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allysunny · 9 months

Note

Hello. Can I request a fic with Nanami and the reader? The reader has a toxic family and asks Nanami to be her fake boyfriend at the family meeting. If possible, it could be comforting.

Faking it for the Family | Nanami Kento x Reader

Words: 5.5k

Warnings: Toxic family, mentions of weight (as in, berating and telling someone to watch what they eat), very rude comments from Reader's family, maybe some OOC Nanami? I don't know, you tell me! And please do warn if I forgot something :)

A/N: Aaaa my first Nanami request! I'm so excited about this! I love this man with my whole heart, he's my biggest anime crush of all time! Now, I do warn you, it's been a while since I've touched jjk (it was a traumatic experience, shibuya is my canon event), so if you think Nanami is OOC, then that might be why. But I can also see him being vocal when it comes to someone he cares about, protecting them and expressing his feelings - or at least trying to.

I hope I did your request justice! I'll be honest, I'm very fortunate to come from a very healthy and loving family, and don't quite know the dynamics a toxic one would have. Nevertheless, I did some research, and I hope you're happy with the final result! I also stayed up until like, 2am because I wanted to post this one before I went on a small vacation and stopped writing for a few days! Totally worth it!

“Your what?”

“My boyfriend.” You repeated firmly.

Scratch that, you were scared shitless.

A few days ago, your mother had called you, asking (more like demanding you) to come see her. According to her, only “bad, ungrateful children” abandoned their parents. According to her, you were turning into a “bad, ungrateful child”.

“You don’t call, you don’t visit. It’s like we never did anything for you, is that how you treat the people who brought you up?” She nearly cried into the phone. Victim-blaming was along your mother’s strongest talents, it always had been.

She’d also reminded you that it would be a shame if you showed up single. She gushed about your cousins, how lovely their wives and husbands were, and how you clearly weren’t working hard enough to find a man.

“It’s not like you have much to offer, dear. The least you could do is prove yourself to be useful, make sure you find a nice man and snatch him up. Perhaps if you learned how to cook properly instead of pursuing that silly passion for books… And you need to start putting some effort into your appearance! No man wants a dishevelled woman – look at how well your cousins are doing!” Then, dismissing her whole behaviour, she’d go, “You know I’m only saying this because I care about you, right? It’s for your own good.”

It made you shudder just from thinking of it.

You’d nearly glared a hole into your phone that night, considering cancelling.

You ran all options through your head.

If you pretended you were sick, your mother would just assume you couldn’t take care of yourself and visit you to do that herself.

Hard pass.

If you said you had plans, your father would tell you to prioritize the family who had sacrificed so much to give you a good life, and to stop being so selfish.

Hell no.

No option seemed good enough.

In the end, your parents would always find a way to make you feel inferior and blame you for not being able to attend. You wouldn’t hear the end of it for at least a few months.

That’s not something you wanted for yourself.

You considered your mother’s words.

Going alone seemed like a nightmare alright. But perhaps if you found someone to attend with you…

There was no significant other in your life (the nail in your coffin, just another reason for your parents to berate you, and you it’s not like you could fall in love with someone in a span of 4 days just to introduce them to the family.

And then, an e-mail from a coworker gave you a brilliant idea.

Nanami Kento was one of your coworkers.

You weren’t the closest offriends, but still – friends.

You two went out for drinks after work every so often, sometimes ordering a box of pizza to share while working overtime at the office. God knew how much you hated it, being forced to work longer than expected, but Nanami shared the same sentiment, and it made work more bearable for you.

You didn’t talk much outside of work – Nanami was a private, reserved man, and you never did have the courage to seek him out. So you settled for a few jokes at the office here and there, the occasional smile, and bringing him bread and pastries sometimes. Nanami was quite the foodie. Outside office hours, maybe a “Have a nice weekend”, or if you were feeling brave enough, a meme – it took him a while to get them, but it was amusing to get his reaction through text.

He was smart, kind to a fault, and handsome. Very much so. You knew he was single, and to be fair, you had no idea why. With those lovely, warm chocolate brown eyes and golden hair, he could get any woman he wanted. And God, his physique… You had once tripped and held onto his arm – the man was made of rock. He was a total catch, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t fantasized about your little overtime endeavours to end up with a goodnight kiss, or perhaps something more. In fact, you’d developed a little crush on him, sneaking away during lunch breaks to try and talk to him, catch up, or just know how he’s doing.

That’s why he was perfect.

Your parents would be appeased, and the family gathering would be much more bearable.

“It’ll just be for a night,” You continued, trying not to sound very desperate. You weren’t sure where you stood with him – were you two close enough to ask such a favour? “We don’t have to do anything physical – just maybe hold hands so they can get off my back. I’ll be forever in your debt, please. I need your help.”

Nanami looked at you curiously. You could see his eyes clearly – Nanami had foregone his glasses during lunch break. What was he thinking? Perhaps he was reconsidering his whole friendship / acquaintanceship. Maybe he was simply coming up with a way of politely declining. Nanami had always been to kind to trifle with you or mock you, God, you’re so stupid, why would he go out of his way to help someone he’s not that close with? It was idiotic to ask.

“Never mind that.” You mumbled, quickly shaking your hand, and dismissing the idea. “I’m sorry, I know it’s a weird request and we don’t know each other that well, and – “

“Sure.”

Your eyes must’ve turned as wide as saucers. Sure?

“If it would help you out and ease your mind, I don’t mind it at all.” He replies, the soft lull of his hypnotising voice making your heart skip just a bit. “I do know what it feels like to be surrounded by people you’re not fond of.”

You suppose he’s right. Every year when the company dinner takes place, you find yourself sitting in a corner, hidden from everyone else. It’s the one time of year where you two can actually talk and consider each other more than simply two coworkers. Maybe even relatively good friends.

You beam at him, bowing profusely. There were no words to describe what you felt – this man was willing to be your fake boyfriend for a whole evening?

“Thank you so much! This means so much to me, you can’t even imagine it!”

Nanami simply nods.

“Shall I pick you up at seven?”

Most often, people stared at themselves in the mirror to check their appearance, try on clothes, maybe give them an ego boost. You? You were practicing facial features.

A hard smile for when your mother told you to “Eat less – you’re gaining weight.”

A polite nod for when one father eventually said “You need to give up those silly hobbies of yours – become a real woman, a good wife.”

A dry chuckle for when one of your many cousins gushed about the wonders of marriage, and how amazing it is they got married so young, to fully explore all romantic bliss and life alongside your soulmate – or something. You never made it twenty seconds without appearing bored of your mind and making your way to an empty chair away from others.

You just hoped they’d leave you alone for tonight, or at least stop with the comments. You wouldn’t be able to handle being humiliated in front of Nanami, of all people.

Speaking of, it’s nearly seven, so you grab your purse and make your way downstairs. Your outfit is nothing bland, just like how your parents would like it. A simply yellow jumper and denim jeans – God forbid you wore a skirt too short, or a shirt too flashy in front of your family. You’d be sure to burn at the stake for that one. This outfit was simple and modest and was sure to keep them quiet for a few minutes.

A little ring from your phone broke your line of thinking.

From: Nanami Kento

I’m outside.

You quickly spotted him in his car, and your jaw hung.

He swiftly exited the vehicle, walking towards the passenger’s side and opening the door wide for you.

You don’t know what to say.

So, he does it for you.

“Good evening.” He’s looking extra dashing, with a dark blue polo shirt that hugs his figure ever-so-perfectly, and slacks. His hair is parted as usual, but it seems much more casual, less uptight, less professional. He’s once more refused to wear his glasses, so you can see his beautiful face up close.

His strong jawline, the strong planes of his face, the thin eyebrows that never did much to conceal his eyes – he looked straight out of a fairytale. The fact that he looked so relaxed, out of his business attire and clad in casual clothes, made this vision much more alluring.

“Hey,” You answered, giving him a soft smile. “You didn’t have to do this; I could open the door by myself.”

“Nonsense.” Nanami shook his head, gesturing to the inside of the car. “Shall we go?”

As soon as you buckled your seatbelt, he left the driveway. You’d sent him the coordinates before, so there was no getting lost as long as you followed the GPS.

There was a small awkward silence between the both of you – it was only normal. You and Nanami didn’t hang out that much after office hours, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you would have no topics to discuss.

“So…” You started wearily. Might as well warn him about your family. There was no way you were letting this man meet them without being prepared. “I should warn you in advance – my family is…. Well, they’re not conventional.”

“Hm? How so?” He questioned you, quirking an eyebrow yet never taking his eyes off the road.

“They… They might make some rude comments. Or say things that make you uncomfortable. I know I told you about it the other day when I asked for this favour, but I just want to reiterate it. They’re… Well, they’re hard to deal with.” You finished. There was no other way to describe your family.

Growing up, they’d been all but supportive. Berating you left and right, making you believe you were as worthless as the trash on the street. Nothing you did ever amounted to anything. Your grades were never enough. Your passions were always overlooked – the books you read “filled your head with crazy fantasies”, the music you listened to “polluted your mind”.

If you left the house with no makeup on, your mother would assume you weren’t trying hard enough. Would say you looked sloppy and dirty, and that it was shameful to see you not even attempt to pull yourself together. And when you did leave the house looking pretty and proud of yourself, your parents would break down your confidence once more, assuring you that you’re clearly trying too hard, and that men don’t want woman who paint their faces as if they were clowns and dressed in skirts so short, they barely earned the name.

Your achievements didn’t matter. Not when your cousins earned scholarship after scholarship, brought home successful, handsome men or women, assuring the family they were well off and didn’t need to worry about much.

To your family, all it mattered was your image. To them, you were the black sheep of the family. No partner, no children, no high paying job, no success. Considering their mentality, how they still associated themselves with you was a puzzle.

Not even once did they stop to consider your feelings.

Moving out had been the best thing that happened to you.

Sure, it was hard at first.

You spent too long in front of the mirror, wondering if you looked good enough. While conversing with others, it was difficult to open up about your passions and hobbies, for fear of being shut down and dismissed.

But slowly, you’d regained control of your life. You went out when you wanted, with who you wanted. You wore the clothes you liked, without worrying about your parents’ hurtful remarks.

Nowadays when you looked in the mirror, you saw a proud young woman, as opposed to the scared little girl you saw in your early years.

Which made returning to them ever so difficult. They managed to turn you back into that frightened little girl you once were, always so afraid of saying the wrong thing, of doing the wrong thing and making them look bad. They managed to destroy all of the confidence and self-love you’d built for yourself all these years.

“I’m sorry.”

It was Nanami’s voice that brought you back to reality.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry. Clearly, a family that treats you that way does not deserve you.” He said, matter-of-factly. Like it was the easiest thing in the world, to admit the family that spent years breaking you simply wasn’t worth your time and thoughts.

“Yeah, well.” You mumbled, looking out of the window. What could you say? In theory, you knew he was right. He had to. Other friends who knew about your past told you as much. But it was a completely different story to put that into practice.

For the rest of the ride, a silence fell upon the both of you. None attempted to break it.

“Remember our story, right?” You questioned the man next to him. He stood right next to you, tall as a tower and just as unmoving. You could never guess what was going on in that beautiful head of his.

Nanami nodded silently, turning to you.

“Are you sure you want to do this? We can make up an excuse and leave, if you want to.” He said, and for a while, you considered it. It’d be nice to ditch on your family and spend some time with your coworker. But once again, you knew how this movie ended.

Sighing, you shook your head and gave him a weak smile.

“It’s okay. It’s just for one night.”

He nodded once again.

You took a deep breath and stepped forward, ringing the doorbell.

Almost immediately, the door opened, making way for a woman none other than your mother.

She looked so… so… perfect. Annoyingly so. It made your blood boil. It reminded you of how, in her eyes, you were most definitely not perfect.

Nanami glanced at the woman in front of you. She looked like a perfect copy of you. Or rather, you were a perfect copy of her. But there was a clear difference between the two: While she looked uptight, abnormally prim, and proper, way too polished, you looked, well, natural. This woman looked like her only job was to look good, while you were an effortless beauty. He can only imagine what kind of things a woman like this could’ve told you all your life to make you so nervous back in the car.

“Honey!” She chirps in a voice he can only describe as fake. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” She pulls you win for a hug, mumbling and muttering about how long it had been since you’d last seen her, how unkind of you that was, how you had no consideration for your family. Ouch.

“Hi mom,” Was your hushed answer as you tried your best to hug her back. And then just as quickly, tried to get away from her bone-crushing embrace. “Y-You can let go now.”

And she did, staring right at Nanami.

“Oh.” She very obviously stared at him up and down. There was no subtlety to the way she ogled him, and you felt some strong second-hand embarrassment from her actions. “And who might this fine young man be? Did you finally step up and get yourself a nice man?”

You sighed. This was going to be a very, very long night.

Nanami stepped forward, placing a warm hand on the small of your back, a hand that slowly brought you closer to him.

“Good evening, Mrs.” He said politely, offering his hand for the woman to shake. She did so gladly, showing him a perfect smiled. A perfectly forced smile. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Mom, this is Nanami Kento. He’s… He’s my boyfriend!” The words felt nice in your mouth, natural. It’s like he was meant to be your boyfriend. Boyfriend. That’s nice.

“Boyfriend! Oh! It’s so nice to meet you!” The woman exclaimed, pulling him inside. “Come in, come in! Of course, you’d be late – We were all waiting for you!”

When you told Nanami your family was harsh, he was picturing something very different. Maybe some unwanted jokes here and there. A comment about your major, a joke about your driving, maybe even some embarrassing childhood stories.

He wasn’t expecting this.

“It is such a surprise that our dearest [Y/N] has finally brought someone home!” Your mother announced, sending her daughter what Nanami thought was a rather sheepish smile. “I mean, at some point we thought we would be the family’s spinster, ha!” And then she sent you the most condescending smile, one that made you want to crawl into a hole and cry. Not even after discovering you have a boyfriend (well, a fake one, but she doesn’t need to know), your mother could be supportive.

“Well, I’ve always been full of surprises,” You retaliate bluntly with a tight-lipped line. Nanami slowly brought his hand under the table to squeeze yours, and when you faced him, you were met with a look that meant more than a thousand words. Stay strong. I’m with you, he seemed to silently say.

“Kento – mind if I call you Kento?” Your father interrupted loudly, not sparing you a glance. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a salaryman. I work in the same office as [Y/N].” Was Nanami’s response. You cringed at your father’s attempt to talk more familiarly with Nanami. It felt odd, it felt rigid, and you just knew what question would follow.

“Ah, I see. Well, I sure do hope you’re at least winning more than our [Y/N] here!” The older man blurted, shaking his head in disappointment. “We told her to focus on her studies, make sure she has a nice paying job by the time she finds a husband, but she instead decided to pursue those… hobbies of her, and ended up with a mediocre office job.” Then, as if his rude observation meant nothing, he added, “No offense. I’m sure you’re a hard-working young man, you should aim higher and consider a career in a more lucrative field. Have you tried investing, or finances? If you want to provide a better future for my daughter, you should be prepared.”

Great, now not only was he making rude comments towards you, but he was also making rude comments towards your “boyfriend”. When would this end?

“Dad.” You cut in, scowling at him. How dare he ask such questions?

“What?” He asked, shrugging. As if these types of discussions were as casual as small talk or mentions of weathers. “I need to make sure that this man will provide for you. After all, you refused to go and do something useful with your life – “

“I think what [Y/N] has done of her life is for her, and only her to decide.” Nanami chimed in. “And as her parents, you should be nothing but supportive. It’s not up to you to decide what’s useful or not.” Your cheeks warmed at that. He sounded so clear and straightforward. He managed to do, within minutes, what you had been too afraid to do your whole life.

Your father seemed to dismiss what Nanami had said, waving his hand about and muttering some incomprehensible gibberish.

While your mother fetched the main plate, the room was filled with light chatter. Nanami leaned towards you, lips softly brushing the shell of your ear. It made your heart leap to have him so close.

“You’re right. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it through the whole dinner without throwing a plate at any of their faces.” He mumbled, hand still squeezing yours tightly. This small comment earned a chuckle from you, and Nanami smiled at the response. To anyone else watching, you two looked like a lovesick couple engaging in some light banter and gossip.

“Ah! Here it is!” Your mother gleamed, bringing in pots and pans full of curry rice, udon noodles, miso soup, and some other side dishes you couldn’t see. For all you disliked your family, you couldn’t lie – family gatherings had the best food. You had once tried to learn how to cook from your mother, but after two failed commands (in her opinion) and a whole lot of yelling, you gave up.

“You should try the curry,” you told Nanami, holding your plate securely to pour some of the food on it. “She might be a witch sometimes, but her curry is to die for.” This last part was only but a whisper, and it got Nanami to smile crookedly.

God, you loved to see him smile.

At the office he always looked so serious, so tense. Nanami hated working overtime, and no matter how nice the company you kept each other ways, you could still see the exhaustion taking over him most days, rendering him cold and distant.

Here, though?

He seemed relaxed to a fault. As relaxed as he could be in a situation like this.

“Honey!” There was your mother again. Great, you were starting to miss her unnecessary statements! “Are you seriously going to eat all of that?” She inquired, looking particularly scandalised and attempting to reach your plate.

“Yes, I am. Why? Is there a problem?” You tried to sound brave, but Nanami was quick to notice the shake in your voice and the way your hand trembled in his.

“Oh, well, honey, I just think you should be careful! Don’t wanna put on any weight, do you? I’m sure Kento here wouldn’t want you to gain some extra pounds.”

Ah, this woman clearly made a mistake.

Nanami cleared his throat and made a poor attempt at trying to conceal the anger in his voice.

“I assure you ma’am, that is the least of my concerns.” He asserted and removed your plate from the woman’s hands. “Your daughter looks amazing, and if she’s happy with herself, so am I. In fact, I think she looks particularly breathtaking this evening, don’t you? You must be so proud.”

He’d pushed your parents into a corner, and all they could do was stammer and babble and look around for any help from their relatives – help that did not come.

“I’m quite the lucky man.” Nanami gave your parents the same kind of pretentious, fake smile they gave to him, and dug into his food.

And what else could you do but smile? Mouthing a quick “thank you”, you decided to get to eating as well. Seeing your parents so flustered had given you a kind of confidence you hadn’t felt in years, not in front of them, and it felt good.

For a few godly minutes, everything seemed to go well.

You were enjoying your food, and Nanami was exchanging pleasantries with some of your cousins. It seemed almost normal, the way it was going. Your cousin Ichigo and his wife, who were both ten years older than you were particularly interested in discussing the best kinds of liquors with your friend. Hiroshi tried to rope him into a talk of cars, and Makoto expressed his hatred towards overtime.

It felt too good to be true.

Probably because it was.

After dinner, you were the first to get on your feet to help clear the table. The quicker you did it, the quicker you could get the hell out of that place.

You were loading the dishwasher, distracted by the background noise of the chatter and the news that played in the television, when your cousin Emiko approached. Emiko was her parents’ pride and joy. Unnaturally beautiful, she had no real talent other than looking pretty and finding a rich man. It didn’t matter – the family loved her for it, and you’d spent your whole entire life being compared to her.

“So! ‘Cus, do tell us, how much did you pay for him?” She asked coyly. There was something poisonous laced in her words. You supposed it was jealousy – despite being seated near her husband, Emiko had spent the entire evening studying Nanami, running her eyes through his broad shoulders and sharp cheekbones, no doubt drooling.

You sighed. There was never much you could do about Emiko. You either ignored her words or played into her traps, and both options tested your patience gravely.

“I did not pay him, Emiko. Nanami and I have been dating for a while now.” You replied casually. Somehow, you could still feel tingles where his hand had previously been. On your hand, on your waist. The memory of his lips against your ear elicited a full-body shiver from you. “And I’ll remind you that he’s just next door, so please be considerate.”

“Come on, no one else’s in here, you don’t have to pretend.” Emiko peeked at you. When she saw no visible reaction, she sighed, waving her hand around dismissively and rolling her eyes at you before turning to face the kitchen door. “Come on, lighten up. It was a joke. But you have to understand – you were never something to look at, were you?” She snickered, taking a big gulp of her wine right after. “How’d you manage to snatch up a guy like this?”

You were done.

This comment had been the final straw.

You knew Emiko to be mean, but this? Assuming you had to pay for a handsome man’s company, simply because she didn’t deem you as attractive? As interesting?

Were you simply not worthy of love?

You felt tears prickling at the corner of your eyes, but before you could try to come up with a reply, a familiar voice interrupted you.

“Actually, it was I who managed to snatch her up.” Nanami was standing by the doorframe, casting you the warmest, most lovely, most caring gaze ever. You felt warm to be looked like that, like you were the most precious thing in the world to this man. “I got lucky. When we first started dating, I wondered how the hell such an interesting, beautiful woman would ever look at me.” A small chuckle. “I still do – I don’t feel like I’m worthy of her.”

Emiko was speechless. She just stared from you to Nanami, from Nanami to you, her words somehow losing their power after this confession.

You looked at Nanami and quickly wiped away the tear that threatened to spill. Seeing this, he walked over to you, pulling you closer by the waist.

“I think you’re wrong, Emiko.” He continued, not even sparing her a second glance as his hand lifted your chin up with the gentleness of someone who holds the entire world in their hands. “Not something to look at? I mean… Look at her. How could I ever be deserving of such a beautiful woman?”

You felt heat radiate from his body, and as if it was second nature, you cupped his jaw with your hands. He was so close, so impossibly close. You could make out every single one of his eyelashes, the bags under his eyes caused by sleepless nights working, the eyebrows that were usually furrowed and deep in thought – Nanami Kento was beautiful.

And according to him, so were you.

He searched in your eyes for any kind of signal. A yes, a no. A simply gesture that could change the rest of your night (and perhaps the course of your, well, relationship forever).

It was almost imperceptible when you nodded, meeting his gaze through lidded eyes.

So he dipped his head, and softly caught his lips with yours.

You’d fantasized about this once or twice. But nothing could’ve prepared you for the real deal. Nanami was a good kisser. His lips moved effortlessly around yours, molding like he had been kissing you for years. The hand at your waist brought you close, close, impossibly close, so close that you couldn’t think of getting away – good. Nanami didn’t want you to ever leave his side.

And you kissed him back just as tenderly, afraid to ruin the moment. Your tongue swiped shyly across his bottom lip, and he gave you one of his signature smiles – reserved, contained, but 100% him.

Behind him, he could hear Emiko scoff and leave the kitchen. Perfect. He didn’t want a crowd anyways.

After pulling away for air, Nanami studied your face attentively.

Your eyes were wide and bright, sparkling with what seemed like magic. He wanted to kiss every inch of your face – your forehead, your cheeks, your nose, your lips. He wanted to kiss your soft, plush lips again and again and again. Thank God you’d invited him to be your fake boyfriend. Nanami had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask you out, and while this wasn’t the most conventional date, he was known for being efficient and straightforward.

“Let’s get out of here. You deserve to be kissed somewhere else.” He mumbled in that raspy voice of his that did things to you. You nodded and held his hand as he led you through the corridors.

The goodbyes were ushered, and the promises to call and come back soon were very blatantly fake. Your parents, however charmed by this man at first glance, refused to hide their scowls at this point. They did not like being contradicted. Neither did your cousins – or rather, the ones that had giggled and whispered and made smaller comments at the beginning like “Wow [Y/N], such a miracle, you finally found someone!” and “Oh, Nanami-san, when you get tired of her, please do call us – we’ll be waiting! What? It was a joke, don’t be such a downer!”.

The ride home had been quiet. Peaceful.

You refused to let Nanami go, and he refused to let you go, so you couldn’t find it in yourself to complain when he placed his big palm on top of your thigh as he drove.

Then, as you arrived to your place, he walked you to the door, silently holding onto your hand.

You gazed up at him, and then at the floor.

“So…” Why were words so hard?

You wanted to ask him a million questions. Why had he kissed you? Had he liked it? Did it mean something to him? Was it just a distraction? Is your friendship ruined?

“I hope you know it is not true.”

“Huh?” You met his eyes.

“Everything they said.” Nanami refused to let go of your hand, drawing slow circles with his thumb. “It’s not true. You’re the most fantastic woman I’ve ever known. You’re beautiful, and smart, and talented, and kind, and so many other things that I want to say but can’t find the words to.” He’d never been good with his words. But you thought he was doing a pretty good job.

Then, he shook his head, running a hand through his now slightly ruffled hair. “I wish I was better at this. My point is – you’re remarkable, [Y/N]. The way you care for others, the way you’re so unapologetically you, the way you’re not afraid to speak your mind and be heard. Those are all admirable qualities. If your family can’t see that, then it’s their fault.”

You could just stare at him in awe.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you out. On a date, an actual date. Not just some simple last-minute overtime office dinner. A proper date, just you and me.”

A date? With him?

“You can say no if you want to. I won’t force you. But I’d like to take you out for dinner. Or lunch. Or anything you want, basically, I –“ He sighed once again. “Point is. I really like you, [Y/N]. I know, I know, we don’t know each other that well, and I don’t expect you to return my feelings, but –“

“I really like you too.” You blurted out without thinking. So, all of this time, your feelings hadn’t been one sided? He too felt the same as you? All those nights at the office, all those small interactions, making the workplace an easier place to deal with, all of the jokes and giggles and antics – he cherished them too? “And I… I’d love to go out for dinner. Or lunch. Or whatever you want, really! The point is,” You gather yourself, smiling like a fool. “I’d really love to go on a date with you.”

In that exact same moment, while you and Nanami smiled at each other like two shy teenagers, the only witness to your awkward confessions being the moon and the lights from the city above you, you didn’t think of yourself as unworthy, as dumb, and useless and a no-good child. The hurtful comments made by your family were far, far away, like they’d happened a lifetime ago.

You saw yourself the way he did. Remarkable. Kind, talented, beautiful, and oh so worthy of love.

A/N: That's it! I hope you liked it! I love this man so much hehe he deserves all the fics! Thank you for the lovely request, I'm so glad I got to finally start writing for Nanami instead of simply reading!

Have an amazing day everyone! <3

#nanami kento x reader #nanami kento x you #nanami reader x yn #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami x you #kento nanami x y/n #nanami headcanons #nanami drabbles #nanami x reader #nanami kento fanfiction #nanami kento #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen fanfiction #jjk fanfiction #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n

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angel-of-the-moons · 6 months

Text

Warmth

Syzoth x Reader

TW/CW: None this is mostly cute shit I thought up due to using my own heating blanket

A/N: I love having my window open at like 30-40 some-odd degrees with my heating blanket on and a fan because I'm half penguin and hate Florida weather. Also I wrote this when I woke up at 4am because insomnia is soooooo fun

🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎

Earthrealm was cold. Especially in the winter.

And Syzoth hated the winter.

Zaterrans were cold-blooded. He didn't understand why his newfound love enjoyed the horrid little white flakes that fell from the sky, but it was worth it to see you smile as they flurried around you.

And he was dressed to the nose in the thickest winter wear you could possibly procure for him.

You compared him to something called a "marshmallow" but he had no idea why he and marshes had anything to do with his clothes.

Of course, when night came, Syzoth could barely handle it. Even in the relative warmth of your home, you seemed to keep the bare minimum to yourself.

Seeing how uncomfortable Syzoth was, and how lethargic he was being, you felt horrible, so you naturally had turned on your space heaters and made sure he was cozy.

But the heat was too much for you, who enjoyed the more frigid temperatures. After all, if you were cold, you could put on more clothes to get warm.

But if it was hot, what could you do? Rip off your skin?

In turn, Syzoth felt bad for making you uncomfortable so he would wait for you to fall asleep before turning off the heaters and snuggling tight against you.

It was a vicious cycle of the two of you trying to keep the other comfortable while sacrificing your own comfort.

But... After the tenth instance of him shivering and pressed up against you beneath your blanket, an idea struck you.

So, you made an order online and paid for one day shipping (ugh, the prices were downright criminal) and waited for it to arrive.

When the package arrived you were positively giddy.

Syzoth stood over your shoulder, a confused furrow in his brow as he watched you spread the new item across one side of your bed, tucking it beneath the main comforter you used.

"Another blanket, love? You have several." He remarked.

"Yes, but this one is special." You grinned, connecting some kind of wire to the blanket and adjusting the controls and timer.

You stand up proudly and stared down at it for a few moments while Syzoth stared at you like some kind of loon.

You then began to crawl into bed, patting the mattress next to you as Syzoth tilted his head.

"It's the middle of the day."

"Nothing wrong with a little nap, right?" You asked him, beaming with pride.

He couldn't help but smile at you, shaking his head as he did away with his shoes, climbing in next to you as you folded the blankets over him.

That's when he felt it.

Warmth.

Blissful, wonderful, absolutely amazing warmth.

He made a pleasured groan and snuggled deeper beneath it, his expression so happy he looked almost in pain.

You grinned widely, "Do you like your present?"

"By the Elder Gods, yes." He said, wrapping his arms around your waist and tucking his face into the crook of your neck. "But won't you get hot?"

"I don't know how to describe it, but it's easier to handle the heat from a blanket over the space heaters. Plus it saves on the electric bill." You smile, petting his hair idly.

"Oh..."

"That and it's why I only covered your side of the bed, so you get all the warmth." You added.

"Gods, I love you." Syzoth groaned into your neck.

"Love you too, Rango." You teased.

Syzoth made a mental note to ask you why in the world you called him that from time to time as he drifted off into blissful sleep, snuggled up tight to his lover beneath the warmth of his new gift.

#mortal kombat x reader #syzoth x reader #syzoth x you #syzoth mortal kombat #syzoth mortal kombat 1 #mk1 syzoth #reptile x reader #reptile x you #reptile mortal kombat 1

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elina-bnhagirl4 · 12 days

Text

Not me starting my first post with my first husband. It's an example of my current writing.

Abbreviations here:

N/N: His nickname for you

Y/N L/N: Your official name

H/N: Your nickname for him

F/I: Favourite Ice Cream

F/B: Favourite Beverage

B/S: Body size (All of you are beautiful no matter what size you are, remember that 🥰)

Bold! Izuku Midoriya Boyfriend Headcannons

• He'd definitely pray to God that he got a girlfriend/boyfriend/Significant Other as youself.

"Oh heavens, I pray to thy self..."

You raised a brow at his kneeling figure, having head bowed to the ground, "Izuku, what're you doing?"

"Praying to whatever deity is out there who have blessed me"

"With what?" "You"

• He won't believe that he'd get a gorgeous/handsome/amazing partner like you. Even though, he knew you'd retaliate saying otherwise.

"Like, how did I get so lucky to have you? Maybe having a bad past was worth it after all"

You chuckled nervously feeling the stares around you due to his continuous rambles, "Izuku, sometimes your mentality makes me question myself"

• He'd everything in his power to make you happy such as weekly dates, late night calls and even skipping his plans if you'd ask him to.

"Izuku, are you sure you don't have any plans?"

He replied back sweetly as if he didn't had his one hand covering Denki's mouth to stop him from making fake kissing noises, "It's no worries, N/N. I didn't have anything to do all day"

• If you're in the same high school as him, he'll immediately introduce you to his friends and even invite in their sleepovers, parties or just in general.

"Hey guys, this is my partner Y/N L/N"

"Wow, you look so cute!"

"It is my pleasure to meet the significant other of our fellow friend"

"Hi"

• He'd tell you about his past after he got to know you a lot better. And I mean very very well. It's a very sensitive topic afterall.

"Izuku, are you sure you want to tell me about this now?"

He raised an eyebrow at your worried look, "Do you want to talk about yours?"

"No... I don't think it's the right time"

He shrugged and held you closer while continuing, "So, you know these guys, they made me..."

• He'd do his best to cheer you up when you're feeling down. He'd also immediately know when you are sad, depressed or in a bad mood.

"Hey, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? Who made you sad? I just need a name. I think I have F/I and F/B in the mini fridge. Do you want them?"

He quiet down feeling your body slump on his. He held you close feeling your murmur, "I need peace and quiet"

He hugged back gently before laying on his bed comfortably, "Okay"

• Even though you warn him about not being self sacrificing, he exactly does that.

"H/N, I told you to not be so reckless everyday!"

"But N/N, this is the only way to improve myself to be the hero I aim to be"

"Izuku, getting admitted in the hospital three times a week is not in the quota of being a hero!"

• If someone both of you may or may not know implies to leave the other, you'd get defensive to prevent the other for being self conscious.

"Hey, cutie~ How about you and me ditch your plain boyfriend and spend quality time together"

The person began sweating feeling the invisible daggers digging in the body from your stare, "You got a lot of nerve to insult my boyfriend right in front of me. If you want your body intact, I suggest you leave right this second"

"Hey, handsome~ What do you even see in that B/S person, anyway? I bet I can make you feel much better"

She got a nasty glare with deep voice oozing in hatred, "One, get your chest away from me. Two, I dare insult my partner one more time and you won't have any less than 5 bones to be mend after I'm done with your B.S."

The girl flinched back before scurrying away without a glance.

• If he's sure, you're his one and only, he'd introduce you to his mother after the 3rd date.

"Mom! Look who I brought!"

"Sweety, is that you?!"

"Yes, Aunty Inko"

• He'd propose to you after 3 years of becoming officially together, which is 1 year after debuting as a Pro Hero. He's sure in his life that there is no one else for him other than the love of his life.

"Y/N L/N, will you make me the happiest hero in the world by being my Mrs. Midoriya?"

You stood speechless staring at his sheepish expression while he held a small box having the most beautiful emarald ring in it.

Your eyes watered and you nodded not finding any words in your brain right now, just the grin on his face and him putting the ring on your figure.

Ignoring the clapping sounds echoing around you, you knelt down and hugged him tightly while sobbing quietly.

He hugged back just as tightly while murmuring soft words of how gorgeous you look right now. He definitely knew he made the right decision by choosing for a life together with you.

(⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ⊂⁠(⁠・⁠﹏⁠・⁠⊂⁠) ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

#izuku midoriya #izuku x reader #bnha #bnha x reader #mha x reader #anime #mha midoriya #bnha midoriya

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barcalover86 · 10 months

Note

Hey! I love your work <3

Can I ask for a Gavi x reader where the reader is a dancer and she had a horrible season because she always got placed worse than before and actually breaks down in front of Gavi thinking she is the worst dancer but he comforts him and telling her she is not bad at all?

Thank you<33

Disappointed - Pablo Gavi

If this is about you, I'm sorry to hear that. If anyone finds themselves in this type of story, I'm with you! As an performance athlet I know that is hard, but enjoy the moments!!! It's hard and I know it, but if you smile through the pain, it's going to get easier. I promise you that!

I don't know how a dancer season goes and if here's about balet or another type of dancing, but I'm going to what I know. Enjoy!

You arrived home after a big fight with your couch. She said you were bad and lately you've been having a lot of troubles with dancing right. Forgetting what you had to do because of all the pressure, wasn't helping you with the bad performance you had in the last competitions.

You were mad. You trained hard and sacrificed everything for this sport to get nowhere. It felt like in this moment, all you wanted to do is forget about dancing.

When Gavi saw your tired and frustrated face, he was concerned about you.

"Que pasa, amor?"

"Bad training."

Your reply was so dry, making Pablo even more concerned about you. He knew the life of an athlete wasn't easy at all, but it shouldn't be something where you just can't find happiness anymore.

He signed you to come sit in his arms, bow cuddling while asking what happened. His hands were in your hair, making you relax a bit.

You didn't speak at first, but after you were more comfortable, you felt like you had to free out your negative emotions.

You told him about how you are disappointed because of your performance and how you can't do anything to improve it, feeling like nothing worked.

He listened to you, until you were done.

"First, amorcito, stop crying, ok?" he raised your chin to look into his eyes. "Second, you are one of the nest dancer I've ever seen-"

"You just say that because I'm your girlfriend"

"Que- no! Exactly because I'm your boyfriend, I have to tell you my true opinion and to be honest with you. Listen up, cariño. I love the way you dance. You make it so emotional, and every time I see you, I get lost in your moves. You have a talent, and it would be a waste if you want to give up. Don't get me wrong here, I will support you through every decision, but you have to know that in this life, nothing is easy. I myself have some bad games, but they make me better next time. Maybe you don't see it yet, but promise you, in time, you will. Maybe for you, this season was bad, but the next one will be better. You know why? Because you didn't give up! Because you are brave, strong, talented and amazing. If you feel like you are worth nothing at the team you are, we can change it. You have to be happy and exited when you go to training. Being comfortable around people will make you perform better, preciosa. Si, my sweet dancer?"

You looked at him with tears in your eyes, nodding.

"You are amazing, Pablo. Thank you.."

He kissed your lips. "Now we can relax a bit after our hard session."

"How was your training?"

He laughed. "Oh you would love to hear this."

2nd Masterlist

#fc barca #fc barcelona #football #pablo gavi #pablo gavira #pablo martín páez gavira #gavi #gavi imagine #gavi x reader #gavi x yn #gavi fluff #pablo gavi imagine #pablo gavi x reader #pablo gavi x y/n #boy pablo #pablo gavi x you #pablo x reader #pablo gavi fluff

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bethdutten · 1 year

Text

Frank looked through the scope of his gun, watching Billy talking on his phone outside a New York skyscraper. His finger was on the trigger, and it would be so easy to end it now.

But his family deserved more than Billy’s quick, simple demise. Frank planned on making the punishment fit the crime.

Billy ended his call, his eyes meeting someone’s in the crowd walking down Fifth Avenue. He smiled widely, his nose crinkling in that way Frank had only seen when Billy was really, truly happy. Frank moved the sight of the scope through the crowd, trying to spot what was making Billy smile like that, and—

He watched a beautiful girl make her way to Billy, a matching grin on her face. She had a bag from Bergdorf’s in one hand, the other resting delicately on her stomach. She couldn’t have been more than six months along.

As Billy pulled her into his arms and kissed her, Frank lowered his gun. This changed everything.

***

You let Billy take your bag from you, slipping his other hand in yours and leading you towards his driver parked around the corner. “How was lunch?”

“Good, I’m still craving cheeseburgers every second of every day. God, I’m going to be 300 pounds by the time this baby arrives.”

Billy chuckles, opening the car door and helping you get in comfortably. “And you’d still be the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”

He caught you rolling your eyes before he closed the door, sliding in on the other side and letting the driver know you were headed home. Glancing over to you, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of you subconsciously cradling your belly, looking out the window as you drove through the busy city streets.

Billy knew he didn’t deserve this. He thought of what he did to Frank’s family, for the millionth time that time, like he always did since he found out you were pregnant. The decisions he made were selfish and greedy. Purely for wealth and status, and he didn’t think twice about sacrificing Frank’s family for it.

Then he met you. And something shifted. And when you got pregnant, he made a promise to himself to make all of the death and destruction he has caused worth something. He would give his family the life they deserved, regardless of the one he didn’t.

You turned to him then, a soft sigh on your lips. “I met with a lawyer today.”

Billy raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Not even married and you’re already looking into divorce, hmm? Or is it a pre-nup you’re after?” He said it with a teasing tone, but you caught the hint of fear in his questions.

You laughed, leaning over and kissing him gently. “No, you won’t get rid of me that easily. I was actually looking into how we could make sure the baby isn’t registered with the state of New York when they’re born.”

“Why would—“

“Because of what you did and who you are, Billy. If there’s proof you have a kid, they’ll be a target. I think it’s better if, legally at least, we’re ghosts.” You looked at him expectantly, waiting to see his reaction. You didn’t take this lightly, and you didn’t want to offend him— but at the same time, Billy had told you every single thing he had ever done. You loved him no matter what. But now that a baby was involved, you were taking precautions.

Billy let out a shuttering breath. Fuck. He hadn’t even considered that. He ran a security company, your safety was never a concern. And he knew you could take care of yourself. But his kid— God, he was bringing a kid into a world where people were just waiting for him to slip up, looking for any weakness—

“Hey,” you spoke gently, reaching over and taking Billy’s hand. You rested it on your belly, waiting until his eyes met yours. “It’ll be fine. No one will protect us better than you, baby. I’m not worried, just being smart about it.”

Billy pulled you closer, tucking your head under his chin and slowly rubbing your belly, looking out the window as you got closer to your condo. His mind flashed back to Frank again, wondering if he was out there, waiting for the perfect chance to extract his revenge.

And Billy had just created the perfect way for him to do that. A family for a family.

#billy russo #billy russo x you #billy russo x reader #ben barnes #billy russo fic #billy russo fanfic

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elenauaurs · 3 days

Text

“As members of a society that pursues peace, harmony is strictly necessary. Please try to see it this way: Just as a contract is only made with mutual consonance, Those who lack the ability—or rather the brilliance—to maintain their usefulness and cooperation are not befitting in this society... And my role, you ask? To reshape them all until they fit”

A mysterious figure among the IPC Strategic Investment Department, responsible for the role of disciplining their fellow co-workers and representing Diamond.

Bort can be described as an cunning individual and extreme perfectionist, although ironically they committed several rule breaks for the sake of showing their worth. They are straight-forward about their goals and ideals, believing that people who have no contribution to society have no place in it. Surprisingly, they have some empathy for these people and wish to help.

In the IPC, Bort is not considered a being of his own with freedom and rights, but rather as an extension of Diamond's power—That said, despite being part of the IPC, they are not exactly one of the ten stonehearts and occupy some of the roles of Diamond.

(Click on the image for better quality)

When Diamond decided to remove all his impurities and imperfections in the form of a shining meteor, a being made of stone was created from the collision of that meteor against the ground.

Bort is a strict person, known for always keeping a somewhat dull smile on their face and correcting their department's mistakes. They are normally reserved, however a person with great aptitude in social matters. Despite being considered obedient and intellectual by their peers, Bort actually has a hard time understanding their own feelings and negligence them, preferring to follow orders than worry about this silly things.

Before being completely under Diamond's command, Bort was responsible for missions on very dangerous planets and ended up developing an obsession with battles and now is very angry at not being able fight as much as they did in the past.

"They are extremely smart and pleasant to talk to, but it is a dangerous trait... They always preferred satisfying their intellectual curiosity, over using his skills for the benefit of others"

- Unknown Senior Manager

. . .

VOICELINES

First meeting

"Bort" of the illustrious IPC's Strategic Investment Department— or, as those closest to me refer to me, Ballas—is at your service. To whom do I owe the honor, my dear nameless companion?

Greeting

Straighten your posture, lift your head and leave behind any trace of laziness before greeting someone. Never underestimate the importance of body language—as a Trailblazer, you will certainly need it.

Parting

In a formal meeting, time is meticulously measured, from hours to milliseconds. I usually don't mind it... However, I'm your presence i feel like time is… too fast. Sigh… What a pity.

About Self: True Desire

What do I truly desire? Uh, well... that's rather a silly question. Anything that Diamond wants too. If he's happy, i'll be more than satisfied. :)

About Self: Old Self

I no longer recall what I was like, but that's only natural. If i expect a lot from others, I must hold myself to the same stantard, even if it means sacrificing who I truly am.

Chat: Food

I have often heard about the benefits of food, not only for bodily functioning but also for overall well-being. Personally, I have never savored the pleasure of eating, and in my form it's unlikely that I ever will... So, I kindly ask you to accept this money and buy some food. Even though I won't enjoy it with you, I'll feel happier seeing you healthier.

Hobbies

Even though I don't need it, I take great pleasure in sleeping. It makes all the worries of the world disappear for a brief and comfortable moment

Annoyances

The intense feeling of failure, especially when others have high expectations of you, can be incredibly... infuriating. I feel powerful under the pressure they put on me, but I can't help but feel an inexplicable pain in my chest...

. . .

Ok, it ended up being a bit big because I ended up getting excited hshqhdhwhdha

There are still many things left to say about them, such as their backstory and their relationship with other people like Aventurine, Topaz, etc... But that's for another post

I ended up changing a few things slightly from the little intro I made previously so... Here are some curiosities

They are genderless

They can't eat, drink, have no organs but can sleep for lore reasons

Sometimes they give off a weird vibe to others so no one messes with them

They are dependent on Diamond

They like fish and stars!

(and also, the phrase I left below the cut comes from houseki no kuni)

#honkai star rail #honkai sr #honkai star rail oc #bort #diamond #diamond hsr #ten stonehearts #ipc #ipc oc #strategic investment department #hsr aventurine #hsr topaz #hsr jade #hsr opal #hsr ipc #hsr pearl #hsr obsidian #hsr #hsr oc

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beanghostprincess · 5 months

Note

Not only did OPLA took the fun out of Nami (and Zoro), but hate how they also made Nami steal from Kaya in the LA even though Nami only steals from pirates in the manga

I mean... I don't really agree? I can see your point, though. The manga focuses way more on her hatred for pirates and emphasizes the fact that she steals from them respectively more. But I don't think stealing from the rich is something out of character for her. In fact, I think it's pretty much in character and also gives us a great scene about Luffy's views on rich people and money.

Nami won't stop complaining about how much stuff Kaya has and that she doesn't need all these luxuries. That it's unfair for the people who don't even have the chance to eat properly. She complains from a place of experience and hatred towards monetary difference and privilege. Nami grew up poor and her whole story is about finding comfort in money because that's what could've saved her mom and her village. She had to fight for it. Her mom wouldn't stop saying that it didn't matter that they weren't rich because they had each other, but Nami wanted more. Nami wanted stability and knowledge she could only achieve from the books she stole and,, She wanted to be able to live without sacrificing these things because it's just unfair people have to live this way while others swim in money. Arlong took everything from her and the ONLY thing that could've saved them was money. So of course she finds comfort in money. And of course she doesn't like rich people. Nami stealing from the rich and complaining about how they didn't have to fight for these things is extremely in character, in my opinion. It was a great addition to her character and a good way to build up her story.

Then, Luffy. I like the scene in which Nami's trying on outfits and saying rich people don't need all these things, and Luffy responds in a more emotional, concerned way for Kaya. He's like "but there's so much stuff in here and it's so empty at the same time... I'm sure she feels lonely without somebody to share this with" and Nami instantly goes to a more extreme, stubborn POV of "nah, rich people don't have feelings". And I honestly think it explains their characters so well. Luffy is an empathetic boy who grew up in the wild and he had to fight to live. Not even for money because he didn't care about that. He fought to live. He doesn't consider money something good or bad. He considers it just another type of living. And honestly? For him, it's not even good because his own brother was rich. Sabo grew up in a rich family and the kid wasn't happy at all and Luffy knew this perfectly. In fact, Sabo was only happy with Ace and Luffy and Luffy knows this. And I don't know if OPLA wanted to do something like this, and maybe it's a reach, but I honestly think Luffy was thinking about Sabo in that scene. For him, the more you have the less you have to lose because none of those materialistic things are worth it. For Nami, the less you have the more you have to lose. Simple as that.

I like their different views on this topic, honestly. Especially since Nami ends up befriending Kaya and understanding Luffy's POV. That money doesn't give you happiness and Kaya misses her parents the same as Nami. Death doesn't discriminate and money won't save you from tragedies like those. Nami finds comfort in money but it's not even something real. It's a trauma response from losing her mom but she knows it won't save them at the end of the day. At least it'll help them be comfortable, of course, she won't ever let the crew be poor. And also she likes shiny things and expensive stuff but like, obvious trauma response. She's fond of luxuries because she couldn't have them when she was a kid and now she has the chance to enjoy them and it's like telling her mom she finally made it and she's living comfortably thanks to her sacrifice, even if it's unfair she had to do it in the first place. That money isn't all but it's quite obviously it is something useful. Unlike Luffy, who gives 0 fucks about it and honestly, I don't think he even has a good opinion on that. At the end of the day, they both agree on the fact that everyone should live equally and nobody should have this much money to waste when others are dying of hunger (Wano my beloved).

TL,DR: I think it's in character for Nami and it gives us a great view of her opinion on money and also Luffy's past and empathetic personality.

#OMG BEAN SAYING SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT OPLA????????????????????? INCREDIBLE #i can see where you're coming from but i don't really agree sorry :(#nami's just like me fr i fucking hate rich people #and i like mentioning sabo in every fucking post i make yes #i luv him he's my beloved #also sanji and the vinsmokes great example of money and privilege not making you happy or a good person #and doffy bc that man is depressed and just wants a family and no amount of privilege will bring back the real family he k worded #and obviously kaya but i've talked about this in the post she's my girlfriend and apparently also nami's now #one piece #cat burglar nami #monkey d. luffy #kaya one piece #opla #one piece live action

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kiefbowl · 4 months

Note

Do you have some advice for someone starting to date for the first time in their late 20s, completely inexperienced? Is there something you would say to your younger self before you started dating? I don't have any self esteem issues but I'm mostly uninterested in sex and I fear that squaring that into a functional relationship and explaining myself will be near impossible. I'm straight btw.

know what you want out of dating and then don't compromise. it's much better staying single then fucking around and finding out on things you really didn't want in the first place. this doesn't mean have a 180 item list on all the perfect attributes you want out of a partner, but how you want dating, sex, and relationships to function in your life. like, some people would love to date around with interesting people for fun, but remain functionally single. some people want to find their life partner. some people want a serious and monogamous relationship but are comfortable with the fact that it doesn't have to be a "forever" kind of love. what are you trying to gain from dating, what does fulfillment look like to you? You don't want to move in with a guy you only kind of like because you think it's too rude to tell him you were only looking for a fwb situationship 6 months ago and didn't have the heart to tell him. You also don't want to be mooning over a guy who told you straight up he just wanted to have sex a couple times.

if you're uninterested in sex, you have to be candid about that, because that's going to be a deal breaker for a lot of people. Nothing is wrong with either you or them. Your sexual appetite may well and probably will fluctuate throughout your life. It doesn't really matter why you're not that interested now unless it bothers you. But here's the thing about not being honest about this when you're attempting to date: you do not want to put yourself in a situation where you feel compelled to perform sexual favors to maintain a healthy relationship. Do not make yourself miserable in the future because of embarrassment today. There's nothing embarrassing about being an adult living through some low libido, and frankly it's something anyone past the age of, like, 23 should completely understand.

Most important: always ALWAYS prioritize yourself. Yeah yeah, in a deeply committed relationship, you have to compromise and think of your partner sometimes in certain ways...you aren't in a deeply committed relationship, so don't break your back making someone happy when you're not getting what you want out of it in return. If someone is nice but boring, why be bored just because they're nice. If someone is funny but lazy, why work so hard just to have a laugh. If someone is dotting but particular, why live a life you don't want just to have things. You have your own life, your own goals, your own morals, your own beliefs, and the key to happiness in dating, sex, marriage, and relationships is to say no relationship is worth my sense of self. Relationships (of all kinds) should be about your life flourishing, not sacrificing.

And have fun :) if it's shit hit da bricks :)

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stranded-labyrinth · 1 year

Note

Hey could you please recommend your favorite hannigram fanfics? sorry if you already mentioned it <3

i'd be happy to! :] keep in mind that these all differ in rating, but i've linked them so you can see the ratings and tags for yourself

Love is Blind by meraki_arcane is one that isn't finished, but i still love it. it was one of the first Hannibal fics i read, actually! it's about Hannibal being a sort of gorgon creature that a village sacrifices people to in order to keep his wrath from destroying them, but when Will gets sacrificed to him, he lives to tell the tale.

each according to its kind by chaparral_crown is one of my all time favorites. it follows a plotline i absolutely love in Hannibal fics, in which after Will gets released from the BSHCI, he decides he's had enough of everyone and moves away without telling a soul where he's gone. this leads to Hannibal trying to use any clue he can find to find and reunite with Will. it's a longer read, but in my opinion it's so worth it. i absolutely love the depiction of Will's father (and how both Grahams end up punching Hannibal in the face, but that's besides the point)

Keep Me Warm by nbcravenstag is another all time favorite! this one is a one shot, in which Will ends up stuck in the cold for a while, and by the time he comes home, Hannibal gets stuck in a PTSD flashback in which he thinks he has to keep his sister warm.

A Clutch at Balance by Devereuxs_Disease is one i haven't read in a while, but i remember thinking it was hilarious. this is basically a fake dating AU where Hannibal comes up with a "plan" to pretend to date Will so that Will may prove to Alana that he is a perfectly stable and capable partner. you can guess where this goes.

Bram Stoker's HANNIBAL by DBMars, another lengthy read that i would be remiss not to add to this list. as i'm sure you can imagine, it follows the plotline of Bram Stoker's Dracula, with various Hannibal characters in place of the book characters. it's still in progress, but it's easy to become obsessed with it.

Family of Strays by justheretoreadhannibalfics is perfect for people who love Dark!Will who was dark before he even met Hannibal it essentially follows Will collecting fledgling killers like strays, adding them to a little "family" in which he'll look out for all of them in exchange for a favor someday. Hannibal ends up catching onto this phenomenon, and seeks to find out more about this mystery man that his young animalistic patient has latched onto.

take my hand (show me to the door) by antiheroblake is a hurt/comfort one shot i occasionally come back to. it follows post-fall Hannigram, in which Will has yet to take off his wedding ring from his marriage to Molly, and the feeling it gives Hannibal is akin to a cursed object that scorches his skin with every touch. obviously, Hannibal being Hannibal, good decisions are not made.

Provoking the Lamb by nbcravenstag is a very smutty fic for people who love the idea of post-fall Hannigram being the ones to remove and serve Bedelia's leg, with Will and Bedelia being their bitchy selves to each other. essentially, Bedelia provokes a very potent jealousy in Will, and he decides to take matters into his own hands to remind her which of them truly belongs at Hannibal's side.

Hosanna in the Highest by Cynthia_Cross, a hurt-no-comfort Hannibal whump that scratched every itch in my brain i didn't know was there. with the most vivid descriptions of senses you can imagine, it follows post-fall Will trying to take care of Hannibal's injuries, with both of them realizing how easily Will accepts this position of power over him. the ending hit me like a goddamn bus, whatever i thought was coming, it wasn't that, and yet i was absolutely not disappointed.

i saw your burning body, waiting by antiheroblake, some nice post-fall injury angst. Will is recovering a lot better than Hannibal is, given the nature of their injuries. Will felt it almost just to let him suffer in his delirium, until he finally decides to check on him.

Crime of Passion by sourweather listen to me. listen. i do not typically like A/B/O fics, much less Hannigram ones, because they typically involve just about every fic thing that i can't stand. this fic, however, is the one A/B/O fic that i've not only enjoyed, but have come back to repeatedly. it's a fake dating trope with alpha Will and omega Hannibal, and it's just so perfect to me.

Only When You're Near by sourweather an angsty post-fall fic where Hannibal realizes Will not only has been sleeping extremely poorly, but also refuses to leave his side. Hannibal fears that Will is either unhappy with their life together or thinks that he doesn't have freedom to move as he pleases, only for the actual reason to be somehow more heartwrenching, but something that can be dealt with.

Hold Me, Don't Let Go by sourweather post-fall Will realizes that Hannibal has probably not had solid physical contact with another person in an incredibly long time. heartbroken, he seeks to remedy that immediately

something of the wolf about you by nbcravenstag a werewolf!Will AU, specifically involving Louisiana's Rougarou mythology. love me some solid worldbuilding

The Lamb and His Monster by petrodactyl352 i can't not include petro's fic here. this follows Will and Hannibal in Florence around the 90s, both of them students, meeting in the Uffzi gallery and becoming obsessed with one another. Will gets asked by his professor to help consult on Il Mostro cases, all while the very beast is courting him.

Prescription for Judas by Artemiaz post-fall, Will still can't come to terms with his complicated feelings for Hannibal. he shouldn't enjoy his presence, he shouldn't be comfortable around him. when it gets brought up, Hannibal challenges this idea, as per usual, and suggests that the two must navigate each other's pain in order to enjoy their compassion.

SnowStorm by reflectiveless Hannibal happens to stop by Will's house just before a snowstorm hits and the power goes out, sending Hannibal deep into a PTSD flashback. Will does everything he can to make sure the man is comfortable, even while Hannibal is cowering in his closet.

Scent of a Woman by Devereuxs_Disease post-fall, Will had thought things would grow more intimate between them. instead, Hannibal comes home with tattered clothes, smelling of jasmine perfume. Will handles that exactly as expected.

Room For Two by Devereuxs_Disease a delicious crackfic where Hannibal ensured that he, Will, and Jack would be stranded by a motel during a case, with only two rooms available with one bed each. his plans are foiled when Jack decides that he and Will shall room together, and Hannibal must improvise. i couldn't stop laughing through this one.

touch me, i'm cold (unable to control) by Naomi_Riddle this one is just starting out, but i'm already obsessed. Hannibal's a bit in-denial about his own need for intimate contact in any way, especially with Will, even when Abigail clocks his feelings. surely having the two move in with him won't complicate things for him, right?

settling the score by honeybeebear i tell you, the Hannigram fistfight-to-smut pipeline is insane. this fic does that beautifully.

i went through all my bookmarks to try and grab my favorites, hope you enjoy! :]

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celestial-dreamscapes · 2 years

Text

Love languages - Mystic Messenger

Word count: 2.0k

Jumin:

Giving:

Quality time: Although he does have a lot to do at work, he’s very efficient with his time and usually doesn’t have much to do with documents once he leaves the company building. He’ll spend the rest of his evening with you, and he usually likes to just relax and enjoy the calm between the two of you, but if you have any particular activities in mind he’s willing to do whatever you’d like. For example, an evening picnic in a field and then staying out until it’s dark to do some stargazing, even if he does end up sacrificing an hour or two or sleep, it’s all worth it to him. He’d also take you on business trips to other countries or cities with nice views so you could enjoy the scenery alongside him.

Gifts: He definitely has the means to spoil you, but he always makes sure to take into account what you like. He has a very proper and formal image, but if you’re more into casual and comfortable clothes, he’ll buy those for you instead. He’ll also ask for your thoughts on decorating the house you both live in, so that it suits both your tastes and so that you can both enjoy the place Even with his status having a big effect on the company, he still prioritizes your comfort and happiness above all, so as long as you’re happy, he is too.

Receiving:

Physical touch: Considering everything he’s willing to give you, he doesn’t ask for much in return. The fact that you’re so willing to accept and love him even after learning everything about his past and his complicated feelings already feels like a lot to him. That being said, Jumin does really love the soft intimacy of cuddling in bed late at night while he reads to you when you have your head resting on his chest, with Elizabeth the 3rd curled up on his other side.

Zen:

Giving:

Gift giving: Zen is by no means affluent, but he tries to get you little trinkets here and there that reminded him of you or that you saw while out on a date. He wants to be able to spoil you, but because of his financial situation he can’t exactly give you everything he’d like to, but he tries to compensate for that by just giving you thoughtful gifts here and there to show that he actually pays attention to your likes and interests. For example, I think he’d buy you some cute little hair accessories or small colourful bracelets on your first date. Or if you were to mention that there’s a book series you’re particularly into and aren’t able to find a copy of the next one, he’d do everything he can to get it for you so you can continue to enjoy your hobby without frustration.

Physical touch: Despite his ability to talk smoothly and charm people with words, Zen enjoys the simplicity in giving physical affection, and letting his actions do the talking. He’s particularly fond of holding you in his lap and resting his head in the gap between your neck and shoulder and just enjoying the silence that way, though he also really enjoys when you start talking about whatever is on your mind while absentmindedly carding your fingers through his hair. He also enjoys cuddling after going through both of your skincare routines at night, with him sitting up against the headboard and your back leaning against his chest.

Receiving:

Acts of service: Because of how busy he is with work, he doesn’t do a great job of taking care of himself. Doing little things like buying extra groceries to fill his practically empty fridge really brightens his mood. Cooking something for him every once in a while is also another good example, because despite his strict diet to make sure he stays healthy while also looking good for any role, he can never refuse a meal you’ve gone through all the work of preparing, especially since it was made with him in mind and clearly made with love.

Words of affirmation: Due to his appearance when he was younger, he never received many compliments from his parents (since they were worried he’d become too confident and stray from the path they wanted for him), whether on his appearance or just in general. Though he puts on a front of being extremely confident in his career and appearance, he’s worried no one will truly love and appreciate him for what’s beneath the surface. Complimenting him goes a long way, especially if you’ll watch him rehearse his lines and cheer him up when he’s worried about a certain role not going well or him not getting accepted to play a part. Whether or not you think you’re good with words, the effort you go through just to help him feel better means the world to Zen.

Jaehee:

Giving:

Acts of service: Despite how overworked she already is, she does her best to show you that she can still balance a relationship and work. Housework is usually done together, but when she has time, she’ll take it upon herself cook food for the two of you if she notices you’re stressed or aren’t feeling up to it. She’ll also make you breakfast in bed if you’re not feeling well, something warm and healthy to help you recover quickly. Despite how willing she is to do all this for you, however, it’s important to make sure she doesn’t overwork herself at home like she is at work.

Physical touch: She likes more subtle ways of showing you her affection in public, like linking arms or pinkies while you’re both out, or adjusting your clothes (like scarves or shirts). Jaehee enjoys being able to be affectionate with you while still being modest in public, so she never goes overboard, like giving mouth kisses where people can see you. Though in the case of you two opening a café together, she becomes more relaxed with it (though still not too much), like giving forehead kisses in the café, but only when there aren’t too many people inside. At home however, she really likes cuddling, especially in the colder weather, and likes cuddling under the blankets with your head on her shoulder while watching TV.

Receiving:

Quality time: Unlike Jumin, she can’t exactly take time off whenever she feels like it, or toss her workload onto someone else, as she’s his most trusted employee. She tries her best to make room in her busy schedule to spend time with you whether it be spent just talking, cooking together, or watching movies or musicals. However, she appreciates it even more if you go out of your way to clear your schedule so that your free time aligns and you don’t have to stress about school or work while you’re meant to be relaxing with her. If it’s in the route where you open a coffee shop together after she leaves the company, she loves the time you two spend preparing everything for when it opens, and cleaning up afterwards when it’s done. Her aura is much livelier because she gets to do what she loves without stressing constantly, and she gets to do it with the person she loves most.

Yoosung:

Giving:

Quality time: He enjoys spending time with you both in and out of his apartment. When you’re inside, he likes playing video games together, baking or cooking. Though his cooking could use some work, he does a lot better when he has the motivation of cooking nice meals for you. Yoosung also likes it when you take interest in whatever club he’s recently joined at school, and he’d be happy to let you tag along with him to their club meetings.

Receiving:

Words of affirmation: With how immature he tends to act in the chat rooms, Yoosung is much more troubled than he lets the rest of the RFA know. The others tend to either minimize his anger and frustration or simply tell him to calm down, which does absolutely nothing for him but make him feel worse. Your presence and comfort are a breath of fresh air for him, and he really wants someone to help him feel that his emotions are valid. Reassuring him that he’s not wrong for wanting to know more about what happened to his cousin, and that getting upset when things are hidden from him is completely reasonable, and already helps Yoosung feel a lot better.

Physical touch: Yoosung is very touchy once he gets comfortable in the relationship, though he tries to hold back in case he comes across as being too clingy. He’s very proud to be in a relationship with you, so he loves holding hands while you’re out so that people know you two are together. He also loves when you touch his hair, as it really helps him relax. Sometimes he’ll ask you to help him dye his roots once his natural colour starts to show again, or for you to help him adjust his hair clips even though he could do it himself, he likes the proximity, even if it doesn’t last for very long.

707/Saeyoung:

Giving:

Gifts: He definitely has enough money to buy you fancy gifts and spoil you, and though he does occasionally, he much prefers to give you things he made himself. It comes rather easily to him, and he usually makes very intricate things even if he claims to have just done it during a short break from work, you really appreciate the thought and effort behind it. Just like the robot cat he made while at the apartment with you, he’ll often make things related to cats or other cute animals.

Receiving:

Physical touch: Considering his job and his abusive childhood along with the amount of time he’s spent alone working for the agency, he hasn’t really gotten much gentle physical touch for most of his life. You’d likely have to take it a bit slow at first, but he quickly gets used to it. Seven really likes full hugs that last for a long time (and he’ll often joke about just never letting you go) and when you give him forehead kisses while laying down together.

Saeran:

Giving:

Acts of service: As shown while staying at the Mint Eye location, Saeran really enjoys doing things for you, like cooking your meals according to what you’ve told him you like. He often feels like he doesn’t do enough for you or that he’s being useless, so his way of compensating for his thoughts is to do what he can to make sure you’re comfortable in your daily life. If he notices you seem tired, he’ll offer to run you a bath or take over doing the dishes that night. While it is very sweet of him, it’s important to make sure he knows he’s very important to you regardless of how useless he may think he is.

Receiving:

Physical touch: Though he struggles to initiate physical contact on his own, he really appreciates and enjoys when you do it, and while he may be a bit apprehensive at first out of fear of bothering you at first, he quickly relaxes when you hold him. He really likes spooning (him being the little spoon most of the time) and resting his head on your lap while sitting on the couch as you play with his hair.

Words of affirmation: Considering Rika’s “tactic” of making those at Mint Eye feel a sense of comfort and then suddenly causing them fear, he has a lot of issues with becoming fully relaxed and not constantly keeping his guard up, though he is working on it little by little. Consistency with your words in key, because he might deny your compliments and praise of his skills and sweet personality sometimes due to his self doubt. But being persistent with it will help over time and he’ll start to believe your words more and help his self esteem a lot in the long run.

#mystic messenger #mystic messenger x reader #yoosung x reader #jaehee x reader #jumin x reader #707 x reader #saeyoung x reader #zen x reader #hyun ryu x reader #saeran x reader #mm x reader #mysme x reader #yoosung kim x reader #jaehee kang x reader #jumin han x reader #saeyoung choi x reader #saeran choi x reader #seven x reader

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pynkricee · 6 months

Text

A Permanent Red Stain: Redamancy

Chapter 1

KyiGo, is a woman in her 30's, divorced from her ex after 5 years of marriage, leaving her with a two year old daughter to raise. After a year of being single, trying to find self-love and her self-worth again, she finally wanted to step back out into the world and discover something worth wild. From understanding her hatred to understanding the person that it turned her into, she will always try and do what's best for her baby girl. Even if it meant sacrificing her happiness? Even if that may mean stepping into a new love she never imagined? Or breaking the cycle of being afraid to love again....

I was tired. So tired that I couldn't even keep my eyes open but I knew I had to get home, cook, clean and get my daughter ready for school tomorrow. That also meant the possibility of me putting up a slight with her to get her to sleep in time if i could. Luri, still being the age of two, was still attached and wanted to cuddle up under me every chance that my little monster got. Every time we were alone, that was our comfort in peace. She was my baby girl and I loved her more than anything. She was all that I had, and I was grateful. I couldn't ask for anything else or anything more.

The house seemed like it was always a complete mess with her toys all over the floor, but I was even still too tired to bend over to clean them up every evening when I made it home from work.

Fuck It, ill do it tomorrow… (That was my main motto. I'll do it tomorrow. But even in Tomorrow, I knew I would be the definition of too busy.)

I felt like I was even too busy to have a life of my own…..

Finally after a long night of cooking and cleaning, I was able to soundly get her to bed, this was the only time that i could squeeze a moment in for myself. And that was to be replaced with a nice, hot, long shower. I would consider this.. the best part of my day, not including spending time with my daughter of course. Yes she was my everything. My entire world. The air that I breathe.. But it was nice to get some ‘me’ time in even if that meant that I had to step away for a moment from ‘The Mommy Life.’

Getting my main essentials ready for my shower, that I placed on the sink, I looked in the mirror fluffing up my short curly black locks that I cut off a few months ago. I was accustomed to having long hair for years, so I decided to cut it all off. When I mean I cut it all off, I went from sixteen inches to having a short undercut with a curly top. And I was completely in love with it. It was different, new but it was easy to take care of. Being a black woman in the black society, your hair was and has always been deemed as ‘your crown’, and if you didn't have the long black, Aesthetic look, you were basically judged for it. I thought it was the most stupid thing so I did the complete opposite. And I'm glad that I did because I don't regret it one bit. Aside from that I had the hair grade to pull off any hairstyle.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I always notice my large breasts that grew up two sizes after having my daughter, is something that I still very well have to get used to. My light stretch marks that curled down my hip dips and around my waist, complimented me more than they used to before I had kids. My semi light toasty skin hue, that changed colors during the seasons. My small seven foot size with my tiny toes. I had no type of ass, but I must admit, it was soft. I always have a smile on my face when I would rub it every now and then. A slight jiggle is all I had but it was all I needed. I was very petite and somewhat slim except for the gut my little one gave me after birth that I've grown to actually love. So right now, I was just as pale as the slice of bread my daughter left for me on the floor as a gift this evening.

(Being a mother of one, I always tried to compliment myself every chance that I got. Even if it was in silence. Even if it was hard. Even on my toughest days I had to be the one to bring myself up for my own protection. Like I said, even if it was hard. And there were times it was hard….)

“Shit…..” This felt so good. I thought to myself as I let the hot water span down my naked body, standing under the shower, with my mouth open, nipples hard from the warm water sliding off them. I wish I had someone who could touch me right now. Just maybe hold me for a second. I opened my eyes to know the reality of my thoughts were just as dry as the hot air that blew from the heater.

(Why… Do I always think like this in the shower? Of all places. It seems like it never fails…)

“Mama…” I then opened my eyes again to the sound of my baby girl crying, knowing that certainly meant she was missing me. That I wasn't beside her like I needed to be. “Well then… I guess that means my time is up for the night. It really was nice while it lasted…” I said in a low tone to myself, turning off the water and grabbed a towel to dry myself off.

I took my hand, wiping it across the fog to clear my reflection in the mirror. But I couldn't help but notice the look I had in my eyes. The look in my eyes.. was somewhat.. soulless? Like something was still missing in my life. I couldn't help but let out a soft sigh and crack a small grin on the corner of my lips to let myself know ‘It was alright..’ I always tried to convince myself that it wasn't love… But I knew deep down, thats what it fucking was. That I wanted someone to just love me right for once.

After getting dressed for bed, I held my daughter close as we went to sleep for the night. Ready to repeat the same day tomorrow. I kissed her gently, holding her in my arms in a sweet embrace that warmed my heart until we both fell asleep.

I was just ready for the weekend…….

That next morning came and I was already ready to get the day over with. I was just ready to execute the plans I made for Luri and I for the weekend. Which included going to see the new Dora movie that came out in theaters last weekend. (Her idea though.) I won't lie, I was super excited to finally be able to relax and spend some quality time with her. Especially knowing I'd be off for the next couple of days.

After about a ten minute drive I finally made it up to her school. All the parents were rushing in the back seats of their cars, unhooking their babies from their car seats, and running them into their classes so they wouldn't be late for work. I won't lie, I was actually one of them.

Finally entering the building, I took my baby girl into her classroom, which was the second door to the right of the walkway entrance. When I would go in, I'd usually just hand her to the teacher and leave after waving goodbye to her…. But her teacher wasn't there today. “Hey Nobara, Sarah isn't here today?” Nobara was Sarah's other assistant in class that helped with handling the kids when she wasn't in attendance. As I looked around the corner of the classroom, I noticed I didn't see my daughter as she walked off around the corner to the bathroom.

“No.. She's out sick for the week with covid. It's been really going around.” Fucking great! That's really what I needed to hear. That's all I need right now. As she was changing another child on the changing table I looked around for Luri before I walked off, but I still didn't see her.

“Such a beautiful girl you are. I love your eyebrows!” Said the voice of a tall pale man coming from around the corner with my daughter in his arms with her coat over his shoulder. I immediately stopped because it caught me off guard. (Someone I didn't know was holding my daughter.)

“KyiGo ….” Nobara said walking up to me, cleaning her hands off with another baby wipe. I was still glued to this man as he too walked up to me with “My” daughter in his arms. “This is Choso. He's going to be filling in for Sarah until she gets back from sick leave.” He stood her down on the ground and we watched as she ran off with the other kids.

“Hey I'm Choso.” He said hold my hand out to shake. I shook it but I was still hesitant about someone that was new around my baby girl.

“Nice to meet you Choso… I'm KyiGo.” I said releasing his hand. His skin was cool to the touch but gentle at the same time. He too was somewhat an odd one though. He was dressed in all black, black Nike high tops, a black G-Shock watch on his wrist..(Which was my favorite watch brand. But I haven't been able to get as of late because they ‘were’ pretty expensive.) Black hair that he kept in a bun with a few free bangs hanging down over his Amber eyes that darkened as he stood in front of me. His pink lips….

(Wait..Wh…Why am I looking at his lips? His lips of all things..Hang on, that smell though. Is that Top Boy Cologne?)

(Please snap out of it Go…)

“Your daughter has the thickest eyebrows!” He said with a soft smile. Nobara was sitting there, slightly looking at me giggling behind Choso. From the expression on her face she could tell my thoughts trailed off..slightly.

“Thank you… Mr. Choso right? I have no idea where she gets them from.” I could tell I was slightly blushing and I wanted to slap myself with both hands. And as hard as I could too.

He turned around slowly and started to walk towards the kids, cracking a small smirk on the side of his mouth making a soft “mhp” sound under his breath. “Just Choso. Added, she gets them from you.” He turned around walking to play with the babies. My daughter one of them.

I could promise that at that moment my eyes seemed to be the exact replica as Jasper from Twilight right about now. I had to turn my head away from the classroom because I knew for a fact it was fire fucking red in this daycare. Nobara was ‘still’ giggling, not making the situation any better. I was so embarrassed as I bit down on my lip to where I felt it was about to bleed. “Mmmhhppp” was the softly sound that murmured from my mouth.

My back was still turned as I waved bye to my baby girl, as I walked as quickly as I could out the school door and to my car. Rushing to unlock it, I opened the door, jumped into the seat and looked into the rear view. My face was so flushed. To the point where it looked like I absolutely had on makeup. Plus I never wore makeup unless it was a special occasion.

Choso… That was his name right? Choso?

Wait.. No..

What am I doing? Why am I thinking about his name? Why am I..thinking about him?

#choso #chosokamo #jujutsu kaisen choso #jjk choso #choso kamo #chosoandpynk #i love choso #choso and pynkricee #choso x reader #choso x black!reader #choso x black woman #choso x smut #chosokamo x black reader

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pagetreader · 11 months

Text

@honorhearted // {x}

Betrayed. Used. Cast aside like an old gown.

Peggy was not only heartbroken, she was scorned, infuriated, and vengeful. After everything she'd done, all she'd sacrificed in the name of love, Andre had traded her in for another. Wasting another moment in the company of that brute Arnold was now of zero interest to her, and she was bent on finding a more suitable partner to ravish.

"What a tragedy for women everywhere," she replied, having no intention of rescinding her proposition, "Whatever the case, Major, I find you immensely attractive and compelling for someone with so little experience on the matter and my offer remains."

Knowing they were in no danger of being seen, not that she cared anymore, she closed the gap between them and lifted herself to press her lips sensually against his ear, "But I can assure you, you would never forget a night with me."

She took ahold of the hem of his breeches, tugging him against her, "I'll be retiring for the evening, as I have no further desire to mingle with anyone else. If you decide to take me up on my overture, then come to the third door to the right in ten minutes."

Her tongue lightly and teasingly caressed his lobe, "I do hope you to come see me. I'll be sure to make it worth your time."

With that, she took her leave, heading upstairs and carelessly discarding every article of clothing she'd selected for that important evening. Andre had sent her the money for such fine fashion. She'd be happy to watch them be used as fodder for the fireplace.

Now entirely exposed, she poured herself a glass of wine and lay comfortably on her bed to wait and see if Ben would show.

#Save a Dance #honorhearted #Le Lime

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canirove · 10 months

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The Princess & the Football Player | Chapter 28

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Hi."

"I've brought you some breakfast" my mum says, leaving a tray with food on the bedside table and sitting on the bed.

"I'm not hungry."

"You must eat something."

"I'm not hungry" I repeat.

"Eleanor, please. I'm sure he wouldn't like to see you getting sick."

"Why did you have to mention him?" I say, covering my head with the duvet and starting to cry.

"I'm sorry. I just... Drink the juice at least. You will dihydrate if you keep crying like that."

"I don't care!"

"Eleanor..."

"Leave me alone!"

"I'm your mother, I'm not going anywhere."

And so far, she hasn't. Since the moment she found me crying on the floor after Declan left, she has been by my side. She has spent the whole night with me, taking care of me, comforting me. When she left to pick up my breakfast, it probably is the longest she has been gone for.

"Eleanor... Ellie..." she says after taking a deep breath. "Do you know why at first I opposed to you dating Declan?"

"Because you are a snob with a stick up your ass."

"No, Eleanor" she sighs. "I opposed to it because I knew this would happen. Because I knew he'll end up breaking your heart, and I didn't want to see you suffer like this."

"Because he isn't like us."

"Exactly."

"See? You are a snob!"

"I am not a snob. But I better than anyone know how it feels to fall in love with a royal when you aren't part of that world. What it entails, all the sacrifices you must make, how much you must fight. And it isn't easy, Eleanor. You don't know how many times I had my phone on my hand ready to call your dad and tell him it was over, that I couldn't deal with the press, with everything I had to learn if I wanted to be queen one day. It was so tough. Not just for me, but for everyone around me."

"But you never did it. You never gave up like he has done."

"Because unlike Declan, I had nothing to lose. If things between Philip and I hadn't worked out, if we had broken up... Yes, we both would be heartbroken. Especially me. But that was it. I had my studies and I could start again. Maybe not in England, but definitely somewhere else. Declan doesn't have that luxury."

"What do you mean?" I ask, uncovering my head.

"He has his career. His dream. Everything he and his family have worked for since he was a kid. They've sacrificed many things for it, and he couldn't lose that."

"So instead, he chose to lose me."

"Yes. But not because you weren't worth it, because he doesn't love you, or because it was the easier choice. He did it because he knows it is something that can be fixed."

"What?"

"When I found out you were seeing someone who wasn't Charles, I thought it was just something fleeting. Then I noticed how happy you were, that you actually had feelings for whoever that boy was. And despite suspecting that he probably was one of Mason's friends and that you had met him through Roberta, I said to myself… well, maybe it will work out. Just look at her, at how she is glowing. Then you told us who he was and I knew it was a mistake, that you would end up hurting each other. But you both still kept fighting. And then, again, I thought… maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they'll work through this, maybe the fact that he has had to deal with huge pressure before at such a young age will help them."

"But you were wrong."

"Yes and no. I was wrong because he clearly hasn't been able to deal with everything that has happened since the press found out about you two and with everything else going on on the pitch. But Eleanor... The way you and Declan love each other... You don't get to see that every day. It is true love. Right now you probably feel like the world is ending, like it is over. But it isn't. This just wasn't your moment to be together. You'll have a second chance, I'm sure of it."

"What... What do you mean?"

"I..." she says, taking a deep breath. "I think that one day, both of you will be strong enough to fight against anything and everything, and you will be ready to get back together. I don't know when that will happen, but..."

"It isn't a goodbye, it's a see you soon" I say, remembering what Declan said before he left.

"That's it, yes."

"If one day that happens... If we get back together… Will you support us? Will you be by our side?"

"I will. I promise you I will" she says, caressing my cheek.

"It would have been easier if you had told me all this before, you know? Everyone kept telling me that you were just trying to protect me, but if you had explained it to me..."

"I know. I just… I didn't know how to do it, so I took the harsh way. But I love you, Eleanor. You know I do, don't you?"

"I do" I say, sitting up.

"I'm sorry I didn't do things right. That I hurt you so much. Both you and Declan."

"It's ok" I whisper.

"I know things are gonna be very difficult. That right now you are heartbroken and feel like nothing makes sense anymore. But I'm here for you, and I will help you with everything. Now and always" she says, taking my hand on hers.

"Thank you, mum" I cry.

"Oh, come here" she says, hugging me.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Eleanor."

#declan rice #declan rice fanfic #declan rice imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

36 notes · View notes

jinmukangwrites · 4 months

Text

Handcuffed/Manacled

Fandom: Nightwing, Batman - All Media Types

Rating: M

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Tags: Self-Sacrificing Dick Grayson, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt Tim Drake, Tim Drake Whump, Dick Grayson Whump, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Blood and Injury, Dick Grayson-centric, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending, Hostage Situations, Near Death Experiences, Protective Tim Drake

Ao3

Summary: What started as a quiet night quickly turned sour when Tim's comms cut off without warning.

----

"I think I have a pimple on my chin, and I'm about to get violent about it."

Dick laughed, swinging under a fire-escape—it creaked, but he had swung under this particular fire-escape enough times to know it could hold his weight.

At the other end of the comms, Tim sounded bored. Well, he must be bored if breakouts, and not the fun jail kind, had suddenly become the topic of conversation.

"It'll get better when you're older," Dick replied, smirking to himself, his eyes scanning the regular shady alleyways of Blüdhaven as his grapple retracted, then shot off to the next practiced ledge with a jolt down his arm. It looked like it would be a quiet night tonight, not a crime worth punishing to be seen.

"I'm literally almost 20, N," Tim replied, deadpanned. "Also you can't talk. I'm pretty sure you've never had a pimple in your life."

"Not on my face, not really," Dick agreed. He could hear Tim's weight land heavily on puddled Gotham streets through the other end of the comm. Seemed like he, too, was having a slow night. "But bacne? Whoah-boy. Pretty sure I have one right below my left shoulder-blade, it's driving me nuts."

"You said it gets better when you're older."

"I'm still young."

Tim snorted. Despite the empty streets being the only one to see it, Dick grinned.

"You literally asked me what gyatt meant the other day."

"In my defense, I said I'm young, not that I'm twelve. Believe it or not, I'm also not terminally on TikTok."

Tim laughed, and Dick followed.

It wasn't often he could just hang out like this. Somebody was always busy, or somebody didn't have the social battery, or was getting over an argument, or was doing something with someone else, or there was a storm over Gotham and the connection didn't hold despite the constant fixes Barbara made to the system, bless her. Honestly, when he contacted Tim, the response "yeah I'm free" was a very pleasant surprise, especially after he'd just gotten a "not tonight" from Cassandra a few minutes before.

"So, how's it going on your end?" Dick asked. He let the swing of his grapple slow as the ground came up. He took a few running steps, carefully bending his knees, coming to a stop on solid ground as the grapple fully retracted into his escrima stick. He attached the useful weapon on his back next to its pair.

Tim sighed. "Is it bad I'm almost hoping someone's getting mugged with every empty alleyway I check?"

"Probably," Dick responded lightly, "but also, same."

"Of course I don't want anyone getting hurt, you know? But like, maybe just a little bit of threatening? Some yelling? Some asshole with too much ego needing to be knocked down a peg? I'm itching to kick someone in the face and I don't think that's something people should itch to do."

"Trust me," Dick responded, "I think I'd rather hear gimme all your money than you won the lottery right now."

Hindsight had Dick wishing he had some wood to knock on.

Tim started to ramble about how the most interesting thing he'd seen that night was a cat messing with a rat outside a doughnut shop, and Dick was strolling the quiet streets, a city away, a thirty minute drive at midnight, listening with a smile. It could have continued like this the rest of the night, and he would have been content. He would have said goodbye to Tim, stumbled into his apartment, did some stretches, ate a toaster strudel, then gone to bed happy. Bored, but happy. Glad no one needed saving, Nightwing wasn't a factor in life or death, he could rest, knowing the quiet nights were rare and precious.

Tim cut off in the middle of his ramblings, and tonight wasn't rare or precious.

"Red Robin?"

"I heard something. Just a sec."

He was whispering, voice tight, Dick could almost imagine the narrowed eyes behind white domino lenses.

Warm pressure washed over him, the physical feeling of a happy moment turning stale, starting at his ears, settling threateningly in his stomach.

Nearly a minute passed, Dick had to remind himself to breathe during it.

"Huh," Tim said, finally, voice shaken a little. "I could have sworn I-"

Static.

Dick was on the emergency channels before his heartbeat could finish its first stutter.

"Oracle," Dick said, "I've lost contact with Red Robin."

-o0o-

And that was how the nightmare started.

The last time he sped this quickly across the distance spreading between Blüdhaven and Gotham—often times too small, at times like this, too long—was when Damian had fainted at school. Nothing serious, apparently he had forgotten to eat and it was a hot day.

This was serious. Bab's was able to report Tim's vitals spiking, then slowing into unconsciousness mere seconds before any signal between Tim and the family cut off.

Every bat in the city scrambled. A fine oiled machine, like students practicing drills for school invaders; a machine that shouldn't have to be this oiled.

Dick took the west, ignoring how his ankles ached and his back ached and his jaw ached. Fingers creaked, ribs squeezed, stomach clenched. The sun would rise soon. Maybe a citizen or two would wake up for work and see a bat out and be baffled by it for a moment, then wonder if it's a sort of bunker down and call out kind of day.

He followed Tim's footsteps, checking alleyways, passing the doughnut shop with a rat corpse in the gutter, looking up at the pipes and gargoyles that had scratches from grappling hooks, some fresh, some very not.

The sun rose. It hung in the sky. It set.

Nothing.

He needed to eat. Everyone needed to eat. Damian was the only one resembling someone who could stand on their own two feet and it wasn't from a lack of caring but more from a responsible butler forcing the kid to go to school. Damian wasn't happy about that, the family had to move to a different channel while Damian argued over the comms for a solid 30 minutes.

Dick kept returning to the alleyway Tim's last location had pinged from, like if he looked again, Tim would be there that time. He was exhausted, to put it plainly. He was tired to the core, from the lack of sleep, and from once again, fearing for the life of a younger sibling. His eyes desperately wanted to close, but he knew that if he stopped looking even for a second, he'd see Jason's grave, feel Damian's blood, hear the silence coming from Stephanie's empty chair.

Not Tim. Not Tim too. Not Tim again.

Can't the universe let him catch a break? Or, at least, let it be him instead?

A grim thought. He had to keep looking.

There wasn't any sign of a struggle. No Red Robin branded weapons stuck in the brick walls, no dented dumpsters, not a single speck of blood. It was like Tim was kidnapped by the fabric of reality itself; glitched and removed, plucked out of thin air.

The irony and deja vu wasn't lost on him.

He sighed to himself, searching around the alleyway, poking at the same clueless details until maybe his fingers would leave indents in concrete.

Something blinked. Faint. Red. Rolled under a dumpster, near unnoticeable.

Dick noticed it. His blood ran cold.

He could hear Alfred get on the comms, demanding everyone return home for dinner before they do Tim no good by letting exhaustion win, but he ignored it for a second as he crept to the dumpster, reaching his hand under to pull out a small device no larger than the tip of his pointer finger.

Tim's comm.

He'd checked under the dumpster before. Several times. This wasn't there before.

It had to have been returned here. Purposely.

It was blinking like it was connected to something, which was impossible because Oracle said the signal was completely disconnected, and only she could connect it back to the family again.

He took out his own comm, wiped off alleyway water from Tim's, then replaced it in his ear.

"Is anyone there?" Dick asked, not knowing if he wanted an answer.

A second passed, he felt like he'd throw up.

A shaking voice responded. "N, go to these coordinates. Come alone, or he's going to kill me."

-o0o-

Dick went alone. He was instructed to keep on the earpiece, and that the kidnapper would know if he muted to warn the others.

The coordinates lead him to no special location at all. A thirty minute walk from where Tim had initially disappeared, a nook under the freeway where flood water could drain.

Not a soul awaited him there.

A blue backpack, abandoned—no, purposely placed—awaited him there.

Nothing was good about this. Tim had sounded weak and frightened to his trained ears, brave to anyone else. Dick felt like getting stabbed would hurt less than this.

He didn't care. He didn't know what else to do.

Tim had long since stopped responding to Dick after giving the initial instructions—the comm was mostly for the kidnapper to keep Dick under control—but he didn't need instructions to know that whatever happened next involved that blue bag.

He stepped up to it, hands long past the point of shaking that they're deathly stable as he unzipped it.

A device about the size of a pen greeted him. Thin, sleek, nothing special besides the tip being a very threatening button the size of a push pin.

"Gloves off," Tim whispered. "I- Nightwing- don't do it- I'm-" he cut off with a shout. The line went silent.

Dick didn't hesitate to take his gloves off and press the button.

Two things happened. The first was quicker, while the second was more physical.

The earpiece shorted out, and anything powered on Dick's body—his removed comm, his tracker, the sensors to his vitals, even the batteries to his escrima sticks—went completely dead.

He had just a millisecond to process that before nausea washed over with a prick to his thumb.

His vision swam, and he collapsed, black consuming him before he hit the ground.

-o0o-

"Just my luck," A modulated voice said exactly as Dick found himself waking up enough to comprehend words being said to him, "I've always wanted to meet Nightwing."

His arms were behind his back, wrists locked with tight bands of cuffed metal. Gravity told him he was sitting up, spine slumped against a wall, but sharp tugs in his hair told him that a hand clutched the strands, holding his neck up. He knew before he opened his eyes that the face of the speaker would greet him.

Or well, the helmeted face. Close enough.

Dick glared through the grogginess of fading unknown drugs. His face felt numb, tongue heavy, but the movement at least assured him that there was still pressure over his eyes.

The attacker regarded him back, faceless, unmoving, as if waiting for Dick to make the first move.

Dick didn't have a lot of options in terms of first moves.

So he took the moment to get a better grasp of the situation. He had a lot of practice with this kind of situation, it didn't take long to assess himself, the villain of the week, and the surrounding room.

He, himself, was fine. A little woozy from whatever drug was shot into his system, but it was fading with only slight lingering feelings of nausea, numbness, and weakness to the extremities. His hands were pressed between his back and the wall, his shoulder blades touching the faded wallpaper, making it clear his weapons had been removed. Other places that held weapons and tools were suspiciously light.

The person in front of him had a large, muscular build, in-between the range of Jason to Slade. Tall, closer to seven feet than six, combat boots, armored fabric suit, a gun strapped to a thigh the size of a basketball. The suit was nondescript, black, with the occasional gray accent, the armored fabric mixing with armored plates where organs are concerned. The helmet was nothing more than a glorified biker-helmet that wanted to look sci-fi.

All signs pointed to human and male, though meta wasn't ruled out yet. All Dick knew for sure was that this wasn't a run of the mill criminal; maybe something closer to a bounty hunter, or assassin, or some disgruntled asshole with a vendetta and actual knowledge of how to carry that vendetta out. Truly, the Slade vibes were strong with this one.

Dick couldn't see any other weapons on the attackers body, but granted, he was sitting on his ass against a withering wallpapered wall, head held up by a fist of hair, a helmeted figure crouched down staring back.

Behind the figure, however, was where Dick's eyes settled. The room was small, a hundred square feet give or take, comprised of cement floor, walls water-rotted and peeling, a door chipped and unkept. Between Dick and the door, however, was a collapsed body, dressed in familiar colors, cape tattered and clothes twisted.

Tim.

He laid curled on his side, hair waterfalling over an exhausted face. His arms were wrenched behind his back, no doubt restrained. What made Dick's gut squirm was the trail of blood dripping down an obviously broken nose, over Tim's tight lips, down his cheeks, puddled on the ground.

Fresh.

Dick's face must have done something with that observation, because his captor chuckled and turned their visor at Tim. "Poor boy needed come company."

Even modulated, the extra words allowed Dick to pinpoint the accent as American, West Coast. Not necessarily useful information, but hey, accents sometimes identified.

Dick tore his eyes away from Tim and clenched his fists tight enough the cuffs dug into his tendons.

"What do you want, you bastard."

An amused huff. "Nothing you can give me. I have you right where I need you."

"Why here? Why us?"

"The boy happened to be the first one I saw. You happened to be the first one to find my next trap. This isn't personal, bat."

Frustration pooled. "If you think this will get you Batman, or-"

The man laughed, letting go of Dick's hair and standing up. "Batman isn't my goal. I just need you here."

This can't be good. A villain wanting to get at Batman is one thing, a villain not caring about Batman is another.

Why capture them if not to interrogate them?

The man stepped away from Dick, and Dick felt his whole body tense as he stopped above Tim's prone form. Tim swallowed, then glared up at their captor.

Then their captor, with no warning, lifted a leg and nailed Tim in the stomach.

Tim choked off a breathless scream, and Dick found himself on his feet in the next moment. His vision, however, jolted, and his legs twisted around each other, tripping him up and having him crumple disgracefully to the hard floor with an irritated growl. Damn side effects of damn drugs.

Their captor chuckled, amused, and stepped over to Dick while Tim coughed for breath. A large hand wrapped around Dick's bicep then dragged him back to the other side of the room. Instead of just leaving him there, however, his hands were pushed down to the floor and the chain between his cuffs were locked onto something solid and unmoving. Some sort of bolt.

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon," The man said, stepping away from Dick, sounding full of himself and confident. The prick. "Play nice, and you both will get out of this alive."

Then, he left, stepping over Tim and leaving out the door, a lock sounding in his wake.

"Red," Dick called, the moment they were alone. "Hey, look at me."

Tim, his expression more out of it than what Dick's seen in years, turned his face toward Dick. "N... 'm sorry."

What had that monster done to Tim?

"No sorry," Dick said, forcing his voice to remain calm as he ran another scan along Tim's body. Nothing visibly violent greeted him back, nothing but the broken nose. Perhaps everything else was hidden under his suit, and perhaps the cocktail of a weak immune system, drugs, and captivity, didn't mix well. "I'm here now. Talk to me, what happened before I got here?"

Tim took a deep breath, stealing his expression and shifting slightly. "I- not much. He kicked me around a bit, only took me out of the room once to use the bathroom—blindfolded. Then he told me to... tell you to find his trap."

"Nothing about his goals? No questions or anything?"

Tim shook his head, then winced, spitting some blood from his lips. "Nothing explicitly said. I... think he has a partner outside, and I think we're just distractions."

"For what?"

Tim shrugged with the shoulder he wasn't laying on, looking frustrated and tired. At least the more he talked, the more awake he started to look. "It's a good plan if we are just distractions. When was the last time you slept?"

Ouch.

"I don't think anyone's slept," Dick responded softly, feeling like an idiot for being so predictable. If a distraction was the goal, then them both being captured will run the whole family down to the bones, cause them to lock up inwards and assume another will be next, focus in on the areas they disappeared from.

It could leave any number of targets around Gotham completely ignored.

"At least," Tim continued, "I think he's not going to kill us when they get what they want."

No, helmets and voice modulators and blindfolded bathroom trips didn't usually predict a homicidal villain.

"And if they don't get what they want?"

A beat of silence. "When I tried to convince you to not come... he broke my nose. No hesitation."

Great.

"Alright. We either hope they get what they want and let us go..." Dick looked around the walls, a single camera blinked back, no microphone. He lowered his voice. "Or we escape."

"How?" Tim asked, his voice going unimpressed, hinting that the boy had already been trying that.

Dick slowly sat up, angling his body so it didn't look too obvious he was hiding his hands from the camera. He wrapped his fingers around his anchor to the floor, the bolt wobbled a bit.

"Bolt's loose. I'll get my hands free, then I'll get us both out of here."

Tim relaxed a bit, relief a visible wave. "Sorry, but I'm glad you're here."

"It's okay," Dick responded, throwing a reassuring smile. "I'm glad too."

He'd rather be here with Tim than back outside, not knowing.

At least here, he had a chance to protect Tim.

-o0o-

The kidnapper, which Tim and Dick had worked together to nickname "Visor", returned about two hours later. Dick couldn't help but tense when the door opened while Tim gave a hard glare from where he had worked himself up into a seated position.

"The bats are widening their search a little too close to where I don't want them," Visor said as he walked in. "I need some incentive to drive them away."

Tim stiffened, his eyes traveling over to something Visor held, previously hidden from vision but now fully in view.

Dick stiffened too.

One of his escrima sticks was held in the enemy's hand, and the reason why wasn't hard to guess.

It wouldn't be hard to lure someone away from somewhere you didn't want them to be if you plant something elsewhere that would catch attention.

"You really think Batman would fall for something as obvious as that?" Dick asked, putting bravado into his voice and succeeding in catching Visor's full attention. "He's probably already figured out that this whole kidnapping thing is a distraction, planting something like that is just going to make it obvious that there's somewhere you don't want him to be."

He wished he could see Visor's face as the large man blankly observed him for a moment, it made it all the more unnerving when Visor broke into a low chuckle. "This is what I admire about you, Nightwing," he said, a smile in his voice, bringing his hands in front of his chest and running his fingers over the stolen weapon. "And what I was most looking forward to when I found it was you who fell for my second trap."

Cold fear settled in his belly. "What?"

"Your martyrism."

Then he turned and hit Tim across the jaw with Dick's escrima, causing the younger hero to fall onto the ground with a cut off shout, the blow coming as a surprise, the thud of his shoulder hitting the cement sounded like a distant roar of thunder to Dick's suddenly ringing ears.

"Hey- HEY!" Dick snarled, he couldn't help it, if Tim was shocked by the sudden violence, then Dick was caught in the whole lightning storm. He went to his knees, straining against the cuffs and the loose anchor. "I'm talking to you!"

Visor laughed, and it dug the pit deeper. "Now this is the cherry on top."

Dick had met plenty of sadists. He'd been held hostage by many of them. And yet, they usually took the bait, they usually ignored who Dick wanted them to ignore and went after him just to wipe his arrogance off his face. Sure, it cost him a straight nose, a scar here and there, a few weeks bedrest, but it was always worth it, because it meant he was the only one who got hurt. He did his job as the first Robin. As Nightwing. As the oldest brother.

But Visor had anticipated that, and instead of taking Dick's bait, he immediately found that the exact way to hurt both hostages the most was to keep Nightwing perfectly untouched.

He hit Tim again, but Tim didn't shout. He probably figured out Visor's goal was to make this hurt for Nightwing and had decided that keeping stony and quiet and brave would hurt Dick less. Tim had been through worse, after all. They all have. A beating with a glorified stick was nothing.

Somehow, it hurt more to see Tim glance at Dick, forgiveness and bravery and determination shining through those white lenses, than it would have been to hear him scream.

Dick wanted to scream.

He met Tim's eyes, and grinded his jaw shut.

By the time Visor had a satisfactory spray of blood across the escrima stick and left, humming to himself, Dick's wrists were slick and red beneath bands of silver, the anchor looser without him even intentionally trying.

And Tim laid still on the floor.

-o0o-

Hours passed again. Tim remained unconscious for most of it, even after Dick had tried and tried again to stir him with voice alone.

He watched Tim breathe, terrified one lungful would be the last, images of corpses and funerals flashing behind his eyelids every time he blinked.

He couldn't do this again. He couldn't endure another sibling's funeral. A part of him died with every one—there couldn't be much more of him left. Them coming back to life didn't revive those parts of him. Those parts haunted him in his nightmares, and if Tim... if Tim didn't survive this one... if Tim didn't survive because some fucker knew it would hurt more to watch... those parts would drag him under, and he knew he wouldn't try to swim back up.

He worked at the bolt holding him down. Visor wouldn't have another chance to hit Tim again. When he came back in the room, Dick was going to end this.

Near the end of the third hour, Tim stirred, groaning.

Dick quickly called for his attention, and Tim, bless him, did his best to respond.

"D..ik?"

His jaw was swollen. A tooth had been spat out a blow or two before the blow that knocked him out.

Dick didn't even care about identities right now.

"Hey, hey, you're okay. I'm gonna get us out of here."

Tim took a few deep breaths through his mouth, spitting blood onto the floor, not daring to move what must be an aching body.

"... kay..."

"Just hold on a little longer. You're being so brave. Just a little longer, I promise."

Tim, half conscious, in pain, put on something that must be intended to be a brave face, but it only broke Dick's heart more. Tim lost the fight with consciousness, and fell back into what couldn't be a painless slumber.

About an hour later, Visor returned.

The anchor wasn't loose enough to escape yet, and Dick had to swallow his panic.

Even with the helmet, Visor didn't look happy.

"How did they know," he growled, striding forward and grabbing Dick by the neck. "How did you tell them."

The pressure wasn't strong enough to choke, but it was just shy of becoming so. Dick should feel afraid of that, and yet, he only felt relief that in Visor's true anger, he walked straight past Tim.

"I told you," Dick hissed, the fingers oh so close to squeezing, he could feel it inside his throat. "You're an idiot to think they wouldn't catch on."

The replying sneer was audible, physical in a twitch of fingers. "That's where you're wrong, we planned for this. I have two hostages, you're my bargaining chip for a prisoner exchange."

Dick thinned his lips to keep from vocalizing that in the end, when it came to the Batfamily, prisoner exchanges never worked in the enemy's favor.

"I just have to show them I'm serious first," Visor continued, his voice lowering to an eerie promise, like rolling fog in ancient mountains. "I only need one hostage."

The words processed milliseconds too late, Visor had shoved Dick away and had walked back toward Tim, kneeling, hands reaching towards his younger brother's neck.

Something untamable tore out of Dick's throat, taking control over his body. His heart was a beast clawing at his ribcage, panic swallowing him whole. As Visor began to choke Tim, the boy too unconscious to give more than the body's sluggish, natural reaction, Dick began to pull at his chains, at the anchor, the pain in his wrists meaning nothing to the mere feet between him, and the monster killing his little brother.

"You fucking bastard," he roared, vocal chords straining with his wrists, his own shouting thousands of miles away, drowned out with the suffocating panic and the ringing in his ears. "Touch him and I'll kill you!"

Visor ignored him. Tim was twitching, eyes opening with pain and confusion, legs jolting and arms tugging at his own handcuffs.

Seconds passed. Seconds that engrained themselves into Dick's soul like an unwanted tattoo. Finally, as Tim's face turned red under the blood smeared on his cheeks, as his eyes began to flutter back shut, the anchor fell loose.

It was as easy as breathing to contort his body in a way that allowed his wrists to pass under his legs and in front of his body. He was running the next instant, crashing into Visor, bodies colliding in shouts and struggles, shoulders hitting the cement away from Tim.

Tim erupted into very painful coughs, and Dick... Dick couldn't bring the monster back in.

His fists wanted impact. His fingers wanted pressure. His skin wanted blood that belonged to the man below him.

Visor didn't make the bloodlust easy. He put his weight into struggling. There was a reason this man was able to capture not one, but two bats within their own city. He fought back like a demon fresh out of Hell, his own blows landing with promised swelled purple bruises across his jaw, shoulders, neck, stomach. At some point, he even managed to kick Dick off with a heavy boot, knocking Dick across the small room and slamming his back into the water rotted walls. He said something, something prideful and angry and arrogant, something that turned to static to Dick's angry ears.

He went to kick Dick in the stomach before Dick could get back up, but while Visor fought like a demon out of Hell, Dick had an older devil inside of him, one that's been caged for much, much longer.

Dick will make him wish he went for the gun.

The pain meant nothing, it didn't slow him down as he scrambled to his feet and jumped onto the larger man, wrapping his legs around his torso and flipping him down onto the ground, back under Dick, at the perfect angle for Dick to bring his bound hands up and down over and over and over again until the helmet cracked, visor shattered, splinters going into bloodied hands below bloodied wrists controlled by a bloody hatred that, after this, he knew would haunt him.

Visor tried to fight back, and he tried until he couldn't. He tried until his helmet fell off and his face was exposed, cheekbones cut, nose cracked, jaw loose, eyes terrified and half-lidded and losing focus.

Dick didn't stop.

He wanted Visor dead.

He didn't stop until a body crashed into his own, arms large and strong wrapping around his waist and tearing him from Visor and pinning him down to the ground, heavy hands on his shoulder blades, pinning his bound hands between the cement and his heaving stomach. Dick struggled, brain screaming at the sudden change.

"Get Red out of here, B!" A voice shouted above him, "I got him!"

The voice was familiar. Through blurred eyes, the form that stooped down to Tim was familiar too.

Batman undid Tim's restraints and carefully lifted the limp body into his hands, eyes barely casting a second torn glance back at Dick, who was completely pinned under Jason's weight, before leaving the room.

Dick breathed. He breathed like he'd been deprived of air for hours on end, windpipe bursting open, the edges fading.

His brain caught up with him. Jason had positioned himself perfectly, almost purposely, to obscure Dick's view to Visor. He didn't release Dick, and Dick knew why.

Jason understood this anger. This fury. This rage that took everything that made you you and replaced it with something you wouldn't recognize in the mirror. He kept Dick pinned, not speaking, not accusing, not comforting, just there until Duke and Cass arrived to drag Visor out of the room, eyes very carefully avoiding Dick like if they looked, everything they thought they knew about him would be destroyed and replaced with something unstomachable.

When they left, Jason jumped off like Dick was on fire, and Dick scrambled away like he was acid.

Silence filtered between the two of them. Jason stood near the door, as if afraid Dick would bolt, but in all honesty, Dick didn't have even a fraction of the energy to do something like that, even if the anger hadn't suddenly been replaced with exhaustion and self-hatred.

"Was he breathing?"

"Tim? Or Zeek?"

Zeek. That was his name? Of course they figured that out too.

"Tim first."

"Yeah, B has him back at the cave. Alfred's got him stable."

Dick swallowed. How long had he been here? How long had Jason been here making sure Dick didn't murder someone?

"Zeek is also alive, GPD has him handcuffed to a gurney on the way to the hospital."

Dick brought his knees to his chin... and he could only bring himself to nod.

Jason approached a second later and finally got the cuffs unlocked around Dick's shredded wrists. As he bandaged them, talked to him about getting him back to the cave... Dick felt nothing.

-o0o-

"Hey."

"... Hey."

"You weren't answering your phone, so," Tim shrugged, looking all too comfortable and normal standing in the entrance doorway of Dick's apartment.

"Tim, I'm..." Dick had his hand behind his neck, wrists achy. He regretted opening the door, he thought it was the landlord or something. "You look good."

Makeup covered the bruises on his neck, that much was obvious, and Tim wore a high collar hoodie. Everything else looked about as healed as Dick's wrists.

"Yeah," Tim smiled, pushing his way inside. "A few weeks of Alfred-enforced-bedrest can do that. Finally escaped."

"Tim, now really isn't a good time," Dick said as Tim took off his shoes and raided the freezer.

"Knew you'd have some," he said victoriously, ignoring Dick and pulling out a tub of ice cream. "You always have a stash. What are you feeling? I'm feeling a Lord of the Rings marathon."

Dick sighed, and closed the door. "I don't have the extended."

"That's alright," Tim pulled two bowls out of Dick's cupboards and set the tub of ice cream on the counter to thaw. "I brought them."

"Tim, what is this?"

"I think you know," Tim said lightly. "Bruce keeps saying that space is what you need, but I think ice cream will help quicker."

"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"Liar. Well, that first bit is a lie."

"I'm dealing."

"With me, and ice cream, and Lord of the Rings."

Dick, defeated, sank into the sofa and grabbed the remote. "You're impossible."

"No, I just know you. You blame yourself for me getting hurt, and you blame yourself for not getting us out of there. I also know you want to wallow in your guilt for as long as you can, and you know the second I tell you I don't blame you, it's not your fault, you're human and you're a victim too, yes I know you still blame yourself so I'll forgive you for you, etcetera etcetera you won't be able to wallow in the guilt. Hence, the ignored phone-calls. Hence, ice cream. Lord of the Rings."

Dick sighed. "You can say that, but I still feel awful, Timbers."

"That's okay," Tim said, joining Dick on the sofa, handing him a bowl of ice cream, and pulling out the first DVD of Lord of the Rings, the extended version. "I'm here until you don't anymore. Keep in mind, I'm also feeling Pirates of the Caribbean."

That wormed a smile. It almost felt traitorously real. "And Star Wars?"

Tim stood up and went to the DVD player, opening the case.

"Star Trek too if you want."

"Thank you, Tim. And I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you, and believe it or not, it wasn't your fault."

He slid the disk in, and sat down next to Dick, leaning on Dick's shoulder with a content sigh, pulling his own ice-cream bowl up to his chin.

Dick couldn't help it. He melted, allowing Tim to get comfortable, allowing himself to get comfortable.

It felt vile to allow any kind of comfort, but Tim was right, they've had this rodeo before, and with quiet conversations during the quiet scenes, he wasn't surprised he felt a little better by the time they put in The Return of the King.

Not all the way. That would probably take a few more marathons, and maybe a hug, another bowl of ice-cream.

And for a whole night and most of the morning, the guilt went forgotten, and he knew it would be okay. He would be okay.

Because Tim was beside him. Breathing, alive, softly snoring as sunlight filtered through the window.

And that wasn't changing, not any time soon.

#nightwing #dick grayson #tim drake #red robin dc #fanfiction #dc comics #jin writes #hurt/comfort #whump

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