#I had at one point tricked myself into thinking I could finish both it and chapter three of CaR before the end of the year

[dadrielle]

you have constructed an alternate reality in which Laudna makes fine leather goods??? 😳

Oh, yeah! It's nothing fancy, just a bit of self indulgent fluff I started last winter and then set aside because of my cross country move. I just wanted an excuse to have Laudna talk a bit about my hobby lmao. Was thinking about finishing it up for Christmas, since it does have a winter theme.

Here are the oneshot's opening lines:

The thing about owning her own little saddlery, with its specialized clientele and location in what was essentially a repurposed shed out in the middle of the woods, was that she did not, as a rule, get walk-ins. Which is why, when the gentle ring of the bell signaled a customer’s arrival, and Laudna looked up to see the most beautiful women she’d ever laid eyes on in her life, Laudna already knew her name was Imogen Temult.

[twig-tea]

With 23.5 finally coming out, the people are rejoicing at finally getting a high profile gl from GMMTV. But there have already been several gls airing this year, including my fav TsukuTabe, that have been flying under the radar with fandom, and in general there are more gls already out there than folks seem to think. I just know you have a list of all the gls we should be watching, please share with the class!

Thank you for the ask! How did you know I had a draft of GL recs to make at some point? [Trick question, I mentioned it to you.]

It may seem like I'm out here hating on GL because i've made a couple of negative reviews of recently airing series recently (Love Senior and Chaser Game W in case you're curious) but I actually have lots of GL that I love and that I wish were better known! Thanks for sending this ask so I am inspired to actually finish it! I've limited myself to series so that I could keep the list and this post to a reasonable length. Where possible I've listed where you can find each of these and included a link. And I've included an 'elevator pitch' summary but I am NOT in marketing for a reason, so please don't roast me too hard for my terrible comparisons. Alright, enough waffling!

Twig's GL Rec List

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat S1 & 2 (Japan, 2022 & 2024, both seasons fansubbed by @furritsubs; if you need help accessing this show feel free to DM me!)

Elevator pitch: Our Dining Table with lesbians and an even slower burn. Watch for beautiful food, acespec rep, mental health and therapy rep

What might turn some off: Extremely low heat, and quite slow-moving; warning for a disordered eating and family trauma plot (v gently handled)

Let's start with the one you've already mentioned. This is a heartwarming slice-of-life slow burn in which an autismspec-coded woman who likes to eat is invited by her neighbour, a femme acespec woman who loves to cook, to come and eat her food. It starts from a very practical place (when you love making food you need someone to help eat it), but their relationship grows as they spend more time together. The story follows them as they both move towards self-actualization in several ways: as a lesbian, as asexual, at work, with their families, with their friends, with each other. This show is so careful to say the important words aloud. And there is so much delicious cooking! Each episode highlights a particular recipe, and the food porn is real. Do not watch while hungry, but definitely watch. The found famiy vibes in this one one are also immaculate.

She Makes My Heart Flutter (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Younger lesbian friend group tries to help out (slightly) older lesbian bar owner with mixed success. I can't think of a good BL equivalent, The Moment Since feels the closest with its similar bartender/patron romance

What might turn some off: Comedic tone; short runtime; struggles with being closeted

This is a gem of a miniseries about a bar owner and an interior designer who smoulder at one another while an intrepid group of younger bar regulars (including the bar owner's neice) meddle. This series is really cute, solid, and full of sapphics! Once again found family vibes are immaculate (you may sense a theme in my faves). Run don't walk.

Fragrance of the First Flower (Taiwan, 2021, GagaOOLala)

Elevator pitch: Right-person-wrong-time/second chance romance; tonally is a little like We Best Love 2: Fighting Mr. 2nd but with an ambiguous ending.

What might turn you off: Medium heat, second chance romance means they break up once, internalized homophobia, adultery/cheating, at one point there's a creepy dude, child with autism (depicted well), ambiguous ending

At its core this is a story of a woman who can't stop getting in the way of her own happiness. This series is a little more sad than the rest of this rec list but I couldn't not include it because this relationship is so poignant. Plus there's a s2 that supposedly is to come out in 2024 so maybe we'll get our happy ending after all?

Love Greater Than or Equal to 70 Degrees C (Korea, 2019, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ingredients but with lesbians staring at one another over beautiful tea pairings! What more could you ask for?

What might turn you off: Low heat; short runtime; ambiguous ending; like Ingredients this is essentially a long ad for the café it's filmed at.

This is a Korean miniseries about passionate tea sommeliers making really fancy tea while staring at one another a LOT. Perfect sapphic representation, 10/10 no notes. This one packs a lot of the drama tropes into its short runtime, so even though it's short it's full of butterfly-inspiring moments.

Sleep With Me (Philippines, 2022, GagaOOLala/iWantTFC/Netflix w/VPN set to Philippines)

Elevator pitch: The Truth About Cats and Dogs but the self esteem issues are handled without catfishing. BL equivalent: Hmmm. Closest I can think of is Gaya Sa Pelikula.

What might turn you off: There's some ableism (treated as such) in this show; Open ending.

Stellar GL between a late night radio DJ and an insomniac who listens to her show. One of the main couple is a wheelchair user and the show tackles ablelism and navigating disability in relationship as well as feelings of inadequacy in a relationship and how that manifests as interpersonal conflict.

Our Relationship Ended Before it Began (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Along the lines of I Cannot Reach You; the show gives both perspectives and they are held back by queer angst.

What might turn you off: No kiss (but they make it very clear both want to kiss), internalized homophobia

Really sweet miniseries about having a crush and being afraid of being hurt so you don't actually make a move. I really like the way the girl who has not dated a girl before defaults to gender roles and it throws the more experienced lesbian lol I also really like the way this show makes clear that both of them are waiting for a kiss, and that if you get in your head about things, it can get in the way of your own happiness!

Pearl Next Door (Philippines, 2020, Youtube)

Elevator Pitch: Gameboys but with lesbian vloggers.

What might turn you off: Love triangle, lots of teasing but low heat in the end, a lot of (good) conversations about mental health issues, ambiguous ending

This is the GL spinoff to Gameboys, starring Pearl from Gameboys. Pearl ends up being fought over by the two gorgeous women in the gif, an old love and a new. I love the queer friendships in this story as much as the relationships. I will say it's an open ending (that felt a bit like the showrunners didn't want to decide between ships) and definitely the love triangle features prominently but even in the face of these aspects that would normally turn me off a series I had a good time. The characters and interpersonal conflicts feel very real, and are allowed to be complex even when the show tone is comedic.

Dear Uranus (Taiwan, 2021, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Schoolgirl ensemble GL; a little like My School President but without the singing.

What might turn you off: Short runtime; ambiguous ending; a little bit of bullying; very standard romance trope execution

The first Taiwanese GL miniseries, this series was produced by a Taiwanese lesbian couple (Rabbit & Wolf)! Lots of excellent drama tropes, and incredibly gorgeous women (I think the entire watching audience fell in love with Erol.

Lily Fever (Korea, 2015, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Complete crack; YYY but with more kissing and frankly an even less coherent story.

What might turn you off: The lack of coherent plot; less a romance and more a very thirsty lesbian kissing everyone she can

This miniseries is utter chaos. Nothing really makes sense, it's all just random excuses to cause very suggestive moments (and kissing) to happen. I love so much how this series depicts women being so absolutely thirsty for one another (and yes that date isn't a typo, this series is ~9 years old). Not an "happy ever after" ending but it really isn't that kind of story.

Chasing Sunsets (Philippines, 2020, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ocean Likes Me with lesbians. Resort romance with a mental health twist.

What might turn you off: Some of the mental health stuff gets intense, this was filmed in 2020 so the pandemic features heavily; hopeful but slightly ambiguous ending.

A complex story from the Philippines covering mental health and finding yourself. A woman shows up to a resort and befriends one of the women running the resort. They get closer as they spend time together, and the resort owner realizes something is off. There's also a BL side couple in this series.

Show Me Love (Thai, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: A little like My Day the series with lesbians, in that they work together and fall in love and it's full of tropes

What might turn you off: The advertising for the Miss Grand competition, there is some bullying and cheating (though way less than I was expecting tbh), not a lot actually happens, the editing gets a bit wonky at the end

This is essentially a massive ad for the Miss Grand Thailand competition; this GL was produced by the same company that produces that competition, and the stars are mostly Miss Grand competitors. The main pairing were shipped in the actual competition, and the company decided to make a GL about them. It's very slow paced and low-stakes, and there are better kisses than I expected considering everything I just said about where this show came from. There are a lot of cute moments!

Girlfriend Project (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Love Class with lesbians

What might turn you off: One of the leads is kind of mean in that pgitail-pulling way? It ends abruptly (but happily)

This is a short miniseries about two girls paired in a class that are assigned to "date". The chemistry is chemistrying. And there is a kiss (a good kiss, and a tiptoes kiss at that!). This show also has one of my favourite tropes, in which someone who seems like a pushover stands up for themselves and their partner finds it very attractive. For the record, in this show they are watching another GL by the same company, Love Tech.

Lulu (Philippines, 2022, Vivamax/grey)

Elevator Pitch: Present Perfect with lesbians (but with a better ending).

What might turn you off: Depictions of panic attacks, brief depiction of drowning, pandemic lockdowns, illness, exes, waffling, happy but open ending (which I actually liked for this story)

Two women trying to move on from the garbage in their lives meet at the beach of a B&B (where one saves the other from drowning) and become one another's company during their escape and then something more. They both have baggage that seems determined to keep them apart even as they continue to be drawn together. In the end, they decide to stick it out and see where they end up, with no guarantee of happily ever after, which I found very sweet. Requires either a VivaMax account or searching the grey for it, but it's worth the effort (check MyDramaList comments for suggestions on where to find it). Plus one of the leads has a cactus as a pet.

Welcome to the Lesbian Bar (Korea, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: A little like Fudanshi Bartender but without the fudanshi bartender and all of the bar patrons are lesbians lol

What might turn you off: Short, can get a little bit preachy, abrupt ending

Cute short series with different very stories every episode as different patrons visit the bar. The stories range from women who have been together for awhile, to people meeting from an online app for the first time, to someone visiting a lesbian bar for the first time; and yet the story all weaves together in a way that's satisfying though ends abruptly. Includes some solid marriage equality propaganda.

GAP the Series (Thai, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Kind of the vibes of Together with Me but lesbians and in an office instead of school. Angry boss falls for charming new intern and

What might turn you off: This one is the highest heat of all these recs; homophobia especially amongst family, brief depictions of death by car, brief mentions of suicide, cheating, bullying, abuse of power in the office.

A list would not be complete without this one! Honestly the plot is a bit wobbly but the show is a lot of fun. The girls are very cute, the feelings and tension builds really well between them, the friend group is excellent, and in the special we get a wedding.

---

The rest of these have caveats of one kind or another, but i couldn't leave them off a rec list, so here are the side couples and censored stories that are still worth your time anyway (I might do a separate more detailed post for these, as well as for films, one day if there's interest):

Nevertheless (GL side; Korean, 2021, Netflix) Not sure it's worth watching a whole kdrama for side lesbians? Search soljiwan on youtube. They are great. Even the Netflix account stans them. I watched this (ngl, I watched the SolJiwan cut) as it aired and was constantly braced for it to let us down but it did not! A really good friends-to-lovers story.

Friend Zone 2: Dangerous Area (GL side; Thailand, 2019, YouTube): These sapphics are messy and I love them. Decent conversation about dating someone with mental health issues in this series, and they're one of the only couples in this ensemble to get a happy ending. If you're just watching the lesbian couple (which you can, their story is pretty self-contained) you don't need to have seen s1.

Six Survivors (GL side; Japan, 2022, Viki) This show is a horror comedy and it is SO MUCH FUN. Warning for zombies and blood, but way less than you might think. One of the eponymous 6 survivors is a lesbian who keeps trying to convert them to veganism lol. If you watched Chaser Game W you'll recognize one of the actresses in this, the lead actress is from Kamisama no Ekohiiki, and one of the guys is from the prequel series His as well as I Want to See Only You! And yes there is a kiss. Also a surprising number of Mallrats references. Not for people who can't handle gore or relationships being complicated/not a "true love" story/ambiguous ending.

Kamisama no Ekohiiki (complicated question of is it GL in parts, Japan, 2021, furritsubs once again coming through to save the day) This one is a bit complex because there's bodyswap, but the girl who falls for the bodyswapped boy-in-a-girl's-body is clear that she is only interested in the girl. One of the better bodyswap stories because the bodyswap is not a secret for very long, so instead there's a lot of introspection about what gender means and who/what they are attracted to. Feels wrong to call this GL, necessarily, but it's very queer.

Couple of Mirrors (Censored GL, China, 2021, Viki) Story of a rich girl and her assassin girlfriend. This production did an amazing job getting away with what they could, just don't watch the last five minutes and we've got essentially a happy lesbian family.

Legend of Yunze (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) Very cute very low budget xianxia miniseries with two seasons and a special. The special is set in modern times in a future lifetime so if you want a cute censored-but-clearly-a-soulmate-love-story this is the one for you. Don't be thrown off by the weird cuts/abrupt episode endings, that's in line with cdramas in general.

Led Astray by Love (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) A very fun and adorable isekai story in which a modern day girl is transported to a wuxia novel setting and has to figure out how to get home, and gets romanced by the princess along the way.

And a few additional links for people who even more content:

My Indian sapphic webseries rec list

My suggestions for content with toms (Thai category that's similar to but not exactly the same as butch lesbians) in response to this post.

This really good GL MyDramaList list (not made by me!) lists what seems to be everything I've mentioned and about 200 more. Even I haven't seen a few of these!

My YouTube playlist of sapphic content: This includes anything I stumble across or find in my searches, a lot of music videos and random shorts as well as some microseries and miniseries that I don't consider GL but are WLW/sapphic in addition to true "GL" content. For serialized content, I add just the first ep. A complete mess, but you can trawl through to find stuff to watch, like Hetero!

SOONOTSUE: The same producers of She Makes My Heart Flutter have other short series on their channel worth checking out; if you liked that one, try Out of Breath!

Shakeshoulder: Thai YouTube producers of very pulpy (read: low budget and dramatic plots) shorts

FuFuKnows: This YouTube channel is owned by a gay Taiwanese couple that produces shorts every week, including some with GL mains and sides. These are very low budget but cover a whole swath of queer themes.

@douqi7s is a godsend providing subtitles for all kinds of content, including sapphic shorts and more series than I've listed here. Check their tumblr for links to all of their content; A Practical Guide to Being a Superstar's Assistant has one of the best setups to giving us great moments in the guise of something else so that they get past censorship I've ever seen; I also recommend The Vampires if you're into genre fiction, as well as Legend of Yunqian if you enjoyed the xianxia parts of Legend of Yunze. @wlwcatalogue did an excellent summary of many of the non-wuxia options here.

Quick pitch for the streaming platform GagaOOLala; it's affordable, has a ton of content, including a whack of GLs (originals, license series, and a ton of shorts), and is run by queer people out of Taiwan who care about good quality queer content being made and having an audience, and using the soft power from those successful series to support social change. And if you can't afford a subscription it's worth checking out what they have for free, they open up temporary free access to some things for various events throughout the year.

In searching for gifs for this post I found fellow tumblr user @drowningparty 's WLW compendium list; they've listed more series and films so check it out if you still need more content!

*wipes sweat off brow* that should be enough to be getting on with, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg! If there's something specific you want to see with sapphics let me know and I can tell you if I know it exists. Anyway, I hope this gives you and everyone else a taste of what all is out there! I of course always want more, I am serious about being a sapphic dragon hoarding every crumb i can get my lizardy hands on, but I do think what we have should also be appreciated more. If I missed one of your faves, please tell me!

[igotanidea]

Walk down memory lane : AK!Jason Todd x fem!reader

Warnings: mention of self harm and suicidal thoughts.

You can find other AK!stories on point 4 here: Jason Todd masterlist

***

She was just so tired.

Tired of fighting, of keeping up that fucking hope, of carrying the excessive weight on her shoulders.

She just couldn’t anymore .

Maybe it was time to finally accept that Jason didn’t care about her. That he would never care again. Not in the same way he used to before all this shit hit them. Before Joker, Harley, Arkham…

But she still needed, wanted, craved his love.

But how long can a girl be strong and live in a delusion?

And for the first time in a year she started crying.

What Harley could not achieve, happened because of a boy. No amount of torture and mind games and tricks she was subject to in Arkham, not once broke her. But the indifference and cold treatment from her former boyfriend, the one who she still loved got her on her knees, sobbing and shaking on the bed in her little, cold Asylum cell.

He was right. She was completely alone, no one was coming to help her, safe her from that void that finally found a way straight to her heart. Nothing more than a playtoy, unlovable, weak, pathetic, developing a heavy case of Stockholm syndrome.

Poor girl hugged herself in a foul attempt to calm down, but it was for nothing. Tears were falling freely down her cheeks, turning her into a puddle of emotions she couldn’t hold back. It was like the old wound and the feeling of being used opened and uncovered all the layers she cut off before.

Some people call it trauma, but she couldn’t care less about the terminology.

Maybe it would be better to just end her own life right now just so she wouldn’t have to suffer through another day of such lousy existence. It was Arkham, she was pretty sure she would find something to help her execute her plan.

On shaking legs she stood up from the bed, moving towards the bathroom. The mirror that Jason broke violently after their last encounter was still not fixed and the sharp pieces of glass poked on every side.

Perfect.

Gathering all the strength she had left, she reached towards the splinter and pointed it towards her wrist, assessing the “best” place to cut……

***

She woke up feeling sore and in tremendous amount of pain like never before. Both of her wrists were patched up with the clean bandages and she wasn’t even in her own sweatbox. Honestly, she couldn’t for the love of God recognise the place where she was, until the familiar, slightly muffled voice threw her off her confused state and brought back to reality.

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!” Jason hissed with unconcealed anger and she shivered. “WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO!?” in a blink of an eye he was right next to her, grabbing her chin and forcing her eyes up.  

She was just completely silent, the tight grip of his fingers on her puffy, hurting cheeks causing a few more tears to flow down her eyes.

“I’m sorry…..” she whispered, slightly panicking. He was never supposed to find her, let alone to save her. And why did he? Was it only because he needed her for release in the future? “I’m sorry…..” her whole body shook violently.

“Y/N…….” her name in his mouth sounded almost sweet and the touch got far more gentle, sudden change in behaviour making her freeze. What was going on?

“I……” her mouth fell agape and it was impossible to say a word.

“Did you forget what I told you last time? You’re mine. You can’t just go and decide to hurt yourself this way. I cannot allow it.”

“Why?” she sobbed “it’s not like you care. I am just a reminder of the past, of all those lies you were fed by Batman and your family. Of someone you once were and could never be again.”

“Stop it!”

“Please, please, just let me go. Just let me finish it, please.” Her desperation and panic attack coming out in waves in the form of the aggressive tugging on the dressing, trying to reopen the stitched wounds and cuts. “I’ll do it myself. You won’t even have to lift a finger.”

“Stop it!’

“You can even watch it, I know you’ll enjoy the show. You wanted a show, didn’t you?”

“FOR FUCK’S SAKE STOP IT!” finally he managed to get a hold of her hands, pinning them down to her sides, precluding her from moving, even though she still struggled against his hold.  “Is that what you think of me? That I will enjoy that?”  she nodded shakily “fuck!”

“I’m sorry…..” she whimpered again. She was still here and he was now mad which could only equal to another punishment. And this time it was not going to be intimate. He could really hurt her at any time.

“Baby…..” he whispered, almost without thinking, closing his eyes “princess.”

“Wha….. what did you say?” her eyes grew wide. Did he really use those words or was it just an imagination?

Jason was completely inside his head now, memories flooding his brain like a fucking Niagara. He remembered the past. The moment, when while still being Robin, someone came after her, attacking her and almost eliminating her from the equation. He recalled the hours spend in the medical bay, watching her pale face and the heart rate monitor, praying to whatever entity was up there to bring her back to him. All those little heart attacks caused each time she took a sharp exhale. Falling asleep next to her bed, holding and caressing her cold hand, whispering pleas and promises to keep her safe in the future if she just woke up. Brushing up on how he felt when she finally opened her e/c eyes, looking at him with so much love and concern, asking if he was all right.

He remembered how she cared about him…..  And how he cared about her.

“Ja…. Jace?” she swallowed the lump in her throat, taking the risk to use his nickname, ready for another anger fit, but instead she met his honest gaze, so different from the one she was used to in his Arkham Knight version.

“Don’t ever do this again.” He gasped, brushing her cheek, putting a strand of hair behind her ear “you hear me?  Ever.”

“Jason?” he bottom lip trembled because of that sudden display of emotion from his part.

“Ever.” He emphasised.  “I don’t want to see you in pain.”

“Ok……”

“Anyone who hurt you deserve a punishment and that applies to you hurting yourself. Is that clear?”

“Anyone, but you?” she blurt without thinking and immediately covered her mouth in fear of the words that came out her mouth.

Jason tensed a bit, his muscles flexing but he didn’t move.

“Get some rest. Need you recovered soon. Big plans for you.” He just said and with one final look into her eyes left the room, leaving her completely speechless.

…..

[v44lentine]

Card Tricks (Remy Labeau x Reader)

A/N: bro i wont lie this kinda sucks but I loved thinking about it in my head so i hope you like this too! couldnt bring myself to write the nsfw bit into this version but i think I eventually will come up with the audacity...? tbd. if you enjoy please reblog im very scared of putting this out there but if people like it ive got more where this came from. I'd like to thank @thirtysomethingloser92 for being that voice in me just fucking all and writing this :') youre my biggest remy inspo love you all <3

warnings: mild fixation of hands ( god i love them so much)

=======

It was one of those rare days where absolutely nothing was happening,a comfortable silence whelmed the mansion with the occasional muttering of some passing students. The professor had decided on a short weekend for everyone and many had taken the opportunity to spend it in their rooms.You sat comfortably on the large sofa of the common area of the x mansion, headphones in listening to some podcast and sketching out a design on a little notepad, oblivious to the menace that is Remy Labeau, who unbeknownst to you, had spotted you whilst he was wandering around aimlessly.

“Cher~” 

he sashays towards you, hand reaching into his coat pocket to draw out a deck of cards, fiddling as he approaches. He stops right in front of you and awaits your response. You, now recognizing that someone is calling out, moved to pluck out your headphones; looking up to the source of the voice and finally acknowledging Remy silently. Remy, unfazed by the lack of a vocal response, moves to sit down next to you. His hands shuffled and manoeuvring the cards skillfully, “wanna see Gambit do a lil card trick?” 

“Hm ...be my guest pretty boy, wow me” You shuffle around to face him, abandoning the notepad and the headphones to focus on Remy’s deck of cards. 

You watch a small smirk press itself on his face, before he briefly shuffles the cards and hands you the deck “pick a card cher, and don't show it to me. Then put it back in and shuffle to your liking”

You squint in suspicion, repeating what he had instructed, taking a glance and returning the deck to him.

Remy nods a soft thanks, eyes glinting mischievously as he takes the deck back. He then starts to shuffle and cut the cards, his hands moving swiftly and nimbly. His eyes occasionally glance up at you before returning to the deck, watching your face for any kind of change in expression. You, completely fixated on the way he shuffles, could not help admiring the nimble fingers; thin and lengthy, gliding across the cards calmly seemingly bending the deck to his will. Remy almost immediately picked this up; very much enjoying the glances on his fingers and the very obvious gulp and licking of lips that he could not help but smirk and comment on, “like whatcha see cher?” his voice low and thick with the classic Cajun he carried about. You hum in agreement, continuing to focus on his movements. Eventually he finishes shuffling after a few more unnecessary movements, cutting the deck and setting both decks down on the table.

“Which one dya think it is hm?”

You think carefully , “why am I choosin’, you're the magician-”

Remy chuckles, “ butcha a smart one ma belle, i'm sure you know where it is~”

You frown “you're just gonna make me tell you the card i picked and scour for it?”

Remy mock pouts looking at you with those red eyes “awhhh cher tsk you've gotta have a little more faith in lil old gambit~” you roll your eyes and scoff at his response” ~maybe i've found it a’ready and m just messin witcha….ya disappointed?”

You couldn't help but chuckle “i'm disappointed that you're takin this long..” 

Remy feigns offence “and i thought you were enjoying the show ma belle….” he sighs, gesturing at the decks again. 

You squint at the deck judgmentally, and eventually point to the left deck “that one”

Remy hums, reaching to draw the first card of the left deck, displaying….the exact card you had drawn. “This one?” You nod, applauding “heh, toldya you're smart enuf” he chuckles, picking up the remaining of the deck and keeping the deck, basking in the applause. “See cher? Trust and faith”

You scoffed crossing your arms, “never doubted pretty boy”

Gambit’s smirk only grows wider, both at your words and the nickname you’ve chosen to address him as.

“Pretty boy, eh? You’re not so bad yourself, ma belle.” He hides the cards, now crossing his arms expectantly “Now that I’ve impressed you with my card trick, how about you show me one of yours? I’m sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve, petite…"

You couldn't help but giggle, “ what's this show and tell?” but promptly giving into his request, pulling out your deck of cards “hows abouts i read your fortune pretty boy?”

Remy raises a brow, clearly intrigued. He grins as he leans in a bit, resting his chin on one hand. "Oh? Now you've got my attention. You'd read my future, ma belle?" You nod and begin to shuffle the tarot cards, nothing as showy as Gambit’s was, shuffling and closing your eyes to take a few deep breaths to maintain a calming presence to the shuffling deck; after all, maintaining a calm allows the cards to pick up on the other being read upon.

“Impressive. I hope my future isn't as bleak as some fortune tellers have claimed." Slowly, you spread the cards thin across the table before turning to Remy.

“Heh” you joke “I don't know Remy...ya giving off some hella bad juju” Remy chuckles, amused by your bluntness "Bad juju, eh? Ouch. And here I thought you were starting to like me, petite."

You ignore his comment, “Pick three of them and turn them as you see fit.” 

Remy grins, his smirk never seeming to leave his face. He looks at the cards in front of him, eyeing them carefully. With a chuckle, he reaches out and tentatively picks 3 cards, flipping them over as you collect the deck to study the three he had chosen and you couldn't help but laugh at the irony of his statement, “well this one” you begin, pointing to the first card: the Death. “This sucks but...its the first card so it describes your past…?” You mutter and look at him for confirmation. Remy lets out a low whistle, most definitely not expecting something as accurate as that.

“Well Cher ...couldn't be closer to the truth yea?” 

“Have faith in me yea?” you replied, mimicking his earlier comment which had made him chuckle as you glance at the second card: The Five of Cups, inverted. “What does that mean?” Remy picks it up, waving it and glancing at the design. You snatched it from him as you noticed the tell tale sign of his purple hues of him charging the card “do not charge my cards Labeau-” Remy raises his hand in surrender “-now this card suggests your current state of being…which isn't the best. This symbolises a sort of disruption in your life and you feel disconnected…perhaps its time for you to focus on yourself labeau..”

Remy’s smirk slowly fade as you comment. “I feel highly targeted by al’ this- its like ‘m an open book for ya cher…which I very much am not”

You ignore his comment, clearly moving onto this last card would perhaps lift his spirits up: The Ace of Cups. “This” you say softly “This is your future…” Remy turns his attention to the third card. The card that represents love and happiness. He stares at it for a moment, then looks at you. The smirk from earlier returning to his face “love an’ happiness? Quite unexpected i’d say chere…not quite what i was expecting”

You shrug, taking away the cards and offering them to Remy to fiddle with “well, expect the unexpected Labeau”

He takes the cards, flipping through all of them to glance at all their different designs as he continued “hmmm~ you really know what to say to cheer a man up ma belle...would you be able to read on who would be involved in the ‘love and happiness’?” 

You motion towards the cards, and he returns them to you and draws the first card per your instructions: The Queen of Wands. You glance at it, humming, “hm, someone who’s upbeat, courageous…someone who seems to be able to play with their strengths and weaknesses….”

Remy listens and acknowledges, playing with the card that he had drawn, “so jus’ someone like me but in more control of their’ lives yea cher?” unconsciously, he had begun charging the card but you’d been distracted shuffling to get more comfortable on the sofa that when you realised the issue it was too late. Remy had put down the card and the moment his hand left the card- bomfph. A cloud of purple smoke puffed up on the table, and the both of you moved to swat away the cloud. 

“Remy Labeau I told you-”

“M’ so sorry cher I didn’t mean to-”

“Meow”

The both of you stopped abruptly and glanced at the table. In place of the card was now an orange cat- but it had a slight glowy tinge to it. A sharp breath was sucked in…would it attack? It tilted its head at the two of you and lept right into Remy’s arms, purring as it rubbed itself against him, kneading its paws before curling up on his lap.

“Thats….what the-” you sputter “Gambit what the hell did you do to my card” 

“Cher I don't know, does ya think lil ol’ Gambit knew he was capable of creating this??” he motions to the cat, whispering softly trying not to wake it up but completely failing. The oyen arose, shuffling towards you instead and repeating its process and eventually curling up to sleep. The both of you immediately plunged into silence, completely unsure of what to do. The cat, now completely asleep and in peace in your lap and clearly had no intentions of harming. 

“Gambit thinks he should-” “Remy Labeau if you leave me with a glowing cat I will come for you and you will pay for abandoning your problem”

"...does this mean this is our child"

=============

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[orshii]

Will I Ever See You Again? Chapter 5: The Love You Want

Author: orshii

Pairing: Kim Hongjoong x reader

Warning: cursing, violence, blood

Word count: 5,8 k

Summary: You were left alone with your brother, Yunho, and his best friend Hongjoong, after your parents' death. Yunho had someone to grieve with, but you? You had no one as your brother and his best friend pushed you away, singing becoming your only savior. There was one rule that Yunho made inside his friend group: “Don’t touch my sister”. And for this reason, Hongjoong had always kept his distance. But one night, you find yourself in danger. And from then on, Hongjoong does not leave your side. He is suddenly overprotective of you, and your relationship shifts and becomes fraught with tension and unspoken feelings, with secrets lurking beneath the surface and a painful past haunting you. Will you find out the secrets your brother and best friend have been keeping away from you? Will you be able to finally free yourself from your cruel past?

Will you fall in love amidst the chaos around you?

A/N: Omg finally I could upload the next chapter. Sorry for not updating for so long I just had to finish my thesis, which I managed to do...finally. About the story, we are slowly reaching the end. *sobbing*. I really love this chapter, because we finally understand a lot of things here as the truth unfolds. And their connection is going to be stronger, both with Hongjoong and Yunho finally. I think there's going to be one or two more chapters left. Have fun reading it, let me know your opinion if somebody is still here! :'( (sorry if there are mistakes!)

(Series Masterlist)

Taglist: @bvidzsoo @vixensss @deltamoon666 @scarfac3 @chatsgotmytongue

@xiang-zalea @cookiesandcreammy (taglist is open <3)

I wanted to throw up, to let all of these feelings out, I felt disgusted, sick of myself. I have never been hating myself this much.

I drove to the place that always calmed me down, it gave me peace. It was a parking lot up in the mountains, and when you walked to the edge of the parking lot, you saw the ocean and the town, where most of the people were already in dreamland.

I needed to stop while driving because I felt so overwhelmed, I was afraid I might kill someone on the road.

I stepped out of my car, the air was cold, but I felt hot, my skin was burning from all the blood that was continuously pumping into my body. I wanted to rip my heart out in that moment, to throw it into the ocean next to me, because I couldn't handle this pain.

I was breathing heavily as I leaned my back against my car, slowly sliding down on the dirty ground, I lifted my knees to my chest, burying my hand into my hair, trying to rip it out, as I wasn't completely myself, I wanted to hurt myself, for all the shit I said and for the things that happened.

I couldn't cry, I felt empty, I wanted to cry, just so my tears could comfort me, but they never came, just as I was alone all my life, no one was there to comfort me. No one was there because I pushed everyone away when they tried to comfort me. I needed to laugh, at myself, at life, for tricking me my whole existence, promising me good things, whispering sweet nothingness into my ear, so I believed, good was coming my way. But those were only lies. Lies, that promised me so much, lies that made me keep going, lies that kept me alive.

But as the truth came out, what was the point anymore? What was the point of living anymore? What was the purpose of my living? Was there any purpose?

These questions rounded my head all the time. It felt like I was in the middle of a desert, feeling thirsty, I saw water in the distance, but as I tried to reach it, it felt farther and farther away. That's called a mirage, a mirage is a thing you crave, but as you try to reach it, it suddenly disappears, it tricks you, making your eyes believe what you see. This is how life feels right now, and I couldn't escape the warm desert. And I wasn't sure if I even wanted to anymore.

I looked up to the sky, as my eyes fell on the beautiful moon above me, shining at me with its full power. Can't I just be the moon right now and disappear? Can I just shine in the dark, giving some hope to the people, whom can't find their way in the dark night? Would I be able to show the way towards people's desires? Would I be able to love myself, so I could give all my love to those who deserve it? Would I be able to…love someone? Do I even deserve to be loved?

The questions never stopped, but the answers were nowhere to be seen, as one particular face popped up in my mind. A smiling face, that comforted me every time I saw it, a face that gave me nothing but safeness. His beautiful sharp brown eyes reminded me of the depth of a forest in autumn. His thin lips reminded me of how gently he kissed me like he was a pirate and I was his long-searched treasure. His voice sounded like a melody, I never wanted to forget. His black and blonde hair, highlighted his eyes, his nose, and his lips. His hair reminded me all the time of how two-sided he was. He was possessive and overprotective but at the same time, he did all of this, because he was soft and caring.

I loved both sides of him…I think…I- I love him. I don't know when and how it happened, but I think I fell for Kim Hongjoong so badly, I couldn't stand up anymore. Not without him. I needed him in my life because I am not worthy enough at all without him.

That very familiar melody started to play in my head, as it always reminded me of Hongjoong, the lyrics that my brain created randomly, were always when I was with him. The realization hit me, as my brain knew what would happen from the beginning. I would have never thought that I'm going to fall for Hongjoong, who closed me out from their life, alongside Yunho, and I hated them for it. They had their reasons, but still, it was unfair.

Just as much as the things I said to Hongjoong, I can't even imagine what he went through. His parents died almost a decade ago, and since then we have had his family, at least it was Yunho and my father, and he had to watch as my father died, in front of his eyes, how unfair was this? My heart ached, at the thought of it, and the things I said to him, made me feel like I was the most unworthy human being on earth.

Hours went by as I sat on the ground, my car being the only support in my life. I was freezing on the chilly night, that slowly passed by with the hours, the sun slowly coming up, to switch places with the moon, so it can rest a bit.

I didn't feel anything at all, those hours passed by like minutes, minutes like seconds, seconds like milliseconds. I didn't think of anything, my mind was empty, I just stared in front of me, physically being there on the dirty ground, but mentally I was in a place where I felt at peace, I felt calm, I felt like I had no feelings and with that no problems.

The sudden noise of the early morning traffic brought me back to real life, realizing what was I doing, I stood up, blinking a few times, to get back my visibility. I walked towards the edge and looked down at the ocean.

It was so beautiful, the sun was coming up, luring me to melt into it. The sun shone through the calm waves, the ocean mirroring the sight above it, copying the colors the sun's rims let out, bright orange and red colors melting into each other like lovers.

 Seeing this mesmerizing landscape, made me realize how beautiful life was, it was worth living only as just for these. To see these miracles, makes your heart feel at ease. That made you forget all your problems, to make you feel like you are worth living. My common sense crawled back to my mind when I realized I needed to apologize to Hongjoong, I said some things to him, that made no sense and I'm sure he believed them, thinking it was really his fault. I decided I needed to tell him how I felt, how he made me feel, how grateful I was, how I…loved him. Even though he may think of me as Yunho's little sister that he needs to save no matter what, I wanted him to know that I would protect him at all costs.

I quickly sat in my car, as its engine slowly lighted up. My only destination being the boxer's club, as I knew Hongjoong always started his days there, practicing to be better day by day. My eyes were wide open, my heart thumping like crazy, I wasn't sleepy at all as sudden adrenaline kept me going, even though, I hadn't been sleeping nearly twenty-four hours. But I was very prejudiced to talk to Hongjoong, and after that, I think it was time to talk properly with Yunho as well.

After an hour passed and I was determined to get there until Hongjoong was still there, I finally arrived at the boxing club. Getting some flashbacks about the day he taught me boxing all of a sudden as if he knew I would make good use of those tactics. I did, for sure. It kind of saved my life as those bastards tried to attack me.

I parked my car and turned the engine off, luckily, I had to change clothes in my car, as I always kept there some just in case. It was just black sweatpants and a black oversized hoodie, it was actually Hongjoong's, I stole it when he left it in the living room, he didn't even notice it, so I kept it to myself, it gave me comfort, that I needed on my lonely nights.

 As I stepped out from my car, closing its door, a sudden gut, a bad feeling caught me. It was strange I never felt like this, and it was probably because I had to face Hongjoong and tell him everything.

I walked towards the entrance and went in. Suddenly I froze in my steps when I heard yelling from the main room, where the box matches were held, and probably Hongjoong was practicing, right now. But it was weird, these sounds weren't the signs of practicing men. It was yelling and laughing, and sudden hitting. I clearly heard Hongjoong's voice.

"Fuck off." His voice was determined and low.

I went to the door, so I could see what was happening, but I wasn't expecting what I saw.

My heart started to race, I pressed my hands to my mouth in shock, trying to not let any sound out, so they couldn't see me. I saw four men, their backs facing me, as they were standing in front of, Hongjoong, who was facing with me, looking up at them with killing eyes, being tied to a chair, his lips and nose bleeding. He was wearing his usual practicing clothes, a black short, ending at his knees and a black tank top.

You, being tied down,

Me, wanting to burn alive who caused it

"Tell us, where the fuck he is, or I'll use other hurtful methods, so you will speak, fucker." The one with the bleeding knuckles told Hongjoong, as probably he was the one hitting him.

"Well, I assume, he is not here," Hongjoong said with a devilish smile, blood rolling down his jaw. The men, who hit him beforehand, punched him in the face again, as Hongjoong just spit blood into the floor, waiting for the next punch.

Sudden anger started to boil within me. I clenched my fists together until it left deep red crescents on my palms. They couldn't see me, I needed to think about how I could help to Hongjoong. They were probably looking for Yunho, so I couldn't just call him here, he needed to stay hidden. But whom I could call then? My phone was dead, but I knew they had a telephone hanging on the office wall. I just needed to get there, somehow. But to get to the office, I needed to get through the room they were in.

Fuck, it was the most unfortunate situation. But they weren't facing me, I only saw their backs, and that was enough, to sneak into the office. Very quietly I stepped into the room, trying to breathe slowly, not making a sound. If I get caught now, it'll be the end of us. I had to do this, for Hongjoong. When I did a few more steps, Hongjoong's eyes caught me immediately, he was the only one seeing me. I froze in my steps, and slowly reached my index finger to my mouth, signaling him to be quiet. He slowly shook his head, his eyes telling me, to stop and run as far as possible. But I did not want to. I moved again, to the door being on my right, being closer and closer. I eyed the door, for a second, averting my eyes off of them.

"What the hell?" A sudden voice made me freeze again. My heart was in my throat. I slowly turned towards them, ready to face the cruel men, but when I turned around I still saw their backs facing me, I let the air escape from the relief. Hongjoong was laughing viciously, his laugh sending chills down my spine. He did this, I guess so he could keep them busy, so they won't notice me. I stepped a few more and finally, I arrived at the office, closing it very slowly.

Okay, think, Y/N, please, think… Who I should call? Who could help us out?

I couldn't call the police, there was no point, they would arrest us as well. I started to panic when a sudden image hit my brain. It popped up like it was in front of me.

When I was at searching for some evidence in Yunho's room, I saw a note on his desk, saying: "In case of emergency" and a phone number was added next to it. Fuck, but I don't remember the numbers, fuck. We were running out of time. I needed to think quickly, as my fingers were already pushing the numbers of the telephone.

"C'mon, pick it up, pick it, please…" I bit my nails in stress.

"Hello?" A familiar voice came from the phone, giving me relief.

"Yeosang, oh my, thank God, you picked it up. Please, listen to me very carefully it's an emergency and I need your help. And please don’t ask anything, I'll tell you everything okay?" I said quickly, trying to not raise my voice.

"Fuck, Y/N, okay, how can I help you?" His voice sounded concerned.

"You need to get to my house, very quickly, please. When I tell you quickly, I say, you can't drive like a snail, you have to break the speeding limits, because it's important." I got nervous as the voices got louder. I was scared they might kill Hongjoong.

Please, keep it up Hongjoong…

"Hey, I'm not driving like a snail, I just keep the rules, bro, as you should too," Yeosang told me offended.

"Fuck, Yeosang, there's no time for this, it's fucking serious, just leave the house already. When you get into our house, you need to go to Yunho's room, hopefully, there's a phone number on his desk on a paper. You have to call it and tell that person, it's an emergency and they got Hongjoong, Yunho is nowhere to be found. And we need help in the boxing club. Please, Yeosang, I know it sounds shit, but I really need your help and to be quick." I explained this shit situation to him, hoping he won't ask questions and just do what I asked.

"Shit, Y/N, okay, I'm already on my way, I got you, please be careful!" I heard Yeosang's voice full of worry.

I heard some noise from the room, becoming closer to me. "Thank you, Yeo, I need to go, I love you." I hung it up immediately, as the door opened, revealing the man from outside, who hit Hongjoong.

"Oh, well, well, what do we get here." He looked at me like I was a snack he wanted to eat right away.

Shit, I'm doomed.

He grabbed my arm and started to pull me out of the office and into the main room. I felt a lot of predator's eyes on me, but one was full of, concern and fear that seemed like he would kill this man right there if he could, just so he could keep me safe. I never took my eyes off Hongjoong's, as the man was grabbing me harder, leaving bruises on my arms, as I tried to wiggle out from his hands.

"Look, what I found— that fucking chick, who escaped from us." His voice was full of anger, as it was hard to admit, how stupid they seemed because I'd got to escape from them.

"Let, her fucking go as long as I say it nicely." Hongjoong's voice seemed demanding, as he grinned with a death glare, his words coming out like venom.

The guy, pushed me down to the floor, smirking.

My hair fell onto my face, from the impact, I kept my arms out to keep myself up. I started to breathe quickly.

Yeosang, please, hurry.

"What? Is she your secretly kept little princess?" The man, who brought me out said, pointing at me with lifted eyebrows.

"Just keep your fucking dirty hands away from her you fucker. She has nothing to do with this." Hongjoong said, looking at the man, now in front of him, that man would be already dead if Hongjoong could murder with only his eyes.

The man leaned down to Hongjoong, being at eye-level with him. "But she has to do something with you. You care for her." He smiled confidently, and Hongjoong suddenly spat on the man's face. It was red, making the man's face bloody. I never saw Hongjoong, this mad. He was shaking in the chair, his muscles were tense, almost breaking apart the rope that tied him to the chair, the veins on his neck thick and tense from the anger.

The man closed his eyes straightened up and turned towards the rest of the guys, his face still full of spit, as he slowly wiped it into his shirt. "Gentlemen, this angel, is our gift from above." He spread his arms, imagining as if he was in a fucking show. 

I needed to keep them busy, so they won't hurt Hongjoong and give enough time for Yeosang, so they can come here, in time.

"One, against four and I still won, fuckers." I suddenly said as I felt all eyes on me.

The guy who talked all the way turned towards me. And looked at me like he was surprised that I had the guts to even say something.

"Fuck, Y/N, shut the fuck up!" Hongjoong looked at me furiously.

I didn't look towards him, I was eyeing the man who walked towards me, grabbing me by the collar and pulling me up.

"Can't you just keep your mouth shut, just as your boyfriend told you?" His face was so close to me, I felt his stinky breathing, against my face. It was disgusting. He seemed like he was in his forties. I guess he was the leader of this fucked up gang.

I guess…he was the one, who killed my father.

Anger and adrenaline went through my veins. I couldn't control myself, as I suddenly headbutted him, forcing all my power into the strike. It hurt as fuck, as I felt a bit dizzy from the big impact, everything was blurry for a moment, but it was worth it as he stumbled backward from the impact, pressing his hands to his nose, which I guess broke because I heard a cracking noise. Did I just do that? Wow.

Hongjoong looked at me surprised. "You keep surprising me, sugar." He said, looking at me with a proud smile. There was no time to smile back, as I ran next to him, trying to untie the robe, that tied him to the chair. But the men were quick and one of them immediately caught me, pushing me far away from Hongjoong, letting me go as I couldn't keep my balance and I fell into the ground, my temple hitting the corner of the ring, making it bleed and losing my visibility for a few seconds.

I was just laying on the floor, only hearing Hongjoong's voice as he shouted my name. A few blind minutes passed, and not knowing what was happening, I slowly opened my eyes, I heard movements from where Hongjoong was tied. Dim light hit my eyes, and my head was aching like hell, as I tried to sit up. I saw black figures, but they were more, they were fighting with each other. I suddenly saw a black figure running towards me.

"Hey, sugar, look at me!" I heard Hongjoong's voice wanting to obey to him, but I couldn't. He cupped my face, as I sat up.

"Look at me beautiful, please." I tried to focus on him, he was a blur for a moment, but as I watched him more, blinking a few times, my view started to get clearer, his face being so close to mine, I saw the bruises and little cuts on his face, that made me scream at the world, his eyes were full with concern, as he couldn't lose his long-searched treasure, ever.

"I'm here." I reached my hand to his hands that were on my face. I closed my eyes, as I was leaning into his touch more and more, never wanting to get away from him.

"Thank God." He slowly leaned to my temple and pecked the, now dried, bloody wound.

"Fuck, Y/N, are you okay?" I heard Yeosang's voice.

I looked up at him, and he was leaning on his knees trying to catch his breath.

I started to get emotional, I wanted to cry, as to how grateful I was to him. My eyes started to fill with tears, as I tried to stand up. Hongjoong helped me up, his hands never leaving my waist.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Yeo. Thank you so much for helping us." Tears escaped my eyes, as I hugged him.

"It's nothing, Y/N, I'm glad you are okay." I heard as his voice got weaker too.

I separated from him, looking at Hongjoong, who stepped next to me with his hands immediately on my waist.

"What happened with them?" They weren't here so I thought they were able to catch them.

"We caught one guy, but the rest escaped." Hongjoong ran his fingers through his hair, stressed.

"Fuck, where's Yunho?" I asked when I heard a familiar voice from the exit.

"What the fuck happened?" Yunho ran to us, as the room was now empty, the strange people, who helped us disappeared. Yunho saw my face and grabbed my jaw. "Fuck, why are you here? Did they hurt you?" He looked concerned, his eyes tired, seeming he hadn't been sleeping well recently.

"They attacked me, while I was practicing. Y/N got here later and called help." Hongjoong, reached his hands towards Yunho's, taking off Yunho’s hands of me.

Yunho grabbed his hair. "Fucking shit, who did you call?" He looked at me.

"The number that was on your desk. Actually, Yeosang called it, as I wasn't home. He helped us." I looked at Yeosang gratefully. He came closer to me, reaching his hand on my shoulder and squeezing it, signaling he was by my side. "Who they were?" I turned towards Yunho again.

"Good, they are some friends of Dad, they told me to call them if I get into trouble," Yunho said, sounding a bit more relieved.

"Will you tell me, what is this shit finally, Yunho?" I looked at him, feeling sick of the continuous lying.

He brushed his palms to his face. "I guess it's time. We'll come back in a few, wait for us, please." Yunho said to Hongjoong and Yeosang.

Yunho walked towards the backroom, and I followed him, looking at Hongjoong before I turned away, he nodded encouraging me that everything was going to be alright.

Yunho closed the door, behind me. His face was a little strange, as he looked around. I sat on a little bench pushed to the wall.

"Don't— Don't sit there." He said with a sudden voice. I looked at him with questioning eyes. "What the fuck?" I raised my brows at him.

"Exactly that, just sit somewhere else." He said, trying to avoid my gaze.

"Holy shit." I stood up immediately as my brain was catching on, with the little information I was given. "Oh my God, disgusting, Yunho." I looked at him gasping.

"Shut up!" He still couldn't look into my eyes; his cheeks were blushing.

"Okay, I want to know who is it." I looked at him curiously, folding my arms.

"It's uh—" He scratched his head, being nervous. "It's Mingi." He said looking at me finally.

I gasped. "Oh. My. God." I pressed my hands to my mouth, hiding my smile.

"What?" Yunho looked at me, trying to figure out what was my opinion on that.

"Finally, bro, I always saw the connection between you two, are you kidding, it was a matter of time before you two got married." I smiled at him, feeling relieved that it was Mingi, who had been his best friend for eternity, they were always inseparable and they supported each other all the time. I wasn't blind, it was obvious they were destined to each other, so I was very happy, that they could finally step that little best friend boundary over.

"Really? Was it that obvious?" He asked a smile appearing on his face, as he felt relieved.

"Kind of." I smiled at him, stepping closer to him. "I'm happy for you, Yu."

"Thank you, means a lot." He spread his arms, inviting me to a hug. I stepped closer to him, burying my head into his warm chest. It felt so good to finally hug him after a while. Recently he was so distant with me, that our connection got weaker since our father died. I felt whole again, as a puzzle got into its place again. One still missing.

"So, are you going to tell me, what's this?" I stepped out from his warm hands. 

He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "Yes, sit down, please. Here." He pointed at a chair. As I chuckled.

He sat in the chair opposite me. "Am, where should I start?" He started to think.

"So, you know, Dad got into a gang, not much after Mom died. He was overwhelmed, he couldn’t handle the grief, he lost his job, so he needed money. The solution was stepping into this gang, that did some illegal shit, but they made a lot of money, so I guess it was worth it. Just until Dad, got some common sense, and tried to prevent them from doing whatever they did. He stepped up against them and gathered some of his friends so they can stop those fuckers. At first, it seemed like they stopped; they were quiet for a while. And that was when they took Hongjoong and him. And you know the rest, Hongjoong told me, he already told you what happened.” He looked at me a little disappointed like he knew how much I hurt Hongjoong. “After Dad died…I was restless, I needed to find them, Hongjoong was full of rage too, so we stepped into that gang. We tried to blend in so we could bomb them from the inside, playing with their minds. But somehow, they found out who I was, maybe they overheard us, or they started to become suspicious, I don't know, but that's when they started to attack, you, Hongjoong, and…they even followed Mingi, Y/N." His voice cracked. "I was so scared, they might hurt him, still am, I don't know what would I do without him, I— I think I'd die, it hurts to think of that, I might lose him because I'm dumb and I can't fucking fight off a shit gang." He was mad at himself, for not being able to protect his loved ones.

I looked at him concerned, tears appearing in my eyes, I had never seen Yunho this vulnerable ever, it hurt, it hurt because he was like my other half, I didn't want to see him like this, ever. I stood up stepping closer to him, reaching my hands to cup his face, wiping down his tears. I would burn the whole world for him, I didn’t want to see him like this. Suddenly I understood why was he protecting me like this, like I was a bird in a cage— because…I would've done the same thing, I would've protected him at all costs.

"It's okay, he is fine, we are fine, and everything is going to be okay Yu." I tried to comfort him.

He held my hands, that cupped his face. "We need to, catch them, we need to end this once and for all." He said as he got his strength back, fire lighting up in his eyes.

"We will, those bastards need to get what they deserve," I said revenge starting to boil my blood.  

"They will, I'll make sure of that. But you need to stay here." Yunho said, ready to fight with me again.

I looked at him furiously. "You can't do this, Yunho."

"Look." He grabbed my hands and stood up. "Someone needs to be home, if they are coming again, Yeosang will be here, and Mingi as well, for a while. We don't know where they are, their base could be anywhere, we will get it out from the guy we caught. We won't let them run anymore." He explained the plan, he looked so determined, as he wouldn't rest until those bastards were out of the way.

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling stressed. "I have a bad feeling about this, Yunho. Let's find another solution, there has to be." I looked at him concerned.

"There is no other solution, Y/N, we have to do this." He was restless. So, I had no other choice than to agree.

"Shit, okay. But please, please be careful." My voice came out weak.

"We will, I promise." He embraced me again, in his warm hands.

"Hongjoong has to go too?" I suddenly asked, my heart beating fast, suddenly on the thought.

"If he wants, I won't force him to." He looked at me, curious.

"What's between you two?" He asked frowning.

"Nothing- at least— I don't know, I haven't been able to talk to him," I said honestly, looking down at the floor, now I was the one avoiding Yunho's gaze.

"You should talk to him," Yunho said, as I quickly lifted my head. I thought he was going to be mad, hearing there's something between us.

"What? Aren't you mad?" I asked as my voice sounded surprised.

"No, of course, I am not. I'm actually glad, you got someone like Hongjoong. I saw how he looked at you like you were his everything, he was just scared to step over the boundaries because of me. I know he can be there for you and he can protect you when I'm not there. I'm sorry, that you felt you had no one in the past, I was blinded by revenge I didn't see that you were struggling as well." He admitted, his voice getting sadder.

I didn't say anything, as I was just looking down on my hands, playing with my ring.

"Go rest a bit, because I know you haven't slept in a while, then talk to him. You deserve to clear things out between the two of you." He hugged me again, strongly nearly breaking my bones.

"Okay, okay now let me go," I mumbled into his chest.

We laughed together, and finally, I felt at ease, I felt like a big rock fell off of my chest, and as we finally put the pieces together, everything was in its place, and our relationship with Yunho finally started to heal again.

We were on our way out of the club, and Hongjoong was walking next to me, as he looked at me with a thinking face.

"What?" I looked at him frowning.

"Is that my hoodie?" He asked with the sweetest smile.

"Ahm— no?" I scratched my neck, I felt nervous, little red started to appear on my cheeks.

"It is mine, I know it, I was searching for it for ages. I gave up on finding it, and you had it the whole time?" He was laughing now, he looked sincerely happy.

"Okay, okay, I stole it, but you left it on the couch and it was there for weeks. I thought you don't need it anymore." I smiled at him, I was blushing so hard, that I couldn't look into his eyes.

“You can keep it, looks good on you.” He leaned close to my ear and pecked the skin under my ear.

I chuckled as we reached my car and I turned towards him. "Meet you at home."

He looked at me so adoringly that I felt like I needed to hug him so bad. He nodded, as I opened the door to sit in. On my way home, I smiled the whole time. I couldn't wait until we could finally talk. But first I needed to sleep because I felt like I am going to collapse at any moment.

Hongjoong and Yunho were already home when I arrived there. I stepped inside and they were sitting at the kitchen counter. Yunho saw me and stood up.

"Okay, I think I'm going to check on Mingi, see you later guys." He winked at me and went upstairs.

Hongjoong looked at me, checking me out with warm eyes.

"Go sleep, sugar, it was a tough day." He said while he sipped from his coffee, not taking his eyes off of me.

"Okay." I went to the stairs but suddenly froze. I looked back at him, as he looked at me with questioning eyes. "Do you want to— sleep with me?" I asked feeling a little shy. Where was the confident me, who literally got him to kiss me?! It was just sleeping, c'mon.

He smiled at me with his teeth showing. "Do you want me to sleep with you?" He stood up and came towards me.

I nodded. He held my hand and leaned close to my face. "Okay, sugar." He gave me a warm peck on my left cheek. I felt weak in his presence, it was intimidating.

We went up to my room, still holding hands, and I finally collapsed to my bad, releasing his hands. He went to the other side of the bed, as I slipped under the warm blanket. I was laying on my left side and he was facing me on his right side as he slipped under the blanket too. I moved closer to him; he held my waist caringly pulling me closer to him. I looked at him, but my eyes couldn't focus anymore as my eyelids slowly closed.

"I'm sorry, Joong." I mumbled while I was already half asleep.

"It's okay, sugar, I’m so proud of you, you did so well today." He whispered; his voice sweet like honey. I felt his face closer to me, as he pecked my nose, then my temple, my cheek, and lastly my lips as it lured me to dreamland, I felt safe in his arms, and I never wanted to depart from him. He became my comfort zone all of a sudden.

≫Your arms hugging me around like a chain

A chain that melts into warm honey≪

-Previous Part- Next Part>

A/N: (also you can find out more about Yungi in my bestie's, @bvidzsoo, background story on AO3. I recommend it!!)

[featherandferns]

the night it all began (fic)

jj maybank x fem!reader | part of the F.W.B universe, but can be read as a stand-alone too!

content warning: drinking; sex (protected; p in v)

word count: 3k

blurb: JJ Maybank has some corny-ass pick-up lines, and can't seem to back down from a bet, but maybe you might just give him a try anyway. What's one night, after all?

Sunset had turned dusk on the beach. There was the vague smell of smoke from the bonfire, sticking to everyone’s clothes, and beer, liquor and marijuana. Cigarettes and cider. The Boneyard was a free for all: Kooks and Pogues and tourists alike. If you wanted to let lose, maybe have a dance and shotgun a few beers, then you could. If you want to catch-up with your friends, make the most of the summer, then you could. And if you wanted a quick hook-up, be it a fling or otherwise, you could. That was usually the way JJ leaned.

JJ took a swig of his beer and looked around. John B was chatting away with Sarah, Kiara was in what appeared to be a rather deep conversation with some astrology-type girlies, and Pope was doing his best to make a move on a chick who was (unfortunately) clearly not interested. As he took in the sights, he noticed that off to the side there was a crowd, getting louder by the second. Curious, he wandered over, recognising Ricky from gym standing on the outskirts.

“Yo, Ricky,” he called, approaching. The red head turned around and grinned.

“Maybank! Where you been?”

“Oh, you know. Odd jobs and all that. Got myself a gig as a bus boy at some kook country club,” JJ said. They slapped hands and bumped fists in a casual handshake. Nodding to the gathering of people in front of them, he asked, “what’s all this?”

“This girl told someone that she can hold a handstand for one minute,” Ricky said.

JJ laughed. “What? Like it’s hard or something?”

“You think you can do it?” Ricky chuckled, eyeing him up.

“Bro, I can probably hold one for like five minutes,” JJ smugly said, taking another drink.

Ricky raised his brows and laughed, shaking his head. Then, he called a name. You turned around and smiled at the red head. Gesturing with his head to JJ, who stood beside him, he said, “Maybank here thinks he can beat you at your little handstand trick.”

Your eyes passed to JJ, smile turning into something just shy of a smirk, semi-suspicious. JJ’s first thought as you looked at him was simple: hot. His second thought came from the more sober side of him, calling out from the back of his brain: you might’ve over played your hand.

“Oh really?”

“You guys wanna put it to the test?”

“What’s it worth to me?” JJ asked you.

“Twenty?”

“Twenty?” JJ whistled. You walked over.

“Scared or something, blondie?” you wondered, arms folded over your chest.

He finished his drink and tossed it to the side, half surprised that he didn’t hear Kiara from afar telling him off for littering.

“Not at all, princess,” he replied, smirking.

“Yo! Head-to-head!” Ricky called, pointing to the pair of you. A few people caught on and began to gather around you and JJ in a circle. Some gave a whistle and some a few whoops and hollers of encouragement.

You and JJ moved so you were standing side by side. He watched as you cracked your neck and stretched your arms. The sage green top you wore rode up as you went, teasing to show the waistband of your bra. When you finished limbering up, you looked up at JJ.

"You sure you wanna do this?" you checked, cocky and self-assured.

“Get ready to get out your check book,” was all he replied.

“Oh, I think I have the cash,” you sardonically returned. Calling to Ricky, you said, “give us a countdown, dickwad!”

He did as you asked. Across the small crowd that had gathered to watch the ordeal, a tense excitement laid over them like a blanket. You and JJ flashed each other one last competitive grin.

“Three, two, one: go!”

The moment JJ’s hands met the sand, he realised how largely he’d misjudged both his handstand-abilities and the length of a minute.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t strong enough to hold his own weight, but more the lack of balance to keep from falling on his face. JJ imagined he looked something like a tree in the wind. He wondered how you were doing, waiting for the roar of the crowd when you would crash onto the floor. Grunting, he shifted one of his hands and focused on keeping himself upright. The people watching were still giving little cheers and whistles, some shouting his name and some shouting yours. It was a nice name. Matched you well, even though you’d barely said five words to him. You seemed nice. Funny. A little arrogant and cocky, though not in a pompous way.

Before JJ could catch his run-away thoughts, he’d lost his focus and his balance, and went crashing to the sand with a grunt. Laughter and hollers surrounded the two of you, and a couple of cheers for participation. JJ rolled his eyes and sat up, looking to his left to see you unphased by the commotion. Your eyes were closed and he watched as you steadily and slowly breathed in and out of your mouth. Face turning red from being upside down so long. He couldn’t help but smile at your concentration. It was a pretty cool party trick.

“That’s a minute!” Ricky called.

You gracefully lowered yourself back to your feet, opening your eyes. More cheers, more jeering, more noise. You laughed, somewhat bashful, and then looked down at JJ.

When you first extended your hand, he thought you were offering to help him up. That was until you said:

“Pay up, blondie.”

He laughed, shaking his head, getting to his feet. He retrieved his cap that had fallen off when the ordeal started, placing it on his head.

“You know, we never actually shook on it,” he told you.

Laughing, you retracted your hand and placed it on your hip. “You owe me, Maybank.”

“How ‘bout a drink instead?”

“From the open bar? What a treat.”

JJ laughed. “Take it or leave it, sunshine.”

He began walking towards the pile of bottles, cans and mixers. You followed.

“What you been drinking?” he asked, dropping to a squat to dig about.

“Vodka orange.”

“Alright then,” JJ mumbled. He looked around for the vodka and found some left-over orange juice. Going to grab a cup, he began to pour in the liquor. “Where abouts you from?”

“Weaver Street?” you say. Then, a hand landing on his, you laugh out, “easy! Jesus, hope you don’t work as a bar tender.”

“Lightweight,” he kids. He stops adding vodka per your request and tops the cup off with orange. “Good?”

“Great,” you smile, taking it from him.

“So, Weaver street?”

“Mhm.”

“Ain’t that near Kildare High?” he checks, running through his mental map.

“Yeah. I go there, actually,” you say, taking a sip of your drink. JJ takes a beer and then stands.

“Same here,” he tells you, cracking open the can. “How old did you say you are?”

“Seventeen.”

“Same here,” he repeats, half-laughing. You do the same. “How come I’ve never seen you around before?”

“It’s a big school. Maybe we've had a class together and just didn’t notice,” you shrug.

JJ looks you in the eye and smirks. “Nah. I’d remember seeing you.”

Rolling your eyes, smiling, you looking away then back. He's sure he isn't imagining the fluster in your smile. “Oh. Smooth.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you say, a little sarcastic. It makes him laugh. You’ve got a good personality. Pretty hair and pretty eyes. A nice body, too. He shamelessly takes a moment to take it in, looking you up and down.

“Your boyfriend gonna start looking for you soon?”

“Should I start making count of how many corny lines you throw at me?” you smirk.

“A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” JJ shrugs, taking a swig of his drink.

“No boyfriend,” you eventually tell him. “Girlfriend?”

“That a question or an invitation?”

You laugh and shake your head. He smiles. You’ve got a nice laugh too. Jesus, it’s like you've come out of one of his fantasies. He's waiting for the catch: the reveal of some awful ex you're trying to make jealous, who dumped you yesterday, or the casual drop-in that you don't swing for boys. Until either of those scenarios, or something other, crops up, JJ decides to take a shot. You only live once, right?

“Wanna go for a walk?”

“With a total stranger?”

“Hardly,” he says. “I’m JJ. Maybank.”

“How do I know that’s your real name?” you wonder, feigning suspicion.

JJ laughs and rolls his eyes. “What, you need an ID or something? You know you’re kind of hard work, right?”

You don’t seem offended by this. If anything, you smile more. Shrugging, you innocently say, “I like to make guys work for it.”

Hot.

JJ takes another drink to help wash down your words. He asks your name and you tell him, and then you both drink again. His question from before still hangs in the air.

“Where’d this walk be to, anyway?” you ask casually.

He watches as you take a step closer, toes of your shoes almost touching his. He looks down at you and smirks. Good sign...

“Somewhere more private. How’s that sound?”

JJ wonders if he’s hallucinating for a moment because all of this is too perfectly lined up to be real. The way you sink your teeth into your lower lip, gnawing a second as you deliberate his offer before letting it go.

“Yeah. I’d say that sounds alright,” you smile sweetly.

JJ grins. Score.

The walk to the chateau isn’t awkward. JJ can feel the brush of your hand against his from time to time, but holding hands seems to intimate. Sort of ironic, considering where the night was inevitably going to lead. You make conversation easy. Unimportant things, like music and TV. He learns a few tit-bits of information about you. Your favourite show, where you've been working for some of the summer, favourite singer, dream gig...Trivial things but interesting, nonetheless. When you get to the chateau, he lets you in first.

“Welcome,” he says, moving to flick on the lamp.

You walk in and look around, then nod, smiling.

“Cosy,” you say politely. He watches as you go to look at some of the pictures on the wall.

JJ walks to the fridge and pulls it open, glancing in. Some leftovers from the other night and a couple of bottles at the back. He wonders about grabbing yourself and him one. “You want a beer or something?”

When JJ doesn’t get a reply, he stands upright, closes the fridge, and turns to check you’re alright. JJ’s surprised he doesn’t jump out of his skin when he finds you standing right in front of him. The surprise tumbles into pleasant shock when you press your lips to his. Then all of it vanishes altogether, as he comes to his sense. JJ kisses you back gladly, sliding a hand to your waist to pull you closer. One of your feet slides between his. He leans back against the fridge, grunting at the feel of the handle digging into his back.

“What’d you say we take this into the bedroom?” he asks against your lips.

“I'd say ‘that’s cheesy line number three’, but alright,” you reply, making him laugh.

Making out for a few minutes longer, the two of you eventually pull away long enough for JJ to guide you to the spare room. He flicks on the lamp beside the bed. The place is a mess, he knows, but that doesn’t matter right now. He tosses a couple things off the bed and onto the chaos accumulating on the floor, and then he’s pulling you to straddle him as he takes perch on the edge. Your arms loop around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair, and JJ rubs his hands up and down your thighs. Your skin smells like lavender and lemongrass, and some lingering smoke from the fire that had weaved into your hair and the cotton of your top.

JJ watches as you pull back with a breath, taking off your top and unclipping your bra.

“I like that top,” he mumbles as you do so.

“Thanks. I paid for it by betting against unassuming idiots in handstanding contests,” you hurriedly joke. Your lips are on JJ's again in a moment, cutting off his breathless laugh.

His hands inch up your skin until they’re at your chest, cupping and groping, his thumbs teasing at your nipples. You moan against him and JJ feels as you claw at his t-shirt. Pulling away, he tugs it off with your help, tossing it to the side. As if newly energised, your hands push at his shoulders, forcing him to lie down. He chuckles against your lips as you do, brows shooting up in surprise. Not shy, then, and maybe not a bottom.

When JJ's fingers find the button of your shorts, he pauses long enough to ask, “is this okay?”

“I’ll tell you if anything isn’t,” you reply in a breath. With that quick and simple mark of consent, JJ doesn't plan to waste any time.

It’s a strange and slightly awkward dance as your shorts and panties are taken off. By the end of it, you’re on your back and JJ’s on top. The make-out continues as his fingers trial down your skin, starting at your neck and ending below your waist. You’re wet; JJ groans at the feel of his fingers easily slipping between your folds, and you let out a quivering breath.

“Guess my pick-up lines were working, huh?”

“Don’t ruin it,” you mumble. JJ worries he has a moment until he looks up from his hand to catch your lazy smile.

JJ chuckles against your neck before becoming distracted by leaving a hickey. At the same time, he starts working you open. Every moan and whine you give makes him harder, and by the time you come, he’s desperate for some relief, shamelessly rubbing against your thigh. Easing his fingers out, he carelessly wipes the slick on your leg. You coax his lips back to yours and somehow find a way to be on top again. If JJ wasn’t so horny, he’d laugh.

The feeling of your hands on his zipper, beginning to pull down his shorts and boxers, has his mind going blank of anything but being inside of you. Once they’re on the floor with the rest, both of you free of any modesty, you straddle him again. There’s a momentary accidental brush that has you both moaning.

“Wait. You got a condom?” you pant, opening your eyes. JJ opens his too and almost comes at the sight of you on top of him. Get it together, Maybank.

“Yeah, yeah. Beside table. Top drawer.”

As JJ speaks, he attempts to grab at the handle, but you lean over and dig about for one instead – mumbling ‘I’ve got it’. It gives him a moment to kiss at one of your breasts, mouthing at your nipple. The nails of your spare hand dig into his shoulders. When you pull back, you’ve got a condom in hand. Placing it on him, wriggling down onto his thighs a moment, JJ tries not to come at the brief hand-job.

Then, you’re sinking down on him and he forces his eyes open long enough to watch as your head tilts back, neck on proud display, mouth open in silent pleasure. The rest is like a haze. The feel of you on top of him, his head pressed back into the pillows, zips of pleasure and adrenaline and dopamine in his fingers as they come to rest on your hips and waist, feeling like shoots of electricity. He keeps fighting and failing to keep his eyes open and watch as you get yourself off on him. When he feels your pace falter, he helps you ride him. Your hands are on his chest, fingers forming tiny scratch marks. The sounds of it all are obscene: skin slapping skin; moans; whines; groaning and panting. If there’s a hell, JJ’s sure there’s a seat reserved with his name on it. Thank God.

“You close?” JJ manages to ask, knowing that he definitely is. He watches as you nod, barely able to form words. You're looking down now, hair falling to hang over your face. He can make out your teeth biting down into your lower lip before you can't help but moan; how your eyes are squeezed shut in insurmountable pleasure.

Somehow, JJ finds enough energy to flip the two of you. It catches you a little by surprise; makes you gasp. As he drives into you, hands either side of your head, holding him up, you moan at the new angle.

JJ can’t help but come at the sight of one of your hands moving down to toy with your clit. It doesn’t seem to matter though, because he feels you clench around him a moment later: again and again. You let out an almost silent, shaky moan. Almost.

JJ drops his forehead to your shoulder, panting, and the two of you ride it out. When he finally slows to a stop, JJ takes a moment to rest inside of you, gently sinking to lie on your chest. It's rising up and down with uneven breaths. He presses a lazy kiss to your damp chest.

“You good?”

You nod. “Yeah.”

Pulling out – the two of you sighing, still sensitive – JJ reluctantly moves away to deal with the aftermath. When he turns back to you, you’re rubbing at your eyes and moving to sit up.

“Where’s your bathroom?” you wonder, a little tired.

Pointing vaguely at the door, JJ replies, “first door on your left.”

You nod and get up with a groan. JJ can’t help but grin, a little smug, as you take a moment to collect yourself. Then, you’re heading to the bathroom. You don’t get dressed but he figures that you must’ve clocked that you have the place to yourselves, considering there were no attempts to be quiet.

As you’re doing your business, JJ rakes his fingers through his hair and lets out a sigh. God, he’s sweaty. He’ll get a shower after you leave.

Looking about for some boxers, he grabs a pair off the floor and tugs them on. He settles to sit on the bed and closes his eyes, gathering himself. That was good. Really good. He’s starting to feel the itch to have a smoke, to help the come down. He hears the bathroom’s pull-cord light click off and the door open, followed by his. He watches as you don’t acknowledge him and begin to look for your clothes. It’s routine-like, as if on autopilot. He keeps watching as you get dressed, but you don’t seem to complain.

By the time you get to your shoes, wrestling with the laces that seem to have gotten themselves in a knot, JJ can’t hold the question in any longer. You’re so casual about the whole thing, it just makes him curious.

“You do this a lot?”

[sparrowrye]

Demi Demon || Alastor x Reader, part 20

Synopsis: soulmate AU where you have the same mark on your body as your soulmate, and if your soulmate dies, you die too. Alastor needs to make sure that his soulmate is safe so he can continue his reign - whatever that takes. Though it looks like we have a couple secrets of our own.

Previous part

Part 20: dark desires

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

"What do you want Husker?" I knew he was crossing when he first stepped out of the house. I sat just beyond the tree line with my back against a large oak. I had heard the door close, the sway of grass as he walked, his steps, his breathing, and felt his red magic about half way across the field.

I had barely slept last night. I woke up before dawn and made my way to my new sitting spot. I could hear the crash of the waves at the bottom of the cliff and the whirl of the wind across the field. The peaceful serenity was nice. The calm, external environment was helping me figure out how to feel internally. Until Husker showed up at dawn.

"I wanted to check on you." He stepped out from behind the tree.

"I'm fine. Never better. Why do you ask?" I had my legs pulled up and my arms dangling over them. I kept my one hand covering the bruised one.

"I thought maybe you would be happy that the curse is finally gone. But...you obviously don't feel that way."

"I shouldn't..." I pressed my lips into my shoulder to keep myself from spilling. I wasn't sure why I didn't want to talk about it with Husker. I had told him plenty before but this time I was hesitant.

"I'm usually good at guessing what's wrong," he tried, "but this time I'm a little lost. Did something else happen? Was there a memory?"

"No, he...I didn't..." I wrapped my arms around my legs and leaned my cheek into them. I was still holding my human form but I could sense everything as if I was in my Demon form.

My hands shifted so the bruise shone a little. Husker pointed and asked, "May I?" So I let him brush his claws across my injured hand, the muscle and skin popping and fixing itself. I turned my head the other way and gritted my teeth from the pain.

When he was done, I withdrew my hand to my chest and stared off into the forest. Husker was quiet. He sat in silence with me for a long time. I could hear his breathing and his presence sat on the outside of my shields.

I let out a huge sigh, Husker's ear twitching in my direction. I turned my head so he was partially in my view. "I don't...I should've known that he wanted something more with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...I thought he just wanted to teach me how to defend myself against a Demon. That way he didn't have to ever think about keeping me safe again, but...I...he..." I struggled to find the words. I didn't want to tell Husker about the Sanctuary in case it somehow got back to Alastor. "When we touch I can feel both of our magic combining. He wants to keep me because it gives him more power. Which means...I can't do anything without him. I can't have a life anymore."

Husker was quiet. I could feel his presence fully around my shields as if to comfort me in some way. He physically sat adjacent to me against the same tree. I could hear his tail thumping and even feel it vibrating through the ground.

"Well, you know," he leaned over so his shoulder touched mine, "he's gonna teach you everything he knows. And you've obviously got your own kind of power and experience. Sooo...." he tilted his head, drawing out his words. He was waiting for me to finish but I obviously wasn't getting it. "So you may one day be better than him."

I actually laughed. It was short and high pitched. I stood up and spun on my heels, planting my hands on my hips. "This is the Radio Demon we're talking about. He's been around for thousands of years. He's had all that time to practice and master who knows how much magic. I've barely lived a second in comparison to him."

"True," he agreed, "but even he has his weaknesses. He's teaching you all the tricks which means you'll know how he thinks. It's just a matter of time."

"That's what I'm upset about." I paced around in a circle. I let my Demon side show and dug my foot claws into the soft earth. "In order to be even close to his level, I would have to train with him for hundreds of years. I don't even know how long I live for."

"Demons don't really have a timeline but most of us live longer than the average Human."

"I don't want to be stuck with him!" I yelled. My tail whipped behind me as my pacing increased. I went up to a tree and raked my claws down its bark. "I deserve to pick the life I want to live. He gets to decide what life he wants because he's got the power, but I deserve to decide."

"He's not really..." Husker clicked his claws together. "He's more...you won't get through to him unless you've got some kind of power. And...you may have to suck it up and train with him until you've reached that point. You've seen how he reacts when your shadow shows up."

I glanced down as my shadow morphed into the woman. I had yet to come up with a name, though I was heavily leaning towards Alcine. It seemed like a nice, elegant name for a woman who's shadow looked like that. She nodded her head at me on the grass.

I let out a strangled sigh. "I just...I have my own plans."

"I know." He pushed himself to his feet and stood in front of me. "I know exactly how you're feeling. So I want to do what I can to help you get there."

"What about you?"

He shrugged. "One step at a time. Maybe you'll even be able to convince him to let me go. But let's take this one day at a time."

I rubbed my clawed fingers together. "Okay."

****

"Are you finally ready, darling?" Alastor stood on the scorched symbol at the cliff, his eyes and teeth glowing brightly in the dim moonlight. His hands rested on top of each other on his red cane. I hid my Demon side as I walked up. My feet felt like they had glue on the bottom of them, making each step harder than the last. 

"Where are we going?" It was the third time I had asked. 

"Out. I think you've been stuck in this dusty house for too long." He uncurled a claw from his cane and held it out, his smile widening. 

"You and I both know kindness isn't your thing." I looked up through furrowed eyebrows and an angry scowl. Anger was easier to manage than fear.

He hummed a short laugh. "You pain me. I'm not all bad." He inched his hand towards me more. 

I sighed. "Yes you are," and took his hand. Our combined power rushed through my veins and took my breath away. I had to take a moment to recover while Alastor soaked in the feeling. He pulled me closer and teleported away. I nearly grabbed his arm when the ground disappeared. I was slowly getting used to the feeling of teleporting.

When we touched solid ground, I looked around at the dark landscape. We were on a roof but there were several huge buildings surrounding us. Not all the floors were lit up and most of them didn't even have windows or walls. I inched to the edge and saw a lively scene beneath me. The major streets were covered in yellow, electrical lights and people had to push themselves through the heavy crowd. 

This was one of those Old World cities. Since the Great Collapse, many major cities had fallen to nothing but ruins, leaving mother nature to handle them how she wanted. I had been in a ring of sorts in one of these cities. When an old ring had been discovered, everyone had to go find a new one. On the way, Striker and I had spent a night in one of these big cities. He heard of a fighting league, a legal 'ring' fight with willing participants. He had participated in a fight himself then offered me up to their champion. The fight lasted under two minutes.

I knew he would probably still be in one of the legal towns, but that didn't stop me from scanning the crowd in search of Striker's sharp face. "What are we doing here?" 

"There's someone I want to see if you recognize," Alastor answered nonchalantly. He stood just a hair behind me, his presence snaking around my shields. He didn't push through, which surprised me, but the fact that he was actively surrounding me didn't make me feel any better. I tried asking who I was supposed to be looking for but he didn't respond. He fell silent and just stared at me. I hated when he did that.

For awhile I simply watched. We were hidden on a roof that towered just above where the electricity stopped running. There was no one on the floors of the buildings around us and the shadows kept us well hidden from any curious eyes. 

After awhile, I sat down with my legs crossed and continued to watch. I was actually enjoying it. I stretched out my magic sense and felt everyone who came within distance. I could sense their emotions and feel who had Full magic and who had Slight. There were a few Demons hiding themselves in a human appearance, their magic's color shaping their outline. I imagined myself walking in the crowd with them all, brushing shoulders and going about a normal life. When I 'touched' them, it felt like I was sucking some of their energy straight from their body. 

A cold shiver ran through my body. I casted a glare at Alastor as his presence finally penetrated my shields. I tried wrapping my mind in a black cloak as if to keep him from reading my thoughts. I didn't know if he could actually read thoughts but I wasn't eager to find out. I turned back to the crowd to look for someone I would recognize. If he was trying to get in my head, that must mean he saw the person and wanted to see my reaction. 

It took me a few moments before my eyes locked on a man. I didn't immediately recognize him but I couldn't look away. He had a sturdy build, an ugly frown, and scraggly hair. My heart quickened and my hands started to sweat. What was wrong with me? Why was I freaking out? What was it about this man? No memories surfaced as I tried to remember.

He walked down one of the small streets and I followed, scrambling to my feet and jumping to the neighboring rooftop. I watched him from my high perch as he strolled halfway down the less-lit street. He leaned against the old building and pulled out a smoke. He was wearing a long sleeve which seemed odd for such a warm night. He put his hands in his pockets and just looked left and right. I knelt down and continued to watch him. What was he doing? Who was he waiting for?

Eventually, a second man walked down the street and shook hands with him. I leaned lower and casted a light wind to carry their conversation up to me. 

"That's thirty credits for the boy and forty for the girl," the newcomer said. He pulled out metal squares, called credits, to count them and drop them in the man's hand. 

"What do you want next?" the big man counted the credits himself before stuffing them into his pocket. 

"They're looking for two boys, around nine years old give or take."

"No girls?" 

"No. They supposedly have too many now and not enough fighters. They need the boys for the fights."

"Nine is awfully old." The big man blew out a puff of smoke. "They can't disappear as easy as younger kids."

"Which is why you're getting fifty credits for each." 

The big man coughed and took the smoke from his mouth. He cleared his throat and straightened his shirt. "Fifty? That sounds like they want a delivery."

"They do. They want them delivered to Swansbury. You can handle that, can't you?"

"Yeah, of course."

The newcomer held out his hand and the big man rolled up one of his sleeves. I leaned further over the edge to see what was all over his arms. The newcomer took the man's smoke and pressed it the hot end into his bicep. The man let out a grunt but didn't react in any other way. The newcomer returned the smoke after the big man had rolled his sleeve back down. The marks on his skin were all burn marks. Why did they do that?

"Your next contact will wear a gray top," the newcomer informed. He swiftly left the small street and disappeared into the crowd. The big man waited in the street, still smoking his cigarette. I watched him closely, trying to put together his face. I knew him. But from where?

Something pulled me backwards and I found myself in my mindscape. I pushed myself to my elbows and found myself in a memory. Not just any memory, the memory. The man trapped my hands against the cold cage floor and everything came running back. I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed the fear in my stomach. I was suddenly standing and tripped backwards into my shields. I shook my head and pulled myself back to reality. I opened my eyes to an empty alley.

I jumped to my feet and rang along the edge of the roof for him. I found him down another small street, walking into another small building. This one had electricity shining through some of the shaded windows. The man appeared on the third level and collapsed on an old rickety bed. This was the man that had assaulted me.

My Demon side slipped out and I dug my claws into the concrete of the rooftop I sat on. So many emotions came flooding through me as I stared at him. He was a ring hunter. He was the people who stole children and sold them to the ring fights. I had so much energy buzzing through my body I didn't know what to do with. I wanted to bring the building down and watch him suffocate from the crushing rubble. 

"You can do it." 

My ear twitched as Alastor's lips brushed against it. My hands were shaking the harder I pushed them into the concrete. My heart couldn't slow down.

"You have the power, now."

My vision started to blacken around the corners. I was zeroing in on his helpless, clueless body on the bed. He was going to sleep peacefully and would wake up the next day to ruin another child's life. 

"You can put a stop to him."

My breathing grew shallow. My hands were sweaty and my tail whipped back and forth on the roof. My wings pressed into the floor on either side of me to give them something to do. I wanted to jump off this roof and crash into his room. I wanted to wrap my claws around his throat.

"It would take a flick of your wrist."

Alastor's hand was gripping my shoulder as he leaned further over the other one. He was kneeling beside me? Behind me? There was so much energy bouncing between us that I couldn't tell where he was in contact with me aside from his claws in my shoulder. 

"End his life to save so many." He gently grabbed my wrist and pried it off the edge of the roof. He lifted it up so my sharp, black claws curled around the man's figure. "Restrict his airflow." His throat closed and his eyes shot open. He clutched at his neck and rolled of the bed. He banged his chest as if to dislodge an object from his throat. "Watch him writhe as you did."

The man's flailing slowed until he finally laid still on the floor. The outline of his body grew red until everything about his was glowing red. It was his soul. I quickly cut off my magic. A second later the man gasped for air and the outline disappeared.

Alastor was everywhere. I abruptly withdrew and broke away from him. "I'm better than that," I clutched my hands to my chest, "I stopped the killing when I left the ring. I'm not going back to that. I'm not a Demon."

"Oh darling," he stalked over to me, "you are a Demon." He leaned down so his face was level with mine, arms folded behind his back. "It's how you managed to survive for so long in those fights. It's in your nature."

A door slammed shut, drawing both our attention back to the street. The man had run out of the building and was making his way to the crowded street. A huge, dark figure appeared at the end of the street and snarled at the man. He casted fire at the illusion and went the other way. Alastor chuckled and looked at me sideways. He grabbed my forehead, covering my eyes, and I felt my body drop. 

A second later I was gliding over the lower buildings on the outskirts of the city. The man was still running, casting glances over his shoulder for his pursuer. Various black figures scared the man from certain streets, herding him further away from the crowded street. I jumped from building to level and back again. I could taste the fear of the man. It was sweet and electrifying. I wanted more. 

The man tripped and scrambled behind a pile of crates. I jumped down on the other end of the alley where the man wasn't looking. The streetlight behind me blinked. The man's head swiveled in my direction. The light turned on and my shadow--no, Alastor's shadow--stretched down the concrete. 

"Good day sir!" Alastor's chipper voice came from my lips. I wasn't actually here. I was seeing through Alastor's eyes. He stalked slowly and precisely towards his prey. The man tried casting fire but his veins bulged and he cried out in pain. He curled into a bawl, sobbing and begging for his life. Alastor leaned down so his face was inches from the man's and said, "You've gotten in my way."

His claws latched around the man's throat. Half a second later, the man's life faded from his eyes. He slumped into the ground and Alastor straightened up. He snapped his fingers to call the dark figures to surround the body. He effortlessly lifted himself to the rooftop and made his way back. I could see my own body laying on the ground as he knelt beside it. He covered his eyes and my own flew open, my body lurching forward. 

"What are you do--"

He caught my chin in his claws and held our faces close. "You are a Demon by nature. Your power will grow until you can no longer handle it, unless you learn how to properly exercise it. That is what I'm doing." He shoved my face away and stood. 

"What did you do to him?" I pushed myself to my feet. 

"You'll know by tomorrow when I make my broadcast." 

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

Author's Note:

Thank you all for your patience, kind words, and understanding! I hope this chapter makes up for yesterday. How power hungry do you think we'll get? Can we fight the urge? How persuasive will Alastor be?

[nomoreusername]

Two Secret Saviors

Pairing:Newt x female reader

Summary:After you unknowingly give Newt a reason to stay, he ends up saving you just a few months later.

She saved me.

She saved me, and she doesn't even know it.

She was up early the day I planned to take my life. She had run with me through the Maze, where we talked basically all day.

I had asked for a sign the night before. I asked for a sign on whether or not to go through with it, and she just that. The fact that she was up at the same time as me told me everything that I needed to know.

It took a very short time for me to fall and an extremely long time to do something about it.

Still, I somehow did. I asked her to come out one night and look at the stars. So, right there on the watchtower, we had our first date.

Now we go there every Friday. It's always something to look forward to.

"Do you think we'll get to learn the constellations one day?"She sighed.

"Yeah. When we get out of here we can learn as many as we want,"I promised.

"Yeah. I just wish that we knew their names now,"She shrugged.

"We can make our own?"I suggested.

"I don't think we can just change science,"She tried to reason.

"Why? If we're stuck here in our own world there's nothing stopping us from,"I pointed out.

"Okay. Then you name the first one,"She urged.

"I will,"I agreed, sitting up to find one that felt right. Focusing only on the sky, I carefully observed them until I found a small cluster hidden amongst them almost covered by the wall. "Freedom,"I stated simply.

"Freedom? Why freedom?"She asked, sitting up as well and slightly leaning her head against me.

"Because they're the closest things here that have it. Just for now,"I explained.

"Freedom,"She quietly recited. "I like that."

"Now you look for one."

"I don't have to. I already found mine,"She whispered, keeping her gaze on me.

"I love you too,"I promised, kissing her temple and wrapping my arms around her. Not saying anything, she just hugged me back, giving me another small moment that made staying actually worth it.

♡ - - - ♡

Waking up early used to freak me out. It used to trick my mind into thinking I was going to attempt again.

Now though, it's not so bad. I'll just have a quick breakfast, grab my Runner's bag, and get ready to go in the Maze with my partner. Today, I got to be with Y/N which was always nice. We would get everything done that we could, report every last detail, and get ready to either eat or collapse from exhaustion. Both options are pretty good.

Stopping for lunch, I leaned against the wall as I finished my sandwich. Doing the same, we stayed there in complete and total calm silence as we put the sandwich bags back in our Runners pack and stretched for a moment to actually get back on track.

"Are you ready to go?"She asked after twisting her back.

"Yep,"I agreed, quickly stretching my other leg before jogging next to her. Because despite the job title a lot of it is just memorizing details. The actual running comes from when the Maze changes (an often occurrence), the walls are almost ready to close (an occasional occurrence), or there's a Griever out in the day (which we don't talk about).

As the only sound to be heard was our footsteps against the ground, everything suddenly just went too quiet. Every background noise just seemed to vanish. No birds, no crickets, no anything. Just silence.

"Something's off,"I whispered, putting my hand out to stop her from continuing. As she just gave me a strange look I told her to just stay while I peaked around the corner to find out just why everything was so off.

I also quickly found out why.

Because we were standing less than two feet away from a Griever. While it has its back turned, the second a Beetle Blade ratted us out it was over.

As I slowly crept backwards I noticed the red, glowing light on the walls. Focusing its attention on me, the second it got a clear view the Griever turned around.

Not bothering to think and fueling myself on straight adrenaline and the strange human want to live, I turned around and ran for it, grabbing Y/N's hand to take her with me. Starting to run beside me, she didn't even question it as she looked straight forward, turning a corner with me. Because she already knew what it meant. She wasn't dumb.

But surviving this isn't a question of being a dumb. It's how fast you can go and how fast your mind can think.

Hearing its screech fill the air as it got close and closer, when we were out of sight around a turn for barely a moment I shoved her against the wall with me. Covered by the vines, we stayed there, completely pressed against it, even as it rolled past us. Keeping my hand in hers, we just stood there, knowing that it's never really over with these things.

Even when the sun started going down, we only left to get to the Glade when the Runners watch told us we had half an hour left. Taking a breath, we just stepped out, staying close as the coast was officially clear. Not speaking the entire time, we just made it to the Glade. Still not greeting anyone like usual, I just went with her to her hut and laid down next to her on her hammock.

"You're a quick thinker, you know? Really quick,"She whispered.

"I was just trying to keep us alive,"I shrugged.

"I know that you don't like how others are faster than you are, and it's true. There are some people who are just barely able to be speedier, but they don't have the most important thing. They don't have a mind like yours. Nobody ever could, not even me,"She told me.

"I was just keeping us safe,"I reasoned. Sighing, she put her head on my chest. Laying my hand on her back, I rubbed her shoulder as I closed my eyes.

"You don't take credit for what you do. I don't know why. You have so many incredible traits, do so many wonderful things. You deserve to know that. You deserve to be told that."

"Loving you reminds me that someone thinks of me like that every day. You just have the best soul, and I don't know how I'd make it without you,"I kind of admitted.

"You'd make it just fine,"She yawned, her breathing falling into a pattern as the day's events just drained us of energy.

She'll never know that she saved me. Nobody will.

Nobody will ever know just what these two lovers always do for each other.

Nobody will ever know about the two secret saviors.

[marigold-hills]

Dunes & Waters, part 14

PART 1 • PREVIOUS PART • NEXT PART

Even with magic, it takes a couple hours to clean up the office. It’s almost a miracle, but nothing important is damaged. With the exception of the little glass figurine they weren’t able to fix back together, everything is just as it was. Privately, Remus thinks the room was long overdue a good clean up – there were notes scattered about from scholars who’d long moved on from whatever they were researching there, and even the books couldn’t remember when they’d been alphabetised.

Remus thinks to wait. To give them both time to regroup and recuperate, but something tells him that right now, Sirius needs to feel needed. To have something to do other than smoking with a cat and failing at crossword puzzles. He’s a hurricane of energy, even when his magic isn’t going haywire, and he’s been stuck in that tiny cell with nothing to do and no one to talk to for months.

There is a trapdoor, hidden under the rug and with a separate enchantment only Remus and the curator knows about. Remus fixes it open and pulls out the Box.

“What’s that?” Sirius asks, because the Box is wrapped in a shaggy brown blanket.

Remus puts it on the desk. “This is your job.”

Underneath the blanket is brilliant gold, etchings inlaid with lapis lazuli depicting Wepwawet and Anubis facing one another. There is no lock, no trick, no puzzle to get it to open.

“It was found in Segin al-Kom during a muggle expedition in the late eighteen hundreds,” Remus explains, “then lost in the British Museum’s storage until someone tried to open it and the Ministry had to get involved. Poor bastard is still at Mungo’s, the rest of the workers had their memories wiped.”

“How did you come upon it?”

“Kingsley was the Auror sent to retrieve it. He knows of my research - we’ve worked together in the past – and thought I could know something about it.”

“But you don’t?”

“No. No clue. But here,” he points behind the ear of Wepwawet, where tiny blue crystals form a constellation, “this is-”

“Lupus. I know. And this one is Aquila. With Alshain in red.”

“That’s obscure knowledge.”

“Well. Not to me.”

It’s a sore topic, clearly, Sirius’ face scrunching up at the nose in a way that’s too adorable to be good for Remus’ heart.

“Great. You’re ahead then. Figure out how to open it, if it even opens. There is something loose inside if you shake it, but -”

And Sirius, because he’s impulsive and reactionary and impatient, shakes it, immediately getting a doze of electric shock.

“But that. Next time maybe let me finish my sentence. Save yourself the pain.”

Sirius, clearly embarrassed, grumbles something in response and smooths his hair out. “Had to check for myself.”

Remus leaves him to examine the box. He has his own things to get on with and he will do so, damn it, just as soon as he can tear his eyes away from Sirius’ fingers carefully tracing lines and patterns on the surface of the Box.

NEXT PART

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@moon-girl88

@hoje--aqui

@cocoabutterandbooks

@onion-sliced-apples

@prancingpony42

@digital-kam

@remoonysiriusly

@sweetstarryskies

@a-sunset-outside-my-window

@procrastinatingstuff

(let me know if you do/don’t want to be tagged!)

[placeinthemiddleofnowhere]

Idk but i would like a one shot with Ghost and Soap chasing reader around base like them playing hide and seek. It comes off as teasing until reader gets bold and tells them they both wouldn't be able to find them around base if they could.

Ghost and soap immediately don't miss a chance and exchanging a look they turn to reader saying

"one hour"

"what one hour?"

"we will count to ten for you to hide for an hour. Simple rules. You win you prove a point, but if we find you.."

"then what?"

"..you will find out"

Your throat’s ragged from running around so much, your nose all stuffed up with the overwhelming scent of petrichor and mushy autumn leaves, but even still you run. You run from the flashes in the corner of your vision, ones you can neither swear are definitely there or possibly figments of your imagination. They keep you light on your feet and sure-footed, even through the sodden grass. 

Ghost and Soap hadn’t got round to enlightening you on what would happen if they found you, but your heart pounded from the thrill of it. The idea that whatever was coming was only going to be dished out tenfold if they made it in time. It had you practically gliding round corners and kept you entertained when you took a notion to ducking into little cubby spots, thoughts filled with them both sandwiching you in, locked into an unmovable hold. 

“Come out, come out little rabbit…the wolves are closing in,” Ghost hummed, his voice a crackly growl over the comms. 

You breathed out a little gasp, trying to contain yourself. His voice didn’t sound close, but even still you felt the need to stay silent, knowing full well that he could be tricking you into security while Soap sharpened his claws and got ready to pounce somewhere close by. They were effective hunters afterall, hungry wolves indeed.

“We can tell you’re somewhere nearby,” Soap taunted. “Can see signs of your bootprints.”

Soap wasn’t terribly close either then, you thought. Neither voice boomed in the old training building you were occupying - empty and echoing with every invading rain droplet now that all the other troops were gone for the weekend. You glanced down at your watch and raised a brow, five minutes to go until time was up. 

You hadn’t really expected to win, you’d thought better of the Sergeant and LT. After how worked up you’d gotten, how tight your belly was, winning felt more like losing. 

“Are you both so desperate that you’re trying to make me reveal myself?” you whispered.

The dark chuckles of laughter were so rich through the earpiece you felt like someone was pouring honey bourbon into you. An unbidden shiver ran through your body, your spine electrified and ready to burst. 

“We don’t have to cheat to find you,” Ghost rumbled. 

“Not when we already know where y’are,” Soap finished for him. “All that’s left for you is to imagine what we have planned for you.”

“We’re not gonna go easy either. You didn’t go easy on us.”

You scoffed at that and peeked out of your hidey-hole in the old tents, content with the fact that neither man was even a foot out from the building. The rain still pattered against the metal ceiling, drumming its fingers undisturbed. You’d know if they were there, you reasoned, you’d hear them sloshing around in the drowned grass. It was reason you’d chosen that spot in the first place, an early warning system and multiple exits. 

“Really? Cause the way I see it you two have a couple minutes to get to me and I don’t hear or see you,” you murmured, crossing your arms and settling in. “Looks like I went too hard on you really.”

“Awful confident, little rabbit. You seem to think you have us beat don’t you?” Soap said, not sounding the least bit phased.

“I do,” you confirmed.

Just then the metal ceiling groaned. Your heartbeat spiked, your head thrumming with the displaced pulse that now lost itself in panic through your body. Just then you looked desperately to your watch - 1 minute to go. Even if they got into the building they still had to find out where you were hiding. There were plenty of bits of equipment laying around, plenty of prospective places that you could be. You just had to be really still. 

“Found ye.”

You jumped up, screaming when you realised that the voice came from right behind you. One of them was right behind the tents, probably Soap you assumed. Never had your feet raced so quickly before, but now you were up like a bolt of lightning, dashing over toward the door at the far side, not even looking over your shoulder to confirm who was chasing you. 

The door whipped open with a bang after taking a sharp kicking, and out of it you flew like a bullet. Just as you thought you might race to freedom, just as you reasoned to yourself that you only had to run for a few more seconds before they could no longer catch you, you were taken down. 

One second you were up and running and the next you were face down in the wet dirt, tasting a fresh mudpie as a heavy weight settled on top of you. Next thing you knew the air was mixing with the sound of dark laughter and the taunting beep of your watch running out of time. 

You groaned.

“Nice work, darlin’. Not good enough though,” Ghost taunted, whipping you round to face him. 

You breathed in a choked gulp of air and shuffled underneath your Lieutenant, fighting to breathe under his heavy weight as it was covered with all his dark tactical gear. He was unrelenting. He barely let you get space before he was forcing his knee between your thighs and holding your arms down into the mud, forcing your back into the sludge while your front was washed with sheets of rain. 

You peered up into the sockets of his skull mask, meeting those whisky eyes from out of the darkness, catching a peek of his blonde lashes as they blinked back the rain. Suddenly getting caught didn’t seem all that bad, even if you were sinking into a marsh and quite possibly absorbing mud into crevices you didn’t know about. 

“Could take you right here, pretty thing,” Ghost sighed.

“Think we could get away with it?” you asked, tilting your head in challenge. 

“Now now…can’t go rushing things. Especially when we gotta share.”

Ghost didn’t give you any warning after that. He lifted you into his arms and carried you back into the old training building, forcing you onto your feet just as Soap came into view. A flash of red was all you saw before you were pushed, sent sailing into him, looking up to greet the crimson skull mask that was so intently focused on you. Your hands wandered to his chest, bracing yourself as you righted your posture, fastening yourself to his tac vest. 

“Look at you, you’re filthy,” Soap admonished, “this isn’t any way for someone of your rank to look at all.”

He grabbed the front of your top and sent you off balance again, grasping onto him just to try and remain upright. Though in your struggle you couldn’t stop him from taking a knife from one of his holders, ripping roughly through the material before letting it drop onto the ground with a wet slap. Your mouth formed an O before you could think to form words.

“Better get those trousers off too,” Ghost remarked. 

“Good idea,” Soap laughed.

He pushed you onto Ghost then, sending you tumbling once more into a tall hard body. You landed with an oomph and clawed at Ghost this time, full well knowing how he intended to get the rest of your clothes off. 

“I’m up for a rough fuck, guys, but you can’t do this! What the hell am I gonna walk back in,” you fumed, keeping a tight grasp on Ghost’s arms. 

Ghost’s eyes narrowed in a little smirk, the light never once fading from those honey pools. You glared at him and continued your fight, but it was useless. He merely wrapped his arm around you and kept you still while Soap made short work of your trousers and underwear. Neither of them cared even a little while you kicked out and screamed at them. The bastards barely flinched at your clawing and punching. 

“I wouldn’t worry about what you’re going to walk back in, little rabbit,” Ghost said, fastening his hand around your neck and pushing you back into Soap. “I’d worry about still being able to walk back at all after we’re done with you.”

Both men glued themselves to your body, Ghost crushing your front while Soap grinded into your back. Outraged breaths soon started to turn to reluctant moans, you weren’t happy with them but it didn’t mean that their now roaming hands were unwelcome. In fact, quite the opposite. 

You groaned deeply when soap’s hands squeezed and ran down your thighs, brushing the back of one along your belly before exploring lower and lower. It sent your lashes fluttering and eyes rolling back when Ghost joined him, only pausing to lift his mask up and kiss you before his hand met with Soap’s between your thighs. 

“So ready for us, darlin’,” Soap whispered, his breath hot on the shell of your ear. 

“Yeah,” Ghost moaned, grabbing your hand and sliding it down through the layers of his trousers. “And we’re ready too - this is what happens when you send us chasing after you for an hour… and you know what?”

You were barely paying attention to Ghost while Soap played with you so diligently, his hands working you in all the right places, mouth on your neck with such fervour it felt religious. The thudding of his heavy heart was the only thing keeping you grounded. 

“What?” you breathed, eventually releasing Ghost had asked something.

“You kept us waiting…we’ll keep you waiting too.”

[humbledragon669]

S1E3 – Hard Times Write Up P2 – The Globe Theatre London (1601) and the Burbage Meta

This part of the write up for episode 3 is going to take on a slightly different format, in that it will only be covering a very short (approx. 4 minutes) section of the episode. It will also contain the details of a meta-theory I have based on the short conversation that takes place in this scene, and I’ll be analysing the comings and goings of the scene in greater detail to try and demonstrate how the theory came to fruition. I’m not going to lie – this theory is likely to be HUGELY unpopular. I am not a fan of it myself but it’s where my head canon is at, and if it were true might explain one other unknown piece of canon. So, with all that said, let’s get started.

Before we get into the weeds, I’d just like to take a moment to appreciate the soundtrack for this scene. I’ve spoken before about David Arnold’s ability to compose incidental music of all manner of styles to assist with scene setting and the piece playing in the background here is no exception. The use of period instruments, simple orchestration and playful melody do an excellent job in establishing our place in the timeline. Chapeau, sir.

Alright, let’s get the ball rolling with some familiar ground, specifically the obvious joy on Aziraphale’s face when Crowley arrives.

Look at that happy little face! It looks like pure reflex too, he just can’t help himself. Did you appreciate that little suggestion that this is a happy couple on a pre-arranged date? Well hold on to it, because things are about to get rocky.

I’m going to skip ahead a little bit, but I will be coming back to look at some of the other interactions that take place here later on. I’ll mention (briefly) that this scene is the first we learn of the “Arrangement” actually being in place and that they have invoked it “dozens of times” (the book confirms it was originally enacted in 1020). It took me a little while to twig, but the fact that they do work on behalf of the other doesn’t just mean that Crowley is capable of blessing things and using his miracles for good (the latter isn’t so dubious – they both seem to use their miracles more like magic tricks anyway), but that Aziraphale is capable of tempting people into (bad) things. Food for thought.

When I first started looking at this episode with a mind to doing a write up for it, there was one of Aziraphale’s lines that stood out to me:

The reason it stood it is because it feels almost… lustful. And it shouldn’t because he’s not talking about Crowley here, but the actor on the stage – Richard Burbage. I dismissed it because I did not care for what that might mean for our precious darlings. That’s ridiculous, right? Aziraphale desiring someone other than the tall dark prince. Absolutely.

Time for a tangent.

After I finished writing Dangerous Liaisons (a 5+1 fix-it fic I wrote based on the theory that the entire Final 15 is all just an act), I found myself wanting to fill in some of the gaps that I had touched upon in the fic. There is mention of certain events, and of declarations of love on both sides, at particular points in their history, and my brain was already whirring about if I was to write them (spoiler alert: I am 100% going to write them), what the details were. One of those events takes place in 1941, which got me thinking about Aziraphale spitting out that he did the “I Was Wrong” dance that year. Which in turn got me wondering about what that dance would have been for. Which in turn got me thinking about what the other instances of the “I Was Wrong” dance in 1650 and 1793 could have been for, and eventually I was at the point where I wasn’t just planning to write more fics about the events mentioned in Dangerous Liaisons, but my versions of how those apology dances came about as well.

At the time, I had a notion that perhaps the 1941 dance had been done as an apology for Aziraphale’s outburst in 1862 about the holy water. Similarly, I had an idea that the 1793 dance could potentially have been about the fact that Aziraphale had (very stupidly) gone to France during a war against aristocracy, dressed in finery, for nothing more than crèpes. But the 1650 dance? I had no clue.

Until I went back to this scene.

What if. What if that lustful undertone I thought I had detected when Aziraphale speaks about Richard Burbage wasn’t nothing at all? Honestly, when my brain offered me that idea, it felt like fireworks had gone off in my head. Did I like it? FUCK NO. Did it make a weird sort of sense? Urgh, so help me, it kind of did. So hold on people, I’m going to say it quickly, because I am not enjoying writing it about as much as you aren’t going to enjoy reading it.

I think Aziraphale had an emotional affair with Richard Burbage.

I think not only did Crowley know about it, but that initially he gave it his blessing. I think Crowley changed his mind when he realised how much he was hurting as a result of it. I think Crowley tried to talk Aziraphale out of it under the pretence of not wanting him to feel the pain of heartbreak when Burbage inevitably died. I think they had a huge row about it. And I think the 1650 “I Was Wrong” dance was Aziraphale apologising for it all.

Hate me now? It’s OK if you do, I kinda hate myself for thinking it in the first place to be honest.

I know you’re probably thinking “well, what on earth were the 1793 and 1941 apology dances for then? If the original dance was for something as awful as an “affair”, what could he possibly have done in later years that would have been bad enough that the dance needed to be repeated?”. I know you’re thinking it because it’s exactly what I thought when my brain force fed me this theory in the first place. So here’s the thing.

I don’t think the dances in 1793 and 1941 were for anything different.

I think all three of the instances of the apology dances were for the same thing – Aziraphale’s emotional affair with Richard Burbage. Because it’s the one thing Crowley can secretly never forgive him for, even though he gave him permission to do it in the first place.

I suppose I had better start talking to explain myself here, shouldn’t I? Well, alright then, I will, but only about my reasoning for the theory – the playing out of the dances I will be writing about in my fics.

Let’s start with the little glance at Burbage we see from Aziraphale when Crowley says he hates the ”gloomy” Shakespeare plays:

I’ve slowed it down so that you can see it, but Aziraphale’s primary concern about Crowley’s criticism is whether or not Burbage has heard it – that’s where his gaze initially goes to before being distracted by an approaching Shakespeare.

OK, OK, a single glance and a single line of script. That’s hardly a confession, is it? Well, I’m not done yet. Let’s have a look at Aziraphale falling over himself to reassure Burbage of his talents.

This sort of gushing simper is something you might usually see from a teenage girl trying to bolster the older boy she has a desperate (and inappropriate) crush on, often when responding to an attempt by him to fish for compliments or show the younger girl up. It makes me a little sick at just how desperately Aziraphale offers his support here to be honest. My feelings aside, his babbling flattery wins him Burbage’s attention, which clearly delights the angel.

I’m sure most people would be happy to believe that the reason Aziraphale denies his friendship with Crowley is because that is the standard for them both, but I think there’s more to it than that. I’m of the mind that Burbage and Aziraphale already know each other at this point, and that they’ve already begun to develop feelings for one another. Burbage asking Aziraphale about his “friend” isn’t just a general question - it’s tinged with jealousy. He wants to know who this man is, not in an attempt to garner more compliments, but because he’s feeling threatened by his presence. As well he should. Let’s also take a look at Aziraphale’s face after Crowley’s presence has been pointed out:

Does it look familiar to you? It does to me. It’s the face he pulls when he’s in trouble for doing something he knows he should be in trouble for. Just like when Nina drops him in the shit with Crowley for having a naked man in his shop:

We can also see Crowley starting to cotton on to things in this little exchange. He sees Aziraphale’s desperation and flustering, sees the human’s jealousy and possessiveness. So what does he do? He does what any self-respecting mischief-loving demon would do. He decides to join the pissing contest. You can see his decision in his expression here:

If that expression wasn’t enough to let you know that he’s entering the ring at this point, his dismissive response to Burbage’s challenge should be enough to tell you he now considers this man fair game.

I think you should get on with the play.

Ouch. Saucer of milk, Crowley? Or maybe just turn your disdain to the person you’re actually upset with? Ah, he’s got that covered, showering Aziraphale with sass when he heckles Burbage. You can see a little train of emotions going through his expression here – amusement morphs into shock and disbelief, finally indicating his incredulity with a head shake so subtle you can only just catch it in the movement of his hair.

Quick side note: in the script, Burbage gives Aziraphale a “grateful thumbs up” at the heckle. Very friendly, don’t you think?

And so we come to the hateful fateful line that got us into this mess in the first place.

He’s very good, isn’t he?

And now it takes on a whole different level of meaning, doesn’t it? This is him asserting his pride at Burbage’s talents, justifying his feelings in a thinly veiled confession, and subtextually seeking approval from the one person in the world that he would ever want it from.

Let me be clear: I do not believe that Aziraphale is sexually attracted to Burbage, or that he’s in love with him. I think he feels a deep emotional attraction to him and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that Burbage’s talent is what’s really driving it. It’s worth remembering that Richard Burbage was a real historical person, who was the resident actor at the Globe Theatre. He played virtually every major role in the company, and it is generally thought that the role of Hamlet was written for and based on him. He was possibly considered the greatest actor of his time.

Crowley’s response, which comes after a tiny pause, seems oddly out of character.

Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety.

For those who don’t know, this line is an almost direct quote from Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” (written after 1601, hence why Shakespeare makes a note of it when Crowley speaks). It’s spoken by Enobarbus, Antony’s best friend, who acts as a reasoned counsellor to Antony, offering advice unbiased by an all-consuming infatuation with Cleopatra. The pronouns have been changed in Crowley’s rendition (the resulting line in the play is about Cleopatra, so “his” becomes “her”). I have no doubt that Crowley’s subtext is pretty thickly layered here, so I’m going to try and break it down a bit:

We have a reference to age not having an effect on appearance. This is pretty obviously a characteristic of both himself and Aziraphale, immortal beings as they are.

The second half of the line he delivers is a reference to the subject having a range of moods that are unpredictable in their application.

The line as a whole takes these two ideas and wraps them in the suggestion that the subject is overwhelmingly attractive to many.

So taking all of that into consideration, I believe that the subject of Crowley’s line here is Aziraphale. He’s the one who doesn’t age, who is unpredictable and has fickle moods. It’s a reminder to himself of the things he finds attractive in Aziraphale and why others might also be drawn to him. It’s his admission that in this situation, he must be Enobarbus, the advisor, but that one day he can resume his role as Antony to Aziraphale’s Cleopatra. I mean, where else do we think he gets his 20th century first name from anyway?

That was a lot of analysis for a tiny handful of words. Aziraphale is less impressed with them, presumably because his little crush’s talent has not been recognised and he didn’t get the approval he was looking for.

The conversation that follows lets us know that Crowley has called this meeting. What’s interesting though is that according to Crowley’s opening line of the scene, it would appear that the location choice was Aziraphale’s.

I thought you said we’d be inconspicuous here.

This would suggest that Aziraphale knew that Burbage was going to be displaying his talents and that it would give him ample opportunity to show him off. Poor Crowley has been completely ambushed.

The majority of the conversation after this point is largely business-related, but it doesn’t stop Aziraphale from returning his eyes to Burbage at every opportunity, who is relentlessly charging through his lines in the background. Interestingly, the only line we focus on him for is this “the pangs of despised love”, which refers to the heartache caused by love that ends badly. And what other way is there for the affair between him and Aziraphale to end but badly? He’s human. He’s going to die. Leaving Aziraphale heartbroken. The frame just before these words are delivered would suggest that Aziraphale isn’t actually paying attention to him when he says them (shocking), so he’s probably missed that particular point entirely.

It's touching to see that Aziraphale does still care for Crowley, despite whatever else might be going on in his brain – his main concern, at least on the surface, is that it could put Crowley in danger if they invoke the Arrangement. In truth, I think he’s also considering the possibility that he might get to stay in London to spend more time with Burbage if he doesn’t have to go to Edinburgh; it’s written all over the lingering gaze he shoots the actor’s way when he’s offered the change to “toss for Edinburgh” (*smirk*)

And just look how disappointed he is when he loses:

And as if Aziraphale had not asked enough of his demon already, he overhears a conversation between Shakespeare and the oyster vendor (named Juliet, wonder if old Bill stole her name for anything he’d written previously…), prompting him to ask Crowley for a favour. I don’t think this could be interpreted as anything other than a secret gift from Aziraphale to Burbage. He obviously thinks it’s a marvellous idea and has set his heart on having it – just look at his silent ask of Crowley:

If that little eyebrow raise looks familiar, it’s because exactly the same micro-expression we see when he silently asks Crowley to clean his jacket in episode 2:

Let’s just for a moment say that my theory about all of this is complete guff. Why would Aziraphale be so desperate for Hamlet to succeed? Why this particular play? I’m prepared to settle and say the reason he doesn’t do the miracle himself is because he’s just lost the toss and is about to go and do Crowley’s job for him, but I can’t work out why he would be so keen for this play to succeed if there wasn’t some sort of emotional attachment involved with its lead actor and inspiration. So, I’m sticking to my guns on this one. Note: I’m not going into any metafiction stuff about both David and Michael having played Hamlet to high acclaim – everything here stays strictly within the GO universe.

And, like the lovesick little puppy that Crowley is, he gives his heart’s desire what it desires, even though it isn’t him. He even calls it a “treat”, and it earns him a pretty sweet smile of gratitude.

I don’t believe that Crowley’s gesture here is without subtext. I think this is him giving Aziraphale the approval he was fishing for earlier. And Aziraphale knows it – his secondary response (after that big soppy grim) is one of delighted relief. I have no doubt that Crowley is smarting a little by this point, and that’s borne out by the fact that he now leaves the theatre alone. If we look at the ends of each of the historical scenes, there are three where one of our hero couple leaves without the other (I’m not counting the departure in 537 AD where they both leave simultaneously). One is in 1862 (where Aziraphale refuses to supply Crowley with holy water) and another in 1967 (which I obviously haven’t covered yet) where Aziraphale leaves after delivering his soul-destroying “you go too fast” revelation. The other is this one. It’s seems very fitting that the only scenes where we see one of them leaving without the other are scenes where there is emotional tension between them. More importantly for this scene though is not so much that Crowley leaves, but that Aziraphale stays, his gaze instantly returning to Burbage on the stage. Not only is his face still fixed with a soppy smile, but he resumes eating – something we will see him using as a flirting device with Crowley in future years.

There’s one last thing I want to talk about from the beginning of this scene that I think bears mentioning:

Setting aside the fact that he miracles a coin out of thin air right in front of a human’s face here, there’s something else that draws my attention. The vendor in this micro-scene gives a customer two choices: oysters or oranges. Aziraphale chooses a third option, that we as the audience are not aware is available: grapes. Is it too extreme to consider this to be foreshadowing the choice that Aziraphale will make in this scene? As an entity, we have seen him try to choose between Heaven and Crowley for centuries, but here he will instead choose a third, previously unknown, option – Richard Burbage.

So there we have it. If you’ve stuck with me this far, I really do congratulate you. And I’m sorry. I’m not exaggerating when I say that writing this all down was actually really hard to do. I don’t want any of what I’ve theorised here to be true as much as most of the GO fandom, but once the idea planted its seed I could see how much sense it made.

If you’re still reading, and don’t hate me too much, I’ve written the prologue and first chapter of the fic that goes with this meta (you can find it here). I’ll be writing the second and third chapters covering the other “I Was Wrong” dances once I’ve completed the analysis for their relevant scenes, though that does mean the 1941 chapter will be a little while in the making.

Not sure I really want to include my usual sign off here, but… questions, comments, discussion always welcome. (Please don’t throw too much abuse at me!)

[pandorasfruit]

Umbrella Academy season 4:

I finished the entire season a few nights ago, so lets talk about some things;

I haven't checked in with the fandom in any way, but from most of the tiktoks i've seen, not many like this season. Completely understandable, makes sense, especially after seeing that weird (a lot of people used the word:) predatory relationship which went down between Five and Lila. I definitely did not see it coming, and though I don't find it predatory myself, as they are both consenting adults, since Five is in the body of an (i think) 20-something year old, but has the mind of an (if i remember right) 60/70 year old(?). I think how it happened can also be an excuse; they were trapped together for (what felt like to them) 7 years. Not to mention that Five had probably been lonely for some time now, and though Lila claimed that her marriage satisfied her, I really don't think it did.

This all however, is totally not an excuse for their behavior. Lila was married with three kids, and Five was the brother of her husband. They were in-laws, which does add to the weird pile.

The only thing I really enjoyed about their "hang", was their travels through all the different timelines. And now we have another academy (The Phoenix Academy), that's just a fun thought. I would have loved to see an episode where they explored the different timelines with different academies.

In other news: I love Luther.

I'm sorry, but I just do. I think the way he desperately tries to keep everything together when it comes to their family is commendable. In previous season, I always hated how he excused Reggie's behavior, but now that he's left that behind and focuses solely on his siblings instead is adorable. Both and he and Allison have given up on the whole incestuous relationship they had, and now they don't even mention it nor acknowledge it. Though normally I would say that that's not a healthy way to deal, I think it's actually better to just leave it all be.

Yes, I know he's kind of pathetic. Yes, I know he is also somewhat selfish. No, I do not care. He's trying very hard to be cool older brother Luther and cool uncle Luther. I think his whole descent into sex work should have been talked about in a better way, but somehow he always brought it up as a thing he enjoys doing? I'm not going to go into prolematic things that the writers have been doing, but this is definitely one of them. There's nothing consensual about sex work, and it should never be shown as something that one might enjoy doing.

This is one of the first actual seasons, however, where we get to witness Diego doing his thing! (I know we've seen him do some other tricks, but they never been this detailed.) I was so shocked to see him do his little spin in the air to redirect the bullets during the second episode, but I was disappointed to see that Lila did NOT care.

Talking about Lila and Diego, did anybody else catch that one part in the first episode about how they basically had the twins accidentally? Diego explains to Luther that though he loves Lila and his kids, he feels exhausted and not at all satisfied. Then he explaines that they had the twins through Lila telling him that since she was breastfeeding, she couldn't get pregnant. It's unclear now if they were both mistaken, but just the way he was talking about it, it felt like to me that he felt betrayed by Lila. I'm pretty sure that Lila was aware that she could still get pregnant, she just knew that she wouldn't be able to convince Diego, so instead she did this.

Viktor is as cool as ever. He's always been very cool, but thinking back to all other old (pre-transition) Elliot Page roles, its so noticiable how uncomfortable he was in his body, and getting to see him now, playing a male character, whos not only accepted by his siblings but Reggie too?! Amazing. And him bonding with Reggie? Delicious, I ate that right up. Reggie calling him "boy" (and other masculine nicknames)? Love, love, love.

This is one point for the writers and Netflix, this is exactly how Hollywood should handle an actor coming out, and I hope that this will be an example for future media that will feature transgender actors in the middle of transitioning.

Klaus is our little weirdo who DESERVES a break. He needs it. Please.

We get to see him clean this season, but I did not expect him to behave like this while off drugs. Honestly, I'm not sure I expected anything. I guess I kind of just thought he'd do drugs anyway? Or that he'd get clean but still behave somewhat the same way.

Poor Klaus was also a character subjected to sex work this season, it just made a bit more sense this time. He definitely did not enjoy it, that was something they made very obvious, but they still couldn't do it just right. It was awful watching him have to make a choice between getting money to pay off his debt and leave or a sole condom for "dealing" with costumers. They didn't make it obvious how many clients he really had, but through dialog, you could kind of guess that he had way more than the one girl whose money he tried stealing.

I loved seeing his relationship with Allison this season. And I loved his relationship with Claire even more. I felt the scene where he went home to rob Allison's place so he could get money to buy drugs was realistic, but since I've never had any experiences with addiction of that kind, I won't speak on it.

The villains of the season were kind of nothing if I'm being honest. I loved their sense of style, but other than that they were basic, text-book style villains, who were mostly around to just help the story along. They weren't too memorable, but neither was Reggie's wife? Partner? I'm not sure who she was, or if she counts as a villain or not? I didn't really understand her role, but I did like how she treated the siblings the first time they met.

Then there is Ben and Jennifer.

I feel like we never really made Ben an official part of the siblings, even though he is supposed to be. His relationship with Jennifer was very cute, but once again, it was not too memorable, even though it was supposed to be the main story of the entire season. I find it weird how it all looks unplanned while also being completely planned? Like, you'd assume that ever since season 1, this has always been the story of Ben's death, and yet it still feels like it just wasn't? It feels like they were putting this whole thing together blindly, and then someone thought of the right thing and that was what made it all make sense.

And I don't like how things with Jennifer went unexplained! What does that fucking squid have to do with anything???

But anyway, other than all that, this season was a very basic example of a Netflix series. It was entertaining but not deep. It was a good watch, but I don't think I could ever do a re-watch. I think it was overall, just nice.

[goodluckclove]

In Defense of Self-Inserts

This is written in response to an ask sent from the Always Delightful @fukurouonthesea, who asked for my thoughts on creating unique characters in regards to a tabletop game character they're building. My first thought on getting this question is that Fukuro likely assumes unique characters are a subject I know things about - good to hear! Good that people assume I know things! That works out well for me.

So I can speak more on the perspective of writing characters for prose and scripts rather than TTRPGs. I recently finished my first campaign, but I was sort of tricked into playing by my wife who was DM-ing and ended up going the whole time with a joke character I really couldn't find any actual dramatic pathos in*. My next attempt will hopefully be more intentionally-crafted. But also still probably chaotic. I tend to lean that way, apparently.

But characters! How do you do them? Or, more accurately, how do I do them? There's a ton of paths to get to the same goal of Cool Guy That's Fun To Read About, but I'd love to take this opportunity to put off actually working on Migration Patterns for a while longer and instead ramble about something I've been wanting to dive into for a while.

Self-inserts are actually super useful! They're great! All of my characters are self-inserts and virtually no one has ever commented on that! I genuinely don't think they've noticed!

(this is a long one)

What is a self-insert, really? The definition I'm the most familiar with in writing is a character drawing (maybe even heavily drawing) from yourself as the author. I saw people back in the day get very mean about self-inserts, considering them an overlap with the Original Sin of Mary Sue-dom. It's 2024, though, and these days Mary Sue is primarily a term used to describe female characters that a critic personally doesn't like. Still, I've had a TON of writers come to me worrying about writing self-inserts, and I'm consistently confused.

Maybe it's because I've been doing this for long enough that I've built up an immunity to the dumb nonsense people say online posing as "Objective Writing Advice". Maybe it's because I'm a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, a man who straight up wrote himself as a side character in a few of his most notable books. I've never gone that far, but I absolutely pull from my own life and identity for all of my characters and it consistently works.

I think when a reader points out a character as a self-insert, it's a reflex of seeing someone with notably less nuance than the rest of the cast. This character - let's name them Goobis - is written with the near-explicit intent to be just super cool. It's an instant turn-off for me in a written work if there's one person I can just look at and immediately know they're crafted to be the fandom darling. Goobis might have faults, but if they do, they're pretty cool faults. They're things that could definitely be bad if pushed to a thematic height (Caring too much, over-protective, self-sacrificing, a level of snark that's guaranteed to make impressionable fans slightly insufferable for a few years), but they aren't.

Goobis, typically, gets kid gloves in terms of the treatment of the story. Plot Armor, maybe. Or they might be a Plot Martyr that has every bad thing ever happen to them and everyone around them is either an old-timey villain or a kind cardboard cutout that weeps oh no poor Goobis!! Both are fine. There's an audience for both, clearly. But from what I've seen those are the types of characters that typically get readers - myself included - to think they're a form of wish-fulfillment.

You can do wish-fulfillment in writing. You should do that at least one, it's nice and good for bone health. But man, there are a lot of writers (Including adult ones that I've known in my real life) who can benefit from - like - distance, man. Draw from yourself and your life, but unless you're ready for a conversation maybe don't be one-to-one accurate.

I have a relative who got a masters in creative writing. I found his novella online and aimed to read it and send him my thoughts as a show of support, only to find that it was actually unbelievably pretentious and I honestly couldn't get through it. What drew my attention, though, was that the main character was dealing with the grief of his father, who died literally the exact same way my relative's actual father died.

I caught it immediately and I think I whispered "oh no" out loud. Like, what are you doing dude? Your mom read that shit, and she had to see you describe an entirely accurate depiction of how her fucking husband died that is such a weird move. Processing grief through writing is great - but change some fucking specifics, you weirdo. Make it a mom instead of a dad, or maybe an uncle or grandpa if you're keeping the patriarch thing. Change the reason why he needed surgery, or the medical complication that caused his death. Maybe don't name the exact hospital where your Dad died in this non-autobiographical work. Fucking hell.

Shifting some surface-level details from events in your life is, often times, enough to make it so people directly involved in these events can read them and not even realize what you're referencing. You can also tweak a certain event slightly to fictionalize it even further, while still having the honesty of your real life experience. I dropped out of school while starting the same creative writing program my relative graduated from. What if I stayed? What would my life look like? What would my writing look like? Would I still even enjoy writing? The concept of sliding door moments is a fascinating one to me and it's something I think about a lot.

On a more internal level in terms of character, you know more of yourself than anyone else in your life. You know your fears and your faults. You know what makes you lovable - or what people say they love you for, or what you'd like them to love about you. You probably know things about yourself that are so painful and trembling that you assume that if anyone else finds out about them they'd immediately realize you're worthless as a human being. If you don't know any of that, maybe you should. Internal contemplation - or external though something like therapy - is absolutely beneficial in a ton of ways, including for your art.

People are complicated. Everyone is complicated, and the average person as the most experience with their own network of identity. And in my own work (The only craft I can really speak for), putting at least a touch of myself in the characters I create has really caused people to engage and relate to them.

And it's weird, because I can't really think of any major faults that any of my characters have. At least, not in the way a lot of newer writers describe character faults - like some rubber stamp easily marked in the center of a person's forehead. There are things about the cast of my series Songbird Elegies that I see as struggles that either have to be processed or managed. Someone might be self-loathing, or struggle with emotional intimacy, or have a temper that will absolutely steer them wrong. They might be impulsive to a degree that is no longer Quirky Cute. That's not great.

But growing writers will sometimes make a fault out to be a thing that you can see very clearly in a person above anything else. As if you can point at a guy on the street and say BAM - SEXIST! Which - yeah, you can do that. I can have brief interactions with people I don't actually know and come away thinking that someone is stupid or lazy or irresponsible or any number of bad qualities. It's only if I got to actually know them - either though a relationship or just somehow following their lives as an outside observer - that I'd learn they slipped through the cracks in school so deeply that they just stopped caring, or they went through a loss that resulted in them choosing to survive instead of actually live.

Your worst qualities weren't predestined from birth. The Meyers-Brigg is absolute nonsense mainly utilized by the military and most major corporations. There are things you might hate about yourself that once served to protect you. This is true for everyone you see, but when you're just starting out in art it might be hard to see that. That's why it's so helpful to first draw from yourself.

So draw from yourself to whatever degree you want. Give Goobis your sense of humor, but maybe use it as an opportunity to explore why you're so quick to joke and what doing that might be avoiding. Have Goobis experience the same childhood birthday that irrevocably changed the course of your life, but maybe change what year it happened and make it a close-up magician you found instead of a Spiderman Impersonator. In fact, consider seeing what would change if it was Goobis' innocent little brother who stumbled across Spiderman's dead body instead of Goobis themself. If you're willing to be honest - not excessively self-deprecating or praising, just honest - you'll probably be surprised how many people see themselves in the people you write.

God that was long. I hope that helped maybe? Helped someone?

*It was an eldritch horror wearing a cowboy Hat of Disguise to look like a bulldog. His name was Socks. He ended the campaign traveling to early 2000s Philadelphia and kidnapping an NPC with him. This was after Socks paid for the NPCs Wizard school education, then paid for the NPC to become a potter after crossing paths again, and then sacrificed the NPC to be an immortal slave to a Time Spider. In the climax of this campaign Socks used the Teleport cantrip from Wizards101 to banish the final enemy to the Tomb of the Beguiler. Things went off the rails real quick.

[slayfics]

Girl talk about villains.

Warnings: nsfw themes

650 words

Featured OCS:

💚 Kansatoki Hikari

💚 Yume Hoshino

💚 Asumi Tachibana

"Ugh," Asumi sighed lying down on the floor dramatically. "I'm so tired of studying," she complained.

"We could take a break," Kansatoki suggested.

Yume nodded in agreement, her own eyes beginning to feel heavy from the long study session.

"Hey, I have an unhinged question for you both," Asumi said sitting upright.

Kansatoki eyed her suspiciously, while Yume sweetly replied, "What is it?"

"If you had to fuck a villain, who would you choose?" Asumi asked.

"Overhaul," Kansatoki answered before Asumi finished her question.

"Oh, that was too fast, you've definitely thought about that before," Asumi said laughing.

"Kansa!" Yume exclaimed. "I thought you were over your Stockholm syndrome!" Yume whined.

"I didn't have Stockholm syndrome!"' Kansatoki snapped. "I just think he'd have the cleanest dick out of all the villains."

"KANSA!" Yume exclaimed, hiding her face, flustered by her friend's vulgarness.

"I bet he's got a girthy one too," Asumi added.

"Oh, he does," Kansatoki agreed.

"Hu?" both girls looked at her. "What did you just say?" Asumi clarified.

Kansatoki's eyes widened, "I just mean- I saw him up close and he radiated big dick energy. Anyway, what's your answer Asumi?" Kansatoki asked forcing the attention off herself.

Asumi thought for a moment before answering, "I have to say Compress."

"Hmm," Kansatoki hummed. "He wasn't bad looking when that ugly mask came off."

"I just want to show him a few tricks myself," Asumi said, with a snicker. "Gonna make that dick disappear."

The two girls erupted with laughter while Yume tilted her head to the side trying to understand the joke.

"All right Yume, your turn," Kansatoki said, her laughter subsiding as she turned her attention to her friend.

"Hu?!" Yume looked between the girls with a panicked expression on her face.

"What villain are you fucking?" Asumi asked.

"Are you insane!" Yume exclaimed, "I'm not-," she looked around as if someone else might hear before whispering, "making love with a villain."

"Of course not, this is just hypothetical, just pick one." Kansatoki urged.

"Fine! Hmmm," Yume thought for a moment, "If Red Riot became a villain, I'd pick him."

Asumi and Kansatoki looked at each other with a pointed glance, before turning back to Yume. "That's cheating you can't choose your boyfriend," Asumi said.

"It's not cheating! It's hypothetical right!? So hypothetically if Eijiro became villain I'd choose him," Yume said matter-of-factly placing her arms on her hips.

"That's it, hold her down Asumi," Kansatoki instructed.

"What?!" Yume yelled as Asumi followed Kansatoki's directions and held Yum's hands behind her back.

Kansatoki slinked over to Yume's stuffed animal collection before grabbing her beloved shark plushie. "Answer now or sharky gets it!" Kansatoki examined squeezing the stuffed animal.

"Put it down! Eijiro gave me that!" Yume squirmed in Asumi's grasp.

"Come on Yume, just say a name and we'll leave you alone," Asumi encouraged.

"Yeah, you can even agree with one of us! Are you thinking Overhaul or the lame magician?" Kansatoki asked.

"Hey! At least Compress isn't a germ freak like that beak brain!" Asumi reported.

"What is it with you both and villains with missing arms!" Yume yelled, still struggling to get out of Asumi's grasp.

"Wrong answer!" Kansatoki said, pulling on the shark's tail.

"DABI!" Yume yelled, causing Kansatoki to stop in her tracks.

"What?! EW!" Kansatoki said, repulsed, and dropped the stuffed animal.

"What do you mean ew!?" Yume questioned.

"Have you seen him?! He's only got half his skin! How do you know he hadn't burnt his dick off!?" Kansatoki questioned.

"I bet he's a freak in bed though," Asumi said letting go of Yume's arms.

"Oh, so you're into freaks?" Kansatoki asked Yume.

"KANSA!" Yume whined, bringing her knees to her chest and hiding her face, embarrassed with herself.

"I'm just teasing ya, I like that answer." Kansatoki laughed.

"Yeah, who knew you had it in you," Asumi agreed.

[milawritesstuff]

Girl At Home (Pedri’s Version)

A/N:

This is part 3 to:

Babe (Pedri’s Version)

I Almost Do (Pedri’s Version)

Ideally I wanted to have part 3 and 4 ready at the same time. But I was busy this weekend so I am going to try and finish part 4 by tonight so you guys can have an ending to this. I hope you guys like it, I love your feedback so please don’t be shy to talk to me and tell me what you think!!

Enjoy :)

•••

Pedri’s POV

Something told me to look up and when I did I could have sworn I saw her, the strands of wavy brown hair as she turned the corner.

I was walking back home from picking up my dinner, the night falling over the Barcelona sky. A mundane routine now. Nobody at home to share dinner with. I picked up my food, walked back home, and wondered who she was having dinner with.

I knew it was her. My heart sank. For weeks dreaming of seeing her again without actually thinking about what I would say to her once I did. The bag with my dinner falling to the ground as I rushed to her. I turned the corner and manage to grab her arm to stop her.

-Y/N.- I said as a surprised look and a half smile met me.

But it wasn’t her.

-Joder, disculpe.- I apologized as I turned around and walked back home. Wondering where she had gone, I was sure it was her but at this point it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. My eyes fixated on the ground mentally kicking myself for allowing something so small bring all hope back to me.

Her scent had already left the home we shared except for the pillows, which I had sprayed with the bottle of perfume she left behind. The rest of her things still hanging in the closet. She had left every gift I had given to her behind, just like me. I hated being home because everything reminded me of her and of that faithful night when I let the worst take over me.

-Are you sure you don’t want to come?- I asked as I got ready to shower.

She looked up at me from her book and scrunched her nose. -You need some time with your friends, go out and have a boy’s night.-

I walked over to her and placed a kiss on her forehead as she went back to her book. I stepped back and smiled, knowing how lucky I was to have her by my side. Thinking about the first time that I met her and how somehow I knew she was going to be special in my life. The way she giggled when I introduced myself to her stealing my heart from that second.

The first time we kissed. Y/N and I had snuck out of our homes that night. We sat on the sand as the waves crashed in front of us. The light of the moon shinning down on both of us.

-Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live somewhere else?- She asked.

-Sometimes, but canarias is beautiful.- I said which caused her to laugh.

-Yeah but it would be exciting to live somewhere else, like Barcelona or Madrid.- Her eyes filled with wonder.

-We can live there.- I said with a sudden rush of confidence.

-You and me?- She turned over to look at me with raised eyebrows.

-Y porque no?- And why not? I said with a smile.

The thirteen year old girl smiled back at me with hope and turned back to look at the waves. I slowly moved my hand over hers. The warmth of our bodies meeting.

She looked down at our hands and smiled. I loved that smile since the first day I saw it. Slowly she moved her gaze from our hands to my face. I swallowed hard trying to stop myself from saying something stupid or not saying anything at all. Because in that moment I had to.

-Te quiero.- I said as I leaned down and she moved herself closer to me. Our lips touched. It was perfect. Our eyes opened as we pulled away from each other. A smile on our faces.

-Yo también te quiero, Pedri.- She said shyly.

A few hours later Ansu, Ferran, Eric, Gavi, and I were walking into a club in the city. We started with one round of drinks and eventually lost count of how many we had. I saw her through the corner of my eye as she approached me. -Elena.- She said as she extended her arm out standing in front of me in a red dress. I should have turned around but I didn’t. I grabbed her arm and pulled her in placing a kiss on either cheek greeting her.

I felt a hand grab my shoulder and when I turned around it was Gavi. He stared at me and whispered into my ear. “Be careful, you have a girl at home.” And that was the last reasonable words I heard that night.

“I know you have a girl at home.” She said as her body was pushed against mine, her warm breath near my ear. “But she’s not here, you are.” I said.

I’m not sure when or how it happened but while Elena and I sat down she ended up on my lap, facing me. I knew damn well I was crossing the line. I closed my eyes and felt her touch but in my mind it was Y/N. I didn’t see her friends next to us taking pictures. I felt her lips on my neck and as I opened my eyes I saw Gavi’s eyes of disappointment. But even then my mind was impaired and I took it all for granted. I took her to the restroom and did the one thing Y/N and I had only ever done. When I came out of the restroom my friends were gone. I couldn’t drive, not in the state that I was in.

As I waited outside of the club for the taxi I already knew I was about to lose Y/N. I turned my phone back on and saw the texts she had sent telling me she was going to sleep and she loved me.

I stumbled into our apartment and saw her laying in the bed. As I got into the bed I placed a kiss on her forehead with regret.

The next morning when I picked up Gavi for training he was silent. Before I could say anything he started to yell at me.

-Te la follaste?- Did you fuck her?

I looked down at the steering wheel as I drove not answering his question.

-Joder tio, pero eres un estupido.-

-Stop, fuck Gavi. You don’t think I know? I don’t know what I’m going to do.-

He looked at me, I had tears in my eyes. I couldn’t sleep all night thinking about it. I left while she showered not being able to look at her in the eyes.

We were both quiet for a few minutes until I felt his hand on my shoulder. "You’re my brother, I love you. But you really fucked this up. The best you can hope is that she doesn’t find out."

But she found out. And I had nobody else to blame but myself.

As we walked back to the locker room my phone began to ring. Gavi looked over at me with his eyebrows furrowed.

-Y/N really misses you.- He said with a smile. I opened the door to my locker and took out my phone. It wasn't her.

I knew it was over the moment I saw the pictures. Gavi looked over at me, I was staring off into the wall, my face pale as a ghost.

-Pedri, que pasa?- What happen?

-It's over.- I said as I handed him my phone.

I rushed home. Hearing her break down over the phone broke me even more. And the thing is that I knew it, I knew the moment my hands touched Elena, that I was fucked. I was destined to lose Y/N.

The morning after she left our home I showed up to practice with puffy and red eyes. Gavi knew what had happened without me having to tell him anything.

-She’s gone.- I whispered as I sat in the locker room after practice.

He was silent. Not knowing what to tell me. In that moment probably silence being better than an ‘I told you so’ from him.

-I fucking love her Gavi. I lost her.- I said as I felt tears begin to roll down my cheeks. Never imagining I would be sitting here in front of my best friend as vulnerable as I was in that moment.

-Then show her.- He said back.

I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him. -I’m a fucking asshole. I think the best way to show her I love her is by letting her go. She deserves better.-

He looked down at me and nodded his head agreeing with me without saying a word.

The following weeks were the most difficult. Y/N and I had planned on visiting our families in Tenerife for a few days during the holidays. But I couldn’t go by myself. I couldn’t tell my mom what had happened, I couldn’t tell her that her son had fucked up the one good thing in his life.

-What happened, why did she move out?- My mom asked me over the phone. I stayed quiet. It was a surprise she hadn’t seen the pictures of me with Elena.

-Life happens, mom.- I said. She took the hint and stopped asking me. I didn’t want to go back home and have to face seeing her family, them probably knowing exactly what I had done. And the thing is that I never thought about all of this that night. How I would face the world without her.

Instead I spent the days in my apartment alone. I looked over and over at her message thread. All of the messages I had sent without a response. Knowing I had already lost her. She didn't even care enough to fight with me about anything. She didn't care enough to take her anger out on me, blame me for messing our future up. She didn't care anymore and I couldn't blame her.

At the end of the day it had all been my fault, because I took the girl I had at home for granted.

TAG LIST:

@cinderellawithashoe @httpswiftie @simpingmyassoff @bubblebeep69 @fictional-l0v3r @httpspedri26 @0alanasworld0 @l0verl4ne @gaviypedrisbride @footballerficsposts @fashphotolife @beaschampagneproblems @jvsgnjrtpdar5stkd-tv-m @ikkehehe @jjishotasf @quemirasboboandapaya @maricciardo @gaviswh0re @pedriwifefrfr @dustell @elijahslover @formula1mount

[rotnow]

✨ Articles of Phantom Theives : The mermaid and the ship of fakes! ✨

NOTE : watching the actual episode of the anime is highly recommended Hello everyone! Huhu here! It's been a while huh? Well as I promised I have finished the chapter for this story! You are in a treat this time my friend, I have decided to write an actually full fledged story this time instead of writing bullet points. I’m going to be honest..this wasn’t easy. I had to constantly keep motivating myself and the amount of times I have went back and forth to looking at the episode is insane 💀 That being said, THIS IS A WARNING‼️ the end of this story might be lacking and I apologize for that. I’ll try to be better in the future! Hm..what else? Oh yes, Emily's outfit! Yes yes she is dressed up in knight armor (will be explained in the story) here I even drew it!!

Now without further adieu.. Let the story begin! Thank you for reading!!

———————————————————

Don’t get me wrong, Emily Oak loves parties. She enjoys socializing with different people and most importantly the food.

So why is she wearing a fully covered knight costume in the middle of a party?

Well dear reader, let me explain. So it started when Emily and DJ peacock were discussing their latest report on Kaitou Joker when a little birdie told them that Joker has sent an advance notice to steal Mr Kaneri’s Mermaid Crystal during his luxury liner party! Obviously both of them were stoked about this news but before things can get even more better it was also hinted that the mysterious phantom thief Spade (who has yet to reveal his identity) was also going to be appearing!

DJ peacock was too busy jumping around in excitement already having ideas on covering the underground news and to notice Emily's shoulder’s slow slump when she realized who Joker and this spade is stealing from.

“Hm? Emily what’s wrong?” “Oh um.. well good news! I can go to the party without being accompanied by inspector oniyama and the others!” “That's wonderful! How did you manage to do that at a short notice?” “Ok so here's the surprising news..”

Emily had to shut her friend’s gaping mouth before any flies would fly into it when she revealed that Mr Kaneri is her uncle. In her defense, the rich man is her FAR FAR FARR UNCLE. She hardly sees him that much anyway but she has a great opportunity in her hands and she could get a peek of what kaitou spade looks like as well! All it took was one greeting (and a bit of persuasion) and Emily had the invitation in her hands, ready to go!

And that's how she got into this situation, a fully covered knight armor costume in her uncle’s cruise attending his costume party. It's not like she doesn’t want her uncle to find her (ok she does) but she only really came here to see what Joker has up his sleeve this time and see kaitou spade, not be forced to write an article about how wealthy her uncle is.

‘Now that I think about it..this armor is making me sweat..’ the brown hair girl thought to herself while looking at the multiple paintings of her uncle on the wall. It was amazing how Emily managed to get such armor like this on rent, truly it was a snatch ... .except it was hot and heavy to move in!

‘Maybe I need water..yeah water might do the trick!’ She made her way to the buffet table that had the most drool worthy food on it. It looked so good she almost bumped into a waiter that suspiciously looked familiar to her. Is it just her or has she seen those blue eyes and strange hairstyles before? Eh it's hard to see through the helmet anyway.

A few minutes pass, and the mermaid crystal is now revealed to the guests by Mr Kaneri’s assistant, kaneko. The beauty of the treasure shown on television could not compete with the real deal! It looks stunning and amazing, and- is that Joker?! Emily paused in the middle of feasting on the delicious custards to see LITERALLY KAITOU JOKER OUT IN THE OPEN COMING DOWN FROM THE CEILING?! She couldn’t believe it! Has Joker already planned to take the mermaid crystal this early? Or has he already done it? How?!

As if she heaviness of the armor Emily is wearing didn’t bother her anymore, she instantly brought out her pen and notepad (guests who were beside her was looking at her weirdly like ‘did this knight just pull out a pen and paper out of thin air?’) preparing to make a beeline towards the fight breaking out in stage between iInspector Oniyama and “Joker”. Until that beeline was cut short, now Emily stood a good feet away from the mess of her uncle who was actually wearing a joker costume, shouting at Inspector Oniyama and her crew of attacking him. To the Oniyama’s defense, the costume looked TOO much like Joker.

Emily sighed at this and turned around to go back to her previous spot at the food buffet. She could hear bits of conversation of Mr Kaneri and oniyama’s conversation but she isn’t one to eavesdrop so-

“By the way, have you seen my lovely niece Emily? She said that she’ll be here at my party tonight!” Mr Kaneri boasted about making Oniyama tilt his head. “Your niece? Emily?” “Yes! Emily Oak! The famous journalist that wrote articles about the rotten Joker! You see I’m planning on convincing her to write articles about ME instead, because I’m so rich and famous it would definitely indeed turn heads!”.

‘You know what I think it's a great idea to hide in the kitchen for a while’ her legs guided her quickly into the kitchen. Big mistake, she was faced with four heads turned towards her. Emily blinked at two out of the four familiar heads, grinning behind her helmet at the sight of them. She pointed at them.

“Hachi! Joker!”

….

“WHO ARE YOU?!”

///

“I didn’t realize it was you, Miss Emily!” Hachi exclaimed as Emily took off her helmet and smiled at the ninja boy “Sorry for making you panic back there in the kitchen, it's nice to see you again!”. She didn’t get to spend that much time with hachi the last time they met (that being he was literally helping Joker steal something) but she can just tell from his adorable face he is just sweet. Hachi looked at Joker who was staring at the other two with bis hands on his hips

“Hey so what's up with Joker-“

“I’ev heard lots of rumors..so you’re the big up and comer, Spade”

Emily’s eyes instantly darted to the two, the time has finally come! She is now in the presence of the one and only phantom thief Spade!

“King, you must be this Spade’s apprentice”

Wait what?

Emily slowly puts down the pen she didn’t even realize she was holding (must be muscle memory) confused. Joker just continued to talk, “Unlike you, I’m already on my own. And I have my own apprentice! This is Hachi, my number #1 apprentice”. “A pleasure to meet you!” said the apprentice.

The journalist couldn’t help but smile softly at the way Joker is proudly introducing Hachi. To think this was the same Joker she met in the past when he was still new to being a phantom thief is astonishing! Oh how the times have changed. He was even defending Hachi when this apparent “King'' made a remark of how small the ninja is. Oh how it warms her heart to see this.

“By the way, this is Emily Oak! My journalist friend”

Aw he’s introducing Emily as well?

“She writes articles about ME, very good ones in fact. That just adds weight to how much I have grown” Joker smirks as he crosses his arms together looking like an athlete showing off his medals.

‘I should have expected that..’ Emily waves her hands in front of her when King and his friend turned to look at her as she tries to explain more about herself “I don’t only write about Joker of course”The brown hair female failed to notice Joker’s side eye beside her “I am also interested in writing about other phantom thieves. That's actually one of the main reasons why I’m here, to interview phantom thief spade”

King and partner glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at the journalist. “That’s very nice of you, emily. We would love to be in your articles, it might even be more popular than Joker over here” King said with the last few words a bit louder , irking the tophat phantom thief. “Hey!” “J-just who are you to Mr Joker anyway?”

The next sentence that came out of the king's mouth was like a golden buzzer for our girl. It's not everyday she gets information about Joker’s childhood heck even his life when he’s not doing his phantom thief stuff even! She has always wondered what Joker’s childhood was like. To grow up, training to become a phantom thief must be tough right? Who was his mentor? Did he live in a secret isolated place like in those spy movies? Or a hideaway buried deep in nature where the only access to get food was hunting?

Well at least now she knows that he and King were training partners under the same master. Just wait till her article fans hear about this!

Emily was too busy thinking about what she’ll write in the upcoming article, she didn’t mind the current argument happening with king and joker. Er..something about ‘that summer’? Eh, the girl was too far in her thoughts to even listen unlike hachi who was dying of curiosity.

“Hey, what happened that summer?’ Please tell me!”

“Shut up! I’m not like I was back then! No matter what you people do, that crystal will be mine!”

In response to Joker’s claim, King just confidently crossed his arms ``We'll see about that, you don’t want to underestimate the skill of phantom thief spade. Let’s compete to see who can recover the Mermaid’s crystal first!”. The monologue was accompanied with his partner’s chuckle in the background (very nice add on might I say).

Emily’s brain was busy functioning this situation at the moment. ‘Two phantom thieves’ + ‘compete’ = SCORE STORY!!! For a moment she squealed, making everyone look at her for a second. Joker smiled to himself when he noticed Emily’s expression, it's one that he has seen many times before and assumed she was already loving the idea of this.

Not wanting to let her upcoming article be a disaster (and his pride won’t allow it), Joker returns King’s confidence with a smirk “I have no intention of losing to you two”. Hachi shared the same confidence, ready to be alongside Joker to win this challenge.

…

“Wah, I’m so full..”

!

The five of them looked to see inspector oniyama nearby with his partners. ‘Oh crap!’ Emily thought to herself, quickly putting on her armor helmet. She didn’t want to be caught by none other than the police with phantom thieves, especially inspector oniyama! He doesn’t even know she’s here to begin with! Besides if he does then Mr Kaneri will know..and then- She shivers at the thought of being in an endless bound conversation with her distant uncle where most of the time it's just him talking about himself.

“You’re so under arrest, Joker!!” Inspector Oniyama yelled out, dashing towards the phantom thief. Joker and Hachi both stand in their place, barely having any time to make a run for it until the king's partner swiftly moves in front of them facing the police. ‘Eh?’ Emily thinks, now that she is thinking about it she has never been introduced to King’s partner yet..

Luckily inspector oniyama also wanted to know who was the person standing in between him and Joker as well, “W-who are you?!”. King wasted no time in introducing that, his partner is Phantom thief spade. Emily gasped at the introduction, ‘This is perfect!’ She thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to see the phantom thief spade in action right in front of me!’

“Evil glance!” A bright light shines from Spade’s single eye (the one thing that stood out from his bandaged head (weird choice design but…still cool)) blinding inspector oniyama, momo and ginko. Just like that, three officers were down on the floor asleep once the light faded away. Emily looked at the three unconscious figures in wonder at what just happened beside Joker “Woah..” “T-that was so cool!”. Spade looked back at Joker, “Now you owe me one”. The spiky haired phantom thief gritted his teeth “I didn’t ask for you to do that!”.

The journalist on the other hand, hummed behind her helmet, “Thank you for that, Spade and King!”. Joker whipped his head to look at her “Don’t compliment the competition!!”. Spade smirked and winked, “No problem, Emily. Well, we’ll be taking that treasure. See you then”. He and spade ran off ignoring Joker’s constant yells of not letting his childhood friend steal the treasure he’s targeting. Hachi looks on in determination and notices emily walking away to where the part was. “Hm? Emily, you’re going too?” Asked the phantom thief apprentice. The girl smiled sheepishly, admitting that she’ll be heading inside to where king and spade are “I don’t want to miss spade and king steal the mermaid crystal..” “How do you know they’ll steal the mermaid, we’ll do it first!” Joker huffed as he crossed his arms, hachi mirrored his movements. Emily chuckled, “You better do it fast then, goodluck you too!” She gave a thumbs up which was returned with smirks and smiles before running to the party leaving the other two behind.

//

Once Emily entered the party room, she tried her best to find Spade and King. No really, she did! Like literally looking up and down, the kitchen, the toilet, everywhere! Seriously what kind of training did he and joker do in the past that involved both of them being able to hide so perfectly well?!

She sighed to herself, the journalist was hoping to meet them for a quick second along for a little mini interview but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. She glances at the bag behind her, there was another reason why she wanted to see them again..

She found a tranquilizer gun.

In fact she found it on her way to the party on the floor. ‘Is it theirs?’ She wonders, ‘or is it..someone else's?!’ The thought of someone in the party with a tranquilizer gone got her sweating…it even makes her sweat bullets because now she has the gun in her bag.

‘If anyone were to see me with this..’ Emily internally panicked at the thought of someone catching her with the tranquilizer gun. She didn’t want to go to jail yet!!

Fortunately the thoughts slowly go away as Kaneko and Mr Kaneri go up on stage to announce the winners of the- eh? There was a costume contest? Emily surely didn’t know that, but the prize must be amazing then if it came from a rich man like Mr Kaneri!

“The winner indeed will receive a year’s supply of Mr. Cookie!” Mr Kaneri announces as the projector behind him projects an image of his cookie brand. Emily sweatdropped ‘why did I even bother..?’, for once she assumed her distant uncle would give out an expensive prize, she wonders who the winner of the competition is.

Before the winner is revealed though, the doors to the entrance of the room opens and Spade stands there chuckling “kukukuku”.

Emily gasps, holding her hands in front of her helmet at the sight (the guests who beside her looked at her weirdly yet again). It's the big moment of the show! Spade is now going to steal the mermaid treasure. ‘But wait..where’s King?’

“Evil glance!” Light yet again appears from Spade’s glowing eye blinding everyone, including Emily this time. However instead of sleeping like what happened with inspector Oniyama and his partners, the girl didn’t feel herself growing unconscious. Once the light faded, Emily along with multiple other guests blinked in confusion. Obviously the guests are wondering what just happened but Emily was the most confused out of them. ‘Huh?? Why aren't I unconcious? Isn’t that supposed to happen?’ Emily thought to herself, as she takes a look at Spade who is unmoving from his spot. Looking more closely, Spade was indeed not looking too good. In fact he seemed like he was panicking.

‘WHAT IS HE DOING?! IS THIS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN???’ She looked in worry feeling bad for the phantom thief. This was supposed to be the moment where he and King (again where is he) steal the mermaid crystal..and it went totally wrong! How is she supposed to make this sound amazing but also truthful in her article? ‘Phantom thief Spade fails to steal the Mermaid Crystal’? Oh dear..

As if anything else could get worse, Inspector Oniyama along with Ginko and Momo bursted in immediately capturing Spade by dog piling! Great now Emily might as well write ‘Phantom thief Spade fails to steal the Mermaid Crystal AND gets dog piled by police’ as the title of her article!

There could only be one thing to do now.

That's right.

Visit the caged Spade alone.

You would think security would be tight but for some reason, Emily has no problems sneaking in to check up on the caged phantom thief behind bars. She still had to take precautions though so she kept her helmet on. There wasn’t even anybody else in the room, just her and Spade. The journalist made her way in front of Spade with the only thing separating the two was the bars holding the phantom thief in. “Spade,” Spade looked up to see a knight in front of him. For a second he thought it was just some random party guest that wandered into the room but soon realized it was the girl he met on the ship’s dock once Emily lifted up her helmet to reveal her face

“M-miss Emily? What are you doing here?” Spade said out loud, curious on why she decided to come visit a literal criminal. The girl replied with a hum “Since you’re basically arrested now and most likely to be going to jail as soon as this ship gets onto land, I want to spend these last moments of interviewing” she frowned at the last words. Emily felt disappointed a bit to see such a phantom thief like spade get caught like this but..it's not she could do anything about that. Spade’s body paused at the brown haired girl’s words, ‘This girl..wants to interview me? Even though I’m-‘

“Ok first things first I need to ask you about something” Emily reached to take something out of her bag. Spade titled his head wondering what it might be.

He expected many things but no once did the thought of a tranquilizer gun being an option.

Emily may not see it, but Spade was shocked to see the gun in her hands. I mean how did the journalist get her hands on it?! Did it fell off when-

“I just want to make sure this is yours and King’s…because I really hope it is since the idea of someone else on the ship with a gun like this wouldn’t ease my worries” Emily nervously chuckled and turned the tranquilizer gun to fidget with it. “Actually now that I think about it, this is my first time holding a gun” “Miss Emily please be careful on holding that” Spade warned the person on the other side of the bars, the last thing he wants at the moment is something to go wrong. She assures the phantom thief, while holding on to the gun loosely “Its fine I got this-“

“So this is the so-called phantom thief Spade!” A third familiar voice in the room called out behind her.

“AAAH!!”

Bam! Out of panic, Emily accidently shot a nearby crate with the tranquilizer gun and quickly put the knight helmet on her head. ‘Oh shoot! It's..’, she turned around to see a shocked Mr Kaneri clutching his Mr Teddy in his hands as if his life depended on it. ‘Oh no!!’ the journalist mentally cried out, quickly putting the tranquilizer gun in her backpack. She didn’t mean too, really! You all saw that! She doesn’t quite like her distant uncle but not so much to shoot him! Her eyes shifted towards the guard behind Mr Kaneri staring at her through his glasses.

‘Its over.’ Emily has accepted her fate, freezing on her spot. This is the end. She was caught talking to a literal criminal, almost shot someone and a guard was there to witness all of it. “Y-you-! You tried to shoot me! Guard! Arrest him! He indeed needs to be locked up with that thief as well!” Mr Kaneri pointed straight at Emily, who was only accepting her fate more when she realized her uncle doesn’t even recognize her. Great so she’ll be going to jail by her own distant uncle.

This is the end of Emily Oak’s life..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The guard made no move to arrest Emily however instead he knocked Mr Kaneri out. No seriously, the journalist was now looking down at her unconscious uncle as the guard was tying him up. “What..” Emily gaped, not understanding what is happening right now. What was she feeling? Shocked? Confused? The poor girl could feel herself shaking a bit. After successfully tying up the rich man, the guard stood up to face Emily with a smile. She gasped when she recognized who the guard was.

“You're an interesting one, Emily. I didn’t even realize my tranquilizer gun was missing until the last minute” King let out a chuckle while making his way to let Spade out of the cage. He patted his partner’s arm as an act of comfort before looking back at her with a curious look, “Are you sure you’re not secretly a phantom thief?” Emily quickly shook her head at the question, “Me? No way, I just happened to find the gun on the floor as I was walking to the party. You guys must have dropped it” Besides, I don't think I can handle the intense life of being a phantom thief again, she mentally added. .

“So what are you going to do now?” “Continue our mission to steal the mermaid crystal of course! Don’t tell me you thought we’ll just let Joker and his apprentice take it from us.” “Ahaha of course not, I wish you luck for you two!”

King and Spade leave the room after bidding their goodbyes to Emily. Now it was just her and Mr Kaneri’s slumped, tied up unconscious body on the floor. He was even snoring- is he dreaming of something?! Emily shakes her head and smiles, ‘I've seen what Spade and King had done..perhaps it's now Joker and Hachi’s turn!’ She grins and makes her way to the party room.

The phrase ‘The show must go on’ fitted perfectly for what was going to happen next in my opinion. Despite just capturing a phantom thief, someone must have thought it was a good idea for the party to still continue, not that Emily minded she was interested in how things will turn out. Especially since she hasn't seen Joker make any moves to get the treasure yet. Speaking of the devil, as soon as the girl was wondering where her friend was, the lights turned off and there Joker was, standing on the stage with a confident stance.

‘There he is! Oh and since everyone knows that Mr Kaneri is dressing up as Joker no one is batting an eye’ Emily mentally noted how smart this trick was, it was just as easy as taking a candy from a baby. Joker seemed to not even hide his victory smirk as he approached where Kaneko and the mermaid crystal is. However he didn’t get to even touch the treasure. Somebody stopped him and that someone is none other then..Inspector Oniyama.

“So under arrest!”, he and a few other officers cornered Joker on the stage. The phantom thief was surrounded the only thing left to do was the inspector making sure this was the real deal or just Mr Kaneri (He secretly hoped it was the later).

“You’re a fool, indeed!”

It was the latter.

Emily was starting to get a headache, so that wasn’t Joker but her distant uncle? Wait but that doesn’t make any sense, she saw the old rich man asleep a few minutes ago… and what do you mean he won the costume contest?! She stared in confusion as Mr Kaneri cackled on stage, embracing the fact that he became the winner of his OWN contest.

But what’s that..?

Another Mr Kaneri appears on stage?! Commotion arrupts from everyone, this has turned into a mess!. ‘What..is happening??!!’ Emily looks back and forth at the two Mr Kaneris from her position in the crowd. Instantly, being the one and only japanese police inspector that is determined to catch his target criminal, inspector oniyama and his subordinates jump on stage to set the record straight on who is who.

In the end though, the mystery was solved when one Mr Kaneri realized the other Mr Kaneri was King. This caused both of them to take off their disguise and can you guess what happened next? Yeah, you’re right, they both got captured and taken to the cage Spade once was.

Ok let's be honest here, this whole story Emily Oak has witnessed so many twists and turns. She wasn’t even surprised to be asked to help distribute curry laced with whatever was in the tranquilizer by Hachi and Spade. You can say she was already tired and wanted to get over this. The journalist began pushing the trolley from the kitchen to the party room when she heard the little ninja beside her sigh.

“What’s wrong Hachi?” She asks wondering why Hachi was sighing. “Its just..I really want to know why Mr Joker seems to have a bad history with dipping sauce! But he won’t tell me one bit of it.” he crossed his arms, seemingly annoyed he can’t know. Emily chuckles and assures him, “Its ok, Hachi. It must be an embarressing past if he doesn’t want to tell you what it is. Everyone has their secrets after all.” The asisstant hummed, taking her words before realizing something, “Hey Miss Emily, why aren’t you with them?” “Them?” “Yeah Inspector Oniyama and the others, normally when there is a event where me and Mister Joker attend you always stick with the police force.” The brown hair girl titled her head as she continued to push the trolley with the curry pot at his question. Emily was considering on telling him the reason why she got invited to the party…but then the thought of the ninja telling his master that Mr Kaneri is her distant unlce. It would open so much opperunities, oppertunites that will lead to trouble.

“Everyone has their secrets, Hachi”

“What?”

Emily continued to push forwards, quickening her pace.

“MISS EMILY??”

//

“I am the true phantom thief spade!”

“What?!”

After putting everyone to sleep with the curry, the trio managed to save the two phantom thieves and are now standing at the dock of the ship just like what happened last time. For some explanation, Joker managed to snag the mermaid cyrstal before Spade and King could. Now this is the part where emily would write down what happened, and smile with a “I guess joker won again, I can’t wait to tell my readers!” UNTIL..

It was revealed that King was actually Spade the entire time?! And the “spade” was actually King’s assistant, Dark Eye?! This is the last plot twist the journalist could handle, she is going to lose it if it weren't for Spade giving a dramatic departure as he steals the treasure away from Joker in his airship….do all phantom thieves have airships?

The journalist continued to look at the distant blip flying away. So she has a story, she just expected it to go like this. Emily chuckles as she thinks to herself ‘This was a fun night..’

Joker and Hachi stop their current bickering (yet again it was Hachi asking about the summer dipping sauce and Joker refusing to tell anything about it) to stare at the girl. The spiky hair thief decided to speak first, “What are you laughing about?” “I was just thinking how fun this whole night was..I can’t believe I got to meet Phantom thief Spade. He sure is an interesting fellow”.

Joker huffed and crossed his arms “Don’t compliment the competition!”. “Yeah! And don’t worry we’ll win next time!” Hachi added with a determined smile shared with his master.

“I can’t wait-“

“JOKER!!!” “Give me back my treasure, indeed!!”

Uh oh

The three of them turn to see a very awake Mr Kaneri and Inspector Oniyama running towards them at full speed. Emily quickly puts on her knight helmet to shield her identity as Joker and Hachi…jump off the ship into the ocean?! She quickly looks down by the railing as she sees the two of them in the ocean. ‘What an exit..’

“Ah! Inspector! That was the knight that almost shot me earlier, indeed!”

Emily did a sharp turn to face her distant uncle, “WHAT?!” No way..is her uncle really going to make the police arrest her?!

.

.

.

.

Well I guess she has to exit as well

SPLASH!

[The end]

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WOWEEE so there we have it folks! You have reached the end of the story! Damm that took long! So this is the chapter where Emily meets Spade for the first time, I quite think they will have a nice friendship with one another. Maybe he’ll spill embaressing secrets about Joker to her a bit and Joker will be like “I DID NOT DO THAT” but like yk he did. What’s that? The ending seems to be lacking? Well I warned you! I’m like running a race, I start strong, end tired and begging my friend to give me my water bottle. I tried my best either way though, I guess this is about 4000 words? This will be a rare case..I don’t think I’ll ever be doing something like this again..

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it and have a nice day or night‼️ ✨

-Huhu