#He doesn't know about tone or how to monitor himself or the mood in a room

[morgana-ren]

Whats the best way to put your ocs in a relly bad mood? Like a serious bad mood, you'd better behave or you're getting seriously hurt mood. Whether that's something you do as their lover or other out side forces. What's their biggest trigger?

Oof, interesting question. Angering any of them leaves a lot of people very liable to die— and worse.

With Reaver, it's a bit of a wild card. He's the one you really don't want to upset. Like really. It's hard, thankfully, but when you do, it's utterly terrifying. Lashing out at him about the few things he's insecure about (good luck finding what they are, because the man is insanely up his own ass) is a good way to do it. A lot of it is circumstantial.

You know how Degrees of Lewdity has those meters? You know, lust, dominance, jealousy, etc? Reaver's would be 'madness.' He's a bit on the edge mentally. Humans were not meant to become immortal. He has cursed himself. Because of this, his mental state has to be constantly monitored. Keep him happy, and he's fine. Start reminding him of things or intentionally pushing him, however—

His brothers can usually rein him back, but in the few aus where they never met? You have to be very careful. He's very unhinged. Sometimes you won't even know what set him off.

There's a certain time of year he despises and will drink heavily and be very sensitive. Tread carefully during this time. Any time the yearly sacrifice draws near, tread carefully. With Reaver, there's a very specific and terrifyingly empty look in the eye when he starts to slip, so you'll know. My advice is not to push him further when you see it. Trust me.

Corvus has a few triggers, but he's also very in control of himself mentally most times. Anything where children are being hurt will send him into a rage and the abuser will be dying. That's the best they can hope for.

Reminding him of his failures (especially when he failed people he loved or etc) will result in a bad fucking time. Mentioning his 'stepdad.' Be careful when talking about his childhood. Sometimes he's fine, other times he loses it. Though, his brand of 'losing it' is far more restrained than Reaver's.

Anger isn't an emotion he is unfamiliar with, but he's a mask— a mirror. Sometimes he can be absolutely seething and you'll never know. He has a foul temper sometimes, but the worst I've ever seen him is actually sadness that he is masking with anger. He almost destroyed a country.

Corvus likes control, so when there's situations he feels like he is losing or isn't in control, his temper will start to slip. Honestly, I'm sure you could piss him off a number of ways, but you'd really have to know and understand him to do it. He has things he's very sensitive about, but keep in mind, usually most people aren't foolish enough to try.

It depends on the time of life you find him. If he's already accomplished his dreams and gotten revenge, he's a lot more chill. If he hasn't, he has very sensitive points.

Astarion is honestly the most laid back. He's pretty at peace with his life, he got his revenge and he's content in general.

He still does not like being referred to or called a slave in any capacity. Even jokingly. Making rat jokes is a good way to get backhanded, but he will do it with a smile. More of a lesson than a loss of temper.

His moods are very connected to his brothers. If one of them is upset or hurt, he will be too. He's a lot more mentally hinged than Reaver and a bit calmer than Corvus. He begrudgingly has to be the voice of reason in the group sometimes.

He's probably still got some preexisting weak points. He doesn't like being reminded of his past, whether it's his family or his time with Cazador. He won't lose it, but he will warn you with a tone that you'd better have a good reason for mentioning it. If it's genuine curiosity, he's going to be a lot more receptive than if you're trying to goad him. You might really be able to piss him off if you got to know him and figured out the specific sequence of insults that really dug under his skin.

Ilya is strange. He's actually very quick to anger, but it's hard to get him very angry. Most of the time, it borders more on irritation and annoyance than anger.

Talking about his mother in any disrespectful capacity will do it. That's the only happy memory he has and he will not have you tarnishing it. Sometimes mentioning his father in a positive capacity will do it. Trying to have a genuine conversation about how his father loved him will have him flying off the handle unless you approach it very carefully.

Annoying people can actually manage to irritate him, hilariously. Not stereotypical annoying, see, but people who talk a lot about things they don't understand will have his lip curling and put him in a sour humor. People who have a lot of loud, uninformed opinions. People engaging in bad faith in an effort to 'get one up' on him. People belittling him in general. He is royalty, after all, and they never handle that well.

He finds outspoken stupidity mind numbing, and if he's being forced for whatever reason to remain in the vicinity, he's going to turn into an asshole very fast. Politicians in general.

Boredom. He loathes it. Taking away his fun will turn him into a sourpuss.

He'll have a bit more patience for someone he likes or loves and will generally be harder to anger the more he cares for someone. Still, there's a few topics they should tread carefully around.

[scoups4lyfe]

Hebi Anon

(I'm just gonna say this outright, Donbrothers bounced me right off starting with and after episode 14 and I had some problems before then. I just found what I considered problems too egregious to overlook anymore at that point. Infact thinking about those episodes still makes me mildly upset. Maybe seeing your opinions later on will change my mind?)

Taro isn't perfect, but for the most part he's being displayed as perfect nonetheless. He's the best fighter, the most experienced, does most of the heavy lifting in fights, has powers the others lack, outright says he brings good fortune to others, etc. Jin outright stating that "[Taro] is the solution to learn from" is currently one of the biggest examples of others describing him as a form of perfect and you will see other examples of Taro being put on the "perfect" pedestal. Now I fully understand that deconstructing the trope of "The Ace" is the point of Taro's story, but I don't like how it's being dealt with and I'll save that for when it comes up.

Though I suppose it's more accurate to say "exceptional vs unexceptional" instead of "perfect vs imperfect".

As for the lack of understanding. At least to me and at this point in the show, it feels like Taro doesn't just not understand but is ACTIVELY REFUSING to understand others. Take the lying for example. "I don't understand why people lie", it comes off (again, to me) like "why would anybody do something so obviously and objectively wrong" when he near daily experiences a reason why lying would benefit him in a small way: Rock, Paper, Scissors. His coworkers use the game to put some of the work off themselves and onto him. If he just doesn't answer "which are you going to choose" (which would not be telling a lie), he'd win and nobody would be hurt.

Another example would be his answer to Haruka and Saruhara's questions. Yes that is the truth (not knowing what's going on but acting because it needs to be done), but the tone comes off to me as "Why are you asking pointless questions? Just do it like I do. Why don't you understand that?". Unlike lying, this isn't a moral quandary, they're just trying to make sense of things, so why say something like that when a simple "I'm sorry I don't know either. I never asked why before. This is just something I've been doing" probably wouldn't have elicited the "try to understand other people better" response

I understand neurodivergency, I have bad ADHD myself and I think that I only started to understand the social aspect of life a few years ago. But there's still a difference between being incapable of understanding and refusing to understand (Me and a lot of my friends have been burned way too many times by neurotypical people getting angry at us asking what they think are obvious questions that we don't pick up the answers to due to being ND, so this gets a strong reaction out of me)

There's A LOT more I want to say, but to avoid spoilers I'll keep it until you reach those points in the show. If this is too negative for you, say so and I'll stop.

WOOHOO!!! I love long asks <333

Esp ones with differing opinions and takes; because discussion is so much fun for me to delve into LOL

So keep 'em coming homie, this isn't too negative for me at all lmaooo. You could demean my entire character and call me stupid and I'd be like "wow!!! Great discussion point---" hahhaahahaha.

It'll be interesting to hear about your takes as we continue, I'll surely write an essay/analysis on Donbrothers at some point, but I want to wait till like at LEAST episode 10

(I only wrote analysis for Revice after episode 10 enlightened the way I looked at the prior 9 episodes LOL)

No idea if anything I'll do or say will change the way you feel or think on a subject but :33

There IS one thing I'll say rn about Momoi and 'actively refusing to understand others'

(Quoting you, so I don't gotta keep scrollin up LOL): Take the lying for example. "I don't understand why people lie", it comes off (again, to me) like "why would anybody do something so obviously and objectively wrong" when he near daily experiences a reason why lying would benefit him in a small way: Rock, Paper, Scissors. His coworkers use the game to put some of the work off themselves and onto him. If he just doesn't answer "which are you going to choose" (which would not be telling a lie), he'd win and nobody would be hurt.

Hmmmmmm.

I think it's really easy to judge things by one's own standards in life. Its the reason why people who have never experienced things like mental illness, poverty, food restrictions, etc --- have such a trouble understanding WHY someone is the way that they are, or why they do or make certain actions.

The thing with Momoi is,,,,I don't think he's had anyone to challenge him

(I don't mean in fights)

having someone who is different from you, in thoughts and opinions, is truly one of the best ways to learn and grow. Because the other person challenges the way you think, they challenge your beliefs, and this helps create introspection (and like here, discussion) which is vital in development.

It seems that ever since he was young, his neurodivergency created too hostile an environment for this kind of growth to happen.

He literally has no connections (socially) in life except Jin (who's been JACKED) and his co-workers ---who actively take advantage of Momoi on the daily.

Momoi doesn't understand lying because he's never needed to lie. He's never lied himself. And so if he doesn't need to lie, why would anyone else?

Momoi also likes helping people ---so if someone's asking for his thoughts, he tells them. He doesn't realize the nuance of these situations. He doesn't see it, doesn't recognize it in the facial expressions, or in the way something he says changes the entire mood of the room.

And it's because of these things that he doesn't understand why he keeps losing. There's a lack of connection between 'answering a question' and 'the consequences the answer has'

Quoting you again: Another example would be his answer to Haruka and Saruhara's questions. Yes that is the truth (not knowing what's going on but acting because it needs to be done), but the tone comes off to me as "Why are you asking pointless questions? Just do it like I do. Why don't you understand that?". Unlike lying, this isn't a moral quandary, they're just trying to make sense of things, so why say something like that when a simple "I'm sorry I don't know either. I never asked why before. This is just something I've been doing" probably wouldn't have elicited the "try to understand other people better" response

I get what you're saying here homie :33

But Tarou isn't socialized (LOL)

"I'm sorry, I don't know either" <-- Momoi wouldn't understand why he would need to apologize if he didn't know the answer to something.

(As why would that be his fault?)

"I never asked why before. This is just something I've been doing." <--is an exploration behind your own thoughts and behaviors.

I genuinely do not think Momoi explores his thoughts and behaviors enough to be able to explain them to someone. "I just do this."

Imagine someone fluent in english. If a foreign friend who wants to learn english, asks them, 'Hey why do you say pink elephant, and not elephant pink? Why is it that a goose becomes geese but a moose doesn't become meese??"

If the english speaker didn't take courses teaching on how to teach english to someone else (especially a second language learner) the answer they would have 99% of the time would be: "Lol you just do it? ƪ(ツ)∫"

They don't have the ability to explain why they do something. Because its intuitive -- it's not something they think about.

And Momoi ---because of lack of social and community interaction and engagement --- 100% doesn't know how to explain the why. He's never known how to explain it. All he knows is how to state facts/what to instruct on the next thing to do.

He wouldn't even know why you would *need* to explain the reason behind something. If he knows what needs to be done, then why would you want to know the reason why?

A lot of people who are talented in a particular subject, often aren't good at explaining why they do a thing, or at explaining how to do it, to someone else. Animes often make fun of this --- like in Haikyuu when Hinata describes how to do things with sounds.

"You go krrrr and then BLAM! Got it?"

Everyone else: ..................................w o t

This is why asking someone why they do something if they learned it intuitively is really quite pointless because nearly every time the answer is:

ƪ(ツ)∫

...

This is why I got so "AHHhhHHhhHHHh" When Haruka and Haiku tell Momoi he needed to understand people better, because he doesn't even know how to do that?

And because of this it makes him feel more isolated and othered. Momoi already thinks something's "not good" about him, and their responses really just confirm it. Because in him 'needing to understand people better' it just tells Momoi that he doesn't understand people ---that something about him is broken, or wrong, or Not Good and because of this he lacks this "understanding."

He lacks being a part of "people."

That's why I said the next shot was interesting because it looked like Momoi was at a confessional. Like he was a sinner confessing his sins to some omnipotent God.

Doubly interesting, seeing as the people he's "confessing" to are Haruka and Haiku who immediately condemn his lack of understanding.

Momoi isn't refusing to understand, he never learned how -- no one taught him, or told him, and he doesn't even know how to state what he doesn't know. Unlike everything else, understanding is something he can't learn intuitively. He doesn't even know how to ask: 'How do I understand people better?"

And because of this he sees himself seated in the place of a "sinner." In the place of someone who confesses what he knows. Who confesses his truth, only to be condemned for it. Everyone else are the omnipotent God ---they know what he doesn't, they understand --- something he clearly lacks, and because of this he'll always be lesser than them.

He'll always be "Not Good."

(Really funny homie as we reacted to this scene very strongly because of the same principle but on two totally separate ends LOL)

You're upset and frustrated because you read this scene as Momoi being a CHAD and condemning Haruka and Haiku for asking pointless questions instead of "just doing it."

I was upset and frustrated (taking much psychic damage) because I read this scene as Haruka and Haiku condemning Momoi for what they think are obvious questions that he should be asking, what they think/believe are obvious and socially universal things --when Momoi doesn't even pick up on the questions. When he doesn't even realize he should be asking them.

He only picks up on the facts. And his fact, is that he doesn't have all the answers, and just knows what he needs to do/what needs to be done.

That was his confession.

And he was condemned for it.

[animeyanderelover]

Hi❤️ May I request headcanons for yandere Levi, Eren, Kaneki, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, Giyu Tomioka, Tengen and Yushiro with a diabetic reader?

There are type 1 and 2 of diabetes so I covered both aspects, though the treatment for both is in aspects basically the same. I would also like to say right now that I am by no means an expert so correct me if I’m wrong.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, delusions, manipulation, clinginess, overprotective behavior, control, monitoring, stalking, abduction

Diabetic s/o

Eren Yeager

👊​His lack of knowledge for your condition frustrates Eren beyond belief as he has no real idea what this term means the first time he's being told. Instantly asks around in his circle of friends and your own relatives what exactly diabetes is and how he can help. There's a snappy tone in his voice as he does so, his iritation about the lack of help he can give getting to him. Chances are that he ends up pestering the doctor who supervises you in a rather aggressive tone before he finally demands from you a thorough explanation. Eren literally can't have a peace of mind unless he at least has grasped the basic picture and even then he still struggles to comprehend which puts him in a bad mood. He's highly protective and almost pissed that diabetes is something permanent instead of something that can be healed completely. Initially his s/o might think that he blames them for having it but he forces himself to calm down to assure you that he isn't angry at you, just mad that it had to be you.

👊​The Yeager is forced to rely on a lot more help than he'd like even if he knows that it's the best for your health and that those people have been helping you for years now. Something annoys him deeply though, resonating from his possessive and especially overprotective attributes. He tries to absorb as much as he can and some things he is able to adapt properly. He manages to learn what food you can eat to keep your blood sugar and cholesterol in target ranges and stay at a healthy weight and makes sure that you consume what is high in protein and low in fat. He helps you with your physical exercise, insists on coming with you and he remembers what pills you have to need. There are things he can't really help you with though as he still struggles to understand them or simply can't help you with since he is no expert. Monitoring your blood many times a day is still difficult for him to do and if you need insulin therapy, he's out.

👊​Eren becomes really overbearing, especially when he hears what diabetes problems can be if they aren't properly prevented. He's paranoid when he hears that heart diseases or a nerve damage can happen to someone with diabetes. You're already following your diet and exercise schedules yet Eren turns downright controlling and wants to monitor your every meal and exercise to make really sure you do everything to help you. Always tags along if you visit your doctor and go over your condition, has a hawk eye on you whenever you are injected with insulin, doesn't seem to fully trust those who do their best to help you. He is even more short-tempered than he normally is, his frustration clearly building up because there is nothing that can heal you and he lets his frustrations more than just once out on people around him. Sometimes he snaps even at you when you stray a bit from your plan though he instantly apologizes.

👊​There is a insecure part inside of him though. Eren feels helpless, lacking the experience and professionalism to be of much help and even if you tell him that his support is enough, he doesn't. There is so much he keeps inside of him. He's paranoid and afraid what might happen to you and angry that you had to be diagnosed with diabetes and he doesn't know where to direct this anger exactly. He isn't fond to have so many people around you yet knows that they're more suited to help you than he and that hurts him yet he's too possessive to leave you. He stores up his emotions as Eren is initially unwilling to tell you, always brushes your worried questions of. Eventually he has a small meltdown in front of you though as he nearly yells out his feelings, frustration audible and tears in his eyes as he crumbles emotionally shortly down in front of you. He's even more smothering after exposing his vulnerable side to you, becomes very touchy once you two are alone to reassure you and him that it'll be fine.

Levi Ackerman

⚔️​The man grew up in an environment of dirt and sickness, his own mother died because of starvation and illness so he'd probably have a broader knowledge. He connects diabetes to a problem with blood sugar that requires a special treatment such as a diet and exercise and that's about it. He's troubled with it when he finds out, not because it annoys him or anything but more because it triggers his protective side. There's no one to really blame for this and so he feels no resentment though he also sometimes feels frustrated that it had to be you from all people who suffers from it. Instantly goes out his way to learn more about it and he goes directly to whoever treats you at the moment and demands a sort of lesson. He asks your parents and your friends who have experience and ends up buying a pile of books about diabetes which he binges in a short amount of time. He suffers from insomnia as it is so at least he puts those hours meant to sleep to good use by doing something for you.

⚔️​Some things are relatively easy to understand for him. He quickly remembers food you should and shouldn't eat but makes just in case a list he has somewhere in the kitchen. Levi would rather stick to exactly that even if apparently some sugary food once in a while is okay as long as consumed in the right amount. His kitchen is filled with ingredients such as carrots, peppers, apples, eggs and whatever is healthy for you. Everything with too much fat or sugar is removed from his meals as he simply adapts your own diet, it's healthier anyways. Your exercise plan is easy to follow as well though he is very nitpicking so he probably starts chiding you if you still have a few seconds less. Might even exercise with you, your life style overall is healthy so he ends up adopting it pretty much. Has you cleaning the house with him as the clean freak he is, scolding you that you should see it as some sort of exercise yourself to burn some blood sugar.

⚔️​The man reaches a hurdle when it comes to monitoring blood or your insulin therapy at first but determined to learn to help. Differently from Eren, he accepts the fact that others can help you better and will always be needed in your life. Your health is top priority and if it means that he has to put up with some people so be it. You've known them for years so he thinks it's fine to put some trust into them. Wants to be supervised and corrected the first few times when he takes a blood sample to monitor your blood sugar, constantly informs himself how food, stress and hormones can change the level of sugar inside your blood. The biggest step is probably insulin for him since he doesn't fully know how to inject it and where he is supposed to press into so that's the only thing that he lets the doctor handle since you need it, especially if you're type 1. He's strict on himself, says that he only wants to move in with you when he knows how to treat your diabetes.

⚔️​Levi is petty and he has a reason to be, throws glares and rude comments at anyone who tries to tempt you to stray for even a short time from your schedule since it could lead to serious health issues. Whilst he is overbearing in his own rights, he doesn't fear that you might go against your health plan if he doesn't do since you should know best what happens elsewise. He trusts you enough with that. Ends up going through the entire list of diabetes problems someone might develop and it doesn't really ease his nerves when he reads something about strokes and kidney diseases. He doesn't want to be overly paranoid but as soon as you are acting even a bit sick he instantly is next to you, checks your blood sugar and drags you afterwards to a doctor just to be sure. Levi keeps quiet about his own worries regarding your diabetes most of the time to not worry you, appears sometimes lost in thoughts. He is honest if he notices that you think he holds it against you with reassuring words.

Ken Kaneki

🔲​For Kaneki this just calls huge troubles since he's paranoid and wants to keep his darling to himself to protect them yet is is very clear that he can't do that. He possesses some fraction of common sense to be aware that he could never be a good substitute for a doctor, especially considering that he has beyond the basic knowledge of diabetes, no clue. And it absolutely kills him on the inside. He feels pretty useless since he can't do more for his darling and ends up pushing himself harshly. He skips sleep as he spends hours browsing through the internet and reads numerous articles and tips how to take care of someone with diabetes, watches documentaries and chances are that he breaks into the office of your doctor to read through the files concerning you. Feels so sorry for you, it shouldn't have been you to suffer from diabetes and even if you look fine, he fears you aren't. His mentality is put under a heavy strain as he has to endure more than he can take.

🔲​As someone who doesn't require human food anymore, he stores his shelves full with vegetables, fruits, grains and whatever he can get his hands on. He is constantly worried that he might mess up, checks all the ingredients and the receipes multiple times before he finally starts chopping and preparing a meal for you. He doesn't venture outside of what you've always had prepared the past few years, additionally worried that it won't taste good and since he feels sick when eating human food, he can't make sure of it. He realizes painfully that he can't have you do nothing as he knows that a daily exercise is important yet tries to design a room to work out in. Always watches when you exercise out of fear that you might accidentally hurt yourself. You don't limit yourself only to the house though so eventually he takes you out of the apartment to exercise in a more peaceful area where he still accompanies you. There is no chance that he allows you to go outside if he isn't with you in the first place.

🔲​He can't take your doctor away from you since he's an important figure in your life. Technically it isn't Kaneki's fault since he never studied medicine yet there is a pressuring guilt inside of him since he feels like he isn't helping, no matter how much he does. Kaneki feels not like he's really needed in your life and it gets to him, he probably cries when he feels overwhelmed in his sensitive and emotional state. Yet he tolerates it since he can't help you as much as he'd like when it comes to monitoring your blood sugar or with your insulin therapy. If you have an insulin pump he ends up checking countless times a day if it's still attached and working but his heart hurts when he sees the device. It's unfair that you have to go through all of this. Prone to crumbling down in front of you since he has too much blame, anger and sadness and directs it most of the time against himself. Asks around in his surroundings if someone could additionally help you, still feeling like the treatment isn't enough.

🔲​That's how he ends up approaching Kimi who is a medical student and asks her if she could help you as well, he probably begs if she hesitates. Eventually he learns what can happen if diabetes isn't prevented with the right treatment and some of the stuff he reads makes him nauseous as he fears that it will happen to you. The male ends up reading from there on too much into every little sign you give of as he instantly fears that you might suffer from too high or too low levels of blood sugar, drags you instantly to the doctor or calls Kimi to check on you and help you. He appears to be constantly under stress as he is constantly paranoid that something might happen to the point where he can't sleep properly anymore and spends hours watching you. Gladly discards his own health like this though if it means that you're fit and happy though his weakened state makes him even more prone to his emotions. Despite all of this he never strays away as you are his happiness, his everything in this world.

Kamado Tanjiro

❤️​As the oldest child of the family and in consideration of his nurturing and protective side, he has most likely experience to nurture someone who is ill. He also lived in the countryside and was due to that a bit more isolated so there is a solid chance that he doesn't know what diabetes is the first time he hears it. He sort of senses that it's something that troubles you a bit so he's quick to ask around what diabetes is. As he gets to know more, he starts feeling more protective over his darling and is also worried that it might burden them deep down, even if they deny it he would still be able to smell it if they're secretly sometimes sad. From the beginning on very honest, he clarifies to you from a very early point on that you should never feel like bothering him with your condition as your health and happiness are from utmost importance to him. He plans to support you and take care of you from now on as well though not hesitant to ask others for help if he needs it.

❤️​It's relatively easy for him to create a good relationship with parents and friends due to his sincere and honest nature, not to mention the fact that he obviously cares about you a lot. He learns from your parents and your doctor what aliment you can consume and what isn't healthy for you. Starts preparing meals for you at one point and makes sure to always buy ingedients that you and your parents might need. When he isn't on any missions or trains, he makes sure to help as much around the house as he can since he wants to be as helpful as he can be. He even tells your parents to take rest and let him handle the chore as he expresses his gratitude multiple times to them for all they do for you, same for your doctor. Wants to accompany you during your daily exercise as he is almost like a cheerleader, encouraging you to hold through until the end. He exercises a lot so he tries to introduce you to some of his training though he considers that you are no Demon Slayer.

❤️​Tanjiro finds himself sometimes still overwhelmed with some of the medical terms and treatment that is thrown his way. The boy is nothing short of stubborn to understand it as well though. There is sometimes a bit confused look on his face when you're blood sugar level is being tested and it only deepens when the doctor explains it to him though with time he starts understanding more about it. He seems to not be bothered that some things he can simply never do as good as others, especially if you need insulin as part of your therapy. If you need to take any sort of pills, he's always willing to get them for you. If he's with you, he most likely makes it his habit to carry around a little asset of things in case something happens. Always asks you if you have eaten your meal, remembered to exercise, taken your pill and if you feel well. If he is gone for a period of time, he is even more thorough with his questions since he's always concerned something might happen to you.

❤️​If you aren't feeling well or he realizes that you show a potential sign that something with your blood sugar isn't right, he instantly wants a test before coaxing you into visiting the doctor. Tanjiro just wants to be really sure that you're fine. When he introduces you to his friends, he makes sure to explain to them your situation as good as he can though Inosuke probably still won't understand it and Tanjiro has to end up apologizing a few times for his friend's rough exterior. Very honest with his feelings so whenever he feels a bit worried about your condition because something happened, he tells you. Tanjiro still is mindful to make sure that you don't feel like you're a burden to him. Accepts the situation very quickly as he understands that there is no one to blame and that he can only try his best to help you with your treatment and support you through everything. There might be no way to completely cure you but he will still make sure that you're as happy and loved as possible.

Agatsuma Zenitsu

⚡​Zenitsu truly has a great start with you as he discovers to his absolute horror that he doesn't understand much of your condition besides what every bystander knows. It leads him to his first rant of apologies where he already goes on about how he shouldn't be with you and that he might end up killing you before he calms down after a few minutes. He is left discouraged though so his s/o has to comfort him and encourage him that even they had to adjust to everything in the beginning and that he can learn. If he notices that you are sad because you think that he doesn't want to be with you because you have diabetes, he's instantly back to ranting that he's sorry for making you upset before switching over to promising that he'll do his best to learn everything he can to help you. Even with his low self-esteem, Zenitsu is determined to improve since he wants to treat you right. Let him sparkle in determination like this for a while before he calms down.

⚡​Extremely apologetic though so every time he gets something wrong, he instantly apologizes as he panics. He's with time better informed about what could happen if you suffer from your blood sugar so he takes mistakes especially heavy to his heart. How can he be a good boyfriend if he can't even remember what food is good and healthy to you? He might end up killing you by accident! Oh, he is a horrible person! There is this period of time where he seemingly lets everyone else handle everything as he feels discouraged and insecure, thinking that he can't do anything for you after all. With time he learns to push through, correcting his mistakes instantly and learning from it instead of dropping everything and stepping back. There is still a ton of apologies from his side. His determination to be better for you help him to continue though until he's confident enough to get you your food himself and exercise with you where he tries to show off somewhat.

⚡​The only obstacles he still has is taking tests to monitor your blood sugar and, if you need it, insulin. Those are things he just can't seem to be able to do. Even if you tell him that it's fine since you know how to monitor your blood alongside with your parents and friends and that injecting insulin into your body is the job of the doctor, it doesn't wash away his emotions which seemingly spill all the time. Truth be told, he can't even really look when someone injects you with a syringe. The yellow-haired boy looks more in pain than you do, usually kisses the spot where you were pricked. Whilst he reacts more than just one time overly loud and dramatic, there are times where he seriously looks down as he wonders if he really is the right choice. He feels pathetic for his behavior, believes that your parents must wish for a better partner than him who can help you better with your diabetes. Bottles up his emotions inside of him since he doesn't want to be more of a weakling and nuisance to you or your parents.

⚡​Your condition is more important than his pathetic state so he never wants to talk with you about it, holding onto his belief that he'll just pressure you with unnecessary things. Instead he focuses solely on you as he still has to learn more and be better when it comes to ensure that you live a good and healthy life. Zenitsu pushes himself mentally more and it takes a toll on his nerves sometimes since he can very easily overthink. When you finally manage to have a serious talk with him and confess that he already gives you so much support by being with you, he finally opens the lid to his emotions and admits his insecurities in a gloomy way. After that talk he feels freshly motivated though, the knowledge that you love him and want him giving him new energy. If he can't help with everything in your therapy, he'll just focus to make you happy as much as he can whilst also protecting you. The type to make a fool out of himself to make you happy.

Tomioka Giyu

🌊​Giyu keeps most of the time a very stoic expression on his face yet it doesn't stop him from feeling concerned since he doesn't know how he is supposed to treat someone with diabetes. There is the lack of deeper knowledge about it in general but he seems reasonable enough to know that he can learn. Tries to ask Shinobu if she knows more since she's a friend of his and manages to buy a few books about the topic. The Pillar is aware that he has to leave his comfort zone though as this alone won't cut it if he wants to be a good partner. So eventually he tries to break a bit out of his reversed shell and approaches people closer to you who've dealt with your diabetes for a while now. Very pragmatic as he just listens, observes and asks something when he didn't understand something before he finishes the conversation. His lack to know how to converse with someone he isn't really close to shines through, especially since those are people close to you Giyu worries what they think of him.

🌊​Almost a bit relieved as he learns some things really fast such as the recommended food for your healthy diet and your daily exercise schedule. As the Water Hashira he has his missions where he ends up leaving you alone for a longer time and he spends a surprisingly long time to go through your schedules with you so you don't forget anything. When he isn't with you and has free time to think, he probably goes in his mind through everything he has learnt so far from your therapy. The food you can eat, how much you need to exercise a day and when you do your training. Feels bad whenever he returns after a mission, mildly worried that in the time he was away something happened. It becomes a small habit that he ends up buying groceries you need and like whenever he visits you after a longer absence. When Giyu can be with his s/o, he usually spends his time helping them to cook, exercising and taking walks with them. It's healthy for you and relaxing for him.

🌊​Monitoring your level of blood sugar is something he'd rather let you or others handle initially, at first rather focusing on aspects he knows that he can learn quicker. He assists you though if you need his help to measure your blood sugar as he listens to your explanation and does as you tell him to do. He manages to know when you have low or high blood sugar though since he knows what your ideal range is. Something he knows he probably can never fully help you with are your insulin shots though, he lacks the profession to prescribe you the stuff, not to mention that there are different varients. Giyu acknowledges that he can't do anything for you though, he's no doctor who knows what pills or insulin might help you to prevent any troubles with your diabetes. He probably has Shinobu as a standby since she has medical knowledge herself, just in case if something happens and she's closer than your regular provider.

🌊​Even with his aloof expression he never really gives his darling the feeling that he is annoyed with something. He's patient and understanding with pretty much everything, senses when you're stressed with something and suggests for you two to take a walk and talk it out since it might affect your blood sugar. Starts to learn how to cook for you in case you're unable to do so and he adapts to your diet quickly, eats the meals even if he wouldn't call them his favorites. He appears so serene but Giyu is still very protective, especially with you so he keeps a sharper eye on you. Especially when you show signs of lower or higher blood sugar or any unwanted troubles of diabetes he is quick to get you an appointment with the doctor to remove difficulties before they fully begin. His own worries he'd rather keep to himself since you have already enough to think about in his opinion, though he listens to all of your problems to prevent you from stressing out.

Yushiro

🌫️​Despite being depicted as rather arrogant and short-tempered, Yushiro fawns quite a lot over his s/o. Getting to know that they're diagnosed with diabetes turns him into quite a overbearing mother hen though and that steams especially from the fact that he is the assistent of Tamayo who is a doctor. So it's safe to assume that he has a rather wide knowledge about diabetes and for that is also too aware of the unwanted and dangerous health issues that can arise with the wrong treatment. If it would go like this demon wants it to be, he'd probably want his darling to only be treated by Tamayo and him. He feels somewhat cocky about it since Tamayo has so much more experience than whoever is your provider as of now and he is rather confident about his own abilities as well. He has this scowl on his face whenever you leave both of them to attend to an appointment with your doctor, tries to convince you to give Lady Tamayo a try as well and him of course as well.

🌫️​It's quite easy to recall in detail what food is healthy and good with high protein yet the problem arises how to prepare it. Yushiro can do many things but cooking might just be something he struggles with, it's been years since he consumed vegetables and normal human food. It's something he is unwilling to admit to you so he spends hours in a kitchen in an attempt to polish his skills and the first few tries ended in something not so editable. Tamayo just smiles lightly amused as she is the one who can cook more than just decent despite being even older as a demon than Yushiro so the food you get served when visiting those two is Tamayo's. The demon boy is stubborn though as he continues to cook. The first time he managed to put something together that you found delicious, he was basically beaming with pride. He's more possessive and jealous so he'd like you to do your workouts inside without much people yet Tamayo chides him that it isn't good for your health.

🌫️​The two of them become over time anyways your other pair of doctors next to the one you already have. Yushiro goes through your exercise and diet schedules and scoffs with a grin on his face when he sees something that could have been planned better. He loves to call out whoever made this together with you as still unprofessional and Tamayo puts him with a few words quickly back into place. Whenever you're over those two measure your blood sugar quickly and Tamayo is willing to give you a syringe of insulin if it's part of your therapy. Yushiro does it too, very eager to help you. Constantly suggests new things for your schedule which he believes to be better and more suited for your therapy and feels proud when he realizes that you actually followed his advice. Tamayo herself gives her own advices and tips since you're a precious friend to her just as much and she sometimes likes to tease her friend, aware that he harbors strong feelings for you.

🌫️​ He'd like to have you constantly with him and Tamayo so he can always check on your condition yet he's unable to do so since he can't go into the sunlight like you and Tamayo restricts him from acting on his jealous and possessive nature. Both keep their true nature obviously a secret at first though with time you start to become more and more suspicious before you eventually find out, to your major shock since you didn't believe in demons before. Yushiro is extremely nervous since he's afraid that you might be scared. It's Tamayo who explains everything calmly to you and eventually you accept the truth and acknowledge that those two aren't dangerous. Yushiro starts to fawn even more over you afterwards, he's clingy as he follows you around whenever you spend time with those two, worringly asks if you've followed Tamayo's and his advices and if you've felt unwell in the time you weren't with those two.

Uzui Tengen

🎶​As someone who is currently a Hashira and used to be a ninja in his past, the chances that he's the expert when it comes to diabetes are slim. Yet he doesn't seem one bit discouraged, as flamboyant and energetic as ever when he receives the news though instantly very demanding to know more about diabetes and the therapy. The pressure he puts on you is pretty minimal though since he is protective and cares for you much, with everyone else that's a different story though as they have a tall man towering over them who forces them with his eccentric behavior to tell him more about your condition and treatment. His three wives are just as eager to find out how they can care for you and make sure that you're healthy and all of those four, especially Tengen though, expects much from the people treating you. To the point where they feel pressured despite being the professionals and having helped you since years already.

🎶​Tengen is a time-consuming individual so you'll be dragged along to stay with them a lot more than you might want, your protests fall on deaf ears though as the exuberant male brushes your complains of. So learning what food and drinks you can consume and what isn't healthy for you is absolutely required. His wives make themselves smart when it comes to the dishes you call your favorites and Tengen has already overwhelmed your parents and doctor with your eating schedule that they have all information they need to prepare the dishes you like to the right time in the right amount. Your exercise...might have a few changes whilst you're with Tengen and his wives as all four of them used to be shinobi and kunoichi. Due to that and his flashy personality, he tends to be a bit demanding though Hinatsuru, Makio and Suma reason with him that you're a citizen so he at least goes a bit easier, cheers you on. The man has no problem to carry you back if you're too exhausted by the end of your training.

🎶​Monitoring your blood sugar with a sample of blood is something he, admittedly, doesn't get at first even if he acts like he does. His wives call him sometimes out for it though he plays the oblivious role as he doesn't acknowledge it openly even if you realize that he doesn't know. He's responsible though as he lets someone help monitoring your blood who knows how to do it. Hinatsuru learns instantly so at least now he has someone who can measure your blood sugar when you're over at their place. You obviously know how to do it yourself as well but he feels better knowing that Hinatsuru knows it as well. Even if just for the purpose of boasting in front of every stranger that gets too close that his wife knows how to measure your blood sugar and for that you shouldn't spend time with them. When it comes to the insulin you might need, he's fine with the doctor though he'd like to know or at least has one of his wives also being able to inject you with it when you're over and need it.

🎶​The household of one man and three women is scarily motivated to learn how to treat you with a healthy lifestyle as Tengen is someone who wants you to move in fast. He's possessive and protective after all, is confident that his three wives can take very good care of you and that he can protect you. Suma starts crying when she reads how fatal diabetes can be when it escalates as she reads about hallucination and strokes that can follow, grows clingier after she knows since she cares for you. Everyone else comforts her, Tengen proclaiming that it won't happen to you since they'll make sure that you're treated right yet sometimes he gets a bit worried himself. Sometimes his exuberant and flashy exterior is just a facade, especially if you should end up suffering consequences from your blood sugar. Safe to say that all four dote on you, even if it wouldn't be for your special condition, keeping a hawk eye out so that no harm happens to you and at least one of them is always with you.

[taechaos]

Blackmail

pairing: bully!Jungkook x nerdy!fem!Reader

genre: drabble, smut, college au

synopsis: Jimin offers you information on Jungkook, but your friendship is misconstrued by Jungkook who ends it singlehandedly with one video of you professing your love to him between moans.

warnings: dubcon, fingering, degredation, mild squirting, manipulation

word count: 2.8k

a/n: jealous kook doesn't realize he's jealous. this part is a bit extreme, so beware ><

One doesn't come across someone like Jungkook every day. It's fate that you met him in your first year of college, extending to your second where he grows closer to you; fair, it's clear that he only intends to use you for his academic success, but you've deluded yourself into thinking you're in love with each other. Growing up, you only had your dysfunctional family to teach you about how to love, how to think. As long as Jungkook needs you, he will love you, and you’re willing to do anything to be with him, only him. You need him to live.

Birds sing in the background as you lay on your stomach on the grass of the yard across the campus. It’s sunny and breezy, the perfect spring day as you work on Jungkook’s research paper due next month. You compiled multiple credible sources in a separate file to create an outline for his essay the moment he forwarded the assignment to you. You want him to praise you, pet your hair, kiss your cheek for starting so early so he can turn it in before anyone else. He would be proud, flashing you his pearly whites and adoring eyes. The reward motivates you to work harder and you’re relentlessly skimming through articles while counting down the minutes of Jungkook's lecture. He'll be outside with his friends in 7 minutes.

With a bad childhood, you don’t care to befriend many people. You only have a few friends to keep you company and you’re socially awkward outside of that group. You’re content, so you steer clear of boys who try to sabotage your relationship with Jungkook. Jimin, however, doesn’t get the memo.

Typing away on your laptop, a shadow looms over you to give you a break from the sunlight. You glance up and stop swinging your legs absentmindedly when you recognize the shadow; it’s a boy with frames and a tight collar adorning his neck.

Park Jimin is a typical nerd whereas you’re more of a closeted nerd. When you’re in love, you usually put more effort into your appearance to impress the one on your mind, but that doesn’t work with Jungkook. It’s always other men giving you their attention through second glances, and that includes Jimin.

“What do you want?” you rudely greet. Jimin is ruthless with his attempts at pursuing you; he’s the perfect gentleman, and often volunteers to do group tasks with you. He is never mean to anyone, and has a squeaky clean reputation, but his only flaw is that he can’t take a hint. You don't bother being friendly to him because you don't want friends.

"I want to know why you look so happy," he bends over to curiously glance at your screen, "while doing homework?"

You slam the monitor closed to stop his ogling. "You wouldn't get it. And stop watching me," you sternly say.

"What's your secret?" he grins and sits down on the grass next to you with crossed legs. His upper body serves as a shade and you stop squinting.

"There is no secret, I was just in a good mood until you came along." You're not upset, but you don't want to lead Jimin on and he won't leave unless you blow him off.

"Thinking of Jungkook?" he teases with a mischievous smile.

"Are you stalking me?"

"No, you're just too obvious," he chuckles, but the sound is strained. You don't notice his melancholy as he continues, "You were doing his homework again?"

You shift on your propped elbows a little uncomfortably. Jimin doesn't need to know what you do in your free time. "Yes," you answer anyway.

"You know he has daddy issues?"

Your eyes round as your discomfort dissipates instantly; he's piqued your interest. "Really?"

"Yeah, he has a tough exterior but he's actually a real softie."

An involuntary smile carves on your face before it falters as you ask, "How do you know this?"

"We went to high school together. I can tell you some stories if you want," he boasts when he realizes he has your attention. The context makes his heart sink, but when he imagines your lovesick grin is directed at him, it fills him with joy.

"Tell me, tell me! Please."

"Weeell," he draws with a lopsided grin, "don't tell him I told you this, but he used to hate girls. I don't know if he still does, but back then he couldn't even stand talking to a girl."

"Why?" your eyes are wide with interest as you whisper.

He shrugs, "No idea, but he hit a girl once when she wouldn't stop clinging onto him. Not like drop-kick her," he laughs, "he just shoved her on the ground. Be careful with him, okay? He can be very aggres-"

"You guys forming a nerd club now?"

You gasp when you hear Jungkook's voice. When you look up at him, he's almost glaring as his eyes flicker from you to Jimin. You're gleeful at his approach, because he never comes to you unless it's about a new assignment. It flutters your heart to see him without any papers in his hand.

You don't take his subtle insult to heart as you immediately respond, "No, we were just talking. H-Hi."

"Pull down your skirt, you look like a whore. I can see your panties all the way from the gates," he seethes in distaste. You instantly sit up with a blush and tug your skirt down to your knees. He looks back at Jimin who's glaring at him under his lashes, "The fuck's your deal?"

"Nothing," Jimin grits. Although he hates Jungkook's guts, he's too smart to fight a lost cause. He has his own set of muscles, but it isn't enough. It's best to accept defeat now.

"Did you start on the paper?" Jungkook asks you.

"Yes, I-"

"Good," he cuts you off and crouches to peck your lips by pulling the back of your neck. You're stunned when he pulls away and nonchalantly walks off to his friends.

Jimin follows him with his eyes and mutters under his breath, "douche."

Your heart is racing and you clamp a hand over your chest as a lovestruck smile spreads across your face. You know this is your end of the bargain, but it never fails to shrivel you up in delight.

"Are you two dating?" he mumbles as he pulls on the grass with a pout.

"Something like that," you exhale as you caress your lips.

It’s become routine to link up with Jimin where he reminisces his high school memories and you don’t doubt a single word he says unless it sheds a bad light on Jungkook. You’ve learned so much about him in the past few days, and you’re eager to know more. He likes energy drinks to this day, he was athletic in school and often got into fights. He began interacting with girls when he entered college, as Jimin says, “only for a quick fuck.”

Though it hurts Jimin that you only talk to him for information on Jungkook, he can’t bring himself to care when you hang onto every word he says with a glint in your eyes like you’re doing now.

You're sitting in the bustling cafeteria across from Jimin, sipping on a homemade strawberry lemonade from your thermos, and you don't notice Jungkook glancing at your table every now and then. It is the first time he doesn't feel your heavy gaze on him. Jimin does notice however, because he is facing him every time he receives a threatening ferile look.

"He could become a lawyer with how much he blackmailed the teachers to give him a good grade," Jimin tells you as he glances back and forth between you and Jungkook. "He's quite dangerous, you know. He's manipulative, a liar and has no empathy-"

"He's clever," you counter defensively, "he knows how to get around the system."

He makes a disgruntled noise from the back of his throat with a grimace. "I don't think the judge would listen to that."

You laugh at his comparison of the conversation to a court hearing. Jimin can be funny sometimes, and you have to admit that he's not that bad of a friend either. You've come to enjoy his company without the topic of Jungkook the past few days, but talking about him is always appreciated.

"Are you the judge then?" you cheekily ask.

"I might as well be, since I'm not biased like a certain someone," he teases with a grin.

"A lawyer has to see the bright side of things, but if I was the prosecutor, I wouldn't tell you that your lecture is in five minutes."

His smile falters as his eyes widen; you remember his schedule? He ran late for a lecture yesterday, but he’s in disbelief that you reminded him today. "Th-Thanks," he breathes as he packs up his belongings before giving you a curt, shy nod. His heart pounds when he walks away, and he resists the urge to look back at you.

It's a good idea, because that's when Jungkook settles down on his former seat.

"I'm thinking you might be forgetting who you belong to," he starts as he gets comfortable on the stiff chair. You instantly smile at his appearance.

"No, I'm very well aware of it." Your tone is high-pitched in excitement.

"It wasn't a question."

"Oh..."

“You talk more than you work,” he observes with a quirk of his brow. “One would think another nerd would be a better influence on you.”

“I work at night,” you defend worriedly, “I promise I’m not slacking off. Can I get a kiss please?”

You’re so adorable when you’re needy. He hides a smirk with a bite of his lip; he thrives from your loyalty to him, but he knows Jimin is a threat to it. He wants you to stop talking to that freak, and he justifies it as a concern for his grades. “I’ll kiss you when you’re not procrastinating. Do you think you deserve even a pat on the head?”

“I do! I’m halfway done with the research paper, please Jungkook,” you beg pathetically, “I-I’ll show it to you, I have it with me right now.” You start unzipping the case of your laptop until he holds up a hand for you to stop.

“You’re going to read it to me, but not here.”

When he stands up, so do you in a haste. He leaves the cafeteria with you hot on his tail, almost jogging when his strides are much bigger compared to yours. You resemble a clueless lamb following a lion, desperate to hold his claws with your hooves. You don’t know where he’s leading you as you walk down the halls until you stop in front of a door. You’re about to freak out when he swings open the door, but you realize the lecture room is empty.

“You want me to read here?” you inquire meekly. It’s a little intimidating to do it in complete silence, because you have a tendency to stutter when reading out loud and you don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of Jungkook where no one can talk over you. 

“Yup.” He snatches your laptop case from your hand with the handle, and roughly opens it before placing the device on the front row wooden desk. It’s a large hall, and the desks stretch out to the half of the room. You’re feeling stage fright for no particular reason; it feels like reverse claustrophobia. “Open the document and give me your phone.”

You don’t question him and hand in your phone before going through your files on the laptop. Jungkook is looking through your contacts and grins when he finds himself saved as: the love of my life ♡. Jimin is saved by his name, and he finds his WhatsApp through his information below. Once he opens your empty chat with him, he switches to your camera and pushes your back so you’re bent over the desk. You sharply inhale and ask, “Kook?” 

“Don’t get distracted now,” he lightly scolds and starts pulling down your pants. You stopped wearing skirts after the incident a week ago to appease him. You stammer with your back arched, and your ass is on full display for him. It’s humiliating. “Start reading.”

“H-Humans are- Jungkook?” you warily look back at Jungkook when he slides the slit of your panties to the side.

“Are you slacking off?” he condescends. 

You bite your lip anxiously and continue reading, “Humans are social animals that n-need social interaction,” Jungkook spits in his hand, “the extent of our social relationships is the most important predictor of h-happiness.” You squeal when you feel wet fingers graze your folds, but you know better than to stop and ask what he’s doing.

“Continue,” he coaxes softly as he brushes his fingertips over your pussy lips. 

“Um, o-one of the main reasons our brains have developed the way they have is so that we can be social,” you speak between shaky breaths. Your cheeks are tinted crimson with embarrassment from his touches; why is he pleasuring you when he specifically told you, you didn’t deserve any? “Being happy a-all of the time is neither possible nor desirable.”

“Is it now?” He slips a finger in your cunt and you involuntarily let out a cry as you push your body forward. You don’t notice him holding up your phone behind you while slowly sliding his finger in and out of you. His saliva is mixing with your arousal as you answer in a gasp, “Yes.”

“Tell me why.”

“B-Because negative feelings are natural. When it comes to negative feelings, the most important thing to remember is to learn,” you pause to exhale with quivering lips, “to control certain potentially harmful thoughts.” You whine his name when another finger is added to your heat. You’re moving your hips back and forth until he slaps your wet folds as a warning. “Sorry,” you peep and continue in a breath, “Happiness all of the time entails epistemic irrationality.”

It’s difficult to keep your eyes open when you just want to indulge in his thrusts, but you’re encouraged to stop reading when he doesn’t comment on your moans. His pace is quickening and you chase his fingers with your hips, cum dripping down his wrist as you mewl.  

“You enjoying yourself, whore?”

You nod and whimper, “So much.” You’re clutching the edge of the desk as he fingers you with fervor.

“And you're my girl?” 

“Yes, all yours, I love you so much,” you pant, not stopping for a moment to question his words. He has a full view of your sopping wet cunt on the camera, and he lightly blows on you, making you shiver. He’s recording you confess your love for him while getting fingered.

“Only me?” he presses.

“Only you, Jungkook, I love you more than anything,” you slur as you start to feel a knot in your stomach.

“Then pee.”

“Wh-What?”

“Touch your clit and pee.” He removes his fingers from your clenching hole and takes a step back. “Prove your love to me.”

You mourn the loss of his hand while staring wide-eyed at the floor. You’re contemplating his demand as your hand slowly reaches down to your clit. Is he asking you to squirt? Your breathing is shallow as you near your climax, and you still don’t know if you’ll go through with his requirement.

It drips out in tiny drops as you come undone, moaning as clear liquid spills out of you for only a few seconds. 

“Good girl, my good little girl,” Jungkook whispers as he intently watches you humiliate yourself in the name of love. You’re twitching and trembling in shame when he stops recording you and sends it to Jimin without a second’s waste. “Are you okay, baby?”

You hum with a pout as you collect yourself by standing up straight, a sway in your posture. 

“Give me your panties, you’ve made a mess on the floor,” he chastises as he holds out a hand. You slip and step out of them before giving it to him. In return, he passes your phone before feigning a gasp, “Shit, I think I sent Jimin a video of you when I was trying to forward it to my phone.”

Your mouth falls open as heat consumes your entire being. “H-Huh?” Tears brim in your eyes almost instantly; your heart is pounding from anxiety.

“How will you ever look at him now,” he empathizes with a fake frown. “He must think of you as such a slut now.”

“Let me delete it,” you panic as you open your phone. “Wh-Where is it?”

He motions you to give him the phone and opens WhatsApp after. “He’s already seen it.” There are two blue ticks under the message.

“No, no, no,” you pull your hair in agony with a whimper. You quickly put your pants back on and cry as you do so.

“I guess that’s the end of your friendship,” he raises his eyebrows to himself without a hint of sympathy.

“What do I do?!” you wail and fling your hands in stress.

“Avoid him. I’ll make sure he won’t leak it.”

He steps forward to lean in your face intimidatingly. “And don’t talk to him ever again.”

You don’t exactly have a choice now, do you? 

[old-hyper-super-clover]

Secret Santa Event,

Day 7

This little story belongs to my Christmas project, a series of stories leading up to Christmas Eve! Check my Event Masterlist for more information, and have fun!

A/N: might contain interactions with my MCs Clover and/or Violet (no spoilers ofc), but you don't have to know them to understand the story!

Click, click-click, click.

"Uggghhhh..."

Click-click-click.

"Nooo..."

Click-click, click-click.

"That's not it either...!!"

Click, click-click...

Thud.

Levi's head landed harshly on his desk.

"Damn it..."

Only to shoot up in great agony a second after.

"Why can't I come up with anything good?!"

------

Somebody knocked on the door to Leviathan's room.

"Hey! Wassup! My man!"

"What's the passwo-"

Mammon stepped inside, throwing himself on the giant cushion before Levi could even word his shock.

"Mamm-?! You-!? I have a password for a reason!!"

From the corner of his eyes, he saw how another face was peeking inside as well.

"Uhm..." She gave an awkward mumble.

Levi rolled his eyes in a sigh. "You may enter."

So Clover stepped inside."Levia-tan!" she cheered.

"We're bored" Mammon groaned.

The avatar of Envy pulled a frown. "I don't care how you feel, scumbag."

"Eh?! You should pay me some more respect, y'know?! I'm your elder brother, so it's your duty to entertain me when I'm bored."

While talking, Mammon kept touching Levi's stuff around him, picking up the Azuki-tan plushie, squishing it carelessly. Levi watched, his eye twitching as he hold back the urge to choke Mammon to death.

"We wanted to play some board games" Clover explained softly. "Wanna come play too?"

Levi's expression turned conflicted. A little sad, even. Clover noticed immediately, and her gaze drifted over to his monitors.

About five gaming websites, as well as an anime streaming service were opened around a big list with lots of game and anime titles written on it.

"I'm not in the mood for social interaction" was Levi's response, and he wanted to turn to his computer again.

"'Sleep Simulator 6.66'? 'I overslept 69 years of my life so please help me stay awake, senpai!!'? 'Fuwa-fuwa magical sweet dreams island'?", Clover read a few of the titles listed, obviously confused.

Now Mammon was trying to sneak a peek as well.

"Yo, Levi, you have problems with sleeping?", Mammon asked.

"N-no..." Levi hushed. Stressed, he began closing the tabs on his screens. But Mammon had already went up to him as well, mustering the scene with Clover, both wearing confused expressions.

So Levi panicked.

"I-I don't want to play with you and don't want to talk to you so go away, I'm busy!!", Levi blurted out, quickly turning his monitors off completely.

He wouldn't spare them another second of attention, instead he stared at the black screen. Clover and Mammon exchanged a worried glance.

"... If there is anything you need help with, feel free to text us anytime, yes?", the girl mumbled.

"You can't help me", Levi hissed. "... I'm too pathetic to be helped...", he added after realising his own harsh tone.

Mammon raised an eyebrow. "You're being an idiot again."

"I don't want to hear that from YOU, Mammon..."

Of course, the avatar of Greed threw a fuss over that, going on about he wasn't the one having apparent sleep problems, some that Mammon put off as consequences of Levi's Otaku lifestyle.

But while the brothers were fighting, Clover's face grew more concerned.

She knew a lot of the titles she was able to read on the list, meaning that Levi must've told her about them already. So he watched and played them already. So why would Levi...?

"... Oh" Clover made, realising. "Mammon", she then called out. "Come, we're leaving."

"Huh?!" Mammon huffed. "Human? Don't ya care about Levi's sleeping problems?!"

"Levi doesn't have sleeping problems, Mammon."

"... Huh?"

The human let out a soft sigh, then grabbed Mammons jacket to pull him towards the door.

Levi was quietly watching, still frowning.

"Levia-tan?" Clover said after having successfully pushed Mammon out of the room, standing at the door herself. "Please don't worry too much. I see the effort you've put into thinking of something good. And I'm sure that you-know-who will do, too."

With that, she shot him a supportive wink before closing the door.

Her words rang in Leviathan's ears for a while, then he sunk deeper into his office chair.

"Pff, as if he'll understand... As if anyone would want to get a present from me..."

-----------

Hours passed, titles kept being added on Levi's list.

But not a single one would satisfy him, would be what he was searching for.

He was sure that the recipient of his secret Santa present... That Belphegor would hate his present either way.

Nothing seemed good enough. Not a single game, not a single anime stroke Levi as something that Belphie would enjoy, not if it was a gift from Levi.

Because the titles themselves were amazing, the Otaku chose only his best recommendations, looked at countless reviews to judge their quality.

But with Levi's already not existent confidence, and with how impressive and well-thought Satan's present for him had been, the demon just couldn't believe he'd be able to deliver anything that's not terrible.

It was already past midnight. On the next morning, Levi would have to hand over his present, and Belphie would be so disappointed to see that he had to get his Christmas present from someone as useless as Levi.

The avatar of Envy bit his lip.

It was all pointless anyway.

Growing more depressed by the second, Levi turned in his chair to not have to look at his lousy list anymore.

After a while, he noticed that his Azuki-tan plushie had been carelessly left on the ground.

Gasping, Levi jumped up to pick it up.

"Tsk... That scumbag Mammon, doesn't even know how to treat other people's properties with the slightest care..." He stroke some dust off the plushie, sitting down again. "How could he, Azuki-tan?! You're the most adorable, soft, perfect little pillow there is! Not only are you limited edition, and Ruri-chan's loyal companion, but your pillow filling is so sweetly soft that one just has to drift off into slumber when holding you close...!"

He softly embraced the pillow, dwelling in the comfort it gave him as he buried his face in the fabric.

Levi was actually about to fall asleep.

Then, he found the answer to his problems, his head laying right on it.

The demon sat up, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach as he stared at Azuki-tan.

He... He couldn't. Only a very limited number of this Azuki-tan version was created. And he loved this one in particular very deeply.

But, then again...

He knew exactly how amazing it was.

And the humans said that Christmas is a time of jumping over your shadow, of kindness...

So... Maybe... If Levi would... Give Azuki-tan into Belphie's hands, then his brother might actually be a little happy over his present...

Maybe then, Levi would be at least a tiny bit good enough...

"W-well, then... Azuki-tan, I think this is the last nap we'll be taking together..."

Almost at the edge of tears, Levi placed his head onto the pillow again, being so terribly tired that he fell asleep immediately.

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

The next morning, someone stepped inside Leviathan's room again.

"Levi, wake up... You missed lunch and dinner yesterday, Lucifer will kill you if you skip breakfast today as well."

Slowly waking up, Levi felt somebody coming to a stop next to him.

He didn't have much sleep at all, so opening his eyes seemed like such a difficult task. However, at some point, Levi registered the clicking of his keyboard, causing him to finally lift his head.

"Belphie...?" Levi mumbled, mustering his younger brother as the avatar of Sloth stared at the monitor that he must have turned on just now.

"Four-hundred anime and game recommendations?" was all the youngest brother said.

Levi jumped up in an instant, trying to block the screen with his body.

"D-d-d-don't look at that!!!", he screeched.

"But it said 'recommendations for Belphie'. So why wouldn't I be allowed to see it?"

"Because you're not!!", Levi screamed. "Why are you touching my computer in the first place?!"

"Mammon might have spilled some infos when you wouldn't come eating dinner yesterday."

"Ugh... I will kill that idiot...!"

The blue haired male was stressed. Like, very stressed.

But now, when Belphie was here already, now was the best time to give him his present...

"Uhm...", Levi mumbled, "Belphie, uhm... Well, if Mammon gave you some hints now anyway, I might as well..."

He choked on his words a couple of times, before shaking himself back to his senses. Belphie was watching his brother patiently.

"B-b-belphie!! I, uh, got you as my secret Santa, uhm, partner, s-s-so..." Levi swallowed heavily. "M-my present is... Well... I tried to, you know, think about what you like, and, uhh..."

With shaking hands, he grabbed the Azuki-tan pillow and held it out to Belphie.

"M-m-merry Christ... Christmas, Belphie... This, uhrrm... So, I guess it's not very cool getting a present from some Otaku, b-but I can assure you that this is the best pillow you will ever take a nap on, s-so... Take it."

He said that all while looking away, not bearing the sight without starting to cry. After a little silence, Levi noticed that nothing was happening.

As he dared opening his eyes again, he was met with an irritated expression.

"You're giving me your anime pillow?"

Oh no. Levi had failed after all.

"Oh, you hate it, don't you..", Levi laughed, laughed about his pathetic self. "I mean, of course, this must be garbage to you, only weirdos like me like stuff like that... Maybe I should just-"

"Levi", Belphie called out, tone so serious that it actually managed to pull Levi out of his monologue.

"Levi... Look. You know why I would hate getting that from you? Because obviously, it hurts you. A lot. And I wouldn't want you crying over something that was supposed to be nice, so I'm not accepting that gift."

Puzzled, Levi didn't know what to do. This had turned worse than a game's bad ending so quickly.

However, Belphie pointed at the computer again.

"What about that, though? Looks like you put effort into making that... You even rated everything on a scale."

"Y-yeah, and I wrote descriptions to all of them, so you could find something you like easily... It's like, a list for different sleepy moods. When you want to sleep, when you need to stay awake..."

"Well, I hope you kept the descriptions short", Belphie chuckled.

Tilting his head, Levi did not understand.

"B-but... Isn't that a pathetic gift? How would that ever satisfy anyone?"

Belphie let out a sigh.

"Levi... Stop being so hard on yourself. That is, in all honesty, the only thing that isn't satisfying me right now. Because all this...", he pointed at the list, "and the mere thought that you were ready to give away that plushie of yours is enough."

"I-I... I..." Levi was errored completely.

"Thank you for the present, Levi", Belphie smiled. "I was sceptical about this Christmas thing, but actually, it's pretty nice to see how much people care about you... So, merry Christmas to you."

"Y-yeah...", Levi said, a smile forming on his lips as well.

"Merry Christmas, Belphie."

[writteninkat]

iv - carnival tickets

word count: 2,246

warnings: mentions of blood and dead animals

"I'ma break you off, let me be your motivation"

index

Today was the day you and the rest of class 1A can finally try out their hero costumes. You smiled, looking at yourself in the mirror, giving yourself butterflies as you do so.

Your hero costume was a simple black bodysuit type. Garters attacked to the clothing helped keep your thigh high boots up. The top covered your entire arms, hands and fingers- you designed it this way so your palms wouldn’t be littered with callouses given that you deal with weapons like swords and scythes every time you use your quirk.

The bodysuit is a title neck type that showed off your shoulders. Your costume is finished off with a full face black kitsune mask with glowing blue paint around the eyes, it makes up the whiskers as well as a little nose of a fox.

You keep it up on your head, not wanting to put it on unless you're engaging in combat.

You close your locker, joining the girls who are hyping each other up in what they’re wearing. You all step out of the changing area and you can’t help but feel giddy as you approach your teachers, excited with the activities for today.

Everyone begins freaking out at the site of All Might- which you don’t get at all. He’s blond, has a freakish smile and a built body. So what? “Who’s he?” You whisper at Mina who looks at you as if you’ve grown two heads.

“What?”

You sigh, “Who’s he? And why is everyone freaking out about him?” You ask again and Mina gives you that same look, but much worse. She’s acting as if you’ve just asked a very stupid question. “That’s All Might.” She answers, tone unusually calm and soft.

“I meat who is he?”

“The number one hero.”

You furrow your brows, gaze scanning the man who’s busy talking in front of the awestruck class. You tilt your head to the side, “That’s your number one pro hero?” You ask, pouting.

“You sound a lot of things- underwhelmed? Disappointed? Dissatisfied?” Bakugou says from behind you, the look in his eyes catching you off guard. You pause for a moment, choosing your words carefully to make sure you’re not offending anyone who’s within earshot.

“You look up to him?” You ask and he raises a brow at you as if you’ve just asked the most obvious question in all time. “He’s been my hero since forever. I look up to him more than anyone in the world. He’s my inspiration and the one of the biggest contributors to my dream go being a hero.” Your eyebrows lift in shock, you’ve never heard nor seen Bakugou respect a person so much. And by the looks of Mina, Kirishima and Denki, they haven’t seen this side of him either.

Your heart breaks as you return your gaze to the number one hero in front of you, smiling sadly. You don't know how or why, but your judgement tells you that the seven-footer man in front of you isn't all that powerful- not anymore at least.

"Here's the breakdown. There will be four teams of two- half of them will be heroes and the other half will be villains. The hero team can win in two ways; you can either capture the villains or retrieve the bomb. The villain team wins if the hero team is unable to do any of the tasks within the time limit." He explains quite clearly and thoroughly.

You feel your heart beat against your chest, you're feeling very giddy. Your excitement causes Bakugou's lips to twitch upwards, carving out a soft smile to which he hides almodt immediately so no one can see him.

All Might pulls out a draw lots box, letting fate decide which teams everyone belong to. You end up being teammates with Aoyama and Mina who you happily greet.

Everyone is asked to stay inside a monitoring room to watch and observe their classmates in battle. When All Might announces Bakugou and Izuku's team being up first, you don't think before walking up to the blond and placing a hand on his shoulder. He turns his head to the side, raising an expecting brow.

"Good luck out there." You smile softly to which he scoffs at. "I don't need luck to win." He punches his palm as he sets of his quirk, "I already know I will."

You roll your eyes, walking towards Izuku to wish him good kuck as well before following the class to the monitor room. Your eyes scan over the wall of monitors, finding it closely similar to the monitor room your house has back in the US.

As you watch Bakugou and Izuku in battle, it's clear to see that there's something going on between them. There seems to be a conflict between them that you can't quite point and as much as you wanted to ask Bakugou about it, you decided to wait until he'd tell you.

Why on earth do you think he'd tell you?

You shake your head and clear your stupid thoughts, stepping away into a corner and sitting down to mentally prepare yourself. As you try to meditate, you don't realise how much time has went by until you're being called by All Might for your turn.

You scan the room but don't spot an angry blond nor an angel look-a-like green haired boy. You pout, hoping to at least see thosep pretty vermilion eyes before the activity.

As you take your steps towards the building, a small smile stretches across your lips when you see Bakugou's familiar back towards you, only for it to smile when you see just how upset he looks like.

"C'mon, Y/n! We're the villains right now we can't be late!!" Mina calls out to you, waving her hand up. You look back at Bakugo one last time, your gazes catching each other before you step inside the building, pulling your mask down to cover your face.

"Hey Mina? Can you let me take charge of our group?" You ask as the three of you make your way towards the room where the fake bomb is. "Alright! We'll be at your command!" She salutes to you a little too enthusiastically to which you chuckle softly at, making sure to smile with your eyes to make sure she sees you're smiling despite the mask covering your face.

After All Might makes sure each teams' statuses are a go, he commences the activity. "Alright. What would you like for us to do, captain?" Mina asks. You stay quiet for a moment, summoning two katanas in each of your hands. You move them around, making sure your wrists are loose and flexible before actually using them.

"You guys can stay still and guard the bomb." You say, adjusting your gloves before turning around to face the only entrance and exit of the room. "I'll have to go and hunt me some heroes."

"It's been a few minutes since they started and when Y/n suddenly disappeared like that. What do you think the villains are planning?" Tsuyu asks, eyes on the screen as the class continues to search for you in every monitor in the wall, but to no avail.

"I've been seeing a few mice here and there. Do you think that's Koda's doing?" Kirishima asks, to which Denki asks back, "Are the mice you see dead or alive?"

Kirishima furrows his brows at the blond, about to explain how the mice are alive but stops himself when he looks back at the screen and sees the mice he was looking at just a few seconds ago was now dead, body sliced in half. He checks the other monitors as well and his confusion rises even more at the sight of multiple dead mice all over the floors.

"Time is ticking, heroes. You better get to the bomb or if this was a real life situation it'd have blown up by now." All Might says into the mic which puts pressure on the two boys.

The class watches in anticipation as the two steps into a wide and open room, somewhere similar to where Bakugou and Izuku were fighting in a while ago.

"No one's here." Sato states, turning around. "Then, there should only be one room left-"

"Leaving so soon, heroes?" You ask, body leaning on the closed door with one foot pressed on it and your arms crossed across your chest.

Sato and Koda raise their guards, stepping into a fighting stance as theylook at you with such focused eyes. You chuckle, "Your little friends running around the building were pretty hard to find. Not to mention there were quite a handful of them which caused me to reach my speed quirk's limit."

"So it was Y/n who sliced all those rats? But we didn't see her at all. There were no movements in any of the cameras." Sero points out, confusion evident in his face. "Well, she did use her speed quirk. And if what she stated was true, then she'll be no longer to use that quirk of hers, at least during this fight." Iida voices out.

"Two guys against one girl? Isn't that too unfair for her?" Mineta asks, receiving a growl from Bakugou. "If you think her being a girl puts her at a disadvantage you're wrong. If you wanna be a hero, it doesn't matter what your gender is, as long as you're strong."

Despite being in a foul mood, Bakugou still found himself wanting to fight for you. He didn't like the thought of people lookibg down at him, but he found it weird how he preferred it when people not look down at you instead.

"Come on boys. I'll keep this quick and short for you so we can end this activity already." Fingerless boxing gloves appear in each of your hands, they're black but with neon blue accents. You get into a fighting stance, "I really hate sweating."

Sato charges at you, throwing a naive punch at your way to which you dodge easily- scoffing. What was he trying to do, intimidate a little child? As you moved your body to the side, dodging his immature punch, you punch him in the gut, eyes on Koda as you do this.

You hear Sato wheeze before his body falls to the ground. You crack your knuckles, walking towards Koda who begins to panic, using his quirk to call in all sorts of birds and squirrels.

"Koda, this is as scary as being chased by a street gang of kittens." You say, stepping towards him. You step to his side, bringing your hand up to his forehead and flicking it, the contact causing him to tremble before losing consciousness.

Your mother's body guard taught you this- it was a skill he said that most assassins he worked with knows about. He never clearly explained to you how to do it, but as long as your opponent had the slightest bit of fear for you, it will end up working. For Koda's case, he looked like he was about to piss his pants, so it worked out a little too well for you.

"Y/n's team wins this round." All Might announces as the rest of class 1A stands behind him, unsure of what they had just seen.

As the day comes to an end, you learn from Kirishima and Mina that Bakugou has been feeling off since the fight lately. "We tried to stop him from leaving, but he just wouldn't listen. Izuku went and ran after him too. If you go now you should be able to catch up to the both of them." Urataka explains, setting the stack of books she's carrying on a desk.

You run out of the classroom, jumping down flights of stairs to get to the entrance of the highschool as quickly as possible. By the time your eyes finally caught sight of the two boys, they were already talking with each other.

"I wasn't hiding my quirk from you. It was given to me by someone else, recently."

You raise your brows, quickly hiding yourself from the both of them. You place a finger gently on your lips as you stared at the floor, listening as Izuku explained to Bakugou.

The next thing you know it, Bakugou was now yelling at the green haired boy. He sounded so upset, as if he wanted to cry. It was clear as day that the blond didn't like losing, not to anyone and especially not to Izuku.

You took a peak, eyes widening as you see Katsuki Bakugou looking so vulnerable with tears in the corners of his eyes, his brows knitted from being so upset with himself. He walks away, slouching as he wipes his tears with the back of his hand.

You step out of your hiding spot, Izuku's expression growing nervous when he sees you. "O-oh hey, hey Y/n! I didn't... ummm... did you..." He looks down, scratching the back of his head. "Did you hear something?"

You stare him down for a moment, unsure of what to answer before sighing. "I'm not going to say anything to anyone nor ask you about it. But I will tell you this." Your words causes Izuku to look up at you in anticipation. "The second you master that power of yours, you have to fight me with everything you've got. Alright?"

Bakugou grumbles to himself, kicking at a rock, watching as it rolls into a canal. He huffs, annoyed. "I'd tell you you look ugly when you're mad, but then I'd be telling you you look ugly everyday." You yell at him from behind, causing him to turn around.

"School isn't over yet." Bakugou furrows his brows as he watches you make your way towards him. "And yet here we are." You point out, smiling as you put your hands behind your back.

He sighs, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "What do you want?"

You take out two pink carnival tickets from your pocket, shoving it at his face and waving it in front of him. "I've always went to this carnival with my mom back in the US and I'm feeling kind of homesick. I accidentally bought two tickets too so now you gotta go with me."

You begin to pull at him to which he pulls back, a bored expression resting on his adorable face.

Adorable?

"No." He grunts.

You smile at him, "I wasn't giving you a choice."

[wanderinginksplot]

Warriors in Red Armor

Next | Masterlist

Chapter One

Hound I

"So, are we going to 79's tonight?" Hound asked. He had meant to be subtle about it, but the question burst out of him the moment his well-worn boots crossed the threshold of the small break space allotted to members of the Coruscant Guard.

As break spaces went, the one designated for the Coruscant Guard's clone troopers was an embarrassment. Some determined being had managed to cram a table and a handful of chairs inside, but it was a tight fit. If more than a few fully armored troopers went inside at the same time, none of them would get back out without removing some armor to clear the traffic jam. The lights flickered, the faucet leaked, the floor was always sticky, and the stuffy air held a hint of the chemicals that had been stored there years ago. Since then, the previous break space had been renovated into an office for one of the few nat-born commanding officers and this one had been created for the clone troopers.

Still, the smell of caf was stronger than the smell of chemicals most days and the light from a nearby advertisement screen lit the room so brightly that the flickering lights didn't give any of the troopers a migraine anymore. Hound always was a man who liked to see the glass as half-full. Maybe even a little more than half, if that glass was sitting under the dripping faucet.

Thire snorted at Hound's question, leaning back in his chair until gravity threatened to topple him. "Well, boys? Hound wants to know if we're going to 79's this lovely Friday evening. What do we think?"

Thorn glanced around the room, looking unamused by his brother's antics. "We think I'm the only other one here, di'kut."

"Exactly!" Thire said in triumph, obviously determined to ignore his fellow commander. "It's the weekend! Why wouldn't we go to 79's?"

"Because you've finally realized that it's a glorified zoo?" Thorn snapped, tone venomous. "79's is where civvies go to stare at clone troopers so they can feel like they're being daring. In reality, they're being irritating."

Having spoken his piece, Thorn tossed back the last of his cup of caf, always consumed as dark as his mood. Hound shuddered at the thought. Corrie Guard caf was brewed at the approximate concentration of speeder fuel and could eat through duracrete. Only a trooper who hated himself would drink it black.

Thorn always drank it black.

"So you don't want to go?" Hound asked again, sounding heartbroken.

"No, I'll go," Thorn told him. "Zoo or not, 79's still has the cheapest booze on Coruscant that doesn't use poison as a mixer."

"Well, that's the most excited I've heard Thorn get about anything for a week, at least," Thire smirked. "Commander Fox, you want in on this?"

The Head Commander of the Coruscant Guard, having just stepped into the break room to fill his mug with caf, shook his head. "No, I'm on duty tonight. The Clone Rights group has been cleared to march and the Chancellor wants an extra Guard presence. Stone will be stuck here as well, monitoring any new arrivals."

"Ugh," Hound said, summarizing everyone else's point of view. "Well, we'll be thinking of you both, Commander."

Fox lowered the datapad in his hand to shoot a look in Hound's direction. "Sergeant, don't you have that ARF PR stunt tomorrow at 0800?"

Hound shrugged. "Yeah, but I can do both."

"Make sure you don't miss it," Fox ordered sternly. "The last thing I need is to have to report to the Chancellor that you missed a chance to give the GAR a boost in civil opinion."

Hound saluted and Fox turned his attention to the other break room occupants. "Thorn, if you let your stubble get any longer, it'll be considered a beard and subject to facial hair regulations. Thire, sit on the chair like a normal being, would you?"

Thorn nodded and Thire grinned as he let the chair's legs slam onto the floor. Fox rolled his eyes at their antics, refilled his cup of caf, and left the break area. Hound idly wondered how many of the gray hairs appearing at the Head Commander's temples were due to the commanding officer team. Still, the Chancellor had let Fox choose his own team of COs, so there was no one to blame but himself.

"Meet at 2100?" Thire asked. "That's prime time for 79's and there'll be plenty of talent. I'll go ahead and apologize, vode. When you look this good, you automatically get your pick of the females."

Thire brushed a hand back across his hair - meticulously trimmed to maintain the subtle horizontal lines shaved into the otherwise regulation cut - and grinned at the other two. Hound and Thire rolled their eyes, but agreed anyway.

---

Kai I

"Hey, do you guys want to go to 79's tonight?" Kai asked, perched on the desk she was supposed to be sitting behind. She was always restless and neither of the other women blamed her for the odd choice of seat - even though it made inter-desk communication a bit of a pain.

Arkularia - who, for the sake of Kai's sanity, allowed the others to call her 'Ark' - was the first to respond. "79's? The clone bar?"

"Do you want to drink, dance, or find a one-night stand?" Ransom asked from behind her expansive tech setup. "Because there are better places for any of those. Closer, too."

"No, I want to go to 79's," Kai said, kicking up her chin. "And as for what I want… I want all of them. All three options, please and thank you."

"Did you just try to order a night out? Like from a menu?" Ransom asked. From the tone of her voice, Kai had managed to earn a rare smile from her boss. Of course, that was only a guess since Ransom didn't emerge from her den so Kai could verify the expression.

"No… but can you imagine how much easier that would be?" Kai asked in her own defense.

"It would take some of the fun out of it, I think," Ark said slowly.

Kai chucked a wad of flimsi at her friend and co-worker's head, cheering to herself as it connected and bounced off of Ark's white-blonde hair. "I know that, Ark! C'mon guys, do you want to come to 79's with me or not?"

"I'm out," Ransom said immediately, shutting down the projector option on her desk. She was still illuminated by the ambient light from the schematics on her datapad. The cybernetic implants in Ransom's arm gleamed in the blue glow as she dragged a hand over her shaved head. "I have to work late if we have any hope of finishing our next job on time."

"Ark?" Kai asked, not too proud to sound like she was begging.

Ark sighed, pale eyes hopeless in the face of Kai's wheedling. "Fine, I'll go along."

"Yes!"

"Ransom, are you sure you can't come, too?" Ark asked, her voice a bit desperate.

"I really do have to stay and work on this," Ransom apologized, gesturing at her assortment of datapads. "My condolences."

"We're going to a club, not facing a firing squad!" Kai admonished. "Besides, I just want to find someone fun."

"Like that last guy?" Ark asked, squinting a bit as she applied her prodigious memory to her own question. "What was his name?"

"Not sure," Kai admitted. "But he was so much fun! Great tattoos."

"So you are looking for a hookup! I knew it," Ransom crowed.

Ark frowned. "Why a clone trooper? They're never on-planet for long before they have to leave."

"Exactly," Kai said with a wink. "Love 'em and leave 'em."

"Didn't the last one stick around for a while? I thought I remembered seeing him more than a few times…" Ark pondered.

"Hardcase! His name was Hardcase," Ransom remembered. "He came by every day of his leave."

"Strange name," Ark commented.

"Strange guy," Ransom said with a shrug.

"But he was hot," Kai countered, folding a piece of flimsi to look like a tooka. At least it did in her imagination. "And so much fun. I need another someone like him."

"What happened to him?" Ark asked curiously.

Kai would have blushed if she had any shame - too bad for Coruscant that she didn't. Instead, she pouted. "He moved on with a Zeltron who works at GAR headquarters. That's the best place to meet troopers, but they don't give access to civilians unless they have official business."

"Hardcase didn't seem like the type to ghost you out of nowhere," Ransom mused.

"I… may have freaked out about him asking me to be his girlfriend," Kai admitted. "I don't want anything serious, you know? Besides, I'm the one who introduced him to the new girl. She's a sweetheart. He adores her and she's the same about him. Can't be too upset with that."

Ark and Ransom exchanged loaded glances, but Kai had no interest in a therapy session. "Right! So, Ransom, you're still out?"

"I have no interest in coming along and I have work to do here."

"Well, that was almost nice," Kai congratulated. "Ark, it's you and me. When should we go?"

Ark shrugged. "Why don't we just stop there on the way home from work?"

"Are you kidding?" Kai asked, aghast at the idea. "We aren't exactly wearing Senatorial dress, but we're still too professional for a club! No, we need to go home, change, and meet there. How long do you need?"

"I don't know… half an hour?"

"How long do you need to find an outfit that makes sense in a club setting?" Kai rephrased her question.

"Two hours," Ark corrected herself, sounding sheepish.

"That's more like it," Kai said, satisfied. Her look turned wicked as she said, "Now, let's talk about makeup…"

"Are you sure you don't need any help here, Ransom?" Ark asked their boss, her eyes widening with hidden significance.

"No, it's too late!" Kai denied. "Meet me at my apartment and I'll help you. Let's say eight."

Ark glanced back at Ransom, who gave a sympathetic shrug. Ark sighed. "Fine, eight."

---

A/N - Hello, and welcome to yet another Clone Wars-based story! I can't leave these poor guys alone. They deserve so much more than they got! So, you may have noticed that some of the characters are a bit different from the way they are normally portrayed in fan fiction. The first fic I read with the Coruscant Guard had Thire as a happy joking guy and Thorn as a serious doom-and-gloom trooper. I'm coming to realize that is not typical for fanon interpretations, but those characterizations are embedded in my mind. I hope you didn't find this too jarring!

I'm experimenting with a new Game of Thrones-style POV tracking format. Hopefully that will keep things from getting too confusing as we bounce back and forth across eight different POVs! I apologize for the short length of this chapter, but it's just a simple introduction of (most of) the characters.

[nickyneshwrites]

Cold Chapter 3

Bold=???

He was pacing around in front of his desk flicking his blade around in one hand, mumbling to himself, and fidgeting with his phone in the other hand. Shizuo still was nowhere to be found and Izaya was desperate. He had heard whispers of his possible location but had come up short everywhere he looked.

If this kept up he was going to raze every single gang in the city to find his lover, pathetic humans, and their opinions are damned!

He stopped flicking his knife looking at the glinting blade and in a moment of complete frustration threw it, it stayed stuck in his office wall. Then he felt and heard his phone ring and quickly pushed the knife from his mind. 

“Yes hello. . .What about him?. . .Where are you?! . . .Skip the pleasantries Shiki,                            Where.Are.You . . . I swear if I have to listen to you-! . . I’ll be there in fifteen minutes!”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blonde monster needed to go, not that it wasn't fun having Orihara flustered but it wasn't nearly enough fun to keep the raging monster in his company.

Not only had he injured six of his men he’d torn up a whole room and had to be moved to a more… accommodating environment. This was just getting out of hand. 

Shiki sighed, then let his mind wander. A lot of this seemed strange, for one Orihara was showing an unusually open amount of interest in Heiwajima, normally he at least tried to feign disinterest, earlier the pure worry in his voice was clear as day.

Listening to the grunting and squeaking happening in the room over was now setting him on edge even more, as he lingered on the fact that the only thing keeping the blonde man firmly tied to the bed was a ridiculous amount of tranquilizer and thick chains. 

The doctor who he had asked to look after the blonde was certain in his methods of detaining the crazed man but it was in Shiki’s opinion that he was seriously underestimating the strength of one of Ikebukuro's most notorious men. 

He goes over to the door and the grunting stops. Upon opening the door he sees the blonde laying still, eyes still open he keeps a good distance away from the man in case he decides to lunge but it soon becomes obvious that he is in some sort of unconscious daze. 

He looks to see if he's still breathing and finds that he is and sighs, good he really couldn't deal with Orihara going rouge again. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was swimming in it, all the self-doubt, the fear of hurting others, the complete overwhelming. . . 

“Sh. . .n”

Despair! Admit it for you know it's the truth, all of the love you hold is fake and you only push your pathetic existence upon those around you!

He wanted to deny it but he couldn't, his strength was a tool of destruction that would eventually drag all of those he holds dear to their doom. 

Blackened tendrils crept up his subconscious submerging him deeper in their viscous fear dragging up all the truths he tried to keep hidden in himself. 

A figure stands before him with an obscured face and it speaks directly to him in a hushed voice.

“-Ch. . .an”

The love you share is false, admit it! You took advantage of the hate you shared and shaped it into a twisted form of love that you've disillusioned yourself into believing.

He tried to escape to deny all of what he was hearing but it was too late he could no longer breathe and the darkness had taken hold devouring all his light.

"S-h. . .uo!"

Yes accept it, then return to your lie no but know no matter how much you run or you brush me away. Know I will still be there.

The figure leaves in black wisps and silence reigns in his consciousness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Izaya enters a building at the back end of Shinjuku, normally he would care to know just what it is that goes on in a place like this but right now he doesn’t. 

All he wants is to find Shizuo to grab hold of his brute and bring him to his flat and keep him there so something like this doesn’t happen again. He’d always known the moment he lost control of his Shizu-chan bad things would happen. He just never assumed it would be to the stupid brute himself. 

He walks down a flight of stairs and is met with a tall door, he knocks three times then waits.

“ O-orihara-same, welcome uh, Shiki-dono is w-waiting in the lower level.” 

A small man stands behind the door in front of Izaya, and as the informant gives him the once over it's obvious the man is scared. Izaya's usual mask of aloofness has melted into one of neutrality and the man is right to question his safety with such a gaze aimed at him.

Once they get moving Izaya takes time to notice that the man is in a lab coat and that the area they’ve walked to looks quite similar to an underground clinic. 

The creaking of bed frames, the sound of heart monitors, and the distinct smell of bleach are the next things to assault his senses and he starts to get anxious. It seems Shiki has more going on under the city than he was privy to… 

This just means there's something for him to look into after this whole situation is solved.  

Once they pass through that area he is led to a door to the side and it takes all of a second for Izaya to understand what he's looking at, he doesn't like it and before the meek man can open the door to the room, a blade is pressed to his back. 

“Ne doctor-Kun, I've followed you here without complaint because you told me you were leading me to Shiki-dono so could you explain to me why I'm being brought to the interrogation room?” 

His tone was pleasant but the danger was clear and the knife pressed in the smaller man's back was sending a very clear message. He was frozen in place trying to find his voice while not fainting from all the stress, he was not prepared for this at all. 

“Sh-s-s-sh-iki-dono is in the t-this room, the patient is there too after he d-deemed them too danger-rous to leave out in the main building! Please don't hurt me I was ju-”

The black imposing door is opened and the doctor crashes to the floor, passes Shiki, and immediately scrambles away from the violent man he was forced to meet. 

“S-Shiki-dono your g-guest is here and with that, I think I should take my l-leave!”  

Izay has long since stopped listening to the blubbering idiot and passes only a glance at Shiki before he walks by him and cautions a look around the room behind the Awakusu-kai member, and he sees him laid up there, his Shizu-chan!

“Shiki-dono knows how to treat his guests so whatever this is should also have an explanation, right? A reasonable explanation that will explain why it was necessary to chain an injured Shizuo to a bed, right?!”

He wasn't pointing his knife at anyone despite the strong urges to attack though his breathing was giving away the obvious distress? Anger? Or maybe even fear he was feeling.

This situation was exactly what Shiki was trying to avoid, he has every intention to pass Heiwajima over to Orihara but he was sure to the tense man it didn't look that way. He takes a step back to sit in the chair in the corner and looks straight at the informant, he knows he has to play this right or things could blow out of proportion and he's not in the mood for the melodrama.

“He’s simply restrained for his safety and that of my men, this room was the best for such a situation, and seeing as we couldn't get him to calm down this was the best I could arrange, he’s under a strong tranquilizer and has been showing strong signs of mental distress”

At this point, Izaya has heard what he wants and is moving towards the bed, as he approaches he notices that Shizuo's eyes are wide open but is seemingly unresponsive. He touches the blonde's arm and can't help the intake of breath he makes when he feels how cold he is to the touch.

“Shizu-Chan comes on I know you’re stronger than whatever this is…” 

Izaya pockets the knife he's still holding and moves to grab onto the blonde's shoulder, he pulls on the chains there loosening them as much as he can.

“That isn't a good idea Orihara-san, he isn’t very stable and I don't think disturbing him in this state will not end well”

But again Izaya wasn’t listening, he just kept pulling and calling for the blonde getting lost in a haze of frustration as he rasped out his desperate call. 

“Shizu-chan please you're not allowed to fall to anyone but me, wake up. Come on Shizu-chan I can even buy you those ridiculously sweet milkshakes you like just … Wake up Shizuo!”

He sounded close to tears and Shiki sat in shock at the display in front of him, the whole situation was kind of surreal. He was sure he had a good guess as to what the nature of their relationship was behind closed doors but this type of emotional response was more than he expected coming from the normally supercilious informant. 

 Then from behind the trembling back of the smaller man he saw it, the moment heiwajima eyes came back into focus but still holding that crazed spark. 

“I-izaya?” 

There was a moment of silence as his eyes and Izayas met like they were trying to talk through them to push forward the pain they each had to endure.

And in one act of utter relief, Izaya kisses the blonde, hard and passionate and desperate with all the pent-up energy he'd built up being released in the only way he could think to communicate. 

He doesn't even hear as the chains are broken and fall to the ground with a heavy thump. But he does feel the blonde's hands pull at his fur coat and he sees the tears trickle down the fractured man's cheek.

A tired moan ripples through the kiss and Izaya retreats leaving a thin line of saliva connecting their mouths, his breathing is haggard and it takes him awhile 

to calm down. He looks over his tired lover, Shizuo's normal bartender uniform ruined, now a tattered and stained shirt and ripped pants with his sunglasses nowhere to be seen. 

“I’m sorry Izaya! I’m sorry I’m like this -this monst-i c-cant its just - i-i-I’m sorry! Im wrong were wrong I’m sorry so sorry sorry so much I-I-I-i”

Shiki leave the room he’s heard enough and decides he doesn’t need to know what else is going to be said, he’s given the informant what he wanted and as far as he’s concerned he’s done his job.

It’s up to Oriharta to fix the obviously damaged Heiwajima and to that he wishes him all the luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s been 2 days since Izaya brought Shizuo back to his flat, it's been quiet. Once Shizuo was showered and fed all Izaya wanted to do was hold onto his blond and never let go but he never came in fact he seemed to want to keep as much space as possible. Shifting from any type of contact Izaya initiated and spending hours at a time in the guest room instead of their shared bedroom.

The body that once housed his loud and lively lover was cold and distant. And when he wasn’t hiding, Izaya caught glimpses of a crazed fear in the blondes eyes, and he so wanted to help, to put this whole issue to rest and go back to how things were before his disappearance but it seemed impossible when the blond was so distant.

Shizuo's sitting on the sofa silently looking out at Izaya's unfinished game of chess, he doesn't really understand what about it had him quite so entranced but it was 

better than seeing the hurt in Izaya's eyes when he looked at him. He’s standing in the doorway even now just looking; probably weighing how much trouble it would be worth to keep someone as useless as himself just sitting around. 

He hears him let out a sigh from the door frame and steels himself as he comes and sits next to him.

“Shizu-Chan look at me, we need to talk ” 

Shizuo did as he was told. 

“You need time I get that but you need to at some point tell me what it is that you need me to do to help you. I care ok, when you disappeared I went looking everywhere, I found the bastards who attacked you that day and tried my damndest to make them pay. And as much as it hurts me to sit here spouting sentimental trash it hurts more to see you so… so broken, I love you so please just tell me what's wrong Shizuo”

And how could Shizuo ignore how sincere he sounded, those uttered words his name falling from the lips he’d spent years chasing? He shuffled over to the smaller man who was obviously giving him space and rested his head on Izaya's lap. Izaya didn’t really do anything at first but then he started running his fingers through the blonde locks soothingly. 

“Just don't leave me”

The words travelled the silent room and seemed to be made more real by the silence and while no reply was made, the gentle way in which fingers caressed the taller man's cheeks were enough to make him know they were acknowledged.

A promise made in tranquility only truly believed by one of them.

[soartfullydone]

Try not to... be so careless, Professor. The war effort... hgh, the war effort would be considerably more difficult without you. And Her Majesty... would be sad. Ha... don't worry, Professor. I'm not dead yet. And my magic... won't be slowed by any wound. Just because they've drawn blood... doesn't mean I can't let them taste their own.

Inferna knew she’d left her back turned a moment too long, but running a sword through the stomach of an enemy lieutenant had been worth it. The Knight of Seiros fell at her feet, already dead and one less threat to her students. She could take an arrow for that, could take a hundred arrows.

Instead, she felt a body collide with hers, knocking her to the ground, and heard a sharp intake of breath as the arrow impacted. Inferna felt no pain and twisted, fighting to get a weapon free to eliminate this foolish assailant.

Her eyes flew wide at the sight of disheveled dark hair and a gaunt face she knew so well. Her heart gave a lurch as she found the arrow jutting out through his warlock’s robes, the arrowhead embedded in his back.

“Hubert!” Her hands flew unthinkingly toward the arrow when they should have been going for a weapon instead. Not even thirty feet away, the archer was nocking a new arrow to fire straight at them, and this time, it would be fatal.

Over her, Hubert snarled and flung back a hand. Purple light burst like fire from his palm, and the archer screamed as she was surrounded and engulfed by a dark miasma. Her death was swift but painful.

Unadulterated hatred still gleamed in his eyes when he turned back to Inferna. They softened to a grim amusement, managing to mock and challenge her as they always had, but respect was there now, too. 

“Try not to… be so careless, Professor. The war effort… Hgh.” He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against a sudden surge of pain. His voice, normally so smooth, dipped into ragged territory. “The war effort would be considerably more difficult without you.” His eyes found hers and held steady. “And Her Majesty… would be sad.”

He slanted forward, and Inferna sat up on her knees, quickly catching him by the shoulders. “Hubert!” His head fell to rest in the crook of her neck, where he just breathed, not responding, and that scared her more than anything. She shook him, stopping once it elicited another pained moan from him. She’d jostled his injury. “Hubert!”

“Ha… don’t worry, Professor. I’m not dead yet.” He lifted his head, a dry smile on his lips. Injured as he was, he looked far too satisfied about the whole thing. “And my magic… won’t be slowed by any wound. Just because they’ve drawn blood… doesn’t mean I can’t let them taste their own.”

“I think you’ve managed that, and more. You’re done in this fight,” she told him firmly. Her hands came around his back, inspecting, and as she feared, when she raised them, they were bright and slick with blood. That arrow had to come out, the bleeding staunched along with it.

“Can you stand?”

“Of course.” He sounded insulted that she’d even asked.

Inferna was strategizing how they would do this when she spied a familiar sight across the battlefield. Close but perhaps an impossible distance away.

“Linhardt!” she screamed in an unmistakable command.

“Ugh, what?” the green-haired bishop groaned. He set an armored knight on fire with a lazy flick of the wrist before turning toward her, his half-lidded eyes expressing acute boredom even in the heat of battle. He stopped and stared momentarily at their situation. “Oh.”

“Get over here! I need you!”

“Is he bleeding?” he called back. “Please don’t tell me he’s bleeding…”

“Lin!”

“Okay, okay.” 

Linhardt’s progress was momentarily halted as a stray arrow flew across his path, but Dorothea was suddenly there, firing a bolt of white light straight back. “Go, Lin, I’ll cover you.”

“Me, too!” Caspar crowed, practically bounding over Lin to punch a charging paladin right off his horse.

“Much appreciated.”

Linhardt made it to them, mercifully unscathed, and grimaced down at the protruding arrow. “Ugh, Hubert, really? I expect this kind of careless behavior from Ferdinand, not you.”

“It was my fault,” Inferna admitted as a cacophony of feelings rose inside her. 

Hubert knew she could’ve taken that hit—and much worse besides. Why had he done something so stupid? Was this some sort of ill-advised order from Edelgard, to protect her at all costs? Surely, he would’ve objected and defied it, viewing his emperor’s life as the priority, a decision Inferna agreed with. The war effort would be more difficult for the Black Eagle Strike Force without Inferna but not impossible. With his status as a strategist and an unexpected powerhouse on and off the battlefield, losing Hubert would be an equally hard loss but not unsalvageable. Without Edelgard, though, they would have nothing. No leader to rally behind, no successor, no cause. She wanted to shake Hubert some more and demand answers, but she dared not irritate his injury anymore than she already had.

“Professor,” Linhardt was complaining, “he’s bleeding everywhere.”

It was an exaggeration, but Inferna knew how much the sight of blood affected Lin. Any amount was too much, and no doubt he was fighting the urge to pass out or at least focus his attention somewhere else. But he was the only healer in their vicinity. 

“I know you can do this,” she encouraged. “I need you to do this. I’m not going to lose a single one of you.”

Lin smiled. It was a little queasy, but genuine all the same. “No, you’re not. Not today anyway.” He examined Hubert more clinically. “I guess I’ll save him, since we’re friends. I think.”

Hubert laughed roughly. “Don’t start.” 

Not in the mood for inside jokes, Inferna ordered, “Pull the arrow out while I brace him.”

Lin inhaled deeply. “Alright.”

As Linhardt rounded the two of them, Inferna wrapped an arm against Hubert’s lower back, the other braced against his chest. Her hand clenched the strap of his cape, and she locked her knees. Started as she felt his hands settle on her hips. She brushed off the feeling. He needed to hold onto her, too, didn’t he? Bracing him was the whole point. Once she felt suitably balanced, she nodded for Lin to grab the arrow.

Inferna was going to monitor Lin’s progress, give guidance if he faltered, but at that moment between Linhardt bracing himself and yanking out the arrow, Hubert raised his head. His green eyes trapped hers and refused to let go. Not a sound escaped him as Lin ripped out the arrow, though she felt his body jerk under her hands. That had to be painful, but he betrayed no hint of agony or irritation, not even at Lin’s fresh curses as he tossed the bloody thing away and prepared a healing spell. He just gazed at Inferna as if that alone was enough to anchor him. As if that was all he wanted to do forever.

She found herself returning that unflinching gaze, but she also found she wanted something more.

Before she could figure out what that something was, the sound of hooves had her tearing her eyes away. She sighed in relief at seeing Sylvain riding toward them instead of an enemy. 

“Whoa, teach!” The redhead grinned as he guided his horse to a stop. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, I think Lin took care of it.” At Hubert’s nod, Inferna disentangled herself, trying not to blush too obviously at the suggestive situation. Both of them on their knees, in the dirt, staring at each other like two touch-starved lovers. She got to her feet and at last sheathed her sword. “What news?”

“Area’s clear, so I thought I’d go help the girls. They went straight to the shoreline.”

Inferna did a quick headcount. Dorothea was heading their way, Ferdinand riding slowly beside her as their banter peppered the air. The rest of the boys were here. So that meant… “Bernie, Petra, and El are alone down there?”

“Yeah, but I’m sure they’re fine.” 

“Where’s the enemy commander?”

“Uh…”

It was Hubert who answered. “The shoreline.”

“Fuck!”

Sylvain’s casual air faded at his commander’s obvious distress. “C’mon, professor, we’ll make it there fast.”

“For once, I’ll take your offer. If they haven’t finished the knights off, I will.” Inferna accepted Sylvain’s hand up and swung herself into the saddle behind him. “Wait,” she said before Sylvain could snap the reins. “You’re okay?” Not waiting for or trusting Hubert’s silent, narrow-eyed response, she turned to Linhardt. “Is he okay?”

Lin examined Hubert up and down with the precision of a dull scalpel.“I think he’ll make it, if just to torment us.”  

“Go and assist Lady Edelgard,” Hubert told her, that familiar smirk and smooth tone back in place. That convinced her. “I’ll catch up.”

She lingered a little too long on the sight of the warlock, still on his knees, with her elevated considerably above him.

“Not me,” quipped Linhardt a hint too loudly. Face burning, Inferna nudged Sylvain. It was time to go. 

Lin sat down and folded his hands behind his head as he reclined on the grass. “I’m staying right here. Just let me know when it’s over,” he yelled after them as the horse trotted away. “And someone tell Caspar to shut up.”

“Hey! Shut this up, Linhardt!”

“He tackle ‘im?” Sylvain asked her.

Inferna glanced over her shoulder and laughed. “Yep.”

“Let’s get back, then, before von Vestra makes our teammates disappear. Y’know.” He managed to send her a wink. “Since you nursed him so well back to health and all.”

“What’s that? You want me to tell Mercedes about the time you got drunk and—”

“Wow, would you look at that, we’re already here! On your left, Petra!” 

[sadly-too-sad]

"16-21, rain stopped play."

It was the scoreboard update on Anushka's phone. He looked at the cloudy sky and gave a grumpy look while whispering, "you're making me sicker"

It was a restless Friday and everyone was ready to go home to enjoy the weekend. Anushka was having a good mood as he was ready to go out on a date with his favourite person. Everything went smoothly until Anushka opened an email which said, "please revise the client's budget. Include 13.5% instead of 9.5%, pl."

It was 04.22 and Anushka's expectations were totally different compared to his work schedule. He started losing his nerves. He saw his tiny table clock ticking second after second. He rolled through his chair to the next table for a quick chat with Sashi, his best 'co-worker' friend. "Eh, boss has told me to revise the proposal. But I want to go men. I told you I have something special, right?", it was Anushka's sad rushing voice. Sashi was clueless and had no options. "Shall we talk to him?", asked Sashi who really wanted to help Anushka. Sashi took her water bottle from the table and gave it to Anushka who was staring at the road through the window. Anushka took a deep breath and exhaled while saying, "maybe it was not the right time", and took the water bottle from Sashi. "I just don't know how to tell her about this", slowly whispered Anushka and glided back to his table. Sashi saw the pale face of Anushka. "You know what, I'll type the terms and conditions, but I'm leaving at 5", it was Sashi's voice which energised Anushka to get back to work.

He checked the time which showed 16:31 on his phone. Anushka got up with the phone in his hand, and went to the restroom with a decision of calling off the date. As Anushka left the table, Sashi took his seat to revise the terms and conditions. Anushka had left his PC on Chrome while he was on the Whatsapp web tab. Sashi took the cursor to the Google docs tab but her eagle eyes saw a very familiar display picture on Anushka's chat. Sashi curiously looked at the DP and read the last message sent to 'Cookie'. It said, "Yeah. Sure" with two emojis. A smiley emoji with a blue ring around the head and two pink hearts, one big and one small.

Sashi didn't want to open the chat but she peeked into the restroom door and saw Anushka standing outside, in a call. Sashi's evil mode was turned on. She quickly opened the chat and ran through the messages. "So this is the cute little girl you said, huh?", Whispered Sashi to herself.

Meanwhile, Anushka was dialling his phone to call Yohani, as he didn't know how to explain his struggle. Yohani, one of Anushka's closest friends, answered the phone and whispered, "I'm still at the office...". Anushka's doubtful voice mumbled, "Um, I have a small problem. Can we have two minutes?"

It was 04.40 and Sashi went through weeks of history on Cookie's chat as her curiosity didn't let her skip the opportunity.

With all the evidences, Sashi switched to the Google docs tab and started making changes in the document. While she was working Anushka came back to his seat and his voice went loud saying, "Hey!".

Sashi was shocked and she turned to Anushka. Anushka looked at the monitor and saw Sashi working on the document. "I turned off mine, so I jumped here", said Sashi who was acting normal even with a fast beating heart.

"Thanks Sush. It's fine, I'll do it", said Anushka who sounded dull.

"You okay?", Asked Sashi who was staring at Anushka's pale face.

"Yah. I said I won't be able to come and she said, "okay" and she hung up", it was the saddest tone of Anushka Sashi had ever heard. Sashi is now speechless. She has no idea about what to say next. Anushka sat in his seat and started working on the document. "Don't worry, it'll be fine", said Sashi, who was on pause for few seconds. Anushka smiled, and Sashi saw the feelings behind his smile.

"Ting", it was Sashi's phone which had a text from Jason. "Got to go", said Sashi. She took her handbag and got up. Before leaving her table, she looked at Anushka who was working with no energy and said, "don't sleep here, okay? See you next Monday". Anushka smiled and replied with a blank "bye".

Sashi, walked down stairs and called Jason, her boyfriend, as it was about to rain. "I'm downstairs", said Sashi. "Okay baby, right in front of G-Flock. Give me 2 minutes", answered Jason.

As soon as Jason arrived, Sashi was cheered with a bright smile. She ran to the car and seated comfortably.

Jason was so interested in listening to Sashi's chattering while driving. So he turned down the volume of the radio. Sashi took the bag of chips from the cubby hole, smiled at Jason and started chattering.

"You know what, Anushka is dating Yohani", it was Sashi, who turned the conversation to a whole new topic. "You mean your friend Yohani?

That girl, who played basketball in your school?", asked Jason.

"Yes, that girl, who you had a crush when you were schooling", said Sashi while smiling with Jason.

And the best thing is, "she's serious", whispered Sashi to Jason. Jason gave a serious look to Sashi. "I saw", said Sashi and laughed at Jason.

"Bla bla bla", Jason replied as he was speechless.

"So how's it going anyway?", curiously asked Jason as he couldn't stop wondering about Yohani who was an amazing girl when they were schooling.

On the other side of the world, the ticking clock showed 5.15 and Anushka was done with his work. He checked his phone but he saw no messages from his favourite person. He started flexing himself and opened chrome to check the champions league scores on ESPN.

"16-21, rain stopped play."

It was the scoreboard update on Anushka's phone. He stared at the cloudy sky through the window and gave a grumpy look while whispering, "you're making me sicker"

Anushka went to the car park after finishing all his work. He took his helmet and got on the bike.

"Vrum vrum", Anushka fired up his new sports bike and he was ready to hit the road. Seconds later, Anushka turned off the engine and kept his head on the tank and hugged the bike. He didn't feel good and the weather made his mood even worse.

He parked his bike once again and walked out from the basement. He went to the road and took a tuk tuk. "Mahatthaya koheda yanne?" ("Where are you heading Mr.") It was the tuk driver who stopped to pick Anushka. "Galle Face", replied Anushka.

In the meantime, Sashi was explaining about the mysterious incident to Jason. "I think these two are in love. Anushka was telling me about her for a very long time. I just didn't know it was Yohani", said Sashi to Jason. "And today, I saw the saddest face of Anushka", continued Sashi.

"Didn't she tell you about him?", asked Jason who knew about Sashi and Yohani. "Not a word. But she asked me about Anushka. I mean, wait a minute...", Sashi paused for a moment. She took her phone and opened Yohani's chat. She scrolled back in lighting speed to the point where she could see the selfies they took on the last outing. "How's Anushka?", it was a message sent by Yohani, the day after the outing. Sashi thought Yohani was asking about Anushka because they poured ketchup in his Sprite the day before and Sashi had replied saying, "he's crazy as usual" with a picture of Anushka who's sitting next to her. "Anaa.... He's so cute" with the emoji of the monkey covering it's eyes, was Yohani's reply to the picture.

Sashi had a doubt but she didn't chase it as everyone loved Anushka and he was the coolest and the most friendliest guy in the office.

"Is this picture cute?", asked Sashi who showed Jason the picture of Anushka which was sent to Yohani. Jason gave a smile to Sashi and said, "Maybe! Who knows. Even you looked cute to me"

Jason started laughing and Sashi punched Jason's arm several times and turned towards the window. "I know Yohani better than you. She's not this type. And she doesn't do this to anyone. ANYONE!", Sashi replied in an attention grabbing tone. "And that day Anushka didn't have his phone with him. That can be another reason why Yohani messaged me", Sashi started giving reasons. "Okay, okay. Maybe she likes him a little bit. Now what?", replied Jason who turned to Sashi and tickled her under her ears while they were jammed in the traffic.

"Don't you think we should help Anushka?", it was Sashi who turned to Jason with a smile.

The sun was fading and the clouds had captured the entire sky. Anushka got off from the tuk and started walking to the beach side. He walked towards the pole where the national flag was waving gently with the wind. While walking along the path, his favourite scent of street food went through his nose straight to his empty stomach and the sad heart.

He forgot his sadness for a moment and rushed to the usual spot. "Ah, Mahatthaya. Ko missi awe nedda?" (Greetings Mr. Didn't the Ms. come today?), it was the shop keeper's voice. Anushka's mood swung over the moon and came back which made him reply in a pale, sad tone. "Mahatthaya wadi wennako, ada thiyenawa maru keamak" (Please take a seat Mr. Today we have a very special menu.), said the shopkeeper while frying the food. Anushka went and sat on the edge of the wall instead of sitting on the bench near the shop. He was looking at the waving sea with an empty mind. While Anushka was enjoying the view, "ting" a text message popped in his phone. Anushka exhaled and checked but it was not from Yohani so he again started staring at the sea.

"Mahatthaya, me chapati eka kala balannako" (Please taste this chapati Mr.), the shopkeeper came to Anushka with a water bottle and gave him a plate of chapati. Anushka smiled and held his hands while the shopkeeper poured water to wash the hands.

At the same time, Sashi and Jason were thinking about Anushka and Yohani. As Sashi and Jason were stuck on traffic, Sashi came up with an idea and took a group call including Yohani, and two other schoolmates. Sashi switched on her video and started blabbering. She saw Yohani who was silent but she didn't ask or tell anything to her. Sashi slowly started to say about her day. She started from the good things and then, she said, "look we're stuck in traffic because of our boss. Jason had to wait for an hour till me and Anushka finished the work". Those few words grabbed Yohani's attention. And the other two girls were telling about their day. "Yeah, we went on a outing last week and we took a day off. But the work chased us down anyway. I'm okay, because Jason stayed for me, but Anushka looked upset. Maybe it was because he was with his bike, who knows. And it's raining here in Dehiwala", continued Sashi.

Yohani heard everything but kept the conversation simple and light.

"Okay then, bye bichaas", Sashi ended the call. Yohani didn't see anything suspicious as a weekend call was a normal thing no matter how busy they were. But she didn't take much time to check out Anushka as the day off was taken to go out on shopping for Yohani birthday. First Yohani went online and checked whether Anushka was online or not. As Anushka was offline, Yohani didn't think about sending a message. She opened both Instagram and snapchat to check Anushka's stories. Anushka was artistic and loved taking pictures. At the very moment, Anushka had posted a status of the sky which was a usual place in Yohani's life. She came out from the public library, and took a tuk tuk to Galle Face.

"You think it'll work?", asked Jason who doubted Sashi. "I know Yohani", replied Sashi with a smile.

Meanwhile, Anushka was enjoying the new recipe. He took his phone to type down a note to update his blog.

"The gentle voice of hers, the soft breaths, it makes myself self calm.

I have no idea, how she is capable of doing such marvellous wonders. Just her presence makes me feel comfortable. Even if I sit in front of the cold breeze of the seashore, I feel her warmth.

What is this connection?

Why I do feel this bond. My mind is so confused and I'm still wondering about her. I'm so overwhelmed by her fragrance.

Is this everything, or is this nothing. Is this love, or is this magic.

I wonder why..."

Anushka typed his thoughts and whispered, "I wish you were here..."

For a moment everything became calm. Anushka could hear his own heartbeat. He looked at the water and closed his eyes. With the windy weather, he felt someone touching his shoulder as a support to sit on the edge next to him.

Anushka opened his eyes as he felt something usual. It was a fragrance which was unique to a person. Anushka turned to his right. “Huh! The usual?”, he pioneered on breaking the fragile silence.

“What else would be my favourite?��, said Yohani, who flicked her piece of hair on her face. She gave a pretty warming smile and Anushka's heart started pumping faster.

“Oh, you mean the roti? You know it's my favourite too, right?”, Anushka chuckled nervously since he couldn't forget the fact that he was upset and sad for making her feel worried.

"A message would have been nice", said Anushka. "You're so bad at making decisions, so I went to the library after lectures", replied Yohani. Anushka was angry with what she said as he knew how much effort he needed to explain his situation.

"Ah, me inne missi" ("Oh, here she is"), the shopkeeper went loud in a happy tone. Yohani smiled with the shopkeeper.

“So? You wanted me to meet here?" Asked Yohani curiously. Anushka turned to her and said, "Let's go sit there".

The shopkeeper knew their favourite plates but he didn't forget to serve the new chapati to Yohani. "Missi, meka aluth. Kaala balannako" ("Miss this is a new recipe, you should try"), said the shopkeeper who served the food to Yohani and Anushka.

"Anyway, why did you want me to come?", asked Yohani. Anushka didn't have an answer as 'that moment' wasn't in his plan.

"Oh, c’mon Anushka. A gentleman never makes a lady wait”, Yohani kept on pushing as she knew there was something special in Anushka's head. Anushka felt like she was reading his mind but he stayed calm. Yohani wanted to ask about the bike but she stayed quiet and instead she started enjoying her meal.

"I'm listening", said Yohani who gave a puppy look while biting a piece of chapati.

“Haha! Very funny! Annoy me of course”, Anushka slowly skipped the moment.

Moments passed by, “I’m sorry", Anushka whispered. Yohani looked at him in the eyes and replied, “No Anushka, I could have waited. I just didn't know what to do after lectures. And I told Dada to come at around 8.30. I'm sorry"

Anushka smiled, as he didn't know how to explain his feelings.

He was afraid of losing her but she wanted him to say three words...

“I wish, you were mine” 😇💕

Based on feelings and thoughts.