#I have waited until it’s at an 8 and I basically can’t think of anything else

[aliosne]

Got an email back from the transc/are people and I’m feeling on a much more level footing than yesterday. Yesterday, I felt like I was gonna get trapped in an endless spiral of bureaucratic runaround, but now it feels like there’s a path forward.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

Princess | Intro/ Part 01

There's more to it than what meets the eye.

Tags/Warnings: Wolfdog Hybrid!Jungkook, Showdog Hybrid!Reader, Enemies to lovers, Angst, Fluff?, Brat!Reader, Jungkook has major brat tamer energy, reader has some issues, mentions of depression

Length: 6.5k Words

-> Masterlist

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

Jungkook hates loosing.

And that’s especially true when it comes to bets- because he also can’t really pass up any opportunity to show off and be the best at something. So when he took on the bet with Jimin, he didn’t think anything of it- after all, even if he lost, he could still simply teach that so-called ‘puppy’ Jimin was supposed to be working with a killer choreo and make his way on top either way.

What Jimin failed to tell him, however, was that you are an absolute menace.

Not only are you spoiled to high heavens and dressed head to toe in pretty designer pieces designed and tailored just for you, no- your attitude is making him want to throw himself into a busy road to be run over by any moving vehicle willing to do so. It’s been not even thirty minutes he’s spent in the meeting room, and he already regrets his big mouth with Jimin.

But maybe it’s just a bad first impression. Maybe, you’re just having a bad day.

“So, basically, we’ve got four weeks to make it work.” Your manager says, having finished his plan as he stands at the end of the table everyone is sitting at, you included- though you clearly do not listen to the conversations happening at all, instead occupied with a game on your switch console, decorated in plastic gemstones and cute stickers, sound not even all the way down as to not interrupt anyone.

Jungkook feels his blood boiling. Can’t you at least attempt to listen? After all, it’s your career that’s on the line.

“I’ll need the possible song choices she made, and I also gotta get a copy of the guidelines and what the judges generally look for. Doesn’t have to be today, but I’d like to have it before we start making anything up.” Jungkook offers, arms crossed. You’ve not even looked at him once today.

If he just went by looks, you’d actually be quite cute- you're clearly taking good care of yourself, and you fall right into the category of hybrid girl he’d see himself interested in- but your character seems to be the exact opposite, as you stare down at the small screen in your hands, lashes long, hiding your gaze a little from him.

“We can totally do that.” Your manager says. “I- uhm.. Are you okay with that too?” He asks towards you, and you simply take in a deep breath before you sigh, shoulders shrugging and head somewhat nodding. Your eyes however never break away from your game, instead, you just adjust your seating postition a little before you become completely detached from the situation again. “I’m sorry about that. She’s.. Having a bad day.” Your manager justifies.

Jungkook smells the lie right away.

“Practice will start at 7 AM then-” Jungkook starts, and that seems to catch your attention as your face turns into a frown. “-And we’ll practice the whole week, except weekends.”

“That’s too early.” You mumble, grumbling down at your game while your legs stretch out under the table, feet brushing against his shins. You’re not wearing shoes, only your knee-high socks, having discarded the slip on’s early on for no apparent reason other than comfort.

“She usually sleeps until.. 11 so..” Your manager starts, and Jungkook has to swallow a growl.

“8.” He says sternly, staring at you who scoffs down at your hands. “She’ll have to get up earlier then.” He decides, making you lift your chin a little, before you save your game, turn off the console and put it on the table, your arms now crossed as well as you finally, for the first time, look at him.

The fire in your eyes could seriously burn someone if it was to be manifested into a real flame, he decides.

“You’ll have to wait until I show up then.” You answer him, and his eyes narrow, feeling challenged. But before he can respond, your manager seems to sense the growing tension between you two, as he dissolves the meeting quickly to have you driven back home.

Jungkook however, can’t let go this easily.

“You forgot to tell me that she’s an absolute bitch.” Jungkook growls into his phone, sitting on his couch with the TV on but on mute. “There’s no way I’ll be working with her for four weeks without committing a crime.” He threatens, and Jimin has the audacity to laugh.

“Oh Jungkookie, don’t let her fool you!” He laughs. “She’s a literal angel, believe me. She just acts all tough.”

“Or she was just interested in you.” Jungkook denies. “I’ve spent barely an hour with her and I already know She’s gonna be a handful to manage.” He sighs.

“Come on now, she’s what? Half your size?” Jimin playfully exaggerates. “Just put her in timeout, big guy, and you’ll be fine.” He jokes, very much aware of Jungkook’s rather dominant nature due to his wolfblood. And while the joke is funny, it’s also a problem.

Jungkook doesn’t know if he can really stay calm while working with you. And his career could be over in a second if he so much as lashes out at you verbally- because no way would someone work with a hybrid choreograph or dancer who can’t keep his cool. He already has issues getting some gigs due to his wolfblood mixed in- one mistake and he can surely put his career to rest.

He really regrets taking on this bet now.

Hopefully this won’t end too badly.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

You really do not turn up at 8 like he told you to.

He’s impatiently waiting in the practice room, your manager and stylist and other staff already present- everyone trying to get a hold of you with no luck at all. It’s only until an hour later that another staff member informs everyone that you’ve finally woken up, and that you’re currently on your way to the practice room.

Jungkook is pissed, to say the least.

If you work like this the entire four weeks, there’s no way he can manage to push a good choreography into your head that you can pull off properly on stage. And if you fail, it’ll be on him- and he just can’t accept that. Hopefully, you’ll warm up to the idea of actually putting effort into this.

Hopefully.

When you finally turn up, you don’t appear to be sorry at all- still somewhat asleep and in no way ready to start practicing anytime soon. Instead, you sit down and take out your breakfast to eat, while your stylist runs a brush through your hair. But what’s odd about this, is more or less that Jungkook can sense a total shift in energy right now.

It’s like they’re shielding you, giving him no access to you until they deem the timing alright.

And you just robotically eat your little breakfast, while everyone else scatters around you, rushing from spot to spot. Jungkook isn’t too sure what exactly might be happening- but then again, it’s also not unusual to see such a scene. You’re a showhybrid after all- meant to look pretty at all times and in every living moment just in case there’s a camera around. And he knows that the practice is going to be filmed occasionally for some behind the scenes content for your fanbase- which is why you have your stylist around in the first place. You’re just supposed to look like you’re not wearing any makeup at all.

No one wants to see reality, because reality is what everyone can witness if they look in the mirror. And that’s boring. That’s not entertaining. That’s not something to be jealous of, or something to admire.

In a way, Jungkook starts to feel a bit sorry for you. Do you ever have a moment for yourself?

Either way, the moment the cameras start running, you switch character almost instantly. Suddenly you’re polite, soft spoken and determined to get every step right- though your true nature does poke it’s head through on occasion, especially when you can’t get something quite right the first or second try.

“Maybe we need to work on how to keep to the beat first.” Jungkook suggests, and at that, you seem to break, sighing with an agitated groan as your tail unravels, falling limp behind you. He’s not seen this happen often- his best friend Yoongi being a dog-hybrid with a curled tail as well, who can be quite grumpy most of the time. But even he never has his tail this.. Lifeless.

It’s unnerving to see.

“I’m not lobotomized, mutt.” You groan, making the manager motion to cut the cameras for a second. “I can keep to a beat, you’re just shit at teaching.” You growl to yourself, sitting down stubbornly as you visibly try and mask the fact that you’re out of breath.

Truth be told, Jungkook isn’t technically a choreographer. He usually works with professional dancers or simply follows whatever he’s given by an artist themselves- so yes, he might actually be a little rusty when it comes to teaching others.

Do you have to be so rude about it though? No.

“Well we’re going around in circles like this.” Jungkook shakes his head. “I’ll get us something to drink. Try and calm down a bit..” He attempts to soothe your temper, as he leaves the practice room- mostly so that he himself can escape the situation for a moment.

He’s not sure what it is. Maybe your scent full of anger and fear filling the space so much that it feels like it’s drowning him in the room, or the fact that you always have to be so rude-

Wait.

Fear?

Alarmed by that, Jungkook walks a bit faster with the water bottles in hand to get back into the room- just to find you not there anymore, everyone looking at him as if they’re surprised to see him back already. “Where is she?” Jungkook asks, and your manager blinks a little, caught off guard.

“She went to get something to drink.” He states, making Jungkook frown.

“I said I’m gonna get us some. Why did she go by herself?” Jungkook asks. “She doesn’t even know where the vending machines are.”

“She said you were taking too long.” A stylist mentions. Jungkook pinches the bridge of his nose.

“I was gone for not even five minutes?” He growls to himself, before he hears you enter the room again, a small juicebox in hand that you punch the tiny straw into. “Don’t just run off.” He scolds you.

You roll your eyes.

“Yeah alright, Daddy.” You scoff, walking past him to sit in a corner- actually facing it for some reason, your back turned towards everyone else.

“Ah, don’t be alarmed.” Your manager explains. “She.. Sometimes does this. We don’t know either why, and we don’t really question it either. Give her a few minutes and she’ll be right back to practice.” He beams at him, and Jungkook feels weirdly played.

Something’s odd here.

But it’s also none of his business.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

The next day, you’re not there on time again.

And despite the fact that Jungkook had told you no food in the practice room was allowed, you clearly disregarded that as nothing but background noise, while you take out your bag of foods in the middle of the large room.

“I said no food in the practice room.” Jungkook scolds, walking towards you to stand right in front of you, arms crossed. “and you’re also late again. Two hours to be exact.”

“You said no food.” You shrug, lifting up the small bag of puffed rice crisps. “That’s snacks.” You respond, making him narrow his eyes and clench his jaw.

“put it to the side.” He says. “You’re here to practice, not to eat.” He reminds you, able to talk freely with almost none of your staff around today.

“can’t practice on an empty stomach.” You respond however, letting yourself fall into your bag, before you take out your phone to scroll on it while you eat your snacks- crumbs already littering the floor. “Why’s your wifi so shit in here?” You mumble to yourself, when suddenly, the signal stops entirely. “Hey, your internet cut off-“ you start, before you spot him putting his phone down. “Turn it back on-“

“Since you’re acting like a brat, I’ll treat you like one.” He simply says. “wifi stays off until you practiced.” He scolds, boldly taking both your snacks and your phone from you to put it on a table close by, the act alone catching you so off guard that it has you frozen in place while you process it. “Do you want to get up yourself or do I need to help you with that as well?” He asks, and you glare at him.

“Touch me and I’ll sue you.” You threaten, and he watches you for a moment as if to see if you’re serious- before he decides you’re clearly not, with the way your tail slightly twitches, clearly needing to be consciously held down by yourself to not wag.

“Alright that’s it.” He simply tells you before he walks towards you, and much to his dismay, you let yourself fall limply down onto the ground as if you’re trying to become liquid. “You’re being ridiculous right now-“

“let me have the wifi again!” You just huff. “and my snacks. I’m hungry.” You argue.

“get up earlier tomorrow and have breakfast then.” He shakes his head, before he grabs your wrists to lift you into a sitting position. But the moment he lets go, you’ve flopped back down again, lips twitching.

Now your tail is wagging, clearly.

“so that’s what you’re after, huh?” Jungkook clicks his tongue. “too bad. I’m not playing your game.” He says, before he walks to the side where all his stuff is, changing his shoes.

“wait- What’re you doing?” You ask, watching him tie his sneakers.

“going home.” He answers without looking. “were clearly not getting anywhere.”

You sigh, groaning out lout before you angrily hit the floor-

Getting up to walk towards him, pulling his jacket from his hands before you let it fall onto the table. “I wanna practice.” You pout.

“What a bummer, princess.” He answers, taking his jacket back to slip it on. “I don’t. Now get your stuff, and then-“ He tells you, walking closer before he points to the door behind you. “-get out.” He demands.

And you just angrily huff at yourself, doing just that.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

You fail to get to practice on time again the day after.

And the day after that.

But on friday, Jungkook has finally had enough of your poor excuses and frankly stupid behavior.

"Why is she late this time?" Jungkook asks your staff, jaw clenched as he's already frustrated again. You're clearly not taking this seriously, and he honestly doesn't know how anyone else has ever managed to work with you in any way.

"We're.. not sure." Your manager says, face showing his own shame about your behavior. "She turned her phone off, we can't reach her."

That's it.

Jungkook can understand a lot of things. You're used to being spoiled and having everything set in front of you on a silver platter- he gets that. Sometimes, people's minds can be poisoned by wealth and success. But turning off your phone? That's too far.

What if something actually happened? What if you're sick, in need of help, in danger? This is absolutely ridiculous behaviour, and he does not care anymore. "She said she lives in the city here, right?" Jungkook asks, and the manager nods. "Alright, where exactly?" He wonders, and a stylist of yours calls out your address.

And that sets him off even further- because you barely live ten minutes away from him. Which means there's not even a single reason as to why you would be late at all.

"What are you going to do?" Your manager worries as Jungkook changes his shoes and slips on his jacket, grabbing the keys to his motorcycle.

"I'm getting her myself."

If there’s one thing Jungkook hates, then it’s people isolating themselves just for their own convenience. It’s mainly due to his best friend years back doing that constantly- turning off his phone to get some quiet time for himself, until he actually did end up being in trouble.

And when someone tried to call him, and couldn’t get a hold of him, they just thought ‘It’s probably one of those days again.’

If Jungkook didn’t go against his better judgement, if he didn’t end up checking up on him despite his mind telling him that it was for nothing, Yoongi would not be alive today.

He rings your doorbell multiple times, annoyingly so to get you to stand up at some point. There’s no way you can sleep through that, especially when he starts angrily knocking onto your door. Suddenly, you open it, staring at him with eyes barely open. “What.” You ask, and Jungkook takes a look at you for a second.

You’ve clearly been asleep, but you don’t look rested at all- eyes barely open as you glare at him, and funnily enough, one of your ears is even a bit floppy- not quite entirely down, but also no standing as straight as it usually does. “You’re late.” Jungkook scolds. You attempt to close the door again, making him attempt something dangerous.

He puts his hand in between the door.

But, maybe Jimin wasn’t so wrong after all, because you immediately open the door again, now wide awake as you look at his hand, worried you might’ve hurt him. Only when you don’t find anything you push his palm back towards him, and cross you arms.

“Come on.” He says, nodding towards the hallway behind him.

“No.” You deny.

“What do you mean, no?’ he asks, agitated.

“I said no. I don’t wanna.” You answer, walking back into your apartment- and with your door left open, he takes it as an invitation to walk inside.

The second he closes the door and turns around, he’s in shock.

Cardboard boxes, trash bags, crumpled papers and wrappings all over the place. Shoes litter the entrance area, your coats are thrown over the chairs at your open kitchen which sink is filled with unwashed dishes. The windows are shut, curtains heavy as they hide the mess in your home from the outside world. It’s so dark that Jungkook feels like if he wasn’t a hybrid, he most likely wouldn’t be able to see where he’s stepping at all.

How long have you been living like this?

The apartment isn’t big, there doesn’t seem to be many rooms at all. After searching for a bit he finds you curled up in your large bed, pink bedsheets and blankets halfway on the floor while your little gaming console chimes and beeps while you play.

“..come on now, you’ve.. got the weekend off.” Jungkook says. “it’s just today-“

“I said I don’t want to.” You growl, face focused on your game. “now fuck off and leave me.”

Jungkook sighs. This really isn’t any of his business.

But somehow, as he walks back into the main area of the small apartment, he finds himself opening a new trashbag to throw away all the plastic strewn around. He puts your shoes in order, places the garbage bags in a corner to have them out the way, before he rips the cardboard apart to throw away easier later. He’s not sure why he’s doing that- maybe partially to annoy you and get you to get out of bed, or maybe because he pities you.

This isn’t just laziness. From the way you act, to the body language you scream out quietly, to the fact that you don’t seem motivated for anything at all.

This is something deeper.

“What’re you doing?” You growl from a corner, before you walk closer to rip the cardboard box from his hands, throwing it in a corner again. “I told you to fuck off.” You threaten, and he nods.

“heard it loud and clear.” He agrees with crossed arms, and you huff.

“Ears seem to be working then.” You snap. “the mistake must be in your brain.”

“I can assure you it’s working just fine as well.” He answers, and you snarl at that, distinctive canines showing.

“Then why are you still here digging through my shit?!” You bark at him, and he shrugs.

“Because no one deserves to rot away like this.”

It’s quiet at that, for a good moment. The only sound heard is the clock in the kitchen ticking, some faint rain against the windows, and a garbage bag slowly slipping a little from its position. And when it falls to the floor, he catches a short second of your eyes tearing up, before you turn around, looking away from him before you run off into your bedroom-

But the door won’t close with all the clutter, making you angrily growl at it while you try and somewhat pull it close.

Jungkook slowly walks towards you, to pull your hands off of the door handle, making you drop down to the floor in defeat, sitting right on your clothes that are laying on the floor. “leave me alone.” You cry to yourself, head low and hybrid ears even lower as you sit there, kicking away some of the clutter.

The wolfdog hybrid slowly squats down to your level, before he carefully moves a broken jar away from your leg and onto a small table close by. “What’s going on with you?” He finally asks, and you kick your leg again at that, a small box flying through the room.

“I just want to be alone!” You bark. “I don’t want anyone in here, I don’t want to go to practice, I don’t want to do this stupid contest, I don’t want anyone to look at me!” You complain loudly, and Jungkook would easily call this a textbook temper tantrum, if it wasn’t for your clearly desperate tears.

“did you tell your management?” He asks, and you scoff, sniffling.

“as if they care!” You huff. “it’s always just do this, do that, go here, eat that, smile, be nice, film everything.!” You tell him. “I want to go home!” You begin to cry now, hiding your face in your hands.

“Home?” Jungkook wonders, unsure what you mean. Isn’t this your home?

“I just wanna go home..” you continue to cry into your hands. “I wanna go see mom, and dad..” you mumble muffled into your palms, and Jungkook feels terrible seeing you like this. He doesn’t know you, but something is clearly not right. This isn’t acting, because your body language, your scent- everything tells him that you’re in genuine distress.

“Maybe you can visit them?” He wonders, slowly reaching out to put his hand on your knee, offering silent comfort that you, for now, seem to accept. “do they live far away-“

“they won’t let me.” You say. “they told them.. they told them I don’t wanna see them and that I hate them, and now they hate me.” You whimper.

“They?” the wolfdog asks, pushing some clutter to the side to sit down as well.

“the company.” You mumble. “because.. my dad didn’t want me to move away back when.. when I was still a pup.” You say. A pup possibly meaning that you were still underage. “and.. back then, I thought it was for the best. This was such a one-in-a-million chance..” you reveal to him. “I thought it was worth it.”

“Do they threaten you?” Jungkook worries, and you’re quiet for a moment.

“..They’re all I have.” You admit. “my.. my apartment. My money. My name. They own me.” You say, defeat evident in your voice as you slowly calm down again, tension leaving your body. “just.. leave me alone.”

“I cant.” Jungkook denies with a sigh. “not anymore.”

“fuck off-“ you start, grabbing at his hand, but he somehow moves it around, holding yours now instead.

“I won’t.” He sternly says. “Alright? I don’t know how, but I’ll figure something out.” He promises, and you look up at him with slightly red eyes, confused.

“Figure out what?” You ask, and he smiles.

“How to bring you home.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

You’re very clearly not very happy about Jungkook currently cleaning your apartment with you.

You’re slow and sluggish, and you constantly complain about everything- and Jungkook can somewhat understand it. You’ve quite literally buried yourself in this little cave, having someone take it apart like this must be horribly uncomfortable. But it’s for the best- and you’ll soon realize that.

That doesn’t mean you don’t annoy him, still.

“Come on now, get up.” Jungkook scolds you, as he watches you sit on the couch.

“What?” You complain. “I’m cleaning.. under the coffee table.” You pretend, but he doesn’t take that as an appropriate answer.

“We agreed on one area at a time. We’re still in the kitchen.” He says. “now get over here and help me with the dishes. I wash, you dry.” He decides, making you somewhat reluctantly get up. It’s odd to have anyone in your apartment at all, since not even staff is allowed inside- you constantly find and make up excuses to keep them out at all times. This is your only safe space, after all.

The only place no one is looking at you.

“yesterday..” jungkook slowly says, putting another plate towards you so you can dry it. “..you said that the company owns you.” He remembers, and you nod. “To what degree?”

“I have an independence license.” You say. An independence license is basically a permanent permit to live on your own, and also work on your own. Basically, with it, you don’t need an owner at all. “But.. the company has full control over my finances and such. And they own my, you know, brand name.” You shrug.

“I meant it, you know?” He tells you, draining the sink of the soapy water. “I’ll try and figure something out.”

“Don’t bother.” You simply say. “it doesn’t matter.”

“It does.” Jungkook denies, drying his hands on a towel. But you stay silent as you put the dishes away in their proper places, not really sparing him any glance at all again.

Jungkook doesn’t really know yet how to help you. First, he wants to somehow get into contact with your parents and set things right again- maybe he can get their names and phone number from jimin who’s been working you for a good while now. And then, maybe they can help, too.

“I’m tired.” You complain as you sit down on the now finally somewhat clean floor, all the trash in bags and in a corner.

“You can take a nap.” Jungkook agrees, and you look at him with positive surprise.

“wait, really?!” You ask, tail wagging a little.

“sure. You’ve been working hard.” He approves. “and now that your couch isn’t cluttered, you can take a proper nap there.”

“Why not my bed?” You whine, disappointed.

“bed is for proper sleep. Couch is for naps.” He explains. “if you go to bed now you’ll just start rotting again.”

You stay quiet for a good moment, before you speak again, looking out the windows, curtains by now pulled open. Slowly, you walk over to the couch to sit down on, staring at your hands in your lap.

“I’m such a fuck up, am I not?” You sigh. “imagine if people knew how much of a failure I am.”

“You’re not a failure.” Jungkook denies, sitting down next to you on the couch. “just.. a bit lost at the moment.”

“Jungkook..” you say quietly, looking at his chest. “I really want to go home.” You admit, and he smiles softly.

“I know. And I’ll figure out a way, promise.” He offers, opening his arms. And much to his surprise, you take the invitation- even so much as to crawl onto his lap, leaning against his chest with your arms wrapped around him. It’s a lot more than he thought this was going to be, but he also can’t deny that this feels oddly comforting for him too.

And even though your tail is still limp and lifeless, at least you’re starting to open up. And maybe jimin was right after all.

Maybe you’re just acting tough.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

Jungkook quickly learns that you really must’ve left home at a very young age- because you’re very much completely lost in translation when it comes to general tasks that fall onto someone when they live alone.

You’ve got no idea how to properly do laundry, you don’t know how to cook at all, and you have no idea what cleaning products to use for what. When he asked you if you had some window cleaner, you’d stared at him for a good second before you asked him why he can’t just use soap- and cooking in your book is simply boiling water for instant noodles.

It’s no wonder your apartment was in the state it was in. No one ever taught you how to look after yourself and your own home.

“Alright?” Jungkook asks while you stare at the washing machine with a determined gaze.

“put the clothes in, put the soap-squishy-thing in, close the door and then set it to that program there.” You repeat. Jungkook nods.

“But-?” He presses, and you stare at him for a second, thinking.

“But...uh..” you try and find an answer. “no colored stuff with white clothes? And no black with colors?” You try, and he grins, tail wagging.

“Good girl. See? You’re not dumb, you just didn’t know.” He praises. “now press start and then we can go laze around a little until it’s done.” He says, making you happily press the start button.

Something that Jungkook has noticed, is that the entire apartment seems oddly.. sterile almost, in that it looks and feels taken straight out of a magazine. You’ve got no thing personal it seems like, no blankets that aren’t a neutral color, no toys, no plushies despite you telling him by now that you love these things. Instead, you only really have your little gaming console and that’s it- your bedroom is mostly taken over by designer clothes and shoes, as well as all sorts of accessories. The bathroom contains shelves full of skincare for face and body, but everything else appears to be not at all to be your personality.

“You can get yourself some new blankets for the couch now that we’ve cleaned up.” Jungkook mentions, but at that you simply begin to pout next to him, legs pulled close to you as you slide down a little, slouching.

“Nah, they’ll say no.” You huff, watching the TV commercial play.

So you really meant it when you said that the company has full control over your money. He believed it might just involve big spendings, which would make sense- but it looks like it more so involves every single purchase you make instead.

“How long is your contract?” He asks, and you shrug.

“I think forever.” You say, flopping to the side, legs hanging off to the floor. “I don’t know.”

“Thats.. not legal.” Jungkook frowns. “did you never renew it?”

“Huh?” Your ears tilt towards him for a second. He still wonders why one of your ears is floppy these days. “..no. I don’t think I ever did.”

“I.. how long have you been with them?” He asks, and you hold your hands in front of you to start counting. And the more fingers you seem to add, the more concerned he becomes.

“Well, I uh.. wait, I left when I was..” you mumble to yourself. “and now that I’m.. I think eleven years?” You answer, looking at him.

The maximum contract length for hybrids is five years.

Five.

“I.. okay, can you do me a favor?” He asks, and you nod, slowly sitting up. “next time you’re at your company’s HQ, try and get a hold of a copy of your contract. But don’t tell anyone what you need it for.” He says.

If he can get a copy of whatever slave contract you’re under, getting you out of it will be easy. There’s strict laws for hybrids in place after all- one can’t just work them like pets, there’s rules every company has to follow. And that is the same in your industry as well.

“am I gonna go to jail?” You ask, and Jungkook shakes his head.

“No no, you did nothing wrong.” He denies, reaching out to pet your head- pleasantly surprised when you visibly accept the gesture.

Because he speaks the truth. You did nothing wrong.

You were simply used from the start.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

On Monday, jungkook is standing at your door, 7 AM.

And you really, really do not want to go with him.

“Come on now-“ he urges again, pulling on your fluffy sweater while you cling to the doorframe of your apartment building entrance, having just seen what exactly Jungkook uses as his preferred means of transportation.

“No, you’re not getting me on that death-trap, no way in hell!” You complain, escaping his grasp just for a second before his arms are around your middle, easily removing your fingers from the door with a smile sent towards the security guard as reassurance, before he carries your struggling body towards his Harley. “No!” You complain. “This is kidnapping! Abduction!” You cry out, before he puts the helmet he’d gotten recently on your head, hands fastening the strap beneath your chin before he gets onto the motorcycle as well, sitting in front of you.

And the second it roars to life, you’re clinging to him with arms and legs involved, resulting in Jungkook adjusting your grip a little to not strangle him.

Well- at least he’s not driving fast.

“I hate you.” You complain when he removes the helmet again in the underground parking lot beneath the dance studio, pupils still blown wide, cheeks a bit flushed.

“If you just got up yourself like a big girl, I wouldn’t have to drive you.” He easily tells you, helping you down from the vehicle. “we’ll do this again and again until you learn.” He explains, stepping into the elevator with you- still lowly growling to yourself, pissed off at his attitude.

You’re not a kid. He’s stupid.

But it does work, because at least you somewhat practice with him for a few hours, before you stubbornly lay down starfish style in the middle of the practice room, demanding a break- one he grants for once, even if it’s just ten minutes.

“I really don’t wanna go to that contest.” You huff, half of your face squished against the shiny floorboards. Jungkook slowly walks towards you, squatting down to flick his finger against one of your ears that’s again, a little floppy today.

“I know.” He answers, because he does still remember your outburst, devastating cries edged into his mind.

“Hey Jungkook?” you ask, as he absent-mindedly rubs your ear between his fingers, almost enchanted by the softness of it.

“Yeah?” He answers, noticing the way you clearly enjoy such a simple touch to the fullest. You’re constantly surrounded by people, and yet it’s clear that you’re touch-starved and just treated like a doll and nothing else. How lonely must you have been until now?

“Do you have a girlfriend?” You ask. “or a boyfriend?” You wonder, leaning into his hand with closed eyes.

“No.” He answers, unsure and most of all suspicious.

“nice.” You smile, tail wagging softly. “I’m your girlfriend then.” You decide, and he freezes.

“...what?” He asks, sitting down now, a water bottle next to his crossed legs. “You can’t.. that’s not how it works.” He explains, but you shrug.

“My mom and my dad didn’t like each other either.” You reply, staring at nothing ahead, chin on your hands. “they just.. got together out of convenience. Cause they were the same hybrid breed, and I guess didn’t have anyone else at the time.” You mumble. “love isn’t real anyways. I’m pretty- isn’t that enough for you to like me?” You ask, turning your head to look at him with a gaze so.. detached that it makes him feel pity.

Is that your view on the world around you?

“You are pretty.” He responds. “but that’s not a foundation for.. a relationship.” He shakes his head.

“I don’t mind that you’re a mix.” You shrug. “you’re handsome, I’m pretty, and I have money.” You say. “if we get together thousands will flock to your dance studio. You’ll be super successful. “ You propose to him. “doesn’t even have to be for long. You can just.. I don’t know. Spend some time with me until you get bored, and then move on.”

“No.” He denies again. You frown.

“Huh.” You huff, slowly sitting up. “whatever then, I guess.”

“Do you even like me?” he asks you, confused, and you shrug before nodding.

“You’re nice. A bit stick-up-you-ass, but overall nice.” You offer.

Jungkook just watches you for a second, in full disbelief at what had been done to you. Raised in a place of luxury, with a golden spoon in your mouth and lies fed daily to create the view you have on everything around you right now. No kindness without some ulterior motive fits your reality. Everything has to be convenient for everyone involved.

“I don’t want a relationship without love, no matter what I might gain from it.” He explains himself, and you roll your eyes, before you flop onto your back, arms crossed again as you sulk. “You shouldn’t settle for less either.”

“Yeah well I wont get that.” You answer. “no one wants me. They want.. her.” You say, while twirling the silver name tag from around your neck in your fingers.

Until he leans over you, body entirely covering yours for a second, causing you to become nervous and wide eyed at his bold move. He’s looking at your neck, and you’re sure he must’ve realized what’s in it for him- after all, everyone is out for something to gain.

His hands move around your neck, fingers warm. You close your eyes as his face draws closer, awaiting the inevitable.

When suddenly, the collar around your neck is undone, and pulled off your neck.

“what-“ you ask, eyes open again as you watch him still above you, now looking into your eyes, and no longer anywhere else.

“I don’t want her.” He says, referring to the name on the tag around your neck that’s now in his hand, pushed into the floorboards where he holds himself up.

“But I’d like to get to know you instead.”

[wandascosmic]

get your humor like i do (3)

wanda maximoff x fem!reader

part three of 'you belong with me' series

summary: basically a wanda series inspired by jim and pam from the office

word count: 2871

tags: best friends to lovers, reader being completely in love with wanda, wanda's an oblivious best friend, i might mean oblivious to her own feelings as well but who knows, both of them being complete dorks, reader messing with sam with wanda as her pranking accomplice

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9

“Last night, on trading spouses,” you told Wanda enthusiastically, leaning over her desk on your elbows. 

“Uh huh,” Wanda nods, chewing on the end of her pen as she listens to your story with a smile. 

“There was- oh, wait, have you seen it?” a look of realization comes across your face. 

“No, actually, I have a life,” Wanda jokingly responds. 

You laugh, “Interesting,” you played along, “What’s that like?” 

“Fun, you should try it sometime,” Wanda quips back. 

“Wow,” you said thoughtfully, staring off with a wistful look in your eye. “But then who would watch my TV?” you remark. 

Wanda laughed agreeingly as she looked up at you from her chair. 

“That’s sort of like a win-lose-” you continue until Tony’s voice interrupted your sentence.  

“Y/N, can I see you for a minute please?” 

Giving your favorite receptionist an apologetic look, you nod before following your boss into his office.

Wanda frowns slightly, sighing as she picks up her phone and gets back to work. 

***

“I need you to help me decide on which healthcare plan the office should be on, then explain it to the rest of the office,” Tony says to you as you sit across from him at his desk, handing you the large stack of papers with the various healthcare plan options. 

You nod slightly, “Wow, this is a great offer,” you point out, truthfully not believing your lie for a second. 

“I’m glad you see it that way,” Tony replies with disinterest. 

“But Tony, I really think I should be concentrating on sales,” you told him, holding back a smile at your plan. “I just don’t think this is a task that I’m well-equipped for, but I do know someone who is.” 

“Wow, who’s that?” Tony answers monotonely. 

“I think Sam would be great for this. You know, he’s smart, hardworking-” you sell your idea. 

“Sure, yeah, whatever, go get him then,” Tony cuts you off.  

You nod in agreement, smiling as you walk out of Tony’s office. 

Sam was such a sucker. 

***

“You did it again,” Wanda remarks, seeing Sam sitting in Tony’s office through the window, excitedly taking the papers Tony handed him. 

“I did,” you admit, smiling at her as you're back at her desk once more. 

“I can’t believe that actually works every time,” she says with a laugh. 

You shrug. “Sam’s such a suckup that he’ll do anything to get on Tony’s good side. So, naturally, in his good nature he should be glad to do any task Tony gives him. Even the ones he gave to me first,” you say smugly, popping a candy from the dish at her desk into your mouth.  

“You’re quite devious,” Wanda teases. 

“All in a day’s work, Maximoff,” you reply with a grin. 

***

Sam has fucked up awfully. You suppose it's no surprise since Sam has a limited understanding of natural human needs, however, his healthcare plan is basically as cheap as a gas station slushie. Everyone in the office is completely outraged.

You and Wanda have decided to attempt to convince Sam to fix his plan, as the health care coverage he’s chosen is basically second to none. 

“Sam,” Wanda says as she opens the door to the conference room with you following behind her with your hands in your pockets. 

“Wanda, haven’t you ever heard of knocking?! This is an office,” Sam says exasperated from the table he’s sitting at with papers scattered all over as you and Wanda stop to stand in front of him. 

“It says workspace,” you point out, nudging your head toward the sign on the door, knowing Sam had argued toward the title of office, but Tony had told him no. 

“Same thing,” Sam argues, reading over the papers. 

“If it’s the same thing, then why did you write ‘workspace’?” you ask with curiosity.

“Just knock, Y/N,” Sam says frustrated. “It’s a sign of respect, and as your superior, I deserve that respect.” 

“You’re not my superior,” you retort.

“Ok, well, then why do I have an office?” 

You tilt your head slightly. “I thought it was a workspace, Sam?” 

“Okay!” Wanda interrupts, putting a hand on your shoulder. “Sam, are you really in charge of picking the healthcare plan?” she asks the worker in front of her, crossing her arms over her button-up shirt. 

“Yes, and my decision is final,” he responds with assertiveness.

“This is a ridiculously awful plan, Sam, you cut everything,” Wanda explains to him, her worry increasing at the fact that it might as well be considered as having basically no health care coverage whatsoever. You rub your hand slightly across her back, noticing the slight furrow in her brows indicating the fact that she’s worried. 

Sam pouts in fake pity, ignoring the scene in front of him. “Well, times are tough, Wanda. Might as well get used to it.” 

You narrow your eyes, his dig at Wanda irritating you slightly. “You cut more than you had to, didn’t you?” you cut in, knowing Sam’s lack of sympathy for anything related to the human race. 

“Sure,” Sam shrugs without care. 

“Well, why did you do that?” you ask, not understanding why he wouldn’t want health care coverage for himself as well. “You work here, Sam, don’t you want good insurance?” 

Sam scoffs. “I don’t need it, Y/N,” he says obviously. “I’ve never been sick. I have a perfect immune system.”  

You and Wanda look at each other in uncertainty. “Okay, well if you’ve never been sick, then you don’t have any antibodies,” you explain to him.  

“I don’t need them. I have superior genes, I’m a Wilson. And on top of that, I have superior brain power. With extreme concentration, I can raise and lower my cholesterol at will,” he argues.

“Why would you want to raise your cholesterol?” Wanda asks, looking at Sam warily. 

“So I can lower it, obviously.” 

***

“Everyone, gather around,” Sam announces, stepping out of the conference room, looking frustrated. 

You swivel around in your chair to face him, ready for whatever irritating thing will come out of his mouth this time. 

“It has been brought to my attention that some of you are unhappy with my plan,” he says, his annoyance seeping through. “So what I’d like you all to do, is to fill out this form and write down any diseases you might be suffering from that you would like covered, and I’ll see what I can do, since you people are weak enough to get sick.” 

You raise your hand, a clear issue in his plan sticking out to you. “Sam,” you cut in, and he looks at you irritated. “Well, we can’t write down our diseases for you because that’s confidential.” 

Sam rolls his eyes. “Okay, well, I didn’t say to write your name down, did I?” he answers sarcastically. “You can fill it out, and leave it anonymous. Or, don’t write down any disease at all, and it won’t be covered. “Sam slams the forms on the shelf next to the wall. “Alright, I’ll be in my office.” He retreats back into the conference room. 

“Workspace,” you remind him. 

Sam slams the door closed. 

***

You stand at Wanda’s desk, the two of you filling out your forms together in silence. 

Looking over at Wanda, you notice her biting back a smile as she fills out her form. 

“Wait, what are you writing?” you ask with curiosity. 

She looks up at you with a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

“Don’t write ‘Ebola’, or ‘mad cow disease’,” you tell her, her smile faltering slightly. “‘Cause I’m suffering from both of them,” you grin, showing her your paper. 

Wanda laughs. “I’m inventing new diseases,” she reveals. 

“Oh, great,” you lean further over her desk, intrigued. 

“So, like, let’s say my teeth turn to liquid,” she describes. “And then, they drip down the back of my throat, what would you call that?” 

“I thought you said you were inventing new diseases, Maximoff,” you wave your hand in an obvious gesture. “That’s spontaneous dento-hydroplosion,” you describe with a smile. 

Wanda looks at you, impressed. “Nice,” she states. 

“Thank you,” you respond, smiling as you watch her write down the fake disease excitedly. 

***

“Y/N!” Sam growls from the conference room, rushing out the door. “All right, who did this?” he yells, holding up the forms.  

“What are you talking about?” you ask with a tilt of your head, still standing at Wanda’s desk. 

“Someone here forged medical information, and that is a felony,” Sam accuses, narrowing his eyes at every one of the office staff. . 

“Whoa, that’s a pretty serious accusation there, Sam,” you warn, holding up both your hands in fake surrender. “How do you know that they’re fake?” you ask him. 

“It’s obvious, Y/N,” Sam retorts. Reading out the diseases, he lists, “These hysterical diseases like, flesh-eating bacteria.” You snort.  “Hot dog fingers.” 

“Wow, that sounds awful,” you whisper quietly to Wanda who snickers at your dig.  

“And my least favorite,” Sam reads out. “Government-created killer nano-robot infection.” 

Wanda looks up at you cheekily, and you widen your eyes, impressed. 

“You did this, didn’t you?” Sam accuses you, as you turn back around, narrowing his eyes. 

“Absolutely not,” you answer calmly. 

“Yes, you did.” 

“No, I didn’t.” 

“I know it was you,” Sam argues. “Okay, you know what,” Sam says frustrated. “I’m going to have to interview each and every one of you until the perpetrator makes him or herself known. And until then,” he pauses. “There will be absolutely no healthcare coverage for anyone!” Sam yells out, retreating back into his workspace and slamming down the papers in anger. 

Holding in your smile, you ask, “Killer nano-robots?” you inquire to the receptionist in front of you. 

“It’s an epidemic,” Wanda shrugs with a playful glint in her eyes, smiling at you.

You shake your head in amusement.  

***

“The problem, Y/N,” Sam starts. 

“Mhm,” you acknowledge, sitting across from him in the conference room. 

“Is that the people who are really suffering from a medical condition won’t receive the care they need, because someone in this office is coming up with all this ridiculous stuff.” He picks up a form. 

You listen with fake intrigue. 

“For example, Count Choculitis,” he reads out. 

You whistle. “Sounds tough.” 

“Why did you write that down, Y/N? Is it because you know I love Count Chocula?” he says with seriousness. 

“Do you?” you ask. 

“I think you need to confess,” he explains.  

“Mhm,” you nod, standing up out of your chair. 

“The fact-” 

“Yup.” You grab his keys from his desk. 

“What are you doing?” he asks in confusion. 

“What?” you ask, as you open the door and walk out. 

“Those are my keys, Y/N,” he tells you, slowly standing up out of his chair. 

“Good luck,” you tell him, starting to close the door on him. 

“Y/N!” he sprints after you, the door closing before he can stop it from closing. “Damn it!” he slams his palms on the door window in frustration.   

Locking the door completely, you hold the keys by their key ring to taunt him, then smile as you throw them behind your back where they land across the room. 

“Let me out!” he bangs on the door. 

“No, I don’t think I will,” you retort, plopping yourself down at your desk as you can’t stop the shit-eating grin on your face. 

***

You smirk as your phone starts to ring. 

“Y/N L/N,” you say mockingly as you answer. 

“Let me out,” Sam says immediately through the phone. 

“Who is this?” you reply, swiveling around in your chair to face him as he glares daggers at you. 

“Let me out or you’re fired,” he fights back. 

“No, you can’t fire me,” you say as you turn back around, putting your feet up on the desk. 

“Yes, I can, I’m the manager for the day,” he retorts. 

“Mhm,” you nod, not believing him for a second. 

“Clean out your desk,” he continues. 

“Ok.”you reply, when suddenly,  your phone rings again. “Can you hold on one second?” you tell Sam as if you’re speaking to a customer. “I’m getting a, uh, beep.” 

“No, don’t you dare put me on hold!” Sam shouts. 

You ignore him, answering the incoming call. “Y/N L/N,” you introduce. 

“Hey, Y/N, it’s Wanda,” you hear the smile in her voice. 

“Hey, Wanda!” you say enthusiastically,  “How are ya?” Wanda playing pranks with you was a long-time tradition in your friendship, and it was something you treasured very close to your heart. Plus, it made you fall in love with her even more every time. 

Sam bangs on the door, interrupting your train of thought. “For god’s sake, Y/N, open the door!” he shouts from the conference room. 

You ignore him, continuing your conversation with Wanda. 

“I’m doing good, how are you?” Wanda answers, watching you with a grin on her face. Playing pranks with you was probably one of her favorite things in the world. 

“I’m doing ok,” you respond through the phone. “Getting excited for the weekend though.” 

“Yeah, same, oh, I’m not bothering you, am I?” Wanda asks, biting her fist to hold in her laughter. 

“No, not at all!” You reassure, turning your chair to look over at Wanda as she looks back at you with her glistening smile. 

“No? You don’t have anything you’re doing?” she says mischievously. 

“I have absolutely nothing to do,” you shake your head. 

“Y/N! Sam yells from the conference room, banging on the door once more. 

“Yeah, no, this weekend, I’ve got nothing,” Wanda says on the phone with you. “I’m not really doing anything.” 

“Y/N!” Sam shouts again. “Stop flirting with Wanda and let me out!” 

“Might go to the mall,” Wanda continues. 

“The mall,” you repeat. 

“I need new shoes,” she tells you. 

“Oh, interesting, what kind of shoes?” 

Wanda finally breaks as she laughs. 

You smile, wanting to mess with Sam a bit more both for your entertainment and Wanda’s, you hold up your eraser to show her and she nods as she knows what you’re about to do. Turning around, you show Sam the eraser as well, then throw it directly at the window where he’s standing with fury in his eyes. 

“I tried being rational!” Sam shouts at you. 

***

“Tony, why did you leave Sam in charge of the healthcare plan?” Nat asks Tony, as he steps out of his office, the rest of the workers surrounding their boss in a circle. 

“What did he do?” Tony asks disinterestedly, reading over the magazine in his hands. . 

“His plan is awful, it’s basically a pay decrease,” Bruce explains to him. 

Seeing Sam walk out of his workspace as he finally unlocks the conference room door after trying to pick it for an hour, the workers start to shout at hiim in frustration. 

“Sam, what did you do?” Tony interrupts. “Didn’t you raise benefits?” 

“I most certainly did not,” Sam retorts, crossing his arms and glaring back at everyone who looks at him in anger. 

Tony sighs, exasperated. “I should’ve never let you do this,” he puts his head in his hand.  “Alright, everyone, go home, it’s after 5, I’ll call corporate and have this fixed by the end of tomorrow.” 

The workers mutter their distaste for the awful day they’ve had, starting to scatter and pack up their things.  

“This isn’t over,” Sam tells you as you and him both pack up your things at your desks. 

“Can’t wait, Sam,” you smirk at him as he scoffs back, bumping into your shoulder as he starts to walk out with his briefcase in his hand. 

***

After packing your messenger bag, you run up to Wanda’s desk, drumming your fingers on the ledge as you ask her if she would like to walk out with you. 

“Sorry, Y/N,” Wanda apologizes. “Vision’s on his way up now to pick me up so we can leave together.” 

“Oh, okay, no problem,” you assure, your heart slightly deflating as you hear about her fiance once more. 

“Thanks,” Wanda smiles.  

“Yeah, you too,” you respond. “Hey, uh, that was great, how you helped me out with messing with Sam.”

Wanda laughs. “Yeah, that was fun. You really got him today, it was awesome.” 

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you,” you tell her with a soft smile. 

Wanda looks at you with affection, and you stare back at her, admiring the infinite green swirls in her eyes. 

Clearing your throat you say, “So, um, I should probably head out.” You point to the door behind you. 

“Oh, yeah,” Wanda nods with realization. “Have a good night, Y/N.”

“You too, Maximoff,” you bid her goodbye with a wave. 

Closing the door behind you as you step out of the office, you sigh at the day you’ve had, chuckling slightly at how you messed with Sam. 

As you descend the flight of stairs to walk out to your car, a small smile makes its way across your face at the thought of a certain green-eyed brunette who always managed to brighten your day with just a simple look.

part 4

[lemonlover1110]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬

Satoru Gojo

[Chapter 8] Unanswered Questions

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Pairing: Satoru Gojo x f!Reader

Discord +18 - Twitter - Ko-Fi

Satoru never thought that he’d be in this spot. He’s watching the woman he once loved or– His feelings are all over the place right now. He just knows that you’re treating him like a complete stranger. Although he can’t be mad since he asked for professionalism… You just treat him like you absolutely have no clue about him. Like you didn’t grow up together.

He can’t be mad. He asked for it. He tries not to think about it but he can’t stop. His eighteen-year-old self would be kicking himself if he knew about this reality. He really thought at eighteen that at this point of his life he’d be married… Which he is, but not with you. You were supposed to be together with a kid by this point, but now you’re playing secretary, one that acts as if you don’t know anything about him. Basic things about him seem to have slipped your mind.

He tries not to dwell on it… He doesn’t love you. At least not how he did five years ago. He’ll always have a soft spot for you, after all, you are his first love. He can’t help but wonder how life would be if he was married to you right at this moment.

“Mr. Gojo, I’m leaving.” You have to repeat yourself because Satoru is out of it. You walked in and he didn’t notice you, and he didn’t hear your voice the first time. His eyebrows raise, looking at his watch before nodding. You begin to walk away and he’s watching you.

“Actually–” He begins, making you stop. You turn to look at him, “Would you like joining me for dinner?”

“What for?” You respond. You’ve been working together for two weeks, and as much as you wish to say that you’ve grown close, you really haven’t. Satoru bites down on his lip, and he ends up shrugging. “I would rather not. Sayo is really sweet… But your mother isn’t exactly–”

“Why did you go to her? What happened to your studies?” He asks. Those questions bug his mind. When he left you, he thought that you’d be fine at the very least. You were studying to be so much more than what you are now.

“Not everyone is born with a golden spoon in their mouth. A lot came up in one moment and I couldn’t afford to study. It wasn’t because I decided that working for your mother was worth it.” You answer, leaving out the obvious details. Satoru slowly nods his head, and he clears his throat before speaking again,

“Well… I was asking you to dinner alone. There’s a new restaurant just around the corner and I don’t want to try it out alone.” He says, and you titl your head.

“What for? We have nothing to talk about, it’d just be awkward.” You respond, and his finger begins to tap against the hardwood desk. You try to smile at him but it comes off as insincere. “Thanks for the offer.”

“Are you sure? There’s a lot for us to unload… And since we’re working together, I think it’s best we get along.” He answers, and his hand begins to shake. He hides it under the desk so you can’t view it. The confident Satoru that he usually is isn’t all that confident now.

“I think it’s best if we don’t. That’s too personal considering we’re just working together.” You respond. He doesn’t have an idea but it seems that you’re desperate to leave, and it hurts him. Back then you would’ve jumped at the opportunity of having dinner together since you barely had any time to spare.

“It’ll just be for a short while.” He insists. He’s used to getting his way, he did grow up spoiled. He’s not stopping until you finally agree.

“Look, Satoru, I know you want to continue whatever you had with the previous secretary, and let me tell you this– I’ll remember our past for a minute or so. I’ve had you, and I don’t want you anymore. I have no idea what you have in mind but it’s not going to work with me.” You tell him, and he’s taken back by your response, but of course, he really wasn’t expecting much different. “Just let me go back home, I have a cat that’s waiting for me.”

“Why is this stupid cat so fucking important? I just want to talk.” He responds. He stands up from his chair. “It’s just dinner, the cat can fucking wait for an hour or so. There’s so much to talk about.”

“I’m the one that has a lot of questions that need to be answered, and I don’t want to hear it. I just want to go home, Satoru! Just leave me alone.” You slightly raise your voice, clearly annoyed. You just want to go home and see your son. “We have nothing to talk about. We must keep it professional.”

“You’ve grown so pathetic… Really, over a cat?” He pushes it, and it makes your blood boil. He’s simply just confused. He swore you were a dog person, but he guesses you’ve changed.

“Are you jealous over a fucking cat?” You question in disbelief. His jaw clenches, and he tries to take a deep breath. You have to remind him, “The fact gets priority over you. He always will. At least Ren didn’t fucking leave me and got married two months after you asked for a fucking break!”

“I–” Satoru can’t find the right words to say. Blood flows everywhere and Satoru’s face is flushed. He’s not sure what to say to that. “I had my reasons.”

“Then I have my reasons to not have dinner with you. If you’d excuse me, Mr. Gojo, I have to go home.”

Satoru’s mind feels as if it goes a thousand miles per hour. He’s thinking about you. You’re right, you’re rightfully upset but he’s so irritated with the fact that you’d rather spend the night with a fucking cat than have dinner with him. It’s on him– He knows it’s on him but he’s not thinking like that. 

“Hey, Satoru. How was work?” Sayo asks when she spots her husband. He’s not really in the mood… His feelings toward Sayo are weird. Sometimes he thinks he loves her, sometimes he can’t stand her. Tonight is one of those nights where he can’t stand her. He can’t even stand to look at her. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. Where’s my mother?” He responds, and she shrugs. Of course she doesn’t know, Sayo and his mother don’t really get along that well, at least that’s what it looks like. Sayo is about to ask a question but he walks past her, completely ignoring her. He goes straight to his mother’s bedroom, and he presses his ear against the door, and once he hears her footsteps, he barges into the room. She’s startled, her hand going over her heart before she looks at her son who clearly isn’t happy.

“Satoru? You look mad, everything okay?” His mother sounds genuinely concerned.

“Why the hell did you hire her? I thought you couldn’t stand her. At one point you were begging for me to break up with her.” Satoru asks, and he tries to keep his cool, to not lose control, but it’s hard. It’s so fucking hard. “You’re just fucking with me.”

“She needed a job, I couldn’t just–”

“You do it with everyone else! Why do you suddenly care about her?” Satoru cuts her off, and maybe he could’ve worded it differently. He doesn’t want you to be jobless, and as you’re right, he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, he doesn’t understand your struggles and he doesn’t want to leave you without a job just because he’s… Mad at you. “Why did you put her as my secretary? Couldn’t you just leave her with Shoko?”

“You needed someone and she was available.” She answers, but that’s not good enough. She must have an ulterior motive, even if it’s his mother. She’s cold hearted enough to hurt him, and it’s so upsetting to think about because that’s his mother. “I don’t see the big problem… What’s wrong?”

“I was planning on getting married to her! And this is the stunt you pull?” He’s raising his voice, and his mother doesn’t like the tone that he’s picked up. Her arms are crossed and she raises a brow. 

“Don’t talk to me like that.” She tells him, causing him to roll his eyes. “You’re in my house.”

“I’ll be moving out soon! And I’ll get a new secretary.” Satoru responds, causing her to scoff. The arrangement that’s happening isn’t permanent either way, the moment that Satoru finds a new secretary, you’ll go back to Shoko. They’re throwing you around as if you were a ball of sorts. 

“What the hell did she do to you… Why are you so upset?” His mother asks, curious as to why he barged into her room. He hasn’t cared up until now. Satoru shakes his head and scratches the back of his neck, too embarrassed to admit anything. He just doesn’t know how to handle this rejection.

“I just don’t get it. You were so set on us being apart and you do this?” Satoru’s voice is laced with disappointment. He’s never really counted on his parents for any type of support, they were always absent. He counted on you for a big part of his life and when he didn’t have you, he only had his mother. He hoped that he could finally count on her for once in his life, but he can’t. He wants to fall to his knees and cry because he doesn’t understand why his mother is doing this to him.

“Satoru, you wouldn’t understand.” She says. 

“You did this to me, don’t you forget.” He points his finger at her before he walks away. He doesn’t understand why he’s on the verge of tears. His own mother is making him work with a woman that he once loved– Or loves… He still can’t figure it out. Seeing you every day is bringing back his old emotions, and he doesn’t know if he’s actually in love with you or not. 

“Everything okay, Sato–” Sayo begins as Satoru walks past him, and she can’t even finish her sentence before he’s gone. He doesn’t care to stop, stomping away from the place. 

She slowly blinks, watching her husband walk away. She ends up shrugging before leaving to do something else.

[mysticheathenn]

Messages From The Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Hi, Hexlings!

This pick-a-card reading is all about messages from things that you should not be caring or giving a f*ck about. This could be you having the fear of being seen. What does the world think of you at the gym? Basically, petty things that stop you from living your life.

This is a general reading, remember to take what resonates and leave what does not. This reading does not supplement your need to seek professional help. Tarot should be used as entertainment and not a for sure answer to your problems but as a guide, a sense of hope, and amusement.

Take your time when choosing your pile. Ask yourself the question and choose the picture that you can’t stop looking at. Listen to your intuition.

MasterList

Patreon Link

Pile l:

What should you not give a f*uck about? Tarot: 8 of Cups, 7 of Wands (reversed), Awakening, 9 of Cups, The High Priestess

The opinions of others concerning any and everything you do. You are meant to shine and show up as your most authentic self pile l. You do not need anyone's permission, advice, or even guidance on knowing who you are or what you should do with your life especially if these people are doing the exact opposite of what they try to preach to you. For some of you, I am getting that there is a family member or even just family in general who likes to dictate everything that you do and who you are. While I can't tell you what to do and can only provide you guidance for your situation, please ask yourself are these people happy? Do they ask anyone what they should do with their life and who they should be? Are they paying any bill of yours or financially supporting you? If you have answered no to any of these questions, my suggestion and only suggestion and opinion is to stop paying attention to anything that comes out of their mouth when it regards to you. I have a story for you once upon a time a little mystic heathen had parents and family who would dictate and tell little heathen what to do up until it got time to actually put their money where their mouth was and would back out while telling little heathen still what to do. Little heathen wanted to major in English while her parents medicine or computer science. It wasn't until little heathen saw that no one was paying the bills but herself that the only opinion that mattered with what she majored in, where to move, what career, and who I should be friends with was the opinion of her own. She broke free and stopped giving a dam because once you give someone the power to mold and control you it never stops. Unless the opinion from others saw red flags that I did not see everyone's opinion or suggestions could fuck off. Again this is all a suggestion and my opinion as you're an adult and can make your decisions for yourself but if you have been looking for a sign as to what you should do, this is it. Be free and release yourself from the holds of others that hold you at a standstill or make you unhappy.

Pile ll:

What should you not give a f*uck about? Tarot: 10 of Pentacles (Reversed), 2 of Cups, Queen of Cups, 5 of Swords (reversed), Knight of Cups, Queen of Wands (reversed)

Validation from romantic partnerships. I get the strong feeling from this pile that you love to watch and read future spouse pick-a-card readings. No matter the topic of love when it comes to tarot you are there waiting to see what it has in store for you. It is also similar to how you are in a relationship. You see the validation from your partners that you are good enough. Some of you might even have a small bit of pick-me energy. Whenever your partner says jump you don't ask how high you keep jumping and ask them if this is good enough and if it's not you keep jumping higher until they are satisfied not realizing that you, darling, are the prize. People should be jumping through hoops for you and not the other way around unless the energy is being reciprocated but I need you to understand that you are powerful just you alone without the opinion or approval of a love interest. You don't need anyone by your side at all. I know you're thinking I know I don't need anyone but I want someone...do you know pile ll. Do you really know that you don't need anyone? You are the Queen of Wands and the Queen of cups pile ll, you turn a house into a home, food into a cooked meal, etc. Anything someone gives you, you multiply it and tax interest and you are out here answering questions like "What do you bring to the table?" as if you aren't the table, the napkins, silverware, plates, and whole packaged deal. See yourself through the lens of a goddess/god. You are powerful, start acting like it, and stop putting yourself through hoops for someone who wouldn't do the same or doesn't even wash their own ass not knowing their shit stinks, they are no one special.

Pile lll:

What should you not give a f*uck about? Tarot: 2 of Cups, 3 of Swords, 6 of Cups, 6 of Pentacles, The Wheel

Pile lll you may have also been slightly drawn to pile ll as both your piles kind of go hand in hand. Pile ll is all about validation from being in a romantic relationship while yours is simply you acting as if being single is the worst thing in the world. As mentioned in Pile ll you probably watch and read a lot of love and Future Spouse pick-a-card readings because you have a hard time being by yourself. If not pick a card readings you read a lot of romance novels. Your favorite authors are probably Emily Henry, Ana Huang, Ali Hazelwood, Lauren Asher, Elsie Silver, etc. You watch as others around you fall in and out of love and you want that for yourself. If romance was oxygen you would die the moment you're not with someone within .5 seconds and I need you to release the need for romance just for a split second. Enjoy singlehood and realize that not everything is about love. There is more to life than being in a partnership with someone. You may not think that but have you tried and I mean really tried to enjoy being single? Travel to other places, dining out alone, watching a movie all without someone constantly talking or ruining the moment with spoilers. This message is only for a small few of you as it is very specific but you need to leave your ex alone. Stop thinking, dreaming, looking at their social media, or even reaching out to them. What's done is done...don't let someone tell you they don't want you more than once. This also goes out to those who are in situationships wanting a relationship from their person. They are telling you with their actions for some time now that they don't like you they just want you for your body and the things you can do for them. You are a placeholder until they find that person they want a commitment from. That was a specific message for those who resonated with the message but to continue on with the general reading love is beautiful, kind, and sweet, but it's not the end of the world if you don't have someone by your side. You are free to live life beautifully without someone else there to witness it. You remind me of the era when everyone would always post that they were going to the gym on Facebook and the meme was "If you don't post that you're at the gym, did you even go." If you have fun without someone being there with you to also have fun...did it even happen. Yes...yes it did pile lll. One day you will find a beautiful and harmonious relationship but until then enjoy singlehood. Also, give the love readings a break. Go outside and touch the grass for 30 mins everything will be fine.

Pile lV:

What should you not give a f*uck about? Tarot: 3 of words, The emperor, Ace of Swords (reversed), Page of Swords (reversed), The Empress (reversed)

Pile lV You are my only pile where I have to tell you to give a f*ck about something. You've been through heartache, after heartache, and loss to the point you have closed off your heart to the world because of how many times you have been hurt. This is leading you down a path where sometimes you can't focus or make the best decision because you have closed off your heart to the world or even love in general that anything where you need to involve feelings, showing a small bit of compassion, or even empathy goes out the window. Sometimes even logic goes out the window because you are so strung on not getting yourself tangled up in anything where it could lead to heartache or betrayal. For most of you I am getting this is a relationship or several might I add. While others of you probably had a shining light. You were a lighthouse pouring your beautiful light, energy, and guidance out onto the world for others to take advantage of you and make you cold, aggressive, or deemed in the eyes of a few, an asshole. I need to remind you that it is okay to open your heart to others or even love again Pile lV. I get it, it's scary thinking about the chances of being hurt again but I have to remind you that, this is part of life. You get knocked down and you get back up again but don't harden yourself off to the world. Not when the world needs so much kindness and love right now. There is already so much hate and lack of compassion in this world, open yourself up again even if it is for a little bit or for certain situations. The things that happened to you weren't meant to harden you up but to teach you lessons about boundaries and having self-respect and love for yourself. Instead, you hardened up instead of doing the work that is necessary to establish standards and boundaries for yourself. Do the work. Open yourself up again. The world needs your kind and gentle heart the way it was always intended.

Thank you for liking and reblogging my readings. I always appreciate you guys on here and on Patreon.

Stay safe and be blessed

[solarsturniolo]

wait i wanna hear about this frat boy 🫣

@zebonos GIRLLLL WHERE DO I EVEN START 😭😭

1. all of my friends say he’s ugly (he’s 6’3’’ sue me)

2. he snores SO LOUD

3. he punches and talks in his sleep

4. he has a cocaine addiction

5. he’s a bouncer at a bar that i’m a regular at

6. his head is too small and his eyes are uneven

7. he gets mad and insecure about my attraction to vinnie hacker

8. he is HORRIBLE at communicating (which was the ONE requirement i had when i agreed to let my friend set us up together. I said idc what he looks like, idc if he’s just wanting to fuck, he HAS to be good at communicating)

9. our second time together he marked me with hickies, begged me to stay the night, kissed me on my forehead, told me he wanted a future w me, etc

10. our 4th time together (we were awake for two hours mind you) he said he wanted to marry me 3 times, wanted to have kids with me 2 times, said i love you 4 times, planned what our engagement rings would look like, etc)

11. i ended up fucking his roommate and he had a talk with me about it. (“yeah…he’s a good guy, so much better than i could ever be for you…but whose bed are you in right now?”)

12. held my favorite pair of earrings hostage for a month

13. he does not like when i unadd him on snapchat and will ask ALL of my friends why im mad at him when ive told him i hate using snapchat for communicating bc its cancer.

14. he does not sleep in the dark

15. fucked a girl with an std

16. tried to get with me without telling me he fucked a girl with an std

17. tried to LIE about fucking a girl with an std

18. insane alcoholic. i watched him crush a 24 case of beer in two hours

19. doesn’t acknowledge me unless i’m actively ignoring him

20. he will STARE AT ME AND FOLLOW ME AROUND THE BAR ALL NIGHT if we are there at the same time (my friends have WITNESSED THIS HAPPENING) (( @megamett44-lover ))

21. will text me at 3:00-5:00 in the morning saying he needs to talk about stuff but i’m obviously ASLEEP

22. has not taken me on a proper date. (but he will buy my drinks and offers to buy me food if we go to cookout or mcdonald’s so i guess i can’t complain)

23. sleeps with socks on

24. hogs the blanket

25. doesn’t take out his trash and lets it pile up in his room

26. he has an awful haircut

27. left me alone immediately after sex for 23 minutes to go watch his roommate get his head shaved (no aftercare) and then was confused why i wouldn’t speak to him

28. did i mention he snores? did i also mention i get MAYBE an hour of sleep if i spend the night because its so bad??

29. tries to convince me not to make him use a condom

30. threw a fit one time bc a vinnie hacker edit came up on my phone so, in retaliation, he decided to look at thirst traps and sexual audios on tiktok for half an hour. i told him it was making me uncomfortable and told him to stop about six times and he only did when i threatened to leave.

31. would call me princess after i specifically told him NOT to do that.

32. beer pong with a bunch of his frat brothers is apparently a ‘date’ in his eyes…

33. didn’t acknowledge me at a party we were both attending until his buddy basically told him i wasn’t gonna keep pursuing him lmao

34. got so shit faced at the bar that he kept telling his frat brothers “isn’t she so pretty” “god im with the prettiest girl in (insert city name) right now” “im about to post her on my story” “should i buy her flowers” and i was so uncomfortable that i almost left the bar. (i had told him i wasn’t looking for anything serious and that pda made me uncomfortable)

35. he deadass chugged nyquil in front of me “to help him sleep”

36. has roaches in his bathroom (frat house)

37. refuses to smoke weed but will do 6 lines easy peasy???

38. not smart

39. thinks he can manipulate me (he can’t and it drives him crazy that i don’t fall for it)

40. asked me to find someone (female) to have a threesome with us (every inquiry made the same face before saying “no thanks”)

41. He hyper sexualizes my attraction to women

42. asked me if i’d block every guy in my phone for him (we had been talking for two weeks)

43. he’s an asshole to his dog and calls him mean names and hits his snout and shoves him around

44. he is persistent on trying to get me to blow him (i don’t do blowjobs. he knows this. still tries.)

45. he blew $160 gambling at the bar the night we went out ���

46. he’s younger than me and extremely immature

47. he thinks listening to chief keef is an unheard of personality trait. (“i know all of the lyrics to Love Sosa” okay, so do 9 million other people)

Dude i could go on and on about this mf he’s WEIRD.

[starkidmunson]

glitter & crimson

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Eddie picks where they go Wednesday night, since they’re in his city, after all. He insists upon picking Steve up from the hotel, too, since it’s on the way to the Mockingbird from his place.

When he walks into the hotel, Steve is sitting on a sofa in the lobby, waiting for him. They smile at one another and Steve meets him halfway across the room.

“Hey,” Steve greets, biting at his lip and looking over Eddie. “You look nice.”

“You, too.” Eddie says, softly, reaching out to trail his fingers along the soft threading of the cardigan before hooking his arm under Steve’s. “Did you scope out the menu to see if you like anything?”

“I did. The Mockingbird is actually one of the places that popped up when I was trying to find a decent place for us to go tonight, but I wasn’t sure if it would be too hipster-y for you.” Steve admits as they walk out to Eddie’s Jeep.

“It’s a little on the hipster side, but it’s in a really cool part of the city. And it’s close enough to walk to part two of our date.” Eddie grins, opening the passenger door for Steve, who raises his eyebrows and grins.

“Already can’t enough enough of me, huh?” He teases, then waits until they’re both settled and moving out of the parking to follow up. “How is there already a part two when part one hasn’t happened yet?”

“Because while you may not have been paying attention, we’ve gotten really good at this whole ‘grabbing food and drinks’ together thing. So we’ve got to throw a little spice in to make it different.” Eddie says, glancing at Steve and sending him a wink before his eyes divert back to the road.

The ride gives Steve a moment to take everything in. Eddie’s leather jacket, gray button up and signature black jeans. The Jeep, which occurs to Steve is not a rental and is his personal, everyday use car, has a lot of personality. An opal charm hangs from around the rear view mirror, there’s a few guitar picks in the cup holders and a binder of CDs occupies the bin in the passenger door.

“Am I passing the inspection?” Eddie asks after a few street lights, a small smile on his face as Steve flushes. 

“I’m not inspecting anything, I’m just. Curious,” He admits, makes a show of looking around before looking back at Eddie and teasing, “it’s a lot cleaner than I expected for your car.” 

Eddie laughs out loud at that, shakes his head, and bites his lip before answering. “Jeff gave me shit about cleaning it out before you got in, but it wasn’t that much worse than this. I basically cleaned receipts and straw wrappers out the cup holders.” He explains, and both of them relax as Steve reaches over to rub at Eddie’s arm closest to him.

They’re in deep conversation across the table from one another as their meal arrives, and it feels exactly like every other time they’ve been out for dinner except that it’s not, somehow, and Steve can’t think of how to explain that it’s weird without being weird at all. Eddie’s all hand-gestures and wide eyes and grins as he explains what it’s been like recording the band’s newest music, and Steve gets lost in the other’s excitement. It’s easy to do, and it’s a place Steve doesn’t mind finding himself. Eddie is music; his laugh, a melody. While Steve’s decidedly not the musician among them, he makes his best efforts to keep the performance alive.

The conversation shifts to how Steve’s feeling, riding the high of his return to the ice. It’s still strange for him to think about, really, so he doesn’t have much to contribute other than that he’s processing.

“And I should thank you, by the way,” Steve says, reaching over the table to settle his hand over Eddie’s, thumb brushing over his knuckles softly. “I figure it’s your reaction that got everyone on their feet. Can’t say I’ll ever experience anything like that ever again, so. Thank you.”

Eddie flushes, bites at his lip and turns his hand over under Steve’s to wrap fingers gently around his wrist. “I think it had everything to do with you. I’m just happy you were able to get back to doing what you love.”

That warmth returns to Steve’s chest, and he squeezes Eddie’s wrist back, but decides they have to change the topic or he’ll either get too sentimental for a first date or teary; neither of which he’s hoping for tonight.

“So, what’s next on the agenda?” He asks once their plates have been cleared away and the meal paid for. “I believe you mentioned a part two?”

Eddie grins and raises his eyebrow across the table.

“How do you feel about arcade games?”

~~~

“This is so much more than just arcade games, Eddie.” Steve laughs as they walk into a black brick building. It obviously used to be some kind of warehouse but it had been transformed into a massive barcade, with vintage games and pinball machines, indoor bocce ball courts, and even a bowling alley… and that’s just what Steve could see from the front door.

“Too much? We can just go mini-golfing, that’s right around the corner, too.” Eddie offers, looking sheepish. Steve wraps his arm through Eddie’s, pulling him closer as they walk further inside.

“If you think I’m not going to kick your ass at bowling, you’ve got another thing coming.” He teases, grinning wide when Eddie laughs and leads the way to get them shoes and a lane to play in. 

What Steve doesn’t expect, however, is for Eddie to bowl extraordinarily well.

“I feel like I’ve been manipulated into something here,” Steve accuses playfully, kicking a foot in Eddie’s direction without any real intent as the other scored another perfect strike.

“There’s plenty you don’t know about me, Stevie.” Eddie teases, sipping from his drink before he shrugs. “For example, bet you didn’t know that I was on the Hawkins High Bowling Team in 2008.”

“Hawkins had a bowling team?” Steve asks, honestly surprised, earning a bark of a laugh from Eddie. 

“Roane County Champs that year.” Eddie flops into his seat and gestures for Steve to take his turn. He manages a spare, and turns back to Eddie full of new curiosities.

“Just 2008? You were what, a freshman? That’s the only year you played?” He rapid fires through too many questions, unable to keep them inside himself. But Eddie just smiles, seemingly unfazed by the interrogation he’d brought on himself.

“I was a freshman, yeah.” Eddie nods, also racking up a spare before leaning over the score keeper to get a little closer to Steve while maintaining a safe amount of space between them. “Wayne thought it’d be good for me to join a sports team. Make friends. Wasn’t super athletic, and the alley in town had discount Tuesdays, so it was cheap to practice. Joined up, helped win the title. Then Principal Higgins rolled out a participation fee, and we couldn’t afford it anymore. Thus ended Eddie Munson’s athletic career.”

Steve listens intently, considering how different their worlds truly had been. No expense had been spared to make sure Steve had every opportunity available to him in the hockey world, not while he was young. He couldn’t imagine what life would be like if a participation fee had kept him from the hockey team. And here Eddie was, still weirdly good at bowling, having accepted that it was something he’d have to give up.

“I dunno, man, you’re pretty athletic. I’ve seen you jump and run around on stage, remember? I think that’s way more of a workout than my practices or games.” Steve counters, reaching over the score table to trace his fingers over Eddie’s tattooed forearms. The other just narrows his eyes a bit, before giving Steve a soft smile.

“You’re worrying about me missing out on something with bowling, aren’t you?” Eddie asks, reading Steve like a book, but doesn't wait for an answer before hooking his hand under Steve’s elbow to hold him close. “It wasn’t a dream I missed out on, you’re not looking at a would-be pro-bowler or anything. I was okay, and it was a way to pass the time after everything with my parents went down. I ended up using the half of the participation fee Wayne was able to save up to buy my first electric guitar, so. I think it all worked out as it was supposed to.” Eddie explains, and Steve felt a little lighter knowing the other’s perspective.

~~~

“Next time you’re in Nashville, we’ll go to Pins for Duckpin Bowling. Maybe I’ll have less of an advantage.” Eddie teases, then barks out a laugh as Steve grunts loudly.

“You’re eating this up, but I kicked your ass at skee ball and Mortal Combat.” Steve pokes his index finger into the center of Eddie’s chest, glaring at him through a smile.

“Not that you were counting.” Eddie teases, barking out a laugh when Steve rolls his eyes.

Once they’re out of the bar, where the crowd is growing by the moment, Eddie takes a chance and wraps his arm around Steve’s waist. Without a breath of hesitation, Steve leans into Eddie’s body. Eddie’s almost surprised to feel the weight and warmth of a hand at his own waist as Steve returns the gesture, and he can’t help but bite back a smile.

“I’m glad you’re planning on next time already,” Steve eventually says, and while it’s almost certainly meant to be teasing, it sounds soft and sincere.

“You planning on getting rid of me already?” Eddie asks, and finds his own voice to have the same tone. Steve tips his head to the side, meeting Eddie’s eye, before he smiles and shakes his head. 

“Not quite yet, no.” He whispers, then rests his head against Eddie’s arm, gives his waist a soft squeeze and Eddie feels himself float away, impossibly more gone for the man pressed against his side.

Over the ride back to the hotel, Steve and Eddie talk about what their schedules look like for the next few weeks. The Blackhawks have a slim chance at making a Wild Card appearance in the playoffs, which leaves a lot of uncertainty in Steve’s schedule. Eddie, however, is a clean slate until tour rehearsals start in early May. They make preliminary plans for Eddie to head out to the next round of home games in Chicago toward the end of next week, both eager to see one another again as soon as possible.

But then Eddie’s pulling into the hotel parking lot and he stops in the car port, giving Steve a little smile.

“I hate that tonight’s over.” He admits, quietly. Steve smiles back, reaching across the center console to brush a strand of Eddie’s hair behind his ear, out of his face.

“I hate that tonight’s over, too,” Steve says, softly, biting at his lip. “You have no idea how much I wish I didn’t have to fly out tomorrow afternoon. I feel like we just got here.”

Eddie reaches up to hold Steve’s hand by his face, lacing their fingers together. “Well, now you get to get me out on a date in Chicago next week.” 

“You bet your ass I’m doing that,” Steve mumbles back, before he leans in and presses a soft kiss to Eddie’s cheek. “Got big shoes to fill, this was a pretty perfect first date.”

Eddie fights the blush threatening to fill out his cheeks as best as he can, in favor of pulling Steve’s hand in and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it. “Good night, Stevie.” Eddie whispers, and Steve smiles back, returns the goodbye, then climbs out of the car and waves as he makes his way into the hotel lobby.

Once he gets home, Eddie fires off a text to Steve to let him know he’s home safe, then hops into the shower. As soon as he’s clean and mostly dry, he collapses into bed, grinning a little too wide, and falls asleep pretty quickly.

When he wakes up the next morning, it’s to his phone buzzing under his pillow. He answers without looking at it, and grumbles rather than offering a greeting.

“Uh, Eddie?”

It’s Steve’s voice that has him fishing the phone out, looking at the screen to find Steve looking back at him, amused. 

“Did I wake you?” He asks around a grin.

“Shut up,” Eddie huffs out a laugh, rubbing at his eye with the back of his hand before physically rolling himself out of bed and taking his phone with him. “What time is it? I thought you were supposed to be flying out today.”

“I am. That’s not for a few hours, though. I wanted to call and say hello.” Steve explains, and Eddie stretches to crack his back, before he pauses in his walk to the bathroom. 

“I can’t take you with me in there, give me a second.” He mumbles, making Steve laugh again before he puts the phone down on his dresser and takes a quick bathroom break. He’s still drying his hands on his pajama pants when he walks back into frame, but looks a little more coherent as he picks the phone back up. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this early morning phone call?”

“Is 10 o’clock considered early morning?” Steve retorts, just as the door bell rings through Eddie’s house.

“I swear to god, if Gareth forgot his key, he’s lucky you called before he rang that.” Eddie says, redirecting his course of travel from back to his bed to the stairs then the front door.

Steve immediately starts teasing. “It’s cute that you’re so grumpy in the morning. I feel like we’ve definitely talked before 10 and I don’t think you’ve ever been this grumpy.” 

“In my defense, I don’t think you’ve ever woken me up before.” Eddie responds, pulling open his front door and freezing as he’s met with Steve in person before him, chewing at his lip. “Oh. Uh. Hey?”

“Hi,” Steve laughs, hanging up the FaceTime. Eddie’s confused for a moment longer, before he pushes the door open further and invites Steve inside.

“You can, uh, come in. If you have time? I can show you around, if you want. I just… wasn’t expecting you.”

“Kinda the point of a surprise.” Steve smiles, stepping around Eddie and waiting until he’s closed the door to take a step closer. “I have a little bit of time, but I mostly couldn’t get on the plane to leave without…”

Steve pauses and it’s just long enough for Eddie to register that he stopped talking. He turns to look at Steve to make sure he’s okay, just as Steve steps toward him. Hands find his hips, turning Eddie’s body so they’re facing one another, and then Steve’s lips are on his and it feels like time has stopped around them.

Eddie’s reaction is a little delayed, which he’s blaming entirely on his having just woke up, but once he’s with the program again, his left hand slides around to cup the back of Steve’s head, holding him in place while his right hand settles at Steve’s hip. Their mouths work together for a long moment, before Steve pulls back slowly and lets out a heavy breath, licking over his lips and meeting Eddie’s eyes. 

“How long do you have before you have to be at the airport? I can drive you.” Eddie whispers, but his eyes are locked on Steve’s mouth, which makes the other laugh and nod.

“I’ve got, like, three hours.” He assures, and Eddie grins.

“Perfect, that’s plenty of time.” And with that, Eddie’s leaning back in to press another kiss to smiling lips.

TAG LIST:

@thegingerrapunzel @hotluncheddie @theoncelee

@hellfirebaby-86 @sanctumdemunson @steddiecamerarollameraroll

@messessentialist @romanticdestruction @hunterbow04

@annabanannabeth @dragonmama76 @eddie-munsons-lunchbox

@raisedbylibrarians @maya-custodios-dionach @beckkthewreck

@goodolefashionedloverboi @estrellami-1 @doctorqueensanatomy

@thelittleclare @innocentmapleleaf @paintsplatteredandimperfect

@angeldreamsoffanfic @yellowdevilkitten @ashleytrestte

@ser-ships-a-lot @silenzioperso @razzlerdazzler01 @stressy16

[s1llysmut]

Hey hey!! So sorry if ur requests aren't open- but if they are, NSFW alphabet with Vox mayhaps?

Love ur work!! Can't wait to see more!

A/N: Awww thank you so much!!!!

NSFW Alphabet for Vox

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he’s clingy as fuck. He leaves cleaning up for later. Right now you two are going to cuddle until you both fall asleep.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He loves his wires. He loves how he can tie you up with them. On you he loves your tits if you have any. He’s a boob lover.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He cums in you or on your face. That’s it. And there’s no way he’s using a condom.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He likes it when you’re dominant from time to time. Tie him up and edge him and he’ll love you forever.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He’s moderately experienced. I have a feeling he’d need your help finding the clit (if you have one).

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Doggy style. He loves watching that ass jiggle.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

To him it’s okay if he’s goody but if you’re goofy he gets all insecure.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He genuinely doesn’t care how it looks. He lets it grow how it wants. I have a feelings it’s somehow black and blue.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

He can be very very intimate. He’s whipped for you. However if he’s feeling pissed off by Alastor, you’re getting fucked senseless.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He has a shit ton of photos of you and he uses them to get off anytime you’re not around.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Bondage. He doesn’t care if it’s you or him being tied up. He just loves the concept.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

His office. Absolutely. Loves fucking you in his office.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

If you do anything to try and seduce him. Bend over in front of him, whisper in his ear, kiss his neck, anything.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He wouldn’t do roleplay as anyone. Even fictional. It would hurt his feelings that you want him to pretend to be someone else.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers you giving him head. He loves seeing you on your knees sucking him off. It boosts his ego.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

If he’s stressed or angry he’s going to fuck you fast and hard, but if he’s feeling lovey dovey he’s gonna take his time with you.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He likes them a regular amount.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Yes. He loves the adrenaline rush of trying new things especially risky things.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He can go for a damn while. He loves feeling overstimulated.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Since he’s such an innovative man I feel like he buys any new sex toy on the market and gets you and him to try it out. Then he gives Valentino a report on it.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He can’t tease you for long. He folds too easily. He’s the kinda guy who thinks with his dick.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He’s loud. He has no shame. If he feels good, everyone in hell is gonna know.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

You’ve definitely had a foursome with Velvette and Val. He wants to brag about your skills and smoking hot body.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Pretty big. About 8 inches!

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Very high. Almost as high as Valentino’s.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Very quickly. He will lay on your chest and sleep like a baby.

[adobe-outdesign]

Earning NP in 2024: A Quick-Start Guide for New and Old Users

I feel like there’s a lot of people that struggle with making NP nowadays, both due to shifts in what is/isn’t profitable and a lack of clear direction for new players, so I thought I’d put this together to see if it helps anyone. (This was originally written for Reddit, but I figured people over here might find it useful as well.)

IMPORTANT: This guide just tells you what to do, not how things work. I’d recommend looking up more in-depth resources if you would like to understand the specific mechanics.

Also, please note that this guide is just what I’ve found most effective. Feel free to sound off in the comments if you want to add something you think is useful.

Part 1: The Big 8

The Big 8 are the dailies that I’ve found to be incredibly profitable; just doing these each day will earn you tens of millions of NP over a few months, and they’re pretty fast to complete. If you don’t do anything else, do these.

Bank Interest

Click the “collect interest” button.

Always collect your interest before you do anything else—remember, you can’t collect after depositing or withdrawing NP.

Note: Upgrade your account type (at the bottom of the bank page) as you save. This permanently increases your interest rate.

The interest rate does NOT go back down if you dip below the required amount after upgrading.

Shop Till

Technically this is just collecting the money from items you’ve sold, but if you follow this guide you’ll likely have a tidy sum to collect each day :)

The one is listed second because you can jump straight from here to Trudy’s, as the till’s old layout will make the Trudy’s notification appear if it hasn’t already.

Trudy’s Surprise

Click the “play” button.

Do this each day for 25 days to collect a 100K prize.

Note: Trudy’s also gives out Basic Gift Boxes, which are useful for NC trading.

Quest Log

First, check your weekly prize. To do this, click on the slider button to switch from your daily prize to your weekly one. Check the price of the prize.

If you like your weekly prize:

Complete all of your daily quests.

When all daily quests are complete, click on the NP bag to collect your 20K reward.

HIT REFRESH WHEN DONE. The clock at the top-right corner will disappear. This has to be done or the completion may not take.

Repeat for the week, then click on your prize at the end of the week to claim it.

If you do not like your weekly prize and want to change it:

Complete 4/5 of your daily quests (whichever ones are most profitable)

For the last quest, click the red “skip quest” button and confirm.

REFRESH THE PAGE. Once again, this is important.

The next day you should have a new prize. Continue skipping a quest per day until you get an item you like.

If you want to reset your weekly prize but already completed some days:

Follow the steps above. When you return the next day, your progress will be reset but your weekly prize will be the same.

Follow the steps above one more time. When you return the next day, you should have a new weekly prize.

Stock Market

To buy shares:

Go to the bargains page above.

Look in the right-hand column titled “curr” and find a stock with the number 15 (the cheapest you can buy shares at).

Copy the four-letter ticker symbol in the left-hand column labeled “ticker”.

Click on the “buy” link above and enter paste the ticker symbol into the first box, then enter “1000” into the second box (this is the max amount of shares you can buy per day). This will cost you 15K NP.

Repeat daily. Remember to diversify your portfolio (which is a fancy way of saying buy shares for different companies to increase your odds of getting a payout).

After you have bought a stock, go to the “my portfolio” page and look in the “current price” column.

If the number there is greater than 15, you have made a profit.

It is up to you to decide when to sell the stock. Waiting until 40–60 is average, but you can decide your own preferences here.

DO NOT ever sell a stock under 15. The stock market no longer crashes, so a stock that drops down has no choice but to eventually bounce back up.

Note: The stock market is a long-term investment. You may need to wait long periods of time before seeing a profit depending on how often you sell.

Food Club

Unlike other dailies, Food Club rolls over at 2:15 p.m. NST.

At 5:00 p.m. NST, a few Food Club board will automatically go up on this subreddit.

Click on the board and pick a betting table you like from the comments. I highly recommend u/nsheng’s standard or aggressive sets.

Once you have your table, submit your bets. To do this:

Click on “place a bet”.

Start with row 1 of your chosen betting table. On the “place a bet” page, select one pirate from each drop-down menu, then click the far-left checkbox for each.

Enter your betting amount. Your max bet is listed on the “place a bet” page, or you can enter a different amount. MAKE SURE THE AMOUNT IS THE SAME FOR EACH BET.

Hit “place this bet!”. Repeat this process ten times for all ten rows of your chosen betting table.

At 2:15 the next day, click “collect your winnings”, then go back to the “place a bet” page and enter that day’s 10 bets once the betting tables are posted on Reddit.

Note 1: How much you can bet (and by extension, make) depends on your account age, so this may be less useful to new players. It’s free passive NP either way however.

Note 2: There will be days you experience losses with Food Club. On average you will make back much more than what you invest as long as you stick with it, but with that said, make sure you’re only betting amounts you feel comfortable losing.

Battledome

The Battledome is unique in that you have to put some time and money into it to get something out of it, but the rewards are usually pretty high (making 100K+ a day isn’t uncommon).

To get started, you will need to train your pet and get them some weapons.

For training, follow the steps at the bottom of Battlepedia’s “Beginners’ Guide to Training” here.

For weapons, pick a beginner’s set from Battlepedia’s “Beginners’ Weapon Recommendations” here.

Once you have a basic weapon set and some beginner training, you’ll need to pick an opponent. Not all opponents are worth fighting!

/~SeasonalAttackP breaks down the stats, but the shortened version is that you’ll want to fight these opponents in this order, working your way up as you go (for difficulty, chose the hardest level you can manage for each opponent).

For premium users:

For regular users:

The end goal is to get to the point where your pet can 1-shot your chosen opponent with a single weapon without taking damage (this allows for the fastest dailies run possible). To do this:

Train your pet up to level 50 and give them the lens flare ability. This prevents opponents from attacking.

Give your pet a powerful bomb-type weapon. I recommend Varia is the Bomb, which currently goes for 3–5 mil and does 25 icons.

Train up your pet’s strength. How high your strength needs to be for a one-shot depends on what opponent you’re focusing on and if you’re using one or two weapons; you can use Battlepedia’s damage calculator here to get an idea.

You can earn up to 15 items a day; how many items you get per battle is random. DO NOT stop battling until the “You have reached the item limit for today! You can continue to fight, but no more items can be earned” message pops up.

(Note: You can continue to earn items after the “You have reached the NP limit for today” message pops up. It’s only when the item message appears that you can’t earn anything more.)

Stock Your Shop

Do this last so you can price any items you obtained from the previous 7 dailies.

Try to do this once per day, which will prevent massive backlogs of unpriced items taking up space in your shop.

Note: If you already have a backlog, you can use Jellyneo’s shop price checker to get an idea of how to price things—but use caution and double-check prices when appropriate, as the checker may not always be accurate.

Part 2: Optional Dailies

These won’t make you nearly as many NPs as the above, but if you’re in a hurry to earn NP these are useful additions. All of these have been vetted as low/no risk with either a decent daily reward or a slim chance at a very large reward.

Daily Puzzle (Note: Answers are posted on Jellyneo)

Rich Slorg

Anchor Management

Forgotten Shore (Note: You need all 9 map pieces for access; just buy them on the SW, as they’re dirt cheap)

Coltzan's Shrine

Deserted Tomb

Grave Danger (Note: Need a petpet attached to one of your pets for this one)

Fruit Machine

The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity

Tombola

Mysterious Negg Cave (Note: This one has a little puzzle to solve)

Faerie Caverns

Wishing Well (Note: Place 7 wishes @ 22 NP every 12 hours; you can use the recent winner’s list to get an idea of expensive items you can wish for)

Buried Treasure

Ye Olde Fishing Vortex

Part 3: Assorted Tips

Make sure to place any large amounts of NP into the bank immediately to protect yourself from random events. (I recommend keeping around 30K–50K on hand.)

Likewise, put any expensive items in your SDB or shop immediately.

It’s easier to make NP if you have NP. Try to save past your goals before making a large purchase so you have a “cushion” left over—it will save you a lot of time in the future.

Restocking used to be a good way to make NP, but currently bots snatch up all the valuable items. You can do it on the side and make a small profit by focusing on less profitable items, but it’s generally a time-intensive low-profit option.

Likewise, (traditional) games are a huge time sink with almost no profits (only 3K/game). Don’t bother unless you just want to play for fun.

For older players: You can use Jellyneo’s SDB Price Checker to find expensive items in your SDB to sell. Remember to double-check the prices on the SW/TP before selling!

Also for older players: Don’t forgot to check for unneeded Battledome weapons, old TCG cards, Neohome items, NeoDeck cards, and unused plot points.

It’s generally a good idea to sit on items from plots/events for a little while before selling—the price usually goes up over time (don’t wait too long though or it might be re-released!).

Always participate in plots and events when possible. Not only are they engaging, but the prizes are usually worth a decent amount.

And most importantly, remember to have fun!

[a-aexotic]

Hiiiii could you do a rafe x reader fluff where topper texts reader saying “rafe likes you too, but you can’t tell him!” but rafe has your phone so he sees the messages and asks you if you like him and I’ll that cute stuff🤭 please and thank uou🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

pairing. rafe cameron x fem!thornton!reader requested? yes no

warnings. i think honestly nothing but alcohol, swearing, sibling banter, lmk if i missed anything!

summary. you've liked rafe for a little bit now and you never though in a million years that he would ever like you back. until your older brother decides he's had enough.

taglist. @eli-yeah @vigilanteshitposting @midnightsgetawaycar @cilliansangel @voniikg @ninasw0rld @aavenxx

➜ missing out on updates? ❪ navigation. masterlist. taglist. ❫ backwards cap s1 rafe era>>>>>>>>>>>>> 😵

"Topper, no." You put your hand on the bridge of your nose, disappointed and annoyed. Ever since you've told Topper that you liked Rafe, he's been nagging him about asking him out.

Topper rolled his eyes. "Then how else are you going tell him you like him?"

"I'm not telling him until I know for a fact he likes me back, I'm not embarrassing myself." You stated matter-of-factly, making Topper groan and lay back on the couch, his arms crossed.

"You're a pussy, that's why." Topper mumbled making you whip your head towards him, angry.

"Oh shut the hell up, it took you how many months again, before asking Sarah out?-"

"That's different, okay, she had a boyfriend and I'm not a homewrecker." Topper countered making you cross your arms and move your gaze to the TV.

Topper was very persistent on helping you get with Rafe. No matter how many times you've told him that you were just waiting on the right time to tell him, he'd pass it off as you being a coward. It was getting pretty exhausting, Topper's nagginess was really starting to annoy you.

You and Rafe were friends, that's all it was at the moment. He's never shown interest in you and it would be really awkward if you told him you liked him, then he rejected you. You would never be able to face him again.

-

Rafe and Topper were at the Club, getting lunch before Topper was supposed to go shopping with his mom for your birthday present. They were sitting at their usual table, ordering drinks. You were turning the big 1-8 this week and Rafe wanted to get you something special.

He'd usually get you some jewelry or a gift card but that didn't feel right. "What should I get her?"

Topper rolled his eyes, this was the fifth time he'd asked today. He took a drink of his cocktail before quickly answering: "I don't know, you should ask her."

"Dude." Rafe scoffed, "that wouldn't be special if I just asked her. It has to be a surprise."

"Why do you care so much?"

That question had caught Rafe off guard. Why did he care so much? He wasn't obligated to get you a present, especially a special one.

Topper knew instantly why he cared. A smirk rose from his lips as he sighed contently. "You like her."

"What? No, I don't." Rafe countered as he furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Did he? Topper stared blankly at Rafe. "I mean, she's nice. And cute. But she's your sister so that would be really weird. But I mean you are dating Sarah... Not that I would want to date Y/N, but-"

"You like her. You like Y/N."

Rafe was quiet for a second as Topper smirked, taking a sip of his drink happily. Did Rafe like Y/N?

She did make him feel all giddy and nervous at times, but he'd known her his entire life essentially. He remembers having a tiny crush on her in middle school and he wanted to her ask to Homecoming Sophomore year but those times were different. They were both basically adults now.

Rafe was just confused. He didn't know why Topper had to blurt that out right now but now Rafe couldn't even think straight.

He was pulled out of his thoughts once he heard Topper's phone ring. "I gotta go, my mom's here. Don't forget, you're hanging out at our house until I get back."

Oh shit. He forgot he said he was going to stay at the Thornton's until he came back from the mall. His face flushed as he looked at his phone, trying to play nonchalant. "Okay, uh. Tell me what you get her."

"I will." Topper had a big smirk on his face once he left Rafe alone with his thoughts. Did he like Y/N? Again?

-

You and Rafe were in the kitchen, making some lunch. At first, it had been awkward because of Rafe's discovery but it slowly faded because it was one-sided. Rafe had never felt uncomfortable in your presence, you always had a comforting aura.

You and Rafe were joking around and laughing, per usual. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence to see you two together, close and joking around. Even though he was technically Topper's best friend, that didn't stop you two from becoming closer.

As Rafe watched you laugh, he felt the familiar butterfly feeling invade his stomach. He hadn't felt that way about anyone in a while so it was a foreign feeling, he tried to push it down and just enjoy the time with you.

You put down the knife you were using to cut the tomatoes and sighed. "I'll be right back, I gotta go use the bathroom."

Rafe nodded. "Of course, I'll be here."

You smiled back at him as you hurried up the stairs to the bathroom. Rafe was finishing up his sandwich before he heard a phone ting loudly next to him. He turned around to see your phone and he read it subconsciously. His face went read as he processed it.

top 😎 Rafe likes you, too. It's confirmed now, don't tell him. What are you waiting for now?? 🤨😜

His jaw was practically on the floor. You like him? And Topper hadn't told him? He felt betrayed but suddenly he realized that you liked him. He felt a flash of emotions. Was this a good thing?

Rafe didn't have time to process this information because you finished up in the bathroom pretty quickly. You jogged down the stairs, a smile on your face. You froze once you realized Rafe was zoned out.

"Rafe, you okay?" You questioned as you walked back to your spot next to him, putting the lid back on the peanut butter jar. He quickly zoned back in as he heard your voice.

"Yeah! Yes, of course, I just got uh, bored." Rafe says swiftly, smiling at you as you looked back at him, a suspicious look taking over your face.

You furrowed your eyebrows. "You sure?"

"Uh, huh." Rafe put his stuff away as you watched him, trying to figure out if he was being honest or not. You decided it was best to just leave it be, Rafe was nothing if not stubborn.

You got your sandwiches and strolled back to your way on the couch, Rafe taking the seat next to you. Rafe took the remote and resumed the TV show you two were watching, an unsettling awkwardness between you two.

You were trying to figure what was wrong while Rafe was trying to figure out what to do about this situation. He'd dreamed of this day for years; the day Y/N liked him back. But of course Topper had to ruin it and tell him. It wasn't exactly his fault because he didn't know Rafe was going to read the text, but with Rafe's absurd luck, he did. And of course Topper's big mouth would go and text Y/N the moment he'd realized Rafe liked you back.

You remembered you needed to respond to your friend's text so you pulled out your phone, and there was Topper's message. Your face went white as you registered why Rafe was acting so weird; he probably had read the text by accident.

That was why Rafe was acting so weird. You wanted cry of embarrassment until you had registered exactly what the text said. Rafe likes you too. He liked you, too?

Rafe likes you back? You furrowed your eyebrows again, was Topper playing some kind of sick prank? You checked the date and no, it wasn't April 1st. Topper wasn't the type to play a prank, so why exactly was Rafe acting weird? If he did truly like you, then why is being weird and distant instead of happy? And then you realized it was Rafe - of course he was going to act weird and distant.

"Hey, Rafe?" You whispered and Rafe turned his attention on you instead of the screen in front of him. "Did you uh, read my text on accident?"

Rafe's eyes widened. "Uh, why?"

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. "Why do you think?"

Rafe turned his gaze away from you, bashfully.

"Was it.. Is the text true?"

It took him a couple seconds before responding with a nod. He could try and deny it but where would that take them? Nowhere. It was already out in the open, he might as well address it.

You felt yourself heat up at the confirmation. Rafe liked you - but now all you could hear was Topper's annoying voice comment on how much of a pussy you are. You kept looking at the boy and you wanted to say something but you were nervous.

Rafe looked up at you for the first time for what seemed like hours and as he looked into your wide gaze, he felt himself melt. He couldn't help but smile at your shocked expression but you felt your shock fade into admiration, a smile crawling on your lips, mirroring Rafe's.

Rafe was never good at expressing what he was feeling but he wanted to. He wanted to say something he just... couldn't. So he did the one thing he knew he was good at.

He slowly lifted his hand from his lap and moved it slowly to yours, clasping it in his. You happily accepted it as you both stared into each other's eyes, a mutual nervousness shared between the two.

"Y/N." Rafe let out, breathlessly. "I do like you, seriously. I have liked you for years."

"Years?" You almost laughed but held it in, Rafe rolling his eyes at your tone. "I've liked you for a couple months."

"Wow."

"Well -- I mean, I've always thought you were cute, so." You mumbled as Rafe's lips turned upward again. His ego definitely boosted at that compliment.

"Even with the side part?"

You laughed at the mention of the iconic side part. "Yes, Rafe, even the side part."

"I've always thought you were cute. But the bangs were a no-no for me, I had to question my type for a sec there-"

"Shut up I was like, 12."

You guys both laughed until it died down for a little. Rafe squeezed your hand and then you remembered you were still holding it. You looked down and Rafe swiftly moved his other hand to your face. You both bored into one another's eyes and it felt like time itself had stopped. As Rafe pulled in, you closed your eyes.

Before his lips could land on yours, you heard the front door open. You whipped your head to the door, watching Topper come in, carrying a bunch of bags, your mother following close behind.

"God, I texted you guys like 5 times, I needed help!"

"How much stuff did you guys get?" Rafe's eyes widened at the multiple bags the two were carrying. He got up from the couch and quickly helped your mother, carrying all the bags she was.

"Thank you, Rafe." She smiled as Topper glared at Rafe. "Can you boys go put the bags upstairs for me? They're all for Ms. Y/N's birthday."

Topper scoffed, "Can you guess who's mom's favorite?"

"I think Y/N's everyone's favorite but-"

"Shut up, Rafe."

Rafe smiled at you and you felt yourself heat up at the comment. They walked but the stairs as you sat at the couch, in awe of what just happened. Rafe held your hand and was about kiss you? Your birthday week couldn't have gone any better. That's the best present anyone could give.

[im-out-of-it]

season 1, episode 6 “of men and angels” discussion list

so I just want to start this off by thanking anyone who is actually reading my ridiculous and stupid thoughts because I know season one is long as fuck. but the reason it’s so long is because in the show and the books, Alec’s identity isn’t really brought up that often. in the first five episodes, it’s heavily focused on clary being a shadowhunter and jace. but now, Alec is getting more screen time 🫶🏼

1. Magnus opening up his home even after Valentine is hunting warlocks doesn’t get enough love. he could be locking himself up, hiding, but he is not only helping shadowhunters but also another wolf. Magnus has such a big heart 🥹

2. now jace is all like but I can’t ask Alec, he and I are fighting. and whose fault is that?

3. “same old judgmental mom to me.”- Izzy’s relationship with Maryse. Isabelle gets ignored by Maryse and gets treated as everything she does is somehow insulting

4. “He can call me when he’s done chasing the little girl” ok alec go off 🔥 he’s right though. Jace has thrown Alec to the side and expects Alec to be okay with it.

5. another rare smile out of Alec 🥹

6. Robert is now saying they can’t have someone the entire shadow realm is looking for outside of the institute. then call jace and take it up with him. y’all think Alec hasn’t tried? Alec is done trying with Jace

7. Alec: you need to come back to the institute. Jace: you need to help me first. seriously? everything that comes out of jace’s mouth is a cry for help. have you thought about actually being there for Alec, jace? I don’t know maybe being his friend and taking threats serious?

8. I couldn’t find the gif but Simon saying how jace treats Alec like a lap dog is my favorite line from Simon. all jace does is tell Alec to do this and do that. he never asks if he can, he just tells Alec he needs something and uses their parabatai bond as a statement, of alec will do this for me. Alec doesn’t do anything for himself, it’s for others. and this is just how clary treats Simon as well. she expects Simon to do what she needs but I don’t ever see her asking him or even asking Simon what he needs or wants.

9. shadowhunters are supposed to protect the shadow world but the way they talk to mundanes and downworlders shows the opposite. Jace calls Simon mundie, mundane and clary calls Magnus warlock in this episode.

10. Robert saying the lightwoods are the best of the shadowhunters- he’s not wrong 😌 but I’m biased

11. side note- I like how the show focuses more on the lightwoods. even later on when they try to make herondales seem “superior” izzy is like we’re royalty basically. it’s always funny to me when they try to make jace or any herondale seem better but who was always saving his ass or the day? LIGHTWOODS. put some respect on the name please

12. Magnus coming in with the tea this whole episode!!!!!!!! “Shadowhunters believe in the law as absolute. They could never conceive of one of their own as going astray.” the clave believed when Valentine was murdering downworlders and fabricating some story as if the shadowhunters were the innocent and victim party. because how dare a shadowhunter be evil?????????

13. “I have followed every rule. I have given up everything.”- alec. wait until you find out your parents were in the circle 😭

14. I get why Alec is upset because while he’s been dealing with EVERYTHING, izzy gets to be a diplomat while he gets sent off to a chapel. no wonder Alec is upset.

15. CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW GORGEOUS MAGNUS LOOKS????? HE IS KILLING IT IN THE FASHION DEPARTMENT

16. VIRGIN SHADOWHUNTER ENERGY COMING RIGHT UP

17. MAGNUS IS HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE

18. poor max with the runes 😭😭😭 I think he senses tension in the family so he’s just trying to do his part

19. did clary really just ask if Luke is her father? y’all look nothing alike. this girl keeps showing us how much of a brain she doesn’t have

so my tumblr messed up so I had to redo most of these 😭 but part 2 coming soon

[drdtshipping]

I humbly ask for teruvid headcanons :3

i hasth humbly received thine request, and i shall humbly come forth with headcanons for you. hope they're to your enjoyment, and sorry you had to wait for so long!!

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢

˗ˏˋ ★ ― TERUVID HEADCANONS‼

꒰1 ୨୧◞ 。if teruko is sitting down whilst talking to somebody, david likes going behind her and simply resting his arms on teruko’s head while greeting the other person as if teruko doesn’t even exist. it annoyed teruko at first, but she just grew to get used to it⠀.ᐟ

꒰2 ୨୧◞ 。sometimes they’ll just have late night talks about the things that they’re bottling up. even if they can’t actually do anything much to help the other, it’s still nice to talk about these things seeing as the other is the one who understands them the most⠀.ᐟ

꒰3 ୨୧◞ 。teruko is obviously a mess in the kitchen, while david can cook a decent meal..the keyword being decent, because a lot of the time he can’t muster up the energy to do so. meaning they get take-out fairly often. due to teruko’s bad luck, however, the order seems to be messed up every time to the point where they make bets on what’ll be screwed up each time they order. ⠀.ᐟ

꒰4 ୨୧◞ 。teruko is the type to pull david by the collar to get him on her level if they’re having a disagreement. not that david doesn’t like this sort of treatment, that is⠀.ᐟ

꒰5 ୨୧◞ 。’i love you’ is a bit of a rare phrase for the two of them. they don’t have to say it a lot in order to express that feeling. it’s usually only used whilst comforting the other, or when they don’t think the other can hear (david more than teruko)⠀.ᐟ

꒰6 ୨୧◞ 。it took a while for them to be physically affectionate, more on teruko’s side than david’s. whenever they do take that step, it’s usually in the comforts of their own living space⠀.ᐟ

꒰7 ୨୧◞ 。sometimes when they’re talking to people and the person says something stupid or outrageous, the two will sort of just share a look that sort of expresses ‘really?’ or ‘did they seriously just say that’? they’re both die-hard judgers⠀.ᐟ

꒰8 ୨୧◞ 。while teruko isn’t exactly feminine with her outfits, she does wish to be a little more so. meaning whenever she does step out of her comfort zone and wear something that could be seen as more girlish than usual, david ends up making a flirty comment about it. teruko usually just brushes him off with an annoyed look, but teruko does enjoy it slightly the same way that david is genuine with it even with his theatrics⠀.ᐟ

꒰9 ୨୧◞ 。before they were dating, there was SO much tension. there was probably a bet within the class as to how they’d end up ⠀.ᐟ

꒰10 ୨୧◞ 。they do have a lot of small arguments, which would result in them blowing off the other for a day or two. for these, however, they don’t really need a verbal apology. somehow they’ll roll back around to the other and life goes on with the two of them still together⠀.ᐟ

꒰11 ୨୧◞ 。they’re both the type to attempt distracting themselves from their problems–especially david. so of course, they’re each other’s go-to for getting away from their problems⠀.ᐟ

꒰12 ୨୧◞ 。once when they were passing by a store together, teruko had seen a teddy bear on display. she hadn’t said anything, but her eyes lingered a little longer on that than most other things. a bit later, when she got home, teruko noticed a bear on her pillow. david didn’t mention it, but she knew that he had gotten it for her. ⠀.ᐟ

꒰13 ୨୧◞ 。their relationship was probably kind of rocky at the start, until they managed to lay down some basics that they wanted in the relationship. which admittedly was a very awkward conversation seeing as they’re not the most open about their feelings⠀.ᐟ

꒰14 ୨୧◞ 。a lot of the times when they’re tired, one will simply sit next to the other and be in their presence. it doesn’t resolve the issue, but it makes them feel slightly calmer being near somebody they know loves them⠀.ᐟ

꒰15 ୨୧◞ 。a lot of the time david will suggest something to teruko (usually stupid date ideas or conversation topics) and teruko will just stare at him blankly before completely changing the subject ⠀.ᐟ

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

[bleach-boyz]

Chapter 7: The Date

prev. //

warning: nsfw/smut

The morning after that night out with Ryan and the others, you take your time waking up and greeting the day. You have a small headache from the drinking, but in the grand scheme of hangovers, it’s barely anything. After staring out your living room window for half an hour and having some coffee, you finally decide to call Jenn.

She had texted you after you fell asleep last night, asking you to tell her everything. You don’t know how she found out about you and Ryan’s escapade in the bathroom so quickly, but you know she’ll just keep bothering you until you tell her what happened.

“Hello?” You hear Jenn say on the other side of the line, and you can barely hear the sound of Bam and April’s voices in the background.

“Hey Jenn.” You say as you walk back into your bedroom and flop down in your desk chair.

"Shit, hey, hold on.” You hear her shuffle around a bit and tell Bam and April she’ll be right back. After a few moments of silence, she continues, “So what the fuck?”

“How did you find out?” You ask.

“Your little boyfriend isn’t very good at lying. I felt a vibe between you two, so after you left, I asked Ryan about it, and he tried to say he didn’t know what I was talking about, but it was clearly a lie. It was so unbelievable that Bam started interrogating him about it too until he finally spilled.” She explains.

“What did he say?” You start biting your nails.

“He was cagey, but basically that you guys like did some stuff in the bathroom. He wasn’t specific, but he seemed flustered.”

“Did he seem embarrassed?”

"No, I think he was probably just being vague for your sake, but like he seemed a bit smug, so whatever happened, I think he liked it.” She says. You sigh as you digest it all.

“I need the details, though, and if you don’t tell me, I’m gonna show up at your apartment and annoy it out of you.” Jenn continues.

“You have to promise you won’t tell Bam.” You say.

“Promise.” She says and you wish you could believe her.

"Okay, fine, well, so I did what you said and, like took some shots and psyched myself up. And then he came over to me, so I just mentioned how things were weird between us, and then I brought up when we kissed, and then I don’t know what came over me, but I asked him to meet me in the bathroom. When he met me, well, we kissed, and then I gave him head basically.” You recount, and when you’re done, you can hear Jenn laugh on the other end.

“Holy shit, that’s awesome; I’m proud of you.” She says in a genuine yet teasing way.

“Thanks.” You say sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, isn’t this what you wanted? Was it not good?” She asks.

“No, no, it was good. I just know I’m gonna have to have a talk with him soon about what it all means or whatever.” You say.

“You sound so grumpy, though. Things are moving; you should be happy!” Jenn says and you know she’s absolutely right.

"Yeah, I know—wait, hold on, I’m getting another call.” You say as you pull your phone away from your ear. You see that it’s Ryan, and your breath hitches.

“Uh Jenn I gotta go.” You say.

“Is it Ryan?” She asks playfully.

“Goodbye.” You respond as you hang up on her and answer Ryan’s call. You try to slow the beating of your heart.

“Hello?” You say.

"Hey, it’s Ryan.” He says and you can’t help but smile at the sound of his voice.

“What’s up?” You ask, wondering if he was calling to bring up last night or if there was some other reason.

"Well, uh, I guess I’ll just ask—are you free tomorrow night?” He asks, and you feel your face flush.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” You say and hope your voice doesn’t waver too much.

"Nothing; I just wanted to hang out.” He says and your leg starts shaking up and down.

“With everyone?” You ask, making sure there isn’t any way you’re misreading his intentions.

“Uhhh, no, I was just asking you. But if-“

“No!” You say a little too loudly. “That’s cool. Did you want to meet somewhere or..”

“I’ll pick you up. Is 8 good?” He asks, and you feel giddy.

"Yeah, that sounds good.” You say, grinning from ear to ear.

"Alright, I’ll see you then.” He says.

“Okay.” You say and you don’t know if you should hang up or not.

“Okay.” Ryan replies quickly before hanging up himself.

No one called it a date, but it’s a date, right? You’re choosing to assume so. In all the years you and Ryan have been friends together, he’s never once asked to hang out alone with you, which is kind of weird when you think about it. Sure, you’d end up alone sometimes when you’d break off from the group for a bit or be the last ones left at the bar, but this is extremely out of character.

It’s actually very him to ask you out in that way—so nonchalant and unconcerned. Ryan is usually a very expressive guy, fueling conversations with raging opinions and lively banter. He only ever reels back and plays it cool if he’s nervous and feels like there’s someone to impress. Your heart flutters thinking about how you may be one of those people now.

Except he doesn’t need to impress you; you know that. You’ve seen Ryan do some of the most disgusting and embarrassing things imaginable, and none of it was ever enough to deter you from developing feelings for him. The last thing you would want is for him to not be himself around you.

Historically, your interactions have always been twinged with an air of cheekiness, but in the past few months, it’s been more awkward than anything. You know this is largely because of your unacknowledged feelings, which were only exacerbated by what happened when you were filming Haggard. It wasn’t just you who had changed their behavior, though, because around the same time, Ryan had started to put on his aloof, cool guy persona with you. At first, you thought it was because he was uncomfortable, but now you understand it was possibly because he also had some unacknowledged feelings of his own.

If anything, you’re just hoping the date will allow the two of you to clear things up. Get everything out in the open.

That night, you suggest to Dico that he maybe try to spend the next night elsewhere. You attempt to be vague about it, but there are only so many reasons why someone would want to have an apartment to themselves.

The next morning, while you are eating breakfast, Dico launches himself out of his room.

“You’re going on a date with Ryan?!” He asks as he comes up behind you and shakes your shoulders. You can’t help but laugh as you try to shove his hands off of you.

“Who told you?” You ask as he moves away from you to the fridge.

“Bam did, obviously, though I do wonder why my roommate and best friend couldn’t tell me that the real reason they need the apartment to themselves tonight is cause they’re fucking Ryan Dunn.” He says as he grabs the milk and fixes himself a bowl of cereal.

“I’m not gonna fuck him! Well, actually, I might, but I don’t know; you guys make fun of me for everything; I just wanted to see how the date went first.” You say, and Dico rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. I guess I should be glad you won’t be laying around here all depressed about him anymore.” He jokes as he eats his cereal at an alarmingly fast rate.

“Shit, he’s probably freaking out; I’m gonna call him.” Dico says as he puts his half-empty bowl down and pulls out his phone.

“Don’t do that,” you start as you get up, reaching out for Dico’s phone. You don’t want him messing anything up by teasing and meddling. He laughs and runs to the living room, avoiding you, as he puts his phone up to his ear. You cross your arms and glare at him.

“Voicemail.” Dico mouths to you after some silence.

“Hey Ryan! Heard about your big date tonight. Just wanted to let you know that I won’t be home, so feel free to have sex at whatever volume-“ Dico starts, and you lunge at him, eventually wrestling his phone out of his hand.

You look down to hang up and see that Dico had never even dialed Ryan’s number.

“You’re a dick.”

You spend the rest of the day trying to distract yourself from thinking about the date. You watch some TV, go for a walk, and listen to music, but none of it really calms your nerves. You can’t help but bite your nails and zone out every few minutes, imagining what will happen.

You start getting ready at 7, not entirely sure what to dress for. You don’t really expect Ryan to take you anywhere too fancy because it’s not his style, but you still want to put in some amount of effort. You opt for well-fitted jeans and a tighter t-shirt than what you’d usually wear. You also put on a bit more makeup than you usually do for your everyday. 

He arrives in his car around 8:10, and when he pulls up, you wonder why you agreed to let him drive. Ryan is a notoriously reckless driver, as evidenced by his many accidents, and usually you all avoid getting in any car with him. You suppose you’ll just have to put up with it tonight, though.

Ryan hops out of the driver's seat and walks around the front of the car to greet you. It’s a little weird because you can tell he doesn’t exactly know what to do, but you end up having a casual side hug before he opens up the passenger door for you.

“How chivalrous.” You joke as you get inside.

“What can I say? You look great, by the way.” Ryan says as he smiles and closes the door for you. He then walks back around the car and gets in the driver’s side. You can’t help but blush at his compliment.

“Thank you; I can’t believe I’m letting you drive me, though. When did I get so careless with my life?” You say cheekily as he starts the car.

“I’ll behave. Also, we’re all careless with our lives; it’s what we’re paid to do.” He says, and you roll your eyes.

“So where are you taking me?” You ask.

“I was thinking we could grab dinner at this Thai place that just opened up by that biker bar I like downtown. After that, we could get a drink or something.” He says, and you nod. It isn’t the most grand or romantic date idea, but that doesn’t bother you at all. You are actually glad the plan is something casual, as it takes a lot of the pressure off both of you.

On the car ride over, you stick to small talk, mainly movies you've seen recently and random anecdotes. Once you make it to the restaurant and order your food, though, you’ve run out of trivial things to say.

It‘s after a particularly long period of silence that you finally break the ice. “I’m glad you asked me to come out tonight.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” He says and shifts around in his chair.

“It’s a date, right?” You ask boldly to settle the matter once and for all.

“Well, yeah, if that’s alright with you.” Ryan says and smiles.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.” You respond, smiling back at him. You feel both relieved and excited now that it’s official.

“So you like me then?” Ryan asks with a smirk, and you laugh.

"Yes, I do." You start to wonder exactly how honest you should be about the breadth of your feelings for him. You don’t want to freak him out, but you also think that getting it out in the open would feel really good. Perhaps if he wasn’t somebody you trust or know so well, you’d hold back, but in this moment, you are compelled to let it out.

“Well, if I’m being honest, I’ve liked you since shortly after Chad and I broke up. I just never knew how  to..." You say, trailing off. You are waiting for some sort of reaction from Ryan, maybe disbelief or amusement, but he doesn’t give you anything.

“Does that not surprise you? It’s okay if you wanna make fun of me or something; it’s kinda pathetic that it took me so long to do anything.” You say, hoping to God that it at least didn’t freak him out. After a moment, he chuckles, and you tilt your head in confusion.

“To be honest, I think I’ve liked you since the moment I met you.” He says plainly. Your eyes widen, and you don’t know what to say.

Only Ryan would know how to say something so big and affirming in such a nonchalant way. It’s like everything suddenly makes sense. You two were always inevitable, and not in some fairytale way, but in a way that’s far more simple. You’re just compatible; you fit together; you've been drawn to each other for years. Something was bound to happen.

“So that makes me way more pathetic than you.” He adds after some silence, and you shake your head frantically.

“No! No. Wow, it’s just that I’m a little confused; how come you never said anything?” You ask, equally flustered over his confession and in awe of how easy it was for him to say it. He doesn’t appear to be overthinking like you at all; he seems so at peace with himself.

“Well, it takes me a long time to figure feelings out cause I’m an idiot, but, well, so I first realized I liked you around the time you and Dico moved into your first apartment together, which I told you about a while ago.” He starts, and you nod, hanging on every word.

“But I thought you weren’t interested, so I moved on and you dated Chad, but after you guys broke up, I kinda thought about it again, but I was stuck in that nightmare relationship, so I ignored it. But then, after she and I broke up and I got over it, I realized I was still into you.” He says.

“But I didn’t ask you out earlier, mostly because I’m a dumbass, so please accept my apology.” He adds, and you shake your head and smile.

“We’re both dumbasses; I should have said something earlier too.” You say.

“Yeah, I’m just gonna be mentally kicking myself forever.” Ryan jokes.

“Don’t do that, I’m here now.”

The rest of the dinner is lovely. Now that everything is out on the table, you’re both noticeably more comfortable in conversation. Additionally, you learn that Ryan has a tendency to be heavy-handed with flattery when it comes to someone he likes. He starts dropping random compliments and calling you cute and such; at first, it’s a bit embarrassing to hear, but over time, you start to like it.

After you finish your food, Ryan suggests you go to the bar down the street. You agree, and you end up sitting intimately at a high table for a while, just talking about nothing. He offers to buy all your drinks, even though you make it clear he doesn’t have to. He jokes that it’s a “first date thing” and after tonight he won’t stop you from buying your own.

Around midnight, you see a group of guys your age walk into the bar. Among them, you make eye contact with someone you hooked up with over a year ago.

“What’re you looking at?” Ryan asks, and your eyes snap back to him.

“Nothing, sorry.” You smile and take a sip of your drink.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Ryan says, and you see the guy and his friends heading towards you.

“Hey.” He says in a flat tone as he passes by and looks between you and Ryan.

“Hi.” You respond as disinterestedly as possible. Luckily, he and his friends continue past you to another table.

“Who the hell is that?” Ryan asks, seemingly annoyed. You look back and see his friends laughing at him as they all glance over at you.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” You get up and put your jacket on, wanting to get out before answering any questions.

“Do you need me to go over there?” Ryan asks in a protective manner. You know Ryan isn’t the type to get confrontational or fight anyone, but you appreciate him looking after you in that way.

“No,” you start, and you put your hand on top of Ryan’s. “I appreciate it; just go close your tab and meet me outside.” You say, and he nods and gets up, but not without sending some glares over to the guy and his friends.

You head outside and light a cigarette, and after a couple minutes, Ryan meets you out there. You hand him a cigarette and signal for him to follow you on a walk down the street.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be weird,” you say and start to feel shy. “I hooked up with that guy a couple times over a year ago, and he got kind of—I don’t know, possessive?”

“Hmm.” Ryan hums as he listens and walks aimlessly down the street with you. You’re both probably a little drunk at this point, so you aren’t exactly moving in a straight line.

“We only hooked up two or three times, and then I stopped contacting, but then he wouldn’t stop calling and leaving me weird, drunk voicemails and stuff. So seeing him just kinda freaked me out.” You ramble and keep your eyes forward, trying not to trip on the pavement. Ryan continues to listen quietly, and his silence makes you a little nervous.

“Do you think I’m like, a slut or something?” You ask even though you know it makes you sound insecure. In the past, your friends have made little jokes about your sexual escapades anyway, so you want to know what Ryan specifically thinks.

“Have you met my ex-girlfriend?" He jokes. “As far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever you want when you’re single. If anything, I’m just jealous of this guy.” He says, and you stop in your tracks.

“Jealous?” You ask. Ryan turns and looks at you a bit mischievously. His cheeks are a little pink from the cool air and the alcohol. You feel compelled to kiss them, but hold back.

“I think you know what I mean.” He says, and you shake your head.

“I don’t know if I do.” You lie and move closer to him. You truly hadn’t thought much about whether the night would end in something physical, but you certainly aren’t opposed to it.

“That he got to fuck you.” Ryan says in a low voice, and your face heats up.

“Interesting,” you say with a cheeky smile. “Dico isn’t home tonight.”

Ryan raises his eyebrows, and you can tell desire has taken him over by the way he looks at you. It turns you on to think about how you’re the one making him feel this way.

“Let’s go.” You say and turn back towards the parking lot of the bar, Ryan following close behind.

You suggest calling a taxi, but Ryan is too stressed about his car being left in the parking lot of a biker bar. You concede, but insist on being the one to drive you back, even though you know you don’t have any business being behind the wheel in your current state. Ryan ends up complaining the whole ride about how slow you are going, but his criticisms only end up making you laugh.

When you get back to your apartment, you tell Ryan to grab himself a beer out of the fridge while you do a quick tidy-up of your room. After throwing away some trash and tucking random clutter under your bed, you come back out to see Ryan sitting on your couch with a beer in hand.

“Just throw something on; do you want some pretzels or something?” You ask as you head into the kitchen. You are having a drunken craving for something salty.

“Sure.” You hear Ryan say and then the sound of your TV turning on. You grab yourself a beer and bring a big bag of pretzels into the living room with you. You plop down next to Ryan, who is flipping through the channels. He finally settles on some cheesy horror movie.

You two spend around a half hour making jokes and bantering while only half watching the movie. Once you’re both done with your beers and the pretzels are gone, though, you feel the vibe starting to shift.

After trying to pay attention to the movie for a minute, you look over at Ryan, who is already looking at you. You smile.

“It’s getting late.” You say and look at the clock on your wall; it’s almost 2 a.m.

“Yeah..” Ryan trails off, and you see his eyes flick down to your lips.

You scoot closer to him on the couch and wait for him to make the move. After a couple seconds, he grabs the side of your face and pulls you in for a kiss.

It’s gentle at first, but you both slowly melt into it, letting it build. You place your hand on Ryan’s leg and, after a few moments, pull away from the kiss. Ryan looks a little confused.

“Let’s go to my room.” You say, tilting your head in the direction of your door.

You and Ryan get up, and you turn the TV off before guiding him into your room. When you’re inside, you close the door and turn on your dim desk lamp, just so you can both see a little bit.

Ryan then suddenly grabs you and starts kissing you again, running his hands up and down your body. You’re a bit surprised by his eagerness, and you end up backing up against the wall as he touches you.

You cup his face as you kiss him back, doing your best to keep up with his pace. Not long after, Ryan goes to lift your shirt over your head and throw it on the floor. He seems much more confident and intentional with his actions now than a couple nights ago. He clearly wants to take the lead, so you let yourself be compliant.

After groping and kissing you a bit more, his hands drift down to the waistband of your jeans. He unbuttons them after unbuckling your belt, and you gasp when he abruptly shoves his hand into your underwear.

He kisses your neck as he begins to roughly rub your clit, and you moan as you feel yourself getting embarrassingly wet.

“Fuck, Ryan.” You whisper before he lifts his head back up to kiss your lips again.

After abusing your clit for a bit, he shoves his hand down lower to slip one finger inside you. You groan as he pumps it in and out of you a few times before adding a second finger.

His fingers stretch you out nicely as they are substantially bigger than your own, and Ryan pulls away from your lips to watch your reaction as he slides them in and out. You would feel embarrassed by the obscene noises being made by your wetness as he fucks his fingers into you if he himself didn’t seem so into it.

He gives you a quick peck before pulling his fingers out, and you whine at the sudden loss.

“Get on the bed.” He instructs authoritatively. You quickly do as you’re told and lay down on your back on the bed, waiting impatiently for what’s next.

Ryan moves over you and pulls on your pants, yanking them all the way off of you.

“Take off your bra.” He says, and you do. He stares at you quietly for a bit, and you feel very vulnerable.

“I’m gonna pay you back.” He says as he starts dragging your underwear down. You blush as you lift your hips up to help him, and you feel so exposed. As attracted as you are to Ryan and as much as you want this, it’s still weird to think about being naked in front of someone you’ve been friends with for so long.

After your underwear is off, Ryan comes back up to kiss you again, and with that, you relax a bit. He soon leaves your mouth, though, planting kisses down your neck, then your chest, then your stomach. You groan and look down as he finally places his head between your legs. He looks up at you before he kisses your inner thigh.

“Please don’t tease me.” You say, lightly pushing his head closer to your vagina with your leg. You can hear him snicker softly as you feel his hot breath on you.

You’re about to continue complaining when he finally starts to lick you. You let out a heavy sigh of relief as he flicks your clit with his tongue at an increasing rate.

“Fuck.” You say as you reach down to grab onto Ryan’s hair. He hooks his arms under your legs to pull your pussy even closer to his face, and you know you’re not going to last long if he keeps up this same intensity.

After some time, he moves his mouth away and brings his hand over to rub at your clit furiously. He looks up at you, his lips shiny and his eyes glazed over, and you swear you’ve never been so attracted to someone in your life.

He looks back down to slip his middle finger inside of you, and you squirm. He then drives a second finger inside you as his tongue darts back to your clit. You moan salaciously as you push your hips forward, wanting more and more.

It isn’t long before your breathing and moans become faster and more uncontrollable, and your grip on Ryan’s hair gets even stronger.

“Ryan, I’m gonna,” You get out as you feel the pleasure wash over you and you reach your peak. You feel yourself clench around Ryan’s fingers and your back arch. Ryan holds on tight to you as he gets you through your climax, not stopping until you’ve finally calmed down. As he pulls his fingers out of you and his face away from your crotch, a wave of exhaustion hits you.

You pull Ryan’s head up to kiss you with the hand that is still gripping his hair. He complies, and you can taste yourself in his mouth.

“Shit,” you say as you pull away, “who knew you’d be good at that? I thought you were the guy who’s bad at everything.” You joke, and Ryan rolls his eyes.

“Give me some credit.” He responds as he lays down beside you.

You look down to see the prominent bulge in Ryan’s jeans.

“I can help you with that.” You say and he lifts an eyebrow.

“Okay, but I’m not gonna last long. Like at all.” He says as he gets up and takes his pants and shirt off.

“That’s fine,” you say as you scoot yourself up so that your head is resting higher against the headboard. “Just come here.”

Ryan gets back on the bed, straddling you, with his erection pointing straight towards your chest. His cock is red and leaking, and you can tell he wasn’t joking about not lasting much longer.

You spit on your hand and then wrap it around Ryan’s cock, yanking it aggressively.

“Kiss me.” You say and he nods and leans down to kiss you as you keep jerking him off at a rapid pace. His cock gets wetter as your spit mixes with precum and you can tell Ryan is on the edge.

“Shit.” He pants before his cum suddenly sprays onto your tits, neck, and chin. You’re taken by surprise, but keep your cool as you stroke him down from his high and he catches his breath.

“Shit.” He says again as he moves back a little and sees the mess he made. He zones out as he takes you in for a moment before getting off of you and laying back down on your right.

You roll towards him and give him a couple more kisses before breaking apart and smiling.

“I’m gonna clean myself off; have you gotten a good enough look?” You tease, and Ryan examines you up and down before nodding. You giggle and get up, putting on some clean underwear before heading to the bathroom.

After you clean yourself off, you go back to your room and look for a clean shirt to wear to bed.

“Have I told you how hot and sexy you are?” Ryan asks with a smile from your bed. You laugh and grab an oversized CKY shirt from the floor and throw it on.

“I don’t know if you have.” You say as you flop down onto your back on the bed next to Ryan.

"Well, you are,” he says as he turns and drapes his arm across your stomach. “And after tonight, you’re never gonna be able to get rid of me.” He continues as he closes his eyes.

“Feels like a promise and a threat.” You say as you turn on your side, away from Ryan. He adjusts his arm and pulls you closer, so he’s spooning you.

“Exactly.”

————————

Been a minute! Trying not to run out of steam with this one, hopefully people are still enjoying it. I’ll still hopefully finish this story but lowkey if anyone wanted to send me one shot requests or something that could be kinda fun 🤔

@arsonistsloth

[personasintro]

Hi Mimi. Can I ask you for advice.

I have a friend who is mad at me because I’m not calling her back 24/7, and because I can’t hang out all the time and have to cancel due to the fact that I work and they sometimes, even if I have plans, call me in.

I couldn’t attend her boyfriend’s surprise birthday dinner, who she’ve only been dating for like 4 months and I’ve only met twice, because they wanted to go out late at night and I was working the day before, during, and the day after. However that particular day I got to finish my shift early because it was raining so my boss told me to just go home. On my way home another friend called me, who I haven’t seen in four month because we live 1h and 45min away from each other. My birthday is in two weeks but she’s going on vacation soon, she asked if we could meet up in the city and have dinner, this is like 4-5pm, because she wanted to celebrate me by buying me dinner. I said okey. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. We meet up, have dinner, order some drinks, and I post a video of us. The other friend, not even 5 minutes later, sends me a loooong message about what a bad friend I am without even knowing anything. I didn’t answer her right away and decided to wait until I was home. I got home at like 8:30, and the dinner was around 9-10isch so even if I didn’t go out with my friend I couldn’t go and celebrate her boyfriend because I needed to sleep.

She really went off on me, said a lot of things, and made me feel so shitty for nothing. So I wrote back and told her, we’re not kids, I didn’t do anything wrong, I explained briefly why I went out with my friend, and I also told her it’s my life and nobody can get mad at me for my choices, even if I was free that day it still shouldn’t be a problem because I don’t have an obligation to anybody. I also told her that I think it’s wrong that she decided to message me when she saw I was out, she could have waited and brought it up the next day instead of basically trying to ruin my night. I also texted her “don’t worry about this now, go and have fun, enjoy, let’s talk face 2 face when we get the chance” She then texted me back saying “I am celebrating his birthday all weekend, we can talk another day, I don’t have time to deal with this now”. I wrote back “sure”. My first thought, before I calmed myself down, was “so you have time to ruin my night, and start this whole thing, but you don’t have time to finish it?”.

Am I the asshole? Hahaha this sounds like a reddit post, I wanted to write it there but I don’t want to take a risk of her seeing it. Your account, your stories and you are also my comfort zone. I just feel safe here, which is why I am sorry for the rant and headache you have now. I just don’t like to talk about other people with other people, which is why I’m not asking for advice from my friends. But at the same time I’m desperate because I feel like I have done everything for her but just because I have work and have to prioritize myself I’m suddenly a bad friend for not attending her bfs dinner who I’ve only met twice. I mean it’s not like I missed her wedding day. It’s not like I was talking shit about her or told everyone her secrets for her to call me awful names and paint me as the bad guy. It’s not like the plan hanged on me, and I said no, and everybody stayed home but then I went out anyways. They still went out and had fun, so why should it be a problem if I was there or not.

I just want to add that this friendship is solely about me being there for her, I’m basically her therapist. I’ve never ever had demands on her or how she should treat me. I’m so drama free like this is my only drama in life atm in the past 6 years. I’m so easy going. You know that last year on my birthday she didn’t wish me a happy bday, and last year I asked her 6 times if she wanted to go on a vacation and she said no, but then she posts on snap that she’s going on a “random trip” with a girl she met 6 month ago at a gym who she doesn’t even talk to anymore because she feels that the girl was to clingy. I didn’t say anything because I thought it’s okey I’m not gonna ruin her day, vacation or whatever for something so silly, it’s HER life. I’m always there for her, even if I’m busy I always try to show her that she is not neglected by maybe sending her a song, or meme, or even going as far as telling her that I’m gonna be busy and that she can call me if it’s an emergency otherwise I won’t be so active. I always have her back, she calls me 4 in the morning and I pick up without blinking twice. My parents treat her as a second daughter, I’m always there for her as much as I can, and I just have to add that last month, I didn’t sleep for 36h and had a 10h shift the day after, but I still went out with her because she needed a friend due to having a bad day. I neglected my mental health for her. And our convos are 90% about her, 7% about random stuff, and 3% about me, and I STILL DONT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT because idgaf. Im honestly so unbothered I really don’t care, but right now I care because I feel that the text she sent me, and the way she wanted to paint me, and the words she used even though I’ve never ever had anything negative about her coming out of my mouth…I just feel like this is so unfair and I don’t know what to do. Should I end the friendship? Or maybe talk to her and try to make her understand? Im just so lost and this is honestly so sad because we’ve been friend for 12 years if not more. I don’t want it to end over something so silly…

Much love💜

Again I’m sorry for ranting, if you have advice I want to thank you for them. And I also want to thank you before hand for taking the time to read this. I admire u and ur stories!

I just have to add: she’s not a bad person, her good qualities overshadows the bad ones, which is why we’re still friends.

This message was sent a while back and I am sorry for responding only now. Maybe you were able to figure it out on your own or things happened after this. But all I can recommend for you to do is to talk to your friend, if you haven’t already. If I were you, I’d try to communicate and make her see where I am coming from as well and then… there’s nothing much you can do from there. You’ll see how she takes it and whether she’s able to see your side or not. Regardless of everything, she shouldn’t take you for granted and cut you some slack.

Like you said, you don’t want your friendship to end over something silly but maybe it’s not something silly at all. In the end, you don’t want friends who makes you feel guilty and take you for granted all the time. Just the fact your entire friendship seems to be focusing on her rather than on both of you says a lot. You shouldn’t be treated that way and you do deserve someone who equally cares about you as a person :)

[delimeful]

you can’t go back (8)

Intermission Part 1: Janus

warnings: misunderstandings, lying, violence/injury/blood, dehumanization, on-screen minor character murder, dissociation, implications of self destructive behavior, lmk if i missed any

-

Janus knew something was wrong well before he stepped on board the transfer ship.

They hadn’t docked properly, remaining detached from the main station and letting their ship hang in the low-orbit field for refueling. According to the frustratingly vague e-report, the crew had picked up some ‘hazardous elements’ and was partaking in a ‘low-level precautionary quarantine’ for the safety of the rest of the port.

Seeing as Leond and her ilk were one of the stupider and more arrogant crews around, he seriously doubted that. If she’d picked up merchandise that was valuable enough to risk contamination for, she would be on the station bragging about it the moment they arrived. If asked, she then would have brushed aside questions about exposure by claiming that a few lower-level lackeys were the only ones to make contact with it directly, and so she’d obviously put them in a decontam cell.

Janus knew a thing or two about how con artists worked, occasionally taking up the role himself. Suffice to say, he wasn’t buying it until he saw the underside of the coin for himself.

See, the claim to be in quarantine wouldn’t be entirely unbelievable, not with Virgil on board. His role on the mission had been auxiliary at best, and the real purpose behind his presence was to keep a few eyes on Leond’s activities, the dynamics of her crew, any information Janus could tuck away and use later.

People were wary of Janus and his reputation. They often forgot to be wary of his twitchy, reclusive Second, who clearly spent more time bodyguarding than thinking.

If something hazardous had infected the ship, though, Virgil would have broken his cover without a second thought. He answered to Janus first and foremost, and if he’d thought for a moment that docking properly could infect his First with anything dangerous or even lethal, he wouldn’t hesitate to lock the ship down, even if it meant jettisoning the chain of command right out the trash chute.

Except.

Except Janus hadn’t received a single comm call from Virgil for the past 7 sim-cycles, not even a simple long-correspondence message complaining about all the basic safety protocols he’d had to manage himself.

Except his own L-C message checking up on the mission progress had received a short, flippant response from someone else, who hadn’t even bothered mentioning the status of his Second.

Except when he pinged the transport a request to come aboard in a hazsuit, it had been granted without a word of warning.

Even the most stringent precautions were scorned by Virgil’s paranoia. He would have reached out to make digital contact long before ever letting Janus enter a contaminated ship, hazsuit or not.

(Unless he wasn’t conscious enough to stop him. Unless he wasn’t onboard at all–)

All that to say, by the time Janus was stepping from the small transfer pod into the ship proper, he was operating on the assumption that 1. something had gone deeply, horribly wrong for his Second, and 2. Janus needed to find him and whisk him away before his exoskeleton collapsed from stress.

Not that Leond needed to know that. Janus had kept their interactions pleasant and inoffensive, which is how he’d gotten the chance to send Virgil on a mission with them in the first place. As far as they were concerned, this was a standard visit from someone with a stake in their profits.

The alien in question was waiting in the hanger bay, a few of her ever-present followers behind her. Virgil had called the smaller one– an Evalka, by the look of it– her Second out of habit, which meant they were the most loyal.

“Deceit,” she greeted, wearing a suspiciously smooth expression for someone supposedly in quarantine. “Welcome aboard! I’m glad you were confident enough to venture over, there have been some very exciting developments.”

The formal tint to her speech shouldn’t have irritated him so quickly, but he couldn’t help but recall Virgil complaining that she casually spoke down to him. Some species really couldn’t grasp that an insult to one of them was an insult to both, regardless of who was ‘in charge’ at the moment.

“What a surprise,” he answered smoothly, forcing down the instinctive hiss until there wasn’t a chance of it slipping free. “I’ve heard so little from this vessel, I’d begun to worry that there had been some sort of… trouble.”

The wry amusement of the pause came through perfectly, just as practiced. He’d researched the vocal indicators of Leond’s homeplanet extensively while awaiting the ship’s return, and the work paid off now, as her demeanor thawed further into something conspiratorial.

“One could say that. Anything worth its cost comes with a little trouble,” she told him with a glint in her eyes, dropping some of the standard lilts of Common and returning to her species’ customary blunt cadence. “Forgive the silence. Our current trouble isn’t the type that can be spoken of over comms.”

There was an uneasy shift that seemed to ripple through her followers as she spoke, but Janus gave no indication of noticing.

“An interesting sort of trouble. That’s my favorite kind,” he replied, working hard to keep his own typical vocal flourishes muted as well. “I suppose that your wise discretion must be why Anxiety didn’t respond to me.”

There was a subtle yet distinct difference between Leond’s natural flat expression and the lax stillness of her hiding a reaction. It was hard to see, but then, Janus had excellent vision.

“All contact was limited,” she confirmed, and Janus could practically taste the lie slipping in between her words. “I’m sure your neurotic little friend is wandering around somewhere, ensuring all our hallway lightstrips are fully charged or something.”

If that were true, Virgil would have been the first face Janus saw the moment he stepped out of the pod. Virgil would be standing at his back now, an ominous, looming threat against the world on his behalf.

Behind his back, his clasped aux limbs twitched just slightly under his capelet. It was the only loss of composure he would allow himself.

“He is often preoccupied with safety,” he replied casually, as if his Second’s location was hardly relevant to him. “I’ll forgive it, seeing as you’ve seen it fit to introduce me to your valuable new trouble.”

The act was flawless, because he couldn’t afford to lose. He was all too aware of how close her followers were, how many of them there were in the bay alone.

When it came to battlefields, there were only two available here. Physical and mental. Janus already knew exactly which one he would find victory on.

“I knew you held a keenness for opportunity,” Leond praised, more accurately than she knew. “Follow me. I’ll show you our newest investment.”

Janus let himself be guided without hesitation, not showing a single twitch of tension as her crew fell into step behind him. She was surrounding him on purpose, putting eyes on him to see how he would react, what it would give away.

He gave her nothing.

Transport ships weren’t typically too large, so it didn’t take them long to traverse the levels and reach their final destination. Janus didn’t glance down halls or into the rooms they passed, because the chance that his Second would miraculously be there wasn’t worth the odds that his searching would be noticed. If he was going to look for Virgil, it would have to be without eyes on him.

In the end, they stopped outside the entryway to the cellblock, alarmingly enough. Holding cells were a precautionary measure typically only used for stowaways or captured raiders, with the rare exception of small-time bounty hunters that couldn’t afford a better ship.

Janus didn’t ask, but his mind was already buzzing through possibilities. What ‘valuable trouble’ would be put in a cell? Livestock transit required special containers, and was rarely requested around the Reach, anyhow. Some infamous outlaw with a huge bounty? Leond certainly wouldn’t have brought Janus in if that was the case.

“Aisleen, with me. The rest of you, scatter. Make yourselves useful elsewhere.” Despite her confident directions, her hand automatically ghosted over the holster strapped onto her side, which held a paralyzer that looked distinctly illegally-modded.

The motion was telling. Whatever her investment was, it had her frightened.

Considering Leond had more hubris than sense, it was more than enough for Janus to raise his guard as he followed her and her underling into the narrow hall.

There were three large cells, each with a door and a front wall made of clear, thick plastic, so one could see inside.

The first cell they passed was empty. The second cell was also empty, presumably because the viewing wall had been shattered right through the center, a rust-brown substance splattered on the ground and the jagged edges of the hole. The third cell was more reinforced, a wall of metal bars accompanying the plastic guard wall.

The third cell also held a Human.

Janus stopped dead, a deeply-ingrained survival instinct holding him still, as though the Human’s eyes weren’t already on him.

Even without the eyes, he would have recognized it. Being part of a shadier trading company meant that he’d learned the infamous Deathworlders weren’t a hoax early on. Everyone seemed to have a Human story they’d heard from a friend of a friend, and though the validity of them varied, the potential threat was enough that Janus had dug up as much information as he could.

Every word of it paled in comparison to witnessing one in person.

The Human was seated, half-slumped against one of the walls, oddly-jointed arms bound behind it in a way that looked downright painful. There was a streak of that same red substance smeared along the floor, from the center of the cell all the way to where the Human sat, as though they’d crawled there.

“You see the need for secrecy.”

Janus jolted at Leond’s voice, barely able to drag his gaze away from the Deathworlder in front of him. His single pair of auxiliary eyes opened on reflex to track the heat signature of the threat.

It was an appalling show of weakness, but Leond seemed satisfied by his reaction.

“We’ve had quite the trip, trying to keep it contained on a ship like this. The restraints, the drugs, even the cells aren’t built to withstand its level of strength. Poor Gally got gouged trying to force it back in, nearly lost his entire arm.” Her words were grim, but Janus could see the bright glimmer of greed in her gaze. “Can you imagine how well it will do in the rings?”

The Human had lifted itself forward just slightly, its head bobbing unsteadily as though it couldn’t quite find the energy to hold it up. Those half-lidded eyes were still locked unerringly on Janus.

“You’d make a fortune,” Janus’s mouth said on autopilot.

His mind was preoccupied with the knowledge that Virgil would never have let this happen willingly.

And he knew what happened to those who got between traffickers and their money.

“Yes, I will. And we’re offering you a part of it.” Leona’s voice was cajoling now, as though Janus was too much of an idiot to understand that she wanted someone to take the fall when she inevitably was tracked down by the authorities or worse, someone who had a reputation for cunning words and deceiving deals.

Janus stepped closer to the clear barrier, as though entranced. The Human roused further, head tilting sickeningly far to one side, gaze flickering between him and Leond with surprising intelligence.

“Is it secure now?” he asked, and with his face too close to the glass for her to track his eyes, he flicked his gaze upwards.

In the ceiling of the hall, thin enough to go unnoticed by most, there were gouges. The kind left behind by something sharp and narrow catching on the ceiling unexpectedly.

The kind Janus knew from his own quarters, where Virgil had gotten too worked up over a conspiracy thread and in his startlement, accidentally fully extended his aux limbs and voided their rental deposit by scraping a long line into the wallpaper.

These ones were deeper. Marks from offensive, full-force strikes that had gotten snagged and lost all their momentum, because a narrowed corridor like this was the worst place for a Chelcerae like Virgil to fight–

“Of course.” Leond’s mildly affronted voice seemed oddly distant as she gestured to the cell door. “The second cell was really a simple experiment, just to test the strength of our specimen. Even if it could somehow destroy the solid plylon bars, we’ve been administering regular doses of the tranquilizer since then. The next one is due soon; see for yourself how weak it becomes.”

Even hidden under fleshy opaque eyelids, the Human’s eyes seemed a little too bright. Janus let his tightly-folded aux limbs begin to unclasp, the movement rendered invisible under his cloak.

“I’d be a fool to turn down such a generous offer,” he said as he turned towards her, his posture open and disarming. “Frankly, I’m shocked Anxiety didn’t accept on my behalf.”

The carefully calculated words earned him a derisive scoff of amusement.

“I expect your underling isn’t as attuned to your desires as you thought,” Leond replied. “He objected to the presence of the Deathworlder even after we graciously offered him a cut of the profits.”

Janus didn’t have near as much plating as Virgil did, but the ones he had were visible enough for any shift in color to be noticeable. It took all of his willpower to hold back the reflexive threat display.

“My, how surprising. I suppose you didn’t take too kindly to that kind of insubordination.” The implied question rang clear: Where is he?

“I did not.” Leond shook out her mane in a gesture of casual impatience. “I didn’t want to inform you before you could see our investment firsthand, but Anxiety is no longer on board. We left him planetside, but still alive out of respect for you.”

Planetside. On the world they’d most recently retrieved ‘cargo’ from.

They’d put Virgil on a Deathworld. They’d left him there.

“What a shame that he didn’t catch on immediately. How long has it been since?” he asked, somehow not tripping through the words. “I’m reluctant to lose my own… investment, particularly one I’ve spent so long cultivating.”

Leond’s gaze flickered absently, as though trying to recall, but Aisleen shifted a step forward.

“It is too late. He was granted the mercy of a quick death, as is proper.” The low gravel of their voice was almost indistinguishable from the ringing that rose up in Janus’s mind.

“Aisleen!” Leond scolded, as though her crewmate had simply knocked over something delicate. “You take all the fun out of it when you do that.”

“I am sorry for displeasing you,” Aisleen replied, the words so dull they felt almost recited. The barest possible apology, one that showed no regret for the crime committed.

“An unfortunate ending. Once we’ve won the first tournament, we’ll grant you the cost of your investment back in full,” Leond said, placating but firm.

Janus folded himself away into a space small enough to hide the truth of him, because it couldn’t help him accomplish what he needed to accomplish.

Only his mask responded now, squeezing itself into a brief, mild annoyance before giving a dismissive shrug. A false shell to help him pretend he could ever brush off the loss of Virgil with such callousness. “As long as this plan of yours works as it should, I won’t take offense. My agreement is yours.”

A front hand offered forward, for the common arm clasp used by many for sealing barter deals. The other front hand held up in a silent signal of honesty.

Leond’s face was smooth and flat with smug surety when she stepped forward to accept the grip.

It didn’t remain that way for long.

With one hand, Janus dug his claws into her arm and pulled her forward.

With another hand, he drove a dagger through her gut, the hooked edge of it catching like a viper’s fangs.

With another hand, he reached out to the walls around him.

With another hand, he pulled the paralyzer from Leond’s holster, dragging it up to point at his non-stabbed opponent.

“What are you—?” Leond choked, before her words became too wet to distinguish.

Janus let his faceplate snap back to bare his teeth, his plates flushed pitch and his venom shining bright gold in a display that wasn’t a threat, but a promise. His aux limbs had all unfolded their way out from under his cloak, shorter but far more dexterous than Virgil’s, and were easily able to navigate the narrow hall.

His other front hand was still held aloft, and he leaned in to grant Leond the truth for the first and last time in their conversation.

“There is no toll you could pay that would even begin to match the worth of my Second. Your life and all it’s ever held is worth less than the tip of his claw,” he snarled, twisting the blade deeper. “But it’s certainly somewhere to ssstart.”

A flicker of motion out of the corner of his vision. Janus pulled the trigger, but Aisleen ducked under the paralyzer shot and crashed into him with their full weight, moving faster than he’d imagined they could to try and slam his back— and by extension, the vulnerable section of nerves between his aux arms— against the wall.

His brace barely held, and he dropped Leond’s thrashing body to press another two hands to the wall and give himself more support as Aisleen attempted to wrench the paralyzer from his hands.

No. He snapped his teeth, but his opponent managed to wedge an arm against his throat, holding him off as his booklungs flared to compensate for the lack of air.

“Release it! Or I’ll ensure you don’t receive the same mercy as your brethren,” they growled, and the last lingering threads of self-control in Janus’s mind snapped clean in half.

Most of his aux arms had been relegated to pressing palm-first against the walls, keeping him locked in place so he didn’t lose any ground or get cornered.

One of them was wrapped around a thick red emergency handle. It twisted easily under his grip.

“Your mercy is only another word for murder,” Janus spat, and wrenched open the door to the Human’s cell. “Receive it yourself.”

The Human, who’s heat signature had crept closer and closer to the front of the cell over the last few moments, dropped all hazy-eyed pretenses of being drugged in favor of lunging for the escape that had been granted to it.

Janus released his hold on the paralyzer, drew all his limbs in tight, and dropped to the floor. Aisleen staggered from the sudden lack of opposition, and recovered just in time for the charging Human to slam its skull directly into the stretch of rigid exoskeleton between their chin and their chest.

The bone shattered under the force like a piece of dropped glassware. The Human’s only sign of injury was a brief scrunch of the nose.

Aisleen dropped to the ground, paralyzer skidding from their limp fingers, and the Human stepped over them to the cell block entryway. Janus remained entirely still where he was huddled on the floor.

Without even glancing at him, the Human contorted horrifyingly to get its still-bound arms back in front of it. Then, with one sharp movement, it brought a knee up and its arms down at the same moment.

The bonds snapped apart easily, as though the cuffs were made from hollow branches.

The Human ignored the door keypad next to the entryway in favor of simply grabbing the manual handle and sliding the door open in one heave. Between one blink and the next, it was gone, the barest sprinting footsteps audible.

Janus lay there for a moment, between two soon-to-be corpses, and wondered why he wasn’t dead.

Distantly, he could hear echoing screams as the rest of the crew presumably encountered the consequences of their latest get-rich-quick scheme.

He didn’t particularly care. There was a little voice in the back of his mind that was frantically demanding he get up, grab the paralyzer, and see if he could circle around to his pod.

Janus considered it idly, getting as far as pushing himself upright before abandoning the effort and leaning back against the wall instead. He let his arms settle limply around him. The Deathworlder would be back for him sooner or later.

Live, that little voice demanded. It sounded like Virgil.

He’d sit here and listen to it a while longer.

[whoisthis234]

guide to jjk events when visiting japan!

a hopefully helpful post for when you are vacationing at japan and want to experience anything jjk-related!

all jjk events and pop-ups can be found on collabo cafe, here

For events like the jjk exhibition (the next one is from 4/19/2025 to 6/8/2025 in osaka i think), reserve your ticket as soon as possible as the days and time slots usually sell out quick! The exhibition uses the website “eplus,” which makes it hard for foreigners to reserve a ticket because you need a japanese name and address. Those might be easier to bypass as you can use a translation of your name and your hotel address, but the hardest part is needing a japanese phone number to verify your account via sms.

If you need a japanese phone number, I suggest calling the inquiry number on jujutsuten.com, the exhibition website. The help line might only take japanese inquiries, so if your call doesn’t work or you cannot call via an international number, try asking your hotel to make that call for you!

For pop-ups (i.e. collaborations with malls like loft), there usually isn’t a reservation required and it is first-come-first-served. However, the later you go to a pop-up from its start date, the more likely it is that specific goods are sold out. For example, sanrio x jjk merch was out of stock when compared to other goods in the last week of a pop-up. The location and time-span of a pop-up can be found on collabo! The benefit to going to a pop-up is getting limited edition goods, and if you spend a certain amount, there are freebies with your order.

For the weekly shonen jump (relevant for jjk until the end of september), weekly copies are typically sold in any konbini — 7-11, Lawson, or FamilyMart — starting Mondays at 5am local time. Leaks happen around the Thursday before at 12pm local time (i’m not even sure where leakers get their early copy 😭) and the new chapter is mass-released on Monday. WSJ is a thick book with several chapters from several mangas! it costs around 300 yen ($2.10 usd) for a copy. The WSJ also contains new exciting news, such as how jjk is ending soon. If you want to have a keepsake for the last few chapters before official volumes are released, the WSJ is a cheap option. Copies from the week before or older might not be sold in konbinis, so going to a bookstore like “animate” might help you get an archived copy.

Best places to shop for jjk merch, based on personal opinion. Your best choice is to go to Akihabara in Tokyo, which is basically anime-central.

Akihabara Radiokaikan- huge multiple-story building with floors for figurines, collectibles, and goods. I suggest K-Books on the 4th (?) floor for limited edition merch, as they re-sell goods from events like the jjk exhibition and jujufest. Just as a note, the characters do carry different price tags 😭. Gojo costs almost 3 times the amount of any other character.

Animate (any location in any city)- multiple-story building that sells mangas and goods. Lots of jjk blind-box merch. Animate separates its store by anime, so there should be a jjk section specifically. Manga is cheap and accessible; each volume costs around 480 yen and can be found in local bookstores as well. For reference, a translated copy of jjk costs around $10 usd and the raw japanese copy is $3.36 usd. Downside: if you can’t read japanese, the book is still pretty to just look at!

Other notable stores- Suruga-ya and amiami in akihabara. Figurines are cheaper in Japan!

Save your 100 yen coins for gacha machines!

All your jjk merch can be tax-free in certain stores, if you spend above 5000 yen! Tax-free will deduct that extra 10% from your price and make it cheaper! Only thing is, you’ll have to wait until after you leave Japan to open and use the goods. Bring your passport to stores 🫡

Hope this helps if you plan on going to Japan, and feel free to ask any questions! ❤️