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snelbz · 3 years

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Tempting the Fates {Chapter 8}

Summary: It’s the final semester of Aelin Galathynius’ collegiate career and she is so beyond ready to be done. Her schedule is packed full of nursing classes and labs designed to test her knowledge and hone her skills for the real world and her “big girl” job. However, she needs one last elective to graduate, so she decides to study a subject she’s always been fascinated by: Mythology. Who would have thought that a class about gods and goddesses living complicated lives would end up complicating her own in such an unexpected way?

A @snelbz X @theladyofdeath collaboration.

Word Count: 2752

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday.

Tempting the Fates Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

***Announcement! *** After the completion of I’ll be Seeing You and Tempting the Fates, all of Tara and I’s joint fanfiction will be posted on a separate blog that we run together > @snacmc. Be sure to follow the new blog as we will start posting on there soon!

Athena

– Goddess of wisdom, reason, intelligent activity, literature, handicrafts and science, defense and strategic warfare

Rowan felt ridiculous.

He had spent the last hour cleaning his apartment and was currently pulling all of the food out that was meant to be prepared for dinner.

Steak, carrots, green beans, potatoes, a wide range of spices.

Thanks to the internet, Rowan knew what to do with them all.

It’s not like it was that big of a deal - Lorcan and Elide were joining him and Aelin for dinner.

And although he had hosted Lorcan and Elide a million times for dinner, Rowan had never cooked, nor had he introduced them to someone he was crazy about.

And he was crazy about Aelin.

She didn’t have classes on Fridays, something he wished he had been smart enough to plan when he was in college, so she’d done his grocery shopping while he was teaching all day. When he got home, he was expecting her to still be there. But his apartment was empty.

I have to get ready, she’d explained when he called her. I wasn’t expecting Lorcan the other night, but I have to impress Elide.

“You could have gotten ready here. You shower here all the time.”

We have sex in the shower, I don’t use it for functional purposes. Not yet anyway.

So here he was, laptop open to a recipe for pan-seared steak, making sure he had everything he needed.

Aelin had promised she’d be here before Lorcan and Elide, and he had been hoping to impress her with his skills in the kitchen, too, even if they were rough.

Now he was hoping not to set the smoke alarms off as he turned the stove on and put way more butter than he was used to using in the cast iron pan.

As it began to melt, he was already considering his meal a success.

Just as he was dropping the steaks into the pan, the front door opened and Aelin was letting herself in.

“Follow the sound of the sizzling,” he called, and Aelin came into view a second later.

She whistled, brows raised. “I like a man in the kitchen.”

Rowan laughed as he met her halfway, giving her a kiss. “Hopefully you still like it after you eat what I make.” Another kiss. “You look beautiful.”

She scoffed. “I’m wearing leggings and a top.”

“And you look beautiful in them,” he replied, turning back to the stove. “Just like you do in everything.”

“You’re a shameless flirt,” she said, beginning to chop the vegetables. But he saw the blush creep across her cheeks and ears.

Although they were cooking a homemade meal, he’d made sure she knew this wasn’t going to be anything fancy.

Elide would never let me live it down.

Rowan had always got along well with Elide, although he had absolutely no idea how she ended up with Lorcan. Rowan loved his oldest and closest friend, but he was a natural asshole.

Elide was the opposite.

“I have to confess,” Aelin began, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I’m a little nervous.”

Rowan’s brows rose. “Why?”

“Well, these are the people we’re going to be spending a lot of time with, I assume, since they’re two out of four people that know about us.” She gestures between the two of them. Their unorthodox relationship. “If she’s as sweet as you say she is, I’m worried my sarcastic ass will offend the woman.”

Rowan couldn’t help the laughter that shook his body. “Do I need to remind you that she’s been with Lorcan for the last five years?”

Aelin whistled. “Five years and still no ring? That gives me good material to ruffle Lorcan with.”

He froze and glanced over a shoulder at her. “Maybe don’t bring that up.”

Aelin was instantly grateful she had mentioned it now, and not in front of Lorcan directly. “Why?”

“Lorcan is…” Rowan trailed off as he flipped one of the steaks over. “He’s complicated. He’s not great with commitment. Elide is the only girl he’s been in a real relationship with as long as I’ve known him.”

“And how long is that?” Aelin asked, transferring the chopped veggies into a baking dish.

“We’ve been best friends since elementary school.”

Aelin’s eyes widened. “Oh. Wow. Okay, I won’t bring up anything to do with weddings or babies or any other lifelong commitments.”

“Good idea,” Rowan chuckled. “It may not seem like it, but as of now, Lorcan likes you. Imagine how cranky of an ass he would be if you got on his bad side.”

“Almost as bad as it is for someone who gets on mine,” Aelin grinned, and that mischief sent a thrilling chill down Rowan’s spine.

He opened his mouth to respond, to say something along the lines of lets do it right here, right now, before they get here, but a single knock sounded on the door.

Aelin whistled. “Even Lorcan’s knock is grumpy.”

“It’s also early,” Rowan mumbled, setting the tongs he’d been using down beside the stove and heading for the door. On any other occasion, Lorcan would have let himself in, like usual, but he knew how important this night was. Or at least was to Rowan.

He opened the door and found Lorcan grimacing, while the petite girl with dark hair was bouncing from foot to foot.

“Is she here?” Elide asked, grin growing. “Or do I have time to grill you about this alone before she shows up?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to grill us both,” Aelin said, appearing from the kitchen, a smile on her face.

As Rowan shut the door behind them, Elide’s mouth popped open into a little O and her eyes narrowed.

Aelin’s grin grew. “Hello, Elide.”

“Aelin,” she breathed. “Aelin Aelin? As in…Aelin?”

“I’m guessing it was the same Elide,” Lorcan mumbled, carrying a covered dish into the apartment. “Elide made dessert.”

With that, he was going into the kitchen to place it on the table.

The two women ran towards each other and embraced. Rowan kept his mouth shut as he watched the scene unfold.

Elide stepped back. “You don’t seem as surprised as me. Why don’t you seem as surprised as me?”

“Lorcan told me where you were from and how you moved around last time I was graced with his presence.” Aelin shrugged, that grin remaining. “I had a hunch, but wasn’t sure. Besides, if it did end up being you, I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”

Elide turned and glared at her boyfriend. “A little heads up would have been appreciated.”

He was already halfway to the fridge, heading for a beer he knew Rowan would have restocked for them. “What she said. I didn’t want to get the story wrong or your hopes up.”

Rolling her eyes, Elide looked back to Aelin. “Men.”

Ending up back in the kitchen, Aelin finished up the veggies and was putting them in the oven when Elide asked, “So Aelin, how exactly did you two meet?”

Aelin glanced at Rowan and then back towards Elide. She was sipping her wine as she leaned against the counter, looking like the picture of innocence. Lorcan was shaking his head where he stood next to her.

Clearing her throat softly, she took the safe route. “In class.”

Elide’s eyes lit up. “So he really is your professor.”

“I thought that had been established,” Rowan mumbled, covering the steaks with foil to rest before they ate.

“I wasn’t sure if you two were just trying to mess with me again,” she said, eyeing Lorcan and Rowan. Turning to Aelin, she said, “I’m so glad I won’t be the only girl anymore. You have no idea how awful it is being the third wheel with these two.”

“You’re the third wheel with these two?” Aelin asked, brow raised.

Elide barked a laugh. “Absolutely. The more time you spend around these lovebirds, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Their bromance is out of control.”

“Bromance, huh?” Aelin grinned as Rowan rolled his eyes.

“It’s cute, really,” Elide said, then slowly shook her head as she met Aelin’s eyes. “Wow. I just can’t believe it’s you. It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” Aelin said, and Lorcan cleared his throat from where he stood on the other side of the room.

“Are we done with sappy pleasantries?” He asked. “I came to eat.”

Elide pointed to the oven, where the vegetables were still roasting. “Five more minutes in the oven, but you and Rowan can set the table if you don’t feel like hearing us talk.”

She gave him a brilliant smile, which he scowled at, but Rowan indeed clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder and led him from the room.

“Are you still close with Aedion? How is he?”

Elide asked, perching on one of the bar stools as Aelin refilled their wine glasses and stirred the pot of mashed potatoes on the stove.

“Yeah, he practically lives with me,” Aelin replied rolling her eyes affectionately. “He’s dating my best friend, and graduates in the spring, like me.”

“What’s he studying?” Elide asked, then added. “I thought he was older than us.”

“He is, by two years. He took a year off to find himself,” Aelin snorted, holding up air quotes. “Then he changed his major twice, which gave him a few unexpected setbacks. But he’ll have a degree in sports medicine and will be going back at some point to get his specialization in physical therapy.”

“I remember him being big into sports,” Elide nodded. “Good for him.”

“And you?” Aelin asked, leaning her elbows on the counter. “College not the path for you?”

“Oh no,” Elide said, chuckling. “I went for a few months before deciding it wasn’t for me. I started serving and making good tips, so I didn’t pursue anything else until recently. About a year ago I started getting really into pottery. I started my own little business a couple months ago, that I do for just a little extra cash and for the hell of it.”

“Really?” Aelin asked, brow raised. “That's incredible. What do you make?”

Elide opened her mouth to speak, but it was Lorcan that said. “Vases, mostly. She’s incredibly talented.”

Aelin hadn’t even heard them come back in, but as if on cue, the timer behind her went off. She turned to pull the vegetables out of the oven, but glanced back over her shoulder and Elide, who was smiling softly at Lorcan. “You’ll have to show me,” she said, setting the baking dish on a trivet. “I’d love to buy one.”

Elide’s smile was almost as radiant as she was.

“Okay. No more ordering in when we come over,” Elide said, setting her fork and knife down on her nearly empty plate. “You’re cooking from now on, Rowan.”

Everything had been delicious, even if the potatoes had been instant. Rowan was pretty damn proud of himself. “Aelin helped,” he said, his hand finding her knee under the table.

“Then you better keep her, because that was delicious and take out isn’t going to cut it anymore.” Elide sipped from her wine and winked at Aelin from across the table.

“Even I can’t protest that,” Lorcan said, throwing his arm around the back of Elides chair.

“And I didn’t help that much,” Aelin said, holding her hands up. “Rowan started cooking this afternoon. I just put veggies in the oven.”

“Well, either way, it means Lor and I are on clean up duty. You two go relax,” Elide said, and rose, beginning to pick up plates.

Lorcan groaned but followed his girlfriend’s lead, nonetheless.

Aelin laughed quietly as she took Rowan’s hand and pulled him into the living room.

“I like the hold she has over him,” Aelin said, once they were alone. “It’s inspiring.”

Rowan hummed as he put an arm around her and pulled her against his side. “That’s a great way to describe Elide. Inspiring.”

Aelin thought of the murky memories she had of the young girl. She’d moved to Perranth right around the time Aelin’s own parents had died. Sadly, that move had been prompted by the same reason. Elide’s parents had also passed and her uncle had received full guardianship of her, and he lived in Perranth. Rather than uproot his life, he decided to uproot Elide’s. She had been too young for a cell phone, so there had been no way to stay in touch at the time, but Aelin was glad to see her back in Orynth. She was sure Aedion would be happy to hear about it, too.

“I think she likes you,” Rowan murmured, his lips by her ear.

Her laughter was soft as she rested her head against his shoulder. “I’d hope so. She’s known me since we were children.”

Rowan scoffed. “That means nothing. I’ve known

Lorcan since we were children and half the time

I hate him.”

Aelin’s head fell back as she laughed a little louder. “Well, that’s understandable. But me? I’m a peach.”

“Yeah, you are,” he whispered, and kissed her, softly. She held onto him a little bit tighter, and she couldn’t help but think how perfectly the night had gone.

If only the people who currently knew about their relationship would be the only people that knew about their relationship, Aelin wouldn't mind it. At least, not for a while.

“Elide was right, though,” Aelin muttered. “Your food is delicious. I’m continuously impressed by you.”

He shook his head and laughed quietly. “Thank the Internet. I can just follow directions well.”

The two fell into silence as they listened to Lorcan and Elide’s banter from the kitchen, and Aelin couldn’t help but laugh. It was clear they had been together for a while, with how comfortable they were, and Aelin was happy for them, if not a little bit jealous. She knew it was something that couldn’t be rushed, but feeling like that with someone, like that someone was home, was something she hadn’t experienced in a while.

“He’a different around her,” Aelin quietly mused as Lorcan’s deep rumble of laughter reached them from the other room.

Rowan nodded slowly. “Their story isn’t mine to tell, but… He helped her out of a dark place, but she also saved him, in her own way.”

She understood that. Hopefully, she and Elide would become close enough that she’d feel like she could open up to her.

It’d be nice to have another girlfriend, like Lysandra.

“You should come over one night this week,” Aelin said, looking up into his face. “So you can get to know Aedion and Lysandra.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “I think Lysandra and I got a good start on that in class.”

Aelin grinned as she framed his face with her hands. “She’s a little extra, but so am I, so you shouldn’t mind that too much.”

Rowan scrunched his nose but sighed. “I guess that would be fine…considering they already know about us.”

“Kind of hard to hide from my best friend and roommate,” Aelin muttered. “And obnoxious cousin.”

“We could always go up north for a weekend, too,” Rowan suggested. “With Lor, Elide, and Lysandra and your cousin. I have a cabin there.”

“Of course you do.” Aelin rolled her eyes. “Spoiled, rotten rich kid.”

There was a flash of hurt in his eyes, but before she could ask about it, or even begin to apologize, Elide was sweeping into the room. “Dinner is all cleaned up and I still have room for dessert. Anyone else?”

“Depends on what it is,” Rowan smirked, his arm still around Aelin. That hurt was gone and Aelin wondered if she’d imagined it. “Not your attempt at a crockpot apple pie again, is it?”

“That was one time and had too little liquid. My crockpot was too large,” she huffed, but crossed her arms. “It’s a triple chocolate cake, actually.”

Aelin’s interest was immediately piqued. “Oh, there’s always room for chocolate cake.”

Elide grinned and took her hand, pulling her off the couch and into the kitchen. Lorcan took a seat on the other side of the couch and sighed.

“The two of them together is terrifying.”

Rowan smiled. He was sure they could get into some trouble, but it was nothing he and Lorcan wouldn’t be able to handle.

He was happy, he realized, trying to shove back the dark memories he’d accidentally dredged up. He was happier than he’d been in years, and Aelin was the reason.

He just prayed nothing happened to end that happiness.

#tempting the fates #snacmc ttf #rowaelin ttf #throne of glass #rowaelin #snacmc collab

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lilover131 · 3 years

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Chapter 56 Analysis+Theories

AHHHHHH CHAPTER 56 AHHHHHH!!! <--Chrissy every time a chapter comes out

I wasn’t as hyped up about this one as I was for the last one thankfully, seeing as we didn’t have a super long wait, but I certainly don’t want to diminish in any way the importance of this chapter!!!

I won’t waste any time and will get right to it, so buckle in, cuz’ the theory train is coming! More under the cut!

So I’ll start by saying that when I first read the chapter, it was 2 AM where I was. I had been sleeping and just kinda magically woke up right when the chapter just came out, so I like to think there was some fate there. But when I opened that chapter on my phone and the first thing I saw was that Syaoran color spread, I audibly gasped and instantly woke up a bit.

I woke up not because it was absolutely stunning to look at, or even at the fact that we haven’t had Syaoran in a color page for a while. No, the thing that caught my attention was the serious atmosphere it contained and the tone that it seemingly set. To me, this was one of CLAMP’s subtle ways of saying “Prepare for the final battle”. I could be reading into it too much, but I was right about what I believed the Syaoran and Kaito color page insinuated, so I’m gonna stick to my guns here.

We start off the chapter without a moment’s pause where we left off last time. It continues right from the last point of the conversation where Sakura dropped the bombshell that she had seen Kaito use magic. She seems to think that they may not believe her at first, but Syaoran interrupts her to affirm that he 100% believes her and that he even already knew. Sakura is naturally confused by this, but he finally FINALLY gets to tell her what he’s been dealing with this whole time, and it definitely seems to be an uncomfortable topic for him. But at least this time he got to tell Sakura truthfully that he hadn’t ever intended on keeping this from her but was physically not able to. Despite not needing to feel guilty about this, Syaoran seems uncomfortable for the simple fact that someone else had that much control over him, and he was unable to do a thing to stop it. It’s also important to keep in mind that Kero and Suppi were hearing this for the first time themselves as well (about the silencing at least).

Not much time passes after this before Kero and Suppi fess up to also knowing about Kaito, but they admit that theirs was a conscious decision rather than force, but that they believe they too would have been silenced like Syaoran was had they attempted to speak. One could say that since they didn’t know Syaoran was silenced in the way he was that this is not entirely truthful or was just a bad decision, but in reality it still makes perfect sense why they thought to be more careful. They saw Kaito’s magic first hand violently take down Eriol, and if he could shut down a magician of that caliber from halfway across the world, then he could easily do the same or worse to the guardians. And since they also weren’t yet aware of his true intentions with Sakura, it would have been likely seen as dangerous to provoke him and possibly put Sakura in harm’s way. I guess the only thing that doesn’t make much sense to me is why Syaoran and the guardians didn’t collaborate and put together what they knew sooner. Even when Yue went to Syaoran’s apartment, the topic of Kaito or Eriol never came up, and since they both clearly had Sakura’s best interest in mind, I’m not sure specifically why they chose to keep their information to themselves when they both knew they had the same goal. This, I would say, was actually a bad decision on their part, but when it comes down to it, they’re not perfect and everyone makes mistakes (I think Cinzia made the same point here, so I apologize if it seems like I’m copying here! I just also agree when it comes to this).

I’m actually going to pull in a little thing I learned from my counselor not long ago when I felt guilt over a particular decision I had made long ago, and that is that you can only work based on the emotions and information you have at the time. And because we don’t know the future, it is not possible to always make the right decisions, but there is also no telling if our decisions would have changed things for the better, so it is best not to dwell on them. I believe truly that based on what they knew at the time and through the experiences they had, they were likely only trying to protect each other, but missed that they could have probably helped each other. It’s easy to miss things when you’re on the defensive.

What I love about Sakura after this is that she forgives them immediately. This is not the first time she’s had things hidden from her for her protection, and naturally it’s upsetting to not feel like you can be trusted to deal with the serious information. When Syaoran told her how he’d been hiding what he knew before, she was upset but more because she thought he suffered as a result. This time around though, they concealed things from her not because they were worried about how she’d handle it, but rather out of fear from what Kaito would do if they tried, so it’s a completely different reason and much easier to forgive. Sakura is able to differentiate this, because she is a very emotionally intelligent girl and a lot more observant than she gets credit for when it comes to reading people. She’s grown a lot and isn’t as ‘dense’ as she was in Elementary School.

Then we get a precious gift of seeing Syaoran show off how smart he is, working out how Kaito managed to make them forget about said confrontation at the botanical garden. He’s probably thought about it a lot already, considering he mentioned before that he felt like someone made him forget something. But this time, he had additional information that Sakura was able to provide, and this was the final piece of the puzzle he needed. The most important detail that Sakura gave him was the location in particular, the botanical garden. He knew that that was where they intended to go, but that they had yet to go there. This prompted him to check his phone and see how much time might have passed without them realizing, and because he knew what time he had arranged to meet Sakura, 9:30 AM, he was able to observe that it was impossible for them to meet, go to the botanical garden, have this encounter with Kaito, and both get back to their houses in only 16 minutes. This meant it was not just a mere meddling of memories but rather time magic as it was the only explanation for the time discrepancy issue and memory loss. I can’t say how freaking proud I was of Syaoran for working this out. He’s such a smart boy, but I know that Sakura also would have been able to come to the same conclusion had she had more knowledge about the magical world. Sakura is running on pure instinct right now, which is super strong, but Syaoran really helps fill in those gaps where things don’t make sense for her, making them the perfect magical team!

The scene changes to Momo, who appears to be keeping tabs on the conversation (though it’s unclear if Kaito is aware while they are under Siege). And this part is perhaps the most worrying of the entire chapter, and I’m not talking about the line where the English translation says “Into the final act of your story”. That line in particular is a gross mistranslation cleared up by @meimi-haneoka, who graciously gives us translation notes each month in comparison to the Japanese version. The actual line in fact says “Into the final act of THE story”. This changes the entire tone of that page as the first translation implies it is leading to Kaito’s death, whereas the Japanese translation actually more implies that we’re nearing the climax of the story. Momo’s facial expressions also match the wording of the Japanese translation better, as we know she does not seem to want Kaito to die, so she would certainly look more upset here if she were speaking of such a thing. Also, I have to speak up about how pretttyyyy Kaito looks in that panel. The way CLAMP designed that page is just stunning as always.

HOWEVER

Back to what I was saying before! The most concerning part of the chapter for me is the page right before that, where Momo says “Once a spell’s been seen for what it is, it all comes crumbling down. Particularly, where time magic is concerned. And that’s to say nothing of your target’s considerable power. Now everything you’d turned back time to undo. Everything you’ve succeeded in freezing…is beginning to move again”. So here comes Chrissy’s big crazy theory and possible overthinking, but bear with me here!

I think…that what they are saying here is that these moments that were frozen in time and turned back were cut off from the timeline and now floating in a separate space. And now these scenes, which were all intense in their own way and incredibly frustrating for us, are about to move forward.

….all of them….

….at the same time….

This concept isn’t exactly new in CLAMP series. It happened with Tsubasa where Syaoran turned back time to go back to a moment where he could take Sakura’s hand and keep her from being cursed, and to keep that moment ready until he could return, it was in its own separate dimension, cut off from the rest of the universe. Eventually, once he got there, time started to move forward again. Turning back time is a taboo in the magical world for a reason, and Kaito has done this over and over and over again. But also, wouldn’t it be so like CLAMP to say “Hey, we know you’ve been frustrated that all these scenes were seemingly amping up to a big confrontation, but then Kaito rewound time over and over, so how about we give those back….ALL AT THE SAME TIMMMMEE?”. Can you even imagine the consequences of such a thing? At least three of the occasions where Kaito turned back time, Akiho went into what I call ‘book-mode’, where she is no longer herself and tries to absorb Sakura along with her magic (and even succeeds on one occasion). Then there is also Syaoran and Kaito’s battle and Syaoran having his outburst about Kaito being a magician right in front of Akiho. It would be absolute utter chaos, and honestly I’d be living for it. Lmao.

If you believe that this line Momo said was simply to state that his time magic won’t work anymore and that things will continue to progress in this timeline, that would make perfect sense as well, so I don’t want to discount that. I’m just throwing out theories here based on what I know about CLAMP and concepts that are not out of the realm of possibility.

The scenes from here on out bounce a little bit back and forth from a continuation of the conversation with Syaoran and the guardians and present time with Akiho at school. I kinda like the way they did the transitions here, and it didn’t really feel awkward at any point but rather pulled up the relevant information when it was needed.

When Akiho comes in to the classroom, Sakura recalls how the topic of Akiho came up in the conversation from the day before. It’s natural for everyone to question at this point what she knows and if she is someone to be concerned about too. Syaoran mentions that he can’t detect any magic from her, which was something he had looked into from the very first day Akiho arrived at Tomoeda Middle (he knew literally nothing about her, but you know how transfer students go in this town. Lmao). Sakura drops another bombshell here by saying that she actually senses something in Akiho, but she is unclear of what that is and why she feels that way. It’s completely likely that she’s strong enough now to sense the suppressed magic spell the association and her clan put on her. I also noticed Syaoran seemed to tense up when Sakura said this, and I’m sure that this new information probably made him feel very uneasy. Sakura’s instincts are never wrong, and if she feels something, that means there is something, but to think that it’s something even Syaoran can’t sense would definitely be concerning.

It is then that Syaoran decides to approach the idea of addressing Akiho directly about Kaito’s magic to see what she knows. Maybe at this point in time he is thinking “If she possibly has some sort of magic in her, then she might know already about Kaito”, but like Sakura, he has seen Akiho’s behavior as a person and probably believes that she is not doing anything malicious of her own accord. Perhaps he thinks that Akiho might be able to talk some sense into Kaito and put a stop to things. But the way he goes about it doesn’t push Sakura, but rather just offers it as a suggestion as something a bit more direct.

Before we see Sakura’s response to this, we are back to Akiho in the classroom and she is very cheerful from having gone out with Kaito the day prior, and OMG CAN I JUST GUSH FOR A MOMENT ABOUT HOW FREAKING PRECIOUS SHE IS? She is seriously adorable, and the more I see her smile, the more it makes me want to burn her whole clan down to the ground for being so awful to her. But also, it reminds me how strong she is to have gone through everything she did and still smile and hold no hatred in her heart. I can’t honestly say I would be the same in her shoes, so it’s really admirable. For those My Hero Academia fans out there, remember Eri’s smile? You know the one I’m talking about. That’s how I feel every time Akiho smiles.

Anyways, back to Sakura’s response. She decides, in a very Sakura-like fashion, to avoid the subject with Akiho for now. It is true that they don’t fully understand who Kaito is and what his intentions are, but the one thing she does know is that he is considered precious to Akiho, and that at least says something about his character. Akiho herself also isn’t an idiot and is perceptive to Kaito’s feelings. Even when he’s smiling, she can tell when he’s actually hurting inside, so if he had bad intentions at all, that likely wouldn’t go unseen either, so Sakura decides that she’ll wait for Akiho to come to her first if the discussion between them needs to happen. I think this is a very mature decision on her part but also continues to show how much she considers the people around her and cares for them.

Back in the present, Akiho apologizes for talking so much, and Sakura tells her that she doesn’t mind and will listen to whatever she has to say. More than just trying to show good will as a friend, I think this is also her way of opening up the door to tell her “If you want to talk about more serious things, I’m here to listen as well”. That way, when the time comes, Akiho will feel comfortable having that conversation with her.

The scene moves on to Yukito’s home where all the guardians are having a nice little get together in their true forms. It’s not entirely necessary for all but Yue to do this, but I love it as we haven’t gotten to see much of them in these forms in the series so far, especially Spinel and Ruby Moon. Ruby Moon is surprised that they decided to go along with what Sakura said, which I suppose makes sense considering they’ve been kinda doing their own thing up until now. But it turns out that it was Syaoran who made the final decision, and the others just took his lead.

I love that Syaoran was so comfortable just trusting Sakura and realizing that this time, they needed to let her make some choices, especially since it concerned her the most. Moreover, I love that Kero, Suppi, and Yue just basically caved when Syaoran agreed. This shows how much they respect the opinion of not just Sakura, but Syaoran too. They could have easily gone off and continued to work secretly without Sakura, but they didn’t do that. It obviously didn’t work well for them before anyways.

I cracked up when Ruby Moon mentioned how much Syaoran has grown a lot and used to be a ‘pouty brat’ back when they were in Japan the last time (in his defense, Eriol was screwing with him a lot, so he had a lot of good reasons for the bratty attitude. Lmao). But Kero and Yue’s responses are just precious. They both have the same expression initially, but their actual responses seem to differ quite a bit. Kero states that he will always be a brat to him and that he’s only grown ‘a little’. This is classic Kero essentially saying he agrees that he’s grown a lot, but he won’t admit it yet, hence why Spinel calls him childish. Hahahaha.

Yue’s response however makes me absolutely melt. He states he’s not upset about the mention of Syaoran’s growth, but that that he doesn’t think they “should be in such a hurry to grow up”. He sounds just like a freaking dad here who is happy to see his children grow up, but is also wanting to them to slow down and stay children simultaneously. I am absolutely living for it, and I love seeing how soft he gets when it comes to them. -squeals-

Despite how lighthearted this scene is, I’m gonna put out another theory here that might seem like I’m overthinking and perhaps makes this appear a bit darker than possibly intended. My thought was “Why did CLAMP put such focus on this subject right now?”. They could have simply stated that they decided to go along with Sakura and been done with it, but the made a point to talk about the children’s growth as human beings, particularly Syaoran. Now where am I going with this you ask? Perhaps it’s the Tsubasa PTSD speaking, but when CLAMP has dialogue like this, it usually it done quite purposely at times, because it is meant to enhance our emotions when a particular moment comes later on. So when I thought “Now, why would they be talking so much about how Syaoran’s grown emotionally and how much Kero and Yue care about him?”. I think they are trying to emphasize how much people in general care about him. CLAMP showed it again recently with Touya, who threatened Kaito and purposely included Syaoran in his statement, and again when Kaito pointed his staff at Syaoran and Sakura reacted. CLAMP is pointing out right now how much people care about Syaoran, and I think this is once again a signal that something bad is going to happen to Syaoran, and I think it’s going to be soon.

Now, Cinzia actually recently found my reaction to spoilers of chapter 1 of Clear Card (that’s right, chapter 1 from all the way back in 2016), and from the very beginning, I have been screaming at the top of my lungs that I had the worst feeling that something bad was going to happen to Syaoran. I imagine some of you are probably tiring of hearing it from me. Lmao. So here we are, 55 chapters and numerous bad dreams later, and I finally feel like that time is really really close. I’m calling it right now that it will probably happen within the next 4-5 chapters, and if I’m wrong, I will eat my words, but them even putting Syaoran on the color page all by himself for this chapter gives me more reason to think that “that time” is approaching.

That is a good transition for me to talk about the last part of this chapter. We are finally getting some progress on this play Naoko has been writing, and the moment she mentioned it was about “Twin Alices”, I thought to myself “this is going to be where the climax happens”. The pieces are coming together for it, and we’ve finally gotten to hear the premise of this play. We all knew Naoko would ask Sakura and Akiho to play the main roles, but it’s unclear what the role she wants for Syaoran will be when she inevitably peer pressures him into it. Lol. But I’m telling you, I really think this play is where shit is going to hit the fan and we’ll finally get some real answers.

I can’t wait to see what happens from here on out, but it’s very clear to me that things are just going to get more and more intense from here on out!!

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just-call-me-the-intrusive-thot · 4 years

Text

Soulmate September - Day 7

Day 7 - There is a string tied around your pinky that only you can see, the end of it leads to your soulmate.

Pairing(s): Kid AU! Intrulogical

TWs: Remus being Remus [though not overly so, he’s like, 9 here], some swearing

–

Remus Castillo and Logan Smith were two very different children; former was creative and bursting with chaotic energy, while the latter preferred to be more logical, more stable. One studied hard into the night despite his young years, the other decided that a good time was filling a blender with crayons and silly putty to see what would happen. Both attended different schools, lived a good distance apart, and neither of their families knew the other existed.

What could possibly bring together such opposing forces?

If your answer wasn’t being forcibly dragged kicking and screaming from the local museum by security for tampering with the exhibits and screaming about historical theft, then congratulations; you’re most likely still sane.

How did these very different children meet, you ask?

The story began on a Friday lunchtime - as all good stories often do - when Sanders Elementary and Faraday Academy For Gifted Children both booked their museum visits for the same time slot. Thankfully, the museum staff speculated that they could indeed handle two classes of fourth graders at once - those poor, unfortunate souls - and decided to start both classes off on either sides of the museum with a little overlap.

Logan entered the foyer with his peers, gazing around at the array of trinkets and treasures adorning the space. Though he hungered for knowledge of all kinds, his heart was set on the cosmos, reaching for a copy of the museum’s map when his hand was blocked by another. He recoiled and turned to face the other; a boy with tanned skin as opposed to his own pasty complexion, with wild green eyes that bore into Logan’s own, and a grin like a shark about to snap Logan’s hand up in it’s jaws.

“I call dibs, four eyes!”

Logan huffed, straightening his glasses, “There are plenty of maps to go around, there is no need for rudeness-”

“Why do you talk like you’ve got a stick up your ass?”, the boy asked with no hint of remorse nor shame, “Just talk like a regular kid, jeez!”

Logan was flabbergasted. No one had ever talked to him like that before. Then again, no one ever really talked to him in general. Perhaps that was why his lonely little brain could only think to stammer out,

“Who ARE you!?”

The boy roared with laughter, “Wow, thats all you have to say!? And they call ME weird!” , he shot a hand out towards Logan’s, not removing the one touching the map, “I’m Remus! What’s your name, frankenstein?”

Logan huffed, “Logan Smith. And you know,”, he began, puffing his chest out proudly as he yanked the map away, “Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster, therefore, you’re not insulting me-”

Without hesitation, Remus leant into Logan’s space and licked the map, causing Logan to jolt back and drop it. Picking up his spoils, Remus chuckled manically, “You look smart but you’re super dumb. Frankenstein IS the monster, dumbass, that’s the whole point.”. Without waiting for Logan’s rebuttal, Remus made his way back to his class, leaving Logan to frustratedly grab another map and return to his class, unaware of the string that formed around his pinky…

The tour was everything Logan had hoped for; an informative romp through space and time, enjoying the sights of the planetarium and a walk through a tunnel lined with geodes. And yet, all Logan could think about was that stupid boy who stole HIS map. Hmph! How dare Remus call him stupid! Whatever, at least they would stop soon to have lunch in the Polar Exhibit and he wouldn’t have to think about-

Oh god dammit.

As they entered the wide circular room, he laid eyes on the boy from before pretending to have gotten his tongue stuck to the giant fake iceberg in the centre of the room. Cheering him on was a gaggle of other children while their teacher seemed more content to just eat his own lunch and try to pretend it wasn’t his problem. Logan huffily stormed over to the nearest empty seat and popped open his Big Hero Six lunchbox, ready to moodily munch his jelly sandwiches when a painfully familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

“We meet again, professor!”

Great.

“Remus.”, Logan hissed, though he tried to maintain composure, “A pleasure, I’m sure but I must be-”

“- crazy to run away from your soulmate?”, Remus finished, leaving Logan, once again, speechless.

“E-Excuse me!?”

“Check your pinkie, dingus.”

Logan checked and finally noticed the string, and to his horror, the end of it that tied itself around Remus’ pinkie.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me for life! Unless I die, then you’re stuck with my corpse. Oooh! Maybe you can bring me back to life! Really earn that Frankenstein nickname-”

“This HAS to be a mistake!”, Logan squeaked, flustered and shocked by the news, “There’s no way YOU are my soulmate!”

Logan made eye contact with Remus and for a moment the boy looked hurt, but he plastered on a grin and poked Logan in the arm, “Nope! Fate thinks you’re my future husband, so suck it!”

Groaning, Logan let out an exasperated sigh, “Fine, then I suppose you should tell me about yourself, Remus.”. Logan would - for eternity and a day after - deny that the smile Remus gave him made his little heart flutter for the first time.

As the two ate, Remus went into a long tangent about his life and Logan found himself absolutely fascinated.

Remus Castillo had a twin brother, Roman, who enjoyed Disney movies and being “an overly wordy drama queen”. They had a single father, much like Logan’s own, whose wife had apparently decided she was destined for greater things that didn’t involve unplanned twin boys (Remus’ words, not his). Logan listened as Remus told him all about his family’s culture, having moved from Aguascalientes to Florida a year ago for work related reasons; retelling fond memories of watching the parade of Calaveras along the Avenida Madero with his father and brother each year. Logan found Remus really enjoyed a mixture of colourful and morbid subjects, each tangent sending Remus on a fun winding road down memory lane or through a vague memory of some educational book.

Logan Smith had wanted nothing to do with the boy who’d licked his hand and stolen his map, but as lunch ended and both classes were being called away to their respective classes, he found he didn’t want to be separated from Remus.

Very apparently, Remus didn’t want to either. If they way he was gasping Logan’s arm and hauling him towards the class from Sanders Elementary instead of his own was any indicator.

“Come on! You can hang with us! Roman won’t mind! And my buddy Remy’s lotsa fun too-”

“Remus Castillo, stop right there.”

Remus indignantly ignored his teacher, plowing through his sentence, “You’ll LOVE my class, they’re all weirdos like us-”

“REMUS!”, barked his teacher, already done with the nine year old terror, “You let that boy go this instant!”

Remus defiantly clung tighter to Logan’s arm, “No!”

“Remus Castillo, you’re to let go NOW.”

“But he’s my soulmate!”, Remus yelled, causing his classmates to chatter excitedly. It made Logan feel a little self conscious, but Remus didn’t seem to care, “Pleeeeease let him come with us!!”

His teacher rubbed his temples as if it could massage the exhaustion away, “That’s nice, but you are NOT going to cause more trouble, soulmate or not!”

By now, even the children and teacher from Logan’s academy were watching the commotion. It came to a head as Remus’ teacher tried to separate the two of them, earning the tiniest war cry from Remus as he stomped on his teacher’s foot and clung fully to Logan like his life depended on it.

“I’M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT HIM! I’LL STAY HERE UNTIL WE’RE A GROSS MUSHY PILE OF SKIN AND BONES IF I HAVE TO!”

With that pleasant image in his brain, Logan decided to perhaps appeal to his own teacher,

“Miss, can Remus perhaps stay with our group so we may avoid further-”

“Absolutely not,”, she turned up her nose at Remus’ display, “Our school has a reputation to uphold, I will not have it sullied by such a rude child.”

Well that backfired. Now both teachers were having to try and separate the two of them. It took two of the museum’s security personnel to finally haul Remus off of Logan, carrying the writhing child as they assured his teacher that they’d put him in the tantrum room. With the way they handled his feral yelling and attempts to grab at any nearby exhibits for something he could use to bash them with, this probably wasn’t their first Rabid Child Rodeo.

Logan watched dejectedly as they hauled his soulmate out of sight while his teacher ordered him to get in line as they continued their tour. He couldn’t focus on any of the various bewitching artifacts that the guide presented to them on their tour of the ancient world though, all he could think about was Remus. Alone. Stuck in some room. Missing out on the exhibits. Missing him.

“....Emile?”, Logan asked the boy standing to his left.

“Yes, Logan?”

“I’m about to do something very, very impulsive.”

“.... Okay?”

“And reckless.”

“...Right-”

“In the name of fate.”

“........”, Emile sighed, “What do you need me to do?”

“Either talk me out of what is likely a terrible decision that will without a doubt go on my permanent record and possibly disappoint my father. Or encourage me so that I may spend time with my soulmate for as long as possible.”

Emile shook his head, “Well, if cartoons have taught me anything, it’s that you’re gonna go for it no matter what I say so...”. He placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder, “Make it good, Logan, I wanna remember the day the untouchable Logan Smith lost his mind.”. With a shared chuckle, Emile let him wind up for whatever he was about to do, while Logan waited for his moment. The tour guide was gesturing to an exhibit of ancient Mayan armour when Logan chose to strike, raising his hand while Emile awaited the fireworks show to come.

“Sir? I have a question.“

“Of course, what is it?”

“Did the museum ask permission to have that armour?”

The guide looked confused while Logan’s teacher looked ready to have an aneurysm.

“I… don’t understand what you mean. Anyway this-”

“I’m merely asking,”, Logan interrupted, ready to keep pushing until he would be hauled off by security, “because I believe that if it were my culture being mercilessly appropriated and stolen from, I would be rather upset.”

“We’re allowed to have it because it’s for education-”

“But it’s still stealing. And stealing is always wrong, correct?”

“Well, it-”

“It’s a yes or no question, please answer as such-”

Remus hadn’t expected company in the tantrum room, but he wasn’t complaining as Logan was marched in, looking positively proud of himself in spite of the way the security guard nearly tossed him inside with obvious frustration. With a bright grin, Remus pat the beanbag next to him, positively writhing with unbridled joy, “Spill! What’d you do?!”.

Logan tried to play stoic and prideful, but the excitement cracked through in his voice, “I merely inquired as to why museums considered their historical thievery to be ethically justified until the tour guide got angry and attempted to ignore me.”. “Sick!! Then what!?”, Remus’ delighted eyes met Logan’s with a similar sparkle of mischief.

Logan chuckled as he admired their string of fate, as people called it, slowly pulling his eyes from it to meet Remus’ again, “I screamed. Loudly. For quite the duration. I must say, I’m rather proud of my own lung capacity.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but there was a fondness in it.

“Naturally, security came to try and calm the situation.”

“And then they brought you here?”

“No, they attempted to calm me down”, Logan snickered, “But, one of them put a hand on my shoulder rather rudely. So I bit them-” “YOU BIT ‘EM!?”, if Logan could bottle the light that radiated from Remus there and then, he would have, his own smile growing while his soulmate’s grin threatened to tear through his cheeks, “Logan, mi alma, you’re insane! I love it!”

“Mi alma?”, Logan queried, his cheeks losing the great blush war as his face radiated a nice rosy crimson.

“Oh, right!”, Remus explained, “It means ‘my soul’, it’s what people call their boyfriends ‘n’ stuff back home. I figured since you’re my soulmate, it makes sense to call you that!”

For a moment, Remus faltered, “Uh…. if you don’t mind I guess? It’s whatever, I’ll stop if you hate it-”

“No, no, I rather appreciate the sentiment,” , Logan awkwardly smiled back at Remus, “Mi alma?”

The wilder of the two threw his head back in a roar laughter, “Man, your pronunciation sucks! And that’s an easy one!“, he teased as he shuffled his beanbag closer to Logan’s and continued with a wild smile, “Looks like I gotta stay with you for sure now and make sure you get it right! You’re stuck with me, Nerdy Wolverine!”

It would be hard work convincing his father to let him move schools to be with Remus, Logan knew that. Despite the fact his father adored love in all forms and regarded the bond of soulmates as sacred, Logan knew it’d logically be a hard sell to ask his father to not only pull him out of an expensive academy, but also to have him possibly move home or make a rather lengthy commute.

But as Remus’ had met Logan’s, the latter found himself locking fingers with his wild soulmate, banishing that thought while they still had time together. Whether it would work out right away, after a couple of months, or even over the course of a few years, they’d make it work.

“Falsehood,”, Logan smirked, “I believe it’s you that’s stuck with me.”

-----------

Okay, this one’s the cutest thing hands down. I’m so proud of this one! As a tidbit, I had it in mind that their single fathers were Janus for the twins and Patton for Logan.

@tsshipmonth2020

Taglist: @somehow-i-got-an-account @cateye-glasses

#intrulogical #logan sanders #remus sanders #tsshipmonth2020 #soulmate september #my fics #fanfics #theyre so cute i cry #also incase its confusing #i figured that in this universe #people probably still get married and such like #to people who arent their soulmates #if they feel they want to just settle down but that they won't meet their soulmate #so thats the explaination for Janus being a single parent #as for patton #i like to thing he just adopted logan

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soyforramen · 3 years

Note

ooooo 17 and/or 28 for bughead

I am so terribly glad tumblr does not date these, because I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting on this draft. Regardless, here goes:

xxx

“Bite me, Jones,” Betty snapped. She screwed her eyes shut and breathed deeply as she counted to ten. No one in Riverdale could get under her skin like he could. And he knew it.

“Make me, Cooper.”

Betty curled her lip and turned away from Jughead Jones and his stupid smirk and his stupid hat. She knew from the start that this whole idea was inane. But because it was Archie’s last birthday in Riverdale, and because she and Jughead were Archie’s best friends, she’d said yes to Jones’ stupid idea to throw a surprise party.

For whatever reason, it hadn’t occurred to Betty that Archie might want a birthday party. Over the years they’d fallen into such a routine it almost felt too close to sacrilege to change. The day before Archie’s birthday, he and Jughead would disappear to spend all day gorging on junk food and video games until it came time for a midnight creature feature at the Bijou. The day of, Archie would spend his birthday with his parents as Mrs. Andrews always made a point to come back to Riverdale on his birthday. The next following was Betty’s, and it had become their tradition to find new trails to hike around Sweetwater River only to end their day at Pop’s with burgers and shakes.

It was a custody arrangement they’d all been more than happy with ever since Betty had proclaimed her hatred of Jughead Jones in the second grade for making Ethyl cry because he ran away from her the entire week of Valentine’s. And despite Archie’s numerous attempts over the years at a tentative truce, neither Betty nor Jughead could stand the sight of each other for too long.This year, however, Jughead decided to buck the system.

With a party.

For Archie.

Only one week to plan it.

Together.

When Jughead had first mentioned it, Betty assumed he’d do what everyone else did when it came to these things: tell Betty his vision and let her handle everything while still getting partial credit for having come up with the idea in the first place. But apparently she’d underestimated him. Not only had he come up with the idea for a party, he also wanted to help plan it.

Normally Betty would jump at the chance for any sort of event planning help. She’d had to beg, borrow, and blackmail to get any actual help to put together Homecoming and the Spring Formal . And now she had a ready, willing participant who came with his own ideas as to how this party should go.It was as if Fate itself were determined to prove the old adage, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’(Fate, too, could bite her.)The ultimate problem, though, was not the fact that it was Jones’ proposing and helping plan the party. It was not that they both wanted to outdo each other in a childish attempt to prove their superior friendship with Archie. The problem was she had to interact with Jones’ to get this done. It was the most she’d ever had to interact with him since they’d sat at the same square of tables in elementary school and it was a reminder why she’d avoided him ever since. Every idea she had was countered by his own; every suggestion was met with scepticism and budgeting concerns; every minute detail picked apart. Their tastes were too far apart on music, food, and decorations along with everything else it took to plan a party. He was far too sarcastic, too caustic for her. She was too nice, too blithe for his. It was mutual loathing that frustrated Betty every time she had to see him in the hallways. And now she’d agreed to spend most of her free time with him for a week.Archie better fucking love this damn party.

xxx

Monday Morning: 4 Days til B-Day

Today was not Betty Cooper’s day. She’d forgotten about the essay due in History class because she’d been consumed with scholarship applications and making decorations for Polly’s wedding. She’d dropped a beaker of acid on her shoes in lab class and now had to wander around in the ugliest, grossest pair of crocs the school’s lost and found had to offer. And to top it all off, her hair tie had snapped in gym class, leaving her hair in a tangle of waves that drew attention from everyone for just how messy it was.It took all she had not to skip school for the first time in her life. The only thing stopping her was the inevitable lecture she knew would be waiting at home. If Betty ruined her perfect attendance record three months before graduation, the fit her mother would throw would surely top the one when Polly told her she was unwed and pregnant.And when the tumbler on her locker stuck, it was all she could do not to scream. Finally the lock popped off and the door slammed into its neighbor.“Party planning going well?” Kevin asked from behind. He leaned against the locker bank and leveled all the magnets that had fallen to the bottom of the door.“Yes, actually. That’s the problem,” Betty snapped. She threw her textbooks into the locker, already digging through the three and a half years worth of junk for a hair tie. “I’d say that’s less of a problem, and more of a shoe in to finally free all that hair Jones’ has been hiding from us,” Kevin said with a Hello Kitty magnet suspended between his thumb and forefinger. When Betty rolled her eyes, he clicked his tongue. “Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about it. The UST between you two has been at peak level for at least two years.”Betty heaved out a sigh and reached for the top shelf. She tried to imagine herself someplace relaxing and far, far away from here. One of those Swedish spas Veronica was always gushing about. A sunny beach with no one around. An automotive shop that worked exclusively on muscle cars made by Corvette and Ford between 1958 and 1972 somewhere south of Paris, France.“Of course it’s a problem, Kev. It means that not only is he a complete and total asshole, he’s also a competent and capable asshole,” Betty huffed. She grabbed her history book out of her bag and threw it into the locker hard enough to rattle the mirror on the back. “At least you now won’t have to split all your free time between the paper, the party, and practice for the Vixens.”As much as Betty loved him, sometimes she hated how Kevin could always find a positive in every situation and how desperately she hated the fact that Veronica had decided to attend a prep school for her senior year.“We forgot about Veronica,” Betty gasped. Prior frustrations forgotten, Betty tapped away on the screen. Between event planning and the massive extracurricular load her mother insisted on, Betty hardly had any time to think about what she’d get for Archie. There was no way Veronica would forget something as important as Archie’s birthday, but if there was on thing that could throw a wrench into this plan it would be Veronica sweeping Archie off his feet to the Bahamas last minute.Veronica’s reply was almost instantaneous with a string of hearts, followed by several texts grilling Betty for more information about Archie’s relationship status, Riverdale gossip, and whether Betty had finally found herself a boyfriend.Absorbed by her phone, Betty closed her locker and walked to class, Kevin walking beside to her and telling Betty which was the best gossip to pass along to Veronica. As the bell rang, Betty tucked her phone into her jacket pocket and laid out everything she needed for class. Late as usual, Jughead slouched by her on his way to the corner of the room. “Nice hair, Cooper,” he muttered as he passed. “Very Diana Dors today.”Betty’s cheeks went red and her hands flew up to smooth down her hair. She’d been so focused on her conversation with Veronica that the hair tie had been completely forgotten.Kevin leaned across his desk and whispered, “Hashtag: Free the Beanie.”

Xxxxx

Tuesday Afternoon - Party Countdown: Day 3

Betty’s phone chimed on the couch beside her. When she saw who it was from, she groaned. They’d just talked after school about the decorations, and she thought they’d come to an agreement. Jughead, however, seemed to differ.“Beans for brains again?” Cheryl asked, eyes glued to her own phone. “Yes. Now decorations are too ‘childish’,” Betty whined. “Why does he have to make things so difficult.”“Because he has your undivided attention for once, baby cousin.”Betty stared at Cheryl. “What does that mean?”Cheryl rolled her eyes and set down her phone. “Read between the lines, it’s a total Castle and Bennet situation.”Even if she’d been offered the world, Betty still couldn’t figure out what Cheryl meant. With a sigh, Betty packed up her back and headed to Pop’s, figuring it would be easier to meet with him in person than spend three hours going back and forth in text.

Xxxxx

Tuesday Afternoon - Party Countdown: Day 3Betty slammed her lunch tray on the cafeteria table. “I hate him and that stupid grin of his. Like he knows everything. Why did I ever agree to this in the first place?”Kevin moved to the side as Betty swung her leg over the bench to sit down. “Because it’s Archie’s birthday and he’d do the same for you?”Betty snorted. “I doubt he’d work with his mortal enemy to plan me a party.”“True. Because I’d be the one doing the planning. If Archie was doing it there’d be cold pizza and hot ice cream. He’s not big on the planning thing.”Betty stabbed at a piece of fruit and let that sink in. It would be so much easier to let this go, to say she was done with the whole thing and let Jughead finish organizing it. But if she backed out now they’d both know he’d won in the ongoing feud they had. It was frustrating and unnerving and took every last bit of self-control to work with him. He was a constant distraction, taken to staring at her when she was talking and unnerving her by how close he was willing to get. Even stranger, as if he knew just how to get under her skin, he’d sat next to her in English this morning and attempted a semi-polite conversation.“Do I want to ask what’s got her so riled up now?” Toni asked as she sat down. “Jughead’s lips,” Kevin said with a smile.Toni leaned forward, his face eager for more information. “What? Did he kiss you? I thought you two were only supposed to be planning a party.”“Kevin,” Betty scolded. “And no. We can barely stand to be in the same room together. He’s insisted on doing the decorating himself.”Kevin and Toni shared a look. “And that’s bad, how?” Toni asked.“I know you’re used to being in charge of everything, but why is it a problem for him to decorate?” Kevin asked.“Because I was planning on using what we had leftover from Polly’s New Year’s Eve party. It would have been perfect.” Betty said.“What did he say about that?”Betty looked down at her salad and picked at it. “I didn’t exactly mention it.”Toni raised an eyebrow and Kevin let out a heavy sigh.“But obviously if I was pushing to do the decorations, I had a plan,” Betty said, her words sounding thin.“Last time I checked Jones wears several different hats, but mind reading is not one of them,” Toni said. “And being straightforward isn’t Betty’s,” Kevin said.Betty elbowed him in the ribs. “I thought you were supposed to be on my side?”He squirmed away from her. “I am. But you tend to have a take charge attitude and don’t always share the whole plan. Or let other people have much input when you’ve made up your mind.”“What’s that supposed to mean?”Kevin held up his hands defensively. “I’m just saying, maybe this thing isn’t all one-sided. You’re not used to people wanting to help plan something, and he’s -” Kevin faltered, not knowing Jughead enough to speak to his personality.Toni, though, was quick to step in. “Jughead is a snarky gloom and doom nerd. His people skills need some help too.”“Exactly. But maybe if you try to work with him.” He let the thought linger a moment before going into the latest gossip about the lacrosse team.

Xxxx

Thursday Afternoon - Party Countdown; 1

“I’m doing this for Archie, Jughead. If you don’t like that, then you don’t have to be involved,” Betty said after a few deep breaths.“This was my idea, Betty. Not some project you can step in and fix just because I’m involved. The door is right there if you change your mind,” Jughead snapped back. He turned away from her and focused his attention on his computer. Betty’s hands clenched and unclenched. A fire burned in her chest and she had to work to stay seated There was nothing she wanted more than to slap him. It annoyed her that he was right; they were doing this for Archie, not for some strange kudos for their own egos. “Fine.”Jughead’s head jerked up and he looked as if he were surprised she’d conceded so easily. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” she said her words clipped. Just because she was wrong didn’t mean she had to like it.His eyes narrowed and Betty waited it out. If he wanted to suspect her of ulterior motives, then so be it. She just wished he could bring the intensity down a little bit.Eventually, he waved to the seat across from him and, in a rare gesture of cordiality, waved Pop down for a round of shakes. While Betty was suspicious herself of his motives, she took the seat and pulled out her planner to go over their last minute plans.

xxxx

Friday Night - Party Countdown: 0

Betty leaned against the porch railing, a red solo cup full of something red and overly sweet in her hands. Veronica had sworn she’d like it, but Betty could barely stomach a sip of it. She’d never been one for parties or alcohol or general teenage mischief. Seeing what had happened to Polly had cured Betty of any desire of that.“Looks like we managed to pulled it off,” Jughead said. He lifted a can to his lips - a brazenly boring soda that stood out against their peers attempts to summon Dionysus into the Andrews’ living room.Betty turned towards him and watched him watch the party through the windows. “Surprisingly.”He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t turn towards her. Betty’s eye followed the movement only to trail down his profile. It was odd, she realized, to have never really thought about what he looked like without the permanent scowl and irritable persona he’d taken up as a defense mechanism.“It’ll be a bitch to clean up, though,” Jughead said.Betty snorted and poured her drink into the bushes beneath her. “I vote that’s Archie’s problem.”“And Veronica’s,” Jughead added, with a nod to the opening door.“There you two are,” Veronica said. She shot a sly grin to Jughead who rolled his eyes.Betty filed her questions away for later, particularly those about how close Veronica and Jughead seemed to have gotten over the past year. “This was a really great surprise,” Archie said, oblivious of the strange interaction going on next to him. He looked as tired as Betty felt, but somehow managed a level of energy even she couldn’t fake. She pulled him into a tight hug as the sudden realization that this was their last year of high school hit her. Tears threatened to spill at the corner of her eyes. In six months, Archie would no longer be her constant companion. It would be the first time ever that he wasn’t part of her life. Betty screwed her eyes shut and thought about the good times.“You’re welcome Archie. Happy birthday,” she said through a sniffle.They pulled apart and it was Jughead’s turn to pull Archie into a hug. Betty took a moment to wipe the tears from her cheeks.“Happy birthday, bud,” Jughead said with a grin. He nodded towards Veronica. “Enjoy it while you can.”Betty pulled Veronica into a hug, the pain of missing her not as severe. After all, they’d be roommates next fall, something they’d been planning since they were twelve. “I’m going to call it a night,” Betty said. Veronica kissed her on the cheek and, in a surprising move, pulled Jughead into a bear hug. She whispered something to him that made him flush before letting him go. “Walk her home,” Veronica ordered him. “I want nothing to happen to my girl. We have plans, after all.”“V, I live ten feet away,” Betty reminded her.Jughead rolled his eyes, but complied when Veronica shoed him after Betty. When they reached the sidewalk, Jughead cleared his throat.“Hey, Cooper.”Betty turned to face him. “Yes?”“Are we still in a truce?”She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got another ten minutes until curfew. So, I’d say we were.”Jughead took a step towards her, dropping his gaze to the ground. He swallowed hard, his hands fidgeting. “You’re not half bad, now that I think about it.”Betty smiled. It was probably the nicest thing she’d heard him say about anything in a while. “You’re not half bad yourself, Jones’.”“Also,” he paused, glancing behind them as if to check that they were alone.“What? What is it?” she asked, stepping towards him, worried he’d say or do something. Her fingers curled into a loose fist, but what she wouldn’t have ever expected was for him to pull her close and press his lips against hers.The world came to a startling halt as Betty’s brain went into overdrive. (They were kissing.) This was Jughead Jones her self-proclaimed high school rival in all things that mattered. (He was kissing her.) Before this week they’d never had a nice thing to say about each other. (And she liked it.) The only common ground they ever had was fighting over Archie (Worse, she was kissing him back) and snarking at each other over stupid little things.A car backfired a street over and the spell was broken. The world wrenched itself back into rightful place. Betty’s eyes fluttered open and everything looked the same as it had before. Only there was that look in his eyes, and there was that exhilarating feeling in her chest that could only mean the sky was the limit, and the ground beneath her was shaking. At some point her hand had come to rest on his cheek. It felt normal there, like a bird finally come home to roost. She rubbed her finger against his smooth skin and he turned his head to kiss her palm. “Pop’s tomorrow?” he asked.Betty answered him in another kiss.

#bughead fanfiction #yeah sorry for the long post before the readmore #since my internet is practically non existant at this point #D:

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emmy-writes-sometimes · 4 years

Text

Oh, Baby!

You and Sebastian have been waiting for almost an entire year to adopt a baby. What happens when the call finally comes?

You stood up from the door you’d just painted and sighed. It looked good. You’d taken painter’s tape and put it in a geometric pattern. There was really nothing else to do with the door until you could put a sign on it with the baby’s name. If you ever got one, that was.

You and Sebastian had been married for two years, together for three before that. He was the absolute love of your life. You wanted the world for him and he wanted the same for you. And when you found out you couldn’t have the children you’d always dreamed of, you’d decided to give adoption a chance. You’d been on the list for a year. Last month you’d been told to prepare a room, so you did. It was absolutely beautiful by the time you were done with it – it was right across the hallway from the office, so you and Sebastian could go check on the baby. It was gender neutral, even though you both wanted a girl. And then the day came to go get the baby and the mother changed her mind.

Now you were waiting, again, on the list. You were waiting and waiting. This time, though, you’d decided to adopt from Romania. It was where Sebastian was from and they had so many babies and children that needed a home, and every time you’d heard Sebastian’s mother talk about Sebastian there your heart had skipped a few beats. But you still couldn’t help but think that maybe you weren’t getting picked because people thought you wouldn’t be good parents. And it was slowly breaking you, little by little, so much so that you’d taken the leftover paint from the nursery and painted over the white door. It brightened up the hallway, that was for sure.

“What on Earth did you just do?” You turned around to see a smile on Sebastian’s face. He’d been gone filming for most of the day. In fact, you hadn’t even seen him since the night before. He was training for another movie, too, and left before the crack of dawn. Luckily, though, the filming was almost over and then he’d be all yours for another few months.

“I got bored so I painted the door,” you said with a shrug.

“It looks amazing.” You stood up. Sebastian turned you around and captured your lips in a kiss, but you pushed him away with your elbows.

“I have paint all over me, Seb,” you giggled.

“Yeah, I know. I like it.”

“And hopefully, someday soon, a baby will.” Sebastian’s face fell, and yours did too.

“Sweetheart, we’ll get a call when we get a call.”

“And what if we don’t?”

“Someone’s got to have a baby,” he said as he pulled your hands to wrap them around his waist. You hugged him back with a sigh. “And one of these days our names are going to come up on that list. And we’ll get a call. And we’ll fly there. And then we’ll have a baby. I promise.”

“But what if they decide we’re not fit or whatever?”

“They’ve checked both of the houses out half a dozen times. We’re good to go, honey. We just have to wait our turn.” You sighed again as he kissed your hair. “And until then, how about you help me bring in the groceries I just got?”

It was two weeks later before you even thought about it again, and before you ended up at that door again. This time it was just because there was a draft in the hallway and you realized that Sebastian had opened the window last night. So you walked in, and the breakdown started. You ended up in the old rocking chair Sebastian had gotten from his mom’s house, one he’d had since he lived in Romania, and you were crying your eyes out by the time he found you.

“I just want a family so bad, Seb,” you said softly as he stood in front of you, taking your hands.

“Yeah, sweetie, I know,” he responded. “We’re a family, okay? And you and me and the dog are going to get our baby. Whether it’s tomorrow or next week or next month or… whenever. We’ll get our baby.” You nodded, sniffling, and tried to stop crying.

“I just wish I could stop having breakdowns over this.” You tried to smile, but it didn’t work.

“Next thing you know, our kid will be going to elementary school and you’ll have a breakdown over that.” You swatted at his shoulder. “What? It’s true, you cry at everything.”

“Hello?” You didn’t even turn your head at the sound of Sebastian’s phone ringing. He perked up, though, and looked over at you. You turned the book you were reading upside down upon seeing the look on his face. You cocked your head and Sebastian turns his phone over for a second.

“What?” You asked.

“Go buy the next tickets to Bucharest,” he said with a smile on his face.

“What?” At first, none of it made sense. And then it did. He turned back to his phone.

“Yep. Yes. Yes. We’ll email you our flight itinerary and meet you at the airport,” he said. “And we’ll have all of our things with us. Right. Thank you, so much. Bye.”

“Well?”

“There’s a baby waiting for it’s new parents in Bucharest!” He said loudly, scooting to your side of the couch to hug you tightly. You’d never felt so happy in your entire life. You’d never felt so relieved, either.

“Ours?”

“Ours. Go, go, get the tickets! I’ll pack!” You jumped off the couch and out of Sebastian’s arms with a squeal and ran into the office to turn on the computer.

In an hour and a half you were loading your carry-on bags and the baby’s things into the back of your Uber. The driver looked a little confused as to why you had so many things for a baby except for the baby yourselves, but didn’t question it. You just sat in the back with Sebastian and tried not to squeal from excitement again. You’d been reading blog after article on website after website about other people’s adoption stories and even though you weren’t trying to get your hopes up, nobody better take a baby away from you after making you come all the way to Romania.

“Passports?” Sebastian asked as you walked into the airport, looking for your airline’s kiosk station. You handed the bundle of passports to him, taking the baby carrier. “If we get separated, just meet me at the gate. We had half an hour after security, so I’ll get the coffee and you get the snacks.”

“You’ve been planning this out for awhile.”

“You’re not the only one who’s been waiting for ages upon ages for a mini-me. Go.” He watched as you printed out your boarding pass and checked in, doing the same on his own kiosk. Everything went smoothly – you went through security, got Sebastian’s favorite snacks, got your favorite snacks from the next booth over, and then met Sebastian at your gate. He’d checked everything aside from your backpacks and was sitting down, holding a carton of two iced coffees.

“I got extra espresso in yours,” he said.

“And that’s why I’m adopting a child with you.” He smiled.

“And remember. If you don’t like me after a month, it’s not like we can return it.” You scoffed.

“I could just tell customs you have a bomb in your pants.”

“You wouldn’t!” He shoved you as you took your iced coffee from him, almost causing you to spill it.

“I would after that.” You both shut up and waited for your flight to start boarding.

It was a thirteen hour long flight, and it was endless. The entire time you were getting up and down to walk around the plane, to go to the bathroom, then wander back to your seat. Sebastian took a pill and was out, but you were there, the entire time, smiling to yourself and dreaming about the baby that was finally about to be yours.

“Oh, my God,” you heard Sebastian breathe out when he stepped inside the hospital room, looking at the baby in the farthest crib to the left.

“This is Victoria,” the nurse said in a thick accent as she walked you two over there to meet her. “I understand you’re the adoptive parents?”

“Yeah,” you breathed out. The baby was as beautiful as you could’ve imagined. She had blue eyes, like Sebastian’s, and that was when you knew it must be fate.

“You’re allowed to change the name, of course, if there’s something else you’d prefer.” You thought about the name and looked at Sebastian. “Would you like to hold her?”

“You go first,” you said to Sebastian, when you saw that he was actually starting to cry. You just put a hand on his back, insisting, and the nurse quickly showed Sebastian how to hold her. “I don’t know. We’ve had all this time and never even thought of a name.”

“I don’t mind Victoria,” Sebastian said, looking over at you. “Victoria…”

“Georgeta,” you interrupted. “After your mom.”

“Only if we do Elizabeth after. For your mom.” You smiled.

“I don’t know, Seba, it’s a long name.” Sebastian held the baby tightly, swinging her over to face you.

“I think she looks like a Victoria Georgeta Elizabeth Stan,” Sebastian said with a grin. “Huh?” You could see the beginning of dark hair on the baby’s head and reached your hand out. The baby gripped onto your thumb with her tiny fingers. Your heart skipped a beat again.

“Yeah,” you said. Sebastian kissed the baby’s head like he did yours. “Almost as pretty as her.”

“Almost as pretty as you.” Sebastian offered you the baby. “I’ll go sign the papers so we can go take our baby home.”

“Our baby,” you repeated. He closed the distance between you and kissed you.

“Ours.”

A/N: I hope the person who requested this loves reading it as much as I loved writing it! Like, the things I would give to have Sebastian’s children... not to be too thirsty or anything.

#sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan x reader

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everlarkficexchange · 4 years

Text

Fate Takes a Break

BY: @ally147writes

RATING: T

PROMPT #50: everlark discovering on their date that they’ve missed each other their whole lives (living in the same city, went to the same high school, going to the same halloween and nye parties, were set up before by different friends but stood each other up, shopping at the same store, etc.) [submitted by @sunflowerslyf]

AN: This ended up being substantially shorter than I was aiming for, but it was nice to get back into fic writing all the same. Thanks to the mods for holding this exchange again, and thanks to all the authors and artists who took part. Your creativity is what is keeping the world spinning right now.

(Not beta’d - all errors are my own)

This date isn’t quite as blind as Katniss was expecting

Still a little bit blind, though. She’s seen the guy before, she’s sure of that. But where? The weird furrowed brow look he’s sending her every time she dips her gaze towards her plate to pick out another choice sliver of cheese-herb-sauced chicken breast tells her he’s got the same weird deja vu thing going on, too.

She sighs and asks, “It’s not just me, is it?”

The guy — Peeta, she tells herself again, somehow not as distinctive a name as it sounds like it should be — huffs a quiet laugh and sets his fork down.

“Maybe we’ve just got those kinds of faces?”

“You might be right. But I’m not convinced.”

He smiles, a beyond-charming quirk of his lips. “No, neither am I. I think I would remember you if I’d seen you before.”

She blushes, just a little, and takes a sip of water. “Well, it’s our first date,” she points out. “Might as well do the twenty questions thing now.”

“And, what, deprive us of a perfectly good second date activity?”

“This will drive me insane if we don’t work it out right now.”

He drums his fingers along the edge of their table. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you not immediately pass up a second date.”

She runs her hands — nowhere near as damp now as they were at the beginning of the date — along the smooth satin of her skirt. “I could be tempted, I suppose.”

“Hmm. Noted.” He smiles that charming little smile again and leans forward, close enough that she can make out the hints of gold flecked like tiny bursts of sunshine in his blue eyes. “Where do you want to start?”

“Well,” she takes another bite of chicken before she says anything weird about his eyes that she might regret, “you’re obviously not from District Twelve, so —”

Peeta coughs. “Actually, I am.”

There’s a beat of odd silence where they do nothing but blink at each other.

“District Twelve,” she repeats, slower, like there’s a chance he misheard her. “As in, tiny ass coal town about two hours south of here?”

He quirks his brow. “Is there another District Twelve I should know about?”

She narrows her eyes. “Merchant or Seam?”

“Merchant, but I went to D12 Senior High. That was in the middle of Seam, right?”

“Bullshit,” she exclaims, maybe a little too loudly if the dirty looks she’s getting from the snooty old people at their neighbouring tables is anything to go by. “I’d remember if you were there. When did you graduate?”

“Uh, 2008?”

“Bullshit,” she says again, because this can’t be real, can it? “Same year as me. You weren’t there.”

He grins again. “I’m glad we can establish that neither of us remember each other from high school, so strike one for that, but I wasn’t there for all of it. Just… I don’t know, maybe the last three months of the semester? Didn’t seem all that worth going to graduation after not really having contributed anything. Then I got accepted to Capitol University, and —”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she cuts in with a chuckle. “Capitol University. When did you start?”

“Pretty much right away.”

She leans forward, eyes narrowed. “Major?”

He mirrors her. “Double, actually, Business and Arts. You?”

“Environmental Biology. But I had a friend doing economics, so I was around the business school a lot.”

“What was their name?”

She takes the last bite of her chicken and pushes her plate away. “Madge.”

He chuckles. “Don’t tell me, Madge Kingswood, right?”

“Uh…”

“She dated my roommate for about a year.”

“You were Thom’s roommate?”

“Sure was. For a little while after we graduated, too. Last I heard, he moved to District Two. Something to do with gem mining.”

“Hang on, are you the Peter — or, Peeta, I guess — that she and Thom tried to set me up with for, what was it… a double bowling date?”

He laughs, a boundless, joyful sound that pools warm in her belly. “I’m guessing you’re Kat with the lethal aim, then?”

“The lethal aim has more to do with archery. Did you have fun that night?”

“I got stood up, if you’ll recall?” His eyes glitter in the gentle candlelight. “Did you really have food poisoning?”

She blushes again, but she’s not sure why she’s so embarrassed. “No. I just… completely hate bowling.”

“Guess a second date down at the alley is completely out of the question, then?”

“I’d probably dredge up the food poisoning excuse again if you tried it.”

“Also noted.”

They share a smile, one that almost frightens her with the length and breadth of how it speaks of their possible future.

She coughs into her closed fist and dabs at her lips with a napkin. “Well, next thing, I guess you’re gonna tell me you were at all the music nights at the campus tavern.”

“Every Friday, if I didn’t have something due that night. Why?”

“I was in a band that played there about once a month. Drummer.”

“You behind a kit would have been a sight. What was your band’s name?”

“Victors.”

He shakes his head. “Funny. My best friend married your keyboard player.”

Her jaw drops. “You’re best friends with Finnick?”

“We went to the same elementary school. Been friends for years now.”

“He’s kind of a dick.”

Peeta bursts out laughing again. “Yeah, he kind of is.”

“Spend much time around the campus gym, then?”

“I was there on a wrestling scholarship,” he tells her, and the subtle flex of his muscles beneath the deep midnight of his suit jacket catches her attention in a way it didn’t before. “I assume you did the rounds there, too, then?”

She sighs and finishes her water. “Track Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.”

“Hate to say it, but I don’t think our paths crossed there, either.”

“No, but I did go to a few wrestling meets. My roommate enjoyed them.”

He grins again. “Guys in tight spandex, huh?”

She snorts. “Don’t ask me. I barely looked up from my phone.”

“Glad my meets provided such riveting entertainment.”

“I was literally the only one not paying attention.”

“Probably a good thing I didn’t know you were there,” he muses as he takes another sip of wine. A drop clings to the edge of his lips, and the dart of his tongue to catch it is entrancing. “I might not have placed otherwise.”

She clears her throat. “We were way up in the nosebleeds, so there was probably no danger of me distracting you. This is all kind of uncanny, though. I could know you from anywhere.”

He smiles again, a rogue curl flopping forward over his eyes. “Sort of romantic, don’t you think?”

She snorts. “That we constantly missed each other over the years? Kind of sounds like the opposite of a fairy tale.”

“Oh, I don’t know. We’re here now. Maybe the universe thinks we’re inevitable or something? Soulmates destined to be brought together. Maybe that’s why we’re familiar to each other, we were together in a past life or something.”

Her answering laugh is more like a snort. “Or maybe fate took a break, and this is some sort of cosmic screw-up that slipped through the cracks and is bound to fail.”

“Katniss,” he says, the playful glint in his eyes simmering down to something more serious, and strangely earnest. He reaches across the table, just barely grazing his pinkie against hers. It’d be dumb to say a thrum of lightning coursed through her at the touch, so she’ll just keep that thought to herself.

“If I’d seen you or, more to the point, noticed you then, during any one of those times our paths could have crossed but didn’t, any one of those times we were in the same room but I looked left and you looked right… believe me, I would have let you know, and I wouldn’t have let you go.”

“Well,” she says after a long moment, just staring at his finger beside hers, “good thing we’re meeting up now, then, isn’t it?”

That same hundred-year smile passes between them, maybe not quite as scary as it was before. “Yeah, it is.”

#Springtime Edition 2020 #ally147writes #sunflowerslyf #prompt 50 #submission

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konpithepuppy · 3 years

Text

[TRANSLATION: anan No. 2231; 12.2020]

7 MEN SAMURAI SOLO INTERVIEW + MESSAGE + CROSS TALK

Scans not mine

Neither an English nor a Japanese native speaker

Feel free to correct me, thanks

7 MEN 侍

Dignified and Bold

7 MEN 侍's long-awaited first appearance on anan. Experiencing a turbulent 2020, these 6 people are pursuing a new entertainment. Challenging the stage play 「DREAM BOYS」, looked closer at their real selves.

Nakamura Reia

I like to make each of my choices the correct answer.

I was originally a kid who skateboards wearing a cap over a long hair and loose jeans. That's why I didn't have interest in being an idol, rather, I thought that having a neat appearance was lame. But, when I unwillingly went to the audition, I was selected to be a member of Snow Prince choir so I couldn't quit...My awareness changed when I started working as Sexy Boyz with Kishi (Yuta) and Jinguji (Yuta). It was different from my lenient and care-free self, I am positive and had the desire to improve myself with my works, I really got motivated. During the time when Sexy Zone who is close to me also debuted, I am the only one who didn't feel impatient or frustrated, rather, I felt "yabai". Since then, I started to think to do my best to be an idol seriously.

I am happy that Johnny-san chose me to be the center of 7 MEN 侍, but I am not the type who pulls everyone, the other 5 members have better skills than I am, they are also reliable, and on the contrary, I am being supported by them. It's just that, only my mental strength is strong. I totally don't care about things like criticisms from the society. Something like it is better to say bad things about me rather than attacking the other members. Because more than those criticisms, the fans are telling me that they like me. Or rather, this toughness might be my unique talent (LOL).

Since I came to like acting because of「Koi no Yamai to Yarougumi」, I want to try playing NG guy who has an older girl as the partner kind of role like「Himemon」or 「Kimi wa Petto」.

Is becoming an idol my fate...? But after all, everything is from the choices that I made by myself. I decided to go to the audition, I was taught by Johnny-san about how wonderful to be an idol, and I've continued being an idol up to now. From now on too, I would like to make each of my choices the correct answer.

Q. To have the luck on your side, do you have your own ritual?

Before the live, with the meaning of "please look over us", I talk to the photo of Johnny-san that is placed in the backstage room, I also put my hands together. I am the type who is moderately nervous but I don't hate that feeling of being encouraged.

Motodaka Katsuki

It seems that the feeling of home when the 6 of us gathers is very valuable.

I started singing, dancing, and playing on stage when I entered Johnny's. But, being completely absorbed in an instant than being skillful is my strength. But, with the keyboard I am in-charge of, my experience playing the piano since I was 3 years old was put into use. At that time, I really didn't like playing the piano. It was like that but I got the sense of perfect pitch. I am thankful to my parents to let me, who hates playing piano, attend the class.

I am attending college now but during my high school, I got a lot of advices from Snow Man's Abe (Ryohei)-kun. Since I have been chasing him on his back for a long time, I have been encouraged on how he flapped big his wings as Snow Man. Honestly, 3 months before the first concert as 7 MEN 侍, I wanted to see the world from the different point of view so I planned to study abroad in New York. At that time, I once again tried to think about this job. And then, I realized that I grew to love this job. The good sides and the bad sides, as a human being evaluated directly, there's a sense of accomplishment in here. That's why, studying abroad became not necessary for me until I take a break from the work that I love.

This year, I had a lot of chances to be in quiz shows alone, and I thought "Is being not with the members this disheartening?"...To that extent, I can feel that the feeling of home when going back to 7 MEN 侍 is very important. The members often tease me, but since I am not a talkative and interesting type of person, I become happy too when I made them laugh when they tease me. But behind the scenes, the members are relying on me and I often receive personal consultations too. 7 MEN 侍 who is in the process of exploring it's form, now and from now on too, I want to support everyone. And in the year 2021, even if we encounter struggles, this may be the year where we can have a firm grip to make great strides!

Q. To have the luck on your side, do you have your own ritual?

This is just my own value but I don't believe in luck. Everything is result of my own decision and it is my own responsibility. I don't want to blame "luck", and I also don't want to think that what happened is thanks to "luck". Suppose there is luck, pulling that luck towards yourself is a great deal of effort.

Sugeta Rinne

An idol is a wonderful job that has the charm to inspire people's hearts.

When I was an elementary student, I went to Hey!Say!JUMP-san's live and when I saw a girl who is in front of Yamada (Ryosuke)-kun cry and laugh, I thought that an idol is a wonderful job that has the charm to inspire people's hearts. Rinne also wants to be like that so Rinne uploaded everyday in ISLAND TV during stay home. I had worries like, "Won't they get tired of me?" but it turned to "I am sure the fans are happy with this, right?"

Rinne's special skills are acrobatics and sports, and I was able to appear in shows like 「Honoo-no Taiiku-kai TV」や「SASUKE」. For me, I think a person who is athletic is cool, and since you will want to support a person who is working hard, from now one too, I want to appeal as a Johnny's who can do sports. It would be nice if I can also appear in 「Run for Money」this 2021.

The senior that I admired is Ueda Tatsuya-kun. There was a time during a race in 「Honoo-no Taiiku-kai TV」, I showed off to hype up the audience and my time got slower. During that time, I really got scolded by Ueda-kun saying, "You can't win like that." Since that was the first time I got scolded throughout my Johnny's life, I think a senior who can properly scold his juniors is cool.

In 2020, I got 1 million yen when I guested in 「Quiz! Only 1」, I think Rinne is a guy who can grab luck. Before, when the my previous unit was gone, it felt like I have lost my chance...Given that I thought of quitting Johnny's if I am not going to be put in a group until 2020, I am so glad that I went to talk directly to Johnny-san. Since I now have a group original song and individual job, I think this is really the time to give my all.

Q. To have the luck on your side, do you have a ritual that only you doTo have the luck on your side, do you have your own ritual?

Before the actual show, I watch videos of my senior's lives starting with Hey!Say!JUMP-san's. Since I think having a proper image of "idol" as " a work to make people happy", I can do a better performance.

Sasaki Taiko

The 6 of us, even though we are late bloomers, I believe that we can definitely bloom.

The one who opened my path to Johnny's is Takahashi Kaito-kun. I also sent my resume when I heard that Kaito-kun who I thought cool when I saw him in a dance contest. With that, now that I am working as the same Johnny's, this is an amazing fate! I talk about music with Sato Shori-kun who likes the same band as mine, and I also receive dishes that he makes. Kishi (Yuta)-kun who Shori-kun is good friend with, took me to a his favorite soba stall saying, "It's a delicious shop." Since then, I've been addicted to that shop too.

I have been practicing dancing and playing drums when I was a kid, but Johnny-san chose my drumming skills more. At first, even though I am very thankful to be able to show it, I have become greedier and greedier, and I honestly thought that "I can also dance"...But 3 months before Johnny-san passed away, I heard from Oriyama (Nao) of Shounen Ninja that Johnny-san said, "Sasaki is good at dancing too." From here, I want to say with confidence that I am also good at dancing that Johnny-san had recognized. After all, dancing is a must in Johnny's! In addition, while polishing thoroughly my singing and acting too, I want to reach for something extraordinary.

With 7 MEN 侍 changing the members twice, a self-conscious was born each time and I have come do develop mutual trust with them. Even if these 6 people bump into a big wall, if these 6 people are together, they will be able to cross over it, they are probably late bloomers but I believe they can be successful and well known. (T/N: lit. 花を咲かせられる (flower can bloom; it is like an "idiomatic expression" for becoming successful and well known) In 2021, if possible, I want to do a live where 100% of the audience can go. It is going to be a live where they can think "I am glad I am supporting 7 MEN 侍." I'll cry if that happens (LOL).

Q. To have the luck on your side, do you have your own ritual?

I do things as I please like how I kissed Hamada Masatoshi-san of Downtown in a variety show, but I am really very nervous...Before the show, I am the type who right the character "人" 3 times on my palm, I do it seriously (LOL).

Konno Taiki

I think I could grab the chance because I was able to meet Johnny-san.

I like Kimura Takuya-san since I was 3 years old, and thinking that I want to be like him, I sent my resume to the agency. In year 2020, when I was able to go and see Kimura-san's tour, I told him those feelings, he said, "Let's take a photo together." I thought that a star is different after all.

From the start, even before joining Johnny's, with singing as my strong point, I love singing in front of people. I often sing Misora Hibari-san's 「Kawa No Nagare No Youni」. But when I hit the puberty, I came to hate my own voice. I stopped singing for a while but during my 4th year in Johnny's, when I casually hummed to Kinki Kids'san's 「Anniversary」near Johnny-san, he praised me saying, "You're good in singing!" More than anything else, I am glad that Johnny-san who loved me like a parent recognized my singing which is something that I am trying to make as my strong point. From that moment, I worked hard because I wanted to be praised by Johnny-san, but when he passed away, it felt like I have lost my aim. But for Johnny-san, he hates negative remarks the most. That's why it is not the time to feel down, aiming seriously for this group to debut, I feel like that timing completely changed my awareness towards work. I think I could grab the chance because I was able to meet Johnny-san after all. If that didn't happen, no doubt I am not here now.

2020 is the year where I got to experience a lot of things for the first time. Especially with the stage play 「The Happy Prince」, I was able to feel the enjoyment of plays. I think it would be nice if I can challenge campus love story in a drama or movie this 2021.

Q. To have the luck on your side, do you have your own ritual?

When I want to calm down, I use a perfume that has a sweet vanilla scent. Since「The Happy Prince」is my first stage play, I was very nervous. When I used this perfume during that time too, it was able to relieve my nervousness.

Yabana Rei

A performance that will also remain to the memories of those who are not knowledgeable about music.

I took the audition 4 times. For the details, you can try watching the episode where I talked about it in YouTube channel (LOL). Even if I passed the document screening but I couldn't go to the practice, I will repeat the cycle of going through audition again. If ever I continued [being a Jr.] during my first audition, I might be dancing and I might not had been able to make an appeal with musical instruments as my special skill during the band boom of Johnny-san. I am being told, "You're not Johnny's-like" because I say that I am better in playing instruments than dancing. It's just that, if I didn't enter Johnny's, I won't be playing instruments until now. So I can say that it feels like a wonderful destiny to be playing instruments as 7 MEN 侍.

Other than the bass that I am in-charged of playing, I also play guitar and harmonica. The first instrument I started with was drums and I got very hooked with 「Taiko no Tatsujin」(LOL). If you play different things, you will pick up the characteristics of each sound and you will be able to make songs too. I also want learn about the theories so I am attending college of music. I am a complete geek as regards to music (LOL). Me going on a rampage on stage is the result of me thinking on how I can show 7 MEN 侍's style. In the letters from the fans, letters with "you are cool playing the guitar" is not few even though I am playing the bass. Since there was a time when I also don't know clearly the difference between the guitar and the bass, so I can understand that feeling. That's why I want to do a performance that will remain to the memories of anyone.

With the aim "to be not less than what I am now" for next year, I want to be able to do more work than I did for this year. ...by the way, this is not a prank, right? I am very overwhelmed lately and I still can't believe that I am having an interview for anan (LOL).

Q. To have the luck on your side, do you have your own ritual?

Going to this certain shrine. Since I visited there alone during New Year, we had talk about changing the instruments we play and I have luck on my side. I like that it is quiet there even though it is located within the city, when I found that shrine, I prayed to the god of works.

Message

To Nakamura

To stand as the face of the group, you stand as the center of the group. His personality is my pace and gentle-mannered. Since you are not the "follow me!" type, that's why I think the members with strong personalities are also kept in place. Because I get stiff in front of seniors, Reia's sense of "being loved by everyone" is really nice. Even though you have the longest history in agency in the group, you are not prideful at all, Reia who can understand the things he can't do and who can rely to others is amazing. (Motodaka)

To Motodaka

Our overwhelmingly highly educated member. And yet, you are not annoying because you are a cute guy who is an overeater and carelessly says foolish things like "therefore!?" (LOL) Before the group was formed, you are a companion who I find easy to talk with, but you see me as a senior, right? The way you call me too was "Reia-kun". But I am happy that you interact with me on equal terms lately. (Nakamura)

To Yabana

Banasan is seen as someone reliable, and among the fans, I think they see him as peculiar, funny, and has a lively image. But unexpectedly, he has a delicate side too, and he is fairly a considerate person.He is really a very nice person that sometimes he looks pitiful. Well, I also usually tease Yabana (LOL). That's why, everyone too, please take good care of Yabana more! (Konno)

To Konno

He doesn't seem elusive at first glance, but I think he is stubborn. Konpi definitely won't cross the line he can't compromise with. And, he hates lounging around doing nothing. When work is done, he will be the first person who will say "I'm going home." At the start of 2020, when we changed the atmosphere of our band, I was struggling with the hook part's harmony, but Konpi can properly play the sound. I am super jealous of his talent! (Yabana)

To Sasaki

Among the members, he has the biggest gap. Despite being called as "mad dog", he still makes weird faces and also jokes around doing things that are not Johnny's-like. Since he is a youngest child, he might also have an impression of being a brat and naughty. But in lives, he shows a sparking cool dance, and he has a excellent style too. Since his range is really amazing, I hope you can enjoy his both sides! (Sugeta)

To Sugeta

You have the cuteness like an idol. Especially you like Yamada-kun, you have Hey!Say!JUMP's DVD and there was a time when we enjoyed watching it together. Also, your muscle is amazing, you are really healthy (LOL). But in reality, you are the type who will be silent when you get mad so I will ask Reia, "Why is he mad? Did I do something?" (LOL) Thinking of the members, I think the member who likes 7 MEN 侍 the most is Rinne! Since you always listens to our original songs. (Sasaki)

Cross Talk

Motodaka: anan is the magazine that my mother often buys. Thus, I am happy to be able to appear in anan! At home, I am always being asked, "Are you going to work today?", but this morning I said, "No, it's not for work" (lit. it's different). I want to make it a surprise [for my mom] once this issue is released.

Yabana: It would be funny if she didn't notice it even if it is already released~!

Nakamura: Even when they have the magazine at home LOL.

What is the history of your group name?

Sugeta: At the time we got the group name, I was doing activities with another 7 people. Rinne and Reia went to Johhny-san asking "we want a group name." And then, Johnny-san told us "I understand, I will think about it."

Nakamura: And then we thought that day was already over.

Sugeta: 5 minutes later, we got called "Samura~i!"

Nakamura: I thought, "Who is he calling Samurai!?" but when I looked around, it is only us who were there.

Sugeta: When the 2 of us went to Johnny-san, he asked us, "Do you know Kurosawa Akira's 「Shichinin no Samurai」?" Then, when we answered, "We know that film," he told us, "Then, how about being called 7 MEN 侍 from now on?" Each of the samurai who appeared in the movie are properly...like this...

Konno: Having strong personalities and skills.

Sugeta: Yeah

Konno: I am grateful that 7 people like that (having strong personalities and skills) were gathered.

Have you seen the movie?

All: ...(Only Nakamura-san raised his hand)

Nakamura: Wait a minute!

Sasaki: Everyone has not seen the movie except for Reia LOL.

Nakamura: It is the origin of our group name so let's watch it~!!

Yabana: Gerin-san (Sugeta) lying to Johnny-san saying "I know the film" is the worst LOL.

Nakamura: It is a wonderful film and you will learn something from it so please watch it!

What is 7 MEN 侍's strength?

Motodaka: Our difference from the other groups is that [playing a] "band" is our strength. As idols, we don't only play as a band but we can also show our dance.

Sasaki: Yeah, having both band and dance as "weapons" is huge, isn't it?

Motodaka: Yeah, since our first original song 「samudama」 is a band song, and our second original song 「Siren」 is a dance song.

Konno: When our next song was thought to be a band song too, our next song came out as a cool dance song.

Nakamura: With this, our third song became something incalculable. From now on too, I want for the fans to look forward to what our new song is each time we announce our new song.

Within the group, who is the member who has the element of "samurai" the most?

Konno: It's either me or Yabana, right?

Sugeta: Is it about the appearance?

Konno: In the sense of sticking with the will.

Yabana: Don't say that yourself!

In Yabana-san's solo interview, he described Konno-san exactly the same way you with what you (Konno) have said...

Konnp: Is that so? Then I shouldn't have said it. Please tell me properly about it. This is embarrassing!

Motodaka: Konpi dragged Yabana with guarantee LOL. For Yabana, getting dragged is just a trouble.

Yabana: Don't drag me into it~!

Nakamura: LOL. I love kanji, I wonder if that is samurai-like. I also play Sengoku. But, if we talk about the body, then isn't Rinne the one who is samurai-like?

Sugeta: Rinne thinks that more than being a samurai, I am more like a ninja.

Yabana: What is that? A self-awareness of a secret mystery from your heart LOL.

Nakamura: Of course we are idols, but I think it is also good to show the manly side of us exclusively during our band performances.

Yabana: We will go on a rampage like Sakamoto Ryouma who tried to change Japan!

Sasaki: For me, changing...or rather it's more like I want to create a new path.

Konno: Defying the public belief.

Yabana: The awareness that we don't want to go with the typical type is something we all have in common, right?

Motodaka: All 6 of us have different personalities but we that the same awareness.

Konno: We don't want to pretend to be someone else.

Sasaki: It's a subjective image but I think protecting a girl is an element of a samurai. It is gonna be a cheesy talk but I want to be an idol who can protect the fans.

Motodaka: You just said something really good! But, what would be the good thing to do to protect the fans?

Sasaki: I think making them happy.

Sugeta: By making our fans happy, as a result, we are able to protect them!

Motodaka: We are saying good things today, aren't we?

Nakamura: With what said earlier , it doesn't feel like you worked LOL.

Currently, you are in the middle of practice for the stage play 「DREAM BOYS」.

Konno: I watched the DREAM BOYS 2019 where Reia and Taiko appeared, and since I thought I wanted to appear on it again, I am so happy to be able to appear on DREAM BOYS again.

Sugeta: Since there is already a vision in Domoto Koichi-san who is directing the play, I am looking forward to recieving direction and guidance even before the practice.

Sasaki: Reia will stand in front of the audience after a while, right?

Nakamura: Yeah. I currently have a feeling like I am seeing the person I love after a while that my heart is throbbing.

ALL: OH~!!

Sasaki: Rinne made a face that he doesn't want to lose [to Reia] after hearing Reia's comment LOL.

Nakamura: Probably, this comment will be used by Rinne on a different interview, right? LOL.

What is the charm of 「DREAM BOYS」?

Sugeta: The burning passion of two men towards boxing is its charm after all, right?

Nakamura: Yeah. The feelings are delivered in a straight manner.

Motodaka: It is a story that firmly depicts humans and their relationships with each other.

Sasaki: Youth! It has the entertainment that is unique to Johnny's so you won't get tired of watching it. Oh, which minds me, as soon as the practice started, Kishi (Yuta)-kun asked, "Is Yabana not around today?"

Yabana: He told me "teach me how to play the guitar please." It is an honor to be needed by a senior.

Sasaki: But (Iwasaki) Taisho is a strong opponent. It looks difficult to keep up with him LOL.

Yabana: Taisho mistook me for a nourishment or something and my energy gets absorbed.

Konno: It looks like Yabana has no time to rest LOL.

By the way, 7 MEN 侍 still does not have a leader, right?

Sugeta: *raised actively his hand alone*

ALL: *roar of laughter*

Sasaki: If our leader is like Rinne, 7 MEN 侍 is seriously over LOL. This is different from asking in in the werewolf game on who is the fortune teller and you will say, "I am."

Yabana: I think it is his win because he said it first LOL.

Konno: Announcing it during the anan round-table discussion which is a big occasion LOL.

Yabana: Doesn't it feel like the same thing for the MC part in YouTube channel...?

Nakamura: When Rinne realized that being the MC is not that great...

Sugeta: Well, whatever!

Sasaki: Since he stopped doing the MC, he wanted to have punishment games so that he would be shown in the camera even just for a little LOL.

Sugeta: In the filming recently, Rinne is always beside Yabana, right?

Motodaka: Don't tell me that's because if you are standing next to the MC, you will be in the camera too...?

Sugeta: Yup. I revealed this for the first time now.

Konno: In a sense, you are a genius LOL.

#7 men 侍 #translation

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ofravensandpearls · 4 years

Text

Hiraeth

SasuHina Month Day 11

Paring: SasuHina / NaruHina

Genre: Hurt/Angst

Rating: T

Hiraeth a longing for a home you can't return to, or one that was never yours. It was warm. It was the sort of physical warmth that you felt whenever you drank a cup of hot cocoa on a cold December night among friends and loved ones. It was sweet and it felt like home. I mean, not that I would know. I never really liked hot cocoa. I’ve always liked the taste of black coffee more. It’s strong and straight to the point. That is what home feels like to me, but when she’s wrapped around my arms and when her back touches my chest, I question myself if black coffee is really what I want my home to feel like.

Growing up, I never really knew what it truly felt like to have an actual home. What I knew about it was simply from a mixture of observation, stories, and books. I lost my parents and my older brother at a young age. It was a freak accident they say. They were driving home one night, after my older brother’s piano concert, and a drunken truck driver hit them like a bowling ball.

Both my parents died on the spot, my brother was rushed to the hospital, but eventually died in transit. It was tragic and I couldn’t understand it fully at the time. I was just seven years old. I was suffering from a fever and my nanny just started crying and hugged me tight while repeatedly saying how everything was going to be alright. I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until the following morning when the servants were talking to my uncle, my father’s best friend, about my parents and brother being gone and how I’ll be living with him in Uzushio. Coming from Konoha, going to Uzhushio felt like miles away and I was just this scared and confused kid who wanted his parents back. It was a whirlwind of events after that. Things were being packed and I was quickly ushered into a black van with heavily tinted windows. The ride seemed to last forever, being seated beside my uncle, it was a quiet affair. He didn’t talk to me much. He just offered a gentle smile. “Uncle, what did you mean by my parents not coming back?” I asked. I realized how innocent I was back then, not understanding what was happening and how much hurt I was in for. He frowned for a moment but regained the gentle smile as he gave my arm a quick squeeze. “I’ll explain it when you’re older, but for now you’ll be living with me and my son Naruto. It’s going to be a vacation.” I remember smiling brightly at that. The idea of spending time Naruto Uzumaki, my bestfriend, for an entire summer was the best thing that could have happened in my life at that point, but of course I never understood what I lost until I was older and that’s when things started to change for me. After that summer, I started asking uncle why I’m not yet going home. He told me that it’s because my parents are having an extended vacation and that I shouldn’t worry about it. By the following year, when I started to go to elementary school, it was then that I understood I was never going home because there is no one to go home to. I finally knew that my parents were dead. They weren’t out on an extended vacation and me staying with the Uzumakis is a permanent thing. I went home angry at everyone. I pushed everyone away and locked myself in my room. I lashed out on everyone even Naruto, but he stayed. Now I’m twenty-one and I still wonder what home really is. I live in a two-bedroom condominium unit in a building located at Upper East Konoha with my adoptive brother and best friend Naruto. Our unit is always tidy because I can never take clutter or mess and I guess because of that it always felt cold. That’s where Hinata Hyuuga enters. She is sweet, smart, and beautiful all at once. She is unassuming and humble. She is all smiles and fluff and sugar and I never really understood what she saw in me. Naruto and I met her on the first day of high school. She was a new student and was awfully shy and soft-spoken. People were not exactly nice to her and Naruto being his everyone-deserves-to-have-friends self, dragged me to the corner where Hinata ate her lunch alone. “Hi I’m Naruto Uzumaki and this emo boy here is my best friend Sasuke Uchiha. It’s nice to meet you…?” He trailed off waiting for Hinata to respond to his boisterous introduction. She blushed and avoided eye contact with Naruto and myself. “Um… I’m Hinata Hyuuga. It’s nice to meet you too.” She almost whispered. Naruto smiled brightly and sat right beside Hinata even without invitation. “Okay Hinata! Since we’re friends, let’s all have lunch together? Okay?” Hinata once again blushed and nodded her head. I think I heard her say thank you, but I never really knew if she did because Naruto started talking animatedly. I sat across from the both of them barely giving input because just like Hinata, I was a quiet person. Since then, we’ve become best friends. It was always the three of us. If you saw one of us, you’d surely find the other two. Back to being twenty-one and sitting on my couch in Naruto and my condominium unit, with the television playing a random movie, Hinata sat beside me, her head laid on my chest, her legs were crossed with mine. My head was lazily propped on top of hers. It felt nice to have her warmth as I enclosed my arms around her shoulders. Her dark hair shined under the fluorescent lights of the unit. Her pale, lavender eyes are closed in comfort. I sighed in utter contentment. I would have said it was a perfect day, a perfect cuddle day. I would have had Naruto, my perfectly annoying-I’m-dumb-but-I’m-good-lookin-and-I’m-the-son-of-the-Mayor best friend not walk- in in that moment, but as fate would have it he did.

With Hinata being as shy as she was, she suddenly sat up straight upon hearing the door creak. She pushes herself off of me when she noticed Naruto entering the threshold of the two bedroom condominium unit. Hinata finally found her footing and stood up apologizing to Naruto in the process “Ah! Naruto-kun welcome home. I think it seems that I’ve overstayed my welcome. I’ll just-” Naruto cuts her off with a disarming smile. “What are you talking about Hinata? You’re always welcome here! I wouldn’t know how to appease Mr. Grouchy Pants over there if you weren’t here!” Hinata sighs in relief and looks at me with that radiant smile of hers. “Well, since you’re here HInata. Why don’t we have some instant ramen? I bought lots.” I rolled my eyes at Naruto as he wiggled his eyebrows at Hinata while showing her his plastic bags. Hinata giggled and joined Naruto in the Kitchen to prepare. I frowned. I can hear their laughter from where I sat. It was a nice sound, like the twinkling of bells- only those bells were currently being drowned out by some barking hyena. I hate Naruto sometimes. I mean I love him, he’s my brother, but now that he ruined a totally perfect afternoon I just can’t take his obnoxious presence. I closed my eyes and reclined on the sofa. Maybe if I tuned them out I’ll just imagine Hinata being back in my arms. That sounds nice. Maybe with some slow jazz and coffee it’d be perfect. My thoughts were cut because that’s when Hinata came out of the kitchen and came over to me and pulled me up. “C’mon, Sasu. Let’s go.” I peeked through my overgrown bangs, which Hinata always reminds me to cut because the emo look is very 2010, to look at her I shook my head no. “What why.” She pouted. It was always so cute when she pouted “Sasuuu…” I ceded. I couldn’t say no to her. She dragged me to the kitchen where Naruto waited. “There you are finally!” They laughed. I smirked and hugged Hinata. I kissed her temple and whispered to her how much I love her and how much I wish this were all real. She laughed, hit my rib with her elbow, and told me not to be silly. “This isn’t a dream!” and the bells rung once again. I laughed with her this time. A real, sad reverberation from my throat. I covered my face, frowned, and took a step back. In that moment. I stared into her wide beautiful eyes. “Yeah. This isn’t a dream.” I took a step back from her and backtracked to everything that happened today before I got to this point. I smiled at her as I kissed her temple, a promise of forever. She drags me to the kitchen island where Naruto waits for the both of us. I frown at her for leaving me. She sits up straight to distance herself from me. I opened the door to our dorm room to find her on the couch. With Naruto. Laughing at some stupid joke the movie said. She kisses his cheek and he smiles so brightly. He finally noticed me. “Oh hey Sasuke! Welcome home! I hope you don’t mind that Hinata’s staying over.” I eye her. I want to see that spark of recognition. That memory of her between my arms. Not this reality of Naruto and Hinata together. Of them in love. Of Naruto having his perfect little world. Of Hinata happily wrapped around Naruto and openly laughing and smiling, her chime like laugh a nightmare for me. “Ah… Hello, Sasuke-san.” A gentle, polite smile. I didn’t acknowledge either of them. I went straight to my room and locked the door. I lay on my bed. Wondering, what it would feel like to be the recipient of that smile. Dreaming of a time where she would laugh at something I say; and longing for a home that was never mine.

#SasuHina #SasuHina Month 2020 #shmonth2020 #Day 11 #Hiraeth #Fanfic

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the-silentium · 5 years

Text

Better than food?

Masterlist

Pairing: Eddie Brock x Reader, Venom x Reader

Warning: Fluff

Words: 1120 words Eddie's knuckles were hovering millimeters away from your door. His courage was leaving him with every passing second while his embarrassment was dramatically rising. He woke up this morning with the idea of finally confessing his feelings for you and passed the whole day preparing a speech and getting himself together. On his way to your flat, a sign caught his eyes.

"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."

The brunette took it as a sign of fate and his steps became more enthusiastic. Then he arrived at your home and lose all his determination. You were probably eating. In all the people he met in his life, he never met someone like you. You were always eating. In a meeting? Eating an apple. In your car? Eating a sandwich. Going for a walk? Never forget your muffin. When you were kids and that the teachers in elementary school forbid you to eat? Eddie never knew how you managed to hide so much food on yourself, but you did. Sometimes you would even give him some and still have enough for the whole day.

Sighing, Eddie was about to turn around and find a bar to drown his heartache when a force took control of his fist and made it collide with the wood. His eyes went wide and he instinctively turned his head to the side where a black alien usually stare down at him. Only, this time he was alone in the corridor. A low chuckling in his guts told him that Venom was amused by his cowardness. Eddie was tempted to answer with a fist to his stomach, but he would hurt himself more than the symbiote. By experience, a simple 8 letters word was the most effective way to get to the big man-eating creature. You fucking parasite!

Eddie should have known that fate would be a bitch. A sharp pain in his abdomen made him fall to his knees just when you opened your door. Oh, how he wished he could have made his escape. You had to be so damn gorgeous in your summer pajama while he looked like a homeless guy in his sweater. More than that, he was almost kissing your feet, which made you step back.

"Eddie, are you alright?" Your voice seemed to ease the pain. Looked like Eddie wasn't the only one who smoothes at your voice.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He got back to his feet and avoided your gaze. Scratching the back of his head, he glanced at the ceiling for a second. Maybe he would find some courage there. Or some guidance on what to do next. But there was nothing. Nothing more than a little spider web.

"So…" you trailed off. You were swinging yourself on your heels, waiting for his explanation as to why he knocked on your door. None came. He blushed under your gaze and thanked the gods when you invited him inside. "I was making tacos. Want some?"

He followed your small form to the kitchen where your meal was waiting. The sight of food made his stomach growl and Venom started chanting his usual food food food. Eddie noticed your smirk and couldn't stop himself from staring.

He stayed there for what felt like minutes but really, it was merely for seconds before you turned your attention toward him, brow raised. Eddie quickly averted his gaze while his heartbeat skyrocketed.

A hand on his cheek made him jump. "What's the problem, Eddie? Did you or Venom do something stupid again?" You chuckled.

His muscles relaxed and he unconsciously leaned in your touch. He closed his eyes and Venom stopped talking, enjoying the contact. It was now or never. Ignoring her last question, he tried to remember the speech he elaborated but his damn brain seemed to have stopped working at the moment.

"Since we were kids, I always felt like I had to be with you. Follow you everywhere. I first thought that it was because you were a magnet for trouble and I needed to protect you, but when I asked Anne to marry me" he watched his left hand for a second, eyeing the spot where a ring used to be, "and we stopped seeing each other as often, I realised that I wasn't happy. Then all the shit with the Life Foundation happened," he moved his hands in the air, trying to make his point, "and in the middle of my chaos, there was you. You never abandoned me, never gave up on me and never judge me for what I did. Y/N, you're the reason I'm smiling again." He lifted his gaze toward you, hope filling his heart. "I came here today to tell you that I love you."

You were watching him, seemingly chewing the inside of your cheek. The absence of emotion on your face concerned him. Sure he wanted you to be excited, delighted, happy or something. He would even take it if you were disappointed or angry, but your blank face started to make him uneasy. Suddenly, he started to feel really hot.

"Sorry I'm not reacting to this news with appropriate excitement, I'm really hungry." You stated matter of factly. "I haven't eaten since lunch." You eyed the food before you and returned to him.

All the stress accumulated within him evacuated through a heartful laugh. He should have known. He laughed so hard that his stomach started to hurt and he almost fell on the floor again. You shook your head and started eating your tacos. Eddie calmed himself after a moment and took a seat next to you. He took a taco for himself and started eating.

He was optimistic because you said that you were lacking excitement. You knew you would be excited if hunger wasn't consuming you.

Then, in the middle of your second tacos, you dropped everything and stared at him with big eyes. Your mouth was forming inaudible words and tears formed in the corner of your eyes. Smiling, Eddie let go of his food and cradled her cheek as she did for him moments ago. She let out a laugh and smile in his hand.

"You don't know how long I've waited for you to say this."

More tears run down her cheeks, but Eddie couldn't care. His hand on your cheek went to the back of your head while the other placed itself on your tight. Then, all he knew was that he finally got to taste your lips. Feel their softness.

Out of breath, you pulled back, smiling.

"I never thought I would ever say this but this is much better than food."

You pulled him back in for another kiss.

Tag List: @slither-in-a-half @a-frozen-bag-of-corn @noshi-chan

#venom x reader #eddie brock x reader #y/n #food is important #venom

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herefortayloronly · 4 years

Text

folklore first impressions

i just want to preface this post with WHAT THE FUCK TAYLOR? For the past couple of months i’ve been trying to get back into the grooves of things after self-isolation and finding a new routine. Just when i thought things were getting back to normal (as normal as it can get with people still getting sick and things are still close down of course), taylor decides to say SURPRISE! i’m not gonna lie, when this annoucement was made, i was still in bed and asleep. my best friend texted me a picture with one “omg”. When i saw the picture i was like “oh no, what happened to taylor”. but then i read the caption and i woke the fuck right up. I feel like we all know how I feel, just like the rest of swifties. so I’m just gonna jump straight into the songs because this is going to be long.

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

the 1 - this song is really interesting when you think of it as an introduction to all the characters you’re about to meet in the album and also the feelings you’re about to endure listening to the songs.

cardigan - this song is easily my favorite song on the album. so the first listen, it didn’t really hit me but immediately listening to it the second time and watching the music video, i literally broke down. something about it is so hauntingly beautiful, it’s mature but also very classic taylor. something about it is so effortless and freeing. the use of piano (something that is gonna come up more in later songs) is so interesting and different for taylor. this one is definitely going to be on my top ten.

the last great american dynasty - as the song went along, i figured she was talking about her house in rhode island especially when she literally said rhode island lol. But when the line “and then it was bought by me“ hits. i literally got chills. it was such beautiful storytelling and songwriting.

exile - i know there are people who don’t love it when taylor collaborates and have feature artists but when she has a feature artist that just works with her voice and create beautiful lyrics, magic happens! although i like all of collabs to different degrees, i can only say with my whole chest that The Last Time with Gary Lightbody is the best collab she has ever done. exile with Bon Iver is a close second. the back and forth between the two singers reminds me so much of The Last Time. the way their voice just balance each other out. it’s great.

my tears ricochet - i want this song play at my funeral. it is so haunting and tragic. but also full of anger and resentment. the way the song keeps building and building throughout gives me chills. another top favorites of mine. i’ve seen so many interpretations of this song and i think that’s why this song is so wonderful. it really hits in all different ways.

mirrorball - i feel like this song is so perfect for when you’re high or drunk. it is so groovy and chill and mellow. and while it sounds like a fun song, it’s also kinda taylor admitting that she has a problem with how she perceives herself. and the fact that she compares herself to a mirrorball because she knows that her own fault is trying to please everyone, trying to fit in. it’s a little sad but also comforting to know that she recognize that.

seven - another song that uses the piano so beautifully. this song reminds me so much of me and the group of girl friends i had in elementary school. something about that childhood nostalgia and how young friendships shape your childhood. i have a lot of love for them but i don’t talk to them anymore and i wouldn’t consider them close friends. but that’s okay because the memories and friendships were great.

august - i just want to take a drive down the beach with the windows down while blasting this song! although the sound gives off a free and bright vibe, there’s also something bittersweet about it. it sounds like this person is yearning and hoping for something, and reminiscing on the nice memories and realizing that they are no more. it’s almost tragic.

this is me trying - The lyrics of this song is so sharp and tight but for some reason I can’t get into it. but i do love the imagery in the song. there’s a sense of desperation and eagerness and it’s also a little self-deprecating.

illicit affairs - i love the imagery in this song about a relationship that just ruins you. it didn’t just break your heart but it affects that way you see other parts of your life.

invisible string - this song is so precious and sweet and whimsical. really reinforces her love for this person and i love that even with all the other songs this song is just a nice glimpse into their relationship. and i love this idea that fate is the reason why they are together. but not just fate, it’s also their past and their relationships with other people.

mad woman - this song is fire!! another great use of the piano. i love this song is about women being mad and that’s okay and there’s a reason why women get mad. women being mad isn’t an irrational thing and she’s not overreacting. and when women do get bad, there’s passion there.

epiphany - i love the perspective of this song is of someone fighting because they are trying to protect the great good. i think this song is also a great tribute to all the essential workers and healthcare workers fighting in the frontline during the covid pandemic.

betty - i love that this song is from the perspective of a person who cheated. i think taylor has been cheated on many times in her life and to see her step into the shoes of the cheater is really fascinating. this is another songs that proves taylor doesn’t have to know or feel a certain type of emotions to fully capture that perspective. she’s able to create a world and a narrative from just knowing how she wants to portray a certain emotion.

peace - so i said this song is similar to Dancing With Our Hands Tied and The Archer. it reminds me of taylor’s talking about her fears and troubles in a relationship. but also about how she has learned that she is okay with those fears now because she realized they don’t have to dictate her life and she’s not alone. in a way this song makes me happy and sad. it makes me happy because she’s in a place where she knows she wants to be with someone for the rest of her life and she found that forever love. it also makes me sad because she will always worry and be haunted by these past scars. and lets talk about the style of this song. this is the soft rock john mayer vibes that i always wanted taylor to do, so i love that she’s experimenting with that and i hope she does a rock album one day! i also think this is the first love song where she’s not just talking about how she felt but also how the other person feels. the other person also feels a sense of insecurities.

hoax - in the same vein as peace, i think this song is also about how two people in a relationship can be extremely hurt but still find ways to make sure to hold each other up. my favorite line in the song is “you have beaten my heart”. there is a really interesting double meaning to that line that i think holds so much weight. the person has beaten her heart as in he has hurt her in some way but he also has won her heart and also made it beat again.

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

if you are here to see where i rank all of taylor’s album, you will be disappointed. i try my best not to rank her albums because i love all of her albums one way or another. they are all unique and hold a special place in my heart in different ways. i do have vague placements for them but at the end of the day, i love all of them. the best thing about taylor and being a fan of taylor is that i never have to pick one album to listen to and i don’t have to favor one over the other. if i am in the mood for a certain sound or style, i can choose from her catalog. i’m also not going to be insulting or trashing past albums because people have decided that folklore is her magnum opus. i can acknowledge that folklore is one of her best albums without bringing down other albums. i love each and every single album. it is impossible to rank and pick and choose among eight albums.

i’ve have the pleasure of witnessing taylor’s career for 10 years, since speak now. to see her go through so many changes, growth and hardships is really a sight to see. people are going to say this album is sad and tragic but i disagree. it isn’t the same sadness like how Red is sad. it’s more freeing and accepting. the sadness isn’t holding her back like in Red, it is actually pushing her to do and say things she probably wouldn’t have said before.

also this album isn’t meant to redefine a genre. It’s not meant to be something new, i’m sure there are plenty of artists doing something similar. taylor is just doing what she does best, incorporating all the best parts of her, her storytelling, songwriting, beautiful melodies, catchy hooks and putting a twist to it with a completely new production. i think that’s something very special about taylor. she’s just let music and ideas flow and always so open to experimentation. the fact that she’s arrived in this moment with this album is very special.

the fact that she is able to create these characters and stories. this is why she’s an amazing writer, not because she writes about her own experience but because she can write about anything. goes to show how her mind works and how she operates. she doesn’t have to draw from her experience, she gets inspired by everything.

as for rankings. something really fun i did this time is keeping track of my rankings to see where each song moves. so i did a list for after 2 full listens, after 20 hours (this is friday 7/24 night) and 44 hours (saturday 7/25 night). and because i didn’t finish this post saturday night i added in sunday’s 7/26 ranking as well. it’s really fun to see which song i was drawn to that day.

as you can see, cardigan is a constant number one for me. it is the song of the album. i think a really good example of a song that grew on me after a while is peace. i think this song is definitely secured its spot among the top 5 of the album once it’s all said and done. in my opinion, anything after #10 i love them but it speaks to how really good this album is because it’s really hard after ranking 10 songs. the most notable thing is the recurring songs on the bottom, epiphany, mirrorball, illicit affairs, and this is me trying. now i actually love epiphany and illicit affairs, again speaks to how much i love the other songs and how great this album is. this is me trying is a song that i enjoy listening to but i don’t seek it out. i don’t crave listening to it but i do like it alot and i love the meaning of it. same with mirrorball, i love it but i’d have to be in the mood for it. all that said, right now i can say for 100% sure that cardigan, peace and my tears ricochet are my top favorites of the album. while the others are gonna keep moving with more listen and time.

this album is really meant for taylor. she really is born to write an album like this. even though there are songs that aren’t personal and directly about taylor, she’s able to leave bits and pieces of herself, how she feels and her emotions in those songs. and i think that’s why not only is she a good writer but she’s also a good messenger. her voice and her delivery is one of my favorite things about her and the reason i love listening to her and her music. and this album emphasize that and highlight that talent. no other pop artists will be able to pull off an album like this and that’s why this album is made for taylor.

#i thought about finishing this up saturday night #but then i was just really tired #and all i wanted to do was lay down #and listen to the album #and honestly so glad i didn't #i added so many last minutes thoughts

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rewordthis · 4 years

Text

『splits』★

Rin → Haruka | Haruka → Rin | Sousuke → Rin | Sousuke →← Haruka

🎐

4320 words

Rin, Haruka, Sousuke

SFW

Summary: When we split, I take a part of you with me.

I like Haru. Always have. I love him…

Ever since the first time I saw him on that tournament I wanted to be him. But to be him was and forever will be impossible.

(A childish dream.)

It took me a while to realize that — I used to think I can become anything — and upon finally understanding I couldn't, I knew; no mater how much I wanted to be him — wanted to be like him…

… to always win —

(Really, what a childish dream.)

Years flew away, and I was mad at Haru. Mad at me… mad that I was still clinging to him. From him.

There was a feeling that there was nothing left between us which made me even more distraught.

Made me want to scream.

Made me want to cry…

Made me want to—

I couldn't figure out what this feeling was. I raked my mind for the longest of times; all so I could only draw out that Haru and I weren't nearly as over as I thought.

I gathered that all this bitterness I felt was because I hated him for being faster—

better.

But that also changed, having me made a horrifying discovery about myself along with it. I found out a truth I'd be forced to face when I was least expecting it — let alone being ready for it.

See, I have always known that Haru is my soulmate. I'm sure of it. It's something that you can't mistake for anything else!

And during that night we reunited at the swim club, I could see it in his eyes, though I almost wanted to convince myself otherwise.

He and I are fated.

Fated to be together. And that's big!

Something like meeting your soulmate — leaving it behind, crushing you and your ego, thinking that they are simply just another guy in your long journey of life, meeting them again years later only to confirm that yes this is indeed your soulmate — is terrifying!

But magical as hell, too!

But the moment of truth for me— the moment I knew my feelings were reciprocated — was when Haru came and found me himself.

When he reached out his hand to me and asked me to show him something he had never seen before…

This was essentially, when I had the 'ok' from Haru to follow him into the magical world of true love.

Fated.

The truth is — even now after all this time — I want Haru. I want him… for me.

To be mine!

I want his speed.

His power.

His body.

His mind and his soul.

I want his eyes—

— to always look at me…

To be mine!

I am rendezvousing him tonight. As place I figured best it's the tree in front of our elementary school. Though the cherry blossoms haven't opened yet —

'Ah, this would be so much more romantic if the Sakura had blossomed~'

I frustrated a lot about what this is and how I should act ever since I was a little boy. I'm finally older. With age comes wisdom they say… or something like that. I am old enough to know what I want from him now. I will make him mine. I know I can!

(This isn't just a childish dream…)

I have build up the confidence in myself and I'm ready to lay siege over him until he surrenders to me.

'Love is war after all. And I'm gonna win this war!'

It's time. Rin is a bit nervous, as he leans back against the cold, metal bars in front of the school fence.

'Did I come early?' He thinks as he checks his wristwatch, 'Nope, just 23 minutes. It's normal to be this early on a date, right?'

He taps out a rhythm with his foot as he assures himself that this doesn't scream 'overeager' on his part and goes over the reasons with which he'll try persuading Haruka that, being together is a solid thing and finalizes in his mind about what tonight is, when—

The sound of footsteps cuts his thoughts short.

The hand of his watch says four minutes until the agreed time as he averts his gaze to face the person approaching him.

"Yo! Haru—" he raises his hand, before he makes a display of leisurely straightening up from the bars he leaned on and bring it back to ran his fingers through his hair.

A trademark move—

"Rin." Haru replies. He keeps it just as simple as always.

And just as always, he looks beautiful. As beautiful as a dream.

Rin reaffirms—

'— tonight, I'm going to confess to Haru!'

This is not a childish dream!

---------

I had a date yesterday.

I met with Rin in front of the elementary school we used to go. Rin was already there waiting and for a second I wondered whether I was running late, because I found him glued to his watch.

But it probably was just that he got there too early.

At any rate, it didn't really mater. I had missed him and we were only going to be able to hang out together for less than a couple days during his week here. Both our schedules were packed and training was gruesome. Makoto and the others also had their days full. For spring, everyone was really busy, each trying to follow their dreams.

We all went after our goals individually, but at the same time, opting to stay as in touch with each other as possible.

Since I knew he had a couple days off from work and was also at Iwatobi, I called Makoto to come along last night, but he said he had to study some injury first aid subjects for an upcoming test.

Coach Ryuuji had to go to an event — an old family friend of his was getting married at an other prefecture — and he let me have a two day off until he returned. I'm meeting him tomorrow.

'Ohh, I really need to get back into training… these two days felt like an eon —'

'— maybe it has something to do with what Rin said last night…'

<<Haru… I want to talk to you; that's why I wanted to meet with you, it's something really important —>>

I was a bit worried over what could be so important that Rin would want to meet up close — I even cursed the fact that Makoto couldn't come, but if I know Makoto, he probably even knew beforehand that something was up and avoided coming along on purpose — and so I fidget over how to approach this or that and how bad what Rin had to say would be, that even the taste of mackerel in my mouth didn't get registered in my head.

And then I heard it;

<< Haru, I know this is going to sound weird, you might even hate me for saying that — I'm sure you'll freak out… but if you think it calmly you'll see I'm right, I'm sure!>>

This whole evening was so unreal. Rin was stalling, I was missing the delicacy to react to something unexpected and possibly very complex — seeing as I was by myself — and then there was that damned dish that I was trying to enjoy, all as I was waiting for the emotional bomb that Rin was about to drop…

'Good god, I just hope he won't burst into tears in front of all these people —'

Haruka must have looked at their surroundings for the umpteenth time that night. The little fish-tavern they were sitting, was currently packed with patrons and the fact that it was a couple stops away from the town of Iwatobi, made him sweat in discomfort.

This wasn't like Rin. This wasn't like anything!

How bad could this thing, that Rin wanted to discus, be?

And what is it this bad, that required them to leave the premises of Iwatobi, in the first place?

To say I was feeling like a fish out of water would be an understatement…

And then… the bomb was dropped—

<<Haru… I'm in love with you —>>

And Haruka must have been surprised, because he sprayed his drink on Rin's face across their table, at this.

Unexpectedly and in spite of what someone might have thought, Rin didn't get deterred by the mishap so easily.

Instead, he wiped the lemon-fragranced water from his face and tried once more:

<<I know this seems like it's coming completely out of the blue, but Haru — I like you! I /really/ like you! And I think you like me, too.>>

Rin gave a coy look at Haruka as he said: "at least I hope you do…?"

Haruka is staring at Rin not half-fazed as he'd guessed he should be after hearing something like that, but rather a bit frustrated for having worried over nothing.

As it turns out, I deeply care about Rin.

But that — I already knew.

<<So, Haru will you… be my boyfriend?>>

I like Rin, too… I do —

'— but I wonder — won't it be too-much-drama ending up actually dating him…?'

(Haruka tries to think…)

(… He can't think—)

'Damn — pools — water — pools filled with water …'

Haruka sinks back in the water that fills his little tub.

(It overflows–)

---------

I know Rin.

Sometimes I even know him better than he thinks I can —

And… that is painful.

On occasion, it's painful to even admit how hurtful it really is for me.

Still, I turn a blind eye when there is a shift in his demeanor or pretend I didn't hear the subtle change in his tone when Haru is present or even mentioned. When I can't fake I didn't notice, I'll just make fun of him that he's too much into that guy…

Rin lives in and of on fairytales. He feeds from things like soulmates and star-crossed lovers. Fated, mysterious meetings. A little drama — or a lot, depending on the persons involved — is simply jam on his bread.

He talks about real friends and true lovers, deep feelings and being there for your loved ones. He goes on and on about how bonds are eternal and how magnificent it is to have trust in each-other. Of the warmth of love and roses and happiness… (and shit.)

What Rin doesn't talk about, though, is how disappointing it is as you realize what really goes on beyond the pink clouds…

I'll give you a hint; none of the above.

Time and again, I have reached my hand out there — all so I would feel only thorns and splinters prick my skin, and cold that could, metaphorically speaking, freeze the blood in my veins — whenever I had the craziest of false impressions that someone might, by some weird struck of luck or some timely mistake of fate, be there for me.

It's a wonder, really— Rin was from the very first moment the guy that I thought would always be my friend.

He is my friend. My best friend.

The guy I trust.

I totally didn't get the memo, I guess...

All these speeches about fateful encounters and true friendship, obviously were never addressed to me. And why would they?

All we ever did was being together from early in the morning at school, to the late night we stayed back at the swim club for one more round or spending our weekends and holidays at each others' house.

We were so close for so long, that of course I wasn't even registered as a friend in his mind.

I was just a shadow.

His shadow.

It was only natural that he'd transfer schools for only less than half a season to meet up close this mythical unicorn of his, named Nanase Haruka, and tell me about it just the day before he left. Or leave the country for the other side of the ocean, not more than three months later, and hear of it just the week before his departure.

Typical Rin—

So typical.

Yet still, I like this guy—

His sorry ass is the one and only person I'll think of calling whenever I hit a wall or make a breakthrough or just want to hear to cheesy-ass theories about romantic encounters — strictly for fun, mind you — or just to listen to his voice…

… corny, right? I know I sound out of character; but man, I like this guy.

I can't help it.

(Sousuke needs to realize this…)

And for what is worth — as if to make everything worse — I know, I will never be his first choice…

(… needs to comprehend it.)

… if a choice at all.

(And unfortunately — he does.)

---------

'Today's a weird day.'

'There is sun. And there is rain.'

"There is rain— And there is sun…"

Sousuke is riding the train on his way to the rehabilitation facility he's going. Later into the day he'll finally hear whether he's ready to go at full throttle into his training or if he still needs to hold back.

His ride is uneventful, peaceful even.

His mind is surprisingly clear and calm.

The single thing that permeates his thoughts are sun rays and clouds and droplets of water that wash away any trace of anxiousness or insecurity in him.

'What a strange day, indeed.'

He stands next to the door — he never sits — his gaze lost somewhere far away in the dull streams of light that spear the ever gray clouds, hanging low above the city, letting out their persistent drizzle that never becomes anything more.

It's comfortable.

Knowing that a day exists that resembles the way you feel so closely.

I heard from Makoto the day before.

So today was perfect.

He didn't want to think anything of the sort. He stubbornly tried to avoid it all day long yesterday.

So he deserved to be petulant for at least one day. Right?

And so far this seemed like his day.

After arriving at his destination, Sousuke disembarked — directions note at hand — and moved to exit the station.

"Still raining, huh?" He said and pulled his collar up around his neck deciding that, this much rain isn't a big enough deal to get his blues on for not choosing to wear a hoodie today.

"Well, thank god I'm not made of sugar.…" he joked with himself.

He was at peace with himself today; like a sea on a day without wind.

It's noon. The clouds have gotten darker.

Sousuke's session at the rehabilitation center has just finished. His progress would be estimated at the hospital in the evening.

He still got some time to kill before that.

At the other corner should be a burger house. I feel kind of hungry after a straight two hours of muscle exercise and rest and exercise again and rest again…

'Now, where did we say the shop was?'

He wandered around a bit, but managed to find the shop… or a shop.

The place was full, with zero available tables. Thankfully the clerk told me to look on the second floor. There was a table at the far off wall, away from the porch. Not having a first seat on the street view wasn't a deal beaker for me, though.

When it was time to get ready for the appointment with his doctor, Sousuke got up to leave the store. As he got up, he evaluated his experience; 'The fries were not so great but the burger, oh, the burger was exquisite. The meat was juicy and a bit spicy and grilled to perfection—'

Yes, overall it was good…

But there was one tiny problem he hadn't count in: he was lost… and the rain was heavier than before. Forget about being made of sugar, no matter how you looked at it, you were bound to get thoroughly soaked without an umbrella.

Standing next to the glass door, looking out the wet pavement and the people running by with umbrellas or folded newspapers or suitcases above heads, he still didn't feel miserable for himself.

"Fuck it," he muttered under his breath, deciding that, "I'll ask at the counter if they have a spare one—"

That, until he felt a hand on his back. The touch was soft and Sousuke turned around to look who it was. He honestly didn't think this much, but he froze when he saw who it was.

'And this was such a nice day, damn it…'

A quiet Haruka was looking at him, a smile ghosting his lips. Other patrons passed them by in heist, commenting how this rain would slow them down or prevent them from going to their destinations.

Sousuke could relate.

He should also deal with how his nice day had just taken an unpredicted turn.

"Sousuke, good evening. " Haruka said.

"Haru." He acknowledged, casually. "Funny meeting you here…"

"Coach Ryuuji says I should eat more proteins and fat for my current training regime. They have a —"

"Good burger, here." Sousuke quipped along. "Yeah, I just ate two." He laughed. "Hey, congrats by the way."

He didn't want to do this, but he would be forced eventually, so he figured better to get this over with, quickly.

But Haru looked at him like he was an alien with three heads or something; "About what?"

"Uh, Makoto told me; about you and Rin—" he said unsure. There is no way Makoto had misunderstood something, right?

But Haruka appeared to recall, saying: "Ah. Thanks—"

This was grating on Sousuke's nerves.

Is that a way to be after you receive congratulations for your new relationship?

Sousuke was lost for a moment in his thoughts, so Harukas' next line didn't register in the first time.

"Do you need an umbrella?" Haru asked again, since Sousuke was merely standing there, not responding.

The only thing Sousuke's brain managed to compute as reply was: "Why?"

And Haruka solely brought his backpack in front of him and pulled an umbrella out. He then said: "Want to share?"

This was awkward.

Haruka could tell. He could feel the tension around Sousuke building.

Normally, you share an umbrella with a girl.

Not with another guy.

Caught in the middle of a downpour…

And especially not with the guy that dates your best friend, right?

Yes, Haruka could tell.

But he can't leave it at that. So he speaks up. Now is as good a chance as ever, to resolve things with Sousuke.

His first words get drowned out by the rain, but he catches his companions' attention, so he tries again.

"I haven't said, 'yes'." Haru spoke, raising his voice a bit.

"What?" Sousuke asked confused.

"To Rin. Rather, I didn't even nod, I just shrugged—" Haru explained.

"…" Sousuke now looked even more confused. Maybe it was the rain that prevent him from hearing…

To which Haru offered: "I really like Rin. I want to be with him, but it makes no difference to me what kind of relationship we have as long as he's happy."

And Sousuke has a deep crease between his brows, thinking, until his expression softens and he says: "I shouldn't expect anything less from you, Haru—"

There is a skip in his voice that gets strangely emphasized by the running waters around them.

He is happy about Rin.

About his friend.

He is grateful for Haruka existing.

And Haruka notices his shoulder is wet – off course Sousuke needs an umbrella entirely for himself. He's huge, after all – and he pulls at his sleeve to get him closer.

"Your shoulder is dripping wet, shouldn't you take extra care not to catch a cold?" He speaks as loud as possible to get heard.

"You're one to talk— why don't you come closer?" Sousuke retorts, pointing at the other’s shoulder, being equally soaked.

And Haruka purses his lips in a show of juvenile determination, as he brings himself right up to Sousuke's side.

Their shoulders are touching now, and Sousuke curses his habit of pointing out unnecessary things.

He feels happy about Rin. Yes.

He feels grateful for Haruka. Yes.

But, he also feels a tinge of jealousy…

'Why…'

As Haru speaks to him he leans his head closer; close enough to feel the air from Haru's words tingling against the shell of his ear. The raindrops overhead are making a monotonous, pleasurably numbing sound as they collide with the fabric from the umbrella.

He wondered if by pure dumb luck someone might liked him, too, enough to be willing to stay by his side as closely as Haru is at this moment. Someone—

His train of thought derails at the sound of wet gravel being crushed underfoot.

He lifts his eyes only to realize that he's getting wet, since Haru has stopped walking and stands about a few steps away.

He peers at Sousuke. His gaze is a mosaic of worry, curiosity, fondness…

"Wha— what…" Sousuke manages.

The same quiet ambience that seems to follow Haruka in every place he simply exists is straight up agonizing to him.

'Maybe he shouldn't get this close to him, now that he's got a boyfriend and all? Maybe he overstepped his personal space?'

But, Haru honestly, hasn't minded any of that and he isn't here to terrify him. Quite the contrary, actually; so he slowly lifts his hand and points with his index finger…

'… at Sousuke?'

"This is the way to the hospital, you mentioned. Just past the corner." He said and Sousuke's heart dropped for some reason.

'Behind him, then…'

"Ah, thanks." He replies and nods his head. Mentally noting the direction.

Haru looks intently at him and Sousuke thinks that this expression says he hopes he won't get lost again.

'Seriously?!'

"I'm heading that way." Haru says, finally, and makes a motion with his thumb directed on the opposite corner of the street. "Good luck with your results. It was nice seeing you."

"Yeah. You, too." He retorts, almost mechanically, before they part ways.

Sousuke makes a run for the hospital. The building is located just around the corner, as Haru said.

Reaching the entrance, he pulls to a stop in front of the open automatic doors that await him and looks at the direction Haruka mentioned.

He gets a glimpse of a pink polka-doted umbrella, quickly being devoured by the murk of the rainy evening, watching after it until he can't see anything at all anymore...

And with this, Sousuke reaffirms his resolve.

He is happy for Rin. Yes.

He is grateful for Haruka existing. Yes.

But he needs to, finally, look after himself.

And so, he takes a step forward, entering the hospital, with his head high and hope renewed.

'Wait— Pink… ?'

'Indeed, today's a weird day.'

Turning at the corner, Haruka folded the unsavory thing of an umbrella and tried to hide it under his armpit.

I didn't want to be seen holding this thing, but Makoto wouldn't let go until I had agreed to take his spare umbrella with me.

He knew better than to go to Makoto's first thing in he morning. But his friend had insisted that there was something he needed his help with.

Turns out it wasn't anything urgent in the least. He just needed to pack some books and clothes to send back at Iwatobi.

And like the smothering prick Makoto is, when he saw Harukas' clothes being lightly wet from the morning rain, he forced the umbrella that his little sister had picked out for him as a birthday present last year, on him. He even made him promise he'd use it!

'Stupid Makoto…'

Of course— Haruka hadn't verbally agreed to that, so he had planned to ignore Makoto.

But then… Sousuke was there.

I hadn't speak or meet Sousuke in a while, and now that Rin had gone back to Australia, I felt that there wouldn't be much drama to do so.

But to Harukas' surprise Sousuke looked good. He half expected him to be either bitter or grossed out — assuming he had heard the news — thus, he was getting prepared for an attack when he approached him.

However, for one glorious moment when Haruka tapped at his shoulder and he turned around — he saw— Haruka saw!

He saw crystal clear emeralds looking right at him and Haruka felt ashamed for thinking this way about Sousuke.

It wasn't because he found him breathtaking—

It wasn't because he felt like betraying Rin.

It was a pang in his heart, he never knew it would end.

But then in his panic, he offered Sousuke a ride under this offending thing.

'Again— stupid Makoto!'

Haruka didn't mentioned this earlier, but he was unsure if Sousuke accepted the offer, because he failed to notice the umbrellas' pattern from being too stunned or if he simply didn't care because this is how cool he really is.

In any case, rain had most definitely do the trick and brought them together.

I talked with Sousuke and realized that there wasn't anything to worry about.

The man looked calm. Sure. Secured in himself.

There was this one occasion that Sousuke leaned close to him to hear what he was saying, that Haruka felt a flush creeping on his cheeks but he chalked it up on being too self-conscious for holding that umbrella.

It wasn't because he could smell the rain on his hair—

Haru has arrived at the caffe he's meeting with Asahi and Nao-senpai.

t wasn't because he could feel his warmth on his side, either…

He flips his head in his trademark move to get rid of the excess water from his hair. Thankfully, it wasn't more than a run away from where he split up with Sousuke to come here.

And it most definitely… wasn't because he felt more at ease around him now, than he ever did with Rin.

He steps inside the shop.

His thoughts are left outside…

---------{END}---------

A.N.: I'm no good with words. Sorry. And, whaa~ Hold on your pitchforks?! This is all Harukas’ fault, ok? I blame none other! Plus, let's just all marvel at the beautiful guy Sousuke is. He just wants a real friend. He doesn't even think of Haruka as a love interest, yet… 😚 So cute Sousuke-kun!

#rinharu #sourin #souharu #rin matsuoka #nanase haruka #haruka nanase #sousuke yamazaki #yamazaki sousuke #Free!#free! series #My writing #sfw #4320 words #Fic #fanfic #oneshot

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propertyofnikkisthighs · 5 years

Text

Sure Feels Right Ch. 9

Taglist: @hllywdwhre, @xxkellsvixen19xx, @desdestiny, @lain-ee, @crystalbaby12, @lovemythsworld, @hxllywood-whxre, @creatureofthen1ght-v3, @stellaxrosa, @purplecrayonflower

Warnings: Oh baby dis some smut

2019

“Oh my god Colson are you crazy?” Lux whispered giggling as Colson dragged her into the supply closet around the corner from the stage. Colson flashed her one of his rare genuine smiles before leaning his head down to press a soft kiss against her nose.

“I just wanted to be alone for a little bit.” He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers.

Lux had told him she wasn’t trying to slip into a relationship with him while she worked out her feelings between him and Rook. He was trying to respect that, but not kissing her to mark his territory around other guys was proving to be difficult. He had a possessive nature despite not wanting to be possessed and it had caused him issues in relationships in the past and he didn’t want to jeopardize things with her before they even got started.

“You softy” She lightly teased and stood on her tippy toes to kiss the tall boy again.

Colson wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. The contact had Lux feeling warm all over her body and she threaded a hand in his short disheveled hair to pull his face closer. Colson placed his hands on the back of her thighs and picked her up pressing her back against the door of the closet. He ran his tongue against her bottom lip silently begging for entrance. Lux parted her soft lips and they let their tongues meet in the middle. Colson pressed his body against hers harder igniting a fire inside Lux. She moaned softly causing Colson to smirk against her lips.

“If you make noises like that I’m going to have impure thoughts.” Colson chuckled trailing soft light kisses down her neck. Lux wanted to respond with something witty, but her mind was wiped clean of all thoughts that weren’t Colson and what he was doing and how warm his body was against hers.

“No snide comments?” He teased making Lux regain some of her senses. She tugged on his hair making him hiss and nip at his ear.

“You’ve never had a pure thought in your life.” Lux breathed as he pulled away from her neck to look into her eyes. His bright blue eyes now a darker hue, full of lust, and love. Lux could already get lost in his eyes as is, but when they were dark with desire the trance they had on her was even more powerful. Pulling his face back down by his chin she gently kissed him again.

“I had at least a single pure thought in elementary school” He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and Lux almost ripped his shirt off right there.

“We really need to leave this closet Colson” Lux sighed finally breaking their kiss. She ran a hand through his hair making its appearance even more messy.

“Yeah, yeah, fine I guess.” He was bummed, but he understood why she was doing things this way. If there was one thing that Colson could completely understand it was the fear to commit to a whole relationship with someone.

Lux had her headphones in mindlessly dancing and singing along as she cleaned up the bus. There was only one more stop on this tour and then it was back home to L.A. for a small while. The boys were notorious for taking off the moment they got back and not helping clean up the bus, even though they did they destroying. She had most of their dirty clothes all separated in plastic bags for easy washing and a few bags set aside dedicated to the bedding when they would need to strip them. She spun around the back room singing “Let You Go” cleaning up the various bras the boys had collected from the being thrown on stage at them. She didn’t even hear Rook entering the bus and nearly had a heart attack when she turned around and saw him leaning against the counter staring at her fondly.

“Jesus christ Rook! Stomp next time or something.” Lux clutched her chest trying to calm her heart.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Rook snickered. “You just looked so cute I didn’t want you to stop” She walked in front of his crossing her hands over her chest trying to look put out. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her towards him.

“Rook” She scolded softly. “What if someone sees?”

“You mean what if Colson sees?” He rolled his eyes.

“I’m not trying to break up a band.” Lux said in nearly a whisper. She loved both boys, but she didn’t want to be the reason their friendship was destroyed.

“He’ll move on if you chose me ya know? This is Colson we’re talking about here.” She could tell he was just as frustrated by the whole ordeal just as Colson was and she didn’t blame either of them.

“And if I choose him? Would you move on?” Lux questioned letting a little bit of irritation coat her words. It wasn’t like she enjoyed having her heart be so confused between both of them. She didn’t want to hurt either of them or ruin a friendship by deciding to be with one of the boys.

“It would be hard” Rooks jaw was clenched as he mulled the thought over in his head. “But I would have to get over you and be there for my boy I guess.”

“See!” Lux would take that as a victory.

“Well nobody is here right now. Colson went into town with Ash.” Rook held Lux’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and leaned in slowly before brushing his lips against hers. Lux felt the same small sparks of electricity like she had experienced when they first kissed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He wound his arms around her waist and held her to him as they softly pressed kisses to each other’s lips.

It was so easy for Lux to get lost in the softness that Rook showed her. He was a loud, aggressive drummer and yet he touched her so gently as if she were made of glass. Colson was softer than his normal self with her, but he still held a hint of aggressiveness in his touch. He was much more domineering than Rook with her. Lux loved how opposite they were and wished she could just be able to enjoy how the both of them make her feel without the complications and drama. In a perfect world (well her perfect world) she could have both and nothing would change. The more she thought about it, she wondered why they couldn’t be that way. She knew them both well enough to know monogamy wasn’t their thing and it truly wasn’t hers either. Maybe, they could make something work?

“What about a threesome?” Lux asked suddenly breaking the kiss.

“A what?!” Rook asked his voice raising an octive.

“Yeah a what?” Colson asked standing in the opened door of the bus.

Both boys sat on the couch staring at Lux as if she had grown three extra heads. Was she really proposing a threesome between her, Colson, and Rook?

“It’s official. You’ve lost your mind.” Colson said doing the ‘crazy’ hand signal next to his head.

“I haven’t lost my mind you jackass.” Lux rolled her eyes feeling slightly embarrassed, but continuing on with her proposition. “You both have had threesomes before. I’ve heard it and seen the beginings of a few unfortunately.”

“Yeah with two girls!” Rook exclaimed.

“Okay you cannot tell me you’ve never shared girls before. I don’t believe you for one second.” Lux had seen them making out with the same girl at different periods of the night at a few of their parties.

“Well like yeah, passed her to the homie afterwards, never at the same time.” Colson shook his head. Lux thought of all people he would be all for it.

“I’m just saying it would satisfy all of us and nobody can get jealous if we’re all involved.” Lux thought it was a fool proof plan.

“Man I don’t know about that.” Colson groaned throwing his head back and closing his eyes. He didn’t like the thought of Lux hooking up with other guys, but if it’s just Rook could he deal with that?

“Listen, I’m not saying make a decision now, I’m just saying think about it. Cause it is a suggestion. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an Ash to find to help make sure we have all our shit together to head home after the show tonight.” Lux walked out of the bus leaving the two boys sitting on the couch extra confused.

“She might have a point.” Rook spoke up quietly.

“Dude, what?” Colson laughed out.

“Well like maybe not a threesome, because I don’t think I’m there, but what if we just both continued what we’re doing with her?” Rook looked anywhere but at his friend sitting next to him.

“So non monogamy?” Colson contemplated the idea in his head. “I mean that would make sense I guess.”

“Well then that way she doesn’t have to feel pressured to choose?” It sounded easier said than done.

“That’s enough of this kind of talk man. Let’s just smoke” Colson said pulling a joint from behind his ear.

“Hey I need to talk to you in the back of the bus.” Colson said grabbing Lux’s wrist.

“I’m a bit busy trying to make sure we have all your stuff heathen.” Lux stuck her tongue out at him and continues taking inventory of the materials inside the side of the bus.

“Don’t care. Do it during the show.” Colson picked her up flopping her over his shoulder and Lux accepted her fate with a giggle and a light smack to his ass. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself caveman.” It wasn’t long before Lux was landing on the back couch with a small “oof”.

“So Rook and I came to an agreement” Colson leaned over her hungrily and she couldn’t help but reciprocate the same energy.

“Oh yeah? And that was?” Lux looked at his lips wanting nothing more than to capture them with her own.

“We don’t want you to choose between us” She quirked up an eyebrow “We think we should continue as we are, as we kind of always have been.”

“So like being non monogamous?” Lux replied slowly.

“Yes exactly. So I can do things like this” Colson pressed his lips to hers still leaning above her. “And not feel guilty.”

“Mmm do it again” Lux looked up at him behind lids heavy with want.

Colson leaned down again to connect their mouths once more and Lux wrapped her arms around his neck. She sighed into the kiss and Colson cupped her face in his hands hungrily moving his lips against hers. The kiss began to get more passionate and he tangled a hand in her hair lightly tugging causing her to moan into his mouth. Colson groaned and moved to place hot kisses against her neck, She panted his name softly and his dick twitched in his pants at the sweet noise. He let a hand fall down to cup one of her breast tentatively waiting for her to stop him, but she instead arched her back into his hand and that was all the encouragement he needed. Colson lightly bit her neck and her breath caught in her throat. She placed both of her hands on the hem of his shirt and pulled up taking the shirt off of his body exposing his tattoos to her. She really fucking loved his tattoos. She lightly raked her fingers down his torso and he growled connecting their mouths again his tongue exploring her own. He quickly made work on the buttons of her shirt getting it off her shoulders and her messaged her breasts with his hands.

“Goddamn Colson” Lux moaned pushing him so he sat on the couch before she straddled him and removed her bra with one hand.

“That was so sexy” He pulled her body closer and took one of her nipples into his mouth flicking his tongue across the sensitive bud and lightly grazing his teeth.

Lux ground her hips against his trying to get any sort of friction to relieve the tension growing between her legs. Lux managed to snake a hand down between their bodies unbuttoning his pants and lightly grasping his dick in her hand causing him to suck a breath between his teeth. Lux felt him growing impossibly harder in her hand and started to softly stroke his length. Colson threw his head back and softly moaned as Lux shimmied his pants and boxers down his legs her body going with them. He looked down at her through his eyelashes and she smirked before taking him into her mouth and flicking her tongue against the head of his dick. His hand immediately found its way into her hair and he bucked his hips at the sensation. Lux wrapped her lips around him and painfully slow took all of him into her mouth before pulling it out and rubbing her tongue across the head again. She could taste his pre-cum on his tip and it was getting her even more horny. She picked up the pace bobbing her head up and down as he moaned and whispered profanities under his breath.

Colson suddenly pulled her head away breathing hard. He pulled her up crashing his lips against hers and pulled her shorts down taking her underwear with it. Colson pulled Lux back onto his lap and his thumb found her clit making her throw her head back and whimper. He slipped a finger inside of her and they both moaned.

“So wet already for me fuck Lux.” His voice was heavy with lust which was only causing the pool between Lux’s legs to increase.

“Fucking fuck Colson if you don’t just fuck me” Lux whimpered bucking her hips against his hand. She didn’t have to tell him twice.

Colson lined the head of his dick at her entrance and looked back up at her to make sure she was cool with what was happening. Lux smiled softly and nodded her head before kissing him and sinking down onto his length. She winced taking a minute to adjust to his size before she planted her hands on the couch behind his head and used that as leverage to lift herself up before sinking down him again. Colson gripped her hips hard and they both fell into rhythm. He took one of her nipples into his mouth as he thrust up to meet his hips with hers. Lux was already starting to see stars as he hit her at just the right angle as she brought herself down on him. She felt the familiar knot in her stomach starting to grow and both their movements became more erratic and sloppy. His name falling from her mouth on repeat as her moans grew louder. Colson grabbed her chin roughly and fixed her face on him.

“I wanna watch you cum on my dick” He panted and it sent her over that edge. Her orgasm slammed into her body with such force she practically screamed.

“Oh fuck” Colson moaned and his head flung back reaching his own orgasm. They rode out their highs together before collapsing on their sides on the couch catching their breath.

“I love you.” Lux whispered into Colson’s hair pressing small kisses to his sweaty forehead.

“I love you too.” Colson whispered back.

#machince gun kelly fanfic #machine gun kelly #mgk fanfic #mgk imagine #mgk #mgk x oc x rook #jp cappelletty fanfic #jp cappelletty #rook fanfic #rookxx #smutty #sure feels right

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huntertales · 5 years

Text

Part Three: Where The Wild Things Roam, It’s Home. (Taxi Driver S08E19)

Episode Summary: Sam, Dean and the reader respond to a call from a terrified Kevin who claims to hear Crowley’s voice in his head. Also with the good news that he’s discovered the second trial from the tablet—rescue an innocent soul from hell. The reader has to team up with a reaper named Ajay to complete the task, meanwhile the boys get a visit from the angel Naomi. But when things go awry, Dean must find Benny and ask him for a huge favor. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader Word Count: 6,477.

Previous Part | Supernatural Rewrite Masterlist

You didn't know how many times you repeated the story about how you landed yourself here; knocked up, walking through Purgatory after taking a trip down to Hell. It was all part of the trials you had to complete in order to slam the place that ruined your life before you were even born. Bobby knew about the part where you faked your own death. But you didn't get to go into further detail about how you managed to trick him and the boys. While on the hike back to the spot where Ajay told you to meet him, you told Bobby everything you went through during your time away together. From making a deal with Cas in that hospital room to your life as Y/F/N. And how you found the boys again several months ago. After you literately bumped into Dean.

You jumped ship right before the wall in Sam's head collapsed and Cas thought he was God 2.0. The aftermath was followed by Sam having hallucinations of Lucifer in his head every single day of the week, twenty four hours a day. Not to mention the torture he experienced in the cage. Cas went on a power trip for a while before coming face to face with the mess he made. Bobby and the boys faced up against a monster old as Eve herself. Not to mention the worst thing of all, Bobby died thinking you were gone. There was never a fear that you might have been stuck as Y/F/N for the rest of your life. Dean and Cas could have been stuck in Purgatory. The only person who might have had a happening ending was Sam...of course nothing lasts forever.

Dean got out of Purgatory after running around this place for a year, Sam was torn away from his happy life with Amelia and they bumped into a familiar face with a different name while they were trying to find a prophet on the loose after escaping the clutches of the king of hell. All it took was a dead husband and a demon for you to remember who you were again. It was like a switch went off in your head. The boys caught you up on things that went down while you were gone. It was your first day back in your own head space was when you heard about Kevin's discovery of how to close the gates of hell for good. However, it took a few more months after that until he discovered the first trial.

“I’m surprised the boys are even letting you out of their sight in your condition. Dean especially. After all that went down...He was devastated after you died—well, we thought you did. Tried just about everything to get you back. But he was so caught up in helping Sam with this hell business. And Cas being off his rocker. The poor son of a bitch didn’t catch a break.” Bobby said. The glimpse into the grief you left behind made you feel a familiar twinge of guilt at your past choices. “Hell, it was a loss for all of us. You were the glue that kept those boys together.”

“Something like that.” You mumbled back to him, your lips stretching into a faint smile. You didn’t have the heart to tell him about the falling almost falling out the boys had over choices of people they wanted to call friends. Of a past they didn’t want to let go of just yet. All of you were on better terms than in the beginning of the year.

“You and Dean find out what you’re having yet?” Bobby couldn’t help himself but jump back to the baby talk, there were too many questions of his that he wanted to ask before your time together was cut off again for good. You could see a glint of happiness in his eyes at hearing the news that you and the boys were having an addition to the family. “Or are you too early to figure all that stuff out?”

“We want it to be a surprise. Sounds cliched, but we don’t care. Long as they’re healthy.” You said. You placed a hand on your stomach while you continue your walk through the woods, feeling the bump made your smile slightly grow wider. “If it’s a boy, I want to name him Robert junior. I’m thinking for a girl...Roberta. Hmm? You like that?”

“Sure. If you want the poor kid to get the crap kicked out of her on the playground. Considering it’s you and Dean’s kid, I’m sure they’ll be the ones doing all the fighting. Ooh, they’re gonna be a handful. Especially if it’s a girl.” Bobby said. He chuckled to himself at the shenanigans an elementary school aged child would get themselves into, Dean trying his hardest to lay down the law. “They’re gonna get themselves into plenty of trouble and raise a lot of hell. You and the boys are gonna have your hands full raising them.”

“Oh God. I don’t even want to think about the stuff they’re going to try and pull. They’ve already been making my life hell from every weird symptom coming my way. Morning sickness was a bitch trying. Luckily that's gone, but I can't seem to stomach the smell of meat. Which is a little weird if you think, considering how much Dean loves his burgers.” You said. You softly patted the bump before dropping your hand back down to your side. “I can’t wait for this to be over.”

Bobby fell silent for a moment while the both of you continued your hike through the woods. You pulled out your phone from your pocket, knowing well enough you weren't checking for reception, but to see how much time you had left until you made it to the finish line. A question lingered in the back of his mind the more you told him about these trials. "Why are you doing this?" You turned your head up from what he asked to give him a confused look as to what he meant by that. "I mean, you must've fought tooth and nail just to keep hunting. Hell, if were still alive, there'd be no way you would be setting foot out on a hunt.”

"Trust me when I say they were livid. Sam didn't want me anywhere near this. And Dean wanted to be the one who did this. But, I sort of...stole it out from under him." You slightly explained the situation to how you got here to Bobby. "The night of the first trial was a complete mess. I didn't want Dean to do it because everything to him is a suicide mission. And, a part of me felt like this was a chance to right some wrongs. Give our kid a better future.”

“So, how many more of these trials after this?’ Bobby asked.

“Just one. We don’t know what it is, though—not yet. Kevin’s still translating.” You said. “The kid’s been under a lot of pressure lately, but I’m hoping he’ll figure it out sooner than later.”

“Well, you saw back there in hell, I ain’t got a lot of rust. Just feels so good to be back in action again. Might be handy if you had me around to help while you’re on maternity leave” Bobby suggested an idea that sounded like music to your ears. A happy ending that you would have loved to make true. “And you know, having an extra set of hands around never hurt anybody."

“Bobby, I’d love that, believe me. There’s nothing in this world I would give for you to come back with me. The thing is," You told him the truth with a heavy sigh you should have told him back in hell, "for this trial to be completed, your soul has to enter heaven. And besides, if that weren't the case, the boys burned your bones, Bobby. There's nothing to tie your spirit to Earth."

“Yeah. Yeah, well…” The smile that graced Bobby’s face slowly began to fall as the older hunter tried to hide his disappointment at hearing his fate. “You know, I always figured that’d be the end of it. You know, just a hunter’s funeral. Zip. Nothing. And I was okay with that. Imagine my surprise.”

"Well, I guess if there has to be an eternity, I'd pick Heaven over Hell." You said, giving him your two cents on the matter. “Speaking of personal experience. Upstairs isn’t all that bad.”

"Yeah. 'Cause there's nothing screwy going on up there." Bobby's sarcasm made you chuckle. You wished you made the rules about life and death, but your hands were tied on the matter. The both of you began your way back to the spot where Ajay told you to meet him at with just minutes to spare. "I'll do my part, get to the end of this...I ain't exactly the retiring type. So, you idjits figure out a way to spring me..."

“Yeah. No, of course. That’s, uh—yeah.” You found yourself letting out a jumble of words to try and respond back to Bobby’s request you were half listening to. You found yourself circling around the woods to see if you might have gotten the location wrong, or if you could spot Ajay in the distance of endless looking woods. Maybe you could spot him staring down at his watch with a slightly annoyed look at how you didn't listen to his command about being punctual. But there was nobody around.

“Oh, well, let’s go topside.” Bobby said, wanting to get a start on things so you could finish this. But you had a feeling that wasn’t going to be possible. You tried your hardest not to panic just yet as you took one more sweep around the woods, hoping you might be able to spot Ajay. But he was nowhere to be seen. “What’s going on, Y/N?”

“This is it. This is the place. I’m sure of it.” You muttered to yourself. You tried somehow reassure your worrying mind that you weren't going crazy. You looked down at the ground to see there was the decapitated head of the monster that attacked you when you were alone after Ajay left. Bobby asked if this was where the reaper was supposed to meet you, you nodded your head and pulled out your phone to watch as the timer you set up began to tick down to the very last second. "Yeah. At exactly...now."

‘’So, he’s running a little late.” Bobby tried to somehow reassure you.

“No, see, that’s the thing. He was very specific, Bobby, like to the minute.” You told him.

“And if he doesn’t show…?” He asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer himself.

You felt yourself trying your hardest not to believe the words that came out of your mouth as the future you were looking towards. “We’ve got no way out.”

+ + +

Hunters weren't supposed to be friends with monsters. And vampires weren't supposed to be buddy-buddy with the human who was raised to kill blood thirty creatures like him. But there was an exception to every rule. People who broke the moral code. And people who learned from past mistakes that no matter how friendly a monster is to your face, they were kind as they lead themselves up to be. Sam didn't like Benny. Despite saving his brother from purgatory and supposedly feeding on blood bags than a live human to curb his hunger. There was something about the southern vamp that Sam couldn't let his guard down. Maybe it was because of his own experience of trusting the thing he was raised to hate.

It started off with a sweet girl named Madison who was dragged into this lifestyle after she was bitten by a werewolf. Sam found himself falling into feelings he hasn’t experienced in a while, ever since his old girlfriend, and possibly the only love of his life, was tragically killed. He thought he could save her. Much as all of you tried to fight the curse, there was nothing else Sam could do other than to put a bullet in the back of her head to end her suffering. Sam should have learned his lesson, but the true test came in the form of a black eyed demon named Ruby.

She whispered sweet nothings and empty promises into his ear for over two years about how he could save his brother and best friend from the big, bad demon named Lilith. While he might not have been able to accomplish his first task, Sam got revenge on the demon. And set the Devil himself to go running free. Get burned enough times and you learn stop being soft on people. There was an exception or two over the years. Sam trusted a monster just enough when he knew he could get something back from him. What he was about to agree to was like pushing all of his beliefs and conceptions about him out the window.

For the longest time Sam thought Benny was like the rest of the vampires he hunted over the years. His brother's judgement was good most of the time. If Dean hadn't gone what he went through back in Purgatory, there would have been no way he would have became friends with something like Benny. But being put in an environment like Purgatory, where there was no hunter or prey, everyone was fighting to survive. And their bond transferred over back on Earth. Sam couldn't wrap his head around it. There was nothing more the younger Winchester wanted than to slice Benny's head off his neck and send him back where he belonged. Because that's what he thought the wrong thing to do was. It'd be only a matter of time until Benny slipped up and attacked some humans. At least, that's what he thought Benny was all about.

Sam felt himself conflicted on what the right thing to do was in this situation. Ajay was slumped back in the driver’s seat, blood on his shirt. It wasn't hard to connect the dots that someone had killed him. Someone possibly caught wind of the demon you and the boys were interrogating and told their boss. You slipped up while you were in Hell. Whatever it was, this had Crowley's name written all over it. With Ajay dead, it meant you had no way back from purgatory. There was no way the boys had time to find another demon who would be willing to talk to them, it'd take more than just holy water for them to spill the name of another rouge reaper. It almost seemed like you were stuck there. Unless...unless Sam bit the bullet and trusted a vampire. The one he wanted to kill the second he meant him. Now Benny was the only chance at getting Sam's family back to where they belonged.

"How'd you get this one on board?" Benny asked, pointing a thumb casually to the younger man he knew hated his guts more than anything. Both men stood across from one another trying to act civilized as a hunter and vampire could be.

"I'm not. This was all Dean's idea." Sam replied back to the vampire, his tone as cold as his attitude towards the vampire. "I'm sure he told you about what went down. We're out of options.”

"If you don't want to do this, we understand." Dean spoke up before the conversation could veer off the path he wanted everyone to focus on. The man felt guilt ridden at what he was asking his friend to do, the person who rescued him from that hell hole. Now he wanted him to go back to save the woman he loved. He hadn't quite felt this helpless before in a long, long while.

"Wow." Benny smiled slightly, in a way that was almost unreadable. The boys weren't sure if the vampire was up for the challenge at what they were asking of him, or it was the audacity of them asking to do such a thing. "When Dean Winchester asks for a favor, he's not screwing around."

"Benny, sending you back there is the last thing I ever wanted to do." Dean said, stressing the point he wanted to make very clear. Benny nodded his head. Both men created a bond through trauma they would never be able to shake off, no matter how much they tried to bury it down. He never wanted things to end up like this. But he was out of options. Benny might have been his friend, you were the love of his life. The woman he’d do anything for. Nothing in this world compared to what he had with you. His hands were tied. "But Y/N is stuck down there."

“This would be the same Y/N who’s carrying your kid?” Benny asked, wanting to be sure the details were right on the things he was being told. You had only been about eight weeks along from the last time you saw him. Even back then, were determined nothing was going to get in your way. “Now, how in the hell did she manage to get into this mess?”

“Does it matter? This is the same person who helped your ass out when you needed it the most after you got topside.” Sam reminded the vampire about how you found some sort of good in something like Benny. You put your life on the line twice for him to help get him out of a sticky situation. The least he could do was to return the favor. “You got access to the place.”

“By ‘access,’ you mean ‘getting beheaded’?” The vampire asked the hunter, wondering if they were on the same page here.

Dean flinched at the things he was asking of Benny, speaking those words out loud made it seem even worse somehow. It was out of place for his friend to do such a thing for someone he barely knew. “Yeah, yeah you’re right—it’s too much.” He mumbled. “It’s not like I've been there for you lately.”

“What? Oh, come on Dean. You had your hands full lately.” Benny said. “And you know I love a good challenge.”

“Wait,” Sam found the response he was given by the vampire surprising at his willingness. “You’re serious?”

“Hey, she’s your family. And you’re right, Y/N was there for me when I needed a friend. It’s the least I could do.” Benny said. “I say let’s do this.”

Dean felt part relief, and part guilt at the things he was about to put Benny through. “I owe you.”

“Oh, you don't owe me nothing. Truth is, uh... I could use a break from all this.” Benny admitted how he’d been feeling over the past several months since being back. Dean was taken aback at the confession. He thought the vampire would have been happy to breathe fresh air and not have to go about day to day life without running. It seemed Benny was longing for the familiarity of Purgatory. Much as it was hell, he grew used to it, sort of like a comfortable pain. He knew what to expect. “I'm not a good fit, Dean. Not with vampires and, for sure, not with the humans. I don't belong. And after a while...that starts to wear on you. Right?”

Benny found himself confessing more about the things he’d been feeling. He spent over fifty years in Purgatory, slaughtering and fighting his way to freedom. The portal to Earth was a whispered myth among kind like him. When Dean came along, it seemed this was his chance at getting out. But not everything fit his fantasy of what life was going to be like on the outside. Benny found himself longing for a place he once hated.

The vampire let out a forced chuckle from how this conversation turned into him telling about his feelings. Sam, the one who had been against him this entire time, found his attitude changing. “Cry me a river. Like you need to listen to this. Guess you were right about me, Sam. It’s hard to walk the straight and narrow.”

“Well, when you get back up here, we're gonna fix all that, okay?” Dean told the vampire, knowing it was the least he could do. Benny found the promise of coming back to the place he just admitted to not fitting in rather odd. “Yeah, you find the portal, and your ride out of Purgatory with Y/N just like you did with me, okay? As soon as I send you back, we’re gonna haul our asses up to Maine, and we’re gonna be waiting there for you when you get topside.”

“Yeah. That sounds like a plan, chief.” Benny lied to the man, smiling at the promise of getting himself back to normal. “Let's get on with it.”

“You sure about this?” Dean asked, wanting to be ready for the final go ahead before he was about to kill his friend and send him back to that wasteland.

“Not my first rodeo, man.” Benny reassured the hunter for what he was about to do.

Dean inhaled a deep breath and walked over to the Impala, reaching inside the backseat to pull out a machete; the only thing to do this properly. A clean cut across the neck. It sounded simple enough, but doing it was going to be the most painful part of it. Sam swallowed at what Benny was willingly agreeing to. He stepped forward to the vampire and outstretched his hand. He wanted to show his gratitude at the things Benny was putting himself through for someone he only met twice. And for a friend he had to cut ties with for the sake of his family not being torn apart. Maybe Sam was wrong about Benny. He wasn’t that bad of a guy, after all.

“Thank you.” Sam said, his voice was filled with sincerity.

“Y/N is your family.” Benny shrugged it off, as if this was going to be a walk in the park for him. At least that’s what it sounded like in his voice. Sam could see the emotion in Benny’s face, but he was doing his best to keep a strong face. Family, a friend that was there for them through the worst of times. The thing the Winchesters didn’t have much of anymore. Benny once had someone he called family. Sam had destroyed that relationship for him. “Besides, she saved my ass a few times. The least I could do.”

The machete felt heavier in Dean's hand than the other times he held it to this. He couldn't shake off this terrible feeling sitting in the center of his chest. He approached Benny and outstretched his hand for him to shake. Benny grabbed ahold of it, only to pull him into a tight hug as friends do. Dean mumbled what felt to be the hundredth time of him thanking his friend for the selfless act he was doing. Both men pulled away to step back into their respective spots, Sam lingered a safe distance away. For someone who didn't like Benny from the first time he met him, he felt guilty as his brother for asking to do such a thing.

"Well, come on." Benny spoke up after a few grueling long seconds. He cracked a smile, trying to help ease the hesitation. "You a wimp?"

There was no going back with the plan; Dean inhaled a deep breath, and without thinking twice about it, swung the machete up and sliced right through Benny's neck. The brothers watched as the vampire's head slowly slid off his body and fell to the pavement. It'd be no time until Benny found himself back in Purgatory where the first step of this plan would come into action. The boys wasted no time in cleaning up the mess and getting themselves up to Maine where they nervously hoped to be greeted with two familiar faces and a soul that needed to go where he rightfully belonged.

+ + +

You were doing everything in your power not to freak yourself with the thought that you might be longer than you anticipated here. Forever was what your mind was tricking you into thinking. You nervously swallowed down the anxiety and calm yourself down with the thought that the boys were probably coming up with a way to get you out of this. But how? There were only two ways to get yourself into this place; if you were a monster. And you knew of a rogue reaper who forgot about the strict timeframe he stuck you on. You had a feeling Ajay wasn't going to be picking you up. Which meant you were stranded here in Monsterland until you figured out a way out of here before it was too late.

"Dean spent a year in this place?" Bobby asked in disbelief. You told him about the repercussions of killing a leviathan and standing too close to him. The consequences left Cas and the older Winchester to be stuck in this monster version of hell. Trying to survive and find their way out, thanks to a friendly vampire. You had a feeling Benny was one of a kind. All the monsters here were too busy killing one another to form an alliance

“Running and fighting, all day, everyday." You said. "It took him a while to come back down to reality. This place messed up pretty badly. Honestly, I can't blame him. It’s only been a day and this place is giving me the creeps.”

"Must have been hell on Sam for not being able to get him out all that time." Bobby said. You winced slightly at what you heard the older Winchester say, you turned your gaze away from him to hide the disappointing answer you had to give him. Bobby was smart enough to put the pieces together. "Sam did try, didn't he?"

"Look, Bobby," You let out a sigh from how he was going to react at the truth you were going to have to tell him. While you didn't agree with the actions Sam took, you felt it would have been hypocritical from what you did. So you tried to defend him the best you could. "We all have an agreement on when these things happen, okay?"

"I know that agreement. I thought those boys that agreement. That's a non-agreement." Bobby, rightfully so, took the information with anger at the actions Sam had done. He turned his back on his own family. Something none of you had ever done. You gave him a defeated look at how he let his own brother suffer for a year, feeling partially responsible for how things turned out. The few months you came back were rocky, almost the point you feared nothing would be the same again. And while they were talking about it always brought up undelt emotions. "I get the feeling a lot must have happened while I was gone."

You scoffed at the understatement he had given the situation. It was a complicated mess that ended with both of the brothers having to sever ties with two people they grew closer to over the year of their absence from another. At times you wondered if the situation was fixed after all. You wanted to tell Bobby more about it, but you forgot for a second about where you were currently at the moment. Standing around in Purgatory of all places like a bunch of sitting ducks. This was how you got yourself killed. Bobby managed to warn you about the company approaching you. You let out a frustrated sigh at the sight of three monsters heading towards you.

Without a moment of hesitation, you quickly swung your weapon and decapitated the monster before he could harm you first. You turned your head in time to see the second one attacked Bobby, and before the older man could be killed for another time, you came to his rescue and killed the monster. While you had managed to take down two of the threats, you had no time at all to figure out the third one was behind you, ready to attack. But before he could lay even a finger on you, someone else joined the fight and grabbed the creature, throwing him down to the ground to take care of it himself.

The commotion didn’t go unnoticed by Bobby, who saw another monster with his teeth ripping into the flesh of the one who tried to attack you. To the older hunter all he could think was how this was survival of the fittest, you and him were just a piece of meat for these monsters to either eat or kill, even if it meant killing others to get his hands on you. But that wasn’t the case for the person who you saw. Right as Bobby was about to take a swing at the creature who saved your life, you managed to stop him.

“Bobby, no, no, wait! Wait! Wait!” You grabbed ahold of his arm and somehow managed to pin it up in the best as you could, giving the creature a chance to stand back up to his feet. You watched as Benny Lafitte, a vampire you hadn’t seen months, spit out the blood from his mouth, showing off his fangs as he got up to a standing position. You blinked, not sure how you should feel about seeing a familiar face. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Benny’s response made you feel partially relieved at the circumstances at how he got himself a one way ticket to Purgatory. “Dean sent me.”

“Dean?” Bobby repeated the name of the man who would have never done such a thing, being friends with a vampire. You somehow managed to hold him off before he could do something stupid by hurting Benny like he wanted. He was angry, and rightfully so. Hunters weren’t buddy-buddy with monsters. Especially not for someone like a Winchester. “Not my Dean.”

“Well, hate to break even more bad news to you...but he’s a buddy of Dean’s.” You said, growing slightly at how you were the one to give Bobby all the bad news about his boys and all their poor choices after he left.

“A good buddy.” Benny clarified. You turned your head to give the vampire a glare, his remarks weren’t helping the situation.

“A freaking vampire?” Bobby asked in disbelief from what he was hearing. He turned his attention towards you, wondering how all of this came about. You shrugged your shoulders at the lack of a proper answer you could give him to explain this mess. “Well, you three really went off the rails while I was gone, didn't you?”

You could only let out a quiet sigh from how the truth was coming out all at once, with familiar faces you didn’t expect to see...well, ever again. It was your idea for the boys to cut out people from the past for good. Amelia and Benny were people you never thought you were going to meet or see. It was for the sake of the family and getting the boys back on what mattered the most; which was the three of you. The family who had always been there for one another through thick and thin. At least that’s what you thought. Since the beginning of the year you had gone through a roller coaster of highs and lows, but never did you expect it was going to end up like

You had to admit you liked Benny, from his charming southern accent to how he seemed like no creature you met before. Maybe it was because he saved Dean a few times from getting himself stuck here forever and got him free. You only met him twice, and while he seemed innocent enough, you couldn’t form a friendship with him. Because not only was it the wrong thing to do as a hunter, having Benny in your life caused more trouble than it was worth. You weren’t sure how Sam got on board with the idea in the first place. He hated Benny’s guts more than anything. Desperate times call putting his trust in vampires. Benny was the only one who could get you out of Purgatory.

Your legs were starting to ache from all the walking around and fighting you weren't used to doing in your condition, making it feel almost impossible that you were going to make it towards this escape route. Much as you wanted to lie down and sleep, you pushed yourself to keep walking, knowing you had to do this. There was no way you were going to quit when you were so close to the finish line. While you managed to keep up with Benny, you found a lingering awkward tension between the both of you. Maybe it was just how you were approaching all of this and thinking too much about it.

“Benny, listen—I think you’re a good guy. Don't get me wrong." You said, breaking the silence that fell between the three of you. “And I know you saved Dean's ass a few times down here, and I respect that."

"Yeah, and now I'm trying to save yours." Benny replied back to you, stopping you from letting him down easy about how you appreciated his help in all of this. You stopped walking when he did as well, Benny chuckled to himself at how all of this was playing out for him. "You know, I'm a disgrace to my own people."

“No offense, but your people aren’t exactly the friendliest.” You said. Benny shrugged off your remark as he began looking around the place, as if he was trying to find something. “How much more walking are we gonna have to do?”

Benny examined the area once more to make sure it was exactly as he remembered it from the last time he was here. "Yeah, this is the place."

"The seam that gets us back on top?" Bobby asked, the vampire nodded his head. You furrowed your brow slightly, not sure what you were expecting to find that was going to get you back to earth. It seemed the older hunter had better eyes than you had. "Is that it?"

You followed Bobby's gaze over and up towards what was going to be your escape out of here; you swallowed slightly at seeing the portal that was your ticket back home where you belonged. Where your family was eagerly waiting for you. "Yeah, that's it." Benny said. "You two remember what I told you?"

"Yeah. All right, Bobby, here it goes." You said, telling him what the plan was going to be. "When we get to earth and I release you, there's no time for goodbyes."

"Already said my goodbyes to you once, Y/N. Didn't seem to take. No reason I won't be seeing you and that kid again somewhere down the road. But if they give me a rocking chair up there, I’m raising hell.” Bobby said. You felt your lips stretch into a faint smile, hoping it might be true. Stranger things in your life happened. "Take care of yourself and those boys, Y/N. Be the best mother you can be to this kid. And don't ever doubt for a second you can't do this. Because I know you can. You and Dean are gonna make perfect parents.”

You know you didn’t have to tell him once again that you were going to miss him and how you wished things were different. You managed to squeeze in one last hug from Bobby, the both of you shared one last moment together before you had to get started on finishing this second trial. Bobby cut along his forearm with the demon knife before handing it over to you to do the same. You began chanting the words Kevin told you to do in order for this to work and grabbed ahold of Bobby's wrist, him doing the same. You weren't sure how it was going to feel when his soul was transferred into your body. You managed to work through the strange feelings and get yourself to focus long enough to hand over the demon knife to Benny.

"All right. Come on, Benny. It's your turn." You said, reaching out your arm further for him to grab the knife. Benny responded with a look, the kind that you didn't like. You let out a frustrated sigh from how he was hesitating. "If you're worried about me, don’t. I’m fine. Just hurry up."

"Benny." You heard a voice coming from behind you, making you turn around to see you had more company. You guessed the three filthy people approaching you were vampires. And they weren’t happy to see their own associating himself with someone like you.

“Go on. It’s me they want. Go on. You just make sure you tell Dean I said goodbye.” Benny gave you a request that seemed fair enough. Every part of you didn’t want to leave him alone in this place. But he was used to it after spending decades here. It was his home, in a strange sort of way. There was no pretending to be who he was. “I was never good up there anyway.”

"Benny, wait!" You called out to the vampire, knowing you had something he would need in order to win the fight. You threw the weapon you stole from another monster towards him, hoping it would give him luck to survive in these parts for however long he wanted to stay here. You let out a sigh from how you could nothing else for him, despite all the things he'd done for you and Dean.

Much as you wanted to lend out a helping hand to Benny and change his mind about sticking around here, you weren't going to blow your one chance at getting the hell out of here. You made your way towards the hill and climbed up to the portal that was your ticket out of this joint for good. You were high above now that gave you a better view of Purgatory. You looked ahead to see you might be able to find Benny, and when you did, you felt your heart sink in fear at what you saw. You opened your mouth to call out the vampire's name when one of the other creatures tackled him to the ground. Before any noise came out of your mouth, you were sucked through, and spit straight back to the real world.

[Next Part]

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viampythonissam · 5 years

Text

Intro, continued...

It was then I became obsessed with death and the occult, desperately trying to make contact with my grandfather through anything possible. Being clairaudient, I was expecting to hear a message from my grandfather all throughtout the whole funeral and mourning period, but to no avail. So in my desparation, I went into research, and stumbled upon things such as the ouija, seances, and many more. I even considered dabbling into necromancy, just in order to hear from him again. His death broke me so much that I was for the most time wishing I were dead too. I had suicidal thoughts but somehow something has prevented me from attempting. It could be I'm too chicken to hurt myself (getting hurt by other things besides self-infliction doesn't scare me though) or the thought of my mother crying over my dead body is another thing that would crush my heart.

I started questioning my religious beliefs then. We were Roman Catholics, and we go to church, but not too often. I am very religious though when I was a child, having been schooled in a private Catholic school, and I know all the prayers by heart; but it all changed. I felt resentment for praying so hard but never getting answered. That everything happens for a reason. A reason still so vague to me to this day, which I continue to believe was the same reason of the breaking apart of this family and eventual downfall. The family is in ruins, and the family home is crumbling apart. My father's only brother, my uncle Aldrin, died a little over two years after my grandfather; and his widow and only child, my cousin, was estranged ever since then, because of inheritance issues. My father decided to sell the house, my childhood home because of this; splitting the family fortune already so that we can all go off our separate ways and stop the bickering. The only thing that's keeping him from doing so is my grandmother who is still so attached to the house built by my grandfather.

At 16, I eventually traversed my way into the craft, dabbling on it. There was a kind of pull into these mystics that appealed to someone like me. Was it power? Was it danger? Mystery, perhaps? Or maybe I just got all too familiar with the unknown for me to be comfortable chasing after it? This craft, shunned by my faith since the dawn of time and even killed tons of people because of it, felt like home to me; learning it felt like retracing my steps back from where I came from. There was a sense of calm, relief, and freedom learning the ways of the earth, elements, and spirits and those who came before. Its unrestrictive nature was a stark contrast to the repressive and dominating teachings of the Catholic scriptures. Wherein Christianity demands a million things to do and not to do to save your soul, the craft only ever wanted you to do anything you want, just as long you harm none, even yourself. I have a lot of arguments to make against my old faith, that's why I consider myself an agnostic in all fairness. That's a topic for another day.

When I got to college at 17, I applied for nursing school under my father's wishes. It was in my misfortune to be enrolled in a school with a toxic environment of sorts: unhealthy clinic hours, unreasonable school workload, toxic Christian classmates who bombarded me everyday with bible verses and inviting me to join Sunday worship thingies. I am very respectful of other's beliefs and opinions but I really have a bone to pick with the Born Agains because upon knowing I am interested in dark movies and occult, they've started telling me that the Devil has a grip on my soul and that I should stop it so that my soul can be saved. They're even worse than the Mormons and Witnesses who knock on your door at certain days. I'd just ignore it and they'll go but BAs will stop at nothing to guiltify me of being possessed and that I need deliverance. It was also the time my parents went to Australia for work because of the failing finances due to to my late grandfather's hospital expenses, my uncle meeting his untimely demise, and my uncle's greedy widow who already demanded their inheritance even though my grandmother was still alive. My best friends of highschool also attended different schools and pursued different career pathways which left me feeling more isolated and unsure of myself. These issues fed my undiagnosed depression and relapse of suicidal thoughts all throughout my 4 years in nursing school. It was a mix of emotions, a rollercoaster ride of disappointments, achievements, first-time experiences, full independence. All without a proper support system. Nevertheless, I grew wiser while treading the craft, and for the first time since I lost my grandfather, I felt safe and sound and complete.

Then I met my elementary school sweetheart again in my final year and we became a couple. He was a sweet guy, smart and responsible. We had our similarities, our quirks, but we also had differences. I was already quite a learned witch, studying tarot and palmistry as my supposed-to-be expertise, when he told me how he wanted to be baptised as a Born Again (he and his family are Roman Catholics as well). He told me how he was deeply affected by the one time he went to a worship service of his friend's church. This struck a chord in me, a subtle reference to my beliefs. At the time, I have fully believed he is the man I'm gonna settle for, the one I'm gonna marry. He's everything I have hoped for then: he's finished school, on his way to a very decent career on a ship as a marine engineer. He's from a good family as well. Well-mannered, and not to mention that we've got a pretty long history way back when we we're 10 or so. He even made a subtle proposal of a civil marriage before he hops on board the ship. I know it was betrayal of myself, but I love this man so much so, I am ready to submit myself to him.

Worst decision of my life. I started to try and mingle with Christians so I may understand just why I needed to be saved. I joined worship services and sang with them against my own beliefs. I taught myself to be like them just so I could fit in, so that I may have friends. In return, they've burned all my books and tarot decks. Even my Slipknot t-shirt that my grandmother bought me was not spared from the Christian pyre. Said that it's to release me from the grip of the Devil. They even did deliverance to me. For a while I thought I was given a new lease on life and that this is the only right thing to do. I was easily convinced since it was the most trying time of my life so far: I was killing myself reviewing for the nursing licensure exams, my parents are already coming to get us and live away in Australia for good, my bf and I hit rock bottom and broke up (the girl who is the 3rd party confessed to me that they're having an affair, and that she was so guilty she can't sleep at night knowing we are good friends and they're doing this behind my back, also I've noticed red flags about him that made me doubt him a bit. I factored everything and the dots connected like a damn constellation so I've called it quits), and I was caught in an identity crisis because of inner turmoil. Maybe it was a time of personal upheaval and the mix of situations was too much for me to handle. Maybe it was a good thing though that I never got baptised because my life just got much more complicated after that.

So I did pass the licensures, ex and I never got together again, I went to live to Australia, but I never recovered from the inner turmoil thing; which made me spiral down again the depression lane, this time in its dangerous, ugliest and darkest recesses. I was fighting with my parents which I never did before, I was angry all the time. I started drinking then and I was exhausted all the time I just want to sleep. All the activities I've enjoyed before like sketching, playing the piano, afternoon strolls, and cooking for the family, I've totally lost interest in. My health deteriorated and I cut off and isolated myself from my friends overseas, ignoring their messages and emails. I tried to cope up by immersing myself in Christian songs and scriptures but it was not enough. I was still empty and numb. I was like a zombie, waking up just enough not to get late for work, then go home after, eat unhealthily, play video games, chug a bottle or two of beer, surf the net for worthless and trivial things, and sleep very late, like around 3 to 5 am, only to wake up again a few hours later for work. This was a vicious daily cycle that went on for 4 years. The only reprieve I had was my video games, and my sombre playlist, just enough to block the deafening screams of suicidal thoughts and ideations before I go to sleep. There was also a time I was going home from my internship waiting for the train home, that I thought of just jumping on the train tracks to end the struggle and pain. I was more than ready to attempt as I felt braver now. That was the time I lost all fear for death. Hell, I was ready to buy a rope at Bunnings too as well. But at the back of my head, the same sad picture of my mother crying over my dead body stops me from doing such thing. They said the deliverance was supposed to stop these things, but guess what? It was it that brought it back. It was supposed to keep the demons away, but it did the opposite, and felt so trapped in a cage of deceit and lies. I was supposed to be saved, but why did it felt like I was dying?

It was then I pondered over everything that's happened in my life so far. Where did I fall, where did I stand tall, where did I pick myself up? I thought long and hard enough and decided to start off where it began to crumble: back home. Retracing my steps back to Manila, now 25, I found my old stuff in my old room, before things happened. It reminded me of my simple life and my freedom and innocence. Back when I had complete control of my life. Back when I was the master of my fate. I let the people around me convince me that the man from the sky take the wheel, and it damn well crashed. A head-on collision with a destructive force. I decided to go back to my roots, the one where I felt best. And embracing it tighter than ever and promising to never betray it anymore for any reason.

My ex is now preparing to marry his girlfriend of 3 years. We met accidentally and forgave him already. I'm happy for him and that hopefully his happiness continue on. My old friends are still my friends, but there's already a notable gap between which I do not intend to close at all anymore. I do have new friends now and I keep a healthy distance from them whilst making a worthwhile connection. I am now preparing to enter med school in August and become a surgeon someday. The old house is in shambles, and I realized that a house is not a home, but the family that lives in it. I miss my parents and that my family will always come first, but I am happy to be more independent now and live by myself while studying medicine. Things are well between me and my cousin (my late uncle's child) and that I have forgiven his mother already for the hurt and trouble that they caused us. We see each other as he visits me and grandmother here at the old house every 2 months. When BAs, Mormons, and other religions try to do bible study to me, I am now assertive to tell them that I am agnostic and that I am firm in my beliefs. I am now recovering from my self-destructive ways and more optimistic and living healthier. Love is around, but it felt to me that I have lots to undertake first before I commit myself to someone again. I have backlogged so much that my time has to be devoted to the craft, my family and myself first before anything else. I am trying hard to pick up all the pieces and it seems things are finally going back in its right place. And the craft, after all these years, welcomed me back with open arms without any questions, like a mother does to her child. The sun, moon and the stars never shone brighter before, the day I returned home and answered its longing call.

Now. I have to let this off my chest now once and for all. Pleasure. Why is it a sin to pursue whatever makes you happy? Why must you endure pain just so you can be saved? Isn't that a crooked logic? Why must you be averse to your own will just so you get into a good place in the afterlife? I am only human, I am flawed, but it isn't my fault because I was born and created this way. Why must I be punished for something that is natural for me? If being free and happy costs me a one-way ticket to Hell, then I'd best be off. If my witchcraft, which teaches the opposite of your tyrannic religion, is a surefire way to deliver me there, then I'll make sure I will be a remarkable witch and enjoy my lifetime, and be very ecstatic to march down the fiery highway to Hell after I am gone. But I will never again submit myself to a narcissistic, psychopathic religion who has to kill millions of innocent people, and shun and humiliate people who think in contrast, just to justify and preach the existence of their god and its scriptures. My argument does not end with this and I will not back down anymore in defending my faith.

The craft is my world, and nature is my home. I am a daughter of those who came before, of those who are truly enlightened, of those you can never ever kill. I am a witch, and you can never take that away from me again.

*** Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading, if you did. I hope you had something to take from my story and may it help you with whatever is botheringvor troubling you right now.

May the journey of life be kind to us all. Blessed be! ❤

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eurusholmmes · 6 years

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free to be you and me| c.g.

Well, I already wrote this once before my computer updated itself, but I hope you guys enjoy!

Prompt: Requested by Anon - Hello!I just wanted to say I just love your account and your imagines like queen you slay ❤ I was wondering if you could a Carl x Reader Imagine where they find MP3 player and list to songs such as Still into you by Paramore and Troublemaker by Olly Murs and dance around sing and be dorks together?And by the end of the day the talk about the pros and cons of the life before the apocalypse on a roof?💕

Songs used are Troublemaker by Olly Murs

Still Into You by Paramore

Dawn fell upon Alexandria much quicker then anticipated, bringing a sense of relief that spread over its people as the last of the bodies were buried and the walkers burned. It had been a rough few days trying to recover from the herd that had broken down its walls, pulling the citizens of the community together to rebuild it.

Unfortunately, this also included the children - Which boiled down to you and Carl being split apart by Rick and Michonne so you didn’t distract each other while you were working. After a grueling three hours of digging graves and burying the ones who had lost their lives, Michonne and Daryl had thought it best to gift you with what Glenn had found several weeks prior; An IPod that had been synced with some of your favorite bands.

“You’ve had this how long?”

“Six weeks, maybe less.” Daryl replied from behind the cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Glenn wanted to give it to ya way before the herd even became an issue. I told him to stick it-” The hunter grunted under his breath when you threw a punch into his arm and sprinted down the street towards the house without a second thought. It had been so long since you’d heard music, your heart was actually racing with anticipation over hearing music that you loved. With your past as a contemporary dancer, you were aching to release your stress into dance.

“Rick!” You called out, quietly shutting the door behind you as you tiptoed into the kitchen where former Sheriff Rick Grimes was bent over a high chair with Judith, who was giggling wildly as she shoved the spoon of baby food at her father. “Has Carl come back from his shift yet? I have somethin’ I wanna show him.”

“He’s been pretty frazzled since he almost got hit by that bullet. Sent him home earlier this morning, so he’s probably sleeping.” Rick replied, wincing as pain seared the left side of his bandaged head. While you had not been witness to the demise of the Anderson family, Carl had told you that Rick had managed to somehow curve around him despite the distance and got grazed in the process.

You crept up the stairs and into the hall, peering through the slightly cracked door. Sunlight filtered through the slate grey curtains on the windows and illuminated Carls face in a ray of gold, his hair dripping water as he exited the bathroom.

The eldest Grimes smiled softly at the sight of you dressed in his navy blue flannel, your y/h/c hair pulled back into a loose braid behind your shoulders and your skin reeking of gunpowder and smoke. You were still the most beautiful part of waking up every morning and his favorite thing to look at before he went to sleep at night.

“Hey. Heard you come in the house, wanted to get the blood cleaned off my gorgeous body.” He flashed a sultry smirk at you, noting the way your eyes focused on the planes of his torso. “Did you have something you wanted to show me?”

You grinned widely and reached into your back pocket, producing the silver IPod before you motioned to his half clothed body. “Get dressed and then meet me in that abandoned back room, okay?” Carl nodded quickly and turned to his dresser as you disappeared down the hall to the last bedroom on the right. It had been a guest room until someone had died in it, who you didn’t know, but the furniture had been cleaned out and all that remained was a blood stain in the corner by the closet.

Can’t count the years on one hand that we’ve been together I need the other one to hold you Make you feel, make you feel better

“Where on Earth did you find an IPod?” Carl questioned as he leaned against the doorway, now clad in one of Noahs old Nirvana shirts and a pair of loose fitting faded denim jeans. “And.. I’ve heard this before. Who sings this?”

You motioned him deeper into the room with a bony finger as you slowly began to sway your hips to the song. “I heard it on the radio alot whenever my mom and I would be in the car. It reminded her of Dad, and even after he died, she still listened to this song like it was her drug.” You smiled sadly as your mind flashed to the last time you had seen your mother - When she had been violently ripped away from you by the walker version of your brother. Screaming violently, she had gripped the doorway of your front porch so hard that her blood had been shed on the wood, and the last thing you saw was the pure terror on her face before she was taken from you.

You hadn’t been able to save her.

It’s not a walk in the park to love each other But when our fingers interlock, can’t deny, can’t deny, you’re worth it

“Hey.” Carl whispered lowly in your ear as he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you flush against his body. You instinctively nuzzled your face into his shoulder, feeling his skin beneath the tip of your nose until you came to rest comfortably in the crook. “It’s just us now. No walkers, no blood, no death. We’re free to be you and me.”

‘Cause after all this time I’m still into you

Age 7

Recount the night that I first met your mother

One of your favorite memories was the first time you and your mother had come across Lori and Carl Grimes upon your first day of first grade. You and Carl were enrolled in the same elementary school and somehow ended up in the same class. Some people called it coincidence.

You called it fate.

“Can we be best friends forever?” You cheered, extending your hand in a fist to bump his own. Never mind the fact that his other friends had never done it to him before, but the fact that a girl like you wanted to be friends with him sent his heart into a tizzy.

“Best friends till we part!”

And on the drive back to my house I told you that, I told you that I loved ya

Age 10

Lori grinned at you from the drivers seat as she parked her Suburban in the driveway of your family cottage. Carl was sitting quietly beside you as you rushed to unbuckle your seatbelt and gripped the handle of your backpack, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek in the heat of the moment before you were standing outside the car and staring at him so intently with your y/e/c eyes he was sure his heart was going to explode.

“Love you Carl!”

Age 16

And now here you stood; You’d survived the start of the end of the world, one war, multiple deaths, multiple herds of walkers. You were here with the people you loved, the boy you loved.. Safe, protected, you were home after so long trying to find one.

You felt the weight of the world fall off the shoulder And to your favorite song we sang along, to the start of forever

“Can I tell you something?” You murmured, lifting your head to gaze up at his icy blue eyes. Carl nodded softly and rested his forehead against your own, releasing a shuddering breath as your fingers wound into his hair. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

He nodded again, much softer this time, as the song changed to a much more upbeat tune. You weren’t nearly as familiar with this one, but it immediately lightened the mood as you and Carl parted from one another - and began to dance.

“You haven’t stopped telling me since we met!”

The two of you were immediately interrupted when Tara of all people burst into the room, her eyes alit as she pointed to the dock. “This song is legendary!” She cried. “Olly Murs blessed us with this song!!” She flailed her arms at the two teenagers. “C’mon, children! Dance with me!”

Why does it feel so good

But hurt so bad

My mind keep sayin’ run as fast as you can

In those five minutes that Troublemaker blasted through the room, you found yourself lost in the reality of the tune. Your arms seemed to move on their own, your feet in sync with the rest of your body as you fell back into your old habits from before the Turn - creating the choreography with every beat of the drum and note of the electric guitar.

I say I’m done but then you pull me back

I swear you’re givin’ me a heart attack

Troublemaker

By the time the song had ended, you were covered in a sheen of sweat and smiling so beautifully that Tara was sure your face would remain that way. You and Carl decided to unwind by taking a pile of blankets and spreading them across the awning outside the bedroom window, huddling in each others body warmth as the afternoon was quickly met with dusk and a cool breeze swept the stench of the dead away from the Safe Zone.

You spent almost two and a half hours talking about what the world had been once upon a time, what you missed, and what you looked forward to if you managed to survive tomorrow. You only had one reoccuring thought the entire time.

“Carl?”

Carl tucked his arm behind his head and used the opposite one to sling it across your waist. “Yeah?”

“I’m gonna marry you one day.”

He simply smiled and kissed the top of your forehead. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Guess what? Tucked into a tiny box beneath his mattress is a gold engagement ring with a sapphire tucked into the center. He’s saving it for a special occasion.

#carl grimes #carl grimes x reader #The Walking Dead #TWD #The Walking Dead oneshots #The Walking Dead imagines #Kayla Grace writes imagines #Character: Rick Grimes

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