#CHEQ. writes

[cheqorb]

not soulmates after all.

Being the ever productive human you are, you download a cringey love calculator app for fun. Too bad the result is disappointingly low.

featuring. blue lock cast

notes. worst feeling is when you want to write but can’t be bothered to, this has been sitting in my drafts for a HOT minute. small drabble before i die of heatstroke, enjoy (or don’t).

You’re lounging on your couch, aimlessly scrolling through your phone when you stumble upon the greatest app you’ve ever seen. Like, this must’ve been the reason why the internet was created. Your entire life was for this one thing. The name alone, Love-o-meter 2000, sounds like it was invented by a 13 year old writing fanfiction for the first time.

But hey, you’re bored and there’s something about the heart emojis, pink sparkles and the promise of ‘definitive proof of true love’ that speaks to you on a personal level. Maybe this is why people think you’re an easy target for scammers.

You download it — disregarding basic internet safety 101 of not downloading shit from suspicious websites — and the app’s interface is exactly what you’d expect: glittery, over the top with a soundtrack of what can only be described as weirdly romantic elevator music. Okay, so, enter your and your darling’s name and the Love-o-meter will calculate your love score (and possibly decide the fate of your relationship).

Pure, unadulterated pseudoscience.

It’s perfect, it’s everything you’ve ever wanted and it’s definitely not bordering on insanity.

You send a quick text to your beloved partner who’s literally just in the other room informing them of your very smart decision. The message is ambiguous, designed to intrigue or confuse them as the evil mastermind you are. “Going to a fortune teller to see if we’re destined to be together. Let you know how it goes xx.”

────

Rolling their eyes and sighing like the single mothers they are. Just what the hell have you got planned this time? They’ve been a victim of your schemes for the past few (what feels like) decades you’ve been together and are skeptical any time you message them out of the blue. Do they really want to know? Absolutely not and they refuse to engage in whatever witchcraft you’re trying to achieve.

Option one, they leave you on read.

Option two, they send a text with "Whatever you say, babe" for their own safety.

Rin, Sae, Post WC! Kunigami, Kaiser

Chigiri, Barou, Karasu, Raichi

────

Confusion flickers across their face as they stare at the text for a minute. They debate on sending a message asking what you even mean by that, but delete it at the last second. Is it worth the risk? No. So they opt for the safe, more loving response because they adore you enough to deal with all this. Ignoring the fact that you’re both at home, they text back, "Oh okay, you have fun with that. Love you :)"

Be careful with some of these people though; if their overthinking habits kick in, they’ll start to panic over if you’re (hypothetically) unhappy with the relationship.

Isagi, Pre-WC! Kunigami, Hiori, Nanase, Kurona, Niko

Reo, Ness, Tokimitsu

────

Immediately curious when they see the message and out of excitement, rush over to the room you’re in. They plop themselves down beside you, squishing their body against yours whilst peering over your shoulder to look at your phone. You can’t just say something like that and expect them not to want in on it! The pair of you are like kids at a sleepover for the first time with no adult supervision.

"If it doesn’t show up with 100%, this app is a scam and we refuse to listen to its lies, okay?" they add on, because as much as believing in this type of nonsense is fun; they don’t really feel like losing their partner today.

Bachira, Shidou, Aryu, Lorenzo, Charles

────

At a loss on what to do and (whether out of general inexperience with these types of things or sheer laziness) send a lacklustre "k" before putting their phone down to finish something else. Well, if it predicts something really awful, then they’ll…figure it out when the time comes. With you helping, of course.

Nagi, Gagamaru, Otoya

────

You type in your name first then pause to think (unheard of). Do you use their full name or some obscure nickname you gave them that one night which somehow stuck? Like, would it mess up the results? If you’re truly meant for each other, it shouldn’t matter. “Eh, better play it safe. Full name it is.”

You hit the heart-shaped submit button and wait eagerly. The screen flashes and you got…

Almost dropping your phone, you audibly gasp as you stare at the percentage. Four percent?! Okay, you might disagree with each other on some things but certainly not so much to be described as ‘Completely Incompatible’!

Obviously, you’re flabbergasted and the stupid thing has the audacity to play sad trombone music as you read through the description.

“You should think over this relationship a bit more. Maybe you didn’t notice the signs that were there through your rose-coloured glasses, but don’t give up on love entirely, there are plenty of fish in the sea!”

You have to stop yourself from shedding a tear and how on earth could you confess this to your beloved? They may not have taken you seriously the first time but suddenly texting them (or saying), “Yeah, this isn’t going to work between us </3 I’m sorry…” is sure to give them a scare. Cue them immediately responding and asking questions. Do you not love them anymore? Is it something they did?

…did you seriously go to a fortune teller?

Feeling kinda guilty for worrying them, you then send them a screenshot of the result/show them on your phone in person.

────

More annoyed at you if anything, don’t scare them like that again. Especially not over a result of a game, and they tell you as much. Some of them are actually a little bitter over it though, because, who does this app think it is? You are soulmates and even if you’re annoying sometimes (most of the time), you’re still theirs.

Post WC! Kunigami, Barou, Raichi, Rin, Sae, Karasu, Kaiser

────

Laugh it off but secretly thanking whatever gods blessed them because those few minutes of silence, just blankly looking at your text message were possibly the worst minutes they’ve ever been through. Genuinely had to get up and go to you in person to see if this was another one of your jokes or if you were being serious — with you, it’s hard to tell.

Isagi, Reo, Hiori, Nanase, Kurona, Niko, Lorenzo, Otoya

────

Cry, chuck their phone to the floor, and basically slam the door open to see you. Tears are streaming down their face before they even say a word. You’re not leaving right? Don’t you love them? Please don’t end everything here…Oh it’s just an app?

Still, they’re not forgiving you (lie) for that stunt unless you reassure them that you love them and would never leave them.

Ness, Tokimitsu

────

Gasp, out of shock more than anything. Most of them are the ones who came to you in the beginning — meaning they know exactly what you were doing — but it doesn’t matter to them. Disregarding what they said before, they take full offence to the result. They’re already prepared to leave 156 bad reviews on it just for this act of treason. Or they just get pouty for a bit until you comfort them.

Bachira, Shidou, Aryu, Charles, Kaiser (if he’s in a mood)

────

Didn’t get what you were trying to do to begin with, and maybe still don’t, but they’re glad you’re not actually breaking up with them! It’s barely noticeable unless you watch them like a hawk, but they make the effort to spend more time with you afterwards. They’re not too sure why themselves, thinking it just feels right.

Nagi, Gagamaru

[luperious]

Eminate a specific energy into the cosmos and you will get a response

[douglassmiith]

Ad fraud prevention firm CHEQ enters PPC market

The CHEQ PPC dashboard. Image: CHEQ.

CHEQ, a cybersecurity firm focused on ad fraud prevention, is expanding its ad verification solutions beyond impression-based programmatic advertising. It has launched a solution designed for paid search and paid search advertising channels called CHEQ PPC.

With the majority of digital ad spend going to paid search and social platforms, CHEQ says it has seen significant growth in click fraud with nearly one in five clicks proving non-human and/or fraudulent, according to a recent study commissioned by the firm.

CHEQ CEO Guy Tytunovich, a cyber-security veteran who started the company with a team of former defense intelligence engineering colleagues roughly four years ago, says Google, Facebook and other PPC platforms do a good job in fighting fraud, “and yet, there’s still an issue there … because there’s an inherent problem with solving [it] when you’re the biggest sitting duck on the internet.”

Citing the cyber-security truism of attacker advantage, he said, “There’s still X% of fraud that they could never eradicate.”

How it works. CHEQ PPC is designed to add a preemptive layer of protection against invalid clicks and fraudulent traffic on Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other cost-per-click-oriented platforms.

CHEQ PPC monitors the traffic that comes into advertisers’ sites or apps from their PPC campaigns and uses “thousands and thousands of honey pots” behind the scenes to identify anomalies in behavior. It is designed to block benign and malicious scrapers and web-crawlers, botnets, click farms, out-of geo clicks as well as suspicious human-driven behavior like competitor clicks and affiliate fraud.

It can connect to just about any network — Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Quora, etc.

The primary focus is on pre-emptive prevention, said Tytunovich, “where Google or Facebook or any other platform doesn’t even need to reimburse the advertiser because we’re basically excluding those fraudulent users from every being targeted.” Reimbursements, therefore, are “typically minuscule because the vast majority [of invalid traffic] is blocked preemptively,” he said.

There are two pricing models. One for small businesses, priced on click volume, and another for mid-market and enterprise companies based on levels of media spend.

Monitoring and analytics. To understand what the level and impact of bots and invalid traffic is CHEQ allows a small, but statistically viable amount of bot traffic through for monitoring purposes. On the CHEQ PPC dashboard (see above), advertisers can see that activity on a campaign level, and even keyword level for search campaigns, in various levels of granularity. There are also heat maps to show how the bots with mouse or scrolling capabilities behaved on the page or in the app. “Essentially what we’re showing is the volume of invalid users that would have come to the page without blocking,” Tytunovich explained.

Why we care. Ad fraud is not going away. CHEQ joins a number of other companies such as ClickCease, Clixtell, ClickGuard, TrafficGuard and PPC Protect in this arena. The company says it sees room in the PPC market for its cybersecurity-rooted, proactive approach to blocking fraudulent activity in the first place.

About The Author

Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, marketing agency Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing agency experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

Via http://www.scpie.org/ad-fraud-prevention-firm-cheq-enters-ppc-market/

source https://scpie.weebly.com/blog/ad-fraud-prevention-firm-cheq-enters-ppc-market

[laurelkrugerr]

Ad fraud prevention firm CHEQ enters PPC market

The CHEQ PPC dashboard. Image: CHEQ.

CHEQ, a cybersecurity firm focused on ad fraud prevention, is expanding its ad verification solutions beyond impression-based programmatic advertising. It has launched a solution designed for paid search and paid search advertising channels called CHEQ PPC.

With the majority of digital ad spend going to paid search and social platforms, CHEQ says it has seen significant growth in click fraud with nearly one in five clicks proving non-human and/or fraudulent, according to a recent study commissioned by the firm.

CHEQ CEO Guy Tytunovich, a cyber-security veteran who started the company with a team of former defense intelligence engineering colleagues roughly four years ago, says Google, Facebook and other PPC platforms do a good job in fighting fraud, “and yet, there’s still an issue there … because there’s an inherent problem with solving [it] when you’re the biggest sitting duck on the internet.”

Citing the cyber-security truism of attacker advantage, he said, “There’s still X% of fraud that they could never eradicate.”

How it works. CHEQ PPC is designed to add a preemptive layer of protection against invalid clicks and fraudulent traffic on Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other cost-per-click-oriented platforms.

CHEQ PPC monitors the traffic that comes into advertisers’ sites or apps from their PPC campaigns and uses “thousands and thousands of honey pots” behind the scenes to identify anomalies in behavior. It is designed to block benign and malicious scrapers and web-crawlers, botnets, click farms, out-of geo clicks as well as suspicious human-driven behavior like competitor clicks and affiliate fraud.

It can connect to just about any network — Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Quora, etc.

The primary focus is on pre-emptive prevention, said Tytunovich, “where Google or Facebook or any other platform doesn’t even need to reimburse the advertiser because we’re basically excluding those fraudulent users from every being targeted.” Reimbursements, therefore, are “typically minuscule because the vast majority [of invalid traffic] is blocked preemptively,” he said.

There are two pricing models. One for small businesses, priced on click volume, and another for mid-market and enterprise companies based on levels of media spend.

Monitoring and analytics. To understand what the level and impact of bots and invalid traffic is CHEQ allows a small, but statistically viable amount of bot traffic through for monitoring purposes. On the CHEQ PPC dashboard (see above), advertisers can see that activity on a campaign level, and even keyword level for search campaigns, in various levels of granularity. There are also heat maps to show how the bots with mouse or scrolling capabilities behaved on the page or in the app. “Essentially what we’re showing is the volume of invalid users that would have come to the page without blocking,” Tytunovich explained.

Why we care. Ad fraud is not going away. CHEQ joins a number of other companies such as ClickCease, Clixtell, ClickGuard, TrafficGuard and PPC Protect in this arena. The company says it sees room in the PPC market for its cybersecurity-rooted, proactive approach to blocking fraudulent activity in the first place.

About The Author

Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, marketing agency Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing agency experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/ad-fraud-prevention-firm-cheq-enters-ppc-market/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/07/ad-fraud-prevention-firm-cheq-enters.html

[riichardwilson]

Ad fraud prevention firm CHEQ enters PPC market

The CHEQ PPC dashboard. Image: CHEQ.

CHEQ, a cybersecurity firm focused on ad fraud prevention, is expanding its ad verification solutions beyond impression-based programmatic advertising. It has launched a solution designed for paid search and paid search advertising channels called CHEQ PPC.

With the majority of digital ad spend going to paid search and social platforms, CHEQ says it has seen significant growth in click fraud with nearly one in five clicks proving non-human and/or fraudulent, according to a recent study commissioned by the firm.

CHEQ CEO Guy Tytunovich, a cyber-security veteran who started the company with a team of former defense intelligence engineering colleagues roughly four years ago, says Google, Facebook and other PPC platforms do a good job in fighting fraud, “and yet, there’s still an issue there … because there’s an inherent problem with solving [it] when you’re the biggest sitting duck on the internet.”

Citing the cyber-security truism of attacker advantage, he said, “There’s still X% of fraud that they could never eradicate.”

How it works. CHEQ PPC is designed to add a preemptive layer of protection against invalid clicks and fraudulent traffic on Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other cost-per-click-oriented platforms.

CHEQ PPC monitors the traffic that comes into advertisers’ sites or apps from their PPC campaigns and uses “thousands and thousands of honey pots” behind the scenes to identify anomalies in behavior. It is designed to block benign and malicious scrapers and web-crawlers, botnets, click farms, out-of geo clicks as well as suspicious human-driven behavior like competitor clicks and affiliate fraud.

It can connect to just about any network — Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Quora, etc.

The primary focus is on pre-emptive prevention, said Tytunovich, “where Google or Facebook or any other platform doesn’t even need to reimburse the advertiser because we’re basically excluding those fraudulent users from every being targeted.” Reimbursements, therefore, are “typically minuscule because the vast majority [of invalid traffic] is blocked preemptively,” he said.

There are two pricing models. One for small businesses, priced on click volume, and another for mid-market and enterprise companies based on levels of media spend.

Monitoring and analytics. To understand what the level and impact of bots and invalid traffic is CHEQ allows a small, but statistically viable amount of bot traffic through for monitoring purposes. On the CHEQ PPC dashboard (see above), advertisers can see that activity on a campaign level, and even keyword level for search campaigns, in various levels of granularity. There are also heat maps to show how the bots with mouse or scrolling capabilities behaved on the page or in the app. “Essentially what we’re showing is the volume of invalid users that would have come to the page without blocking,” Tytunovich explained.

Why we care. Ad fraud is not going away. CHEQ joins a number of other companies such as ClickCease, Clixtell, ClickGuard, TrafficGuard and PPC Protect in this arena. The company says it sees room in the PPC market for its cybersecurity-rooted, proactive approach to blocking fraudulent activity in the first place.

About The Author

Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, marketing agency Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing agency experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/ad-fraud-prevention-firm-cheq-enters-ppc-market/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/622497469701472256

[scpie]

Ad fraud prevention firm CHEQ enters PPC market

The CHEQ PPC dashboard. Image: CHEQ.

CHEQ, a cybersecurity firm focused on ad fraud prevention, is expanding its ad verification solutions beyond impression-based programmatic advertising. It has launched a solution designed for paid search and paid search advertising channels called CHEQ PPC.

With the majority of digital ad spend going to paid search and social platforms, CHEQ says it has seen significant growth in click fraud with nearly one in five clicks proving non-human and/or fraudulent, according to a recent study commissioned by the firm.

CHEQ CEO Guy Tytunovich, a cyber-security veteran who started the company with a team of former defense intelligence engineering colleagues roughly four years ago, says Google, Facebook and other PPC platforms do a good job in fighting fraud, “and yet, there’s still an issue there … because there’s an inherent problem with solving [it] when you’re the biggest sitting duck on the internet.”

Citing the cyber-security truism of attacker advantage, he said, “There’s still X% of fraud that they could never eradicate.”

How it works. CHEQ PPC is designed to add a preemptive layer of protection against invalid clicks and fraudulent traffic on Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other cost-per-click-oriented platforms.

CHEQ PPC monitors the traffic that comes into advertisers’ sites or apps from their PPC campaigns and uses “thousands and thousands of honey pots” behind the scenes to identify anomalies in behavior. It is designed to block benign and malicious scrapers and web-crawlers, botnets, click farms, out-of geo clicks as well as suspicious human-driven behavior like competitor clicks and affiliate fraud.

It can connect to just about any network — Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Quora, etc.

The primary focus is on pre-emptive prevention, said Tytunovich, “where Google or Facebook or any other platform doesn’t even need to reimburse the advertiser because we’re basically excluding those fraudulent users from every being targeted.” Reimbursements, therefore, are “typically minuscule because the vast majority [of invalid traffic] is blocked preemptively,” he said.

There are two pricing models. One for small businesses, priced on click volume, and another for mid-market and enterprise companies based on levels of media spend.

Monitoring and analytics. To understand what the level and impact of bots and invalid traffic is CHEQ allows a small, but statistically viable amount of bot traffic through for monitoring purposes. On the CHEQ PPC dashboard (see above), advertisers can see that activity on a campaign level, and even keyword level for search campaigns, in various levels of granularity. There are also heat maps to show how the bots with mouse or scrolling capabilities behaved on the page or in the app. “Essentially what we’re showing is the volume of invalid users that would have come to the page without blocking,” Tytunovich explained.

Why we care. Ad fraud is not going away. CHEQ joins a number of other companies such as ClickCease, Clixtell, ClickGuard, TrafficGuard and PPC Protect in this arena. The company says it sees room in the PPC market for its cybersecurity-rooted, proactive approach to blocking fraudulent activity in the first place.

About The Author

Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, marketing agency Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing agency experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/ad-fraud-prevention-firm-cheq-enters-ppc-market/

[niwa-katuki]

Am I the bad one or am I just over thinking?

So I work at a restaurant, kitchen is kind of devied into two. I work alone on one side and depending on the day there is about 2-5 staff working in the other side.

I work alone doing what I need to prepare, clean, organize and such. I never ask the staff on the other side for help since I know they have lot more stuff to do then I do in a way,I never said anything to them when one gose out for frequent smoke brake between work and also taking an hour lunch break, and others taking a short drink brake so they don’t dehydrate and chat and decides to choose 30min lunch break. Most of the time I decided to don’t take lunch break since I work alone and I have one ear bud in one of the ear to listen to music on low volume so I can hear when the order comes in with the other ear, and sometimes I try to be friendly and talkative to some customers to see how they liked the meal while I clean up the plates off the table.

I work with my sister and on her day off I check want need to be prepared to be restocked. It is the day that the shipment of supplies come it so I double check if the right orders has arrived, and store the items that need to be stored on my side. O asked the other staff to store the rest that need to be stored on thier side. If I’m the one who noticed that the customer is waiting to place an order I go take care of it. When I have an open hand I check the front to clear off the tables moving the finished dishes to the returning cart, wipe the table and sweep the area of the table if it is dirty. Near the end of the day I clean up my side of the kitchen, then the front customer dining area then the washrooms and finally closing the cash. While the other staff at the other side just need to clean up thier side of the kitchen witch is cleaning up thier work station, wash the dishes, take out the trash and organic wast, sweep and mop the floor, and return the dishes to where it should be stored, etc.

I only work 3 days a week now because I was getting stressed out so much, so to make them worry less on what they need to do I prepare ingredients enough on my side area until I come in to work next. I hardly ask them for help, I help them sometimes when I have an open hand. I even start preparing orders on their side while thier having their lunch break. When they just call me over when I left the store for a bit to go grab some ingredients from next door grocery store, And yet I still get blamed on not helping them more often, again depending on the day they have 2-5 staff working together and I’m alone on my side preparing what I need to prepare, making the orders on what I’m responsible to make.

I actually own the store and my sister works for me but I guess since she’s my older sister it kind of feels like she just took over the business, because I’m the one who gets yelled or warned at.

Yes I’m not a good example to be an owner because I have music playing from my earbuds witch is only on one ear and on a low volume witch I can only faintly hear it playing. The back kitchen on my side gets pretty loud from vents, freezer motor and deep frier. But I do try to keep checking the front if I had any order in. Or if the front needs help.

But today my sister was been told that I don’t help thier side, i don’t bring in The dirty dishes on the way back from serving the customer. But i need to rush back in to my station since I had more orders stacked I need to prepare.

I’m giving them more work but I prepar every thing on my side so they don’t need to do what I need. And the reason they said this because of two piece of chicken witch then precut the chicken into bite size, when the order comes in they just dip it into a flavored powder and deep fry it, and I only ask for it like once or twice a week.

I’m listening to music, witch I under stand why they get annoyed but they chat and drink coffe one of them go out for frequent smoke break and stuff between staff and I’m working alone at my corner at least preparing my list of preparations that they don’t even do.

I a way it might be my fault not being more considered to the other staff. I know there is lot of thing I don’t see and might not notice, and I try to help when I do have an open hand. In a way seriously the oviously I am just one person working on my side and there is more then one on the other, I do things that they don’t even touch and the stuff in the front. Write cheqs to pay bills, I sometimes even come out to help on my day offs. And yet I’m the one who’s been treated the black sheep just because I don’t interact with the other staff much and just doing what I need to do. I try to chat with them sometime but my sister always tell me to don’t bother them.

What do they expect me todo? I already told them I can’t take this anymore, sister can take my business and I quit but they don’t let me quit. I try to speak up but of course swing the youngest of the siblings they don’t really listen to me. If they have problem with me they should just let me quite or fire me. Even if this is my own business witch don’t feel its my business anymore. Sister don’t even have a clue what I’ve been doing the pass years.

She my be a good person to be a friend with but as a sister that grew up with her she’s one of those type that be nice and helpful towords friends and others but don’t really give a though that she’s leaving a bad impression to the family. I love her as a family and you can’t really hate family but I sure hate her personality. I’m a person who can not keep my thoughts straight, i know I have a anger problem ( witch I constantly keep building inside of me, never taking it out on others) I’m pretty sure I have a bad area that I don’t notice but I don’t take one side, or try to make a good impression to others. I treat my friends as a friend and close friends as a family, worker is worker and family is family. Nothing more or less. I try to help when I have open hand and it seems like they need a hand. I don’t really complain to them as much about work because I believe they are doing their jobs. But right now I don’t know any more, because it seems like I’m the one who’s not doing her own job and just standing around doing nothing.

[cheqorb]

your mer-love fic was so good and ugh i LOVE mermaid au’s (esp with blue lock but theres BARELY any)!!

anyways u should do a pt 2 of your mer-love drabble/fic with rin, sae, kaiser and ness!! i’d love to read it if you do

MER-LOVE, 1.3

mermaid au! bllk boys with a researcher! reader

featuring. rin, sae, kaiser, ness

notes. thank-you for requesting anon! this might be absolute dogwater but hope you enjoy this…a few months after you even asked this (sorryyyy).

mer-love masterlist here !

any interactions with RIN are short and definitely not sweet. if he isn’t being harassed by any other mers that are interested in him, he normally stays around you because you “don’t bother him as much as the others do”. quoted by rin himself; which is considerably high praise coming from the rather aloof merman.

you probably first meet him simply because he got dragged by bachira or the like, but he’s not much of a conversation starter since he just sorta glared at you the whole time. it doesn’t get much better from that point onwards either, you’d think rin believed the world was against him by the way perfectly normal, well-meaning compliments are thrown to the side as if you’re insulting him.

with time though, he’ll start growing more fond of you! how can you tell? unless you’re freakishly talented at guessing people’s real emotions, who knows.

he (kinda) gets cuter in a way? maybe it’s just you being optimistic but you could’ve sworn that he has this look of pride whenever you choose to spend time with him over the other mers. like, of course you don’t want to hang out with weaklings like them or something along those lines. it takes a while but he’s noticeably softer with you than he is with his friends — he actually calls them lukewarm, but that’s just rin for ‘friends’ you think.

“Rin, ya there?”

He stares at you with mild disbelief, which almost makes you burst into a fit of laughter. “Since i’m very clearly here next to you, I think the answer’s quite obvious.”

You nod, grinning. “Thought you’d say that but anyways,” you say whilst reaching into a bag, “I wanted to give you a present! Take it as a token of my gratitude for you chatting with me.”

He eyes the object you give him coldly, but takes it anyway with a ghost of a smile on his face. How adorable.

SAE is someone very hard to come by, and even harder to start conversation with that don’t end in him just swimming away from you. if you thought talking to rin was like talking to a brick wall, just wait till you meet this guy.

he’s seemingly apathetic to anything and everything, incredibly blunt, and overall not a very nice guy. at least his lil brother doesn’t outright ignore you (he does call you an NPC and half baked though)! speaking of which, if you meet rin first you can definitely see the resemblance between the two. appearance is a main one, you would know those under-lashes from anywhere and now you definitely know where he gets the attitude from.

any signs of him ‘warming up’ to you are basically non existent. he’s as straightforward as ever and isn’t keen on the idea of suddenly being all over you like humans normally seem to do with the people they like.

to give credit where credit is due, he tries? even though he’s still a bit brutal with his delivery, you think he tries to avoid being so aggressive with his tone. he’s not exactly sugarcoating things, but simply not saying what’s on his mind as much as he used to. that whole spiel about if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything, right? and besides, just him tolerating your presence should be enough for you to understand he’s trying to be nice (it really isn’t).

Sae has a talent for ruining any positive conversations with his honesty, the aftermath typically being him leaving the person or awkward silence ensues. To give credit where credit is due however, you also think he’s got a talent for somehow making people feel better.

He doesn’t sugarcoat things and while it can be harsh, it also means that compliments from him are genuine.

He listens to you rambling on about some annoying incidents at work, making the effort to nod every once in a while to remind you that he’s paying attention. “Sounds like something you can deal with yourself. There’s no reason to worry yourself about it, that’s a waste of your time.”

amidst a certain merman’s grumbling of someone called ‘KAISER’, you gain snippets of info that paint a less-than-flattering picture of the merman. he sounds like a major jerk. yet, despite his (isagi’s) colourful descriptions shall we say, you can't help but wonder if this kaiser fellow’s supposed villainy is just an exaggeration. but then again, to evoke such hatred from the usually amiable merman, he must be quite the character.

your first encounter with him is unremarkable, only seeing him as another mermaid who decided to show their face and you as some random human.

his curiosity is piqued however when he notices how fond the other merfolk are of you, and in typical kaiser fashion he’s determined to outshine everyone else. from your perspective, he’s just a weird dude. it’s as if he expects you to be grateful for his attention, even though it’s clear that he’s the one vying for your approval.

it’d be somewhat cute if it were anybody else, you think..? on him, it’s aggravating.

and yet, the more you pull away, the more determined he seems to become to disrupt any semblance of peace you have. he appears so often that you’ve grown to actually tolerate his presence and it even amuses you sometimes if the day is particularly boring. kaiser finds you just…okay (liar). he means- you’re nothing special so don’t get ahead of yourself but like, if YOU wanted to, he wouldn’t mind being with you until nightfall.

also don’t mention the sheer disgust and almost betrayal on his face whenever he sees one of your total losers of a colleague on watch duty instead of you. even worse if they’re partnered with you.

Judging by the very obvious glare Kaiser has on his face, you would say that he’s not too pleased with the sight of you and (coworker) together. Still, he could at least try be more discreet about it. You sigh as your companion only spares you a sympathetic look.

What’s annoying is that Kaiser occasionally glances in your direction — of course, whilst still glaring daggers at (coworker). Like he wants you to do something about them tagging along.

Having enough of it, you say, “Kaiser, you’re embarrassing me over here and yourself.” He pauses for a moment before simply turning around, probably sulking over the fact that you do indeed have relationships with other people that don’t involve him. That, or he’s embarrassed he got called out.

you’ll naturally come across NESS if you’ve already met kaiser and at first, you simply took him for the more timid type which could be the reason why he follows the former around like a lost puppy. wrong. not in the slightest.

well that’s a little harsh, but you mean that while he definitely has a bashful quality to him, he also seems to flip completely if you dare make a comment about kaiser. it’s a little scary. in spite of his dedication shall we call it, he’s actually one of the easiest mers to get along with. talk to him normally, avoid the topic of kaiser too often, spare some affection for him and he’s all over you soon enough!

just being generally nice around him is something he’ll appreciate it even if he doesn’t say it outright. poor thing is a little unfamiliar with people showing him basic human (or in this case merfolk) decency. makes you want to pat him on the head and spoil him a bit/squish him until he breaks — depending on what type of person you are, i guess.

when he gets more comfortable with you, ness is also clingy. like, really clingy. practically chasing after the other mers if they dare come within 10ft of you kind of clingy. it’s one of those rare moments where you appreciate the fact that kaiser is there since ness is still able to be reasoned if he’s there with him. sounds a little toxic at first but just set him straight and be patient with him. the end result is (hopefully) a slightly more relaxed version of him.

“…You alright, Ness?” you ask hesitantly. The merman in question is suspiciously quiet, especially after he just got into a mini spat with someone else.

Now, he looks up at you as if you’re a saint which weirds you out even more. He nods his head, before asking, “Are you worried about me?”

You’d think it was intended to be a snide comment, if it weren’t for the fact that you were dealing with Ness here. Besides, he says it so sincerely that you’d feel bad for poking fun at him. Maybe later though. “Of course.”

It seems to light up his whole world.

[cheqorb]

strike love into the heart of foes.

A change in your rival's demeanour is be nothing serious, anyone can get tired of being competitive all the time. So, the look of longing in their eyes, the comments that seem more flirtatious than threatening, are fine, right?

featuring. isagi, shidou, kaiser

notes. maybe i am, in fact, an isagi fan because he’s almost like a staple for me to write any blue lock related posts.

Making an enemy out of ISAGI is surprisingly straightforward, considering his more laid-back personality compared to everyone else at least.

Simply just be a bit of a diva (become Kaiser 2.0). Confidently brag about how much better you are than him and he’s a bit hopeless, isn’t he? It won’t be long before he begins to get pretty irritable around you, feeling a strong urge to curse you out anytime you speak.

It’s not the ego he minds, really, but you’re just so…you.

────

With a smirk, you peer over his shoulder as he struggles to catch his breath in practice. "Is that all you've got? Whatever happened to the genius on the pitch?" you taunt, wearing the smug expression he oh-so-despises.

Your shit-eating grin only widens at the sight of his furrowed brows and clenched teeth that betray his frustration, he’s so predictable, it’s almost sad!

────

Which is why he would describe it as complete and utter humiliation, when he realises he's starting to feel something beyond mere dislike towards you.

The discomfort between the two of you only worsens as he grows awkwardly silent at your blatant insults or even the mere mention of his name within earshot. Seriously, is he just ignoring you? And if/when you condescendingly pat his head, calling him a sorry excuse of a striker, he just…stands there — his face tinted a touch redder than usual.

Well, you conclude he could’ve just finished practice so he’s red ‘cause of exhaustion. Stupid Yoichi got ahead of himself in training and tired himself out. Yeah, that must be it (cue everyone visibly shaking their heads and sighing very loudly).

────

Before your fingertips even make contact with his head, Isagi already knows it's you standing beside him. "Still not giving up, huh? Just how much do you enjoy losing anyway..." You pause.

He doesn't swat your hand away or offer a retort like he would have a few weeks prior to today. You’re confused, not having a clue as to what’s changed and your little one-sided dynamic has lasted for ages at this point. He’s trying to embarrass you by acting as if you’re not there, isn’t he?!

But then, much to your absolute shock and horror, he absentmindedly responds with, “Right. Yeah.”

With your hand still resting on his hair, you don’t even notice how he leans into your touch while you’re still processing what just happened in your mind. How sneaky.

Now, this one’s unfathomably easy. SHIDOU is someone who thrives on stirring up trouble with anything unlucky enough to catch his attention; be it a stranger bumping into him or even a dog walking off its leash.

Though, to capture his interest and earn his respect in earnest, you need to demonstrate the ability to ‘explode’ on the field but also able to play by his ‘rules’. but to truly kick off his fascination with you (pun intended), maintaining a nonchalant demeanor/keeping a distance between you two also helps. He seems like he’d be drawn to people who are on the more mysterious side of his interactions with Sae are anything to go off of.

────

Approaching with his trademark flamboyance, Shidou’s voice boomed as he made his way across the pitch. "Hey, you! That was some seriously impressive play out there!" he declares, "I mean, seriously, those moves were—”

He goes off on a tangent about cells, explosions — stuff you couldn’t be bothered to listen to.

“…Thanks,” you say with a neutral expression on your face before he tries to jump on you??? Almost breaking your nose in the process, if you hadn’t dodged in time.

────

His personality is both captivating yet a little too boisterous for anybody’s taste, and you can’t help instinctively retreating if he gets too close. Even if he is one of the few players who willingly praises you outright.

But Shidou isn't deterred by your nonchalance; if anything, it only fuels his excitement. Someone that so brilliantly fits his character, (seemingly) couldn’t care less about him. Anyways in terms of romance, he operates on a vastly different wavelength from conventional views on love. I don’t think he’s the type to recognise feelings of being flustered or the desire to shower someone with tender care and attention.

Since it is still love at the end of the day, he’s still experiences a certain pull towards you, driven by instinct rather than conscious understanding. But besides that, he remains largely oblivious/doesn’t feel the need to dig deeper into the complexity of human emotions.

Just understands being around you = more fun for him.

And unless you’re exceptionally perceptive or are somehow able to understand his underlying motives, you're likely to interpret his actions as a signal to maintain a safe distance.

────

“You’re always so hard to pin down, you know that?” Shidou calls out, watching as you continue walking — unfazed by his presence. He debates on whether or not to smash your face into the ground but then, he pauses.

A rare moment of contemplation for him.

Despite everything, there’s something undeniably exhilarating about being around you. A sense of freedom, a release from the constraints of his existence. Being with you makes him happy. It’s a thought that prompts another; how nice it’d be if you felt the same way about him…huh. Oh well.

For KAISER, it's also decently easy. Either defeat him on the soccer field or simply refuse to conform to his philosophy of everyone revolving around him; just don’t be a pushover. He’s someone who’ll gladly take any opportunity to crush someone whose ego far outweighs their abilities, but when confronted by someone with the skills to match their confidence? He becomes both intrigued and slightly irked.

Especially if they’re someone who can’t stand him (which to be fair, isn’t all that difficult) or simply wants nothing to do with him.

────

As you catch sight of a familiar head of blonde hair fading into blue entering through the doorway, you internally groan.

It’s Kaiser who saunters over, flashing his signature smirk. "Well, if it isn't my most favourite jester," he drawls, his tone dripping with arrogance. "You're looking rather defeated today. Are you finally coming to term with the fact that you'll never match my level?"

If it wasn’t clear, you don’t have much enthusiasm when it comes to whatever he says.

────

As time passes however, he’ll slowly find himself being more…involved in your life — forcing to make an appearance himself if need be.

Even noticing the small details about you. the way your eyes lit up when you seemed to figure something out, the subtle quirks that made you, you. Eventually (and I mean eventually, this will take a while), the realisation that his actions were out of love dawns on him. He’ll certainly try to deny it, brushing off the unfamiliar feelings as mere annoyance or frustration, but as he catches himself stealing glances in your direction and seeking out opportunities to be near you, he can’t help but admit defeat.

Michael Kaiser, the arrogant and self-assured soccer prodigy, had fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with some nobody.

He wants to impress you, to be the one that makes you grit your teeth out of frustration, to be the best version of himself for you to look up at. And, what began as subtle glances and fleeting touches soon evolves into more obvious displays of affection.

He finds excuses to brush against you or in close proximity of you, his hand lingering a fraction longer when shaking yours or his fingers grazing yours when passing objects. He also seems to be fond of leaning close towards you nowadays, his face mere inches from yours. It’s a lot worse if you’re visibly flustered when he does these things too.

Additionally, your pet name has been upgraded from jester to ‘liebling’…whatever that even means. must be weird if it makes his teammates raise a brow every time he says it.

────

With the match coming to an end, you mentally prepare yourself for a certain someone’s inevitable reaction to that last play of yours. What you don’t expect is for him to suddenly take out your earbud with a creepy smile on his face. Kaiser’s always weird, but this is a little outlandish even for him.

“Ich liebe dich.”

You raise a brow at whatever he said (not that you could understand of course) but judging by the others looking completely lost for words, you can only assume it’s pretty awful.

[cheqorb]

envy in the air.

It’s rather insensitive of you to keep gushing about your admiration for another player, right when your beloved partner is sitting next to you.

featuring. isagi, rin, nagi

notes. short and kinda lazy. also confession: I do not get what people see in Rin which is why I don’t write for him that much (im not too sure on his character? is he ooc here?). sorry 😔

"—and the kick was just so fast! You could only really see it on the slowmo replay during the match stream. It was so cool! And his dyed hair is pretty awesome too," you squeal, but your excitement quickly dies down when you notice something strange. ISAGI, your normally very attentive boyfriend, is staring intently at his phone, seemingly ignoring you.

It’s odd by all meaning of the word — he’s never done that before. And he’s normally super happy when you get excited over the sport he loves too!

“Were you even listening to me?” you ask, a visible frown on your face.

No response.

What the- You pout, crawling closer and wrapping your arm around his. “Isagi?” you try again, and when that doesn’t work, you go for the dramatic, “Yoichi? Love of my life? My one and only soulmate until I die?”

Finally, Isagi responds, his voice calm and steady but tinged with what you’re sure is jealousy.

“Just what do you see in him anyway? Kaiser isn’t the best player in the world. And his hair? It looks uneven, like it was cut with a butcher’s knife if you saw it in person.” He then proceeds to describe every little nitpick he has about whoever Kaiser is.

“Oh, right…” you manage, trying to suppress a grin when you realise what’s happening.

Isagi is sulking.

Your Yoichi is sulking like a child.

You stay quiet for a moment, biting your lip to keep yourself from laughing. Then, you reposition yourself, wrapping your arms comfortably around his waist. You’ll play the comforting role if he’s getting this bothered over it. “Obviously, you’re still the best, Yoichi. The only person I’d ever cheer for.”

Isagi perks up a little at your praise. He tries to play it cool, but the way he nods with a bit too much enthusiasm gives him away.

You think you’ve become quite the expert at identifying RIN’s grumpy faces, each one indicates what particular mood he’s in (even if they all look the exact same). And when he walks in the room to watch a match with you, you notice his face scrunches up ever so slightly at the sight of the screen.

At first, you figured he was a bit upset that he couldn’t watch the first half of the match.

“Rin, you missed the best part! That, uh, midfielder,” you begin, struggling to remember the positions in football, “the one with the reddish magenta hair. He did this amazing pass to one of his teammates, it went over like half the pitch! It was…”

You trail off, seeing his expression shift from glaring daggers at the screen to a slightly softer look when he glances at you, though a hint of bitterness remains.

Guess their relationship is still a bit rocky.

Maybe it wasn’t a great idea to feign ignorance instead of outright complimenting Sae. You gently take his hand in yours, deciding this is the perfect moment for some affection. And by affection, you mean saying some of the cringiest love quotes you can think off the top of your head. “Of course, you’re much better than him though. You’re number one in my heart!” you declare, forming a heart with your hands for added emphasis.

Could’ve blown kisses too, but that’s a bit much, even for you.

Luckily, it’s enough to make Rin relax a little and sigh. Not an angry, frustrated sigh, it’s more like a sigh to calm himself down. “Thanks,” he mumbles, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards just a bit.

NAGI has his head in your lap as you watch a match on TV, and your eyes land on a certain player. You can’t quite describe the feeling you get from watching him; it's like…exhilarating? Like you’re in the match with him and can feel what he feels. And once the match finally ends, you’re left somewhat speechless.

“Seishiro, who was that number 11? Do you know him?” you ask. “His play seemed really amazing. Is he like a strategy type?”

He’s quiet for a minute, as if thinking about something, but you brush it off as him just being too focused on his phone. Y’know. The usual. “Why do you want to know?” he replies in his usual monotone voice.

“Just 'cause. Now tell me.”

Nagi purses his lips in a cute but annoying way in this scenario. His eyes slowly move away from yours in an almost out-of-character attempt to dodge the question. “…don’t feel like it.”

“C’mon, just tell me!” you whine, because while you understand that he’s lazy (and may or may not have even been paying attention to the match), he isn’t normally so standoffish. Not to you. “Pleaseee, I love you so very, very much, Seishiro. Answer-“

“Isagi,” he says with a noticeable huff, before going back to his game looking more disgruntled than before.

You really don’t know what he’s thinking sometimes, but decide to run your fingers through his hair. Something tells you giving Nagi some affection could help him get in a better mood.

[cheqorb]

drawn to you.

Being an artist means you’re always on the lookout for inspiration and rarely ever say no when an opportunity for it presents itself. Which is easier said than done.

featuring. bachira, kaiser

notes. set in a school au, i think. honestly somebody needs to teach me how to write better summaries, this feels so cringe. and sorry for not posting much, feels like im going through a writer’s slump rnnn

You stumble upon BACHIRA as you’re taking art supplies to another classroom, maybe it was simply a coincidence but the romanticist in you likes to think it was fate.

Embarrassingly, your foot catches on the uneven ground, sending you lurching forward. You instinctively brace for impact, the art supplies in your arms almost escaping your arms. Though, just as you're about to faceplant onto the concrete, a firm grip on your arm steadies you.

"Whoa there! Gotcha just in time," a cheerful voice exclaims.

You look up to see a boy with a wide grin and bright yellow eyes, his hand still securely holding your arm. Relieved that you didn’t make a complete fool of yourself the one time you go outside, you thank your saviour with a smile in return.

"Need some help with those?" he asks, gesturing to the overflowing bundle of canvases, brushes, and paints.

You aren’t exactly sure why he asked because he doesn’t wait for an answer, lifting up a couple of boxes. But hey, you appreciate the help.

As the two of you walk towards the clubroom, he starts talking. And boy, does he talk. You learn more about him in the next few minutes than you'd typically learn about someone in a month. He's on the football team, he’s 17 now, his birthday is on August 8th, and somehow, you even know his school schedule. You can't help but smile at his enthusiasm; it's cute in a way.

Just as you're about to open the door, he casually mentions his name (arguably the most important thing in an introduction to someone) in between all the chatter.

"By the way, I'm Bachira Meguru."

You freeze, your eyes widening slightly. Bachira? The name rings a bell. "Bachira? As in, the artist Bachira Yu?" you ask, your voice tinged with slight disbelief.

"Yep, that's my mom!" he replies, his grin even wider now.

For a moment, you're stunned into silence. She’s been one of your favorite artists, her work a source of great inspiration for you. The one you practically begged your parents to get tickets for her art gallery. And here you are, being helped by her son.

"T-That's incredible!" you finally manage, unable to contain your excitement. "I love her work! Her use of color and the way she captures emotion, it's just amazing!"

Now it's your turn to start yapping, words piling on top of another as you bombard him with questions about his mother, her art, and whether he has any of her talent. He listens with that same easygoing smile, happy to share stories about his childhood and growing up with an artist as a mom.

By the time you reach the clubroom and set down the art supplies, you've both laughed and chatted so much that it feels like you've been friends forever.

Sadly all good things must come to an end as you have to wave him off else he’ll be late for practice, apparently this happens quite frequently as one of his teammates comes to pick him up himself. You sheepishly tell Bachira that he’s welcome to pop by the club anytime and you’d be happy to talk to him again, which he readily agrees to.

In Bachira’s opinion, you’re a very friendly person!

One that he doesn’t want to forget about. When his head isn’t filled with football-induced mania, it always wanders back to you. Wondering what you’re up to these days and what art you could be planning. He excitedly rambles on about you to anyone who’ll listen (mostly Isagi) and gets all giddy when you come to watch him play.

Don’t even get him started on when he catches you sketching him.

In contrast, your introduction to KAISER is a little less fairytale-like. You suddenly pause in your work when you hear a very loud voice complaining obnoxiously in the corridor. Something about how all the clubs so far have been utterly boring and only the football club even remotely interests — of course he still doesn’t like most of the members there anyway.

Not exactly the type of thing that leaves a good first impression.

The moment the sliding door opens, rather aggressively might you add, a blonde guy waltzes in like he owns the place with his victim friend trailing behind him. “So, Ness, what club is this again?” he asks, completely ignoring you (y’know. the actual club member???) and instead turns around to ‘Ness’.

Barely within minutes of knowing each other, he then proceeds to call the room tacky and that he was ‘bored’ and needed a drink. To which Ness happily leaves to go get for him.

And now it’s just you two.

Trying to be optimistic about this, you settle for the idea that maybe this was just a bad start! Maybe he was a nice guy!

You smile, reluctantly so, “Hey, if you want to know more about the club or what we do, you can ask me anything ya like.”

He scrutinises the painting sitting at your easel, glaring at it almost. Before his eyes land on you for what seems to be the first time. Then he just. Asks, or rather, orders for you to paint him. And that he expects to see it tomorrow. You should’ve point blank refused (which would’ve saved you a LOT of stress in future) but you don’t want to start drama with someone like him.

Then he walks off like his behaviour was completely acceptable. Bear in mind, you don’t even know this guy’s name.

You come to know it soon enough though, because who else but Michael Kaiser has the arrogance to pay you a visit to critique your work and then leave. Just to do it all over again the next day. On Kaiser’s end, at first he just found your effort to horribly disguise your frustration kinda fun. Just a pleasant surprise to end each day.

But each time he comes into the room, with the strong smell of paint and clay hitting his nose and you sitting on a stool with an adorably pensive look on your face, he can’t help but feel obligated to come in once football practice is over.

He nitpicks small things about your artwork that literally nobody on planet earth would even notice:

His eyes are more of a lighter blue.

The eyelashes look too close together.

His tattoo has more thorns than that.

A crease on his shirt was off.

Just to have an excuse to spend more time with you since more mistakes = more time he can spend watching you fix them. And if it gets to a point whereby there’s simply nothing else for him to complain about, he’ll just ask for a new painting. Or maybe even a clay figure of him.

Who knows.

At this point, you’re exhausted and debate on whether or not to ask the club president for permission to get a lock for the door to keep a certain someone from entering. But you’re also such a pushover that you have this as an internal monologue (instead of saying it out loud) whilst the cause of your problems leans on your shoulder.

With an oddly satisfied look on his face.

[cheqorb]

off-script romance.

You’re both just in a fake relationship for both of your own benefits, nothing more is going on behind the scenes (and it’s definitely not actual love)!

featuring. reo, sae, kaiser

notes. can’t tell if kaiser is ooc or not, but i’m sure you guys are sick of my apologies so i’ll try to stop 😕 and wow, reading through this whole yap sesh must’ve been pretty painful. my condolences to you, dear reader.

As the heir to the illustrious Mikage corporation, REO knew, deep down, that a time would come when he'd have to step into his parents' shoes and take control of the company. And speaking of which, his parents seem to be growing increasingly more eager to see him settle down, constantly badgering him about finding a ‘suitable partner’ whenever he visited them.

However, his career of being a professional soccer player meant that he would probably only be able to see them if he played games in Japan itself, which rarely happened anyway.

He wasn’t an idiot; maintaining a relationship with his schedule would be practically impossible. His partner would certainly get tired of it after a few months, and he wasn’t keen on the idea of forcing them to travel with him to every single match.

Adding on to his worries, the thought of starting a relationship with ulterior motives (in this case, merely to appease his parents) left a bitter taste in his mouth. Reo’s not exactly the type of guy who wants to break someone’s heart over this. The man was stumped for once, until by some stroke of genius, you came into mind.

Though not particularly close by any means, you’d met enough times for him to recognise your face. Given, that you’ve already got status as an heir to your own family’s fortune, his parents should also approve of you. Besides, since you’re someone familiar with the expectations of living a life like his, surely, the life of being his significant other shouldn’t be too jarring.

────

For what seems like the first time ever, Reo stumbles over his words — his usually confident demeanor giving way to a sense of nervousness that was unlike the man. And in spite of his attempts (?) to mask it, it was clear that this weighed heavily on him, even more so than his usual bravado could conceal.

“So, I was hoping you could consider-“

His smile falters as you quickly interject, a curt “I accept” escaping your mouth before he could even finish his carefully rehearsed ‘proposal’. The relief in his eyes was unmistakable, though tinged with a hint of disbelief at your response. Rather than immediately celebrating, Reo’s expression softens a little.

“You,“ he pauses, “You don’t need to make your decision so quickly, I get that it’s a difficult thing to ask of you…”

“Yep. And I’m agreeing.”

────

In hindsight, maybe the arrangement had fallen a little too seamlessly into place? Maybe he should’ve been more concerned with how…eagerly you accepted being his fake partner without a moment's hesitation (it honestly freaked him out slightly). But ultimately, it solved his problem!

With you by his side, he could continue his career while still making his parents happy. Alls well that ends well.

Of course being the over thinker he is, Reo still has doubts but you reassure him that you’re perfectly happy to spend your days in comfort and go on luxurious vacations with your friends if he had matches coming up.

As luck would have it, you’re quite the lovely person yourself. Even if his parents aren’t there to see, you always go above and beyond to maintain appearances (he thinks that’s what you’re trying to do anyway?) and make sure he’s happy. Whether it was a home-cooked meal awaiting him after a long day or your being in the stands, cheering him on during matches, your seemingly genuine care for him just makes his heart flutter a bit.

I think Reo has a soft spot for sweet gestures that don’t really involve money.

On return, Reo finds himself taking extra care of you: making sure you’ve got nice clothes to wear, randomly calling you in the middle of the night, a slip of the tongue petname here and there. Just normal stuff you do for your fake lover!

────

Nagi could only only sigh (internally in his head, it’s too much work to actually sigh) as he watched his teammate picked up his phone for the umpteenth time this hour.

“Maybe they’re just sleeping..?” he offers, though it doesn’t seem to help very much.

“They haven’t responded to any texts, they won’t even pick up the phone…” the man laments, sulking in the corner of the room. “My dear (Y/N) could be in danger and if I’m not there to help them-“

A quick ding from his phone soon shoots Reo upright from his misery, a hopeful look now on his face. He only seems more giddy once he notices it’s a voice message too, he just loves listening to you speak! Your voice is always so— “Reo, please go to sleep, it’s late for you right now, isn’t it? Call me back in the morning, don’t you dare think of staying up to text me.”

────

Hm, does he really do that? Reo’s never quite noticed, or thought about it, because he’d rather spend his time wondering what gift he should get you for his next surprise visit back home!

SAE’s attitude and abrasive personality is definitely one of his manager’s least favourite qualities about him. The man’s hatred for interviews and meet-and-greets, coupled with his unabashed insults towards those he found irritating, posed a challenge for his (manager) public image.

While some die-hard fans may have been drawn to his aloofness in the first place, it’s hardly the ideal for sponsorship deals or modeling contracts that he’s worked so hard to get — only for Sae to completely ignore them.

His manager is also the one who entertains the idea of him entering into a relationship in the first place. Perhaps, he mused, a significant other could ‘soften’ his rough edges and make him more approachable to the public. Though he doubt the man would ever agree to such a scheme, he was a bit desperate now. Can’t hurt to give it the old college try, right?

────

The obvious heartbroken expressions of the people leaving the room, along with the unmistakable voice of the Itoshi Sae in the flesh, uttering the word ‘rejected’, did little to ease the growing pit in your stomach.

Finally, your name was called and you enter the room with as little flair/flamboyance as you could, no need to embarrass yourself more than you already will.

His bored expression does little to boost your confidence and you found yourself avoiding direct eye contact as you introduce yourself sheepishly. “Hello, uhm- it’s nice to meet you. I’m (L/N) (Y/N).”

────

There was something about your unassuming nature that intrigued him. You spoke about yourself with an honesty that bordered on indifference, almost as if you had resigned yourself to an inevitable rejection so you didn’t care how genuinely insane the things you were saying were. Like seriously, in college you went to a skate park drunk and came home with a horse?

But there’s one thing bugging him right now.

────

The words leave his mouth before he can even think of what he’s saying. “Look up at me.”

His request catches you off guard and you couldn't help but mutter an apology before reluctantly meeting his gaze. You feel weirdly self-consciousness whilst he stares at you (with luminescent green eyes) but thankfully maintain your composure until the end.

“—but, that’s all I can really say about myself. Thanks for listening and I wish you luck in finding one of the next candidates likeable!”

You flash him a smile, before swiftly getting up and exiting through the door without even letting him get a word in. Finally, that’s over with… You do feel a little bad for Sae though. Was he standoffish? Obviously. But hey, he was nice enough to listen to you rambling about everything under the sun so you at least hope he takes an interest in one of the people that comes in after you.

────

You almost forget about the whole fiasco since you believed you had created a lasting impression of someone who was most definitely not a good fit for a prodigy like him, as well as a bit of a weirdo. Imagine your shock at the email sent to you a few weeks later by his manager. To make a long paragraph short, you got the position! Well done?

Now, his manager arranged for the two of you to meet together for a first date to truly make sure this relationship would (at the bare minimum) allow you to be cordial with one another. If you’ve got a person like Sae on your hands, you learn to not expect things to turn positive.

His blunt and somewhat unnecessary remarks and stoicism could’ve easily derailed the evening, but to your credit, you held your own with decent resilience considering how timid you seemed upon your first meeting. Disregarding the occasional reaction at his words, you continue to be kind to him.

He’d never, ever, admit it out loud but he does feel a little guilty at how you just take his comments without complaint. Some form of annoyance from you would be expected, yet you only meet his words with a laugh or simply ignore them altogether — leaving him feeling unexpectedly unsettled. Also slightly questioning your self esteem.

You were walking out of a park when he was contemplating bringing the date to a close (he’s surprised he hadn’t done so earlier), before you suddenly bow your head with a smile on your face. One that really captivated Sae because of the actual, sheer sincerity in it.

────

“Thank you,” you say, and when he looks a little sceptical, you continue, “really. You’ve been nice to me even though I’ve just been talking your ear off this whole time, so I just wanted to say thanks for that. I liked today a lot, so- erm…if it’s not too much trouble, could we go on another? Date, I mean.”

With your words hanging in the air, he was at a loss for how to respond. Just what did you expect him to do after hearing that? Not decide right there and then that he wanted to give you the entire world and more?

(Sorry if this is extremely OOC of him)

Unlike the other two, KAISER’s situation can vary a little more. As in, his reasons for needing a pretend relationship can differ depending on anything. It could stem from dissatisfaction within his management, a desire to maintain his image, or simply on a whim. Regardless of the reason, you’re stuck with the bastard unless you want to lose all the money you get from doing this.

His arrogance is still hard to deal with, even though you thought you had steeled yourself for it beforehand. It doesn’t even seem to disappear even when the two of you are alone together; which by common sense, should be when you’re most comfortable with each other, no? He treats you like an accessory most times, but you can’t really complain if he’s the one paying your bills.

But, there are also times where his bravado feels forced, the occasional slip in his facade.

For better or for worse, you hesitate to say anything — not wanting to overstep any boundaries. You aren’t his actual s/o, you were getting paid as if the relationship was a career. Besides, would someone as overconfident as to call themselves ’emperor’ without cringing even want help from you?

If you’re the more compassionate type, you may just immediately cave in and try to help but even if you aren’t, it’ll be increasingly difficult to ignore him. One of these days, you realise he definitely doesn’t plan on seeking help himself.

Initially, he adamantly opposes any attempts of said help from you, making it clear he preferred to deal with his troubles alone or that he simply doesn’t need your help.

Your persistence is slightly alarming to Kaiser, who’s probably wondering if you’re trying to increase your allowance or something, but he still doesn’t give in (yet).

────

Suppressing a sigh, you turn on your heel after placing a cup of water and a modest plate of food on the coffee table. Another one of these nights again. Well, staying where you're evidently not wanted seems pointless. "Try to eat something before heading to bed, Michael. If you need anything, just tell me."

As you prepare to take a step forward, a sudden tug on your arm sends you tumbling to the floor.

Your assailant remains quiet, clutching your hand as if it were his lifeline. Awkwardly, you place your hand on his shoulder and try to engage him in small talk. Never have you ever thought you’d have to go on a ‘how’s the weather today’ rant in the midst of a possible mental breakdown, but here you are.

Though Kaiser doesn’t respond, he doesn't push you away either. It's progress of sorts, you suppose?

────

After a few more instances like that, there’s a gradual improvement in your relationship. Kaiser appears to be coping better with his emotions, even seeming happier than before. Good for him, you think to yourself when you notice it but it doesn’t exactly shock you. You figured that your dynamic with each other still wouldn’t change all that much.

You’d help him out whenever he needed you to, and both of you continue with your lives as usual. However, fate (or Kaiser himself) clearly had other plans.

For starters, he’s much more affectionate in private moments rather than it simply being for the media. He doesn’t do those elaborate displays like roses and gifts anymore — which you might think is a sign he’s growing more distant, but he remembers you saying you didn’t quite like it when there’s hundreds of cameras on you when accepting gifts like that. It’s more subtle, just how you like it.

There isn't a day that passes without him being by your side at some point in the day, either: resting his head on your shoulder, intertwining fingers, or wrapping his arms around your waist. Don’t forget there’s also the random pet names he bestows upon you. They aren’t at all cute or normal, but he doesn’t feel the need to explain the meaning behind them.

He genuinely cares if you’re around or not. Attending his matches had already become routine to you, it being necessary to maintain the image of being his supportive significant other but nothing beyond that.

While you never had the intention of not going anymore, you can’t help but notice Kaiser's new habit of personally inviting you to his matches. With a smug grin, he would insist on you showing up, emphasising how he wanted you in the crowd, cheering him on. Instead of receiving tickets through the usual channels (his manager, or whoever unlucky enough to cross paths with him that day), he likes to hand-deliver them to you.

────

With the crowd roaring in excitement, you figure it’s signalling the start of the match was close. What you don’t notice until it’s too late, is Kaiser's gaze finding its way to you. He takes a stride in your direction, his hand reaching out to gently lift your chin to face him.

Meeting his eyes, a questioning expression flickers across your features, as he lets out a dramatic sigh. Always so clueless, weren’t you. "Don’t you love me, (Y/N)?” he says with a uncharacteristic frown on his face, making it quite obvious that he’s pouting over something. Something you seem to do every time without fail nowadays.

“Well aren’t you greedy…” you mutter, before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

────

As you can probably tell, he’s more insufferable like this though.

[cheqorb]

OMG HIII I JUST READ YOUR MERMAID POST AND CHIGIRI IS SO MMMHHM?!!!!!!!

can i request some drabbles / headcanons on expanding on the chigiri mermaid one PLSS 🙏🙏🙏 i love ur work REMEMBER TO STAY HYDRATED

MER-LOVE, 1.2

mermaid au! chigiri with a researcher! reader

featuring. chigiri hyoma

notes. i’m glad you like my writing, thanks for requesting anon! you stay hydrated as well. also LOVEEE chigiri, sorry the hcs are so short and honestly shitty!!

mer-love masterlist here !

Answering your question previously, CHIGIRI got the scar from an accident a while back. It doesn’t necessarily stand out, nor does it make him look any less gorgeous than he already does; but he still prefers to leave it out of sight for most people. He only lets you see it because you offered to check up on him and he’ll gladly take up more of your time.

In truth, he thinks it’s a little funny to see the others seething in the corner at how your attention is solely on him.

He is willing to hang out with you and others merfolk that he likes though, including but not limited to: Isagi, Bachira, Kunigami, even some more unlikely people such as Reo or Nagi.

His jealousy is more tame in comparison to some mermen, but keep in mind he’s a prideful person so even he has his limits.

Honestly, he gets a little upset if you only think of him as some brooding/moody guy, he could be just a cheerful as someone like Bachira if he’s in the right mood! And don’t lump him in a group with all the others either, he’s different.

Also hair products is an obvious one — no glittering bottles of hair care are safe from his wrath. It all started when he sees you carrying some bottles into the ship and once you explain what they were for, he eagerly asks to use one. I mean, can you blame him? It smells wonderful and makes his hair look fabulous. He isn’t so desperate as to steal them, but he does show up every once in a while and just, expects you to bring one to him.

Lets you braid, style, and comb his hair sometimes. Keep the scissors away though. It’s always nice trying out different hairstyles with him, makes him happy and cuter than ever!

I imagine his love for cats would still carry over to this AU. If you’ve got pictures of a cat on your phone he’ll scroll through them for hours on end. Even better, if you manage to sneak a cat aboard your ship? He’s fawning all over it. When nobody’s around, Chigiri sometimes babytalks to it. He probably wouldn’t even care if it bit a chunk of his tail off, it’s far too adorable and sweet-looking to stay mad at.

Would he be the type to give gifts? Not nearly as much as reo, but typically he’ll give you a nice flower for special occasions. If he’s feeling extra bold, he’ll even place it behind your ear with the charming smile he’s always got.

[cheqorb]

MER-LOVE, 1.1

request. “Hi hi!! I decided to take you up on your offer and request a part two to the Mer-love fic. This time can you add in reo and what would they do if researcher!reader brought someone along with them, like a co-worker and they think it’s reader’s partner?”

featuring. reo, isagi, bachira, chigiri, nagi

notes. jealousy hcs are always fun to write, thanks for requesting!!

mer-love masterlist here !

On occasion, you see REO coming to drag Nagi off your boat if he overstays his welcome there, or if he thinks the lazy bastard needs a swim break before he dries out in the sun. You don’t mind him, he’s very polite and as a first impression; you would say he’s a solid guy. The type people can rely on.

The merman doesn’t do anything to go against that initial perception either, acting as the epitome of confidence and elegance. But if you get to know him better, his playful and more down-to-earth nature shines through. While there’s not necessarily a huge gap between the two, he definitely felt like he was trying to keep up appearances as the former personality. You suppose it’s a good thing he came out of his shell, because he visits you a lot nowadays!

Sometimes, you think even a bit too often.

He usually comes with mountains of gifts in his arms; stuff like pearls and any other valuable treasures from the water.

And similarly to Isagi, he’s another who willingly engages in conversation and take an interest in your research (particularly the financial aspect) so that’s definitely a plus. It’s very sweet of him regardless of his intentions, so being a charmer must just be part of his personality.

────

As the days pass, your boat becomes a second home for not just one, but two mermen — Reo and the ever-present Nagi — albeit with varying levels of enthusiasm for things. Their banter feels oddly nostalgic, like you’re back at the lab, chatting with the colleagues who don’t piss you off.

Unbeknownst to you however, during those quiet moments when Nagi drifts off to sleep and the conversation wanes, Reo's attention shifts solely onto you.

He can’t help but find your funny mannerisms and strange (from his perspective) habits endearing. From your animated hand gestures, to the way you absentmindedly twirl a strand of hair, he doesn’t miss a single detail.

────

All in all, Reo’s quite the sweetheart once you’re closer to him!

For the second part of your request, I imagine you bringing someone who you’d trust to keep this a secret from the higher ups — a close friend of yours. So, what you consider innocent gestures like leaning over their shoulder, sitting together while eating, look quite misleading from a mermaid’s perspective (especially if their love language was physical touch/in merfolk society, you only do those types of things with your lover).

REO would be mortified at the sight of them. Who is this person? Why the hell did they come along with you? And why are you talking to them? Please and I stress this, don’t tease him by saying, “oh, haha, they’re my s/o.” What you see as a harmless joke, is something he’d rather die than hear again. Unlike the others, he can and will be openly irritated with your friend’s presence and isn’t scared to voice it. To the point where your colleague is wondering if you were talking shit behind their back to the merman.

ISAGI is arguable the most ‘normal’, rationalising that they’re probably just a coworker that you know. He’d only get antsy if your partner decides to get a little too close to you. Even as chill and unassuming as he may be, Isagi’s still got a pretty nasty ego on him and a bit of a potty mouth to boot. May or may not curse your coworker’s entire generation for the rest of eternity.

BACHIRA would be friendly at first, acting all smiles and being his usual chatty self. But if your coworker decides to try anything the merman deems too…unprofessional, they’ve got another thing coming for them. He’ll snap at their fingers, or tear them off… just kidding! But he wouldn’t be thrilled by it for sure. Kinda just sits on a rock, lost in his own thoughts for a while until they leave.

CHIGIRI would pretend to not care at first, but it’s obvious by the glares he throws their way and the way his sarcasm seems to triple when talking to them that he doesn’t like them. Seriously, why this person? He simply tries to get your attention on him at first, until that doesn’t work and he decides to ‘accidentally’ chuck water onto their face.

NAGI couldn’t care less at first — key word being: at first. But then you’re paying them more attention than you do him, and his brain subconsciously makes up excuses to why he doesn’t like them. Granted some of these could be plausible but others are just straight up mean. Their voice is so grating he can’t sleep, their figure is blocking the sunlight shining on him, among other things. Get them off your boat.

[cheqorb]

MER-LOVE! 1.0

mermaid au! bllk boys with a researcher! reader

featuring. isagi, bachira, chigiri, nagi

notes. can be read as platonic or romantic!! while sea monsters could 100% be cool and everything, i like the idea that they’re all sparkly pretty mermaids (and idk any sea monsters except maybe a kraken or something).

mer-love! masterlist here !

ISAGI and BACHIRA were your first encounter of many, many, more mermaids to come.

While the former needed some time to grow used to your presence, the latter embraced you with open arms (or fins you suppose), always having a toothy grin on his face as he happily assisted you in your endeavours. Whether it was gathering rocks, fish, or sea plants for your studies, they eagerly lent their aid, making research so much easier for you. You definitely got lucky with them, who knows what they might’ve tried if their intentions were more sinister…

It’s hard not to grow attached to the pair of them. Luckily for you, it seemed that the affection was mutual or at the very least, they tolerated you and that was good enough!

Isagi, in particular, welcomes your inquiries about mermaid culture and their species as a whole, answering them to the best of his ability. He’s so earnest and genuine that you begin to feel a little guilty not giving him anything in return, so you try to gift him random things he might like every now and then. Though, your first attempt still haunts you to this day..!

────

Isagi's reaction catches you off guard as you observe his face, his wide eyes fixed attentively on the trinket nestled in his palm. The longer the two of you remained in silence, the more panic built up inside of you. "…do you not like it? I-I'm so sorry, uhm, I'll just take it back—" you say, fumbling for the gift whilst dying of embarrassment.

In mermaid culture, is gifting them things disrespectful, or even worse, a sign of aggression!?

But before you can retrieve your gift, Isagi backs away from you, cradling the tiny object close to his chest protectively. His expression bordering on a pout as if he was offended that you’d dare try to take it back. "No, I want to keep it," he huffs, leaving no room for argument.

────

Bachira's affectionate nature contrasts a lot with Isagi's initial wariness. In the beginning when you remained safely aboard your boat (still debating on whether they’d try kill you or not), he whined that speaking to you while you were so far away was so difficult! Just come a little closer, he doesn’t bite!

Most of the time anyway.

But in the end, it was worth being patient because now the both of you are like two dolphins in a pod! The other merpeople often find him holding your hand in his or trying to drag you into the depths below. “What? It’s not dangerous at all! Can’t humans swim?”

He seems genuinely disappointed that you cannot stay underwater for more than a minute at best. The frown on his face is cute, but it tugs at your heartstrings any time you see it and you thought to yourself, maybe you should try to cheering him up?

────

The sudden weight on your shoulders startles you but the familiar voice that follows instantly calms your nerves. "It's really you! Did you finally learn how to grow gills?"

Bachira's words are accompanied by a radiant smile. He gestures to (what he thinks are supposed to be) your clothes with a curious expression. Unable to respond verbally with a snorkel pressed to your face, you opt to gently squeeze his cheek in affection. You should be mindful of indulging him too much though, knowing full well that his enthusiasm could set some unrealistic expectations.

As much as you cherish your underwater adventures with him, diving 24/7 is bound to come with a few side effects and your oxygen tank won’t last forever.

────

Overall, 10/10 experience with these two. Both are adorable, well-behaved (for you), and are one of the few duos that can actually be friends with eachother!

As CHIGIRI joins Bachira and Isagi on one of their daily excursions to visit you, you're immediately struck by his appearance, a sight so beautiful that it leaves you slightly speechless.

However, your admiration is interrupted when you notice the scar marring one side of his tail. It’s only when he meets your eyes with an awkward yet understanding expression, that you realise you’re staring. Even with the mountain of apologies that spill from your lips, he reassures you with a gentle smile that he knows you’re not trying to be rude.

Because he looks like he’s in a mood on most days, you’re pleasantly surprised by his nonchalant personality and his sarcasm that was always delivered in a playful way (and not him being a jerk), never failing to make you laugh. He’s just naturally likeable, you think.

Once the initial awkwardness dissipates, befriending Chigiri is pretty easy!

Yet, despite your growing friendship, you hesitate to broach the topic of his scar, wary of going into potentially sensitive territory. There’s just some things you can be curious about but shouldn’t ask, y’know? It’s only when your concerns inadvertently slip to Isagi in passing that Bachira thinks to take it upon himself to ease the tension, a.k.a he tells chigiri everything.

────

Chigiri’s attempts to reassure you fall on deaf ears, as you continue to apologise for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“It’s fine, really. The scar’s just an injury I got a year ago, I don’t even think about it that much anymore…” he says again, patting you on the shoulder (which according to humans, should be comforting?)

However, your persistent apologies don’t seem to stop, much to his annoyance. With a swift flick of his tail, he splashes a wave of water in your direction, effectively stopping your stream of apologies mid-sentence.

────

He’s someone whose easy to get along with, easy on the eyes, and all in all easy to be around. What’s not to like?

NAGI captured your attention once you saw him sleeping on the sun-warmed rock, which prompted you to call out to him. After a brief pause, he wakes up, his metallic eyes flashing with annoyance that suggested your interruption was less than welcome.

Sheepishly, you attempted to ask him a few questions, but he simply closes his eyes and settles back onto the rock. With a resigned sigh, you retreat to the safety of your boat, choosing to bide your time and observe the surroundings while making notes for your research.

It’s only when Nagi begins to get tired of the waves sometimes thrashing against his skin or other merfolk bothering him that he decides, enough was enough. He’s kept an eye on the seemingly smooth surface that you often stand on, which could be a perfect spot for him to relax!

He proposes quite the enticing deal for both parties involved: in exchange for allowing him to nap on your water-house-thing, he’ll help with some research. “It’s just answering questions, right?”

Excited at the thought of more information, you eagerly accept his offer — completely unaware to the fact that he just sleeps. Like. All day. However you soon discover that in spite of this, he’s actually quite intelligent. Hand him a puzzle, a memorisation game or even something like Sudoku and he’ll probably solve it within a few seconds.

────

As Nagi places the final puzzle piece onto the board, effortlessly completing the ‘task’ you set him, a sense of satisfaction washes over you even with his complaints. You’ve grown used to his nonchalant tone, even if he unconsciously insults your decisions. “It’s just looking at the picture and making it, it’s not that hard.”

You smile, “I think you'll find that you're just quite a clever person.”

The compliment stirs a warm, fuzzy feeling that Nagi can't quite describe inside of him. "Mhm…" he murmurs softly, content to bask in your presence and allowing his eyes to shut once more.

────

He doesn’t do much but at least he doesn’t cause much trouble for you either!

[cheqorb]

shared obsession.

You could’ve never imagined in your wildest dreams that two members of an elite military group would both gain an interest in you. Flattering, right? Well, with the chain on your ankle, you really wish they didn’t.

featuring. yan! jouno & yan! tetcho

warnings. yandere themes, implied kidnapping, mentions of injuries

notes. is it spelt tetcho, tetchou, or tecchou?? love these guys a lot and they have such good yandere potential. more people need to write for tetcho!! minors DNI please!

i feel like with these two, especially if you’re a civilian, it’s inevitable that you’ll find yourself confined within some building that serves as a makeshift ‘home’ for you. a place hidden from the knowledge of anyone, besides the few guards who check on your wellbeing every so often when they’re both out on extended missions (they have sworn to protect the people, after all).

don’t get your hopes up though; they respect and fear the two hunting dog members too much to disobey orders and allow you to escape. anything deemed ‘suspicious’ like searching the house for something or mapping out the area are swiftly reported to them.

but hey, if it makes you feel any better about your situation, having both men infatuated with you is a much easier time than if it were only one! reason being, they balance eachother out in a weird way.

TETCHO is kind, in a sense. he’ll happily let you cling to him, gently wiping away any stray tears that fall down your cheeks, apologise over and over again that you feel so trapped but it’s for your own good, he swears. he’s the one that dotes on you mostly.

with this kindness comes overbearing protectiveness however. a simple cut or bruise that can easily be avoided might just force him to watch over you far closer than before —or even limit your movement around the house. he’s a stubborn one, but maybe if you’ve been on your best behaviour lately, you could manage a few minutes outdoors (with him watching over you of course) before being promptly escorted back inside.

"Let's get you back inside now. are you hungry? would you like something to eat?" Tetcho's voice carries a comforting tone as he guides you back indoors, much to your dismay. But you know that you’re not going to try and disobey him either.

i imagine this is one of the few aspects JOUNO is slightly more laidback on than tetcho, he’s more confident in that you won’t run away because staying home like a good s/o is preferable to being punished, don’t you think? you learn to tolerate his snarky attitude because when he’s in a good mood, he’ll occasionally let you join him on a quick trip to a cafe. perhaps even buy you a gift if he hears your heart rate pick up in excitement.

nevertheless, he won’t hesitate in showing what he’s capable of doing if you try anything funny. punishments from jouno are always drastically different from the next. if it’s for petty things or perhaps he was just particularly bored that day, then you (hopefully) leave with a few bruises and cuts littered around your skin. they sting but, again, it’s better than if he were to start breaking bones or something like that.

unlike his colleague, he won’t be swayed by your tears, no matter how much begging or pleading you do.

lucky for you however, tetcho always intervenes if he deems the punishment too excessive for your crime. he’s also the one who tends to any wounds afterward, carefully bandaging your body while reassuring you that jouno didn’t mean any harm, he’s just worried about you! weirdly enough, they seem to justify eachother’s behaviour all the time.

“too avoid consequences like this again,” he says, “you should just accept that you won’t escape anytime soon.”

The hand patting your head feels almost patronising in this scenario, just as Jouno reenters the room.

"This whole thing could’ve been avoided if they hadn't tried to escape," he chides in a gentle but reproachful tone. You don’t bother lifting your head, already anticipating the expression on his face would only intensify the queasiness swirling in your stomach.