#i just had trouble allowing myself to be ace (for a lot of reasons we don't need to get into here but my therapist will hear about lol) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tinybirbwrites · 2 years

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A drive to drive (batfam/reader)

All you wanted was to stay in your room and enjoy your hobbies in peace, with no responsibilities to worry about. Alas, you were an adult now, and have been for years. It was time to act like it and do something with your life.

But you didn't know what the problem was. There was nothing you really wanted, aside from writing books perhaps. You hated that time kept passing with no chance of stopping it. You just wanted to press the pause button and relax for a year without having to worry about wasting time, figuring out what you wanted to do with your life.

“I'll make you a deal,” Bruce said, noticing you were having conflicted feelings. When you looked up, he had a rare smirk on his lips, making your head tilt in curiosity. “If you get your driver's license, I'll let you drive any of my cars—including the batmobile.”

You heard a collective mixture of shocked and scandalized gasps coming from around the dinner table. As far as you’d heard—which were mostly complaints—the boys weren't allowed to drive the batmobile, especially not Dick, for whatever reason.

“Are— Are you sure? What if I damage any of them?” you stammered, having long forgotten about the food on your plate, which made Alfred tut disapprovingly behind your back.

“I can afford it. I just need you to have the motivation to pull through, that's all that's important right now.” Bruce's tone, for once, was genuinely caring. You had never heard him talk like this before.

“We'll all help you study for the exams!” Dick suddenly piped up, lips pulled up into an excited smile, “We can even let you test drive a bit.”

“Ah,” you chuckled, “I'd just embarrass myself, but we'll see. I'd definitely like it if I could sit down with someone once a day to learn the theoretical stuff, it's hard for me to stay focused and motivated at home.”

“With my help, you'll ace the exams without a sweat,” Tim smiled confidently. You had no doubt that he wasn't exaggerating.

“Well, I just hope we don't start hating each other halfway through, I tend to be really slow at understanding things.” Your tone was light, but you were serious—not only did you have a hard time with self-discipline, you were also slow in understanding the stuff you were supposed to learn. Yourattention span and patience had become shorter than it used to be, which made learning harder. You really hoped you wouldn't make a fool of yourself and make the guys hate your guts during all this.

“We'll figure it out as we go,” Dick said reassuringly, “Don't worry about it for now.”

“They just want to bribe you into letting them have a go at the batmobile too,” Jason whispered to you, making you snort. “But, seriously, you'll nail this. It might get chaotic, sure, but no matter how long it takes, you'll make it.”

You stared at him in awe. “I— That means a lot, Jase.” You gave him the rest of your pancake as thanks, which he happily devoured.

Bruce, who had listened to his sons’ encouraging words, cleared his throat, “Remember that money doesn't matter, so even if you do fail the exams, you can repeat them as many times as you need. A large percentage fails at them, so don't worry if you do too, we certainly won't be disappointed.”

“I didn't pass the practical exam on the first try,” Dick hummed, “Didn't matter. Reviewed my mistakes, practiced, and tried again. Aced it.”

“I had trouble with the theoretical exams,” Jason mumbled around another piece of pancake, “But once I got my shit together and took the time to learn and burn that stuff into my brain, I aced it too.”

You couldn't help but be surprised; you thought these guys were perfect at anything and everything. To hear them admit that even they hadn’t passed the exams on their first try made you both anxious and more relaxed. Anxious because it must be difficult if even these geniuses sitting at this table had trouble with it, and relaxed because if they had failed, you were allowed to fail without shame too.

Damian, who hadn't said anything this whole time, suddenly put down his knife and fork to get your attention. “If the driving instructor gives you a hard time, let me know and I'll take care of him.”

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement, making you laugh. “I feel like I could do anything with you all having my back,” you said, heart swelling with adoration and joy. “Thanks, guys, Damian, I appreciate it.”

You turned back to Bruce, who was still waiting for your official answer. “It's a deal.”

#ok so this is pretty old #maybe like two years ago or so #before i got my own drivers license #i wrote this to motivate myself into getting one #i did get one :)#it took a little while but i can legally drive now eufhweuf #anyway yeah so this isn't perfect #i dont rlly like the way its written anymore #but i thought id post it here #maybe itll help motivate someone too who knows #batfam x you #batfam x reader #reader insert #x reader #batfamily x reader

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kurama-is-love · 3 years

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Comfort and Harmony (Kurama x Reader)

Word count: 4.365 Pairing: Kurama x Female!Reader Genre: Comfort Fluff, family, romance, mild sexual themes (teasing) Rating: Teen (lots of sexal teasing) Summary: This oneshot is related to the „Poltergeist Movie“. If you haven't seen the movie, you may not understand why Kurama is acting the way he does. After the events with Yakumo and his underlings, Kurama fell in some kind of depression. The memories of his deceased friend Kuronue haunted him more like he wanted to admit. Kurama never showed any sign of weakness or mental breakdowns, but now, that he has human emotions, he occasionally suffers from them without realizing. After not seeing him for two weeks, you decided you pay him a visit and look how he is doing.

You were worried about Kurama. After the events with the Netherking, King Yakumo and his underlings, Kurama seemed to stopped interacting with his friends. According to Yusuke, he wasn't at school either, and he didn't really answered calls from them. The memory of his old friend Kuronue must have torn painful wounds, you knew that from the moment after Kurama had defeated the Netherlord demon, who had disguised himself as Kuronue.

For a long time you quarreled with whether you should visit him at home, at the Minamino house, or whether he would rather have his peace and leave him alone. After all, he didn't just avoid his friends and lover for no reason.

After school, you didn't want to think about it anymore and tried to distract yourself from worrying. But then you noticed that you had gone to the Minamino house by yourself when you stood in front of their front door.

"Okay, that's almost creepy .. His house is in a completely different direction than mine and I'm sure I didn't go in that direction .." you mumbled to yourself and closed your eyes before a smile escaped your lips. "Well, then I can make sure that he's okay when I am here anyway."

You took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. It was not your first visit there and you already had a mother-child like relationship with Shiori. To be honest it wasn't difficult to build such a close relationship with such a lovable and warm-hearted woman like Shiori.

Said woman opened the door a few moments later she smiled warmly when she saw the visitor.

“[Y/n]-chan, what a nice surprise that you are coming to visit us again. How are you, dear? “ Shiori asked warmly and pulled you into a motherly hug. You smiled and hugged her back before loosening up and scratching your cheek.

“I'm fine, thanks for asking. Hopefully you too. I'm here because I wanted to see Shuuichi .. He doesn't come to school anymore and .. I just wanted to see how he is doing. " You explained. Shiori's smile fell slowly, the condition of her son was troubling her too.

"Shuuichi has been acting really weird for two weeks ..", Shiori began and looked at the ground. Two weeks, yes that was exactly when the Yakumo thing came up. "He hardly comes out of his room, doesn't eat and stares absently in front of himself .." she explained and you saw how hurt Shiori was about the mental absence of her son. You put your arms reassuringly around the older woman's shoulders and smiled confidently at her.

"That is why I am here. I'm going to kick Shuuichi in the butt so that he can at least eat again. Don't worry, Shiori-san. Shuuichi has had a lot of stress in school and with his friends lately. He doesn't mean it that way, really. " You spoke softly and hugged Shiori again. It was like Shiori was your own mother.

“Thank you for your comforting words, dear. It's just, I've never seen Shuuichi like that before. And that just worries me. " She sighed.

“Me too, believe me. Can I see him? " You asked.

“You don't need to ask permission. He's in his room. That he hasn't left in days. As I said, he doesn't even touch the food, which I put in front of the door .. "

"You know what, don't bring him food today. Just cook as usual and set the table for Shuuichi and me. I'll make sure he comes down.“ You promised her with a smile and that calmed Shiori down again when she nodded gratefully and smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Really."

As Shiori moved away for you to come in, you greeted Hatanaka and Kokoda, Hatanaka's son, as you made your way to Kurama's room. If he didn't want to see you, he could still say it in your face. But now it was important to see how he was doing, when even Shiori was already very worried. That wasn't a good sign ..

In front of his room, you knocked so gently that Kurama probably thought you were his mother.

"I'm not hungry, mother." He answered slightly monotonously and you sighed softly. That was really not the Kurama you knew and you didn't want to leave him in a state like this. Without further hesitation, you opened the door to his room and stepped inside. Kurama, lying on his bed, jumped a bit when the door opened. "I said, I-" his sentence stopped when he didn't see his mother, but you. "...Oh sorry. I thought you were my mother. "

You smiled a little and carefully stepped closer.

"I'ts all right. Please forgive me for showing up unannounced, but .. We are all really worried about you. "You spoke. "Yusuke said, you haven't been to school for weeks and your mother said that you hardly ate anything." Your words became quieter and softer when you looked into his face. He looked unhealthy pale and the glow of his emerald green irises was gone. "Kurama, it is really not a good thing that you distance yourself and try to escape your depressive hole on your own."

Kurama was silent as he listened to you. Did he really looked depressed? He hadn't noticed that at all.

"I'm not distancing myself." He tried to defend himself.

“You do. You even avoid your family and ignore our messages completely. " You contradicted him directly.

"Because I need time for myself?"

A low sigh escaped you. Who could have guessed how stubborn this fox could be when he wanted to? Without saying anything else, you stepped closer until you were right in front of his bed. Then you put your arms around him and pressed him against your body.

“Then why doesn't get your condition better when you're alone? Don't fool yourself, Kurama. Being alone is the last thing you need right now. " You spoke softly and hugged him even more to your body. Kurama allowed you every touch, there was so much trust between you two. After all, that's how it should be in a relationship. The fox sighed in defeat and inhaled your scent deeply.

"Thanks." He said after a short moment of silence.

"For what?"

"That you are so persistent and always go your way." He explained and pulled away from you as he caressed your cheek and smiled slightly. That expression on his face looked much better and you smiled too.

"I have to be persistent because you never admit that you need us." You countered teasingly and were glad that you were able to lure your fox out of his reserved condition. Kurama laughed barely audibly and fell back on his pillow. Then he made a wave of his hand that signaled you to lie down next to him. He didn't have to tell you twice, of course, and you snuggled against his chest as you laid down in bed with him. There was a pleasant silence for a moment, until you spoke up again. "Kuronue must have been a very close friend."

“Yes, he was. We were like brothers. ”Kurama explained with a sad smile. You noticed his broken voice and gently stroked his cheek, trying to comfort him.

"Would you like to tell me more about him?"

"What do you want to know?" Kurama asked, surprised that you were so interested in his old friend.

"How did you meet? What was his personality? How long have you been friends? Things like that. ” You listed and Kurama nodded.

"That could take some time," he warned.

"That doesn't matter, I don't intend to leave you anytime soon." You waved your hand and Kurama chuckled softly before he breathed a short kiss on your lips.

"All right."

And so Kurama began with his stories from his past. How he met Kuronue when they were both still children and had lost their parents in a war. You asked him if demons had "children forms", which he answered with a "yes" and you giggled cutely when you imagined Youko as a child.

"What's so funny?" he asked and squeezed your shoulder affectedly as he held you close.

“Funny is the wrong word. I'm just imagining what you looked like as a kid. With your cute little fox ears, the short tail, shorter white hair. Really lovable and adorable. " You admitted, still giggling. You already saw his Youko form at the Dark Tournament.

“If you put it that way now, it almost sounds as if I couldn't be taken seriously. But I take that as a compliment. At least you don't know how I looked as human child. ” Kurama mused.

"Um, I do. Shiori has already shown me some photo albums. "

"Eh? When? Which?"

Kurama's surprised exclamation was just so cute that you had to laugh again.

“Back from your kindergarten days. You were really cute. And then I saw pictures when you were 14. You are not recognizable at all with short hair. “ You spoke and Kurama smiled. “I can reassure you, there weren't any embarrassing pictures."

"There are no embarrassing pictures of me."

"And what about the 'shaving accident' when you had to go to kindergarten with a bald head?"

"... how do you know about it?"

"Hahaha."

"At least I didn't think there were monsters in my closet until I was 13." he teased back now and you blushed a little.

"H-Hey, first of all because you're a demon and second, you didn't had a stupid big brother who told you horror stories and even hid in the closet at night to scare me to death."

"Touché"

You both looked at each other and then shared a laugh. It was so good to see him laughing again.

Kurama went on to tell how he and Kuronue had gone on missions together and how the two were constantly endangered by Youko's spontaneity and carelessness. The expression on his face was priceless when you said that you can imagine that he must have been a chaotic as Youko.

It actually took some time before Kurama's stories were exhausted and he closed his eyes. He hadn't talked so much about his past in a long time.

“I hope it wasn't too difficult to tell me all of this. The last thing I want is to open more wounds. ", You apologized and averted your gaze, feeling a little guilty. You really hoped that your curiosity did not cause him to fall deeper into the hole of depression again. A warm hand on your cheek brought your face back in his direction and you saw him smile genuinely.

“To be honest, I also thought that it hurts to talk about it, but .. I have to say that I feel much more liberated now. It was so good to tell our stories and refresh my memories. I am not sad, [Y/n]. I am happy. Happy about the memories that I regained of my old friend again and happy that I could talk that off my mind. " He spoke softly. You smiled and leaned your head on his.

"See? You just needed someone to talk to."

“No, not 'someone'. You are exactly the person I needed without realizing it. So .. thank you for coming here. " He whispered and pulled you into a gentle and innocent kiss. You closed your eyes and returned the kiss just as lovingly, until the lack of oxygen caused the two of you to break away from the kiss. You leaned forehead against forehead and Kurama hugged his you close.

"No need to thank me. I wanted to show up earlier, but Yusuke and Hiei advised me against doing so. They said you needed this break to collect your thoughts. "

"Yusuke said something like that?" Kurama asked incredulously, causing you to laugh again.

"Let's say Hiei said it."

"I see. I really needed time for myself, but .. I didn't realize how much I would miss you during this time. "

"Oh? A phone call would have been enough and I would have been with you immediately. " You teased him and played with one of his strands of hair.

"Maybe I wanted to see how long it would take until you couldn't take it anymore without me?" He teased back and his hand caressed your clothed bum shamelessly.

"As I said, it only took me so long because of Hiei. If it had been up to me, I would have shown up on the first day you were absent. " You pouted. Kurama smiled. He wouldn't have thought it was possible, but you actually managed to lift him out of his cloud of sorrow. "Can you do me a favor?" You asked then.

"Anything you want," he said, caressing your cheek lovingly. You leaned into his touch and sighed blissfully. Oh, how you had missed this closeness to him in the past two weeks.

“Are you coming downstairs for dinner? I told Shiori to cook for both of us and that I will definitely bring you downstairs. With or without your consent, so better say yes. " You warned with a wink, whereupon Kurama's smile only broadened and softened.

“Of course I'll come with you. Even if I would like to see how you 'force' me. " He said and saw you grin.

"Oh. No you don't want to. I can assure you of that, fox. “ You whispered resolutely and then got up from your cozy, cuddled up to your boyfriend in bed, place,. “Dinner should be ready soon. Let's get down there. "

“Today is Friday, mother always does something more elaborate today. She probably have just started cooking. ”Kurama commented.

"I know. That's exactly why we're going downstairs. You can finally talk to your stepfather and stepbrother again and I'll help Shiori in the kitchen. “ You answered and when you saw how Kurama opened his mouth to say something, you cut him off. “And no, Kurama, I will not allow myself to be talked out of helping. I kind of invited myself to dinner. So it is the least that I can do and help Shiori with the cooking. ”You said and Kurama just smiled silently. He knew that if his girlfriend got something on her mind, he got stuck with arguments. And in that case he would be the last one to forbid you to integrate into his family.

The young couple left the room and came down the stairs, when Shiori heard two sets of footsteps and ran from the kitchen to the living room, which was adjacent to the stairs.

"Shuuichi ..!" She shouted and smiled in relief when she saw that her son seemed apparently better.

"Sorry for bothering you, mother." He apologized and hugged his mother tightly. Shiori shook her head in understanding.

"The main thing is that you are better. I am so glad that you are back on track. You looked so terrible the last few days .. So pale, as if the spirits of life had left you. "

"What? That bad? " Kurama asked, shocked, before Hatanaka laughed gently and put his arm around his son-in-law like a companion.

“Yes, my boy. But as I can see you had a very good therapy from this phase. You look great. “ he agreed. Kurama smiled and closed his eyes.

“I'm sorry for all the grief. But you're right, I actually had the best therapy you can imagine. " He spoke and looked at you, making you avert your gaze in embarassment and playing with one of your strands of hair.

"Ahaha. I'll go into the kitchen and help Shiori with the cooking. "

"Dear, you really don't have to. Basically everything has already been prepared. "

"I still want to help."

"Alright."

Kurama smiled contentedly when the two women disappeared towards the kitchen and he stayed in the living room with Hatanaka.

"And we can also make ourselves useful and set the table."

"Yes, stepfather."

Kurama smiled again and looked into the kitchen. Shiori and you laughed together and talked lively. He was so happy that his loved one and his mother got along so well. But then again ... Was there anyone who didn't get along with Shiori? She was downright an angel. The dearest person on earth. Only such a person could eventually change his demonic beliefs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

During dinner you sat between Kurama and Shiori, next to her Hatanaka and Kokoda rounded off the table on the other side to Kurama. Everyone talked freely and Kurama seemed to have finally found his way back to his friendly nature.

Under the table, his hand wandered inconspicuously next to him while he was eating and gently took your hand to give it an affectionate squeeze. You looked under the table beside you and smiled as you looked up at Kurama and looked into his happily vibrating irises. You two lingered in this rigidity for a moment until Kokoda blinked and looked under the table.

"Can't you two keep your hands off each other for 5 minutes?" Kokoda asked amused and Hatanaka scolded his son with clearing his throat. Kurama and you blushed because you were caught and looked into the smiling faces of Shiori and Hatanaka. Despite this situation, Kurama did not let go of your hand.

“There is a lot of catching up to do. We haven't seen each other for 2 weeks, ” the redhead smiled, slightly cheeky.

"And whose fault is that?", You asked teasingly, which made Kokoda laugh.

"She owned you, brother."

"It would be unfair if I were always the winner in the relationship."

Kurama's quick-witted answer made you open your mouth a little indignantly in shock before looking at Kurama's smiling face. He winked at you to make you understand that it was all just kidding. But of course you knew that beforehand.

“Shuuichi, don't be so complacent. Of course you are the winner in this relationship. After all, I'm a good catch. " You said jokingly, whereupon Kokoda patted his brother on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Your girlfriend is really on fire, Shuuichi." He said with a grin.

"Indeed." Kurama agreed with his stepbrother and pulled on your hand, which he held the whole time, to pull you close with a little more force. Now his lips were on your ear and his voice was deep and low so that his family could not hear what he was whispering in your ear. “Without you, this dinner would be pretty uncomfortable. But the mood is so harmonic and relaxed. Thank you, my love. " He whispered in your ear and you suppressed a blissful sigh before putting your arm around his head to move so that this time your mouth was at his ear and you could whisper back.

“It's just because you have a really great family. With them you can just laugh and feel good. Believe me, we are all happy that you’re back to being the old Shuuichi we all love. So no need to thank me. "You breathed in his ear and Kurama's smile turned into an almost embarrassed grin.

"Awww. Get a room, lovebirds. " Kokoda said, until he was scolded again by Hatanaka. Man, this boy could be even more annoying than Yusuke with his comments. This two would certainly get along well.

After this incident, the rest of the dinner was quieter and everyday things were talked about. Kurama thanked you for being so prescient and for telling Shiori a good excuse that explained his condition. He could never told her the truth. It was almost frightening to him how well you could adapt to the circumstances of his family and almost automatically only call him Shuuichi automatically when you entered the house. He often had to interrupt Yusuke or Kuwabara when they wanted to adress him as Kurama in front of his mother, because they had simply forgotten that Shiori knew nothing of his true identity.

"The food was really delicious, Shiori." You said then.

“Thank you, but actually it was partly the food that you helped with. So you basically gave yourself a compliment. " Shiori replied, laughing gently.

"Heh. I was just helping you out. I can't come close to your culinary skills. " You laughed and saw Shiori get up to get the dishes. "Stay seated. I'll take care of that. "

“Oh no, you are a guest. I shouldn't have allowed you to help in the first place. There is no way I could let you do the dishes. " Shiori sighed with a guilty conscience.

“I don't mind! The food was so delicious and you can treat yourself to some rest. After all, you have to cook and run the household for three men who are always hungry. I bet nobody will help you from this lazy himbos! " You snorted in a „not serious“ tone and pointed to the men.

"That's not true. Kazuya helps me a lot and Shuuichi also does what he can. Kokoda also has his household chores, which he does, thanks to Shuuichi. " Shiori explained with a smile.

"Really? Okay, then I didn't say anything. But I still do the dishes. I can always relax and pursue my thoughts, " You explained further.

"If you don't take mother's help, may I help you with the dishes?" Kurama's voice was soft as he put his hand on your shoulder and brushed down a few stray strands of hair. A tender smile was reflected on his lips.

"Oah, please no sex in the kitchen. That's so unhygienic. " Kokoda groaned annoyed, but he continued to grin when the couple turned away from each other, blushing.

"Of course you can. But no roaming hands." You warned and Kurama chuckled as he followed you into the kitchen. Shiori and Hatanaka looked at each other and laughed heartily.

"They are so cute together."

"Indeed. I'm so happy that Shuuichi has finally found someone who makes him so happy. "

"Yes."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the kitchen, you hummed happily as you washed the dishes. You really enjoyed Kurama's family. They were so warm and harmonious and you already felt like a member of the family. Above all, however, you were infinitely happy that your Kurama was back to normal and no longer isolated from everyone.

“It would be the best if we give Yusuke a call and tell him that you are feeling better. Otherwise he'll bomb me with countless messages tomorrow and want to know how my visit went. " You chuckled.

"Mhm. Or we just keep our cell phones off and just enjoy the next few days as a couple? ” Kurama suggested instead, which elicited an embarrassed smile from you.

“A tempting idea. But it's not fair for our other friends. They're very worried about you too. Please. ” You said then and Kurama couldn't help but put the towel, he was holding to dry the dishes, aside and put his arms around you from behind to hold you tight.

"Alright. A short feedback can be set up. But after that I would like to be undisturbed with my girlfriend for a while. Or do you have any objection? ”He asked and began to nibble on your earlobe. You stopped your work and closed your eyes to gasp softly.

"No, I haven't," You replied softly, whereupon Kurama grinned against your skin and kissed your neck.

"Good .." he breathed and his hands went under your shirt to caress the bare skin underneath.

"S-Shuuichi .. Not .. here." Your protests were quiet and uncertain. Kurama started sucking on your neck while his hands went to your breasts and gently squeezed them over your bra. "Your family could hear us .."

"Then you shouldn't be so loud, huh?" Kurama purred in a deep and erotic voice that left no room for discussion. You bit your lip as he put his knee between your legs from behind and used his knee to grind and rub at your crotch. His fingers flicked your clothed nipples and his mouth was hot and greedy between your neck and shoulder.

"N-No .. We can't …" it was rare that you resisted against such intimacies. In fact, you never had any objections. "... I don't trust my mouth ..." You explained afterwards.

Kurama kissed your neck gently up to your ear before looking at her questioningly. "I find your mouth trustworthy." He smiled and took your earlobe into his mouth to suck on it. You sighed and slowly moved away from him before turning around and looking deeply and apologetically into his eyes.

"You do not understand this. I'm afraid ... that the name I'm going to moan won't be Shuuichi. " You said very quietly and Kurama understood now. He smiled understandingly and pulled you into a gentle hug before kissing your forehead lovingly.

"I understand. Thank you for your care. " He whispered against your lips before giving you a gentle kiss.

You smiled gratefully and laid your head on his shoulder. "It's fine. Maybe we'll find a soundproof room here. " You smirked jokingly. Kurama glanced at you with an illegible face before lifting you up in his arms. "Wh-?"

"The bathroom is soundproof," he grinned.

"… Seriously? .." You laughed and put your hand over your forehead when your redhead only smiled innocently at you. "And the dishes?"

“Let's foist them off to my stepbrother. He's been neglecting his duties lately anyway. Just like me in .. certain other things. " He whispered and kissed your lips gently. You blushed after realizing what he meant and just giggled happily as Kurama carried you past his family with a laugh and asked Kokoda to continue the dishes.

You disappeared up the stairs to the bathroom and were not seen again that evening.

Everything was the same again.

#Kurama #youko kurama #youko kurama x reader #youko #yoko kurama #yoko #Kuronue #Kurama x Reader #Minamino Shuichi #shuichi minamino #shuichi minamino x reader #Shuuichi Minamino #Minamino Shuuichi #Shuuichi Minamino x Reader #YYH #Yu Yu Hakusho #yuu yuu hakusho

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skellebonez · 3 years

Note

Since it's been a while since I prompted you, 38/51 for Traffic Light Trio and Spicynoodleshipping?

It’s also been a while since you... sent this... I am getting through my prompts slowly but surely! Hopefully the wait was worth it, it has been a while since I have written TLT or SpicyNoodles alone so this was really enjoyable! I apparently missed this more than I realized as this is quite long! (There are references to a past fill as well, but this can be read stand alone.)

If you move from that spot, so help me, I will tie you down/Can you two save the kissing for later?

“For the love of- stop trying to get up Noodle-Brain!” Red Son snapped, albeit more with exasperated worry than anger this time. “You’re only going to make it worse!”

“No, really, I’m fine!” Xiaotian insisted, moving to once again attempt to stand.

He was not fine and his face soon came into contact with an impromptu date with Red Son’s open palm, catching him before he landed on the floor instead. Normally Xiaotian would have pulled his face back with a muttered "sorry" or "thanks" or "wow Red that was shockingly nice of you".

Instead he groaned and allowed himself to just kind of... hang there, his weight being held by that palm that probably felt oddly normal temperatured to him at the moment. Understandable given that his face was flushed red and that even to Red's naturally warmer body temperature touch he felt overheated in fever.

This was not quite the sight Red Son had expected to see when he had ventured out into the city on his own, just wanting to have some kind of time away from his work to gather his thoughts about... well, a lot of things. Ever since the entire fiasco with the Lunar New Year festival his mind had been wandering back toward when he worked with Xiaotian and Xiaojiao and things that happened afterwards.

He still had the phone he had accidentally kept from the green dragon and they had talked a few times. More than a few times. ... ok, maybe they had been texting near daily and had calls every other night and maybe he started watching her streams out of curiosity, and maybe he had been added to a group chat with the Noodle Boy and started to text him too, but he didn't really have anyone else to talk to outside of the his parents and Bull Clones! They were still enemies, just friendly ones! Frenemies! And it had been... nice. To talk to someone who seemed interested in what he wanted to say. And maybe understood him a little. Maybe possibly... didn't actually dislike him as much as he had believed initially.

... and maybe Red Son was deluding himself when he said he didn't actually like either of them, but that was neither here nor there! His thoughts were getting away from him!

The point was thus- he'd gone into the city for a break with the intention of heading to his private apartment he had for such occasions, happened upon one Noodle Boy laying face down on the seat of his (otherwise empty and clearly not being used for work that day) delivery vehicle looking absolutely miserable and burning up, and against his better judgment he took him back to said apartment. That was shockingly easy considering Xiaotian was pretty much passed out due to the high fever combined with his moving around and the fact Red Son could lift the vehicle himself if he wanted to (he didn't, he just took the keys with them so no one would make off with it).

And so that was how Red Son found himself in this predicament. In his apartment with the AC on just enough to be slightly uncomfortable, one sick Monkie Kid doing his best to remove himself from his couch with a cold compress on his forehead while insisting he was fine when he clearly was not, debating on whether or not he should have taken this dumbass to the hospital instead. If only because he was being frustrating to keep still.

"You are most clearly not 'fine', now lay back down," Red Son said with a warning growl, pushing his rival (gently, he wouldn't be so callous as to kick someone while they were down like this) back into the mound of pillows he had laid out for him. He never had visitors so he may as well make the best of this and pull out what he had in storage so they could be used for once. "If you move from that spot, so help me, I will tie you down."

"... ok," Xiaotian finally acquiesced, closing his eyes and laying back into the plush around him and looking even worse than he had before he had been trying to convince the other he was fine. (Though had he not looked clearly sick the sight would have been almost cute to-NO! Red was not going to think that.)

Red Son didn't know what precisely was wrong with him, though based on his symptoms and reactions it was likely a basic but now out of control flu (regardless, he knew he himself was in little to no danger of most human illnesses) and helping him recuperate here (because no one except Red Son was allowed to defeat the Monkie Kid, not even an illness!) was looking like a more reasonable idea now. But he couldn't help but wonder how had the other man allowed himself to get this bad. Why had he even gone outside in his state? He wasn't working, his lack of normal uniform or delivery orders was evidence enough of that, so it wasn't as if he had been forced to go out by his boss. Was he just too stubborn? Did he think he would be ok for a few minutes and not realize he was this ill? The delivery boy was of no help in that regard, brushing off every attempt from the fire demon to learn the answers to those questions. He wasn't delirious, he just refused to answer!

So instead of trying to push again Red Son sighed and stood up. When Xiaotian opened his eyes to look at him in curiosity he frowned at the deep dark bags under them (had he ever been sleeping?) and the dull sheen they seemed to have before he held his hand up in a "stop" motion.

"You stay right there. I meant that threat. I am going to be back in 10 minutes. Do not test me..." Red stood, lifting both his arms for a moment before giving the other another glance. "And don't, uh... die, I guess."

And then Red was gone in a wave of his arms and a flash of fire.

He landed at the entrance to a nearby convenience store, not somewhere one would normally think he would frequent but convenience was convenience. And they had very good coffee to grab when he ran out in his apartment. Yes, he was a Villain with a capital V and could just torment the staff for free goods... but he knew that if he did that long enough the stores would start causing him trouble or close down and that would negate the convenience.

No, it wasn't because the first cashier that greeted him was willing to pay for his goods believing he had forgotten his wallet and thus felt guilty for his first attempt at doing so. And he would deny that until the day he died.

That wasn't his goal for the day, however. Red Son may not get ill the way humans did, but it felt useful to him to know how how to treat the more common ailments in the event his family may be forced to work with one. So he grabbed a basket and made a quick beeline straight for the nearest aisle with medicine.

In even less than the 10 minutes he cited he had a basket filled with flu medicine, more cold compresses, soup broth, and much more. Yes, all of this was absolutely necessary. He didn't care that much about his nemesis, he just wouldn't let an illness make him weak. Nope. That was the only reason. Nothing else. He totally wasn't caring for someone he considered a friend, he didn't have friends, not even Xiaojiao was a-

"Red?"

Crap.

"What are you doing standing in line at a convenience store?" Xiaojiao asked, and as Red turned back to her he saw that she had... some very similar items in her own basket, plus some comics. At his eyes widened in realization she looked down at his own basket and sighed. "... either this is a very interesting coincidence or Xiaotian did something he shouldn't have."

Red entered his apartment through the door, the noise rousing the apparently lightly sleeping man on his couch.

"Red? You're back alrea-!?" Xiaotian snapped his mouth shut as he turned his head and opened his eyes to see the wide smiling face of a, clearly to someone who knew her well, angry Xiaojiao. "... I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Oh you have no idea," she replied lightly, setting down the snacks and books and other assorted items she had purchased while Red made his way into the kitchen with his purchases. "I told you I would be at your apartment with stuff after I finished covering your shift for you, so would you like to explain why Red Son found you nearly passed out in your tuk-tuk half way to the nearest store?"

Though her words were sharp and snappy, it was clear to the listening Red that they were so in genuine concern for her friend. There was a mutter from Xiaotian and a questioning sound from Xiaojiao before the man cleared his throat and repeated himself.

"You already helped me out... I just wanted to try to get that stuff myself so you wouldn't have to do more. I was feeling pretty ok until I drove for a while..."

Ah. So that explained it. Xiaotian had just been going out for medication himself. Not the best idea with a fever of his magnitude, but understandable if he believed he could handle something that simple. Red had begun to wonder if he had been trying to head to Flower Fruit Mountain with bow evasive he was being, but this was a much less disastrous answer.

"Xiaotian, you're my best friend," he heard Xiaojiao say in a much softer tone, and there was the sound of the shuffling on the couch. "I wanted to help you, it didn't matter to me how much it was. I've helped you get to Flower Fruit Mountain and kick demon ass! A delivery shift or two and a convenience store run is something I'd do in a heartbeat. Now open your mouth, I grabbed a thermometer so we can see how bad off you actually are."

There was an agreeable sound and a chuckle, then silence as Red continued what he had been doing. Taking out a dose of medication and preparing something for Xiaotian to eat. Or, rather, drink along side the tea he was also preparing for himself and Xiaojiao. It was little more than chunks of tofu and soup broth with some mild flavoring, something simple and easy to make and eat while sick and-

Red Son held his face in his hands and groaned softly as he waited for the broth to warm. What was he doing? His greatest enemies were in his living room, one sick with fever, and he was preparing medicine and food for him. Frenemies? Only he could defeat them? Is that really what he was telling himself to justify his actions? That they were friend-enemies and they were his to beat?

That was a bold faced lie and he knew it. Had known it for a while. Maybe since he first called Xiaojiao just to speak with someone who would listen to him. Maybe since he first watched her stream in curiosity. Certainly, though, since he accepted being added to the group text she had named "Traffic Light Trio" (really? What kind of name that that?). He would have never done that had he not considered them his friends, he knew that deep down. He just didn't want to admit it (and he super did not want to admit that he maybe felt his own face warm up when they complimented him or that he had butterflies in his stomach the off times they called him by nicknames).

As he turned off the now lightly boiling broth and set it to the side to cool, Red Son began to admit to himself that maybe he was just as much of a dumbass as the Noodle Boy. It seemed that out of the three of them Xiaojiao had firm hold on the only available brain cells when it came to interpersonal relationships.

But that train of thought was not helpful at the moment, so he pushed it down (deeeeeeep down) as he gathered everything up and made his way to the couch again.

The sight that greeted him gave him pause Xiaojiao sitting on the arm of the couch and running a hairbrush through Xiaotian's tangled hair, Xiaotian looking slightly better thanks to the compress against his forehead and smiling softly against the pillows.

There were those butterflies. Oh. Red Son had it bad.

"So?" He asked, drawing their attention to himself as he sat everything on the nearby table. "How bad is it?"

"Not enough to take him to a doctor yet," Xiaojiao answered with a chuckle as she hopped down. "Though I think what you did before helped with that."

Red flushed a bit himself in response, grumbling under his breathe as he shoved the medicine and a cup of water into Xiaotian's hands. "WELL. Take this and. Maybe it’ll stay that way!" He attempted to sound as snappy as normal but the looks on both his guests faces told him he failed miserably in that regard.

"Thanks, Red," Xiaotian said with an earnest smile, and the butterflies were back and Red Son couldn't help the slight sparking of his hair in response.

"Don't mention it. Ever." He grumbled a bit, taking the cup before sighing and helping Xiaotian sit up straighter. "You shouldn't eat half laying down." He maneuvered the pillows to make a little wall between Xiaotian and a space next to the arm of the couch. A space he quickly occupied himself before handing him the bowl of broth over his shoulder. "So you don't have to move more."

The other two looked at each other with surprise on their faces before Xiaojiao smiled and sat on the other arm as they grew silent. Xiaotian eating, Xiaojiao playing on her phone, and Red... well. He tried to look like he was doing something on "his" phone, the one he took from Xiaojiao and replaced the old case with a showy flame covered one. But in reality he was just sitting there staring into space thinking "holy crap this is happening what have I done what happens next oh crap".

"Hey Red?"

"YES!?" He asked far too loud and quick with a squeak in his voice as his hair flared at Xiaotian's words, clearing his throat before repeating himself in a much more appropriate tone (only to earn a giggle from Xiaojiao).

He felt the other man lean back against him, and before he could even begin to fight his flush on his face he heard him chuckle as well. "I appreciate your help."

"L-like I said... don't mention it..."

Xiaotian chuckled again in reply and sighed, leaning completely against Red Son and as he looked over and down he saw his relaxed face and flushed deeper and... it felt nice.

He wondered why he ever pushed down his feelings before.

Xiaojiao grabbed the dishes with a knowing smirk, heading into the kitchen with a few parting words.

"Can you two save the kissing for later? Maybe when Xiaotian isn't sick?"

Both men flushed as deep as they could and sputtered out denials in response, and if that wasn't an indication that Xiaotian maybe felt similarly to Red as Red did to him...

#oh god i must have missed writing them a lot #monkie kid #lego monkie kid #ship fic #mk #qi xiaotian #red son #mei #long xiaojiao #traffic light trio #spicynoodleshipping #chimerashipping #(if you want it to be)#prompt fill

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saffron-nova21 · 3 years

Text

Whipped Cream: Iwaizumi's Bonus Scene

The Next Chapter Masterlist

< Previous Chapter • You Are Here • Next Chapter >

Warnings: Reader is a little flirty, Iwa-chan busts his lip, Kuroo is conniving, Strong language

Everyone had finished their meals about five minutes prior, now just working on finishing your drinks before the checks were brought out. And in this time, Kuroo had managed to get under your skin, as he was so well adept in. At this point, it was a game to him, to see how quickly he could get you to retaliate. He never went too far, mainly just making statements that he knew you would fight him on.

Laughter bubbles from Kuroo's lips as his eyes scan over you. "In what world? You might have played volleyball in high school, but you haven't lifted anything heavier than a couch cushion, since."

His words held some truth, though not as much as he thought. Though you weren't a health nut and you were out of practice, some of your closest friends were Bokuto, and by extension Hinata. You had been pretty adaptable with positions, in high school. Your brother was the Captain, your ex-boyfriend a middle blocker, and your former best friend a setter. Practicing with each of them, throughout your life had made you pretty talented.

In high school you'd had the opportunity to go to multiple of Japan's sponsored training camps. You'd never gone, but that was only because you had too much going on at home, at the time. You'd also been looked at by multiple universities for scholarships. At the end of the day, though, you chose the same path as your best friend.

You could still spike a volleyball with the best of them, if you did say so yourself. So, with narrowed, challenging eyes, you speak up. "You really think so? I hardly go outside and I'd still win a practice run against you, Tetsu."

Kenma shrugs, briefly looking up from his phone to eye you both, "I believe it. After all, Bokuto does drag them off to help he and Hinata practice a lot."

As his eyes travel back to his phone, you look from him back towards Kuroo. "Exactly, so suck my dick."

Kuroo, though, only seemed to grin. And his grin was one you were all too familiar with: he knew something you didn't.

"Great. So then you'll really be an asset to the volleyball team, being so skilled and all?"

Iwaizumi looks towards you with raised eyebrows, "You played in high school?"

"That's the only part of that conversation you decide to comment on?" Kuroo rolls his eyes, placing his head against his fist, his elbow resting on the table.

Holding up your right hand to Kuroo, you flash him the sweetest smile you can possibly muster, before raising your middle finger to flip him off. Though as you do, his hand shoots out to catch yours, a smirk stretching over his features as he catches your hand before you can withdraw it. "You asshole." You hiss as you try to pull your hand back, mistakenly pushing your body into Iwaizumi. Kuroo, however, just holds his grip on your wrist, until you end up attempting to put all of your weight into jerking your hand back. That's when he finally decided to let go, allowing your body to jerk into Iwaizumi's.

Iwaizumi, who'd been sipping on his hot chocolate, tried to prepare for things, though he wasn't as prepared as he might've wished as the mug hit his lower lip, not only busting it, but also smearing whipped cream along his top lip and nose. With a glare directed towards you, he attempted to reach across you for the napkins, but you beat him to it, "Thanks, Kuroo, my boss hates me now."

You then turn towards Iwaizumi with a hand full of napkins, grabbing his jaw to turn his head towards you so you could help him. But holy shit, how had you not noticed that jawline beforehand? Bringing your hand up, you begin to wipe the whipped cream from his face, while Kuroo flags someone down, between his cackles, to get some ice for them.

"You certainly cause a lot of trouble, don't you?" Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, trying to draw attention away from the fact that his cheeks had a slow-growing blush dusting them. "We split them up to prevent disaster, but you seem to be the source of most of it."

You turn up your nose, "And to think that I thought you were hot -"

"If anything, you find him hotter now. You've always had a thing for douchebags." Kenma flashes you a smirk, before returning his eyes to his phone.

You let out a quiet huff, face warming in embarrassment, "Kenma, I don't wanna hear it from you. You're just jealous because I'm paying more attention to Iwa, here." Sticking your tongue out at him, you pull the napkins away from his face, placing them on your empty plate. "There you go." Bringing your hand to his cheek, you pat it with amusement flitting across your features.

Iwaizumi only rolls his eyes at you, "You remind me a little too much of a friend of mine."

Everyone looks over as a waitress comes over with a few ice cubes in a cup, Iwaizumi thanking her as he takes the cup, before plucking an ice cube from it and wrapping it in a paper towel to place against his slightly-swollen lip.

"Speaking of your friends," the way your tone changes makes both Kenma and Kuroo collectively roll their eyes, knowing exactly what - or rather, who you're going to bring up. Though, you ignore them to continue your conversation with Iwaizumi, "You know Oikawa, right? Like personally?" A frown crosses his face as he raises an eyebrow, prompting you to continue. "I don't want anything. I'm not going to ask for his number, or some shit. I've got Bokuto and Hinata wrapped around my finger, if I'm looking for a volleyball player."

"Y/N, you can't just say things like that." Kuroo brings a hand up to massage his temple.

The Athletic Trainer blinks, "So, what are you asking for?"

Looking back up at him, you tilt your head, "Nothing, I just wanted to see if Kuroo was telling the truth. I can't even lie, though, I use to watch Seijoh's games, to see his service ace. It was fucking killer. Hell, he was the reason I taught myself how to do it. And I do pride myself on my jump-serves. I use to be able to do jump-floats, as well, but that's a little iffy, now, I'm not going to lie.

"Now that I think about it, Seijoh had some cute players. Especially when I was in... My second year of high-school, there was this number four. God, he was fucking amazing. I loved watching him play. Plus those biceps were to -... Kuroo, shut up, your laughter makes it so hard to concentrate." You stop to look at Kuroo, who is doubling over in laughter, while Kenma shakes his head at your misfortune.

"Y/N, do you know what team Iwaizumi used to play for?" Kenma looks at you with a ghost of a smile.

From there, you can piece things together, cringing a bit as you look back at Iwaizumi, "Would you believe me if I said that I meant... Number... Sixteen..?"

Iwaizumi lets an amused smirk grace his lips as he looks at you, "That's cute. Good to know that you actually have some taste. I nearly lost faith with your adoration for Loserkawa." He brings his mug back to his lips, fingers grasping your wrist so he can tug your hand away from where it was holding ice on his lip, proceeding to finish off what was left in his mug, obviously getting ready to leave.

You didn't respond, instead looking at his upper lip, where whipped cream rested. You were so used to the comfort you had between you and your close friends, like Kenma and Kuroo, that you didn't hesitate to just reach out and wipe the excess away, Reaching out, you place your fingers on his cheek to steady your hand, while your thumb swipes across his upper lip, movements fleeting, before you withdraw your hand. It isn't until you're wiping your thumb on the napkins that you realize what you did, face and neck warming in embarrassment. Though, you weren't the only one, as the porcupine-haired man brought a hand up to attempt to hid his flushed cheeks.

"I've got to... Uh- Get the boys some stretches for their day off. See you on Monday," he excuses himself to stand, retrieving his ticket so he'd be able to pay at the front of the restaurant.

"See you on Monday, Iwa," your cooed words make Iwaizumi flush a bit darker, mumbling something under his breath before bidding you all goodbye as he attempts to rush out, in embarrassment.

With a sheepish look directed towards Kuroo and Kenma, the two watch you in amusement. "Whoops," you rub the back of your neck with a sheepish grin crossing your lips.

Iwaizumi was friends with Oikawa for years, so while he did get use to some of the near flirty teasing from his best friend and learn how to counteract it, sometimes his is caught off guard.

You found out about Oikawa and Seijoh's team, after seeing him in a magazine. (And yes, you do see more about this, later.)

You also rooted for them to make it to Nationals so that you could plays against them.

I'm really sorry guys, the past few days have been chaos, but there will be two more parts coming your way to make up for it, tonight and tomorrow. I hope you're all doing well. You all most definitely better be taking care of yourselves. I'm rooting for you and I'm proud of you. Remember to eat and drink some water, and get some rest. You deserve it.

General Taglist:

@kookie-doughs @halesandy @ermahgerd-larry-and-ziam @its-the-aerieljeane @onlyonew @kac-chowsballs @saltylettuce @thathoneybee3 @daninaninani @akkeyomi @vintagexparker

The Next Chapter Taglist:

@bnha-meme-sanctuary @nachotrash @haijkk @maadaaaa @prettyinblack231 @sakusasimpbot @kellesvt @bebetiny @ash-levi @calumsfringe @z3ld4 @erinoikawa @bandaged-despair @chaseyui @atria-avior @just-that-bi-girl @magical-fandoms @one-simp-more

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neoraso · 4 years

Text

royal guard!minho

requested | some gender neutral hc for how he starts to wish he was maybe more than just a guard to you

to put things lightly, minho was the ace of your entire guard

like he was better than anyone …at everything

so originally he was on (your father) the king’s immediate guard

he was nothing but professional and saved the king too many times to count even from like stepping on rocks idk

when you turned like 17 and had to do more public appearances obv u were in a lot more danger so ur father jumped at having minho reassigned to u as the head of your personal guard “nothing but the best for his child”

the first time you met him… he only nodded or said yes or no to everything u asked him n ur jus like ok not much of a talker that’s not so bad ig haha ʕʘ‿ʘʔ

he was so quiet and “polite” for months despite you constantly trying to get something out of him

ur other guards always tried not to laugh bc if only u knew he had like two friends and was generally a pretty serious guy

but one day there was a festival in your kingdom’s central city so obv you had to make an appearance which u were very excited abt bc you only get to go into town like twice a year and THIS was one of those times

being “of age” and that much closer to taking the throne you might as well have painted a big red target on your head to signal people against the throne

everything was going fine, everyone was having fun and you decided to visit some of the booths and musicians around the square

minho was already suspicious of the situation and tightens the rest of your guard without u evenn rlly noticing but like

just as you turned to show these cute little candies to minho to maybe get a reaction for once -

the second he looks at you, someone moves to grab you but the flash of a knife in his other hand causes minho to jump immediately into action

honestly who knows what rlly happened minho moved so damn fast but the next thing you know, ur in the middle of your whole guard squad

looking through the gaps of their shoulders you see minho pinning down your assailant with a blade against his neck waiting for someone to arrest him even though he rlly wanted to just execute the guy right there

the festivities were kind of killed for u after that bc you and your family were rushed back home which u might’ve been more sad abt if u werent in so much shock :<

obv minho was the one to escort you back but like all he said was “you’re okay?” and after u dumbly nodded with wide eyes he walked with you but kept a hand around your shoulder

no one really talked after that which wasn’t unusual for him but in his mind he was rlly like

“?? ok i know its literally my job to protect this family but?? hm whyyyy do i seem to care sm more rnnn??//?” help him sdhskjd

u just looked so shaken up and disappointed and suddenly he was like damn </3 they rlly have no fun in their life and this one time they could was ruined :///

u had to stay inside for weeks after that bc it turns out there was a whole conspiracy to “eliminate” your family line so you waited in safety until the criminals were “taken care of”

minho had everything triple checked around the castle for your safety and secretly made sure you had extra treats and warm drinks sent to your room sometimes with little notes that he had the cook pretend to have sent because lately he’d heard you had trouble sleeping sometimes he’s shy boy aw

he started to realize how much he had gotten used to your smile and your little jokes and the way you sometimes tripped on the corners of rugs. and he thought maybe it was a good thing you guys didnt have many interactions lately because he was way too attached

you on the other hand, couldnt even rlly complain about having to stay inside so much bc you had everything you needed and- you knew it was for ur safety but- it wassss kind of suffocating at times

u tried sneaking out at first ((just to the garden!!)) which obviously was a bad idea bc it’s impossible to get past minhos fcking hawk eyes lmao

he STILL didnt say anything like he would just follow right behind you

n like u kinda huffed but whatever honestly at least it was just him and not 15 other guards like everyone acted like you needed

plus it was somewhat comforting to have someone so solid around even if he never talked smh

one night you sat near the little pond and tried to calm your mind by watching how the moonlight rippled in the water

you can feel him behind you so u just turn around and look at him ignoring how he was already looking at you

“would you at least sit with me?”

he kind of hesitates bc …what if someone tried to come up behind you? but with the sad look on your face he cant help but give in and sits on the stone bench at the opposite end of you

it becomes actually somewhat peaceful until you just decide to ask everything you’ve been wondering n u just blurt out-

“would it kill you to talk with me once in a while? i mean, talk like a normal person and not a machine? i dont bite i promise..”

he furrows his brow bc he’s shocked you cared at all and also he doesnt rlly know how to respond without being like “its not really in my job description to make conversation” but he honestly just thought you were being talkative out of niceties.

before he could even form a sentence you continued,

“i mean- i’m always trying to get your attention. i dont get to meet many people for obvious reasons but my guards are the closest people to me-literally, and i dont want there to be a big gap between us just because of my status..”

he cuts you off before you ramble yourself to death

“i didn’t know you were this troubled by it… i just take my job very seriously and i dont want to risk anyone’s safety for the sake of conversation”

u almost roll ur eyes but not wanting to be rude ur just like “even at home? i know you’re serious about your duties, believe me, i just… i get lonely.”

smthing inside him literally breakkkssss when you say that like u are such a pure and sweet person that deserves to have all the love and friends and fun in the world so he just gets quiet for a second and looks down

“im sorry.” he said it so softly you almost didnt hear him “i’ll be there for you more- if thats what you need. im essentially in charge of your safety and care and i’ll do anything to fulfill that responsibility.”

ok.

well this was good right? so why did you still feel unsatisfied?

“i dont want to just be a responsibility, cant we just be like friends? or…”

you cut yourself off before talking too much again

you had to admit to yourself you had developed a bit of a liking for minho, not just because he was probably the most handsome person in your kingdom, not even just because he saved your life, but he had really been a pillar of security in your life and you respected his loyalty and ambition.

he was more than admirable and everything you wanted as a standard for your kingdom

sometimes you let your mind wander to him getting on one knee and leading alongside you..

no, now youre getting sidetracked and delusional and he can practically hear the gears turning in your head so he stands up and reaches his hand out for you to grab

“of course you’re more than a responsibility to me, come on, lets go inside it’s getting cold.’

taking his hand and realizing the conversation was over, you moved to link arms instead as he walked you all the way to your bedroom door

u slept a lot better that night

from that point on you could not get rid of minho

like everyone was borderline uncomfortable with how jarring his change in attitude was

like he was constantly behind you looking right over your shoulder or grabbing your arm to stop you from bumping into things

even when he wasnt technically on duty he had taken it upon himself to give you little lessons in archery and even some defensive moves to help you protect yourself in case someone wasnt fast enough to help you

your tried not to get flustered every time he adjusted your form and the way you could feel his breath behind your ear

or the head pats when he walked you to your room at night

or his hand on your back when you guys would take walks in the garden

honestly it did not take long until one night you were sat next to your pond and after some comfortable small talk you noticed how close his face was to yours

but he noticed you didn’t pull away even as he leaned in closer and finally just kissed you

when he pulled away and saw your eyes still closed and how soft you looked his heart almost exploded

“i didnt mean to make things weird i just,, couldnt help myself, sorry”

his rushed confession pulls you out of your daze and you’re so happy (a little shocked) but you’re quick to reassure him

“it’s ok, i’ve been wanting you to do that for a while …”

he’s jus like “rlly?😳”

obviously this complicates things a lot and you aren’t really sure if you would even be allowed to have a relationship with minho bc of ur position

or if he would get in trouble for breaking the rules of attachment to u

all of this is kind of racing thru both of ur minds as you look at each other but you laugh after u both start talking at the same time

you prod him to go first so he grabs your hands and says like

“look i care about you a lot, and i know we’re not really supposed to be doing this but if i can be by your side … beyond my duties…i would really love to. but if we can’t, i can survive with just being here to protect and serve you in anyway i can”

he’s so honest and genuine and earnest it shocked u a little

even tho you were uncertain abt the situation as well you knew you had grown a little too fond and dependent on minho that you would do anything to make it work

luckily an arranged marriage was not required for you so that wasnt really the issue, but falling in love with someone not at all royal..? it was a daunting thought how the idea would be perceived

you wouldnt have said anything if you both weren’t completely sure of your feelings; but you really could not imagine being content or safe spending your life with anyone else so you mustered up the courage to ask the king and queen��

when you brought it up to your parents they looked pretty concerned

minho went on the whole “i’ll do anything to protect them and this kingdom” speech and your father just waved him off and was like

“i know u would …. i’ll allow it because there’s really no one better to represent the kingdom and because i want only the best for my child ;)”

u and minho were literally in shock but just quietly said thank u and left the room

when you had privacy he immediately pulled you in for a kiss (maybe several all over ur face)

you had a lot to figure out and many responsibilities but now you had an amazing person by your side to help you through it :.) <3

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arotechno · 4 years

Text

The Heartless: Chapter 1

Read on Inkitt

(A/N: HOOOO boy here we go, after five years of staring down the barrel of this thing it’s finally done! Important question: does it matter to y’all if I don’t post the text of the chapter directly below the cut in the future and just link to Inkitt? I ask because formatting for tumblr was beyond annoying and I’m not looking forward to doing it for like 20 more chapters. But if it’s necessary for accessibility reasons, I’m willing to do it.)

Chapter I: in which the story begins

When the winter first melted into spring, Basil and I crept to the edge of the woods behind our houses to pick wildflowers in the meadow. It was still too early for raspberries; in the summer, we’d fill our baskets and our stomachs with them until our mouths were stained red with juices. Our mothers would bake pies in the afternoon and we’d eat them in the evening, cleaning every last scrap from our supper plates with the promise of a sweet dessert. Now, the earth was still cool beneath our bare feet, our toes wiggling in the soft dirt. Once we’d filled our fists with flowers, we settled in the tall grass and began weaving together goldenrod, daisies, and violets into flower crowns and daisy chains.

Basil presented his work and beamed at me, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun with the back of his hand. “Take it, I want you to wear it,” he urged, thrusting the flower crown into my lap.

“But you worked so hard on it,” I replied.

He shrugged and brushed the dirt from his tanned knees. “I want you to have it,” he insisted, reaching forward and taking the crown from my lap to place it gently on my head.

I stared down at my own work in my hands; it was not nearly as beautiful as the one Basil had made. Some of the stems had split, and many of the flowers had lost some of their leaves and petals. I didn’t have the same steady hands that he did.

“In that case, I want you to have mine, too,” I decided, pressing the crown onto Basil’s head as a couple more leaves fluttered to the ground.

Basil grinned a mile wide, practically radiating sunshine with every inch of his being. “Now we match,” he beamed.

A peaceful silence fell over the meadow. Behind us, the trees rustled in the woods. Insects hovered in the grass, hopping from flower to flower; Basil jumped when a bee buzzed past his face to land in the flowering raspberry bushes that bordered the tree line.

“We’ll be friends forever, right, Basil?” I asked after a while, sheepishly adjusting my flower crown.

"Of course we will,” he responded. “Even when we’re old!”

“How old? Like, eighteen? That’s super old!”

Basil laughed. “Yeah! Eighteen and then even older!”

I smiled hopefully. “And we can still make flower crowns like this?”

“Ace, when we’re eighteen, I’ll still make you all the flower crowns you want,” Basil decreed with a grin. “That’s a promise.”

* * *

The warmth of the sun and Basil’s innocent smile faded as I woke up to last night’s rain dripping down on me from the cracks in the ceiling above. Bertrand stood over me, jostling me awake with one hand while the other held a vial of another one of his concoctions. I assumed I had fallen asleep after supper, because the dishes remained untouched by the washbasin and twilight was just pouring in through the window.

“Drink up,” Bertrand commanded in that voice of his that just begged to be disobeyed, holding the potion in front of me expectantly as if to remind me of the curse that filled the vacant space within me. He stared at me with piercing eyes over the top of his dull gray beard, swishing the vial back and forth for emphasis.

I grabbed it from his wrinkly hand and sloshed the red liquid around in disgust before shutting my eyes and downing it in one gulp, just to appease him. Even so, I could not resist the urge to lay a hand against my chest, but still I felt nothing. Shaking my head, I rose from my cot and pushed past Bertrand, grabbing my bow and arrow off the hook by the door and slinging it over my shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Bertrand called after me.

“Out,” I answered, already halfway out the rickety wooden door.

“It’s past nightfall, Ace, it’s dangerous out there!”

But I was already gone, walking away from the old house as the door slammed shut behind me with a satisfying thud.

Over the seven years I’d spent under Bertrand’s leaky roof, I had slowly become disillusioned with the idea of ever finding a potion strong enough to light a fire in my ribcage. Bertrand had tested a lot of his spells on me throughout my life, but the love potion had always proven to be the least effective.

But I suppose that is to be expected when you do not have a heart.

The Village of the Heartless was smaller than the town where I grew up. A single dirt road ran from the village gates to the top of the hill, through the neighborhood before coming to a stop at the edge of the woods that surrounded the kingdom of Amistadia. We were a close-knit community, learning to provide and look out for each other through thick and thin, through every harsh winter and plentiful spring.

Bertrand’s house stood at the edge of the village, where the hill dropped off toward the gates below. At the base of the hill stood a large, sturdy oak tree where I perched some nights with my bow and arrow on the lookout for trouble.

Nights in the Village of the Heartless were always dark, as we could never afford enough oil to keep all of the town’s lamps lit, but they weren’t always quiet. Kids from neighboring towns sometimes wandered the area at night, brandishing knives in their grimy hands, looking to stir up trouble. Tonight was no exception; as I neared the village limits, I caught a glimpse of a pair of boys making their way down the road, and a thrill shot up my spine. I climbed swiftly up the oak tree and perched in the shadow of its lush, leafy branches, fingers itching for my bow.

The pair dragged a child behind them by the arm, yanking her across the dirt with them as they cackled and cheered triumphantly at their prized catch. The girl held tightly to a canvas sack, trying fruitlessly to pull away from her captors.

“Get away, get away!” she shrieked, dodging a blow as she fell to the ground, clutching the bag to her torso desperately.

“What’s the matter, little runt?” one of the assailants sneered. “You’re not afraid of a couple of kids, are you?”

“I just wanted something to eat!” the girl cried out as a likely filthy knife narrowly missed her cheek.

If I had been in my right mind, I would have simply shot the pair of boys in the shoulder, snatched up the child, and run away, but Basil’s face kept flashing in my mind; an anger was boiling in my gut that demanded confrontation.

“Hey, ugly!” I shouted, pulling back an arrow and pointing it in their direction.

The kid with the knife froze, eyes darting up to my place on the tree branch. I was yards away, but I could see the glint of light from the last of the setting sun on the knife as his fist tightened around it. His partner, as well as the child still laying on the ground with the sack clutched to her chest, stared wide-eyed as he

“Who’re you talking to?” he grumbled.

“Doesn’t matter,” I quipped, hopping down from my perch and tightening my grip on the arrow. “Just let the kid go.”

“Why should I?” he retorted, nonetheless taking a step back when he saw the arrow aimed directly at his head. “Y-You’re not really going to shoot that.”

“How do you know?”

The other kid called out, “Hey, let’s just get out of here.” He was ignored.

Pointing to the little girl, Knife Boy puffed out his chest and continued, “There’s no way you’re really worried about her. You Heartless are all the same; you don’t feel a damned thing. No way you’d go out of your way to save her.”

I allowed myself a bitter, self-indulgent smirk, too brief to be seen in the thick darkness. “If that’s what you believe, that I am entirely emotionless, then wouldn’t it also stand to reason that I would feel no remorse about ending your sorry life right here and now?” I drew my bowstring further; the wood audibly creaked. “If that’s the case, then it would seem you had better start running.”

Knife Boy froze, taking a few steps back before he and his friend took off running in the direction they came. “Cursed bastards!” he yelled over his shoulder as he hopped the gate and disappeared. Once they were out of sight, I let my arms drop to my side and slung my bow back over my shoulder. I felt my brow furrow in frustration; life in the village had become so mundane that I was almost hoping for a fight. I quickly stifled that selfish thought, pushing it to the far recesses of my mind; the girl, who had stayed completely still on the ground throughout the whole ordeal, now scrambled to her feet, still clutching the bag in her white-knuckled hands. Now, no longer squinting through the dark, I recognized her immediately.

“That was awesome! How did you know what to say?” she beamed, slinging the canvas sack over her shoulder and wiping the dirt from a pair of ratty pants that fell three inches from her ankles.

"Petra, you’re the one who I keep hearing has been stealing food from the neighboring villages?” I asked her, and her expression soured immediately at having been caught.

“Yeah, that was me,” Petra admitted under her breath. Then, scrambling to justify herself, she added, “But I only do it because there’s not enough food in the village and I gotta eat something!”

I nodded, mulling it over. “Sure, now I suppose I can’t blame you for that, but stealing is wrong. You’re plenty old enough to know that.”

“Of course, I know that, but I needed food!”

“Fine, I get it, I get it,” I sighed. “Just don’t make this a habit, got it? I promised Annie I would keep you out of trouble.”

Petra pouted. “Fine,” she mumbled. I started back up the hill, with Petra trotting silently alongside me.

At thirteen years old, Petra had been living in the Village of the Heartless since she was a baby—which was still longer than I’d been in town—left outside the home of one of the village women, Annie, in the middle of the night. I’d met her several years ago, and she quickly became enthralled with my stories of life outside the village. Annie was dead several months now, leaving Petra to fend mostly for herself, though the community kept a watchful eye over her (Not watchful enough, I thought ruefully).

“You didn’t tell me how you knew what to say to that kid,” she urged, struggling to keep up with my strides.

“I used to spend time around those kinds of people a lot when I was a kid,” I explained, deciding to humor her. “I’ve learned how to turn their own words against them by now.”

I did not tell her that had I learned how to do so sooner, things may have turned out a lot differently.

* * *

I eventually sent Petra home with a warning that I’d be watching to make sure she didn’t get into any more trouble. When I crossed the threshold back into Bertrand’s musty old house, the palm of his hand came down hard across my face, leaving a sharp stinging sensation behind on my skin.

“What on earth was that for?” I yelped. Bertrand grabbed me by the wrist and dropped me into one of the rickety dining chairs in the center of the room, bearded face practically sparking with rage.

“You must not keep doing that!” he scolded.

“Doing what?” I asked innocently.

“Getting into confrontations with… hooligans! What else?”

“I did what I had to—”

“Don’t think I wasn’t watching, Ace! I could see the entire ordeal from the window!”

“Well maybe if you’d actually done something to help instead of just watching—”

“Unlike you, Ace, I value my life and am not going to get myself killed just to feel like the hero!”

I couldn’t help but bristle at his comment. Something in my soul shattered, and I sprung to my feet, the wooden chair tipping backward onto the stone floor behind me with a loud clatter that would have rang through the eaves had I not immediately erupted into theatrics.

“What do you mean you value your life? All you do is sit around making futile potion after potion and you still think it’ll work next time!” I clenched my fists at my sides, willing the confrontational energy in my veins to burn out before it swallowed me whole. “So maybe I need to tell off some asshole every once in a while to finally feel like I’m doing something meaningful. So you can keep pouring bile down my throat all you want, but I can assure you it’ll never make me happy!”

Bertrand’s face fell, and I knew deep down that I had hurt him, but I could not bring myself to feel guilty. He had it coming, I thought, stalking across the room to my cot by the window. I sat down on the thin mattress, kicked off my boots, and pulled my knees up to my chest.

“Ace—” Bertrand, having followed me, reached out a hand as if to lay it on my shoulder, but I flinched away from the touch and he retracted the appendage as if he had been burned.

“Don’t touch me,” I muttered, directing my gaze out the window at the dark, lonely night creeping across the landscape. “Just leave me alone.”

With a sigh, Bertrand retreated from my bedside, retiring to his back potion room to conjure his demons away, and I sat back against the wall, longing for home and the warm voices of my parents.

That night, I dreamt of Knife Boy, and his words reminded me of Carita, the girl who kissed me under an oak tree when we were younger and told me I was weird for flinching

Next chapter releases 7/25!

#The Heartless #aro #aromantic #aro writing #aro writers #writing #writeblr #aspec writing #aspec writers #op

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chibinekochan · 4 years

Text

Angel in Hell - Part 8

Obey me! Angel Reader Au.

Gen. reader insert.

~2,5k words

Taglist:

@gothjuulpod ; @purgatoryhall ; @sibit360 ; @a-personnamed-ace

_____________________________________

Just in case you had to skip the last part here a summary:

You had a mental breakdown, Simeon brought you home, calmed you down and you slept in his room.

_________________________________________________

After your shower and dressing in your usual clothes, you feel much more like your usual self.

A part of you just wants to forget everything that happened last night. You know you can't.

"How are you feeling now?" Simeon asks in his usual gentle manner.

"I'm still confused but I feel like myself again." You give him a kind smile.

"I'm glad to hear that." Simeon is very relieved.

"So will you now explain what happened to me last night?" You honestly just want to have an explanation and move forward.

Simeon seems to sense your simple desire.

"I know but this is bigger than just what happened to you last night. This isn't just about that, it will change everything that you know about yourself. There is no shame in not wanting the whole truth." Simeon offers you a way out of it.

You can't accept it.

"No, I want to know. Please tell me." You shake your head.

You aren't sure what the story might be but you have to know. Otherwise, it will keep eating you.

"Alright, in this case, we should go to Lucifer. I think it will be best to hear it from someone who has first-hand knowledge. I think he will be able to explain it in the best way possible to you." Simeon seems troubled.

"Why would Lucifer know anything about this?" You are very confused.

"It will all make sense once we arrive. I will be at your side the entire time and no matter what is being said in the room I will be at your side no matter what." Simeon gives you some encouragement.

You are glad that you can count on him.

"I will trust you, Simeon." You feel uneasy but at least you have him to support you.

"That you, that means a lot to me. I just hope that it will stay this way." Simeon casts his gaze to the ground for a moment.

"Are you ready to go?"

You take a deep breath. "Yes, let’s go."

"I would go with you but sadly I can't. Just don’t forget that I'm also here for you." Luke seems sullen but it's important to him to support you.

"That means a lot to me." You give him a light smile.

Simeon nods and you both head over to Lucifer’s room.

It feels like a long-distance away. Your thoughts are all over the place.

Then you are in front of the room.

Simeon knocks. "Lucifer is us. Please open up."

Lucifer opens the door. He looks like he hasn't slept at all.

"Please come inside." Lucifer does his best to sound polite but it's obvious that he has a lot on his mind right now.

You go inside and sit on the couch that Simeon sits next to. Lucifer sits down across from you.

"Do you want tea, coffee, or anything else?" Lucifer doesn't want to talk about it. Yet knows he can't avoid it much longer.

"No, I'm good." You don't feel like wasting time.

Simeon just shakes his head.

"Alright then. I think it's easier if I just tell you the whole story. Is that alright with you?" Lucifer keeps looking at the table in front of him. Like he can't even look at you right now.

"Yeah, that's alright." You aren't sure where this is going but you have a bad feeling.

"What I'm about to say isn't an easy topic and it will change everything that you think you know. We could all just pretend that last night never happened." Lucifer doesn't look you in the eyes. It's hard to read him right now.

"I don't think that I could live like this. Something is going on with me and I need to know the truth." You look at Lucifer with resolve.

You know that there is something that you need to know.

Lucifer nods and takes a long breath. Then his eyes meet yours. It seems to be very difficult for him.

"Alright then. The other day I told you about the person that lived in your room. They meant so much to all of us. They managed the unthinkable and made pacts with me and my brothers. On top of that, I personally was proud to call them a member of my family." Lucifer has a wistful smile on his face. He draws another deep breath, his expression darkens. "They died. It was a horrible tragedy. A moment unwatched and they were dead. It hit all of us very hard. It is still something that is weighing on everyone here." Lucifer shakes his head like he is trying to shake the memory away. Then he looks you deep into your eyes. "They were a good person. One of the best that I have ever met. So after they died their soul got send to heaven. It was, as they say, cleansed. All of their memories were wiped out. They were chosen to become an angel." Lucifer seems to tremble slightly before continuing. "This angel is you."

Your eyes widen, your lips open to say something. You feel frozen and yet somehow everything clicks into place for you.

All of the comments they made, their painful looks, the way they just knew things about you, everything suddenly makes sense.

It's a shock, but deep down you just know it to be true. "I was a human.. and made these pacts. It all makes sense now." You repeat the information you have just gotten. It has yet to fully sink in.

Simeon puts a hand on your shoulder.

Lucifer nods. "I know it must be hard to believe."

You don't doubt his words at all.

"I believe you but why didn't you tell me?" You look at both Simeon and Lucifer.

"That's because heaven ordered everyone to not mention anything to you. The past life of any angel is strictly forbidden from ever being mentioned. You know how much angels care about purity. Even the mere thought of humans being angels is disgusting to some." Simeon chimes in. He seems very troubled.

"Does that mean that both of you will be punished now?" You had an idea about the prejudice of some angels, you were taught the very same thing.

Yet the people you worry the most about are here with you right now.

"Michael can try to punish me. I was against this from the start. Not just for the sake of my brothers but also you." Lucifer doesn't seem to care much.

"Why was I chosen then?" It hurts a little to know that he didn't want you to come, even when you can understand it.

"That was decided over Lucifer’s head. Frankly, he wasn't told who you were until everything was already settled. I was the one that gave them a heads-up." Simeon himself is very unhappy with the whole situation.

"I don't understand this at all. Why did you then accept me coming here despite everything? You could have kicked me out. I would have left if you didn't give me the room." This whole situation doesn't make sense to you.

Lucifer closes his eyes, nodding. "I should have done that but I couldn't. After I saw you…I just couldn't send you away." Lucifer seems to have very complicated feelings. His face seems to hide great pain.

It gives you heartache.

"Is that why Satan destroyed the dorm? He didn't want me here?" You feel so conflicted right now.

"No, he was just angry that he had to lie to you." Lucifer doesn't even hesitate for a second. "As much as it hurt all of us that you can't remember us, what hurt the most was that we had to play pretend. I also think my brothers have done a poor job of keeping the secret from you." Lucifer gets a headache just thinking of their poor attempts of lying to you.

You weakly nod. Remembering all their mistakes, it's amazing that you just glossed over everything so easily.

"I'm very sorry. I must have hurt everyone so much." You know that you aren't to blame but you feel guilty.

"Nobody blames you for any of this mess. I have picked you from the list of possible candidates. You just fit perfectly. So I'm to blame. Just know that despite everything, I'm glad that you are here." Lucifer is ridden with guilt and grief.

His mixed feelings are reflected in your own heart.

"You picked me because of my file?" This surprises you a lot.

"Yes, I must admit that it reminded me of a lot of your old self." Lucifer feels like he should have known better.

"The others did they agree to me being here after knowing about my previous life?" You can't honestly imagine it.

"I cannot say what is in their hearts but overall they agreed. It's probably for the best if you ask them yourself about this." Lucifer himself struggles with his own emotions; he can't even imagine how anyone else might feel.

"You knew them… me before too right Simeon?" You aren't sure how to address this part of yourself yet.

"Yes, we were fellow exchange students and I counted them as a friend as well." Simeon looks guilty. He is deeply troubled about his own emotions.

"Did you take care of me as you did because of that?" You feel very uneasy asking this. It scares you.

"While I recognized you right away I simply took care of you like I would with any other student. It was simply required of me. Our relationship grew naturally from us working together. I honestly regret that I wasn't allowed to tell you the whole story about your previous life. This would've saved you a lot of grief right now. " Simeon looks sympathetic towards you.

You can feel that he genuinely cares about you and it's true that he treated you just like everyone else. Even if you felt like he was ever especially nice to you. Maybe it was subconscious, maybe it's just in your head or maybe there is another reason.

You can't figure it out right now.

"What am I supposed to do now? Go back to heaven? I don't want anyone to suffer because of me." You cast your eyes onto the table.

"You need to stay." Lucifer doesn't move a muscle saying this.

His words surprise you. You look up and meet his eyes. You open your lips, no words leave your mouth. Your mind is blank.

"Don't listen to him. You can do whatever you think is best for yourself. Take your time and decide what you want to do." Simeon makes a low sigh, you almost didn't hear it.

You glance at him and he has a kind expression.

"I'm dead serious. When you were a human I told you that your soul is mine and I intend to keep it that way. There are ways to get your old memories back and I have no intention of letting you go back to a place where I can't reach you." Lucifer's words sound menacing, but they speak of a deep, desperate wish. His pain must be too big to let even a semblance of your past life go.

You can only stare at him in disbelief.

"Lucifer, you can't just force them to do something like that. The person that you knew became someone else. You cannot force them to become whatever you desire them to be. They have their own life, feelings, and memories now." Simeon sternly tries to talk sense into Lucifer.

"I'm not forcing them to do anything other than staying here. If you or they are going to hate me for that then so be it." Lucifer doesn't even blink when he says this. He isn't joking.

"Do you even know what consequences there will be when we have to return to heaven and you keep them here?" Simeon is in disbelief.

"Yes, there might be a war unless they choose to stay and become a demon," Lucifer says this so matter of fact that it makes you shiver.

"Hold on, I don't want a war to happen." You can't stand for something like this.

"There won't be a war as long as you stay here at your own will," Lucifer states this so matter of fact. It seems like he has lost his mind.

"How can you threaten something like this? Lucifer, this is serious! You force them to stay no matter what. How can you be so selfish?" Simeon seems very angry right now. You are glad that he is standing up for you.

"I know you sometimes forget it but I am a demon and I will do whatever I can to obtain what I want." Lucifer's gaze seems to throw daggers at Simeon.

You feel the tense air pushing you far back into your chair.

"Lucifer, I will not let you force anything like this upon them against their free will." Simeon almost slams the table in front of him.

"So, it's alright for you if they agree to stay on their own terms, right?" An ironic smile grazes Lucifer's face.

Simeon narrows his eyes, shaking his head. "Are you even listening to yourself?"

"Well, it doesn't matter much to me why they stay but from my point of view. I still have an entire year to convince them to stay regardless." Lucifer seems confident.

You still have a hard time with all of this. You barely even understand how it came to this point.

"I think we should leave now. We will talk about this later. Come let's go, he is unreasonable right now." Simeon puts his hand on your arm, in a protective manner.

You look at Simeon, you can only nod. You don't even know where to start with this mess.

"You are free to leave Simeon but I will not change my stance and you can take a few days off to clear your mind. I already talked with Diavolo about this." He dismisses Simeon and then addresses you in a kind manner. His 180 response is very strange to you but then again this whole day is strange.

Simeon just shakes his head and stands up. He still seems irritated, you have never seen him like this.

You stand up and shoot a glance at Lucifer, who looks almost wistful at you.

Then you walk out, following Simeon.

Outside of the door, Simeon stops taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that everything became such a mess. Everything must be a lot right now. You need to take your time and let everything sink in. I will support you no matter what." Simeon had no idea that Lucifer would turn this into an even bigger problem.

"I'm just so lost now." You are barely able to even say this much.

"That's understandable. I will bring you back to my room. You can rest there." Simeon wants to support you.

"Thank you but I want to be alone right now. I just need to collect my thoughts for a while. Can you tell that to the others?" Your head is a big mess.

"Of course. Give me a call or come to me whenever you want alright?" Simeon is back to his gentle self.

This must be difficult for him as well.

You weakly nod.

Simeon brings you to your room. No more words are exchanged between you two.

You take a heavy breath as soon as your door closes behind you.

"I was human before." You whisper these words to yourself.

It's still hard to believe.

What are you going to do now?

These words echo in your head for the rest of the day way into the night.

_____________________________________________________

So here we are at the end of this fic.

Thank you so much for sticking to the end of this ride.

I know it's just getting interesting.

I'm thinking of a season two of some sort but I need a break.

I don't even know who I'm shipping Angel Mc right now with.

I will work on requests again for a while as usual.

#obey me #obey me angel au #obey me fanfiction #angel in hell #swdom

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lucacangettathisass · 3 years

Text

JOUST (Chapter One)

SUMMARY: Following a mix up that would only be funny if it were happening to an anime character, my Japanese host family turns out to have only a son, who I will also be rooming with at his school, Shiratorizawa Academy. Christ knows how it could get any worse from here.

CHAPTER WARNINGS: None

TAGLIST:@youidiot91 @meemsx @squishyrobbie @total-insanity @oneshotofvodkaa @moons-and-stars-and-shit

NOTES: I really want to thank everyone who has shown an interest in this fic, it really means a lot! I can’t gaurantee an upload schedule as things are weird rn, but I’ll try to upload as often as possible. So, without further ado, here it is!

And if you want to be added to the taglist just lmk!

CHAPTER ONE

Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,

Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,

Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine,

Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,

And recks not his own rede.

-William Shakespeare

And the rest is rust and stardust

-Vladimir Nabokov

The oddness of the situation truly didn’t come to me until after I had landed in Sendai Airport, which of the two airports I have been to, was definitely the bigger and nicer one.

After flying for essentially twenty four hours, I was eager to stretch my legs, and I had to hold back my groans of satisfaction as I was finally able to move my body outside of the confined space of the plane. I navigated myself through the crowd, taking great pains to avoid colliding with anyone, and apologising if I accidentally got too close, until I came across an empty patch of floor beside a wall, where I proceeded to stand. At that moment in time, anything seemed better than sitting.

Alone and away from the crowd, I dug into the Kuromi sports bag on my left shoulder, resting my My Melody carry-on against the wall, pulling out the folder I had made that contained the info on my host family, reading through it for the umpteenth time.

The Goshiki family, consisting of the father, Hideaki, his wife, Mayumi, and their son, Tsutomu.

That was the odd thing that had suddenly struck me. There was no mention of a daughter of any kind, or any other female relative that stayed with them. I had been too full of excitement and nerves to really think about it before, but now that I was, it did seem odd.

‘I wonder why a family with only a son would host someone from an all girls school.’ I tried to think of an explanation, but my brain was so fried from the flight that I could barely muster up anything. So I shrugged, put the file back, and went on to find the luggage check in.

When I arrived at the luggage carousel, I was surprised to see a family of three there, holding up a sign. A sudden, strong feeling came over me, and I looked up at their sign. It read Welcome Cody Smith, in tall, proud kanji. This was them, it had to be. So, seeing little other options, I approached them.

“H-Hello?” My voice cracked a little due to nerves, and I quickly cleared my throat, scrambling to remember the Japanese I had learned. “I’m Cody.” I bowed quickly, and as deeply as I could manage without completely falling over. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

There was a pause, and I felt my face heat up in the heavy silence. I slowly stood back up, looking over their confused faces.

“I-I’m sorry.” A middle aged man, who I assumed to be Mr Goshiki, said, rather awkwardly. “We...well we were expecting a uh…boy.”

I blinked, trying to quickly translate what he had said in my head, and process it. “Oh.” I said, because I really didn’t know what else to say.

“Hideaki!” His wife scolded, clearly unimpressed with her husband’s bluntness. She turned to me and smiled kindly, although even I couldn’t miss her blush. “It isn’t your fault honey.” She assured me. “Tomu, say hello.”

I turned my attention to the son, who struck me as having intense Rock Lee energy, and not just because of the bowl cut. He looked serious and determined, with a furrowed brow, like he was about to go into battle or something. He bowed, just like I had, but with...conviction, somehow, if that were possible. “I am Tsutomu Goshiki!” He declared, so loudly that a few people were staring. “And I am honoured to be your host brother!”

Startled, and even more sure of the Rock Lee comparison, I could only stare down at him, a boy who I knew was the same age as me, yet seemed to want to carry himself with the dignity and seriousness of a man his father’s age. “Oh. Um. Hi.” I only barely managed to get the word out, a little bewildered at what I considered to be an over the top greeting.

He remained in his stance, upper body perfectly parallel to the ground, as I continued to stare. I saw him lift his head a little, and his eyelids flicker. I tilted my head to the side a little so I could actually see him without my chest obstructing my view. We maintained eye contact for a few seconds, before he stood up right again, practically snapping his body into position with such speed and force that I actually felt a slight breeze. “Let me help with your luggage!” He said as a declaration again, as if this was something deadly serious. “Which bags are yours?”

“Uh, they haven’t shown up yet.” I nervously glanced around, noting all the looks from strangers.

“Calm down now Tomu.” Mrs Goshiki said, with a mother’s fondness, clearly used to this. “I’m sure Cody is tired.”

“Coco.”

“Hm?” Mrs Goshiki turned to me.

I started to blush again, and I looked down shyly. “I uh...I would prefer it if you called me Coco.”

“Oh. Alright then honey, sure thing.”

I looked back up at her and smiled gratefully. “Thanks.” I looked back at the luggage carousel, watching as one bag after another made its way around on the conveyor belt, waiting for mine.

“There you are.”

I walked up to the conveyor belt, hand outstretched to grab the bright pink, Hello Kitty suitcase.

“Let me!”

Before I could react, Tsutomu suddenly appeared, yanking the suitcases. “Is the other Hello Kitty one yours too?”

“Uh, yeah, but I can-”

Thunk!

I stood there, somewhat awkwardly, as Tsutomu stood there, one of my suitcases in each hand, looking so serious that it made the situation comical. “Allow me!” He said, already walking on ahead. “As your host brother, it’s my job to help you settle in and make things easier for you.”

Deciding that it would be more trouble than it was really worth to argue, I quietly followed, trying to ignore all the curious eyes. ‘I wonder if he would’ve done that if I was a boy.’

During the car ride back to the Goshiki residence, I listened as Tsutomu told me all about Shiratorizawa Academy. Since I was arriving only a month after the beginning of the school year, I hadn’t missed much, but I would still need to work hard to catch up.

(“It’s a really tough school.” He had said. “But you wouldn’t be sent here if you weren’t able to hack it, so I believe in you.”

“Thanks.”)

But he spent most of his time talking about the volleyball team.

Being utterly ignorant to all things volleyball, I had a hard time keeping up. I got that he was an outside hitter-whatever that meant-and that the Shiratorizawa team was considered to be the best in the whole Miyagi Prefecture. And, what’s more, their captain and ace player, Wakatoshi Ushijima, was considered the number one ace among high school volleyball players, and was even selected for Japan’s under 19 Youth World Championship team. Despite my lack of knowledge, even I was able to tell that that was a big deal.

“And this year we’re going to go to nationals and win!” Tsutomu said excitedly, and with such conviction that I wouldn’t be surprised if that alone won them first place. “Hey! You should see us practice!”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know.” I said, honestly surprised by the suggestion. “I don’t really know anything about volleyball so....”

“You can still just watch.” He insisted. “And I can introduce you to the guys so you’ll know more people.”

“Tomu…”

Tsutomu turned to face his mother, who was looking over her shoulder at us. Evidently, the use of the nickname was enough to get her point across.

I looked out the window, resting my forehead against the glass, watching a city I had only seen in pictures and video go by me.

I woke with a start, eyes wide, looking around so quickly that I banged my head. “Ow.” I looked up, and saw that I had hit the glass of the car window.

“Good timing.” Mr Goshiki said, the first words I heard him say since the airport. “We’re here.”

I blinked and nodded, stifling a yawn as I got out of the car. I went to the back to get my luggage, but Tsutomu already had it covered, taking my suitcases up to the impressively sized house. While I was reeling from his speed, Mr and Mrs Goshiki took my sports bag and carry-on respectively, leaving me standing in their driveway.

I had no other choice but to quietly follow them, up the path, and to the door, taking my shoes off immediately upon entering.

“You’ll mostly be staying in Shiratorizawa’s dorms.” Mrs Goshiki said. “But during the holidays and, if you like, the weekends, you’ll be here with us.” She went up the stairs, followed by her husband and son so, naturally, I went with them.

“This will be your room when you’re here.” She said, opening the door to a spacious bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, with only a bed, a small bedside table, a bookcase, and a reasonably sized vanity. “You can decorate it however you want.”

“Thank you.” I somehow managed to find my voice again. I turned to face the entire family and bowed again, a little deeper this time, hoping it would be enough. “You’re all very kind.”

Mr Goshiki chuckled. “It’s fine, you don’t need to bow.”

I straightened up, mumbling a small and embarrassed “Sorry.”

“We’ll leave you to get unpacked.” Mrs Goshiki said. “You’ve got your own bathroom through there,” she pointed to a door on the left wall, “and Tomu’s room is right across the hall. Hide and I will be down the hall on the right. You get yourself settled in while I prep dinner.” She gave me one last comforting smile and with that, the family filed out, Tsutomu closing the door behind him.

I let out a deep sigh, looking around the room, and back down at my bags.

‘Better not unpack too much if I’ll be staying in a dorm.’

About two hours later, there was a knock at the door, making me pause in my arranging of the closet in my new room. “Yes?”

“It’s Tsutomu.” His voice was a little muffled by the door, but I could definitely tell it was him. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Alright, be right down.” I got up and went over to the door, only to find Tsutomu was still there when I opened it.

“Did you need help with anything?”

“Oh, ah, no. I’m all good.”

Tsutomu looked like he was about to press the issue, but he seemed to think better of it, and simply went on ahead down the stairs. “My mum made ramen, don’t worry it’s vegan like you put on the form.”

“Cool.” I blushed, remembering filling out that field and now wondering why I did so, when I knew that it would no doubt be a hassle.

I followed Tsutomu into the dinning room, and the two of us joined his parents at the table, big bowls of still warm ramen in front of us. After a quick prayer we tucked in. I had no idea if Mrs Goshiki had any experience with vegan food before, but if she hadn’t, that made the ramen all the more impressive.

The noodles weren’t too firm, nor was the broth too rich. The mushrooms were perfectly tender, and there was just the right amount of vegetables and tofu to balance everything out. I already knew that I was going to find out Mrs Goshiki’s recipe and learn how to make it.

“So what made you decide to do this exchange?”

I looked up at Mr Goshiki and shrugged, swallowing down the noodles and mushrooms. “Just felt like something different I guess.” I idly swirled the broth around. “And, I mean, I’m interested in Japan, so I figured I would take my chance.”

“Really? Why Japan?”

‘Don’t say anime and look like a weeb don’t say anime and look like weeb don’t say anime and look like a weeb I swear to fuck if you do that shit I am shutting this whole operation down.’

“Mostly how different it is from New Zealand.” I said. “An entirely different culture in an entirely different continent, I don’t know, just the usual curiosity I guess.”

‘You live another day.’

Dinner passed with regular small talk, with the Goshiki family getting to know more about me and vice versa. I offered to help Mrs Goshiki with the dishes, but she insisted I ‘go right to bed and get some much needed rest’.

The only problem was, despite the fact that it was the middle of the night, I was still wide awake.

‘I guess this is jet lag.’

I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for my eyelids to droop, and for sleep to take me, but alas, it proved to be as evasive as ever.

Sighing in defeat, I got out of bed, went over to the bookshelf, and got back under the blankets with My Melody, and began to re-read Hamlet, again.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x oc #haikyuu fic #tendou x reader #dark haikyuu #well kind of it will get dark but it isnt there yet #and i'll randomly choose a hq boy x reader tag with every chapter update so sorry now and in advance for that!#idk how else to tag it and get it out there rip

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leviskokoro · 4 years

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Mari In Twisted Wonderland | Abridged Version | Savanaclaw

Chapter 2

Days after the Overblot Incident and Revenge Unbirthday Party, Mari gets another dream and this time it’s about the furries-- I mean, animals. She didn’t really get what it meant.

Lunch happened and Ruggie stole Grim’s lunch. Mari was confused but then they were called to the Headmaster’s office so she couldn’t question it.

Crowley explained shit to the shared brain cell trio and Mari. Blah blah blah. Grim got upset that he can’t play magift and show off. Mari rationalized with him that he won’t be able to show off if he’s only a beginner and that she’ll treat him to canned tuna to cheer him up. He seemed to be having a terrible day, getting his lunch stolen and then being told he can’t participate in a sports event.

She asked Crowley if he was searching for a way home but quickly realizes that he didn’t seem to be doing it. Though, she didn’t really say anything about it since the demon brothers were probably looking for a way to get her back.

Then they got back to their dorms later but Crowley came to visit and explained that students were getting injured and shit was real sus since there were a lot of them. Grim told him that he didn’t want to help but he pretty much just forced them by saying the Ramshackle Dorm wasn’t free. He also bribed Grim by saying he’d let him participate in the magift tournament. Though, Mari was aware that he was lying through his teeth. However, she said nothing since she didn’t want to break Grim’s spirit again. Plus, she was going to help regardless of the situation. Might as well be helpful while she’s stuck in there.

So the investigation started. They looked in the infirmary and Mari noticed that there were no Savanaclaw students that were injured but figured that maybe the culprit hasn’t got to them yet. Then they interrogated two injured students from Heartslabyul and they didn’t get any helpful answers so they tried looking for more clues. Only to fail and go back to the Ramshackle Dorm.

Ace visited and they explained the situation to him. But then Deuce ran in and yelled about how Trey got injured too. So they ran to the Heartslabyul dorm and saw him.

Mari was genuinely proud of Grim for being nice enough to give Trey the can of tuna she bought for him earlier in order to cheer him up.

Riddle came by to check on Trey and then explained how he got injured. Then Cater pulled everyone excluding Trey to a different room and let Mari tell them about the other injured students.

So, the Heartslabyul gang + Grim and Mari went to investigate together and saw the Pomefiore Dorm, which was probably Mari’s favorite dorm so far. It was certainly pretty.

And now for Mari’s first impression of Rook: “Dang he kinda hot”

Rook will remember that

Then the rest of the gang decided that he didn’t look strong enough so the culprit probably wouldn’t wanna target him, then went on to Octavinelle to see the tweels.

First impression of the tweels as she and the rest ran for their dear lives: “Jesus fuck they’re creepy”

They escaped and Mari finally remembered what she noticed about the injured students again. “Savanaclaw might be the next targets since there weren’t any injured students from there”

So they got to the Savanaclaw Dorm and met Jack. She was like “oh you’re the hot furry” and he was like “excuse me?” Then he tells them that he won’t be targetted and that they should fuck off.

Then they got in trouble with Savanaclaw delinquents and Leona and Ruggie came. Leona recognized Mari as the herbivore that stepped on his tail. The delinquents get angry but he still drinks respecc women juice and just challenges the gang to magift. Since Mari had no magic, she had to sit this one out.

She goes home and sleeps, but then realizes she can’t and decides to have a midnight walk because she hasn’t seen enough horror movies to know that’s not the best idea. Then she meets Malleus. Probably thinks he’s the hottest guy she’s seen in NRC besides Leona and Jamil.

“Oh, you are a child of man” “And you’re a man with horns”

She isn’t particularly intimidated by him. Like— She’s met Lucifer and has been nearly killed by him twice. Some strange dude with horns got nothin’ on him. Mari asked who he is and he seemed to be surprised by that, then he smirked.

Dude said it would be better if she didn’t know and let her call him whatever she wanted. She was like “Aight” then he left.

Mari goes to sleep and has another dream. She wonders why she’s having another dream about animals and why does the lion look familiar. Then she woke up, wondering what it meant. Barbatos was rather vague when he gave her his parting gift.

On the way to school with Grim, she told him about the Tall handsome dude with horns. He dubbed him “Tsunotarou”. She liked the name a lot and decided to use it.

They meet up with Cater and Riddle, who tell them that Jamil got injured. So they go meet him.

‘Ah fuck his voice is hot too’ Mari thought when she met him. It seemed that she was right about Kalim, he was quite friendly.

So they finally found out about Ruggie but couldn’t catch him. Then Jack appeared again. He’s like “Why are you working so hard for other people’s sake?”

Ace is like “Lmao we just wanna get picked for the magift tournament and show off. We don’t give a shit about these guys.”

Mari sighed and said, “Why is literally everyone in this school so selfish?” And Jack questions her as to her reason for doing it. Then she replies with “Well-- Crowley kinda said that living in the Ramshackle Dorm wasn’t free. Though, he didn’t really have to force me since I would’ve helped regardless because I just like feeling helpful.”

Then Jack told the shared braincell trio that they’re worse than he thought. Though, he also mentioned that he didn’t trust Mari’s type. As in, “Guys that just do things for others”

Ace was like “no u”

Then Jack was like “Fight me bitch. If you want me to spill my guts, you gotta defeat me”

Deuce went bad boy like “fuck yeah lets go dude” and they fight

And they win. The rest of the guys are surprised that Mari knows how to fight. She’s like “The Future King of Hell taught me martial arts for like a year” and they’re not sure whether she’s being serious or if she’s crazy.

And then Jack went into this whole spiel about how cowardly tricks make him nauseous and how he wanted to use his own power to claim victory at the top. Then he finally spills the beans on what Ruggie’s unique magic is and how Savanaclaw is in on the plan.

“Why would they?” “How well you do in the magift tournament can have a big impact on your future, right? So I can’t say I don’t understand their feelings”

“GRRRRRRRRRRRR”

Mari is like “Dude, chill. Understanding someone doesn’t mean you agree with them.”

Jack replied with “The now comes before the future! Show what you can do now!”

Then goes onto yet another spiel about how he can’t stand Leona and how that guy is amazing but never gives his full effort.

Ace whispers to Mari like “Damn he tsundere for his own dorm leader”

And Jack tells them that Savanaclaw is going to target the dorm leader of Diasomnia, Malleus Draconia during the day of the magift tournament.

Riddle and Cater come by like “Lol thanks for telling us” Then Riddle was going to tell them the plan but Jack was like “bitch im not gonna help. Im gonna do this shit myself. Bye”

Mari countered with “What have you accomplished on your own?”

He’s just >:(

“Smart wolves hunt as a pack” “Ugh fine. But if your plan sucks, I’m leaving.”

So after hearing Riddle out, he’s like “Aight I’ll help.”

Everyone came to an agreement and went to their respective dorms. Mari has another dream, then thought “Bruh he really wanted to be king then when he became king, he didn’t even do it right.”

“Oi, wake up.”

Mari felt someone shake her awake. She groaned and swatted away the hands, wanting to sleep more. It didn’t quite register in her mind that someone broke into her room. It was only until her blanket was tugged away from her. The cool air hit her bare body. She shuddered and her eyes finally fluttered open to see Jack with a flustered expression before he threw the blanket over her body.

“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NAKED?!”

“WHY ARE YOU IN MY ROOM?!”

“Tch.” He looked away and rubbed his neck. “I came from my morning run to wake you up early. I couldn’t let you oversleep on the day of the tournament. S-Sorry for breaking into your room…”

Grim perked up and was motivated to go immediately so that he could collect his reward to play in the tournament. “Come on! Let’s go already!”

“Just let me get dressed and I’ll be right with you. Be patient.”

For the rest of that morning, Jack couldn’t look at her directly. When he did, images of that embarrassing situation all came back to his mind

So they got to the stadium. Shit hit the fan but everything was fine because Heartslabyul revealed their plan. Diasomnia is perfectly alright.

Leona got pissed and he revealed his unique magic. Sand is everywhere. He’s trying to kill Ruggie.

Mari is like “Ugh I hate sand”

Jack also revealed his unique magic and turned into a full furry-- I mean, wolf. This surprised Leona, which gave Riddle the opportunity to collar him.

Lilia be spittin facts.

Hearing Leona yell about agony and despair and that things will never change kinda made Mari’s heart hurt because it felt… familiar. How hopeless he seemed to feel. It reminded her of how she was before coming to the Devildom.

Then he overblotted.

Then they beat the sit out of him. Mari is like “Does this usually happen?”

So the magift tournament went on and Savanaclaw still got to play because the injured students wanted revenge. Grim also reminded Crowley about his reward so he was allowed to play against Savanaclaw.

Grim did an oopsie and tried to do a special move but it backfired and hit Mari in the head instead. She had to be rushed to the infirmary.

She woke up to see the shared braincell trio and the furry boys. Ace told her that she’s been asleep for so long that the closing ceremony was over and they’re dismantling the venue.

Leona told her that Diasomnia was the champion.

Ace and Deuce talked about how good Malleus was for a moment. Jack was like “No one can win if they give up before they try.” Mari agreed with him. He then said that he was going to beat Diasomnia fair and square next year.

Leona was like ““Underhanded tactics” require one’s strength too” and she asked if he even felt bad. He was just like lmao no

A wild Babie has appeared. Leona went >:0 but introduced Cheka to them.

Mari squealed at the sight of such an adorable child. Internally she was saying “I’ve seen Cheka for 4 seconds but if anything were ever to happen to him, I’d kill everyone in this room and then myself.”

Jack: So the root of all Leona’s pain is…

Mari: The cutest lil angel ever!

Cheka: Are you guys my uncle’s friends?

Everyone else laughed at Leona except Mari who was busy introducing herself to the lil babie.

Leona will remember that.

Timeskip to when Mari went to sleep and saw the creepy shadow in the mirror. She’s lowkey shook but then she woke up. Seeing the time was pretty early in the morning, she decided to have a lil stroll to see the sun rise.

She found a good spot and sat down, singing lightly to herself.

The sound of leaves being crushed under one’s feet reached her ears from behind her. Mari didn’t bother looking up at the source, being too enamored with seeing the sky as its hues morph from navy to a golden yellow. The dark clouds turned into tangerine and peach ones. She gave a dreamy sigh.

“Oi, Mari.” She heard the gruff voice of Jack. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh you know, just… Watching that gorgeous sunrise. I’ve lived in a land with no sun for a year so seeing it like this is quite the blessing,” She responded, still not looking up.

“Seriously? I’ve never heard of a place like that.” Jack sat beside her.

“Yeah. Living in Hell was quite the experience but it was fun.” Mari chuckled lightly.

Her words caused him to furrow his eyebrows, wondering if she was kidding or not. He shook his head, deciding that it wasn’t important. He turned to her.

“So… about that time…”

“Hm? What time?” Mari finally looked at him, confusion swirling in her pools of chocolate. She tilted her head.

His face felt warm as the blood rose to his tanned cheeks. “Y-You know what I’m talking about!”

Upon seeing his flustered expression, she finally remembered what he meant. Her mouth formed an ‘o’. What could he possibly gain from bringing that up now?

“I wanted to apologize properly…” He spoke up again, rubbing the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have violated your privacy like that and broke into your room.” He finally had the courage to look back into her eyes. Golden hues meeting chocolate.

“How can I make it up to you?”

Mari saw this opportunity and a smirk crept up onto her lips. “You could make it up to me by letting me pet you.”

He yelped and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. His ears stood erect. “Wh-What?!”

She pouted. “I thought you wanted to make it up to me? This is the least I could ask for after you broke into my room and saw me naked!”

“Okay! Okay! Just don’t yell or someone’s gonna hear you.”

Mari stopped and looked at him with expectations glinting in her eyes.

He leaned downward. His head was lowered and ears curled back, anticipating her touch.

She grinned and laid her hand over his head, caressing it tenderly. “Oh my~ Your hair is quite soft. I see that you groom yourself well, Jack. How nice~” She cooed, continuing to pet him with such pure glee swimming in her chocolate eyes. “How are you liking this? Does it feel nice~?”

“Tch… Just because I’m letting you do this, doesn’t mean I like it,” He told her.

“But your tail is wagging.” She pointed out. Blood spurted to his face and he pulled away.

“Alright, that’s enough!” He exclaimed to her, trying not to show her that he was flustered. “We’re going to be late for school if we don’t hurry.”

Mari glanced at the sun and nodded. “Oh! You’re right. I’ll go wake up Grim and head to class. Thanks again, Jack.”

“Don’t expect me to let you do that again. We’re not friends or anything.” He walked away from her.

A smile graced her lips as she watched him leave with a mirthful gaze. “Alright,” she whispered and made her way to the Ramshackle Dorm.

#mitw : av #twisted wonderland #twst #twst fanfic #twst headcanons

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thereddeadredeemed · 3 years

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An Ironwood meta that just randomly popped into my head.

So I’ve been skimming over a lot of the observations on RWBY from @bionic-jedi and aside from the glurge of absolutely adorable Nuts ‘n Dolts stuff (Which I appreciate, I ship it now), the part that really got my attention was all the shit going down around Ironwood. I don’t watch the show anymore, not that I hated it or anything I just sorta lost interest in the show itself, decided it ultimately wasn’t really for me and mainly just enjoy it through fanart and shipping now, but from what I gathered from bionic-jedi’s Let’s Watch Ironwood sounds absolutely fascinating in all the ways that I don’t think was intentional by the CRWBY but is still pretty awesome that it’s there.

Forgive me if I get the details wrong since I haven’t kept up with the show and all my info is coming second hand from @bionic-jedi, but from I could gather Ironwood comes across as a man who:

- Is an experienced veteran fighter who individually is very badass with a proven tactical record on the battlefield

- Has the natural charisma to instill genuine loyalty and belief in his cause into his subordinates (To paraphrase Mass Effect 3 for a bit, you can pay a man to fight, you can pay him to charge up a hill, but no amount of money in the world will ever convince a man to believe in you), and does possess a genuine care for the troops under his command

- Will nonetheless still engage in abusive behavior if a subordinate is not performing in a way he believes is proper for their duty (Yeah I would consider forcibly hacking a sapient being to count as that)

- Carries around a very cool badass revolver as a signature weapon

- While brilliant tactically, possess horrible long term strategic assessment skills that if allowed to be acted upon could have/did end in disaster

You know what that sounds like? Ironwood is almost a perfect RWBY equivalent for George R. Patton (with maybe a bit of Bernard Montgomery thrown in).

Like, I think that the CRWBY may have accidentally written a scenario that asks “What if Patton was the Supreme Commander of the Western Front instead of Eisenhower?” And the results are an absolute clusterfuck unfolding in real time, but I feel I gotta clarify this.

Patton is one of America’s most celebrated and respected generals, and for good reason. Dude was a badass with a keen sense of armor tactics and mobile warfare that proved repeatedly that he could beat the Germans at their own game. His personal bravery could also never be called into question, having proven his mettle in direct combat during both the Hunt for Pancho Villa and WW1, as well as putting his own life in danger being very close to the front lines numerous times during WW2, one time even riding a tank into a German-occupied village to inspire his men. He also did genuinely care for the lives of his men, only ever seen openly weeping when mourning for the lives of his fallen soldiers, treating his wounded troops with the highest respect, and properly giving praise when they did a good job.

For all of Ironwood’s faults, his own mettle is certainly not into question given he suffered such grievous injuries that half his body is now cybernetics, and the man for sure knows how to fight and fight well, so that’s one similarity with Patton. He has also inspired real loyalty in Winter and the Ace Operatives, and in turn he does seem to actually care for them, and he had no real reason to give Yang a new prosthetic arm (and rather quickly fast tracking her an incredibly advanced one at that), so he’s not completely heartless or devoid of empathy.

However, Patton was a man focused on the tactical short term in lieu of long term strategic planning, and possessed with some horrendous character flaws that bit him in the ass on several occasions. One of them being the, even by the standards of the 40′s, deplorable manner in which he treated soldiers wracked with what we in the modern day would diagnose as PTSD. The man flat out did not believe PTSD was a real thing, thinking of it as cowardice and...you know what? I’m just gonna let the Wikipedia quotes say it all, I bolded some choice quotes for convenience:

Private Charles H. Kuhl, of L Company, U.S. 26th Infantry Regiment, reported to an aid station of C Company, 1st Medical Battalion, on 2 August 1943. Kuhl, who had been in the U.S. Army for eight months, had been attached to the 1st Infantry Division since 2 June 1943. He was diagnosed with "exhaustion," a diagnosis he had been given three times since the start of the campaign. From the aid station, he was evacuated to a medical company and given sodium amytal. Notes in his medical chart indicated "psychoneurosis anxiety state, moderately severe (soldier has been twice before in hospital within ten days. He can't take it at the front, evidently. He is repeatedly returned.)" Kuhl was transferred from the aid station to the 15th Evacuation Hospital near Nicosia for further evaluation.

Patton arrived at the hospital the same day, accompanied by a number of medical officers, as part of his tour of the U.S. II Corps troops. He spoke to some patients in the hospital, commending the physically wounded. He then approached Kuhl, who did not appear to be physically injured. Kuhl was sitting slouched on a stool midway through a tent ward filled with injured soldiers. When Patton asked Kuhl where he was hurt, Kuhl reportedly shrugged and replied that he was "nervous" rather than wounded, adding, "I guess I can't take it." Patton "immediately flared up,” slapped Kuhl across the chin with his gloves, then grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the tent entrance. He shoved him out of the tent with a kick to his backside. Yelling "Don't admit this son of a bitch," Patton demanded that Kuhl be sent back to the front, adding, "You hear me, you gutless bastard? You're going back to the front."

Corpsmen picked up Kuhl and brought him to a ward tent, where it was discovered he had a temperature of 102.2 °F (39.0 °C); and was later diagnosed with malarial parasites. Speaking later of the incident, Kuhl noted "at the time it happened, [Patton] was pretty well worn out ... I think he was suffering a little battle fatigue himself." Kuhl wrote to his parents about the incident, but asked them to "just forget about it." That night, Patton recorded the incident in his diary: "[I met] the only errant coward I have ever seen in this Army. Companies should deal with such men, and if they shirk their duty, they should be tried for cowardice and shot."

Private Paul G. Bennett, 21, of C Battery, U.S. 17th Field Artillery Regiment, was a four-year veteran of the U.S. Army, and had served in the division since March 1943. Records show he had no medical history until 6 August 1943, when a friend was wounded in combat. According to a report, he "could not sleep and was nervous." Bennett was brought to the 93rd Evacuation Hospital. In addition to having a fever, he exhibited symptoms of dehydration, including fatigue, confusion, and listlessness. His request to return to his unit was turned down by medical officers. A medical officer describing Bennett's condition

And yet another incident like this:

The shells going over him bothered him. The next day he was worried about his buddy and became more nervous. He was sent down to the rear echelon by a battery aid man and there the medical aid man gave him some tranquilizers that made him sleep, but still he was nervous and disturbed. On the next day the medical officer ordered him to be evacuated, although the boy begged not to be evacuated because he did not want to leave his unit.

On 10 August, Patton entered the receiving tent of the hospital, speaking to the injured there. Patton approached Bennett, who was huddled and shivering, and asked what the trouble was. "It's my nerves," Bennett responded. "I can't stand the shelling anymore." Patton reportedly became enraged at him, slapping him across the face. He began yelling: "Your nerves, hell, you are just a goddamned coward. Shut up that goddamned crying. I won't have these brave men who have been shot at seeing this yellow bastard sitting here crying." Patton then reportedly slapped Bennett again, knocking his helmet liner off, and ordered the receiving officer, Major Charles B. Etter, not to admit him. Patton then threatened Bennett, "You're going back to the front lines and you may get shot and killed, but you're going to fight. If you don't, I'll stand you up against a wall and have a firing squad kill you on purpose. In fact, I ought to shoot you myself, you goddamned whimpering coward." Upon saying this, Patton pulled out his pistol threateningly, prompting the hospital's commander, Colonel Donald E. Currier, to physically separate the two. Patton left the tent, yelling to medical officers to send Bennett back to the front lines.

As he toured the remainder of the hospital, Patton continued discussing Bennett's condition with Currier. Patton stated, "I can't help it, it makes my blood boil to think of a yellow bastard being babied," and "I won't have those cowardly bastards hanging around our hospitals. We'll probably have to shoot them some time anyway, or we'll raise a breed of morons."

There were serious cries for Patton to get sacked after theses incidents, his reputation and job only saved because Eisenhower knew his tactical command abilities were simply too valuable to give up and so was only temporarily relieved of duty instead. Point I’m trying to make here is that while Patton could definitely hold sympathy and understanding for his men, it was contingent on them acting in a way he believed was properly honoring their duty. If they erred from his ideals of a how a proper soldier behaved, he could lapse into some seriously abusive behavior disturbingly quickly.

I can’t be the only one that sees some parallels between this and Ironwood hacking Penny am I? A man who cares for his troops but as soon as Penny acted in a way he deemed to be out of line, immediately sought to violate her autonomy and rights as a sapient being to force her back into line and back into his ideals of how a proper soldier should behave. Perhaps he wasn’t as violently physically aggressive about it as Patton, but arguably what Ironwood did was ethically much worse than slapping the shit out of and threatening people.

Patton also wasn’t the type to worry about the long term consequences of his actions. Before he died in a car accident shortly after WW2 he was unceremoniously sacked from his job after making one too many aggressive comments towards the Soviet Union, potentially nudging towards a potential Operation Unthinkable, and carelessly allowing former Nazis back into political power. Both of these were unthinkably horrible for obvious reasons.

There is one key difference between Patton and Ironwood however. Eisenhower was keenly aware of Patton’s potential shortcomings and he was kept on a leash and out of the highest levers of power, thus preventing him from ever being in a position where his worst traits would allow him to truly fuck up. Ironwood however I feel got Peter Principle’d hardcore and was promoted way above his level of competence (Always a risk for men who gain a reputation as “fightin’ generals”, see: John Bell Hood), where his positive qualities of personal physical bravery, combat skill and tactical leadership is wasted and his worst qualities of hyper-focus on short sighted tactical victories over long term strategic goals, paranoia and distrust leading to an excessive need for control, and moral cowardice are allowed to flourish.

And we see the consequences of it. He may have started with solid pragmatic ideas, but his insanely one-track minded obsession with short term strategic goals like making sure he has control over the Winter Maiden is costing him big long term strategically by burning bridges with potentially valuable allies and isolating himself and his command. Valuable time and resources that could have been spent coordinating forces against Salem wasted on various shenanigans involving Penny, RWBY and JN_R. Especially devastating given that Atlas is the only industrialized military power worth a damn in this world and isn’t reliant on mostly independent and unorganized Hunters and Huntresses (individually skilled but too few in number and takes far too long to train each one to reliably stop a Grimm invasion), and he’s just wasting the resources of the world power best able to hold the line against the Grimm.

Next part is a bit of a non-sequitur and really long so I put it in between the dotted lines if y’all ain’t interested and want to skip on over to the relevant Ironwood parts.

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Getting a feel for the strategic situation in Atlas, I get a strong sense that what Atlas needs more than anything else right now is a Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower the the exact man needed to lead the Western allies, and I can’t see anyone else doing as realistically as good a job as he did, this is a hill I’ll die on. It wouldn’t look like it at first, the man had never once commanded a unit in battle (a fact that made many of his “actually seen combat” rivals bitter), and his softer, more easy going disposition would seem at odds with the alpha-male take charge image cultivated by men like Patton and Montgomery that would be stereotypically expected of a general, much less a Supreme Commander.

However, that calm exterior hid a man with a sharp eye on the necessary strategic goals needed for victory, expert resource and personnel management skills, the humility to listen to his subordinates and admit his own mistakes, and most importantly, both the smooth negotiating skills and the iron will necessary to deal with larger than life figures.

The western allies were made up of many different nations and factions and filled to the brim with what I would call (to put it lightly) strong personalities. This was an organization that involved:

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

- Winston Churchill

- Charles De Gaulle

- Bernard Montgomery

- The aforementioned Patton

- Occasional dealings with Stalin even

All of them larger than life personalities, all of them strong willed and possessed of their own ideas of how to win the war as well as their own political/personal motives, and all of them vying for dominance in the strategic decision making of the Western Allies. It was like herding a clowder of cats, but all the cats had frggin tanks and bombs. Eisenhower actually managed to cut through the bullshit and resist all the arm twisting and actually got all the different countries, armies and leaders together to act upon a united plan. He did this while still being able to control his subordinates worst impulses and (mostly) was able to resist the shitty plans put up and embrace the good ones (for the most part, Montgomery did manage to convince him to approve of Operation Market Garden, and it was the last major German victory of the war mostly due to Monty’s mishandling). Tactical battle ability was largely irrelevant for Eisenhower’s role, and his ability to see the big picture clearly and being able to maneuver through the internal politics meant everything to his success as a Supreme Commander.

If Eisenhower or an Eisenhower-esque figure was in charge of Atlas during this latest season, you’d probably get a drastically different turn of events. An Eisenhower would not be so quick to drastic action as Ironwood was. An Eisenhower would probably sit down with their subordinates, hear out all their arguments for why or why shouldn’t a specific action be taken, then calmly consider their actions. An Eisenhower would probably then say “Working with an enemy agent to hack into the Winter Maiden is a dumb idea” and proceed to create plans on how to coordinate all available forces in Remnant to best fend off Salem.

Atlas as a whole doesn’t really strike me as the type of organization that would raise an Eisenhower though. Militaries are always offshoots of the cultures that create them, and I don’t believe it to be a coincidence that a Supreme Commander like Eisenhower would be American. The country was literally founded on democratic ideals and it was enshrined very early into its history that the military would always be subordinate to the civilian government. This precedent makes it necessary that anyone that rises high enough in the military must be able to respect a strong civilian presence and be able to work with both internal and external politics. Any general that rises high enough must be half-general half-politician by necessity (there’s a reason why former military often do have successful political careers after retiring from service, including the aforementioned Eisenhower who eventually became the 34th President of the United States).

Atlas just doesn’t strike me as having that same sort of cultural framework. If anything the Atlas military strikes me as having a cultural framework closer to WW2 Germany where tactical efficiency and high tech weaponry/tools is prized above all else, often at the cost of long term strategic goal setting. Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan never set realistic goals for themselves and predictably got steamrolled eventually. Occasionally you’ll get an online thread asking “What if Germany/Japan had smart top leadership during WW2?” But that’s a trick question. A WW2 Germany/Japan with sensible leadership...just isn’t WW2 Germany/Japan at all, it was intrinsic to the identity and character of those nations in that time period. Similarly, I just don’t see an Atlas military that sees a potential Eisenhower in their ranks and thinks to promote them to High Command as opposed to just shuffling them off as an aide to some random officer and never consider them for higher promotion. An organization that prizes short term tactical victory over long term strategic goals just isn’t the type of organization to do that.

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Thing is though, I think just from what I gathered, Ironwood just shot up to be my favorite RWBY character because of how frigging fascinatingly horrible he is. He’s not an entirely awful person (at least not at first), but his own paranoia and fear combined with his habit of confusing short term tactical advantage with long term strategic goals leads him down the path of utterly despicable actions while convincing himself that it’s all for the greater good. All while being an idiot and wasting the legitimate game-changer resources of having an actual army when everyone else is still dicking around with hunters and huntresses as their only defense.

Smart money is he’s gonna die, it seems to be where he’s heading. If CRWBY’s writing staff has some serious cajones however, it’d be really cool if they pulled a Catra on him and see how low they can make him sink before making him hit rock bottom, realize his mistakes and force him to work hard for a redemption arc. I dunno, maybe I’m giving him too much slack but I actually do feel for him a little bit. The dude was clearly an alright guy that had the world fall down on him and just wasn’t suited for the massive responsibility that circumstances forced on his shoulders. He’s still a soldier that genuinely wants to protect Atlas, he’s just too short sighted to see how his actions just aren’t what Atlas is gonna need in the long term. Maybe a harsh talking to by Glinda would do him some good (I still ship IronWitch don’t @ me). I dunno, I just think that a redemption arc would be a lot harder to write than just killing him off, and thus would be that much more satisfying to see it pulled off right like what Noelle Stevenson did with Catra’s character in She-Ra.

#RWBY #bionic-jedi #ironwood #rwby meta #long post #george r. patton #dwight d. eisenhower

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