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#now i am on a power trip from being able to draw a human face and nothing is stopping me from drawing the demon i have a crush on
gaysindistress · 6 months
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Van Helsing Retold - two
pairings: vamp hunter!reader x vamp!bucky
Summary: Under the cover of night, vampires and their hunters have been at war for centuries, never letting their bloodshed reach the light of day. That is until the wife of a powerful vampire leader, Steve Rogers is murdered and he demands revenge. Y/N Van Helsing is the target of his crusade and she comes face to face with his right hand man, Bucky Barnes.
Warnings: cursing
Word count: 2.7k
One | series masterlist
Tag list: permanent @vonalyn @hidden-treasures21 @unaxv @cakesandtom series
disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on Google/Pinterest. The women in the banners are purely for aesthetic purposes.
Bucky shoves his hands in his jacket pockets as he approaches a shadowy figure sitting on a bench by the river’s edge. The figure tips his head back to look at the vampire and then looks back to the water.
“Took you long enough,” Sam says as Bucky sits next to him, “it’s cold as hell out here.”
Bucky rolls his eyes, “maybe you should’ve worn a thicker coat if you’re going to complain about everything.”
Sam narrows his eyes at him, “care to explain what happened between you and y/n?”
“How is she?”
“First tell me what happened.”
Bucky shrugs his jacket further onto his shoulders, “I didn't mean to throw her that hard.”
“Jesus,” Sam mutters to himself at first, “she’s alive but things aren’t looking great. Peggy’s venom got into a cut on her hand and the doctor was only able to freeze it.”
Bucky’s jaw tenses as he listens to Sam and when he responds, the words are low and deliberate, “Steve wants me to kill her and if he finds out she has venom in her system, he’ll make me turn her.”
Sam lets out a disbelieving laugh, “you can’t be serious.”
Stern blue eyes meet his dark brown ones.
“Fuck, what are we going to do?”
Bucky looks towards the river, “how badly do you want your Guild Master dead?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Sighing, Sam looks to the river too, “You think Steve would buy it?”
Bucky shrugs, “You’ll need to get some of her stakes and hide them in John’s stuff. I’ll tell Steve that she told me it was him and then I killed her. I’ll set her safehouse on fire and you’ll get her to safety.”
“He’s going to search the fire for a body.”
“I’ll handle that. All you need to focus on is hiding her stakes in his room and getting her somewhere safe.”
Sam gets to his feet and turns to walk away but asks one more question before leaving, “Why do you care what happens to her?”
“I…i don’t know.”
The vampire hunter rolls his eyes, “so much for trust and honesty.”
“I am being honest. I don’t know why but I do. Everytime I even think about her, something inside me feels like it’s breaking. Fuck, when I threw her in the warehouse, I felt it. I felt her hit the pole and pain in her head. And…and I couldn’t figure out why my hand has been hurting but now it makes sense,” Bucky mumbles as he stares ahead and clenches the hand in question.
“I thought…” he starts but gets tripped up over his thoughts, “I thought that… you know… you couldn’t feel each other until you’re both turned.”
Pained blue eyes rip away from the dark river and snap to Sam.
“We’re not supposed to be able to. We might feel a draw to them if they’re still human but she…” Bucky blinks rapidly for a moment as if to blink back tears, “she’s not just any human. She’s a Van Helsing, it would make sense if the bond showed up differently.”
“Do you…do you really think she’s…”
Bucky cuts him off, “for her sake, I hope not.”
“And what about you?”
He takes a long pause before speaking, “what I want doesn’t matter.”
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Waking up in the infirmary once again is a cruel reality check; however, the blinding lights saved me from the dream I'd been having.
I’m back in the warehouse but instead of the female vampire on the floor, it’s me. My own stake is deep in my chest and I’m falling to the ground as he yells for me. His voice is strained and cracking as he cries out my name but he’s too far away to do anything, to save me. The agony in his eyes brings tears to my own and they burn as I jerk awake with them still falling down my face.
Sitting straight up, my body feels like it’s on fire and my venomous hand is pulsing as if it has its own heart beat. I slowly bring it into my view, the hand shaking as I stare down at it. Black veins crawl up to my wrist but stop and the skin has a deathly color to it. The bones beneath the thinning skin are prominent and ache from the venom among other things. Hidden under the veins is the small scar where the venom must have infected me. Vampires heal at extraordinary rates but the place where they were infected and turned remains. I’ve seen some with gashes down their chests, others with thin bands on their necks, and the one that did this to me had the smallest puncture wound on her neck. I wonder where and what his scar is.
Sam's soft snoring breaks my trance and I look over to find him slumped in a chair, fast asleep. His legs are outstretched and his arms are crossed over his chest as his head leans against his chest. He’s dressed in a thick coat and I can see where the night’s rain hasn’t dried just yet. He must have been out hunting but I don’t see any gear, any weapons on him.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he teases me and my eyes flicker to his dark ones, “how are you feeling?”
“Like I’m half dead.”
“Closer to death or life?”
I look at my hand for a moment, “like 55% alive.”
He groans as he stands and stretches, “I’ll take it.”
A ball of black fabric lands on my feet and my boots thud at the side of my bed.
“Get dressed.”
“Why?” I narrow my eyes at him as I shrug a black turtleneck on and snap my worn but beloved tactical vest on.
He turns to give me privacy as I put on the cargo pants, “I found a lead.”
I pause as I’m lacing my boots, “on what?”
“Your hand.”
“Who did you sell your soul to to get that info?”
Sam laughs, “more like who did I have to kill but same difference I guess. It doesn’t matter though. My contact said that this Helmut guy has an anti venom of some kind.”
“That sounds like a bunch of bullshit,” I scoff as I stand, my body protesting from being bedridden for three days. Pulling my jacket on I stop at Sam’s side where he turns to me with a gentle smile.
“Bullshit or not, we have to try.”
“Or we could cut my hand off. I’m sure John would buy the best prosthetic hand money can buy.”
“And forever be indebted to that man?” He teases me again and slings his thick arm over my shoulders, pulling me into his side, “not a chance in hell. Not a chance.”
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Something is wrong.
Something is…..off.
Outside of the office we’re sitting in is too quiet with it being in a thriving nightclub. We pushed past dozens of intoxicated people and were surrounded by even louder music but here in this room, I hear none of it.
The men around us are too still, too unmoving. They’ve made no noise, not even those that come with breathing. The man before us, or at least what I assume is one, also isn't moving. I can’t tell with the maroon mask that covers their face. Regardless, something feels deeply wrong about this place.
The person before us in the maroon mask suddenly leans forward in their leather chair and sniffs the air.
They sniffs the fucking air.
Even though I can’t see their entire face, I can see everything I need to in their eyes that are pinning me to my chair. Sam stiffens next to me and I make a quick sweep of the room with my eyes for anything to help us out. I’m in no position to be pulling the shit I'm about to be but if I’m right (which I usually am) and Sam led us into a vampire den, I’m going to have to pull this shit regardless of how I feel.
The masked vampire leans back into their chair and tears their chin on their fist.
“You don’t have much time,” he says to me in a low accented voice. German.
A German vampire.
Even fucking worse.
I narrow my eyes at him, “probably not. Comes with the territory though.”
“Ah the dangerous life of a vampire hunter,” he chuckles, “tell me Van Helsing, who did it?”
“The wife of the leader of the Captain’s Guard.”
I can see the mask raise as he raises his eyebrows at my admission.
“And for my next trick, I’ll turn this bottle of whisky into assault and battery,” I say plainly as I tear said bottle from the desk in front of me. I smash it on the edge and throw the two halves at the guards behind us. Before they can move to defend themselves, the broken bottle halves lodge into their necks and they fall to the ground. Sam is quicker with his matches and flicks a bundle at both bodies as the masked vampire stays in his place.
When I turn to him, he pushes his chair back and stands. Rounding the corner, he perches himself on the front of the desk with his hands clasped in front of him. He’s holding something but I can’t see what it is nor did I see him grab anything. Sam pulls me slightly behind him as he stares at the other man, “Do you have it?”
“Of course I do,” he says and reveals a syringe with thick black liquid in it, “but it won’t do her any good.”
“is that the anti venom?”
“It is for some but for you no.”
“Quit the cryptic riddles, is that the anti venom?” I snap as I step around Sam but his arm is quicker and it yanks me back behind him.
“As I just said, not you. What you need is the blood of the one that you crave and this,” he says, lifting the syringe so it dangles in between us, “is not that.”
I let out a cry of anger as it tumbles from his hand and smashes on the floor. Sam hauls me into his arms and pins me to his chest.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss at Sam as he struggles to keep me against himself, “he just broke his bargaining chip.”
“Ah but that’s where you’re wrong. The anti venom that I dropped,” he throws a pointed look at the black blood and broken glass at our feet, “is useless to you. Not even the blood of the vampire thet your venom belongs to could cure you. The only one who could is the one that you crave.”
“What are you talking about? The one I crave? I’m a Van Helsing, I don’t crave any vampire let alone their blood,” I sneer at him. I'd stopped fighting and allowed him to hold me up. My body is weak already and the little whisky bottle action that I did see drained whatever energy I had stored. I can feel the fatigue seeping into my body and the venom finds joy in being able to cause me great amounts of pain.
“You may be a Van Helsing but you are no better than the rest of us,” he sneers back before looking at Sam, “I gave you what you wanted and now it is your turn to give me what I want.”
“No, all you gave us was a riddle that’s impossible to solve,” he says through clenched teeth as his grip grows tighter on me.
The vampire says nothing but cocks his head slightly towards the door behind us. It clicks open and a familiar scent of cinnamon mixed with incense wraps around us.
“Helmut,” the voice that’s haunted me for a week now says slowly.”
Helmut, the masked vampire, seems to smile behind the maroon face covering, “Hello lap dog.”
Even though I can’t see him, I can feel the anger that boils under his skin and the way his body tenses in efforts to control it. I can feel the deadliness of him in the way his footsteps stalk towards us, the predator in him aiming for Helmut. He stops at Sam’s side but far enough back that I can only see the leather jacket he’s wearing. My sick hand begins to ache and I try to push it away by gripping onto Sam’s arm tighter but it does nothing. If anything it causes another way of anger to rip through his body and it comes out in his voice.
“You’re on the Captain’s Guard’s territory,” is the only thing he seems able to say.
Helmut shrugs and settles on the desk, “It was once all the same, why shouldn’t it be that way now?”
“This is punishable by death.”
“But I have a suspicion that you won’t follow through on those orders.”
Sam starts to slowly move us backwards and it seems like the two vampires don’t notice. They throw violent words back and forth, completely ignoring that we’ve almost made it to the door. Sam lets me go enough to open it but a sweeping wave of exhaustion wipes over me and I crumble fast. He’s barely able to pick me back up as I struggle to keep my eyes open but he’s not focused on me.
His attention is solely on the two bloodsuckers that are now turned to us.
An involuntary moan of pain leaves my lips as he tries to pull us away and the last thing I hear before the black fades in again is the sound of his voice calling out to me.
A beautiful cry in the cacophony of chaos that is the inside of my head.
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Pain erupts at the back of Bucky’s head and it threatens to blur his vision. Helmut makes another snide comment but all he can focus on is the pressure building at the base of his skull and the fear that’s raising in his throat.
A sound so heavenly calls to him from behind but in combination with the physical effects he’s dealing with, he refuses to dwell on it. Turning he stops Sam with the Van Helsing girl in his arms.
She looks…weak. Black veins pulse in one of her hands and her eyes flutter close as she goes limp in the other hunter’s arms. Her skin has a deathly hue to it and her pulse barely registers from across the room. The sound that caused him to turn at first was really a moan of pain and his blinding need to make sure she is okay distracts him from Helmut. The masked vampire launches himself at Bucky and tackles him to the ground. His mask is gone now so he can allow every bit of venomous anger he has to be conveyed in his face.
“I should cut her and force you drain the life from her,” Helmut sneers, baring his teeth in a truly animalistic manner, “or maybe I should tell your master who she is to you and let him decide how to dispose of her.”
Time slows.
Sam’s and the van helsing girl’s heartbeats pound in Bucky’s ears. Helmut’s satisfied smile at his silence morphs into one terror and he falls away from Bucky as blood pours from his chest. There’s a dull thud and rolling follows as Bucky slowly climbs to his feet. Stepping over the heart that was once in Helmut’s chest, he approaches the two hunters. His piercing eyes are zeroed in on the girl and she’s passed off to him.
She makes a faint noise but nothing aside from her breathing. Bucky shakes as he pulls her tight against him and buries his nose in her hair. The smell of Jasmine and oranges floods his senses as he allows himself to find comfort in having her against him.
He hooks an arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders as Sam ushers them out. The club is as packed as it had been when they all arrived but no one notices the three. Sam gets them safely to his car and takes off as fast as he can by that time the Van Helsing girl starts to blink awake.
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c-is-for-circinate · 3 years
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Wait, isn't "anti" stuff more like "anti-pedophilia" and stuff? Like, you have a point about anti-porn attitudes, but from what I've heard just "anti" on its own means against stuff like kid porn and incest porn and legitimately f*cked up sh*t like that.
Okay!  So this, I think, is actually a great example of what I was talking about, and a really useful thing to understand.  (CW rape, child abuse, etc)
Smarter people than me have written much better essays about why policing thoughtcrimes is a bad road to go down, and I will probably reblog some of them next time they cross my dash for more context.  What I want to talk about is the trigger mechanism, the ‘oh, this looks like danger!!!’ immune response in how we look at different kinds of porn, and how that applies to anti culture.
Here’s the thing: I am anti-pedophilia.  I think that, for most people, that’s a stance that largely goes without saying!  Adults who prey on children are bad.  I’m also against incest; relatives who prey on their family members are bad.  Above all I oppose rape.  Sexual predation of any kind is bad.  In fact, I’d say that’s the most important item on the list.  There is plenty of room to argue about where the lines are between ‘adult’ and ‘child’ and how teenagers fit in the middle, and there’s plenty of room to get historical about the lines between ethically terrible incest, distasteful-but-bearable “aristocratic inbreeding” between distant cousins, and the kind of consanguinity that tends to develop in a small town where everyone’s vaguely related to everyone else by now anyway.  The core of the issue is consent, and it has always been consent.  Pedophilia and incest are horrific because they are rape scenarios where the abuser has far more power and their victim far fewer resources to cope, both practically and emotionally; because harm to children is, to us as a culture, worse than harm to adults, for a lot of very valid reasons; and because they constitute betrayal of trust the victim should have been able to put in their abuser as well as rape--but they are all rape scenarios, and that’s why they’re awful. 
These things are bad.  It is good for us to have a social immune response system that recognizes these things when they’re happening and insists we step in.  That is a good thing to develop!  It helps us, as a society.  It can help the people being victimized.  It’s the same reason educators and childcare workers in the US are all mandated reporters, why we do background checks on people working near kids.  These things happen, and they’re terrible, and it’s good that we try to be aware and prepared for them.  (Though obviously studies show we’re a lot less good at protecting the vulnerable than we’d like to pretend we are.)
The question is: why does that same social immune response trigger, and trigger so angrily, in response to fiction?
Anti culture is fundamentally an expression of that social immune response.  Specifically, it’s that social immune response when it is set off by a situation that, while it has some similarities to the very bad real-life crime of sexual predation including pedophilia and incest, is in and of itself harmless.
If you’re instinct is to flare up in anger or dismissiveness because I’m calling these things harmless, I want to ask you to just take a deep breath and bear with me for a bit longer.  What you’re feeling right now is an allergic reaction.
Humans tell and read and listen to stories about “legitimately fucked up shit” all the time.  It’s part of the human condition.  It’s part of how we process those things happening, not just to use, but to other people in the world around us.  It’s part of how we process completely unrelated fucked-up shit, playing with fears and furies and insecurities that we all have, through so may layers of fiction that we don’t even recognize them any more, playing with power dynamics in metaphor and making characters suffer for fun.  Aside from the fact that literally all stories do this to some extent or another; aside from the fact that drawing lines between ‘ok that’s good storytelling’ and ‘that’s too fucked-up to write about’ is arbitrary, subjective, and dangerous in its own right; aside from all of that, these stories are stories.  All of them. 
Even the ones about rape, about incest, about pedophilia.  They’re words on a page.  No real children were harmed, touched, or even glanced at in the making of this work of fiction.  This story, pornographic though it may be, is part of a conversation between consenting adults.  (And if a teenager lies about their age to consent, that is a different problem altogether.)
Stories in and of themselves, no matter what they’re about, are no more dangerous than a crate full of oranges.  Which is to say: utterly harmless, unless all you have to eat is oranges, all day every day, and you find yourself dying slowly of nutrient deficiency--which is why representation matters.  Or unless someone wields one deliberately, violently, as a tool to cause harm, and someone gets acid in their eye--which is the fault of the person holding the orange. And unless you happen to be allergic to citrus.
The key here is this twofold understanding:  First, the thing that hurts you can also have value to others.  Real, legitimate value.  Whether you’ve undergone trauma and certain story elements are straight-up PTSD triggers or you just don’t like orange juice, that story, those tropes, that crate of oranges may be somewhere between icky and fundamentally abhorrent--but we understand that that is still your reaction.  Even if you don’t understand how anybody could ever enjoy it; even if every single person you surround yourself with is as sensitive and disgusted and itchy about this thing that makes your eyes hurt and your throat stop working as you; that doesn’t make it true for everyone.  That doesn’t make oranges poisonous.  No real children were involved in the writing of this story.  It is words on a page.
But, secondly: the thing that has value to others can also hurt you.  Just because a story isn’t inherently poison doesn’t mean it can’t cause you, personally, pain.  That’s what a PTSD trigger is: an allergic reaction, psychological anaphylaxis, a brain that’s trying so hard to protect its own from a threat that isn’t actually present (but was once, and the brain is trained to respond) that it causes far more harm and misery than the trigger itself possibly could.  And no, it’s not just people with PTSD who sometimes get hurt by stories.  There are many, many ways a story can poke the part of your brain that says, this is Bad, I don’t like this, I don’t want to be here.  The story is still, always, every time, pixels on a screen and ink on paper.  The story causes no physical harm.  But it can poke your brain into misery, it can stir up your emotions, it can make you want to cringe and run away.  It can make you want to scream and fight and go after the author who brought this thing into existence.  It can make you hurt.
This is an allergic reaction.  This is your brain and body, your reflexes and instincts, trying to protect you from something that isn’t really happening.  And just like a literal allergic reaction, it can do actual harm to you if it gets set off.  This is real.  The fact that stories can upset you to the point of pain and mental/emotional injury is real, even though it’s coming from your own brain and not the story itself.  There are stories you shouldn’t read.  There are stories I shouldn’t read, regret reading, will never read, because they hurt me.  That doesn’t mean they’re the same stories that would hurt you.  That doesn’t mean they don’t have value.
And, finally:
If getting upset about stories is fundamentally an individual person’s allergic reaction, their brain freaking out and firing off painful survival instincts in the face of a thing that isn’t, in and of itself, a threat?  Then the anti movement is a cultural allergic reaction.
Fandom as a whole has a pretty active immune system, which doesn’t mean we have a good immune system.  We try very hard to be aware of all the viruses and -isms and abuse and manipulation and cruelty, both systematic and individual, that exists around and within our community.  We’re primed and ready to shout about things at all times.  The anti movement is that system, that culture, screaming and shouting and fighting at a harmless thing on a grand scale.  It wants to stop that thing, that scary awful thing that trips all of its well-primed danger sensors, at all costs.  It’ll swell up and block off our airways (our archives) if it has to.  It’ll turn on the body it came from.  It’s scared and protective and trying to fight, and it’s ready to fight and destroy itself.
Luckily, fans and fanfic and fandom and fan culture are a lot bigger and older than they often get credit for, and it’s not like these cultural allergies are anything new.  We could talk about shippers and slashers in the X-Files fandom in the 90s.  We could talk about the birth of fandom in the days of Star Trek.  We could talk about censorship and book burning going back centuries.  We survived that and we’ll survive this, too.
But god, does the anti movement my throat and eyes itch.  Man is it irritating, and sometimes a little suffocating, to realize how many stories just aren’t getting told out of fear of what the antis will say.  And that’s the real danger, I think.  What are we losing that would have so much value to someone?  What are we missing out?
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httpjeon · 4 years
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SEHEBON ― KTH (M.)
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synopsis. you find yourself on izo huen, home to the sehebon. luckily for you, you've arrived at an interesting time.
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pairing. taehyung/reader genre. angst, fluff, smut au. alien!au wordcount. 16,580 contents. Huge Dick Tae, cocky!tae, soft!tae, protective!tae, lowkey possessive!tae, human!kink, slight harrassment, dom/sub themes, size kink, size difference, sensitivity kink?, orgasm kink?, cunt slapping, breath play, dry humping, cunnilingus, fingering, cumflation, belly bulging, lowkey consent kink, unrealistic sex but it’s aliens what do u expect, lots of mention of humanity note. tae just wants to learn human things ):
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blog masterlist. made of stardust masterlist.
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© httpjeon 2020. do not repost, modify, or translate.
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It had been a little over a half a year since your move to the Vela System of the Fanet IV Galaxy courtesy of the Interplanetary Relations Commission had begun. You were still adjusting to your new environment, Izo Huen being a vastly different place compared to Earth in terms of culture and climate.
"So, to wrap up the events of this past week," you shifted in your chair, staring into the lens of the camera you used to send reports to your superiors, "I met with the head of the Embassy for a dinner in order to meet the head of Izo Huen's military. The only way I can describe the whole interaction is...tense. Warrior Sehebon are truly another level of terrifying. Horrible burns across their bodies correlate with the information we had about their rituals. They wear the burns with pride, however ― a mark of bravery I suppose. The middle of the week was rather uneventful," you shifted in your seat, leaning over just out of frame to take a sip of your water. You stared at the arched ceiling, thinking of anything that could come to mind of importance to note. Outside your window, you could see people walking through the streets, laughing and chatting with one another.
"Oh!" you sat up straight again, "The monthly market came back once again. This time it was mostly vendors from Liana. They had the most amazing fruits I'd ever seen ― nothing like Earths. They were delicious too, so sweet. I wish I could send some back for everyone to be able to taste. You know," your gaze shifted out your window again, to the people bustling about, "Things got really hectic here in Fia recently, I don't know what it is. They're hanging banners up and there seems to have been an extreme increase in population of the city. I'm not completely sure what's going on."
After ending your weekly log and sending it to your fellow researchers on Earth, you downed the rest of your water and groaned. Izo Huen was sweltering hot, the two suns that hung in the sky upping the temperature past comfortable.
You couldn't wait for night to come, the freezing cold giving you a wonderful excuse to cuddle under the wool blankets.You decided to take a bath to pass the time, as it would be night in just a few hours. Plus, you desperately wanted to wash the days grime off your body.
By the time you woke up the next day, you were acutely aware of how incredibly loud it was outside. Shouts and cheers emanated from just outside your window. So with sleep-filled eyes you hurriedly dressed yourself and rushed out to see what the fuss was all about.When you stepped out of the door, you were shocked by the incredible crowd of people filling the streets.
Banners and streamers, even balloons, decorated every inch that could be covered. The alphabet was one you hadn't yet learned to decipher so the meanings were completely lost on you.
"Excuse me?" you asked a nearby woman. She was much taller than you ― a key trait in both men and women of their race. She turned and looked down at you with surprise in her eyes, "What's going on?"
"It's the pre-celebration," she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
She turned her back to you once again and quickly disappeared into the crowd and you sighed. Sehebon citizens were still getting used to their planet being visited by other races outside their own solar system ― they were the newest planet to be opened for visits by the Interplanetary Commission.
It unfortunately resulted in some of the citizens to hold ill feelings towards those entering their cities.
Sighing, you decided to follow the flow of the crowd to appease your own rabid curiosity. A lot of the cultural information on Sehebon had yet to be discovered or disclosed, as a race that held their own traditions close to their hearts.
You were surprised that the place everyone was flocking to was the massive Colosseum that was centered in the very middle of the city. Larger than any stadium found on Earth, you'd never had the opportunity to find out what it was for.
In your excitement to get through the crowd of large Sehebon, you stumbled over your own feet and hit the ground hard ― knocking the air out of you. The crowd didn't wait, stepping over you and for a second you were scared you would be literally crushed under a stampede.
However, strong hands grabbed your arms and lifted you up, grabbing your wrist and dragging you out of the crowd. You stumbled trying to catch up, with his large steps while trying not to end up slammed into unsuspecting people.
The person tugging you pulled you out of the crowd and rounding the stone walls until you realized the amount of people had dissipated. You had the opportunity to look at the person who had helped you ― a male Sehebon finding a safe spot for you and finally slowing down.
"I...thank you," you muttered when he didn't say anything, his back still facing you.
"You're a human right?" he asked, finally turning to you. You choked on your own spit at the sight of him ― black hair hanging over two pretty dark eyes. He was tall, probably a little above average for his race and he was absolutely gorgeous, "I heard there was one staying in Fia but...damn."
"Uh...I'm an advocate for the Interplanetary Commission," you sputtered out, unable to break your gaze away from his face. He had tanned skin, smooth as could be with a jaw so sharp it could cut glass, "I'm from Earth, yes. My name is _____."
"Incredible," he moved closer, having to lean down to look at you how he wanted. You could feel his breath on your face and you could see the way he had one mono-lid and one double ― which was absolutely adorable, "My name is Taehyung...you know, you're so...small."
"I-I'm actually quite average," you refuted, glancing away under the power of his gaze.
"Maybe by human standards but..." he straightened up, looking around, "You should be careful. You can get hurt easily, you're lucky I saw you fall and bothered to help you."
"Bothered..." you whispered with a soft scoff. You could still feel his eyes on you, burning into you as if he was analyzing every inch of you, "Hey, so what's going on anyway?"
"You don't know?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow when you shook your head.
"I asked someone and she just said it was a pre-celebration," you shrugged.
"Yeah sort of," Taehyung gnawed at the inside of his cheek, jaw cocking to one side at the action, "It's gonna be our lottery in a few days so we come to the stadium to get our tickets."
"Wait...lottery? Like a money thing?" you asked, "You guys have that?"
"What?" Taehyung shook his head, staring at you like you were stupid and you suddenly felt embarrassed.
"O-On Earth we have this thing called a lottery and...you scratch these little papers and you can win money," you explained, hoping to help him make sense of you assumption.
"Huh, that's interesting," he actually did seem interested and maybe a little impressed, making you feel weirdly proud, "But no, that's not what we have. Once a year the government holds a lottery here in Fia, in the stadium. You draw and if your number is picked you gotta fight."
His words made you blank out.
Fight?
They had to fight?
"What the hell?" you sputtered before you could stop yourself and Taehyung cocked his head to the side.
"Have you not read any of the banners and information sheets floating around?" he asked, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets, "They put them up to inform new visitors of what's going on, you know."
"I..." you cleared your throat, suddenly feeling embarrassed again, "Can't read the alphabet."
Taehyung went quiet for a minute before he snorted, beginning to laugh way too much for the simple problem you had. Your cheeks burned as he held his stomach, no doubt aching from how hard he was laughing.
"Oh my gosh!" he choked, wiping under his eyes, "Y-You're illiterate!"
"I am not illiterate!" you gasped, ears beginning to burn now at his accusation, "I-I just haven't had a need to read the alphabet! Since we speak the same language, you know?!"
"Okay, okay," he sniffled, finally calming down from his outburst. He looked down at you and cooed, placing his hand on your head, "Aw, don't-don't pout, I'm sorry. You're so cute!"
"St-Stop making fun of me!" you whined, petulantly stomping your foot which just made him coo more at you, calling you cute.
"I'm not making fun of you!" he argued, standing at his full height again, making you look up, "Isn't it only natural that I find the small little human girl cute? You're so...small."
"So you keep saying," you mumbled, crossing your arms over your chest, "Are you going to go into the stadium?"
"Yeah, probably a little while later," he shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets, "It'll calm down soon enough and it'll be less hectic. You're welcome to wait with me, if you'd like."
"I might as well," you sighed, leaning back so you rested your shoulder against the wall, "I'll probably literally be killed if I try to go in there at this point."
"Probably," he agreed, looking away from you when you squinted up to glare at him, "Say..." He looked back at you, head cocked to the side curiously, "Is it true Earth has a lot of oceans? And only one Sun?"
"Eh? Yeah, that's right," you nodded, making him hum, "You've never been to Earth?"
"Nah, can't afford to make that trip," he sighed, sliding down the side of the wall to sit on the ground, "I read about it when the news that we'd be open for visits from them, though. Here sit," he tugged your hand until you were finally sitting beside him.
"About this...fight," his head lulled to the side as he gazed at your through his lashes, "What...why do you guys do it? How's it work?"
"Well," he rested his hands on his bent knees, head resting against the wall behind him again, "You know majority of our planet is uninhabitable right?"
"Yeah, dominated by deadly deserts that will kill even Sehebon," you replied mechanically, having studied their landscape immensely on your voyage from Earth.
"Then you also know there's only a few, select places suitable for us to live," you nodded and he continued, "We have three cities on Izu Huen, Fia our capitol, Veles, and Holis. That isn't a lot of room for an entire planet to live, right? We have to stay within the habitable zone and fit every person on the planet in the cities. Excluding those that have the means to move to Vimoldara, that is. That's a lot of people, isn't it?"
"Wait," you sat up straighter, jaw dropping open, "You mean, it's a form of population control?"
"That and," his gaze turned much darker, sending a chill up your spine, "It's a chance for us to show each other how strong we are. That we're the best and we deserve to live, we offer more. Those who lose are killed and only the winner can stand."
"That's..." you cleared your throat uncomfortably, "That's scary."
"Not for us," Taehyung shrugged, casting a sideways glance your way, "It's a celebration. We're all excited and ready to do it. We get to make our families and ancestors proud as we fight."
You hummed, still weary of the lottery but kept the rest of your opinions to yourself. You and Taehyung dissolved into talking about things he was curious about on Earth, deciding it would be worth it to travel there simply after hearing what a cheeseburger was.
The suns began to set when Taehyung stood, helping you to your feet.
"We should be able to get in easily now," you followed him to the large entrance that you'd been unable to see past when you had first approached.
With the smaller influx of people, you could see fully inside the stadium. There were banners and decorations strewn about everywhere, a wash of white, red and black colors seeming to be the theme. In the very center of the stadium was a booth with a man standing inside, handing things out to the people in line.
"I hope he doesn't think I'm here to pick a lottery," you mumbled to yourself as you stood in line with Taehyung. He was still holding onto your hand as you waited, large fingers wrapping completely around your wrist, making the size difference more apparent.
He really was right when he said you were small. But his hand was so warm and comforting against your skin that it made you feel...cute.
"Nah, they won't assume a foreigner is here to participate," he said, not breaking his gaze from the booth.
By the time you reached the booth, the suns were down to just peeking over the horizon and the moon was, instead, shining large in the sky. The temperature was dropping and you couldn't help but move closer to Taehyung for warmth. You weren’t dressed to be out at night, you’d only anticipated spending the daytime hours out.
"Thank you," he said, tucking a slip of paper into his pocket after folding it up. The man behind the booth nodded, waving the next person forwards.
He began to walk when he paused, looking down at you with wide eyes. You scrambled to detach yourself from his side, not realizing just how close you were to him. However, you were quickly brought back when he pulled you flush against him again with a small smile.
"You humans are so fragile," he breathed, beginning walk, keeping you tucked into his side. Your face was burning with embarrassment but you also felt a strange sense of pride flowing through you at the prospect of such a good looking man treating you like he was.
"I-It just gets really cold here, you know?" you mumbled, trying to defend yourself albeit weakly.
His chest vibrated with his laughter, tightening his hold around your shoulders, "I guess if you're not used to it. You live around here?"
"Uh yeah," you pointed in the general direction of where you were staying, "I live down this road a ways."
"Alright, I'll walk you there," he offered, though he left no option to refuse.
You both fell silent as you walked, every once in a while another person would pass and stare at the two of you. Their eyes followed you even as you passed, turning back to stare at you and you began to feel strange about it.
"Why is everyone looking at us like that?" you asked suddenly, making him look down. The moonlight cast a soft glow on his face causing the shadow of his lashes to dust his cheeks.
"Probably because you're a human and you're with me," he answered as if it was the most normal thing in the world, "It's not exactly common for Sehebon and foreigners to be together yet."
You swallowed thickly, cheeks burning for the thousandth time that day it seemed.
It wasn't long before you reached the stoop of your house and you dislodged yourself from Taehyung, wrapping your arms around yourself to keep in the warmth you now missed.
"Um thanks for walking me home," you said, shrugging your shoulders self-consciously as his eyes scanned over your body.
"It was my pleasure," he leaned closer to you, "Hey, why don't you come to the celebration in a couple days, hm?"
"You mean the fighting?" you asked, feeling uneasy at the invitation. He nodded eagerly, eyes bright in excitement, "Taehyung, I do understand it's an important practice for you...it's your culture. But humans and Earth...it's punishable to kill someone. It's against the law. We find the concept of death scary...you know?"
His head cocked to the side, brows furrowed and the excitement in his eyes gone, "You're scared to die? And you don't like to see others die?"
"Exactly, it's...it's a very negative thing for humans," you attempted to explain while trying not to upset him.
"You know being invited to a fight is a very special thing," he muttered with a frown, leaning close to you so his nose was touching yours. Your eyes grew wide at the fire burning in his eyes and you swallowed nervously, "It's very offensive to reject an invitation to a fight. I want to show you how good I am, how well I can fight. I want you to be proud of me. Impressed by me."
Your mouth grew dry at his words and the way he uttered them, deep voice dark and no hint of the gentleness he had spoken with before. You attempted to move back but found your back pressed against the door. He loomed over you, leaning on his forearms above your head ― caging you in. Strangely, the only thing you could think of was how good he smelled; like the fruits you'd eaten a couple days ago.
"I-I'm sorry, Taehyung," you whispered, licking your lips in an effort to rid yourself of your nerves, "I just...Y-You don't need to kill someone t-to impress me, you know?"
"Then how can I?" he squinted, "I find you fascinating. A cute little human girl, smart and charming. I want to...what is it you humans call it...court you?"
You wanted to smile at the sound of the outdated term he used. But it was stopped by his confession, of what he thought of you.
"W-Well...you're trying to court a human girl..." you spoke slowly, meeting his eyes in faux confidence even though your heart was beating a mile a minute, "Why don't you try...a human method?"
"A human method," he gnawed on the inside of his cheek ― apparently a habit he had while thinking, "What are human methods?"
"Well um..." you noticed that with his body covering yours like it was, you weren't affected by the cold and that your trembles were no doubt excitement, "Like...dates. Do you guys have dates?"
"Usually an invitation to fight for someone to see is sufficient enough to begin a relationship," he explained, making you sigh. He frowned at the sound and leaned closer to you to meet your gaze, "Tell me what to do and I'll do it."
"F-For humans usually a man will ask a woman on a date," you explained simply, "Like...you would ask to take me to see a movie or take me to dinner."
"A dinner," he repeated, seeming to mull it over for a moment before nodding. The dark look was gone and he smiled the cutest boxy smile you'd ever seen in your life, "Then I'd like to take you to dinner, _____."
"I'd like that, Taehyung," you smiled, feeling your cheeks burn under his soft gaze.
"After my fight, to celebrate my win I'll take you."
"Alright, Taehyung, I look forward to it," after what seemed like an eternity, his eyes flickering from your lips to your eyes, he finally stood up straight. The cold immediately began to sink into your bones and he stepped back off your stoop.
"See you soon, cutie," he waved, twiddling his fingers before spinning on his heel and walking in the direction you both had just came from.
You opened your front door, slipping inside and relaxing once the warmth hit you. Leaning back against the door, you pressed your hand to your chest and sighed.
"Not how I expected my day to turn out," you mumbled, taking a seat at your chair in front of the camera, turning it on so the red light blinked indicating recording, "I know it hasn't been a week yet but I've found something interesting. I met a man named Taehyung and he told that they're about to begin a planet-wide lottery. Everyone draws a number and they're picked to fight. It's a...form of population control and some kind of cultural flex on each other to show who is the toughest and bravest. The fights are set to take place in a few days and I was invited but...I had to decline. The prospect of watching it was just too much for me to consider so I apologize for that."
You went quiet for a second, deciding to leave out the fact that the invitation was an attempt to ask you out. You greeted the people who would be watched goodbye and shut off the camera, turning to your computer monitor and hurriedly sending the video before shutting everything down.
The city was quiet for the next few days, everyone packed into the stadium. You would frequently hear the thunderous roar of the crowd but ultimately did your best to block out the prospect of the death no doubt going on.
You laid on your bed, reading a book you'd read several times already but lacked the means to acquire a new one. You wouldn't be able to read the books in an alphabet you couldn't read. Though you could take the time to learn but, you were in no mood to study.
As expected, you found yourself thinking of Taehyung. He was charming, no doubt, and you were surprised by how much you ultimately enjoyed his company. It was quick that he decided he wanted to date you, by human standards anyway, but Sehebon were very fast-moving people as more than half their race were warriors who could be killed in the blink of an eye. No doubt a cause for Taehyung's rush to be with you.
You couldn't deny the complete attraction you had for him; he was incredibly good looking and had the cutest smile. His voice was hypnotic, smooth as whiskey and as deep as the ocean. Dating someone of a completely different species wasn't the strangest thing by far ― plenty of humans had counterparts from different races. Dating a Sehebon, on the other hand, was different since the brand new introduction of their race to humans.
There was no fear that Taehyung would bring you any harm or have ill intentions, there was just a lot of confusion about him. You didn't exactly know much about who he was as a person rather than his race.
The date would no doubt clear things up and open doors for you.
Remembering the fact you would be going on a date with him set butterflies off in your tummy and you bit your lip to hold back the gleeful grin that threatened to spread across your face.
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It was a full week before the streets became the same again. The population of Fia went back to normal as visitors from other cities left and went back home. The banners were taken down from around your street and before long everything seemed to have returned to the way it was.
Unfortunately, you were running out of food so you needed to go food shopping. As the suns were beginning to set, with the temperature steadily dropping, is when you decided to go shopping.
You slid a sweater on to keep you warm before stepping out the door. It was still a little warm but you knew you'd be grateful for your choice later.
In the past, you'd made the mistake of forgoing something warm and had to quite literally run home before you froze to death.
You carried a bag, an effect from when you lived on Earth and refused to use plastic bags in fear they'd end up in the oceans. When you first presented the bag at the local grocers, the cashier had looked at you like you were stupid ― making you feel just a tad self-conscious.
Fortunately, they'd now grown used to your practice and barely batted an eye in response when you brought.
The shop wasn't busy during that time of day and you were thankful to be able to navigate the aisles without having to avoid the giant Sehebon people that easily blocked your shelf access. You packed your bag with things you were vaguely familiar with. There was a lot of food you didn't dare try ― you couldn't read what it said or it was just gross looking.
Unfortunately, however, the shelves were so damn tall that you sometimes had to scale them to actually reach the things you needed. Standing on your tippy-toes using one of the shelves to grab a simple box of noodles ― something you were very pleased to find on Izo Huen.
You chose a lot of fruits and vegetables ― trusting them more than their alien-meats. You were basically the alien version of a vegetarian at that point.
When you stepped outside, you were immediately grateful of the sweater you wore. The cold still seemed to seep in a bit but it was tolerable despite the light shivers that took you. Carrying your bag, you hummed a tune to yourself as you navigated the darkening streets. The lamps were lit to illuminate your way but there were no other people in sight, making you feel calm.
"Hey, you a human?" scratch that, there were people.
You paused, looking into an alleyway separating two residential streets. A small group of young men were smoking cigarettes. Part of you wondered if they were cigarettes or some Izo Huen-version.
"Yes I'm a human," you replied, pulling your bag off your shoulder to hold it in front of you.
"You want a hit?" one of them asked you, offering you what he was smoking off of.
"N-No thank you," you backed away slightly to get away from the smoke emanating off the burning end, "I really should be getting home...I have things to put away."
You turned to walk away but a hand aggressively gripped your arm to stop you, startling a gasp out of you.
"Hey, that hurts," you mumbled, attempting to tug your arm free but he tugged you closer to him, "Let go!"
Before he had the chance to speak, a hand was violently wrapped around his throat and slammed him back. He pulled you with him slightly, knocking you to the ground as the man was pinned to the wall. Looking up, you could see Taehyung leaning close to him ― whispering something that had the man's eyes widening.
"Do you understand?" Taehyung growled, loud enough for you to hear. The man nodded so hard you were sure he was going to give himself a headache. Taehyung held him still for several more seconds, looking over him to make sure he was telling the truth.
When the man was dropped, he took off down the alleyway with his friends following, none of them daring to look back.
"Are you alright?" he asked, crouching down to where you were sitting on the ground. He cupped your cheek ever so softly, thumb grazing beneath your eye, "I didn't mean for you to get knocked down."
"It's alright," you muttered, using his shoulders to pull yourself back to your feet. He remained crouched for a moment, just gazing up at you silently, "W-What is it?"
"You should be more careful, _____," he said, picking up the bag of groceries you had dropped, tucking some of the things that had been knocked out back in where they belonged, "Didn't I tell you that you could get hurt?"
"W-Well yes but that was different― "
"It wasn't," he snapped, moving close to you once again. Fingers hooked beneath your chin to make you look at him, "Don't you understand how much people want you? How they look at you when you walk around?"
"N-No..." you blinked as you tried to recall any staring while you were on your own.
"Everyone finds you alluring here, _____," Taehyung's voice dropped and he stepped even closer so your foreheads were just barely touching, "The cute little human girl. And I'd be very disappointed if I had to kill someone for hurting you."
You were speechless, lost staring in the fiery blaze within his eyes. He held your gaze for several seconds before stepping back and smiling.
"I'll walk you home, I was on my way to see you anyway," you sputtered in shock as he tugged your hand in the direction of your home ― his rapid change of demeanor no doubt going to give you whiplash.
Your feet pounded the pavement as you struggled to keep up with his large strides. You were running out of breath and stamina, though he appeared unaffected.
"T-Tae...can you s-slow down?" he halted in his tracks so suddenly that you fully ran into his back.
"What did you call me?" he looked over his shoulder, staring sharply down at you.
"I-I..." you pulled yourself away from his back and stuttered, "I called you Tae. I'm sorry i-it just slipped out...h-humans like to make n-nicknames, you know?"
He was quiet for a second before he turned around completely, cocking his head to the side.
"Say it again," he commanded.
"Uh...T-Tae?" the name sounded more awkward than it had before coming out of your mouth.
"Hmm," he made a noise akin to a moan, rolling his head back in response before looking down and smirking, "I like that. You're the only one allowed to call me that, yeah?"
"A-Alright," your heart was racing from the way he had reacted to the nickname but you didn't get to dwell on it long before he was tugging you along once again.
You stood on your stoop again, looking at Taehyung, a small smile on his lips as he watched you. He held your bag of groceries out for you and you had to hold back a gasp when your hand brushed his.
"Shit, your hands are freezing!" he gasped, taking one of your hands in his and bringing them closer to him.
"U-Uh yeah it's...pretty cold," your words came out a whisper, reveling in how warm his hands were against yours.
"Poor thing," your eyes widened as he pulled your hand up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against your fingers.
"T-Tae," the nickname had his eyes flicking up and he hummed, pressing another kiss against them.
"Did you like that?" he dropped your hand from his lips but continued to hold it, smiling at you, "I read in a book about common human practices for courting and it said a kiss to the hand will make her heart flutter. Did it work?"
"I..." you swallowed thickly, nodding your head ever so slightly, "I-It was nice, Tae..."
The two of you fell quiet, his hand enveloping yours and his soft gaze fixated on you. Your groceries hung in his free hand and he slowly reached out to hand them to you once again. Once the bag was in your hands, he released your hand from his hold and shoved his own into his pockets. He stepped backwards off the stoop but continued to stare at you, bottom lip tucked in his mouth.
Your eyes danced over his body ― never really looking him over that much besides his face. He had a black button-up tucked into tight fitting jeans and boots that made him even taller than he already was. It surprised you how thick his thighs were but how small his waist was ― it's like he was sculpted by actual gods.
"Well," he smirked, no doubt having caught you staring, "See you around, cutie."
"Hey, Tae wait!" you called before you could stop yourself.
He halted immediately, turning to look at you once again, "You alright?"
"I just..." he jogged back to the stoop, stepping up and moving close to yours.
He cupped your chin between his fingers and made you look up at him.
"You can tell me, sweetheart," his brows were drawn together in concern.
The pet name causing a shiver to go down your spine, "What is it?"
"C-Can...Would you...like to stay for a while?" your cheeks were on fire and you couldn't meet his gaze after whispering the words.
Taehyung's eyes softened and his lips quirked up, running his thumb over your lips for a split second ― so light you almost missed it. He stood up straighter, removing his fingers from your face. You found yourself missing the touch and your heart was pounding at the possible rejection you could face.
"Were you nervous to ask me that, baby?" your core lit on fire at the new pet name and you held in a whimper, "I'd love to stay with you."
"O-Okay..." you reached behind you, turning the knob and pushing the door open.
Warmth hit you from the inside and you scurried out of Taehyung's view as fast as you could to the kitchen. You could hear him walking, the sound of his boots on the floor seeming deafening in the silence of the house. Leaning against the counter, you took a few deep breaths to steady yourself.
You began putting your groceries away in their designated places, noticing that Taehyung's footsteps had gone silent.
"This place given to you by your job?" he asked suddenly, making you jump.
"Um...yeah," you cleared your throat, "It's nothing special but it's cozy."
"It's nice," he muttered before falling silent.
You placed the box of noodles in your cabinet, steeling yourself before moving to the living room. Your brain nearly short-circuited at the sight before you.
Taehyung sat on your couch, legs spread wide and arms stretched out on the back of the couch. His head was tilted back, exposing beautiful expanse of throat. The way he sat was so confident and commanding that you had to clench your thighs together to control yourself.
"Um...are you okay?" you whispered, stepping forward as he lifted his head to look at you.
"I'm perfect," he responded, scooting to the side to allow you to sit beside him, "I think I've figured out a place to take you on our date."
"Oh?" you'd nearly forgotten about the date, "So you're ready to take me?"
"I'm thinking tomorrow, if that's okay," he looked down at you and you smiled.
"I'd love that," your gaze fell to your thighs, noticing the size difference between his and yours ― reminding you of how large he was.
Flicking your eyes up, you were frozen by the sharpness in his own as he stared at you. As you kept his gaze, you felt one of his hands find its way to your thigh and you bit your lip to keep from outright whimpering at the feeling.
"You're so soft," he muttered, shifting to turn more towards you, "And absolutely breathtaking..."
His lips drew closer to yours, his hair brushing your nose as he dipped down. When he pressed them completely, his hand tightened around your thigh. You whimpered, seeming to set Taehyung off as he cupped the back of your head with his free hand ― deepening the kiss.
Your hands clutched at the front of his shirt, losing yourself in the feeling of his lips and hands on you. The hand on your thigh traveled up, grazing your hip, drifting up your stomach and over your breasts before wrapping around your throat. You gasped at the feeling, lips parting from Taehyung's just slightly before you surged back forward to reconnect them.
He groaned against your lips, giving your neck the lightest squeeze before he released you and reached lower to cup your breast through your sweater. You arched your back into the muffled touch but he didn't linger for long because his hand was diving between your legs.
Your jeans impeded you from feeling his touch properly and you whimpered, grinding your hips forward in hopes to remedy the problem. You reached down, holding his hand against your core as you whimpered into his lips.
"Do you want me to touch you, pretty baby?" he asked, kiss parting until your lips just barely brushed his.
"P-Please Tae," you whimpered, feeling your eyes sting with tears of desperation ― having never wanted to be touched so badly in your life.
Taehyung didn't reconnect the kiss, instead he tilted your head back to press his lips to your neck. His long fingers unbuttoned your jeans and hurriedly tugged them off your hips until you finally reached down to pull them off completely, tossing them away.
The way you cried out when his hand cupped you again, this time through your panties, was nothing less than lewd. He tugged your thighs open further, one of them resting across his own, leaving you completely open to his fingers.
"Sound so pretty," he mumbled, teeth grazing your neck where he continued to mouth at you.
You wrapped one hand around his wrist, dragging his fingers up ever so slightly until you were able to push them past the band of your panties. He immediately took over, fingers diving between your folds to find just how wet you were for him. He groaned, pulling away from your neck to meet your gaze, his lips open just slightly as he brushed against your clit. Your hips twitched and you found yourself clinging to his arm as you whined.
"So sensitive, little one," he whispered, wrapping his free hand around your thigh to pull you even closer to him until you were completely in his lap with your back tucked to his chest.
"Tae..." you whispered, eyes fluttering closed when he began to press kisses to your shoulder ― the sweater not allowing you to feel it properly but enjoying it nonetheless.
"Yeah baby?" he cooed, resting his chin on your shoulder to watch his hand move beneath the fabric of your panties.
"C-Can..." you trailed off, feeling your cheeks burn and he tsked.
"Tell me what you want and I'll do it, baby," he assured, fingers now running across your folds without dipping between ― teasing you.
"Can you...take them off?" you asked, turning your head slightly to meet his gaze.
"If that's what you want," he pulled his hand out of your panties and you whimpered at the loss, making him chuckle, "So needy, huh?"
His thumbs hooked into the band and he pushed them down your thighs. You pulled your legs up to help him take them off ― tossing them off somewhere else to join your jeans. He gripped your knees, roughly tugging them open until your cunt was completely exposed to him ― glistening in the dim light and flushed swollen with your arousal.
"Fuck, babygirl..." he breathed, reaching down to run his fingertips through your parted folds, "Such a pretty little pussy, hm?"
Deep in your mind, you wondered where he learned such delicious dirty talk from ― seeing as he didn't even know the proper word for courting. The thought was completely wiped from your mind, however, when he used two fingers to spread your folds open. Your hole clenched around nothing and Taehyung let out a choked groan.
"St-Stop staring!" you whined, snapping your thighs closed around his hand.
Taehyung growled, wrapping his hand around your throat again and pulling the back of your head against his chest. You whimpered, eyes flicking up to briefly catch his glare. His jaw was set, glaring down at you with a gaze that made you feel incredible small.
"Spread your fucking legs," he ordered, tone making your eyes flutter slightly. When you hesitated to do as he said, he leaned closer until his mouth brushed your ear, "I said...spread your legs."
You whimpered, bottom lip trembling as you pouted, slowly opening your legs back up. Too slow for his liking, he jerked one open and pinned the other down until you were just as exposed as before. His hand cupped your entire core, middle finger sliding between the folds.
"That's more like it," he sighed, finally releasing your neck, "You better act right, baby, or else I'll have to punish you."
His words made you tremble, thighs twitching ever so slightly. He raised a brow at your reaction, an almost detached look coming across his face.
"Would you like that? To be punished?" when you only whimpered, he smirked, "I see...how would you like it, hm? To be choked until your lungs burn for air? Or maybe if I spanked your little cunt?"
"Tae..." you felt your hole clench, sending a gush of arousal to meet his fingers.
"Oh?" he chuckled, making you cheeks burn, "You'd like to be slapped, huh?"
Before you could even think up a reply from your foggy brain, a sharp pain right against your clit had you crying out. Your eyes found his face but he was watching as he smacked your cunt again. His fingers ran over your folds to soothe the sting and he laughed.
"Interesting..." he hummed, middle finger circling around your clit. Your eyes fluttered and your hips arched into the touch more.
His index and ring fingers spread your folds, his middle finger swirling over the hardened bud until you were moaning. He pulled the hood back, exposing it even more to his sensitive touches. Your eyes rolled back in your head and you choked out his name.
"Does that feel good?" he asked, pressing a kiss to your shoulder, "Does it feel nice to have your little clit touched?"
"Y-Yes!" you squeaked, reaching down to take hold of his wrist. Your body was practically vibrating as you trembled beneath the almost too much stimulation. Suddenly, his touch was gone and you were left still trembling with the remnants of his fingers lingering.
"It's alright," he cooed, wrapping one of his arms around you to hold you tighter against him, "I've got you, little one."
"Please, Tae," you begged, burying your face into his arm, thighs trembling still spread.
"What is it?" he asked, voice soft as silk.
"Your...Your fingers," you canted your hips up ever so slightly and he hummed.
"Want my fingers inside?" he asked, although he already knew before you nodded.
He hummed, two fingers finding your spasming entrance, coating them in your juices. You held your breath as he finally sunk them inside you, stretching you deliciously even though you were plenty wet enough. His fingers were big, filling you up nice and deep. Gasping against Taehyung's arm, you mindlessly ground your hips up as he slowly pulled them out. You didn't get to mourn their loss for long because he was quickly pushing them back in ― slick sounds accompanying the movement.
"You're so fucking tight," he muttered, "So small...Shit, how long has it been since you've been fucked, pretty girl?"
"Ah-Never..." you gasped, hand circling around his wrist as you squirmed.
His fingers paused, halfway inside and you whined, "You've never been with somebody?"
"N-No, Tae," you whined, using your hand on his wrist to push his fingers back inside, "J-Just you...only you!"
He cursed under his breath, wrapping his arm tighter around you before he began to finger fuck you wholeheartedly. The sounds pouring from your lips only spurred him on, your cunt tight like a vice around just two of his fingers.
"This little cunt won't ever be able to take my cock, sweetheart," he growled, crooking his fingers up to nail that little spot that made you sob, "I'm gonna be too big for you."
"W-Want it a-anyway, Tae," you cried, nails digging into his wrist. Tears welled up in your eyes, trickling down your cheeks as your body was sent into overload.
"Yeah? Want me to fuck you open until you can't take anymore?" he groaned, "Watch your virgin cunt get stuffed full of a cock you simply can't handle...have you make those pretty noises while you cream all over me..."
His words seemed more self-indulgent than aimed at you but you whined and nodded anyway. His palm ground against your clit as his fingers filled you up so nice and you found yourself teetering on the edge.
"I-I'm gonna cum," you panted, thighs twitching erratically in response to your pleasure."Go ahead, cum for me," he commanded, groaning alongside you as you tightened up around his fingers.
"Tae! 'S so good..." you slurred, eyes closed as you buried your face in his arm to ride out the pleasure he was giving you.
"Coming so prettily, little one," he whispered into your ear, fingers beginning to slow as your orgasm died down, "You're such a good girl."
"Ah...Tae," you whimpered as he pulled his fingers from your still-clenching pussy, sensitivity hitting you like a brick wall. Your thighs clenched shut, trembling uncontrollably in the aftermath of the most pleasure you'd ever received.
Taehyung slid his cum-soaked fingers into his mouth, eyes rolling back at the taste of you on his tongue. His arm still held you tight as you continued to whimper against him.
"Taste so so good," he whispered, mostly to himself.
Once his digits were clean, he glanced down at you. It was clear you were still a bit overwhelmed and he cooed, shifting you in his lap until you were facing him. He pulled you into a hug and couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"Humans are so fragile," he whispered, "So overwhelmed...even that was too much for you, huh?"
You didn't respond, simply tucking your face away in his neck. You let your weight drop fully on his lap but froze immediately. You hadn't realized while you were being touched, how hard Taehyung's cock was against you but with a clear mind you could.
He was fucking big.
He chuckled darkly, lips finding your neck as he slowly made you grind against his covered length, "I told you, babygirl, I'm too big for your little pussy."
When you whined and tightened your grip on him, wanting to avoid the painful overstimulation, he simply chuckled. He let you cling to him and lay with him until your eyes fluttered shut ― sleep quickly and eagerly overcoming you.
Just as you sunk into darkness, you felt him press the softest of kisses against your forehead.
"My cute little human," he whispered, voice fading out as you finally fell asleep.
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When you woke up, you were tucked cozily in your bed beneath your wool comforter. The sun was up and you groaned, kicking the blankets off as you grew warmer with every passing second.
You had on your sweater from yesterday and a pair of panties you hadn't been wearing. Looking beside you, you found the bed empty and sighed.
Despite yourself, you found yourself feeling disappointed he hadn't stayed the night. He had shown you such a sweet, caring side before you fell asleep. It had made your heart flutter, how he treated you so delicately yet used such a sharp tongue to fluster you.
"He's such a strange dude," you muttered, staring at the ceiling as you spread starfish on your bed.
There was a dull ache between your legs, reminding you of the night before. Feeling your cheeks flush, you sat up straight and hurriedly crawled out of bed intending to take a cold shower.
Drying your hair with a towel, you hunted around your closet for a cute outfit for the date. Briefly, you wondered if he was still planning to take you out. Excitement thrummed through your veins, a giddy smile lighting up your face and making your cheeks ache.
After choosing your outfit, you took a seat in front of the vanity you had set up. You had found a mirror at the monthly market a few ones back and decided it was the best purchase ever. You hadn't known mirrors were scarce on Izo Huen for whatever reason until you desperately needed one.
Deciding to leave your hair down, too lazy to try and make anything of it, you mindlessly spun around in your chair.
A strange feeling bubbled up in your chest that made your heart race. Leaning your head back against the back of the chair, you ran your hands over your face with a groan.
"I actually miss him," you scoffed, leaning forward to rest your head on your vanity counter, "What is wrong with me?"
The day seemed to drag on longer than any other as you waited for Taehyung to arrive. The heat hadn't even bothered you, your mind too muddled with thoughts of your date. You wondered if he would hold your hand and where he planned to take you.
As the sun finally sunk beneath the horizon, you were more antsy and began to pace your living room. Every once in a while, you'd glance out your window in hopes a passing man would be Taehyung. Unfortunately, you were mistaken every time.
Before long, you began to realize that he simply wasn't going to show up. You changed into your pajamas, rejection burning in your veins before sitting on your bed. The streetlights and the moon cast a decent glow around you.
Your feelings were hurt. You’d been stood up by an alien.
Your heart ached and you felt your eyes sting with unshed tears. You flopped over, covering your face with a pillow before screaming into it.
"What a jerk!" you shouted in the material.
By the time you went to sleep, your simmering anger gave way to pitiful dejection. Your eyes were wet with tears as you closed them.
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He was polluting your mind, everywhere you went you found yourself hoping that he'd turn up around the next corner. You’d hoped he would come knocking on your door with a sheepish smile, apologizing.
Though as the days passed and you had seen neither hide nor hair of him, the prospect of an apology made you angry. You didn't want his stupid apology anymore.
A week lapsed and it was time, once again, for your weekly log.
Sitting in front of the camera, you sighed, "The...friend I had made seems to have disappeared. It's weird, I was perfectly content by myself but once he showed up and vanished ― it's made me lonely," you gnawed on your bottom lip before sighing, disappointment becoming a common feeling in your life by then, “Maybe I need to make some friends but...I can't explain it; the Sehebon are such a strange race that it feels like it's going to be really difficult to make friends. There's really nothing eventful that happened worth logging besides my own problems so...I'll sign off."
A couple clicks on your computer had the log sent. You'd be getting paid again soon, perhaps you'd be able to go out and find something to do for yourself. Maybe you'd hit the jackpot and find someone who would want to be your friend.
It felt childish, the need for friendship you had. But with Taehyung's absence, your loneliness was at an all time high.
It was beginning to get dark and you decided to say 'fuck it' and get dressed. You'd find something to do ― you hadn't really checked out nearly all the districts of Fia and you knew there were some popular places to hang out.
It was a long walk to the area they dubbed the Social District. The second you stepped onto the rowdy street, you were blown away by the flashing lights and heavy bass emanating from the various buildings.
They had their own clubs.
You suddenly felt out of place and awkward, weaving through the giant people blocking the streets as they talked with friends. It seemed like no one saw you, as if you were just invisible to them. You moved to the sidewalk, being able to squeeze by the people and avoid the large crowd that filled the street.
You slipped into a pub ― judging by the tables and bar. You couldn't read the sign but you still walked in anyway. It wasn't very crowded, a few tables still open. The vibe inside was much cooler and calmer and you felt yourself begin to relax.
Walking up the bar, you took a seat, grabbing a menu without thinking about it.
"God dammit," you muttered, staring at the alphabet you still couldn't read.
"Can I help you?" the tender asked, moving to stand in front of you.
"Uh...I can't read this," you admitted, feeling your cheeks burn.
"That's alright, what do you like?" she pulled the menu from your hands and looked over it herself.
"Do you have any good alcohol?" you slumped against the counter, chin resting in your hand.
She regarded you with furrowed brows, closing the menu, "You do know alcohol is poisonous, right?"
"Wait what?" your head snapped up and the woman laughed.
"Alcohol is poisonous to us. We don't drink it," she placed the menu back where you got it and smiled, "We have some Soda."
"You do?" you perked up at that, not tasting soda since you'd left Earth. You watched eagerly as she filled a glass with brown liquid, placing it in front of you.
"It's not...Earth's soda but it's basically the same," she smiled, "It's got seltzer and sugary syrup in it."
You thanked her before she was whisked away to take care of another customer, leaving you by yourself. You sipped out of the straw, sighing at the taste. It was slightly off compared to the soda you were used to but bubbling seltzer had you smiling.
"_____?" you jumped at the sound of your name, choking on your drink and erupting into a fit of coughing. A hand carefully patted your back until you calmed down, "Are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you."
"I-It's fine," you choked out, clearing your throat and swallowing a few times to rid the feeling. Your eyes flicked up to meet Taehyung's and you felt a frown fall over your face before you realized it, "Taehyung."
His brows furrowed at your using his full name but he didn't say anything, "I uh...didn't know you came around here."
"It's my first time," you muttered, turning back to sip on your drink. When you didn't offer another opening for a conversation he let out a sigh and slid up next to you between the vacant seat beside you. You didn't have any choice but to interact, seeing at he wasn't going to back off.
"I'm sorry I missed our...date," the word still sounded foreign on his tongue, "I had urgent business to attend to in Holis."
"You don't owe me anything Taehyung," you muttered, failing to mask the hurt in your voice.
He sighed again, "I had to go visit a friend of mine, he was stranded and couldn't get home on his own. I promise that's all it was, _____."
You sighed, feeling your hurt and anger soften. Turning to look at him, you opened your mouth to reply but were interrupted.
“Whoa, is this the little human?” a loud voice from behind you made you jump. Twisting around, you saw a large man with biceps so big his t-shirt was stretched taut, “Oh you are a cutie!”
“U-Um...hello,” you greeted timidly.
"Uh yeah," Taehyung smiled, placing his hand on your shoulder, "This is _____. And _____ this is Wonho."
"N-Nice to meet you," you held out your hand, gasping when he leaned down and pressed a kiss against your knuckles.
"It's my pleasure," you could hear Taehyung let out a long sigh, "Bartender, I'll take a Blue Ice please. I gotta take a leak," he muttered the last part to himself, fingers lingering on your shoulder before he disappeared.
"You drinking a soda?" Wonho asked, peering into your glass, "Mind if I have a sip?"
"I guess not," you shrugged, watching him wrap his hand around the glass and bring it to his lips.
He was good looking, you couldn't deny. He had cute ears that stuck out just slightly and pretty teeth as he grinned at you. You found yourself comparing him to Taehyung ― deducing Taehyung definitely set your heart racing the second you looked at him.
"You know," Wonho placed your glass back down in front of you, "I was surprised to hear Taehyung was fooling around with a little human. I never thought he'd be the type."
"What do you mean?" you asked, brows furrowing as you mindlessly stirred your drink with your straw.
"Well I just can't believe he's actually giving in to it," Wonho said, pulling out a menu to look over it.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," you muttered, quite blunt.
He seemed surprised, chuckling and waving his hand, "Just the whole human kink that's going on. You know, since humans have started coming here it's become like a game to see who can actually manage to bang one. Can't believe Taehyung managed to snag one."
Your eyes drifted to your glass, the ice melting in your soda ― watering it down. A human kink?
"So...I'm just a conquest?" you whispered, though you were sure Wonho didn't hear as he was ordering a drink.
So many things bubbled up inside you; anger, humiliation, shame. Humiliation at the fact you'd been used, shame over the fact you fell for it and were so close to giving in, and anger of the audacity he had to do such a thing to you. Tears stung your eyes and you bit your lip to hold them back.
"Oh man, that looks delicious," Taehyung groaned, grabbing his tall glass of blue drink and taking a sip.
"I'm leaving," you muttered, sliding off your stool and moving to walk away.
You were stopped by a hand grabbing your elbow. Taehyung stared at you, brows drawn together.
"You just got here," he muttered, obviously confused by your sudden change.
You scoffed, "I'm going home, Taehyung."
You snatched your arm out of his grip and stormed out the doors and onto the busy streets. You could vaguely hear your name being shouted but it was quickly covered by the noisiness of the people. Crossing your arms over your chest, you weaved through the bodies. Tears were burning your eyes but you held them back.
"Hey a human!" you heard someone shout but you didn't stop, "Why don't you come party?"
'The whole human kink.' Wonho's words echoed in your mind, making it harder to fight your tears. 'It's become a game to see who can bang one."
By the time you reached your front door, your jaw was aching with keeping your tears in. Slamming the door behind you, you immediately burst into tears ― bringing your hands up to cover your eyes with your sleeves. Sniffling, you dropped onto your couch and let your sobs out freely.
Hugging one of your throw pillows, you attempted to calm yourself down. Just as you were about to drift off to sleep, eyes fluttering against your will, there was a series of sharp knocks against your door. You didn't move, silently waiting to see if they'd go away.
Unfortunately, the knocks became harsher and more frantic. Deciding that they weren't going to go away, you stood up and dragged your feet to the door.
You already had a feeling who it was and you weren't wrong ― Taehyung standing on the other side. His fist was raised like he was going to knock again and his hair was a complete wreck. His shirt clung to him with sweat and his breathing was a little heavy.
"What do you want Taehyung?" you muttered, crossing your arms around yourself.
"You've been crying," he whispered, moving to step forward but stopped when you moved back, "I knew you were upset. What's the matter, sweetheart?"
"Don't!" you snapped, turning on your heel and storming into your house.
"What?" Taehyung whispered, closing the door gently behind him.
"Don't call me that," you said, keeping your back to him so he wouldn't see your tears.
It felt so nice to have him call you pet names so gently. But you remembered it was just a ruse to lure you in ― and it was so hard not to fall.
"Why not? I thought you liked being called that?" he sounded so confused and you could imagine he looked akin to a kicked puppy.
"Because it's not fair!" you shouted, finally turning around, "You can't just play those games with me because I'm a human, Taehyung!"
"I really...What are you talking about?" his voice was so soft, so gentle. He took a couple steps towards you, hands outstretched, "I'm not playing any games."
"Oh yeah?" you scoffed, wiping away a few stray tears from your cheeks, "Wonho told me about your disgusting kink! You don't care about me, you just wanted to be able to say you fucked a human!"
"Wh―" he stumbled over his words, irises desperately scanning over you, "That's not...true."
You scoffed, shaking your head., "You're so unfair, Taehyung." he cocked his head to the side curiously, "You made me like you and I trusted you. But you just...you really aren't any different from men on Earth, huh?"
"What do you mean? Of course I'm different!" he argued, his own eyes growing glassy, "I never lied to you, _____. I promise!"
"You just wanted to use me as a conquest, something to brag about," you breathing stuttered as you sobbed, "And I almost fell for it!"
"Would you listen to me?!" he snapped, suddenly moving and pinning you against the wall.
He was caging you in, scent overwhelming you and making more tears fall from your eyes. You refused to meet his gaze, even though you could feel his eyes burning into you. You sniffled, staring down at your cardigan sleeves that were functioning as sweater paws.
"I never once intended to use you like that," Taehyung growled, voice giving away his frustration, "Everything I have said and done for you is real and not because you're a human. I don't want you as a...a...conquest," the word sounded foreign on his tongue, "And I certainly am not like your pathetic human men on Earth. I am better in every single way."
"Taehyung..."
"Stop calling me that!" he snapped, making you jump, "I-I want you to call me Tae!"
"I don't think..." you shook your head.
"Why won't you believe me?" he sighed, voice going soft, "Is it really so easy to lose trust in me when I haven't even done anything? You heard my friend say some stupid nonsense a-and you're suddenly convinced I'm evil!"
When he put it like that, you felt silly. Your own insecurities caught up with you and you shifted awkwardly in your place against the wall. You sheepishly looked up to find him staring at you, eyes dark beneath his long bangs. They were damp from sweat and you swallowed thickly at how good he looked.
"I'm sorry Tae..." you mumbled, nibbling on your lip beneath his glare, "I just...I really like you and I don't want you to―
"Listen to me," he tilted your head up, making you look at him directly. His eyes were much softer now and your eyes felt hot once more, "I have no intention of hurting you. You can trust me, _____. I promise."
It felt like all self-control slipped through your fingers as you suddenly surged forward to press your lips against his. Standing on you tippy-toes, you wrapped your arms around his neck. He eagerly kissed you back, arms wrapping around you ― teeth nipping at your bottom lip to make you whine.
One of his hands traveled lower, cupping your ass and pulling you closer to him. You could feel his length hardened in his jeans ― and it was just as big as you remembered. It made you whimper, feeling him so hard against you. You squeaked when the floor was suddenly pulled out from beneath you and you found yourself pressed against the wall with your legs wrapped around his waist, his weight supporting you.
You whined when his lips found your neck, trailing his lips over the sensitive skin beneath your ear. He smirked at the feeling of you shuddering against him.
"Are you wet for me, baby?" he asked against your skin. You whimpered and nodded, feeling your pussy clench and gush into your panties, "Do you want me to touch you? Tell me."
"Yes please, Tae," you begged, blushing when he chuckled at your desperation.
The wall was pulled out from behind you and you scrambled to hold onto him around his shoulders, "I got you," he reassured, turning to walk through the open doorway of your bedroom.
You were deposited onto your mattress, making you bounce slightly on it. Taehyung was covering your body once more, however, as he met your lips for another kiss. Resting his weight on one forearm beside your head, he used the other to push your shirt up.
Getting the hint, you pulled your cardigan off and tossed it off the side of the bed before tugging your shirt off as well. Taehyung groaned, his lips kissing the swell of your breast above your bra. His fingers trailed over your bra ― cupping you and sighing softly.
You were surprised by your own boldness as you reached behind you and unclipped your bra. Before you could tug it off, however, Taehyung pinned your arms above your head and growled.
"Why are you so eager?" he asked, making your blush further.
"I-I just want you to touch me..." you confessed, lashes fluttering when he leaned down to brush his lips against your lips once more.
"There's no rush, little one," he cooed, "I'm not going anywhere until I've made you cum for me."
You clenched your thighs with a whimper at the pressure in your core. He pulled off your bra, finally, tossing it away and sitting back to admire your body. You were laid out beneath him, breasts heaving in your arousal.
His head dipped down and you held your breath as he enveloped a perked nipple into his mouth. Your hands flew up to clutch at his hair, back arching. His teeth grazed the bud, and groaned at the way you whined.
"Fuck, you're so responsive to everything I do," he gasped, pulling his lips away from your nipple. His fingers found it and brushed his thumb nail over and you choked out a sob, "I love it so much..."
"T-Tae please!" you whined, arching your hips up.
"Alright, baby," he cooed, flicking the button of your jeans open and tugging them down. Your panties went with them but neither of you cared, "Look at that. So wet."
"Please touch me, Tae," you begged, spreading your legs wider around him.
"You ever been eaten out, sweetheart?" he asked, watching the way your breath stuttered at his question. When you didn't answer, he gave your cunt a swift smack. You cried out, clutching at the blankets desperately, "I asked you a question."
"N-No I've never― " you were cut off by his fingers sliding over your clit softly.
"Do you want to?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Yes, yes please, Tae!" you gasped, eyes wide when he shifted down the bed until his head was positioned over your core.
"So pretty, baby," he sighed, spreading your folds open to expose the pretty wet hole that clenched desperately around nothing.
Your mouth fell open, a stuttered breath escaping you when his tongue slid over your entrance up to your clit. He hummed, licking his lips to chase the taste. He looked like he was in heaven, swirling his tongue over your bud and chuckling when your whole body trembled.
"Love how you react to me," he whispered, mostly to himself. He tongued at your hole to taste your juices once more before dragging up to your clit once again, "I don't think I'll ever get enough of you."
"Tae!" you cried, tugging his hair harshly though he didn't seem to mind.
His lips wrapped around your clit, sucking the bud into his mouth. You keened, eyes rolling back into your head at the stimulation. You nearly screamed when you were suddenly filled with two long fingers.
"Fuck!" you cried, back arching. You abandoned your hold on his hand to wrap your hands beneath your knees ― keeping yourself open for him.
"Good girl," he praised, making you smile down at him.
He pressed a kiss against your thigh before diving down to take your clit into his mouth again. His fingers stretched you open, catching your g-spot every chance he got. He reached so deep inside you with just his fingers and you suddenly remembered how big his dick was. Just the thought of it had your walls clenching around his fingers. He groaned in response, the vibrations against your clit making your thighs twitch.
"A-Another finger, Tae, please," you begged, voice not above a whisper.
"Can you handle that, sweetheart? Your little cunt’s already stretched around two," he teased, his index finger beginning to nudge against your entrance.
"N-Need it," you gasped, "Need to take it for you cock."
His fingers froze and you felt him exhale sharply against your core ― as if the air had been punched out of him. Glancing down, you saw his jaw was clenched and his brows were furrowed.
"Don't say things like that, little girl," he growled, finally pushing the third finger into you, "Don't make promises you can't keep."
"Tae I― " your words died on your tongue when he enveloped your clit once again.
You felt stuffed with his fingers, the digits making your entrance stretch deliciously. You lost your grip on your knees and let them fall open once again. Taehyung's tongue danced over the sensitive nerves, eyes closed as he relished in having your cunt wrapped around his fingers. You were gushing, coating the digits in your juices and he couldn't wait to have them in his mouth.
"W-Wanna cum, Tae," you gasped, reaching above you to grip desperately at the pillow.
He reached up, pulling on one of your hands until you released the material. You felt your walls clench tight when he urged you to put your hands on his head.
He wanted you to pull at his hair.
Not one to reject such an offer, you tangled both your hands in the soft locks as he began to fuck you with his fingers eagerly. The wet noises were obscene, mixed with your moans made an incredible melody for Taehyung.
The fact he was the only one who had ever had you like that made his cock throb. His hips moved mindlessly against the bed beneath him to get some stimulation. His cock hurt in the confines of his jeans but he didn't dare try to pull it out.
Suddenly, your walls clenched tight and the grip on his hair began to sting the harder you pulled. Sobbing out his name, your entire body began to quake beneath him. The pleasure was overwhelming and you snapped your thighs closed around his head. He didn't pull away, however, keeping his lips attached to the throbbing bud through your orgasm ― milking every spectacular second until you were whimpering from overstimulation.
He gasped as he pulled away, sitting back on his heels before pulling his fingers out of you. He spread your folds, groaning at the way you gaped slightly from being stretched open. Sliding his soaked fingers into his mouth, his whole body trembled and he reached down to palm himself through his jeans.
The feeling of a smaller hand covering his had his eyes snapping open. He pulled his fingers out and stared down at you as you shyly palmed him through the material. He groaned, head falling back.
"C-Can I..." you trailed off, not quite sure what you were asking.
"I...I don't know..." he bit his lip, apprehensive.
"Please Tae?" you pouted, looking up at him through your lashes.
"Shit, alright," he whispered, switching your positions. He scooted up until his back rested against your headboard, shoving your pillows aside to make room for himself, "Come here. Sit on my lap, pretty girl."
Your hands were trembling as you did what you were asked, swinging your leg over his lap until you were straddling him. As you pressed your full weight on him, he tossed his head back in a groan. The pressure of you sitting on him felt spectacular.
Gripping his shoulders, you suddenly felt shy with his eyes on you. He gazed at your body on top of him like you were a goddess, hands drifting up your sides and cupping your breasts. Thumbing your nipples, he smiled crookedly when you shivered at the feeling. He cupped your cheeks, finally, and pulled you down for a soft kiss.
"Go ahead and grind on me, baby," he cooed, gripping your hips to urge you to move.
The first grind against him had him releasing the most beautiful moan that you felt yourself gush in response. His head leaned back against the headboard, watching through lidded eyes the way your cunt ground against his cock through his jeans. He wishes he could take it out and feel your wetness drip all over him ― to feel you cream against him as you came. He swallowed the urge down and continued to guide you.
"D-Does it feel good?" you asked, biting your lip as you watched his jaw tense as he held back his moans.
"So good, babygirl," he groaned, feeling his heart stutter when you proudly grinned down at him, "You're so fucking cute."
"D-Don't call me cute when I'm doing this," you hissed, narrowing your eyes at him.
"Doing what?" his head rolled against his shoulder and he smirked at you, "Go on and say it."
"No..." You whispered, clutching his shirt. Leaning forward, you wrapped your arms around his neck and held him close.
"Why so shy, little one?" he chuckled, kissing your temple and trailing his hand up your back before cupping the back of your head, "Grinding your wet little cunt against me like this...wanting to make me cum. And you want to act shy?"
You whimpered, gasping into his ear so prettily that he shuddered. He felt his orgasm coming and he groaned through clenched teeth.
"Close..." he whispered, fingers digging into the soft skin of your waist while he other clenched in your hand, "You're gonna make me cum, baby."
"Please cum, Tae," you begged, gasping when he wrenched your face out from where you were hiding in his neck.
"You want my cum?" he panted, mouth falling open as you fastened your pace. You nodded as best you could with his hand in your hair, "How about you cum first for me?"
Your eyes fluttered, realizing with his words how close you were to another orgasm. You leaned forward, pressing your lips against him. He hummed in response, smiling in the kiss when you started trembling in his lap.
You pulled away from the kiss and tossed you head back as you cried out his name, gushing against his jeans. Taehyung cursed, his own hips stuttering beneath you.
By the time you came down, you realized how wet his jeans were beneath you. You whined, falling off the side of his lap. He still sat up, chest heaving as he caught his breath. With his eyes closed, he didn't see you cupping his softening length through the wet material. He hissed, brushing your hand off of him.
"I-Is that all your..."
"I should get home," he interrupted. You frowned, watching him stand up and shift uncomfortably.
"Can't you stay?" you asked, finding yourself not wanting him to leave.
"Sorry, baby," he leaned down and pressed a kiss against your forehead, "Maybe another time." With a final, departing kiss, he turned and stepped out of the door. He paused, however, and looked back at you, "Be ready tomorrow, 8PM. I'll take you for dinner."
You were left alone on the bed with a little smile on your lips ― the promise of seeing him tomorrow making you giddy.
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You felt apprehensive when 8PM rolled around and there was no sign of him ― the time blinking on the screen of your computer. You sat on your desk chair, watching the moments tick by.
It was nearing 8:30 when there were a series of knocks on your door. You jumped to your feet and raced to the door, pulling it open to see Taehyung with a guilty smile and a handful of flowers.
"Sorry I'm late I uh..." he cleared his throat and held the flowers over to you, "I had to go a bit out of my way to get these."
"Oh Tae..." you smiled, taking them from his hands and bringing them up to your nose to smell, "They're beautiful."
"They're imported from Liana," he smiled, shrugging sheepishly.
"How'd you think of this?" You asked, motioning for him to enter your home as you went to your kitchen to put the flowers in water.
"Well..." he cleared his throat, "I just...I've been reading about human dates and just human things like that, you know?"
"You've been studying for our date?" you giggled, putting the flowers on your counter before turning to him. He looked shy, keeping his eyes averted from you, "I really appreciate it, Tae."
"Really?" his eyes lit up and he grinned his adorable smile.
"I think it was very thoughtful," you led him back to the door and out into the cool night.
"There's this place I really like around my place," he suddenly explained, taking your hand in his as he helped you down from the stoop, "I like to go there with some friends. I think you'll like it!"
"I'm sure I'll like anything, Tae," you admitted, smiling when he squeezed your hand in response.
The two of you made simple talk as you made your way to the restaurant. You hadn't had the opportunity to go to one in the time you'd lived on Izo Huen.
It was a simple, small building with an Open sign in English. You grinned, bouncing inside tugging Taehyung by his hand excitedly.
"Pick a seat, little one," Taehyung cooed, nudging your back.
It was set up exactly like a restaurant on Earth and you slid yourself into a booth, grinning. Taehyung took the spot across from you, lounging back as he looked at the menu. You followed his lead and opened the menu yourself. Eyes wide, you realized you were able to read everything.
"Hey...It's in English!" you muttered, eyes scanning over the words. They were translated underneath into what Taehyung could understand ― the characters and symbols lost on you.
"Yeah it's the only place around here that does it," he shrugged, "I figured you might enjoy that."
"You're..." you grinned, shaking you head, "You're so thoughtful, Tae. I really appreciate it."
He shrugged, though you could see that his ears were tinged red.
You both ordered drinks and food, the atmosphere dissolving into one of calm company. You both chatted idly about anything ― Taehyung asking a lot of questions about Earth and him trying to teach you the different characters for his alphabet. He gave up when you just couldn't get a hang of it ― teasingly calling you illiterate and cooing when you pouted.
"Hey Tae," you muttered, picking at the salad you had ordered. He hummed, mouth full of some type of steak ― though the meat was of a consistency that made your stomach turn, "How did you learn to speak so...casually?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, sipping his soda.
"You know..." you blushed, realizing the question wasn't really something to ask over the dinner table, "When you talk you use a lot of slang terms. Like...in bed," You whispered the last word and picked at your salad again.
"Oh," Taehyung chuckled, "See, I have a friend who has been to Earth a few times. He has a lot of...interesting material that he let me read. And he kind of taught me some popular slang on Earth."
"You didn't have to go to so much effort, Taehyung," you whispered, although you were grinning. Your heart fluttered in your chest nonetheless.
"I wanted to," he suddenly set a hard gaze on you, "I want you to like me and I want you to feel comfortable around me. I want to be good for you."
"Tae..." you reached across the table and cupped his hand in yours, "I already like you very much. You make me feel comfortable and you make me feel very happy."
He grinned, looking away from you shyly but squeezed your hand tightly.
The walk home was peaceful, you found yourself wrapping your arms around one of Taehyung's ― wanting to be close to him. He didn't seem to mind in the slightest, squeezing your hand tightly and staring down at you with sparkling eyes. It felt like he looked at you like you hung up the moon ― it made you feel fluttery inside.
"Do you want to come inside, Tae?" you asked, opening your front door.
He hesitated for just a moment before stepping inside. He kicked his boots off along with you, watching as you tucked both of them away in the corner. You went to your bedroom to change into something comfortable ― settling on some pajama pants and an oversized sweater. When you walked back out, Taehyung was sitting at your desk looking at your computer.
"What's this?" he gestured to your setup with your camera.
"It's where I record the logs needed to send back to Earth," you explained, "I update my superiors every week on things that are happening. When I learn something new about the culture or something interesting happens."
"Interesting," he muttered, sitting there for a moment before standing up and navigated over to your couch.
You dropped into the seat beside him and molded yourself against his side. He wrapped his arm around you and pressed a kiss against the top of your head. The silence was comfortable and you rested your head on his chest ― listening to his heartbeat.
"Hey Tae?" he hummed, looking down at you when you looked up at him, "Can I have a kiss?"
His gaze softened and he quickly leaned down to press his lips against yours. He went to pull away but you followed him, pulling him into a deep kiss making him moan. Swinging your leg over his lap, you straddled him boldly. He seemed surprised by it but didn't say anything, just moving his lips against yours.
"Tae," you whispered against his lips, "I want to touch you, please?"
"_____― " he pulled away from the kiss, pushing you back slightly by your shoulders.
"You keep saying I can't handle it, but I can!" you argued, pouting at being pushed back.
"I don't want to hurt you, _____," his brows came together in a deep furrow, "It wasn't just talk when I said you couldn't handle it. It's too much, you're too...small."
"It turns you on though doesn't it?" you teased, noticing how he was growing hard beneath you, "Can't we at least try, Tae?"
"I-I..." his head fell back when you ground against him, "Fuck, we can try."
You held in a squeal of joy when he scooped you up in his arms and carried you to the bedroom. He dropped you on the bed and stripped his shirt off.
It was the first time seeing him naked and you sat up to admire his body. He was fit, as you expected. His stomach was flat with a small trail of hair leading beneath his jeans. On his shoulders were patches embedded in his skin that reflected off the dim light of your bedroom.
"What..." you sat up on your knees, brushing your fingers over them. It felt like normal skin, and you hummed in wonder.
"They're...light-sensitive patches that we just...never evolved out of," he explained, "They were useful for survival when we dominated the deserts. Now they're just...here."
"Interesting," you muttered, trailing your hand down his chest and stomach to the button on his jeans.
Before you could flick it open, however, he grabbed your wrist and pinned you back to the bed. His gaze was dark, making you shiver underneath it. He smelled wonderful and you reached up with your free hand to brush his bangs out of his eyes.
"You've got another thing coming if you think you'll get anywhere near my cock before I think you're good and ready, little one," he growled, making your thighs clench at the sound.
You whined when he rushed to discard your clothes, not wasting a single second in getting you bare for him. He palmed himself through his jeans as he looked down at you, licking his lips.
"So pretty," he whispered, smoothing his hand down your body. Smirking, he pinched one of your nipples to hear the way you whined, "Spread your legs for me."
You hurriedly did as you were told, shame and inhibitions thrown out the window. You felt nervous under his gaze but with every compliment and soft touch ― you began to feel better. Mouth falling open, you gasped when his fingertips brushed against your folds.
"You're so wet," he mumbled, more to himself, "Are you always so wet, baby?"
"Y-You're the only one ― "
"I know that but when you touch yourself, pretty baby," he glanced up when you tensed, "I know you do. Tell me do you get this wet?"
"O-Only when I think of you," you admitted before you could think twice about it. You felt your cheeks burn at your own admission but Taehyung cursed and grunted as he squeezed his cock.
"You're such a good girl," he praised, fingertips trailing up your body again. Goosebumps ignited across your skin and you arched your back to get more of the feeling of his touch.
His fingers eagerly dipped back between your thighs to find your entrance. You whimpered when he immediately slipped a single digit inside. It felt nice but unfulfilling.
He pulled his finger out and circled it over your clit ― using your own juices to lubricate the movement. You hummed, eyes fluttering as he circled the bud several times. When your thighs began to tense, he pushed his finger back inside.
He continued the teasing until you were whining beneath him. Suddenly he pressed his thumb against the bud, circling and pressing against it relentlessly.
"I'm gonna cum!" you warned, your eyes squeezing shut.
"Go ahead, pretty baby," he urged, not pausing in his torture of your clit.
You came quickly, arching and trembling on the bed. Your cunt was empty, gushing and clenching around nothing. His touches on your clit slowed until they stopped all together.
You figured he'd give you a moment to recover but, he was suddenly sliding two fingers inside you. You were so wet from your orgasm, your cum slicking down his fingers and onto the bed. You sobbed, grinding your hips into his touch. He didn't try touching your clit or your spot, showing that much mercy. Instead, he leaned down to envelop a perked nipple in his mouth while he scissored his fingers, stretching you a bit more.
You hummed, cupping the back of his head to keep him in place. He didn't seem to mind, beginning to fuck his two fingers into you faster.
"A-Another, please," you requested, whimpered when he immediately did so.
There was a slight, tiny burn that immediately gave way to pleasure. His palm pressed against your clit ― still so sensitive that it made you tremble. As he fucked you with his fingers, he switched to give your other breast attention.
Your hips jerked with his every movement, following the pace he'd set. Every time he brushed your g-spot and you whined, he would laugh.
He took so much enjoyment in your pleasure it was almost baffling. You were always sure that men would be selfish and unsatisfying in bed but Taehyung was nothing but attentive.
Perhaps he was right; he was better than any human man.
"Cum again for me," he purred, swiping his tongue along your chest before meeting your neck.
The feeling of his fingers and teeth on your neck had you inching closer to the edge of the abyss.
"T-Tae, please," you whined, grinding your hips down, "T-Touch me, please."
He hummed, moving his thumb to press against your clit. The simple touch set you off and you were coming once again beneath him. Your body was on fire, sweat sticking to you and making you pant. It crested beautifully and faded out into trembles and whines.
He didn't remove his fingers, instead beginning to nudge a fourth into you ― his pinky finger. His eyes met yours, keeping his eyes on your face as he stretched you further than he had before. The width of his hand was bordering on painful but you found it highly enjoyable. His thumb continued to circle your clit even as you sobbed in overstimulation. Your spasming walls eagerly accepted the new stretch and you found yourself relaxing into it.
He was quickly going to send you to another orgasm but before you could fall off the edge again, he removed his thumb. You whined, grinding your hips to chase the feeling. His eyes drifted down to where his fingers were buried into you, smoothing two of his fingers from his free hand over your folds.
"Stretched so wide," he muttered, scooping up some of your cum on the digits and popping them in his mouth. Your walls squeezed his fingers in response to his display.
He suddenly pulled his fingers out and you cried out at being empty so fast. Your walls weren't able to close properly and you closed your thighs at the feeling.
Instead of stopping you, Taehyung stepped off the bed. Your mouth went dry when he unbuttoned his jeans and began to shuffle them down his thighs.
You realized he wasn't wearing underwear when his cock popped free ― flushed incredibly red at the head and leaking precum down the shaft. He visibly shuddered when his cock was free from its confines and he quickly wrapped his hand around himself ― giving himself a few good squeezes.
He was just as big as you thought. His fingers didn't meet when wrapped around the girth. He was wider than his four fingers and so long that you found yourself whimpering at the thought of him drilling into you that deep.
"You still think you can take me, little one?" he asked, crawling on the bed to kneel in front of you still clenched thighs.
"Y-Yeah...want it," you let your legs fall open, showing him your flushed and swollen cunt.
Her cursed, tapping the fat head of his cock against your cunt. You whimpered when you saw just how big it was compared to your own pussy. He was surely going to rip you in half but damn if you wouldn't enjoy every second.
His precum mixed with your cum as he slid his shaft between your folds, getting the underside of him nice and wet. You whimpered, feeling him grinding against your clit bringing you close to the orgasm you'd been denied.
Before you could fall into it, he positioned his tip at your entrance. Prodding ever so slightly, he sighed at the feeling of your heat against him. You spread your legs wider for him as he began to press inside.
You cried out, clutching the sheets beneath you as he stretched you wide open. The head of him was so thick, bordering on painful. You reached out to stop him from going any further, gritting your teeth at the feeling.
"You're okay," he whispered, shifting back so he pulled out of you.
You breathed heavily, relaxing once more as he circled your clit with his thumb. As your eyes fluttered, he began to press back inside. You whined as he pushed past what he had been, thumb not letting up on your clit. You walls spasmed around him, making him groan as you began to tremble.
The head of him popped inside and you cried out as you were sent over the edge. Taehyung's body fell over yours, catching himself on his hands beside your head. You sobbed, tears filling your eyes at the pleasure of being stretched as you were.
Taehyung's mouth fell open as he felt you cum around the head of his cock. When you calmed down to just little sniffles and whimpers, he leaned down to press his lips against your neck.
"You okay, baby?" he whispered. You nodded, reaching up to cup his cheeks and pull him into a soft kiss.
He took that as his cue to sink further into you. The flare on the head of his cock was the thickest part of him and it felt much easier for the rest of him to slide in. He nudged your cervix and when you flinched at the pain, he pulled back slightly.
"Look at that," he chuckled looking between your bodies. Following his gaze, your eyes widened, "You can't even fit all of me inside you, little one."
He was right, you'd only managed to fit half his cock inside you. Your walls clenched around him at that.
"Feels so good, Tae," you whispered, feeling his cock twitch against your walls.
He grinned, moving his hips gently, sinking in as far as he comfortably could before pulling back out. Although he wasn't able to fit in you completely, he still found himself groaning against you
"Such a tight little cunt," he growled, nipping at your jaw, "Took me so well, like a good girl."
You began to grind your hips up as he sunk into you and he growled. Sitting back on his heels, he soothed his hand over your body to soothe you.
You cursed loudly when he snapped his hips much harder into you ― testing how much you could take. When you gushed and spasmed around him, he took that as a sign to keep going. You moaned so beautifully for him, body reacting like a dream to his every touch and movement.
Cunt stretched wide and stuffed full of cock, you couldn't even think of anything else. You felt drunk, dizzy and lightheaded. Taehyung cooed when you slurred out his name, swiping his thumb over your bottom lip to collect some drool there.
"You're so cute," he grinned, breaking out into a moan when you clenched him tight, "All you can think about is my cock, huh?"
"'S so good..." you whispered, the words coming out almost breathlessly.
"I know, baby," he replied, licking his lips as he moved to his cock pounding you open wider than you should have been able to take, "You're gushing and squeezing me so nice. Are you gonna cum? Can you cum for me?"
You swallowed and nodded, whining when he hit your cervix. It hurt but it blended in with the pleasure. Mindlessly, you reached down to find your clit ― intent on sending yourself over the edge.
"No, no baby," he cooed, brushing your fingers away, "You'll cum without touching your pretty clit, yeah?"
"C-Can't," you sobbed, tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes.
"I think you can," he muttered, smoothing his hand over your lower stomach. "Fuck, look at that, babygirl."
You lazily followed his gaze to where his hand laid. Your cunt clenched at the sight of your stomach bulging every time he sunk in ― his cock literally molding you around it. You gasped, your high bubbling in your stomach.
"Wanna cum!" you cried, attempting to reach down and circle your clit again only to be stopped once more.
"I said no, little one," he snapped, pinning your hands above your head as he loomed above you, "You can do it. Cum for me."
Your body went still, focusing on the feeling of his cock filling you and stretching you. His cock was so big that he didn't even have to try to reach any good spots within you.
Astoundingly, you shrieked as your orgasm finally washed over you. Taehyung cursed in your ear, fucking you ruthlessly through the high. Distantly, you felt wetness splatter between your thighs and coat both of you. You chanted his name as you squirmed and writhed at the overwhelming pleasure.
"Shit, I'm― " Taehyung's warning was cut off by a groan.
His weight fell on you fully and he hid his face in your neck as he came. You hugged him against you, still trembling as he pumped his hot cum into you. There was so much, his cock keeping his cum plugged inside you. You gasped and twitched as you felt your stomach bloat over so slightly. You walls clenched around him, the idea of him filling you so much sending you into another quiet orgasm.
It was less spectacular than the others, but still left you gasping of air. Taehyung groaned in your ear as he felt you cum around his sensitive cock once again ― forcing a couple more spurts out of him to add.
It seemed like forever until his body finally relaxed. He continued to hold you, pressing kisses against any place he possibly could.
"That was...nice..." you muttered, making him laugh as he rolled off of you.
Your mouth fell open as he pulled his cock out ― it ached, there was no denying it. There was a gush of his cum, so much of it that it formed of pool beneath you. Your cheeks felt hot as Taehyung watched his cum pour out of your abused hole.
"Who knew my little human girl could take so much?" he teased, enjoyed the way you squirmed in embarrassment, "Want to take a shower?"
"Only if you will with me," you offered with a tired voice, watching his face morph into an expression of confusion.
"Is that some type of human thing?" he asked, sitting up and stretching his muscles.
"Apparently so," you whispered.
"Hey..." he paused from getting off of the bed. "You...you'll be here a while, right?"
"What do you mean?" you asked, clenching your thighs shut as you felt your core begin to burn and ache as you came back to yourself.
"Like...you won't have to go back to Earth any time, right?" his voice sounded small, almost fragile.
"I'll stay as long as I want to," you reassured, leaning over to kiss him but freezing before you could.
"What is it?" he asked, frowning.
"I'm just really fucking sore," you mumbled, flushing when he burst out laughing.
"Ah, my cute little human," he cooed, kissing your nose.
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12K notes · View notes
teeztheflag · 3 years
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Wolf!Ateez Reaction to when they accidentally hurt their mate
warnings: strong language, fighting, injuries, mentions of blood, mentions of bullying
a/n: ok ok I am really sorry I had to change the request a little bit so it doesn’t become repeating <3
general taglist: @latte-fairytaekwoon @little-precious-baby @yunhobabygurl @multidreams-and-desires
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k i m  h o n g  j o o n g
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Usually the alpha was the most caring person with you. Bringing you flowers and spending as much time with you as possible. When the fights between several packs reached his land he knew dangerous times were coming.
Instead of talking to you and taking you to the meetings he decided it would be safer for you to stay in your house guarded when the attacks began.
Little did he know that you were tired of not being included and as the luna of the pack it was time to use your own power to help. Hong Joong was in a full fighting and killing mode when you were circled by five other werewolves who tried to kill you without mercy.
Hong Joong‘s senses were blended when he launched at the intruders and absentmindedly also accidentally bit your leg earning him a painful cry from your wolf.
Immediately he felt like his heart shuttered to pieces not knowing you would be out here in the battlefield. You limp away from your mate and run back to your mansion. Hong Joong changes back into his human and sags to the ground.
He still cannot fully control himself. That’s why he didn’t want you to help. He cries out and lays down on the grass not knowing if he could get under your eyes again.
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p a r k  s e o n g  h w a
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Running away from a horde of big - way too big - wolves wasn’t what you planned for your camping trip. It was easy the third time you stumbled over your own feet hearing the low growls behind you. Your blood seems to freeze when you emerge a wide meadow where the only source of light is given by the full moon.
Tears escape your eyes when another whimper leaves you - they circled you. Was this a normal behavior for wolves? What should you do in a situation like this?
You’re only in a light see-through gown because of the hot temperatures these days. It feels like the wolves are strategizing at how they share gazes and let out noises that could be mistaken as chuckling.
Suddenly one of them jumps on you pinning you down to the ground. The animal is flashing it’s dangerous canines at your shaking form. You cannot help yourself to frantically scream and try to push it off you.
It seems to lower itself only more and out of instinct you bare your neck fearing this would be the end for you. The wolf sniffles and licks the spot under your ear. A tear runs down you cheek when you can feel a sharp pain where he draws a little bit of blood.
Suddenly it is pushed off you with force and a much stronger growl leaves a completely black wolf that’s is standing in front of you. You follow the scene in front of you with interested eyes when the other wolves seem to bow down in submission and quickly vanish out of the scene.
Great. The big bad wolf wants you for himself.
It really confuses you when the wolf slowly turns around eying you for a while. You try to get away from it when it nears your form and leans down to lick away the blood that is running down your neck. Again a sound of pain leaves your form to which the wolf backs away in an instant.
A huff can be heard and with conflicted eyes it turns around to escape the scene.
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j e o n g  y u n  h o
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„Why are you running away from me?“ No answer.
„Do you like being chased?“ You still don’t answer.
„Okay, (y/n). We know it since three days so why are you not recognizing our bond?“
A tear escapes you which you’re quick to wipe away with the back of your shaking hand. You stop abruptly staring into the depths of the forest. Your gaze turns to the ground when you can sense Yun Ho moving to stand in front of you.
„My little mate. Why aren’t you talking to me? Did I do something wrong?“
„Wrong?“ You look up your hands turning into fists out of anger. Your chest rises with your breaths and you can feel your body heating up.
Yun Ho‘s playful smile soon vanishes and he starts to look concerned. „My love, why are you so sad?“
Of course your souls are already starting to form a connection and he feels your emotions.
„You’re asking if you did something wrong? How about hanging out with all the people that have nothing but bad comments about me left? Laughing at me? Hurting me whenever they can?“
Yun Ho starts to realize what you’re talking about.
„You’ve hurt me, so much already. That is not easy to accept.“
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k a n g  y e o  s a n g
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You can feel his eyes burning on your back since half an hour. The beta next to you shamelessly flirts around although he knows your mate is sitting back with his friends.
Yeo Sang was one of the more roguish wolves in your pack always tending to not listen to any orders or picking a fight. Finding out about your bond was actually really shocking to you. You’re probably one of the nicest girls in the pack - according to folks. Always dressed in some pretty dress or blouse and never a too low neckline.
Your connection was still fresh and so far you managed to have the minimum contact with the trouble maker. Just to the point of tonight where the younger people of your pack met up for a campfire and some drinks.
„Wanna take a swim?“ You blush at his words but take his hand anyway letting him guide you through the trees. Standing in front of the lake and seeing that the beta ist already getting rid of his clothes makes you feel bad. He’s smirking at you.
„I don’t know if this is ok...“ Suddenly the beta gets a blow into the face by one of Yeo Sang‘s friends and two of them start to secure the beta in his holds. You’re overwhelmed with the situation immediately and Yeo Sang‘s eyes are dangerously yellow. He gets a painful hold on your wrist screaming at you but you’re not in the position to answer him.
„Y - you’re hurting me.“ Yeo Sang‘s mouth twitches at your words and with a hiss he let’s go of your arm ordering his friends to take you to his home.
The beta spits out blood laughing at the remaining guys and Yeo Sang.
„Great. Now she fears you even more.“ Yeo Sang punches him again knowing he’s right. He lets out a frustrated sigh condemning his short temper.
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c h o i  s a n
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It was San‘s highest priority to keep the daughter of their alpha safe. Naturally he was always by your side following you around sometimes to your dismay.
This night you were able to shake the boy off and visit a club with your friends in the town nearby. Mostly humans could be seen here and you finally were able to let loose.
Shaking your body from left to the right you can feel a pair of arms sneaking around your waist to move you to the rhythm with him. Your head falls back landing on the shoulder of your dance partner a permanent smirk on his face.
It all happens to fast when you can feel someone ripping you out of the grip of the stranger. You fall down to the ground hurting your knee in the process. Hissing out you can see your friends immediately rushing to your side while you give the intruder a deadly glare.
San doesn’t stop to give the beautiful man punches when you’re quick to stand up and pry him off the man. San‘s eyes turn into a dangerous color when he eyes you an you know you better get out off here before he looses himself fully.
Outside he has a strong grip on your arm and ushers you into his car. The night flys by while a soft tune is humming. You’re so pissed at him that you decide to better not say anything. Suddenly he speaks up: „You’re letting vampires touch you now? Yeah? The daughter of the alpha is getting it on with vampires!“
„I - I didn’t know he was a - “
„Of course you didn’t! You are so young and literally know nothing!“
After a while of silence you turn to him a sigh escaping you. „I am sorry, San. Thank you for rescuing me...“
His gaze is fixed on the street and he can feel his heart and soul pulling on a bond that is still not touchable for you.
„It is my job to look after you. I failed...“
„No! You didn’t! I promise I won’t ever run away from you again!“ Silence follows but with a last glance San frowns deeply.
„Your knee... this will be a problem when we’re back.“
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s o n g  m i n  g i
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„Yes, Min Gi! Just a little bit - closer!“ The wolf under you grunts while balancing you on his shoulders.
Your fingers are close to the fruit that is considered very rare in the realm. Your fingers are close to touching the fruit when suddenly your self made latter shakes and both of you fall down with a low thud.
„Ouch! Min Gi!“ The wolf‘s head hurts and his vision blurrs but hearing your crying he quickly stands up on his paws and howls out.
His tail is wiggling excited while he licks your face and tries to comfort you.
„I - I think my wrist is twisted.“ Tears are running down your cheeks while Min Gi suddenly changes back into his human form a frown on his face.
„Oh my god, I am so sorry!“ He frantically turns from left to right gripping his hair out of frustration. „What should I do what should I do!“
„Min Gi!“ You say through gritted teeth trying to hold in the pain. „Calm down and take me back to the pack!“
Min Gi wears a blank face hurt because he hurt you.
„Min Gi!“
He shakes his head to get a clear mind and sends you a firm nod. „Right. Back to the pack!“
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j u n g  w o o  y o u n g
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You and Woo Young often played around in your wolf form chasing each other in the forest. Of course your animal instinct pushed you to little fights from time to time doesn’t matter if it is your mate.
Usually the fights always ended in the two of you changing back into your human body and starting a heated session.
This time unfortunately Woo Young pushed you a little bit to hard against the tree earning him a painful howl out of you. First you can hear him jumping around snickering for winning the battle but when you’re still lying down not moving much he slowly emerges your side tilting his head confused.
„(y/n)?“ He nudges your side with his snout trying to get a response from you but you keep breathing hard letting out little whimpers.
„(y/n)?! Are you hurt?“ Immediately his playful demeanor is gone and he changes back into his human form to search your body for any injuries.
„Oh shit! Change back! Come on!“ He’s totally devastated by now trying to caress you and encourage you with slow motions. You’re a crying mess when you’re back in your naked form.
„Woo Young... my b-back...“ He’s quick to pick you up bridal style and carry you past the trees in a lightning speed.
„Hold on a little bit longer, sweetheart.“ His firm voice and determined gaze really does it‘s wonders and you try to hang on to it until you reach the hospital.
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c h o i  j o n g  h o
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Jong Ho could only snicker how you always managed to get out of his way. The campus was big and you really thought the handsome male that just happened to cross your way out of pure coincidence. Of course Jong Ho made sure to follow your every step because he just couldn’t help himself.
Finally finding his mate filled his body with adrenaline and having you not in the eye sight drove him crazy. The only problem that stopped him from immediately getting to you: you’re human. Probably not knowing about the world of magic and their creatures.
It was just the problem that you happened to have a boyfriend and one day it was too late for self control when he had the boy pinned to the wall in one of the cafeterias of the campus.
„Stay away from her!“ Your boyfriend shuddered at the low growl that came from the boy in front of him not knowing the slightest what he did wrong when he just gave a you peck on the cheek.
You screamed and kicked at him not knowing what happened a few seconds ago. When he suddenly turns around leaving you dumbfounded and all the others in the location you decide you wouldn’t let him go this easily.
You follow him and don’t even recognize that he’s going into the woods. He stops in his tracks when you don’t stop talking and you can see him breathing hard. Jong Ho tries to control his feelings but the frustration is taking over and when you try to turn him around by his shoulder he accidentally pushes you.
Your head collides with a stone and blood can be seen leaving the desperate wolf speechless. He runs to your side trying to wake you up but he’s getting no reaction out of your form. With tears pricking his eyes he’s quick to carry you to his pack to help you knowing it is now to late for you to turn back.
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↺ back to navi
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datawyrms · 3 years
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Ghostly Mystery Tour
For Phic Fight 2021! dey’s lovely prompt c:
On Ao3
Maddie and Jack had fully prepared for their adventure into the Ghost Zone—or so they thought. The fuel on Specter Speeder had fizzled out about a mile in. They're stuck. At least, until Phantom comes by, offering help.
“I just don’t understand it Maddie, I swear I charged it just this morning!” Jack’s voice managed to be louder than his frantic jabbing at the fuel gauge in the enclosed space, the sickly green glow outside making him look ill instead of agitated.
“I’m sure you did honey, but we need to think of a plan.” Maddie was already trying to think of what they could use. They weren’t too far away from the portal home, with how quickly the Speeder ran out of power. They had plenty of gear and weaponry packed in for their research trip, but the Specter Speeder wasn’t powered with something they could just toss in a gas can and bring along. “Maybe we can hook some of the ropes to the floating land masses and tow it?”
“Oh! Great idea!” Jack brightened, shoving the previous problem aside, hands now occupied with measuring the distance of the nearby rocks. “The sooner we get moving, the sooner we can get back to work!”
The problem about how safe it actually was to breathe in the air when in the realm of the dead had been accounted for, but if they had to waste the air tanks just to get back- well they wouldn’t get to have nearly the amount of time to actually explore on foot, let alone gathering samples. They could learn so much about the ectoplasmic terrors from the world they clawed out of, weaknesses they didn’t need to fear on Earth even! So to have their expedition, a trip that had been months in the making derailed like this in mere moments hurt. At least Jack could keep his eyes forward, his positive attitude the only thing keeping her from screaming from the absolute unfairness of it all. “Just run the best options past me before you open the hatch, okay darling?”
“You betcha!”
She was still going to enable the Fenton Child Safety Lock as a precaution, he could get a little over eager when he saw an opportunity. It was just a matter of what tools could be repurposed into a makeshift claw or skewer to actually keep hold of the rocks. What would be the smallest loss?
The sound of something hitting the roof of the speeder halted her thoughts, turning to look out of the windows, drawing up her hood in case they’d be fighting so soon. Even Jack had stopped with his mental calculations, pulling a weapon from under the seat. “Company already? Guess we’ll show em what for, eh honey?”
“Well it is the Ghost Zone, they’re probably braver here. Not that it’ll be any problem.” A little boasting could help keep morale up, even if the situation was less than ideal. Stranded with a ghost already trying to take advantage, typical.
“Well one little zap with this baby and it’ll scoot right on back!”
If the ghost could hear them, maybe it would be frightened off just by their voices. Whatever had hit them hadn’t shown itself near the window, or hit their vehicle again. It didn’t feel right. There might be no evidence for whatever it was lurking around, but sometimes you had to follow your intuition. Jack was inquisitive, but didn’t ask out loud as his wife stood to knock the ceiling herself.
“Sooo are we doing knock knock jokes, or do you need a tow?”
She should have known. Of all the ghosts, it would have to be the one that always managed to get her hackles up, pretending to be helpful so people trusted him. A ghost that even tried to have a human name to fit in, not that she’d ever call this thing ‘Danny’. It was an insult to her baby boy, quite frankly. “What are you up to now?”
“Asking you if you need this thing moved. Duh,” the ghost snorted, the metal clanking as he knocked it again. “Talking at you from the roof feels dumb, you gonna shoot if I go to the front?”
“Depends on what you do, ghost scum!” Jack had looked pensive for a moment, but spoke up quickly on spotting Maddie reaching for a notebook. He just had to give her time to think it over, and he was great at distractions.
“Is scum what you call all people who help you out, or am I just your favourite?” A white haired head appeared at the top of their window, looking down with an amused smirk at the pair. Still playing innocent when they were at a disadvantage.
“You’re a ghost ‘claiming’ to want to help.”
That earned a frown, though the ghost stopped half hiding to float in front of their stranded speeder. “Riiiight. Put it that way, whatever,” he paused, as if studying their faces. His green eyes lingered on the weapon, notably so even as he went back to jabbering. “I’ve got some stuff to do, but I can drag the s-that thing back to the portal. So?”
The hunters shared a glance, unsure how to handle it. Phantom liked to claim he liked humans and protecting them, but he was a ghost. There had to be something he wanted out of them in return. Or might get violent if refused in the wrong way. At least he shouldn’t be able to see the quickly scrawled message to Jack. ‘You play the doubtful one, I’ll pretend to trust him- it’ll underestimate us’
“As if, spooky! Jack Fenton doesn’t need any ghost’s help!”
The ghost bought the open hostility without a second thought, eyes rolling to a sky that wasn’t here. “Really? I heard tow trucks were expensive out of state! Can’t imagine the out of dimension costs.”
It was going to be difficult to stay civil when it would be so much easier to just demand the ghost stop playing around. “We’re listening. So what do you want?”
“Awwww Mads, we don’t need this punk’s help! He doesn’t even have toes!”
The passion Jack had put into his moping managed to baffle the ghost. “Wait, what? Of course I do! No, stop, why does that matter? I know tows and toes are different things! I’m not that bad of a student, sheesh.” He seemed quite thrown, which was good. If the ghost forgot what the plan had been he might just get lost.
“Yeah, and you don’t have either Phantom!” Her husband managed to keep from laughing, but the shake in his shoulders showed it was a near thing.
Phantom glanced down at the black wispy tail that made up his legs, muttering something. “Well okay I don’t right now, but I normally do!”
It was a bit fascinating that Jack had distracted the ghost from his goal so completely. They’d have to think about an invention that could replicate the effect. “Can we focus please? I already said I’d listen to what you wanted.”
“Oh! Right, sorry,” he coughed, a strangely human expression of embarrassment. “I don’t actually need anything? I just have some stuff to do so you’d need to wait a bit.”
Oh right. Sure, the most dangerous ghost in town wanted to help the ghost hunters that wanted to destroy him ‘just because’. Just wait here while he goes to get some friends to attack them! Honestly, did ghosts think they were stupid? “Then why not tell us when you’re done? We’re not moving very quickly.”
“Cus he wants to make us think we’re safe before WHAM! Outnumbered by cowardly ghosts!” Jack expressed her true feelings effortlessly. “Not that it’d help em!”
“No way, you think I’d leave you guys here where anyone can try something?” The ghost still seemed confused, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. “You guys are here to study or whatever anyway, right? So you can look around while I get my errands done. And you know, you don’t get attacked. Most of the little guys leave me alone.”
As if that was a surprise! A ghost of Phantom’s strength could destroy smaller and weaker entities without effort. Perhaps it was a subtle threat slipping through his mask of ‘helpful child’. The idea of going deeper into the Ghost Zone, completely at his mercy was...well absolutely idiotic. Even if they could probably overcome him...being able to still get some studies done would make it not a complete waste of a trip. “So you think it’s likely we’ll be attacked here, so close to the portal?”
“Yeah, by him!” Jack looked tempted to grab his weapon, but refrained. “So what if we say no, huh?”
“Then I guess you can float here? Up to you, I guess.”
It was strange, to see the cocky ghost a bit hesitant. Even if there was an obvious threat he wasn’t mentioning. “Well if you could pull the Speeder, you could take it even if we don’t want you to.”
“I think that’s called kidnapping.” Phantom’s cocky smirk returned “Which is weird, you’re not kids! Adultnapping? Nah, that sounds dumb.”
“Ah cut the innocent act, we’re not falling for it!”
“Hey, I said it’s up to you! Either you agree to come along and I get you back home, or I just leave you guys to do whatever you plan to do. Even if yes, I could totally just drag the ship anyway. I’m not, because I’m trying to help, remember?” A hint of frustration slid past the confidence at ‘remember’, but the ghost folding his arms behind his head as if kicking back to relax did defang most of the threat. “I don’t have all day here.”
“We don’t have all day either Phantom. We have family to get back to, and no idea how long you plan to be ‘on errands’.” Maddie pointed out, still unsure what they should do. Trusting him was stupid, but he had showed his hand. Refusal might be met with the same result anyway, but ‘agreeing’ might trick the ghost into thinking they fell for his ‘trustworthy’ act.
“Like an hour or two? Not too long.”
“Well I’d use my Fenton Stopwatch! So don’t think you can pretend it’s a shorter time than it is, ghost!”
“Yeah yeah, you do that D-Jack,” he stumbled over the ghost hunter’s name, but otherwise didn’t move from relaxing. “It’s not gonna kill you to trust me for a bit.”
Even though it very much could kill them. He really was a smug bit of ectoplasm, thinking he blended in with humans well enough to be considered one. “So only a few hours, and you won’t stop us from researching or taking samples? Or lead us to a trap?”
“If I wanted people to get threatened by ghosts, I could just take some days off. No trouble, cross my heart. I’d swear to die but I got the jump on that bit,” he snorted at his own joke, but otherwise left the family to consider.
It was just safer to say ‘yes’ so the ghost thought they were fools. It had nothing to do with wanting to salvage something out of this disaster of an expedition. “Yes. We’ll accept your help, this time.”
“And you aren’t getting any thanks until we’re home, got it?” Good, ghost hunter, bad ghost hunter. An easy enough trick. Even if she wished Jack was the ‘trusting’ one. Yelling would feel nice.
“Yeeeah, kinda expected that too. Rude.” The ghost only shrugged before flying up and out of sight. She half expected to hear the ghost grab the Speeder, but they only really noticed when they started moving. Moving very, very quickly.
She couldn’t help it, her curiosity tamped down some of the fear she should be feeling, pointing out interesting landmasses as they passed, Jack just as enthusiastic to discuss what caused them, if the ghost built them or they were simply generated when a ghost squirmed into existence. A great castle that seemed familiar, an island with some sort of skull as a decoration and thousands of doors. Most ghosts they only could get sparing glimpses at, even when carrying an entire vehicle the ghost boy was fast. Ridiculously so. She thought it was his small figure that contributed to how quickly the pest could move- how the ghost could just vanish out of range in moments. That most of the power behind his physical attacks came from the speed they were delivered with instead of raw strength. Clearly that was an incorrect hypothesis, moving this quickly and carrying so much extra weight without any real difficulty. They slowed near what seemed to be another castle, though it was much less foreboding looking then the other one.
That sinking dread returned after they landed. She had some landmarks, but this much distance would be a big ask to get back. That, and this castle seemed more...occupied, judging by some humanoid ghosts loitering near the gates. One even waved. To them, or the ghost carrying them?
“Okayyy so. Ground rules? Don’t shoot anyone. None of these guys even go through the portal, they’re not the fighting type. Other than that? Have fun, I guess?” He’d stopped floating, standing on the ground beside their stalled craft. He didn’t look as if preparing to fight, which is what she’d assumed the ghost meant by ‘errands’. So what was he up to?
“We won’t do anything if they don’t.” A lie, honestly, but the ghost nodded.
“Wait, what’s that stuff for?” White gloves pointed at the masks the ghost hunters were pulling from under the seats. “Like you can hear me, there’s air out here.”
“It might be safe for ghosts, but we aren’t ghosts.”
Phantom opened his mouth as if to protest before shutting it with a frown. Strange, it was hard to get him to shut up most of the time.
“Nice try, we’re not gonna choke on ghost air today, Phantom!” Jack chuckled, adjusting his mask before popping open the hatch.
“I wasn’t expecting you to- oh whatever. Just don’t embarrass me,” he sounded like a sulking kid, only glancing at them for a moment before kicking off the ground to fly closer to the castle. Off to fight whoever ‘owned’ this area, perhaps?
“Well look at that! Regular plants!” Jack shook her from her pondering, crouched over what looked like a tended to flower bed near the walls. “Well, ghost plants that aren’t trying to attack. Think we should sketch em for the kids?”
“Well Jazz has been more interested in ghosts lately, I suppose.” It was interesting, but she was more curious about the ghost meandering past the walls. They seemed docile, almost like people just walking and apparently talking with one another. Not attempting to fight for territory or resources. Perhaps they were just repeating the memories of their lives over and over? Yet none of them had reacted badly to Phantom zipping past either. A different breed of ghost, perhaps? Or ghosts often had ‘kings’ that kept the lesser ones from squabbling. The large brute of a ghost that stole the town had claimed to be a king of sorts, and this was another castle...but she didn’t want to test anything by getting their attention. They might only act savagely towards humans, being jealous of those still alive after all.
“Yeah, she has! Danno might not like em, but that goth chick he’s eyeing might like em too!” He was already sketching away, quickly getting the basics. He’d fill in the details from memory back home. “You want to try seeing if those ones talk? Not sure how the ghost kid thinks we could embarrass him, ha!”
“Oh he was probably just trying to insult us. He likes to pretend to be a teenager,” she waved that question away, double checking her weapon was easy to reach in case of an emergency. No reason to make their predicament worse by being unprepared. While still considering to go near those ghosts instead of safely observing from a distance. Jack’s enthusiasm was too infectious, really, but that’s how they made so many discoveries!
The ghosts didn’t object to her moving closer, but she kept off the busier paths to be safe. So many stalls of what seemed to be goods, clothing and paintings, rugs and nick knacks. Well, the ghosts didn’t need anything to live, so it would make sense for them to prioritize other items first, but the art was strange. What did the dead know of creativity? Were these all recreations of something found in life? No, some of the paintings had the green skies of the Ghost Zone, implying at least some ‘new’ thought. They were strange, very unlike the wild animals that often attacked the town, or the showy inhuman mimics that tried to claim world domination. They just looked like greener, more transparent people. Barely any of them even floated much. They’d need new categories, they broke too many rules that stayed true on Earth.
“Oh that’s a lovely shade of blue! I wish I could make something like it.” The voice echoed, but it wasn’t growling or mocking. In fact, the ghost woman who had paused beside the hunter was smiling warmly, despite the dead red eyes. “Are you just visiting for a bit?”
“We’re mostly stuck going wherever the ghost boy is taking us, our ship broke down,” Maddie struggled not to frown, her natural inclination to get away from the still potentially dangerous ghost strong with so many fights. She could tell it the truth, in a sense. Phantom was far more likely to be dangerous then this waif of a woman. How she could move in so many ruffles was baffling.
“Oh dear! Well if he’s any trouble you can let Dorthea know, she’s a caring ruler. A human helped her get her rightful throne back, so I’m sure she’d be happy to help!” The ghost tittered a little, as if expecting that to be obvious.
So the ghost did know she was human? Far more alarming was the idea some other human had been dragged this far from home, possibly trapped. Maybe this would turn into a rescue mission. Unless it was too late for them, a distinct possibility. “Oh really? How did that happen?”
“Oh I don’t really know the details, but it was a human that inspired our good Queen that she didn’t need to fear that tyrant and she could fight back. I wish I’d seen it!”
It was disquieting how human the ghost sounded, a friendly sort of gossip. If only she had a way to record it. “The human got back home after helping, right?”
“Well I assume so, she had no intentions of staying here very long, that’s for sure!” She laughed easily, apparently blind to Maddie’s confusion and apprehension, or just unable to see it past the mask and goggles. “I’m fairly sure Sir Phantom took her back, you could ask him.”
Sir? That town terrorizing scoundrel was respected around here? And had been taking humans out of the ghost zone? Probably because he made whoever it was get here in the first place, just to rescue them. Was that why he was here? To stage some new act with this ghost queen? “Right, I might do that.” Would she? This morning she hadn’t expected to talk to ghosts, let alone multiple.
“Oh! If you see any of those angry blobs you can just run back towards the guards and they’ll deal with it. It’s their job, and they’re quite good at it. I actually considered doing that job for a bit, but I like looking after the plants more. Maybe I’ll switch in a decade or two!” The ghost kept talking, apparently taking Maddie’s lack of further questions as permission to keep chattering.
“Can’t you deal with them yourself?” Attacking ghost blobs was something she knew about, and if this ghost was strong enough to mimic humans, shouldn’t it be able to deal with the much less sophisticated tactics of blobs?
“Me? Oh no, I’m not not trained. Do you still have lions on the other side? It would be like trying to fight one of those with a stick!” She laughed, but not unkindly.
“You’re both ghosts though, aren’t you?” Perhaps they differentiated themselves by name in the Ghost Zone? It would lend some evidence to the ‘different breeds’ of ghost hypothesis she was rapidly stringing together.
She tapped at her chin for a moment at the question. “I suppose we are, but they’re more like animals. They might have always been animals, or never alive at all! It’s perfectly safe here though, they usually fight more among themselves.”
Well that was fascinating. Some ghosts didn’t instinctively know how to fight and had to be taught? Yet didn’t consider themselves completely separated from the more animalistic ectoplasmic terrors. Perhaps the more ‘domestic’ setting here made the ghosts less feral and more reliant on their previous memories. Well, the ghost could be lying, but she couldn’t see the benefit she’d gain from deception here. “So you’re kind of stuck here then? We saw a lot of those outside of this place.”
“No no, we’ve got safer ways to travel than just flying around! Not all of us are that brave, dear. Though I don’t think I’d want to stay somewhere else very long anyway. Here it’s safe, all my friends are here and we have one of the largest markets in the whole Ghost Zone. Other ghosts come to us!” There was a hint of pride as she spoke about her ‘home’, gesturing over to some of the stalls Maddie hadn't had time to look at before getting interrupted. “I was really hoping to get something from the seven armed bloke over there, but he’s not very interested in my clothing. Maybe next time.”
Said ‘bloke’ had far too many eyes to go with the arms, and a collection of honestly terrifying little statues with strange designs that made her head hurt if she looked at it too long. A clear outsider to the more human ones, but not causing a stir. So much for constantly fighting out groups, but they barely had anything in common either! Not to mention engaging in some kind of simplistic trading. “So this happens often?”
“Pretty much. It’s fun to make new things, but you get bored of just your own stuff after a few centuries you know? So we swap and find new things.”
Well of course, it’s not like the ghosts needed to trade for something vital to existence. Swapping ‘things’ made more sense in that context. So why weren’t any trying to trade strength or favours? Or simply taking what they wanted? Was it related to having a queen? She had so many questions that knowing what ones needed to be asked was next to impossible. “I suppose you would. How can you tell if a ghost that comes is peaceful?”
“Asking!” She laughed again, apparently finding the question funny. So they didn’t deal with constant attacks from spectres like Phantom trying to ‘take over?’ Why?
“Oh geeze, I’m so sorry if she said anything about trying to-” Phantom’s voice interrupted her thoughts, the ghost suddenly floating beside the other ghost and sputtering.
“Sorry? She’s been perfectly lovely! Haven’t you- oh I’m so rude, I didn’t even get your name!” the ghost tisked at herself, once again strangely apologetic.
“Wait, she has?” His doubtful tone made the ghost hunter scowl. As if he had any room to judge them.
“We’re scientists, not uncontrollable monsters.” Like him. She was fairly sure he caught the implication when the boy muttered something she couldn’t hear.
“Cool. Anyway, got another stop, then I’ll get you two back home.” He still hovered, glancing between the two of them a few times. “Oh. Maddie, that’s her name.”
“Lovely speaking with you Maddie! Had a good trip back, I’m Guenivier if you’re ever in the area again,” she smiled and gave another wave before somehow drifting back into the crowd without displacing even a bit of that dress.
“Who said you can give out my name?” Maddie hissed, once certain the other ghost was out of earshot.
He leaned back on teenager mannerisms, scoffing and heading away. “Because she wanted to know and thinks you aren’t a total ghost hater? It’s not gonna hurt anything.”
“How can I know you don’t have a way to locate people by name?”
He was rolling his eyes again as if she was being ridiculous. “You live in a house with a giant glowing sign. Not exactly subtle.”
“That isn’t in the ghost zone.”
“It’s attached to the ghost zone, it totally counts.”
It really was like arguing with a teenager when he bantered on like this. “Just don’t do it again.”
“Yes ma’am. Sheesh.” He hopped on top of the speeder, kicking his heels against the side. “Hey Jack, you coming?”
“Coming!” he bellowed back, jogging over from the patch of plants she’d left him at. However, he wasn’t just carrying his notebook, but a folded glowing bit of cloth. Some sort of tapestry judging by all the stitching? “Just wanted to get a few more lines done-” he broke off after spotting his wife, apparently reminded that he shouldn’t be so chummy with the ghost. “I mean I leave when I want to, you can’t boss Fentons around!”
“Oh come onnn, can you pretend you don’t hate me for like five minutes? I’m not even doing anything!” Phantom complained, flopping backwards onto the Speeder. “You were totally having a good time”.
“How did you get that, dear?” Maddie chose to ignore their sulking captor and instead look at what Jack managed to gather besides sketches.
“Oh, one of the ghosties liked my pictures and asked to trade for one! So I gave em a page for this! We can study how they made it back home, neat huh?”
Apparently he hadn’t been too worried about it being a trap, but a picture he’d just sketched wasn’t a big ask for something that could teach them a lot about the ghosts in here, so it was a good trade nonetheless. “You did great sweetie. Just make sure to store it safely, just in case.”
“Already on it sweet cheeks!” He was indeed, already pulling out a large sample bag to store their find before opening the hatch again.
“Ew. I changed my mind, go back to threatening me. Sappy is worse.”
Well, at least the ghost regretted his actions a bit. He’d be more sorry if he tried anything, but this did just seem to be something to sooth that hero complex it had. So far, anyway. She was tempted to ask the ghost what it had been up to at the castle, but it didn’t really matter. He’d just lie anyway, he clearly wasn’t the same sort of ghost as the weaker ones back there.
“Ha, he crumples in the face of our love Madds!” Jack laughed, hugging his wife and they got comfortable back in the speeder. “You think he’d take us back home if I said how much I love ya?”
“I so don’t need to hear this.” He was muffled, apparently still flopped on the speeder. He didn’t add anything before the Speeder lifted from the ground and resumed speeding through the strange green expanse.
“Clearly he buys his own teenager delusion.” Maddie mused, content to rest against Jack and look through his sketches. “Did they seem strangely lifelike to you too?”
“Oh sure! They just talked and didn’t even seem interested in going to the human world! Even though one was very jealous of how bright my jumpsuit is.” He leaned a bit to flick a few pages forward. “I sketched a couple and got their names, so we can see if we can look em up. See if they’re similar to their old selves according to history and all.”
“That’s a good idea. I didn’t get a complete name, but apparently they have jobs? Not like the wilder ghosts, and they do have a queen…” she paused, remembering the ‘human’ Phantom apparently ‘helped home. “Hey! You did help someone home from the ghost zone before, did you?”
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, she’s back safe. Wasn’t even a whole day.” He sounded distracted, or at least surprised by the question.
It could be a valuable lead. That, and the human might need help after such an experience. Who knew how ecto contaminated they might be! “Who was it?”
“How should I know? Just because I’m in town a lot doesn’t mean I know everyone’s name.”
She frowned, glancing at Jack who only shrugged. So he hadn’t heard that story, only her. “You know ours.”
“Because you shout them at me and shoot at me a lot? Pretty easy to remember!”
“Ghost kid’s got a point.” Jack admitted, patting her on the shoulder. “We’ll just find who it is ourselves! Just an extra project.”
“What, and just make their life weird again by bringing up ghost stuff? Leave em alone.”
Well now they absolutely had to look into it, if Phantom wasn’t keen on the idea. Better to let him think they agreed though. “True, it could just lead you back to them.”
“Hey! This is all you, not me!”
Jack chuckled. “You’re really good at riling him up. Almost sounds like our Danny like that, getting all touchy about fun family activities!”
“Well he probably copies behaviour from local teenagers,” she didn't like that comparison though. Their children were nothing like life destroying ghosts. It was better to turn her attention to the passing green and how the amount of doors seemed to dwindle as masses of ice started to become the most prominent detail. That made more sense, actually. Phantom had started using ice in addition to ectoblasts, if he came from somewhere with this sort of climate it seemed less out of place with his other abilities. Even if he was otherwise ill suited to snow and ice with how he insisted on looking like a kid.
The next stop felt more like a mistake, with only hills of untouched white powder and ice to see, but the crunch of snow below confirmed they were no longer moving. Good thing they came prepared with heated coats!
“Not a whole lot around here! If it wasn’t for all the green we could pretend we were in Alaska.” Jack chattered as he shrugged a coat on, still apparently too excited to look around to keep his suspicion up. “They don’t all like castles, or maybe it’s a hidden one!”
He better not be thinking Santa had an ice castle. That was probably what he was thinking of, but she didn’t really want to bring up their annual argument at the moment. He could be wrong today, there were more important things to do. “You do realize it’s a frozen wasteland you’ve stranded us on?”
“It’s not that cold.” Phantom objected, circling the Speeder idly.
“Easy for a ghost to say, you’re always cold ghost kid!”
He stopped at that, glancing back at Jack. “It's not that bad, is it?”
“Only because we brought warm clothing. Jumpsuits aren’t enough for the living.” Maddie huffed, looking at the snowfields to find anything worth looking at. The structures of ice were somewhat interesting, but not inherently ghostly.
“Well you guys can stay here, I guess.” The ghost bit at his lip, playing up the concern now that they pointed out a frozen wasteland was cold. Honestly, how did anyone fall for Phantom’s act if he made mistakes like this? “I don’t think Frostbite’s people come out this far…”
“Oh, are they dangerous? We can take any of your little ghostly pals!”
Phantom looked as if Jack suggested exploding a building. “No! Don’t fight any of them! They just look scary, okay? Just ignore them, if any show up.” He didn’t wait for a response before flying off this time, apparently in much more of a hurry this time.
“Sounds like he’s worried about what we can do to his little pals, huh?” Jack elbowed his wife with a grin. “Well, maybe we can find something weird about the ice here!”
It was better to try getting some of the ghost ice instead of doing nothing, though she doubted it would be very different from regular ice, beyond the ectocontamination. Now what would a ghost think is ‘scary looking’? He hadn’t given such a warning when close to all of the other ghosts, after all. It was a bit of a mystery, and none of the ice here had any identifying marks or hints of another odd little ghost ‘civilization’. ‘Frostbite’ wasn’t much of a name either, perhaps they were more like the wild sort that came to Amity?
“Oh hoh! Look at this!” Jack yelled out, pointing to something below him as he waved her over.
A large, clawed footprint left in the snow, and fairly deep. So something monstrous after all, as expected. “Maybe we can get a cast of it?” They had supplies for it, but she wasn’t certain if it would work in the ice correctly. The tracks didn’t go for long, but following them wasn’t a very tantalizing idea. Better to keep a distance and be well armed if they wanted to tangle with whatever left this. It wasn’t as distracting as the previous stop, but the sound of crunches increasing in volume had the couple back on edge and wary.
“Seriously, we should just go-”
It sounded like the ghost boy was near wherever the crunches were coming from, which didn’t improve her mood one iota.
“Nonsense! I have been asking to meet them for how long?” A deep, growling and carrying voice came in response as Maddie readied a weapon.
“Yeah, that’s the problem. You don’t want to, trust me.”
“Seems he doesn’t have a very high opinion of ghost hunters, eh Mads?” Jack was less noticeably readied, still half crouched near the footprint, but his hand hovered where a weapon was concealed. She focused on her breathing as the sound grew louder, eyes narrowed as she spotted a large figure cresting the nearby hill. With the little white haired ghost boy completely at ease near it. Nothing like his regular behaviour, let alone the talking. Why would this huge beast know of them?
“What did I say about not shooting people?” Phantom actually seemed to blush on seeing her holding the weapon, smacking his face. “Okay, you saw them, bye now!”
The large furred creature ignored how the smaller ghost pushed at their shoulder, instead waving with a horrific ice claw, bones gleaming from within as it seemed to rip at the very air. “Well our first meeting was hardly perfect either, I can manage.”
“Yeah but I can’t just pull a ‘won’t shoot a big yeti’ icicle out of their jumpsuits!”
For a human loving ghost, Phantom was certainly very concerned about this giant horned monster being harmed by ‘mere humans’. More proof of his act, at least. Though the large creature did have a cloak of some sort and clothing. He spoke well, if you ignored the fanged mouth and growls. A strange contradiction of appearance and intent. That wasn’t a normal thing for ghosts either, you could gather a decent amount about one by how they looked. So why was this one chatting and apparently interested in seeing two humans? “So, you’re the ‘Frostbite’ he mentioned?” She hazarded a guess, but wasn’t going to put the gun away.
It showed its fangs, maw wide and unnerving. “Yes, I am! It is an honour to meet you” The furry head bowed slightly, as if trying a sort of nod of respect. “Your work assisted the Great One in vanquishing Pariah Dark, we all owe you a debt of gratitude.”
“Please don’t call me that. Especially in front of them!” the green eyed ghost practically squawked, somehow flushing even harder when he didn’t even have blood.
Maddie’s mind almost flipped over from the sheer confusion of what this terrifying ghost said. They had ‘helped’ vanquish something? More likely, Phantom had stolen something. So why did this ghost still give them credit? That wasn’t even starting to touch why the ghost boy would be considered great in any aspect. “Assisted him? Do you mean with that ghost who took our town into the Ghost Zone?” She wasn’t sure if that was what the ‘king’ ghost was called, but it made more sense than anything else she could think of.
“Indeed. The King of All Ghosts would have sent the infinite realms into chaos and conflict. Of course we are grateful for your help in preventing that.”
“That’s when you stole the Ecto Skeleton!” Jack spoke up, no longer tense. “You never brought it back.”
“That’s not my fault, that thing almost wasted me! It was gone once I woke up!” The boy objected, but seemed to settle down when the larger ghost ruffled his hair. “I wanted to bring it back.”
“I’m sure now they understand how vitally important that technology was, for your world and ours.” The ghost’s yellow eyes watched them expectantly, the unnerving void of pointed daggers thankfully closed now.
“Well it did get Amity back where it belonged.” Losing the Ecto Skeleton had been a blow, but an acceptable one to get back to normal. The fact that more ghosts seemed to know and care about their part of it was somewhat unnerving. She very much doubted Phantom just ‘lost’ it either. Jack suffered from the demands of the suit, but the ghost was just ectoplasm and electricity. Quite unlikely he could be drained that much, it wasn’t meant for ghosts to use in the first place.
“Your world? Doesn’t the kid live here?” Jack asked, making his wife blink. She hadn’t noticed that odd phrasing.
“No, no. The Great One prefers the human world and his friends. How are they doing?”
He froze up, eyes flicking to the hunters and back to the yeti. “Fine. They’re great.” He darted closer to the two hunters, gesturing at them to move. “Okay let’s go.”
How much interacting was this ghost doing with humans to have ‘friends’ it told other ghosts about? They could be in danger, or used as targets! “No no, we’d love to hear about your friends.”
“Nope, you don’t, gotta get home right? Big hurry, don’t trust me, remember?” He was practically pleading with them.
Frostbite’s ears twitched as he tilted his head. “Don’t trust you? Surely they’re the ones who taught your friends how to drive that craft of yours?”
Phantom had the gall to turn invisible.
“We were unaware anyone other than us was using it, actually.” Maddie didn’t bother to keep the frost from her voice.
“Ah, well at least the good news is I already knew how to make a replacement battery for it when the Great One came asking for help.” His tail twitched, as one of the great claws scratched at his furry chest. “It should be good as new once you can install it.”
So not only was this ghost stealing technology and bringing humans to the ghost zone, it was teaching other ghosts how it worked! The second that ghost was in their grasp, he’d have some serious answering to do. “Do all of you call him that?” It was the only question she could ask without wishing to spit acid, quite frankly.
“All of the Far Frozen recognize him as such, but not all ghosts are the same. He should be proud of the title, a savour of two worlds.”
“Frostbite I’m begging you, stop! It’s embarrassing!” The ghost dropped his invisibility, still looking more like a flustered kid instead of the heroics seeking fame junkie he was.
“Well if it helps your relationship with these ghost hunters, I think it is important that they know.”
“Yeah no. Let’s not.”
It felt like there was something the two ghosts weren’t saying. That, and the fact Phantom didn’t seem to like being hailed as a hero here in the Ghost Zone didn’t make sense. Why all the grandstanding in Amity then?
“Well we’ll be glad for the lift home. You shouldn’t steal from us, kid.” Jack tried a stern approach, and the ghost actually flinched from the rebuke.
“You’re not the only ones who want to map this place out, that’s all,” he didn’t really seem to be answering them, more talking to himself before launching himself at the Speeder again. “You can shoot at me about it back home or whatever.”
“Travel safely! Do try and explore your other half more often, Great one. You’re always welcome here.” His great furry head watched them all easily, seeking out the ghost hunters eyes as well. "I understand you are less interested, but you are welcome to see the realities of my home as well. It may surprise you, in a good way."
She desperately wanted to ask what that monster of a ghost meant by that, but managed to hold her tongue. If all the ghosts here saw Phantom as some sort of godlike hero, chewing him out here wasn’t safe. Jack’s small nod of agreement and warm hug helped, but it couldn’t stop her mind churning. They’d seen and hurt so much, and none of it made any sense! This Frostbite just threw in several more wrenches in the works with only a few sentences, but with how agitated Phantom was getting now wasn’t the time to push their luck. Perhaps when the shoe was on the other foot, and the boy needed their assistance.
He didn’t speak up or grumble this time as they left the frozen land behind. Though that might be them as well,m sitting close together and considering the notes and samples they had taken. That and the huge list of questions Jack had scrawled down in the margins of a sketch of Frostbite. How could a ghost like Phantom truly manage to stay in the human world most of the time? Did it have to do with this ‘other half’ that ghost had mentioned? Would knowing what it was reveal a weakness in the ghost? So many questions, but no answers. Why had Phantom even let them speak to any ghosts, considering how badly he’d reacted to some of the information given? He couldn’t genuinely be wanting to help.
The inviting glow of the portal appeared sooner than either of them could expect, the ghost dropping the ship on the lab floor with a loud clunk.
“See? Home. No ‘evil plan’” he floated into view, and she was fairly sure he only did so to make those air quotes with his hands.
“So you say, ghost kid. Don’t think we won’t be checking for tricks!”
“Yeah sure,” he shrugged, grinning after a moment. “Oh hey, by the way, you do know what the Speeder is powered with, right?”
Maddie didn’t actually know how to take that question. “Of course we do, we built it!”
“Uh huh.” His grin widened as he kicked back, legs vanishing into that strange tail. “All you had to do was take the cover off. It’s the Ghost Zone! There’s ectoplasm everywhere! I just had Frostbite make a backup.”
...Had they really- They had. They’d been dragged around by a ghost for no reason at all! “Why you little-”
He kept laughing before turning and getting out of the way. “Thanks for flying with Phantom Zone Tours! I’m out.” A jaunty wave and he was gone, leaving two baffled ghost hunters behind.
“I think some fudge is in order after that!”
She couldn’t say he was wrong. Maybe fudge could make sense of that whole affair. All that for a prank? It didn’t add up. They’d have a lot of work to do.
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rayshippouuchiha · 3 years
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Nezu finding a younger Izuku and helping him hone his analysis skill (and build some confidence and ultimately creating a terrifying child who can analyze anyone in seconds and take them down just as fast with a smile) and then enlisting him to actually teach classes on the subject
just imagine Aizawa having to interact with this terrifying nightmare child who can read him better than a book
~Ah hell here we go again~ Read More Below!
Nezu doesn’t often leave UA’s grounds these days and even more rarely does he venture out unaccompanied in some way.  He has made it a habit of sorts to stay on the campus as much as possible ever since he solidified his hold on the school almost a decade ago.
It’s a move that is he admits, even if only to himself, fueled by equal parts pragmatism and paranoia.
After all UA has most of everything he needs within it already including a set of private apartments scaled just perfectly to his size and tastes despite what impression the large, human suited desk in his public office tends to give any visitors to his domain.  Why should he worry about venturing out into the city when anything the campus might not be able to provide for him can easily be procured by his minions dear employees or through delivery via secured drone?
And the fewer trips he makes off campus means the fewer opportunities there are for those who are still displeased with something someone such as himself holding such a position of power over such a prestigious hero school to take action.  He, of course, has all faith in his ability to protect himself from whatever ham-fisted assassin might come his way but Nezu is, above almost all else, pragmatic.
The fewer bodies left in his wake the smoother his daily life tends to run.
It had, after all, been such a pain to get the records from his time at the tender mercies of his human captors completely sealed and the quietly buried.
The humans involved in the case had finally agreed though and in the years since they did so like to tout how the illustrious UA Principle had been “rescued” from the laboratories.
Few remained who remembered what the heroes who’d raided that hellish place had actually found when they’d arrived.
Those unlucky few who did remember had long since been silenced by hook or by crook.  That had been one of the first things Nezu had done when he’d finally managed to accumulated enough power that his subtle threats and sharp toothed promises had finally come to hold real meaning on more than one level.
When he’d finally managed to bite and claw himself into a position of power that showed him as the threat he always had been for those who might dare cross him.
That had been the very first secret he’d ensured would be kept as it was one that posed the biggest threat to his reputations in a number of circles.
Nezu’s intellect wasn’t his only weapon after all, only his most dangerous. Though his teeth and claws could work in a pinch if the situation called for it.  And when they’d tried to take his eye it had certainly called for it.
A self professed level of resentment and sadism could be excused by most of humanity for someone of Nezu’s circumstances.
But a body count?  Well. That’s when humans tended to get ... tetchy. 
So while Nezu does, of course, have a residence of his own off campus for paperwork purposes and as a secondary fall back location, UA’s campus has been his unofficial residence for some number of years now.  And it will be his official one as well as soon as he manages to finally get the dorm system he’s been aching to implement passed through.
They will have to pry that school, his school, and what he’s attempting to build there from his cold, dead paws and whatever other insurance policies he manages to put into action between now and his inevitable death. Which will, of course, be some time in the far far future if he has anything to say or do about it.  And he will.
All of that aside there are times when leaving the campus is unavoidable, this being one of them.  An unfortunate scheduling conflict and a private meeting that absolutely had to be conducted in person had left him where he is now, strolling down the sidewalks of Musutafu and quietly lamenting how very oversized so many things were.
It truly was a pity that more accommodations had not been made for those whose quirks and circumstances of birth left them on the smaller side instead of on the larger scale.  But progress could be rather unfortunately slow and so it was just one more issue Nezu hoped to begin subtly influencing in the coming years.
He’s just turning a corner, intent on visiting a nearby cafe with an excellent tea selection before he returns to UA (one must have their indulgences and a good brew and a finely crafted cigarette have long been amongst Nezu’s chosen pleasures), when he hears it.
“Get back here and get what you deserve, Deku,” a voice, rough and young but edged with a viciousness that makes the backs of Nezu’s teeth itch, practically howls.
Nezu, attention instantly captured, pauses just long enough to avoid being mowed down by the child who comes tearing around the corner.
For a split second their eyes meet, a blazing green gaze Nezu can’t help but admire just a bit locking with his own, as the boy sees him and swerves to avoid running into Nezu in his obviously frantic escape.
Nezu hops backwards a half step just as the boy loses his footing and crashing painfully to the side walk beside him.
“A-Are you o-okay?” the boy half stutters, half pants as he looks up at him, eyes wide and seemingly uncaring of the blood Nezu can already smell on his scraped palms and likely ripped kneecaps.
“Are you?” Nezu asks back evenly, eyes tracking over the boy and instantly compiling details and facts as he takes in the tattered school uniform, the pale face, the singed backpack and the bruises he can see just peeking out from beneath unseasonal long sleeves.
Everything about the boy screams battered to Nezu’s sense.
And then he looks down at his feet and sees his shoes.
His distinctive red shoes at that, vibrant in color and thick soled, subtly different in make and construction than most ordinary shoes seen these days, much like the footwear Nezu himself wears even now.
Which means that this boy either has a quirk that affects his feet or ...
“Thought you were going to get away didn’t you, you Quirkless fuck?” A small group of boys rounds the corner then, ignoring Nezu entirely and focusing on the boy who abruptly goes even paler somehow.  “Just cause sensei couldn’t prove you cheated doesn’t mean we’re gonna let you get away with it.”
Ah, Nezu thinks even as he presses the urge to snarl down and away, option two then.
The green boy, because Nezu will not be calling him Deku even in his own mind, scrambled up onto his feet then.  But, surprisingly enough, he doesn’t turn to run.
Instead he edges forward just a bit, sliding a shoulder and a foot forward until he’s standing almost protectively in front of Nezu himself.
“K-Kacchan,” the green one stutters, “I-I didn’t cheat I s-swear!  I wouldn’t d-do that.”
“Tsk,” the blond leader, Kacchan, tisks then, a snarl thick and heavy on his young face.  At his sides his hands flex in a move Nezu knows must be related to his quirk.  “Bullshit.  No way you’d get top of the class in anything without cheating, you worm.”
Nezu has known this child for roughly 6 seconds and he finds that he does not care for him at all.  But then he’s never been overly fond of most of humanity either so perhaps that’s to be expected.
“H-Heroes don’t cheat,” Green insists, the naïve if well meant words sounding like a declaration.  “If I’m g-going to be a hero then I c-can’t either.”
That explanation only seems to enrage Kacchan even further if the way his hands begin to pop and crackle is anything to go by.
This, Nezu knows as the scent of burnt caramel begins to fill the air around them, is going to escalate quickly.
“Public quirk usage is ~illegal~,” Nezu singsongs as he steps around the green boy and plants himself firmly in front of him instead, abruptly drawing the blond boy and his followers attention toward him.  One paw slips into his vest pocket to remove the specially designed cell phone he’s never without.  “I would hate to be forced to report this to the proper authorities.”
Never mind that, technically, he is the proper authorities.
The blond glares at him for a long moment before he huffs.
“This isn’t over Deku,” he snarls.  “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”
It’s an obvious threat but the boy turns on his heel, shoves his way through his friends, and stalks off back around the corner in the direction he came.
So Nezu lets it go.  For now.
“Now that that has been handled for the moment, young man,” Nezu turns towards the green boy beside him with all of the showmanship that’s come to define his patented introduction, “let me introduce myself! Am I a dog, a rat, or a bear? Either way I am Nezu th-”
“Y-You’re the Intel Hero Nezu,” the green boy says brightly, cutting Nezu’s introduction off even as he rubs raw and bloody palms against his black slacks and starts to dig through his backpack, “You solved the H-Hanamura kidnapping and the Inugami murders! You’re one of my favorite heroes!”
Nezu can’t help the way he stalls out just a bit at that because ... well he’s never been anyone’s favorite anything.  Their nightmare yes but not their favorite.  Especially not a child.  Children around this age normally tend to have more simplistic reactions to him.  And most of them don’t know about the string of rather gruesome ritualistic homicides he’d solved or the high profile kidnapping cases he consults on in his down time.
“C-Can you please sign my notebook?” the boy says then, head bowed low and a notebook and pen held out in Nezu’s direction.
Nezu admits to being slightly intrigued when he sees the way the cover is labeled Hero Analysis For The Future Vol 8.
That intrigue only grows when he opens it and his attention is immediately captured by the rather impressively done sketch of Pro Hero Starstreak that he finds there.
Unable to help himself Nezu reads over the page quickly and then keeps going.
Well now, Nezu can’t help but think just a bit gleefully as he sees the absolutely unbelieve level of analysis this young, quirkless boy has compiled, isn’t this interesting.
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purpureumwrites · 3 years
Text
Homelander x Reader | Sweetheart, I’m a gentleman
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A/N: The request mentioned “trying to rape” but I left it in extremely innapropriate. Justifying how reader would get to the boys didn’t make too much sense without a little cameo here. Hope you’re happy with it, I’m a bit unsure about it? (This kind of has potential for a part 2 with mainly the boys now that I think about it)
Summary: Reader is not just a human from Earth, but Homelander has no idea what he’s up to.
Warnings: None. Uncomfortable situation.
Word count: 1.2k
Weeks ago you joined Vought. It was an easy administrative job, nine to five, that provided enough money for you to live simply. A normal job like any other where you could blend in with the rest of the ever growing company. Perfect for you. Perfect for someone hiding in plain sight, in a planet that wasn’t their own.
You had been working there for two or three months when you started feeling the observant eyes of a man watching you from afar. The building was full of people constantly, from supes to their neurotic marketing teams to the poor people cleaning after them. It crossed your mind that it might be just your imagination but yours instincts rarely failed you. Not that you were concerned.
The floor were you worked was practically empty. Most of the building was already in the dark and through the windows you could see the lights of the city. You often left late. Your schedule was pretty flexible, as long as the work was done when it should. So you woke up later in the morning and enjoyed the few quiet last hours, after most employees had already left. It was such a different place at that time of the day.
It was around 8pm when you were content with your progress for the day. You turned off your computer and made a quick trip for the bathroom before picking up your things and leave. While you walked back through the dark corridor to the huge, open plan office you saw a man that wasn’t there before. Definitely not sitting on your desk, definitely not wearing a blue suit and a red cape.
He smiled when you approached him, very sure of himself.
“I’ve been looking forward to meet you”, he said, standing up. “I’m Homelander”
“Yeah, everyone knows”, you shrugged.
Big, powerful man thinking it was appropriate to approach a lonely woman in a deserted floor at night? Repulsive.
As you had planned, you started tidying up your desk and setting your bag to leave. You saw his smile falter in the corner of your eye. Your colleagues had expressed their concerns about you leaving so late, when it was already dark and unsettling and they thought anything might happen to you. You shrugged it off. There wasn’t a man on Earth that could harm you.
Your lack of attention seemed to bother Homelander. He stood there for a few seconds, surprised by your reaction. He cleared his throat before recovering his composure. He took another step forward, approaching you from behind while you shuffled through the things on your bag, that was resting in your chair.
You could hear his heart beat with perfect clarity. It was pumping faster now, probably bothered by your apathy. He could probably count with his fingers how many people would ignore him so blatantly, specially without their knees shaking afterwards. Even if he wasn’t a extraordinarily powered, famous, big man, how many women wouldn’t be smiling and playing along out of pure survival instinct?
He put a hand on your waist, turning you around and pinning you against him.
“You are a very beautiful woman”, he smiled like a someone who hadn’t broken a plate in his life.
“If I were you, I would put away that hand”
“Sweetheart, I am a gentleman”, he answered towering over you.
Before he had time to react, you took his wrist and twisted it behind his back, pushing him face down to the table with your other hand. You felt him struggle and saw his eyes light up red.
“I did warn you”
Homelander blinked, astounded. He tried to rise up again, but you were far too strong. Stronger than Homelander? That wasn’t possible. If there was a supe that powerful, Vought would have taken advantage of it a long time ago. Not just that, you would have certainly joined The Seven at that point.
And now, in the most humilliating position he had ever found himself in, he was weighing his options and the huge risk you could mean for him. But you were just some office lady, why would you be keeping your powers a secret?
“I was just fooling around. But, I have to say, there are a few cameras around us. Not that anyone checks them in the regular, but if someone reminded them like, you know, Homelander himself, some people might be very curious about you”
He chuckled when he saw the panic in your eyes, looking around for them. The same way his overconfidence had betrayed him, your own had just betrayed you. The moment they did any kind of health check, they would realize there was something very out of the ordinary. You weren’t a human with crazy powers. You weren’t a supe. You weren’t a human at all. And it had taken a lot of effort hiding it from the world. The videos wouldn’t prove anything but they would certainly be too interesting and would draw very undesired and dangerous attention.
“You will not”
“What are you going to do? Kill me?”, he faked being deep in thought. “Not likely while we’re live. Though I’m very curious to see how you would manage that”
A soft voice spoke from the door.
"Everything okey?", asked a petite blond girl dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. Starlight.
***
You and the girl stood on the elevator. You had seen her before, from afar, and didn’t think much of her. Pretty, blond, awfully polite... boring. Without the suit, she still was your typical naive looking girl, but the change in her demeanor, the fact that she wasn’t trying to be anyone but herself, gave her a different character.
“You know he’s not gonna leave you alone, right?”, she asked looking straight forward.
“Really?”, you answered trying not to sound defeated.
She took her hand out of her pocket and spread it towards you. You took the small white piece of paper inside it. An address.
“Go there. Tell them you’ve got a… problem with Homelander and they will take you in. About being a supe… I would tread lightly, but they’re not bad guys, it should be okey. No one hates him more than they do and I think you might be able to help them”
“I’m not a… sure”, you backtracked. “I’ll keep that in mind”
***
You walked into the foul smelling back alley and found the door you supposed was the one. You knocked, not sure what to expect. The girl had walked in the opposite direction the moment you left the building. You knocked. After the voices inside quieted down, you heard heavy steps approaching. As the door opened, a tall man, with a grim face, looked you up and down.
“And who the fuck might you be… darling?”
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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years
Text
Tedious Joys - Chapter 6 -
- Ao3 link -
The jade pendant Lan Qiren had worked so hard on had not stopped burning painfully hot since what he now knew was the day Jiwei had been shattered. It retroactively made perfect sense why his music could do nothing to calm the flames no matter how soothing; the pendant was so hot as to be dangerous even to him, a cultivator in his prime – even if not the most martially inclined – and in all honesty he had not dared to wear it since that day.
Despite this, he hung it on his belt before leaving the Cloud Recesses, ignoring the discomfort.
If Lao Nie did not recognize his sons, which he prized more than the stars in the sky, more than his own life, he would not recognize Lan Qiren no matter how good friends they were. Lan Qiren knew better than to flatter himself in that way. He was confident in Lao Nie’s affection, in his trust and even his love; he had never once doubted that when given a choice, Lao Nie would pick him over Wen Ruohan every time, no matter how often the latter shared Lao Nie’s bed – but Lao Nie was not himself right now, incapable of making rational decisions.
Lao Nie had raised his own hand against those he loved, something he would in the normal course of events never do. Lan Qiren would likely share the same fate as Nie Mingjue, only with even less power to defend himself – he had only music and wise words and inferior swordsmanship on his side, and of those, only his music had even half a chance of stopping a maddened charge.
He would need every advantage he could get, and the jade pendant, he hoped, would provide one.
Lan Qiren left the Cloud Recesses with his guqin over his back, his sword beneath his feet, and the jade pendant burning into his thigh, Nie Mingjue at his side. He hoped that Lao Nie might be able to draw some comfort from the jade pendant, which had been tuned to Jiwei’s frequency; he hoped that he could calm Lao Nie’s wrecked mind with his playing the way he had once sought to calm Jiwei’s rage.
And if neither of those worked…there was still his sword.
To the best of his ability, he would not allow Nie Mingjue to be harmed.
Lao Nie would have agreed, if he could.
When they arrived at the Unclean Realm, both Lan Qiren and Nie Mingjue were exhausted from their trip; even with regular breaks, it was not an easy journey to make by sword, much less twice over, with several days or even a week or more of travel being more customary. Lan Qiren had insisted that they rest for a few shichen in a town just outside of the borders of the Qinghe Nie sect to recover even more of their strength, and tellingly Nie Mingjue had not disagreed.
The Unclean Realm towered over them both as they approached, and to Lan Qiren’s eyes it somehow seemed more intimidating and imposing than that familiar, beloved place usually was – it was as if the tragedy within its walls had tainted it, giving it a more sinister aura than usual.
The guards of the Nie sect were unhappy to see Lan Qiren, as he’d suspected they would be, but they could not override Nie Mingjue, who ordered them to let Lan Qiren enter. A Nie disciple, older even than Lan Qiren but with exhaustion and fear written into every line of him, met them by the entrance, telling them that the Sect Leader was in his study – and that he was asking for them, or at least for Nie Mingjue.
“How is he?” Nie Mingjue asked, and glanced sidelong at Lan Qiren, explaining, “There are times when it is worse, times when it is better and he’s almost himself…”
“Forgive this humble one,” the disciple said, sounding tired. “The Sect Leader’s state is not good. He believes himself to be surrounded by enemies, besieged and betrayed. He believes we have taken you away from him purposefully, Nie-gongzi, and he fears for your well-being.”
Nie Mingjue’s face crumpled. “And when he sees me, he’ll think I’m one of the ones hurting him.”
“It is not your fault,” Lan Qiren told him in an undertone as they walked towards to the study. “He’s been infected with the saber spirit’s rage, becoming unbalanced – not just unbalanced, but unable to find himself. Just like a saber, he sees everything around him as a target, and seeks their destruction.”
Nie Mingjue’s head dropped in a nod. “Baxia’s just the same. She longs to eradicate evil, but her definition of evil is – wider than it should be.”
“We are all made of good and evil,” Lan Qiren agreed. “Right now, Lao Nie can only see the evil, not the good. That’s why he can’t recognize you. He loves you too much.”
Nie Mingjue nodded again and stopped in front of the study, taking a deep breath. Even through its soundproofed doors, they could hear the faint echoes of Lao Nie’s voice, bellowing out demands and threats, calling for Nie Mingjue, calling for Jiwei – my saber, my saber, where is my saber? – and Lan Qiren flinched briefly before recovering himself.
“Go,” he said, and Nie Mingjue opened the door and let them both step in.
Lao Nie was standing by the window, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles bloody from having beaten his fists against the walls in his rage. His back was straight and his shoulders broad, as always, but there was a strange purposelessness to the way his head turned from side to side as if he were trying to hear something just out of range.
He turned to look at them. His hair wasn’t arranged properly, oily as if he hadn’t washed it for a while; his eyes were red and bloodshot, his skin flushed and ruddy, raised veins on his forehead, making him look as if he were on the verge of exploding.
“What do you want?” he spat.
“You called for me, A-die,” Nie Mingjue said, taking a step into the room and then another as Lan Qiren watched. “It’s me – it’s me, it’s Mingjue. A-Jue, I’m A-Jue –”
Lan Qiren never saw Lao Nie move.
One moment he was all the way across the room, the next moment he was standing right in front of Nie Mingjue. There was the resounding echo of a slap: Lao Nie had backhanded Nie Mingjue, knocking him to the floor. “Don’t lie to me,” he snarled, his reddened eyes blank and unseeing. “If you’re my A-Jue, why haven’t you done what I asked, like a filial son should? Bring me my saber! Bring me my Jiwei!”
“A-die – please – she’s gone, Jiwei is gone –”
Lao Nie raised his hand again, clearly ready to strike again, already pulling his leg back to kick at the young man cowering at his feet, a red mark already staining Nie Mingjue’s cheek where the heavy blow from before had fallen – Lan Qiren hadn’t been in the Unclean Realm for enough time to burn a stick of incense, hadn’t even had a chance to say anything, and things had already gotten to this point.
Wait, the doctors had said to Nie Mingjue when he’d asked them what could be done about his father’s illness. Wait. How terrible would Nie Mingjue’s life have become if he had listened to them?
“Lao Nie,” he said, stepping into the room and already reaching for his guqin. “Don’t hit him.”
Lao Nie turned to him, a heavy scowl on his face, and Lan Qiren braced himself for that same speed, that same casual viciousness that Lao Nie had before used only on his real enemies.
But unexpectedly - Lao Nie did not attack.
He didn’t move at all, in fact; he just stared at Lan Qiren, his frown fading into something like confusion.
“Jiwei?” he asked, a glimmer of recognition in his voice.
Lan Qiren’s hands were on his guqin strings, a spell at the ready, but he paused at Lao Nie’s words.
Very cautiously, he shifted the guqin to the side to free up one hand, which he lowered to the jade pendant that hung at his waist. “Yes,” he said encouragingly. “It’s Jiwei’s pendant. You remember? I made it for you, to drain off some of her anger. It’s yours. I brought it to you.”
Lao Nie took a stumbling step forward, and then another, his lost eyes brightening in happiness. Lan Qiren gritted his teeth and tolerated the pain of the fiercely burning pendant, taking it into his palm and holding it out to Lao Nie as an offering.
But it wasn’t the pendant that Lao Nie reached out for, but Lan Qiren himself.
His broad hands fell upon Lan Qiren’s shoulders, and then slid up to cradle his face, his thumbs sweeping over his cheekbones in an unfamiliar gesture that made Lan Qiren shiver despite himself.
“Jiwei,” Lao Nie said, sounding pleased. “Jiwei, where were you? I missed you.”
Lan Qiren swallowed. “Lao Nie…”
“You look so different,” Lao Nie said, undeterred by Lan Qiren’s barely-said protest – undeterred, in fact, by the fact that Lan Qiren was a human being, not a saber spirit.
His hands were warm against Lan Qiren’s face.
“Lao Nie,” Lan Qiren said, very slowly, and after a moment Lao Nie responded, no longer surveying him with his eyes but meeting his gaze. “I am Lan Qiren, your friend.”
“My friend,” Lao Nie agreed, and smiled. It was his old familiar smile, confident and carefree. “Jiwei.”
“No, not Jiwei. Jiwei…Jiwei shattered, Lao Nie. Your saber shattered.”
“Yes,” Lao Nie said, very unexpectedly, and Nie Mingjue, who had gotten up and was cautiously creeping closer, looked at him with hope shining in his eyes. “Yes, I know.”
“You know your saber was shattered?” Lan Qiren said, testing, and Lao Nie nodded. “Do you know why?”
Lao Nie tilted his head to the side.
“It was Wen Ruohan,” Nie Mingjue said. “I think – when he patted it? He did something, I’m sure of it.”
Lao Nie considered this statement, his eyes half-lidded in thought; he looked for a moment very much like he had before, putting aside the state of his hair and clothing. “I think you’re right,” he said after a while. “A-Han was very angry at me, at the start, and then at the end he was still angry, but also pleased with himself in that way that he gets. You know what I mean: when he’s done something vile, something everyone would condemn him for, and he knows no one will be able to do anything about it – the way he’s both pleased with the demonstration of his power and disgusted in himself, and he has to bury the latter in the former to make himself feel better.”
You know what he’s like, why do you like him? Lan Qiren thought to himself but did not say, but Nie Mingjue wasn’t so tactful and asked the same thing, virtually verbatim, outright.
“Grown-ups are complicated, A-Jue,” Lao Nie told him, and Nie Mingjue’s knees gave out at once. He tumbled down to the floor once again, landing on his ass with a thud, and stared up at his father with tears already spilling down his cheeks.
“A-die?” he whispered. “A-die, you know me?”
Lao Nie frowned, not understanding his son’s reaction, and pulled away to turn to look at him – but the moment his hands left Lan Qiren’s skin, the look in his eyes changed, the clarity disappearing and the rage returning. His brow furrowed in confusion and offense, and Lan Qiren thought about how it must appear to him: his beloved son was there only a moment ago, and then he turned and there was a stranger there instead, taking his place. It was no wonder that Lao Nie lashed out so fiercely, no wonder that his anger burned hottest against those he loved the most.
Lan Qiren stepped forward and put his own hand on Lao Nie’s shoulder, and when that didn’t seem to help, his face, instinctively following his teacher’s habits and grabbing him by the ear like a disobedient student in need of some shaking.
“Lao Nie, calm yourself,” he ordered, ignoring the lack of calm in his own heart.
Amazingly, miraculously, Lao Nie did. The red even started to fade a little out of his eyes – they were still bloodshot, still covered in a thin red film, but he no longer looked as though he were on the verge of crying blood. The ruddiness in his face faded as well, the blood summoned up by his rage starting to recirculate throughout his body as it should, and hopefully no longer on the verge of giving him an aneurysm.
Progress, Lan Qiren thought.
“What’s going on?” Lao Nie asked, alert and aware, if confused. “Why is my study such a mess? A-Jue, why are you crying? What happened to you – A-Jue, look at you, you look terrible! Who hurt you? Who dared touch you?”
Nie Mingjue was crying too hard to speak now, shaking his head, refusing to speak.
“You tell me, then,” Lao Nie said, turning his face, belligerent again but so much more normally so, to look at Lan Qiren. “Tell me what happened!”
“It’s complicated,” Lan Qiren temporized, although he stepped forward to press his entire palm against Lao Nie’s cheek, eventually sliding it down to rest at the back of his neck instead, the still too-hot pendant trapped between his palm and Lao Nie’s flesh. He didn’t dare break the contact again, not after last time. “It will take time to explain…”
“I didn’t ask for excuses,” Lao Nie said, exasperated, impatient as always, and the sheer familiarity and nostalgia stuck in Lan Qiren’s throat, choking him. “I asked for an answer, Jiwei, and I expect one.”
The pleasant feeling froze at once, like having swallowed something the wrong way and getting it caught halfway down, stuck in his chest like a weight pressing down.
Not progress.
Or, rather – a very specific type of progress, in which Lao Nie was no longer on imminent verge of death from further qi deviations, in which he was no longer raving mad, rabid and attacking all those around him, but in which he also, apparently, believed that Lan Qiren was…his saber.
This was problematic for any number of reasons.
The first, of course, being that Lan Qiren was not, in fact, Jiwei. He was human, not a saber spirit; he was made of flesh, not metal. He wasn’t even the same gender, insofar as sabers considered themselves to have gender – both Lao Nie and Nie Mingjue affirmatively described their sabers using feminine terms, but quibbled whenever Lan Qiren attempted to describe them as women, claiming that their sabers were sabers, not humans, and therefore difficult to fit into the usual categorization.
At any rate, Lao Nie, at least, did not appear to be noticing any discrepancy.
However, that led them to the second major problem, which was that Lan Qiren and Lao Nie did not have the same relationship between them as Lao Nie had with his saber. The former were friends, however close; the latter were literally intertwined at the level of the soul, human master and spiritual weapon, co-dependent on each other in ways words could not even begin to describe. Even now, only standing next to each other, Lan Qiren could feel Lao Nie’s spiritual energy knocking against his palm, trying to enter his body to begin cultivating with him –
His ears suddenly felt like they were burning red.
What was perfectly appropriate, normal and even expected, between a cultivator and his spiritual weapon was not appropriate between two people, except perhaps dao companions who had agreed to share their lives and bodies with each other. It was entirely reasonable for Lao Nie to initiate such intimate contact – that was how spiritual weapons worked, through the cultivation of a blade or instrument through shared qi – and yet at the same time, because Lan Qiren was most definitely not a weapon, it became an offer for dual cultivation instead.
Right in front of Nie Mingjue.
Lan Qiren very firmly rejected the offer and Lao Nie laughed a little under his breath, an indulgent sound, and casually reached over to wrap his hand around Lan Qiren’s waist, pulling him closer – as if he thought Lan Qiren were merely playing hard-to-get, being prickly and inexplicitly unreasonable. As if a little bit of coaxing would be enough to get him to let down his guard, open up and let him in –
Lan Qiren coughed, abruptly very glad that he had not allowed either of his nephews to join in this trip. Or Nie Huaisang, for that matter, who despite his young age already had an over-active interest in other people’s personal lives.
That, he supposed, led them to the third problem: Lan Qiren was not nearly as easily mobile as a saber, could not be carried at Lao Nie’s belt nor kept with him at all times, and yet ceasing physical contact was clearly a bad idea. Perhaps once he had had some time to calm down…?
Nie Mingjue was looking between them with some concern as well. “A-die,” he said. “That’s Teacher Lan. Do you remember Teacher Lan?”
“Of course,” Lao Nie said, reaching out idly with his free hand as if to swat Nie Mingjue lightly on the head, an affectionate gesture that he forestalled immediately when he remembered that his son was injured. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’ve known Qiren since before I met your mother.”
“Good. That’s…good. I’m glad you remember him. You were sick for a little while, A-die; it made you confused.” Nie Mingjue paused briefly. “Can you tell me who’s that standing next to you?”
Lao Nie frowned at him. “Are you sure you’re not the one confused, A-Jue? Are you telling me you don’t recognize Jiwei?”
Nie Mingjue looked helplessly at Lan Qiren, who looked just as helplessly back.
He had absolutely no idea what to do about this – no notion of what the next step would be.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the decision was taken out of his hands when Lao Nie looked down at himself and, with an abrupt scowl, appeared to realize the state of himself. “What a mess,” he said, disgusted. “A-Jue, have someone run me a bath. I’ll wash and head to bed for the night, but I want an answer from you as to what happened first thing tomorrow morning, do you understand me?”
Nie Mingjue’s eyes went very wide and traveled very slowly over to rest on Lan Qiren, who set aside his guqin and used that hand, once free, to pinch the bridge of his nose and try to summon patience, careful not to disturb the hand that still rested on the back of Lao Nie’s neck, the pendant still burning in his palm.
“It’s fine,” he said shortly. It was not fine, but he couldn’t think of anything else to do at the moment except continue to indulge Lao Nie’s delusion – his state was so much improved from what it was just a little while before that he couldn’t bear to even try anything that would return him to it at the moment, and he could tell from Nie Mingjue’s constant glances to his hand that he felt the same. “We’ve been night-hunting together before.”
They’d bathed together before – mostly in rivers and lakes and hot springs, not bathtubs – and they’d slept in the same bed before, when that was the only thing that was available at the local inn.
This was nothing more than that.
It’d be fine.
Nie Mingjue did not look convinced, looked in fact on the verge of protesting, but Lao Nie was already looking at him with a growing scowl – he disliked being disobeyed, even though he tolerated it more from Nie Mingjue than from others – and he had no choice but to run off to do his father’s bidding.
The second he was out of the room, Lao Nie reached over and caught Lan Qiren’s free hand, bringing it up to his face, pressing his lips against Lan Qiren’s palm.
“Jiwei, have I displeased you in some manner?” he asked, very earnestly, as Lan Qiren stared at him. “Tell me what’s the matter, darling.”
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starcloud-nova · 3 years
Note
Favorite fics by some of your buddies on Tumblr and Discord?
God nonnie. You fucked up big time. You underestimated just how hard I can appreciate my friends. I’d like to formally apologize for how long and in-depth this got, but I would pick a stopping point and then go ‘oh! but i cant leave out so-and-so’ and then this got mega out of hand.
Organized by author and not genre! And if I didn’t include any of your works (or I did and it was not the one you wanted), please, don’t take it personally. I am trusting everyone who comes across this post to read the tags themselves, but for two of the fics I have left TWs in front of them.
Cassia’s fics:
Internet Enemies by @cassiopeia721 (x)
At school, Midoriya Izuku is ignored at best. At home, he's raised by a single mother who seems to be always taking night shifts, and who he communicates with almost exclusively through notes on lunch boxes and texts lying about his location. As such, Midoriya Izuku turns to the internet— or more specifically, an All Might fan server on discord— for companionship. Like most things in his life, it goes wrong eventually. It just takes longer than usual.
hypnic jump
Izuku finds himself somewhere he doesn't recognize in an oversized green jumpsuit with a hero he's never seen at his back. He's pretty sure he's dreaming, and subsequent events only solidify that theory into rock-solid certainty.
Paradigm Shift (Harry Potter)
Harry undergoes a paradigm shift at the beginning of his fifth year. (Slytherin Harry)
~~~
Kestrel’s fics:
Compass by @autisticmidoriyas (x)
Midoriya Izuku never had the chance to become a hero—or even to grow up. Fifteen years after his death, Akatani Izuku tries to save the life of a dying hero and in return receives a target painted on his back and a power humming in his bones.
All Might, Sir Nighteye, Ground Zero, Suneater, and Skyquake are left scrambling in the wake of Lemillion’s death to figure out who now holds One For All.
Intertwined with all this, the League of Villains’ war against Japan burns on. With the loss of Lemillion, the advantage is now theirs, and with the loss of One For All, victory is all-but-assured.
(What the villains don’t know is that One For All lives on in the blood of a boy who was always meant to be a hero.)
triskelion
A few seconds, and their lives—their life—is changed forever. Where three people used to exist, there is now only one.
While visiting the mall with their class, Izuku, Katsuki, and Shouto are the victims of someone whose quirk can fuse together objects … and people.
Permanently.
Facing down the fact that they may never be unfused, a long adjustment period lies ahead of them as they learn how to be themself and figure out where they fit into their families, their class, and their world.
the meaning of hope
One day, the smoke will reach its end. They hold out hope for that. Even with quirks, fires cannot burn forever. They will consume all their fuel, until there is nothing left, and they will wither and die.
~~~
Lilly’s fics:
Rise of the Rat Finks by Authoress_Lilly
“You're not in trouble Neito. You’ve been tapped to join The Rats.”
The boy blinks. “The what?”
Vlad opens up a folder and hands Monoma a flyer and a small pin in the shape of a rat. “It’s a sort of secret society here at UA.
Or: an excuse to put Monoma and Midoriya together in way too many words 😅
The Root to Villainy
Prompt: Izuku doesn't realize how fucked up his past was until Aizawa does an immersive class on villain origins.
Whoops?
~~~
Dance’s fics:
Never Take Your Problem Children To Costco by DanceInTheKitchen
“SECURE THE EGGS! I REPEAT SECURE THE EGGS!” Bakugou bellowed.
“YES SIR! AYE AYE SIR!” Izuku saluted.
Shouta is staring at his students, one of whom seems to be reenacting the Lion King with a carton of eggs while the other salutes him, and wonders. What the hell did he do in his past life to deserve this?? Past him must have committed some great sin, like putting sugar in his coffee, or being a dog person.
 Or, Aizawa, Bakugou and Midoriya walk into a Costco.
grow as we go
The dorms were silent, but out here in the open air, she felt both isolated and free. Isolated from the world, but free from the responsibility crushing her, isolated from her friends and family, but free from judgement. Up here, with only the stars and Iida as company, Momo felt like she could breathe.
They sat next to each other in silence, watching the stars silently crawl their way across the sky. Iida doesn’t break the silence, but he also doesn’t leave. It’s a silent promise, to listen if she needs it, or to keep her company if she doesn’t want to speak. It’s comforting.
She’s not sure when she speaks, it’s somewhere between staring up at the stars, and looking at the shiny dew covering the grass of the hills behind UA.
“I’m not ready.”
 Or, with graduation right around the corner, Momo has a conversation with Iida about what growing up means.
~~~
Azure’s fics:
A Helping Hand for All by azureskyy
Izuku doesn't know why everyone's talking about a certain hero analyst online. He's tried browsing through the forums and other sites, but he just can't find the person they're talking about.
Maybe he'll ask them later. For now, he has some analysis to do.
Or: Izuku is a well-known hero and quirk analyst across multiple social media platforms.
Not that he's aware of it, of course.
A Missed Chance
Two paths cross then diverge. In another universe, perhaps, they could have walked on the same path; they could have talked for the second time that day, and Izuku could have been given an opportunity that could change his entire life. And maybe, just maybe, he would have taken it.
But this isn’t that universe.
Or: What if All Might wasn't able to find Izuku after the Sludge Villain Incident?
~~~
Alice’s fics:
A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by @makeitbluue (x)
“Did you think you’d be safe from me forever? That you could chip away at my power base and I would not care or try to hunt you down?” The man asks as he steps forwards.
Izuku scrambles backwards in his bed, searching the covers as he goes for his phone. If he can get a text off to All Might or Aizawa-sensei he can alert people to the potential danger.
But even as he moves, something in the back of his mind tells him he had heard this voice before. A different time, a different context, but the same voice.
~~~
Ely’s fics:
bend and break by @queenangst (x)
In a world where you can feel your soulmate's pain, Eijirou spends a lot of his life up until meeting his soulmate hurting.
draw and quarter
In District Twelve, no one volunteers.
When Aizawa Shouta’s name is called, no one says a word. He stands there for a moment, feeling all the world slow around him, and then he straightens his shoulders and walks to his death.
He will die fighting. At the very least, Shouta can promise that.
Shouta's name is drawn for the Hunger Games, alongside Shirakumo Oboro. No one from their district has ever won.
damage control
After All for One's defeat, Aizawa Shouta is grasping for ways to protect his students. At the same time, a discrepancy in Midoriya's behavior leads Shouta down a dangerous line of investigation and to a single question: if Midoriya is the U.A. traitor.
Between the Wind and the Water
Staying at U.A. for winter break, Izuku hopes it'll be a quiet chance to spend the holidays with Todoroki and supervising teachers All Might and Aizawa-sensei.
It's just his luck a gift-shopping trip turns into a gift from a villain, and Izuku's new Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk is not so easy to control. Neither are the secrets he's been carefully keeping.
a glimpse of tomorrow (looking back)
Subject: Aldera Time Capsule Ceremony Forwarded Message— This year marks ten years for the Aldera Middle School graduating class of 20XX.To celebrate, we would like to invite pro heroes Kingpin and Deku, Aldera alumni, to participate in a public time-capsule opening. We are incredibly proud to have helped them on their journeys to becoming heroes, and would be most honored to receive them as guests and for them to speak at the ceremony. [...]
"Well," Deku says, leaning over to turn the monitor towards him. His eyes flick over the contents of the email one more time. "If they haven't changed, then I guess we could return the favor."
Ten years down the line, Bakugou and Midoriya are invited to a time capsule ceremony at their middle school to read letters from their past selves, and look back on their past and how it shaped their future. For anyone else, it would have been a celebration.
For the two of them, it's an opportunity.
A look into Bakugou and Midoriya's past—through a future neither of them imagined—as pro heroes, agency partners, and friends.
of the mighty heart
It was just complicated. Kacchan had changed. Izuku had changed. What was between them was constant—Kacchan was always there—but even constants, Izuku supposed, could change, too.
...You saved me, sometimes you say Deku and it doesn’t sound so much like an insult, you say it like you mean it, you say it like you mean me.
After the war ends and the dust settles, Izuku is left in pain and feeling useless. There's still so much to do and people to save, and it's just... too much for one person.
And then there's Kacchan.
~~~
Fawn’s fics:
Bough Breaks by @fawnvelveteen (x) (trigger warning for discussion of rape/noncon)
In life, nothing is certain. Pro-heroes aren’t always the good guys. Children are not spared from the darkest realms of humanity. Izuku isn't acting like his normal self at school lately, and his homeroom teacher has taken notice. After learning about the mother’s new, unwelcomed boyfriend, Aizawa’s concern shifts into dread. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep his student away from harm.
Almost Moon (trigger warning for suicide) (Black Clover)
It was always at night. One of Noelle's squadmates, apparently, believes it's a good idea to walk across the rooftop, directly over her head while she is trying to get some sleep. Finally, she decides to confront the nighttime nuisance. What she discovers is something she never expected, nor did she wish to see.
~~~
Nez’s fics:
The True Successor by @neko-nez (x)
Toshinori is caught in a time loop.
~~~
Aodh’s fics:
new game + (the pros of being over-leveled, the catharsis of finally beating That One Boss, and a bonus social link) by @takeyamayuu (x)
Izuku hasn’t been noticed yet, being as far from the fight as he is. Or if he has, they’re dismissing him in favor of the larger threat of Aizawa-sensei. As they should, since he takes out the last one with a well placed kick, turning to face Shigaraki,
Izuku tenses, this is-
This is where his teacher’s arm is injured and then-
The Nomu.
One for All spikes to around fifty percent, his muscles stinging, bones creaking as Izuku darts forward, aiming for Shigaraki’s head with an axe-kick.
Second year Midoriya Izuku gets hit with a Quirk, skids into the USJ, and learns a little about self-care along the way.
~~~
Ghost’s fics:
fingerpaint bruises and a kick in the teeth by @ghoststrawberries (x)
There’s a sour taste in Shouta’s mouth as he stares at Jackrabbit’s bright smile. The smile he’s wearing in every clear photo of him. It somewhat reminds Shouta of All Might’s smile.
Jackrabbit might be a menace to the Commission, but there’s no way Shouta can believe that a man with that smile is anything less than good to his core.
“And I’m your last resort to handle this quietly.” He says knowingly, keeping his thoughts to himself.
“Precisely.”
Shouta’s gut response is to refuse.
The words “I don’t kill.” are halfway up his throat before they become stuck.
As an underground hero, sometimes Shouta Aizawa is called upon to do darker jobs than one might expect a hero to have to do. This time, when he's tasked with taking out a vigilante who's managed to bother the Hero Public Safety Commission one too many times, he's not sure he'll be able to follow through.
~~~
Amira’s fics:
And Now I See Daylight by @awake-my-oceans (x)
AnalysisOverload Current mood: HERO CON HERO CON HERO CON HERO CON
AnalysisOverload reblogged AnalysisOverload  Okay, let’s talk HeroCon. 
Look around, and you’ll see a lot of discrimination—against people whose Quirk is debilitating, against people whose Quirks scare us, against people who have trouble controlling their Quirk, against people who don’t have a Quirk at all. It’s easy to feel alone in a sea of discrimination.
Enter HeroCon:X.
A social media fic following Deku post-graduation.
The chaotic neutral’s guide to time travel
“You claim you are from the future,” Nedzu said, hopping onto his desk. “Do you have anything to prove this?”
Hitoshi fished around in his pocket. “Here’s my hero license,” he said, holding it up.
Nedzu opened his mouth, but Hitoshi kept right on going, producing a handful of odds and ends from his pocket. “Also a movie ticket, some dryer lint, some, uh, didn’t know I still had that but it’s old gum—“
That was when Aizawa walked in, capture weapon floating around him. “What’s the emergency?” he asked, clipped, as he kicked open the door.
“—and the left arm of a Deku plushie,” Hitoshi finished, unruffled. “My cat ate the rest.”
~~~
Aaaaaand that’s all I got. Thanks for making it to the end!
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kuboism · 3 years
Text
Bleach Canon Vs. Studio Clown Episode 1
Intro to the series
WARNING: Long read but theres plenty of pictures
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The first deviation we’re greeted with is what the anime presents as the arrival of hollows into the human world. With a likely artistic rendition of them forming from the shadows of Hueco Mundo and dripping/bleeding over into the human world like splotches of ink, after which they disappear - unable to be perceived by humans.
A/N: Which, kubos to the anime, is rather neat.
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The anime also decided to incorporate the first volume poem which is the thematic beginning and a great establisher of the mood/themes of Bleach, which roughly translates to: 
我らは 姿無きが故に それを畏れ
“We fear that which cannot be seen”
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And then they curiously add a line to this poem? 
姿無き故に敬う
”We revere that which cannot be seen"
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A/N: Which, initially seems on brand with the spiritualism of that “which is not seen” - the shinigami, DEATH itself if you will. However, unlike the themes of “fear” and “fear of death/the unseen”, “reverence” is not really a theme prevalent or definitive for bleach. Reverence is not particularly reserved for death or death gods, but antagonists with themes of divinity/the Soul King himself, but I digress.
Next off the bully scene has a couple of missing/reworded lines, as well as some of the delivery changed, but overall it’s not significant enough to mention.
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I also wish they’d kept Ichigo’s shit yourself scary face from this moment right here, since it really underlines how serious and personally invested Ichigo is in bringing small justice to the souls of the departed, but I can only pray a future remake does include it.
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^ I am disappointed in y’all :/
vs.
v Karma delivery, bitch
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Then for some reason the next scene is changed significantly:
In the manga, it builds up slowly to Ichigo’s reveal of supernatural abilities with the iconic TM character profile intros (which I can see why weren’t recreated in the anime, but I sure wish they put them in....)
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with him spooking the bullies off with the ghost girl right behind him
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Versus his scary face doing the job instead.....
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It’s a small change, and I can see why it would be opted for - we don’t really know if they even saw the ghost in the first place (then again you could argue that would spook them anyway). There is a tonal difference in the long run though. The manga emphasizes once again *why* ichigo is scolding them in the first place - he sees the people disrespected by them knocking down the vase, he wants them to acknowledge their actions *because* in his mind, there are real victims he knows from it. While in the anime, since the ghost is not yet introduced, it feels more like “you are disrespectful to the dead” in a more generalized way vs. him actually being acquainted with the dead and treating them like the living. 
(Again, not sure why change it so much at all........the suspense and reveal are in the manga just the same.... but ok)
As well as cutting off this small moment where you can see Ichigo’s very human (and cute!) interactions with the ghosts. To him they’re just as real as the living, and he lends them a hand whenever they ask for help.
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Also lmfao this 4kids level of censorship.....
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It goes on rather faithfully for a while, no significant omissions, then Pierrot decides to randomly replace Yuzu’s lines with Karin??
Manga:
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Anime: 
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Which is an odd choice, given that not only does Yuzu sense ghosts just fine (albeit at a much lesser level than her family) and that later comes into play with Fishbone & Grandfisher, but Karin literally later admits that she doesn’t even want to acknowledge their presence, so why the change....?
They also cut short Karin’s little talk about Ichigo’s stats, which is a fair change for screentime’s sake, but mentioned for the record.
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There’s a bit of a divergence with Yuzu lore, when the manga explicitly states she sees them, but not “clearly”, the anime focuses on her barely sensing them. I guess it doesn’t matter that much in the long run, since she is not that prevalent in the story, but it’s here for the record nonetheless.
Anime: 
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vs. 
Manga:A
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Also this next bit was removed, probably for the sake of pacing (which, totally fair!!), but it’s funny and I love the Kurosaki family so here it is:
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It does make the flow a bit better in the manga, since this talk of selling his talents distracts Ichigo and creates an opening for his father to strike, in the anime, the same is done with Ichigo just randomly saying 
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and thats where his father attacks him, which isnt really an issue, just kind of funny of how the manga is like:
Ichigo’s distracted by his sisters plotting to sell him out and hence Isshin has his chance to strike back
vs the anime being like:
Ichigo randomly thinks about dinner mid convo about ghosts and thats what distracts him from play-fighting with his dad 
gfdkhlgfdg okayyyy....moving on 
In the manga this scene is interspliced with Ichigo’s inner monologue about the nature of his powers (with hip jargon like “for real” courtesy of Viz ) 
(but my beef with Viz translations are for another day)
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Also the line about “He told me more ghosts than ever have been haunting me” has been given to Karin for some reason, probably to make her feel more included in the scene/Ichigos life.
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Notably, Isshin’s response is changed from “What?! He talks about stuff like that with you (Yuzu, singular)” to “What?! He talks about stuff like that with you guys?” as well, again probably to include Karin more into the dialogue. (Mmmm ok....)
Minor detail, but Karin’s lines has been changed to more “boyish” speech structure in the Japanese dub, which may seem insignificant, but ...... that is for later. 
.....
This little exchange
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 is replaced with: 
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Which, seems innocuous adaptation differences, but Yuzu’s lines keep decreasing and it’s a short enough moment to like....include and establish how motherly Yuzu is acting towards Ichigo.....but ok...huh. 
And now we get into the big boy changes.
So, probably for the sake of grounding the supernatural element of the series, the anime decided to skip time to the next morning and introduce the hollow attacks with a news report.
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Which.....is an interesting choice. I am assuming this is addressing how the real world perceives the hollow attacks, which Bleach doesn’t put too much effort into addressing, but very soon after this we learn about stuff like memory replacement and other various technology to keep things under wraps so this is either redundant or implying that shinigamis have not been doing their job, which hm......
Next off is the bizarre choice to paint Isshin out of the picture for the night
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Not sure why, but ok
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Again, where’s the shinigami with their Kikanshinki (memory replacement devices)??? Pierrot where’s the lore coherence......
Anyway, Ichigo goes to replace the girl’s vase, but suprise-surprise she’s gone-zo. Wonder what happened to her.....
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(And....again, people vehemently don’t want a reboot when the anime looks like this? )
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So Ichigo hears a scream and a hollow scream and follows the sound (Ok?).
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Totally random hollows attack. Which Ichigo somehow has never seen so far? Mind you, this isn’t like in the manga, where Fishbone was sent by Aizen specifically after Ichigo to make him aware of it. These are random-ass hollows attacking people, so how come Ichigo suddenly sees them. Ya coulda played it safe Pierrot, and stuck to the book, but we got plot inconsistencies episode one so let’s party.
The girl is, of course, not eaten and they run away.
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She trips at the most inconvenient moment. (can ghosts trip? Ghost don’t even have legs in japanese lore and Kubo draws them floating around so okkkkkkkk)
(ok ok, im just being petty, bUT YKNOW)
(convenient tripping on deadass levelled ground is convenient)
(also God I really want that bag Ichigo’s got on his shoulder, it looks so nice)
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Random-ass hollow closes in and 
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BOOM
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Rukia
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(Now, if the rest of Bleach and the manga didn’t exist I would like this moment. We get a glimpse into Rukia’s abilities, into shinigami as a concept and we don’t really get to see her slice and dice hollows that much overall so the moment itself is rad in isolation.
Now, unfortunately for Pierrot’s screenwriters, Bleach manga exists and so does it’s lore, which again, would not be inconsistent with each other if the adapation was faithful. Now, Ichigo sees a shinigami, for some reason, for the first time in his 15 years of life. All of a sudden. 
You could argue, that much like in the manga, this is all part of Aizen’s plan TM, but like, she literally leaves right after leaving Ichigo gaping in awe ghfkjgdf. Why’d Aizen give him an appetizer, I really don’t understand how this change is benefitting the narrative in any way. It’s ....dare I say....generic.)
Rukia yeets the hollow
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(why is this kid suddenly not wearing shoes?)
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and goes off on her merry way, leaving Ichigo shooketh
ALSO RUKIA MA’AM THERES A FUCKING STRAY GHOST RIGHT AT YOUR RIGHT????? ISNT IT YOUR LIKE....JOB.......... TO HELP GHOSTS MOVE ON??? i know killing hollows is the fun part, but like ghjkfdlgfd ??? are you gonna ignore her???
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( his fucking face ghfjdkgdlfgfd)
So after this wholeass pointless detour (you’ll see why it’s pointless in a moment)  we timeskip again (the filler is strong in this one. These 6 minutes were worth not coming up with something cohesive and removing scenes that actually make sense ah yes)
Ichigo is in deep thought TM about who tf is the stranger he’d just seen. Likely mulling over the monsters and how this person was able to slay said monsters. Probably thinking how unusual they are.
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and as if on cue
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the stranger makes their presence once more
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(my God these faces gfhgkldfg)
....
Now let’s briefly address what happens in the manga instead.
Instead of the whole timeskip scene with the fight, Ichigo simply returns to his room on the same day, and oddly enough recognizes the species of the butterfly he sees? (nerdy boi! nerdy!! boi!)
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rukia arrives much the same
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(With the little text emphasizing how he’d never been aware of soul reapers, which is unsurprising given their secrecy, and makes sense in the long run since their first meeting is specifically orchestrated by Aizen. Two species that werent meant to interact brought together by his schemes.)
Back to the anime:
Ichigo pauses to ponder who tf they are and why the fuck they’re there.
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and then the anime has the gall to suddenly revert to sticking to the manga, which like.... Ichigo kicks her for no reason? I guess because she isn’t answering? Even though Ichigo knows she has a sword and can wield it? Reckless boy.
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Manga Ichigo thinks she’s a burglar, therefore, unsurprisingly, is comfortable kicking her outta his house. It’s a silly moment, but it also shows how accustomed or stupidly brave he is with the supernatural.
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In the anime Ichigo asks her who she is instead of all that, and she responds pretty similarly to the manga
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AND THE NEXT SCENE IS WHERE IT CLICKS WHY THEY WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO REMOVE ISSHIN FROM THE HOUSE.
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(Ichigo and Rukia addressing the pointless filler, this leads nowhere)
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Rukia check him out like she’s checking if the oranges on sale dont have mold on them 
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slapstick ensues
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and Rukia decides to answer his question.
Vs. the manga in which Isshin doesn’t leave his children home alone for some random conference and is actually used very efficient for two reasons:
1) building up on the burglar gag with actually funny slapstick that is based on a previously established joke
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2) Instead of Rukia just saying “oh usually people can’t see me”, we get an actual demonstration of it, the reader gets to see “oh Isshin can’t see her - she must be a spiritual entity,” which further clicks with her surprised reaction at him being able to kick her in the first place.
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The next scene is the classique Pierrot censorship.
Ghost girl runs away from what I’m assuming is Fishbone.
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Aside from not showing her get eaten, the scene is pretty much delivering the same message, 
bUT
BECAUSE OF THE STUPID ASS FILLER WITH THEM MEETING RUKIA BEFORE THIS, I CAN ACCUSE RUKIA OF NEGLIGENCE.
UNLIKE THE MANGA, where Rukia arrives the night before and is specifically seeking Fishbone, therefore having no time to help this girl pass away, 
This vvvvvvv
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could have been prevented if SOMEONE DID THEIR FUCKING JOB THE DAY BEFORE VVVVVVV
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(I rest my case. Thank you Pierrot for making Rukia either negligent or an idiot. Awesome, And mind you, these changes were unnecessary. The manga’s pacing is fine. They could’ve extended scenes. But nope, had to go for making them meet beforehand.)
Anyway, we get to see some actual stakes in the manga
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The next scene which is this in the manga 
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has two changes to it. Firstly, obviously Isshin being consoled by Yuzu isn’t included since he isn’t home in the anime, and even if he were, I can see why that would be removed, cute as it may be.
And secondly, due to them having met prior Ichigo asks two additional questions:
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And Rukia nods at both, which means she acknowledges that she had seen the girl the hollow was after and yet did nothing to help her pass on. 
(Reminder the Bleach anime was in production WAAAAY past the first 4 volumes, which gave a good general idea of the series, which y’know, was fine to adapt as is.
You’ll see these changes add up into becoming inconsistent with further Bleach lore. There’s a reason people call Bleach a hot mess, and I’m afraid Kubo ain’t really it.)
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(Volume 14 Note from Kubo where he talks about the anime being announced)
Back to the series
Pet peeve time: Wish the anime was half as expressive as the manga
These scenes are supposed to represent
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This panel:
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(Nitpicking? Perhaps, but idc)
So uh, this scene is odd
Again, because of the addition of that filler with the hollow
Ichigo has seen her in action
And they even added Rukia trying to convince him 
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even though, yknow???
LITerally the previous day???
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Anyway  in the manga, where Ichigo has reason to be distrustful of her and her claims since y’know hes never seen her or a shinigami in action, but has enough proof that she’s a ghost bc his dad didn’t see her, he simply dismisses her before she can reply, and instead of just getting angry for being called a pipsqueak
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she shows both Ichigo and the audience proof of her spiritual powers by binding Ichigo and forcing him to quietly listen to her explanations.
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(To reiterate - Anime Rukia  has to verbally try to convince Ichigo WHO SAW HER FIGHT A HOLLOW THE OTHER DAY that shes no ordinary ghost. And because of that, she has no other reason to use Sai on him other than that shes mad she was called a pipsqueak bc she just tried to verbally convince him shei is a shinigami. When they could just adapt the manga and have her both demonstrate her powers and put him in his place at the same time. Wild.)
Also CRIMINALLY BORING SHOT, WITH CRIMINALLY BORING RUKIA
#NotMyRukia
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LOOK AT THE MANGA
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LOOK AT HER SMUGLY OWNING ICHIGO’S IGNORANT ASS #FuckYeahRukia
Also the subs may not show it if you’re watching it on Netflix, but anime Rukia says “I am not allowed to lay my hands on humans outside orders,” which like, you ARE LITERALLY DOING THAT. Manga Rukia is fine with bullying Ichigo, but she draws a line at killing him, but man Anime Rukia, you give no fucks about the laws huh.
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why so cheerful?
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(also Rukia be right tho)
(specifcally compared to hell you could say Soul society is a resftul place lmfao)
Also anime salary man gets to rest in peace, even like, pray and shit
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Meanwhile the manga
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YEET TO SOUL SOCIETY
(also notice how we’ve been robbed of ichigo’s silly socks
I swear the anime knows how to suck the soul out of the manga 
Get it? Soul! haha ....moving on.)
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Really Rukia? One of your jobs?
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GUESS YOU WERE OFF DUTY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I’M SORRY BUT LIKE, SEE HOW POINTLESS THIS FILLER IS UGH!!!)
(Again pet peeve but look at how ugly this screen is COMPARED TO THE MANGA)
(What have they done to you, queen)
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(also they never mention the name Konso ( or as Viz calls it here -”soul funeral”, thanks Viz)
Next on, not a pet peeve, but an observation:
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Anime Rukia keeps her sketchbook in her kimono
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Manga Rukia keeps it at the titty
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Yep, which you neglected to do the day before,
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she literally says “With the konso I did just a  moment ago” like she used the word before. Like you can contextually get it, but why cut that line out of the dialogue if you don’t change the next line it’s referenced in?
There’s also a dialogue change from the manga’s well, Viz uses “vaporize” which is not a bad choice given the specific wording Kubo uses, but the original says 
昇華 • 滅却
sublimate/convert • extinguish
which is a clever little nod/foreshadowing to the nature of souls in bleach and that they can be “converted” in and out of a hollowfied state. 
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While the anime just says “to slay hollows”, and albeit it lacks the little nod the manga has to offer, I can’t see how they’d include it in the anime at that stage so I’m fine with them simplifying it to like, an exorcism.
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A better question then Rukia - WHY DIDN’T YOU SEND OFF HER SOUL????
also WAIT THE GIRL IS STILL ALIVE?? she’s dead-dead by this point in the manga.
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BULLSHIT !!!  YOU LITERALLY EXPLAIN LATER WHY!! ACTUALLY YOU EXPLAINED EARLIER WHY!!! YOU LITERALLY SAID THIS, 1 MINUTE AGO :
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Anyway, Fishbone almost grants her the priviledge of escaping this God-awful anime, but is suddenly stopped?
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AND CAN TALK??
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wait WHY DOES FISHBONE TALK?? GHFJD isnt this supposed to be  a juicy reveal for later when Ichigo realizes “hey theyre not actual complete monsters - but used to be humans!” Hm, ok.
Also leaves her alone? Damn ok...
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Reminder:
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Moooving on...
Speaking of the manga, this little moment is missing:
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Since there is no pointless filler that would make him ask about the ghost girl therefore exposing Rukia’s slacking off of her duty, Ichigo realizes that there must be a hollow nearby bc in the manga he actually has braincells to spare. 
Also wiping off the Baron’s moustache moment is gone 😢
Missing and dearly missed is also this moment, which consolidates how protective Ichigo is of his family. He only needs to hear Yuzu scream to click that the hollow is nearby and his family is in danger. I feel like anime Ichigo should be even more worried since his sisters are alone but ok??
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Also foreshadows their dynamic of Rukia trying to stop his reckless attempts at pushing himself to protect his family, bc yknow....she has her own Kaien trauma to process.
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Next off....
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This is .... a choice....
They were very eager to give Yuzu’s lines to Karin just a couple of moments ago but now this whole exchange:
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Where we see a very pragmatic yet soft side of Karin
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She doesn’t know what is happening, and doesn’t expect her brother to fight it - he just wants him to be safe, because she loves her family. At least warn him before it gets to him and hurts him.
is replaced with this:
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Yuzu, sweetie, what do you think he can do to achieve that.
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I guess at least Anime Ichigo tries to get Rukia to do her job as she looks down on Yuzu in silence. 
But compare it to the manga:
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#MyRukia stops by Karin to check for a pulse and reassures Ichigo that his sister is alive.
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Manga Ichigo is NUMBER ONE oniichan in town and doesnt have time to call out to a stranger to save his family - HES BEYOND READY TO GO FIGHT, RECKLESS AS IT IS, EVEN THOUGH HIS OWN FAMILY BEGS HIM TO JUST RUN. because he cant let himself be unable to protect them. He cant live with himself if he doesnt try his darnest to protect them.
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*elevator music playing as ichigo tries to get rukia’s attention but she fucks off downstairs, but instead of doing shit he just does the worm on the floor*
which I guess is more realistic for a teenage boy, but Ichigo is literally traumatized by being unable to protect a family member. Y’all think a ghost he’s never seen before is gonna stop him? 
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Yooo, pathetic. #NotMyIchigo
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ninakaina · 3 years
Text
for once i WILL make a long analysis post no one asked for. p2 bad grief and his friendship with artemy below + p2 and classic changeling spoilers. let’s try to be serious about him for just a minute and forget about his giant pores and ugg boots i have no agenda i prommy
i know i’m not alone in thinking that bad grief’s relationship with his friends is one of the most interesting and telling aspects of his character in p2. for a liar, he’s extremely loyal. a lot of people have talked about how he comes through to protect rubin despite their differences, so it’s obvious how much he cares. lara also includes him in her confession, meaning she has reason to believe that he would try to give himself up to help her just as much as artemy and rubin, who it’s a lot easier to imagine doing something like that. he’s also a person constantly looking for acceptance, not by society, but by the people around him-- we learn this from his reflection, who also tells us how much artemy’s perception of him in particular matters to him. 
unlike stakh and lara, he isn’t angry with artemy at any point in the story, even if artemy kills piecework, and doesn’t lash out at him even in the cathedral. he doesn’t seem particularly angry with stakh or lara either; what bothers him most is that they haven’t accepted him (“gravel-hearted lara won’t even look at me”). i think an important difference is that he’s watched stakh and lara grow up and grow away from him. the core of what distinguishes his relationship with artemy from his relationship with stakh and lara is very simply the difference between reuniting with a friend you haven’t seen in years due to them moving away or going to a different school or whatever vs a friend you’ve spent years growing apart from-- there’s no inherently saying that you’re more compatible with the separated friend (although yeah, there’s a lot to be said about artemy being the glue that held their group together), but you see them still as the person they were when they left, and there’s an instinct to jump right back in to the relationship as it was. since that’s the last you remember of them, that past is current in your memory, as opposed to being clouded by everything that came after the sort of halcyon days of youth. grief seems a lot more sentimentally attached to the gang’s past than stakh and lara. in part i think this is because he’s a childish person, but i think it’s also tied to that desire for acceptance. 
when artemy shows up in grief’s nest, the first thing grief does is compare him to how he used to be-- specifically in a way that encourages denial. whether it’s an intentional choice or not, saying “you’re different now; you’ve gone soft” begs the answer “i haven’t gone soft”, with the implied “i’m not different”. similarly, through saying something along the lines of “could that be my old friend? no, you’ve changed,” grief ties artemy’s past identity to their friendship, such that engaging in their friendship is a return to youth. and there is a return to something; as much as artemy and grief trade half-insults, right from the beginning their conversations lack nearly all the tension and resentment in artemy’s early conversations with lara and stakh, and they have a good give-and-take in the way they talk to each other. there’s also a strong contrast here with artemy’s first conversation with lara, in which the first thing lara does is bring up how long he’s been gone, and stakh’s first words to him-- “why did you come? finally thought of some good excuses?” grief puts less emphasis on artemy’s absence than on hoping he’s come back, and less on how things have changed in the town than how things have changed with artemy. i’m talking a lot about it because it’s such a weird exchange, on the line between joking and heartfelt (”you’re no fun. aren’t you happy to see an old friend?” “oddly enough, i am”)
the other important thing that happens before-aglaya is their little railroad field trip. this is a weird moment. the plot itself doesn’t make a lot of logical sense as far as grief’s actions. artemy comes to grief asking to blow up the railroad tracks. grief doesn’t want to blow up the railroad tracks. grief agrees to blow up the railroad tracks, shows up to the railroad tracks, and tells artemy he’s not going to blow up the railroad tracks. and nothing really happens. the player can choose to just sit with him. if it’s a joke, it’s not very funny, and grief doesn’t seem like he’s in a joking mood. you’d kind of imagine he would just say no, or if he wants to send artemy on a wild goose chase he just wouldn’t show up. it’s not like there’s another dynamite supplier artemy would go to. for me, the explanation comes in what artemy says when he asks for the dynamite. the dialogue option that unlocks the event is “why not? let’s do it together. just like the good old days.”
aglaya is a force of maturation, a catalyst of coming-of-age. some of my friends were just talking about how in classic, she says she thinks the powers that be hated her because she wanted them to grow up. i don’t actually think this is a change with the force she represents in p2; she’s tied to a transformative stage of psychological development that deals with questioning authority and the established order of things. in p2 her power is most tangibly illustrated in her effect on bad grief. 
when artemy asks, just like the good old days (and one of the ways he can ask for the dynamite is through reminiscing about their old games and saying he’s feeling sentimental), everything about grief draws him to help. he wants to help his friend, he wants to protect himself, he wants things to be like they used to. but in the shadow of inquisition, he’s starting to mature, and to realize that things can’t stay the same. he’s starting to embrace the future, and i think he wants to face that future head-on with artemy, who has basically re-accepted him, which is why he makes the plans and shows up. he can’t resist going, but he knows better than to bring the dynamite.
their relationship gets more complicated as grief moves into the cathedral. in the conversation that begins with “we need to escape, cub. escape.”, he tries to outline his new philosophy. unlike immortell, grief isn’t concerned with mortality, but with humanity, and he’s become convinced that the only way to become human is to leave-- but he doesn’t leave, because artemy doesn’t leave. he doesn’t say he needs to escape, he says they need to escape. there are two explanations i can think of for this, and i think the truth might be a combination of the two. it’s possible that on some level, he recognizes, like aglaya, that artemy is the only character with some kind of agency. the only way grief would be able to leave the town is through artemy’s agency, although in practice artemy’s agency is limited to make that impossible (no option to agree). still, artemy has what grief calls an “inner freedom”, which he both envies and admires. it’s all pretty similar to aglaya’s fascination with artemy, except more familiar. grief has always known this of artemy, he’s just starting to put it into perspective. it also seems possible to me that grief just doesn’t want to leave without artemy. he exists best in the context of others, as he deals in the web of connections between people; he isn’t one to strike out on his own. the only time we see him alone is at the signal fire by the railroad, waiting for artemy.
artemy has, gives, or represents everything grief wants and doesn’t get: acceptance, a return to youth, and freedom. in the nocturnal ending, grief outlines (if you get lucky i guess) one other thing artemy has that he doesn’t: “a good, honest face”. in the diurnal ending, artemy still struggles to understand what the fuck grief is talking about, but their relationship leaves off on a hopeful note that one day he will. idk i don’t know how to end this there’s just literally so much to think about here
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dzamie-oc · 3 years
Text
14 - Sea
I just... I really like that "here there be dragons" thing, okay? It got the imaginations of old timey bards and seafaring boasters going, and it gets me thinking about dragons, too.
Length: 1600 words Rating: G Summary: A sailor goes exploring in what he thinks are uncharted waters. He finds them perfectly charted.
-----
William checked his boat’s navigator against the old map spread on the table. It wasn’t a treasure map, and a lot of the handwriting on it was barely this side of legible, but it was one of his father’s most prized possessions, and he intended to finish it. The old man had always insisted to him that it already had been, but Will was no fool. Written on the space just - he checked his speed - just five minutes away was, in large script, “Here There Be Dragons.” He’d tried to explain to his dad that that was what old cartographers would write in unexplored areas, where the unknown was speculated to have fantastical, unreal beasts, but all that ever got him was a condescending smile and a shake of his head.
He wasn’t going to deface the map, of course; he was raised better than to mistreat old heirlooms. He was, however, going to fill in the region on a copy he’d made. Probably with some little doodles of fish, unless an island popped up real soon. Until then, of course, there was little reason not to enjoy the salty sea air, so Will set the navigation computer and strolled out onto the deck to watch and listen to the waves.
The sun shone splendidly down with only a few clouds in the sky, and its light glittered off the wide, open waters. Will half wished he’d brought some fishing equipment, though admitted to himself that it would mostly be there for habit - an excuse to just sit back and relax while pretending not to be wasting time. After motoring to the middle of the “Here There Be Dragons,” noting the surprisingly shallow depth on the fathometer, and anchoring his vessel, the amateur sailor went around the deck, trying to see anything of note in the area. He thought he caught a glimpse of a fish over one side, but other than that, nothing, after the better part of half an hour. 
He made a note of the somewhat shallow water on his map, and went to draw the anchor back up. However, the thought of relaxing in calm waters tugged at his mind, so he stayed his hand and instead settled himself in a chair outside the cabin. After all, he reasoned, he had budgeted ample time to explore an uncharted island or a somehow still-floating derelict, so he might as well use it for a nap. And like that, to the sounds of the waves ebbing and flowing atop the water, and gently slapping against the boat’s hull, he let himself fall asleep.
“...rwater? Captain Bradley? Is that you? Wow, time has been good to you!” a female voice said, rousing William from sleep.
Groggy, the sailor stretched, then squinted towards the voice, shading his eyes with his hand. ���Miss? Who... why are you out so far? There’s nothing here.”
The voice made a confused noise. “Hm? I live here, don’t you remember? Oh no, did you somehow lose your memory?”
William shook his head. “Gimme a second, here.” He rose from his chair and stumbled slightly, catching himself on what felt like damp leather. “Thanks, but ma’am, you’re soaked!” Finally, he was able to clear his vision and adjust to the sunlight once again, and nearly fainted dead away at the sight.
“Well, SOME of us swim through the water,” said the scaly, blue-green... creature. One forepaw was outstretched to keep William balanced, and her hindlegs were easily a dozen feet past that. She resembled an eel, with her long body and her even longer tail, sporting a single fin down her length, and her head was almost avian with its triangular shape and beak-like muzzle, except she was absolutely covered in scales, and sported a single horn right below her eyes. The shape of her face didn’t lend itself to smiling, and nor do many animals express themselves with a smile, but the tone of her voice told him plainly of her happy, playful attitude.
Will realized he was staring, and tried to figure out whether it was more important that he was staring at a very large, potentially carnivorous creature with claws and what must be a powerful tail, or staring for an awfully long time at someone who thought she was familiar with him. Before he could come to a conclusion, however, the creature drew back and veritably strutted about the deck, striking a pose and showing off the profile of her horned head. “Hey, I hardly blame you for looking, when what you’ve got to look at is a dragoness as beautiful as me. But, seriously, are you okay, Bradley? You’ve hardly said a word.”
“Sorry, who do you think I am? I’ve never been out here,” Will admitted, then took a careful step towards the cabin. “Please don’t kill me.”
“You’re not Captain Bradley Clearwater?” the dragon asked, “then... why do you have his boat? And look just like him?”
“No, I’m William Clearwater,” he replied, half out of habit, “Bradley was my fa-”
The two of them stopped and stared at each other in shocked silence as the pieces clicked into place.
“Bradley had a kid!?” she shouted and rushed towards Will. “And he didn’t TELL me!?”
Will, to his credit, displayed a phenomenal reaction time, diving away from the lunging sea monster. Peering out from the cabin door, he saw her hesitate, then take a step back. “Also, uh,” she said with less energy than earlier, “I’m not going to kill you. Or, well, I’d rather not. Decency aside, Bradley would be pissed if I killed his kid.”
The sailor took a tentative step out of the cabin, though stayed close by and warily eyed the dragon. “Okay, first thing’s first, I’m dreaming, right? Fell asleep on the open ocean, and my mind is making up some sort of benevolent sea monster who knows my dad?”
The creature shook her head. “I don’t think so, unless you’ve been asleep for longer than you’ve been alive. I’m just one of the only dragons who let humans see us. How is Bradl- your dad, anyway? It’s been awhile.”
“He...” Will sighed. “He passed away a few years ago. That’s why I have his boat.”
“Oh. And you came to tell me the news?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t even know you existed - er, no offense. I just came because of a map he made that had been bugging me.”
“Ooh, a treasure map?” She stepped forward, her body lightly wiggling from nose to tail. “Can I see?”
Will looked at her still-wet body, and thought of the aged paper map. “I’ll... here, let me show you the copy I made. It’s not a treasure map.” He ducked in, grabbed his map from the table, and walked over, holding it so they both could see. “See, the only difference was that his map had a “Here There Be Dragons” in this empty spot, so I came to finish exploring.” He blinked, then looked at her. “Also, I don’t think I caught your name?”
“Well, if you were your dad, I wouldn’t have needed to tell you, so I haven’t yet. I’m Carol,” Carol said. “If that’s the only difference, I’d say it is a treasure map.”
“Wait, what?” Will stared frantically all over the map, looking for some hint or clue or anything that he might have missed, that Carol had somehow seen immediately. “How?”
“The real one says “Here There Be Dragons,” right?” She stepped back and raised a forepaw to her scaly chest, standing proud. “I’m the treasure!”
“No, it’s a shorthand that medieval cartographers used to represent... ah, nevermind.” Will smiled. “In that case, I think I’d like to get to know this treasure, at least for a couple of hours before I head back.”
“Awesome, I love talking about myself!” Carol chirped. “Plus, you definitely have to catch me up on the last... three hundred moons or so?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Will returned his map to the cabin, then emerged onto the deck once more to pass the time with his unexpected guest.
-----
Dragon and sailor spent the next few hours talking, teaching each other about their cultures, and just hanging out in general. By the time William had to leave, he had grown bold enough to ask if he could feel her scales - on purpose, this time, and Carol was more than happy to show him just where on her head to rub, and then joked that now, he was obligated to do that more, the next time he visited. After he said his goodbyes, Carol dove over the side of the boat and into the water. It surprised William, how little her leap made the boat rock back and forth, and what small splash she made, in spite of being easily four or five times as long as he was tall.
Carol helped lift the anchor, even though William tried to explain that it was an automatic thing now. Once it was all up, they bid farewell one last time, and then William started up the engine. With Carol keeping her neck and one forepaw above the water, the two waved at each other for a bit as they receded into their respective distances, and then the dragon vanished beneath the waves, leaving the man to his thoughts.
William looked at his map, thinking about his original plan for the trip - to prove to himself (and his father’s memory) that the map really was incomplete. He stared at the little mark he made on his map, noting the unexpectedly shallower waters he dropped anchor in. And, with a confident, humorous smile he suspected looked like the one his dad gave him whenever he brought up the old map, William put pen to paper, making sure to write in the correct place, and write legibly:
“Here There Be Dragons”
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amiramorozova · 3 years
Text
Soulmates? pt. 11
Pairing: Dual Summoner Amira Silina x Vampire Darkling General Kirigan/ Aleksander Morozova
wordcount: 1303
I realized while standing there with Baghra in the forest that she had lived a long life and my grandmother was probably around the same age as her if they had known each other when they were little girls. I wondered what that meant for me, for my father...he would outlive my mother. Grandmother would outlive my grandfather and even then we were here. The thought hurt me more than I cared to imagine it would.
I needed to figure out how to keep them both alive for as long as possible, any friends I would have I knew were only fleeting beings if they were human. The idea that Grisha aged so differently than humans still bothered me. I have attached to the idea of humanity something other Grisha could not understand. We lived such long lives and yet humans were just mortal and full of life. 
"You and my son are two different people, I don't see how he is your soulmate." Baghra said, snapping me out of my thoughts as I knew that was true. I sighed as I started to walk away just wanting to go home, I didn't care at the moment if I felt the tingling signaling that he was close. "Thank you for the training , Baghra." I said as I kept walking.
I don't know how far I went but I kept looking over my shoulder realizing I might have gone the wrong way. I thought I'd turned toward the house but instead, I was getting lost and it was getting dark. Every noise made me jump now cause I didn't know if I was close or not. I started to run faster as I soon bumped into someone looking up meeting his gaze. I was afraid at first but when I saw Aleksander I calmed down.
"Amira, you're out here in the forest. Do you know how dangerous it is?" Aleksander asked
I opened my mouth to say I was training with Baghra and I must have taken the wrong way but nothing came out. He sighed as he picked me up and then before I knew it we were outside my grandmother's house. I realized just how useful his powers were and I was thankful it was him and not someone else. "Be more careful next time." Aleksander said 
I knew that I needed to be careful but as he led me to the door I was quiet. I had a feeling something in the woods was watching me in the shade. Something that might be like him but didn't have the same power to get out in the sun. Grandmother Catalina answered the door and I went over to her as she hugged me. "Baghra said you got emotional and started leaving by the time she went after you she couldn't find you." Grandma Catalina said, then I felt her look behind me. "It's a good thing you were able to find her General, who knows what could have happened." 
"The woods are not safe for any Grisha, especially one with the power of sun. Were one of the vampires outside the fold they would want a taste of the blood that could give them time in the sun." Aleksander said to Grandma. I looked at him knowing he was the only vampire that I knew of outside of the fold that no one knew about except his mother. Maybe all these deaths were not all of him but he was unsure who it was either from the look. "Would you consider joining the 2nd army, Amira?" Aleksander asked 
He can't be serious? If I went there then I would leave everyone here with the sun in danger. I thought 
"No, not unless I don't have a choice." I said as Grandma left us to talk and since he'd already been invited I had no choice but to tolerate him. He stood where I could look at him "You don't get it, do you? Sunlight may harm them but you are a walking target being my soulmate." Aleksander said as I just wanted to refuse. "You're coming to the little palace where you can stay safe. You put the other sun summoners at risk if you keep staying and it won't be long that those who dislike me that are like this will kill all you care about till you're the last one standing." 
I was shocked hearing that but that made me reconsider a lot more than I was already going on. I needed to protect them but I didn't want to leave either because it felt like I was going to give up my freedom. "Fjerdans are hunting Grisha, you draw quite a lot of attention." Aleksander said as I sighed a bit. I'd heard of Fjerdan hunters looking for Grisha but then I heard someone walk-in "She's not going alone." Aidan said 
We both looked over at my brother knowing he was just a squaller but that was where his powers differed from mine. Adrian walked in as he was visiting with aunt Analise. "We want to protect her too but we can't do that if she leaves." Adrian said. I backed away as I remembered the fete and what happened. "No, I'll just go to another town and make due. I don't need your help or the little palace." I said 
"Amira, please. Your safety is important and the little palace is the best place.." Aleksander said as he reached for my wrist but I backed away. I knew what the shadow summoners were, living amplifiers and I didn't need that right now. "You saved me and for that I am grateful but no." I said
Looking at me I had never seen someone so annoyed by the fact I could refuse, I would lead and defend this family. I would face the Fjerdans and protect this house if I had to, they wouldn't be coming after this family. "You cannot do this alone." Aleksander said as Adian and Adrian got on each side of me. "She's not alone, she has us to help her." They said 
Aleksander was not threatened by my blood relatives but what he didn't like was the fact I was still holding strong to refuse to go to the little palace. We were not going to be dealing with the little palace. We were not his Grisha, we belonged to ourselves but he grabbed my hand pulling me to him. "I cannot lose you after finding you, I've waited so long for you and now you're within reach and yet you refuse." Aleksander said, "I built the little palace so people, our people could be safe and here you want to stay like this."
"Coming from someone who never changes his life and leads every time. I don't need your pity." I said with a slight glare as I was ok with being alone if that was how it had to be. "There is another party coming around, the annual masquerade party. Say you'll come and let me have a dance with you." Aleksander said as I knew he was not going to give up on having his soulmate and for now, I could humor him. "Fine, I will go." I said 
"Excellent, I'll be sending your dress for the event and then we can discuss more on your time." Aleksander said as noticed it was dark and kissed the top of my hand. "Good Night Amira, please get some sleep." I felt my heart twitch and knew we'd shared a kiss but that wasn't what bothered me. I was holding strong as I knew it was best this way. "Good night, have a safe trip back." I said as he left and I went to take a bath before heading to bed. 
Taglist: @lifeisingrey
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kaeyas-beloved · 3 years
Text
The Emperor’s Daughter in Wonderland
This is an IkeVamp/IkeRev crossover inspired by this post... I couldn’t resist myself.
I had this long note (this is still long though) about how I lost confidence because I read the notes on the original post and I thought I skipped over some huge points with the armies growing suspicious and some other things. Like there wouldn’t have been any real plot holes or anything but I still panicked for a moment (cause I thought people wouldn’t like what I wrote). But to sum up I think I fixed it and basically I focused more on the MC/Reader being the daughter of a suitor and the ‘it all goes down hill from there’ part of the original post - letting MC have the spot light because of that...And I also still tried to sprinkle in some general suitor romance (not a lot though cause it wasn’t the main focus) There are some dad!Napoleon moments too cause who doesn’t like it when the residents are dads
Still I hope who ever reads this still likes it! (Sorry if this isn’t good and I hyped you up for nothing...)
Warning(s): Descriptions of violence, injures, blood, roughly 5 swear words and potential OOCness because I haven’t finished all the IkeRev routes nor am I fully confident in writing Napo’s character...
~~~
Call it what you’d like, Napoleon could tell something was going to happen. 
Maybe it was just his protective fatherly side coming out for all to see, she is the only remaining family member he has left, his wife (her mother) gone along with his human life, but the ex-emperor knows better. 
It’s a gut feeling, something will happen.
The screech of Jupiter, who sat perched on a tree branch not too far away, alerted him that someone was coming. Looking over his shoulder towards the entrance of the mansion, out walked his daughter, satchel and coat in hand, a smile on her face.
“Finished saying goodbye?” Napoleon asked, stepping back from the horse he was petting. (Y/N) nodded, attaching the bag to the saddle of the horse.
“Yeah. Supposedly they’re all going to miss me? I don’t know why though. Even old man Leo said something about how ‘the passerotta is finally leaving the nest’.” she sighed, exasperated at the nickname the renaissance man used. 
“What have I told you about calling him that?” Her father asked, raising a brow. She turned from the animal to face him.
“To not to?” Napoleon nodded.
“Right.” 
“So I can call Comte ‘old man’ but not Leo?” she asked, raising a brow.
“Exactly.” he smirked and she couldn’t help but sigh again, shaking her head. 
“You don’t make sense sometimes you know that?” Chuckling, Napoleon mussed up her hair, his way of showing her affection. It wasn’t as jovial as it usually was though, or relaxed for that matter, and (Y/N) picked up on it quickly. 
“Stop worrying. Remember, I had you and Uncle Jean teach me how to protect myself. Nothing is going to happen to me...” her attempt to ease her father’s anxieties didn’t go unnoticed, but it also didn’t help that much.
“I’d feel better if you brought your rapier...” 
“I would, really, but I don’t think the townspeople would take too kindly to me having it. It doesn’t help that I’m a woman either, because, you know...” 
“I know... Just, be careful” Had it not been for the way his jade green eyes stared at her, waiting for her to promise that she’d come home in one piece, (Y/N) may have laughed at the way he was acting. It was uncommon to see this underlining anxiousness in his expression. Usually when she was going out he was laid back, dropping the parting words of ‘be safe’ before going on as usual It sounded a little cold but he trusted in her to make the right choices. 
But this time he told her to be careful. Not safe, careful. In a roundabout way it was a sign that he cared and worried for her and didn’t want anything to harm her.
It also showed that something really had him on edge about her trip to London. The best thing to do though is to give him what he wants, which is reassurance.
“I’m only getting ink for Uncle Arthur, but if it eases your mind, I promise to be careful.”
“Thank you.” he mumbled, “Do you have enough Rouge?”
“What did I say about not worrying?” The look he gave her told her to just tell him, “Oui, I do. I even packed more than needed just in case. You never know when your thirst can suddenly be stronger than usual.”
“How much is more exactly?”
“I’m bringing eleven. If I drink half a day every other day I’d have enough for about a mouth plus some”  
“I know I said to be prepared but you really are an overachiever sometimes you know that?”
“Oui oui, I’m aware! Au revivor papa, I’ll see you in a week, alright?” With a smile, the two shared a parting goodbye hug, (Y/N) mounting the awaiting horse. A kick of her foot and she was off at a gallop, waving back one last time before disappearing over the horizon.
The dread in the pit of Napoleon’s stomach didn’t cease, even as he went back into the manor, and when the time was right, it’d be revealed just why that feeling was there.
~
“Damn it...” Oddly enough, in some form of twisted fate, the rapier that she left at home would’ve been beneficial in that moment. 
Honestly, no one thought that she’d fall into some fantasy land, one on the brink of war, obtain the power to break magic spells and then get kidnapped with the intention to be eliminated. By a research center trying to take over the world for themselves no less. 
Scrapes and bruises marked her entire body along with the stains of blood. She’s lost way more than humanly possible for her to still be standing, a large cut running down her arm and a rather deep puncture wound to her abdomen. Yet she continues to fight - she has to. 
Landing a final punch to the last robed disciple, a pounding pain thrummed throughout her entire body, though the one that sourced from her mouth was by far the most painful.
“I-Ignore it...” she told herself, staggering over to a fallen man that was taken care of earlier in the fray of fists and magic. Unhooking the belt, she took the sword from him, stumbling up to one of the horses that the enemy rode in on.
The truth was she wasn’t doing too hot. Turns out, no matter how much you practice or how much stamina you have, deflecting magic attacks takes a lot out of you. On top of that she was exerting herself to defend herself, while bleeding, and it all amounts up to her being on the brink of unconsciousness. 
“Why do you wield your blade?” A conversation she had with her father when she was younger came to mind as she leaned against a tree, the need to catch her breath too strong to brush off.
“Huh?”
“Why do you fight (Y/N)? What’s your reason?” Right... he asked that when she was younger, feeling like a failure for not being able to fight like her dad could. Having been so young she was nearly on the brink of tears, about to give up ever learning the art of the sword.
“T-to protect and save others...” was her frail answer. Her father smiled, liking that her heart was in the right place. 
“Good. Now remember that when you’re about to give up. You can’t achieve that goal if you admit defeat.” 
“O-okay! I won’t ever give up!”
“C’est ma fille...” he said patting her head.
Growing up surrounded by some of the greatest men in history came with it’s perks, a vast knowledge ranging from science thanks to Isaac all the way to piano lessons with Mozart are under her belt. 
Though, if she had to choose, the greatest skill she acquired was how to protect the weak. How to raise a sword to save lives, never to take if at all possible. 
Her new found friends will die if she doesn’t move now. 
“Merci papa...” she whispered, finding the strength to push herself upright once more. Climbing onto the back of the horse a new, burning determination filled her. 
She will save those that have found a place in her heart and, when everything’s said and done, return home to her awaiting family.
~
By time the clearing to the Central Quarter came into view the sun had just started to set, bathing her surroundings in an orange glow. The closer she got to the opening the more she was able to make out, yet the sight wasn’t an uplifting one.
The Chosen Thirteen from both sides lay beaten on the cobblestone ground, exhausted and beat up. Even the kings, strongest among them all, struggled to get back on their feet. Lancelot sat against a wall while Ray was at the foot of the man behind everything - Amon Jabberwock. The other officers weren’t any better, most struggling to grasp their weapons but too drained to do so. 
And in the hands of Amon was a bigger than normal magic crystal, the glow emitting off of it bright, its spell nearly cast.
The sight only fueled the adrenaline that coursed through her veins.
Drawing her blade from its sheath, she was ready to face any foe that may hinder her in helping bring peace to Cradle. Aligning the course the horse is to take, (Y/N) let go of the reins, her voice ringing out. 
“Ray, move!”
The King of Spades did as commanded, rolling back and out of the line path of the stallion. Leaping from it, she barely landed on her feet, the hand free of anything outstretched. Instantly the harsh glow subsided, the gem now nothing more than a useless rock. 
The call of her name mixed with gasps of surprise, and perhaps relief, fell on deaf ears, her (e/c) eyes focused on one man and one man alone. Sweeping his legs out from under him, Amon dropped to his hands and knees, the tip of her rapier pressed against his neck.
“Amon Jabberwock-!” her voice echoed with power and authority, a cold look in her eye. 
Admittedly, it shocked those around her, no clues given during her stay that would allude to her having this hidden side. But the sight of her standing there, a will to fight in her eye, even as copious amounts of blood poured out of her, was astonishing and uplifting enough to repair their morale. 
And had the residents of the mansion been here to hear and see her, they would've remarked how similar it felt to her father when he faced his foes.
“As a temporary member of the Black and Red Army, I hereby arrest you on the count of treason against the country of Cradle!”   
“H-How...?” Amon stuttered, voice laced with anger and on the brink of snapping further into madness, “you should be dead with those wounds!” 
A weak, almost pained sounding laugh left her lips as she pushed the blade a little harder, lips parting, “I’m nothing like the others...” 
“Monster...” he gasped, fear in his eyes as he unsuccessfully tried to scoot away from her. By the way he acted, she could tell that he caught sight of the pointed teeth in her mouth.
“Mm... in a way, maybe I am...”
“You won’t kill me!” The way his voice shook made it sound like he was trying to convince her to not slit this throat right there and now. Fortunately for him, she wasn’t that kind of person. 
“While it’s true that I shouldn’t raise my sword like I am now unless I am willing to take the life that’s in my hands, you would be right, I won’t be ending your life. I learned all I know from my father, one of which was to never take a life, for fear it turns out I can’t live with the consequences. That doesn’t mean I won’t beat you and bring peace to Wonderland” Refusing to let another word be uttered from him, (Y/N) swiftly butted the hilt of the sword to his neck, knocking him out. 
“There she is!”
“Lord Amon!” Shouted more robed men from behind. The disciples reached for, presumably, magic crystals from their pockets but stopped at something she said, the saber pointed their way.
“You can fight me, but I just took down your leader. If you chose to fight me just know that I do not fall easily and I will fight till the bitter end for what is right... So, what will you do?”  
“C-crud, let’s get out of here! I’m not chancing it!” Her words reached them and made it clear that they didn’t stand to win. So, scouring away, the enemy tucked tail and ran. 
“Seems you’re all still alive...” She breathed, turning around to face the army soldiers. All of them smiled at her, glad that she was alright (for the most part) and that this war was over. 
Yet life is no fairy tale, something tragic usually hits in the best of times like these. Wise words from a guy who’s not all there (thanks Shakespeare).
She saw it before the words reached her ears and the next moments were a blur of colour. 
Someone from the shadows raised a sword of their own, the blade about to pierce the one person dearest to her, the one that stole her heart while in this new, unfamiliar world. He was unguarded with nothing to defend himself, about to die should she just stand there and not take action.
Mustering the last bit of energy she had, she parried the attack, the sound of steel on steel ringing in the still evening. The clash lasted less than a minute, the lesser vampire the one to be impaled, unable to block the second strike. Still, if she was to die, he would go down with her at least. 
No, she didn’t kill the attacker, merely used all she had to stab him in the leg, bringing him to the ground, the force and angle of the impact rendering him unconscious.
No one said anything, their minds unable to full register the events that just transpired. The pained words of their friend snapped them out though and all eyes went to her.
“I-I’m glad yo-ou’re safe...” she wheezed, eyes meeting the ones of the man she loves. A sense of calmness overcame her, he was safe, he would live. Maybe, just maybe, she could die a peaceful death knowing that she was able to protect the one she cares about. Her duty was fulfilled.
The only regret she’d bear would be the regret of being unable to say goodbye properly, both to the ones around her and the ones ignorant of what’s going on, as they await her return back in the Land of Reason. 
Something that seemingly won’t be happening now...
This was her bittersweet end.
.
..
….
…..
A sharp intake of air. Vision blurry. The smell of antiseptic chemicals and whisky. These invaded her being and briefly, when she was able to at least think, she thought that this was a weird form of Heaven or Hell to be put into.
Though when her sight cleared up some more it was revealed that, no, she wasn’t in an abstract afterlife, she was just in Kyle’s infirmary. 
(Y/N) laid in that oddly comfortable bed for what felt like hours, which were really only minutes, before she found the strength to sit up, if only a little.
A slip of pink paper which rested on the nightstand caught her eye. Picking it up she read the note, relaying that, if she was to wake up, that everyone wanted to let her know that the war is truly over and that her boyfriend was safe, all thanks to her. A breath she didn’t know she was holding was finally let free, muscles relaxing. 
It was some form of a miracle that allowed her to still be here, like the world was telling her it wasn’t time for her to leave just yet. Not that she was complaining or anything, but she couldn’t help the giggle that came with the thought that the similarities between her and her dad are starting to get weird.
The click of the door pulled her from her funny thought, and in walked the last face she saw before blacking out. He really was okay, just like the note said. 
“We have to talk”
“We do, don’t we.” she smiled and he returned it, pulling up a chair. For the rest of the day (assuming based on the light that poured in through the window) the two lovers talked, expressing how glad they were that the other was okay, what happened after she collapsed and what their next steps would be. When everything was done, her boyfriend climbed into the bed with her, mindful of the injuries around her whole body, and with such gentleness pulled her flush against his chest. 
That evening they slept in each other’s arms, calmed by the sound of their mixed breathing and heartbeats, because later that night they’ll have to part again.  
~
“Tell me again what you are?” Kyle rubbed his temple, trying his hardest to wrap his head around her claim. The hangover he had wasn’t helping in this situation either. 
“I’m a vampire, a lesser vampire to be more exact” 
“I get that, but what is that?”
“Don’t worry too much about it, just know that if I was to bite you you wouldn’t turn and I’m not immortal. Now go drink some water. Can’t believe magic is a thing yet you’d get hung up on mythology...” she muttered the last part, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I would just like to go on record and say I knew all along” Edgar piped up, his usual innocent smile on his face. Zero and Jonah scoffed. 
“And how did you exactly?” Zero asked his teacher. The Jack of Hearts smiled just a little wider, fetching something from his pocket. The glass glittered in the moonlight.
“So that’s where my last bottle went! You had it!”
“Indeed. You did well to hide it Alice, but not well enough if I was able to find it” 
“Why do you have it anyway?” 
“I saw our dear Alice drinking it one day. She told me it was wine but by the viscosity I could tell she was lying. It also smelt like blood. So, I did some digging around her room while she was gone.” 
“Of course, only you would be able to smell it and instantly recognize it like that...” Jonah hissed under his breath. The statement went unheard by all except the subject of the comment, who simply continued to smile like he heard nothing. 
“That would explain why ya sometimes left the training grounds all of a sudden too when someone got hurt” Fenrir pointed out, the Black Army nodding along. 
“We just thought you were squeamish...” Luka mumbled.
“That would also explain the report I got saying we had a shortage of blood...” Lancelot spoke up, staring down at (Y/N). 
“I... got hungry and didn’t have enough?” she shrugged, a nervous smile on her face while averting her eyes to the side. Really, it was half a lie, she was hungry. It was just that the liquid was right there at the time and it’s scent was so sweet to her - she couldn’t help herself! 
“But,” the King of Hearts continued, a small, soft smile blooming on his face, “I’m willing to pardon it, you did save us all. So, thank you, for all you’ve done. Is there anything you’d like as a reward?” 
“I’m honored King Lancelot, but right now I think I have to go home. There are some people that are no doubt missing me.”
“Very well. Then you are welcomed back at the Red Army anytime”
“The Black Army will welcome you too, little lady” Sirius added, Ray nodding in approval. 
“Right, the room you used will be waiting for you should you ever come back”
“Ohhhh please come back Alice, the Black Army just won’t be the same without you!” Seth whined dramatically.
“Thank you... all of you” (Y/N) gave a closed eye smile, the light of the moon illuminating behind her. A hand suddenly cupped her cheek, the contact warm and prompting her to open her eyes. 
“I will see you again right?” he asked, low enough that only the two of them could hear it.
“Yes, just as we promised last night.” she whispered back, leaning in for a kiss, one he returned.
The rabbit hole that connected their worlds opened up, a spotlight like light shining onto it. Pulling away her hand clutched the bag she came with, along with the items she’s obtained, and she turned one last time. Her eyes roamed over each face a final time, stopping on his.
“See you later everyone!” A chorus of goodbyes paired with waves and she stepped backwards, falling down, down, down the hole like she did just one short month ago.
~
“The man at the stall said he saw her here one night, there must be a clue.” Napoleon stated, eyes hard with determination, certain that there has to be something here linking to his missing daughter. Deep down though he’s consumed with emotion, anger, fear and a great sadness.
Anger at himself, he should’ve been more persistent with her taking her rapier. Then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
The fear and sadness are a mix of the same reason, he’s sad and afraid that he’ll never see her again, that he’s lost her even after promising to protect her from the moment she was born.
And yet, as the third week of having nothing he’s starting to lose hope, and the others can tell.
“Napoleon...” Jean whispered, placing a firm hand on the man’s shoulder. “I think it’s time to head back to the inn...”
He wants to stay out longer, search every nook and cranny of this damn park a thousand times more.
“Jean’s right...” Isaac added, tilting his head and gesturing with it in the direction of where they’re staying, “we can look some more in the morning if you want.”
“Maybe you’re right...” the Demi-vampire sighed, beginning his slow, reluctant trudge to the cozy London inn.
“Oof! Ow, I guess it’s a bumpy landing on the way back too...” the three heard the thud and rustle before the voice, but Napoleon was already sprinting in its direction.
“(Y/N)!?” The call of her name erased the pain of the landing and any other insignificant thought, her eyes darting around through the trees.
“Dad!?” She shouted back. An urgency to her father again surged through her.
He sped faster, urged on by the sound of her voice. It’s her, he knows it is, and she’s alive.
Emerging from behind a tree Napoleon comes to a grounding halt, eyes wide at the sight in front of him. She’s there, right there, albeit a little banged up, but she’s safe - that’s all that matters.
Rushing up he engulfs her in a hug, loosening it only minimally when she let out a hiss of pain.
“Where have you been? Who hurt you?” his questions are rushed, breathless as he looks her over, the amount of bandages on her alarming.
“You’ll never guess...” she suddenly smiled.
“What?” He questioned, the smile on her face making him believe that she wasn’t taking this seriously. Yet her next words shocked him, enough for a visible reaction to show, and it became obvious that the two would have to have a long, long chat.
“I fought in and won a revolution...and I protected the weak... just like I said I would...”
.
..
“Oh I also have a boyfriend...”
“You have a what???”
~
Fun fact: at first this was going to be the MC/Reader as Leo’s daughter and she would’ve fixed the Black Army’s stuff or Fenrir’s gun, impressing them, but!!! We all know that ~war~ is a thing in IkeRev, so behold here we are! 
[Masterlist]
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finnicksannie · 3 years
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I forgot to post Chapter 8 yesterday, so here’s my chapter 8 AND 9 “re-read liveblog.”
Chapter 8:
I loved the badassery of the ending of last chapter, followed immediately by the realistic reaction of Katniss freaking out.
This to me is why Katniss gets so misunderstood (mostly because of the movies, but oh well). She has her badass moments, as many people do, and then she reacts to them. She has doubts. She flings herself onto her bed and cries.
And why shouldn’t she! She doesn’t know how this will turn out! She just shot an arrow at the people she’s been told her whole life to never disobey, who have control over her entire future, who could torture her in the Arena before killing her. She’s a sixteen year old girl from District 12 and she just shot an arrow at the most powerful people in the country right now.
“The saltiness reminds me of my tears.” This is the second line I’ve read that takes me out of it. It’s a bit silly.
Haymitch: Sweetheart (derogatory)
“An image pops into my mind. “One man tripped backward into a bowl of punch.” Ah, Plutarch, our second major CF Easter egg. I’m a little sad they didn’t recruit Phillip Seymour Hoffman for a cameo in the first movie just for this moment.
Effie’s reaction to her saying just because Katniss is from D12 the Gamemaker’s shouldn’t ignore her... it’s so interesting. She really is afraid of saying the slightest wrong thing. Everything for her is a show, because she knows they’re always being watched. Not that this redeems her for some of the truly awful things she says, but it does help soften her a bit.
This moment where everyone comes together to make Katniss feel better is really great, and I think it’s the first time they’ve all really felt like a team. It’s so wholesome.
I don’t know if one of the two people reading this is a Starkid fan, but the line about Katniss competing with the squirrels for nuts reminds me of a line from Firebringer about not being about to compete with the squirrels and I laughed out loud.
Ohhhhh, Hazelle was pregnant when her husband died, which means Posy never knew her father. That’s so sad.
“I call him my friend, but in the last year it’s seemed too casual a word for what Gale is to me.” See... this is controversial, but I feel like there is a reality where Katniss could have ended up with Gale. I think it’s entirely possible that if Prim hadn’t been reaped they would have gotten together. They might not have stayed together since Gale wanted kids and Katniss wouldn’t have wanted that if the revolution didn’t happen. Or they might have run off together if Katniss was able to convince Prim to come when she was older.
I don’t think this would have been the best outcome for Katniss, but I could see it as a legitimate possibility. Without the Games, Katniss and Gale very likely would have continued growing in the natural direction they were going. I don’t think that there’s such a thing as a soulmate or a one true love. I think that people build love, and that’s what Katniss and Gale were building. Before the Games. I still think that Peeta would’ve been better suited for Katniss even without the Games, but I don’t know if they would’ve ended up together.
Oh, this sums it up well: “Gale and I were thrown together by a mutual need to survive. Peeta and I know the other’s survival means our own death. How do you sidestep that?” You don’t, Katniss. That’s what makes it love. (Eventually. We’re not there yet.)
Okay, now I think that Peeta has told Effie and Haymitch his plan to help Katniss, since they’re talking in hushed voices at the table. I think it was an idea he was developing in the last few days, and now that she’s got an eleven he’s figured out how he’s going to do it.
“Peeta has asked to be coached separately.” Yup. He sure has.
Chapter 9:
Katniss: Peeta we’re not friends
Katniss: Peeta stop we don’t need to pretend when no one else is around
Katniss: *slams door in Peeta’s face*
Peeta: *wants to be coached separately.*
Katniss: TOP 10 ANIME BETRAYALS
I also think it’s hilarious that Katniss basically describes all the reasons she couldn’t help trusting Peeta (because he was being her friend) and then in the next breath says she’s relieved they can stop the pretense of being friends. Lol.
“Smiling is mostly about smiling more.” Oh Katniss we’ve all been there. Also very subtle Suzanne. Very subtle.
Katniss hiking her skirt up to her thighs after Effie tells her not above the ankle is the level of pettiness I aspire to.
“They’re already taking my future! They can’t have the things that mattered to me in the past!” Ouch. This hurts a lot, especially knowing what’s coming for her.
The scene with Lavinia... gosh. I love the humanity here between them, when the Capitol has tried to do everything to strip that away from both of them. Katniss feels that Lavinia should hate her, but Lavinia does not. She knows who is really to blame for her imprisonment and suffering.
There’s so much identity erasure in this chapter... “by the end, I am no one.” “They erase my face...” Even if you’re not paying attention, it subtly helps you understand Katniss’s perspective.
“When you’re asked a question, find me, and answer it as honestly as possible,” says Cinna. “Even if what I think is horrible?” I ask... “Especially if what you think is horrible,” says Cinna.” Alright, so I’m all aboard the Cinna is trying to use Katniss to be rebellious train. Which is... morally complex. Because she’s a kid, and she didn’t consent to being used this way, and she doesn’t realize what Cinna is trying to get her to do. However... they live in an oppressive government and sometimes you need to fight fire with fire. The other option is to have the Capitol use her, and probably kill her. At least this way does potentially give her a fighting chance if it works out right. And if it backfires, she’ll be killed which she probably would’ve been anyway. So Cinna probably asked for District 12 because he wanted to draw attention to a forgotten District, but also likely because he would have the least chance of getting a kid who might have otherwise survived killed.
Which is... pretty dark.
Katniss’s line about how she’s relieved she and Peeta aren’t dressed identically just makes me picture Peeta also in Katniss’s flame dress. He probably would’ve rocked it, tbh.
“Effie can be tiresome and clueless, but she’s not destructive like Haymitch.” Beg to differ Katniss. Effie is also destructive. But I do understand Katniss’s point and it does reveal that she cares more what Haymitch thinks than what Effie does.
“They do surgery in the Capitol, to make people appear younger and thinner... In District 12...a plump person is envied because they aren’t scraping by like the majority of us. But here it is different... a round belly isn’t a sign of success” @katnissmellarkkkk mentioned in one of her read-throughs that Octavia is plump and called it into question, because isn’t that strange in the image-centric society of the Capitol? And I think the answer is here, and that description was intentional on Collins’s part, to clue us in to some of the subtle class differences that Katniss isn’t aware of in the Capitol. Her prep team is not part of the elite class. Even if Octavia did want to appear thinner, she likely couldn’t afford the surgery that someone like Caesar could. We’re supposed to read Katniss’s prep-team as being lower income, which makes sense if they’re essentially the hair and makeup assistants/beauticians of the Games world.
Glimmer ALSO has green eyes... Suzanne has a green-eye kink, pass it on.
There’s something very deliberate about Suzanne’s refusal to give us character names of the tributes. I think partially because she doesn’t want us to become overwhelmed by throwing all their names in our faces right away, but I think it’s mostly because Katniss doesn’t want to learn their names. Here in the interview section would be the perfect opportunity for her to do so, but the only names that are mentioned are Rue, Thresh, and Peeta. I believe she mentions in CF at one point that she deliberately tried to avoid learning them actually.
Thresh is six and a half feet tall! That is VERY tall. I also really enjoy how Katniss ignores any questions of gender here and just wishes that she were Thresh’s size. To her that’s the only thing that seems to matter, is physical capability.
“The lamb stew.” (Cries some more in Mockingjay)
Sorry, I don’t have a lot of commentary on the interview, probably because I remember it so clearly so nothing stands out to me or surprises me on the re-read. Maybe because I know that it’s all about to be overshadowed by...
“Because.... because... she came here with me.”
*mic drop*
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backtothestart02 · 3 years
Text
Hazy - 9/? | westallen fanfiction
A/N: Enjoy!
Commissioned by @andie1223
... 
Chapter 9 -
Barry had managed to pull off the grand lie that he didn’t remember anything to Joe when he came in the room, but he didn’t know if he could do that repeatedly, and he knew he’d have to if he stayed at his own place after leaving presumably the next day. He could only guess that his powers were gone, since he’d been in the hospital overnight instead of just a few hours, and he didn’t know how long it would take for the severity of his injuries to recede. It’d been so long since he was…well, human.
“I know that look,” Linda said when she re-entered the room sometime later.
Barry quickly smoothed over his face and looked up at her.
“What look? And also, how? You haven’t known me long enough to know my looks.”
“Psh. I’m a reporter, which means I’m observant. I’ve been paying a lot of attention to you in the short time we’ve known each other. Trust me.”
He watched her suspiciously as she sat down on the chair beside his bed again.
“You’ll stay with me.”
He gawked. “Excuse me?”
“It’s obvious you’re terrible at keeping secrets.”
“I kept from Iris that I was in love with her until her wedding reception.” He paused. “I think.”
He couldn’t remember now. Did he confess his feelings before then in this timeline? Suddenly it was all very foggy.
“That’s different.” Linda brushed it aside. “That was a secret you wanted to keep. This one you don’t. And I’m the only one that knows. It just makes sense.”
“Linda, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not going to be fully healed by tomorrow. You’re going to have to…wait on me and stuff.”
She raised her eyebrows, amused.
“Nothing I can’t handle. Besides, how are you going to handle yourself if you just go home? Answer, you won’t. Joe will have to come over and then your little secret will probably come out.”
“You don’t know tha-”
“You’ll be at your weakest moment, and without me to interrupt a possible moment of secret spillage, well…”
He waited.
“It would be a disaster!”
“I don’t know how I’ll be on a couch, Linda…I’m still kind of fragile.”
She waved that off.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I have a guest bedroom. You can stay in there. And I’m a very clean person too, so you don’t have to worry about tripping over anything.”
His brows furrowed.
“Why would I worry about that?”
She leaned in, an all-knowing look on her face.
“Are you a clean person?”
He managed to blush.
“Yeah, exactly.” She returned to her former position. “If I leave you to your own devices, you’d probably re-injure yourself. And even worse!”
“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll stay with you.”
“Good.” She smiled smugly.
“But we’ll have to stop at my place first, so I can get clothes and stuff.”
“No problem.”
“Have you talked to Scott yet? About…your employment?”
She winced. “I haven’t heard from him, but I’m very good at groveling, so I’ll be sure to do that first thing tomorrow morning.”
“And if it doesn’t work?”
“Worst case is…he suspends me, which I wouldn’t be a fan of but it would give me more time to wait on you, so that should excite you.”
Barry’s brows furrowed.
“You’re not afraid he’ll fire you?”
She snorted. “Uh, no. I’m too good of a reporter. He needs me. Plus, it’d be kind of a dick move, don’t you think? He escorts me home, only to fire me on my next workday?”
Barry attempted to shrug, but it hurt, and he winced.
“Use your words, Allen.”
His lips thinned. “I guess.”
“Look, I appreciate your concern, but you’re in a much worse state than I am. Maybe let me take care of you and not the other way around?”
“I said I’d stay with you, didn’t I?”
“Reluctantly,” she reminded him.
He frowned. “I still said it.”
Linda studied him for a few seconds longer before letting up.
“Alright, well, I guess I should go.” She started to get up.
“Wait, why?”
She hefted her purse onto her shoulder.
“To let you get some sleep? I’ll be back in the morning to get you settled at my apartment, no worries. Unless…you’re not afraid someone will come in and pummel you here? You don’t think Eddie…” She let the question hang.
Well, he hadn’t been until now.
“No, of course not,” he said, sounding as convincing as he could. “Go ahead home, Linda. It’s late.”
“It’s early is what you mean.”
He had no concept of time anymore, so his brows furrowed and asked the question for him.
“It’s early Sunday morning. You were out for hours when they brought you in last night.”
That stunned him, even if he did recall vaguely hearing about that.
“Oh,” he said, and that clearly worried her.
“Maybe I should stay…” She bit her bottom lip.
“No. No, Linda. Go home. Everyone else will probably go home, and if they don’t, I’ll insist they’re not in my room. Get some rest. Please. You’ll be dealing with me enough in the coming days.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
“So sure,” he assured her.
She pursed her lips.
“I’ll be fine. The monitors will go off if someone starts punching me again. Then the nurses will come running and soon after, the doctor. You have nothing to worry about.”
She eyed him carefully, but it was clear she’d started to agree with him.
“Alright.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. “I’ll be back in the…later morning. Get some sleep.”
“You too.”
With one last pained smile, she finally turned away and exited the room. Then he was alone. No one else came in until a nurse some 20 minutes later. That nurse asked if he needed anything, and when he didn’t, she shut off the lights and said she’d check on him later.
That seemed fine to him.
He lay his head back on the pillow and did his best to fall asleep. Unfortunately, he dreamed.
At least he thought he did.
“Flash,” a dark, rumbly voice sounded beside him.
His eyes flung open. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There in his yellow speedster suit stood the Reverse Flash himself. He was vibrating at full speed.
“Missing your powers, are you?” He darkly chuckled.
Barry’s brows furrowed. He had a million questions, but his voice was stuck in his throat and he couldn’t get them out.
“If you think this is bad, it’s only the beginning.”
Then a crackle a lightning filled the room and the man in yellow was gone.
Barry’s eyes flung open again, and he was gasping for air. He couldn’t breathe.
Fumbling around with his free hand, he hit the red nurse’s button. The monitors must’ve been beeping really loud, because three nurses came in at once and quickly got him on oxygen. They stuck a needle in him too – something to calm him he guessed.
He blacked out. He didn’t dream this time. No hallucinations or visits from evil speedsters.
He was just out. For hours.
The steady beeping coming from the monitors woke him once. That and the light coming through the large window that the nurses must’ve forgotten to draw the shades over. Glancing at the clock across the room, he saw it was still early, 5 a.m., but he was okay now. He could breathe.
He was okay.
He didn’t tell Linda about the dream when she came to pick him up a few hours later, but he did reluctantly tell her about the whole not being able to breathe thing. He shouldn’t have, because it made her feel guilty for leaving. He was quick to reassure her though, and soon enough all the necessary paperwork was filled out, and he was allowed to go home with her.
They stopped at his apartment, which he only remembered because he had his phone on him and apparently at one point he’d put in his address along with the general contact information for himself.
Weird, but helpful in this particular instance.
It took some time to get all packed up, but Linda was good at that too, and she was fast on her feet.
“I’m glad I agreed to stay with you,” he finally said when they walked into her apartment about an hour later.
She turned to look at him and smiled.
“Me too.”
Things moved quickly after that. Linda showed him to the guest bedroom, which had a TV in it and some comic books on the bedside table. Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, etc.
“Some light reading in case you get bored and the TV doesn’t entertain you enough,” she said when she caught him staring.
“Did you…have these or-?”
“Let’s say I did,” she said with a wink, and he knew that she’d gone out and bought some for his sake solely.
He chuckled and shook his head but got in the bed anyway, kicking off his shoes just before he did.
“Comfortable?” she asked, coming in moment later with a tray of breakfast food.
“I-” His jaw dropped. “Yes, thank you.”
He started to try sitting up and found he was in pain again.
“Ah-ah-ah, here you go.”
She set some pain meds on the bedside table and pulled a remote up from behind the bed.
“This bed is one of those adjustable ones. It’s like a hospital bed that way except way more comfortable. So you can lay all the way down and only have to press a button to sit yourself back up.”
“Wow, this is…this is really nice. Thank you, Linda.”
She smiled serenely.
“Any time, Barry Allen.” She picked up the tray that she’d set on the edge of the bed and laid it on his lap. “Now, be careful so nothing spills. I wouldn’t want to have to strip you of that warm comforter to clean it with you laying there.”
He shook his head and smiled.
“You really are a neat freak.”
She actually laughed at that.
“And proud of it. You’re welcome.”
He took a bit of the eggs on his plate.
“Mm, and a really good cook too.”
She rolled her eyes at that.
“It’s eggs and toast, Barry. This is no gourmet meal.”
“Still, you could’ve burned it,” he said, and then wished he could’ve taken it back.
He managed not to frown in front of her though, which was a win because then she’d ask why and he’d have to explain something other than in another life Iris was his fiancée and she couldn’t cook to save her life, but he’d take her burnt toast instead of Linda’s excellent cooking if it meant he could have Iris back in his arms again.
Unfortunately for him, he stayed silent too long even without the change in facial expression.
“What?”
He shook his head and hoped she wouldn’t push.
“Nothing.”
“Right, well, I should get dressed and get to work. I’ll check on you at lunchtime – or sooner if I’m suspended. Just text me if you need me.”
“Will do. Thank you, again.”
“Any time.”
She smiled brilliantly and left the room. He heard the shower run on the other side of the apartment and heard her move around the kitchen in her heels. Then some time after that, he heard the door open, close, and lock and knew she had gone.
He set the trap on the other side of the bed after he’d finished eating and used the remote to lay back down again. He wanted to get some decent sleep that didn’t involve being attached to tubes and cords in a hospital bed. This was a really nice set-up Linda had made for him here, and he planned on taking advantage of every part of it.
He slept for a few hours and then was unexpectedly roused by the sound of soft knocking on the main door to the apartment. He frowned, unsure if he’d heard it or not. Then a familiar voice sounded on the other side of the door and awoke Barry fully immediately.
“Barry? Barry, are you in there?”
Given how at odds they were at the moment, he had planned to ignore Iris should she try to talk to him again about Eddie. That was the last thing he needed, and besides, he was in pain. He shouldn’t have to get up when he was feeling like this.
How she’d even figured out he was staying here was beyond him too. Unless Linda had told her. But why would she when she’d invited him so he wouldn’t be bombarded by Joe.
And then suddenly he knew why.
“Barry?” She sniffled.
He tensed up and immediately went into protective best friend mode. She was crying.
Gingerly he got out of the bed as smoothly as he could, wincing as he went, but he made it. Down the hall he went, and peeking into the peep hole before opening to make sure she was still there, which she was, he opened it and stared at all the crestfallen beauty before him.
“Iris, what are you doing here?”
She swallowed hard.
“Linda told me you were here. I begged her to. I knew she knew and-”
“Iris-”
She huffed out some air and dabbed at her damp cheeks.
“Can I come in?”
He stepped to the side to let her in and shut the door behind her.
“Wow, this place is clean,” she commented, briefly thwarted from telling the reason of her visit.
“Iris,” he redirected her.
She spun around to face him.
“Oh, Barry, I’m so…so sorry. I…” She shook her head. “There will never be enough words to apologize for what I was asking of you when you were injured. I mean, you still are injured. And to put him first,” she scoffed at herself. “I know he’s my husband, but-”
“Iris.”
He reached forward with one hand and gripped one of her shoulders. It seemed to calm her somewhat. She caught his gaze.
“He did it, Barry.”
His brows furrowed. “I…don’t understand. Who did what?”
She swallowed again.
“Eddie. He went back after you had blacked out and…” Her bottom lip quivered. “He’s the reason you were in the hospital.”
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