#guess who has now sparkly golden hands.

[sakkiichi]

hello, i'd like to request a matchup! i'm in my 20s, significant other/male matchup please

my friend's description:

she can look intimidating at first sight but once you get to know her, she can give the deepest conversations, intellectual topics and the best listener when you need someone to talk to instead of advices. She is quite lazy to go somewhere but can spend hours in department stores. She never judges someone and open-minded to any opinions but is very loyal to her own beliefs and is very prideful. She expects decent-level respect from everyone which can be stressful to herself. In terms of relationship, she needs someone who is quick-witted, observative and needs to know their ways to make someone talk their feelings.

random facts: i look bored/sleepy/angry normally, rbf in definition.. but im super timid and people pleasing, avoidant attachment, quick to drown in my head/thoughts, get quiet and dismissive when sad/angry, and the most important aspect of a person for me is their emotional depth and respect.

thank you sm!

hello, dear nonnie ! thank you for the info you sent <3 i hope you like your matchup ! i apologize too for the wait…

i’m publishing the ask since you didn’t sign it and i have no way to identify you otherwise, hope that’s alright with you.

your genshin impact match is someone who, much like you, looks intimidating the first time you lay eyes upon him. his smarts are definitely a good quality in him; though, at times, it can lead into him being less than good with feelings, bordering on harsh. In a parallel to your listening over advising trait, he’s the type to provide solid facts and practical solutions rather than comfort. If you are looking for someone quick-witted, who can hold intellectual conversations, he’s definitely your man.

well, can you guess who fits this description…?

✧ ALHAITHAM

What you deem to look intimidating at first sight, is, in no way, a setback for the scribe. I mean, take a look at him, he’s not the softest looking either, and yet, he cares (in his own way).

Your ability to be a good listener is something Alhaitham really needs. Even if he won’t express it at all, it is not frequently when he can lay his burdens on anyone else, often tending to shoulder them by himself. In addition, your tendency to listen over providing advice is something that really can favor our beloved former acting grand sage; he has the means to figure out his troubles himself, but, albeit not the best at making it obvious, he’d really appreciate and value the warmth of his lover by his side in his most trying times.

Don’t worry if you’re lazy to go out, Alhaitham isn’t the most adamant when it comes to outings, nor is he fond of crowds.

However, that smile of yours, when you browse through department stores, all sparkly eyed and radiating joy… he could stare at you forever, like this…

—

Bags keep accumulating on the scribe’s strong arms.

For once, he can’t say ‘no’.

But did he really want to ever deny you, when sunshine itself seems to cling to your frame as you run from one place to the other?

From bookstores you spent hours perusing, giving your lover the puppy eyes every time a tome was too high up for you to reach; to shops filled from floor to ceiling with plushies, to the most crowded clothing stores, the subtle smile on Alhaitham’s lips doesn’t waver.

“Alhaitham! Look, look! Isn’t this bag super pretty? It matches your eyes!” You excitedly wave, holding a turquoise handbag with golden accents for him to see.

His jade-like stare, however, is paying little attention to the object in your hands, favoring instead the crescent outlined in your lips.

Now, Alhaitham has always considered himself in control of his impulses, but right now, you’re making it pretty damn hard.

If it weren’t for the several bags he’s carrying, he’d wrap his arms around you and kiss you breathless right here, right now.

He loves you too much, though, so he’ll humor you.

“Hmm you’re quite right, darling.” He states, gaze sharp, set on the hue of the accessory you’re holding. “I do think it goes very well with the shade of your skin and hair, don’t you think so?” Your boyfriend smirks, aquamarine stare glinting behind the silver edged waves of his soft looking strands.

“Huh, you really think so?” You prompt, a grin tugging at the corner of your lips. Stepping closer to him, you run a hand over his abdomen, stopping with your palm flat over his chest. “In that case, I’ll really have to get it, no?” You practically purr into his ear.

“As long as you’re happy,” the scribe lets out, voice low, managing to balance your new acquisitions and take your chin in between his fingers at the same time, his lips teasingly brushing yours.

As you stand there, frozen and smiley, he takes the new bag from you, paying for it while you dreamily stare at him from a distance.

You can’t wait to start discussing the new books you got today with him later tonight.

And well, your lover can’t wait to kiss you properly later, no people and intense lights around.

—

You being loyal to what you believe in and prideful are attributes Alhaitham really admires from you. Even if at times he can be a bit stubborn, both your personalities can easily reach agreements through debate, due to your open minded nature, which brings us to the next point.

You mention you’d like someone who is quick-witted, so fear not, Alhaitham is plenty quick-witted. With him, no argument is boring, both you and him exposing your facts and reasoning, rather that rising your voices.

He is very observant too, and even though, he is not the best at expressing his own emotions, he can tell when you’re starting to feel uncomfortable or hurt, resulting in him backing off and putting your feelings first.

For that same reason, in moments when you drown in your thoughts, or get detached because you feel angry, sad or frustrated, Alhaitham knows without you having to express it verbally. In these instances, it is not rare for him to just sit by your side, book in hand, as he wraps an arm around you. If you lean into his touch, your head resting on his broad chest, he’ll take that as an indication to run his hands through your hair, soothing the whipping waves of your rage or despair.

If emotional depth and respect are aspects you value in a partner, well, Alhaitham is definitely a complex individual in that sense. As aforementioned, he may not be the most adamant at making it known, but he definitely has an elaborate set of morals and emotions very few are privy to. In rare moments, however, when it’s just you and him, you get to see his more tender side; even his more explosive feelings if you ever got into a dangerous situation.

Considering everything, I do believe you and Alhaitham would make a really nice couple, with lots of interesting conversations by candlelight, as the stars of Sumeru’s distant skies pass over you, bearing witness to the facts on romance you write through hands intertwined and gazes scanning the same page.

✧ RUNNER UP: NEUVILLETTE

You and Fontaine’s chief of justice share some traits in common: looking serious, but being softer than your appearances suggest. You, having a timid temperament and a tendency to people pleasing; him, being sensitive but not fully knowing how to express it.

This man is the epitome of respect. A true gentleman, he’s totally the kind to open doors for you, carry your back, be sure you’re walking on the inner side of the sidewalk, while keeping a protective arm lingering at the small of your back.

If you seek someone with a depth to their character, there’s definitely a lot to unpack when it comes to Neuvillette. He is mysterious, highly intelligent, and way more softhearted than his imposing aura suggests. Just please, hold him softly while you figure out the puzzles of his soul.

I can envision deep philosophical conversations between you and him as well, be it on justice, the latest discoveries on Fontaine’s technology or simply a new mystery novel you’ve picked up, discussing who’s the culprit and trying to piece together the yet to be unveiled facts.

#genshin impact matchup #genshin impact matchups #astronetwrk #alhaitham x reader #neuvillette x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact x you #alhaitham x you #neuvillette x you #genshin matchups

[sky-casino]

stranger danger: drug lord!kuroo x detective!alisa (kurolisa)

drug lord!kuroo x detective!alisa

genres: fluff, angst, some police/detective stuff (suspense, action), sprinkle of smut word count: 7,300+ a/n: i believe it’s my first time to write something with suspense and action in it omg? so this is quite new for me lol 😅 😂 hope you like it!

alisa haiba is a detective who belongs to a small team tasked to apprehend kuroo tetsurou, the city’s rumored most notorious drug lord.

they need a cold hard proof to arrest him. he has to be caught red-handed. they’ve been investigating and watching him for almost half a year now. they so badly want to put a tracker in his cars but they can’t do it without warrant, and they don’t have enough basis to get one. they’ve tried wiretapping him but it yielded nothing. so all they could do is watch him.

as much as they hate to admit it, he’s really good at hiding his crimes and leading a seemingly normal life.

this seemingly normal life consists of working as an owner of multiple properties rented by companies, bar-hopping and partying hard almost every night, going to the gym, watching and participating in drag races, and being with a different girl every week. he’s your typical hot and rich guy who every girl thirsts for.

except alisa. all she wants is to arrest him and end his drug business, which is the main contributor in the city’s increase of drug use.

it comes to a point wherein alisa volunteers to go undercover herself in order to get close to kuroo and become a part of his circle. she believes that watching from afar is not enough, she needs to go to him.

her team was surprised with her idea, but they’re open to it. however, one of them, osamu, is against this.

alisa explains her plan: she’ll jumpstart the operation at night. she’ll go to the bar where kuroo will be. attract his attention, engage in conversation, and get to know him so that she’ll be his girl of the week or so. she’ll keep the act until he likes and trusts her enough to take her home to his penthouse, even better if he also takes her to his office because that’s where documents pertaining to his drug deals would most likely be located.

as her final argument to get her team’s approval, alisa states the obvious fact that she’s the only female in the team, so she has to be (and is only) the one to do this.

she also mentions how they already know kuroo’s ideal girl, given how much time they invested in watching him and his daily life. getting his attention will be a piece of cake, maintaining it will be a bit more difficult, but ultimately, the goal is to obtain cold hard proof.

osamu is silent for a moment, but given that everyone else has already agreed and alisa very much wants to do this, he relents.

the night of the start of the undercover mission has arrived. a few days ago, the team leader assigned osamu as alisa’s back-up and main point of contact as she goes undercover for the entirety of the operation, since the rest of the small team have other cases to work on.

alisa, clad in a short golden sparkly dress, comes out of her bedroom. osamu is in awe as he has never seen alisa dress like this, not even during their police academy days wherein they studied and graduated together.

“ugh, this is a bit uncomfortable. but i guess i’ll get used to it.”

osamu stammers as he replies, “y-yeah, you will. don’t worry about it.”

“thanks, samu. this dress is the least of my worries. i need kuroo and i to be friends by the end of the night. no matter what.”

one of their teammates has been keeping an eye on kuroo for the whole day and informed them which night club kuroo was heading to.

alisa and osamu drove to said club. before alisa alights the car, osamu reminds her to call him if anything remotely dangerous happens.

alisa enters the crowded and loud club and easily spots kuroo in the VIP section. she walks to the bartender nearest to kuroo to order a drink. as she waits for her order, alisa is unaware that she already caught the guy’s attention, with kuroo staring at her.

“is it your first time here?” kuroo says as he slides next to her at the bar. alisa didn’t expect to catch his eye this quickly. she congratulates herself in her mind, realizing that knowing kuroo’s ideal type after watching him for months is now paying off.

“uhm, yes! you’re right. it’s my first time here. how did you know?” alisa replies, speaking in a more girly tone.

“because this is my favorite club and i’m here almost every night, and it’s my first time to see your gorgeous face here, so i was guessing that you must be new. glad i was right.” kuroo says in a sultry voice with a smirk.

your drink arrives and kuroo tells the bartender, who he seems to be friends with, that he’s paying for your drink.

you thank kuroo and that’s where it all begins. he leaves the other girls he was originally with and focuses on talking to alisa.

“i’m kuroo tetsuro, by the way.” he says as he offers a handshake.

“i’m ali.” alisa smiles and takes the handshake. however, kuroo takes her by surprise as he kisses her hand instead. alisa giggles at this as she thought it’s the reaction kuroo would want.

“what do you do, ali? did you just move here recently and is now a new resident?”

“i’ve always been from tokyo, just not this part of the city. i work as an english teacher.”

“nice, i hope you can teach me one day.” kuroo flirts, earning a chuckle from alisa.

“how about you? you look affluent.”

“oh, not really. i’m just the owner of this building and few of the other buildings in this part of the city.”

“wow. that must be nice. so you just get to go in here anytime for free?”

“i guess so” kuroo smirks before downing a shot of tequila.

they’ve been talking for an hour now. it was nearing 2am and kuroo asks alisa if she wants to go to a hotel with him. alisa is taken aback, she didn’t expect kuroo to want to sleep with her already since it’s just their first meeting.

kuroo senses her hesitation and quickly takes the invitation back, “oh, no problem if you don’t want. it’s fine. i understand.”

alisa, scared that she might lose kuroo’s interest and attention, played hard to get and improvised a response, “it’s not that i don’t want. it’s just that, i wish i could spend more time and know more about you first.” alisa uses the ever-reliable puppy-eyes technique, and it seems to work.

“you want to go on a date?” kuroo asks excitingly

“yep! is that okay with y-”

“sure! i would love that. i don’t wanna scare a lovely girl like you.”

alisa giggles and flirts back, “thanks, kuroo. that’s gentlemanly of you, i guess?”

the two exchange numbers and scheduled a date two days from now.

by the time alisa and kuroo part ways, alisa was extremely emotionally drained. she never liked bad boys who are overly confident and flirty so she always avoided them.

but everything went well and she squealed in excitement before heading to osamu who was waiting outside the car.

first day of the mission: success.

their second encounter takes up the whole day. after having breakfast together at a famous brunch place that kuroo chose for them, they go to see a movie. after they get lunch at a restaurant overlooking the city, kuroo takes alisa to his favorite indoor archery facility to show off how good of an archer he is and also to teach alisa how to do it properly. alisa knew about this hobby of his because of their investigations, but she didn’t expect that he would bring her there and teach her. they ended their date with a dinner in his yacht.

“how was it? did you have fun? i hope you enjoyed.” kuroo said with a smile and a hint of nervousness, which alisa found endearing. she caught herself as soon as she realized that, though.

“yes! didn’t know archery could be so fun and quite easy. i think i just found a new hobby.”

“that’s great to hear, ali. i really prepared for this date, y'know?” he said with a smirk, all nervousness gone with alisa’s positive response.

“and i appreciate it, kuroo. thank you.”

“so, today i’ve showed you some of the things i enjoy because you said you wanted to get to know me better. now, it’s your turn.”

“huh?” alisa stops from eating, confused.

“i mean, i want to you to show me your hobbies, the things you enjoy. i want to try doing them with you for our next date.”

“oh, that’s what you mean.” alisa chuckles. “is he actually serious about getting to know me? but wanting to do my hobbies with me is kinda sweet, tho.” she thought to herself before clearing her throat.

“what makes you think there’ll be a next date?” alisa teases as she goes back to her food.

kuroo goes silent for a tad bit too long and alisa looks at him, amused at his face that reminds her of the surprised pikachu face meme.

“i’m just kidding! sure, i’ll plan the next date. brace yourself, kuroo.”

“oh, i will.”

the next day at the police station, alisa spends much of her morning scouring the internet for activities that couples usually enjoy. she’s having a hard time selecting which ones to do with kuroo and at the back of her mind, alisa is getting a bit sad as she realizes how non-existent her love life has been since she entered the police academy. the moment she got admitted to the school, she told herself to focus on studying and career. no boyfriends. and now she feels like she’s paying the price because how could she have no idea of dating activities at all?

“why don’t you just actually do something that you enjoy?” her boss suggests. alisa looks at him, puzzled.

“even though you’re a workaholic, you do have actual hobbies, right?”

“hmm… i love baking on the weekends where i still have energy left.”

“there you go. go bake some stuff with him or something.” he says before his attention is called by a more important matter.

and with that, alisa signs her and kuroo up for a baking class she found online.

the day of the class comes and alisa is inexplicably antsy as she waits for kuroo outside the building. she’s feeling excited, nervous, and anxious all at the same time and she doesn’t know why.

kuroo calls out to her with a wide smile and for some reason, she suddenly feels at ease.

after the teacher introduces herself and informs the class that they will be baking salted caramel cheesecake together with their partner, kuroo whispers to alisa, “i’m scared that i might fuck this up and you won’t get to enjoy this date.”

“what?”

“i’ve never baked anything in my entire life, ali.” kuroo says in an exasperated tone and a slight pout.

“aww, that’s okay!” alisa laughs as she comforts him. that’s why we have the teacher. she’ll explain the steps and we just have to listen and follow.“

the class takes up the entire afternoon and in that entire time, alisa finds herself genuinely enjoying the activity and kuroo’s presence. she loves how funny he is and it also amuses her to watch a muscular man bake clumsily.

after the cake is ready to eat, kuroo gets a chunk of it and feeds it to alisa. alisa does the same to him and they’re both in awe of how delicious their cake is, especially kuroo. "damn, we made this? i helped in making this fucking delicious cake???”

“yes, kuroo, you did.”

“your smile is as sweet as this cake, ali.”

“shut up.”

just like this, kuroo and alisa spends the next six months dating, alternating which one of them would plan the date. and with every encounter, the more they spend time together and unravel each other’s layers, the more alisa enjoys kuroo’s company.

osamu, despite being told that he doesn’t need to watch and follow alisa anymore as her back-up, watches from afar, and he doesn’t like what he’s seeing. whenever he gets the chance, he always reminds alisa that this is a mission and what kind of man kuroo is. alisa replies with irritation, reminding him that she’s the one who came up with this plan.

another thing that’s been bothering alisa is that she has been trying to avoid sleeping with kuroo as much as she can, but she’s getting the impression that kuroo is starting to get a tiny bit frustrated. he’s been very understanding and patient all this time, but alisa remembers that a man has carnal needs and these needs have to be addressed. then she realizes that she has been feeling these needs lately as well. unbeknownst to anyone, even to kuroo himself, is that he has ignited a fire in her that has been dormant for a while now. she just feels different, lusty, when she’s with him.

and so to keep this whole thing going and to also satisfy each other, she finally obliges. she opens her legs to get him to open up and tell her his secrets.

eventually, kuroo invites alisa to move in to his home, which alisa considers as a milestone for her mission. she has now gained a significant amount of kuroo’s trust.

upon her arrival with her things, kuroo explains that he lives alone and just gets some cleaners to keep the place pristine every other day. as for his family, his parents have passed and he’s an only child. the real estate business he has now is an inheritance. alisa knows all of these already though, but gotta keep the act and pretend that it’s her first time to hear all of it.

days of living with kuroo go by and there are some days wherein alisa can’t help but enjoy the bliss of being with kuroo. there’s just something about the guy. he’s very charming and he makes her happy. but still, she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, not even to her teammates and osamu, and especially kuroo, but she’s nervous about this whole living together thing. she’s aware that this is her plan from the very start, but it still feels surreal to be in a seemingly committed relationship with the man you’re trying to put behind bars. lately, she’s been feeling a bit guilty about what she’s doing to kuroo. but then she repeats what osamu told her like a mantra, “this is a mission, we have a goal, kuroo is a bad guy.”

while kuroo sleeps one afternoon, alisa sneaks into his work room and tries to find any evidence that could help their mission to arrest him, but found nothing.

it’s always been like this recently. all her attempts to uncover a possible evidence from all around his house leads to failure. his phone has no password so she’s able to open it, which excited her at first. but alas, nothing suspicious is in the phone at all. alisa deduces that kuroo has a separate phone for his drug operations, which is expected. but she can’t find another phone nor has she ever seen kuroo using one.

during their team meeting a few days later, they expressed their frustration with the slow progress. seeing alisa disheartened by the poor team morale, the boss assured her that it’s not her fault. he’s a patient man and so he tells alisa to continue her cover in the meantime.

after the meeting, alisa is about to drive to her own apartment to get some more personal stuff to bring to kuroo’s place. but osamu volunteers to drive for her.

osamu has been very quiet and serious the entire trip. alisa notices but dismisses it as osamu being his usual quiet self.

upon arriving at her place, she goes straight to her room to get some clothes and other sanitary items.

“do you want to get dinner?” she asks as she goes out of the room

“you should abort this mission.” osamu said, looking down at the floor.

“samu, you know i can’t do that. this is my mission. i started it-”

“it’s dangerous!” this time, osamu looks her in the eye.

“he’s not dangerous when he’s with me.” alisa says in a soft voice.

“exactly. you’re getting too comfortable with him.” samu could no longer hide the pain in his eyes so he looks away and stands up from the chair. he’s in pain and he’s frustrated that alisa doesn’t understand that the danger he’s warning her about is not the usual life-or-death danger they deal with in their job. it’s the kind of danger where one falls for a person they’re not supposed to fall for.

“i know you’re just worried about me, samu. and i’m truly grateful. but no matter what you say, i will continue. i will see this through to the end. boss gave his approval earlier, you were there.”

osamu is unresponsive as he contemplates whether this is finally the time to tell alisa of his true feelings. maybe if he confesses that he’s worried about her not as a colleague or a friend but as a man who deeply loves her, she would be more understanding and change her mind. but he knows that’s impossible. he’s known all this time that alisa only sees him as a friend, as her best friend, to be precise. he’s aware of this and has been in the process of painfully accepting it.

“fine. just call me if you need anything.” osamu says before leaving, not sparing her a glance.

the next morning, with her revived determination from her boss’ approval and to prove osamu that she can do this, alisa is sharper than ever. she pretends to be asleep as kuroo wakes up at 6am, giving her a morning kiss. kuroo then washes his face and leaves the room.

just last night, kuroo told her that he’s only available in the afternoon today if ever she wants to go out. alisa asked where he’ll be in the morning and kuroo replied that he’ll go to the gym. kuroo does go to the gym regularly, but he’s been complaining about his painful hips just the other day, so his response was already suspicious for alisa. and so she decided to spy on him more closely this morning to see where he will be actually going.

she secretly follows him out of the room and she’s surprised that he goes straight to his work room instead of the kitchen to have breakfast.

she peers into the room and sees him crouch down to the lowest drawer under his desk. he stays there for a while and with the desk blocking her view, alisa is frustrated as she can’t see what exactly he’s doing. it’s been almost a minute when he stands back up and he’s holding a blue notebook that alisa has never seen before. he flips the first few pages and after landing on the one he’s looking for, he then turns to the bookshelf right behind him and pulls out a thick old-looking book. he opens it and retrieves a hidden phone. “so that’s where he’s hiding it.” alisa thinks to herself.

kuroo dials the number written on the notebook and after only one ring, the other person answers and kuroo only says “today, 9am” before hanging up. he doesn’t return the phone to its place and instead puts it in his brief case. seems like he will be using and taking the phone out of the house for the day.

afterwards, he bends down to the bottom drawer to return the blue notebook. when alisa sees that he’s about to exit the room, she quietly runs back to their bedroom.

after having a quick breakfast, kuroo enters the bathroom in their shared room to take a shower. alisa sprints to the work room to check the bottom drawer, but nothing is in it, just like the last time she checked it. she remembers that kuroo had it open for quite a long time earlier, so there must be a hidden compartment in it. she uses a pen to lift the corners and after pulling up the wooden panel,  she sees the blue notebook. she quickly scans it to find a list of names, aliases, email addresses, contact numbers, and incomplete addresses. some of the names are familiar to alisa. that’s when she realizes that the names are those of drug pushers that her team is looking into as well. she instantly concludes that kuroo supplies to these elusive pushers and this list is one of the cold hard proofs to solidify his arrest. she also recalls a time wherein kuroo and her were talking about work and he mentioned how he’s scared of storing important or sensitive information digitally, as it might get hacked or lost in one way or another. alisa connects that statement to the fact that he has a physical list of the drug pushers’ contact details. kuroo doesn’t want these details to leak, so he’s keeping the perhaps only copy of it.

she intends to take a photo of every page but she’s scared that kuroo would find her missing from their bed. she quickly returns the notebook to where it was and runs fast to their room, jumping on the bed and pulling the blanket to cover her entirely. she quickly sends a short message to her team’s group chat instructing them to follow kuroo after he leaves the house. osamu, as her only back-up, replies quickly. with the rest of the team soon after.

she hears kuroo get out of the bathroom and quickly hides her phone under her pillow. kuroo then gently slides down her blanket to pepper her face with kisses. strangely, alisa feels a pang in her chest and a sting in her nose. this might just be the last time she feels those kisses. she disregards all of these feelings, though. the finish line is near now.

she eagerly awaits to hear the car engine go off and leave before she heads back to the work room. she finally retrieves the notebook and quickly goes to her own car. she calls her team and asks where kuroo is so she can follow him as well. all of this taking place and she’s still in pajamas.

eventually, alisa and the team concludes that the location where kuroo is heading is the place of his new building’s ongoing construction. that’s why his movements and destinations haven’t been suspicious, he’s blending his professional facade with his criminal life.

alisa parks her car far from where kuroo stopped his so he wouldn’t see her. she prefers to run to her team’s nearby van but she’s afraid that kuroo might see her and ruin the entire operation. instead, she takes her phone and binoculars and carefully got out of her car to go to a spot to hide while also watch kuroo talking to a man around the same age, looking like the usual businessman with his suit and tie.

they only talked for a short while until kuroo signals for a construction worker to approach them. the worker pushes a cart of around ten large sacks of cement. the businessman makes a small cut on top of the sack, feeling some of the powder in his hands and then smelling it. holy shit. some of the “cement” in this construction is actually drugs. with the businessman satisfied, he retrieved a couple of brief cases from his van. kuroo opened them and it’s visible to alisa and her team that it’s tons of cash.

for some reason, alisa felt like crying. this is it. the moment of cold hard proof they’ve been waiting for. but she’s not entirely happy. she has seen kuroo be a sweet, loving, and caring boyfriend for her all this time. this is the first time she actually sees him do something wrong. the rose-tinted glasses finally break, as it should. or to be more precise, these glasses should have never existed in the first place.

after kuroo secures the cases of cash and places them in his car, the sirens from all around start to blast and alisa’s team gets out of the van, pointing their guns at kuroo, his client, and the construction worker. the worker tries to run but was shot in the leg. with the sound of the gun shot, kuroo and his client know they cannot escape this.

alisa suddenly feels unwell, still sitting on the ground and just staring at it. osamu runs to her to comfort her.

alisa urges herself to look at kuroo with handcuffs, getting into the police car.

“don’t worry, he didn’t see you.” osamu tells her.

“there’s another evidence that i need to submit.”

“another?”

osamu helps alisa up and she musters all her strength to walk to her car to retrieve the notebook. “this is kuroo’s list of clients. all their contact details are in there. he hid it so well i wouldn’t have found it if i didn’t observe him this morning.”

“got that. boss is so happy and proud of you. all of us are, alisa. you did an outstanding job.”

alisa just gave a hesitant smile in response.

“my girlfriend… can i see her, please? i need to talk to her. please.” kuroo pleads to alisa’s boss in the interrogation room. it’s the first thing he ever said since his apprehension.

“we reached out to her right away after your arrest. she doesn’t want to see you.” the boss lies.

kuroo is astounded, but he can’t say that it’s unexpected. of course, his beloved ali is shocked and disappointed in him.

all of this unfolds right before alisa’s eyes as she’s in the other side of the interrogation room. osamu told her to just rest, but she refused. as she has said before, she needs to see this through.

kuroo is informed that his case won’t even go to trial because he’s caught in the act of hiding and selling drugs and getting paid for it, and also because of his possession and creation of the address book of drug pushers. he’ll have to serve seven years.

“fine. arrest me or whatever. i don’t care. i deserve it anyway.” he said weakly with a fake smile.

the boss leaves the room to get some papers and kuroo is left alone, with alisa watching him closely.

at this moment, kuroo’s eyes widened as if he realizes something.

the boss comes back with the papers and before he could tell kuroo the next steps, kuroo interrupted him.

“you mentioned about the address book, is it the blue notebook?”

“yes”

“how did you find it? where? when? i still used it just a couple of hours ago.”

the boss, alisa, and osamu are surprised by his questions.

“we found it in your house”

“who found it?”

with each question, kuroo sounds and looks colder

“us, of course”

“you found it too quickly. no one else knows where it was. no one. only me in this entire world. and if you rummaged through my house, my alarms would’ve set off and i’ll be notified in my phone. but i know there was no notification up to the moment you ambushed us. unless you found it in the past twenty minutes, which i know is impossible.” kuroo scoffed at the last statement, as if mocking the boss and the entire police force.

alisa’s boss is taken aback and he doesn’t get the chance to respond as kuroo continues.

“d…don’t tell me…” he covers his face with cuffed hands as he tries to stop his body from shaking, voice trembling.

alisa realizes what’s going on, and tears fell as she keeps her eyes on kuroo.

“if my alarms didn’t go off and you found the notebook this quickly, then the one who found it knew where it was and was inside the house.” kuroo says, showing his face once again.

“don’t tell me that my…. girlfriend is the one who found it, and she submitted it very quickly because she’s actually one of you.”

the boss just looked at him with a poker face, not willing to reveal anything. but his silence itself already did.

kuroo slowly turns his head to the one-way mirror, sensing that alisa might be there.

alisa could no longer hold back her sobs as she sees kuroo’s betrayed face filled with shock, hurt, and anger. she quickly gets out of the room with osamu following her.

“alisa-” “he knows, samu. he knows! but i guess i don’t have to be surprised, he’s actually one of the smartest guys i’ve known, after all.” alisa tries to laugh away her tears. “he feels betrayed. he knows i betrayed him-”

“no, alisa.” osamu replies firmly. “he can think whatever the fuck he wants, but just know that that’s not what you did. you didn’t betray him. it was your job to go undercover and find evidence so we can finally put him in jail. and you’ve done that. you should be happy, you should be proud of yourself. don’t shed tears for that guy.”

alisa is astounded to hear osamu talk like this, he’s full of rage and she’s a bit scared. she calms down and nods her head with a smile. osamu’s stern face is replaced with a smile as he wipes her tears before embracing her. he doesn’t tell alisa but the truth is he’s furious about the fact that a criminal like kuroo is the reason for her tears and that he’s the one she ends up loving.

their boss gets out of the room and tells alisa that kuroo is demanding to speak with her, but he assures her that she absolutely doesn’t have to do it.

after contemplating for a moment, alisa tells her superior, “it’s okay. i’ll talk to him. this will be the last time.”

“alisa, no-” osamu attempts to discourage her.

“samu, i’ll be fine.” she says with a genuine smile that puts his heart at ease.

alisa takes a few minutes to wash her face and put on some make-up in hopes of hiding the fact that she just cried.

when she’s ready, she stands before the door and composes herself before entering. kuroo is stunned to see her in her work uniform, complete with her ID and badge.

“i’m not obliged to speak with you. but i’m here and you can only tell me five things or ask me five questions.”

“fine. five questions, then.” he waits for alisa to say anything but she just looks at him with her poker face.

“who are you?” “alisa haiba, a detective here in the tokyo police station.”

“this might be obvious already, but i just want to confirm my suspicions.” kuroo scoffs. “did you go undercover and seduce me to get whatever evidence or information you needed to arrest me?”

“yes.”

“so it was all planned out from the moment i saw you at the club that night?”

“yes.”

“were you spying on me this morning that’s why you knew where the blue notebook was hidden, then you also instructed your colleagues to follow me?”

“yes.”

“was any of it real?”

there’s a pause before alisa replies, “i don’t understand your question. was any of what real?”

“you know exactly what i’m talking about, ali.” kuroo says with so much pain in his voice, slamming the table with his fists, knuckles turning white, restraining himself from shouting at her.

“sorry, my bad, you’re not my ali. you’re detective alisa haiba from the police station. got it.” kuroo laughs sarcastically to mask all the pain. he looks at her as he waits for her response.

“i’m gonna ask again, was any of it real?” he emphasizes each word.

“no… none of it was real, kuroo tetsurou. goodbye.” alisa says monotonously before standing up and leaving.

seven years later, alisa, now thirty-three, is preparing breakfast and she knows exactly what day it is: the day of kuroo’s release from prison.

she never spoke to him again since their short conversation on the day of his arrest years ago. she gave kuroo a chance to ask her his most burning questions, and she answered them as honestly as she could. she thought that might be enough for him.

that’s why she’s so shocked to see him outside her door in the morning.

“k-”

“hey.” kuroo greets her with a somber smile and an awkward wave.

“what are you doing here?” alisa asks cautiously, unknowingly gripping the doorknob tight.

“would you believe it if i said i wanted you to be the first person i meet after i get back my freedom?”

“there goes his usual charming smirk.” alisa thinks.

“would i believe that? no. get on with it, kuroo. why are you here?”

kuroo sighs, “it’s the truth, ali. don’t be so wary, please? i’m not angry at you or anything. i promise.” he puts up his hand, swearing that he’s telling the truth.

alisa knows that besides hiding his crimes, kuroo is an overall honest person. and in the worst case scenario where he attempts to hurt her,  she can defend herself anyway.

“come in.” alisa says and kuroo slowly enters.

“how did you know where i live?”

“uhh…” kuroo can’t form his response properly as his attention is captivated by the modern minimalist interiors of alisa’s apartment. “i asked my lawyer to look it up a few weeks ago.”

“have you eaten? i have extra french toasts here.”

“it’s okay. i’m still full from my last prison breakfast.” he smiles, earning a laugh from alisa.

“my lawyer also told me that,” kuroo says carefully. “you resigned from the police force seven years ago, a few months after my arrest.” he sits across alisa at the dining table. he stares at her as she plays with her food, waiting for her reaction and response.

alisa’s smile from seconds ago slowly disappeared. kuroo knows that he has now entered a sensitive topic.

“yep, that’s right.”

“may i know why?”

“it was exhausting.” alisa’s eyes still fixed on her tattered toast. “and i realized i wanted to try another path.”

“which is?”

“i have a small bakery now. just online though, no physical store yet.”

“wow, that’s nice.” kuroo replies, looking back at the tons of baking materials he noticed earlier.

alisa stands up and goes to the sink.

it’s been two minutes and no one is speaking. the tension and silence become increasingly suffocating. kuroo gazes at alisa’s body as she washes the dishes, with her back facing him. she feels his intense gaze but can’t do or say anything about it.

kuroo stands up and slowly approaches her. alisa feels his presence creeping up behind her.

when kuroo delicately slides his hands on her arms, alisa feels the chills but fights against it by turning around abruptly.

“what do you really want, kuroo? why are you here?” she asks breathily with wide eyes, demanding the absolute truth with her face just a few inches from his.

“don’t be scared, ali. i told you i’m not angry. it’s the truth.” kuroo speaks in a low voice, making him more irresistible than he usually is.

“just answer me.” alisa says in an exasperated tone.

“you’ve been a naughty girl, ali.”

“what?”

“i’ve always told you the truth. i hid my crimes yes, but i’ve always been honest with you. always. you know that. but all you’ve been doing recently is lie to me.” kuroo says in almost a whisper, with his hand creeping up to alisa’s throat to choke her mildly.

“i don’t understand-” alisa says, struggling a bit. she’s not in pain, but all of this feels foreign to her. kuroo has never been this dangerous to her.

“see? you’re lying again. fine. i’ll tell you your lies. do you remember my last question from seven years ago?”

alisa doesn’t reply.

“i asked you if any of what we had was real. do you remember?”

“yes”

“you said, quote unquote, ‘no. none of it was real, kuroo tetsurou. goodbye’. correct?”

“yes”

“those words never left my mind, you know? i kept hearing it in the seven years i was locked up. but i knew you were lying. did you really expect me to believe that? i’m not stupid nor naive, ali. i saw your face and your eyes and despite all the make-up you were wearing, i knew you were crying before we talked. your long pauses in between. you saying that you didn’t understand my question. all of those just to mask the truth and lie to me.” kuroo says with his choking hand getting progressively tighter.

alisa doesn’t know what to reply and tears fell from her eyes.

“and just now you lied again, huh? resigning from the police force because you wanted to be a fucking baker?”

“that’s not exactly unbelievable-” alisa tries to defend herself

“you left the force four months after i got arrested. and you want me to think that my arrest had nothing to do with your resignation? give me a break, ali. tell me the truth!” it’s now kuroo’s turn to demand honesty.

he’s getting impatient and so when alisa doesn’t say anything, he slams her down to the dining table and kisses her hard. he kisses her lips, her face, her neck, her collarbone, and her chest after he rips her shirt apart. he kisses her everywhere. and when alisa doesn’t fight back and kisses him in return, he fucks her then and there.

their synchronized moans the moment he enters her are so loud it feels like it’s reverberating throughout the apartment.

alisa is feeling seven years worth of kuroo’s libido as he hadn’t fucked during that time. she honestly thought that she would never feel him inside of her again since he got arrested. so having him in her now feels so unbelievable she doesn’t want to let him go ever again. she clenches around his hard cock the entire time, making kuroo hiss and grunt.

“can i come in you?”

alisa’s heart swells as she finds it endearing that despite all the animosity kuroo has for her, he’s still polite about this.

“yes. i have pills-”

alisa can’t even finish her statement as kuroo comes in her, urging her to come as well.

as they both ride out their orgasm, kuroo whispers in her ear breathily, “this is the last time you’ll ever see me, alisa haiba.”

“what?”

“i’m leaving in one week. gonna move to the States. leaving everything and everyone here behind. including you.”

alisa, feeling devastated, watches his face as he starts to separate from her. she doesn’t speak as she examines kuroo dressing up. he has made up his mind, and so this is the last time she’ll see him. ever. she wants to appeal his decision, tell him, “but you said you’re not angry with me, so why?”, but she knows that would be futile. and in the back of her mind, she thinks that maybe she deserves this.

kuroo doesn’t spare her a glance, not even when he leaves. “guess it’s my turn to say goodbye. take care of yourself, ali.” he says before opening the door, back facing her.

the silence after the door closes is the worst silence alisa has ever heard and experienced. it feels heavy, empty, and her sobs consume her soon after.

alisa can’t sleep that midnight, her head filled with kuroo and his last words to her.

then her phone suddenly rings and an unknown number is plastered on her screen.

she hesitates picking it up but her time as a detective taught her to stay alert for any danger or important information. the person on the other line probably needs help or will inform her about something important.

“hello?” she inquires, but she’s met with silence from the other end of the line.

“hello? who’s thi-”

“i’m supposed to hate you, y'know?” kuroo blurts out and alisa immediately feels the familiar pain and tightness in her chest, urging her to sit up from her bed.

“kuroo… where are you? are you okay?”

“i’m supposed to despise you for deceiving me, for causing my downfall, for lying to me, but i can’t. i just can’t bring myself to hate you, ali.” kuroo sounds like he’s about to cry, while alisa already is. she tries to do so quietly so kuroo wouldn’t hear, but she’s tired of pretenses and decided to let out her sobs wholeheartedly.

“i thought i meant it when i told you earlier that i’m leaving you behind. but i realized that it just felt so wrong.”

“kuroo-”

“run away with me, ali.” now it’s kuroo’s turn to be met with silence.

“please? run away with me. let’s start anew. no more deceptions, just love, newfound trust, and honesty. i’ll take care of you and i promise i’ll never commit crimes again.”

alisa stops crying as she’s too astounded with what she’s hearing.

“i know that all of this is shocking to hear. but i mean every word, ali. you’ve already hurt me, but here i am, still begging you to be with me. if that’s not pure love and honesty, i don’t fucking know what is.” kuroo says with exasperation in his voice.

alisa is still silent, so he continues, “you don’t have to answer right now. i can delay the scheduled flight for you… if you decide to go with me. so don’t worry about that. just please, think about it carefully. hmm? okay?”

“y-yes. alright. thank you, kuroo. i’ll think about it. good night.”

with that, alisa abandons any attempt to sleep as she lists all the pros and cons of running away with kuroo.

it’s been five days since kuroo’s midnight call to alisa and his scheduled flight is in two days. and yet he hasn’t heard from her ever since.

pacing around in his apartment with phone in hand, kuroo is extremely antsy as he contemplates on whether to call her again or not. he gave her time to think, but he needs to know her answer already.

he’s dialing her number when his doorbell rings.

he opens his door and finds alisa there, smiling shyly as she’s surrounded with several large suitcases.

for the first time since their call, he relaxes and heaves a sigh of relief before hugging alisa tightly.

“you cunning woman, why didn’t you at least give me a call or a text? i’ve been panicking.”

“because i wanted to surprise you? but i guess five days of radio silence was too much, indeed. i just had to make sure everything on my end is okay before i leave.” she caresses his head on her shoulder.

“well, is everything okay now?” kuroo lets go of the embrace to look at her

“yup, i packed only the things that i absolutely needed and wanted to take with me. as for the rest of my things, i left them as is in my apartment and i asked my landlord to buy or sell them. he’ll send me the money once he has it. i also met with my closest friends and family to say goodbye.”

“your friends and family… did they agree with your decision?” kuroo asks cautiously, afraid of her response

“of course not all of them did. but i told them that you’ve already served your time and for that, you deserve a second chance. i also told them how much you love me.” alisa says the last part with a sweet smile.

“thank you, ali. you won’t regret this.”

“i know, i trust you.”

#ivy writes #haikyuu #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo #alisa haiba #kurolisa #kuroo x alisa #kuro tetsurou x alisa haiba #kurolisa fic #kurolisa angst #kurolisa fluff #kurolisa smut #kurolisa angst fic #kurolisa fluff fic #kurolisa smut fic #kuroo smut #kuroo tetsurou smut #kuroo tetsurou fic #kuroo fic #haikyuu smut #haikyuu angst #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu fluff fic #haikyuu angst fic #haikyuu au #haikyuu smut fic #kurolisa au #kuroo tetsurou au #kuroo au #kuroo smut fic

[mochidreambubble]

From Golden Grove, Love Sunset Bird

Ao3 version here

previous - next

Two: Now and Forever Step 1 Prologue ~ Pretty Smiles, Pretty Words

Dear Mermaid of Sunset Bird,

Sorry for making you wait so long for my letter. I really miss getting letters from you too, so know one of the first things I’m doing is writing to you. 

<A polaroid photo of Golden Grove, stuck to the letter with small maple leaf stickers>

It’s pretty right? I was nervous, since Mama said it’s so different from our last home in the city, but everything here feels like it’s right out of a storybook. I’m still just a tiny bit nervous. I left all my friends behind. I still have Mama, but…

Kids my age already have friend groups right? What if no one wants me to play with them…

I’m glad I have you at least. I wish you were here. I wish I could go to Sunset Bird! I want to meet you! I want to meet Cove! I know so much about him, but it’s different when you meet face to face! 

Mama says I should think of this as an adventure, like in my favourite books, but

-

“Sweetie! Come over and take a look.”

You stop writing and stand back up from your crouch, clipboard securely in your arms again, your camera dangling from your neck, and you rush over to Mama’s side. You place your clipboard, the half written letter securely collapsed, and gently place it atop one of the carry on bags on the porch. Good thing too, as Mama starts insisting you explore. Tempting of course, as you’d bet you’d take some pretty nifty pictures. Mama also always has good reasons for suggesting things. 

Maybe Mama just had magic, or could see the future. For it led to a mystery of a paper plane thrown your way. Gave you a bit of a shock. Mama considered it a mystery, one you were obviously up to ask for. It was just like your Stony Girls or Herlock Sholmes mystery novels! 

You take snapshots of the forest path, the beautiful colours of fall. A crossroad, a choice to make. 

A boy named like the season, the prettiest person you’ve seen.

A sparkly surprise from a very pretty girl!

You think there has to be some kind of record for meeting very pretty people back to back.

The boy, Qiu or Autumn - he said both were fine right? - was a funny kid but he was also a bit… Airheaded? No, not quite right. Scatterbrained? Who’s to say? 

“Next time I’m not gonna tell you about it…”

Definitely. You were so totally not gonna tell him about lost pages. (A lie, of course. Not that you would know it just yet.)

Qiu smiles, in the way only someone who breathed and lived confidence could. Smug even?

“I don’t know about that,” He grins, hands casually supporting the back of his head. “You seem really nice. You’d help me out again. Thanks.”

The girl - with such a pretty name!! - Tamarack, made you really curious. She lived with her Omi and Opa - her grandparents. You never know what it was like to live without your Mama…

But she was so sparkly and bright you couldn't help but feel drawn to her. And she said she liked the earmuffs your Mama got for you! So she was a certified good bean in your book~

You tell your Mermaid Friend as much, as you huddle in your sleeping bag. You hesitate, for a moment, to tell them about the weird butterflies you get when you see Qiu. It’s different from the sparkling joy you know you have when you think Tamarack may be your first gal pal in Golden Grove. 

It’s kind of confusing I guess. Maybe you have words of wisdom, oh Mermaid of the Sunset Seas.

(You decide to tell them after all.)

Anywhoosies ;3 

Write to me soon! I miss hearing from you. Let me know if you want me to send you a postcard next time instead. I think I may find some pretty ones.

Love,

Golden Grove~ (Because yay!!! Mama and I officially moved in!!)

#our life beginnings & always #my fic #my writing #our life now and forever #qiu lin #tamarack baumann #From Golden Grove Love Sunset Bird fic #We're still friends even if we're miles apart fic series

[casspurrjoybell-28]

The Alpha's Addiction - Chapter 23

*Warning Adult Content*

The Harvest Moon

I watch as Morgan excitedly paces the dining hall of the pack house, humming to himself as he piles his plate high with sweets.

"Somebody's in a good mood," I remark, resting my chin in my hands.

"Oh, you know," he smiles, more to himself than anything. "Just excited for this weekend."

He goes back to helping himself, attempting to balance three sweet buns precariously on top of one another to conserve space on his plate.

How he can eat all that and not gain any weight baffles me.

I raise an eyebrow.

"Am I supposed to guess what's going on or..?"

"Oh, goodness me," he finally takes his eyes off his plate, walking with me to settle down at a table.

"I forget sometimes that you aren't aware of all our Pack's happenings."

"So? What's this weekend? Is it so amazing that it's the reason you've been in la la land this entire morning?"

He flushes.

"I have not been in la la land."

I give him a pointed look and he sighs.

"Okay, fine. It's the Harvest Moon Festival. To celebrate the Goddess blessing our crops and people and all that. And, well, Xavier's asked me to attend with him."

He claps his hands together excitedly, stamping his feet rapidly into the ground.

"Oh?" I smirk. "This your first date?"

"I-I'm not sure it can be called a date," he looks uncertain, obviously doubting himself despite being the gorgeous, sweet person that he is.

As if Xavier would pass up the chance to call it a date.

"Uh, yes, it is," I reassure him. "What are you going to wear?"

He twirls one of his pale braids, a thoughtful look on his face.

"I don't know yet. Oh. You know what we should do? I'll stop by yours before the festival starts. We can get ready together. Then Cyrus and Xavier can come pick us up..." he stops dead in his sentence.

"Sorry, I didn't even ask if you wanted to attend yet, much less with Cyrus."

I shrug, hating that what feels like jealousy is coursing through me right now.

Xavier's already taken it upon himself to ask Morgan to this thing, while Cyrus hasn't made any mention of the festival or even hinted that he'd want to go someplace special with me.

'Not that it matters, Koa.'

I have to remind myself that keeping this boundary between us was my choice.

"Cyrus hasn't said anything about it, Morgan. I doubt he will," I shake my head. "But I'm not against going with Oliver..."

"Koa, that man would pull down the stars for you if you asked and you know it," Morgan crosses his arms, looking unconvinced.

'Now that's an exaggeration.'

"Well I don't want to have to ask him," I insist stubbornly.

Morgan laughs.

"Cyrus isn't a mind reader, you know."

"Hey, stop acting like I'm dying for him to take me to this festival. I don't need an Alpha to have fun."

"You sure? You sure you don't want him to take you out, don't want his strong arms around you, don't want him speechless when he sees you all dolled up? You don't want him to pull you in close beneath the light of the full moon, leaning in and ready to kiss you..."

I throw an apple slice at him, cutting off his speech.

"Someone has read one too many romance books."

I glare playfully, my face getting hot at the unwanted imagery the Beta's words prompt in my mind.

He just shakes his head, picking the apple slice up from where it fell on his lap and popping it in his mouth.

"You don't see the way you look at him. I do."

I cross my arms, rolling my eyes. I'm not giving in to his taunts.

"Finish your sweets, you hopeless romantic."

*

Here I am, getting ready for the festival with Morgan, refusing to acknowledge who the person that I really want to go with is.

"You look so pretty mama."

Oliver claps as Morgan lines my eyes with kohl.

He's also dusted a shiny powder made from ground minerals across my cheeks and shoulders, giving me a sparkly golden glow.

"Thank you baby."

I lift Oliver up into my lap, kissing his head.

"Are you excited for the festival?"

He nods eagerly.

"I hope Flora will be there."

Morgan and I share a look as the Beta chuckles.

"I'm sure she will be," I grin.

"Alright, now stand up and take a look at yourself," Morgan walks to the floor-length mirror, and I follow after I've put Oliver down.

As I stride over, the more of myself that comes into view, the more awe-struck I am.

Morgan's dressed me in soft, light-weight yellowy orange pants that are tight on the waist but gradually get looser past my thighs, having a flare effect at the bottom before they gather at my ankles.

For the top, I'm wearing a cream-colored fluttery tunic that's cropped to show off my stomach and waist, with flowy bell sleeves. I've never worn such beautiful clothes.

I feel so... changed.

Is the man staring back at me in the mirror really me?

He looks so different than the one that lived in the Blood Pack, gaunt and bony, permanent bags under his eyes paired with cracked, dry lips that never smiled.

'I want Cyrus to see me.'

My wolf howls in enthusiasm, wagging his tail.

The horny thing loves showing off to our mate.

"How do you feel, Koa?" Morgan asks, fluffing my curls with his nimble hands.

*

When we walk down the steps of the Pack House, Oliver's hand in mine and Morgan's, I'm not expecting one of the two people who stand at the base of them. 

'Cyrus.'

Cyrus, staring at me wide-eyed, jaw slack, with an expression full of something I can't quite pin down but makes my stomach erupt in butterflies. 

He swallows, keeping his gaze on me all the while as we come to greet them. 

"Xavier," Morgan gushes, accepting the arm the Alpha offers to him.

Xavier gives me a curt nod of his head before leading my friend away. 

"Wait. Oh... I guess I'll see you later," Morgan calls out sheepishly, obviously surprised by Xavier's sudden departure.

The man is so straightforward. 

I wave, smiling at the two before turning my attention back to Cyrus.

He remains frozen stiff, pinning me down with those icy blues to take in every inch of me.

 "Um hello?"

Oliver tugs on Cyrus's shirt.

"Stop staring at my mama like... like a pervert." 

I nearly snort, putting a hand over my mouth.

"Oliver," I exclaim, barely able to hold back my laughter.

Cyrus looks aghast, shaking himself out of it. 

"I-I'm sorry..." he stutters out, looking to me for help and I just shake my head in amusement. 

"Don't go throwing that word around, Oli." 

Then I turn to Cyrus.

"And you. Did Morgan put you up to this?"

He raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Up to what?"

Oh, Moon Goddess.

The sweet, bumbling oaf came to meet us all of his own accord.

I try to ignore how it melts some of the ice around my heart.

[leos-regression-cove]

Nothing in the Parenting Books Prepared Me For This

32. Playdate

Synopsis: Loki and Sylvie are going over to Scott and Hope's house in San Francisco today. Together they explore the city

Word count: 5,503

Stand Alone?: yep

Warnings: accidents,

Notes: I'm realizing now I don't know how to justify Scott and Hope living in SF and Scott going to Loki and Sylvie's daycare? Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D flies them in or has a teleporter or something.

Anyway, on a cooler note, I live near SF so I'm there almost all the time. Although the photos in the AO3 version are not ones I took, they are all real locations in San Francisco and are in a walkable distance to the real Ant Man house! Even the carousel animals mentioned and their relative locations are the real ones on the Golden Gate carousel. The only not real location is the little store, which unfortunately does not exist (yet).

Read it on AO3! (there's pictures)

“We’re going to be late!” Sylvie cried, stomping her foot. 

“Sylvie, we’re not going to be late, I’m talking with Hope now,” Mobius replied, placing a hand over the bottom of his phone as if it were an old fashioned landline. “Would it help if I put her on speaker for you?” 

Loki looked up from his princess dolls with interest. 

“Hi Loki; hi Sylvie,” Hope’s voice buzzed through the phone. 

“Hi!” They yelled, making sure Hope could hear them. 

“So, how’s Scott doing?” Mobius asked, hoping to amp up the littles even more. 

“Well, interesting you ask,” Hope began. Both the littles looked wide-eyed-nervous at each other. “Today’s been different… but at least Loki’ll have a proper playmate.”

“Real little today, huh?”

“Smallest I’ve ever seen him.” 

Sylvie almost exploded. 

“... One moment,” Mobius said, setting down the device. “What’s wrong?” he asked. 

Sylvie stomped again, the rubbery sole of her pink, sparkly, velcro hightops hitting the wood floor. “Scott’s MY friend! Not Loki’s!” she screamed. 

“Sylvie, you and Loki are the same age today. I’m sure Scott’s still going to want to play with you, too.”’

Sylvie crossed her arms, her little yellow dress fluttering. Both her and Loki were relatively small today, as well. Probably something in the weather. The very rare “Make-every-little-Mobius-has-to-deal-with-two-years-old-today” occurrence. 

Mobius picked her up in one arm and held the phone in the other. “Sylvie’s just as small as Loki today. They might be a handful. Are you sure they’re ready for a playdate?”

“Pfft, I’m sure they’ll be fine.” 

“Alright, I guess I’ll be there… so there’s not much that can go wrong,” he justified to himself. “ But they’re literal gods, Hope. They’re not just other littles!” 

She sighed, “Mobius, you’re too protective of them. If daycare can take care of them, I’m sure they’ll be fine at my house.”

“Alright,” Mobius shrugged, “have fun dealing with three toddler littles that can do magic the second I step out to use the bathroom or make a phone call.”

He set down the phone. 

“Alright, who’s ready to go?”

“Me! Me!” the littles chorused. 

Mobius slung the diaper bag over his shoulder and got Loki and Sylvie to follow him out to go get Thor so he could drive them over in the spaceship.

The toddlers laughed at seeing their daddy buckled up in a five-point harness like they were. 

Upon arrival across the country, which took about an hour, Mobius joined Hope in the kitchen for a cup of coffee. 

“Scott! C’mon back here, bug! I need to be able to see you!” She called while adding cream to her drink as Scott ran around to show off the lower rooms of the urban mansion to his friends. 

Quickly followed by Loki and Sylvie, Scott came back into view of his caregiver. He was wearing an adorable yellow romper with shorts and t-shirt style sleeves. There was a patch on the chest of a bee and embroidered text that said “sweet as honey”.  

“It’s the first time he’s gotten to wear it,” Hope whispered to Mobius. 

“You look great, little man,” Mobius complimented. 

Scott grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets, showing them off.

 Loki leaned against the counter looking at the mugs that Mobius and Hope were drinking from. “Tea party?” he asked. 

“I dunno, you’ll have to ask Scott and Sylvie,” Mobius said, pointing to the two littles who were playfully trying to hide from and tag each other from opposite sides of the island. 

Of course, they had no interest in playing “tea party”, but they did have interest in following Mobius and Hope to the living room. 

“You guys see me everyday, can you sit with Scott for a while? I think he has some cool toys for you both to see.”

Hope was having a similar problem with Scott as he insisted on sitting on her lap, spending as much time with his mommy as he could on a precious off day. 

“Scott, can we see your toys?” Mobius eventually asked, deciding to sit on the floor so his littles would engage with their friend comfortably. “Wow, look at that one,” he commented on one of the many cars Scott showed him. The little handed it to him and Mobius showed Loki and Sylvie, letting them hold the little red Bug. 

Then he brought out another, absolutely beaming.

“Daddy! Look!” Loki yelled back, radiant with delight. “Gaba tuck!” 

“Wow, that is a garbage truck; just like yours, isn’t it?”

Loki had already gotten up, coming to join Scott in inspecting the green vehicle. Mobius held Sylvie, who wasn’t very interested in the big, simplistic, plastic, cars. She preferred the shiny metallic Hot Wheels that Loki was not allowed to touch. 

“So…” Hope began, nervous that she was interrupting, “are they still in diapers, or pull-ups?” 

“Yep, diapers whenever they’re little, Loki even usually keeps them while in bigger headspaces. Why?” 

“I think it would be good for Scott to try them out if he’s going to be this age,” she commented as the little boy lost interest in toys and started to snuggle into her again. “Hi, bug,” she added, letting him sit on her lap. “What do you think about giving our friends a tour?” 

“Yeah!” he cheered, getting up to take his friends to his very cool room. 

Mobius let Sylvie run up the stairs on all fours but picked up Loki, just because he knew Loki would scream and laugh from being carried over his shoulders. 

The room looked a little too old for Scott right now, better suited for a child from six to ten years old. It had a racecar bed and a bunch of model planets hanging from the ceiling, as well as a tiny basketball hoop on the wall. Probably hundreds of action figures, miniatures, and toys were scattered about on shelves and in displays and there was even a little ant farm on the desk. 

Mobius looked at the red racecar bed, “man, I always wanted one of those,” he remarked. 

Scott hopped up onto it and patted the spot next to him, encouraging the littles (and Mobius) to sit down. He grabbed a book off a shelf, too, and handed it to Hope hopefully. 

“Story time?” she asked. 

Scott nodded, and tried to get close with his friends. “Does he have a pacifier?” Mobius asked as Scott chewed the back of his hand. 

“He might, but it’s fine,” she said, opening “The Little Engine That Could”. 

Loki and Sylvie clapped when she was done as if it was a wonderful play as Mobius smiled awkwardly. They didn’t really get story time from someone else unless it was at daycare or a public reading, in which clapping was expected. 

Hope thought it was extremely amusing and Scott tried not to giggle while joining them in the applause. 

Afterwards, Mobius took Sylvie into his lap to check her diaper and did the same with Loki. 

Loki struggled and squirmed, sucking in his cheeks in a sour face of slight annoyance. 

“So embarrassing, isn’t it?” Mobius teased gently. He put Loki back down and looked at Hope. “These two both need changes, do you want instruction? So you can get Scott?” 

“That’s probably a good idea,” Hope agreed. 

“Can I?” he asked, motioning to the space around them. 

“Yeah, there’s no room in the bathroom, anyway.”

She held Scott in her lap as Mobius set out the mat. 

“You know, if you’re not changing diapers, I don’t think I could’ve let you take them on on your own.”

“You wouldn’t let me take them even if I did,” Hope laughed. “I know you’d use any excuse to stick around. But, it was worth the shot,” she shrugged and took the diaper bag. 

Sylvie got down from the bed and looked through it with her. She had heard the discussion earlier about Scott and found one of Loki’s diapers, handing it to Hope and then went back for her pacifier and a couple toys as possible distractions. 

Mobius laid Loki down. 

The little looked restlessly up at Hope and Scott, until Mobius tapped his leg and Loki tried to crane his neck to see him. 

“Hey, little guy, no need to be nervous, we do this all the time. Scott’s gonna be down here on this mat in a few seconds so I just need you to relax. Think you can do that for me? Do you need a toy, or maybe a pillow?” the caregiver asked. 

Loki reached out his arms for a toy as Mobius began unbuttoning the straps of his yellow gingham overalls that matched Sylvie’s dress. Unfortunately, the overalls had no crotch snaps so Mobius had to entirely remove the shorts. 

The straps had little pieces of lace on the shoulders, and it also accented the pockets and the holes of the legs. It was very obviously Mobius’ design that Loki had materialized just to appease him. 

Mobius handed him the Busy bear and shoved a pacifier into his mouth. 

Loki gave a toddlerish babble that probably meant “thanks” and wiggled as Mobius slid the pants down to his ankles. 

He pulled the zipper on his bear’s jacket up and down, pretending to ignore the feeling of his diaper being untaped and Mobius slowly and thoroughly explaining each step to Hope, but still scowling behind his pacifier. 

Sylvie didn’t watch, too busy exploring the shelves until Hope had to stand up and pull her away, causing an awkward pause as Loki laid bottoms-less and cold on the changing pad. 

Mobius pet his belly to keep him calm during the brief break. 

“Can you grab her triceratops out of the bag?” Mobius asked. 

Hope gave it to her and Sylvie sat leaning against her daddy temporarily as she chewed on her teether. 

Mobius continued like there wasn’t a little girl leaning against his side or a fussy and impatient toddler laid out on the mat, treating Loki like a doll. 

Loki let out a sigh as Mobius finally put the tapes on his diaper and smoothed it all out. 

“Alright one more baby and you can get Scott down here,” Mobius said as he pulled Loki’s silly looking shorts up. But when he didn’t get an answer, he looked over at Hope, who had Scott in her arms. 

She was whispering something to him and he looked extremely distraught. 

“Uh-oh, we doing okay over here, still?” 

“I don’t think we went fast enough,” Hope tried not to laugh. 

“That’s… unfortunate,” Mobius said, taking a deep breath. “We can probably get him cleaned up here, but if you’d rather give him a bath, we can go for a walk or somethin-”

“Nah, let’s just get him cleaned up. Loki, do you want to pick out his outfit?” 

Mobius picked up his littles for a quick moment and set them out of the way so Hope had space and Scott had a little bit of privacy.

“Sylvie, can you help us?” Hope asked, “I think we need someone to help with distractions.”

Mobius held Sylvie back for a split second, “why don’t you try talking to him first? He’s probably scared. He shouldn’t be.” 

Hope glanced back at Mobius skeptically, “we don’t really do babytalk,” she said. 

He detected the fear in her voice. 

“Good time to start,” he told her. “Never thought I was the kind to do it until I got these two here,” he added. 

Hope took a deep breath as she rolled up Scott’s romper and took it off him, trying her best to keep the damp parts away from dry skin, and succeeding. “Shh, little bug, I’m just going to try and get things all nice and clean for you,” she said. “You’re being so brave.” 

Scott shifted uncomfortably as Hope applied some rash cream to him, unused to the feeling, and Sylvie knew her time to shine was now. 

She hopped down from the bed and showed him the shared bear Loki had been playing with. “Look!” she said. “Um, zip n’ buttons…” she pointed out, trying to think of things and kind of quietly trailing off as he took it out of her arms and held it above his head, turning it over and messing with the different activities attached to it. She turned back to the bag momentarily to grab a clean pacifier, unsheathing it from its holder and placing it in Scott’s mouth. 

Hope taped on the new, bright green, diaper and helped Scott sit up. 

Loki made him a new outfit to cover it up, a red snap onesie with black pants, a very normal look for a smaller little. 

Finally, there was Sylvie. Who needed no distractions and had no shame in getting changed. She crossed her arms and looked away as if nothing was happening, going through the motions of when to lift her legs and bum to make it easy and quick, obviously wanting to be done with all this and go play. 

When all was done, Mobius cleaned up the area and tucked everything away. “Not so bad, was it?” 

“Nope, pretty easy,” Hope said, more to Scott than herself as he tested out the new feeling, walking around the room with that waddle which was only to be expected. 

Loki was brooding in the corner, staring at the black pacifier in Scott’s mouth with a slight distaste. 

“I think we should go for a walk,” Mobius said, getting Loki and Sylvie up. “Go on a little sightseeing tour of the city, maybe pick Scott up a new pacifier?” he proposed, knowing how badly the two would probably want to explore Golden Gate Park as they had been so disappointed when finding out the park across the street from the victorian home was exclusively hiking trails, just like the forest surrounding their own cabin.  

A walk to a store that carried little supplies wasn’t long, only a few blocks, but for Scott, it felt like miles, mostly because the other littles kept wanting to peek in all the fascinating Haight-Ashbury shops which Mobius had to pull them away from, eventually carrying Loki on his back so the little would stop pressing his hands to every single window he found, and holding Sylvie’s wrist, dragging her along. 

The little shop was large though, and definitely worth the half mile walk as it had lots of things that big box stores didn’t carry for Loki and Sylvie to gawk at, even though they were really just there for a pacifier and a pack of diapers. 

Mobius let them, feeling safe that the littles could explore without many risks. 

They peeked at a double crib for two littles who would, for some strange reason, want to be seperated, rocking bassinets, the swings, and walkers that they’d never have room for but loved to look at as Scott picked out some pacifiers with a snail and a caterpillar on them, and at Mobius’ suggestion, also added a clip that was printed with ladybugs. 

As Hope paid, Mobius picked up Scott. 

“Woah!” The little cried, seeming shocked that Mobius didn’t even brace himself. The feeling of being picked up by someone the same height as you so effortlessly was a little jarring. 

“You good buddy?” Mobius asked.

“Yep, jus’… supise,” he said. Trying to search for an easier word and not finding one.

“Psst. Loki, Sylvie, did you guys find anything cool?” Mobius whispered to them. 

Sylvie showed off a bunch of onesies she liked as well as some various scented items she found comforting. 

The boutique didn’t have much in the way of toys and mostly catered to babies and toddlers, as they needed the most specialty gear which could be rare to find in person, with how much room it took up. 

At the risk of looking terribly odd, Mobius allowed Sylvie to climb up onto his back since “Loki got to!” while Loki clung to his sleeve and Hope navigated them down to the park, the BIG park. 

Mobius was exhausted by the time they got there, despite the fact it was only about another half mile and still almost entirely downhill. But luckily, he was quickly relieved of the 700 pounds he was carrying as the three caught sight of a playground. 

Upon first glance, it looked average, in fact, rather small, but Loki and Sylvie quickly found out there were multiple exciting things in the small space. The first to be discovered was a climbing tower, which Sylvie would’ve normally delighted in, but now appeared rather intimidating and big. She played with Scott and Loki on the lower levels, low enough for Mobius to still grab them if he needed to. However, the next things they noticed were more age appropriate. 

Mobius showed them the massive slides carved into the side of the hill. 

Loki was shy to go on his own, so he let Mobius sit with him on the small carpet while Sylvie and Scott took their own rides down. 

Although things like the swings, the tower, the main playground, the slide, and the climbable statues (like the serpent and the wave) were appreciated, the biggest highlight came from an inconspicuous round dome-topped structure in the middle of the park. 

Loki and Sylvie didn’t know what it was, assuming it was a public restroom until they got closer. But Scott, Mobius, and Hope sure knew what it was, and Mobius personally had a horrible poker face when he was excited. He brought the littles over as soon as Hope informed him about it. 

“What is it?” Sylvie asked, looking at the tinted exterior windows and trying to get a good look inside. 

“This is an indoor carousel,” Mobius informed her and Loki. He didn’t bother explaining it further knowing how weird it would sound, he decided to let them just wait and see. 

Entering the building, the two gods watched what other littles and kids were doing and subsequently claimed their mounts. Sylvie took the blue-green dragon while Loki took a green eyed kitten. Scott took a frog, and Hope took the horse to him that didn’t move up and down. 

Like the proud caregiver he was, Mobius took a ton of photos of his littles all posed up on their carousel animals before the ride started. He tried to take a spot in between the two but they were nearly on other sides of the carousel. He decided that since Loki was closer to Hope and Scott, he’d find a spot near Sylvie instead, taking a golden horse with two daggers in its mane and another two beside its saddle, only a few rows behind her. Sure, it was ridiculous and unrealistic, but he knew it would’ve been the next choice of his littles if they had seen it. 

He didn’t realize until the ride had already started and Sylvie looked up nervously, that he had neglected to tell them that the animals moved up and down to simulate a gallop, but she seemed to catch on quickly and grinned ear to ear. 

Loki, on the other side of the platform, was having the same experience. He pet the cat’s head and even though it was only wood, it purred back, mostly because of his own decision that it would be nice. 

Loki sadly left his new friend and Sylvie pet her dragon, thanking it for the ride as she hopped down once the ride slowed to a stop. 

Next, came the most grueling part of the day, getting back to Scott’s house, up a large hill. Loki and Sylvie had an easy enough time, but there was a reason Scott and Hope usually just opted to drive. Mobius got himself back up, it wasn’t that long of a walk anyway, only a mile, but he was sweaty and out of breath, collapsing on Hope’s couch the second they got back into the home.

“Is it naptime?” he asked jokingly as Scott made a sleepy motion, sitting on the floor by Sylvie and Loki, who still seemed rather energetic as they played with some of the very limited, more toddler-ish toys that Hope and Scott kept. 

Hope laughed, “They haven’t even had time to play yet! They’re fine. We’ll call it naptime at the next tantrum,” she smiled, making a slight but noticeable motion to the tots in yellow, as she popped the, now sanitized, pacifier into Scott’s mouth. 

The toys the littles were playing with now were much different than Scott’s trucks, cars, and bug themed toys. Most were stiff stuffed animals with faded silken ribbons around their necks on wooden platforms with metal wheels, meant to be pulled along on long cut ropes, or little tin wind-up toys that were rusty, but still worked. The hopping little birds delighted Loki and Sylvie.

“Are those also Scott’s?” Mobius asked, noticing the outliers in the theme that had been so consistent in the rest of Scott’s toy library. 

“No,” she stated bluntly.

So bluntly, that Loki and Sylvie looked up from their quiet parallel games to watch for her elaboration. Listening to talk from the adults fascinated them almost as much as being included in it. 

“They’re old heirlooms my family kept. I like to keep them around. Usually mr. bug doesn’t take much interest in them,” she laughed.

“Mama! Show friends your room?” Scott questioned, perking up after mention of the toys. 

“No, I don’t think so,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted, but definitely having a hard time even talking about it. Going slightly red. “Is there anything I can get you?” she asked, changing the subject. 

“Don’t worry about it-” Mobius started to say before lunging quickly to the ground to yank a toy out of Loki’s mouth, and bringing the little up onto his lap. 

Loki speechlessly had his mouth open like he was going to explain his choice to chew on the little wooden horse, but Mobius didn’t expect him to and Loki seemed to be having a hard time choosing his words, anyway. 

Mobius bounced his knee to soothe the little, eventually bringing Loki in for a hug and making little hums as he pet the tot’s back.  He looked over to Hope with a tender smile before stopping, letting the little limply rest in his arms. 

“Precious isn’t he?” Mobius asked, looking down. He felt Loki’s chin move on his shoulder, no doubt morphing into a smile. 

“Scott might give him a run for his money,” Hope lightly commented. 

The toddler moved his head to pout at her, but Mobius’s gentle pats convinced him not to make any aggressive moves. 

Scott and Sylvie started to whisper, but it wasn’t noticed as Hope and Mobius’ conversation amped up. 

“What’s the room?” Sylvie asked, breaking her usual babytalk out of curiosity. 

“It’s like my room, but it’s hers,”  Scott answered, unsure of phrasing. 

Sylvie reached out to Loki about casting doubles, which he only agreed after wiggling back down to play with them on the floor so he could go, too. 

The room was hard to find, tucked away behind a door that almost seemed like it wanted to blend in with the old wallpaper. 

It looked like it had been neglected up until recently, but when they entered, the littles were greeted with a beautiful space. All of it was rose themed and a stencil of the flower was painted on almost every piece of furniture. Most of the room was filled with browns and royal reds with the occasional princess pink. Although there was no crib or changing table, it all seemed like it was designed for a toddler, or at most a young child under five or six, as the bed had low, collapsible rails on the sides so it could change with bigger headspaces. There was a large red wardrobe with horses painted on against one wall, and a much more modern stuffed giraffe plushie that stood around four feet tall next to it. 

“Woah,” Sylvie sighed, despite the fact that the room was entirely on theme with the rest of the house, excluding Scott’s room. 

This room, like many others, had gone touched, but unchanged in any drastic sense for a long time. Although some shelves had dust, and the wallpaper peeled, the sheets were ruffled like they had been slept in, and there were toys on the floor that had obviously been played with recently. 

Scott showed them the toys kept around and talked for a moment until Loki and Sylvie grew disinterested and began to flip through the drawers, nosily picking around, which made Scott immediately regret letting them in, feeling immense guilt that he had disobeyed Hope’s wishes and undermined her trust. 

He first tried to distract them with other things, but as that stopped working, he panicked and broke down. It started as soft whimpers and then sitting on the floor, balling himself up as small as possible, imagining whatever horrible punishment was awaiting him at the bottom of those stairs. 

Sylvie and Loki did not take notice immediately, they were too busy gawking at the pretty rompers and dresses that looked almost exactly like the ones they had seen at the store. 

Mobius had the realization during a lull in the conversation that the littles weren’t there. Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, he tried not to alarm Hope as he broke the news as gently as possible. 

She went bright red but Mobius wasn’t sure if it was rage or embarrassment, and what would the embarrassment be about anyway? That she was a flip? Mobius had already guessed that; he was a detective after all. 

At the same time, she looked terrified about what three, unsupervised, mentally-two-year-olds could’ve gotten up to. A fear that Mobius shared, and was quickly justified as Scott’s crying started to get louder, quickly followed by the slamming of drawers and Loki and Sylvie’s shushing, which was heard only as Hope and Mobius approached the room. 

Scott’s crying was turning to blubbering sobs as he tried to explain why this was a bad idea. 

“You’re a thief!” Loki shot back, confused as to what could possibly distress Scott so much about letting them come in here. 

“Not to mommy!” Scott wailed, wiping tears from his eyes.

That made Hope’s heart melt as she listened through the cracked door. 

Mobius decided to open it first. 

Surprisingly, he found his Sylvie hugging Scott, trying to comfort him, instead of causing a rampage of mischief like he had expected to find. 

Loki however was nowhere to be seen.

The two littles froze. “I think there are three little toddlers that need to learn to use their listening ears more,” he commented gently as he opened the wardrobe and took Loki out of his hiding space, wrapping him in a hug. 

He sounded nice and genuine enough but Loki and Sylvie looked absolutely stunned and terrified, threatening tears. 

Scott’s heavy breathing quickened as he noticed Hope in the doorway, looking flushed and a bit angry, obviously trying her best to keep her cool about the situation and partially failing. 

Sylvie and Loki stopped trying to calm him and let Hope take that over. 

She took Scott’s hand and pulled him up first and foremost, even as tears and snot rolled down his face. 

He seemed almost near hysterics as he cried. 

Hope hadn’t seen that before. 

She looked to Mobius for help. 

“Talk it out and we’ll try a nap. That usually helps.” 

She cooed slightly at Scott, taking him into a hug.

Mobius listened for a moment before talking to his Lokis, just to make sure the little was going to be alright and the playdate wouldn’t need to end prematurely. 

“What were you two thinking?” he scolded.

Loki and Sylvie blankly glanced at each other in search of an answer. When they couldn’t find one more sufficient than “curiosity”, they decided to stay silent and not speak at all. 

Mobius put his head in his hands. “Listen, we’re not at home. You guys gotta respect other people’s privacy, got it?” 

“Scott let us in!” Sylvie justified. 

“But this is Hope’s room, not his. He wasn’t right either,” Mobius explained. 

Loki got ready to cry as Sylvie huffily crossed her arms. 

Hope opened her mouth to deny the concept that this could possibly be her room, but thought better of it as her name was quite obviously displayed above the head of the bed. 

“Now can we say sorry to Hope?” 

“Sorry,” Loki and Sylvie grumbled. 

Hope nodded stoically trying to still hide her sensitivity to the subject. 

“Sorry,” Mobius also added, apologizing for his littles’ behavior but also wanting them to feel like he was with them and on an equal footing. 

“Don’t worry about it-” she rushed. Then, more lovingly directed at the littles, she asked, “I think we should take that nap soon.”

“Agreed,” Mobius nodded. Picking up Sylvie in his other arm. 

Mobius checked each of his littles and ended up having to change Sylvie. 

Scott and Loki, while this was going on, got ready for their nap with sippy cups of warm milk and by gathering blankets, tying some around themselves before finding a spot that would be comfortable. Unfortunately for our tiny caped heroes, a San Francisco Victorian was not the most convenient place for three littles to nap together: Most rooms were small and narrow while the few that weren’t were cluttered with furniture. Scott’s room was originally discounted, as it’s where Sylvie was being changed, and only had a full sized bed which absolutely would not fit the three of them. 

But eventually, they came barreling in as Mobius was folding up the changing mat and made a nest in the center of the floor, layering as many blankets as possible in order to make a sort of “mattress”. 

Sylvie didn’t help, sitting on the bed and watching Scott and Loki fiddle with it until they deemed it ready. Loki handed her her sippy cup which he had been storing in a pocket dimension to keep it warm. His was already finished and Scott was almost done with his, but Sylvie only began to sip on her milk after she laid down next to them. 

Hope and Mobius sat with them for a while, taking turns to read a couple storybooks and petting their respective littles, trying to make them feel better after all the mischief and looming consequences that would come from it, punishments which had yet to be doled out. 

At the end of the nap, the three groggily woke up. That quiet, sleepy kind of waking up that only occurs after a disturbance in the surrounding environment. 

Mobius checked on them. “What do you guys say about some lunch?” he asked. 

The noise that had awoken the littles had apparently been him shutting the door after getting some takeout from down the street. 

 Scott recognized the aroma very quickly, but Loki and Sylvie were confused by the new smell of Korean food, partially new, partially familiar. Whatever it was, they decided, it smelled amazing and got up to run downstairs for a meal. 

While the three toddlers ate with their caregivers in the dining room, Mobius regretted putting his littles in light yellow with hard to wash lace trims, as Sylvie insisted on eating her food with her hands and Loki kept trying to wipe his hands, which were mostly clean from eating with a fork, but still had a little bit of food on them, on his pants. 

Throughout the day and into the early evening, the littles ran through the house, narrowly avoiding breaking things and quickly mending whatever fancy vase or Tiffany lamp they did inevitably run into. They made a mess of toys in the living room and in Scott’s room. 

Although Hope had the most appropriate toys they refrained from going in there again, knowing there would already be consequences when Loki and Sylvie went home. 

But of course nothing gold can stay, and the time to go home finally came around 5PM. It was dark out already, but the littles were definitely not tired. Even as Loki rested his eyes on the changing mat and had to be manually removed, or when Scott slumped against Hope during a short movie. They were very awake because they were big kids who didn’t need to go to bed at 7 or 8. 

Mobius called Thor to come pick them up in the spaceship, expecting to deal with tantrums and whining and crying about having to leave, but Loki and Sylvie were so exhausted, that they seemed much more interested in falling asleep in Mobius’ arms and self soothing with a pacifier or thumb, whichever was closest. 

“How’d it go?” Thor asked as Mobius got the littles all buckled in.

“For a first playdate, I’d say pretty successful,” Mobius replied, while Thor shut the doors.

#Nothing in the Parenting Books Prepared me for This #Little!Loki #Little!Sylvie #Caregiver!Mobius #sfw agere #sfw little blog #agere blog #agere little #fandom agere #marvel agere #agere writing #agere community #loki agere #agere #new chapter monday :) #new chapter #read on ao3 #fluff #loki fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #fanfic promo #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #my fic #fanfics #flip!Sylvie #little!scott lang #flip!hope pym

[juuret]

If you can’t handle me at my Eurovision...don’t worry, neither can I.

#eurovision #eurovision song contest #i was refreshing the satellite channel list because a couple of my eurovision back up tv channels disappeared #and i've accidentally deleted the german tv channel my dad uses to watch motorsports #how did i managed that? unknown. #then i 3d printed a funnel and tried to trasnfer paint inside a bottle #guess who has now sparkly golden hands.

[pretoriafics]

Runaway: A Teenage Dream alternative version

Hi! Well, I know a lot of you guys have been requesting me a part 2 of Teenage Dream (And it will come soon), but I simply had this idea. I was been addicted to daydreaming playlists on YouTube lately, and I found one who let me pretty inspired. All the links will be in the fic.

Notes: This is not Part 2 of Teenage Dream. It's just an alternative version, okay?

Derek just found a playlist on YouTube that shows him his soulmate from a faraway dimension: you. Now, he is determined to bring you to him. Word count: 1.712 Pairings: Different Dimension!Reader x Derek; Contain: It's pretty romantic, I guess; AU Soulmate Warnings: SONGFIC!!; English is not my main language <3; Inappropriate language Teenage Dream one-shot TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST

It was a cold and rainy night. Stiles and Scott just came out of Derek's loft. It was complicated to deal with them sometimes, with all that teenage stubbornness and stupidity in supernatural stuff. Without mention of the troubles they caused to Derek. Come on, they made him a wanted criminal!

His life is reduced to run away from some kind of threat to keep his survival. Derek was an eternal runaway, and he was starting to get tired of this shit. He can't even remember what home is anymore or how it is to not fear for his own life. Peace was an unknown thing for him.

Derek approaches his laptop on the table - where Scott was before. The werewolf sat on the chair in front of it, ready to turn it off, but he sees something that catches his attention. YouTube was open and in the video suggestions was a video called "a playlist for your soulmate in a faraway reality".

Well... Daydreaming playlists wasn't his thing. However, he was curious and tired. If that playlist would make him calm his nerves and relax, he would listen to it.

Derek clicks on it, and the first song fills the room: Runaway, by Aurora.

I was listenin' to the ocean I saw a face in the sand But when I picked it up Then it vanished away from my hands, down

Tired, Derek stands up from the chair and lays down on the couch. He closes his eyes, just feeling the music and all the stress running away from his body. The music, the rain outside... Yeah, it was comfy. It was... good.

I had a dream I was seven Climbing my way in a tree I saw a piece of heaven Waiting, impatient, for me, down

There, with his closed eyes, he just could hear that song and the rain outside. Suddenly the rain stops, and the music is the only sound that fills the room. The last Hale opens his eyes and finds out different things at his loft: He can't see anything outside. Everything was dark there. His loft was dark too, with weak lights and several light particles floating around the room.

What the hell?

And I was running far away Would I run off the world someday? Nobody knows, nobody knows And I was dancing in the rain I felt alive and I can't complain

It was like his loft was moved to a different place. Even with all his knowledge about the supernatural, that kind of phenomenon was new to him. He never heard anything that could seem like that. Suddenly, Derek heard a female voice singing with the music.

But now take me home Take me home where I belong I can't take it anymore

A cloud of golden dust started to unite at a specific point of the room, and you start to taking form. You were distracted, sitting in a chair with a book in your hands and a laptop close to you. When Derek stares at your laptop, he sees the exact same playlist he was hearing. Sure! Certainly was something pretty weird with that playlist. It was showing him you, a girl he never saw before. You were translucid, almost shining gold. And you were the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

It was love at first sight.

I was painting a picture The picture was a painting of you And for a moment I thought you were here But then again, it wasn't true, down

You look up from the book with wide eyes, scared. Your eyes run to the playlist on your laptop. Well, you and Derek connected the dots on your minds before staring at each other again. Seems like the playlist in fact showed your soulmate from a different reality. A faraway one. You gave him a smile, and he gave it back to you.

"Can you hear me?" You said, looking at him.

"Yeah. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah!"

And all this time I have been lying Oh, lying in secret to myself I've been putting sorrow on the farthest place on my shelf

Derek gave a step forward to you, memorizing each detail of you.

"What's your name?"

"(Y/N). Yours?"

"Derek."

Your eyes got widen again. Oh, holy crap.

"Hale?" You asked in urgency. He looks at you, surprised.

"Yeah. Do you know me?"

"You are one of my favorite fictional characters. You are literally part of my teenage."

Oh, wow. So, he was a fictional character in another reality! It was creepy and funny at the same time. Derek stares at the laptop of yours, looking at the title of that playlist.

A playlist for your soulmate in a far-away reality.

Hm. He stares at you.

"So..." Derek cross his arms in front of his chest, looking at you "Seems like the part of your teenage is your soulmate in a far-away reality. Do you think this is accurate? Because I think it is."

You felt your cheeks burning, and your stomach froze.

"I think it sounds right."

And I was running far away

Would I run off the world someday?

Nobody knows, nobody knows

And I was dancing in the rain

I felt alive and I can't complain

You gave him a smile, the most beautiful one he had ever seen. Wanting to feel your skin, Derek reaches out his hand on yours, trying to touch you. However, his fingers pass over on your skin. He can't touch you. Upset, he let out a long sigh.

"I think you're too far away."

You are upset as well. You always felt things when you looked at him on your TV, but you always thought it was just a crush that everyone has in some fictional characters. But now you know that, no, it wasn't just a silly crush on a fictional character. Deep in your subconscious, you knew he was destined for you.

"What can we do to solve this?"

"I don't know, but I'll find a way."

Derek looked at each book and talked to every witch he knew. He heard an ancient legend with one of them, that said that, sometimes, the universe opens a bridge to different dimensions. Many werewolves find out their soulmate this way. That playlist was a cosmic event, the universe trying to unite two lost souls.

Then, he finally found a book. An ancient and rare one.

He almost didn't sleep lately. Eager to stay with you, Derek couldn't help but translate each page until he finally could find a way to bring you to him. Sometimes, he was listening to that playlist on YouTube just to see you. You were almost melting in pure love just seeing how hard he was working to stay with you. Runaway by Aurora was filling the loft.

But now take me home Take me home where I belong I got no other place to go Now take me home Take me home where I belong I got no other place to go Now take me home Take me home where I belong I can't take it anymore But I kept running for a soft place to fall And I kept running for a soft place to fall

"Do you found out something?" You asked, looking at him with your eyes full of hope. Runaway by Aurora was filling the loft.

Derek denied, flustred.

"Nothing yet."

"Maybe It's impossible..."

He swallowed hard. Stubborn, he denied. He can't believe it was impossible. There's a way, and he was sure about it! It should have.

"No. It should have a way to bring you."

There, sat at his chair and translating that book, Derek was determined. He simply can't lose you, his peace point. He belongs to you.

And I was running far away Would I run off the world someday?

And then, Derek finally found it! Seems like a simple spell to him. All he needs to do is to pronounce the words with the bridge - which means the playlist - open. He looks at you with a shine of hope in his eyes.

"I think I found it."

Oh Gosh. You felt your stomach froze in anxiety.

"Are you sure?"

"It's my best bet." His green eyes stare at you. "Are you sure you want to stay here? With me?"

You gave him a gentle smile while holds your own hands, playing with your fingers.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm just tired of running from all the shit around here."

He gave you a smile as well. Derek knew that feeling. Hoping that the spell works, he stands up from his chair with the book in his hand. With the best Latin he knows, he pronounces the words of the spell, and you feel shivers all around your body. The sparkly dust seems to be sparkly and luminous than ever, and the darkness outside gives place to the view of the streets.

But now take me home Take me home where I belong I got no other place to go Now take me home Take me home where I belong I got no other place to go

Your body was losing the golden shine, and stepwise the natural tones of your skin were being revealed. Derek's loft was showing itself for you, and you felt your body starting to get warm again. And, done: You was now at his loft. Physically. His voice got silenced, and the only sound you could listen to was Aurora's voice on Runaway.

Derek couldn't believe you were really there, in front of him. Almost without air on his lungs, he put the book on the table and reaches his hand on yours. A large smile was born on his lips when he felt your skin. You felt your cheeks burning at his touch. Wow. You can't believe this!

He pulls you close to him by embracing your waist, and all you could do is smile. You rest one of your hands on his chest while the other one gives him a gentle caress on his face. Without contain himself anymore, Derek puts a soft kiss on your lips. And it felt so right.

It felt like the place where he belongs to.

#derek hale fic #derek hale fanfic #derek hale fanfiction #derek hale x reader #derek hale fluff #derek hale imagines #derek hale imagine #teen wolf fanfics #teen wolf fanfiction #teen wolf fic #teen wolf fanfic #teen wolf fics #teen wolf imagines

[joucearchived]

The Hell In Your Eyes - 2

Summary: Loki doesn't meet her until two weeks after his initial imprisonment, but he knows he hates her. He has to hate her. Because the way she talks to him and helps him and saves him meals can't mean anything. She is too soft to deal with Loki, who is hardened with pain, pain, and more pain. And Loki hates soft things. 

Have you ever seen the hell in someone’s eyes and loved it anyway?

Characters: Loki Laufeyson/(f)Reader

Warnings: mild blood

Word Count: 3498

Previous Chapter 

It’s 5 in the morning. 

The sun isn’t even out yet and you’re standing in the kitchen, dressed in your pajamas, preparing smoothies. You thought you’d be used to waking up early, considering how you always used to make smoothies before everyone else woke up, but apparently your recent ‘break’ has thrown off your internal schedule. In fact, if not for FRIDAY’s not-so-gentle reminder of your morning plans, you wouldn’t have gotten up in time.  

You shake your head, tightening your grip on the mason jar you’re holding.  

It won’t happen again.  

It can’t.  

Not when you’re already in everyone’s way, always leeching off of Tony’s money, always causing trouble for Steve and making Bucky worry. Not when Natasha always feels a need to look after you and Wanda constantly checks in. Not when Sam and Clint feel obligated to train with you and Thor treats you like you’re going to break — going to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces and then cut and bleed all over the tower’s expensive, clean floors.  

No. If you can’t even do something as simple as making smoothies for the people you’re always inconveniencing, what use are you? 

Your fingers tighten and you can feel your nails digging into the hard glass of the mason jar. For a second, you wonder if it’s possible for you to scratch the class. You clench your fingers — hard — in an effort to break the glass. Just once, you want to break something else. But as you loosen your grip, you’re forced to come to terms with the fact that the jar is just as pristine as it always was.  

Not a single crack. Not even a scratch.  

The jar is fine — the jar is always fine. But your fingers are dented and your joints are sore and you’re so tired of this. Of always being the one who is damaged. The only one who is ever damaged. Everyone else is always unscathed and no one else ever breaks.  

You drop the mason jar. 

Shit. 

It falls to the ground and you watch as it shatters all over the floor.  

Maybe Thor is right. Maybe you are going to shatter one day, just like that mason jar. 

But it’s not going to be today. Breath quickening, you furiously remind yourself that it’s okay.  

It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.  

It’s not you on the floor. Maybe one day it is going to be you, lying there broken and useless and fractured and gone, but right now, it's not. You’re still full and whole and not broken and the glittering glass fragments on the floor aren’t you. Looking back down, your eyes catch on droplets of red. Your breath stops and the air in your lungs still. Sure, the glass on the floor isn’t your ground-up soul, shattered and crushed, but the blood is yours. 

There are specks of blood splattered amidst the glass, staining the kitchen’s pristine floor. And you know it’s your blood because you can feel it dripping from your fingers where the glass cut into your skin and you can’t help but stare as a drop of it rolls off your middle finger and falls to the ground and you flinch as it lands in a little crimson circle.  

It’s pretty, though.  

And you can’t look away as another drop falls, landing directly on top of the previous one, doubling the size of the puddle. For a second, you wonder how much blood it would take to cover the entire floor — and if your body has enough.  

But then you hear footsteps approaching and you hastily kneel onto the ground, furiously attempting to clean up the mess you made, to fix it. More blood trickles from your fingertips as you desperately grab at the broken pieces. You’re making it worse.  

The glass blurs and you frantically blink, trying to rid yourself of the tears beginning to form in your eyes. The last thing you need is to cry — for your tears to mingle with your blood — for you to appear even weaker than you already do.  

But you are weak. You can’t even win this battle — against yourself, and you feel the tears overflow and you watch as they fall, turning the dark red into a lighter pink. 

It's a pretty pink. 

It’s a pink that reminds you of the first lipstick you ever bought. You and your best friend had gone down to the convenience store after school, sneakily carrying the lunch money you’d both saved. You remember counting the coins together and excitedly running towards the makeup aisle, where the both of you promptly agonized over the perfect lipstick for the better part of an hour.  

Eventually, you settled on a sparkly little tube of lipstick — more of a chapstick really, and you can distinctly recall how it smelled like heaven and tasted like strawberries, and how it always tinted your lips just the slightest bit pink.  

But right now, the pink you’re staring at isn’t lipstick, and you can very clearly make out two feet standing before you. Looking up, you meet a pair of eyes. Blue, like the sky on a sunny day. It’s a blue filled with promises of picnics and lemonade and daisies, of innocence and childhood, of strawberry lipstick. And in this moment, you want nothing more than to drown in that blue. 

Maybe if you bleed enough blood and cry enough tears you can drown in it. Maybe you can drown in the perfect shade of pink while staring into the perfect shade of blue.  

______________________________

For such a muscly man, Thor’s fingers are surprisingly soft.  

The god is currently standing before you, carefully bandaging your cut hands.  

“My lady, I thought you specifically told me that blood smoothies were not appetizing.” His attempt at humor brings a smile to your face, but you can’t do more. Shrugging, you answer. 

“Well, I guess I’m just a hypocrite.” His eyes squint, his eyebrows furrow, and you can tell he’s about to reassure you. You hurriedly continue. “Even the best of us make mistakes, Lord of Thunder.”  

Thor’s eyebrows relax again, and the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles. Relief courses through your veins. You wonder if Thor can feel it in the blood that is still leaking from your fingers. Gently, you tug your hands out of his grasp, just in case. Sending out a silent prayer of thanks to whatever prompted you to wear your black sweatpants today, you try not to grimace as the fabric brushes against your injured legs. At the very least, they conceal the blood. 

Thor doesn’t need to know about those. It’s bad enough that he’s already seen you dissolving into an emotional puddle earlier, not to mention how the literal King of Asgard had cleaned up the mess you made and is now attempting to inspect your hands again.  

“Were you planning on making the smoothies this morning, my lady?” Thor’s voice interrupts your thoughts and you look up, meeting his poorly-disguised-concerned gaze. 

“Yup.” You nod, popping the p . “I’m glad to be back, and I wanted to start making you guys smoothies before your morning workouts again. I know for a fact that whatever concoction you made yesterday was an absolute disaster.”  

Thor looks sheepish as he smiles, his hands running through his short blonde hair. “My brother would agree with you.”  

At this, you suddenly remember. You need to get Loki’s smoothie preference, as well as the time he wakes up. You know everyone’s preferred flavors, as well as their morning routines, to ensure your smoothies are always as fresh as possible.  

“Speaking of Loki, when does he wake up?” 

Thor shrugs, a confused look flitting across his face. “Truth be told, I don’t really know. Loki and I haven’t inhabited the same space in quite some time, and I am not familiar with his routines.”  

“Oh.” That would be slightly hard to work with. “Uh, well do you know what type of smoothie he might prefer?” 

Thor’s lips turn down into a pout. “I don’t think Loki would like any type of smoothie, my lady. Yesterday he made his distaste for smoothies quite clear."  

Before you can interrupt and remind him that his smoothie most definitely tasted nothing like your smoothies, he continues with a wink. "But I suppose if anyone could make a smoothie Loki does approve of, it would be you, my lady."  

You know Thor is somewhat disappointed by Loki’s lack of enthusiasm towards his smoothie. It’s easy to detect, even under his charming antics. Thor’s lips turn downward when he is upset, and he always picks at his nails. Sometimes he will suck in his cheek, and that’s when you know he is truly in a mood. But Thor never stays sad for long.  

His expression has brightened up again, and Thor is back, his ever-chipper energy once again emanating from within his warm eyes. There’s not a single trace of conflict in his eyes, and you wonder, for the hundredth time, how he does it. Thor has seen so much death — caused it, even — and been through so much pain, yet he is always able to hold it together, always able to smile and laugh and come back stronger. 

Thor is the embodiment of the word 'golden'. No matter how much dirt and grime Life layers on top of him, nothing could ever dim his luster.  

You think you're closer to being the dirt and grime than you ever were to being gold. 

“Thanks Thor.” 

______________________________

In the end, you settle on making Loki Thor’s favorite smoothie. After all, Thor is the only other god here who has dined on the finest Asgardian delicacies, and if he likes your chocolate-strawberry smoothies, you just hope Loki does too.  

The only difference is, Thor prefers his smoothies absurdly sweet. Whether it’s his insane metabolism or the ten thousand calories he burns a day, he never seems to be affected by the hundreds of grams of sugar you’re sure he consumes.  

You’re carefully pouring the smoothie into two mason jars when Nat comes into the kitchen. You smile and motion towards her drink sitting on the counter. Natasha prefers a green smoothie, packed with kale and spinach and cucumbers and ginger — not the best tasting thing you’ve ever made, but it must do something , ‘cause Nat looks like she doesn’t understand what the word ‘bloating’ means.  

The redhead raises an eyebrow, motioning to the second mason jar you’re carefully pouring. “Does Thor drink two of those every morning now?” 

“Well, no. This one's for Loki. I don’t know what he prefers, so I thought I’d make him Thor’s favorite for now. Except without the whipped cream and excessive number of chocolate chips.” 

Nat’s other eyebrow raises. “You’re kidding right? Angel, stay away from Loki. He’s a dangerous man. He’s deranged and unstable and selfish. He’s not going to appreciate your smoothie.” 

And with that, all the self doubt rushes back in. The self hatred that Thor’s fingers had smoothed away, the shame that bled from your fingertips, it all rushes back in, pumping through your veins and into your heart.  

“Do you appreciate my smoothie?” You hadn’t meant for it to come out, and you certainly hadn’t meant for it to sound so insecure. 

Nat’s eyes widen, and she hastily retreats. “Nono Angie, that's not what I meant. Come on, you know all of us love your smoothies. What I’m trying to say is —” her fingers meet her forehead in a gesture of frustration “ — we appreciate and love you for all that you do, but Loki won’t. He’s too arrogant and he definitely thinks we’re all beneath him.”  

With that, she moves closer to you and envelopes you in a hug. Natasha means well, you know that, but she doesn’t realize how her words come off — how she just backed up the little voice inside your head, repeatedly telling you that you’re worthless. You wonder if she even wants your smoothie, or if she just humors you. And then her arms retreat from around you, and she steps back. 

“Sorry Angie, but I’ve got to go now. I love you — we all do. You know that right?”  

You nod, and smile. “Thanks Nat. I love you too.” 

______________________________

Natasha’s smoothie has separated. The blended ingredients have floated to the top, and the green liquid has settled below. The abandoned smoothie sits on the edge of the counter, where she left it, only reaffirming your suspicions that she didn’t really want it in the first place. Dimly, you consider dumping Loki’s smoothie out. Maybe Natasha is right. But you don’t really want to waste any food, so you move to put his smoothie in the fridge. Maybe Thor will drink it later.  

(If he even likes them.) 

But as you open the fridge door, you notice the plate of leftovers you snagged yesterday is gone. The saran wrapped plate is missing, and you don’t think anyone would have taken it, except…? You look around for the plate. It’s not in the sink or left on the counter, nor lying in the dishwasher. You find it in the cabinets, placed directly on top of its companions.  

You’re confident that no one in this tower would clean their plate after eating, except maybe Steve. But Steve isn’t here — he made his famous lasagna last night because he was leaving for a mission early today. So really, that just leaves Loki.  

Is it possible that Nat was wrong? 

Did Loki take the food you left for him? And ate all of it? And cleaned up? 

You suddenly remember yesterday, walking in on Loki scrubbing blood off the floor. You can’t say you were surprised Thor had left a mess, but you were somewhat surprised Loki was cleaning it up. Maybe it is possible then.  

So you decide to bring the smoothie to Loki. 

First, you make a quick stop at your room. Your legs are really starting to sting, and you don’t want the sweatpants to dry onto your skin. Damn. You’re going to have to wash these again, and you just did laundry. But it’s okay, and soon you’re walking out of your room, clad in another pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, holding Loki’s smoothie. 

You take the elevator and press the familiar button of Thor’s floor. Mentally, you’re once again debating whether or not this is a good idea. You’ve almost decided to just turn back when the elevator doors slide open and you make eye contact with Loki, who is standing awkwardly in the doorway of his room, one foot inside the door and one foot in the plush carpet of the Odinsons’ shared living room.  

His eyebrows are raised comically in an expression of surprise, and for a second you don’t see the intimidating god. 

But then the moment passes, and he straightens, eyes narrowing, eyebrows drawing together in a frown. “Can I help you?” 

A part of you — a large part of you — wants to leave immediately. To apologize for disturbing him and go back to your room. But another part of you, the one who caught a glimpse of Loki before he threw up his defenses, roots you to the ground.  

“Actually, yeah. I made you a smoothie.” You stick out your hand, ignoring the way it trembles slightly. “I know Thor’s smoothie probably tasted like shit, so I thought I’d make you one to show you how it's done.” 

When he doesn’t move, you step further into the living room and set the smoothie down. One of Thor’s hoodies is lying haphazardly across the coffee table, so you pick it up. Loki is staring at you. 

There’s an awkward silence, and you wish he would say something. Anything. But the raven haired prince is as stoic as ever. His eyes are still boring into your own and you can’t help but notice how strikingly different they are from Thor’s.  

Somehow, you’re engaged in a staring contest with the god — and you don’t really want to lose. In an effort, perhaps, to prove to yourself that you’re not weak (especially after the morning’s incident) you resist the increasing temptation to blink. You don’t want Loki to think you’re scared of him, even though you may be a bit wary , and you continue to stare into his eyes. 

They say eyes are the windows to the soul. If that’s true, Loki has a very — empty soul. It’s neither warm nor cold, just vacant . It’s almost as if you’re staring into the eyes of someone long dead.  

With that, you shiver, and surprisingly, Loki breaks the intense eye contact. He looks away then, and his head tilts downward.  

“Right then. I’ll just be on my way.” You hold up Thor’s hoodie. “I’m going to do some laundry. Do you have anything that needs to be washed?” 

You hope he doesn’t ignore you. You really don’t need that today. You just need to be productive. To do something — to help someone. And maybe he senses that, because Loki actually nods and walks back into his bedroom, leaving you to stand awkwardly in the middle of the lavish living space.  

A few moments later, Loki reemerges, effortlessly holding a laundry hamper.  

“Would you like me to take this down?”  

You’re a bit stunned by his unexpected and considerate offer, but your desire to prove yourself shines through.  

“Nah, I got it. Thanks.” 

With that, you lug Loki’s hamper and Thor’s hoodie out of their room, leaving Loki’s smoothie — and an intense hope he drinks it — behind. 

______________________________

Loki is an unbelievably neat person.  

His dirty clothes are folded — inside his hamper. And organized by article, as well as color. You don’t think he realizes how — awkward — it makes the entire process. After carefully shoving his button downs, slacks, sweaters, and jeans into the washer, you’re left with an interesting assortment of clothing.  

His undershirts are ridiculously soft, and you resist the urge to snag one. This isn’t Thor, you remind yourself. After piling them in, you stare at his hamper. Loki has folded his socks, which are paired together. You sincerely hope the washer doesn’t decide to eat one of them, as you doubt he understands the Midgardian concept of missing socks.  

Below his socks are… Loki’s boxers. You wipe away the mental image your mind involuntarily conjures and quickly dump the rest of the clothing into the washer, without touching anything.  

With that, you throw in Thor’s hoodie and your sweatpants, start the cycle, and leave, shaking your head.  

On the way back to your room, you realize that Loki has a very limited closet. All of his laundry had barely filled up his hamper, and you notice how most of his clothing consisted of somewhat uncomfortable items. You haven’t seen him around due to your break, but from his clothing you can assume that Loki has a very different fashion taste than Thor. Mentally, you make a note to slip him some of your oversized hoodies when returning his clothes.  

______________________________

You’re immensely thankful for Thor. He always seems to have the best — or worst — timing, and this time he has saved you from a rather embarrassing situation. 

You’re pulling Loki’s clothes out of the dryer (having already stolen Thor’s hoodie), and you’ve just started to fold his clothes. So far, you’ve shoved a forest green hoodie at the very bottom of the hamper, and you’re in the process of carefully layering Loki’s sweaters over it. Thankfully, the dryer is still mostly full, and you haven’t been confronted with the dilemma of handling Loki’s underwear again.  

Luckily, Thor walks in before you have to.  

“Are you doing Loki’s laundry, my lady?” His voice startles you and you jump, but manage to not drop Loki’s earthy brown sweater.  

“No,” you deadpan, “These are all mine.” 

Thor smiles that smile you’re so familiar with, and you can’t help but grin back. “Well, let me take it from here.” His grin falters for a moment, and he looks more serious when he continues. “Thank you Angel, for giving Loki a chance. I know he can be — difficult. And I wouldn’t blame you if you only saw the villain.” 

You meet Thor’s eyes, always filled with emotion — whether that be happiness or warmth, sadness or anger, and you think back to another pair of eyes. Soulless. You think of Loki, and you think of how you’ve seen those soulless eyes before; every single time you look into a mirror. And for a second, you let yourself believe that maybe Loki’s soul wasn’t voluntarily taken from him either. Maybe his cruelty is his defense, just like yours is the fake-happiness that you wear as a shield. 

“It’s no problem Thor.” You smile, your shield intact. “I couldn’t let him suffer with your smoothies forever, no matter how villainous he might be.” 

______________________________ 

Cruelty is just loneliness disguised as bitterness.  

- Tom Hiddleston 

______________________________

Previous Chapter  Next Chapter

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Taglist: @spacedaddydinn @doct0rstrange

#loki laufeyson #loki laufeyson x reader #loki x reader #loki series #the hell in your eyes #thiye #loki x you #friends to enemies to lovers #reader insert #loki fic #jouce writes

[superhero--imagines]

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here!

A/N: I think The next post will be the last one for this series!

“Did you...have fun tonight?” The way Dick haltingly asks causes laughter to bubble out of your mouth

“I can say that was nothing like any family dinner I’ve ever seen-“

And if that isn’t the truth, for one - even though you’ve heard of all of Bruce Wayne’s adopted children, you didn’t think there would be so many.

Dick’s the oldest, well officially anyway. Barbara Gordon, as in Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, was at dinner too. Apparently she and Dick had a brief stint where they dated. You’re guessing it was before Dick realized he likes boys - or maybe he likes both? You’ve never expressly asked him about using sexuality.

He’s got three little brothers, the youngest and the second oldest seem to have the highest predisposition towards violence, mostly to each other. And then the second youngest, Tim, he seems to be barely held together, mostly through caffeine and anxiety.

Cassandra from class was there too, as well as Stephanie, which was nice to see. They ducked out halfway through, which should have been your queue to duck out too.

Unfortunately you didn’t, which resulted in a rather poorly placed tomato soup stain at the edge of your dress’s hem.

“I like your brothers though” you say with a smile. You did like his brothers. The youngest, Damian, stared at you for seven very long minutes, before saying-

“How do you feel about animals?” When you told him you loved them he seemed pleased. Also, as a college student, you vibe with Tim. Though you do think someone should cut him off and have him switch to herbal tea. Jason seems cool enough, he just looked at you for a second before giving Dick a wolffish grin.

“Alfred was nice too, and it was fun seeing your- uh...Bruce again” You almost called Bruce his Dad. Bruce is nice, but he’s still a bigot. It was nice meeting Alfred, who showed you many pictures of a nine year old Dick Grayson, most of which were him doing acrobatics around the house. Honestly you thought it was adorable, but you put an end to it since Dick was blushing so fiercely that you thought he might combust.

It really was a lot of fun.

You shiver, the cold night air brushing against your bare arms. You’re standing in front of your building, saying your final goodbyes until you scamper off to your apartment, getting ready for another week of classes.

“Here, take my jacket-“ He’s already tugging it off. Before you can protest, it���s settled over your shoulders. The effect is almost instant, tendrils of warmth seeping into your shoulders and upper body.

It smells like him, you think.

Like- like his expensive cologne, with notes of amber and moss- but also like soap, like clean laundry, and something else, something sweet.

“Cotton Candy” You murmur to yourself. He probably eats it by the gallon sized bag , you think with a giggle.

“T-thank you-“ your eyes trail from the sleeve of his suit jacket to Dick, who’s got a pink tint fanning across his face, blue eyes flicking from the ground to your eyes.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight, and being so kind and considerate and lovely” and then Dick does something completely unexpected, he leans in closer and presses a kiss to your forehead. Your heart leaps in your chest, his sickly sweet Cotten candy scent floods your senses.

You would just have to tilt you head up slightly to catch his lips in yours. He smells so sweet, it almost makes you dizzy. It’s like being drunk, you think.

You want to smell him more.

“Thank you for being so accepting.” His words are like a bucket of cold water being dumped over your head. You feel like you’ve sobered right up.

“Of course, we’re friends aren’t we?” You offer Dick a smile, but you know it’s probably strained. You were so caught up in the moment, you forget he’s already in love with someone.

All of his feelings, all of his kisses, they’re reserved for Nightwing.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow” You call out, before walking into your building, feeling Dick’s lingering

So you like Dick.

F*ck.

You’re on the balcony of your apartment, nursing a glass of hot tea in the late night- or would it be early hours of the morning? You can make out the sky beginning to lighten into a lighter blue. Great so you stayed up all night thinking about your feelings.

Your body is going to love you for this.

How did this even happen? Were you just so focused on not getting a crush on either of his sisters that you didn’t see this coming. Ugh why dick of all people? Yeah, sure he’s got those sparkly eyes, and that permanent rosy blush, not to mention that lopsided grin-

Okay so you know why you’re falling in love with him. But there’s no point in nursing these blooming feelings not when-

“Hey do you have any sugar?” The masked crusader asks from beside you. That dazzling smile that makes people everywhere swoon aimed at you.

No point in nursing feelings for Dick, when the object of his affections is standing next to you, drinking earl grey out of your pink “Namaste in bed” mug.

“Or not- no big deal, I love my hot leaf juice with or without sugar.” He adds hastily, taking a loud sip as if to show you how much he’s enjoying your hospitality. You must have let your annoyance get to your face. You sigh, it’s not his fault that Dick loves him.

You’re the outsider here.

“So what are you doing out so late?” You ask, just wanting to make some small talk. But Nightwing lights up like you just offered him a million dollars. He’s so friendly it’s almost annoying, not unlike another certain dark haired golden boy you know.

“I’m always up, fighting crime, patrolling the streets-“ you never realized but being a vigilante is kind of a lot of work huh? You wonder if Nightwing has a day job, he looks so young though- maybe he’s still in school.

“The real questions is why are you still up?” His question is punctuated with a slurp of his tea.

“Just thinking I guess” you shrug, taking a sip of your own tea. You’re not about to tell Nightwing you realized you have feelings for his boyfriend.

“Thinking about the person you love?” It feels like you were just struck by an arrow. Nightwing’s mouth stretches. “No way, I was right?” You can almost picture the sparkle in his eyes behind his domino mask. You wonder what color eyes Nightwing has.

Probably a boring brown.

“Well who’s the lucky individual?” Noting your hesitance, Dick starts to get a little nervous. It hurts a little to think you don’t return his feelings. But there’s something about the shy look on your face, the way your eyes avert to your cup of tea, that’s just hopelessly adorable. What he wouldn’t give to have you look at him that way.

And then, a terrifying thought occurs to Dick.

“Don’t tell me you’re in love with Bruce Wayne?” He’s got absolutely no chance if you’re into older men. No unless you’re willing to wait ten years or so.

Then the most amazing thing happens- your mouth opens and laughter spills out. He’s heard you laugh, but never like this. So loud, and almost desperate.

And then, you do something else he’s never seen before. Somewhere along the way those loud laughs transformed into equally loud sobs. Your mouth pinched tight as tears spill from the corners of your eyes.

A hand curls over your eyes in an attempt to cover your face. This is mortifying, you’re basically crying in front of your romantic rival, completely vulnerable.

You’re about to mutter out an excuse, how you’re not usually like this, that you must be close to your period or something. When you feel a pair of arms wrap around your shoulder, your face pressed against Nightwing’s chest.

“It’s okay, everything’s going to be okay” he murmurs reassuringly, his glove covered hand rubbing soothing circles into your back. And even though you were on the edge of recompsure, you’re thrust back into despair. Your sobs leaving you almost breathless as Nightwing continues to hold you.

“Tell me what’s wrong, so I can help” Dick whispers. Whatever it is, it must be serious. He’s never seen you cry, not when you were a hostage in that bank robbery, or held at gun point at that restaurant, not even when Damian was basically integrating you all night.

“I love someone, who’s never going to love me back” you manage between sobs, and Nightwing only shushes you. His hand traveling to your hair. Cradling your head against his chest.

He smells so good, like amber and moss, and something sickeningly sweet- like cotton candy.

He smells like Dick.

And that seems to soothe you a bit, along with Nightwing’s gentle warmth.

“Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine, I promise”

“Man, and I thought things were going really well between you guys” Stephanie says, her hand threading through her golden curls, head tilting back so it rests against the back of his couch.

“Yeah, me too” Dick admits with a sigh, he’s sitting with his knees propped up on the floor, his back against the wall.

Cassandra doesn’t say anything, her eyes are trained on the coffee table, their masks collectively strewn across it.

“So what are you going to do?” Stephanie asks, and Dick sighs again.

“What can I do honestly, they love someone else” he shrugs, he plays it off like it’s not a big deal. But the thought of your with someone else... it makes his stomach hurt.

“Just because she loves someone else right now...doesn’t mean she will forever” Those are the first words Cass has uttered all night, and Dick and Stephanie are both looking at her with wide eyes.

Stephanie’s already hyping him up, saying there’s no way their Dick’s going to lose to some no-face-extra, like your love is some sort of competition to be won.

And Cassandra’s only encouraging her, with energetic nods and the occasional ‘exactly’

But all Dick can think about is the way you felt in his arms, and how small you seemed as sobs wracked through your entire body. How deep your sadness felt, like he might be sucked in any moment too, tears falling from beneath his domino mask.

He hates whoever it is that made you feel that way. If it was him- if you loved him instead, he’d make sure you were never sad, he’d give you everything he was and everything he had if it meant you might smile for him.

He doesn’t want to change your mind, your feelings don’t work like that. All he knows is that he loves you- and what you need right now, is a friend. Someone who-

“Just wants to see them happy” Dick mumbles.

Taglist: @adenspolaroids @libraryoffandomsuniverse @jeneeangella @chyume @masked-mushroom

#batman imagine #dc comics imagine #dick grayson x y/n #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson imagines #dick Grayson #dick grayson headcanon #bruce wayne imagine #jason todd imagine #jason todd x reader #damian wayne imagine #dc comics #bruce wayne x reader #batman imagines #superhero--imagines

[thechangeling]

But you like her better: Part 2

Sorry it's been a minute! I hope you like it.

Cw: Some brief ableism, mentions of internalized biphobia, and self injurious stimming.

2013

It was raining when 16 year old María Machado Sotomayor first met Kit Herondale.

Marí had always loved the sound of the rain. It was peaceful and rhythmic, creating a nice tingly feeling in her skull running straight down her spine. It also good for the plants. Which meant that Marí arrived (on time for once) at her favorite class in a pretty good mood.

Marine biology was their one of their three special interests, the other two being lacrosse and Base guitar. So Bio was usually pretty fun for them. However this time was different.

Her mood was instantly dampened when she walked into class and saw someone new sitting in her usually seat. A blond, short and white kid who looked far too pretty for his own good. A new kid most likely.

A new kid who didn't realize that Marí always sat by the window every single day. It was their spot. Still Marí was determined not to overreact. They marched over to the new kid  and approached him with their best masking smile.

Remember eye contact. She told herself. Keep your tone light and breezy but not too lifeless. Smile. Appear friendly and non threatening. Try not to sweat. Try not to scream.

"Hi excuse me," Marí began in a sickly sweet tone. "That's actually my seat! Sorry!"

The boy instantly looked embarrassed and apologetic. "Oh I'm sorry!" He blushed. "I didn't realize there was assigned seating." He had an American accent, California maybe?

Wonderful. A white American boy. Just what they needed.

Marí chewed their lip and fought the urge to rock or tap. "There isn't actually," they admitted. "I just usually sit there. So can you please move?"

Now the new kid looked a little offended. A cold look settled over his face. "Well why should I?" He bristled. "This seat isn't really yours. It's not like it has your name on it."

Marí rolled her eyes in frustration. "I tried that already but then I got in trouble."

He stared at them curiously for a moment. Marí took the opportunity to break eye contact finally and scuff their heel against the floor. They were wearing the new black suede chunky heels with the gem stones that Marí had gotten when they went thrifting with their friends.

"María!" The harsh voice of her teacher snapped her back into reality. Everyone had arrived and taken their seats while she was arguing with the American and now everyone was staring at her. "Could you please explain why you are not seated young lady?" She snapped in her extra pretentious sounding posh English accent.

The one that said, "I'm better than you."

Marí tried not to growl at being called a young lady. They weren't feeling particularly female today. Not that Marí was going to bother explaining that to some old British hag.

"He won't get out of my seat!" Marí protested. Instantly laughter broke out around the classroom. Cruel mocking laughter that made Marí feel like her skin was crawling.

"It's ok!" The new kid cried out, practically jumping out of Marí's seat. "I'll move! I'll go sit over here." He grabbed his bag and moved to the back of the room as quickly as possible.

Marí smiled in spite of themself. His random act of kindness was surprising, but they were grateful. They took their seat near the window and sighed in relief.

Marí would always look back on that day with fondness no matter what. It may not have seemed like much to him, but it meant the world to her. After Bio class she had asked Kit to come eat with her and her friends. They had made their introductions and the rest was history.

They became close friends very quickly, bonding over movies and music. They sent each other playlists of their favorite songs and songs that reminded them of each other. Marí made Kit a queer playlist with songs by queer artists and told Kit that they were bisexual and a demigirl. They hadn't even told their friends that last part yet at that point.

Marí also told Kit that they liked to use she/they pronouns, but so far was only using them online. Kit asked Marí a lot of questions then confessed to Marí that he was also bisexual but he was still kinda getting used to it.

"I grew up in a shitty situation," Kit had told them. "I guess I still have a lot of shame."

Marí didn't hold it against him. She bought him queer literature and resources for queer history including "Bisexuality and Queer Theory" and her printed copy of the article published in the 90s called "The Bisexual Manifesto." She gave him advice on websites and people to follow online.

They also just talked. Talked about life and their experiences. Their feelings and their relationships with their sexualities. Bonding with another queer person was always special but spending time with Kit always made Marí feel so...light.

Despite how close they were getting, Marí didn't always want to touch him. They were touch averse in most cases unless they were very comfortable with someone. Sometimes it just depended on the day. On the days where Marí found they could not hug Kit they had invented their own way to show affection.

They would place a hand over their hearts and tap it, as if to say "I care about you" or "I love you." Sometimes Kit would say "tap my heart" as a substitute for actually doing it.

He introduced her to his close friend Janessa, the wayward vampire who was incredibly hot and kind of made Marí all nervous and tounge twisty at first. But as they got to know her, Marí realized that she was also incredibly kind, passionate and clearly cared at great deal about Kit. Janessa was a gamer who had named herself after a video game character. She drank cups of warm blood in novelty mugs with giant swirly sparkly straws and was pretty good at making people laugh.

Janessa, or Nessie as Kit had affectionately nicknamed her, was flirtatious and charismatic, but also brutal and deadly in a fight. She was full of surprises. And maybe, just maybe Marì was a little bit into that.

However as much as Marí didn't want to admit it, they were also were starting to realize that they were way more into someone else. Someone with perfect golden curls that Marí wanted to curl their fingers into.

Eventually Kit came out to Marí as genderfluid and requested that she use alternating he/they pronouns for them. They both made the decision to collectively tell their friends their pronouns. Marí, Kit and Nessie sat around her gorgeous leather couch and talked for hours about gender, identity and transness. Kit pointed put that they may never be able to fully explain their gender to the other two, just like Kit might have a hard time fully understanding Janessa's relationship with gender, or Marí's because everyone was different.

"It's personal Nessie," he had said. "Everyone has their own unique perspective on gender and every trans person has their own complicated feelings about gender and what their own gender identity means to them, and those feelings might not completely match up with another trans person's. But that's ok. You don't have to understand the other person but you do have to respect them."

Janessa's understanding of gender came from being a trans women. It was about a strict  binary with clear lines and rules. Rules that Kit was starting to make a habit of fingerpainting all over and Marí could tell that it was stressing her out.

And Marí had no idea where the hell they fit in these rules. They had stopped playing the game.

But those two loved each other more than anything, and Marí knew they could work anything out. And sure enough approximately seven hours and four margaritas later (only two for Marí,) they had come to an understanding.

2014

She kissed Kit for the first time a month into the new year.

They had been trying on clothes in Marí's room and Kit was wearing one of their old dresses that Marí thought they looked amazing in, but Kit wanted to give it away. It was dark navy blue and sparkly with spaghetti straps, coming to about mid thigh. There were cut outs on the sides, filled in with black sheer fabric, and it had a low v cut at the neckline which was also filled in with black sheer.

Kit had been infodumping about one of the Marvel movies again, Marí couldn't remember which one, and she had kept getting distracted by his tan smooth skin peaking through the sheer fabric and fullness of Kit's moving lips. He smiled excitedly and Marí had stepped forward and kissed him.

Their first thought was that Kit tasted like chocolate. Their second was that they should have done this months ago.

Kit had melted into the kiss, smiling slightly against her mouth and pulling her closer. They kissed her feverishly, sliding their tounge inside Marí's mouth and moaning when she deepened the kiss eagerly. They moved against each other with almost lazy, comfortable precision, kissing each other for what could have been hours or days or maybe only seconds.

Marí couldn't have said.

When Kit finally broke the kiss and pulled away from Marí, his eyes were practically gleaming with joy and love. And that was when they knew.

I love him.

2015

I love him.

Ty's words ran in her ears. Repeating over and over again, maddenly bouncing around inside of her skull until she was forced to utter out loud,

"I love him".

They whispered it under their breath but Marí could tell that both Alyssa and Ty had heard them. It was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop.

But of course. Of course he does. It was obvious. This whole time Marí had noticed there was something wrong with Ty. Just like there was something wrong with Kit. The way they stared after each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking. The loving and worshipful glances mixed with the bitter glares.

Marí had already known that Kit was in love with Ty of course. But the way they had told the story made it seem like they were positive that Ty couldn't be in love with them.

But then again maybe that made sense. Given Kit's history and who he was. But then Marí couldn't help but think of Ty and how confused he must have been. God it was a giant mess.

Speaking of...

The room was still silent. Marí found that she couldn't read Ty's expression as he stared back at her flatly. But his body was shaking, his fingers fluttered at his sides. She wanted to soothe him.

They stepped forward carefully. "I'm not mad at you," Marí assured him. "I was hoping we could talk?"

Ty's left eye twitched. "We are talking," he pointed out. Alyssa snorted.

"Ty, they mean about the proverbial bomb you just dropped a few seconds ago," Alyssa said with a laugh.  Marí smirked to themself slightly.

It wasn't really a bomb. More like a flare.

She really needed to talk to Ty. The only problem was Alyssa had an annoying tendency to never leave his side. It wasn't like she had a problem with the girl. Of course not. But her presence meant that Marí hadn't had the opportunity to talk to Ty one on one.

They cleared their throat. "Alyssa could you please give Ty and I some space to talk?" They asked. Marí hoped they didn't sound too rude. Alyssa looked to Ty and he nodded slightly, signaling that he was ok with her leaving.

That was so strange to Marí. Their relationship. The way Alyssa, a werewolf who hated shadowhunters even more then Marí did, essentially took orders from him and clearly trusted him more than anyone else. But perhaps she wasn't one to judge.

After all, she loved Kit.

Alyssa left the room with a pat on Ty's back and a quick, "call if you need me." Marí shifted their weight back and forth as they rocked slightly from side to side as they waited for Ty to speak.

He stared back at her silently, most likely doing the same. Marí blew out a loud breath and forced herself to stay still, crossing her arms.

"Are you going to say something or should I?" Ty asked expectantly. Marí bit their lip and shrugged.

"I'm still thinking of what I wanna say," she admitted.

Ty smiled at her softly. "So am I."

There we go. Cracks in the armour.

"I'm sorry," Ty whispered suddenly. "I never meant to-"

"You don't have to apologize!" Marí blurted out. Whoops they had interrupted him. "Oh shit sorry you were still talking!" They reached for their hair nervously and realized that they were wearing that Morticia wig for their costume.

Great. Marí moved on to chewing on her knuckles.

"It's ok," Ty reassured her. "I don't really know where I was going with that sentence. And you shouldn't do that." He pointed to her hand.

Marí scoffed, "yeah well you shouldn't dig your nails into your palms." He glared at them and they laughed.

"Not so fun playing a game of Mirror Image is it?" They teased. Ty didn't respond, just stared at Marí solemnly.

"You know I really admire you," he said, aiming his gaze close enough to hers to create the illusion of eye contact. "I always have. I never wanted to hurt or upset you."

Marí wished for a brief moment that they could touch him and then shrugged the impulse off. "I know love," they cooed. "Me too."

Without really understanding why, she pressed her hand to her chest directly above her heart and tapped, just like how she did with Kit. Ty studied Marí for a moment and then followed suite.

Marí in spite of themself, actually felt bad for him. They could clearly see the toll the last three years had taken on him, specifically the last few weeks. Maybe his family couldn't see it, and they definitely knew that Kit couldn't, but Marí could.

Marí of all people could see past the mask because they knew what masking looked like. It wasn't just about appearing normal, whatever that word meant. It was about hiding your feelings. Taking that heart you wore on your sleeve and locking it up tight. But everytime Marí looked at Ty, they could see it. And it was bleeding.

Ripped and bloody and broken, just like her own and yet they both still had the sheer audacity to keep breathing. Marí was proud of them both.

"You need to talk to him," Marí prompted. "You both need to be honest with each other."

Ty furrowed his brow. "Honest? About what? He doesn't feel the same way." He had gone back to flicking his fingers as he stared at her, looking puzzled.

Bloody hell between the two of them, Kit and Ty were giving Marí the mother of all headaches.

They took a deep breath. "Yes they do Ty," Marí tried not to sound exasperated. "Kit is in love with you, believe me. They told me."

It hurt Marí's heart to have to say it, but it was true and Ty deserved to know the truth. And they knew deep down that Kit wouldn't really be happy, he wouldn't be Kit until he had Ty. And Marí had to make their peace with that.

Ty looked understandably confused. He ran a frantic hand through his hair. "But why are you telling me this? Why are you helping me?" He asked. "Don't you love them?"

She fought the urge to cry as tears gathered in her eyes. She found herself digging her nails into her palms despite chastising Ty for doing it a few minutes ago.

"I'm telling you all of this because I love them" she cried desperately. "Because Kit cries out your name in his sleep Ty! Because everytime he sees you, he stares at you like you are the moon the sun and the stars! Because everytime you speak they hang onto absolutely every word, and when you laugh-" Marí cut herself off.

They squeezed their eyes shut and took deep long breaths. Ty said nothing. Marí opened their eyes to see Ty staring at them in dismay. He looked like he was trying to think of what to say to help.

Marí shook their head. "I know Kit loves me. And they probably always will. We were close friends even before we started dating." Marí groaned and shook out their entire body this time, jumping up and down a few times as well to get rid of the tension. If Ty thought this was weird he didn't comment on it.

Marí wiped her eyes carefully trying not to smudge her mascara. "But you Ty?" His eyes refocused on her again at the sound of his name. Marí chuckled humourlessly. "Fucking hell, he is in love with you. And right now he is thinking that you hate him and I know it's tearing him up inside."

Ty stared at Marí hopelessly, looking overwhelmed and exhausted. "So what do I do then? What am I supposed to say?"

Marí shrugged. "I can't help you with that I'm sorry. It has to come from you." Ty looked even more panicked.

They gave him what they hoped was an encouraging smile. "Don't be scared Ty," they murmered. "It's Kit remember. They're not scary. You have nothing to worry about."

Ty didn't answer her. He had wrapped his arms around his body, squeezing tightly. "Marí do you remember those dead moon jellyfish we buried on the beach?" He asked.

She was a little confused as to why he was bringing this up now. "Yeah? Why?"

"That's what I feel like right now," Ty admitted. "Like I've washed up on the beach and now I'm just waiting for someone to come along and step on me."

Marí's heart sank. "Oh Ty," they breathed. "I promise that won't happen with Kit. I can't make any promises for anyone else, but I do know that Kit has absolutely no intention of hurting you again love."

Ty looked pensive. Marí could only hope that Ty would make the decision to trust them.

With a sudden jolt Marí remembered the party.

"Hey we still have the Halloween party to go to," she said, shaking Ty out of his stupor. "Do you still wanna go?"

To their surprise, Ty nodded. "Sure. I think Alyssa might kill me if I back out now."

Marí snorted. Alyssa Reyes could be pretty terrifying at times.

With surprise Marí found that their spirts were lighter having cleared the air with Ty and with the prospect of a party being renewed.

She smiled. "All right then let's head out!" Marí smoothed down the long black wig over her shoulders and quickly smoothed out the long skirt of her black slinky dress before turning and exiting the training room.

She knew that she would have to talk to Kit at some point and that conversation would be brutal. But at least they could have one last night together.

It's better this way. Marí told themself as they walked back towards the main living room where everyone was gathered.  At least now Kit can be happy.

It's for the best.

It has to be.

So I'm actually planning on writing a part 3 from Kit's pov because the drama isn't over yet! 😏

Tag list: lmk if you wanna be added/removed.

@playwithravenclaw @lavender-scented-rat @jazzkaurtheglorious @waterlillies   @nott-the-best @stxr-thxif @magnus-the-fabulous-entp-bane @foxglove-airmid @littlx-songbxrd @clarys-heosphoros @queenlilith43 @arangiajoan @hardlymatters @thomas-gaypanic-lightwood @tired-vin @phoenix-and-dragon @the-blackdale @adoravel-fenomeno @the-wckd-powers

#tsc #twp #kit x ty #marí the werewolf #the wicked powers #maría machado sotomayor #we stan autistic bonding #we stan queer bonding

[evarcana]

I See the Moon

Oh when you are looking at the sun

Ev wears some very impractical shoes and learns that she does not know the city quite as well as she thought.

characters: the usual cast of Ev and consul Valerius

words: 2,4k

warnings: none!

notes: I wanted to write something short and sweet to act as a placeholder between the previous part and what is coming next, but I think I got a bit too emotionally attached in the process. The title is from “Be the One” by Dua Lipa and I will leave it open for interpretations.

Darkness strikes Ev’s eyes as she steps out of the theatre doors and for a moment she is completely lost in time and space, staring at her surroundings as if seeing everything for the first time - the disorientation which comes with returning to reality after the magic of the theatre wears off.

A few myopic street lanterns glimmer faintly and the moon, pitched extraordinarily high, is covered by the ragged organza of thin clouds and barely available to light the streets below. Passing groups of people turn into clusters of dark silhouettes, and Ev watches the collars being lifted and scarfs wrapped tighter, as the theatregoers hide themselves from the wind moist with the cool evening dew and disappear into the shadows, leaving only trails of soft footsteps and animated chatter behind them. It is this time of the year when night falls suddenly and way quicker than anyone anticipates.

The impatient tug on Ev’s arm cuts through the hazy darkness. “Are you going to let me leave or what?!” Valerius sounds desperate in his exasperation.

“Just a moment and you are free.” Still watching the dark street, Ev reaches for her bag and throws a pair of flat pointy mules decorated with golden beads and tassels on the ground in front of her. Using Valerius’s arm for support, she lifts one leg to untie the ribbons on her ankle. Somebody behind them helpfully holds the theatre door open, letting the light out, and they both stare at Ev’s bright red toenails as she steps out of her shoes. Ev frowns to herself and curls her toes - it is hard to be an intimidating opponent when you wear a cute sparkly little ring on your fourth toe, when she feels another tug and catches her breath in surprise, losing her balance. The arm slips from under her hand causing her to immediately crash into Valerius. Well, no chance of looking like a menace now. At least Valerius can’t run away, she thinks, because her entire face is smashed into his chest. “So impatient,” Ev rolls her eyes and tucks her heels in the bag.

Valerius hurries to brush off something invisible from his coat and then looks down at Ev’s feet with cynical interest, “Going on a hike?”

She contemplates telling that it took her a very detoured walk from the palace and four nervous circles around the Town Square to finally burn all that destructive energy her body generated in their morning argument, and that right now she is dying to rub her sore ankles, but decides against it. After all, wounded animals are easy prey. “Looks like it,” Ev says, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She scans the road once again and clicks her tongue. There is a carriage pulling away, two people inside, and another one rolling on towards the theatre, the coachman already waving to somebody, but most of the theatre crowd chooses to walk. They all must be locals, or heading to the closest tavern, Ev realises.

“Don’t tell me, -” Valerius’s voice says and Ev looks up, surprised that he is still standing there, “you don’t have a carriage because you were hoping to find a date to continue the night. You shall forgive me for ruining this little plan of yours.” His words are dripping with distaste.

She realises that Valerius must have been following her eyeline. The nervous lough blasts out of her but she manages to catch it and it turns to sound like a cough. A lucky guess on his part? Or did he take inspiration from his own plans? Ev refuses to think about the whole theatre fiasco. The sinking feeling in her chest has started and she puts her hands on her hips in annoyance. “I thought there would be carriages waiting,” she manages to say.

Valerius arches his brow in response, “...how pathetic.” Ev gives him her best withering look and turns away.

The last carriage departs with the din of wheels hitting the worn edges of the stones. Valerius’s eyes are still set on Ev’s face and his brow begins to crease slowly. He is clearly deliberating something but Ev cannot see it. She is watching clouds moving slowly across the moon. “Where do you live?”, he finally asks.

“By the Town Square,” Ev responds automatically, squinting at the sky above her.

“Not in the Heart District?” It sounds like a genuine question at first but the edge of his mouth lifts in a wry grin. “Didn’t you say I wasn’t the only one with the money here?”

“Too close to you,” she smirks back, “the urge of leaving a dead fish by your gate at least weekly would be -,” she leans in closer, turning her voice into syrupy sweet hush, “- irresistible”. This is getting weird. “Anyway,” Ev hurriedly looks behind her shoulder at the theatre doors, “I think it is going to rain later. Have a good night,” the words come in a flat orderly row, she is already concerned with something else, “I will see whether the theatre director can fetch me a carriage.”

“My carriage is waiting down the road.”

“Mm good,” Ev mutters to herself but then the realisation hits and she turns to the consul, eyes wide. “Are you offering me a lift home?” A ‘thank you’ sign lights inside her head but she crashes it with a wave of suspicion. It’s Valerius out of all people. He has no reason to offer her a ride in his carriage besides plotting to murder her and then ditch the body somewhere in the forest. Ev gives him a hard stare.

Valerius breaks the staring game first - his eyes flash with the new unidentified emotion before he regains his usual dismissive look. “Not home,” he snorts, “to the Town Square,this should suffice for a favour.”

“No no, hold on,” Ev raises her hand in protest. “I haven’t asked you anything yet, and hospitality is not a favour.”

“What hospitality are you talking about?”

“You repeat that it is your city all the time! Technically, I am still a guest.” Inside her head Ev is thanking all the available gods for her ability to just keep talking, regardless of whether it makes sense or not, because she definitely has not processed what happened yet.

“Yes, well, just keep your mouth shut,” Valerius says and walks off without a backward glance, his back soon disappearing in the darkness of the narrow lane.

Ev’s eyes follow his path and then she throws another look at the theatre building. The light in one of its rounded windows goes down. She watches the emptying street and feels the goose bumps scatter her forearms. The air is beginning to chill. She looks down at her feet. Ev decides that the consul is the kind of man who would rather pay somebody if he wanted to get rid of her than being involved himself and for the second time this evening she rushes after Valerius. This is so weird.

She is about to call him out to slow down because the sound of duck feet that her ‘emergency’ shoes make is getting on her nerves when she hears a loud thud and a curse. In the darkness of the path Ev is not sure how close Valerius is to her but she knows that he stumbled and it makes her giggle in delight. She stretches her hand out glancing at the strips of warm candlelight coming from the gaps in the window shutters and the ivory glare of the moon. A small globe of light, the size of a plum, forms above her hand. Its light is delicate and warm, as if filtered through the frosted glass, but bright enough to fill the space between the two of them.

The consul straightens up quickly, “Why -”

“I don’t know about you but I like my toes all intact,” Ev walks over to him. “It’s only a small trick, here,” she raises her hand and the light gets brighter, “you can touch it, it’s not hot.”

Valerius takes a step back, looking at the ball of light suspiciously. “You are full of tricks, aren’t you?” he says.

“Don't even make me start on what you are full of.” She bunches her hand in a fist and the light sphere drops down but, before hitting the ground, it bounces back in the air like a small ball and splits into a dozen of smaller lights, startling Valerius. They hover in the air along the path similar to a garland of lanterns as they walk in silence until the lane ends, opening to the canal, and Ev asks, “Is it your carriage there?”

***

The servant opens the carriage door and much to Ev’s astonishment, Valerius waits for her to get in first. She gives him a confused look but complies. There is no evening chill inside and the cushioned seats are invitingly soft, so Ev’s immediately decides that regardless of what is going to happen it was a good idea not to walk home. Valerius takes a seat opposite her and reaches to unbutton his coat and pull his long loose braid from under the collar. His head rolls gently to the side and Ev sees a couple of inches of the neck, soft lines and the glowing skin. She feels her cheeks beginning to heat, suddenly remembering the warmth and the bitter almond fragrance she breathed in every time she got too close to the man, and gods did she get too close tonight.

This is about as far from the real world as Ev can imagine. The carriage is small and the little triangle of her beaded slipper somehow ended up between the consul’s leather boots. If she was to stretch her leg, the bareskin on the side her foot would brush along his shin. They have never sat this close together. Ev thinks about the old lady from the theatre. How would she feel if she knew that she was the only thin barrier stopping them from recognising each other and fully succumbing to the mutual hostility, claiming at least half of the theatre as casualties in the process. This could have been a disaster.

Ev looks at Valerius again and tries to understand how could she not recognise these features straight away. The signature crease between the dark brows and the sulky mouth. Valerius sits in silence, and his eyes are definitely not the ones she knows. They are so wistful and lonely, and so golden under the lamp light, Ev has to look away.

She puts a hand under her chin and leans to the window. A fine mist of rain has started to grit on the glass, and behind the sparks of its tiny drops - a bridge arches over the canal’s silver curve, both ends of which are clipped by infinity, which, in the dim light of the early night, is only ten feet away. The backdrop is all in flashes of the lit windows and the black outlines of pointed rooftops, round cupolas and slender towers, all together resembling a crown adorned by a single grand jewel of the moon, burning bright white. Then, the skyline and even the moon gets momentarily obscured by the huge wall, deprived of any lights, looking ghostly in the tempered gloom.

“That massive rounded building, what is it?” Ev is surprised with herself for striking a conversation.

“Have you not seen it before?”

“No, I have not really been to this part of the city,” she says, turning to Valerius, “What is it? A hippodrome?”

“It's the coliseum. The count’s favourite place,” he gives a chuckle which sounds bitter. “The man loved... performances.”

“What kind of performances?” Ev asks, watching his mouth twisting in distaste. Something about his look makes her frown.

“Gladiators. Bloodshed which lacked any order or purpose besides the count’s own entertainment,” Valerius rubs the bridge of his nose and glances to the window. Ev cannot tell whether he is looking at the moon or the looming coliseum, considering something. “But it’s not what this place was intended for,” he pauses. He turns back to Ev and the expression in his eyes is softer. “It was built before Lucio became a count, although it was slightly less grand back then. The rituals and ceremonies were conducted there during the festivities and the previous count used to reenact scenes of the famous battles there, using the actors. It brought the whole city together. Nobody wants to remember those days anymore.”

Ev feels a weird tremble inside and she is not sure what has caused it until she realises that it is a strange, unusual affection in his voice. She crosses her arms and seats back to contain the feeling. It’s so freaking strange to talk to him when his face is not a mask of boredom. “Did you use to come to watch?” she asks.

“Only when I had to. As if I would mix myself with the roaring crowd of plebeians. Besides, it was terribly distatestful and the smell inside was disgusting.” His mouth tightens, and a strange shadow clouds his expression this time. “Pointless waste of human life.”

“Oh,” is all Ev can manage. She cannot stop staring at Valerius. There is some kindness beneath this asshole facade, human decency, fairness even. It is not the perspective that she has been prepared for. “I meant before that,” she adds faintly.

“Yes I did, when I was much younger.”

“I cannot believe I have never heard of it.”

“Did you do any research before you came here?” The consul is back to his dismissive tone.

“Honestly? I had other things to worry about.” Ev turns back to the window, suddenly unable to look at him anymore.

She hears an irritated snort from Valerius but then, after a brief silence, he starts talking again, and it is not about Ev’s inadequacy. He talks about the canals named after constellations, traditions which Vesuvia used to have, and what you could find in the city before the plague. His voice is calm and steady, and has this velvet quality to it, which fits the night perfectly. Ev closes her eyes and thinks that maybe if she asked Valerius, as that favour she got from him, to continue his stories sitting by her bedside, she would finally be able to fall asleep before the sunrise.

#omg if there is such a thing as MY writing style it is writing things where nothing is happening #but I promise they will kiss..maybe…eventually #I wrote something chronological do I need like a master list now #the arcana #consul valerius #the arcana Valerius #evpanopolis #ev x valerius #the arcana fanfiction #writing #valerius x mc #the arcana fanfic #the arcana fic

[sandflow]

Sugimoto and Ogata’s Rivalmance - anime vs manga comparisons

Hello there.

So I just saw the last episode from he 3rd season of the Golden Kamuy anime series and it left me a little perplexed. I’ll be talking about how the anime handled their scenes compared to the manga.

I’ll be blunt, season 1 was average while season 2 turned out kind of bad. Season 1 is alright as an introduction to the series, even though the CG bear really turned off many people from liking the show. 

Season 2 skipped a lot of arcs and while some of them turned out to be animated as an OVA, there are arcs that even at present haven’t been adapted and as of which happen pre-Abashiri. (Ogin arc, Fake ainu arc).

Season 3 was alright though. The animation quality is way better and the pacing felt really fluid and relaxing for the most part of the season.

I will only be comparing the scenes that have changed, and won’t adress the ones that haven’t been adapted in the anime.

Here we go.

Season 2 Episode 3 (chapter 81) - Sugimoto saves Ogata in Edogai’s house

The manga - After Sugimoto says the infamous tsundere line to Ogata, Ogata spits blood and then the scene shifts to something else.

The anime - After Sugimoto’s line, we can see Ogata looking disgustingly at Sugimoto while he’s leaving the room, and then he spits blood.

I guess that the anime tried to make it look like Sugimoto hurt Ogata’s ego with that line. And Ogata didn’t like it at all. 

(Chapter 83) 

The manga - Ogata tries to hunt the birds by shooting them only to be denied by Asirpa. Sugimoto is all smirky because Ogata is being lectured.

The anime - They don’t show Sugimoto’s evil smirk reaction to Asirpa lecturing Ogata.

The manga -  Sugimoto being jelly of Ogata who caught more birds than Asirpa. When Sugimoto says that Ogata tried to hunt the birds just to prove Asirpa wrong, we can see Ogata’s sad reaction to that line.

The anime -  It’s pretty much the same scene but we don’t get Ogata’s reaction.

Season 2 Episode 5 (Chapter 99)

The manga - Sugimoto calls out Shiraishi’s betrayal. Shiraishi panicks thinking that he might kill him right there, but it ends up with Sugimoto showing him that he gave fake skins to Hijikata.

The anime - it’s the same scene except for when Sugimoto calls Shiraishi out, we can see Ogata’s expression while the conflict unfolds.

And then Sugimoto says that the skin that Shiraishi gave to Hijikata was a fake.

And we see Ogata again where he closes his eyes.

The Ogata reactions never existed in the manga.

I’m thinking that they added this so as to hint at his future betrayal in Abashiri.

(Chapter 100)

The manga - they kill some deer so as to hide in them and get rid of the 7th from pursuing them, Shiraishi becomes delirious and runs away. No one goes after him.

The anime - Shiraishi runs away delirious and Asirpa goes after him and tells Sugimoto to skin deers with Ogata until she comes back. Sugimoto decides to go after her and Ogata calls him to come back.

This entire scene did not exist in the manga.

OVA 3 (Chapter 104)

The manga - Shiraishi gets bitten by a snake. Sugimoto, for some reason, gets bitten too. 

And when both of their heads get inflated, Shiraishi asks Sugimoto what happened to his face.

The anime - Ogata is the one who asks Sugimoto about his face.

All I can say is thanks Geno for this addition.

OVA 4 (Chapter 111)

The manga - Asirpa asks Ogata to help Tanigaki escape from these ainu dudes who think he violated and killed wild animals.

In the manga, after Asirpa asks Ogata for help, Ogata follows it with the reasoning that Tanigaki may have killed his comrades from the betrayer group, to which Sugimoto and also Asirpa defend Tanigaki by saying that he wasn’t the one to do it.

After that, Sugimoto sort of taunts Ogata by saying that uwu Asirpa won’t cook for you anymore~

The anime - After Asirpa asks Ogata for his help, the whole reason he wouldn’t save him is skipped, and it jumps to just Sugimoto taunting him.

All what Ogata needed was a small tease reply from Sugimoto and he was totally down on risking his life saving Tanigaki. Comrades getting killed by Tanigaki? Naaaah.

Season 3 Episode 7 - (Chapter 169)  

The manga - The group starts talking about the legend of a mountain cat (lynx) and Koito thinks that they were probably refering to Ogata. And so the bullying begins.

Sugi when first hearing of this, he smirks in a way that says “Lol wut where did that come from”.

The anime - when Sugimoto first asks “What’s Ogata gotta do with it?” we don’t see his smirking face like in the manga. 

And when he says the line of “What a pathetic joke”, his face looks a bit more..dramatic and sad in a way?

Or when he looks all determined after Koito says that they should kill a cat when spotted.

This scene felt like he really does feel sorry for Ogata being bullied compared to the manga.

Season 3 Episode 11 - (Chapter 187)

Ogata lies about Sugimoto’s death to Asirpa so as to get the code out of her.

He sees that Asirpa isn’t cooperating with his pleas of sharing the code with him. So he uses the Sugimoto card.

The manga - he starts blushing the moment he mentions Sugimoto

The anime - the blush wasn’t shown in this scene

He starts talking about the fake flashback of hearing Sugimoto’s last words.

The manga - we get this simple panel of just Ogata calling out Sugimoto’s name.

The anime - we are serviced with the same scene but from a different angle which I appreciate because it looks shippier.

Another notable thing is that while this scene is happening, you can hear Sugimoto heavily breathing. To me it felt like the breathing sounds lasted a bit longer than I imagined when reading the manga... 

Sugimoto’s voice sounds very soft and gentle while begging for Ogata to take care of his buddy’s family.

The manga - blushy lying Ogata

The anime - blushy lying Ogata but the blush seems to be drawn lighter? You gotta squint to see it.

The manga

The anime

I don’t have an argument for these panels I just like how cute he looks while blushing.

when you imagine your arch nemesis’s last soft, gentle dying words you just can’t help but feeling flustered

The manga - Ogata leans in close to Sugimoto’s face. Sugimoto is looking directly into his eyes while trying to mutter Tome’s name. And Ogata seems to look sad.

The anime - the scene is shown from a different angle, and Sugimoto is probably looking at the sky or something. We can’t see Ogata’s expression anymore.

The manga - Ogata is still running on the ice floe while pretending to care about Sugimoto’s last wishes.

look.at.his.frowny.cute.staplebrows.

The anime - Ogata and Asirpa are...standing still, looking at one another, and being all sad about their boo-boo Sugi-chan's death wishes.

The manga - The projecting is now going off the charts.

Sugimoto grabs Ogata’s hand, holds it tightly,with Ogata also tighting the grip, tells him that he wants to go back to his hometown while also tearing up, all of this happening while they look in eachother’s eyes.

This is peak soft fanfiction I SWEAR-

The anime - Geno wasted all of their money in this episode and they didn’t have any other left to animate this panel, so they just use the same frame as before.

That sky must be very fascinating to look at.

The manga - Ogata being all pouty and sad that he has to bear Sugimoto’s burdens-

The anime - He seems not as pouty but the cute eyelashes are more visible. CUTE.

The manga - a beautiful ending for a fanfic  Ogata projects even MORE because I guess that everyone on this planet loves the same fish stew as he does.

The anime - it’s basically the same but Sugimoto’s voice is so dramatique and sad that it just brings tears to my eyes how Ogata is so good at writing fanfics.

(Chapter 188)

The manga - Sugimoto heard Ogata’s fanfic and was enraged because of how ooc he turned out, so he went to him and to show what sort of fanfics he’s into, he comes from behind, grabs Ogata by the hair, pulls it, and cuts his poisoned eye out.

The anime - He comes in from the front???? catches Ogata’s head in a very gentle way, and cuts his eye out. No hairpull.

Geno. I’m looking at you.

The manga - Sugimoto making very angry eye contact, sucking Ogata off and still pulling his hair.

The anime - Geno doesn’t like gore so they just animated one single suck panel. Ogata is sort of moving his eye a little there. Hm.

We also get some new frames that weren’t in the manga.

One in which he scolds Ogata for wanting to make small children kill people.

The other still looking angrily at his bandages face.

Ok Geno you’ll get a pass on this one.

Season 3 Episode 12 (Chapter 197)

The manga - Sugimoto tries very hard to convice everyone to save Ogata.

The anime - it’s the same thing except the very heterosexual tension orange glowy eyes, and the more obvious and wider drawn devilish smirk.

This is thirst depicted in one frame.

The manga - The doctor says that Ogata will most likely die and Asirpa is sad.  Sugimoto is looking at her thinking oh nooo she’s a killer now.

The anime - Asirpa is sad but Sugimoto isn’t looking at her but towards the doctor....

The manga - Sugimoto has white danger eyes with a tint of sadness/dissappointment in his expression.

The anime - Sugimoto looks SO ANGRY HOW DARE YOU DIE LIKE THIS? PATHETIC OF YOU. *spits* 

He’s just as thirsty here too.

I didn’t understand why they coloured his eyes like that. What was is supposed to mean????? He wants blood but he also wants to continue to hunt for it I guess???

This is, I think, the first time in the anime where they colour the pupils that bright.

The manga - Sugimoto is so shocked that Ogata is alive and ran away.

The anime - they added two new frames, basically empathising how Sugimoto is slowly processing the whole event.

God the adapted manga panel looks so funny he just goes super duper wide eyes as if no one would have predicted this outcome.............

(chapter 200)

The manga - wishing for his arch nemesis to come back to him. A very normal wish.

The anime - it’s the same. But now with sparkly eyes like in the volume.

And that’s it.

I think that Geno somewhat tried to promote their relationship to a certain extent by adding new scenes while trying to stay somewhat faithful to the source.

Sadly, they cut a lot of arcs. If you’d watch this series without checking out the OVA’s, you’ll definitely miss out on scenes where their bickering bond is being shown in all of its glory. They didn’t even animate the Fake Ainu arc even as of today, which has the best sugio bickering in the series.

#golden kamuy #ogata hyakunosuke #sugimoto saichi #Osugi #sugio

[stories-by-rie]

Chapter 1 - Heart of Silver

Evelyn turns to the infamous curse-broker Ariel for help, after she got cursed by a dead granny’s fork.

words: 3763 || masterlist

Despite the late summer, the air had grown cold with the night’s storm. The wind was blowing the rain drops harshly against Evelyn’s coat and the persistent noise of its dripping onto her hood mixed with the ringing sound in her ears. With the anxiety that threatened to overflow, she shivered. Even if her hood saved her from the worst, she had to hold it in place with one hand so the wind wouldn’t blow it off. Now, that hand was wet, cold and shook even more than the rest of her body. Tripping from one foot to the other did nothing to bring her warmth or to disperse the gnawing threat of doom inside her chest.

    Once again, she pulled out her phone. The fourth of September, 22:34, a Thursday, no new notifications, battery at eleven percent. Raindrops landed on the bright screen and distorted the picture of a flower field in irregular splashes. From the upper right corner, lines like spider legs drew through them. 

    Frustration settled in her, taking coin-sized bites. Her eyes flicked over to the doorbell again -- she had rung two times already -- maybe a third time would be all right? She knew that Ariel was home, so if they hadn’t opened the door after two times, a third ring wouldn't make them either. 

    Still.

    Just as Evelyn was about to press the bell again, the door opened slightly, barely enough for her to make contact with one eye. 

    “Why didn’t you text me that you’d come?” 

    “I did. You haven’t read it yet.”

    Ariel pulled out their old flip phone, dipping their glasses into bright white reflections, and skimmed through what had to be a real handful of messages. 

    “Ah. Oh. Hm.” They stared at a message for a while before they looked up to Evelyn again, opened the door a bit wider. “There will be a sale for winter tyres down in the old factory on the main road next week.”

    Evelyn was too stunned to answer anything but, “Ariel, you don’t drive. You don’t have a car.”

    “That’s true.”

    “It’s summer.”

    “Are you sure?” Ariel looked at the rainy night sky, and squinted their eyes. 

    “Listen, Ariel. I wrote in my message-”

    “Yeah, I read your message. So what?” They looked up at Evelyn again, closed the door a bit more to shelter from the rain. 

    “I didn’t know who else to ask.” Her voice sounded a bit thin to her own ears then, the uncertainty growing with each passing minute. But she had held on for hours now, and it didn’t feel like she had it in herself to hold on for much longer. 

    Ariel scoffed. “Yeah. Obviously, asking anyone but me would be foolish, but I am really busy, you know? A curse is a curse, you should just let it run its course. I am not some sort of all-purpose antidote.”

    Evelyn managed to put her foot in the door before Ariel shut it. 

    “Please? Listen, no one knows curses as well as you do. I am afraid I don’t have that long and I absolutely can’t do this by myself.”

    With both hands against the door, the wind had enough freedom to rob her of her hood, so it drenched her within seconds, stung on her skin like a hundred little needle pricks. 

    “There’s just a handful of curses that more or less kill. You want me to believe that you got one of those? Do you know how hard that is? What would be in it for me?” Ariel eyed her suspiciously. All Evelyn did was to pull up her sleeves as far as possible. Where the skin was thinner and fairer, the black veins stood in sharp contrast to her body, shimmering in a dark grey. Ariel’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement.

    “A Heart of Silver? How far has it spread?” They grabbed her wrist. 

    “It’s in my whole blood-stream,” Evelyn replied and pushed her hair from her temples where her veins were just as black. Ariel looked up with an ‘ah’ on their lips and then let go of her wrist again. 

    “So, I’d get the reaping?”

    “It’s all I could offer.”

    “Say, if we fail and you’ll be a silver statue, can I keep you then? Put you in the corner of my kitchen?”

    “This is not funny, Ariel.” 

    “That’s a yes then. Fine. Come in.” They opened the door enough for Evelyn to step through. Instantly, they were caught in this different world of theirs. She was quite certain that Ariel had put a curse on their own apartment somehow that captured the people who walked in, but so far she did not have evidence to support that theory.

    Books towered against the walls everywhere. There was a pot with an enormous fern right in the middle of the hallway. Not a single lamp was lit, and Evelyn could not shake the feeling that it was to hide the shadows of some ghosts living there as well. Perhaps it was the people the not-yet-proven-curse trapped inside of it.

    “You must tell me everything,” Ariel mumbled while pulling out a few books out of their stacks, seemingly randomly.

    “So, I got an unexpected call from a granny in the morning. She asked me to help with a haunting. I thought I could just handle a simple ghost. You know that I am good with ghosts.” Evelyn tried to follow them, focusing more on not tripping over most likely enchanted vases, gemstones, and one array that hopefully was not used to curse the apartment.

    “I am quite aware, that’s why I don’t like you coming over.”

    Or maybe the array was drawn to specifically keep her out, who knew.

    “So, I drove over in the afternoon. Just one old granny and a ghost. There is a nice magnolia tree in the garden. It’s next to the old school that’s half covered in ivy and the neighbours complain about it all the time because they think it’s weed, although ivy is very useful with old houses for climatic purposes-” Distinctly, she noticed how she started to ramble, her tongue too fast for her mind to catch up on. 

    “Please, for the love of the currently absent blood in your veins, cut yourself short,” Ariel thankfully interrupted and pushed the door to the kitchen open. Evelyn tried very hard to calm herself down with a few measured and calculated breaths, focused on the red lava lamp on the windowsill instead. Multiple candles were lit on the table and next to them slept her black cat whose name Evelyn had never learnt. She only knew her as a beast, my evil gremlin, an annoying menace, YOU!, and the apple of my eye. Currently, the proximity to the candles was once again anxiety inducing.

    Ariel pointed at one of the chairs, so Evelyn sat down and forced herself to keep talking, wiped some of the rain out of her face, along with her sticky bangs that hung in her eyes. 

“The granny didn’t have money to pay, which is fine, you know I like to help where I can, right? And she had this very evil looking set of silverware in her kitchen drawer, so I started to work on it and she kept rambling about how I had a heart of silver -- which was already a bit weird, I guess, since usually it’s a heart of gold, right? -- but at that moment, I thought she was just old and confused because I was working for free, right? Well, until I poked my finger on a fork and that’s when it happened.”

    “Was that the short version?”

    “I left out a lot of detail.”

    The coffee machine beeped and Ariel filled the matching cups. They slid one with big bold yellow letters over to Evelyn that read Best Curse Victim, and kept the one with Best Curse Broker In The Whole Wide World. 

    “Did you custom-make these?” Evelyn asked and Ariel set down the two cups with a grin. They knew that Evelyn preferred tea, but, Tea is for curses and rituals, you can’t make me drink hot water with leaves, they liked to argue. 

    Ariel raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. “I assume the granny then turned out to be a ghost?”

    “She apparently had died over three months ago, yes.”

There was a deep sigh coming from Ariel as they put up their feet onto the table, dangerously close to the candles.

    “And never once while working on silverware and getting praised for your silver heart did you consider the option that perhaps you were getting cursed?”

    “Ghosts get better at hiding themselves each day, Ariel,” Evelyn replied with multiple glances to the shadows. Ariel only offered a weak smile and nodded while they pushed the books into the middle of the table, tapped on it with their sparkly painted fingernails. 

    “I have fourteen books on the Heart of Silver, all very rare collections from back when curse-brokers still thought that this classy beast was curable. I also have read all of these fourteen books.” Ariel took a sip from their coffee and grabbed another pair of glasses that were tucked into a pot of parsley on the windowsill next to the lava lamp. They pushed their former golden glasses up into their soft pink dyed hair. 

Last time they had met, it had been deep purple. They had tried to make her believe once that it was tied to their moods, like those 90s mood rings of which they wore three. “Obviously, I read all the books you can find in this apartment, I wouldn’t keep anything that just took up space.” They opened the right page on the first try and slid the book over to Evelyn. The pages were blank.

    “The pages are blank.”

    “Ah, right. I put a curse on them. No one steals books you can’t read, am I right? Here,” they slid over the glasses to Evelyn, and once she put them on, black letters appeared on the blank pages. Just none she could read.

    “I don’t speak that language, Ariel.”

    “Ah, it’s just encrypted.”

Evelyn sighed deeply and put the glasses down again. She warmed her icy fingers on the coffee cup in front of her, the bitter smell of it made her jittery enough.

    “Please, can you just tell me what you know about it? I am certain that you know your curses, you don’t have to prove anything by showing me book excerpts I can’t read anyway.”

    Ariel smirked openly then, their eyes clearly tracing the black lines on her skin where the liquid silver was running through her veins.

    “The Heart of Silver is a curse that dates back all the way to the sixteenth century. That ultimately makes it a curse of the black night level, because we don’t know its origin anymore, so understanding it has become as good as impossible. Legends say that it was just another love story, though. Why it is a heart of silver and not of gold is equally unclear. Perhaps they didn’t know any better. Then again, a Heart of Gold curse already exists, so. Anyway, the story says that one woman, got  jealous of her maid. The maid, being kind-hearted, was just too lovely to her husband, you see. So when that woman died she cursed her maid on her deathbed and said something along the lines of With your heart made of silver, you still won’t be worth enough to appeal to him. Maybe you could feed his greed by turning into actual silver instead.” They took another sip of coffee, taking out another book from the stack on the table and flipping a page open. “How the curse is passed on is totally unclear as well, although, as you might have noticed, contact with silver seems to be one determinant, as well as someone actually cursing you, also known as a ghost. But why and how? No one knows.”

    “Not even you?” Evelyn asked, feeling punched out. She pulled the new book closer, putting on the glasses again, and there they were. The photos with the evidence that this curse existed. That it was more than just a rumour, a scary story told to teach children not to steal. Proof that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her; that she had understood the situation of her own doom correctly. 

    A silver statue of a man, the face too realistic to be art, distorted in a scream. His arms were outstretched, all around him scrolls of parchment. 1982, Vienna.

    A silver statue of an old woman, sleeping in her bed. She looked much more peaceful, but her brows were drawn together, giving her discomfort away. 1864, Kuressaare.

    A teenage boy, locked inside a dark room with handcuffs tied to the walls, screams on his silver lips. 2003, Hildesheim.

    Evelyn didn’t need to look at more of them. It just made her picture herself as one more of these photos. A corpulent young woman, the face silver but clearly pleading for her life-

    “Does it hurt? Do you know?”

    “Not sure, sorry. Would it help if you knew?” Ariel looked directly at her then, the soft pink hair glimmering red from the lamp, the candles’ lights dancing on her glasses.

    “Probably not.”

    “Then let’s try to make it so that you don’t have to find out. But just to be clear, I will take notes on the curse’s progress, for scientific purposes.” They pulled a notebook out from under their coffee cup.

    “Sure.”

    Ariel grinned and drummed with their golden painted nails onto the table.

    “Soon I will be the first curse-broker to have dealt with the Heart of Silver. Everyone will know my name. Maybe someone will finally publish my book. My google reviews will skyrocket!”

    “You always say a truly good curse-broker gets only bad reviews. And that book doesn’t get published because you describe for three hundred pages how to create various curses. ”

    “That’s because if you want to deal with curses, you need to understand them from the inside out first. Also, creating curses can be fun, I promise.”

    With a glimpse to the shadows, Evelyn nodded in slight agreement. Unease found its way back to her, like an intrusive thought stuck to her skin. The more she listened to her body, the more she felt like it had changed. She was sure to feel the silver in her veins, believed that her body had gotten heavier – was silver heavier than blood? She was sure that her skin had gotten harder where it ran through her.

    “You still there?” Ariel waved before her eyes, nearly poked her, but Evelyn flinched back before they got to. She finally took a sip of her own coffee. The bitterness made her squirm but at least she was able to still taste it.

“So, if the books are all useless, as you say, then where do we start?”

    “Well, as I said, if you want to deal with curses, you have to know them from the inside out. Only if I know how you got it in the first place, I will have a chance at extracting it and exchanging it for a different one. A curse is a near-living thing, after all. If I just rip it out, it might do more damage than aid. I need to know why you fit in its scheme, how it develops inside of you. So I would say we should start with the ghost who put that curse on you, since that granny might be able to answer those questions, but I assume you hunted the shit out of that ghost, didn’t you?”

    Evelyn froze as she remembered the exchange, the prospect of a new curse. She gave her best not to tremble too much as she asked, “The new curse-”

“I can’t tell you what it will be yet.”

“But how-”

“Okay, I’ll give you the short explanation. Any curse corrupts its host. Your body lets it nest inside of it, and usually you will let the curse run its course until it’s fulfilled or withered and the space will grow back. More or less. If I have to extract the curse, the space will be hollow and harm your body and mind. It leaves room for possessions, diseases and much more. So instead I extract the awful curse and give you a new one that is slightly less awful. But in order to do that, the new curse needs to fill out the same space. I need to understand both curses to the T, so that this procedure works. That’s also why I can’t tell you anything about the new curse yet, because I need to understand the Heart of Silver first. Got it?” 

Evelyn nodded, a little as if in a daze. 

“So, the granny?”

“Gone, yes.” Evelyn sighed deeply. “I didn’t think that she would be of help. I just saw her as a ghost and sent her off.”

    “The mark?”

    “Just the silver veins, they started in the hand with which I touched the fork.”

    “Mn. It looks like it has spread completely since then. That doesn’t need to mean anything, though.” Ariel wrote down notes in a book, the pen’s ink invisible to Evelyn’s eyes.

    “When exactly was this?”

    “Somewhen between five and six, this evening.”

    Ariel wrote down more notes, far more than Evelyn had said, so she could only assume that those were some curse related conclusions. After a few minutes, Ariel had emptied their second cup of coffee. At this point, they looked up again and pressed their lips together.

    “I would like to see the curse medium then. You don’t happen to still have that fork?”

    Evelyn shook her head, “I assume it’s still in the house, though. I saw the police wrapping everything up as well, so we should be alone there.” She forced the rest of her coffee down her throat, ignoring how it upset her stomach just a moment later. Ariel nodded and got up, carrying the two cups over to the sink.

    “Well, then. Let’s get going, shall we?” They nodded towards the door and Evelyn went to follow them. Before Ariel closed the kitchen door, she looked back. “Shouldn’t you blow out your candles? Your cat is so close and-”

    “Oh, I cursed the candles, don’t worry. They don’t burn anything. I feel a little bad for doing it, though. Imagine being a fire and then the only thing you can burn is candle wax. So sad.”

    They reached the door and Evelyn stopped once more in her tracks.

    “Do you really want to leave like that?” she asked and looked down Ariel’s onesie with ghost-print.

    “Oh, right, shoes,” they answered, fetching a pair of run down converse, not bothering to tie the laces. They tucked them in and pointed to the door. “Now?”

    But Evelyn still felt like they had forgotten something important. Something they needed to consider before they left. Maybe it was just her fear of entering that house again where she had gotten cursed in the first place, the fear of not finding what they needed to. The fear that she would so utterly fail in the quest of saving her life, of destroying the curse. It was too close to past memories, perhaps. The image of the old lady dissipating into thin air as she sent her off still lingered in her mind, and she couldn’t help but see herself in that place.

    “Ah, of course,” Ariel mumbled, pulled out a single hair from Evelyn and burnt it in the candle standing next to the door. “My mistake.” They waved to the outside, and finally Evelyn found the strength to walk again.

    “So you did curse your own apartment!”

    “Nonsense, I never said that,” Ariel replied with a grin and the rain poured down on them once more. Like needles, it pricked on her skin. If she turned into a silver statue, she would never feel it again. They ran to her old Corolla, parked so very badly in line.

    “You know, those winter tires are really cheap now. You should get them as long as they are affordable. I bet they will be much pricier once it’s winter.”

    “Gotta make it to winter first,” Evelyn muttered and turned on the motor. The radio gave white noise – a side effect of getting cursed, or maybe just a coincidental break-down.

    “So pessimistic. Really, you’re insufferable.” Ariel started to play snake on their phone. 

The way to the old house was quiet except for the occasional white noise when the radio came to life unasked. The road was mostly deserted at the late hour, some street lights only blinked yellow already. It was not until she turned on the road to leave the small city that Ariel shifted in the front seat.

    “Where were you the whole last year, Evelyn?” Their voice was softer now. The phone tucked inside their pocket. With a quick glance, she could see that they looked outside. Of course, they would ask. Evelyn had known that. Despite this, she still didn’t know what to answer. How to say the words to Ariel that she could hardly think to herself.

    “I just… I was not so well.” A kind euphemism for lying in bed all day, ignoring her calls and living off of pizza and instant noodles.

    “We could have really used you then. There was that Undine in the sink of that favourite restaurant of yours. Took three of us to get her out of there. You could have probably managed her yourself.” A harsh way to say that she had been missed. A nice way to say that Ariel was hurt.

    “I’m sorry.” Lousy words. They would not make up for letting her friends down. Not really.

    “It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.” She had to, though. She really had to.

    Evelyn pulled into the street, the utmost street of the small-town. One could see the forest behind it from here. At the end of the street stood an old house, next to the old school that was covered in ivy.

    “I just wanted you to know that you’re needed, even if you think you aren’t. Or I don’t know… Ah, you know.” Words were hard for Ariel, too. But Evelyn thought she understood them, and nodded with a slight smile. It had been like that between them from the beginning, somehow.

----

WIP intro || masterlist || next chapter

#writeblr #novella #my writing #original fiction #fantasy #urban fantasy #ghosts #curses #wip; heart of silver #heart of silver chapter 1 #tw body horror #tw depression #tw death mention #not really body horror but also not not body horror but no spooky if that clears it up x)

[sunarc]

hello lovely! if still open, i would love to participate in the golden angel affair <3

attire

something like this maybe? i would want something long and sexy, definitely with a slit, and above all else SPARKLY! however, it also would need to be comfy; if i can't dance in it i am not interested. i am short so i will likely wear a really tall pair of heels and end up taking them off an hour into the night when my feet inevitably hurt.

behavior

i am an ambivert with anxiety, soo... most likely, i would need a glass of champagne before talking to anyone, but once i loosen up i think i am a lot of fun! i love to dance, sing along to the music, and flirt when i go out. even when i've been drinking, though, i also look out for others; i always try to intervene if another girl seems uncomfortable or make new friends if the opportunity arises.

preference

i'm looking for a haikyuu boy :3 in terms of what i like... i need someone who is funny and playful, likes to both go on adventures/go out AND stay in from time to time, loves dogs (my dog is my best friend), and is good at comforting me when i'm anxious or upset. i can be a bit of a d*ck (affectionate) when i'm comfortable with people, so they need to be able to take some teasing. i love flirting and being flirted with; good banter is a must.

thank you so much for doing this!! i hope you have a wonderful day/night. xx

thankyou for coming my love you look gorgeous i hope you have a good time

Oikawa Tooru

You danced with a stranger singing along to the music that boomed through the room spinning them around laughing loudly. You had a few glasses of champagne which helped you to finally come out of your shell. You turned letting go of the person spinning directly into the arms of the person dancing behind you. You looked up seeing a handsome man staring down at you smirking

“Woah there careful now” he chuckled holding you up arm wrapped around your waist smiling.

You stood up straight laughing at yourself still in his arms

“What is this Cinderella?”

“Guess that makes me prince charming huh”

“Should I pretend to lose my heel or can we skip that whole ordeal?” you laughed holding onto this enchanting stranger.

“Let’s skip it I don’t want to have to go searching for a pretty girl when I can just keep her here in my arms”

You laughed  “That was so cheesy but I kind of like it”

How You End The Night:

You laughed with Oikawa holding your umpteenth glass smiling up at him barely able to contain the mesmerized look covering your face. 

“You’re so handsome” you said barely able to stop the words from slipping past your lips. 

He looked down at you smiling softly. 

“I think someone has had a little too much to drink” he said laughing as he slipped the half empty drink from out of your hands downing it himself. 

You pouted watching as he drank your drink “ drink thief” you leaned closer to him “ but I’m being serious” you mumbled looking away.

Oikawa looked down smiling at your shying away figure.

“ Is Cinderella getting nervous on me?” you stood silent watching sadly as your car pulled up. You slipped out of Oikawa’s arms smiling at him. 

“My ride is here” your voice was soft speaking the words. You turned waving goodbye before Oikawa caught your arm pulling you back handing you a piece of paper.

“Here’s my number, give me call sometime... just so that I don’t have to go searching the town like a mad man for my princess.”

#oikawa tooru #haikyuu oikawa #oikawa tōru #hq oikawa #oikawa x reader #oikawa fluff

[rvmmm21]

[ V V S her diamonds ] – ch 05.

[10:10 a.m] Joohyun turns over, rustling the sheets like autumn leaves. She sleepily buries her face into the warmth of a sky-blue Chrome Hearts hoodie.

. . . . .

Seungwan looks up from the sink and over to the living room. Her head still pounds a little but the Ibuprofen seems to be kicking in. A soft smile traces her lips as she sees who’s asleep on the sofa. It really sucks that they’re both such hardworking students who’d rather be an hour late to a class than miss it, because it’s surely a crime to disturb someone so at peace they’re almost glowing in the sun’s morning rays.

And if the rumours are true, It’s also probably a crime to have her here at all. Seungwan thinks of all the ways she could get arrested for harbouring gangster daughters of mob leaders but ends up losing herself in the composition of Joohyun’s sleeping face.

Even her friends believed that whole dumb ‘secret gangster life’, but Seungwan doesn’t recall gangsters tossing and turning with such fluffy bed hair, looking so cute and tiny in her favourite oversized hoodie.

Joohyun rouses to the sound of gentle clinking and running water. 

The faint scent of alcohol and detergent seeps into her nose and she yawns, trying to engulf herself in the toasty heat radiating across her body from– not her hoodie. Glancing down, she realises she doesn’t own the waffle beige pajama pants currently hugging her legs either.

Oh? 

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, the older girl shifts off the sofa and grabs her own denim shorts from the floor beside her.

Minutes later, socked feet pad over to the girl in the kitchen, elbow-deep in sudsy water. Seungwan acts surprised when Joohyun hops onto the counter next to the sink. 

“Morning, unnie,” she chirps, “did you sleep well?”

Joohyun hums an affirmative and nothing more, but the other girl already senses the multitude of questions running through her head.

“It’s okay, unnie,” she laughs sheepishly, causing an eyebrow to perk up. She gestures to the hoodie swallowing Joohyun’s petite frame. “I didn’t see anything, I swear. I even let you choose which of my pants you wanted.”

“Oh,” comes the reply. “What happened? Kinda hard to remember.”

Seungwan just smiles down. “I wouldn’t be surprised, unnie. You really went ham last night. I didn’t think you had it in you. It was fun to watch.”

Joohyun scoffs, running delicate fingers through disheveled waves. She pauses to watch the younger rinsing out the empty Hite Jinro bottles and stacking them upside down on the dish rack. “Why did you let me sleep? I could– I should’ve gone home.”

The girl shoots a quick glance in her direction, eyes widening at the way Joohyun’s bare thighs press together in her line of sight. She gulps and flutters a few blinks, shifting her attention back to the glass and sponge. “It– it wasn’t safe so late, even for a cab. It’s fine though,” she quickly adds, “Seul’s bus only arrives this evening, and Yerimie texted this morning saying she ate through Saeron’s fridge so she’s coming home tonight. So it wasn’t like you were intruding or anything.”

Joohyun suppresses a slight grin at the girl’s rosy ears. She plucks a freshly rinsed glass from Seungwan’s slippery grip.

“How do you get these so sparkly, Wan?” She inspects it like an artefact, completely changing the pace and throwing the junior off guard. “You could sell this to a museum, I bet.” 

“I’m a barista, remember? It’s kinda the other third of my job.” Seungwan chuckles at the thought of her scratched up Ikea glasses in glass displays of their own, with fanatics fawning and taking pictures. 

She racks the last glass and dries her hands. “Come on, unnie. We’re running a bit late. I know you can’t function without your caffeine so it’ll have to be campus coffee today.”

Joohyun’s eyes double in size and she claps. “Really? Wow I love that–”

Seungwan whips around to narrow her eyes.

“–you’re willing to lower your standards for me.” 

“Thought so.”

. . . . .

[1:00 p.m] Son Seungwan stares at her strawberry-cream sandwich as her brain flicks through memories of last night. 

. . . . . 

“Yah,” Yerim fakes a punch right at Seungwan’s face, immediately flinging the girl from her spiraling thoughts. “Hell-o? Son Seung-wan re-port to base im-me-di-ate-ly,” she announces robotically, mimicking speaking into a walkie talkie. 

“Huh? Yerimie?”

Yerim rolls her eyes. “ Finally. You good? You’ve been spaced out since lit this morning.”

She doesn’t get to ask why she saw her and Joohyun stumbling in through the fire exit twenty minutes late before three people– including the very person in question– are making their way over to the table.

Two trays set down on either side of Seungwan and one beside Yerim. They try not to drool at the sight of the fancy dishes; grilled beef simmered in sukiyaki broth, steaming chicken curry rice, golden-brown battered tempura udon accompanied by side snacks like cubed fruit and matcha ice cream. And don’t even start on the cream-topped, sprinkled drinks.

Because of the sheer number of study sessions they’ve organised, both parties quickly became more comfortable around each other.

“Hello,” Jennie greets while finding the perfect angle to Instagram her lunch. “You were gone a while Yerim-ah. Did you miss us?”

“Pshh, as if.” The girl tries to sound nonchalant but the excitement in her eyes is impossible to mask.

“Sure, kid,” Jennie smirks, and Yerim immediately breaks the fluster building inside her with that stupid bus joke Seungwan’s heard a thousand times. 

Still, it gets the laughter pouring in.

Seungwan is internally awe-stricken. Yerimie is a freaking natural.

The table dissolves into mundane chatter, everyone eager to catch up with what each other’s done over the long weekend. Movies are discussed, restaurants are rated and stories are exchanged. 

The voices fade into background noise that eventually falls right back as Seungwan starts to wonder things. Silly things. 

From across her, she follows Joohyun’s steady hand, deftly gripping the springy udon between chopsticks and masterfully twirling them into the spoon for the perfect mouthful. She remembers that fist punching Lucas in the nose, remembers the lipstick bruises staining sharp knuckles, and then she wonders if that’s the first time something’s ever made her physically violent. 

Then her gaze discreetly travels to Joohyun’s lips as she chews. Seungwan wonders the worst thing that has ever come from a mouth as pretty as hers. She wonders if she knows that she tightens the clamp around her bruised heart every time she calls her ‘Wan’, wants to know what it’d feel like to–

“Um, Seungwan?”

The poor kid is only just now realising her daydream is sitting right across her, talking to her roommate and best friend. “You’re right. She’s really spaced out today, huh.” She aims a coy smile at a hapless Seungwan, watching as rouge scribbles across those milky cheeks. “Is something wrong, Seungwan?”

“No, no! I’m fine!” she laughs, nibbling on the corner of her sandwich. “I’m just a little tired I guess.”

“Duh,” Sooyoung casually blurts. “Who knows what time you guys ended up sleeping last night.” 

Jennie flinches to interject with some random statement to shut her the hell up but the cat’s already out of the bag.

“I’m sorry, what?!” Yerim cocks her head so hard she looks like a right-angle ruler. Jennie sighs at their idiot friend. Joohyun stays silent but her eyes twinkle mischievously, chin poised on an open palm. 

Seungwan can’t breathe, she can’t look away, and she can’t move to help Yerim pick her jaw off the ground.

She can’t process any of it.

Not when Joohyun looks that pretty just… being.

. . . . . 

[7:00 p.m] Seulgi barges in and immediately starts handing out little freebies and trinkets she’d acquired from her weekend dance trip. Her roommates are smitten with studio keychains, logo-embroidered plush face towels and a singular roll of toe-wrap tape.

. . . . .

“Wan-ah, what the heck? She spent the night?” Seulgi frantically points at the now cluttered sofa. “On that?” 

Yerim nods solemnly, putting on her best betrayed expression. “And I heard it from Sooyoung unnie. The betrayal is real right now.”

The dancer perks up slightly. “Sooyoungie? How is she?”

The youngest laughs. “Right, how could I forget you guys are practically dating right now. ”

Seungwan reassures her with a pat on the back and a sly wink. “She’s fine, Seul. Miss her much?” 

The girl hastily splutters a denial but the dust of pink settled in her cheeks tells quite a different story.

Yerim gets them back on track, waving a towel between her two friends’ faces. “Hello, Joohyun unnie plus Seungwan unnie? In the same room? Unattended?”

Seungwan gives up with tantrum legs kicking into the air to relieve the embarrassing heat in her face. “Ahh, it was nothing!!!” 

“Wan, there are four Hite bottles in the dishrack and it was nothing??” Seulgi asks suspiciously. “Does she know that?” 

#red velvet #wenrene #wendy #irene #sorry it took so long #idek who's here even

[pl-panda]

The vines that bind us - Chapter 2

Chapter 1 || Next

-----

Until a trip to Gotham came knocking on the front doors

“I can’t believe Lie-la of all people managed to somehow get us the trip to Gotham!” Mari moaned with a mixed expression on her face.

Adrien, who was walking next to them, showed absolute disgust. “Technically, It was my father and I that did the heavy lifting. She really wanted to go to the Wayne Gala and…”

“What Lie-la wants, Lie-la gets.” The three finished in unison before laughing a bit. 

“Don’t worry Mari-bear. I can promise you that this no good liar won’t get to ruin your return home.” Chloe pulled her best friend closer. Best friend. Much better than a servant. Who would’ve thought? “And we can even try to find your mom on free Saturday.”

“Yeah…” The girl with black-blue hair didn’t seem particularly cheerful at that. 

“Now I refuse to have you making sad faces throughout the whole flight. You cheer up right this moment and that’s an order!” The blonde commanded. 

“Yes, Maman-bear.” Mari giggled.

The three of them finally arrived at the rest of the class, who were already gathered around madame Bustier. Of course, Lila was bragging about a million different things, but the three paid her no mind. Adrien did his best to hide behind the girls, cherishing the last moments of freedom. Finally, Mari and Chloe had to step forward for their tickets. The blonde got hers without any problem, but for Mari there turned out to be none.

“I’m so so sorry Marinette!” Lila said with fake regret. “I must have accidentally miscounted the number of students… It must’ve been when I was helping those poor orphans. You know, at…”

“Sure…” Mari didn’t even try to act as if she believed her for a moment. When Lila scowled, realizing that it didn’t affect the girl, she smiled. “I guess Chlo, Adrien and I will have to go with the contingency plan number 1.” 

“What?!” The sausage-hair shouted.

“Of course my Daddy would not send us to travel like peasants. We have tickets for the first class.” Chloe supplied, looking smugly. “We did plan to maybe sit with the rest of the class. What a shame…”

“Yeah, My dad also didn’t want me to travel anything less, but I convinced him to let me stay with my friends. Guess he will get what he wanted in the end.” For his part, Adrien at least tried to look apologetic. He didn’t try hard at all, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

“But… But…” Lila tried to come up with something, likely a lie, to counter it. She didn’t have time as the trio handed their teacher the filled forms from their parents/guardians/Nathalie and proceeded to the plane. The tickets were personal, so she couldn’t do anything. The Italian girl came up with a lie to tell to the class, but it would do no good until they landed. 

--------

“Did you see her face?” Plagg was rolling in the air while holding a giant roll of camembert. 

“You were amazing my queen.” Pollen complimented. 

“I still can’t believe your dad just… bought out the whole first class!” Marinette sighed. 

“Phi! Daddy always gives me only the best. You should know it by now, Mari-bear.”

“Okay. Mari. You are the Gotham expert here. Any advice?” Adrien asked a bit more seriously. 

“Gotham survival guide is probably unlike any other city.” She started. “The first rule is, believe it or not, run away if a person laughs too much or smiles too widely. The downside of living in the same city as the Joker is that most people don’t laugh in public. Secondly, never show that you are lost. Wherever you are, it’s exactly where you wanted to be. Finally, the third is to never flaunt your wealth.” She looked critically at Chloe before taking away her purse and lipstick in a golden case. “This,” She then pulled a mobile phone in a ridiculously sparkly case and popped it out of the cover, “this,” finally, she detached the golden chain on which the purse was supposed to be suspended and replaced it with a pre-prepared white one with copper clips, “and this must all go away.” 

“Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous! Now it will totally clash with my comb!” Chloe complained.

“Oh no! How will you ever survive that?” Mari deadpanned. All three of them had another burst of laughter. After they calmed, Adrien started.

“Do you think it’s wrong that I want to bet which rule will Lila break first?”

“Ten macaroons she will say out-loud about money.” Mari threw. 

“I raise, four tea parties she will start by asking for direction.” Chloe had a grin on her face

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked. When the blonde nodded, he shrugged. “Movie night and double popcorn bowl refill that she will do both in one conversation.”

“Hi, could you be so kind to point me to my exclusive hotel? You know, I’m staying at the penthouse of this luxurious new one.” Mari gave a quite good parody of Lilia. 

“So to sum up, the pool is now ten Macaroons, Four Tea parties, and movie night with triple popcorn?” Chloe asked. When they nodded, she quickly noted it on her phone. 

“Now, who wants a movie? I think they have the newest Thomas Astruck one.” Adrien pulled a disc from the container next to his seat.

“Good for me!/Go!” The girls said. Chloe, who was in the middle loaded it and the other two leaned onto her to watch together. The three were happy. Faintly in the background, there was knocking on the doors to their part, but nobody paid attention to very angry Liela and some classmates. For some reason, the doors were stuck and the blinder rolled down. Later if someone asked, Pollen would deny everything. 

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

When the plane landed, the class was practically kicked out. The team walked calmly down the stairs, all of them having smug expressions. Lila wanted to comment, but a glare from Mme. Bustier shut her up quickly. Mari and co. would later try to guess, what got the crew so pissed at their classmates.

Once everyone was accounted for, the class made its way to the customs to retrieve their luggage. There was a small problem with Mari’s travel bag as it was apparently misplaced to the flight to Timbuktu, but luckily her true suitcase, which had her things inside, arrived safely. She giggled at the thought of custom office in Timbuktu receiving a bag full of Adrien’s old socks that smelled camembert. 

Overall, the airport went mostly unproblematic. At least until they found themselves cleared and gathered in one place while Mme Bustier left to check on their bus. One of the men, wearing a dark blue suit started to laugh almost maniacally. Everybody immediately cleared away from him, out of sheer self-preservation. Lila must’ve decided that a show of kindness was a good way to regain class’ good grace. She was confidently approaching the man before suddenly Mari grabbed her and pulled her away. The designer might’ve despised the liar, but Joker… you don’t mess with Joker. 

Of course, Lila used the chance. She faked falling on the ground and started crying crocodile tears. “Marinette?! How can you be so heartless? I wanted *sniff* to check on the man and you trip me?” Lila sniffled, eyes watering with crocodile tears.

“I might have saved your life genius!” Mari snapped. Joker was a really touchy subject with her. “Does the world Killer Clown mean something?”

“Don’t invent things, you bully!” Alya shouted. That seemed to break the dam and at once the class started to say awful things to Mari. A year ago, it would hurt her. Half a year ago, she would be sad. Now? Now she pitied them. Chloe didn’t, and she was ready to jump to protect her best friend. 

“Ridiculous! Do you like… share a single brain cell? What if that man was…” she didn’t get to finish because Mme. Bustier returned. The commotion immediately calmed. By now the man stopped laughing and returned to talking with his friends.

“The bus is waiting. Come on children. Follow me.”

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

Arriving at the hotel, the class was split into different rooms. Of course, Lila tried to lie her way into some privilege, but Mari was too dead inside to care. The Jet Lag was killing her. At least she got some sleep on the plane. From the rumors she heard from the class, they didn’t because of Lila’s drama with the staff. 

“Now I want you all to be ready here at eight a.m. sharp. A Wayne Enterprises representative will come here to explain the details of internships.” Mme. Bustier instructed them. This, for some reason, caused outrage in students.

“What do you mean internships?!”

“Wayne Enterprises?”

“Shouldn’t we be preparing to go to Gotham Academy or something?”

The terrible trio in the back had trouble holding back laugher. Adrien warned the girls about what his father planned, so they could all prepare. Gabriel Agreste, devious as he is, decided to punish Lila and teach Adrien something about running a company at the same time and using his connections to put the class up for an internship at WE. He did send the liar all the details, but she must have skimmed over the corporate jargon because the class was fed overexaggerated stories about what they would and wouldn’t do during two months trip. 

Most parents were more than happy to send their children away from Paris for two months, especially since the Internship was free and the employment rate after it was quite high. WE kept quite a lot of the interns, if only out of habit. But perhaps it was mostly because the class has become a go-to place for the Akuma. Only Mr. Pidgeon and perhaps Gigantitan were akumatized more often. Mari actually picked up to cleansing their class weekly through a ritual she learned, otherwise there would be enough residual dark energy to power a demon portal. Not something one would want in the middle of a classroom.

“I was told you’ve all read the brochure provided and Lila summarised it for you.”

“I did!” The sausage hair defended. “Marinette must have told them some imaginary story about the trip!”

Immediately, several other people started to nod and confirm this. Chloe actually started to walk toward the liar almost red, but Mari grabbed the back of her blazer and held her in place. All the while she had a completely deadpan expression like it was normal for her (it was).

Mme. Bustier sighed. “Well, In that case, I will…”

“Excuse me, but shouldn’t we be going to sleep today already? We don’t want to be late tomorrow.” Adrien asked with an innocent expression, but there was some satisfaction hidden there too.

“Well… um… I…”

“We will be going then.” Chloe grabbed the key and led Mari to their room. Calline didn’t even question it. She wanted a pay raise after this. 

-----------

The next morning, Mari was woken by a frantic Chloe

“Mari-bear! It’s already late! You don’t want to be late for your first day of Internship girl! It would be utterly Ridiculous!” 

At first, the girl mumbled something, but once she finally processed everything she leaped out of her bed and started getting ready in record time. She was brushing her teeth, packing her purse, and tossing clothes at her best friend all at once. Once she had everything, she turned to see Chloe on the ground tied with a gray blazer. Mari just burst out laughing.

“How…”

“Ridiculous!” Chloe shook her head. “I demand you untie me this instant! We don’t have time for this!”

Once they dressed and did their hair, both girls were ready. Chloe now had a black button-down shirt, deep red blazer, and a matching pencil skirt. Mari also made her wear smart black stilettos (instead of her usual that were slightly more extravagant). The look was completed by a tablet in leather flip-over cover. Mari had a similar outfit, except her shirt was white and the suit was in dark blue. She opted for flat shoes to spare the embarrassment that was Marigold on heels.

“Ready to rock Gotham City?”

“Like you have to ask.” Mari smiled. There was something about the city of crime that made her feel safe and open up more. Maybe being on home turf gave her the much-needed confidence boost. 

When Chloe tried to open the doors, she found them stuck. She was about to go on a rant about poor quality when Mari casually grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. There was a faint creaking sound as the mechanism gave.

“Um…”

“It must’ve been old,” Chloe said with a devious grin. “Nothing happened. Don’t you worry! I will deal with it.”

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

When the doors to the elevator opened and two girls strode into the lobby, their class was already pushing toward the exit. Adrien looked very much uncomfortable with Lila hanging off his arm, literally sinking her claws into him. He mouthed them a muted ‘later’. Alya stared at the girls with loathing. 

“Ah, you are here.” Mme. Bustier spoke. “Lila said…”

“Whatever.” Chloe dismissed their teacher. “Aren’t we in rush?” The blonde practically seethed the last word. 

“Yes, good to see that someone is responsible.” The teacher gave Mari a pointed look. Apparently, she still didn’t get over the fact that she resigned from the class rep position. 

“But…”

“Drop it. She is not worth it.” Chloe whispered. “Daddy will take care of that once we are done.”

Mari just nodded. She knew Chloe was preparing a lawsuit against the school, but their hands were tied until they graduated or Damocles could try and undermine it. Both girls knew that no adult would help them with the lawsuit beyond Chloe’s father signing whatever dotted line she asked him to. That man was more whipped than a fresh can of whipped cream. 

The ride to the WE was short and uneventful. Girls took up to gossiping in English, effectively limiting any eavesdropping. Mari spent most of the time tearing down the outfits of all the villains. She started with Riddler, more as a joke than actual rant, but then she somehow got onto this new guy Anarky. From there, she just kept on, smoothly sailing from one to the next. Even her mom got some shots. Mari still couldn’t stand how skimpy it was. Her rant carried over when they exited the bus and entered the WE. Security led them to a conference room, where they were told to take seats. 

Mari guessed that it wouldn’t be Lila if she didn’t immediately start sputtering lies about how well she knew the building already because of her Damiboo giving her private tours (All while clutching Adrien like a leech). She didn’t have enough ducks left to give to try to expose Lila about several facts. Such as that Damian Wayne definitely wasn’t living with Bruce when he was five. Any Gothamite could tell her that. Bored, she returned to her rant. 

She was nearing the end of the list and was very much engaged in complimenting Harley Queen for her recent change in wardrobe. She still considered it a disaster, but at least it was somehow human. 

“Ekhm…” A voice broke her out of the rant. “Good morning. My name is Richard Grayson. You are the french class chosen for the internship program, correct?” When people nodded, he continued. Idly, Mari noted that Alya and Lila stiffened and suddenly stopped talking at all. “We reviewed the individual profiles and appointed each of you a mentor that will help you settle into your roles. As I read the names, please come forward so I can update your badges. Do carry them on your person all the time or we will have to take you to our human cloning facility.”

People stared at him. 

“Okaaay… That’s that about jokes…” He sighed. “The rules will be explained by individual departments. Now, who’s up for a tour?” 

People started to cheer at that and Dick smiled. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad?

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

It was that bad. Even worse. He knew from the background check that the class was both insanely talented… and borderline criminal. It was like someone de-aged the Rogues and put them in one class. The report called them Akuma class, which (if google is to be believed) meant demons. He questioned how they got accepted into the internship. 

They only toured two floors when Dick wanted to tear half of them to shreds. He noted immediately that they were bullying the girl with black (slightly blue? Maybe it was dyed?) hair. What surprised him was that the teacher didn’t react. If he was to be honest, the girl and her friend slightly irritated him too. They kept talking and seemed to ignore him. It was not because they kept tearing down each and every bats’ fashion choices. Definitely not that. When they brought up Discowing he had enough. 

“Ekhm. Excuse me, girls,” he stared at them. Both immediately stopped talking and looked at him. “Could you pay attention? I wouldn’t want any of you to waste your internship lost on our maze-testing floor.”

“There is no maze-testing floor in this building.” The blonde pointed out.

“And besides, we memorized all you’ve said.”

“Care to recall?” He heard several people groan at his pun.

“The first floor is most representative, where guests are welcome and low-level meetings happen. There is a separate kitchen for employers there that is always fresh on fruits. Don’t use the coffee machine there as it was only patched up and there is a high chance it will set itself on fire again. The…”

“Fine. You’re good. Still, I don’t appreciate the chatter.”

“They are always trouble!” A girl in bright pink colors shouted. 

“Yeah! Why do you have to ruin this trip for Lila!?”

“You’re just jealous of her boyfriend!”

More voices like this came from the crowd of kids. Dick started to feel bad that he singled the girls out. It definitely gave the class a reason to gang up on them. And the teacher still did nothing! He sighed. What did HR think when they accepted them. He would have to look into it later.

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

Mari decided that she didn’t like Dick. Everyone in their class kept talking, but for some reason, he singled them out. For the rest of the trip, she made sure to pay as much attention as she could. There was this silent determination on her face. Chloe wisely also kept silent. 

After the trip class was led back to the conference room where another employer handed out the identificators and folders containing their assignments. 

“Keep the IDs on you at all times. As opposed to the ones you received, this won’t expire and are synched with your jobs, so you will have access to anything you might need. They are also mandatory to receive lunch in our canteen. When you get acquainted with your tasks, you can go to the level specified at the end of sheet one. Your mentor will meet you there.” With that, he left. Dick really needed to do some in-depth research on this class. Something kept icking his detective sense.

“Well, I’m going to the law department. Apparently whoever made the assignments knew my well.” Chloe bragged to her friend after opening the folder. 

Timidly, Mari also opened her folder. She skimmed over what was inside and groaned. “Apparently, I’m interning as personal assistant to one Tim Drake.”

“They actually assigned you to the sleep-deprived coffee addict?” Chloe asked in disbelief.

“You know him?” She asked in surprise

“He and his brother ruined my daddy’s parties two years ago. They got into an argument that ended up with them wrestling over a cake. It took me weeks to get the cake out of my hair! Weeks!” The blonde summarized.

“oh…” Mari tried to hold back the giggles.

“Don’t laugh! It’s a serious matter! Do you have any idea how much work it takes to have such a perfect hair?!”

“Of course… cakehead.” The girl couldn’t stop herself.

“Ugh, you… you… plant leg.” Chloe said.

“Really?” Mari raised an eyebrow. “That’s the best you can come with?”

“Well, I usually have better things to do than thinking about good insults.” Still, Chloe hugged her best friend. “Be careful. I wouldn’t put it past The Liar to try and sabotage you somehow.”

“I’ll be careful. Wish me luck.”

-----

The elevator took Mari all the way to the highest floor. When the doors opened, she stepped int a large room with one desk. As soon as the doors closed, the woman who was standing there rushed toward her. The girl tensed for a moment but she reminded herself that there is no real threat.

“Oh finally! I was asking them to hire someone else for months!” She had a messed bun of red hair on her head and looked like she didn’t sleep in a week.

“But… I’m just an intern madame!” Mari tried to explain.

“An intern?” The woman paused her packing and stared at the girl with wide eyes.

“Um… Madame Sarah Jackson?” 

“Yes. An intern…” She said in a disappointed voice to herself. “Ah! That’s no problem at all!” She started to tap on her Waynetech Tablet and after a moment she smiled. “There! You’re hired!”

“Wha…?!” Mari shouted, but was interrupted when Sarah pushed the tablet into her hand, followed by a large box full of documents and a small mug with a coffee bean pointing a gun at the reader and words ‘Your Coffee or your life!’.

“They are your problem now! Everything you need is in the box. I left detail about ongoing stuff and whatever you might need. Don’t call. I’m outta here!” She shouted before grabbing her personal belonging and leaping into the elevator.

“But…! But…!?” Mari shouted after the closing doors. She could hear a cheerful shout as the elevator left the level. 

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#maribat #miraculous ladybug #maribat au #miraculous lb #batman #dc #mlb x dc #Marigold AU #Mother!Ivy