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staytiny-angel · 7 months

Text

Kinktober 2023 pt 1: Strayteez

Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories:

M/MMulti

Fandoms:

ATEEZ (Band)Stray Kids (Band)

Relationships:

Seo Changbin/Kim Hongjoong/Bang ChanATEEZ Ensemble/Stray Kids EnsembleBackground OT16

Characters:

Seo ChangbinKim HongjoongBang Chan (Stray Kids)

Additional Tags:

Threesome - M/M/M, Tplace after Kingdom, A slight daddy kink because I'm me and its Channie, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Fingering, Bottom Kim Hongjoong, Dom/sub Undertones, Light Dom/sub, Submissive Kim Hongjoong, Soft Dom Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Soft Dom Seo Changbin

Language: English,

Published:2023-10-16,

Words:1,566

Kinktober 2023 - Strayteez OT16

Summary: My contribution to Kinktober, I'm on my Strayteez bullshit as always so this is a series of connected fics wherein Stray Kids and Ateez became a commited polycule sometime during Kingdom: Legendary War.

Chan tries hard not to roll his eyes as JYP droned on and on about what a massive opportunity winning Kingdom was for them. It's not like he hadn't heard this several times over the last 8 weeks. Chan had done what he always did. Led his Kids to victory but in his eyes Kingdom had brought them something so much more precious.

Their eight handsome, talented pirates. The two groups had walked in Kingdom as friendly rivals and walked out lovers. While they weren't all dating in the traditional sense the 16 men all loved and cared for each other very much.

Chan was exiting JYPs office distracted by thoughts of his captain when his phone lit up with the man in question's profile picture.

"Ay, Baby" Chan greeted the other leader "Just got out from a meeting with the boss man, what are you up to?"

"Eden kicked me out the studio for the night, said I was working the babies to death" his boyfriend replied

"How are the new KQ Fellaz?" Chan asked, as he headed down to 3Racha's studio.

"Talented as fuck to be honest. KQ wants to get their feet wet by sending them on tour with us. So I'm helping them come up with a few original songs" Hongjoong said

"Babysitting while on tour, that should be fun." Chan replied dryly

"Nah, their good kids, just a bit chaotic. No worse than the 16 of us." Hongjoong defended his juniors.

"Well, if you're free…" Chan started to say

"Are you coming home early?" Hongjoong asked hopefully

"I was more thinking of you coming here, baby." Chan cajoled the other idol

"Me? At JYP? Babe, JYPapi may tolerate our relationship…mostly because the 8 of you said you'd walk if he didn't…but I doubt he'd want your direct competition in his building"

"Do you actually think I give a damn? He knows who keeps the lights on at JYP now, it's us and Twice and the girls would back us in an instant" Chan laughed as he unlocked the studio and greeted Changbin who was working on something

"Who's that?" Changbin mouthed at Chan

"It's Cap" Chan said aloud

"Oh, hey baby!" Changbin said loud enough for the man on the phone to hear.

Now that they were in the soundproofed room, Chan put their boyfriend on speaker so Hongjoong could reply "Hey Binnie baby." Hongjoong answered "Please tell Chan he's insane for thinking I should come there"

"Nah Prince, he's right you should come visit, it's just the two of us since Hannie is out on a date with Lino, Wooyoung and San. Building is mostly empty on a Friday night anyways" Changbin tried to convince the other man

"Why do I feel like you two have plans for me that aren't exactly wholesome?" Hongjoong says suspiciously

"Because you know and love us" Changbin replied grinning so wide Hongjoong could hear it in his voice "Come on Prince, you know you wanna come play."

"....." Hongjoong was audibly silent for a moment before saying "Getting in the car now"

"Good boy" Chan replied, grinning at Changbin both thinking of all the deliciously, dirty things they could do to their precious little captain in their studio.

An hour later

"I cannot believe you two, a terrible influence, both of you. I should not be here" Hongjoong said as he took off the mask and hoodie he'd worn as his lovers snuck him into the JYP building and up to Div 1 where Stray Kids was housed.

"It's fine, little prince." Changbin said sitting on the couch and pulling the smaller idol to straddle his thigh and sit on his lap, kissing him as Chan looked on with a devious smirk.

Operation, as Wooyoung had called it, 'Get their Captain to Re fucking lax' was a go.

"I have so much work I don't know why Eden kicked me out" Hongjoong said with a whine in between kisses.

Chan walked up to his boyfriends, sitting to the side of the pair and grabbing a handful of Hongjoong's blond hair and tilting the younger man's head back so Changbin could nibble at his throat.

"Because you need a break little prince" Chan tells him

"Ha!" Hongjoong laughs breathlessly as Changbin unbuttoned Hongjoong's shirt and continued to kiss down his chest.

"Isn't that the…what do you say in English? Pot calling the kettle black?"

"Quiet you," Chan said pulling off Hongjoong's shirt before doing the same to his own and pressing his bare chest against his slimmer boyfriend's back causing Hongjoong to moan and grind against Changbin's thigh.

"Aww does the poor little prince want to ride my thigh?" Changbin said in a slightly degrading tone

"Binnie…" Hongjoong groaned, already hard and leaking just from the friction of his jeans against Changbin's as he rocked back and forth against his thick thigh, moaning even louder when Changbin flexed the muscle against his cock.

"Be a good boy for us, Prince and you'll be rewarded" Chan says licking a stripe up Hongjoong's throat while Changbin went for the buckle on his designer jeans.

Hongjoong nods emphatically "I'll be good, I promise"

"That's our sweet little Prince" Changbin says as he takes Hongjoong's cock out and leans down to suck the head into his mouth causing Hongjoong to moan loudly

"Oh the way you sound, Prince" Chan says huskily, as he reaches in his backpack for lube and condoms.

"Gonna fuck me Wolfie?" Hongjoong says as Changbin hums around his cock

"Yeah baby, gonna fuck my Prince the way he deserves" Chan tells him before standing and stripping out of his clothes completely "Is my little Prince gonna ride my cock?"

"Yes!" Hongjoong exclaims as Changbin squeezes the base of his cock to stop him from coming

"No, not yet baby boy." Changbin tells him "You'll come when we're ready for you to"

"Oh please." Hongjoong started to beg, as he strips off his pants "I've been good"

"You have been baby, but you still have to wait for your prize like a good prince" Chan tells him as he covers his fingers in lube and circles Hongjoong's hole with slick fingers.

"Channie…Wolfie…please…inside" Hongjoong moaned wantonly

"Shhh baby. We've got you" Changbin says, kissing him softly before stripping himself so all three of them were nude.

"How do you want this baby? Want to fuck us both?" Chan asked him as he expertly stretched his lover's hole

"Want my Channie inside me and then my Binnie inside me" Hongjoong begged "Want to be full of both your cum please."

Chan easily lifted Hongjoong off Changbins lap and onto his own, making the smaller idol straddle his lap, Hongjoong's cock so hard it was touching his belly. "Want me baby?" Chan asked one last time as he slid a condom onto his thick cock

"Yes Daddy please" Hongjoong whined as Chan lowered him onto his cock "That's my good little prince"

Chan immediately thrust up into him setting a steady rhythm as Hongjoong moaned and whined in pleasure.

"Channie please, oh please" Hongjoong begged "Feels so good"

"That's it Baby, doing so good for me" Chan practically growled as Changbin stroked his cock next to them trying to edge himself.

Chan runs his hand through Hongjoong's hair as he thrust up into him harder and harder, "That's it Baby come for me" Chan orders as Hongjoong's whines get progressively higher pitched, a sign that always indicated Ateez's leader was about to come.

One last thrust coupled with a grind that rubbed right against his prostate and Hongjoong moaned low and long as he came all over Chan and himself as Chan growled and filled the condom with his cum

Hongjoong went limp in Chan's arms but immediately turned his head to Changbin,

"Binnie, please" Hongjoong whispers, still aroused even though he'd just come.

"I've got you little prince," Changbin says, he lays Hongjoong out on the couch as Chan moves to pull on his pants and sit in his chair.

"Not gonna fuck our perfect prince, going to make love to him," Changbin says as he dons his own condom and lines himself up with Hongjoong's stretched out hole and thrust in almost too gently, the deep, deep thrusts grinding over Hongjoon's prostate causing tears to leak out of his eyes from the overstimulation.

"Feels good baby?" Chan asked him

"Ye- Yes, Feels so good Daddy" Hongjoong whispered as he came again quickly and with a soft cry as Changbin released inside of him.

Taking the blanket that was stored behind the couch for such purposes the two men, wrapped Hongjoong in it and cuddled and cared for their Captain, making sure he took a few bites of a chocolate bar and a very sips of water at the very least.

"Feeling good little prince?"

"Sleepy? Floaty? Happy?" Hongjoong tried to verbalize "You can nap on the couch for a little while and then we'll go home to the dorms." Changbin told him.

While Ateez and Stray Kids did not technically live together the two groups lived in the same building now and their living situations were exceedingly complex as their relationships grew deeper.

"Brain shut off, good now" Hongjoong told both his boyfriends as Chan texted a picture of a sleepy Captain and two words to the polycule's group chat

Mission Accomplished.

#shai writes #ateez #skz #stray kids #kim hongjoong #bang chan #seo changbin #skz fanfic #skz smut #ateez smut #Strayteez #OT 16 #Bang Chan/Seo Changbin/Kim Hongjoong

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fouralignments · 1 year

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I am not having the best day so far. Very bad brain fog and just being tired for the last couple of days this week. Today, my mom sprung on me why I hadn't talked to a trucking CEO about becoming her assistant if SWA doesn't work out and that it would be easier if I got a job and got experience before re-applying to SWA. I still haven't heard back.

I went on to tell my mom, I didn't want to become someone's punching bag have you seen the Devil Wears Prada? My mom went on a nice long about speech how CEO are not evil.

I did some research on the CEO and she made a statement about how much she would love to chat with Elon fucking Musk during an interview at Forbes. Now from a logistics and transportation POV, Elon musk is a fucking joke and any logistician worth their salt should now that, plus he's a snake oil salesmen with his ideas of new modes of transportation including: rockets, pressurized pods. They already exist its called trains and planes and which are safer.

For the pods, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that lets say a terrorist attack happens in one section, the entire network is KO'd because its pressurized. Its so dumb and impracticable. The need for speed shouldn't always take priority over capacity that can easily solved by high speed rail. Its boring, but practical. Elon Musk's 'Solutions' to traffic etc. still keep the US car-centric.

This for me was a major red-flag. Plus on their LinkedIn nearly all the articles and posts were on the CEO and their interviews. Another Red flag. I just found theses things concerning. In addition, I know the trucking industry isn't well regulated and all it takes for someone get into it is to have those Peterbilt 389 and a few contacts and that's it; it can be shady as fuck and the nature of the industry many go bankrupt and this ranging from 85-90%. I am questioning is this CEO, its family owned, once they got their money, are they going to take it and go out the backdoor and leave.

Another note, there was one post on their employee of the month and they it said something to the extent of: 'despite visually impaired.' Red Klaxon alarm's went off in my head.

To me its very tokenism and treating this woman like a prop to say: look how diverse we are! I might need to take a shower after reading that.

#personal #feeling a bit overwhelmed #A bit out of my body #god I do not like feeling this way

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littlechinesedoll · 1 year

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Like a Prayer - Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruko fic

Like a Prayer Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/46367686.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandom:Naruto

Relationship: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruko, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Uchiha Fugaku/Uchiha Mikoto, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke

Character: Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruko, Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Japanese High School, Bullying, Haruno Sakura Bashing, Haruno Sakura Being An Asshole, Good Parent Uchiha Fugaku, Angst, Love Confessions, Female Uzumaki Naruto, kakairu adopts naruko

Summary

Naruko has long hair. Down to her waist. It used to be a messy boyish pixie cut when she started to grow it as a prayer, when one day during a day out hanging with him, Sasuke made an offhanded comment about how a woman with their back turned to them, had such beautiful long hair.

She cuts it all off a week before graduation, when she saw a girl in their year with pink hair half as long as hers, latch onto Sasuke’s arm, and Sasuke didn’t push her off like he usually did with other girls.

Notes

This was inspired by: https://twitter.com/pukun_p/status/1643638533276459009

See the end of the work for more notes

---

“What did you do to your hair!” Sasuke demands when he sees Naruko with a blunt bob down to the curve where her neck met her shoulders, and textured bangs. By her ear, that enamel fishcake pin Sasuke got when he went past an accessories store and thought of her. She’s never taken it off since Sasuke got it for her.

Sasuke hasn’t seen her in a week. They’ve been together every day since they were five (unless their parents had to take them somewhere), hand in hand and cheek to cheek when they were children, and shoulder to shoulder as they grew up, and this is the first time in their lives that Sasuke hasn’t heard from Naruko for a week. No note, no call, no text, no nothing, when she can never stop messaging Sasuke all kinds of random things.

Then she shows up on the last day of school, having cut all her hair off. Sasuke wonders what’s going on inside her head—what would prompt this drastic change? Sure, she looks great in this new haircut, but what was the point of growing it that long, and dragging Sasuke to her shopping trips looking for products to make sure her hair stayed soft, shiny, and volumized, only to just cut it all off?

Was it just… an impulse decision?

It’s graduation day. Sasuke would love nothing but to ask Naruko and her parents to join him and his parents to lunch out to celebrate, then spend the first day of summer vacation with her.

---

It’s graduation day. But Naruko would like things to be over so she can try and continue to compartmentalize and not break down in front of her best friend. The love of her life.

She wants the ceremony to be over because her full-time job starts at 11am and the ceremony will end at 10:45am, so she has to pedal as fast as she can to get to the coffee and bakery shop she’s been waiting at in the last week in attempt to avoid Sasuke. Besides, there was nothing to do at school anymore since she got all the credits she needed to pass and graduate.

“I cut it,” she says, “I got a full-time job, contractual though, and I thought the hair got in the way of being productive at work ,” it’s a lie. She could easily just put it up into pigtails, braid them, and wrap it around itself in a bun to keep it out of her face while she waited and bussed tables.

She cut it in the hopes of moving on. Letting go of this silly little crush. Of the silly hope that one day, Sasuke would look at her and tell her he liked her hair. That he’d ask to touch it or offer to comb it because he wanted to feel the softness between his fingers, and let the fresh floral scent fill his senses. That he’d tell her that he liked her back the way she liked him, and her prayer would be granted.

It was foolish of her to hold on to this stupid prayer. Because of course, Uchiha Sasuke, the most handsome, most popular, smartest boy in school, would pair up with the smartest, prettiest girl in their year, Haruno Sakura.

Because who would ever look at loud, obnoxious, tomboyish, scar cheeked, chubby, orphaned Naruko, who barely passes math, and picks fights, eats too much and has pudge, and wears a skirt below the knee unlike all the other girls because she hates that her thighs are too thick. Not cute is what she gets from their classmates all the time.

She tries not to compare herself to other girls, she does anyway.

Sakura is top of the class, the valedictorian. She’s on the math team, vice president of the literature club, and is student council president, and gets tons of chocolate on White Day because she’s pretty and all the boys like her. She got accepted to a good school and will become a doctor.

Sasuke is second next to her. Sasuke’s the captain of the baseball team, part of the kendo team, and gets tons of chocolate on Valentines’ Day because he’s handsome and all the girls like him. All his applications were accepted and he’s sure to follow in Itachi and their father’s steps to run their family business.

Then there’s Ino whose hair never really needs any combing, with her fair skin, scar-free face. She’s captain of the debate team and a member of the kyuudou team. And Hinata who’s the very definition of cute to every guy in their class: small, quiet, demure, small voice, who liked giving out sweets to anyone who’d take them. They get chocolate on White Day, too.

And Naruko. Naruko likes to eat ramen, make clay frogs, and joined the garden and flower arrangement club, and is always tanned—shades darker than every other girl, and always sweaty because she’s always under the sun in the garden. She’s never gotten chocolate on White Day from anyone in her life.

It’s not that she’s insecure, because hey everybody’s got something they hate about themselves, and she doesn’t have enough self-hatred to change anything. She just… knows she’s not pretty. Average, at best? At least she’s not completely ugly. Maybe. Skincare never got rid of the scars anyway and she wears enough sunscreen.

“I wanted to work over the summer to get some sweet cash to spend on stupid shit and food before college!” she adds with a grin. “Besides, all those hair products were getting expensive,” she scrunches her nose. “I could use that extra cash in case I need anything else when I move to my new apartment closer to the school. I didn’t want to bother my dads. They’ve spent enough already. Time to pull my own weight I guess,”

That one isn’t a lie. But she actually doesn’t need cash. She’ll be getting a full salary for two months before she gets to move. She hasn’t really thought what she’s going to do with all of it. All she wanted was a distraction. Iruka and Kakashi look after her well, and Kakashi has good income as a lawyer, and she has a grandma who has more money than she knows what to do with and she always handed cash over when she asked nicely, but only if she helped over at her grandma’s clinic, sorting documents or cleaning up the place, or taking over the secretary when she can’t come in.

“Why didn’t you tell me you got a job?” Sasuke asks. Because usually, Naruko tells him everything and if there’s something Sasuke knows about his best friend, it’s that Naruko can’t lie to him even if she tried.

They even shared plans for when they go to college. They planned on living in the same complex halfway between the community college she decided to go to, and the university Sasuke got accepted to. But things didn’t go as planned since Naruko’s parents can’t find anything within budget where Sasuke wanted Naruko to rent so they could be close, so they went with a student apartment complex near the community college. Which is easier on Naruko if she wants to go home during the weekends since it’ll only take a short bus ride.

Naruko actually wants to skip the ceremony right after she gets called on stage, so she can leave and not see the what the fuss is about when people gather around to watch Sasuke give Sakura the second button on his uniform jacket when she asks for it as they exchanged gifts. (1)

She doesn’t want to hear the cheers of the student body when the handsomest boy and the prettiest girl finally get together because it makes sense.

That doesn’t stop Naruko from having a gift for Sasuke though. She’ll try to be as casual as possible, keep it together, and last long enough for Iruka and Kakashi to get photos and then she can go back to work, cry in the locker for about five minutes, get her shit together, and probably hopefully be successful in avoiding Sasuke and as she tries work herself to death for the next two months before starting college in attempt to push aside these feelings.

A teacher’s voice comes from the campus speakers. Students are being told to gather at the ceremony area.

That’s Naruko’s cue to give Sasuke her gift, because she wants to avoid the awkwardness, and not give anybody the chance to assume that she’s confessing her feelings because she’s giving Sasuke a gift. Good thing it’s not chocolate, because Sasuke hates sweet things.

“Congratulations on graduating!” Naruko practically shoves the white gift bag into Sasuke’s hands.

In it is a small pack of the expensive, fancy green tea she bought with her first week’s salary, a coaster she made in the pottery seminar she went to in the shape of a cat’s head, and a small candle that smells like freshly laundered sheets.

“See you later!” she says.

It’s another lie. She runs over to where her class is, separate from Sasuke since he’s in the class with the achievers, and she’s in the class of not-so-achievers, and waits for the ceremony to start.

---

“Haruno Sakura, Class 3-A, Konoha School of Medicine,”

---

“Uchiha Sasuke, Class 3-A, University of Konoha,”

---

“Hatake Naruko, Class 3-C, Nishiba College,” (2)

Naruko climbs up the stairs to the stage, a grin on her face, genuinely elated she’s finally done with high school. She bows to the headmaster and accepts the fake rolled up diploma, then bows once again before going back to her seat. She doesn’t look for Sasuke in the audience.

---

When Iruka and Kakashi have gotten their fill of photos, of all of them together, one with each parent, and Naruko alone with the stage as the background, she tells them she’s about to be late for her job and rushes to the school quadrangle where her bicycle is parked, and where students are gathered giving each other congratulations and making plans for the summer as the last day of school ends.

She knew it, people are gathered around Sakura and Sasuke, and she doesn’t stay around long enough to watch Sasuke give Sakura the second button of his jacket and breaks into half a sprint to get to her bicycle.

---

Sasuke thanks Sakura for her gifts but gives her back the gift bag and doesn’t give her the second button when she asks for it. He leaves her there and doesn’t pay her any more attention as he looks around for Naruko. He doesn’t see her but sees Iruka and Kakashi. Iruka may stay a while longer because he’s a teacher and Kakashi may have to go back to the office if they weren’t able to take the whole day off for their daughter and the lunch they're supposed to go to.

Whispers and silence blanket over the crowd as Sasuke leaves Sakura in the middle of the quadrangle, second button-less, headed for Iruka, gathered with other faulty near the school building entrance.

“Oh, she left!” says Iruka with a disappointed frown when Sasuke comes up to them to ask. “Late for her shift, she said. We were supposed to go to lunch with you! Please tell Mikoto-san we can’t make it. We can gather gain when Naruko-chan’s on her day off, okay?”

Sasuke didn’t even get to take a photo with her. Naruko always insisted they take photos together on the last day of school before summer. Today is their last “last day” together, and they have no photo for it.

“Sure. What time is she getting home?” Sasuke dares to ask.

“She usually gets in before midnight,” says Iruka with a sigh. “It’s concerning, our little girl out that late, but that’s the shift she agreed to,”

Midnight? Naruko shouldn’t be out that late without him if Sasuke has anything to do or say about it. Sure, she can handle herself and can throw a mean punch if she wants to, but still. He’ll even do whatever Itachi wants, even be his runner for work the entire summer, if it could mean he can borrow his car and pick her up—every night if he must—instead of Naruko riding her bicycle alone in the dark.

“Can I go pick her up?” he says without thinking.

“Oh, that’s sweet of you, Sasuke-kun!” Iruka breathes in relief. “Is it okay if we leave Naruko to you?”

“Of course!” Sasuke answers without missing a beat. Aside from her parents and his family, she wouldn’t be safer with anyone else but him. “Sensei,” he says because they’re on school grounds, “Kakashi-jisan, let’s all have lunch with mom, dad, and Itachi, to celebrate sometime soon?”

“Sure,” Kakashi nods. “Naruko’ll let you know when her off day is, okay?”

“Do you happen to know where the café she works at is?”

“It’s called Cream & Sugar if I recall correctly,” says Kakashi.

Sasuke nods, bids them goodbye, then returns to his parents and brother who are ready to take him out for a celebratory lunch. They’re disappointed Naruko isn’t coming with them.

---

“Sasuke, where are Naru-chan, Iruka-san, and Kakashi-san?” his mother asks as he gets in the backseat of the car, next to Itachi.

“Iruka-jisan said they’re sorry they can’t make it today since Naruko said she’s late for work. We can gather again on her day off,” he says as he straps himself in.

“Oh, that's a shame,” Mikoto tuts.

“Alright, fess up,” says Itachi as their father eases out of the parking lot. “What did you do?”

“What? Why’d you think I did something?”

Itachi raises a brow. “If there’s someone between the two of you with less self-awareness it’s you, Otouto. Besides, even if you did Naru-chan wrong, she can’t ever manage to stay away from you too long, ever,”

“Itachi-kun,” their mother sighs, “At least say with a little bit more grace,”

“Well, she hasn’t been at the house for a week,” remarks Fugaku. Naruko’s a noisy child but he’s learned to love her too, and that she’s good for Sasuke and Sasuke is good for her. “Better say sorry even though you don’t know what you’re sorry for, Sasuke,”

“Listen to your father, boys,” says his mother. “He’s right,”

“Oh, what a miracle, the blessed words right from your lips,” Fugaku chuckles, Itachi rolls his eyes at the flirting.

Sasuke ignores it and opens the gift bag from Naruko and stares at the variety of items. He loves every single one of them—Naruko always knew what he liked. He opens the card and sees her messy but still legible handwriting.

サスケてめへ Sasuke-teme he To Sasuke-teme,

おめでとうございます！できただってばよ！自分に気を付けてね！ Omedetou gozaimasu! Dekita datte ba yo! Jibun ni ki wo tsukete ne! Congratulations! We made it! Take care of yourself.

ナルコより Naruko yori From, Naruko.

What had he done? To deserve just a cold sounding card without a single emoji, and not a hug on one of the biggest days of their lives?

---

Naruko cries in the locker room when she gets there, replaying the small scene with Sasuke and Sakura in her head, over and over again, imagining Sasuke handing over the button to Sakura, them sharing a hug, and Sasuke inviting Sakura instead of her to a celebratory lunch like Mikoto-basan told her they’d go to after the ceremony.

You have no right to be hurt, she tells herself, sniffling as she pulls on her uniform, then ties up her apron at the back. You have no right. She can’t help but be hurt anyway, and she hates it.

But she must admit, though. A successful businessman and a doctor, that’s a power couple right there if she ever saw one.

Naruko wants to finish college just to say that she did—because it had always been Sasuke’s plan. She plans on taking something close to administration, even though she isn’t good with authority figures. The connections and skills someone gets from helping run a company might help in the mundanity of personal life. Maybe she’ll get into the firm Kakashi works at and work her way up to be a legal secretary or an administrative officer.

She removes the fishcake pin from her hair and shoves it in her bag to make sure she doesn’t lose it, then pulls her hair up into a neat half-ponytail. Then she changes her mind about the pin, fishes it out of the bag, and uses it to pin her bangs to the side. She’s never taken this off since Sasuke gave it to her a year ago and she isn’t about to stop now.

Though she might, just to take her mind off it.

It isn’t fair, she thinks. She loved Sasuke for so long. Longer than anyone else, she’s sure, except maybe his parents and Itachi-niichan. Like how she knows the way he likes the cheap shirt she got him from Uniqlo that he’s worn so much it’s gone ratty and got holes already on the seam of the shoulder blade and near the neck hole. Mikoto-basan offered to sew it for him but he insists he likes it still.

She knows every inch of his room, the shampoo he uses, how he likes his eggs in the morning, what kind of tea he likes, what to get him at the café, or during sleepovers, where to get her futon from, and how he likes it when she blow dries his hair at night after a bath, or how he complains when Naruko shoves a headband on his head to free his face of hair and smears all that skincare on his cheeks and forehead but secretly likes it because it the scents are so light and fresh.

Now she can’t do it anymore. She must respect his girlfriend, even though she never respected Naruko. She misses Sasuke so much, but she has to stay away from him. She’s been on the wrong end of Sakura’s attention before, and it’s not something she wants a repeat of.

“Look, I know you think you two are best friends or whatever label you’re using to delude yourself. Because honestly, a stupid, scarred, class-C piggy like you? Can’t even tell you and a whole chashu roll apart! Sasuke-kun is too smart and has far too refined taste for you. You? He would never, ew,”

It’s a miracle the acetone she used to remove the superglue Sakura and Ino poured onto her hair didn’t burn her hair right off.

She didn’t tell Sasuke nor her parents.

Sasuke, out of anger, might make a scene and humiliate Sakura in front of the entire school, Iruka might bring this up to the headmaster and she might not graduate on time, and Kakashi would most definitely sue—he’s known for crushing the guilty accused and leaving them penniless.

That’s not something she wants to happen. It’d be a taint on Sasuke’s character, a stain on Sakura’s educational and legal background, and too much work on Kakashi. She’d rather stay away from Sakura to save her own sanity and self-respect. Naruko may be stubborn and too headstrong at times, but she knows when to stop, especially if she knows nothing will come of it.

So, she washes her face in the staff restroom, ices her eyes to depuff them, then faces the day’s customers with a smile and a bow. If working hard and long enough to tire herself out is the only thing she can do to avoid thinking about Sasuke and just sleep when she gets home, she’ll do it. Maybe if she does it long enough, she’ll forget about it.

Who knows, maybe Sasuke won’t even notice her gone with how much time he’s going to spend with his new girlfriend.

---

When her shift ends, she’s surprised to see Itachi’s SUV, a white Land Cruiser, waiting across the street from where she bolted her bicycle at a bicycle rack.

“There you are!”

She half gasps when she sees Sasuke step out of the driver’s side of the car.

“C’mon, I’ll put your bicycle in the back. I’ll take you home,” he calls out as he crosses the street toward her.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, watching him unlock the rope lock with the spare key she gave him years ago when she first got her bike. “How did you know where I work?”

“I asked your dads,” he answers, “Iruka-jisan said he was worried about you being out so late, so I offered to pick you up,”

What if one of Sakura’s friends were around and sees them? Just because they’ve graduated doesn’t mean Sakura doesn’t have the means to find her. Stay away from him, she reminds herself, stepping away from Sasuke to make sure there’s always enough space between them.

Which confuses Sasuke, because Naruko is always all over him. Not in an ecchi sort of way, since she can’t flirt to save her life, but always touching, latched onto him, always a tackle hug when she sees him for the first time that day, or when he surprises her, and she doesn’t expect him to be at the place she’s at. Pinching or poking whatever part of him, draping herself onto him whenever she pleases.

Why? Why all this… space. They’d been attached at the hip since they were kids. Now Sasuke’s had an entire week without any kind of physical contact with her. It’s not right. She’s supposed to run to him and tackle him in the middle of the street even though there’s a chance they can get run over despite not there being any cars at this hour. She’s supposed to be giggling and happy that he’s here, because she always is.

Quietly, Naruko nods and follows Sasuke to the car because she’s too tired and hurt to argue. He deposits the bicycle in the back, and she wordlessly gets in the front seat and buckles herself up. Sasuke gets in, clicks the belt on, starts the car, and the silent drive home is excruciating. Before, Naruko would eagerly plug her phone in and start playing whatever’s on her rotation or bother Sasuke as he drives and laughs when he tries his best not to crash.

Now, there’s… nothing.

“Why are you still in your uniform?” is what Naruko settles for halfway through the ride.

“I didn’t… feel like changing out of it yet,”

He’s still in his white collared shirt, black pants, and his usual school sneakers. His jacket isn’t on. Naruko guesses the second button is missing now, held close by the pretty girl Sasuke likes.

“I liked your gifts, thank you,” Sasuke says when Naruko says nothing. “I’m still going to get a warmer for the candle though, so that I don’t have to light it and forget. Don’t wanna burn the house down,”

“I’m glad,” she says. She doesn’t sound like it.

When Naruko is happy, everybody knows it. Her smile is as bright as the sun, grinning like her full cheeks will burst. Her voice is big and boisterous and can cheer anyone up. This isn’t Naruko.

Sasuke pulls over a few streets away from Naruko’s house, puts the car in neutral, and activates the breaks. “What did I do?” he dares to ask instead of just following his father’s terrible advice.

“What?” Naruko looks at him for the first time since she got in the car. “What do you mean?”

“What did I do, Naruko?” he repeats the question. “There must’ve been something I’ve done for you to just… stop.”

“S…stop?”

“Yes!” Sasuke says in frustration. “You barely talked to me this week. Not a single message. You didn’t even tell me you got a job,”

Naruko shrugs. “You never reply anyway,”

“That’s because all you send me are memes!” he argues. “I’d reply if you sent something I could actually reply to,”

“I’m just… tired. Having a job is new, y’know?” she sighs. “I didn’t expect shifts to be that long, or the tasks to be that many, to be honest,”

“Then negotiate for shorter shifts!”

“Ah, but I like the long shifts, though,”

“What?”

“It’s ah… the long hours keep me busy and tired, so there’s no chance to think about things I don’t what to think about. Work, sleep, eat, repeat and all that,”

That’s not healthy at all. “Things you don’t want to think about… what do you mean?”

Naruko unbuckles her seatbelt then unlocks her door. “Thank you. I’ll walk the rest of the way,”

Sasuke quickly locks the car and grabs her wrist.

She gasps and pulls her arm from him. “Don’t touch me!”

Of course Naruko’s raised her voice around him. All the time. But never really at him and that’s what catches Sasuke off guard. Since when did she dislike Sasuke’s touch?

“What if she sees us!” says Naruko, “What if someone else she knows sees us? Then rats you out?”

“What? Dobe, I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about right now. Who’s going to see us?”

“Sakura! Your girlfriend!” Naruko hisses. “Didn’t you give her your second button!”

She has to get out of here. She can’t cry here. She fumbles with the lock.

“Look, I’m not that smart but I know taken men aren’t supposed to be touching any girl other than their own, so stop it, Sasuke. I’ll stay away from you, so you don’t get into trouble with her, okay? I’ll just walk home,”

Once she finally manages to unlock the door, she hops out and slams the door shut. If she can hold it in until she gets to her room, gods favor her, even through the front door, that’d be great. She can’t stay here and be forced to confess feelings that will never be reciprocated. There’s no point. She has to keep it together, or she’ll look like some desperate girl, crying because she can’t get the attention of the boy she likes.

Sasuke hates girls who beg for his attention. She doesn’t want to be that girl. But she thinks to all the years they’ve spent together and realizes, what if she’s been that girl this entire time? Always invading Sasuke’s space, taking his things, putting herself in his personal space without ever having asked if that was okay.

So that’s what the movies were all talking about, Naruko thinks as she breaks into a jog, when they say to love is to let go. She loves Sasuke enough to preserve his new relationship.

“Wait! Naruko, stop! That’s not—ugh! Listen!” the passenger door closes with a loud thud and Sasuke groans as he unbuckles his seatbelt, then grabs his uniform jacket from the backseat before stepping out of the car. “Wait!” he pulls it on as he runs after her. “Dobe, I said wait!”

“Hey! Ow!” Naruko exclaims when Sasuke gets a hold of her wrist and yanks her back.

“Listen to me!” Sasuke tells her. “That girl isn’t my girlfriend!” (2)

Naruko stops struggling.

“Look at my jacket, Naruko. I didn’t give her anything!”

He’s right. Naruko looks at the shiny gold buttons on Sasuke’s black jacket. It’s all there. Not one’s missing.

“I saw you…” she lowers her head, not wanting to look at him. “She was all over you, and you didn’t do anything. And after the ceremony… everyone was watching you and her,”

Sasuke thinks back to the day she’s talking about. “I didn’t push her off because Kurenai-sensei was there, and I didn’t want to get into trouble. This morning, she did ask me for the button,” he says, “But I didn’t give it to her,”

He’d been much crueler to Sakura than he intended though, but she wouldn’t take a hint and he’d had enough. “Why would I give you a button at all? I don’t like you,” he’d told her as he rejected her gifts before rushing toward Iruka.

Sasuke reaches for the second button, pops it off, turns her wrist around to open Naruko’s hand, and places it in her palm, then lets her wrist go. “I would never have given the second button to anyone else but you,”

Naruko thinks the amount of crying she’s been doing the last few days can last someone else a lifetime, but Sasuke’s gesture moves her to tears still, and then she finally gives in to the need to throw herself at him.

Sasuke welcomes Naruko into his arms and hugs her like he’s never hugged her before. She cries and cries into his jacket.

“I missed you!” Naruko sobs. “I thought you had a girlfriend and that I couldn’t see you anymore!”

She’s not even mad about him getting some other girl because Sasuke doesn’t owe her his feelings just because they’ve been together so long. She’s just sad and hurt there was a chance she couldn’t see him anymore had his girlfriend been a type of person who’d forbid him to see other girls even as a friend—forbidden to see her.

The boy presses hips lips against his best girl’s temple.

“I’m sorry,” he says finally.

“Why are you saying sorry?” Naruko pulls away from him as she sniffles. “You have nothing to be sorry for,”

“I still hurt you though,”

Naruko shakes her head. “I hurt myself. I hurt you. I’m the one who’s sorry,” she opens her hand, “You… like me?”

Sasuke hums. He doesn’t even know when he started liking Naruko. He just… woke up one day and realized he can’t live without her. Doesn’t want to live without her. Doesn’t want a future without her. He wants this button to be the start of the forever Sasuke wants with Naruko.

“Because… I kinda like you, too,” Naruko gives him a wet, embarrassed smile. “Like, a lot. For the longest time,”

The dorkiness of Naruko’s confession is what makes the moment close to Sasuke’s heart. He chuckles. “What a coincidence, I like you, too,”

Naruko pouts and pokes at Sasuke’s chest. “You’re making fun of me,”

Sasuke pulls her back into an embrace and kisses her hair. “C’mon, I’ll take you home. Then I can walk with you to work tomorrow,”

The button digs into the skin of her palm with how tight she’s holding onto it. She has Sasuke back. She’ll be sure to keep him forever.

“And oh,” he says, and Naruko looks up at him. “I like your hair,” he runs his fingers through the soft, short locks. “Looks good,”

She grins at him, swollen eyes and all. She doesn’t have to grow her hair out again. Her prayer’s already been answered.

---

End Notes

(1) On graduation day at junior high or high schools, a male graduate may give the second button on his school jacket to a female student. It is usual for a female junior or classmate to ask the senior male student she likes for his button. If the male student likes her too, he may give her his button. Some popular male students may receive many requests from female students, but he will give his second button to the girl he likes the most, and the other buttons to the other girls. The significance of the second button is that it is located closest to one’s heart.

(2) I planned on putting here the fictional made up Nishiba Senmon Gakkō, Westleaf College/Community College. Just played around with some kanji. West because I like it, and leaf because Hidden in the Leaves. 「Nishi・にし・西」 for west; 「ha・は・葉」for leaf. Ha becomes ba when read together with nishi. Nishiba. 西葉.

The University of Konoha I ripped off The University of Tokyo, and Konoha School of Medicine I ripped off Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, because there aren’t really any fancy-named universities in Japan. 😅

Also, in Japan I don’t think they actually announce the schools the graduating students got into. They did at my school, though! (I didn’t live or study in Japan). I just wanted to emphasize the divide Naruko and Sakura had with their educational goals.

(3) Um, the level of “brashness/rudeness” of Sasuke’s speech and the casualness/closeness of his relationship with Naruko I imagine for this sentence doesn’t come through in English lol. I think in Japanese this would have been “Ano onna wa ore no kanojo janee yo!” ・「あの女は俺の彼女じゃねよ！」・「あのおんなはおれのかのじょじゃねえよ！」

“Usually” (with quote unquote!! don’t take my word for it!!) ‘that something/someone’ or ‘ano hito/koto/mono’ or 「あの一人・こと・もの」sounds… rude? In a sense? Sort of like Sasuke isn’t willing to say ‘that person’s’ name, or ‘that’ said with disgust, or he thinks it’s not worth his breath saying her name, as opposed to it being a filler when ‘forgetting’ that person’s name.

I also imagine that the Japanese Sasuke uses with Naruko is very casual, that’s why he uses 「ore・おれ・俺」 a rude/arrogant version of I, because he’s close to her, and why he uses 「negative/is not・janee・じゃねえ」 which is even ruder/casual than 「janai・じゃない」, which is already a rude/casual from of 「ja arimasen・じゃありません」. Maybe for people he doesn’t know he uses 「boku ・ぼく・僕」which is the polite version of I for boys.

Had Sasuke been politer or had he been speaking to his parents or an authority figure he respected, it would’ve been「Ano onna wa boku no kanojo janai!」・「あの女は僕の彼女じゃない！」・「あのおんなはぼくのかのじょじゃない！」there’s an even politer version of this sentence but I doubt Sasuke would use that on anyone.

There’s something so cool about rude Japanese, don’t you think? I would one day LOVE to learn how to speak or write in the politest version of Japanese, kinda like how an assistant would speak to their superior, or a butler to his master. Anyways I’m not that good at the implications of chosen words or tone in both English and Japanese so there’s that. But I enjoy learning both languages (English isn’t my native language).

This fic was inspired by: https://twitter.com/pukun_p/status/1643638533276459009

Thank you for reading!!

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!

#sns #uzumaki naruto #naruto #sasuke #uchiha sasuke #uzumaki naruko #hatake naruko #kakairu #kakashi #iruka #hatake kakashi #umino iruka #hatake iruka #kakairu adopts naruko #kakairu adopts naruto #female naruto uzumaki #female uzumaki naruto

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god-of-dust · 1 year

Text

I posted 438 times in 2022

17 posts created (4%)

421 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@richardcampbellganseytheiiird

@goodtoyous

@the-wandering-fire

@the-cloud-whisperer

@likealittleheartbeat

I tagged 323 of my posts in 2022

Only 26% of my posts had no tags

#avatar the last airbender - 88 posts

#zukaang - 61 posts

#long post - 36 posts

#writing - 25 posts

#what we do in the shadows - 25 posts

#fanfic - 22 posts

#gif - 21 posts

#harry potter - 21 posts

#mood - 19 posts

#vianton - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 103 characters

#repeating 'i have social anxiety' over and over whenever there's an opportunity to socialize won't help

My Top Posts in 2022:

Chapters: 3/? Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle Summary:

Tom Riddle firmly believes that Harry Potter needs to be taken down a peg. Unfortunately for Tom and his plan, Potter has a tendency to be where he's not supposed to be, and know what he's not supposed to know.

Somehow Tom finds himself in the situation he least expects, which requires him to spend more time with the two things he hates the most: Harry and Quidditch.

(also known as the chapter where Tom fucks around and finds out)

10 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

Chapters: 2/? Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Hogwarts, Animagus Harry Potter, Quidditch, Tom Riddle aka Mr Steal Yo Snake, sneaking out after curfew

Summary:

Somehow Tom finds himself in the situation he least expects, which requires him to spend more time with the two things he hates the most: Harry and Quidditch.

21 notes - Posted January 25, 2022

when was the last time i posted art? something something about embracing imperfection, anyway, have my last wip

32 notes - Posted October 15, 2022

i read hotter than a sauna by @raspberryseashanty and the Urge to draw viago and anton in a bathtub was too much to ignore

39 notes - Posted November 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

have a horny snippet from ask politely, one of my tomarry wips ♥ enjoy!

***

Harry almost misses the hospital bed. The food sucked, but at least there were Healers to keep his father out of his room.

“Dad, we’ve had this conversation,” Harry laments tiredly as they walk the corridor to Harry’s office. “I was doing my job, you know how it is. Accidents happen on the field.”

“Well, my professional opinion is that there will be no field work for you for two weeks at least, until you get back in full shape.”

Incredulous, Harry whips his head toward him. “What?” A few heads turn to look in their direction, and he lowers his voice. “Are you out of your mind? Professional opinion, my arse! Don’t you dare confine me at my desk doing paperwork for weeks just because you have this absurd idea that a single scratch on my body is equivalent to me being on my deathbed!”

Stiff-backed and stubborn, James clenches his jaw. “You needed extensive healing—”

“Extensive healing? You heard mum! That sodding potion was just stubborn or whatever, but I was never in actual danger—”

“Head Auror Potter,” a pleasant voice interrupts them.

In a split second, Harry’s completely attuned to the new presence; a shiver slides down his spine like a lover’s caress, heat flooding his limbs, ensnaring Harry completely. Gone is every single thought of his father, replaced by images of perfect lips curled into a delicately vicious smile, a hint of teeth peeking out—the many other things those lips and teeth could do, biting and sucking on Harry’s neck, wrapped around Harry’s cock, and oh, how glorious it would be, to see those lips part around a moan as Harry bends Riddle over his desk and fucks him hard and deep and fast—

“Mr. Riddle. Good morning,” James greets. “Have you met my son?”

Harry meets Riddle’s honeyed gaze straight on. “Auror Harry Potter,” he says in his best friendly voice, offering his hand. He doesn’t miss the small stutter in Riddle’s expression, how his eyes widen for an instant before returning to their usual calculating sharpness. Interesting.

Even more interesting is the way Riddle is looking at Harry from head to toe now, calm and unabashed. “Tom Riddle, heir to the House Gaunt. I see where the rumours about your striking similarity to your father come from.” His handshake is firm, fingers smooth and cold. Harry wants to feel them all over his skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake, pushing inside him, leading him over the edge towards blissful oblivion.

James’ smile is polite and bordering on stiff as he puts an arm around Harry’s shoulders, shielding him on instinct from Riddle’s scrutiny. “He also inherited my stubbornness and the tendency to throw himself headfirst into danger, I’m afraid.”

“No Auror worth their salt lingers too long on thoughts of self-preservation,” Riddle observes. “I must take my leave now. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Auror Potter. Good afternoon to you both.”

Harry clamps down on the urge to watch him leave. He already knows he’ll wank himself raw tonight, thinking of that small moment where Riddle has caught his eye and faltered, and how his voice sounded when it shaped Harry’s name afterwards.

Once inside Harry’s office, James raises the Ministry-approved Privacy Charms and declares: “That man gives me the creeps.”

“Does he?” Harry says, plopping onto his chair without a single ounce of grace. Riddle’s intensity could be seen as creepy, especially up close; at this point, though, Harry is too far gone to find it anything but arousing. It’s like he’s decided to throw the entirety of his Auror training of the window. Or, well—he can still recognise the signs of danger. He just willingly chooses not to care.

His father doesn’t seem to share the sentiment. James snorts, before saying: “You don’t need me to tell you how off his magic feels, not to mention his behaviour. I mean, the way he just stared at you, and that smile?”

“Is he always like this? The whole”—he gestures at his own body—“looking up and down thing he did?” Harry asks, hoping to find out more about the object of his fantasies.

“Not always, but still too often for anyone to be comfortable around him. Rumour has it that he’s a Legilimens, but I’ve never seen a Legilimens be so obvious about eye contact. He must have noticed that the whole Ministry avoids his eyes, and he doesn’t seem to care.”

But Harry has made eye contact, and his Occlumency has always been shite. So, if the rumour was true, what Riddle must have seen at the forefront of his mind...

Oh.

83 notes - Posted February 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#year in review #i feel like i got way more notes in other posts #how does this even work

6 notes · View notes

donnabroadway · 1 year

Text

Incorporated

Dayana (Day-ah-nah)

Chapter 1

Her instincts were right. They are following her. She knew she never should have applied for that stupid post office job. She got to the portion of the background check and never heard back. It was that stupid shop lifting charge. Who gets arrested for a shoplifting razors from Walgreens 10 years later?

Maybe if I lay low, they’ll leave me alone.

No, it’s been a month and they’re still here.

Stupid.

Dayana Brenton uncomfortably adjusted her purse and pressed the button to cross the street.

Screech

Great. Maybe if I die today, I will avoid federal prison.

Dayana steps back on the curb and allows the black Maxima to pass. She nods at the driver politely.

She adjusts her black polyester skirt, matched with a black short sleeve blazer, burnt orange tank top, and gold statement necklace and crosses the street, making sure she wasn’t going to meet her maker today. It was every bit of 2009.

Another interview. Another “we’ll be in touch.” Dayana needed a job and she needed it now. It had been a year since she graduated from Coppin State University and she had only worked sparingly. It’s not that she didn’t want to work. Let the pundits tell it, Millennials are lazy and entitled and don’t want to work but this is the beginning of the worst economic recession in 20 years and finding a sustainable job wasn’t easy. It doesn’t matter that she was an English major. She did everything right. She was president of clubs, joined a sorority, attended national conferences, had internships, was known to the president of the school, she was secretary of SGA, she had a 4.0 GPA for two years, all her professors knew her and liked her, and she wrote for everything she could. She was a staple of the Moore Library. She was the golden child of the English department, and she still couldn’t find a job. Didn’t matter. She had accounting friends and computer science friends who couldn’t find a job either. Maybe it was the school but they did give her a scholarship. Who knows. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t do another soul demoralizing interview. She was a college graduate who just got rejected from JCPenney. Something’s gotta give.

These heels are about to give.

Dayana adjusts her black heels from Barefeet Shoes. $19.99. A graduation gift to herself. Who knew she wouldn’t be a great editor a year later? The job market sucks. Maybe she should stand on this corner, she would probably make more money.

Unemployment runs out in two weeks and rent is taking her last few checks.

I need a job

Excuse me, ma’am. I need you to come with me.

Dayana is jolted out of her thoughts to see the black Ford Focus with government tags parked besides her and a tall Asset, who looks like he’s straight out of Men In Black standing in front of her.

“For what,” she responds, looking the Asset up and down. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Ma’am get in the car,” the Asset responds.

“And if I don’t.” She’s trying to be tough but Dayana is scared. If she disappears, no one will be looking for her. Her mother is useless and her father disappeared years ago. Last year, Dayana was so proud of herself, she put herself through school with little debt and now she was either about to be kidnapped or homeless sleeping in the car she bought with her financial aid refund. I’ll take dead for 300, Alex.

“That was an order, not a request.” He opens the door and after a few seconds, Dayana sighs and gets in. He pulls out a walkie talkie

“I got her.”

A muffled voice responds on the other end.

“I have Ford.”

“Does anyone have Rodriguez?”

“No, we’re still looking.”

“Copy.”

“We’re headed to headquarters.”

“Got it.”

Ford. Rodriguez. Who are these people?

The Asset closes the door and gets in the car.

“Where are we going,” Dayana asks. Silence. Not even a grunt. No response, no music, just pure silence for what seems like hours.

0 notes

addierose444 · 2 years

Text

Post Graduation Plans: Software Engineering at Microsoft

After two incredible summers interning at Microsoft, I am excited to announce that after graduation I’ll be returning to Microsoft as a full-time software engineer. I’ll be based in Redmond and will be working within the Office Product Group most likely on the OneNote team. Speaking of OneNote, here’s one of my favorite posts about how I use Microsoft OneNote as a student.

When I first applied to Microsoft in January of 2021, I didn’t yet know that software engineering was my dream job. In fact, Explore Microsoft was the only software engineering internship I’d applied to. This was mostly because at the time I saw myself working more closely with hardware. In addition to Microsoft, I’d also applied to research programs (at top universities) in human-computer interaction, wireless technologies, and robotics. What I will say though is that the Microsoft internship really grew on me as I went through the interview process. If you are curious, you can also check out the résumé that landed me the initial interview. While I did genuinely become interested in interning for Microsoft, there were a few other factors that led to my decision to accept. For starters, I was only given two weeks to decide and hadn’t yet heard back from the research programs. (I was ultimately accepted into the robotics program and offered an interview for the wireless technologies program). Money was also a consideration because back then I still envisioned myself going straight to grad school after Smith for either computer engineering or robotics. So even though the research programs seemed to offer more relevant experience, Microsoft would better enable me to afford graduate school while also providing me with real experience. To be clear though, I’ve been interested in STEM for as long as I can remember so my decision to major in engineering and computer science had nothing to do with money. If interested, you can read more about my academic journey into engineering and computer science.

And speaking of graduate school, one great thing about working for Microsoft is their tuition reimbursement program. We’ll see how I feel in a few years, but one master’s program that’s really caught my attention is the Allen School's Professional Master's Program at the University of Washington. This master’s program requires a minimum of two years of professional experience and is completed over the course of two and a half years. The program is designed with working professionals in mind and has evening classes that meet just one night per week.

As it turns out, my remote Explore internship exceeded all of my expectations and resulted in a return offer for a software engineering internship the following summer. This first internship really opened my eyes to software engineering as an exciting and rewarding career path. Even though I wasn’t yet ready to fully commit to a career in software engineering, I knew that a second internship would teach me transferable skills. Staying with Microsoft was a no-brainer because I’d had a great experience and knew I didn’t want to work for other large tech companies like Amazon or Facebook. During my junior year of college, I went full steam ahead with both of my majors but consistently found that I preferred my computer science classes. I particularly enjoyed both of my software engineering courses CSC 223 and COMPSCI 520.

So between an awesome software engineering internship this summer and a great return offer, the decision to accept was actually really easy. I received the official offer letter on the final day of my internship (August 12, 2022) and was given six weeks to make a decision. I initially thought I’d have until November 1st like I did last year because Smith has a policy but Microsoft decided not to honor school policies this year. While I was mostly ready to accept, I did give myself a little time to review the offer with my family and make sure it was really what I wanted. Additionally, I used this time to negotiate an increased starting bonus. Overall, I’m just so excited about this next chapter of my life. It is a bit strange to still have another year of college, but having a job lined up should help make it a great year. In all honestly, I’d probably have to drop a class if I were going through the whole recruiting process right now.

#college #Smith College #microsoft #job #career #software engineering #return offer #Microsoft OneNote

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islandpcosjourney · 2 years

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Day 20 – May ’22 challenge

28th May 2022

God certainly does work in mysterious ways. In the space of 3 days, the shape of my summer months has dramatically changed. Summer has always been a quieter time, being a teacher – getting a well-earned rest and time to do other things. The last couple of summers have been especially odd, given that the pandemic has shaped the turn of “events”. The “usual” is a thing of the past but my summers have previously included Fèis teaching weeks, the Edinburgh fringe, Carloway show, Choir pre-Mòd ceilidh and mainland shopping time! The last 2 summers haven’t included any of that, which is odd enough considering that it was the summer routine I’ve had for a decade or more. So, this summer, my schedule had been playing on my mind a little. I’d enquired about Fèis weeks in various places but hadn’t heard very much, I had plans to be in Edinburgh around the fringe time but nothing concrete, no show, the possibility of at least an intensive choir workshop, ceilidh not discussed yet and a week with my girls in Nairn. Now, however, it’s all potentially out of the window! For a good reason, an exciting one but such a different shape to the summer that it is hard to imagine.

I had been considering offering to continue to teach my private students as I may as well work while Kevin has work to do on the back of the house in town and I was hoping that I’d hear from a few more Fèis committees as the weeks grew closer and contrary to what I’d normally do, I was going to start teaching again as soon as the schools go back mid-august (I usually start again first week in September, purely as timetables change with new terms, pupils changing schools, after-school activities moving around etc so I give parents a couple of weeks to get all of their ducks in a row first before committing to a regular time-slot with me).

I hadn’t been stressing about it too much, but I was acutely aware that we only have a month left of the school term, so I knew I was going to have to make provisions and decisions about it all soon. However, I should’ve known that God would have taken care of it all already, shouldn’t I? Something I had dismissed a couple of weeks ago, suddenly came to my attention again mid-week. I had a couple of hours spare on Thursday, so I just got straight down to it, sent the email that night, got a reply within a few hours, invited to an informal online meeting yesterday to discuss it, and was offered the position this morning 😵 To say I’m in shock is a bit of an understatement, purely as it was so unplanned, and I haven’t had long to let it sink in. I don’t deal too well with quick changes in life but I’m learning to cope better and accept what is thrown at me as challenges which I am able/equipped to cope with and so therefore, finding it easier to “go with the flow”.

I have been doubting my abilities recently, since losing my contract with the Mòd music committee just before the pandemic started. I’ve only had my music teaching (which I love and never feels like a “job” by the way) apart from the few hours I worked in the coffee shop during the lockdowns to maintain social contact. The teaching alone has been enough to cover all of my business bills, which is great, but I was finding that not having any spare cash each month to save for renovation works in our Stornoway property has been slowly grinding on me. That desire to create more income for the savings & having applied for a few roles over the last 2 years, unsuccessfully, then led me to doubt my abilities in being able to do anything other than work for myself. I hadn’t been stressing over it, but it has been playing on my mind, as a constant thought of what I could do, within my skill set, to successfully develop my working hours. I have more energy now so I can! Working mornings in a local school for a few weeks, preparing students for local Mòd competitions, was a welcome addition, not just financially but to be around other adults during the day!

Being self-employed has many perks but also many cons too – socialising being one of the major downsides. I enjoy teaching one-to-one more than classroom teaching, which I will never return to, but it doesn’t give me the daily adult interaction I enjoy and yearn for. I loved the social aspect of my coffee shop work, but the hours started interfering with my teaching, so I had to prioritise my music over it in the end. I haven’t successfully found a suitable replacement to tie-in well with the flexibility I need to work beside my teaching and voluntary working hours. This summer work is going to be really good for me because I am such a people person. It might also open other doors – a world of unknown opportunities, so who knows. I opened my heart on Thursday and I had no idea what it would lead to. In a way I still don’t but I feel really positive about it and that can only be a good thing. I feel invigorated.

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hualianff · 3 years

Text

Vampire/Human AU

(Slight NSFW, angst)

Thinking about vampire HC who owns a vampire-friendly bar with humans who apply as donors to supply fresh blood for vampires willing to pay the expensive prices. When a human with beautiful amber eyes, soft facial features, and blood that smells absolutely delectable, walks in, every vampire whips their heads towards the door. The human approaches one of the staff, YY, to inquire about becoming a donor. HC watches as the enticing morsel follows YY into a room to finalize his application.

Right after the human leaves thirty minutes later–YY probably having said it would take a few days to find him a match–HC pulls YY aside, demanding to have a look over the papers the new donor filled out. After a quick scan, HC shoves the papers back to YY with a click of his tongue,

“No need to find him a match. He’s mine.”

A human whose blood smells heavenly, who has never been bitten or even nipped by a vampire. HC wants to corrupt him. Ruin him.

The next night, HC has the human, XL, meet him in his personal feeding room. There’s a luxurious velvet couch to the side, a pristine glass table with fancy wine and glasses, and a king-sized bed with crimson silk laid upon the mattress.

HC, like most vampires, typically feeds while stimulating their donors. This can be done with something as simple as kissing or full-on intercourse. Not only does this relax the human’s nerves so they won’t tense up before being bitten, but the toxins injected into their system after being bitten feels incredibly euphoric, serving as a kind of aphrodisiac. Many humans donate their blood in this way for the sole reason of attaining this heightened sense of pleasure.

But as soon as XL enters the room in front of HC, his mind freezes as he sees the bed.

“I’m a virgin,” he blurts out, wide eyes panicked as he looks at the vampire. HC raises his eyebrow, unperturbed.

“We can work with that.”

XL gulps.

“I’ve also never kissed anyone.”

HC runs a tongue along his sharp fangs.

“Do you want to change that?” The vampire asks, walking up behind the human, pressing his chest against XL’s back. HC hears XL’s heart rate pick up at the proposition. It’s an unspoken yes, though XL also imperceptibly nods his head. He does not see HC’s lips spread into a vicious grin. However, XL does feel lips brush against the shell of his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

“Use your words, precious. Do you want to be kissed? Want to be touched, experience pleasure beyond comprehension?” HC murmurs, skimming his lips across XL’s nape. “I can fuck you too. Push into your little body as I sink my fangs into your neck. I’d place them right here-“ HC taps XL’s jugular, the human jerking to the side with a gasp. “-oh? So sensitive. All the better. I can make you feel so good.”

XL’s breath quickens, ever so slightly leaning back into HC’s tall frame. HC leans forward to catch a glimpse of those doe eyes regarding him with caution. Oh, how he wants to eat this human alive. HC turns XL around by his shoulders. He lowers his head to bump foreheads with XL, forcing the human to look into his red-tinged eyes.

“Is that a yes?”

XL blinks those doe eyes once, then twice.

“Yes.”

HC brings his hand up to brush a hair away from the human’s head.

“Wonderful.”

***

XL is at the point in his life when he lost everything. He chose to pursue a career outside of his parents’ embroidery business despite being expected to take over the shop after college. Abandoning college altogether, XL went off on his own to chase his dream to become a singer.

A few years later, where XL was provinces away from home, XL’s parents’ business had gone under, devastating them as they could no longer pay for their medical bills. Upon hearing the news, XL rushed back home to take care of them. It seemed they had kept their declining health conditions under wraps. They were too prideful to admit their weakening physical states; they also did not want to guilt XL into giving up on his ambitions to take care of them.

XL’s parents lasted one year before passing away, his father first due to prostate cancer, his mother one month later after succumbing to exhaustion and grief. XL lost their home along with the shop merely a week later, unable to pay off the debt. His parents had used up their savings for their medical expenses and XL had been scraping by as a musician for years. Additionally, there was no one he could confide in. He had lost contact with his friends as he moved from city to city, busking on streets, attempting to catch the attention of music labels.

XL was utterly alone. There were days when not even music could bring an ounce of comfort. However, music was the thing that kept him sane between the various side jobs he managed to pick up to keep him off the streets.

As if the fates decided XL had had enough bad luck for a lifetime, a CEO of a fairly well-known label offered him a business card after a busking session. It was JW of Capital Records who gave XL hope of achieving his dream. XL spent most of his late 20s under the label, training and practicing and producing. He had the chance to record a couple of singles and one mini-album–which he didn’t get to participate much in the production side–but other than that, XL didn’t make it far. He was tremendously overworked and yet, still discarded to the side.

Wondering why he wasn’t provided the opportunities other artists received to further their careers, XL scheduled a one-on-one meeting with the CEO to ask what he was lacking. JW had insisted he could give XL more opportunities if XL could offer something more than just his serene vocals and pretty face.

The unspoken suggestion that XL offer up his body pierced his heart with yet another stake. Overwhelming disappointment and betrayal crashed into XL, but perhaps he should have known better that the whole situation was too good to be true. XL vehemently rejected this idea, angering JW who eventually tore XL down to the point of a medical emergency that allowed him to leave the agency without repercussions.

At age thirty-two, XL was left with no family, mental and physical trauma, and a dying will. Ironically enough, the song lyrics he’d written after experiencing so much loss were the closest thing to making music he’d gotten. But in the end, XL still felt like a failure.

Now in Xi’an, XL was left with limited options to earn money for rent. He already worked two part-time jobs in addition to writing music—though even time set aside for this has dwindled.

One night, as XL was walking home after closing up the convenience store, he saw the neon lights of the sign “Ghost City.” He’s heard many things about this club and is no stranger to the existence of nonhuman creatures roaming amongst human society. After hours of research, XL decided to apply to become a blood donor. It’s not like he had a better option that paid more anyway.

XL’s hope to somehow redeem his past actions has all but fizzled out. He doesn’t expect a vampire like HC to care about his comfort or consent when feeding, though HC still prioritizes these things for some reason.

XL has never looked at his body and thought about the best ways to pleasure himself. HC shows him how. HC caresses and kisses XL like he’s worth being handled with care; HC also invades XL’s body as a threat to break it, broadcasting a vampire’s strength, speed, and endurance in the bedroom.

XL can go as far as to say he even looks forward to his time with HC. In between a busy work life and dealing with people who would rather look the other way than give him the time of day, XL’s mind and body steadily weaken.

It starts with memory loss, where XL can’t clearly remember the conversations he’d had the day before. One of the reasons this develops is because he goes through many days without having anyone to tell about his day. It’s like the life XL lives is so insignificant, nothing about it is worth remembering.

Then, it’s the lack of eating. Most of XL’s money goes towards rent, essentials, and groceries. But he’s not a great cook. And he’s already drained by the time he gets home after working both jobs and visiting Ghost City. XL’s stress doesn’t help, adding to the fatigue that gradually shuts his body down.

While HC might not be able to taste a difference in XL’s blood, he does notice how frail the human moves around. How delayed XL responds, more so than he should be–even as a human. XL has scheduled more visits: three times a week this time. However, his words become less. He stops telling the little stories that brought a small smile to his face. XL doesn’t even mention the songs he’s been working on lately.

HC forces himself to ask about them after an especially rough coupling.

“How’s the songwriting going, darling?” HC asks quietly. He props his elbow upon his pillow, resting his cheek on his hand as he intently observes the human struggling to catch his breath, eyelids fluttering.

“I haven’t written anything new,” XL breathily answers. HC purses his lips. He ducks down to affectionately tongue at the skin his fangs pierced.

“No? In how long?” HC asks. XL sighs heavily.

“Maybe three weeks.”

HC doesn’t know what to say to that. He’s not one to console anybody. No one had afforded him that luxury, and naturally, he did not grant anyone else his concern. The silence that follows is unbearable.

***

The next time XL visits, he’s the one to initiate their first kiss. HC growls happily against his human’s lips, pinning him against the closed door of his private room. XL moans obscenely as HC languidly licks into his mouth. His arms desperately wrap around HC’s neck to bring him closer.

“Someone’s eager,” HC says with a chuckle as he pulls back. XL instantly attaches his lips to the vampire’s jaw, peppering light kisses along the pale skin. HC can’t help but think he’s taught his little human well. XL hums while trailing his lips back to HC’s, capturing them in a kiss that’s the sweetest one yet.

HC should’ve noticed how unstable XL’s legs seemed, how dreadful the bags under his eyes looked before indulging in their bedroom activities. He should’ve kept track all along of how thin XL is, how much more skin and bone he had become. HC is certainly not one to intrude on someone else’s life and scrutinize all their choices. But he should’ve said something sooner.

Maybe then, XL’s heart wouldn’t have stuttered so violently, or completely stopped beating for five counts.

HC watches in horror as XL’s eyes roll into the back of his head. His human’s body goes limp in his arms, collapsing into HC’s chest. When XL’s heart beat starts up again, it’s very weak. There’s a noticeable abnormality in its rhythm.

HC quickly gathers XL in his arms and speeds to the bed. He sits back against the pillow, placing XL to recline against his front. HC hooks his arms around XL’s middle from behind, anxiously listening to XL’s irregular heartbeat that seems like it takes all of his human’s energy to pump. Luckily, XL awakens a few minutes later. He registers a cold embrace and warm puffs of breath lingering near his ear.

“Did I pass out?” XL wheezes out, unconsciously melting into the body behind him.

“Yes,” HC says tightly. “Your heartbeat is uneven. Something is wrong.”

XL can’t tell if he’s imagining it but that sounded like worry in the vampire’s tone.

“Oh.”

HC inhales sharply.

“You just fainted, Xie Lian. Hell, your heart just stopped for a few seconds, and all you have to say is ‘oh?’” HC grinds out.

So he is upset. XL swallows thickly, not wanting to escalate things and further upset the vampire.

“It’s okay,” XL says. “I’m okay-“

“No. You’re not,” HC interrupts.

XL takes a deep breath, wincing slightly as HC tightens his arms around his hips. He’s more sensitive than normal, XL realizes. Before XL can defend himself further, HC grasps XL’s chin and turns his head to face the vampire.

“You’re hiding something from me,” he states. He hears XL’s heart speed up. “There’s no use in lying. I can tell you’ve grown weaker since you first came.”

“Well, I have been donating my blood to a certain vampire for a few months now. I’m bound to be a bit weak in my legs,” XL replies as a matter of factly. He means to poke fun at the situation rather than acknowledge the severity of it. HC knows this because he’s done it numerous times himself. But when XL does it, it makes HC’s blood boil.

“Are you saying I am causing this- this deterioration in your health?” HC asks tensely. XL lets out a gasp, whirling around in HC’s arms, immediately backpedaling.

“No! No, not at all.”

HC’s eyes assess his human who trembles slightly in his arms. He cradles XL in between his legs, hands shifting XL further up his body so he can rest his head on HC’s chest. HC gently pets XL’s hair, an action that was uncharacteristic of him months ago, before XL had walked through the entrance of his bar.

XL gently smiles in an attempt to placate the vampire.

HC’s eyes flash a frightening scarlet.

“I don’t believe you.”

XL’s face crumples.

“It’s true! I’ve just been really busy is all. Work has been hectic and- and-“ gone is the innocence that HC once saw in XL’s doe eyes, instead replaced by stress and utter brokenness that alarms the vampire to no end. A voice in the back of HC’s head snarls that those emotions had always been behind XL’s eyes; they were simply better hidden, and HC had been too lust-driven to notice.

XL continues his rambling, frantically shaking his head. “-I took some extra shifts because I needed the money to pay for some water damage that flooded half my apartment. I’m fine—truly.“

If HC had a beating heart, it would have dropped down to his stomach at the sudden realization. His fingers dig into the paper-thin skin of XL’s hips, then trace up the bony knobs of his spine.

“You’re not eating right.”

“Wait- S-san Lang-“

The nickname HC had asked XL to call him is hurdled back into his face like a stone aimed to shatter. It sounds like a cry for help.

“And you’re not getting enough sleep,” HC concludes with a disapproving frown. His eyes now glow a deep crimson, matching the silken sheets that HC ensures are in perfect condition every time XL visits.

“Fuck, XIE LIAN, you know you need proper nutrition and rest to recover from each night you spend with me!” HC is nearly shouting now, voice wavering out of his control. Who knew another creature could make him feel so strongly?

“I-I am!”

“I SAID NOT TO LIE TO ME. I CAN TELL WHEN YOU’RE NOT BEING HONEST,” HC explodes, spatting those words with a poison that he often uses with uncooperative subordinates, but never directed at XL before.

Tears glisten in XL’s eyes as he’s cornered with no way out, no relief from the building pressure that suffocates him. Right now, after everything XL has been through, this seems to be his tipping point. He never expected HC to care this much. Or perhaps HC is just concerned his reliable supply of blood is flaking out on him, just when he’s had a feasible taste.

XL is sure HC has plenty of other donors to feed on. It’s not like XL is particularly special in that way. Frankly speaking, XL had time and time again asked the universe to give him one last sign that his life mattered in some capacity. But if he couldn’t see the value in his own life, who else could?

XL scrambles off from HC’s lap, allowing himself to speak with the deep-seated spite that has grown in his heart like an untamable weed.

“THERE’S NO NEED TO GET SO WORKED UP OVER MY HEALTH!! I’LL BE GONE SOON ANYWAY! THE DOCTOR GAVE ME THREE MORE MONTHS,” XL screams, having to catch his breath after exerting so much power into his voice. “So there. You have my answer. I’m not lying this time. Just one a couple more months and then- then you won’t have to deal with my shit anymore, okay?”

HC can’t move. He can’t speak either. The shock taking over his system renders his mind and body completely useless. He can only stare blankly at XL whose tears now cascade down his cheeks.

No, this cannot be happening-

XL’s whimpers pull HC out of his head. The human hugs his own frail body, shivering from a coldness that does not exist in the room.

How did HC let it get so bad?

“I’m sick, San Lang. Very, very sick. Not just physically,” XL whispers defeatedly, letting out a small hiccup.

HC doesn’t hesitate to surge forward to throw his arms around XL, hugging him once more. It’s a habit now—to hold XL whenever he could. Now, HC wonders how many more times he would get this chance before it was inevitably the last.

“Xie Lian…”

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I-I just can’t eat. Sometimes from stress, other times I completely forget. And I want to rest, but I end up laying in bed awake for hours a-and my mind just won’t let me sleep-”

For the first time in over a decade, there is someone else to hear XL’s agonized wails.

“Please believe me, San Lang. Please."

#tgcf #heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #hualian #hualian au #cerdrabbles #xie lian #hua cheng #human xie lian #vampire hua cheng #sorry it's rushed

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respectable-username · 3 years

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I've been back in the office these last couple of weeks after working from home for almost exactly a year, so of course that means it's time for:

Hermitcraft Corporate AU 👩‍💼🧑‍💼👨‍💼

All the Hermits work in the same office for the one company.

The company, or at least the division they work for, is a tech company, partly because a lot of the Hermits are already technical and partly because that's something I know enough about to riff on 😛

Zed, Impulse, and Tango (Team ZIT): Backend engineering team. Tango and Zed are both developers and Impulse is their project manager. All three of them code though, because of understaffing due to budget cuts. Impulse keeps trying to get Skizz hired as an additional developer, but no success yet.

Grian and Scar: UX and UI designer respectively. If you get the two of them in a design meeting together, be prepared to spend 20 mins listening to them argue over the colour of a button. What they come up with in the end though is always brilliant.

Mumbo and Iskall: Frontend engineering team. The interfaces they create based on Grian and Scar's designs are amazing and super functional and I didn't even know you could do that with JavaScript! The only teeny tiny issue is that they're always suuuper sloooow. But, I mean, surely customers are happy to wait 10s for a page to load? 2s after a button push for an action to happen? That's normal, right? Right?!

Doc: Database engineer. Whatever is making the website slow, it's not Doc's DB. That thing has been optimised to the extreme, regularly tuned based on real usage information. It's also super durable, sitting on a custom RAID array that nobody's previously implemented outside research papers published within the last year. That thing isn't going down. That thing isn't going to slow. The GOAT will make sure of that!

Etho: IT support and general hardware guy. Whether it's a broken keyboard or a new physical server that needs installing, Etho's your guy. Can do anything you need in the hardware space. Honestly, it's kinda weird how broad and yet how deep is knowledge is. Even the esoteric things he usually has an answer for. How does this guy know everything?!

Joe: Security red team. His job is to break and break into the company a hundred different ways, then write a report about exactly how he did it. You can generally tell Joe's level of boredom by the level of absurdity in his attacks. Honestly, how does he think of these things?! Joe knows that the company knows that he knows they can't fire him or else he could bring them down for real within a week, so they let him do basically whatever he wants. Luckily, Joe doesn't abuse that power too much, mainly just holding back certain more useful exploits for his own personal use, such as certain ways into the building out of hours...

False: Security blue team. Her job is to enforce good security practices and to defend the company against malicious actors and Joe. Mostly against Joe, though. The actual attackers are usually just script kiddies with their first metasploit installation and phishers trying to steal passwords via emails (which isn't a big issue for the company given their two-factor auth setup). Joe, on the other hand...

Cleo: Chief Banter Officer (at least, according to her Slack profile). Nobody knows exactly what Cleo's job is. All they know is, whenever somethings popping off on the company Slack, Cleo is right there in the middle of it. Whether that's planning a coffee run or complaining about how the company's refusal to implement pay band transparency is harmful to minorities, you know Cleo has an opinion and will share it. Joe will usually join in, if only to wind up Cleo even more. Cleo's actual job is in accounting, but that's boring.

Stress: HR. HR typically has a bad wrap in industry, but Stress works hard to make sure that doesn't apply to her! She takes all complaints seriously and provides comfort and assistance to those who need help when she can. However, when it comes to hiring and pay, her hands are still tied by the higher-ups. No matter how many times Impulse begs her to hire Skizz, there's just no budget for it!

Cub: Upper management. He has a finger in all the pies. He knows what's going on. And most importantly, he has the power to make some decisions. If you really want something done, if you can convince Cub it's worth doing, you know he can pull some strings to probably make it happen.

Ren and Keralis: Marketing and PR. These boys know how to make an impact, going big or going home. Whether it's hyping the company to investors or to potential customers, they will drag you in and make you want to be a part of it. Also, the two most likely to be dragged into Stress' office for certain comments they keep making.

Bdubs: Receptionist. You'd think being a receptionist would be easy, just sitting behind a fancy desk all day, but no. There's phone calls to forward, packages to collect, temporary passes to find for guests and those who forgot their own (looking at you, Scar), people to greet, questions to answer, announcements to send, and building managers to placate. Stop smirking, it's a very important job!

Xisuma: Customer support. If any of their customers need a hand, X is there to give it to them. His ability to stay calm no matter how annoyed the customer is proves to be a great asset, and almost everybody leaves satisfied that their complaint has been heard, even in the cases when it isn't yet solved.

TFC: Retired (officially), contractor (temporarily). TFC worked at the company for many decades and officially retired three years ago. However, his institutional knowledge and history working with the oddities of their system mean that he keeps being called back in as a contractor to fix odd problems. He doesn't mind though, helping the next generation move forwards. The extra cash doesn't hurt either!

Skizz: While not part of the company (despite applying five times. Five!), he still will accidentally-on-purpose bump into the Hermits on coffee runs and will never not join them for Friday night drinks.

The remaining Hermits I don't know enough about to give them roles myself. Leave some suggestions for them in the comments or reblog to add your thoughts!

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katerinu · 3 years

Text

I have arrived at the Yashahime is Over Party! I never, ever wanted a sequel, I was much happier with my own opinions and headcanons as to what happened after the show was over. (As I'm sure many fans were.) InuYasha has always been this great, big sandbox, where you can do whatever you want. Yashahime basically came in and stomped on everybody's fun time, so now I'm just trying to rebuild what I had! This rewrite isn't exactly my thoughts to a T on what I think should have happened at the end, rather, I tried to keep in mind the premise of Yashahime and just... fix it!

I know that my likes and opinions tend to be a bit disjointed from the rest-- for example, I LOVED the filler episodes. To this day, some of my favorite episodes that I go back to rewatch have been filler. I like slow and steady, I like lots and lots of dialogue. But Yashahime? Not like this. Never like this. For my rewrite, this is no longer a fantasy romance action adventure whatever. This is slice of life.

For my rewrite, Moroha becomes the main character. The story follows her as she travels around Japan, basically meeting old friends of her folks, and meeting some new ones along the way. InuKag and MirSan live generally happy, peaceful lives, with the Root Head demon being the last of their major problems for a long while.

I love the idea that with InuYasha and Kagome being a committed couple in an "unusual" relationship with an "unusual" daughter, Kaede's village over time becomes a safe haven for weak demons, half demons, and like-minded humans. It expands into a vast and bustling town, with plenty of colorful characters in addition.

Sango spends a lot of her day training Hisui and Gyokoto. She doesn't go out herself much anymore, and has basically passed the torch to her children and, of course, younger brother. Her time is mostly spent now creating and repairing weapons, though her real passion is in experimenting with fabrics to create stronger, more resistant material. Miroku continues to travel (so long as he stops by to say hello to his wife once and awhile) alongside his daughter Kin'u, who basically apprentices under him. He's so proud of who she's become.

Moroha is at that age where she longs to see the world outside their humble home. She packs her things, says goodbye to her mom and dad, and sets off. I can totally see her keeping the bounty hunter job as it would be a great way for her to make money on her own. And with her being loved and reasonably fed, whenever she loses a head, it can *actually* be funny. She still uses the rouge to become Beniyasha in tough times, but without the red pearl. (No pearls in this, the pearls are stupid.) She made a promise with her momma to only use the rouge in DIRE situations, since it can be dangerous. Of course, she's looked over by grandpa Myoga... and Shippo!

Shippo is much older now, but given that he's a demon (and I do subscribe to the demons age slower HC, despite the shit I give it) he appears to be around, or a little younger than Moroha. They're about equal in power which means they have to work together a lot to get out of sticky situations. They act as brother and sister since Shippo was basically adopted by InuKag, so there's no romance between them. It's purely familial.

Over the course of the series, Moroha meets old characters, both filler and canon, from the OG series. (Some Shippo recognizes, some he doesn't.) They help out with whatever problem-of-the-week is going on, as the episodes are primarily laid back and focused more on character interaction and development. They meet old faces like Jineji, Botan and Momiji, Kanta, Bunza, and even Shiori!

Shiori would have an episode or two, going more in depth on half demons and their human nights.

To keep the "mystery" aspect Sunrise TRIED to do while also putting a long term goal/conflict in the show to prevent it from getting boring, I would include Towa/Setsuna. But here's the kick-- I would combine them into one character.

Zetsumetsuko would sometimes run into our main cast and cause issues, mostly based on what the audience infers is some kind of misunderstanding or jealousy. This character will butt heads with Moroha, similar to how InuYasha and Sesshomaru were, but with her having a bit more sass.

Moroha says they smell familiar, but she can't place her finger on it. Zetsumetsuko tends to say some cryptic stuff, saying she knows some info that Moroha doesn't. This character is basically a wild card, and is to keep the audience on their toes. It is of course, later revealed that this character is the daughter of Sesshomaru. (Not that it's hard to guess, haha.) It happens when the main cast run into Rin. Zetsumetsuko appears to try and cause more trouble, only for Rin to excitedly shout, "Sister!" And begin doting upon her.

With tensions eased, the characters manage to sit and chat calmly. Zetsumetsuko feels like she doesn't belong, and struggles to find a place in the world similar to InuYasha. They barely knew their own father, raised primarily by Rin and Jaken. She doesn't even know her own mother. Zetsumetsuko has been following Moroha out of a sense of jealousy, since they're related but their paths have been so different. She basically reveals how lonely she's been, too. Which leads to her joining the group!

I wanted to introduce Zetsumetsuko as the daughter of Sesshomaru at the same time I introduced Rin as her sister, basically cutting Rin out of the running for potential mother right away.

The mother would be Kagura, who... I don't have a design for, ah! I heard a lot of talk and rumors about Kagura having become a goddess and I think I would apply that idea to my rewrite. It would explain why Kagura wasn't around for Zatsumetsuko growing up. Ah, now I have to make a Goddess!Kagura design, hahaha.

In conclusion, my sequel would be made purely for nostalgia's sake. No retcons, barely even touching the original plot of InuYasha. It would be a way to see the old cast through new characters, who would be charming in their own right without relying on their parents, and would allow us to revisit one-off and filler characters again. The sequel wouldn't be a necessary watch to enjoy InuYasha, it would just be a way for fans to go, "Oh, I remember that character! Good times!"

That's about it! I worked really hard on the character designs and thinking about their personalities and how they fit in, so if you haven't yet, it would be nice if you took a look at the links I put in and read a bit more about their characters! Please feel free to ask questions, I'm not the best at explaining myself at length since my mind gets jumbled, haha.

Thank you!

#yashahime #yashahime is over party #inuyasha

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impalas-r-important · 3 years

Text

Branch Out - Chapter 1

Summary: Y/N left everything she's ever known, and Dean just wants to be left alone. With both of them trying to heal from heartache, they might just end up finding what they need in the last place they'd ever look.

Word count: 6219

Pairing: Dean x reader (eventually, maybe?)

Warnings: I don't think there are any for this chapter, but if you think i should add one, feel free to let me know!

A/N: I started this series a long time ago and just barely had the motivation to start it up again. I really love this series, and have been enjoying writing it. Let me know if you want a tag!

My Masterlist

Branch Out Masterlist

Thank heavens for GPS, there’s no way you would have found this place without step-by-step directions. A narrow gravel driveway branched off from the worn mountain road and wound to a homely cabin. You stepped out of your old pickup truck and pulled out the key the realtor had given to you. Buying a house sight unseen wasn’t the smartest idea and you second guessed your impulse decision as you took in the dense woods that were so foreign to you. The seasoned wooden boards of the porch creaked under your feet while you made your way to the door and let yourself into your new home. Dust rested gently on every ledge and the frigid January air was lined with a twinge of must from sitting unoccupied for so long, but something felt so promising about the sturdy structure.

A modest kitchen and living room made up most of the house with a bedroom and bathroom on either side of a small hallway. A small, metal woodburning fireplace sat just next to the backdoor and you had a feeling you would end up putting that to good use if you ever figured out how to use it.

Your hand was subconsciously touching the bruise that was prominent on your forearm and when you realized, you pulled your sleeve down to cover it. The decision to leave your family and friends behind was a heart-wrenching one, but you knew you had to make a change if you wanted to heal completely. You needed to do something for yourself, and you wanted a fresh start. A small cabin in the freezing cold woods of Idaho was about as far from what you knew to be normal as you could have gotten, but a seed of hope was planted firmly in your chest.

When a job posting for the assistant city accountant had fallen in your lap a few weeks back, you applied without thinking twice. A few online interviews later, you had secured the job and things fell into place effortlessly, as if some external force was paving your path to this small town. You bought this quaint home with the help of a local realtor, packed your things, and left the only home you had ever known in Arizona, despite the protests of your family. Not knowing what your future held was scary, but something about this place felt right from the moment you pulled in.

You had brought only what you needed to in hopes of making a quick escape, meaning you had only a mattress, some clothes and a few personal belongings. After working for a few years, you had a built up a good savings account and figured it would be easier to buy furniture once you got here instead of trying to move big pieces by yourself. It didn’t take long to move your things inside, and you felt grateful that you called ahead to have the power and water turned on so you could shower once you had unpacked what you needed for your first day on the job tomorrow. Anxiety sat like a rock in your stomach, so you skipped dinner and went straight to bed, burying yourself under a mountain of blankets to shield you from the winter chill that had settled in your bones.

Your nerves woke you up well before your alarm went off, so you dragged your feet across the frozen floor and pulled your clothes on quickly before digging through your boxes for some granola bars for breakfast. You leaned against the kitchen counter and began to make a list of things you would need to buy since you were essentially starting from scratch. Double checking the email that you had received with instructions for your first day, you took a deep breath and headed out.

City hall was a historic, two-story red brick building that was shared with the fire department. It looked like something out of a storybook, but then again, this whole town did. You pushed the door open and looked around at the empty lobby, checking your watch to make sure you weren’t crazy early. Rustic chairs lined the walls by the door, and a few empty desks were placed behind the tall front counter.

“Hello?” You asked, turning your head left and right to look for any signs of life.

“Oh!” A muffled voice responded, and distant footsteps quickly scuttled your way from the back room. “You’re here!” A pretty, dark haired girl gave a few excited claps as she made her way to you. “You must be Y/N. I’m Sarah. Sarah Blake.” She eagerly pulled you into a hug which caught you by surprise and she chuckled a bit to herself before taking a step back. “Sorry, my boyfriend says that my enthusiasm scares new people away. I’ve just been so excited since I heard they hired you. I’ve been praying for someone my age to come work around here for a long time.”

“Don’t apologize, you’re the first person I’ve met in town so it’s nice to see a friendly face.” Her warm welcome calmed some of your nerves.

“That’s right, you just moved in yesterday, huh?” You tiled your head in question, wondering how she knew that. “It’s a really small town, everyone knows everything, especially when it comes to new people. You’ve been the talk of the town the past little bit.” She shrugged. “Well, I’m the marketing/PR girl here, and we all just kind of pitch in with working the front desk. Come on back, let me give you the grand tour.”

Sarah led you around the corner and stopped at the first office on your left. “This is Ellen Singer’s office. You’ll be working under her, she’s the lead accountant.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Hmm, she should be here by now. I bet her car is giving her trouble.”

A friendly voice called out to Sarah from down the hall and she motioned for you to follow her as she stepped just inside the end office which was significantly bigger than the rest.

“Y/N, this is Garth Fitzgerald, he’s the mayor. Garth, this is Y/N.” Sarah introduced you and he stood to shake your hand.

“It’s great to meet you, Mayor Fitzgerald.”

“Please, call me Garth.” You smiled and nodded. “We’ve been excited about you around here. I think you’ll make a great addition to our community.” His phone ringing broke the conversation. “Excuse me, ladies. Oh, and welcome to Wallace, Y/N!”

“Next up is Arthur Ketch, he’s the city planner. Sometimes he can be a little abrupt, but deep down he’s a big softie. Don’t let him scare you.”

He was on the phone, so he simply waved to you two as you passed. Sarah’s attention was drawn back down the hall when two police officers walked in. “Jody, Donna!” She hollered to them.

“Heya, kiddo! Who you got with you?” The blonde officer sent a warm smile your way.

“You must be Y/N!” The other responded.

“Oh, that’s right! I heard you were coming to town. I’m Donna and this is Sheriff Jody Mills. It’s so great to meet you.” She pulled you in for your second hug of the day.

“Everyone here is seriously so nice. I don’t know why I didn’t move here years ago!” You joked.

“Well listen, if you need anything, you can always come to me, okay?” Jody put her hand on your shoulder. “We’re all so excited to have a new face around.”

“Thank you. You’re all making this transition so much easier than I thought it would be.”

Sarah waved to the officers as they left and pulled gently on your arm. “Come on, let’s chat while we wait for Ellen.” She took a seat at one of the desks in the front and you sat across from her.

“Thanks for showing me around, it’s nice to know that I have a friend at work already.” Sarah’s eyes lit up when you called her your friend.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been dying for you to get here. I knew we’d get along.” She folded her arms and sat back in her chair proudly. “So, where did you move from?”

“Phoenix, Arizona.”

“And you moved to Idaho in the middle of January? Are you crazy? I would give anything to go lay out in the sun for an afternoon.”

“Yeah, I might be!” You laughed. “I guess I just needed a change, you know? It was just time to move onto the next chapter of my life.”

“I get that. I grew up here and couldn’t wait to leave for college, but as soon as I was gone, I missed this place.”

“I can see what you’re talking about. It has a good feeling to it here.”

“So, now to the juicy stuff.” Sarah leaned forward. “Are you dating anyone? Because there’s a whole pool of eligible bachelors I could set you up with here.”

“No, actually I just got out of something kind of messy, so I don’t think I’m really looking for anything at the moment.”

A sympathetic look was sent you way. “I’m sorry to hear that. But if you ever feel ready, you let me know, okay?”

“You will be the first. What about you? I heard you mention you have a boyfriend. Tell me all about him.”

A smile spread across Sarah’s face and she pulled out her phone to show you a picture. “This is Sam, we’ve been together since high school.”

She handed you her phone and you looked at the tall, handsome guy whose arms were wrapped around her. “He’s cute, nice work!” She beamed as you handed her phone back. The expression on her face was clearly one of adoration as she looked at the picture.

“We actually broke up before we went to college. He went to Stanford and I went to the University of Oregon and we figured it would be easier to break it off on good terms rather than fade away in a long-distance relationship. That lasted about two weeks and we’ve been together ever since.”

“Do you think you’ll marry him? You guys are so stinking cute together.” You weren’t sure if you had ever seen a better fitting couple.

“I overheard Sam talking to his older brother about buying a ring. I don’t think he knew that I was just in the other room, but I’ll let him try to surprise me.” Sarah giggled. Your conversation was interrupted by someone walking in the back door.

“Hey, Ellen.” Sarah greeted. “Your reinforcement has arrived.”

Ellen looked at you with relief in her eyes. “Oh, honey, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. Come on back here and we’ll get started.”

“Have fun!” Sarah left you to meet your new boss as she went up to help someone at the front desk.

“Y/N, you’ll have to forgive me for being so late. My stupid car has been giving me hell the past few weeks. You’d think with my husband owning the only mechanic’s shop in town, I’d have a reliable vehicle, but here we are.”

“No worries. It gave me a chance to meet some people around the building. I’m excited to get started though.” You sat in the chair across from her desk and she plopped down with a sigh as well.

“I’ve been begging Garth for two years for some help, so you are a light at the end of my tunnel. I’m hoping to retire in a few years and hand you the reigns, so let’s get to it, shall we?”

The next few hours were spent introducing you to all of the systems and procedures. After receiving a call from her daughter, Ellen decided to call it a day just after three in the afternoon and the two of you agreed to hit it hard tomorrow. You gathered your things and returned to the front area where Sarah was scrolling through her phone. She looked up when you entered the room.

“Hey! How are things going?”

“Ellen has to take off, so we’re going to call it a day and just work a little longer tomorrow.” You sat at the desk adjoining Sarah’s and set your things down.

“Take any desk. It’s just you and me out here. Charlie is the county IT girl and works out here sometimes, but she hops from building to building.”

“Well, I suppose this one is as good as any.” You unpacked a picture frame and a few supplies at the desk across from Sarah’s. “Hey, are there any places to buy furniture around here? I only moved with the bare essentials so I’m in desperate need of a few things.”

“So, what you’re saying is you need to go on a shopping spree? I’m in! I’ll drive.” Sarah grabbed her purse and coat and led you out the door.

She took you on a short tour of the staples around town before arriving at the only big box store nearby. You browsed up and down the aisles, pulling all the necessities off the shelf and tossing them in the cart. You’d have to order some of the bigger furniture pieces online since it was a small place, and they didn’t have anything like here.

Sarah had a basket and was creating a good-sized stockpile of her own. “Sam has been trying to put me on a budget for a while now, so I’ll have to hide this stuff before he sees.” A guilty smile pulled on the corners of her mouth.

“Just tell him you were shopping with an accountant and I approved all your purchases.”

“Hah! We’re going to be good friends.” She picked up a candle, smelled it, and placed it in her basket.

“Where does Sam work?” You asked as you looked through the bathroom towels.

“He’s the lawyer for Winchester Lumber, the sawmill in town. A lot of people work there actually, it’s kind of the main business that brings people in. Sam’s great grandpa started it and it’s stayed in the family. Sam’s older brother, Dean, runs the place right now, but I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to hand the throne over to their Dad when he gets back. He got cancer a few years ago and they moved to Kansas to be closer to medical treatment.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. How is he doing?”

“He’s doing really well, actually. He’s in remission and they’re hoping to move back soon.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent checking things off of your to-do list and grabbing dinner with Sarah. She dropped you off back at your truck and you thanked her for showing you around before you went your separate ways.

Back at home, it took you a few trips to unload your haul, but you were just happy to have a few more things to fill your empty home. Your first day had gone better than you could have imagined, and you were filled with confidence in your decision to uproot your life.

Sarah opened her front door and did her best to sneak her shopping bags past Sam and Dean who were sitting in the living room, sharing a pizza and some beers. She successfully stowed her treasures away in the hall closet and joined the boys.

“Hey hon!” She placed a kiss on Sam’s forehead before grabbing a slice of pizza and plopping down on the couch next to him.

“You’re in a good mood.” Sam noticed his girlfriend’s chipper energy.

“I made a new friend today.” She took a big bite and gave a smile.

“Don’t you already know everyone in town?” Dean’s voice sounded as pessimistic as usual.

“No, actually. There’s a new accountant at city hall, Y/N. She just moved in yesterday.”

“That’s great! You’ll have to invite her over sometime.” Sam placed his hand lovingly on Sarah’s knee. “Where’s she living?”

“She bought a cabin up in the mountains sight unseen, so we went shopping for some essentials. I think she might be kind of close to you, Dean.”

Dean frowned, trying to think of which cabin the new girl would have bought. He moved up there to be alone, so the thought of a neighbor was disheartening. “You mean that old shack just off of Placer Creek Road?”

“Yeah, I think that’s the one.”

“She’s got a lot of repair work to do on that place.” Dean shook his head, glad that it wasn’t him that put any kind of investment into what he was sure was a money pit.

You awoke early the next morning to find that it had snowed overnight. Growing up in Arizona, you had never really experienced snow like this before. Every breath you took felt like your lungs were filling with ice and you couldn’t help but cough, willing the warm weather to find you soon. Winter was one thing you didn’t think about when moving to a mountain town, so you wanted to give yourself plenty of time for the commute. After packing a few things for lunch, you stepped outside to find your truck buried in a mountain of frozen powder.

“Ugh!” You groaned and threw your head back, looking around for a stick to help you dig out your vehicle. You made a mental note to buy a scraper after work. Ten minutes and one soaked pair of shoes later, you had finally freed your car. You twisted the key, forcing the engine to sluggishly turned over, then blasted the heat on high while you ran inside to change into dry shoes and socks before taking off down the road.

The feeling of your back wheels slipping around on the frozen dirt road was so foreign to you, and you weren’t a fan. About two miles away from the main road, your engine began to sputter as it struggled to trudge ahead through the wet snow.

“Please don’t do this to me…” You steered towards the side of the road as much as you could while the truck wound down to a full stop. An annoyed sigh escaped from your lips. “Great.” You turned the car off and then back on, willing it to start up again, but the clicks of defeat that sounded from under the hood dashed your hopes.

You hadn’t had the time to buy a heavy winter coat yet, so you zipped up the light jacket that you had on and began walking. You didn’t want to make a bad impression on your second day of work by calling in sick, so you picked up your head and kept going. One of the points of starting your new journey was to be more self-reliant, and this definitely fell under that category. Ten minutes had passed, and your toes were so cold that you were sure they would snap off and rattle around in your shoes at any point now. The sound of an engine coming down the hill made you look over your shoulder to see a snowmobile barreling around the corner and straight towards you. You quickly side-stepped out of the way, but not enough to avoid the kickback of snow that was thrown into your face as the machine drove past.

“Seriously?!” You yelled as you shook the snow from your clothes. The snowmobile stopped and slowly backed up to meet you.

“What are you doing up here?” The man abruptly asked as he pulled off his helmet. If you weren’t so annoyed and cold, you might have thought he was attractive.

“Being buried alive by some maniac speeding down the mountain.” You retorted and brushed the snow from your hair with your fingers.

“I’m going to assume that’s your truck back there?”

“Lucky guess.” The wind-chill blew through your jacket and you crossed your arms. “I don’t think it likes the cold, and I don’t exactly blame it.”

His eyes assessed you. “Crappy shoes, thin jacket, and no gloves. I’m going to assume that makes you the clueless new girl.”

“What an ass...” You thought to yourself.

“I guess it does, Kowalski.”

“Kowalski? Really?”

You were surprised he got your reference to Clint Eastwood’s infamously crotchety main character.

“If you’ll excuse me, I gotta get to work.” You didn’t find much point in continuing on this conversation with such a smug jerk, so you continued on your path down the road and heard the snowmobile make a sharp u turn to climb back up the trail.

Ten more minutes later, you could see the main road just ahead of you had been plowed, and you were thankful that you wouldn’t have to be hiking through any more ankle-deep build-up. You could hear a vehicle slowly coming up behind you and you made sure to move as far over as you could to avoid being blasted with snow again. The truck slowed to a stop next to you and you looked over to see the same man from earlier rolling the passenger side window down.

“Get in, I’ll give you a ride.” His voice still sported an undertone of condescension and he rolled his eyes when a doubtful frown from you was sent towards him. “Just get in.”

Hundreds of episodes of Dateline should have taught you to not get in a car with some stranger, but you figured that even if he didn’t murder you, you’d end up dying of frostbite and decided to you’d rather die inside a warm truck. You opened the door and took off your damp jacket before getting inside.

The man’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel tight. You placed your hand by the heater on the dashboard in hopes of defrosting your fingers enough to feel them again.

“You shouldn’t drive a pickup in the winter.” His gaze stayed firmly glued on the road ahead.

“Uhm…” You dramatically looked around, “aren’t we in a pickup right now?”

“Yeah, a pickup with chains on the tires and a weighed down bed.”

“Well, I’m still pretty new at this whole snow thing…”

The man glanced at you from the corner of his eyes. “I couldn’t tell. You’re Y/N, aren’t you?”

“Should I be concerned that you know my name?” You raised an eyebrow.

“No, no,” he must have realized how creepy that came off, “I know Sarah. She’s dating my younger brother and she was telling us about you last night.”

“Oh, it all makes sense now. You’re the grumpy older brother. Dean, right?”

Another eyeroll made an appearance, but you could tell he wasn’t going to make any further comments.

“Well, I appreciate the ride. I’m sorry if I screwed up your morning routine.”

“It’s no big deal.”

It wasn’t hard to tell that Dean wasn’t a man of many words, and you were okay with that. You weren’t really one for small talk either. Dean’s eyes moved to your arm that was extended towards the vent blowing heat.

“That’s a gnarly bruise. How’d you manage that?”

You pulled your arm back quickly, hoping that your sudden move didn’t come across as suspicious. “Oh, you know, just being a clutz. They never tell you that moving by yourself is a dangerous game.” You chuckled casually while watching his eyebrows knit together ever so slightly as he glanced at the bruise one more time. No further remarks were made so you assumed he bought your story.

Dean pulled up in front of City Hall and stopped as close to the door as he could get. Before you could reach for the door handle, Dean instructed, “give me your keys.”

“What?” Your face twisted in confusion.

Yet another fed-up sigh escaped from his chest. “Bobby Singer down at the auto shop owes me a favor. I’ll get him to tow your truck down and take a look at it.”

“Oh.” you weren’t expecting such a generous gesture from such a grumpy guy. “I don’t want to put you out any more than I already have.”

“Hand it over.” The tone in his voice remained gruff, but the bluntness was slightly faded at this point. You reached into your pocket and pulled out your key ring, sliding the truck key off and placing it into Dean’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Dean’s eyes avoided yours and you took the hint that it was time to leave.

The wind blew flurries in the air, forcing you to quickly sprint to the door, meaning that you missed Dean watching you with curiosity. Sarah, who was observing from the front desk, didn’t miss his wondering stare. He quickly averted his eyes when he saw her spying and peeled away.

“Kowalski.” He muttered to himself with a half-entertained chuckle once he was a few blocks away. Dean would have never admitted it, but he quite enjoyed the witty nickname.

Sarah couldn’t stop the mischievous smirk that crept up on her face and leaned on the counter to greet you the second you stepped through the door.

“You look like you’ve had quite the morning.” She greeted.

“Yeah, something like that.” You hung your jacket up on the coat rack in the corner to dry and stomped the packed snow from the tread of your shoes.

“Am I going blind or did Dean Winchester give you a ride to work?” She quickly cornered you.

“Yeah. My truck broke down and then he tried to bury me in snow, so he gave me a ride.” Goosebumps covered your arms as you made your way to your desk. You had never been more grateful for heat.

Sarah crossed her arms and sat on your desk as you took your seat. “You know, people call him the Grinch because he moved way up the mountain to be all broody and alone.”

“I can’t say I don’t understand it. It’s kinda fitting.” You logged into your computer, but Sarah continued to press for details.

“Well did he say anything on the ride over or did he just glare at the road?”

“A little bit of both I guess. He told me I shouldn’t be driving a truck in the winter, but that’s about it.”

Ellen arrived and cut the chatter short. “Hey girls. You ready to get started, Y/N?”

“You bet.” You stood from your desk, but not before Sarah pointed an accusing finger at you.

“This conversation is not over!” She warned.

After lunch, Ellen had given you some expense reports to review and organize. It was tedious, but you didn’t mind the slow afternoon after a crazy morning. Sarah was helping you to punch holes in the stacks of papers and organize them into departments while the two of you chatted away. The snow had kept most people inside, so it was a slow day at the front desk. Just before it was time to call it a day, the bell of the front door dinged, and Sarah walked over to see who it was.

“Hey, Dean. You going over to Benny’s tonight?” She greeted.

“Not sure yet.”

Dean’s hands were shoved into his front pockets as he stared Sarah down, not wanting to give her any more room to speculate as to why he was here.

“Hi.” You smiled softly, trying your hardest ignore Sarah’s curious stare as you joined in the conversation.

He pulled a key from his pocket and set it down on the counter. “She’s all fixed up. Battery terminals were corroded so I cleaned them up a bit, but you’re going to need a new battery soon. That one doesn’t have much juice left in it.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that you worked at the auto shop.” You remembered Sarah saying something about Dean working at the sawmill.

“No, I used to. But I figured it would be an easy fix, so I took a look myself. I stuck some old grates in the bed for some weight. Take it into Bobby’s tomorrow after work and he’ll take care of the rest. He knows you’re coming.”

“Wow, I really owe you one. Thank you.” You slid the key from off the counter and fiddled with the metal ring.

“Don’t read into it.” Dean tapped his fist on the counter twice before swiftly leaving.

Sarah was biting her lip, and you slowly turned your head towards her. “Spit it out.” You gave permission for her onslaught of questions.

“You didn’t tell me he was going to fix your car for you!”

“He said he would have Bobby tow it back to the shop and take a look at it. I didn’t know he was going to fix it himself.”

“I’ve known Dean for a long time, he’s pretty much my older brother at this point, so I can see past all the grumpiness. He’s a really good guy, he’s just been dealt a hard hand the past few years that made him swear off people.”

That was a feeling you could easily relate to. “He really went out of his way to bail me out today, so he can’t be all that bad.”

“He’s all bark and no bite. Granted, it’s a big bark.” Sarah checked her watch. “Closing time! Hey, would you want to come back to my place after we clock out? Sam’s playing poker at a buddy’s house tonight so I figured maybe we could grab some take out and find some furniture for you online?”

“Yeah, that’d be great actually! It definitely beats the PB and J I would be making otherwise.”

After work, you ran home to change and Sarah stopped for some Chinese food, then the two of you met at her apartment.

Some crappy TV movie played in the background while mostly empty take-out containers littered the kitchen counter. You were sitting on the floor with your laptop on the coffee table, browsing through loveseats while Sarah lay on the couch behind you giving her input.

The door gently swung open and the man you assumed to be Sam walked through. Sarah stood up and stretched before giving her boyfriend a hug.

“How was the poker game?”

Sam tossed his keys on the counter and pulled off his jacket. “About the same as always. Benny won most of the games, Cas still has no clue what he’s doing, and I lost a little too much pride.”

“You’ll get them one of these days. Come on,” she tugged on his shirt sleeve, “I want you to meet Y/N.”

You stood when Sam and Sarah walked into the room. “Y/N, this is Sam.”

“Ah, the infamous Y/N, I’ve heard lots about you the past day or so. It’s nice to put a face with the name.” He shook your hand. “How are you settling in?”

“Honestly, the move has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. Everyone here has been super welcoming and helpful.”

“Including Dean.” Sarah gave a knowing look to her boyfriend, who was clearly confused.

“My brother, Dean?”

“The one and only. He gave Y/N a ride to work and fixed her truck up for her.”

Sam’s face read skeptical. “My brother, Dean?” He repeated.

“I found myself knee deep in snow and car problems this morning. I’m sure he helped me out of pity more than anything.” You tried to explain, not wanting to make a big deal of the situation.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow. I guess that’s why he was late to work today. Well, I hope he didn’t scare you off too much.”

You shook your head with a smile. “Not at all, he really helped me out. But I have to admit, I feel bad. He would barely acknowledge my thank yous. I don’t want to come across as ungrateful.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he heard you loud and clear, he’s just hasn’t been properly socialized yet.”

Sam finished off the rest of the Chinese and got to know you a little better while Sarah sat next to you on the floor, scrolling through furniture.

“Where’d you go to school, Y/N?” Sam stacked the empty red food containers together and set them aside as he pulled his feet up on the couch.

“University of Arizona. I didn’t originally plan on staying so close to home, but a full ride soccer scholarship is hard to turn down.”

“No way! That’s awesome.” Sam’s face lit up with an idea. “Oh! Every summer we do this obstacle course race thing here in town as part of the summer festival. Maybe you can be on our team this year?”

“That sounds super fun! Count me in.”

“Yes!”’ Sam made a fist in the air. “We’ve used to win every year, but we’ve come in second the past three times, so maybe you’ll be our secret weapon.”

Sarah joined the conversation once she’d had her fill of online shopping. “I was thinking, Y/N, I don’t know if you’re much of a baker, but if you wanted to say thank you to Dean, he’s a sucker for a good pie. I know he wouldn’t just brush that off.”

“It’s true. He’s a pie whore.” Sam nodded.

“Sam!” Sarah scolded.

“Noted,” you said through your laughs.

The clock in the corner of your laptop screen caught your eye and you realized how late it was getting. “I should probably start heading home before I hate myself tomorrow at work.”

“At least it’s not supposed to snow tonight.” Sarah teased.

“Wow, it’s going to be like that, huh?! It’s a learning curve, okay?” You stuck your tongue out as you gathered your things.

Sam stopped you after Sarah had said goodbye. “Hey, Y/N, I know Dean doesn’t make the greatest first impression, but do me a favor and don’t write him off just yet. He’s had a rough go the past little while and could always use another friend in his corner.”

“I won’t. I’m sure there’s a great guy buried under all that angst.” You gave a reassuring smile and Sam gave you a hug before you left.

The next day was Friday and between training and helping out with the front desk, the workday flew by. You needed to take your truck in to get the battery switched and Sarah had agreed to give you rides while you were without transportation. After work, you dropped off your truck at Bobby’s, and Sarah took you home. You were glad for a little time to yourself so you could clean up the house before the first delivery of furniture tomorrow morning.

On your lunch break earlier that day, you had gotten all the ingredients to make blueberry pie bars as a thank you for Dean. Time was in short supply, so you hoped these would be a suitable place holder in lieu of a regular pie. You quickly threw them together and loaded up a plate once they were cool enough. Baking had always been a stress reliever for you, and the way it filled your small cabin with warmth and sweet smells felt so cozy and charming.

Dean’s place was only a ten-minute walk from yours, so you bundled up and began your hike. You had finally gotten yourself a suitable coat and boots and couldn’t believe the difference they made as you crunched through the snow that was matted on the gravel road. His cabin was much newer than yours, and considerably nicer. A long staircase on the right side of the house led up to a wide porch. Smoke spilling from the chimney and lights beaming through the windows told you he was probably home, so you knocked on the door.

Clattering of locks being undone broke through the silence a few moments later and an expressionless Dean opened the door.

“Hi,” you began, “I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out so much the other day.” Dean stood silent and stone-faced, so you awkwardly continued. “I, uh, heard you were a big fan of pie, but I didn’t have enough time to make one from scratch, so I hope these will do.” You extended the plate of goodies and he looked at them doubtfully.

“Look,” a gravelly voice ended his vow of silence, “I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m not looking for any new friends or whatever this is.” He began to shut his door when you interjected.

“Listen, this is nothing more than a simple thank you for bailing me out when I really needed it. I’m not going to force you to eat them, but I’m also not going to take them home with me. Maybe just wait until I’m gone before you throw them away though.” You set the plate on a neatly stacked pile of firewood off to the side of the door. “Don’t read into it.” You echoed his parting words from yesterday and took your leave. A sneaky glance over your shoulder as you walked away revealed that Dean had picked up the plate and was looking at it with a half-impressed nod. You assumed that was as much of a reaction as you’d get from him and marked the trip to be successful.

Chapter 2

#dean winchester #dean x reader #dean winchester x reader #dean x y/n #dean x you #dean winchester fic #dean fic #dean fanfiction #dean winchester fanfiction #supernatural #spn fanfiction #spn fic #supernatural fanfic series

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icerosecrystal · 3 years

Text

Jasonette - A Second Chance Pt. 1

This one-shot contains major character death as well as blood and violence. BTW, to clear up their ages at the beginning of the story.

Alfred: IMMORTAL, MY CHILDREN

Bruce: 44

Dick: 29

Jason: 24

Marinette: 23

Tim: 21

Damian: 14

(Marinette’s POV)

Ladybug had failed all of Paris. She had gone into today’s battle, thinking that she and her partner Chat Noir would work together to defeat Hawkmoth. But, right when she had asked Chat Noir to take Hawkmoth’s miraculous, he froze. He then did the worst thing she could imagine he laughed. Chat then walked up to Hawkmoth while Hawkomth chuckled, “Little Bug, even your partner doesn’t support you anymore. Just give up.”

Ladybug froze, her mind racing. Her partner had betrayed her. He had decided that the cause they had been fighting for the last decade was no longer worth the fight. (I was going to make you’ll do the math, but then I saw I already told you Marinette’s age above, lmao.) She screamed in frustration and then shouted, “ Never!”

Ladybug or Marinette was a great fighter, especially after having been in the superhero gig for so long. But, Chat Noir was also pretty good, and he was allied with both Mayura and Hawkmoth. It was safe to say that the odds weren’t looking well for Marinette. She was growing tired, and Tikki didn’t have much energy left within her.

That’s when it happened, Marinette made a mistake. The next thing she knew, Hawkmoth had her pinned to the ground and had pulled off her miraculous, consequently revealing her identity. Hawkmoth handed over her miraculous to Chat Noir, who put it on. Chat, then turned into a deep purple, and a voice asked him, “What do you wish for, oh young one?”

Chat replied, “I wish for the rebirth of my mom, Emilie Agreste.” Marinette’s heart stopped. Her ex-partner was Adrien Agreste. And if he’s assisting Hawkmoth, that must mean that Hawkmoth is Gabriel Agreste, her idol. Then Natalie Sancoeur must be Mayura. Marinette came to those conclusions in a matter of seconds. But, after a minute, she started feeling sluggish. She felt her heartbeat slow down. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep forever. She didn’t feel so good at this point. Through her blurry vision, she saw a woman that looked like Adrien’s Mother appear. As Emilie returned to full consciousness, that’s when Marinette started losing consciousness. The last thing that she heard in a whisper was, “ A life for a life, that was the price.” Before she closed her eyes, succumbing her body and mind to the darkness that lay ahead.

(Talia POV)

Talia Al-Ghul was expecting a lot of things today. What she was not expecting was to find Paris in a mid-battle, for one of the heroes partners to betray them, the villains winning, and then said hero dying. She looked at the body of the girl that everyone was staring at and thought she didn’t deserve to die like this, plus she might be useful to the league. Talia pulled up her mask to cover her face and then blended in with the shadows. No one actually so her until she grabbed the girl and disappeared. Her actions prompted a lot of commotion back at the battle location.

Talia boarded her plane, carrying the body in her arms. She was slightly worried about the potential effects the Lazarus pit could have on her. She had experienced the worse side-effects, courtesy of one Jason Peter Todd-Wayne. Talia could still remember his screams as he clawed his way out of the Lazarus Pit and started to attack all the assassins with the intent to kill anyone and everyone. They had barely managed to restrain him. She hoped that this girl would not receive similar side-effects. But, based on the amount of trauma and betrayal she held within her like Jason, it would be inevitable.

Once Talia arrived at the league with the dead girl, she walked out of the plane got some bandages. Talia then took the girl, or rather Marinette. She found out from a face scan that pulled up all her legal documents as well as her background information, to her father, Ra’s. Once she arrived before her father, she bowed her head in respect for him.

“Ahhh, daughter, you’ve returned. And who is this you’ve acquired.”

Talia answered, “Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, twenty-three-years-old, and an excellent fighter. She lived in Paris, France, and was the main hero. Today was the final battle, and her partner ended up betraying her, getting her killed in the process.” She then handed over all of Marinette’s legal documentation as well as her background info to her father.

Ra’s looked through it and then asked, “How would she be a useful asset to the league?”

Talia responded, “After what happened with Marinette, she would have a thirst for revenge on the people that wronged her. I’m enunciating that we can use that to our advantage. The only problem is that Marinette carries around a lot of trauma, betrayal, and loneliness like Jason Todd. I’m concerned that she might have the same reaction for dipping in the pit.”

Ra’s nodded, considering the idea and agreeing that a person with the thirst for revenge would be a useful addition to the league.

Talia watched Ra’s, hoping to get an idea of what he was thinking. He then beckoned for her to follow him. He leads her to the Lazarus Pit, and Talia now knew that Ra’s supported her decision. She put Marinette down and wrapped her in bandages before dipping her in the pit. What happens next is alarming.

Marinette has the same reaction as Jason. This time though, everyone was ready. Talia quickly took hold of her and started whispering how she got to her destination and how she came back to life. Unlike Jason, though, Marinette doesn’t have as much of a temper, which helps Talia efficiently calm her down faster. Talia then tells Marinette, ��Would you like to be an Assasin and fix those who have wronged you?”

Talia wasn’t asking. They would force Marinette if she refused, but they wanted to be her ally rather than as her foe. But what would she choose?

(Marinette’s POV)

A burning sensation was all Marinette felt. But she was supposed to be dead. So, what was she doing alive she got out of the green ooze that she was inside. Marinette frantically looked around while clawing the bandages on her to get rid of the burning sensation. When it didn’t work, she tried to claw her way out of the goop to ease the burning until someone caught her around her middle. The same person took her out of the green goop and started whispering reassurance in her ear. Marinette relaxed until the women asked a question that would change everything, “Would you like to be an Assasin and fix those who have wronged you?”

The logical side of her brain argued that she shouldn’t yield herself to killing others, that it was wrong. The other side of Marinette’s brain felt hazy from dipping into the ooze. It was also hazy because of her grief, pain, betrayal, trauma, and loneliness argued that revenge was the only way to go. She slowly let the murky part of her brain take over until revenge felt like eating ice cream on a hot summer day, great. She nodded her head in agreement with the proposition. The woman smiled and then introduced herself as Talia Al-Ghul, the demon head’s daughter. She spent the rest of the day explaining everything about the league to Marinette. Talia also explained rules that applied specifically to her. By the end of the day, Marinette had an outfit that she would use on missions and during training. Talia then left Marinette to settle in. Marinette looked around the room and sighed, getting ready for experiencing this every day from now on.

(Four months time skip)

It had been four months since Marinette became a member of the league of assassins. And as expected, she was a valuable member of the order. Her need for revenge drove her to work harder on missions.

One morning, Talia awoke Marinette with some news. “You will be going to Gotham to check on my son, who should be 14 now. You will observe how he communicates with his family, and if there any problems arise, you will assist them. Report back to me every day, understand?”

Marinette nodded, “Yes, Mistress.” Talia nodded back and then left to get the plane ready. Marinette wore her usual assassin outfit.

Marinette then went outside and stood before Talia. Shed waited for Talia to give her to okay to board the plane. Once she did, they both got on and reviewed everything they knew about Damian and the Waynes. By the time they arrived in Gotham, Marinette had memorized the information of every single Wayne. She said goodbye to Talia and tracked down Damian, watching him from afar in the shadows.

(Time Skip of a Week)

It had been a week since Marinette started observing Damian. She had to say that he was growing soft. Although, it had been four years since Damian was under league supervision. Everything was going all right on the bat’s patrol until it wasn’t.

The bat family was fighting some thugs at the docks when a thug snuck behind Damian, or rather Robin, and shot him in the stomach. Damian fell to the ground in pain, but still alive. This action provoked Marinette to let out a deep, feral growl. She then grabbed some of her throwing stars and launched them at the thug, effectively killing him in the process. Her actions lead the bat clan to shift their attention to her. They quickly fought off the remaining thugs. They then walked up to a bleeding Damian and Marinette standing in front of him as if to guard him.

Batman then asked, “Who are you, and why are you here?”

Marinette answered, “My name is Dark Angel. I was sent by Mistress Talia to look after Damian for a little bit and see how he’s fitting in.”

Batman then stated, “You killed the man.”

Marinette shrugged, “It comes with the job description. I’m an assassin. You know, a murderer who targets people that would be better off dead?”

Batman sighed, “Nobody is better off dead.”

Marinette shrugged again, so done with this conversation, “Speak for yourself.”

(Jason’s POV, sorry for the abrupt change)

Jason stared at the woman in front of him, who must be his age. He recognized her behavior from somewhere. Jason suddenly realized where he had seen this behavior before he exhibited this demeanor after he came back to life. That meant that she had died, and Talia was using her want for revenge like the league used his.

Jason asked, no stated, “You died.”

Dark Angel stiffened, “Who wants to know?” Yup, her reaction confirmed his suspicions she had died and was then brought back by the Lazarus Pit. Most likely recently by how raw her emotions still were.

Jason walked up slowly to her and remarked, “You died and later brought back to the Lazarus Pit. You probably have a thirst for revenge. I can see a lot of you in me. I can help you.” He tried to be as gentle as possible, which was hard considering his character.

Dark Angel backed away while shaking her head, frantically", No, you know NOTHING ABOUT ME! YOU DON’T KNOW THE BETRAYAL, THE TRAUMA. YOU KNOW NOTHING!!!“ She then ran away, trying to get away from the Bat Clan.

Jason looked over at Bruce, or Batman, with determination clear, in his eyes, "I’m going to go find her.”

Batman nodded, “Take RR and Nightwing with you. I’m going to take Robin back to the Bat cave, where Agent A can patch him up. Once you find her, bring her to the cave so that we can talk with her.”

Jason then nodded and grappled in the direction that Dark Angel went, with Red Robin and Nightwing following in his wake. After running for a little bit, they caught sight of her blending in with the shadows. They decided to split up to cover more ground. Jason ran as fast as he could along the rooftops when he finally caught sight of Dark Angel. She looked to be crying. When she saw him, she jumped off the roof and opened a portal falling through. Jason jumped after her and barely went through in time. He then fell on top of something and groaned. Jason got up and looked around. He realized that he was standing on the Eiffel Tower, was he in Paris?

(Marinette’s POV)

After Jason or Red Hood confronted her and tried to compare herself to him, she ran. She started crying, the emotions too overwhelming to not cry. Marinette cried for a little bit. But, she then caught sight of Red Hood running up to her. She glared at him and asked Kaakki to open a portal. A week after she had managed to become an assassin, she had returned to her room and got the miracle box back in her possession. Talia had no idea, and Marinette had no desire to tell her.

She jumped through the portal, she landed on the Eiffel Tower, and took a deep breath. Behind her, she heard a loud thud and then a groan. She whipped around to find that the idiot Red Hood had followed her through the portal. She saw him get up and look around before a look of realization spread through his face. Marinette saw him look at her. She quickly ran away. She felt him running after her. But she had a mission, and she wasn’t going to stop until she accomplished it. Marinette’s mission the demise of everyone that ever hurt Marinette.

She ran to the Agreste Mansion and went through Adrien’s open window. She saw him sitting at his computer happily looking at something. That asshole, he killed her and was enjoying life himself. “Adrien,” she crooned sweetly, “How are you? Are you having a good time since you got your mother back by killing someone else?”

Adrien looked frightened, “How do you know that?”

She walked up to him, hips swaying. She then pulled out her dagger and slid her finger across the blade, “I know a lot of things about you. Like how you are a selfish, asshole.” She then pulled him closer to her and put the dagger to his neck. “You deserve to die, slowly and painfully, and I will happily help you.”

Before Adrian could scream for anyone, Marinette had already stabbed him in the stomach where his lungs were. She was going to do his heart or behead him, but that let him off too easy. The look of pure horror etched onto his face as he fell on the floor with blood all over him, and the floor had Marinette smirking. She grabbed the cat miraculous off of Adrien’s finger and the ladybug miraculous off of his ears. She knew that Red Hood was behind her, but she couldn’t care less.

Next, Marinette went looking for Gabriel and Natalie. It looked like Emilie was out right now. So, Marinette wouldn’t kill her. She also didn’t take part in killing her. She found Gabriel and Natalie in the house’s atelier. Once they saw her, they prepared to attack her. But she had already whipped out a gun and had shot both of them. She had tried to shoot them approximately below where their heart was. As Marinette got closer to examine them, she realized that she had damn good aim. The bullets had hit them directly in the area she was hoping. Close enough to kill them, but far enough to cause them pain. Their blood was gushing out of them, and Marinette could tell that they would die. She grabbed the butterfly miraculous and the peacock miraculous. She brought Adrien downstairs to lie next to his family. Marinette then went back into the shadows with Red Hood following her right as Emilie arrived.

Marinette watched as Emilie looked at her dead family and started sobbing. Emilie then took notice of the note next to them.

It read:

THEY TOOK A LIFE, AND NOW I DESERVE TO TAKE THEIR LIFE FROM THEM IN TURN. EMILIE, YOU ARE SPARED BECAUSE YOU TOOK NO PART IN ANYTHING.

~DARK ANGEL

Marinette watched Emilie drop down to her knees and continue wailing while crushing the note in her hand. Marinette watched closely, and she wondered if her parents did the same or if they replaced her like everyone else. She shook the thought off and then went to another house, the house of Liar Rossi.

Marinette her house, and went around it trying to find the liar. She found Lila in her room, practicing her crying. Marinette smirked to herself. She always knew that Lila had to practice crying with how many crocodile tears she let loose every day. She snuck up behind Lila and whispered, “I’ll give you a real reason to cry.”

Lila stopped her tears and turned around, scared out of her mind. “Who are you?”

Marinette snickered, “I’m Dark Angel, or more specifically, you’re worst nightmare.”

Lila started crying again, except this time, her tears weren’t as fake as her life. “PLEASE DON’T HURT ME, I’LL DO ANYTHING! I HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COUNTRY’S GOVERNMENT!”

Marinette took a knife out and ran it across Lila’s skin, causing a scream out of her, “Here’s the thing, Ms. Rossi. You are extremely selfish. You were willing to sell out your country just like that. Plus, I know you’re lying. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. So, here’s the deal, the more you lie, the more I torture you.”

Lila spent the next thirty minutes telling lies. When Marinette knew she would be confessing, she gave Lila’s phone to Red Hood so that he could film her confession. Lila then broke, “OKAY OKAY, I AM SO SORRY!!! I DON’T KNOW ANY OF THE CELEBRITIES I CLAIM I DO. I DON’T HAVE TINNITUS EITHER! MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WASN’T BULLYING ME, I BULLIED HER. I THREATENED HER IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN SHE FOUND OUT MY LIES AND THREATENED TO TAKE AWAY ALL HER FRIENDS. I SUCCEEDED. I WAS ALSO WORKING WITH HAWKMOTH AND HELPED MAKE ADRIEN WHO WAS CHAT NOIR BETRAY LADYBUG!!! NOW PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!!!”

Marinette sneered and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.” Lila looked at her in hope until she stabbed Lila in the stomach, saying, “Oops, I lied.”

As Lila died, Marinette went to Red Hood and took the phone from his editing the video before sending it to all of Lila’s contacts. When she sent it to Alya, she asked her to post the video on the Lady blog before watching it. She then looked over at Red Hood, who was looking at her in shock. “Don’t worry, pretty boy. I’m not assassinating anyone else. Just torturing them.”

She then went to each of her classmates’ houses and tortured them, depending on how loyal they were to Lila. The person who Marinette tortured the least was Juleka, and the person that she tortured the most was Alya. Once Marinette had finished torturing all of her ex-classmates, she looked over to Red Hood and said, “Okay, I’m ready to go now.”

Red Hood looked at her, confused, “If you were going to go with me either way, why did you run?”

She shrugged, “Your clan had found me out. I wanted people dead. Plus, I was emotional as hell after your whole speech. I also still need to check up on Damian.”

(3rd Person POV)

Red Hood nodded and beckoned for her to open a portal. Marinette did so, and they both dropped through, ending up in the Bat cave. Their sudden appearance surprised all of the current occupants of the cave. Marinette walked up to Damian and asked him, “Are you okay?”

Damian replied, “Tt, ” and then nodded in affirmation.

Before Marinette could say anything else, Batman told her, “I now want you to explain to us who you are, why you’re here. Got it!” He then gave her the Bat glare in case she wouldn’t listen to him.

Marinette nodded and then spoke, “Hi, my assassin name is Dark Angel. My birth name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” A flash of recognition flashed through everyone’s faces. Unbeknownst to Marinette, Hawkmoth had been broadcasting the final battle. Everyone had seen when Hawkmoth had revealed her identity and when she had died. “I was a superhero in Paris. My partner and I were in the final battle when I found out that he had betrayed me and Hawkmoth’s side and was playing me this whole time. The villains won, and they made a wish to revive a dead person. In return, someone else had to die. In this case, it was me. The next thing I know, my whole body feels like it’s burning, and I’m inside of a pit full of green goop. Mistress Talia promised me revenge for the people that had hurt me. I excepted her offer. Since then, I’ve been an assassin for four months now, training every single day for hours. Talia told me to watch your family for a little bit as a mission, which was what I was doing until Damian got shot. You know the rest.”

Red Robin looked at her skeptically, “Where did you and Red Hood go when we tried to find you.”

Marinette looked at Red Hood before carefully answering, “I had some business in Paris, so to speak.”

Nightwing then asked, “And what was this "business” and how the hell did you get to Paris?“

Marinette sighed, rubbing her forehead to ease the throbbing, "You’re not going to let this go, are you?” When she saw everyone shake their head, she answered, “Fine. I was able to get to Paris because I have a miraculous that can open portals.” She showed them the miraculous and then demonstrated it to them. “Once I got to Paris, I committed my revenge. I killed my old partner, Hawkmoth, and Mayura. I also killed a liar who took away everything from me and was also working with Hawkmoth. I also exposed the liar. Finally, I tortured all of my old friends. Yay, I told you everything. Can I go now?”

Everyone looked at her, horrified that she was talking so casually as if she hadn’t just admitted to murderer and torture. Before anyone could say anything, Red Hood shouted, “No!” While taking off his helmet.

Marinette looked at him in irritation, “No? And why fucking not?”

Jason looked over at her, “Because I’m not letting Talia use you anymore.”

Marinette sighed, knowing he was right. Now that she had gotten her revenge, her mind was a lot more clear, and she realized why Talia wanted her to be an assassin in the first place. “Fine, so I’m staying here?” Everyone nodded, still in a daze from everything they just learned.

Marinette shook her head, and Alfred (THE AMAZING GOD THAT HE IS) came into the Bat Cave when Marinette was going to ask someone to lead her upstairs. As Marinette walked upstairs, she hoped that things would work out for her.

(one month time skip)

Marinette had been staying with the Bat Fam or rather Waynes for a month now. She honest to kwami had no idea how they were still alive. The number of times they pulled a weapon on each other was frightening, to be honest. As she got to know each of them, they felt more like her brothers and father, except for one person, Jason damn Todd. She really liked him. He was so gentle with her, and at first, she didn’t understand why. But one day, Jason told her his backstory. To her surprise, it was similar to hers. Once she figured that out, they connected on a whole other level. In fact, they had both sworn that they would try not to kill again. And naturally, the one guy who will probably ever understand her, she had to have a crush on.

Another problem was Talia Al-Ghul. She still hadn’t come to find Marinette. So she was either planning something big. OR SHE WAS DEAD! What, a girl could dream. Marinette then heard a crash downstairs. She ran downstairs and what she saw had her reeling. Talia was in the middle of the living room, playing with her dagger. Once she saw Marinette, she smirked, “Marinette, you’re here. We can go back to the league now.”

Marinette shook her head, “I like living here, and I don’t want to leave.”

The smile that was on Talia’s face disappeared, “Even if you do like it here, you still have to get revenge on the people that wronged you.”

Marinette clicked her tongue, “That’s the thing, I already did revenge on them. I killed the main ones and tortured the rest.”

Talia yelled in defeat, “Well, if you won’t come back, then you’ll just die!” (I know I made Talia super sweet at the start of the story. But let’s face it. She’s a manipulator and a bitch) She then charged Marinette with her dagger in hand. But before she could reach Marinette, she was dead on the floor with multiple bullet holes going through her.

Marinette, with a gun in her hand, sank to her knees sobbing. The Wayne family, having heard the gunshots, hurried to the first floor. There they found a sobbing Marinette and a dead Talia. Jason hurried to Marinette and pulled her into his arms. “Hey, Pixie, what’s wrong?” Marinette shook her head, still sobbing. The rest of the family, seeing that Marinette wasn’t calming down, decided to give some words of support before taking Talia out of the room and cleaning the blood.

Jason picked up Marinette, who was clinging to his leather jacket and took her upstairs to his room. He whispered soothing words in her ear the whole way. Once they arrived, he put her down on the bed and cuddled her, “Marinette, Pixie, Baby, I need you to tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.”

Marinette’s sobbing started dying down. Eventually, it was only an occasional tear with some hiccups and sniffs. “I made a promise that I wouldn’t kill anymore. I broke that promise. Deep down, I really am a murderer.” She started sobbing again.

Jason sighed and crooned to her, “Oh, baby. Do you really think that? I used to murderer people all the time. Does that still make me a murderer? No! It doesn’t make you a murderer either.”

He then started kissing her cheek, her eyelids, her button-nose, her forehead, her head, her jaw. He trailed kisses down her neck while speaking, “I- love-you-so-much. And nothing-is ever-going- to change-that. You- are not- a- murderer.” He then planted a fervent kiss on her lips, which she deepened.

They continued kissing until Marinette broke away to say, “I love you too. You helped me so much when I was broken.”

Jason looked at her in the eyes with a raw intensity, “Then if you love me, never blame yourself for what happened to you.”

She smiled softly, “I promise”, before kissing him once more, with a deep passion.

He pulled away this time and told her, “You have a chance to have a second chance at life. Not many people get that. Use that second chance to fulfill everything you ever wanted. Leave the past behind. Be who you really are. Who you were before everything. But move into the future, with me by your side.”

“A second chance,” Marinette whispered, “A second chance.” Before kissing him once more. She was going to be okay. They had each other, and they were going to get through everything together. Together no matter what, they were going to give themselves a second chance, and they were going to spend every second of it together.

#mlb x dc #maribat #batman #miraculous ladybug #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #marinette dupain cheng #jason todd #talia al ghul #league of assassins #batfamily #salt #adrien agreste #gabriel agreste #lila salt #marinette died #revenge #assassin marinette

125 notes · View notes

nishiisenpai · 3 years

Text

punch - tanaka ryūnosuke x reader

REQUEST: “AHHHH ok so I'm irrationally angry rn and I do this thing where I punch my thighs so I don't accidentally commit a felony. I need some fluff so could you do any one of these boys (Tsukishima, Ushijima, or Tanaka,) seeing a f!reader doing the leg punchy? Any topic I just need some fluff 😅 Thanks - @italkmyselftosleep “

A/N: i chose tanaka cause he seemed to fit this more and relate to this request more too. i apologize that i wrote this so late because again, school was pretty terrible, but I hope this works :)))

okay this was really cheesy, so i will warn you in advance, but thank you so much for being patient and here’s this request for you!!!

WARNING: Fluff!!!

ADDITIONAL WARNING: foul language will be added! and mentions of managing anger. (this request was made before my rules page got set up)

WHO: Tanaka Ryūnosuke x Female Reader

Monday mornings are the worst. Let’s be honest. It was the starting of the week of school and it also could never start off right for anyone... Well for you that is.

Your alarm rang loudly knocking you out of bed.

“What time is it?” you cringed at the sound and the way your voice cracked. You squint your eyes while looking at your phone that stated 6:00 AM.

“5 more minutes.” as you stopped the alarm before turning to the other side of the bed.

The alarm rung 4 more times although you had slept past them all. The last one really shook you awake since the phone was right next to your ear.

“aH SHIT- I’m late!” as you pulled the covers off yourself but struggled to do so as you tossed and turned. You ran around your room scrambling to get your backpack ready while also dressing in the school uniform.

“Where is my vest?” as you searched through the piled up clothes at the foot of your bed.

“Y/N! Hurry up! You’re going to be late!”

“I know! I’m sorry! I’m trying to look for my vest!”

“It’s in the wash, sorry hun!” your mom came in and threw in a different vest that was identical but had a small stain.

“It’s fine! Thanks for this one though!” you grabbed your stain remover stick and your backpack before fleeing to the bathroom to quickly rush your daily routine. You ran to the front door to put your shoes on in a hurry.

“Take this with you!” as your mom threw a sandwich at your head and you lurched forward. Turning around to pick up the bagged breakfast, thanked your mom before bolting out the door immediately and ran to school.

“Miss Y/N, you’re late to class.” as your teacher skimmed at your messy figure.

“Yes, I apologize for that, I can clean up the classroom after class to make up my tardiness.”

“Very well then, take a seat, we are on page 51 in the textbook.” You went to the back of your class and sat there placing your stuff down.

“Here’s the work sheet for today’s work.” your classmate who sat next to you said handing you the assignment.

“Thank you so much.”

“No worries... Oh, and uh Tanaka was looking for you earlier.”

“Wait- what? Do you know why?”

“Unsure, he didn’t say anything other than ask if you were here.”

“Oh okay, thanks. I’ll go find him later.”

Class continued and you barely managed to stay awake. It was bad that you had stayed up all night to play video games and you kind of beat yourself up for ruining your sleep schedule. But you as well didn’t regret it since you had just leveled up to a higher rank.

You yawned as you walked out of the classroom to go find Tanaka. He must have been with Noya though your assumption had completely disappeared when you heard yelling come your way.

“Y/N!!!!” your best friend Nishinoya came running towards you.

“Huh?” and you felt the sudden weight of Noya on your back. “Shit, when did you get so heavy?”

“Heavy?!?!?!” You laughed and shook your head while caring Noya.

“I was playing, chillllll.”

“Mhm.” as he clung onto you still. You continued walking swaying your head side to side.

“Do you know where Tanaka is?”

“He was with me just a second ago.”

“So you ran off without him?”

“Yeah.” you smacked your forehead. “What?”

“You idiot, he’s probably trying to find you right now.”

“NISHINOYA!” Tanaka’s voice was heard somewhere on the right side of the building.

“AH SHIIIII” as Noya jumped off of your back and hid behind you. Tanaka came rounding the corner and saw you standing there in question.

“Hey babe, do you know where Nishinoya is?” you felt Noya tug on your shirt.

“Hm? Noya-san? No I haven’t, why?”

“He escaped Daichi’s meeting, and I had to bear with all the trouble he caused.”

“Oh really?” as you raised an eyebrow with an open smirk.

“Why do you look like that?”

“No reason... I will say, he might have went downstairs to the vending machines. He said he was hungry.”

“Alright, thanks babe.”

“You’re welcome.” as you saw Tanaka run down the stairs and you immediately pulled Noya’s arm from behind.

“You skipped Daichi’s meeting?!?!?”

“He was gonna yell at us!”

“Noya, that is irresponsible of you.”

“Well it was also irresponsible of you to lie to your boyfriend like that.”

“Hush- I don’t want to hear anything from you. Now you better go and run or I will drag you to Daichi myself.” Nishinoya shuddered in fear.

“Okay, fine. I will.” as Noya waved bye and you turned around and sighed.

“I forgot to ask Tanaka what he wanted earlier... I’ll just do it later.”

School continued and you again tried staying awake for them all. It was difficult knowing you lacked sleep which caused you to be cranky and irritated easily. Sometimes your fits would cause you to be annoying or angry. This lead you to act up more than you should have.

“Y/N, can you pass me those papers?”

“What do you want?”

“Uh, I was just asking if you could pass me those papers.”

“You literally can stand up and get it, I don’t know why you’re asking me.” you retorted back before putting your head back down on the desk.

“What the fuck?”

“I said what I said, so get up and get it. Geez...”

“Do you wanna fight or something?” your classmate raised her voice.

“Alright bet, let’s do it.” you turned to her annoyed.

“You asked for this.” as she stood up from her seat.

“Come at me bitch.” as you got up and stared at her.

“Ladies! Split it up! You both will be standing at the back of the class till the end of this period, and I do not want to hear a single word coming from both of your mouths.” Your teacher had spoken to both you and the girl as you guys headed to the back of the class and stood there.

The period carried on with you and this other classmate standing at the back of the classroom. This caused your irritation level to rise even more since your body was slowly breaking you down and begging you to lay down.

“Alright, class dismissed. Miss Y/N, I need to have a word with you.” as your teacher insisted for you to come towards her.

“I heard that you are in the volleyball club as the manager.”

“Ah yes I am.”

“Although you are the manager, you must stay here after school for the clean up you had promised me earlier.”

“May I clean up another day? This practice is really important and I must be informed about it.”

“I’m sure the others will inform you about it later. Since it seemed that you were close with Nishinoya.”

“I am, but he’s-”

“I don’t want to hear it. You promised me, therefore you shall keep it and do it.”

“But promises can be broken.”

“Not this one, unless you’d like me to force you on cleaning duty tomorrow too.”

“No thank you.”

“Good, now get to it. The room doesn’t become sparkly clean by itself.” as your teacher grabbed her bag and left the classroom. You bowed to acknowledge her leave before heading to the chalkboard to write profanities all over the wall.

“Why the FUCK did I HAVE to play games past three!?!?!?” as you banged on the wall with your fist. You were angry at yourself. It pissed you off that your day already started bad with being late and the situation you had moments ago with that classmate of yours. It even made you frustrated at yourself that you couldn’t find Tanaka to ask what he needed of you.

So many thoughts have rushed to your head as you walked to a desk to sit down. You had stopped hitting your fists against the chalkboard though that quickly switched to punching your thighs since you didn’t know where else to contain your anger. It was also a safer option than to accidently commit something dangerous.

After dealing with your anger, you started to clean the classroom. It was better to finish the job quicker and faster so that you would head to practice to see everyone in action. Especially Tanaka since he did mention how he practiced his serves and spikes recently.

Cleaning the classroom took less time than you thought. When music was being played through your headphones, you escaped the reality of cleaning and thought of wonders to help the process go by faster. This helped you calm down, though your body was aching.

You put away the cleaning supplies and rushed towards the stairs to head to the changing room in order to switch your sweaty and stained uniform into gym attire instead. You searched through your bag for deodorant and applied twice on each pit in order to securely and safely say your pits didn’t smell.

“Oh hey Y/N-san!” Hinata had shouted and you smiled.

“Hey there!” you waved back and walked to the bench towards Kiyoko.

“Hi Y/N, what took you so long?”

“I got put into cleaning duty.”

“I’m sorry to put this on you again, but you’re on cleaning duty tonight with some of the boys.”

“It’s okay, I can handle it.”

“Are you sure? I can stay back and do it instead since you’ve already done cleaning yesterday.”

“No no, it’s fine. Besides you have to study for your test tomorrow, no?”

“You’re right, but if you’d like I can-”

“Kiyoko-san, you need as much time as possible to study and get good grades. I know you are academically smart, though you like to do well, and staying behind with these rowdy boys is not what you need at the moment.” as you took off your jacket.

“WOOHOO! LOOK AT MY BEST FRIEND!!!” Noya hollered and you laughed while shaking your head.

“See.” you looked at Kiyoko before walking onto the court. ”Alright boys! Let’s start practicing on your serves!”

“Thank you for today’s practice!” as the boys bowed down to Coach Ukai.

“You already know what time it is. Go clean up and get home safe. Make sure to eat a well balanced meal and get lots of sleep, you hear me?”

“Yes sir!” as they all scrammed to different areas of the gym. Kiyoko had already left beforehand since there was an emergency she had to attend. Yachi was picking up her things before leaving and you waited behind for all of them to slowly leave one by one.

“Have a good night, Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi san.” as you waved them off and gave them a small smile.

“Make sure Kageyama and Hinata don’t stay back too late.” Daichi instructed.

“Understood. Good night to you three.”

“Good night, Y/N!” Sugawara said patting your head. You nodded listening to Sugawara.

“Good night, and stay safe Y/N.” Asahi said sending you a shy smile and you nodded again.

“I very much will, now move along. You guys need to be home soon.” As you turned your attention back to the boys and went to go toss the balls to them.

You had just locked the equipment room after cleaning the gym. Everyone had left, including Hinata and Kageyama who had to get Daichi to yell at the two to head home. The others went to change and you assumed they went home. This left you alone in the gym and no supervision.

Your body shook as the exhaustion and frustration you felt from earlier today started showing. You started getting angry and began punching your thighs. You would have slammed a volleyball but you forgot to have one saved for yourself.

The punching started getting aggressively harder and faster. You didn’t keep track of your surroundings as you only paid attention of releasing your anger through punching yourself.

“Babe! What are you still doing here??? I thought you already left.” Tanaka yawned as he walked closer to you. No response.

“Baby?” Tanaka neared closer to you. He heard the sound of skin smacking.

“Y/N?” As Tanaka stood behind you and took a full look at you, but what caught his eyes was you throwing punches at your reddening thighs.

“WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!” Tanaka jumped and hurried to step in front of you. He put his hands on the side of your arms and you looked up with tears streaming down your cheeks. Your eyes shined under the lights since the tears were welding in your eyes.

“R-ryu?”

“Baby...” as his eyes filled with concern and he held your face in his hands.

“W-what are you still doing here? I thought you went home already.” as you wiped the tears away in a rush and covered your thighs with your arms.

“No, no, I was going to stay behind to walk you home... Why were you punching yourself?” as he gently looked at you up down and rubbed a hand on your pink thighs.

“It was my version of coping with my anger... I’m sorry.”

“Oh my poor princess.” Tanaka sat down on the bench and turned your head towards him. He gave you a kiss on your lips before kissing your forehead. “Do you want to tell me what caused this to happen?”

“It was just a bad morning. I was late and assigned myself stupid cleaning duty to make up for my tardiness. Then I got into a fight with a classmate and got a punishment. After that I was put in another cleaning duty and god I just am so tired.” as you sighed melting to Tanaka’s touch. Tanaka had brought your head to rest on his shoulder as he ran his fingers through your hair.

“It’s okay princess, you did so well today. I am so proud of you for passing the day and finishing it off with me. It’s okay to be angry, though it’s not okay to commit brutal punches to your poor stunning thighs.” As he rubbed a hand over your thigh and gripped it a bit.

“I’m sorry...”

“Don’t be sorry. It was your way of controlling anger, though let’s try finding a different way to contain your anger. How about we choose a different tactic? Like writing your anger away or watching me do stupid things with Noya.”

“I wanna see you act stupid with Noya. You guys make me so happy. Mainly you though.” as you put on a smile to thank Tanaka. Tanaka clenched his heart with an exaggerated expression.

“God your smile is so pretty. How did I get so lucky?” as Tanaka gave you another kiss on your lips.

“Stop- you’re making me blush.” as you hid your face in your hands and stood up to get ready to leave. Tanaka laughed before bringing your hand to his lips to place a small gentle kiss.

“Let’s get you home, hm? We should take care of those sexy thighs.” he winked giving your bum a little smack and you playfully punched him.

“Gosh, you’re so weird.” as you walked towards the doors with Tanaka clinging onto you.

“Whatever, princess. I guess I’m just crazy in love with you.” Tanaka giggled like a little kid.

“Oh jeez-” As you guys left the gym hand in hand and casually being a cheesy couple at night.

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five-rivers · 3 years

Text

Long Night in the Valley chapter 12

The scene shifted the moment Tempest woke up. They were outside, on a street in the middle of the city. Storm clouds circled overhead.

Tempest stood in front of them, hands in her pockets, a bland expression on her face.

“So,” she drawled. “You’re Nine’s friends.”

“Uh,” said Ochako, taken aback. Right after Four had said she wouldn’t talk to them, this was disconcerting. “Yes?”

“I’m his teacher,” said Aizawa, stepping forward.

“Yeah? You think you’re doing a good job raising up little child soldiers?”

“Excuse me?” said Aizawa.

“You heard me.” She shifted her gaze to Ochako, then to Todoroki and Iida. “I bet Souma told you I wouldn’t be talking to you.”

“He did say something along those lines, yes,” said Iida, even as Ochako worked very hard to elbow him.

“I can follow why he’d think that,” Tempest said. “I spent most of my life fighting against the government. Lord knows I wouldn’t have approved of him choosing a ‘pro hero’ to follow after him.” She took her hands out of her pockets to make air quotes. She was wearing brass knuckles. “Whatever a pro hero is supposed to be. Government lackeys. Cops and war criminals with a different name. I’m shocked he pulled a halfway decent person from the muck.”

“We’re not war criminals!” protested Iida.

“Oh, yeah? I forgot, the Geneva convention was nixed, wasn’t it? They had this big meeting and decided none of it applied to metahumans, and then, bam! Everyone’s a metahuman, so it doesn’t apply at all, huh? Neat, right?”

“What we’re doing now might not be what you’re used to,” said Ochako, “but it’s the way society works, now.”

“And we’re not killing people, like you did,” said Iida. Ochako winced at his combative addition.

“I did what I had to, to get people out of the torture camps,” said Tempest. “People like my little sister. You know what they did to her? They thought her power was just controlled by her voice. So, they cut out her vocal cords.”

“They don’t do that anymore,” said Todoroki.

“You think a government like that is just going to stop doing things? Without people making them? Without being forced?” Tempest laughed and looked up at the swirling sky. “Maybe you do. You’re just kids, after all. But tell me this, do you think they didn’t know exactly what was happening to your family, Todoroki Shouto?”

Aizawa cleared his throat. “What’s your point, here?” he asked. “What do you want from us?”

Tempest looked back at Aizawa. The coldness in her brown eyes made Ochako shiver. “We could have kept you out,” she said. “That Suzuki idiot, too. Do you know why we didn’t?”

“Enlighten us,” said Aizawa.

“Because the way we do it would cause irreparable brain damage. We know, because we’ve done it before. I thought it was worth it, but the others didn’t want to hurt ‘Nine’s friends.’”

“Are you implying that we aren’t Midoriya’s friends?” asked Todoroki, frowning.

Tempest huffed and wind whipped down the road, making Ochako cover her face.

“No. To be honest, I’m not completely sold on Nine, either. He wanted to part of the system so bad, and that’s not to mention—” she huffed again. “At least he knows what it’s like to be on the other side of the equation. You four, though… I’m stuck with Nine. I don’t owe you anything and you’re causing all these problems. What I want from you—”

Behind her, lightning snapped down from the sky.

“—is to prove to me you’re worth it.”

“Vlad, the police were able to find your car,” said Powerloader, holding his hand over the receiver of the staff room telephone.

“Oh, thank goodness,” said Vlad. “I hate taking public transportation.” He paused. “I mean, uh, did they find Yagi? Is he alright?”

“No, they didn’t find Yagi.”

“Great,” said Vlad. “So, ask them when I can pick it up. Why are you making that face? Did Yagi total it? I bet he did. ‘Symbol of Peace,’ my—”

“No,” interrupted Powerloader. “Yagi didn’t total it. Or crash it. It was parked in an alley near the Musutafu entertainment district.”

“Where Midoriya had that fight with Hawks,” said Vlad, putting his head in his hands. “It got wrecked by one of them, didn’t it?”

“No,” said Powerloader. “It was parked in an alley. They found it on a security camera. It isn’t there anymore.”

“They took it again?”

“The League of Villains took it.”

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.”

The bus felt empty with half the class missing. The remaining 1-A students (plus Shinso) were all huddled together at the front, mooching off of the teachers mobile hotspots.

“Did my email go through yet, kero?” asked Tsuyu, leaning over her seat to look at Denki’s computer.

“Not yet,” said Denki. “I’ve got all the pictures you guys sent arranged, but I wish we had more video material. Ashido was the one with the most…” He sighed. “Ashido, gossip queen, when you wake up I will apologize for all my comments about your hobbies.”

“I have some videos of Midoriya.”

“Trust us, Mineta, no one want your videos,” said Yaoyorozu.

“Huh? Why not?”

“Tell us this. How many of your videos are actually of Midoriya and don’t just have him incidentally in the background while you try to film girls.”

“None of them,” said Mineta, obviously not seeing why this was wrong. “Why would I film Midoriya?”

“Mic,” said Midnight, “please remind me to sign up the walking lawsuit for some sensitivity classes. How did Eraser miss this?”

“Unfortunately, Shouta is about as sexual as the average rock, so…”

“Remind me to sign him up for some training, too, then.”

“Will do.”

“Walking lawsuit?” asked Mineta.

Everyone else sighed. Then Denki’s laptop pinged.

“Huh. I just got an email from Principal Nezu.”

The adults, including Green Light, the bus driver, blanched. Adults were bothered by the weirdest things. In the end, Nezu was just a guy with a quirk, right? A hero, even! Principal Nezu, the Education Hero!

Okay, he’d scared Denki (Mr. Terrible Grades) a lot in elementary and middle school, but really.

(Okay, the crane thing at the Final Exam had been high-key terrifying, but he was trying to get past that.)

“Huh,” repeated Denki, having read the email. “That’s interesting.”

“What is it, my electric friend?” asked Aoyama, drapping himself sideways across his seat.

“Aoyama-san,” said Midnight, “don’t put your feet on the windows.”

“Principal Nezu sent me a link to an ‘All Might adopt a kid’ fanfiction, and it’s by—”

“Midoriya writes fanfiction?” asked Shouji, evidently surprised into using his real mouth to speak.

“That’s cute, kero,” said Tsuyu. “It must have been before he met the real All Might, though.”

“No,” said Denki, “it was last updated just a couple of weeks ago, and, well… Midoriya didn’t write it.”

“So, who did?” asked Yaoyorozu.

“Not Nezu, right?” asked Jiro, winding her earphone jack around her finger.

“There’s no way, right, Kaminari-san?” asked Present Mic, nervously.

“Uh, no, no, it’s, uh, it’s All Might. According to Nezu.”

A beat of silence.

“What?”

Denki inserted his pinky into his right ear, trying to clear it. Man, if the Bakusquad had been here rather than the quiet half of the class…

“Yeah, it says here that this serves All Might right for working on this during school hours?”

More silence.

“Green Light, the road!”

“Oops, sorry!”

“Hey, guys, are we sure that All Might didn’t, you know, kidnap Midoriya rather than the other way around? Guys?”

Gran Torino, also known as Torino Sorahiko, was an active hero. That meant late nights and late mornings. He was also an old man. A very old man. Late mornings often turned into noons and afternoons.

Sometimes, during those noons and afternoons, he liked to ignore technology and the outside world for a good long while. Maybe read the paper a little bit. Or one of those terrible romance novels Nana had left him in her will.

Still, he was a hero, one wrapped up in something best described as a two-hundred-year-long shadow war, so eventually he did turn on the news.

Only to see Toshinori’s boy fighting Hawks on live television.

Not to mention Toshinori hanging out in the background with a shaved head.

And the ticker said UA student Midoriya Izuku kidnaps Symbol of Peace.

(Which was the dumbest thing he had ever heard, and under other circumstances, he would have been rolling on the floor laughing.)

Gran Torino was an old man, but, luckily, he only felt like he was simultaneously having a heart attack and a stroke. His body was more than functional enough to place a not-at-all panicked phone call to one Tsukauchi Naomasa.

Tsukauchi Naomasa was incredibly busy. That busy-ness was divided mostly evenly between desperately trying to find his best friend (who had evidently decided to make a hopefully brief foray into kidnapping teenagers) and trying to figure out what the commission was taking, because it had to be illegal. Oh, and putting together a complaint that the commission was infringing on police prerogatives.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure how much traction that last would get, since pro heroes had been steadily gaining more and more responsibilities even as the police were losing both them and the power that came with them. Not to mention Midoriya’s stunt with Hawks… Which… Naomasa just wanted to know why? What had the point of that been? On either side?

(Sometimes he wished he were friends with normal people. Like… he didn’t know… an accountant, maybe?)

(Not that he would give Toshinori up for the world. Just, some normalcy would be nice, too.)

He took a deep breath, remembered what he always told Toshinori about stress, and took a mouthful of room-temperature coffee.

In that thirty-second period, two more problems presented themselves to him.

One, his cell phone began to ring, displaying the contact information for Gran Torino.

Two, his email softly pinged, and a message from Principal Nezu asking for any images or videos Toshinori might have sent him slid into his inbox.

Briefly, Naomasa considered ignoring both of them, but that wasn’t a realistic option and was irresponsible besides. Contrary to his character.

He picked the lesser of two evils and answered Gran Torino’s call.

Garaki was going to have a mental breakdown. This was fitting because his car had broken down. Midoriya Inko was asking him if he thought that his ‘friend’ might come pick them up, if it was safe. If his ‘friend’ had a car.

This last had almost sent him into hysterics. Gigantomachia in a car oh-ho!

Except it wasn’t funny at all, as this was almost certainly going to result in his death at the hands of All for One. No matter that he considered the man his very dearest of friends, he was under no illusions about what All for One would do to him over this inexcusable error.

Perhaps he should just cut his losses and get one of the remote-activated noumu to come for them.

Then, inexorably and inevitably, things managed to get even worse.

“Stop the car!” shouted Tomura.

“But you said not to—”

“I know what I said! Stop the car!”

Tomura twisted to see out the rear passenger window. Everyone else turned to follow his gaze, effectively blocking his view.

“Get out of my way!” demanded Tomura.

There was some awkward, half-hearted shuffling.

“Does that look like anyone to you?” Tomura hissed.

“Yeah! Like the doctor!” said Toga.

“I’ve never seen him standing up, though,” said Spinner, dubiously. “It seems out of character.”

“I didn’t know he owned a car,” mused Compress, rubbing the bottom edge of his mask.

“Not him!” snapped Tomura. “The woman!” He pointed angrily at the rapidly approaching woman with green hair, narrowly avoiding dusting Mr. Compress’s top hat.

“Eh? What about her?” asked Spinner.

“Doesn’t she look familiar to you?”

“To be honest, everyone without mutation quirks looks kind of the same to me.”

“Someone without face blindness.”

“Oh! She looks like Izu-kun! Do you think that’s his mom?”

The woman knocked on the window of the car. Twice, unhelpfully rolled it down.

“Thank you so much for stopping, we—Oh!” She took a step back.

She apparently recognized them. Joy. He was going to unpack his feelings about this woman later.

“Hey, doc,” rasped Tomura, annoyed. “What the hell have you been doing?”

“Ahem,” said Garaki, finally stepping out from behind the car. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Shigaraki Tomura.”

“Because you blew us off and stranded us in the middle of Musutafu?”

“No,” said Garaki, in a way that absolutely meant ‘yes.’ “I knew you were resourceful enough to safely make it out of the city.”

“Oh, yeah? Really? You—”

Compress chose that moment to slam his face into the back of Tomura’s head. Tomura steadied himself automatically on one of the car’s uprights, which cracked dangerously under his hand. He pulled back as if burned.

When he looked up, the gremlin’s mother was halfway to the tree line with – What was that in her hand?

He looked back over his shoulder.

That was Twice’s goddamn mask.

Compress, for some reason, was also missing his stupid mask (and covering his face like the dramatic weirdo he was), and Toga basically had hearts in her eyes. Spinner was being Spinner, and therefore ninety percent useless. He was lucky he was fun to play games with.

How to make her stop?

“Hey!” he shouted. “We have your son!”

This was a lie, as far as he knew (unless Dabi had snatched him on his way back; it wasn’t impossible), but, he was a villain.

The green-haired woman stopped and turned back, allowing Tomura a full view of her expression.

He decided that he regretted everything.

“Okay,” said Izuku, multitasking by letting Two pick the lock on the League’s safe, “considering Gigantomachia’s ability to track by smell and the questionable running water, we can’t just sneak out. He’ll find us. So… I think our best play is getting him to attack Shigaraki, and then when they’re both distracted, we run for it.”

Toshinori nodded and sighed. “If only we had a giant jug of perfume. We could throw it at his face and disrupt his ability to smell us.”

“I mean, I found a whole bunch of garbage a way back. That isn’t perfume, but it does stink.”

“No, no, your plan is superior. We’d draw too much suspicion if we attacked him like that. Perfume could be written off.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Because perfume is a ‘nice’ thing.”

“Indeed.”

“It isn’t actually very nice to have it all over you, though,” said Izuku.

“No,” agreed Toshinori. “It isn’t.”

The safe popped open.

“I won’t ask if you don’t.”

“Deal.”

“But, anyway, assuming we do get away, what then? Where do we go? And—Wow. The League of Villains is broke. I almost feel bad.”

“I was going to say Deika, but that’s too far, now, and we don’t know if Gigantomachia will come after us,” said Toshinori. “Drawing him to a place full of civilians would be irresponsible.”

“Yeah,” said Izuku. He frowned, pulling his head from the safe, and glanced out the window. “What about the Wild Wild Pussycats?”

“What about them?” asked Toshinori.

“They’re near here, aren’t they? And they’ve got that whole complex, so, I mean… I don’t know how they feel about us right now, but it wouldn’t be a terrible place to hide. Would it?”

“I’d hate to bring all of this down on them as well,” said Toshinori. “But… That being said, I don’t believe they’re actually there. They were taking some time off because of what happened to Ragdoll.”

“That makes sense,” said Izuku. “Should we take the risk?”

“I’m unsure if we have a choice, my boy. We could try roughing it, but that puts us in a very vulnerable position.”

“And we can’t stay here, with the League.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Okay.” Izuku sighed and started to thumb through the League’s collection of fake IDs, looking for something he could use. “Wild Wild Pussycats it is. We’ve got to convince Machia to attack Shigaraki, and… then we sneak out the back while they’re fighting.” He shook his head. “It sounds really unheroic when I put it that way.”

“Under these circumstances, I think heroic is the set of actions where no one dies.”

His mentor was right. Izuku still felt weird about this, though. (The pettiness was completely different.)

Not to mention…

He put the last of the fake IDs away and massaged his temples. “They’re doing something weird in there,” he said. “I’m going to check on them. I might be out of it.”

“Don’t worry,” said Toshinori, patting Izuku on the shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on things out here.”

(Perhaps all of this could have gone unsaid, what with their connection, but saying things out loud made them easier to organize.)

“Hey!” shouted Izuku over the roaring wind. “Stop that!”

“Are you going to fight me, Nine? All by yourself?”

“No,” said Izuku, somehow contriving to look down his nose at her despite the height difference and the fact that Tempest was floating several meters in the air. “I won’t have to. Because I have a secret weapon.”

Ochako could almost see Tempest roll her eyes.

“And,” shouted Izuku, “do you seriously think I just wanted to be part of the system? Are you serious? I wanted to help people. People the system failed. It isn’t like they’re responsible for the system either!” He waved his hand to indicate Ochako, Iida, Todoroki, and Aizawa.

“I’d argue about your hobo teacher. Is this your secret weapon?”

“No, this is, Great-Aunt Miranda.”

Tempest opened her mouth, then closed it again. The wind began to die down. “I’m – I don’t know what the point of that was—"

“Neither do I! What’s the point of this?”

“The point is determining whether or not you have people you can rely on, or a bunch of backstabbers who’ll hand you over to a government lab as soon as it’s convenient!” She stabbed a finger at Ochako. “She’s just in ‘heroics’ for the money!” She pointed at Iida. “He’s only here because it’s traditional for his family.” She gestured at Todoroki with her other hand. “He’s doing it mostly out of spite. And who knows what your hobo teacher is doing this for!”

“There’s nothing wrong with any of that!” protested Ochako. “You must have your own motivations, too!”

“She does!” shouted Izuku. “Considering what they are, you have no room to be criticizing Iida! Besides, you don’t even like me!”

“This isn’t about liking you or disliking! You’re the—” Tempest visibly cut herself off, then took a deep breath. She set herself down on the street. “Knowing what we do now about certain things, a fourteen-year-old would not have been my first choice.”

“Excuse me! We’re all sixteen!” said Iida.

“You’re sixteen now, it’s – The fact of the matter is that you’re children. Naïve children.”

“Oh my gosh, you were younger than I was when you—”

“I was kidnapped and tortured—”

“I know, but why are you taking it out on—”

“By the government that you are trying to lick the boot of—”

“Did you see what they did to Suzuki?”

Ochako felt like she was spectating a very passionate tennis match.

“If it means anything,” said Aizawa, dragging himself out of the pile of rubble he’d been thrown into by the wind, “I’m just trying to keep my kids alive as long as possible.”

“Then expel them! Stop them from becoming literal child soldiers!”

“I do,” said Aizawa.

“He does,” confirmed Ochako, who was well acquainted with Aizawa’s reputation.

“He really does,” seconded Todoroki.

“I used to see Tensei’s group chat, and every time he expelled someone…” Iida shivered.

“Huh,” said Todoroki. “Is that why you’re so… insistent about rules?”

“Of course not! Rules are important regardless of why so many students were expelled during the first month of school!”

“So, why didn’t you expel these ones?”

“If you honestly believe the problem child wouldn’t have flung himself at the first villain he saw after that and dove straight into vigilantism, you don’t know him very well.” He sighed, standing, and brushed dust and pebbles out of his tracksuit. “That goes for these three as well. They’re insane and it’s not my fault.”

“Isn’t saving others what heroes do?” asked Izuku, walking closer to Tempest. Ochako wanted to run out and grab him, but this whole ordeal had just shown how useless that would be. “No matter what?”

“Not no matter what. This is why I…” She shook her head, sighing. “Not no matter what.” She leaned forward, her hands on her hips. “Don’t die. You do realize what will happen if you die, right? I don’t have to spell it out for you?”

“N-no,” said Izuku.

“Besides which, I’m not a hero.”

“You saved people,” protested Izuku.

“And, as your friends pointed out, I’ve killed, too.”

“I know,” said Izuku. “But you aren’t a bad person.”

“Lots of people kill during wars,” said Ochako, going to stand by Izuku, “and that’s what you were fighting in, wasn’t it? I mean, I don’t know a lot about that time, but…”

“You wouldn’t. It’s been over a hundred years.”

Izuku nodded. “This fight isn’t doing anything, though. None of us want them here if the vault opens.”

“The what?” asked Iida. “The vault.”

“Hopefully,” said Izuku, “you won’t have to worry about it.”

“The fight did do something, though,” said Tempest.

“What?” asked Izuku.

“For one,” said Tempest, “it made you think. For the other…” Her eyes flicked over Ochako and the others. “Everyone you fight will have their own reasons. Remember that.”

As they walked down the street, storms still brewing overhead, Ochako kept catching glimpses of children in the alleyways and cross streets.

“Who are they?” she asked, unable to help herself.

“My sister and I,” answered Tempest, brusquely. Ochako, watching the back of the woman’s head, saw her twitch slightly towards one of the alleys. “About the time we were taken.”

“Taken by who?” asked Todoroki.

Tempest laughed. The sound was entirely humorless. “That government you’re so eager to serve. You’ve noticed, I hope, that my sister and I aren’t completely Japanese?”

“Yes?” said Todoroki. “I’m not blind, after all.”

“Todoroki,” said Aizawa in a warning tone.

“Good for you. Our mother was Japanese. Dad was American. We went back and forth to see the family. Problem was, everyone on Mom’s side quirks. We didn’t even realize it. The government tracked the weather disturbances to our movements and raided our family reunion. Never saw my parents again. Never saw anyone, for that matter, except my sister and my aunt – Dad’s side – who tried to smuggle us out and got shot for it. We spent four years in that hell before Ryuji rescued us.”

“You’re more open about this than I would have expected,” said Aizawa.

Tempest sneered. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m a terrorist, and people only become terrorists if they want to make a statement. Which I did. Trust me when I say this, Nine, if the hero commission took you into ‘custody,’” she spat the word like it was dirty, “you’d be in the same boat. What do you children think they do to all those high-profile criminals in Tartarus? The ones that are held indefinitely in a private prison without even a show trial?”

“I know, Three,” said Izuku, far more calmly that Ochako would have been able to. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to be a hero. It’s easier to change systems from the inside.”

“Not this system.”

“No,” said Izuku, “but then I had no idea this part of the system even existed. They do a lot to hide it, after all.”

“Hm,” grunted Tempest, skeptically.

The buildings began to thin out, interspersed with wilderness. The road rapidly graded narrowed into a one-lane road, then gravel.

“Is this normal?” asked Ochako.

“We have more control over our environments than the other ones. You’ve noticed that only Eight and Nine had multiple versions of themselves running around and being confusing.”

“I didn’t do that on purpose,” said Izuku.

“Exactly. Any of us could send an army of ourselves against you. Only those two don’t have a choice about it. Amateurs.”

“Shouldn’t they have had the same amount of time as—” started Ochako. She broke off as a series of concrete walls topped with barbed wire rose up in front of them, scraping at the surrounding trees, shedding clumps of dirt.

The trees fell away, leaving a clear, baren space between the walls and the trees. Slightly beyond the structure moonlight glinted off the surface of a lake.

“Well. Welcome to Jinoshi Lake Camp, kids.” Tempest turned, putting her hands on her hips. “This is where I met Ryuji. And…” She glanced up at the walls. “This is as far as I go.”

“You aren’t going to show us where to find this ‘Ryuji?’” asked Aizawa.

“I promised myself I’d never go back there.” She jerked her head over her shoulder. “I’m not revisiting it for you.” She started walking away. “Have fun.”

#bnha #boku no hero academia #fic #my fic #long night in the valley

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whocalledhimannux · 3 years

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@peregrer the What. 👀👀👀 *insert John Mulaney gif of "say more right now"*

ok so when I say "the extent to which I've fleshed out the QT GBBO AU in my head is getting to be embarrassing," I truly and deeply mean it, please enjoy 1,900 words of utter ridiculousness.

first, our competitors:

Legarus - performs so poorly that viewers are a bit confused how he got on the show in the first place, a la Jamie (series 10) or that one guy who made a lime and chocolate cake in the first week.

Chloe - nice flavors and good ideas for decorations, but pretty sloppy. was up for elimination in the first week but came back with a great showstopper.

Melheret - good but not as good as he thinks he is (hence his bread week elimination because of sloppy technique), heavy-handed with the alcohol flavoring

Agape - solid competitor, not flashy but tasty + pretty results. I haven't worked out exact week-by-week themes (that would indeed be Too Much) but I imagine this is something like "Dairy" or "Caramel" or "Vegan," some particular element she just happens to not be strong on. viewers are disappointed by her early elimination

Teleus - Dad contestant. brings in a bunch of weird pans and gadgets he made up himself, does pretty well until it comes to Fiddly Foreign Foods he doesn't know (probably eliminated in French or Patisserie week)

Laela - typically has good flavors and pretty designs but technical knowledge is a bit lacking, so there are usually some flaws in the execution and she's often in the bottom half of technicals

Phresine - Grandma contestant. nails the classics but ultimately isn't creative enough to make it further.

Magus - the "Ian (series 6)" flavor of Dad contestant, often brings in foraged ingredients or eggs from his own chickens or whatnot and revives old recipes/flavor combinations no one else knows about. one week, some of those turn out to just be too weird, leading to his elimination.

Sophos - pretty elaborate decorations and good flavors (on the border of classic and new), but he tends to try a million different embellishments on everything and struggles with timing, occasionally to the detriment of technique.

Kamet - always has really interesting and different flavors and tends to do well in technicals especially, assuming he doesn't get overwhelmed. which is... an assumption (Finalist)

Costis - leans towards classic and indulgent flavors, although sometimes a bit sloppy--the kind of contestant where the judges look at his dishes and say "it's a bit of a mess" and then Paul Hollywood starts laughing because it still tastes delicious (Finalist)

Irene - absolutely stunning visually, queen of the technicals, occasionally gets the "style over substance" warning (Winner)

more details below the cut

I've gone back and forth on whether Eugenides should be in it but ultimately I decided no because I wanted to maintain a pre-show relationship between Laela + Kamet (I thought otherwise at first but then I realized I hadn't left Kamet any longterm friends or family for his finalist video and that's depressing af) and Irene and Sophos which to my knowledge hasn't happened once on the show so far? so having a married couple on top of that seems like it would be a stretch, and also then I think I'd need to make Eugenides the winner on principle and you know what? he can stand to be second fiddle to his wife for a little bit. My alternate backstory for him is that he was actually the winner of MasterChef one year (good with knives), so in the first episode Irene's first little chat to camera is something like "my husband's been bugging me for years to try out and I keep telling him he's got a skewed perspective on cooking competitions, finally I applied just to shut him up... and here we are." Her little video introduction is about how baking is a stress relief from her bigshot job. Her decorations tend to be abstract and gorgeous rather than cutesy.

Kamet, likewise, was nagged into applying by Laela, but she very cleverly framed it as she wanted to apply and wanted him to do it to for moral support. both were confident the other would get in and surprised that they did themselves. This is one of those series where everyone's friendships are immediate and obvious and super adorable (cast of series 10 my beloved...), and in particular these two are holding hands in episode 1. Laela's deep blue robe from TaT sticks in my head for whatever reason so I imagine her making an elaborate blue peacock cake or something one week that wins her star baker. somebody always does a peacock something and it's always impressiev.

Phresine is cool as a cucumber under pressure, always has lovely things to say about everyone else's bakes, and is the go-to last-minute helper because she usually comes in under the time. Irene starts out similar but as the weeks go by she starts to feel the pressure a bit more and cuts it a bit close. Sophos is the worst on timings, and mentions his wife at least once an episode. (I also played with him being single on the show and meeting Helen later through Irene and Eugenides, but this idea is too cute to pass up tbh.) Teleus lives with Relius, a fact that isn't mentioned until a few weeks in when he comments that Relius likes a recipe or gave him an idea for a flavor or something (Relius does not bake himself but will happily sample practice bakes), to the surprised delight of every viewer whose favorite contestant is the oldest gay in any given series (me, me, that person is me).

Costis tends to use a lot of chocolate and, as I said, pretty "classic" flavors--one of those people who makes a full English savory bake at some point. He's usually in the top half of the competition but doesn't get the top until one of the later weeks in the competition, which is a Honey themed week, and he absolutely nails it. The delicate decorations of his honey nut cakes and his use of honeycomb are particularly praised and that's the week he gets star baker. One of those bakers who flirts with elimination the first few weeks but noticeably improves over the course of the show.

My most, like, plot-y ideas are about Kamet (SHOCKER). I imagine he was born in Setra (I usually make Setra a non-autonomous region in my AUs) but arrived in Britain as a child due to [Unspecified Crisis] and ended up with foster dad Jeffa, who was roughly from the same region but not Setra itself; whenever Kamet wanted Setran food as a kid, Jeffa would take him to the library to find recipes and that was what sparked his love of baking. He's well-read on the subject and knows about foods from a lot of different cultures, so he's usually heard of the technical challenges even if he hasn't made or eaten them. He does a lot of fusion flavors, and is ALL ABOUT bread week.

I don't usually make the his-relationship-with-Nahuseresh-is-romantic leap in modern AUs but I think it works for this one because of the nature of the format--Nahuseresh doesn't actually appear on camera but is alluded to once or twice, ends up being Very Displeased that Kamet is doing something for himself, and during the week following Laela's elimination they have the fight that makes Kamet realizes this is actually a terrible relationship and he needs to leave now. He calls Laela to let her know what's up and mentions that, since he'll need to stay in a motel and has presumbly lost his job as a secretary (yeah working for your boyfriend is Bad, he's realized that now), he's going to have to drop out of the show. Laela, despite living in a studio flat without room to host him, immediately thinks "um fuck that" and calls Costis, and within an hour Costis and Aris and a few rugby buddies have moved all of Kamet's things into Costis and Aris's flat, where Costis insists that he'll squeeze into Aris's room (they've shared before, it's fine) and that Kamet gets first dibs on the kitchen for all bake off practices.

None of them actually reveal any of this to the show's producers. Kamet gets a little overwhelmed the following week and nearly walks away from the tent, but Costis jumps in to keep his bake from being ruined, and some soothing words from Irene + the hosts calm him down and he returns to finish. The only mention of the Drama comes in the finale, during the longer video clips they do on each of the contestants. Kamet is deliberately vague about the details of the situation, but Aris shows up in both Costis's and Kamet's videos and references the fact that having TWO flatmates in the bake off is a bit difficult because they only have a standard size kitchen, so he hasn't cooked for himself in a month and has been living off cake and savory breads. one of the hosts talks to Kamet in the tent after that clip is shown and he still won't talk about it in more detail, but says that he wanted to tell people so they could appreciate why Costis hasn't practiced as much the last few weeks (the judges scolded him for winging it a couple of times), and admits that he totally copied some of Costis's techniques for honey week based on watching him at home.

I imagine the finale task is something like an illusion cake--probably with a bunch of additional required elements because the show has been going bonkers with the finale showstoppers in the newer seasons--and Irene wins with a jewelry box containing, among other things, ruby earrings made out of candy. Kamet does a stepwell, and Costis does something architectural (I was thinking castle but something visibly Greek-ish so maybe a temple or a megaron? idk). Irene wins but they're all BFFs and that's obvious, so everyone's delighted for her. The little montage at the end reveals that Irene + Gen are expecting twins, that everybody hangs out all the time, and that Costis + co recently helped Kamet move into his own flat where he's now working on a novel (Immakuk and Ennikar inspired, obvi, leaning heavily on the honey-shared-on-the-road thing and including some recipes that actually work in the narration, albeit still written in an ancient-novel-like-way).

[Obviously not part of the show, but when Kamet mentions that it's time for him to look for his own place, Costis tries to v awkwardly invite him to stay forever and Kamet is like "nope I've got to try this on my own but yes we will go on a date once I've moved out and see how it goes from there."]

[This is so far beyond the scope of the show but also several of them go on to have more baking-related careers and have active social media presences and at one point they're all hanging out and Eugenides pulls out a camera and demands they all produce baking pick-up lines. Teleus refuses and also doesn't believe anyone knows baking pick-up lines off the top of their head or could make them up on the spot. Sophos sort of proves him right by coming up with "you're the apple of my pie," which Eugenides instantly mocks because Sophos's three greatest loves are baking, Helen, and poetry, and that's the best he can do? Helen comes up with "I like my cake the way I like my men--rich, sweet, and bright red," to which Sophos blushes on cue. Irene's is "when I'm with you, I feel like chocolate heated to 50 degrees--I struggle to maintain my temper." Eugenides protests this is more like an anti-pickup line. Irene insists this is the most accurate marriage-related baking pun anyone could ever come up with.

[Laela's is "You and I are like custard--I hope we never split." Kamet's is "You remind me of bread, because I knead you." Costis freezes for a minute and finally comes up with "Fancy a cream horn?" which produces a lot of giggling and makes Kamet slap his arm in such a way that, hen Eugenides posts this video to instagram, fans of the show all go WAIT ARE THEY DATING NOW] [by this point, yes they are] [I didn't even have to google baking pickup lines for this, guys, I legit came up with them on my own, please clap.]

am I obsessed? I might be obsessed

#queen's thief #attolia irene #kamet #costis ormentiedes #sophos #eugenides #teleus #eddis helen #laela #oh dear I bet her tag is virtually unsearchable #sorry laela

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