this is small bc i wrote a whole ass essay for neon and it deleted....im so mad...im just trying to summarize it

"HOY! IM PISSED."

that was the last thing before you felt a sharp pain in your stomach as your vision went black.

you don't know what happened, but somehow yoru had gotten behind you. it was supposed to be a quick and simple mission. neon took A-site and you took B-site. unfortunately, right when neon approached B-site to check on you. she saw it.

red. the snow was covered in a beautiful shade of red. and it wasn't from your attacked. neon could feel electricity enter her fingertips as she lost control of her abilities.

you felt neon carrying you before falling uncomcious.

neon carried you to the jet and brought you to sage.

"im sorry...when i saw them like that i just...lost control of my abilities.."

"its ok, you did it to protect them. you saved them."

Phoenix

he was just returning from his "run it back" when he opened his eyes to see the enemy phoenix staring back at him, aiming his ghost at his own forehead.

he went to grab for his ghost but he found an empty holster.

"ah shit."

"you really thought i wouldn't just take your weapon? i'm not as foolish as you are."

phoenix braced for impact as he heard the gun fire, but the shot never came. he nervously opened his eyes to see you standing infront of him, a gunshot hole through your shoulder as you pushed the enemy phoenix away.

"dear?! what the-"

he watched as your limp body falls to the ground, feeling worry and rage overtake him.

"oh fam...your gonna regret that." he says to the opposite phoenix as the rest of his team approaches for backup.

when skye arrived at the site to treat you, she did not expect to see 5 charred bodies sprawled across the ground.

"mate...what happened?!"

"they ambushed us. (name) saved me cause i made a dumb mistake. go heal them, i am fine." he said with a dark tone to his voice

when skye healed you and you awoke, you were immediately greeted to the smell of burning. you turned your head towards phoenix as you saw him crouch beside you.

"thank god...why would you do that?! i'm sorry if i had checked my surroundings better you would have-" he rambles

you cut him off with a kiss as you feel his tired body begin to relax.

"no. i should have thought of a better plan. i am sorry i worried you."

for the next few days of your recovery, he will be by your side assisting you with anything you need. both of you content to try and ignore what happened that day.

Yoru

prior to meeting you, he was an extremely anger filled person. he still gets angry easy, but not as badly as before. you taught him how to control his emotions

but if he were to see you ganged up on in a mission, he would just lose control.

he was over at A-site at haven preparing to extract the radianite, before hearing your frantic voice shout through the comms for backup.

his heart dropped, he realized why his site was so empty along with the others. they had five-stacked onto one site. you had gone to C-site all alone. shit.

he immediately threw the spike towards Astra who had accompanied him to the A.

"stay here. i will go provide backup."

"alone? alright...stay safe."

he quickly teleported to your C-site to be met with a shocking sight. your battered and blood covered body lying down on the rough ground. burns and scratches littered your arms and legs. phoenix..

he looked up from your body to see the enemy phoenix, jett, chamber, astra, and skye staring at him with bloodthirsty gazes. they had teamed up on you because you were alone... how fucking sick could they be to attack a helpless sentienel.

he felt himself snap as he caught the enemy phoenix's cocky smirk. the cunt was proud of what he did.

when you regain conciousness, you are lying on the ground surrounded by the shredded corpses of the omega agents, a stained red yoru standing above them with his famous butterfly comb stained.

"...ryo?"

he turns around and immediately runs to your side.

"shit...thank god you are awake. don't move. help is coming ok?" he softly whispers while carressing your blood matted hair.

"are they...?"

"don't worry about them, you are safe now darling..."

when you make it back to base, you find out he took them all down on his own. when astra arrived at the site she had to practically tear yoru off of where he was mauling the corpses of the omega agents bodies.

he was ordered to talk to sage about his anger, but he never regretted what he did. he did it to save you and all that mattered was he had you back with him.

Cypher

he is used to killing to protect those he loves, this is nothing new to him.

he might be a cold killer, but you always knew he would never hurt you.

if someone was threatening you, he would keep them away using blackmail, but if it was more serious, he was prepared.

he sat waiting at the doors for the agents who had gone on your mission to come back. he was ready to greet you but he never thought he would have seen KA/YO holding you slung over his shoulder covered in blood.

he immediately freezes as he watches KA/YO rush to Sage's office. but he quickly recovers and follows quickly behind silently.

when sage caught sight of your body, she grimaced knowing it was bad. she ordered everyone out and allowed her space to work.

cypher was left with no answers as to what happened, as he sat anxiously outside Sage's office he hears KA/YO's robotic voice informing Viper of what happened.

"they went to go flank A alone, but their cypher must have seen her coming. when we arrived at A-site they were gone with the spike, they must have ambushed y/n and left her there for us to find...it was..bad. skye was able to help a little bit but...when we got there, they were missing their hand. im pretty sure they were awake when they did it."

"bastards..."

cypher could feel his blood BOILING. it was one thing to knock someone out, it was another to mutilate someone while they were awake. that wasn't fighting, that was mere torture.

he knew in this job people would get hurt. but he never thought they would ever go this far.

he was greatful you had lived, but he felt a burning feeling in his body.

as viper walked by, she stoped and turned to simply say.

"i know she was special to you Cypher, but don't do anything stupid. we don't need two people to revive."

he stood in place before walking to his room, he would make sure they couldn't hurt you. EVER again.

at the peak of night, he slipped out of his room and headed towards the armoury. he grabbed a ghost and a phantom before quietly walking towards the loading dock. he would make them regret ever hurting you.

.......

in the morning, you were awoken to a tired looking sage.

"welcome back my child. you sure gave us a scare there. how do you feel?" she smiled wistfully

as she filled you in, you couldn't help but wonder where your partner was. typically he was by your bedside until you woke up.

"Ling...where is Cy?" you softly asked

she grinned at the nickname "don't worry, he is in brimstones office. your little boyfriend pulled a stunt to avenge you."

"oh god, is he ok? what did he do?" you sigh

"oh don't worry, he is fine! the agents who ambushed you on the other hand.."

you and sage converse for a while, before you see cypher nervously walk into the room

"my darling! how are you feeling? do you need anything?" he asks worriedly

"i feel good amir. don't worry. sage is taking good care of me!" you chuckle

he sighs in relief, he may have gotten a lecture (and maybe some cleaning duty...) but it was all worth it to see your face again.

☤ Sage ☤

full battle sage mode

she would grab an odin off her copies body and just start spraying.

"you will not kill my allies!"

the second the enemies were down, she rushes to your side to heal you.

she will work all night if she has to, as long as it brings you back to her

"please wake up dearest...i can't live without you."

sorry idk what to write for sage HELP

a/n: aaa tysm for the support on my last posts!! im so glad that people are enjoying these! :) im currently working on some other requests so stay tuned ^^!!

also i apologize for the delay!! i have kinda had a lack of motivation lately so i struggled to finish it...

#adhd #valorant x reader #valorant x y/n #valorant x you #cypher x reader #fanfiction #valorant brainrot go brrrrrr #valorant fanfiction #valorant #cypher x you #sage x reader #gekko x reader #neon x reader #yoru x reader #phoenix x reader

[ddora-kken]

PRECIOUS POOKIE .‘.’.‘

a/n: it's a really weird thing i puked out but I hope yall like this lmao

you have a lot of patience in store, but those two idiots make you run short on supplies. and it’s not funny anymore.

it all just… started. at random. okay, not at that random, because yuuji entered the kitchen and that’s when it went down. “yah! are you making us lunch?!” his eyes light up the second he sees you making any type of food. the excitement quickly wears off when he notices how focused you are on peeling an orange. so this is what’s going on. “you could make us some too… he won’t eat all of it either way!” “shut the fuck up or i’ll push those peels down your throat.” you don’t have time for yuuji’s teasing or for nobara’s evil laughs. you don’t have patience either, since almost all of it got used for convincing one special human being to drink a glass of water. an incredibly special human being. at least to you. the rest can go fuck themselves. or at least you tell them so every time, leaving some crumbs of food for them, too. “simp.” nobara wastes no time and gangs up with yuuji, just to see you riled up and letting your guard down. “fuck off!” the irritated growls of suffering you let out couldn’t be more of an evidence for your feelings. you know damn well it’s too obvious you like and favourite him, but dang it, do they have to expose you like that?! “it’s okay, we’ve known it since day one that you two would eventually end up together,” nobara explains, shrugging and stealing one slice of strawberries. she doesn’t react at your terrifying glances and just continues, chewing on the occasionally stolen slices. “the way you look at him like he’s a precious, innocent, small pookie tells everything. you’re terrible at hiding your feelings, fam.” the silence that falls after her words is piercing through everyone’s ears. nobara knows damn well she won this one… but you know damn well you’ll win the entire war. “so what? even if i look at him like he’s a precious pookie, it’s because he. is. a. precious. pookie.” the last few words you accent with really loud and aggressive cuts. you don’t spare them a stare, yet you continue working on the lunch and explaining yourself. “and you know what? i’m the only honoured one who could say that about him without getting punched in the guts.” with that, you take the plate full of fruits in your hand and leave the kitchen, making the two idiots look after you, flabbergasted and disgusted by the way you and megumi are whipped for each other.

taglist: @delzinrowe just because i can hehe

@ ddora-kken / zarazmnie-cos 2024

#fics: jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #megumi x reader #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jjk x reader #jjk drabbles #fics: megumi fushiguro

[me-writes-prompts]

:-Christmas Short Story-:

By: @Me-writes-prompts

It was dark when Character A entered their house, eerie and chill. The dark that you would not expect on Christmas night. They had been gone on a business trip that took way longer than expected, and now they were, much too late to wish their partner a Merry Christmas who was nowhere in sight, at least from what they could see with the snow on their glasses, making it harder than ever to see. 

They took a step and carefully unwrapped the scarf from around their neck, making sure the snow on it didn’t fall on the floor. They had left their shoes just by the door, not even an inch away, knowing their partner wouldn’t want them anywhere near the living room. They cleared their throat before: “Hello? Is anyone here?” That was such a dumb question, and they cringed at themself. Either the lights had gone off because their partner was in their room(which they shouldn’t be because they were having their families over), or they had gone out which wasn’t a possibility, or in the least, it was because they had to get something. But then, where were the remaining people in their families who should have been over? Had they all gone out as well? They shook their head. They needed to find the lights. 

They sighed and took out their phone. It showed…no signal. Wait, what? They thought. Strange. They turned on the flashlight and walked to the kitchen, turning on the lights. No one. Not even their pet dog that usually ate treats when they were sleeping. They took a deep breath and turned around to walk to the living room. No one was there either. They went upstairs, opening and closing several doors and finding no one. They frowned to themself, the only place left was the basement. The whole family had to be there for sure. They must be sitting around the fireplace, and goofing off without them. 

They stumbled downstairs to the basement, silence echoed around them. Okay, now it was getting creepy. And scary, definitely scary. Surely, this must be a prank. They turned the switch on, and to say they were surprised to find no one would be an understatement. Where had everyone gone?! They frowned deeper, checking the one stale room and even the laundry room just out of the last bit of hope to see if they could find anyone. 

They went upstairs, feeling tired from the business trip but now more so, because they couldn’t find anyone in their own house. They checked their phone. Still no signal. Groaning, they lay down on the couch. Where could they even possibly look for their fam- a loud shattering noise and a curse from a person’s mouth? Their partner. They jolted up, looking frantically around. They couldn’t see anyone, they stood up. “[Name], is that you?” They asked, a hope igniting again. Several other people cursed and groaned as they all started coming out from the kitchen, upstairs. And inside, from the balcony just outside their house. 

“What is going on?” They asked, frantically looking around. Confused but relieved to find everyone. Their partner came from behind the Christmas tree. And, oh lord, they could not believe that they once did not look behind the Christmas tree. 

Their partner came up to them and laughed. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. We meant to surprise you but you look horrified.” 

“Well, of course I do! You guys scared the hell out of me. I was so scared because there was no signal and I didn’t know how to find you guys!” 

Their partner kissed them. “I know, and I’m sorry. We thought it would be a good idea to, you know, make you feel special -which you are- by surprising you as a whole family. Guess it didn’t go that well.” Their partner murmured, an apologetic smile on their face. 

They smiled. “It’s fine, but only because I love you and our families. Merry Christmas everyone!” 

Their families hollered around them, hugging each other while wishing Merry Christmas and laughing. It was nice to be back on Christmas eve, they thought to themself, eating a sugar cookie their partner made especially for them which they doubted because all the other cookies looked the same. They chuckled and kissed them.

(Merry christmas everyone and I hope you liked this!! 🎄🎅❄️)

#writers on tumblr #writeblr #christmas short story #short story #short stories #original fiction #fiction writing #creative writing #fiction #story ideas

[skellymom]

"Vagabonds" Chapter 4

Ongoing fanfic Hunter x Reader/Fem Reader/OC

Chapter 3:

https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/729052697841582080/hunter-x-ocfem-reader-ongoing-series?source=share

ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ 18+ ᴅɴɪ

Word Count: 2K

Background: Hiding evidence, meet the fam Bad Batch Version, and Hunter made an "oopsie"!

Warning: Crying, fear, mention of sex, Hunter fluff/angst.

(Credit: Cool moving star dividers by @4ngelic-wh1spers )

"Meet the Fam"

Later that morning Hunter and Mad discreetly left The Oasis. They made sure it was neat as a pin, especially the firepit. Everything was as they left it minus a certain settee. Hunter carried a trash bag of ashes down to the street and dumped it under the rest of the bags awaiting pickup. 

Hunter turned to Mad. They regarded each other for a moment. This was the awkward part. What do you do now after spending intimate time together? Go to breakfast? Take a break and go separate ways? Are they done? Or do they plan on seeing each other again? 

Hunter had no idea what to do next. His relationships tended to end after the night was over. He was a specialized Republic Commando then and constantly shipped out. Too busy to have anything even remotely steady. Usually, he was the fun lay between the sheets, and nothing more.  

Mad was used to guys just giving a lame excuse and disappearing. Very occasionally she would touch base again with someone who didn’t mind her Nomaadi status, genuinely liked to keep up, or hadn’t disappeared or died yet. A very small pool of people. She didn’t want to speak first. Purposely keeping silent to see exactly where Hunter stood in this situation.  

Brown eyes searching green ones. 

“I...uh...don’t know how to say this...” he struggled with the words. 

“Yeah?” Mad nodded waiting for more. 

Hunter cleared his throat, “Well, I...uh...” Fidgeting. 

Mad shifted her weight and grimaced. Maker, this was painful watching him board the Struggle Bus. All his sexy bravado evaporated since leaving The Oasis. 

 “Listen, if It’s that difficult, just go. I won’t fault you for not having the words to say goodbye. It was fun while it lasted, Hunky.” Mad smiled and turned to leave. 

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!” Hunter blurted out. He looked horrified to have said that. He said the quiet part out loud. “Just...don’t go. Please.” 

Mad turned back around shocked. This was new. A strong, rugged man just coming out and proclaiming he didn’t know. The loud outward show of vulnerability...touching, endearing...and sexy. 

“No actual relationship experience, huh?” Mad’s face softened. “So, just you, your siblings, and work twenty-four-seven. For real???” 

“No. And yes.” 

“Sounds like the last guy I got really close to...approximately 15 years ago.” 

“Love’s Father?” 

“Yep. Didn’t know I had such a specific type.” Mad quipped sarcastically. 

Awkard silence. 

“Walk me to my ship. You can meet the rest of my family. That ok?” 

Hunter smiled warmly, “Perfect. But only on one condition.” 

“Oh???” 

“I can hold your hand all the way there.” 

Mad blushed, “Why not? You got to hold everything else.” She smirked and winked at Hunter. 

He chuckled with that wonderful low smoky tone that hit her ear just the right way. 

Mad walked back up to Hunter and offered her hand. He took it and intertwined her fingers with his. His hand was warm, strong, callused, his grip secure, yet gentle. Mad gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. A tingle shot up their arms again. Small, surprising, only enough to make goose bumps. 

“Mmmm...” Hunter purred. 

“How? What is it with you???” 

“What is it with us?” 

“Gift of the Force, maybe?” 

“What’s that?” 

“A Nomaadi expression. I’ll explain on the way to my ship.” 

“There she is. The Dread Beldame!” Proclaimed Mad 

Hunter took in Mad’s home. The ship was three times larger than the Marauder. It made sense, as she and Love lived on it all the time and constantly moved cargo. Certainly, it was going to be more comfortable than the cramped space the five of them had to share. The ‘Dame looked a bit on the old and shabby side, but clean and well kept. Mad and Love were constantly working on it.  

“Tell me about the meaning of her name.” 

“Well, it’s an old ship. Ships are usually referred to as female. She’s an old lady. A Dame if you're generous. Or, if you’re superstitious, a Beldame Witch. She may be old, but dreaded and comes with a veiled threat. We retrofitted her with some upgrades, and that includes weapons. Kinda like don’t fuck with this old lady, boys!” Mad laughed. “She’s the old gramma that houses and takes care of us.” 

“I like it.” 

“What’s the name of your ship?” 

“The Havoc Marauder. We go from place to place ‘plundering’...ahem...running jobs...and bringing mayhem. We don’t try to bring it...mayhem just seems to follow us. Plus, it sounds badass.” Hunter chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Yeah...I totally get that.” The clusterfuck on Coruscant flashed into Mad’s mind. STILL thanking the Force that they escaped with Sil in tow. 

As Mad and Hunter entered the ‘Dame, they noticed it was a literal disaster area.  Mantell mix and fizzy drink cans littered the ship.  Aside from the mess, Hunter noticed the ship was ornately decorated.  Exotic tapestries, fabric curtains, and vibrant coverlets adorned the bunks.  The walls of the ‘Dame were painted with colorful images of flowers, plants, animals, the elements, symbols, eyes, handprints and so much more.  They wove around the ship, even covering the ceiling, like a pictograph story.  While the Havoc Marauder was utilitarian grey steel and flickering screens and buttons, the Dread Beldame was an explosion of texture, color, even smells.  Hunter’s nose picked up the familiar scent of Mad’s perfume, coming from a clear glass jar nesting on a bin of personal items.  It was empty save for a thin residue coating the glass.  Underneath that odor was the smell of incense, and past meals that had been cooked in the galley kitchen.  Hunter also smelled a small animal that must have lived with them, although he couldn’t account for its whereabouts. 

Mad heard a loud snoring coming from the bay.  A very large bald man was laying on his side asleep on the floor drooling.  A Tooka doll clutched in his arms.  Nearby, on the bunk above, was Love and a blond child asleep, limbs sprawled out and hanging over the edge.  Pieces of Mantell Mix stuck in their hair.  Sil on the lower bunk lying face down and sleeping the sleep of the dead. 

“WHAT THE KRIFF IS GOING ON IN MY SHIP!  DANK FERRIK, LOVE, SIL, WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!!! 

Sil bolts awake and slams his head on the upper bunk.  Love startles awake, jostling the blond child who yawns and stretches. 

Hunter firmly nudges Wrecker with his foot to wake him, “What are you and Omega doing here?” 

Wrecker snorts awake, sits up, “Oh...Hunter.  Met a new friend!  How did ya know we were here???”  Scratches his head, wiping slobber from his chin. 

Mad looks from Wrecker and Omega, to Hunter, “You know them?”  

Omega is now awake, sees Hunter and is instantly excited.  Jumping off the bunk, she immediately runs up and hugs him.  “This is Love and Sil.  Wrecker and I met them at the Mantell Mix stand.  They needed help fixing the shield on their ship.  We radioed Tech and all met at the Beldame. We watched holos while Tech worked on the ship.”  She seemed so pleased with herself. 

“I see you all FINALLY decided to awaken.”  Everyone turns to look and sees Tech standing at the entrance of the Beldame.  He’s holding a tray of caf cups and a large bag of food.  “Hunter, good of you to EVENTUALLY make an appearance.  I have been messaging you REPEATEDLY since last night.” 

Hunter looks down at his comm... he turned it off to have private time with Mad.  Several messages lit up in queue left unanswered.  Looks up at Tech with a guilty expression...to be met with a pair of annoyed spectacled eyes.   

“HELLO!  Names please!!!”  Mad throws up her arms, exasperated that NOBODY was answering her questions! 

“Mad... meet my family.  Big guy on the floor is Wrecker, this is Omega”, Hunter grabs Omega by her shoulders and spins her around to face Mad.  “The sassy one with the takeout is Tech.”  Hunter clearly looks embarrassed and off guard. 

“Oh...HELLO!” Wrecker is finally aware Mad was standing there. 

“Good morning...?  Nice to meet you...?”  Tech politely starts his greeting, then looks at Hunter with frustration.  Clearly Hunter is overwhelmed with the situation and doesn’t catch the cue to introduce Mad. 

“I’m Maadienne, but prefer to be called Mad” she nods to Tech and Wrecker.  They both nod back respectfully. 

Mad sighs and turns to Hunter, then motions to the teen now picking Mantell Mix out of their black spiky pixy cut and eating it, “This is Love.  My rando chaotic kiddo.”  The skinny teen with the port wine stain resembling a heart over one eye and bi colored irises smiles sheepishly and waves.  

She nods across the ship, “That’s Sil.  He’s Mads Couzin and my Nephew.” 

“Hi” rubbing his aching head.  Sil’s curly black shoulder length locks are sticking out all over the place.  Hunter stares for a moment at the teen and notices he shares Sil’s skin tone and hair color.  Sil slightly resembled Hunter when he was Sil’s age.   

Mad scans the ship, someone is missing... 

“Where’s Tiggy???” 

Everyone is silent for a beat and looks around at each other cluelessly. 

“Nobody was keeping an eye on the destructive poop factory?”  

Love is still calmly chewing on the Mantell Mix, Sil and Omega looked uncomfortably embarrassed, Wrecker scratches his head again, Hunter clearly has no idea what is going on... 

“The canine neonate has eliminated this morning.  She potty trained quickly and gives clear cues when she must move her bowels or urinate.  Tiggy was fed exactly at 8am this morning and is now sleeping somewhere peacefully on your ship.” 

All heads whip around to Tech. 

“Everyone, PLEASE help yourself to Caf and Breakfast Biscuits” as he sets them down, a flurry of hungry hands tear into the food.  “Mad, I attempted to repair your shield generator last night.  Unfortunately, it must be replaced.  The model is...rather antiquated. Echo has located a vintage parts dealer on the other side of Ord Mantell.  We think a suitable replacement can be found there.” 

Mad is taken aback by Tech’s words and the scene in front of her: Wrecker, Omega, Sil, and Love are all sitting together on the floor or up on bunks eating and chatting like they had known each other for forever.  Hunter, sipping caf is listening intently to his brother Tech explain how he and their OTHER brother Echo are trying to fix the ‘Dame’s shield.  She hardly ever encounters strangers (other than children) that just casually try to help without strings attached.  This is something she sees her allies among The Star People doing all the time.  It’s refreshing to see non-Nomaadi extend a helping hand... 

...but something keeps bothering her.  She can’t place it right away.  It’s elusive.  Mad scans the room, back and forth between the faces of the new acquaintances she just met... 

Tech is still info dumping. 

Wrecker is eating like he’s been starved for a week. 

Hunter is half listening to Tech, nodding, picked up a cup of caf from the tray. 

Something...it’s just at the tip of her brain... 

...her eyes flit continually between the brothers.  Tech, Wrecker, Hunter...Tech, Wrecker, Hunter...something familiar...Tech, Wrecker, Hunter...Mad’s struggling to make sense of something...a niggling feeling taking shape in her gut...Tech, Wrecker, Hunter... 

“Love?” Mad reaches out with The Force. 

...HOLY MAKER...it finally hits her...she didn’t see it with Hunter until now...but Tech and Wrecker’s faces...certain notes in their voices...THEY ARE CLONES! 

She stands still and tries not to convey any fear.  Are they safe with Hunter and his brothers?  They don’t dress like clones in service to the Empire.  Would they try to kill Love if they found out about their Force sensitivity?  They seem so friendly...but Mad is concerned this could change in an instant. 

“LOVE!  Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech are...CLONES!!!  I don’t know about Omega...” 

Love looks up as nonchalantly as possible to meet Mads eyes.  She can see veiled fear in Love’s expression.  

Love reaches out with The Force to Sil, “Couz...Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter are clones!”  

Sil, lacking Force ability and incapable of answering back nonverbally, froze staring back into Mad’s eyes. 

The hair on the back of Mads neck stands on end as she sees a change in Sil and Love’s expression.  Mad glances over to Hunter to see him staring a hole through her, caf raised just short of a sip.  She can’t read his expression.  Tech, totally oblivious continues to talk.  Wrecker’s attention span is lost in his breakfast.  Omega chewing on her biscuit notices Sil’s expression and shoots a look at Hunter. 

Hunter sensed something brewing with Mad, then smelled fear suddenly coming off her.  Then he picks up on Love’s fear and Sil’s body language.  THEY KNOW, he thinks and suddenly regrets not being more honest back at Cid’s.  He opens his mouth...” Mad...” 

Mad immediately reaches for her holstered blaster...

PLEASE like, comment, and/or REBLOG!

To read Chapter 5

https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/733456994638462976/vagabonds-chapter-5?source=share

#the bad batch #star wars #tbb #bad batch #tbb hunter #clone force 99 #hunter #sergeant hunter #fan fiction #skellymom #tbb fanfic #tbb hunter x reader #sergeant hunter x reader #tbb x reader #hunter x reader #clone thirsting #star wars fic

[ankhmutes]

I had a wife.

"I had a wife."

Rick blinked. He hadn't expected that, of all things, to come from Daryl. He was the surly redneck and the hunter. He couldn't envision him as a married man. His long hair and goatee screamed bachelor, along with his torn sleeveless shirt. Granted, Rick had known him since the Quarry, and not before. They hadn't exactly met under the best of circumstances.

"Oh… I'm sorry." Rick said weakly as he shifted towards Daryl, the crackling of their campfire breaking the awkward silence. He hadn't gotten any kind of inkling of empathy from Daryl when he had been struggling with Lori. It did shine some light on his surly attitude towards Lori and Shane, and how he had gotten his own wife back. Daryl must really be missing her, thought Rick with a slight nod of his head to try to show some kind of empathy and understanding while he tried to find the words.

" 'sokay. I.. Merle n' me we were hunting. We went hunting every year t' get meat for everybody. Went home t' check on 'er an the kids." Daryl grimaced slightly with a nod of his head, letting out a puff of air, as if exhaling a puff of smoke from an imaginary cigarette. Rick breathed out quietly through clenched teeth, letting Daryl talk. He hadn't heard many words out of the man. It sounded as if each word was painful to say, the memories behind them painful. Daryl stretched out his body, leaning against the trunk of the nearby tree. His face aged in the minutes that passed.

"Found 'em. some of 'em." Daryl said with a grunt, tossing a twig into the fire, his blue eyes filling with tears. "Merle an' me.. we took what we could from home an' went up to the quarry. 's where they…woulda gone." Daryl exhaled in a half-sigh, and half sob. His eyes twinkled in the sea of moisture. Memories flowed through each breath. Rick could see Daryl swimming in the deep sea that Rick had been once, back in the hospital when he had first woken up and tried to find Lori and Carl. He wondered why Daryl hadn't said a word. Rick's life was Lori and Carl… well, now Carl and Judith. He could see it now, the way Daryl was so gentle with Judith, and confident with Carl. He was a dad himself, he knew just what to do with his own children, treating them as if he was also their father. Rick couldn't imagine losing Carl and Judith, and watching someone else raise children when he should have been in that place. "How.. how?" Rick asked, not sure how to word it without breaking the fragility of the moment.

It was a long while before Daryl let out an audible breath, his blue eyes moving from the fire to Rick, but then they darted back. Daryl was not ready for eye contact, or any kind of comfort. Daryl's hands clenched and unclenched, as if bracing himself.

"We were high school sweethearts. Knocked 'er up. Firs' kid … " Daryl shuddered, his breaths sharp with grief and pain and joy at the memory of holding the child. Daryl half-smiled. "We was like rabbits. Six kids." Daryl snicked softly and shook his head. "Dun wanna know what happened to 'em, but.. I had ta get out of there." Daryl kicked at the fire, sparks flying. He leaned forward, rubbing his eyes.

"Hadta put who I found down." Daryl leaned back, his head hitting the trunk of the tree with a loud and painful sound. Rick remained silent, not wanting to scare off Daryl. He and Daryl had been on their way back to Alexnadria, after a failed hunt and Rick had been talking about finding something for Judith's birthday all day long. Rick felt like crap, like a monster when now he realized Daryl had a wife, and five kids. Like Abraham, he had lost his entire family to the walkers and kept on going. He couldn't imagine finding Carl in a closet, and having to put him down. He knew others had to put down their family members, and Rick had gotten out relatively unscathed, his son and daughter still intact, with a new mother figure and possibly wife in the picture. While Daryl had no one but Merle, to lean on. Merle was an asshole, but he was family, and Merle... was Merle.

"I'm sorry." Rick finally said, watching Daryl as he stared silently into the fire. There were no words left that could touch the depth of the pain that Rick could see in Daryl.

If you liked this, please comment and let me know, so I can continue to put effort in this. Otherwise, leave it as a one shot. I'd love to have help with something like this, if anyone is interested. Just DM me anytime. This scene wouldn't leave my head so... sharing it best I can with gifs too. I've had this story bugging me for ages.

Edited to add: I finally put it up on Ao3.

#daryl dixon #the walking dead #twd daryl #daryl dixon x reader #norman reedus #merle dixon #rick grimes #fanfiction #the walking dead daryl #archive of our own #read on ao3 #ao3fic #ao3 link #ankhmutes writes something

[auxiliarydetective]

Kassandra Hargeeves' Scenes, S01E10: The White Violin

The house comes crashing down, with the world soon to follow after

Collapsing

Suddenly, the entire house started shaking. All doors flew open at once. In an instinctive reaction, Luther, Klaus, Diego and Kassandra almost ran into each other in the hallway.

“Yo, what the hell is going on?” Diego asked tensely.

Klaus looked around in confusion and fear. “Are those explosions coming from-”

“Vanya”, Pogo said grimly, appearing behind them. “We need to get to safety. Outside the academy.”

The noise wouldn't cease. Explosions, crumbling walls, grinding of bricks and groaning of beams…

“I knew this was a bad idea”, Kassandra whispered.

“Don’t forget Mom”, Luther told the others.

With a decisive nod, Diego, Klaus and Kassandra started running for the exit. Around them, the walls started to crack. Dust rained down from the ceiling. Suddenly, Kassandra stopped dead in her tracks.

“I need to talk to Vanya”, she declared.

Both Klaus and Diego stared at her in disbelief.

“You’re crazy”, Diego stated. “Vanya is about to bring the whole house crashing down and you think talking to her will fix things?”

“I need to try”, Kassandra insisted.

“Listen, Kass”, Klaus cut in, “I’m usually all for crazy things but this is just downright suicidal. We need to get out of here!”

“Then you get out. I’m going to find Vanya. She’s listened to me before, there’s a chance she’ll listen again.”

“Kassandra…” Diego said firmly and took her by the arm to pull her onwards but she yanked herself free.

“Look, Diego, I’m sorry”, she sighed with pleading eyes, “but I need to do this. I promise I’ll make it out alive.”

With that, and without looking at her brothers again, she hurried down the hallway. Thoughts were racing through her mind, her own just as stressful as those of others, her feelings tearing her up from the inside. She had to be there for Vanya because she had always been there for her, because she had been through so much and because she had to be so lost and confused. On the other hand, she knew Diego and Klaus were right. This was madness. Especially in the light of their recent losses, she felt horrible putting her life on the line. On top of that, she was scared. Scared of the state she would find Vanya in, scared of dying, scared of losing her family again. Still, she forced herself to focus. She found Vanya’s thoughts and followed them to their source. Soon, she could hear voices. Vanya and Pogo.

As she stepped into the salon, her blood went cold. There she was. Vanya. Her skin had turned sickly pale and her eyes were like alabaster, cold as stone. Wind and vibrations swirled around her, reaching into Kassandra’s body to stir her soul. On top of this, Vanya was not herself. Her mind had become unreadable, ice cold. But what was the most terrifying was what was happening in front of Kassandra this very instant. Pogo was lifted up into the air as the winds grew stronger. Then, he shot through the entire room, right into the large antlers along the wall. A wave of nausea hit Kassandra as she saw their scarlet tips tear through his chest. The fabric of his suit turned a deep red. Then, his eyes met hers. The noise of the collapsing house faded for a moment. Kassandra wanted to go to him, hold his hand as he went, but-

“Kassandra.”

Vanya’s voice pulled her gaze away from him. Kassandra had to be wearing her emotions clearly on her face, despite how much she tried to be strong.

“Vanya, I… I’m sorry”, she stammered. “All of this has gone far out of control.”

“You mean you can’t control me anymore.”

“No, I-” She realized she had no clue what to say. All this time she had had to prepare and now nothing came out. “We never should have done all those things to you. We’ve given you a horrible life. To know the truth now… I can’t imagine how you feel right now, but… I could if you let me try…”

Shakily, she pulled off her gloves and reached out her hands to the white being that her sister had become. There had to be a way out of this. A peaceful solution. This couldn’t be the end.

“You knew about my powers all along and you didn’t tell me”, Vanya said coldly.

“Yes, I knew, but you know that I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to!” Kassandra cried out, her voice breaking. “Please, Vanya, this situation is messy enough as it is. Let me try to help you. The amount of mistakes that has been made is too big to just forgive and forget, I know, but we can try to take this one step at a time. I don’t want to lose my sister. I still love you! I-”

Her words got stuck in her throat as she felt herself be lifted off the ground. Her lungs felt like they were being compressed, her throat sewn shut.

“Vanya, please-”

But it was no use. With a shock wave, Kassandra was hurled backwards and crashed through the front doors. As glass shards and splinters flew around her, everything went black.

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄✼▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

Breaking Down

“Kass! Kassandra!”

Hurriedly, Diego picked her motionless body up from the ground, cold shivers running down his spine. It felt like time went in slow motion. But when he finally heard quiet breathing, a sigh of relief escaped him.

“Hey, she kept her promise!” Klaus remarked in a tone that sounded scared, incredulous, glad and like he was trying to lighten up the situation somehow.

His attempt failed but… it was good to know at least one person had made it. Allison leaned against Luther, holding on to his arm. With a quiet groan, Kassandra’s head moved slightly.

“Take it slow”, Diego whispered.

Her eyes fluttered open, first filled with drowsiness, then confusion, then gratitude.

“Diego, you’re alive!” Kassandra gasped.

She sat up slowly and looked around, a smile spreading across her face as she looked at each of her siblings.

“You all made it!”

But then, her smile faded. She had to have already picked it up from the others’ thoughts. Still, Luther took it upon himself to deliver the bad news to her:

“Mom and Pogo didn’t make it.”

Kassandra’s eyes went hollow. She nodded lightly and got up, only to stumble and almost collapse. Immediately, Diego and Klaus were at her side to catch her.

“Let’s sit you down somewhere”, Klaus suggested.

They moved her over to one of the pieces of the entrance gate still standing. As they walked, even these few steps, they noticed she was shaking. Her breathing was becoming more shallow. Then, she choked. The moment they sat her down on one of the stones in front of the entrance, they noticed she was crying. Kassandra, who had always been there for others, who had always taken the others’ pain, who had always listened to them cry, who herself had never cried in front of them - or anyone as far as they knew - since she was five years old. But now it had happened. Crumbling her face in pain, Kassandra covered her mouth to muffle the sound of her cries. She doubled over as if trying to spit out her heart right then and there.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay”, Klaus said quickly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Let it out.”

But her breathing kept getting shakier and more and more shallow. Klaus recognized too well what this meant.

“Breathe, Kass, breathe. It’s okay, we’re all okay. We’re safe. Just breathe.”

Quickly, Allison wrote down some things on her notepad and held it up to Kassandra. When she realized she wouldn’t read it, she nudged Klaus. Breathe. 3 in, 3 hold, 3 out, 3 pause.

“Okay, let’s do a little exercise. Kass?”

But Kassandra wouldn’t listen. Suddenly, a voice cut through the chaos.

“Guys!” Five called, running to the group. He had a newspaper clutched in his hand.

“Not now, Five”, Luther said dryly.

“This is it. The apocalypse is still on, the world ends today.”

“Five, this is not the time.”

“Of course, it’s the time, we- Oh, shit.”

Kassandra’s state had only gotten worse at his words. Diego took a deep breath. This could either make things worse or make things better and he had no idea what this would be like but he had to try.

“Kass… I’ll take your hand, okay?”

He took off his gloves and carefully wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Immediately, he could feel a surge of panic come on. So the telepathy did work the same both ways, Kassandra had just always locked her feelings away. Now, she couldn’t anymore. To his surprise, Kassandra moved her hand, allowing him to hold it. Her panic swept over to him even further, but knowing that it wasn’t his helped him deal with it and he hoped that his state of mind would somehow help Kassandra too. If not, hopefully at least the touch of his hand would. He tried to be gentle, just like she always had been, and just like he remembered himself doing with her time and time again, she squeezed his hand, looking for support.

“There we go… Now let’s breathe together, okay? Three seconds in… three seconds hold… three seconds out… three seconds pause… And again. That’s it.”

Really, her panic slowly started to ebb away. Her breathing became calmer, deeper, less stiff.

“You’re doing great, Kass”, Klaus encouraged her.

Finally, she swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped off her tears but she didn’t let Diego’s hand go. Gently, he rubbed his thumb across her skin. They didn’t talk, but their connected minds gave them a special kind of bond. For the first time since their birth, Diego felt like he truly understood his sister - and he felt sorry, but also very grateful. Grateful that she had gone through everyone else’s troubles and sorry that she had gone through hers alone. But not anymore.

“Are you feeling better, Kass?” Five asked, hands in his pockets but still looking genuinely concerned.

Kassandra nodded with a sigh.

“Good, because I’ve got bad news. I was wrong. The apocalypse happens today. This newspaper I found in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn’t changed.”

“No, that doesn’t mean anything”, Diego said quietly, half in the moment, half in his mind - or their mind. “Time could’ve been altered since that newspaper came out this morning.”

“You’re not listening to me. When I found it I assumed this place came down along with everything else. But here we are, the moon’s still shining, the Earth is in one piece, but not the Academy.”

In the distance, a helicopter whirred and sirens blared. Klaus pulled the newspaper out of Five’s hand, mumbling: “I’m confused.

“Then listen to me, you idiot”, Five insisted. “Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse. I thought Harold Jenkins was the cause but he was the fuse. Vanya is the bomb. Vanya causes the apocalypse.”

With those words, Diego could feel Kassandra’s mind be whirled up again. He squeezed her hand lightly.

“We have to find her”, Luther declared.

Suddenly, they were in the middle of a searchlight. Bright, blinding almost, and pointed directly at them. Immediately, a jolt went through Diego’s body

“We gotta go”, he announced. “Now!”

He jumped up from his seat and pulled Kassandra up with him, tightening his grip on her hand. This was no state to leave her alone in, especially not in a situation like this.

“Regroup at the Super Star”, Luther ordered. “Go!”

With that, everyone started running off in different directions.

“Take care of her!” Klaus called after Diego and Kassandra.

“I will!”

He would. He had sworn it.

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄✼▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

The End

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

“You’re looking at it. A 58-year-old man inside a child’s body, so there’s that.”

“Well, I think that’s not too bad”, Kassandra remarked, her heartbeat thumping against her chest at the thought of the chunks of the moon raining from above. “I liked being a child. It’s a lot better than dying, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, what the hell, I’m in”, Diego declared.

“Yeah, whatever”, Klaus shrugged. “I’m in too.”

“Me too”, Luther said. “Allison?”

Allison nodded.

“What about Ben?”

“Great, yeah, he’s in”, Klaus announced.

“Okay, great. Luther, grab Vanya”, Five ordered.

This was it. It was time travel or nothing.

“Wait, should we be taking her?” Luther interrupted. “I mean, if she’s the cause of the apocalypse, isn’t that like taking the bomb with us?”

“A bomb can be defused”, Kassandra said, putting a hand on Vanya’s forehead. For now, she was unconscious. Peacefully asleep. “If we take her with us, we get a chance to undo the mistakes we’ve made, or at least try to mend them.”

“Kass is right”, Five declared. “The apocalypse will always happen and Vanya will always be the cause, unless we take her with us and fix her.”

Kassandra took another look up at the moon. Its fiery image made her shiver. Quickly, everyone gathered in a circle, taking each other’s hand. Their tenseness flooded into Kassandra, but for once she made no effort to hold hers back either. Instead, she let herself ease into the fact that this meant she wasn’t alone. She didn’t have to go through this all by herself. Above them, blue light flickered and thunder crashed. That crack in the sky that had given them Five back would now take them away. Kassandra didn’t care what the consequences of this would be. As long as they made it and as long as she kept her family, she would accept anything. Finally, maybe in their last moments on this Earth or at least in this time, she could feel everyone’s hearts beating in the same rhythm. Finally, after all these years, she could feel a seventh presence again. Ben was here, he was back. Finally, the entire Umbrella Academy was back together.

With a loud whooshing, Kassandra felt herself be lifted off the floor, up into the light. Then, everything disappeared.

#the umbrella academy #tua #tua oc #oc: kassandra hargreeves #fanfiction #kass rewrites #fam: your tears are mine #fam: stand by me #fam: the silence is so loud

[emilycollins00]

Muku sniffs in the kitchen chair. He has wiped his eyes so much they are red and swollen, tears still accumulating on them. Sakyo sits next to him, abstaining from offering his condolences for now. He knows how these things affect you when they are sudden -and this one had been.

Even he hadn’t seen it coming.

He feels his pockets for more tissues the young boy clearly needs when the blond figure they have been waiting for arrives.

As soon as Kazunari places himself in front of them Sakyo squints. A clear warning that he better not mess it up. The art student notices and nods solemnly, which makes him let his guard down. A mistake. Kazunari clears his throat.

“Fam,” he breaks the silence. “I know the vibes are low-key sad today. As Ichiro-kun, best boy of the ‘Prescription for Love’ squad, has officially been canceled.”

Sakyo’s jaw tightens while Muku tries to hold back a loud sob.

“Ichiro-kun was many things. A sigma. A bit extra, some might say, but a GOAT nonetheless.”

“Miyoshi for the love of —”

“But we must never forget that though Ichiro-kun has ghosted us, his drip will always be immaculate and that’s facts. We can bet all his life he fought for a W. He took no L’s, no red flags either, making us hope for an endgame with Aoi since volume 3 cause it was his rizz, which was honestly high-key bussin. And even if the ship's sunk, it’ll make him go down as a legend and continue to live rent free in our heads. Now, let us slay. On god.”

Sakyo sets a reminder to never let Miyoshi hold a eulogy again.

#shojo manga appreciation club going through grief #i just asdfghj thank u calvillo #was writing something Kazunari related and have found myself in muku’s situation so yeah this has happened to them at some point #sakyo is so done tho #a3! kazunari #a3! sakyo #a3! muku #a3!

[kaz-playz]

hi :) do you have any spare headcanons for the Illiyork children, please?

:O

!!!!!

I personally make the cities the IlliYork kids for convenience sake, so

NYC and Chicago are the main reason the banned words list keeps expanding.

They have petty arguments over everything

But theyre the closest in age so they try and get along when they can.

The illinois kids have big opinons and even bigger mouths, so they usually come out victorious in family fueds (mostly because the york kids get tired of that shit real fast and dont have the patience to argue)

Theyre a very close knit group but they tend to confide in their own side more often than not. I feel like they grow out of it as they get older though.

I feel like illinois makes them get family photos.

All the kids except like upstate NY and Peoria, Springfied, and Aurora mildly dislike/violently hate it

On the HATE scale its mostly NY kids bcs their family photos are mostly candid shots and so they dont have to pose or wear matching outfits.

I feel like chicago has a midwestern accent. Like how can they not? But they never speak in it and it only slips if theyre embarrased. The others enjoy flustering them just so they can record it.

When the kids have a shared intrest, they will beg to be drowned in merch. Mostly bcs if they have sb who ALSO enjoys it, they feel less awkward repping it.

I love older sibling chicago so uhhh, they pick up their baby siblings and just swing em around and then tosses em on a soft surface, like a lot. They also do it just to carry them around.

I also have angst hcs for Chicago bcs my brain is so silly

So this comes from the songs i associate illiyork with, Anthony Kiedis by Remi Wolf is the song in question.

Theres one line that goes "I fit in my family dynamics like a Red Hot Chilli Pepper."

This line is a refrence to the band but!

When i think of the midwest -esp the rest of illinois- i think of mellow tame flavors, no kick or spice bcs white people would melt

But the rest of the state hates chicago, theyre too loud, demanding, commandeering the politics of illinois. They directly contrast the views of the rest of their state most of the time. So they are the red hot chilli pepper, per say. And cant keep a peaceful relationship w their fam w/o silencing themselve or compromising their views.

(I tried to keep all prns gn so let me know if you spy any gendered ones bcs i dont want my gender hcs to influence anyone.)

#welcome to the statehouse #welcome to the table #wttt #wttsh #ben brainard #new york wttsh #illinois wttsh #wttt illiyork #coldpizzashipping #chicago wttt

[rose-likesto-write]

Stray Kids Headcanon...

Member: Seo Changbin

Pairing: Changbin x Y/N

Genre: Fluff

Rating: T, PG-13

Word count: around 900 words

Trigger Warnings: mention of word punch (once)

A/N:- Hey, fam.. so sorry for the delay. My work is purely fictional and doesn't give or suggests that the boys may act out like this. I hope you will all like it! Also it turned into a mini scenario..

• Percentage of cold personality 10000/100 , slightly less than Lee Know

• But that doesn't mean he isn't an intimidating person

• Too much intimidating and scary as hell

• 'Stay away from me' and 'don't mess up with me' vibes

• Wouldn't mind throwing a few punches around

• Likes to be by himself and enjoys peace

• Just like others, only close friends know what kind of person he is, not even his family

• Always wears a blank stoic look

• Goes by the title of 'cold hearted'

• Don't feel he feels bad rather enjoys it

• But sometimes it hurts

• People stay away especially the girls he had a chance to take on a date

• They just want you know-

• He wants something meaningful

• Maybe that's why he felt different when he met you for the first time

• You approached him without any second thought looks on his face, even if it was just asking if he has seen brown poodle running around the campus

• That small smile with a worry loom for the little dog made his heart's strings felt being tugged

• Instead of saying simply no, he helps you to find it

• Changbin found the poodle hiding behind a bush and carefully takes it into his arm and called for you

• But he doesn't know your name. So, he simply opted to shout "Hey!"

• You took the poodle in your arms and hugged him first

• "Thank you so much" you said before patting and lightly scolding the adorable dog

• His eyes widened and maybe he stopped breathing too

• The first hug or any physical touch by someone whom he doesn't even know

• He calmed himself and just stood there, not knowing what to do

• As he thought to leave, you called for him

• "Please join for a cup of coffee" you said hopefully

• "No, it's okay. Thank you" he said trying to be polite

• You sadly looked at him and turned around

• "Umm, sure then.. i-i just don't want you to feel obligated" he said noticing your expression and panicking

• You smiled appreciatively, "Please don't think like that and even 'Brownie' would love your company

• 'o' he thought, then what's your name. He thought but rather he spoke out loud

• "Y/N"

• "Huh? Pardon?" He gave you a confused look, making you giggle

• "Y/N. My name is Y/N. Yours?" You said softly

• "Changbin. Seo Changbin" he said as he started to walk with you

• "That's a nice name." You said as you both walked in silence, reaching to a cafe and entered in

• "Y/N? Did you find H-" a voice called from the counter

• "Yes, I did and someone helped me. Without his help, I don't think I would have found this naughty boy" you said with a small smile

• A lady in her late 50s came with a small smile

• "This young gentleman helped you?" She asked as she took poodle in her hands and you nodded

• "Thank you sweetheart" she said softly and patted his cheek

• "Now, sit down yeah? Y/N, come with me" The lady said and Changbin's eyes widened

• "I will come but till then sit down yeah?" You said to him and went in, soon coming out with some coffee, pastries and cookies

• "Thank you once again" you said softly and served

•"This is to- you cut him off

• "This isn't" you said and sat down across. "Have it"

• Eating in silence and then, he thanked you all and went back.

• You ran into him the next day again and just greeted. Soon, these small greetings turned into more than small meetings and both of wanted nothing more to grew into further

• During this time, you noticed the stark contrast in his nature and personality when he is with you or when he is with his friends or if there is some other person

• "You put alot of effort around me which I appreciate but be yourself please" you said softly once, as his eyes widened but they had a blank look, making you worried

• "If I be who I am in actual, maybe you will hate me or won't talk to me ever"  he looked at you intently

• "If I can't accept you for who you are then it's my fault and not yours." You said

• For the very first time, has anyone ever said this and he can't help but gently take your hands in his and squeeze them

• "Are you okay with this?" You asked

• "with what?" He asked with a confusion

• "Hug?"

• He took his time to think for nodding, making you smile as you gently hugged him and patted his back but his grip got slightly firm, making you smile more. "I am here"

• "thank you" he whispered

• "please don't" you mumbled and then he spoke about his life and personality, making your heart feel like crying.

• After this emotional exchange, your bond took a new turn, turning into a beautiful and more stronger bond, making your feelings for each other grew more and more

• Changbin was apprehensive to ask you out and propose you but Chan's words made him do it

• Now, standing near the beautiful river view,  his hand shivered a bit as he was extremely nervous and you noticed that

• You held his hand, making him turn to you

• "are you okay? Don't lie to me" Two contrasting statements

• "I want to tell and ask you something" he said after taking a deep breath and you nodded

• He took a deep breath and confessed, then took a step back, holding your hand as he looked at you who had a blank look, making him scared.

• Did he lost you f- "I hope this answers your question" you said and kissed his cheek

• His eyes widened and kept on staring

• "Changbin?" You said softly, waking him up from his trance

• "Why?" He said

• "why what?"

• "why cheek and not lips? Why did you kiss my cheek and not lips?" He pouted making you giggle

• "Because I want to make sure that you are comfortable with it. I would take your consent as well. So, may I?" You smiled and cupped his cheeks

• He nodded but he pulled you for a soft kiss

• Boyfriend Changbin is both sweet, spicy and mean lol

• At times an over-thinker as he wants to be the best boyfriend for you

•There would be moments when he needs your reassurance

• Really appreciates you for being patient, supportive and calm with him especially when it comes to reassurance

• Mean in the sense that if you teased him too long or did something without him, get ready for silent treatments but he would stop if he feels it's too much for you

• Only in the rare cases, wil it go extreme

• Jealously level 10000

• That doesn't mean he will stop you from doing anything or everything, it's just that his possessiveness will grow 10 fold, keeping you close to him

• Glaring at all men who look at you and maybe women whose eyes he feels uncomfortable for you

• Will dig anyone 7 feet deep under ground

• being possessive means he will have a hand on your back, pulling you close to him, sometimes even pecking your cheeks or lips or forehead but he would tell you this beforehand, because he doesn't want to make you feel uncomfortable.

• Goofball and clingy when alone at home

• Pet names such as honey, love, babygirl, angel

• Appreciates you alot and won't go a single day without saying it

• Cherishes you alot

• Small-small presents such as flowers, or chocolates or ice creams

• Matching jewelry includes- bracelets, earrings, rings or be necklace

• Cooking for you and helping you in anyway be it laundry  or dusting or buying groceries

• Long drives especially at night

• Midnight snacks and midnight rides to these drive throu-

• Hand holding

• Hugs

• Forehead kisses and neck kisses are a must

• Loves it when you wear his shirts and hoodies but won't easily show it to you.

• If you are the next Sherlock Holmes, you would understand why there are more hoodies in your closet.

• Always tries to remember the small-small details or things you share with him

• Once on a home date, you discovered his talent of writing and singing songs as he had composed a small piece for you, making you almost cry.

• "did you not like i-" "I love it. I love you seo Changbin" you mumbled and he pulled you in his embrace, feeling his emotions

• After so long, did he feel so vulnerable get safe because he was with you

• With this appreciation, you unlocked his talent of funky music, beatbox and beautiful songs.

• He is matured and understanding

• Gives you space but if it gets too much, he can't help but come near to you and sit even if he doesn't say anything

• Good listener and advisor

• Sometimes, he gets a bit cold when he feels uncomfortable or something

• If you guys had arguments but by the end of the day, it gets normal

• It won't feel that you guys had arguments in first place.

• He would never raise his voice at you and would try his best to control if he feels it is going too much for him because he can't see you get scared. So, he would simply take a deep breath or change the place he is standing to calm down himself before keeping his points.

• Changbin is really a boyfriend out of the novels, for he sets the bar of an ideal boyfriend and partner, sure everyone has flaws but it's worth every single flaw he has.

#kvanity #stray kids fluff #stray kids cold bf au #stray kids headcanon #seo changbin #changbin fluff #changbin #changbin fic #changbin headcanons #stray kids imagines #stray kids #stray kids changbin #cold bf au headcanon #stray kids cold bf #send asks #send me anons #send me asks #anonymous #send me requests #anon ask #send me feedback #ask me anything #kpop edits #kpopidol #kpop fanfic #kpop headcanons #kpop requests #request open

[birlwrites]

NEW CHAPTER!!!

IT WAS SO GOOD I LOVED IT SO MUCH

also LMAO crouch fam + moody sitcom would be funny but like. in an awkward silence sort of way. so much staring going on between moody and barty and moody is trying to figure this kid out (son of mega anti-dark sr, but friends with a black???) and barty is just there vibing. thinking about illegal things. wishing he was hanging out with regulus. thinking Thoughts about his books. walking around like his mind hasn't been altered by very illegal dark magic. wishing he was hanging out with regulus. etc

THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUU

moody has reasons to be keeping an eye on barty and near as he can tell all barty does is a) read books at weird hours, b) play loud rock music in the living room whenever his father is home (which, to moody, means Constantly), c) sleep, also at weird hours, and d) work regulus black into every single conversation he has with crouch sr

#[redacted]: so what's his son like #moody: he's. a 16 year old? #all he does is read and sleep and he's obsessed with his best friend #but he could also just be making a point of it to annoy his father #dark lord wip #should i make an inbox tag

[theshipsfirstmate]

Bridgerton Fic: I Never Got Used to Watching Horses Die

Newton dies of old age a few weeks before Christmas in 1822, and Anthony feels Aubrey Hall go strangely still, in a way that he has not for many years.

(future Kathony fam, with a dose of angst bc it’s how my brain works)

A/N: hiiiii I know some of you may be wondering about Hate to Be Lame, and I promise I'm still working on that, but unfortunately this one grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let go. It's angsty and I'm truly appalled at myself for committing corgi-cide, but I just have a lot of feelings, OK? If that's your jam, I hope you enjoy. If not, I totally get it and I hope to be back to AU fun very soon.

title from “Dead Horses” by The Local Honeys.

I Never Got Used to Watching Horses Die (AO3 - wc: 3821)

Newton dies of old age a few weeks before Christmas in 1822, and Anthony feels Aubrey Hall go strangely still, in a way that he has not for many years.

He feels foolish at first for even thinking it — to compare the losses. But there is something similar in the stillness of mourning, in the agonizing silences that make his palms itch helplessly. There is something about hearing the heartbreaking cries of his second son echo down the hall from the nursery that makes a stone lodge in the pit of his stomach. 

It’s familiar, that is why he loathes it so.

But it’s different this time, too. It is perhaps the first time he’s seen death come in stages, and up close. First, his wife’s beloved beast could no longer hop to his preferred blanket at the foot of their bed. Then, he could no longer play with the boys or climb the stairs. When he stops eating, that is when Anthony feels the inevitable pang, a lance driven deeper into his heart as he watches his children grapple with their grief.

Edmund receives the news and disappears silently to the sitting room, to a favored spot by the window, returning later with red-rimmed eyes and a pout he desperately tries to tame. Miles is too young to understand all of what they tell him, but he quickly realizes from his family’s somber demeanors that there's something worth getting worked up about -- and he’s never been one to spare his tears. Charlotte, mercifully, is still just a baby, but Anthony would swear she could sense it too, with how fussy she’s been of late.

But Kate…

Kate doesn’t cry. 

His wife, his stunning and stalwart viscountess, isn’t the same woman she was when they married -- and Anthony is grateful every day for that. She doesn’t hide herself away anymore, at least not from him. 

Long past their early miscommunications, they’ve taught themselves how to lean on each other through good times and bad, and they’re stronger for it. They’ve also become all too skilled at reading one another’s emotions, usually before they even need to be spoken out loud. Their years together have, mercifully, been almost entirely happy, but still, Anthony has seen Kate break down about everything from a weaning baby to a frostbitten tulip bed to a starving stray kitten -- the last of whom was, of course, immediately provided with luxe accommodations in the Aubrey Hall stables.

This is why he worries so much when she doesn’t cry for Newton. Not when they finally accept that his health is declining, not that first night that the little beast’s family -- all five of them, now -- stand at the top of the staircase, waiting for him, realizing. Not even when she takes him out for one last turn about the gardens, just the two of them, in the frosty early hours of his final morning. Kate carries her furry companion in her arms for most of the way, and when they return, she lays him down to sleep and he never wakes. 

And still she doesn’t cry.

Anthony follows his wife’s lead and attempts to go about his day, though he knows he’s only practicing the motions. But Kate, she doesn’t even seem to flinch. She nurses Charlotte, meets with the cooks, cheers Miles up with some playtime, finalizes the holiday decoration plans, and takes lunch with Edmund in between his lessons. She does what she always does, and maybe everyone else would miss it, but the rock in Anthony’s stomach rolls itself into a boulder when he realizes that the only thing that’s off is that she won’t meet his eyes -- not once, all day.

He follows her up the stairs that night after dinner, Charlotte nestled asleep in his arms, and watches carefully as his wife presses a quick kiss to their daughter’s forehead before stalking away towards their chambers. Anthony looks after her for a moment before turning for the nursery, laying their daughter to rest in her crib. Mercifully, she hardly stirs. So he knows it can’t be more than five minutes before he follows, shrugging off his valet as he enters their bedroom. And he sees her.

“Kate?”

She’s still fully dressed, curled pitifully in the fetal position around Newton’s favorite blanket -- the one at the foot of their bed. And she’s sobbing so hard he worries she might not be able to breathe. 

“Oh, darling.” 

“I can’t… I just can’t believe he’s gone,” Kate gasps between breaths as Anthony quickly makes his way to sit on the bed beside her, rubbing a comforting hand down her back, undoing the buttons to her dress and loosening her stays, trying to provide what little comfort he can. “I thought I had prepared myself and I--”

“Kathani,” he whispers, brushing back her hair and leaning over to press a kiss to her temple, a murmur in her ear. “Sweetheart, it’s all right. You’re allowed to mourn him, of course you are.”

Her shoulders shudder to a slow stop, and she finally takes in a deep breath that seems to relax him more than it does her.

“There was a time when I thought it was going to be just him and I,” she admits after a long moment, so soft it could be a whisper. Anthony’s chest aches, as it always does, at the memory of the lives they could have had, of the people they had been before they had each other.

Even still, there’s a part of him that preens at how willing she is to show this side of herself to him. They’ve built their home on a foundation of love and trust -- he’d die for her in a second, and so he must be grateful for each hardship he’s lived through with her at his side.

“Back then, I thought Newton might be all the love I was ever going to have, and now-” she hiccups, and her tears start again in earnest. “Now I have so much more, but he’s gone, and I…”

“Kate-” Anthony starts with his heart in his throat, not really knowing what he’s going to say -- but he doesn’t even get the chance. His wife’s watery next words hit him solidly in the chest, knocking the breath from his lungs.

“And the boys...” 

Of course, Anthony realizes instantly. Of course that’s what’s pushed her so far.

Newton’s devotion to Kate had carried over immediately, each time they welcomed a new member to their family. But the most extraordinary part -- the part that still makes Anthony’s eyes go misty at the memories -- was how it often felt like the pup knew the children even before they did.

He knew to be gentle with Edmund. Their firstborn was a serious little sir from the moment he entered the world, and Newton approached with caution. His wiggling backside would often betray his excitement, but he somehow understood, instinctively, that the best way to endear himself to the boy was to simply curl up next to him. As Edmund grew, the pair could often be found seated side by side, peering out a window -- more than once Anthony had caught his son with his forehead pressed gently to the dog’s, quietly detailing his thoughts to a most patient listener.

When Miles was born, Newton was guarded at first, following the lead he had with his older brother. But he learned quickly. They all learned quickly with Miles. The first time his second son rolled over onto his stomach, he celebrated by grabbing his tiny hands onto each of the dog’s ears and letting out a joyous squeal. In Miles, the corgi soon found a devoted playmate — or “littermate,” his parents were fond of saying, when their toddler would curl up right alongside the pup on the floor.

And Charlotte… He had been waiting on Charlotte, Anthony realized. Just as they all had. It hadn’t even occurred to him at the time, but he remembered now how the corgi had stayed up all night with him, waiting in his study as Kate labored with their daughter. Even in his old age, Newton didn’t rest until Kate did, until he got a chance to see that she and her newest little one were healthy and safe.

“I am glad that you had him,” Anthony murmurs as he gently, chastely, strips his wife, and then himself, down to their underclothes and crawls into bed beside her. “I am glad that we all did.”

“Oh, you didn’t even like him,” Kate teases, grabbing at his hand when he slings it across his waist, and he’s grateful to hear the tiniest bit of levity in her voice. 

“We didn’t get off to the best start,” he admits with a smile. “But surely you know that I loved him -- if for no other reason than his devotion to you.”

Her sobs have started to soften, but she presses her eyes together and fresh tears still track down her cheeks. “I do. I know.”

Anthony leans up again to press another kiss to her temple, but she turns in his arms to meet his lips with her own, bittersweet and searing. It floods every part of him with heat. It makes him brave enough to ask.

“Kate, what happened today? Why---”

She’d been moving beneath him, but she freezes at the question, hands stilling on his cheek and shoulder. Her eyes drop from his, and Anthony would be lying if he said it didn’t make his blood run icy for the same moment.

“I couldn’t let them see me like this.” she admits quietly, with another tearful gasp. “I knew if I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop, and I didn’t want them to worry.”

This happens sometimes. For as good as they are together, for as much as they’ve healed one another, sometimes the scars of their past, of their duties and their grief and their mistakes, start to itch at them until they feel the need to scratch themselves bloody. Anthony’s quite sure that they’ll never be totally free of it, but it comforts him that the moments have started to come fewer and far between since their wedding, since their children, since this happiness he never thought he’d know again.

Tonight, though, he scolds himself silently. He should have expected this. He should have remembered earlier, when he knew that something was off, when he glanced at the portrait of his late father and thought himself silly.

“Kathani, you are the strongest person I know.” Anthony murmurs, carefully tucking back into her side. “God bless the both of them, but that includes our mamas. You are brave and steady and fiercely protective, and there’s not a single part of me that doubts you, ever.”

“You are so good to our children,” he continues, wrapping himself around her as tightly as he can. “So good to this family.”

The words don’t quite reach her. Anthony can feel it in the tension that’s keeping the muscles of her back taut against him. The wound is too fresh today, the memories returning in brilliant color. He understands how it feels -- if he thinks about it for even a moment, he can still see the bee land next to her lapel in the garden that day.

“You remember how it felt back then, with Mary, when you thought you might not get her back?” He knows she does, even before she nods against him silently. They’ve talked through it so many times before, the isolation they’d shared too young, how it feels to look for your mother and find little more than tears and ashes.

“I’ve never once -- not with everything you’ve been through -- never once worried that you were gone for good,” he assures her  “And neither have our children. You’re too strong for that, my love.”

She takes a deep, shuddering breath before turning fully in his arms to face him again, and he can finally feel her starting to believe him, their hearts so intertwined that his chest warms sympathetically.

“You give us so much of your best,” he adds, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose, “you can let them see a little of your worst.”

She nestles her forehead under his chin and it's finally his turn to breathe deeply with relief. 

“It’s not as if it will stop Edmund from fretting over you, anyway,” he adds, feeling her cheeks curl up just a little against his throat.

“Our little worrier,” she mumbles in agreement. “You know, he gets that from you.”

Anthony decides to leave that debate for another day as their bodies begin to still towards sleep, wrapping himself around his wife and contently pressing his lips at that spot next to her earlobe until they drift off together.

______

The next day is Friday, which means Anthony’s only appointment of the day is with his eldest son. 

Edmund is indeed their little worrier, seemingly seven going on 70, smart and serious in a way that makes his father most proud and also breaks his heart a little. He is a consummate first child just like both of his parents -- sharp and stubborn and dutiful -- and Anthony and Kate love to bicker over who their eldest takes after the most.

More than a year ago, when he learned what his father’s title meant, and how it would one day be his own, young Edmund had dozens of questions about all of the responsibilities that, God willing, he would not have to take on for many years. But naturally, he didn’t find that an acceptable reason not to know everything now, and Kate had rolled her eyes at how easily -- how proudly, to be truthful -- Anthony had decided to cancel his son’s regular Friday lessons in favor of a weekly father-son day, spent learning the (for now, very basic) ropes of the viscountcy.

Sometimes they visit with tenants, or supervise an ongoing project on one of the farms.  Sometimes they go over the accounts, with Edmund working out his own sums on old scraps of paper Anthony saves in a special desk drawer. Kate didn’t like the idea at first, worrying that it felt like pushing their son into his duties far too early. But instead, it’s seemed to have the opposite effect, helping to ease the anxieties all three of them know too well, and giving Anthony and his eldest some treasured extra time together, under the proud gaze of the viscounts that came before them.

Today, however, with the cloud of grief still hovering over Aubrey Hall, the two of them simply take tea in Anthony’s study while he signs some leftover ledgers.

“Amma is still in bed?” his son asks when he’s quietly polished off his scone.

“Yes,” Anthony nods. “She is sad about Newton, but she will be feeling well again soon.”

Edmund nods to match, his father’s mirror image. The boy’s chin is tight with worry, but there is nothing in his expression that betrays his belief in his mother, and the corners of Anthony’s eyelids go a little misty at the sight. He thinks for a moment that perhaps he’s doing something right with this parenting thing, before chuckling privately at the idea that he’s had anything to do with it at all.

For all their playful bickering about his dutiful nature, there’s no question that their eldest has been Kate’s since the moment he was born, when he gave her a gift no one else could.

“My mother’s eyes...” 

Anthony will never forget the awe in his wife’s voice when she took one look at their firstborn -- or how she promptly burst into tears moments after. It’s those same eyes that look at him pleadingly now, and Anthony steels himself. 

“Papa, do you think we might have another dog someday?” This is also a specialty of Edmund’s, processing his thoughts silently, at a superhuman speed, and leaving his family to figure out the road map.

“I would think it highly likely, yes,” Anthony answers, leaving open the benefit of a doubt, even though he knows it’s unnecessary. “I will be surprised if your mother doesn’t insist on it. But not just yet.”

Edmund nods once more, agreeing solemnly. “And Charlotte can know that dog.”

That had been one of their eldest’s chief concerns after they explained to him that Newton didn’t have much time left -- that his baby sister wouldn't remember their beloved dog in the same way that he and Miles did. Anthony remembers how tightly Kate had grabbed for his hand under the dinner table as they realized what he was asking, how his own mind had conjured up an image of Hyacinth as an infant.

He must have nodded again, because Edmund’s questions continue. “And Papa? When she’s older, can I still tell Charlotte about Newton?”

Anthony hopes his son can’t see how his chin wobbles as he grins, silently saying his usual prayer that these will be the only kind of responsibilities that plague the boy for years to come. “You certainly can,” he answers. “That’s something a very good big brother would do.”

His son takes that in, serious as ever, and then melts another bit of his father’s heart when he asks, “I’ll be like you?”

Anthony eyes flash to his own father’s portrait on the wall, and has to clear his throat before he answers. “Far better even than me, my boy.”

Edmund looks up then, those special eyes wide with wonder. He has heard plenty from his aunts and uncles about the kind of brother Anthony is and has always been, despite his father’s humble protests. “How?”

“Well for one, I never had a good dog like Newton to accompany me when I was growing up,” Anthony notes with a smile at his son. “I didn’t even know what I was missing.”

One more serious nod, a quick brush of a traitorous tear, and his boy seems satisfied for now. 

“Come, let’s go check on your mother and siblings.” Anthony’s heart broke a little the first time his eldest son refused to be carried, but he counts his blessings when the boy will still take his hand. They wind their way to the second floor, identical nods tipped at the staff, who keep their own private smiles about Lord Bridgerton and his proper young shadow.

“Kate?” one voice calls as they reach the viscount’s quarters, while the other echoes, “Amma?”

No matter how many times Anthony opens the door to his bedroom to a sight like this, it still makes his breath catch in his throat. Kate, sat up in their bed, nursing baby Charlotte. Miles tucked into her side solemnly, a thumb in his mouth Anthony can’t even bother to admonish him for right now.

Their eyes meet and it’s the most relieved Anthony’s ever been to see that his wife’s been crying. Because behind the shiny gloss of her grief, there’s also something that looks like comfort, relief, a catharsis that feels like she’s miles away from last night, on her way to the peaceful side of mourning. 

“Hello, my loves,” he says softly, adding another count to his blessings.

Edmund crawls up to sit beside Miles, and Anthony and Kate break their gaze only to notice their eldest wrapping a comforting arm around his younger brother -- while also stealthily brushing his thumb from his mouth.

Kate’s eyes widen slightly with bemusement as she turns back to whisper at Anthony. “Yours.”

“Absolutely not,” he protests, choking back a laugh so as not to make too much noise. 

“Papa!” Restless without his pacification, Miles stands on the bed and toddles his way to Anthony, who’s barely able to shrug out of his waistcoat before his second son is wrapping his arms around his neck with a soft whimper.

He’s all emotion, their sensitive soul. His middle name is Benedict, after all -- perhaps they doomed him to it. But there’s not one part of Anthony that minds when his boy buries his curly head underneath his chin and gives him the tightest hug his tiny arms can muster.

“Papa,” Miles repeats when he pulls back, sounding too solemn for his handful of years. “Amma sad.”

“Yes, my darling,” Anthony soothes. “Your Amma is sad about Newton. We all are, but it’s going to be all right.”

Miles nods, pulling his features into a serious frown that Anthony knows is a copycat of his big brother’s. “Amma love Noot.”

“Yes I did, my darling,” Kate agrees softly, and the sound of her voice is enough to make Miles turn back towards his mother, devoted as any Bridgerton man has ever been. Anthony smiles as he takes a seat on the other side of the bed, curling himself around his wife and children and marveling at a world where even the darkest days can feel like this.

“I loved him very much.”

______

The day after next, they say goodbye.

Kate asks three times if he’s certain, but Anthony insists, and a medium-sized stone is moved to a familiar cropping of woods -- not far from the larger monument that has served as his life’s compass. 

“They were both excellent judges of character, after all,” he tells his wife, with a reassuring smile and a comforting hand to her cheek, brushing away another stray tear. “I think they would have liked one another very much.”

They walk out together, the five of them dressed in white and clutching handfuls of flowers -- though most of Charlotte’s scatter to the ground before they reach the site. Anthony watches with tears in his eyes as Edmund presses his forehead to the stone, murmuring a few last words to his faithful friend. After a bit of prompting, Miles toddles towards the marker, planting a sloppy kiss right to it that leaves dirt on his nose. 

“Bye, Noot,” the boy says softly. “I love you.”

Anthony hears Kate whimper softly beside him, and he takes Charlotte from her arms as she steps forward herself, letting her flowers fall to the ground as she says her farewell, speaking softly to her old friend in a language Anthony can partly understand. And when her tears begin to fall, and the emotion takes her to her knees, Anthony’s vision blurs as his sons step forward even before he can, wrapping their arms around their mother and supporting her with the pure comfort only they can provide.

“My darling boys. I love you so,” she murmurs, to them all, and Anthony says his own private prayer of thanks as something long gone returns to his very soul.

He realizes that he was wrong on the walk back home -- his wife’s hand clutched tightly in his own, their children surrounding them, broken hearts held tight enough together to feel whole once more. This isn’t at all like it was before. 

#first mate fic #kathony fic #kathony #future kathony #anthony x kate #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #newton sharma #the goodest boy #edmund bridgerton #miles bridgerton #charlotte bridgerton #bridgerton fic

[leafdebrief]

Hi friends 👋

This is mostly a message for people on/from Twitter, and for me to repost as a link over there. Tumblr does long-form better and I can't think of any other way to communicate this effectively without a lot of writing, so here's the deal.

I'm getting close to finished compiling the various things I need to send for my pre-2023 mail people (yes, I am still doing this because I collect first and send when everything is perfect) and tying up a lot of loose projects. There's still a lot of work to do but with the time I've been not tweeting, I've been painting, soldering, building, videoing and editing my busy little hands away in preparation for surprises to come. BUT—

I need to get even more serious now. Or at least as serious as someone like myself can muster.

Right now, for me that means laying out my Grand Plan for this year on this post and then getting right to it. I'm addressing the Twitter fam directly because for you, dear friends, that will kinda mean I won't be on Twitter that much anymore. Really this time.

Yeah yeah, I know. We all threw up our arms and threatened to leave umpteen times, and then we all settled to stick around to watch it all burn, and for a while I was satisfied with that pace. It was fun watching the fire.

But the fire has already been reduced to embers.

Now it just feels like standing in front of a smouldering pile of garbage and gleefully inhaling its toxic fumes.

For the last few months, Twitter has slowly but very steadily been silencing the people I want to talk to—in a number of different ways—or outright making them disappear from me. Or worse still, replacing them. With what?

Antivaxxer

Antivaxxer

Transphobe

Elon Musk

Climate change denier

Literal nazi

Elon Musk

Antivaxxer

Everything I see everywhere in this place and now in my life is telling me in no uncertain terms: "mobilize now".

Bad actors are already mobile. The pandemic created an opportunity for our collective horseshit to fester, and now it is very commonplace to see people who publicly—and often violently—act out their racist, phobic, misogynist agendas in the real world. Stuff that nobody would dream of saying out loud 10 years ago for fear of getting punched are now everywhere I look. Nazis used be a Not Cool thing.

But people are literally dying.

I've been trying my level best to stick around and keep up morale on behalf of those who are being actively targeted, but then the shooting at start of the Lunar New Year gave me a shake. Once again, the target is people who look like the person I love most in the world. Her whole family. All of the people in my life that I hold dear, in fact, are targets in one way or another.

The funny thing is, violent extremism isn't even the worst threat we're facing. The walls are closing in from every direction: unfettered spread of deadly viruses is past the point of fixing, and ecological collapse the likes of which our civilization has not ever seen will happen in the next 10 years.

Does that mean I'm giving up the fight to go take care of myself and mine?

Don't be absurd. I'm just angrier.

Lucky for me and nobody else, the coping mechanism I developed for my anger in my 20s is doing everything faster. Like, way faster. More aggressively too.

But I need to focus and organize my efforts a bit better so I can start doing things out in the Real World™. The good news is that I already started preparing for this months ago and have a headstart now.

Basically, I think what I need to do is integrate all my various battles into one ongoing project/series/lifestyle, so I can just always be working towards those various goals while still creating content that can use any platform available to spread reach and find new ways to fix things.

Here's the plan:

Tour de'Brief is happening for real. I will be touching more grass this year, in different cities, to visit the various dispensaries I've become close with and talk with locals about local issues (keeping myself and others as safe from disease as possible naturally). Why?

Well for starters, it's the disposable thing again! I will be personally trying to make storeowners commit to getting rid of theirs, in exchange for an LD-exclusive battery recycling bin (to be sent to me for collection) and a bunch of assorted creations for all their employees. Yeah, I made stuff. Lots of it.

Twitter presence will ramp down to a mostly communicative one: announce things posted on other platforms, coordinate things with people, answer questions, and probably Spaces. Maybe the odd shitpost here and there, but I'll be draining my drafts folder for the foreseeable future. Does that mean... no more content??

Actually, no, it means NEW content—I'm going back into the YouTubes! Going full production mode, even more content hopefully. Big ambitious videos with all our friends, collaborations with musicians.. and Twitter hanging around in my back pocket to connect with those collaborators. I am turning into a television set.

Tumblr will still work for long-form writing, but also with more focus on showcasing finished works (paintings, trays, electronics, etc). There's lots of stuff to show now since I've been saving it up.

The podcast! (Wait, what??) That's right, I'm booting it back up! The format will be more guest-based since I have all you great pals to talk to now.

That mailing list! Once I'm done with friendmail, I'm going to just start randomly sending you shit, as was my original plan. #FreeDrugs is forever!!!

What I need most right now is a way to cover more ground. The way I've decided to achieve that is by being a pest, so.. the usual really, but much more personal this time around. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar though, so I'll be needing lots of time to make bad creations that will hopefully entice a store of people to temporarily tolerate my presence.

If this sounds like a bad plan, it might very well be. But stick with me here—

My thought is that I can use the opportunity presented by fighting my climate battle to shoehorn in whatever other missions need attention depending on the geographical area. Different places have different problems; I need to learn about how each community tackles them, if at all, and gather context.. read the vibes... then break shit!

Figuratively that is.

Of course there will be plenty of literal breakages, and that's part of the fun!

I am preparing for the world to look very different, and very Not Good, in the coming 5-10 years—the extent to which is not clear to me yet. I would be narcissistic and delusional to think I am going to save the world by collecting batteries from pot shops and arguing with the locals, but I need to do everything.. anything.. that I can, all at once preferably, while trying to expand my reach organically by essentially docu-series-ing the next year as it happens.

It's gonna be wild itellyouwhat.

This Friday we'll have a good bash before I quiet down the Twitter presence indefinitely, but I want to still be reachable and connect with the people I met there. It's a hard line to draw. There will be lots of mail goes back and forth though, so I'll still be retweeting and replying whenever possible.

If Spaces disappears, I have an entire mailing list of friends—digitally now!—and the means to operate outside of Twitter in a variety of different ways. We will continue to connect digitally until I make it to your hometown, and until then I will continue to mail things to anyone on that list... you're helping to make my video content, see?

We always make the greatest team.

#leaf debrief

[chad-valorant-enjoyer-and-writer]

Birthday Gift / Bitemark Valorant short

Viper frowned, both annoyed and appreciatively at the same time.

Cypher, being Cypher, dug up information her, specifically her birthday. He revealed it to the protocol two weeks before, giving everyine ample time to prepare their antics.

She tried to get a leave on the exact day, but Brimstone wouldn't budge.

Normally, she would ignore this day, as it just marked another 365 day revolution around the sun for her.

"Idiots." She huffed, incredibly exasperated from the large celebrations. "Why is there so much?!" Viper hissed.

In her hands were numerous gifts and bags, which she had been forced to carry. Partying was prohibited in the protocol, thus the agents out their effort into gifts.

She navigated the halls awkwardly, carrying the stack of boxes.

Viper stumbled into her lab, tripping on her own heel. "Ah–"

Crash! Thud!

The boxes fell hard in the floor, the packaging was warped and their contents were probably damaged.

But that was not the worrying part, that would be the strong arms wrapped around her waist, the same arm keeping her from falling over.

"...Thank you... Chamber."

She turned around to face him as she collected herself.

"You're welcome." he said, gently assiting her to her feet. "Ah, Your heels are broken."

Viowe looked to her feet, and yes, it was in fact broken.

"Fuck." She frowned, before turning to him. "Thanks for the assist, but why did you follow me?"

Chamber blinked for a moment, before coughing once. "Ahem— ah, I almost forgot."

She noticed the dark bags underneath his eyes, hidden away by his glasses.

Chamber breathed, probably out if nervousness. He held out a case for her to receive.

It was a ballistic case, about the length on a small briefcase, with a emerald-green ribbon. Along with it was an bottle of wine clearly labeled Lafitte-Rothschild 1990, and a singular wine glass.

"Happy Birthday." he greeted, holding out the present and the wine for her to receive.

Since her hands were empty, she graciously received them.

"A ballistic case?" She thought, moving to the table.

She set the items down and turned around. But before she could speak, Chamber was on his knees, picking up the fallen presents.

"It's okay, i can—"

"I insist." He interrupted, earning a frown from Viper. "It is your birthday after all."

Viper contemplated on arguing, but she just sighed. "Suit yourself."

"I wonder what's in it?"

For a brief moment if silence, she watched the frenchman effortless arrange the presents based on width, size, and color.

Viper grew bored, and decided to open his gift.

"And that should be all, I will take my leave—" He said, walking to the door.

"A gun?" Viper said out loud, making him stip in his tracks. "I-Is this custom made?"

Chamber turned to her with a smirk in his face, clearly gleaming with pride. "Yes, it is in fact custom made."

Viper turned to the gun, a shotgun, the same size if a shorty shotgun.

"I thought your rates were expensive, according to sulking Phoenix." she smirked.

Chamber chuckled, looking back, with hus hand in the door knob. "That was just an excuse, but I am in fact, expensive."

Viper puts the gun down, before then crossing her arms. "An excuse? Care to elaborate?"

Chamber chuckled, turning away to leave. "You see, I am not romantically interested in Phoenix."

Viper was slacked jaw, her retort stuck in her throat.

"W-What?!?!" She finally gasped, when he was already long gone. Heat rose to her cheeks and ears, tinting them pink, a drastic contrast to her usual self.

Le fin.

Bonus:

The protocol agents gathered around the living room were speechless. Displayed on the large TV screen was camera footage of Viper's laboratory.

"Oh my..." Sage murmured.

"Goddamn." Reyna hummed.

They were interested in how Viper would reply to their gifts, but they definitely did not expect to witness that interaction.

"Honestly 'fam, I ain't even mad." Phoenix grinned. "That was pretty smooth, if i say so myself."

#valorant #fanfic #valorant fanfiction #valorant chamber #valorant viper #valorant chamber x viper