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alpacaparkaseok · 3 years

Text

The Other Side

Part One

Genre: KSJ Soulmate au

Warnings: none

Word Count: 8.7k

What is tachycardia?

Tachycardia: abnormally high heart rate

Causes: exercise, stress, anxiety, fear, anger, or love

Ventricular tachycardia: may be life threatening; please see: “soulmate”

Since I could begin to retain information around the age of four, I have been taught one thing over and over again.

Soulmates = mortal danger.

Granted, I wasn't the only one who was taught this. I wasn’t raised in some strange cult or taught that love was discouraged.

No, actually. It’s just a part of life.

Soulmates are commonplace, my own parents being an example of that. The world we live in is riddled with beautiful contradictions, one of the most prominent of all those lovely contradictions being the existence of soulmates.

There is no fancy system put into place, no timer or thread of fate that ties us together. There’s really no way of knowing who or when or where you’ll meet the person that is supposed to complete you and bring joy to your life.

I’m sure there’s some sort of way that fate decides when, seeing as the majority of people meet at a fairly young age. The number of soulmates that meet over the age of fifty are few; although it’s been known to happen a couple of times among senior citizens placed into nursing homes.

Soulmates are the sole reason that most children can pronounce the word “tachycardia” before they reach the age of seven.

Tachycardia typically isn’t fatal, it’s something people tend to experience quite often when the circumstances change. Out on a run? You’re probably experiencing tachycardia. Terrified that there’s a burglar in the house? Yep, tachycardia coming right up.

Have you just stumbled across your soulmate for the first time? Tachycardia in its most extreme form will hit you like a brick wall in just a second.

“Who can tell me what the first response you should have when you see that someone has made contact with their soulmate?”

A flurry of hands fly up to the sky, my own included. The steps are rushing around in my brain, just begging to be let out.

“Haneul?” I’m called on and fight a smile as I answer my instructor’s question.

“First, move one of them to a separate room. Place a door between them if possible, and then call 911 if there are no soulmate assistants available.”

My instructor nods, smiling warmly at me. “Exactly. Now can somebody go through the calming exercises step by step…”

Somebody nudges my side, and I turn to see my friend and fellow applicant, Yuri, smiling at me.

“You’re totally getting in,” she whispers to me.

I roll my eyes. “Just because I answered one question right?”

“He remembered your name...that definitely means something.”

Turning my attention back to the front before we’re caught whispering, I entertain the idea before kicking it out. It’s best to not think about it too much, I can’t look like I’m bored or not paying attention. This is too important a day to give a bad impression. The sigil on the instructor’s shirt only serves as a reminder.

The Bighit entertainment logo stands out like a beacon as the instructor moves about, calling up a couple of applicants to demonstrate how to properly restrain someone without hurting them.

His movements call attention to the yellow circle below the Bighit logo, the color that marks him as a ‘soulmate assistant’. Basically just a fancy word for someone who has to make sure if an idol accidentally meets a soulmate at a concert or any other event, nobody dies.

Everyone goes home happy. Alive, and newly bonded.

And if I get this job, that means I’ll go home happy and paid. That’s all I could ever want, isn’t it?

If we’re being completely honest, being hired on as a professional soulmate assistant for Bighit or any other big agency would be a dream come true for someone like me. I would get to travel, meet new people, all the while receiving a steady paycheck while attending concerts for free.

Sure, it’s a tough job. It requires constant vigilance; a single yawn at the wrong time could mean disaster. Which is part of the reason why my parents thought I was a bit crazy wanting to go into such a profession. They backed off a little once I showed them what kind of money I’d be in for, though.

All of it has led to this moment: going through one final walkthrough before we’re called in for individual interviews and eventually left to leave things up to fate. It’s a pretty big deal to have even made it this far. The actual interview process with the soulmate board of Bighit entertainment is rigorous, eventually leading to a one on one interview with one of the managers of either TXT or BTS.

Our group that started off with just over 200 applicants has been filed down to ten. Tensions are high, Yuri’s near constant fidgeting is a sure sign of that.

Ten remain, but only two will be hired on. One for BTS, and one for TXT.

Not gonna lie, I’m hoping I’m getting interviewed for TXT. I have a hunch that Yeonjun, Beomgyu and I would get along great.

Not that I’m picking favorites.

Our small overview comes to an end, the instructor getting to the part we’ve all been waiting for.

“If you’ll remain here for a few minutes, we’ll be pulling a few of you in for interviews. Remember, if you don’t get interviewed today that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Don’t overthink it too much.”

The instructor leaves the room, and a collective sigh goes throughout our small group. Yuri is bouncing her knee, keeping her eyes planted on the wall in front of her. All I can do is wait, I suppose.

Life is cruel that way. It’s the same way with soulmates. All there is to do is wait. Live life as if you aren’t waiting for that one heartstopping (or rather, heartstarting), moment in which you come face to face with the person fate has decided will love you better than anyone else on earth.

It would be foolish of me to say that everyday for the past four years I haven’t entered my classes on campus or any restaurant holding my breath in hopes that today would be the day. College campuses are a kind of hotspot for soulmate activity; one of my trainings was actually spent just shadowing different classes and waiting for something to happen. It was my first hands-on training, and it only lasted a week.

In a single week I assisted in four different soulmate placings.

And that was in the middle of midterms; when the odds of meeting your soulmate are fairly low because stress levels are high. People are less likely to mingle with different groups of people, if they even bother to look up from their textbooks at all. So needless to say I was always waiting for it to happen.

Always waiting, never experiencing. It’s safe to say that after I graduated both my parents and I were a bit disappointed. While it’s not necessarily uncommon for people to reach college graduation age without a soulmate, it’s also an instant way to get everyone to pity you.

Sure, I wallowed for a while in self-pity. However, once I set my mind on pursuing a career in soulmate assisting within an idol group, I was an unstoppable force. And as for finding my soulmate? I used the possibility of working for Bighit as another way to make my parents feel better about their lack of a son-in-law.

If I get the job, I’ll be traveling the world. The chances of me meeting my soulmate would surely skyrocket.

“Choi Haneul?”

I jerk out of my stupor to see the instructor waving me over. Yuri gives me a light nudge, smiling at me encouragingly as I make my way over to the door with a pounding heart.

Fun fact: many people panic and think they’re experiencing what are referred to as “soulmate spikes” the second they start to feel a spike in their heart rate. 9.9/10 times they’re wrong. One way to tell if you really are experiencing soulmate spikes (the initial spike in heart rate upon seeing your soulmate) is if you’re also experiencing intense tunnel vision.

The instructor gives me a curt nod, refusing to give anything away. He simply escorts me down the hallway and into a room where someone is looking over some papers.

Sejin, manager of BTS.

Maybe he’ll pass me along to TXT if he thinks I’d vibe better with them? No, I think to myself. There’s no way I’m about to undermine myself.

“Choi Haneul?” Sejin asks me, a light smile on his face as he looks up at me. I nod, unsure of whether or not I should even say anything. “Please, take a seat.”

The instructor closes the door behind him as he leaves, and suddenly I’m alone with someone I never realized could be perceived as intimidating.

“It’s very nice to meet you, I’m Sejin.”

I nod, fighting a sarcastic chuckle. Does he actually think I don’t know who he is, or is he just being polite? “I’m Haneul, thank you for having me.”

Sejin smiles again, looking back down at his papers. “Of course. Now, this probably won’t be a very long interview. Your stats speak for themselves.” He waves the paper in the air, and I see my application form as well as my transcripts from college. “I do just have a few questions for you, if that’s alright?”

“Of course.” I put pressure on my legs, reminding myself to keep still.

“Wonderful. First off, how comfortable are you with constantly being in new environments and having to adapt to an idol’s schedule? It’s a rigorous one.”

Chewing on the inside of my cheek I process the question. “I wouldn’t say that I’m very comfortable at all.”

Sejin’s eyes grow wide, but he proceeds. “And why is that?”

“I wouldn’t want to grow comfortable with it. That would draw away my attention from my job, and my job pretty much depends upon me remaining alert at all times. Now, could I adapt to the schedule? Without a doubt.”

Sejin gives a small chuckle, leaning back against his seat. “Huh. Interesting.”

☆

“C’mon, we have to celebrate!” Yuri bounces up and down, practically glowing. “I can’t believe we both got interviewed!”

I smile along with her, still a little giddy. “Yeah, but don’t you think that’s a little premature? It was just an interview, after all. The really important part is if they call you after.”

“Whatever, don’t you want to celebrate with me? I never thought I’d make it past the first week.”

That I can definitely agree with. It’s a competitive field for sure, and the agency does its best to weed out the weak. For good reason, obviously. Nearly half of the applicants the first week in were fangirls hoping they would match up with one of the idols they might work with. And the other half? Those were the ones who quickly realized that they weren’t crazy enough to want a job that required excessive time and effort.

“Alright, where do you want to go?”

Yuri jumps in place making me laugh. Dragging me along behind her, we take the first taxi we can find. The streets of Seoul are filling up now that the evening is coming along. It’s a Friday night; everybody is going to be out and about, celebrating the end of another week.

When we make it to the little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that the two of us have frequented a little too much over the past few months, there’s a fairly large crowd mulling about. We squeeze into a booth after paying for our food, finally able to eat without feeling like I’m going to throw up from the stress.

“Wow, is it just me or does this taste even better now?” Yuri looks up at me with wide eyes and full mouth.

“Is it just me or do you look like a gopher right now?”

If it wasn’t for the piles of food between us I’m sure she would have smacked me. She settles for a quick kick to the shin instead. Hissing at her, she offers me a sweet smile.

“So what’s Sejin like? He’s always seemed like a sweet little teddy bear to me.” Yuri asks before shoving more food into her mouth.

I shrug, thinking back over my interview. The entire thing probably only lasted about 20 minutes, but I think it went well. “He’s nice. Professional, but he honestly wasn’t that grueling. He just said my stats pretty much did all the talking. I think he was just trying to see if I was crazy or not.”

Yuri snorts, nodding along. “Same. Do you think you passed the crazy test?”

“Too soon to tell.”

We delve back into our food, talking more about our interviews. Despite the huge unanswered question hanging between us, did we make it?, the stress from earlier has dissipated. There’s nothing left to do except wait. I feel satisfied with all the work I’ve put in; there’s not a lot more I could’ve done.

It’s the sound of someone’s phone ringing that has us pausing. We look at each other with wide eyes, but there’s no way they’ve already made their decision-

“It’s just my mom,” Yuri sighs out as she brings the phone to her ear. She chats with her mother for a few minutes, reassuring her that everything went well today. I mindlessly push my food around, the sound of Yuri’s ringtone put me on edge for a moment. They definitely won’t call tonight. We just finished!

“What did your mom say?” I ask once she hangs up. Yuri shrugs.

“Just wanted to know if I was interviewed. She said she’s rooting for the both of us, she seemed pretty relieved that we’re not going for the same position.”

That’s right. While I was pulled in for an interview with Sejin, Yuri was pulled in for an interview with TXT’s managers. As far as we’re concerned, we’re now contending for our spots as soulmate assistants to two different groups. And considering that each group is only looking for 1 assistant, it’s pretty competitive. The instructor did say there was a small chance of hiring two per group, just depending on their needs. One of those would only be a part-time assistant though. Definitely not the ideal position.

“Yeah, same here-”

Yuri’s phone lights up again, and this time there is no sigh of relief as she sees who’s calling.

Looking up at me with wide eyes, she looks like she might throw up all the food we just ate. “It’s the agency.”

Gasping aloud, I drop my chopsticks and wave at her to hurry. “Answer it! Quick!” Yuri gives me a terrified look before slowly bringing the phone up to her ear. I chew on my lip as I watch her expression change from terrified to startled.

“R-really? That’s great news!” Yuri bounces up and down in her seat, and I mirror her movement. “Of course! 9am? Sounds perfect...I’ll be there! Thank you so much!”

She drops her phone on the table as she pants. “...so?” I ask her, and she grins up at me.

“I got the job!”

We both scream a little louder than necessary, the people sitting in the both across from us glaring in our direction. “No way! That was so fast!”

She nods, running her hands through her hair. “I know! They just said the decision was easier to make than they expected, seeing as I have the most experience out of the people they interviewed. I’m supposed to head in tomorrow to go over the contract and get to work.”

There’s a little twist of uncertainty in the pit of my stomach as I realize that Yuri was hired within a matter of hours. What does that mean for me?

“That’s amazing, Yuri. I’m so proud of you.”

She shakes her head, unable to stop smiling. “I’ve got to call my mom, should we head out?” I nod, following her out of the restaurant. She’s practically skipping to a taxi, waving it over. I laugh at her behavior.

“I can’t believe it though. Make sure you tell Yeonjun that we’re meant to be best friends.”

Yuri slides into the taxi, and I follow after her. She fixes me with a dazed smile as she gives directions to her apartment. We live in the same complex, so it’s easy to go anywhere with her.

“I’ll be sure to tell him. Who knows, maybe the two of you are soulmates!” Yuri winks at me even as I cringe.

“No way, he’s way too young for me.”

Rolling her eyes, Yuri manages to get one more comment out before her mother answers the phone. “Whatever, you’re only like what? Three years older? Mom! Guess what!”

By the time we make it to our apartments Yuri is still gushing to her mom on the phone. My own parents texted me, I just responded and told them I was interviewed. Their obvious excitement over making the interview fails to buoy me up, though. Not when I’m becoming more and more convinced that I’m not going to be receiving a call tonight.

Perhaps I’ll wake up to a consolation email in the morning, thanking me for my time and sending me on my way.

Yuri invites me over to her apartment to continue in the celebrations, but I opt out of it. She frowns, about to apologize or something but I speak up before she can. I don’t want any apologies; not yet. That makes it seem like it’s really over.

“My parents are begging me to call them and you know how long they can talk for,” I say, backing away. “I’d better go call them now so I can still get to sleep at a decent time. Congrats again, Yuri. You deserve it. Let me know how everything goes tomorrow, ok?”

Yuri nods, still frowning. “You sure you don’t need anything?”

“Nope! I’m all good. Good night!”

I wave before turning and heading up the stairs. Yuri lives on the ground floor whereas I live on the third. It’s a small apartment complex, and it’s pretty quiet most of the time. Tonight though, people are celebrating the weekend, and the sounds delve into my ears until I have to screw my eyes shut and press my hands up to my ears.

Leaning against my door the second I close it behind me, I sigh. The thoughts are too loud in my head right now.

What started off as a hopeful day has effectively crashed and burned right before my eyes.

Peaking one eye open I glare at the big world map I have hanging up in my living room. To anyone else it’s just another lovely piece of artwork. Painted on a thin canvas with vibrant greens, blues and purples it draws the eye and fills people with wanderlust.

For me it represents a dream that is becoming more and more unobtainable.

My best friend from my childhood found her soulmate five years ago. We were freshly graduated from high school, it was perfect. I thought that it was perfect, at least. They were able to finish growing up together, figuring out college and taking time to really fall in love before life became too crazy to hardly eat.

They got married two years ago. It was beautiful and they made it look so easy. They finished up college together and moved to Gwacheon. I haven’t seen her for a year now, we’ve just been naturally growing apart.

She’s always been supportive of me trying to find my soulmate. It’s odd, seeing that I’ve always been the one obsessed with learning about them and preparing for that moment and she’s the one that just happened to stumble upon her soulmate right after she turned 18. But she never made me feel like I was falling behind or at a loss.

Our last phone call reminds me of the entire reason why I bought that gigantic world map in the first place, hanging it where I would see it every time I walked in the door at the end of the day.

“You know Haneul, he’s out there. There’s no question about that.”

“I know...just, where? I’m starting to think that he doesn’t want to be found.”

“That’s not true. And if it is, I’ll personally slug him for you.”

“Thanks, I think?”

“You know what you need to do, Han?”

“I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”

“Of course I am. You just have to go out there! Get out in the world, get out of Seoul, and go live your life! The second you get out and start living your life will be when everything falls into place for you. I’m certain of it.”

“I’d love to do that, really. But how on earth do I manage that? I need a stable job, I have an apartment to pay for. I can’t just leave everything to go in search of someone I’ve never met and who maybe isn’t ready to be found.”

“It’s up to you. But I know you, and you’re not happy. I can’t imagine it, I’m not going to pretend to understand. We both know I got lucky...but really Haneul. I know it’s scary and there’s a lot that you don’t know the first thing about, but I just think that if you want to move on from this you have to leave the apartment and get out there. And you think he isn’t ready to be found? Nobody ever is. But I can guarantee that the two of you are both ready to be loved.”

It’s been nearly ten months since that phone call, and it’s been nearly ten months since I became friends with Yuri and found out about the agencies beginning their hiring process. It seemed too good to be true, especially once I found out about the heavy schedule filled with nearly nonstop travelling and meeting people.

I always knew there was a reason I went into the soulmates studies. Finally it seemed like the opportunities were appearing that I so desperately needed.

Ten months. Rigorous training and exhausting schedules that sometimes had me wondering if this really was the right path for me.

But every night, sometimes late enough to see the black sky begin to turn to a hazy gray with the promise of dawn approaching before I even had a chance to sleep, I stumbled home and saw that map.

Somewhere. Every night, I’d see it and chant the word to myself. Somewhere. You’re somewhere out there.

It’s worth it, isn’t it?

Slowly standing up from my position against the door, I glare at my phone as I take it from my pocket. No phone call.

Another glance at the map, the beautiful colors and lines mocking me as it tells me that while he may be somewhere, I am still here. And as long as I remain here, where my soulmate is will be a big question mark.

No phone call. No job. No soulmate.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I make my way to my bedroom. Now would probably be a great time to shower, but I’d much rather just lay here on my bed and stare up at the ceiling as I wallow in self-pity.

“Happy Friday night to me.”

☆

I think it’s on the third ring that I wake up from my slumber, still in my clothes from the day before. Groaning out a few incoherent words, I search my blanket for where my phone is ringing incessantly.

“Who…?”

Finally grasping my phone, I hold it up to my squinting eyes. My mouth drops open of its own accord, my heart rate spiking. Clearing my throat, I attempt to sound like I didn’t just wake up as I answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello, I’m calling for Choi Haneul?”

My voice gets caught in my throat. “S-speaking.”

“Wonderful. My apologies for calling you so early, I’m manager Sejin, I interviewed you yesterday?”

Straightening out my clothes even though he can’t see them, I nearly scoff at the idea of him having to introduce himself. Like I’d forget.

“Right, no worries. How may I help you?” Slipping into the role of gracious host, I chew on my lip.

Sejin wastes no time getting to the point. “We certainly didn’t expect to come to a decision so quickly, but after reviewing the interviews and applicants, you were a standout Miss Choi. As a representative of Bighit entertainment and manager of BTS, I would like to offer you the position of central soulmate assistant. That is, if you’re still interested.”

I’m practically floating above the floor by the time Sejin finishes speaking. “I- yes! Yes, I would be honored.”

Sejin chuckles lowly. “That’s perfect. Let’s see it’s...6:30 am now? Would you be alright to head in to the company by 9 to go over your contract and meet with the senior soulmate assistant?”

He could have asked me to show up wearing nothing but a garbage bag at 3 in the morning, and I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes.

“Of course, I’ll be there!”

“I’ll send you an email with where to go and further instructions.”

“Thank you!”

Laughing again, Sejin allows me this bit of joy. “Thank you, Miss Choi. I’ll see you shortly.”

I’m nearly panting as I end the call, falling back against my bed and staring up at the ceiling with a mad grin. Then, body bursting with excitement I leap up from the bed and hurdle into the front room.

Hurtling to a stop before my map still hanging on the wall, I call my parents.

☆

“I wonder what it’s liiiiike,” I sing at the top of my lungs as I rummage through my closet for something to wear. Double checking the email from manager Sejin, I decide that it might be best to bring in some backup.

Bringing my phone up to my ear, I wait for Yuri to answer the phone. It’s barely seven in the morning, chances are she’s just getting ready as well.

“Haneul?”

The grin that’s been a permanent resident on my face for the past thirty minutes grows wider. “Yuri! I was wondering, could I carpool with you to the agency?”

It’s silent on the other side while Yuri connects the dots. “What do you mean...wait, shut up! You got it?! You got the job?!”

Yuri screams louder than I did while I was on the phone with my parents, but now I can’t help but scream right back. “YES! I got it! They just called me this morning!”

We’re both a happy mess as Yuri decides to bring her things upstairs to get ready with me. “I already picked out my outfit last night, I’ll just bring it up. Be right there!!” She really doesn’t waste any time, because less than two minutes later I open the door to find a panting Yuri nearly buried beneath her pile of clothes and makeup bags.

“Here, let me take that,” I mutter, laughing as she lets me ease some items of clothing off of her pile. “That was fast.”

“Han!!! I’m so happy for you!” As soon as we dump her stuff on my bed, Yuri pounces on me and begins trying to strangle me like a boa constrictor. “I was so nervous for you, and I didn’t want this to drive us apart. I knew for a fact that you were by far the most qualified, they would’ve been complete idiots to let you go!”

Laughing, I drag the both of us over to the closet. “What are you wearing to this, then? What does ‘casual-nice’ even look like?”

Yuri takes the opportunity to show me her outfit, my jaw dropping as she puts it on and shows it off.

“I was thinking something like this,” Yuri says as she straightens out the sleeves of the sweater she wears beneath the checkered brown dress.

My mouth drops open of its own accord. “Wow.”

Yuri frowns as she goes to look at herself in the mirror. “Is it too much?”

“No,” I shake my head as I delve into my thoughts. “I’m just thinking that you’re going to make everyone in there wish you were their soulmate.”

Cheeks turning a furious red color, Yuri waves off my comment. “Whatever. Let’s find you something to wear.”

In the end I try on four different outfits before settling on one that I think will do the job. It’s certainly more simple than Yuri’s but I find that it’s more functional.

“So pretty,” Yuri coos as she gets ready beside me, the vanity proving to have just enough space for the two of us.

“Me or you?” I question, smirking at her. Yuri grins.

“Both.”

☆

Yuri ends up driving us to the agency, much to my eternal gratitude. Once the time came closer, I began to become more and more nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve started a new job; I’ve been working at the university for the past four years and only quit about a month ago in order to make room for the rigorous training that was a result of making it to the final round of applicants.

I’m grateful for Yuri’s company as she chatters about how excited she is, it’s keeping my mind off of the nerves that are currently tying themselves into a knot in the pit of my stomach.

“I just really think that the boys seem really genuine, you know?” She says, tapping out the beat to the song playing on the radio on the steering wheel. “From everything that I’ve seen and heard about them, they seem really cool. I’m excited to meet them.”

Shaking my head numbly as we slow to a stop before a red light, I try to remember just how badly I wanted this job. “Yeah, they do. I’m jealous, I wanted TXT!”

Yuri cackles as she glances over at me. “You can’t even complain, you’re probably going to be paid way more than me!”

That much is true. While Yuri will still be traveling a lot and certainly have her hands full with the five members, I’m going to be paid more. With the constant traveling, meetings, and seven total members, my job will be nonstop.

Either way, the moral of the story is this: we’re about to make some major money. But there won’t really ever be enough time to spend it.

That’s not why people become soulmate assistants. Those that go after it for the money are quickly weeded out. A job that requires all of your time and then some is exhausting, and the uncertain element of every situation is enough to drive some people crazy. I’ve heard about how concerts can be nightmares sometimes, especially when the crowd is huge.

Just imagine it: one of the group members makes eye contact with someone for less than a second, and suddenly they’ve got tunnel vision and are trying to jump off the stage into the sea of adoring fans that are all too happy to receive them. Then, somewhere in the crowd of thousands of fans, there’s a poor person who’s freaking out and feeling the symptoms of tachycardia, but guess what? So is everyone in the crowd. Adrenaline is pumping through them all since they’re at their favorite band’s concert.

Long story short, it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The biggest thing is for one of the soulmate assistants to grab the idol before they can abandon all reason and their heart gives out, and the other assistant has to find the fan who’s wildest dream just came true.

It doesn’t happen that often, but it has been known to happen on occasion. The most recent was at a TWICE concert, where Sana happened upon her soulmate in the middle of a set. The video of the soulmate assistant acting in record time to contain the situation went viral and it’s one that I had to watch several times throughout my training.

“You guys have a senior assistant, don’t you?” I ask, wondering at my title as central soulmate assistant.

“Yep,” Yuri starts back up again as the light turns green, checking the clock. We’ve still got plenty of time. “From the email they sent me it sounds like I’ll be a junior assistant for about six months before moving up to senior.”

“So fast?”

Yuri shrugs. “Sounds like the senior assistant is about ready to retire. What’s your title?”

“Central.”

“Oh, so fancy.”

There are typically two different forms of soulmate assistant hierarchy; the junior/senior pattern and then the central system.

Junior/senior system is pretty self-explanatory: the senior assistant has typically worked with the group for a while already, and the junior assistant acts as an apprentice of sorts. Learning the trade and preparing to someday take over the responsibilities of the senior assistant. They work as a team to ensure the safety of the group.

A central assistant is a more in-depth and new system. Essentially, I’ll have eyes and ears everywhere from various staff members, who are constantly updating me on potential soulmates. All of the staff have been educated in the basics of soulmate studies, so they know what to do to subdue the situation if need be.

According to Sejin’s email, I will most likely be the only licensed soulmate assistant on the team. My job is to remain close to the members so I can hopefully be the first on the scene to help and get everything under way.

It’s exciting, but also a lot of pressure. My only hope is that the boys don’t run into their soulmates for a while; I would like to at least get to know everyone before having to get all up in their personal space.

The agency looms before us in the morning sun, looking somehow inviting and dreadful at the same time. Yuri follows what the security tells her at the front, parking in the parking garage before turning the car off.

8:42.

“We’re a bit early, but at least now we’ll be able to find where we’re supposed to go.”

I nod numbly at her words, trying to fight the pounding in my heart.

Side Effect #1: Rapid Pulse Rate

“I’m kind of freaking out.”

“Me too. I’m glad you’re here, though.”

“I’m glad you’re here, too.” I grin at Yuri.

It’s quiet in the car before we build up the courage to get out. Our shoes tap against the ground, filling the silent garage with noise. Once inside, we’re directed by a receptionist toward the offices of Sejin and TXT’s management. They’re on the same floor, so we take the elevator together.

As soon as the doors close, Yuri lets out a squeal. “I’m going to dieeee!”

Laughing giddily at her reaction, I lean up against the wall of the elevator and try my best to control my breathing. “Same. Same. Whoo, I need to breathe.”

Side Effect #2: Shortness of breath

The elevator ride is entirely too short, because before I know it Yuri is dragging me out into the hallway and searching for the office #12. I’m supposed to be looking for #17.

Of course Yuri finds hers first, my friend coming to a stop just before the door, turning to grab my hand with surprising strength.

“Quick, tell me that I’ll be fine,” she hisses.

Gently removing her hand from mine, I give her an encouraging smile. “You’ll do great, and everything will work out just fine, Yuri.”

Rolling her shoulders, she gives me a mock salute before stepping up to the door. “See you later?”

“Good luck.”

I scamper past as she knocks on the door, looking back as she’s ushered in by a middle-aged man who must be the senior soulmate assistant. He wears the tell-tale yellow circle on his shirt, his eyes wide and alert as though always on the lookout.

He must have left an apprentice with TXT; there are always a few mulling about the agency to step in for the main assistants when they need to attend to other things.

#17 is just a few doors down, the door already wide open as I walk up to it. I don’t allow myself to pause and freak out again, because I’m scared that they’ll hear me start screaming out here or something.

Shoving down the nervousness to the corners of my mind, I take a deep breath and tap the open door lightly.

Sejin sits at his desk, talking quietly to someone sitting in the chair before his desk. He looks up at me, smiling politely. The person in the chair before him turns around at the sound of my knock, and I find myself face to face with none other than the leader of BTS.

“Miss Choi, great to see you,” Sejin stands, Namjoon as well as he waves.

I bow, hoping that my face isn’t too red as I look into the office. It looks like it’s just Namjoon. What a relief.

“Thank you for calling me back,” I say, nodding to Namjoon. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Namjoon smiles at me, gesturing for me to take the seat beside him. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Sejin spoke highly of you.”

Shuffling into the office, I give Sejin a surprised look. “That was kind of you.”

“I was only telling the truth. Namjoon helped me make the decision in regards to the position, so don’t just thank me.”

Namjoon gives me a sheepish smile before settling back down in the chair. I follow suit, mumbling out a small ‘thank you’.

Once we’re all settled, Sejin produces a packet and slides it across the table to me, another one to Namjoon, and keeps one for himself.

“Ok, shall we get started?”

Sejin begins explaining the contract, Namjoon listening intently beside me. The fact that Namjoon helped with all of this makes me feel a little better somehow. It makes me feel like I won’t be quite so out of place with BTS.

We’re stuck in his office for nearly an hour just going over the finer details of the job, and by that time I’ve finally come out of my shell enough to form a few intelligent questions.

“How many staff members do you have that went through soulmate training within the past three months?” I ask, leaning back in my chair as I examine the Staff Preparedness section in the contract.

Sejin looks over something on his computer. “Within the past three months? Only two; the rest are within the year. We have them renew the course once a year. Why three months?”

“There was a technique that was completely discredited by Léo Dupont and they just began applying it in soulmate training within the past three months. While it may not seem that important, it can sometimes make a big difference in timing.”

Namjoon looks at me with wide eyes, a hint of respect blooming there. “What was the technique he discredited?”

“The glass door technique. It was believed that if the soulmates could still see each other but refrain from actual physical contact, this would assist in the ‘come down’ from the surge in heart rate.”

“It doesn’t?” Sejin asks.

I shake my head. “No, in fact, recent studies show that it nearly doubled the ‘come down’ time. It also served as a spike in the heart rate, long after it should have returned to a normal range. It nearly killed Jennifer Aniston before someone moved her to a more secure location. Best case scenario is a complete cut-off from view, and engaging in verbal contact rather than physical.”

“That’s good to know,” Sejin mumbles, typing something out on his laptop. “I’ll send out a memo with that information as well as advise staff to renew their training as soon as possible.”

We go over a few more details before Namjoon sits up in his seat. “We’re about done, right? I just got a text from Soobin saying they’re all gathered up and ready to go.”

My heart rate spikes again as I realize that we must be meeting together after this. And from the sounds of it, it’s practically the entire agency.

“Yeah, just about. Do you want to sign, Namjoon, and you can head out?”

Namjoon signs Sejin’s copy of the contract before getting up and heading toward the door. “We’re excited to have you join the team, Miss Choi.”

“Thank you! And you can just call me Haneul, don’t worry about it.”

Namjoon’s dimples make an appearance as he smiles back at me. “Then I’m just Namjoon to you. See you guys in a bit.”

Sejin covers the last few points in the span of ten or so minutes, clearly ready to get going like I am. We finish up going over vacation days when he leans back with a sigh.

“And yeah, I think that’s about it. Any questions? Today you’ll be getting a feel for the schedule and meet the boys and staff you’ll be working closely with, so don’t hesitate to ask them any more questions as they come.”

Palms starting to sweat with the idea of meeting the rest of Bighit shortly, I give a curt shake of the head. “I think I’m good for now.” Ignoring the tightness in my chest, I reach out for the contract.

Side Effect #3: Chest pain

“Wonderful. Just sign here, and I’ll send you a copy of this.”

☆

Sejin and I walk down the hall after being dropped off at the fifth floor. The second the elevator doors opened I could hear the ruckus of two kpop groups in one room.

To my shock Yuri’s voice rings out, followed by a bout of laughter. It would appear that she’s already found her place.

Sejin gives me an encouraging smile as we inch closer to the room at the end of the hall. “You ready? It’s been a pretty big couple of days for you.”

I can’t help but find comfort in Sejin’s attitude. I’m glad he understands the deer in the headlights look I’m probably sporting right now.

I hope my soulmate is like him.

The thought passes through my mind suddenly, making me go blank for a moment. While it’s a true sentiment, I have to focus on making a good impression today so I can find my soulmate another day.

One day at a time, Hanuel.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I respond, offering him a shaky smile in return. Sejin chuckles, and I wonder if he felt the same way early on in his manager days. I wonder if he still occasionally feels that way, now that BTS has grown more than anyone ever expected.

He goes before me, entering the room and already falling into a conversation with someone. I hesitate for a second, my heart pounding so hard that it’s hard to focus. Rolling my neck, I take a step into the room.

“Ah, there she is!” Yuri chirps out, leaving from where she was beside Beomgyu, who was showing her a video on his phone. “You guys took a long time.”

If my heart wasn’t currently trying to leap out of my ribcage, I would come up with something funny to say.

“Haneul is very thorough,” Sejin comments from where he stands beside one of the TXT managers. “Would you like to introduce yourself?”

“Quick,” I hear someone speak up, “Everyone pretend like Sejin didn’t just say her name!”

It was Hueningkai that made the comment. I can tell who it was because the boy in question is currently dodging an elbow to the ribs from Taehyun. Yuri laughs at their behavior before looking back to me expectantly.

“Oh,” my voice sounds a bit croaky. After clearing my throat, I try again. “Hello everyone. I’m Choi Haneul, it’s nice to meet you all.”

The seven members of BTS come up to the front, gathering in a line like it’s second nature. Namjoon gives me a small smile, which I take comfort in.

“Well, you’ve met me already...this is everyone else.”

Taehyung steps forward, giving me a small wave and grinning wide. “Just call me Tae.”

Jimin gives his friend a wide-eyed look. “Isn’t that a bit informal for just meeting?” Tae’s cheeks go a little red.

“Is it?” He asks, and I nearly pass out from the amount of sweetness in the room. “I think we’ll be good friends, so why not just skip the formalities?”

The boys reflect various levels of long-suffering as Jungkook shakes his head while the rest of the room laughs at Tae’s odd manner. “We both know it doesn’t work like that.”

Sejin answers the question I didn’t even know I was thinking. “In case you’re wondering, they’re always like this. Might as well get used to it.”

Yuri giggles at my reddened cheeks, but I brush off the embarrassment enough to look back at the boys. “That’s good to know.” The boys break from their line in order to return to wherever they were lounging about earlier. Once they turn to leave I feel a bit better; my heart calming down. Hopefully, with time, I’ll be able to breathe properly around them.

I remain near the door, unsure as to what to do next. It looks like Sejin and the other managers are preparing to give a debriefing of sorts and everyone is just waiting around for it. Thankfully, Yuri remains beside me.

“How are you holding up?” She asks me quietly. I give her a long look, conveying the depth of my feelings perfectly.

“I can’t calm down. I feel like I’m either going to pass out or going to run the length of Seoul in five minutes flat.”

Side Effect #4: Lightheadedness and/or fainting (syncope)

Yuri snorts. “Now that I’d like to see.”

Taehyung calls out to me, pulling me from my conversation. “You’re from Seoul, Miss Choi?”

I smile warmly at him, already taking a liking to him. He’s one big contradiction: his looks make him appear intimidating, but he has the warmest personality.

“I’m originally from Anyang, actually. But I’ve been in Seoul for the past five years.”

“Oh, we’re neighbors!”

Jin is the one who spoke, and I look to where he stands behind the couch, leaning down to watch something on Jungkook’s phone. His eyes are turned up to me, a hint of excitement at being from neighboring cities evident in his expression.

Less than a second is all it takes.

In the second grade, I learned that within the span of a single second, a bumblebee can beat its wings 200 times.

That fact fascinated my young brain; 200 times in a single second?! Of all the wonders in the world I had discovered and had yet to discover in my life, this was the fact that stayed with me. How could such a small creature accomplish such an improbable feat, all within the confines of the time it takes to blink?

My junior year of high school I learned that the average pair of soulmates begin to experience the initial spike in heart rate that leads to tachycardia within the first 0.002 seconds of eye contact. That means, even if it’s a passing glance, the moment those two sets of eyes make contact, everything is about to change.

As I hold eye contact with Jin across the room, I believe that there is a small part of me that knows I should be thinking about everything I’ve learned about soulmates over the past few years. Where are the steps I used to recite day and night in order to keep them memorized?

Yet, that little 8 year old girl with wonder-filled eyes as she learns about bumblebee’s amazing abilities is the only thing I can come up with. Almost as if she’s in the room with me, looking back and forth between Jin and I with that same expression.

Something clicks for me in that single moment as my heart rate continues to jolt and jump. Something seems to connect between bumblebees and soulmates.

Like a bumblebee’s wings frantically beating to keep itself aloft, my own heart begins to do its best to meet the same pace.

Side Effect #5: Heart palpitations (a racing, uncomfortable or irregular heartbeat or a sensation of "flopping" in the chest)

I’m barely aware of distant voices all around me, a few growing in volume as the truth sinks in. I feel arms trapping my own against my torso, and I gasp for air as breathing becomes more difficult. Frowning, I realize that someone is trying to move me away.

Away?

Jin seems to notice I’m being moved away at the same time I do, because the frozen posture he had is broken as he straightens and lurches forward.

He’s all I can see. It strikes me in that moment that he looks a bit different in real life. Sharper, yet somehow more welcoming. Those eyes, although frantic, have kindness imbued in them. The fingers that are outstretched toward me are a bit crooked, and I can’t help but wonder for a moment if our hands will fit together like everyone always says soulmates do.

Wait, soulmates?

Amidst the pounding in my chest and burning lungs, I suddenly have a moment of clarity. The wiry arms wrapped around my torso must belong to Yuri, and she’s speaking calmly into my ear.

“Count with me, Haneul. 1, 2, 3…”

Opening my mouth and marveling at how dry and scratchy my throat feels, I croak out, “...4…5…”

“What comes next, Han?”

“...6.”

Yuri hums, gently trying to ease me backward. When my body locks up, she tries a new method. Coming around to face me, she keeps a firm grip on my shoulders, and gets up on her tippy toes to look me in the eyes.

“We’ve got to move you to a separate room, Han. You remember, don’t you?”

There’s a small voice in my head that wants to tell her that yes, I do remember. However it’s drowned out by the sound of my heart beating in my ears as it continues to pick up speed. Yuri is instructing the boys to grab Jin as he continues marching toward me on shaky legs. He’s only about three feet away, arms extending toward me while Yuri pins my arms down and shoves.

“Grab him!” Yuri shouts even as I cry out from being shoved away. In a flash I see a couple of different pairs of arms reaching out to Jin, effectively stopping him in his tracks as he struggles against them.

“Please,” Jin says in a surprisingly calm voice even as he pushes against Jungkook and Sejin. “Please, just let me-”

“Han, I know your mind is a jumbled mess right now, but please. Remember that this is a matter of life or death. You want to see him?” Yuri doesn’t wait for my response, which makes sense as I haven’t once looked away from Jin. “Then get out of here. Now.”

Like an electric shock to my senses, I breathe in deep. Still unable to look anywhere other than Jin - his sweater has a loose thread on the collar, I should fix that for him - I do the only thing I can.

Closing my eyes is like swimming through concrete, but gritting my teeth I just manage to do it. The second I break contact with Jin, my body relaxes just enough for Yuri to push against me and shove my unwilling feet out the door.

She has a firm grip on the back of my shoulders still as she shouts out to nobody in particular, “I need a room!”

Someone must answer her, because we abruptly change directions before coming to a stop. I refuse to open my eyes for fear of falling back into the imobile state I was in before, and Yuri still hasn’t given me the clear.

“Yeonjun, grab my bag! Bring it to me.”

The sounds of everyone scampering around are drowned out as I hear Jin’s broken voice calling out once more.

“No, don’t take her. Please don’t take her from me.”

Like a dam of freezing water breaking over my head, my eyes open and I spin around, seeing Jin breaking free of Sejin’s grasp and dragging Jungkook along with him.

Just as my eyes find his once more, the door slams shut.

Part 2

masterlist

taglist: @taylorroe3 @dreamcatcherjiah @thecaffeinatedscribbles @marianeamine

#jin soulmate au #bts soulmate au #Kim Seokjin soulmate au #soulmate au #jin soulmate #jin x oc #bts x oc #jin series #jin fluff #jin angst #bts angst #bts love story #bts love #jin bts #bts jin #jin deserves more #Kim Seokjin fluff #kim seokjin

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bluejayblueskies · 3 years

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n. a mature, enduring love; focused on common interests, commitment, and dedication; a love that knows no bounds

Words: 3.5k Relationship: Jonathan Sims/Martin Blackwood Tags: Scottish Safehouse Period, Domestic Fluff, Dancing, Kissing, Tenderness, Sex-Repulsed Jonathan Sims, Sex-Repulsed Martin Blackwood Warnings: none

|| Ao3 ||

They’ve been at the safehouse for a week and a half when Jon discovers the vinyl records, tucked away between the back of the couch and the wall and with a thick layer of dust coating the top of the box that makes Jon cough as he extracts it. There’s a record player in the spare bedroom, his mind supplies, and he hesitates only a moment before retrieving it.

To say that Daisy’s selection of records is eclectic would be putting it mildly. Jon picks up Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and reveals underneath it Prince’s Purple Rain. There are two separate Beethoven records, Abbey Road sandwiched in between them, and Jon can’t hold back a surprised laugh when he unearths three Britney Spears albums in quick succession. He wonders how many times, when Daisy would start humming something while they worked or would tap her fingers against his desk to the rhythm of a song only she could hear, she was thinking of one of these records.

Maybe never. According to Basira, Daisy hasn’t been here for a very, very long time. A small voice in the back of Jon’s mind that he recognizes as not-quite-his whispers that it’s been exactly three years, eleven months, and twenty-two days since Daisy’s forgotten about the records in Jon’s hands.

He puts one on all the same, lining up the needle with careful precision and setting the record spinning before dropping it. The sound is warbled and raspy, little pops and clicks in the music highlighting the age and wear of the records. Jon leans back against the side of the couch, tucks his knees into his chest, and listens.

He’s still there when Martin gets back from the shop, having worked his way through Earth, Wind & Fire and The Rolling Stones. The sounds of warm piano, brassy trumpets, and vocals that push and pull like the tide cover the shuffling of Martin’s feet as he kicks off his shoes and the rustling of bags as they’re set on the counter and emptied. Then, the couch dips near where Jon’s sat on the floor, and Martin says softly, “What are those?”

Most of the records are out of the box now, spread out in front of Jon in an array of technicolor images. Jon picks one at random—Red Hot Chili Peppers—and holds it out to Martin. “Daisy’s record collection,” he says, feeling the gentle bump of Martin’s knee against his shoulder as Martin takes the record from him. “It’s… quite varied.”

“I can see that,” Martin says, amused. He sets the album down next to him and inclines his head toward the record player. “What’s playing now?”

“Our Love Is Here To Stay,” Jon says with a certainty that surprises him given that he’s fairly certain the record had been in a blank sleeve. “Er, it’s a- a compilation album of various Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong recordings, released in 1998—though the individual tracks were recorded before that. It’s funny, really, the- the pianist on track four was meant to be Bill Evans, but he—”

There’s a small chuckle, and Jon cuts off mid-sentence, twisting slightly so he can see Martin’s face; it’s split nearly in half by an amused smile. “What?” Jon says, and he doesn’t mean for it to sound so fond, but he supposes that’s rather par for the course lately.

“Sorry, sorry,” Martin says, waving a hand at him. Then: “It- it’s just, jazz? The Eye can’t tell us whether or not it’s going to rain tomorrow or- or what’s happening back in London, but it can help you recite the Wikipedia page about a jazz album from the 1990s?” Another giggle escapes Martin, and he clamps his hand over his mouth as if to pull it back in. “God, sorry, I- I don’t know why I think it’s so funny.”

Jon watches Martin for a moment more before the bubble of affection within him bursts and he laughs—a small, breathy sound. “Yes, I- I suppose it is a bit amusing,” he says, leaning his head gently against the side of Martin’s knee. “The music is nice, though. It’s lovely, the quiet we have here, but sometimes the silence can get a bit…”

He waves his hand absently. “Oppressive.”

Martin lets out a small exhalation. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

They sit for a moment, what would have been silence filled instead with the gentle hum of a jazz ballad. Then, the couch dips again as Martin stands and says, quietly, “Dance with me?”

It really shouldn’t be this easy to make Jon flustered, but he feels his face grow warmer as he takes the hand Martin’s extended toward him and allows himself to be pulled to his feet. Jon hadn’t danced much with Georgie when they’d dated; she’d always said that he had two left feet, and their few attempts had resulted in crushed toes or helpless giggles when Jon inevitably tripped over a piece of furniture or his own feet (or, on one rather memorable occasion, the Admiral). He worries, for a brief moment, that he won’t remember how—that the right steps have been lost to the years, replaced with records of terror. Then, one of Martin’s hands closes around his, his other resting gently on Jon’s hip and guiding him closer until their bodies are almost flush, and Jon’s lost in the soft sounds of jazz and the feeling of Martin’s breath across his cheek as they begin to sway.

When they’d first gotten to the safehouse, Martin’s hand had been clasped firmly in Jon’s, a grounding presence that had begun in cold, choking fog and that Jon was quietly terrified to relinquish lest that fog seep back into the gaps between Martin’s fingers without anything there to chase it away. Standing in the entryway and staring at dust-covered couches and hazy yellow light filtering in through the windows, Jon suddenly became very aware of the feeling of Martin’s hand in his, of the shattering of the space between them that had been carefully cultivated over the span of so many months.

The thought came to him unbidden, insistent, and anxious: how much of that space was he allowed to occupy? How much of Martin would he be allowed to touch?

The answer had come during their fourth night in the safehouse, when Jon had awoken sometime in the early morning hours to find himself pressed into Martin’s side, one arm slung over Martin’s chest and his head tucked in the space between Martin’s shoulder and jaw.

Jon felt a flush begin to crawl up the back of his neck, and he made to move away.

“Jon,” Martin said, voice soft and husky from sleep. “You- you don’t have to go.”

And so Jon stayed. His hand tentatively curled in the loose fabric of Martin’s shirt, his nose brushing against the line of Martin’s jaw. He felt more than he heard Martin’s sharp intake of breath, the way that Martin shifted ever so slightly so that Jon fit more comfortably against his side. Hesitantly, like a child dipping their toes into the ocean to see how sharp the cold would be, Jon let his hand wander further up, tracing the lines of Martin’s chest, shoulder blade, and collarbone. His palm came to rest feather-light against Martin’s cheek, his fingers brushing against the whisps of ginger hair (now streaked with white) that curled just past the shell of Martin’s ear. Martin stiffened under his touch, but before Jon could pull his hand away, Martin said, in a voice cracked through with something aching and tender, “Jon.”

Then, Martin’s hand was on Jon’s jaw, tilting his head up with the gentleness one would use when handling a priceless, fragile thing, and Martin’s eyes were so close that Jon nearly drowned in the blue of them, a blue that once might have reminded Jon of swirling fog and stolen moments but that now seemed like wide-open sky and the ocean just before dawn. Jon could barely breathe; he’d spent so long not giving those eyes any consideration at all and had then spent what seemed like an eternity wanting nothing more than for those eyes to look at him with something other than remorse and regret. Now, they were inches away and Jon found himself lost in them, consumed by an endless expanse of blue yet anchored to the man who was now brushing his thumb against the line of Jon’s cheek, leaving a burning heat in its wake that elicited a shiver from Jon.

He almost didn’t hear it when Martin said, softly, like a prayer, “Can… can I kiss you?”

Jon couldn’t find the words within him to answer. So, he slid his hand back into the mess of curls at the nape of Martin’s neck, leaned forward, and kissed him.

Jon could touch Martin’s lips, he found, and so he did. He could touch Martin’s jaw and cheek and neck, and so he did, peppering feather-light kisses along the line of Martin’s jaw and down his collarbone, smiling into the hollow of Martin’s neck when Martin let out a keening laugh and said, “Hey, th- that tickles!” He could touch Martin’s fingers and palm and knuckles, and so he found Martin’s hand with his and held it tightly, finding that his fingers fit in the gaps between Martin’s with ease. He could run his fingers through Martin’s hair and along the inside of Martin’s arms and down the gentle swell of Martin’s stomach, trying to learn in a moment what he’d been wanting to know for what felt like decades.

His hand met the hem of Martin’s shirt, and he hesitated. His eyes found Martin’s again, briefly lost in swirling blue before he came back to himself enough to say, “Is this… can I…?”

Martin nodded, so small it was almost imperceptible. Then, he worried his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before saying, haltingly, “I… just- just the shirt, though?” He paused, clearly considering his next words, before continuing, “I- I don’t know if, um. I don’t want to imply that… that you, er, were…”

“Martin,” Jon said, kind but firm. “Please, just—whatever you want to say, you can say it. I promise, I… I want to listen.” A pause, then: “I want to know you. The- the old-fashioned way, that is.”

Martin drew in a shaky breath; Jon wasn’t sure if it was born of nerves or of something else. “Right.” There was another pause, and Jon waited, letting his hand rest lightly against Martin’s hip and taking the time to begin the process of memorizing every single inch of Martin’s face. There was a trio of moles under his left eye, almost hidden by the spattering of freckles across his nose and cheekbones, and the smile lines at the corners of his eyes were not quite so deeply etched as the horizontal lines of worry across his brow. Jon was considering closing the distance and pressing a kiss to those lines in an effort to smooth them when Martin said quietly, “I don’t… I don’t really like anything that involves…”

He made a vague gesture with his hand, and Jon was starting to think that he understood. Still, he said, meaningfully, “Martin.”

“Sex, Jon,” Martin said, all in a rush, like the words had been expelled from his lungs by force. “I don’t like sex.” A pink flush was spreading over his cheeks, a color that Jon found rather lovely on Martin. “I’ve never really been comfortable being touched, er. Below the waist? So, the- the shirt is fine—more than fine, actually, but just… not… you know.”

“Your genitals,” Jon said helpfully.

Martin made a sputtering, choking noise, looking at Jon like he’d just told a lewd joke. “Jon!”

Jon let out a small, breathy laugh. “It’s what they’re called, Martin.”

“Yes, but you don’t need to—”

Martin cut off with an aborted noise, something akin to frustration but with infinitely more fondness. “Eugh, I just hate that word. It sounds so- so clinical.”

“I mean, I can use other words if you’d like—”

“No, no,” Martin said quickly, pink quickly overtaking the rest of his face. Jon found that he quite liked making Martin blush, and he tucked that information away for later. “That’s quite all right. Let’s just- just go back to the kissing. The kissing was nice.”

Jon hummed in agreement, leaning forward and pressing a soft, closed-mouth kiss against Martin’s lips. Then, almost like an afterthought, he pulled back slightly and said, “While we’re on the subject, I… I also would prefer to keep all touching… above the waist.”

Martin’s breath was soft against Jon’s lips when he said, “Oh.” Then, after a small exhalation that might have been a laugh or might have been a sigh of relief: “G- good. Great. That makes it easy then, I suppose.”

Jon made a noise of agreement. Then, with a small smirk: “We’ll keep genitals out of the equation entirely, then.”

“Jon!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Jon pressed another soft kiss to Martin’s mouth, feeling Martin’s lips fold into a smile against his after a moment, and all was forgiven.

It’s been nearly a week since then. Now, Martin’s touch is almost second nature as he presses his hand against Jon’s hip and guides him into an imitation of a waltz, the music having shifted without Jon noticing into a lilting three pattern. Jon’s long-since memorized the details of Martin’s face and has moved on to his hands; he catalogs the way that Martin’s right hand feels folded around his in this way, fingers slightly rough from a childhood spent doing household chores and, for the span of a few years, working as a house painter between semesters. Martin’s left hand fits neatly against the bone of Jon’s hip, his fingers creating gentle points of pressure against Jon’s skin that Jon recognizes from the dozens of times Martin’s placed his hand against Jon’s back, only the tips of his fingers touching Jon’s spine as he looks over his shoulder at the pot he’s stirring on the hob or the book he’s reading at the kitchen table, hunched over it in a way that can’t be good for his spine. Jon tucks both sensations neatly away in his mind in the folder labeled Martin’s hands and focuses on the music, on the way that Martin seems to know all the right steps, the way he carries Jon through them effortlessly and doesn’t flinch when Jon inevitably misses a step and lands, instead, on Martin’s left foot.

The up-tempo swing track that comes on after the waltz is a different story. Jon pulls back slightly, suddenly unsure. He’d tried swing dancing exactly once with Georgie—had gone through the trouble of watching videos to learn the steps and practicing awkwardly by himself before hesitantly bringing the idea up to Georgie. It had gone predictably terribly, with the added downside of knocking a vase of flowers off Georgie’s kitchen table where it had shattered against the tile floor into a million tiny shards that took ages to clean up. Needless to say, they’d stuck to slower songs after that.

Jon looks warily at the record player, then back at Martin. He’s about to apologize, to reluctantly put an end to the feeling of Martin’s hand on his waist and Martin’s body flush against his, when his mind strays idly back to the music, to the motions that should accompany it, and he realizes with a start that he Knows. It’s as clear in his mind as the name of the bass player for the track (Ray Brown) and the exact tempo of the music (100 beats per minute to the half note, a song more easily felt in two than in four).

It might be the one and only time the Beholding has ever given him knowledge that’s been useful. He decides not to look too closely at it and simply pulls Martin in close once again.

Soon, they’re spinning around the living room, having several near-misses with the couch and various tables but never quite losing their balance. Martin’s steps are a bit clumsy—”I took a class back when I worked in the Library,” Martin had said with a sheepish smile, “but between not knowing anybody there and it being a good thirty minutes from my flat, I ended up dropping it”—so they keep it simple, just the basic steps with an added turn. Occasionally, they’ll break out of closed position and Martin will spin Jon, sending Jon’s skirt haloing around him in a whirlwind of yellows and blacks and whites. Once, Jon’s heel hits the edge of the couch and it’s only the quick press of Martin’s hand against the small of his back that keeps him upright. The smile Martin gives him at that is breathtaking, and the rest of the room blurs around him until all he can see is Martin’s face as they dance, smile lines prominent around his eyes and cheeks flushed red with exertion.

Jon’s told Martin that he loves him, in words but also in a million different ways as they’ve lived their lives in the safehouse, through feather-light brushes of fingers and sleepy morning kisses and quiet moments shared over tea and toast. Now, as he holds Martin’s hand tightly and steps in time with him around and around and around, he can’t help but feel that same love in the brassy singing of trumpets and in the way that Martin anchors him as they spin, his hand in Jon’s like a lifeline.

The song ends—as all things do—and as the last few lingering piano notes die down into clicking static, Jon finds himself quite literally swept off his feet. He makes a noise of surprise as Martin spins him once more and uses the momentum to guide Jon into a low dip, a steadying hand on Jon’s lower back keeping him from falling to the floor. Martin’s eyes, endless oceans of blue, are inches from Jon’s, and his breath ghosts across Jon’s lips as he says, softly, “And you said you were a terrible dancer.”

Jon blinks for a moment before saying stiffly, “Yes, well, I can’t always have the eldritch equivalent of YouTube in my mind showing me the correct steps.”

Martin hums. “Perhaps we should learn the old-fashioned way, then?”

Jon’s heart, already thrumming from exertion, stutters a bit in his chest. A bit more breathlessly than he’d like, he says, “Yes, I- I think that would do just fine.”

Martin hums again. Then, he closes the distance, capturing Jon’s lips in a kiss as sweet as honey and just as dizzying as Jon had felt when they’d been dancing. Jon lets his arms wind around Martin’s neck, fingers tangling in the coppery curls there and keeping him steady as Martin uses the gravity of the dip to deepen the kiss in a way that Jon very, very much likes.

When Martin finally pulls back, Jon feels like all the breath has been drawn out of his lungs, leaving him light-headed and dizzy. Still, he finds enough air within him to say, in a voice barely louder than a whisper, “I love you.”

Martin smiles like starlight and presses another closed-mouth kiss to Jon’s lips. “I love you too,” he murmurs against Jon’s mouth. Then, just as suddenly as he’d been dipped, Jon finds himself swept up entirely off the ground, one of Martin’s arms slotting underneath his knees and the other behind his shoulder blades.

“Martin!” Jon exclaims, face flushed red-hot with embarrassment and affection in equal measure, as Martin begins to carry him bridal-style into the bedroom, pausing only briefly on the way to lift the needle off the record. “Martin, what are you—”

He cuts off with a surprised noise that, if asked, he will maintain was certainly not a giggle as Martin deposits him onto the bed, his skirt bunching up under his knees. The sound he makes when Martin clambers onto the bed after him, straddles his waist, and kisses him soundly is embarrassingly close to a moan.

“Martin,” Jon says breathlessly when Martin finally pulls back, the need to breathe overtaking them both. He searches for the right words, and finding none, he simply says, “What?”

Martin brushes his fingers across the curve of Jon’s cheek reverently. “While dancing has been lovely,” Martin says, “my legs are quite tired, and I’d very much like to keep kissing you if that’s all right.”

Jon’s cheeks are fully overtaken by flame; the warmth spreads to his chest, where it curls around his heart and heats Jon from the inside out with a love so potent he can barely breathe around it. “Yes,” Jon says, his voice cracking around the word. “That- that would be quite all right indeed.”

And when Martin dips down to meet Jon’s lips once again, it’s piano chords and spinning skirts and eyes the color of the sky, calling him home.

#tma #the magnus archives #tma fic #aspecarchives #jonmartin #sex-repulsed jonathan sims #sex-repulsed martin blackwood #my fic #my writing #yes i finished this week with an incredibly self-indulgent safehouse fic and what about it

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twinrowcitizennews · 3 years

Text

snapshot

Note from the editor:

This is the first letter of this nature that I’ve received from someone who wanted their question published. Other than editing for formatting and grammar, it’s in their own words and their own words alone. Please send an email or ask if you know how to solve their problem-- and quickly.

I have to warn you, this letter isn’t for those who are put on edge easily. Reader discretion is advised.

I don’t know if I’ll still be around by the time this is posted, but that doesn’t matter. So long as this reaches whoever might need it.

I first saw it last October. The 27th, I think. Kind of cliché for this sort of thing to be happening right around Halloween, but truth is stranger than fiction. It was late in the evening, almost nighttime, when I saw this stray dog roaming around in my front yard. I grabbed my dog’s leash and went to get it, thinking I could keep it in my backyard until I could find the owners, but the second I left the front step, it started off towards the bike trail. I sped up to a jog and followed it, hoping not to scare it off any further.

The bike trail veers away from the neighborhood and through this piece of undeveloped land that separates the suburbs from a nearby farm. The dog was mostly sticking to the path, moving along at a trot, stopping every once in a while to look over its shoulder and wag its tail, like it was waiting for me to catch up before starting off again. After a few minutes of this, I called for it-- tried to whistle, asked it to heel, etc. It came over when I pretended to have a treat in my hand, holding my fist out like there was something inside. When it leaned over to sniff, I clipped a leash on its collar, a simple fabric band without any tags or ID. I’d never seen the dog before, so I got out my phone and took a picture of it to post to the neighborhood Facebook page, asking if anyone knew its owner, before walking it back to my place and letting it out in the fenced back yard. After feeding my own dog, I sat down to check Facebook to see if there was any response.

No one recognized the dog from the photo. One comment asked me who was standing in the background.

There hadn’t been anyone else in the woods, as far as I remembered, but I double-checked the photo anyway. In the background, about 20 feet away, it looked like there was a figure-- vague, kind of person-shaped if you squinted-- standing just to the side of the bike path. It was all indistinct and fuzzy. Probably just a smudge on the lens. I responded to the comment before trying to clean off the lens on my shirt, then taking another photo down the hallway to see if the smudge was gone. There didn’t seem to be anything. The rest of the night was relatively normal.

The next morning, I ended up trying to clear out my camera roll, to save some room for any pictures I might take of my baby cousins in their costumes. I deleted a bunch of screenshots, old photos, and the image of the dog, before going to delete the hallway picture.

The smudge was still there. Like before, it was around 20 or so feet from where I’d been standing when I took the photo, around the size and height of a person. Unlike before, it was peering around the corner from the door to the bathroom.

I was freaked out some, to be honest. I scrubbed the lens down with a Lysol wipe and took another photo down the hallway, trying to prove to myself it was just some sort of shadow. Nothing that would show up in the daylight. And it didn’t-- nothing strange, no smudge, just a block of sunlight from the windows. I didn’t delete the picture from the night before, though. Just in case.

It was a few more weeks before I took another nighttime photo. My cousins are too young to stay up late, so they’d been out trick-or-treating around 5:00 in the evening, back before it was even dark, so I didn’t really take anything on Halloween. The dog was returned to its owner a few days after, so nothing there, either.

It was around the middle of November when I ended up catching it again. I was on a nighttime walk and passed the home of this older couple down the road who always put up their outdoor Christmas decorations about a month too early. I wanted to get a picture of the setup-- they had this new animatronic Santa, sitting on a throne and waving to the road. I can promise that no one else was in the yard. I used the flash (on accident, but still), and if someone was there, I would have seen them. When I got home, I sent the picture to a friend of mine for her to make fun of. She messaged back with a few laughing emojis before asking who took the photo.

(ID: Two texts from my friend reading “lol” and “really who took it”. My response says “wdym?”. She responded with two texts saying “I see you in the background, genius” and “just vibing by the garage”. End ID.)

I checked the photo again. By the house’s garage, a little under 20 feet from where I’d been, was a clearer, more distinct figure. For once, I could make out its face.

I don’t know who or what it is, or how it got there, but it definitely looked like me. It was even wearing my clothing, had its hair done the same way, everything. Just standing there and smiling for the photo, like someone just out of frame was telling it to say cheese, looking right into the camera.

I immediately turned all the lights on that I could reach. I almost deleted the photo, staring at it for too long, before closing out of Photos and reopening my camera. I figured this had to be some weird hallucination or something I was making up, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying. I aimed the camera down the hall and took a video. Nothing. I checked it, sliding the scrub bar back and forth to inspect each individual frame. All of them were just empty, illuminated hallway. That didn’t shake the feeling, though, so I turned the hall light off and tried again. Nothing showed up on this video, either. I took a photo.

It was there. Again. It wasn’t peeking out from around anything, just standing in the middle of the hallway, the same distance it had been from the camera in the yard.

I didn’t sleep that night. Or the next few.

I ended up searching the internet as much as I could for anyone with similar experiences. I saw things about ghosts, things about illusions, things about solid doppelgangers that people saw with their own eyes and not through pictures, but nothing like this. Over the weeks and months that followed, I took investigating into my own hands.

My fears were quieted some-- some-- when, after the first few nights, I realized that it wasn’t hurting me. It never even moved, staying in the same poses each night. The only change was, no matter where I was, inside or outside, it was always the same distance away.

I started taking pictures almost obsessively. Every day, every night, I tried something new. I tried every condition I could think of to see when and where this thing would show up. It became a part of my routine-- almost a companion. I’d even jokingly wish it goodnight.

I could put walls between myself and it. At one point, I stood inside my closet and took a picture, only showing racks of coats and clothes. It could be seen through windows, if there was no room for it to appear indoors. I could take pictures out my bedroom window to show it standing right there outside the window on the front walk. It always looked exactly like me, down to the smallest detail, except for the face. It never had any expression other than a smile. No matter where I was, inside or outside, it could be there. I got pictures of it at home, at work, out of town. It never showed up in well-lit photos. Things in the dark with flash were okay, but it would just be a little indistinct. Dimmer lighting, pictures taken at night, all of that was free game. I never got a picture of it in daylight.

Around February, I sat down and tried to sort all the successful photos into one album to clear up my camera roll. At this point, it was mostly just pictures of the thing, since I was sometimes taking up to dozens a night. I deleted all the failures, saving all the pictures of it into one album. That’s when I noticed.

It was getting closer.

I guess I had ignored it over the first months. It had been too gradual for me to notice, only an inch or two each night, but looking at all the photos in order, it was obvious. Instead of being around 20 feet away, the thing was closer to 15, still just standing and smiling.

I had to tell myself it was coincidence, or something I was imagining, or I think I would’ve done something I’d regret later just then. Now that I knew it could move, I didn’t really think of it as a friend anymore.

I kept taking pictures throughout the following months. Only at night. It stopped showing up outside my bedroom window-- in retrospect, probably because the ground wasn’t close enough for it anymore. It stopped lurking at the end of the hallway, drawing nearer until it was standing right there in the living room. It started putting its hands against the glass of the kitchen windows. Then it started showing up at the kitchen table.

I got desperate, some. I tried everything. I burned incense, I tried to talk to it, I bought fucking crystals. I’m an atheist, but I even considered calling a priest or something. All spring, I was constantly scrambling to find some way to get that thing to leave, or at least stop moving. Every night I took more pictures, too many, before scrolling through my photo album with a looming sense of dread. Nothing worked. It kept coming, slowly, always dressed like me and always doing that smile. It got close enough that I could see the whites of its eyes. I almost wish I could say that there was something messed up about it, something that made it obviously inhuman or dead or anything, but there wasn’t. It was just me, just exactly like me, and somehow that was worse.

I’m sending this in now because it’s really close and I don’t know how to make it go away or if that’s even an option anymore. These past few nights, it’s been right in front of me-- I could reach out and touch it, if it was solid. Hell, I could probably feel its breath, if it had that. I’ve been taking pictures every hour or so, sometimes every couple of minutes.

Last night, around the fifth or sixth picture I took, it wasn’t there. Just gone. I took a few more pictures, and it didn’t matter where I was, it just wasn’t there. I don’t know why I did it, but I turned the camera around to selfie mode and took a shot.

That thing was standing right behind me.

One of its hands was hovering right over my shoulder, like it was about to touch me. I freaked out and took another picture. It hadn’t moved more than a hair. I turned all the lights on and haven’t slept.

I’m not sleeping tonight. I’m not turning any of the lights off. It can’t get to me if the lights are on, or I hope so. If anyone knows what to do or what this thing is, please respond. It might already be too late, but I don’t know what this thing will do or who it’ll go for when it’s done with me. I don’t have much advice to give, other than to sleep with the fucking lights on.

#tw unreality #tw paranoia inducing #||OOC: This was written by the mod! Based on a dream I had #tagging all future content of this sort as #twinrow tales #hopefully there will be more soon||

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pinky-the-elephant-room · 4 years

Text

Auctum

AN: I swear my blog isn’t an All Might blog, I just love him a lot ok?

Warning: Explicit smut between All Might and Fem reader. Oral sex. Mutual pining and jealousy.

Prompt: Pro hero are auctioned off to lucky bidders for a date.

☆☆☆☆------------

Y/N nervously chewed and picked at the skin on her lips. She watched as the excited crescendo of crowd noises riveted in the festive atmosphere. Were they really about to do this? She spared a hesitant glance at the muscular hero besides her. All Might looked majestic, cool, and collected, everything that the symbol of peace represented. But Y/N knew better. She worked with him for decades, she could spot the beads of sweats and the way his fingers shook from sheer nerves.

“We can do this. This is for a good cause. Cheer up, All Might!” she weakly croaked. Well, that was just pathetic. All Might seemed to visibly shrink into himself. “Besides, this is for the underprivileged kids! They need your help.” Now that did the job because All Might stood up taller and clenched his fist.

“You’re right just like any villain. I can defeat any obstacles thrown my way.” he wholeheartedly cheered. Suddenly high-pitched screams erupted in the auditorium as swarming women noticed All Might standing there. “Except for maybe this.” He gulped.

Y/N felt bad, she really did. When the local youth charities asked for All Might’s participation, she thought that they would ask All Might to come in, sign a few autographs, and pose a few times as he donated a generous amount of yen. But NO.That wasn’t what they had in mind. What they had in mind was to auction All Might out for a date. So, here he was donating time to become an eligible bachelor and accompany a lovely lady on a date.

Y/N couldn’t help but joke. “Hey, maybe now you will have the time to finally date just like everyone else.”

However, it completely backfired on her as Y/N felt the fit of jealousy bubble in her. She waited years for All Might to notice her, year after year, day by day until all the hope had seeped out and left nothing but bitterness. Still her stubbornness couldn’t leave the one person who needed her support more than ever. Especially after her brother separated himself from All Might after delivering the grim foresight of his death. Yes, she was Sir Nighteye’s sister. Only a year younger with a quirk of psychometry, the ability to know the past and present of an individual by touch. Truly they were the two prodigy sidekicks that helped All Might create the dynasty and legacy he had today. Her nii-san would support All Might with strategies on the battlefield, while she did the heavy duty of managing Might tower and creating a trustworthy support system for All Might. Her duties even now were more managerial than battlefield related.

Even as her relationship with her nii-san deteriorated due to Y/N refusing to come work for him, she still continued to do her best in supporting All Might. All the while hoping and praying that the flame for All Might would finally breathe its’ last breath.

Y/N clenched her fist and forced herself to chuckle at her joke.

“Maybe I’ll participate too just so I can get the day for you to finish your paperwork.”

All Might sheepishly agreed and rubbed his neck. “I’ll do anything to escape this.”

An auction manager approached the two and directed All Might towards the auditorium as it was about to begin. Y/N watched as All Might walked away and made her way to the seating area like all other spectators. She hesitated when a volunteer handed her a number paddle but took it and sat near the corner of the stage. Y/N watched as dozens of pro heroes were auctioned away at hefty donations. Hell, even a wild wild pussycat member participated. Finally, the main event was revealed as everyone erupted into pandemonium when All Might stepped onto center stage in his hero garb. The auctioneer banged their gavel and requested everyone to settle down. Y/N watched in stupefied confusion as the fast rate of donations built from 100,000 yen to 340,000 yen. She even tried to raise her paddle a few times to be drowned out by the massive amount of people outbidding her.

“The bid to beat now is 450,000 yen. Anyone else? Going once- “the auctioneer called out before Y/N interrupted.

“500,000 yen!” Y/N yelled out as she stood up.

All Might swiveled his head towards the familiar voice and was stunned to see Y/N in her dignified pencil skirt and suit waving around her paddle.

Y/N felt her heart thud when she made eye contact with All Might, seeing the shock in his face she gave him a small smile. It took a minute, but he returned it before facing back to the audience.

However, just as she made the bid, she lost it quickly as others steadily started outbidding her. Y/N could only watch in a panic as the money started climbing higher and higher more than whatever was lying around in her bank account.

She watched in devastation as the final bid that won was “106,080,000.00 yen” from a pudgy older housewife who excitedly jumped up and down in celebration of her win. The auctioneer thanked everyone for their generous donations and stated the Pro heroes would shortly make their way to their intended dates.

Y/N got up from her seat and returned her paddle to go find All Might before he went on his date. He stood around in the back of the auditorium, talking to fellow pro heroes.

She apologized for the interruption with a bow and said, “sorry All Might I couldn’t rescue you but, in my defense, you don’t pay me enough.”

All Might waved his hands around frantically. “It’s fine I’m just happy that you even bothered to help. It probably won’t be that bad. She seems like a nice enough lady. Besides I heard she’s already married so she’s just a fan who wanted the opportunity to meet me.”

Y/N’s jealousy was replaced with amusement as she watched the mentioned boisterous older lady interrupt their conversation and whisk All Might away for their date.

“Right now?” All Might said as his gigantic self was dragged away by a woman half his size.

“No time like the present, All Might-sama.” the lady giggled.

She watched All Might be dragged out until she could no longer see them. Y/N sighed and checked the time. It was barely 6 PM, plenty of time for her to head back to Might tower and finish up any lingering work so she wouldn’t have to work during the weekends. Nobody spared her a glance as she left the auction and hailed a taxi back to Might tower.

Y/N stretched as her sore neck got the respite, she needed from hours of bending and pouring over mundane paperwork. She checked the time on her smartphone, and it displayed 11 PM in neon lights. She cracked her knuckles, getting immense satisfaction from the loud cracks. Just as she was about to get up and photocopy a case file, a knock on her office door interrupted.

“Come in!” she called out.

In came the emaciated form of All Might in a baggy shirt and jeans.

Y/N just stared at him in surprise not expecting him to visit Might Tower at this time especially after the no doubt exhausting date.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming here.” Toshinori gave a weak chuckle and a small bow of his head.

“Forgive me. I had to leave my date because I was running out of time. I left saying that I had a heroic emergency, but I can’t do any hero work in this form so I thought I would finally help you catch up on that paperwork.”

Y/N shook her head. “Any company helping with paperwork is welcome in my office. No need to apologize.”

She looked him over, examining him for exhaustion. “But are you sure you should be here? Maybe you should get some rest.”

“Iie, I’m fine just mentally exhausted from listening about different luxury brands of shoes.”

Y/N giggled, the mental image of All Might carrying shopping bags while the older woman shopped was mind boggling.

Y/N brought out the immediate files she needed his signature on and offered him a chair at her desk. The two of them continued their work in comfortable silence, talking occasionally about routine topics.

“Y/N, can I ask you a question?” Y/N hummed an affirmative under her breathe as she skimmed through files.

“W-why.. Why didn’t you leave with Sir Nighteye when you had the chance all those years ago?”

Y/N stunned out of her mind as she wasn’t expecting that question, put her file down and faced Toshinori.

Looking him straight in his cerulean, blue eyes she said, “because you were at the brink of death with no hope. I couldn’t leave you when you clearly needed support. Besides the argument was between you and nii-san, it didn’t involve me, so I wasn’t going to leave you behind.”

“Thank you for your support. These past years with my injury have taken a toll, but I’ve only made it this far because of your help. I really appreciate it Y/N-chan.”

Toshinori opened his mouth to say something more but hesitated and then continued to fuss with the paperwork in front of him. Y/N looked at him in confusion and waited for him to say more, but he continued to sign the various files in front of him.

“It’s not a problem. It’s my job as a sidekick.”

She shrugged, letting it go and figured if he had more to say then he would do so on his own time. The two of them tag teamed for a while, shifting around various paperwork getting more done in 2 hours than she had in weeks. Finally seeing the clock hit 1 AM, she decided to have mercy on All Might.

“I think this is a good dent on the pile of paperwork Might tower has. I’ll have to kidnap you one of these days and make you do this again,” Y/N said as she packed away the files in the cabinet. Just as she was getting ready to close for the night, Toshinori asked, “why did you really bid for me today?”

Y/N was lost for words, not expecting another question to leave her speechless. “O-oh, you know for fun? It’s not like I was expecting an actual date out of it.”

Toshinori sent her a small smile that gave her heart palpitations. “I wouldn’t have minded going on a date with you.”

Y/N stepped back hesitatingly. “Don’t say that to me. Don’t give me hope.”

“Hope for what?” He stepped closer towards her.

“I’ve wanted for so long and you’ve never…” Y/N couldn’t finish that sentence as she looked everywhere but at Toshinori.

“I have to go. I have an early morning tomorrow…. And I have to go- “she stepped around him in a hurry to be anywhere in this room, to be talking to anyone about anything except for this. Just as she was about to pass, an arm grabbed her and pulled Y/N back.

She almost stopped breathing due to the close proximity of her and Toshinori’s face. She could see the gauntness of his gentle face and the brilliant shine of his blue eyes. He brought a hand to softly brush against her cheek before pulling her in. Her breath hitched as finally their lips connected. They stood there just lip locking; eyes open not knowing what to do. Y/N finally getting over her shock, grabbed Toshinori by his shoulders and pulled him in closer. She closed her eyes as she slowly responded and savored the taste of him. Getting the reaction he sought, Toshinori grabbed her hips and tilted his head sideways to get the perfect angle. She granted him entry to her mouth and groaned in appreciation as he took his time to explore every inch. The two kissed for what seemed like hours, Y/N slowly moving backwards as she responded to his dance of licks and swirls with her tongue.

She eventually collided with the desk as Toshinori trapped her against it.

“All this time I thought there couldn’t be anything. But if I don’t try, then it’ll be a missed opportunity I regret for the rest of my life,” he said as he kissed her again.

Caging her body with his thin but tall frame, he grabbed her neck as he continued to plunge into her mouth and devouring her harder and faster. A need for oxygen left her lightheaded and she pulled away, that didn’t deter him from moving to her neck and leaving a trail of hot kisses. Finding a spot, he liked, he bit it gently before sucking deeply and leaving a mark on her body. Y/N panting harshly, couldn’t keep from squirming in place as the ministrations sent tingles straight down to her pussy. She could feel the wetness in between her thighs that was building up, and a particular harsh bite to her neck caused her walls to twitch. Y/N couldn’t stand it anymore, so she grabbed his hands and placed it on her center. She watched as his eyes widened knowing that he could feel the effect he had on her. Grabbing her thighs and hips he made her sit back on the table. Slowly, he rolled up her gray pencil skirt until he flipped it over on her stomach. Toshinori always wondered what she had under that skirt and now he was going to find out. She had on a plain, cream panty that he quickly discarded on the floor. He slowly circled her lips, feeling the moisture gush out of her. He groaned feeling her so turned on by him in a matter of minutes was doing wonders for his insecurities. Toshinori slowly inserted his pointer finger, letting her get used to its size before giving short thrusts. He added a second finger that he thrusted in tandem together. Y/N could barely keep herself together as she couldn’t believe what they were doing on her desk. Toshinori removed his fingers and tasted the fluids covering his fingers. The salty, tangy taste instead changed his mind to getting his appetite sated by her only.

Maneuvering her by grabbing her hips to his eye level, he laid his tongue flat as he caressed her pussy with it. Letting out a moan and feeling his eyes roll back, he held her tight as he made a meal out of her. Y/N underneath thrashed helplessly as she felt his warm tongue imitate what his dick could do. Sucking lightly at her clit, he inserted his finger back in as he set a languid pace. Y/N decided that she needed a just a bit more to reach her pleasure, hurriedly unbuttoning her blouse so that she could push her bra cups down. Feeling her vaginal walls constrict around his finger, she circled her nipples till they stood at attention before she rolled them in her hands. Toshinori licking up the last of moisture near her opening, lightly bit her clit which overwhelmed her as Y/N arched off the table. He continued to thrust helping her prolong her pleasure, he waited till she calmed before removing his fingers and holding her down tightly. Y/N looked at him in confusion in the haze of her pleasure as to why he was holding her down when she came already. She finally realized why when he dove his face back into her center and resumed eating her newly released fluids like a starving man. Y/N twitched uncontrollably as her vagina reacted to the extra stimulus, she tried to push him off, but he held her steady.

“Oh god, Toshi please stop. I’m begging,” she sobbed as her eyes watered from the intense pleasure. Nothing she did deterred him; her second orgasm engulfed the remnants of her first one as she spiraled out of control.

Y/N started seeing visions of a young Toshinori being introduced to an even younger Y/N. She saw him being enamored by her. She saw him watch her as she grew up, year after year, pining for a girl who was his sidekick’s sister. She saw how he had convinced himself to let her go to keep her safe, even more determined after his injury. But the older he got, the less convinced he was of his convictions. Y/N couldn’t help the tears as they came pouring down her face. She sobbed out the relief, knowing that he really did love her just like she did him.

Toshinori finished up, giving her final kitten licks before letting go of her hips. He straightened up to find Y/N just sobbing her heart out. Giving her kisses on her head, he tried to frantically calm her down.

“I’m sorry my quirk it activated while I was..-“

Toshinori shushed her with a quick kiss to her lips.

He asked as he interlocked their fingers together and pressed a kissed to it. “It’s ok what did you find out?”

“That we were both idiots yearning for each other,” she said as she hiccupped while trying to calm down.

“I guess I have a lot to make up for, don’t I?”

Y/N chuckled and agreed.

“Yes, but do you think you can start at my apartment? This desk isn’t that comfortable.”

Toshinori hopped off of her and they straightened their disheveled selves to look presentable before continuing their enjoyable night till the break of dawn in the comfort of Y/N’s bed.

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yeahidontgohere · 3 years

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In light of the #TheySilencedThem/#SomethingToSay movement brought forth by the poor representation of marginalized groups in the media, I thought I would revisit a classic in LGBT media representation: The Celluloid Closet.

Some disclaimers: I am not an expert on LGBT+ studies. I am a proud member of the LGBT+ community but I have never formally studied this topic. All of my opinions have come from engaging with other members of the community, finding and analyzing media resources, and reading journal articles (lol I’m a science grad student, could you tell?).

Even more disclaimers: this movement is not just about LGBT+ representation. It is about the representation of marginalized groups including LGBT+, POC, disabled, women etc.

My boyfriend and I decided to rewatch The Celluloid Closet last night and see what has changed and what hasn’t changed a generation after the documentary came out. We both agreed that there is more LGBT+ visibility in the media which is great. But we also agreed that visibility does not equate to good representation. Tragic endings are still the norm. Negative tropes are still popular. Stories beyond our sexualities are still few and far between.

For those who feel that we should be grateful for the visibility we have been “gifted”, I implore you to consider the matter more deeply. Including LGBT+ characters is the first step in good representation, but it is not the last. The stories and their legacies are what separate mere existence in stories from good representation.

Here are some select quotes from both the book and the documentary that I thought were thought-provoking.

The Celluloid Closet - Vito Russo (1995)

The root of heterosexual fear of male homosexuality is in the fact that anyone might be gay. Straight men aren't threatened by a flamboyant f*gg*t because they know they aren't like that; they're threatened by a guy who's just like they are who turns out to be queer.

Any story dealing, however seriously, with homosexual love is taken to be a story about homosexuality while stories dealing with heterosexual love are seen as stories about the individual people they portray. This is as much a problem today for American filmmakers who cannot conceive of the presence of gay characters in a film unless the specific subject of the film is homosexuality. Lesbians and gay men are thereby classified as purely sexual creatures, people defined solely by their sexual urges.

American society has willfully deleted the fact of homosexual behavior from its mind, laundering things as they come along, in order to maintain a more comfortable illusion. The censors removed it; the critics said, "Well, look! It isn't there"; and anyone who still saw it was labeled a pervert

The Celluloid Closet (1995)

Richard Dyer:

Most expressions of homosexuality in most of movies are indirect. And what's interesting about that is of course that is what it was like to express homosexuality in life, that we could only express ourselves indirectly, just as people on the screen could only express themselves indirectly. And the sense in which the characters are in the closet, the movie is in the closet and we are in the closet.

Susie Bright:

[on Johnny Guitar] It's amazing how if you're a gay audience and you're accustomed to crumbs, how you will watch an entire movie just to see somebody wear an outfit that you think means that they are homosexual. The whole movie can be a dud, but you're just sitting there waiting for Joan Crawford to put on her black cowboy shirt again.

Tony Curtis:

Movies are part of my life. Part of everybody’s life. That’s where we learn about life.

Lily Tomlin:

Hollywood, that great maker of myths, taught straight people what to think about gays and gay people what to think about themselves.

Lily Tomlin:

For all its efforts, the production code didn’t erase homosexuals from the screen. It just made them harder to find. And now they had a new identity, as cold-blooded villains.

Harvey Fierstein:

There are lots of needs for art. The greatest one is the mirror of our own lives and our own existence. And, that hunger that I felt as a kid looking for gay images was to not be alone.

Harvey Fierstein:

I like the sissy. Um, is it used in negative ways? Yeah, but my view has always been, visibility at any cost. Um, I’d rather had negative than nothing.

#keep the conversation going #bury your gays is the trope i grew up with #tragic endings were the endings i grew up with #the celluloid closet #lgbtq+ community #spn #spn 15 #supernatural #somethingtosay #theysilencedthem #theywillneversilenceus

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marvelslut16 · 5 years

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The Pirate’s Princess

Pairing: Harry Hook x reader part 2

Soulmate Au

Synopsis: The people of Auradon all have Soulmates. (Y/N) met her’s months ago on the Isle of the lost while trying to save Ben and bring Mal back. (Y/N) was forced to leave Harry on the Isle. Months have passed and (Y/N)’s soulmate makes a surprise return to her life.

Word count: 4067 (I genuinely thought it was longer)

Warnings: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN DESCENDANTS 3, I spoil the entire plot of the movie. More swear words than part one.

Author’s note: It’s like 4 in the morning, so there’s a good chance I have spelling errors. Also I love Ben and Mal, but this story definitely makes it seem like I don’t, whoops.

Part 1

Ben proposed to Mal. Right in the middle of the school grounds, in front of everyone, he sang a remix of did I mention. The song he created when Mal spelled him almost a year ago. The worst part was that he didn’t tell me, his own sister, that he was doing this. Not to be rude or anything, but she just ran away to the Isle in fear of her future. Now all of a sudden she wants to marry my brother?

“Congrats sis,” I put on a fake smile as she walks up to me.

“Thanks!” she pulls me into a tight hug before turning to Evie. “Did you know about this?”

“Of course!” the blue haired girl smiles. Wow, thanks Ben. It seems like everyone knew but his own twin sister, I thought we were close.

I sigh as I look down at my sad little compass, having no contact with Harry is killing me. What if he got tired of waiting for me and moved on to some Isle girl? What if he really is evil and was just playing with my heart when I met him? Ben’s the king, he could bring Harry over, but he won’t. One of the VK’s could have chosen him to come over, but with their past they definitely would have never picked them. They all know how much I’m hurting, they all know he’s meant for me, and yet none of them seem to care.

I look over at mom and dad, who are hugging each other and smiling at the golden boy. Their sweet baby with the giant heart that is so easily forgiven. They never once asked me about my soulmate, but they always asked Ben about his when his compass appeared. He was destined to be the king, and I was destined to live in the shadows. At least as much of the shadows as you can when your a princess. Taking a deep breath, I walk away from the group and to the privacy of the ocean. No one bothers me when I sit on the shore, something I’ve been doing every day since we got back, as I stare out at the horrid Isle that holds my soulmate captive.

Normally wherever Ben goes, I follow, some sort of diplomatic thing. Shows great honor, plus I was always the sibling to remember statistics and contributions made by the Princes and Princesses we were meeting with. Ben was always the charmer. But picking up the new kids from the Isle is where Ben drew the line apparently. I’m not allowed to go with, apparently I’m dangerous now. Ben and I used to be so close, inseparable, now he’s keeping secrets and keeping me away from my soulmate. There’s an ache in my chest, brought on by the separation from Harry, but worsened by my brother’s actions.

Jane isn’t one of my best friends, but we’re still pretty close and have been our whole lives. So of course I was invited to her birthday party, Carlos and I are on cake duty. He and I had agreed to meet at Evie’s cottage/filler castle and head to the party together. I dropped the cake off there last night.

“Okay, who ate Jane’s cake?” I hear Carlos shout as I enter the cottage.

“What happened?” I ask as I walk into the kitchen. Before he can respond, there’s a green flash and a wicked flash that came from the back patio. “Audrey?” I ask in confusion, I can recognize her laugh anywhere.

I walk out the door behind Jay, who stops abruptly and I run right into his back. I look over his shoulder and see Mal old and bent over. I gasp and my eyes widen, Audrey did this? How?

“Audrey has my mother’s scepter,” Mal says. “We need to get Hades’s ember, it’s the only thing strong enough to overpower the scepters powers.”

“I’m going with you guys,” I step out from behind Jay.

“No you aren’t” Mal slowly turns to look at me.

“And who’s going to stop me? You?” I laugh. “I’d love to see you try. I’m just trying to help you guys. Mal, you and Ben are already leaving me out of things ever since we found out Harry is my soulmate. I’m sick of it! It’s frustrating and belittling. I’m going with you, whether you like it or not.”

“There’s strength in numbers,” Evie agrees.

“You and Ben have been hurting her,” Carlos frowns.

“It’s kind of obvious,” Jay adds.

“Whatever,” Mal rolls her eyes.

“You can ride with me,” Jay smiles before walking back inside.

“This is so cool,” I breathe, as we walk into Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Arcade. Celia gives me a confused look. “We don’t really have arcade’s in Auradon, it’s more about courtly duty.”

As Celia asks her father for the key to Hades’s cave, I wander over to the tv with Carlos. He puts a coin into the top and the news from Auradon starts to play. The reporter is talking about how the sleeping curse is spreading, and that even though it’s rumored to be Audrey, it must be a villain doing it. I frown at his generalization that everyone from the Isle has to be bad. A magic barrier doesn’t magically make people evil or good depending on which side they’re on. We get the key and quickly dash out of the arcade and back to the bikes. Sitting atop the bikes are pirates, Harry’s sitting on Jay’s. I bite my bottom lip as I smile at my pirate.

“Get off my bike Hook,” Jay frowns.

“You shouldn’t have had my girl clinging onto you then,” Harry winks at me. My breath catches in my throat as I study is face. His hair is parted slightly different, and the eyeliner is thicker. To top it all off he’s in a new outfit; he has the same ripped white shirt, but he has a new red vest that’s so dark it almost looks black, and he has no pirate hat in sight. He’s even more handsome than I remember. With one last smirk to me, he’s driving off with his buddies.

Jay and the rest go to follow him to get the bikes back, but Mal stops Celia and me. “You two are coming with me.” I roll my eyes, but obediently follow my future Queen.

“I was a God!” Hades bellows. “I don’t belong here!”

“If it makes you feel any better, I never thought you should have been imprisoned on the Isle,” I speak up for the first time. “You’re stronger and have more power than and King or Queen could have.”

“I like this one,” Hades smiles at Mal, before turning to me. “I like you.”

“Dad,” Mal huffs. “Enough. We need the ember.”

I sigh, causing everyone to look at me with raised eyebrows. “The daughter of Maleficent and Hades, two of the most feared individuals, was allowed to come over to Auradon. I just want to brink over Captain Hook’s son, but no.”

“Now is not the time for that (Y/N),” Mal furrows her brows.

“Then when is it time?” I laugh humorlessly. “Because you and Ben have been avoiding this discussion at all costs.”

Mal frowns, but ultimately ignores me, grabbing the ember before heading to leave. I smile at Hades before following her out.

We meet up with the other’s, and walk out of the barrier. Just as it’s closing two bodies jump through. Two bodies that belong to Harry and Gil.

“Princess,” Harry smiles at me before picking me up and spinning me around.

“I missed you,” I whisper, running my pointer finger over his jawline. Gil high fives me after I reluctantly pull away from Harry.

“Did you miss me?” Uma asks from the water.

“Uma!” Harry, Gil and I cry out at once. Uma caught the Ember that Harry had almost knocked into the water when I was greeting Gil.

Uma and Mal argue about the Ember, and how it can’t get wet. Uma explains that she’s been trying to find a way for the kids to get off the Isle. Uma eventually turns back into a person and hugs Harry and Gil, before pulling me into a side hug as well. As Mal and Uma continue to argue, I stand between Harry and Uma, lacing the fingers on my left hand with Harry’s right.

We head to my castle to hopefully find Ben, but the only thing we find claw scratches on the wall. As we walk further into the castle, Harry subtly guides me behind him. I smile at his protectiveness, so he didn’t move on with some Isle girl.

We walk through the castle before eventually going into the hall of knights. Metal knight outfits line the walls. As Uma and Mal bicker for the hundredth time today, Harry and I notice one of the knights moving. This time there’s no subtlety in his actions, he fully pushes me behind him.

“Guys,” Harry tries to get their attention, which doesn’t work.

“Shut up!” I raise my voice at them for the first time, they all turn to look at me confused.

“Look at the knight,” Harry points out. Everyone looks at it and Audrey’s voice comes through commanding the armor to fight us. Everyone quickly grabs swords as the knights surround us, I stick with the pirates while the VK’s stick together, in a way it’s showing the separation in the groups, and which one I’m ultimately loyal to.

“I’ve got a strategy, you take the left,” Mal says to Uma, before whispering to the VK’s. “The rest of you can follow me.”

“Uh-uh,” Uma glares at her.

“This is my crew,” Mal argues.

“Well this is my squad,” Uma counters.

“This is my turf,” Mal argues further.

“Oh my gosh,” Evie complains. “Look guys, we have bigger fish to fry, put your differences aside. Because right now we’re on the same side.”

“You can go back to arguing later, this isn’t a joke,” I complain from Harry’s side.

The fight rages on and Uma and Mal work together to beat the knights. After they used their combined powers to stun them, Mal uses a spell to get them to copy our moves. Everyone starts dancing around to distract them, while I just stare with a raised eyebrow. The safety of Auradon and its people is in the hands of a group of dancing teenagers?

When the dancing somehow defeats the knights, everyone starts to celebrate, I of course am being hugged by Harry, but Uma and Mal almost high five. That is until they realize what they’re doing, and walk away from each other and stand on opposite sides of the room.

“We were a team, we worked together.” Evie tries to get the two sides to get along. “Uma? Mal? (Y/N), c’mon.”

“Yeah no,” I grunt along with Uma and Mal.

“Let’s try a little ice breaker,” Evie gets all excited. I give her props for staying optimistic through all of this. “I’ll start with Harry.”

“Ye really don’t have to,” he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me in tight.

“I like your accent,” Evie continues anyway. “And you and (Y/N) are really cute together.” Harry just stares at her, as I send her a little smile.

I get sick of their bickering on where to search next, and head out alone to the place I know she would go to. Fairy cottage. After a long walk I finally end up there, and I can hear her throwing things and Chad whimpering. Will she just give into the soulmate bound already? I know she isn’t happy it’s him, but he’s devoted to her, and she could honestly do worse.

“Audrey?” I shout through the door. “Let me in.”

The door opens to Audrey’s grinning face. “ How cute, you decided to come here and plead for your safety.”

“Hi (Y/N),” Chad dopily smiles at me.

“Shut it Chad,” Audrey snaps.

“Actually, I came here to talk,” I frown. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why am I doing this?” she laughs humorlessly as she rolls her eyes. “Because I lost everything! I lost Ben! I lost my spot as Queen! And I lost you! But Mal got everything I lost. If everyone wants a villain, I’ll give them one.”

“Audrey, you never lost me,” my frown deepens. “You have always been, and will always be my best friend.”

“You stayed my friend when they first came here, but you changed after the cotillion,” she deadpans.

“A lot happened on the Isle that you don’t know about,” I defend. “Audrey, I’m mad at Ben and Mal too, but I’m not attacking everyone because of it.”

“And what could possibly have you so mad at your perfect little Ben?” she asks.

“I met my soulmate on the Isle,” I sigh. “He’s friends with Uma, and he was actually the one to kidnap Ben when we were there. Ben refuses to let Harry come over and blows me off whenever I want to talk about it.”

“Is he here now?” Audrey asks, sounding like her real self for the first time.

“Yeah, he’s the one in the red vest with the eyeliner,” I grin at her. “It’s a little frustrating, ya know. Mal tried to steal the wand for her mom, but she gets stay. Harry just wanted off the Isle and he gets treated like he’s some big criminal.”

Audrey’s eyes snap to me, studying my face. “You’re tricking me!” she exclaims. “What has gotten into you?” I frown.

“Where are they?” she screams running from window to window. “You’re just trying to distract me until they can get here and stop me! Well that’s not gonna happen!”

Audrey uses the scepter and slams both Chad and me into a closet, before locking it behind us. “Audrey, I’m not tricking you,” I yell through the door.

“Of course you were! You wouldn’t dare speak ill of your king or Queen,” and with that, the door to the cottage slammed shut behind her, Leaving me locked in a closet with a whimpering Chad.

I don’t know how much time has passed, but I think I’m going crazy. It sounds like there are voices coming from outside the cottage. Chad finally just shut up, but thinking Audrey returned, sent him into another whimpering fest. Soon the door to the closet is opened to reveal Ben, who suddenly has facial hair and pointy teeth. Chad whimpers again, and curls tightly into my side, fearing that he’ll get more glass bowls thrown at him.

“Chad get off me,” I groan.

“Yeah mate,” Harry’s voice is low and threatening. “Get off my girl.”

As soon as Chad comes to his senses and gets off of me, Harry is pulling me up and holding me tightly to his side. He glares at Chad as he spins his hook around, almost daring him to look my way again. I lean into his side and place my right hand on his chest, almost instantly he starts to relax. Everything about being in his arms feels like safety and home, and I can’t keep the large grin off my face as he calls me his girl.

Chad runs from the house screaming that he’s free, and the rest of us set off to find Audrey.

“I want to know how you convinced them to help you,” Ben says to Mal.

“She promised that all of the kids that wanted to get off the Isle could,” Uma smiles.

“Mal?” Ben frowns.

“What’s going on?” I match my brother’s frown.

“I lied to you,” Mal stops walking and looks at all of us. “The kids won’t be coming off the Isle.”

“What do you mean?” Jay asks.

“The programs been shut down. And the barrier will be closed for good,” I strangled gasp escapes my lips.

Everyone starts talking at once, until Mal cuts in. “I did it for us,” she defends to the VK’s. “For the life we have here.”

As Mal and Evie argue, Harry turns to Ben. “You’re probably gonna throw us all back inside of it,” I laugh and shake my head when Ben doesn't deny it.

“This is bullshit,” I laugh, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Don’t do this,” Harry frowns at me. “He’s still you’re brother, and you’ll regret this.”

“No, he needs to hear this,” I look Ben directly in the eye. “It’s bullshit. You have no idea how happy I was, how proud I was of you, when you took my idea from when we were kids and made it a reality. You bringing these eight kids over is quite possibly the only good decision you’ve made recently. You’ve kicked me out of important meetings, left me out of the loop on all decisions you’ve made. It’s bullshit Ben, these kids have done nothing! And yet you’re leaving them on a miserable island to rot, when they’ve done nothing wrong. Uma, Harry, and Gil are risking their lives to save Auradon, and yet when everything’s magically fixed, they’ll be sent back. Audrey is my best friend, but we both know she’ll just get a slap on the wrist and everything will be forgiven. She won’t face punishment, and yet innocent kids do. It’s bullshit Ben, you knew before we were even off the Isle that Harry was my soulmate, and you’ve done nothing,” by now tears, both angry and hurt, are pricking the corners of my eyes. “You were content to sit on a big fancy throne with Mal at your side, and watch me be alone. You lost your soulmate for a day and you still complain about how painful that was. I haven’t seen mine in months, because you won’t bring him over, none of you will. It hurts Ben. You hurt Audrey, proposing to Mal in front of her. You may not be her soulmate, but she loved you. You both planned that she would be your Queen. And you don’t know, or care, about how painful that proposal was for me Ben. You told Evie that you were going to propose, but you didn’t even tell your own sister. But on top of that, I bet it didn’t even cross your mind how much it would hurt me to see you get your happy ending with Mal. You proposed to her right in front of me, knowing damn well that I would probably never get that moment, or any, with Harry. You never planned on bringing any of the pirates over after Uma refused to help. But I can’t tell if it was because of your encounter with them, or because of Mal’s past with them. Either way, it’s bullshit. We used to be so close Ben, but now I’m honestly embarrassed to be your sister.”

Harry pulls me into his chest, as he runs his hand through my hair. Before Ben can react, Celia grabs the ember from Mal, and throws it into a birdbath.

“No!” Mal screams.

“Bummer,” Uma deadpans. Harry and I follow her as she walks away.

“(Y/N) wait!” Ben calls after us.

“No Ben, I’m done with your lies. When this is over and you send the three of them back, I’ll be going with them. I won’t respect or listen to a king who has so little respect for his own people. Like it or not, the people on the Isle are your people too. And just like Dad, you don’t care about them.”

Everything’s over now. Audrey was taken down by Mal, and brought back from the brink of death by Hades. The pirates went back over to the Isle, Harry wouldn’t let me go with. Said I deserved better than the life he could give me on the Isle. What he doesn’t realize is that any life with him would be perfect. And just like I predicted, Audrey got away with no punishment, everyone’s acting like it never happened. Now here I am, standing up on a balcony with Ben, Mal, and my parents for their engagement party. None of us have really talked since I got mad at them, but they needed to hear it.

“I can’t do it,” Mal says after she’s called the future Queen. Everyone gasps, but I just roll my eyes. She goes on about how the people on the Isle are our people as well and they need to take care of them, hmmm sounds familiar. She even managed to fit it in that Hades is her dad, earning more gasps from the people.

Ben takes over the speech, “Mal’s right. We have been neglecting them, something (Y/N) has been trying to tell me since we were kids. Not only have I been a bad king to those on the Isle, but a bad brother to (Y/N). I’ve been keeping the truth from her, and knowingly hurting her. She was right when she told me that I didn’t seem to care about how she felt. I do care, but I’ve been purposely keeping her and her soulmate apart,” the crowd gasps. “As we brought in a new group of kids from the Isle, I made sure her soulmate stayed on the other side of the barrier. I didn’t care if he was different around her, better even, I let my own feelings for him cloud my judgement. I didn’t stop to think about how much she must be hurting. And I’m sorry (Y/N), for everything. I just want to be someone that your proud to call your brother.”

“Ben,” I give him a small smile. “It takes a lot of guts to say that in front of everyone, but I’m still hurt. And there are still so many kids on the isle that don’t deserve to be.”

“That’s why we need to bring the barrier down, unite Auradon and the Isle,” Mal grins. That’s definitely not something I would advocate, yes I want the kids off, and yes I don’t think Hades should be there since he’s a God. But some really bad people are on the Isle, and that could cause more chaos and trouble for Auradon.

Ultimately, Ben uses the well I’m king card to shut our parents up and let them do what they want. Fairy Godmother, shockingly, agrees wholeheartedly that the barrier should be brought down. So Mal uses the wand and a bridge connects the Isle to Auradon. We all rush down to greet the kids walking across the bridge. I smile as I see Harry and Uma leading the group.

I run and jump into Harry’s arms, wrapping my legs around his waist with little care that I’m currently in a dress. Harry laughs as he holds on tightly. “I’m never leaving ye again,” he promises.

Instead of verbally responding, I grab his face and pull him in for a kiss. It was slow and sweet, but conveyed all of our emotions. He sets me down so he can weave his hand through my hair while his hooked hand rests dangerously close to my butt. For the first time since we met, I don’t have to fear Harry being ripped away from me. I’m finally home.

“You look ravishing,” Harry lightly tugs the bottom of my red dress to bring me closer.

“I wish I could say the same about you,” I giggle softly as I play with his collar. “What’s up with the ruffles?”

“Isn’t this what ye royals wear?” he grins. “I was just practin’ for our future.”

“I like the sound of that,” I slide my arms behind his neck and bite my lower lip.

“Well get used to it, cause I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he leans in gives me a slow passionate kiss.

Behind us Jay and Gil are making plans to travel Auradon and see some of it’s spectacular sights. “They make really cute friends,” I smile over at the pair.

“It’s more than that love,” my brows furrow in confusion. “Their soulmates, Jay always denied it and because of that no one believed Gil. Thought he was just bein’ stupid.”

“Well I think they’re cute together. Now that Jay got over himself.”

“But not as cute as us,” Harry protests.

“Never,” I giggle.

Taglist-

@nightshade7117 @princessleah129 @travelnottogoanywherebuttogo @stormi-ames @bourbonandblow

#harry hook imagine #harry hook #harry hook x reader #descendants #Descendants 2 #descendants imagine #descendants 3 #soulmate au

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merrybrides · 4 years

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15 Key Secrets To A Successful Marriage

Wouldn’t you like to know the secret sauce to a happy and long-lasting marriage, especially from those happily married couples who have aced the art of leading a happy relationship?

We unveil 15 secrets of a successful marriage that will help you problem-solve the marital issues, disarm the conflicting spouse and help you create and maintain a successful marriage.

1. Be independent

Independence was rated ‘extremely important’ in a marriage.

In order to be happy in a relationship, we must be happy first. That is, in fact, the key to a successful relationship. With that in mind, wives and husbands must continue to take out time for themselves, enjoy their personal hobbies, and in general, spend some time apart.

Not only does absence make the heart grow fonder, but in the time we spend alone, we get to reunite with our spiritual side, re-establish our sense of self, and check in with the progress of our personal preferences, goals, and achievements.

Being dependent, on the other hand, weakens your resolve and ability to move forward as a free thinker.

When we maintain our independent sense of self, we will always have something to talk about at the dinner table, and we are forever stronger, healthier, and more attractive to our partners.

2. Be a good listener

We need to talk.

Most partners dread this sentence but do you know that if you are wondering how to have a successful relationship then creating a platform for healthy conversations is the way to go?

While all women should work in the art of active listening, we emphasize this as an area of special attention for men. Too often, men do not realize that all their partner needs from them is a listening ear.

This is due to their programming and the way in which they are taught to relate to others.

Remember that listening and hearing are not the same things. Listening involves our hearts. Open yours, hear what she says, look at her while she speaks, paraphrase even, and reassure.

Listening is the real key to a happy marriage, for that matter, to every relationship.

3. Agree to disagree

Being good together does not mean that couples agree on every little thing. Most of the couples we interviewed actually had varying attitudes, opinions, and belief systems; and even held opposing views on major areas in some cases.

All couples should have some level of disagreement somewhere. Successful, loving couples respected the point of view of one another and even had a sense of humor over their points of contention.

Remember, respect is one of the major elements of a successful marriage.

Recognize that of two opposite views, one of them does not have to be right.

4. Communicate – know your partner’s ‘Love Language’

There are several books out there on the Languages of Love. This was developed of the concept in psychology that each individual has his or her own unique way in which they communicate love.

By knowing your partner’s preferences and hobbies, metaphors can be used in communication that relates to something the person understands well.

Observe the physical way in which your partner shows love and you’ll know what makes a successful marriage.

This could be, washing your car, or picking up the kids. From her, it could be keeping the toiletries stocked and ironing his shirts. For others, its words, letters, and affection.

Our advice for a successful marriage? Figure out your partner’s love language so you will always know how to speak to him or her. Love languages are often talked about but couples don’t pay as much attention to this than they should.

Understanding a spouse’s love language is the secret to a happy relationship.

5. Acceptance

A major relationship killer, lack of acceptance is a trait more commonly attributed to women, who are known for their nagging. Remember, we married our spouse for who he was then, and who he is now. Even if we wanted to change him now, we can’t.

The key to a successful marriage lies in realizing this as soon as possible.

When urging or persuading him, you are only focusing on his weaknesses or problems. Change your perspective immediately and start focusing on positive traits instead.

6. Take responsibility

It is that easy and one of the secrets of a successful marriage. When you participate in a project, take responsibility for your successes and your failures.

When you and your partner have a disagreement or argument, remember to take responsibility for your actions, including anything you did or said, especially if it was hurtful, unthoughtful or created adversity.

7. Never take one another for granted

Taking one another for granted may be the most toxic pathogen of all. Once they are comfortable, it is easy for couples to begin to slip into a complacent state – and expectations form.

This is actually only a matter of human nature, as we get comfortable with what is familiar, but in marriage, you absolutely should never come to a place where you take your partner for granted.

Pledge to respect your partner indefinitely no matter what. Avoid assumptions, and offer to do nice things for your partner whenever possible. Most successful marriages have partners who vouch for this.

8. Date night

Among the other tips for a successful marriage, this tip is the most ignored and overlooked by couples, especially those who have been married for a while. It does not matter what a couple does on their date night.

Simply having a night when they spend their time just with each other strengthens the bond and maintains it over time. When you have a date night, you should turn your phones off and put them away so you are free of distractions.

Watch a movie at home with popcorn or go hiking or rollerblading together. Change it up often and be helpful and positive for one another. A romantic and thoughtful date night is not just one of the steps to a successful marriage but indeed one of the main ingredients of a successful marriage as well.

It is important to schedule this monthly if not weekly in order to maintain accountability and establish a pattern of importance in regard to date night.

9. Add romance

Wondering how to make marriage successful? Go old school with your romance. Romantic acts can be many – try giving her a flower someday or place a love note in his briefcase or backpack. Surprise him with his favorite meal, or watch the sunset together.

There is no shortage of ideas, and you’ll be amazed at how far a little romance goes toward strengthening the relationship.

10. Keep intimacy alive

Sex is very important to a healthy marriage. Sex should be regular, and therapists suggest doing it even when you’re not in the mood!

We suggest keeping it interesting by talking about what pleases you and adding any fantasy role-playing, positions, or bedroom props you may want to introduce to keep it exciting.

After all, what is a successful marriage if it doesn’t let you get what you desire?

Life coach Giovanni Maccarrone talks about how making this one conscious decision before getting married can be helpful in making a marriage successful.

11. Compliments

“A compliment a day keeps the divorce attorney away.” Acknowledging your partner’s positive attributes every day, and paying compliments, will go a long way in your relationships.

Stay positive, and keep track of what your spouse does well. When the going gets rough and his not-so-great attributes come forward, rather than focusing on the negative, try switching gears, and point out the positive stuff instead.

12. Look for the soft emotion

Behind every “hard” emotion is a soft one; this is a concept taught by psychologists.

When we feel anger, it’s usually masking another emotion behind it, such as sadness, disappointment, or jealousy. We often just use anger as a disguise to protect our vulnerabilities.

Looking for the “soft” or vulnerable emotions underneath someone’s hard display of anger will help keep you connected as you are better equipped to empathize with that person’s true emotion.

We are often searching for tips for a successful relationship but fail to realize that a simple thing such as identifying the reality of emotions can keep us on the right track.

13. Let go of the fantasy

Unfortunately, we are socialized to believe in fairytale endings and we may carry some false perspectives on reality with us into adulthood. We need to recognize that, while marriage can be a beautiful thing, it is not effortless, nor will it ever be perfect.

Have realistic expectations and do not fall victim to the fairy tale – you may find yourself sorely disappointed. This is not only one of the greatest factors of a successful marriage but plays a huge role in your happiness as an individual too.

14. Do not control

Married people often come to a place where they start to lose themselves, they give in to jealousy or feelings of inadequacy, or they forget that they are separate people away from their partners, and they may try to control their partners.

Most of the time this is done inadvertently, as expectations may grow over time.

What makes a marriage successful are communication, independent time, and healthy indulgences that will keep any couple on track. If you sense you are being controlled or are the controller, get a handle on it or make an appointment for a family counselor.

15. Never use the D- word

Presuming you don’t really want to get a divorce, don’t threaten to. Couples that use the D-word or talk about separation during fights use this as a control mechanism. Couples using it in a threatening way are more likely to see Divorce come to fruition.

Making threats is not a mature strategy for solving any problem, so don’t do it.

Most happy couples swear by these successful marriage tips. Follow these tips on how to have a successful marriage; you will not only be able to save your marriage but also be able to enjoy a highly successful one.

#marriage advice

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my-whumpy-little-heart · 4 years

Text

I’ve Got You - Floyd

Whumptober: Day 7

Day 7 is late, but day 7 is here! The prompt isn’t outright said in the piece, but I think the implications an use of the other aspects of the day’s prompt are plenty enough.

This piece takes place about 2-3 months before the events of Persistence! It was supposed to happen quite a bit differently, but Percival is... persuasive. Enjoy! (Half of this is basically unedited, so please forgive any typos!)

Content warnings: creepy whumper, noncon (nonsexual) touching, hand gagging, frequent mentions and descriptions of blood (I might even say mild gore), bleeding out, hallucinations (not actually, but it seems to be), head injury

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Put pressure on the wound. Stop the bleeding.

Floyd knew those words better than he knew himself. After years of remembering and repeating them to others, they were ingrained deep in his mind. They sounded so simple. Find the source of bleeding and press down on it so that the blood flow stops.

So why was it so difficult to remember now that he was the victim?

Floyd stumbled on the uneven gravel street, nearly falling to his knees. He couldn’t stop now. He didn’t even remember how he’d been separated from his crew during the fight, how he’d ended up in this empty alleyway, but if he just kept going he’d make it to the dock eventually, back to their ship.

Warm blood poured down his midsection in a steady stream, the pain from the stab wound there shifting and intensifying with each step. Right. The bleeding. Stop the bleeding.

He reached a shaking hand under his shirt, trailing cold fingers across the unnaturally hot surface until they brushed against the torn skin. A shiver ran through him at the foreign feeling. Floyd took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and pressed down softly on the wound. The pain flared and he had to fight instinctive reflexes to keep his hand pressed down. He was so weak that it probably wouldn’t do anything no matter how hard he tried, he knew that, but...

Floyd panted desperately. He had no other choice if he wanted to survive this. With each step he pushed harder, squeezed his eyes shut, and pressed his lips together, as if he could block out each of his senses one by one. He couldn’t hold back the pained noises crawling their way up his throat, couldn’t keep his mouth closed against the desperate, near-incomprehensible cries for help.

As he trudged on, blazing eyes stared from the shadows, enamored by his struggle. The quiet footfalls of invisible feet escaped his notice. Floyd wasn’t even conscious enough to be uneasy at the strange, instinctive feeling that he was being watched.

His vision went dark at the edges and he loosened the grip in turn, but the dizziness and pain refused to subside. He couldn’t see where he was going, couldn’t tell if his eyes were still open… Inevitably, Floyd stumbled and crashed to his hands and knees, scraping them against rough stones as he cried out.

The ringing in his ears was too loud, rendering him unable to hear the approaching steps and folding fabric, and he hardly registered the pressure of a chest against his back and the arm around his waist until strong hands pressed against his own, forcing it back against the steadily bleeding injury. Floyd cried out, the intoxicating fog of unconsciousness retreating and being replaced with the sluggish trickle of cold panic down his spine.

He lurched forward, but the arm held him in place while another came up to clamp over his mouth. It held tightly, not even allowing him to move his jaw, and desperate, strangled whimpers whistling through his nose were the only call for help he could manage.

“Shhhhh, stay still.” Heavy breaths brushed against his ear. Stubble scraped lightly across the back of his neck. “You can’t go and bleed out, now.”

Floyd tried to stand back up, free his arms, move his head, anything, but he was far too weak… helpless to resist as the man pulled him back, gravity weighing on trembling muscles to lay him down, his head cradled in the man’s lap. His eyes fluttered as he looked up, expecting to see the face of whoever was keeping him here, but… he couldn’t see a thing.

Was he imagining things? Was anyone really here with him? Was he-

The surface under him shifted and moved away, losing all contact with him for a second.

“Wh-what’s there?! Who are you?! H-how-!” The same pressure closed on his mouth again, but it was slick, sticky as it dried against his skin, clinged to his lips, his face, his nose where he took short, panicked breaths and inhaled the unmistakable tang of iron. Floyd went stiff. That was his blood. His blood from his side, now on his face, overwhelming in sensation and scent.

Individual fingers and nails dug into his skin, perched on the sides of his nose and threatening to cut off airflow there, too, and yet he saw nothing. The air was clear, wobbling with the weight of his tears and the dark void of unconsciousness closing in, but it was clear. There was nothing there.

A weight settled on his thighs, pushed his arms against his sides, placed its hand against his wound again, leaned forward, and any attempt to scream only smeared the sickening taste of his own blood across his mouth.

“Don’t scream, that would make this far too easy for them,” he said, too close but never close enough to see. Floyd knew he’d heard his voice somewhere before, he definitely had, but his head hurt and it was hard to think and he just couldn’t place it-

“Oh come on, darling, I said don’t scream not don’t breathe. I won’t let you die as long as you can stay awake for me.” The fingers around his nose tightened when he tried to breathe in and he nearly choked on the small breath he’d managed. A huff of laughter came from above him and the grip loosened. “It’s just a matter of time to see whether you’ll be going back home with your crew or… finding a new place to stay if you’re not worth their trouble.”

He writhed under the pain and unsettling words sinking into him, and as much as he wanted to crawl away, he found that he couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Heathered grey nothingness flashed across his vision, swirling with the dark, and time slipped out of his grasp. Whatever presence that held him here was helping, was keeping him alive through every second that he kept the pressure on, through every gasp of dizzying metallic air, through every stuttered heartbeat.

Floyd prayed desperately into the empty recesses of his mind that his crewmates would find him and drive this cruel presence away, bring him back to the ship where he’d finally learned to feel safe. Whatever alternative he was being offered, threatened with… he couldn’t fathom.

He got weaker the longer he laid there, feeling the life drain from his body. Maybe he was imagining it, but the blood flow seemed to have slowed to a sluggish drip, at least as long as the pressure remained on it. Everything was silent for a while, aside from his uneven breathing and muffled groans.

“You would have died by now if I hadn’t found you,” the invisible man mused. “A beautiful thing like yourself, left to rot in the street just like that. It’s really a wonder nobody’s interrupted us yet.”

The hand on his side eased up, finally letting go. The bleeding increased without anything to hold it back, but the pressure of a knee came down on it as the man shifted his weight, and suddenly Floyd felt another hand against his face.

A finger trailing down his cheekbone left a line of blood that dripped slowly into his hair. The hand followed, running wet fingers through burnt orange locks, rusting them with hints of deep red drying into brown. He shivered but couldn’t pull away as it traced his hairline, his forehead...

“I would have taken you already if I’d known they don’t really care,” he sighed, and Floyd could’ve sworn it sounded strangely fond. “...well then. I can trust you not to try anything if I let you speak, can’t I?”

He nodded quickly. Anything to get that bloody hand away from him. His skin stuck slightly when he finally pulled it off, and the man lifted himself as well, presumably standing. Floyd couldn’t tell now that they weren’t touching. He didn’t see or hear anything for a few more seconds until the man muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.

“...huh?” Floyd asked, squinting up like that would do anything to spot the invisible presence.

“Someone decided to cut our little rendezvous short,” he said, and the eyeroll that came next was nearly audible. “I’ll see you again soon, and if all goes well then maybe you’ll see me too,” he laughed. “Goodnight, dear.”

A swift kick to the side of his head knocked him senseless before he could protest.

Floyd didn’t hear the invisible man walk away or another person run up, their panicked voice muffled behind a thick wall. Something shook him and he peeled his eyes open, focusing slowly on a familiar face.

“Mmnh… Mabel?” he slurred. She looked shaken and glanced over him, speaking in a low voice he couldn’t decipher. Someone else spoke back. He knew him too. Floyd tried to push himself off the ground so he could see better, but a hand pushed on his shoulder, keeping him against the ground. He flinched.

“Yes, it’s us, me and Ray, I’m sorry,” Mabel said too quickly and he could hardly grasp the words, “but you’re- I- holy shit, don’t move, alright?”

He nodded breathlessly, trying to keep his eyes open as hands pushed his shirt up, inspecting the wound. Phantom touches roamed all across his body and if his eyes were closed he couldn’t know which were real anymore and which were… he couldn’t remember. Everything before that moment was a blur. He remembered a voice, a hand, blood, pain, pain.

“...someone had to have… who did this?” It was Ray, he was speaking to Floyd, asking him a question and it took too long to register around the fog in his mind.

He shook his head. The wound was never there, but now it was and he only knew it by what it was doing to him, and nothing of what caused it. There were more words after that, words he couldn’t pick out from one another to decipher any meaning from.

He felt the ground fall out from under him, and it took a moment to realize he wasn’t falling, but rising in someone’s arms. Floyd blinked blearily at Ray’s face above him, then tucked his face against the folds of his jacket, breathing deep at the light, sandy scent of safety, and closed his eyes. He was too weak to open them again after that.

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Tag list, ask to be added or removed!

@whump-tr0pes, @burtlederp, @castielamigos-whump-side-blog, @doitforthewhump, @shameless-whumper, @endless-whump, @theycomeinthrees, @faewhump, @lonesome--hunter, @insanitywishes, @ohmywhump, @deluxewhump, @galaxywhump, @liliability

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talesofsonicasura · 4 years

Text

Diamonds and Voodoo

You Do Voodoo

A mysterious visitor comes to Morioh. Paths diverge and intertwine with the various townfolks of this crazy, noisy bizarre town. And it all started with a good deed touched by a bit of magic.

Good deeds tend to create ripples throughout what we know as life. Sometimes an act of kindness can lead to great rewards. At rare times the road to hell is often paid with good intentions. Nevertheless, this type of charity has a habit of changing the future of one or many individuals. For sometimes, a grand adventure begins with that very act of kindness.

"Look out!" Morioh, a small town amongst the middle of nowhere quite unlike many cities found in Japan. A type of place that tends to be quiet but also hosts some oddities within its dwellings. Unlike many small towns, Morioh would become ground zero for a strand of very bizarre events and each with their own level of danger.

A car was parked awkwardly sideways between the road and crosswalk. Upon closer inspection, this was a crash as the front end was inward from the telephone pole currently wedged inside the bright red metal. To the side was an abandoned bicycle alongside a police officer and what many from this town could call a foreigner. The officer holded the visitor close to his chest almost awkwardly, the telltale of being grabbed.

The officer was an older and surprisingly buff male, darkened grey hair hidden under his cap, eyes that had a natural glint of kindness despite the concern now shining for the person in their arms. A would-be victim of the car accident was a young woman around her late teens, between 16 or 17 from the bits of remaining baby fat still left on her face.

Her skin was slightly tanned in a more climate related basis, such as sun exposure than natural skin tone, hair a short messy lime green hidden under the top jaw of a dinosaur-esque skull, a 5'8 body that was slim, lean and had moderate bust along with curves, but it was her eyes and her arms that drew the most attention.

The young woman's arms were decorated in wavy almost vine patterned tribal markings with a four toes pad on each shoulder and her eyes had a unique case of heterochromia with the right being a normal orange but the entire left eye was blue except for a single white pupil. Her outfit consisted of dark blue fingerless gloves, red sneakers, light brown cargo shorts, a black bra and opened orange vest outlined in red.

"You okay there missy? That car almost hit you if I didn't pull you away in time." The officer questioned, his voice soft and kind in a sort of grandfatherly way. She merely looked up at him with a large impish smile. Not even scared or off-put that a speeding car almost made the teen paste on the street.

"I'm good mister! Just glad no one else got hurt either. Car accidents aren't something normal folks can handle and I rather get hurt than somebody else! I'm more than capable of taking some nasty hits!" The woman's peppy, slightly loud and light chuckle paired with the slightly morbid words had thrown the officer for a loop before he strangely found himself chuckling too.

"Hahaha. Well aren't you an odd but thoughtful young lady? I wish some of my friends on the force had that kind of energy. Everyone's been down as of late and honestly needs a pep talk or two." The greenette looked at his badge for a moment as if scanning for his name. Something that was quick to find apparently as it read 'Ryohei Higashitaka'.

With that in hand, she then reached into the pocket of her cargo while silently whispering his name. The officer or Ryohei honestly looked a bit surprised when the youth produced a peculiar item. It was a small brown wooden charm carved into a smiling mask. The mask was painted with red lips, yellow with green outlined eyes, large reddish eyebrows and four small feathers ranging from yellow, orange, purple and red.

"Please take this mister as a sign of gratitude. It's a good luck charm carved into the likeness of Aku-Aku, a spirit of protection. This charm shall ward off a great disaster in your future." The older man took the odd charm with a soft smile and looked it over. He softly chuckles before patting her head.

"Why thank you! It's pretty adorable and well crafted! I'll make sure to keep it close. Good luck is something a lot of people nowadays…" His eyes widened a bit upon realization. "Whoops! Careless me! I forgot to ask for a name. I am Ryohei Higashitaka, an officer of the Morioh Police Department. What's your name missy? I need it to file a report for ya and if you want to press charges." She merely gave an impish smile with a bit of her tongue sticking out.

"It's Taki-Taki, Taki-Taki Bandicoot."

Budo-ga Oka Middle and High School, one of the few schools within Morioh. A joint school where grades between 6 and 11th are together instead of being separate. It was also a place that had a quite an amount of delinquents which make up some of the school's student body.

Walking towards this destination from the local town square was a mountain of a man in very odd clothing. Hair was jet black and well groomed, eyes a bright ocean blue, body sculpted like a Greek God from every single inch out of 6'5 and a natural scowlish look on his face. Nearly all his clothes, from his coat, pants, shoes and torn back hat with golden pins stylized to spell Jo were white except for the man's shirt which was pitch black.

The man was currently looking over a paper, a report or letter from highly detailed it was in both text and a few select photos. His brows wrinkled in aggravation before muttering a soft 'Yare Yare Daze' under his breath. "Godamnit old man. You're too old to be causing this type of bullshit." He hissed, rough, husky and slightly aggravated tone to his voice making a few people steer clear of his vicinity.

Well… not just that. Unknown to the raven in question, there was something odd looking over his shoulder. This peculiarity was a mask of sorts. It looked vaguely human but the light blue material used to craft it was spectral from how it softly glow like wisps in the night sky.

An Aztec type crown at the top with four flat points as if it was a piece from a gear, large carved ears with faint spiral at the center, pure white eyes and mouth outlined in mauve, and the same mauve color to imitate flat eyebrows. Bystanders seeing the mask either quickened their step or blamed this bizarre sight as 'too much coffee' or 'no more liquor in the morning.'

"Huh. Guess an old man in his late 60s can get laid. Oh, so that's where the gardens are!" The young man nearly bit his tongue in shock from both the raspy, light and almost nerdy sounding male voice but also the fact it came from a floating tiki mask that took a closer look at his document.

He couldn't get a word out of his mouth as the mask flew off with surprising speed. "A Stand?! That means there's a Stand User nearby! You ain't getting away from me!" A bright golden aura began to burn around the adult upon giving chase to the airborne oddity. On the sidewalk, the man's shadow grew with the addition of a more peculiar one.

A few minutes passed when the chase was called off upon the mask being too far in the air to pursue, the extra shadow vanished as the adult male let a growl in annoyance. He lowers his hat with a curse. "Damn it. If that thing's responsible for the recent incidents going on in this town…" The man then went to a payphone before dialing in a number.

"This is Jotaro Kujo. Tell the heads of the Speedwagon Foundation that there is confirmed Stand activity in Morioh. Look into the database about a Stand in shape of a glowing blue mask and the possibility if it's connected to Dio." The phone was slammed down as the white coat of the man fluttered while he left.

"Poke!" A finger poking the little snout of a box turtle that had swam up from the water of the makeshift pond seated by a small bus stop. Sitting on the curb of the pond beside was the odd Taki-Taki, currently petting the small reptilian much to its pleasure. "You're a handsome turtle, aren't you? Much nicer than the big ones back home." She cooed while the turtle rubbed itself against her hand clearly in love with the kind contact.

A little whimper had the young woman look around in utter confusion. Soft heterochromia eyes soon met bright baby blue ones tinged with a bit of fear. That fear directed to the little reptile nipping at the greenette's fingers.

A 5'11 muscular young man with blue violet hair tended neatly into a large pompadour, a dark violet gakuran pinned with a yellow heart and gold peace on each side of his chest, sunshine yellow shirt that peeked through the gap of his uniform coat, and dark boots were the owner of these baby blue orbs.

"You okay? Look like you're about to pee yourself." Taki-Taki questioned upon the fidgeting male still looking at the turtle as if it tried to eat him. He immediately calmed down a bit now noticing he wasn't exactly alone, cheeks dusting a bright red. "I'm so sorry! Reptiles just give me the willies that's all, mostly turtles." His soft and slightly rough almost if still adjusting practically rattled with nervousness.

She merely chuckled whilst waving off any concern. "It's alright! Everyone is afraid of something so no harm done. Plus this little handsome fellow is much more kinder than the ones I've seen in Turtle Woods. Those turtles were mean and one tried to steal my hat!" Her spare hand pointed at the dinosaur skull on her head since the other was still petting the shelled reptile.

The pompadour wearing young man shivered upon the two words 'Turtle Woods' but was honestly thankful that she wasn't making fun of him for his phobia. Taki-Taki then stood up whilst petting the turtle's head one more time. "I better go! Promised to get some stuff with my friend Lani-Loli and we're supposed to meet up at the gardens! Chou!" And she was gone with a pep to her step.

"My name is Josuke Higashitaka… And she's gone. Maybe I'll see her again." The sound of male cursing grew as the purple pomp prince noticed a bunch of male students coming over to him. Delinquents from their rude, downlooking and glaring faces, something that only made him sigh. Days like these tend to suck.

The Higashitaka household, home to the Higashitaka family which consisted of the older police officer Ryohei, his daughter but also single mother Tomoko and Tomoko's son Josuke. A lively place from the unique personalities of the three living inside. Well, it wasn't like this right now.

Peculiar water slipping away from the house window almost like a cobra finished with their prey. A fact so true upon the still body of the family matriarch lying lifeless on the floor. Face carved in blood coated horror slowly changes to a pristine clean outlook through a soft golden aura. Almost if the man died in his slumber and not of gruesome supernatural murder.

The golden aura belonging to a bubblegum arm coated in crystalline diamond armor soon vanishes inside the body of Josuke. Behind Josuke was Jotaro, the man clad in white being a relative, his nephew shockingly taken into consideration that his grandfather was the pomp prince's father. Who knew?

And the older man could only look at the teen that was his uncle trying to coax his dead grandfather back to life with sympathetic pity. Aquamarine eyes that always seemed stuck in a perpetual glare now softened at the scene. The look of someone who had seen a death like this before. Or to be more precise, had experienced such a grizzly sight.

Jotaro knew that this wasn't the time for grief fueled hysterics. There were more pressing matters and dangers ready to drown them from the inside. "Josuke…" Any further words from the older man, alongside any actions from the teen immediately stopped upon one thing. Subtle movement originating from the chest of the officer's corpse before them.

A sickly sweet scent reminiscent of cherries filled the air along with the soft sizzle of something burning. Thin wisps of smoke coming from the body's chest pocket spurred Josuke to go into the clothing's pouch. Baby blue eyes widened seeing a small brown tiki charm in his hands but specifically the feathers that were turning to dust.

"A voodoo charm?" The purplette's attention immediately went back to the corpse of his grandfather. His still chest slowly began to rise and fall almost as if… "He's breathing." It was the only conclusion Jotaro came to upon the subtle movements. The charm in the teenager's hands fully became ash once his previously deceased grandfather sat up looking purely confused.

"Ooh my head… I don't remember my favorite booze having that strong of a kick. Josuke? What are you doing here since I thought you were going out? Who's this guy? And why are you crying?" Ryohei didn't expect to wake up to such a scene or his own grandson to hug him so hard thinking he was about to kick the bucket.

He was quick however to notice the scent of cherry in the air alongside a missing weight in his breast pocket. "Did someone light a scented candle and where did my good luck charm go? Was I mugged or something Josuke?" The elderly man's inquiry had the two younger men share the same look. They needed answers.

/"You want to know who gave me that charm? Well, it was a young girl around my grandson's age. She had green hair, heterochromia with her eyes being orange and blue, and had what looked like a dinosaur skull on her head. Said her name Taki-Taki Bandicoot and came into town looking for ingredients. The charm was based off of a guardian of protection... Aku-Aku I believe she said."/

Information that had both Jotaro and his younger uncle running through the streets of Morioh in a hurry. Ryohei had been put into protective custody with a short call from whoever the raven had pretty high connections to. Something that man would have refused if it wasn't for the fact his son was crying. Josuke only cried when things were at the absolute worst. This made it easier to search without the man being in danger once more.

"I never thought my life would have gotten this insane. First an escaped death row inmate capable of killing his victims from the inside with water and now a Stand User capable of bringing back the dead! Things weren't like this until you came to town!" The highschooler quipped as if to ignore the harsh ache going through his legs.

"Your life was bound to become bizarre the moment you awakened your Stand, no, the moment you were born with Joestar blood. A curse everyone in this damned bloodline has. So don't blame me for the shitshow." Jotaro fired back in absolute annoyance. Their destination was the place mentioned by the woman when Josuke encountered her, Morioh's Springroll Garden.

"Maybe she can remove it? She does know voodoo and it does involve a lot of curse thingies? Do you think Taki-Taki can get rid of my fear of turtles?" The teenager's question was merely met with an eye roll from Jotaro. He was going to shout back an insult until something caught his eyes.

A lone figure standing amongst a large collection of various flora and vegetation belonging to one of Morioh's famous landmarks. More accurately a lonehuman figure and a soft blue floating oddity by them that was very damn familiar to the male clad in white. "There she is and that's the Stand I saw earlier!"

Taki-Taki was currently plucking a few mushrooms from underneath the bushes that provided their moist dark home and placed them into a small straw basket. Springroll Garden was a place where people could pick their vast garden by purchasing a special ticket and take home an entire basket full of items.

"It's kind of cool that the town has such a garden like this. Especially when it guarantees a free basket of fresh goods for first time visitors too!" The luminescent mask said with a big smile while looking at a bush full of white roses. His green haired friend merely let out a chuckle in agreement before speaking. "Same here pal. Makes it a lot easier to find the things needed to work my magic."

A loud shout had the two look up to see some familiar faces running their way. "Wouldn't you know? Hey Pompadour Prince, fancy seeing you here!" Taki-Taki's nickname immediately had the boy stop in his tracks. Face burning in anger until the words finally hitting turned that anger into pure confusion. The sudden confusion didn't stop the mask from cowering behind the greenette.

"Pompadour Prince?" He questioned while pointing to himself, clearly confused. "You kidding? That's the best pompadour I've ever seen. Also, calling you king is going a bit too far since we've barely known each other and aren't in a relationship." Her words caused the male teen to blush a bit paired with a smitten look and cheesy smile.

Jotaro merely elbowed Josuke's shoulder as the highschooler remembered what they were supposed to be doing. "Taki-Taki Bandicoot, we need you to come with us. We already know about you being a Stand User since your Stand is hiding right behind you but also that charm you gave Ryohei Higashitaka before he was attacked."

The greenette merely had a confused look before it immediately narrowed into glare after the words Ryohei Higashitaka and attacked. Her emotions were clearly being felt through the odd mask as it came out of hiding to glare at them. "I knew something bad was bound to happen upon seeing that dark aura. Tell me what you've done to that kind officer before I rip ya putzes a new one!"

Josuke was thrown off guard by the sudden aggression consuming Taki-Taki's features. It was as if a cloak of pure madness just overshadowed that sunny aura of the greenette. The change didn't deter Jotaro who refused to back down at her threat. As if proving his point, a gold aura started to radiate from his body.

"You need to calm down now. We aren't your enemies but I won't hesitate to knock you out even if you're a girl." The man spoke as something appeared from his body like an apparition. It was a humanoid spirit of sorts that appeared to be an Aztec Warrior or barbarian with similar origins.

Just as big and buff as his summoner but a bit more, soft blue skin that outlined a coral inner pink, black hair that flowed like smoke but sparkle as if it was stardust, soft ocean blue eyes and a body armed with white pauldrons painted in gold spirals, black fingerless gold studded gloves, a white scarf around their neck, black knee high boots and a long white loincloth alongside a dark tasset.

Yet, the strange being seemed to only piss off Taki-Taki even further as she went into her pant's pocket to pull out a small crystal orb. "You're going to threaten me with a giant in his skivvies? Alright jackass, hope your ready to party. For this Ooda-Booga Boogie of mine is going to send ya to the hospital!" And she crushed the crystal orb in her hand.

Both men only had seconds until a large blackish pink fist had punched Jotaro's spirit in the face, the ghost and summoner were sent flying out of the garden before kissing the street concrete. Josuke could only blink before seeing the thing responsible for sending his nephew airborne. "Holy shit!" For what stood snarling in front of Taki-Taki was an absolute monster.

A heavily built 9'6 tall slightly deformed anthropomorphic porcupine with vibrant magenta skin overshadowed by a darkish gray hide. A long singular black horn tipped with hot pink, burning crimson eyes that glared down at the man in white, a magenta muzzle overlapped with an giant overbite of fangs, multiple pink tipped black spikes across their back, their right arm covered in black armor in the form of a riot shield, and crimson hakama trousers with a black paw print on the side.

The beast snarled angrily at Jotaro while a trail of drool came down from their razor sharp maw. It then let out a loud and deep inhuman roar almost if challenging anyone foolish enough to face the beast's wrath. Jotaro had gotten back onto his feet, spitting a bit of blood on the road before wiping the remainder from his mouth. Some of it stained bits of his hat a dark crimson. His spirit staring at the beast with an analysistic glare.

"That's one hell of a sucker punch you got there. Quite an ugly bastard of a friend you have, makes me question which one it is though. Is the beast your actual stand or a byproduct of its power?" The question only seemed to aggravate the greenette and the large creature she called upon.

"That 'ugly bastard' is my friend Quill and what is with this Stand garbage anyway?! What I want to know is did you attack Mr. Ryohei?! My charm doesn't just vanish without fulfilling its purpose even if stolen. Now answer me or I'll beat the truth out of you!" Taki-Taki declared with a snarl that held inhumanely sharp teeth.

Josuke didn't have to be a genius to know if he didn't stop these two right now then things were going to get a lot worse. His nephew's Stand went in for a punch while the greenette's large beast followed suit. Neither attack landing their blow as two diamond covered pink hands caught both fists.

The culprit was a giant pink skinned warrior whose body was covered in Corinthian style diamond armor. He was huge with the same type of muscle like Jotaro's spirit, eyes were a bright baby blue that shone through the darkness of the heart top helmet with concern, wires connecting the back of his neck to his back, heart shaped diamond pauldrons with spikes, armor that over lined the side of his arms, legs and back, and diamond plating rings around the fingers.

Unlike Jotaro's Stand or Taki-Taki's giant beast, this one exuded a gentle and kind aura akin to that of a guardian or protector. Something that made sense from the soft magenta aura radiating from Josuke. "Please stop fighting! I don't want to see my nephew or the person who saved my grandpa hurt each other for something stupid!" The pomp prince's words carried strong as they were sincere.

Something the greenette easily felt upon Quill taking a step back as if backing down from the fight since there was no longer any hostility. Jotaro's Stand disappeared soon after while he muttered a soft 'Yare Yare Daze' under his breath. "Holy shit… I thought things were going to get ugly there. I don't think this garden deserves to be wrecked by a Spike." The mask's quip not being lost on anyone.

Later at the Higashitaka House, cups of tea were placed on the table. Sitting at the table on mats were Josuke, Jotaro and the odd woman known as Taki-Taki Bandicoot. To their left side strangely enough was the greenette's mask and both men's spirits that were conversing with each other or goofing off upon the playing cards between them.

"I still don't believe that Stands are basically the spiritual energy of someone given form. You sure they aren't warrior ancestors? Jotaro's Star Platinum looks like an Aztec barbarian and Josuke, your Crazy Diamond reminds of those old Greek soldiers from his armor." She said while looking at the three oddities playing Go Fish.

A Scrabble holder was being used for the mask or Lani-Loli's cards since he didn't have any hands. He would ask either Star Platinum or Crazy Diamond to put any of his matching cards down and when he needed to 'fish' a card. "Pretty sure. Couldn't I ask the same thing about Lani-Loli over there? Floating masks that can talk aren't normal either." Josuke quipped while pointing to the mask in question.

"Hey! I'm right here you know and I'm way older than all of you combined! And I would have you know that I was human before becoming a Quantum Mask! If I still had hands I would smack all three of you on the head!" The mask fired back in aggravation, some of the cards disappearing in blue wisps of smoke... alongside Josuke's clothes.

"Eeek!" He panicked immediately covering his crotch, Jotaro hiding his embarrassment under his hat while Taki-Taki turned her head away with face hot red in embarrassment. "Great Tikimon! Lani-Loli! Phase his clothes back now!" The mask quickly undoing his magic in sheer embarrassment. Josuke's clothes and the cards popping back into reality with similar blue wispy smoke.

Poor teen let out a sigh of relief knowing he wasn't nude in front of a girl anymore. "Sorry! Sometimes I accidentally poof things out of existence when I'm stressed! And nothing says stress like an escaped convict who kills people with living water!" Jotaro rolled his eyes at the smartass remark. For an all mighty ancient mask, Lani-Loli was an anxious nerd that was a scare away from passing out.

The reason why they were holed up in Josuke's house was that all of them were targets of the Stand User Angelo and his Stand Aqua Necklace.

Angelo was a psychopath with a taste of madness and penchant for violence. The man was arrested repeatedly for brutal acts like murder and even sexual assault before he was landed on Death row. Sadly his execution didn't work properly, allowing the maniac to escape the morgue and reach Morioh. He attacked Ryohei as the cop was the reason Angelo got arrested.

Due to the nature of his Stand, none of them could use water that came from anywhere but a bottle in fear of accidentally swallowing the dangerous entity. "And when do you think it's safe for us to go home? Unlike you guys, my dad will go nuts if I ain't back soon. None of us want to deal with an angry father much less my pops, Crash Bandicoot." Taki-Taki wasn't blind to the nervous look on the pompadour prince's face while he took a sip of his tea.

"Until that Stand User is caught." Jotaro didn't foresee the spray of tea hitting his face from the greenette's spit-take. The grown man was growling in his seat while the young woman tried to settle down her coughs. "You nuts?! That is the stupidest thing I ever heard and this is stemming from the fact my partner does insanely stupid stuff on a daily basis!"

Lani-Loli had flown over to the table so fast that the card pile dispersed from the sudden gust, much to both Stand's displeasure. "You said this guy's Stand is pure water right? What do we do when we run out of water? Wait, here's a better one! What happens if it rained? Shelter becomes a deathtrap in two seconds!" Both men's eyes widened upon the mask's words.

After settling down her coughing fit, Taki-Taki let out a soft whisper. "I think this is what that putz wants. Turn ourselves into sitting ducks and swoops in for the kill until it's too late. And it's going to rain in three days." Silence filled the room upon that very knowledge. The convict was planning to turn their stakeout into a trap.

Josuke could only sigh at the difficult hand. Sure, they now know the guy's plan but if they ignore it then finding Angelo would be even harder. It also meant that the psycho will find out Ryohei is still alive and won't hesitate to attack him again. "Then let's turn the tables back. Turn the hunter into the hunted." All eyes were on Taki-Taki in seconds.

She had a goofy smile on her face with her tongue sticking out in an impish manner. There was also the fact that another crystal orb was in her hands. An item that produced the monstrous Quill but unlike that one, this jewel was a shade of toxic green. Lani-Loli, upon seeing what his friend held, grew a mischievous grin of his own. The odd duo clearly had a plan that almost made Jotaro and Josuke feel an ounce of pity. Almost being the keyword.

Rain had finally fallen upon the house once three days had passed by. Taki-Taki had called her father about being home a few days late since some issues had cropped up. Neither Josuke or Jotaro heard the man's voice but what they gathered upon how the greenette talked, 'Crash' was kindly lenient. Although, both males would have to see him once she got back home.

They spent most of their time keeping themselves from getting bored. Board games, reading, or Taki-Taki crafting some… mysterious concoctions and trinkets with whatever she found in the Higashitaka household. Josuke could honestly admit that he didn't know there was a den of possums hiding in his walls but the witch doctor managed to get some possum fur and nail clippings after one landed on Jotaro.

The greenette at the moment was alone in the bathroom, various ingredients that surrounded a lone bucket. Each item was odd in their own right, rat tails, frog eyes, shiitake mushrooms, yew branches, spoiled milk and a bottle of water. Taki-Taki began pouring the ingredients into the vat starting with the rotten dairy.

She was chanting in an unknown language that eerily sounded like a mix of Arabic and Pig Latin. Bucket began to bubble from her words as the color shifted upon every ingredient dropped into the vat. Taki-Taki's water bottle was currently halfway empty through the process and the cap left abandoned to the side.

Unbeknownst to the woman, rain began to patter outside and something opaque began to build up by the window. It looked like water but it held a more bluish hue and moved too much like a living creature to be normal. Then a pair of sinister pink eyes and a grin full of sharp teeth slithered through.

"You sure this isn't a mango?" Josuke currently sat in the front room alongside Lani-Loli who floated over the teenager's shoulder. Standing on the table was a large orange fruit with a yellow bottom similar to a mango but two leaves that hung from a stem. The teenager currently poking at the fruit that had come from Taki-Taki's home.

"Nope! It's a Wumpa Fruit, a pretty common thing to find on the Wumpa Islands. They're much sweeter than mango and the juice is pretty tasty too. Especially when used for a Wumpa Smoothie, those are really good." Being curious upon the mask's words, the pompadour prince took a nicely sized bite of the fruit.

Tangy sweetness was the first thing that hit the highschooler's taste buds then a rich zesty flavor kicked in a matter of seconds. "Holy shit! This is actually pretty good. Yo Jotaro, you have to try this!" The raven poked his head out of the kitchen upon hearing his name. He let out an annoyed sigh before snatching the fruit out of the teen's hand.

"Did someone put salt in your oatmeal today?" Lani-Loli couldn't help but point out at the man's awfully sour mood added by the harsh bite he took out of the poor fruit or the vicious vice grip. "No. None of you are taking this situation seriously and last I checked didn't get an angry rodent trying to claw up your face." He hissed before taking another aggressive bite.

The sound of footsteps had gotten the two humans and mask turning their heads. Approaching them with an eerily quiet and dead stare was Taki-Taki. Her feet moving sluggishly to the point it was close to that of a sleepwalker… or if heavy weights were tied to the woman's legs.

"Taki?" Lani-Loli's voice thick with concern while he spoke his friend's nickname. Her response was to open her mouth slowly with evil pink eyes glaring back at them in the darkness. "Sorry but your little friend's life is now mine!" A vile, raspy and deep male voice coming out of the greenette's mouth, all to the horror of her friends.

"Aqua Necklace?! You bastard, get out of Taki-Taki now Angelo!" Josuke could only burn brighter in rage from the deranged laugh of the psychopathic water Stand. "And get rid of my only hostage?! Hell no! This bitch is the reason why Ryohei Higashitaka is still alive! She has the power to bring back the dead, a ticket to immortality!" The mask could only roll his eyes as if sensing a monologue.

"I've been watching you this whole time. I saw the giant beast she summoned and that mask phasing things through existence. With her as my slave, I'll be invincible! The world will be my toy box and every single person my toys that I can break for eternity! Once you're all dead, I'll break her until she's a mindless bitch who will follow my every…" The monologue was caught short upon her mouth snapping shut.

Yet, it wasn't the lips that closed the space but an eerie green substance reminiscent to goo. "The hell?!" Aqua Necklace tried to dive down the woman's throat only to run into another gooey green wall. Then he heard laughter. Pink eyes turned to see it was Lani-Loli who was responsible. He was cackling mischievously that tears looked ready to fly from how hard his laughter, much to the confusion of his friends.

"Haha! Hehehehe! You really thought it would be so easy! Taki and I faced way worse than your miserable hide. Oh, and that's not Taki-Taki you putz! Drop the charade Toxic!" Jotaro and Josuke immediately jumped back upon who they thought was Taki-Taki began to melt. All color draining away into a puddle of green slightly clear goo.

Crazy Diamond and Star Platinum were quickly summoned when that sludge started to rise up in the process of a transformation. The slime forming three toed misshapen legs, dripping fat arms with chubby fingers, a large yellow green belly that from its almost clear texture and Aqua Necklace being held inside looked more like a prison, and a roundish hippo like head paired with short pig ears, large deformed inhuman teeth and two alien yellow orbs looking back at it's observers.

The beast or Toxic's appearance could be compared to a 8 ft tall ogre or even an Oni, supernatural beings that tend to punish wicked humans. "Meet the Sludge, a creature made of magic infused ooze with a love for eating utter garbage, like your ugly face! I told Toxic here about your little plan involving my best friend."

Almost on cue, the large oozing beast let a loud snarl before smoke began filling in its tummy. "Aaaaaaah! What the hell is that smell?! It's getting hot in here! Don't tell me this is acid?!" The mask only had a vicious smile on his face that solidified the fact. "People like you make me sick. I've read your entire file and I bet it would even make Uka-Uka himself furious to see your deeds!" Aqua Necklace could only shiver in horror at the mask.

It was like Lani-Loli's nervous self had been overshadowed by pure animalistic rage that his eyes were narrowed slits and teeth were now large fangs held in a snarl. A deity ready to smite a sinner with divine punishment. Even Jotaro and Josuke were taken aback by the sudden shift.

"I may be a scaredy cat but I am still a protector. My name is Lani-Loli, the Quantum Mask of Phase! For ruining the lives of many, threatening my friends and having an unsavory plan for my contractor, I mark you Angelo and his Stand Aqua Necklace, guilty of your sins! And boy do I have a nice punishment for your wicked soul."

The mask then faced the two Joestar blooded men. "Josuke. Jotaro. Taki-Taki left earlier to find this cretin's owner hence my friend Toxic here taking her place. I know where she is and I'm going to need your help with something."

On a street a few blocks from Josuke's house sat a large boulder. This rock had laid on this spot for centuries after a stray storm left it stranded on the land that would become Morioh. Tied to this very stone was an unsavory dark haired man in a milkman uniform bound by chains and gagged with a black cloth. Bruises decorating his body no doubt from the slightly bloody fists of the witch doctor.

Taki-Taki turned her head and smiled upon the sight of her friends coming into view. Aqua Necklace was still trapped within the prison that was Toxic's stomach, who seemed mighty pleased at the abomination's struggle. "Damn, you did a number on the asshole." Josuke said much to the greenette's pleasure.

"I aim to please. Now then, Angelo, since you made a living of ruining people's lives I believe your punishment should be providing good luck." Taki-Taki then pulled from behind the rock was the bucket filled with her concoction. It was a bright bubbling pink and had a smell akin to rotten lavender. She didn't resist dumping the nasty vat all over the convict much to his displeasure.

The man was struggling in disgust before his movements slowed to a crawl as if his whole body was paralyzed except for his mouth and eyes. Taki then yanked the gag from Angelo's lips allowing the man to speak. "You...crazy bitch…! What have you done?" His raspy dry voice almost sounded like a dying cat from how quiet it was.

"A simple potion made to turn you into an eternal good luck charm for all the folks in Morioh! Bet you now wished that your original execution didn't fail. Josuke, this last part is all up to you. Today you will have to make a choice on how this man goes out." Taki-Taki's eyes narrowed as they glowed inhumanly under the dark cloudy sky.

"Ryohei Higashitaka was the one who put this man in jail and stopped his rampage. In vengeance, this scum tried to rob a righteous soul of his life. As Ryohei's grandson, will you fulfill his task and put an end to the man that escaped the grim reaper's blade? If not, then I will perform the deed with Lani-Loli. What do you say?"

The pompadour prince was a bit off guard by the witch doctor's words. Why would she ask him if he wanted to be the one that dealt Angelo's punishment? "Josuke?! Are you seriously going to let her kill me? Sure I tried to kill your grandfather but if you go along with this bitch's plan then you'll be a killer just like me!"

None of them were blind to the man's false pleas knowing it was a trick to let him go. A rat that will only wreak havoc if given a shred of mercy. Angelo's rants were caught off by a fist breaking both his hand and a chunk of the rock. The shocking thing was that the stone merged and encased itself around the appendage much to the psycho's horror.

"Aaah! My hand!! What are you doing?" Josuke merely ignored the man's painful cries. "You really think that we're going to let you go after all you've done. This town used to be a peaceful place before you came and played with people's lives! So for the rest of your days, you're going to pay back every family that you destroyed! Taki-Taki." The greenette smiled knowing what the young man wanted.

"Let's do this Lani-Loli! Armor up!" The cyan mask flew around Taki-Taki with trails of aqua wispy trails that followed from behind. The mask situated himself onto her back while the ghostly ribbons wrapped themselves around her body. Each wispy streak solidified to form a black jumpsuit of sorts which was highlighted by glowing aqua blue chunks of armor reminiscent of Lani-Loli's crown.

Taki-Taki's eyes were now completely glowing blue while velvet sky blue energy followed through the tattoos on her skin and turned her hair into luminous bluish mist. The sudden change to the witch doctor had the restrained Angelo sweating in terror and nearly pissing himself when Josuke's Crazy Diamond materialized.

"Dorarararararara!!!!" The armored spirit let out a battle cry as both him and the armored greenette let loose a barrage of vicious punches. Each strike was as destructive and fast as machine gun rounds, blowing off huge chunks of the stone and merging to the man trapped in the dead center. Neither of them stopping their assault until every piece of stone had been reassembled.

With one last brutal punch, the stone fragments had fully merged Angelo turning the once human male into a deformed boulder. This new shape of the large stone was a malformed face with wide eyes held in different angles, a large flat nose at the bottom similar to a maui and stress lines just like the person it used to be.

Aqua Necklace, who was still trapped in Toxic's belly, quickly melted away in seconds. No doubt the Stand could no longer survive without the life force of its user, thus following its master into hell. Jotaro could only grimace behind the guard of his cap.

[Morioh Landmark 1: Angelo's Rock. No one knows where this mysterious stone appeared from or why. Despite its unnerving appearance, this landmark is a hotspot for couples both old and new.]

'These three are bat shit crazy and have the strength to back it up. Luckily Josuke has a good head on shoulders but…' The raven's eyes drifted to Taki-Taki, her sludge summon and most importantly Lani-Loli still hanging onto her back. She was conversing with Josuke who took the time to look at her changed form and the living sludge Toxic in rapt curiosity.

'Taki-Taki isn't a Stand User but she's just as dangerous as one. Those beasts, Quill and Toxic, whatever they are no doubt has a connection to her origins. And then there's Lani-Loli. I don't exactly know what a Quantum Mask is but I have a feeling he isn't the only one. Just who are you?'

And that is it! This ended being super long since the story revolves around two whole episodes instead of one. It does take place in the beginning of Part 4 and I wanted to stick as close to canon involving them.

Yes, Taki-Taki can call upon Titans, the enemies normally found in the Crash of the Titan series. Unlike a large chunk of people, I actually like the Titan games. They were the first Crash games I played and 100%. I did play Crash The Huge Adventure for the gameboy advance but it got destroyed in the wash sadly before I got the last crystal.

Any version of Crash of the Titans is good but I suggest playing the DS version of Mind Over Mutant considering the console version is more of an annoying chore with tons of backtracking.

My favorite Titans are Spike and Rhinoroller. I especially love the boss version of Spike from the DS Mind Over Mutant but I haven't found the concept art of it yet.

Just like a witch doctor, Taki-Taki does craft all sorts of potions and charms. The Aku-Aku charm acts like a second chance. If someone who has the charm experiences death, the charm will revive them. Deaths done through murder are a bit different.

The charm will hold onto their soul until its safe to revive the holder. Any extensive damage is done and the soul is returned back to the body once repairs are complete. After use, the charm will disintegrate or dull out depending on how much damage was caused.

The Phase Armor given by Lani-Loli is much different for Taki-Taki when she uses it. Reason for it is that she's contracted to him thus the power and magic he provides is much stronger than someone who doesn't have a contract.

Even if Lani-Loli is quite a skittish character,that doesn't mean he won't get serious when needed. Angelo did a lot of horrible stuff that I bet even Uka-Uka wouldn't do. Uka-Uka may be evil but he has standards.

I wanted to try a different writing style for this considering Part 4 is more of a murder mystery. So I wanted to introduce particular areas, new landmarks and important information in a traversing to the next scene.

Until next time folks! Tell the world that your unbreakable!

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secret-keeper18 · 5 years

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I’m Gay - Eugene Lee Yanga

An analysis by a bisexual asian dancer

In honor of pride month, Eugene Lee Yang has gifted us this beautiful work of cinematic and choreographic art. First off, congratulations to Eugene for officially coming out in this video. It was beautiful, it was bold, and most amazingly, it was so incredibly brave. Secondly, if you haven’t seen the video yet, PLEASE DO!!! Thirdly, the video is also in collaboration with the Trevor Project, a free suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, so please please PLEASE if you can go support it.

Scene 1 - Family

Starting with the beginning of the video, the camera pans back showing Eugene and four others. The women are looking one way, the men are looking the other, and Eugene stares dead in the center.

These people are representative of a family, and later go on to represent the impact of gender roles and familial influence on Eugene’s life. In addition, the men are both wearing suits and the women wearing dresses and high heels (though not shown in this picture), fitting the societal gender norms for dressing. Eugene, however, is not only wearing red, which stands out in great contrast to the plain black of the family, but is wearing a flowy dress/robe.

The mother is seen on the right, putting on lipstick and crossing her legs, representing the traditionally feminine actions and role. Eugene, the brother, and the sister, imitate this behavior, as children often do. Then, the father is shown, legs spread, drinking alcohol, yelling, pounding his fist violently. The children also initate his behavior, as children have little concept of feminine vs. masculine roles until taught that way by society.

During this time, when children are impressionable and learn by copying behaviors, the parents separate the children by gender. The mother takes the daughter, and teaches her. They do the movement together, while the father and the brother do different choreography in the background. The women’s movement is lighter, more indirect, while the men’s are far more masculine. The men’s movements are direct and more grounded, crossing their arms and taking strong steps, almost as if they were marching. However, Eugene clearly prefers to follow his mother and sister’s movements, immediately joining in.

When he attempts to put on lipstick as his mother had, the father knocks it out of his hand and slaps him on the head. Most heartbreakingly, the brother watches, observes the consequences that comes with acting like their mother and sister instead of their father, and follows him. This is representative of how something like this is such a common practice, enforcing gender roles in a family by simply pairing actions such as following the traditionally feminine roles with punishment and reprimand. Finally, Eugene follows with their movement, transitioning into the next scene.

Scene 2 - Church

The first thing we see are two lines of people, marching together. Marching in such a way usually denotes military, uniform. It is clear the message here: stay in line, don’t make waves, be just like everyone else. Eugene follows, but begins to add his own spin to the movement until he finally is doing something completely different from what everyone else is doing. Everyone else continues dancing together, even covering their eyes at some point and blindly following each other to the pews while Eugene keeps his eyes and arms open. However, someone comes to him and physically fixes his movements, changing and shaping him until he is doing the same thing as everyone else. His movement up until here is free and strong, whereas when it is fixed to follow everyone else, changes the quality of the movement to be bound and the energy and power that he initially was putting in to become dulled. Their willful closing of the eyes is meant to represent closemindedness, and the setting of the church is a clear message of his experience. Religion was a toxic subject for him, its closemindedness and hatred and bigotry hurt him as he fought to break out of the uniform.

This is when something happens. The people are all wearing neutral colors, until suddenly, the man standing at the podium begins gesturing angrily, clearly yelling and spewing hatred. The man, and the side of the pews that begin getting riled up and yelling back in agreement, all suddenly are wearing white. However, the side where Eugene is sitting is wearing all black, and they are in agreement with the people in white. In fact, Eugene turns his head to look at the others, and their heads are bowed, their eyes lowered.

Scene 3 - Relationships

This is a clear timeskip from the family and church scenes, from childhood and teenager/young adult years. He turns and sees a woman dancing. The music here turns from strong and quick to softer, with a piano melody rather than electronic to convey a romantic tone. Eugene stands up and begins dancing with her. Their movement is smooth and free, their partnering work equal and balanced.

There is a genuine appreciation on Eugene’s end for her, something that does not change even when he turns again to find a man dancing. He is dancing just as beautifully and gracefully, and Eugene steps in to perform similar partnering movements with the same anount of ease. The woman joins in, and does her own movements traveling while Eugene and the man do the same choreography, differing from her own. In fact, this time, Eugene is the one being lifted, rather than the other way around.

When they finish the sequence, Eugene takes a moment to embrace the woman, before turning back to the man, and the woman departs, clearly still on amicable terms. I think what is beautiful here is the truly genuine attraction he had toward her, and it is evident in their flawless partner work and appreciative expressions when they look at each other one final time before Eugene turns back to the man. A truly “Thank You, Next” sort of a feeling. The seamless transition into him twirling the man and the man lowering him down on top of him was beautiful and such a powerful sight for me, seeing the joy in their faces before the scene once again is swept away into the next phase of Eugene’s life.

Scene 4 - Drag

Eugene has done a good few videos on drag and how important it is to him, and he can speak about the subject with far more authority than myself, so I’m going to keep this scene relatively short.

One of the clearest differences in this scene is he sheer amount of color in this. From the purposeful placement rainbows, it is clear that color was an incredibly important aspect to include in this video. The contrast from the black and white from the first two scenes is so evident. This and scene 3 is clearly the beginning of the parts of his life that began to literally bring color into his life.

He begins interacting with people, smiling widely and truly enjoying spending time with these people as he joins the crowd of bright and colorfully-clad individuals. Not one of them looks the same or even dances the same to another, an important distinction to the movement characteristic to the church scene.

Then, the camera focuses on someone approaching the group. Most obvious about him is his attire- white shirt and blue jeans, the same outfit from the hateful group in the church scene. This is the most transparent part of the video, as the man raises his hand in a gun symbol and the people around Eugene begin to fall.

It is a symbol of how hatred takes lives through both murder and suicide.

Eugene reaches out desperately, but hands reach up and literally drag him down. Once again, the people in white pull and beat him down, transitioning into the next scene.

Scene 5 - Finale

What I find most interesting about this is the total change in costuming and color from the previous scene. In this scene, he is stripped of his clothing, accessories, and make up. Anything that did not fit society’s expectation of remotely masculine is gone, leaving only a pair of misfiting jeans. It is after the crowd of those in white leaves, when the family from the first scene reappear. This time, the parents are in white, while the siblings are in black. It hurts, knowing that the parents, the people expected to love you unconditionally, are amongst those who hurt you. The siblings, who are dressed in black, take Eugene’s hand and help him stand again, pulling the parents away from hurting him anymore.

However, after he is beaten down, he once again rises, this time clad in royal blue, sharp make up, and slick backed hair. He strides toward the camera, determinedly persevering despite those pushing and shoving around him, trying to knock him down. The crowd is a mox of people in white and people in black, all trying to either hurt or aid him. The contrast between the gently touchss of the people in black and the angry shoves from the people in white is evident. Eugene makes it past the crowd, remaining steelfaced despite the anger and fighting going on behind him. The music builds and builds, swelling as he stands with his head held high and sway from the crowd. The camera pans in closer to his face as people continue to argur behind him.

The music cuts out, and the only audio accompanying the sight of Eugene’s expression is that of the angry crowd’s arguing and yelling. The scene ends with a close up of Eugene’s face, a mix of emotions as he attempts to steel his expression against the pain, trying to remain stoic despite the clamor in his ears and the hatred undoubtedly being strewn about just behind him. The resignation to his obligation, to remain strong even when there are those trying to pull him down, is clear in his eyes as he tightens his jaw and stares directly into the camera, purposely ignoring the chaos in the background.

Conclusion

This is truly an amazing work of art, from the choreography, to the music, to the costuming, to the story being told. Eugene’s ability to tell this story, his story, in such a manner is simply a work of creative genius. There is just so much emotion portrayed in a single scene, representative through dance and acting that gets his point across in such a clear yet artistic manner. His conveying of his struggles and triumphs was breathtaking.

A few extra notes worth appreciating that I couldn’t quite manage to slip in.

1. The casting of actual asians in a dance role. Honestly brought tears to my eyes.

2. The athleticism it takes to pull off some of this choreo, specifically in the third scene. The partnering work was just gorgeous and the choreography so beautifully told the story with absolutely zero need for words.

3. Eugene has not really kept his sexuality a secret before, but recognizing the importance of “coming out” especially at this time of year and through such a creative medium is truly commendable. No matter how many times you come out, it’s scary, especially at such a large scale.

4. Eugene has always been known as the stoic one of the Try Guys, so for him to be putting himself and his art (as they are essentially one and he same) out there in such a vulnerable manner is amazing, and I don’t think a lot of us are as brave as this.

5. On a devastatingly personal note, this video meant so much to me. Growing up, there was no lgbtq+ representation in media, much less non-white, Asian lgbtq+ representation. The medium in which this is portrayed is so close to my heart, too, as I’d spent four years in a dance program where I would analyze dance shows and videos such as this one. It was terrifyingly easy to relate to, but one I so desperately hope many others find light in as well.

Please share the video and encourage others to donate to the Trevor Project! I wrote this in the few hours after the video came out so there are undoubtedly things I’ve missed, so please feel free to add your own interpretations or things you’ve noticed/what this video meant to you.

Thank you, Eugene, and Happy Pride Month❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

#try guys #eugene lee yang #pride month #lgbtq

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a-simple-imagine · 4 years

Text

Mother of Exiles

Synopsis: Guess it’s time to get the ball rolling on this revolution but first a party

Pairing: Dolores Abernaty x fem!reader

words: 2.6k

A/N - Sorry this is late. I have a lot going on.

Warning: Guns. Mentions of nudity.

"Did you find something?"

Her gentle voice draws your eyes from the mirror as she walks towards you joined by another. For your first mission, you had been given the ultra dangerous task of.... going shopping; not exactly what you expected but here you were stood in some overly pristine clothing establishment. It was rather small and didn't appear too busy but just about everything in her cost more than your apartment. You wonder if Dolores knew that when she brought you here. It had been a while so you flash a smile at her return. You weren't sure how much longer you could put up with being here, or Karen who keeps asking if you need any help every five minutes. Although you did appreciate the compliments being thrown your way with every new outfit.

The AR mirror was a particular favourite of your shopping adventure. It made the tedious notion of shopping a tad more bearable. Your reflection wore a black and navy blue peak lapel tuxedo jacket with matching flare pants. It wasn't a bad look, minus the flare.

"Not really," your entire body slumping with a groan. "Nothing looks right,"

With a hand placed delicately over your shoulder, Dolores takes control of the AR menu. You watch as she shifts through the various options; dashing suits, delicate jumpsuits, elegant dresses before finally making her selection. It's always a treat to watch a new outfit unravel across your reflection and this time was no different. The most elegant of black dresses descended, a delicate embroidered flower pattern lines the chest that stopped above the waist. The V-neck plunged deep between the valley of your breast. It reached to the floor and from the shoulder was a cape. It was beautiful and you're almost in awe of her choice however it wasn't the most practical of outfits.

"It looks good on you," You meet her blue eyes in the mirror just before she turns to her companion. "Wouldn't you agree, Caleb?"

So his name was Caleb. You wonder who they are to each other as you await his response. He gives a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, looks good."

The corner of your lips turn up but you're still unsure of the choice. Staring at yourself, all you could focus on was everything possibly wrong with the outfit. Was it too long? Did the v-neck show off too much skin? Should you go for something simpler? Shorter?

"What is this for?"

"A party." Her hand glides off you shoulder as she steps back. "And you need to blend in,"

"I don't think a fancy dress is gonna make anyone believe I'm part of high society."

"It's tribal," Dolores insists. "They use plumage to identify themselves which makes them easily fooled."

"She said the same to me just go with it," Caleb adds, taking a seat off to the side.

"I couldn't possibly afford this," You explain in a hushed tone, twisting your body so you could have a gander at the back. It mimicked a backless dress through its use of see-through material and edged with flora of eccentric lace.

"I think this is a winner," Guess she made up your mind. You didn't mind though, making decisions when it came to spending could be... difficult at times.

"Wouldn't something a little more practical work better if we're on the job," You counter as you step down from the podium almost weirdly relieved to be in your everyday clothes.

"It won't matter," she insists. "We are not doing anything complicated."

"So what are we doing anyway?"

Dolores explained the operation as if she was explaining something very complex to a young child. To summarise you were planning to attend a party of sorts in order to find and detain Liam Demphery Jr, a figurehead of Incite Inc. So as you got ready, you mentally prepared yourself to kidnap a man or more so borrow. You could live with that. It wasn't like you were some corporate bootlicker; you were just new to all this crime business and you didn't exactly have much of a choice. Help Dolores or die w're your options.

Even in an age of speed, you're still surprised by how quickly they altered the dress to your liking. You just wanted it a little shorter so it was easier to walk in and run should the moment arise. Goes to show that money really was power. The dress may not have been the most practical but it did look the part. Dolores was sporting a simple but frankly spectacular jumpsuit that stopped just above her chest. Her beautiful blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. She looked amazing, not that you had been staring as you walked in just a few steps behind her. Meanwhile, Caleb was beside you dressed in a black tuxedo with a black shirt and tie. You had to admit the man cleans up well; he looked very dapper. You all matched in a sense; all in team colours if you will. When Dolores had said party, she meant party. This was in no way you average get together but an almost overly pristine masquerade event full of elites. Women adorned beautiful white dresses while there wasn't a man in sight not in a tuxedo. The walls were covered in artwork of the finest caliber, some of it was even animated. The rich sound of the violinists filled the entire room with an aura of elitism and sophistication. You’re in awe of the world you've stepped into even though it wasn't for long. Heading towards a table decorated with a variety of masks. They had simply ones of one colour to ones with bold designs and feathers. You eye a white one with an intricate gold pattern but Dolores hands you a simple black one.

"What is this?" Caleb asks as he is given one too.

"I thought your world would be so different than mine," Dolores starts, placing the material mask over here head and fitting it against the bridge of her nose. "But there isn't any difference at all."

Dolores heads into the crowd and Caleb trails after. You place on your mask and follow in toe. Your eyes scanning the crowd for the target but you can't help but take in the sheer size and bizarreness of it all. It was like a different world; one filled with the finest of things but only for those in dresses worth way too much. It was surreal to be surrounded by so much wealth. There were various podiums set up around the room, each had a crystal chandelier of sorts hung above. And on display were tastefully naked individuals being ogled by the wealthy. You didn't feel any particular way towards nudity, you didn't see it as an abomination or indecent. You just didn't quite grasp what they were doing or what this whole event was even about.

"I'll take him when he's alone," Her words break you from you existential crisis over how rich people choose to spend their time. Dolores wore a small but knowing smile. "Wouldn't want to spoil the fun,"

You don't bother asking because if there's one thing you know about Dolores it's that she never answers your questions: and when she does it's usually vague and unhelpful. From the corner of your eye, you notice a server as they pass, quickly grabbing a flute of champagne off their little tray. Two sets of eyes fall to you and you buckle under the pressure. "What? I need something to calm my nerves-" You huff like a child being scolded. "Dolores just said to have fun."

It was true. You were feeling on edge and this would help with your confidence since Dolores insisted that you should stop using limbic tabs. You weren't sure how long you'd last without them but so far so good... kinda. "Stay focused."

"I can multi-task." With a heavy sigh, both of them continue walking. "How long is this gonna take?"

Bringing the glass to your lips, you take a small sip to gauge the taste. Fine bubbles exploded against your tongue in an explosion of dainty flavours. It had a floral taste to it with hints of fresh fruit. Maybe a hint of peach? You couldn't be sure but either way, it tasted expensive. You've had champagne before but it never tasted like this.

"You're not enjoying yourself?" Caleb asks from a few steps ahead.

"Can't say I'm particularly interested in anything here," Your shoulders rise in a casual shrug as you narrowly avoid crashing into a couple who had no intention of moving out the way for you. "couldn't afford it either, the champagne is good though."

As your path drifts you find yourself separated from the others. Everything about this place absolutely reeked of privilege and nobody even suspected that you didn't belong. Guess Dolores was right in saying they are easily fooled. All it took was a gorgeous gown and a mask you never imagined yourself wearing. Staring up from the edge of a podium, you admire the man who was so proudly on display. He wore nothing but a Victorian ruffle style collar paired with sleeves. His muscles so defined as he lay his body bare for the world to see. You couldn't imagine being in his position but each their own. You tried not to look but you couldn't help your curiosity as your eyes drifted from his abs down to his rather... large penis and back. Jesus Christ, he could do some damage with that thing; not that you were judging him or choosing to objectify him. It was just an observation. You're unsure of his role at such a high-end event until you overhear someone ask to place a bid and all the little pieces fall into place. You were currently attending a sex auction? What even were rich people. Turning on your heel, you go in search of your companions and they weren't all that hard to find.

"Good, we're ready to intercept him," Dolores declares, turning to you as you approach. "Ready?"

You nod a little too eagerly. Your adrenaline was pumping. You could do this. There was no turning back now. It was a simple job just grab the target and leave, right? The blonde has you following her out of the ballroom and up the stairs. Readying a gun you didn't even know she brought with her. Where exactly had she been hiding it?

"Where did she get that from?" Your voice but a whisper as you speak to Caleb. The target, Liam, was being guided by two others. Dolores fired three rounds; each one an assault to the ears even with a silencer. You weren't used to it. It made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. The taller of the two gentlemen came charging towards you all, Dolores strikes him first. Knocking the wind clean out of him. Looking to you two, Dolores holds out the gun. "Stay on Liam, I'll handle him."

"You sure?" There was uncertainty in his voice and you couldn't really blame him.

"Take it, I won't need it."

Caleb looks between the two of you before running off down the stairs. "You should go too,."

You don't want to leave her but you nod just once. Hesitating at the stairs; you glance back at her. Was she going to be okay? You've seen her shoot two men before your very eyes but this was an entirely different ball game. Whatever they were talking about, you were too far away to hear but for a second your eyes meet and it was enough to put your mind at rest or at least to send you chasing after Caleb.

Deep breathes as you finally break out into the cold night air, hunched over as you calm yourself down. You're pretty good in heels but apparently not when you need to be because you almost slipped down the stairs. Luckily nobody was around to see you but it was still embarrassing. After a moment, you stand up straight and walk up beside the man. He had the gun held up at Liam's surprise guest. Seemed like everything was under control.

"You're helping her aren't you- Dolores," The stranger spoke slowly and clearly; a little cautiously if you will. "are you one of us?"

"One of us?" You repeat looking to Caleb with furrowed brows. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," He growls. "Just give me the asshole and I will let you walk out of here."

With a nudge of his head, you take the hint but before you can even grab Liam he's calling out to someone. "Connells- the fuck took you so long."

Twisting around, you spy yet another gun; you were feeling very unprepared for this battle. Unsure of who he was pointing at, you back away a little in surrender. Flinching at the sound of gunfire but when your eyes open, it's to see him shoot the rest of his men. What was going on? The plan had changed so drastically.

"What the hell are you doing?" You know it's Liam. He's the only voice you weren't familiar with now but you don't dare to look. Focused in on the man with the gun.

"Don't you fucking twitch," The silver-haired Scott spat with a firm grip of his weapon. It was pointed in the same direction as Caleb's. You exchange a confused look with Caleb. Who were all these people? As the Scott drifts to Liam, you're quick to move out of the way.

"Run." Liam stumbles against the side of the vehicle; the rest of you too stunned to make a move. "Run, before I put a bullet in your pointy little head." His Scottish accent was thick which made him sound a little harsher than expected. Liam was hesitant, a little surprising for how cowardly he seemed, "fucking run!"

The fear was clear as Liam ran for his life; you were half expecting to witness a shooting but thankfully it never happened. Instead, his attention is drawn between you and Caleb. Guess he was on Liam's side after all.

"You better go after him," Or not. Caleb watches him and then turns to you; your shoulders rising up in the smallest of shrugs. You didn't need to be asked twice. Caleb is faster but you put that down to the fact he didn't have to put up with wearing heels all night as you jog along. You couldn't wait to trade them for a comfortable pair of boots.

"Leave me alone, I- I'll pay whatever you want." Rounding the corner, Caleb has Liam shoved up against the wall. The gun Dolores gave him being put to good use in front of his face.

"Oh yeah? Pay me with what, Huh, I have all your money."

"You do?" You question, Dolores had only filled you in on the plan but you were beginning to realise she had left a lot out.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm with her," Caleb spoke, his gun falling to the side as he lets the poor guy relax. You'd be questioning him if it weren't for the whisk of blond that just sauntered past you. Dolores.

"Hello, lover."

Wait... lover?

#westworld #dolores abernathy #Dolores abernathy x reader #evan rachel wood #westworld fanfiction

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kaychawrites · 4 years

Text

The Right Partner

My Hero Academia Fanfiction

Chapter 28: The Big Date

The next morning Kia walked to work with Bakugou, stopping by their regular coffee shop before heading to the agency. He couldn’t help but notice that the tired look in her eyes had lessened somewhat. The whole day passed by fast. They patrolled together and found themselves busy stopping petty crimes throughout the day. That night Kia came over while Bakugou cooked dinner and they stayed up talking about their different experiences fighting villains. As Kia left for the night she agreed to go get coffee with him again in the morning.

Bakugou woke up the next morning and ate a quick breakfast before heading out. He opened the front door and was surprised to see Kia standing there waiting for him. Her long hair lay down her back and she had on a loose fitting shirt with half sleeves. He also noticed the black wrist bands that were always around her wrists and the red feather that lay on her chest, exposed by the low cut neck line of her shirt. His heart thumped in his chest when she flashed him a big smile.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

Bakugou didn’t say anything as he closed his door behind him and made his way to the elevator. Kia fell into step beside him and they exited the building together. It was a beautiful summer day as they walked to the coffee shop. They got in line and waited to order while Kia looked at flyers pinned up on the board next to the counter.

“Hey, it looks like there is a summer festival this weekend!” Kia said pointing the flyer out to Bakugou.

“So? Who would want to go to one of those? They are noisy, crowded and there will be a bunch of brats running around.” Bakugou growled irritated at how slow the line was going.

“I thought it might be fun. Besides I’ve never been to one.” Kia pouted crossing her arms.

After getting their coffee they headed to the agency. Nina watched them as they walked across the foyer to the elevators. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw them arguing. Those two seem closer than ever. Nina internally squealed. She wished she could find a way to get more details on their impromptu sleep over.

When they got to their office Kia moved behind her desk. “Do you want to get in a quick workout this morning?” she asked him while she turned on her computer, “I’ve been really bad about sticking to my usual routine since I got here.”

“Sure” Bakugou replied sitting down in his chair.

“Oh and don’t forget I’m taking off before 5 today.” Kia said.

“What the hell for?” Bakugou asked looking up at her.

“It’s Friday, I’m going out with Eijiro remember?” She reminded him.

“Tch, fine, go have fun with weird hair.” Bakugou huffed turning back to his computer.

“Come on you grouch.” Kia said walking over and tugging on his hair, “Let’s head to the gym.”

Bakugou got up from his desk and followed Kia to the locker rooms. They met up at the warm up mat and started stretching. Bakugou glanced over at Kia as she stretched out her legs. “So where is he taking you?” he asked suddenly.

Kia looked at him surprised, “I thought you didn’t care?” She teased.

“Go to hell! Of course I don’t!” Bakugou snapped turning away.

“Tokyo Tower” Kia continued, “He said it has a pretty good view and there is an aquarium and a restaurant inside. You sure you don’t want to come?”

“Hell no.” Bakugou growled. Kia rolled her eyes.

After stretching they made their way over to the treadmills. “How long do we want to take this morning?” Kia asked him.

“Usually I work out at least one hour a day but our schedule has been crazy lately.” Bakugou said starting the machine.

“We could start coming in early if you don’t mind the company.” Kia offered.

“Fine, as long as you aren’t noisy.” Bakugou said turning up the speed on his treadmill.

Kia started her treadmill and sped it up to match Bakugou’s speed. After 20 minutes they moved to the weights. They separated as they did their individual weight routines. Bakugou moved to the bench press and loaded up the bar. Lying down on the bench he lifted the heavy bar from its holder and started his reps.

Kia watched as her partner bench pressed a considerable amount of weight. She couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles flexed under his skin giving him even more definition. His tight tank top didn’t leave much to the imagination as to what lay underneath. Bakugou finished his set and set the bar back on the holder then got up to add more weight to it. Kia realized she was standing there ogling her partner. Mentally slapping herself she turned back to her own workout.

Bakugou paused to get a drink from his water bottle and looked over to where Kia was. She had turned her back to him and was currently bent over to pick up a couple of weights she had set on the floor. Her tight pants showed off her long legs and hugged her firm ass in a way that would make any man drool. He found himself wondering what those long legs would look like if she wore shorts.

Taking another drink from his water bottle he laid back down to do his next set. Kia had finished with her weights and was putting them back on the rack when she glanced over at Bakugou again. She noticed he had a lot of weight on the bar. While watching to see if he might need a spotter she found herself staring again. Bakugou’s shirt had ridden up while he lifted giving her a delicious view of his abs. Kia couldn’t deny it, her partner was hot. Bakugou finished his set and sat up grabbing the bottom of his shirt and using it to wipe his face. As he went to put his shirt back down he caught Kia staring.

“Getting a good look Sunshine?” He smirked.

“Please, I was watching to see if you needed a spotter.” Kia replied trying to cover up the fact that she had indeed been staring.

“Trust me Sunshine I don’t need one.” Bakugou said as he stood up and pulled his shirt off before tossing it to the side. He turned to add more weight to the bar.

Kia couldn’t help but smile, for some reason she found his cockiness charming. She watched as he lifted the heavy weights enjoying the unshielded view. I better knock it off or I’m going to be in trouble. Kia thought to herself.

She walked up to the bench as Bakugou lay back down and lifted the bar again. He had done about three reps when Kia stepped up next to him. Placing her hands on the bar next to his she leaned into it a little. “You sure you don’t need a spotter.” She asked leaning on the bar a little more.

Bakugou smirked as he brought the bar back down with Kia still leaning on it, bringing them nose-to-nose. “I’m sure Sunshine.” He replied as he pushed the bar back up.

Laughing Kia got off and went back to her own workout. Setting up a bench for herself she started loading weight onto the bar. She had gone through her bench press and was setting up to start squat lifts when a group of female heroes walked into the gym. Bakugou was still lifting and hadn’t put his shirt back on, which attracted the gaze of the ladies who had just walked in.

Giggling the group went over to the treadmills and picked out ones that faced the benches. As Kia did her sets she could see the heroines eyeing her partner who was oblivious to their gaze. A dark burning feeling she had never felt before erupted in Kia’s chest as she watched them giggling and whispering about Bakugou.

She tried shoving the feeling down but it surfaced again when one of the women got off her treadmill and made her way over to him. Kia could feel her fangs elongate and her skin tingled as her scales threatened to break out.

“Ground Zero?” the woman said sauntering up to Bakugou. She was wearing a pair of short shorts and a sports bra. Bakugou turned around glaring and raising an eyebrow at the woman. “I’m Chouko. It is a pleasure to meet you.” she said batting her eyelashes.

“Bug off I’m not interested.” Bakugou said turning back to his bench.

“But we have hardly even talked.” Chouko gasped taken back by his bluntness.

“Doesn’t matter,” Bakugou replied sitting on his bench and picking up a weight.

Kia set her bar back on its holder and picked up her water bottle. Leaning against the framework of her bench, she watched the exchange. Her dragon side practically purred in delight when she heard Bakugou reject the woman.

“You won’t even give me a chance?” Chouko asked him. When Bakugou ignored her she moved in front of him. Putting her hands on her knees she bent over pushing her chest out with her arms. “I promise I will show you a good time,” she said giving him a wink.

At that, Kia felt the dark emotion explode in her chest. Grabbing her water bottle, she started walking over to Bakugou’s bench, grabbing his discarded shirt along the way. By the time she got to the bench Chouko had sat down next to Bakugou and was rubbing her boobs against his arm to try to draw his attention. Bakugou, however, was looking at his partner.

“Come on handsome; just go out with me once please?” Chouko said giving him big puppy dog eyes. Her attempts were cut short when Kia squirted her water bottle in her face.

“What the hell was that?” Chouko screeched standing up.

“Go take a cold shower already. He said no,” Kia replied, throwing Bakugou’s shirt in his face. “Geeze B put your shirt back on before you distract someone else,” she told him. Sputtering, Chouko stomped off back toward her friends giving Kia a fierce glare as she left. “What is with you and attracting pushy women?” Kia asked giving Bakugou an exasperated look.

“I can’t help it if I’m fucking sexy,” Bakugou grinned. Kia grabbed his shirt and shoved it over his head.

“Yeah let them spend five minutes with you. You’ll send them running.” Kia snorted taking a drink from her water bottle.

“Usually I have them screaming before that.” Bakugou remarked.

Kia nearly choked as she realized what he had said, “I’m surprised you are so versed in that area. As focused as you are on being a hero I didn’t think you realized what a woman was,” she chided.

“Trust me Sunshine I recognize a good woman when I see her,” he replied. Kia didn’t recognize the heated look in his eyes.

Feeling the blood rush to her cheeks Kia turned around and headed back to her bench. “I’m going to finish up and head back to the office. How much longer are you going to be?” Kia asked changing the subject.

“Not much longer. I will meet you there,” Bakugou said watching her walk away. He knew he probably shouldn’t mess with her, but he liked seeing Sunshine flustered.

%%%%%

Kia walked back to the office running her hands through her wet hair as she went. When she got to the door she opened it to see Bakugou already filling out paperwork from the day before. He looked up as she walked in. “I sent a couple forms for you to finish filling out.” He said.

“Alright, how many do we have left to do?” Kia asked sitting down at her desk. She opened up her email then started running her hands through her hair again as she waited for it to load.

“Why didn’t you do that in the locker room?” Bakugou asked.

“Hey, I have a lot of hair! Besides I can’t stand sitting in there listening to all of them giggling like a bunch of school girls.” Kia explained.

Sighing Bakugou got up from his desk and moved over behind her. “You’re taking too damn long.” He said as he started drying her hair. Kia closed her eyes and let her head fall back against her chair humming as Bakugou’s fingers stroked her hair. After a couple minutes Bakugou finished and went back to his own desk. Pulling her hair over her shoulder Kia started tying it in a braid. She stopped when a sweet scent hit her nose. Lifting her hair to her face she inhaled deeply recognizing the sweet smell. Her hair smelled just like his quirk, a sweet smell that reminded her of brown sugar and caramel.

After they finished up their paperwork they suited up and headed out on patrol down the street where the Kawahara’s store was. The old couple were outside when they came walking up.

“Hey, Mr. & Mrs. Kawahara!” Kia called out as they walked up to the store.

“It’s been awhile. How have you been?” Mr. Kawahara asked.

“Did you get settled into your new apartment all right?” Mrs. Kawahara asked.

“Sure did and the funny thing is it turns out Ground Zero and I are neighbors.” Kia replied with a smile.

“Oh really?” Mrs. Kawahara grinned.

“There is nothing like having a beautiful neighbor, ‘ey, Ground Zero?” Mr. Kawahara said.

“Shut up old man.” Bakugou replied.

“It actually hasn’t been too bad…” Kia said. Then turning to Mrs. Kawahara she whispered, “turns out he is a pretty good cook.”

“My dear I thought you said you are neighbors but it sounds like you are roommates!” Mrs. Kawahara exclaimed.

“No just neighbors. Our balconies are connected though so it is easy to walk over and visit.” Kia replied.

“Come on Sunshine we need to get going.” Bakugou growled.

“Oh yeah I don’t want to be late for my date.” Kia smiled.

“Date? You two are going on a date?” Mr. Kawahara asked.

“No I’m going on a date with one of his friends.” Kia clarified.

Mr. Kawahara walked up to Bakugou and put a hand on his shoulder, “Tough break kid…” he muttered.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Bakugou snarled.

“Nothing, nothing,” Mr. Kawahara replied.

“Well we will see you both another time,” Mrs. Kawahara said waving them both off. The two watched as the heroes walked off continuing their patrol. “Those two haven’t got the slightest clue do they?” she asked her husband.

“That boy is bursting with jealousy. I wonder how long it will take him to figure out why,” Mr. Kawahara wondered putting an arm around his wife, “Hopefully he won’t take too long.”

“I thought you said that a good woman was worth the wait?” Mrs. Kawahara smiled at her husband.

“They sure are my dear,” he replied kissing her on the forehead.

%%%%%

Bakugou and Kia got back to the agency at four o’clock. They had taken care of a few small time thieves and had the paperwork finished in twenty minutes.

“Eijiro is going to pick me up at my apartment at five so I’m going to head out, okay? See ya later B!” Kia said as she gathered her things and left.

After another ten minutes Bakugou decided to call it a night and headed home. When he stepped out of the apartment complex’s elevator he saw Kirishima knocking on Kia’s door. Spotting him Kirishima called out, “Hey man how’s it going?”

“Tch,” Bakugou said as he headed for his own door. He had just stuck the key in the lock when Kia emerged from her apartment. She had on a tight pair of dark jeans and black boots that came up almost to her knees. The dark red shirt she was wearing had a plunging neckline that laced up and she wore a black jacket over top of it. Her hair was pulled up in a side pony and was still wavy from being in a braid all day. Now it was Bakugou’s turn to stare.

“Wow Kia you look great!” Kirishima whistled.

“Thanks!” Kia smiled. Turning to Bakugou she noticed him staring, “Getting a good look B?” she teased.

Bakugou’s thoughts jerked back to reality and he glared at Kia. Saying nothing he opened his door and stepped into his apartment slamming it behind him.

Sighing Kia turned back to Kirishima who offered her an arm. “Alright sir you lead the way,” Kia said taking his arm.

%%%%%

Inside his apartment Bakugou stood in his entry way breathing hard. He was so pissed and he didn’t even fucking know why which only made him madder. Goddamn Kia why did she have to invite Kirishima out? Bakugou growled internally. Taking his shoes off, he threw his keys on the counter then stomped to his room pulling his shirt over his head as he went. He threw the shirt into his dirty clothes basket and walked over to his dresser. Ripping open a drawer he grabbed a nice pair of pants before pulling a shirt out of his closet. Stomping to the bathroom he cleaned up and put on the fresh clothes. Then he grabbed his keys and a hat and jacket before pulling on his red and black boots. Slamming his front door closed he made for the elevator. He mashed the down button a stood there fidgeting as he waited for the doors to open. Once the elevator arrived he stepped on hitting the button for the ground floor.

He was restless as he waited for the elevator to finish its decent. When the doors opened he pulled the hat down low on his head and shrugged the jacket on. Exiting the front doors he made his way towards the nearest train station. When he arrived it didn’t take him long to pick Kia out of the crowd. She stood next to Kirishima waiting for the next train to take them to Tokyo Tower. Marching to the nearest window Bakugou bought a ticket and stood a ways off watching the two of them.

Kia was laughing at something Kirishima said when her head jerked up slightly. Bakugou ducked behind a pillar as she looked around the platform.

“What is it?” Kirishima asked.

“It’s nothing I just thought I smelled something familiar.” she replied. She grabbed her hair and brought it to her face giving it a sniff. She could still smell Bakugou’s quirk. It was probably just my hair, she thought to herself.

“Hey, the train is here,” Kirishima pointed out. As they boarded the train Bakugou got on the car two cars down, making sure to keep them in sight. He watched as they stood there talking, cursing that he could not hear their conversation.

All too soon the trains stopped and they got off heading for the tower. Bakugou did his best to keep his distance and not lose track of them.

“So what do you want to do first?” Kirishima asked Kia.

“I’m starving, how about we eat first?” Kia replied.

They made their way to the restaurant and had a short wait before they could get a table. They took a couple of seats in the waiting area.

“Thanks for taking me out. I hope that I haven’t caused you any trouble. I didn’t even think to ask if there was a special someone in your life.” Kia said.

“That’s alright. I don’t have a girlfriend, so no problems there.” Kirishima grinned.

“Really? I find that hard to believe.” Kia said.

Kirishima blushed, “Well, being a hero is a lot of work. You don’t have much time to do things like go on a date.”

“Yeah being a hero is definitely time consuming.” Kia laughed, “I really appreciate you taking the time to show me around.”

“How come you didn’t ask Bakugou?” Kirishima asked.

“B? He really doesn’t seem the type to do things like this. Besides I totally want your scoop on all the embarrassing stuff he did in high school. I need some dirt to use against him. That and I want to be friends. A nice guy like you seems to be a good choice especially if you can stand being around Bakugou.” Kia replied.

“Well I don’t have a ton of dirt on Bakugou. Back in high school he was even angrier than he is now. At first I thought the guy was a total jerk but the more I hung out with him the more I realized what he was really like.” Kirishima said leaning back against his chair.

“I know what you mean. He doesn’t exactly make a good first impression.” Kia laughed. “I do believe the first time I met him he said something about not wanting to babysit some girly wannabe.”

“Yep, that’s Bakugou for you.” Kirishima sighed, “The whole class didn’t think much of him. Except that he was really talented.”

Just then the hostess came over letting them know their table was ready and the two stood up following her into the restaurant.

Bakugou stepped out from where he had been hiding. He had been able to hear everything they said. The hostess returned and he walked up to the podium. “Give me a table where I can keep an eye on the two you just seated but they can’t see me.” Bakugou demanded.

“I could put you at the bar if you would like.” the hostess suggested.

“Good enough.” Bakugou growled before following the hostess to his seat.

#TRP #kaychawrites #fanfiction #katsuki bakugou #mha #bnha #ground zero #OC #Kia Hales #mature

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fic-for-fic-sake · 4 years

Text

A Harsh Reality

A/N: So this is a historical fanfic, WW2 era Bucky Barnes and biracial black reader. Reader is part of the 6888 troop of the WAC. Timelines are obviously tweaked. Chapter one can be found here.

Warnings: None

Pairing: Bucky x biracial black reader

“So you wanna tell me what’s in the bag?” Bucky questioned, leading you down the stairs in a somewhat underwhelming building.

“How about you tell me where we’re going first.” You retorted, hearing your steps echo out in the stairwell. He had to have led you down at least three flights of stairs so far and you weren’t sure how much longer it would take. He stopped and looked up and you and lifted his face in another disarming smile of his. Damn, he was smooth.

“I’m takin’ you to the most famous war room in Europe.” He responded, eyes twinkling in mirth. But whatever the joke was, you certainly didn’t get it.

“Unless the Big Three are behind that door, I seriously doubt that.” You responded, relieved to finally be at the bottom of the stairwell. You let out a breath as you unbuttoned your jacket, sweat beginning to trickle down your face despite the cool temperature outside.

“Oh, sugar you have no idea do you?” Bucky questioned, as he put in a pin on the access panel and waited for the door to unlock before he stepped inside, ushering for you to follow. You looked around the war room and your jaw dropped. Low hanging lights provided the only source of illumination in the otherwise grim bunker atmosphere. Women working at switchboards frantically moved back and forth, wires poised and at the ready. Other’s sat transcribing telegraph messages that were coming through. You saw men standing around a war table and your jaw dropped at who was front and center, none other than Captain America himself.

The drawings and comics you saw truly didn’t do him justice. He was every bit the strapping golden boy he should be. Broad shoulders that perfectly fit out his army uniform, blond hair swooped with pride, yet his grim expression didn’t match what he represented for the folks back home. You guessed the war was a lot harder when you weren’t punching Adolf Hitler in the face every day.

You felt a presence on your left side and you turned to find Bucky staring at you, a cocksure grin playing on his face. “You want me to introduce you?” He questioned, voice loud enough only for your ears.

“What?” You gasped, “No that’s not necessary. I’m only here for the mail, I’m sure he’s a busy man.”

“Hey Stevie! I’ve got someone I want you to meet.” Bucky yelled over your protests. But how did he know Captain America and why was he talking to him like they were pals? Before you could properly admonish Bucky, Steve looked up and he made his way over to where the two of you stood, all his worries visibly melting away when he laid eyes on Bucky.

“Steve, this is Private Y/N Y/L/N of the Women’s 6 triple 8, Y/N I’m sure you don’t need me to introduce you to the amazing Captain America.” Bucky boasted, much to Steve’s behest. Steve just rolled his eyes at his friend before he extended his hand for you to shake. You took it, absolutely at a loss for words at the man standing in front of you.

“Hi sir, uh Captain, uh Mr. America.” You babbled, face flushing instantly as you continued to pump his hand in yours, it’s a good thing he was strong otherwise you may have taken his arm clean off.

“Steve’s fine.” He chuckled as he retracted his hand from your assault. “Did Bucky say the 6 triple 8?”

“Yes sir, uh I mean Steve.” You replied, pulling your satchel from off of your shoulder and opening it so that both men could see the contents. Hundreds of letters of varying size and shape sat inside, waiting to be opened.

“Amazing, I’m sure Colonel Phillips would love to take a look at these.” Steve explained, guiding you over to the opposite side of the room, away from Bucky.

“C’mon Stevie, let her have a little fun before you send her off to the old fart.” Bucky complained, calling after Steve as he took you towards the Colonel. Steve just shook his head as he continued to guide you. It was amazing, in a matter of minutes you went from someone confused on the streets of London to now being inside a war bunker with none other than Captain America himself, this day truly couldn’t get any stranger.

“Colonel, this is Private Y/L/N, with the 6 triple 8.” Steve explained, before giving you and Colonel Phillips his farewell.

“I’ve been expecting you.” The Colonel began, “follow me.” Colonel Phillips led you to a side room that was equally as overwhelming as the first. The stone walls were lined with hundreds of cubby holes, all marked with the name of an individual soldier. “I know you’ve got a lot of mail to sort through so I won’t take up too much of your time. Just put the envelopes in the corresponding slots, if it’s marked to me put it in a separate pile, if it’s marked ‘urgent’ bring it to me straight away.” He explained, before he closed the door on his way out and left you to your own devices.

The room was quieter but didn’t work too hard to muffle the sounds from the rest of the bunker. You could still hear the telltale sounds of phone’s ringing, switchboards working, and people typing. The smell of cigar smoke wafted its way through the cracks in the door and you tried your best to see in the low lighting provided. You heaved a sigh as you opened your bag and began to work, filing letters into their assigned cubbies. At first they were just names, just paper, but after awhile it dawned on you that each name was a soldier with a story and each piece of paper was like a lifeline for these men. Their reason for waking up in the morning and surviving this godforsaken war.

You felt tears prick your eyes as you continued your work, going from cubby to cubby. Some soldiers had a lot of letters, some had few, and some had none. Probably the most shocking soldier with no letters was one Steven Grant Rogers. Did Captain America really have nobody looking out for him? There were thousands of letters in the warehouse, you held out hope that at least one of those was for him, somewhere. Nobody could stand to be in this war alone. You kept moving and after a little bit you found yourself let out a chuckle every time you got an envelope addressed to James Buchanan Barnes. He, apparently, was very popular.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” You mused to yourself, putting another letter in his slot.

“Why doesn’t what surprise you?” Bucky’s voice questioned, carrying across the small room. You jumped, having not expected his intrusion.

“Sergeant Barnes, you frightened me.” You gasped, placing your hand over your heart in an attempt to calm your rapid breaths.

“Sorry doll, didn’t mean to, jus’ wanted to check on ya, and call me Bucky.” He replied, leaning against the metal desk in the corner.

“Well, that’s very sweet of you but I can assure you I’m doin’ just fine.” You replied, giving him a quick look over your shoulder before you went back to sorting and as soon as you looked you wished you hadn’t. He had taken off his jacket and was left in his button down shirt, but he had taken off his tie and rolled up his sleeves to just below his elbows. His hair was slightly out of place, as if he had run his hands through it several times. He truly was the most beautiful person you had ever seen.

“Like what you see?” He asked cheekily, spreading his arms out wide as if on display. You quickly turned back around and continued to hurriedly place mail in slots, becoming flustered.

“Why’d you come in here anyway?” You questioned, back turned to him.

“I told you, to check on you.” He repeated, as you felt the presence of his warm body closely behind yours. You held in your breath, afraid to make any sudden movements, as he brought his arm around you and pulled his letters out of his cubby. “And to ask you somethin’.” He breathed.

“What?” You asked, turning around ever so gently to face him. His hand was resting against the letter boxes and he had you trapped between him and the wall. Your back pressed into the cubbies as you stared into his blue eyes, wearing an emotion that you couldn’t quite read.

He smoothed an invisible piece of hair behind your ears before he spoke his next words carefully, almost a whisper so you had to incline further into him to really listen. “See if you wanted to go to the dancehall tonight. A bunch of us are goin.” He explained, and the spell was broken. You weaved your way under his arm and walked to the metal desk and placed the letters you had for Colonel Phillips on the desk with a thud.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“We’ve got a curfew.” You began to explain, hoping he would let it go, but he didn’t.

“So do we, but I’m sure one dance won’t hurt.” He reasoned, stepping around to the other side of the desk to meet your eyes once more.

“I don’t, I, I don’t think they’ll accept my kind.” You replied, eyes downcast, having to say that out loud. How did this happen? You were just supposed to be sorting mail for crying out loud, and now you’re once again met with the harsh reality that was your life. There was nothing more you wanted than to go to the dancehall with Bucky but you knew it would be separate dancehalls, you wouldn’t be welcome at Bucky’s and he wouldn’t dare go to yours.

“Doll, is that what you’re worried about?” Bucky questioned, joining your hand with his on the cool table. “They don’t care about that stuff here, it’s different.” He said, earnest eyes meeting yours.

“What are you talking about?” You questioned, not understanding what he meant.

“Up in Liverpool, American troops tried to segregate blacks and whites and the Brits were havin’ none of it. We’re not in America, it’s different here.” He said once more, hoping you would understand. Your heart lifted, even if only fractionally. You had heard rumors but you didn’t think it applied to such a cosmopolitan city as London. Bucky saw your resolve breaking, and he pounced on the opportunity. “Dancehall, seven pm, don’t be late.” He said as he walked towards the exit.

“I didn’t even say I was going!” You tried to argue with him.

“Didn’t have to.” Bucky replied with another cheeky wink before he was out the door and you were left with your letters once again.

Tags: @perrythefrickinplatypus

#a harsh reality #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x you #mcu fanfic #avengers fanfic

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