#Crossed to Become the Female Supporting Character

[chibiunheard]

ML: Ma Shiyao FL: Mao Na

[unfamiliar-astro]

Kat, Earth's voice actor.

So, recently Davis spoke out on a situation that came up in The Lunar and Earth Show fandom.

From what I understand, Kat, Earth's voice actor, is receiving a lot of hate, not only against her characters, but also against her for one of the most recent videos.

I never give my opinion so publicly but I think it would be good to show support for Kat.

It's stupid. All those people who come here to talk nonsense about Earth stepping out of her role of being the good and positive one are very stupid.

All or most of the cast have been through morally negative situations. Moon has abused his own brother for many years, and continues to do so. And it seems like the fandom is constantly covering its eyes to ignore this. But hey, Earth can't deny someone a hug because she becomes the mean girl and the worst character ever. Can you see how stupid this argument sounds?

Maybe, I understand that when the character was introduced it got negative reviews. Literally, they never worked with anyone other than Davis or Reed and introducing a new VA was to take you out of your zone. But, continuing to look at Kat in a bad way is the behavior of a child.

You can't expect an amazing story either, guys, specifically this group of people who are attacking Earth so much, you're not paying for a video service. You're not spending a single cent. As far as I know, Davis, Reed and Kat have spent money to maintain quality content day after day. The show has been updated every weekday for over two years.

Kat has done her best to adapt to the audience's tastes, not the other way around. She has done her best not to be an empty character. But the people who attack her don't even bother to see how their characters have evolved positively. Earth has such an empty story because the audience doesn't even pay attention to it.

You can't expect to have an amazing, original story if every time Kat holds the mic you look away. It's stupid.

Kat has been a great support for the story of like three different shows. I think these people who just want to hate something don't realize how boring the show would be without an intervention.

It's a disgusting thought to hate a fictional character just because she's a woman. And it's repulsive to hate a VA for being female. Are you stupid? Because that's the first thing I think if your main argument is "She's a woman, we don't need that"

I'm not a fan of any of the three VAs. I don't like them personally, but I'm going to defend them, especially Kat if they get any hate for this.

You can't put Bloodmoon, who tortured, manipulated, and murdered so many people, on a pedestal and throw trash and hate at Earth just for existing. It's stupid.

I understand if Kat has distanced herself from the fandom and doesn't want to have contact with the audience directly. Just because you are a public figure doesn't mean you have to swallow all the hate and keep smiling. Kat is not just a source of entertainment. She is a human being, who has emotions, thoughts and a limit.

If you have crossed her line, the only thing you can do is step back and leave her alone. No one would like to receive immense amounts of hate because their character is not to everyone's taste.

If you are part of this group of horrible people, I ask you to please leave. I don't want those people here.

[cinnamoonblue]

Chapter IX | W.D.Y.W.F.M?

Summary: You moved to one of the biggest cities in the world - Grand Line to pursue filmmaking career. Soon enough your path will cross with the vocalist of upcoming band called “The Neighbourhood”. At first you decided to be just friends - because it would be easier, but sadly as everything in life sometimes by taking the easy path we regret a lot of things.

Main characters: Portgas D Ace x Reader (female)

Supporting characters: Nami, Usopp, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Law, Deuce, Shanks, Buggy, Sabo, Eustass Kid, Koala, Robin, Dave (OC)

Description: Modern AU | Musician Ace

WARNINGS: explicit language, mentions of alcohol, mentions of cigarettes/nicotine, mentions of loneliness, angst, mentions of of depression

Word Count: 12,3K

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NOTE: Words are not enough to say how much I appologies for taking two months to upload this mid chapter.... I AM EXTREAMLY SORRY, but now that I will be only focused on THE NBHD, I will be able to post every one to two weeks and you guys will have constant updates like in the beginning when I started the story. I hope that there are still some of you left to follow it. I hope you like this short chapter, next one will be quite long. ENJOY ♡

Wiping the last table of the night a tired sigh left my lips. My whole body ached from the long day in university and then the long shift at work. For the past two months now, I have been taking frequently shift’s at ‘The Red Pirates’, as it kept me and my mind busy from everything that had happened.

“Wanna ride home?” Kid approached me as I went to throw away the rag I have been using to clean the tables.

“Sure.” I replied without looking at him. Washing my hands I looked over my shoulder at him. “Are you done?”

Nodding with his head he grunted. “Just have to change and lock.”

���I’ll wait for you outside.” Grabbing my bag from under the bar I made my way outside.

If I have to describe the last two months with one word it would be – odd. I felt like I was being trapped in a never-ending cycle. There were days where everything was fine, and my mind didn’t think of what had happened between me and a certain someone. But on the days like today, I couldn’t stop the memories of that night coming back to me.

I thought that by now I should have been over it, over him. And partly I was or I wanted to believe so. Maybe it was the fact that he rejected me so cruelly that still brings me back to those memories. Or the fact that I still doubt if he was honest with his words, as his actions didn’t match with them… to some extent.

I have been doing everything in my power to avoid knowing or hearing anything about him. Every time Nami or Usopp would mention something about him or the band I had to become more and more creative with excuses to leave the table and go away or change the subject fast. Nami had asked me multiple times what has happened, but never got an answer from me, because it was pointless. I didn’t want to hear ‘I told you so.’ Nor having to recall aloud the memory of him.

If I didn’t occupy my mind all the time with something I was always going back to him and as funny as it may sound, I still find myself crying to sleep some nights. There were many times where I want to pick up the phone and call him and just ask ‘Why?’. Why it had to be this way? Why a part of me had to still be stuck with him while he was out there acting like a big rock star.

The first two weeks, after the whole fight between us had happened, were hard to remember. The first three days, till this day I couldn’t recall as I spent them in some lucid dream stage. Everything was so clouded in my mind that until the fourth day the rumbling in my stomach was so bad that I had to push myself to get up and eat something, which after three bites I couldn’t no longer eat and less than an hour I threw up. I have never had my heart broken before. My mind, my body and my heart were hurting at the same time, and no medicine had the cure for it as cliché as it might sound. The pain was so hard to handle that most of the days I spent on sleeping pills which weren’t helping much as I was barely being able to sleep as he was haunting me in my dreams as well. It was like no matter what I was taking or trying to do to distract myself I couldn’t escape him.

To my own surprise the person who was slowly but steady pulling me of this hole I have fallen into was Kid. This grumpy punk head man was my only source of light in these dark for me days.

It all happened when one night after we had closed, I told him to go and that I would lock the bar to which he, of course, agreed to. Before I left, I went downstairs and changed to my own clothes instead of the ones I was working with and sat for a second on the couch Shanks had put downstairs in the changing room/storage and pulled out my phone, scrolling on it for a bit.

I had avoided using social media as much as possible and just when I was about to close Instagram, a post from some music updates account appeared on my feed and of course the post was about his band. It was all four of them on the picture, but my eyes focused on him only, as always, as a habit, an awful habit.

My hand which was holding the phone had started to shake as I pressed my other hand to my mouth as a loud sob escaped my lips. Dropping my phone on the couch next to me I bent my legs and pull them closer to me, wrapping my arms around them as I curled into a ball on the couch and cried.

I haven’t seen his face for almost a month, I didn’t even open my camera roll just so I didn’t have to look at the last thing saved in it, and it was the video I had taken of him and the stary kitten when we were out, because I couldn’t bear to look at him. I couldn’t bear to look at him and being reminded of all the things we would never be.

I didn’t know how long it was nor when Kid had come back until I heard his grumpy loud voice.

“What are you doing still doing here? What if someone has come in and steal something.” His presence startled me, and I tried to quickly erase the tears from my face. Kid noticed it and his annoyed and angry look on his face softened a bit. “Hey, brat. You alright?”

“I’m fine.” My voice was low and cold. I didn’t want to speak to anyone, let alone him out of all people. I quickly got up from the sofa and sniffed as I looked away. “What are you doing back here?”

“I forgot something.” Opening his locker, he took whatever he had forgotten and closed it. Embarrassed that he had seen me like this, I didn’t dare to look at him as silence took over the room. What broke the silence was his deep sigh mixed with the grunt of his voice. “Come on, brat. Get your stuffs, I’ll drive you home.”

“Thanks, but no.” Grabbing my back from the locker I closed it and quickly made my way to leave the place.

Going outside, Kid was quick to follow me. “I wasn’t suggesting. I’m driving you whenever you like it or not.” He said as he stood in front of me.

“I said no, Kid.” I grit my teeth as I put the alarm and locked the bar. Turning around I walked away which irritated him.

“Stop actin’ like a spoiled child and just come with me.” Coming after me he grabbed my hand and pulled me back to look at him.

“Kid let me go.” I could feel the tears starting to build in my eyes again, not because he was hurting me or anything like this, but because I just wanted to be left alone.

“You don’t need to tell me shit, just let me drive you home.” I didn’t expect such response from him. His voice was still irritated and his whole face was grumpy as always, but not his eyes.

“Why?” Sniffing one more time I pulled my hand away from his grip and this time he let go of me.

“Because it’s too late and if something happens to you, I don’t want to listen to Shanks nagging.” Pulling his car’s key he nodded to follow him.

I knew that I have a choice and if I continued to insist, he would just give up at some point and leave me alone, but I didn’t have the energy for this.

Getting into the car none of us said anything. This felt like a déjà vu. Last time Kid offered me a ride home was on Halloween after I had left the part where I had my first ever confusing situation with the same man I was currently crying over for. And here was I again. Three months later, same car, same seat, same person causing me distress by their actions of rejection.

Glancing at me, Kid exhaled as he returns his gaze back to the road. “Why are you sad?” I was more than surprised that he was first to break the silence, let alone with a question leading straight to the point.

“What happened with ‘I won’t ask questions’ ?” I mocked his voice. Kid only side-glanced me which made me feel intimidated a bit. “I’m not.” I didn’t want to speak mostly because if I did the tears and the sobs, I was fighting so hard, would win over.

“Bullshit.” He chuckled ironically. I just glanced at him without saying anything and turning my eyes back to the window as I observed the streets outside.

“Wait, where we are going?” I looked back at him as none of these streets lead to mine.

“For a drink. You need one.” He mocked me as he side-eyed me once again.

“What?” I turned my body in a way to face his. “I’m not going out for any drink. Drive me home.” Raising my voice at him, thinking that he would listen was quite fullish of me.

“I will. After we grab a drink.” Parking the car in front of one of the many bars in this town which were open until five in the morning he turned to me as he took off his seatbelt. “Come on, brat. Just one drink. You need it.” Winking at me he got out of the car and waited for me to do the same.

Two beers later I was an open book. Telling him everything from A to Z. The fact that I was barely eating these past three weeks and even drinking water to begin with, I was surprised that I didn’t get drunk by the first beer alone.

“And he kissed me.” Slamming the glass a little bit too hard on the table, some of the beer got splashed around. “Like… he ran all the way down to the first floor, k-kissed me like… like I’ve never been kissed bef-” A hiccup interrupted me mid-way. “Ops, sorry. Anyway, kissed me like I’ve never been before and guess what…” I waited for Kid to say something as my pupils had widen from the alcohol and all the emotions I have had been holding onto. He didn’t say anything as he looked at me with an unreadable face.  “He fucking rejected me. The fucking asshole just looked me in the eyes and told me he felt nothing. He felt nothing.” My voice had raised a bit too much and we got a few looks being shot towards us.

“Maybe lower the voice a bit.” Kid mumbled as he didn’t enjoy the praying eyes on us.

Not paying him any attention I continued with my drunken ramble. “He felt nothing Kid… nothing.” I could feel my eyes watering again. “I went there and pour my heart to him like some fool and what did I get back? Nothing. He didn’t even bother to reject me nicely, no.” Wiping the tear that had fallen from the corner of my eye with the back of my hand my gaze locked with Kid and his very judgemental one. “What?”

“Nothing.” He replied before taking sip of his own beer.

“If I hear one more man answer me with nothing I-… I swear to God I will-” Adding aggravation to my sadness wasn’t want I wanted, but this pissed me off.

“Chill, brat.” Kid rolled his dark maroon eyes at me. “I’m just surprise that you were so… pathetic.”

“Pathetic?” Frowning my brows I looked at him questioningly. What did he mean by this?

“It’s the same guy from Halloween, right?” I never mentioned who the guy was. Looking down at the floor to avoid Kid’s eyes, I nodded. “You said that he is acting like an asshole, if that is the case then you should have just done nothing and wait for him to reach out for you again.” Crossing his muscular arms in front of his chest he smirked at me. “If you’ve given him at least a week now you wouldn’t be here.”

“So, I should’ve let him play me instead?” I didn’t really understand the logic behind Kid’s words of advice if I could call it such. “I did this because I got tired of these games.”

“Games or not you want to tell me that if he comes back now you wouldn’t craw back?”

The question made me freeze for a second. He would never do this. He made it clear; I was nothing to him. I was just some ‘doll’ he liked to play with from time to time when he felt bord.

“He would never.” I whispered.

“Yea, sure.” Kid laughed mockingly, grabbing his beer again and taking a big sip of it.

I wouldn’t craw back to him, no matter what. He had hurt me so much and if I was to forgive him, I wouldn’t be able to handle the pain he had caused me one more time. I was barely handling it now. Adding to the pain and the disrespect was also my self-respect which I was willing to protect or at least whatever was left from it. I have forgiven enough.

“I wouldn’t go back to him Kid. Not this time.”

After this night something between me and Kid changed and it turned out that he was in fact an asshole, but whenever he wanted to, he could also be a nice one. We hang out after work from time to time after that night and surprisingly I have found myself being able to share my pain about certain black haired man with only him, because even if he did judge me, he also listened to me.

It also turned out that when he wanted to, Kid could talk a lot. After he had locked the bar, and he drove me home he was telling me about some girl he had met on Saturday while he was out with his friends.

“Someone has a crush.” I teased him and he just side-eyed me with an irritated frown on his face.

“I do not.” He grunted.

“Oh, come on, Kid.” I chuckled. “When you want to you can be a charm you know.”

Glancing at me he raised one brow. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “You know I had a little crush on you when I first started working at the bar.” I couldn’t help but laugh as I just confessed that I used to have a thing for him.

“You did?” He turned his head towards me, and I pushed it back as he was driving.

“Eyes on the road.” I said to him. “And yes, I did. But this was like what, three years ago now? Anyway, it was a very short crush, mostly because you acted like an ass to me.”

“Can a person help it? You’re such a brat.” He grunted, but not with his usual bitterness, but very lightly and jokingly.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes playfully. The car stopped and we have finally arrived on my street. “Are you free this Saturday?”

“Think so. Why?” Turning his head to face me he gave me a questioning look.

“My friend Sanji is having a birthday party, a very big birthday party, and I was wondering if you want to tag along?”

Nami has bothered me for weeks to go to Sanji’s birthday party. I have been wanting to go but knowing who would be there was stopping me. The whole friend group would be there and as much as I loved them, I also have been avoiding Luffy, and his hundredths attempts, to reach out to me after what had happened two months ago.

“Hell no, brat.”

“Come on, Kid. I need someone to back me up.” I whined as I grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

“The fuck?” He looked at me in disbelief as he pushed my hands away. “I don’t want to hang out with your and the Monkey brat’s friends.” I have always forgotten that he knew Luffy. “And back you up from what?”

“Well, I haven’t really hung out with them recently as I kind of avoid them.” I murmured.

I have stopped going to parties or just causal hang outs with everyone, expect Nami and Usopp from time to time after school. Nami was the only one who has suspected that something had happened, but I have avoided to hang out with only her, afraid that if I do then she would make me speak about it no matter what.

“Why you avoid them?” Kid asked curiously.

I never told him who had broken my heart. He didn’t know that it was Luffy’s older brother who did so. “I’ve avoided them for the past few weeks and in case it is awkward I need some backbone with me there.”

“And you ask me?” The look of his face was priceless. He looked confused, surprised and uncomfortable at the same time.

“Yes, why not?” I was starting to get confused myself, why it was so strange to invite him.

“Why yes?”

“Ha-ha, very funny Kid. You’re so fun and quirky.” Rolling my eyes at him I sighed. “Come on, it will be fun, plus there would be so many people if you don’t want to hang out with me, you can always find somebody else.” I wasn’t sure myself why I insisted on him being there, but I wanted him to come. We have become very close, so it will be nice to go and party.

“Again, if there will be so many people there, why should I be the backbone?” His annoyed grunts made me roll my eyes once more.

“Okay you know what – sorry that I’ve asked in a first place.” Taking off my seatbelt I reached out to open the door, but Kid stopped me as he grabbed me by the arm.

“I’ll think about it, brat.” He let go of my hand and I smiled at him. “Also, is your Romeo going to be there?” My smile immediately disappeared as he mentioned him.

“No.” I swallowed hard. “He shouldn’t he is not close with Sanji.” I opened the door and got out of it, but before I closed it, I turned to Kid and gave him a mischievous smile. “Did you get that girl’s number?” Kid nodded slowly as he knew that I have something in mind. “Tell her to come as well.” I winked at him and shut the door behind me before he could cuss me out.

Last night was the last show of the tenth the band had around the country. At first it was only five shows scheduled, but they sold out so fast that their manager – Marco, had to double book the venues as the demand for the guys was over the roof. When they added the extra night to each city the tickets again got sold out immediately. The guys themselves couldn’t believe how fast their popularity had grown and continued to do so.

On top of it they had released their first single of their upcoming album – Daddy Issues, which was playing everywhere -radio stations, MTV, YouTube, Spotify, TikTok etc. you just named the platform the song was already there, used for an edit or something else. It has even started a trend around social media. It turned into a big hit, maybe even bigger than ‘Sweater Weather’. In between the shows the guys even filmed a music video for it and it has already come out.

But while Deuce, Law and Sabo were enjoying the success of the band, Ace couldn’t say the same. Those two months, since the last time he had seen you have been like a hell for him. Ace never believed in heaven or hell, but he was sure that he has already been living in hell. The only time his mind calms a bit was when he was on stage, but even then, it felt like all the songs he sang were connected to you one way or another.

Everyone around him noticed that he has been carrying some emotional pain for some time now, but he didn’t let anyone close enough to speak with him about it. They all had tried, but they were all met with the same response – “Leave me alone.”

Ace didn’t even bother to spend any time with his friends. If it wasn’t for something related to work the guys didn’t see him at all. Everyone was worried about him.

He was so down since the last time he had seen her, because that night he didn’t only broke her heart, something he would never forgive himself for doing, but he also broke his own. He broke his own heart to a point that nothing really brings him joy. Yes, the shows did, but it was for only what – an hour and a half?

Ace have been regretting what he did since she ran away from him crying that night. He wished he could turn back time and slap himself across the face. To add to his pain, recently he has been living with the thought of – what if…

What if he had told her that the feelings were mutual? What if instead of saying all the hurtful, nasty things that he didn’t mean at all, he had told her exactly what she actually meant to him? What if instead of running after her in the elevator, he had kissed her instead in the middle of his living room? What if instead of causing her all this distress and heartbreak, he had wiped her tears away and just embrace her?  “What if?” This question didn’t leave his mind even for a second.

Laying in the middle of the bed in his hotel room, he just sighed. Ace found himself once again lost in his thoughts for (Y/N). He never stopped thinking about her, and he doubts he ever will. Because of this, he has found himself in a crossroad of a decision – when he got back in Grand Line City to go and beg (Y/N) for forgiveness or continue to live the way he does now. The second one had way more logic and it made much more sense to him than the first one.

She would never forgive him and why would she in the first place? He had literally made a fool out of her and her feelings. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness; he deserved her resentment. But even though he knew what he deserved he couldn’t help but wonder if she could find it within herself to forgive him and maybe with time to give him a second chance so he could make it up to her and her kind heart which he didn’t appreciated enough.

His phone vibrates and he reached with his hand to grab it from the nightstand to see who had texted him.

‘Are you coming? We’re already in.’

It was a text message from Sabo. Yesterday was their last show and after they had finished it, they all have agreed on going out for a drink to celebrate their first successful around the country tour. Even though Ace wasn’t in the mood to go out at all, he didn’t want to argue with the guys, after all none of them put him in the situation he was in and taking his anger on them would be quite unfair.

Sending a quick message back to his brother, Ace let out a deep sigh. It was already ten pm. They had the whole day off as they were to leave tomorrow morning. All he wanted to do was to just sleep like he had been doing it the whole day today. Not like he found any comfort in his sleep nor that he was tired but because even in his dreams she managed to hunt his thoughts.

Getting up from the bed, Ace went to his suitcase and grabbed the first pieces of clothing his eyes landed on.  Unwrapping the towel wrapped around his waist he quickly put the clothes on. Taking glance of himself in the mirror, his hair has grown quite a lot, this was the longest it has ever been, but he didn’t really have the time nor the energy to cut it. Grabbing a pair of sunglasses and putting them on he left the hotel room.

Stepping outside the hotel and on his way to the bar where his friends and their girlfriends were, Ace had to stop a few times as some girls have recognised him when he was passing by them, and they asked him for a quick picture. The idea that he was becoming a recognisable public figure was still something quite new to him and it did sometimes make him uncomfortable, but he couldn’t say “no” to the people who have been supporting him and the band on their way to success.  

Finally, reaching the place where the bar was located, he entered and started looking for his bandmates. The concept of the place was a mixture of piano and cocktail bar, making it quite luxurious. The dim lighting added a touch of warmth and coziness, making the atmosphere quite inviting. Soft music played in the background, creating a relaxing yet vibrant atmosphere.

Greeting all of them once he reached their table, Ace sat down between Deuce and Law on the big round table they had been sitting on. “I’m surprised you choose such calm place.” Taking his glasses off, Ace put them in the middle of his slightly unbuttoned on the chest shirt.

“Don’t you like it?” Koala looked at him with her big light brown eyes pouting a bit. She was the one who had chosen the place and hearing that someone was not pleased by it made her a bit disappointed.

“No, I was joking, Koala.” Ace quickly reassured her as Sabo gave him a warning look. He was in fact messing with them as they usually always go for nightclubs, not calm fancy places, but his brother was sometimes annoyingly protective of his girlfriend and even jokes at times might be taken badly if they happened to make her feel even the slightest bit offended.

A moment later the waitress came to take his order, and Ace just told her to give him something strong and the girl just nodded as she went away. Everyone has gone back to their conversations – Sabo and Law were talking something about the producing of the upcoming album for when they get back to the Grand Line City, Koala and Robin were talking about politics which didn’t surprise anyone as both of them were big human rights activists, and Deuce was speaking with Ace or better said tried to speak with Ace.

“Hey, Ace.” Nudging Ace on the side with his elbow Deuce gave him a questioning look. “Do you even listen to me man?”

Shaking his head and clearing his throat Ace nodded. “Yea, sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was asking how are you?” Ace opened his mouth to answer but Deuce shut him up immediately. “And don’t give me the I’m fine crap. I mean seriously.”

Rolling his eyes at Deuce, Ace ironically chuckled. “I’m fine.”

The waitress came and served Ace the drink he had ordered and thanked her before she went away. Taking a big sip of it he looked back at Deuce, but Koala’s voice made everyone turn to her as she whined. “No Ace, we are supposed to cheer first. Together.” Biting the inside of his cheeks Ace blankly stared at her. Recently she has started to annoy him a bit… a lot.

“Yes, Ace.” Sabo added giving his brother an unpleasant look. “Where are your manners?”

Taking a deep breath in, Ace raised his glass high, looking at Sabo and then the rest of the table, he gave probably the most fake smile he has ever given before as he cheered. “To us guys and many more albums and sold-out avenues.” The sound of the glasses clinking and the cheers from the rest of the table filled the air around the table. Drinking the rest of the drink in one go Ace put the glass down and excused himself and left the table, making everyone wonder if they did something wrong and mostly when his attitude would go back to normal.

“I’ll go after him.” Deuce said as he saw Sabo getting up from his chair to catch up with his brother, which wasn’t the best idea given how much they have been arguing recently. Walking out of the piano bar, Deuce looked around until he spotted Ace walking down the street. He caught up with him fast and grabbed him by his shoulder. “Hey man, wait.”

“Not in the mood Deuce. Go back to the others.” Ace grunted not even bothering to look at his light blue haired friend.

“I’m very aware of that.” Deuce chuckled ironically. “Everyone is.” He murmured to himself, but Ace heard him.

“Then you know I want to be left alone.” Ace continued to walk without glancing at his friend.

“Ace stop this man.” Deuce had enough of this, and he yelled at Ace, making him glance over his shoulder at his friend. “You have been like this for what now? Two months?” He had never seen Ace like this before. Yes, he knew him for a long time, very, very long time, and he was aware of his self-destroying tendencies, but it has never been this bad before. He has been lashing out on people for no reason, barely talking with any member of the band and if he did most of the conversations end up in a fight. He has been acting like a complete asshole, and no one knew the reason why he acted like such. “What has gotten into you? Do you realize how much of an ass you’ve become? And I swear it better not be because of the recent fame we’ve gained because none of us will tolerate your bullshits.”

Ace was too stunned to speak. Deuce was never the type to blow up like this let alone being so frustrated. He was the most collected one of the four, so this behavior that Ace has recently displayed has struck some nerve in the blue haired guy.

“You really think I’m the type to let fame get into my head?” Ace couldn’t believe that Deuce could think of such a thing. “Fame? Really? Off all the things you can possibly think of fame is the one on top of the list?” Ace mockingly laughed in his friend’s face.

“This is our best guess... second best.” Deuce responded and Ace raised his brow at him. What did he mean by ‘second best’? “Look, let’s find some cheap bar, grab a beer and talk? Just us two. Whenever it’s the fame or something else I’ll just listen, man.” Taking a step closer to his friend, Deuce placed his hand on Ace’s shoulder. “You’re clearly not okay. I see it, your brother sees it, Law sees it, we all see it. Just... let me help you at least by listening to whatever bothers your mind so much.”

Deuce expected that Ace would just laugh at his face and tell him to fuck off, but to his surprise Ace agreed. He didn’t have much to lose and the fact that tomorrow they were flying back to Grand Line City was only adding to his stress.  

They walked a bit until they found something quiet and more secretive. Walking in and ordering two beers they sat at the back of the very dark-dimmed old rock bar. Making a silent cheer both took a sip of the beers, but none of them said a word after.

“I fucked up bad.” Ace was the one who broke the silence. Deuce didn’t say a word and he just waited for Ace to continue. “I fucked it up very bad... with (Y/N).” This didn’t surprise his friend at all as this was everyone’s first and best guess which turned out to be the right one. “I don’t think she would ever forgive me nor want to see me.”

Six beers later Ace had poured his heart and soul to Deuce. He had told him everything. From the unofficial ‘date’ to the elevator with the kiss, he had told him about everything with every single detail out there for the story. “And now I don’t know what to do. I don’t deserve her forgiveness, Deuce. I don’t even deserve to share the same air with her to begin with, let alone trying to get her to forgive me.”

Deuce hasn’t said a single word since his friend began telling him what had happened between him and the girl he has fallen hard for, all he did was to listen.

“Is there more to add to the story?” Deuce finally spoke and Ace slightly shook his head. Nodding, Deuce took a sip of his beer before fixing his gaze on his friend, whose head was hanging low, and deeply sighed. “You’re right Ace.”

Ace glanced at his blue-haired friend with a slight arched brow. What was he right about? He didn’t expect Deuce to agree with him, to be honest he thought the quite opposite that his friend would instead encourage him to go after the girl he was desperately in love with and that he hadn’t made such a mess out of himself.

“You don’t deserve forgiveness for what have you done.” Deuce articulated his words deliberately to ensure that his friend would understand and get what he was telling him. “That is why instead of forgiveness maybe you should aim for a new start, a second chance.”

Confusion was written all over Ace’s face. What was his friend telling him by aim for second chance? How could he get one even if she doesn’t forgive him first? Maybe Deuce was more drunk than he looked like.

“Second chance? Do you hear yourself?” Ace was looking at his friend like he had grown a second head.

“What you did Ace is unfixable.” Deuce’s words made Ace’s whole-body ached. He was aware of this and that was why he was in such distress in the first place. “That is why I’m telling you to try start things from the beginning again.”

Running a hand over his face, Ace chuckled ironically. “And how do I do this?”

“Easy.” Deuce mocked his friend. “You find her, you speak to her and instead of begging her like a pussy for forgiveness you tell her to never forgive you nor forget this, but instead to give you the chance start all over again.”

Staring at his friend Ace let a small makeshift laughter escape his lips. “Yea, Deuce. This will definitely be so easy. Cheers.” Rasing their beer bottles the two men shared a toast.

Deuce was hoping that his friend would listen to him and do something to fix the things between him and the girl. He did know (Y/N) but not very well. She was indeed a very kind girl and maybe that was the problem. Deuce knew Ace for years and he wished his friend happiness more than anything but knowing his tendencies he was not surprised how things had turned out. After what he did, (Y/N) would be a fool if she forgave him, but deep-down Deuce has the feeling that if Ace really goes and speaks with her and tells her the same things he has just told him, she would be willing to give him a second chance. Or at least consider to give him a second chance.

“Wouldn’t it hurt more if you never try?” Deuce added and these words slowly nestled in Ace’s mind.

The week rolled fast, and it was already Saturday. I was both relieved and a bit tensed about tonight. Relieved because our debut movies for the year were to start next week and the preproduction and all the preparation for it has taken so much of my energy. The good thing was that after a very long time Nami, Usopp and I were working together in the same team. On top of it we had two weeks to prepare for it and only five days to shoot it, starting from next Monday. It would be quite stressful, but I can’t wait to start as I was asked by the girl who wrote the script to direct it, which surprised me as we weren’t big fans of each other, but I didn’t turn the offer down.

Strangely I wasn’t so tensed nor worried about the debut movie, actually not at all, we had it all under control, but I couldn’t say the same about tonight’s party.

I haven't seen the whole group in a long time, and while I missed them, I also felt anxious. Ignoring Luffy led to ignoring the rest, and I hope they weren't offended. I believe they would understand if they knew the reason behind why I was so reserved in the past two months. Not like they would ever find out why or what happened, but still, the hope mixed with guilt was settled within my gut.

Today I had to wake up extremely early as Usopp and I had to take care of some last-minute things for the film. Thankfully everything went smoothly so it didn’t take much of our time.

On the way back he dropped me to the supermarket close to my place as I had to buy some groceries, but the whole time I felt like someone was watching me. For the past week I have had this weird feeling of being stalked, but every time I turned around there would be no one behind me which gave me the chills to a point where I started to feel a bit paranoid.

Even on the way back home I felt followed, but still every time I turned around there was no one around me. I made sure to get home fast as I wanted to take a quick nap before I got ready for the night.

I haven’t had a party in months. Not like I was very excited about it, but I felt like I needed this. I needed to relax a bit and forget about everything that has happened so far.

I didn’t waste any time when I got home and quickly hopped in the shower and then in bed as I put on an alarm for when I should get up to get ready. Kid had agreed to come to the party with me, but sadly the girl his mind was currently occupied with couldn’t make it as she had to work tonight, but at least he didn’t turn me down.

My alarm rang exactly two hours later, and I got up and slowly started to get ready. I knew that it was a fancy party and on top of it there was a dress code, but I didn’t feel like going over the top tonight, so I just put on a simple little black dress on. My hair and makeup I did as usual again not going over the top as I wasn’t even planning to stay the whole night, at least for now, if the party turned out to be fun, I might stay longer.

By the time I was ready Kid had already come and waited outside for me. Leaving and locking the apartment after me I quickly ran down the stairs.

Getting into the car I greeted Kid with a smile as I put the seat belt on. “You know there is a dress code, right?” I said a bit mockingly as I eyed him and his jeans and T-shirt outfit. His bright red hair was done with gel, and it was facing all directions as aways. His piercings and tattoos all visible and if I didn’t know Kid as much as I have grown to in the past month and so, I would have said that he had put the effort tonight, but I did know him now and that was his everyday outside work aesthetic.

“You’re not as dolled up as usual.” He mocked me.

“Didn’t feel like it to be honest.” I shrugged. “Anyway, we don’t need to stay the whole night if we don’t like the party.”

“Finally, we speak the same language.” Kid exclaimed. I just rolled my eyes and used my secret weapon to make him ease up a bit as I asked about Victoria, the girl he was seeing, and how things were going between them.

Soon we arrived where the party was being held, a big modern-day skyscraper building in the richest part of the city. Its sleek glass façade shimmered under the city lights, reflecting the bustling energy of the metropolis. The entrance was grand, with an expansive lobby adorned in marble and gold accents.

“How rich is your friend again?” Kid bent a bit and whispered in my ear as we stepped into the elevator.

“At this point I’m asking myself the same.” I murmured in awe as we were making our way to the last floor where Sanji’s parents’ penthouse was.

The penthouse apartment itself looked like something from the newest James Bond movie—ultra-modern design with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the city skyline. The interior featured sleek, minimalist furnishings with a mix of high-end materials such as marble, glass, and polished metal. The open concept living area was filled with guests, their laughter and chatter echoing off the walls.

Kid and I exchanged looks at each other as we stepped out the elevator. “It’s full of people.” I yelled at him over the mixture of loud voices and music.

“I already don’t like it.” He grunted.

Rolling my eyes, I pulled him by the hand to follow me and find Nami and the rest of the group. It didn’t take me long to spot them sitting on a very long white couch by the piano next to the floor-to-celling windows which lead to enormous terrace from which you could see the whole city. Kaya was the first one to spot me and she waved at me.

“Hello, everyone long time no see.” I said once we were standing next to them. They all greeted Kid and me and of course we got some questionable looks which I caught up immediately and I was sure he did as well.

“What are you doing here Jaggy?” Luffy as always went straight to point as he shoot a mixture of questionable and surprised look at Kid.

“Jaggy?” I turned to look at the red-haired man standing next to me confused and ready to make fun of him of the nickname he was given by Luffy.

Grunting at me, Kid rolled his eyes and turned to Luffy. “Don’t call me Jaggy, you monkey head.”

“This doesn’t answer my question... Jaggy.”

Before they had the chance to get each other’s throats I stepped in. “He is my plus one.” I smiled awkwardly as I could see the surprise in everyone’s eyes, even Zoro’s a bit. Realizing that they might have taken it wrong I tried to correct myself, but I was interrupted by Sanji, who showed up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

“I can’t believe my eyes.” He pulled away and a big smile was spread across his handsome face.

“Happy Birthday Sanji.” I hugged him properly and he returned the hug.

“Thank you, beautiful.” He replied as we pulled away from each other. He turned to Kid and reached with his hand for a handshake as they had never met before, at least officially. “I hope you enjoy the party and if my brothers bother you, please don’t pay them any attention.” He said to all of us. “They are just... well... if someone asks, I usually don’t say that we are related.”

We all were aware of the relation Sanji has with his family, but at the end of the day he was a very good person and the only reason why he kept on having any kind of relationship with his father and brothers was because of his mother and sister, otherwise Sanji wouldn’t even go by his father’s last name.

“My sister is somewhere here I need to look for her and I’ll be back with you guys.” Sanji said to us before he disappeared into the crowd of people in his living room space.

“What are you two going to drink?” Nami looked at me and Kid.

“What do we have?” I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to drink tonight or not, but one drink wouldn’t hurt.

“Everything.” Zoro replied as he took a sip of his glass and whatever he was drinking.

“Just go to the kitchen, there you’ll find everything.” Usopp pointed me to the left side of the room where I guessed it would be the way to the kitchen.

I nodded and thanked him before turning to Kid. “The usual right?” He nodded in agreement, and I made my way to the kitchen.

This place was enormous and there were so many people around, but from what I knew Sanji and his brothers were quadruplets so I shouldn’t be surprised that we were so many people here tonight.

As I approached the kitchen it was easy to spot the drinks as everything was placed in the middle of the kitchen bar. I didn’t see any beer, so I had to ask if they had any and one girl pointed at the big two door fridge. I thanked her and went to the fridge which when I opened was full from the bottom to the top with all kinds of different drinks. Grabbing two cans of beer, I closed it and made my way back to the group.

Approaching the group, I noticed that three more people had joined us, and my heart fell to my feet. Freezing on the spot my body couldn’t movie and my mind went on fight or flight mode. What was he doing here? Was he even such a close friend with Sanji? Wasn’t he on a tour or whatever?

The enormous penthouse and the space around me started to feel tight. My heart was beathing so fast, but at the same time my whole body felt numb, while my breath was caught in my lungs.

Two months. I haven’t seen him for two months, almost three at this point, why did I have to see him tonight?

Someone bumped into me, and this made me snap out of it. The person turned to apologize, but all I did was hand them the two cans of beer as I ran in search of the bathroom before anyone could see me.

After many wrong opened doors, I finally found it and got inside, closing the door behind me and locking it, I leaned on the door. My heart was beating fast as I was trying to catch my breath.

Trying to calm myself down, I looked at the mirror in front of me in the bathroom. I saw and felt the first tear rolling from the side of my eye. Biting hard on my bottom lip to suppress the sob ready to escape my lips I also wiped the tear away. I couldn’t afford to cry now. I couldn’t let him see me like this and give him the satisfaction of knowing that I haven’t been entirely over him, yet. I couldn’t let him know how much power he holds over me and the way I feel.

I needed to think clearly. I had two options: First one – I text Kid to get out of here and that way I could just go home and forget about tonight or second one – I try to collect myself, I get out of this bathroom and go there and act like I have never ever in my life met this person and that he was a complete stranger.

I couldn’t let myself being so vulnerable and weak in front of him once again. I needed to stand up for myself and show him that life continued without him, and I was doing fine. I needed to show him that he was nothing more than a stranger.

Going to the sink I washed my hands and fixed my makeup a bit. Taking a few deep breaths in I nodded to myself. “You can do this. Just go there, don’t look at him and… just pretend that he doesn’t exist.” I told my reflection in the mirror. “Don’t forget – you two are strangers now.”

The last thing Ace wanted was to go to a party tonight the same night he had been back in town after a month of being away. But with a lot of convincing from Sabo and Koala he agreed to go, but only to wish Sanji a happy birthday and catch up with his little brother and then he was out.

He knew that (Y/N) would be there or at least he was guessing that she would be, after all she was a good friend of Sanji. The fact that there was a big chance that she might be there terrified him. Ace hasn’t gained the courage to face her, at least not now. He wasn’t even sure what he would do or say once they faced each other again.

He had some time to sit and think about his conversation with Deuce and he came to the realization that his friend was right. Asking her for forgiveness would be foolish but asking her for a new clean start might be worth trying, but at the same time it was also ridiculous. How did someone go and ask for a second chance when they have messed up as badly as he did?

The biggest problem was that Ace wasn’t sure how he should approach her. Was he supposed to just text or call her and be like “You want to speak about what happened two months ago?” or he just wait for her somewhere and try to speak with her? What was the best way to approach someone whose heart you have broken? There was no YouTube tutorial, or book, or a movie to watch which would give him the answer to this question.

Maybe he should try gaining some courage and think through what he would say to her first before approaching her? Or should he say whatever he feels like in the moment when they cross paths again?

He didn’t have much time to answer himself any of the thousand questions he had in mind regardless (Y/N), as he was already at the party. Looking around from the moment he had arrived with his brother and his girlfriend, Ace couldn’t spot (Y/N) anywhere, and this brought him both disappointment and relief.

Disappointed because he wanted to see her. He couldn’t deny that he has been missing (Y/N). It was a very strange feeling. He had never missed someone or something before, so it was still hard for his brain to process this feeling of missing, longing for someone.

And he was also feeling relieved as he wasn’t ready to face her. Because what could he do here in front of so many people who had no idea what had happened between them. He knew her quite well at this point to know that she wouldn’t have told anyone anything. Not like he cared if she did, but it was a bit less awkward to know that this was something no one was aware of. One set of eyes less to judge him and his mistakes.

When they joined Luffy and his friends, Ace was surprised to see Kid – the bartender from Shank’s bar tagged along with them. Ace didn’t know him personally, only had seen him in the bar when he had gone with Luffy there, and on top of it the bartender and his little brother had some not so friendly banter going on, so what was he doing here? Could he have come with (Y/N)?

Usopp and Nami were shooting question after the question at Sabo and Ace about how the tour went to which it was mostly Sabo answering and even Koala from time to time, while Ace remained silent.

With his back turned to the group, he meticulously scanned the room in search of (Y/N). However, she was not immediately visible. It was only upon hearing her familiar voice that he realized how much he had missed her, causing his heart to sink.

Your back was facing him as you were handing Kid a new can of beer as you had gone back to the kitchen to grab new beers as the last ones you had given to some complete stranger. A chill ran down your spine. You could feel the set of deep brown eyes on you, and you had to take a quick moment before turning around again and looking at your friends.

Knowing where he was standing you just turned around and looked at everyone but him. You could feel your pulse increasing and your blood rushing like you were about to faint out, but you tried to collect yourself as much as possible.

Faking a smile, you pointed your greeting only at Koala and Sabo, and this didn’t go unnoticed by some of the people around you. It didn’t go unnoticed by Ace as well. This was childish behavior, according to his opinion, but at the same time he deserved it and couldn’t blame you for it, but he was surprised to see how bold your move was. Addressing only his brother and girlfriend, well played.  

It was harder than you expected. You joined the group only two minutes ago, and it was already hard to resist looking at his direction, especially as you could feel him looking at you. Why, why did he have to be here tonight? Why did you have to cross paths again?

Taking a seat between Kid and Kaya on the couch you take a sip of the beer, focusing your eyes on the beer can in your hands. Your body was so tense, your whole mood, the energy around you changed so fast, and Kid noticed it and it didn’t take him long to figure out why that was. Leaning closer to you he whispered in your year. “You must be kidding me?”

Startled by the unexpected closeness of Kid you turned and gave him a weird look.

“What?” You whispered back confused.

“Monkey head’s brother? Really?” Kid���s voice was loud enough to be heard only by you. You didn’t say anything, but the way you slightly lowered your head, and your eyes shifted to the ground was all Kid needed to know that he was a hundred percent right.

Kid could see the distress in your whole body. Sighing he wrapped his hand around your shoulder and pulled you closer to him.

“The fuck you’re doing?” Putting your best fake smile on your face you hissed at him.

“Shut up and listen brat.” He returned the fake smile and winked at you. “You gonna play him as he played you, if you want some kind of revenge.” Kid pulled you even closer to him so he could whisper in your ear. “It’s enough to make him believe that you’ve moved on to make him go crazy.”

“I don’t want to make him go crazy.” I whispered back. “He doesn’t care Kid. We don’t need to do all this, and I don’t want to.”

This was ridiculous in your mind. Ace didn’t care about you at all, and acting like you were ‘taken’ wouldn’t change that fact nor make him jealous. Plus, Ace knew you well enough more or less, he wouldn’t fall for such a cheap trick. You didn’t want this. You were so tired of all the games, especially the one with Ace in it.

“Trust me, brat. He already is.” Kid pulled away from you and smirked. “Just listen to me.” He continued to whisper something in your ear, and you just sighed. You had nothing to lose so at the end you just agreed to play Kid’s little game of ‘are they a thing or not’ for tonight.

Ace’s blood was boiling. He wasn’t sure if this was some game or if it was for real. The moment Kid had placed his hand on your shoulder and pulled you closer, Ace saw the way your body had relaxed under his touch. The way you two got close to each other and whatever disagreement you had for a second it quickly faded away as you leaned your body on the man next to you.

Was it really that easy for you to move on so quickly? Two months? Or even less? No, it couldn’t be. He knew you. Ace knew you well enough to know that you were not going to jump so fast on someone else. Even if it was just for some kind of rebound, you would not display it so freely especially in front of people so close to you.

But what if he was wrong? He had heard many times that heartbreaks change people. What if this wasn’t an act? What if you had moved on and your heart now belongs to someone else? What if it was too late for a second chance?

All he needed as an answer was just one glance from you at him. The moment he got the chance to lock eyes with yours, he would be able to tell if you had moved on or not, but you haven’t glanced at him even once.

Two hours have passed by, if not more, and you haven’t dared to look at Ace’s direction, afraid that if you did so, you would break and look into his eyes and all the confidence you had slowly built in the bathroom and then thanks to Kid and the little act you decided to participated in, would go out the window the moment you lock your eyes with Ace.

The act between you two so far has been going pretty well. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but you and Kid didn’t do much, you just stayed very close to each other as he had one hand either on your shoulder or your thigh, which alone had won you a lot of questioning looks from everyone, but no one dared to ask anything out loud. Even Nami.

“Are you guys excited for next week?” Kaya question was for Nami, Usopp and you about your debut movie.

“Very.” You responded.

“And we need seven hundred dollars more to reach our go fund me goal.” Nami announced loudly. Usopp and you laughed at her as no one paid attention.

“It’s pointless, they all have already donated.” Usopp patted her shoulder.

You continued to laugh as they started to argue for the budget of the movie once again as Usopp was trying to explain to Nami that the money would be enough, while she was telling him how “Money are never enough.”, and that was when for a first time tonight you slipped. Lost in their ‘money’ banter your eyes shift and locked with the eyes you had been successfully ignoring for the past forty or more minutes.

Your laughter died instantly. He was looking at you and you were looking at him. Your eyes conveyed profound feelings, yet they couldn't grasp the other's intentions.

The one who broke the eye contact first was you. Tonight was the first time ever when Ace couldn’t read your eyes, and this struck a nerve in him. Your eyes were usually giving him all the answers, but not this time. He couldn’t catch what was behind them, nor did he have enough time to do so. He must either wait for a second chance to lock eyes with you again or get somewhere private with you and talk. You two must talk. Tonight.

Getting up from his seat Ace went out onto the big balcony where surprisingly it was empty of guests, and he had the time to collect his mind for a second. Taking his cigarettes from his pocket he lit up one and took a long drag out of it.

He must speak with you tonight or at least try to, but he needed to be only the two of you. No other people around. But how? How could he make this possible? And what does he tell you once he gets the chance to speak with you?

The glass door slid open, and Ace was no longer alone with his thought on the balcony. He didn’t bother to turn around to see who it was as he didn’t really care. He knew that it wouldn’t be you, that was for sure.

“Shit, you’ve got a lighter, man?” Kid asked Ace as his lighter just died and he wasn’t able to light his cigarette.

Glancing at him Ace nodded and handed him the lighter. Perfect, not only he had to deal with watching the man next to him having his hands all over the girl he wanted, but now he had to share his lighter with him, how ironically.

“Thanks.” Kid said as he handed back Ace the lighter.

Both men kept a distance between themselves. Kid could see that Ace wasn’t very happy to have him around and this was making things even more fun for him. “Fancy party, huh?” The bright red-haired man chuckled.

Side-eyeing him Ace hummed with agreement. He wasn’t planning on having small talk with him.

“I wasn’t much into it, when (Y/N) told me ‘bout it.” Kid continued. He knew what he was doing by mentioning your name.

“Didn’t know you two are friends.” Ace said, exhaling the smoke of the cigarette, which filled up his lungs.

“We are not.” The guy next to him smirked, knowing what he was doing.

Glancing at him, Ace couldn’t help but feel his jaw tightening. He knew what the person standing next to him means with this, but he didn’t want to believe it. This couldn’t be it.

Swallowing his pain, his pride and ego came to help. “Then I guess you’re welcome.”

“Oh, I am.” Still with a smirk on him face Kid replied.

Both men looked at each other not saying a single word as they finished their cigarettes at the same time and threw them away from the balcony. Before any of them say anything a group of drunk girls and guys walked onto the balcony. Glancing at them Kid laughed and walked off. He did get what he wanted as a reaction from Ace, which feed up his ego.

Ace on the other hand was mad. He knew this was an act, he wasn’t that stupid, but still, he couldn’t believe that you could be hanging out with such jerk as Kid. Not like he was better than him, but at least he wasn’t that cocky.

Walking in determined to find and speak with you, Ace noticed that you weren’t sitting on the couch, and you have gone somewhere. Luffy wouldn’t know where you have gone, but Nami should, so he made her way to her and lean closer whispering in her ear, asking her for you.

“I think she went to the kitchen.” She told, Ace and he tanked her as he made his way there, before Nami gets the chance to ask any questions.

You have gone to the kitchen looking for something refreshing to drink, but not alcohol. You have had two beers already and you didn’t want to drink any more for tonight. Looking around for a drink, you were also congratulating yourself in your mind as you have managed to ignore Ace successfully the whole time you have been here and when you two finally locked eyes, accidently, you didn’t break your little act. This for you was an achievement on its own. If someone earlier today has told you that this would have happened and you would keep your cool, you wouldn’t have believed them.

Reaching to grab some kind of fruit flavoured soda from the slowly emptying fridge, you freeze for a moment when you heard a painfully recognisable voice behind you.

“We need to talk.” Standing behind you, Ace wasted no time getting to his point.

Taking a deep breath in you straightened your posture and grabbed the drink you wanted before closing the fridge door and walk away as you ignored the presence of the man behind you. If trying to avoid his eyes tonight was hard, this by itself was ten times harder, as your heart was about to explode in your chest.

Ace was left unhappy by your act of ignorance. He understood that you were mad at him and didn’t want to do or have anything with him anymore, but this was slowly breaking his patience, which was never something to exists in the first place.

Making a few steps towards you he caught you before you leave the enormous kitchen and turned you around. “Just two minutes.”

The feeling of his hand wrapped around your wrist so gently, yet in a strong hold, caught the air in your lungs. Not daring to look at him, you tried to pull your hand away, but this made his hold on it stronger.

“I’m not letting you until you give me two minutes to speak with you.” Taking a step closer to you he said quietly as there were quite lot of people in the kitchen, but thankfully most were already drunk and didn’t care what was happening around them.

Two minutes? He wanted two minutes to talk to you? For what? Everything you two had to say was already said two months ago, and there was nothing left to be said. But yet again, this man had the audacity to stand in front of you without any remorse and ask for ‘two minutes’ like you own him something.

Taking all the confidence and power you had in yourself you finally looked at him. You two were close but not that close, and as much as a big part of you missed these deep brown eyes, you have had enough of this man. Pointing with your eyes at your wrist he got the hint and let go of it. Now both of you stood up in front of the other without saying a word in the middle of the kitchen.

Ace couldn’t read you. Your eyes had so many hidden emotions behind them, mostly pain, but apart from that he couldn’t tell what you were currently thinking of. Did you hate him? Probably, he deserved it. Did it hurt you to see him again? The answer to this was probably, yes as well. Was he overstepping your boundaries once again? For sure. But he couldn’t help it. He needed to make things right with you.

He must speak with you and apologies. You must give him this chance and after it, you could tell him to fuck off and he would, but he needed to speak with you at least.

“Please.” His pleading was full of desperation and pain. “Give me two minutes and I swear I will-”

“I’m sorry, do we know each other?” You didn’t let him finish his sentence as you interrupted.

This got Ace taken aback. Were you really going to act like you two didn’t know each other? He thought that you were more mature than this.

“Come on, doll. You’re better than this.” He breathed out annoyed.

Narrowing your eyes with a bit of disgust and annoyance with him, you just hummed and turned around leaving him behind, but Ace was not having it. Forcefully he grabbed you by the arm and lead you in the corridor leading to one of the many bedrooms this enormous penthouse had.

As much as you tried to fight him it was pointless as he was overpowering you no matter how hard you tried.

“The fuck is wrong with you?” You screamed at him once he closed the door behind you.

“A lot of things.” He turned and yelled back at you.

Silenced took over the room. You didn’t know what to do or what was right to do. You didn’t want to listen to him nor to be in the same room with him. You wanted nothing to do with him. You two were strangers now, nothing more nothing less, but he, of course, had to make things complicated as always.

“What do you want from me?” You asked, turning your back to him as you walked to the big windows in the room, overlooking at the big city beneath you. Wrapping your arms around yourself, as a form of protection, you leaned your head on the window.

What did he want from you, really? Could he want something from you? Ace wasn’t sure how to answer this as he didn’t have the answer himself. He just knew that he wanted to speak with you, but he didn’t know what exactly to say.

“I told you.” Ace said in now more calmed tone. “I want to speak with you.”

“And I don’t.” You replied.

“You don’t have to.” He quickly replied. “All you need to do is... listen... I guess.” He wasn’t sure what you need to do in this situation. The only thing that was giving him confidence was that you haven’t run out of the room, yet.

You couldn’t help but laughed. He really did have the audacity. Turning your body slightly towards him but still looking out at the city lights you said, “That’s the thing. I don’t want to speak, listen, see or do anything with you. And why should I? You made it clear last time and now we are strangers. Nothing more nor less.” You were surprised of yourself. You weren’t sure where you found this confidence and cool within yourself, but you were proud of what you just said to him.

The way you said it, so calm and collected, made Ace realised how much he has lost you. You didn’t want to do anything with him, and it was all because of his words and actions.

Walking further into the room, but still keeping his distance from you, Ace slowly nodded. “I don’t want you to forgive me.” Taking a deep breath in he took a few more steps and came closer to you. He tried to collect his thought, but he couldn’t so he went straight to the point. “I just want us to... try again, but from the start?” Hearing himself he couldn’t believe how stupid he sounded.

Hearing him, you were left speechless. There was nothing worth it left between you two to start it all over again.

“You’re pathetic.” You shook your head and start to walk out. “Your two minutes are done.” Walking to the door before he had the chance to say anything more you turned your head to look at him from over your shoulder. “Never bother me again. You are a stranger for me and so am I to you.” With this you left the room and Ace.

Making your way to where your friends were, you went straight to Kid and whispered in his ear that you wanted to go. By the look of your face he knew that something had happened, so he only nodded. Saying a quick goodbye to the rest of your friend group you two left the party.

“He came to speak with you, didn’t he?” Kid asked when it was only you two in the elevator. You only hummed in response. “And?”

“I told you.” You quietly responded. “I want nothing to do with him.”

Or this was what I wanted to believe. That I was done with him. That him mentioning a new start didn’t sound appealing for a moment. But I couldn’t let him in again. He showed me once how cruel and unapologetic he could be towards my feelings, he would and could do it again and I couldn’t overlook this. Despite my stupid heart still longing for him after all he has done, I must listen to my brain and protect it. The fact that I even gave him the two minutes he wanted so bad was enough of a weakness I showed him tonight. I still did what he wanted, he still got what he wanted, but this time I was able to leave with a bit more self-respect than the last time.

“Thank you, Kid. Victoria will be one lucky girl.” I turned and said to the bright red-haired man on the driver’s seat.

“Don’t forget that I’m an asshole, too.” He winked at me with a smirk.

END NOTE: I hope that Reader doesn't come out as some constantly crying girl. She is quite emotional and I also try to show you how much Ace has fucked her mental health up, that just by looking at him all the pain comes back and it is very hard for her to control her emotions. I also know that this chapter might feel rushed, but I promise something big is coming in the next one. Please leave your opinion about how you feel or thing about the chapter, you know I appreciate every like, comment, reblog and message ♡ I want to thank you all for your patience and that you are all amazing lysm ♡♡♡

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writing, format, header & dividers © cinnamoonblue ©cinnamoonblue, do not copy or plagiarise my work.

[corawithfanfiction]

For the ATJ future series I think it would be a good idea if the younger actress isnt even that young (like not 18-22) but if she was like 23-29. it would also be cool if she was in a relationship w/ an okder guy/girl like hozier or Hayley Kiyoko (anybody really thats older or like in their 30s).

Aaron Taylor-Johnson x Actress Fem!Reader

( Actress Female Reader - Request)

MY MASTERLIST! - EVENTS! - HOME!

This is an original story and may not be copied or translated into another language without permission!

summary: Y/N feels trapped between career pressure and their controlling partner. With ATJ support, they face the truth of their unhappiness and decide to break free from the toxic relationship. In the end, they reclaim their freedom and make a fresh start.

warning: toxic relationship, emotional abuse, anxiety, stress, identity x self worth issues, mild gaslighting, manipulation, romantic tension, slow burn, implied intimacy.

Author note: I didn't give a specific name for the character's boyfriend, think of whoever you want to imagine when you're reading, and I'm sure the person you think of is a good person, but at some point I have to make peace between the reader and Aaron, so :)

(2345 word)

Hope you like it @shiningdyingmoon :)

When the camera lights went off, Y/N took a deep breath. Their breath trembled slightly, but they weren’t sure if it was from exhaustion or the storm raging inside their mind. Each day of filming was becoming harder. The pressure from the media, the weight of their relationship… Relationship. They turned the word over in their mind, but it no longer carried any warmth. Things hadn’t been going well for a while, and it wasn’t just them who noticed—it was the entire

Sitting in a quiet corner of the set with the script in hand, Y/N was startled by a familiar voice.

“Y/N.”

It wasn’t loud. The voice was soft yet strong, so familiar that their heart seemed to stop for a second. Looking up, they saw Aaron Taylor-Johnson standing there.

“Aaron?” Their eyes focused on him, unable to hide the surprise in their voice. “You… What are you doing here?”

Aaron offered a slight smile, but it lacked the usual ease they were used to. Instead, there was a certain seriousness in his expression.

“I heard about your new project. I knew this was a big step for you, so I wanted to come and see how you were doing.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Aaron hadn’t come just to ask how they were. Over the past few weeks, he had seen the headlines, read the social media posts, heard the whispers about Y/N’s relationship. He had seen how their partner was suffocating them, treating them like a trophy rather than a person. And he had noticed the light in Y/N’s eyes slowly fading.

It had been painful to watch.

Y/N averted their gaze. “I… I’m fine. Really.”

Aaron tilted his head slightly. “You’re fine, huh?” There was a hint of amusement in his tone, but it wasn’t mocking. It was the kind of tone someone used when they could see right through a lie.

Y/N sighed. “Did you come here just to judge me?”

Aaron shook his head. “No. I just… I know you. And I know when you’re lying.”

For a moment, silence settled between them.

Then Aaron asked, “Does this relationship make you happy?”

Y/N parted their lips to answer, but the words got stuck in their throat. The fact that he had asked the question forced Y/N to confront something they had been avoiding.

Just then, a voice called out from the distance—her boyfriend’s voice. “Y/N! I’m waiting for you!”

Y/N closed their eyes, taking a deep breath. They felt the overwhelming urge to run. But Aaron’s gaze was fixed on them, as if silently urging them to tell the truth.

Finally, Y/N murmured, “I don’t know, Aaron.”

It wasn’t much of an answer.

But it was heavy enough to say everything.

That night, filming had wrapped. Y/N was heading to their dressing room in silence when they saw Aaron already there, waiting.

Y/N stopped in the doorway. “I need to go home.”

Aaron crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “No. We need to talk.”

Y/N sighed. “Aaron, really—”

“Are you truly happy?” he asked, his voice firmer this time. “You can’t even ask yourself that, can you? Because you already know the answer, and you’re afraid to hear it.”

This time, Y/N said nothing.

Because Aaron was right.

Aaron sat on the edge of a table. “When I first met you, you lit up every room you walked into. Now, you’re just… a shadow of yourself.”

Y/N closed their eyes. Was it really that obvious?

Aaron continued, “If you’re happy, if this relationship is really good for you, I won’t say another word. But if you’re not…” He stepped closer, his face mere inches away. “Then stop trapping yourself. Because you are so much more than someone’s accessory, Y/N.”

Y/N had never heard it put that way before. And something inside them started to crack.

That night, for the first time, Y/N really thought about it.

Aaron’s words echoed in their mind:

“You are so much more than someone’s accessory.”

They had never seen anything wrong with fighting to keep a relationship alive. But when had that fight become this exhausting? When had they become too scared to even ask themselves if they were happy?

They couldn’t sleep all night. Their memories with their boyfriend replayed—both the good and the bad. And they realized something.

The good moments were far fewer than they had thought.

And even those moments had always come with conditions.

As the morning light seeped through the curtains, Y/N had made their decision.

This had to end.

Sitting in the makeup chair for the morning shoot, Y/N’s phone buzzed.

Their boyfriend was on his way to pick them up.

They clenched their coffee cup, their heart pounding in the quiet morning. But something inside them had shifted.

They were ready.

Stepping outside the set, they spotted his car waiting. Behind the tinted windows, they could practically feel his impatient glare. With quick steps, they approached, opened the door, and got in.

“You’re late,” he said, his tone already laced with irritation.

“I had filming.” Y/N’s voice was calm but tense, hands clasped in their lap.

“And not texting me last night—was that because of filming too?” His voice was cold, sharp, carrying that same need for control that had become too familiar.

Y/N turned their head, studying his face—the same expression they had seen so many times before, the one they had always silently accepted.

But today, it would be the last time.

“This isn’t working.”

His eyes narrowed. “What?”

For a moment, Y/N thought they might lose their nerve. But then, Aaron’s words resurfaced in their mind:

“If you’re happy, if this relationship is really good for you, I won’t say another word. But if you’re not… stop trapping yourself.”

“We’re done,” Y/N said, their voice clearer, stronger. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m not happy.”

For a moment, his face was blank, as if hearing something he never expected. Then, his lips curled into a bitter smile, followed by a dry, mocking laugh.

“Y/N, don’t be ridiculous. This is just stress. You’re overworked, the media is pressuring us. But you—”

“No.” Y/N cut him off, their voice steady. “This isn’t about stress. You’ve been controlling me. You always have. And I let myself believe it was okay. But I’m done.”

His smile vanished instantly, his expression hardening.

“So, just like that?” he said coldly. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re just walking away? Why? Huh?” His voice dropped, laced with ice. “Is this because of Aaron Taylor-Johnson?”

Y/N blinked, momentarily caught off guard.

He let out a bitter laugh. “Of course. Do you think I’m an idiot? He shows up on set, spends the whole day with you, and suddenly you want to break up? Y/N, you’re telling me a cliché love story.”

Anger simmered inside Y/N. Their hands balled into fists, but they forced themselves to stay calm.

“This has nothing to do with Aaron,” they said through gritted teeth. “This is about me. And you. And the fact that I don’t want to lose myself anymore.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “If you say it’s over, then it’s really over, Y/N.” His voice carried a quiet threat. “But I can’t wait to see how you handle this decision.”

With one last look, he shook his head and started the car.

“I hope you regret it.”

As the engine roared to life, Y/N closed their eyes. Would they regret it?

They already knew the answer.

No.

Because for the first time, they could finally breathe.

When Y/N returned to their dressing room, Aaron was waiting by the door.

Seeing him there, waiting, sent a warmth through their tired heart.

Aaron studied them for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.

“So? Is it over?”

Y/N took a deep breath. The weight was gone.

And they smiled.

“Yes. It’s over.”

Aaron’s lips curled into a soft but knowing smile. “Then, we’re going for breakfast.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Aaron shrugged. “You need to celebrate. And breakfast is the best way to do that.”

Y/N sighed but couldn’t hide their smile.

For the first time, they felt free.

Aaron and Y/N decide to wander around the city after leaving the set. Since it’s still early in the morning, the streets aren’t too crowded yet. Aaron takes Y/N to a small café he likes. As they sip their coffee, they chat, and Y/N feels at ease with Aaron’s relaxed demeanor. However, she can’t shake the feeling that something has changed. There’s an unnamed sensation fluttering inside her, like butterflies in her stomach.

After breakfast, they spontaneously decide to go to the beach. As they walk along the shore, Aaron takes Y/N’s hand out of her pocket and holds it. Y/N is surprised at first but doesn’t pull away. Even the silence between them now carries meaning. They laugh and have fun throughout the day; at one point, Aaron even lifts Y/N onto his back and runs around, creating a playful yet sweet memory.

Later in the evening, they return to Y/N’s place. But since neither of them wants to part, Aaron offers to cook dinner for her. They head to the kitchen together, playfully teasing each other while preparing the meal. Y/N laughs at the way Aaron holds the knife incorrectly, and in response, Aaron playfully fires back, leading to a mini flour fight.

However, as they sit down for dinner, the atmosphere subtly shifts. When their eyes meet, they realize something much deeper has been building beneath all the playful moments. For the first time, Y/N allows herself to truly look at Aaron—to take in every detail of his face, the warmth in his eyes. When Aaron reaches out to wipe a bit of flour off her cheek, his touch sends a spark through her.

After dinner, Y/N feels something stir inside her. Her heartbeat quickens. Aaron’s presence, the magnetic pull he has around him… She knows they are heading toward something inevitable.

As they clean up the kitchen, the energy between them shifts even more. The laughter from before fades into lingering glances. Y/N places the plates in the sink, only to feel Aaron’s gaze on her. When she turns, she meets his intense, unreadable expression.

“What is it?” Y/N whispers.

Aaron takes a few steps closer and hesitates for a moment. The hesitation reflects the weight of words he wants to say but can’t. Finally, in a low voice, he asks:

“Would it be a problem… if I stayed here tonight?”

They both know exactly what the question means. Y/N’s heart races. Under normal circumstances, she might have agreed without a second thought. But now, it feels different. This isn’t just about sharing a night; it’s about crossing a boundary she has silently recognized yet feared to admit.

But in Aaron’s eyes, she sees nothing but sincerity and certainty. Despite the storm of thoughts in her mind, she slowly nods.

As Y/N leads Aaron to her room, her nerves tingle with anticipation. Each step heightens the fluttering sensation inside her. The moment the door closes, the space between them disappears. When Aaron’s hand settles on her waist, the warmth of his touch sends a shiver through her.

The first kiss is hesitant. They both know they are stepping into something they can’t take back. But as their touches deepen, every emotion they had buried surfaces. Y/N’s fingers tangle in Aaron’s hair, stealing her breath away.

Aaron moves slowly, his gaze locked on hers as if silently asking for permission. His carefulness erases any lingering doubts Y/N might have had. She pulls him closer, and suddenly, the connection between them shifts into something far more profound.

As their touches grow more fervent, they lose themselves in the night. Their whispered names, their intertwined hands—every moment strengthens the bond between them. When their movements transition from slow and tentative to something more urgent, Y/N rests her head on Aaron’s shoulder, realizing this isn’t just about physical closeness. This is the culmination of something that has been building for months.

Hours later, as Y/N lies in Aaron’s arms, trying to steady her breath, he gently runs his fingers along her back. The silence between them feels sacred, as if neither wants to disturb the moment.

Aaron buries his face in her hair, taking a deep breath before whispering with a soft smile:

“I don’t know why we didn’t do this sooner, but…” He pauses, then continues in an even softer tone, “I know we’re going to do this again.”

Y/N smiles as she closes her eyes.

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[atticmichaelangelo]

Junko: How patriarchy, time, and perception influence ( female ) friendships:

Junko is without a doubt a rather polarising figure within the Nana fandom. While some are inclined to view her as the epitome of a terrible friend, others find that there are aspects of her character that are not completely unreasonable. Some even argue that she is fully justified in her actions, interpreting them as a weary response to Nana Komatsu (Hachi’s) dependent and at times childish behaviour. 

I personally find her to be an extremely intriguing case study on female friendships - it is rare to find a depiction of female friendships that deviates from the endlessly supportive, forgiving, and nurturing portrayals of female relationships. Often times women are not as forgiving and sweet to each other as is often idealised in popular media, with dynamics often being fraught with internalised misogyny, societal perceptions, past experiences, and unhealthy attachment - so it is refreshing to see such a realistic, unorthodox, and complex portrayal of relationships dynamics between women—a topic that is often underrepresented and undervalued, yet crucial in order for people of any age to reflect on their own friendships and the factors that shape their beliefs and behaviours within them.

Firstly, I think that there is no point in disputing that Junko, in her own, often unconventional way, cares about Hachi. Throughout the early episodes and chapters of Nana, Junko frequently steps in to protect and comfort Hachi when she thinks the situation calls for it. This can be seen when she immediately leaps into action when Hachi breaks down in tears, drunk and distraught over memories of Asano in Episode 2, calming her down. This concern is seen again when Junko berates Shoji for hurting Hachi’s feelings and leaving Hachi alone in an unfamiliar place before rushing out to go find her. When Junko learns that Hachi plans to move in with Nana Osaki, who was practically a stranger at the time, she tries to convince (scare) Hachi into reconsidering the decision, concerned with how Hachi would manage and what kind of person Nana would turn out to be. Accepting defeat when Hachi stayed steadfast in her decision, she challenged (Hachi’s words) Yasu, trying to support Hachi by passive aggressively asserting Hachi’s right to the apartment when Hachi failed to do so to her standards.

Infantilisation and stifling growth

However, Junko’s protectiveness often crosses the line into infantilisation, an action which is a mixture of both care for Hachi and an unconscious subscription to societal perceptions of ‘femininity’, which ends up doing more harm than good.

Ai Yazawa makes a point of emphasising that Junko has known Hachi for a long time - she is familiar with her romantic struggles and emotionally dependent tendencies. But Yazawa also shows us from the start as well that Junko is immalleable. She is a character that does not bend to displays of emotion or whims - a foil to Hachi’s very passionate and dreamy personality. It becomes apparent from their interactions that Junko, after having been around Hachi a long time, internalised how Hachi behaves and acts to the point where she sees these traits as innate to Hachi as opposed to behaviours that have developed and formed over time. This strongly held perception of Hachi becomes a problem, as instead of encouraging growth ( which is what every healthy friendship accepts and promotes), Junko reinforces these observed traits, often treating Hachi as if she were a younger sibling or even a child. She seems “relieved” when someone else is there to “take care” of Hachi and even makes decisions on her behalf, such as revealing Hachi’s crush on Shoji despite Hachi making a conscious decision to not be romantically involved in anyone, assuming that Hachi does not have the scope to actually achieve the emotional goals she sets for herself.  

This dynamic consequently stifles and hinders Hachi’s ability to grow as an independent person throughout the anime, as Junko continues to see her through the lens of their shared past rather than as a peer. Even when Junko chastises Hachi for her lack of independence, she paradoxically expresses relief when someone else can ‘step in’ to care for her. This cycle of infantilisation keeps Hachi trapped in a dependent role within her friendships, and Junko’s inability to adjust her perception only reinforces these traits in Hachi. How people around you perceive and treat you influence how you subconsciously view yourself, and in Hachi’s case, she would see herself through Junko’s eyes as exasperating and hopelessly dependent. While Junko could very well believe her treatment stems from a deep and intimate understanding of Hachi, she in fact implies, most likely unintentionally, that Hachi is not capable of better. Junko's habit of infantilising Hachi repeatedly yet chastising her for the very thing Junko validates puts her in an endless pattern of being enabled, but not giving the genuine support when she does attempt to break the cycle. 

Internalised misogyny and complicity to the status quo

At the root of Junko’s behaviour there is a subtle form of internalised misogyny that permeates throughout her interactions with Hachi. Hachi’s personality is characterised by dreaminess, emotionality, and dependence, and aligns with traditionally "feminine" traits that patriarchal societies often devalue. She is romantic, frivolous and dependent, and Junko, in contrast, is portrayed to be and see herself as more pragmatic and career-oriented, which she is shown to be aware of and even proud of in the anime and manga. She firmly corrects Hachi when Hachi hopes she will give up on her dreams of art school in Tokyo, and pursues her passions and career with dedication throughout the anime. Her more modern lifestyle ( living unmarried with her boyfriend and striving for her dream career) contrast heavily with her more conservative mindset with gender - through interactions between Hachi and Junko, we can see that she seems to have adopted a more ‘masculine’ role between the two of them, acting as the voice of reason and logic, traits which are stereotypically associated with masculinity ( haha). You can see that this patriarchal compartmentalisation of personality traits is something that Junko had internalised growing up through her interactions with Hachi, perceiving Hachi as hopeless and in need due to her personality, when in actuality we find out later that Hachi is perfectly capable of making decisions herself, and managing difficulty by herself (with more resilience that others can muster). While she surely does not always make the best options, she is able to adapt and persevere - not exactly the actions of a hopelessly dependent person.

This is a greatly nuanced decision on Yazawa’s front, as she perfectly depicts how growing up in a patriarchal society does not only influence male and female relations, but all - due to Junko growing up in a patriarchal society where women with ‘feminine’ traits are simultaneously taken care of and condescended, she too mimics and appropriates such beliefs and actions. The status quo in such societies ( like Japan in the time the manga is set)  are rigidly upheld yet at the same time result in the mocking and contempt of women who adhere to or fit the mould shaped and maintained by the same people who patronise them - and often times women are complicit in upholding harmful patriarchal ideals.  I think this is a refreshing (and depressingly realistic) depiction of relationships between women, as it perfectly captures the delicate and painful cognitive dissonance between caring for someone and not doing what is in their best interest due to internalised misogyny. 

A large aspect of internalised misogyny is putting male approval and attention on a pedestal, and Junko depicts such influences as well when she compares her love life to Hachi’s. She flaunts her alleged ability to form platonic male friendships without becoming romantically involved, ironically right before quickly entering into a relationship with Kyosuke. Junko then feels the need to justify her own quick decision of sleeping with and getting with Kyosuke to Hachi, showing a unconscious adherence to the notion that as a woman, getting with or attached to a relatively unknown man simply because of a desire to is a disdainful trait, and one that Junko makes a conscious effort to differentiate herself from - and not for Hachi. Hachi did not judge or even understand why Junko made such a fuss explaining; Junko’s attempts were more a form of self reassurance that she is not like the ‘others’ who are deemed undesirable and whorish ( a belief she holds due to her close interaction with patriarchy growing up). Junko is in fact not so different from Hachi, from what we can see from her actions in the anime and manga. We are told by her she does not attach herself romantically to men quickly, yet in the first instance possible we see otherwise. We see her look down on Hachi’s air-headed desire for a stereotypical, domestic relationship with a reliable man, while staying with Kyosuke throughout all the anime and manga, using him as a mode of support and guidance as well as a romantic and seemingly life partner. Her contempt of Hachi at times seems to be a reflection of her own insecurities with the aspects of her personality that do not fit the mould she wants - the aspects of her personality she was raised to see as less valuable and worthy and therefore grew up and internalised.

Junko’s internalised misogyny is also apparent in her loyalty to the men in her life, particularly in her defence of Shoji after he cheats on Hachi. Instead of holding Shoji accountable, Junko places the blame on Hachi, telling her that it was her fault for being too dependent, too self absorbed - too absent ( the very traits she was telling Hachi to adopt). This reaction reflects Junko’s struggle to justify her friendship with Shoji through her own internalised belief that women are responsible for men’s behaviour ( a common belief in patriarchal societies to take accountability away from men, instead blaming the women involved). This scene serves to reveal Junko’s desire to preserve her own relationships and avoid conflict with male peers - by justifying Shoji’s actions, she maintains the comfort and security of her social circle, which includes her boyfriend Kyosuke, who is also Shoji’s best friend ( again rather similar to Hachi and her want of companionship) - she puts her male centred relationships on a pedestal at the expense of her female friendships and Hachi’s wellbeing.

Junko’s character serves as a window into the nuanced ways internalised misogyny, perception, and shared history can influence female friendships. Her dynamic with Hachi is shaped by her rigid perception of Hachi’s weaknesses and her own internalised biases about what traits are "acceptable" in women. While Junko is portrayed as a capable, independent woman—someone Hachi and other women can in some ways even looks up to—her patronising attitude ultimately undermines the potential of their relationship. Junko’s failure to see Hachi as an evolving, autonomous person perpetuates a cycle of dependence, preventing both women from growing as individuals and as friends, with Junko feeling equally responsible and burdened by Hachi but not allowing the relationship to develop beyond how it was in the past.

By portraying Junko, one of Hachi’s closest friends, as such a complex, multidimensional character, Ai Yazawa offers a compelling critique of the ways in which societal norms and internalised beliefs can distort relationships between women, and bring attention to topic that is often neglected yet experienced and lived by women universally. Junko’s story illustrates that it is not only overt sexism that influences women’s lives but also the more subtle, internalised forms of misogyny that shape how women perceive themselves and each other, and the pitfalls of relationships that remain stagnant in the past instead of allowing both parties to grow and flourish. 

[deliciousangelfestival]

The Malicious Daughter is Back! - 8

Character : Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Summary: It's just a business marriage. Bucky thought it would be easy until he encountered the stepsister of his fiancée. She turned his world upside down.

The Malicious Daughter Is Back! Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || Support : Ko-fi 🙏

Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter. Leave a comment and Reblog, please. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ❤️

Everyone's eyes were on you, likely thinking you didn’t exist. The Celestial Enterprise knew the proper miss and acknowledged by your father, the CEO, as Victoria.

This time was different. They were more invested because of the person walking beside you, Bucky Barnes.

You were nervous, for sure, but Bucky was calming you down. He said, “Calm down, I can hear your teeth chattering.”

“I’m not,” you replied. Was it that obvious? You pinched your thigh to clear your mind with the pain.

Bucky chuckled. It was true your teeth didn’t make a sound, but he could feel your fear, so he tried to bring back your fierce character. “Look at all these people. After tonight, they will remember who you truly are.”

Yes. He was right. Before, you could only dream of this, never taking a step because you knew the bridge would be destroyed by your stepmom first.

But this time was different because you could cross the bridge with Bucky's help.

What kind of luck did you have to have Bucky supporting you?

Flashback Start

After remembering everything, Bucky felt a surge of anger at the people who had kidnapped him. But now, that anger was replaced by gratitude as he recalled how he was saved. It was you and your grandma.

It must be God’s work that brought you and him together again. Bucky knew he had to repay the kindness he received from you both.

He went to his parents' house early in the morning. His parents were already up, enjoying a short walk. His dad was sipping coffee and eating toast while his mom was reading the newspaper.

“Son? What are—?” Juliana began, looking up from her newspaper.

“I remembered,” Bucky interrupted, his voice steady.

Bucky’s dad, Rowan, curious but skeptical, remarked, “You forgot something?”

“Shush,” Juliana said, flicking her husband’s hand lightly. She quickly understood what Bucky meant. “Everything?” she asked, her eyes wide with concern and hope.

Bucky sat down to join his parents, taking a deep breath. “Including the person who saved me,” he said, his voice filled with mixed emotions.

His confession took his parents by surprise. The time when Bucky was kidnapped was the darkest day of their lives, like a living hell. It was then that they realized money could bring security and danger. Their only son had become a hostage.

He was kidnapped for two weeks. It was a miracle when the police from an outlying city called to say they had found him. Actually, it was a woman and her granddaughter who discovered Bucky. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Juliana and Rowan wanted to thank the people who had saved their son, but when they tried to get more information, the police said no one was in the cabin anymore.

At that time, there was no social media or viral news. They wanted to keep searching, but they stopped because of Bucky's trauma. He had lost all memories of his kidnappers and the people who saved him.

Although they stopped searching, the Barnes family never stopped being grateful and wishing the best for the people who saved Bucky.

“Could you describe the people who saved you?” Rowan asked, leaning forward with interest.

“Even better. I met them,” Bucky replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

His parents were even more shocked. Juliana’s hand flew to her mouth in surprise while Bucky’s dad sat back, stunned.

“We have to meet them. As Barnes, we never forget the people who helped us,” Rowan declared, his voice filled with determination.

Bucky nodded, a serious expression on his face. “Before you meet them, I need your help.”

His parents listened intently, their faces a mix of curiosity and readiness.

Juliana reached out, touching Bucky’s arm gently. “Whatever you need, son.”

⚾⚾⚾⚾

The luxurious car parked in the school parking lot, drawing curious glances from students. Bucky stepped out, straightening his jacket, and made his way toward the school entrance. It had been a few days since he last saw you, and he was eager to catch up.

As he approached, he heard loud cheers and shouts from the male students, echoing through the windows. The lively and raucous atmosphere was a stark contrast to the quiet, private school he had attended. Intrigued, he followed the noise and found himself at the field track.

He initially thought it was a running exam, but quickly realized it was something different. A group of students was running, chased by someone wielding a baseball bat.

It was you.

You had taken off the cast from your left arm, and as you ran, you swung the bat with determined precision. The sight made the students you were chasing scatter in fear.

"I'm sorry!" Jimmy, one of the students, yelled as he ran.

"Destroying school property with graffiti is a big no, Jimmy," you called back, your voice steady as you gained on him.

Jimmy, looking over his shoulder in terror, suddenly spotted Bucky standing ahead. He remembered this rich man from his previous visit to the school.

"Bro! Help me out a bit," Jimmy pleaded, darting behind Bucky in desperation, using him as a human shield.

Bucky raised an eyebrow, glancing back at Jimmy with mild amusement. He turned his gaze to you, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

You stopped when you saw Bucky, your bloodlust evaporating.

"Oh, hi! What are you doing here?" you asked, catching your breath after the chase.

Bucky, looking out of place compared to you, covered in sweat and still holding the bat, smiled. "What lessons are you teaching right now?"

"Attitude," you replied, pointing the bat at Jimmy, cstill hiding behind Bucky. "This lad behind you wants to be Jackson Pollock. He painted the school's clean wall with graffiti."

Bucky glanced at Jimmy and then back at you. "He did wrong. It must be a hassle to clean it."

"Damn right. The principal will make me clean it," you grumbled.

"That's not fair. I will call a carpenter to paint the wall," Bucky said firmly.

"Really?" Both you and Jimmy asked at the same time, surprised.

Bucky nodded. "As payment, I need to steal you for the rest of the day."

"Yes, please. Bro, take her with you," Jimmy said eagerly, pushing Bucky closer to you.

Neither of you expected it, and you were ready to help Bucky if he panicked. Bucky had prepared himself too, but nothing happened, even though his heartbeat was racing.

"You're not...?" you began, your eyes searching his for any sign of distress.

Bucky grabbed your hand. "Let's go. I want you to meet someone."

"Wait," you protested, but Bucky was already leading you away.

Many students watched in astonishment as their fearless teacher held hands with Bucky. After a brief second, they erupted into cheers.

"Get it, teach! Get it!" "Woohoo! Love is in the air!"

You felt the back of your neck grow hot with embarrassment, but you couldn't help but notice that Bucky seemed different. His grip on your hand was firm and steady, his posture confident.

🍷🍷🍷🍷

Bucky takes you to a luxurious hotel restaurant. The hotel manager welcomes you both warmly, guiding you through the elegant lobby. As you walk, you feel a bit out of place in your casual attire, a stark contrast to the opulence around you. It's been a long time since you've set foot in a five-star hotel.

The manager leads you to a private room and opens the door. Inside, two people are already seated at the dining table. You recognize the woman, and suddenly, it clicks—you're meeting Bucky's parents.

"Oh my god," you murmur under your breath, hastily brushing your hair back and fixing the collar of your shirt.

Juliana rises from her seat and approaches you with a warm smile, wrapping you in a hug. Your hands hover awkwardly in the air, unsure of how to respond. How could a wealthy lady like her be so friendly?

Meanwhile, Bucky's father, Rowan, the CEO of a major company, smiles at you with genuine warmth.

"Thank you for saving my son," Juliana says, her gratitude evident.

You blink, confusion written all over your face. "I... I don't understand."

Bucky clears his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "I haven't talked to her about that yet."

Juliana chuckles softly. "No wonder she looks clueless. Forgive my son. Please, take a seat."

You sit down, feeling all eyes on you. “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember years ago, you and your grandma found a boy?” Juliana asks gently.

You think about it for a moment. Your grandma? A boy? The memory is blurry, but you recall a boy that your grandma brought to the cabin.

"The next morning, the boy was gone, and we had to leave. It turned out my father had taken the rights to that small cabin too," you say, piecing it together.

“I was that boy,” Bucky reveals.

“You—? No, I don’t think so. Oh my god, it is you,” you gasp as the realization hits.

Cassandra pats your shoulder reassuringly. “That’s why we wanted to meet you. It’s such a small world.”

“Hahaha… yeah,” you laugh nervously, still processing the revelation.

Rowan leans in, his voice filled with gratitude. “We’re forever grateful to you. You and your grandma saved our son's life.”

You feel a rush of emotions. “It was my grandma who found him,” you say modestly.

Bucky nods. “And that’s why we will give Cassandra the best treatment.”

Your heart leaps at his words. This is such a great gift. “Thank you…” you say, holding back your tears.

Juliana offers you a tissue. “This is just the start, my dear. You deserve so much more.”

Bucky and his dad nod in agreement.

“There are two things that she wants: Velari and her childhood home,” Bucky states firmly.

Rowan and Juliana exchange a look of surprise. “That’s it? You only want to get back Velari and the house?” Rowan asks. Because they could give you so much more.

You clear your throat, gathering your thoughts. “To be honest, my knowledge of business isn’t that good. I only want to get back the business that my mom and grandma put their blood, sweat, and tears into. Looking at the design that both women created for Valerie, the root concept of Velari is gone. It has fallen into consumerism.”

Juliana nods in agreement. The old designs from Velari were classic and timeless. She’s too shy to tell you she’s wearing a Velari shirt, but she appreciates how you admit your limitations. You’re not greedy.

Juliana interjects, “What will your father say?”

“He’s only a father in name. He was never a father to me,” you reply, bitterness creeping into your voice.

The Barnes nod their heads, understanding the situation of your family. They know that your mother died of a heart attack after discovering her husband’s infidelity, and that your father prefers his second wife and younger daughter over you.

You look at their supportive expressions, feeling a mix of sadness and gratitude. It’s painful to realize that strangers are more willing to help you than your own blood relatives.

Juliana claps her hands together, breaking the somber mood. “That would be easy. You will get back what’s yours, dear.”

You feel a wave of relief wash over you. “Thank you.”

Flashback Ends

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

That brings both of you to the anniversary of Celestial Enterprise. With the support of the Barnes family, you are no longer scared.

Genevieve and Jonathan approach you both. Genevieve wears her one-million-dollar smile, polite yet the fakest smile you’ve ever seen. Inside, she wants to curse you with the most evil words she knows.

Victoria has resigned herself from the party. It was supposed to be her daughter standing beside Bucky, not you.

You smile at your so-called dad and Genevieve, especially her. Jonathan, who used to turn a blind eye, now sees you as worthy of his time.

Genevieve, who used to look at you as if you were beneath her, is now scared. You feel that karma is catching up with your stepmom and stepsister.

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Author Note: Hey friends,

If you've been enjoying the content, I've set up a Ko-fi account.

Your support through tips would mean the world and help me keep creating.

Only if you feel like it!

Here's the link: Ko-fi

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[winterarmyy]

Must Be Fate

Prequel to And You're Mine. This is the story of how Y/N first met her cute, chubby alpha!bucky.

Summary: Y/N has been crossing paths with this particularly sweet alpha all day long; this must be fate right?

Navigation: Prequel || Main Story I || Main Story II || Main Story III

Pairing: chubby alpha!bucky x omega!female!reader

Words: 4.2k++

Warnings: a/b/o dynamics. fluffy stuff. sort of fated mate themed because... love at first scent(?). instant love. the reader was just smitten without even knowing bucky's name, alpine making her appearance, 99.9% reader's pov because she's the one who fell in love and remembers him. Dialogue? almost little to none (I AM SO SORRY FOR THAT). And I little shout out to one of my favourite book.

P/S: Been busy these few days, i just graduated my bachelor's degree, then went through the whole job hunting process and somehow managed to land an offer (in another state btw), then went on a stressful house hunting journey and managed to get decent place. Yknow, all those "adulting" stuff (that i am not ready to face). But yeah, here's a little something from my wip that I managed to finish. Happy reading! 🤍

Read my other works here: Masterlist

Y/N herself might not notice it, but she had been stealing glances through the pretense of the book she was supposed to be reading for quite some time now. Not that she wanted to be distracted anyway; she was rather enjoying her current read, especially the banter between main characters, Liesel and Rudy.

Yet for some reason, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the particular alpha sitting on the park bench, right across from her.

It seemed that the man was also distracted with his own personal dilemma as his thoughts were lost within the arrangement of peonies in his hand. There was this deep frown decorating his features yet his eyes translates a different type of emotion. More gloomy, more somber. And Y/N knew exactly why.

She never meant to follow Bucky around, in fact, she didn’t. It just happened that his paths were fated to intertwined with hers; and it all started that afternoon.

The bus was packed full, albeit it was Saturday, but thankfully she managed to find herself a seat.

Since Y/N was getting closer to her heat, in about a week or so, and her scent blockers were nearly out. She just got back from a nearby clinic to restock and now she had a full day for herself.

The thing about her pre-heat condition is that she was fortunate to not experience the normally unpleasant symptoms like any omega would; she doesn't get irritated easily and she didn't have to go through those random aches and fever.

However, she had a particular symptom that differs from the other omega; which involve the irregular increase of her scent.

During pre-heat and all throughout the actual heat, Y/N’s scent tripled the amount of a normal omega in heat. And since, she refused to take suppressants, the doctor prescribed her with a high dosage of scent blockers instead; to mask her scent completely during pre-heat.

Besides her own scent thickens and heighten, her sense of smell was also affected. It will become so senstive that she can smell everything and everyone, all at the same time.

Unfortunately for her, there weren’t any medication to combat that issue and the only solution she could do was wearing a mask to lessen affect of other people’s scents. But of course, the mask can only do so much especially when she was in a tight confinement of a bus with – what feels like – 2000 people crammed into it.

Too many potent scents coming from every direction, that her head spun into nausea.

Sure, she might be a little bit exaggerating about the amount of people in the bus, but it felt awfully like it when the bus stopped in every bus stop in its route; she can physically feel the inertia of the force pushing her to lean forward.

Thank god, she was sitting down; she managed to hold on the seat in front of her for support. Often times she would whisper her apologies to the man sitting in front for the sudden push of her hand, And most times he only nodded without looking back.

But at one of those stops, unfortunately, the teenager standing next to her bumped his head right onto the metal pole. Poor thing quickly scurried out of the bus in pain and embarrassment.

The density of people became lesser at that stop, but not enough to empty any seat in the bus. Though it worked well for her that most of the strong scents were fading into a much more bearable capacity for her to endure.

While streams of people exited the bus, only one came aboard; a sweet old lady. The moment Y/N saw her, she was already thinking of giving up her seat, but the man sitting in front of her beat her to it as he swiftly stood on his feet and help the old lady to his seat.

The old lady gushed and thanked the man, dearly patted his cheeks like any grandmother would do to their grandchildren.

And in that brief moment of time, when he moved, Y/N picked up a particularly sweet scent trailing behind him and when he came back, it hits her like a train. At first, she can sense some sort of floral; roses and jasmine but with time the smoky sandalwood and spicy cinnamon seeped through. The combination of sweet and woody notes made such a warm and captivating scent.

She never knew an alpha can smell this good.

Her eyes fluttered close as the alluring scent flooded her brain, letting his scent creates the dreamy images of his fingers lacing between hers as they walk in the rain, or him cuddling her in the heat of the fireplace during the winter, or his body trapping her by the back as she takes his huge delicious kno—whoa.

That was way too vivid and a tad too far.

She was so enthralled by his scent that she forgot to even look at the man’s face. And a mistake it was for her to take a peek because he is absolutely gorgeous. The brown locks on his head was neat and clean that she just wanted to make a mess out of it. His eyes were pretty in steel-blue and his plush lips was simply a sin to look at.

Though some would argue about the lack of shape in his jawline, the same one that was hidden between his chin; she didn’t care at all, rather she was particularly fond of the softness on his chubby cheeks. Shaved so clean and smooth that she couldn't find a single razor cut on his skin.

They look so cute and kissable. She want to kiss his cheeks, his lips, and every part of his ridiculously handsome face. She wanted kiss him so badly.

And those intrusive thoughts made her almost missed her stop.

Y/N panicked when she scurried out of the bus that she didn't even thought to ask him for his name or number; anything.

But then again, she wasn't the type to be so bold in the first place; she knew wouldn't have the courage to even speak a word to him. His scent alone almost pushed her into a frenzy, so imagine if he would look at her with those beautiful eyes of his, smile at her, talk to her?

She'd simply die. She was sure of it.

So, with regrets Y/N walked towards the familiar road right into the local bookstore that she often visits. Thinking that this encounter would probably be forgotten by the end of the day.

Then she spent hours in that shop trying to find the perfect book to put her out of the miserable reading slump she was currently in. While her eyes skim over the covers of the book in display, in the back of her head, Y/N was almost certain of how unlikely it was for her to see the alpha ever again.

Couple of turns later, her footsteps trailed back to the space in between the bookshelves next to the huge glass window of the store. Still glancing absentmindedly at the book covers particular on the historical fiction isle. She halted when she saw it, the book that people had been recommending to her, 'The Book Thief'.

After reading the summary behind the book, she felt drawn to it almost instantly. Thinking that maybe this would be the book that will replenish her interest of reading back to its utmost glory.

But when she lifted her head up, she froze yet again. This time, not because the sight of a book. But it was the silhouette of the alpha she saw in the bus. Instinctively, her feet step closer to the glass window, to have a better look at the man across the road.

The alpha had just exited the flower shop opposite from where she was standing, with a gorgeous bouquet of peonies in his hands. Now that she looked closely, his hands were covered with black leather gloves; it intrigued her and she wondered about the story behind it.

Y/N wasn't that dense; she could see it right away from the way he dressed, to the choice of gift he went for. She knew instantly that the alpha was probably going out on a date.

And that stung her a little bit. How nice it must be to be his date, his girl, his omega.

Funny of her to think so when she never really talked to the guy. Let alone know him well enough to decided whether he's a good alpha or not. But something about him felt right to her.

But, sometimes it'll be like that. Falling in love so strongly, so instantly. And there's nothing wrong with it, as long as you know how to protect yourself; your body, your heart.

When her gaze moved upwards to his face; and her heart almost escaped her body. It was so quick, so faint. But, she saw his smile. It wasn't for her but it was so pretty. Y/N felt like a bow just struck her chest and the cupid was trying to pull it back out.

She knew full well how she probably need to move on from this delusional crush of hers yet her eyes still longingly lingered at his moving figure, walking farther away from her sight.

When she thought that would be the last time she saw him, she was utterly wrong. Now, it felt like devilish cupid was toying with her heart as their path crossed yet again, this time at a nearby cafe.

She didn't notice him at first, at least until she placed her orders and saw him sitting alone at the far corner of the cafe. He seemed to be waiting for his date; the flowers laid perfectly on the seat next to him.

In contrast of the few looks of his that she had witness before, the alpha's demeanour indicates anxiousness.

His heel keeps tapping the floor, causing his knees to jump up and down, as he fiddled with his phone. Occasionally, he would look at the time and put it down. Just to do the same thing over again only seconds later.

And that made her wondered if this was his first date with whomever the person he was supposed to be seeing. She knew those feelings all too well. It was only canon that he felt the jitters on his first date, she'd been there too.

When her drink was served, Y/N decided to stay awhile longer. She didn't know what she was expecting from this but she wanted to make sure he was okay. Or maybe she just wanted to see who was the lucky girl. So she found herself a seat, a little bit discrete yet enough to see him from where she sat.

Pulling out her new purchase, she decided to pass the time with some light reading, maybe getting herself comfortable with the world building in the book and get to know the main characters in the process. In between those moments, Y/N would peek above the book, particularly at the sight of that beautiful stranger from across the room.

Pages upon pages she drowned herself to the words of the author that she didn't notice how time flies passing the half an hour mark; and the cafe started to get more crowded and rowdier. Certainly, the amount of potent scents had were floating around her were slowly getting to her.

Y/N knew if she stayed a longer, she'd surely throw up whatever drink she just had. So, she decided to leave. But not before glancing at the alpha – who was still waiting for his date – for one last time, then she pulled the door open and walked away.

Certainly, that was supposed to be the last time she see him right? Nope. The universe proved her wrong when the man found a seat on the bench opposite her. With the same bouquet of flowers in his hands.

And at this point, she thought that this must be fate. There's no other explanation than this.

When she lowered her book again, she saw a white feline rubbing its head on Bucky's legs. It was too far to hear its voice but considering the amount of time its mouth open, Y/N figured it was meowing at him.

Probably to get his attention, or just wanted to comfort the alpha because just from the look of it, she knew he was stood up by his date. And Y/N was unexpectedly mad about it; maybe it was from personal experience or maybe it was just because she couldn't accept the fact that this fine, gorgeous, sweet alpha was being stood up.

Y/N watched how Bucky put away the flowers and scooped the cat onto his lap. He squinted his eyes at the ball of fur and spoke something. She hadn't had a clue what he said but it was probably along the lines, "Are you lost, little one?" He scratched its chin and neck while trying to see if it has a collar.

After so long of seeing that deep grumpy-looking frown on his face, Bucky finally graced her with another smile when the cat tried to rub its nose on his cheeks. Its whiskers tickled his nose and had trigger a laugh out of him.

God, Y/N had never been so desperate to be a cat in her life. She wanted to be that cat; sitting on his lap like she owns that place, making him smile and laugh like that. She wanted nothing more that to do so; to please him in a way that would make her own heart full.

Her daydream was cut short though, when a heavy scent of cigarettes and rum invaded her space. In fact it was so thick and potent, but considering the lanky alpha was sitting right next to her it was inevitable.

Y/N didn't want to be rude; because if she just walk away to find a different spot to sit at, then it would seem rude to the man. Her heighten sense of smell was to be blamed, not the man who was simply sitting next to her, enjoying the park as much as everybody else does.

So, she stayed.

But in those few minutes that she stayed, she might have re-adjust her mask a few times, as if it would help to lessen the scent. But, she did it anyway. And that was all she did. Yet somehow, it managed to rub the alpha in a wrong way.

"Ya got a problem with my scent, beta?" He snarled, clearly he was drunk. And a drunk alpha in the middle of the day was never a good sign.

Though she was relieved to know that the scent blockers worked just fine. Otherwise, she might push the alpha into a rut if he got even a single whiff of her scent.

The alpha growled as she put some space between them instead of answering his question. "Are you even listening to me?! Answer me, you dumb bitch!" His aggressiveness went from zero to hundred real quick when he yanked her by the hand, pulling her closer towards him.

Y/N's book fell from the force of his strength and she yelped in pain and fear. Though she usually know how to put up a brave face and fight back, but the sudden change of his action and emotion didn't gave her time to prepare her; mentally, physically.

With her omega tendencies on default, her body coward to his force and her voice tremble, "L-let me go!" She tried to twist her hand to escape but his grasp only grew stronger.

He pulled her to stand up, "You think a beta like you can look down on me? You and that omega are the same! Bunch of good for thing bitches. Gonna teach you a good lesson for disrespecting an alpha like me!" He roared with words of his drunken concerns, truth of his wounded ego.

Her blood pumped faster through her veins and her breaths increases behind her mask. When she saw his hand rose, Y/N shut her eyes, whimpering in fear as she turned her head away, waiting for the pain strike her but it never happened.

It between those short heavy breaths, she caught a whiff of Bucky's scent. And surely, it gave her the comfort she needed to calm down, guiding her to open her eyes and witness her saviour stopping the unhinged alpha's strike.

Then what happend next was so fast; the way Bucky forced him to release her, and the way the left of his gloved hand wrapped around the alpha's neck, choking the air out of his wind pipe.

Bucky growled something in the alpha's ear, but Y/N couldn't hear it over her own beating heart. She didn't need to, not when the pale look of the man's face says it all. As soon as Bucky loosen his grip, the other alpha stumbled backwards and made a run for his life.

That does tend to happened when Bucky was literally threatened to tear his limbs apart if he touch the woman ever again.

When the panic didn't die like Y/N hoped for, Bucky quickly came to her side; respectfully close while avoiding any sort of skinship. He whispered words of comfort and sweet nothings, "It's okay, you're okay. You're safe now."

His voice was like magic, especially when it managed to calm her so easily. Y/N can feel herself melting, like a marshmallow hovering over the flames; like an ice cream under the summer sun. She took a deep breath of his sweet scent and exhaled a long sigh, "Thank you. Thank you for that." she said.

Bucky bent down to pick up her book and patted the dust off, "It's no big deal, here." He handed the book. She gladly took it from his hand, gripping it tight to her chest.

Her head was still fuzzy from the rush of adrenaline, she couldn't think of a single coherent thought other than gratitude towards her saviour, "Yeah, thank you." She probably didn't even notice that she was talking to the alpha she was crushing on the whole day.

Looking at her shaken state, Bucky was worried of her, "Are you going to be okay?" He asked.

Y/N's mind didn't process his question fast enough to for a confident reply to form, "Huh? Yeah, of course. I'll be fine. Couple of deep breaths should do the trick."

"Are you sure?" Bucky was sceptical but she quickly assured him, "Absolutely!"

He nodded slowly as if she failed to convince him, yet he didn't want to push her too much, "If you say so..."

She let out a another long sigh and said, "Thank you again, really. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Bucky simply chuckled at her words, "You know, you've said 'thank you' way too many times now, doll. Plus, it is an utmost honor of an alpha to save a damsel in distress." He jest.

Which was quickly agreed by a mewl coming from his chest, "Meow!" Y/N didn't even notice the white cat nestling comfortably in his leather jacket, albeit it was zipped up until only its' head peeking out of the dark fabric.

"See? She agrees." Bucky shrugged as if the cat's opinion was the only valid opinion in this situation.

"I did say it a lot, did I?" Y/N cooed as she pet the cat on its' head, smiling at the softness of its' fur against her skin before looking back at the blue eyes of his, "Sorry." She instinctively apologized. 

Bucky shook his head and reminded her, "Don't be."

That was when Bucky's phone rang, a call from Steve, "Hey, you're here? Where are you? Oh there. Yeah, I can see you, punk. You don't need wave at me like that. Yeah, I'll be right there. Please don't let Sam join you. God stop that is fucking embarrassing." He muttered as he looked over how his friends were literally halfway out of the car window, waving at him like a bunch of kids.

Bucky snuck his phone back into his pocket and said, "I'd offer you a ride but the car's full with dumbasses and I wouldn't recommend a sweet thing like you to associate with them in any way."

He managed to pull a short laugh out of her, "Oh, no need to do so. I live close by. Don't need to worry about me just..." her trails stopped mid way.

Only for Bucky to continue with a question, "...Just??"

"Do you mind giving those to me?" Y/N pointed at the flowers in his hand. She knew he was contemplating to throw it away because he had been glancing at the trash way too many times at the first couple of minutes when he sat on that bench across from her.

Y/N noticed how his expression changed, he looked confused but didn't frown upon the idea. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she waited patiently for his respond. But he just continued to stare at her, almost blankly but not quite lost. It was as if he was mesmerized by something.

The silence was getting louder than the crowds surrounding them so she decided to explain, "You see, I've never received flowers from anybody before. So, I'm curious how it feels like to receive one." She tried to come up with excuses, though she was still telling the truth. No one she dated had ever gave her flower before, probably deeming it as old-fashioned.

But, she loves those old fashioned gesture the most.

Y/N saw how he hesitated when he stared at the bouquet, his face getting tense by the seconds. She recognize that expression, she knew right away he was holding back his feelings.

But it quickly shifted into a gentle smile, "Pretty flowers for the pretty lady." He whispered under his breath. Bucky didn't waste his time hesitating this time and handed the bouquet to her.

Though she was asking for it but she didn't expect him to really give it to her. This was the first time she ever got flowers from a man. An alpha that she was pretty much head over heels for nonetheless.

Letting her emotions unfiltered, "Thank you!" she squealed as she reach out her hand. As she brought the bouquet closer to her face, she pulled down her mask, inhaling the sweet fragrant of the soft pastel peonies.

Even if her lower face hidden behind the flowers, Bucky swore he saw a burst of sparkles beamed from her upon receiving those flowers. It fascinated him because he never knew that someone could be this happy just from getting such small gift, from a complete stranger he might add.

For a second there, he thought that he would've give her a whole garden of flowers just to see her shine like that again. It felt so good and somehow fulfilling to see her happy like this.

Y/N unknowingly smiled as she let herself lost in the intoxicating scent. And when her eyes fluttered open, a deep chuckle distracted her from the trance. Looking up, as he eyes peeking through the blooming flowers, she finally saw that endearing smile that she wanted to see.

But that wonderful fleeting moment didn't last long as she was hoping for when she heard a group of man shouting for the alpha, "Hey, loverboy! We have a birthday party to get to. Natasha would be pissed if we're late. Again!"

As Bucky shouted back his own sassy counter, Y/N's head was filled with thoughts of kissing him. She didn't particularly know why but she had the need to do it.

Why would she ever do this to a man – who probably currently thinking that she was a creep – that she barely knew?

Even with those unconscious questions, she found her body moved on its own.

When he turned around, Y/N was already on her tip toe, her face was so close to his, while her hand softly cupped his chubby cheeks. She pressed a tender kiss on one of the side soft sides and prayed to God that he couldn't hear how her heart was desprete to escape the confinement of her ribcage.

Y/N placed her mask back before pulling away, only to preen at how she managed to stun him into a red mess of shock, "Thank you for saving me, alpha." Her eyes curved as a sign of a smile before she turn around, almost running away.

She certainly didn't give him a chance to at least know her name, let alone get to know her.

Midway through her path, Y/N abruptly stopped and turned around, her eyes met his curious ones and her heart fluttered, "Thank you for the flowers! I love them!" she shouted with a wide smile on her lips and brightest expression of her face, even if it was blocked by the mask.

Though Bucky could probably translate her eagerness and sincerity from how animatedly joyful she was waving at him. He smiled as he watched the girl ran away with her small steps, almost resembling a hopping bunny.

As Y/N skipped her way home, her lips aches for more of the alpha's softness, her heart yearned for his comforting presense and her glands certainly burned for his mark. And even though she went home not knowing his name, or his contact number. She believed that if he was truly her fated mate, then they will surely meet again someday.

End.

Read my other works here: Masterlist

A/N: Thank you for loving this couple as much as I do, guys. I noticed a lot of you have been requesting chubby alpha!bucky ever since I first published the first one. So I hope you enjoyed this one. More to come from them. But meanwhile, drop your thoughts?

[fanfics4all]

Leather and Loyalty

Request: Yes / No Hii I hope all things are going well with you,I was wondering is i could request a fic on how jughead Jones would react if his girlfriend wanted to become a serpent (specifically female due to the serpent dance they have to preform). Thank you and I'm sending all my best to you for the new year @pollymastaa

Don’t be shy, request things! <3 Have a nice day/night

Jughead Jones x Fem!Reader 

Word count: 1069

Warnings: Nothing I think

Y/N: Your Name 

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(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

The Whyte Wyrm pulsed with life, the dim neon glow casting shadows over the Southside Serpents. The scent of cigarettes and cheap beer clung to the air, but I hardly noticed anymore. My heart pounded against my ribs, anticipation curling in my stomach like fire. Tonight was my chance to fully join Jughead’s world. Jughead, however, was anything but excited. 

“You don’t have to do this.” He said, his voice low but firm. He stood close, his leather jacket with the iconic Serpent logo hung loose over his frame. His fingers twitched at his sides like he was resisting the urge to reach for me. I exhaled sharply. 

“You did the trials.” His jaw tightened. 

“Yeah, but it’s different.” 

“How?” He didn’t answer right away. His stormy blue-green eyes flickered across the bar, then back to me. 

“You know how.” My throat tightened. The Serpent dance. The humiliating, degrading test women had to go through to prove themselves. It was outdated and sexist, but still a requirement. And Jughead hated the thought of me being put in that position. 

“You don’t think I can handle it?” I challenged, crossing my arms. His expression softened, but that only made it worse. 

“It’s not about that.” I knew he meant well, he always did, but I spent too long on the outskirts of this world, waiting- no, needing to be a part of it. The Serpents were more than a gang, they were a family. 

“I want this, Juggie.” I said, voice steady. 

“I want to be one of you… I want to stand beside you, not behind you.” Something flashed in his eyes, something vulnerable. 

“You already belong with me.” My breath hitched. He always knew what to say to make my walls crumble. But I wouldn’t let him talk me out of it this time. Before I could respond, Toni sauntered over, a knowing smirk on her lips. 

“You ready?” I glanced at Jughead one last time. His hands curled into fists, frustration clear in the set of his shoulders. But I turned away, following Toni towards the stage. The murmurs in the bar grew louder. 

“Wait!” Jughead’s voice cut through the noise. I stopped. He stepped forward, the weight of his stare pressing into me. Then in a move that shocked everyone, including me, he shrugged off his Serpent jacket and draped it over my shoulders. The room went silent. 

“This means you’re already one of us.” He said, his voice rough, his eyes burning into mine. 

“No dance. No priving yourself to anyone. You’re a Serpent.” My fingers clutched the worn leather, my vision blurring slightly. He was breaking the rules for me. Toni arched a brow but nodded in approval. 

“Well, that’s one way to do it.” Some people cheered, but all I could focus on was Jughead. He stepped closer, his hands brushing over my arms before he leaned in, his lips ghosting over my temple. 

“Never doubt that you belong, okay?” I nodded, swallowing back the lump in my throat. 

“You can’t just…” 

“She didn’t do the dance!” 

“That’s not how this shit works, man.” SweetPea was the first to step forward, his brows drawn together in anger. 

“Jones, what the hell? You can’t just hand Y/N a jacket and make her a Serpent!” Jughead squared his shoulders, jaw clenched. 

“I just did.” Pea scoffed. 

“We all had to earn it. You don’t get to rewrite the roles just because-” His eyes flickered to me, and I stiffened. 

“Because what?” Jughead’s voice was sharp now, edged with something dangerous. 

“Because she’s my girlfriend?” The room went silent again. I felt a flush rise to my cheeks at the way he said it- possessive, protective. But I wasn’t about to let this turn into a debate about me needing his protection. I straightened. 

“I can earn it. I would have earned it, just like the rest of you.” Pea looked conflicted, but another guy- some older Serpent I didn’t know that well- shook his head. 

“That’s not the point, girl. There are rules and traditions. We don’t just-” 

“Oh, so now you wanna question our leader?” Toni’s voice cut through the noise like a blade. 

All eyes snapped to her. She stood with her arms crossed, an eyebrow raised, exuding the kind of authority that could make anyone think twice before running their mouth. The guy hesitated. 

“That’s not-” 

“No, go ahead.” She pressed, stepping closer. 

“You wanna challenge FP’s kid? Our Serpent King? ‘Cause last I checked, he’s the one that stepped up. And if he says she’s one of us, then she’s one of us.” Silence. 

I could practically feel the weight of Jughead’s gaze on me, but I didn’t look away from the group of Serpents still on the fence. My hands curled into fists, but I kept my chip up, refusing to shrink under their scrutiny. 

Finally, Fangs, who had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines, sighed and rolled his eyes. 

“You guys are exhausting.” He muttered, before nudging Sweet Pea. 

“It’s done. Let it go.” Sweet Pea hesitated, then exhaled sharply and nodded. 

“Fine.” The tension in the room eased just a little, and Toni smirked. 

“Thought so.” She clapped a hand on my shoulder. 

“Welcome to the family, babe.” Relief flooded through me, but before I could respond, Jughead’s hand found mine, tugging me gently toward him. 

“We’re done here.” He muttered, before leading me away from the crowd, the weight of his Serpent jacket still heavy on my shoulders. Once we were out of earshot, I finally pulled him to look at me. 

“Jug, I-” 

“I know.” He said, his voice softer now, the fight gone from his eyes. 

“I know you would have done it, and I know you’re strong enough.” His fingers traced the edges of the jacket. 

“But I wasn’t about to let them put you through that.” My heart clenched. 

“You didn’t have to-” 

“Yes, I did.” He exhaled, his forehead resting against yours for just a second. 

“You’re mine and I protect what’s mine.” A small smile tugged at my lips. 

“So, you’re officially calling me yours now?” He huffed a quiet laugh. 

“Guess I am.” I smirked. 

“About time, Serpent King.” He rolled his eyes but pulled me closer. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t let it go to your head.” I grinned wrapping my arms around his neck. 

“No promises.”

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[typellblog]

Hitagi End - An Analysis

Well, that’s it, folks. We’ve finally reached the end of the Monogatari series. It’s even right there in the arc title.

Hold on, I’m being told that there’s another whole season. What the fuck, I’ll be well into 2025 by the time I’m done with this.

But yeah, as usual with the naming scheme the second word seems to be the thing our title character has to confront - Hitagi is in active resistance against the End, and whether in the abstract form of the conclusion of the series itself, or the more literal threat of Sengoku Nadeko, there’s one common feature. Graduation.

One thing I remember vividly from Koimonogatari - from the first time I watched Koimonogatari, several years ago - is Kaiki’s offhand statement that Hitagi and Koyomi will probably break up in college. He says it so matter-of-factly, but it’s not something I ever considered, watching the rest of the series. I was fully immersed in the teenage perspective, convinced that nothing would ever end. It takes the perspective of a washed up older man to break the illusion, I suppose. You always hear the same complaint about romance manga - there should be more focus on after they’re already in a relationship. Getting together shouldn’t be the story’s end. 

One reason why it might be the story’s end is because as long as it ends there you can convince yourself it will last forever. Their relationship will never sink to the level of mundanity, of lovers’ quarrels - there will never be the possibility of being interested in someone else, finding someone else, being replaced. 

That is the kind of idealistic, indulgent, static ending that Sengoku Nadeko desires, and as a result is the kind of ending that Senjougahara Hitagi fights against. 

This is where I say something about Kaiki Deishuu. Something to make sense of what he’s doing in this story. He’s a man in search of an ending, I could say. Ever since the death of Gaen Tooe, he’s been looking for a way to move on. Perhaps this is why he tells Nadeko the same cause of death - the person you have a crush on died in a car accident. So mundane, so unexpected, so implausible. He thinks she will accept it. Does he?

He’s a man who’s already met his end, I could say. Such is the fate of the specialists. They’ve already graduated, already long since handled their personal agreements and disagreements. They’re stuck, now, bound to their own nature, their own rules. They appear only as supporting characters, never the protagonist. Well. I guess that’s a lie. 

In adopting narrators other than Koyomi, Second Season shifts the focus away from his obsession with helping and connecting to others. Koyomi’s interactions with and idealization of women results in a sense of distance - he struggles to see himself in them and their problems. How much of his attempts to cross that distance are really just attempts to help himself? 

This dynamic collapses when the female cast, facing their own issues, are made protagonists in their own right. They experience themselves as the Other, & Koyomi’s standard process of understanding the girl by first understanding the oddity becomes in these cases a process of self-exploration. 

And yet here we are, back to seeing a male protagonist confronted with the issues of women that he struggles to understand. 

I don’t mean to rag on men, exactly, I just think back to how there tends to be less distance between Koyomi and other men, how he’s more capable of seeing them as another version of himself, and I think that the best explanation for Kaiki’s presence here is that he’s filling in.

He himself thinks so, although it’s Oshino, and not Koyomi, that he considers. 

Regardless, the parallels to Koyomi are established firmly enough by the ending. Kaiki was poison to Hitagi but a surprising help to Nadeko, while Koyomi is the opposite. Put that way, their differences and similarities seem readily explicable. Koyomi saves people. He forgives the harm they do to him. It works for the prickly Hitagi, who needs a pillar of support, but not Nadeko, who needs to be told that she isn’t a victim.

Kaiki lies to people, but that doesn’t mean he’s trying to hurt them. Ononoki proposes a reading of his involvement with Hitagi where he had no ill intentions whatsoever. He didn’t try to free her from the crab simply because he didn’t think it would help her to regain what she had lost. He caused her parents’ divorce to keep her from under the thumb of her mother. He even swindled the cult, although more as an act of revenge than anything. Perhaps there was some impropriety in their relationship, perhaps he exploited her feelings for him, but our understanding of the events is vague enough to give him the benefit of the doubt if we really want.

Kaiki fails to help Hitagi, not (just?) because he’s trying to scam her, but because he’s fundamentally incapable of being honest with her. All his actions move around her and ignore her wishes.

When it comes to Nadeko, on the other hand . . . I mean, it doesn’t initially seem like he’s doing much better, does it. He has no luck with his manipulations, with currying favour, with bold untruths. In the end though, the way he helps Nadeko is a lie that they both know is a lie. Really, it’s more like telling her a story. 

And I’ve written before about how Nadeko needs stories.

Kaiki doesn’t tell her anything that another person couldn’t have. Koyomi, Hitagi, even Nadeko herself is probably aware of similar advice on some level. Don’t throw your life away pointlessly. If you want to do things, then you should do them. You can’t succeed unless you try. 

Kaiki’s talent is simply in recognising that Nadeko needs to hear it. Koyomi wouldn’t have thought to say it, because he doesn’t know why she became a snake god. She doesn’t want to tell him either. He’s stuck. 

But it’s not as if Kaiki has some unique insight into her psychology that lets him work this out. As he puts it, he’s not like Oshino. He didn’t ‘see through’ Nadeko, he just straight up ‘saw’ it. He broke into her room, twisted open the lock to her closet with a 10 yen coin and fucking looked. Her parents didn’t know what was in there, Koyomi didn’t know what was in there, Tsukihi didn’t know, Oshino didn’t know, even Hanekawa who heard about it from someone else and thought it might be an important detail couldn’t possibly know without opening the god damn closet.

This is where Kaiki’s habit of working around people becomes useful. Because more than anyone else, he recognises that Nadeko might be fine as a god, just as he thought Hitagi might be fine staying weightless two years ago. He’s not trying to save her. He’s not trying to do what’s best for her. He’s simply trying to scam her, with all the lack of respect for her personal belongings that implies. 

This establishes, perhaps, an important difference between Koyomi and Kaiki, but it also establishes a similarity. In dealing with oddities - in dealing with people - the key is getting to know them. 

This is something Koyomi struggles with, out of a fear of being too forward, a fear of hurting them, a lack of appreciation of his own value, as a kind of half-person, a fake person, that could only weigh others down. Kaiki embraces his nature as a fake and adopts only the most rational and most unscrupulous methods of approaching others.

The question, I suppose, is why? What does Kaiki get out of playing a character that informs all of his actions without explaining them? What does he get out of remaining unknowable even to himself, reacting with surprise to his own feelings and motivations? What does he get from acting without thought, tossing away caution, tossing away patience, and tossing away money in an attempt to toss away the past?

Kaiki values money for its endless acceptability, its exchange value. He doesn’t wish to have money, he wishes to use it, and in keeping with this philosophy, he considers nothing irreplaceable, not even himself. The person named Kaiki Deishuu is deliberately false, deliberately contradictory, and he’s long since given up on getting to the bottom of that particular well.

I begin to understand why he comes up, now, in relation to Nadeko, who is lost in a web of her own identity. 

Sengoku Nadeko is telling herself a story. She has to, in order to not hate herself. She is, and will continue to be, in love with Koyomi-oniichan. This isn’t something that motivates her actions in the conventional sense so much as a wall to keep out the world, to assert that she is normal. So why does she still hold onto it, in this situation where it has become so far beyond normal? 

Because she considers it part of herself. She is still playing the role of Sengoku Nadeko, and she can’t cast aside the most Nadeko piece of herself, the piece that she has spent the most time and effort showing off to other people. It would call her existence into question, make her look fake, make her feel empty. The sense of normalcy she’s trying to achieve is not in how other people see her, it’s in how she sees herself. She takes the pieces of herself that are left, the pieces of herself she’s been given, and pulls them together into a story that makes sense. To her, loving herself means never changing, never throwing parts of herself away, never identifying a problem in her own behaviour. 

She’s happy, Kaiki thinks. It feels a little different from the end of Otori, where Kuchinawa was still presented as a separate existence. He no longer pokes at Nadeko’s insecurities, at least not obviously. In recognising her own role in the whole affair, Nadeko is no longer worried about hurting others, of being seen as a victim, because she fully acknowledges herself as the one with all the power in her interactions. Godhood is an unusual role for her, but she seems happy to take it up, viewing her job as responding to the prayers of worshippers. It's a much simpler, more transactional view of social relations than she had to navigate as a human. She likes people who are nice to her and doesn't like people who aren't.

Ultimately, though, she's still playing a part, putting on a performance for Kaiki’s benefit. Her cutesy habits as a god are a far cry from the more genuine rage she expresses in the classroom in Otori. But then again, she doesn't have to worry about that, because she's not a human. She's no longer a part of society, with all the freedom that entails. An entirely negative freedom, of course. She doesn't have to do anything and thus there's nothing for her to do, besides play games with Kaiki and drink the alcohol she could only sneak sips of behind her dad’s back at home.

She’s happy, but does that matter?

Kaiki doesn’t think so. The other parallel established in the ending is between Nadeko and Hitagi. Compared to Nadeko as someone who never throws anything away, Hitagi is someone who rejects unnecessary things, rejects convenient narratives of victimisation, rejects divine assistance.

Nadeko is broken, thinks Kaiki. Like Hitagi’s mother. Like Hitagi almost was. And being broken has a specific meaning for him - it means no longer accurately recognising the value of the things you have. Nadeko overvalues the things that play an important role in her delusions and ignores everything else. In comparison, think back to Hitagi listing out everything she has to Koyomi back in Bakemonogatari. She has so little, but it’s all precious to her. Not only that, but she manages to offer it to another person. It’s only in recognising the value of herself and also someone else that they can form a mutually beneficial ‘exchange’, a real connection.

In Bakemonogatari, Hitagi’s self is framed as a series of external objects. You are the people around you. In Koimonogatari, Kaiki’s self is found in his money. Endlessly exchangeable, never unique, always mercenary. He offers himself up to Nadeko and gets nothing in return, because she fundamentally doesn’t value what he’s bringing her. Donating to a shrine at New Years’ is a sucker’s game, Kaiki thinks at the beginning of the novel, and he’s proven right enough.

For Kaiki, you could say that the money he spends is spent on himself, on presenting a certain image of himself. So what of the money he takes from others?

He accepts Hitagi’s woefully low payment for the job. He accepts it as a job, because if it’s not a job he’d have to start thinking about what his relationship to her is, if not client and employer. It would become unique, no longer exchangeable for any of the other half-dozen scams he’s running. 

He accepts Izuko’s 3 million severance fee. He accepts it and goes on working. It’s unlike him, Yotsugi says. He’s contradicting himself. The money isn’t being exchanged for anything, he’s just taking it. But isn’t that the job of a scammer? To get as much money for as little effort as possible? Then why does he keep doing the job? 

He’s acting unlike himself. Throughout the novel, he’s constantly pointing out new sides of himself. Phrases he’s said for the first time. Actions he’s never done before. After a certain point, I have to conclude he’s lying. Kaiki acts unlike himself in Koimonogatari because acting unlike himself, unlike the persona he deliberately acts as, is one of his most characteristic actions.

Being a specialist is about balance - or at least so we would assume from the actions of Oshino Meme. It’s about give-and-take. But Kaiki is a fake specialist, a conman. He should only want to take. It’s not a coincidence, then, that he keeps giving. 

I understood it on an intellectual level, but now I get it. I really fucking get it. He’s just, so, Araragi Koyomi. He’s so thoughtless and impulsive, so concerned with appearances, enamoured with his own edginess, stubborn, self-deprecating, cowardly, dense, inconsiderate, self-sacrificing, willful, proud of outsmarting children, reluctant to commit to anything, and most of all half-assed.

That is the characteristic trait of Araragi Koyomi as I understand it. He’s trapped between worlds, vampire and human, but doesn’t seem particularly inclined to choose one or the other. He doesn’t just look to the future, but the past too. In reaching towards what he wants, he’s immensely reluctant to give up what he already has. 

All the way back in Nekomonogatari Kuro, he characterises Hitagi and Suruga as different to him, more forward-looking, prefiguring Kaiki’s comments about Hitagi as someone willing to throw aside the most important things to her to get what she wants. 

It’s funny, because in doing so he also talks about Tsubasa as someone who’s the same, who also looks for solace in the past. Tsubasa, who in Nekomonogatari Shiro we come to understand will casually cast aside the past if it doesn’t suit her. 

She has a different perspective, you see. She thinks Koyomi is different from her. He’s ‘unshakable’, in her words, not concerned about losing his identity. Precisely because he keeps looking back, because he keeps confronting his past, he’s able to accept all of himself, unlike her. 

Despite Monogatari being a series about people changing, several times characters espouse the idea that you can’t change, not really.

The thing is that while change is obviously possible, what this idea cautions against is ignoring and forgetting about what you used to be like. Tsubasa can’t just make a new version of herself whenever things start getting difficult, she has to understand herself as a continuous person composed of everyone she’s ever been. 

The Rainy Devil teaches Suruga something similar, as regardless of the kind of person she wishes to become, the arm can’t fundamentally transform her. It simply shows that she was already the kind of person who could learn to run fast, already the kind of person who wanted to brutalize Hitagi’s new boyfriend. Koyomi’s idea that she’s somehow more forward-looking than him seems laughable when she feels as though Hitagi and her issues are something that she ran away from.

It’s a fundamentally half-assed application of Numachi Rouka’s methods - for running away from your problems to work you have to remain detached, and the devil’s grasping arm is evidence both of Suruga’s failure in that regard, but also of the attachment to life itself that Rouka lacked. No wonder it felt off when it suddenly disappeared in Hanamonogatari. 

At the same time, though, losing the arm is evidence of her change throughout that arc. Her running no longer isolates her, but instead can be seen as a way to connect with others. It’s no coincidence that’s how she ends up meeting Koyomi near the end. It’s his advice that gives her the confidence to get over the finish line, but the first step is abandoning everything and just running - not trying to beat anyone, not trying to hold back, with no particular goal or attachment to a wish. It’s the first time she really can since she started using the monkey’s paw.

Notably it’s Kaiki that offered her an alternative and advised her to just let Rouka have the parts. Kaiki, the one who seemed to be collecting them himself. Isn’t the concept of him possessing what is in a very real sense the remains of Gaen Tooe so fascinating? But it’s the yet-living Suruga that he calls her legacy. It’s hard to say if meeting her, in some way, helped him move on. 

Once again, we see a difference from Koyomi, who advises Suruga to act like herself and do what she wants. Kaiki tells Suruga to do what’s easy, what would cause less difficulties for her, in a similar way that he seems to understand Nadeko is much happier as a god and Hitagi wouldn’t have to confront her memories of her mother as long as she remains weightless.

By regaining her weight and her emotions, nothing will change, Oshino cautions Hitagi. She won’t suddenly make up with her mother. But it does allow her to move forward, to value her memories correctly, not allow her missing weight to weigh on her so much that she will never be able to become close to anyone else.

“She’s different now, more so than if she were a different person” Kaiki says, and it’s so easy to read him as relieved that she’s not stuck as she was when he fucked her up. That she’s still always in the moment where she truly fell in love for the first time. That she was able to remain the same person while still loving someone else. 

Tsubasa’s immense righteousness is subverted in Nekomonogatari, Suruga’s seeming single-mindedness is deconstructed in Hanamonogatari, and despite the effusive words of praise they both have for Koyomi Araragi it’s evident from his internal narration that he’s more pathetic and wavering than anyone else - and perhaps that’s how one ought to be, here. Never able to make a decision on what’s most important. Always most invested in whatever you’re doing right now, whatever person is right in front of you.

Hitagi is a character that we never see from the first person. Koyomi’s view of her as a titan striding headlong towards her goals is never really contradicted in the story, because despite her immensely evident vulnerability, she’s shown as making a more active effort to move on than anyone. 

The shadow of her past relationship with Kaiki hangs over Koimonogatari like a specter.

In Nisemonogatari it’s mentioned that her animus towards Kaiki probably comes from the fact she wasn’t able to hate him in the past. While she was still under the influence of the crab, her emotions regarding her mother were dampened. Kaiki’s acts of splitting her family up likely wasn’t something she was capable of expressing her resentment for at the time. 

If you think of that hatred as a final remaining regret, her kidnapping of Koyomi and confronting of Kaiki in Nisemonogatari the expression of such, then it makes sense that Nisemonogatari also marks the start of her mellowing out, never again reaching the heights of violence she demonstrates at the beginning of that novel. 

An interesting thing about Kaiki’s role there, looking back, is that he’s clearly aiming for that outcome. As soon as Hitagi confronts him, he leaves. He tells her to stop worrying about the past, about the fact that she once had a relationship with him, because he’s thoroughly uninterested in her as she is now. He provokes her into affirming her current self and relationship with Koyomi. And he says that the man who tried to violate her died in a car accident. 

Is he lying? Is it just a coincidence, that he goes with the same manner of death as Gaen Tooe, the same line he feeds to Sengoku Nadeko? 

Either way, the purpose of the line becomes a little clearer. He’s trying to get her, both of them, to move on. To understand that the people who seemed so important to you are mundane, the events that shaped your lives don’t mean anything in the big picture, and your past is just that. It’s over. It’s the end. 

He almost embodies the concept, in Koimonogatari. We see from his perspective and he is indeed far less ominous, far less portentous, far less important, than he seems from the third person. 

He’s also really bad at it. Despite his exhortations to ignore the past, he himself clearly still cares a lot about Hitagi. She as well can’t quite avoid falling back into old patterns of banter, admiration, reliance. 

And his ideology isn’t enough for Nadeko. He can’t just deny what she’s clinging onto now, he needs to give her something new. They called Osamu Tezuka a God, she says, hesitantly forming a bridge between her current self and the future she wants to inhabit. Telling herself a convenient story that patches it all up. 

It results in an oddly ambiguous message. Nisio loves his tricks, revealing something the narrator was mistaken about at the very end, but when Hitagi says she never loved him and hangs up it’s hard to tell which one of them came out ahead in that little back and forth. Maybe Kaiki, the eternal washout, was so enamoured of his own unique subjectivity he never considered the schoolgirl he was scamming wasn’t so enamoured of him. 

Who am I kidding, it doesn’t feel that way at all. Her rejection of the idea that she ever liked him was unconvincing in Nisemonogatari and it’s unconvincing here. And the novel frankly endorses that wilful self-denial. Perhaps it’s important to always act like you’ve fallen in love for the first time. Perhaps it’s important to believe that you’ll never break up with your boyfriend. 

In this seeming endorsement of Kaiki’s ideology, I have to wonder what kind of End Hitagi is even fighting against. 

Nadeko asserts that a single failure is the End, it’s Nadekover, she has no choice but to kill everyone and then herself. In resisting her, Hitagi asserts her right to change, to move on, to love Koyomi even after her life was destroyed by Kaiki. 

On the other hand, Kaiki asserts that failure means nothing, he doesn’t care about anything that has ever happened, after this he’ll just move on and start another moneymaking scheme, same as the last. Hitagi also resists this. She must, if she is to believe her relationship with Koyomi matters in the first place. Her denial that she ever liked Kaiki ends up an odd sort of validation for their relationship. If she did crush on him, that would be important to her, therefore it didn’t happen.

It perfectly mirrors Kaiki’s refusal to admit he ever cared about her. It puts the lie to his whole persona, but, like, it’s supposed to be a lie anyway, I think. They’re both lying to each other and themselves all the time, so much so that they fail to understand even the most straightforward exchanges between them. It’s fine, honestly. They don’t need to be true to each other as long as they’re true to themselves.

One thing that I never really mentioned is the other way you could take this arc title. Hitagi End as in the end of Second Season - the end of the series as a whole, potentially, if you take Nisio’s afterwords seriously (he doesn’t, as evidenced by the several previous times he’s pulled this exact gag). 

Astute fans of the anime airing watch order will note that placing Hanamonogatari, an arc set well in the future, before this one robs it a little of that sense of finality. Nadeko is not so much of a threat, knowing our protagonists survive. This is of course the twist, the lie, the joke of this arc. Life goes on, almost interminably so. The idea that graduation would be the End for Hitagi and Koyomi is as ridiculous as the idea that making some mistakes at fourteen would be the End of Nadeko. 

Even Kaiki’s attempt to escape the narrative, put a pin in the whole thing by killing himself off, is neatly and instantly subverted by remembering his presence in Hana. It’s not supposed to be a reveal, exactly, that this man is a liar. It’s just there, from the first page to the last. 

After Ononoki cautions Kaiki that he’s acting unlike himself, before he goes to talk to Nadeko for the final time, she spends a bit of time telling him what Kagenui’s been up to. Sounded like she was the same as ever, he thinks. I think of this, amongst all his attempts to dramatize his own life, differentiate himself from himself, craft his own ending. His life keeps going on, and Kagenui’s still marching to the beat of her own drum, same as ever. 

Happy New Year!

[pastel-greene]

The Daughter | king!sukuna x curse user!reader

Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 - Relapse | Chapter 7

Summary: The mother of curses happens upon a blind child and decides to impart a portion of her power to them as an experiment of sorts. The power morphs the child in their image until they are part curse and part human. So what happens when they get employed by the King of Curses? Will humanity bloom as newfound emotions flow between the two? Or will they usher in an era of never ending terror?

Notes: not all of this will be canon, it will be loosely based off of the jjk universe :) taglist is open, comment on any chapter to be tagged in future ones

Genre: female reader, fluff, angst, ‘loads’ of smut, violence, sukuna true form but like not with the weird face lmao just double set of eyes and arms, dark reader

Warnings: profanity, explicit smut (two dick sukuna, sadistic sex, biting, oral m & f receiving, pet names, more to be added), violence, depictions of gore, dark minds cause yk, mentions of rape, toxic relationships, chaotic neutral reader, trauma, possessiveness from reader and sukuna, torture, vampire themes (reader’s blood is infused with the Mother of curses so if a curse user is to drink it it basically gives them a temporary stat boost bc what can i say vampire sukuna seems hot), cannibalism (no I don’t support it but it is true to his character), and more to be added as story progresses

Word Count: 4.1k

This work contains mature content, so absolutely no minors I will block you if I find out :)

You awoke with the King’s arms wrapped around you. His head rested above yours and his abdomen cradled your back. You slowly shuffled until you were facing him. All of his eyes still hid away in slumber as his mouth laid gently parted to release unfettered breaths. You smiled at how cute he looked. So peacefully sleeping and completely unaware of his surroundings. A dark thought of how easy it’d be to end him, the way his eyes would look when he realized his mistake of trusting you crossed your mind. You reached your hand up and caressed his face, pushing the thought away. After a few passes of your hand you felt him lean into your touch, face turning slightly to kiss your hand.

“G’morning brat”, he mumbled through groggy lips. His eyes peaked open at you, a smile constructing itself on his lips as he took your groggy features in. He reached one of his hands up to tuck your hair behind your ear and smooth your morning flyaways.

“Good morning Lord Spooky”, you said as you smiled back. You could genuinely say you were happy to wake up in his arms this morning. Last night, he was so caring with you. He kept you held in his lap while he cleaned you of your mixed cum, kissing you gently while he did. And then he helped you dry off before dressing you in his clothes and making sure you ate enough dinner. That was just the kind of night you needed after your nightmare. If he had tried to dominate you last night, you might’ve broken and killed him. The visits of your past had become more frequent since you came here. The feeling of being trapped taking you back to when you actually were. But right now, all that weight felt gone. Here in his arms, you felt untouchable.

He chuckled at his new nickname before pulling you into his chest. He hugged you tight, hand still smoothing your hair. He couldn’t help but keep beaming as he felt peace for the first time in a long time. The energy between you two wasn’t feral or explosive right now. No, it was calming. It felt like you two were finally on the same wavelength. Neither of you were mad at each other, both of you were just enjoying each other’s company. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he had been having nightmares of your lifeless body. The moment your head fell into the water playing over and over in his mind. The memory of how much you hated him, the way he could feel how you felt about him. You were filled with such anger and disgust towards him. It brought long thought dead parts of his psyche back to life just to bring all consuming pain to the rest of him. He was used to just killing people or having subservient subordinates, but those weren’t options with you. In all his years, this was the first time he has been forced to face a situation like this— forced to feel like this.

“Kuna”, you called out. His name muffled from how he had buried you into his chest.

“Yes, pretty girl?”

“Are you hungry”, you asked as you managed to pull your head back and look at him.

A fox’s smile frolicked upon his face as one of his hands caressed along your jaw. “Hmm I would say I am hungry for many things, what are you offering”. His hand softly marked ownership of your face with his thumb as he awaited your answer.

You chuckled a little and broke his gaze which prompted him to lift your chin. For some stupid childish reason your cheeks were growing hot as he stared at you. “I- uhm well I suppose I am open to anything if you ask very nicely”, you stuttered out. Usually you were great at flirting and being a cocky little shit about it, but usually you didn’t feel anything for the other person. Usually you knew that relationships like this were not a long term option for you, but this time was different. He wouldn’t find something out that would scare or disgust him so much he would run away. You wouldn’t ever have to hide your thoughts because you knew his were just as fucked up and demented. Not to mention he is the King which would make you a Queen and you weren’t against that title. It had a nice ring to it. It was strange though. Scary even. You had never considered what it would feel like to find someone who mirrored you. How vulnerable and sometimes gruelling it was to look at your reflection. You internally roasted yourself for having such feelings as you watched his smile grow from your inability to properly construct words.

He drew his face closer to yours. “Anything I want? And all I have to do is ask nicely”, he asked as he started leaving light kisses along your face. He gripped your hips and pulled you close to his hardening cocks, his lips greeting your neck with suckling. Purple promises bloomed across your skin like unspoken bonds sealed within. His teeth grazed over each spot as if begging to sign them in blood and be forever intertwined with you. Request for permission to claim your blood as his once more was interrupted with a knock.

“Who in the hell is it”, he said while lifting his head, one hand covering your ear so the shout wouldn’t hurt it. You smiled to yourself from the show of affection. You kissed and sucked on his exposed neck muscles while he waited for the door’s assailant to reveal themselves. Hands teasingly ghosting over the top of his pubic bone.

“It’s Uruame, my King”, the voice declared.

A smile made its way onto your face as you felt the affects your actions were having. You could hear his breath get lost in his throat as the instinct to pull you closer and grind himself in between your legs took over. You allowed your teeth to continue their assault on the promises you gave him. One assault led to the breaking of skin and the way he twitched against you as his hips bucked slightly made your core ache. Your tongue lapped at his skin in fervent apologies and taunting. He let out a low groan before asking, “And what in the hell possessed you to interrupt my morning, Uruame?”

“The Lord of Kurashiki is here for his meeting with you, my King. Would you like me to reschedule?”

Yes, actually he would like to reschedule and spend the morning with his cocks buried inside you instead. He pulled you off his neck and kissed you, his mouth reclaiming some of his blood off your tongue before pulling away with a displeased sigh. “No, I will meet him in the throne room in 20 minutes”, he said with lack of enthusiasm.

“Yes, my King, I shall notify him.”

“Do you want me to go with you”, you asked as you stretched your limbs and yawned.

“No, there’s not a need. His mind is disgusting and he wouldn’t benefit from crossing me, so I'll save you the sight of his thoughts”, he said while pulling his arms away from you and sitting up. He threw the blanket off of himself and got out of bed. You rolled onto your stomach, propped yourself up on your elbows, and drank in the sight of him in all his glory. Tattoos running over honed muscles, hair still messy from sleep, and both of his cocks standing upright against his lower abdomen. You bit your bottom lip and your thighs involuntarily clenched together at the dirty thoughts flooding your body.

He looked down at how you ogled him and smirked. “Don’t worry, princess. I’ll be back to spread those holes wide open soon enough. Until then, you have the morning to yourself”, he said as he started dressing. After staying a few nights with him, you learned that he did most things himself when in his room. You were actually the only other person allowed in here.

You pouted a little as you got up from the bed. “Hmm, okay. I guess I can let you go for now”, you said as you walked towards him. You put yourself in front of him in the mirror as you leaned against him. You grabbed one of your boobs as you lifted a leg and spread your bottom lips with your fingers. In the mirror you could clearly see that you were dripping, little trails trickling down your thighs. You locked eyes with him in the mirror before leaning your head back to look up at him. You put your now wet fingers in front of his lips, his mouth immediately opening to take them in. He sucked your cum off of them while you smiled. “Just be sure you keep your word”, you said before pulling away from him. You walked over to the folded clothes he left for you and started dressing. His eyes followed your figure and he genuinely considered blowing off all his duties for the day and becoming a mess of limbs with you instead. A dissatisfied growl sounded from him as he finished getting ready and realized he was actually choosing his duties over you. If the Lord of Kurashiki wasn’t such a powerful connection he would’ve, but instead he was turning you around to kiss you goodbye before leaving.

You had decided to use your day off to train seeing as it was the most productive way to pass time. You dragged your feet to the training grounds, wishing you were still in bed with Sukuna instead. You cursed Uruame for interrupting you two and the Lord of whatever for having an appointment. It was selfish, but you wanted the King all to yourself today. Things had been different between the two of you– better. You wanted to milk every last drop of it. But instead, you were turning the corner of the training grounds. Flashes of Uruame attacking you flooded your mind. You laughed at the thought of him believing he could take you on. And you laughed harder at the punishment he received for it.

“Woah, careful there. With that kind of laugh you’re starting to look crazy”, Suguru said from where he stood on the training grounds.

You looked over at him and your eyes lit up. It had been so long since you had seen him and he would make time pass quickly for sure. “Suguru! You’re here”, you shouted as you ran over to him. “Thank the gods, I thought I was going to be bored out of my mind training alone. Have you just started? Or are you finishing”, you asked.

He held up his hands as if fending off your excitement and barrage of questions. “Uhm, I guess somewhere in the middle”, he answered as if he was unsure.

“Oh, okay good. We can train together then. I thought I was going to have to train with Miro again”, you answered as you started stretching.

“Miro”, Suguru questioned.

You looked over to him and realized he didn’t know about him. You smiled real big as you summoned him. Geto jumped back as a circle of mist formed on the ground and out crawled Miro. “You can summon curses too?”

You looked at him and blinked. “You can summon curses?”

“Yes, dumbass that’s why I said “too "", he retorted.

“Yeah well you’re the dumbass if all you can do is just summon them”, you shot back while crossing your arms. Miro smiled and also crossed his arms as he nodded along.

“Yes, my Lady created me. If all you can do is summon regular curses then you are indeed a dumbass”, Miro backed up.

Suguru just blinked at Miro. “Woah, he talks so well. You really made him”, he asked. He walked up close to him and started examining him. Miro began strutting his stuff, lifting his arms and contorting his legs into different poses. You couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

“What are his powers”, Suguru asked.

“He can reanimate the dead and store them. Oftentimes he modifies them to be stronger or just look how he thinks they should be”, you responded.

“Oooh my Lady speaks so fondly of me but I am only made in her image. Only operating with a fraction of her power. All in her name hehehe all for her”, he began rambling on about your greatness and before long he was bowing at your feet. His mouth foamed from heavy breathed laughter as he begged you to bless him with a show of your strength.

You and Geto watched him with growing disgust before exchanging looks between each other. “Yea, it makes sense that you made him now”, he said as he disregarded him and went back to training his energy..

“Wow, and just like that you’re back to being uninterested, huh”, you asked.

He looked over at you and smirked. “Well, you see, I was going to have you make one for me but seeing how he turned out… I think I am good”, he relayed nonchalantly.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “So you look down on him for being a little crazy when he would hand you your ass in a fight”, you taunted.

“First of all, he is way more than a little crazy. Second of all, your little pet doesn’t stand a chance against me”, he argued.

“Wanna bet?”

He stopped what he was doing and turned towards you, eyebrows piqued with interest. “Depends, what are the stakes?”

“Hmm, I’ll be nice and let you decide what you want if I lose. However, if you lose, you have to bow before me and admit that you were unworthy of challenging my creations”, you explained.

Geto stared at you before releasing a scoffing chuckle, “Fine, fine, I’ll accept that. But when I win, you will not only create me a powerful curse of my choosing, you will also stand in as one of my servants for a whole day”, he solidified.

Your jaw dropped. “Wooww. Actually, I want to add that to mine. I recently lost two servants, so you can fill in for a day”, you amended while nodding.

“How did you lose two servants? Are they hiding from you?”

“Uhmm not exactly. I am pretty sure Sukuna killed them because they were close to me”, you explained.

Geto stared at you for a few minutes before taking a few steps back from you. “Noted”, he said with a nod. You offered an awkward laugh before clearing your throat.

“Miro, you better win. If you lose you are dead to me and not getting summoned again”, you childishly said while walking to the side of the training grounds.

Miro’s face lost its twisted delight and was replaced with a seriousness he was not known to possess. He walked to the center of the court until he was standing a few feet in front of Suguru. The air became thick as languid power gushed from Miro. A smile grew onto his lips, abandoning the rest of his serious facade. Four chained coffins bloomed from black pools opening in the ground. As they fully emerged, the black sank away along with the chains. All four doors swing open at once. In unison, Miro’s creations stepped from their confines and revealed their forms.

The smug air that surrounded Geto turned against him and began to suffocate him as he recognized the four. They were all from the once renowned Zenin clan. He had heard that they all went silent and hadn’t been heard from in a while. Geto let out a chuckle as he began to understand their absence. Fuck me man. Those assholes were notorious when alive. As a beefed up zombie? I can only imagine what they’re like. Dread wound its way up Geto’s body, ready to go in for the constricting slaughter, but with the raise of Geto’s hands, its hold was dispelled. His own dark blotches polluted the earth and within an instant a white dragon charged forward straight towards Miro. The dragon’s jaw surrounded his abdomen, biting down. Miro’s body was dragged backwards with the dragon until his skin and bones lost their connections and his body dropped on two sides of the dragon as it continued in its path.

“Looks like your little pet wasn’t quite up to par, huh (Y/N)?” Suguru’s face lit up with a shit eating grin as his dragon returned to his side. His untamed smugness was reigned in when the sides of his dragon’s abdomen began to protrude oddly. The affected areas stretched until you could see the imprint of hands pushing and tearing within the beast. A painful roar ripped throughout the arena as the dragon lost control of its body. Without command, it flopped on its side and repeatedly bashed itself into the ground in an attempt to stop the onslaught being bared by its insides. Just when the hands were ready to bore through, the dragon heaved forth the contents of its stomach. Covered in bile stood Miro’s missing torso, hands and other deformed limbs bubbled from it as it skittered towards its missing pieces. Miro’s head laid smiling as his feet approached him. His abdomen jumped on top of his hips and his shoulders climbed up the body until he was standing just like before.

“Oh, did I forget to mention that Miro’s body holds no vitality? Destroying him will be a little more complex than tearing him apart”, you said while smirking.

In the middle of your sentence, the head of Geto’s dragon began to tilt oddly before slowly slipping across its freshly revealed flesh onto the ground. Blood began to spew in lines from all over its body until it collapsed in pieces. In the middle of the gore stood a tall muscular man wrapped in a tight black shirt and flowing pants. He held onto a sword and dagger, both drenched in the rainbow dragon’s blood. A smirk grew upon his lifeless face, a face that was once equally feared and revered— Toji Fushiguro’s face. “I guess yours don’t put themselves back together”, Miro taunted through Toji’s body.

Geto raised his hand to summon another spirit but as soon as he did he screamed out in pain. It appeared as if the cause was invisible but in the wind you could see thread faintly glisten. Miro had taken advantage of Geto’s attention being on his dead companion and trapped him. Each of his limbs was now tightly bound and ready to be puppeteered. If he followed along, there would be no pain, but if he resisted even slightly it would cut through his bones.

You watched as Miro drew closer to Suguru until they were face to face. “Is this all you have? I thought I was mad and incapable of holding a light to your battle prowess. What happened? Where’s all that bravado you had before”, he taunted with a smile. On the edge of his words were pure spite. To him, he not only offended his capabilities, but yours. He was made in your image, your favorite toy and most loyal servant. If he was not capable then that would be calling you incapable.

Anger flickered across Sugeru’s features for half a second before he smiled with Miro. He could throw out more, but it was clear this wasn’t a battle where he would come out unscathed. In the interest of not feeling pain, he looked at you. “Uncle?”

You laughed at his pitiful forfeit and Miro’s shock from how quickly he gave up. He wanted to punish him further for his transgressions. “No, he can’t be done, we barely fought”, he protested.

“Release him Miro”, you ordered. You expected about as much. You didn’t figure Suguru to be the type to keep pushing into a fight he wasn’t absolutely certain he could dominate if he didn’t have to.

Miro glared at Suguru as he dispelled his threads and used them to pull Toji back into his box. He stomped back to the coffins fuming. This was his chance to show off, but he didn’t even get to showcase 3 of out 4 of his favorite toys and he barely got to showcase one. He let out a disgruntled rant under his breath as he sank with them into the in between.

You walked to Geto and grabbed his hand, an action that took him by surprise. He tried to pull it back but you held firm. “Relax, you’re not going to get killed for this”, you assured him. You allowed your power to seep into him to mend his hand and he could feel it. When he spoke to Uruame after the incident, he said your healing felt strange. Like you were going inside of them and merging for a second. He could feel your power hum through his veins, feel every emotion you felt at that moment. For Uruame, it was hate and enjoyment, but for him it was happiness, care, and of course, lots of unrelenting cockiness. It felt like a warm, safe blanket enveloping him from the inside. If he felt like this, he could only imagine what Sukuna felt. He merged with you in more ways than one. He didn’t buy Sukuna being nice or wanting to change for you but this feeling made everything a little more clear. He was sure he would do unheard of things if given the opportunity to feel more of it.

You looked up at Geto who you noticed had been staring at you for quite some time. You had set and reconnected his bones and tissue, so at first you thought he was staring at you to not look at his hand or in amazement. But now you were done and he was still looking. It happened the first time you healed any of your friends. Nanami had actually pinned you against the counter of the closed bar and taken you right then and there.

Knowing that scenario was absolutely not an option here, you cleared your throat. His gaze widened slightly as he zoned back in and then he returned your throat clearing as he withdrew his hand. “I better not get killed for you healing me, I will haunt your ass”.

You laughed and promised him that you wouldn’t let that happen. You sighed and stretched before using your senses to reach out for Sukuna. You found him not super far away, he actually seemed to be approaching the training grounds accompanied with another. The presence felt familiar, but also completely unfamiliar to you. Maybe you had met a relative of the visitor you thought. You might’ve pondered longer if giddiness wasn’t blanketing your senses in a mind numbing need to see Sukuna. You started towards the gate they were coming to but stopped in your tracks as they came around the corner.

His companion smiled widely as he looked you up and down, “Long time, no see, Little Dove”.

You froze as the smell of musty pine filled your senses. Bile rose in your throat and your body temperature dropped. Your limbs felt like stone as you simply stared at him with wide eyes. Just being in his presence had your mind being overridden by anxiety and fear. Sukuna and Geto looked between the two of you, not oblivious to the fact you were not okay. Sukuna could feel the jumbled up emotions ricocheting inside you as your body seemed to have shut down. Geto reached out for you, but you didn’t feel his touch. You didn’t feel anything. Sukuna’s mouth moved but all you could hear right now was your own heartbeat. Your gaze found imprisonment to the man’s face. That smile brought forth memories of the laugh behind it, you could feel it curl against your skin. The present seemed to constantly glitch back to the past, the scenery of the palace changing to the darkness of your cell. Black grew from the border of your vision until it covered your eyes completely. You felt your consciousness fade as the power within you took over.

Sukuna grabbed you and tried to get you to calm down as Geto set his power to the man who seemed to set you off. He wasn’t sure why he did, but he for sure didn’t want to see what scared you. None of it mattered though. With her in control, none of them would be left when you came back. Maybe nothing at all would be left.

Notes: I am mentally ill again which means I am creative once again hehe. Next chapter later this week. Extras below

- Miro is literally still in the in between screaming and rolling on the floor. Geto ruined everything for him. He had so much more to show you. He wanted to make you proud and have you know that he would forever take care of you. Man is seriously yandere for you and doesn’t even try to hide it. He just wants you to be happy and pay attention to him in any way

- Geto obviously has some feelings for the reader but doesnt have a death wish so he would never act on them. If Sukuna found out he wouldn’t kill him though. Instead, he would constantly flaunt you in front of him and how he was allowed to touch you. If he was really feeling it he might even let him touch you, but that would mean Geto would be in more danger cause Kuna would kill him if he overstepped in any way. Or at least make him wish he was dead since he knows you value his companionship.

- Nanami got pretty cut up in a fight when you guys were younger. When you were healing him he started silently crying while staring at you. He never felt so warm and whole inside. He started kissing you and one thing led to another next thing you know you guys fucked in the once abandoned bar he now runs. The sex was very good. The kinda dorky loner you had grown up with was slowly turning into a man with smoldering intensity and authoritative features. You really considered a life with him. But the life you considered was selfish. Nanami would be kept under lock and key so that no one could take him from you too early. He was so fragile and weak compared to what you knew was out there after all. You would give him everything he ever wanted in return. It all genuinely seemed like a viable plan to you and that’s what made you pull away. You never wanted to own another human like that.

Taglist: @missroro @roxytheimmortal @reneki

[mamirhodessxox]

hello, i hope ur having a good day/evening/night when you get this!❤️

so i was hoping to request something for dashing or undashing Cody where he keeps hanging out with other female wrestlers in hopes of getting fem reader jealous or something, but reader has never had people like Cody be interested in them in any kind of way, so she doesnt realize what hes doing until Cody drags them into a closet or something and is basically like ‘why arent you paying attention to me?🥺’ and reader is basically shocked and surprised that Cody likes her back.

anyway, i hope this wasnt too long🥺 and i loved the cody one you just posted based off of him calling out the rock; absolute perfection 👌

Dummies In Love

Dashing!Cody Rhodes x Innocent Fem!Reader

Desc: Y/N had been close friends with Cody since his very debut in the wwe, She always thought they had a super close bond because of how good of friends they were until she realized she likes him & becomes distant and jealous when she sees him around another woman.

Contents: Cussing, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Innocence kink, very light size kink, P in V (wrap it before you tap it), Cockwarming, Jealousy, Daddy kink, Tummy Buldge.

🏷️ list: @alyyaanna @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41 @harmshake @femdisa @kabloswrld

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) likes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Cody & Y/N always had a close bond especially since the two of them met, they clicked almost instantly, at the time Y/N was working at a little Cafe down the street of Cody’s apartment so he would visit almost everyday and each day they always talked while she worked.

Eventually she started going to his events to be the supportive bestfriend she loved being & then they got even closer, Holding hands, hugging on each other while standing making multiple girls interested in him think she was his girlfriend, he would kiss the top of her head often, even sleepover at Y/N’s apartment or ..

Y/N sleeping over at his, either way the duo was inseparable, and then things got confusing for Y/N…She started feeling a certain way towards Cody especially because how he would give her special treatment that the average bestfriend wouldn’t receive, Just like the character he had played as in the ring he was just as Dashing, his aurora leaked of charisma, She was so scared of these feelings but things got worse, Cody was known for “messing around” with some girls so he definitely hooked up many times to keep himself entertained for awhile and also distract him from his own feelings. Y/N would be fuming every single time another woman was with Cody. But then it turned into a game for Cody, he knew she was jealous and wanted her to be jealous.

Y/N stood aside in backstage with her arms crossed a glare on her face as she watched Cody flirt with yet another girl laughing way to hard at his jokes that were never THAT funny, eventually the girl walked off with a smile on her face while Cody grinned to himself before turning towards Y/N and smiled approaching her for a hug but she held up a hand to stop him & coming up with an excuse “I feel a little under the weather Codes’ good luck on your promo, I don’t wanna get you sick or something.” She smiled meekly while fiddling with the skirt she just put on just for him an hour ago before going over to the stadium they were hosting raw at.

“You sure? I can get you something to ea-“. “Nonono I’m fine just need rest, Good luck tonight Cody, I’ll be watching from home.” She smiled while Cody stared at her in suspicion & decided once he was done with his work of entertaining tens of thousands of fans for the night that he would give Y/N a visit because he does not fall for that shit whatso ever.

Y/N sat in her car as she waited in traffic with her two fingers pressed against the left temple of her head as her mind betrayed her on thoughts she didn’t particularly want to think about. The reminder that her chances of being with Cody are low, extremely low. At least that’s what she made herself think, once she finally fought through the traffic & made her way to her apartment she locked her front door after snagging her extra key from under her “welcome home” rug that laid in-front of the door. She slammed the key on her table & sighed as she put on her most comfy pajamas before lying down on her bed & sulking over s man who feels things for her just as much as she does for him without even realizing it.

After a few hours she was already asleep & Cody just made his way up the stairs in her apartment complex & stood by her doorstep as he tried to grab the spare key from under her rug only to see that it’s vanished. He tried knocking but go no response.

The next day Y/N stood behind the counter training a new barista & felt nervous as Cody walked into the cafe waiting for her to give him his undivided attention, but instead she had the trainee handle his order & she just stood back observing her new fellow employee & helping her work the register while Cody stared at her in confusion as to why she wasn’t paying attention to him. If this meant staying until she closes up the shop then so be it. He had the free time today.

So he sat there, for hours watching and observing her while he waited for her to clock out and go home. She saw him in the corner of her eyes the entire day and felt his stare burn right past her skin. Y/N began closing down the cafe & hang up her apron before going outside which had Cody follow along while she locked the doors & begin speed walking off “I know your not sick Y/N.” He called out to her as he followed from behind but she still gave no response to him. “Doll I really hope you don’t take me for a fucking dumbass because I know what game you’re trying to play & I don’t like it.” He shouted out once more but she shook her head as she walked even faster and so did he. She forgets he has the energy to chase after him no matter where she was going.

They soon ended up at her apartment building and he still followed her up the stairs and eventually pressed her up against the door she was about to unlock “Why aren’t you paying attention to me sweetheart? You know I don’t like it so why are you doing this to me?” She frowned and attempted to respond but she didn’t have the words to reply “I know you’re not sick either, you were perfectly fine last night and today.” She nervously shrugged “I— well you seemed busy with a few girls so I’m assuming I was interrupting something.” He sighed with a smile spreading across his face “I get it now, you’re jealous aren’t you baby?” She widened her eyes and shook her head “What?! Me?! Noo! I- well- you-“ Cody interrupted her defensive blabbering and pressed his lips against hers very gently before entangling his fingers into her hair. Her eyelids fluttered down and began kissing him back after letting the shock take over her body for just a split second.

Cody slipped his tongue right past her swollen lips & eventually pulled away wiping off her mouth while she whined softly “You talk to much baby.” He chuckled out before taking her keys & unlocking her door and immediately shoving his mouth back against hers as they stumbled into Y/N’s humble abode. He pressed her against the couch & bit slightly down against her bottom lip while she whimpered into his mouth as he wrapped her legs around his hips as he started grinding into her, she let out a low moan the moment his clothed hard on pressed against her. “Feel that sweet girl? You make me so fucking hard baby.” He groaned into her ear while she rolled her eyes back once he started grinding into her even more which made her feel a sudden wetness in her panties that left her a little alarmed since she was so unfamiliar with sex due to her having a shitty hookup once a blue moon “C-Cody ‘m all w-wet down there..” she sighed out while he grinned & started pulling down her leggings marveling over her laced panties. He pressed his thumb against her clothed clit and smirked to himself once he saw her squirm and lift her hips up forth even more.

“Oh i know angel, your not used to having someone who actually knows what he’s doing with your pretty pussy huh?” He grinned as she meekly nodded & gasped when she heard a loud tear & looked down seeing him quite literally rip off her panties “C-Cody! I just boug- ffuckk..” she moaned once she felt him slowly push his fingers inside her cunt while he sat up while pumping them in and out of her leaving the room to echo the noises of him finger fucking her. Y/N cried softly while he nipped at the shell of her ear “Feels good? Yeah? Of course you to baby, y’just needed daddy to touch your pretty cunt properly huh baby?” She nodded vigorously while she clenched around his finger the moment his started curling his finger inside of her & teasing her clit with his thumb. “O-Oh my god Cody!!” She squealed kicking her legs a little bit but he didn’t budge on whatever she was trying to do, his fingers fucked into her faster while she clenched around them like a vice & started cumming & making a mess of herself making the brunette male chuckle and kiss her temple before pulling his fingers out tapping then against her already fucked out cunt before licking off her juices from his fingers.

He immediately started taking of his pants & pulling his cock out from his boxers giving himself a few strokes smearing his pre cum around the head of his cock & pulled her onto his lap while grabbing her jaw gently and making her hover over his lap forcing Y/N to look at him in the eye “You’re gonna sit on my fuckin’ dick, take it all like a good girl & not move a fucking muscle until I tell you understand?” She nodded quickly and wrapped her arms around him before kissing him in an impatient manner before moaning against his mouth when he started seething himself inside of her. She felt him leave a slight bulge in her stomach as her cunt tightened around his cock immediately feeling him throbbing inside of her “gonna take my dick like a big girl? Hm?” He almost felt guilty for being slightly rough with a girl who was so innocent & needy but then again he was going to prove her he can fuck her 10x better than her past hookups.

He enjoyed the fact she would let him man handle her & hold her small figure against him while his cock was sunken inside of her, Y/N moaned softly when his dick started twitching, her face was all covered up in the crook of his neck while his large hands ran down her entire body, groping her breasts & rubbing against her tummy before he started slowly thrusting up into her “Fuck..” he groaned into her ear while she leaned her head back and started bouncing on his dick in the same rhythm he was in making her gasp & scratch his chest a little bit “Yeah? You feel good don’t you baby? Taking daddy’s cock like the good girl you are.” He grunted and scratched her hips the more he thrusted himself into her swollen pussy while she nodded continuously before flopping her head onto his shoulder as he started letting out moans himself and wrapping his arm around her even tighter “c’mon s-sweet girl cum for me, cum for daddy.” She cried out in pleasure against his skin before lifting her head and kissing him the moment he made her cum “i-i’m cumming!” She cried out as his thrusts got sloppier while the apartment was surrounded with skin slapping, heavy breathing & the two mumbling to eachother. “Daddy ‘m cumming!!” She moaned into her ears as she came around his dick & eventually him quickly pulling out & cumming against his & Y/N’s stomach.

He held her as close to him as possible breathing heavily while she giggled in his ear followed him his chuckling & grabbing her face to get another kiss out of her before getting off of the couch & carrying her into the bathroom setting up a bubble bath. While they waited her stood in-between her legs & hugged onto her “I think it’s safe to say you’re my girlfriend now right?” Y/N laughed with him and nodded her head tiredly before he finally set her in the tub & washed off her body. “I promise next week I’ll give you a proper date.” He joked but he was also serious. Y/N smiled in exhaustion “I’m sure y’will Codes.” He grinned and kissed her cheek.

he continued catering to her for the night & giving her the aftercare she deserved and spending the night after realizing she’s loved him for as long as he’s loved her.

xtripleiiix’s Masterlist

[very-bad-poetry-captain]

TOS novel book review McCoy edition nr 7 - Deep Domain

I knew it was gonna be good and it was 🖖 My biggest problem is that Howard Weinstein is such a funny author but I had to limit myself so this post didn't turn into a hundred quotes from the book...

Link to the previous review

Title: Deep Domain Author: Howard Weinstein Year published: 1987

Content warnings: fascism

Plot summary in two sentences: Post-TMP era, support women's wrongs, where the hell is Spock and Chekov, Kirk can't go anywhere without McCoy, science saves the day. Oh, and there's a lot of sea creatures (there are many benefits to being a marine biologist etc). Official plot summary: A routine diplomatic visit to the water-world of Akkalla becomes a nightmarish search for a missing Spock and Chekov, a search that plunges Captain Kirk headlong into a corrupt government's desperate struggle to retain power. For both a Federation Science outpost and Akkalla's valiant freedom fighters have begun uncovering the ancient secrets hidden beneath her tranquil oceans. Secrets whose exposure may mean civil war for the people of Akkalla - and death for the crew of the starship Enterprise.

This book is for you if you:

Want to read about interesting female characters

Love the mentor relationship between Spock and Chekov

Enjoy Kirk suffering a diplomatic headache

Support McCoy in his role as Kirk's best friend/constant pain in the ass/voice of reason/instigator of trouble/tag-along and so on and so forth

Just want a neat little story with a good mix of action, humor, and character studies

The ultimate McCoy questionnaire under the read-more (minor spoilers):

Is McCoy in it?

If Kirk is there, McCoy is there. This one goes in the McKirk pile.

Quote:

"Going somewhere, Bones?" "Can't let you get in the middle of an interplanetary war all by yourself."

And

Jim: "Y'know, I wanted you there for more reasons than your renowned diplomatic expertise." McCoy: "Flattery..."

(It was sarcasm)

2. Is McCoy in it a lot?

It's a well-balanced book and McCoy is in it a reasonable amount.

3. Does he get to be concerned over whatever angst has befallen Kirk lately?

He and Jim are having so much fun together, running around bantering and teasing each other. There are just SO many moments between the two of them (and also with Spock) that delighted me. He does accuse Jim of being homesick and having mooned around for weeks, though.

Quote:

"I'm impressed, Jim," McCoy said with a grin. "You ever thought of being a psychologist or a hellfire an' damnation preacher?" Kirk felt drained. "How do you know what I said?" "Cross-circuited the intercom and patched into my office. Heard every word." Kirk looked mildly annoyed. "I thought you were a doctor, not a communications engineer." "A man of many talents," McCoy answered modestly. "Spock - didn't you stop him?" "He couldn't, Jim," said McCoy. "I threatened to use my medical authority and prolong his next physical."

4. Does he get to have silly little arguments with Spock?

Yes!!! There's a whole bit about how one of the aliens think McCoy is the pinnacle of logic expertise, this is of course very distressing to Spock when he finds out. And there's a lot of fun moments between them.

Quote:

Llissa shrugged. "Leonard's right. We're getting all excited over possibilities. It's a good thing you're so logical, McCoy." Spock's eyebrow rose sharply. He looked at Kirk. "Has Dr. McCoy undergone some sort of metamorphosis, Admiral?" "Well," Kirk shrugged. "You have been gone for a whole week, Mr. Spock." "I should have doubted that an entire lifetime would be sufficient for a modification of such magnitude." McCoy fixed Spock with an unflinching look. "Somebody had to fill up those Vulcan shoes while you were missing, Spock. Wasn't too difficult, I might add."

And a second quote:

"Mission accomplished," McCoy grumbled. "What do we do now - flap our wings and fly up?" "You may make the attempt, Dr. McCoy," Spock said, "while the rest of us climb that trail."

And a very important third quote:

"I am familiar with the term. I am also constrained to point out that inappropriate romanticism is hardly a constructive addition to our search for useful data." "How the hell would a Vulcan know when romanticism is appropriate?" McCoy shot back. "One does not have to be something in order to be knowledgeable about it." "Gentlemen," Kirk said, "I hate to interrupt, but we do have business on Akkalla."

5. Is he the damsel in distress?

Spock takes that role this time together with Chekov. Rude.

6. Does he suffer, preferably a lot? Physical and/or psychological torment.

He suffers a little bit of anguish over medical malpractice, and he gets mad at Jim at the end of the book and storms out of the room. But otherwise he's relatively cheerful in this book.

7. Does he get to whine and complain and be right about it? Even better, is he wrong about it?

He has like, a gut feeling that the planet/city isn't very nice. And he does complain a lot about the medical malpractice, which you can see under question 9. Everything works out fine, though, of course.

8. Does he get to throw some of that southern charm around?

He almost causes a diplomatic incident.

9. Does he get to do some medical malpractice?

I don't want to spoil the plot by describing the medical malpractice, so have more quotes instead (I saved way too many quotes from this novel, it's just so quote-able...

"Evaluate," McCoy grumbled sarcastically. "Then it's up to me?" "It's up to you." Jim smiled. "Aren't you the one who used to claim you could cure a rainy day?" McCoy snorted. "Damned lousy time to start quoting the gospel according to me..."

More quote (with some skips to avoid spoilers):

The door slid aside, and McCoy came in, looking hunched and grumpy. He plowed a hand through his hair and slumped into the recliner facing Kirk's desk. "I checked everything I could think of. Did computer simulations. God help me, I even asked Spock for his input." "And-" "And it looks like it might work. [...] I just don't know. I-I wish we had another choice." "Do we?" McCoy shrugged. "No. But I don't mind telling you, I'm not comfortable with this plan, Jim. I feel like some sort of Dr. Frankenstein, going against nature." [...] "You don't have to like it. All you have to do is - do it." "I guess. [...] I want him close to emergency equipment, in case anything goes wrong." "I've got faith in you, Bones." McCoy's eyebrows scrunched into a frown. "Well, I'm glad somebody does." "Okay. [...] Anything else you need?" McCoy got up and headed for the door. "Anything else I need-" he muttered. "I need my head examined for getting into this."

And then Jim being concerned over the whole thing:

Kirk's forehead furrowed as he looked into his friend's eyes, glimpsing the turmoil there. It was no secret that McCoy was an emotional man, but those emotions were usually used for particular effect, like tools for psychic surgery. For all his moods and outbursts, Kirk had always believed McCoy to be as soundly anchored and sure of himself as any being he'd ever known. It bothered him to see the doctor in this muddle of uncertainty, bothered him even more to know he'd brought it on by prodding McCoy into approving the experimental treatment. "I'm sorry, Bones. I don't know what to say." McCoy shrugged. "That makes two of us."

10. Does Spock call him illogical or similar?

See previous quotes. To be fair Spock was kidnapped for most of the book, so he missed a couple of chances.

11. Is he forcibly put through his arch nemesis the transporter? Or the dress uniform?

He strangely enough says that he doesn't mind the transporter for once. Are pigs flying? I had to check out the window.

12. Does Kirk call him handsome (joke or not this happens more than you’d think)?

No, but there's a funny quote:

"I wish Spock was here," Kirk said. McCoy raised an indignant eyebrow. "What're we, chopped liver? And besides, we wouldn't have room for him." "You're right, Bones. And you're not chopped liver."

I guess that's pretty close to a compliment.

13. Bonus points if his accent is pronounced and his speech is full of befuddling southern expressions which make Spock question McCoy’s sanity (and me wondering if I need a dictionary)

He gets a few moments with fun expressions. I think my favorite was "Are you out of your waterlogged mind?"

Criticisms/things I’d change

It's a solid book with a solid plot so not much I'd change. Maybe I'd make the evil sexy military lady even more evil and sexy. Maybe it's a little too solid and predictable if you're the type to enjoy surprises, but the author makes up for it in characterization and humor.

Highlights:

I liked the aliens and their world. McCoy was a highlight of course, and this author is very good at writing them in character. Probably the little bit about McCoy being a logical man was my favorite part. I definitely recommend reading it!

Final McCoy meter: 10/10 married old men vibes

[chaoticallyfluffy]

To celebrate pride month I’m gonna get myself cancelled by saying my sexuality headcanons for DC characters! Most of which I know pretty much nothing about! Please don’t kill me :D

This is a long post and NONE of this is canon. I have very little knowledge on any of these guys these headcanons are based purely on vibes and it’s all for fun so take it with a jar full of salt.

Bruce/Batman:

He would be bi. I have no doubt about it. His Brucie persona would be very open about it, flirting with potential sponsors at galas no matter the gender to convince them to donate more to his charity as well as flirting with the reporters just to spread the rumors that he's a playboy. As Batman he’d be much more quiet about it. He never talks about himself so no one knows anything about him. No one ever realizes he is bi until he reveals his identity and as one of the most prominent openly bisexual celebrities in the world, they realize right away.

He was born a man and understands and supports transgender people but he never thought too hard about it for himself and is very confident in his gender being male. He is comfortable with being feminine at times without it reflecting his gender and sometimes dresses in drag for photoshoots and paparazzi.

Diana/Wonder Woman :

She lived in a society of exclusively women where lesbian was the default. You either liked women, or you liked no one at all. She was the latter for many years until she met Steve and then she felt something strange for the first time. It took her a long time to realize it was love and that she was only attracted to men which is why she never felt anything for the women in her previous home.

When she hears about transgender people she’s a little bit offended by people ‘deciding’ not to be a woman at first but that’s because she misunderstood the concept. After a bit of explaining she not only accepts it, but becomes a huge ally and will defend their rights fiercely. She has never considered she would be anything but female and is incredibly confident in her own gender.

Clark/Superman:

He’d be just a tiny bit bi but he doesn’t know since he never put much thought into it and much prefers women anyway. He gets a bit uncomfortable when people talk about lgbtq+ things since he doesn’t understand it but he supports it anyway and will fly over pride parades with various flags given to him by Bruce.

He knows transgender people exist but doesn’t understand that being trans is an possibility for him specifically. It just never crossed his mind. When asked his pronouns he says “I’m a man :)” and he’s so kind about it and clearly trying so most people just smile and nod and don’t bother explaining that that isn’t an answer.

Barry Allen/Flash:

He definitely experimented in college and wasn’t exactly opposed, but romantically he is only into women and after marrying Iris he had no reason to keep trying new things. He loves his wife and that’s all that matters. When Wally comes out to him as gay he’s very supportive but doesn’t understand much and promptly researches every single lgbtq+ label in existence.

He doesn’t fully understand transgender stuff but he’s trying really hard. Right now he’s too busy memorizing the names and flags of every sexuality. Check back in a few weeks when he realizes theres more to it than that and actually pays attention to things like transgender rights and homophobia. He will be a changed man and a fierce ally, trying hard to shed light on these issues and change the laws to be more inclusive.

Martian manhunter:

Gender and sexuality are human concepts. Biological sex is irrelevant to a shapeshifter so why would he let it limit him? He doesn’t understand why it matters so much to humans but he tries to understand. He knows a lot more about the lgbtq+ community than most people and fights for their rights but still doesn’t care much about his own labels.

He accepts whatever pronouns other use for him. He literally could not care less.

(I just wrote so much stuff and it all got deleted. Pain.)

Hal Jordan/ Green Lantern:

After travelling through space for so long you start to realize that human gender norms are kinda stupid. When you meet enough sexless space blobs who’s pronouns are based on developmental stages or races with thirty seven sexes and only one set of pronouns for all of them, you start to question if “male” is really the only optjon for you. He doesn’t know his gender quite yet but he’s pretty confident he’s not exactly a man. He doesn’t talk about it much except with people he’s very close to. He has noticed that he has a heavy preference towards 'women' no matter the species, as long as they're sentient.

Billy Batson/ Captain Marvel/ Shazam:

I think he’d be biromantic asexual trans man because hes my favourite boy and I say so. Again, do not kill me. He’s canonically dated and had crushes on girls but I feel like the whole ‘sometimes looks like an adult’ thing would really complicate things and he would try to push away any romantic feelings to not let it distract him from his work or cause any problems. It would probably take him a good few years to realize that he also likes guys and even longer to realize he never really felt anything further than romantic about anyone.

He knew he was trans since he knew what gender was. He has never identified as a girl and as soon as he could talk he told his parents he was a boy they were like “alrighty then!” And treated him accordingly. Hair cuts, pronouns, clothing and such. He didn’t even realize it was seen as ‘abnormal’ until his parents died. his uncle refused to call him by the correct pronouns and all his foster homes after that were similarly transphobic. He never faltered though and when he started living on the streets, he threw away all the dresses and bows his previous fosters got him and never looked back.

Batkids lightning round:

Richard Grayson/Nightwing:

Very openly gay while in costume. Still open out of costume but is just the teeniest bit quieter about it (aka when he’s out of costume he can’t yell at villains about being homophobic for hitting a gay man every time he takes a punch)

He’s a man (either trans or cis, i havent decided yet lol) but he isn’t afraid to wear a dress and makeup every once in a while and is very comfortable with his femininity and masculinity.

Jason Todd:

Who cares? He sure doesn’t. He’s dated women and doesn’t think it’s necessary to explore any further.

He’s never explored his gender and is a bit toxicly masculine but he can, will, and has killed people for being transphobic or making a transgender person feel even slightly uncomfortable. Huge ally though he doesn’t talk much about lgbtq+ rights, it’s just so obvious to him that he doesn’t think it needs to be talked about. A fan group online keeps a tally of how many homophobes and transphobes he's sent to the hospital and the number is unbelievably high.

Tim drake:

Unlabelled. He doesn’t have time to think about any of that but he knows he’s probably not straight, especially considering he has dated men, women, and nonbinary folk. It doesn’t really matter much to him.

Same thing for gender, who has the time? He identifies as male because looking too deep when he feels just fine as a guy would be a waste of time to him. If he had a transgender friend suggest it though, he would look a bit deeper and find that he’s either cis or gender apathetic. At that point he'd get bored and stop again lol.

Damian Wayne:

He has other things to worry about. Like eliminating all crime, for example. And polishing his swords. He'll deal with the whole 'romance' thing when he is the appropriate marriage age and will select if he wants to date a girl or a boy then. (He has not yet realized that isn't how it works. He'll realize hes aroace eventually but for now teaching Alfred the cat how to steal from Tim is much more important)

Other misc hero’s:

Zatanna: bi with a preference for women.

John Constantine: (edited this one because it was misunderstood) Bi but that’s none of your business. Won’t go out of his way to hide it but isn’t gonna tell you about it either unless it’s actually relevant.

Kon-el/Conner Kent/ Superboy: Gay. Maybe one day he’ll try dating a woman or something just to see if he’s interested but for now he knows he likes men so he’s sticking to that. They use He/they pronouns.

Wally west/ kid flash: Gay. Thought he was bi for a bit but realized he was just trying to hold on to a tiny bit of normalcy and accepted he would never be ‘normal’. He’s very happy with his boyfriend now! Experimented with different pronouns for a few months but ended up being a cis man. The experience really helped him understand the community better and hes glad he tried it out even in it didnt result in a big self discovery or anything.

And thats it! If you have a different headcanon please tell me in the comments/reblogs/tags/whatever!! I’m super interested to hear them.

[aychama]

I really can't wait for more of this story to come. The direction it's taking is interseting so far and especially the rival spouses- THE JEALOUSY. I enjoy reading your comic and the angst that's coming towards us like freaking tsunami at some point.

Im really curious about few things tho:

1- Since some animals show instincts (Narinder purring / Lambert's bull anger), do some people hibernate/sleep in winter? Do bat-folk sleep during night and wake up during morning?

2- Does your world has those lesbian lizards? Like, the female only species?

3- Who is Mystic Seller in your au?

4- Will we see Forneus at some point? 👀

5- Your characters are mostly anthropomorphic but how does fish folk work?

Sorry if i asked too many. I'm just curious :^ Hope you have a great day :D

(Bide sey, dipnot gibi, bazen buraya daha fazla yazmak istiyorum çünkü gercekten hikayeni severek takip ediyorum ama bokunu çıkartmakta istemiyorum. Acaba sürekli yazsam rahatsız mı olursun diye :p)

Thank you so much!!! Eheh boy do I have things planned with Chelsea and Theo...

I reveal a lot of my plot on my twitch streams btw :3c

Anyways lets answer!

1- Since they are all really human looking (although i should design more animal-folk) I think giving them animal like behaviours would balance some stuff right? But lets add human elements to it!

So only the wealthy or people with relaxed jobs (like artists, musicians etc.) would get to hibernate, while the common folk needs to work. But I feel like most would be understanding of certain speacies becoming less active during those times!

2- All kinds of animal folk could exist in this world. But those from the arctic and the desert only live in Kallamar's kingdom because they come from outside the 5 kingdoms with ships.

3- Havent thought about mystic seller yet

4- Yes! Forneus is the duchess of the strongest family in Narinder's kingdom and she fully supports Narinder.

5- Aquatic-folk and flying-folk would have like diffrent and stronger lungs.

Aquatic-folk can always live in both the land and in the water (most prefer land)

Flying-folk, depending on the speacies, have wings for arms (birds) or wings on their back (bees).

All of the animal-folk can cross breed and the child would strongly result with the look of one parent while having some little aspects of the other parent. (Lets think it like a beetle x dog = a fluffy beetle or a dog with beetle fangs or horns)

Even tho it is not forbidden to cross-breed, its mostly looked down upon so they arent that common.

(Hiç rahatsız olmuyorum merak etme 😌)

[ctheathy]

Hiii May I request for Nine x Sweet Seedrian Reader? Yandere or not im okay with any! Thank you for all the tails variety content its v much appreciated

Yandere Nine w/ sweet!seedrian!Darling

Nine x Reader

Yandere Headcanons

Short Concept

Author’s note: Good day, Nonnie =))) tried my hardest to get creative with this concept, especially as I headcanon the counterpart foxes [Nine, Mangey and Sails] into sometimes having visions of the memories the original Tails held.

Nine/Reader [Romantic Tendencies]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

Delusional mindset • Illusions • Mention of Cosmo’s death • He views the core memories that belonged to Tails as hallucinations • Nine’s isolation

What a complex scenario you're in ... Seedrians are known to be quite the rare and valuable characters, their species being infrequent among the environment as a whole and especially when it comes to Nine’s dimension. It is an absolute miracle you haven't been taken in as a captive yet and even managed to meet Nine in the first place, regarding his hidden agenda and isolated workshop from the community. As soon as you cross paths with the fox, the interaction is going to be quite similar as it would usually go. We have Nine trying to reject any offerings of friendship all while being sarcastic and demanding for answers in the process. He just doesn't understand... He's behaving absolutely intolerable towards you and he knows it. He constantly gives you the cold shoulder and snarky attitude towards the smallest acts of kindness you provide.

But in a way... Your sudden appearance to him sends him in a constant state of deja vu. He might behave coldly towards you, but your kind and optimistic behaviour. It sends him in a complete daze whenever even a few words leave your lips. Almost as if his mind is filled with memories that don't belong to him. You remind him of someone he has seen among his daydreams and fantasies. Thoughts that also seemed to belong to another... Certain visions slipping into his mind of another seedrian he has never even met before in his actual life. One who has died within his own mind literal years ago.

...Cosmo ?

Your arrival starts to freak him out ever so slightly. He's had dreams of a similar creature that looked just like you... And you seem to hold similar characteristics too, as well as your kindness and generosity. He cannot help but compare you to the mere picture of the one pleasant memory he has formed in his own fantasies. Illusions he believes to have created for his own self benefit and to prevent the loss of his sanity due to the isolation he faced. He'll start to question your existence and become hesitant with his behaviour towards you ...almost seeing you as if you were a Godsend created just for him in order to save him from his own loneliness.

Nine tends to assume the information he's seen among his illusions as in truthful to your own history, not getting the fact that you both are two separate seedrians. He's always viewed Cosmo as some sort of angel back in the day when she used to corrupt his dreams. And now he cannot help but expect you and hold you accountable to fill that same void as she used to before her eventual demise. Nine tends to grow more attached to you due to his aspect of the truth between realism and the simple illusions he's had in his past. And despite his desire for a realistic point of view, he is quite frankly just determined to believe that you are in fact that same seedrian as the one he's always considered emotional support, that you came back to life in order to protect him from his dreadful fate.

And he will keep you to fulfill that mere hallucination of his. Even if it's against your will.

[deliciousangelfestival]

The Malicious Daughter is Back! - 2

Character : Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Summary: It's just a business marriage. Bucky thought it would be easy until he encountered the stepsister of his fiancée. She turned his world upside down.

The Malicious Daughter Is Back! Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || Support : Ko-fi 🙏🏻

Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter. Leave a comment and Reblog, please. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ❤️

“Cassy, pardon my eldest daughter. As a mother, I admit the mistakes and the shame you've witnessed today.” Genevieve clasped her friend’s hands together, her demeanor polished yet tense.

She couldn't ruin Victoria and Bucky's engagement because of you. She had worked hard to persuade her husband to connect with the Barnes.

Juliana looked at Genevieve, noting how she was swallowing her pride—a remarkable feat for such a proud woman. She gently patted her friend's hand. “It’s alright. Every family has its own troubles.”

Genevieve's face brightened upon hearing that. She placed a hand on her chest. “Oh, what a great friend you are. I’m so glad we’re going to be in-laws.”

Victoria felt a wave of relief wash over her. Your attempt to ruin her future hadn't succeeded.

Bucky and his mother, exuding an air of sophistication and wealth, got into their Rolls-Royce Phantom. Juliana's movements were graceful, and her every gesture was a testament to their family's high status. Still silent and composed, Bucky followed her, his mind racing with thoughts of the day’s events.

In the quiet ride, Bucky's mind kept replaying the events of the day. His fingers touched his lips.

Someone had touched his face and kissed him.

He hadn’t vomited or fainted.

He would have to see the doctor tomorrow.

“Are you alright?” Juliana looked at her son, noticing how unusually quiet he seemed. He hadn't shown any reaction when she saw him get so close to you. Compared to Victoria, she could see Bucky's face turn pale.

Bucky murmured, “It's strange.”

Then he looked at his mother. “After what we saw today, do you still want to keep the engagement going?”

Juliana tilted her head and crossed her arms. “We need their money. I thought being in-laws would benefit us, but I'm starting to have second thoughts. We'll see.”

She asked, “What about you? If you don't like it, we can stop the wedding.”

Bucky hummed, his eyes looking out the window. “I don't know.”

Right now, all he needed was an answer to why he didn’t react when you kissed him.

He grabbed his phone and started typing, his fingers moving quickly over the screen. “I want you to search for someone.” Then he clicked send.

Within a minute, his phone vibrated with a message: “OK.”

Bucky leaned back in his seat, his fingers lingering on his lips, his mind racing as the car smoothly glided through the city streets.

💋💋💋💋

Inside the bedroom, Bucky emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, water droplets glistening on his six-pack abs and muscular chest. His dark hair was damp, and he exuded a fresh, clean scent.

He had spent an hour in the shower, trying to wash away the sensation of Victoria’s touch.

Then he heard his phone buzz again. It was the information he had requested about your background.

He quickly put on his pants, then sat on the edge of his bed, his body still slightly wet, and started reading the message, his eyes scanning the details intently.

The story unfolded: you are the child of the first wife. After your mother's death, your father, Jonathan, brought another woman and her daughter into the house.

It turned out that when Jonathan was drunk, a woman took advantage of the situation. That woman was Genevieve, and her daughter was Victoria.

You hated your stepmother and stepsister, becoming a rebel. You caused chaos at home and were a troublemaker at school, until the day you were finally kicked out of the house.

Bucky read on until he reached the part about your occupation. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he stood up abruptly. “She's what?!”

🎒🎒🎒🎒

“RINGGGG!”

The bell's sound echoed throughout the entire building. It was supposed to signal the students to enter their classrooms. But they didn’t. They continued smoking, sitting on the floor, or sleeping.

This was a common sight at Granite Hills Reform School, where problematic, delinquent students from all over the country were gathered.

“Tuck. Tuck. Tuck.” The sound of something hitting the floor echoed in the hallway. Students who were still lingering started to head into their classrooms. The sound served as a final warning for them.

They didn’t want to have a problem with the person responsible for the noise.

“It’s time to enter the class, you lazy pricks. Why the heck are you guys still here? Are you discussing the solution for world peace?” You tapped a baseball bat on a locker door, addressing the final-year students who were still acting tough.

The students who had been acting strong before began to back away. One of them pulled a friend away from starting a fight with you. “Let's go. Didn’t you hear she fought two students who weighed like sumo wrestlers?”

“It was her? Damn. No wonder she broke her left hand.”

You watched as the last group of students left the hallway. Now it was empty.

You entered your classroom. Your students were already waiting for you, looking attentive and ready.

You sat on your chair and rested your leg on your teacher's desk.

Pointing at one student, you said, “Andre, prepare the TV.”

“TV again? When can we study?” Jimmy, one of the students, complained.

“Now you want to study? Fuck. I don't get paid enough for this,” you retorted.

“Grab your phone and look for 'To Kill a Mockingbird,'” you instructed.

“We didn't use the book?” Jimmy asked.

“What's the point? You're going to throw the book away,” you replied.

The other students agreed with your reasoning.

“Read two chapters, and I will ask you questions,” you said.

The students in your class started complaining amongst themselves, but you didn't care.

After a while, you announced, “Time's up,” and began asking questions.

You got up from your seat and walked around the class, your presence commanding attention. Then, you picked unlucky student Jimmy.

“Who is Scout Finch, and how does she introduce herself and her family in Chapter 1?” you asked.

Jimmy gulped nervously. “Scout Finch is a local shopkeeper who lives alone and has no family.”

“WRONG,” you declared bluntly.

“Miss, I know the answer,” Andre raised his hand eagerly.

“Give it to me,” you commanded.

“Scout Finch is the young narrator of the story. She introduces her father, Atticus Finch, her brother, Jem, and mentions her mother’s death,” Andre confidently answered.

You snapped your fingers, a smirk playing on your lips. “That's right. Bravo.” Then, you pulled dollar bills from your pants pocket and handed them to Andre.

“As a reward, you could skip this class, buy a coca-cola for you, and grab a coffee from the cafeteria for me,” you said.

“But… I'm diabetic,” Andre protested.

“A mineral water for you then,” you replied dismissively.

Andre rolled his eyes and left the classroom. As he headed to the cafeteria, he never imagined that the hallway would be empty and the dirty graffiti gone.

All of this has happened since you joined this school, and the crime records have also decreased significantly.

You were scary as heck, but you had made a change in this school.

As Andre returned to the class with the drinks, he saw someone who seemed out of place entering the building.

He looked the gentleman up and down. This man seemed to embody the type of person he wanted to become when he grew up.

“I'm looking for Miss Sinclair,” the man asked Andre with a deep voice.

Andre raised his eyebrows, taken aback. “My teacher?”

💋💋💋💋

Back in the classroom, you sat behind your teacher's desk, still asking questions while waiting for your coffee. You rested your right arm behind you and propped your legs up on the desk again.

Finally, Andre entered.

“Finally—" you began, but your words stopped short when you saw the person behind your student.

“Whaa—Andre, did you bring your master?” Jimmy asked, starting to laugh. “Hahaha—oh.” He realized he was the only one laughing in the class.

Andre handed you your coffee. “Here's your coffee, miss. This gentleman is looking for you.”

“Oh, you have a gigolo, miss?” Jimmy quipped.

You looked at the guest while sipping your hot coffee. “The outfit he's wearing from head to toe is worth more than your net worth, Jimmy.”

Other students murmured while Jimmy asked, “Should I become a gigolo too?”

“What are you doing here?” you asked Bucky.

“I want to talk to you,” Bucky replied.

“I don't have time,” you retorted.

“Is this how you talk after you stole a kiss from me?” Bucky's words hung in the air.

“Oohhh…,” the students murmured in surprise, their voices echoing in the classroom. Seeing their intimidating teacher talking to a man who looked prosperous, and she stole a kiss??

“RINGGGG…”

“Get all of your asses out of this room,” you commanded sternly, gesturing for the students to leave.

“Awww,” the students started complaining, reluctant to leave as they wanted to see what happened next. However, they eventually relented and filed out of the classroom, grumbling as they went. In a short moment, the classroom had become empty.

“Is this how you talk to your students?” Bucky asked, a hint of amusement in his voice, observing your interaction with the students.

“They're not students, they're devil spawn,” you replied with a wry smile, leaning back in your chair with a sense of satisfaction.

“Pfft…” Bucky turned away his face, trying his best not to laugh. Now, he realizes entirely that you're different from all the women he's ever met, especially Victoria.

“So why are you here? Is it because I kissed you without your consent?” you asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

Bucky cleared his throat. “Ehm. Partly. And I want to talk to you about something else. Please,” he replied politely, his demeanor surprisingly calm despite the situation.

You raised your eyebrows, not expecting him to ask so politely. He didn't seem mad, even after you kissed him. You were starting to feel like Bucky was too good for your stepsister.

Author Note: I have so much fun writing this chapter 😂

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