#After a year of business days we are finally meeting again yippee

[stars-and-cows]

Made a drawing for my irl best friend who has birthday today!

Gonna make her cry a bit lmao

[absolutepokemontrash]

MC’s Half Demon and They Look Awfully Familiar Lessons 18-20

Series Masterlist

T-the season finale… *sniffle* it’s been a wild ride y’all… I’ve never actually written and stuck through with something for so long, so this is a real achievement for me! I really hope you guys have enjoyed this completely weird fluffy/angsty/mildly crackhead adventure! Please enjoy the last part!

All is well, the family is back together, everyone’s fine, the school year is almost over-

Wait, the school year is almost over?

Upon realizing that, everyone settled into a state of mild panic.

MC couldn’t just leave, they were part of the family! An integral part! They were the only thing keeping everyone from murdering each other during family game night!

As for Lucifer’s personal feelings on the matter, things were… tough.

When the exchange program was announced, Lucifer expected it to end like most of Diavolo’s ideas: annoying to clean up, it certainly couldn’t have ended worse than when he and the Crown Prince ended up getting cursed to hold hands for 25 hours straight. What Lucifer didn’t expect was for a child he didn’t even know he had to end up as the human exchange student and for his entire life to be thrown out of whack. That child of his was busy finishing up their final paper of the year.

“Hey, father,” MC looked up from their paper with a cheeky smile. “Do you think that the next exchange student will be as fun as me?”

“I sincerely hope not.” Lucifer sighed, continuing to sift through his paperwork on his desk. “Your kind of ‘excitement’ has completely worn me out.”

“Aw,” MC giggled, then went back to work. “So you don’t want me to stay here then?”

Lucifer stiffened and looked up from his paperwork. “Don’t put words in my mouth, MC.”

“So you do want me to stay. Interesting~” MC said as they began to sweep the eraser shavings off their paper. “Well, if you want me to stay so badly, you could have just asked.”

“P-pardon?” Lucifer blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. “You want to stay?”

“Since you’d be so sad without me, I guess I just have to don’t I?” MC stood suddenly and slapped their finished essay on Lucifer’s desk. “The sacrifices I make for this family, I swear!”

We stand with you, MC, sacrifice your sanity for your weird-ass familia.

Anyway, Lucifer was thrilled that MC wanted to stay with him in the Devildom, the problem was… MC’s other parent may not have been too keen to just give up their baby.

You know, the demon child they raised all by themselves, with no help from Lucifer because he didn’t know MC existed…

Someone get MC’s ren on the phone! Stat!

“Alright dear little brothers of mine, listen closely because I’m not repeating this.” Lucifer looked over the living room couches at the other six rulers of hell. Belphie was sprawled out on one of the couches and was drooling all over Beel’s lap, Satan was making a point to look as disinterested as possible and kept sneaking glances at the book he was holding, and Mammon was wrestling Levi dangerously close to where Asmo was filing his nails.

Sighing in defeat, Lucifer continued. If any of his brothers misbehaved he couldn’t say he didn’t warn them. “MC‘s parent will be coming to visit.”

Everyone’s attention snapped to Lucifer. Wonderful.

“They’ll be staying for a few days and will decide if it’s in MC’s best interest to primarily stay in the Devildom from now on.”

Asmodeus slowly raised a hand. “Luciiiiiiferrrr!”

“Asmo, is your question overly personal in nature?”

The Avatar of lust brought a manicured nail to his cheek and daintily tapped it. “Mmm… I don’t think so.”

“Ask.”

“How long were you and MC’s parent dating for? Won’t it be awkward to be around your ex?”

Lucifer dragged a gloved hand down his face. “It was a one night thing.”

“Really?” Asmo knitted his eyebrows in confusion. “It wasn’t a long drawn out forbidden romance? You must have had some Olympic swimmers down there!”

“Okay!” Lucifer clapped his hands. “Add that to the list of things Asmo is not allowed to say.”

“We have to take something off the list then…” Beel said through handfuls of chips. “The list’s full.”

“Fine,” Lucifer grumbled. “He can say [CENSORED] again.”

“Yippee! [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED]”

The group collectively groaned as Asmo continued to spout his profane nonsense.

“What did I just walk in on..?” MC stood in the doorway to the living room, still in their PJs.

“Oh, MC, your parent’s coming over to stay for a few days.” Lucifer quickly explained.

MC’s face morphed from confusion to horror. “What does that have to do with [CENSORED]?!”

This house is a FUCKING NIGHTMARE-

Anyway, after the initial confusion/horror, MC got really excited and rushed off to get ready. Meanwhile, the boys solemnly swore that they would be on their best behaviour!

Everyone needed to convince MC’s parent that everything in the Devildom was perfectly safe and that their little hellspawn was in good responsible hands.

Mammon tried to come up with a plan in case MC wasn’t allowed to stay with them, and let’s just say it involved kidnapping. But like- a chill kind of kidnapping where MC would be totally fine.

This idea was immediately shot down in favour of Beel’s plan B.

Beel would just… eat MC’s parent. No biggie, right?

Lucifer shot that one down the moment he heard it.

The only accepted plan for if MC wasn’t allowed to stay was just letting them go. They’d visit the Devildom. A lot. Many visits would be necessary.

So, the hour of MC’s ren’s arrival had come, and the student council assembled to greet them.

Greet the human. The completely non magical human. Greet them and then let them see the Devildom…

Was this exchange program really that good of an idea..?

MC frantically attempted to do some last minute fixes to their hair as they sat themselves down in their seat in the Assembly Hall. Ugh… stupid hair…

“Why are you so nervous?” Satan asked. “Is our visitor a neat freak basket case?”

“No!” MC huffed. “They’re not! I’m just making myself presentable so they don’t think I’ve gone completely feral down here.”

“Well, feral no, crazy, yes. Have you seen yourself lately?” Belphie snickered.

“SHUT UP BELPHIE.”

“Would you all be quiet?” Lucifer snapped. “You’re all acting like children.”

“I am a child.” MC snapped back. “What’s Belphie’s excuse?”

Belphie’s retort was cut off by the portal opening and a figure leisurely floating to the ground. They had an open parasol in their right hand that seemed to be aiding their gentle descent, and a large container full of what smelled like cookies tucked into their left side. The moment their toes touched the floor, the human gracefully closed their parasol and gave the assembled demons a sparkling smile and a polite bow.

“Thank you for allowing me the honour to visit,” the human’s voice was as soft and sweet as Cotton candy. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet the princes of hell themselves.”

:D yay!

After floating down from the sky like Mary Poppins, MC lost all sense of propriety and ran over to tackle their ren into a hug. It was that kind of thing where you really miss someone but you don’t realize exactly how much until you get to see them again.

Lucifer was, of course, the picture of elegance and “this isn’t awkward at all”-ness.

MC’s parent didn’t even seem to be all that concerned with the fact that their baby daddy was, y'know, LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR. THE MOST POMPOUS FUCKWAD IN THE DEVILDOM.

Please don’t tell him I said that, he’s still mad about the Go Fund Me…

MC was absolutely ecstatic to finally show their parent how much they’ve grown in terms of their demonic powers and all the friends they had made, but MC’s ren was more concerned with how much they had grown in terms of their height.

“You’re just so tall now,” MC’s ren giggled as they fixed their child’s hair. “You’ll get things off of shelves for me, won’t you?”

“Yeah yeah,” MC said, rolling their eyes good naturedly. “Like you can’t reach anything in your kitchen.”

“Okay,” Mammon, Satan, Levi, Belphie, and Beel were lagging behind Lucifer, MC, their parent, and Diavolo. “Change of plans, we ain’t eatin’ ‘em, we’re keepin’ ‘em.”

“We were never going to eat them in the first place, idiot.” Satan sneered. “And what’s with the change of tune? You were ready to wage war on the human world fifteen minutes ago.”

“…cookies happened.” Mammon mumbled. He had only gotten one of the human’s totally amazing offerings before Beel proceeded to eat everything. The cookie was perfect… so delicious…

“I say we keep the human.” Beel put a hand on his stomach. “I want more human world cookies.”

“They’re so cute too…” Asmo cooed. “A solid 10/10, and that’s such a rare ranking coming from the only 20/10 in existence!”

“Asmo, your vanity never ceases to make me want to roll over and-” Belphie’s insult was interrupted by him passing out and letting out a cartoonishly loud snore. It was a good thing Beel was able to quickly catch and throw Belphie over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

“Asmo has a point, they’re just so totally moe! Kawaii to the highest degree! That parasol, the homemade cookies, it’s just like something from a slice of life anime!” Levi squee-ed.

“So it’s settled, we treat ‘em nice, then we get ‘em to stay.” Mammon nodded to the rest of his brothers, who for the first time in the Demon King knows how long, his little brothers nodded back in full seriousness. They were actually doing a Mammon plan! Holy shit!

So, the brothers liked MC’s ren, what about Diavolo and Barbatos?

Well, MC’s ren had heard all about Barbatos’ amazing cooking from MC and Barb’s totally outstanding reputation, so the two got along swimmingly.

Dia. Loved. That. Human. They’re cute???? They’re sweet???? They brought COOKIES???! They don’t seem to be afraid of him at all????? Please be the exchange student next year :D

Oh yeah… he made a rule that said they couldn’t summon someone with kids… it would be cruel to rip a parent away from their child…

But apparently not a child away from their parent cough cough

Other than the uncle squad, MC’s ren got to meet the Purgatory Hall gang too!

MC was being just the most adorable tour guide, but that didn’t stop Lucifer from having a miniature heart attack any time a demon even looked at MC’s parent the wrong way. If MC’s ren got attacked or felt threatened in any way shape or form, he could say bye bye to his time with the one person in the HOL that didn’t live to make him pop a forehead vein. The human seemed outwardly unconcerned with any Devildom oddness and was amicably chatting with Diavolo while MC pulled them from place to place.

“And that’s Hell’s Kitchen, they have good sandwiches, and that’s Madame Scream’s, they have really good macarons.” MC helpfully pointed out the places as they passed them.

A much to familiar trio of voices called out from down the street. Father dammit, why were they here..?

“Hello Lucifer, what are you all up too?” Ugh… Simeon…

“From the sight of the rest of your brothers skulking about, it appears like they’re acting as bodyguards.” Solomon…

“MC? Who’s that?”

Oh good grief… that nasally little voice… the chihuahua was near… Now… Lucifer was a respectable demon… respectable demons don’t tease children in front of the parent of their child…

“Hello chihuahua.”

DAMN IT HE COULDN’T HELP HIMSELF!

“I’m not a chihuahua you demon!” Luke yapped.

MC’s parent daintily tilted their head and looked over at MC. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”

“Right, Luke, this is my ren, ren, this is a chihuahua.” MC grinned cheekily as they gestured between the two. Lucifer suppressed a laugh which resulted in a very ugly snort. It was a good thing the sound was drowned out by Luke’s exclamations of betrayal.

The chorus of “how could you?!”s and “I thought you were over that awful nickname!”s was put to an abrupt halt when the visiting human elegantly offered a handshake to the fuming angel.

“MC spoke very highly of you,” they chirped. “It’s very nice to meet you, Luke.”

Luke blinked a few times, then quickly straightened his posture, adjusted his hat, then shook MC’s ren’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“That’s Simeon.” MC jerked a thumb in Simeon’s direction. “And that’s Solomon.”

“Luke got a whole introduction and we get that? Come on MC, I thought we were friends.” Solomon fake pouted at MC after giving a polite nod to MC’s parent.

“We stopped being friends after one of the potions you had me test out turned me into a-” as quick as lighting, Mammon had shoved his hand into MC’s face.

“A-ah, MC’s rememberin’ stuff wrong, nothin’ potion related happened to ‘em. Right, Solomon???!”

Taking the hint from Mammon, Solomon smiled and nodded. “Nope, nothing related to turning MC into a frog for a few hours.”

“Hm, well I’m quite happy that absolutely nothing frog transformation related happened.” MC’s parent said.

“Yeah, must’ve hit their head on somethin- YEEEOW!” MC had bitten down on Mammon’s hand and slapped it away from them.

“I did not hit my head on anything!”

“Yeah,” Beel nodded. “Nothing’s hit them since the Fangol ball.”

“The what ball?” MC’s ren asked.

“The Fangol ball that hit MC a few months back and broke their glasses.” Five of the brothers slapped their hands to their foreheads.

“Oh my…”

“Eh,” MC patted their ren on the arm. “That’s nothing compared to the giant snake at the retreat.”

“Oh! Do you mind letting me tell that story, MC?”

Lucifer was frantically signalling for Diavolo to stop talking but the crown prince was already beginning his retelling of the events. Luke would chime in with an anecdote from an even worse misadventure the two had gone out on every once and a while. This… this wasn’t going well at all…

MC’s ren was… weirdly chill about the whole thing…

“Oh, it’s so nice that you’re having fun, sweetheart. That reminds me of when I was young and your aunt Clytemnestra and I would go out and have adventures.” “Really? You went on weird adventures too?” “…what kind of adventures could possibly compare to being chased by a giant snake in an underground labyrinth..?”

The side characters ended up needing to abscond for various reasons and all that was left was the brothers, MC, and MC’s parent.

They made it to the HOL without issue, which is when Lucifer remembered that he did not put all the cursed objects out of reach… shit.

“Asmo… Asmo!” “What is it?” “Take MC’s ren out of the house in half an hour, keep them occupied in the living room!” “What? Why?” “I need more time to human-proof the house! Distract them, but no funny business!” “Dear brother, for the first time in a very long time funny business is the second thing on my mind! Wait… no, it’s the third… what have I become..?”

Asmo and Satan, super graciously by the way, led MC and their ren to the living room to distract- I mean entertain them for a bit!

Lucifer and the rest of the gang got to work moving certain things around and closing certain doors- shit where was Cerberus?! Did Lucifer forget to walk him that morning?!

So much to dooooooo…

So maybe bringing a human into Majolish and letting them roam around unsupervised wasn’t the best idea Satan and Asmo had, but it sure as heck was an idea. MC looked through shelves of hairpins and bracelets while their ren disappeared around a corner to look at scarves.

“We’re doing such a great job babysitting!” Asmo clapped his hands. “If MC had just been a normal human I bet they’d last the entire year under our care.”

“Hm, you might be right.” Satan smiled and nodded. “Humans are surprisingly entertaining.”

“Yes… speaking of, where exactly is the human?”

The sudden sound of metal slamming against flesh and the delayed sound of something incredibly heavy hitting the floor jolted Asmo and Satan from their conversation.

“Honestly, some people have no fucking manners!”

It was such a different voice than what Satan and Asmo were used to that the only thing that tipped them off to it being MC’s ren was the fact that MC began to giggle. MC’s ren stepped back into view carrying a metal staff that quickly transformed back to their parasol.

Asmo and Satan rushed over to check if their defenceless little human guest was okay, only to find some lesser demon passed out on the floor with an incredibly nasty bump on the side of their head.

“I’ve heard that humans are apparently quite delicious to demons but I didn’t expect someone to actually try and eat me.”

“I-um…” Satan sputtered, looking from Asmo to MC’s parent. “We’re uh…”

“You alright, ren?” MC called from over by the bracelet shelves.

“Yes, I’m alright.” MC’s ren gave the fourth and fifth born a calming smile. “No harm done, well, except to that poor bastard. I do hope I haven’t killed him… that would be such a nasty thing for the poor sales associates to find.”

Okay so maybe the defenceless human wasn’t so defenceless. That was a good thing… right?

“So where exactly did you manage to get your hands on such a weapon..?” “Ah, I come from a family of witches. This was a college graduation present.”

…doit doit seems legit.

The four made it back home just in time, Lucifer and the others had finished human proofing the house.

Yay!

The house tour went by smoothly, everything was all well and good until Beel and Belphie asked MC’s ren to make more cookies.

Oh god dammit the human said they would.

“Oh Beel, you shouldn’t eat the cookie dough raw… the eggs and raw flour will make you sick!” “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. Besides, it’s best not to interrupt Beel while he’s eating.” “Yeah it might end like the custard incident.” “Custard… incident?” “MC and Mammon ate my custard and I ended up breaking the wall that connected to MC’s room.” “Hunger tantrums, am I right?”

After that it was Mammon and Levi’s turn to babysit. It went about as well as you’d think.

Levi explained some anime plot in an attempt to make it seem like the Devildom was totally safe and that MC and their ren could stay forever no problem, while Mammon desperately suppressed the urge to swipe the cool parasol.

Finally, it was time for the verdict. Would MC be allowed to stay in the Devildom..? Or would they go back to the human world..?

“Lucifer?”

The demon in question looked up from his paperwork and tried to nod in the most casual way possible. MC’d ren was standing in the doorway, Lucifer must have missed their knock. “Yes? Do you need something?”

MC’s ren smiled and nodded. “It’s about MC’s living situation going forward.”

Lucifer stiffened and got up from his desk. “Y-yes… what about it?”

“MC has expressed that they want to stay here full time with frequent visits to the human world.” The softness that their voice had earlier in the day was completely absent as the human stepped forward into the study and closed the door behind them. “I want to know what you think about that.”

“Well,” Lucifer cleared his throat and tried to shake off the stupid sense of nervousness that had wrapped itself around him. A weak little human’s decision should not make him so anxious! “I would like for MC to stay here as well, I think it would be best for them.”

The human raised an eyebrow and twirled their parasol in their hand. “Really now? In your year with them you truly believe you know what’s best for them?”

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I do.”

MC’s ren went quiet for a few seconds before replying. “I see.”

“And that means..?”

“I knew this day would come, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon.” MC’s ren sighed, and for the first time all day, they actually let their exhaustion show. “I raised MC knowing that one day they’d end up in the Devildom. They’ve told me over and over again how much they like it down here…” the human took a deep breath and slowly shook their head. “If this is what they want… then I give my permission for them to stay with you.”

A wave of relief swept over Lucifer as he finally took a breath. “Thank you.”

“Mm… I’m going to have to use my favour though.”

The relief completely vanished as the Avatar of Pride’s blood ran cold. Memories flooded back from the one night the pair had spent together, the human had offered a cursed record to him that he had spent decades trying to find, in exchange, Lucifer let them have one favour. A favour from a demon was like a single pact order, Lucifer had to do literally anything this human wanted.

“Protect MC, even if it costs you your life.” The human’s words were careful and measured as Lucifer felt the order sink in. “You’ll do that for them, right Lucifer?”

Lucifer nodded as life flooded back into his limbs. “I would have done it without the order.”

So, the brother’s plan to make MC’s ren stay forever failed because they were going back to the human world with MC for summer vacation. Listen, it was needed, MC needed to see the sun lest they shrivel like a sad houseplant.

At least Lucifer technically had primary custody of his little heathen! Victory!

MC said their goodbyes to the friends they had made over the year as they prepared to leave for the next two months, it was filled with so many bone-crushing hugs that MC was surprised that their spine didn’t snap.

MC and Luke had lagged behind the much larger group as they made their way to the assembly hall. MC’s ren was dazzling the miniature crowd with stories of just how adorable MC was as a little kid. The half demon rolled their eyes and silently mourned the loss of any cool points they had gained over the year. Their little companion was oddly quiet, MC lightly nudged him and smiled.

“Aren’t you happy to be going home? You’ve been griping about being stuck down here the entire year. Don’t tell me you’re getting sappy, Luke.”

Luke puffed his cheek out and crossed his arms. “Of course I’m happy to be leaving, the Celestial Realm is the best place ever, the Devildom is completely terrible in every way.”

MC smirked and rolled their eyes again. Just let the little guy go on his rant…

“But… I am going to miss you…” Luke mumbled, MC’s eyebrows shot upwards as they turned their head to look at him. “Th-thanks for being my friend down here… MC. You’re… you’re really nice.”

To their absolute horror, MC felt a lump form in their throat. Oh dear Grandfather… the chihuahua was what broke them?! They quickly looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, then quickly pulled Luke into a hug. The hug was over as fast as it began, but it seemed that Luke didn’t particularly care and was more shocked at the sudden bout of affection.

“If anyone, and I mean anyone asks, I didn’t hug you.” MC murmured, quickly swiping at their eyes.

Luke nodded, a small smile spread across his face. “Got it!”

So the side characters left… *sniffle* everything’s okay… the DDDs work in any of the realms… they could still talk.

Soon, it was time for the final sets of goodbyes…

“Come on, Bean, we’re going to the human world!” MC tried to take the cat from Satan, who didn’t move a muscle.

“If you think you’re taking the cat from here, you’re delusional.” Satan’s smile didn’t leave his face, but the force behind his words was almost enough to make MC back off. Almost…

“My caaaaaat!” MC whined, they ended up getting lightly pushed away by Satan.

“Remember, the summer’s a good time to catch up on anime!” Levi advised. “There’s 24 hours in a day, and an average anime episode is 22 minutes long, you have loads of time!”

“I’ll keep up with my anime only if you promise to listen to the Death Note musical, Levi.” MC giggled and patted Levi on the shoulder.

“Remember MC, take care of your cuticles and your skin.” Asmo took MC’s hand and checked their fingernails. “They were an absolute mess before you got here, so I expect you to keep up your routines this summer!”

“Yeeeeeeeeeeees siiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrr.”

“Bye MC,” Beel handed MC a half opened cup of custard. “I almost ate it, but I didn’t. Make sure you don’t skip any meals this summer.

MC jumped up and gave Beel a quick hug. “Thanks Beel! I’ll be sure to enjoy the custard!”

“Bye, MC. See you next year.” Belphie stood awkwardly stiff, not exactly sure what to do. MC pursed their lips, then quickly wrapped him up in a hug.

“Bye Belphie, I hope all your pillow forts are structurally unsound.”

The avatar of sloth snickered and rested his head on MC’s. “I hope you get really comfortable and are fully ready to go to sleep, then realize you have to pee.”

MC gasped in fake offence and swatted Belphie on the arm.

Mammon put both his hands on MC’s shoulders, his face unusually serious. “Do ya remember what the great Mammon took painstakin’ effort to teach ya?”

“Payday loans are scams, witches are scary, bowline knots are the easiest to undo, don’t wear reflective sunglasses to a poker game aaaaaaaand…” MC grinned mischievously. “Any plan thought up by the Great Mammon should be subject to intense revision.”

“That’s ri- hey!” Mammon laughed and shoved MC towards Lucifer.

MC looked up at Lucifer, the pride demon looked down at them fondly. He reached out and gently ruffled their hair. “I’ll see you next year, MC.”

“Y-yeah…”

Lucifer crouched down slightly to get to their level and gave MC a smile. “I’m very proud of you, you’ve been an immense help this year. Thank you for everything.”

“Thanks for not being a stereotypical supervillain dad, father.” MC smiled softly and fixed their glasses. “Loveyoubye!”

MC turned and rushed to their ren’s side as Lucifer let out a soft chuckle.

“I love you too, MC.”

As Barbatos readied the portal to send the pair to the human world, MC couldn’t wipe the grin off their face. Geez, if this year was a metric mess of fun and insanity… what was the next year going to be like? The half demon’s grin morphed into a bit of a smirk. No way in hell their next year in the Devildom was going to be as insane as their first year.

MC almost giggled as they gave their family one last wave. That wasn’t the time to think about the future, besides, MC knew that it would take two insane chaotic humans to be summoned into the Devildom to even come close to the chaos MC managed to create, both on purpose and by accident.

And what were the odds of that happening?

——————

Authors Note: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ITS DONE SEASON ONE IS DONE!

I wasn’t able to fit the Anti Lucifer League stuff into this one, I’ll put it in a separate fic later!

I NOW NEED TO WORK ON GETTING THROUGH SEASON 2 IN THE ACTUAL GAME. To get mildly serious for a second, thanks to everyone who has stuck around to listen to me spout my fic-y nonsense, you all are nerds (affectionate) and I love you.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Supercorp SAO AU, Pt 3

Kara hasn't ever met Lena's husband. Honestly, she isn't entirely sure Lena has either. He's never home, Lena's apartment very much her own from the art to the books to the furniture. If not for the occasional tabloid photo, the wedding portrait on Lena's mantel, and the rings on her left hand, Kara might have assumed the husband to be a specter to dissuade would-be suitors. Even so, she can't help but notice the way Lena's smile dims when she sees his number on her phone during movie night. "It's nothing," Lena says, when Kara works up enough nerve to mention it. "He likes to pick fights. I used to enjoy the debates we'd have, but lately... I don't know. It doesn't feel like debate anymore. And at the end of the day I don't have the energy for it." Over the weeks and months, Kara learns about him in bits and pieces. That he was a friend of Lex's, and that they fell in love over the course of several summers. That he had his own tech company, who had just migrated to a new market on another continent, hence his absence. One time, Kara arrives to movie night to hear Lena almost shouting into her phone. Her tone is the kind Kara only heard once in all their time in Aincrad-- when she'd been on the verge of committing murder, against a player who had nearly poisoned Kara to death. Dark, menacing, and inhumanly cold. 

"Come anywhere near my company again, and I will slap you with enough lawsuits to keep you and your pathetic excuse for a firm underwater for the next thirty years. Do you understand me?" She barely pauses long enough for her victim to open their mouth before interrupting, her voice pitching even lower. "I said-- do. you. understand. I want to hear you say it."

Lena hasn't registered Kara's arrival yet, and so Kara shifts awkwardly as she waits, trying not to watch as Lena's lips twist into a cruel smirk. "Good boy." She ends the call shortly thereafter, and starts in surprise when she turns to find Kara standing in her foyer. "Kara! Gosh, you startled me!" She sounds like herself again, but Kara eyes her warily. "Is tonight a bad time? I can come back--" "Don't be ridiculous!" Lena beams, rolling her eyes. "Marital squabbles might be a bitch, but it'll take a lot more than that to keep us from movie night. What's on for tonight? Die Hard?" Before long, Kara is curled up against Lena's side on the couch, sharing a blanket as Bruce Willis yippee-ki-yays across the screen. The call lingers at the back of her mind, and she decides right then and there that if Lena's husband is someone who brings out that side of her.... he doesn't know Lena at all. Perhaps Kara's favorite part of their friendship is their party. It happens by accident-- Kara stumbles across her during a trial period of a new VR. She's an elf this time, and her username is Kieran, but her avatar still looks mostly like herself. "I didn't know you played," Kara says, scuffed her dwarven boot against the ground. She's a little hurt that Lena hasn't ever mentioned it. "I should have told you," Lena admits. "I'm sorry I didn't, but after what you told me about your time in SAO, I was worried if we connected in a game, I... I guess I worried I wouldn't measure up to her. It sounds really silly to say it out loud. I really cherish our friendship, Kara, and I was scared I might lose it if you spotted too many differences between us. Between me and her." Kara smiles, and throws her short, but strong arms around Lena and squeezes right. "Not possible." After that, they're inseperable in the VR world. They try new games together, and the nature of Lena's position grants Kara beta access to countless games still in development. They explore entire worlds together, and Kara finds that Lena needn't be worried at all. She is Lena. The Lena Kara loved in Aincrad didn't stray far from the template of her creator's personality and fighting style, and in VR Lena comes alive in a way she doesn't in the real world-- as though anything could top that. In VR Kara watches Lena lead raid parties with expert precision, sharp and intense but also warm and inviting. More than once Lena helps inexperienced players level up, and shares the secret spawn points for creatures that drop rare items. Kara misses Lena-in-Aincrad, misses what they shared together, but she loves this Lena, the whole of Lena, with her entire being. Eventually, they beta test ALO together, by virtue of the fact that Lena's husband headed the development team that produced the matrix for it. It's a world that rivals Aincrad in beauty and scale. Better yet, it allows magic use, and every race has the ability to fly. One day, they spend an afternoon simply flying through a rainstorm, dodging lightning bolts and collecting thunderbells to smith armor with. Somewhere between the rain on her skin and laughter that gets swallowed by thunder, Kara simply stops and watches as Lena loops into a tight corkscrew to snag an escaping ingot. Her grin is as bright as the lightning, and when their eyes meet Kara's chest tightens at the heated expectance that opens Lena's features into something intimately familiar. Before either of them can speak, the in-game alarm alerts them to the end of their scheduled session, Kara immediately wakes and rolls to her phone. I love you. She almost hits send, but the phone buzzes in her hand before her finger can tap the button. Not a bad way to spend the last day of beta, Lena texts, with pulsing dots following to warn of an incoming note. I think that might be my favorite quest so far. Catch you next rainstorm? Kara deletes her previous message. Launch Day is marked on my calendar. Can't wait. The pulsing dots appear and disappear several times before Lena's next message finally comes through. You're my favorite. Kara rolls over, clasping her phone to her pounding chest. As she drifts off to sleep, those three words sear themselves across the back of her eyelids. You're my favorite. --- "So when will you be back online?" Kara asks over the phone almost a month later. The ALO launch is coming up, and their standing date (it's not a date) looms in the back of Kara's mind. Across the line, Lena sighs. "I'm not sure." Lena's work has kept her busy since their night chasing lightning. They've barely spoken, let alone lunched or gamed. "Were still on for the ALO launch, though, right?" Silence answers her. In a rare moment of petulance, Kara pouts. "Lena, you promised." "Yeah," Lena breathes. "Yeah, you're right, I did. At this point it looks like I might be traveling that day, but I'll try to reschedule some things. I don't know how much time I can spare though." "That's okay!" Kara chirps, grabbing at the compromise with both hands. "I just want to see you. I miss you." "I miss you too, you have no idea." A rumble of voices on the other end cuts their time short. "Sorry, I have to go," Lena says. "But I'll do what I can, I promise." "Okay. See you then." From that night on, Kara counts down the days. When Launch Day dawns, Kara logs in immediately. She waits for hours, selecting an avatar that looks almost like herself. In fact it's  a dead ringer except for the white feathered wings that fold up snugly against her back, and unfurl between the slats of her armor. As she waits for Lena to log in, she experiments with her new wings (during beta, she'd chosen fairy wings), and revels in the power of every stroke. She feels the most like she did in Aincrad, and it feels like coming home. But as she waits, the faces who greet her aren't Lena's. She passes on joining other survivors for a commemorative hunt, even as the sun dips below the horizon, and in her heart she knows Lena won't make it. Still she waits. Just in case. When she finally logs out, Kara texts Lena, but sends only a frowning emoji. Then she turns it off and goes to sleep, determined to let whatever apology Lena sends sit unopened until she wakes. But no response is waiting for her when she gets up the next morning, and none comes for the entire week that follows. That week spreads to two, and then three. Kara's disappointment shifts to irritation when she assumes Lena is trying to avoid her after missing the launch, but then snaps to concern when even her calls go unanswered until her voicemail is too full to record any more. Something is wrong. She calls Lena's office, her assistant, sends countless emails, but gets nothing except a cagey brush off from Lena's assistant. When Kara goes to L-Corp herself, she's rebuffed at the door. "Orders came down from the top, Miss Danvers. You're no longer permitted in the building." "What? That's ridiculous! Lena wouldn't--" "You'll have to take that up with her, ma'am." "I'm TRYING." But to no avail. Kara gets nowhere, and is left bewildered and hurt and afraid for Lena who she can't quite believe would cut her out so abruptly. Alex doesn't have any advice to give her, except to be patient and keep trying. So all Kara can do is log in to ALO every night, and watch her friend list, praying that Lena will log in. She never does. Then, one night, Kara receives an anonymous message in her inbox. She doesn't know how a player could send an anonymous message, as the privacy on her inbox is set to friends only. Nevertheless, she opens it. "Meet me tomorrow night at 1am." It includes a National City address. She doesn't need Alex to tell her it's a bad idea. But her gut tells her it's about Lena-- maybe even Lena herself-- and so she goes to the location at the designated time with her heart in her throat. It's not Lena. Rather, it's her assistant, Jess. "Come with me," Jess tells her. Kara obeys, and after a furtive drive through the city, Jess leads her into a nondescript building that has more locked doors than Fort Knox. Finally, Jess swipes her security pass over the final sensor, and pushes into a room filled with medical equipment. For a moment, Kara sees her own hospital room, when she woke up from her SAO coma, filled with the same equipment. She's had this dream before. But the figure lying prone in the sterile bed isn't herself. It's Lena. "Oh my god." "She logged in the morning of the ALO launch," Jess informs her, her voice quiet. "She cleared her schedule for it. But she never woke up, and when we reviewed the game data, it never showed her syncing up to the game." Lena's features are slack inside the visor of the NervGear. When Kara takes her hand, her skin is cool, and waxy, like it isn't even human. But it is. Kara recognizes the scar on Lena's wrist, from a soldering accident when she was twelve. "I don't believe them," Jess murmurs. Kara blinks. "What?" "The new Nerv models are designed with multiple redundancies after the SAO incident. If she didn't connect, Lena would have woken up instantly." "Is it possible it could have been tampered with?" Jess shrugs. "Maybe. But the logistics of doing so without Lena noticing just aren't feasible." Kara regards her solemnly. "It sounds like you have an alternate theory." "It would be easier to alter the game data than tamper with the gear. Someone involved with the game's development would have easy access and ample opportunity." Someone involved in the game's development? Like... "Her husband?" "He's already assumed her seat on the board as interim chair. And he's already proposing changes Lena vetoed earlier this year. There enough members who agreed with Lena's veto that they've resisted him so far, but it won't be long before he wears them down." Rage burns low in Kara's belly. Bastard. Gritting her teeth, she meets Jess' gaze. The woman's face is well past angry-- she's exhausted, and at the end of her rope. It's clear that Kara is her last hail mary. "I'm going to lose my job the moment they find out I brought you here," Jess warns. "After that, I won't have any access. But I can't help her from here anyway." "You think she's trapped in the game," Kara surmises. Jess nods. "My guess is there's a backdoor that lets them control a small area of the game. To avoid detection by the moderating algorithms, they've probably built it into the context of the game-- an uncharted area that only becomes available after completing a legendary quest." Or clearing the final floor boss, Kara thinks bitterly. Her hand tightens on Lena's limp fingers. This is SAO all over again, except this time... This time, Lena is alone. "I've been searching every second I spend at home, but haven't found anything," Jess continues. "But I'm certain the answer to waking Lena up is in the game itself. That's why I reached out to you." Kara's head lifts sharply, surprised by the admission. Jess returns her gaze solemnly, her features hard. "If anyone can beat a broken game from the inside, it's you."

previous / next

[endwalkr]

this is an ask based thingy but im really in the mood to infodump so im just gonna answer them all under the cut !

Favorite video game?

starting off with the absolute hardest question huh? i can’t possibly name ONE favorite game of mine because i adore my favorites for many different reasons. my overall favorite video game is ffxv or botw. ffxv because it has brought me so much joy for such a long time, and because i have such a connection with the characters. botw because i was actually in the fandom when it first got announced in 2016 so i got to be there when the hype was at an all time high– and finally being able to play the game after waiting for so long was an unforgettable experience. i have more favorite games but ill talk more about them in the ‘’special place in ur heart’’ question.

First console you owned?

my first console wasn’t a console. my friend and i used to play on her nintendo dsi all the time and at one point tiny little me reeeally wanted one of my own so i saved up and got one in [redacted] when i was 7. my first actual console was a wii though, we got that around the same time.

A game that holds a special place in your heart?

ffxv and botw mean the absolute world to me, but super mario galaxy and skyward sword are very important to me too. skyward sword is the game that got me into zelda which got me into anime which got me into final fantasy etc etc etc.  super mario galaxy was the first non-mini game collection and more adventure story-ish game i played. i was so proud when i beat it for the first time and mario was my first ever ‘’fandom’’ :’) 

Favorite video game character?

bro. i cant pick just one so i’ll choose one per game : prompto, ryuji and link. they were all my comfort characters at some point and i projected like crazy onto them. this doesnt mean that i wouldnt absolutely die for noct or zelda. 

Least favorite video game character?

i dont think theres anyone i distinctly dislike? i always talk about hating ardyn but that’s because he’s just a salty bitch. as a character i think he’s a great villain and i rly love him. i honestly always end up liking everyone somehow, maybe there is someone i just forgot about but i cant remember at all. 

Favorite genre?

adventure games, or action rpgs. 

Video game character you’ve had a crush on?

every character ever, but i distinctly remember the moment i fell in love with prompto sjghfkshd i was watching a playthrough of xv in december 2016 because i didnt have a ps4, and the guy got to the scene in galdin quay where the bros learn insomnia fell. i had watched about 6 hours of the game by that time and wasn’t particularly interested in the characters but not uninterested enough to drop it. i hadnt even gotten a good look at the characters faces yet, so when the camera zoomed in on prompto when he said ‘’might not be save for us here!’’ i noticed he had freckles. oh god. oh fuck. oh my god hes fucking cute. oh my god better watch 30 hours of this game now

First video game you remember playing?

wayyy before i got my own gaming systems, my then-best friend had a gamecube in her attic. i was around 5 or 6 at the time. whenever i was over at her house and we didnt know what to do, she’d sometimes propose to play ‘’mario kart’’. important is that we are dutch, and i was a literal child. i thought mario KART meant it was a fucking card game, so i always declined whenever she asked. on one fateful day, i finally gave in and was pleasantly surprised it was in fact not a card game, but a viddy game. so we played mario kart double dash. (…i had never played a video game in my life besides browser flash games and was Very Very bad)

Age you started gaming?

so i played my first video game that i didnt own when i was about 5 or 6. then i got my first supply of games at age 7/8, but i dont really consider that time to be when i started ‘’gaming’’. i’d say that was when i started mario galaxy, so i’ve been playing video games for real (ie. story adventure games with boss battles) for about 6 years now.

Hardest video game you’ve played?

this is gonna sound stupid, but the witcher 3. there’s like 7 difficulties and i played on the EASIEST and still had a hard time, i just couldnt get used to the combat. i had the same problem with assassin’s creed syndicate, but after about 10 hours i actually knew what i was doing, and ive played the witcher longer than that and still am clueless. this is kind of an unpopular opinion but i dont particularly like that game

Video game you’ve spent the most time on?

i guess i am what you’d call a casual gamer; i really like video games but during a normal school week i only game for like 2-6 hours. most of the time i dont play for like 2 weeks if im busy. gaming has kind of taken over my life not because i play so much but because i get so emotionally invested lol i’m currently on summer break and even now im not playing a lot because of exhaustion and executive dysfunction. this derailed slightly but the game i’ve played the most despite my casual gamer status is …. … …. ffxv. surprise, right? the runner up is botw, but xv wins by a landslide. 630+ hours. botw is 350. my main save in ffxv is almost 200 hours i think. damn. i really managed to keep myself entertained with that game… (………i was thinking recently, since the loading screens in xv are so long, how much of this total amount was spent watching screens. i imagine it’s several hours, especially if you fast travel a lot.)

Most embarrassing gaming moment?

many moments in my gaming experience are embarrassing, but a more recent one: i was in xv’s postgame, beating some dungeons on my new save file. i had just finished daurell caverns and hadn’t saved in about 2 hours. (uh oh) i was driving around in the regalia type d and got to the big cliff near lestallum, and remembered someone made a gif of jumping in there so i wanted to try it too. i imagined the game would just put me back on the road, like it does when you crash into something. except it didnt. i got a game over. where was my last save? 2 hours back all the way in hammerhead. yippee.

Scariest video game you’ve played?

i never play horror games, cuz for me games are supposed to be relaxing experiences. no hate towards horror games of course, they just stress me out. the only time ive played horror is when friday the 13th was for free on ps+, and my friends really wanted to play it. (theyre kinda addicted to it now. huh) they had already gotten over the initial fear of having jason chase you, but i was still terrified. i can play the game without getting scared now tho. the horror sound effects just rly freaked me out at first jhsdkghsd

Most memorable gaming moment?

playing breath of the wild for the first time, or beating it for the first time. both experiences were filled to the brim with excitement and nostalgia. seeing botw as a blank slate, a world for you to explore, having no idea where you’re going… that was pretty incredible. now i know every nook and cranny of the map, so i wish i could play it for the first time again. i was so incredibly immersed. beating it was insane. i cried for 30 minutes and the end wasnt even sad, i was just so amazed at the fact that i was really here, playing breath of the wild, it was really real. the fucking main theme in the background (which i cannot for the life of me listen to without crying) didnt help with my emotions sgkdjh

Video game character you wish you could meet in real life?

…………..its prompto again. maybe 2017 me …. was .. kind of a kinnie

PC, Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo?

i dont care about console wars at all, but i think hardware-wise, pc is the best, because if you have a good pc you can basically do anything. i however do not, so i just play on consoles. ive never particularly liked xbox, so i only play ps4 and nintendo. not the switch though. its kinda petty, but my best friend and i really dont like the switch djghks

Gaming company you’re most loyal to?

none. i used to call myself a nintendo nerd (oh my god…. i m. gonna die) in like 2015 but since the switch came out and since i got a ps4 they kinda lost me. i still like their game series of course, but as a company i don’t care for them. the only reason i see square enix as one of ‘’my’’ gaming companies is because ffxv took up like 70% of my gaming experience, but besides final fantasy i don’t really love them too much either.

If you could only play one video game for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

atm i’m really into ffxiv because theres just so much to do, but that’s just a new, possibly temporary interest. if i had to choose, i’d say botw. maybe i’d say ffxv, but i feel like running around doing nothing in that game isnt very fun, because the world is sorta empty after completing every quest and getting to level 120. in botw, just fucking around on your horse is still really relaxing and nice. 

Do you use strategy guides?

yup. in certain games i try to avoid them but i usually end up stuck or in need of advice. i couldn’t have gotten so many p5 trophies if not for the internet lol

How often do you use cheats?

never, simply because the games i play often do not have cheats. unless im playing the sims and are in need of a motherlode, i dont use them.

Competitive or single player?

single player. im bad at video games and like to do stuff at my own pace. online multiplayer can be fun every now and then in games like mario kart 8 or splatoon, and i also like teamwork stuff like ffxiv or comrades. but ultimately, i prefer playing on my own.

Video game character you want to/have cosplayed?

have never cosplayed, dont have plans to either, but it would be fun to cosplay link. omg. i just remembered i have that fucking chocomoogle shirt… sorry link im gonna slap on some sasuke hair, black jeans and ugly sneakers 

Ever go to a video game convention?

i have not, i have however gone to three (3) video game concerts which is basically the same thing. 

Hardest boss fight you’ve been in?

the hardest bosses for me are usually the ones with a gimmick. you have to use a certain item or tactic to beat them or something. other hard fights for me are when you fight someone with a similar skill set. (in ffxv, this happens twice, once with the iggy-noct sparring match and once against ardyn. somehow, the final boss was easier than getting the prince to eat vegetables.) i don’t know an actual example of THE hardest boss fight ive been in though. at the time, the first bowser battle in mario galaxy was the hardest thing in the universe and i got stuck for like a month. currently, i’m having trouble with the riku-ansem fight in kh1. 

Video game you wish you could burn from your memory?

the zelda cdi games? no, i dont really know. i dont hate a game so much that i’d want to forget about it altogether, but i dont exactly love ocarina of time that much. it hasnt aged well and playing it on the gamecube for the first time in 2015 wasnt a good idea. im sure it was revolutionary at the time, but i cant handle the outdated controls gsdgksjs 

Favorite gaming series?

see, i love ffxv itself more than the entirety of the zelda series, but i dont love ff as a SERIES more than the zelda games. so if were talking series, zelda for sure. i fucking love those games and they mean a lot to me. 

Do you skip tutorials, or find them useful?

i often skip them because i cant pay attention, but then find that i need them anyway. so i usually do skim through them. 

Best online gaming experience?

one really good one happened a few days ago in ffxiv, some guy and i exchanged emotes for like 30 minutes and it ended with us becoming friends on psn :’) ppl dont usually emote back at me in that game so this was really wholesome and nice gjshksdj 

Worst online gaming experience?

i dont really have a worst? theyre more annoying. think try harders in gta online killing you 15 times in a row because they want to show you how good they are or something. magically, online gaming hasnt been too hard on me (mainly because i dont game online that much)

Why do you game?

it brings me joy. it’s a fun way of relaxing, while being stimulated at the same time. games have meant a great deal to me the past 6 years and i wouldnt want to lose them for the world.

[seigyokus]

8.1 - Everyone, Gather 'Round!

Idolish Seven - Part 3, Chapter 8.1 For more Part 3 translations, click here!

Translation below the cut!

Nanase Riku: A charity telethon!? Takanashi Tsumugi: Yep! Akebono TV broadcasts a 24 hour program for charity every year! Takanashi Tsumugi: The official title is: "Friends Day." Takanashi Tsumugi: Usually, the other guests are already set, excluding the main personalities. However, there was a sudden change of plans and IDOLiSH7 got an offer to guest on the show! Takanashi Tsumugi: This charity telethon has a very long history and was launched by the comedian, Gentle Taniyama-san. He's the person who taught Mister Shimooka-san. Takanashi Tsumugi: Ever since Gentle Taniyama-san passed away, the main personality of the show has been selected by an executive committee. Izumi Mitsuki: Yep, I've heard about that! I've been watching the show ever since I was a kid! So we're gonna star on that show? Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes! And not just as guests in charge of a corner, but as personalities! Takanashi Tsumugi: The main personality is Re:vale, from Okazaki Agency. This will be Momo-san's third time appearing, and Yuki-san's second time. Takanashi Tsumugi: Besides IDOLiSH7, the other personality on the show is TRIGGER, from Yaotome Productions. All of them have appeared on the show once. Takanashi Tsumugi: Thanks to the idol boom following the reopening ceremony, all three groups have gotten offers to appear! Osaka Sougo: With this, we'll be taking on a major job with Re:vale and TRIGGER again! Izumi Iori: ....... Izumi Mitsuki: Hooray! It looks like it'll be quite a handful, but since we're gonna be working with people we know, I'll be more at ease and I’ll definitely do my best! Nanase Riku: That's true! I'm sure we can learn a lot from guesting with Re:vale and TRIGGER! Izumi Iori: ......Again? Izumi Iori: It would be best if the viewers and the media get the same impression as Osaka-san with respect to this program and don't throw a more negative spin on this....... Izumi Iori: The idol boom, as coined by the media.... I understand why the producers would want to assemble a lineup that will reliably bring in the numbers they want to see. Izumi Iori: The charity telethon has very high viewership every year and the audience spans a wide age range. The personalities on the show have left records generation after generation as well. Izumi Iori: The program has an upstanding image, often has excellent sponsorship, and has ample funding. IDOLiSH7 can only benefit from participating in this. However.... Izumi Iori: If we continue to appear alongside these other groups, our own group's value may cheapen as a consequence.... Additionally, the forced nature of this grouping may generate backlash. Izumi Iori: There is no reason for us to decline this offer, as we are currently trying to gain more traction in the market. Re:vale is the main personality. But at the very least, if TRIGGER could just.... Izumi Iori: It would be great if Yaotome Productions turned down this offer.... Takanashi Otoharu: Participating in this will require a massive time commitment for meetings and preparations, not including the 24 hour live broadcast. If you are all still fine with that.... Izumi Mitsuki: Of course we are! Right, everyone? Nikaidou Yamato: Yeah. We'll be able to help people in need. Rokuya Nagi: Yes! It would be a great honor. Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah, I'll do it. I used to hold the donation box back when I was at the orphanage. Like during local festivals and stuff. Osaka Sougo: Tamaki-kun.... Yotsuba Tamaki: I can hold an even bigger donation box now. I wanna do it. I'll do my best! Nanase Riku: Singing for people and helping people out.... That's exactly what we wanna do! Takanashi Tsumugi: Thank you, everyone! This job will be difficult, but I’m trusting you all with it! Izumi Iori: .......

Yaotome Gaku: Charity telethon? Re:vale's the main personality, and IDOLiSH7's appearing in it too? Yaotome Sousuke: Due to the nature of the program, no revenue will be generated. However, because it is very well known and will be beneficial to your image, there is no reason for us to decline the offer. Yaotome Sousuke: The three of you may be displeased, as all of you are already busy with other jobs, but you have no choice. You will be appearing on this show. Kujou Ten: There was nothing to be displeased about in the first place. Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I don't have a problem with it either. I'm pretty happy about the lineup, and it'll be an honor to sing at this charity telethon. Anesagi Kaoru: Keep in mind that it's a 24 hour live broadcast. Take care not to let the other groups affect how TRIGGER is perceived. Yaotome Gaku: I know. Yaotome Sousuke: ......If possible, I would have declined the offer. However, these three groups are the faces of the idol boom right now.... Yaotome Sousuke: Having TRIGGER bow out of this national charity event is risky. It would leave the impression that they're greedy and only care about money. Yaotome Sousuke: First the reopening ceremony and now the charity telethon, with hardly any time in between....... ......Say what you may, but this is much too soon....... Yaotome Sousuke: While this is a very fitting stage, each individual group is capable of establishing their dominance. However, all three are being sold as a package deal, as if they were unsold items left over from the day's business. Yaotome Sousuke: We must stop this stream of events somewhere.... Yaotome Sousuke: It would be for the best if Re:vale fell ill all of a sudden and TRIGGER became the main personality.......

Okazaki Rinto: Congratulations! You two are the main personalities for the charity telethon, "Friends Day!" Momo: Thanks! It's a pretty big gig, but I'll do my best! Yuki: I'm sure we can handle it, since it's the two us. Momo: Yuki, that was so cool!! Yuki: I crossed the line last time, Momo. That was my fault, and I apologize. I was just worried since you were dealing with someone so dangerous. Momo: ....... Yuki: I know you care a lot about me, but I care a lot about you too. Momo: Yuki.... Okazaki Rinto: About time, Yuki-kun! You finally said it to a human being! Come on, let's high five! Yuki・Okazaki Rinto: Yippee! Momo: Hahah, what's with you two! Momo: Heheheh! Okazaki Rinto: I'm glad you two were able to make up! Let's all do our best for "Friends Day!" Yuki: Wait.... Mister Shimooka-san won't be appearing? Momo: Huh? Okazaki Rinto: Apparently he hasn't been in very good health, so he stepped down. Momo: Really? It's a pity since Shimooka-chan was the founder's student. Momo: The last time we were together, he told me that he'll always want to appear, even if it's just for five minutes, ‘til the day he dies. Yuki: It looks like some of the established guests that used to appear every year won't be participating either. Momo: Ah.... All of the famous people from Tsukumo aren't there. Yuki: I see.... Either way, it looks like we're in for some sleepless nights. Momo: It's like he's trying to say, "Hey guys, I set a bomb!" ......Ugh, what a douche.

Production Director: ......As such, that was our rough outline for the programming in "Friends Day." Izumi Iori: Even though it's just a meeting, this is quite an impressive lineup.... All of the internet TV stations across the country are joining forces to produce this.... Yaotome Gaku: So that's why my dad couldn't refuse this job, even though he hates it when we mingle with other groups. Production Director: I'd like everyone to remember the objective of this program. Yotsuba Tamaki: Ob-jec-tive? Nikaidou Yamato: Tama........ Production Director: In other words, our directive.... Actually, I'll have the chief producer explain since I tend to speak very formally. Chief Producer: The goal of this charity telethon is to help people in need. Chief Producer: We might not be able to save everyone in just one day, but we'll be able to tell the whole country that there are indeed people who need help. Chief Producer: This includes people who are sick, children without families, the unemployed, and disaster victims. Bringing awareness to people who aren't interested in these issues is no easy task, even though it's very important. Chief Producer: We'd like you all to introduce these very serious and difficult problems to our viewers in an approachable and friendly manner. Just like how the title, "Friends Day," suggests! Yotsuba Tamaki: ......I think I get it. I wanna do it right. Production Director: Good. We'll be very troubled otherwise. Staff: Hahaha! Chief Producer: In order for this charity telethon to continue on, we'll also need empirical success. We'll need your help on that point, since you guys are the current heartthrobs. Chief Producer: We briefly touched upon it earlier, but if you could turn to the 'Pre-Event PR' column in the planning documents.... Yuki: Say.... Chief Producer: Yes? Yuki: .....I took a peek at it earlier and was really surprised. Nanase Riku: "Friends Day" theme song.... "24 Hour Head-Start Production Camp".... Kujou Ten: "We made the theme song in 24 hours!" Composer and Lyricist: Re:vale.... Choreographer: TRIGGER.... Izumi Iori: Costume design: IDOLiSH7......!? Wha.... Why are we in charge of costume design? Chief Producer: Ah. By costume, we mean T-shirts, so all of you are in charge of designing the print on the T-shirts. Make sure it's tasteful! It's because some of you have done modelling before. Rokuya Nagi: ....... All I did was wear the clothes though...? Izumi Mitsuki: Uh, are any of us fashionable? Nanase Riku: Yamato-san is! I think Yamato-san is really cool! Nikaidou Yamato: No, no! I'm just your average guy! If we're talkin' high fashion, then I think Sou's pretty close to that. Osaka Sougo: I just listen to the store employees' advice....... Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: So are we doing all of the choreography ourselves? For twelve people? Including formations? Yaotome Gaku: Yeah, but it's impossible to choreograph anything unless the song's done first. Right, Yuki-san? Yuki: ......24 hours.... There's no way I could do it in that time....... Kujou Ten: Excuse me, there's something I'd like to ask. Chief Producer: Yes? Kujou Ten: Why is there a camera in here? Chief Producer: That's Kujou-kun for you! Chief Producer: We'd like you guys to move to the training camp, starting now! All: What!? Momo: So the next 24 hours from now are for that? Wait! But what about the jobs we have lined up for tomorrow!? You're pulling my leg, right? Osaka Sougo: Is it really starting now? Like really, really starting now? Did you say that as a demo, by any chance...? Izumi Iori: Will we have a change of clothes? What about our underwear and toothbrushes...? Chief Producer: Please purchase them there. Izumi Mitsuki: Huh? What? Wait, read this.... Izumi Mitsuki: ......"And all of a sudden, everyone was en route to a villa in Atami...." Izumi Mitsuki: Why am I hearing about this just now!? Momo: Man, I would've brought my swimsuit if I knew we were going to Atami! If you go just a bit further to Izu, you can even go diving! (1) Chief Producer: It's okay, you won't have any time to play around. Alright, then. Everyone, please get moving! Yotsuba Tamaki: Uh, so where's Atami? Is it in Hokkaido? Izumi Iori: Are you really asking that despite how many times have you ridden the Tōkaidō Shinkansen for MEZZO" work? (2) Yaotome Gaku: Hey Nikaidou, you should do Kanichi's pose in front of the Konjiki Yasha statue and take a pic. I bet it'll suit you. (3) Nikaidou Yamato: Sure thing. You better do Miya's pose for me then-- I'll send ya flying. Nanase Riku: Yay! We're going on a trip together! Kujou Ten: It looks like it'll be quite a handful, but I'm a little excited for it. Nanase Riku: Really!? Kujou Ten: Yes. It'll definitely be worth it. Nanase Riku: I never thought you'd say that! I'm really happy! Let's sit next to each other on the bus! Kujou Ten: Ahahaha. Oh, Nanase-san. Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: .....We're surrounded by cameras so Ten can't drop his persona....... Yaotome Gaku: .....Is he gonna last?

To be continued....

TL Notes/comments:

thank u @kuriiii​ for proofreading!!!

(1) Atami is a resort town in Shizuoka Prefecture. Its name literally means "hot ocean," and the town is famous for onsen. Izu refers to the Izu Peninsula, and also the area near it. tl;dr its by the beach n looks great and fun 2 be at (2) Tōkaidō Shinkansen - high speed rail that goes frm tokyo to shin-osaka! One of the stops is actually Atami. Hence why Iori is like "dude, bro. how do you???? not know where it is???" (3) The statue depicts a scene from "Konjiki Yasha" (The Golden Demon), which is a story by Ozaki Koyo (a Meiji author, 1868-1903). Some context: "In the story, a beautiful young woman named Miya tells her fiance, Kanichi, that she is breaking off their engagement so she can marry a banker’s son who has wooed her with a big diamond ring. Enraged, Kanichi kicks Miya to the ground and vows to forsake humanity. Kanichi goes on to become a cold-hearted moneylender and Miya’s marriage to the rich man does not go well." ANYWAYS Kanichi is the man kicking the lady, and given Yamato's long streak of portraying villains, I think that's why Gaku's poking fun at him here. But Yamato counters that Gaku should pose as Miya (the lady getting kicked) LOL 

As usual, if you see any mistakes/mistranslations/etc, please message me!

Thank you for reading!!

[hornsbeforehalos]

Anytime, Sweetheart: Part 8

Pairing: JDM x OFC (RPF)

Features: Ackles & Padalecki Families, R2, Misha Collins & Vicky Vantoch, Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Ruth Connell, Corey Taylor and other cast members & OFCs* *THIS IS AN RPF FIC**

Series Masterlist Summary: (I’m horrible at summaries, but let me try): Kylin Ackles runs to her brother’s house after leaving her abusive boyfriend of 3 years, where she meets Jeffrey. Events unfold that bring them together, as well as push them apart.  Warnings: Emotional abuse, Physical Violence, mentions of rape, cursing, drinking, recreational drug use (weed), Strip Club, RPF, NSFW**, GIFs, implied smut, Age Difference, Slow burn, Emotional rollercoaster, poorly written smutt, etc… 18+ please

(A/N: This is strictly a work of fiction that I came up with off the top of my head. For fictional purposes his S/O & Son are not mentioned. I love him and his little family, though, so no hate intended. This is the first time posting anything on Tumblr, but I couldn’t get it out of my head since my ao3 fic is currently on hiatus because writers block. Feedback is appreciated. unbetaed, all mistakes are mine.)

TAGS: @jml509 @jesbakescookies @daddy-kink-confirmed @wayward-mirage @aquivercactus

   We could have ended up having sex that night, but we didn’t.  Instead, Jeffrey had to drive my drunk ass home (I basically polished off the whole bottle before the lights came on) and tuck me into bed before curling up beside me himself. I woke up the next morning from him throwing his heavy fucking arm over my stomach, causing me to jerk up and rush to my bathroom to hurl. ​

​   “You alright, hun? Need anything?” He called from the other side of the door, sleep heavy in his voice. I responded by heaving again, to which he replied, “Take that as some Tylenol,” with a chuckle.    Once my guts were out of my stomach and my teeth were brushed, I stumbled, still half drunk, out of the bathroom and fell back into bed with him. He held out a glass of water and handed me four little pills. I downed them all, followed by the water, before setting myself up against the pillows next to him. “Sooo….” I started, finger picking at an invisible spec on the side of the glass.    "Yup.“ He sighed, turning onto his side to face me, “You’re back to dealing with me again.”

   A grin spread to my face as I sat the glass down and swatted him on the shoulder, “Ass.”    "Go ahead, get it out of your system, pretty girl.“ He stuck his tongue out at me and I lunged forward to bite it.    Jeffrey groaned in pleasure at the pain and gripped my hips to roll me over on top of him, deepening the kiss while doing so. His tongue pushed past my teeth and danced with mine, sucking on it in a teasing manner, coaxing a whimper from me as he tightened his grip on my waist. We kissed for what seemed like forever, making out like teenagers while rolling around in my sheets, both of us fighting for dominance over the other. He had just moved his lips down to my jaw and neck when we were interrupted by a loud knock coming from my front door.    "You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me.” I grunted, retching myself out of his grasp with a loud huff and pulling myself from the bed to head to the source of the interruption.    "I swear Jensen if that’s you I’m gonna-“ I pulled the door open to reveal Misha, bright smile on his face like it wasn’t 10:30 in the morning.

   "Your smile is hurting my head. Stop it.” I grumbled as I walked away from the door, leaving it open for him to enter and close it behind him.    "Goooood Morning, Sleepy head,“ He sang, bouncing around me like a woodland creature, "How was yourrrr evening?”    "She drank an entire bottle of Crown” came Jeffrey’s rasp from the doorway of the bedroom, scaring the shit out of Misha.    Holding his hand to his chest in surprise before recovering, he said, “Ha! Well, sounds like her. I wondered if I’d find you here, Jeff. Jensen’s been trying to call you both.”    "Phone’s dead.“ We both said in unison, earning us a suspicious grin from Misha.    "Sure. Okay. Anyways, he sent me over to check. Now that I’ve checked, who wants to go to breakfast?” Misha was bouncing around my kitchen at this point, opening and closing my refrigerator repeatedly.    I showered and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a slouchy crop top, threw my hair into a messy bun and avoided looking in the mirror as I wiped the remaining mascara from under my eyes. Misha commented on how shitty I looked as I pushed on a pair of flip flops and grabbed my keys. “Just for that, you’re paying, dick bag” I said as I locked my door.    "I’ll pay for whatever you want, baby" Misha teased before he smacked my ass playfully, earning him raised eye brows from Jeffrey and a glare from me as we exited the building.    Surprisingly Misha allowed Jeffrey the passenger seat as we crawled into my car.    "So, Ky, me and Vicky had a question for you,“ Misha started, learning forward between the two seats from the back.    I sighed, “yes, Misha, I will show you how to eat your wife’s pussy again,” teasingly patting his head without looking away from the road.    He smirked while raising an eyebrow, nudging Jeffrey’s shoulder “you think you can handle this one, old man?”    Jeffrey quirked a dom eye brow of his own before bringing a hand down on my thigh with a smack, “I think I’ll be alright, Collins”    I glared at him through the corner of my eye before shifting my gaze expectedly to Misha through the mirror.    "Its looking like this is gonna be the last year for Gish, girl.“ he sighed, finally getting to the point. "What?!” I exclaimed, turning slightly in my seat towards him.    "I knowww, but I just don’t have time for it anymore. Neither does Vick. So, we were hoping, since you were there at the start, you’d be apart of the finish” Misha let his gummy grin show while he tilted his head lovingly.    Jeffrey squeezed my thigh for encouragement. I huffed a fallen piece of hair out my eyes. “Fine” I said with a roll of my eyes as I pulled into the restaurant.    "Yippee!“ Misha rejoiced, leaping forward to kiss my cheek dramatically, rewarding him with another look from Jeff.

   Breakfast consisted of me downing 4 Bloody Mary’s before the food ever even got ordered, earning me looks from the server as well as Jeff and Misha. Once the food came, in between stuffing his face with pancake and eggs, Misha and I discussed the plan for the final Gish season and what he wanted to achieve with it. Naturally, we both wanted it to be the biggest and best since the beginning, with the best winners trip and prizes. We set up a conference call with Darius and the rest of the Gish team for the following week and were discussing new item ideas when I felt Jeffrey’s hand on my thigh under the table, earning him my attention away from the conversation.    "Look at you, I told you you could get back in it.” he chuckled, beaming at me with pride. I gave him a small nod and adverted my eyes to the plate in front of me and picked at a piece of strawberry.    "She actually thought she didn’t do any good in the world, Mish. Can you believe that?“ Jeffrey continued before taking a sip of his coffee. “Said her work was ‘no big deal’”    "The greatest scavenger hunt the world has ever seen is no big deal, eh squirt?“Misha feigned offence as he clutched his hand to his chest. I rolled my eyes. "I’m not that big of a part of it, guys. I just help”    "Not this time, girl. I’m going to be so busy with conventions and filming that you and Darius are gonna be doing a lot of the grunt work. Which brings me our next question.“ He took a sip of his own coffee as his eyes flicked to Jeff for a second while I squinted my own lids at him with my straw in my mouth, "I’m going to be needing an assistant.”    "That’s not a question, Dmitri” I popped my eyebrow up in suspicion, already guessing at his ‘question’    "Yes or no? You know you want to. Plus, I hear Jeff is doing some conventions with us this year.“ He tilted his head towards Jeffrey who nodded in confirmation, hopeful look in his eye.    I glanced between the both of them as I sucked the rest of the liquid through my straw, “You two are teaming up on me, aren’t you?”    "What? Me? No” Misha said over dramatically while Jeff took to whistling a tune while adverting his eyes around the room. I sighed. “Let me think about it. Get me another drink.” I ordered.

   Of course I said yes, and by the end of the month I had quit the club, packed all my stuff, and Misha moved me out to L.A as soon as Gen had Odette. Misha had paid for me a little one bedroom studio apartment near his house and even let me pick out my own furniture. I spent my first two weeks there helping him and Darius sort through submissions and setting up the registry, helping Vicky with the children so she could fulfill her own responsibilities with everything, and generally getting used to the complete and sudden change in my life.    Everyone at the club was upset that I was leaving, and Andy himself promised that anytime I wanted to come back that my promotion was still guaranteed. Leaving Dallas was bittersweet but there was something about being so far away from everything that had happened was calming and peaceful. Working for Misha was easy, especially since he had always been one of my really close friends since the day that I had met him. Rob of course was in the same city as well and the first week there he helped me unpack everything and took me out to show me around all his favorite places in the city. Jensen was proud that I had taken the job, as him and Jared and the girls always encouraged me to continue on with Gishwhes, it had always been Anthony that didn’t allow it. He had hated the idea of me doing anything but worshiping him.     Jeffrey and I talked every day again, mostly through texts but he did manage to call me almost every night. He was on a convention tour for all of April and May, May being when  I would be on tour with Misha. We had to miss his birthday but he was scheduled for appearances at 3 cons that Misha would be attending, plus one that would be in Los Angeles the only weekend Misha and I  had before heading to Vancouver for filming to start there and Jeff would be heading back to Georgia for The Walking Dead. We hadn’t seen each other since he left 2 days after Jensen’s birthday, and I couldn’t help but notice how frustrated my heart was making me feel.  

   "I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, Gorgeous.“ He rasped into the phone the night before Misha and I’s flight to the first convention they had together, “Feels like it’s been forever,”    "2 months tomorrow, Mr. J” I confirmed as I lay sprawled over my couch, TV playing idly in the background.    "Never again, I’m not going this long ever again,“ He grumbled, squirming around in his hotel bed. He was scheduled for an early call for V.I.P preview Thursday where as Misha was just Friday through Sunday.    "I’m sure your over exaggerating, hun. Go find a fan-girl.” I teased, ignoring the ache in my chest that was my feelings for him.    "Pffft" he spat with a chuckle “You know you’re my girl, right?” My heart pinged at his words and I was speechless momentarily. I quickly recovered and cloaked my anxiety, “I bet you say that to everyone.” “Just you wait and see, little girl. Just wait” he chuckled with an asphalt tone. “Wait and see what, Mr. J?” I grinned, my own voice altering slightly.    "Don’t do that to me, now, woman. Not the time,“ he scolded, but I could hear the smile in his tone. “You’re in bed, aren’t you?” I giggled, seductiveness still light on my tongue.    "I’m not in bed with you, though, tease,“ He groaned, rutting himself against his mattress.

   I was still half asleep as I guided an equally exhausted Misha through the maze of hotel hallways towards the greenroom by the hand. Our flight had landed at 5:30 in the morning in Phoenix and we had to wait for an our before our driver was able to locate the correct terminal to pick us up in. By the time we actually got to the hotel there was no time for even a nap, so we had both quickly found our room to shower and change. I had been able to muster the energy to make myself presentable, since I was going to be seeing Jeffrey. I had braided my now platinum blonde tresses (the purple had eventually faded enough it toned my whole head almost white.) into low pig tails, paired with simple black winged eyeliner and lashes with dark lipstick. I wore my oversized black Always Keep Fighting shirt and a pair of shorts with my high-top Chuck’s. I finally was able to locate the correct doorway and pulled us both in, Misha immediately collapsing by into Jensen’s sleeping arms on the couch closest to the door. It was barely 8 am and everyone was still half dead.    I was pouring myself a cup of hotel coffee when I felt his long arms wrap themselves around my waist, accompanied by his scruffy beard nuzzling into its favorite place on my neck.    "Too long.” He rasped, us both inhaling each others’ scent at the same time. I leaned back into his chest as I sat the cup of coffee on the table in front of me before raising a hand to his neck to hold him in place. He placed gentle kisses all over my neck before turning me in his arms to face him. He looked down at me for a moment as I raised myself to my tip-toes and pulled him to my lips. He squeezed me tight as I parted my mouth, his brows furrowing into the sensation of having our arms around each other finally. He couldn’t help digging his fingernails into the exposed skin around my waist as I whimpered at the taste of his tongue. I’m pretty sure we could have stayed like that all day if it hadn’t been for Rob clearing his throat behind us, trying to get to the coffee maker.    "Glad to see you two are on better terms,“ He teased with a giggle, taking the cup I had started working on and finishing it the way I liked it for me before working on his own. I took the cup from his hand with a smile before leaning over to kiss him on his cheek in hello.    "We’re getting a long a lot better you could say, Rob” I replied with a raised eyebrow.    Jeffrey threw an arm over my shoulder and bent down to nuzzle his scruff into my temple with a scrunched nose, earning another laugh from Rob as we walked over towards the couches. Jensen had finally stirred and was sitting upright now as we approached, rubbing his eyes, with Misha’s head in his lap, the man still deep in sleep.    "Good to see you, bubz” I said, leaning over to kiss his head before falling onto the couch into Jeffrey’s arms. With a shake if his head he huffed, “you two are stupid.” “You’re stupid” I retorted, nuzzling closer to Jeff.    A young brunette girl with a volunteer shirt poked in her head into the room, “Hey guys, Misha’s morning panel starts in 20 minutes. Mr. Morgan, you have photo ops at the same time.”    "Thanks, sweetie" Jeffrey replied, making the poor girl blush a bright red before she could duck out and hide.    I pried myself out of Jeff’s arms and headed back to the coffee maker, knowing Misha would need some strong tea if they planned on him not being a total ass to the fans. Jared stumbled in and threw himself onto Misha, causing the sleeping man to jerk awake suddenly with a yelp    "Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty" Jensen sang as he ruffled the mans hair while Jared dug around for a comfy spot.    "10 more minutes" he grumbled as he wrapped his arms around Jared’s back. I rolled my eyes.    "Mish, wake up, you have a panel soon.“ I warned, leaning over to knock his head with the palm of my hand. His eyes fluttered open and his brows furrowed in irritation as he looked at me.    "Meh” he whined, finally re-positioning Jared in order to climb out from underneath him. I extended his tea out, which he accepted with a sigh.    "So who are you gonna be following around today, Ky, your boss or your boyfriend?“ Jensen snickered, taking a sip from his own cup of coffee.    Jeffrey and I both tensed at the word, neither of us had discussed what we actually were yet. Sure, he had referred to me as his girl, and the pictures from the airport at New Years were still circulating around the internet, but nothing had been set in stone. Of course I hadn’t even been interested in anyone else, despite my flirtatious nature. I craned my head up to look at Jeff, and he looked down to me with a small smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Thankfully Misha cut in with his own agenda,    "I actually need her with me for my panel, gonna be talking about Gish and stuff” He explained with a nod of his head before taking another deep swig of tea. “You’re not gonna pull me up on stage, are you?” I whined. “Possibly.”

An hour later I found myself sitting on a bar stool next to Misha. On stage.    "Um, I have a question for Kylin, I love that your doing Gish this year. What are your goals that you want to accomplish with the last hunting season?“ A teenage girl had asked, referring to the scavenger hunt. 

   "Awh, Thank you! Well, Random Acts and Gish have always set out to accomplish great things. My goal is to make this season the best ever and have the name live on through ya’ll. Ya’ll are the ones that make this happen. Sure, Misha, Darius, and I and the other volunteers put literal blood sweat and tears into it, but it is you, the participants, that make it what it is. I want this last hunt to inspire everyone to continue to make a difference. To have people come up to me in 20 years and say 'Thank you, Random Acts and Gishwhes made me who I am today.’ That’s my goal for this season, and so far, it seems like we’re gonna crush it.” I smiled to the fan as everyone applauded. Misha wrapped an arm around me and leaned his head into my shoulder.

   "Not many people know this, but Kylin helped create Minion Stimulus, the original Random Acts, when she was just 17. She was apart of the first Gish event in 2011. She was the one who inspired me to continue doing it when I felt like we were failing. This girl right here,“ He tightened his grip around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head, “Is truly amazing, and I’m so thankful to have her back with me for the final go around. Her and Vick spend literally 18 hours a day between the two of them going over registration, items, ideas, submissions, everything, they literally do everything, to make this the best it possibly can. I am so thankful.” Tears had begun to well up in his eyes, causing my own to spring forward as he pulled me in for another hug.    The crowd cheered again and I waved once more before saying good bye and ducking back behind the curtain. Rob and Rich both had been listening and engulfed me in hugs, followed by Briana and Ruthie who accompanied me back to the greenroom so I could wait on Jeff.    "I’m jealous, love. Look at him.“ Ruth nodded to the couch where I hadn’t noticed Jeff had been sitting. He was staring at me with that smirk on his face and I couldn’t help the heat rising to my neck.    I giggled as I left her side to skip to where Jeffrey sat, flopping down beside him. He wrapped his arm behind the back of my seat and wound his finger around a piece of hair as he looked down at me.    "You’re amazing, you know that?” He drawled lowly, his voice raising goosebumps as I shook my head. “Whatever” I argued,    "I listened to what you said, girl, don’t play coy with me.“ He chuckled as he brought his nose to my ear, "I know better.”    I scoffed lightly at him while looking at my hands in my lap. I could tell he rolled his eyes as he moved his hand to crook a finger under my chin to force me to look at him. “You’re amazing.” he repeated, kissing my cheek, “You’re passionate.” He moved my face to kiss the other cheek. “You’re inspiring.” He kissed my forehead.    "And I can’t believe you’re mine“ he growled in half a whisper, making my heart spasm before leaning in to finally kiss my lips. "I am?” I asked meekly, my breath faltering as I met his eyes.    "If you’ll have me.“ He said, leaning back to lace his hand that wasn’t wrapped around me into my fingers.    I looked into his eyes as I let his words sink into my soul. I could feel myself falling for him, slowly but surely, and it was slightly overwhelming. The feeling of safety I felt when I was with him was undeniable, and I had never had anyone besides my family try to encourage me the way he did. No one, not even my family, took the time out of their day, every day, to check on me, but Jeffrey did. He knew I was broken and hurt and fragile and crazy and he still wanted to be apart of my life. At the same time though I was terrified. Terrified of him realizing that I’m not all that I’m cracked up to be, of how truly broken I believed I still was, and of attempting to be apart of his life. I knew his world was busy and he was constantly somewhere new, around thousands of beautiful women with established careers who were prettier, nicer, more mature, and better suited to fit him. The idea of him getting tired of me flashed across my mind as I looked down to stare at our hands. What if he saw what Anthony saw, the stupid immature girl who cried over everything and couldn’t do anything right?    He must have seen the scenarios playing out across my face because he leaned his face back against mine, his scruff pressing against my cheek as he rasped into my ear, "Stop overthinking. Let’s just have some fun.”    I smiled weakly at him and nodded as he moved his lips away from my ear to give me another kiss on the mouth before pressing his forehead to mine. I sighed, trying to get my emotions in check.    "There she is! I figured I would find you two here.“ Misha bellowed as he suddenly entered the room, followed by Rich, Rob, and Matt.    "Hey guys,” I said, looking up to greet everyone as they piled themselves around us.    "Ky, you’re gonna sing tonight at karaoke right?“ Rob questioned as he sat criss-cross on the floor in front of me. "Errr. No. Why would I do that?” I scrunched my face    "Because you have the voice of a fucking angel?“ Rich interjected, pointing at me as he joined Rob.    "You hiding something from me, sweetheart?” Jeffrey chuckled, squeezing my shoulder “No. I just only sing in the shower.” I excused    "Bullshit. She’s sang during SNS before a few years ago. Fans loved her. Some said she even sings better then Jay.“ Rob explained.    "Well then, darlin’ you’re gonna have to let me hear you.” Jeffrey grinned as he watched the blush creep up my neck to my ears. I sighed again, defeated.

   Later that night I was standing in Ruth’s hotel room while her and Kim tied me into my corset.    "I can’t believe I’m being forced to do this.“ I muttered as Ruth threw her knee into my back and pulled on the cords. "Shut the hell up, lady, suck it in!” Kim encouraged while laughing her ass off.    "Your boobs are being ridiculous. Jesus. There. Done.“ Ruth huffed as she finished tying the knot in the back.    I looked in the mirror, pleased at my appearance despite my nervousness. The theme had been Henry the VIII and his wives, and all the ladies of the cast and myself were dressed in suffocating corsets and long skirts and crowns. Kim and myself had fake blood donning our necks, symbolizing Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. Once everyone was in costume we stood in front of the mirror taking selfies until someone banged on the door.    "Ya’ll better hurry it up, ladies! The party’s starting!” I heard Richard call from the other side as I reached for the knob and wretched it open.    "Jesus, Kylin, don’t you look delicious” Richard smirked as he licked his lips, eyes immediately focusing on my chest squished into the tiny purple bodice. He was dressed in a pair of tights with a cod piece and a fluffy medieval coat. I rolled my eyes, “We’re coming.”    The girls and I all squished into the elevator, which was difficult due to our petticoats and skirts all dragging behind us. Richard ushered us all out of the lift and whisked us to the entrance of backstage, over to where all the men of the cast had congregated.    I was speaking with Brianna about her pretty crown when I felt his presence against my back. Bri’s eyes flicked behind me and a smirk caught her lips as she dramatically bowed, still focused on the man who had wrapped a strong arm around my waist. “Your highness.” She quipped as she lifted herself up from her curtsy.    "Queens" his gravel voice trailed its way down my neck and into my spine as I turned to face him.    He was dressed in worn leather and chain-mail, an out fit similar to the one I had seen on my brother during an episode of the show. He wore a crown with fake jewels on his head, and looked like the definition of a King. He of course, was playing the role of Henry VIII, and my knees went weak as his gaze drifted from my own crown down to where my cleavage heaved its way out of the top of the corset. A growl mumbled out of his mouth as he squeezed me closer and leaned down to kiss me.    "Enough of that.“ Jensen grumbled as he reached for my arm to tug me away, “The shows about to start, get it together.”    I rolled my eyes at him as Jeffrey laced his fingers into mine and shot me a look that said we would be continuing later. Rob and Rich started the show, and pretty soon we were all on stage laughing and dancing with the fans. 

   Jeffrey and I had never discussed how we were going to act in front of the public, and I really hadn’t thought about having to be in front of the fans at all, even after starting to work for Misha. I had always always managed to stay out of the way of the cameras and fans, but here we were in front of hundreds of people. He didn’t go over board, but did dance behind me the entire time with his hand in my hip, the fingers on the side not facing the crowd digging in enough to leave bruises.  He would rasp the the lyrics he knew to whatever song would be playing and we laughed and laughed, and danced and drank until we couldn’t anymore. His eyes went wide when Robbie and I belted out the words to the song one of the girls had picked, earning him a slap on the shoulder and a laugh from Jensen. He said something into Jeff’s ear that I couldn’t make out, but Jeff nodded feverously with a grin in response, eyes darting to me in excitement. The feeling in my gut told me my brother was planning something, but I knew by now to not try to figure it out, so I just let it slip my mind with the distraction that was the party.    Once everyone had gotten back to the hallway  where are rooms are located, Misha drunkenly approached Jeff and I, who were equally wasted, and clasped his arms on each of our shoulders.    "I'mma need you to take the little one tonight, Jeffy.“ He slurred tiredly, "Gotta call my woman.”    Creation Ent. had suckily placed me in the same room as Misha, while everyone else got their own rooms, stating that it was cost efficient and they didn’t know I was coming when they did booking. 'Whatever’    "I think I can handle that, Collins,“ He grinned as he tightened his grip where our fingers were laced together and winked at me.    I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes at Misha as he ducked away from us to bolt ahead to our room. He slipped the key card in and with a two finger salute he rushed in and closed the door with out giving me the time to speak up.    As happy as I was to be around Jeffrey, as ecstatic as I was that he called me his, I was still nervous about the idea of what might happen being finally alone in a hotel room with him. Sure, we’d rutted around on each other at the club two months prior but after that everything had been put on the back burner. It’s not like I’d been with anyone else, not including the attack. Which was another thing that heightened my anxiety to the point where my palm started sweating in Jeffrey’s as we walked down the long corridor towards his room.    "Something on your mind, sweet pea?” He asked when he noticed me worrying my lip and staring at the way my heavy skirt swayed as we stepped. I snapped out of my trance instantly, “Huh? Oh, nothing,”    He gave me a sideways glance with a knowing smile on his lips, but let it drop as we approached his room number. He pulled out the key and slid it before opening the door wide for me to enter first, “M’ Queen” he drawled with a small  bow and a smile.    "Your Majesty” I giggled, giving a curtsy myself before walking past him and the through the door frame.    We kicked off our shoes immediately, both of us letting out a sigh at the relief. I pulled my hair to the side and attempted to work at getting the knot behind me attached to my corset before Jeffrey stopped me. “Here, let me help.”    My nerves instantly shot right back up into my throat as I felt him behind me, fingers working the tangle of cord apart. I grasped my chest with both hands to keep it in place as he undid the laces while slowly leaning down to let his beard brush against my bare shoulder. I closed my eyes and tilted my neck for him, enjoying the way the scruff always felt.    I opened my eyes when he was finished with the strings and started to turn me around to face him. He reached for the front bottom of the corset that I held against my chest and pulled it away from me, leaving me bare against him in nothing but the deep burgundy gowns skirts. My breathing hitched and my chest heaved as I looked up to him to see his dark brown eyes grow incredibly darker.    "So gorgeous.“ He rasped as he let his hands run up my rib cage to my shoulder blades, then back down the curvature of my back. My hands were resting on the chain-mail on his chest and I lifted it up to find it was connected to the hem of the shirt he was wearing. Frowning slightly, I lifted that up too until he pulled it off his shoulders. 

   "Mmmm” I sighed as my lips quivered against his bare flesh for a moment, pressing myself against him to feel his skin. He wasted no time reattaching his hands to me as he lead me backwards towards the bed. He laid me down, kicking the pants he’d been wearing off as he did so, leaving him in just his black boxers. My lip continued to shiver as he laid wet open mouth kisses to my stomach and his hands ran up my legs under the layered skirts, pushing me further onto the bed up to the pillows. He created multiple wet spots up my stomach to my chest with his mouth, my hands grasping at the skin of his biceps and shoulder as he sucked hickies into my flesh. He moved one hand off my thigh and out of my skirt to bring it to my right breast as his lips enclosed around the nipple of my left. I couldn’t stop the whine that escaped my throat as my back arched into him, seemingly on instinct. He squeezed my thigh harder where his hand was as he lifted my leg to hook around his waist, pushing the fabric up on my stomach as he ground down against the white lace and cotton that was my panties. He pulled his face away and lifted off of me back onto his haunches to run his hands up my thighs again, growling as he pushed my skirt up further to reveal the wet-stained fabric beneath. His hungry eyes darted to mine for a second before he dove back forward to wedge his face into my neck, sucking and biting his way around me as he dug his extremely hard center into my core.    I was a moaning, whimpering mess when he finally snaked a hand behind my back to work at the zipper of the gown, pulling it enough to be able to get the skirts over my hips and onto the floor. We were flush against each other now, save for underwear, and I couldn’t tell where he ended and I began as we rutted our bodies up against each other and shifted our hips with every groan. He eventually couldn’t stand it anymore, I don’t think, because drifted his lips back down and hooked his fingers on my waistband and kissed the flesh being revealed as he pulled them down.    I ran one shaking hand through my own hair and the other through Jeffrey’s as he looked up at me from the most vulnerable position someone had had me in in months. He must have sensed my nerves because he slowly started planting kisses anywhere his mouth could reach, avoiding the more intimate areas until the last possible second. He used his fingers to gently pull apart my folds before lowering his eyes to it, a low indescribable vibration coming from his throat as he did so. I sucked in a breath as the heat in between my legs shot sparks through my eyes, blurring the vision of him as he finally stuck his tongue out and rolled it against my clit.    "Fuck" I grunted as my nails dug into his scalp, earning me a moan from him that sent vibrations through the heat that stopped my breath.    He continued to roll his mouth around my wetness as I writhed below him, his hands rubbing my body and massaging my breasts, never staying in the same place for too long. He was exploring, I could tell, and with every caress I found a new way he drove me wild.    "Don’t stop, please,“ I begged as I felt the tingling sensation I was chasing grow and grow as he lapped his tongue with twists and turns around my heat. His strong hands were gripping my hips now, attempting to hold me in place as the final strands of composure were cut and I slipped over the edge. My body bucked up against his face as the pleasure took over my ability to control it. He moved one hand lower and rubbed a finger through my folds, pushing into me with the intent to prolong my orgasm. That’s not what happened.    Pain seared through me as I let out a scream of agony, all pleasurable sensations wiped out by the burn that spread through me suddenly. He quickly retracted from me as I pulled myself away from him at the same time, sealing my legs shut and pulling my knees against my chin as I cowered against the headboard.    "Oh god, Ky, I’m so sorry,” He apologized instantly, guilt splayed across his face as he reached for me. I cowered again, away from his touch, and he retreated with a sigh, knowing I needed space for a second. He sat cross legged on the bed with his head in his hands, silently beating the shit out of himself for pushing me too far.    The burning slowly died and I blinked through the tears a few times to regain my focus. I looked to him, sitting as far away on the bed as possible, and broke down. 'How is he supposed to be with me when I’m this broken? What’s wrong with me? I can’t even do that right anymore?’    I was so busy in my own thoughts that I jumped again when I finally saw him move in front of me, he had stood up to pick up my panties and one of his shirts for me. With a nervous hand I took them from him as he sat back down on the edge of the other side of the bed. I slipped the clothes on quickly before curling back up in my former position.    "I’m sorry.“ It was me who was apologizing now, squeaked out through a broken sob.    He instantly turned his head to me with a confused look on his face, brows furrowed, “What?”    "I’m sorry I’m so broken I can’t even have you touch me the way you want to.“ I whispered before choking again.    He pushed his hand out on the bed slowly, offering it to me, "Darlin’, this is not your fault. I’m sorry I pushed you. I should have never done that, and I for damn sure wasn’t trying to hurt you.”    I looked from his hand to his face as tears seemed to pick their ways into his irises. “Hold me?” It came out of my mouth as a whimper.    He scooped me into his arms before I could blink, holding me close against him as he moved the blanket and sheet back and curled us both up underneath it. I pawed at his chest, nuzzling into his neck like a kitten as my tears finally dried. He cradled my head as he placed gentle, loving kisses into my hair as he slowed his own heart rate to the sound of mine. “Thank you, Jeffrey.” I whispered as I breathed in his calming scent. “Anytime, Sweetheart.”