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calpalirwin · 3 years

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I Think I Like You

Summary: Bucky falls for his best friend’s sister

A/N: I told y’all I wasn’t ready to let them go yet

Word Count: 5k

And away, and away we go!

1936

The ache in my knuckles was starting to occupy more and more of my attention as I followed Steve into the apartment complex. “So, this is home, huh?” I asked, flexing out my hands.

“Something like that,” he quipped, digging around in his pocket to produce a key, before letting us into one of the apartments.

I was about to ask what he meant by that, but stepping into the home quickly answered the question for me. There was something… acutely feminine about the place. It was tidy, much tidier than my own apartment down the block. Magazines were neatly stacked on the coffee table. In the kitchen, the counters were wiped down. And on the dining table, a vase of flowers. All subtle signs of the home containing a woman’s touch. “Oh?” I said suggestively, taking a seat on the couch.

Steve just rolled his eyes, as he sat down next to me, sighing deeply as he sunk back in the soft cushions. I looked over at him with a smirk. Alright, if he wanted to keep his secrets, he could, I decided. I also wondered if I looked half as bad as he did. His lip was split, and he was already beginning to bruise along the right side of his face. I looked down at my own hands, flexing them again. No doubt they’d bruise too. But that was about the extent of my own injuries compared to my friend.

The door clicked open behind us, and both of us swiveled our heads to look at the woman walking in, a bag of groceries in her hand, and a bag slung over her shoulder with papers all but spilling out of it. She was smartly dressed in a crisp blouse tucked into a black skirt that hugged her small frame tightly. She toed off her heels, blonde curls falling to obscure her face from my view. She didn’t seem to acknowledge my presence as she walked over to the couch, pressing a soft kiss to Steve’s cheek, her face pinching into a frown when he winced. “Oh, Steven, what did you do now?” she asked, moving to set the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter, her tone suggesting that she was used to seeing the man this way. She didn’t appear to care for an answer either, as she turned out of the kitchen and disappeared down the hallway, returning a few moments later with a small first-aid kit. Only then did she acknowledge my presence, blue eyes sweeping over me with slight disdain. “Bringing your fights home now, huh?” she asked, tongue clicking in her cheek, as she grabbed his face, examining the damage carefully.

“We were on the same side,” he replied bluntly, sitting still for her while she cleaned up his face.

Her gaze flickered back to me, her tongue clicking again. “For being on the same side, it looks like he got out better than you did.”

“He’s a better fighter,” Steve explained with a shrug.

“And who is he exactly?”

“James Barnes, ma’am,” I told her politely. “Pleased to meet you. Wasn’t aware Steve here had a lady.”

Steve gave a bark of a scoff, “She’s not a lady.”

Her own eyes rolled. “What he meant to say was that I’m his sister. And I’m no ma’am either. It’s ‘miss,’ Mr. Barnes.”

“My apologies, miss.” I bit back my smirk. Not Steve’s lady, and not a ma’am only worked more in my favor. “And would you happen to have a name to accompany your title?”

“That would depend on who’s asking.”

“That would be me.”

“Then, that information would be classified, James.”

I chuckled, definitely toeing a fine line of getting in way over my head, and not caring the slightest bit. “Well, then, I suppose it’s only polite to ask if you prefer ‘sweetheart’ or ‘doll’ then.”

“From you? I’d prefer neither.” She flashed me a sweet smile, releasing Steve’s face, and snapping the first-aid kit shut. Then, she was on her feet, going back into the kitchen, and returning with two ice packs. “Might wanna ice your face and hands there, sluggers,” she said, tossing one to Steve, and the other to me. “It’ll help with the swelling.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a sister, let alone one that was a nurse, and we’ve been friends for how long now?” I questioned Steve, letting the ice pack rest across my knuckles.

“2 years. And she’s not a nurse. Just a nuisance,” he quipped, leaning his head back and placing his ice pack against his face.

“You’re the one who comes in here all bloody and bruised. So who’s the real nuisance here, dear brother?” she retorted.

“That would still be you, by a long shot. I fight bullies. You just like to fight.”

“No, I command respect. Feeble-minded men only view that as liking to fight. And you?” she asked, turning her attention to me. “Steve fights bullies. I fight for respect. What do you fight for, Mr. Barnes?”

“I fight to protect those I care about.”

“Mmm, how noble,” she said, clearly not impressed with my answer.

“And half a lie,” Steve snorted. “Go on, Buck. Tell her what you do at school.”

“Buck?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A nickname,” I brushed past. “And I’m on the wrestling team. So, sure, one could make the argument that I have fighting in my DNA. But as I’ve said, I use the advantage I have in fighting to protect those I care about.”

“Mmm, well maybe next time care a little quicker about my brother, yes?”

“With all due respect, miss, your brother has a tendency of getting himself into fights before I’m around to help get him out of them.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true… Steve, do me a favor, and put up those groceries would you?”

He pulled the ice pack off his face to squint over at her. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

She rolled her eyes. “What’s the point of you being home if you’re not going to be useful?”

He grumbled, but got to his feet to do as she asked anyway. “So, how’s Mother?” he asked her.

“Still dying,” was the answer. “And still asking why you don’t visit.”

Steve sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to visit,” he started.

His sister held up her hand, cutting him off, “I know. Watching her die isn’t exactly pleasant. And she knows you’re busy with school, and stopping by her to help me. Nobody blames you, Steve. But she’s getting worse, so I’d make time if you can. Sooner rather than later. But not too soon. Wait until your face heals a bit. James, has my brother offered you anything to eat or drink? Or is he as bad a host as he is a fighter?”

“We were barely home a minute before you came bursting in, and started chastising us,” he told her.

She ignored his excuse. “James, can I get you anything? A glass of water?”

“A glass of water would be lovely, thank you,” I smiled at her.

“So, safe to assume you’re a friend of Steve’s from college,” she continued to make conversation with me as she filled a glass with water, then came to join me on the couch while Steve finished with the groceries. “Do you prefer to be called James? Or whatever it was he called you? Buck?”

“James. Buck. Bucky,” I shrugged. “Either works. I’m not that picky.”

“Why Buck?”

“Middle name’s Buchanan.”

“Oh, a middle name after a president, just like Steve.”

“Y/N,” Steve said in a warning. “Don’t you have studying to do?”

“Don’t you have a fight to get into?”

“Y/N?” I asked with a slight smile, liking how her name sounded on my tongue.

She glowered at Steve, not liking that he’d given her the one edge she had over me. “Yes,” she said begrudgingly.

“Pretty.”

Over the course of my afternoon spent in the apartment, I learned a great deal about the girl with the pretty name. For one, she wasn’t just Steve’s sister, but actually his twin, and she hated how adamant he was about the fact that he was still technically older. And the chip in her shoulder was just as justified as the one in her brother’s. They had a rough go of it after their father had passed a few years prior, and with the economic situation being what it was, and their mother falling ill herself it was crazy to me that they still had their education as a priority. But as someone who valued education myself, it was a trait I greatly admired.

The longer the afternoon dragged on, the more I liked her, and the more she seemed to warm up to me. Although I was uncertain if she was warming up to me because she was as equally infatuated with me as I was with her, or if it was strictly a means of stirring annoyance in her brother. Either way, I had her attention, and I wasn’t complaining.

And when the evening did draw to a close, while I wasn’t brave enough to ask her out directly, I was brave enough to suggest my interest in her.

“Bucky, can I ask something of you?” she asked, pulling the front door shut behind her to allow for a brief moment of privacy between us.

“Of course,” I asked, trying not to take too much glee in how she said my name.

“Well, I suppose it’s not really a question. But more of a request to take what I said about caring about my brother quicker seriously. He has a strong tendency, as I’m sure you’ve witnessed, of doing what he thinks is right, without stopping to think about the consequences. And he doesn’t have the… erm…” heat colored her cheeks as she fought to find the right words, “physique like you do to defend himself, despite his best intentions. So if you could be a bit quicker with that ‘I protect those I care about’ bit you were mentioning earlier, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

Did she just admit she found me attractive? “That would require me to be around your brother a lot more, you know that, right?”

“It’s a good thing you two are friends then, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I meant that it would mean I would probably be around more if I were to do that. Which I can do, no problem. Steve’s a great friend. But I would hate for my presence to ever make you uncomfortable.”

“Why would your presence make me feel uncomfortable?”

“Well, you didn’t seem all that keen on me. And if I’m being honest, I still can’t really figure out what your opinion of me is. I’m hoping it’s favorable.”

“In my defense, I came home to find my brother with a bloody face, and you with bruised knuckles. All the same, I do apologize if my original assumption made me come across as cold. Because it’s become clear to me that my brother holds you in a high regard as his friend, and I’ve never known Steve to be a bad judge of character.”

“Well, if being around Steve more for the sake of getting him out of fights quicker means I can see more of you, consider your request granted. G’night, Y/N.”

“G’night, Bucky.”

~~~

“So my sister, huh?” Steve asked when I saw him a few days later.

“What about her?” I asked, playing dumb.

“You’re smitten with her, aren’t you?”

I sighed, opting for honesty rather than something that would be an obvious lie. “Do I find her to be beautiful and charming? Yes. But would I go so far as to say I’m smitten with her? We barely know each other.”

“But you want to know her?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” was all he said.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“You’re my best friend, and she’s your sister.”

“You’re both adults. And it’s Y/N. She’d go out with you just to spite me if I was stupid enough to warn her away from you. Which I have no reason to do anyway.”

“So if I did want to ask her out, I’d have your blessing?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Buck. I’m simply saying I wouldn’t be mad about it. But if you do ask her out, which I don’t recommend doing anytime soon because she has a lot on her plate as is, she likes roses and dancing.

~~~

I was there when their mother passed away a few months later. I sat with them in the kitchen while they tearfully planned a funeral, offering to make the necessary phone calls that left their own words choked and stuck. And I stood between them when they buried her, one hand resting firmly on Steve’s shoulder, the other hanging limply at my side, fingers begging to stretch out and pull her hand into mine.

When Steve excused himself to talk with the minister, Y/N sighed deeply next to me. “He’s all I got left,” she murmured with sad finality. “I mean, we always used to joke that it was just me and him. And I knew this would happen eventually. But… I’m not ready for it. I’m not ready for Steve to be the only family I have left.”

“He’s not,” I told her. “You have me, too.”

She blinked up at me. “I do?”

Heat colored my cheeks, and I rubbed at hand at the back of my neck as my nerves kicked in. “Y-yeah. I mean, I’m friends with Steve. I have no interest in ending that friendship. So you can count on me to be around if that’s something you want to count on.”

“Steve, yes. So a relationship with each other via proxy? Seems like quite the investment on your end.”

“Well, I’d hardly say our relationship with each other is strictly via proxy of your brother. I like to think we’ve become at least friendly with each other, if not friends directly.”

“And is that what you would like? A friendship?”

I hesitated. There was no way of answering her without condemning myself one way or another. If I said yes, then that’s all I would ever be to her. But if I answered no, I risked losing her before I had her. Either by her thinking I was insulting her by not wanting a friendship, or scaring her off if she interpreted what I said as being too forward too soon. “I’ve told you that I protect those I care about. Which means if you need me, for anything, I’ll be there.”

“And do you care for me simply because I’m your friend’s sister? Or do you care for me because you genuinely care for me?”

“You’re a smart girl, Y/N. Surely you can answer that for yourself.”

~~~

1937

“Steve,” I groaned as he dragged me through the streets of Brooklyn towards his place with a grin on his face. “I told you I didn’t want to do anything for my birthday.”

“I know. And that’s what I told Y/N, but you know she doesn’t listen to me.”

I groaned louder. “What did she do?”

“It’s just cake,” he promised. “So even by Y/N’s terms, this is very tame. But, you have to act surprised because she’ll kill me if she knows I told you.”

“Alright, alright,” I relented with a laugh.

“Close your eyes,” he said as we bounded up the stairs to the apartment.

“Is that part necessary?” I asked, closing my eyes anyway and letting him push me inside.

“Surprise!” both him and Y/N yelled, and I opened my eyes to see a small banner hanging up on the wall with the words “Happy Birthday,” sprawled across it, and a small cake waiting on the kitchen table. “We know it’s not much,” she went on, “but we wanted to do something.”

“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “But you didn’t have to.”

“I know we didn’t have to. But we wanted to. Turning twenty is something special, Bucky.”

“Well again, thank you,” I told her as I took a seat at the table, noticing a small parcel wrapped neatly. “What’s this?”

Her eyes went wide. “That,” she said, snatching it off the table, and hiding it behind her back, “is for later.”

This time, it was Steve who groaned. “Y/N, we agreed on no presents. Now I look like an ass.”

“This is what makes you look like an ass?” she questioned.

“Ha-ha,” he deadpanned humorlessly. “You’re hilarious.”

“Okay, this you really didn’t have to do,” I told her with a chuckle.

“Bucky? Shut up, and make a wish.” With that, she grabbed a small lighter, lighting the candles on the cake.

While she and Steve sang “Happy Birthday” I thought about what wish I wanted to make, no matter how silly the notion seemed. But my mind couldn’t think of anything to wish for. I already had everything I wanted. So ultimately, I decided to wish for things to stay the same as I blew out the candles with a huff of breath.

“Okay,” she said, setting the small parcel in front of me, after we’d eaten the cake and Steve excused himself. “Now, you can have this.”

Carefully I tore at the paper, revealing a hardcover book, the words “The Hobbit” etched across the front cover. “Wow,” I breathed, running my fingers across the cover.

“The lady at the bookstore said it was popular. But if you end up not liking it… Well, I kept the receipt, so we can return it for something you would like,” she offered as explanation, a soft embarrassed mumble

We. “No,” I said quickly. “No, I love it. This is great, thank you,” I smiled at her.

“Happy Birthday, Bucky,” she smiled back. “And uh, if you don’t mind, when you’re finished with it, I’d like to borrow it. Didn’t have enough to buy two copies.”

“Or,” I suggested, a thought coming to me, “we could read it together.”

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. “How would we do that exactly?”

“I could read it to you. We could… make an afternoon of it. Or a few afternoons of it.”

“That sounds suspiciously like you’re proposing a date.”

“And if I was?”

“I think I’d like that.”

I grinned. “How’s Saturday, then?”

~~~

“This is going to sound stupid,” Y/N interjected when I paused in my reading.

“What’s going to sound stupid?” I asked, looking at her over the top of the book. She looked cute, resting on her stomach, her elbows propped up as she cradled her chin in her hands. Her hair blew softly with the light spring breeze, and her eyes held a dreamy look to them. Okay, she looked way more than just cute.

“I like the way you read,” she said. “Your voice… it’s nice in general. But there’s a certain flow to how you read. Your voice does this thing where it rises and falls with what you’re reading. It’s… animated. Very engaging.”

“Well, I can easily say that’s the first time someone ever complimented my voice,” I said with a chuckle.

Her cheeks turned pink. “I told you it was going to sound stupid.”

I tucked a scrap of paper in the book, marking our spot before setting it aside. “It’s not stupid. It’s a nice compliment. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Her eyes flickered from me to the book. “Are we done for the day?”

“No, I can keep reading if you want me to,” I said, picking up the book and opening it.

She smiled up at me, and then, in a move I wasn’t expecting, she rolled over onto her back and then shifted her body perpendicular to mine, resting her head on my outstretched leg. I stiffened at the sudden intimacy of the contact. “Is this okay?” she asked.

“Y-yeah,” I choked out with a cough, forcing myself to relax. “Yeah, it’s, uh, fine.”

She gave a small giggle. “You know, you’re pretty cute when you get shy, Bucky.”

“You’re pretty cute all of the time,” I mumbled back.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I said you’re pretty cute all of the time,” I said again, this time without mumbling, but glad I had the book in my hand to block my face from her view.

Her hand gently pulled mine down, the book closing once more. “Bucky, if I ask you something, do you promise to be honest with me?”

“Course,” I nodded.

“Do you like me? Romantically that is.”

I swallowed thickly, nodding. “And if you want the whole truth, it’s the ‘I’m falling in love with you’ kind of like. And that terrifies me.”

“Why does that terrify you?”

“Because it means I have more to lose.”

She let out a soft “oh,” as she pushed herself to sit upwards, a timid hand stroking up the length of my arm. “You’ll never lose me, Bucky.”

Try as I might, I couldn’t hold back. I shifted to lean towards her, my hands going to cradle her face. And then my lips were on hers, and it was sweet and powerful. And my thumbs were brushing along her cheek bones as the rest of my fingers bunched up in her hair. And her own hands were looping around my neck, her fingers tugging lightly at my hair. The air came rushing out of my lungs, and I couldn’t breathe but I didn’t dare break the kiss, savoring every sensation.

There was a sharp intake of air and I wasn’t sure which one of us had done it, because our lips stayed locked, and I had to drop one of my hands to brace myself as the kiss grew hungry and she moved in closer, practically on top of me. I moved the hand that was still holding her face to wrap tightly around her back, needing her more than I’d ever needed anybody else before.

~~~

1939

“Whoa, slow down there, doll,” I chuckled, pulling the glass away from her lips.

“But it tastes like juice!” she told me, her eyes big with excitement.

“I know, but those drinks have a lot more alcohol in them. And if I bring you home drunk, Steve will kill me.”

“He can try,” she scoffed, grabbing the glass from me and taking another big drink. “And neither one of you can get mad at me drinking, because you both do it too,” she half sang.

“Again, your drinks have a lot more alcohol in them than our drinks do. And for another, I’m a lot bigger than you. My body can handle more.”

She set the glass down, scowling over the rim at me. “You’re no fun.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t have your drink, doll. I’m just asking you to slow down.”

“Well, can you order me another one? This one’s almost empty.”

“Of course,” I said, kissing her forehead before going back over to the bar to get us each another drink. I could feel the eyes of other girls on me as I drummed my fingers across the tabletop of the bar while I waited, but they didn’t bother me. I already had the girl I wanted staring at me like they did, and she did a whole lot more than just stare. When I turned with the drinks, I saw the way other guys in the bar were looking at Y/N back in the booth. Now, that made my skin prickle. So I squared my shoulders and slid in next to her placing a heated and heavy kiss on her cheek, smirking in triumphant as the looks dropped. “A-are you growling?” I asked with another chuckle, becoming aware of the low rumble in her throat.

“I hate the way they stare at you,” she whispered with disdain.

“Jealous?” I teased lightheartedly.

She scoffed into her drink. “Me? Jealous? Please…”

“Good. Because if anyone should be jealous, it’s me. You have the attention of every man in this bar.”

She scoffed more. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“You,” I said, kissing her cheek again. “Are the most beautiful girl in here, and everyone knows it. And I’m the lucky son of a gun that gets to take you home.”

Her eyes went wide, and a grin broke out across her face. “Take me home, Bucky.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I held her steady as I let her into my apartment, and she blinked in her surroundings. “This isn’t… Where are we?”

“We’re at my place. Steve would kill me if I brought you home like this.”

“I-” her face flushed. “Bucky, I’ve never…”

“We’re not,” I said softly. “I’m going to help you into bed, and then sleep on the couch.”

“Oh.” It was a simple utterance both of understanding and… was that disappointment that nothing would come of the night besides her safely sleeping her intoxicated state away?

I gave her one of my shirts to sleep in, turning my back to give her privacy, before helping her into bed. “G’night, doll,” I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”

“Wait,” she whispered, her hand reaching out to grab me by my shirt. “Can you stay?”

I looked down at her, the blanket pulled up tightly around her. My bed had never looked more inviting. And what was the harm in sleeping? I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I can stay.” I stepped out of my pants before joining her on the bed, but staying on top of the covers. “G’night, doll,” I whispered, clicking off the light.

“You don’t want to marry me, do you?” she asked me, her voice filled with sorrow.

“What gave you that idea?”

“You can’t even share the covers with me!” was the wailed explanation of despair.

“I-” I sputtered, shocked at whatever had caused this outburst. “C’mere,” I coaxed, lifting up my arm for her to curl into me. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

“So you want me?”

“Of course I want you, doll.”

“Then how come you haven’t asked me to marry you?”

“I- You’re the most independent woman I know. I didn’t know you wanted to become a wife.”

“I don’t want to become a wife. I want to become your wife.”

“You’re gonna need to give me time to buy a ring.”

“But you’ll ask?”

“Until I’m blue in the face,” I promised.

“And we can have a house, and kids? Not an obnoxiously big house, but not a tiny one either.”

“We can have a medium-sized house, and fill it with as many kids as you want. And you can teach, and Steve and I can open up a mechanic shop. And every night,” I said, shifting to get under the blankets and pull her closer, “we can fall asleep just like this.”

“I love you, James Buchanan Barnes,” she breathed in content.

“I love you too, Y/N Y/M/N Rogers.”

“It’s Rogers-Barnes.”

~~~

1943

“Why do you keep fiddling with your pockets?” Y/N asked as we walked through Central Park, one of her hands holding mine, the other clutched holding a picnic basket with the flowers I’d bought her poking out the top.

“I’m not,” I lied, feeling the small box drop as I pulled my hand out of my pocket and waved it in her face. “See?”

She narrowed her eyes playfully. “You’re plotting something.”

“If by plotting, you mean enjoying a nice picnic with you, then ya got me. And it’s hardly plotting if you already knew.”

“Mmm,” she hummed, as we came to a stop underneath a large tree by the lake’s edge. “And what are we reading today?” she asked as I busied myself with laying out the blanket for us.

“Steinbeck.”

“Oh, I love him,” she marveled, kneeling on the blanket and pulling out our lunch.

“I know you do.”

With her head resting in my lap, and between bites of sandwich, I read from the small paperback novel. Our lazy Saturday tradition that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I only stopped reading when I heard the soft sigh as she started to doze off like she usually did. “You still with me?” I asked with a small laugh, tracing her cheek with one of my thumbs.

“Mhm,” she murmured like she always did, keeping her eyes closed. “Just thinking.”

I frowned. Her normal answer was “Keep reading.” “What are you thinking about?”

“How much I’m gonna miss this when you’re gone. How much I’m gonna miss you.”

My heart sank as I thought about the draft papers sitting on my kitchen table. “It’s just basic training. Couple weeks and I’ll be back. And I’ll only be in Jersey.”

“Ugh… Jersey…” She opened her eyes to roll them.

“I’ll be so bad at being a soldier, my sergeant will yell at me and ship me back home to you,” I laughed.

“You will do no such thing. You’ll do what you have to at camp, and then you’ll come home to me,” she told me, sitting up. “And then…” Her voice broke off, not wanting to finish the rest. After camp came Europe. And that was more than either of us were willing to think about. Camp. Camp was first. Camp had clear dates we could work with. 3 measly months. And what came after didn’t matter.

“And then,” I said, slowly pulling the box out of my pocket.

“No!” she interrupted, sternly. “James Buchanan Barnes, if you say one damned word about Europe, I will drown you in the lake,” came the threat.

“Y/N!” I laughed. “Can I tell you what happens after I get back from camp, or not?”

“Bucky…” she whined.

“Please? I really think you’re gonna like it.”

“What could I possibly like about what you coming back from camp means?”

“Because it means you’ll be my wife,” I told her, presenting her the box, snapping the top open to reveal a small gold band. “Marry me, doll.”

Tag List

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#i think i like you #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x reader #rogers!reader #calpal irwin

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ikeromantic · 3 years

Text

In the Spotlight

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfiction, approx. 1700 words. This scene occurs after the events of the romantic epilogue and includes some of what happens in the part 2 introduction. Mostly fluff!

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Uncomfortable Questions

Kyubei bowed low and held the position. It wasn’t his first time to report to Nobunaga, but it was his first time to do so without explicit instructions from his lord. He was nervous, but it didn’t show. Kyubei could hold an icy composure as well as Akechi.

“Report.” Nobunaga’s tone was flat, hiding his own frustration.

Hideyoshi and Masamune weren’t trying to hide theirs. The one-eyed dragon was pacing and Toyotomi’s scowl could have peeled paint.

“There is no evidence,” Kyubei cleared his throat, “that the forces at Kasugayama are involved in the attacks on Azuchi. However -” he paused. This was the part that made him sweat. “The disappearance of Lord Akechi and the lady chatelaine coincide with the vanishing of their ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke.”

“I don’t believe it.” Masamune stopped, one hand dropping to his sword hilt. “There’s no way that ninja got the drop on Mitsuhide.”

Hideyoshi nodded. “Agreed. My guess is that they are working together.”

Kyubei interrupted. “I find that unlikely, my lord. At least, in the manner you suggest. If I may?”

Nobunaga indicated he should continue.

“My sources tell me Shingen Takeda is ill, and between the loss of his ally and his ninja, Kenshin is unstable. Seeking conflict within his own forces as well as outside. It is unlikely he is aiding Kasugayama. Though he must have known Sarutobi's absence might . . .” He frowned, wondering how much he should imply, what he could suggest.

Ieyasu saved him the need. “Mitsuhide was making plans for an extended absence. I think we should consider that he has left, with Sasuke, to visit the chatelaine’s homeland.”

Mitsunari nodded. “This would make sense. There could be something about the events of the night he disappeared that forced them to leave sooner than he expected.”

“There’s more to it, and if I know that snake -” Hideyoshi’s rant was cut short by Nobunaga’s raised hand.

“Enough. I did not wish to bare Akechi’s secrets, but Ieyasu is correct. Mitsuhide sought my permission to take the chatelaine to her home. He was uncertain how long they would be gone.”

The room exploded with sound, warlords talking over one another. Hideyoshi was ranting about safety and plots; Masamune demanded permission to seek them out. Keiji was laughing. Ieyasu and Mitsunari were relatively silent, waiting for the excitement to die down.

Nobunaga’s carnelian eyes quieted each man in turn.

When he could be heard again, Kyubei continued. “I made contact with Ranmaru. He is seeking out the forces responsible for the attack on Azuchi, along with other spies in our network.”

“Ranmaru? That boy is afraid of his own shadow. Completely unreliable,” Hideyoshi muttered, not unkindly. “He should be here.”

Kyubei couldn’t help the slight smile at that. He didn’t approve of Ranmaru’s tangled loyalties, but one could not argue with his ability to act a part. “Of course, my lord. But Ranmaru insisted. And he does have many friends to rely on for information.”

Ieyasu stood. “This doesn’t answer my questions though. Where is the chatelaine? Is she safe? When will she return? We all know Akechi has his . . . plans. I’m not worried about him. He’ll turn up when and where he wants to. But she’s -”

“You’re worried about her!” Mitsunari beamed. “I knew you were just trying to hide it when you told me-”

“Shut up.” Ieyasu glared. “I’m just . . . the enemy could use her against us. We need to know where she is.”

“Agreed,” Masamune spoke up. “I will put together a team. We’ll find her.”

“My lords, I am afraid she and Mitsuhide are beyond any team.” Kyubei sighed. “The greater concern is what this impacts and how it will be used against us. The Ikko Ikki are moving. The Mouri clan have resumed pirating, and we know it was Kichou that executed the attack on Azuchi. In addition, we have rumors the shogun in exile is drawing a new following.”

Mitsunari frowned. “Yes, I reviewed several shipment records and troop movements from old loyalist daimyo. It appears we are not done with the shogun as of yet.”

Kyubei bit his lip. The scribe they’d installed should have been satisfied to live in luxurious exile, but it seemed the old shogun’s loyalist stirred his greed. Or maybe they were using him as a puppet. He had no way to know, as the spies in Ashitaka’s court had all fallen silent.

Nounaga spoke again. “Hideyoshi, you and Keiji will pursue the Mouri. Masamune, I want you to make contact with Kasugayama. Offer a truce. See what they can offer up about their missing ninja. They may be willing to hunt down our enemies with us, as it does them no benefit to see this land descend into chaos.” His gaze fell on Ieyasu. “You will join Kyubei’s efforts to track down Mitsuhide and the chatelaine. Your research and his current knowledge will yield results.”

“May I assist Lord Tokugawa?” Mitsunari’s innocent smile could have been worn by an angel. He was completely oblivious to the sudden grimace on his friend’s face.

“You may, in your spare time. I need your mind fixed on calculating provisions, troop movements, bridges, and roads. There will be fighting soon.”

Mitsunari acquiesced with a bow.

Kyubei delivered the rest of his report, and then was dismissed. He went straight to the Akechi mansion and opened a bottle of sake. Alcohol was a vice he rarely indulged in, but today he felt like he needed it. He’d exposed some of his lord’s business without permission. He had no idea how or if this would impact Akechi’s plans. And now . . . he’d be working with Ieyasu. It would be difficult to keep the secrets he needed to keep.

He kept drinking until the room spun and the lights all wore halos. Kyubei might have kept it up, but he ran out of bottles and couldn’t make the walk to fetch more. Instead, he fell asleep, sprawled out on the floor of his lord’s office.

***

Mitsuhide felt a mix of relief and distress when his little one explained the plastic stick on the bathroom counter. It meant they were not having a child together. Not yet, at any rate. And this was good. He was in no position here to father a child. But . . .

The image of himself holding a child. His. Hers. His heart felt too big for his chest, thinking of what such a child would be like. His very own son or daughter. One with his love’s sweetness. His eyes. Her nose. His perception. It made him ache, as if he had an old bruise, a wound that hadn’t healed. Which was completely irrational.

He looked out the train window at the rapidly passing countryside. Trees. Hills. Houses. Different and not so different from the world he knew. He should be spending this time planning the next few days, not moping. Kitsunes did not mope.

“Are you ok? Are you nervous?” His little mouse put her hand on his leg, comforting.

“Yes and yes.” Mitsuhide turned his head to give her a sideways smile. “I have never had to meet the parents of my betrothed.” He had expected Nobunaga to marry a woman to him for political purpose. Some well-bred woman who knew how to run a house and had courtly manners. A woman he would never love, but could put up with, at a distance. Yet here he was.

She laughed. “It will be ok, really. I talked to okaasan and she is excited to meet you. She’s happy for us.”

“And you father?” Mitsuhide raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sure he’ll get used to the idea. He’s just . . . to him, I’m still a little kid. But I’m sure once he sees us together, he’ll come around.”

Mitsuhide was less certain about that. He’d known several fathers and they fell into two categories, most of the time. There were the men who could care less about their children beyond their use to the clan. And there were the men that treated their children as things of wonder. Not that they coddled them - but they cared. About their education, their work, their friends. He was sure his lover’s otousan fell into that second group.

The train stop came sooner than he might have liked. The two of them disembarked. There were only a handful of people getting off the train here, so it was easy to spot her parents.

They were dressed conservatively. Her father was a little shorter than Mitsuhide, and a little thicker around the middle. His greying hair was thin on top, and he wore glasses. Her mother was small and wore a smile he would have known anywhere.

The parents caught sight of them at about the same time Mitsuhide’s study of them finished.

“Otou-chan! Okaasan!” His little mouse flung herself across the platform, and was swept up in a hug from both sides. Tears ran down her face, and her cheeks were stretched in a wide smile.

Mitsuhide felt out of place in this moment of familial warmth. He had no such experience himself, and did not want to intrude either way. He stood quietly, holding their bags. Waiting as they exchanged hugs, kisses, and stammered apologies and explanations. As if they could make up for half a year apart in a few minutes.

Her father finally looked up and met Mitsuhide’s eyes. His were dark and suspicious. Protective. “You.”

His little one smacked his arm. “Be nice, papa. This is my fiancé, Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide, this is my father, Minoru, and my mother, Youko.”

Mitsuhide bowed low. “I am pleased to meet you both.”

Her father didn’t reply, but her mother did. “We are so glad to meet you too! It was such a surprise . . . our little girl . . . disappearing and then -”

“And then coming back with a weird boyfriend,” her father interrupted.

Oh yes. This was already going very well. Just as expected. Mitsuhide straightened and put on his best ‘trust me’ smile. “If there were any way we could have done it differently, I promise we would have. I hope we’ll be able to lay any worries you have to rest.”

She stepped over to his side and took his arm. “Yes, I plan on explaining everything.” His little mouse was the one to look nervous now. And no wonder. After much discussion, they’d decided on telling her family a version of the truth.

In fact, Sasuke and Miyake were supposed to come out the following day to provide backup evidence for their story. But even with that, they were asking her parents to accept a lot all at once. Mitsuhide did not see their chances of success as being very high, but for her, he would try anything.

Next: Bonding

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen mitsuhide #mitsuhide akechi #kyubei #otome guys #otome #fanfiction #fanfic #fluff #hc

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zeta-in-de-walls · 4 years

Text

Okay, in the wake of the L’Manburg war, allow me to get meta for a bit.

Now obviously the war, and the SMP server in general, are just for content. The stakes are all fictional - nebulous things like freedom on a minecraft server, sentimental value placed on music discs and all that nonsense.

Bearing that in mind, I want to discuss how it played out.

Who were the best players? It’s clear who were the most powerful and dangerous as enemies - Dream, George, Sapnap and Punz. (I’m leaving aside Eret for the moment btw) They all had full netherite armour, planted TNT traps and planned betrayals and ambushes to win the war. They had the upperhand throughout. Meanwhile the other side felt weak and ill-prepared and did very little damage to any of their opponents.

But you know, being more powerful doesn’t actually make for much content on its own. What makes good content? A good narrative filled with drama, tension and excitement. In those terms, we’re looking at Tommy and Wilbur carrying the server with this war.

The second they said independence and made some grand speeches, there were stakes. Instead of the server being a somewhat peaceful building simulator, it was in a state of conflict. Alliances were created, flags were made, Hamilton and Revolutionary war references were heard, matching skins and all that were being created. Putting great significance into stuff like a patch of tilled soil, suggesting carrying sticks instead of weapons and wearing no armour but fighting with words - that’s the sort of stuff that made this whole scenario work. Without it, this dispute wouldn’t have been able to call itself a war. They even make ridiculous stuff sound convincing - just the idea of calling L’Manberg its own separate server that happens to be inside another server with the running costs still being paid by Dream. It’s crazy but it works.

And my goodness, did they have their work cut out for them.

You see, I feel like Dream and co. weren’t really playing along. They heard ‘war!’ and thought - let’s win. Let’s absolutely crush the enemy! No mercy.

Now playing the villain can be cool, sure. And it kinda worked here. But only just. Some of their actions definitely irked me.

See, there are kind of unspoken agreements in stuff like letting people prepare, not attacking too early, that sort of thing. You tell everyone that the war’s gonna take place at 7pm and sure enough it does. And there’s Dream’s server rules: No stealing and no griefing. These rules do get bent in the middle of an ongoing battle - eg battles often involve a lot of placing and breaking blocks and when you’re low on stuff, trying to run to a nearby chest to grab some last minute supplies is going to happen (and later after the battle’s done you’ll probably get yelled at a little before making up) - but generally they are upheld. Especially when others are offstream and you aren’t in the middle of something.

‘Ah but it was war - rules can be broken!’ one might argue. Yeah, no, this is entertainment. You don’t start early because you’re going to ruin the stream and make the content worse - and the whole point of the war is to make good content. Like, when WIlbur’s stream died - they asked for a pause so WIlbur could sort out technical difficulties before continuing.

Yeah so Dream and Sapnap basically broke all the rules in order to win. Fundy and Tommy put up insulting signs in different languages. Funny content. Dream and Sapnap burned Tubbo’s house to the ground. Err... okay that’s a bit excessive but we can make it work. No mercy, ha.

So Tommy asked Tubbo to prep for the war. Tubbo agreed and got to work to try and balance the already uneven odds. At this point, the war’s in a day and all of Dream’s side has full netherite and none of L’Manburg do save Eret. Time is short but that just makes it all the more exciting.

So Tubbo uses villagers and trading, stealing a frugal amount to get himself started before really getting into it and grinding for diamond armour and makes nine stacks of emeralds - enough to place some high level enchants and even the odds a little and make the fight interesting.

While Tubbo’s offline, Sapnap comes in and steals them, getting books to enchant his own set of netherite armour using Tubbo’s set up. Well then. There goes any hope of a fair fight. And they are trying, you know. They realise the armour discrepancy so they’ve been trying to get potions but even that’s a struggle - when Dream finished his apology stream he logged on to the SMP without warning and managed to kill Tubbo before he could get away while his inventory had been full of potions. (Tommy and Tubbo had been visiting Dream’s base to put a sign in it - an offer of Mellohi for peace. Nothing comes of this sign or any of the other Tommy put in other people’s houses - more potential good content there like demanding Sapnap stay neutral in return for a supply blaze powder (a ref to the drug war that preceded this conflict)). It’s not that Dream killing Tubbo is the issue - it’s more how he logged on basically without warning so Tubbo had little chance to get away as he was mostly unarmoured and ungeared.

Still, the next day Tubbo is trying to grind back up, to even up things a little. He’s only managed to get 2 end crystals and he has a few sets of plain diamond armour and a few books. So he grinds like crazy in the limited time, trading all his iron, chopping trees, carrots, bamboo, sugar, everything he has into emeralds. But he needs levels. He tries to go to the spawner which the other side has been freely using to grind up exp and they kill him when he goes near. One time, Dream kills him while he has several books on him so he has to trade back emeralds to get them again. And now he doesn’t have a good way to get experience so he can’t even the odds. Punz and Sapnap even combatlog inside the spawner so if he goes near they’d come online and kill him. And yeah, they’re stream sniping. They’ve all streamed very little, hiding all their preparations while taking advantage of the fact that the other side have all been streaming everything they’ve been doing.

‘Imagine streamsniping.’ Tommy and co. said that at one point during today’s conflict. It’s cheap - it’s not fun, it’s taking advantage - one that’s not even necessary as you’re already all OP. Dream’s side aren’t the underdog, they don’t need every single advantage to win this. Instead it’s more like rubbing salt into the wound.

And yeah, despite all the griefing that Dream side have done, not once does anyone grief anything of theirs - like the chat was totally asking for them to burn down Punz’s house. No, they just place signs and talk.

Okay, so Tommy announced the war would be at 7pm. He logs on at 6.45 to say hello and hype all his viewers up, get his music playing and give a rundown of the situation and what’s occurred since he’s last streamed. No sooner has he logged on then Tubbo gets ambushed early! They attacked prematurely!

...

It’s like there was one rule - war begins at 7pm. And instead Dream, George and Sapnap all attacked Tubbo at his base at 6.45. Tommy is ages away and can’t do anything and Fundy’s in trouble too and Tubbo just barely manages to save the gear he has managed to prep. They’re even more on the backfoot. All their strats are known anyway as they’ve been watching streams so they know all about the potions and endcrystals while Tommy’s side are in the dark about Dream’s side’s preparations. For instance, offstream they filled Tommy’s base and L’Manburg with Tnt which they set off to devastating effect.

The ‘war’ is as one-sided as you’d expect. Tommy and co. are trying to attack even though they lack arrows and food and are hopelessly outmatched but they put up a pretence of trying anyway. At no point is a single one of Dream’s side even moderately threatened (except perhaps when they ambushed Tubbo early as he tried using harming potions) and everyone knows it.

Still, Tommy and Wilbur push on - they talk, they rally etc. Finally, Eret betrays them and they’re all killed in an ambush. And they’re shocked by this twist, they react, they call Eret their downfall. (Dream’s side didn’t need to resort to such tactics to win given their obvious advantage.) and Eret being a traitor is fantastic for content anyway so it is a great part of the narrative that they all react to perfectly. Eret seems to have a good instinct for making good content as well as this sort of twist is a good addition. It works because its drama - they trusted him and they never expected him to betray them to the other side after all they’d built together.

In the end, Tommy finishes it on a high with a dramatic bow duel followed by offering the discs in exchange for freedom. And fittingly, despite have being entirely outplayed in terms of power and tactics, they win the thing they cared about - which was the independence that they started the war for. The content - not anything material. Dream’s side was far stronger and better prepared and they weren’t given so much as a chance to catch up for a pvp conflict. But L’Manberg - they got that.

Okay, so this has been long and I’ll probably rewrite something similar soon - but I wanted to highlight how in meta terms, the war was being played unfairly and its obvious that Dream’s side had different priorities - win under any means necessary rather than continue to make great content for the SMP. They’re treating it like a manhunt or something when its absolutely not and shouldn’t be. They’re lucky that Wilbur and Tommy were so good at making it work as they do all the heavy-lifting for the SMP which ensures its got a healthy lifespan.

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theoneandonlyslick · 3 years

Note

Hi :) May I ask for a Dogma fic where him and the reader are dating and then the whole Umbara campaign happens and Dogma gets a court martial but the reader somehow figures out how to get him out and they live happily on a farm together? Sorry if this didn’t make any sense.

No it makes total sense! I love this idea Dogma doesn't get enough time in the show🤍

Going Home

A knock on your door woke you around 0400 in the morning, this wouldn't have been odd other than the fact that you had been off duty for hours (you were a mechanic for the 501st) and had specifically told the next shift crew not to bother you. You groaned and sat up cursing as you bumped your head on the shelf above your bunk, swinging your legs over the side you stood up and made your way over to the door ready to give the person who woke you a piece of your mind. The door opened and you opened your mouth to speak, but stopped. It was Dogma, one of the soldiers that was in the 501st, your boyfriend. He saw your disheveled state and a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

" I'm sorry cyar'ika,I didn't mean to wake you" he said softly.

" It's ok, come in" Was your reply.

You moved away from the door so he could step inside, you both sat down on the small couch that you had in the room.

“ So what brings you here at four in the morning? “ you asked, a bit of sarcasm laced in your tone. The next thing he said surprised you.

“ We ship out in 2 hours...”

The 501st were supposed to be on leave for a few weeks and you were excited to get to spent some time with Dogma, but apparently plans had changed. He explained that they had been requested to help with the battle on Umbara alongside General Kenobi’s battalion the 212th.

“ How long until you get back?” you asked anticipating something reasonable considering they were supposed to have a 3 week leave in the upcoming days.

“ Rex doesnt know.” he replied. Dogmas comm went off but he hesitated to answer, which was very unlike him. He looked at you

“Well,” you said “Answer it”

He sighed and hit the button, then Rex’s voice rang out.

“ Times up Dogma, I need you back in the hangar.”

“ Yes sir” your boyfriend responded. He hit the button again and the call ended

“ Im sorry mesh’la, if i had known sooner i'd have told you” he said with a downcast face.

“Hey, its ok I understand, duty calls sweetheart” you answered cupping his face with your hands. both of you stood up and he wrapped you in a hug. Dogmas hugs were the best, they were warm and they made you feel safe, he pulled away and kissed your forehead gently.

“I'll miss you” he whispered into your hair

“ I know love, ill miss you to. Promise you will call when you can?” you asked

“ I promise” he said with one last peck to your lips.

“I'll see you when you get back” you called as he made his way to the door. He turned and blew you a kiss as the door shut. you flopped back down onto your bed sighing. Dating a clone was interesting to say the least, yet you wouldn't trade it for the world.

Weeks went by after that day, he commed you twice and then the messages dwindled to nothing. another week went by in silence, you were beyond worried. You had tried comming Rex, but with no avail, you also tried Anakin and he had picked up, but explained that he was called off of Umbara and replaced with a jedi named Krell. Confused you had bid him goodbye and hung up. Another two weeks went by and then a beacon of hope found its way to you. Anakin, who was the only one who knew of you relationship with Dogma, commed you one morning with intell that the 501st would be returning in the next couple of days, you asked him about your beloved clone, but that was all the info he had. So patiently you waited.

Finally on the third day you overheard a few troopers talking about them being back, soo straight to the hangar you went. when you made it to the 501st bay you found them unloading the ships, supplies, e-vac’s with wounded men, and artillery were all being taken off the ship. you scanned the crowd of almost identical faces, but Dogma wasn't there. Rex, who also knew of your relationship with Dogma, walked up to you.

“ Rex! have you seen-" you began, but he held up a hand causing you to stop

" Ah, y/n before you finish, there's something i need to tell you..."

Rex pulled you aside and explained what happened,

" He was sentenced to a court martial y/n, i'm so sorry."

You gaped at him in disbelief, your Dogma sentenced to a court trial for following orders!?! For doing what he was trained to do? That was absurd!

" Where are they keeping him?" You asked turning to head back to your quarters.

"The detention block... why?" Rex replied a bit suspicious.

"No reason" you said walking away.

Rex watched you walk away already knowing your plan, but hey, who was he to stop you.

You made your way through the corridors of the base heading towards your quarters. When you got inside you immediately locked the door and got to work, you pulled out a storage container from under your bunk and put the few belongings you had inside of it, then you started making a plan. You were a mechanic and an engineer, you knew this base like the back of your hands, you were going to break Dogma out and then run away with him. As cliche as it sounds it was the best you could come up with. You just so happened to own a bit of land on a planet that wasn't very civilized yet that you used when you were on leave. That's where you would go, no one would find you there. All you had to do was stage a jailbreak, and that's exactly what you did.

Later that evening you brought your belongings to the small stuttle you owned in one of the less used hangars, then from there you used the ventilation ducts to your advantage easily making your way down to the detention level without being discovered. Once above the central area you peered out through one of the vents, there were two clones on guard, as usual for this hour of the evening. The two shock troopers were just having a normal conversation, and you deemed them distracted enough for you to quietly drop down from the opening in the ceiling. You landed on your feet as quietly as possible and waited to see if the two guards had heard you. Their conversation paused for a moment but it picked back up a second afterwards. As slowly and quietly as possible you made your way around the corner and then sprinted down the hall. Checking cells as you went, you passed one that stood out to you. The ray shield was up, but at first glance no one was in the cell, which was odd. Then you took a double take and realized that there was indeed someone in the cell, curled up in the corner was a clone, not just any clone though. It was Dogma, he had his knees hugged to his chest, head resting on them and he was shaking. The sight broke your heart, you walked up to the control panel and took the front of the box off. The noise made Dogma look up, your eyes met as he walked over to where you were standing. You held a finger to your lips signaling to him to be quiet, you turned back to the panel knowing you would have to be fast. Once the wire was cut the alarms would sound and you would have company in less than 30 seconds. You glanced at Dogma and he nodded. You began sifting through the wires, yep just what you thought, the red one. They should really change the color you thought to yourself, you held your breath and cut the wire. The alarms immediately started blaring, but the ray shield went down. You grabbed his hand and ran, looking up and down the walls for a vent opening. A few yards down the corridor there was a vent big enough for both of you to fit through you dropped to your knees and took the grate off of the duct. You let Dogma in before you and crawled in behind him, you re attached the grate right as the boot falls of the troops searching for Dogma passed by. You both held your breath as the footsteps faded letting out a sigh when they were gone. You guided Dogma back to the hangar and bolted through the door, running straight into Rex...

" Rex! I can explain!" you began, pulling Dogma behind you,

" No need, I'll stall them " he replied starting to walk towards the hangar doors

"So you aren't going to stop us?" Dogma asked, baffled.

" No im not, now go quickly before they find out you're here!" Rex exclaimed turning his head to look back at you. You grabbed his arm before he could get to far

"Thank you " you breathed, he gave you a nod and with that you and Dogma sprinted for the ship. Powering it on and setting coordinance for the planet you spent your leaves on, once out of the atmosphere you set the hyperdrive and jumped to lightspeed.

Leaning back in your seat you let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding and looked over at Dogma. He was staring off into space no emotion present on his face. You moved to kneel in front if him and took his hands in yours, your eyes met, his were full of tears. He just about collapsed into you causing you to sit against the panel with him in between your legs. He buried his head in your neck and you could feel him start to cry silently. You whispered reasurances and promises into his hair, you knew that the trauma he had experienced would take a long while to heal, but for now you could promise him one thing

" Everything is going to be alright cyare, we're going home"

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

So. My first fic is done... I really hope you like it. Dogma may be a bit out of character so I'll apologize for that. Thank you so much for the ask and the support<3 Hope it is as requested and any feedback is welcome.

#clone wars #Dogma #star wars #dogma x reader #gender neutral reader

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thefanficmonster · 3 years

Text

Promise

Anthony (The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope) x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Death scenes, Grief, Housefire, Angst, Swearing

Genre: Angst, Romance

Summary: Sneaked glances and pass-by smiles are often times the start of the most beautiful of love stories. Sadly, many of those stories end too quickly, too soon for the souls in love to be able to enjoy them. This is the story of Y/N and Anthony. The love story that started with a promise and ended in flames.

Requested by @niksoiio Hi dear! Thank you so much for your wonderful request! I apologize for taking so long, but here it finally is! I know how excited you were for this fic, so I hope it fulfills your expectations and doesn’t let you down! Please enjoy! Love, Vy ❤

Never is a love story as pure as one long awaited to commence. The souls patiently waiting to intertwine, the emotions dying to shine through more than just glances and secret smiles. Feelings to mix, collide and dance together, creating a symphony of a lifetime. The symphony of love that lives beyond the end of the very souls that sparked it.

This is a love story, a story of loss, and a clear example, proof that a love simply doesn’t die. It’s an everlasting flame - burning brighter than the one that attempted to destroy it.

~~~

“You seem restless tonight.“ Anthony walks into the living room, placing a cup of hot cocoa on the coffee table in front of Y/N who’s reading the back cover of the book he has been keeping himself busy with lately.

Y/N has been Tanya’s friend since they met in middle school. When their friendship carried over into high school, that’s when her and Tanya’s adoptive brother Anthony met. They instantly became friends, sharing their love for thrillers and murder mysteries, similar taste in music and relatively similar personalities - the quiet peacemakers. The lovers, not fighters. Well, not fighters unless necessary. They are both protectors with many people they care about and would do anything to keep them safe. The two of them are pretty similar that way.

Very compatible, as some would say. Tanya being the first to notice the connection between two of the closest people in her life. Knowing the shyness of the two and their self-doubt, she chose not to speak up about it until spoken to, expecting them to take ages to finally see what’s been going on between them. Guess she wasn’t far from the truth.

On this night Y/N and Tanya were supposed to spend their time studying together for the last exam of the semester before Christmas break began. They have agreed to meet at the Clarke house at six PM in the afternoon which has long passed and Tanya is still yet to return from the date she went on with her boyfriend Vince. She promised Y/N she’d make it home by six, but now it’s eight and there’s no sign of her whatsoever. A snowstorm started slowly taking over the town approximately two hours ago, probably the reason behind her friend’s absence, but to Y/N’s dismay, also the reason she’d have to spend the night at the Clarke household because her parents wouldn’t be able to collect her in this weather, especially not with the run-down car they drive.

“Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She nods in gratitude at the boy who sits down on the couch next to her as she takes the mug containing the hot beverage with as firm of a grip as she can muster with her shaky hands.

She has indeed been restless since she arrived. Walking into the house, apart from Anthony who had let her in, the first person she saw was the youngest member of the family - Megan. The little girl has never done anything to her in particular, but there has always been something about her that has unnerved Y/N. Something in her eyes and demeanor, how empty and hollow her gaze was, almost like she was looking through people and objects instead of at them. The smile she sent her as a greeting sent chills down her spine, leaving her hands and knees shaky and her body jittery as if the house was colder than the outdoors. The thought that she’d have to sleep in this house made her stomach clench with discomfort, a sickening feeling of wrong taking over her mind and body.

“Maybe it’s the exam. You know, if Tanya doesn’t make it, I can help you. It’s not a difficult subject, after all.“ Anthony attempts to reassure her, giving her a sympathetic look as he takes a sip of his own cup.

She gives him a soft smile and another nod of appreciation for his offer, “No, it’s not that. Or at least I think it isn’t. Exams don’t make me nervous until after I’ve finished them, if that makes sense.” She giggles weakly, basking in the warmth of the porcelain cup in her ice cold hands. It doesn’t have much of an effect though - instead of warming up her skin, her hands are basically cooling the drink and she still feels as tense and endangered as ever. “But a study partner could be pretty useful, thank you.”

After finishing the rather disappointing movie they found on TV as well as their drinks, they make their way to Anthony’s room to actually get some studying done because, judging by the nearing of nine PM and the constant lack of her friend, she wouldn’t be returning on time. Anne attempts to offer them before they go, an offer which they turn down in favor of making the most of the time they have left before their brains would require rest for the day.

“You see, I get that it’s far less complicated than it seems, but I’m terrible at paying attention in classes, let alone at taking notes.“ Y/N admits while they take a short ten minute break between note-reading and revising the chapters they’ll have an exam on the following day.

Anthony’s eyebrows furrow, “Why’s that? I mean, the professor isn’t boring. Not to me, at least.“

She shakes her head, “No, no, far from it. The rare time’s I’ve managed to focus I quite enjoyed the lectures. But I tend to get too stuck inside my head to hear anything else. My brain gets overwhelmed by the future, by what’s gonna happen five minutes, five days or maybe even five years from the present moment. I sometimes get so lost in those thoughts that I end up...this is gonna sound weird, but I feel like I end up living them.” Somewhere along the lines she could no longer hold his gaze, embarrassed and afraid of how his opinion of her might change with this newly revealed information.

However, much to her surprise, when her eyes meet his again he’s looking at her with nothing but intrigue and child-like curiosity. No amusement or humor or mocking, just wondering, hoping to find out more. Little does she know, that’s how he always looks at her when she is facing the other way. “That’s so interesting. I guess the real question is: Do the things you imagine ever end up coming true?” It was said with a lighthearted smile with the intention of easing the tension in her, calming her nerves, but he had unintentionally struck a chord.

She nods her head, her eyes widening slightly, “Well that’s the weirdest part - they do. Almost all the time unless I do something to prevent it. It freaks me out every time.” An aura of fear surrounds and inhabits her as her gaze wanders away from his again, this time subconsciously, “It scares me so much, Anthony. I know something’s terribly wrong with me. I’m a freak of nature or...I don’t even know what. I just know it’s bad. And I probably shouldn’t have told you all of this cause you now won’t ever look at me the same, you will avoid me. Call me crazy behind my back. I see why but-...”

Before the petrified girl could continue rambling, Anthony takes hold of her hands, firm and comforting. The sudden, unexpected contact of their hands silences her, freezing her eyes on his as she breathes heavily in hopes to stabilize her rapid heart and far worse shakiness. With his hands holding hers, she feels protected, guarded from whatever the future may hold and from the very fact that she could probably find out if she tried. For once though, she doesn’t feel like she has to. She doesn’t need to see what will happen and prepare, she trusts it won’t be so bad as long as she has this boy holding her by the hands, looking at her with such softness in his green orbs staring back at her.

“But that’s all nonsense, Y/N. I’d never say something behind your back, especially not something meanspirited or ill-willed. You...“ he trails off, hesitating for just a moment longer, deciding against prolonging this grey area his feelings have been locked in for far too long as it is, “You are very important to me, more than you know. I could never see you as anything but amazing, mesmerizing. You’re you, Y/N. And that’s why....“ Hesitation and doubt make one final attempt at beating his courage bloody. Much like last time, they fail and Anthony carries on, “That’s the reason I’ve fallen in love with you, Y/N. Quirks, oddities, they are all beautiful cause they are yours. And I love them cause they make you who you are.“

He has somehow managed to turn the tables on her, leaving her to be the speechless one despite her having just revealed her freaky ‘abilities’ to him. What looks like a fiasco in her mind he’s made seem like a perfectly put together kaleidoscope. Like every piece of her shattered courage and bravery is back in it’s spot. Although he’s somewhat managed to put her together, she’s still a long way from being whole, which is why words have failed her now. She hasn’t felt so complete in so long, and now the final piece missing is that response that just refuses to leave her chest.

Seeing her stunned as she is, Anthony feels the need to apologize, justify his out-of-the-blue confession that startled her so much, “I know I should’ve you sooner, or at least picked a better moment but-...”

It’s her turn to cut him off though her method is much more efficient - silencing him by pressing her lips against his. Though caught off-guard, Anthony is quick to respond to it, kissing her back with the same amount of love she’s put in on her end.

“Hey, Y/N, I’m so sor- WHOA!“ The two pull apart at the sound of the familiar female voice that has suddenly filled the room. Tanya has picked the worst of moments to be coming home, and she’s more than aware of it. Despite feeling guilty for interrupting her brother and best friend’s moment, she’s also glad she didn’t miss it. After all, she’s been watching the two suffer in silence, pining for each other since the start of their high school freshmen year and even now that they’re in college. They’ve been quiet about their feelings for more than four years and she can’t be happier to finally see the prophecy fulfilled. “You know how long I’ve been waiting for you two to finally succumb to your hearts and turn those lame brains you have off?! Oh this is a relief like no other.” The older girl laughs, pleased with the outcome of four years of looking on at two very important people in her life adoring one another and not saying a word. Needless to say, she’s proud of them.

“Do you know what knocking is, Tanya?“ Anthony is the first to recover from the initial shock of his sister’s appearance.

“Only in theory. Not in practice.“ She replies sarcastically, giving a pleased smile that speaks volumes of how her spirits have been lifted all thanks to them. “I’ll go downstairs, pretend I didn’t see what I saw, make myself a cup of tea to warm up and when I come back I want to see that you two have pulled yourselves together. Your faces are burning red.” She instructs, backing out of the room but not before fixing them a narrow-eyed warning look.

She wasn’t wrong - they are indeed blushing a deep red and all they can do is smile when they look at each other, giggling a tiny bit.

Suddenly, Y/N’s eyes widen as though she has just remembered something of great importance. “Wait.” She mutters, more to herself than to Anthony. Her hand swiftly slides the ring off the middle finger of her left hand and offers it to Anthony, “Here.” The boy takes it hesitantly, turning it between his fingers as gently and cautiously as he can as though the ring would crack if his grip became any firmer. “By taking in, you’re making a statement, a promise. A promise that you won’t change your mind about me...about us by tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or by next week.” She’s unable to look at him yet again, instead focusing on her fidgeting hands rested in her lap.

After a brief moment of contemplating, Anthony hands her back the ring, “I don’t need to make a promise, I know I won’t change my mind. You could look into the future and see for yourself too.” He tells her reassuringly, a sweet smile on his face to show the lightheartedness of what he’s said, afraid it might be offensive to her if he didn’t clarify.

She shakes her head, “For once in my life I don’t want spoilers for the future. I’ll just let it play out. I’ll see it when it happens.” She pushes the ring back to him, “But I still want you to keep this. A reminder, if not a promise. A reminder that I promise to love you for a very long time.”

A warmth spreads throughout his chest, the wholesomeness of the moment having reached to his heart and soul. He curls his fingers over the ring protectively, “Alright, I’ll take it. As a promise that I too promise to love you for even longer.”

The strings of emotion connecting them are slowly being pulled, bringing them closer once again. They both lean in, ready to feel that incredible magic of a love-filled kiss another time.

“Consider this me knocking! My hands are kinda full so just open the door if I can come in!“ Lips less then an inch apart, they’re interrupted by the shout coming from the other side of the bedroom door.

The young pair laugh, accepting that their moment will have to be postponed before Anthony goes to let his sister, who’s carrying a cup of tea and some snacks, in. All Y/N can think about is how much happiness she’s found so unexpectedly, in a place she was all but willing to stay at. Life is full of surprises and unforeseen moments, so many things one can never predict. And even though Y/N can predict them, now she’d rather not. She now understands the importance of surprises in life and she wants to cherish them properly.

* * *

Flames, fear, screams, shouts, cries. All painted on the backs of her eyelids. The mortifying images playing out in front of her jolt her awake.

A nightmare, it’s just a nightmare, she tells herself.

But upon opening her eyes she is met by the misty darkness of the smoke-filled room her and her best friend are currently in.

A nightmare that she could’ve predicted and warned the others about.

“Y/N, get out of the window! I need to find Megan!“ Tanya tells her urgently, ushering her towards the windowsill, “Go! Anthony will catch you!“

Looking down at the snow*covered yard below, she sees Anthony’s figure, motioning for her to jump. She can barely hear him over the ringing and thumping in her head but she trusts him. She believes she’ll be ok if she chooses to rely on him. So, following both his and his sister’s instructions, she jumps, falling into his arms. For a few moments it’s all blank around her and in her head. She wonders if it’s just the feeling of the fall or the fact that she could’ve died so easily. Or maybe the close proximity to Anthony. Either way his whisper wakes her up from the blank trance she has fallen into.

“It’s ok, I got you.“ He steadies Y/N on her shaky feet, taking her head and leading her to the front of the house.

The next few minutes are a show of nothing but horror and pain. Her and Anthony witness it together, unable to do anything but look on as ever member of the Clarke family, one by one, has life escaping their bodies in the most brutal of ways: Tanya and Megan never made it out of the house; Mr. Clarke was caught under the fallen ceiling in the living room and Dennis was the worst, having impaled himself on the fence below the attic window.

They saw it all happen. They couldn’t do anything. Fear-ridden, powerless and helpless, frozen in their spots by the horrifying scenes playing out in front of them. With tears brimming her eyes and blurring her vision and her knees almost completely giving out, Y/N felt a little bit of her die with each member of the family. A large chunk of her died along with them. She can only imagine how Anthony feels.

“Mom...“ The distressed boy mutters, “Mom’s still in there! Mom!“ Before she could stop him, he’s running towards what used to be the front door of the house and into the burning hallway.

Y/N’s heart drops, adrenaline and the primal instinct to save the person she loves kicking in bringing her legs to life, carrying her forward. “Anthony no!” A loud cry of desperation leaves her aching chest.

She too enters the hallway, surrounded by the overwhelming heat that feels like it’s burning her skin off. She doesn’t dwell on that though, instead she lunges forward, hands grabbing at Anthony’s arm with all her might and yanking him back with as much strength as she has left. Thankfully, it’s enough to send the boy stumbling back, falling on the snow out in the yard, falling to safety just in time.

Just when the ceiling in the hallway collapses. Directly on top of Y/N.

Like the last breath had been drawn out of Anthony’s lungs. Like his last hope had just been shredded to pieces.

Like his life ended along with her, his heart severed and plucked out of his chest, thrown into the flames.

He bows his head, uncontrollable cries leaving his body, each feeling like a punch to the gut - oh so painful and oh so dreadful. As though his very soul is draining from his body with each scream of agony. Then he spots the shimmer in the snow, the twinkle in his darkened vision.

The promise ring that had fallen out of his pocket, its smooth, gleaming surface unharmed, reflecting the raging flames in front of him. Its statement, its meaning standing stronger than ever - an everlasting love. A brightly burning flame ignited by two souls so adored by each other. And even though one of the flames that started the fire has been extinguished, the fire of love hasn’t wavered.

The ring is sending him a message:

This is far from the end of his love. Far from the end of hers either. When two souls intertwine the way theirs have, the bond cannot be broken.

* * *

Half a century has passed and Anthony has never missed the day - each year gracing the town of Little Hope with his presence to commemorate his late family and loved one, bringing a flower to each of their graves.

Survivor’s guilt still haunts him. That night’s events still keep him up at night and the images still seep into his dreams. However, now he has a way to cope with it. He writes. He writes in a diary but in such a way that it’s composed of letters. Letters addressed to different members of his family though the majority are love letters for Y/N. He tells her about his day, how he wishes she were by his side, how he whishes they had more time or acted on their feeling sooner.

How he loves her even more now, how they have remained connected.

“Funny how we haven’t run into each other before. Fifty years and this is the first time I’m seeing you here.“ The deep male voice startles him, “I knew we’d run into each other eventually.“

It’s Vince, Tanya’s boyfriend - the person who’s been placing the flowers Anthony find on Tanya’s grave every year. He always assumed it was him, another man forever in love with the soul that is left to linger after its body vanished. Another man chained by a memory, one he wouldn’t escape even if he could. He still loves Tanya, no doubt about it, and he wishes to never stop loving her. Him and Anthony are rather similar that way.

“Though it was you. No one else knows Tanya’s favorite flowers.“ Anthony motions to the bouquet of white flowers in Vince’s hands, “Surprised you’re still here.“ He knows it’s not the wisest thing to say to a man who’s suffering down the same road of guilt and grief - the road only lit by the everlasting love that has remained in his heart as well as Vince’s.

“Surprised you haven’t stopped coming around.“ He replies though they both know what’s insinuated - they understand why neither of them can let go. They’re bound to bodiless souls that reside here. They are both more than determined to stay as close as possible to those souls they are so hopelessly in love with. Vince’s eyes trail down to Anthony’s hand which is holding the bouquet he was going to place on his sister’s grave. He catches the glint of a ring on his finger, “You’re married?”

The promise ring. He’s chosen to wear it in place of a wedding ring. It is not only a way to cope but it’s exactly what him and Y/N agreed on all those years ago - a reminder that they’ll love each other for a very long time. For forever.

“Yes. I’m married.“

He indeed is - to Y/N and the memory of her. To her soul that his will forever be connected to.

@artlovingbre @sparrow-gg @megandaisy9

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bakubabes-tatakae · 4 years

Text

A Kunoichi’s Betrayal || Kakashi x Reader x Obito/Tobi

With the brilliant idea by @chidori-mint we bring you this (Kakashi x Reader x Obito/Tobi) collab! I hope you all like it. 🥰

Find Part Two Here!

Pairing: Kakashi x Reader x Obito/Tobi

Summary: Just when you decide to finally close a painful chapter in your life and to embrace a fresh start someone from your past will come to face you again.

A/N: Rin does not exist in the AU.

Warnings: angst, major character death in beginning, smut, unprotected sex, non-con, violence

Word Count: 4.8k

*Four Years Ago*

Ninja came back through the gates, your wandering eyes searched for one particular ninja, but the dark-haired weirdo was nowhere to be seen. You searched and searched, running frantically through the crowd of people that were flooding back in. No one would answer you as you begged for someone to tell you where he was. Obito had to be okay, you sat out one mission due to being ill before they left, there was no way that something happened to him.

Finally, you saw the blonde hair of a familiar man. You ran to your sensei, Minato, and when he turned to you you knew. His face read nothing but pain, not physical pain, but emotional. Your arms immediately felt heavy at your sides. Your body was completely numb. The silver-haired ninja next to him saw you dropping and ran to your side. You dropped to your knees on the ground, falling into the arms of Kakashi Hatake. The only words that he could muster were something you didn’t want to hear. It would never make the situation any better. “I’m sorry.”

Kakashi pulled you into his chest, muffling the sounds of your sobs as the people around you started to stare. This was all a joke, Obito would come running out soon to apologize for how bad of a joke it was. He had to. But when no one came you couldn’t stop yourself anymore. Your screams made Kakashi cringe, he had never wanted to see you like this. He had done everything in his power to keep this from happening. He held you tighter as you shook in his arms.

Minato walked up to you and knelt down beside you. “Y/n, I’m so sorry. We did everything that we could. I blame myself, if I had been there sooner, maybe I could have helped them.”

You never even looked up, the only reason he knew you heard him was that you stilled in Kakashi’s arms.

Kakashi placed a hand on your head while the other held you close. “I promised him I’d protect you Y/n.” His voice broke with every word. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do, even if it takes my life.”

*Present Day*

The butterflies that had made your stomach their home were new. And it was every damn time you saw that silver-haired Jonin. What was he doing to you? This wasn’t supposed to be possible. No, you had to just keep fighting through it. You were just nervous about the mission you were all about to embark on. Nervous about what might happen, you were heading for disaster any way you looked at it.

Kakashi had promised to protect you and he had always done just that. There was a knock on your front door, it startled you out of the funk you had been in. Reliving every moment of the day you found out about Obito’s death and then dealing with these weird feelings you were developing for Kakashi. You shook your head quickly, hoping it would shake away these thoughts. You stood from your couch and sauntered toward the door. You still hadn’t even accepted Obito’s death, even after four years, you still questioned every day if it was all a big joke.

The amount of time you had walked through the village and expected to see the black-haired goofball come around you and scoop you up from behind like he always did. As you reached for the door handle you let out a sigh, it was louder than you anticipated it to be as the copy ninja commented from the outside. “Y/n, it’s me. Are you alright in there?”

You slowly opened the door, wrapping the blanket that you had around you tighter. “I’m fine, just a lot on my mind.”

“Thinking about Obito again?” He slowly came inside as you stepped back and walked to the couch again. “I think about him a lot too.”

You pulled your legs underneath you as you sat and he took a seat beside you, sinking into the cushion underneath him. He placed a hand on your thigh hesitantly. The touch of his skin against yours made those same butterflies come back to their home. “I’ll be fine Kakashi.” You gave him a weak smile, but you could tell by his look that he wasn’t convinced. “It’s been four years. I have to let go sometime soon.”

Kakashi slowly stood back up, grabbing your bag that you had left behind the door. “Are you ready to go? The group is waiting at the gates.”

“Yea,” You dropped the blanket from your shoulder, feeling the cold air touch the skin that your vest didn’t cover. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

You closed your door, making sure to lock it behind you. The walk to the gates felt like an eternity. As you approached you saw the familiar faces of Kakashi’s team, you had almost forgotten that they were going to be joining you. Sakura and Naruto stood with Hinata and Kiba, patiently waiting for Kakashi and you to approach. When the two of you approached Yamato also made his presence known. Yamato waved to the two of you. “Are we ready to go?”

Kakashi nodded. “Let’s move out.”

* * * * * *

Night settled in quickly as the group spent the day walking toward the Land of Iron. As the day began to end and it began to grow dark you could see a group of ninja flying through the forest, our presence still unknown to them. Kakashi tensed and pushed himself closer to you. The group looked around, you knew they didn’t know anyone was below them and you needed to find out where they were headed. Naruto was the first to jump toward the branches of the trees. They didn’t call him the knucklehead ninja without a cause. This left the rest of you to follow him, you could see one of them getting ready to attack, and as Kakashi saw the blue lighting forming around the ninja’s hand he knew who it was. “Sasuke!”

Naruto jumped for him, a Rasengan forming in his palm, but as he was about to hit him Sasuke changed directions. He was completely ignoring the group. Naruto ran for him, gliding through the branches of the trees with ease, but he was stopped by a kick from another unidentified male. This man wore a mask, an orange mask with a spiral pattern on it. Kakashi threw an arm around you and pulled you behind him. “Stay back.” He noticed his robe. “Akatsuki.”

Naruto jumped for him again, Rasengan locked and loaded, but was once again thrown back by a hit. Every blow that you threw at this man was dodged. The group did no good, the more they attacked the farther up the tree he climbed. Kakashi kept you behind him, shielding you from anything that could come your way. As Kakashi watched him you saw his eyes grow wide.

As Kakashi was frozen in shock you took your opportunity, it was the first time you would be let off the leash. You grabbed a scroll from the pack on your hip and began opening it. As you came into the man’s view and started unrolling the scroll it was as if the man vanished into thin air. You looked around and grabbed a kunai from the pack, ready to cut your finger to get blood for the scroll.

You all did circles around the area. Everyone on the ground spread out and Yamato, Kiba, and Naruto sailed through the trees, ensuring that the man was actually gone. When he was nowhere to be found you all decided it was time to call it a night.

* * * * * *

As night settled in Yamato pointed out the Inn that became visible in the distance and ran ahead of everyone, booking rooms before we even got there. Kakashi made sure to walk you to yours, wanting to be sure you were settled in. After the chaos of the day he was nervous to leave your side. You could see the fear in his eyes as he talked about leaving you alone. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay without me?”

You gave him a weak smile as you took a seat on the bed. “I’ll be fine Kakashi, you don’t have to worry about me so much.”

“I promised him Y/n, I promised that I would never let any harm come to you. I promised that you would always be safe.” He was being wracked by guilt, more than he usually was.

“Are you okay Kakashi?” You hadn’t seen him like this since that day.

“I… I’m just having a hard time today, that’s all.” He walked to the bed and sat down next to you, placing his head in his hands. “There’s just something that I want to say to you and I’m not sure if I can.”

Your heart began to beat fast, nervous about what he was about to say to you. “Just say it Kakashi.”

“I can’t,” He looked up at you and his eyes showed nothing but lust in them. That’s when you knew. He had been doing all of this for Obito but had gotten caught into his own feelings as he did. You had never wanted that to happen, but this was going to make you have to face your own feelings.

“Then let me talk first,” He looked up, a puzzled look painted his face. “Just don’t speak, listen.”

He obliged rubbing his hand down his face before giving you his full attention.

“Kakashi, I loved Obito so much… that it made me blind. I know exactly what you’re thinking right now.” You sighed. “I’m so sorry that it took me this long to see this. My feelings for Obito never faded and it made it so that I wasn’t able to see you. And when I say you… I mean the real you. It’s clear to me now Kakashi. All these years that you never once left my side… It wasn’t just about your promise to Obito.”

You took a second, afraid that your words would get jumbled if not. “I’ve been in denial. I convinced myself that you were just fulfilling your promise. I know that I made you feel like I was oblivious to all of this.”

You stood from the bed, your anxiety overtaking you. “I was falling for you Kakashi Hatake. That’s my problem, that’s what I’ve been such a wreck about all day.” You could feel the tears coming, trying hard to hold them back. “I shouldn’t feel this way. How Kakashi? How can I be in love with you? You’re Obito’s best friend, it’s the ultimate betrayal.”

Kakashi was shocked by your revelation. He was so overwhelmed that he had no words, not because you had told him not to speak, but because he couldn’t believe that you had said the same things that he had wanted to. As he saw tears start to paint trails down your cheeks he felt nothing but guilt. He had never thought that the person that confessed feelings first would be you.

Kakashi had been ready to be rejected if he had gotten the courage to tell you this. He would just continue to love you in silence, keeping your best interests first.

But this had been the other way around. Just the fact that he had feelings for you had given him guilt every moment of every day. But finding out that you had the same feelings as he made it all worse. But even after everything, his love for you would never falter.

Kakashi stood from the bed and pulled his mask down his face. His hands planted themselves on your hips and pulled you toward him. The feeling of his hands on your waist made your heartbeat even faster. Afraid that he might reject you, afraid that he was about to leave the room. But he did the exact opposite. His lips met yours with nothing but passion. You followed his movements and placed your hands in his hair.

His lips were soft against your own, his tongue asking for entrance. As you allowed him your tongues danced together. Kakashi spun you around toward the bed and pinned you down upon it. He unzipped your vest and started to pull it off your arms. You had waited for this moment for so long. You wanted to do this, but the farther the two of you went the more guilt you were feeling. As your vest was finally off your arms you felt his lips plant kisses down your neck and shoulder. He looked up at you, you could see the guilt in his eyes as well. “Are you sure you want to do this Y/n?”

You placed a hand on each side of his face and spoke softly. “I’m more than sure Kakashi.” You rubbed his cheek. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

He pushed the tank top that you wore under your vest up, exposing your bra, his hands wandering your chest. His hands slid down your sides, his fingers hooking into the belt loops of your pants, using them to slowly slide your pants down your legs. He left a trail of soft nibbles down your stomach before pulling your pants off your legs and throwing them to the floor at the end of the bed. Kakashi hovered over you, his hand sliding down your stomach and onto your throbbing sex. His hand rubbed your folds before he found your clit, rubbing circles around it.

You lifted your hands and placed them in his hair, moans escaping your lips as he ruthlessly pleasured your cunt. Kakashi placed his hands on your thighs, digging his fingers into your soft skin as he squeezed them. You grabbed at his vest, helping him strip it along with his long sleeve, black shirt before he pushed your thighs apart. He took in the sight of you whimpering on the bed, ready for him to continue to make you feel on top of the world.

As his face neared your sex you placed your hand in his hair again, tugging him up toward you. “Kakashi, it’s been four years. Trust me, you don’t need to do that.”

Kakashi smiled at you, reaching for his zipper and pulling his pants down. The bulge that was pushing against his pants finally springing free. “Are you still sure about this?” He placed an arm on each side of you, holding himself over your figure.

You grabbed his face in your hands. “Stop talking.” You wrapped your legs around him and flipped him on his back. “I’m not waiting anymore.” You took his length in your hands and lined him up with your entrance, lowering yourself onto him slowly. Kakashi pushed his head back into the pillows as his length stretched your walls. You slowly moved up and down on him, pure pleasure washing over you, exciting every inch of your body. This was so much better than the toys you had been using at home for years.

Kakashi held your hips as you bounced, the callouses on them rough against your soft skin. “I’m not gonna last long Y/n.”

You ignored him, throwing your head back, moan after moan escaping you. You could feel the tightness in your abdomen growing, your climax approaching faster than it had in a long time. Kakashi’s fingers dug into your sides as he let a couple pleasured grunts escape him. He tried hard to stay silent, but your movements were too much. “God, Y/n, you’re so tight.”

The lust in his voice put you dangerously close to your high. “Oh god, Kashi. I’m-I’m so close.”

Kakashi grabbed your hips and helped guide you, matching your movements, and pounding himself into you. “Come for me, do it, baby.”

Your walls clamped around him as you felt yourself come undone, Kakashi following you, his seed filling you. You stayed on top of him, leaning down against his chest. He pushed your hair out of your face, the both of you catching your breath.

As you collapsed next to him you slid your way into his outstretched arm, placing yourself in the small space between his chest and his arm. Exhaustion took over for the both of you and within minutes you were asleep, the soundest sleep the two of you had achieved since Obito had left you.

* * * * * *

You were awoken by the sound of Yamato at your door, you had slept through the night, not waking up once. “Y/n, have you seen Kakashi? I went to his room and there was no answer.”

Your eyes grew wide at the sound. You shot up and grabbed a blanket off the bed, wrapping it around you. You cracked the door enough for him to see your face. “He’s in here with me. He came to wake me up earlier. We’ll meet you guys downstairs in a half-hour?”

Yamato looked confused, but as long as he knew where Kakashi was he seemed satisfied. You shut the door behind you and walked back over to the bed. Kakashi was still asleep, how in the hell had he slept through that?

You grabbed your clothes and headed for the shower, starting it and sitting on the toilet to wait for it to warm. A thousand thoughts ran through your head. Had you really slept with Kakashi last night? You thought about how Obito would feel about this if he was looking down on you. Would he hate you for sleeping with his best friend? Or would he just be happy that you had moved on? Even if it had been with Kakashi Hatake.

As the water warmed you hopped into the shower, the warmth of the water hitting your face, calming you some. You sat in silence, just letting the water run over you when you heard the bathroom door opening. Kakashi entered the shower with you, wrapping his strong arms around you, pulling you into him.

* * * * * *

It was about an hour’s walk to your next destination. Kakashi and you tried hard not to lead on that the two of you had spent the night together, but you knew that Yamato had probably figured it out.

As you walked you could feel a presence on you, a familiar presence. You were the first to notice it, “Do you feel that?”

Kakashi turned to you. “Huh?”

“Something's wrong, Kakashi. I feel like someone’s watching us." You could swear that something was wrong like something bad was about to happen. A cold rush of wind sent shivers down your skin.

"Hi!" A playful greeting came from behind and as you tried to turn around you felt the cold metal edge of kunai on your throat.

It was the masked man from the Akatsuki. Everyone froze where they stood. Kakashi’s eyes grew wide. Where did he come from? I didn't even sense him.

"Hey, psycho! Get your dirty hands off of Y/n! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" At least fifty Naruto clones appeared and encircled the team.

"Tobi's not a psycho. Tobi's a good boy!" Tobi's grip on your waist got tighter, you could feel the warmth of his body on your back as he pointed the Kunai closer to your skin. Any wrong move could kill you. "Please don't do anything stupid, Jinchuriki…” There was a sudden change in his voice. “After all, I don't want my princess here to get hurt." It became deep, chilling, and malicious.

With one wave of Tobi's hand, your bodies started to swirl and you both slowly vanished into the thin air. Your surroundings slowly changed. You felt dizzy and fell down on your knees, scraping them on the hard ground.

“What— where am I?” You started to panic and struggled to stand on your feet, barely keeping your balance. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Oh, I don’t remember my princess having a potty mouth.” Tobi took a step towards you but you stepped back. The deep voice still there.

“You better start answering my questions you sick fuck! What are you planning to do with me, huh?! Isn’t it enough that you took Sasuke from us?”

“Sasuke is merely a pawn. Well, let’s not talk about him. Let’s talk about us, princess.” He took a good look at you, scanning you from head to toe.

“Stop calling me princess. You make me sick!” You quickly grabbed a Kunai from your utility pouch but the man was quicker than you expected. The next thing you knew he was behind you again. He took hold of your left arm and twisted it, you groaned in pain. He grabbed you from behind restraining your movements.

You can feel him sniffing your hair, “Damn, you still smell so good. So... intoxicating.” He whispered in your ear. “No wonder you have Kakashi wrapped around your finger..” You felt goosebumps spread over your skin.

What does he mean? Who is this guy?

“I made him promise to protect you. Not to fuck you. Oh well, who could resist you, princess?” You froze. His words struck you so harshly that you forgot the pain in your left arm.

“Protect me?” You whispered in confusion.

“Allow me to refresh your memories…” His voice changed again. “Princess..” It sounded familiar. It sounded like —

Everything around you distorted again. He brought you to a strange place. It was a very old bedroom. But what caught your attention was the picture frame on the bedside table. It was dusty but you recognized it instantly. It was a photo from long ago. Your sensei, young Kakashi on the right, you in the middle and —

He slowly loosened his grip on your arms. You didn’t realize it but warm tears were slowly running down your cheeks. He moved closer to you, lifting your chin to face him. And for the first time, through the hole in his mask, you saw his right eye. Sharingan. You could hear your heartbeat...

He held his mask and took it off. No. It can’t be. "This will refresh your memories…" His hands were on both sides of your hips. And his lips were on yours. At first, he was slow. Passionate even. It felt surreal. He brushed his lips gently against yours. His hands were roaming around your body.

No. This is wrong.

You tried to pull away from him, breaking the kiss.

"What? You didn't miss me?"

"How come you're alive?!"

"Doesn't matter y/n. I came back for you. I came to get you back from that scum." Anger filled Obito's eyes. "You're mine. And I don't intend to share you with Kakashi." He saw the guilt in your face. "You think I didn't know?" he laughed maniacally. "So what? Do you think of me when he's touching you? Did you wish it was me kissing you last night?” A demented laugh left his lips. “Oh I bet you did, princess. I will never let that scum touch you again. I'm gonna show you who you belong to, y/n. And then I’ll make you an Uchiha."

You couldn't believe your eyes.

"No. This can't be happening. This is not real!"

"That's your guilt talking. I'm here. I'm real." He leaned in again, locking eyes with yours. "You and me princess, we'll make a world of our own."

Obito tried to kiss you, you attempted to push him, but he was stronger. "Fuck off!!!" You yelled at him.

"Ok that's it! I'm done playing nice with you y/n." He pushed you back against the wall. You were trapped between Obito and the cold, hard surface. His face was so close to yours. His hand ran across your throat holding you in place.

"I didn't plan my reunion with you to be like this y/n. I have different plans for us. You may not know this, but I was always watching you. I had to make sure you were always safe. I witnessed all the nights you cried. I saw how much you wished that everything hadn’t happened. But I guess last night was a different story. It's clear that Kakashi is nothing to you but a one night stand. Sorry if you have to settle for scum like Kakashi to satisfy you. But I'm here now. Let me take care of you." You tried compressing your legs together, hoping it would relieve the aching feeling coming from your core. How could this man cause you to feel this way?

He roughly ripped your vest, “You won’t be needing this, princess.” Once again his lips crashed into yours. It was needy and desperate, his tongue was roughly seeking for an opening. You know this was wrong but your body was moving on its own. You kissed him back like a hungry animal. Your hands pulled his face closer kissing him hard and he took this as a sign that you had given in to him. That you had finally accepted him. Maybe he was right all along. You needed him. You’d been waiting for this moment for what seemed like your whole life.

You broke the kiss and quickly undressed your shirt. You were hot and sweaty, your chest rose up and came down hard due to your panting. His lips met yours again and slowly traveled down your jaw. You tilted your head to the side, giving him more access to your exposed neck. And as a moan escaped your swollen lips he unclasped your bra and took it off. His hands reached to cup your ass lifting you from the ground. He walked you toward the bed and laid you down. As he pulled off your pants, you felt a little embarrassed.

Your face turned red as you tried to cover your breasts with your hands feeling too exposed.

"You don't have to hide, princess, your body is perfect." He curled his finger underneath your panties and slipped them down your thighs, lifting each of your ankles to help you get out of them before tossing them away.

Obito settled himself between your parted legs, sliding one finger into your soaking cunt. "You're cuter when you're all hot and bothered, princess." He then added another finger inside you making your moans grow louder.

"Damn it, Obito!" You gasped as his fingers went knuckle deep, scissoring and thrusting all at once. He hovered himself on top of you. You reached for him desperately, pulling him closer. He kissed you once more stifling your gasp as his fingers grazed a sensitive spot inside you.

"Obito please," you groaned, you couldn't take it anymore.

"What is it, princess?" He asked as he set his eyes on you. "I need your words, y/n"

"I need you. Please. I need you inside me." He smirked as he pulled out his fingers and licked them clean.

"I never knew you tasted so sweet, princess." He started to undo his pants letting his cock spring free. "I have to claim what's mine." He spat on his hand lubricating the swollen tip of his cock.

With one swift thrust, he buried himself inside you making you groan in pain as he stretched you giving you no time to adjust.

"Ah fuck, Obito!" You screamed his name, tugging on the bedsheet.

"Holy fuck, princess. You're so tight." You arched your back meeting his thrusts deeper. You felt so full, you squeezed him as your walls tightened over and over. "You feel so good y/n. So good for me."

His pace was fast, thrust after thrust sent you toward your climax. "Obito, I -- I‘m gonna cum!"

"You're mine y/n! You're mine!" He moaned into your mouth as you wrapped your legs around his waist pulling him further, fucking you harder.

"Come on y/n. Come now. Fucking come on my dick now!"

"O-Obito!!" You whimpered and your legs started to become jelly, your walls quivering.

Obito panted, his voice shaking, "That's it princess. Scream my name!" His hands grabbing your hips as he rewarded you with harsher thrusts. "I will fuck an Uchiha in you!" You felt hot spurts of his seeds coat your walls.

He pulled out his semi-hard cock, your pussy dripping with his cum. He kissed your forehead as he collapsed beside you. You both fought to catch your breath.

"Don't sleep yet, y/n." He gasped. "We're not even close. You’re not leaving this bed until I make sure you carry an Uchiha. Not that Hatake scum."

Naruto Content Taglist 💕 @chidori-mint @praisingkuroosbedhead @korianrdr @ari-hatake15

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soukokuwu · 4 years

Note

This is a bit particular, but can I get a scenario on Dazai when his (female) s/o, whom he's been with for a while, tells him that she was has a terminal condition and she'll only live a few more years? He's bitter that she has to die so early and expects her to feel the same way, but he's surprised when she explains that she's gotten past her resentment of the situation and is only grateful that she was able to experience the world as long as she had? Tysm!

Dazai Osamu

➢ angst, a hint of fluff (dazai x reader)

➢ warnings, suicidal thoughts, death

➢ word count: 2.1k

➢ ah i always love a good angst theme! i hope you don’t mind that i made this a full story i just got so absorbed writing this that i kept going 🥺 i really hope you’ll like this anon! 🌻🤍

Life & You

Pain and loss.

They followed him everywhere, wherever he went, in every crevice he thought he could hide in. They were the only thing that reminded him he was even remotely human, of the fact that he had a beating heart. The heartache was the only thing to serve as proof that he was alive, since he had never truly felt the kind of joy that made his heart soar or the kind of excitement that made it sing.

The cuts that littered his skin, under all the wraps that he used to shield them from the world, were a small yet painful reminder that somehow he still longed to find something to ignite his desire for life. If he had wanted to die right then and there - if he was really, truly hopeless, the razor would have cut its way deeper into his skin instead of settling for shallow gashes on its surface.

Nothing else made Dazai Osamu human. He was a clump of negativity and sorrow, a disdainful mess that should eventually be discarded by everyone and everything he held dear. Someone undeserving of feeling any sort of human connection.

Or so he thought, until he met you.

You were a strange little thing. The most infectious kind of love bug he thought he would never get himself involved with. Yet there was something pulling him to you, like you were opposite poles of a magnet, likewise spurring an intrigue in you that drew you to him even though you hated his initially pessimistic outlook on life.

Neither of you were ever able to pinpoint why the attraction existed in the first place. And neither of you tried to explore it either. The both of you had sought something in the world that you had somehow found in each other. Neither of you questioned the nature of your love for fear that deeper probing might lead to proof that the two of you weren’t meant to be.

For Dazai found a reason to live in you. And for you found in him something to be thankful to have lived for.

But it was funny how a dream can be right there in front of you, so attainable, yet it can be as fleeting as it came, taken away from you just like that.

The doctor profusely apologised and the nurses looked away out of pity. You kept your silence, disappointed that it turned out this way yet you weren’t surprised in the least. Life had a knack for bringing you down when you were up, and this was just another one of those moments. Although this takes the kick.

It had taken a while for you to process the news. ‘A while’, which of course meant a few months. And each day you spent with Dazai, the guilt that you shouldn’t have felt grew and grew. None of this was anyone’s fault, you were pretty sure it wasn’t even genetic. There was no one to blame but the cruel hands of fate. But fate doesn’t exist in a tangible form for you to take your hate out on. The only thing you could do was accept it. You knew that, but you knew Dazai didn’t.

This insecurity that built up inside you had caused you to put off breaking the news to him. But if you had learned anything throughout your own journey of acceptance, it was that faith could tide you through the darkest of times and the bleakest of moments, even if it had to be blind.

You had to trust in him. You had to believe that Dazai would continue loving you, even in death, and carry your wish for him to keep on living, no matter how selfish it seemed.

It was painful; to be able to see the pain flashing in his eyes even as he was trying his hardest not to show it. But you weren’t his lover for nothing. You could notice these tiny, subtle movements and twitches. Only most of the time you acted like you didn’t, if only to ease the possible worry Dazai would harbor about making you feel bad.

Throughout your relationship he had been calm and collected, his comedic facáde never once fading. Not even when he had to explain to you about his old scars, not even when you spotted him nearly committing suicide that one time. Which was why you were surprised at his sudden outburst upon hearing of your future, or lack thereof.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” was the first thing he shouted. You could see the anger, the upset in his face, this being the first time he’s ever worn his heart on his sleeve. “Why do you sound so calm telling me this? And how do you expect me to be fucking okay with this?”

Dazai was bitter, oh so bitter. Tears made tracks down his face as he continued lashing out. His wild hand gestures and uncouth words only served to show just how angry he was at the world for, yet again, wanting to take away that with which he held most dear. He uttered a string of hopeless wishes, thinking of any possible ways to hold onto hope that you would be able to properly grow old with him.

Of course it was all futile. Your future was already set in stone. There was no changing the fucked-up ways of fate. It took a while for him to calm down, and out on the balcony the sunlight was fading, the colours of the day soon to disappear. The orange hue brought a calm that was missing throughout his rampage.

The two of you were sitting out on the patio chairs, with Dazai still hanging his head down, both hands tugging at his hair, body rocking back and forth as though it would wake him from the cruel dream he wished it was. You had to say your piece anyway, no matter how much he didn’t want to hear it. He was angry you didn’t tell him about this sooner, yes, but what made him more upset was because he didn’t understand how you’ve accepted all this, and why you’re taking this lying down.

“Because I found you, Osamu.”

Dazai swallowed the lump in his throat upon hearing your words, a feeling of utter confusion washing over him. He forced himself to turn to look at you, and he met you with his brown, desolate eyes, only serving to magnify the ache in your heart. But you steeled your resolve. This conversation still had to happen.

“You asked me why I’m not mad, right?” you reminded him, giving him the strongest smile you could manage. “I am not terrified of dying. Am I afraid? Maybe a smidge. Much less so if there’s nothing I can do about it. But Osamu?” As you focused on your lover’s beautiful face in front of you, you feel your smile growing more and more genuine by the second. “I was only able to be this happy because I met you. You are the reason why I’ve finally been able to be grateful for living.”

Dazai processed your words with suppressed joy rather than his earlier anger, the former growing as he listened further. These were words you thought but could never bring yourself to admit. And even in this situation, he reveled in hearing it. Someone like him, who could only have dreamt of what happiness felt like, actually instilled the feeling in you? The most beautiful human being he’s ever known?

“If death is going to consume me in the next few years, all I’m worried about is not when it happens. All I want to think about is how do we make our next few years together count, Osamu,” you told him, your voice strong with conviction.

You weren’t done, but Dazai couldn’t wait to pull you into a hug, stifling his sobs as he did, arms gradually wrapping themselves tighter and tighter around you. It was a simple message he was conveying: an apology for the unnecessarily long outburst and the assurance that he understood completely what you meant.

When he pulled away, you realised the tear tracks had dried, and he had a visibly calmer ambience to him. It was as though you could see the love in his eyes as he stared into yours, which was something considering Dazai never thought he could convey any love without having to explicitly do or say anything.

And as the last rays of the sun found its way below the horizon, he uttered to you the most loving words he had ever said.

“My precious belladonna, I will be together with you until your time comes, and I promise not to make you worry even after you leave.”

And Dazai Osamu kept his word. While you were still able to take your place beside him, and even after you ceased to exist. He had poured his heart and soul into loving you, something that he would never tolerate you arguing with him over. You would always tell him to do a little something for himself, not to keep prioritising you above everything.

“I will always put my belladonna first,” he would always say. “You’re going to take a whole other journey without me, could you just allow me this honour of treating you like my princess, while I can?”

You couldn’t argue with him then. After all, it was all thanks to the brunette that you were able to fully enjoy every second of your last few years in this world. Never once did he fuck up, never once did he make you feel bad about your terminal illness, never once did he show himself breaking down just thinking about life after you.

All the memories you carried on your deathbed were full of Dazai and the happiness throughout your relationship. How he had always made sure you got everything you wanted, be it simple things like food or even an overseas trip to Europe like you’ve always dreamed of. How he had treated you gentler than he thought he could ever handle anything at all. How he had proposed to you despite knowing your circumstances. How he had made sure you had the wedding of your dreams.

Even when the illness took a toll for the worst, Dazai had never let himself falter. He understood you needed him to be as strong as possible, even though you wouldn’t admit it. Showing how utterly despondent he actually was would only make things worse. So he didn’t. He continued giving you his endless care, feeding you when you were too weak to move your fingers, massaging your legs when you felt sore, and showering you with kisses no matter how frail and repulsive you thought you looked.

And now the memories were his and his alone.

As Dazai sat on your side of the bed and looked at your wedding picture, framed up and hung on the wall, he finally allowed his tears to flow. It had been a long, painful week since your passing. He had had to arrange everything, the funeral, the catering— everything.

Dazai did not have a care in the world for the expensive pressed suit he was currently wearing. He collapsed onto the bed - he swore it still smelled like you - and all anyone else could hear in the dark of the night was the painful cries of a man who had lost his wife.

A man who found something he thought didn’t exist at all and lost it to the void. A man who remembered his lover’s smile, the memories of how happy she had been on their wedding night, saying their vows, and every night after that. A man who wanted so desperately to follow her in the afterlife, only to look at his old razors and remember his promise to her. A man who wanted so badly for none of this to be real, and to wake up seeing her peaceful face on the pillow next to his. A man who thought he was a monster, finding his savior in the world he had lost hope in, an angel who brought him up from the depths of his own hell, and had to watch helplessly as she slowly fell into the abyss herself. And now a man who couldn’t find anything else to live for, save for the hopeless promise of staying alive for you, no matter how empty it made him feel.

He screamed out your name one last time before letting it drown in his sobbing, the light that appeared and stayed in his life the moment you came gradually fading away, leaving Dazai alone in the dark once more.

tags: @yokelish @gogolparadise

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ladyfawkes · 3 years

Text

Eugene Appreciation Week - Day 1 - Childhood | The Trial and Tribulations of Fitzherbert and Schnitz

The Trial and Tribulations of Fitzherbert and Schnitz

Current word count: 3178

Current Rating: T for upcoming chapters

This is my version of that now-infamous RTA lost episode, "The Trial of Fitzherbert and Schnitz". Most of you are aware how I took issue with Disney having used both adoption AND Eugene's having adopted his lifelong persona as Flynn as a 20-minute throwaway plot. I'm gonna try to beef up that premise.

I suppose this is ALSO my way of refuting some of the (very limited) spoilery stuff I've read that's included in the upcoming traditionally published Flynn Rider novel.

My own plot line will be significantly darker than your average Disney plot, though.

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

Chapter 1: Sister Eunice

Several years into the past....

Arnie was skipping down the corridor just past the chapel, minding his own business, when suddenly a loud CRASH!!! sounded from just behind him. He whipped around to see an enormous new hole in a large ornate stained-glass window behind him that was intact just seconds ago.

Thinking one of the rowdier orphans to be at fault, Arnie ran to have a looksee outside. He was shocked to discover nobody except Sister Eunice opposite him next to the stone wall. Surely she couldn’t have been the one to shatter the window??

The young nun noticed him from outside the chapel though and hissed, “Arnie!! Arnie, don’t tell anybody you saw me here! Please. I’m trying to save Eugene!! I’m trying to save you all!! If anybody asks, especially Father Francis, tell them you saw Eugene throw a rock at the window. I can’t explain why, but it’ll help out. A LOT. Can you do that for me, please, Arnie? Would you do this to save your best friend, Eugene?” She was looking at him with frightened eyes, taking surreptitious furtive glances behind her.

Ten-year-old Arnie had stared back, wide-eyed, and had only barely begun to nod when Sis Eunice turned back, ran around the corner of the chapel toward Arnie’s right, and disappeared. Young Arnie was left standing there, mouth agape, wondering why on earth a nun - a nun!!! - would throw a heavy rock through a church-owned stained glass window. And especially a window that the children were told was hundreds of years old!

Not long after that, to his left, Arnie saw someone else outside out of the corner of his eye. The young boy instinctively hid behind the full partition of the wall where the stained glass window ended. It was Fr Francis, the priest for the local parish, walking at a brisk pace. And Arnie could’ve sworn the scary priest might be tracking Sis Eunice. Arnie and Eugene hadn’t ever been particularly fond of Francis. In fact, they went out of their way to avoid the older dour-faced man.

Although Fr. Francis was currently looking at the hole in the window from a ways off, he couldn’t see where Arnie was from his vantage point. Arnie slinked away to go find Eugene.

Turned out he bumped into Eugene almost immediately since Eugene had been in the chapel, waiting to meet up with Lord and Lady Boskin. Arnie stopped in his tracks at the sight of his friend, all freshly bathed, his hair combed, and so unexpectedly dressed in a new blue velvet skeleton suit, white stockings, silk shirt, and leather shoes. It was the latest modern fashion that all the rich boys were wearing in Vardaros. He knew that because Eugene told him every time they were fortunate enough to go to town with one of the sisters. Arnie would have to pry Eugene away from the shop window where Eugene’s face would sometimes get so close to the display that his nose print would remain on the glass. Arnie didn’t understand why Eugene cared about stuff like that. Fashion and velvet and lace. Orphans weren’t supposed to care. Food was more important anyway.

“I heard a terrible crash and came to investigate!” Eugene said breathlessly.

All thought of the broken window had flown from Arnie’s mind at the sight of his transformed best friend and he demanded, “What’re you wearing alla that for??”

Suddenly self-conscious, Eugene crammed his hands in his new pockets, stared at the floor, scuffed the sole of his new shoe against the mosaic tile and mumbled, “Fr Francis took me aside after breakfast to the rectory and said that Lord and Lady Boskin have chosen to adopt…..me.” He said it with the same amount of awe he felt when he first saw the suit in its parcel.

“....and….and you didn’t think to tell me any sooner? You were just gonna leave without saying goodbye?” accused Arnie, his eyes filling with tears. Eugene could see his pouting lips tremble from several yards away. “But...but I didn’t know either…!” protested Eugene, now fighting tears himself, before he was abruptly cut off.

As Arnie stood there simultaneously hating and envying Eugene, a whole crowd of people had arrived from both sides of the corridor, to all of the ensuing hullabaloo of the shattered window. Unfortunately, it was just in time to see these two boys standing by themselves right near the new gaping hole in the priceless stained glass window.

Fr Francis had reappeared inside followed by the Mthr Superior, Sis Eunice, several dozen children, and a few other nuns. Everyone was chattering and buzzing and arguing about which of the two boys had broken the window -- Arnie or Eugene. Perhaps both? Immediately they both protested their innocence and the bored aggressive older boys used the moment as an excuse to break out into a fight…

Two brawny red-headed boys quickly left the mob only to have one boy each bowl right into Eugene and Arnie. All four boys toppled over to the floor.

All of the other children started shouting, “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” and just before the redheads could land their first actual punches, Fr Francis easily intervened by grabbing both of their pulled-back fists, squeezing them, and ordering the boys to get up off their intended victims and up off the floor. They reluctantly complied. Then Francis ordered Arnie and Eugene off the floor and to follow him to his office.

As Eugene looked down in dismay at the visible dirt on his beautiful new suit, Sis Eunice surreptitiously put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, in a voice so softly only he could hear, “Don’t worry -- these are play clothes. More than capable of taking a few layers of dirt from rambunctious young boys.” She always had a way to help him feel better….but this time, since he was effectively being frog-marched to the priest’s office over something he didn’t do, the good feeling didn’t last nearly long enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~((0))((0))((0))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two Hours Earlier…..

Eugene had been called to the rectory by Fr. Francis immediately following breakfast. Without any prior notice whatsoever, he informed Eugene that Lord and Lady Boskin had actually chosen to adopt him!!!

Young Eugene couldn’t believe his luck! He wondered why he’d been chosen. What had the wealthy young couple seen in him? Even though he’d only been formally introduced once or twice, and had spoken only a few sentences to them, they chose him. And he supposed they seemed nice enough.

Eugene and most of the orphans had already seen the younger couple several times. He learned from the nuns over the past couple of years that the pair were evidently unable to have children of their own and as such, had been growing their own family a different way. Twice per year for the past two years, they had chosen a new child from amongst the orphans at this orphanage. Prior to their more formal choosing-times for each child, they would come to the orphanage for several trips and take turns meeting and chatting with the children. Yet this time, they had actually chosen Eugene.

Sis. Eunice had entered the rectory right behind Fr Francis and his announcement; the latter then vacated the building. Sis Eunice had taken Eugene by the hand and led him to the home’s water closet. And already waiting for him was a fresh bath -- mid-week, even! He was accustomed to every Saturday at most. For the first time in his life, Eugene was treated to his very own bath where the water was actually extra warm and didn’t contain the sloughed-off post-bathing scoodge from a zillion other children lurking in the bottom.

Eugene had seen the nuns sniffle and get misty-eyed plenty of times when other children had been adopted. But their crying was always rather delicate and they always tried to smile through it. However, as Sis Eunice helped him to properly wash his fingers, toes, and ears during what Eugene thought of as his luxurious bath, Sis Eunice also kept repeatedly bursting into tears. And apologizing for it. She seemed genuinely….worried.

The nuns weren’t supposed to have favorites but Eugene knew Sis Eunice was easily the most fond of him. She had arrived at the orphanage during the height of a disease outbreak which had very nearly claimed little Eugene’s life. And it would have done so too, if it weren’t for Sis Eunice’s dogged persistence. They had originally bonded over their funny-sounding first names. She’d turned her own name into a joke to try and give him a reason to smile….and it worked. Most if not all of the other nuns were quite hands-off but Sis Eunice believed in healing touch. As Eugene’s stricken body fought the virulent infection, the Sister held him, rocked him, and sang to him. After that, she promised to come back to the room that housed the most ill children and read aloud a story once she finished her rounds. She had sat closest to little Eugene as she read aloud “Flynnigan Rider and the Pirates of Penzance” for the very first time. It was the first time Eugene had become familiar with the novels.

And though Eugene hadn’t really noticed before (nun’s habits often made it difficult to tell who was older than whom) right now, after he learned he would soon be leaving the orphanage forever that day, it was almost as if Eugene were seeing Sis Eunice for the first time. And for the first time, he noticed how young she truly was. She had a spray of freckles across her face and a little space between her front teeth. A halo of strawberry blonde curls framed her face and perpetually worked their way out of her wimpole. It’s possible Sis Eunice was even younger than Lady Boskin.

He couldn’t help but notice as she had him put on a clean slick-feeling shirt -- a brand-new one, just for him!! -- yet that was only the beginning. Apparently with each chosen child, the adoptive couple provided a freshly purchased outfit from the shops in town. Even Sis Eunice couldn’t help but smile this time as she presented Eugene’s new clothes to him. She asked him to tug open the string holding the paper parcel together. He stared at the parcel, eyes darting between the string and the Sister’s face. “Another present?” he whispered in awe. “For me?” Inside lay a brand new velvet suit. “It’s my favorite color!” he squeaked in delight. “Cornflower blue!” And Sis. Eunice nodded with the same huge smile on her face as him. “Shall I?” she asked softly, reaching into the parcel so he could see the whole suit. Eugene was utterly thunderstruck now. He stared wide-eyed at this beautiful boughten suit which was already quite familiar to him.

“But this is the same…..” he trailed off as Sis Eunice finished for him, “It’s the same suit you’ve had your eye on all year in that shop window?” Mouth agape, Eugene nodded slowly, clearly still in shock.

Eugene recalled how Sis Eunice had begun reading the Flynnigan Rider story with a splash, quite literally, and encompassed the first three chapters. The very first words of the book started with Flynnigan Rider on the mains’l full on the mast of a tall ship, shouting, “As long as I possess air in my lungs, I shall never surrender!!” And right before an enemy bullet could pierce him, Rider had sprinted and dove off the end of the mains’l to plunge down into the sea below. Sis Eunice had taken a fresh mildly damp cloth and spun it above her head, so everyone could feel the ‘splash’. That’s all it took for her to hook every single one of her charges. Sis Eunice had read aloud in every voice. Acted out each scene. She had as many props as feasible. And at the end of chapter 3 that first night, she closed the book amidst many “awwws”, protests, and left the children clamoring for more and some even wanting to help star in the show. Six-year-old Eugene had finally found the strength to speak for the first time in days and tugged Sis Eunice’s robes. “Tomorrow? Please?” he whispered breathlessly. The Sister knelt down close by his ear and pushed his hair away from his fevered brow. “I’ll tell you what,” she said softly. “If you think you can stick around for me by this time tomorrow morning, I promise to come back and read for you. Deal?”

And she turned to the rest of the room, “Tonight’s life lesson from Flynnigan is to hold air in those lungs -- by breathing deeply -- so that you can keep fighting.” Eager to prove to Sis Eunice that he could be brave like Flynnigan Rider, he concentrated on breathing as deeply as he could. Though it was by far the most difficult and painful thing he’d ever done in his young life, he followed through with it nonetheless. And Sis Eunice had returned each morning and night, as promised, to divulge more of Flynnigan’s adventures and life lessons. By the time he was well enough about a week later, she’d ask for Eugene to actually promise to wait for her the next night and bit by bit, little Eugene had found the strength to come back from the brink. And it was all because of one (or was it two?) very special people -- Sis Eunice and Flynnigan Rider.

“Shall we dress you smartly then? It’s not proper for a young man of your new status to be prancing around, half-dressed, you know,” Sis Eunice teased, bringing Eugene back to the present. Usually he’d act silly in return but right now….as soon as he had the new trousers on….Eugene was overcome and couldn’t help but throw his arms around the Sister’s neck. “Thank you,” he whispered, “so much.” It was the nicest clothing -- the nicest anything -- that anyone had ever given him. And Sis Eunice thought he was misinterpreting who’d provided for him this suit but he wasn’t. “I know it wasn’t your money,” as Eugene was well aware that the nuns scarcely had more than the orphans due in large part to their vows of charity and poverty. And yet he replied, still embracing her, “But I just know that you had something to do with it somehow, Sis Eunice.”

She briefly taught him the tricks with helping Eugene learn how to dress himself up in the fancy new suit. It had a lot of buttons. Big shiny brass ones. She was insistent that none of her charges was going to be reliant on servants to dress them, even after they left the orphanage. Once Eugene was fully dressed in his new comfortably-tailored playsuit, Sis Eunice also presented to him new stockings and new mahogany leather shoes.

Sis Eunice looked adoringly...and then somberly at Eugene as the thunderstruck little boy could not stop studying his own reflection in a full-length mirror.

Though most boys hated baths, he actually liked them (especially when they were warm with fresh water) almost as much as he liked playing in the dirt. He wondered if he’d have his own bed at his new home. He wondered if he’d get to have a mattress, bedclothes, and a pillow every night.

“Well, I suppose it’s time,” said Sis Eunice with a watery smile. The pair of them began to head over to the parish chapel just off the orphanage and across the compound from the rectory. Halfway through the walk, Sis Eunice asked him to continue onto the chapel and said that she’d meet up with him again in a very short few moments. And that was apparently where he was supposed to meet up with Lord and Lady Boskin to sign the final papers and officially become their latest son for real. His heart skipped a beat at the thought.

After his arrival in the chapel, and within 3 minutes, he heard a very loud crash outside in the corridor to the right of his vantage point near the front of the chapel. He thought maybe he should stay put just in case, but his curiosity got the best of him and he went to investigate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~((0))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in the Office of the Clergy….

Arnie had been called into the clergy office with Fr Francis, Mthr Superior, and Sis Eunice. Eugene had been left outside to stew and fret by himself.

“So you witnessed Eugene Fitzherbert throw a rock at the stained glass?” said Fr Francis imperiously. Arnie’s wide frightened eyes kept darting back and forth between Fr Francis’s unpleasant features and Sis Eunice’s equally terrified eyes. She nodded imperceptibly to encourage Arnie to say yes. Arnie didn’t want to lie but he didn’t want to be the one who got in trouble either. Not to mention….it utterly broke his heart that Eugene was getting adopted and that he wasn’t even gonna say goodbye to Arnie. Thus Arnie looked to the floor and nodded downward at it half-heartedly.

Eugene was brought into the office and not even given a chance to defend nor explain himself.

“Naughty misbehaving boys who destroy priceless works of church art don’t deserve to get adopted,” Fr Francis began imperiously. “Remove that clothing at once. It’s no longer yours and you are no longer fit to wear it.” Poor Eugene recoiled in shock and horror and Sis Eunice stepped in to try and intervene. She shared scared looks with Arnie, even more frightened than before. “There’s no need for that, he hasn’t physically harmed anybody,” Sis Eunice reasoned, “there’s no reason to treat him like he’s a criminal. He just had an accident, that's all.”

Eugene kept backing further and further away, “Not adopted??” was all he could manage to say. “That’s precisely it,” Fr Francis replied coldly. “I’ll tell Lord and Lady Boskin not to follow through with the paperwork because misbehaving children are evil children, and they shan’t have evil brought into their perfect home. Now give back that clothing or I shall turn you in for theft of property.” Sis Eunice’s hands flew to her mouth in open dismay. Arnie had correctly deduced that this was definitely not a development she had anticipated. Now the Mthr Superior and other church lackeys outside the door had begun to put their hands on Eugene in effort to take back his new boughten clothes.

Clearly, not knowing what else to do, Sis Eunice pressed her advantage, knelt down by Eugene's ear, and said, “You must run, Eugene!! Stay as far away from here as you can! Make certain they can’t ever catch you. I’ll take care of the rest.” His eyes bugged out and still he hesitated before Sis Eunice hissed, “GO! NOW!”

Eugene spun on the heel of his new shoe, managed to just barely pull away from the sea of grabbing hands, and sprinted out into the great beyond. P.S. Yes, I have every intention of continuing this. And hopefully even seeing it to completion, like a real "episode", even though the timelapse will be more like a full hour as opposed to 22 minutes? In fact, I've already written a bit more beyond it. I just have to write other things for the time being.....

@gleamful-lanterns @kingreywrites @autumn-ravenclaw

#EAW #Eugene Appreciation Week #Day 1 Childhood #fanfiction #ao3 fanfiction #my fanfiction #eugene fitzherbert #Flynn Rider #Arnwaldo Schnitz #lance strongbow

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inkrabbit · 3 years

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Jisei - Sandayu Oda

I finally did it. The one-shot I wanted to do for Oda is complete. This story takes place after “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, and if V goes back to save Takemura. There are 2 different endings, and they are both labeled. Also, words written in italics are just Oda speaking Japanese.

Also, a bit of a spoiler for the secret ending! Especially Takemura’s part in this story’s Bad End!

Summary: A month after the events at Arasaka Tower, Oda manages to track down Takemura in order to ask him for one thing: forgiveness. The result of V’s actions have been eating away at the man, and he feels as though the last person he needs to express his remorse to is his old master.

Trigger Warning: Mentions and actions of suicide, blood, and gore

Word count: 1,732

He failed. After years and years of trying to prove himself better than his master, he failed. Perhaps now he could understand Goro’s pain when Saburo died; that ultimate hopeless and defeated feeling. It made him ill, and as he knocked back another shot of whiskey, he grit his teeth, slamming a fist down on the table. Arasaka was in shambles, Hanako had hidden herself away to grieve, and Sandayu? Well, he couldn’t bring himself to show his face. Twice he had failed, and twice he had beaten himself up over it. V, that despicable merc, had ruined everything. All he was and all he stood for had been reduced to nothing but ruble and regret.

He had thrown himself down to the feet of Miss Arasaka, pleading for her forgiveness. She had granted it, a gentle caress to his cheek with a sorrowful smile. But it didn’t make him feel better. He started out the first week groveling and feeling sorry for himself, contemplating committing seppuku in order regain any sort of honor to his name. But something nagged at him, and what would’ve been his final words were crumpled up and thrown into the trashcan that resided by the old motel’s bedside.

Hanako had been nice enough to finally tell Sandayu of Goro’s fate after the general fall of Arasaka, and after he had gotten over his self-loathing. The only redeeming quality he could find in V. The merc had run through a hail of gunfire to go back and save Goro, and the man had been in hiding ever since. Oh, but that didn’t stop Sandayu from trying to track the man down day in and day out, desperate to reach out to him. Goro had always been there for him, even when he was supposed to be strict and cold during training. He needed the man’s forgiveness as well.

It took almost a month, but he had finally done. Sleepless nights and determination had led him out to the Badlands, heat beating down on him and his hair sticking to his forehead. The motorcycle he had “found” was parked across the street in an old abandoned parking lot, and Sandayu found himself walking towards an old store. Any last traces of Goro had led back to this spot, a lone building that he couldn’t even identify. He could see why it was chosen. Walking up, however, he stops. The old dusty windows show his reflection, a broken and strange man who barely even recognized himself anymore. His dress shirt was wrinkled and open, the black tank top underneath clinging to his body as sweat made the material damp. His once nice slacks were replaced with jeans, torn in a couple places from recent fights he had found himself in when traveling out to get food. He looked horrible and felt more ashamed the more he stared at himself with tired and lifeless eyes. Shaking his head and taking a breath in, he continues into the old store.

Cobwebs and dust clutter the building, along with trash and insects. Sandayu can feel his skin crawl as he travels deeper into the outlet, scanning all he can. Nothing comes back useful and he searches every nook and cranny. Old books, candy wrappers, cans and bottles, some paper bags that once contained food. But as he travels further back, he finally spots it. Large double doors and seem to lead to a second level. Anxiety picks up as he walks forward, pushing one of the doors open and listening intently.

Good End:

The sound of soft footsteps catch his attention as he travels down the old stairs. His heart leaps when he sees Goro at the bottom, standing in front of a counter, his back facing him. He looked in better shape than Sandayu, his own dress shirt still pristine as he picks up a shot glass, knocking back the contents. Gathering his courage, Sandayu stands at the bottom of the stairs, hands in tight fists as he inhales deeply.

“Takemura-sama!” he calls out. Goro jumps, eyes wide as he whips around, pistol at the ready. His stance falters as he eyes at the younger man, who’s bowing deeply before him. “Please, forgive me!”

“Oda…?” Setting down the weapon, Goro straightens himself, even daring to walk a few steps forward as Sandayu picks himself back up.

“I have not only failed Hanako-Sama,” he continues, “but I have failed you as my mentor. Please, forgive me. I was not enough.”

The two stand in silence, Sandayu searching Goro’s face, desperately trying to find out what was going on through the man’s head. Finally, Goro sighs, coming forward to gently grasp his shoulder.

“You should not apologize, Oda-san,” he sighs. He gets ready to fire back, insist that he did, but Goro cut him off. “When Saburo-sama was killed, I was filled with deep regret. To have failed my only duty when I could have prevented it. I think about everything I could have done differently every day.”

Sandayu stands there, listening intently. They hadn’t spoken since their last meeting at the docks, and he had never heard of the man’s anguish until now. How he described everything… it’s exactly how he felt now.

“Sometimes, things happen. And we cannot stop it,” he goes on, leading him over to the counter. An opened bottle of sake sits next to the shot glass, and Goro fills it up, offering it to him. “Saburo-sama was to be killed, and I could not stop it. What happened at Arasaka… you could not stop it, Oda-san. It was, how one would say, “the hand they were dealt”. And we must accept that.”

“Arasaka was everything to me…” He stares down at the contents in the glass, his grip tightening. “And it just-”

“I understand,” He glances up, though Goro’s gaze is focused on the bottle in front of him, staring at it with distant focus. “I have… been reading a lot of jisei as of late, and have found peace in some of them.”

“Takemura-sama,” That’s when he notices it. A small wooden box a few feet away, the top open to reveal an old looking tantō. He feels his blood run cold.

“Just like you, Arasaka was all I had,” he continues, finally bringing himself to look at the younger man. “but you have nothing to apologize to me for, Sandayu. You were the most brilliant outcome of my entire career.”

With one last glance to the tantō, Sandayu slams the glass down and envelopes Goro in a tight embrace. The man catches himself, steadying his balance as he slowly brings his arms up, wrapping them around the younger man. They stay like that for a while, the silence almost deafening.

“What do we do now, Takemura-sama?” Sandayu finally asks, his voice soft as he slowly pulls away. Goro sighs, but gives him a small smile.

“We take time and heal,” he tells him. Turning, he shuts the lid of the box before picking up the shot glass, knocking back the sake. “I believe it would be easier to do it together. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes.”

Bad End:

There’s nothing but the sound of his own footsteps, and for a moment, he’s worried all of his hard work had gone to waste. Maybe Goro wasn’t here? Maybe he had made a mistake somewhere, his exhaustion causing him to be faulty in his search. But as he reaches the bottom of the stairs and starts for the next set, he stops. No.

“Takemura-sama!” Sandayu’s voice is shrill as he cries out his master’s name, nearly falling down the cement steps as he rushes over to the man. Goro was here, alright. And Sandayu was too late. The man was laying on his side in a puddle of his own blood, a few pieces of paper sprawled out around him. He sobs as he kneels beside the man, pulling him up and into his lap, his eyes glazed over and his body limp. He caresses his face, incoherently speaking to the man, pleading for him to come back. The only person he felt he had left in this world was currently laying dead in his lap, his hair having been taken out of its bun and the ends soaked in the crimson water.

“Goro, please!” he cries loudly, shaking the man, slapping his cheek, trying anything to make him come back. “Do not leave me! I need you! You have always been there for me, so why not now?!” He stops for a moment, unable to look away from the older man. His body was still warm. Had he been sooner… “… Why couldn’t I be there for you?”

Taking Goro’s hand in his own, he gives it a tight squeeze, trying to calm himself. He finally looks around at the papers that were scattered across the floor, scanning them. All appeared to be jisei and it made his stomach churn. The bloody tantō lies a few inches away from him, and it just fuels his slowly burning rage. Why couldn’t he had been faster? Was he already dead by the time he parked the motorcycle? Should he have called out for the man?

Instead of getting up and trashing the place like his body screamed to do, he instead leans his head down, pressing his forehead to Goro’s and closing his eyes. He speaks internally, and he speaks fast, stumbling over words as he still heaves shaky breaths. He hopes the man can, somehow, somewhere, hear what he’s saying. How he asks for him to forgive his failures and how he thanks him for all he had taught him. He apologizes for their last meeting, and he tells him how he longed for them to just a day together.

Finally, he gently lowers Goro back to the ground, closing the man’s eyes and admiring him. He finally looked like he was at peace, his muscles relaxed and for once his eyebrows weren’t knitted together. He picks up one of the poems, wondering what was going through Goro’s head in his last moments. None of the poems resembled his handwriting, leaving him to wonder what his jisei would’ve read. Setting the paper down, he looks over to the tantō. All throughout his apprenticeship, he had followed in Goro’s footsteps exactly. And as he stands here now, he wonders: Should I continue to?

#cyberpunk 2077 #fanfic #sandayu oda #goro takemura #tw #suicide #blood #gore #some spoilers

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quagmiremarch · 3 years

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The Lies We Tell to Find Our Truth, Part 2/3

[This is for Day 2 of YOI Regency Week ( @yoiregencyweek) -Forbidden Love. And yes, I know it’s Day 4. Life happened. Cross-posted to AO3. ]

Mr. Victor Nikiforov tapped his tight pensively as his carriage wove the long path to Yu-Topia Katsuki, the inn apparently run by the parents of one Mari Katsuki. And also, Victor had discovered in his inquiries about the young lady, of a son, Yuuri Katsuki, a fact that had Victor most confounded, and if he were so bold as to admit such, hopeful.

It had long been at issue that Victor’s station came with a series of obligations, most notably those to marry and produce heirs. Truly, such expectations should not have bore so heavily upon his shoulders as they did, for they were reasonable accommodations to meet.

Were it not for Victor’s disinclination towards those of the feminine sort. He bore no ill-will for women, of course. Many were perfectly delightful company. He simply found himself lacking in any romantic notions in their direction. A truth that would prove most scandalous in society were it to be known, but one he bore no ability to change.

Mari Katsuki. He’d seen the woman looking perplexed at the table and simply sought to aid her in navigating the unfamiliar societal currents. He had known, of course, of her essentially common status, the honorary title granted her family hardly sufficient for her attendance at the ball. The gossip of her invitation had therefore spread like a blaze through the event, marking her something of a curiosity, and lamentably, a target, for the less gentlemanly of nobles.

Finding her to be charmingly shy one moment and delightfully passionate the next as they moved from polite courtesies into topics of conversation familiar and fond, Victor thought, perhaps he had finally stumbled upon a match. Perhaps the exchange of a rise in station paired with a genuine enjoyment in her company might make a marriage, even if it remained chaste one, between them, something other than a chore for both parties.

That as the night lingered Victor found himself appreciating the depth of her eyes, the shape of her smile, proves a much unexpected and confusing surprise. But, not unwelcome. While heirs might be managed without a true sharing of the marriage bed, or so he’d heard whispered among the few other nobles that shared his inclinations, life would be made much enriched should such lengths prove unnecessary.

Victor felt it most prudent to act upon such good fortune and ask to call upon the young Miss Katsuki, but even as he’d attempted to gain permission to do so, the young Lord Chulanont had intruded. That he did so while addressing a ‘Yuuri’ had not, in fact, slipped Victor’s notice.

What circumstance, however, that might have led to the young Master Katsuki attending the ball, Victor could not imagine. But, he found he dearly hoped that just that had happened for it would explain much about that evening.

Regardless, in less than an hour’s time, he found himself on the steps of Katsuki Yu-Topia. The first person to greet Victor is a tiny older woman with a round face and familiar smile. It is most obvious that Mari, or perhaps it is Yuuri, inherited much in their appearance from their mother.

Victor offered a polite bow. “Good morning. My name is Victor Nikiforov. I know this to be perhaps improper given the lack of notice, but I had hoped I might call upon your daughter?”

Already large brown eyes went wide, but the woman merely nodded as she wiped her hands on a towel. “Mari is tending to the guests. Can I make you some tea to tide you over until she might be free?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

The woman nodded, gesturing for Victor to exchange his shoes for comfortable slippers before proceeding further inside. Victor followed quietly as she led him to a quiet room with a low table and cushions on the floor. It was a foreign style, but one Victor had seen before in his travels. He took the indicated cushion with another polite bow.

“The tea will be ready in just a moment. I apologize for the wait.” “Please,” Victor said, waving off the words, “it is I that should offer apologies for arriving without notice.”

The woman smiled kindly with a nod and bustled away, leaving Victor to enjoy the quiet of the room and the delicious smells that found their way to him from parts further in the inn. Perhaps he should take lunch while here as well. Should his marriage prospects not pan out as he hoped at least the trip would not be completely wasted.

Much sooner than he anticipated, Victor heard the scuffling of slippered feet, a sound that pulled him from his daydreams of new foods, and looking up, to fall into the depths of dearly missed vibrant brown eyes. Eyes that most definitely did not belong to a Miss Mari Katsuki, but to a lovely bespectacled young man. A most flustered and red-faced young man at that.

“Ah.” Victor said, smile bright. “Yuuri. You will come and join me, won’t you?”

Mister Katsuki went most still, hands trembling and setting the tea tray he carried to clattering softly. “I..Mister Nikiforov, I--” “Duke Nikiforov, most technically,” Victor said as he stood and took the tray from Yuuri’s hands. If he perchance happened to brush his fingers against the other man’s as he offered his aid, well, that was, of course, mere happenstance. “But, I think we have perhaps moved past such formalities, have we not, Yuuri?” He spoke the name with emphasis, tone soft and tinged with a hint of longing for the boy had been lovely in a dress and curls, but radiant here with his silken soft hair ruffled and the coat and pants of his uniform leaving little of his strong thighs and trim figure to the imagination.

Yuuri seemed to collapse inwards, head bowed and the beautiful face hidden. “I am most sorry. I never meant to cause offense or to--” Victor caught his chin in one hand, lifting the down-turned face up so that he might meet those beautiful brown eyes. “I am not angry. Simply tell me truly, it seemed some attraction had been shared between us. Was that also a ruse?”

A vibrant blush overtook Yuuri’s face, starting in the cheeks and flowing both upwards to his ears and down, past the long line of his throat. Victor found his gaze most entranced, his mind wandering quite improperly to how far the flush might extend, and in what other circumstances he might see it form.

“Ah...” Yuuri looked away in so much as Victor’s hold on his chin allowed. “I mean, such a thing would be most scandalous, of course, and I would never wish to besmirch such a noble name as--” Victor pressed firmed on the warm, soft skin under his palm, bringing the other man indecently close, close enough that their noses nearly touched and their breaths mingled as one. “I care not for what the gossip-mongers might say, tell me, yes or no, my Yuuri. Was it real?”

A gasping hitch of breath and a long swallow filled the silence before Yuuri managed a gentle, barely whispered, “Yes, it was real. But it’s forbidden.” More words might have followed, but Victor stole them away, pressing his lips gently to Yuuri’s own. At first, just a gentle touch, it soon grew more fervent, both men caught in the warmth and passion of the moment.

A moment most rudely broken by a rough cough from the doorway. There stood a solidly built woman with short cut hair clad not in a proper dress, but the same garb adorning Yuuri himself. “Am I to assume then, Mister Nikiforov,” the woman drawled, voice amused and dry, “that it is my brother and not myself you have come to call upon then?”

Victor felt warmth rush to his cheeks, but managed to keep his expression unaffected as he turned Yuuri in his arms, his back to Victor’s front, so they might both address the woman. “Miss Mari Katsuki, I presume? A pleasure to meet you. Tell me, how do you feel about getting married?”

Mari and Yuuri bore identical expressions of surprise at those words, and it tickled Victor to see. With a small laugh he held Yuuri ever the more tightly, and met Mari’s eyes. “I believe, Miss Katsuki, that you and I might be able to help one another, if you will listen?”

A raised eyebrow was his only response, but she did not leave, nor did she chastise them for the affection on display, which Victor took as a most hopeful sign. And so, with a deep breath, he began to lay out his plan, one he hoped would end with the beautiful man he held, forever allowed to say within his arms.

#yoiregencyweek

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canyouhearthelight · 4 years

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The Miys, Ch. 101

Apologies for the delays....I scheduled this 3 weeks ago to post today, but apparently technical difficulties have occurred. So. Shout out to @baelpenrose and @zommbiebro who blew up my PMs when the chapter did not go up at the regularly scheduled time. Y’all saved me, I swear.

As always, after an arc, we get... FLUFF! Please enjoy!

“Are you sure you want to do vegetarian hot pot?” Zach wheedled. It was a week after Jokul’s meeting with the Council, and while there was still some work to be done with some straggling members of the accidental cult, things had largely calmed down. As such, I was taking Huynh’s suggestion and eating in one of the mess areas closer to my office.

“I may do one veg and one non-veg.” I bit my lip as I thought about it. We were discussing an upcoming ‘family dinner’, where I had decided to branch out into unfamiliar territory. No date for it was set in stone, but I wanted to make sure to get all the details ironed out ahead of time. “Vegetarian just feels safer, if that makes sense? I feel a bit weird about including raw meat - I mean, what if the broth isn’t hot enough and someone gets food poisoning.”

Zach gaped at me, but Hannah cut him off by reaching gently for my hand. “Sophia. You know as well as I do that everything from the food consoles is synthetic, including the meat. So, technically, it’s all vegetarian and there’s no risk of foodborne illness.” Her tone was pleasant and even, and I was in no way oblivious to the fact that she was using her professional nurturer skills on me.

That did not change the fact that she had a point. “Fine,” I heaved a sigh in concession. “I still want them kept strictly separate, to avoid violating any religious taboos. I can still do that,” I insisted.

Hannah patted my hand in reassurance just as Zach’s head snapped around toward the entrance. “What in the world?” he asked, no longer paying attention.

As Hannah and I turned where he was focused, I noticed a few other people looking that direction with the same curious expression Zach had. I glanced at Hannah, who shook her head - she didn’t hear anything either, at first. After another minute, I could faintly hear shouting, and it got louder as it headed our direction.

By this point, more and more people in the cafeteria were staring toward the shouts, which were soon accompanied by the white noise of a crowd speaking. Whatever was happening had been going on for quite some time, and was going to pass directly past us. I swear on all that is unholy, I thought to myself, If this is another crisis, I will walk out an airlock willingly. No sooner had the thought finished than I saw a vaguely familiar face coming around the curve of the corridor. Standing and abandoning my lunch, I moved closer to confirm my suspicions.

Sure enough, a familiar smile bracketed in a thick, coarse beard beamed at me. Ivan Thorson was slightly shorter than I was, but at least as broad as he was tall and also cheerful carrying what appeared to be a stack of dark gray cloth. Horror dawned as he approached.

That stack of cloth was squirming. And kicking. And shouting. Even worse, I recognized that voice. Part of me wished I had just ignored everything and finished my lunch.

“Hey, Ivan,” I ventured carefully. “I would love to know - “

“Put me down! This is entirely undignified. How DARE you!”

“ - why you are abducting Mr. Bjornson here?” I finished.

“Hey, Sophia!” Ivan replied, completely ignoring the squirm of the much taller man he was currently carrying over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “I was just - “

“Councillor Reid! Thank the gods…” The squirming intensified.

Ivan just calmly repositioned his - passenger? Victim? - before continuing. “Down at BioLab 2, talking to Nixe - “

“UNHAND ME!”

“ - when I saw the most interesting ball of tension I had ever met. So, being me, I decided I had to meet this man.”

“Sophia. Please. Help me!”

“Oh, hey Ivan,” Zach greeted, completely unperturbed by the insanity of the situation. Hannah smiled brightly and waved.

“Hey guys. So, as I was saying, I introduced myself, we started talking, one thing led to another - “

“How did ANY of that lead to - to THIS!?”

Finally, Ivan seemed to hear Jokul. Frowning, he turned toward the hip currently slung over his shoulder. “So, you didn’t mean it when you said I was aesthetically pleasing?”

“Well, I did, but - “

“Or was it the part about finding me charming?”

“No, I meant that, that’s not what I’m saying - “

“Then it was the part about wanting to get to know me better?”

I had to clench my jaw to keep from dropping it, mostly because I wasn’t sure if I would laugh or scream at Jokul’s response. He was downright soft. “Ivan, I did mean that. I do mean it. I just… I meant coffee. Or - or dinner. Not - “ A hand gestured blindly. “Whatever this is.”

“You said your feet were hurting,” Ivan pointed out before turning to me, Zach, and Hannah. “He decided to walk all the way from the Archives to BioLab 2.” Reaching around in a way that actually looked uncomfortable, he patted Jokul on the back, carefully avoiding anything further down. “Good thing he’s so pretty.”

“I…” Jokul started before trailing off, at a loss for words when confronted with the strange but undeniable logic of a man a full foot shorter than him but who was also carrying him like he weighed about the same as Mac.

I, however, was not equally speechless. “Why not take him to his own quarters, then?”

Ivan looked at me like I was being silly. “BioLab 2 is on Level Two. Jokul’s quarters are on Level Forty. Mine are on Level Twenty One. Much closer.”

“You could have gotten a transport, Ivan.”

Despite carrying well over two hundred pounds of former cult leader over his shoulder, he still managed to shrug. “It was a gym day, anyway. This does double duty.”

“Ivan - “ I started before being interrupted.

To my astonishment, Jokul stood up, brushed his hair out of his face, and faced me squarely with his hands on his hips. “If you don’t mind, blood is rushing to my head and making me dizzy. Can we please get on with this? I was promised French-pressed coffee, ginger cookies, and a foot rub.”

With quiet laughter, Ivan grabbed Jokul and tossed the taller man back over his shoulder. All I could do was sputter with the knowledge that I had drastically misread the situation.

Realizing he won the argument, Ivan threw a wink at me before patting Jokul’s leg. “Just a bit further. You all have a lovely lunch, I have someone to make coffee for.” With a cheeky wave, he marched on.

Just as he passed, I could see a very confused former warlord and accidental cult leader, arms crossed and indignant, but nonetheless quietly enduring his journey. Leaning toward Zach, I murmured. “Is Jokul… safe?”

“Yeah, safe as he can be on the Ark,” he shrugged in reply.

“You’re sure?”

He snorted at that. “If you’re worried about Bjornson’s virtue, it’s as safe as he wants it to be, I promise. Ivan takes pride in the fact that he is very charming, and you would not believe the number of dates he gets because he takes anything less than a direct invitation as ‘no’.” He rolled his eyes.

Where I had originally been worried that the indomitably-pleasant Ivan was taking… something… out on Jokul, the other man’s scolding assured me that his squawks and shouts were only for show.

“Clearly, he could have stood up whenever he wanted. Or even accidentally,” Hannah pointed out.

“So why didn’t he?” I was so confused. Admittedly, my mind kept going back to Jokul’s cries for help, even knowing they were for show.

Zach started coughing and turned bright red. Hannah patted his back and smiled at me. “I think you should probably ask Charly that question.”

“Why - oh. Oh……” Now, I was turning bright red. With a cough, I turned and strode back toward the table where our lunches were cooling. “So, hot pot,” I most certainly did not squeak. “What meat goes in hot pot? We decided one veg and one non-veg, right?”

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#the miys #aliens #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #hfy #earth is space australia #found family #apocalypse #science fiction #sci fi #original writing #original sci fi #my writing

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howtodisassembleyourdeviant · 4 years

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Birth of Something New Ch.1 (ConnorxPregnantReader)

I started writing this fic on Ao3 and it was pretty popular. I thought I would post it here, like my other stories. I read some pregnancy fics where the couple were trying for a child or it didn’t really explain how reader got pregnant. I wanted to go a different route. I hope y’all enjoy this, if not, I still have my other fics roaming around here.

It started with the nausea. You woke up one morning feeling terrible before eventually emptying your stomach contents into the toilet. You figured it was just the flu or something you ate that didn't agree with you, so when Connor offered to take you to the doctor, you declined.

"I'll just... take today off and rest."

Your words did nothing to placate your fiance's worries, but he said nothing more as he rubbed your back when you violently gagged. After an hour or so, you were starting to feel better. Still, you took the day anyway as a precaution. Connor offered to stay to help you, but one person out of work is plenty. That didn't stop him from coming home on his lunch break to check on you, even making you a light lunch.

The nausea didn't stop. It would happen at random times, or when you caught a particular smell. While sometimes you could get past it, most of the time Connor would watch as you made your way to the nearest restroom as discretely as possible, following after you when he could.

You started sleeping more. Waking you for work had always been a hassle, but you usually were up and motivated after a half hour or so. Now, it was like you were never fully awake, even falling asleep at your desk a few times and being reprimanded by Captain Fowler.

When you flew off the handle after Connor had accidentally bumped into you getting up from the couch, he knew something wasn't right. You weren't the most mild mannered person he knew, your 'spit-fire' personality a trait he's come to love, but you rarely snapped at him.

Connor had promised you that he wouldn't scan you unless it was a life or death situation. It wasn't that you didn't appreciate it, you just didn't like knowing he could see your inner workings. He didn't want to break your trust, but your behavior could be indicative of an underlying illness that could be potentially fatal if left unchecked, and you still refused to go to the hospital. While you were sleeping, he performed the scan.

There, within your womb, was the early stages of another life.

Everything seemed to freeze at that moment. Panic tried to make itself known as he stares at the almost unidentifiable mass in your lower abdomen. The scan supplied that you were about five weeks pregnant. Going back through his memory, he recalled it to be a relatively busy week for you. There had been an influx of anti-android gang activity, and as the head emergency android technician, you were sent out to assist any injured androids. Connor and Hank still had their own duties in homicide, but it was slow moving, so Connor actually beat you home several times. He also noted an increase in your libido, using free time to engage him in sexual acts rather than catching up on rest. While he had pointed this out, you complained you were too worked up to sleep.

Had you been so lascivious that you found another partner while he was not around? Was he not enough for you? Under normal circumstances, he would have never questioned your love and devotion, but the evidence was right there for him to see. A child he could not produce.

Was that it? Did your basic human nature outweigh your fealty to him? He could swear his love to the stars and back, but it would never be enough to procreate.

Connor's processors were overtaxed, conflicting with one another. Possibilities and other statistics popping up as he tried to prove that what he saw was wrong, or some logical explanation that could explain any other way you could have became pregnant.

He couldn't explain it. You had slept with another man.

He felt like shouting, screaming as rage roiled around his body faster than thirium. He wanted to cry, the pain of being cast aside threatened to drop him to his knees. It was this kind of pain that makes Connor understand why androids are not supposed to feel, supposed to be incapable of it.

He can't bring himself to lie back down with you, as if he wasn't just a replaceable body for you to use. He stumbles to the living room, clipping his shoulder on the bedroom door as he exits. He couldn't see past the warnings in his vision, telling him he was overheating and needs to lower his stress level. Times like these, you were always there to ground him, but now you were the reason for his downward spiral.

You woke up, hearing movement throughout the bedroom. Feeling next to you, you noticed that Connor was no longer there. Slowly clambering out of bed, you looked to the time on the nightstand. 1:38am. There was the familiar queasiness sitting in the background. At this point, there wasn't much left in your poor stomach. It was becoming a problem to eat anything and keeping it down. Perhaps Connor was right, maybe you should make an appointment to get this checked out.

Your head swam as you stood, almost dropping you to the ground before your vision returned. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, you made your way out the bedroom in search of your future husband. You enjoyed addressing him as such, loving his flustered reaction. It was almost as nice as hearing him call you his future wife.

Seeing part of the living room bathed in red killed all feelings except panic.

"Connor! What's wrong?" The deviant was sitting on the couch, head in his hand over his eyes as his LED was a solid red. You rushed over but before you could make contact he flinched away. Collecting yourself, you got down on your knees in front of him,

"Connor? What's bothering you?"

It almost seemed like he wasn't going to answer you. When he did, it was a deep, cold voice rather than the rich honey he usually used when he spoke to you.

"You're pregnant."

You regarded him with a confounded look. Clearly you must have misheard him.

"What?"

He looked up. There was a storm in his ordinarily warm eyes, ice cold and sharp enough to pierce skin, and it terrified you.

"You're pregnant."

"T-that's not possible," your voice shook as he kept his eyes locked on you. Why was he acting like this? And why does he think you're pregnant?

"I scanned you while you were sleeping. You are pregnant."

A feeling of heartbreaking astonishment washed away some of the fear. "You scanned me? You promised me you wouldn't do that."

"Why? Worried I might have found out about your affair sooner?"

"Affair? I'm no-"

"Don't you dare fucking lie to me!" His words piercing harder than any bullet ever could. "You can't hide the evidence from me! It's right there!" He jabbed his finger towards your lower abdomen, you falling backwards onto your ass from the sudden motion. He was towering over you. Never have you felt this level of fear, especially not from your Connor.

"Am I not enough for you? Have I not given you everything that you ask of me?" He could see tears forming in your eyes, a part of him screaming at himself, begging him to stop.

His pleas fell on deaf ears as he seethed.

"Was I ever anything to you? Did you ever see me as more than a machine you could toy with, then toss aside when you're done?"

You tried to form words, deny his accusations, but he cut you off at every opportunity as you hiccupped and weeped. His hands shot out and gripped your upper arms, tight enough to leave marks as he gave you a rough shake.

"What am I to you!?!"

"I'M SCARED!!!" You shrieked. Like a cornered animal, you fought to get loose, kicking and scratching at him. Your petrified voice snapped him out of his acrimony. He let go as you shoved yourself as far away from him as you could, slamming into the far wall with a squeak.

What was wrong with him? How could he do such a thing to you? You, who had been his light for so long. You were shaking, harsh breaths as panic and fear smothered you.

"Y-Y/n... I-" he slowly reached out to you, but you recoiled before dashing off to the bedroom. He could hear the click of the lock as he fell to his knees. Even through the door he could hear your sharp gasps and deep sobs. The sounds tormented him as he broke down and cried.

At some point in the night, his stress levels hit 95% and he was forced into emergency low power mode, a setting he downloaded to deal with work stress. Only when his internal alarm told him it was time to get ready for work did he stir. He was still on his knees on the living room floor, tears dried and leaving a residue he could feel on his cheeks and chin.

Slowly standing, he looked down the hall. The bedroom door was shut, but you had stopped crying. He thought about knocking on the door and informing you of the time, of sitting down and having a proper discussion, even of apologizing. You might have broken his heart, but the pieces were still yours, and under no circumstances should he have hurt you the way that he did.

In the end, he knew he was the last person you wanted to see right now, so he got ready. For a moment he wondered what he was going to wear, his work clothes were in the closet of the bedroom, until he noticed a pair of jeans and a button-down folded neatly on the table, fresh socks tucked in his shoes. He almost broke down again. Even after what he put you though, you still snuck out and made sure he was taken care of. He got dressed with the weight of that thought in mind. It didn't make any sense. Nothing you did was indicative that you betrayed him. After a few more minutes of hesitation, he turned and left for work, leaving you alone.

You came in to work an hour late. You had make-up on, something you rarely bothered with. Somehow you had managed to cover up the bags under your eyes quite well, but the RK800 could still see them. To the unwitting eye, it would seem like you were fine, smiling and waving at fellow co-workers. Connor saw right through your facade, the fake smiles and forced laughs.

"Never would have pegged her as the 'sleeping around' type," Hank glanced over at you, to which you fake a smile before going back to talking with one of the android officers.

Hank wasn't as washed-up as Gavin might have people believing. He saw how you avoided Connor, practically running away from him when he ventured too close. Connor had already confessed to what happened last night, along with what was currently baking in your oven. While he sure as hell doesn't condone what Connor did, he understands where the kid's coming from.

You, however, he had known longer than Connor. There hadn't been any boyfriend or what have you before Connor as far as he knew. You hid insecurities behind high standards, and Connor had been the first one to see that. You wore thick armor to protect yourself, but Connor could see through you like glass, as you did him.

Hank thought he had never seen you happier, until Connor proposed a few months back. As soon as the law passed that recognized human/android marriages, the two of you would set a date. You had been so excited, and you showed off the deep blue crystal to anyone who ventured too close. A thirium diamond, made using some of Connor's own blue blood. Hank thought it was gross, but it did look nice.

The two of you were always clinging to each other, and when you weren't, you sure as hell always talked about the other all the damn time. You didn't fit the profile for a cheater, but that doesn't explain how you ended up pregnant.

"Could she have been raped?" Hank hated that it could be a possibility, but it wasn't off the table.

"Y/n is a capable person, even if someone had successfully assaulted her, she would have fought and therefore would of had bruises or scratch marks. There were only small bruises on her hips and one decent size bruise on her right thigh from hitting the corner of her desk."

"What were the small bruises from?"

"Me. I held her too tightly."

"You're fuckin' disgusting." Hank sneered. Suddenly, Hank snapped his head to something behind Connor. "What the fuck?"

Connor followed Hank's gaze and spotted four male androids, dressed in Cyberlife attire, standing in front of your office. They took six crates of bottled thirium while you talked to a female android, also dressed in a Cyberlife embroidered lab coat. You signed a document and handed over some papers before shaking her hand.

"The fuck was that all about?"

You looked over at Connor for the first time today, looking like you needed to say something, only to change your mind and head back into your office.

"You gonna see what she wants?" Hank eyed the RK800.

Connor's gaze lingered where you had stood,

"...No. I believe I will only make things worse should I go to her. I think the best course is to wait until she approaches me." The android turned away and brought his focus to the list of reports on his terminal.

Days went by like this. While you were pretending everything was normal, Connor had thrown himself into his work, a habit he developed when he was unable to deal with his problems or emotions and needed a distraction. He was filling out reports like a mad man, scanning drone footage near crime scenes, analyzing evidence, all in an effort to hide from his problems. He could almost forget how much he misses holding you in his arms, seeing your smile, or listening to your heartbeat.

He could almost forget how much he loves you, and how much it fucking hurt.

He only went home to change his clothes. While he didn't sweat like humans did, working out in the field can be quite filthy. Every time he did, there would be fresh clothes sitting on the table in the kitchen, even a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt should he decide to stay.

He had hardly seen you at all during this time, only locking eyes with you once and it had been terrifying. The light that shined in your eyes was out completely, leaving behind an empty shell. He never thought he would see you like that, and he wishes he never did.

At night, sometimes, he would hear you crying behind the locked bedroom door, the sound like a knife to his heart. Any efforts made to rectify the situation, or at least discuss the next step for them, was met with silence. You refused to unlock the door and he couldn't scare you again by forcing his way in.

Sometimes he felt a sense of injustice. You had cheated on him, betrayed him, and now he feels the need to apologize to you? At these moments, he feels his worse, because he knows that rage he can't control is waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"I don't know what to do. She won't speak to me. I'm still angry about what she did, but at the same time I don't think I can handle this much longer."

Hank leaned back and scratched at his beard, "I don't know what to tell ya, son. This is one of those things you have to decide on yer own. It's a huge change, no matter..." Hank looked up at the large newscreen, prompting Connor to tune in as well.

"...Cyberlife is recalling 190,000 bottles of thirium after several reports came in of pregnancy in human women after their android partner consumed the contaminated substance. It is believed that an experimental formula meant to help androids and humans conceive a child had been accidentally mass produced. Cyberlife is investigating the incident and asks any who might have been affected to report to a nearby Cyberlife hospital for further treatment..."

"Holy shit."

Connor turned to his partner, eyes wide as his breathing picked up, fast and shallow. He had been injured the week before you conceived, stabbed by a suspect trying to flee. It was minor, but you gave him some thirium to replenish what he lost. Then there were those androids the other day, carrying out all the thirium you had on hand. It all lined up with one another, which means...

"She didn't..." Connor couldn't finish his sentence, because the weight of those words crashed around him. It meant what he did to you was for nothing. The love of his life was now petrified of him, and it was all his fault.

He sprang up, chair falling over as he did. "I need to go talk to her. I need..."

"You need to calm down," Hank got up and rushed over, blocking Connor in as he picked up the fallen chair. Connor was pacing, trying to get past Hank. Other officers were starting to look on, but the lieutenant waved them off.

"All yer gonna do is scare her if you go marching in there looking like that."

At that, Connor sat back down. He focused on his breathing rather than the thoughts racing though his mind. Did this mean you were carrying his child? Was he going to be a father? Would you ever forgive him? Guilt and shame flooded his systems. It was him who had betrayed you.

"Why don't you go home early today? Clear your mind, think carefully about how you're going to handle the situation."

Connor looked up, as if to argue, before dropping his head and nodding. He got up without another word and made his way toward the exit. Hank took the opportunity to head towards your office.

"Hey, Y/n."

You looked up and flashed him one of your fake smiles. It didn't even reach your eyes.

"Hey, Hank, do you need something?"

He closed the door and your smile fell. Getting a good look at you, Hank could only think of one thing.

"You look like shit."

Your skin was pale and almost had a sickly hue to it. Your make-up was no longer able to hide the swollen, dark circles under your dull eyes. It seemed like you were going to puke at any second. He also couldn't be sure, but it looked like you lost weight.

You sighed, "Did you really come in here just to say that? If so, I don't need you to, I already know." You turned back to your computer.

"Actually, I came in here to talk to ya about Connor." You visibly tensed. "Did you happen to see the news report?"

"I didn't have to. Cyberlife came and replaced all the thirium I had stockpiled. They told me why and asked for a list of people who might have ingested it. They already know about me and Connor and informed me to go to a Cyberlife hospital. I haven't had time."

"Wait a minute, you knew for three days that Connor drank tainted thirium and didn't say anything?"

"Four nights ago he accused me of cheating and wouldn't even give me the benefit of defending myself. Why would it be different now? 'Hey, Connor, turns out I'm pregnant because you drank magic blue blood. We cool right?'" You turned to him, irritated, "And don't act all innocent. I seen the way you looked at me, like I somehow disappointed you. You know me a hell of a lot better than that, Hank!"

"What the hell did you expect me to think?Connor sure as fuck couldn't knock you up!" Hank growled.

"And yet, here we are." You spoke with a calm anger before doubling over, grabbing the trash can under your desk and heaving up a small amount of bile. The agitation left Hank as he went to help, but you swatted his hands away. "Fuck off." You choked out.

"When was the last time you ate somethin'?"

"I'm fine. You didn't care ten minutes ago, why start now?"

Hank didn't say anything. It was true. He knew you were pregnant, knew that you had been sick beforehand, and yet, not once did he ask since the fight how you were doing. He had viewed Connor as the victim without even meaning to. He didn't even ask if you wanted to press charges against Connor for harming you. Wasn't he a fucking cop?

"Shit, kid, I didn't-"

"It's fine, Hank, I get it, he's like a son to you."

"That don't make what he or I did right. Listen, if you don't feel safe around him, I can send an officer out to detain him."

You shook your head, "No, I can't exactly blame him for feeling how he felt, even if he was being an asshole. I would have thought the same. I'm not going to ruin his record like that."

"Well, if you want, he can stay at my place for a while. Least until you feel comfortable with being around 'im."

"As much as he scared me, I'm even more terrified at the prospect of being alone right now. People are not going to be happy about Cyberlife finding a way to breed their bots. It's another step towards evolution and to our extinction. I've already been alerted to several cases of women being attacked outside Cyberlife hospitals and because Connor is famous, many already know he's engaged to a human. I don't want to be alone right now."

"Alright, well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Even if you need a place to stay, my door is open."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." A message popped up on your computer about a domestic abuse case involving an android, asking for your assistance. These had been popping up a lot lately, especially before the announcement. You stood up, gripping the desk as you threatened to crumple to the floor. The headache you had developed left you blind with its searing pain. Hank again reached out, helping to keep you upright until your moment of dizziness passed.

"You need to go to the hospital."

You nodded as you hurried out, not really listening at this point. You had a job to do, and you weren't going to let Connor, Hank, or even the child in your stomach get in your way.

By the time your shift ended, you were exhausted and agitated. Your headache was only getting worse, unable to take any medication in case it affected the baby. You managed to eat some grapes, but who knows how long they will stay down.

Once at home you noticed that the lights were on. Connor had beat you home for the first time since this all started. Anxiety tried to surface but your irritation was quick to kill it. Walking through the door you were quick to notice the smell of food lingering in the air. Your stomach turned painfully, not ready for the next round of dry heaves. The second thing you noted was how immaculate the the place looked. You haven't felt much like cleaning and just said 'fuck it'.

Connor rounded the corner from the bathroom and froze when he saw you, LED flashing red before settling on yellow. With where he stood, he blocked the bedroom door, not that you really felt like going that way anyway. It was your house too, and you weren't going to keep hiding in your bedroom. Connor stayed where he was, afraid to scare you off again, as he spoke softly the words he had put together and memorized.

"I'm sorry. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I can understand if you never want to see me again." He paused, the thought that it might be a possibility painful. He drew in a breath to steady himself, "What I did was unforgivable. I questioned your love when you needed me the most, even going so far as to hurt you. If you do decide to forgive me, I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you, and I will never doubt you again."

In the back of your mind, you were happy he finally believed you. Here he was, asking for forgiveness, true remorse written on his face. You believed every word and wanted nothing more than for things to go back to normal, to be held in his arms and let him mend the hurt in your heart.

However, you were still tired and resentful, and the hurt you were feeling wanted to be known.

"What? Now that you saw it on the news you suddenly believe me?" Connor looked away in shame, biting his lower lip. "I get that this is an unusual circumstance, but I expected a little more faith in me than that. I shouldn't have to be afraid of what might happen if you get pissed off again!"

"You're right, you shouldn't, and I don't want you to be. I never want you to look at me again the way you did that night."

"And don't think I'm not still angry that you scanned me! You promised me, and you didn't even ask! And what the hell is that smell?"

Connor looked towards the kitchen, "I made dinner. I couldn't sit still and I figured you would want something to eat when you got home."

"Throw it away, it's making me sick!"

Connor looked both confused and hurt, "It's your favorite..."

"I don't want..." your throbbing head started to swim, the room spinning as you fell. Connor ran over and caught you.

"Y/n! What's wrong?" He noted your flushed skin, temperature running higher than usual. "I need to scan you to figure out what's wrong."

You sighed before you nodded, too tired to care at this point. A quick scan revealed you were extremely dehydrated and malnourished. Your heart rate was also much higher than usual.

Hoisting you up in his arms, he carried you to your car and set you down in the front passenger seat before climbing into the driver's side. He hesitated to which hospital he should take you to. Deciding on a Cyberlife ran hospital, he drove to the nearest one. You both needed answers.

You had fallen asleep almost immediately. He tried not to think about how he had let you get to this state. You might have been too stubborn for your own good, neglecting your health at a crucial time in your life, but had Connor not been so busy being pissed off and upset, you would have never reached this state. When he asked you to be his partner, he vowed to always take care of you. Now, as he pulled up, bold, red letters lit up a corner of his vision.

Mission Failed

He entered the lobby, you bundled in his arms. Two android nurses came up and preformed their own scan.

"Come this way, please." They led him to a small room with two beds, both of which were empty. The room had been fitted for humans, rather than the androids that usually came here. "Set her down on one of the beds and we'll start administering an IV drip." Connor did as he was told, watching as the two nurses worked on you. They set up the heart monitor and slipped a needle under your skin, allowing you the hydration and some of the nutrition you desperately needed.

"The drip will take approximately twenty minutes to finish administering. Once it's finished, Dr. Bower will do an examination and determine the next course of action. He will also inform you of what's going to happen and answer any questions you might have, along with listing all available options."

"Thank you," the nurse only smiled back before they both left, leaving him alone with you. Even asleep you looked to be in pain. Connor can only hope he made the right decision taking you here instead of a regular hospital.

When the revolution ended, Cyberlife was crumbling. Everyone thought for sure that they would be bankrupt before the year was out. If that happened, it would deal a huge blow to the already crumbling economy.

Then, Kamski stepped up and offered to be CEO again. Naturally, nobody refused and Kamski was able to turn things around. He started developing upgrades for androids and selling them on the market. He converted factories and previous storage buildings into android hospitals. While androids were weary to go to these places or get upgrades, they slowly got accustomed to it. Connor couldn't even begin to imagine what could have happened that would cause this accident when their reputation was hanging by a thread already.

You began to stir and Connor moved to sit in a chair next to your bed. He hesitated before gently taking your hand in his, feeling the ring resting on your third finger. Despite the situation, it still felt nice to feel your warmth again. He had missed it so much.

You begrudgingly opened your eyes, feeling an itch in your arm. You went to pick at it, but Connor knew you too well, holding your hand a little tighter.

"Don't."

"But it itches."

Connor could laugh at the normality of it all. If he wasn't so guilt-ridden, he just might have. Your pout has none of the enmity that your words held previously.

"This is my fault."

You groaned, "Dammit, Connor, stop that! I was the one who refused to go to the hospital before it got to this point. You even told me to." Despite your harsh words, you didn't pull your hand back. Instead, he felt your thumb sliding back and forth against his own. Your face softened.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about."

He put his head down. This was it. You were leaving him. He had failed you and you were done with him. He felt your fingers run through his hair. He turned his head and gazed at you. While you still looked so tired, you wore the softest smile he had ever seen from you.

"Silly man. I was talking about the baby."

"Oh." Right, of course. In the midst of everything, he had almost forgotten what had started it all. "Do you forgive me?"

"If you rub my shoulders when we get home."

He scoffed, "I think I can handle that."

"Then, yes, I forgive you." Your face hardened, "but if you EVER pull that shit again, I will shoot you."

"Understood."

#Connor #Connor fanfiction #rk800 connor reader #connor x reader #rk800 #pregnant #dbh au #detroit become human

185 notes · View notes

trensu · 4 years

Text

Episode 46: The One with All the Yunmeng Bros Angst

gross, ouyang and yao are talking. let’s ignore them!

blah blah plot plot blah

ooh thank god, wwx is now the one talking

being all detective-y and asking relevant questions

I LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY WHEN HE'S BEING CLEVER

wwx makes some Plot Relevant Point and yao is like I DISAGREE bc ofc he fucking does

LOL WWX'S FACE WHEN YAO INTERRUPTS LIKE THAT

IT'S LIKE HE'S BITING DOWN ON HIS TONGUE TO NOT SNAP SOMETHING BACK

kudos to him on his self-control tbh but it's wasted on yao.

wwx is all asking things like why are you ladies fessing up now, oh and btw that's a real neat bracelet you got there...

and then nhs is like, gee i wonder what kind of person would've sent these ladies here today

LOLOLOL NHS IS SUCH A TROLL OMG

and yao is like DETAILS DON'T MATTER, WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING ANYWAY LET'S GO MURDER FOR JUSTICE AGAIN

and everyone else is like, HEY, THIS LOUD GUY HAS A POINT LET'S GO MURDER

okay, they don't actually say anything about murder but they're harping about "justice"

The last time they did that, it resulted in murder so i'm gonna go ahead and assume this time isn't any different

lwj: many skeptical points remain

THANK YOU, LWJ, FOR BEING SENSIBLE

oh, and i would like to point out that the crowd had been getting rowdy

but the minute lwj interjected there they all fell silent

My guy didn't even raise his voice and was able to shut up a whole room full of people.

I LOVE YOU HANGUANG JUN

lqr: what are they?

wwx: SO MANY.

wwx makes some Points and is like so we got some witnesses now but where's the HARD EVIDENCE GUYS??

and yao is like, whatever, we'll find it sooner or later now that we know THE TRUTH

and wwx's reaction lolol

it's like oh my god how stupid is this guy, that's not how it works, that's not how ANY of this works

I FEEL YOUR PAIN, WWX, I FEEL IT IN MY SOUL

ppl are blabbering Plot Stuff

i'm just gonna enjoy the occasional shots of wwx and lwj's beautiful faces

blah blah blah plot plot plot blah

gosh, my boys are so pretty

LOOK AT THEM BEING PRETTY, I LOVE THEM

(i say as the crowd devolves into vicious mob mentality)

wwx's had enough of this and turns to leave bc angry mobs are old news at this point

And we all know how he ended up last time there was an angry mob

but yao and some rando interrupt his exit as if they have ANY RIGHT to speak to my sunshine boy at all

Eventually we DO escape sword hall and the mob of stupid people and our boys are alone together wandering lotus pier!!!

they're reviewing Plot Info and bouncing ideas off each other and IT'S BEAUTIFUL, THEY'RE SO SMART AND IN LOVE

They determine that they don't have enough clues to say who the mysterious 3rd party is

but they def have enough evidence showing jgy murdered nmj and is generally an evil conniving bastard.

lwj mentions that he's going to send word to his brother to be careful since jgy is EVIL FOR SURE NOW.

oooh, our boys just came upon the jiang clan's ancestral shrine

wwx freezes, eyes red-rimmed and shiny, MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY

lwj: what's wrong?

ALL OF HIS ATTENTION IS GLUED TO WWX'S EVERY MOVE ALL THE TIME, ISN'T IT??

SEE HOW INTENTLY HE LOOKS AT WWX??

me too, lan zhan, me too

wwx: nothing. it's the ancestral hall of the jiang clan

he says this softly, like it hurts to acknowledge it or smth

lwj: do you want to enter?

wwx: no

WHICH IS A BLATANT LIE

EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS SCREAMING HOW MUCH HE WANTS TO GO IN THERE

they make to turn away and pause for a moment, during which wwx looks back at the shrine longingly

cut to the next scene where we see wwx burning some incense sticks in the shrine

AND OUR BOYS BOW TOGETHER 3x TO M-YU, JFM, AND JYL

wwx greets his deceased loved ones solemnly

wwx: it's me. i'm here to disturb you again.

idk about m-yu and jfm, BUT JYL WOULD NEVER THINK WWX'S PRESENCE WAS A DISTURBANCE

now wwx is telling lwj about how he used to spend a ton of time in that shrine bc m-yu would punish him by sending him there to, idk, reflect on his sins before the ancestors or smth

and lwj is like, yeah, i heard about that

then wwx comments on how he's never met a woman as irritable as m-yu, and how she punished him for trifles all the time

then he laughs bashfully and says "my fault, my fault" and bows another 3x bc omg wwx you can't speak ill of the dead, especially not at their shrine

this is a nice moment between them so far, actually.

it's nice to hear wwx reminisce in a way that's not 100% painful

and the fact that he's sharing these little bits of inconsequential info with lwj, his soulmate, is just very sweet to me

lwj: won't you tell jc?

wwx: idk. at least not yet

lwj: after all, you two are sworn brothers

it's nice of lwj to acknowledge that, without any sort of rancor in his tone, considering how much he does not care for jc (to put it mildly)

wwx: since the misunderstanding between us is so deep, it's not that easy to solve

HE SOUNDS SO RESIGNED, AND THE LITTLE SMILE THAT FLASHED BRIEFLY THERE WAS JUST SO SAD

and then he's like, besides, I created Plot Device 2, regardless of whether or not jgy ended up using it to make Plot Device 3

UH OH, HERE COMES JC

jc: wei wuxian

OH GOD, CAN HE PACK ANY MORE BITTERNESS AND VENOM INTO THAT NAME??

wwx stands immediately when he hears jc call, he doesn't look at him tho

lwj stands a beat after as jc enters the shrine

jc: you still take yourself as one of the jiang clan? come and go at any time you like, then bring people here when you wish. Do you remember whose house this is? who's the owner?

YIKES

THAT ONE HURT.

and wwx just takes it

wwx: i didnt take hanguang jun to any confidential places in Lotus Pier. i just brought him here to offer some incense to clan leader jiang and madam yu.

he's so submissive here and not even in a fun way

it’s in his posture and tone of voice, even in how he still doesn't look directly at jc...it makes me sad

wwx: we're leaving

He tries to retreat bc he def doesn't want this this confrontation to happen

jc: you really should kneel down to them, for coming to their presence to destroy the view and ruin their quiet.

DOUBLE YIKES.

that one hurt EVEN MORE

and lwj, who had been following wwx's lead and staying quiet, intervenes

lwj: clan leader jiang, pay attention to your words

oh boy if looks could kill, jc would be dead as a doornail

he's like HURT MY SOULMATE AGAIN, I DARE YOU. JUST GIVE ME A REASON AND I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN

which is pretty gutsy since jc is higher ranked than him, technically, as clan leader.

AND they're both in jc's domain rn!

jc: what did you say? i think someone else needs to watch his behavior

he's glaring at wwx's back and he's got a mean twist to his mouth that would be a smile if it weren't so cruel

jc: you have already been kicked out of our family. how dare you enter and face my parents and my sister?

STOP HURTING MY SUNSHINE BOY

wwx is just accepting this. he's just accepting all these cruel things with his eyes downcast and submissive

BC IT HURTS AND HE BELIEVES HE DESERVES IT

lwj: jiang wanyin

HOLY SHIT

lwj fucking HISSED that name

and he took a VERY MENACING step towards jc

MY GUY

MY GUY, YOU CAN'T ATTACK A CLAN LEADER

ESPECIALLY NOT IN HIS OWN HOME

LIKE, I TOTALLY GET WHY YOU'D WANT TO RN, AND, Y'KNOW, I'M NOT THE MOST POLITICALLY SAVVY PERSON AROUND

BUT THIS JUST SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA ALL AROUND

thank god wwx is there

wwx stops him, pressing the palm of his hand into lwj's torso (!!!!!)

wwx: lan zhan. lan zhan, let's go

he practically whispers this, head bent down, AGAIN SUPER SUBSERVIENT

but jc is looking for a fight and he's not letting go until he gets one, apparently

jc: go as far as you can. i don't want to see you AWFUL PEOPLE again before my dead family

wwx just halts in his steps.

he had been all prepared to go after taking that tongue lashing that he thinks he's earned, but at that he takes a deep, fortifying breath bc jc crossed a line

he purses his lips a moment before turning to finally face jc head on

wwx: jc, scold me as you like but not the others (aka LWJ)

oooh, but that was the wrong thing to say to jc right now bc jc goes off on a VERY PAINFUL rant

he's like, oh, i should be nice to lwj? don't you remember that MY PARENTS WERE KILLED AND LOTUS PIER FELL bc you just HAD to play hero and save lwj?? and it wasn't enough! you HAD to play hero and SAVE THE WENS too, which killed my sister!!

oh he's getting really mean here

he's like, how generous you are wwx! letting wn wander the entrance of lotus pier and letting lwj offer incense!!

the minute jc started his rant, wwx cast his eyes to the side, again just enduring everything jc is throwing at him

oh but now jc starts in on lwj again

he's like, lwj, the great second jade, ignoring his reputation to side with wwx, your brother and uncle must be so proud

wwx: JIANG WANYIN!

wwx shouts at him

he's shaky and almost panting here.

wwx: apologize this instant.

jc: apologize? why should i? bc i insulted your great friendship?

THIS WHOLE ENCOUNTER IS A SHIT SHOW AND IT HURTS.

wwx just loses it here and grabs jc by the collar of his robes and gives him a shake

wwx: ARE YOU DONE?

and jc is still the little brother, you know, so obvs he does not back down here, he's not intimidated at all

jc: LET'S FIGHT THEN. should i be afraid of you two?

wwx's breath is all shaky and he's trembling and he would've given into jc's demands for a fight anyway but then he sees jyl's nameplate

and he must remember how upset jyl would get every time they fought

ME TOO, JYL, ME TOO. I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS, MAKE IT STOP

so he lets go of jc and stumbles back. he's looking very weak right now AND I’M VERY CONCERNED

lwj, obvs, catches him by the arm when he stumbles

lwj: wei ying

wwx: lan zhan, let's go

lwj agrees and the two of them turn and leave the shrine, lwj still gripping wwx's arm and providing support bc wwx is NOT looking good what’s happening to my sunshine boy, somebody fix this RIGHT NOW

BUT JC IS LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE BC HE JUST STORMS AFTER THEM, HE WANTS HIS FIGHT

he freaking leaps across the little lotus pond and lands before them, blocking off their exit

he starts antagonizing wwx, and he grabs wwx by the collar now, and again, wwx just takes it BUT LWJ DOESN'T

lwj slams his hand around jc's wrist (the one that's grabbing wwx), WRAPPING HIS FINGERS AROUND JC'S ZIDIAN, EVEN

lwj: let him go

holy crap. Stone Cold. LWJ'S STARE IS STONE COLD, AND HE TIGHTENS HIS GRIP ON JC'S WRIST

god damn, if lwj ever looked at me like that, i'd drop to the ground and beg for forgiveness. i'd be scared witless

when jc makes no move to let go of wwx, lwj releases his wrist and hooks his arm under jc's forearm and shoves upward to FINALLY break jc's hold on wwx

wwx stumbles at the force of it and his nose starts to bleed

MY POOR PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY LOOKS SO WEAK AND OUT OF IT!!

lwj looks at him, eyes wide with worry

lwj: wei ying!

even jc looks concerned (i would even say scared, tbh)

wwx reaches up and wipes his nose; he's not steady on his feet AT ALL

wwx: lan zhan, let's go.

lwj: okay

and he immediately starts to leave, practically dragging wwx with him bc wwx is barely able to stand at this point

lol, lwj shoulder checks jc as they walk past him

but jc is a stubborn bastard and brings out zidian and whips at their retreating backs

brief moment here to admire how FREAKING COOL THE ZIDIAN IS OMG,

*GRABBY HANDS* I WANT ONE OF MY OWN SO SO BAD.

IT'S A SNAKE BRACELET!!

THAT TURNS INTO A WHIP!!

A PURPLE WHIP!!! OF LIGHTNING!!!!!!

LITERALLY NO ASPECT OF THIS WEAPON IS UN-BADASS

so jc whips purple lightning at them but the hit never lands bc lwj swings his still-sheathed bichen and bats that attack away like nothing

but as he does that, wwx starts to fall

lwj spins around and AUDIBLY GASPS, eyes wide with worry again, as he watches wwx lose consciousness.

he dives forward and catches his soulmate in his arms and cradles him gently

jc doesn't see this happen and swings right back with another lash but wn swoops in out of nowhere to take the hit instead.

AND HERE WE'RE GONNA GET THE BIG REVEAL OH GOD I'M NOT READY

jc is all who let you in, how dare you?? and whips wn again

BUT WN WILL NOT STAY DOWN, NO SIR

HE'S GOT STUFF TO SAY AND BY GOD, HE'S GONNA SAY IT

he offers up suibian to jc but jc whips him and sends him flying again

Wn gets right back up goes back to offering the sword to jc, DEMANDING HE UNSHEATHE IT

AND IN A FIT OF FURY JC PULLS AT THE HANDLE AND SUIBIAN COMES FREE

SHOCK, UTTER SHOCK ON HIS AND LWJ'S FACES

(also YIKES jc nearly sliced out wn's eyes with the force of his unsheathing of siubian. he obvs didn't expect anything to come of him pulling at the handle)

GOLDEN CORE TRANSFER REVEAL!!

FLASHBACK to wn's part of the story

we see wn holding an unconscious jc and wq is telling wwx to come out from where he was hiding behind a convenient boulder

and we see wwx give the go ahead to start the golden core transfer

back to the present, jc looks like his whole world is a lie

bc it kinda is

I'm still kinda mad that wwx never told him anything.

like, i get why he didn't and i sympathize but informed consent in medicine and surgery is kind of a big deal!

and then omg, we got a close up shot of lwj's face

his eyes are wide and shiny and his jaw is dropped open just a bit. HE IS SHAKEN TO THE CORE

HAHAHA GET IT? THAT THING WWX DOESN’T HAVE ANYMORE?? Oh god i’m sorry that was AWFUL

he turns his gaze back to wwx, who is still resting gently in crook of his arm

i love the camera angle here btw

the scene is at a slant, with the white of bichen's handle, and the white of the flowering tree behind them filling all of the right side of the screen

it makes the dark bundle of wwx and the dark flow of lwj's hair more stark

the slant of it really emphasizes how the whole of lwj's attention is on the man in his arms

And how his whole world is off its axis at this revelation

god lwj is really just letting his whole heart pour out of his eyes as he watches wwx

jc and wn are arguing loudly in the background but lwj makes NO INDICATION of hearing ANY of it

now we get to watch the emotional confrontation between jc and wn

lwj finally looks back at them when wn starts reciting details that no one outside of jc would have known unless they were there themselves

another flashback as wn describes everything in excruciating detail

oh this line gets me every time

wn: the reason you thought it was repaired was because of my sister, the best doctor in the wen clan of qishan, Wen Qing

WN LOVES HIS SISTER SO MUCH. HE WAS SO PROUD OF HER

AND HE LOST HER. HE DOESN'T HAVE HER ANYMORE

GOD DAMN IT, SHOW, LET THESE BOYS KEEP THEIR SISTERS

and now we go back to lwj, gazing soulfully at wwx and a single tear rolls down his cheek as it really hits him what exactly wwx did, what wwx gave up

wn is going off on jc, like, didn't he ever wonder why wwx never picked up the sword again?

wn looks hardcore here tbh.

we cut back to lwj, who is now holding bichen tightly, and boy, he's got his jaw clenched so hard.

at least until he looks back down at wwx, and his mouth softens as more tears drip down his face

flashback to when jc first found wwx after the burial mounds, and a series of flashbacks of every time jc brought up wwx's lack of suibian and wwx brushing off his questions

THEY SHOULD'VE JUST TALKED IT OUT, MY GOD, THEY COULD’VE SPARED ME ALL THIS PAIN IF THEY JUST TALKED

another flashback to that time that jc pushed wwx and wwx fell hard to the ground and jc thought he was just drunk

I AM DONE WITH THESE FLASHBACKS, THX. CAN WE NOT, ANYMORE? IT'S HURTING TOO MUCH

and we also keep getting shots of lwj's face, STREAKED WITH TEARS

HE'S GOT A TEARDROP ON THE TIP OF HIS NOSE

ALL OF THIS IS PAINFUL

PLEASE STOP

oooh, lwj's mouth twists into a firm scowl and he slams bichen on the ground with a loud CLANG

this is too much for him too! he's furious, he's had enough of hearing how wwx suffered for jc

so he scoops up wwx, carrying almost all of his weight, as he walks the both of them outta there

wn leaves suibian with jc and tells him to have anyone else try to unsheathe it if he doesn't believe him

jc doesn't want it. he doesn't want it at all.

he desperately wants it to be untrue

AND I CRY A RIVER FOR MY YUNMENG BROS

WE'RE ON A BOAT NOW

UNCONSCIOUS WWX SPREAD BACK, HELD LOVINGLY IN LWJ'S ARMS

Now we get some lwj & wn bonding time where they discuss a-yuan! (after lwj promises not to tattle on wn to wwx)

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! WE'RE GETTING A FLASHBACK FROM LWJ

LWJ IS ENTERING WWX'S LAB CAVE THING, ALONE, FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR WWX

lwj: on that day, when the wen clan were captured and killed, i went to the burial mounds to seek wei ying but discovered a-yuan instead

we see him find a-yuan, who is unconscious and clammy.

lwj immediately drops to his knees beside him and checks his wrist, then presses the back of his hand to a-yuan's forehead

oh, lwj's hand is all roughened with dirt. That’s very striking, for some reason.

he purses his lips making a split-second decision, and scoops a-yuan up

lwj: he was hiding there for so long that he had a fever and was severely ill

wn figures out that the fever is probs why lsz doesn't remember anything, and hasn’t mentioned wn at all. lwj looks surprised

lwj: didn't you tell him?

wn: about his birth origin? he's happy now. knowing too much about the past and remembering something heavy, would make him less happy than now

HE'S SUCH A GOOD PERSON

WHY DO THE BEST OF THEM HAVE TO SUFFER SO?

lwj: sooner or later, he will know

and wn doesn't deny it. he's like, yeah, sooner or later. just like master wei and jc with the golden core transfer.

at this lwj looks back down at wwx

lwj: is it painful?

the way lwj's throat bobs before he asks tho.

like he's forcing himself to ask, bc he needs to know even if he already suspects the answer.

He needs to know even tho knowing will hurt. he's steeling himself against the pain already.

wn: what?

lwj: taking out the core, is it painful?

wn: you won't believe me if i say it's not, right?

lwj: i thought wq might have some method

he sounds desperate, hoping against all odds that it didn't hurt wwx as much as he suspects it did

and here wn explains that wq wanted to ease the process, make it less painful, but due to the nature of the procedure, she couldn't use any anesthetics

wn: the one who donates the core has to be awake the whole time

THE WHOLE DAMN TIME

HE HAS TO BE CONSCIOUS TO WATCH IT GET CUT OUT OF HIM AND EXPERIENCE THAT CONNECTION SLOWLY BE SEVERED OTHERWISE IT DOESN'T WORK

HOW MESSED UP IS THAT OMG, HOW MUCH TRAUMA MUST THEY PUT MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY THROUGH

lwj: awake?

HE SOUNDS HOARSE AS HE SAYS THAT

wn: two nights and one day. he has to be awake

MY SUNSHINE BOY, MY BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE BOY SUFFERED SO MUCH

lwj's lips purse briefly. he's staring at his wei ying

lwj: at the time, what were the chances

wn: fifty percent

lwj looks at wn here with horrified disbelief

lwj: fifty percent?

wn proceeds to explain how wq didn't want to do it but wwx kept insisting that the odds were worth

AND OH MY GOD LWJ FLASHES BACK TO THEIR FIRST CONFRONTATION AFTER THE BURIAL MOUNDS, WHEN THEY FINALLY FOUND WWX AFTER 3 MONTHS OF SEARCHING

IT HURTS JUST AS MUCH AS THE FIRST TIME AROUND

Wwx must have some sort of sixth sense for knowing when Emotional Discussions are Done, bc he regains consciousness only AFTER wn & lwj finish bonding lol

he sits up, head aching, and pulls himself from lwj's embrace

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY, BC LWJ OBVS DIDN'T MIND HAVING HIM THAT CLOSE

IN FACT even as he helps wwx sit up, you can see his hand trail up wwx's arm, grip loosening and tightening sporadically

He's def trying to prolong contact here, very reluctant to let go of his wei ying

wwx: lan zhan, how did we get out?

lwj: we had a fight

AND ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING

wwx: i knew that jiang cheng wouldn't let me go that easily. so unreasonable.

and then he looks at lwj and hurries to assure him that jc didn't mean all those cutting remarks. that that's just how he gets when he's upset.

lwj looks off to the side, pressing his lips closed bc he couldn't care less about jc or jc's words. THEY MEAN NOTHING TO HIM

wwx covers lwj's hand with his own and very earnestly says: so don't take it seriously

BC HE HASN'T YET REALIZED THAT LWJ DOESN'T ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT JC'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE

lwj doesn't look him in the eye as he's told this, and his lips are still pressed together in a firm line.

he probably doesn't actually want wwx to realize just how little jc means to him.

wwx notices they're on a boat on a lake now lol

wwx: i often played here with jyl when we were children

AND HERE HE HALLUCINATES HIS PRECIOUS BEAUTIFUL KIND AMAZING SISTER JYL

Jyl: a-xian come have some lotus seeds

WWX'S EYES REDDEN WITH TEARS AND HE CALLS OUT FOR HIS SISTER

AND I'M FIGHTING BACK SOBS

WHILE JYL'S SWEET GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS AND JYL SMILES WARMLY AT HER LITTLE BROTHER

wn snaps wwx out of it

ONLY FOR WWX TO FLASHBACK TO JYL CRYING AND SAYING THAT THEY'RE THE CLOSEST THREE IN THE WORLD

WWX LEANS HIS HEAD ON HER KNEE AND SULKS ADORABLY ABOUT HOW HE'S HUNGRY

AND I WANNA DIE FROM ALL THE FEELINGS I'M HAVING

back on the boat, wwx eyes are still filled with tears and it's awful

wn is all, wwx what's wrong? and wwx shakes it off and just says he's hungry

so he yanks out some lotus pods from the lake and gives one to lwj and one to wn and one for himself

HE'S SMILING NOW, THANK GOD

wwx: it's perfect timing to be here now!

and he's happily tearing into the pod

I LOVE SEEING HIM HAPPY AND SMILING

SUCH LITTLE JOYS AND HE REVELS IN IT

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

HE SHOULD ALWAYS BE HAPPY AND SMILING.

NOTHING SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO MAKE HIM SAD. NOTHING

lwj: wei ying

wwx: what

lwj: does this lake belong to someone?

LOL, HE GAVE THE POD A SUSPICIOUS LOOK BEFORE ASKING THAT AND HAS NOT TRIED GETTING ANY SEEDS OUT YET

wwx: of course not

HE SAYS IN A COMPLETELY NOT BELIEVABLE WAY

YOU CAN TELL BY HOW HE DOESN'T LOOK LWJ IN THE EYE AS HE RESPONDED AND KEEPS MUNCHING AWAY ON THE SEEDS AS A DISTRACTION

Lwj is watching like, yeah, i’m not buying it.

lwj: i heard that lakes here all have owners.

lolol wwx pauses in his chewing for a second and looks around guiltily for a bit before letting out a nervous laugh

wwx: hanguang jun, you really hear much, don't you? i didn't even know that.

he's looking at him all innocently and LWJ LOOKS BACK STILL NOT BUYING IT LOLOLOL

wwx looks away and then looks back, relenting

wwx: fine.

HE'S ALL POUTY, IT'S ADORABLE, I LOVE HIM

he sulkily tells wn to get them moving

and sulkily tosses his lotus pod at the bottom of the boat

HE'S JUST HAVING A SULK-FEST RN AND IT'S SUPER CUTE, I'M ENJOYING IT A LOT

wn starts to get the paddles to get the boat going, when lwj suddenly leans over the side of the boat and snaps up a lotus pod

he very seriously offers it to his wei ying, who is watching him wide-eyed and surprised

lwj: only for today

bc i just found out about your traumatic golden core transfer for your awful ungrateful little brother and i feel horrible that you suffered alone, he doesn’t say

bc i wish i could have done something to help but i couldn't so now i'm gonna steal you a lotus pod bc that's literally all i can do right now, he also doesn’t say

LOL

THE WAY THE CAMERA CUTS TO WN HERE CRACKS ME UP

WN IS JUST PASSIVELY MUNCHING ON A SEED AND WATCHING THAT EXCHANGE HAPPEN WITH HIS BIG BROWN EYES TAKING IT IN, WITH A VAGUE, "HUH, THAT'S INTERESTING" MANNER

wwx looks at the pod and then back at lwj before taking the pod with a nervous laugh

I am convinced that he had WAR-FLASHBACKS to that time drunk!lwj gave him roosters

He’s probably frantically trying to remember if lwj drank ANY alcohol earlier

TRYING TO CALCULATE THE CHANCES OF SOMEONE SLIPPING SOME ALCOHOL TO LWJ BETWEEN THEIR FIGHT WITH JC TO THIS BOAT ESCAPE LOLOLOLOL

he clutches that pod with both hands and gives lwj a pained smile

The exact pained smile he had when he accepted the roosters that time

LMAO WWX TURNS TO LOOK AT WN, HIS BROWS ALL FURROWED IN CONFUSION LIKE, WN WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING, EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

but wn just smiles cheerfully at him

cut to the next moment where we see the boat's floor is now littered with a bunch of lotus pods and wwx is happily munching on seeds, all smiley

BUT OF COURSE I'M NOT ALLOWED TO ENJOY HAPPY PEACEFUL MOMENTS EVER

SO A GLOWY GLITTERY MESSENGER BUTTERFLY APPEARS AND LANDS ON LWJ'S OUTSTRETCHED PALM

I mean, wwx giggled happily there for a moment there!!!!! WHY CAN'T THEY LET ME BASK IN THAT FOR ONE MINUTE, GOD.

anyway, the butterfly

wwx: the paper butterfly messenger from the jin clan?

(side note to say that the butterfly messenger is actually very pretty. i like it a lot)

wwx pats lwj on the knee after the butterfly flies away

wwx: what happened? what did it say?

Lwj’s like, jgy is in yunmeng now and my brother hasn’t responded to my message...

wwx: you worry jgy would harm him when desperate?

bc wwx can tell right away when lwj is worried. BC THEY'RE SOULMATES AND THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL

And then bc my sunshine boy is a GENIUS, he remembers the deed jgy had hidden away in the secret chamber, for Yunping City in Yunmeng

he excitedly tells lwj that this is where jgy will be

lol he was so excited he tipped himself over a bit and jostled the boat so lwj had to reach out to steady him

we cut to the next scene we see people dying fabrics and our boys wander through

Wwx confirms with some random worker lady that they’re in the right place and tells lwj they should explore the city as a date for Plot Investigation Reasons

lwj nods in agreement and then wwx turns back to look at the lady and gives her THE SWEETEST SMILE, THE ONE THAT SQUINCHES HIS EYES CLOSED AND MAKES ME SWOON

BUT LOL LWJ SEES HIM SMILE AT THE LADY LIKE THAT AND IT NOT AMUSED BY IT AT ALL

oh god, just the way his eyes flick from wwx to the lady and how his lips firm up before he stalks off in a snit cracks me up

GREEN IS NOT YOUR COLOR, LAN ZHAN, I'M JUST SAYING

LET THE GUY SMILE AT ME, I MEAN AT PEOPLE. IT'S NOT A CRIME

wwx is confused by the reaction but hurries off after him

oh wwx, you dense idiot. you're lucky i love you so

now we see come random guys bully wn for no reason 😞

wwx tells them to back off but they don't listen and lwj very nonchalantly pulls out a talisman from his sleeve and offers it to wwx

wwx looks at the talisman and then back at lwj with SUCH A PLEASED SMILE

OMG I WOULD DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FOR HIM TO SMILE AT ME LIKE THAT

wwx: lan zhan, you even kept it until now?

AHHHHHH SO CUTE, I LOVE HIM

lwj doesn't respond but it doesn’t matter bc wwx does that squinchy-eyed smile AGAIN AND I DIE, I DIE

wwx activates the talisman which releases a whole bunch of glittery butterflies that distract the guys and allow wn to escape.

omg guys, this is the same trick lwj used to distract wen chao and wen zhuliu to escape ages and ages ago WHICH MEANS LWJ HAS BEEN CARRYING A PIECE OF WWX WITH HIM ALL THESE YEARS AHHHHHHHHH

And after that wonderful, touching revelation, the episode ends.

SO, we had lots of depressing Yunmeng Bros Feelings that made me wanna die

BUT we also at the end here get rewarded with MULTIPLE squinchy-eyed smiles from my most precious darling sunshine boy that made me wanna die but, like, in a good way

I WOULD ENDURE SO MUCH MORE FOR THOSE SMILE, NGL

Return to Masterpost

#WangXiantics #wangxian #the untamed #cql

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osomagine-san · 4 years

Note

I know I requested about the brothers S/O passing away, how about their only child passing away? I’m sorry, I love angst haha

Don’t apologize! I love it, too >:3 Good thing there are so many different ways to grieve/handle trauma! I made ‘em all longer than the last one, too

Osomatsu kind of... gives up.

His kid meant everything to him. He loved- no, loves, them so much. They never fought or had big spats-- not that the kid was the best-behaved kid in the world, but Osomatsu would always have a sort of childishness to him that bonded him so effortlessly to them. They were inseparable-- the kid was like a little mini him, and he loved them so much.

Standing in front of their grave with the rest of their family long gone was a lonelier feeling than I can describe or even really relate to-- to lose a child is, to my knowledge, one of the worst things you can experience. So young, too...

He remembers the day it happened. Before he even knew it had happened, he felt his heart suddenly leap into his throat, like he himself was in danger. He wasn’t-- he’d just been watching TV-- so what could the problem be?

As time goes on, he feels the same way. There’s a big, gaping hole inside of him that can’t be filled-- and oh boy, did he ever try to fill it. Alcohol didn’t work, food didn’t work, and talking about it didn’t work, either. There was nothing to be done. All he can do is sit in his sadness and... what? What does he do?

There’s a day, though, where he’s just sitting by himself. The pain is beginning to ebb. Thinking about the most beautiful child that was ever born doesn’t hurt so much at that particular moment. The days that they spent together were the most wonderful days of his life, and right then, he knows that his kid would be so mad at him if he just sat there feeling sad about them. They’d be so mad if they were forgotten or blocked out, too. The memories continue, and he cycles through them like one might cycle through the playlist on an old CD a friend had burned for them years ago. He’d start to cry.

━━━━━━

[Warning for death via car accident and a depiction of dissociation.]

It was strange, on the day of the loss, to see Karamatsu so loud.

He’d immediately called his brothers to the hospital when the accident had happened. When they arrived, Karamatsu was screaming at the poor receptionist, trying to wrangle any amount of information out of her. This was his son. He needed to see him immediately.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the receptionist said, “but I really can’t tell you anything. There isn’t anything to tell. I don’t have any updates.”

He had to be dragged away from her with the combined force of all five of his brothers.

Osomatsu had managed to calm him down the most. His attitude was so genuinely carefree that it somehow relaxed Karamatsu-- if someone could just laugh and shrug it off, maybe he was just making a big deal out of the situation.

It’s not that he felt like it was certain that everything would be alright, but he, at least, was able to relax.

He doesn’t quite remember what happens next-- just little moments. Following the doctor to the room where his son was lying, bruised and bloody and broken. The sight of his face was clear as day, but his brain did him the favour of blocking the rest out. Voices that sounded far away, comfort just outside of his grasp. The only thing his mind let through was the sound of the even, flat tone the heart monitor had taken.

Days went past in a bit of a blur, like that. Even the funeral passed by in the blink of an eye, and Karamatsu was present for it only in body.

Almost two weeks had passed before he came back to. He hadn’t lost every detail of his memory; he just gained awareness that he’d been floating around for the last two weeks without really accomplishing anything.

He checked the time-- one thirty in the morning. As he got up (good god was he ever hungry-- had he eaten anything?), he noticed that he was back at his parents’ house. His brothers were all back in their futon, sound asleep. It was a comforting sight. Things had gone back a few years.

He just reheated whatever leftovers were in the fridge-- in this house, there were always leftovers.

He went over it all that night. He recalled the majority of the last two weeks, even if he wasn’t totally present for them. He had a memory of Osomatsu and Todomatsu teaming up, poking at him, trying to get him to respond. Their persistence lasted a surprisingly long time. Osomatsu wanted to draw something lewd on his face and Choromatsu yelling at him not to do that. He’d responded, then, but he couldn’t quite remember what he’d said.

He sighed while he thought about his son. He should have been there, or done something, or something... He wasn’t sure what. He also didn’t really feel guilty about it-- it couldn’t possibly have been his fault. Sure, if he’d kept a better eye on him, it wouldn’t have happened; but it was more on the driver! That text message could have waited! That truck had mangled his only son, and now he was left with nothing.

“...Except for my leftovers.”

“Jyushimatsu, please don’t read my thoughts right now.”

━━━━━━

[Warning for death via illness.]

Choromatsu really only has the one way of dealing with pain and grief-- and it’s cleaning. He cleans the whole house over and over again until it’s completely spotless.

It’s obvious to those who are close to him (such as his partner) that there are some things that he just doesn’t touch very much. For example, the door to their daughter’s room was closed after the incident and he never went in there. She was a messy kid, too-- her clothes and toys still covered the floor to the point you couldn’t step anywhere without stepping on something.

There were also dozens of empty pill bottles on the nightstand as well as a little heart monitor next to her alarm clock (that she hadn’t used in the past year, since she wasn’t really attending school, anymore). There were also a lot of cups and glasses that had yet to be taken back down to the kitchen and washed-- the icing on the cake of this little situation would be finding mould in what used to be cups of various juices.

There were other things that Choromatsu hadn’t touched-- her little shoes were still lined up neatly at the door, and they hadn’t been touched in a long time. Choromatsu had been the one to line them up there in the first place. It was a Friday-- the last day she went to school. She wasn’t feeling well so he was going to let her stay home the following Saturday, but just before dinner, she collapsed.

They had a little whiteboard with a calendar on it. They used to cross off every day-- when Choromatsu or his partner forgot, their daughter would always step up and do it herself. She never let it slip her mind (unlike all of the homework she had due).

It was painful, but his partner had to bite the bullet and clean out their daughter’s room. It just had to happen. It had been two months and it was starting to feel unhealthy to keep all of that right there, and it was clear that the two of them weren’t going to have another kid anytime soon.

Choromatsu found the door open and his partner cleaning it out. Most of their daughter’s things were packed in clear garbage bags.

“What are you doing?! We can’t throw this out!” Choromatsu never yelled at his partner, but he was just so shocked.

“I’m not throwing it out,” they replied. “This just makes it easier to carry. I rented a storage unit and I’m going to put it all there. I’ll need help with the furni-”

“What?! Why?! You can’t just take all of her things like she was never even he-”

“I’m not! I’m not pretending like she never existed! I’m not trying to get rid of her.”

“Then why don’t you talk about her?”

“What?” They tilted their head and put down the bag that they were piling clean clothes out of the dresser into.

“You just...” Choromatsu looked at his partner and saw all of the times he’d spent with them, and with... her. His voice broke. “You just go quiet when she’s mentioned. You don’t say anything to me. You go back to work, and you smile, and you...”

“Oh, come here.” They hold Choromatsu tightly. He’d started to cry. “I don’t go quiet when she’s mentioned. I try to change the subject when someone brings her up around you. I know that you’re having a hard time dealing with this... I just hate seeing you upset.”

He held his partner close.

“I think,” they continued, “that having all of this stuff around doesn’t help anyone. I think we need it out of the house, at least for a little while. We don’t have to put everything away, but... a lot of it takes up a lot of space.” Choromatsu nodded. “And a lot of these glasses are disgusting.” He laughed lightly, despite the tears. “No, I’m serious. I’d rather just throw a lot of these out.”

━━━━━━

The relationship that Ichimatsu had to have been in ended shortly after the death of his daughter. He loved his family, and losing one member of it was too much. He had to cut out the other.

He became rude and crass with his partner; lazy, never picked up after himself until they just left him. There was no relief-- as soon as they were gone, he realized that he was testing them. And they had failed.

Oh, well. Better that ended sooner rather than later. He knew he could have been a little more kind (they were going through the same thing, after all), but he wasn’t. And he didn’t really care that he wasn’t-- he deserved it, after all. He deserved to lose that child and he deserved to lose his partner.

He lost his job because he just stopped showing up. He wasn’t qualified for it, anyways-- he’d been with them for a few years at that point, and it was only an entry-level job, but anything like that was better than he should have had.

He wound up back at his parents’ house. The cold and almost even cruel outer shell he’d developed was apparently his personality, now. He couldn’t stop being rude and ungrateful, and he hated himself for it-- but again, he didn’t deserve the kindness his parents were showing him, anyways. What did it matter? They might as well throw him out on the streets.

Of course, they didn’t. With a bit of love, Ichimatsu very gradually started to open up again. It started with his cat friends, who cycled through visiting. At first, he felt like he didn’t deserve it, or them. As they continued coming, though, he realized that the cats didn’t really care about that. They had no grasp on “good” or “bad”-- the only thing they had a grasp on was that he was kind to them.

The idea that maybe there was no such thing as “good” or “bad” was liberating to him. He didn’t deserve the cats’ affections, and at the same time, he so did. To love is to give without asking for anything in return.

He gave his child as much as he could while he could. There was no force of fate that put them in his life, and none that took them away. Sometimes, things just happened and it didn’t always have to mean something.

He probably never got together with another partner or ever had another child, but he started a cat adoption center. He let strays come and go as they please, and took in cats that were abandoned and gave them to loving homes.

━━━━━━

A hole manifested itself in Jyushimatsu’s life, and no matter what he did, he just couldn’t shake it. It was omnipresent, and the hole pestered and festered until he couldn’t take it anymore, and then some.

The hole manifested itself in strange and different ways-- sometimes as a void in his chest where his heart should be; on days like that, he’d clutch at the fabric of his sweater, like he was expecting something to be there, and then come up short. The surprise would cross his face only for a moment before he continued on like it had never happened.

Sometimes it was a sudden chill that he couldn’t quite shake. The initial shiver lasted only a moment, but the cold stayed with him until he’d fall asleep that night.

A couple of times, it manifested in shadows. He’d stare into the darkest corners of the room, and it would be hard for him to pull his eyes away. They had a presence, almost.

Either way, after the initial accident, he was able to mostly fully recover afterwards. There were some harder days when he could hardly make it out of bed, sure, but as more and more time passed, the fewer and fewer those days became.

The hole stayed with him, though.

━━━━━━

Todomatsu genuinely loses all memory of losing his son.

He continues his days as normal. He calls for him to go to school, and he comments a lot about how little TV his son has been watching. He’ll continue on to say how proud he is of him, because all that time must be spent studying, right?

His partner doesn’t know what to do. It’s hard to tolerate sometimes, because they feel so alone. Their worst fear had just happened, and the one person they thought they could share in their grief with was only making it hurt worse. They’ve broken down in front of him, begging him to remember, but he only got concerned for his S/O. Before they called his brothers, they thought that they were going crazy.

They got in all kinds of fights about him. Todomatsu, stubborn as ever, refused to believe or acknowledge it. He was beyond defensive about the topic-- he was rather laid back about most other things. He and his S/O had never fought like this about anything.

It’s during summer vacation that Todomatsu starts coming to. He notices that his son is nowhere to be found. He must be at a friend’s house, he thinks. His S/O had notified the other parents at their kids’ school that Todomatsu was having trouble coping with the loss, so the parent of his son’s best friend knew that trying to tell Todomatsu what had happened would amount to nothing. Of course, they didn’t lie to him when he called after a week, worried-- they told him straight up that they hadn’t seen his son in a long time.

In a panic, he called a lot of other parents-- even those that didn’t like his son. He was missing, and he needed to find him.

His S/O got a few calls from concerned parents about the situation and went home early. They found Todomatsu on the floor, sobbing and panting.

“I think something bad happened.”

#annetheman #Osomatsu #Karmatsu #Choromatsu #Ichimatsu #Jyushimatsu #Todomatsu #Ososan #Osomatsu-san #Osomatsu-san imagines #Imagines #Imagine #Angst #Ososan imagines #I wanted to leave Totty's ending ambiguous because I could not decide how I wanted it to end #Also I didn't want it to drag on and on #Also be honest does it show that I have 0 idea how to write Jyushimatsu???

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ladynightmare913 · 3 years

Text

Red Rose, Blood Moon

Welcome to Chapter 6! This is an original story inspired by the tale of Red Riding Hood. I would like to say a special thank you to my best friend and co-author Olivia ( @asunshinepuff )for joining me on in writing this world onto paper.

CW: This chapter contains mentions of drunks, blood and traps. You have been warned.

This story contains only original characters created by Olivia and myself. For those of you who want to be tagged, feel free to send an ask to me or Olivia on her blog. If you have any questions, theories, or curiosities about any of our characters or how the story will progress, send them to the ask box!

I hope you enjoy! Now without further adieu!

Chapter 6: The Golden Doe

Her eyes darted from the drunk man staring up at Red with terror filled eyes, to the blooded coated blade that laid on the wooden floor of the tavern, and finally to Red who wouldn’t look away.

“What was that racket?” The voice of the old woman called out from behind the counter.

The woman’s voice was enough to break Rosabella from her spell of shock. Rosabella bent over, quickly picking up the blade, she looked at the frozen drunk and cleaned it on his shirt before placing it into its sheath. She placed herself between the old man and Red, holding her hand out to push him back if it came to that.

Her sapphire eyes locked hard onto his ice blue ones. And she felt it,She couldn’t move, her heart began to beat erratically, the hair on the back of her neck rose. His gaze was intense, his presence radiated authority and dominance, it demanded respect. She felt the need to run, to lower her gaze in submission, she had never felt this way before. She had felt his presence before, it drew attention to him of course, but it wasn’t at this magnitude, it felt different too. He only continued to stare at her, but not. As if he wasn’t looking at her rather through her, at the old man.

“Red please, stop it. NOW.” She growled out.

Finally, her voice reached him, Red’s gaze finally snapped away from hers to kitchen doors. The old woman had just walked out from the kitchen doors. He blinked slowly, trying to gather his bearings. The old woman looked down to the old man, she kicked him harshly.

“Silly old fool, go home.” She muttered.

Rosabella quickly grabbed Red’s arm, “Pardon madam, but I am afraid we must be going,” She tugged Red along, he only looked at Rosabella in hesitation, “now,” she stressed. The old woman tried to reason with them to stay since their meals were nearly ready, but Rosabella insisted they leave.

He didn’t fight her this time. She led them to any alley, looking over her shoulder. No one seemed to notice them. Red eyed her skeptically.

“No one noticed us.” He spoke as if he expected it.

Rosabella took a deep breath before she looked back at him.

“Are you a warlock?”

“Firstly, I am not overly fond of witches. Second don’t ever compare me to witches. And Thirdly, no, I am not a warlock .” He all but snarled out at her.

She rose a brow at his clear distaste of the topic. “Well what are you then? And why such distaste for witches, I happen to know one.”

His eyes narrowed in suspicion, he stepped back from her. “I don’t appreciate you berating me with offensive questions.” He turned away. Walking out of the alley onto the open street.

Rosabella groaned in frustration. Quickly following him. “Where are you going?”

“Anyplace where you are not.” He muttered. She scoffed in offense.

“Well that’s it then?! You’re just going to walk away?”

“I had planned to from the very beginning.” He didn’t look back.

“We are not finished here.” She marched after him.

“Oh but we are mademoiselle.” He replied sarcastically.

Rosabella glared at his head. “You’re really going to leave me without any explanation with what just happened in that tavern?!”

He simply sighed as he turned a corner. “Good day Rosabella.”

And he was gone. Rosabella’s eyes scanned over the streets, but she couldn’t spot him anywhere. She gave a dry laugh, shaking her head, she turned back to the Tavern. The carriage had arrived.

She handed the gold coins into the driver’s hand, he was an old man, with a small beard.

“Where to mademoiselle?” His voice was soft and gentle, like a grandfather reading a child to sleep.

“Paris if you would be so kind.” She smiled.

“Aye, but I’d have to make stops, it’s a long way.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Thank you.”

“Hop on then.”

And so she did. The carriage ride was silent for the most part. They would stop at inns for the night they didn’t reach Paris. Rosabella offered to pay for the elderly man’s room, to which he politely refused to accept her generosity. Saying she should save her money for better investments. They traveled this way for two days.

“I’ll have to stop at the next village, a traveler will be joining us.” The old man told her.

Rosabella only nodded her head in understanding. So when the next village arrived, the carriage door opened to reveal the most handsome of strangers. At least that was what the swooning women were saying, not at all being discreet about their fancy towards him.

“Ah, I did not know I would have the honor of traveling with such a belle.” The man was tall, his hair was a soft curly brown, lightly tanned skin, and the most striking pair of hazel eyes that seemed to have speck of gold in the sunlight. He had a light beard on his face, it was smooth and freshly shaven. He wore a black leather coat with a white shirt, black pants and boots.

Rosabella flushed at the bold words from the man. She startled when the man gently reached for her gloved hand, placing a kiss on the back of it. He smiled.

“I am Bardolph Sinclair. And who might you be?” His eyes looked over her.

She studied him for a moment, at least while she tried to calm herself from his flattery. He didn’t seem to be bold enough to sit next to her at least. He was rather gentlemanly. Not at all like the way had behaved.

“Monsieur, you are too hasty to ask for my name upon mere seconds upon our first meeting. Surely you will understand why I must not tell you. I do not know you.”

“Of course, I apologize if I have offended you.” He bowed his head. The carriage started to move again.

“It’s no trouble. I am pleased to make your acquaintance Monsieur Sinclair.”

“Please, call me Bardolph.” He smiled, Rosabelle couldn’t help but feel she should smile back. And she did.

When night fell upon them, the carriage stopped to rest at an inn. Rosabella and Bardolph both tried to offer their help to the old man, but again he refused. Shooing them away to go eat their supper. As they walked, Rosabella looked up to the sky, it was a waxing gibbous tonight.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Bardolph spoke. Watching Rosabella.

Rosabella only eyed him playfully before turning to the inn. Bardolph chuckled as he followed close behind her. When they entered the inn, the first thing they noticed was that it was packed full.

“Perhaps we will be forced to share a room.” Bardolph grinned at Rosabella.

She did her best not to roll her eyes as she scoffed. “I’d sooner sleep in the stables.”

“Oh, you wound me my fair lady.” He clutched his chest. “But I would never allow such a thing, I would sleep in the stables while you sleep peacefully in a warm bed.”

Rosabella only shook her head as she took a seat in a booth. Bardolph joined her. A waitress came and took their order, when the door burst open, a group of hunters staggering inside, carrying a wounded man.

“Quickly clear a table! He’s wounded!” A man shouted, pushing aside the food and laying the hunter’s body onto it. Rosabella stood to her feet, briskly walking towards them.

The wounded man’s foot was caught in a metal trap with metal teeth. Rosabella frowned, the man would have a limp for the rest of his life.

“What happened??

“We were out hunting for venison, we had set up traps to help us catch one. But we forgot where we placed one and now his foot was nearly cut off.

“We didn’t forget where the traps were placed! Someone must’ve tampered with it!” Another yelled out.

“Is there a doctor?!”

Thankfully there was a doctor, who quickly sedated the young man and removed the trap. He was sent to rest in one of the inn’s rooms. The hunters all look haggard and exhausted. Rosabella sat next to the man who had helped drag the wounded man in. He was young, and looked terrified. It must’ve been his first hunt at night.

“Why did you have to place traps? Surely there are enough deer to have caught?” She inquired softly. The poor boy was pale.

“We tried just using our arrows and spears, but we would never see any. So we placed traps…”

Rosabella frowned, she may not have been from this particular village but she could definitely catch the scent of a venison on the wind.

“Why do you think someone tampered with the traps?”

“Because we’re catching just any deer, we’re trying to catch the Golden Doe.”

Her eyes widen a fraction. “The Golden Doe? Isn’t that just a legend?”

“Aye, but my father swore on his mother’s grave he saw it once. A coat that shines gold in sunlight.”

“If he saw it, why would you hunt it, surely such a wonderful beast would be left alone for its beauty.” She asked gently. She herself did hunt venison but she would never kill such a creature. “Do you plan to hang it up on your wall as a trophy?” She asked bluntly.

The hunters frowns. “No, we are hunting it to heal someone from our village. Legend says the Golden Does’s meat can cure any illness.”

Rosabella’s shoulders fell. So, a noble cause. If it had been for something as trivial as a trophy, she would have stopped them from hunting the poor doe. “I see… ”

“Forgive me but, no has seen the doe in twenty years yes?” Bardolph spoke, Rosabella had forgotten that he was still awake. “Surely it must’ve died by now. At least that’s what I’ve heard from my travels.”

“Aye, but the Golden Doe has lived for many centuries.” The hunter answered. The young boy looked up to the hunter.

“Perhaps someone else has already caught the doe… ”

“No, someone’s protecting it. I’m sure of it. It’s all the same. A monstrous beast was never far from the Golden Doe, always chasing away hunters.”

“Perhaps the monstrous beast finally changed its mind and finally ate the doe?” Bardolph offered. He leaned onto the table.

“It wasn’t a monstrous beast, it’s the Lady of the Woods who protects the doe.” The boy looks to Rosabella. “That’s what my mother told me, she doesn’t like hunters in her forests.”

“Silly boy, it’s the beast! It tampered with our traps”

Rosabella finally interjected. “If it was the beast who tampered with the traps, how could it have the intelligence to do so? It is a beast is it not?”

The hunters all died down, they began to look at each other and whisper amongst themselves. Ah, they didn’t have an answer. Rosabella only chuckled. “Perhaps it is simply a normal person who doesn’t wish to see the doe harmed.”

“But we need the doe’s meat to heal my wife!” The hunter exclaimed.

Rosabella’s gaze softened. “Has seen a doctor?”

“Yes…” His eyes were pained.

Rosabella nodded her head. “I see,” She lowered her gaze. “Well, what if I came to your village, and tried to heal her myself.”

“What?” The hunter looked perplexed. Then desperate. “How?”

Rosabella stood to her feet. A smile on her lips. “I am well versed in healing, and if I can cure your wife, you must swear to never hunt for the Golden Doe.”

The hunter nodded. Bardolph looked intrigued.

“I swear it.”

Tag list: Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

@spookypotato

#Original Story #Red Riding Hood #asunshinepuff ocs #our ocs #Rosabella Louve #Red #Bardolph Sinclair #Werewolves #Curse #Golden Doe #Lady of the Woods #cw blood #cw traps #legend #cw drunken #ladynightmare ocs

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