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#he doesn’t have that much development in the live action? other than his oh shit moment during syrup village
hadideedee · 8 months
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I may be a bit insufferable because. OOOH BOY do I have a lot of thoughts about some of the choices made in the live action. Thoughts that I actually want to write out and share. Especially concerning Usopp… For now I need to fully process what I just watched and then watch through it again!
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jaegonsmoon · 1 year
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Soooooo instead of taking his eye luke bit aemonds mating gland 😂 which makes the family fight at driftmark 100 times more awkward and everyone just trying to make it about politics but it’s really about a school yard crush that got out of hand
oh oh!!! but imagine.
Imagine if they hadn’t presented yet, and they’re already bonded by accident. So it’s a waiting game.
It goes like this; people who are meant to be alpha/omega are born with scent glands, they, however don’t activate until they present in their teens. People who are born without them are more likely to be betas, but they could also be late bloomers and develop them later. That being said:
The boys are bonded, but they’re children still so they don’t know who will be the alpha and who will be the omega. (there’s a small possibility of both being alphas or omegas, but it’s unusual for the bites to take if they’re, esp since they haven’t presented).
Aemond grows obsessed with the idea that he will be an alpha, and he will make Lucerys pay when they’re grown and Luke gets to be his omega. Alicent encourages this behavior, naturally, she’s the one that starts it in the first place. Aemond grows to be as he is, skilled and vicious. And then one day the news arrive:
Lucerys Velaryon has presented as an alpha.
And Aemond’s world shatters. He hasn’t presented yet and he’s older than the boy, but it is obvious what’s left for him. Sooner or later he will present as a fucking omega. That only serves to make him throw himself into training because he will match an alpha’s strength wether anyone likes it or not. Especially Lucerys. He refuses to bend into the will of an omega’s biology and an alpha’s will. Plus, however small, there’s still a chance he will present as alpha as well. It’s uncommon, but not unheard of. Especially among Targaryens.
By the time Lucerys celebrates his seventeenth name day, Aemond is nineteen and he still haven’t presented as anything, to the frustration of everyone involved. He hasn’t seen Lucerys since the incident, he doesn’t know anything about him. They don’t care. Lucerys was sent to Driftmark the moment be presented to start his diplomatic training as future Lord of the Tides. He stated in one of his letters to the crown that he is in no rush for an omega and that his mate’s late blooming does not affect him so. Easy for him to say. Aemond is suffering his mother and grandfather’s incessant complaints, as if he has a fucking say in the actions of his biological nature. Sometimes he secretly wishes it happens already so he can leave this wretched place behind. It is short-lived, he knows not of what his mind idles him with. Nothing can be worse than being Lucerys Velaryon’s omega.
It is on a random day when all goes to shit. He gets up that morning, break his fast with something light and makes his way to the training yard like any other day. What he doesn’t, for the love of him, expect is to see what’s going down in there. He sees Ser Cole training with someone, he has his back to Aemond, but the first thing Aemond notices is how he wields his sword. He’s good and fast in his movements. His sword doesn’t look too heavy which works for his advantage. The second thing he notices is the mop of dark brown curls that swing on the man’s head every time he evades Cole’s blows; and that makes him pause. Ser Criston soon enough is on his back on the muddy floor, the sharp edge of a sword pointing at his chest. Tension filled seconds pass and he yields. There’s cheers around them but Aemond hears them farther than they are, everything is a blur around him because he only has eyes for the boy who just turned and is now looking at him with a lopsided smile.
“Uncle. Have you come to train?” Oh.
Oh. Lucerys Velaryon has grown nicely, indeed. His features haven’t changed much, he still sports that boyish look on his face that makes him look quite soft for an alpha. But he’s gotten a bit broader and taller. He’s almost as tall as Aemond now—if not the same height. Aemond just stands there, wondering why he’s not able to make a move, why he’s not lashing out like he dreamed of awake many nights since his nephew bit him and accidentally bonded them together.
He can suddenly feel him and it’s too much. He’s got to go. He needs to get out of there, fast. But it’s too late, because that’s when it happens. Lucerys’ smile drops and is replaced by a worried frown—then all of a sudden he’s taking Aemond’s arm and dragging him away from the yard.
“What—” He tries to protest, but can’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t understand what the fuck is wrong with him right now, he feels dizzy and warm.
“You’re going into heat,” Lucerys mumbles discreetly close to his ear and Aemond’s entire body shudders.
No.
No. This can’t be fucking happening to him.
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tuiyla · 2 years
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Your post about the You're Having My Baby moment made me remember how Kurt was directly involved with that which is my least favorite Kurt moment. If the Glee writers gave a shit about continuity and their characters, Kurt would have immediately regretted egging Finn on after realizing the consequences and apologized to Quinn. I also think should have invited Quinn to stay with him and Burt. Then Quinn could've had an organic seasons-long friendship with Kurt and Mercedes that had time to develop.
And the best part of this scenario would be Quinn could be angry at Finn because she wouldn't be relying on him for shelter anymore. I doubt the writers actually considered why Quinn wouldn't be angry towards Finn for that stunt because in their minds Finn could do no wrong and she was lying about the paternity so she had it coming. But it still makes sense that her being reliant on him completely right after he blew up her life would make it hard for her to deal with her feelings. Plus, she felt guilty about lying to Finn so she probably figured she deserved it. But I think in a different environment with a solid support system (Kurtcedes) she would have been able to let herself be angry and upset about it. Anyway, I definitely agree that Finn should've faced consequences for that dumbass stunt and I honestly think it was unrealistic that Kurt didn't feel guilty about using Quinn as a pawn to get to Finn. The other things he did (Rachel's makeover and introducing Barole) were minor and positive in comparison, but enabling Finn to ruin Quinn's life was a step too far and seeing the consequences in action definitely would've had an effect. As a gay teen in a conservative town with a masculine dad, I'm sure Kurt worried about ending up homeless before he came out, and playing a part in that happening to someone else would definitely mess him up.
Just to be clear, I don't think Kurt is as responsible for what happened as Finn. Kurt egged him on but Finn made the decision to do what he did. Finn should 100% have been held responsible for being an idiot who casually fucks up people's lives. I just think that the way things played out also did a disservice to Kurt's character because he showed no reaction to learning that something he helped facilitate led to his classmate losing her home and family.
Very sorry I'm only getting to this now but first off, thanks for all these thoughts! I was in fact hoping someone would wanna talk about You're Having My Baby haha.
I’m glad you bring Kurt’s part in it up because I think it’s my least favourite thing he’s ever done. One of the things I hated the most in this episode is how we’re pretending this is Finn’s truth to tell and that it’s good he got it off his chest. And Kurt was much more aware of the consequences than Finn and still egged him on. Something, ANYTHING from him after Quinn gets disowned as a result would have been nice. Oh to have had a Kuinn friendship. Especially because his comments about Quinn are again my least favourite parts of season 1 Kurt. I like that he’s flawed but let’s portray this whole situation as a flaw, too.
You know what the issue is, is that the show treats this as Finn’s storyline. The whole damn pregnancy in season 1A is about Finn, Will, Puck, Terri, and THEN about Quinn. Fucking ridiculous. And so you have things like Ballad, where Quinn’s suffering is secondary, her parents were bound to find out. Judy already knew by the time Finn started singing. But the thing that absolutely disgusts me is that it wasn’t Finn’s truth to tell. Quinn having lied to him doesn’t justify it and fuck Glee for never acknowledging how fucked up this was. Quinn was traumatized for life but I guess Finn felt lighter after having told the Fabrays so happy fucking days. I hate him.
But anyway, back to Kurt. Kuinncedes as a friendship trio would have made so much sense and could have developed so organically in season 1. I think it would have been so good for Kurt to be allowed to have that moment of realization and reach out. If only Glee viewed Quinn’s pain as valid. And yes, please allow her to be angry! She was so helpless from that moment on until she moved in with Mercedes. Having Kurt be a part of that storyline, especially because they had him get involved already in Ballad would really round it out. But again, the show doesn’t care about Quinn’s story. Boggles the mind that people think Quinn’s story was done well in season 1 but that’s a convo for another day.
So true about Kurt having a unique point of reference and feeling of empathy, too. Sure, Burt ended up being a thousand times better than Russell Fabray could ever be but Kurt still lived in fear for a while. In general I think it’s whack that Kurt is shown to be compassionate time and again but for some reason Kuinn interactions are almost always void of that. Whyyy Glee. I remember bringing up Kuinn a while back and annoying anons came out of the woodwork lol so maybe I won’t revive that conversation but suffice to say I’m really fucking mad at their 3x14 convo. It doesn’t represent either of them well and what they could have been.
At the end of the day, 100%, it was Finn’s fault and his stupid ass never faced any consequences so he just kept ignoring people’s agency and doing whatever the fuck he wanted while ruining lives. But I am glad you brought this up because it’s a super uncomfortable part of the story that Kurt knowingly egged him on and never had a moment of reflection after Quinn literally lost her home as a result. I don’t think what he did was necessarily a disservice because it’s a good flawed moment, very calculative and emblematic of his Slytherin self which shines the most in season 1. But I also agree that not having a moment of reflection did do him a disservice. Let Finn be the ass that he is, whatever, but not having even Kurt realize the weight of this clearly communicated that the narrative didn’t give two shits about Quinn. I could scream endlessly about how messed up this is.
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post that inspired this is a house md post….. but i kind of went on talking and that’s how it ends… anyway
this shit lives in my head rent free cause i always felt like both house and wilson feel relatable in very different ways and like
wilson reminds me of the couple of years where i had this massive saviour complex (probably some self esteem thing? edit: now that i think of it, it might’ve been my way of coping with loneliness and being the “weird and annoying kid to my peers and others) aaand all that yeah
and then at one point i realised how i didn’t feel genuine empathy most of the time and more often than not did things for people with no actual reasoning! just people pleasing for the sake of it, again probably loneliness
and then i burned myself out cause i’m not sure a 12 yo kid should’ve been out there convincing people not to commit! (and that’s on unrestricted internet access i guess…) but keeping talking to them even though it was mentally draining because what else is for me out there?
so yeah i kind of used these people and dropped them once i realised im exhausted and burned out
and i feel so horrible about it
but i can’t help and make myself go back to these people because it’s just… we don’t have anything in common
and a lot of people i don’t talk to anymore i lost solely because i went from talking to and helping everybody to trying to desperately rescue myself (unable to set boundaries - victim of my own people pleasing) and cutting myself off from nearly anyone who tried to get close because if we got close i know i would have to be the shoulder to cry on and that simply didn’t benefit me?? like it feels bad to say out loud but yeah- a lot of the time it feels counterproductive? i mean in cases where im able to help- sure go on and i’ll try my best
but a lot of the time im helpless and it’s frustrating
because deep down im always blaming myself for the fact that i don’t know what to say and i hate that feeling
and i never really learned the concept of simple, compassionate silence
and there’s only one person that i know understands me in the regard of compassionate silence and im comfortable with comforting and listening to
because even though i know i can’t help i know it’s okay
sure maybe im not hyperempathetic and will probably go on with my day shortly after
but in this moment where we are talking i’m fully there and there IS an inkling of genuine empathy
it’s just never very permanent
and i’m still kind of wrestling with this concept because sometimes i just think “okay, i’m doing something, i’ll respond later” even though i saw they texted me saying they feel shitty and at one point i realised that i do this to avoid “being the shoulder” when i don’t feel like it
and it’s a very shitty way to treat a friend isn’t it?
and it’s not their fault and i’m glad they talk about their problems to me because hell i’m glad we can trust each other and they genuinely feel like a younger sibling to me
i would say “a younger sibling i’ve never had!” but it would be a lie because i do have a younger brother with whom i more or less consciously ruined my relationship with - mostly due to my anger issues (especially prominent when i was just slowly but steadily going downhill
but at some points talking to them feels like a chance to “finally get it right” after i fucked up and it makes me very happy!
and at the same time i know i want to fix the relationship with my brother but hes in an odd age
when i was this age i was a bit different, more “””“mature”””” and yeah
but it seems he doesn’t fully comprehend how much i fucked up his childhood
and im not sure when is the right time to bring this up
when i can apologise
he doesn’t have to forgive me
he can hate me and blame me
and i can take that
but i can’t take my own guilt which stems from the realisation ‘oh fuck, my actions have consequences, he’s a child and what i say and do now could make or break him when developing’ and the uncertainty whether i should expect forgiveness or not
because as i said
he can despise me out loud completely
and i would take it a thousandfold over this uncertainty
because i want to apologise and try my best RIGHT!! NOW!! and i am trying to be better for him, for everyone
and now i’m trying not to be insensitive to anyone whether it be by a slight raise of voice cause i’m frustrated or by a dumb joke that i think is funny but COULD POSSIBLY be mean and i’m overthinking and i need a lot of reassurance and i feel so dumb and-
basically people define empathy as “being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes” and i sometimes do that too much
but other times i just find it inconvenient so i simply ~don’t~
and i don’t know what to think of that
i don’t know what my relationship with myself and everyone else is because everything is so undefined?
and i keep on learning about more and more undefined concepts nothing regarding humans is 1 and 0 and it’s great! i love the freedom it gives me regarding my gender expression or attraction and all that! it’s wonderful and i love it
but at the same time i like labels and precise words and i like to know what i am
and i don’t
because there’s no word for “empathetic at one time and straight up ignorant at the other” and there’s no justice in that and there’s no word and it’s very confusing and i hate it because im not something i can label!!!!
and a new way of labelling myself would be finding a character and going “wow this is literally so me” but i don’t think there’s such character! and that’s like normal cause people have so many different traits and they mix and all that AND at the same time i don’t want to think i’m “special” cause that could go downhill real quick !! cause i’m “a bit different” or at least WAS different as a child but i don’t want it to spiral into a “im better than others” and i know it could
and more importantly (?) i don’t want OTHERS to THINK im better than them
see even if i ACTUALLY thought myself better than others, i would deal with that, but the moment people DO think i have some weird superiority complex and i don’t want that!! i hate when people judge me when they don’t genuinely know me and there’s no way to broadcast who i am as a person to everyone
so yeah i’m a prisoner of my beholders perceptions and expectations (is that a fancy way of saying a people pleaser and a fucking doormat???)
sometimes i use weird long words and people think that i’m being a smartass and think i’m a snob(?)
but it’s just i WISHHHH i had something i can read and analyse and then label! and the short words never do it justice!! so then i can connect these longer words to myself and TRY to define myself but it feels impossible ! and it’s infuriating cause there’s no word that do justice to what i feel about myself and it’s so fucking scary because it’s like i don’t have ground under my legs
and rationally i know i don’t have to “know”
but i’m still scared
god damn it that was a long ramble i had from a random fucking post about house md
i love this show cause it makes me think and analyse a lot (i watched it more than a year ago and i think it altered my brain chemistry /hj) but i hate it cause it makes me go on long thoughtfully thoughtless rambles like these !!
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elysianslove · 3 years
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Which of the haikyuu men would enjoy getting choked the most? And which one should would prefer choking? I love your writing hehe
ugh this ASK. also thank u sm lovely <333 
warning; choking, breath play, degradation, humiliation 
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HAIKYUU MEN THAT PREFER CHOKING 
iwaizumi hajime
ugh first person that popped up in my head. loves to see his much larger hand wrapped so tight around your throat, gripping tightly enough to leave bruises. oh my god the bruises. just littering the sides of your neck. gorgeous. and he lives for both the feel of your breath hitching every time his hand comes around to choke you and how fucked out you always look. loves loves loves to choke you when in missionary, with your hips raised up, nearly bent in half as he leans over you. he keeps your upper body down with a tight hand around your throat— and the way you squirm so much and cry and beg for him,,, he’s a goner. 
miya atsumu
this bitch fucking loves it. if he discovers it’s your kink somehow, he’ll do it out of the blue mid-sex to stun you, and it’s the most satisfying feeling ever for him: the way your eyes widen and the feel of you clenching tightly around him. he just thinks you look so so so pretty with a hand wrapped around your throat!! also loves to snake it down to play with your nipples and chest. just. he lives to overstimulate you in every possible way. his favorite way to choke you is when he’s hitting it from the back, and he just lifts you up (possibly by your hair) and keeps your back pressed to his chest with a hand around your throat. ugh so sexy of him <3
tsukishima kei
omg... loves to humiliate the shit out of you. “this gets you off? you like it when i’m rough? dirty, dirty.” he makes you feel so awful about it, but that’s only outwardly. he can’t help but adore how perfectly your throat rests in his hands, the way you lean so leniently into his touch, how responsive you are, how braindead you get from just that one action. loves to choke you when you’re sitting spread out between his legs, a mirror preferably before you, one hand between your legs, toying with you, the other wrapped gently around your throat. he doesn’t need to have a tight hold to keep you in check after all :) 
suna rintarō 
oh my god this man does it all the time, during sex or not. you’re just standing and chatting with him and he has a hand wrapped around your throat endearingly, nodding to your words lightly, the slightest smile or smirk on his face. does it in pictures all!!! the time!!! does it when he’s pulling you in for a kiss too!! but his favorite would have to be when you’re sitting all pretty on his lap, riding him just so perfectly, rolling and grinding and swiveling your hips, and his cock’s filling you up so well, and his hand just travels along your chest, up to the base of your throat, smoothing his thumb along your neck and then you throw your head back!!! what a sight !!!!!!!!!! 
matsukawa issei 
are you kidding me??????? are you kidding me?????? this man. this man. his fingers are so long and thick and his hands are so big, and his fingers are always, always adorned with silver and black rings. when i say he loves to choke you, i mean he loves you to choke you, and in every possible way too. he loves to do it as he’s fucking into you, just grabbing your neck, gripping your throat tightly and just forcing you to tilt your head back and consequently arching your back into him and he just goes, “atta girl,” or something like that. but !!! he also just ,,, he makes you choke on his fingers basically, and the rings he wears are always glistening with your spit and he’s always grinning so wildly when you cough and gag ugh
bokuto kōtarō 
shit he loves it. LOVES IT. like grabbing your throat with both his hands and squeezing loves it. bokuto gets lost in his pleasure and seeing yours so easily that when it comes to choking, it’s instinctive. it always turns into breathplay and that led to a couple of ,,, not very nice incidents where you genuinely couldn’t breathe and had to wheeze out your safe word, but over time he started to get the hang of it!! and you in turn started to trust him more!! he just loves the sight and feel of pounding into you and bending you in half as he squeezes at your throat and derives you of oxygen. just that dependency on him. he lives for it. 
konoha akinori 
he teases, he teases so much. when he chokes you, it’s much more for show and for the idea of it than the actual action. like you get so obedient and fall so pliant for him the moment his hand just simply comes to rest around your throat that he never has to exert any strength into it. he just thinks you look so stunning like that, all for him. and he loves it when you personally grab his hand and bring it up to your neck, all bashful and shit it drives him insane he won’t be able to stop smirking at you ugh. 
sugawara kōshi 
this sadist shit knows what he’s doing when he chokes you, and the most infuriating part is he acts all innocent and clueless about it. if you ever ask him to choke you, he’ll pretend to not know shit as he brings his hand up around your throat, asking in a teasing voice with the cheekiest, most mischievous grin ever, “like this?” but he’s squeezing the sides of your throat so perfectly and resting his palm ever so gently and his hand fits so snug around your throat that there’s no way. there’s no way he doesn’t know what he’s doing. loves to talk shit and degrade the hell out of you in the most faux innocent way as he’s fucking you. just, “aw, poor baby wants me to be mean?” 
HONORARY MENTIONS; daichi sawamura, semi eita, akaashi keiji, kuroo tetsurō, kyōtani kentarō, aran ojirō, sakusa kiyoomi, meian shūgo, (possibly) kita shinsuke, shirabu kenjirō, (sometimes) satori tendō, timeskip!hinata shōyō
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HAIKYUU MEN THAT PREFER GETTING CHOKED 
miya osamu 
hear me out. osamu loves when you ride him, like it might be one of his favorite positions ever. everything about it is so perfect to him. and although he’s naturally more dominant in bed, having your hand slither up to rest around his throat is so. electrifying to him. especially if you’re even slightly smaller than him, specifically your hands!! like there’s no way you can actually dominate him but— it still feels like he’s in power, but he’s completely putty in your hands too. idk just choke this man he needs it <3 and !!! and he loves loves loves it like shivers up his spine loves it when you’re kissing him and cupping the back of his neck then one hand comes around to wrap around his throat to pull away from the kiss and push his head to tilt a little to suck at his neck he’s just. wow.
oikawa tōru 
he looks so, so, so fucking gorgeous with a hand wrapped around his throat. it doesn’t matter the position, he just always looks so good getting choked. like as he’s fucking into you from above, just grab him by his throat and pull him in for a searing kiss and he might just cum in that moment. or squeeze at his throat as you use it for leverage to bounce on his lap and watch his eyes roll to the back of his head. and !!! he’s huge on breathplay too (receiving and giving). he’s obsessed with how fuzzy his head gets from the lack of oxygen and always begs you to do it when he’s about to cum. he sounds and looks so fucking GORGEOUS pls im in love w him
kageyama tobio
i like mean kags, i like dominant, rough kags. but get this. shy kageyama. kageyama as a stuttering mess. kageyama who nearly cums in his pants when your hands wrap around his throat for the first time. i’d say that’s how he developed a choking kink, by letting you try it on him for the first few times. he fell in love with just. everything about it, from the feel to the concept itself, and eventually fell in love with the idea of choking you. but honestly, he much prefers your hands around his throat, even if he’s the one completely in control of everything. 
hanamaki takahiro 
he likes it because he’s a little shit that gets off of tormenting you. you’ll be choking him and he’s grinning up at you maniacally. he loves it of course; it genuinely does feel really good, both you squeezing so tight around him and your hands squeezing at his throat, but he loves annoying you about it even more. just grinning up at you the whole time as your ride him, or if he’s above you and your hands start to slip, he’s grabbing at your wrists and going, “ah, ah, ah,” like :| maybe you should kill him while you’re at it. but no he fucks harder when he’s getting choked so,,, maybe save the murder case for later 
goshiki tsutomu
idk i just wanna make him cry. he probably does cry when he gets too sensitive, but anyways he loses all coherence the moment you wrap your hands around his throat. his entire body goes limp and you have to fuck yourself onto him. his eyes are rolling back, all dewy and pretty, and his tongue is slipping out slightly and he’s drooling and his eyes start to cross with his cheeks all pink and streaked with tears and he’s trembling beneath you. ugh he’s so cute, please choke him more often. he’s in love with it. 
HONORARY MENTIONS; yamaguchi tadashi, kenma kozume (is very much a switch when it comes to choking though), lev haiba, koganegawa kanji 
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HAIKYUU MEN THAT CAN’T IMAGINE HURTING YOU 
aone takanobu, asahi azumane, kindaichi yūtarō, lev haiba, (pre-timeskip) hinata shōyō, yamamato taketora 
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HAIKYUU MEN THAT DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING
tanaka ryūnosuke, nishinoya yū, also haiba lev, sometimes ushijima wakatoshi, ginjima hitoshi 
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mara-xx217 · 3 years
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Pokes head
May I request Michael being a possessive daddy and fighting a killer who hurt his girlfriend ? It can be anyway you like 💙
Why of course you can~ This isn’t based in Dbd, but the normal world. Hope you don’t mind!
Possessive, Protective Mikey
You were like some sort of disease to Michael. Or, perhaps, a parasite was a better descriptor of how you affected him. You wormed your way into him, deep into his chest, right beside his cold, soulless heart. You made him… feel, regardless of what that actually meant, it was beyond unacceptable in his eyes. That warm, painful throbbing in his chest was more than distracting, it was nauseating, disturbing. Terrifying… In a sick, twisted, wrong way, you terrified the Shape of Haddonfield. Michael fucking Myers was absolutely terrified of a small, defenseless creature that was completely helpless against the evil and cruelty he wielded against the world. He should kill you a hundred thousand times over for this transgression! But… it wouldn’t make him feel any better. He only… feels more empty every time your cheeks are stained with tears. Cold. Dead. Michael would feel dead without you…
This isn’t the first time he’s caught someone hurting you. It’s happened many, many times over, and his reaction has ranged from blinded rage to searing hatred. Not just for the one harming you, but towards you, yourself. It was that lack of control that drove Michael insane. He couldn’t watch you 24/7, couldn’t always follow you around or know where you were at any given moment… It drove him fucking crazy, and he took that frustration out on not just the asshole unfortunate enough to have crossed paths with you, but onto you, as well.
But, even that was quickly losing its luster to him. Michael had thought that hurting you would bring him some sort of fulfillment, like it has always done in the past when he had hurt others. It never has, though. Sure, he’s lied to himself, trying desperately to convince himself that seeing you all small, all scared and teary-eyed brought him a measure of enjoyment, to have your blood on his hands, to have you groveling in terror before him- but it didn’t. It- He- Michael felt… not good, when that happened. You made him… stop to consider how his actions would affect you, and he hated that.
Michael despises that you’re a magnet for trouble. That you just can’t seem to stay the hell away from people that want to do you harm. Sure, he doesn’t mind killing them. Quite the opposite, in fact, he rather enjoys seeing them covered in their own blood, begging for their pathetic lives before he mercilessly snuffs them out. No, Michael hates that you get hurt in the first place. The only one that should ever have the right to put their hands on you was him! Him, and him alone. Anyone else would be destroyed.
Some wannabe serial killer punk had set his eyes on you. Luckily for you, Michael knew better than to leave you to your own devices, anymore. He caught the little bastard scoping out your home before you had any idea of the danger you were in. He’d make sure that, this time, he’d be in complete control of the situation. You won’t be hurt, but that idiot thinking that he can do as he pleases? He’s going to regret the day he was born…
Sitting in your kitchen, you drank what must be your fifth coffee of the night. Strange things were happening, and it left you unable and unwilling to sleep at night. Rustling outside your windows, the sound of someone possibly jimmying your doors and windows, looking for a possible way in… Muddy footprints on your porch and small, dead animals left on your door mat… It was becoming too much. You’re… pretty sure it wasn’t Michael. He did love to torment you, but this wasn't really his thing. He was much more… direct, with his approach to you. This… this was someone else…
Pinching the bridge of your nose, you rub your eyes, feeling them water involuntarily from how dry they were. Anxiously, you tap your fingers on the top of the counter, before sighing heavily and grabbing your coffee mug. You decided to make your way to the living room, thinking that some TV would help calm your nerves and get your mind off of things. Fuck, I’m exhausted… You thought bitterly as you crashed onto the couch, nearly spilling lukewarm coffee all over yourself.
Picking up the remote, you absentmindedly flipped through channels, not really wanting to watch anything. It was just something else to focus on, rather than the impending sense of dread that was washing over you. This feeling was one that you were well acquainted with: the feeling of being watched. Your heart was pounding in your chest and your palms were slick with sweat. Slowly, you sit up, clumsily placing your mug on the table in front of you. The hairs on your entire body stood on end. Something’s not right here…
As you begin to rise off the couch, a firm hand pushes you back down into a sitting position. Your heart jumped up into your throat. You’re very familiar with Michael’s hands, and the one still gripping your shoulder was much, much smaller than his… Short, shaky breaths escaped through your clenched teeth. Fuck..! Oh shit- Oh my God no no no-! You don’t dare to move, only stare straight ahead at nothing as your mind runs wild with possibilities. Who the hell is it?! How did they get in?! Why me?! Where the fuck is Michael when I fucking need him?!?
The intruder sucks in a deep breath, as though he’s about to say something, but instead yelps in surprise as he’s ripped away from you suddenly and violently. You gasp, shooting up and scrambling across the room, back peddling into an opposing corner. Curling in on yourself, you crumple onto the floor, watching the brutality unfolding before you through the cracks of your fingers.
Michael had thrown the intruder back, sending him crashing into a mostly bare bookshelf, breaking most of the shelves along with it. You cringe and jump, feeling your insides twist and revolt against you. Michael drops to the floor, straddling the winded, smaller man as he desperately tries to fight back. Vainly. It was laughable, really. The idiot didn’t stand a chance against the human incarnation of evil, itself.
Michael briefly debated on playing with his food. There was something about seeing them crawl and beg that really set him off, but when he glanced at you over his shoulder, in the fetal position and hyperventilating, he actually decided against it. It was getting under his skin seeing you like this, and the quicker this is… inconvenience is dealt with, the quicker things will be back to normal. Well, to Michael’s fucked up definition of the word “normal”, that is.
With a quick stab to the back of his neck, the intruder was killed. Normally, Michael would have painted the walls with this creep’s blood, but he decided that it would be too much of a pain in the ass to clean up. With a flick of his wrist, Michael twists and pulls out the blade, wiping the excess blood onto the back of his victim’s shirt. He looks back over to you, and sees you stiffen. His… Huh. His chest actually hurts…
With a heavy sigh, he stands, stepping over the dead body as he makes his way over to you. A major part of you was beyond terrified. Is he gonna hurt me..? Oh- Oh God..! I’m gonna- I’m- I’m gonna..! You were trembling, shaking so hard that your teeth were actually chattering audibly. Michael’s eye twitched. He was conflicted: one part of him loved that you were this scared of him, as you should be, but the other… the other hated it. He- Well, he wanted… something, but he just didn’t know what. Fingers twitching, he reached out to you, struggling to ignore how you froze as he slowly approached you.
You really thought that he was going to grab you by the hair and drag you off to the bedroom, so when his fingertips just barely brushed the top of your head, moving the hair from your face, you were, well… at a bit of a loss. Michael has never, ever been that gentle while touching you. Ever. You raise your head slightly, just enough so that you could see him. He still had that damn mask on, of course, and his body language hardly betrayed what he was thinking or feeling, but- You couldn’t deny that his fingers were trembling ever so slightly.
He slowly crouches in front of you, treating you as though you're some kind of animal that will either bolt at the slightest movement or go for his jugular, or something like that. You don’t move or speak, unsure of what he was doing. When he placed his hand where that stalker touched you, gently- carefully squeezing your shoulder as though you were made of glass, you… you relaxed.
You could tell that he was struggling to be gentle, with how his fingers twitched uncontrollably and the pressure of his fingertips varied. You looked up to him, then down at his chest as an odd warmth spread through your cheeks. Michael was extremely possessive over you. He hated it when you interacted with anyone else, especially other men. But, right now, even though another man had touched you, he wasn’t flying off the handle like he usually did. He was still extraordinarily pissed off that he had given the bastard just enough time to physically touch you, but it was remedied.
He was fucking dead, and you were still here. You were his and his alone. That wasn’t called into question. There was no dispute. Michael Myers is the only person that is ever allowed to touch you. You’ve come to accept this, and slowly but surely, you’re even beginning to enjoy his touch. As sick and messed up as it was, you’ve started to develop feelings for him, despite the fact that he made your life a living hell. If anything, you knew that no one would hurt you ever again. No one, except for him.
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BBQ at the Kent's
Clark invites his friends over for a quiet BBQ at Ma's farm. It just doesn't go quite how he expected.
Masterlist
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Clark had invited his closest friends and their underlings to a BBQ at Kent farm. So what if his closest friends, all happened to be from the Justice League. Kent Farm was a perfect location. It was out the way so if power mishaps it was unlikely to be observed by anyone passing by. It was a large space so could hold lots of people. Especially as his friends seemed to have a habit of collecting underlings like Pokémon, in particular Bruce. AND it wasn't Wayne manor which despite what Bruce says isn't always a relaxing place to be.
Ma was catching up with Alfred and Lois which was good, Alfred deserved a medal as well as the chance to relax. The teens and kids were mucking about/chilling in the house, and he could catch up with his colleague slash friends and relax.
What he may have miscalculated though was his little sister returning home to see Ma. She knew about him and his 'side job'. She had also, very early on, figured out his friends ‘side jobs’ too. Working it out was a breeze according to her, they weren’t particularly discrete in the beginning (according to her at least). She had covered for him and saved his bacon more times than he would willingly admit. Hell, she's covered for him to them and covered for them without them knowing. She’d provided so many alibis and removed evidence that they hadn’t thought about. The issue though, with his sister turning up, was more that THEY a) didn't know about her and b) didn't know that she knew and finally c) she could quite easily give them all a run for their money.
___________________________________
Walking into her family home she found a swarm of teens lounging around the living room. They were all chatting and talking over each other that they didn't notice her enter. Raising an eyebrow, she spotted Conner, who was currently wrapped around another boy with dark hair.
"Hey Mini Bale! Nice look you got going. Bet it's driving the old men mad and completely beats the plaid shirts and starched suits. Is Haybale out in the yard?"
Conner jumped, causing the others in the room to stop chatting, and looks to see his sort of aunt smirking at him across the room.
"Hey M, didn't know you were coming too? Yeah Clarks out back. Ummm….. why are you here?"
"This is my home too Mini Bale.” She deadpans him, “I was planning to surprise to see Ma as not visited in person for a while. I don’t need to tell Haybale every time I visit, he isn’t the boss of me.” Conner’s aunt pouted before gaining a glint in her eye, “What I wasn't expecting to see was Haybale having a "small gathering” here and not invite moi! But alas it is what it is."
The glint turning into a smug look with a dangerous edge as she took in the room.
"Auntie M!!!", the call distracted her from the room suddenly as Jon ran in from the kitchen and launched himself into a flying jump to hug with the women standing in the room. "Straw stack!! How are you doing sweetie? Made any new friends?"
While Jon dissolved into conversation with his Auntie, Tim took the opportunity to quickly assess the newly dubbed Em. She was well dressed, the sort you don't often see on farms and would be better placed in the city. Her clothes were expensive, the type he often could see board members wearing when relaxing. Even with Jon holding her attention she seemed to have clocked him studying her and nearly everyone else who was watching her interactions. Leaning into his boyfriend he queried.
"Em? Does she? Is she? Who???"
Conner chuckled at Tim's confusion, as well as the mystified faces of the others there.
"Tim, guys, I'd like to introduce you to Clark's sister, and my sorta aunt and Jon’s definite Auntie, Marinette. M for short. And before you ask Tim, no she isn’t like him. She *does* works with Max Kante in developing high tech material and gadgets since well she grew up with Clark and wanted to help him cope with his powers… She and Max created MiracuTech as a result. It’s her brainchild though really, M doesn’t really need Max."
"Mini Bale stop!! You’re dramatizing it. I need Max just as much as he needs me, our skill set complement each other. We couldn’t make half the stuff MiracuTech does without his input.” Marinette blushed, “Max says hi by the way and to tell you to pop by the office. He wants to test his new “creation” with you. Not that that offer will remain if you keep speaking of him like that. But it does remind me, how are you finding the glasses?"
It was Conner’s turn to smirk at his friends, and they could suddenly see the family resemblance in the pair.
"They're are awesome M. Like the play back function is brilliant. I've recorded so much blackmail."
His friends paused and a shiver went down their spines recalling all the incidents that have happened since Conner got his latest sunglasses.
"Fab feedback. I'll let Max know.” Taking as glance around the room, “I'm gonna take a wild guess as say Battle Barbie, Fishtails, Greedy Gonzales and Moody & Broody are out back with Haybale and Ma, Mini Bale?"
That again caused the room to freeze, being siblings with Clark kinda made sense that she would have known his identity, but for Clark to tell her about other identities was worrying. Conner tilted his head and looked at his sorta aunt as if trying to work out what she was planning.
"Yeeeeah, what are you up to M? I'm pretty sure you promised Clark you'd not cause mischief when you met everyone."
"I deny ever making that promise. I have evidence to back up that claim too. Plus, the amount of shit Haybale has caused me cos of his moral compass and lack of impulse control makes it fair game. Though I do support his altruism.” She paused debating what she would say next, “To set the record straight what I *actually* promised was that I would *consider* not causing *too much* mischief. And I have considered it and think that I'll survive this course of action. You’re not the only one with playback ability. Thanks for the info Mini Bale. Let's catch up more later!"
With that she ruffled his hair as she walked past him out to see her dear older brother.
"You've spent too much time as a cat M!" Conner called as he tried to sort out his hair. The room erupted as she left the room. Confusion, mild panic as to whether their identities were at risk and answers were demanded from Conner and Jon. Tim whined at Conner’s comment, "Cat?! We've got to keep B away from her!"
___________________________________
Out in the yard, Clark was relaxed surround by what he supposed was the founding JL members. He'd heard his sister turn up and cause subtle chaos amongst the teens in the house slowly dreading her announcing her arrival out here. Ma would be thrilled to see her. He was too, sort of. Just not in front of everyone. Kon-El was right with her spending too much time as a cat. And Tim was right as well. He'd have to keep Bruce away from her, she'd be just his latest type.
"HAY BALE! You're holding a party for little ol' me?! How delightful of you."
Clark cringed. He still hated her nickname for him.
"Lois! Ma! You both look lovely as ever! Oh, it’s been too long since I've seen you in person."
Marinette swooped past Clark to the ladies and gave them huge hugs before quickly falling into conversation to catching up with them, thankfully ignoring Clark allowing him some time to deal with his friends.
"Why is Marinette K from MiracuTech at your farm Clark?"
Barry quickly asked, staring at his sister with stars in his eyes. Ok maybe it wasn't just Bruce Clark had to worry about.
"Yes, why is the Guardian, Lady Fortune, at your home?" queried Arthur looking at Clark with confusion and slight apprehension.
"MiracuTech… Guardian," Diana quickly put together gasping, looking at Arthur who had cottoned on to her implications as well, then back at Marinette.
"Guys! Please! Cool it, M I hope," Clark quickly glared at his sister, who was grinning manically knowing the trouble she was causing for him, "can answer your questions and Barry, M, Marinette, is my sister. Why wouldn't she come here? Though this wasn't planned visit that I was aware of."
"You have a sister."
Bruce stated, as Diana and Arthur wondered off talking in hushed tones. Clark could hear that they had figured out one of her 'other' identities but was content that they wouldn't add drama for the moment he redirected his attention back to Bruce.
Clark sighed tiredly, "yes, I have a sister, Bruce. Who likes to keep her personal life private. Which is why you guys have just found out about her and not before."
"Is she Kryptonian?"
"Bruce!! you can't ask Clark that!!" Barry exclaimed, not really surprised by his bluntness but still Alfred was about, and he was ‘Bruce’ currently so social etiquettes, and all should be observed.
"What can't Moody & Broody ask Haybale, Greedy Gonzales?" Marinette enquired, a picture of planned innocence, as she snuck up on them. She gave Clark a side hug and a ‘knowing’ sibling smile.
"M… please… stop with that nickname. Bruce was just asking if you were adopted as well."
"Fine!" She rolled her eyes, "Boy Scout it is then. Moody & Broody I'm not adopted. Ma and Pa had me as a 'Surprise! you're pregnant’ a few years after they'd adopted Boy Scout here"
Bruce frowned at the names she'd been given them. While she just gave a facade of innocence, she held a glint in her eye that destroyed the illusion along with the names she was giving everyone.
Ignoring Clark and Bruce, Marinette turned to Barry to discuss his work at S.T.A.R labs and potential collaboration with MiracuTech. Clark internally groaned as he watched his sister get animated about some sort of tech project she wanted to discuss.
Bruce observed the interaction. It was clear that she knew more than she was letting on. Though he had done research on his peers to know their weaknesses and strengths, Clark having a younger sister never came up. How he had hidden her was impressive, unless it was herself who had hidden her existence from him… That was worrying causing Bruce to deepen his frown as he watched Barry and Marinette chat.
Clark joined in frowning at the pair, but because of how was Barry flirting with his BABY sister before he started to groan as it seemed to go completely over her head. She still seemed to be oblivious to those around her liking her slightly more than friendship.
"M! Ma's told you before no business talk at home."
Laughing back at him his sister nodded "We’ll have to continue this discussion another day maybe Greedy Gonzalez, when Boy Scout isn't being all boy scout-y and acting like a golden child."
Seeing an opportunity Diana butted in and 'subtly' tried to guide Marinette to where she was sitting with Arthur. "Lady Fortune, it's an honour to meet you in person. My mother has told many a tale of our mutual friends’ legacy"
"M is fine. Lady is much too formal for my liking right Ms Prince? Our friends have told me much about your mother as well Battle Barbie. But I must say I'd be more interested to hear about your curator work at the Louvre" Allowing herself to be led away.
___________________________________
Bruce gave Clark a patented batglare, "She knows." Clark rubbed his neck before back at Bruce.
"Yes. She knows. She's my sister. It's kinda hard to hide learning how to manage superpowers from family you know. It was her and Pa that helped find solutions to manage the powers. Lead glasses… her idea."
Growling at Clarks response. "She knows ours. You told her"
Taking a deep breath, "No Bruce.” Clark sighed out, praying to the god’s his sister cared for, for the patience to deal with his paranoid friend, “I didn't. She's smart. Ridiculously and stupidly smart but that's aside. She *knows* who I am. She follows my career, like I do hers. She knows who I work with, like I know who she works with. And who my friends are. The info is all there to work it out. She's also got me out of tight spots as an alibi way too often. I'm pretty sure this is opportunistic revenge for it. Especially for all she did before Lois *knew*"
"Oh god it was her calling you at the watch tower that made you pale. Not Ma Kent!!" Barry cackled, "She's the one you're scared of!!"
"Ssshhhhh Barry! Yes! She terrifies me. Much more than little sisters should. You do realise she has covered all your butts more than you think too. Remember she is a tech genius, she works *with other* tech genius’s and we, sometimes in a rush in the early days, forgot about cameras and visuals lining up."
Barry paled at that. Bruce on the other hand looked intrigued. Of course, her problem solving, and detective skills would attract him. "How long has she known?"
"Mine, since forever and never told anyone. Yours, as she has never said anything directly, I’m going to guess since we worked together the first times. I don’t really know for how long, but it’s been since the early days. You don’t need to worry though; she understands the need for secrets and how to keep them. This,” Clark says waving his hand around, “is her way to letting you know she knows without stating it. It’s definitely her subtle form of revenge on me for having to hack large corporations and delete footage or claiming that I was with her visiting so couldn’t get caught out.”
Clark turned to Bruce all serious, “Don’t antagonise or integrate her. Please Bruce! She can and will break into the Batcomputer and cause it to run slow and force your phones and alarms to only play baby shark.”
“So, she’s the one who helped you hack LexCorp to get the evidence required for your latest article”
“That’s what you got from that?! That my genius *baby* sister sometimes, might, maybe, help gather evidence to take down corrupt businessmen and politicians?! Not the fact that you shouldn’t wind her up!!”
“Well I know your tech skills aren’t up to scratch and though there was potential for Lois, it doesn’t really fit her MO so its nice to know how you truly do it. Do you think she would tell us how she hacked into JL main computer and the bat computer? Or be willing to assist in building better protection.”
Clark stared at Bruce, and was about to respond, but before he could Diana caught his eye as she knelt before M holding her hand. Stars in Diana’s eyes while Arthur looked like he was going to faint.
He groaned. Now, Diana!
His baby sister was really trying to stress him out with all the potential shovel talks he would need to make. The shimmer in her eyes when she briefly caught him looking at her suggested that she may be more aware that she was letting on. With the headache she was causing him, he would need a drink after all this.
Thankfully, before Marinette could cause more chaos with the Atlantean and Amazonian, her phone went off resulting in her slinking off to deal with what sounded like guardian issues from his eaves dropping giving what he thought was breathing room.
“Are you ok Arthur? Do I need to talk to M?” Clark enquired to his friend, hoping his sister hadn’t caused too much trauma for his friend.
“She can hold both sides of the balance and not succumb to the pressure or temptation. A true soul and so young. You let this all happen to your younger sister?”
Ok so she had caused some trauma for the Atlantean after all. He was certain it was related to the cat as well as the bug.
“Let is a strong word, Arthur. Forced is more appropriate. M is more stubborn than Bruce at times. And at 14... yeah hormonal teenage younger sister in Paris. My hand was forced.”
Diana and Arthur choked looking at Clark in horror, “14!?!?!”
Both Bruce and Barry raised an eye at him in judgement. Like they’re ones to talk with how young they let their mentees join the field.
“It is decided. She will be traveling with me to Themyscira and to Atlantis when Arthur puts on his ‘big boy pants’. She requires extra support in this matter.”
“14? Extra support? Diana, what are you talking about? She is in her 20’s not 14. You can’t kidnap Clark’s sister, Can she?”
Barry looked perplexed by the situation. Unsure on what they are talking about. She seemed to be fine and had survived years without assistance and knowing about their identities. Going to Themyscira and Atlantis would not help with that.
Staring at Clark with an unnerving intensity, Bruce answered Barry’s questions.
“She was one of the Parisian heroes. Their leader from what Diana and Arthur are suggesting. She started her extracurricular activities before even we officially did, much younger than we were and Clark didn’t stop her.”
“Oh.... Wait?! You didn’t stop her!!”
Clark was really regretting this BBQ. It was starting to feel more like an interrogation on his big brother skills, a judgement on his mentoring capability NOT a relaxing escape with friends.
“It would explain why Clark was so insistent of a some of the support protocols now,” Bruce mused. “She didn’t let you help and forced you stay away, didn’t she? Your powers, if you got akumatised, had the potential to cause a global disaster and the magic could have hurt you out of costume.”
“If you knew this, why are you giving me grief! And Diana, you can’t kidnap M. She has a support network already.”
“I didn’t. You just confirmed it. And more support can never hurt.”
Damn bat with his detective trickery and throwing his own arguments back in his face. Groaning in response Clark looked at his friends,
“Fine. You can ask but it’s HER choice no forcing it ok.”
After some grumbled agreements they all agreed.
___________________________________
“I hate you,”
“I love you too, Hay Bale.”
Marinette grinned at her brother with a cup of tea in hand. His friends had finally departed more than one had managed to get him to convince her to exchange numbers. She’d agreed to visit Diana when back in Paris to arrange a visit to Themyscira. It scared him how quickly after the initial interrogation and worry they all accepted her. She was bound to provide them so much blackmail on him. Clark was dreading his next JL meeting.
“You did this on purpose.”
“Not really. Ma knew I was visiting her this month. The fact you were here with everyone was just a perfect opportunity which I took up.”
Clark stared at his sister. None of her nervous tells were showing so wasn’t lying to him, not that she would. She hated secrets, and she carried so many with so many implications if they were revealed. As a result, she hated liars if there was not true reason for them.
“Fine. You do realise I have so many shovel talks now to dish out?”
“What?”
“Did you not see the heart eye’s Barry was giving? Or how Diana was constantly trying to get close? And once Bruce had assessed that you weren’t a threat, kept trying to engage you in conversation about detective stuff?”
“Oh, So, errr, they aren’t like that normally to friends?” A faint blush was making its way across Marinette’s cheeks. “I like wasn’t aware. Can I blame miraculous side effects?”
Clark laughed at his baby sister, yeah as clever as she was, she remained her wonderful blissfully ignorant self on flirting which he adored.
“Nah, they aren’t normally that friendly. Didn’t think you noticed and sure let’s blame the kwami, they caused some of this drama any way. I vote for Plagg and Trixx for being at fault.”
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As much as I believe Vlad to be an iredeemable asshole in cannon, I like the idea of a begrudging mentor Vlad. Like, say in an alternate universe everything starts of the same but he's not got some evil plan to kill Jack and marry Maddie. He's bitter and resents them for turning him into this abomonation, resents them for being happy when he can't, he tries to stay connected, but he just can't stand being near them and fears their reaction to his ghost side. (1/3)
(2/3) He takes advantage of his new powers, he steals and cheats his way to power, living life lavishly, but it doesn't make him happy, none of it fills the emptiness in his heart. He spends most of his life miserable up until one day he invites the Fenton's on a whim, perhaps in some desperate attempt to find happiness again, where he meets Danny. It goes similarly how it went in the show, Vlad discovers he is a halfa like him, see's how his parents treat him... ~ ~ ~ i think part 3 got eaten, bro, but i'm gonna work with what i got.
Vlad sees this kid who's like him who's parents still talk about killing ghosts and destroying them in front of him. not knowing that they're threatening Vlad. that they're threatening their own son. he see's these so called scientist haven't learned anything about ghosts in the years that they've been estranged and that they've managed to make the same mistake twice.
and he see Danny, a moody teenager, going through the traumatic process of dying and gaining hard to control powers on top of being a highschooler and social pariah. he sees this kid in desperate need of guidance and sees his parents who are neglectful and unaware of a fact he learned within a day of knowing Danny. and he says, "if you can't handle the responsibility of having a kid, he's mine now." yoink
except, obviously, he's really, really bad at it. being a mentor, winning Danny over, being a good person. all of it.
initially he just straight up offers to help Danny learn his powers and that works, Danny agrees, because Vlad isn't trying to kill danny's parents or attacking him, or stalking them, so Danny has no reason not to accept the help. Vlad seems okay for all his rich guy eccentricities.
but then the lessons actually start and danny realizes. oh. this guy has no idea how to teach. and oh this guy has the moral compass of a rotary fan. and Danny initially goes with it. in canon danny's can be swayed by petty stuff and money up to a point. he can let a lot of shit go and is even willing to do some soft crime if he thinks it's for the right reasons. and Vlad might beat him up when trying to teach him to fight, but that's part of training, right? and he might be changing a little under Vlad's influence but danny doesn't see that as a bad thing, until Sam and tucker basically call him out and he accidentally hurts one of them. something that Vlad had told him to do.
so danny bails. basically confronts Vlad and tells him he's a shitty mentor and that he's gonna peace out. suck eggs, fruit loop.
but Vlad had thought things were going well. he's gotten attached. he doesn't want to go back to being alone and he and danny are the only two of their species in the world. so typical villain/stalker stuff happens between them for a bit. Vlad tries to win danny over with money, with manipulation, with blackmail. and Danny isn't having it. (he has blackmail on Vlad too). Vlad is growing increasingly desperate and looks and acts a mess. this is a vulnerable Vlad. we're not getting well kept always cocky and put together except when danny embarrasses him Vlad. we're getting a pathetic man trying to cling to the only human(ish) connection he has and slowly falling further into depression and insanity.
and Danny pities him. because Danny had that human connection too. in the early days before he decided he got to see vlad's dorky and cool side. Vlad was generous with his money. vlad only swears in food. he lights up when he watches a packers game and is a total fanboy.
and Danny kinda gets how he became like this. how his isolation and loneliness and fear drove him further and further down the road of corruptness and evil. Danny learns what he would become without his friends and if anything Vlad is better than that. it's almost similar to how he is with val. he understands where she's coming from and sees that she's a good person even if her actions have taken a turn in the wrong direction. he feels the same about Vlad. he thinks maybe he can convince Vlad to be better.
so redemption arc/reverse mentor relationship because danny is gonna be trying to teach Vlad how to stop being a fruit loop and start making some friends his own age. the comedy potential of that is amazing. i have the mental image of Danny convincing vlad to go on a date with Harriet Chin and coaching him from behind her even though he has next to no dating experience either. pure shenanigans.
i also see there being several back and forth instances of kidnapping. Vlad locks Danny in his house because he doesn't want to be alone (Danny eventually escapes and gets mad. Vlad learns never to do that again). Danny kidnaps Vlad to be a chaperone at a school event, mostly to get Vlad to lie for him. another time Vlad kidnaps danny to go to a rich person party because he said he had a kid in a pathetic attempt to make a friend (moral of the episode is lying to make friends doesn't work) so he just has Danny pose as his son that whole episode and they're trying to get along and seem happy, meanwhile snipping at each other in whispers. they think no one is buying that they're related but ironically them arguing at the end of the night is one convinces the person they're family. "me and my daughter would fight all the time, especially at events she didn't want to come to." probably muddies the moral but that's common enough in dp.
just gradually develops into a weird redeemed uncle/mentor dynamic. Vlad really isn't teaching Danny much. he still occasionally has his moments to shine with explaining new powers and showing danny how to commit tax fraud or lie to the police. but he's mostly just this weird guy who's first friend in twenty years is a teenager.
- Hestia
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morgana-ren · 3 years
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Nasty shiggy playing video games with his captive hc
Okay, you asked for it. I’m not responsible for what’s about to go down here. All the usual trigger warnings for dubcon and noncon ahead. You guys know the deal already. 
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Alright, so for starters, we all know this dude is a total nerd. I know some folks don’t believe that he hangs around playing video games for hours on end pre-Kamino disaster, but for the sake of this ask and my lust, we’re going to pretend he does. 
Shigaraki is kind of a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming. His steam account has more games on it than he could possibly ever play in a lifetime, but he likes to have them regardless because he never knows where his whims are going to take him. He enjoys extreme turn based strategy for when he wants to feel intelligent (or smarter than other people at dominating), sandbox games for when he feels like running around and causing general mayhem, hack and slash for mindless slaughter, online for the rare times he feels like being cooperative, etc. Sometimes he plays those stupid shock value games that only exist to be controversial, sometimes he plays horror just to say ‘fuck you’ to the developer because he can sit through the whole thing with a straight face and steady 70 bpm. 
He’s good. He’s very good. He’s a quick thinker and gets the hang of things very quickly. There’s not very many games out there that he can’t beat with relative ease, and those ones are usually ones he just flat out doesn’t enjoy. 
When Shigaraki takes his beloved and spirits them away to his room, it’s very quickly apparent that he’s a nasty little gamer boy. If you’ve ever met a nasty little gamer boy, this adds a whole new level of terror to the “Oh God I’ve been kidnapped” factor by way of “Oh God I’ve been kidnapped by one of those guys”. 
Eventually he’s gunna get sick of you just sitting there watching him play (more accurately, desperately thinking of an escape plan while he clicks and taps away). He likes it at first because in a twisted way, he wants to impress you with his skill, but he’s a nasty little shithead who wants to watch you squirm, and the closer you are to him, the more you squirm. 
He’s not going to tease you, at least at first. He’s going to watch and see how quickly you can acclimate yourself to the situation.
 If you’re new to gaming or just don’t like it, prepare to be miserable. 
He’s a jerk. There’s no way around it. He’s going to throw you into the thick of things with your Level 1 character, not teach you shit about how to play, and when you inevitably die, he’s going to give you the side-eye and say “What do you want me to do about it? It’s not my fault you’re useless.” 
In that same breath, he won’t let you quit. He’s going to resurrect you, sure, but he’s going to make it very plain that you ‘owe’ him for every single gold he spends doing it before the level ends.
Eventually he’s going to grow bored of watching you frantically try and learn the keys and shortcuts and dying every 3 minutes like clockwork, so he’ll put on a training ground level for you.
Sounds nice, right? He’s trying? He’s not. 
He’s going to pull you over into his chair and situate you on his lap nice and inappropriate. His legs spread just so, your ass pressed firm against the crotch of his jeans so that every single time you jostle even a little bit, you can feel exactly why he wanted you there. You’re separated from his hardening cock by literally less than a centimeter of threadbare fabric and he wants you to know that. 
As you try and focus on learning just what in the hell it is you’re supposed to be doing, he’s going to be whispering in your ear the whole time, chest flush against your back and occasionally rutting his lower body into you under the guise of ‘readjusting’. 
“That’s right.” “Just like that.” “Good girl.” “Do it faster.” “See what happens when you listen to me?” “Don’t stop doing that.” “See? Isn’t this fun?” “Keep doing that and you just might live through this.”
Loading screens become the bane of your existence because not only can you see your pathetic, flushed face, but you can see the way he’s leering from behind you. That manic face of his, heavy lidded, mouth agape, eyes glazed, reeking of licentiousness and the barely corralled urge to bend you over the desk. It’s only a matter of time and you know that, but that doesn’t mean you need the reminder.
It doesn’t really matter how good your clumsy little fingers get at the controls. He’s going to belittle you regardless. Anytime you get remotely comfortable with what you’re doing, he’s going to drag you into harder and harder areas just to watch you drown in inexperience. 
Eventually he’s going to get bored of torturing you and watching you fail. As funny as it is to see how stressed out you get trying like hell to keep your head above water with him, he hasn’t forgotten the main reason be brought you here. 
He’ll pull you off his gaming chair and chuck you onto his bed, leering over you and taunting you with that playful lilt to his tone. 
“You suck at video games. Maybe you’d be better at something else.”
He’s in for a surprise if you’re a gamer yourself, though you are arguably no better off with him even if you are. 
It’s a bit of a shock to him when you take immediately to the controls like you already know what you’re doing. If you’re feeling bold, you can ask if he’ll allow you to import your character so you don’t have to start from scratch, but chances are he’s not that generous. 
Still, you’re good enough at what you’re doing to be able to keep up with him so long as you let him do most of the tanking on heavy hitter enemies. He leaves behind the powerful armor and you’re grateful, even if you know it’s not because he wants you to have it but more because he doesn’t need it himself. 
Believe it or not, he’s actually pretty psyched to have someone to play with at first. He certainly wasn’t expecting to be pleasantly surprised by kidnapping someone who is equally skilled in gaming, but it’s nice that he has something in common with you other than wanting to fuck you into the mattress. He can’t do that all the time so it’s good to know there will be something he can enjoy during the down time. 
Eventually he’s going to kick things up a notch and fight you one on one. You have pretty much no chance at winning against him with his hyper-powered character versus your brand new one, but you’ll put up one hell of a fight.
“Hey, you’re pretty good at that.” “Skilled at it huh? You probably have a lot of practice.” “Don’t let me get you on your back, now.” “Stop struggling.” “Aw, are you gunna cry?” “You look good beneath me.” “Don’t make me put you in your place.” “The way you’re playing, I’m starting to think you like it when I dominate you.” 
It’s inevitable that you’ll lose. Truth be told, you could play a lot better without his thinly veiled suggestive remarks, and you’re certain he knows that. He doesn’t miss the look on your face, filing it away for later. 
After he’s beaten you down enough, he’s going to just watch you play with unnerving intensity. It’s hard to focus when you can literally almost feel him ogling you, but you do your best. Though even as his cock is straining against his jeans, he’s still an insufferable know-it-all at gaming. You’re not sure which is more unnerving: the fact that he’s constantly bashing your build and belittling your strategy, or the fact he’s completely shameless in being openly lewd when he does it. 
Still, Tomura is a man of action, and sitting and watching doesn’t do much for him. After a bit, he’ll tell you to log out and pat the seat beside him on the messy bed. Stall all you want, but eventually you will end up doing what he wants, and you know as well as he does what’s coming next, and if you didn’t, the fact he’s undoing his zipper with that heinous smile spreading across his face would clue you in real fast. 
“You’re pretty good at games. That’s good. But I wanna see if you’re as good at other things now.”
578 notes · View notes
jishyucks · 3 years
Text
The L Word ‣ hjs
‣ genre: angst with a fluffy ending, arranged marriage, sort of modern royalty (rich kid!au), female reader
‣ wc: 2.1k
‣ summary: “Tell me, Han. Has she ever explicitly told you that she loved you?”; in which Jisung's afraid that Y/N's going to leave him in rising of rumors but learns he shouldn't judge a situation from the words of others
‣ warnings?: The Hwang 'sibs' are mean in this (just a bit), lowkey rushed, jisung runs off because of overthinking
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Looking at the ballroom’s appearance, Jisung feels as though he shouldn’t even be there in the first place. Like some puzzle piece placed in the wrong box. The people attending the party lived lavish lifestyles, knowing the difference between the different forks placed at the tables. Etiquette was more important to them than the basics a middle-class person would even care about.
Though Jisung had good ideas of such subjects, it wasn't forced onto him like those around him. The only reason why he was able to attend the party was because of a marriage arrangement your father and his father had made as some kind of sick ‘contract’ regarding business. Though he wasn’t complaining, feelings for you developed through the years of knowing you since childhood, he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about a handful of things.
For one, you guys were engaged through the arrangement. It’s been three years since the announcement, and even if Jisung believed you were fine with it, even if you ensured to Jisung that you were happy with the engagement, intrusive thoughts started keeping him up at night.
He knew you. You hated speaking out your feelings, whether it led to consequences or not. What if you actually weren’t fine with it? What if you were somehow threatened by your father and the contract to actually speak out about the engagement? He didn’t want you to feel forced to marry him.
Then there was his family’s reputation. His family was deemed drastically poorer than yours by the other associated families and businesses. He was afraid of tainting your family’s reputation or seeming like one of those leeches found at the bottom of murky ponds. Though it was an arranged marriage, Jisung had genuine feelings for you. It was his father that was in it for the money and Jisung was nothing like his father.
“Hey, scrounger!” Jisung turned to find Hyunjin and his sister Yeji approaching him from the opposite corner of the room. They both were dressed in clothes that were probably a lot more expensive than his own, his clothes being hand-me-downs from his father.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Yeji smirked, “You don’t even have business here.” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, eyeing down the boy.
Jisung didn’t cower under their gaze, instead of straightening his back, “I’m here because I was invited. My father was invited as well.” Don’t show fear, he told himself, That’s what they want.
“Ahh~,” Hyunjin chuckled, “Good way to disguise 'because of Y/N.' Tell me, Han. Has Y/N ever explicitly told you that she loved you?”
Yeji butted in, laughing, “I think love is too strong of a word… how ‘bout like? Has she ever told you that she liked you? Cause rumor has it she’s planning on breaking your engagement.”
Jisung gulped, “S-she has… and gossip is bullshit.” He lied. When the arrangement was created, there was some kind of unspoken assumption that you both liked each other. As a result of this, no confessions were made from you both. Sure it was stupid, but in Jisung’s eyes, actions spoke louder than words, and just by how he treated you and you treated him, you both cared very much for each other. Of course, other people never paid attention to actions and relied on direct statements.
“We don’t gossip, Han,” Hyunjin scoffs, “Who would pass up the opportunity to marry Bang Chan when he’s the son of the top businessman in all of Korea?”
“What do you mean?” Jisung’s heart skipped a beat, eyed widening slightly at the mention of Bang Chan’s name.
“His father apparently wanted to create a deal with her father that was a lot better than his deal with yours,” Hyunjin explained, “Isn’t your engagement part of that poorer deal?”
Jisung chose not to reply, biting his tongue. Instead, he shoots Hyunjin a narrowed glare, not up for defending himself or arguing. With the lack of response from their target, the siblings simply rolled their eyes and walked away, taking a seat at their designated table.
When the attention was diverted away from him, Jisung couldn’t help but let his shoulders fall. He feels his heart beating quicker than at rest, thoughts running through his mind like crazy. You wouldn’t leave him just like that right? You wouldn’t.
Then his mind wanders back to Hyunjin and Yeji’s question. Yes, he did think that actions were undoubtedly stronger than words, but now that a spotlight was shone on the hidden yet obvious fact that you both hadn’t said anything about each others’ feelings, he couldn’t help but believe that you could possibly be leaving him. But then again, he has never said anything to you and his feelings existed.
He felt the sudden urge to look for you, who had been busy accompanying your father with the guests. Maybe he will actually confess how he truly felt, just in case you were actually thinking about breaking the engagement. Maybe he could save it somehow, just in case your father was willing to make the deal with Mr. Bang.
Chewing the bottom of his lip, he scanned the room, looking for the lavender dress you were wearing. But with the clumps of people, his line of sight was constantly stopped abruptly.
“Excuse me,” he mumbled politely, making his way through the crowd, “Excuse me.” He ignored the looks some people gave him, still slithering his way between the socializing people. Though his hair was parted in a way that exposed part of his forehead, he felt the need to hide under his bangs, keeping his head low as he did.
The familiar sound of your father’s laugh drove Jisung to stop and look around his area. If he was close, you’d be close. Scanning his surroundings completely, he finally spots your father, with you standing close beside him. He feels a smile rise on his lips as he begins to make his way towards you both, heartbeat racing just as his thoughts were.
Opening his mouth to call out for you, he quickly stops himself when he realizes that you and your father were holding a conversation with Bang Chan and his own father. His feet abruptly stop, allowing him to overhear the exchange of banter.
“Well, it was a pleasure having this conversation with you,” Mr. Bang chuckled, “I will see you on Monday for the papers?” He held a hand out for a handshake, a smile filled with pride appearing on his lips.
Your father nodded, “Likewise. I’m looking forward to it.” He completes the handshake, which then queues for Chan to lean in for a hug.
Shit, Jisung gulps, feeling his heart drop to his stomach, What the hell just happened?
You take a step forward and hug Chan back for a brief second before pulling back, “I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here, Chan.”
Chan’s dimples appeared as he smiled genuinely, “Thank you, Y/N.”
Jisung was frozen on the spot, unsure whether or not he should say anything. The notes that he had mentally jotted down in his head were suddenly ripped into pieces and he was practically speechless.
Obliviously, you turn to follow your father, who was already ready to move on to another conversation. Mid-turn, the boy dressed in a striped, navy suit had caught your attention, giving him a double-take, “Oh! Jisung!” The corners of your mouth rise higher, eyes lighting up at the sight of the familiar boy. A wave of comfort washed over you. It was refreshing to see him after interacting with so many strangers and acquaintances.
When you go to approach him, Jisung panics and begins to back into the people behind him. It was then you noticed the look of distraught on his face, causing you to speed up. At this, he turns and runs, causing commotion around him as dodges those who got in his way.
“Jisung!” You called out, turning the heads of those people around you. The music had drowned your voice out from those further away from you, “Jisung!?” You begin making your way through the crowd of people, going as fast as you could in heels so that you wouldn’t lose Jisung. A million assumptions were running through your head, worry lining each and every one of them.
Swinging the door open, Jisung finds himself stumbling out into the empty corridor of the hotel. With the choice of left and right, Jisung stops and impulsively runs in one direction, not minding where he would end up if kept running.
So you were going to break the engagement… without warning? How were you going to break the news to him? How was he supposed to react once you told him about it all? Happy? Sad? Excited?
You finally reached the door of the ballroom, slipping out rather roughly into the corridor. Your head whips left and right, seeing Jisung’s trailing feet to the right of the hallway, turning the corner. You let out a heavy breath before kicking off your heels, booking it in that direction.
Your mind wanders to why Jisung was running. What did he hear? Was he okay? Could it be what other people were saying again? But Jisung was never usually one to let words get to him.
Jisung lets himself rest once he gets to a secluded room. Judging by its content, he realized that he managed to slip into the coatroom, but he didn’t care. He needed time alone to think. He just needed to process this entire situation.
“Jisung?” He hears you call out. Jisung sinks down at the corner of the room, resting his head against the wall. He stays quiet, resting his forehead against his knees.
The door to the coat room opens, revealing your disheveled figure, “Jisung…” You pause and try to catch your breath, “There… there you are.”
Jisung doesn’t lift his head, afraid that if he did face you, he would burst into tears. He could sense you approaching him, though, settling down beside him. He could feel your dress up against him. Soon he feels your hand take his, holding it tightly.
“What’s wrong?”
When Jisung doesn’t answer, you don’t say anything to push out an explanation. You let the question simmer, resting your head against his shoulder.
At this point, Jisung’s mind was projecting none of his thoughts but static. He didn’t know where to start and what to bring up. How was he supposed to confront you about the engagement?
“I’m happy for you two,” Jisung blurted out quietly, avoiding eye contact, “I really am.” Your ears perked up, confused at what Jisung was going on about.
“I think people will like you both together more than us,” Jisung continued, “Just know that I lo–“
You interrupt him, turning to completely face him, “Jisung, what are you talking about?” You turned your body towards him, completely facing the cowered boy. Though your body language was practically begging for eye contact, Jisung still avoided it, playing with his rings to keep him from losing control over his emotions.
Building up his confidence, Jisung let himself look at you before whispering, “Y/N?” He sniffled quietly.
“Yeah, Sung?”
Jisung gulped and asked, “Do you like me?”
You’re taken aback by the question, not expecting it out of all the questions Jisung could have asked. Is this why he was crying?
“Of course I do, Jisung, what makes you thin–“
“I mean genuinely like me. Do you have feelings for me?” Words were spewing out of his mouth before he could even process what he was saying. He could feel his emotions taking control of himself, which often is never a good thing.
“Jisung, I love you, okay? Why do you think otherwise?” The beat of your heart sped up with worry. Your eyebrows knitted together in concern as Jisung’s lips quivered slightly.
“The Hwang's told me you were planning on breaking our engagement because Bang Chan’s father offered a better deal than my father,” he explained quietly. He felt as though that if he spoke any louder, he would break out into tears, “I told them I didn’t believe them… t-then they asked me if you’ve ever told me if you did have feelings for me. I just didn’t know what to think when… when I saw your father accept Mr. Bang’s deal. I was afraid you were actually going to leave me.”
You gently slapped his shoulder in shock, “Han Jisung, are you serious?” Jisung responded wordlessly, though a puzzled look replaced his previous emotion.
“My father approached me beforehand about it. He wanted to break our engagement because of the deal, telling me that it was no longer necessary,” you say, “But I told him I wanted to marry you because I love you, Sung. And if he did threaten to forcibly break our engagement, I would’ve fought for us.”
Jisung wanted to laugh at himself at how much he had overreacted. Overthinking was a bitch and this situation was real-life proof, “Y/N?”
“Yeah, Sung?”
“I would fight for us too.”
249 notes · View notes
recurring-polynya · 3 years
Text
Once again, I am thinking about the dubious claim that people make from time to time that Renji would have gotten better character development in the TYBW arc if Byakuya had died. The thing is, though, that Renji did get excellent character development in this arc, particularly with respect to his relationship to Byakuya, it was just very subtle and I want to talk about it.
So, the first thing I want to point out is that the captain-lieutenant relationships is one of the major themes of the TYBW. A lot of this is sort of weird and awkward, but this is perfect, actually, because captain-lieutenant relationships are, for the most part, weird and clunky and awkward. Take for example, the part that I always make fun of, where the captains are told not to go to bankai, and Hitsugaya, Komamura, Byakuya and Soi Fon immediately go to bankai-- but they all do this on the assumption that they are luring their opponent into a trap to see how this works, and that their lieutenant will somehow ??defeat them anyway?? (well, except Soi Fon who seems to think she can one-shot her Quincy). There’s Sasakibe’s funeral, where we find out that Yamamoto cared far more for him than we ever imagined. Kyouraku returns Nanao’s zanpakutou to her and stands behind her as she defeats an opponent he can't. Iba carries Komamura’s body off of the battlefield as he loses the last of his humanity. Isane struggles to keep her head above her grief because that’s the burden Unohana left her with. Rose avenging Kira. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto fighting and (sort of) dying together. The Zaraki-Yachiru thing. The Mayuri-Nemu thing. Momo and Shinji actually got to have a relatively normal one, which they each deserved, but at least they got to have normal one together. Anyway, that could be an entire essay, but as usual, I only want to talk about Renji and Byakuya.
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Renji’s introduction as a character happens in stages. Initially, he sort of appears to be Byakuya’s sidekick-- he's here to do the dirty work during Rukia’s arrest, while Byakuya stands by and calls the shots, but even early on, it’s clear that Renji’s a little hung up on Byakuya. He’s trying to impress him, and gets more embarrassed and self-conscious as things go progressively pear-shaped. When Byakuya finally enters the action, Renji’s thought bubbles reveal that he’s watched Byakuya for a long time, that he knows all his moves. When we get the Renji backstory reveal a few issues later, we learn that Renji’s goal is to defeat Byakuya, which he seems to feel is necessary to seeing Rukia again, even though there has never been any sort of causal link revealed between these two things. Don’t get me wrong, if Young Academy Renji had tried to continue to be friends with Rukia, I think Byakuya would have kicked him out on his ass, but it’s clear that a lot of Renji’s hang-ups are internal-- he doesn’t want to face Rukia again until he can stand against Byakuya. I think the origin of this is that he simply wants what’s best for Rukia, and he can’t stomach the idea of asking her to leave her rich, noble family for him, unless, of course, he’s somehow better than Byakuya in some dimension, and the only thing Renji’s ever considered himself good at is fighting.
Even more interesting is that he’s chosen to go about this by... studying the man’s every move and becoming his lieutenant. But for as much energy as Renji has put into learning Byakuya’s favorite combat moves, he doesn’t actually know anything about him as a person. He’s shocked when Rukia predicts that Byakuya won’t lift a finger to help her, and then horrified when this actually comes to pass. A few chapters later, as he’s running Hinamori through, Aizen comments that “Adoration is the state furthest from understanding.” I would probably classify Renji’s feelings towards Byakuya more as admiration or idolization, rather than adoration, but I think this statement is also very true of Renji and Byakuya’s relationship. Unlike poor Momo, Renji gets a little more time and opportunity to do something with this information. With a little Ichigo-forced soul searching, he realizes that he’s not going to come out the hero of this story no matter what, but if he doesn’t do something, Rukia’s not going to come out of this story at all, and even if he’s not really ready, he’s spent 40 years trying to figure out how to beat Kuchiki Byakuya, let’s hope all that was good for something.
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The Byakuya-Renji fight has no direct impact on the events of the Soul Society Arc. It makes Byakuya show up to Rukia’s execution 5 minutes late and without his scarf. Renji gets healed, so it really doesn’t matter all that much to him, either. You could argue that they both wasted a bunch of energy (that they could have used to fight Aizen later) but it’s primarily a character-driven moment of them both drawing lines in the sand about where they stand, vis a vis Rukia. Byakuya wins this fight, and he wins it handily, but he’s wrong, as he comes to realize a few issues later, when Ichigo kicks his ass and tells him he’s a bad brother, a lesson that Byakuya will take to heart for the rest of the manga. Byakuya claims that the difference between Renji and himself is class, but the real difference between is the heart, and in the long run, Renji is the real victor of this fight.
The hospital scene is an interesting footnote to this. Byakuya defeated Renji, but Byakuya was the asshole and everyone knows it. There’s an expectation that perhaps Renji will quit or perhaps Renji will give him an earful and perhaps even Rukia will choose to leave the family, either to go to the Living World or to be with Renji (and Byakuya would deserve this), but instead, both Renji and Rukia give Byakuya another chance, which is not, I think, a place Renji ever expected to be.
Rukia and Byakuya building up a sibling relationship after this is fairly straightforward (although I’m sure it had its weird moments), but Byakuya and Renji now have this profoundly awkward relationship where Byakuya is obviously in charge, but he sort of depends on Renji as a personal compass because he’s shit at dealing with people and he doesn’t want to screw stuff up with Rukia again. Take for example, the part of the Hueco Mundo arc where Orihime is kidnapped and Rukia and Renji desert their posts to come help rescue her. Kubo takes to the panel-space to tell us that Byakuya has tacitly approved this. As a clan head and a captain, a person who is entrenched in the hierarchy of Soul Society, Byakuya couldn’t possibly go to Hueco Mundo-- but he can turn a blind eye while his sister and lieutenant scurry out through the Kuchiki family senkaimon. Renji, for his part, tried to go to Hueco Mundo through official channels and got shot down. We don’t know what Renji would have done if Byakuya had explicitly forbidden him from going, but it doesn’t matter-- Byakuya enabled Renji to follow his heart here, because Byakuya can’t. Rukia would have gone to Hueco Mundo regardless. She cares about Byakuya, but she doesn’t depend on him for validation the way Renji does.
I said this was going to be about the TYBW, so let’s get to that. Early in the arc, we’re shown several scenes where it’s clear that Byakuya respects and values Renji as a lieutenant, but he’s also pretty damn patronizing to him. Renji is the first one to engage As Nodt, and when Byakuya shows up, he acts surprised that Renji hasn’t taken him out yet, but then proceeds to take over the fight (real, “stand back, fives, an eleven has arrived” energy). After Byakuya then loses his bankai like a doofus, Renji wants to take point so that Byakuya can figure out As Nodt’s attack and Byakuya won’t let him... and then proceeds to get thrashed.
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This has to be one of the most emotionally charged fights in Bleach. Byakuya is losing, and Renji jumps in, absolutely incensed that As Nodt would use Senbonzakura against Byakuya. Renji isn’t doing great, but he’s not doing terrible when Byakuya gets up and tries to help Renji, even though he’s a big bloody mess. As Nodt reacts by shredding Byakuya into chunks, and Renji just loses it, and if Mask de Masculine hadn’t shown up and kicked him halfway across the Seireitei, I daresay Renji would have killed himself trying to take down As Nodt.
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This is where I usually make the point that if Byakuya had died to here, it would have broken Renji into little pieces, but that’s not today’s essay. Instead, everyone goes to the Royal Realm, and by virtue of the fact that Byakuya is injured worse than everyone else, Renji has to go forward without him or his approval.
In typical Renji fashion, the thing that motivates Renji here is not glory or heroism, but the desire to accompany Ichigo, the need to be with his friends in their times of trial. In fact his companionship here is absolutely essential-- at Hikifune’s, Ichigo expresses deep doubts that he’s doing the right thing, and Renji reminds himself that if he wants to protect others, he has to take care of himself first.
At Nimaiya’s however, Renji and Ichigo are split up because they must follow their own paths. The other extremely interesting thing that happens here is that Renji’s sword is reforged. Byakuya shattered one of Hihio Zabimaru’s joints the very first time Renji used them in combat. Renji brushed it off at the time, saying that he could get by without it. Even though Byakuya has long been his motivating force and his mentor, he’s also been held back by his connection to him. And at this point, it’s gone.
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I really wish we got to see where Renji and Rukia meet up again, but we don’t. Unlike with Ichigo, though, Rukia doesn’t seem to need anything from Renji. They travel together, fight together as equals, wear matching outfits, like you do. Oh. Wait. After all this time, in the 493 chapters between Needless Emotions and Blue Stripes, Renji can finally see himself as an equal to Rukia. They get. bankai. Together.
I want to emphasize that it’s not really anything about Rukia herself that allowed Renji to make bankai, it’s the fact that he’s finally managed to move past the feeling that he’s not enough. Defeating Byakuya would not actually have solved this problem, and having Byakuya dying in front of him wouldn’t have either. Renji gets criticized for losing a lot of his fights, but that’s such a key to his character. He’s not always the strongest, he doesn’t always win, but he keeps fighting for what he cares about. He struggles with his need for approval, for external validation, but Renji is at his best when he doesn’t have time to think about that, when he’s just fighting by his friends’ sides against impossible odds, doing what he knows in his heart is right.
I think people tend to make a little more than is strictly necessary of the line where he tells Mask that he’s “a villain”, I think he’s most just making fun of Mask’s own self-aggrandizement. On another level, though, this is just Renji being at ease with himself. Byakuya typically enters a fight bloviating about the honor of Soul Society and “how dare you raise your sword against me, the 28th Head of the Kuchiki” and even Ikkaku had the whole deal about telling people your name before you kill them, but Renji is more like “you beat up my friends, so I’m gonna break your face,” like there’s no ego in it, just you’re there, and he’s there, and then you’re lying on the ground and he’s taking a nap somewhere. This is so different than the insecure, posturing young man he was at the start of this series and I love this growth for him.
Even after he eventually meets up with Byakuya again, something has changed about their dynamic. The group gets split up and rejoined two or three times, and Renji and Rukia always stay together while Byakuya ends up fighting alongside others, Hisagi and later Hitsugaya and Zaraki. This is cemented in their last scene together, where Rukia and Renji try to stay with Byakuya and he sends them off to fight with Ichigo by saying “your help is not needed here.” In some ways, it’s an echo of Byakuya sending them off to Hueco Mundo, but in other ways, it’s acknowledging that they are their own people, not just an extension of him.
Hitsugaya follows it up with this:
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There’s more here than meets the eye, though-- Byakuya and Renji have maintained a pretty strict superior-subordinate relationship, because that’s the easiest way for them to make sense of the world, but the fact is, they do care about each other and are important to one another.
I know there would be a certain narrative satisfaction in seeing Renji make captain at the end-- he’s one of the hardest working people in Bleach, and it frankly seems weird to see Iba get the haori when he doesn’t. But Renji has never wanted to be a captain. Renji becoming captain would, in some ways, be a failure. He spends years pre-canon chasing rank and prestige because that’s what he thinks will make him worthy, and it didn’t. Instead, he found worth in being himself, in loving his friends and being there for them, in learning things from Byakuya and teaching him things in return. Renji doesn’t need to be Byakuya’s lieutenant anymore, he just does it because he likes it. It makes him happy. What better character development is there than that?
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ryouverua · 3 years
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Saimota is a fantastic ship that only improves with age and their respective maturity. Right from the get-go we see this in canon, too! They have a tumultuous first clash at the end of chapter 1 which is immediately turned on its head, and the subsequent growth and development of their in-game relationship really stands out that much more because of it.
This is a long one, so strap in!
Kaito realizes his mistake in his approach after punching him the night before and rectifies it immediately the next morning when he notices Shuichi hasn’t come to breakfast, rightly guessing that he’s stewing in his own grief and misery. And then, being the emotionally intelligent guy he is, he follows up that night and drags him out to exercise (which, y’know, releases endorphins and is scientifically proven to help with mood boosts and even depression) - a move which Shuichi says in chapter 5 saved his life.
A couple days pass and a body drops. Kaito supports him through the investigation knowing that Kaede had been with him last time and that there’s a danger of him relapsing. In the trial, too, Kaito makes every effort to let Shuichi know that he isn’t alone and someone does have his back if he fumbles. This is the real moment that Shuichi chooses to depend on Kaito and is rewarded for it, and while Kaito does get plenty of ego-feed out of it, he believes in Shuichi and his talent wholeheartedly (enough so that it’ll come back to bite him later). But despite it being framed as a ‘hero and sidekick’ relationship, it’s not just for Kaito’s self-worth - it’s to take some of the mental load off of Shuichi, who really, really doesn’t want the pressure of everyone’s lives solely on his shoulders, and is now dealing with the guilt of two cases where uncovering the guilty party hurt him.
(quick chapter 2 interlude! while this is where a lot of the big hero-worship begins for Shuichi and happens to be where I also did his first FTE and got to witness this:
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this is also the chapter when these moments happen, post-breakfast and post-casino scene respectively:
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and this happens in the very next FTE:
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mmm yes, the duality of man. Suffice it to say, while Shuichi has definite rose-coloured glasses on for a lot of the game, Kaito is definitely not an invincible, untouchable hero in his eyes)
Interestingly enough, despite Shuichi still very much leaning into their friendship (and vice versa), they don’t spend a lot of time together in Chapter 3 after he brings Maki out to training that first night! While Chapter 4 is their real ‘break’, Kaito spends a lot of time in his room in the second half while Shuichi gets to know Maki better. And while Maki is a much, uh, meaner investigation partner (love you girl, but that tongue is sharp), they make a great team. Shuichi also starts poking at Kaito’s reason for holing up in his room, incorrectly guess that it’s just related to the occult being brought up. Most importantly, Shuichi is able to do an investigation on his own independent of Kaito just a week after the end of Chapter 1.
Chapter 4 and its immediate aftermath in 5 is great because it showcases Kaito’s flaws and insecurity, and what conflict between the two of them look like. It’s because Kaito respects Shuichi so much that cracks in his own confidence start appearing - and while Shuichi can be obtuse and awkward at times, he shows signs of wanting to broach some more sensitive topics with Kaito; if you do FTEs with Kaito in Ch 4, he even has an inner narrative in which he notes that Kaito had said his stomach hurt before.
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He’s not so self-absorbed as to not worry about his friend (but narratively we gotta save that juicy plot point and subsequent reveal for the end of the trial) but hey, Kaito wants to chill and just shoot the shit - so why not have some downtime with his friend in the murder school. Btw, their FTE availability ends here - so if Shuichi has completed them with Kaito, he’s already had his canon-saimota thoughts at this point. While I have given Shuichi the side-eye for his ‘I can rely on Kaito for anything’ spiel, he is fully able and willing to stand up to Kaito in the Chapter 4 trial despite his canon feelings for him at that point. By the way, it’s been a week and a half since the end of Chapter 1 at this point. Shuichi and Kaito have had an arc together where they become fast friends in a pressure-cooker situation and bonding over shared grief for Kaede (even if Kaito’s is less obvious), Shuichi starts as dependent on Kaito’s emotional support but learns to stand on his own two feet, and Kaito is forced to confront his own weakness and hero persona, all while classmates are dropping (including Kaito’s own ex-hero figure, a stark reminder that ‘heroes’ do have flaws).
So the beginning of Chapter 5 is wild to me because of how it’s so often misinterpreted as Kaito immaturely giving Shuichi the silent treatment despite the entirety of the game preceding it explicitly showing that Kaito will tell you, loudly, when he’s angry at you, and that’s purely because we’re in Shuichi’s perspective and he thinks that’s what’s going on - but that’s a bit of a tangent. What I like about it is how we get to see what happens when Kaito (as sick as he is at that point) feels badly and embarrassed with someone he is close to; he withdraws as opposed to lashing out. And while Shuichi is really, really bad at reaching out too without an inciting incident (tunnel escape), he does try and broach the topic when push comes to shove. He’s not lost in hero worship, not even close - he is rightfully upset that the person he’s closest to at the school is upset while still maintaining to himself and the others that his actions were correct. He doesn’t waver on this, despite his attempt to offer an olive branch at the window of the hangar’s bathroom. He truly stands by his own choices in the last class trial and know he won't back down on that if push comes to shove, and that's important - he won't yield the point just to appease Kaito. Shuichi then manages the investigation on his own, leads the trial on his own, faces off with Maki (and who he thinks is Kokichi) on his own, because he has *reached* a point where he can be independent. And to bring it back to how we get a look at ‘saimota in conflict’, Shuichi and Kaito both make amends with each other by the end of the chapter. Even if it’s spurred by it being their final goodbye, Shuichi gets to say his piece, Kaito lays out one of his own vulnerabilities so he can make peace with Shuichi - and even if I’d love to have had them delve into all of Kaito's various issues, there is a very murderous robobear overseeing this which makes time a factor - and I firmly believe that if they had more time, they could’ve resolved even more of the issues that would come up for Saimota. The groundwork wasn’t just there; there was already half the structure in place. And that’s what makes saimota even more appealing to me, tbh. We get to see them build a relationship, run into a big issue, struggle through it and resolve it by the end of the game - and it means that there’s precedent for them to do it again as more interpersonal challenges come up! It’s a goldmine of ship exploration, and they care about each other enough to work through it.
… By the way, at this point they are 2 weeks past the end of Chapter 1.
Imagine if they had more time. Imagine if Shuichi, who is absolutely dogged in pursuing an issue once he catches wind of it (despite how he can get wrapped up in his own head), who cares a lot for other people, who doesn’t just find runaways as part of his detective talent, but follows up with them after because he cares about more than just finishing the job, had the chance to spend years with Kaito and realize he uses his hero persona to protect a much more fragile sense of self. Imagine Shuichi forming that initial friendship with Kaito without the albatross of Kaede’s death hanging around his neck; about how he’ll still look up to Kaito and his fantastic positivity, passion and excellence in his chosen field, and that would only be matched by Kaito’s own admiration of Shuichi’s skills as a detective. Imagine if Kaito, who repeatedly shows the ability to reflect and change his mind when presented with evidence against his viewpoint and was able to express his own insecurity and jealousy to Shuichi in the end, was given the breathing room and space to get more comfortable with doing so. Imagine how difficult and emotionally mature they were to navigate as well as they did in a life-or-death situation that took place over a couple of weeks tops, and how much more they could grow if given the time and space for it.
... And this was nearly going to be where I ended the post, until Ira reminded me of TDP and sent me this wonderful Saimota event (which takes place before the final graduation/training trio event):
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Oh hey, Shuichi picked up his catchphrase! It's quite cute how he's finishing Kaito's sentence here - he's spent a couple of years being friends with Kaito at this point, and has even taken up exercising on his own for stress relief. I wonder whose influence that was?
Anyway -
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Shuichi has figured out at this point that he does need to firmly extend that helping hand to Kaito rather than worry and keep it to himself. On the other side, Kaito has learned that it is okay to accept that outstretched hand, even if he doesn't need it right now - that he can admit that some day, he might. He's being blase, sure, but it is a far cry from his in-game 'I don't/won't need help'. Good for you, Kaito - you've grown a lot! And that's the most important thing their TDPs show - their capacity for growth not just as individuals, but in a relationship. Of course there will be bumps along the way - it’s very rare that any relationship won’t have them! - but they've proven that they can work these problems in the worst of circumstances. This is by far one of the strongest ships with canon foundation in the entire series, and my goodness do I still love it years later.
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disturbedbydesign · 3 years
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The Widow and the Wolf - Chapter 1
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Pairing: Bucky Barnes x dark!exWidow!reader
Summary: After Natasha Romanoff took down the Red Room, the former Widows scattered to the wind. Raised to be a killing machine and released into the world with nothing and no one, you decided to use your newfound autonomy to take down the bad guys of your choosing. But now Natasha is riddled with guilt for leaving you on your own. She wants to recruit you, rehabilitate you, make you part of a team again. But the rest of the squad has reservations, and no one is more against you than Bucky Barnes.
Warnings: Graphic violence; Mentions of domestic violence, rape, pedophilia, human trafficking, child sex trafficking; eventual Dubcon (not Bucky); eventual smut; slow(ish) burn enemies-to-lovers. [More warnings will be added as necessary but these are the Big Bads.] 18+ only, no minors.
A/N: This is canon-adjacent in that I just decided to pick and choose who I wanted to write for and what parts of canon I wanted to use. Best not to think too hard about where it falls on the timeline because the canon is a mess and we all kind of hate it anyway.
If you prefer to read on AO3, you can do so here.
Chapter One
You’ve been tracking him for days, not that it was hard. His patrol schedule is always the same, as is his after-hours routine: drinks at the Irish pub on Reade Street with the other boys in blue. It’s a cop bar but you waltz right in, looking lost even though you know the name, rank, and various misdeeds of every guy in the place. He looks at you, because of course he does—his wife assured you that he has a wandering eye, among his other sins.
You take a seat at the bar. “Double vodka rocks, please.”
The bartender pours you your drink and you take a deep pull, savoring the burn of it. Then you wait, but it doesn’t take long—it never does. Sergeant Thompson sidles up to the barstool next to you.
“Hey darlin,” he says, his breath reeking of cheap beer. “You lost?”
You turn to him with an innocent smile. “Evening, officer.”
“It’s Sergeant,” he says, tapping his badge, “but I won’t hold that against you. So, what’s a pretty young thing doing in a dive bar with a bunch of old men?”
“I was supposed to meet a friend for dinner but she bailed on me. Figured I’d grab a drink before I head home.”
“And where is home?” he asks, not that it’s any of his business, but cops think they deserve answers to any questions they feel like asking.
“Williamsburg,” you lie.
“You’re pretty far from home, then,” he replies, even though you both know that you aren’t. He takes a sip of his beer and the foam leaves a trace like a mustache before he licks it clean. “It’s late. Why don’t you let me drive you? Wouldn’t want you on the subway this time of night.”
“It’s only 8:30,” you say. “I think I’ll be just fine.”
He leans in conspiratorially. “Well, I really shouldn’t be telling you this—open investigation and all that—but we’ve been on the lookout for a guy in the area, serial rapist, real nasty piece of work.”
That’s one thing the two of you have in common at least.
“I’d feel a lot better if you’d let me take you home, darlin.”
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” you admit. “Can’t get much safer than the NYPD, right?”
He laughs and so do you, knowing that nothing is farther from the truth—especially when it comes to this guy.
Sergeant Thompson speeds across the Williamsburg Bridge with his flashers on, headed toward the address you gave him. Of course, that’s not actually your address—you don’t have a home anymore—it’s just one of many rundown warehouses in the neighborhood, variously used for impromptu raves and as drug dens and, in your case, a private place in which you can take care of business without fear of being interrupted.
“This is me,” you say, waiting for him to let you out of the back of the cruiser where he insisted you ride—caged in like a helpless animal, or so he thinks.
“This place?” he asks. “Looks like it’s about to collapse.”
“You’d be surprised what they can do to these places on the inside—gentrification and what have you. My rent is astronomical.”
“Still,” he says, “I’d like to walk you up. Looks a bit unsavory.”
“If you insist, Sergeant.”
The second you get up the stairs to the top floor, you inject him with the etorphine, straight into the jugular, and down he goes. It never gets old—how easy it is, when they think that they are the predator and you are the prey. You drag him into the loft where you’re already set up for a long night’s work.
When he comes to, he’s fixed to the chair with (among other things) his own handcuffs, mouth taped shut and a rag shoved in for good measure. You don’t want to hear him talk; it’s time for him to listen. His day of reckoning has come. He starts to squirm but between the cuffs and the duct tape and the sedative still coursing through his veins, he’s not going anywhere. Even if he did get free, you could take him down easy. It’s what you were trained for. It’s what you were born for.
“Welcome back, Sergeant,” you say, and he screams something unintelligible through the rag which, if you had to guess, would be some combination of “cunt” or “bitch” or any of the other choice words he likes to use on his women.
The tarps are laid meticulously around the room, placed strategically to catch any and all evidence of what you’re about to do. When he notices them, he goes still, because he knows. Part of him knows.
“So,” you say, pulling out the Thompson file, “this is quite the impressive resume you’ve got here, Sarge. Lots of civilian brutality complaints, including a few choice allegations from female prisoners. Oh, and then there’s the domestic violence and marital rape. You’re a real charmer, huh?”
There’s more muffled screaming but you ignore it—the last gasps of a dying man.
“Here’s the thing, Sarge. I know you think that you’re above the law, because you are the law, but you aren’t. Your wife is real tired of your shit, and me? Well, let’s just say that my motto is protect and serve.” You lean in close enough to smell the salty sweat on his brow. “And unlike you, I actually mean it.”
You pull your favorite knife from your thigh holster and slit him from ear to ear. “See you in hell, Sergeant.”
You sit on the edge of the table, swinging your legs and watching him bleed out. It doesn’t take long. The actual disposal is the real work. You set about chopping him into manageable pieces and you find yourself missing the days when you didn’t have to cover your tracks alone, when there was a clean-up team to take care of it for you.
But you’re freelance now. You’re not a Widow anymore. She made sure of that.
Sometimes—like right now, when you’re dripping sweat and every muscle in your body is screaming its exertion as you saw through bone after bone—you hate Natasha Romanoff. You know why she did what she did; you understand that, objectively, it was the right thing to do. But did she ever stop to consider the repercussions of her actions? She got out early and found a new family and became one of the Good Guys. But you? You entered the Red Room with nothing and you left with nothing.
They always said you were born to be a killer. It’s all you’ve ever known. So what exactly did she expect you to do? You may be free of the mind control, but you never had the chance to develop a mind of your own. Killing is all you know. At least now you get to pick your own targets.
Once you’ve got Sergeant Thompson all squared away, you pack him up in the trunk of his cruiser and drive upstate, listening to the 80s station you like. It occurs to you that most people have heard these songs a thousand times—so many times that they know the lyrics instinctively, can sing them without even having to think about it. It’s all new to you, though. You can’t decide whether it makes you sad to think about all you’ve missed or whether you’re lucky that you get to experience for the first time what everyone else is already tired of.
When you get to the farm, you dump Thompson in the holes you’ve already backhoed, then you hop on the Cat and fill them all in. You shoot a text to Mrs. Thompson from your burner—just a thumbs-up emoji—and she replies with a smiley face. It was only so long before he would have killed her; she knows it as well as you do. The only people that will grieve the dearly departed Sergeant Thompson are a bunch of assholes who are one false move from ending up in your web.
You didn’t charge Mrs. Thompson your usual rate—just what she could afford without drawing the attention and ire of the Mister. Sometimes, depending on the circumstances, you even work pro bono. After all, you only kill people for money who you would happily kill for free. You consider it a service, something for the greater good of society. You’ll take money, sure—you need it to live and to continue your work—but not from people who can’t easily spare it.
You have standards. You have a code. That’s the difference between the you that served as a mindless weapon wielded by others and the you that decides for yourself how to use the gifts you’ve been given. No women. No children. No collateral damage. Only Very Bad Men who’ve done Very Bad Things. You don’t see the harm in it, not really, and as you settle into bed you come back to the thought you often have before a fitful night of sleep: who’s the real avenger, Natasha?
*****
Natasha wipes her brow and throws the rag down on the mat, grabbing a bottle of water and chugging half of it before she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Bucky has barely broken a sweat from their morning sparring session, and he doesn’t even try to fake it. He’s in an especially grumpy mood.
“This is a bad idea, Natasha.”
“To some people, maybe,” she says, “but I want to bring her in anyway. I don’t understand how you of all people are against me on this, Bucky.”
“Uh, for starters, she’s a serial killer.”
“That’s a bit of a harsh assessment, considering the circumstances. And do I really need to remind you that the same could be said about the two of us? That a lot of people still say that about us?”
Bucky sighs, because he knows she’s right, but this is different—you are different. “It’s not the same,” he grumbles, but he’s not entirely sure it isn’t, and that’s what’s really bothering him.
“Look,” Nat says, taking a step toward Bucky, “I need to try, ok? I know what she’s going through because I went through it, except she’s completely alone out there with nothing and no one. You and I… we had people behind us, helping us.”
“And what if she says no?” Bucky asks. “Are you just gonna let her go on doing what she’s doing? She’s killed… how many is it now?”
Natasha mutters something under her breath and Bucky looks at her expectantly. “What was that, Tasha?”
“25 people in the last 6 months,” she states, her mouth set in a hard line.
“Exactly,” he says.
“I would like to point out that they were all very bad people. So...”
“Tasha,” he says, and he puts his hand up to silence her. “I can’t help you on this. I’m sorry. I want to, but I can’t.”
Natasha huffs out a laugh. “You know what, Barnes? You’re real high and mighty for a guy who–”
Natasha stops herself when she sees the ice-cold look in Bucky’s eyes. “Go on. For a guy who what?”
“Nothing,” she says. “I’m sorry. I’ll go on my own.”
“Well, good luck to you. Hope you don’t get your throat slit.”
Bucky stomps off and Natasha is left wondering if she’s about to make a huge mistake. She knows you’re volatile, that a part of you must resent her, but she needs to make it right. At the very least, she needs to try.
Natasha grabs her tablet and scrolls through the latest intel on your whereabouts. She’s just missed you in New York, but she thinks she’s got a jump on your next target: some coke dealer down in Miami with a predilection for underage girls. Just a brief glance at this guy’s file is enough to make Natasha’s blood run cold. She knows why you do what you do. If she’s honest, it doesn’t bother her one bit that you’re doing it. It’s the thought of you out there on your own, filled with hate and anger and thirsty for bloody vengeance, that frightens her. Because maybe one day—left to your own devices, lost in the chaos of your troubled mind—getting the Bad Guys won’t be enough for you. Maybe you’ll decide that some of the Good Guys aren’t so good after all. Maybe you’ll even be right.
She contemplates being honest with Steve and telling him where she’s headed but decides against it. Steve isn’t on board with her plan. Natasha doesn’t fault him for it—he doesn’t understand, he couldn’t. Bucky, though... that’s a disappointment, and it surprises her. If anyone knows what it feels like to spend your life as someone else’s weapon, it’s Bucky Barnes.
Natasha waits until nightfall to “borrow” the Quinjet, and she finds Bucky waiting for her when she gets to the hangar.
“I’m coming with you,” he says, “but only as back-up. She’s dangerous, Natasha.”
“Maybe so,” Natasha replies, “but only because she’s afraid.”
*****
You knew that she’d be coming for you sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. Your little stilt cabin on the outskirts of the Everglades isn’t quite set up for company but at least it’s tucked away and difficult to access. You’re surprised she brought him, though—that was a mistake. You and she could have a nice long conversation, but you have nothing to say to the Soldat.
You climb up the tree to your lookout platform and hoist your sniper rifle onto your shoulder, following their slow but steady progress through the knee-deep swamp water, trying to line up a decent shot as they weave in between the bald cypress trees. When you see your chance, you take it, and you put one about an inch from where the Soldat’s metal arm meets the flesh of his shoulder. It ricochets off, as intended, and he jumps forward to shield Natasha. You hear her laugh through your earpiece.
“Relax, Barnes. It was a warning shot. If she wanted to hit you, she would have.”
“She did hit me,” he snaps.
You smile as you descend from the tree to meet them.
“Well well well,” you say. “If it isn’t the Murder Twins. To what do I owe this unwanted visit?”
“You know why I’m here,” Natasha says.
“Yes,” you reply, “but why is he here?”
The man she calls Barnes looks at you with disdain and you give it right back to him. You can tell that shot in the arm really pissed him off and it pleases you to no end.
“He’s just watching my back,” she says. “That’s what happens when you’re on a team.”
“Right, The Avengers. How adorable.”
“Listen,” Natasha begins, but you stop her.
“Let me save you the trouble of whatever little speech you have prepared. I’m not coming with you. I’m not going to Widow rehab and joining your ragtag group of misfits. And I’m not going to stop doing my work just because you come here and bat your eyes and smile pretty at me.”
“Your work?” spits the Soldat. “Is that what you’re calling it?”
“Bucky, don’t-”
“Let him talk, Romanoff,” you say. “He obviously has some… opinions. Now that he’s got the mask off, he can finally speak for himself.” You take a step towards him, your rifle in hand but not pointed at him. “So speak, Soldat.”
He looks flustered and not a little bit angry. You can tell he doesn’t like to be called by that name. “Killing people isn’t work,” he says.
You huff out a laugh. “And what is it that the two of you do, exactly? Run a coffee shop?”
“We are not the same,” he says, and you smile because you know that he doesn’t actually believe that—how could he after everything he’s done?
“I think we are exactly the same, Soldat, with one huge exception: you’re still letting other people tell you what to do, and I’m done with all that.”
“This is pointless,” he says.
“Now that is something you and I actually agree on.” You turn to Natasha. “You should go while you still can. I have work to do.”
But Natasha just won’t let it go. “I should never have left you alone,” she says. “This is my fault. Let me fix it.”
“I don’t need to be fixed,” you snap, and you raise your rifle and point it directly at her head. “Leave, Natasha. And take your little pet with you.”
The Soldat grabs her arm gently. “Let’s go, Tasha. She’s hopeless.”
You feel a pang of something then—some indescribable form of melancholy. You try to keep it off your face but you can tell from the look in his eyes that he sees it. A minute tremble of your lip, the quick double blink—it gives you away, and now you’re really pissed off.
“Leave. Now,” you yell, and it pierces through the sweltering darkness. “I’ll make you sorry if you don’t.”
You watch Natasha and the bionic man make their way out of the swamp. You don’t turn your back on them, not that you think they’ll try to take you by force. That would be unwise and Natasha knows it. Once you’re satisfied that they’re gone, you return to the cabin. The bloodied man in the linen suit lays strapped to the bed where you left him, squirming and shouting around the gag in his mouth.
You have to stop yourself from making this a messy affair, but the anger you feel—at her, at him, at everything—is making it difficult to temper your darker urges. You’re not one for torture, even though this man absolutely deserves it for the horrible things he’s done. You almost give in, but you remind yourself that this is a job—it is work, despite what the Soldat may think—and you have to remain professional.
You grab the man’s file off the desk and pull a chair up next to the bed. “So, Mr. Garcia, where were we?”
CHAPTER TWO >>>
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makeste · 3 years
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hello! I’ve seen some debate as to whether the 2nd meant allies in general would bolster izuku and although I do think that’s true (ofc any sort of support system that he lets himself rely on would bolster him) I feel like if that was what was meant it would’ve been made clearer? maybe instead of just katsuki showing up, the final panel would’ve had several students burst onto the scene. what are your thoughts?
agreed. and incidentally this is another big reason why it's not Toga. if it was her then Horikoshi wouldn't have devoted any time to OFA II's little hype speech. it just makes it kind of pointless, unless this whole time we've been sleeping on Toga's hidden ability to bolster Deku lmao.
but anyways, yeah. and I mean, Two's commentary here is really just acknowledgement of something we've long since known already. Kacchan is the one who will ultimately be able to reach Deku. we don't actually need a piece of dialogue to tell us this, because the manga has been showing it to us since day one. his resume is fucking stacked. I mean, let's go through it.
he is mean.
I love this you guys. I honest to god love it. because the thing is, if you ask anyone what Kacchan's absolute worst quality is, this would be the obvious answer, right? "he's an asshole" lmao.
but that's exactly what we need right now!! someone who's not afraid to tell it like it is, and won't try to sugarcoat things. someone who's not afraid to argue back and risk hurting someone's feelings. because right now Deku is walking all over anyone who can't do that. All Might tries to feed him lunch and he's like "nah I'm good, anyways bye." Endeavor tries to tell him to rest and he's all "I'm fine" and fucking hangs up the phone. nuh uh. enough of that. what we need is someone who will call him out on his shit. "hah!? don't tell me you're fine when it's obvious to anyone you can barely stand on your own two feet, dumbass."
he is stubborn.
kind of ties into the other thing, but yeah. right now we need a bullheaded asshole who won't take no for an answer if he thinks he's right. good luck trying to sweet talk your way out of this one, Deku.
he understands the situation.
this one is important, because in fairness, simply standing in front of Deku and saying "you shall not pass" isn't gonna be enough to actually accomplish anything here. ultimately he's going to have to be able to reason with Deku too. and so in that respect, it certainly doesn't hurt that Kacchan is someone who understands the OFA situation as well as anyone, and has always had clear judgment about it. he understands the threat of AFO ("they all died young"), and he understands the burden of All Might's legacy. he knows what Deku is dealing with, and that's going to give him an edge when it comes to finding that elusive-yet-critical talk no jutsu knockout blow.
he's been where Deku is now.
Kacchan knows a thing or two about burdens. granted, they've more often than not been ones that he's put on himself, but that didn't make them any less heavy. Deku right now is struggling not just with his feelings of responsibility, but also with all of the misplaced guilt that's feeding into it. AFO is targeting him. if innocent people get caught in the crossfire then that's on him. every minute that AFO stays out there getting stronger and causing more chaos is all on him, because he hasn't defeated him yet. and so on and so forth.
and Katsuki knows what that's like. because he blamed himself for what happened to All Might. that feeling of "if I'd only been stronger" is one that he's intimately acquainted with. that feeling of blaming yourself, of not being able to look someone you care about in the eye because you think it's your fault they got hurt. this is something he knows. this is a road he's already been down. and so if Deku tries to pull any "you don't understand" nonsense, Kacchan is uniquely situated to immediately shoot that shit right down.
he's immune to low blows.
lol I keep thinking of all the different counterarguments that Deku could make, and all the different ways in which Kacchan is perfectly equipped to handle them. anyway, so this particular thing is a very recent development, but very fortunately timed. so as we all know, Kacchan was a first class dick to Deku during their childhood. something which Deku, with his abnormally kind and forgiving nature, has never once confronted Kacchan about, even though he would have absolutely had the right. but anyway, so here's the thing though -- right now I fully believe that Deku can and will do or say just about anything in order to get Kacchan and the others to leave. and that includes hurting them in order to save them. so it would not surprise me at all if Deku goes as far as to throw Katsuki's old, cruel, selfish behavior back in his face as part of a last-ditch effort to get him to back down. desperate times and all that.
and maybe there was a time when that actually would have worked. but here's the other thing -- we know something Deku doesn't. namely, that Kacchan has recently leveled up emotionally and has finally unlocked his atonement quest. he finally understands that it's not all about him. which means that it doesn't matter even if Deku pulls out the big guns. he may hurt his feelings, but he's not going to scare him off, because Kacchan's focus right now is on atonement, not forgiveness. he's not doing this for a pat on the head. he's doing it because it's the right thing to do. and no amount of insults will be able to sway him from that.
he learned from the best.
I said this in another post a couple of weeks back, but yeah. Angsty Nomad Deku has nothing on early Kacchan in terms of pushing people away. early Kacchan was the motherfucking king of pushing peeps away. if you so much as LOOKED at this kid in such a way that SUGGESTED you might even be THINKING about possibly trying to save him, he would straight up throw a ten-year hissy fit lmao. Deku's "All Might, you don't have to tag along anymore"s ain't got SHIT on all of Kacchan's "STAY BACK DEKU"s and "I'D RATHER LOSE!!!"s and "OMFG HOW DARE YOU BE THE ONLY PERSON TO TRY TO SAVE ME FROM THIS RAMPAGING SLUDGE MAN WHO'S ABOUT TO SUFFOCATE ME TO DEATH"s. Kacchan is the undisputed goat here lol.
but anyway, so what this means is that he has accumulated a whole HOST of iconic lines and fateful parallels which he can throw back in Deku's face at a moment's notice. and the best part is that he learned it all from THIS EXACT MOTHERFUCKER, RIGHT HERE. what is Deku even gonna do!! argue against his own past actions?? "well, uh, I guess now that you mention it I should have just sat back and watched you die all those times" OH REALLY?? YOU DON'T SAY. THAT SOUNDS SO CONVINCING.
and so guess what, Deku -- if Kacchan was worth saving, then you're worth saving too. it's an ironclad argument. congratulations son you played yourself.
he always wins.
okay so real talk, we all know that what's really driving Deku right now is his fear of losing people. he's helpless against that. he saw Kacchan get stabbed right before his eyes and it fucked him up. he saw all these other people getting hurt and killed because he couldn't save them, and he straight up could not deal with those emotions at all. he's scared. he's more afraid of that happening again than of anything else. and AFO knows that, and that's why he's resorted to his current tactics, which have isolated Deku even further and caused him to push even All Might away.
what Deku is missing right now, and what he needs to have restored, is trust. trust is the antidote to fear. and when you're as scared as Deku is, it takes an extraordinary amount of assurance in order to ease those fears. basically you don't want to place your faith in anything less than an absolutely sure thing.
but Kacchan is exactly that. this is the exact type of situation that Kacchan's "aiming for the top" overkill confidence was made for. he's the one who never loses!! the hero who's going to surpass all other heroes!! Deku inherited All Might's compassion, but Kacchan inherited his determination. Kacchan is someone who brings reassurance. his confidence is unwavering. and in the end, I think it will be strong enough to pull even Deku back out from the darkness.
he is strong.
Kacchan is Deku's rival in every sense of the word, and I fully believe he's capable of matching him step for step even now. and so Deku can try to push him away, but Kacchan is capable of withstanding that force and staying his ground. Deku can try to run, but Kacchan still has him matched for speed. and as a last resort, Deku can even try to defeat him -- but Kacchan won't ever concede to defeat.
and all of this ties back into what I was saying about trust. because Kacchan is strong. strong enough not to die. strong enough to live. strong enough to not make others worry about him. and that's what Deku so desperately needs right now in order to finally let go of his fears. Deku needs someone who can get him to trust in others again, and to do that, he has to be able to trust in their strength.
and last but not least...
he has a secret weapon up his sleeve.
several, as a matter of fact. his hero name reveal. his apology, if he chooses to give it now (though I could see him waiting for a more sincere moment, rather than whipping it out now when it could be misconstrued as a manipulation tactic). but perhaps most importantly...
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never underestimate the power of an iconic role reversal. because that's what I'm getting at here, if it wasn't clear lol. this probably would have worked better if I had a picture of him actually reaching out to Deku. but I mean, that's kind of the point lol. I don't have one because he hasn't done it yet. BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE. good luck withstanding that, Deku.
so yeah. look at all that. he really is a one-man Deku-saving army. which is not to say that the other kids won't have a part to play as well, or that it's not important for them to be there, because it is. but as far as the lead role goes, it's Kacchan. like that astronaut meme guy says. always has been.
oh and as a bonus he was smart enough to finally leave the mask at home today lol. LET DEKU SEE THE SINCERITY IN YOUR EYES. YESSSSSSS.
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user21340 · 3 years
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the world in her arms
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(i don’t own this gif or characters used in this fic)
pairing: natasha romanoff x fem!reader
summary: you and natasha have always had quite a flirty and sarcastic relationship. both of you develop feelings for one another but you both are clueless to what the other feels until nat gets jealous and says something hurtful to you. will you make up (or out)?
warnings: minor angst, fluff, swearing, and a mention of death.
word count: 2.1k
a/n: omg thank you so much for 57 followers love you all 💕. sorry for the lack of content i didn’t know what to write and had almost no new ideas. also i’m a youngin and worked my first 8 hr day yesterday so your girl was exhausted and i have finals coming up soon. k thank you for coming to my ted talk, enjoy!
also this song doesn’t relate to the story at all but it’s underrated imo and also sorry for the weird pov changes throughout the story.
“Hey y/l/n! Where are you headed?” Natasha yells from the kitchen while I’m standing in the living room on our shared floor.
“Wouldn’t you like to know Nat.” I say with a smirk.
“Yeah matter of fact I would.” she retorts.
“Chill, I’m just headed to train some recruits with Clint. But don’t miss me too much, I'll be back in a few hours, Natty.” You blow a kiss her way, and she just rolls her eyes partially from the kiss and the use of her nickname but you see a faint pink tint sitting atop of her cheeks before she turns away.
I’ve been training these recruits with Clint for a couple hours and my session is nearing an end. Something I’ve picked up on today is how touchy and how dumb these recruits are acting just for me to correct their form. I don’t have time for this shit I think as this girl has me correct her jab form for what has to be the fifth time this hour.
Non readers pov
Natasha actually does start to miss you because of how bored she is due to the larger training room being occupied for these recruits. She heads down to see if you are wrapping up yet and see if you’d like to grab dinner with her somewhere. She arrives at the training room and heads to the back room where there is a large one way mirror. Natasha, having nothing better to do, watches Clint and yourself interact with these seemingly clueless recruits.
Minutes pass and Natasha honestly likes seeing your frustration every time a recruit asks you a stupid question or something you’d already answered for the hundredth time this session. That is until she sees this handsy recruit keep asking you to correct your form which she sees you fake a smile at and happily correct it. As if Natasha isn’t jealous already she sees you release a genuine large laugh at something a recruit says. Not being able to withstand witnessing anymore of this behavior from you directed towards anyone else except her. Natasha then storms off into the living room.
Readers pov
I was nearing the end of this session when a recruit comes up behind me and asks, “Soooo, is it true that you and Clint are like a thing?” he asks with no trace of humor or sarcasm on his face. I just bust out laughing because one, everyone or at least almost everyone who knows about The Avengers knows that I’m 100% only interested in women and two, CLINT? I mean he is a great guy and all but I’ll never forget the time I went into a diner to have breakfast with him and the waitress assumed he was my grandfather.
twenty long minutes later...
The living room is lively and everyone seems to strike up a conversation with one another. I decide to strike up a conversation with Natasha who is weirdly acting cold all of a sudden.
“Oh my god! You know what I just remembered the other day? My mom used to-“
“Shut up, y/n/n. I don’t care and I don’t think anyone does at the moment.” she exclaims with a small smirk thinking you’ll detect her harsh-morbid sarcasm.
“Oh.” you choke out, “It’s getting pretty late I-I better head to bed” my voice cracks as I mutter a small, ‘asshole’ agony laced in my voice blinking the hot tears away. I start walking towards my room but it slowly turns into a jog, then sprint. Anything to get to my room and release my sadness.
Non readers pov
The room is frozen. Everyone is staring at Natasha.
“I care.” Wanda states heading to your room because she knows you shouldn’t be alone right now.
“Jesus Nat, that was awful. You know you’ve fucked you when even I say it’s bad. Poor girl’s mom passed when she was around 10.” Tony deadpans.
“Oh my god, what have I done?” Nat says burying her head into her hands.
“I’m not too sure how you’re gonna get out of this one Nat, but you’ve gotta fix this.” Sam says.
Wanda reaches your room and hears loud yet muffled sobs while standing in the hallway. She can feel your grief rippling through her body. The only heartache she can relate to is the moment she lost Pietro which is more than an average person should feel. She knocks on the door softly yet hard enough to alert you of her presence.
Readers pov
I hear three soft knocks on the door. I quickly silence my cries and assume it is Nat. I then clear my throat as the knocking continues and muster up enough energy to speak,
“Go away” into my pillow loudly. The knocking stops but I don’t hear anyone walk away just yet.
“Y/n/n, it’s Wanda. Can you let me in please, so we can talk?” she asks, I stand up while groaning and walk towards the door. I unlock it and open it just a crack to make sure she is alone and not with a certain someone. It is pretty short-lived as Wanda pushes the door open the rest of the way.
“Oh hon, I’m sorry.” She says as she wraps me into a tight hug after closing the door behind her. I crumble into her embrace as she rubs small circles on my back. Wanda has always been such a calming figure in my life since I met her, a major part being that she can feel almost all of my anxieties that try to drown me throughout a day. She also knows how it feels to be alone which allows her to relate to my feelings, so she knows just how much missing someone who is gone for eternity hurts.
We hug for what feels like minutes but when I take a quick glance outside my window it is dark out.
“Is it true?” I rasp.
“What?” she counters.
“Y’know that no one cares. All I wanted to do was share a memory that I remembered of myself with my mom and as you know it isn’t too often that I remember these types of things and when I do I love sharing them, so she won’t ever be forgotten. It just hurts so much to be shut down talking about something you truly care about by someone you care about.” I explain while Wanda looks at me with the softest eyes I’ve ever seen while nodding her head slightly.
“Now that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I care and everyone in this compound cares about what you have to say as well as what you are feeling. You know how Natasha can be sometimes with the insensitive comments she makes before realizing what she’s doing.”
“I know but that doesn’t give her the right to j-just say stuff like that. I get how full our relationship is with banter and sarcastic comments but I really thought she was starting to like me.” I frown as Wanda just nods. That’s when exhaustion hits me like a truck.
“Wands, before I ask you this just know you can decline.” I give her a minute to protest, but she says nothing. ” Can you sleep with me?” Wanda’s eyes widen,
”Y/n/n I don’t think that is a good id-“ I realize what I just said and cut her off before things get even more uncomfortable. “Nonono, Wanda, like lay down with me not any of that gross stuff. Ew.” Wanda’s features fill with relief, and she chuckles at my childish comment about sex.
“Of course I will! You just may want to word it a little different next time.” she chuckles as you hide your face with embarrassment. We both get settled on the bed and I feel her two arms pull me towards her and I snuggle closer.
Non readers pov
Wanda slowly gets out of bed after she is sure you are fast asleep and sets off to find Nat. When she does she sees that Nat had barely moved from where she last saw her still with her face in her hands.
“Nat. I know you think you really screwed up, which you did, but it’s y/n/n. You can’t go on without telling her how you feel about her.”
“Wanda, you can’t just look in my mind! We’ve talked about this!”
“Romanoff you know I’m one to keep my promises, so I’d never look without your permission. Maybe if you turned down the volume of your thoughts a few decibels I wouldn’t have heard anything. Also, are you ready that oblivious to the fact the whole team knows you two are like little lovesick puppies for one another when you two aren’t attached by the hip.” she explains, “Now, stop moping around and apologize at least.”
“You’re right, Wands, wish me luck. I hope she can forgive me.”
Natasha gets up and races towards your room. She didn’t want to wait so long to talk to you and apologize, but she thought you wouldn’t want to speak to her after what she’d said.
Similarly, to Wanda’s entrance, Natasha softly knocks on your door enough to wake you even out of your semi-deep sleep.
Readers pov
I jump at the knocks on the door and am confused to see Wanda is no longer beside me.
“Wanda you don’t have to knock, you know that.” I sigh out.
“It isn’t Wanda.” a voice you are able to recognize as Nat sheepishly speaks.
“Oh, what do you need?” I ask, all the heartbreak and ache coming back when I hear the voice I’m usually excited to listen to, as if her speech is my favorite song.
“Can we talk? I need to apologize.”
“Sure,” I softly reply.
Non readers pov
Nat opens the door once she has your permission and sees your usual strong, confident frame look small and fragile. Her heart breaks at the sight of you so broken and in pain because of her own actions. Not to mention your tear stained cheeks when you look towards her. It is silent for a minute or so before you throw your head back onto your pillow staring at the ceiling. This awakens something in Natasha for an unknown reason.
Readers pov
“Y/n, I am so sorry. I know that sorry doesn’t cut it for the amount of hurt I’ve caused you all because I was jealous but I hope we can rebuild what we had but it totally is okay if you don’t want to even though I would love another chance with yo-“
“Nat, calm down. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m fine with what you said because truth be told I love sharing memories of my family when I remember them with you. Not only because I trust you but because I think I care for you and love you more than friends should. I just hope what you said is meaningless or else that is when we can’t rebuild what we had.”
“No y/n/n, I didn’t mean any of it. It was just in the heat of the moment because I saw you laughing at something a recruit said when I was going to ask you if you wanted to go get dinner with me. So, I stormed off like a child and said hurtful things to mask my selfishness because I want you to be mine and mine only.”
“Oh my god Nat. You can’t be serious, I was laughing at something a recruit said because he assumed Clint and I were going out.” Nat bursts out laughing.
“See? Anyone who was told that who knew me would just die of laughter on the spot.” I say as I glance her way while patting the place beside me on my bed. She accepts.
“So you actually like me?” you hopefully ask.
“Possibly depending on if those feelings are reciprocated.”
“They are.” I say.
“Good. Can I also say how sorry I am for saying that to-“ I cut her off but placing a quick peck to her soft lips.
“Uh, uh, uh” I tut, “I don’t want to hear any more apologies come out of that mouth. Could you just hold me?” Natasha is still dumbfounded by the little kiss.
“Of course.” Nat complies pressing your back to her front as she wraps her long toned arms around your frame. I hum at the contact.
At this moment Nat realizes there is no place she’d rather be as she feels like she has the world in her arms.
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2-cute-4-school · 3 years
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𝚗𝚌𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚌𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚎𝚡𝚑𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜/𝚘
a/n: hiiiii so i decided to make this a 2in1 reaction; basically i just put together 2 of my requests that were *in my opinion* closely related. hope y’all don’t mind and enjoy!! ( ˊᵕˋ )♡.°⑅
requested by annonies: ‘Hey.. could you please do nct dream reaction to s/o having high fever and just wants cuddls? 🥺 like how would they take care of them.. make it fluffy please.’ & ‘nct dream reaction to their s/o being EXTREMELY tired and then like ummmmm cuddling and stuff maybe?? *uwuing in the distance*’
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Mark Lee
okay but just imagine this (๑◕︵◕๑)
cuddle sessions when you’re both stretched thin and overworked
even though we all know he isn’t big on skinship i think he would throw all reticence out the window when it’s crystal clear that you both NEED each other ꒰๑˃͈꒳˂͈๑꒱ノ*゙̥
so you just crawl under the bankets into his arms and you both just lay together in silence just enjoying each other’s presence
bonus points if he runs his hand through your hair and you trace shapes with the pads of your fingers on his skin (´,,•ω•,,)♡
it would probaby take a couple of lazy kisses and if you’re really really soft he might just hum some song lowly in your ear
just a lil heads up:
you ain’t getting out of his arms ‘til next morning so better hope you peed beforehand and have a bottle of water in reach (ಠ‿↼)
the only thing that would make him get up without a second thought?
if you’re feverish because of your exhaustion
his worry wouldn’t allow him to settle down until he’s 110% sure he made everything in his power to keep you comfortable 
“cold towels, water, painkillers just in case, is there anything i’m forgetting? babe, should i make you some tea-”
“mark, you know what would make me feel SO much better?”
“huh?” 「(゚<゚)゙??
“CUDDLES, BABE, CUDDLES!!” (╬ Ò ‸ Ó)
you don’t have to say that twice, your man is tucking you into his side in an instant flash ain’t got nothing on mark, he’s a man on a mission
he’ll try to stay awake long enough to make sure you’ve fallen asleep properly since he knows your fever won’t go away without proper rest
might hover over you the next morning too!! ( ≧Д≦)
Huang Renjun
this boy would FRET like CONSTANTLY
especially if you develop a fever 
he keeps piling up a lot of stuff in your room, anything he deems would be potentially helpful at some point is surrounding your bed
“jun, why tf is a cactus on my nightstand?” Σ(-᷅_-᷄๑)
“what if haechan walks through the door?”
“... understandable” ¯\_( ◉ 3 ◉ )_/¯
your room looks like a deposit at this point and you’ve tried to drag him to bed more times than you can count
but he’s restless ༼ ಥ ‿ ಥ ༽
until your frustration topples over and you’re on the verge of tears as you ask him for ✨cuddles ✨
he might actually feel bad for not joining you earlier so he’s gonna be EXTRA soft with you enjoy it while you can
he’s gonna pepper kisses all over you as he encases you in his lil arms and nuzzles his face into the crown of your head (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ )
he’s ready to offer free massages or head scratches!!!! LIMITED OFFER DON’T MISS OUT!!!
also he’s ready for literally anything
fever? medicine and wet towels nearby. thirst? 4 bottles of water AND gatorade. hunger? your favourite take out is waiting. any intruders? cactus is right by his hand. cuddles? CUDDLES!!!!! (۶* ‘ꆚ’)۶”
i think he’ll probably stay up even after you fell asleep, reading about how exhaustion affects one’s body and how to help i just think he’s a really wholesome person despite his all ‘don’t talk to him he angy’ character
but he’s still SO attentive to you!!
he’s down to anything that would make you feel better and if that means 20 hours of non stop cuddling so be it (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
Lee Jeno
i think he’d be REALLY clingy with you even in normal circumstances kind of like how he’s with mark ya know
so your affected well-being will just give him an extra reason to evolve to his ULTIMATE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL AFFECTION◝( ′ㅂ`)و ̑̑
he won’t let you lift A FINGER
my man is cuddling you even while standing up (灬 ♡ ω ♡ 灬)
he’s also going to insist on carrying you anywhere even if it’s just from the bed to the bathroom this boi is strong you have no excuse to shy away from him he won’t let you
you have no chance at escaping him btw his arms are made of iron when it comes to cuddles good luck prying them off you
and even though he’s clearly focusing on your requested cuddles, he’ll ask you from time to time if you need anything, how you’re feeling, if you’re comfortable
lowkey uses the excuse of checking your temperature to give you endless forehead kithes cuz he can (*^∀゚)ъ
he also becomes kind of hyperaware of every little move you make
you shiver? he’s cocooning you in yet another blanket. you’re becoming restless? he adjusts your cuddling position until you’re fully comfortable.
NOTHING gets past him ┌༼ σ ‸ σ ༽┐
idk why but i have a hunch that jeno sleeps like a rock
so if he happens to fall asleep too and you need to get up? pfft yeah sure better call for a crane to lift you up from the bed  ૮( ᵒ̌ૢꇴᵒ̌ૢ )ა。
he’s also going to be EXTREMELY cranky if anyone dares interrupt your extended cuddle session this is strictly ‘only y/n and jeno time’
he might also entertain you with a few pictures of his cats if you’re feeling soft or ugly pictures of his members if you need a good laugh
would totally recommend leaving yourself in jeno’s care!! ♡(.◜ω◝.)♡
Lee Haechan
he would LIVE for your cuddle sessions (●♡∀♡))
despite that, he WOULDN’T STAND you being uncomfortable for a single second if he can do something against that
i think he’s the type of person who wouldn’t leave even the smallest of papercuts untreated when it comes to his partner so exhaustion? fever? yeah no. frickin. way. ┐(;Ծ⌓Ծ;)┌
and after he’s absolutely sure he has everything you might need nearby and put a cold cloth on your forehead and made sure you were hydrated and well fed
he finally climbs into bed with you and just SMOTHERS the shite outta you i’m not even kidding ꒰๑*´ᗜ`*꒱*›◡‹꒱꒱
he’s full on *leech mode*, kisses and nuzzles and gentle caresses
and best part of the package? this man is a walking spotify premium!!
you get to choose whatever song you want and switch with no ads and he has no complaints since his payment is already made in cuddles
you thought this was the end of it?? SIKE
also an entertainment king!!  ୧༼✿ ͡◕ д ◕͡ ༽୨
we all know he probably has shit on all of the members and he’s not shy to do some harmless story telling to put you in a good mood
so just imagine and try coming up with anything better
sleepy you engulfed in the sunshine himself’s arms, tightly cradled against him with his soothing honey voice murmuring and humming to you and only you ˭̡̞(◞⁎˃ᆺ˂)◞*✰
his protective side might surface too btw
no one is allowed near you and if someone somehow managed to bother you? oh hell naw  🙃
now they’re on hyuck’s black list good luck mate
his babie gets the royalty treatment in those times guaranteed
Na Jaemin
he’s a doting boyfriend either way i think we can all agree on that
but you clinging to him and asking for cuddles? you not feeling well?
yeah not on his watch mother hen in action part the sea (ノ・ェ・)ノ
i don’t think he’d panic tho, his only struggle would be postponing the cuddles you’re asking for while he prepares something to eat and a tea and fluffs up the pillows and blankets he’s gathered (oꆤ︵ꆤo)
but once he’s done?
yeah you’re bundled in a mountain of softness and most importantly? our cuddle bug jaemin (♡ >ω< ♡)
he’ll keep you propped up against his chest while he feeds you himself, proper care is something unskippable in his agenda
but after that any cuddling position is FREE REAL ESTATE!!
anything his baby wants, his baby gets ෆ╹ .̮ ╹ෆ
but for the sake of his mental stability he’d prefer to be in a position from where he can see you
boi is too worried to let you out of his sight so he’s aiming to be the big spoon or facing you directly 三 ( ◜◡‾)っ)⁰▿⁰)
he’ll help you fall asleep in any way he can
he’ll caress your back, your arms, he’ll softly massage your neck and shoulders, he has a playlist ready for sleepy moods
he is PREPARED ٩(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و
he checks your temperature every so often and he grumbles with a pout if it doesn’t seem to be going down
but if it comes down to it he won’t hesitate to ask someone to bring some medicine and if your exhaustion and/or fever doesn’t relent he’ll insist on getting checked by a doctor
it would break his heart to see you so weak and no ammount of cuddles could repair it until he sees you up and healthy again (◕⌓◕;)
but he’ll do all the pampering in the world so don’t worry
Zhong Chenle
i think he would hesitate at first but only because he’s kinda scared he’ll only make it worse and he WOULDN’T want that ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )
eventually i guess he’d step out to call his mum for help before he pulls some bull like ‘let’s do some math it’s gonna be fun’ and you lose your shit like no thanks fam i wanna live (┛ಠДಠ)┛彡┻━┻
he’ll listen RELIGIOUSLY to his mum’s advice 
makes you some chamomile exactly how you like it, probably pulls together something small to eat but won’t force you
what he will force you to take is some medicine you ain’t dying on his watch (๑・`▱´・๑)
and most importantly... DAEGAL CUDDLES!!!! imagine getting to cuddle every nctzen’s bias
he might get *a little* jelly tho if you pay too much attention to her tho
so he makes up some dumb excuse about dog hair aggravating your fever or some dubious other reason why you have to let go of his puppy and cuddle HIM!! ೕ(•̀ᴗ•́)
he’ll do that cute thing where he leans his forehead against yours to check your temperature he has to be extra until the end
and before you go to sleep he’ll  try to prod at you to tell him what caused you to be so exhausted that you developed a fever might nag at you too about how unheathy it is to let it get to that point
he just wants to help okay? baby is worried in his own way ( •́ ∧ •̀ )
if there’s ANYTHING he can do to help consider it done by the time you wake up he’ll ALWAYS go an extra mile for you
and chenle wants to make sure you are aware of that and can lean on him so it never gets to this point again
but for the time being... it’s cuddles and relaxation time!! ✧(๑✪д✪)۶
better believe he’s already preparing a spa day for both of you to enjoy like the  ✨spicy ✨ bitches you are
Park Jisung
his heartbeat accelerates
and unfortunately it’s not because he’s flustered shame (#゚ロ゚#)
his only thought when he sees you with bag under your eyes and a cold wet cloth on your forehead is ‘shit, they’re dying wait no censor the first part i can’t get my mouth washed with soap but... poop, they’re dying’
ONE step away from calling for an ambulance or morgue in his mind
he SWEARS he’ll let you teach him how to ride a bycicle as long as you get out of this safe and sound (╬⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾ Д ⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾)
he’s a bit of a mess, but he’s your cute mess
it would take *quite* a bit of reassurance that you’re going to be fine after a good night’s sleep and some jisung time for him to somewhat relax
his cheeks will flush once he curls himself around your form no matter how many times you’ve cuddled before
but once you sigh blissfully once he wraps his arms around you, it’s game over for him ε=(。♡ˇд ˇ♡。)
he MELTS against you
he’ll caress your head and gently scratch your scalp, lays kisses on your cheeks/forehead/crown of your head
but he will also fret every time you toss and turn or you make any sound that seems ‘distressed’ to him
we all know he can sleep anywhere under a frickin carpet so he won’t have any problems adjusting to whatever works for you since all that matters to him atm is that you’re comfortable (♡ >ω< ♡)
he just wants you to get better faster
he’ll talk to you in a hushed voice, encouraging and praising you and assuring you that once you’re all better he’ll help you with whatever you need and EVERYTHING will be well in the end ٩(ó。ò۶ ♡)
he’s a senstitive person so he just wants to be there for you in any shape and form he can be
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