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#i was already having super totally normal feelings about him prior
immawritethat · 1 month
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Edgar Lycoris is so babygirl coded to me personally
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dreamerinthemoonlight · 8 months
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Honkai Star Rail Period HCs (Sampo, Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Luka)
Original Ask: Could you do more period hcs? Dang Heng/Yinyue, Jing Yuan, Sampo, and Luka please.
Herr you go @yunthebishoujo
CW: blood, mentions of castration (Sampo), mentions of period sex
Sampo x afab! reader, Dan Heng x afab!reader, Jing Yuan x afab!reader, Luka x afab!reader
NOTE: Requests are now open
Sampo Koski
Tall, blue, and handsome? After dealing with you on your period or during PMS, he might be tall, blue, and singing soprano for the rest of his life
Good gods, Sampo would be insufferable. Not that he isn't anyway
It's not that I think he would be actively mean, but he's annoying and hormones make girls grouchy
That and I wouldn't put it past him to use your period as an excuse to run a scam
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he's used the female populace's monthly affliction as a scam premise prior to dating you
He's just really likely too be just too annoying and end up with no dick as a result
On the other hand, he's a kinky bastard. He'd be up for period sex
Dan Heng
Dan Heng is #1 most clueless guy when it comes to periods
He's not a bad guy, but really, chicks don't advertise the call of mother nature, so he hasn't really dealt with Himeko and March on an intimate level
I'm not sure that's something he came across in his research and the Vidyadhara can't reproduce, so there's every chance female Vidyadhara don't have periods, so he may not even know periods exist
Needless to say, his first experience with your period is a bit of a surprise.
I feel like it would probably be something like waking up with blood on your sheets or having super bad cramps, or blood on the pants, ya know, shit that happens when you bleed for a week out of every month (total BS if you ask me)
Any way you cut it, Dan Heng is seriously concerned. To the point of potentially losing a little bit of his composure. He wouldn't panic but you're bleeding. is something wrong? Do you need to go to the doctor? Why didn't you tell someone?
"Yo, Dan Heng, calm down. This is normal. I do this every month."
Cue Dan Heng.exe has stopped working
To his credit, he stops, listens, and calms down. He's still unnerved, but he helps try to make you comfortable
But afterwards he goes to ask Welt and Himeko about it
In the future, he's pretty good about being aware of it and trying to be as good as possible about it, but I don't think he truly gets used to that much blood every single month
Jing Yuan
You know what? Jing Yuan is not that bad.
He has the advantage of age and being part of a species that reproduces
I'm not sure he's super familiar with the whole period thing, but it's at least on his radar to some extent
But when he starts dating you, he's like the most gentle person. He's the sort who really likes to take care of you and make sure you have what you need
He won't mother hen, but expect pads/tampons, heating pads, whatever your craving is, and plenty of cuddles and you don't even really have to ask
I mean, this guy is known for his ability to be prepared. 100% applies that to you
And if he's at all weirded out by the whole bleeds for a week straight and is fine (which, i do understand, in any other situation someone would have bed out already), he's not overt about it and doesn't let it affect how he treats you
Luka
Luka, Luka, Luka
Of the four, he's probably the most likely to be a typical guy about it
You're bleeding? And still functional? You do this every month? What sorcery is this?
At the same time, he has mad respect for you because he knows he couldn't do it
He also gives appropriate sympathy for cramps
At the same time, 100% best boyfriend. Ask and you shall receive
Totally down for period cuddles, stomach rubs and just general comfort
10/10 Luka is great
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vidavalor · 5 months
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I’m just in the middle of reading your coffee interpretation with the Metatron and it’s so good! You are so brilliant and eloquent! But now I need to know (demanding, right? Shut up Leo, she’s doing this in her free time!) what you think of Aziraphale mouthing words to Crowley just after his talk with Metatron?
It starts at 41:12 mins and it very much looks like he’s saying “we need help”. Someone also mentioned he might be gesturing a time out with his hands, and we already know that 15 minutes went missing when looking at the clock after Crowley left (so they probably did stop time at some point there)
What do you think? Have you noticed this tidbit before? (I sure didn’t) Have a great day and thanks again for doing this!
Hi @procrastiel How's it going, love? You're making me blush. Ask away-- it's a fun stress reliever to respond lol. It's a cookie night over here so help yourself.
Not that long but throwing it under a cut for politeness.
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I don't hear "help" and I listened a bunch. I heard before and still hear and lip-read Aziraphale saying "you and I" in tandem with the time-out hand gesture, which I do see and agree with. He just came back from this massively iffy conversation with The Metatron, the bookshop is burned as a place to talk... there are other things to discuss and problems to deal with first before they talk about how the night's changed things for their relationship. At minimum, the gesture and the "you and I" mean "we need to take a time out on talking about us right now as there are other things happening" and it *is* that but it's also, imo, possibly Aziraphale trying to ask Crowley to freeze time.
It's "you and I-- time out", meaning that he wants Crowley to stop time so that they can talk and plan something, as they did with Adam in S1. Crowley doesn't pick up on it. He doesn't pick up on, imo, quite a few things in the scene that he absolutely would have normally so there's something off there. You know I think he came back not exactly totally present from Heaven so...
When Aziraphale left The Metatron ("go and tell your friend the good news"), the moment he's facing away from The Metatron and all the way as the camera's on him and he's walking to the bookshop, he looks distraught. Nervous. Uncertain. He's definitely not super fucking jazzed about going to Heaven and he feels trapped but he still thinks maybe he and Crowley can find a way out of it and at least he's going now from The Metatron to talk to Crowley, right? He smiles a little at entering the bookshop, seeing Crowley across the room, and kindly/politely at Maggie & Nina as they leave. When Maggie says that she's sure that they have a lot to say, Aziraphale's expression changes and the kindly/politely smile becomes a real one -- a loving, excited one-- as he's looking to where Crowley is across the bookshop.
That's because Aziraphale realizes from what Maggie said that if she and Nina were just here talking with Crowley while Aziraphale was gone and then left with that "I'm sure you two have a lot to say" comment the moment he got back, that Crowley might have just told the humans they're closest to that he was going to ask Aziraphale to marry him.
This whole thing would have been literally bats an hour ago lol and honestly still is because the threats to them aren't over (nor are they really to Gabriel & Beezlebub, I'd wager, not that anyone realizes that in this moment but lol) but none of that matters for a moment here to Aziraphale because Crowley is going to ask him to marry him.
Crowley literally cannot wait a minute before doing so and that's everything on Aziraphale's face prior to "hold that thought" and the "you and I"/time out moment. Prior to that, we just get Aziraphale smiling at Crowley with total adoration as Crowley takes his glasses off and says he's got something to say and rambles his way into trying to get closer to saying it. Throughout all of it, Aziraphale is doing his downward hands thing that says like "take a beat, not right now" but he's not upset at what he's hearing. It's the complete opposite. He actually stops the "take a beat" hands for a moment because he's too busy just smiling at Crowley and looking at him lovingly when he can't stop rambling his way towards a proposal. He's the embodiment of fondness and love for a moment there because he knows what Crowley is trying to do and because just the sheer fucking meltiness that is that literally the second Crowley thinks they might be able to-- the very first time they're speaking alone after that-- he's trying to propose. They're borderline immortal beings who have been alive for bazillions of years but if not for the, uh, rest of S2 lol, they would have been married by sundown that day and Aziraphale was all for it but also he couldn't have Crowley say this right now because, ya know, The Metatron and all that. (Ugh the fucking Metatron lol.)
So we get the "you and I" and the subtle time out hand gesture and it's his turn to ramble and this is nervous Aziraphale rather than excited Aziraphale, imo, but that's when it takes a turn for the disaster we all know too well lol and I'd also wager that what Crowley winds up saying is not exactly what he was originally going to. In a panic, Crowley does what he always does when Aziraphale gets in his Heaven feelings and begs him to run away with him, which solves nothing and tipped it all from bad to worse. I think Aziraphale also was especially angry with it because he knows that Crowley pivoted to it, knowing he'd already been rejected a bit here, and it wasn't the marriage proposal that Aziraphale thought was coming and that Crowley had actually been intending on saying prior to the whole bit about what The Metatron said.
In the long term, as brutal as this scene is, it's actually better that it went this way because if you think it's already heartbreaking now, imagine if Aziraphale hadn't gotten Crowley to stop proposing and had let him and then told him about what The Metatron said. Imagine if he'd let Crowley get beyond the ramble and the first few sentences of what he was going to say (which were probably similar to what he ended up saying before pivoting it from proposing marriage to proposing running away together) and let him ask him to marry him... at least now Crowley's never really fully said it and so they have the option of a different run of it in the future.
re: the clock... I wouldn't put a lot of stock on the big clock by Aziraphale's desk in the bookshop. Go watch the scenes in the bookshop during 1941 in The Blitz, Part 2. The clock never actually moves and no one froze time during that part of the story. I'm fairly sure it's meant to be more of an old clock that Aziraphale has for decoration more than function. If it had two different times on it in the 2.06 bookshop scene, it was probably a continuity error-- someone jostling the clock or something between takes and not remembering exactly what time it was set to or mistakenly thinking they did remember it correctly and then it just being overlooked. I think Neil Gaiman did say the clock is a production error? Don't quote me on that but it was him or Douglas McKinnon or someone... possibly. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere. That said...
...there is something fucked up about the time on the night of the ball but I'm not sure it's frozen time. It might be. There absolutely is something there related to time because the show has a million scenes establishing the start time of the ball at 6:30pm and then it doesn't go on for that long before the demons are attacking it and Crowley winds up in Heaven but then just after when he comes back, Nina's coffee shop should have opened a half-hour ago and it's bright and sunny and breakfast time? Where did the night go? I have the feeling it's more that we're missing time than that time was frozen because some of it feels really jumpy.
The scenes where Crowley goes from leaving Muriel's desk with them and Saraquel to suddenly being in the elevator with them but now plus Michael and Uriel felt intentionally abrupt. Michael and Uriel's sudden presence in the elevator make us aware of the fact that we're missing how they got involved here, which reminds us that we're missing some time between these two scenes, which causes us to question on some level why we are and why they were shown to us in this way... and then when they arrive back at the bookshop and it's daylight, it's like, oh, uh we're missing a *lot* of time... so there's definitely something wonky about time here.
Adding to this is the choice to show us Aziraphale's conversation with The Metatron as, essentially, mini-flashbacks set a hot minute previously that are intercut into a scene in the present. It was an unusual choice for the show that usually does flashbacks as full scenes or minisodes but it could be argued it's done to set up a mirror to it in S3 where we're flashing back in time to a matter of hours prior to scenes we just saw near the end of S2. (So, we're seeing scenes from the night we're missing.) This actually would potentially maybe be kind of like S1's whole "x hours/minutes until the end of the world" recurring thing backwards, which would be kind of neat. It might imply that we see more than just Aziraphale and The Metatron's conversation but we find out more of what happened the prior night with Crowley as well, which then adds new layers into what's going on at the very end of S2. Whatever's going on, there is definitely something weird about time, I'm just not sure that clock is the most trustworthy indicator of what it is.
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wfagamerants · 6 months
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Super Mario Wonder has been out for over a week now and I have beaten it 100% not long after release, so may as well discuss it, shall we?
Spoiler warnings in full effect, since I like to be able to discuss basically everything I’d like, just to clear that up right off the bat.
SMW is the first, for the lack of a better term, normal 2D Mario in over a decade at this point, so naturally, everyone was looking forward to seeing what they’d do next, especially with the step away from the NSMB series, which was really needed by that point.
The NSMB games are also by necessity, the main games to compare Wonder to, given for how long they have been the most recent incarnation of 2D Mario. On that note, this is not meant to be a hit piece on those games. All of them are fine and I am particularly fond of DS and Wii, however they did have problems and it’s hard to think of an area where Wonder isn’t just an unambiguous improvement.
Those improvements already begin in a rather surprising spot: the story.
2D Mario is actually a fair bit more varied in it’s set-ups than it can appear at first, Prior to NSMB it was really just SMB1 and Lost Levels that went with the Bowser kidnaps Peach plot, without much else surrounding it. SMB3 starts as a journey to turn the 7 kings back to normal, with Bowser only kidnapping Peach near the end as a last resort and World, while sticking largely to the base, takes place in a completely new setting. That’s not even going into SMB2 or the Land games, which are all breaks from what we see as the Mario norm in some way. New kingdoms, new characters, new villains and bosses, new a lot of things really.
Wonder in that regard really feels like a return to that. A whole new kingdom once more, with a new companion and NPC species and while Bowser is the big bad, he doesn’t engage in any royalty kidnapping and instead goes after a new power source, which transforms him and he stays that way all the way until defeated. It’s simple, as is typical for Mario, but it is a lot more refreshing than the very samey NSMB plots, which took until U to really add a twist to it and even then failed to do all that much with it, particularly with a level theme as neat as Peach’s Castle taken over by Bowser.
What surprised me even more was how every world had a bit of its own story going on, with the Poplins giving you an idea of what kind of trouble Jr and Bowser’s actions in general, were causing them. A particular stand-out for me was World 3, which doesn’t even have a boss and is instead treated as a series of trials, to obtain a Royal Seed that Bowser hasn’t gotten his hands on.
As with the main story, it never goes especially deep, but it goes a long way to make the Flower Kingdom feel like an actual world, in stark contrast to the Mushroom Kingdom of NSMB games, which was very much just a videogame world for function as a videogame world, doing it’s job and not much more.
The visuals have also seen a refreshing shake-up. Granted, even NSMBU got better about it by U, but even compared to that, I find the visual design of the Flower Kingdom locales to be substantially more appealing, not to mention imaginative. Fungi Mines in particular is full of designs I am a fan of and even a new level theme with its ruins, which isn’t the only time the game diverts and goes for something totally new.
In general, while the game holds true to most of the typical level themes, the aesthetics are so varied that they don’t even really feel that way. This is something you feel as early as World 1, while it functionally serves as the Grassland of the day, it rarely feels that way because the visuals change up enough to not make it feel like a static world theme. It also helps that the order has been changed a bit. You wouldn’t imagine how refreshing it is to not have the Desert be the second world.
The biggest visual highlight of the stages for me were the airship levels, genuinely cool and climactic, in a way that made me pause and just go ‘’woah’’ and I can’t say I feel that way a lot in 2D Mario, but this game brought that out several times.
Of course, the big show stealers are the characters themselves and yeah, everything people say is true. They look great, every animation is filled with personality and detail and there is even some nice stylization, like the sideways mouths for Mario, Luigi and the Toads, which help bring the models in line with the current style of 2D Mario.
Everyone and their grandparents has already made comparisons to the NSMB games and that’s because it is ultimately true. If anything this is one of the best things to point to where these games have different mindsets.
NSMB treated the models more like sprites than anything, going for something functional, with very little flavor, while Wonder is determined to fill its animations with as much charm as possible. Even little things like the characters striking poses when collecting a power-up or reacting to mooks about to get out of their shells, goes a long way in bringing those characters alive, instead of treating them like game pieces that carry out their function and that’s it.
In terms of music it has some stand-outs and the rest is at worst, easy on the ears, about what I expect and everything fits the mood of the stage well, no complaints.
More pressingly in terms of audio is that this is the first time we are hearing the new voices for several characters, most notably Mario. Luigi and Daisy and overall I think they all do a wonderful job, I’m already used to all of them.
It’s also just refreshing to have a set of fresh new voice clips this thoroughly across the board. Mario has never been a stranger to reused voice clips even early on, but by the Wii U era it became even more noticeable than usual and in past years, genuinely a bit distracting, so I am happy Wonder does not fall victim to that.
And then we got the gameplay, of course the most important factor of all and where I have plenty more to gush about.
A notable thing about Wonder is that it has some 3D Mario veterans on the team and to be honest, it shows.
There are some more overt inspirations, such as Petal Isles essentially serving as the hub world of the game, a Shadow Mario type wonder effect or being able to find (Captain) Toad on the overworld in exchange for rewards, as has been his role in the 3D games since 3D Land.
Even taking that aside though, while the game is fundamentally still 2D Mario as we all know it, many of its ideas and gimmicks can sometimes feel more like missions in a 3D Mario game, which I very much mean as a compliment. This is further underlined by stuff like the Wiggler Races, timed enemy gauntlets, Badge Challenges or Search Party sections. In general, there is a surprising variety to the kind of things you get tasked with, which is refreshing.
The characters control quite similarly to the NSMB games, even including nuances like Ground Pound canceling and because of it, control like a dream. The only major difference being that you can crouch walk and that the triple jump is gone. The latter was something I expected to miss, but the levels are designed in a way that never made me feel that way.
While almost everyone plays the same, badges do help bring in variety to make up for it. I stuck with Parachute for just being that fun and useful for me, but I did mess around with a couple and am eager to experiment with it and also play more with the expert badges. I can easily see a ton of replayability options completely new to the series, through them.
It does bring me to my first little gripe, which is the Yoshis being stuck to being designated Easy Mode options. I totally get wanting a full set of 4 for multiplayer, but a simple toggle would have been appreciated. Yoshi does play differently and is still fun, but I’d like a way to play him as a more normal character. Same moveset, but without Easy Mode-like benefits.
What I said about levels being more visually diverse also applies to the level elements. Sometimes it’s small things like the fountain springs in the very first level, but even beyond that the game is so full of new enemies and ideas that it feels a lot like SMB3, in terms of bringing in distinct level concepts one after another. It is miles above NSMB which granted, had plenty stand-out stages too across the series, but also a lot that felt samey, especially as the series went on and some gimmicks were repeated.
The power-ups also hold their own well. Elephant even once you get the initial whut factor out of the way is fun and really the star of certain sections, Drill has some really cool applications and the Bubble Flower is easily my favorite of them all. I love a power-up that has both offensive and platforming uses and this one, especially combined with badges, allows for some really fun stuff.
The Wonder effects are of course the star of the show and a contributor to every level feeling so distinct. The amount of different ideas they came up with and how well they all work, is truly astounding and it’s remarkable how few of them repeat. The balloon or rolling ball Wonder Effects would have been recurring gimmicks in other games, but here, you do them once and twice respectively and move on. 
All this combined makes for a remarkably fresh feeling 2D Mario, which was desperately needed and did a lot to elevate the game to something exciting and genuinely addicting.
The bosses are…a bit more of a mixed bag. I like that not every world has one and that does help with the risk of repetition, because aside from the final boss it’s all Bowser Jr. They could be worse, the Wonder effects do help a little, but it’s still full of the same kind of repetitive boss design the Koopalings get flack for, especially the spinning shell bits. They are serviceable, but that’s it and the airship bosses I don’t even count, they are fancy flagpoles.
The final boss though, I actually liked a lot, Bowser’s general state in this game was always going to make it stand out, but more than anything, it isn’t a rehash, it isn’t over in barely any time and it’s not another Bowser over the bridge. It’s new, it lasts long enough to feel satisfying, it feels right in difficulty, it’s just shockingly good.
Speaking of difficulty, that is a thing I heard a lot about when the game got into the hands of people early and to be honest….I don’t really see the supposed difficulty. It does want you to pay attention and that is good, but on the whole I find the game to be pretty breezy. Even the Special World and designated final reward level, were really not that tough. Not that that’s a bad thing though, it is a joyride kind of easy and not the braindead kind.
Haven’t really dabbled into the online or multiplayer, but do plan on that with a friend, so that’s gonna be fun to discover for my second run.
On the whole yeah, I love Wonder, major shocker. It really is a promising next step for 2D Mario, not being afraid to be wacky, full of character, legit fresh and exciting, a true evolution of the formular.
It’s not flawless, but it is an absolute joy and really, any platformer that lets me play as Toadette gets major brownie points out of the gate.
It’s Mario, Mario in his strongest form and I couldn’t be happier.
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atlasinthesky · 1 year
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fluff alphabet // iwaoi
Word count: 1.6k
»»——————————————- ✼ ——————————————-««
A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)
Oikawa is much more affectionate than Iwaizumi is, as in initiating the affection. Oikawa is totally ok with PDA and doesn't hesitate, while Iwaizimi is a little more standoffish about PDA. In private, however, Iwa is very touchy and loves cuddling and kisses.
B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)
Oikawa and Iwaizumi have been best friends their entire life. Their friendship started because their parents were friends, and they were inseparable all throughout their childhood, and obviously they are the same way now. When they were younger, Oikawa would claim he would only marry Hajime, and Iwa would pretend he was grossed out. Oikawa was always affectionate and Iwaizumi claimed he had cooties.
C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)
Oikawa and Iwa are cuddle bugs. They cuddled all the time platonically (ish) when they were younger because close proximity is just nice, so now it's honestly just normal for them. Oikawa is usually the one being cuddled, curled up into the crook of Iwaizumi's arm, or the little spoon, you name it. He's super needy and just wants to be held, what can I say.
D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)
They absolutely want to settle down with each other. They're pretty used to being domestic with each other because of how much time they spent at each others houses growing up, so cooking and cleaning together sort of comes naturally to them. When they moved in together for university, they felt as if nothing really changed all that much, they were just in love.
E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)
No<3
F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)
Oikawa had been demanding they get married since primary school, however Iwaizumi was the one who proposed. They had already been essentially committed to each other for years prior, so getting married was just the next step for them. They were in love so why not make a party and ceremony of it? Oikawa cried when Iwa proposed and they had a very pretty wedding.
G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)
Iwaizumi looks big and scary and muscle-y, but with Oikawa he is the most gentle person ever. He has so much patience and love for them. Since they were best friends before they were lovers, he still loves messing with Oikawa and Oikawa him, but they both know when to stop. Oikawa has always been pretty gentle with the other, but he loves to jump on him and tackle him just because he knows that Iwa will always catch him.
H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)
Oikawa loves hugs, anywhere, everywhere, all the time. He jumps at the chance to give or receieve a hug from Iwa. Iwaizumi, on the other hand, enjoys hugs, but not so much in public. He's not huge into PDA, so he prefers hugs to be a quiet, private thing that can be extended if needed. He loves a good long hug that eventually ends with them both on the couch just holding each other.
I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)
Oikawa and Iwaizumi had been telling each other that they love each other their whole life, but at some point it started getting too hard to do because it felt just a little too real. When they finally got together as a couple was when they first said I love you, like that. In fact, instead of just saying "I love you," Oikawa specified that he was IN love with him. Just so he didn't get confused :)
J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)
Both of them get super jealous. Iwaizumi gets super protective and Oikawa sort of just gets petty... I'll elaborate later.
K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to be kissed?)
Oikawa always has super moisturized lips, while Iwaizumi's are always chapped. It doesn't bother Oikawa at all though. In fact, he's sort of grown to love how soft his lips are but how they still have a rough exterior. It's endearing. Oikawa loves being kissed on his forehead, and Iwa is a sucker for neck kisses.
L = Little ones (How are they around children?)
Oikawa is amazing with kids. He's had a lot of time around little ones because of his nephew so it's sort of second nature to him. Iwaizumi, however, is very timid around kiddos. He's honestly scared of them and scared that he's going to break them or something. He also just doesn't really like how sticky they are.
M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)
Oikawa sleeps in and Iwaizumi always wakes up early. Oikawa just needs his beauty sleep, what can he say? When they both eventually get out of bed, if they're having a lazy day Iwaizumi will always go make breakfast for the both of them while Oikawa does his best to distract him.
N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)
Going along with the mornings, Oikawa is a night owl and Iwaizumi tries to go to bed early. They always have a show they're watching together, so they usually curl up in bed after dinner and turn it on. Iwaizumi always falls asleep one episode in, so Oikawa always has to explain to him what he missed in the morning.
O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)
Since they were best friends for much longer than they were together, they basically already know everything about each other.
P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)
Iwaizumi has a pretty quick temper, but never with Oikawa. His patience with him is out of this world. Oikawa keeps is cool really well with Iwa too, so any spats they have are usually minor and resolved quickly.
Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about each other? Do they remember every little detail the other mentions in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)
Both of them basically know everything about each other. It sort of comes with the whole "best friends to lovers" thing.
R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in their relationship?)
Both of them have the same favorite moment, and its when they finally told each other they love each other and they started dating. After years of pining and confusing feelings, the relief was amazing for both of them and they were much happier by ten fold from that moment on.
S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect their partner? How would they like to be protected?)
Both of them get pretty jealous, but while Iwaizumi gets protective, Oikawa gets sort of petty. He'll just be super passive aggresive about his jealousy but Iwa picks up on it pretty fast.
"Oikawa I swear if you dont tell me who I talked to that bothered you.."
T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)
They both put a lot of effort into their dates, it doesn't matter who is taking the other. They really love each other and want to show it, so they both take special care. On anniversaries they always get each other a thoughtful gift, and to them the price really doesn't matter. It's just the thought behind it.
U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)
Oikawa always gets in the bed with his socks on but hates sleeping in socks so he kicks them off in the bed. When they go to strip their sheets, 20 pairs of his socks are found at the bottom and Iwaizumi gets so mad.
Iwaizumi is awful at folding clothes and refuses to try to learn. When they have laundry to do he just keeps doing it extremely bad so Oikawa will eventually go "You know what! Just let me do it!!"
V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)
Contrary to popular belief, Oikawa really doesn't put that much effort into his hair, but he does have an extensive skin care routine. Iwa washes his face with bar soap and has perfect skin and it enrages Oikawa.
W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without their partner?)
They are the most dependent on each other. They spend every waking moment with each other and its basically always been that way, so yes they feel very incomplete without each other.
X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)
Oikawa never finishes all of his food and Iwaizumi always eats it for him.
"That is just wasteful give me your plate,"
Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)
Iwaizumi absolutely hates when Oikawa leaves his clothes in the bathroom floor after he showers. Oikawa hates when Iwa leaves pots and pans on the stovetop after he cooks. He would literally wash them for him if Iwa would just move them to the sink, but no.
Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)
Oikawa is an absolute night owl and hates waking up early. Iwaizumi always goes to sleep early and wakes up early. Since he always wakes up first, he loves to watch Oikawa sleep, a smile on his face as he watches him, purely in love.
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thefanbasewhore · 3 years
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Can you do a soulmate Stucky x reader? I feel like you would write that so well, especially how you portrayed bucky in "are you mad at me" was so soft. The soulmate version would be so cute
Summary || Bucky and Steve meet their soulmate, which they had no idea existed.
Warning/content || fluff, a small explicit scene, fighting. Soulmate AU.
Paring || Bucky Barnes x reader x Steve rogers
I got a little carried away, but enjoy ❤️ not edited or beta read but I'm sleepy 😴
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Bucky and Steve have had each other from the moment they have met. Imaging their surprise, being two little boys from Brooklyn seeing colors, something the two agreed to hide, pending the time period.
It was different now, a different time. They were accepted and while both of them loved each other, so very much, especially through the mind control, fighting each other, then for each other. They always knew something was missing.
A color, maybe even two, three. A part of them missing but they both collectively came to the conclusion that it was just that. Some missing colors, it happens sometimes.
It happens when they least expect it.
After Thanos, after Tony finally deciding to leave that kind of life behind, buying a small two bedroom house on the outskirts of the city. A home to grow old in, be together for the first time since before the war started but only one thing prevented that.
The house was a disaster, gutted to the foundations, no running water, green moss outside covered the whole house, the lawn completely out of control. For Bucky it was a hard no, it was a dump but the moment Steve fluttered those ridiculously long lashes, how could he say no?
So here they are, sweating on this 90 degree day, putting up new dry wall with no air-conditioning.
"What color should it be?" Steve asks, glancing to his dark haired lover, taking notice of his now shirtless appearance. Bucky let out a sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Maybe we should get all of the walls up first."
Steve clicks his tongue, "I like the color green, like a nice pastel mint green."
"Whatever you want, honey." Bucky wasn't too picky, besides whatever made Steve happy, made him happy.
"Hello?" A sweet, feminine voice came from the kitchen. The doors left open because of the heat, there was nothing much in here anyways.
Steve pulls away from his task, pulling his shirt over his head to wipe his forehead with it. "Come in, we are in the kitchen."
Bucky wasn't too alarmed, Steve had told him previously that he hired a someone to make up the yard, nothing too fancy but the both of them were completely clueless when it came to plants, or gardens period.
"Quite a project you have going on here, Mr. Rogers." No doubt taking in the half gutted house along the way. While they have never met, they spoke on the phone briefly about his wants.
"You have no idea, Hun."
The woman looks around the kitchen first, noticing the freshly painted cabinet, the smell a dead giveaway, half eaten burgers thrown to the side on a small, make shift table with barely enough room to fit.
At first glance towards the man she notices the sharp jawline, defined but soft feature of the blonde as she greets him with a smile which soon drops in confusion as small dots of color appear. Stormy blue eyes with a full beard, Steve's mouth dropping agape as he notices the splirts of color - the missing colors for 106 years finally appear.
Bucky notices the tension in the room, shifting his attention from the wall to Steve, noticing how intensely he's staring, Bucky follows the line of vision and meets sweet eyes.
She's hit with another line of color, different from Steve's but now there's no more gray hue, bright yellows and blues. The outside is suddenly so bright and Bucky mouth drops.
This cannot be happening.
They sit there and stare for what seems like hours.
"I - ugh.." she starts, "What is happening?"
***
Sometimes life just throws curve balls, like finding out that your soulmate or in this cause soulmates are two, one hundred year old super soldiers who have already been in love with each other for over a decade.
The pull is already strong, nature intended for these souls to be together until death due part and honestly Bucky could feel it. With Steve he was used to the urge of wanting to have him close, kiss him every free minute he has but with the woman in front of him, it's new.
He doesn't even know her name, watches the way she nervously flickers from Steve's gaze to his own. She's beautiful.
Strong but delicate features, the curve of her nose is cute, cupid lips are so full... kissable. He can't stop staring, even with Steve and her in the mist of conversation. The make shift table cleared of all prior mess, Buck and Steve have to share a chair, which is quite comical, seeing two giant supersoldier try to share a small, old, dinning room seat.
Bucky's metal fingers twitch, metal plate click and whirl to life as he tights to urge to map her face out with his fingers. His heart is beating so fast, filled with so much... Love? Joy?
No matter how much Steve and Bucky try to hide it.. deep down they always knew, something was missing and in this case, someone.
"You're beautiful." The words catch both her and Steve off guard, Bucky blushes red something terrible but the sweet smile defuses the fire.
Well until she says something back, "You are too."
His whole face is hot and Steve reaches over to affectionately rub the back of his shoulder. Of course Steve was calm, he always is.
He handles things with lots of thought and understanding, while Buck is more hot headed, acts on the moment.
***
"It doesn't feel right." Bucky comments, watching from the window to insure she safely gets into the car. Steve sighs, by the time they're done talking darkness has filled the house. Steve affectionately squeezes the brunette's bicep, pressing a kiss to his hair.
"I know Bucky. This is a lot for her, for us. She needs to take time and reflect on this. She'll come to us when she's ready."
Bucky knows nothing then her name, and love for plants but chews at his bottom lip nervously. She's too far, the bond pulls at his heart strings. Now bonded forever. "What if she never comes back?"
"She will."
***
A few days pass, the kitchen is finally done, new appliances, new china and kitchen fully stocked. Steve is making something for Dinner - it smells amazing while Bucky starts painting the walls of the lifeless living room.
It's bare, not even something to sit on but no doubt with the stamina of two super soldiers it will be done by next week.
The knock on the front door is unexpected, but Bucky replies quickly. "I got it, Stevie!"
He expects some older, much wrinkly neighbor to be complaining about the noise of the nail gone or something this late at night. His mouth drops, a little shocked at the sight of her.
A very formal sitting dress, long and black, dips into a sweetheart neckline, the valley of her breasts easily visible. Hair is thrown into a neat updo, sexy and sleek.
Bucky clears his throat. "Hi." He squeaks out, feeling like a total idiot as he watches her nervously shift her weight from one heel to the other.
"Hi, I was in the area. A wedding for one my clients, thought I'd come say hello." Bucky wants to shake his head in disbelief that something so beautiful, just like Steve is made for him.
The universe sculpted and made two beautiful, breath taking human beings to be his and it's overwhelming. She's so pretty it's alarming.
It was a good excuse, the truth but not the real reason she stopped by. How could she tell them that they have been on her mind none stop? It physically hurts to be away for so long.
"Who is it, Buck?" Steve mumbles, interrupting the thick tension between the two.
"Come in, doll." Bucky's helps her with the jacket that lays over his shoulders, mentioning his head towards the direction of the kitchen, where his other lover is.
Steve is stunned none the less, he at least expected a few more days. Also, feeling much like Bucky, amazed by the radiating beauty.
He decides to play it cool, dimples forming with a breath taking smile. "Do you like spaghetti?"
Hours pass, time moves so fast with conversation, and adding wine to the mix surely didn't help.
The trio once again in the kitchen, but this time each have a chair, a new, more comfortable dinning set.
"You got this done fast. It's beautiful." She comments, "Colors are beautiful, I guess I have you two to thank for that."
Bucky shifts in his seat, the glass of wine is useless but still finds himself sipping from it. Her eyes are red, watery with a slight buzz.
"Do you feel it?" The question has both Bucky and Steve look at each other, watching her teary eyes as she presses a hand to sooth the ache in her chest. "It hurts, it hurts to be away. All week."
"It's normal." Steve answers just above a whisper, his next words make Bucky's bottom lip quiver. "I felt it every day for the last 5 years, Bucky was gone."
Bucky had never thought about it - there hasn't been enough time to. It's only been a month later since the return and it never occurred to him what Steve has gone through.
"Steve.." He starts, tears kiss his waterline as his fingers run through the blonde's hair. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't know, I -."
"Couldn't prevent it Buck. It happened but you're here now and.." Steve turns his attention towards the girl, tears slip past her eyelids. It's for Steve, for Bucky.. all the pain and suffering they've been through. "Hey, don't cry, it's alright beautiful."
It's feels right, despite barely knowing the man, nothing feel more right then being pulled into his chest as a large metal hand comforts her in a different way, rubbing the loose strands of hair as he murmurs. "We've got you now, you're our other half."
***
Months have past from that day. The house is finally done, everything they could have imagined with the additional of an extra tooth brush in the cup that sits on the bathroom sink, a pile of fuzzy blankets at the bottom of the bed and a five year old chocolate lab. Steve didn't mind much, he's always loved dogs, Bucky on the other hand...
"Alright, alright, Maverick." Bucky huffs, grocery bags in hand as the dog excitedly nuzzles his legs, following him throughout the house like it wasn't only an hour ago he's seen him. Once putting the bags down, hears the whine, big brown eyes staring up at him. Bucky sighs, dropping to a knee before petting the pup's head. "Alright you mutt, don't tell anyone about this."
"Too late, pal." Bucky jumps, hearing the amusement in Steve's voice, followed by the giggle of the woman that peers out from behind him. Wrapping her arms around Steve before testing her head against his shoulder.
"Caught you red handed, you love Mav." Bucky grumbles at her words, feeling two smaller hands wrap around his waist as a head falls into his chest. He presses a soft kiss into her hair before taking in the blonde that barely fits through the doorway he leans against.
Bucky's free hand reaches out, mentioning him closer but as she's soon finds herself in the middle of a super soldier sandwich. "Hi, baby." Bucky presses a kiss to the blonde's lips.
"Hi, pal."
***
"It's only one mission. That's it, we will be in and out." Steve promises, not liking the way his girls face twist into a worried expression.
Heavy eyes, lower lip sticking out to pout. "What if something happens? If you get hurt? Or if they find you, Bucky?"
"I told you, Hydra is gone, honey." Bucky's large hands sooth over her tight shoulders, pressing soft kisses to the back of her upper traps.
"No. You still have nightmares at least three times a week. This can't be good for you. And you." She turns her attention back towards Steve, "Barely sleep four hours a night. You carry the fault on your shoulders, you don't need anymore. I don't want you two to go."
"We don't have a choice. They were my family once, I owe this to them." Steve didn't miss the way her lips moves to form a snarl, not sparing another glance as she makes a b-line for the stairs.
Bucky sighs, leaning against the wall. "She's going to be mad at us." Rubbing his chest with hopes to ease the burn.
The bond pulls at their hearts, a slow, painful punishment for their actions.
They return two weeks later, tired, just wanting to see their girl. The moment they walk into the house they look at each other with will wild eyes, heart pumping as they fear the worse. The dog, the annoying wiggling tail that would bark is one where to be found, something is wrong.
It's alarming. "Where is that freaking mutt?"
Steve calls her name, but there is no answer. Bucky and him are searching the house, ascending the stairs, opening the bedroom door with a deep sigh of relief.
The stupid dog takes up half of the bed, but is cuddled into his owner. Arm draped around the ball of fur, amount as long as her.
The dog lifts his head, a little tail waggle as Steve stretches his ears, lowering to his knees and laying his top half over the bed to press loud, audible kisses to his ears. "Good boy, protecting our girl while we are gone."
When morning comes she notices the dog is still pressed against her, licking small stripes against her cheeks. "Have to go out, buddy?"
She barely makes it five steps before tripping over two rather large bodies, sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor. Bucky groans and Steve's eyes flicker open.
"Why are you on the floor?"
"Wanted you to sleep pretty girl. Mav was taking up all the room and you looked like an angel." Bucky hums in agreement despite his eyes being closed.
"Mmm, well it's all free now." It's short, simple but the sarcastic tone has Bucky's eyes flickering to meet his boyfriend's. They both sigh, staring up at the ceiling, knowing it's going to be a long day.
And it is. She's does whatever she can to get away from them, only answers with short replies to the point Bucky can't take it anymore.
"Sweetheart," Bucky tries again but she doesn't acknowledge him, eyes stayed glued to the book. He gets fed up, metal plates click as artificial appendages run over the binding and pull it from her grasp.
"Give it back, James."
He cringes at the name, a displeased frown wears his face. "No, you have to talk to us."
"No."
"You're bring a brat." Bucky starts, watching her expression change from annoyed to anger, wrinkles of frustration pinch between her eyebrows.
"Buck - don't say that to her." Steve comments, it's his fault, he's the one who said yes without confiding in her first.
"She is, it's over with now. She has no right to be this mad."
"No right?" Her chest fills with emotion as a humourless chuckle causes both men to stiffen. "No right? Huh Buck? I sat here for two full weeks, no communication, nothing while the two of you are out there fighting God knows what after you swore, promised you would always be with me. Don't promise me forever if you're just going to throw yourself in danger! You're going to die and leave me, or worse! Both of you will."
No one says a word, only watch as her chest rises and falls with deep, heavy pants despite the tears that rolls past her eyes lashes.
"Honey, I'm sorry -."
"I don't want to hear it James, and you." She turns towards Steve, fire in her soul. "I thought you would understand, more then him, considering it has happened to you."
She leaves the room without another word, Buck turns towards Steve, watching the way he fights the tears that gather. The pain of loosing Bucky is still so fresh, "She's right Buck, we fucked up."
"I know, I know." He mumbles into Steve's shoulder, pulling him close.
***
"You're so good to me, sweet girl." Bucky moans as she shifts her hips against him, the blunt end of his cock hitting the spot inside her that makes her squeal for more.
Large hands squeeze her hips as Steve leans over to find his boyfriend's lips, kissing him through the gasps and whines of their girl's name as she circles her hips around Bucky.
Steve's hands pull at his hair, lips trailing from his lips, down his cheeks before nipping at his jaw.
"How does he feel honey?"
"So good, Stevie." For a second he's in a trance, watching the way her face contours with pleasure and the pain of her third orgasm well on its way.
Steve lays next to Buck, hand wrapping around his own heaviness between his legs as he stokes it, switching between her face of pleasure to Bucky's, who bites his lip to suppress a moan.
It's short lived as hips stutter against her own, coating her walls with his warm cum.
Steve barely gives her time to recover, positioning her on his hands and knees before hovering over her ear and nibbling on it. "My turn, honey."
***
Her hands nervously shake, the kitchen table is all set up, dinner is ready but at the moment she doesn't have an appetite.
Between this morning sickness, the overall change her body is under going, food makes her sick. The opening of the front door makes her sit up straight, sucking in a deep breath.
Two voices conversationing in the hall, "I thought I said for you to lock the door when we leave." Buck is clearly annoyed, it's been a long day but Steve rubs his shoulders, mumbling something incoherent.
Upon entering the kitchen, they both grow worried. Face drained of color, red blotchy eyes with shaky hands.
"Hey, hey." Steve drops to his knees in front of her seat in an instant, hands curling around her wrist as worried steel blue eyes follow his stance, reaching over to stroke her cheek. "What is it? What happened?"
"I'm pregnant." She pauses, "I'm scared, I'm scared. What if someone comes for you? How are we supposed to raise a baby? What if it has the serum, will it ever be safe?"
The questions fill Bucky with dread, how much though put into every sentence, every word is like a new hit of pain to his body but he stays strong. For his girl, he leans forward, wiping the tears away from discolored cheeks. "Everything is going to be fine babydoll, you're going to be fine, our baby is going to be fine."
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scandalsavagefanfic · 3 years
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Hello! I am a huge fan of ur writing. I've loved everything I've read of yours. I've read alot of what you've posted, except for a couple of the tags that are squicky for me (so I'm very thankful you tag very thoroughly). No judgement for the squick, it's just not for me. & when I'm having a bad day, I usually just go thru ur ao3 and find something to reread. I think about Therapy's Bruce & Jason every damn day. While I obvs appreciate ur darker more "problematic" content (I really vibe with some of the themes you write about bc of my own trauma, & so it's very cathartic to read about in a fictional setting), I am truly a sucker for ur more happy content. The Happily Ever After verse also lives in my head rent free. Idk more wholesome stuff just seems more special when you write it. Anyways. I would die for you. But the point of this ask is cause I'm curious as to why you don't like Urban Legends? I'm sorry if you already talked about it here or on twitter and I missed it. I was just wondering because I really enjoy your take on things and would love to hear why you dislike it. I've been enjoying it so far personally, but I am always open to DC comics criticism.
Aw thank you so much! I'm so flattered by everything you just said. You're so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤
I haven't talked about Urban Legends here or twitter (I haven't been very active in either place lately. Just a lot going on and no energy 😔) but I'm happy to do it here.
Before I start though, I just want to add a standard disclaimer and make it clear that if you like it, there's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to let me ruin it for you lol. Like what you like.
That said, since you asked...
I said this when I was talking about it on discord, that there is a difference between hope and expectation. I always hope that a new story centered on Jason (or anyone really, but things have been especially egregious for Jay for 15 years) will be good or at least treat the character with a minimal level of respect (to be honest, the bar is super fucking low). But my expectations always temper my hope, to keep it from getting unrealistic. Because my expectations are based on experience.
The long history of Jason Todd, since even before his resurrection, has been one of retroactively trying to make him "a bad seed" in order to absolve Bruce of any responsibility in his death.
I don't even expect DC or their writers to start honoring the fact that Jason was not an angry, reckless Robin (and less of the later than Dick or Tim and definitely Damian). There plenty of ways that retcon can be folded into his history and be compelling and sympathetic. And if they're going to stick with that retcon, I'm only asking that they do it in one of those compelling and sympathetic ways because Jason was 15 when he died, heroically, in one of the most selfless acts in comics, to save a woman who literally handed him over to be brutally murdered. He was 12 when Bruce plucked him off the streets, he'd been homeless and fending for himself for at least two years. I personally think that Jason's story hits harder for him and Bruce if their original, canon relationship, of Jason as starry-eyed and eager to learn and absolutely devoted to Bruce and Bruce to Jason, is preserved. But Jason's origins does leave room for a meaningful interpretation of him as angry and frustrated at the lack of meaningful results of Bruce's methods.
And that's really where my irritation at stories like Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer and Batman The Adventure Continues has it's roots.
Every time one of these stories comes out, I think (or hope, rather) that this will be the one that remembers and respects the origins of the Jason and the Red Hood, that takes into account the changed sensibilities of comics readers in the 30 years since Jason's death and the subtle, 20 year, retroactive campaign to make him the "bad Robin". The "born bad" trope is played out and literally no one likes the message it implies. That some kids are just bad eggs and there's nothing parents or the adults around them can do. Especially when it's played as the kid's fault. If Jason's time as Robin is going to be characterized by anger, then it should be rooted in anger at the social injustices he witnessed as he grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden, area and the horrors he faced raising himself when every day was a battle for survival. There are topical, meaningful, stories to tell with that backdrop.
But those are never the stories we get.
⚠⚠ Spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer ⚠⚠
I'm particularly disappointed in Urban Legends because for the first issue, it looked like that was the kind of story we were going to get. I was put off by the first flashback of Jason being mesmerized by Bruce's guns, and I got that feeling in my gut that it was a bad sign. Jason depicted as impatient and overconfident and the scene with the guns is heavy-handed foreshadowing that got my spidey-sense tingling. I had a inkling then (in the first three pages) of how this story was going to play out, but it was early and I could still see many narrative paths that could lead to a satisfying story. My concerns were soothed somewhat and the little flame of my hope fanned, with the flashback of Alfred scolding Bruce, with Barbara's concern for Jason. A bit of worry returned with the way Jason ruthlessly pursued an addict who didn't appear to be a dealer and with the ending of the issue. The stuff with the addict sat wrong with me but the ending was tempered some by how despicable Tyler's dad was written. The scene was clearly set so that the reader could sympathize with Jason's decision and the scene with the addict could be brushed aside as a side-effect of comics over-the-top need for constant action, so I still held hope.
Issue 2 made me uncomfortable and it's where my hope starts to take a backseat to my expectations. I can dismiss Jason's self-deprecating internal monologue as unreliable narration, except that the flashback reinforces his thought process to explicitly show that it's not unreliable narration, and should be taken at face value. Jason faces physical abuse at the hands of his mother's drug dealer and when the flashback continues later, Jason kills the drug dealer. To be clear, this is a pre-Bruce Jason. His mom is still alive. He's like... 10. He kills this guy for shoving his head into a wall and implying Jason's mother paid for her drugs with sex. This is a scene that serves a single purpose. To show that Jason has always been prone to violence.
In the spirit of full disclosure, there is the small chance the drug dealer might not be dead. But the story obviously wants the reader to think he is, and it hasn't done anything to change that yet.
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Starlin already did this story with The Diplomat’s Son in 1988 and he did it infinitely better. AND that’s still technically canon. So now I’m supposed to believe that Jason lost his cool bad enough to kill two douche bags before his sweet 16? Like it’s totally normal for abused kids raised in poverty, who’ve led hard and heartbreaking lives to just... haul off and kill people? That’s bullshit, and when taken with the Jason in the third issue, who is little more than an idiot thug, this story is really doubling down on some fucked up stereotypes.
Which brings us to the most recent issue. I went into this installment with very low expectations. I thought this story was going to be about Jason, through this experience with Tyler, a young boy with a similar background to Jason's, coming to the realization that Bruce's way is the best way and that Bruce did his best by Jason.
That would be annoying (in no small part because it takes increasingly absurd levels of plot armor to keep Bruce's no kill rule relevant, let alone irrefutably right). But I can probably live with that, if only because maybe if Jason officially falls back into line with the Bats crusade, maybe I'll get stories that treat him with respect, stories that don't relegate him to comic relief, dumb brute, or a background body with no lines in a story about the Joker burning Gotham (like Jason would just fucking stand there quietly for that).
And that may still be where the story is going, Jason realizing Bruce is right.
But holy shit do I not have the right words to describe how fucking insulting and gross issue three is.
From start to finish--including the flashback--Jason is written as cruel and fucking stupid. Like straight up dumb.
The entire issue is Bruce explaining the fucking basics to Jason like it's his first day. And Jason flies off the fucking handle and terrorizes a doctor he knows isn't a part of making the Cheerdrops, beats the shit out of some random addicts, and finally, when he can't accomplish anything on his own because he's a dumb brute he calls Barbara for help and rushes in with no information where he's promptly incapacitated and must now wait to be rescued by Batman.
This panel is the least of the issues sins but I can’t screenshot the entire story but it’s representative of the tone for the whole issue (and retroactively tainted the prior two issues).
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This is beyond insulting. The only conclusions Jason comes to in this issue are the ones Bruce leads him to by talking to him like he can’t make the simplest connections. And like... in this story Jason can’t make the simplest connections.
This (and the Jason throughout the entirety of this issue) is a far cry from the Jason we fell in love with in Under the Red Hood, who was competent and strategic and intelligent enough to seize control of Gotham’s underworld from Black Mask (who’s no fucking slouch, he’s the first and only person to unify organized crime in Gotham) AND elude and manipulate Bruce until the time and place of his choosing.
This is a far cry from even the Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason who is competent enough to fight the League of Shadows and Ra’s al Ghul (among very dangerous and skilled others) and smart enough to create antidotes for mind control nanotech viruses.
As he should be, by the way. Jason Todd is one of the best, most comprehensively trained fighters in DC’s stable of non powered vigilantes. He’s not irrational or hot headed. He’s pragmatic, tactically minded, and patient. He’s a detective. Right now. Has been since he was 12. Bruce doesn’t have to make him one because he already is. 
Jason is not a stupid thug who uses his fists because his brain doesn’t work. And I can’t tell you how so very exhausted I am by this narrative. 
This is actually the most egregious example of Jason’s skills and intelligence being not just undermined but dismissed entirely. Even Morrison’s Jason had some degree of competency. 
The one, single redeeming factor of this story is the art. It’s beautiful. And Marcus To is a godsend he seems to be one of only a couple of artists who remember that Jason was a child when he was Robin and I’m literally only buying this book because of him. 
Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to come out so... um... passionately lol. I’m just very very tired. My intention with this isn’t to ruin it for you, if you like it, that’s fine. 
But this issue shot this story to the top of my "Vehemently Despise” list. 1) Batman: Urban Legends (Cheer), 2) Battle for the Cowl/Morrison’s Batman and Robin, 3) Batman The Adventure Continues.
I hope the next issues somehow salvage this dumpster fire. But I’m not expecting it.
(Damnit. That sounded harsh again. To reiterate, I’m not trying to judge anyone who enjoys it, I just personally hate it and you asked me why lol 😅)
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slashingdisneypasta · 3 years
Text
Jack Bass x Younger!Reader || Oneshot
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Title: Bass's.
Notes:
I have no idea when this is supposed to be set. Just go with it.
I have two things to say about Jack in this gif, though. 1. Does he not know how to carry a tray. And 2. I love this statement, here. Its like 'Bart's Dead, Chuck. I can barely contain my joy, Chuck. Its taking all my willpower, Chuck, to keep a monotonous expression. Also Chuck I am carrying a tray, do you see this?'
Plot: Bart Bass decides to be his creepy fucking self (Not that Jack is exponentially better in any way but whatever) towards you, Chuck's best friend- but thankfully, Jack accidentally walks in on the scene and gives you a get out of jail free card.
Good old 'lesser of two evils' shit. I love stuff like that.
Warnings: BART BASS being predatory, and a bit of age difference (You and Jack. I'm going by actors ages though so there's only a, like, 11 year age gap between him and Chuck which is not that bad if you ask me). Sexual references.
~~~
Chuck looks from his phone, that's flashing Blairs name, to you and your big, wide eyes and lips mouthing 'Don't you dare', then to his father quietly tapping away on his phone on the couch a few feet away... then back at his phone.
"Charles- " You hiss, prepared to threaten his very existence but he cuts you off first- slipping off the bar stool beside you and heading for the hallway.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom."
Why am I friends with him again!? You think, but stay quiet and hope that Bart doesn't realise that you're back there despite having said hello to you earlier when he came in. You think, if you stay quiet like a mouse, he will forget your existence and keep texting until Chuck gets back- although, who knows how long he and Blair can go on for.
Depends what its about, honestly. If its about revenge or espionage... well, the conversation could last quite some time.
Should I just leave?
The impulse to run away is a strong one, as you sit there with your cheeks heating up and you start to feel nauseated. You never liked Bart Bass, from the moment you met him. Before that, actually. You had heard Chuck talking about him to Nate before you even became friends with them, and none of what you heard was good. And then you did meet him, one day when Chuck invited you over to do a school project. Or 'school project' as he so obnoxiously put it. You really did end up just doing a school project, though. Hence your friendship nowadays. Bart was creepy towards you even then, at 16 with terribly died hair and the wrong eyeshadow.
You've been very careful since then to never be alone with him like this. You would talk to him at parties if you were forced to, say hello to him when Chuck had you at his place and the man walked by, but that is the extent of your communication with the creep. Always, always, someone would be around. Chuck, mostly. But also staff, or Nate, or random fundraiser ladies, or Jack who Chuck the bastard never left alone with all willy-nilly like this, unfortunately, or Lily, or literally anyone else possible on the earth.
You've even hidden away in the men's bathroom, which is disgusting no matter how expensive the restaurant, with Nate before to get away from this man when Chuck once ditched you both at a dinner with him. And that's the story of how you got your first kiss, too, and it was from Nate Archibald. Hell yes.
That's how much this man makes you want to grab your bag and flee.
But you don't. You stay glued to your seat, super still, listening only to the tap-tap-tapping noises that Bart makes and the bump-bump-bump noises your heart is making right into your throbbing ears.
Until it stops.
Not the bump-bump-bumping, oh no. The tapping. And, nightmarishly, it's replaced by a groan and footsteps coming towards your turned back.
"Y/N," As soon as he says your name, his hands fall on your your shoulders and you literally jump under his touch. Shit- Shit- Fuck- what's happening- "I've been meaning to speak with you recently but Chuck- ah. Well you know him. He refused to share with me your telephone number. But I knew you'd turn up here at some point, so not to worry."
"Uh... right." You cant even force yourself to be your normal, cheery, polite self in this position. You just want him to get. off. of. you.
"Did you want a drink?" He asks, in that possibly cheery (But only because its slightly louder then his usual husk level) but mostly still scary voice he uses to convey emotion, letting go of you thankfully and rounding to the other side of the bar. You shake your head, though. He raises his brows, picking out a scotch for himself. "You don't drink? Shocking, seeing as you're friends with my son."
Oh I drink. You think, giving him a shrug. Just not in situations like this one. Also, what must he think of Chuck? Jesus Christ. For sure, your boy likes debauchery but what's wrong with that?
"Well, I like that." Bart pauses before pouring his drink, to appreciate you. "Mature."
Damn it. It makes your skin absolutely crawl.
"So... " You take a deep breath, tucking your hair back behind your ears rather then ruffling it back like you usually would to get it out of your face- lest that be recognised as some kind of extremely subtle form of flirting. God, fear makes you think weird things. "What did you want to discuss?"
"Oh- Just, your future. Where are you going to school? Will you be sticking close to us?"
Us? US? No, I'll be far far away, from you.
You don't really want to tell Bart where you're going to be going to school, because in your fear addled brain you know that that will just lead to 'Which campus?', or 'Where will you be staying?' and you really don't want it to go there.
You're just taking another, shakier deep breath, when the front door of the apartment opens and shuts loudly and set of feet trample down the hallway towards you. Immediately total relief plashes over you and you wipe your face. Oh, thank god.
Jack Bass appears in the doorway to the living room, looking as put-together yet somehow simultaneously still totally relaxed, as always, and forces aa polite smile onto his handsome face. "Brother. Y/N? Its good to see you."
You have no idea. "Good to see you too Jack. Uh- Chuck's in the bathroom."
"Thanks. For that... enlightening, information, Y/N. I needed that." You cheeks flare up in embarrassment, but ultimately you just roll your eyes as Jack flashes you a subtle wink, and turns promptly to his - much, - older brother. "Bart."
The older brother in question looks less then pleased at his baby brothers appearance in his home. Right now. And he possibly isn't thrilled about that little wink, either. Like you two are in on some kind of joke together. "Jack... What are you doing here?"
"Simmer down, bro. Just visiting." Even you know that that excuse is weak, but anything that comes out Jack's own monotonous voice right now is blessed where you're concerned so you certainly don't say anything. Or make any faces, which would be more appropriate. "Y/N, I don't think Bart-man here's too happy about my presence." Hm, no. You'd have to agree with that observation- not that you've looked up at Bart since Jack came in. You wont risk it. Jack glides through the room with the practised grace of a man who's lived 3 quarters of his life in suits and the other, happier quarter in board shorts, and ends up right next to your chair, an arm resting on the bench in front of you.
If you weren't already so nervous about Bart, you would blush about Jack.
"At least tell me you're glad to see me."
You grin, which is less forced then you thought it would be prior to trying it. Damn, he's good. You think, realising he just swepped in here and made you comfortable in less then 50 words. "Always, 'Uncle Jack'."
"Oh," He groans, like it physically pained him to hear you tease him like that. A tiny smirk even slips through his usually emotionless - well, not emotionless. He has one standing colour, that being sly, - stone statue of a face. "'Uncle Jack'- Please, stop. I'm barely a decade older then you."
That's enough to make anything else possible, inappropriate. Unfortunately. "Hey, I said I'm glad to see you." You wink, a bit sly yourself. "Count your blessings."
His grin widens a bit, like the dangerously charming Cheshire cat-type that he is. Genes that Chuck inherited, clearly, if his track record with girls say anything at all, but that Bart obviously missed out on. "You've got a point."
"She's a remarkable young woman." Bart pipes up, making your stomach tie itself up in knots again, and you immediately revert your gaze to your lap. Remarkable young woman... you want to barf. "Who, I was actually having a conversation with before you burst in here, unannounced." He takes a slow sip of his drink, then mutters. "And uninvited."
"Well that's great." Jack straightens up, clapping his hands together and finally showing his teeth in a smile. They're really freaken white, compared to his skin, deeply tanned by the hot Australian sun. "A visit would be kinda uncomfortable without a conversation; I'll join. I can converse with the best of 'em, Bart. I assure you."
"It was private." The old man sneers, thinking that he's got the upper hand on Jack, and all you can do is hope to god that he's wrong.
Jack turns his head back to look at you, and you meet his gaze tentatively. Your eyes scream, 'Please don't leave me alone with that guy'. He promptly looks back to Bart. "Well Bart why don't we ask the lady in the room what she wants? We are gentlemen here aren't we?" Then Jack makes a face, all crumpled up and unsure, for a moment. "Err. Well actually... 'gentleman' might be a bold faced lie. We'll ask anyway. Y/N! Do you mind if I weigh in here?"
"Not at all." You say quickly, flashing a tiny, thankful smile. He gives you another wink- this time actually subtle. So Bart didn't see it. Your smile gets a little bit bigger, relaxing. He's got you.
"Great." You watch him pull out the stool beside you, that Chuck - who has still not returned from his phone call with Blair. You assume some, likely cruel vengeance must be involved. Possibly involving that Humphrey guy, - had vacated and settles down in it. He then sets his arms firmly on the bench and looks up attentively at Bart, not breaking eye contact with him. Boy these Bass's like their stare downs. "So?" He prompts, expectantly. And a little arrogantly- a Bass speciality that you truly don't mind at all. "What's on the agenda, today?"
Bart glares heatedly, back.
~
Throughout the awkward discussion between the three of you, which your good friend Chuck has yet to return to discover - at this point you're resigned to him having climbed out the window and scaled the building probably, - , Jack constantly, skilfully changes the subject for you whenever Bart rears to close to somewhere uncomfortable. He makes jokes that make you laugh, he nudges you with his elbow at times - but never touches you any more then that, although you honestly wouldn't mind it if he did, - and takes the attention off you a lot. At times you truly thought you saw steam come out of Bart's ears.
When finally Bart gives up and excuses himself, saying he as an early dinner with Lily, you feel exhausted and relieved. After the door swings shut behind him, you cover your face with your hands and deeply sigh.
"So, what was that about? You looked like a trapped mouse. I recognise that look, I invented that look." You pull back slightly from your hands and glance over at him, to see him thoughtful for a moment. "Well, not by making it. By... causing... it... Either way, it was not good." He shakes his head, taking a sip of his own drink - scotch, - that he made Bart pour for him; Raising his eyebrows at you for an explanation over the rim of the glass.
Jack's always been great, like this. Even when he was horrible, he was the lesser of two evils between him and Bart. Good for a laugh and quality eye candy in a pinch- and that counts for a hell of a lot when it comes to surviving Bart Bass and the Upper East Side. And he had the power and pull of an adult, but knew what the hell was going on like one of you.
So he always made you feel at ease.
You ruffle your hair back, and sigh, straightening your back finally from their hunched over position they live in when you're uncomfortable and pushing back your shoulders. "He was just, saying some weird stuff... and Chuck disappeared to talk to Blair." At that, Jack nods in total understanding. Like ah, yeah. Got ya. Finally, you shrug. "He just makes me really uncomfortable. No offence, but I hate your brother."
As you watch Jack's eyes don't even flicker; He's totally on board with what you've said. Then he finishes the rest of his scotch in one gulp. "Ahh- I hate him too."
"As do we all." Chuck's voice suddenly pops up, as he appears in the doorway like Jack had earlier. You have to practice some serious self control so as to not laugh, at Chuck so coincidentally turning up again at the perfect moment to proclaim his hatred for his father. Jack grins back at Chuck coldly, nodding. Yeah. "Anyway, Y/N, I apologise but I'll be having to abandon you. Blair's waiting for me at her, empty, apartment." He pauses for a moment for dramatic effect, in perfect Chuck Bass fashion, and you roll your eyes, grinning. Jack smirks. "But you're welcome to stick around a while and help yourself to the amenities All on my tab, of course. Good to see you again, Jack." Then he pockets his phone and heads toward the door. The second Bass of the day leaves the building.
"Bye, nephew!" Jack waives as the elevator doors close behind Chuck then swiftly turns around back to you, to which you raise your eyebrows. "So, what do we do now?"
"I dunno." Shrugging you grin and turn your stool to angle your legs towards Jack. "When Chuck says those magical words 'All on my tab'," Those words, oh; You speak them with just as much raw, breathy sexual arousal as the man himself would. As the words demand. 'All on my tab'. Good lord, sex if they were words. "I tend to take advantage."
"An easy girl to please; That's what I like to see." Your cheeks flame up at those words out of Jack's mouth as he turns to look down at the room service menu. Yes, Jack Bass has toed the line, between platonic and flirtatious since the very moment you met the man... but that seemed a little bit more then toeing the line.
And you get a far different reaction to him doing it then you do the other Bass brother.
You don't even really mind the implications of his words.
"You're staying back with me?" You ask, feeling hopeful at the idea.
"Yeah well, I cant in, uh, good conscience," He makes a bit of a show to you, of pressing his hand to his chest totally earnestly as those words 'good conscience' come out of his mouth. "leave you here unguarded in case Bart comes back, can I? Besides, the way you said 'All on my tab'- man, you could sell moonshine at an AA meeting with that voice."
"Ha," You laugh, rolling your eyes and shaking your head. "Well, thanks."
"Oh. Don't thank me. You're just using what uh, your mama gave you. I actually encourage you totally, to do that more often- "
"No!" You exclaim, sighing in exasperation; But there is still a smile on your face you cant seem to shake. "For not leaving, today. When you walked in. It would've sucked if you had, not that I would've blamed you at all."
"Hey, just call me your knight in shining armour." He doesn't look up from the menu, flicking through it. Then turns to you with one of those beach boy/politician, toothless grins of his. "Besides you were automatically, my favourite person in the apartment. I mean, anyone with... uhhh- different, appendages to what I have, instantly gets a one-way ticket access to my rare bouts of chivalry. Now come over here, pick out what you want off here."
You just gape at him and that comment, making him stifle a laugh and return to the menu himself.
Bass's.
201 notes · View notes
tommybaholland · 3 years
Note
Hi! I love you blog. May I have a one shot where Todoroki has a huge crush on the reader and has no clue what to do. So he goes to the flirt of 1A Denki. And can it be fluffy with a hint of suggestive. Thanks! 💓
setting up shoto
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featuring: todoroki
was inspired by the first ep of s5 and really ran with this idea so i hope it’s okay! this turned out pretty long so get comfy and enjoy the read! x 
todoroki had felt many intense emotions before, but none as intense as a romantic love. he didn’t know what he was feeling whenever he saw you. he felt as though it was just simple admiration, that you’re his friend and he is your friend. nothing more and nothing less. he wrote off the pang in his chest when he would suddenly see you as a surprise, like he felt when he watched you walk outside the grounds of the dorm building. however, he didn’t feel the same feeling when another voice appeared behind him. 
“hey, todoroki! whatcha doing? oh, spying on y/n i see. planning to make a move?” kaminari observed.
“i wasn’t spying, i was just passing by. and what do you mean? i am moving.”
“no, dude, like, tell them you like them.”
“why would i have to tell them that? they’re already my friend.”
“no, like, more than friends.”
“i’m not sure that it’s like that.”
“so you don’t like y/n? you just stare at them all the time on purpose?”
“i don’t stare. and of course, i like them. i just told you that they’re my friend.”
kaminari looked at him in disbelief. “you can be really dense sometimes, you know that? look, man, i have a sense for these things and you like them way more than a friend.”
todoroki never took the time to let his feelings marinate and process them properly. he didn’t need people to tell him how to feel but it could be difficult to compartmentalize when many years of your life were spent in spite and anger. he considered that kaminari could be right about this. if someone else could play witness, he feels as though he can’t be wrong in liking you more than a friend. 
“besides, i think if you tell them you like them, they can’t say no!”
“why?”
“because you’re like a babe magnet! and that’s coming from the guy with an electricity quirk.”
“why me?”
“i’m pretty sure most, if not all, of the girls secretly fawn over you. also, i’d be lying if kirishima and i hadn’t talked about who’s the best looking guy in the class, not including ourselves, of course.” 
he had heard this once before, but he couldn’t really care less about who’s the ‘best-looking’ in their class. not to mention that todoroki had absolutely no idea why they would pick him. he could say he is strong and has a pretty good handle on his quirk but other than that he’s pretty regular and nothing out of the ordinary. the fact that he’s hearing this from no one other than kaminari makes it even less credible. 
“look, man. i know you’ve been pining after them for three years now, ever since we all joined class A! i think it’s time you guys get together! and you came to just the right guy.”
“you came to me.” 
“so you’ll let me help you?”
“uh, sure?”
“yes! okay, you won’t regret this. actually, you’re probably going to be thanking me so you better practice now.”
“...thank you?”
“okay, come by my room later tonight. by then, i’ll have a plan that is sure to work for you.”
todoroki didn’t really see the point of this and he almost didn’t go but he said he would let his friend help him. so that’s how he found himself out front of kaminari’s dorm room, not knowing what to expect. 
he knocked politely on the door. there was some shuffling around and then he heard a voice through the door.
“password, please.”
“denki, it’s me.”
“i texted you the password.”
“yeah, but i don’t really want to say that--”
“just say what i texted you!”
“i don’t even know what it means.”
“it’s okay, you don’t have to know what it means! you just have to say it.”
todoroki sighed, preparing to humor his friend. “uh….big dong boys?”
“password accepted.” the door opened and as he entered the room, todoroki was greeted by another familiar face.
“hey, man!” 
“hope you don’t mind that i invited kirishima as well. he’s good support,” kaminari explained. 
“so todoroki,” kirishima began. “i heard about your crush on y/n.”
shoto liked these guys but sometimes he really didn’t know how to interact with them. 
“uh, sure?”
“that’s awesome, dude! i’m sure they’ll love to go out with you. kaminari and i have been brainstorming for a bit and we think we’ve come up with something good. you wanna explain?”
todoroki looked over to denki who nodded. “thank you. alright, so you and y/n are at the same work study, right?”
“yeah. it’s me, them, and camie.”
“okay, good-- wait, CAMIE?! that chick from shiketsu?”
todoroki blinked in his pause. “yeah.”
“why didn’t you say anything? that girl is so hot. oh my god, dude, you have to help me after this--”
“alright, man, can you just keep going with the plan?” kirishima chimed. todoroki appreciated that at least one other person didn’t want to completely waste his time. 
“right. right. so we were thinking that you and y/n could go on a mission together to ‘fight a villain’ or something dangerous like that.”
todoroki was perplexed by this seemingly simple solution. “but...we always go out on patrols together.”
“yeah, but this time, you guys will apprehend a villain and save people together and they’ll see how totally awesome and manly you are!” kirishima added. 
“i still don’t see how that’s any different from what we do normally.”
“hmm, yeah, now that i think about it, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of stakes here.” kaminari thought out loud. 
“hey, wait, remember that thing we read about earlier?” 
“oh, you mean that quiz about which haikyuu boy would hate you? i already told you, man, atsumu would definitely have beef with you. no question.”
“no, not that!” kirishima refuted. “although i do agree. he’d be pretty jealous of me.”
todoroki was rethinking about trusting these two with something like this. 
“but i’m talking about that thing we read about with the bridge?”
“oh, yeah...but can you explain it? i’m still a little lost by it,” kaminari admitted.
“okay, so earlier before you came in, we were doing some research on how to make someone more attracted to you and we found this study where they had people walk across a super tall bridge and rate photos of people. and they monitored their heart rate when they were on the bridge so they figured out that there’s, like, a connection between liking people and dangerous situations.”
todoroki grimaced while trying to work it out in his head. “so...you want to put y/n on a bridge and then they’ll...be attracted to me? i don’t get it.”
“no, i’m saying that there should be some kind of danger to them and then you save them or something--”
“and they’ll be like, ‘oh, todoroki, i love you! kiss me!’ mwah, mwah, mwah.”
kaminari made kissing noises at todoroki, very close to him, in fact. 
“okay, i think i see now,” he replied, pushing kaminari out of his face. “so do we just wait for a villain to show up or?”
“no, that’s part of the ruse!” kaminari clarified. “don’t worry, dude. we got it all sorted out. you just have to be your icyhot heroic self!”
“but you’re not actually going to hurt them or anything, right?”
“no, because you’ll be there to help them!” kirishima jumped in again. “i think we all know you’re pretty capable of handling anything.”
“i’d at least like to know what i’m up against.” 
“no, that’ll ruin the fun! then it’ll be more like a real fight,” kaminari justified. 
it was true that most villain encounters are a surprise and you never really know what you’re getting yourself into as a hero. in fact, that’s the majority of being a hero entailed: being ready for anything. however, todoroki could not escape the feeling of something going awry, despite this being planned out. but he figured that it could be worth it to try. 
“alright, let’s do it,” he agreed with the other two boys.
“yes! don’t you worry one bit, man. just leave it to me and kiri,” kaminari promised as kirishima nodded in agreement. 
they told him that they would shoot for two days’ time, after they got the villain or whoever set-up and it was during a shift at the agency. however, not even a day had passed until word got around the dorm of what was going to happen.
“todoroki,” yaoyorozu caught his attention one day in the common area of the dorm, while some of the class was eating dinner together. “is what kirishima and kaminari been talking about true?”
suddenly, almost everyone’s eyes were on him. luckily, you weren’t in the room but this conversation seemed to take place at an unfortunate time. 
“uh, what have you heard?”
“that you’re trying to woo y/n by saving them from a villain,” ashido interjected. “as if they couldn’t already save themselves!” 
“i know they’re capable and strong, but kirishima and kaminari said it would help,” he explained, recalling what he could of their conversation from the night prior.
“that sounds like something those idiots would come up with,” jiro pointed out.
todoroki shrugged. “they said it was based on science.”
“yeah, hold on a second, jiro,” called out the electric boy himself, who entered the room with mineta. “it’s backed by science, so it has to be legit!”
jiro only rolled her eyes while uraraka tried to de-escalate. “it just sounds really dangerous, that’s all.”
“gosh, it’s like you guys have no faith in him. i mean, this is todoroki we’re talking about!” kaminari refuted. “try telling me you guys wouldn’t want to be saved by him! that’s right, you can’t.”
“listen, it’s not that your plan won’t work, kaminari,” yaoyorozu reasoned. “it’s just that he might want to try something more practical and...sensible.”
“yeah, like take them out on an actual date!” ashido exclaimed. 
“but that’s so boring!” 
“guys, why don’t we ask todoroki what he wants to do since he is the one involved,” yaoyorozu offered. 
“okay, yeah. you have been pretty quiet. what do you think, todoroki?” kaminari questioned. 
todoroki blinked a few times, thinking lightly on his options. “i’m not sure. i agreed to let them help me but--”
“BUT,” kaminari interrupted, getting in his face again. 
todoroki pushed him out of the way before continuing. “yaoyorozu and the others do have a point.” 
“yay! now you can let the girls help you out!” ashido declared. 
“oh, yeah! we could set you and y/n up on a cute date,” uraraka chimed while the other girls nodded in agreement.
“okay.”
“what?! you’re just going to let them take over? ugh, fine. i guess it’ll be better this way. but don’t blame me if their plan gets completely messed up,” kaminari huffed. 
“yeah, but imagine if it does work, dude,” mineta spoke up. “it’d be so hot to watch them kiss and feel each other up.”
everyone ignored that comment and continued to help form a new plan for todoroki. while he appreciated the concern and help from his friends, the girls did ask a lot of questions. 
“what do you like about them?”
“should we tell them that you like them?”
“have you thought about tonguing them down yet? c’mon man, we need details!”
todoroki had half a mind to freeze the perverted grape. nevertheless, thoughts and feelings had crossed his mind many times. he had more time to think it through and at this point, his feelings cut through him deep. he tried to express everything he could about the subject at hand. 
“well, i feel different around them. different than i do around everyone here. even though they’re my friend just as much as any of you, my body feels...weird around them. there’s this pang in my chest when i see them and even when i know i’m going to see them, i feel these tingles throughout my body. sometimes i find myself not being able to speak around them and it’s harder when they’re looking right at me. i don’t know what it is, but their eyes just make me lose my words. my face gets warm whenever they smile or laugh or even when they talk, i feel different. despite that i feel like this, i never want them to be too far from me because i kinda enjoy the feeling they give me. i hope that all makes sense.”
everyone just stared at him with expressions of awe. there was no other way he knew how to say it.
“oh em gee,” ashido finally broke the silence. “you sound like you’re in love, todoroki!” 
“yeah, this is more serious than we thought,” kaminari added with everyone nodding in agreement. 
love? 
“are you sure? i thought i just had a lot of admiration for them,” he replied. 
“while a lot of admiration is one thing, having a physical reaction to their presence seems to be another,” yaoyorozu analyzed. “you seem to like them a great deal and that could be something comparable to love.” 
he had never considered the possibility of being in love with someone. sure, he had felt love from other people in his life like his mother, his siblings, and his friends. however, those were different kinds of love; familial and platonic. those were types that he was comfortable with or grew to be more comfortable. 
romantic love, though, was completely beyond him. there was a time when he barely had any friends, let alone romantic prospects. but now he has many friends and the fact that out of all his closest friends that you were the one he has immense feelings for, must mean it’s love. 
-
after replacing the fake villain ploy with a date idea, todoroki thought he might feel a little more at ease. but that was not the case. 
he had been trained his entire life to be the strongest, greatest hero of the new generation. although part of that had been an ulterior motive to spite his father, todoroki felt more natural in situations where he could put all that work into practice. he wanted to be a hero so that’s what he was meant to do. 
he never imagined he’d be sitting alone at a small side street restaurant waiting for you. the plan involved you meeting up with him for lunch after you finished getting a few extra work study hours at the agency. the girls urged him to ask you out and with a little more encouragement, it seemed to work out alright. although it was a little awkward, considering he decided to ask you right after you came from a shower.
“hey, y/n?”
“yes, todoroki?” you replied as you shifted your weight, standing in front of him in nothing but a towel, your hair damp and your shower kit held against your chest. 
“uh,” he tried his hardest not to stare at the idle droplets of water still resting on your shoulders and chest. “do you like noodles?”
“well, i like pho. you know that,” you smirked in response. 
“right. of course,” he shook his head, almost forgetting where he was going with this. “there’s this noodle bar place and it's kind of in a weird spot in town but they have really good soba and other types of noodles so...i was just wondering if you wanted to go or something? maybe tomorrow for lunch?”
“oh, um, yeah. i could do that. i have a small shift tomorrow at the agency. camie and i are doing some teamwork building type stuff but i can meet you there after that. is 4 too late? we should be done by then.”
even though he likes hearing your voice, he almost blacked out after you said, “yeah.” it wasn’t until he heard your voice again that he caught himself staring.
“todoroki?”
“oh, um, i’m sorry. what did you say?”
“it’s okay,” you let out a small laugh. “i asked you wanted to meet up at 4 after i’m done at the agency.” 
 “oh, of course. sounds perfect. i can text you the address.”
you nodded in response, turning slightly on your heels to leave. but he wanted a little more confirmation. 
“so i’ll see you tomorrow?” 
“yep! see you.” 
he had been texting you ever since then but your messages had slowed down due to what he assumed was your start of your shift at the agency. he checked the group chat that kaminari had made called ‘setting up shoto’ which included everyone who became involved in this whole thing. kaminari said it was where he could tell them the ‘deets’ after you and him had met up. he didn’t really think he would need to tell them but even if he did, there was nothing to report. he did show up thirty minutes before your agreed meeting time, but he wanted to make sure you didn’t show up early somehow, therefore making him the late one. he felt like he’d rather be safe than sorry. 
4pm came and went. soon fifteen, twenty, and now thirty minutes had gone by without a message from you or the others. he thought about texting you to ask if everything was alright, but knowing how strict the agency was with phone use, you probably wouldn’t answer right away. he figured everything was probably fine and that you were just running late. he couldn’t argue that there were several occasions in which you all had to stay a little later because things just happen sometimes. 
although, he admitted that he wished that you would show up soon so the hard part would be over or he would stop feeling so ‘lovesick’ as ashido would say. suddenly, his phone vibrated loudly against the steel table, making him jump in his seat. 
it was kaminari.
“hello?”
“DUDE!”
todoroki pulled the phone from his ear, wincing at his loud voice coming through the speaker. 
“ow. that hurt my ear, you know.”
kaminari seemed to ignore him as he frantically continued. “todoroki, you gotta get downtown. there’s a freaking huge, scary villain here and y/n is--”
todoroki sighed. “denki, i thought we agreed that we weren’t doing that anymore. i’m sitting here waiting for them to eat with me but they seem to be running late.”
“that’s because they’re here fighting this thing!”
he heard loud background noise that was comparable to screaming. 
“wait, are you serious?”
“yes, i’m serious! kirishima and i came out to make sure they were on their way to you but then we heard screaming-- wait, here i’ll show you. hang on.”
todoroki pulled the phone from his ear to watch the screen change from audio to video mode. kaminari’s face showed up for a second before flipping the camera to show the view of the street. they seemed to be hiding with several civilians behind a building as the camera creeped around the corner. todoroki watched and his eyes widened as he saw a huge, black, slimy-looking villain which was filling up the street and trapping people in its path. the quality wasn’t great but he could pick out what looked like you and camie trying to stop or distract it from causing any serious destruction. however, it seemed to only be provoking it more. todoroki stood up from his seat as he recognized where this was all happening.
“can you see him?”
“yeah. i--”
“you have to come help us, todoroki! i don’t have my support item and kirishima can’t land a good punch on him without getting stuck in this gross tar stuff. you have to hurry!”
“okay, i think i know where you are. just try to stall until i get there and get people to safety.”
he quickly hung up and focused on getting to the scene as soon as possible. he was still only a student, a hero-in-training. he’d probably get in serious trouble for taking matters into his own hands but he couldn’t sit back and watch his friends and you get hurt. he didn’t have his hero costume, support items, first-aid, nothing. he also didn’t have time to run back to campus to get his hero costume or any supplies. he’d have to make do with just his quirk alone. 
he arrived at the scene from the alley where kaminari and kirishima were gathering civilians to safety into an entrance on one of the sides of the buildings. kaminari and kirishima exclaimed simultaneously at his presence. 
“oh, thank god. you’re here!”
“alright, todoroki!”
todoroki tried to quickly assess the situation. “did you call the police or any pros?” 
“we reported it and the police should be here soon,” explained kirishima. “there are also several pros but this thing is really putting up a fight. even fat gum couldn’t handle him!” 
“looks like i’ll just have to freeze him--”
“wait, dude, no!” kaminari grabbed him. “that’s why this has been taking so long. he’s able to hold hostages easily!”
todoroki observed the scene in front of him. the sticky goo was everywhere and seemed to have no limit as to how far it could move. there were several civilians still trapped, along with you and camie at the center of it all. 
“trust me, i thought about electrifying it all but that wouldn’t be fun for the people who are, you know, trapped.” 
“we need to get everyone to safety before we do anything drastic!” kirishima reasoned. 
todoroki kept quiet as he tried to think it through. there wasn’t going to be enough time to try to save everyone and stop it from taking anyone else. 
“i think i have an idea but we’re going to have to be fast.”
maybe he couldn’t freeze all of it but his fire could be just as powerful as his ice. he started at the back, where the goo seemed to end and couldn’t move much further. he used his fire to put pressure back on it while freezing any parts that tried to attack him. kirishima and kaminari quickly collected the freed civilians and the pros that were there followed suit to help them out. camie was freed at the base of it with the rest of the hostages and helped to distract it from what todoroki was trying to accomplish. 
“wow, shoto. it’s like you have a sense for danger. so cool!” she complimented brightly. 
the thing was holding you up high, presumably to keep you from attacking, which made it more difficult to free you. todoroki decided it was time to freeze the rest of it so it could be stopped. he used ice that wouldn’t freeze you to death and stopped it so the ice wouldn’t completely cover you. 
the goo stopped moving and seemed to be fully imobile. you were safe but todoroki still had to free you. he sliced through the ice with his left hand, detaching you from the whole. he had kirishima catch you, as you were still caught in ice and goo. 
“i’m going to melt the ice away now,” he explained as he was back at your side again.
you nodded, too cold to speak, and he placed his left hand on top of the ice, melting it away quickly. unfortunately, the goo was still intact underneath and apparently could still move when detached from the source. it looked like it was expanding to cover your entire body, which made you begin to panic. 
“todoroki! what’s happening?”
“i, i don’t know but just relax, okay? we’re gonna get you out of this.” 
he looked around to see the top that was left exposed in the ice detached itself and moved over to where they were. 
“todo-- mph”
“y/n!” 
he looked down to see that the goo was slowly covering your face. he tried to pull it down but the sticky, thick substance was almost unmoveable. suddenly a deep, ominous voice appeared.
“release the rest of me or they die.”
todoroki gritted his teeth, an angry scowl on his face. “you have no room to make threats.”
“and you have no room to compromise. they’re going to suffocate if you don’t make a decision.”
he looked down to see that you stopped struggling, your eyes closing as the goo had almost covered your entire face. 
“fine. take it and leave,” he replied, angrily throwing a fireball at the ice. steam flew into the air as the body was released.
“much obliged,” the villain snickered before snaking into one of the sewer drains. 
the rest of the goo on you had moved up and off your limp body. 
“y/n?” 
-
you opened your eyes with a jolt, your brain fuzzy for a moment as you took in your surroundings. it looked like you were back at the dorm in your room. it was strange as you last remember seeing todoroki’s face. 
“are you awake?”
you gasped at the sudden voice. 
“todoroki!”
“sorry. i didn’t mean to scare you.”
you didn’t know what question you should ask first. “why-- where-- what happened?”
“well, you were unconscious so i brought you back here. i wanted to make sure you woke up so i waited,” he explained. “are you feeling alright?”
“um, yeah. i’m okay,” you replied as it was all coming back to you. it also explained why you were still in your hero costume. 
“what time is it?”
“it’s late. almost 11. are you hungry?”
“yeah, a little-- wait, we were supposed to go to that place, right? you and i?”
he grinned at your sudden thought. “yes.”
“i’m sorry i missed it! i really wanted to go but didn’t think we’d have to take care of a villain.”
“it’s okay. it happens, right?”
“yeah, that’s true. do you want to order something and eat now? i know a place that delivers late and i’m pretty sure they have soba,” you offered. 
he felt that pang in his heart when you grinned at him. 
“yeah. i’d like that.”
he ordered the food and remained in your room as you went to wash up and change out of your costume. when the food arrived you simply ate and talked. he was grateful that you did most of the talking, as he was a bit sleepy and he was normally in bed by this time. nevertheless, he enjoys listening to what you have to say even if he’s a little out of it.
“by the way, how did you know about the villain?”
“what?” he asked incredulously. 
“the villain, how did you know?”
“oh, um, well, i, um, kaminari told me.”
“oh, right. i remember him and kirishima being there too. what a coincidence, huh?”
“actually, it wasn’t,” he admitted, causing you to look confused.
“what do you mean?” 
“they were there because, um, because…”
“because?” 
“because i love you.” 
your expression kept him talking. his heart was talking. 
“i really admire you and kaminari and the others think that i’m in love. today was supposed to be part of a plan to get me to spend time with you. i don’t want you to blame yourself for what happened though because to be frank, i’m happy wherever you are. even sitting here while you were lying unconscious in bed. sorry if that’s weird. i practiced how i was going to tell you what i feel but it’s so complicated. now i am thinking that there’s only one way to say it. everyone was right. i’m in love.” 
todoroki had felt free only once before now. when midoriya told him to claim his power as his own. claiming his love for you felt the exact same. 
“i love you too.”
it was his turn to look shocked. 
“y- you do?” 
“yes. and i’m so glad you told me. i could never really gauge how you felt so i hid it for a long time and tried to enjoy just being as close as i already am with you.” 
his head was a mess upon hearing this but in a good way. he didn’t think he’d come this far or have this result. he’d admit that it was a bit overwhelming. 
“can i...can i hug you?” you asked, breaking the pregnant pause. 
“oh, um,” he stuttered. he really, really wanted to hug you. he’s held you before but that was different. that was when you were unconscious. this time would involve awareness.  something about the thought of touching you in a rather sensual way made him even more rattled. 
“it’s okay if it’s too much right now. you can let me know when you’re ready.” 
“i would like that. to hold you, i mean,” he answered. 
“okay,” you grinned before slowly moving over to him. 
you wrapped your arms around his shoulders to pull him against you. no matter how prepared he thought he could be for this, he wasn’t at all. he gasped softly at the impact of your body against him, part of his face slightly smooshing into your neck. his arms slowly came to wrap around your waist, his fingertips barely touching your back. soon enough you felt his arms tighten around you and his face nuzzling deeper into your neck. he gripped the back of your shirt lightly and the noises emitting from him sounded like he was crying. 
“are...you okay, todoroki?” you questioned, concerned that you were making him uncomfortable. you pulled back slightly, your eyes meeting with glossy, familiar ones. 
“yeah, i,” he chuckled to himself, wiping the stray tears. “i think i love you more than i thought.”
“me too,” you agreed. 
“can you say my name?”
“todoroki.”
“no, my first name.” 
“shoto.”
“i like that,” he mused, his eyes bright and cheeks red. his hands trailed up your back, pressing you back into him. 
“and i love you.”
“i love you too, sho.”
he planned on never letting you go. 
-
bonus:
“what a beautiful sight,” kaminari observed, watching the young couple hold hands as they walked in the distance. 
“yeah, they’re so cute,” agreed kirishima.“i can’t believe it’s already been almost a month since they started dating.”
“yeah,” kaminari concurred, wiping a fake tear from his eye. “our little shoto todoroki is growing up so fast! i’m still gonna credit myself for that, even though he hasn’t thanked us yet.”
“well, y/n did almost die, dude. i don’t think he’d be too happy to hear that we were behind it,” kirishima point out.
“maybe so...but like i said, he had it all under control!”
“i still can’t believe you went through with that, just to get to talk to camie.”
“that was not the only reason! i did it for todoroki and had complete faith in him. it only proved how much more he loves them, really,” kaminari justified.
“yeah, i guess i can’t argue with that.”
“and besides, i guess karma has come. camie already left me on read.”
“aw, that sucks dude.”
“but thanks for helping me set everything up with rappa. how did you repay him for getting the asphalt guy?”
“oh, i put in a good word for him at the reform program at fat gum’s agency and he seems to really like it.”
“that’s so cool! you know, i always believed that most villains could turn around. it’s like-- oh my god, dude! camie just texted me!”
“well, what a coincidence. maybe now you should be the one thanking todoroki and y/n.”
“yeah, yeah, yeah. whatever.”
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last one for tonight’s bnha night! requests still welcome..
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maybeacrowdedmind · 3 years
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So I Just Finished Skam...
First of all, I loved it. It was an incredible show and I'm so glad that there are so many remakes because I enjoyed it so much. One of my favorite things about the show was the fact that it feels extremely realistic, and I think a lot of that is due to the fact that a majority of the actors were actual teenagers (rather than actors who are obviously in their mid 20s and playing characters who are 16) and the fact that the characters behaved like actual teenagers (like using Facebook and Instagram, using "bad" language, dancing and singing along to music, etc. etc.). The other thing I adored about this show was the amount of importance that was placed on friendship. Platonic relationships in fiction are normally vastly underrated or underdeveloped in favor of romantic ones, so I appreciated that Skam showed so many friendships. So I decided to make a list of my favorite friendship moments from each season (two moments per season, with honorable mentions at the end before moving on).
Season 1:
1) Noora cheering up Eva by singing Justin Bieber to her:
I am not a fan of Justin Bieber at all (if you like him, all the more power to you, but I personally can't stand him), but Noora singing to Eva was such a great moment. She knew how sad Eva was, and decided to cheer her up by sharing something that made her (Noora) happy, and it was a really sweet moment between friends. It was also something that is realistic to do when someone you care about is down, and even though it was a small scene, it showed how strong a friendship Noora and Eva have.
2) All of the bonding moments between Sana, Vilde, Eva, Noora, and Chris:
I know this is a vague one, but just the sheer amount of time the girls spend together, whether they are doing something important or just hanging out was really awesome to see. Most of the time, tv shows don't take time to show us little moments like characters talking about boys or just sitting hanging out unless it has a more dramatc purpose. With Skam, we got to see those moments, which made the friendship between the girls that much more realistic.
Honorable Mentions for Season 1:
Eva grabbing the wrong Chris for Vilde, leading both Chris and Penetrator Chris (love that nearly everyone calls him that in the show by the way) to share a huge hug and go "name twins!" because that's totally something I'd do if I met someone who shared my name.
Eva and Ingrid finally talking about everything that happened, giving them both closure and the ability to move on, even if their friendship would never be the same (this was such a great scene because it showed Eva apologizing and telling Ingrid that she couldn't change what she did, but she would if she could, and it also allowed Ingrid to be hurt by what happened with Jonas, because let's face it, Ingrid was the injured party in that particular situation).
Season 2:
1) Noora telling Vilde all of the important things that the ingredients for tortilla do for you, and Vilde later doing the same for Noora:
I love how all of the girls take care of one another, but this scene in particular I loved a lot. Noora has noticed that Vilde hasn't been eating, and after hearing Vilde tell her all the reasons she doesn't like potatoes, Noora tells Vilde all the reasons she should. Noora also does so in a way that isn't shaming Vilde or being condescending to her, rather, Noora brings it up in a casual conversation. Later, Vilde notices Noora not eating, and prepares tortilla for her, quoting what Noora told her about potatoes and eating it with her. I loved this scene because it showed how much Noora and Vilde understood one another, as well as the importance of support.
2) The amount of support given to Noora by the girls after she discloses what happened with Nico:
This one is a total no-brainer. Noora had no idea what had happened that night, and had very little to go off of, and she spent the next few episodes terrified. When she tells the girls what she thinks might have happened, they all immediately stop what they're doing and rally around her. The no-dialogue scene in which they take Noora to the doctor and hold her and keep her safe was incredibly touching, and to be honest, nearly made me tear up.
Honorable Mentions for Season 2:
Sana and Chris playing a joke on the girls at the cabin during their break, because that whole episode was hilarious, and the individual ways each girl reacted was totally in character for each of them.
All of the girls telling Noora that they knew about her and William, because it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Noora being sheepish and surprised that she hadn't been hiding it as well as she thought.
Season 3:
1) Jonas, Magnus, and Mahdi telling Isak what to text Even:
This scene was so funny, and not the type I usually get to see when it comes to male friendships. I love that Isak tells them that he has no idea how to reply to Even, and Jonas tells him what he should say, with Magnus and Mahdi inserting their opinions and talking about how they text girls. It was enjoyable to watch because too many times fiction shows us that boys don't have the same relationship confusion that girls do, and it's often not true. I like that this scene allowed the boys to just be boys, because everybody deals with uncertainty, especially when it comes to liking someone.
2) Linn and Even playing video games together:
I know this scene is literally like two seconds and that we only see them ending from Isak's perspective, but hear me out. I'm pretty sure this is the first scene we see that shows Linn actively smiling and looking happy. Also, Even had just come off of a manic episode, was feeling depressed, and when we see him playing video games with Linn, he too looks actually happy, which is always great to see. Plus, the way Linn and Even are interacting with one another, it looks like they've known each other forever rather than two people who have just met, and even though it was a fraction of a scene, it was super great to watch.
Honorable Mentions for Season 3:
The entire development of Sana and Isak's friendship (I almost broke my "only two friendship moments" per season rule for this, but I decided to stick to my guns). Isak and Sana have a great friendship and I love how it came out of nowhere. Their friendship is literally started by being partnered together for school, which only happened because Sana sat by Isak to tell him that she had the weed he hid (a beautiful start to a beautiful friendship).
Isak coming out to Jonas by telling him that he liked someone and giving him the hint that it wasn't a girl, and Jonas reacting by thinking about the hint for a minute and then going "it's not me...is it?" because the expression Jonas had on his face while he thought about who it could be was funny because it looked like the fact that Isak had just come out to him wasn't even on his radar, because he was more concerned about guessing right, and the fact that he guessed himself was humorous to me.
Season 4:
1) Chris being a total ride-or-die friend to Sana after the stuff regarding the hate accounts for Sara and Vilde came out:
Everybody needs a friend like Chris. She is without a doubt one of the most loyal tv show characters I've seen and I wish Skam had run for more seasons so we could get a Chris season (and a Vilde season and an Even season, and a spin-off for Eskild and Linn, who both totally deserve one). Chris is the first person Sana told about the Sara account, and the first thing she did was tell Sana that the hate would blow over if Eva found out the truth (because Eva and everybody else thought Isak was responsible for it, and Eva was pissed AF at him). Chris also made sure that Sana knew that she didn't hate her for what happened, because everybody screwed up (seriously, we all need a friend like Chris).
2) The girls showing up to the bus meeting in their own tiny bus named "Los Losers" for Sana, effectively showing all of the Pepsi-Max girls (like Penetrator Chris, that will forever be their name) that if you mess with one of them, you mess with all of them. Sana was terrified that the girls would never forgive her, and when they all show up in the bus screaming her name, the joy on Sana's face is practically tangible. I love that they all pull Sana into the bus and give the Pepsi-Max girls the finger as they drive off, because really, what better way to show the true bonds of friendship than by collectively flipping off a ton of girls who messed with one of their own.
Honorable Mentions for Season 4:
Sana and Even's friendship, and the fact that she protected and respected his privacy when Isak asked her why she never said that she already knew Even, because too many times do I see characters give away information to other people that isn't theirs to give, and the fact that it didn't matter to Sana that Isak and Even were together, she was still going to make sure that Even had a right to the details of his personal life was extremely important.
The conversation between Sana and Jamilla about their schooling and Islam, because the texts we see between them prior to their falling out show that they were very close, and it was nice to see them talk and reconcile, because that's how life works sometimes. You fight and fall out with people, and after time passes, sometimes there is reconciliation.
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sepublic · 3 years
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Is the Golden Guard a Homunculus?
           Once more bringing up the idea of the Golden Guard having a connection to Eda, while also taking several cues from Belos and being trusted by him, being a teen prodigy with magic similar to Belos’…
           I’m gonna go out on a crazy limb here, and suggest this; What if the Golden Guard is a Homunculus?
           Alchemy is a common element in fantasy, of which The Owl House is an example of. With its use of magic, glyphs, and potions, I’d be surprised if alchemy didn’t exist in the Boiling Isles, or at the very least, if it didn’t have its own equivalent; Which, the entirety of Potions magic is probably this show’s take on alchemy!  
           A homunculus is an artificial human created by alchemy, although for the purposes of this theory, the Golden Guard is an artificial witch. The fandom has talked and half-joked, half-speculated on the idea of magic being used to bypass the issue of people of the same sex being unable to produce children; Some ideas have suggested same-sex witches being able to create a child by using pieces of themselves, combined with a magical ritual or two. That is of course pure speculation; However…
           We already know Belos as someone who can create living things from magic; He’s manifested fleshy constructs, and even the Intro Worm at a whim! The Golden Guard himself can even conjure flesh from magic to transmute into a metal sword! So the idea of creating living things from magic is hardly out of the question in this show, and definitely not for Belos and the Golden Guard…
           With how the Golden Guard seems to be set up as a dark parallel to Eda, a look into the kind of person she could’ve become had she joined the Emperor’s Coven as a kid; What if the Golden Guard is a Homunculus made from pieces of various witches, among them Eda herself? We’ve all considered Eda’s lost potential, and wondered just how powerful she could’ve been, had she never been cursed and given the opportunity to fully learn and explore as she’d wished; Eda herself has wondered about it, no less…
           And Belos? He definitely seems like the type of mad scientist, low-key eugenicist who’d do this sort of thing, out of some morbid fascination, a desire to unlock true power, explore the full extent of magic; And in a way, weaponized Eda’s potential without having to deal with Eda herself, by having a Homunculus with her DNA that’s totally loyal to Belos!
          Given how the Golden Guard obviously isn’t a clone of Eda –what glimpses of his face we’ve seen, plus his gender indicate otherwise- then it’s possible that Belos has taken DNA samples from multiple subjects, the strongest witches throughout history (such as the Coven Heads and even Kikimora), with the goal of creating the most powerful witch by combining DNA from all of them! Hence, the Golden Guard as a fledgling experiment, who already proves to be rather promising, with the help of Belos’ tutelage since the very beginning.
           With this show’s dives into body horror, and the ability of Belos to conjure living things to serve him, I wouldn’t be shocked. I could totally see Belos experimenting with his magic, moving on from making animals like the Intro Worm, to a full-blown Witch! For all we know, he may have even put in a bit of his DNA as well… 
          Of course, whether or not this sample was from before, or after he became so physically messed-up, I can’t say. With the connections to both Eda and Belos, the Golden Guard being a homunculus brewed in a lab would be a way to explain those potential ties, without having to resort to a VERY gross age-gap fling that isn’t in-character for either party.
           Alternatively, the DNA sample came from Gwendolyn, who IS a member of the Beastkeeping Coven, and did give birth to Eda herself! As for the potential issues of a sample coming from Eda, who is cursed, well…
           There is that one shot from the trailer showing an owl beast with a face similar to the Golden Guard’s mask;
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           Could this be him? Did taking a piece of Eda, perhaps a strand of hair or something, result in the Golden Guard inheriting her curse? It’s also possible that the Golden Guard isn’t cursed, because Belos is able to cure such things, and unlike Eda, the Golden Guard would be loyal to him and have thus ‘earned’ that, especially since Belos wants to explore his creation’s potential. Alternatively, Belos got the Eda sample from before she was cursed; Possibly by visiting Gwen and asking if she had anything, such as a baby tooth, from Eda prior to the curse.
           Likewise, if the Golden Guard DOES contain a bit of Belos, this sample could’ve come from before Belos became so messed up… And/or, due to being young and less experimented upon, with DNA from other witches, the Golden Guard manages to still be healthy despite the presence of Belos inside of him! It is worth nothing that the Golden Guard wields magic similar to Belos, so for all we know, this fragment of the emperor is what allows him to do that, having been distorted in the same way.
          That, or Belos trusts the Golden Guard, enough to keep him privy on a bunch of secrets that the emperor normally reserved for a ‘chosen one’ such as himself; Only those selected by the Titan are worthy of this form of magic, and because Belos himself is decayed, the Golden Guard is the only viable candidate left to truly explore the full potential of this magic. Also, being a construct made of Belos’ unique magic, with his own bile sac and everything; That could explain why the Golden Guard is able to wield that same magic, because he’s made of it!
           And being made from Belos, who isn’t too physically well-off, that could be why the Golden Guard is established as tired in our first glimpse of his personality… That, and/or he’s exhausted because he’s a teen prodigy who has to do the work of an adult, and not just any adult but the right-hand man to Belos! Maybe the Golden Guard was created as a means for Belos to create a new physical body for himself, before he repurposed his homunculus as an apprentice of sorts, while possibly still keeping him as back-up host.
          Perhaps the Golden Guard was Belos’ attempt at creating witch super soldiers, of creating generations of witches by his own hand, who would be totally loyal to him; Thus keeping Belos from having to rely on families for children he doesn’t trust… And potentially freeing Belos to get rid of ALL other witches, because now he can make his own loyal ones from scratch! Belos would be the kind of person who’d want to make an army, while killing whatever he can’t control, hence the hunt for the Selkidomus.
           Plus, being made for the sole purpose of surpassing all other witches, even Belos- It could definitely add a lot more to the Golden Guard’s arrogance, but also a huge amount of pressure as well. And it’d make him feel indebted to Belos, for giving him life, for granting him such great talent and ability from the get-go, for basically writing his destiny out for him, a fate of grandeur and glory.
          As a lab creation controlled and indoctrinated since birth, influenced before birth even, with Belos’ influence ingrained into his very body- It could add to why Belos seems to trust the Golden Guard on matters even Kikimora isn’t privy about! Creating a whole kid to raise into an adult, an entire life for a single purpose, and making sure that life KNOWS that purpose and fully devotes their existence to it, because it’s literally why they exist to begin with- Not exactly something I’d put past Belos!
           Plus, for Eda; The Golden Guard could act as a disturbing mirror for her. Not just in the kind of person she could’ve been, but as a harsh reminder of the magical potential and power she could’ve had, had she never been cursed; And again of the magic she completely lost, when the curse reached its worst limits. It’d be a way to haunt Eda at a point when she’s lost her magic, by dangling what could’ve and should’ve been; It’s like a ghost and a specter for those who have mourned or wondered Eda’s lost potential.
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paperpennies · 3 years
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Please tell me about your AU idea where Sasha and Milla meet in Brazil as teenagers and basically end up long-distance dating before either of them become Psychonauts ^_^
Oh hey look at that, totally out of nowhere, not prompted by me at all! (@2somethingelseyoumightknow2 and @strawberry-et also asked me about it but it seems redundant to answer three separate asks. I didn’t think three people would actually do it lol. Also sorry for taking 8 years to answer.) This idea came out of just smushing two thoughts together. Then I got weirdly attached. Buckle in; it’s gonna be pretty long.  Under a cut to avoid annoying feed scrolling.
So, AU is: Sasha mom lives, meaning he turns out a lot better emotionally adjusted since he grows up with at least one attentive parent. His dad is better too- still pretty emotionally constipated but not, like, broken the way he is in canon. The family also has 4-5 more kids after Sasha. This does mean they’re pretty poor but they do okay. 
His mother is a schoolteacher, who is somewhat unusual in the time period for working and being a mom of a big family at the same time. She and Sasha are quite close; he gets a lot of his intellectual and curious side from her. In his eyes, he’s much more like her than like his dad (although people who know them both would say he’s a lot more like his father than he thinks). His mother also knows about his psychic powers, having noticed them as soon as they started showing up, but his dad and siblings (probably) don’t. 
The story starts when Sasha is 14-15 years old. He’s getting increasingly bored living in a small rural town with few opportunities related to his interests, and his developing psychic powers (and probable undiagnosed autism) make things even more complicated and difficult for him. His mother gets an opportunity, probably with some kind of charity organization, to go teach German/English and maybe other stuff in Brazil for a while. She decides to take it, and take Sasha with her so he can have some different life experiences. She also takes his youngest sister along, since she’s still very little and dad’s already going to be left alone with three other kids. 
(Also, my assumed age for Sasha and Milla in the games is like mid-30s, which, if the games take place in mid/late 80s, would mean they were born in the mid-50s. That means they would be 14-15 in the late 60s. So that’s the timeline I’m going with here.) 
So they go to Brazil. The school Sasha’s mom is working at is either at or associated with an orphanage- maybe a church that has a school and an orphanage. Of course, Milla is there. I don’t have a lot of the details locked in here. It’s hard because we know nothing about Milla’s family or life before she was working at the orphanage, so I’m really just pulling this out of nowhere to fit in with this AU. For the purposes of this, she has no family and is living at the orphanage and going to the school there (even though that’s sad and I kinda don’t like it. May change it. Hm.)
Anyway, Sasha’s mom is teaching at the school; Sasha is doing basically independent study. I also haven’t decided if Milla is in his mom’s classes, because I haven’t decided what age group(s) she’s teaching. Either Milla’s in her classes or gets employed (or volunteers) to babysit Sasha’s little sister and that’s how she comes to be around. Oh, and also for the purposes of this, Sasha’s mom already spoke Portuguese before this, and Sasha’s been learning it prior to arriving there, so he’s like conversational at least. 
Either way, Sasha and Milla meet. Despite having some initial personality conflict, they find they have a weird connection to each other. Milla is curious about this feeling and interprets it as maybe being a crush, although it feels a little bit different. She decides to try and befriend him to understand it better, and also because that’s just what Milla does. She’s the sort of person who makes people her friends half-against-their-will just by being friendly and caring consistently until they can’t deny that they’re friends.
Sasha, meanwhile, is wary of her and her enthusiasm because he’s not great with the social stuff, especially with the culture and language gaps at play. He’s also wary of the feeling because it seems psychic-related, but he doesn’t know what that means. Plus Milla is like super pretty and nice and he gets tongue-tied and red-faced whenever she talks to him, but he definitely doesn’t like her shut up Mom.
Over time, Milla’s determination prevails, and they become genuine friends. He hides the fact that he’s psychic at first, but eventually does tell her. He asks her if she’s sure she’s not psychic, because she really seems psychic somehow. She doesn’t think she is, but he theorizes she’s probably not quite normal, at least, and that’s where the connection they’ve felt from the beginning comes from.
Since they’re actually perfect for each other, their friendship grows deeper over the months they spend hanging out. By the time Sasha has to leave, they’ve developed real romantic (in a 14-15 year old way) feelings for each other. They don’t ever really talk about it, but promise to write.
And they do. Sasha’s siblings start referring to the girl he writes to as his girlfriend to tease/annoy him, but eventually it sticks. He stops protesting, although he never confirms whether or not it’s true, and it starts being matter-of-fact to them instead of a joke. On Milla’s side, she still talks about him to her friends like he’s still there, and she gets the penpal-boyfriend teasing, too. It doesn’t really bug her, though. They save up money over a few years to go and visit each other, and talk about their relationship enough to be sort of “official”. It’s rough since they rarely get to see each other in person or even talk on the phone, but they keep going. 
Years pass, and some things change and others don’t. Sasha mother dies when he’s in his late teens, and he and his dad start having bigger and bigger issues between them in the wake of greiving. He leaves home as soon as he’s sure his younger siblings will be fine without him around. Out and about in the world, he gets recruited into the Psychonauts within the next few years (the specifics of this don’t matter too much for this AU). Milla goes on to work in her orphanage, the thing she’s most passionate about. They still keep close in touch, and get to see each other a more often now that they’re grown up and Sasha has better access to international travel. They finally decide “okay yes, we really are actually dating” even though it’s still long distance. Sasha’s colleagues 100% do not believe his story about having a beautiful long-distance girlfriend in Brazil, because that would sound fake af even if wasn’t coming from the very serious, not-romantic-at-all Sasha. Even his picture of them together does not convince them.
Then, the thing happens. Milla’s orphanage burns down, and her psychic powers finally fully awaken. Because of her knowledge of psychics, she realizes what’s happening, but it’s still a horrifically traumatic event. Sasha takes a leave period to come and help her, finds that it’s even more serious than he’d expected, and puts her in touch with the Psychonauts directly for some better assistance. He’s too close to her to do more than an initial check-up himself. 
They find Milla has a lot of potential and extend an offer to join the intern program (which at that time spans a larger age range than later on). She rejects the offer at first, tries to go back to her life, but later decides she needs to make a complete change and accepts. Sasha’s colleagues are shocked to find out she is indeed real. She graduates first out of her class, as one of the best levitators the organization has ever seen. Technically, she and Sasha aren’t supposed to be romantically involved as agents, but the Psychonauts have always been pretty loosey-goosey about that rule (given the history of its founders). 
So that was a novel in length. It’s not necessarily that interesting in this form, but there’s the AU. I think the interest would be the specifics of how their relationship would play out as a story, if they met young enough and under the right circumstances to not to get stuck in the hang-ups their relationship has in canon. If you read this far, tell me what you think! Thoughts, feelings, emotional outbursts?
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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years
Text
Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 05 (first part)
(Masterpost) (previous episode) (this episode, second part)
Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes of the Untamed
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The Pride of Yunmeng 
Waterfall Date
Lan Wangji gets to experience the two extremes of Wei Wuxian’s interpersonal skills within the span of a few seconds. This is even better than his rooftop date with this horrible annoying terribly, terribly attractive boy.
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Lan Wangji has come here on a mission to make Wei Wuxian do his homework, which is why he immediately tells him “let’s go to the library” gazes at him silently for several seconds...
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...and then lets him adjust his sleeve for him and step allll the way into his personal space. 
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Unfortunately Wei Wuxian is about to guess a Lan Clan secret, so Lan Wangji ends the conversation by saying “let’s go to the library” grabbing him by his sexy arm muscle and dragging him off. Did he hold his arm all the way to the library? Even if he didn’t, his “I don’t touch other people” later at the lake is clearly horseshit. I don’t touch other people unless they are named Wei Wuxian and our brothers aren’t watching. 
(more after the cut!)
Apology in the Library
Wei Wuxian splits his library time between actually doing his homework and trying to make friends with Lan Wangji. And he tries really, really hard, starting by sincerely complimenting LWJ’s calligraphy and offering a pretty okay apology for his prior rooftop antics. Lan Wangji tells him to put his leg down but doesn’t tell him to go sit at his own desk. 
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Lan Wangji exhibits steely self-control as he resists this look, which would cause anyone else’s robes to spontaneously un-weave themselves into a pile of threads.
When Lan Wangji won’t look at him because he feels his apology was not sincere, Wei Wuxian becomes much more formally apologetic. First he says “sorry” two more times, and he starts prepping Lan Wangji’s ink.  This involves grinding an ink stick against an ink stone with water, to make a pool of ink for the calligrapher to dip their brush into.
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This is not Wei Wuxian being annoying and messing with stuff on Lan Wangji’s desk, a la Zhou Yunlan (Guardian). This is an act of service; a genuinely helpful thing to do if you know how to do it properly --which all of these young scholars definitely do--and an action that casts Wei Wuxian in the role of a servant or junior. 
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Then Wei Wuxian offers to kneel down (to offer a major formal apology), while giggling like an adorable dumbass. It's unclear if this is sexual innuendo, just being ridiculously unconcerned about dignity, being slightly into abasing himself for this beautiful person, or all of the above. 
After taking a long moment to consider all this, Lan Wangji slowly and deliberately gives Wei Wuxian three seconds of the eye contact he’s been begging for.
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Then Lan Wangji spoils the moment by dropping a silence spell on him. 
Wen Can I Have Some Fun?
The Wen siblings hang out and talk about their secret villainy and then fret about how much it sucks to have a chronic health condition, which is pretty relatable TBH.
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I know life seems boring now but just wait until you’re an itinerant zombie with nails in your head.
Wen Qing is a devoted older sister just like Jiang Yanli, although with less fainting and more scheming. 
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Good kitty.
Porno in the Library
Now, since this next scene ends with Wei Wuxian being a boundary-crossing jerk, let's start by remembering that Lan Wangji has magically gagged Wei Wuxian against his will three times now, as well as hiding his vulnerable family member behind a ward while lying in wait in order to attack him. So, you know. Teenagers in lust. They are both learning what is and isn't okay.  
Lan Wangji steals a long glance at Wei Wuxian while Wei Wuxian is drawing. 
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Wei Wuxian is putting the finishing touches on a gift for Lan Wangji. The gift is a portrait of Lan Wangji with flowers in his hair. This boy is SMITTEN. I think he knows it, too; he just doesn’t think it’s a big deal yet. 
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Wei Wuxian, who is good at everything, is really fucking good at drawing. 
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When Wei Wuxian presents the drawing to Lan Wangji he says “this is my gift for you.”  This is very good-mannered of Wei Wuxian; Lan Wangji had to supervise him for three days, so he is presenting him with a gift to thank him and say farewell.
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Lan Wangji completely ignores him, which is really breathtaking, next-level rudeness.
Wei Wuxian isn’t bothered by this, however, and just embellishes the picture with an extra flower or something before offering it again. This time Lan Wangji takes in and is very very very pleased with it, as evidenced by his slightly widening his eyes and how carefully he places the drawing on the far side of his desk.  
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Also he gives Wei Wuxian some prolonged eye contact, and engages in what, for him, is playful banter, calling the gift “extremely boring” when Wei Wuxian prompts him to use more words than usual. 
Then Wei Wuxian spoils the moment by pranking him.
Now - let’s look at this erotic-book situation. This is a boundary-crossing prank, yes, but it’s also an invitation to engage in some form of intimacy. For teens who have access to erotic images, looking at them together can be simple naughty fun. Or it can be a way of discovering and bonding over shared sexual identities and interest. Or it can prompt more direct engagement, up to and including having sex with each other.
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Lan Wangji’s horrified reaction means that Wei Wuxian has to characterize this as a prank after the fact, but he might very well have intended it as an invitation to get horny together. 
Either way, his response to Lan Wangji’s “shameless” comment is bound to make an impression.
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Wei Wuxian is from the clan of "be free" and he just doesn't see why this is a big deal. And now he’s told Lan Wangji it doesn’t have to be a big deal. And through him, the producers are breaking the fourth wall and telling every viewer that this doesn’t have to be a big deal and that they shouldn’t feel ashamed. 
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Threats and rudeness and book destruction ensue, and Lan Wangji is left alone in all kinds of emotional disarray, with a bunch of torn up erotica to tape back together throw away.
Boys on the Rocks
Wei Wuxian brags about his prank to Jiang Cheng and bestie Nie Huaisang, telling them that he got Lan Wangji to cuss at him. He’s going to put a notch on his sword handle for this achievement.  
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Jiang Cheng is pissed at Wei Wuxian about this, like he’s pissed at him about everything all the time. Possibly he has already started the seedlings of his lifelong jealousy of Lan Wangji.  
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Jiang Cheng doesn’t realize that he’s essentially prepared Wei Wuxian to court Lan Wangji by constantly criticizing, hitting, and threatening him. After a decade of Jiang Cheng’s rough style of brotherhood, Lan Wangji’s elegant and refined hostility rolls off of Wei Wuxian like water off a duck’s back. 
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Nie Huaisang wants to make sure Wei Wuxian didn't rat him out, but isn't worried about the destroyed book because he has a whole external drive full of porn. 
Several Brain Cells Trio
These guys do make some questionable choices together, but actually they are all really bright and effective in complimentary ways.
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Jiang Cheng is growing into a strong future leader - authoritarian and dickish, yes, but also decisive and unflinching. Wei Wuxian is observant of things around him, always ready for combat, and thinks deeply and strategically about events.  Nie Huaisang is a bottomless font of knowledge, sourced from books and from his own observations. 
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So when the Wen spy bird shows up, they spot it, drive it away, identify what it is, and understand that it’s a threat and that its presence has political implications.  
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They are all goofballs at times, but highly gifted ones.
Doo Doo Doo Lookin Out My Back Ward
Lan Xichen asks Lan Wangji if he’s found out who was sneaking around his the back ward and Lan Wangji hesitates before reluctantly saying “Wei Ying.” 
Ok seriously - nobody calls him Wei Ying. Nobody refers to him in the third person as as Wei Ying. Calling him Wei Gongzi or Wei Wuxian would be totally normal. His own brother calls him Wei Wuxian. And Lan Wangji has only called him Wei Ying to his face when he was angry. 
But now--immediately after the erotica debacle in the library--he is Wei Ying when Lan Wangji is speaking of him privately with his brother. 
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By the way, Lan Wangji's shoulders seem super wide in these robes, don't they? I'm not complaining.
Forgettable Disciple #1
Now we meet apparent nobody Su She, who sucks. He wants to take care of the water ghosts himself. 
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He is a no-headband disciple which is like - none of the juniors in the later timeframe go without a headband. The guys who got set on fire at the gate had headbands. One of the Lan Rules is “wear a headband.” Is there anyone else who doesn't rate a headband? This is a plot point later when it comes to the ice cave but for now it just seems that he's that one perpetual intern who never gets promoted and never learned embroidery.
Doctor Qing, Medicine Woman
[OP laughed way too hard at her own joke just now.] Wen Qing is helping Jiang Yanli, and Jiang Cheng is super happy to see her. When did he develop this crush? Because it's already in full swing. 
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Did Wei Wuxian just sneer when he noticed Jiang Cheng’s crush? Like macking on Lan Wangji is more appropriate than this? 
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I love you and I’m going to advocate killing everyone who matters to you
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I’m a nosy jerk and I’m going to be your best friend for life, quite literally
Wei Wuxian complains about Wen Qing ignoring him and she gives him the prettiest, loveliest *sigh* death glare ever.
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However when she sees that he's a little brother whose sister utterly dotes on him, she starts thinking maybe he's all right. 
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For the Yanli-Qing shippers, there is a tiny breadcrumb here, where Yanli says they met by the river bank.  I don't personally ship my personal girlfriend Wen Qing with Jiang Yanli, but I support your ships wherever they may sail.
Continued in Part 2, right here
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so sorry if you already said something about this but I’m super curious about what you think, In Saerans AE normal ending he says Saeyoung visited Rika, what do you think he said to her?
Yeah, it's such a minor comment and he gives you absolutely no real answer whatsoever. He changes the subject right away so it is kind of odd and questionable. It's probably nothing but you can't help but to wonder what's going on with Saeyoung at this specific moment. It's not really telling us.
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Yoosung commented in the chatroom that Saeyoung spent 3 months fighting the agency completely and tearing it down board by board to see to it that everyone was safe, and even ensured that Saejoong will not leave prison, and likely Rika will face the same wait for what she'd done in this, too.
Hardly sleeping and eating.
Saeran would've helped his best, as would Vanderwood, but that's still a lot of work. This takes place 6 months after, so 3 months prior to this cut-away with Saeran and MC, they only defeated the agency at that moment.
So, it's still pretty fresh, and even though the rest of the RFA comments that we three are hardly active—
That just means that everyone is trying to recover and get used to life without staring at a phone and computer for hours and hours.
So, this is definitely recovery time. In the Normal Ending, I imagined that Saeyoung, Saeran, and MC have moved into a house together and Saeran's finally got his greenhouse. You can't split up this family, glares at the recent Twitter Event that implied that Saeyoung wanted to live next door to his twin.
Anyways, it's been quiet. It's been a long time now for Saeyoung to try and process his emotions. Saeran was able to confront all of the horrible things back during the incident. Well.. not entirely, since this is the Normal Ending, so he wasn't given his total catharsis on his dad but he's still really happy where he is.
Saeyoung never got a chance to learn anything to do anything. He wasn't conscious. They drugged him until he was stuttering and gasping to breathe. We watched them do that to him and that was a lot to go through. He kept going for Saeran alone. He didn't stop to try to think twice about anything. He just fought and fought.
3 months have passed and he's likely trying to find his answers and find reasons to come to terms with everything. You know he blames himself for what happened. I feel like by him going to visit Rika, this is a lot like the V After Ending where he kidnaps Rika to get his answers from her.
In this reality, she's paying for what she's done and Saeran has likely had this talk with his brother. Saeyoung doesn't forgive anyone for what happened but I can see him wanting answers for the things that Saeran can't talk about because it makes him feel sick to his stomach to talk about.
Saeyoung goes to see Rika because he wants to know why she did what she did to Saeran and it's not going to be a pretty conversation. I know that this Rika is going to face him and be completely blunt and honest about what happened, but you know that Saeyoung is going to be hurt by hearing what he hears.
This may not end well for him in the end... emotionally, but I always know that the boys are in therapy in this ending and I will see it no other way, so they have someone to talk to and turn to that can help them sort out these feelings. But, yeah, I think he's going to see Rika to go back to where this all started.
He met Rika and she was the catalyst for him.
Perhaps, Saeyoung needs to confront how it all started to move forward. He won't forgive Rika but I know that he wants to know why she did what she did. It's going to turn into him yelling and needing to control himself before he gets removed from the jail for doing that but...
He might need that to move forward.
Not forgiveness, not anything like that... just knowing that he was tricked and hurt by people around him. Saeyoung needs to know that he was a child that tried his best, and that he isn't to blame for what happened. By facing Rika, it's possible that he can finally accept that he wasn't the wrong one.
He just needs to know for himself that he didn't hurt Saeran. He was only trying to help him... the adults hurt Saeran. I imagine that he's going to see Jihyun as well, but the first roadblock for him is trying to see Rika, I suppose. There's a lot about this that hurts to think about but I think this is Saeyoung trying to move forward.
He's not letting go of his anger at them, but he needs to forgive himself.
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namelesswolffreak · 3 years
Text
"Boyfriends"
I've been working on this story concept for....3-4 years now and I've finally managed to work everything out to the point I'm confident in posting this little blurb of the main characters. So, I hope you enjoy and feel free to ask questions about them and their world.
Context: This takes place in a world of super powered people heavily inspired by MHA / Marvel / Miraculous. Waker (Way-kur) Atlas is Dare City's main hero who is put through quite a lot on a daily to weekly basis trying to beat the baddies and Cyrus Fauthrin is his infamous thief arch nemesis turned lover and best friend who causes trouble around the city just to get the Hero's attention.
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The melancholy of the day was waning on Waker as he patrolled the quiet streets of one of Dare’s many neighborhoods which was quite unusual considering every seven seconds a villain was after his head. The sun was barely above the clouds, no one was really awake yet and the only thing that accompanied him was his footsteps as he jumped, hopped and skipped to the next platform he summoned under his feet. He happened to be bounding over Lay Wind Park, the foxes fast asleep in their dens to his disappointment, but the Hero Monuments were still a sight to behold in the early sunrise as they shone with brilliance in what little light was filtering over the surrounding hillsides.
The wind blew past his frizzed locks as he stood above the park near a tree in the shade, expression steeled and focused as he watched for signs of trouble as he waited for a certain someone to arrive. Today was uneventful and rather slow, the kind of day Waker preferred if he were being honest. Heaven knew being bored all day was ten times better than returning home to the countless kitchen sink surgeries he’d have to do with worn needles and his mother’s thread pinching into his skin as he sewed up bloodied wounds full of shrapnel and debris. Much better. The birds were chirping a happy, lazy song as they flew by on the breeze and the distant hum of an awakening city filled the natural ambiance of cicadas and crickets quite nicely as he watched and waited. He dare let out a sigh as the scene took hold of him fully, a warmth washing over him that he hadn’t felt in the recent weeks.
Which wouldn’t be for long as the rustling of tree leaves and a “Boo!” have him falling off of his platforms and hurtling towards the ground with an embarrassingly shrill scream.
“Waker!” A concerned voice follows as a blue blur dives after him.
Ground spiraling as he falls, Waker braces for impact, too late to conjure any platforms beneath him to break the fall so, he readies himself, waiting for the hurt and pain that would surely follow with some scrapes and bruises…………...But it never comes. He unscrunches his eyes and removes his arms from his head to see a blue, sparkling light surrounding him.
Irritation and embarrassment take over him immediately.
His face turns a copious amount of red as he’s carefully scooped up in pale arms that hold him close and, humiliatingly enough, in bridal style. Oh god no, he curses mentally, murmuring a soft “No…” into his shield of arms. This was so not how he wanted to show up in front of his partner after their long and grueling few weeks of not being able to see each other outside of villain fights and breaks in between their testing week.
The sudden warmth of a chest presses against his side and the delicate rhythm of a frantic heart race beneath his one hand as the other quickly grabs for his cape to hide his strawberry cheeks. There was no way in hell he was letting ‘he knew who’ see him in such a state, there was no possible way he could let the witch-like thief catch him like this. A brave hero didn’t get scared or spooked by rustling leaves and the word boo! Absolutely absurd! Though a voice in the back of his mind said he already had.
“You are such a fucking clutz, I swear.” And a huge scaredy cat, the blue-clad ravenette doesn’t say aloud, but his tone implies anyways. “I should take you to my ballet classes sometime, maybe then you’d actually learn some balance.” The comment only makes him clutch the soft fabric tighter around himself.
He’s loathing the thought of unveiling himself now, but he knows he’s been caught, his normally stoic or serious persona now broken and practically burned away as he knows his cape isn’t doing much to hide his warm face or the tenseness of his grip. Plans to forever sink himself into a hole where nobody could possibly ever find him again after this mess are shortly abandoned for now and gaining courage Waker swallows the huge lump in his throat and tries to cleverly reply. “H-hey, what’s a-....What’s up, Witch Boy?” And he knows the intended playfulness doesn’t go through as he’s met with a narrowed glare.
The other isn’t amused. “Witch boy, really? Did I actually scare you that badly that you lost a couple of brain cells?”
“Shu-shut up, Cyrus!” He defends as this “Cyrus” just sighs at him, though his stare more sly than pointed now.
“Get out of that stupid thing so I can see your face.” He says with a tremble in his voice that Waker can definitely tell is laughter, the prick. “Or I’ll totally drop you again.” And like hell he will, Waker knows, but he takes the threat seriously nonetheless and loosens his grip on the cape just enough to see the Ravenette’s brilliant and ever playful smile.
For a moment Waker just stares and admires him, those brilliant blues sparkling, no, literally sparkling as he says something Waker doesn’t catch. The sun is framing his face so perfectly in the light, highlighting those perfectly red cheeks he would love to kiss every morning, and the slight upturn of his lips as he smiles down in reverence at him, and the slow flutter of his lashes that compliment his features nicely. Though braided off to the side Cyru’s hair never fails to make him look so ethereal as the gentle morning breeze brushes back his loose strands. Waker swears it looks like its made up of space itself when he lets it go during the night time, convincing himself he can see stars within the strands when he stands beneath the moonlight. It doesn’t take much to make the hero swoon regarding his partner nowadays. Daydreams of peaceful nights alone on the couch watching movies together after his nightmares keep him awake and alert run through his mind, or the times Cyrus has saved him from getting beaten to a pulp and they spent hours talking over stitching him back together about nothing at all, and every single time Cyrus has stuck up for him at school, reminding him of the warmth this person carries with them and all the love and affection he’s constantly showered in when they’re together. It’s strange how much Cyrus has changed over the past few months from raging emo to ride or die friend, but he wouldn’t change it for the world. He doesn’t even try to stop the lofty sigh that escapes his lips as more dear memories cross his mind.
And Cyrus is all too quick to recognize that dumb look on his face.
“Oh, hell no!” Is the only warning he gets before being promptly dropped, this time no blue aura to save him from hitting the dirt below, landing with a thud. “Not this early in the morning!” Though Waker could have sworn Cyrus was sharing the same look with him not minutes prior.
“Ow! Why’d you drop me, asshole!?”
Cyrus cocks his hips as he floats there, his wide brimmed conical now covering his eyes in an intimidating manner, making him way more menacing than he should considering his current attire. “Oh please, don’t even act like you’re hiding that stupid look on your face, Idiot! I ain’t dealing with your whole sappy dappy act this early in the morning.”
By “sappy dappy” Waker knows exactly what he’s referring to and scowls accordingly. Apparently, holding hands and having morning cuddles while complimenting everything about Cyrus is considered sappy and lovingly disgusting. Well at least to some people, it’s called affection and admiration!
“It’s a look that means I like you, asswipe!” Waker shoots back, malice nowhere to be found in his tone though, barring more on playfulness.
“Do you think I’m in love with you or something!?”
And they then stand there -well float there- in silence, both looking each other in the eyes, narrowed brows testing the other to make the next move or say the next snappy comment. And for a moment it looks as if the words really have cut too deep, but Waker isn’t one to remain serious for long as his shoulders begin to shake, prompting the other to clutch his stomach and stifle a grin as their eyes water over with laughter.
“Oh, no, not me, I could never.” Waker quips, leaning back and hugging both his arms, not caring for the dirt now caking his suit. Cyrus is quick to come back with his own natural snark.
“Pfft, as if! Absolutely not. Me and you, the orange haired frizz ball who kicks my ass more than twice a week over that one time I stole a candy bar? You gotta be fucking with me!” He bellows, Waker taking note of the boy flipping upside down where he floats in the air, his face a contortion of joy and happiness as his ripped dress flows with the wind.
He finds the display rather adorable, recalling that such a thing only occurred by accident when the thief was getting emotional. His inept ability to control his powers never failed to amuse the Hero. The little wrinkle of his nose didn’t quiet his thoughtful admiration either as he blushed in between bouts of giggles.
"I wouldn't have time to be your lover anyways!"
“It’s only 6am, when can I admire my boyfriend so it fits within your busy schedule?”
And the laughter is immediately quieted, a heavy silence filling the air, even the crickets and cicadas falling victim to it. The world is waiting in bated breath as if listening to the drama unfold.
Waker holds in a breath. Oh shit, oh fuck, he really fucked it up this time! Way to go, Atlas, you really did a number on today!
…………
………….
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I just did-”
“It’s ok……” Cyrus breaths out, taking a long drag of air before finally finishing. “It’s….ok.” He manages to lower himself to the ground, dress falling at his sides, and crosses his arms in doing so. “We’re-I’m going to have to get used to it eventually.” He shrugs. “Right?”
There’s a weight to his words as Cyrus steps closer to the redhead that Waker recognizes near immediately. They’ve had this talk before, a talk that has led to a misunderstanding or two between them in the past and a verbal fight at that. The term “Boyfriend.” It was a touchy subject to say the least and while it had been a challenge for even Waker himself to start using it, it also seemed Cyrus was struggling to accept the lofty title. A long time ago before the two even met, the word had a different meaning to it for them both, but Waker had long since come to terms with it himself, but understood Cyrus’ hesitation in saying the word freely. He considered his next words carefully.
“I know you don’t exactly like the ter-”
“It’s not that I don’t like it Waker…..”
“I know, Cy, but.” Failing to put his thoughts into words Waker scrambles forward to catch Cyrus’ hands in his own, pecking each delicately, square on the knuckles, gauging his reaction whilst he does so. When Waker is met with a soft smile, he returns it, though his much softer and kinder in Cyrus’ eyes. “I shouldn’t have said it when you’re not ready. Just because I moved past it doesn’t mean you have.” Noticing his smile slipping he clumsily adds in, “And that’s ok! Really, it’s ok and I mean, and I love you and-uh, I get it and I mean I just say boyfriend because that’s what everyone else says, expects- wait no- I didn’t mean to phrase it like that uh-I don’t really get the need for a title for what we have anyways, like so dumb right!?”
Followed by more ridiculous rambling that has Cyrus covering his mouth trying not to giggle. It’s a nervous habit that has come to amuse the thief to no end. “And-it not like it means anything to us, its just there for other people so they know that um, we, us, you and I are an um item I guess wow that was cheesy and dumb and I am so sorry that you have to put up with me oh god I’m rambling and no, don’t look at me like that. I’m doing the thing again aren’t I-” Shaking with laughter again Cyrus has to put a hand on his shoulder to get him to shut up because he knows if he doesn’t Waker could go on well into the night and has before. It didn’t help that he could feel the tremble of the others fingers, realizing Waker was going to throw himself into an anxiety attack if he didn’t.
“Waker!” And Waker promptly closes his mouth, panic clear in his eyes that Cyrus quickly combats by brushing strands of orange out of his face and behind his ear. “Just take a deep breath.” And Waker does, following the instruction intently. “And let it out, slowly.” And Waker follows that too, looking that much calmer as Cyrus pulls him closer. “Slowly.” He rubs his thumbs over Waker’s hands. The trembling is still present, but less so. “There you go.” And doesn’t stop telling him to breath calmly until he feels Waker’s grip relax in his own.
Delicately and softly, each flyaway is combed back into place only to immediately pop out again, but Waker appreciates the sentiment anyways and Cyrus has no problem being given an excuse to keep combing through such lovely soft tufts. He loves the soft mane of fluff on his partner’s head that even since their first meeting has remained as untamed and wild as ever. -Such a shame he always ties it back when he’s on duty though- It just adds to the contrast between his actual self and hero persona, the sweet and endearing ball of anxiety vs the serious and battle ready hero of Dare city who couldn’t catch a break. And he wouldn’t be ashamed to admit to which one he preferred.
“You don’t need to tell me-er.” Waker quickly corrects, trying not to sound patronizing. “I don’t need you to explain yourself Cy. You-we don’t need to have a name if that’s what you want, that’s what I’m trying to say. Official or unofficial or whatever, I won’t treat you any different.”
“I know Waker. I…..I really want to call you that, just I-.......I just like what we have right now and-”
Waker just pecks him on the cheek quickly and pulls away to pat at a spot on the ground, looking longingly back up at him. A soundless “You don’t want to lose me.” goes unsaid as Cyrus complies, Waker taking the shorter one in his arms once more.
It wasn’t a matter of Cyrus being afraid to commit, though maybe it was, not even he was sure of what was going with himself anymore, but a fear that the wonderful friendship he’d built up with the hero would end or change or just not be the way it is now because they suddenly started calling each other boyfriends. He’s had it happen one too many times at this point, every one of his previous “boyfriends” changing everything once they started dating, acting as if kissing and romantic outings were supposed to be their only interactions from now on. They were no longer interested in the random silly things he found on the internet or just hanging out doing whatever, but were interested in using him, his body, parading him around and rubbing it in peoples faces, being denied having fun if it wasn’t their idea of “fun” and more. Cyrus' stomach curls remembering being ignored for weeks to months at a time because he wasn’t feeling up to being in bed with them or awkwardly sitting off to the side while his one boyfriend at the time showed him off to his friends and bragged. It was the same guy who he used to play videogames and eat cookies with on the weekends, talking about anything and everything…...It hurts him to realise there probably was never a friendship there to begin with. Just an elaborate ruse to get him into bed at some point.
And that was one thing Cyrus feared when they had held hands for the first time after awkwardly admitting to harboring feelings for each other after the high of a fight they were forced to join sides on. Never had the thief felt more relieved that his feelings were reciprocated, but also more scared that he had just ruined the one healthy relationship he managed to make in those many months spent together.
Cyrus removes his hat and huddles under Waker’s chin, placing his head right on his heart that gives out a steady, comforting rhythm and brightens when the taller of the two puts his head on him in return. No, Cyrus thinks, this is different.
A long silence falls between them as they cuddle in each other's arms, just watching the sun come up. Basking in each other’s presence, taking in the warmth of their bodies pressed together in this nice early morning, and relishing in the calm which was far and few in between with their double lives and they were thankful. There’s no need to exchange words now as a quiet understanding befalls them both.
It’s only after the sun seems to peak at the crest of the hillsides does Waker make himself heard again.
“Is that why you dropped me?” And Cyrus blinks for a quick second, processing the question before understanding and then playfulness cross his expression.
“No it’s because you’re a dunce.” He huffs. “And fucking heavy as hell.”
Waker chooses to ignore that last bit. “But I’m your dunce.” He boops his nose.
“Damn, straight you are.” And Cyrus retaliates with a kiss on his.
Boyfriend or just “friend who I like to kiss and hold hands with sometimes”, Waker loves him and Cyrus doesn’t doubt that for a second.
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masterwords · 3 years
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also this is a dumbass idea but it was one of those memories that like totally randomly hit me
but like one time my friend was super sick and had to go to the hospital and she wanted me to come with her so i did, and they admitted her, they decided she needed a blood test and she was fucking terrified so she wanted me there and my dumbass freaking passed out at the sight of someone’s else’s blood.
so like do we feel like this could happen to like hotch and derek or was this just like me being a dumbass haha
If I try hard enough, I can put them into just about any scenario. ;) I've seen a lot of people pass out around blood, I've worked in healthcare a long time. You'd be surprised how many people have trouble with the sight of blood when it's someone they know personally but no problem with it any other time.
Warnings: super tame story-wise but mentions of Foyet, stabbing, blood and hospital (~1300 words)
**
The sight of his own blood was easy. It made sense, and it was even kind of cool. Someone could poke a tiny hole into his skin and, with a little bit of training, they were able to blindly maneuver their way through sightless, slipping into his vein and all of a sudden red would bloom, filling the tiny vials. He never minded it. And then there was the issue of blood on the job, it hadn't ever phased him. He could distance himself from it entirely, like it wasn't even really blood.
Maybe it was the fact that it was Aaron's blood, maybe it was the tests being run and the heavy way they made him feel. Maybe it was the way Aaron had told him so casually about the tests, his symptoms, played it cool. Like it was nothing. Maybe it was the look in his eyes the morning of the appointment as Derek got himself ready for work, told him he'd see him in a few hours only for Aaron to stop him as he got ready and ask if he would mind joining him. Sitting with him. Where once it had been a casual nonchalance now it looked more like fear. He didn't often see fear in Aaron's eyes.
“Are you worried?” Derek asked, grumbling as he unbuttoned his shirt. He'd forgotten deodorant somehow. Aaron was sitting on his bed in khakis and a polo shirt, not sure whether he was going to change for work after his appointment or just go casual, it was going to depend entirely on his morning. Normally they got ready in tandem, Derek wondered how many other steps he'd missed in just not having his partner by his side. Aaron hummed, shrugged. He hadn't been worried at first – his doctors had warned him there would be complications as his body tried to regain some semblance of normal long after the wounds were healed from the outside. Foyet's blade would do more than just pierce his flesh. But he'd been lightheaded at his desk more than once the last week, nearly fell after standing too fast and he'd lost weight. Not in the habit of standing on the scale, he noticed when his suits started feeling looser, knowing he'd had them tailored just so after Dave's incessant bitching about it. If you're going to wear a suit, you'd better do it right he said. They were snug, taught around his shoulders when he held his weapon and now he had too much room again. Derek had made an offhanded mention of his hipbones in bed a few nights prior, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Just a few tests, nothing major they assured him - there were concerns with his thyroid, other internal injuries, nothing a few blood tests and an ultrasound wouldn't catch. It sounded so simple until the morning of and he couldn't get it out of his mind, stop the cold sweat when he thought of what he might find out. He'd already lost his family and now he was teetering dangerously close to losing his health.
“I'm not sure,” he said, and Derek could read between the lines. The way he'd avoided eye contact all morning, hadn't eaten his piece of toast, his coffee sat cold and nearly untouched.
“If you want me to come, I'll come,” Derek replied, buttoning his shirt back up. “I just wish you'd told me sooner so I could have made arrangements with the team...” he was grumbling, muttering under his breath about things he would need to reschedule or ask someone else to handle for the morning, just letting off steam and being upset with himself for not seeing this coming sooner while Aaron sighed, got up and left the room. He really didn't mind, didn't have that much to do, it was just the principal. “Aaron?”
“Nevermind,” Aaron said in a voice so soft he hardly heard it while he slipped into his jacket. “You're right, I shouldn't have asked. I'll see you in a few hours. Don't burn the place down.”
Chasing him down wasn't hard, Aaron's apartment wasn't far from the hospital and he was traveling by foot to clear his head. The world felt crystal clear, chilly air filling his lungs, everything in hyper focus and bright colors. It hurt his eyes.
“Aaron,” Derek said, catching up after having to rush back and make sure the door was locked. Every single lock latched and in place. “Aaron, stop.”
“Go to work, Derek,” Aaron said, turning to face his partner. He forced a smile, thinking it would help. It only served to unnerve Derek further. “It's fine. I'm sure it's nothing, and I won't have results this morning anyway...I was behaving foolishly.”
“Stop it,” Derek shook his head and sighed. “Just stop. I'm coming, I'll call Rossi and ask him to take care of things while we're gone.”
It became apparent to Derek, as they walked, how much Aaron had been keeping from him. Beneath the harsh light of the sun his peaked face had a pale sheen, almost silvery beneath his mop of black hair. His eyes went wild with panic the closer they got to the hospital, though he said nothing, and Derek reached out, grabbed his hand and smiled.
“It's going to be alright,” he said, sounding more self-assured than he felt. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Aaron nodded, betraying the fear he felt coursing through him. Derek wouldn't let him stop at the door, not even for a moment, they marched right up and through the doors as they blew open.
The waiting room was quiet. Busy but quiet and it allowed Derek time to fire off a few texts, let the team know he'd be in later. It was a quiet day, rare for them, everyone was spread out and there weren't any looming cases.
And then there was the blood. Derek was standing to the side, watching as they tied the tourniquet, found the vein. Aaron's face was so serious, so pale and the splash of red entering the vial made Derek's stomach flip. The crash startled Aaron, he hadn't been looking at anything in particular, zoning out.
“Derek?” he asked, blinking, watching in a daze as the nursing staff launched into action, helping Derek up and into a chair. It had surprised him, unsettled him watching Derek fall so hard and without any warning. If his nerves weren't shot before, they were now. “Derek?” he asked again, voice cautiously low to keep from sounding as worried as he felt. His nurse patted him on the hand, told him they were taking care of his friend and tried to reassure him everything was fine. This happens all the time, she told him. The bigger and stronger they are, the harder they fall. She smiled sweetly, winked at him. It did nothing to assuage his panic, but he returned the smile and nodded anyway, eyes locked on Derek's limp form draped over the chair.
“I'm sorry,” Derek whispered some time later, in a daze. Aaron smiled, folding his arms over his chest. He was cold, the room was freezing and he was shivering trying to keep warm in his gown while he waited for his ultrasound.
“You alright?” he asked, and Derek narrowed his eyes, glared a little.
“I'm fine,” was his reply in a voice that said tread lightly. It made Aaron laugh like he hadn't in days. Weeks, maybe.
“I never knew blood...” he started but Derek shushed him quickly while he reached up and patted a sore spot on his head gingerly.
“You know I got no problem with blood,” he spat. “It was your blood. That's different.”
Knowing they were going to call in the afternoon with the test results, Aaron lost himself in his head on the walk home. He barely recognized when they approached the door, entered the apartment without having spoken more than two words the entire way.
“Let's take the day off,” Derek said, sliding his arm around Aaron's waist just before they reached the door. “Play hookie. Skip town. Fly to the moon, I don't care...I just don't wanna go in. Whaddya say boss?”
“You hit your head pretty hard, huh?” Aaron asked with a smile, letting himself be pulled into Derek's embrace.
“Hey, come on now...”
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