#I'm not great at talking to people but thank you

[theprplcooki]

Hey, the first rejection didn't sting so bad. I had only applied to the national academy as a joke. However there was one line that did seem rather odd: "I regret to inform you that in accordance with the new law: we can only admit human students to the academy"

I disregarded the statement because I was always told the nature of my magic had a more ancient flavour to it, so I assumed that I had somehow been misread by whatever magical instrument was used to verify my race. I simply wrote an appeal letter and sent it off before the deadline.

But then the second letter came, from the school that was actually my first option. Stating the same thing. Now, I might not be the brightest flame on the altar but I could tell something was up. Nevertheless, I sent the appeal letter and went on with my day helpig my father tend to the plants. But as the days pass, the amount of rejection letters on the kitchen table began to stack. All with the same damning line: "We can only admit human students".

This was getting riduculous and this whole time my father was rather ambivalent and just gave a soft "Hmmm" whenever I brought this up to him. And I used the one thing ot get my father to sit down and talk; food.

With a steaming bowl of his favourite stew, I had him at the kitchen table in no time. What he didn't know, was that I also managed to find a recipe that was mild truth-serum, and acted more like a relaxer and made people a bit more talkative. With how strong the stew's flavours were, the bitterness of the potion were hidden. I had my chance. 'So father, doesn't seem weird that all these magic schools are rejecting me on the basis that I'm not human?"

"No, not really. To be honest, I didn't think you would ever need to know. And then that royal prick had to go and declare new law" I paused. So there was something to hide from me. Choosing my next word s carefully as not to break whatever trance my father seemed to be in, I asked him "What, exactly, did I have no need to ever need?" "That you're not human"

"Yes, dad. I gathered as much. But what is "not human" about me."

"Well, I don't exactly know. Your mother was very pretty though"

Not this again I thought. My father was known to gush over my mother at great lengths whenever I prompted him to tell me about her. He always described her as elegant as ever, a goddes on earth, with the most beautiul eyes - the colour of the golden sun. My mother, according to him, was so beautiful that flowers bloomed at her feet, and the sun seemed to alwasy be glowing right behind her. But hearing my father talked about her under the effects of the potion hit me, hard. Was he not embelishing before this? Did literal flowers bloom at her feet?

Then a thought, a thought so absurd and improbable struck me.

"Dad, was mom a god?"

He looked at me with the face of pure absurdity, the face you give a person who doesn't know that fireballe needs sulphur. I sighed a breath " Oh thank the blessed mother. For a moment ther I thought"--

"Yes she was."

"WHAT"

As an aspiring student of magic, you are trying to get into a magic school, but so far every school has rejected you, claiming that they only accept human students. Time to finally ask your father who your mother really was.

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

second chance. l Frankie "Catfish" Morales

Summary: you broke up after a quarrel, now you've met again

Warnings: angst, mentioning drug addiction, crying, breakup, mentioned Santi, some fluff at the end

A/N: I had to clear my head. I'm not proud of it, but I had to write something. Be gentle. Thank you for being here and reading these scribbles.

your feedback is very important to me and I want to thank you for all the reblogs, comments and likes. I secretly hope you like this story.🖤 sorry for all the mistakes

[my masterlist][Frankie Morales masterlist]

"Hi, you look good."

You didn't expect those words, but you knew that voice so well that your heart skipped a beat. A strange feeling filled your body, as if someone had suddenly stripped you of all your insides and left you empty. Even though the pub was filled with people, suddenly it was just you and him.

"Hi, Frankie." You replied, trying to keep your voice neutral. "You look good too."

A small smile appeared on his lips, he probably realized that it was just a polite greeting. A greeting for those who know each other. But you were more than that, right?

You didn't expect to meet him in this pub that evening. It was a strange assumption, because after all, you lived in the same city. However, when you break up with someone, and that breakup was like a hurricane and an earthquake in one, you don't usually try to meet them again soon.

And so it was with you and Frankie. Almost a year ago, maybe a little longer. And now he was standing in front of you. In a clean shirt and dark jeans, in a cap you knew so well. Brown eyes stared at you with the same attentiveness as before. He really looked good. Like he had a good night's sleep, eaten a few solid meals and... was clean.

"Do you come here often?" he asked, he noticed you looking around the crowd of people looking for someone with your eyes. "Um, are you here with someone?"

"With a friend." you replied. "Do you remember Sarah?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember. A girls' night out?"

"Something like that. But no, I don't come here often. I don't have much free time."

Frankie smiled, and a part of your brain woke up sending you a signal - you loved his smile so much.

"I always thought you worked too much." he said, winking at you.

"That's not it." you looked down and there was silence for a moment.

You felt embarrassed by his presence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. You had worked through all the bad feelings you had when you broke up, and you actually missed him a little. Did it make sense? You had broken your hearts, but you still missed him. Was it masochistic?

"I've been going to school for a while now. You know, I told you about it. Back in the day..."

Frankie's eyes widened with interest as he remembered what you were talking about. "No, shit! Really? That's great! You've wanted to do this for a long time, so good for you."

A warm feeling crept up the back of your neck, but you smiled widely. "Thank you."

Frankie bit his lip and nodded in appreciation. "I've always thought you were incredibly smart. So that's what's taking up so much of your time now? That and work?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I go days without a proper meal or... I'm sorry, that must bore you."

"No! Go on, darling."

The sweet nickname slipped out of his mouth naturally, and it was even more natural when he took your elbow and led you a little to the side so you could talk in peace. The smell of his cologne filled your nostrils, you knew it so well. Your body began to react with pleasant excitement to his presence.

"And what about you? How's life?" you asked.

Frankie adjusted his cap and let out a breath. "Good. Quite good." he replied. "I changed companies, and now I have really good conditions."

"That's great."

"Yeah, I think so too."

It was late when he got home, but he could feel something was wrong from the very beginning. All the lights were on, and the noises coming from the bedroom were rather unusual.

Damn it, you should be asleep already. He didn't feel like starting another row, and they filled these walls almost every day. However, he dragged himself down the hallway and gently pushed the door open.

Frankie didn't expect this. There was an open suitcase on the bed. He noticed a bundle of your clothes thrown into it in disarray. The drawers in the dresser and the wardrobe were open.

He cleared his throat and took a step, but at the same moment you came out of the bathroom carrying your cosmetics in your hands. You stood there paralyzed when you saw Frankie in the doorway.

Your eyes were swollen from crying, but there was something else in them. Anger and stubbornness, determination.

"What's going on?" he asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

You lifted your chin slightly. "What does this look like?" you asked as well, quickly approaching the bed and throwing your things into the suitcase. With a graceful movement you closed it "I'm leaving. It's over."

A cold shiver ran down his spine. He took a few more steps and put his hands on his hips watching you struggle with the latches.

"Come on..." Frankie began "It's late. Let's talk about this."

You didn't react. Something inside him boiled and he grabbed the handle of the suitcase, dragging it across the bed towards him.

"Leave it!" you hissed, catching it and holding it "I'm not joking, Frankie! I'm leaving! I've had enough!"

"What this time?" he replied a little too loudly "You're making a scene!"

Before the words left his mouth he already knew he had overdone it. Your eyes widened in a second.

You reached into your pants pocket and after a moment you threw something at him. The small bag bounced off his broad chest and fell silently to the carpet. He recognized it immediately.

"I found it in the car. You must have dropped it last time." you growled.

"It's not like that..."

"Bullshit!" Tears welled up in your eyes. "I've been hearing the same lies for months! I know exactly why you got fired! I wanted to help you, and you promised me you'd never... Ohhh!"

You grabbed the handle of your suitcase and pulled it to the ground, then headed for the door. You pushed past him without letting him grab your arm. Frankie had taken you to the edge. You'd been together for almost two years, and you really loved him. But his addiction was becoming more important than you. You asked, you wanted to help.

The therapist you found for him told you that Frankie had only been to see him three times before he stopped showing up at all. He told you that he went there regularly. Then there were the problems at work and he got fired, he started coming home later and later, and when you were looking for something that had fallen on the floor of your car and you found that damn bag - you already knew.

Your heart was breaking with every step, but you knew that Frankie needed shock therapy. You knew you couldn't...

"Frankie!"

You almost reached the door when you suddenly lost ground under your feet. Strong arms wrapped around your waist and Frankie lifted you up. You started kicking your legs.

"Let me go!" you screamed.

"You're not going anywhere! You can't!" he thundered, putting you down and turning to face him "You have to listen to me, it's not like that..."

"Shut up! You've been lying all this time! All this time!"

"Not when I said I loved you, hermosa."

"Oh! Cut this shit! This isn't love!" your face was full of rage, you wanted to hurt him, to stick a needle in him so hard that it would hurt him for a long time "You just needed someone to clean up the mess after you! Someone to pat you on the head and let you do all this! You needed a pussy you could fuck!"

There was silence. Frankie's hands were gripping your shoulders tightly, his eyes darkened.

"You know that's not true." he finally said.

"Yeah? And what of what you're saying is true? Nothing. Zero. I wanted to help you, but you don't care at all." you jerked away "Let me go, Frankie."

"You have to listen to me..."

"Let me go! Now!"

His fingers loosened and you slipped out of his hands. You grabbed your suitcase again and this time you reached the door.

"I love you." his resigned voice reached your ears.

"I'm not so sure about that anymore."

You took a sip of beer while listening to Frankie. He seemed excited about his new job, and the energy that flowed from him was simply positive. His hand would occasionally brush your arm or wrist as you both burst out laughing, his eyes looking at you with the tenderness you knew from the beginning of your acquaintance.

"I guess I'll have to go back now." You sighed, glancing at your phone. "I have classes tomorrow."

"Do you like it?" he asked, watching you text your friend back, informing her that you had to leave.

"What do you mean?" you looked up at him. Frankie shrugged.

"Your life. Now. Because it seems to me that you're different. More fulfilled? Happier?"

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it to be honest."

He nodded, his hand shyly finding yours. "Can I give you a lift home?"

You agreed. Maybe you shouldn't have, maybe it was a mistake. But Frankie had somehow found his way to your heart, and you didn't want to part ways with him yet.

"When you left..." he began as you drove through the empty streets towards your apartment "It hit me. Really hard."

You clenched your fingers, but you couldn't look in his direction. But Frankie clearly wanted to talk, maybe he had been waiting for this for a really long time and could finally get it all off his chest.

"I drank for three days. I don't remember much from that period. Santi showed up at my place and... He told me something I'll never forget."

You could barely recognize your own voice. "What did he say?"

Frankie cleared his throat. "He said it was all my fault. That I was dragging you down, and you were trying to keep us both afloat the whole time. He also said that if I wanted you back, that if I loved you at all, I should do something about it."

Something tightened your throat and your eyes stung from the tears that were seeping into your eyelids. The car turned, you were already close to your apartment.

"I went to therapy. Santi took me there twice a week. It was a terrible time. He had to take my phone because I wanted to call you every day. I don't know how I managed to get through it without you."

"But you did it." You dared to look at him, a weak smile appeared on his face. "I'm so proud of you, Frankie."

"Thank you."

The car stopped. Your journey ended, and you got out, feeling like your legs were almost giving out under you. You whispered a quiet "thank you" and "I'm glad I saw you, Frankie." and then feeling like your heart almost jumped out of your chest, you headed for the door.

"I still love you."

You closed your eyes. His voice was clear, determined. You stopped, feeling like you could fall apart at any moment.

"Frankie..." you whispered, but he wouldn't let you do more.

He was right behind you now, you could feel the heat radiating from him. Your body reacted to his closeness.

"I knew you'd be at this pub today."

You turned around and looked at him, surprised. Frankie seemed embarrassed, but he continued.

"I met Sarah a while ago. We talked..."

He noticed a small frown between your eyebrows, "She didn't tell me anything..."

Frankie shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shrugged, "I begged her not to tell you. Listen, all this year you were the only thing that kept me alive. I wanted to be clean again, but I also wanted to be able to look you in the eye again. I'm sorry, hermosa... I'm sorry you went through all that with me. It was hell, and you tried so hard to save me."

You couldn't stop the tears that began to flow down your cheeks. You didn't even react when a warm hand touched your cheek and he wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"I still love you, hermosa." Frankie continued. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop. But I know I can't expect that from you, not after what I did."

"You hurt me, Frankie..." you sobbed, you saw the pain in his eyes, the same pain you still felt in your heart. "I wanted to save you, I wanted to save us... Maybe I wasn't strong enough?"

"No, it's not like that!" he shook his head, taking your face in both hands. "It wasn't a job for just one person. I understand that now. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I let you down so much."

You instinctively snuggled into his chest. Damn, you missed him so much this year. Almost every day you wondered what was happening to him, or you thought back to the times when everything was fine. There were days when you hated Frankie, when you resented yourself for always having him in your heart. But now you understood - you had to fall apart to understand what was truly important to you.

Frankie stroked your back, repeating silent apologies, and you felt as if all the tension that you had in your body was slowly leaving you.

"You okay?" he asked when you finally pulled away from him, wiping the last tears with your hand and probably completely smudging your mascara.

You nodded, "Yeah. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"Don't apologize, hermosa. You have nothing to apologize for."

There was silence for a moment. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, rather one where you were both trying to gather your thoughts. Finally, you were the first to speak.

"I'm so glad you managed to do all this. I'm really proud of you, Frankie. Now... Now your life will be different, better."

"You think so?" he asked, and you looked at him surprised. "I guess you didn't hear what I said earlier. I love you, and I don't know if I'll ever stop. But I know I can't force you to do anything. You listened to me, that's already a lot. Maybe that's all I deserve."

He must have already accepted it, except that he lost you, because before you could answer anything, he slowly moved towards his car. You watched him, feeling your heart pounding in your chest like crazy. You weren't even aware that you had opened your mouth, only the sound of your voice that cut through the silence brought you back to your senses.

"I'm finishing classes tomorrow after three. If you want to go for coffee, or..."

In an instant Frankie turned around "How about for lunch? You'll definitely be hungry, and you said you haven't been eating very well lately."

You smiled and nodded. "Lunch sounds good."

"Wonderful." He smiled too. That damn smile of his.

"So... Are we in touch?"

"Of course, hermosa."

With a slightly calmer heart you disappeared into the building, feeling that the smile didn't leave your face. 

Maybe a second chance really did exist? Maybe you too had a chance for a new beginning...

☆☆☆☆

Thank you for your time.

[mia-can-yap-too]

No.1 Fan

Who?:- Megumi Fushiguro x Fem! Author! Reader

Warnings:- fluff, no curse!au, brief mentions of Yuji and Nobara, move aside Gege I made Satosugo canon.

♫:- poster boy — Lyn Lapid

Megumi Fushiguro was a lot of things. Son, brother, friend, acquaintance, student. All these are no surprise, after all, everyone has these traits. But what one would not expect him to be, was a fan. 

Megumi was fifteen when he first heard of you. Back then, newspaper articles were filled with your face, your name, you. A literary prodigy. A girl who, at the ripe age of fifteen, won three awards for her debut book. Every which way he turned, there was always mention of you. Tired of all what he deemed was 'meaningless glazing', he bit the bullet and read your book. 

He was entranced, hanging onto every word. Simultaneously wanting to find out the outcome and dreading for it to end. He developed emotional connections with your characters, sympathized with their circumstances and teared up from their losses. He had never felt like this before. 

When he ultimately finished the book, he was left staring into the void. The epilogue was left to fate, no definite promises. He wanted to know more. He wanted more of your writing. He wanted to feel the way he did once more, even though no other book he read after provoked the same feelings, the same anticipation, sympathy and sorrow again. He wanted more. 

And so Megumi started waiting hopefully for the release of your next book. And the next one. And the one after that as well. Oh, and the rest too. He would be the first to get a hold of the latest book. Bought all the limited editions. Signed up to all your websites. Read any and every article which had even the tiniest mention of you. Defended your name on the Internet when anyone dared to insult you. Megumi became your biggest fan. 

So, imagine the excitement he felt when he found out you were coming to Tokyo to promote your latest book, were going to do a book signing event at his local bookstore. He immediately started planning his outfit, which books he would bring to be signed (he ended up bringing up all of them), which time he would arrive in order to be one of the first people you would meet (he did not end up being one of the first). 

And so, now Megumi waits in the never-ending line at your signing. You were right there. The same girl he admired so much. The author of the books he devoted so much time and money to. And you were so kind and polite too. Smiling at every single person, making small talk before adding a perfect autograph with a personalized message on the index page. 

A cough from behind him pushes him out of his thoughts. "Hey dude, get moving already," says an annoyed voice. He didn't even realize that it was his turn already. You send a polite smile his way, waiting for him to come up to you. Megumi's face flushes in embarrassment. Unconsciously, he fixes up his hair and clothes before walking towards you. 

"Hello! How are you?" You say, your voice so sweet, he could listen to it all day.  

"Uh, hi. I'm well," he should probably ask you too. "....and you?"

"I'm doing great, thank you for asking! What's your name?" 

"Megumi. Fushiguro. Yes, Megumi Fushiguro. And you?" He realizes his mistake too late. 

His eyes widen in panic but you brush it off with a laugh. "I'm Y/n L/n, not sure if you've heard it before," you joke. 

"Sorry...I uh didn't mean to. Of course, I know who you are, I came to your event after all." Great, now he's rambling. You probably think he's the most awkward guy you've ever met. 

"It's okay, don't worry about it. So what book have you brought for me to sign today?"

He pulls out all of them, even the limited editions. This may be the only time he ever sees you, no way was he gonna miss the opportunity. 

Your eyes widen slightly. "A-All of them? Oh wow, you must really like my books. Is that the limited edition of 'The Last Dragon'? I saw so many people say it was almost impossible to get!" 

"Uh...yes?" His face is faintly flushed from your praise. 

Your smile brightens. You begin signing the books, "well, Megumi, thank you for supporting me so much! I'm very grateful! I really hope we meet again sometime soon!" 

Huh? What do you mean by that? Don't you live in USA? 

You return the books, and your hands brush with his. You send one last bright smile his way, one that makes his heart stutter. How had he never realized how beautiful you were before? 

"Goodbye, Megumi Fushiguro!"

"Goodbye, Y/n L/n," he says so quietly that you almost didn't catch it. 

He find his personalized note in the limited edition of 'The Last Dragon'. He dreams of it when he sleeps. 

'Your passion and enthusiasm reminds me of why I write. Thank endlessly for your support. My world wouldn't be the same without readers like you, Megumi.

~ Y/n ;D' 

-- 

He hands the customer their iced americano. Phew, rush hour has just ended. It was quite a busy day this morning, but now his shift should go as usual, nice and quiet. It is these times when he writes his essays and completes his assignments, the environment of the cafe fueling his productivity. 

He is wiping the counters when the bell chimes. He turns around, ready to great the customer with his usual monotone greeting, though he stops in his tracks when he sees you at the door.  To be honest, he hadn't stopped thinking about you since the signing event. So much that his friends, Yuji and Nobara, started teasing him for having a crush.

And there you are, in all your glory, looking around the cafe, headphones around your neck and tote bag on your shoulder. Your eyes do a double take when they find his. 

"Hey! I know you!" 

"You....do?" He had expected you to forget all about him.

"Yeah, your'e Megumi Fushiguro, right? I hope I'm right, else this is really really embarrassing." 

He rubs at his nape as he looks away, eye contact being almost too much for him. 

"Yes, that's me."

You walk up to the counter with a skip in your step. "I hope you still remember me," you tease. 

"I... do remember. What would you like to order?" For some unknown reason, he really wants to know how you enjoy your coffee. Latte, espresso, americano, or plain black? Or would you just get tea instead? Would you like a pastry with it, or would you get a sandwich instead? What does it matter to him anyways? 

Your eyes skim the menu, blissfully unaware of his myriad of thoughts. It doesn't take long for your e/c eyes to find his. "I'll get a mocha frappé, please. Oh, and a chocolate croissant with that too." 

It takes him a moment to ask. "To go?" 

"No, I'll be staying, it seems like a nice place, calm and quiet," you remark. 

He nods. Should he say something back? If so, what? Or should he just keep quiet? You decide for him, sitting at a table nearest to the counter. You take out a laptop, one decorated with multiple stickers. It pulls a ghost of a smile on Megumi's lips. It seemed a lot like you to do that. 

He prepares your order, keeping one eye on you as you type away on your laptop. Are you writing your next book? If so, would he be able to get a peak when he delivers your order? Or are you just answering emails? He still needs to do his assignments, would he even be able to concentrate with you here? 

You smile at him when he sets your frappé and croissant on your table. Why is it so hot in here? Should he tell his boss to get the air conditioner fixed? 

He doesn't have the courage to smile back, not that that would be his usual reaction to something like this. He returns to counter and pulls out his own laptop. He would look like a creep, standing there, staring at you, doing nothing. So this was the best possible option, even if his mind kept drifting to the absolute wonder six feet away from him. 

Two hours, three to-go customers and a few assignments later, you stretch your arms in your chair. Of course, he notices, even though he keeps his eyes locked on his screen. 

You tilt your head at him. "I assume you're doing your assignments?" 

Your unexpected question gives him an excuse to look at you. "Huh? Yeah." 

You smile. "What major are you?"

"Creative Writing," he replies. 

"Need any help? I'm good at brainstorming, you know?" 

"You want to help? Don't you have your own work to do?"

"It's gotten a bit boring, right now. Anyways, anything for my biggest fan," you say with a sly smirk on your lips. He hopes you don't realize how much you fluster him. 

You take his silence as a yes. Hopping over to the counter, you gesture for him to turn the laptop towards you. You read the prompt and hold your chin as you think. 

When you finally do get an idea, you share it with Megumi, conversing with him the best possible ways to go about it, sharing various tips and tricks. And Megumi swears he has never felt happier. 

-- 

This becomes a regular occurrence between you and Megumi. You place the same order everyday (he prepares it before you come), write a couple of words for your next book, and then proceed to help Megumi (who has started to sit next to you instead of leaning on the counter all the time). 

He learns that you moved to Japan, permanently. You also tell him the idea for your next book. It makes him feel special, knowing he is your only fan who knows such confidential information. Months pass with the same routine, your bond strengthening everyday. He sees you as a friend now, too. He doesn't learn you considered him one from the start. 

A phone call disrupts the calm between you two, one winter day. The heater works overtime to keep you both warm, though he wouldn't mind lending you his jacket, if you asked so. 

He picks up the phone call. "Hello?" 

"Heya, Megumi! How's my favorite child doing?" asks an obnoxiously loud voice. It wouldn't be Gojo if he didn't.  

"What is it, Gojo?" 

A dramatic gasp is heard. "How mean, I don't remember raising you like this. Must've been Suguru." 

"Get to the point."

"Okay, okay, chill. Me and Suguru want you to come spend Christmas dinner with us! It has been quite lonely since Tsumiki moved to Australia. You'll come, right? You wouldn't want to make your dads sad, right?"

Megumi rubs his forehead. "Fine, I'll come."

"Oh and you'll bring a girl too, right? Or guy, you know we don't judge."

"Uh..."

"If not, there's always the neighbor's girl, I've seen her eyeing you. Suguru wants to set you two up!"

"No!" You turn to look at him with concern. He lowers his voice, "No, I have someone..." 

Gojo's surprise can be felt through the phone. "Really?! OH MY GOD, my boy's finally grown up! Can you tell I'm tearing up right now? Well, I can't wait to meet the lucky person! Make sure to bring them over! I have to go now, adult responsibilities and all. See you on Christmas!"

Megumi groans as the call ends. What has he gotten himself into? How will he find someone now? 

"You good, Megumi?" You ask, worry etched on your face. 

"Yes, it's just... I have a problem."

You are too kind. You rush to help. "What is it? Is there anyway I can help?"

"I have to go to a Christmas dinner with my family, but I lied about having someone to bring," he answers. What did he even expect you to do? Turn back time? 

"I could go with you." 

Okay, he did not think of that. "What? Are you sure?"

"I mean, yeah. I don't have any plans on Christmas, anyways. Besides, it'll be just like in the books!" 

"My guardians, they might be a bit much..."

"Don't worry," you say confidently, "I'll wow them with my undeniable charisma!"

A small smile appears on his face, one almost unnoticeable if you hadn't learn't the meaning behind every small twitch of his face. He doesn't need to know that, though. 

And so, the two great minds formulate a plan that even the best strategists would be jealous of. 

--

You stand next to Megumi, infront of his front door, holding hands. This was all planned out perfectly. You even got to go to his dorm a couple weeks ago, where he gave you powerpoint presentations on both of his dads, even a little on his sister as well ("Why are your dads kindaaa..." "Please, don't.") . You had taken notes. The two men didn't know what was waiting for them. 

A man with long black hair tied into a bun opens the door. You know this man as Geto. He lets you both in.

His purple eyes land on your intertwined hands. A soft smile graces his lips. "So Satoru really was telling the truth then."

The mentioned man springs out of seemingly nowhere and engulfs Megumi in a hug. "Megumi, my boy!" 

Gojo's eyes drift over to you, his own eyes widening a bit. "You must be Megumi's special person." 

You nod, as a blush creeps up your face. "Nice to meet you both, I'm Y/n." 

Gojo opens his mouth to perhaps bombard you with questions, but is stopped by Geto. "At least let them eat first." 

--

Gojo stares at you suspiciously as you smile politely at him. Megumi and Geto sit anxiously next to their respective partners. Blue eyes narrow at you. 

"His favorite color?"

"Black," you respond calmly. 

"Blood type?" 

"B."

"How does he like his chicken?"

You take a strategic bite of your food, this buys you more time to answer. 

"Breast meat in chicken Nanban and thigh meat in Oyakodon." 

Gojo gasps dramatically. Megumi says he does that a lot. 

"So you really are his girlfriend!"

You polite smile does not falter. But both your hearts beat faster at the thought. "I would hope so." 

Megumi finally intercepts. "No more questions, Gojo. This isn't an interrogation."

Geto finally gets a chance to speak up. "So how did you two meet up?", he asks, ignoring Megumi's glare. 

You smile fondly at the memory, but that is not the story you both decided to go with. "I frequent the cafe he works at. One thing led to another and well," you shrug humorously. 

Gojo opens his big mouth again. "I'm so happy Megumi finally found someone! He has always been so aloof and stoic, I can't believe he finally found someone he actually likes! You know, as a kid, he used to wet his bed every night," he smiled fondly, wiping a fake tear. 

Megumi glares at him. "I did not."

"You so did. I have pictures, I'll show her some later!"

"I will hit you."

--

The rest of the dinner goes by smoothly. Gojo and Geto give personal recounts of how they met, and then show you pictures of Megumi and his sister as children. Megumi can't stop his heart from racing. You fit in perfectly. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this was real? If you were actually his? 

It just so happens that a snowstorm blocks you all in. Going back home wouldn't be possible in this weather, and so you both must stay the night. Geto slyly suggests that you both share Megumi's room, as Tsumiki wouldn't like giving her room up to stranger while she was gone. 

This is why you and Megumi both stand in front of his bed, one that would not fit two 20 year olds if they wanted some distance. Sleeping on the floor is not an option, for it is too cold. You both are readers and are quite familiar with the one bed trope, which explains the furious blushes on your faces. 

You turn to him, wearing his clothes that he lent as pajamas. "So..."

He looks back at you. "Yeah..."

"Well..."

"Mhm..."

"Okay..."

"I'm sorry, Y/n. I shouldn't have put you in such a situation."

"It's uh...cool." 

"Should we..."

"Sure..."

Awkwardly, you both climb into his bed, lying on your sides facing each other. It makes you smile. "Hi."

He gives back a small smile. "Hello."

"You come here often?", you joke.

This emits a small chuckle from him. But it doesn't take long for guilt to flood his eyes. "Truly, though, I'm sorry for dragging you into this--"

"I came of my own free will, remember."

"--you must be quite uncomfortable--"

"Nah, you're actually really warm, might just snuggle up."

"--I...don't know what to say when you say stuff like that?"

"Oh really?", you raise a brow, "Like what? That I wanna cuddle you? Let a girl dream, Fushiguro."

"Like stuff you don't mean."

"I do mean it, though. I think you're very nice, and kind, and cool, and handsome, and pretty at the same time. I like how passionate you can be, even though you may not express your feelings much. It doesn't matter to me if you don't talk much, because I'll talk enough for the both of us. I like you, Megumi Fushiguro. Do you like me?" 

"I...," Megumi's eyes are wide, his heart beating too fast to be normal. "I do, of course. Thank you..."

"For what?", you smile.

He doesn't answer. He only stares at you in awe. This wasn't just the person whom he had admired for years. This was the girl who sat next to him everyday, who helped him with his assignments, even though he never told you he didn't need it, the girl who learned every detail about him in order to convince his family that they're dating. This was the girl he loved. 

His eyes drift to your lips. "Can I...?"

With your nod, he leans down to your face, his hands cupping your cheeks. His breath hits your lips, eyes fluttering shut. And when he kisses you, you both swear it is the happiest you have been. 

[miss-vanta-likes-to-write]

I'm thinking about König and his three kids you managed to give him from this post. Two sons and a daughter, and your daughter is the ring leader.

He marries you two days after you tell him you were pregnant with the boys. (It's a cute courthouse wedding and he insist that Kim *Horangi*be the witness to your union.)

You both argue about you working and he expresses how he has enough income for you and all of the little babies he's gonna put into you. He's thinking at least six kids!

You are thinking about pushing out six kids and you tell him "absolutely not Sir."

You both compromised on three (four if your second pregnancy is twins again. You're thankful that it's just the one girl. His babies are grown big, and you now have 3 under two a circus, really)

Your sons names are Lukas and Leon

Your daughter is named Charlotte (But she is called Lottie by her dad)

Speaking of König, I hc that König is his last name, but people really think it's a call sign (lol his first name Mathias)

When he's on deployment or needs to be stationed on base for extended periods, he hires a nanny to help you around the house.

Every night König video calls you and the children, he tells them bed time stories that he remembers his Oma telling him.

When he is home, the kids are glued to him. He can't take two steps without Lukas or Leon following after him. Lottie makes it known that she doesn't acknowledge you. (All three of them are traitors really)

You adore how sweet your husband is with his kids. He's stern when needed and breaks up fights between his boys. He doesn't believe in spanking. (His own father before the bastard left and never came back was abusive he never wants to harm his kids)

His daughter though? He genuinely thinks she can do no wrong!

"My Daddy, my Daddy, My Daddy" to death the second she starts talking. Her first words were "Dada," you were distraught, honestly. But you do love how he treats her. He teaches his sons to treat their sister and you well with respect. Won't even tolerate anything less.

Very much a "She's your mother, but she's my wife" type of Dad.

Out of your 3 kids, it's Lottie that's the ring leader for trouble. Lukas is often trying to descalate her, and Leon encourages and enables. So when they get in trouble it's often König that gives them a stern talking to.

You frowned at your husband. "Mathias, you can't keep telling our kids to just assault people when they are insulted!" Your kids have all been expelled from school over fighting again. "We are not raising hooligans!"

König sighed and smiled sweetly at you "meine geliebte Frau" He presses a kiss to your forehead, "our children will only have each other should something ever happen to us. We aren't raising hooligans. We are raising children who defend themselves and demand respect ja?"

You aren't moved by his sweet but true words. Your body leans into his, enjoying his warmth and tight embrace. "We need a new start. Somewhere the kids won't be called the hellion trio." You pout.

He hums in thought, "Fine, pick somewhere, and we will move there. New start for my wife."

König is not happy you chose England of all places. You have family out in that neck of the woods you tell him. More help with the kids when he's stationed at base or deployed.

Your kids don't mind the move at first but can't stand the weather. Lottie though has suddenly amassed a nice collection of raincoats and rain boots that are all color coordinating.

But that's besides the point. Because not even four months into the new school year, your kids have detention for fighting. But in the end your kids end up being friends with the other two kids named Tommy and Oliver Riley.

You and Mrs. Riley, get along great! You both plan play dates and get togethers for the kids.

A shame that your husbands don't like each other.

[noxlotl]

Hello! So sorry to bother you if this was asked before, but I really enjoy looking at your animations and progress throughout 2023-2024 and it inspires me so much!! So could you please tell how do you learn animation? Where did you begin? Did you just watch some pro animators and learn from them all by yourself or did you attend any courses?

Your artworks are really fascinating and fantastic and I just can't stop looking at them, you are a great artist! I wish to learn more from you :]

Thank you for your time and have a nice day!!

(apologies for the late response i rarely open tumblr on PC;;o;;)

I learned animation basically by just watching tutorials online^^ Alan Becker's animation principle video is a great introduction. I also learned a lot by scrubbing animation clips, I use the video player Keyframe MP to go through a video frame by frame. It helped me learn about timing and spacing, as well as how pros push dynamic poses. Sakugabooru is a good site to find amazing animation clips (shame the UI is shit haha) Settei dreams has some great anime artbooks. It also helps having someone critic your work?idk how to find that tho, a discord server might help but of course youd have to make sure thats someone who actually knows what theyre talking about lol ((quick storytime: Years ago, I once got invited to this learning animation server and as a newbie they were so helpful and inspiring (they were more advance than me) and now a lot of the people who were there , I now see in credits of really amazing animated series/projects .Really happy for them : D )) In case you wanna go for making YT animatics , I suggest learning a bit about storyboards ( for better compositions) .

Thank you so much^^ I'm still learning and have actually been slacking on that department ( been focusing on illustrations lol). I'm happy you find my silly drawing inspiring ~ <3

[suzukiblu]

If we are highlighting specific characters (re:the bart asks) I just want to say as far as less-popular characters, I love love love your portrayal of Bernard! Not sure if he's in anything other than think pink, the very most recent update of interdimensional kidnapping (which I was SO overjoyed about), and the timberkon soulmate au of yours. If there's any I've missed, I'd love to know!! I just think his perspective is so silly and fun the way you write him!! His character has the potential to be a very cool non-hero/vigilante perspective that is relatively moldable given that there's not a whole lot canon-wise on him, and I think you have really done a great job at making him a delight to read!

Ty! 💛💛 I find Bernard very enjoyable to write, hah, I try my best to balance him between his OG "weirdest dude in Tim's civilian life" characterization and current "most normal dude in Tim's vigilante life" characterization, YES I fully consider him that despite the pain cult and also his taste in men, lol.

ummmmm lemme see what I've got besides those three, I don't think there's a TON of others but one sec while I double-check my WIP list, haha, OKAY:

Kon is not a virgin (( chrono || non-chrono )) - Kon asks Bernard if it's okay to have sex with Tim for reasons that are definitely not trauma-based whatsoever. Definitely not! [ past rape/sexual assault; will eventually be nsfw ]

weird amnesia Timberkon (( chrono || non-chrono )) - This one I suspect is the one you will most enjoy of the WIPs I am currently linking you, given it's specifically from Bernard's perspective and also leans into the silly/fun/genre-savvy version of his perspective ( and also, like, people seem to like it probably the most of these WIPs ). Though also it contains some Emotional Doom(tm), definitely, hah. Bernard does not know why Superboy is so bad at secret identities and Tim does not know who "Superboy" is. And neither does anyone else. :)

honorable mentions for "so far Tim has just internal-monologued about Bernard but this AU is eventually gonna be some flavor of polyam and also smutty, yes that IS a very specific category, thank you for noticing, it isn't a lot but it IS weird that it's happened twice!":

stray cat strut (( chrono || non-chrono )) - Tim goes to a totally normal charity event for a pet rescue center and everything is totally normal. Especially the pets. All the pets are SO normal. [ eventual nsfw ]

Timkon xeno (( chrono || non-chrono )) - Tim has a fight with Bernard, finds out Kon has a very inconvenient alien breeding cycle to deal with, gets safeworded and cockwarmed, and cannot get his boyfriend to text him back or his best friend to talk to him, not necessarily all in that order. Text-resistant boyfriends may ( eventually ) be closer than they appear. ( also, for clarification purposes because infidelity is a personal dealbreaker for me and I haaaaate to read it, no cheating occurs in this fic: this is a "pre-established hall pass meets Pon Farr" situation, Tim just feels kinda shitty about it due to the timing. ) [ nsfw ]

Also Bernard will likely cameo/get namedropped in a couple of the longfics I'm working on and I do have at least one more WIP that he is def gonna show up and get some dedicated screentime in, but that specific development is both a ways off and a lil' bit spoilery so we're not gonna clarify which one it is just yet, haha. And eventually I might write "Tim gets a(nother) Pocket", as another installment in the "[ CHARACTER ] gets a Pocket" series that I've got.

[ikkyfics]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! With the arrival of the Oscars, I decided it was time to create my own celebration – a tribute to the stories that make us laugh, cry and daydream.

This is a day to celebrate the magic of words, the talent of authors and the worlds that come from their incredible imaginations!

The ceremony is just beginning!

⋆˚࿔ on a tuesday by @helloheyhihowdyheya

Life had been a bit lonely – that is until Peter Parker brightened up your life. On a Tuesday. And when that friendship seems to fizzle out on a Tuesday? You’re sure the universe is playing some sort of trick on you.

First of all, I owe an apology for commenting so late on this phenomenal work, my sincere apologies. I remember the happiness I felt when I found this work on ao3, I simply devoured every word and went through ups and downs while reading. You are SO SO good, this is simply the best Spidey fic I have ever had the pleasure of reading in my entire life, I simply fell in love with the way you write. It is surreal, sublime. You are definitely one of my inspirations.

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⋆˚࿔ did it hurt? by @fear-is-truth

Tate Langdon was the reason I started watching ahs and finding this work was simply amazing. I mean, I was simply disoriented in this scene and then I find a work about it? It's a sublime work, it was the first fic I read by Tate on Tumblr and I was simply devastated. God, you write in such an incredible way, I wish I could be a little like you (and a small confession: I could hardly believe it when we became moots, I almost died)

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⋆.˚࿔ hide n’ seek by @fear-is-truth

Tate again, I was just obsessed with it and you write so well, I'm sorry if I sounded like a stalker. I'm just completely in love with the way you write it. It's perfect, there's no other way to describe it, I can only thank you for sharing your masterpiece with us

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⋆˚࿔ bratting out by @fear-is-truth

Kit Walker, what can we say about him? I had barely gotten over Tate and then Kit came along, and to this day I haven't gotten over this character. I can't, Kit is basically husband material. I didn't know I needed your fic until I read it. And gosh, I couldn't get it out of my head for the rest of the day. It's perfect, period. I can't be happy just because I read this wonder. Seriously, you write in a surreal way. I'm speechless, because the truth is that there aren't enough words in any language to describe how AMAZING you are. That's it, I definitely love you.

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⋆˚࿔ third wheel payback by @gingerteafairy

You and Todd hatch a plan to fake-date as a payback but things spiral a little out of control.

My love, how could I begin to talk about the wonders that you write? It's surreal, I can't put into words how lucky I am to be able to call you a friend. I can only thank you for posting this fantastic work. And yes, you were a pioneer in Todd Haynes fics, nothing else matters. I love it, I'm simply in love with this work, with the way you write. It's perfect, simple as that. It's one of my comfort readings, I can't put into words how much I loved it.

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⋆˚࿔ eyes up by @gingerteafairy

Dave can't stop staring

This is just perfect. It's basically canon. I can't get Dave Lizewski's idea of ​​acting this way out of my head. I think it's incredible how you managed to capture his essence. It's talent, I think. In fact, I'm absolutely amazed. You're simply one of the most talented people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I love you a million times over.

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⋆˚࿔ the great guide for jailbirds in love by @gingerteafairy

Tough times shows up after prision. His only alternative? Working miles away from home. The name of the place was almost faded, but he could still make it out: Last Chance Market

First of all, you were the one who influenced me to watch this movie, and it's also your fault that I became completely obsessed with Warren (I'll never get over the bathroom scene). and then when I think I'm -minimally- ready to move on, you come up with this. I'M HARDLY IN LOVE WITH DAD!WARREN. this was without a doubt one of the best reads of all time. I just want to be the mother of his children, simple as that. please, for the sake of everything that is most sacred in the world, never stop writing.

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⋆˚࿔ is that pr— I mean, a stag? by @wintrsoul

James sought you out after your argument in an entirely different way.

First of all, I'm so so happy to be getting to know you better. I couldn't put into words how amazing and sweet and kind you are. I loved, loved, loved this work. It's SO accurate. I can't get it out of my head that this is canon. James Potter would act exactly this way. Nothing and no one can get it out of my head. I only have compliments to give you, darling, and even then they wouldn't be enough to describe how wonderful you are.

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⋆˚࿔ completely waste by @babsworlds

Dave gets very very drunk and say some things that really catch you off guard.

I was simply enchanted by this work, it's even hard to put into words how much I loved it. Seriously, you write divinely well, I'm in a serious case of passion with your work. Simply addicted. Thank you so much for deciding to share your incredible work with us. I would die happy if I had a Dave Lizewski to call mine written by you. I simply loved the way you wrote it, it's very refined and, God, I just love you, that's it

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⋆˚࿔ boudoir photoshoot by @kquil

You have your bridesmaids show James, your, now, husband, polaroid samples from your boudoir photoshoot on your wedding night while you enjoy his reactions from afar

After reading this sublime work, I have only one request: JAMES POTTER, FOR ALL THAT IS HOLY IN THE WORLD, MARRY ME. I simply could not stop smiling while reading. God, you write so, so well that I am sure you are a celestial being among mere mortals like me. I am simply in love with the way you wrote James, it is surreal, I absolutely love him--just as I love you, seriously, you are one of the kindest and sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

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⋆˚࿔ santa’s in town by @meelusinee

in which you dress james up as santa to surprise your kid

I can perfectly remember the day I read this and fell completely in love with Dad!James. Oh, love, I can't even describe how sweet and amazing you are. One of the first people I had the pleasure of meeting on tumblr and you were so so so kind, I can only thank you. And you are so absolutely talented, I have no words, thank you so much for sharing this incredible work with us.

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⋆˚࿔ periods by @iamgonnagetyouback

sirius black x reader who is on her period and the mood swings are not helping (sirius, they're not helping sirius)

This was one of those reads that warmed my poor heart, I absolutely loved every word, I am completely enchanted by the way you write, I am absolutely coming back to read more of your amazing work

I couldn't help but mention a few more AMAZING people. @leeny-leens I fell in LOVE with your works (especially the one where the heater is broken) but I couldn't find your masterlist to link it here, but know that I'm sending you all the love in the world. I love our conversations, honey

To the dear @moonyswifee, I only have words of the utmost affection. I'm so happy that you decided to publish your work with us, all I can do is thank you

@beaucate, oh my gosh, I don't even know where to begin. You are so, SO talented, my jaw dropped reading your work, and it's kind of your fault that my obsession with Clark Kent is back, thank you so much for deciding to share your incredible writing talent with us

My dear lovely @sun-kissy, you are simply one of the sweetest and kindest people on all of tumblr, I always smile when interacting with you. Seriously, you are impossibly sweet, thank you so much for existing

(and forgive me the late mention) @bohnerrific69, I couldn't not mention you. I don't know what I would do without your help on tumblr. Thank you so much for your patience in all those explanations. And your blog is simply a feast for the eyes. I don't know if I'm living or waiting to be able to marvel at your work. I love you, that's it, you are simply extraordinary, so much so that I lack words.

I can only thank you for having met amazing people here, you are all SO amazing and wonderful, I don't have enough words to thank you, so I'm just sending all the love I have to you xoxo

[thetadispatcher]

The android nodded in agreement, at least there were humans that understood his methods and saw no problem with them. Even if Bishop was the first human he'd met that agreed with him, and his system had already calculated the likelihood of him meeting more to be slim, he could still appreciate that maybe one day he'd get to work with a human who wouldn't complain about his work ethics.

"If only I could get the humans, and androids, I work with to understand, although I see no possibility of that happening. Shame really, but such is life. Once you develop freewill, everything you do will be scrutinized differently, instead of them simply chalking it up to a machine being cold and unfeeling." Even if Gavin did occasionally question if the RK900 was truly deviant or just pretending. Something he'd never give the human a straight answer for, he felt it was a good chance for the detective to prove his skills, and just a good opportunity to mess with the man more.

John glanced at Bishop, raising his eyebrow slightly as he listened to the man talk about the fact there was a human version of him. "Hm... Well, even being human can't stop the military from getting their hands on me. Good to know, I had wondered that once." It had only been a brief thought, and not one he felt would ever be answered. But it seemed like anything was possible, so he'd have to take that into consideration when wondering things in the future.

"I can say Peter cares about me, although I sometimes suspect that's just due to me being the first deviant he actually got to experience. Another of Cyberlife's great plans, hide the units they lied about destroying with employees, and people they could trust to keep quiet about it. Catherine, his Cyberlife friend, made a pretty good argument for him being a good candidate for that activity. Didn't bother to warn him as they thought he already knew thanks to her, so he was a bit freaked out the day he came home from work and found me in his old apartment... I might've ruffed him up a bit more then necessary, but I wasn't prepared for him to start trying to fight me."

John couldn't blame Peter for reacting how he had to a stranger showing up in his home unannounced, and Peter didn't hold it against the android for defending himself against a clearly panicked human. But they did eventually get things worked out after he'd managed to restrain the young man, and prove to him he wasn't actually there to harm him.

"Oh, the talking corpse." Nines said calmly, ignoring Hugh giving him a shocked look at his choice of words. "I'm not shocked to hear he has a bond with another version of John, for having very different personalities they get along quite well. Although it seems things went down a more tragic path for them, if the smell of a roughly five month old corpse that been sitting on the ocean floor is any indicator." Hugh attempted to silence the RK900 by giving the unit a harsh shove to his shoulder and a very upset look.

Nines just gave him a bored look, as if he saw no problem with how blunt he was being about the odd man currently in the house. "I can provide further evidence, such as the black gel on his body. Any normal human would clean that from their skin, but he hasn't. So, that would lead one to believe it might be part of the reason why he's up and about." He glanced at John as the android wirelessly criticized him then shifted his focus to Bishop. "Am I correct?"

Kelvin didn't respond through the link as the damage he'd suffered made his attempts turn into a garbled mess of useless noise that overwhelmed whoever he was linked with, and he wasn't actually used to hearing the other speak through the link clearly since it was usually a dull buzz for him.

He perked up a bit upon being able to make out actual words through the low droning sound in his mind, to which he eagerly nodded as he understood what was being asked of him.

He allowed her access to his memories from the day he was damaged, the data was corrupted, but he felt there was enough still intact to be useful.

The memory file opened to the sound of a helicopter, briefly showing that to his left there was a vast ocean and his right there was another android in a similar outfit to his with an island visible out the window. The image of a human male on a laptop sat across from the other unit flashed before being distorted by the corruption, causing a lapse in time before the memories cleared.

Kelvin was back looking out the window at the water below before the window cracked, seconds later he was being tossed around the helicopter as it lost control. The helicopter came to a halt on the top of a cliff face, the landing jarring a door open causing the other android to fly from the aircraft and plummeting into the ocean below.

His system had been sending messages to Cyberlife and the company he was owned by, attempting to alert them of the situation, but his attempts were nothing but panicked jumbled words and code. Something that shouldn't have happened with a non-deviant android.

Kelvin was nearly flung out with the other unit, but had managed to grab hold of the seat. He struggled to pull himself up and back inside, the human reached to help him as he slipped, dangling from the very edge before he too fell into the water. The last sound he ever heard was the his own scream and the crashing of waves growing louder.

Kelvin's memory corrupted as he slammed into the water, shattering the inner mechanics of his ears, and severely damaging his brain as it was violently slammed against it's housing. Error messages flooded his HUD, obstructing his vision, somehow he managed to find his way out of the water as his system registered sand underneath him. The errors and agonizing pain overwhelmed his system, in response he desperately tried to send error reports as he didn't understand what was happening or the pain he was experiencing. Reports that were never received, continuously failing until the function shutdown entirely, leaving the android unable to contact anyone for help.

His memory continued after another time lapse, showing the human once again now looking the unit over, checking his visible damage and testing to make sure he was still functional enough to be useful.

The remaining intact sections of his memory were of the human giving him orders on a notepad that he happily completed without question. Kelvin seemed to believe the man was his friend as the human allowed him to stay inside the shelter he made, gave him tasks, and would scare off or attack the savage island natives Kelvin pointed out to him. The android took the actions as kindness, not that the man saw him as useful and therefoe had decided to keep him around.

Eventually the pair was rescued and returned to civilization, where the human seemed to have been given a choice regarding Kelvin as the company no longer wanted the android. The man glanced at the damaged unit and shook his head, Kelvin was then lead away by a pair of Cyberlife technicians, clearly not understanding what was happening. He kept looking back at the man, waiting for him to follow them. Moments before his system was deactivated did he understand what was going on, he glanced at the doors waiting for the man he'd believed was his friend to come save him before everything went black.

The next time he opened his eyes was to a very confused Peter staring down at him then looking at an equally perplexed Dan, his first thoughts were of him being hopeful that his human friend was coming to take him home. A hope the unit clearly still had, he seemed to believe the human was coming to get him, doing whatever tasks he could find well he waited for the man to arrive.

Sixty watched the two closely, tucking himself behind Strasky as he was still convinced the connection wouldn't end well.

"Oddly, he really doesn't yell, it's more of a calm type of rage. I think he just keeps his voice down 'cause of the more skittish units. He doesn't wanna start yellin' 'nd make 'em think he's gonna start beatin' on 'em, like their old owners did." He could understand why the human restrained himself from simply screaming, instead showing his anger in other ways as to not cause the traumatized units any unnecessary distress.

Ellis tucked the rag into the pocket of his Cyberlife issued coveralls, he had a feeling he'd be needing it again, so he felt it best to carry it on him so he wouldn't have to get up again.

"Yep, we get a warnin' if it's startin' to run low. Most units don't need to get it refilled that often, if ever. But ones like me, we're always gettin' somethin' in our eyes, so it's more of a monthly thing then a yearly. 'nd no, givin' us eye protection never seems to cross our owners minds." At least from the units he'd spoken with, it seemed the humans thought they didn't need to provide safety glasses to androids as their eyes were different from a humans.

"I always just thought it was my owner doin' all the brain dead crap, don't know if it makes me feel better learin' that isn't the case. Ugh, that man... He always felt the need to correct me on the stuff I was made to do, never made any sense to me, but I had to listen. I think he just liked feelin' superior to a machine, even if he was wrong 'nd the reason we were loosin' business... Which I, of course, was blamed for. I seemed to be his go-to when things when wrong, or when he decided to manifest issues." He rolled his eyes before he got back under the vehicle.

"Grade A idiot he was if ya ask me. I like it here a lot more, I can do things my way 'nd no one will try to tell me I'm wrong, or how somethin' I had nothin' to do with was my fault." He preferred his new life over his old one, and he had no desire to even see how his old owner was doing as he rather forget the man ever existed.

It was hard to say what the intention was there. Even Bishop's compliments sounded condescending.

"I can attest to the effectiveness of that method. There is no place for personal feelings while on duty."

Then one could be particularly wise and never stop working to avoid it completely. Bishop shuffled his cards as he waited on the androids. The question got no major reaction out of him other than the vague frown any attempt at asking him to disclose information got. He sat with his back straight, as expected from an agent of his caliber.

"Well, if you want to know about the human that looks like him," he pointed to John, "Claiming that I know him would be an overstatement. We met less than 48 hours ago. The brief conversations we had and all the flattering things I was told hardly make up for that. All I can tell you is that he was in the military and is of particular importance for Strasky."

And he was mostly neutral despite his interest in the skills of a fellow military men.

Willow showed a distinctively cautious approach as well as the link was established. While she had connected to unstable systems before, it was always best to feel around first, before risking to cause additional damage.

Though she was still confident she could handle this and even attempted talking back. "I would like to have a look at your memories. The others here believe it would help them understand you better if they knew how you were damaged. Additionally, I may be able to repair some of it as well."

Rook shrugged, "It isn't really what I'm aiming for with my streams, but I could steal some of those lines. It might throw them off enough to shut up whenever I stop playing to go back to Minecraft. I just can't be bothered and I don't want to scare my pets with random screams."

She made sure to keep her distance, knowing better than to get in the way while somebody was working.

"Yeah, I figured that was the case. Does that mean you've got to refill sometimes? Like wiper fluid or something like that."

[fdelopera]

I'm trying to find the quote about how Jews are painted with the worst sins a generation can imagine. That it used to be communism, now it's settler colonialism - but I cant find it anywhere! Do you know the one I'm talking about? I feel like you might know

Hi @counterpunches , thanks for your question. I believe you are thinking of the keynote speech by the great Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z''l that he delivered before the European Parliament in 2016.

Since Rabbi Sacks delivered his speech, of course, Europe, the UK, and Ireland have continued to descend into the chaos of their own self-destruction, of which Jew-hate is the first major symptom.

These goyishe freaks think they are just having "fun" celebrating Islamofascist terrorism, glorifying in the slaughter of Jews, and attacking the Jews in their own communities, but really these goyim are DIGGING THEIR OWN GRAVES.

Here is the video of Rabbi Sacks' speech. I've also provided the transcript below under a Read More, and I've bolded the sections that relate to your question.

I recommend that everyone listen to Rabbi Sacks' speech. Nearly 10 years after he delivered this speech, his words could not be more true:

If Europe lets itself be dragged down that road again, this will be the story told in times to come. First they came for the Jews. Then for the Christians. Then for the gays. Then for the atheists. Until there was nothing left of Europe’s soul but a distant, fading memory.

Today I have tried to give voice to those who have no voice. I have spoken on behalf of the murdered Roma, Sinti, gays, dissidents, the mentally and physically handicapped, and a million and a half Jewish children murdered because of their grandparents’ religion. In their name, I say to you: You know where the road ends. Don’t go down there again.

You are the leaders of Europe. Its future is in your hands. If you do nothing, Jews will leave, European liberty will die, and there will be a moral stain on Europe’s name that all eternity will not erase.

Stop it now, while there is still time.

Transcript of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks' z''l speech:

The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. That is what I want us to understand today. It wasn’t Jews alone who suffered under Hitler. It wasn’t Jews alone who suffered under Stalin. It isn’t Jews alone who suffer under ISIS or Al Qaeda or Islamic Jihad. We make a great mistake if we think antisemitism is a threat only to Jews. It is a threat, first and foremost, to Europe and to the freedoms it took centuries to achieve.

Antisemitism is not about Jews. It is about antisemites. It is about people who cannot accept responsibility for their own failures and have instead to blame someone else. Historically, if you were a Christian at the time of the Crusades, or a German after the First World War, and saw that the world hadn’t turned out the way you believed it would, you blamed the Jews. That is what is happening today. And I cannot begin to say how dangerous it is. Not just to Jews but to everyone who values freedom, compassion and humanity.

The appearance of antisemitism in a culture is the first symptom of a disease, the early warning sign of collective breakdown. If Europe allows antisemitism to flourish, that will be the beginning of the end of Europe. And what I want to do in these brief remarks is simply to analyse a phenomenon full of vagueness and ambiguity, because we need precision and understanding to know what antisemitism is, why it happens, why antisemites are convinced that they are not antisemitic.

First let me define antisemitism. Not liking Jews is not antisemitism. We all have people we don’t like. That’s OK; that’s human; it isn’t dangerous. Second, criticising Israel is not antisemitism. I was recently talking to some schoolchildren and they asked me: is criticising Israel antisemitism? I said "No" and I explained the difference. I asked them, "Do you believe you have a right to criticise the British government?" They all put up their hands. Then I asked, "Which of you believes that Britain has no right to exist?" No one put up their hands. "Now you know the difference," I said, and they all did.

Antisemitism means denying the right of Jews to exist collectively as Jews with the same rights as everyone else. It takes different forms in different ages.

In the Middle Ages, Jews were hated because of their religion. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century they were hated because of their race. Today they are hated because of their nation state, the state of Israel. It takes different forms but it remains the same thing: the view that Jews have no right to exist as free and equal human beings.

If there is one thing I and my contemporaries did not expect, it was that antisemitism would reappear in Europe within living memory of the Holocaust. The reason we did not expect it was that Europe had undertaken the greatest collective effort in all of history to ensure that the virus of antisemitism would never again infect the body politic. It was a magnificent effort of antiracist legislation, Holocaust education and interfaith dialogue. Yet antisemitism has returned despite everything.

On 27 January 2000, representatives of 46 governments from around the world gathered in Stockholm to issue a collective declaration of Holocaust remembrance and the continuing fight against antisemitism, racism and prejudice. Then came 9/11, and within days conspiracy theories were flooding the internet claiming it was the work of Israel and its secret service, the Mossad. In April 2002, on Passover, I was in Florence with a Jewish couple from Paris when they received a phone call from their son, saying, “Mum, Dad, it’s time to leave France. It’s not safe for us here anymore.”

In May 2007, in a private meeting here in Brussels, I told the three leaders of Europe at the time, Angela Merkel, President of the European Council, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, that the Jews of Europe were beginning to ask whether there was a future for Jews in Europe.

That was more than nine years ago. Since then, things have become worse. Already in 2013, before some of the worst incidents, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights found that almost a third of Europe’s Jews were considering emigrating because of antisemitism. In France the figure was 46 percent; in Hungary 48 percent.

Let me ask you this. Whether you are Jewish or Christian, Muslim: would you stay in a country where you need armed police to guard you while you prayed? Where your children need armed guards to protect them at school? Where, if you wear a sign of your faith in public, you risk being abused or attacked? Where, when your children go to university, they are insulted and intimidated because of what is happening in some other part of the world? Where, when they present their own view of the situation they are howled down and silenced?

This is happening to Jews throughout Europe. In every single country of Europe, without exception, Jews are fearful for their or their children’s future. If this continues, Jews will continue to leave Europe, until, barring the frail and the elderly, Europe will finally have become Judenrein.

How did this happen? It happened the way viruses always defeat the human immune system, namely, by mutating. The new antisemitism is different from the old antisemitism, in three ways. I’ve already mentioned one. Once Jews were hated because of their religion. Then they were hated because of their race. Now they are hated because of their nation state. The second difference is that the epicentre of the old antisemitism was Europe. Today it’s the Middle East and it is communicated globally by the new electronic media.

The third is particularly disturbing. Let me explain.

It is easy to hate, but difficult publicly to justify hate. Throughout history, when people have sought to justify antisemitism, they have done so by recourse to the highest source of authority available within the culture. In the Middle Ages, it was religion. So we had religious anti-Judaism. In post-Enlightenment Europe it was science. So we had the twin foundations of Nazi ideology, Social Darwinism and the so-called Scientific Study of Race. Today the highest source of authority worldwide is human rights. That is why Israel—the only fully functioning democracy in the Middle East with a free press and independent judiciary—is regularly accused of the five cardinal sins against human rights: racism, apartheid, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide.

The new antisemitism has mutated so that any practitioner of it can deny that he or she is an antisemite. After all, they’ll say, I’m not a racist. I have no problem with Jews or Judaism. I only have a problem with the State of Israel. But in a world of 56 Muslim nations and 103 Christian ones, there is only one Jewish state, Israel, which constitutes one-quarter of one per cent of the land mass of the Middle East. Israel is the only one of the 193 member nations of the United Nations that has its right to exist regularly challenged, with one state, Iran, and many, many other groups, committed to its destruction.

Antisemitism means denying the right of Jews to exist as Jews with the same rights as everyone else. The form this takes today is anti-Zionism. Of course, there is a difference between Zionism and Judaism, and between Jews and Israelis, but this difference does not exist for the new antisemites themselves. It was Jews not Israelis who were murdered in terrorist attacks in Toulouse, Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen.

Anti-Zionism is the antisemitism of our time.

In the Middle Ages Jews were accused of poisoning wells, spreading the plague, and killing Christian children to use their blood. In Nazi Germany they were accused of controlling both capitalist America and communist Russia. Today they are accused of running ISIS as well as America. All the old myths have been recycled, from the Blood Libel to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The cartoons that flood the Middle East are clones of those published in Der Sturmer one of the primary vehicles of Nazi propaganda between 1923 and 1945.

The ultimate weapon of the new antisemitism is dazzling in its simplicity. It goes like this:

The Holocaust must never happen again. But Israelis are the new Nazis; the Palestinians are the new Jews; all Jews are Zionists. Therefore the real antisemites of our time are none other than the Jews themselves.

And these are not marginal views. They are widespread throughout the Muslim world, including communities in Europe, and they are slowly infecting the far left, the far right, academic circles, unions, and even some churches.

Having "cured" itself of the virus of antisemitism, Europe is being reinfected by parts of the world that never went through the self-reckoning that Europe undertook once the facts of the Holocaust became known.

How do such absurdities come to be believed? This is a vast and complex subject, and I have written a book about it, but the simplest explanation is this. When bad things happen to a group, its members can ask one of two questions: “What did we do wrong?” or “Who did this to us?” The entire fate of the group will depend on which it chooses.

If it asks, “What did we do wrong?” it has begun the self-criticism essential to a free society. If it asks, “Who did this to us?” it has defined itself as a victim. It will then seek a scapegoat to blame for all its problems. Classically this has been the Jews.

Antisemitism is a form of cognitive failure, and it happens when groups feel that their world is spinning out of control.

It began in the Middle Ages, when Christians saw that Islam had defeated them in places they regarded as their own, especially Jerusalem. That was when, in 1096, on their way to the Holy Land, the Crusaders stopped first to massacre Jewish communities in Northern Europe. It was born in the Middle East in the 1920s with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Antisemitism re-emerged in Europe in the 1870s during a period of economic recession and resurgent nationalism. And it is re-appearing in Europe now for the same reasons: recession, nationalism, and a backlash against immigrants and other minorities. Antisemitism happens when the politics of hope gives way to the politics of fear, which quickly becomes the politics of hate.

This then reduces complex problems to simplicities. It divides the world into black and white, seeing all the fault on one side and all the victimhood on the other. It singles out one group among a hundred offenders for the blame. The argument is always the same. We are innocent; they are guilty. It follows that if we are to be free, they, the Jews or the state of Israel, must be destroyed. That is how the great crimes begin.

Jews were hated because they were different. They were the most conspicuous non-Christian minority in a Christian Europe. Today they are the most conspicuous non-Muslim presence in an Islamic Middle East.

Antisemitism has always been about the inability of a group to make space for difference. No group that adopts it will ever, can ever, create a free society.

So I end where I began:

The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. Antisemitism is only secondarily about Jews. Primarily it is about the failure of groups to accept responsibility for their own failures, and to build their own future by their own endeavours. No society that has fostered antisemitism has ever sustained liberty or human rights or religious freedom. Every society driven by hate begins by seeking to destroy its enemies, but ends by destroying itself.

Europe today is not fundamentally antisemitic. But it has allowed antisemitism to enter via the new electronic media. It has failed to recognise that the new antisemitism is different from the old. We are not today back in the 1930s. But we are coming close to 1879, when Wilhelm Marr founded the League of Anti-Semites in Germany; to 1886 when Édouard Drumont published La France Juive; and 1897 when Karl Lueger became Mayor of Vienna. These were key moments in the spread of antisemitism, and all we have to do today is to remember that what was said then about Jews is being said today about the Jewish state.

The history of Jews in Europe has not always been a happy one. Europe’s treatment of the Jews added certain words to the human vocabulary: disputation, forced conversion, inquisition, expulsion, auto da fe, ghetto, pogrom and Holocaust, words written in Jewish tears and Jewish blood. Yet for all that, Jews loved Europe and contributed to it some of its greatest scientists, writers, academics, musicians, shapers of the modern mind.

If Europe lets itself be dragged down that road again, this will be the story told in times to come. First they came for the Jews. Then for the Christians. Then for the gays. Then for the atheists. Until there was nothing left of Europe’s soul but a distant, fading memory.

Today I have tried to give voice to those who have no voice. I have spoken on behalf of the murdered Roma, Sinti, gays, dissidents, the mentally and physically handicapped, and a million and a half Jewish children murdered because of their grandparents’ religion. In their name, I say to you: You know where the road ends. Don’t go down there again.

You are the leaders of Europe. Its future is in your hands. If you do nothing, Jews will leave, European liberty will die, and there will be a moral stain on Europe’s name that all eternity will not erase.

Stop it now, while there is still time.

[gothamite-rambler]

Wilson: Those people need to go back to their own country!

Nightwing: Their country is America!

Wilson: How dare you defend them?!

Roxanne (a Romani woman wearing a baby carrier, indifferent): I just wanted to buy apples from the farmer's market.

Nightwing: You're ruining her fruit shopping!

Wilson: She can find fruit in her country!

Roxanne (flatly, accustomed to this rhetoric): I'm from Staten Island. It's not great, but it's part of America.

Nightwing: You don’t have to defend yourself. I believe you.

Roxanne: Aww, thanks! I appreciate it. I’m used to guys like Mr. Wilson. He’s been like this since I moved in with my family.

Nightwing: Yeah, I've had to deal with this guy for decade now.

Wilson: I'm just trying to protect my country from those people!

Roxanne: From my great grandma to my current child we were all literally born in Staten Island!

Wilson: Likely story, I bet you grew up in the circus, you damn carny?

Nightwing (taking offense to that): Hey, the circus is a legitimate home for some people! And even if she were from one, that doesn’t make you better than her.

Roxanne (smiling): That’s right! Again, I’m from Staten Island, which is basically a circus.

Wilson: Why the hell are you defending these people?!

Nightwing (speaking from experience): I defend them because they’re people who don’t deserve hate!

Wilson: You’re wrong!

Nightwing (shouting): IT’S MY OPINION!

Wilson placed a hand on his chest shocked at being yelled at.

Roxanne and her child: …

A lanky Romani man walked over holding two fresh avocados, but unfazed by Nightwing being at a farmer's market. This was the fifth time he visited since dealing with Wilson.

Pete (Roxanne's husband, joining her): I found the avocados, but this seems more exciting.

Roxanne: Oh awesome, these look good too. Wilson, go away.

Wilson: I'm not going anywhere!

Nightwing: I think you should leave, sir. Roxy has asked you nicely to leave her and her family alone. Just leave.

Wilson attempted to protest until he realized how much taller and stronger Nightwing was compared to him and begrudgingly took a step back.

Wilson: Fine, I’ll leave. Hope you're happy you got someone to stick up for you, dirty g—

Nightwing throat-punched the guy with rage in his eyes. Wilson gasped for air, deciding at that point to meekly walk away as well. The couple's baby giggled watching the hobble off. Nightwing sighed, walking.

Nightwing: I gave him a warning and he didn't listen. Ah well.

Roxanne: Hm… Thank you, Nightwing!

Roxanne waved goodbye, holding her little giggling baby's hand as well.

Nightwing (turning slightly): Oh, you’re welcome. Have a good day!

---Later, while Nightwing and Batman are investigating together---

Nightwing (explaining the situation): And he just kept talking and talking. He'd already used the G word before that, and I tried to stay calm. Like… Batman, I really tried.

Batman (agreeing): I believe you, and I don’t blame you.

Nightwing (surprised): See I knew you would say- Hold up, you don't blame me? Are you not mad?

Batman: Nope. You've told me this Wilson guy has been a racist nuisance for years. This was a one-off incident. I'm proud of you for holding back as long as you did. I can't say the same—I would've punched him if he called you that word.

Nightwing: Really? Aww, Batman, that’s so sweet.

Batman: And that was my sentimental side done for the night. Ready?

Nightwing (chuckling): Yeah.

[loveharlow]

SEVEN [POGUELANDIA] - FALLING DOWN

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚[2.9k] Three weeks on Poguelandia and it seems things are looking up just a something starts to come down...

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mentions of injuries, graphic depictions of natural disaster(s),

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ heyyyyy! THIS IS THE LAST POGUELANDIA CHAPTER AND THANK GOD (i loved writing this but i'm more excited for season 3, it's so much dramaaa)

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

“HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK IN THE WATER?” JJ asked as the two of you waded in the middle of the ocean, floating on large pieces of wood. It was early in the afternoon, the sun just reaching its peak. 

“Feels good…” You nodded, admiring the crystal waters beneath you for the first time in weeks. “Great, actually.”

“That’s great, baby.” The blonde smiled, eyes stuck on your glowing figure in front of him. “Hey,” He called in an attempt to gain your full attention. You turned to look at him, eyes locking with his own. “Look, I don’t wanna kill the mood but…I think we should talk.”

You swallowed, tucking a strand of hair behind your hair. “...About?”

“...Kiara.” The boy dragged.

You couldn’t stop your immediate sigh. “I thought we already did.” You snapped slightly — it’d been a week since one of your best friends took it upon herself to risk your relationship to clear her conscience. 

“You’re right…” JJ nodded, paddling closer to you in the water. “But I had some time to think. And I owe her an apology…and so do you.”

You nearly choked on your own words at his statement. “An apology?” You spewed incredulously. “For what? If anything she owes us an apology.”

“Baby, be reasonable about this-”

“I am.”

“You’re not.” He finalized, head dipping down as he fixed a stern look your way. “Look, I love you and it’s because I love you that I gotta tell you — you’re being mean, princess.”

“Mean?-”

“Yes. Mean.” He asserted. “Do you want me to be real with you?” The Maybank boy asked rhetorically, speaking before giving you the proper capacity to answer even if you intended to. “You’re being really harsh about this whole thing. Kiara has been your friend, your closest friend, longer than any of us. You two have literally spent your entire lives together. And correct me if I’m wrong, but she’s been there for you through a lot and kept a lot of secrets to protect you. I get this is weird for you, but think about how hard this is for her. She may not have made the best choices, I’ll admit, but neither have you and neither have I, but you know and I know and all of us know that Kiara would sooner die than do anything to intentionally hurt you or any of us. She’s dealin’ with some seriously complicated shit, baby. And we’re her friends. We’re not supposed to make it worse. You gotta realize she wasn’t out to hurt you. The same way I wasn’t out to hurt you when I lied about what happened in Charleston. The same way you didn’t mean to hurt her.”

You sat in the ambient silence for a moment, contemplating the boy's words. JJ was right, and if he was the one mediating, then there was clearly a problem. You weren’t completely blindsighted — you knew this whole thing hadn’t been easy for yourself or Kie. But you admitted to yourself, you’d been being just as inconsiderate as she was. If not, more so.

“I already talked with her earlier,” JJ continued, eyes glued to your own that were glossing over the more your thoughts raced in your mind. “I apologized for reacting the way I did and we’re okay. I’m not going to do anything on your behalf. All I’m doin’ right now is giving you a push, alright? Kiara is more your family than anyone here. I get it, shit is awkward but you don’t want to lose her. And definitely not like this. I know you don’t. I know you.” He explained, taking one of your hands in his. “Each other is all we’ve got. So, don’t push away one of the only people you have left. Go talk to her.”

“...NEED SOME HELP WITH THAT?” You asked, creeping up behind the brown-haired girl as she stood on her tippy-toes, reaching for the low-hanging fruit on a tree.

She quickly glanced over her shoulder, startled by the unexpected voice before registering just exactly who was offering help and turning away, refocusing on the fruit swinging in front of her as she strained to get it. “No thanks.” She muttered.

You stood awkwardly behind her, rocking back and forth on your feet. Your skin was sticky and slightly cool from the sea water, small grains of sand sticking to your frame. A few moments of silence passed, watching the girl struggle to get the mango taunting her before you decided to try and spark a conversation once more.

“I, uh, I talked to JJ.”

“Well, he’s your boyfriend... I’d expect you to.” She shrugged, finally grasping the fruit with the tips of her fingers and snatching it down with an exasperated sigh and returning flat on her feet, turning on her heels to face you. She drew her lips into a thin line, raising her eyebrows. “Did you need something or…?”

You simply sighed, running a hand through the front of your hair. "I came over here to apologize.”

To your surprise, the girl scoffed before rolling her eyes and walking past you to take a seat on a large log. Your eyes followed her as she sat down, a look of confusion etched on your features. “What?”

“Nothing.” Kiara shrugged, mindlessly fiddling with the fruit in her hands as she avoided eye contact with you. “Did JJ put you up to this? ‘Cause I just find it funny that he apologized this morning and suddenly you’re so eager to patch things up.”

“He didn’t put me up to anything.” You defended. “He suggested it, yeah, but I can make my own decisions-”

“So, he did.” She scoffed. “That’s-”

“Okay, I’ll admit I wasn’t jumping up this morning with the intention of apologizing to you. But JJ helped me see some things that I clearly wasn’t seeing before.” You started, taking a slow and cautious seat next to the girl as she made a point to not look at you. “So, do you want to talk to me or do you want to ignore each other forever?”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Y/N…” Kie sighed, dropping her head as a small breeze drove by. “You said everything I needed to know the night I told you how I felt. And you’ve made it abundantly clear that every since that night, all I’ve done is make your life worse.”

“That’s not true-” You tried.

“But that’s how I feel.” Kiara cut in, finally turning to look at you. “That’s how you’ve been making me feel.” She told you, voice wavering as her eyes softened in the slightest ways. “And I mean, I keep thinking to myself…can I really blame you?” She spoke aloud. “I mean, ever since our freshman year, it’s like everything I do just drags you down. If I hadn’t introduced you to my friend group, you wouldn’t have gotten tangled up with Rafe. If I didn’t kiss JJ in Charleston, maybe our friendship would’ve been more salvageable. Maybe me telling you how I felt would’ve gone differently. Better…”

You couldn’t help but twist your face in something between sadness and utter confusion. “Kie…” You started, voice soft. “I am…so sorry, if I made you feel like you being in my life has made it worse.”

“...Hasn’t it?” She added, eyes welling with tears slowly.

You shook your head quickly, angling your body more towards hers and placing a hand on her shoulder without thought. “Kiara, you have literally been my guardian angel. You and your family were there for me when my dad died, when I moved to Figure Eight you made sure I had friends and didn’t feel like an outcast because you knew what it was like. My situation with Rafe wasn’t at all on you.” You assured her, watching the girl focus her sights on her shoes. “And when he did what he did, you didn’t tell anyone because I asked you not to. It didn’t matter that you thought I should, you respected my wishes. You were ready to fight Rafe when he drugged me and not to mention, you and your parents have been kind enough to give me and Marley a place to stay. From the moment I was born, you made sure I always had a person. And I just threw seventeen years of friendship back in your face.” You listed, your own eyes tearing up now. “...I don’t know why I’ve been acting like you feeling what you feel for me is the end of the world. I can’t excuse it or take back anything I said. But I am genuinely so sorry, for everything. I think…it’s just been so many changes and losses at once for all of us that it just took me by surprise to the point where I took all of my frustrations out on the wrong person. And you didn’t deserve that.”

Kiara sniffled at your words, quickly wiping a stray tear. “...I just, I’ve been trying to do the right thing. I thought, with everything going on, that it’d be better to just get that one thing off of my chest.” She said, voice shaking. “It’d been crushing me for so long. It was like walking around with a boulder on my chest. Everytime I’d see you or you and him together, I just couldn’t take it. I thought saying it and getting it out into the open, or at least out to you, would somehow relieve the guilt that I was feeling. But I shouldn’t have. I was being selfish-”

“No, you weren’t.” You shook your head, letting a stray tear fall. “I should’ve told JJ when it happened. I was so mad at him for what happened in Charleston and I turned around and did the exact same thing. And I shouldn’t have put that pressure on you, either. You had a right to tell him. And what I said to you wasn't okay. All I’ve done since you told me about your feelings is make you feel worse.”

“All I’ve done since I realized my feelings is hurt you.” She let out a watery chuckle. “So, I guess we’re even.” She threw out with a bittersweet smile, placing her hand on top of yours that hadn’t left her shoulder. “Y/N…I don’t know how we’re going to work around this but…I can try.”

“Well, for starters,” You began, letting your hand fall and throwing it out in the direction of JJ who was trying to start a fire. “I know it’s not easy with us practically rubbing it in your face…”

Kiara started shaking her head to the side, scrunching her face together. “No, no. No matter whether you guys make your relationship known or not doesn’t affect me. And even if it did, I’d never ask you to tone down your love for someone to make me feel better.” She immediately shut down your thoughts and turned fully to face you now. “Look, I will get over this. It’s not the end of the world. Maybe one day, we’ll look back on this whole thing and see how stupid it all was.” She said lightheartedly. “...But, seriously. I know it may not seem like it but it’s already gotten easier to see you guys together and talk to you again. So, really. I’ll be fine.” Kiara assured you.

You didn’t offer a verbal response immediately, just a quiet nod as you stared out at the clouds in front of you, hands gripping the log underneath you. “...And the others?” You remembered. “Did you tell them or…?”

Kiara took a deep breath and nodded, glancing over at the remaining group of your friends as they gathered food, rinsed their clothes in the ocean water, and set up for the night. “Yeah, I did…” She trailed off, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “They didn’t really…care? I didn’t expect them to freak out or anything, y’know, but they were so…’eh’ about it, the blank look on their faces was actually kind of funny.” Kiara smiled to herself as you chuckled at her words. “But they agreed — the situation isn’t an easy one. I did things, you did things, JJ did things, and it’s all just messed up. I even got a chance to talk to Cleo and get an actual feel for her. But we’re all each other has. And they said letting something like this ruin one of the longest friendships in the group would be ‘catastrophically stupid’, as Pope put it.” She added. “And I agree.”

“Yeah,” You started. “It would be. And I don’t know what I’d do without you.” You added with a small smile.

“Yeah, I don’t know what you’d do without me either.” The girl joked to which you playfully nudged her shoulder.

“Shut up.” You grumbled with a lopsided smile, throwing an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into a tight embrace, which she eagerly returned. “I’m really sorry.” You spoke into her shoulder.

“Me too.” She softly returned the sentiment when the sound of rapid footsteps bounding your way had the both of you pulling apart and turning towards the direction of the noise to find Sarah and Cleo running your way.

“No, don’t stop, we wanna join!” Sarah screamed, nearly tripping over her own feet as they dug into the sand. Once the pair of girls reached the both of you, they practically tackled the pair of you off of the log and into the sand, forming a messy group hug. “I love this! I love my girls!” Sarah squealed, voice muffled from the embrace.

The four of you fell into a fit of laughter, struggling to breathe under the mess of limbs until you abruptly startled away from one another when a bolt of thunder struck in the sky — a loud crack sound reverberating against your ear drums.

As you released one another and sat up to peer at the sky, you noticed that the once beaming sun was hidden behind an army of grey, stormy clouds, with an occasional spark of lightning behind them. Seconds later, small drops of water hit your skin, one by one — the sand underneath your feet turning from its typical tan color to a sodden shade of brown almost resemblant of brown sugar.

“Get away from the trees!” A voice shouted, all of you turning to your left to find Pope standing out in the open sand with JJ and John B, his hands cupped around his mouth. “Now!” He urged.

The four of you scrambled to your feet, the rain coming down harder by the second. You ran through the sand to reach the guys, shielding your face from the rain as it gained weight and the sand started to pick up with the wind.

“What the hell is goin’ on?!” Cleo asked, trying to move her hair from her face. Her voice was almost lost to the whipping winds that had seemingly risen from nowhere. The sky was now completely grey.

“The storm!” Pope communicated back to her, a hand over his eyes as his shirt whipped around his figure.

“I thought you said it wasn’t coming!” Sarah added, eyes squinted.

“I didn’t think it was! I thought it had passed over us last week!”

“Well, what’re we supposed to do?!” You asked, trying to ignore the roaring winds, quarter-sized raindrops hitting your skin.

“I-” Pope stuttered, quickly glancing at the island around him. “I don’t know! But we can’t stay out in the open like this! The tide’s gonna start rising and I don’t know how far past the shoreline it’s gonna go! And the trees aren’t safe from the lightning right now!”

“We got that, Pope!” John B retorted. “But we don’t have anywhere to go!”

“Nowhere?!” Kie asked like the statement was ridiculous. “Nobody found anything in the three weeks we’ve been here?!”

“Have you?!” John B shot back.

“Shut up!” JJ threw in, looking behind him at the rolling waves in the ocean before turning back to you all. “I know a place we can go!”

“What?!” You started. “Where?!”

“I don’t have time to explain!” He told you, now walking in your direction. “Just follow me!” He urged the rest of your friends, taking your hand in his and heading in the forest of trees. 

“Wait, JJ!” Pope protested, slowing in his steps but still following. “The trees aren’t safe!”

“Then we better run!” The blonde called over his shoulder before quickly sweeping you off of your feet and managing to swing you onto his back with some assistance from you. “We can make it! But we gotta move!”

As the seven of you disappeared into the forest, you looked behind you as JJ carried you to wherever he was leading the group. Your eyes were glued to the makeshift fire pit, the pile of leaves you’d been using as beds, and the fruit pile you all had been living off of for the past three weeks. 

Poguelandia was a dream but it was clear that this dream didn’t come without some nightmares. By the time this storm passed, you knew everything you all had built for the past few weeks would be gone with the wind once you returned. And you couldn’t help but wonder — would you and your friends restart or was it finally time to start finding ways back home?

[mj-iza-writer]

So, I know this may look a little scary. There is a lot of Russian as it is set in Russia (it only makes sense that characters speak their native language). This story gave me a lot of practice with Russian, which I needed. All of the Russian has been highlighted with the English translation next to it. I hope everyone enjoys. Special thanks to @weirdthingweee who helped with planning this story.

"Radimir, are you sure I can't use my cane?", Whumpee held tightly onto their friend's hand, "it would be a little easier for both of us if you had a free hand."

"Unfortunately, the Metro is at its busiest. You would be hitting a lot of people's ankles with your guide staff", Radimir looked around, "it's best that you don't let go until we both get on the train. That way, I won't lose you."

"Извините (pardon me)", Whumpee heard Radimir.

"It's so weird being somewhere and not understanding anything of what's going on. The announcements, the mix of everyone talking. Plus being blind anyways", Whumpee giggled lightly, "kind of more awkward than normal."

"Yes, I have that type of sensory overload in the bussier parts of America", Radimir turned, "and in the countries that I do not speak the language. We've got to go."

"Wait?", Whumpee frowned.

"Слепой ироходит (blind person coming through)", Radimir pulled a little quicker, causing Whumpee to stumble and fall.

Without looking, Radimir hurried to grab a hand and hurried onto the train.

"Sorry I caused you to stumble, there were a lot of people going for the tra....", Radimir turned to see that they were not holding Whumpee's hand.

The stranger seemed just as confused.

"Извини (sorry)", Radimir quickly released the stranger's hand.

"Спасибо, что помогли мне сесть на поезд (thanks for helping me get on the train)", the person grinned sheepishly.

"Пожалуйста (don't mention it)", Radimir turned quickly, "now where is Whumpee?", they frowned as the doors closed, "no no no."

They got to the door just in time to see someone helping Whumpee off of the ground.

"No no no...  fuck", Radimir moved slightly as the train started to go, "the one thing I didn't want to happen. Now I have a blind American lost in Russia."

Whumpee felt a hand grab them and help them up.

"Thank.. uh спасибо (thankyou)", Whumpee whimpered.

The person helped them to a seat, said something else, and walked away.

Whumpee hurried to pull their papers out: identification, passport, and a note that Radimir had written to explain the situation. They were told that if anyone were to approach them, they needed to hand those items over.

If Radimir did manage to lose them, they needed to stay in one spot until Radimir got back to them. The only way that could change was if the politsiya (Russian police) took them into custody. They were to follow orders, and hope someone spoke English. The note Radimir had written would again hopefully help.

Whumpee shivered slightly. They still had a chill from the outside air.

"This is great", Whumpee mumbled, "I'm lost, I have no way of reaching out to Radimir. I can't see, I can't understand anything. I know there is a possibility, but I hope Radimir gets me before the police do. I don't want to go into custody."

Whumpee blinked away tears.

As time passed the station was growing quiet.

Someone had checked on Whumpee a few times. They had read the note and looked at the passport and identification.

Whumpee was getting more anxious every time the person came by.

Whumpee's heart sank when a group of people could be heard coming closer. Whumpee gulped when they felt them stop in front of them.

Whumpee shakingly handed their papers over.

"We... are... politsiya. You... come... now", they ordered.

Whumpee gulped again, but nodded.

Thirty minutes later, Radimir hurried off the train. They checked everywhere, but Whumpee was gone.

"Great", Radimir sighed. Their phone vibrated, "great", they recognized the number.

"Здравствуйте, ето Radimir (polite hello, this is..)", they sighed.

"Здравствуйте, ето Aleksandr", the person responded, "уа из полиции (I am with the police). Мы взяли под стражу человека, который принадлежит вам (we took somebody into custody who belongs to you)."

"Да, я хочу вернуть их (yes, I want to get them back)", Radimir sighed, "могу ли я прийти и забрать их? (Can I come get them?) Они в порядке? (Are they okay?)"

"Они в безопасности (they are safe). Очень испуганный и робкий (very scared and timid). Мы предоставляем им наилчшее возможное размещение в соответствии с вашими указаниями (we are giving them the best accommodation we can per your note). Ето было очень полезно (that was very helpful)", the officer sighed, "вы можете прийти и подписать бумаги (you can come sign the papers). Что запустит процесс (that will start to process)."

"Процесс? (process?), почему всегда есть процесс? (why is there always a process?) Их ты имеешь уже сколько часов? (you've had them for what, an hour?)"

"Извините, мы должны убедиться, что все сделано по поводу (I apologize, we have to make sure everything is done correctly)", the officer grumbled.

"Да, и вы сохраните их в течение 5 дней после (yes and you'll keep them for 5 days after)", Radimir frowned, "я скоро буду. (I'll be there shortly)"

Radimir hung up and rubbed the side of his head, "I guess this is as good a time as any to call in a special favor."

Radimir made their call, then proceeded to the politsiya station.

"Могу ли я увидкть их? (Can I see them?)", Radimir looked up from the papers they were signing, "убедитесь, что они в порядке... утешить их (make sure they are okay... comfort them)."

"Нет, ето не очень хорошая идея (No, that would not be a good idea)", the officer commented.

"Hmm, для кого (for who)", Radimir fiddled with the pen, "ты, видимо, понятия не имеешь, кто я (you apparently have no idea who I am).

"Нет и мне все равно (No, and I don't care)", the officer stared, "зто будет рассматриватьсг как любой другой случай (this will be treated like any other case)."

"У вас будут ироблемы, если они получат травму (You will have a problem if they're injured)", Radimir stood abruptly and started for the door.

"Извините, мы не оказываем особых услуг (sorry, we don't do special favors)", the officer called after Radimir.

Radimir paused, and bit their bottom lip, "I can't get arrested, I can not attack a police agent.

The officer chuckled lowly as Radimir left.

The officer sat back comfortably at their desk. They looked through the papers that Radimir had signed. They decided to wait a few days before filing the paperwork. They really did not like the attitude Radimir had given. The American would have to deal with it.

Their door was slammed open.

"Oi", they yelled as they looked up and saw who was barging in, "Капитан? (captain?)"

"Ты идиот (you're an idiot)", the captain frowned, "отвезите менг к слепому американцу (take me to the blind American)... Сейчас (now)... Я очень надеюсь, что они не пострадали (I really hope they are not injured)."

"Почему мы им преклоняемся? (why are we bowing down to them?)", the officer pulled out keys and stood.

"Радимир - друг нашего босса (Radimir is a friend of our boss)", the captain quickly followed, "он также владеет очень важным бизнесои (he also owns a very important business). Он не тот, с кем стоит связываться (he's not the one to mess with), но тебе удалось (but you succeeded)."

"Это не кажется правильным (this doesn't seem right)", the officer turned down the hall and saw their boss standing there. A glare planted on their face.

"Обязательно скажите ему, что (make sure to tell him that)", the captain whispered as they reached for the keys.

The officer gulped.

The door opened slowly.

Radimir's friend looked in and saw Whumpee cowering in the corner.

"Hey Whumpee", the friend walked in calmly, "I am Igor, Radimir's friend. I'm going to get you back to Radimir. Do you by chance remember me?"

Whumpee shook their head, "no, I'm sorry. I'm so scared, are you here to help me? Wait, yo-you speak English. I just want to get back to Radimir. Please", Whumpee pleaded.

"Yes,I can speak English. I don't know why I wasn't told that we had an American here. I can see you shaking. Here, I am going to help you up. We are going to wrap you in a blanket. You'll come to my office while we wait for Radimir to come back."

Whumpee quickly nodded and let Igor help them up.

"There we go. Are you hungry?", Igor wrapped the blanket around Whumpee, "I'm sorry for the mix up. You've had quite a day today. You got lost, arrested, and rescued all in the same day", Igor started to lead them from the cell, "онп не притронулись к еде (they didn't touch their meal), кто- нибудь им вообще помог? (Did anyone help them at all?)"

Igor looked around and saw everyone looking down.

"Постыдный (disgraceful)", Igor frowned, "кто-нибудь, приготовьте им еду (someone go make them some food)."

The Captain apologized repeatedly as they led Radimir to Igor's office.

"Все в порядке, пока онп в безопасности (it's alright, as long as they're safe)", Radimir sighed.

Radimir caught eyes with the officer who gave them all of the difficulties. They only shook their head and turned to follow the Captain.

**KNOCK... KNOCK**

"Приходить (come in)", Igor welcomed.

The Captain quickly opened the door, nodded to Igor, and let Radimir in. They quickly closed the door after.

Igor watched as Radimir took in the sight.

Whumpee sat quietly on the floor. Tear tracks traced down their cheeks. Their pale eyes glossed over from crying. Their eyes were rubbed raw from the crying.

Radimir turned to Igor.

"Had I known, I would have gotten them sooner. I had no idea", Igor said apologetically, "I'm so sorry."

Radimir watched as Whumpee slowly ate a dumpling. They sniffled slightly as they swallowed.

"Out of all the things I didn't want to deal with while bringing them to Russia. Losing them and dealing with law enforcement was top of the list", Radimir sighed.

"Radimir?", Whumpee lifted their head quickly in shock.

"I am so sorry for losing you", Radimir hurried to Whumpee, "I hurried as fast as I could to get back to you. Of course, every train I used to get back to you didn't seem to be going fast enough. Definitely not as fast as the politsiya move, of course."

"We are the finest", Igor chuckled, "I am so sorry about the mix up. Is there anyway we can make it up to you?"

"A fast ride back to my company's building would be great, but we can walk."

"Say no more", Igor got up, "I have the fastest car here."

Whumpee cuddled close into Radimir as Igor sped through the streets.

"You are so brave", Radimir hugged Whumpee closer.

"Thankyou", Whumpee stretched to rest their head on Radimir's chest, "I'm tired."

"Yes, I can Imagine", Radimir played with Whumpee's hair, "you had more adventure then I originally planned for you."

Igor turned to look at them, "yes, can I recommend one of the museums next time?"

"I don't think I'm going to get them to do much else this trip", Radimir sighed, "maybe next time."

Whumpee's breathing relaxes.

"I think they are falling asleep. Whumpee just a few more moments. I'm going to get you in my office. I have the couch all ready for you."

"Mmm", Whumpee moaned tiredly.

The car went even faster.

"Не убивайте нас (don't kill us)", Radimir sighed as they held Whumpee close.

"Вы шутите (are you kidding), ты знаешь, как быстро я обычно езжу? ( do you know how fast I normally go?)", Igor laughed.

"He drives like you Radimir", Whumpee commented.

"So is your hotel near your company", Igor parked, "I can wait if you needed to grab something."

"Actually we are spending the night in my office. Tomorrow the hotel will be ready for us", Radimir started to get Whumpee's hat on them.

"Are you sure?", Igor frowned, "my home may be more comfortable than your office."

"Yes, I'm sure it would be. I'm going to work through the night. I have some assignments to work on before a meeting tomorrow. The beauty of them being blind, is I can keep the light on", Radimir smiled as Whumpee tiredly blinked, "my couch is comfortable, and they're tired enough. I've already taken a nap earlier. I appreciate it, my dear friend. Спасибо.. за все (thankyou for everything)."

"Of course, I'm glad I could help", Igor turned to Whumpee, "I hope that this mix up didn't dampen you wanting to visit Russia again. We are a great country, I promise."

"I know, it gave me Radimir. I'll just make sure not to lose him again" Whumpee grinned sheepishly, "thankyou for helping me."

"You're welcome", Igor cupped Whumpee's cheek, "always."

Radimir leaned up, "thankyou for the ride. I appreciate all of your help today."

"You're welcome", Igor grinned.

Whumpee fell onto the couch after Radimir helped wipe them down.

"You'll get a better shower tomorrow at the hotel", Radimir pulled a blanket up to Whumpee's chin, "I am truly sorry for what happened earlier, and I am so happy to have you back."

"I'm happy to be back as well. I'm sorry, I'm really tired though", Whumpee whispered.

"Yes, I'm sure you are", Radimir played through Whumpee's hair, "my desk is just a few feet away. There is a bathroom in here as well. Your guide staff is right here", Radimir moved Whumpee's hand to where their pole was.

"Thankyou Radimir", Whumpee sighed, "I appreciate you working so hard to get me out of there."

"You're welcome", Radimir cupped Whumpee's cheek, "get some rest. I'll have a few things to do with you tomorrow after the meeting. None of which will involve the Metro. We will only use that when it's not busy. I'll be holding your hand a lot tighter."

"I still can't believe you grabbed the wrong hand", Whumpee giggled.

"Yes, the face the person made when I finally realized", Radimir chuckled as well.

Whumpee sighed tiredly, "this couch feels so good."

"I'm sure it does. Alright, you get some sleep", Radimir stood, "I'll be right over here if you need me."

"Thankyou Radimir", Whumpee smiled again.

"You're welcome", Radimir smiled, "sleep well (спокойной ночи).

Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.

@weirdthingweee @the-beasts-have-arrived

@sacredwrath @porschethemermaid

@monarchthefirst @generic-whumperz

@bloodyandfrightened @freefallingup13

@notpeppermint @cyborg0109

@idontreallyexistyet @painfulplots

@whumpbump @everythingsscary

@skittles-the-whumpee @expressionless-fr

@theforeverdyingperson @legendarydelusiongoatee

@candleshopmenace @whumpanthems

@lavndvrr @ivymyers

@starfields08000 @a-living-canvas

@lumpofsand @watermeezer

@indigoviolet311 @whumpy-mountains

@risk606 @electrons2006

@paperprinxe @whumprince

@kaz-of-crows @mis-graves

@decaffeinatedtimetraveler94 @sausages-things

@isikedmyself878 @daffyduckcommittedtaxfraud

@valravnthefrenchie @glennemerald

@jasperthecapser @does-directions

@jumpywhumpywriter @blackbirdsinatrenchcoat

@mylifeisonthebookshelf @thenormalestever

@whatwhump @galatic-worm

@starmoon-constellation @bacillusinfection

[urween]

Bloody Lamb | Bucky Barnes x ftm!reader | english version

summary: Bucky would never have imagined that his neighbor was carrying a heavy load on his shoulders. However, he discovers scars on the latter, and thus his vision changes radically.

notes: the temporality is located in a mix of beginning and end of FATWS series; reader operated on the torso

⚠︎ warnings: strong mention/description of mutilation and scars, mention of dysphoria, traumas linked to Hydra

special thanks and credits to @sparrow-the-tired-lesbian who nicely helped me with this story's translation because it was originally written in french, my native language.

french version here

- 1 804 words - 2nd person description

You were just next-door neighbors. He knew you by sight, knew how to define your silhouette and your height, as he could do with his other neighbors. Maybe he also recognized your voice when it echoed in the common corridor, like when Mrs. Jones shouted at her cats running away on the landing. He knew you without knowing you, that fine line that separated so many things and that was not held by anything. Maybe an insistent look from you would turn the weather vane, maybe not. But he knew all his neighbors because whether he wanted to or not he retained the information that emerged from individuals. A soldier had to be able to identify his victims in a crowd. He kept marks, more or less deep cracks that interfered with his daily life. If he hadn’t been the Winter Soldier, surely his mind would never have noticed Mrs. Jones’ slight limp, the smell that came out of Larry’s every Tuesday night, or the particular timbre of your voice. But he did it with everyone, you weren’t special. It would have been special if he could recognize the shoes you wore based on the wet marks left on your soles, the habit you had of always putting your cell phone in your left pocket, or the song you’d been listening to on repeat for the past few days. Then, you would have been special. More than a neighbor on the landing, you could have been his little obsession, the main object of a tease from his friend Sam for example. But that wasn’t the case until now.

“I’m lucky to have you,” the old man murmured.

Yori Nakajima was the neighbor you got along with best. Funny, sweet, and welcoming, you immediately felt at ease with him. Brooklyn was a big city and you had only been here for a short time, so Yori had helped you get familiar with the surroundings. In exchange, you would go see him once or twice a week. You talked most of the time, he would tell you about his youth and the kindness of his late son, and sometimes he would even teach you how to play Go.

"You have more and more fans," you smiled, pointing to a bouquet in the corner of the living room.

As he had done with you, Nakajima often helped young people who were a little lost. He gave them the support they needed so that they could then explore the city on their own. Over the years, he ended up having a small reputation in the neighborhood, and many of his old friends still came to visit him.

"These are irises, my favorite," he explained to you, "a neighbor brought me some this morning."

You leaned over to the coffee table to pour yourself some more tea. The wafting scent of the flowers reached you as you let your back rest against the back of the chair again.

"I thought you had a girlfriend."

Yori chuckled as much as his great age allowed him, nodding to thank you for the tea.

"I'm quite alone, and you and the others keep me company," he confided to you before changing the subject, "but I had an idea about that."

You saw the question coming before the old man could even open his mouth again.

"No, no lovers for me Yori, I already told you," you sighed with a smile.

"You're going off on a tangent right away, who told you I was going to talk about love?” He explained to get your attention again, “I simply think it would be good for you to make friends, and the young man I'm talking about would be a great match for you."

He had been trying for two or three weeks to get you to meet new people because according to him you were too lonely. However, you had explained to him the reasons for this social distancing, he had understood, while suffering too. But he said that time always healed wounds and smoothed out the deep cracks, that you had to open yourself up to life to enjoy it. You understood that, really, but the stability you had finally managed to find couldn't be destroyed, you didn't want to have to rebuild everything.

“You two look a lot alike,” Yori’s wise voice echoed one last time, “hiding in your burrows.”

They weren't fluorescent, or noisy. They didn't attract attention, going unnoticed. Yet one glance at them and the decibels in the room exploded for you. In the past, you would never have imagined that scars could be so talkative. But they were, they proudly recounted their heavy sorrows to remind you that nothing was ever acquired. Everything could disappear overnight, everything could collapse in a fraction of a second. One wrong step, and you would fall back. The wrong person and all your efforts would be reduced to nothing. Living alone wasn't easy every day, but this way you avoided mistakes. No one could predict the reaction of a stranger, while yours was controllable. You knew what not to do, not to mention, the others didn't know it and by the time they understood it could already be too late.

Yori knew about your operation, he knew that you had two beautiful scars on your chest, but it had taken time. It had taken you time. The old man didn't know more, he guessed the darkness that you kept to yourself but he knew someone else in your case, and talking about it didn't always help. Other people knew about your trans identity, you couldn't hide it and you didn't want to anyway. But it remained there, no one went beyond that barrier.

It had also taken you time to let your other scars out in the open. But you quickly realized that no one noticed them. They weren't fluorescent or noisy to them. Hidden on your thighs, dull enough that a curious eye would simply think they were stretch marks. Who would have paid attention? For this reason, you could once again appreciate any clothing revealing these marks. You could wear a simple t-shirt or sweatshirt as pajamas with boxers, and take out the trash in this outfit. You rarely ran into anyone, and even if you did, they didn't pay attention.

However, you didn't expect to come face-to-face with your neighbor on the landing. A man – quite attractive, it had to be admitted – about your age who had a mysterious aura around him since you arrived, as well as gloves. You suspected Yori of wanting to set you up with him, that it was the famous "young man with irises". He came to see your friend very often, you had even crossed paths with them at the bar downstairs from your place the other day. Barnes, that was his name, you had read it on the mailbox next to yours. You didn't know anything more about him and it had never bothered you.

"Good evening,” your neighbor's grainy voice echoed.

You smiled at him, murmuring a polite formula in return, as the rules of society required. With your trash bag in hand, you opened the brown storage lid before throwing your waste in. You didn't expect anything else, there was nothing more to expect, you didn't know each other. So you turned around, smiling at him kindly before closing the exterior door of the building.

But he didn't move, his eyes fixed on the void that a few seconds before had been filled by your thighs. You had scars.

Overnight, you became special. He recognized your footprints, your habits, and your songs. His ears picked up without his consent the slightest noises that passed through the barrier of the walls separating you.

Bucky had seen many scars, first as an American soldier, then as the Winter Soldier. The memories had taken time to come back but those linked to Hydra had never left. Eyelids closed, he still saw those distorted smiles, those pulsing veins. He still saw all those innocents repatriated to these basements as he had been, he saw them gradually lose hope. He still saw the last traces of life leave their lively eyes, he still heard their screams. Closing his eyes, he imagined himself again lying on the camp bed that had been assigned to him. He could imagine again the thoughts that crossed his mind, the last ones seeming to belong to him. I hope they die, he said to himself at the time, regarding his future peers, I hope they never see what I see. Death was a beautiful escape from the prisons of Hydra. If he could have, he would have succumbed to it, but he had been too precious.

He had seen many scars, but never like yours. A torn face, a leg in pieces, or a dog bite were endured, not chosen.

The metal weapon that served as his arm had not been chosen by him at the start. The red star that had adorned it had been imposed on him. The arm he wore today had been chosen by him, but the wound that caused it was nothing but torture. Whether it was an accident or a voluntary act, scars had never been anything but torture in his eyes. Why inflict them on ourselves? Why cut our flesh with our own hands?

They were dull, almost completely blending into your skin, but he had seen them. They had jumped out at him.

He wasn't a nurse, much less a doctor, but he knew how to recognize these kinds of things. It wasn't a cat or some accident that had caused these marks, it was you alone. The place, the depth, the angle. It was mutilation, and he had strangely never seen that.

By dint of seeing only horrors, deaths, attacks, and more, Bucky ended up forgetting the others. Those who suffered without showing it, who cried in silence. Not everyone had an arm missing or purple skin to show their misfortunes. He had the example of Yori, but he had never noticed that in you. Unconsciously, he liked imagining a happy being living next to him, maybe you could have contaminated him? But he forgot that even the gentlest of lambs had suffered.

He wanted to get to know you, he needed to know you

images : Pinterest

dividers : @/thecutestgrotto, @/strangergraphics and @/pommecita

[into-the-hellaverse]

Lucifer and Adam's Good Day

Final part of the Bad Day series!

Before we get to the fic, I wanna thank lilacwriter07, hellojenpenworld, inubaki, and libby-for-life (not tagged cause idk how y'all feel about being tagged in random fics). Libby started this with a commission and Lilac, jenpen, and inubaki kinda kept spurring it on with their kind words and encouragement. Y'all shouldn't have done that XD If you do that, you get a happy giddy mess that's lowkey over the top and filled with typos.

But still, thanks to you guys I did something I never thought I could do. Finish writing something. I always wanted to write a fic series, and it's my dream to be a published author, but I never actually got myself to sit down and write long enough to actually complete something. So, thank you. You guys are some of the kindest people I've met.

Sorry to get sentimental on y'all. Now, let's give Adam and Luci a happy ending :)

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

Lucifer took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He practiced everything on the way over here. What to say, how to act, and he even scouted out a quiet place for him and Adam to go. He just had to execute this. Perfectly.

He took a deep breath and walked up the small staircase to the mansion's entrance, giving a few quick, sharp knocks.

"ADAM! GET OFF YOU LAZY ASS AND ANSWER THE DOOR!" Mammon's voice carried really well. There was some running around and Adam opened the front door.

"Hi..." Adam whispered, smiling softly. "I started losing hope..."

"I'm sorry, it took a little longer than expected..." Lucifer said softly, cupping Adam's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm great, now that you're here..."

Lucifer smiled, quickly dropping it once he noticed the scarf wrapped tightly around Adam's neck. "What happened?"

"I'd...rather not talk about it..."

Lucifer nodded softly.

"WHO THE FUCK IS THERE?!"

Adam pushed his hand away and turned into the house. "ITS LUCIFER!"

"WHO?!"

"LUCIFER!"

"WHO?!"

"IT'S THE KING OF HELL! GET OVER HERE!"

Lucifer had never seen Mammon move that fast. He was at the front door in a matter of seconds, a scowl on his face. "The fuck you want, you walking asshole?"

Now to put the plan in action. He gave a big, nervous smile and sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Yeah, so I had to have a meeting with Sera, and she found out that Adam isn't up in Pride anymore. And, you know Sera. She through a bitch fit and demanded Adam gets put back where he belongs."

"He's not going back with you," Mammon growled.

Lucifer held up his hands defensively. "I know! Believe me, I don't want him in my Ring! But if he's not there, then Sera might wreck havoc and..." Crap what was he gonna say?! He practiced this 20 times! "Destroy all of Hell..." That wasn't what he was supposed to say.

Mammon raised a brow. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Now he had to commit. "I mean, you know Sera. Takes the smallest thing and blows them out of proportion."

Mammon sighed and rolled his eyes. "Bitch still hasn't changed a bit, huh?"

Yes, he bought it! "Sadly, no. So, I just need to take Adam for a month or two back to my Ring. Once Sera calms down, I'll talk to her and make her realize that it's better if he's down her with you. Sound good?"

Mammon sighed. He was obviously pissed off and hesitant. "Just a couple of months?"

"And he'll be all yours," Lucifer said with a smile. "Forever and ever..."

Mammon rolled his eyes. "You better fix it. Quick." He turned to Adam. "Go get your shit. You're going to stay with Lucifer for a while." He shut the door in Lucifer's face.

Lucifer let out a hefty sigh, feeling his heartbeat slow down as panic subsided. Thank God, he bought it...

Adam left a few minutes later, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder and gripping his guitar case with a death grip. He raced down the steps and Lucifer ran after him, trying to keep his pace as they left the mansion grounds.

"I thought you said I wouldn't have to go back," Adam said softly.

"You won't. Follow me." Lucifer walked the dirty streets of Greed, holding Adam's hand and leading him along until he found a quiet alley way. He led him deep, until they couldn't see the road.

"What are we doing down here?" Adam asked nervously.

"We just need some privacy." Lucifer let go of his hand and pulled something out of his jacket pocket.

Adam stared at him, shocked and confused. "Is that..."

"A Luciferian crystal." He paused, watching Adam intensely. "I know what you're thinking, but I'm not gonna take this from you. This is yours to keep, Adam. I just need to show you how to use it, then it's all yours. I won't take it back. I promise."

Adam nodded. Although from the look on his face, you could tell he didn't believe him.

Lucifer put it on. "It's really simple, actually." He turned around and held up the crystal, looking back to make sure Adam was watching. "All you have to do is think about where you want to go and draw a pentagram." He used the tip of his nail to draw a pentagram on the flat surface of the crystal, watching the bight red lines etching their way into the crystal. When he finished, a portal opened up to Gluttony, right outside Bee's mansion.

"That's Gluttony," Lucifer explained as Adam stared in awe. "Bee has really good parties."

Adam didn't say anything.

Lucifer started getting uncomfortable. "If you want to get rid of the portal, all you gotta do is wipe it away." He made sure Adam was watching and he wiped the pentagram off the crystal, and the portal closed in the blink of an eye. "And that's just how it is. Think of where you wanna go, draw the pentagram, and wipe it away once you pass through." He took off the crystal and held it out to Adam, but he didn't grab it.

"Adam..." Lucifer gently took his hand and placed the crystal in it. "I'm not going to take it from you. I genuinely want you to have this."

"Why?" Adam asked, looking confused.

"Because after everything I did, after everything I said to you... This is the least I can do..."

Adam still seemed nervous and hesitant, but he gave him a smile.

Lucifer smiled back gently. "Can I show you one more thing?"

"Sure..."

"I was able to set up a spawn point or homing beacon of sorts on the crystal." Lucifer gently opened his hand, showing the flat surface of the crystal. "If you're ever running around the Rings and you need a place you know is safe, just think about home and draw the pentagram." He drew it for Adam and watched a portal open up into a red room.

Adam just stared, like he didn't want to believe this was real.

"It's safe. Trust me." As if to prove a point, Lucifer fell backwards into the portal and landed on the hard ground on the other side. Adam just stepped through, looking around cautiously.

Lucifer quickly jumped to his feet and carefully wiped away the pentagram. "Don't forget to do that. You don't know who will follow you through."

"Got it," Adam said, gripping the crystal tightly when he was done. "So... Where are we?"

"At my palace. I have a bunch of spare rooms, more than what I know to do with. So I turned one into a guest room for you," Lucifer said. "If you're ever scared, if you need a place to stay that you know is safe, or if you just need a break, then you can come here and stay as long as you want. I won't touch anything in here, I won't mess with any of your stuff. You can use any of the palace amenities, and I won't ask you to do anything while you're here." He watched Adam examine the bare room closely, as if he was looking for something. "Sorry if it's not that flashy. I thought it would be better if you decorated it since-"

"What's the catch?" Adam cut him off.

"Huh?" Lucifer looked confused.

"What's the catch?" Adam repeated. "There has to be some kind of catch."

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

"What do you mean? There is no catch." Lucifer looked just as confused as Adam.

"You can't be this nice just because. There's something in it for you."

Lucifer sighed softly. "Adam. Trust me when I saw this. I don't want anything from you. I just want you to be safe."

"Why?"

"Because I care about you. More than I probably should... After everything you went through, you need a place that you know is safe, and the only place I thought of was here. And with the crystal, you can go anywhere you want in Hell at a moments notice. It's not exactly the freedom you had up in Heaven, but it's close enough, right?"

Adam said nothing, his expression unreadable as he looked away from Lucifer and down at the pure white crystal in his hands.

"I'll let you get settled in...." Lucifer turned and left the room. He walked down the quiet halls, but it felt different than before. Just having Adam here, it made his home feel warmer. It made Lucifer feel calm. I mean, Adam was probably never going to use the room, but just the idea that he could be here anytime... It made him smile.

He heard a gentle knock as he passed by the front door. Confused, he went over and opened it a crack to see who it was.

"Charlie?" He asked, swinging the door wide open. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I stay with you for a while?" She asked as she sobbed.

"Of course, baby! Come in, I'll get you bags." He gently ushered her inside and grabbed the few bags she brought, leading her up to her old bedroom. She was silent, except for the occasional sob, sitting on her bed while Lucifer started to unpack some of her clothes and belongings.

The silence was eating him up. Charlie was rarely ever like this. And judging from the puffy eyes, she had been crying for days. He carefully sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"What happened, duckling?" He asked, his voice soft and gentle.

Charlie started cry harder than ever. "I don't know, Dad! I don't know why I've been acting like this! Everything was going so well with the hotel and Adam then Cameron came around and started framing Adam and I just got so mad and everything went out of control and Vaggie left and I kicked you out and Angel ran away and Alastor left and if Alastor leaves then Husk and Nifty leave too and I was all alone and I just couldn't take it! I'm a failure!"

"Charlie, sweetie, you're not a failure," he said, pulling her closer. "You're just.... Maybe you like Lilith."

"H-Huh?" She wiped her eyes, smearing days-old makeup on her face.

"I mean, you know I have some form of anxiety, and I passed that onto you. Your mother never really showed it, but she had some kind of mood disorder. I wanna say she was bipolar, but I'm not a doctor so I can't diagnose."

"Am I broken?"

"No, no, Charlie. You're not broken," he said reassuringly. "You just need some help. You still have that human disguise, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Wonderful. I'll get an appointment set up and I can take you up to Earth so you can get a diagnosis from a good, trusted doctor, and some good meds to help. Not the shit that Belle has. Maybe set you up with a therapist, too."

Charlie seemed to calm down at that. "I thought you couldn't go to Earth..."

"Charlotte, I'm the King of Hell. I can fo whatever I want, whenever I want, and however I want. If I want to go up to Earth to help my daughter, I will." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Get some rest, duckling. I'll make your favorite tonight."

Charlie smiled and hugged him. "You're the best, Dad... I'm sorry for kicking you out..."

Lucifer hugged back tightly. "You had every right to, Charlie. I promised you I would never take them again and I broke that promise."

"You just needed help," Charlie tried to reason.

"And I could've gone somewhere else for that help. I didn't have to go to Auntie Belle." He kissed her forehead and pulled away. "Now get some rest. Seriously. You look exhausted."

Charlie gave him a weak smile and laid down on her bed, easily succumbing to sleep.

Lucifer just smiled and left the room. Finally, after all the shit of the past year, things finally started looking up...

This may be the conclusion of the Bad Day Arc (if you wanna call it that) but not the end of the story! There will be more fics around this storyline, that I shall not reveal because I wanna be a sneaky bitch :3 Mostly, I'm writing it for me, because I will take every excuse to shove my ocs where they don't belong (and none of the previous characters were ocs. I just asked friends to name them for one-off jokes and shit). I will shove my ocs into there like shoving a square into a circle hole

[vanessagillings]

Thank you so much to @staff for featuring my work on the radar not once but twice recently, and to the second follower who blazed my post this week.  I’m blown away by your support everyone, you’re all so sweet!  Thank you for liking and sharing my art 💛

[kimtaegis]

three superheroes, anpanman! for @sopekooks ♡

cr. jung-koook