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yorshie · 1 year

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Pick Up The Phone

Bayverse x FemReader PART TWO

tags/summary: violence, torture, cussing, hurt reader, angst, uhhhhh symptoms of shock? (I'm not to the point where I am writing an outright relationship but the undertones are there)

Reader has a date go sideways and the turtles come to the rescue, but there's a difference between seeing violence on tv and seeing someone you care for commit it.

Set in 2023 (Turtles aged up)

Leo would have called this an 'I told you so moment’.

You wished he was here, would have listened to his lecture on being more careful and not letting your guard down, if only for the fact that suffering through a powerpoint on ‘fifty ways today could go wrong’ would be happening on the way to the med bay, where hopefully Donnie would inform you that your arm was, in fact, not broken, and you were just being a little bit dramatic.

You deserved a few moments of dramatics at this point.

Your phone buzzed again, loud and angry in your hand, but you ignored it, knowing it wasn’t the number you wanted, needed. The screen was cracked, half the touchpad dead, and you weren’t even going to try to answer unless it was one of your friends.

Your face felt hot, sticky, but it was your arm that gave you worry. It had settled into a prickly pain that felt like a coiled snake, skin feverish and swelling quickly to the point your long-sleeved shirt felt constricting. Thank god it was dark outside, not many people around, easier to hide the side of your body that felt like it had shattered when you went down the stairs.

You paused under a street lamp, looked left and right, behind. The coast was clear, you felt far enough away. Your right hand pressed, shaky, on the screen, and you cursed, your fingers catching on the cracks as you fought with the half dead technology to hit a number, any number, on your short list.

Finally, failing, letting out a rough hiss, you jammed the phone on its side against your chest and held the button for assist.

It dinged, and you tucked your chin, whispering, “Siri, call Leo.”

“Sorry. Did you say ‘Call Leo’?” The answer, loud, carrying, had a shiver break across your shoulders, a cramp starting in your neck as your body tried to compensate the weight of keeping one side stationary.

“Yes.” It came out angry, even quieter, but the phone heard, and you watched as the screen changed, for once not trying to hit the speaker button.

The damaged screen was hot against your face, and you cradled it against the right side, unconsciously moving away from the light as you caught the distant shadow of a figure moving towards you.

The voicemail beeped, and you felt your face fall, not bothering to listen to the whole automated message. You set the phone back on your chest, pressed firm on the half lit ‘hang up’ button, fought a sniffle as it didn’t work.

You hissed out a breath again, pressed your forehead against the screen, and gritted out, “c'mon Leo, please- please, get your phone, please.”

---------------------------

“Hey, we on for movie night tonight?” Raph’s voice echoed throughout the lair as he hopped the turnstiles into the main room, depositing a pack of soda onto the common area table as he went.

“Don’t know,” Mikey’s voice floated from far above, and Raph ducked as his brother swooped down, the propulsion on his skateboard whining as he banked hard and jumped over a pipe. “Babycakes said something about having plans, told me and Donnie to not wait up.”

“Plans?” Raph frowned, cast his brother a look over his shoulder as he paused.

“Yea, Dee thinks it’s that guy we’re suppose to pretend to not know about.”

“Well, you’re doing an excellent job of that,” Raph sassed, already moving, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. He stuck his head into the lab, careful not to move past the neon tape marking the entrance. “Hey, Don? You hear from girlie tonight?”

“No, not recently, but that’s not surprising.” Done answered, popping up from a workbench and moving towards his brother. “I sent a couple messages to her earlier, but I think she muted her phone, hasn’t answered.”

Before Raph could comment, he heard Mikey’s voice again. “Yea, she hasn’t even responded to the epic battle of cat gifs today, and we’ve had that thing rollin’ since Tuesday.”

Raph snorted, loudly, just to let Mikey know he was ridiculous, but Donnie hummed, brows shifting in confusion. “Hm, well… maybe Leo knows something.”

“Knows something about what?” Came the reply, the eldest stepping out from the dojo, swords clasped in his hand instead of strapped across his shell.

Raph jerked his chin towards him, “You talk to princess today?”

Leo paused, looked from Raph to Donnie. “No, but my phone’s been up in my room. Usually if she wants to talk, she does it in person.”

“Just go check your phone, numskull.” Raph gestured, and Leo scoffed, walking up the ramp to his room.

Donnie was already returning to the lab, grabbing his phone where it sat on the main desk. He frowned at the screen, calling back over his shoulder to Raph. “Got a missed call from her, just now.” The phone buzzed again, lighting up slightly brighter in his face. “Aaand now a voicemail.”

Raph moved to Donnie’s shoulder, crowding up into his space, as Donnie flicked the device open and navigated to the phone app.

“Donnie?”

They both froze, twin shivers working across their shells and down their legs like ice water at the hissed voice.

“Donnie, please, please- I need help-.”

It sounded like - like crying.

Raph was suddenly alone, a Donnie shaped hole next to him, as the taller brother all but teleported to his main station and started typing furiously on one keyboard.

Muffled, a harsher voice in the distance, and then your breath heaved out across the speaker, loud and uneven, the slap of footsteps echoing in the background. Raph could hear the next words from clear across the room.

“I’m not going back with you, leave me alone!”

“Donnie! We got a problem!” Leo was back. Raph spared him a glance, feet cemented to the floor, and saw the flash of an Otterbox in his hand.

“She called you, too?”

He saw Leo mouth the word too, before Donnie’s voicemail started up again, and he went silent, still.

It was that harsher voice again, this time clearer, closer. “Hey, c’mon, at least let me take you to the hospital-”

Raph felt something knock into him, saw Mikey shrug his shoulder out of the way, uncharacteristically solemn as he asked: “Donnie, where we goin, bro?”

A loud ringtone blared throughout the lab before Donnie could answer, and Raph all but ripped the seams on his pocket trying to get his phone out. He cut off the cheery jingle about sunshine, Donnie’s hissed “speaker, speaker” reminding him to hit the extra button instead of just screaming into the receiver:

“Princess!?”

“Raph?” And oh, the pain in his chest at that one word.

“Where are you, talk to me.” He felt crowded, Mikey against one shoulder, Leo at his back, but he fought the urge to shake them off.

“Who the fuck is Ra-”

“Your worst goddamn nightmare, if you don’t quit following me, asshat!” He could have kissed you for that, but that ball of ice in his gut solidified at the angry answer fired back:

Oh, so this is why you were guarding your pho-” The voice cut off, and they all heard the painful gasp that followed, your hiss audible.

“Donnie, work faster!” Leo all but shouted, but Donnie was already flying, grabbing gear as fast as he could. They scrambled out of the lab, Raph and Mikey racing for the dojo, hot on the others’ heels as they leaped the turnstiles and raced to see who would get out to the tunnels first.

----------------------------------

Your call with Raph got disconnected in the struggle, but at that point all the despair, all the pain, got balled up in the center of your chest and turned into rage. You had minutes, maybe fifteen at the most, before the calvary arrived, and the idiot currently trying to haul you back to the street by your good shoulder would be in for a world of hurt.

“Stop! I don’t want to go anywhere with you!”

He ignored you, still pulling you away from the alley, from the manhole cover you’d been trying to pry open.

“You aren’t thinking clearly, why the fuck are you trying to go down into the sewer?”

“Let. Me. Go.” You stepped forward quickly, stomped his foot, jerked back just as fast.

“Fuck, you little bitch-”

The manhole cover behind you rocketed off the ground, disappearing into the dark with a loud crash and you felt like laughing at the sheer relief, your arm suddenly free as the man grabbing you was unceremoniously jerked away.

He was emitting a high pitched whine, the sound disappearing the harder Raph squeezed.

That relief bubbled away at the sight of violence, big hands slowly squeezing. You looked up at his face, expecting murder, bracing for it.

Devastated by the look of hatred in its stead.

Someone's arms wrapped around you, Mikey, you distantly thought, but you pulled against the warm push of muscle. “Stop- stop him-”

“Back off, Raph,” Leo barked, and you shivered as Raph dropped the man with a thud.

A quick glance around made you realize that, while relief had been your first emotion, something much darker had a hold of the turtles.

Donnie took up your vision as Leo moved past, large hands cool as he took your face between them and together with Mikey tried to turn you away.

Craning your neck, you could just make out the hiss of steel being drawn as Leo stopped over the crumpled figure on the ground.

A fear wormed its way into your heart, beating louder and louder. “Wait, wait- stop. Leo! Stop!”

He pulled up short like a puppet on strings, and you curled your good arm across Mikey’s bicep, trying for just a little wiggle room. Donnie’s thumbs still tracking across the bad side of your face as you fought to keep your eyes open.

“I need-I need you guys to take me to the lair.” The words left in a rush, your tone almost panicked, desperate that they take the bait. “Please, Raph. Leo. Please, I need you all to take me to the lair.”

“She’s got a broken arm,” Donnie called, as if you hadn’t spoken. “The head wound seems superficial, but it’s a lot of blood.”

You swatted away his hands, kept your eyes over his shoulder, tip toeing, pulling against Mikey. “Leave him, its not worth -”

Wrong thing to say. Raph moved faster than you could think. The crunch of bone against pavement the only warning before a high pitch scream left the man still on the ground.

The near growled whoops was darker than you had heard his voice before, but Leo only huffed a low chuckle that did nothing to ease your fears.

“Don, She’s nicked here,” Mikey’s murmur jerked you back, made you realize the calloused hands on you had moved. His grip had shifted, one arm across your chest, the other pulling at the hem of your shirt, thumb tucked into the crease of your hip.

Donnie’s finger moved to cover the broken skin, and you hissed, breath broken, babbling: “Stairs. Stairs- I fell down the stairs leaving-”

“Oh?” Leo’s voice reached you, and you cut yourself off, jaw snapping shut despite the fact that the tone wasn’t aimed at you. “I didn’t know you were called ‘stairs’. Nice to meet you.”

You couldn’t see what he did, but whatever it was pulled out a gargled whine.

Your hand finally unlatched from Mikey’s wrist, grabbed a hold of Donnie’s arm, tightened until you knew your nails were digging in. “Donnie- Donatello! Listen!”

Hazel eyes snapped to your face, and you continued, desperate to establish contact. “You are better than this, you all are better than this. Call it, Dee. Get me to the Lair."

His eyes flickered, you felt hope. “I’m really tired, Dee. My arm hurts so bad, please.”

His mouth pulled up at one corner, as if he knew what you were doing, saw straight through to the panic. He straightened to his full height, and you let that relief blossom, felt the pain in your arm again as he turned.

He whispered something, low, to Leo, and you watched, helpless in Mikey’s grip, as they turned in unison to your failed date.

“If.” Leo lowered himself, and you saw the sway of the blade in his hand, saw the way the man seemed hypnotized by the threat. “You. Ever. So much as think ill of her, we will know. And we will find you.”

Mikey’s chest vibrated under you back as he chuckled, his lyrical tone causing you to shiver. “Look at the big man quiver. Fucked up the wrong tree, bro.”

You bit your tongue, hard, fighting the urge to try and hurry them, goad them into leaving faster, knowing it might snap whatever hold you had and they’d go back into torment mode.

You didn’t release your breath until you all were in the tunnel below, good arm coming up to wrap around Mikey’s neck as he shifted you, careful of your bad side, gait long and even as they ate up miles.

Finally, a good ten minutes in, and you finally raised your head from his neck to ask, “Is my arm really broken?”

Heard Donnie hum an affirmative, and lowered your nose back to tuck against the juncture of Mikey’s neck. “Just one break, in your forearm. I’m hypothesizing you stuck it out to break a fall?”

“I really did take a trip down the stairs,” it felt wrong to try to inject humor, but they were so silent except for the sound of their feet on the cement. You tried to fill the silence again. “He only pushed me against the wall, only tried to get my phone. If I’d been smarter-”

A heavy hand, finger curling under your chin, and you let him, met Raph’s gaze, “If you say ‘only’ one more time, I’m turnin’ round.”

You made a strangled nose, disappeared back into the safety of Mikey’s hold, felt his hand soothe the shiver that had started in your shoulders, down your spine.

Donnie kept the med bay sterile, bleach clean. The white tiled walls boxed you in as Mikey set you on the patient bed, gently removing the grip you had on his wrist so Donnie could take his place.

They filled the room til the space was fit to burst, and you felt the tension, drowned in it with every pass of the soft cloth Donnie rubbed across your face, every brush of your knee against his leg. You had no idea who was wound tighter, you or them.

Finally, when Donnie moved back and you blinked at the harsh light after minutes of keeping your eyes clenched tight, Leo sighed. A deep, chest rattling exhale of breath, and it was like those imaginary puppet strings were finally cut, and you slumped your good shoulder against the wall behind you.

You could almost see him open his mouth even though you were faced the opposite way, and belatedly remembered how you had looked forward to his powerpoint presentation earlier. A smile worked its way onto your face, a twisted thing, gone as soon as you felt the atmosphere shift again.

“The fuck you smilin’ about?” Raph. And you swallowed heavily, mind flickering back to big hands squeezing.

“Raph.” Leo’s reprimand was soft, different from the bark earlier. You suddenly wanted him to snap, wanted the anger. Wanted them to at least stay on one page so you had a hope of processing it.

You felt tears, now of all times, escape their ledge, start tracking down your face as Donnie moved to your arm. You stared at a point over his shell, where the wall met the ceiling, and held it.

“Ah, shit, princess. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” That big hand again, cupping your cheek, and without thinking you curled your face away, heartbeat painful, imagining the strain to squeeze the life out of a man with one grip.

His hand hung in the air, suspended, then dropped, and you tracked it all in slow motion.

Donnie interrupted, “I’m gonna look at your ribs now, kay?”

You nodded woodenly, sucked in a breath at how cold his hands felt against broken skin.

“You’re gonna feel a little out of sorts for a bit,” he continued, and blessedly Raph moved away. For a heart stopping moment you thought he was leaving, but he only leaned back against the closed door. You tracked over him, then around the room, realized he had gone to the wall furthest from Leo.

Donnie pulled your attention again, “you’re likely already experiencing some shock symptoms-”

Donnie was almost always right, you realized, because at that moment you blurted out: “Thank you, for- coming to-” The words stuck, and the tears wouldn’t stop, and you could still see Raph’s hand hanging in the space next to you. Your arm burned, your ribs ached, but you needed to say it, needed them to know that-

“Hey, babycakes, it’s ok. It’s ok.” Mikey was on the bed behind you, legs sliding on either side of yours, holding you steady with a warm hand on your good hip, and you breathed in sharp, your shiver turning into full body quakes.

Donnie kept a hold of your bad arm, held it out, kept it steady as he continued to work on it, probing the break carefully.

Leo moved, silent, in between a long blink, grip on your calves soft as he dropped to his knees, caged you in between Mikey’s thighs and his plastron.

Raph sighed from where he stood, and you heard more than saw him push off the door, steps loud as he moved to your free side and once again raised his hands.

They curled along your jaw, too big, too strong. Grip careful as he wiped away the tears, cradled your head to keep your chattering teeth still.

An echo of the earlier violence, but at this point you didn’t care.

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renx01 · 1 month

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Too Sweet

Prompt: Inspired by the Hozier song Pairing: Harry Hart x (Kingsman!)Reader Fandom: Kingsman Tags/Warnings: age gap, mutual pining, angst Word count: 6495

Masterlist

You’d joined Kingsman only five years ago, and over time you’ve become a well-respected agent, code-named Tristan. Merlin, who is your uncle, was the one who had proposed you as a candidate and helped you prepare for the role while you were still in your early twenties. The other candidates had been good, but you were nearly flawless, only taking calculated risks and never letting your emotions rule your decision making. Control over your emotions was something you always excelled in, and it tremendously helped you make strides as an agent during the initial few months and first year. This caused you to rise in rank quite quickly, making you go on more solo missions or accompanying Galahad or Percival whenever they needed assistance. Today, you’re helping your uncle instead, hacking into some cameras and security networks so he’ll be able to tell Lancelot and Galahad where to go next and what they should be looking out for. It’s something you do from time to time, mostly upon Merlin’s request when he finds the mission too complicated to oversee on his own.

‘The main control room should be south from where they are now.’ You pull up the map on the big screen which hangs in front of you and Merlin, pointing out where Galahad and Lancelot should be going next. As he’s relaying the information to the other men, you hack into the mainframe the criminal organisation and start going through the different files. ‘Any updates about the nuclear files?’ Galahad’s voice comes through the speakers and Merlin looks at you. ‘Working on it. Just focus on getting to that room.’ The screen in front of you shows Lancelot’s feed. He’s following Galahad through the many hallways and twists and turns they take, taking down guards whenever they come across them. Their moves are deliberate, quick and efficient. You turn back to your screen and after a few minutes you’re finally able to access the file Galahad had asked for. ‘I’m sending you the file now, Galahad.’ ‘Thanks Tristan.’ He replies. They have finally reached the door to the control room. Lancelot holds his watch against it and it opens. Silently, the two men enter the room. ‘Lancelot, I need you to connect us to the controls.’ Merlin states and the other man follows the order. Your screens fill with the necessary information and you start working on fully disarming and disabling the system. ‘Galahad, please flip the green switch on your right.’ You request. Before he can really do so, a loud bang interrupts him, followed by the sound of shots. ‘Lancelot, you take those men while Galahad follows Tristan’s orders.’ Merlin’s Scottish accent seems thicker momentarily. You’ve noticed it only really happened when he was in more stressful situations; one time when you almost got kidnapped, it was so thick you could barely understand him despite having a mostly Scottish family. Calmly, you instruct Galahad what buttons to press and switches to flip. After a few minutes of him following your lead as you type away at your computer, you’re done. ‘Galahad. Lancelot. The system has fully been disabled and disarmed. Get back to the jet.’ They start running through the building and Merlin glances at you, giving you a small smile before going back to helping them follow the quickest route out of the building.

‘You did well, Tristan.’ Merlin ruffles your hair and you smile at him. ‘Thanks. You didn’t do too badly yourself, old man.’ He laughs and lightly punches your arm. ‘I’m not that old, your mother is 10 years older than I am.’ You snort and teasingly say, ‘And you Merlin, are 12 years older than I am.’ After that comment, a comfortable silence settles between you. There were a few more tasks you had to complete before tomorrow, so you decided you would spend the evening and night at the mansion. About an hour after the mission finished, Merlin leaves, leaving you alone in front of the large screen filled with documents. Quietly, you continue working for a few more hours before you call it a night. You’d finished your side of the report, only needing Galahad and Lancelot for the final few details. You’ll probably ask them about those during the debrief tomorrow afternoon.

Once you’ve locked your computer and turned off all the lights, you silently walk to the kitchen, where you start making a pot of tea. The room is dark, as you only turned on the light above the stove. A sound from behind you catches your attention. Looking back, you see that your two colleagues have just returned from their mission. ‘Evening gentlemen.’ You greet them. ‘Tristan, good evening.’ Galahad walks up and stands next to you, just as the water starts boiling. ‘Would you like a cup?’ Your hands continue moving, putting in the tea egg to let the leaves steep. He hums in response as he grabs two more cups. ‘Chamomile?’ Galahad quietly asks and you nod. A comfortable silence settles between the two of you while Lancelot leaves the room momentarily to put some of their things away. Once the tea has sufficiently gained colour and flavour, you pour some into the three cups. Grabbing your own, you sit down next to the chair you’d draped your suit jacket over. Harry sits down across from you and puts down Lancelot’s cup next to him. You both quietly drink your tea, your eyes scanning that day’s paper. When you look up, you notice his eyes are trained on you, making you a bit nervous. Before you can say anything, though, Lancelot walks back in and starts talking about their flight back to England and the newest Royal scandal of the week. The other man’s attention shifts to his colleague who is talking excitedly. Your eyes scan Galahad’s features. He is handsome, smart, quick-witted, and a gentleman. A combination which has led you to, over time, develop a bit of a crush on your colleague.

‘Tristan, what do you think?’

You turn your head to face the other man. ‘I think the situation escalated unnecessarily, had the royal family handled it properly, this would’ve never become public.’ He smiles and Galahad interjects. ‘I agree with Tristan, this situation could have easily been avoided.’ The two men continue talking and you sip your tea. ‘Gentlemen, I’m heading off to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at the debrief.’ You stand up and put your cup into the dishwasher. It was already 11 o’clock. ‘Tristan,’ Galahad stands up, ‘if you’ll allow me, I’ll walk you back to your room.’ Smiling, you nod. ‘Of course Galahad; thank you.’ He leaves the room with you and as you walk, he leans sideways in your direction and whispers. ‘Thanks Tristan. I was a bit tired of Lancelot talking. He’s been going without pause from the moment we got on the jet.’ It didn’t surprise you in the least. ‘Of course Galahad. Lancelot tends to talk quite a lot; I suspect his favourite sound may be his own voice.’ He snorts. ‘I suspect you might be correct.’ The hallways are silent except for your quiet footsteps and conversation. The distance between the two of you seems to become smaller as you continue walking and talking; until you stop in front of your door. ‘Galahad, thank you for accompanying me.’ You turn to face him and smile. ‘Of course Tristan, it was my pleasure.’ His voice was quiet. The silence between you is tense and Harry seems to slowly be leaning closer as he holds your eye contact. Moments, which feel like hours pass, but he doesn’t make a move. Your noses almost touch when he seems to snap out of a sort of trance and clears his throat, pulling back quickly. ‘Ah Tristan, I should get going. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ As he walks away, you stand frozen in your doorway.

The following morning you watch the sunrise outside, a hot cup of coffee in your hand. It seems no one else is up yet. You’ve left your suit jacket in your room and have your sleeves rolled up, the crisp air touching your form. Behind you, you hear your dog walking and sniffing around. ‘Ares.’ The Doberman walks to your side. ‘Want to go for a walk?’ He barks and you pet him behind his ears. ‘Let’s go.’ You smile and he runs into the field in front of you, with you following calmly. Upon your return, you’re greeted by Merlin, who looks to have woken up not too long ago. ‘Morning Tristan.’ Ares excitedly runs up to the Scot. ‘Morning to you too Ares.’ He puts down his coffee and pets the dog with both his hands. ‘You’ve got an awful lot of energy today, haven’t you?’ ‘He really does, he’s been running around for over an hour already.’ You laugh. ‘I’ll bring Albion to play with him later today.’ He takes a sip of his coffee. ‘I’ll be back momentarily, can you watch Ares for a second?’ He nods. ‘Thanks.’ you say and smile at him. You walk into the kitchen through the open doors. Putting down your cup, you start brewing another cup of coffee. The kitchen is still quiet, but you know that more of the agents that have stayed the night will probably start walking in soon, though it probably won’t be many. Lancelot and Galahad you knew for sure, others you weren’t too certain about. ‘Morning Lancelot.’ You say as you hear the man walk in. ‘Agent Tristan.’ He greets. ‘Want some coffee?’ ‘Yes please.’ The smell of another fresh coffee fills the air. You smile as you hand him a cup. ‘You feeling alright?’ ‘I will once I finish this.’He groans before the two of you clink your cups. ‘See you at the briefing in an hour.’

You spent that hour with Merlin and Ares, mostly in silence. The Doberman is as happy as can be, with the Scot and you taking turns throwing a ball into the field and having the dog return it. It was nice spending time with your uncle like this. Usually you have to be quite serious around him, as you mostly speak to him here, at Kingsman. Now, you can, even if it’s just for a moment, relax and have the relationship you used to have when you were younger and neither of you were a part of the secret service. ‘Uncle Hamish, we should probably get ready for the briefing.’ You say as Ares runs into the distance. He has his eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun. ‘Just five more minutes; Galahad will be late anyway, he seemed a bit off yesterday evening when I saw him.’ That last comment piques your interest, but you decide not to pry. The meeting room was still empty when you walked into it with your uncle. A few minutes pass before, you are joined by Lancelot, who is, once again, talking excitedly. While you don’t necessarily have the energy for him, you stay professional and listen with intent. He is still talking your ears off when Galahad finally arrives, about five minutes late. Despite Merlin having made a comment, it is still quite unusual for him to be late.

‘Glad you could join us, Agent Galahad.’ Merlin calls out from the far end of the room as the other man enters. ‘Terribly sorry for my tardiness.’ Harry excuses himself. ‘Morning Galahad.’ Lancelot greets him, instead you just wave at the agent. Everyone sits in their usual spots, with Galahad across from you and Merlin to your left, though he almost immediately stands up, walking in front of the screen which shows the most vital information related to the mission. Most of the information isn’t new to you, as you’d helped your uncle prepare. Whenever Galahad or Lancelot give additional information, which you hadn’t been able to gain before the meeting, you write it down into the report. Your attention is fully focussed on what everyone is saying, that is until you notice that Galahad’s eyes seem to linger on you a bit longer than usual whenever you make a comment. Eventually, his eyes meet yours. He quickly looks away and focuses on Merlin, who is saying something about the risks which may occur in the future. Yesterday’s mission has likely only slowed down the organisation, meaning that you’d still have to find its core and try to eliminate it. Still, all the new information which has been gained is quite useful. Your gaze reverts back to your laptop screen as you continue typing away.

‘Agent Tristan, could you please explain to these gentlemen what you did to fully disarm and disable the system?’ Merlin’s sudden attention to you surprises you, but you stand up confidently and walk to his side. Galahad’s eyes seem to burn into the back of your head as you do so. ‘So how we did it is -’ Everything goes smoothly as you explain the process thoroughly to the other agents. Hopefully, you’ll be able to join them in the field next time, rather than having to sit and watch from the sidelines to assist them from a distance. You aren’t sure that’ll actually happen however, as it really depends on what kind of mission it’ll be and what is needed of you. After a few minutes, you’re able to sit back down. Neither Lancelot, nor Galahad had any questions, which you assume is probably a good sign. There are only a few more things you need to discuss, with most of them only requiring only a little of your input from time to time, so you silently drink some tea as Lancelot and Merlin talk. Galahad is remarkably silent, only asking a few questions or making comments when he deems it necessary. Usually, he’s more talkative and tends to lead the conversation, but today he seems to have chosen to leave that to Lancelot. As your uncle is saying something about the implications of such an organisation having access to nuclear weapons, you feel another foot hit yours. At first, you ignore it; but when it happens again, you look around. It couldn’t be Merlin or Lancelot, leaving Galahad as the only suspect. You quickly look at his face but he acts as if he’s innocent. When you feel a third tap, you let your eyes meet his. The lines around his eyes crinkle mischievously, while the rest of his face doesn’t seem to change. You tap him back, your oxfords hitting the side of his silently. This time, his eyes do not divert to Merlin or Lancelot, and it almost feels as if you’re the only person in this room with him. The feeling is short lived however, with his gaze shifting away when his name is mentioned by one of the other men. Still, his foot remains in place, connecting the two of you. Despite the intimate gesture, his feelings for you remain unclear.

The meeting comes to an end, you and Galahad act as if nothing happened when you stand up. Everyone leaves the room and as he passes you, he slips a small folded note into your hand. You do not get a chance to read it though, as Merlin immediately starts up a conversation with you as you walk the wing of the mansion where the individual kingsman offices are located. ‘Tristan, could you send me the report after lunch?’ You nod. ‘As long as we’re going on a walk with Ares and Albion after, you know he’s missed you lately, and this morning wasn’t enough to make up for that.’ He laughs. ‘Of course.’ Together, you walk into Merlin’s office, where you quickly discuss the last few details before you leave for your own. There, you work on the report for a bit longer, adding the finishing touches before sending it to Merlin. Ares lays in the corner of your office, playing with one of his toys quietly. The folded piece of paper sits next to your keyboard, still not read. Once you’ve finally finished the report, you grab and slowly unfold it. Galahad’s handwriting is neat, but not delicate.

Tristan,

Meet me in the library at 21:00 tonight.

Yours faithfully,

‘I suppose I’ll go read in the library tonight, Ares.’ You whisper before you put the note into your drawer and motion your dog to follow you to the kitchens to have lunch. He walks at your side when you enter, and calmly waits as you brew tea and make lunch. Once it’s ready, you decide to eat it outside, as the weather is quite nice today and Ares will be able to run around before you go for the walk with Merlin. Half an hour passes before you’re joined by your uncle, who has his dog, Albion, with him. She’s a border collie who is usually quite serious and focused, but gets very excited when she gets to play with Ares. The two of them are best friends, so you and Merlin try to have them meet up and go on a long walk at least once a week. This doesn’t always happen though, as duty calls whenever it does, resulting in having to cancel quite frequently, which happened the past few weeks. Today isn't such a day though, and once you both finish your lunch, the four of you start walking your usual round around the grounds. You and Merlin chat away about anything and everything while Ares and Albion run around together and fetch a tennis ball from time to time. It’s calm and you’re enjoying yourself. It’s always quite nice to spend your time like this. All nice things must come to an end though, and after forty-five minutes of walking, you have to return to work. ‘See you later Tristan.’ Merlin says before walking to his office, taking Albion with him. ‘Later.’ You wave before walking in the opposite direction. Galahad hadn’t been there when you returned from your walk, so you assume he’s at the shop to get a few things in order. It’s probably for the better, as you aren’t sure what you would do if you were to cross him in the hallway right now. He’s constantly giving you mixed signals. Yesterday, he seemed to lean in to kiss you before pulling away suddenly. Today, he almost continuously avoided your gaze, yet wanted to stay connected in some way that wasn’t visible to others, and he wrote you a note telling you to meet him later.

‘Fuck.’

You whisper to yourself. You’re falling for him, hard. You have been for a long time. You always told yourself it was merely a crush, but you’re unable to deny it any longer. This revelation isn’t your biggest problem though. Your biggest problem is whether he would even be interested, as he’s constantly giving those mixed signals. Tonight you’d decide whether you’ll ever act upon your feelings or not. You’d never particularly cared for the kingsman code which prohibits any relationships, though it hasn’t been necessary for you to break it either, as you hadn’t been interested in any relationships in the first place. Kingsman always comes first in your life. This means that you’ve never actually taken the time to think of finding a partner or date around. What you are worried about, is that Galahad is someone that always follows the rules and doesn’t even think about bending, let alone breaking, them. This may be an explanation for him being so hot and cold with you. Still, it’s confusing and worries you. ‘Good afternoon agent Tristan, is everything alright?’ Arthur greeting you pulls you out of your thoughts and you realise you’re standing in front of the door which leads into your office, your hand on the doorknob. You have probably been standing there for a couple of minutes now. Quickly you turn the knob and start walking in. ‘Ah yes Arthur, I was just lost in thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some paperwork to attend to.’ You smile at him before swiftly closing the door once Ares has entered the room as well.

The evening couldn’t come soon enough. Thinking of whatever Galahad could possibly tell you continued racing through your mind the entire afternoon, meaning that you were quite distracted for the most part. Merlin visited you shortly before dinner to discuss the report and what he altered before sending it off to Arthur. While he clearly noticed that you were distracted, he decided against saying anything about it and left. Shortly thereafter, you decided it’d be a good idea to go for another walk with Ares, as it’s a good way of distancing yourself from the setting in which you usually see Galahad. This time, though, the walk lasts for several hours, with the sun starting to set once you start heading back to HQ. When you arrive back at HQ, it’s nearly nine, so you decide to bring the Doberman to your office before heading to the library. Galahad, or Harry which you rarely ever refer to him as, is already there, waiting for you. He turns to face you and smiles when you enter before greeting you. ‘I’m glad you could make it agent Tristan.’ You nod nervously but try to sound casual. ‘Of course, any time, Galahad.’ His eyes look over your form and you do the same. The tension between the two of you is palpable but you try to ignore it as best as you can. For a moment, nothing happens. The both of you stay still, frozen in place. Suddenly Galahad moves again and walks up to you. In a moment of passion, he grabs your face and kisses you deeply. It’s so intense it feels as if he’s bruising your lips. When you don’t move, he starts pulling back. Quickly, you pull him to you once more and kiss back, one of your hands in his hair and the other pulling his tie. The two of you fight for dominance and he pushes you against one of the bookshelves, his left hand now resting on your hip. Eventually, he pulls away and rests his forehead against yours, his eyes still closed. For minutes, the two of you stand like this, silently enjoying each other's presence and closeness. ‘Tristan.’ He whispers. ‘Yes Galahad?’ The man sighs and slowly leaves your embrace. ‘Shit.’ You hear him mutter under his breath. ‘Shit shit shit.’ He backs away, as if he’s only just realised what happened. ‘Galahad, what’s going on?’ ‘I cannot do this Tristan.’ His voice sounds almost desperate. ‘Galahad, what do you mean you cannot do this?’ He doesn’t reply and walks away, leaving you alone in the library.

You didn’t see Galahad the rest of that week and you threw yourself into work, only leaving your office to go out with Ares. If you hadn’t had him, you probably wouldn’t have left your office in the first place. That Friday morning, Merlin comes in unannounced and finds you sleeping with your head on your desk. He wakes you and you slowly sit up straight. Your suit jacket is discarded somewhere in a corner and you look a bit of a mess with your hair all dishevelled. ‘Are you sure you’re feeling alright Tristan? You really shouldn’t be overworking yourself.’ Your uncle asks you, he sounds quite worried. ‘I’m fine Merlin, I promise.’ He sighs. ‘You do not look or act as if you’re fine. What’s going on?’ You just shake your head. ‘It’s nothing really, I’ve just had to catch up on some work. Please don’t fret it.’ ‘We both know that’s a lie, Tristan. You’re always ahead of everyone when it comes to paperwork.’ He stops for a moment. ‘Look, both you and Galahad have been acting off all week and we can’t have that. I don’t know if there’s anything going on between the two of you, but I want you to fix it, especially if it’s affecting you like this.’ His voice is stern. ‘You should go talk to Galahad then, I’m not the guilty one here.’ You stand up for the first time in what feels like years, your knees and back hurting with every move. ‘I don’t have the energy for all this, go talk to him if you want to know more.’ Silently, you usher him out of your office and shut the door behind him. While you love your uncle, you really couldn’t deal with this right now.

The scotch in the corner of your office had been a little too appealing. That combined with the very limited amount of food you’d had over the past few days, made it very easy for you to become drunk. You sit in your chair feeling very sorry for yourself, as you do in such situations. ‘You know Ares, I’ll go talk to that asshole. He kisses me like that and then he avoids me all week. I suppose that’s not very gentlemanly of him.’ Standing up, you feel dizzy and you have to grab a hold of your desk to keep standing. The world seems to be turning and Ares looks to have multiple heads. ‘Fuck.’ You hadn’t realised how badly the scotch had affected you. Still, that didn’t stop you, and you stumble through your office door. The hallway is empty when you enter it, as is usual at this time of night in HQ. Galahad’s office is only a few doors down and you try to walk there as normally as you can. Taking a deep breath, you knock multiple times. When there’s no immediate answer, you knock again, but more loudly. ‘Galahad, I know you’re in there.’ Your voice is loud enough for him to hear on the other side of the door, but not loud enough to wake any of the other kingsmen. Though they probably wouldn’t wake up unless you screamed loudly enough for it to reach the other side of the estate. Moments pass, but the door is eventually opened by the agent. ‘Tristan.’ He greets you solemnly. ‘I need to talk to you, you pretentious asshole.’ The words fall out of your mouth and there is no stopping them. ‘You are no gentleman. You invite someone to talk to them alone after MONTHS, LITERAL MONTHS, of looking at each other longingly and flirting, then kiss them in the way you did and JUST WALK AWAY LIKE THAT?????’ He finally looks up at you and realises the state that you��re in. ‘WHAT IN THE HELLS IS WRONG WITH YOU INCOMPETENT PRICK????’ You jab your finger into his chest. ‘Tristan, you are in no state to discuss this, please go to bed.’ He grabs your hand. ‘YES I AM, I AM A GROWN ADULT THAT CAN MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER.’ ‘Yes you are, but you’re currently incapable of making any good decisions. So, please quiet down before you wake up Mr. Pickle.’ Before you’re able to respond, he grabs you and surprisingly easily throws you over his shoulder. ‘Now, I’ll be escorting you to bed, as you don’t seem to be capable of doing that yourself.’ He completely ignores your protests, which continue for about five minutes before you realise there’s nothing you can do about this situation. He only puts you down when you’re in front of your bedroom door, as he needs you to open it. ‘I’m going to put you down, but please stay quiet. I don’t want you to wake everyone up.’ You nod and mutter to yourself as he puts you down. ‘Still an asshole though.’ He laughs to himself. When you finally have both your feet on the ground again, you’re stable momentarily before you start falling over again. Galahad notices and steadies you by grabbing your shoulders. ‘Careful now, sweetness.’ His lips touch the shell of your ear and you slowly feel yourself going red. You ignore it though, steadying yourself with his help before walking to your door and unlocking it. When you try to open it you almost fall into your own room and so Harry catches you, before the world around you slowly goes dark.

The following morning you wake up in your own bed, not remembering how you got there in the first place. Ares sits next to your bed, looking up at you as you wake. ‘Morning, my boy.’ Your voice sounds more like a groan than anything else. He nudges your arm and softly barks when you eventually sit up. The light hurts your eyes as you look around, so you close your eyes and lay back down. Once you finally open them again, you notice that there’s a glass of water and a pack of paracetamol next to your bed. ‘Who put that there?’ You look at Ares and pet him before taking one of the pills followed by a gulp of water. The headache you have is slowly driving you insane, so hopefully this’ll help. Still, it remains unclear who actually put it there after probably finding you in quite the state. Usually, you could easily hold your liquor, but apparently your body had other plans yesterday. You do realise that you’re still in your clothes from the day before. So, you decide to get out of them and put on something more comfortable before calling Merlin. ‘Morning Merlin.’ Your voice is quite hoarse. ‘Ah Tristan, I was wondering when you’d call.’ He sounds quite amused for some unknown reason. ‘What do you mean?’ The Scot laughs. ‘Well, I got a notification earlier this morning that you’d be out of the office today because you’re ill. Thing is, agent Galahad is the one who notified me, which is a bit odd to be honest.’ You groan. ‘Well he’s right about me not feeling well.’ Slowly, you lay back in your bed. Merlin didn’t talk to you for much longer after that and he remained quite vague about what Galahad had told him about the night before. Despite you desperately wanting to know what had happened the night before, you decided that would be a problem for tomorrow before heading back to sleep.

That night, a knock wakes you from your slumber. You almost jump out of your bed at the sound, scaring Ares a bit. ‘One moment please.’ You shout at the person behind the door before calming your dog. ‘I should take you out for a walk in a few, shouldn’t I? I’m so sorry Ares.’ After whispering that, you stand up and walk to your door. Opening it slowly, you reveal Merlin’s form. ‘Good evening Tristan.’ He smiles. ‘Thought I’d bring you some dinner.’ The tray he’s holding has a plate with a baked potato, some carrots and broccoli, and some beef, accompanied by a large glass of water and a cup of your favourite tea. He walks in once you’ve further opened your door, putting the tray on the small table that stands in the corner of your room. ‘Do sit down.’ His voice is soft. You do so silently, Ares laying down next to you. ‘Thank you.’ Your voice is soft and you start eating your first meal of the day. Merlin sits down across from you. ‘I do hope this was a one time thing, Tristan.’ He sighs and takes off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand. ‘It won’t happen again, sir.’ Your voice can barely be heard from across the table. ‘Look, you’ve been doing flawlessly so far, so getting drunk and insulting go Galahad isn’t something that’ll affect you or your career in any way. It can, however, have an effect on how well you’re able to work with him in the foreseeable future.’ Your eyes don’t meet his. ‘Now that I’ve scolded you for getting drunk and acting in the way you did, I would like to know why. Harry hasn’t wanted to tell me anything and I’m against just checking your glasses if I can ask you.’ Your plate is only half finished but you’re already full and you put down your cutlery. ‘I’m not sure you want to know.’ Leaning back, you make yourself more comfortable in your chair. ‘Galahad has really said nothing?’ He shakes his head. ‘Well then, I suppose I’ll tell you what’s going on; under the condition that this will strictly stay between the two of us. Not even Galahad can know.’ ‘Why are you being so secretive about this?’ He enquires. ‘You’ll understand once you hear the full story. Now do you promise?’ You hold out your hand with your pinky ready for him to intertwine with. And he does. ‘I promise.’ A smile creeps onto your face. This is something you’d always done with him when it comes to promises, starting when you were just a little kid. ‘So, as you may have noticed the past few weeks, there’s been some tension between me and Galahad, or Harry.’ You start. ‘But this has been an underlying issue for years now -‘

That night Merlin listened as you talked about how the situation between you and Galahad had unfolded over the past few years and more in detail about the past week or two. Understandably, it was quite a bit for him to take in, and at first he wasn’t certain how to feel or respond. If you hadn’t been who you are to him, he would’ve been fine with it. But with the familial ties you have, and the fact that he and Galahad are best friends, made him hesitate. Yet, he promises to keep quiet and have you and the other man resolve it by yourselves. He would, however, urge his friend to do so if the issue isn’t resolved within a week, meaning that you’ll have to hurry up when it comes to talking things out. He did make clear that he isn’t against you having a relationship with the older man, his tone may have even been slightly supportive, which was somewhat unexpected.

The next time you finally see Harry it’s Sunday. Exactly three days since you’d last seen him and had had the drunken encounter. There you stood, in front of his apartment, your heart pounding in your throat. He’d been at the shop the past few days while you were at the mansion. Merlin was quite convinced that Galahad was, in fact, avoiding you, so he’d suggested you go visit him that evening. Well, suggested was quite a loose term in this case. It was more that Merlin just dropped you off here and told you to ‘Go ahead and talk it out’. Obviously, this was his way of forcing you to do so, as he is quite sick of having the two of you avoiding each other.

Finally, you ring the doorbell and you stand there waiting nervously for Galahad to answer. He does after a few minutes and the confusion is quite evident on his face. When he doesn’t say anything, you start talking. ‘Sorry to bother you Galahad, but Merlin’s dropped me off so we can talk things out.’ You smile sheepishly and he sighs before letting you in. You have never been inside his home before, so you look around curiously as he leads you into his kitchen. He was wearing his usual attire, save for the glasses. Apparently, he had been cooking dinner when you rang his doorbell. As you look around the room, not moving, he clears his throat. ‘Would you like to join me for dinner Tristan?’ The question is logical, yet you aren’t certain whether he actually wants you to join or if he’s asking it out of obligation. You’re hoping it’s the former rather than the latter. ‘If you don’t mind. Otherwise we can talk and then I’ll leave, I don’t wish to intrude Galahad.’ He motions you to sit down. ‘I would love for you to join me, I’m almost finished cooking dinner anyway, so do feel free to have a seat.’ When you do so, he turns around to face the stove once again before finishing dinner. It is a simple yet delicious meal, and you appreciate the gesture of him inviting you to join him. It is mostly spent in silence, save for a few comments appreciating his skill, or talking about the goings on at the shop and HQ.

After dinner, Harry offers you a cup of tea before pouring one for himself and sitting down across from you. It is silent for a few minutes before he finally speaks again. ‘I would like to apologise.’ His voice is soft. ‘I should’ve handled this situation differently and not have run away in the way I did.’ As he says this, his eyes divert. ‘It is just that I was, and still am, quite uncertain of how to go about this. I do not wish to hurt you, but in my attempt to do so I did the opposite of what I had intended. I thought you were too pure, too kind. You’re too sweet, too sweet for a bitter man like me. Yet here I am, madly in love with you and confessing my feelings.’ When he finishes talking he looks you in the eye once more. There’s emotion in them, seemingly a mix of sadness and regret. ‘Galahad, I don’t know what to say.’ You pause. ‘I understand why you may have hesitated to approach me in the way you did, however, I am quite confused as to why you ran away so suddenly. You are the one that made the initial move and I never approached you because you were likely to have reservations about breaking kingsman code, yet you gave me hope by inviting me to the library to talk. And for a moment, when you kissed me, I thought we could be together, even if it was just for a moment.’ Slowly, you stand up from your chair. Putting down your cup of tea in the process. ‘Then you went ahead and ripped my heart out by walking away like that. As if I mean nothing to you, as if you weren’t the one that made the first move.’ You raise your voice a bit, but try to stay calm. Following your example, he stands up as well and starts walking towards you. ‘I truly am sorry but it is up to you whether or not you forgive me.’ He looks down into your eyes. ‘What will happen if I forgive you, Harry?’ The two of you are almost touching each other, only a few centimetres between your faces. ‘I shall take you on a date and be your partner. That is, if you’ll have me.’ Rather than answering him with words, you pull his tie and kiss him passionately.

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snnrinc · 1 year

Text

Free Falling For You

— PAIRING : Hawks/Keigo Takami x GN!Reader

— WARNINGS : SFW, slow burn/mutual pining, (mostly) fluff, acrophobia (fear of heights) aka reader is scared of heights/falling and has a panic attack, but Hawks is there for comfort and exposure therapy.

• — EXCERPT : You were silent for a few seconds before you let out another awkward laugh. "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I've always dreamed of having a quirk that allows me to fly."

"Really? With your fear of heights?"

You bashfully covered your face for a second before letting it fall next to your head. "Yeah. When I was younger, I was always jealous of others who have quirks like that, especially since... well, I have no quirk. I used to fly kites as a kid and imagine what it would be like to be so high up instead," you stared up at the sky, a calm smile stretching on your lips. You followed the movement of the billowing clouds floating in the sky and the way the rays of sun fell through their openings. The shadows and colours casted on their surface made them seem like mountains of smoke, and for a moment you imagined what it would be like to fly through them and touch them. Would they be cold? Would the water in them make your clothes wet? Would the air be too thin to breathe?

Would you feel as free as you imagined?

Hawks never moved his eyes from your face. The dreamy look you had made his lips turn up at the corners in a phantom smile, barely there but still enough for the warmth to reach his eyes. His thumb unconsciously rubbed the back of your hand and made you look at him, still beaming.

"I can take you flying."

— WORD COUNT : 5.3k

You turned yet another page from the file you were carefully examining, sighing when you saw the lines of information you still had to go though and input into your computer. Putting the file down, you opened an excel sheet to check if the information matched, bringing a hand to your temple and leaning your elbow on your desk once you realised the dataset was incomplete.

Your eyes scanned over the document, trying to measure the amount of damage done to your workload and to mentally calculate just how long you'd have to work overtime to fix everything. Frustrated, you took the file from next to your keyboard and slammed it further away, near the edge of your desk, almost knocking over the drink that was being placed on the surface right at that moment. The person holding it had good enough reflexes to pull back their hand just in time to dodge the paperwork.

"Whoa," a voice called out, the drink now placed at a safe distance from your huffing form, just barely enough to reach it comfortably without accidentally spilling it. "What's got you so worked up?"

You sighed heavily once again and threw your hands up. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with these?!" you started, indignant, and pointed towards your computer screen. "There's missing data, the names right here are spelled wrong and couldn't be recognised by the system, and the information in the report I was given was not triangulated properly, so now I have to spend time searching the archive for the correct information!"

"What a bother," the person beside you nonchalantly remarked before you heard them slurp their own drink unperturbed.

You turned your unamused face to stare at the hero beside you, who was looking at you from behind the rim of his hot drink, almost seemingly waiting for your retort.

"Did you just come here to annoy me, Hawks?"

He shrugged. "I happen to work here, too. And I have a coworker that is constantly on the verge of a work-induced coma, so I figured some coffee would keep you alive."

You slumped your shoulders, defeated, and reached out for your drink from beyond the files spread out in front of you, taking a sip of your own and allowing the warm liquid to calm you down before the caffeine kicked in.

You closed your eyes and relished in the bittersweet taste of your beverage, eternally grateful that Hawks would regularly come by your desk to visit you and occasionally bring you something to drink or snack on. In the time you'd been working for the Commission after finishing your studies, you'd grown quite close to the pro hero, considering him one of your best work friends. The feeling always seemed to be mutual, what with Hawks constantly hanging around you while at the office to cure his boredom and your stress through your little inside jokes and playful banter.

He was just as grateful for your relationship as you were. Despite often keeping it professional, his time with you at work felt like a breath of fresh air. A busy pro hero such as himself, who was constantly bombarded with attention from reporters and fans any time he was not on field, was thankful to have coworkers that knew to mind their own business like you. You were always too focused on your work to care about frivolous things such as being in close proximity to one of the country's most popular heroes, and he was always too laid-back for you to take seriously, so it wasn't long before any joke or comment he made bounced right back from you. Frankly, being in each others presence was as relaxing as it was entertaining.

But right now you felt like neither of those.

"I am at my fucking limit," you mused aloud while mindlessly staring at the paperwork you still had to go through.

"Alright!" the hero beside you exclaimed in a chipper voice and placed his cup down on your desk. "Sounds like what you need is a break."

"I can't take my break now, I'll have to work overtime so I'll take it later."

"When's your deadline?"

"Um, a week from now, I think?" you opened your calendar to check and sighed. "Yeah, I have a meeting with the big bosses in like eight days. I can't slack off now."

"You call that slacking off, I call it making sure you don't pass out from a lack of sleep. I'm willing to bet you slept only three hours last night – as usual, might I add – from how dead inside you look."

"Four, actually."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Oh, excuse me, you're right. That's definitely enough sleep to function normally."

You clicked your tongue at his sarcastic comment. "I am functioning normally, especially now that my best friend in this place was kind enough to bring me coffee."

You mustered up your most toothachingly sweet smile as you fluttered your lashes at the man before both of you chuckled.

"Well, your best friend is going to take you out of this place. Who else would entertain me here if you pass away from being overworked?"

"Don't you, like, have a super busy schedule, being a hero and all?" you moved the bottom of the cup around in a circular motion. "You're barely at the office. I'd assume you get enough entertainment on the field."

He scrunched his nose. "I wouldn't call that entertainment, but yeah, I'm not always around. But it's boring and depressing when you're not here, so I'd rather not have you take sick leave."

You smirked and leaned back in your chair, shrugging your shoulders. "What can I say, I'm just a treat to be around."

"Yeah, when you don't look like you'll kill anyone who approaches you when you work. I thought I was done for for a second there." You rolled your eyes and he laughed at your reaction, before placing his hand on your shoulder in a friendly gesture, patting it softly. "Then let's go already."

"Go where?"

"On your break!"

"I told you I can't-"

"And I told you I'm not going to let you overwork yourself. C'mon, pack your things."

"But if I go then they will-"

"Then they'll know you're with me on a mission," he was dodging your protests with ease, already neatly closing the open folders from your desk and grabbing the coat that was hanging from the back of your chair.

"That's so stupid, I'm not a hero, I don't do field work!"

"Then we'll call it research." When you made no attempt to move from your seat as he turned to walk towards the exit, he halted his movements, looking at you and sighing. Your arms were crossed over your chest and the look in your eyes was almost admonishing. "You're entitled to your break, y'know? There's nothing they can do about it."

"If I stop now, I won't have any motivation to continue later."

"That's a poor excuse and you know it. Now let's go."

"Why do we need to go somewhere? I can take my break here."

His eyes narrowed. "Are you taking me for a fool? You know I'm technically your boss, right?"

You let out an amused huff and let your arms uncross, body moving forward so you could rest your elbows on the desk. "Don't give me that. If you're my boss, then give me a raise and I'll stop complaining."

Ultimately surrendering, you logged off from your computer and stood up, stretching the pain out of your lower back before you stepped towards the hero. As you were taking your coat from his arm, he brought his free hand to his chin in mock contemplation, an exaggerated deep in thought expression spreading on his face to your amusement.

"Hmm, I dunno," he mused, tapping his chin, "you don't seem to follow instructions from management very well. Maybe if you'd show a little respect and listened to me from time to time, I'd be generous enough to consider your request for a higher salary." You laughed shortly and playfully smacked his arm with the sleeve of your coat as you were putting it on. "Ow! Yet another display of insubordination added to the list. Keep it up and I might not give you that raise."

"Whatever, boss."

You both started walking towards the exit of your office, with you enjoying finally being out of the chair that was the cause for all your back and leg pains, and him enjoying your laughter at his antics. You didn't notice the way his eyes lingered on you as you smiled and softly leaned into him to bump your shoulder into his, nor the way his own grin widened at the contact. He was first to finally break the short-lived silence.

"So, where to?"

"I'm not sure. Somewhere peaceful and quiet would be really nice. I'm not in the mood to be around people right now."

"So... Where to?" he urged again.

You thought for a second, then turned towards the hero. "Where do you usually go when you want to relax?"

"I don't find this relaxing in the slightest, Hawks!"

Your panicked voice was only met with a carefree laugh. You would've turned towards the man to shoot a flaming glare at him, had you not been too preoccupied steadying your breathing and gripping Hawks' arm with enough force that he was sure you'd leave bruises on his skin.

Sitting on the ledge of a 30 story building was not what you had in mind when you thought of a quiet place away from people where you could spend your break, but now that you were here, looking at the view of the city in front of you — or rather, below you — you realised you asked the worst possible person to suggest a location.

The one who could fly.

Gripping the hero's arm close to your body, you registered his other arm was still snaked around your waist from where he placed it when he suddenly flew you both to the top of the building. But it did not ease your worries when the dizzying view of the far away ground seemed to keep on getting further and further away, your vision darkening and shapes and colours melding together into a kaleidoscope. Your hands started trembling, and soon the shiver crawled up your arms and cracked down your entire body like a thunderbolt. And even in such a state of panic, you didn't allow yourself to close your eyes to block the terrifying image, but instead you kept them wide open, senses forced into overdrive with only one thought flooding your mind.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

"Hey," the sound of his voice barely registered through the deafening sound of your blood thumping in your ears. A particularly heavy breeze brushed past you and made you yelp. Your entire body jolted when you felt yourself inching closer to what you thought was the imminent fall to your death, and his grip on you tightened when your breathing started coming out in heavy gasps. "Hey," he repeated, a bit more forcefully this time to get your attention. The hand you were holding onto carefully went up to your chin and moved it towards him softly so you could focus on him and not the view before you, causing you to press your body closer to his own in an attempt to maintain at least a semblance of stability. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm here. Breathe."

You listened to his soft command and mimicked his breathing pattern.

Inhale.

One, two, three...

Exhale.

Your shaky breaths mingled with his own from how close you were. After what felt like a few minutes, when your breathing evened out, you stared into his eyes, waiting for your heart to cease its restless thumping against your ribcage. He stared back at you, softly, his brows furrowed in worry. When he felt the shaking in your hands dissipate a bit and your eyes clear from the cloud of fear that was shadowing them, he pulled you over the ledge so you could sit comfortably on the flat roof of the building, never letting go of you.

"I won't let you fall," he reassured you.

You let out a half-hearted laugh. "I know, I'm sorry. I never reacted like this before. I don't know what happened."

"No, I should apologize, I didn't realise you were this scared of heights," you could see the guilt swirl in his eyes. "I just... Your office is on the top floor and I always see you at the window looking at the city. I assumed you'd be comfortable."

It was your turn to reassure the man. With a smile and a pat on his shoulder, you spoke: "It's okay, Hawks, really. You couldn't have known. I mean, when I said peaceful and quiet, I expected a secluded garden or something. I should've expected this to be a relaxing place for someone who can fly, so it's partly my fault."

"I'll take you back down," he moved to stand up but you caught his sleeve, half out of panic and the other out of impulse.

"No no, it's okay! We can stay here. Now that I'm not looking down, it really is peaceful."

He hesitated, eyes focused on you, searching for any hint of discomfort. But when he saw you lay down and stare at the sky calmly, he sunk slowly to the floor beside you. You stood in silence for a few moments before you got uncomfortable with how his eyes were seemingly boring holes into you, so you turned your head to the side to meet his stare.

"You seem more scared than I am," you said with a smirk. "I'm really fine. I'm with the one hero who can save me if I ever fall, after all."

"Your hands are still shaking."

Amusement disappeared from your face when you realised he could see right through you. Before you could come up with a good enough excuse, his hand slipped into yours, holding onto it tight and gazing at you with a serious look. You became acutely aware of how your hands were indeed still shaking in his grip, your heart pounding against your chest, and you were unsure if it was a remnant of your fear still surging through your body like an undercurrent or a result of his touch and intense stare.

Swallowing a lump in your throat, you willed yourself to look away, back at the clouds on the sky.

"Why are you forcing yourself to stay here if you're uncomfortable?" he spoke again. "We can always go to a different place for your break."

You laughed awkwardly. "This is going to sound weird, but um... I actually like heights, even though I'm scared of them." When you were met with silence, you turned your head towards him again, only to find him frowning in confusion, his eyes quietly asking if you're being serious. You sighed. "I know it sounds stupid, but heights are a lot less intimidating when there's some surface separating me from a free fall. Like the windows at the office."

"So you're telling me," he gestured in your general direction with his free hand, "you're just a walking paradox?"

"Sort of, yeah," you shrugged. You were silent for a few seconds before you let out another awkward laugh. "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I've always dreamed of having a quirk that allows me to fly."

"Really? With your fear of heights?"

Would you feel as free as you imagined?

"I can take you flying."

Your expression slowly morphed into a surprised one, and Hawks caught himself after realising he spoke without thinking first. This time, he finally broke eye contact and looked up at the sky.

"I mean, I know you're scared and all, I don't want to make that worse. But y'know, in the future, if you ever feel comfortable, I could..."

He trailed off, worried that if he kept talking he'd end up spouting something stupid. You smiled softly and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you, but I wouldn't wanna use you as my personal jetpack. Besides, you don't have to deal with my fear of heights or anything. I'd be the worst passenger ever."

"I wouldn't mind."

He turned his head towards you and the way he looked at you, so tender and honest, had your breath catch in your throat. Had he ever looked at you like this before? You weren't sure, but you couldn't deny the way it made your heart flutter just a bit faster.

You swallowed thickly. "I'm sure you're too busy for that."

"I'm never too busy for you."

The warmth forming in your chest spread throughout your body and you felt your hand twitch in his grip. His sharp eyes never left yours and you suddenly felt self-conscious under his scrutiny. You stared back at how the gentle wind blew through his hair and feathers, entranced with the way he looked when the sun casted a warm ray on his face, making his golden eyes glow in the light.

With rationality steadily slipping from you, you settled for the simplest answer.

"Okay."

His eyes softened and his face lit up with a boyish grin. "Great! Don't worry, we'll start slow and get over your fear of heights together."

"Thank you, Hawks," you smiled back at him.

You two stared at each other, beaming, for a long moment, before your alarm suddenly startled you. You pulled your phone out of your pocket and stopped it, sighing as you let your hand rest against your chest.

"That's my cue to get back to work."

He pushed himself up from the ground and pulled you to him, his arm back around your waist securely. It was a way to reassure you that you were safe, but to you it felt a lot more intimate than that.

"I'll take you back to the office," he stated, then paused for a second. "I think it's safer if we take the stairs this time."

It had been three and a half months since you started "training" with Hawks.

Three and a half months of the hero visiting you daily, either on your breaks or after your shift finished and he was not on patrol. In this time, he'd somehow managed to find a way to fit — in his already tight schedule — at least 10 minutes of meeting you daily to slowly help you overcome your fear. Each day that passed, the altitude at which he'd take you got higher and higher, keeping up with his promise of not pushing your boundaries too hard and constantly reassuring you that you were in safe hands. He was always a calm and laid back presence on the backdrop of a stressful situation, which constantly reminded you why he was a pro hero.

You, on the other hand, were positively losing your mind.

Not because each day you were facing small doses of your fear, anticipating the ground to move from under your feet as you rose into the air — after the first few weeks, you'd gotten accustomed to the feeling.

But because each day you were anticipating meeting him, holding him, listening to his soft words of reassurance whispered so close to your ear that you could feel his breath fan the side of your face from the proximity. Your bodies were always pressed so close together once you took off from the ground, his arms wrapped tightly around you to keep you safe.

It was becoming too much to handle. At this point, you didn't even know if the adrenaline pumping through your veins was from being exposed to your biggest fear daily, or from getting to spend even more time with Hawks than you normally would. Be even closer to him than you normally would.

Alas, today you had no time to ruminate over your crush on your coworker/boss. Because...

"Today is the day!"

You were back on the roof of the tallest building in the city. Except this time, you had a lot more control over your feelings, to the point that you were able to stand on your own two feet on the edge of the roof without having a mental breakdown, albeit still holding onto Hawks.

The man next to you definitely seemed a lot more excited about the situation than you were. He looked at you with a beaming smile and you almost felt your knees go weak, before your muscles tensed. You were too high up to fall now.

"Yeah, I guess so..." you answered, adjusting the visor Hawks gave you to sit comfortably on the bridge of your nose.

His smile faltered for a second. "Do you want to stop?"

"Hell no, we didn't work so hard for this to stop now."

"I don't know, you seem unsure..."

His eyebrows knitted together in a concerned look. He suddenly felt very selfish in the way he had been handling your fear of heights and, most importantly, your curiosity towards flying. Part of him jumped for joy the moment that you told him you had a passion for flying, excited that he had the opportunity not only to get closer to you and spend more time with you, but also to share a part of himself with you without compromising his professional life or yours.

But now, another part of him wanted to slap the first one upside the head for getting ahead of himself.

Sensing his restlessness in the way his hand gripped yours a little tighter, you turned towards him fully, a determined look on your face.

"Hawks, you've helped me a lot these past few months. I'm not letting it go to waste. I've dreamt of this for too long to back out now just because I'm scared." You squeezed his hand back and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm a lot braver than I look, especially with you by my side."

Relieved, the corners of his mouth lifted back up into a smirk, his eyes narrowing and the arm snaked around you pulling you even closer to his body.

"Then you better hold on tight, dove."

You had no time to even comprehend the name he called you before his wings raised then dropped quickly, catching enough wind to push both of you off the edge of the building. You let out a small scream of surprise, your arms moving to lock tightly around his neck as his beating wings brought you higher into the sky.

Your eyes were screwed shut, unable to force yourself to open them for fear that the control you had over yourself would slip out of your fingers and undo months worth of progress. Your mind was racing, muscles tense and hands clenching so tight the skin on your knuckles started to hurt as your nails dug into your palm.

Before your thoughts could slip into panic, you felt Hawks slow down his ascend and press his cheek into the side of your head.

"It's alright, I got you. I won't let you fall."

You gulped down the worry that was blocking your throat, his reassurance and the grip he had on you finally enough to urge you to open your eyes. You didn't look around. Instead, you moved to focus on his face and the soft smile he sent your way when you looked at him. The way his eyes lit up with warmth almost seemed like he was proud of how brave you were in that moment.

"There you are," he cooed. You gave him a smile in return. "How're you feeling?"

"A little cold, to be honest," you answered.

"I'd give you my jacket but it's hard to maneuver it off while flying," he moved one hand carefully to pull you closer into him, burying you in his chest so he could drape the sides of his jacket over you as much as possible. You felt how he started moving again, a slow stride through the air to get you accustomed. "Do you wanna look down?"

You turned your head to the side and realised just how high up you were. A shaky breath fell through your lips as you looked around. Worried, Hawks watched your expressions carefully, searching for any sign of fear. But when your mouth curled into an excited grin at how close you were to the clouds, it boosted his confidence enough to start drifting through the air more comfortably, his wings spread out to their full span as he took in your awestruck expression. He couldn't help but feel his heart warm up at the sight, how adorable you looked enjoying something so fundamental for him. He was glad he could share a piece of himself with you that you welcomed with open arms despite your fear, happy to make your dream come true and to have you enter a space that was once just his own little bubble, his own escape, the place he went to when he needed to get away from everything and just exist. Up here, soaring through the sky, the world seemed so far away and insignificant. Here, there was no hero, no Hawks, no celebrity that gets recognised at every street corner, no crisis he had to deal with.

There was just him.

And now, the picture was complete with you.

Your smile was brighter than the sunrays diving through the clouds, your laughter sweet like honey, and he couldn't help but echo your giggles with his own. You made every shade of colour pop out and every sound the wind brought to him become melodious.

"We are flying!" you yelled out in child-like glee, and despite the strong hold you still had on him out of anxiety, your worries started to melt away and flow into the wind like tiny droplets of rain on a spring day. You heard Hawks laugh from next to your ear and it only fuelled your joy even more.

The feeling of freedom coursing through you was unlike any other. No amount of closing your eyes while sitting on a park bench when a breeze hits you just right, imagining what soaring through the sky would be like, could ever compare to the real thing.

Like a child in a candy store, you started pointing out what you found most interesting: the way a cloud looked like a giant dragon ascending from a mountain, the way some birds would pass by you or fly alongside you, the way you could make out your office building and how tiny the cars looked. Up here, away from the world, everything seemed magical.

After a while, your joy settled into silent wonder, opting to listen to the wind blow through Hawks' feathers while admiring the view of the city below you. Although still buzzing with excitement and unrest, the comfortable silence between you was calming, soothing your worries. Without realising, you leaned your head on his and sighed in content, his heart jumping in his chest at how close your face was to his.

Much too soon, the sun began to set and Hawks returned you to the spot atop the building where you left from. Once your feet touched the ground and Hawks let you go, your knees turned to jelly from the adrenaline now draining from your body and the hero hooked an arm around you to stop you from stumbling.

"Are you okay?" he asked in worry, but his concern was silenced when you dug your hands into his collar and pulled him in for a kiss, your lips pressing into his like it was both the first and the last time you'd ever have a chance to kiss him.

You pushed yourself off of him too soon for his liking, a look of surprise dawning on your face at your actions. You opened your mouth to speak, but any word of apology and excuse that begged to leave your chest died behind the lump rapidly forming in your throat.

His eyes were on you, focused on the way your lips parted, and before you could even begin to formulate an intelligible sentence, the arm that was still hooked around you pulled you flush against him, his free hand climbing up to rest on the side of your face as he leaned in for another kiss, this time slower, savouring every breath you'd take in and every movement of your lips against his. He let himself go, wings unfurling and moving to rest around you as he poured into your lungs every last drop of yearning he'd been bottling up since you became friends.

Friends. How he'd come to hate that word and adore it at the same time. It meant he could be close to you, hear you sprinkle little details about yourself and your mundane life in between sips of coffee on your break, see the way your stressed and tired expression lit up when he'd bring you a snack and try to sneak you away on an extra break, hear the way you laugh at one of his jokes and softly slap his shoulder in amusement.

But it was never enough to pacify the urge to get even closer, to burrow in your bones and your soul and hide there for the rest of his life. Instead, he settled for a limbo that was also his own personal haven when everything else got overwhelming.

But this time, you didn't pull away. Instead you melted into him, revelling in his warmth, the smell of the crisp wind still fresh on his clothes and the softness of his lips making you feel like your head was spinning and your body caught fire. After what felt like minutes, you both pulled away just enough to catch your breaths, noses and lips still touching. He smiled, soft eyes looking at you like you were the only person in the world.

He rubbed his nose softly against yours. "Guess I should take you flying more often, huh?"

You gave him an dazed smile and chuckled. "I'd love that. It was the coolest thing I've ever done." You leaned back to look at him fully, excitement once again evident on your face as you started ranting about everything you liked about what you just experienced. Hawks smiled and laughed alongside you. He loved seeing you this happy, and in that moment he made a promise to himself to do anything to keep that beautiful smile on your face.

After all, he promised he wouldn't let you fall.

He never promised he wouldn't fall for you instead.

#bnha x reader #mha x reader #hawks x reader #keigo takami x reader #bnha hawks #bnha keigo takami #this is really not my best work #but it's been gathering dust in my drafts for a while

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purpleqilinwrites · 6 months

Text

when summer comes.

a/n: "i am a passenger princess ushijima enjoyer," i say (hewwo, i'm kaija, adult, never learned how to drive).

fandom: haikyuu!!

character: ushijima wakatoshi

genre: fluff

info: established relationship (ushijima is your boyfriend); post-time skip

warnings: -

synopsis: ushijima promises to take you to paris in the summer.

word count: 0.8k

fluff-vember prompt: holiday

fluff-vember 2023 masterlist is here.

Ushijima Wakatoshi

The car would seem too quiet once you dropped Tendou off at a train station a few stops down from his hotel.

You had insisted on driving him the whole way, but he simply wiggled his eyebrows and threw finger guns at you and Ushijima after accepting the ride and getting in your rental car. Something about "not wanting to third wheel", which you had also insisted he wouldn't be. You enjoyed having him around, and it was apparent your boyfriend did too.

Tendou flew in from Paris without his partner, since they couldn't take the time off from work for it. Consequently, he also attended the Shiratorizawa Academy reunion party alone. It gave you the opportunity to get to know your boyfriend's best friend better, which you appreciated, but you would've felt less awkward with Ushijima if Tendou's partner had been beside him.

Tendou exited the car in such a rush that you were suddenly concerned that you'd been driving too slowly. He flashed his phone screen to you, as if he could read your thoughts, and you saw that his partner was calling. You stepped out of the car to see him off, since Ushijima was already waiting on the sidewalk.

Standing beside your boyfriend, you watched Tendou cross the street and practically fly into the train station.

Maybe he wanted to get a head start on showing them a bit about the city he grew up in. At the party, you had heard him telling Ushijima that he was going to film himself eating around Sendai for them while he was here, which you thought was so sweet. The next time Ushijima flew somewhere without you – which would be soon, when game season began – you'd make sure to ask him to take some videos to go along with the pictures of his day that he sent you.

You've been standing outside in the cold for a while, feeling a chill come over you as a signal of the time. As if sensing your discomfort, Ushijima removed his coat to drape it over your shoulders. You pulled it tighter around you after you gave him your thanks.

"Should we get going?" he asked, even if he made no move to leave his spot beside you, resting on a guard rail outside the train station where the two of you had seen Tendou off.

"I thought it would've been nice to see Tendou-kun's partner in person," you said, instead, closing the uppermost button on Ushijima's coat under your chin so that it would stay put around your shoulders, even with the wind. "We could've had a café double date."

He hummed as a means of agreement, leaning closer to you to share his warmth. "Satori would have liked that," he said. "He has excellent taste in pastries. You would enjoy coffee tasting with his partner, too."

The wind tumbled past the train station before you could respond, reminding you to get back in the car and away from the clutch of winter. Without brushing your hair out of your eyes, you immediately turned to nuzzle your face into Ushijima's chest to warm your nose and cheeks.

"Okay, we can go now." Your voice was muffled by his shirt, which was far too thin for the weather. Once again, you marvelled at Ushijima's superhuman heat-generating and cold-resisting ability, much more in awe than you were jealous. It would've definitely freed up a lot of room in your luggage if you didn't get cold as easily as you did.

Pulling away from him and instantly mourning the loss of his warmth, you stretched out your hand for him to hold for the short walk back to the car. Ushijima took your hand and pulled your arm around his waist so that you could continue to use him to stay warm. "I don't want you to get cold," he said, smoothing your wind-tousled hair down and tucking the longer strands behind your ears.

"You spoil me." You gave him an appreciative squeeze as you started down the length of the train station, smiling. He put his own arm around you and returned the gesture, easily matching your steps.

"We can visit Satori and his partner in Paris in the summer," Ushijima said, as he held the door open for you. You paused in your attempt to get in the car, before you righted your posture and stood up straight beside the driver's seat. He repeated himself, giving you time to absorb what he was saying. The smile on your face only grew when his offer set in.

You put your hand on his arm, relishing the way he was solid under your palm. That you weren't dreaming. "That sounds amazing, Toshi," you said. "It won't clash with anything on your schedule?"

Ushijima shook his head, giving you a small smile of his own. "I have time in the late summer."

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #haikyuu!! scenarios #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x reader #ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #drabble #fluff #event: fluff-vember 2023 #kaija writes #kaija writes: haikyuu!!#i had a small obsession with this man when i first encountered him #ushijima is my hq!! comfort person #i have Thoughts and Feelings about this #but perhaps i'll save it for another day hahaha

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kybercrystals94 · 30 days

Text

The Last Time

Read here on Ao3!

Angstpril 2024 | Day 30 | Prompt 30: The Last Time

Rated: G | Words: 1562 | Summary: “...it was the last time…” | Character Focus: Hunter, Tech, Crosshair, Wrecker, Echo

“Are you awake?” Tech’s voice asks, right at the edge of Hunter’s bunk.

Hunter doesn’t know how anyone can sleep with the hurricane raging outside the walls. It sounds like the entire city might topple under the weight of its rampant fury. Not that Hunter’s scared. His blanket is only pulled up over his head because the flashes of lightning burn his eyes. But the thin blanket does not protect his frayed senses from the bone rattling thunder and the constant barrage of torrential rain lashing against the walls and windows.

“I’m awake,” Hunter says, voice muffled into his fabric sanctuary.

The edge of his mattress dips as Tech sits down next to him. “Excellent. Would you like to see the weather radar I have accessed?”

No, Hunter thinks, but he hears the slight tremble in his brother’s voice. With a sigh, he leaves the small comfort of his makeshift barrier and sits up. “Sure, Tech.”

It is the middle of their sleep cycle. Their barracks should be dark, but the incessant lightning keeps the room lit with a flickering, white light. Tech does not wait for further invitation before he scrambles the rest of the way into Hunter’s bunk, putting himself between Hunter and the wall. He props his data pad between them, the screen a mass of twisting colors. “We are here,” Tech says, pointing to a tiny blip amongst the chaos.

“What do the different colors mean?” Hunter asks. He already knows. Reading weather maps is a basic part of their training; however, he also knows that Tech finds comfort in over-explaining even the most rudimentary facts.

Hunter becomes so engrossed in the rambled explanation of weather patterns, that he doesn’t notice the shadow prowling across the room until it speaks almost directly into his ear. “What are you doing?”

Hunter won’t admit if his nerves also leapt bodily in surprise, but Tech startles, the small jerk of motion jarring against Hunter’s side.

Crosshair stands there, arms crossed tightly over his chest, shoulders hiked just a little towards his ears, waiting for an answer.

“Tech’s showing me his weather map,” Hunter says.

Crosshair shifts his weight, sharp eyes cutting away. “I want to see when this karking storm is gonna end,” he mumbles. Like Tech, he does not wait for an invitation to clamber into the bunk. Crosshair puts himself between Tech and the wall. Hunter shifts a little to make more room, Tech tucked snugly in the middle.

Tech starts his explanation all over again, moving the data pad to rest in his lap so that all three of them can see.

“Hey!” an indignant shout comes from across the room. There’s a loud thump, the thudding of feet running across the room. Wrecker looms over Hunter’s crowded bunk, blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a cape. “No one told me we were sharing a bunk tonight. I don’t want to be alone either!”

“We aren’t sharing a bunk,” Tech corrects him, “I am showing Hunter and Crosshair the storm’s progress on my radar.”

Wrecker grins. “Then I want to see too!”

He dives into the bunk amidst shouts of protest, wedging himself into the nonexistent space between Crosshair and the wall. Hunter is nearly shoved out of his own bed, clinging to Tech’s arm to keep himself from toppling to the floor.

“We can’t all fit!” Crosshair squawks.

“Yes, we can!” Wrecker says, sounding all too pleased with himself.

“Wrecker,” Crosshair wheezes, “your elbow is digging into my ribs.”

“Oh, sorry,” Wrecker says.

Another pause.

“Wrecker, your elbow is still digging into my ribs.”

“I know, but I’m really comfortable,” Wrecker sighs.

Tech huffs. “At least one of us is.”

Hunter is halfway off the bunk. “We can make this work,” he says, “but not like this.” He drops to the floor and stands up.

“How?” Crosshair asks.

“Sideways,” Hunter says. “Now move.”

“We’re too tall to fit sideways,” Tech points out.

“Do you want to share my bunk or not?” Hunter asks.

At that, his brothers don’t argue, quickly rearranging themselves. Sitting up as they had been, their feet - with the exception of Wrecker - come just to the edge of the thin mattress. They leave space for Hunter between the head of the bed and Tech. Hunter climbs into his allocated spot, and they situate his and Wrecker’s blankets over all four of them.

“Now,” Tech says, taking out his data pad. “Shall I start again?”

They listen to Tech talk about the storm, hardly noticing the stark flashes of lightning or the grumbling of the thunder or the endless onslaught of rain, until one by one they fall asleep.

But it is the last time the four share a bunk.

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

"Stop looking at my cards!” Wrecker cries, holding his splay of cards against his chest.

Crosshair scoffs, sitting back. “I would if you’d stop waving them directly in my face.”

“Maybe if you stayed on your side of the table...”

“Can we play just one game without an argument?” Hunter asks, the patience in his voice becoming transparently thin.

A brief moment of silence. Wrecker puts down a card.

“Wrecker, that is an illegal play,” Tech says.

“Is not,” Wrecker says.

Crosshair picks up the card and flicks it back at Wrecker. “Is so. Take it back.”

Wrecker grumbles, but puts the card back in his hand.

The game continues without further incident until Crosshair wins the round.

“How did you know I was bluffing?” Tech asks as Crosshair sweeps his winnings of spare bolts and screws into his pile.

Crosshair grins. “You’ve got a tell.”

“Really? What is it?” Wrecker asks eagerly, squinting at Tech.

Tech rolls his eyes, gathering the cards to shuffle. “I do not have a tell.”

“He does,” Crosshair says to Wrecker, ignoring Tech, “but I’m not going to give it away. It’s my strategy. He counts cards, and I read his tells.”

Hunter groans. “Tech…”

“That is not cheating!” Tech cries, indignant.

“With your enhancement…”

“Now wait a minute–”

“Yeah! Using enhancements is cheating!” Wrecker declares.

Tech huffs. “Then Crosshair shouldn’t be able to read my tells,” he says, then adds, glancing at Wrecker, “not that I have any.”

“How the kark am I supposed to play then? Blindfolded?” Crosshair cries.

Tech shrugs indifferently. “If necessary.”

The table erupts in a tangle of arguments, rational and irrational alike.

It is the last time they play cards before Echo joins the Batch.

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

“Here we are,” Hunter says cheerfully, stepping into the clearing and removing his helmet. He takes a deep breath, enjoying the inhalation of pure air, rich with the scents of primitive wilderness. The only electromagnetic signals his senses can pick up are from the Marauder an hour’s march away, and the faint output of Tech’s data pad and their gear.

“If by here you mean the middle of nowhere, then you are correct,” Tech grumbles, shrugging out of his pack and putting it against a tree.

“It was Hunter’s turn to pick our shore leave,” Echo says diplomatically. “So middle of nowhere it is.”

“I like it!” Wrecker booms, scaring away a bird that had been watching them from a nearby branch. “We haven’t been camping in ages!”

Crosshair sighs. “What do you call what we just did on our last mission?”

“Just ‘cause we had to sleep outside doesn’t mean it was camping,” Wrecker says. “Camping means we have a campfire and don’t have to worry about getting our heads shot off by clankers.”

“Now we just have to worry about our heads being bitten off by wild animals,” Crosshair retorts.

Tech immediately cuts in. “There are no predators on this planet capable of such a feat. I made sure of it.”

“See? I feel safer already.” Echo chuckles, pulling off his helmet and grinning at Hunter. “I think I’m gonna like this shore leave. We’ll have some peace and quiet if we can get these two to quit their whining,” he says, nodding at Crosshair and Tech.

Echo receives twin expressions of indignation in response.

However, that night, around the crackling warmth of the campfire, the complaints of the early afternoon are forgotten. The soft sounds of nighttime embrace them, soothing chaotic nature for something tranquil. They watch the stars overhead as things unreachable, winking pinpricks of light against a velvety, black canopy of sky.

Hunter takes first watch, eager to enjoy the serenity they’ve found. Crosshair comes to sit next to him once their brothers have fallen asleep. He bumps his shoulder against the Sargeant’s, and Hunter nudges him back. They don’t speak for long, peaceful minutes, appreciating one another’s quiet company.

“Do you think we could live like this? After the war?” Hunter asks at last, voice hushed.

Crosshair doesn’t answer right away, leaning forward and bracing his forearms on his knees, watching the flames of the fire dance and spark. “We’re soldiers,” he says, “we don’t know anything but war.”

“We could learn,” Hunter says. “Adapt.”

Crosshair chuckles. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

It is the last time they have shore leave before their mission to Kaller.

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

Hunter tries to remember the last words he said to Omega.

The last meaningful words.

The last words she might remember him by.

In case this mission goes wrong.

In case it was the last time he ever saw her.

But he can’t remember.

END

That's a wrap! [[On the eve of the Bad Batch series finale too!! 🥲]] 30 angsty prompts fulfilled in 30 days! I am honored to have gotten to collaborate alongside the endlessly talented @the-little-moment and @just-here-with-my-thoughts this month!

A master list post is coming soon with links to all 30 stories/chapters completed this month! So keep an eye out for that ☺️

Happy last Bad Batch eve, my lovelies! **sob**

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Tag List: @followthepurrgil @isthereanechoinhere96 @amorfista @mooncommlink @arctrooper69 @nagyanna424 @proteatook @ezras-left-thumb @maeashryver @merkitty49

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jpitha · 1 year

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Just One Question

The Starjumper Stormy Days came to visit the joint Human/K'laxi Starbase.

Starjumpers are some of the oldest ships still being used. They had their heyday back before humans developed their wormhole generators and were used to cruise between human settled worlds at around half the speed of light. Everyone would be in hibernation, and the trip would take between 25 and 40 years depending on the distance.

Most trips were one-way. Trading with people half a century away was difficult at best. Very few people wanted to take a vacation that took a century of time back at home. Some did though.

These days, they use their wormhole generators like everyone else and other star systems are just a jump through a hole rended in spacetime away.

All of the Starjumpers were given the option to "retire" when the wormhole generators were installed. They weren't really needed for their original role, so it was thought they might want to move into bodies, or even be transferred to another ship or a starbase. Very few took the offer. Most expressed a desire to keep their form, to keep working, to keep on.

They do all kinds of jobs now, but their large size (they are 2km long or larger) gives them advantages in cargo hauling.

They're also seen as sources of wisdom in human space. Humans and AIs alike will seek them out for advice when available. They have lived longer than most everyone around and they have probably seen just about everything there is to see.

While connected to Starbase via an umbilical, they spend their time monitoring maintenance and cargo work as well as taking callers.

Most Starjumpers wind up with a full schedule when they're in-system with people asking for advice, counsel, and answering general questions. Stormy Days keeps a FAQ handy, printed on their own letterhead to hand out to kids doing reports for school. The questions are ones that they have received numerous times, and the letterhead makes it look more official, and makes the kids feel special.

While musing to themselves, there's a chime at the umbilical.

"Yes, hello? I didn't think I had any appointments for 15 more minutes?"

There's a Human man and a K'laxi woman on screen. Standing with them, holding both hands is a very small human girl looking very solemn. "I'm so sorry to interrupt you Stormy Days-"

"You can just call me Stormy."

"Thank you. Yes, I'm so sorry to interrupt you Stormy, but my Daughter here saw you through the windows as we walked by and was curious about something. I know we don't have an appointment, but could she ask a question?"

"Yes, I can answer one question, I don't mind. Would you like to come aboard?"

As the iris opened for the umbilical, the child shrank back, but then made a serious face, and strode purposefully forward, into the ship. Her parents dutifully followed behind.

Inside Stormy was much warmer and cozier than either of the adults expected. Where they thought would be large rooms and harsh light was small, intimate spaces and warmth.

"It's so nice in here!" The K'laxi said. "I would have never imagined a Starjumper to be so...so...cozy!"

Stormy chuckled. "Well, most of the time it's just me, and I like things cozy, so that's how I am. So, whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Oh yes, Hi. My name is Ullaria, and this is my partner Mitchel, and our daughter Patricia. She goes by Patty."

"Good afternoon Patty. How are you?"

Patty looked up at the voice coming from the ceiling. "m'good."

"Excellent. How old are you Patty?"

She holds up 4 fingers to the ceiling.

"That's wonderful. Your parents said you had a question"

"Yah, I hava question. What's your most favoritest day?"

Stormy stopped. They had never gotten a question like that before. Most people asked for advice about themselves or something going on in their life, or asked more data driven questions like how old they were or how many light years they've traveled.

"My Most Favoritest Day? Wow. That is a good question Patty. Thank you for asking. I'll need to think for a moment. Please wait here."

The family sat down, and opened a bag. In it was a clear plastic bag of snacks, and they gave the bag to Patty. She began eating the crackers carefully.

About half a bag of crackers later, Stormy spoke up. "Thank you for waiting. My most favorite day ever was the first day I used my wormhole generator. Before that, I used my Stardrive to go between planets. It was a lot of fun, but the ride was lonely sometimes and it took a long time. With the wormhole generator, I was able to go from Earth to Parvati in less time than it took for you to eat a cracker! The first time I did it, I laughed out loud for nearly a whole minute. It was amazing, and exhilarating and exciting and I want to thank you Patty and Mitchell and Ullaria.

"Thank us?" Mitchell looked confused. "You're welcome of course, but why?"

"For giving me cause to remember my most favorite day of course! Thank you!"

#humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #humans are space capybaras #humans are space oddities #humans ask questions #humans are space australians #sci fi writing #writing #worldbuilding #humans and ai

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chaifootsteps · 9 months

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The issues with Stella are so goddamn easy to fix it's actually painful any time she comes on screen and they have to find a way to bend over backwards to make her as unlikable as possible to artificially prop Stolas up as well as avoid the classism plot that THEY WROTE INTO THE SHOW.

Just establish very clearly AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW that both of them were okay with the other sleeping around (since neither liked each other and neither wanted to get married) but have Stella get mad specifically because Stolas was caught sleeping with an imp, and that reflects badly on her. If you want her to be a villain, you don't need her to be cartoonishly evil and completely bereft of personality and likeability beyond bitch (derogatory) even as a child; she can just be classist and obsessed with status. (Also maybe don't make her stupid? Maybe don't have her creepy incest-vibes brother around at all? Give her some agency as a villain, you know? Maybe let her be funny? MAYBE LET HER TALK TO HER FUCKING DAUGHTER ON SCREEN?)

But fixing Stella would force the show to actually acknowledge the classism that they've set up and have been trying to ignore in lieu of writing fluff one shots of their favorite ships. And it sucks because she could be a really, really interesting and entertaining lens into how the upper-crusts of this setting actually behave. She SHOULD HAVE BEEN the face of that plot. If you want her to be this evil scheming funny girlboss bitch (affectionate), LET HER BE ONE. Hell, she can even be sympathetic and redeemable if you play up the fact that her behavior comes from a fear of being othered by the Goetia.

As a side note, why are arranged marriages even a thing when divorce exists and vice versa? If it's a eugenics thing for blue bloods why is marriage even a factor when they could just have the kids without it? If they're immortal outside of specific weaponry why do they need heirs in the first place? How DID Striker get all of his angelic weapons? How did Stella even meet Striker, who HATES the upper classes? Why does Striker even work for her when she's the ONE CHARACTER explicitly shown in-canon to embody the things he hates about the system at large?

I guess my point is that fixing Stella's writing would kind of cascade out into actual worldbuilding, stakes, more screen time for female characters, and more coherent better-constructed plots so Spindlehorse won't do it because they want to focus exclusively on a middling romance between two characters who have ZERO CHEMISTRY. If they wanted to focus on that, great, but why on EARTH did they set up all of this other shit? Season one set up conflict and interest and season two has done nothing but blue-ball me by dangling those plot threads in front of me and yanking it away at the last possible second. I WANT the show to be good, but it desperately needs better editing at the script level which I am CONVINCED only goes through one draft and are written several weeks apart.

ALSO THE LATEST EPISODE GAVE ME MOTION SICKNESS WHY WAS THE CAMERA MOVING SO MUCH WHEN THE CHARACTERS WERE STATIC HOW MUCH BUDGET AND TIME GOT WASTED WITH THE UNNECESSARY FUCKING SHAKY CAM?

(Sorry for dropping this huge chunk of text on you, it was supposed to just be about Stella originally but holy fuck that last episode made me nauseous and I got a bit carried away.)

No apologies needed; it was an excellent chunk of text.

Stella deserved better, and we as an audience deserved better, which isn't to say she needs to be redeemable or even likeable. But she does need to be human...to do something outside of scream and drink wine and exist. She needs to do more than just prop up the show's main ship. Give her something she thinks about, cares about, and like you said, let her talk to her fucking daughter.

Nothing about this shaky-cam show makes sense or feels fleshed out. Agreed completely that there's no way it's going through multiple drafts, and the longer these 30 car pileups of plot holes and characterization problems continue to go on, the closer the show gets to a point where no amount of revising is going to save it.

#Anonymous #hb stella #Helluva Boss #Helluva Boss critical #vivziepop critical #actual blog post

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meeblo · 11 months

Text

A Light Spark in Darkness

(Spoilers for the full story of A Light Spark in Darkness)

As the title alludes to, I finished reading through A Light Spark in Darkness earlier today. It was, as I'd heard it would be, quite good; more than just being good, however, it surprised me in the ways it was good.

I'd heard that Goldenglow was depressed, that she really went through it in the event, but I wasn't expecting the manner in which it happened. I was expecting it to be more narrative suffering, well written but not realistically arbitrary. Seeing her instead have to deal with the indifferent cruelty of circumstance as all that she had managed to carve out was burned away entirely due to a conflict that she was not (yet) involved with at all. I also didn't expect it to happen so early in the event. I expected it to happen halfway, but instead it caps off the first vignette.

This is a good way to segue into the next thing that pleasantly surprised me: the story's structure. Telling it nonlinearly like they did, following different PoVs through fragments of the events and going further in time with each one, was a fascinating way to tell the story that worked very well. Apart from the initial vignette, every other one benefits from the dramatic irony of knowing key events that will happen because you have seen them in the other vignettes.

Back to the story, there were some things that definitely stood out to me. Goldenglow, on the edge of committing suicide, is talked back from the edge by a dying Haze. Neither knew the others' connection to the Green Spark or the fire. Haze saves Susie, and then in turn Susie desperately tries to save Haze. The whole sequence of scenes is an excellent demonstration of both of their characters. Haze knows what it's like to have her dreams destroyed; she lost everything in the witch's forest. She knew what needed to be said to keep Susie from jumping. It's her kindness and care for others that keeps Susie going, and it's her kindness that has her push so hard to try and save Haze.

It was great seeing Grani again. It was very satisfying seeing her push back against the corruption in the local guard. Quercus was likewise interesting. But the real standout I haven't mentioned already was, of course, Red. He was great every time he was on screen.

I was definitely taken off guard by the main story connections and implications the event had, especially in its last vignette. Taking place prior to ep10 but after ep8, we hear about things like the dukes all moving towards Londinium. Reunion remnants have arrived in Victoria, and are making transactions with none other than the man himself, Cannot Goodenough. They score a new method of transportation, and Elba (please Hypergryph I am begging you for an official TL of the op team a1 manga, the fan TL I found only goes up to ch6) catches up with an old friend. It seems like Cannot's partnership with Reunion here is what might lead him to get the prospective investment system tech from Djikstra. Or at least, that's what I headcanon; one of Cannot's lines when the investment system crashes mentions a "Mr. D."

At first Cannot was just the funny suspicious merchant who shows up in roguelike gamemodes and takes a nonsensical currency no one else seems to use, but the more he appears in events like this and Vigilo the more I wonder if he genuinely might be critically plot important in the grand scheme of the story. He clearly has a grand agenda behind the scenes. He works with Rusthammer, Rhodes Island, and Reunion, all for the sake of finding people willing to change the existing world order. He wants the people of terra to stop their petty wars for power, territory, and control, and turn their attention towards the real threats like the seaborn writhing beneath the waves and the demons in the far north, as well as something mentioned to be deep underground. Who is he, really? Are those the blood tentacles of a vampire sarkaz, or something else entirely?

Tangents aside, this event story is very good. Arknights continues to impress me with its story at every turn. Goldenglow out of ten, I will be buying her skin.

#arknights #a light spark in darkness #goldenglow #cannot goodenough

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misc-obeyme · 1 year

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A Star For You

I personally LOVED this event. I really feel like the writing was dramatically above most of the other events I've experienced so far (other than birthday events and HDD). I enjoyed it so much, I felt like writing an entire post about it! I just have a lot of feelings and opinions and I need to get it out of my system.

SPOILERS AND SCREENSHOTS BELOW!

I'm so glad they're going with this new thing where they focus on a single character like they normally do for the birthday events. The birthday events are so much better and more fun, in my opinion, so if this is the new formula, I hope they stick with it. It's a lot more satisfying than the weird events where they try to fit everyone in and you don't really get to have much of an interaction with anyone.

I also thought it was interesting how they had Satan as the focus, but then Diavolo was sort of the secondary focus. And because of that you get to see them interact more than I think I've ever experienced so far. (I haven't played Season 4 yet, though.)

So I enjoyed that the two of them got to really interact with MC, but I was also very interested in the interactions they had with each other.

The best part is that there was just as much silliness as always and all the characters (except the three new ones, I think...) were still present and involved. Some of them certainly had more screen time than others, of course. But it felt more like how it does in the main story when an arc is focused on only a handful of characters and you don't see the rest of them as much.

Asmo was especially being himself in this event, I'm pretty sure he referred to himself as Princess Asmo three different times. The rest of the brothers really delivered the humor that makes me enjoy this game so much without taking away from the main event story.

There were so many instances of Asmo delivering lines that cracked me the hell up:

I mean, I am grateful for his existence.

It was Beel.

Mammon was also participating in his usual money obsessed shenanigans, which is always delightful in my opinion.

I love him.

And I just LOVED this interaction between him and MC (my MC's name is Ciaran).

The Mammon and MC dynamic is as excellent as always.

But really the meat and potatoes of this event was the key route. And I'm a little confused about why they even bother with the normal route? Sometimes the normal route has something amusing going on, but I kind of felt like this one was really not satisfying at all. I assume everybody does the key route anyway, but if for some reason you didn't, that ending would have been really anticlimactic. I realize the whole purpose of the key route is to get people to pay money for more AP and battles and such, but it's still annoying. I say, as I give in to the gimmick without hesitation. Anyway moving on.

I LOVED Diavolo in this event. I can only describe him as being princely and benevolent. Like what! When he gave MC his stars, I nearly lost my mind. He was so sweet about it, too. Diavolo's childlike wonder is adorable, of course, but I like it when he's a little more on the side of being a dynamic leader and showing how much he cares about doing the right thing.

Though earlier in the event he said this:

LIKE OKAY.

And then of course we have Satan. I was kind of neutral about Satan in the beginning of my Obey Me journey, but he grew on me over time. Though while I'm not obsessed with him (like I am with some of the other characters), I am fond of him, so I enjoyed getting some more insight into him. He has one of his angry wrathful episodes in the keyed route. Normally I'm like hmm was whatever it was worth the dramatics? But I was touched that he loses it because he's angry with his brothers for trying to use MC to win the festival.

Then he locks himself in his room for a while to calm down and MC goes to talk to him after getting the stars from Diavolo. And he said some stuff that made me sad because it makes me think he doesn't like himself very much. And then I got to thinking about it and it makes sense. In the main story he's so obsessed with not being like Lucifer and MC has to help him work through a lot of that. But that doesn't mean he's come to accept himself.

Like c'mon, man, you're bumming me out. :(

BUT he does cheer up of course because MC makes everything better and then he starts saying stuff like this:

So you know, it all worked out in the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this event. It was sweet and the star theme is something I am SO into. The art on the cards for the event is so good!

I'm currently still trying to pull one elusive wizard grandpa in the Nightmare event, but I'm not giving up hope.

In the meantime, here are some more screenshots that were taken from this event purely for their comedic value:

Breakin' the fourth wall a bit there, Levi.

I don't know what it is about Simeon saying "lost the plot" that I find so funny, but here we are.

Just MC choosing chaos again.

He's got a point.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me event #a star for you obey me event #obey me analysis #obey me satan #obey me diavolo #obey me screenshots #just some thoughts #misc rambles #misc talks about characters #misc talks about events #i apologize in advance for this randomness

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copperbadge · 2 years

Note

Showed someone my NaNoWriMo setup and uhh I didn't think novel writing in excel could inflict psychic damage to others?? I just wanted a simple way to look at my daily word count 🥺

I mean, do what makes the work easiest, Anon, follow your bliss, don't listen to the haters, even me. I write villanelles in Excel for very good reasons of accessibility!

When we talk about "they did WHAT in Excel?" it's generally because it seems like the person is making more work for themself, and absolutely because if they send it out into the world that way, they're making more work for everyone else. Presumably you aren't submitting your NaNo novel to agents as an Excel document -- I did leave one villanelle in Excel as proof of concept but generally they’re not still in a table when I transfer them. I kind of get why you’d do something unorthodox, because I write my novels in plaintext, which is now widely seen as a bit weird; I use absolutely no formatting I don't have to, and I tag formatting with <i>basic html</i> because I want to be able to find it once it's in its final form and needs to be typset. That seems like more work too but it has internal logic.

I think to me the issue is that I know what a pain in the ass it is to work with prose in Excel -- I actually do it quite a lot for work. The bulk of the work I am doing today is taking a sheet that has 40 names in it and writing a biographical blurb for each name on that name’s line in the sheet. It’s a method of data visualization fairly unique to the way I run the shop, but it works because you see the data points and the blurb side by side, and it makes it super easy to import all the information to the database eventually.

But I also know its limitations. Like, I’m genuinely very curious, do you put the whole day's new writing into a single cell? I can't imagine you would because eventually you'd run into the issue of cell height limits, even if the cell took up the whole screen, and it would make scrolling a nightmare. Although if you struggle with re-reading and endlessly correcting rather than moving on to new work, it would certainly make that more difficult to do, which could be an advantage. Or do you put every new paragraph into a new cell? That makes more sense, though I'd wonder about whether quotation marks would fuck up the formatting.

And it seems like especially with the latter (though really with either) it doesn’t actually make getting the wordcount significantly easier. I couldn’t figure out how to get the wordcount of a cell in Excel at all -- are you using COUNT, and building a pivot table? That’s quite impressive if so. Or are you making a new sheet for each day and writing into the new sheet? That seems like it would make it difficult to get everything out of the book easily, on the back end, but it would mean you’d get your eyes on every day’s work a second time.

I tell you this not to try and evangelize you away from Excel, but just so that you know -- getting a daily wordcount in GDocs or Word is not super difficult, as long as you mark where you started that day. In GDocs, you just highlight what you want to count and hit Tools > Wordcount; the window will return something like Words: 207 of 309, meaning the document contains 309 words and you’ve highlighted 207 of them. In Word it’s slightly clunkier; you highlight the words and hit “Review > Wordcount” and it will tell you how many words are highlighted, but to get the total wordcount you have to de-highlight and do the wordcount again.

In any case, honestly, do whatever makes it easiest to write, especially during NaNo. Just...maybe make sure it’s in a Word document before you submit it anywhere. :D

#writing #excel

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chubbyheadquarters · 2 years

Note

May I request an extremely fluffy Syntax x reader? (platonic or not is your choice)

Absolutely! 👌🏽 I wrote this as a One-Shot. Hope you don't mind!

Genre: Platonic

Pronouns: Gender-Neutral

TW/CW: None

Character(s): Syntax

Being best friends with Syntax...was an experience.

A fun but unpredictable one.

Him, a smart scienctist that would throw insults and intricate words at someone. Using his creations to utterly destroy anyone in his path or get the info he needed.

While you, on the other hand, were...something else.

Though you looked like any other person, you had strength and speed that proved that you absolutely were not human.

Maybe, in a sense, he was curious about that. Why he decided to give you another glance.

You were a weird creature, potentially worth his time, but he was still unsure about you.

What WAS weird to not just him, but the others was that you LIKED spiders, and with the way they always crawled towards you and just chilled, they liked you too.

Spider Queen had immediately accepted you in the group and named you one of their own. You were cool with it, and it bewildered him.

When he not so subtly asked why you stuck with them, you simply told him that you felt like you had belonged, and that Spider Queen was the first person to ever accept you.

But it also wasn't long until they found out that you were a bit of an airhead. He chose to believe that was also a reason why you stayed, since no ordinary being with common sense would stay, and would choose to run away from them.

Instead, you would go around, checking up on everyone. Getting everyone to laugh and joke around. Hugging everyone.

You two were total opposites.

He truly believed that you'd never be friends.

And yet, somehow, despite your differences, the two of you became an excellent duo.

Him, planning out the strategies you would follow, and you, thrashing through the enemies and getting whatever needed to be done done.

He had to admit, the two of you had great synergy. It did help that you followed whatever he said.

No fighting back.

No arguing.

"You're super smart, so of course I have faith in your plan!"

...

You did what you were asked.

That's all he could ask for.

And right now, you had just returned from another one of those said missions, getting a specific item he needed for one of his creations.

You had passed by the others, saying your hellos before walking into the lab room. Oddly enough, it was empty, with no sign of the genius around.

"Syntax?"

No one answered back, so you moved forward, getting a glance at all the new things the scientist was building.

Looking at all of it made your respect for Syntax grow. Without him, a lot of stuff wouldn't have been possible.

"And here I was beginning to think that you weren't coming back."

He seemed to have returned from a mission of his own, what with his ruffled up hair and torn coat that he had just taken off.

"Of course I am! And I even got your doodad!"

"As always, you delivery," he sat down, pulling up to his desk and working right away.

You also sat down, rolling beside him and watching curiously. Syntax would never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed how you looked at his inventions and coding with wonder. Even after explaining it over and over, you were always so invested. That's why he decided to get another chair just for you. He'd never tell you that, but everyone else already knew.

You leaned your chin on his shoulder, eyeing the schematics on the screen, "So, what's it for?"

"Well, since you've been completing all the assignments given to you, I have decided to create something to help increase your chances of success."

Your eyes widened, shining at the thought of a gift just for you!

And it was made by your best friend!

"That sounds so cool!"

"Of course. It IS built by yours truly!"

He went to pose, but winced, rubbing his arm.

The bruise seemed bad, and it worried you, but he was already putting some type of medicine on it.

After a moment of silence, you huffed, "I wish I was smarter!"

Syntax halted, but quickly went back to typing, as if he had never stopped, "What for?"

"So I could help you with your whatchamacallit! Then you wouldn't have to do it all by yourself!"

He scoffed, finishing the last of his coding, "You already do your part well enough."

A smile covered your face, and your arms wrapped around his neck, "Aww, thanks Syn!"

"You're lucky I can stand you."

Though you couldn't see his face, you knew he wasn't really upset. If he was, he would have pushed you away like he did when you first met. But nowadays, he slowly relaxes into your touch.

You closed your eyes and chuckled at the thought.

Syntax, getting soft for you-

What a crazy but welcomed thought.

He didn't utter another word, and instead, began to assemble the pieces as you began to watch.

The peaceful silence consuming the room, the both of you enjoying each other's company.

You wouldn't have it any other way.

And neither would he.

Sorry if there are any spelling/grammar errors!

#chubby reader #lmk x chubby reader #lmk x reader #lmk x y/n #lego monkie kid #lmk #x chubby reader #syntax x chubby reader #syntax x reader

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muppet744 · 7 months

Text

"Is it done yet? Is it done yet?" Pink asked, onto and off of her tip-toes, barely able to keep still. The youngest of the diamonds was almost vibrating where she stood. Everything she ever wanted was finally coming true! A colony, an army... She was going to have it all, and then the others would finally stop treating her like she was a chore to be around.

Yellow was quiet for a few moments, as if withholding her irritation, before replying, "It's hardly been a cycle since you last asked." Her tone was stern and dismissive as always. But her expression softened. "I will check with the kindergarteners. Pearl?" Yellow Pearl perked up. "At once, my diamond!" They replied and fetched a communicator. A gesture from Yellow. Pink moved aside so she wouldn't show up in the frame of the communicator. Yellow's Pearl began to speak to the call's recipient.

"Progress report." Was all she said, a certain bite to her tone that was always present. The gem on the other end was a peridot, tall and lanky. "Again-?" They questioned, slightly confused by the demand. A glare that could terrify even a quartz followed. They nodded, "Right away..!" And they quickly projected some sort of screen from their triangular gem and began to talk. Pink found herself bored by their droning on, and her mind wandered, her eyes with it to their surroundings. A diamond base. She was gonna have one just like this soon.. The geometric glass panels making up the dome around them that gave an excellent view of the colony. For miles and miles, just city. It was like homeworld, only the architecture was a little less grand, the buildings more tightly packed. The sky was also a perpetual inky black with a single bright white spot from the planet's sun. There was a lot of towers. But then, the colony was a haven for high-class gems, every story of every tower a lavish residence for a Sapphire, or an Aquamarine, or maybe even some type of Jade... Was Earth going to look like this? She wondered, she sort of hoped so. It wouldn't look like that right away, obviously, but she hoped it wouldn't take long. She couldn't wait to see it for herself. She'd seen replicas built, she'd seen images taken from the scout ships, but she hadn't been yet. This was one of the last things that had to be done, and then she could finally go and see the Earth! But then she heard something that brought her back into the moment. "--Due to emerge soon."

Pink gasped, perking up straighter than she had ever stood. She began to sort of bounce where she stood, clasping her hands tightly together. She was doing everything in her power to remain quiet until the report finished, when she exclaimed, "Does this mean we can-" Yellow didn't even allow her to finish, her voice stern. "No." "Go... And.. See them emerge..." Pink's voice trailed off into mumbling, and when she recovered her words, she whined, "Why not?" Her face falling to a pout. "Because why would a diamond visit a kindergarten?" Yellow questioned with an exasperated tone. She sounded disgusted at the mere concept. Pink huffed, folding her arms, then played her hand. "But Blue would-" "I am not Blue." Yellow sighed. "And there's a reason White chose me to do this, and not her. Blue caves far too easily to you. If this was her, well.." She rolled her eyes. "We'd already be halfway to the warp pad." Pink opened her mouth.

Yellow continued to speak. "Pink. If you weren't a diamond before, then you certainly are now. This colony, this court of yours. Do not make it an embarrassment. Do you understand? It took a lot of convincing to get this past White, so you had better take this seriously. Your best behaviour." Yellow bit back saying anything more, and Pink looked at the ground as she mumbled and stammered a response. "Speak up." Yellow demanded. "Well, I.. Yeah, but-" "I said, do you understand?" Pink's tone neutralised, her response was automatic, although reluctant. "Yes. I understand, Yellow.." Yellow nodded, satisfied with that. "Good."

The next few cycles were a slog. Back and forth between Yellow and her ship constantly checking if they had emerged yet. Pink's lack of patience was a test of Yellow's. But today, Yellow contacted her, and Pink practically ran from her ship to diamond base, that rising spire with it's glass-dome top. Slapping a gloved hand on the panel outside, the massive doors parted, and Pink ran inside, her footsteps clattering up the stairs as Pearl followed helplessly behind, soon enough, she was bounding into Yellow's command room, "Is it ready? Is she done? Can I see her?" She asked, speaking at a mile a minute. Yellow silenced her by facing her palm toward Pink, and she huffed. "She is being brought here as we speak." Yellow replied. Pink squealed a little as she tensed up her whole body. "This is so exciting..! What is she again? She's a, erm," Pink realised she had forgotten what kind of gem Yellow was even concocting for her, prompting her face to turn a deeper pink from embarrassment. "A garnet." Yellow replied. "Oh! Oh!! Like Pyrope?" Pink questioned, grinning. "I should take her to the palace! Pyrope would love to meet her, right-?" Pink was already thinking of all the things she could do with this new gem, this new friend she was going to be receiving. It was met with a cold stare from Yellow. "No." The taller diamond told her. "This is not a spinel, Pink. Your garnet is an extension of your will, she is a pillar of your court. She is your strength. Your fist." Yellow explained, her arm going through various gestures, outstretched, then bent towards herself, then a clenched fist. "But what she is not.." She began, her voice growing sterner, growing more impatient, "Is a toy."

Pink sighed. Almost mumbling something, but instead withholding her words, just nodding along with the lecture. Count on Yellow to ruin her fun.

Within the Kindergarten, amongst the emergence holes of Emeralds and Hessonites, a silhouetted figure of pink light burnt into the rock, peridots from nearby were quick to gather. Whispers spread amongst them, creating a buzz of voices, and then, out she came. Landing elegantly with her arms outstretched to either side. A brand new garnet. Flawless in every way. Rich, deep pink skin with that dark, curly hair, a long-sleeved uniform with the emblem of her diamond on the chest and stomach. A first of hopefully many, as the diamonds sported were not yellow, white, nor blue, but pink. The peridots watched as her eyes opened for the first time. Almost a shade of red. One peridot approached. They bowed their head. "My Garnet." They said respectfully, "Facet 24ER. Rhodolite, cut... A01." She bestowed her serial number upon her like she was giving the garnet a medal simply for coming into existence.

So this was existence. She looked around. The peridots. Nature said she was above them, that they were inferior to her. A dismissive chuckle. She inspected herself, inspected her body. Her left forearm, a glimmering gem, hexagonal in shape... A result of Yellow's tinkering. It would have been easy to produce a Hessonite, but Yellow wanted to make this personal. She wanted to make this garnet really Pink's.

As the peridots lined up either side of her, their postures straight, bodies like statues frozen in their salutes, one spoke up as she reached the end of the line. "My garnet... Your presence is required elsewhere." The kindergarten's agate approached. A yellow gem with a stern face, her gem over her nose, she quickly saluted. "I shall escort you, your majesty." Their arms crossed into a salute like the peridots. Rhodolite gave a nod of acknowledgement. An innate urge telling her to treat her acknowledgement as a commodity. Existence still felt surreal to her, she could feel how the light that made up her form reflected and refracted with each movement.

It wasn't a very long walk. But it seemed to stretch on as the agate nattered to herself quietly. "Ohh, a garnet..! From my kindergarten.." She hadn't existed five minutes and Rhodolite was already showered with praise and admiration. With respect. It was an addictive feeling. "I thought I'd only ever be producing those block-headed topazes or raising a filthy vein of quartz but.. A pristine, flawless garnet..! And I get to bring her before.." She paused, a dreaminess filling her voice, "Yellow Diamond.. I can imagine her power, just... Radiating off of her!" Hearing them talk, Rhodolite glanced to her side at them. A new feeling. Annoyance. No, jealousy? That the admiration was being taken from her to be placed in the mere thought of potentially meeting a diamond. The agate noticed her expression, she stammered, "My sincerest, a-apologies, your majesty, am I... Talking too loudly?" Rhodolite's gaze grew colder. She needn't even say a word and, terrified, the agate fell silent. They reached the warp. "Allow me," The agate said, her voice full of gratitude to simply walk alongside a garnet.

Stepping up onto the warp, Rhodolite followed, having to look down as she calculated each step to appear as elegant as possible.

In a flash of blue light, they had gone from a dead and barren kindergarten to a beautiful plaza in a cityscape. The road paved with tile shaped like a diamond, with tangents stretching off like a web into the streets that led to the rest of the city. And yet, their destination was not any of those tangential roads. No. They went around the plaza until they came to a path leading inward. To a mighty tower higher than the rest with a glass dome at the top. The agate seemed so full of anticipation to even catch a blinking moment of Yellow Diamond. Yet something came over Rhodolite. The annoyance and jealously from earlier resurfaced. An act of spite came to mind. As they came to the door and the agate dutifully opened it for her, Rhodolite said, in a neutral and toneless voice, "That will be all. Return to your post."

The agate seemed momentarily stunned, their mouth opening and closing noiselessy, their hands twitching as they considered various gestures, but then nodded, "A-At once, my garnet..!" And she quickly went back the way that she came, though her voice had a sort of dejectedness to it.

The feeling satisfied her. Vindication for the earlier inconvenience. As she entered, two topaz soldiers loomed behind, the hulking gems flanking either side of the door. Rhodolite glanced to them for just a second each. Then she began to climb the stairs. Her footsteps echoed and she could hear two distant voices. One was stern. The other, soft. One exasperated. The other, bubbly. The dull sky came into view through the dome as she got close to the top of the stairs. She felt strange. A tightness in her body, she touched her chest. She tried to relax. Rhodolite came to the top of the stairs, and her entrance was met with a big, loud, long gasp from a towering pink lady. She bounded over and was about to embrace the garnet when a voice through gritted teeth said, "Pink." That made her pause and drop her arms to her side. Rhodolite sort of flinched at her sudden movements, but not quite the way you'd expect. Instead of recoiling, she perked straight up and threw her hands into a salute. "My diamonds." She said, an airy quality to her voice as if she had the wind knocked out of her.

Being such a new gem, she was running off of impulse and instinct. And meeting two gems of such power, such magnitude. She could hardly take it. She just had to hold together in front of her betters. Yellow beckoned her over. Rhodolite quickly dropped her arms to her sides and made her way to the greater diamond.

"Garnet." Yellow said, her voice like thunder. "Yes, my diamond?" Rhodolite replied without a beat, hardly thinking, just acting. "This is your assignment." Yellow made a gesture toward Pink, who made a very quiet squeal of excitement. "You are to serve her however you can. And beyond that, you are to teach her. Answer any question she brings before you. You will pledge your allegiance to her, unwavering and eternal." Yellow wasn't asking. She wasn't telling. She was stating it as fact. And who was she to disagree with a diamond? She took a knee before Pink, bowing her head. Rhodolite repeated what she was told to Pink. "My diamond." She began, Pink had her hands clasped together and she held them just in front of her mouth, beaming. "I will serve you however I can. I will answer any question you bring to me. I pledge my allegiance to you, my diamond, unwavering and eternal. I can only hope I live up to a fraction of your perfection as I follow your example, and exist by your standards from now until the end of time." Pink thought carefully about how to respond. With her head bowed, Rhodolite did not see her mouth open, and noiselessly close, until Pink finally thought of what to do. A nod of acknowledgement, and then, "You c- may stand." Pink's smile couldn't get any wider. As Rhodolite looked up, that's what greeted her. A sweet face. A gentle giant. Between the singular star in the sky, and Pink's smile, it was hard to tell which was brighter. Yellow seemed pleased with how Pink handled it. She didn't show any real approval, but there was no disapproval either.

"Is that it? Are we done?" Pink asked, she was so excited. Yellow nodded, having to resist an urge to roll her eyes. "Yes. She's all yours, Pink." And beneath her breath she added, "For better or worse."

A subdued, "Yay..!" And Pink fell silent as Yellow glared. Quickly, Pink began to sort of speedwalk out of the control room. Rhodolite followed behind, further behind followed Pearl, hands together in front of her abdomen. "Ohh, Pearl.." Pink began, "Yes, my diamond?" Pearl asked. She sounded like nothing could be more interesting than what Pink could say next. "We're finally going to get to see it soon..! The Earth... Just a few more finishing touches.. This is so exciting... She is so exciting!" Pink said, pointing at Rhodolite as she walked. "Thank you, my diamond." Rhodolite said, before Pearl chimed in. "She certainly is, my diamond, would you like me to tell you some more about gems of her classification..?" Pink thought about that. "I think I'm fine." She answered. As they walked back out into the plaza, they followed the tile path until they reached a big, pink pair of legs. Rhodolite looked at the technological marvel. But then a hand pulled her in close to herself and Pearl. Pink..? Her diamond just... Touched her? Her touch was light and gentle as it guided her close. A pink sphere enveloped them, and Rhodolite could feel as they lifted off of the ground. When the sphere retracted from around them, they were stood on a long walkway. To either side of the walkway were enormous thrones, just like the one that Yellow had been in. Without really thinking, Rhodolite's eyes wandered. She observed the intricate patterns on the wall and the triangular window at the very far end of the room as she walked alongside Pink. It was an impressive ship. Pink stopped as she reached a small pedestal-like area in the centre of the walkway. Pearl stopped too, and so Rhodolite also stopped. She found a position to Pink's left, whilst Pearl stood to the right.

"N-Now, be careful, my diamond.." Pearl urged, they were in quite a tight space, so kicking over a tower or flattening some buildings was a real possibility... Pink laughed it off, "It'll be fine." She assured Pearl, whilst Rhodolite, foreign to the dynamic between Pink Diamond and her pearl, shot the servant a glare for the nerve she had to speak before spoken to.

It was only in the following moments, watching Pink stumble and trip over herself as she gave the ship it's running start, that she realised the pearl's suggestion of caution was really quite justified, the room jostling and jolting around, nearly throwing Rhodolite off of her feet. In a moment, she slipped forward as the ship launched itself into the air, catching herself on her hands and quickly correcting her posture, stood up as straight as she could, she glanced to Pink, slightly afraid. "I.. I apologise my dia--" "No, it's fine..!" Pink said, a laugh in her voice. "I'm really not the best pilot.." She chuckled nervously. Rhodolite wasn't really sure what to say. Her diamond admitting to a flaw, does she disagree? Surely her diamond is perfect, she can't allow someone to say otherwise. But if she disagrees with the statement then by extension isn't she disagreeing with Pink, and disobeying her diamond? Rhodolite's head hurt a little as she thought about that. Staring out of the window ahead of them, Rhodolite watched the stars shooting past, their speed made them appear stretched, each star like a white line on the black void. If it weren't for the embarrassing incident on takeoff, she probably wouldn't even know they'd left the planet yet. A faint blush covered her face as it crossed her mind. How embarrassing, to just... Fall like that. In front of Pink. She opened her mouth, about to clarify just how sorry she was to her leader, when something stole her attention. They were approaching a world. It had a faded, blue shattered ring around the planet, with one large chunk lifted from the planet and one large hollowed-out segment, a kindergarten, she assumed.

The ship began to slow as they approached the planet, Pink began to speak, and Rhodolite snapped to attention, looking straight to her diamond.

Pink giggled a bit. Prompting invisible confusion from Rhodolite, should a diamond be making that noise..? She couldn't think for too long, they were addressing her, after all. "You can keep a secret, can't you?" Pink asked, looking around conspiratorially, Rhodolite's confusion prevailed for a moment, "I certainly can, my diamond." Suddenly, they flipped around to land here. "Well, this isn't Homeworld." Pink admitted, grinning, Rhodolite nodded. The diamond continued. "This is actually one of Blue's worlds." There was a mischievous look in her eyes, "Blue Diamond." Pink clarified. "There's someone I want you to meet..! This'll be fun, I promise, but you can't tell Yellow, okay?" Rhodolite thought about it. She did pledge her loyalty to Pink Diamond, not Yellow or Blue. "As you wish, my diamond. Yellow Diamond won't know of our presence." Pink breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried Yellow had made some kind of gem just to spy on her, and make sure she didn't have any fun ever again. The pink sphere enveloped them, "Your Pearl, my diamond..?" Rhodolite questioned, a bit confused that Pearl had been left behind. Pink waved a hand, "Well... Pyrope doesn't really like gems like her coming into the palace. It's sorta closed. But not to me, because I'm a diamond!" She grinned. Rhodolite nodded. "I see. So I'm permitted, too?" Pink paused, then nodded, "It'll be alright, Pyrope's a garnet, so if she's allowed in..."

The sphere dropped them off at a walkway, like the one inside the ship, only it led to a grand palace. Grandiose and red, it was prismatic in it's shape, sort of starting with one prism, and atop, built into it was an inverted prism. There were also deep golden accents in the buildings, shooting up and through the deep red walls like veins. Around them, they were in a garden. With pools of water flowing around them, and elegant fountains spewing water, with plants grown to perfection, trees of various kinds. The fountains were admittedly rather wasteful in terms of technology, as their upper-layers floated upon diamond-shaped pedestals. And yet, what a marvellous place...

Rhodolite realised that as she'd been taking in the view, Pink had already walked ahead, wandering toward the door like she owned the place. Rhodolite quickly ran to catch up, eventually reaching her diamond's side and hoping that they didn't notice that Rhodolite had been distracted. Something was stirring within her as she had gazed upon the Palace of Light. A want, a need, a desire to have something like this of her own. Her first taste of envy, yet... Admiration too. To earn such a lavish residence. A gem of true excellence must be the owner.

They began to walk up the hall, and Rhodolite only found herself more stunned, more enthralled. The carpeted floor, yet to their sides, such elegant tiles. And the intricately designed pillars spaced evenly alongside the carpet. And this was just the entrance. She wanted to see more, but then there was a voice - High-pitched with a cheery tone that was insincere. The gem was speaking as they descended a staircase, she wore an elegant dress, and had tall standing hair, with skin of a light pink, contrasting Rhodolite's deeper complexion.

"Yes, yes.. Now if you're quite finished wasting my time." They said, before turning off their communicator, and then she noticed Pink. "Ohhhh!" Her expression shifted from it's previous disinterest to a bright and big smile. It seemed so easy for her to change. That joy couldn't possibly be real. "Welcome, my diamond! Welcome, welcome, welcome!!" She was quick to dust herself off, fix her hair, and overall make sure she was looking her best, prompting Pink to giggle. They spent a few moments looking around, then she clicked her tongue, "Prism!" She called, or rather, demanded. And a device of the same shape floated to them. White, though slightly iridescent as light reflected from the device. "Prism, be a dear and--" Pyrope stopped before she finished. She glared at Rhodolite. "And what are YOU doing in here? This palace is closed to the likes of--" Pink cut them off, "No, no! Pyrope, this is, uh, my garnet." Pyrope's face became one of astonishment. Her eyes widened and her mouth sort of hung open as she stood, almost frozen entirely. Rhodolite used the following silence to speak. "Rhodolite. Facet 24ER and cut A01. Your colony is of remarkable quality."

There was a light twitching in Pyrope's eye for just a second. "Yes. Of course it is." Her mouth closed, and she spoke through gritted teeth while trying to maintain her cheerful tone. "I am flawless, after all." There was something new mixed into her voice that Rhodolite couldn't identify. Unsure of the ground she was treading with this gem, she simply gave a nod of affirmation.

"Well..!" Pyrope said, moving swiftly on. "I'm sure you didn't come all this way just to stand around, my diamond, allow me to see you to the lounge." Making a gesture for the two of them to follow, she turned on her heel, abandoning her previous destination, and took the pair of them up the stairs. As they reached the top, the hall ahead stretched far, "So Pyrope!" Pink began as they walked, "Yes, my diamond?" Pyrope indulged her, "Do you know what Rhodolite is for?" The way Pink spoke her name, it seemed like she had only learnt it from her introduction to Pyrope.

Pyrope humored Pink, although she could guess. "No, my diamond." A sigh followed, "What is she for?"

Pink grinned, a sparkle in her eyes, "She's gonna help me run my new colony! Yellow said so. She's going to teach me about managing an army, and how to produce soldiers and aristocrats, and we're gonna build a whole court together! Pink Colony One... Doesn't that sound amazing, Pyrope?"

The voice that replied wasn't Pyrope, but Rhodolite. "It does, my diamond." Her voice was full of wonder. Pink Colony One.

Pyrope scoffed at the dreaminess in Rhodolite's voice, but then replied to Pink with her usual faux enthusiasm. "Of course, my diamond, it's wonderful that a colony could thrive with a garnet like that!" Rhodolite's expression became confused. The way they said that made it seem as if the colony would thrive despite her, not because of her. She felt slighted by the remark. But she couldn't make a scene with Pink here.

They reached the end of the hall. The room they were in had a grand fireplace, although currently extinguished. Two sofas, elegant in their desjgn, gold-accented with red fabric and cushions so perfect in their softness, yet firmness. "Prism!" Pyrope clicked her fingers. The device dutifully created two constructs, creatures of light who existed for only one purpose. They split off, one moved a sofa each in front of the fireplace while Pyrope approached a panel nearby, a few musical chiming sounds were produced before the fireplace lit up and began to burn. "Ah, there we are." With the sofas moved, the constructs disappeared with a second snap of her fingers. "Have a seat, have a seat!" Pyrope directed Pink to the sofa on the right, and Rhodolite went to sit too, only for Pyrope to bark, "What are you doing?!" Rhodolite stopped, and looked over to her, confused. "That won't do at all! Sitting by a diamond... You?" Pyrope sounded disgusted, and gestured the left sofa, where she was sitting. "You will sit here." Rhodolite's brow furrowed, but she did as she was told. "As you wish." Rhodolite sat on the sofa, but left space between them, the middle cushion was empty. While Pyrope and Rhodolite occupied the left and right seats. Bathed in orange light, with the silence filled by the popping, crackling and hissing of the fireplace - Above which, Rhodolite had noticed, was a portrait of Pyrope - it was a nice and relaxing atmosphere. Rhodolite liked this quiet, and this warmth. But it didn't last long. "Prism, entertain our guest of honour, won't you? You are so good at telling that little story of yours.." Pyrope gestured at the device, and it made a couple of different constructs. Pink grinned and leaned forward upon the sofa she kept all to herself, ready to get reinvested in whatever story the prism was telling through its constructs. Rhodolite had to admit, she didn't follow it one bit. But she obviously wasn't supposed to. Pyrope was speaking to her, albeit very quietly. "Ohh, I bet you think you're just so special.." Pyrope began, "Excuse me?" Rhodolite wasn't sure what she meant. "Ohh, don't you play stupid with me, you worthless... Rock." There was a venom in her tone, a hatred, even. And Rhodolite really didn't understand. What could she have done to incur this? "I really don't know what you are talking about." Pyrope looked away from the prism's show as they spoke in a hushed tone, "Stealing away my job like that.. Have you any idea how many years Pink Diamond has been visiting this palace? How long I have entertained her radiance? How loyally I've served Blue Diamond?" Pyrope hissed. "I don't see the relevance..?" Rhodolite retorted. "There was no guarantee that you would administrate Pink Colony One."

Pyrope growled a little, "I deserved it. A garnet as perfect and flawless as me, a prism-bearer, too? With my relationship with Pink Diamond, you know as well as I do, that I deserved that second colony. To become just another cut above the rest. But for them to just create some filthy... New gem. You stole from me." Rhodolite was so confused by this aggression, and with what she said earlier, the implications of her inadequacy... "Clearly, you did not." Rhodolite finally retorted, having gathered her nerve. "Excuse you..?!" She whisper-yelled, "If you really deserved a second colony, the diamonds would have given it to you, and I wouldn't exist. You were not entitled to anything." Pyrope was shaking with rage. "I could have your gem for talking to me like that..!" She was struggling to keep her tone in check, to keep it quiet enough that Pink didn't hear over the light constructs and the fire. Rhodolite scoffed, having picked up the mannerism from the very same gem she was arguing with. Pyrope's rage burned white-hot when she was scoffed at. She clenched her fists, but then took a breath, and forced a smile. "My diamond, you'll have to excuse me, I'm afraid that I have business to attend to... Elsewhere. You really must forgive me." Her voice came through gritted teeth as she worked to keep her temper in check, but it seemed to escape her in her walk, as she left, or more accurately, stormed out of the room.

Pink looked a little concerned, then glanced to Rhodolite, who looked conflicted, and shrugged, focusing back on the prism's story.

It droned on for longer than Rhodolite could bear to pay attention. She only really came around when Pink was applauding the prism, and the light constructs all disappeared. Pink then turned to Rhodolite, "Wasn't that good?" She asked enthusiastically. Rhodolite was quick to nod and agree, "An excellent showing, my diamond." Pink sighed. "Shame about Pyrope." That caused Rhodolite to perk up where she sat, believing that Pink knew about their argument, "She must be really stressed to leave like that... Do you think we should go?"

Rhodolite was faced with a choice. Pink wanted her to decide something for her... Making a choice on behalf of a diamond was what she was made for, though. She wasn't too surprised. "I believe it would be best to leave." The interaction had left a bad taste in her mouth. A narcisstic and entitled gem, but by the same token, she must be good at what she does. Her palace being immaculate and her colony efficient, Rhodolite could surely learn from her. It was... A shame. "Do you think so?" Pink answered, and Rhodolite nodded. "I'm sure we can attend to business elsewhere, my diamond." Pink sighed, trying to think about anywhere she could go except for Homeworld, but ultimately, she came out with nothing better. The pair went back the way they came, returning to the ship. "How was your visit, my diamond?" Pearl was quick to ask as the sphere that transported them into the ship dissipated from around them. "Short." Pink replied, a hint of defeat in her tone, "I'm very sorry to hear that, my diamond." Pink approached her pedestal once more, and took control of the ship.

The ship was in motion again, but Rhodolite was prepared this time. She didn't fall this time, managing to remain upright as they leapt off of the ground of Blue Colony Four and back into the air.

From above, Rhodolite couldn't help but stare down in wonder at Pyrope's world. The palace of light standing tall amongst the elegant and baroque buildings, the architecture must have taken the bismuths assigned here centuries. Her world would be like this, one day. She could picture those fanciful buildings stretching as to the horizon, and a planet full of subjects loyal to her, and above her, Pink Diamond.

But soon enough, the skies of the colony became the void, the emptiness of space.

It would remain that way for a short while. Rhodolite spent it dwelling upon the interaction within the palace. It was unpleasant, to say the least. She hoped to never interact with any gem of the sort again.

Before long, Rhodolite had another sight to see. Homeworld. A world fractured into thirds, with a radiant glow that illuminated the empty space around it. The capital of the empire and home of gemkind. Where it was not blindly white with a mild iridescence as shades of yellow, blue and pink reflected off of the surface, it was deep chasms, with vein-like streaks of a blue just as deep. No world could match the sheer presence of Homeworld. The way it radiated power and grandiose. The home of the diamonds. They began to slow down. The view of the capital was stunning, each palace a monolith for the diamond of whom it belonged to. White Diamond's ship was the only ship currently there. Unsurprisingly. It had not moved for eons, and quite possibly will never move again. The ship landed upon a monolith of corresponding colour. Pink. Rhodolite knew already by now, and moved in close to her diamond - as did Pearl - and they were surrounded by the sphere once more.

"You'll like this." Pink began, giving Rhodolite that sparkling, starlight smile again. The sphere disappeared, leaving them in a mostly empty hexagonal room. Straight ahead of them was a balcony that overlooked the whole city, and Rhodolite was tempted to go straight over, her stance twitching forward, only to stop immediately. Pink giggled, "No! Go ahead! I like to look outside too. Let's do it together!" Rhodolite was surprised by her blessing, and even more surprised by her company. "You would... Join me in such a meaningless task, my diamond?" Pink shrugged. "Sure!"

Rhodolite had to quickly compose herself and hide her astonishment. A salute followed, and Rhodolite stood a few paces behind Pink as she walked over to the balcony. "Can you see from there?" Pink asked, glancing back at Rhodolite. "Not... Very well." Rhodolite admitted. Pink shook her head, "You can stand next to me, you know. I'm not going to hurt you." Pink pouted a little, and worried she may have upset her diamond, Rhodolite quickly moved in close to be besides her. The view was better here, admittedly. "You are... Kind, my diamond. I'm a mere member of your court, and yet you treat me like-" Pink finished for her, "A friend?" She laughed softly, "Aren't you my friend?" Rhodolite perked up straighter, "Of course, my diamond! I suppose I just expected something else." Pink placed her arms down on the balcony and leaned upon it. "I try not to be like the others. Maybe that's why it took so long to get my own colony? I'm too... Different for them." Pink mused. Rhodolite picked up on Pink suddenly becoming quiet but opted to allow silence to fall. At least for the time being. It didn't take long for something happier to cross Pink's mind.

"So, you're my gem, right?" Began Pink, her smile growing somewhat mischievous.

"I am, my diamond." Rhodolite affirmed, hoping that this would go somewhere productive.

"So... What do you do?" Pink questioned, curious. "Nothing all too useful at the minute, I'm afraid. All of my knowledge is based around colonisation and--" Pink got to the point and cut Rhodolite off. "Will you do anything I tell you?" Rhodolite slowly, albeit sort of cautiously nodded. "How about... Do a handstand!"

Rhodolite looked confused, "Me..? I'm not exactly built for acrobatics, much less entertainment, perhaps another gem could--" Pink's smile grew. Bigger. More mischievous. "What if I... Order you to do a handstand?" Rhodolite sighed, and her expression dropped, "I suppose I'd have no choice. As you wish, my diamond." Rhodolite sounded a tiny bit exasperated, staring at the ground for a few seconds, before she leaned forward, dropping herself onto her hands and pointing herself upright. Pink clapped a little, "Bravo, bravo..!" Rhodolite saw Pink come around the front of her, smiling and laughing. Her laughter was bubbly, and pure. Much like the diamond herself. Rhodolite held this form a short while, before Pink brought uo another idea, "Do a little dance!"

Rhodolite scratched her head, she had to think about that one... Until she managed to create a small, elegant dance she could do on the spot. "You're amazing!" Pink encouraged the behaviour, and then had another idea...

This went on for some time, idea after idea and many menial tasks, but Rhodolite literally couldn't tell Pink no. Partly out of duty, partly out of... Something else. A new feeling. Adoration. Pink Diamond was wonderful. Despite how exhausting this silly game of Pink trying to make each demand more ridiculous than the last was, Rhodolite was a slave to the sparkling smile and childish laughter just as much as she was her orders and the Caste System.

It was hard to tell how long it had been by the time Pink ushered her to a sudden stop at the chiming sound of the diamond shine, and Rhodolite stood at attention, hearing those heavy footsteps outside, the door parted. Pink, Rhodolite, and Pearl had been playing their game for long enough that the sky had changed colour a few times, and without any of them noticing, a yellow arm in a clenched fist had landed upon its palace.

Yellow Diamond entered Pink's room, Rhodolite and Pearl quickly snapped their arms into salutes. Yellow looked down at Pink, who was already anticipating the words Yellow was going to say. Pink moved onto tip-toes, and tensed up with her hands clasped in front of her chest as Yellow boomed, "It is ready."

Pink squealed with excitement, and looked like she was about to burst, "So we can see? Ohh!! Yellow!" Pink bounced up and down where she stood. Rhodolite connected the dots. The colony was ready for them to see. "Come on!!" Pink gestured for her gems to follow eagerly, Yellow gave a quiet hum of dissatisfaction at her informal address, but they were her subjects, at the end of the day...

They were back aboard the ship before they knew it. The ride was quiet, spare the noises of excitement that so often escaped Pink, hardly able to focus on flying the ship to their destination.

The planet Earth. A blank slate. Earth, soon to be known as Pink Colony One. The first of many, Rhodolite imagined. But there would be no colony, no garnet more influential in the court of Pink Diamond than Rhodolite and Colony One.

The anticipation was building, both Pink and Rhodolite were excited in their own way. They entered the star system, eight planets orbiting a single star. Some big, some small. Each could be useful in their own way. As far as Rhodolite knew, any one of these worlds could be it. Until they slowed to a near stop. "There it is..!!"

A stunning blue marble, spotted with green. Rhodolite's eyes sparkled as she gazed upon the planet. It was the most entrancing blue she had ever seen, and so vibrant in the many colours it was speckled with, white, green, blue, shades of biege and brown...

"It's even better than the pictures! And it's all mine! We're going to build kindergartens, and spires, and temples and- and we get to create life! Think of all the new gems we'll be able to make!"

Pearl chuckled a bit at her excitement, "One thing at a time, my diamond. We'll have to establish a base, first."

Pink blew a raspberry, "Then let's do that!"

"The planet's natural satellite will make an excellent location." Rhodolite suggested, spying the planet's singular moon.

"Then we should go there!" Pink could hardly contain herself, running in place to speed the ship up as they came down hard on the lunar surface, smashing a crater into it. "...Oops." Pink laughed off the forceful landing.

Now they had come to a stop, Pink transported the three of them out of the ship.

Pink once again broke into joyful laughter, "I love this world already, just the way it is!"

Rhodolite laughed with her. This was her first time laughing. Despite her genuine happiness, it had a wicked quality to it.

"Oh, my diamond. You'll love it even more when we finish. The world you see now is just a fraction of its potential!" Rhodolite smiled, and turned to face the planet with her hands behind her back.

"This world is just a beginning. We will build the future of this world together, my diamond."

#steven universe #fanfic #writing #unleash the light #garnet su #pink diamond

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