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justreadingfics · 4 years

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It’s a Deal (Ch. 14)

Chapter Summary: Hearts are broken.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 3.5k

Warnings: angst, “The Mandalorian” reference.

A/N: One more chapter after this and we’re done. Thank you, incredible Suz, @bucky-the-thigh-slayer for having my back. Love you. The link to my masterlist, where you can find the other chapters, is on my description. Feedback is highly appreciated.

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There’s that annoying little chilling feeling running down his spine while Bucky parks his bike on the nearest parking lot to your building and steps towards your place. Not the dreadful feeling he gets on missions when his life or others’ are in danger. No, not that one. Is that feeling he gets when he knows something’s up, something’s out of order, not necessarily bad, but something that he needs to put his focus on…

He’s been trying to hold himself from going to your place, he knows that it may sound like he’s imposing himself in your personal space, in your life, but he’s been trying to call you in the last few hours, sent a few messages but you haven’t answered and then that annoying little feeling came to say hello.

And in his long ass life, he’s learned better than to ignore that feeling. He knows you’re not at work because it’s a Sunday and maybe you just went out somewhere without your phone and he’s just being paranoid or something… But he’ll just check if you’re ok, see those pretty eyes of yours and leave. That’s it. He may seem like a fucking stalker, but if that is going to assure him you’re ok, then so be it.

And God knows how much he would appreciate a glimpse of you right now.

The little hairs on his neck stand in attention at the sight he catches from the corner of your street and brings him to a full stop. That short little asshole of your ex, dragging a big suitcase with one hand and holding a couple of boxes with the other.

Bucky’s heart races and he frowns, watching when that Eddie guy lets go of the suitcase and balances himself to not let the boxes fall while he types the code to open the front door, getting into your building right after, dragging the suitcase with him.

The air catches in Bucky’s throat before it comes out in short little breaths. His mind runs with all the possible scenarios that would explain that scene… he desperately searches for ones that don’t have to mean what his jumping heart is telling him it means.

He’s not thinking clearly through the mess that his mind has become, but he decides he needs to see it for himself, as dreadful as he is of what he’s going to see.

In a few long and quick steps he’s at the building’s door, typing the numbers he’s just registered the douchebag typing and in a second he’s in the elevator up to your floor.

Once he’s at your door, ready to knock on the wood, his hand stops midair, before it drops to his side while he sighs. Deeply. This is madness… he shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t need to see anything, he can wait and talk to you some other time, when he’s less… anguished… anxious… He knows what he’s thinking, but it doesn’t mean that’s the case. You and the guy had lived together for years… maybe he’s just returning some of your stuff… maybe… damn… he brushes his hand over his face, harshly. He should leave.

And he’s about to do exactly that when the door opens.

Bucky has been calling the guy a short little asshole all this time and, while he still may be an absolute jackass and Bucky surely and easily beats him in height, somehow he feels like the smallest person on earth standing in front of the man right now.

“Can I help you?” Eddie asks, hardening his face after an immeasurable moment of stunned silence between the two men.

“Ahm,” Bucky clears his throat and keeps his voice firm, “Can I talk to Y/N?”

Eddie lets out a small puff and God knows how much Bucky needs to hold himself back from punching that stupid little face, “She’s not home, she had a call for something at work,” Eddie answers plainly.

Bucky feels when his jaw tightens painfully and his chest puffs, “Then what the hell are you doing here?” His voice comes out dangerously low as his chin tips up.

A little and annoying smirk twists Eddie’s lips and… fuck, Bucky has a terrible feeling about that. “Not that I need to give you any explanation but I’m moving back. This is my home again.” He regards Bucky for a second after adding, “Our home.”

The words punch the air out of Bucky’s lungs and, looking behind Eddie’s shoulder he sees the numerous boxes… your place… where he had you in his arms so many times now filled with that guy’s stuff next to your things… His stomach churns violently.

“Are you… are you and Y/N...” he can’t even finish the question, the words getting stuck in his throat, choking him like a deadly poison.

“Listen, dude…” Eddie bursts out, “What Y/N and I have isn’t some kind of fling or deal or whatever one small time apart can destroy, we belong together.” He huffs and bites his cheek before continuing impatiently, while all Bucky can do is stare at him, frozen in place, ”I have no time for this. If you have questions you can ask her whenever you want, if she has anything to explain to you, she will. Now if you excuse me.” He gestures towards the elevator.

Bucky would rather die a thousand times before he would allow himself to continue showing a single more minute of vulnerability in front of that guy… so he sucks it all down his throat and, holding himself in the excruciating pain rushing up his chest like it’s an anchor, he puts on a hard face and just nods, stepping away while he meets, for the first time, the ache he knows is the feeling of his heart breaking.

~~~

At the sight before her, Natasha sighs and remembers the time when she would find much different scenarios when she would burst into Bucky’s place. Where she would usually find different underwear tossed around the floor and small parties in his room, now she sees a metal armed dude sprawled on the sofa, face deep into not one, but two huge pints of Stark Raving Hazelnuts from Ben & Jerry’s, while Home Alone plays on the TV, and an Alpine lays comfortably on his lap.

Her little head perks up once Nat’s steps into the room. At least one of them acknowledges her presence.

“Jesus, Bucky...”

He then moves his gaze to her direction, showing off his puffed eyes while shoving a huge spoon of ice-cream in his mouth, “What?” He speaks with a mouthful, “Breakfast?” He makes an offering gesture with the pint.

“I see you at least put on your uniform,” Nat ignores the offer, stepping towards him, kicking aside the many remains and open packages of junk food on her way. She slaps his leg off the sofa so she can sit beside him. As he grumpily adjusts his position to give her room, an equally grumpy Alpine jumps off his lap and aims a gaze of sheer contempt at Nat, before sauntering towards her plate of food in the kitchen.

“Well… Show must go on, right?” Bucky answers while his saddened gaze fixes on the tv again.

Nat just stares at him for a moment, her heart twisting in sorrow at his miserable demeanor, “Listen…” she says, with a softer tone, “I checked, she really is on a mission.” At that, she spots the twitch on his jaw, but he doesn’t look back at her, “Apparently it was some last-minute thing about Thor and earthly technology.” Nat frowns and shrugs, “That’s probably the reason why she’s not picking up your calls or mine for the last couple of days. She’s just busy. You can talk to her when she comes back.”

“Why?” He puts the pints of ice cream aside as his face snaps at her.

Despite the initial harshness on his tone, there’s no trace of anger there on his expression. Just… sadness… and, honestly, Nat would deal better with the anger. She’s never seen Bucky like this… not after he came back from Wakanda.

Bucky breathes in a shuddering breath, like it’s painful for him to even do that before he continues speaking, “The guy is back to her place, Nat… all his fucking boxes and clothes and shit next to hers. They’re back together. That’s it. I honestly don’t wanna listen to her telling me how much that guy matters to her…” His voice cracks, but he goes on talking, “That she and I was fun, I was a good fuck and all but not good enough compared to ten years with that…” He huffs, “That douchebag. I don’t wanna hear her saying he’s the real deal and not me.” He bites on his cheek, looking at Nat with eyes becoming glossy, “I just don’t think I can.”

“Bucky…”

“Ugh, no, seriously Nat, fuck,” he growls while he narrows his eyes and his jaw tightens, “Seriously, that guy… if he only… shit… he doesn’t deserve her.” Indignance pours out of his voice, which comes out through his teeth while his hands clench into fists, “He doesn’t appreciate what he has… ugh…” He groans, and lets himself fall back into the sofa, “But…” He sighs, and nods, licking his lips, “If that’s what she wants… I’m not gonna try and take it away from her. I won’t.” He shrugs.

Like she’s sensing the distress in her human, Alpine materializes on the sofa, between Nat and Bucky, and lets out a meow before curling herself against his thigh. Bucky absentmindedly starts petting her neck, staring up to the ceiling.

Nat could hear the pain of his heart shattering through his words. As for her… regret creeps up inside her. Regret for starting this between Bucky and you. She had a feeling that things could go south, but in all the scenarios she pictured for that, Bucky being the one heartbroken definitely wasn’t one of them. And yet, there he is. Devastated. Completely fucked. In a way she never thought she would see him for… love.

Damn…

“Are you guys ready?”

The three of them turn towards the voice, spotting Steve there, in his full gear and his signature worried and yet soft look that belongs to Bucky.

“Yup,” Bucky taps on his thighs and grabs Alpine in one hand, who meows loudly, and two suitcases, one bigger and one smaller with the other one.

“Are you seriously taking her with us?” Nat checks, following him towards the door.

“Wherever I go, she goes,” he answers, his voice as down as his face.

“Buck,” Steve puts his hand on his friend’s shoulder, stopping him at the door, “Are you sure you’re ok to go on the mission, I can-“

“I’m fine, punk,” Bucky cuts him off, “I’m a grown ass man, I can handle my feelings.”

As Bucky walks past his friend and moves to the elevator, Nat exchanges looks with Steve. She’s heard Bucky saying that exact sentence numerous times lately, after he acknowledged the way he feels for you.

The difference is that the usual confidence is just not there anymore.

~~~

You’re frowning while looking down at him. His words making their way into your senses.

You free one hand of his secured hold to reach over and cup his smiling face.

He leans into your touch.

You make a decision.

Your heart and mind are finally set together in what you now know you want. Hell… you think you know this for a while, but now… with Eddie bringing all those memories and telling you all of that, it did help you get through the split in your heart and mend it back into one. A whole new heart.

One that is all his.

His.

“Eddie,” your voice is soft, while he smiles up at you, “I remember all of that.” You smile, too, referring to the box of memories next you, “Every single memory… everything we shared… those ten years… they helped me mold me into what I am. There’s no me, there’s no what I am today without them,” you state, while, with your thumb, you caress his cheek.

Eddie nods, “There’s no me without you, either, that’s why I’m here.”

“But, Eddie…” you sigh and lick you lips, “Remember how you’ve told me a couple of times I seem different?”

The smile on Eddie's face slowly drops.

“That’s because I am… I’m not just… I’m not just that anymore.” You nod towards the box, “I found out there’s more in me, and honestly, I think there’s more in you, too, that just doesn’t fit to what we used to be anymore.”

He blinks repeated times, staring up at you, and you lean even closer and cup both sides of his face.

“I’m sorry. This is all part of who I am. You’re part of who I am. But I can’t go back.” You shake your head, “I can’t.”

He keeps his stare on you and, after a moment, like he’s been processing what you said to him, he lets out a huff, “Are you serious?” he harshly pulls your hands away from his face and gets up, “Are you fucking serious? Is this because you’re fucking that guy?” He raises his voice, gesturing away.

“Eddie…” You tilt your head as a warning sign.

“No, seriously, you’re trading me, you’re trading us for what?” He spits and points to his chest while his face contorts into something ugly you’ve never seen on him before, “A player who will throw you in the trash for the next nicer piece of ass he sees? For what? A good fuck? An eight pack? A few more inches of dick? Come on…”

“Hey,” you snap, rushing up from your seat to level him, “What the fuck, Eddie?” You curse, as he stares back at you defiantly, “First of all you don’t get to talk to me like that, you lower you goddamn tone.” You point a finger at him, “And, honestly? Bucky is not just “that guy” to me. He’s not a player. You don’t know him, and you don’t know who I am with him, you could never know.”

Through the anger bringing red blurs to your vision, you see when his Adam bone bobs, but he keeps an insolent chin lifted up and he has struck something in you by talking about Bucky and your feelings for him in such a belittling way.

“I didn’t want things to end like that,” you continue, shaking your head, “I really didn’t, but if you’re talking shit you don’t know the first thing about… ugh… fuck that,” you let out a harsh breath, “In one month or so Bucky respected and appreciated me more than you did in ten years. With him I don’t have to pretend I like or don’t like things just not to upset him or whatever, I learned I can be fun and honest… and… and he fucking eats my pussy, for God’s sake,” you burst out in a rush of spite.

Eddie takes a step back, completely stunned by your words and outburst, while a dead silence settles in the room.

“Wow,” he mumbles nodding his head and looking away from you.

You shut your eyes and breathe in deeply, letting your head drop for a moment, while reason starts to come back to your senses, “Shit… shit…” You curse under your breath, looking up at him again, “This is not about that, Eddie…” you say, being honest with him and yourself, “I loved you, I really did, you are so important… I appreciate our time together so much… but now…” You press your lips in a taut line and shrugs, “It’s over…And, yeah… Bucky may be in my life now, but-“

He snorts, crossing his arms in front of his chest. There’s pure scorn in his gaze for you, but you decide to ignore that. Eddie really matters a lot to you and you don’t want to end it in such a bad note. You want closure for the two of you, so both of you can accept what you had is over and move on with your lives.

“But this is not about him. Not completely, at least,” you continue, “It’s us Eddie.” You plead, taking a step closer to him, “Our relationship meant the world, but… but I think we outgrew it-”

“You speak for yourself,” he spits.

You sigh at the anger that is still there, spilling through his voice, but you nod, and speaks softly, “Ok, then… I outgrew our relationship, but even if you think you haven’t, that doesn’t mean it would be good for you to insist on something you realized at some point it wasn’t what you wanted anymore. You can’t deny that.”

You gasp and try to keep your balance when he drops on his knees and latches himself at you, hugging your waist tightly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know I caused all this, but please don’t leave me, don’t give up on us,” he begs, his voice breaking, pressing his cheek on you, “Please… please.”

“Eddie… Eddie…” You try catching his attention, as he keeps his chant of remorseful and begging words, “Stop... stop, Eddie, come here.”

You reach down for his forearms, adding some force to pull him up, to which he lets you.

When his weeping face levels yours, you gently wipe the tears falling down with your fingers, “You ended this because you weren’t happy, either, and it’s ok. It’s ok to let go,” you say, gently, before cupping his face and fixing your gaze on his, “Let go, Eddie. Let go.”

He exhales, his eyes shutting. While you keep gentle hands on his face, he brings his forehead to yours.

“We’re gonna be ok,” you whisper, wishing that he would understand that moving on is the best thing for the two of you.

At that, he harshly parts himself from you. Hurt and rejection plastered all over his face while he averts his gaze from you.

“Eddie… I don’t know what else to say,” you heave a sigh.

Before he gives you the comeback he’s about to give you, which you know it wasn’t gonna be a nice one, your phone rings. Nick Fury’s ringtone.

“Shit,” you curse, “I’m sorry, I need to pick that.” You rush and reach out for your phone on the center table, “Yes, Sir… of course… absolutely. I’ll gather my team and will be there in one hour, tops. Alright.”

“It’s work…” you tell Eddie, looking down as you turn off your phone.

“On a fucking Saturday night?” Eddie scoffs, not looking at you.

“Thor is on a solo mission and needs assistance from my team. Fury asked me to lead it. I…” You look at him, but he doesn’t look back at you, “I need to go change,” you say, defeated by his refusal to engage with you or with what you’ve been trying to tell him so far.

Once you come back from your bedroom in a hurry and ready to leave, Eddie is there in the living room, now sitting on the sofa.

“Are you sure?” He asks once you walked over the sofa and met his dull gaze.

“Yes.”

He nods slowly, biting his cheek.

“I’m gonna need to go now, Eddie,” you tentatively say. You step closer to him, but he turns his face to the other side and you take the hint. Stopping on your track.

“What of this place?” He gestures around.

You look around the place you two got together and as from that moment, you don’t see yourself in it anymore. Satisfied with your decision, you walk towards the key hook on the wall and he watches as you come closer to him again and take his hand from his lap, putting the keys in his palm.

“This place is not mine anymore,” you give him a tight smile.

You hold his hand a little longer while his gaze lingers at where you’re touching him.

“Goodbye, Eddie,” you say.

When he doesn’t give you an answer or even spares a look your way, you sigh, deeply. If that’s how he wants it to go, so be it. Letting go of his hand you walk to the door.

As soon as you step aside from your now former home, you realize you’re also walking towards a new phase of your life and you take in a big and refreshing breath before a loose smile forms in your lips. There’s only one thing in your mind, now. Or better, one person.

Bucky.

~~~

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky angst #bucky fluff #marvel fanfiction #it's a deal #it's a deal ch. 14

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writingsfromhome · 3 years

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Bad Timing I

A/N: This is you and your ex, (Detective) Harry, winding up in each other’s lives again after a traumatic event in your life. I’ve had this idea in my notes app for like a year, and I just decided to go for it this week! It’s a little all over the place as I set it up but I think the next part will go a lot better if you can stick with it (and I appreciate you if you can <3).

Warnings: Violence (guns), PTSD?

Part 1 / (.5) / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

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

I had booked Thursday and Friday off in advance. I made sure my e-mails were forwarded, my clients were told I wouldn't be in, and any internal matters were allocated to my assistant. It was going to be a relaxing long weekend where I could have a homemade meal for once and watch Netflix all day. I was my branch’s youngest director and even though it was a fulfilling job, I hadn't had a day off since I got the position four months ago.

This was probably why, at 9am, I get a call from my assistant. One of our bigger clients was refusing to discuss his loan terms with anyone and wanted to speak to me directly.

"Tell him I'm not in Adam, you shouldn't even be calling me-I have the bloody day off."

"Yess but he said he's coming in at 10 and if you're not here he's switching banks for his personal and business accounts." Adam stuttered. “If you lose this client H-”

"Jesus," I look at my outfit and the time-I barely had any time to make it to the bank; it took me 40 minutes just to get to work. "I'll be there-distract him if I'm late. Oh! Ask about his daughter's new private school!"

I rush to my room and apply minimal makeup, pull back my y/h/c hair and throw on my black cigarette pants and a blazer. I'm halfway down the lift when I realise I was still in my t-shirt. "Shite," I mutter. I button the blazer and put my scarf around my neck so it's covered. That was decent enough for my day off.

I arrive breathless and sweaty 5 minutes early to the bank despite the cool weather. Might have seemed like a win if that wasn’t when everything went downhill. Just as I walk up to the side door, waving at Adam who was walking out to greet me, a crash from the entrance startles me.

"Hands up!” A loud voice booms from behind me. “Don't touch a fucking thing!" I turn, seeing Adam’s shocked expression, just in time to be shoved to the floor by four people dressed all in black, and wearing celebrity masks. In all my time working here, I’d never been part of a bank heist and some part of me is frozen, mind blank. I wasn’t even supposed to be here!

"I said to put your hands up!" The one with a Brad Pitt face points the gun around the room as people scramble for cover. I inch backwards to the counter as I watch them manhandle the customers and pull our bankers to the floor. I release a breath, trying to snap out of the shock I seemed to be in. The base of a column digs into my back and I focus on that to ground myself, scanning each robber, and where my employees were. Adam has his hands on his head, the closest one to me. I try to catch his eye to reassure him but he’s squeezing them tight. I didn’t blame him, Brad Pitt stands over him menacingly. I look to the customers, they weren’t trying to be smart--that was good. I’d watched enough TV to know that was never a smart move.

Just as I think that, from the corner of my eye, I catch Cole, one of our guards reach for his gun. A loud shot echoes through the small space and I swivel my head trying to see what's happened while making sure everyone was okay. The thief wearing a Kanye West mask, manning the front entrance of the bank, had shot Cole in the arm and he was bleeding all over the floor. My first instinct is to help him but I'm yanked back down before I make it a step.

"We’re not missing the next person who moves a muscle. I want you all to drop your phones in the middle! No. Fucking. Funny business." The thief who shot Cole points his gun to all of us and it takes all of me to not hyperventilate. I hear a few people crying but I don't dare look. Instead, I watch on as David Beckham drags Cole to the side and ties his hands behind him. I can see by the wincing that they didn’t care whether they twisted his arms too hard. This wasn’t a petty robbery, they were hardcore.

"Who has the passcode to the vault?" Brad Pitt asks as one of his friends goes around zip tying everybody's hands behind them. When nobody answers he shoves the gun in Adam’s face and I let out a sob. What did we do to deserve this?

"Me," I choke out. “Don’t hurt him, I have the passcode. I know it.”

"You?" The man asks. "You better not be lying bitch or you'll be joining your friend there."

I nod as he pulls me up by the arm and uses my scarf to tie my hands. I try to stay calm, the only way I could get through this before the police arrived was to keep my calm. Everything in me is screaming to do something--fight, scream, swear, cry, but I keep my mouth shut and follow Brad Pitt and the joker to the back. I'm led at gunpoint to the vault and they untie me so I can put in the code and my thumbprint. The one in a Joker mask presses her gun into my back and I know the least of my worries was a bruise but that was the only thing I could focus on.

She shoves me forward when I pause, hovering my finger over the finger pad, in the distance I hear sirens. Please let us all be okay, I pray.

"Don’t be a fucking hero, let’s go!" The female behind me yells in my ear and I rush to press my thumb.

As soon as I finish the procedure, I feel an explosion like fireworks against the side of my head and everything goes dark.

H POV:

I walked into the station around 10, just having come back from a nearby escalated domestic call. It wasn’t the craziest thing I’ve ever been involved in at 10am on a Thursday morning.

"Harry, there seems to be some sort of commotion near Holborn, the director wants you in his office." Serena, the receptionist tells me gravely. I don’t even consider the street, assuming it would be another criminal to go after. But when I go into the office, we get the rundown: there was a robbery happening at the HSBC. That’s when I understand the gravity of the situation.

"We’ve sent a few men right now, they seemed to be armed so proceed with caution." He warns. I had been on the force for over four years; I moved rank fast and knew how to handle myself so the warning was mostly for the junior constables. But my heart thuds violently in my chest when I think about the possibility...no. I had to focus. But I can’t help but try her cell on our way to the scene. When it continues to ring, my thoughts go to the worse place possible. I know I hadn’t spoken to her in nearly a year, like she wanted, but if anything happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.

When we arrive at the scene, the thieves are still inside. I make sure nobody makes any moves, following protocol, and trying to gauge the exact situation inside. But before I could give orders, a man holding up his zip-tied hands shuffles out of the building. I notice the terror on his face and the fact that he's not armed.

"Down!" I say. The restless energy building up inside of me makes every move feel frantic.

"They left out the back! They left!" The man's shaky voice reaches our ears. I gesture a few of the officers to head around back and radio in the update.

"Get his statement, be sensitive,” I snap at the closest officer before I take a few of my officers indoors. The scene inside only reminds me why I do what I do, there's glass on the floor, phones in a pile and bullets littering the floor. Everyone looks shocked, people are crying, and a man in the corner is bleeding profusely.I scan all their faces but I don’t see her. I pray that she might have taken the day off today or something, even though I knew she rarely every did. Where was she?

"Medical," I order. I face the crowd, "You're all alright, If everyone can slowly get up and follow Officer McGregor out, we'll see that your belongings are returned to you and collect statements later. You’re all alright now."

"Sir," a bloke off to the side steps forward from the group getting up. "Our manager was taken to the back...we're not sure how she is, she hasn't come out...”

I reassure the crowd she should be fine. I didn't want them to see me panic, not to mention if we had any casualty the press outside were going to bombard this crowd with insensitive questions and I really wanted to keep this on the low. I was considered young for a DCI and any screw up meant I took it twice as hard. And I didn’t know if I could behave normally if I didn’t find her in any way except breathing. I put on my brave face.

I get an officer to stand by and venture cautiously into the back, spotting an open vault. I hurry into the area when I spot her, laying motionless on the floor.

“Y/N,” I rush forward, skidding on my knees to check on her. “Pleasepleaseplease.” I put my fingers to her pulse and nearly shout in relief. She was alive! I send a thanks out into the universe, to whoever was watching over her. “Y/N! Y/N, can you hear me?”

Her eyes flutter under her lids. I turn her gently onto her back, she was wearing a Green Day t-shirt under a smart jacket and trousers--that was unlike her. She always dressed very smart. I gently remove her short strands off her face to reveal a nasty bruise on the side of her head. I try to stifle my heartbeat; it scared me seeing her like this. I’m about to call my officer but her long lashes flutter and suddenly she's looking at me, dazed.

"Y/N! Are you alright?" I inquire. She blinks, and then again, her eyebrows drawn together as she stares at me. I try again, “Y/N, answer me please! Are you alright?”

"I...do I...bloody look alright? Where did they go?" She snaps out of her daze and tries to sit up but her hand goes to her head which must be throbbing. I place a hand on her back so she doesn't fall back down.

"Oh thank god,” I sigh in relief, she could talk. She was alright. “Th-they’'ve managed to escape. We'll deal with that. You were knocked unconscious so we should get you checked-”

"Those bastards," she snarls. I bite back a chuckle as I help her up. She pushes me away as soon as she's on her feet. "I wasn't even supposed to bloody be here today you know that? It was my day off and....Jesus.” She clutches her forehead. “How's everyone else? Chris? Adam?"

"Everyone is fine, your guard’s being taken to hospital. Everyone else is untouched, we need to have you checked out though." I am mesmerized, as always, by her ability to talk about ten things at once.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“It’s my case, I guess,” I tell her, expecting the question. She scowls. “I’ll have to ask you some questions later, but Y/N we need to have your head checked.”

“I’m sure you’d like that,” she mumbles.

“You’re proving by the second that you’re quite alright but we’ve got to get you to a medic anyway,” I gesture forward so she can walk ahead of me. I didn’t want her falling or anything. The constable at the door watches her walk out and eyes me warily.

"She need her statement taken chief?"

"I'll take her down to the station myself--she's hurt." I dismiss the officer and follow Y/N out. I wanted to keep an eye on her right now. “Can I help you walk?”

“My legs are working fine,” she snarls whilst clutching her forehead.

Your POV:

I could not believe today's turn of events. I was supposed to have a relaxing day off but instead, I’m rushed to work so I could be held up by thieves, forced to help them rob my branch, only to be mildly concussed. And the person on the case is none other than my ex-husband Harry Styles.

The only thing going for me is that I don't cry easily (or i would be a sniffling mess right now). And Harry was the last person I wanted to cry in front of although he’s seen me at much worse. I push aside those memories, ignoring his lingering eyes and try to walk ahead of him.

I cover up my shaking hands by stuffing them under the blanket I'm wrapped in when Harry leads me to the ambulance. He stays to the side while the medic goes through a questionnaire and informs me on what I need to know about being mildly concussed. All I could think about is the feeling of a gun pressed to the small of back, the chill of it through fabric.

"Miss?" The medic asks.

"Sorry, I got it. Yes. Thank you."

"I asked how you got here?" The medic begins to look concerned. Shit. I did not want more attention.

"I...meant I got what you were saying. Sorry, I rode the tube in."

"Great. You can ride with me to the station," Harry says from the side. I avoid his gaze but I have to agree. There was no way I was taking the tube during a time like this. I had a concussion.

So I'm sat in the back whilst Harry drives with his partner. I catch Harry glancing in the rear-view more often than he should and when we make eye contact, he gives me a reassuring smile. But sitting in the back of the car, I feel like the metal tip of a gun still keeps my spine straight. My lungs feel like they're not expanding large enough for air and I clutch the seatbelt strapping me in. I try to name all the countries I could remember--a coping technique I’d used since I was a kid to try and distract myself.

"You alright miss?" The other officer sounds concerned.

"Yeah," I choke out. "Just a little stuffy back here."

"Oh ‘m sorry," Harry opens the back window and I greedily gulp the fresh air coming in. My panic subsides and I settle back into the seat.

"And that's all you remember?" Harry sits on the desk chair next to me even though his own seat remains empty behind the desk.

"Exactly as I've told you, like, 20 times Harry."

It was now two hours later; I'd sat waiting for an hour before receiving my phone only to find multiple calls from the bank’s higher-ups. After dealing with them, I had to wait another half hour before finally being interviewed. I proceeded to drink two cups of bad coffee while giving every detail of what I remember, their masks, and so on. Every time I said something that could help, Harry would backtrack and I would explain it three different ways. It was frustrating and the repetition kicked my anxiety up so that I was on the edge of a breakdown. I grip the arms of the chair and respond to Harry. "Listen, alright, why would I not be telling you the full story? Of course that's all I bloody remember! It's not like I had an out-of-body experience and I saw them leave through the back door.”

"I'm sorry Y/N, it's just routine." Harry keeps a straight face on. "We have a few suspicions we're trying to corroborate by interviewing everyone involved. I promise I’m just being thorough-"

"Yeah yeah alright, you sound like you're reading from a bloody manual," I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh into the silence. When Harry doesn't say anything, I look up to see him watching me with an amused expression.

"What?" I ask, annoyed.

"It’s been a while...I forgot how charming you can be.”

“What can I say, you bring it out in me.”

"Very interesting outfit by the way," he takes my snark in stride, gesturing to my outfit with his pen instead. I cross my arms in front of me. He's still got the stupid expression on his face, it looks unchanged from the one he used to give me once upon a time. When he found something I did funny but in a loveable way; the feelings that surface are almost unbearable.

"Don’t judge my outfit, I had to rush to work for our client meet-oh shit." I pull out my phone and check my email but there's nothing from the client. Probably avoiding the shit show. I notice the time, with all the time I’d wasted today I may as well not have taken the day off at all.

"So you weren't meant to be at work today except for this client? Bad timing isn’t it." Harry reads to himself from his notes. I stare at him, wishing I could burn a hole into his skull to see if he really had a brain in there.

"I've told you this five times before, Harry. You're literally reading from your notes. If you're just going to ask the same questions over and over I’m sure you can find the answers in there and I can go home."

"Right but something doesn't add up, I just want to make sure I have all the details."

"Do I have to be here to watch you do your mental maths?" I wasn't very nice when anxiety and frustration became my base emotions. But Harry knew that.

He looks at me, eyebrows raised at my snark. "I'm sure that you want to get to the bottom of this just as much as I do-"

"But that's not my job," I remind him. "That's yours. I've done mine, and I'd really just like to go home." My voice cracks, and I feel a rush of embarrassment.

"How about I drop you off home? I can walk through the day with you once more during the drive?”

He looks at me expectantly, “I’d rather stab myself in the eye.”

"Best not to with the concussion,” Harry pushes my buttons, and I’m kind of surprised. The last time we saw each other he’d been accommodating to my anger but he was pushing back today. Like he used to when we were together when he riled me up simply because he found it amusing.

When I scowl though, he gets serious. “Y/N, just let me give you a ride home and we can talk more.”

I didn’t want to stand around arguing, I was tired, so I just agree. He smiles, his dimples making a pretty appearance. Damn him.

H POV:

I’m surprised she agrees to ride home with me. I knew Y/N had a stubborn streak and giving in to my offer was new. She’d made it clear last time we saw each other that she wanted nothing to do with me. I was also curious to know where she lived, I’d only been to her office once since we’d split. And that was usually to drop off papers.

She actually answers my questions on the drive, albeit they’re one word answers, but she gives me space to talk out some theories I had. But she also disagrees with most of them, pointing out their flaws. The comfortable back-and-forth between us is bittersweet. This was why we were married once upon a time. We worked well together; after all, we’d been friends for years before dating the other. It was the friendship I missed the most when I thought about us.

When we drive up to her address, it’s a townhome in a decent part of the city. Her promotion clearly had its perks.

I leap out of the car to open her door before she could but she beats me to it, scowling at me as she realises what I was trying to do.

“So you live here?” I try to ease into a conversation, get her to open up, ask her how she was doing. But she looks at me like I’d asked a stupid question, waving her keys.

“You’re kind of dense for a detective,” she says when I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t look so shocked.”

“Forget I asked,” getting personal was useless.

“Done.” She always manages to get the last word. She climbs her steps but I follow her up. She eyes me as she finds the correct one on her key ring. “What?”

“I just-have you got anyone living with you?”

“What’s that got to do with the case?” She asks, her defenses going up.

“You’re concussed, it’s best you have someone with you for the next 24 hours like the med-”

“I’ll be fine Harry,” her sharp edges soften but still, she only opens her door wide enough to step through. I can barely see anything behind her except for a hall.

“You shouldn’t be alone,” I try again.

“Nice of you to care,” the way she says it implies a deeper meaning, one that borders on a dangerous topic.

“I’m serious Y/N, this--a concussion’s no joke. And it was traumatic what you went through you really shouldn’t-”

“I’ve been on my own for a while now, I’ll be okay.” There she goes having the last word again. I raise my hands and back off.

“If you say so. I’ll...head back to the station but if you need anything, well, you know how to reach me.”

She nods, closing the door softly behind her. I sigh, it was a whirlwind last few hours but I was just grateful Y/N was going to be okay. I know she hated me, but I still cared about her. It was hard not to. We’d known each other for over a decade, and even though I hurt her in our past, and she might not agree with me, I cared. Caring about her didn’t have an on/off switch. I only wanted her to be okay. Maybe even happy.

Y POV:

I go through the motions for the rest of the afternoon, mostly I sit zoned out in front of the window while the morning plays like a loop in my head. Something about having your life hang in the balance of a stranger’s pointer finger made it feel so fragile. It unraveled me, and I can’t focus on anything. I just keep feeling the gun on my back, and smashing against the side of my head.

I keep my head iced, and avoid screens except to send out a couple emails and to call my sister after 8 voice messages that progresses from panic after hearing the news to annoyance as I don’t respond. When she finds out Harry’s on the case she swears.

“That bastard,” I can see her face in my mind, the one where she pursues her lips like mum used to. “You should report him, conflict of interest right? It’s traumatic enough what you’ve been through, you poor thing. I was just talking to Lewis and he said I should come down to stay with you this weekend-”

“That’s really alright,” I nip the idea in the bud. I loved my sister dearly but she was an overly anxious person and I don’t think that would be helpful for me right now. “It’s just a mild concussion, the medic said I should be cleared after 24 hours so it would only be a hassle for you to come down here.”

“Alright,” she says grudgingly. “But you say the word and I’m on the first train out. And I’ll give that ex of yours an earful if he’s anywhere near you again.”

I smile at my sister’s overprotective nature, “I appreciate the offer, but I think I can manage that fine on my own.”

“That you can,” she laughs.

But when I put down the phone, the silence creeps in again. And normally I loved the quiet but like a broken record player, the voices and sounds from this morning continue to play in a loop in the silence.

I give up after 7 and start preparing for bed. But a call interrupts my nightly routine.

“Y/N,” it’s Harry. “It’s me, Harry.”

“I do have call display,” I say dryly.

“Right, I...wasn’t expecting you to pick up.”

“Is this about the case?” I was hoping he was calling to say the bastards were caught.

“Oh...not exactly. I was wondering if you’ve fed yourself. I’m in your area for work, it’s my last call. I thought I could bring you some takeout or...?”

“I was about to get ready for bed.” I reply.

“Oh. That’s early? Have you had dinner?”

I think about the pathetic cheese toast I’d managed to make. My stomach growls thinking about food, I didn’t seem to have an appetite until he’s said something. “Fine, only if you’re in my area.”

Surely, not even 10 minutes go by and by doorbell rings. Harry stands outside with a takeout bag, his pressed shirt from this morning is more rumpled with a few buttons undone.

“I parked on the street--is that alright?”

“I guess? You’re just here to drop this off.” I shrug.

“Actually I uh, I thought I’d keep you some company.”

“I...” I don’t know if I should be offended. “I don’t need company. I only agreed to the takeout.”

“I’m part of the package,” he hides the bag behind him, a smug smile on his face. I roll my eyes, it was too late to do this with him.

So I leave the door open and head inside, tightening my robe around me. Harry was part of my past and having him here, in the place I’d built myself back again, feels wrong. This was where I’d shed the identity of being a divorcee before 30, and here he was. When I turn to see why he was so quiet, I find him scanning my gallery wall and smiling at the pictures.

“Hey, I’m on here,” he points to a small group picture.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I walk back to him to get the food. “I just looked good there.”

It was a shot from my sister’s wedding, Harry and I with the newlyweds. It was taken a few weeks before we’d made us official actually--moving from friends to lovers was maybe one of the bigger mistake I’d made in life. Another was agreeing to marry him.

“I look pretty good too,” he leans in closer. I ignore him and take the cartons of Chinese out and grab cutlery. He joins me, I hand him a beer and take a sparkling water for myself. “How’ve you been feeling?”

“Okay,” I shrug. “Just sorting through it all. Trying to avoid screens, all that.”

“That’s good,” he steals a chicken from the container I’m dumping into my plate. I eye him but he just grins, chewed food between his cheeks. I let it slide. “So you’re not supposed to sleep with a concussion or something?”

I sigh, “That’s not true, I only have a mild concussion!”

“Well I’m not a bloody doctor!”

“Thank god for that.”

“You’ll never stop doing that will you?” He rubs his chopsticks together and attempts to eat with him. “Always so snarky.”

“I can’t help it,” I continue to watch him fail with his chopsticks and pick up a fork. “It sustains me.”

“You should try being nice for once.”

“Tried it once, didn’t work out well for me. So...here I am.”

I was being passive, I knew that. He knew that with the way he eyes me over his food. He keeps quiet though, knowing there was nothing he could say in this moment to make a difference. We eat in silence until he receives a call and he leaves to take it. I clean up so by the time he gets back I’ve just loaded the dishwasher.

“I know the sleep thing’s not true for you,” Harry says as he approaches. “But I think I should stay here overnight. Just to make sure you’re-”

“No,” I cross my arms. “There’s no reason for you to stay the night Harry. I don’t need you here.”

“It’s for your peace of mind-”

“It’s for your peace of mind Harry. And frankly, I don’t care about your peace of mind. I don’t want you sleeping over, I’m not comfortable with that.”

“Y/N, c’mon! It’s not a big deal. It’s not like we didn’t sleep in the same bed for years--I’ll be sleeping on the couch! You’re not in your best shape and it’s just for a night, it’ll be like I’m not even here.”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend or something to go home to?” I ask. He shifts his gaze and shakes his head.

“Nope, my bachelor pad just me. I’ll be out of your hair in the morning.”

I dry my hands and watch him, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I knew him well enough to recognise the wide stance, shoulders back, and jut of his chin. He wasn’t backing down.

“I don’t want to hear you, Not even a peep. I’ll make up the couch but this is the one and only time you’re wearing me down, you’re lucky I’m not in the mood to argue-”

“Promise,” he holds his hand up to his chest, a grin on his face knowing he won.

I leave him with a comfortable setup and head up to my own room. There was a spare upstairs but I don’t think I could handle him sleeping next door to me. It was weird how in just one day I’d seen more of him than I had in the last couple years and now he was sleeping in my living room like we were okay. Not like he wasn’t the man who’d broken my trust, and my heart.

As I lay awake in bed, unable to sleep as the day replays in my head, another set of memories infiltrates my mind and keeps me from sleeping. The story of Harry and I, the naive beginning, eventful middle, and heartbreaking end. My mind repeats its history and I don’t fall asleep for hours. When sleep finally comes, my dreams are haunted by the same memories.

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shadyteacup · 3 years

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May I ask a scenario with ADA dazai who falls for an agency member and she's really strong both mentally and physically and is loved by everyone in the agency? She also used to be a soldier in that war so she has seen plenty of things and she's not afraid of dark thing etc... Hope I wasn't so demanding have a nice day (forgive me for my English)

Heyyyy :>

This was such a good ask, I went all out and wrote a bit too much. So I'll be posting it as two parts. :)

And don't worry, love, you're English is immaculate!

Do lemme know if you like this... I'll probably be posting part two tmrw or in some hours... I just need to do one final touch up :D

Partners (part 1)

Dazai x gn! Reader

Tw: Lots of action and fighting, a little blood, implied death.

If u can handle bsd fight scenes, then u can read this... dw, it's not gory or too violent..

"I have your back, go!", you say as you shoot at the enemy hiding behind the car.

"Got it!", Dazai says, as he jogs to the adjacent safe place.

You two were assigned a job, one that you had initially thought was a simple task: Find the missing girl.

You hadn't expected any foul play. Apparently, the girl in pursuit wasn't kidnapped. She had run away from her home. She had a record of disappearing out of the blue, so you had figured she was just taking some time away from her family, like she usually does. The parents approached the ada when the police were unable to find her. So you guys concluded that she was kidnapped. There had been no calls for any ransom, so you chalked up the possibility of her kidnapper being a sex offender, a sadist, or a cult member. You knew you had to act quick before he hurt her. You and Dazai had worked together to collect all the breadcrumbs, and had triangulated the location of a criminal who had just gotten out of prison. He had served 6 years for various sexual assaults and rapes. You had concluded that this must be his doing. It was too much of a coincidence for a girl to get kidnapped just one week after a criminal had been released.

You both had walked right into the enemie's trap.

The man, Ito Sōta, held the girl at gun point at the center of an abandoned warehouse. The warehouse belonged to a small criminal group. He must have joined this group after being released.

The group, a small organization in need of monetary support, wanted to impress the mafia. They had arranged for this ploy to defeat a few members of the ada and hopefully get in the mafia's goodbooks.

They had used Ito's criminal record to lure the ada into the warehouse, and rain fire upon them, hoping to defeat them.

"That's the most logical explanation", Dazai had said, when you two had been ambushed by ten or so men and their many bullets.

Dazai hid behind a cargo container.

"We have to move fast. I manged to neutralize them, but I'm pretty sure there are more on the way, and some more protecting Ito.", you say, leaning against the box.

Dazai hummed.

"So, what's the plan?"

He thought for a second, then said,

"You are good at combat, so why don't you take them on, and clear a path for me.."

" I see.. I distract while you sneak an attack on Ito."

"Exactly."

You change the magazine of your glock,inserting a fresh one.

"Sounds good."

At your count, you began running towards the guards ahead. You had a shielding ability, allowing you to shield yourself from bullets, fire explosions, and prevent it from touching you. Ofcourse, you couldn't control heat, so if you were to be near an explosion, while the fire wouldn't burn your skin, the heat radiating from it would definitely hurt you.

Your ability only worked when you activated it. It wasn't always activated, and would take quite a lot of your energy if you kept it on at all times.

A few men had noticed you, and had started shooting you. The bullets bounced off your shield, falling to the ground. You continued charging towards the center, aiming at the men that were in Dazai's path. Taking them down was easy enough; they were just meat and bones that could shoot, and desperately lacked a brain. If bullets don't work, shouldn't they try hand to hand combat? But no. These idiots were so hopelessly dumb, that they kept shooting you, standing tall and proud, and presenting themselves as easy targets for your bullets.

'Well, it works for me... so keep being stupid, guys!' You thought as you shot a majority of them down.

Dazai hid behind the containers, jogging over to the center. He handled a few men that were in his way, as you cleared almost all of them for him.

Soon enough, you approached a man and two women, clad in suits, that charged at you with an assortment of weapons. They dodged your bullets, and tried to attack you.

'These guys are smart'

The first bulky guy swung his dagger at you. You dodged; the knife brushing past your cheek in the process. It was OK, you were a master in martial arts, afterall. Taking them down wouldn't be so difficult.

You grabbed his arm, jumping off the ground and twisting your torso midway to land behind him. His arm was now twisted, and you swiped at his legs, resulting in him falling to the ground. You swiped the dagger from his palm, stabbing him in the knees and his dominant arm. The spots you had targeted were sensitive points, that paralyzed his limbs.

Moving on to the woman charging at you with a club, you threw the dagger at her. She twisted to dodge it. The dagger plunged in her shoulder. She cried out in pain. You had tricked her by throwing your own dagger a split second later, aiming in the direction of her reflex duck.

The other woman had used her partners as a distraction to sneak up behind you. She held a thick metal chain, that she wound around your neck, choking you. You tried prying it off, but she was too powerful. So you slammed back into her, your head hitting her nose, pushing her back and effectively loosening her grip on the chain. Grabbing the front, you slipped your fingers between the chain and your neck, crating some space to breathe. You then yanked it forward, bruising your neck in the process. Slipping out from the chain, you wound it on your palm, halving it. You used it as a whip on the woman, drawing blood from her nose. She dodged your next swing, punching you in the gut. She was really strong, that's for sure. You spit out blood from the impact. You were about to stab her when a bullet hit her head.

"Thanks.", you say to Dazai, who had shot her from his position; very close to Ito.

He nodded, continuing his journey towards the girl.

Fighting your way through, you finally reached Ito. You stood right opposite him.

"Well done! You successfully defeated fifty of my men!"

He said, pressing the gun against the girl's temple. He wanted to play a game with you. He wanted to make you choose whom he should kill; the girl, or you.

"But, alas, you won't be able to save her."

Ito felt a cool sensation on his head, and heard a click of a gun right behind him.

You smirked.

"You sure about that?"

He grit his teeth, raising his arms in defeat.

Dazai pushed him on the ground, handcuffing him.

"It was quite a smart plan. It wasn't elaborate, though. Such a pitiful organization you have. No wonder you're desperate for the Mafia's attention."

Dazai said.

"Did you really believe you could trick the armed detective agency?"

He glared down at the man, his face adorning a menacing look.

"If the mafia hears about this, you will be dead before you can even think of the word 'escape'. Whoever breaks the peace between the Mafia and the A.D.A, will have hell to pay."

You scoffed.

"If you had half a brain, you would know to never mess with the two organizations. Did you really think you could use us?" You laughed.

"How naive!"

You heard a whimper.

You looked at the girl, noticing her fearful expression. You deactivated your ability, now that the job was done. The girl whimpered again, but it sounded abnormal. It sounded artificial. Something didn't feel right.

"Hey, it's alright now. You're safe."

You say to the girl. She looks at you with wide eyes.

"It's all under control. We're here to take you back home. This guy can't hurt you anymore."

You move closer to her, crouching down to her level.

"Tell me. Did he hurt you?"

You place a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

She stared at you for a second, then grinned. All the fear had vanished from her eyes. They now held a malicious gleam.

"You fell right in!"

She cackled.

"Right in the rabbit hole!"

She giggled, snapping her fingers.

All you heard was a sharp sound. A ringing in your ears. And a scream. Was that Dazai? Or was it you? Who knows.

You look down to your torso, and notice a dark red stain on your shirt.

Suddenly, you felt it. The pain was overwhelming. You had been shot before; you were a part of a war, afterall. But it was always in the shoulder, or limbs. This was your first time getting hit on the torso. You had probably broken a rib or two. You could feel your lungs being filled with something. It felt heavy.

Blood? Yeah probably. You couldn't think straight. You remember feeling tired. You didn't even register your knees giving away, or the pair of strong arms that caught you right before you fell.

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autumnsart22 · 2 years

Text

You Promised pt. 4

Here’s part 4 everyone!! A lot of angst, one cute fluff scene at the end hehe. Let me know if you’re enjoying this so far :)

This fucking picture dude.... SO HOT OHSOAHGOHGDOIDG

Art @kuroamme on twitter!!

Shigaraki POV:

Things had happened too fast for me to keep up with.

I had been standing for over an hour watching pathetic Midoriya wander around, fangirling over the All Might merchandise in one store, and almost making me throw up in my mouth.

He had just returned to the bench to play on his phone when I heard Y/n scream. Scream for me. It was just enough warning for me to jump to the side, avoiding the crushing fist of a low class mutant villain.

You fucking idiot! I wanted to scream at the villain, but I was already turning to try and find Y/n amongst the crowd.

When I spotted her, I felt a level of terror I had never experienced before. Behind her, a man was ripping and expanding into a massive beast, ready to kill everything in its path. Y/n had been too focused on warning me that she hadn’t realized the danger right next to her.

Something in my chest broke as the monster’s fist slammed into her, sending her flying into a pillar, and I heard an audible crack.

“No!” I roared, lunging at the monster who smashed stores and civilians a few yards away. As my hand connected with his shoulder, he let out a high pitched shriek and crumpled to dust.

I sprinted across the mall, aiming for the second monster, shoving screaming civilians out of the way. I would kill it, kill him for touching her.

When I got close enough, I jumped as high as I could, aiming for his head. He was faster than his friend, spinning to avoid me, but I had been training with highly skilled fighters for months, and I easily twisted in the air to land on his shoulders.

My hands closed around his face from behind, crushing him as he screamed. The people around me were all running for the exit or helping their injured, so no one noticed me or my quirk.

The monster wasn’t even fully disintegrated before I lunged for Y/n. She hadn’t moved from her spot on the floor, her limbs bent awkwardly and eyes closed. Blood--so much blood--had pooled out around her, and her skin was sickly pale.

“No, no, no…” I hissed, scrambled towards her, hands slipping in her blood.

I reached for her, needing to stop the bleeding, get her to safety, save her somehow--but my hands…

“I can’t--I can’t touch her!!!” I screamed desperately looking for help. I didn’t care if I was arrested by a hero, I just needed them to save her.

I pressed the button that hung for my waist band furiously, signalling to Kurogiri that we needed an escape portal, and I bent over Y/n to check her pulse. My hands shook violently, but I pressed down on her neck with two fingers, needing to feel something.

Please, please, please.

There was a weak, slow pulse beneath my fingers, almost nothing. She was still alive. Relief hit me like a train, but I knew that it wouldn't last long. She was holding onto the last thread of life, but she had lost way too much blood.

I heard heavy footsteps behind me, and whirled to see Toga and Dabi sprinting towards us.

“Y/n! Oh god, no no nono…” Dabi slid on his knees, immediately reaching for her and scooping her limp body into his arms. “How did this happen?” He snarled at me.

I could barely see past Y/n’s pale face, which rested against Dabi’s shoulder. I wanted to pull her away from him, hold her close to me instead. But I ran the risk of accidentally disintegrating her.

“Two fucking villains,” I snapped, clutching my hair.

“We’re villains !” Dabi yelled.

At that moment, a shadow portal opened, leading to the bar. No one hesitated to run through, Dabi still carrying Y/n’s limp body in his arms.

She wasn’t going to die. I wouldn’t let her.

~~~~~~

The first night was the worst twelve hours of my life. I paced up and down Y/n’s room, unable to do anything but clutch my hair and scratch my neck until my skin bled. She was so unbelievably pale.

Twice and Spinner had kidnapped a healer from a local hospital, and we forced her at literal gunpoint to do anything in her power to save Y/n.

The entire League stayed up into the night waiting for news. Toga sobbed for hours, Dabi sat motionless, head buried in his hands, and I just couldn’t stop pacing. I felt like a wild animal, needing to kill something.

By the time the sun started rising into the sky, the healer was half dead from exhaustion and the strain of using her quirk for so long. Y/n was still unconscious, barely breathing, and I just couldn’t focus.

The healer turned to me, eyes wide and desperate. “I need rest, food, water, a break if I’m going to keep healing her. Please!”

I felt my hands begin to shake, glaring at her in fury. “Will she live?”

“I don’t--”

“Will she live?”

“Five of her ribs were crushed, a lung was punctured, a small piece of her spine fractured, and her skull was cracked. That’s not even including the damage done to her muscles, skin, and nerves. The damage is extremely extensive, and I’ve done my best, but I need fuel if I’m going to save her!”

My whole body was shaking now, and I slammed the woman against the wall by her throat, careful not to put down all five fingers. “You will eat, and then sleep for an hour. If she dies, I will kill you slowly.”

The woman choked, face paling as she blubbered out a reply.

I released her, calling for Kurogiri to get everything and watch over her to make sure she didn’t escape.

When the room emptied except for Toga, Dabi, and I, Dabi finally lifted his head.

“This is your fault,” he growled. Even though I knew he hated me, I was shocked at the venom in his voice. “If she dies, I--” His fingers curled in his hair, glaring a desperate hole in the floor.

I knew it was my fault. I was supposed to be watching her back, protecting her, and she had been the one protecting me. What would I do if she died? I hadn’t let my mind consider it.

I would continue like always to kill All Might, I told myself, but somehow I knew it wasn’t true. How could I continue on as if she hadn’t existed?

~~~~~~

Dabi POV:

It took three days for Y/n to open her eyes. Three days of utter hell, when I could barely sleep or eat. The rest of the League was restless, unsettled without the familiar sound of her music echoing through the halls, or her sarcastic insults following them.

I couldn’t believe how much I missed her. I had known her for a single month of my life, and yet I missed teasing her, watching the way her mouth flattened in annoyance, or how her cheeks would redden even as she rolled her eyes at my compliments. I always spoke sarcastically when flirting with her, too afraid of her rejection to actually be serious. But now...I wished I had told her how her smile quite literally took my breath away, or how I looked forward to our practice fights just to be able to be close to her.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair as I clicked through my phone. It was almost 5pm, and the rest of the League were busy with dinner. I could hear their muted voices echoing through the walls of the building, unusually sober like they had been for the past three days.

Toga was asleep in the room over, exhausted from staying up all night watching over Y/n and the healer. I had finally forced her to rest after noticing her swaying on her feet, eyes drooping. Like everyone else, she looked like she was falling apart.

My eyes moved across the room to the only other person who might have slept less than me. Shigaraki’s shoulders were hunched, his blue hair veiling his face as his head hung low. He looked thinner, but the energy radiating off him warned everyone to stay the fuck away unless they wanted to be turned to dust. He had barely left Y/n’s bedside.

I wondered if he loved her, and I wondered why it bothered me so fucking much.

“You should eat,” I grunted, glaring at him.

Shigaraki’s head shifted slightly, his dead gaze meeting mine. Dark circles under his eyes made him look like a skeleton.

I tried again. “When she wakes up, she won’t want you to look like you’re about to drop dead yourself.”

Shigaraki made a low noise of anger in his throat, telling me to go fuck myself without actually speaking.

I stood up. “If you don’t fucking go get something to eat right now, I swear to god I’ll burn this whole place to the ground.” I felt the familiar rush of power blazing to my fingertips, and blue fire sparked in my palm.

I watched the blue haired villain’s eyes blaze dangerously with fury, and his fists clenched. At least he was showing some emotion. It was better than blank deadness.

“You wouldn’t hurt her,” he growled, eyes flickering to Y/n’s pale face. Her skin had regained some color over the course of a few days, with the help of the healer’s constant support. Her most serious injuries had been fully healed, as well as some of the nerve damage, but apparently her body had reflexively entered a coma to try and save strength. Whether or not she ever woke up was out of our control.

When Shigaraki had heard that, I thought he was going to tear the building to bits. He had almost killed the healer on the spot, but I managed to stop him before he ruined our only source of information. Not that she was much use anymore. The constant use of her quirk, the exhaustion, lack of food and water, and the threat of a dozen villains ready to tear her apart had worn on her mind, and had reduced her to a blubbering mess. She sat dazedly in a chair in the corner now, her wrist chained to the leg.

I crossed my arms as I answered Shigaraki. “Wanna risk it?”

He slowly uncurled his fists, clearly trying to stop himself from leaping at me. “Fine,” He snarled. “Watch her, I’ll be right back.”

I rolled my eyes. As if I would leave her alone. “Take a shower while you’re at it!” I shouted after him.

The door slammed shut behind him, and I sighed. My eyes found Y/n’s face, and I gently brushed a bit of hair away from her forehead. “Please wake up soon. I can’t handle him acting like this anymore.”

I felt every muscle in my body clench as her eyelids fluttered slightly. Was it possible...

“Y/n...Y/n--” I said desperately, clutching her arm. Please be awake.

Her eyelids fluttered again, and she let out a soft breath. “Wha…” Her voice was so weak, I could barely hear it. But--

“Holy fuck,” I covered my mouth with my hand to stop a sob of relief. She was awake.

“Dabi?” Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked wearily at me. “What…” “This is going to take a bit of explaining, gorgeous, but you’ve been asleep for 3 days.” I murmured, my eyes scanning her face. I would give it to her straight; there was no point honeying my words.

“I what?” Y/n lurched up, eyes wide. Before I could tell her to lay the fuck back down, she clutched her stomach and her face turned slightly green. “Oh god…”

I lunged for the trashcan, barely managing to get it to her before she puked the feeble contents of her stomach up. She hadn’t eaten in three days, so the vomit was a strange, semi hard mix. I gagged at the sight of it.

Y/n wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. “What the hell happened? Where is everyone? How did we get back here?”

“Take a deep breath,” I ordered, shoving the trash can into a corner. “You were attacked in the mall, and got some pretty critical injuries. We managed to get you back here in time, but…”

Y/n crossed her arms, awake for two minutes and already looking annoyed. “Just spit it out.”

I paused. “You were minutes away from death. We got a healer to work on you for the last three days, but you’ve been in a coma this whole time. We weren’t sure you were going to wake up.”

Y/n let out a breath, leaning back on the pillows. “Well damn.”

I gaped at her. “That’s all you have to say?”

“I’m alive, aren’t I? What more is there to say?”

I ran a hand through my hair. She had no idea how hard it had been watching her edge the line of death, being unable to do anything about it. Before she could stop me, I jolted forward and crushed her into my chest, hugging her tightly.

She patted my back gently, looking a bit confused when I pulled away. “I’m happy you’re awake,” I murmured, and she blinked.

Before she could respond, I got to my feet. “You’re probably starving. I’m going to go get you food and water--stay put, ok?”

She laughed a little at my serious expression, but nodded. “I won’t go wandering off.”

I practically ran down the hall, bursting into the bar where a few of the League sat. “She’s awake!” I yelled.

Mustard and Muscular jumped up, eyes wide, while Mr. Compress gasped. “Can we see her?”

I paused at that. Shigaraki wasn’t in the room like I had expected, and I was pretty sure he’d want to see her first. “You can see her in like an hour. I want her to recover a bit before everyone swamps her.”

The villains looked disappointed but sat back down.

“Do you have any extra food?” I asked.

Mustard nodded, quickly getting up and scooping some chili Magne had made into a bowl. I filled up a pitcher of water and balanced everything in my arms before striding back down the hall.

When I reached the door to her room, I paused, hearing voices from within. The door was cracked a bit, and I leaned closer to see who was already there. My stomach dropped slightly as I recognized Shigaraki’s blue hair.

The villain clutched Y/n’s face in a gentle grip, his fingers wrapped so he didn’t hurt her as he spoke in a low voice. Her eyes were intent on his face, one of her hands wrapped around his as she listened to him. As I watched, he circled his arms around her and clutched her tightly, burying his face in her neck as if she was the only thing that mattered. Her skin flushed red, but she hugged him back tightly, hands curling in his shirt.

My fingers tightened around the bowl I held, but I slowly backed away. I had seen enough to know when I wasn’t wanted.

Y/n POV:

I felt like Toga hadn’t let go of my hand since I had woken up, and that had been two days ago. She held it tightly as if afraid I was going to disappear, no matter the number of times I told her I wasn’t going anywhere. Even now, at our meeting, her fingers were clamped tightly around mine under the table.

I sighed. I felt enormously better from when I first woke up, after I ate and drank. My body felt sore, aching, but I didn’t have any major issues. My injuries had been almost fully repaired by the healer. Unfortunately for her, the woman had seen too much and Shigaraki didn’t hesitate to dissolve her now that I was awake.

Shigaraki stood up and faced the League. “Our plan to attack the Quirk Training Camp is still in motion. Does everyone still feel ready to do it?”

We all nodded, but Shigaraki’s eyes fell on me. “You’re not going,” he said flatly.

I blinked in shock, jaw clenching. “What do you mean? Of course I am.”

“You almost died two days ago. There’s no way I’m letting you go on that mission.” I gaped at him, eyes wide. “You’re kidding right? I’m alive and I won’t be the only one left behind here. What’s the point of me staying here when I can help?”

Shigaraki’s fists clenched. “Why do you always want to throw yourself into danger?”

“I can take care of myself. And I’m not going to be in any more danger than everyone else! We’re all risking it for the League. That’s our job!”

He glared at me, not speaking because he couldn’t argue.

He turned, looking at Dabi. “If she goes, you protect her, got it?”

Dabi nodded, eyes more serious than I had seen. “Yeah, I will.”

I opened my mouth, wanting to punch both of these overbearing villains in their stupid faces, but I felt Toga’s hand tighten on mine.

“Don’t argue, Y/n. We all just want you to be safe,” she murmured in my ear, and I felt some of the anger drain out of me. I wasn’t used to people caring.

I nodded slowly, and Shigaraki sat back down. “Ok then.”

~~~~~~

The next week and a half passed faster than I could have imagined. I worked on regaining my strength, training every day for at least two hours with whoever was available. I didn’t go on any more outside missions, leaving that to the other villains. I didn’t want to push Shigaraki any more than I already was.

The blue haired villain seemed to be avoiding me. The first few days after I had woken up he had been almost unbearably sweet, staring at me all the time as if he couldn’t get enough.

But ever since I had convinced him to let me help invade the training camp, he had barely spoken or looked at me at all. Was he upset that I was going? What else could it be?

I found him sitting cross legged in the living room, the only light coming from the large television that he stared at. I was expecting to see the white fuzzy screen and hear the cold voice of his Master, but instead, it was a basic video game. He wiggled the controller expertly in his hands, making his avatar within the screen jump off a large building and shoot someone in the air.

“What are you playing?”

Shigaraki almost jumped out of his skin. “Jesus fuck!”

“Oh sorry.” I covered my mouth with my hand.

“Ugh, you made me lose my kill streak,” he said, not looking at me. I narrowed my eyes. I knew directly confronting him about what was going on wouldn’t lead to anything; he’d just shut down and refuse to speak.

Instead, I sat myself next to him on the floor, gazing at the screen. “What game is this?”

Shigaraki was more into video games than anyone else I had ever met, playing them constantly in his free time when he wasn’t busy planning the downfall of the heroes. I had watched him spend hundreds of dollars on different power ups, skins, weapons, and gear within his games using League money, not caring when we all complained that we were going to starve without it.

He gritted his teeth, clearly fighting with himself on whether or not he should keep ignoring me. I pressed my lips together to contain a triumphant whoop as he told me the title of the game and started going in depth about the lore and the good and bad things about it, as if he couldn’t help himself. I listened happily, glad to have him talking again.

He paused during a particularly tense moment when three different gunmen came at him at once, and I gasped as I watched his avatar duck and roll, shooting them one after the other in quick succession before sprinting towards the nearest building to get out of view of any snipers.

“Can I try?!” I cried, excited after the intense display.

Shigaraki glanced at me, his eyebrows raised. “Hm...let me finish this round.”

He ended up winning with almost three thousand points, which made my jaw drop when he told me the average score.

“Ok, give it to me,” I said, and Shigaraki handed over the controller a bit reluctantly. He showed me what each of the buttons meant, but as the game started, I continuously slammed into a wall, unable to get my avatar to move around it. “What the fuck!!! No no, AHHH--” A shooter came up from behind me and shot me in the head.

Game Over: 0 points.

“WHAT,” I practically yelled, outraged. Shigaraki was shaking with silent laughter, and I glared at him. “It was my first try, ok?”

I ended up playing three more rounds, all of them ending in under five minutes. The most points I got was 120, but I still bragged about it endlessly, dancing around the room in excitement.

“A literal child could have done better than you,” he snapped, but his lips were twitching.

“No one asked your opinion.” I stuck out my tongue.

“Do you want me to show you how it’s done?” He stuck out his hand for the controller, and I took the perfect opportunity.

“Yes actually,” I smirked, marching over and plopping myself directly in his lap. I heard him make a noise of surprise and shock, and I looked over my shoulder up at him. “Can you show me how?”

I grinned in satisfaction as I saw his face flushed red, his eyes wide, but after a long moment, he relaxed as his long arms slid around my waist. His hands (which were wrapped in my shirt) were gigantic compared to mine, and easily enveloped my fingers as he held the controller with me. I leaned back against his chest, and I felt him shudder slightly.

“Um. You just--” he cleared his throat, and I tried not to laugh.

We ended up winning with significantly less points than his first round, but it was still ten times the amount I had gotten on my own.

“I think I’m getting the hang of it,” I grinned, leaning my face back to find him only an inch away.

“Yeah you—you’re improving.” His eyes flickered to my lips, and I felt my heart stutter.

Before I could catch my breath, he jolted to his feet, making me flinch back.

“I-I have to go…” he muttered, practically stumbling away, out of the room. I stared after him, mouth open. What was that?

Chapter 5

Chapter 3

#Shigaraki #tomurashigaraki #shiggy #fanfiction #Fanart #mha #My Hero #my hero academia #Dabi #mha dabi #shigaraki x reader

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holykillercake · 3 years

Text

Heavenly Demons

paring: Doflamingo x Reader

word count: 1.7k

summary: How far down would you go to rise with the person who makes your heart beat stronger?

highlight: ¨Haste is the enemy of perfection, Doffy. We shall have all the time in the world.¨

warnings: implied smut, Doffy himself is already a warning, right?

notes: Hey guys! So, I have read a lot of stories where the main character contrasts with Doffy, but I wanted to write one where the reader kinda shares his ideologies. I really hope you like it!! <3

𝕷𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘, 𝖗𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖘, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊!

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath as the salty fresh air cooled your body down. The waves crashed violently, and thunderings cut across the skies, shouting to all eight seas to prepare themselves. You were coming for the throne. You were coming for the golden seat above the great serpent soaked in blood.

Large hands caressed your belly, fingers flirting with the soft skin of your breasts. You felt Doflamingo's naked and burning skin brush against your back, salty splashes of seawater blending with the salt of your sweat bodies.

¨Do you remember what you told me that day?¨ his voice was low and deep, masking the ferocity of a roaring predator.

¨Every word.¨

¨Can you repeat it?¨ you smirked, words already engraved on the tip of your sharp tongue.

He gazed at the ocean with thirst, recollecting all the sacrifices he made, all the breaths he took and raised a glass for all the blood he was yet to shed.

¨One day, you will rule them all. You will stand above their fallen bodies and step on them as they lick the floor you walk on.¨ His grip tightened on your waist, nails slightly craving into your skin.

¨I´m ready.¨

¨You have always been, Doffy.¨

¨Y/N.¨ he called you after a moment of silence.

¨Hm?¨ You hummed in response.

The man behind you struggled, brain fighting the words from coming out of his mouth. He pulled you away from the window, lifting you up while your legs wrapped around his hips. The ship rocked aggressively, rolls of maps and unlit candles rolling across the tapestry.

Doflamingo pressed you against the wall, tongue gliding furiously with yours. You felt his body growing stiff again, moans masked as grunts being muffled by your intoxicating kiss.

Whines came out with each heavy breath, your chest rising and falling when he finally parted the kiss, a single strand of saliva connecting both sinful lips.

You took that moment to look him in the eyes. This time, instead of the glasses adorning his beautiful features, the flashes of lightning from the storm illuminated what he was constantly trying to hide.

The eyes of a monster. A monster for whom you would kill, for whom you would slaughter. The eyes of the man for whom you descended from the Holy Land and got your hands dirty to help him rise above the so-called Gods.

You remembered your words as a child.

¨Those are not the true Gods.¨ he spoke in your ear.

Shivers ran down your spine, and your core twisted when you felt the tip of his manhood touch your sensitive and sore skin.

¨We are the true Gods.¨ a deafening thunder echoed through the structures of the Numancia Flamingo the moment he slipped inside you, covering your cries of lust and pleasure.

<~>

It was difficult to keep up with the man you followed. After all, he was tall and had incredibly long legs. At no time did he help you when you tripped over a piece of garbage and fell or when your legs gave up on exhaustion. On the contrary, he just kept walking.

¨May I ask for your name?¨

That's what came out of your mouth. You knew that shouting and imposing things would not work, not here. This was the territory of humans, and you would have to deal with it if you wanted to get to the boy.

¨May I ask...¨ he mocked you.

Your small hands, balled into fists, clenched while you snorted with hatred.

¨Calm down, brat. It´s over there.¨

Standing on the toes of your expensive shoes, you saw a well-known figure among sheds and piles of metal, with blond hair and dark glasses.

¨DOFFY!¨

¨Y/N!?¨ he sounded surprised to see you in such a filthy place.

Your steps hurried to get to him, ignoring the other people on the scene who looked at you with suspicion.

The ruffles of the skirt were now dirty from the trip, and your hair, always so neat, flew loose with the breeze and even got entangled.

¨What are you doing here?¨

¨Just making sure you got home safe.¨

¨Nyeh, nyeh, who is this, Doffy?¨ a disgusting old man with snot running down his nose asked.

¨She is the girl I told you about. She helped me escape.¨

¨Do not come closer!¨ you exclaimed to the man when he turned to you. The gooey thing swaying with every movement.

Doffy invited you into what he called home and offered you a shabby wooden stool so you could rest from the trip.

Even so young to understand the meaning of love, your heart ached when you saw the precarious situation in which he found himself. No, he was much greater than that.

Your families were neighbors in the Holy Land, so you constantly spent your free afternoons in the company of the Donquixote brothers. It fascinated you how different they were, like two opposite poles of a globe.

At some point, you noticed Rosinante's absence and assumed he had died like their parents. He too was not like you. He would never last.

¨What will you do? You can not accept this, Doffy.¨ you walked over to the boy in front of a window, eyes locked on the piles of scrap metal.

¨I know, Y/N. I am just thinking.¨ He hesitated to ask for your help, even though he knew how much more clever you could be.

The others just watched the interaction between the two children, the boy chosen by the heavens and the girl who spoke to him as an equal.

¨Claim what is yours, Doffy.¨

¨I tried.¨ his fingertips turned white from squeezing the window sill ¨I served my father´s head in a tray for them to feast, but-¨

¨That is not what I meant.¨ He searched your eyes for the first time, knowing that you were planning something. ¨You are a rightful king, the real deity, not them. Those are not the true Gods, Doffy. We are the true Gods.¨

The slimy man got up from the pest-infested couch, squinting at you. The brilliant idea he hadn't had before coming out of your mouth like a prophecy.

¨Dressrosa, the World Nobles, from the depts of the ocean to the six moons... one day, you will rule them all. You will stand above their fallen bodies and step on them as they lick the floor you walk on.¨

Electricity ran through your bodies, and tears of excitement filled your eyes.

¨Nyeh, your name is Y/N, right? ¨ the miry man asked, keeping a respectful distance from you. His voice annoyed you just as much. ¨It looks like you have a plan, behehehe. Tell us more about it.¨

You looked at him with contempt and mistrust.

¨It´s ok, Y/N. They are my family now.¨

That day you shared the plan that would shape the course of the Donquixote Pirates' operations, and everyone listened in silence, bewildered by the strategic mind of such a young child.

¨I will be your eyes and ears up there.¨

¨I´ll be quick, Y/N. I promise.¨ You shook your head.

¨Haste is the enemy of perfection, Doffy. We shall have all the time in the world.¨

That same night you returned to wealth and abundance, but your heart remained between the scraps and the boy, the Heavenly Yaksha.

For the next two decades, you focused on studies, following like a mantra the striking appearances of the Donquixote Pirates in the newspapers.

The World Nobles feared Doflamingo for his knowledge regarding matters that should be kept secret. Secrets you provided, tearing down the wall of the puny Gods, brick per brick.

Over time, your periodic visits to the world below the Red Line have become more intimate, going from an affectionate gesture to a dinner for two and the satiation of carnal desires.

But maybe there was love. Among the sins and horrors committed, there was a lull after a nightmare. When your fingers ran through his blond hair, and he took off his glasses before pulling you to his chest.

When you laughed at childhood memories or projected a future together.

Maybe it was love. But how could two beasts like you know for sure?

Perhaps it was not necessary to know the real meaning. When the sun came up again, you would be there together, ready to conquer, rule, and destroy.

When traitors raised their weapons and the weak perished, they would see the true face of God. Majestic and merciless.

When the weak rulers gave in to pressure, you would take the dirty hands of hopeless people and raise them up. And they would kiss the ground where you walked, freely and willingly.

¨Do you like our new home?¨ he asked, bringing you inside the feathery pink coat.

You stood in front of the window, watching the country over which you would make prosperity reign.

¨It´s amazing, Doffy.¨

¨Are you staying for good now?¨

A smile grew on your lips ¨I am, Doffy. I´m staying for good.¨

His laughter filled the room. He took your hand and guided you to the armchair, where you sat on his lap, already opening the zipper of your dress.

¨Twenty years, Y/N...¨ he put a lock of hair behind your ear ¨I have waited for twenty years, and now that we accomplished this, I am not letting you go again.¨

You leaned slowly and torturously, flirting with his mouth, teasing him. You wanted to feel each moment, each touch, and each spasm making your body squirm with pleasure.

¨We have all the time in the world...¨ you whispered, placing a kiss on his lips ¨I want to make this very slow and very pleasurable.¨

This time when the sun comes up, you would not have to leave.

He laughed again, wrapping his hand in your hair and pulling enough to make a moan escape your mouth.

¨I can´t promise slow...¨ his voice was low in your ear, weakening your entire body ¨but I will give you pleasure.¨

The trail of kisses on your neck made your guts twist, and your hips move against him, seeking relief.

¨I´m gonna take you right here and right now...¨ he pulled your hair a little harder ¨and I´m gonna make you my Queen.¨

Hey @vemuabhi! Here I go again hahaha

#one piece doflamingo #doflamingo x reader #op doflamingo #doffy #donquixote doflamingo #donquixote family #dressrosa #world nobles #celestial dragons #mary geoise #seven warlords #warlords of the sea #shichibukai #king #red line #numancia flamingo #trebol #diamante

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spinchip · 3 years

Note

writing prompt: zane not always being comf with repairs due to repeat trauma, and how the various ninja comfort him and help him thru it

This got out of hand, not exactrly what you asked for waughkjhm. 3000 words, post s12 ;; Mountainshipping/polyninja

Warning: Panic attacks, trauma, PTSD

In the Aftermath of Unagami, the city rejoices. People gather in the streets to reunite with those they lost, children and parents embrace, tears and laughter ring out across ninjago city like bells far into the night. Pixals own friends cheer and holler, the adrenaline riding high still, and Zane throws his arm around her shoulder and draws her close. She laughs, wrapping an arm around his back as Jay chatters on and on about what happened after the others were cubed, filling them in on every detail.

Halfway through the story she realizes Zane is much heavier than he was a moment before.

She stands a little straighter, hauling him into more of a standing position before turning to face him- worry freezes her joints. He’s not smiling like he was earlier, his face blank and vaguely confused, his eyes hazy and glazed as he slumps more and more, and now that she’s paying attention she can feel him trembling around her. Her mouth works but no sound comes out before she gets her feelings under control, reaching out to set a palm on his chest to steady him.

“Zane?” She asks quietly, paying no mind to how the conversation died at the fear in her tone.

He blinks sluggishly, turning towards her voice but his eyes are too distant to focus on her. He opens his mouth to say something, shaking his head as if he were trying to force himself to stay awake before his knees give out and he collapses, nearly taking her down with the sudden weight. She cries out his name in alarm and Wu jumps to take his other arm, lifting him up with Pixal. The others rush forward, hovering their hands uncertainly, worry sharp across their face.

Pixal pats his cheek a few times, “Zane? Can you hear me?” She can barely keep her voice level and she bites her lip when he doesn’t respond, his eyes closed and head lolling listlessly.

Jay leans down and presses the side of his face to Zanes chest, eyes searching empty air for a tense moment, “His mechanics are still running.” he confirms, hearing his internal parts working. He winces openly at a sound the others aren’t close enough to hear, “Something’s wrong. We need to get him back to the monastery.”

“What happened out here?” Cole asks, hands fluttering nervously at his side.

Pixal fills them in while they wait for the Bounty to make it to their location- Autopilot was a blessing. There’s no room for the Bounty to land in the crowded streets, so when it arrives Kai scrambles up the chain from the anchor and drops the gurney for them. In a scene almost too familiar to stomach Pixal helps Wu and Cole load Zanes unconscious form onto it, taking the same route Kai took to get on deck afterwards. Nya and Jay have already taken him into the back room and Pixal sheds her Samurai X armor without pause, sweeping her bangs off her forehead as she strides into the room.

They’ve already got his chest panel open, Nyas sleeves are rolled up to her elbows as she pushes aside wires and inspects the damage. Jay is running a diagnostic through their central computer, a thick cable plugged into Zanes head. Lloyd lingers at the door nervously, watching them work with worried eyes.

“What’s the problem?” Pixal asks, resting her hands along the bed and peering down at his chest.

Nya face looks grim, “His core’s been overloaded, it’s fried a majority of his main power lines to near ruin- but even with something like this, they should have been able to work. The Mechanics adapter shouldn’t have caused this much damage.”

“What do you mean?” Pixal finds her mouth is running dry, looking down at the scorch marks across his arms where the violent electricity had burned lines across his metal.

Jay leans over, pointing out several twisted wires, torn and broken and out of place, “His wires were already messed up.” his voice is grave, “The effect of the Mechanics portal combined with these damages? It made everything so much worse.”

“Already…?” She shakes her head, “The Never Realm.”

“We think so too. Something must have happened that he didn’t tell us about.” Nya pulls back and glances at the monitor, “He’s stable for now, his body forced him into low power mode to stop the spread of the damage. We have a lot of work to do when we get to the lab.”

She nods, turning to look at him. His face is slack in sleep, his lips slightly parted, and she realizes with a jolt this is the first time she’s actually seen him rest since he came back. He wont talk about it, about any of it, she didn’t realize he was hiding something so serious.

Jay sighs deeply, leaning onto the table with an exhausted slump to his shoulders, the excitement catching up to him all at once. Nya leans her back against the table and runs her hand over his shoulders soothingly, “Why don’t you go rest? Pixal and I can handle this.”

He nods his head slowly like he’s considering it but Pixal watched him still suddenly, his eyes narrowing. He sits up and leans over Zane’s chest, searching his wiring with increasing fervor, “We need Kai.” He says, looking up at Nya with wide eyes, “He’s- He’s freezing over.”

Pixal lunges forward, nearly knocking into Jay headfirst to look, and sure enough ice is crawling across Zanes' parts slowly, encasing each of his damaged wires in a protective layer of frozen water. If she had blood, it would have drained from her face. Nya practically jumps the table, calling her brother's name and Lloyd scrambles out of her way, each of them splitting up to pin down the fire user.

Frost spreads from his fingers where they are resting against the table, his lips are turning blue with ice, Pixal doesn’t know what to do.

“What is this?” Jay asks breathlessly, “It’s… conducting.”

She can see visible arcs of electricity flickering through the ice as it grows stronger, each chunk connecting broken wires and damaged pieces to make him whole. Their elements never responded like this, not normally, but something happened in the Never Realm and this- it must be second nature to him, to protect himself, to keep himself going.

Kai appears in the doorway half a second before Zane snaps awake.

He comes back in a blind panic, twisting on the cot and hyperventilating, crashing to the floor in his chaotic thrashing. Pixal jumps back to avoid him bowling her over, stumbling in shock. He digs blunted fingernails into his head, scratching and clawing desperately at the cable above the back of his neck until he rips it out, scrabbling against his own skin for a few hysterical seconds before he realizes that the cable is gone.

He scrambles to his hands and knees, shoving himself back until he’s squished into a corner, “Where am i? Where am i? Where am I?” He repeats in a hysterical mantra, chest heaving, his eyes wide and unseeing. Broken ice litters the ground in little chunks, handprints from where he’d crawled away turning to slick ice across the floor, frost crawling out from where he’s huddled against the wall. He clasps his hands over his head in distress, pulling at his ears and squeezing his eyes shut tightly as if willing them to work again, whining in fear.

“Zane!” Pixal cries, hovering and unsure, “Zane, please- can you hear me?”

Jay is by her side in an instant and he puts a reassuring hand on her arm, guiding her to crouch down on his level. He turns around and waves the others off so Zane won’t be so overwhelmed, Nya herding them back, “Zane, hey, it’s Jay.” He says soothingly, “You’re in the Destiny's bounty.” He repeats this a few more times and on one of the repetitions, Zane’s eyes slowly bleed into focus.

“See? Pixal is here, you’re safe.” He tells him gently, making sure not to touch him unless Zane asks.

Zane gasps loosely, a shuddering intake of air, “What did I do?” his eyes fill with tears as he looks at Jay miserably, “What did I do?” he asks desperately, moving both hands to grasp at the cable port in his head, tugging at it hard.

Pixal connects the dots, she knew enough about the violence in the Never realm to put his fears to rest, “Nothing, Zane. You haven’t hurt anyone.” She reassured him firmly, “You were hurt, we were running a diagnostic. You’re okay.” She sneaks a glance at Jay who nods at her minutely.

“Is this the first time this has happened?” Jay prods as respectfully as he can.

Zane shakes his head, “a couple of times.” He rasps, struggling to keep his voice even, trembling all over.

“What do you need?”

It goes on like this for almost twenty minutes with Jay and Pixal talking soothingly with him, at this point the Bounty has docked at the Monastery but Zane isn’t stable enough to move without panicking. Slowly, he calms down, until he’s sitting slumped and exhausted on the infirmary floor, uncurling himself from the clenched ball he’d forced himself into. Ice still insists on clinging to his skin and crawling around the floor without his permission, but he’s not in a blind panic anymore.

The tension in Jay's shoulders has begun to relax, “Hey, you back with us?” he asks gently.

Zane looks at him through bleary, but focused, eyes, “Yes.” He says quietly, “Thank you.”

Pixal chooses to avoid the elephant in the room, glancing at Jay with an appraising eye, “You handled that well.”

He shrugs, “I get them too, Panic attacks. After Nad- after everything. Nya does the same thing for me.”

“Do you think you can get inside?” Pixal turns back to Zane.

He takes a moment to think before he nods slowly, “I-” His face pinches and he swallows roughly, “I will need help.”

He holds his hands out and she takes them, pulling him slowly to his feet. He stumbles and she finds herself catching him for the second time that day, taking his full weight as his legs refuse to hold, until he can get his feet under him again. He whines, low and almost too quiet to hear, pressing his palm against his chest and squeezing his eyes shut.

Jay takes his other arm and wraps it over his shoulder, “We just have to make it inside and you can rest again, okay?”

“Keep talking.” Zane says, opening his eyes just barely enough to see where they’re going, and Jay obliges. He runs his mouth nearly non stop as they help him get to the repair center of the garage, and with each word Zane seems to be edging back from another panic attack. He talks about nothing, but Zane nods along like he’s explaining the meaning of life.

Nya is there already, replacement wiring, tools, everything laid out in preparation for Zanes injuries. She’s got her hair pulled into a tight bun, a headband she only breaks out in emergency repairs keeping her bangs out of her face, the soldering iron warming up on the table. Jay and Pixal help Zane collapse onto the bed they have there, and Pixal helps adjust it so he’s sitting upright.

Kai appears at his side and hoists himself up to sit at his waist, the bed dipping at his presence, “Hey,” He says gently as the air is flooded with warmth, reaching over to cup Zanes cheek. He runs his thumb over Zanes cheek, ice flaking off at his gentle touch.

Zane tries to smile reassuringly, but it comes out thin and reedy, “Hello, Kai.” he leans into his boyfriend's touch, exhausted.

Jay goes to help Nya but she stops him, cupping his shaking hands, “You’ve done great, but you need to rest.” She squeezes his trembling fingers to prove her point. He wouldn’t be able to be steady.

He hesitates, but concedes her point, stepping back but hesitant to leave. Cole and Lloyd linger in the doorway before Cole nods to himself and quietly slips inside, speaking softly to Jay until the smaller man concedes and herds Lloyd out of the garage, both of them disappearing inside.

Nya motions to Pixal and the nindroid jumps into action, rounding to the other side of the bed to give Nya a hand.

“Hand me that?” She asks, motioning to a bucket in the back corner of their work station. Pixal holds it out as Nya turns to Zane, “I’m going to open up your chest panel, is that alright?”

Zane squeezes his eyes shut and Kai takes his hand reassuringly as he summons the bravery, “Do it.” He nods, and Nya unlatches it quickly.

Kai grimaces, looking at the frozen over electronics. Pixal can’t look away. It’s smart, in a pinch- it kept him running, it kept him awake and aware and alive. It does not look like a kind way to live.

Nya’s expression matches her brothers, “In order to do the repairs, I'll need to clear out the ice, Zane. I can turn you off-”

His whole body tenses, his breathing coming fast, and she acknowledges the reaction silently, “-Or I can do my best to do it while you’re awake. can you pull your powers back?”

“I don’t know.” Zane’s hands shake, his hard-won composure cracking, “I’ve been doing it for so long.”

“It’s okay, I can help.” Kai reassures him, stroking his hand soothingly, “I’m going to melt the ice now, and Nya is going to pull out the water before anything is damaged.”

“Alright.” Zane says, bracing himself.

Kai keeps one hand intertwined with Zanes and the other he holds out over his chest, pushing heat and warmth. Pixal ends up holding the bucket as Nya carefully and delicately draws the melted dropplest from his chest. Exposed wires spark and Zane jerks, his fingers digging into the sheet over the bed, gritting his teeth loud enough for pixal to hear.

He whines and Nya glances at his face with a wince, “You’re doing really well. You’re doing great, Zane.”

Cole approaches from where he’d been trying to stay out of the way, leaning over the bed and looking down at zane, “Hey, hey,” He coaxes Zane to open his eyes, blue laser-focused on Cole's face, “You’re alright, I’m right here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” he promises, and Zane lets out a shaky breath, blinking away tears.

“Sorry.” Zane pushes out past his teeth, “I am stronger than this.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Cole tries to hide the heartbreak on his face, “You’ve been through a lot. You’re tired, you’re in pain, it’s okay if you take off your mask. We’ll be here to help you.”

Reaching out to cup his cheek and strategically angle him away from the others ministrations, Cole keeps his boyfriend's eyes on him, “I will keep you safe.” With each reassurance, Zane seems to relax more. He knows that the others wont hurt him, but the fear response is so engrained he can’t calm down. The words help.

Raw wiring greets Pixal when Nya finally sits back, the bucket sloshing and full, and Kai has to blink away tears at the usually neat mechanics looking so mangled.

Nya takes a fortifying breath and picks up the soldering iron and starts in on the thick of it. She explains each of her actions to Zane in perfect detail before she does them, each time she has to touch him she announces it, each time she has to unplug a ruined wire she warns him. He braces and flinches and whines each time, and there’s several moments Nya has to turn away to try and compose herself.

Hours of grueling work pass before Pixal realizes they’ve run out of repairs to make.

Nya leans back, and swallows deeply, rubbing at her tired eyes. She takes another moment to double check her work before she carefully closes Zanes chest panel. There’s a little cosmetic damage from the mechanics chains across his skin, but that can wait until another day, “Okay. I- I think we’re done.”

Zane exhales as if he’s been holding his breath the whole time, closing his eyes and sitting up fully, his shoulder slumped. Kai and Cole move back to give him space as he runs his hands over his face, exhausted, “Thank you.” His voice wavers. He swings his legs over the side and allows Cole to take his hand. His feet are firm when he stands on them, and he raises a hand to his chest automatically, his shoulders relaxing when there’s no aching pain.

“Zane?” Pixal says, and he turns to face her, “Why didn’t you tell us?” she prods gently, and Zanes face tightens.

“I…” he shakes his head, “I don’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to talk about it. I wanted to pretend none of it ever happened.” he gathers his courage, “When I was sent to the Never Realm, it hurt. I’ve been protecting myself ever since.”

His eyes skate over the mess of broken wires and miscellaneous gear from the repair session, “I didn't realize it was so bad.”

She thinks maybe he’s talking about more than just the physical aspect, his panic attack still at the forefront of her mind. She takes a step forward, the bed a frustrating obstacle between them, “We love you, Zane. we don’t want to see you hurt. If you ever need to talk to someone, i’m always here- or we can help you find someone else together.”

He blinks hard, staring at the floor. Kai moves closer and cups his cheek, murmuring soft words. Zane nods, “Thank you.” He says to Pixal, “I will think about it.” It’s the most promising thing they’ve gotten out of him yet. Baby steps.

The door opens, and Lloyd pops his head in cautiously. He brightens at the sight of Zane up and about, “Um,” He says, smiling, “If you guys are finished, Jay and I made dinner.”

“You did?” Zane blinks, clutching Cole's hand as they begin the trek over to the door, “I’m impressed.”

“It’s nothing fancy.” Lloyd ducks his head, and Zane assures him anything they made will be just perfect.

Pixal watches him leave and dares to hope that things will get better.

#zane julien #ninjago #pixal borg #nya ninjago #jay walker #kai ninjago #cole ninjago #ns11 #ns11 consequences #ns12 #spinchip fic #panic attack #ptsd #trauma #calypsolemon #mountainshipping #polyninja

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flowerwrites06 · 3 years

Text

coin flip I — jhs

Plot: A trained spy and assassin has to choose between his power-hungry brother and the benevolent Queen he’s falling in love with.

Pairing(s): Butler/Spy!Hoseok x Queen!OC (Name: Rosyne)

Rating: G | PG | M | R 18+

Type: Drabble | Oneshot | Two Parter | Series

Word Count: 10k

Genre: Royal | Angst | Smut

Tags & Warnings: angst, nudity, explicit smut, pregnancy, hidden pregnancy, violence, minor character death

Authors Note: fiNALLy managed to get some time to repost fics again. I know a few people really wanted this back so I hope you like it!

The scene in between these ‘ ***** ’ are flashbacks.

Kingdom of Wisteria took down their bright lavenders and hydrangeas, replacing them with wilted flowers to mourn the death of King Eirin. Instead of the vast streets of purples onlookers now welcomed browns and ash from the scared fires to send the royal spirit off to his rightful place in the afterlife. Though even with all these ceremonies, one question always swirled in the peoples’ minds whenever a leader died. When will the heir take her throne?

Rosyne has her legs hidden under her long, black dress as she sits on the cold wooden floors of the throne room. The black veil still over her head creating a safety blanket from the world. White handkerchief crumpled in her hand had light stains of pink from her makeup while the empty deep purple velvet throne towers over her even though it was a few feet away. “He left me too quickly.” She sniffles. “I don’t even know what happens in a coronation.”

Behind her stood the crown princess’ trusted butler and close advisor, Hoseok, hands clasps together as he watches her break down in front of him. “It’s just formalizing what you’ve already been doing.”

She scoffs lightly. “And what’s that?”

“Being a leader. You were a kind and just princess. All that’s changed is the title.” Hoseok raises his shoulders.

Puffy, teared out eyes stare up at the throne again feeling her head ache just by looking at all the history. All the responsibility riddled in that piece of jewellery. “A Queen has to be more than kind and just. She has to be—brutal but passive. Fearful but loved.” Rosyne couldn’t help but wince at the confusion of it all, eyes closing to calm herself down.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Hoseok takes a few steps forward and sits down on the floor right next to her until their shoulders press against each other. “That’s why Royals have councils. To ensure you’re making the right decision.” He lowers his voice to a soft tone, leaning in, a light scent of rose lingering from her clothing. “Right now, the kingdom is vulnerable and it needs a leader more than any time ever.”

“That’s not making me feel better.”

“Well…I’ll be there by your side if that helps.” Hoseok presses his palm on the floor just behind her so he could close more distance between them. “Does that feel better?”

Rosyne turns her head causing their noses to brush despite the veil between them. “A little.” She smiles albeit with a tad bit of exhaustion.

Expression softening, Hoseok gently tugs at the veil to push it over her head so he could see her face properly. The corners of his lips stretches into a grin. It was strange to be this close to one another in the throne room of all places when their usual locations were her bedroom or her private quarters deep in the garden. A sense of adrenaline and freedom rushes through him. He leans in and presses a gentle kiss on her lips, brief but it still warmed his entire body being able to touch her so freely.

Whatever nerves twisted under Rosynes’ skin quickly melted as their lips touched. “I need to find new allies.” She mutters almost in a whisper due to their close proximity. “Wisteria might not be in trouble right now but news would have spread that a new inexperienced royal is on the throne.” Her gaze moves to face the throne again but Hoseok keeps his on the crown princess.

“Where are you thinking?”

Rosyne shakes her head slowly, taking a deep breath. “It’s hard to tell. No one’s reached or contacted the kingdom yet.”

Hoseok brushes away the loose strands from her face, tracing the back of his fingers down her temple. “We’ll figure it out as we go.” Fingers sneaks behind her neck as he took advantage of their lonesome and pulled her in for another kiss.

Unfortunately he spoke far too soon when the double doors of the throne room thud open. The pair immediately detach prematurely and shift away from one another so they sat at a decent distance.

“Your Majesty…”

Rosyne looks over her shoulder and sees Kiku who had her hair in a neat bun, black gloves and physicians robe. “What is it?”

“Are you ready to give a private farewell?”

It didn’t dawn on her that she had to face him again and say goodbye. Finally coming to terms that it was her turn to take over the kingdom. Whether that was an exciting moment or a terrifying moment was still up for debate.

Moonlight peeks through the trees, light mist forming from the cold as Hoseok tightens his grip on the thick cloak adorning his body. Curling his palms he blew hot air onto the skin trying to keep himself from freezing to death. If he could just go back and sleep again, feeling Rosynes’ warmth against him while her breathing soothed him back to relaxation.

Can’t think about that. Not here.

Padding deeper into the forest, the trees starts to thin out and he catches the grey stone hugged by green vines and moss. The ground beneath looked like it used to be a gorgeous floor but now the soil consumed back to its original state. Or least a broken type of it. Once in a time, this used to be a majestic palace. But nature takes everything that dies and renews with its own beauty.

Rosyne would love a place like this. She would want to plant flowers in the soil and turn into a garden for people to admire. She was good at it. Bringing more light into something that was broken.

Much to his discontent, Hoseok had to push down those warm thoughts when he saw the three cloaked figures standing in the middle of the former hall. As soon as they heard the twigs crunch, their bodies turn to face him.

“What’s the news?” Namjoon, standing in the middle speaks.

“I’m fine, thanks.” Hoseok retorts.

Namjoon didn’t look all too happy about the response so all the male could do was sigh and dive back into professionalism.

“The King is officially dead. Rosyne will be taking the throne soon.” He doesn’t keep any emotion in his voice. Almost like a tranquil creature unable to feel but only take orders and provide information.

“But?”

“But she will be looking for allies.”

“Not a bad decision.” Namjoon nods to himself. “Not a good one either.”

“The kingdom is always the most vulnerable when royals are moving from one to another.” Hoseok wanted to leave. He wished he could run away right now and warn Rosyne but he felt a heaviness on his shoulders keeping him grounded.

“Especially with a soft Queen like Rosyne.”

Hoseoks’ expression hardened. “We shouldn’t mistake kindness for softness. It can be powerful tool.”

“That’s why your influence on her is so important.” He walks forward and holds onto his shoulders, squeezes it gently. “The way she dotes on you and your opinion will come in very handy, Hoseok. Bonus now that you’ve bedded her already.”

“I didn’t bed her for that purpose.” His gaze burned into the male.

“Of course you didn’t.” Namjoon chuckles. “But it still happened and now she has a connection to you.”

“Perhaps we should not speak of the Queen in this manner.” Seokjin speaks up from the right, looking a little concerned at how loosely Rosyne is being spoken of. Something Hoseok always admired about their oldest brother.

Namjoon only grins in response clearly not taking the warning seriously by any means. “Alright, I’ll stop.” He speaks as he glances over his shoulder before facing Hoseok again. “You’ve done well, my friend. Be ready for our arrival.”

Friend sounds a lot like puppet when Namjoon speaks it to him. Not that Hoseok could be angry at it. It was the truth. He was his damn puppet.

“I’ll be ready.” Hoseok lies one more time.

*****

Tiptoeing through the wet ground, he tries to avoid the twigs and dry leaves as best as he could. Hoseoks’ hair was damp, matted to his temples and his breathing, calm and patterned to his control. Eyes fixates on the majestic creature. Golden pelt with transparent antlers gleaming against the sunlight and forming rainbow patterns. It really was pretty.

His stomach then rumbled violently, twisting and reminding that it wasn’t that pretty. Pretty things always faded in time. Hunger didn’t. So Hoseok pulls on the tight string until it reaches just under his eye. Closing one of them, he manages to perfect his aim. Heartbeat slowed to his command.

Waiting.

Waiting for the right moment.

The creatures’ head shoots up, lilac eyes fixates on their hunter. Almost as if it knows that it is time to die. Circle of life.

“Stop! Don’t!” A high, shrill voice echoes through the trees immediately startling the deer.

Hoseok pushes the bow back watching a figure standing before him, shielding the creature as it ran off deep into the forest. He watches it hopelessly disappear amongst the trees. His stomach rumbles to the point of pain. “Thanks a lot.” He groans.

“You can’t just kill a gold deer.” The voice now moves to something soft and smooth. Like silk underneath his fingers.

Hoseok eyes finally focuses on the figure, his tongue almost clips. Long, beautiful brunette hair with deep violet eyes. A waft of lavender radiating from her body giving him some kind of warmth in his chest while her lips, so soft looking and pink tinted. “I do if I need to eat.” He replies albeit with less annoyance.

“Gold deer’s are very rare…” The beautiful lady speaks again with a patient tone. “…almost extinct.”

“So?” Why did he feel so goddamn bad saying that?

“So they are part of this forest’s ecosystem we can’t kill them.”

“I’m still hungry.”

She sighs, reaching into her brown satchel and pulling a white bag. “Bread and cheese can suffice, yes?” The beauty hands the bag to him. “What’re you doing in this forest anyway?”

Hoseok feels even more guilty for being angry when he smells the freshness steaming from the food. “I’m here for a job.” He speaks softly.

“A job?” She tilts her head, closing her satchel.

“The princess’ butler position.”

The beauty’s head moves up quickly in curiosity, eyes glimmering along with her golden skin in the humidity surrounding them. “You want to work for the princess?”

“Yeah.” There was a reluctance in his voice but he hoped the girl wouldn’t notice. “She’s always had a good reputation.”

“Like a pushover.” She scoffs walking over to the flower patches the deer was standing next to earlier. Tiny spots of pink and yellow crowded amongst weeds.

Hoseok quietly observes her small actions as she crouches down near the flowers, merely caressing it like she was checking on it. “She’s arranged the most alliances ever known in royal history before even becoming Queen. Lessened crimes. All through her diplomacy.”

“You seem to have a high regard for her.” Her words were more of a mumble but Hoseok manages to catch them.

“Good future Kings and Queens are hard to find.” Hoseok sits down on a nearby rock, unwrapping the white bag taking a slice of cheese and taking a small bite. “It’s nice to know we’re living in a time of one.” His stomach twists again in intense satisfaction from being hungry for so long. The nutty flavor of the food gracing his taste buds.

She leaves a small silence between them while her eyes admired the flowers again. Hoseok could have sworn that she was reassuring them that no deaths were made on these grounds. Something about that thought causes him to smile.

“I’m sure the princess would be happy to have you.” He heard the smile in her voice.

His stomach began to tingle with something other than hunger.

*****

Morning faded with a slight chill but the sun was strong enough to bear it. The closed circle gathered around in the throne room along with a new banner colour hung on the pillars. Rosyne couldn’t recognize the sigil of the Raven. Maybe a lost or a very small kingdom that wasn’t taught in history books too often.

She relaxes herself on the throne even it still prickles at her back. The last time Rosyne remembers sitting on this chair, it was when her legs couldn’t even reach the floor. When ruling the kingdom seemed like a fleeting goal just hovering over her head. Rosyne reaches out slowly and finds familiar fingers locking onto hers.

“You’ll be alright.” Hoseok whispers the lie to soothe her, even for a few seconds. His heart pounding through his ribcages and clenching so tight it made it difficult to breathe. This was what you set out for. The ultimate goal.

Once the double doors open, their fingers separate as they watch seven figures walk into the throne room, bursting in shades of black, red and white. Two figures in the middle, a man dressed in a velvet red coat while the woman was wearing a white, diamond encrusted gown. The woman has a slight limp as she walked if Rosyne focuses enough.

Blond hair a little over his left brow, the man in the middle—who she assumes would be King Namjoon—speaks with a soft smile. “Good morning, Queen Rosyne.” He bows a little. “I am pleased that you agreed to meet me.”

“Making alliances is always a good start for a peaceful world.” Rosyne smiles, deep violet eyes popping against the lavender dress she adorned.

Namjoons’ grin widens. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

As much as Rosyne wants to keep the pleasantries going, she knew no King or Queen ever liked wasting their time far too much. “What are your terms then, Prince?” She keeps a decent smile on her face.

“My kingdom is small.” He presses a hand to his chest. “However my military power and ancestral influence runs deep and vast.”

“Yes I’ve heard your numbers surpass many kingdoms.” At least that was the minimal information Hoseok gave her in the short amount of time they had.

“Therefore—”

Hoseok takes in a deep breath and holds it in his lungs as Namjoon leaves a silence in the throne room. He tries his best not to face Kiku even though he could notice her glance towards him.

“—I might have to ask for a certain—proposition.”

Rosyne narrows her gaze but keeps a certain softness to her expression. “Proposition?”

“My spymasters have seen many whispers about possible threats and assassinations on your Majesty’s life.” Namjoon gestures behind him towards a honey blond man with plump lips and smaller frame. With piercing eyes like his, Rosyne assumed he could catch anything out of place. “If I handed my forces to you then it may help a worst case scenario.”

“I appreciate the protection.” Rosyne grins giving him an acknowledging nod. “But what must I give you in return?”

Hoseoks’ fingers twitch still feeling her touch warm on his skin. So warm and comforting, bringing him all the peace he ever wanted. Then something twists in his stomach when he notices Namjoon take a breath to speak again.

“Your throne.”

Rosyne couldn’t even catch the council bursting into their baffled murmurs. Her body grew hot, fingers trembling against the wood of the chair arm but she tries to maintain a calm face. She was not connected to the throne by her hip. The only thing connected to it that she loved was her father but he was gone.

“Care to elaborate, Prince Kim?” She tries to drag it on a little more. Maybe breathe in for a while longer to calm herself.

“You will have the title as Queen…” Namjoon waves his hand. “—but I will need to take the reins if we were to protect this vulnerable kingdom effectively.”

Her kingdom was vulnerable. Military forces lesser than it usually was. If she disagrees and disrespects him somehow then there was no telling whether Namjoon will take it by force. Which would bring her back to the original fear in her mind.

Rosyne gulps down before immediately giving the male a kind smile. “Give me some time to think about this.”

Namjoons’ grin stretches wider. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

Rosyne tries not to rush out of the throne room too fast. She manages to keep herself steady until they reach the hallway, her body loosens. Back rests against the wall as her chest rises and falls, deep breaths stuck inside her lungs now pushing out in light heaves. Hand came up to her belly trying to caress it gently. She had no choice. There was no choice.

She notices a figure coming towards her until he stands in front of her.

“Very forward request.” Hoseok comments towards Namjoon, foolishly trying to keep a farce when the confidence inside him was slowly crumbling.

“Yes it was…” Rosyne breathes out. “…but—”

“But?”

“Hoseok…” Rosyne swallows down the light lump in her throat. Her fathers’ words replying in her head. She needed to protect this kingdom. What if that meant giving it up for its’ own good? “I might have to agree.” Her voice rung low and almost meek but Hoseok always catches her voice.

“What?” Part of it was pretending but a small part of him still wonders. What would make her agree to giving the kingdom away?

“The kingdom is vulnerable, you were right.” She sighs, reaching out and holding onto his hand again. Whenever the heat gets to her head Rosyne finds momentary peace playing with his fingers and watch them intertwine with her own. “Now more than ever. We need their help.”

“He’ll take over the kingdom, Rosyne.” Desperation laces in his tone. There was this strange corner of his mind that wishes the woman would fight more, thrash and claw at anyone who tried to defile the soil she ruled. But Hoseok knew Rosyne wouldn’t. She cared too much for her own good to let blood stain her palace walls. God, he hated it. “You’ll—you’ll be put away.”

Rosyne stammers lightly before biting down her bottom lip. With a shake of her head, she speaks. “I don’t see another choice right now.” Eyes flicker up to meet his gaze searching his concerned expression. “But I’ll only do it if you think it’s right.”

Breath hitches in his throat for a moment. “W-Why me?”

“I don’t have a lot of advisors aside from you and Kiku.” Rosyne chuckles nervously. “And Kiku told me to do what I thought was right.”

Almost as if fate carefully chose how to torture Hoseok the most. Instead of letting Rosyne decide for herself, now it was on his shoulders. His fingers tightened around hers—as a silent way to apologize for what he was about to do.

“I say agree.” Hoseok presses his lips together immediately.

Rosynes’ expression softens as she nods. “Okay.” A small smile tugs at her lips and Hoseok wants to take it back.

He really wants to take it back but the Queen was already loosening her grip from his hand and walking back to the throne room.

“I’m so sorry.” Hoseok whispers once she disappears.

Back at the throne room, Rosyne notices that the woman in the white dress is now sited on a chair. She smiles a little assuming Kiku must have noticed her in pain and brought in a seat for the remainder of the meeting.

Once she stands in the front of the throne, the attendants in the room fade to a pin-drop silence. All eyes fixate on her with an air of anticipation and some maybe a little fear.

Rosyne takes a deep breath. “This kingdom is my home. I grew up running around this very palace while my caretakers kept telling me that one day it will all belong to me.” As she examines the faces, the fear is still there curdling in the depths of their gazes. “Every monarch has to make difficult decisions…” She licks her lips. “…even if it means having to step down from power.”

The council began murmuring again, still in their shocked tones. Kiku, on the other hand, looked rather calm giving Rosyne an acknowledging nod to reassure her. She was going to be by her side no matter what.

“Your Majesty, I hereby hand you over the kingdom of Wisteria.” Rosyne clasped her hands together, raising her chin a little. “I trust you will give it the nurturing, love and protection that it deserves.” She expected the council to argue more. Maybe the murmurs to grow louder but they stood silent, the air of anticipation now fading into full shock and lack of belief.

Hoseok caught Namjoons’ glance towards him. Maybe sometime in the past, he would have loved to see the look of accomplishment on his brothers’ face but right now all it brought him was dread. He averts his gaze and hangs his head down to the floor. They succeeded. Yet victory tasted far too bitter on his tongue.

“I promise you, I will do the best I can to ensure Wisteria thrives for ages to come.” Namjoon bows again, indicating that it was the last time he will ever do so.

*****

Sun blazed as morning faded into midday when Rosyne walked out into the gardens with Hoseok following behind her. Dark curls bounce as she walks though the flowers like a gorgeous nature faery in her loose georgette lilac dress. Much time passed since he got accepted as the butler for the princess. His cheeks still burn at the memory of staring at the same girl from the forest being announced as Princess Rosyne.

“How many people do you fool with that whole girl in the forest thing?” Hoseok breaks the comfortable silence, attempting to catch up with the princess she seemed to be flying through the garden.

Rosyne chuckles a little. “It’s not a play. No one really asks when I’m out walking.” She shrugs.

“Then people are a little stupid.”

“Are you calling yourself stupid?” She looks over her shoulder, a cheeky glint in her eyes.

Hoseok couldn’t control the grin stretching across his lips. “Where are we going anyway?”

“One of my favourite places in the palace.” A smile was evident in her tone as they walked further into the depths of the garden.

Finally Hoseok notices something glimmering under the sunlight, almost similar to the antlers from the gold deer he almost killed that day. Past the hedges shaped like faeries and mermaids, they come in view of a majestic building. All the walls made from clear material that welcomed the sunlight forming rainbow patterns on the surface. Inside he noticed trees and bushes along with some birds flying around inside the establishment and as they walk closer, he could hear the rush of water from inside. “A greenhouse.”

“I basically grew up in this place.” Rosyne smiles at the building with her aura bursting in colours of joy.

Walking inside, Hoseok realized where the water sound was coming from. The large fountain perched in the middle while some tiny ones hiding in the bushes. A rush of cool air brushed through his clothes giving him a slight refreshment.

“The maids would help grow crops and flowers.” She reaches out and caresses some of the banana leaves next to them. “The crops grow much faster because of the controlled environment and I can give them to the people whenever their harvests are minimal.”

Hoseoks’ heart jumps at her words. “You do that for them?”

“Well just the city itself.” Rosyne shrugs as if this act alone was not enough kindness. “I want to make two more on each side of this one…” She gestures to the sides as they walk closer to the fountain. “…so there can be more for the rest of the territory. Especially with winter coming around.”

“That’s—a wonderful thing to do, Your Majesty.” As his heart jumps, a strange warmth spread across his belly almost overwhelming him to smile because the energy was too much inside him. How many kingdoms would revolt just to have a monarch that could care for their people this much?

Rosyne smiles shyly before shaking his head. “It’s not anything special. Royals take care of their people.” She sits down on the edge of the fountain. “I’m not much of an expert warrior like my younger sister is so I do this.”

“It’s still amazing.” Hoseok defends as he sits down next to her. “Fighting isn’t the only thing a royal needs to do.”

Rosyne has the slight urge to rest her head on his shoulders but quickly refrains. “Thank you. And call me Rosyne, okay? Can’t spend your entire life calling Your Majesty, you’d probably go insane.” She giggles.

*****

Walking through the hallways pungent with the scent of medicine, Yoongi made sure to keep his steps quiet and careful. Although he felt a tinge of worry when Minnie told him that the pain on her leg kept worsening. Finally he stood in front of a red wooden door, reaching up to knock until he hears some murmurs.

Leaning in, he manages to recognize the Rosynes’ voice through the wood. The words then materialized and—

Shit.

Yoongi quickly shakes his head and opens the door to see Kiku, the Royal Physician looking over her shoulder while Rosyne stood adjacent to her looking at him with wide eyes.

“Can I help you?” Kiku asks with a hard expression, standing up from the chair.

The black haired male glances at Rosyne, giving her an acknowledging nod before facing the physician again. “Queen Minnie needs some medicine for her leg. She hurt it during the journey to the kingdom.” Yoongi tries to keep his voice calm and steady even though his fingers trembled just a little.

“Alright.” Kiku’s voice didn’t change as she gazes around the table before walking over to the one full of closed potions and Bunsen burners. “Did you forget to bring your Physician?” She asks without facing him.

“The pain got worse and Seokjin suggested that you might have something stronger.” Yoongi explains.

“Is it really bad?” Rosyne asks, a concerned expression twisting her features.

He quickly smiles to reassure her. “Your physician is known to be the best so I’m sure she’ll be in good hands.”

Kiku hums attempting to stretch her lips out in an attempt of a smile before handing him a baby blue liquid. “This helps to alleviate pain and if it’s just muscle problems, it could also heal some of the damage.” As Yoongi accepts the vial, she clasps her fingers to herself. “If anything gets worse, just bring her to me and I’ll check it personally.”

Yoongi nods. “Thank you.” He gives a decent bow to Rosyne before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

As soon as the male disappears out into the hallway, Rosynes’ smile fades into concern. “Do you think—”

“He might have heard.” Kiku replies simply. “Look, if anything gets funny here—I’m telling them. And I’m not asking, Your Majesty.” Despite her voice being soft, it still had a firmness to it. “Magic should not be used with such a condition for a very long time…alright?”

Rosyne sighs. Of course she knew it was wrong. Maybe before it was okay to keep it on the down low but it had been dragged on for too long. So all she could do was nod.

“Master Min…”

Yoongis’ stomach jumps when he heard the eerie voice again. Turning around, he saw the Physician walking closer until a chill ran down his spine. “Lady Kiku…” He raises his chin and looks her straight in her grey-ish toned eyes.

The corner of his lips twitched before she speaks. “I know you heard our conversation.”

“Don’t recall doing that.” He shakes his head, attempting to keep a solid stance, unblinking and keeping as much eye contact as he could. Even though the words kept replaying in his head.

“I’m assuming you’re going to tell the new pretend king, yes?” A sense of bitterness intertwined in her usually calm tone.

“He is King.”

“Sure.” Yoongi had to admit Kiku had a good talent in rolling her eyes the most subtle way possible. “Back to the point at hand I would highly advise you to keep it our secret.”

“And why would I do such a thing?” Yoongi gives a slightly mocking smirk, tilting his head.

“Because I’m sure King Namjoon would not like to hear what his most trusted advisor did to his wife.” Kikus’ expression once again unchanging.

Yoongi feels his body burn and his stomach twist. The grip on the vial tightened until his knuckles were white. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His jaw tightens.

“Multiple nights, yes.” Kikus’ lips curled into a faint smile, now mocking his previous confidence. “Whenever Namjoon is too busy to come to the Queens’ chambers. All those things you whispered in her ear while she tried not to scream in pleasure.”

Gaze darkening, he stomped closer to the woman, body heating like a volcano. “How the fuck did you—”

“It’s an ability of mine. I can see, feel and even smell anyone’s darkest secrets so long as they look me in the eye for a period of time.” Kiku searches his eyes even longer. Much to her interest, Yoongi still didn’t move his gaze away. “It’s funny to see confident men trying to stare right into me thinking they’re in power when really they’re giving me everything to destroy them.”

Yoongi scoffed. “If you can do that then how is it you never expected Hoseok to go behind your back and bring Namjoon here?”

“Because his betrayal technically wasn’t his darkest secret.” Kiku gulps down but even then one had to really focus on her movements to notice. “Every magical ability has a twist.”

Yoongis’ expression softened in slight curiosity. Hoseok hadn’t spoken to Namjoon much ever since Rosyne agreed to give the Kingdom away. Maybe their brother did not feel too happy about betraying the Queen.

“So if I keep my mouth shut about your lovely liaisons with Queen Minnie…” Kikus’ voice pulled him back into reality. “…will you keep your word on being quiet until Queen Rosyne and I are ready?”

“Fine.”

Kiku nodded with a proper smile, making her grey-toned eyes look even more deadly. “Pleasure doing business with you, Master Min.”

The searing pain on Minnie’s ankle faded into the dull throbbing after the potion Yoongi gave her which thankfully allowed her to walk to the window. Eyes trails across the gorgeous view of the kingdom, accents of purple from the lavenders. She loved how this place was true to its aura of purple to match their name.

As a child, Minnie used to read about the first Queen having anxiousness every single day so she would decorate the entire palace with lavender. Then on the whole kingdom would design their houses with the same flower for their monarchs would feel at peace.

Footsteps tap against the wood making her ears prick up. Before she could turn to see, a pair of arms wrap around her waist pulling her body close.

“Are you impressed?” Namjoons’ voice tickles in her ear, lips brushing against the shell.

Minnie sighs. “I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“It just…” She shakes her head. “…it seems like we’re pulling a kingdom from under her. Instead of actually earning our place here.”

Namjoons’ body stills for a moment but he continues to press light kisses on her earlobe. “She agreed to giving us the kingdom.”

“Not willingly though.” Minnie caresses his forearm as it tightens around her body. “Rosyne looked—desperate and scared. It doesn’t feel right.”

Namjoon moves down to the crook of her neck, lips parting now as he lightly suckles on the soft skin. “You worry too much.” His voices mumbles a little.

Minnie closes her eyes for a moment feeling his teeth graze. She knew all too well he wasn’t going to listen to her far too much in this mood. “Someone needs to.”

He let out a deep breath opting to rest his chin on her shoulder. “The law in states if the Commander and Queen both sign to giving away the kingdom than it is respectable to do so. Queen agreed because she’s smitten for Hoseok and the Commander—” Namjoon scoffed. “He looks like a sweaty, old fool. They’re all gullible idiots, too nice for their own good. But what we’re doing still isn’t wrong.”

Minnie gulped down, still unconvinced no matter how he tried to make it look okay. Even the Commander being a timid, old man was beyond confusing. Though her thoughts were pushed down when she felt his palm trail down between her legs, cupping over her clothing. His lips latch back onto her neck, suckling on the skin to a point where it ached causing a light gasp to hitch in her throat.

“Now stop worrying and let me help you relax, hm?”

Sun dipped down fading the sky into a mixture of purple and orange hue while Rosyne scratched the pen across the paper. Hair tucked behind her hair while she has her comfortable soft white dress adorned on her body. Namjoon made sure to keep her out of as many meetings as possible while Kiku would update her on certain things by chatting with some of the members.

Though she didn’t care. The only thing swirling around her mind was what Kiku told her after talking to Yoongi.

Her heart sunk deep into a pool somewhere, drowning and screaming for help but Rosyne’s whole body looked calm. She kept writing on the paper trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

The door clicked open but she didn’t move from her spot on the bed. Footsteps echoed ever so slightly onto the walls.

“Are you doing alright?” Hoseok speaks first, watching the woman writing something down while calmly sitting against the headboard.

Rosyne hums in response.

He walks to the side of the bad and sits down on the edge. “Do you need anything?”

“What was I doing wrong?” Her words linger in the air, thickening it a little.

His brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

“Usually when—” Rosyne sits up a little, putting her book down. “…when people band together to take over kingdoms, it means the monarch must be doing something wrong.” She played with the fabric of the blanket. “What did I do?”

The air grew thick, making it uncomfortable to breathe as Hoseok shifted a little on the bed. Unsure of whether to move away or closer to console her. “You did nothing.” He mutters. “You’re—” So much better than them. “—a good queen.”

“Then why did you continue spying for them?”

Hoseok felt like all the air in his lungs disappeared leaving him unable to move at all. His mouth was agape looking over at the girl and finally seeing how reddened her eyes making the violet look dangerous almost. At least it would if she didn’t look so heartbroken. “Rosyne…” He reaches out and tries to hold onto her hand.

Rosyne pulls her hands away and hugs her knees to her chest. “Kiku told me that you were the one who alerted them of the kingdoms’ vulnerability—my vulnerability.”

“I really didn’t want to do it.” Hoseok persisted to shift closer until he completely sat on the bed with her. “Please–please believe me.”

“But you still did.” She shakes her head, eyes flooding with fresh new tears. “All that talk of staying by my side…everything was a lie.”

“No. Not everything.” Hoseok reaches out to hold her again. Give her some kind of comfort as he held onto her shoulder, hand cupping her cheek and wiping away tears trickling down. “I did do it to protect my brothers, yes. Namjoon had a goal and I wanted to help him reach it but—” He leans in, cupping both her cheeks so she could look at him. Even though staring at her features contorting into one of pain made his heart drop. “—what happened in our private moments—the bathhouse, everything, that was me, okay? It was all me.”

Rosyne pushed his hands away gently. “Don’t lie, please.” She sobbed out in such a weak tone. No wonder no one complained when she stepped down from Queen.

“I’m not lying, Rosyne.” Hoseok had to grip onto the fabric of her dress as his breathing grew shakier. “I’m not lying, I promise—I’m so sorry…” He whispers dropping his head down on her shoulder, sniffling lightly. “That was all me. I wanted to be with you.”

She winces wanting to push him away so badly but it felt so comforting. So annoyingly comforting. “I wanted to be with you too.” Rosyne swallows down the painful lump in her throat. “Please get off me.”

Hoseok nudges his nose against the crook of her neck for a moment before pulling away with his head hung down. Fingers curled up into tight fists as he brought them back onto his lap. “I—”

“I need to rest.” Rosyne shifted away and rested back on the headboard.

Deflated as his heart sunk down to a pit, Hoseok forced himself off the bed. “Okay.”

*****

Steam exuded from the large body of water, beautiful paintings of faeries adorned on the walls with lilac pillars and golden lining. What added to the ethereal atmosphere was Rosynes’ bare body, damp hair slicked back and her skin a little flushed from the heat. Hoseok pads further into the bathhouse, pushing the curtain closed behind him.

“I heard Gaia is going to be anointed another position.” He spoke though Rosyne didn’t seem to look startled at all, delicate fingers brushing over the heated surface. “No one’s been notified yet though.”

Rosyne turned around completely now, dipping down further so the slightly cloudy water blurred out her chest. “Yes, my father wanted to keep it on the down low for a while.” Her eyes practically shimmered in the light. “She’s being training for years.”

“You two make a strong pair for the kingdom.” Hoseok nods, hands intertwined behind his back.

“This is a place of relaxation, Hoseok.” Her voice dwindles down to a softness slightly different to what people heard out in the streets.

Hoseok couldn’t control his eyes flickering down to her chest as she ‘accidentally’ stood up a little more. Heat curdles in his lower belly. “I can see that.” His tone rings a low growl right from his core.

“That means you can stop being the butler for a little while.” Rosyne moves a little closer to him until her head moves up to watch him towering over her. “Come join me.”

The room was so warm and her voice was so welcoming. It would be very soothing to just take his clothes off, soak his body into perfectly heated water with a gorgeous princess in the water with him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He didn’t sound convincing at all.

“What if I drown?” Rosyne pouts.

Hoseok smirked, pupils darkening as his gaze fixates deeper into her adorable yet alluring gaze. “What if someone sees us?”

“The man who had the gall to shoot a golden deer scared of someone peeking into the bathhouse?” She raises a brow, tilting her head.

With a light scoff of amusement, Hoseok noticed her stand up a little more. Something jumped in his stomach when he almost spotted her breast before she dipped down again as if silently teasing him. Then he began shrugging his coat off earning an accomplished grin from Rosyne.

Stripping off of all his clothes and carefully walked down the stairs. The intense warmth broke through the icy layer of his skin. As Hoseok moved deeper, his body melts and loosens in the comfortable burn before he sinks until he was neck deep into the heat. A light sigh passed his lips.

“Better?” Rosyne asks in such a soothing tone, he could’ve fallen asleep right there and then.

Instead Hoseok hums in response, ears pricking up as the water moved around him. He watched the princess move to the side slowly. Her beautiful features glowing and flushed but she relishes in it with her eyes closed and body, slowly swaying.

“You like it here, don’t you?” His voice echoes a little against the surface.

Rosyne smiles. “From the moment I wake up to the minute I fall asleep, there are eyes on me. Noise everywhere. Responsibilities from each corner.” She tilts her head, waving her arms gently in the water again. “This is the only place of peace I have.”

Hoseok looks around the room. “Better place than any.”

“No one’s allowed to disturb me in here.” She mutters with a slight smirk in her voice. “It’s liberating.”

“I disturbed you.”

Rosyne suckled in her bottom lip before those gorgeous eyes flicker up to meet his gaze. The violet in them faded into an almost black tone. “I wanted you to disturb me.”

Oh.

Hoseok chuckles albeit with a slight shakiness to it with the way she was looking at him. He always when she was excited but those eyes and the way her lips parted—his fingers were trembling under the water. “Don’t I count as noise?”

Glistening lips stretch into a smile as she trails closer, steam radiating from her body. “I like your noise.”

Their faces inches away from one another, lips so close all Hoseok had to was lean in a little more. Just a little more and he could feel her soft flesh. This is too far. It’s going too far. All he had to do was befriend her, just befriend at best. Maybe a thickly laid trust but not this. This wasn’t a mission though, was it? Hoseok willingly dipped into this pool because she asked. Not because of some deep goal he needed to achieve.

Because she looked at him with those damn eyes and asked in such a warm, sweet voice. He was dipping in this pool, body melting and head spinning because he wanted to listen to Rosyne. He wanted her excited, eyes losing all of that ethereal violet shade. For her to smile and feel her body closing in on him. Fuck he wanted it.

It only takes the princess to move just another small inch before Hoseok leans in, brushing against her warm lips. He feels soft palms gently press onto his bare chest causing a tingle down his spine. He wanted more. The kiss was too soft. Hand raises from the depths of the water, he cups the back of her neck and pulls her in closer.

A small gasp hitches in her throat, mouth parting for him to explore while her hands move to his shoulders. His hot palms moves from her drenched hair down to her bare back. Rosyne shivers a little even in the sheer heat surrounding them before she feels him press their bodies together.

Hoseok breaks the kiss for a split second before pecking her lips again, trailing down to her chin to her jawline. He grazes his teeth gently at first relishing in the light moan passing Rosyne’s lips. Then he bites down the soft, delicate skin. He feels her fingers grip at his hair causing him to groan against her. When he pulls away, Hoseok couldn’t help but smirk seeing the reddened mark adorning the beautiful princess. Placing a kiss on top of the new wound he moves down her neck, biting down the crook again.

Rosyne lets out a small giggle before gently pushing their bodies onto the stairs. Her legs floating a little over his lap. She smiles at how flushed Hoseoks’ lips were, thumb grazing over the bottom one as he kisses the pads of her fingers. Moving her digits down his body, her fingers wrap around his member causing a light huff of breath to leave him.

She raises and positions herself at the tip. As Rosyne lowers, her grip tightens on his shoulder, breathing a little ragged feeling her walls stretch to a slight ache.

Her movements were slow and a little careful but Hoseok has all the time in the world to watch how her features soften, relishing in the new fill. His legs feel like jelly, his entire length beautifully swallowed by her wet heat. Hands move to her hips gently not wanting to force any movements when Rosyne still tries to adjust.

Rosyne slides up just halfway before moving down, the ache now subsiding completely leaving her with the pleasurable fill. She slowly bounces up and down feeling a warmth coil in her lower belly. Her core swallows his entire length again as she grinds against him, rubbing against her throbbing nub as a moan chokes out of her.

Hoseok watches her move, fingers pads now digging into her skin as she pleasures both of them in such grace. He leans in to press more tender kisses on her collarbone. A light groan emitting under his throat as he felt a heaviness between his legs. One of his hands move up to cup her breast, skin still so warm and inviting, his thumb grazes against her nipple. Lips reached up to kiss her earlobe. “You feel so good, sweetheart…” He tries to thrust up into her, hips crashing against each other earning a shaky whimper from the princess. “So good.”

Rosyne tries to reply but it only comes out in tiny, staggered moans as she feels Hoseok meet with her thrusts, water thrashing around them. Her arms wrap around his shoulders tightly, whimpering in his ear. The heat constricted inside her, desperate to release, fingers dragging down his chest. “I’m—” She breathes out. “I’m close…” Eyes close shut as the ball kept tightening, burning and aching for more.

Before he could utter another word, the heat rushes through him, body shuddering underneath her, heaviness spewing out of him and filling the beauty. Hoseok feels every inch of him being filled with warmth, slowly pulling him into a ecstasy induced trance. A faint smile curling on his lips, he watches Rosyne keep moving on top of him, his sensitive skin aching a little from overstimulation but he didn’t want to stop.

Her whole body convulsed as she felt something warm filling her up, bursting the ball in her lower belly. Pleasure exploded to each crevice, each veins as she grips onto his shoulders trying to keep steady. Her head feels heavy, hips jerking whenever her nub touches his skin. Rosyne rests her forehead against his as her chest rises and falls slowly to a normal speed.

“Was that relaxing enough, princess?” Hoseok gives a toothy smirk, peering at the beauty through hooded lids.

Rosyne giggles breathlessly before pressing a small kiss on his lips. “Very.”

*****

Early in the morning, Rosyne forces herself to walk out of the palace and take a walk through the city in her cloak. Most of the people looked over at her and smiled, giving a decent bow. It was good they were happy. That’s all that mattered at the end of the day. She smiled back at them to somehow ease the tension.

Though walking deeper through the stalls of clothing and scents of spices, she stops hearing grunting and yelling. Rosyne quickened her pace walking towards the sound until she found a couple of guards trying to drag an old man across the ground while he thrashed around.

“What’s going on here?” Rosyne’s voice immediately halted the guards’ movements. Both of them stared over at her with a slightly confused expression while the farmer, Daehyun quickly stood up and straightened his clothes up.

“He’s not paid his taxes.” One of the guards answered, gesturing to the farmer who grimaced.

Rosyne’s brows furrow glancing over at the farmer. “Daehyun, you’ve always been able to pay taxes before.”

“Not anymore.” He scoffs. “Ever since that sod got on the throne, he’s raised the taxes. Saying it’s for military efforts.” Bitterness spewed out in every single word when he spoke about Namjoon.

“What?” She winces. “Let him go.” As soon as Rosyne gestures, the guards gave her a bow and walk off to their posts. Namjoon wouldn’t like that loyalty but that still didn’t change why they were here. “I’ll need to speak to the King to address this problem.”

“Take your throne back, Your Majesty. That could help.” Daehyun had a kind tone but it still tugged at Rosyne’s belly.

“I wish that could help right now.” She whispers to herself.

He knew. God Hoseok knew something was going to go wrong. With the way Namjoon held himself once he sat on that throne, the air of confidence when he had the first taste of pure power. Of course the first thing he does is strip more money from the people in the city. One the many things good Rosyne enforced as the princess was to minimize the military funding so people could have more food and other facilities.

It made the kingdom thrive with rich harvests, people with full bellies and roofs over their heads without worrying to death about their debt to the monarch. King Eirin obviously hated the idea at first but eventually pulled through when he saw how happy and bright his kingdom was because of his daughter.

Now it was all ruined.

Hoseok watched almost with a glare as Namjoon relaxes on the throne, kissing the back of Minnie’s hand and leaning in to whisper something. Eyes flicker over to Yoongi and find him averting his gaze to the door. “You need to be careful, Namjoon.” He interrupts his little flirting.

Namjoon narrows his gaze, lips still hovering over Minnie’s skin. “Why is that?”

“If you keep drastically changing rules then the people will start revolting.”

“They love their princess but I’m sure it’s not enough to revolt.” Namjoon scoffed.

“Love can be a dangerous tool.” Hoseok looked over at Yoongi who now had his eyes completely locked on Minnie. “Don’t underestimate it.”

Brows furrowed, the king stared up at his friend. “Since when do you have such high regard for love?”

Hoseok sees Rosyne’s smile in the screen of his mind despite trying to push it down. It was useless though. Despite their slight tension, Namjoon knew him well. Far too well. He noticed the other male’s expression soften into one of recognition.

Namjoon breathes out a chuckle, leaning back on his chair. “Who’d have thought? The man who wouldn’t even blink after killing.”

“I killed for you.” He tastes something sour on his tongue causing him to grimace lightly. “Not for myself.”

“And yet you doubt my ability to run this kingdom?”

Hoseok shakes his head. “I never once doubted you. But I’m still concerned.” He looks down at the male who has his head turned to his side to listen. “One bad move always leads to another.”

Namjoon takes a breath to reply but the double doors open, breaking through their thick tension. A burst of lilac and black step into the throne room. “Lady Rosyne…”

Rosyne notices Kikus’ light sigh from the corner of her eye at Namjoons’ address. If she couldn’t control her emotions then Rosyne had no chance. But she tries anyway. “I would like to offer a plead on behalf of the kingdom.” The double doors close gently behind her before the room fades into silence.

“What is it?” Namjoon waves his hand, allowing her to continue.

“The taxes. Why have you have raised them?”

“You handed me this kingdom for protection…” He gives a small, forced smile. “…military is your first line of defense.”

“My military—”

“My military…” Namjoon corrects.

“Your military is strong enough as it is.” Rosyne maintains her calm tone though her fingers trembles as the seconds go by. “The taxes were there to ensure stability so that the farmers could pay within due time.”

“Well it’s not enough to strength the military further.”

“We have an abundant amount of funds in the vaults, I’m sure you can spare some.”

“And risk a drop in our funds?” Namjoon winces slightly.

“That is what military does.”

“With all due respect, my lady…” He leans forward, resting his elbows on the armchairs. “You don’t have any fighting experience, nor any time on the battlefield. I’m afraid you can’t have a say in what military can and cannot do.”

Hoseok tightened his jaw, shooting glares to the back of Namjoons’ head. Somehow it angers him more seeing how patient and calm Rosyne looks. Not at her but him. This kingdom deserved her. She deserved so much better.

“I have experience in running a large kingdom…with all due respect, longer than you have.”

“And yet I’m here sitting on your throne.”

The room rushed with icy cold air, so harsh it makes all of them shiver except for Kiku and Rosyne who stand still and calm. Hoseok could have sworn he saw the sun disappear for a few moments. Their breaths coming out in steam.

“Kiku…” Rosyne whispers, immediately holding onto the physicians’ hand.

In seconds, Kiku let out a deep breath and the room brightened with the sun again and the people meet the comfortable warmth of the day.

Namjoons’ breathing now sounds shaky and a little ragged almost as if he was fearful. “Alright, I’ll lower the taxes…” Maybe he was. “…on one condition.”

“What condition?” Rosyne asks, hand tightening around Kikus’ to keep her calm.

“I want you to take a ride around town…” Namjoon has a careful gaze on Kiku but he quickly moves back to Rosyne before his heart feels like freezing. “…ride around town without clothes on.”

“What’re you doing?” Hoseok whispers. His body heats up faster he realizes, nails digging deep into his palms until he almost broke the skin.

“Trying to prove who the monarch really is.” Namjoon replies in a low tone before facing the former Queen again. “Do I have a deal?”

Rosyne has her hand so tight around Kiku that she could feel ice from the physicians’ veins shooting up inside her. “Will you lower the taxes?”

Namjoon attempts to give a kind smile but it all comes to be malicious and mocking. “I’m a lot of terrible things but I keep my word.”

“Then I’ll do it.” Rosyne must have been hurting Kikus’ skin at this point but at least she could feel her trying to keep it down. Light rushes of ice shoots up her arm.

“No…” Hoseok speaks in such a meek tone. “Namjoon…brother, please…”

“Thank you for your cooperation.” Namjoon ignores before sitting back on the stolen throne again with an air accomplishment and relaxation.

*****

It all happened so quickly that Rosyne feels her head spinning when they ran towards the King’s chambers after the news. Even as she sat down next to the bed, eyes actively avoiding the blood soaked bandages, her head kept throbbing incessantly. This was too soon. It’s happening too soon. “Father…” Her voice shakes.

“I’m alright.” His father chuckles albeit with a wheeze in his breath. “I’m alright, sweetheart.”

Standing at the corner of the room, hair in a mess and her arms aching, Kiku feels somewhat comfortable looking at the King in this manner. To the eyes of the world, he was ruthless and cunning. Only to the eyes of his daughter the man softened, reminding her that love showed itself in so many strange and different ways.

“You’re not alright.” Rosynes’ lips quiver. “We both know that.”

Eirin’s smile fades for a moment but he pulls it back again. “This—was going to happen eventually.”

“Not if you didn’t go to that hunt.”

“I couldn’t just lie and wait for it to happen, my dear.”

Rosyne hangs her head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t say sorry.” He taps her chin to make her look at him again. “Never apologize for your kindness. A lot of people like telling kind people that they’re weak or unworthy. Let them think it…but always remind them who the true ruler is.” Eirin notices the inhibition still glinting in his daughter’s eyes but finds comfort when she nods.

The King then turns to the left and gives a soft smile to his youngest daughter, Gaia. “You, my child, are going to destroy so many powerful people one day.” He muses.

His comment earns a small, sad chuckle from Gaia. Her cheeks still so flushed, eyes brighter than ever and full of youth despite the things she has seen and done.

“You will protect your older sister, won’t you?”

Immediately Gaia nods. “To the death, I promise.”

Rosyne doesn’t look all too happy about that promise but she stays quiet nonetheless.

“Now…” Eirin grunts a little. “…you girls go off.” He waves his hand weakly, smiling at the both of them. “Get some rest while I rest my eyes as well.”

They both knew what that meant. As much as it would be relieving to protest till their lungs ripped apart, there was no defying the force taking their father.

Gaia gets up first, walking over to Rosynes’ side and gently holding her arm. “Come on.” Her voice was deep but still comforting.

Rosyne pushed herself back to her feet before following the two girls outside of the Kings’ chambers.

“I’ll go check on the patrol. Make sure you get some sleep, okay?” Gaia rubbed her sisters’ shoulder, a light dullness to her gaze. The youngest always tried to keep herself contained with work whenever something went wrong.

Rosyne wonders how distant she would become once the news was confirmed.

As Gaia walked away, Kiku searches Rosynes’ expression. Much to her distress she could only see fear and pain. Some part of her selfishly felt relieved that she couldn’t look into her eyes. She feared of what they might tell her. As if the Physician didn’t already know. “You didn’t tell him.”

“I couldn’t.” Rosyne whispers. “I don’t know why it’s so hard.” Maybe she didn’t want to believe it. Maybe dragging out the news helped her believe that she had more time.

“What about Hoseok? Have you told him yet?”

Rosyne shakes her head. “What’s wrong with me, Kiku?”

“If the secret gets out at the time of the King’s death, you’ll be dead.” Kiku replies simply. “Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re doing exactly what a lot of Queens should’ve done in the past.” She takes a few steps forward and places a hand on her shoulder. “But you have to tell him. If no one else, he still needs to know.”

“I know…” Rosyne mutters weakly. “Once—” She swallows the lump in her throat. “Once the funeral is done…” Her voice dwindled in such a weak whisper as if she didn’t want to make it too real by saying it out loud. “…I’ll tell him.”

*****

“Your Majesty…” Kikus’ voice calm, deathly steady voice rung into the room. Even when the council looked so much different they paused whatever they were doing to look over at the woman coming to stand in the center.

Hoseok knew they could all feel it too. That sense of chill and dread running down their spine when they faced the mysterious Royal Physician. Even as Namjoon took power, it seemed like his friend wanted to actively avoid interacting with her. Right now as well the new king tried to avoid looking into her eyes.

“Yes, Kiku?” Namjoon sounds…so kind.

Fear does that to people.

Kiku leaves a small pause for the council to really drown themselves in the feeling of dread. It even smelled like fear. If fear smelled like fresh snow. “To prevent any sudden surprise during —” The room could have turned to ice as the cold grows thick around them. “—the ride to town. I would like to inform you that the Queen is with child. Of seven months.”

Hoseok always hated how casual she was with news. Maybe it wasn’t being casual. Rosyne told him the things Kiku went through growing up. ‘People do horrible things to people they can’t understand…we’re similar that way.’ To this day he hated that conversation. No one understands the fear and dread that Kiku radiated because of the dark secrets she has in her head while no one understands the goodness and selflessness in Rosyne’s heart.

People do horrible things to people they can’t understand. He was one of them, wasn’t he? Just like Namjoon.

The thought running in his head managed to distract him for a time until a heavy heat settles in his gut masking the chill. No. No, please.

Hoseok knew Rosyne was sick for a time; vomiting, eating berries with bread and craving meat when she hated it before.

“She doesn’t look any different to me.” Namjoon asks with furrowed brows.

“The day I discovered her pregnancy, she asked me to use an illusion enchantment to hide it once it starts to show.” Kikus’ expression didn’t change nor did the cold in the room. “Though I told her to stop so the physical symptoms will start coming back.”

God…he’s so fucking stupid. Hoseok should have known.

“Well thank you for the information—” Namjoon leans back on the throne. “But the Queen has agreed.”

Hoseoks’ head shoots to look at Namjoon, forehead knitted and the burn in his gut now directed into something else. “Namjoon—”

“A deal is a deal, Hoseok.”

Hoseok tried to glance at Yoongi for some kind of silent help and even he knew, this was wrong. The way the older male’s brows furrowed and lips parted almost as if he was trying to hiss. Even Yoongi knew this was very wrong.

Minnie looked…absolutely livid. Eyes almost reddening as her fingers tremble causing her to grip onto the arms of the chair. “You need to call it off.” The queen speaks this time breaking through the tense silence.

“My love, some compromises need to be made. I can’t just give her what she asks all the time, it makes me look weak.” Namjoon, as always, softens his voice when he speaks to his beloved.

“All she’s asking is for the taxes to be lowered.” Minnie mutters in disbelief of her husband. “Your kingdom will not be harmed by that.”

“General!” Namjoons’ voice booms across the room causing Minnie to flinch a little.

A man dressed almost rusting armor and skin glistening in sweat scuttles over to the area and bows down to Namjoon. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Oh? Oh okay. Hoseok’s brows furrowed but he stayed silent.

“Does the military need more funding?” Namjoon asks.

“Y-Yes, it does, Your Majesty.”

“What will happen if it’s not funded?”

“Then we will run out of weapons a-and armor.” The ‘General’ looks around frantically at everyone in the room, teeth clattering a little while he recited something out of a script. “And the k-kingdom will be vulnerable.”

“Thank you, General.”

The sweaty man bows again, with a proud smile on his face before stepping back. Jimin quickly steps away from him and closer to Yoongi with an annoyed grimace.

“You’re asking a pregnant woman who never did anything wrong to you, to strip naked and ride around town in her condition.” Minnies’ voice shakes with anger. “You’re not a King, you’re a fucking tyrant. And it’s going to bite you back soon enough.”

Namjoon kept his gaze on the woman before facing Kiku again. “The deal will go as planned.”

Hoseok expected Kiku to say something. Do something. This was wrong.

It was different, the way she looked at Namjoon. Like she already knew how to destroy him from the inside and out.

Though when Kiku looked over at Hoseok, his heart stopped beating for a moment.

The chill was gone and all he feels is this intense heat from his toes to his head, burning his insides until he lost all the air in his lungs. Shit, Hoseok could feel it ripping him apart.

Kiku was furious. Her expression didn’t change much but her eyes screamed only one thing right at him.

This is your doing.

next chap >>

#hoseok #thebtswritersclub #hoseok fanfic #hoseok imagines #bts imagines #bts fanfic #bts royal au #hoseok royal au #hoseok smut #bts smut

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fabdante · 3 years

Text

Ok, last one. The Kat and Artemisia post. Incase you missed them, this is part of a trio of posts on Baroque art and the DmC reboot trio and a separate post on the DmC reboot and the Baroque as an art movement.

The other posts if you want to check them out: Dante and Caravaggio, Vergil and Benini, DmC and the Baroque

Today for the final installment in this little mini series, we’ll be discussing the artist who won the Baroque, Artemisia Gentileschi, and her painting Judith Slaying Holofernes, featured below.

Analysis of this painting, why it’s such a bop, Kat, and the devil may cry reboot below the cut!

Content Warning: discussion of abuse as it relates to Kat.

I guess we start with the beginning and the beginning is who Judith is.

Judith is a biblical character. Upon impending invasion, she is unsatisfied with the response of her people and decides to infiltrate the enemy camp with her maid, intent to stop the enemy army. After gaining the trust of the people there, she eventually seduces general Holofernes and is invited to his tent. Then she beheads him with what I am left to assume is his sword. I suppose given the painting that part’s a little spoiled.

A lot of paintings focus on the beheading or Judith posing with the decapitated head in victory. But a lot of them don’t have the impact of Artemisias, as seen above.

Judith, as painted by Artemisia, is full of rage. She is not serene or delicate. She is not posing or unsure. She is angry, certain, and out for blood. Everything in her expression and her movements is full of force and intent. It’s the little details like his hair between her knuckles from where she’s gripping it and the forceful twist of her wrist on his sword that she’s taken. To her rolled sleeves in her incredibly fancy dress. And it’s not afraid to be gory to. Perhaps this is tame by modern standards of blood and gore but for the time it’s very bloody and violent. Supposedly the violence was too much for the first owner who kept it hidden for some time (allegedly). I think it’s important that while the focus is Judith doing the act, her maid is not passive in the violence. She’s holding him down with just as much force as Judith. And unwavering to, despite how we can see how Holofernes was trying to throw her off before he died, his hands still limply in the air. The maids full of as much determination as Judith is. Judith’s dressed up for this to, in a fine gown with her hair done up. This is likely part of the ruse Judith set up before she got Holofernes alone, but I like the detail none the less. That she’s dressed up for this murder.

The key to why this painting fits Kat so much to me is how it is not only full of anger and femininity and violence but how in Artemisias hands, the image feels like a bloody catharsis. There’s something personal in Judith's glare, in her rage. Something kind of interesting to in how she’s forced Holofernes to look away from her, like he hasn’t earned the right to see her victory even if by this point he is surely dead (I mean, the sword is nearly through his neck). Or like she doesn’t want to look at him at all, like he’s not worth looking at.

Likewise, for Kat, hunting demons is personal. The Order is personal. Why she’s here doing this is personal.

It’s personal because Kat killed her abusive foster father. I don’t think how impressive this is truly gets conveyed. It’s almost a throw away statement. It’s just that one line, ‘I killed the bastard’, and that’s that. Like it was easy or something. In the reboot universe, though, she’s not even in the same dimension as her foster father. We don’t get a lot of information about how much a demons human form impacts their demon form. We are told Mundus is fused to his human form, but we’re also told this is because he’s been in it so long and also there’s the matter of his relationship to the hell gate. We’re not even told how long he’s been in this form. Has it been years, decades, centuries? How long is so long that it led to this fusion? So, I don’t think we can base the average demon to this. As far as we know in canon, it’s Kat against a being in another dimension. A dimension she cannot engage with physically and to which he can escape to at any time.

And yet she kills him anyway.

She is the only human we know of in canon who’s done this, to. To be fair, she is the only human mentioned at all in the reboot canon but by how Dante positions himself as human savior and by how certain Vergil seems to be that humans cannot take care of themselves, this must be rare.

I cannot express enough how important it is that Kat is the one who kills him to. It’s not Vergil. She doesn’t say it was Vergil. It’s also not her and Vergil, she doesn’t say that either, she doesn’t say ‘we killed the bastard’. Kat says explicitly that she killed him, ‘I killed the bastard’. It’s Kats kill. No matter how much Vergil helped her, she did it. She killed her abuser despite the odds against her.

I can’t imagine the sort of catharsis Kat must have felt in that moment. We don’t know how she killed him, she never says. The greatest crime of the comics, in my opinion, are how they take this kill away from Kat and give it to Vergil instead. Which means no further elaboration there on what went down. But I can imagine her in that moment after, unsure how to feel with the rush of adrenaline and power and newfound safety. She’s done it. She’s done something she must have thought was impossible. And she tells us in game how this made her feel emboldened to handle the rest of demon kind. She doesn’t tell us in that many words, I suppose, but she says that she wants to deal with them all because she killed her foster father.

To Kat, this is personal. To Kat, mankind is something worth saving that she is willing to do everything to save. We don’t see her violence in game, but we know she’s willing to kill for this freedom. We know she’s willing to die for it to, given the aftermath of the Orders fall. It’s personal. And Kat sees it as something far bigger then her.

Often Kat I think is written off as someone who is naïve and weak and in need of saving. I’ve complained at length how I feel about her being called naïve. In game we see a very interesting, complex person in Kat I think. I’ve said before that it’s kind of fun to just watch her in scenes. Like really watch her. She has very deliberate body language that often betrays this calm she’s fighting to display, particularly around Dante for the first half of the game or so. It’s little things like how she physically contains herself after the ‘I like it rough’ comment, shutting her eyes and taking in a deep breath, but things that are there. She’s someone who, despite everything, is fighting to be a softer, kinder person even if she’s still got a lot of anger (Vergil does compare her and Dante, after all).

And being soft and kind does not make someone weak. Existing in a world where you are at a disadvantage to the things that aim to hurt you is not weak. Entering into your enemies tent armed with nothing but an elaborate gown and your anger, waiting until you spot a sword and an opportunity is not weak either.

I think something about Kat that is so often forgotten in the drama of the twins and everything else (because lets face it, no matter the media, female characters tend to get side lined for...everything else really), is without her the twins would have failed. It’s Kat who gets Dante and safely brings him to the Order. It’s Kat’s spells that bridge the human world to Limbo. It’s Kat who saves Vergil in the server room by way of bringing Dante to him. It’s Kat who ultimately gives the twins the final plan to get to Mundus. It was her. Dante says so at the end, to. The game recognizes that without Kat, the boys have nothing. And it's still Kat at the end who saves Vergil, and saves Dante from the guilt of killing him.

With Kat taking so much into her own hands despite her disadvantage, despite just being human, despite her softness, despite this rage boiling under her skin (or perhaps because of it), she is so much of why the world is free from demons.

I mean Artemisia herself got that treatment, largely left out of artistic canon until very recently despite her success during her time. I also debated for a very, very long time across the many, many iteration of this essay on how much I talk about Artemisia’s personal life. I suppose if you made it this far you’ve seen that I’ve chosen not to, despite how it could be relevant to this discussion. But I think her work stands on it’s own without me having to justify the anger Artemisia may have personally felt and conveyed here without bringing up her personal life in depth. Though, if you want to know, I assure you that pretty much any information you look up on Artemisia will go into detail on her personal traumas and how that might impact her work. And it could definitely be relevant angle in discussing Kat and Artemisia, I just felt it overall did not add to this essay.

I often wonder, if she was in a different game or a different medium or a different story, if Kat might get more love. So often she’s called weak for the crime of not having a big weapon and a trail of dead demons behind her. So often she’s reduced to a love interest or a damsel despite how she is really the thing that saved the day, despite the fact her relationship with both twins is much more then ‘potential love interest’. And how many times have you guys seen a post on your dash about wishing a character picked to enact revenge on an abuser? How they fought to be soft despite their trauma and pain? But I suppose, as is often the case with women in any story, she might have gotten this treatment anyway.

So, here’s to Kat. The brain cell, the Nephilim baby sitter, the girl who wanted to throw Vergil off a cliff, the hero Limbo city got who will never get enough credit, and forever the girl who deserved more.

Those of us who love you will love you enough for the whole fandom, it’s alright.

#dmc devil may cry #dmc reboot #devil may cry reboot #dmc kat #devil may cry kat #kat devil may cry #kat dmc #dmc: devil may cry #devil may cry reboot kat #tw decapitation #fab talks meta

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skellebonez · 3 years

Text

Stop Lying To Me (Monkie Kid Cursed AU fanfic)

I was super inspired by @winterpower98 's Cursed AU and the fanart @kitkat1003 did for it soooo... I kinda wrote my own interpretation of this revelatory scene in an anon and now I am rewriting it here as a fic. I'm going off all the info in the masterpost and the hints in tags combined with my own flair so I'm probably off in places, but hey I had fun writing it and I hope you all have fun reading it and that's what counts! (also I have never posted fanfic to Tumblr before so if the formatting is off I apologize.)

Warnings: mild but vague depictions of some nasty injuries. And angst.

EDIT: I forgot to add the Read More! I fixed that!

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

"You LIED to us."

Macaque looked up, eyes wide at the amount of venom that should not have been held in that voice. "Kid I-"

"You LIED TO US!" MK yelled, words tapering off with a disbelieving laugh as his tail swiped the air violently behind him. "You lied to Monkey King, to- to ME! You used me! Again! ... you used me again..."

Oh. He didn't realize his chest could hurt as much as it did when he heard that. That second again, soft but somehow like breaking porcelain against a hard surface. Macaque didn't realize he could hurt like that. He watched as MK slid down to sit on the ground, turning away from him to check on the still resting Monkey King. "Kid..."

"Was this your plan the whole time?" MK refused to turn, busying himself with checking on his mentor's injuries, injuries he was now fully aware were caused by his own claws thanks to Macaque's confession. "Pull a harmless 'prank', come up with an excuse to get us all away from everyone, pretend to start coming around, make me think you actually liked me this time?" He turned, teeth bared in a half smile half grimace. "Wait for me to start losing control so I could do the dirty work of getting revenge against Sun Wukong for you? What did you tell me last time? 'You are the weapon'? Is this what you wanted? A weapon!?"

There it was again, that pain in his chest. Macaque looked away, unable to keep eye contact with the kid. Not when he could see the shimmer of moisture starting at the corner of his eyes. Heaven, he was going soft! When had he started going soft? "It... I wanted..." Why were the words so hard now? Words were never hard before, he could let them flow like sweet honey at any time he pleased but now they stuck on his tongue like tar. "... yes."

A confirmation. The silence between them was thick, and from the edge of his vision he could see the tears as they finally started to roll down MK's face. "I thought you could change, Macaque."

"I am changing!" Macaque insisted, turning back to look at the younger with what he hoped with a gentle smile. "Yes, I had a plan originally, but it's changed! I don't want that anymore!" He took a step forward, not missing the flinch back and the way the kid curled into himself. When MK said nothing he took another step forward, slower this time, and another. "I'm going to stop this, WE are going to stop this, you won't be a weap-"

"Stop lying to me!" He had messed up. Gotten too close, too fast, pushed too far. When he reached for MK the kid swiped instinctively and his claws made contact, just barely, slicing into the side of Macaque's neck as he made to dodge just a bit too late in shock. Everything froze for a moment.

"I..." MK's eyes widened in horror as he looked at Mac's neck, then his hand. "No, I. I didn't. I didn't mean to. To hurt. I." His eyes flooded more red and as he looked to Macaque his breathing grew faster. He let out a sob. Then a yell. Then a scream.

"Shit!" Macaque took a quick few steps backward before stopping and going forward again, holding his hands up in front of him. "MK, MK listen to me please. You have to calm down ok? You just recovered from the last time, your body cannot handle another transformation without you being hurt!"

A step forward, a step back, scream growing strained and more red but this time from the lengthening claws digging into MK's own arms. The kid was trying to fight it, he could tell, but Macaque had messed up too much. He knew about the plan, that he had hurt Wukong, that he had been manipulated. He didn't know everything but he knew enough. And Mac knew MK wouldn't be able to stop it, even as tempered by exhaustion as it was.

So he did the only thing he could think of that wouldn't hurt him. He leapt forward and held MK. Knelt on the ground and wrapped the kid in his arms as tight as he could. The kid fought harder, both at the transformation and at the hold, grabbing Macaque's arms to pull them away and slicing his sleeves to ribbons and grabbing at his back when he failed.

Macaque did not let go. Not when those claws ripped through his clothes and drew more and more blood, not when MK smashed his forehead into his mouth and split his lip, not when the kid twisted and grabbed his arm and widened his own mouth and BIT, hard and furious and tearing into his bicep down to the bone. Not when the power radiating off the kid scared him more than he would ever admit. Macaque did not let go.

"I'm not lying kid," he whispered. "Not anymore."

Eventually, too long for comfort, MK stopped fighting. It was like a switch was flipped. One second he was fighting and then next he just. Stopped. Had he not been breathing so hard Macaque would have sworn he has simply ceased entirely.

They stayed like that for a moment, Macaque getting his own unsteady breathing under control before he gently maneuvered the kid to pick him up. He walked them back to where Wukong was fitfully resting, no doubt disturbed by the recent events, ignoring how his back was rapidly growing warm (but somehow cold) and wet and how one arm shook with effort it should not have needed. "You're gonna be ok Kid. You're gonna be ok. I promise."

"N.." So he wasn't completely drained. Yet. "No more... lying...?"

"Yeah. Yeah, no lying," Macaque said as he laid MK down, wincing as he turned in such a way that the worst of his injuries would be hidden away, if the kid was aware enough to see them that is. "Not about this, not anymore. I promise. Get some rest kid, you're gonna need it."

MK let out a halfhearted chuckle, nodding his head. "K. I... I won't. Give up on you yet." And with that he finally passed out.

Mac sat and watched, afraid to move lest the kid just suddenly transform. But he didn't. He rested and Macaque knew he had a lot to fix. He had gotten attached. Damn it all but he got attached to the kid.

That was the last thought he had as his body finally gave out, sending him sideways into the dirt. He thought he heard a yell, a voice more familiar to him than MK's, angry and scared sounding. Why was it scared? He was the Six Eared Macaque. He would be fine, he always was.

Even if that was potentially another lie.

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #mk #macaque #six eared macaque #sun wukong #monkey king #fanfic #fanfiction #mabel voice: he's resting #cursed au #this is probably ooc but I can fix that in later works I guess

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jinxxedwammys · 3 years

Note

Ok hear me out. I’ve listened to “Sway with me (slowed)” by Cytus II and I have this whole imagine of the reader at a masquerade ball as an undercover agent, and as The Wammy Bois (preferably L or Near) S/O or crush. Well the situation turns for the worst and L (or near) rushes out into the party (he was originally watching on cams) to get a hold of the situation to either like confront the Bad Guy or just protect the reader. Idk I think about it when I listen to the song. Love your writing btw

Aww thanks anon, I'm glad you like my writing! And damn, I like this one a lot! This calls for a fic. Thanks for requesting! (Not me accidentally making this somewhat like that ball scene in Black Butler.. oof)

For this I chose L and decided not to do Near, I hope that's okay.

Warnings: Mentions of human trafficking, Main antagonist being a creep, daggers.

(Image from some wallpaper site and very lightly and badly edited with befunky)

The night was young, the sun had only just set below the horizon plunging the city into darkness. At 8PM this night there was a masquerade ball at a very wealthy businessman's mansion. As all the high society guests exited their limousines and luxury cars escorted by servants you stood staring at the lavish mansion.

"I feel so out of place here... Do I really blend in enough?" You quietly asked Watari who stood beside you as your "servant". You shifted uncomfortably and looked to him for an answer.

"Yes, of course you do. You fit in very well. Please do not worry, I'm sure you will be alright in there." He bowed before reentering the drivers seat of the vehicle you'd arrived in. You took a deep breath before carefully ascending the marble stairs leading to he door. Before you could be noticed by anyone in particular, you placed the earpiece you had been provided in your ear disguising it with your hair.

Unlike the other guests, tonight wasn't about enjoyment or entertainment for you. You were assisting with an investigation into one of the high class men attending this party known as Daniel Grant. He had been suspected of human trafficking, though it seems he had been doing more than just that. A recent investigation by the private investigator known only to the public as L suggested that he may potentially be behind multiple murders in the area. As it happens, you were the lynchpin in solving this case and getting the evidence needed to put Daniel Grant and all involved behind bars.

He seemed to target young people between the ages of 18 and 25. As it happens, you were perfect for that role. You were also a police officer. So only two weeks ago, you had been asked to assist the one and only L. Of course, when he contacted you, you were overjoyed. Finally, something more interesting than petty crime! But now, as you entered the lavish mansion you were far less confident than you were when you initially joined.

You knew L was watching the camera feeds from the CCTV system, but it still didn't calm your nerves. You nervously approached the table where the guest sign in book was placed, carefully signing your alias. Then you made your way to the ballroom where the party was held. You took a deep breath and adjusted your mask before entering into the room.

Inside, everyone was chatting amongst themselves every single person dressed very formally, women in beautiful ballgowns, men in fancy suits. Every single one wore a masquerade mask, some plain and simple, some adorned with gemstones, lace and other ornate designs. Everyone went silent when one man tapped his glass with a fork.

"Hello everyone, I'd like to thank you for attending tonight. Thank you all for celebrating my niece's 20th birthday with us" He motioned to a young girl blonde girl wearing a dark pink dress with a black lace mask. Everyone gave a short applause in response. "Please enjoy yourselves" He bowed slightly. You hadn't known this was a birthday party beforehand. You wondered what Daniel Grant had to do with this girl. About 20 minutes into the party, you decided to check in with L as you hadn't heard a thing from him since you arrived. You excused yourself to the bathroom.

"L are you listening?" You asked quietly and waited for a response.

"Yes, I am, is anything wrong?" He asked. You shook your head before you realized he couldn't see you right now, there were no cameras in the bathroom.

"N..No, I haven't seen Daniel yet either... I was just making sure you were there." you hurriedly replied.

"Mmh, I'll guide you to him if you would like, I can see him on the cameras." He replied clearly eating something.

"Okay, please do!" You left the bathroom and reentered the ballroom doing your best to hide the fact that you were scanning the room for the suspect. L's voice came over the earpiece again, this time instructing you to look for a woman in an emerald green dress near the center of the room. You entered the crowd of guests. Your eyes widened slightly when you saw the woman L had been talking about. She was in fact talking to Daniel Grant. They seemed to know each other. You stayed back, waiting for L to say something.

"Seems like you found them, stay back for a little while, I'll tell you when to approach" He said. You of course didn't respond since you were surrounded by others in earshot. You casually checked your pockets and approached another guest making small talk to kill time. You had taken your eyes off of him for a second, and the moment you looked back, the niece was talking to him. L seemed to notice as well.

"Daniel is currently talking to an important innocent. Please intervene now." You looked around the room before casually approaching the two.

"Hello, I came to wish you a happy birthday!" You said, sort of putting yourself between them. She nodded, thanking you and went back to talking with Daniel. You sighed in annoyance, but persisted.

"Hey, could you by any chance show me to the washroom? I've been looking for it and I just can't find it" You asked. She looked at Daniel, excusing herself from their conversation before leading you to said washroom.

"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you... Oh.. and I think it would be best if you stayed away from that man." She gave you a quizzical look.

"Why is that? He's one of my mother's friends." She asked. You were kind of shocked. Another detail L had left out. You questioned if he trusted you before ultimately banishing the thought. Of course he trusted you. You wouldn't be the one confronting the guy if he didn't.

"Just trust me, he's no good" You warned. It was clear that she didn't take your words seriously whatsoever. She scoffed and left. Now what? You wondered. And just like that, L's voice came through again.

"I want you to talk to him, try your best to get him away from her." Immediately you left the bathroom and made your way back to the ballroom again. By now, there were a few people dancing. Unfortunately Daniel seemed to be one of them, but you had a plan. Dance your way to him! You started off with a tall man with a purple tie, then to an average height lady in a light blue dress, then a lady with a fuchsia pink dress, and so on until finally, you were dancing with Daniel.

"You're the person who rudely interrupted my lovely conversation with the guest of honor" He observed. His voice was cold, though there was a tinge of intrigue.

"And what of it?" You sort of snapped. He smirked, it sent chills up your spine. You backed away slightly, but he closed the distance.

"Oooh, I like them feisty" He growled into your ear. You couldn't help your face twisting in disgust at that.

"Why don't we go... somewhere more private" He suggested. It was then that L's voice came on through your earpiece.

"Go with him, I want to see what he'll do" You gulped. You really didn't want to go anywhere with that creep. But L's orders... You nodded and Daniel led you upstairs. You both stood in front of a bedroom door. He opened it, directing you to go inside. As you did, his eyes seemed to undress you. It was then that he took out a dagger holding it to your neck.

Meanwhile, L sat in his temporary investigation headquarters observing your actions. He had just stuck a piece of cake in his mouth when you had been attacked. He had not expected Daniel to be armed. You were in grave danger and he knew it. He immediately stood up, the fork clattered to the ground and the plate the cake had been on shattered as it hit the floor. He didn't care.

"Y/N, hang in there, I'll be there soon" he quickly said to you before rushing to get Watari and speed off to the party. The car ride seemed to take forever. Every second of it, he watched and listened. Daniel seemed to be just threatening you for the time being, but at any second, he might just kill you. The very second they arrived, L clumsily jumped out of the car and rushed up the stairs to the manor, past the guards outside and up another flight of stairs to where you were.

L had for the first time in his life, brought a gun in case things got even more ugly, but he doubted he'd need it. Daniel didn't seem like the type to be bold enough to kill in front of another person. Even so, he gripped the gun before entering.

"Let them go!" L commanded. Daniel's head snapped in his direction.

"Get out, this is none of your business" Daniel said, turning back to you.

"It is my business, that happens to by my significant other you have there." You blinked. Significant other? Is he acting? You thought before mentally reprimanding yourself for thinking that now. L moved a little closer.

"Oh.... She is... I'm sorry" Daniel backed away. It was kind of comical how he looked like a scolded dog. You stood up and walked towards L, glancing back a few times at Daniel to ensure he wasn't going to get violent again. And without another word, L led you out of the manor to safety. Though there was one question burning in your chest. When you were safely in the car you decided to voice it.

"L... Do you actually like me?" L turned to you, his expression was completely unreadable.

"Yes" He said almost monotonously. But that was good enough for you.

#death note #death note x reader #l lawliet #l lawliet x reader #short story

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yourfandomfriend · 3 years

Text

Hazard: Chapter Two

Has this been driving anyone nuts for nearly thirty years?

youtube

For those unfamiliar with “Hazard,” in the early ‘90s, Richard Marx took a break from straight-forward love songs to spin us a murder mystery -- a beautiful girl ends up at the bottom of a river and everyone thinks it’s this weird guy with a wig-like mullet -- we’ll call him Spooky Richard -- that’s done her in.

Richard decides to start the story when he was a kid, having just moved to Hazard and everyone jumping to the conclusion that he’s a basket case. For some reason.

“Even then, the folks in town said with prejudiced eyes, ‘that’s boy’s not right’.“

There were apparently “rumors and lies” about Richard that only his close friend (lover? crush? hag?) Mary was able to see past, and the video ends with ADR of her saying people told her that she should be scared of him, but she wasn’t.

And the creeping feeling you get up your spine watching the video tells you, perhaps she should’ve been? See, Mary goes missing. They drag the river, find her corpse, and then the local cops are all over Richard because of, well...

The whole case hinges on this sketchy scene where Richard was walking through the fuck-part of the woods and saw Mary in a car, giving it with love to a guy who also had a wig-like mullet.

Mary’s visibly upset to have Richard see her in flagrante delicto with hairy boy.

And right then, the cops drive up and scare Richard off -- he loses his white scarf in the bushes. Later, when Mary’s pulled out of the river, they find the same scarf tied around her neck. Clue?

Meanwhile, we see the local Sheriff had been taking pictures of Richard and Mary together, watching them, following Mary around, and when her body is found, he immediately assumes Richard killed her.

The cops ultimately let him go, but while he’s in police custody, the locals burn his mobile home down anyway.

So he throws his mullet away and leaves Hazard for good!

But that’s not all. There’s all these flashbacks in the video with Richard as a child living with his mother. His dad left her for another woman and sometime later, Richard catches her with a... wig-squatch?

Some guy with a lot of hair. A wig-fire breaks out at that same moment and Richard runs for it. There’s also shots of him crying, surrounded by men, who he seems to run away from.

But there’s also this symbolic transition, between the shot of him as a child running, sad and alone, to the moment he meets Mary as an adult.

With all the Mary scenes cutting between the scenes with Richard’s mother, it looks like Richard not only feels a strong connection between Mary and his mother, but that he might’ve killed them both out of some twisted feeling of betrayal. Is he really violent and unhinged? Did Richard really kill Mary?

No.

Or did he!?

He didn’t.

Okay, but what really happened, then? What was the nature of his relationship with Mary? And what was that creepy Sheriff up to?

Something, right? Well, we never find out for sure, because Richard Marx can apparently keep a secret like a mother-fucker.

But the last time I checked, people in the YouTube comments section seem confident: Mary and Richard were lovers, the Sheriff was obsessed with Mary and he was jealous, so the Sheriff killed Mary and framed Richard.

But if the sheriff was framing him, then why let him go in the end? Was he just really bad at it? And if Mary loved Richard so much, why was she banging that hair-don’t in the woods. And why wasn’t the Sheriff targeting that guy instead of Richard? And what’s all that got to do with Richard's hot mom banging an improbably unrelated hair-don’t and (seemingly) dying in fire?

Comments section doesn’t care. They know it was the Sheriff, so none of that stuff is important. Hell, some people don’t even think that stuff happened. And since Richard sees dead women standing on the surface tension of the river like water striders, we don’t even know what’s real and what’s just symbolism, right?

Welp, what the comments section largely doesn’t know is that Marx put out two videos, the second chapter having different clips, different clues, and it paints a slightly different picture of both the suspects and the victim.

You can watch it here.

So... that’s a little different, isn’t it? Let’s compare both videos and comb over some clues: 1.) Who really killed Mary?

You’d think I’d save this conclusion for the, well, conclusion, but it’s really the most obvious thing about the second chapter. Here are the clues:

a.) Mary’s death was ultimately declared a suicide.

Uhhh. Okay, but-.

b.) According to the unnamed cop present for Richard’s interrogation, there was seemingly no evidence of foul play -- no fingerprints, no trauma, nothing found in the river, only a flimsy case being aggressively made by the Sheriff that wasn’t even enough to hold Richard with.

Right, but what if-.

c.) And there’s a shot of her walking into the river by herself that night.

Ah.

And over the cop’s VO of the word “suicide,” there’s a shot of something that happened sometime before Mary’s death: her sitting by the side of the river on a log, looking shell shocked, wrapped in a blanket or big towel, as Richard seems to be trying to console her.

But come on, wasn’t Richard’s scarf tied around Mary’s neck when she died? That’s treated as significant, even if it wasn’t the murder weapon. Like, maybe the Sheriff planted it to frame Richard.

d.) There’s also shots in the video of Mary all alone, crying, with the scarf around her neck. She’s the one who had it before she died, so to the omniscient viewer, it doesn’t help us build a case against jack squat.

Dammit, Sheriff! I agree with Unnamed Cop, this is a bullshit clue.

e.) Finally, the video pointedly lays down new VO lines from Mary:

“You know... sometimes, I feel so confused. You’re like the only person that understands me." “I know this sounds weird,... but... I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you as a friend.“

Okay, fine, that sounds like a motive for suicide to me. But...

2.) What is the nature of their relationship?

a.) In chapter one, we see Richard and Mary are very close. They hang out at the river a lot. Mary is frequently pawing at Richard, holding his hand, tugging his clothes, or pulling him close.

b.) The Sheriff accuses Richard of being jealous that Mary was with another man. Despite all this, Richard insisted to the Sheriff that they weren’t dating.

Now, the assumption by YouTube is that Mary was ashamed because Richard caught her cheating on him. But early in chapter two...

c.) He’s clearly already withholding physically, pulling his hand out of hers -- at no point in either video does he ever infer a romantic intention with Mary or make anything resembling a move on her.

It’s almost as if she wants him as a boyfriend, and the whole town thinks they’re an item, but Richard only loves Mary as a friend. A kind, sympathetic friend who reminds him of his mother. Someone who understands what he’s been through and doesn’t listen to the gossip that been isolating him all these years.

And seeing her with that wig guy might’ve brought back memories of the thing that happened with his mother, too. Maybe this is all a case of Richard looking for someone to fill the void his mother left when she died. But maybe that’s reaching. Oh, if only there was some clue in the song!

“No one understood what I felt for Mary.“ -- Richard

Get it? 'Cause how could the Sheriff assume Richard was in love with her if no one understood that he was in love with her? The lyric isn’t, “no one understood what I felt for Mary, except for the Sheriff, but that’s guy’s like crazy-good at reading body language, I guess that’s why he’s in law enforcement.”

Speaking of which...

3.) What was the Sheriff up to?

It’s really easy to assume this nosy, over-bearing small-town sheriff is up to something terrible. It’s a cliché for a reason. And like I said, it’s not Richard’s fault what happened to Mary, so the Sheriff is wrong to go after him, regardless. He assumes with no real evidence that Richard did it, just because he has a bad vibe and seems dangerous.

But how is that different than us assuming the Sheriff did it? There’s no clues that say he did, no concrete reason to suspect him that would hold up to the slightest scrutiny. Just bad vibes. And those could be explained by him being so prejudiced (and a cop).

And after all, a bunch of locals burned down Richard's trailer while he was in custody, so clearly this isn’t just a case of a jealous man. While it’s not true, the Sheriff had plenty of not-personal reasons to follow Richard around and document his interactions with this girl.

4.) Messing with Sasquatch

Speaking of which, there’s a point I kinda-sorta raised earlier, that I’ve yet to discuss: if Mary loves Richard so much, why is she with this other dude? Well for one, if Richard’s not interested but she’s still wanting a guy in her life, bigfoot will do in a pinch. Kinda like Richard’s mother seeing that guy after her husband left.

But more than that, what we see of Mary’s guy makes him look a bit like Richard. In fact, I briefly wondered if the guy in the photo above was him until I checked it against a matching scene with Richard. They clearly buy their wigs at the same place, so Mary can’t be blamed for taking him for a ride.

5.) The Fire.

This one looks cut and dry. There were precarious candles, the flames we see rose up between he bed and the curtain, not between the curtain and Richard. Accidents happen.

I know, I should probably put more thought into this, but I just can’t seem to. It’s not like the kid was throwing lit matches at the bed.

6.) The Haircut? Really?

This is one I can’t believe is a mystery people were wondering about, but eh. Richard cuts his hair after Mary died. But why? Some article I read once theorized it was to change his appearance, that he was going on the run or laying low, as if he was still a suspect but was allowed, nay, encouraged to skip town at the end of the video.

No. This kind of haircut was an old tradition, a mourning ritual. We see him do it after his mother’s death, too.

Poor guy... he’s not getting back his deposit on that mullet.

I know it’s a weird thing to still be thinking about after all these years, but I can’t help it. Something about an unsolved mystery, it haunts the brain. And not knowing for sure who killed Mary gives me this weird, creeping feeling. Almost like... she’s still somehow in danger. Like something has to be done.

That’s very effective storytelling for the “Right Here Waiting” guy.

#hazard #richard marx #long post #sorry mutuals lol #you knew i was like this before you married me #meta

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soulwillower · 4 years

Text

tozier • ben hanscom

(ben hanscom x tozier!reader smut)

requested: okay so once regular requests open, here's my idea. so the reader and richie are siblings and they absolutely hate each other and to get under his sisters skin, he fucks her best friend. so in sheer anger she decides to fuck all of his

warnings: swearing, smut, unedited bc im a lazy asshole

ok guys here’s part one of the new series! i’ll probably have to go back in and edit some stuff n probably change the name but lmk what u guys think and what u wanna see for the next parts :)

[losers and reader are in college in this.]

2.8k words

♡

you know richie pretty well, if you say so yourself. hell, you grew up with him - you've known him your whole entire life and even now, as 19 and 20 year olds, you're still at each other’s throats constantly.

naturally, growing up with richie as your brother was full of ups and downs - like the time that you were still a baby in your crib and he'd curiously wandered into your nursery and twisted your finger, causing it to break. or, that time when you two got into a fight over who took the last of the ice cream in the freezer and didn't speak to each other for almost three whole days.

but there were really good times, too - like when richie picked you up after your disastrous senior prom night and drank vodka with you in the back of his pickup truck while you threw rocks at the creepy house on neibolt street. or the time where you bought him a new pair of glasses so your parents wouldn't kill him for breaking them and he bought you ice cream for a month as a thank you.

richie was the most frustrating, annoying, rude, arrogant older brother, and yet even when you were away at separate colleges, you talked on the phone almost every night.

you share one of those really, really competitive relationships - a lot of it, you’ve realized, stems from your parents constantly pitting you two against each other to vie for their attention and praise. but no matter, you still hated richie most of the time and he hated you just as much.

but right now, you might fucking murder him.

you have so much hatred for him as you storm down your stairs, phone clutched violently in your palm as you stalk into the basement, hollering, "richard!" at the top of your lungs. it's a hot august afternoon and you've just come back from the pool with your best friend, now filled to the brim with white hot rage for your brother.

when you'd been at the pool, cecily, your best friend, had stretched her neck and you'd noticed a hickey (naturally, you'd teased her about it). but when you pried, she got secretive and defensive until it finally slipped out that the boy she'd been with was none other than your gangly, stupid older brother, richie.

you were completely disgusted and beyond addled as to why she'd choose richie, of all people, but more than that you were extremely pissed and stormed off, driving home with knuckles tight against the steering wheel.

and now, as you make it down to the last step of the basement, you're aware that you're still in your bathing suit with shorts thrown haphazardly on top as you storm towards your fuckwit brother.

he and all of the losers he hung out with are down here, sprawled on the large sofas and on the floor in front of the tv. you don't dare break your eye contact with richie as you glare, face heated with anger.

"well hey there, little sis. what's got your knickers in a knot?" he says with a lopsided grin that you just want to punch clean off his face. he's sitting between ben and bill and you turn a little pink as you notice both boys’ eyes on your body. yet you barely think for a second before slapping richie straight across his cheek, hard.

the slap is a sickening sound as it quiets the whole room - you can feel bev's eyes on you, hear eddie's short gasp, and see out of the corner of your eyes as stan turns his head to watch the scene. richie stares at you, hand on his cheek. "what the hell, y/n?" he asks with a glare as he stands up, rising to his full height above you. but you’re not afraid.

"you talk to cecily today?" you ask with feigned sweetness, a sick smile on your face as you cross your arms. richie just blinks at you, mouth opening and closing like the dumbass he is. "how long have you been fucking her?" you ask when he says nothing.

the room bursts in exclamations after your words - from mike's "you didn't." to bill's "what the f-fuck is wrong with you, m-man?" and ben's, "oh my god, dude."

richie just shakes his head, looking way too casual as he places a hand on your shoulder with a grin, "y/n/n, can we talk about this later? we’re trying to watch jeopardy." he smirks, but you immediately shake his arm off, recoiling in frustration as you glare at him. "no, richie! you’ve been fucking my best friend! my ONLY friend!" you ask, shaking your head. “you’re such a shitty person, i fucking hate you. why did you do it?”

as you make eye contact, he sighs almost forlornly, as if he’s about to apologize. but this is richie, so of course he doesn’t. "....she's just so fuckin’ hot." he says with a grin.

you take a sharp breath, rubbing your face with your hands as you back away towards the stairs.

"c'mon, sis! don't be so sensitive." he calls to your back and you can practically hear the nasty grin in his voice. you hear eddie hiss, "quit being a fucking asshole." to your brother and you want to scream. "don't fucking talk to me, richie." you snap as you make it up the stairs, ignoring richie as he laughs his stupid hyena laughter.

you're finally changed out of your suit and into a shirt and shorts by the time you've calmed down enough to take a few deep breaths. a knock makes you jump, though, and you glare at the closed door. as you're about to yell for whoever it is to go away, you're stopped by a voice.

"hey, y/n." ben's voice sounds through the door, and it's almost shocking how quickly your shoulders relax. you smile shyly as you open the door, your heart beating wildly, this time not from anger but out of your proximity to ben.

ben hanscom had been your brother’s friend for a while, and you simply did not understand. all of them are jackasses, richie being the king of the pack, but ben really does seem to be so fucking genuine. maybe it’s because you’ve always had a small thing for him, but then again it may just be because you’re furious with richie.

"hi, ben. sorry i was.... sorry about that." you say awkwardly as he walks into your room and shuts the door gently. he laughs quietly as he leans against your wall, looking down at you knowingly. "it's richie's fault. you have every right to be mad. he’s a dick sometimes"

you nod thoughtfully, touched that ben came to check in on you. "i know he is. you know, i'm not even mad that they had sex, honestly, i’m just mad because i know he did it to piss me off." you say, biting your lip as you stare up at ben, his hair glinting under the soft light of your lamp.

ben nods as he reaches out to rub your shoulder, making your stomach flutter as you look up at him. "if i can be honest, you two have the weirdest relationship i've ever seen, y/n. i'm sorry he did that and didn’t tell you, that's really unfair."

you smile lightly at the floor where your feet point towards his. "well now i have, like, nobody to hang out with this summer." you mumble, thinking about how cecily is really your only friend from derry, and how all your college friends live hundreds of miles away.

you shrug, leaning into ben's touch. "you have me to keep me company, though." he says with a shy grin, cheeks heating up at your smile.

"oh, just you? i like the sound of that." you ask, lifting a brow playfully. he chuckles a bit at your look and it makes your chest flutter.

"yeah, of course you do, y/n." he says as he pulls you into a hug. he's warm and smells like cinnamon cologne and it makes your chest glow sweetly. you pull back only slightly, hands sliding up to his chest as you look into his golden eyes. "ben..." you whisper softly, eyes going down to his lips and then bouncing back up, not wanting to make a move if he's not comfortable with it.

he clearly is thinking the same thing, because you're both moving closer and closer, his hands lightly squeezing your hips as he stares at you with hooded eyes. "yeah?" he asks, just as quietly. you swallow, wanting nothing more than to just close the gap just to see what it'd be like. to have one of richie's friends, for a change.

you don't know how to initiate it, though. "do you want to-"

"yes." he rushes out quickly, apprehension only flashing across his face just after he'd rushed out the answer, in fear that you'd been overwhelmed by his enthusiasm. but it's enough for you, and you grin slightly before pulling him into a kiss.

his lips are hot on yours, your hair still drying from the chlorine at the pool as his fingers tangle in the strands. you moan a bit out of shock, having not kissed anyone in a while and feeling touch starved. his hands are strong and soft in all the best ways and you try not to smirk as you think about your stupid brother sitting in the basement, currently unaware of what you’re about to do with one of his best friends upstairs.

but then, just as your hand slips to the hem of ben’s jeans, he pulls back a bit. “is this a bad idea?” he asks.

you sigh, looking away. “yes.” you say with barely any hesitation. “but i don’t fucking care.” you say honestly, and ben grins, “well, me neither. you’re...” he looks you up and down before smiling. “so fucking pretty.” he ends with and your stomach flutters, face growing hot at the compliment.

"but i don't want to, like.... t-take advantage of this situation, or-" ben starts, but you shake your head, biting your lip as you stare at him. he's so fucking amazing, so caring. he's always been like this - respectful, considerate, and interested in your well being, which really just makes you want him even more.

"no, ben, i... i really want this. if-if you do too." you say honestly, fiddling with your fingers as you watch him through your lashes. he grins as he nods. "you sure?"

you giggle, pulling him towards you by his neck. "yes. are you, ben?" you ask as he leans down closer. "definitely." he whispers against your lips, his breath coming out in a short huff. and then his lips are on yours, pressing strongly and fully as you stumble a bit, grasping him tightly as you kiss back.

he presses you against him, hand at the small of your back as he moves his tongue deftly against your lip, exploring your mouth as you suppress a moan. one moment later, you pull back a bit.

"you're not..." you trail off, and he shakes his head. "no, are you?" he asks, and you also shake your head as you cup his cheek and pull him back in for a kiss. "me neither." you mutter, falling back down onto the mattress, hand blindly fumbling around inside your bedside drawer for your box of condoms.

he's kissing down your neck, his hands palming your breasts softly as you finally pull one out and set it beside you, wrapping your arms back around his neck.

he grinds slowly against you and you let out an embarrassedly loud moan at the friction against your clothed clit. he's already pretty hard and your mind flickers to the basement, how chilly it had been against your skin and how your swimsuit top probably didn't leave much to the imagination as you'd stood right in front of him. it makes you giddy at the thought of ben's eyes on you, his mind drifting to what you'd look like underneath him.

which is where you are right now, as he rolls the condom onto himself and pumps slowly. you kick your shorts and underwear off, aching and dripping with need as he slides between your legs, bracing himself with one arm above you.

"ready?" he asks softly and you let out a strangled whimper as you feel him line up at your entrance, teasing your folds a bit and making your hips buck. "yes." you say, staring deep into his eyes.

ben grasps your hand then, steading both you and him as he eases into you, sinking slowly and letting out a shuddering breath. you let out a small whine at the feeling of ben stretching you out, having been too antsy and not having enough time or patience for foreplay. once he's fully inside you, he kisses your cheek and gives you a few moments to adjust as you breathe into his neck.

and then he starts to move, his hips rolling slowly as he fills you up and hits a perfect spot inside you, your toes curling almost immediately. "oh god, ben." you moan out and that makes his hips move fluidly as he thrusts into you, kissing your neck softly as you whimper in pleasure.

the hand that isn't steadying himself above you holding your hand dances around you; exploring your curves, fingers lightly tracing over the stretch marks on your hips and then his palm sliding to caress your sides, his touch making your skin feel on fire.

after a few more minutes, he picks up the pace, hips angled slightly deeper and making your toes curl. he starts to moan every few thrusts, right into the shell of your ear, and it pushes you closer and closer to that feeling growing in your abdomen.

"shit, y/n, i'm already close." he mutters, eyes closed in bliss as he leans his head back slightly, the sight heavenly to your eyes. and you don't even blame him because he's probably just as pent-up as you are and you know this has to be quick or else richie will come up, wondering why ben was taking so long to ask if you're okay.

so you lean up a bit as he thrusts into you and you attach your lips to his neck, sucking lightly enough that it won't mark. "so am i." you say breathlessly as you move your hips, chasing the high that's building deep inside you.

you press your hands to his chest, stopping his motions momentarily. "let me ride you." you say breathlessly and his eyes widen with something akin to hunger as he pulls out of you, rolling onto his back with a shocked look. you smirk as you climb back onto him, straddling him as you pump him a few times. he bites his lip as you sink yourself onto him, moaning and covering your mouth so as not to carry the sound all the way to the basement.

as you start to bounce, you smile, realizing that you're not at all insecure in front of ben - his hands are all over your body, running over and gripping the plush skin as you sink onto him, taking him perfectly. he's groaning and moving his hips with yours as you mouth wet kisses over his chest and neck.

ben lets out a moan that pushes you near the edge as you pick up the pace, his cock hitting a new spot inside you that has you whimpering. as his hands fall to move your hips with his, squeezing your soft thighs tightly, you hit your high.

you tremble as the feeling of him inside you makes you clench hard, your eyes squeezing shut in bliss as you moan out, "ben!"

your hips stop moving as you ride out your high, only making small movements as you clench around him in complete pleasure. he groans below you, eyes still shut as he juts his hips upwards, taking over to chase his own orgasm.

and his hips start to stutter a few thrusts after as you slump on his chest, one hand on your tits and the other on your hips to move you with his thrusts. he cums a few moments later with a moan that is muffled by your hair, his hands sliding down to your ass, your lips on his collarbone.

after a few moments, you roll off of him and sigh, shocked and unsure as to if that really just happened. you're embarrassed at how quickly he made you cum - you want to blame it all on the fact that it has been quite some time since you'd had sex, but it really was the thrill of hooking up with him, especially because your brother was just downstairs.

ben's cheeks are red as he sits up quickly, pulling on his boxers and then his pants, only looking at you after he tugs the hem of his shirt down. "um, i would totally stay, but-"

you shake your head with a grin, "no, i get it. this was... just a spur of the moment thing."

he beams at you, seemingly relieved that he wasn't hurting your feelings - that was amazing and you're both glowing in your post-orgasm high, but you both know that this was a one-time thing. he pecks your cheek sweetly and as he turns to leave, you mutter, "wait!"

he lifts a brow as he turns to you and you run your fingers through his hair a few times to make it look the way it did before he came up here. "thanks." he says with a grin before he disappears, closing the door behind him and making you get dressed with red cheeks in silence.

tag list: @gabiatthedisco @blisshemmings @stenbrozier @simplesammyx @clownsloveyou @baby-yoda-a @moon-shine-baby @daughter-of-the-stars11 @trashedfortozier @oceandog13 @finnskindofwoman @kait-tozier @upamongthestarss @fiantomartell @beverlyparkerr @beauregard-s @brxken-heartsclub

#ben hanscom x reader #ben hanscom smut #losers x reader #richie tozier x reader #tozier series #beverly marsh x reader #bill denbrough x reader #stanley uris x reader #eddie kaspbrak x reader #mike hanlon x reader

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