#This is what makes me happy! Please be nice to me about it!

[lohotine]

``Drunk? Not Me!``

□ Ie: What they're like when they're drunk □

▪︎ Multiple x GN! Reader ▪︎

Ft: Shadow Milk, Stardust, Black Sapphire

CW: Drunk (character), Stardust calls reader pretty but it's still GN, slight suggestive themes in Black Sapphire's, but still SFW.

-Lightly proofread

Shadow Milk

Okay. So realistically he's probably the quiet drunk that contemplates his life decisions, but I'm not trying to write someone having an existential crisis rn, so you can have the talkative one instead. That's probably better reading material anyway, right?

"Hey... 'm not even that drunk... just one kiss?" He shifts closer to you on the bed, hands snaking around your waist as your back is pushed against his chest.

"You told me not to let you kiss me because you'd be 'out drinking ambroisia with the other beasts'." You crossed your arms, not turning to face him. Was it petty? Perhaps...

To be fair; he also said he wouldn't drink that much, yet here he is, clinging to you like some lost child.

He whined and pressed his head into the crook of your neck. "Dumb mortals... Can't even taste ambrosia without dying.. so stupid."

You sighed. He really is such a loser sometimes.

Suddenly, he would perk up and place his chin on your shoulder. "Go get me water."

Rude.

"What happened to please and thank you?"

"Go get me water. Thank you."

This guy...

You ended up getting his water anyway. (He'd only get more cranky without it.)

"Here's your water." You held it out for him, to which he accepted.

"Much better." He placed the cup down on a nearby table after drinking it, a small clink sounding in the room when he does so.

"You know," he began to say, watching you sit back down on the bed, "it was pretty fun. Mystic Flour kept swearing, and Eternal Sugar passed out halfway through." He would grin at the thought. "Lightweights! Am I right?"

You nodded half-mindedly before he laid his head in your lap, closing his eyes.

It was odd, to say the least. Usually, he isn't one to initiate moments like these... being as emotionally stubborn as he is.

You'd gently run your fingers through his hair. "I'm glad you had fun," you'd say.

The both of you would remain there for a while, a silence overcoming you both. It was nice. In that moment, words weren't needed.

He then slowly opened his eyes, just gazing at you softly. He pushed himself off of your lap and gently cupped your face with his hands. "I want you to kiss me. Why won't you kiss me?" He whined once more.

"Because you were drinking ambrosia. You know, you could have just drank regular alcohol..." you mumbled, pushing his face away from yours.

He frowned at the statement. "You're so mean t'me... you know that? Burning Spice would never let me hear the end of it. Do you know how embarrassing it would be for me to drink regular wine?"

Of course that's what he's worried about.

You begin to coat his face in feathery light kisses. One here, one there. Just to hopefully get him to shut up. "Better?"

You don't miss how his gaze falls elsewhere. Or how his breath hitches slightly when you pull away. "No," he mumbles.

Liar...

Stardust

Very much a lightweight... but at least he's happy, right? He's legit so in love with you- I kinda headcanon that he makes bird noises when he's happy because his other form looks kind of like a bird- sorry, am I being weird?

"You're so pretty..." he would murmer against your ear, his stary cape swaying before wrapping itself around the both of you.

You're sure he was during it subconsciously, and it would be nice... if it weren't for the fact that he runs so cold.

"Stardust, you're freezing..."

He gives a small hum in a response, then a small sorry that's barely audible. He rests his head on your shoulder, and you can't resist the small smile that appears on your face.

Black Sapphire

You gently scratch the bottom of his chin, earning a coo from him.

"I love you," he'd say mindlessly. "do you love me too?"

The question makes you chuckle. "Of course..."

Stardust would gently tilt your chin up with his index finger. "I wanna hear you say it.."

You intertwined your pinky with his; then your entire hand, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. You can still taste the feint residue of wine on them before pulling away.

"I love you," you'd say.

He just continues staring into your eyes, almost breathless. Your eyes seemed as though they held the entire universe in them. (Oh dear... was that too cheesy of him?)

(It was true though. At least to him.)

"I love you too..." he repeated once more. Stardust wasn't sure how many times he'd repeat that exact sentence throughout the night...

Though rest assured, him saying it in abundance doesn't make it any less true.

Tell me this man can't keep his hands off of you. He's legit so down bad. (SIMP) It's okay, me too <333

Your fingers worked to slowly remove his tie, his wings fluttering behind him at the action.

It was cute, really. How you could tell exactly what he was thinking because of them.

"Your hands always feel so good.." he'd mumble mindlessly.

"Mmmm, is that so?"

He presses a kiss to your temple, giving a small hum in response. "You should've been there..." his kisses began to trail down your neck. "-missed you."

You eye him.

"Well, someone had to stay sober to take care of you. You're such a sloppy drunk, you know..."

You could feel his grin against your neck. "I can't help it when 'm with you." One of his hands moved to grab your chin, adjusting your head so he had a better view of your neck.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" You ask acusingly.

"Just giving my significant other some well-deserved love for taking such good care of me," he'd coo. The statement earned a glare from you.

"I don't think so. Not when you're this drunk." Seriously, where was his shame? He was normally much more of a gentleman!

He released your chin shortly after that before staring at you with eyes that held very little thought behind them, though his grin remained. "Suit yourself."

He managed to behave himself for a total of seven seconds before folding once more.

"But don't you think it's a bit cruel to deprive me of any kisses? I work very hard, don't I?" He leaned in closer towards you, his nose brushing against yours.

"I suppose, but what does that have anything to do with me kissing you?"

He places his hands on your hips, sighing at the statement, "You're heartless, denying an intoxicated man of his pleasure... This'll keep me up until daybreak, you know."

You rolled your eyes. He was being dramatic again. His nagging would continue all night if you didn't give him what he wanted.

So, to much of your dismay, (but to much of his pleasure!) you ended up giving this needy man his kiss.

(He quickly stole another one from you as well, but you decided not to scold him for it.)

His wings flitted for the second time that night, and he smiled contently. "Sweet... I could get drunk off your lips instead."

"Yeah yeah," you'd mumble before finnally pulling him into bed. "Can we sleep now?"

He rested his chin on the top of your head. "I suppose..."

You closed your eyes and felt the fuzziness of sleep take over you pretty quickly. You'd never admit it to him, but you also ended up missing him quite a bit...

[rosenclaws]

What you've been missing || Worst!Logan x Reader

summary: Logan has found work at a local pet shelter but the last person he expects to see is his very cute neighbor looking for a new cat.

warnings: sad cat backstory, fluff, swearing

a/n: Here's pet shelter logan!! I'm ngl I almost started crying writing this because I want a cat so fucking bad but my dad is allergic and I still live at home so I can't get one. Also it made me think of this one senior cat I saw and I wanted so bad I cried to my boyfriend for days. Anyways I hope lives up to the og idea blurb I had. I've been feeling a little down and wanted to write something cute for a change.

"Hey watch the claws bub." Logan glares at his attacker. The one who stuck their sharp little claws into his leg as they climb his body like a tree.

Merooow

The adorable orange cat looks up at him with innocent little eyes. The cutest he's ever seen. Sighing he takes the cat in one hand and places her on his shoulder.

"This is why the others think I play favorites Jeanie." he mumbles. She just purrs happily, rubbing her head against Logan's and taking her place on his wide shoulders.

This really isn't how Logan expected to spend his time. But getting pulled into a new universe meant he was starting from square one and that meant he needed a job and money. Bad. If he ever wanted to get his own place so he didn't have to wake up and see Wade walking around in nothing while making breakfast. Most places were unsure about hiring a man like Logan.

Until he stumbled upon a local pet shelter. Yeah he's not exactly what anyone would think when they thought animal rescue but the animals loved him and this shelter desperately needed help. Plus Logan always got along better with animals than humans. Logan was primarily put in charge of the cats. Feeding, changing their litter box, and playing with them.

Logan understood the cats and they seemed to understand him. They wouldn't hiss or scratch him out of fear, they inherently trusted him. He found himself a little home. He could escape the world and just be around the animals.

"Where are my babies?" He hears Wades voice come from the other room. Logan rolls his eyes as he walks in with a big bag of cat food on his other shoulder.

"There you are Shopping cart and Totino's pizza rolls." Wade scratches the two cats heads. Surprise surprise he named them.

Though as soon as they hear Logan walk in they abandon Wade without a second thought. Logan slices open the bag and pours food into each bowl. The cats scramble to eat, doesn't matter if you had fed them an hour ago they're always happy for food.

"Jeanie, you gotta eat bub." Logan raises his hand and gently pets her head. But her claws dig deep into his shirt.

"Alright come on," Logan he grabs a can of cat food and walks into an empty room.

The sound of it opening makes her ears perk up. Logan gently takes her off his shoulder and places her on the table next to the canned food. He watches as she sniffs it, taking a few small bites before looking back at him.

"More than that." He scolds and she just meows back.

"Please?" She takes one more small bite before abandoning the food and curling up by his side.

Logan sighs, pushing his hair back as takes her in his arms. Jeanie was a surrendered cat. Logan hadn't been here long when she was brought in. Her owner was an old lady who had passed away and her kids couldn't keep Jeanie.

The first week was really hard. She was sad, lonely, and would barely touch her food and water. At first Logan let the more experienced staff deal with her but she just wouldn't budge. Eventually he gave it a shot, talking to her and pushing some nice wet food towards her. To everyone's shock she actually responded to Logan. Peeking her head out of her cage and giving even sniffing his hand.

Since then she really only responded to Logan. Following him around and giving him all her love and attention. She was a mature cat, not as cute as the kittens that most people scooped up right away. It did hurt Logan just a little to see her be passed up because of her age, but Logan did enjoy getting to see her everyday. Still, he knows that with Mary Puppins at home he can't adopt her.

Suddenly the door opens and Jeanie scurries back up to Logan's shoulder.

"Logan, I have a 1:30 appointment and Kathy isn't here so I need you to cover her." Penny begs, she's the one who runs the shelter. She gave Logan the job and he does owe her, but he's never been good with customers.

"I don't know, not exactly a people person." He mumbles but she just rolls her eyes, grabbing his wrist and drags him out of the room. Well kind of, it's hard to pull a 300lb man with a metal skeleton.

"Just one appointment. Show them some cats and see if they want to adopt. That's it."

"Okay," Logan agrees, hoping it's over quickly. He tries to put Jeanie down but she throws a fit, meowing loudly until he just gives up.

"Fine, but you keep it down when I'm talking alright?" He pushes open the door leading to the lobby and stops right in his tracks.

There you are sitting on the waiting room couch. Logan knows you. You live a couple apartments down from Wade. He's seen you in passing, catching whiffs of your shampoo in the elevator in the least creepy way ever. You've shared a few hellos but that's it.

The truth is Logan's pretty...well pretty. Your crush on him wasn't surprising in the slightest but you try and stay clear of him, hoping that it will go away so that you can actually talk to the man one day.

"Logan? I didn't know you worked here?" You say, shocked to see your hot neighbor here.

"Yeah, uh anyways you here to adopt a cat?" He asks awkwardly.

"I hope," You respond.

He nods his head and opens the door for you, putting his hand out as to say you first. Logan shows you a couple cats up for adopting, they're all adorable but none of them feel quite right. On the bright side they're kittens so you know they'll be adopted soon.

Logan remains relatively quiet as you say hi to each cat. Wade's been incredibly persistent about getting him to talk to you. Saying that only serial killers smell peoples hair in the elevator and to just pop a Viagra and talk to you. Pushing Wade's stupidly aside, he really doesn't know how to talk to you.

It's stupid, he used to be great at this kind of thing. Flirting was second nature to Logan but now he can barely think of a conversation starter. Plus you don't make it easy when your laugh is so hypnotizing and your smile is brighter than the moon.

"Who's this pretty girl?" Your voice breaks his thoughts. You're pointing to Jeanie who was still on his shoulder.

"Oh, this is Jeanie." She tilts her head at the sound of her name.

"She's so cute." You lift your hand up but Jeanie shrinks away. You immediately pull your hand back, afraid that you've upset her.

"Don't feel bad, she's not great with people."

"Reminds me of someone else I know." You joke. Logan raises an eyebrow, are you talking about him?

"Me, I was talking about me." You add on quickly.

"I've never really been great at making friends or just being around people." The truth is you're lonely.

You're tired of coming home to an empty cold apartment after work. Sure sometimes you go out with coworkers or old friends but it's not the same. You like being alone but you don't like to be lonely. Does that even make any sense? Not that you want to burden Logan with your problems.

"I wanted to adopt a cat because I wanted a friend, is that sad?" You ask nervously. Logan chuckles, reaching up and placing Jeanie down on the counter nearby.

"Not at all, I get it." Logan was alone for a lot of his life and he's still adjusting to having friends. A family if you could call it that. A really weird and fucked up family.

"Play nice Jeanie, I like this one so don't go scratching them up." He whispers, but you catch his words anyways. A faint smile on your lips as you reach your hand out slowly.

"Hi Jeanie, I'm a friend of Logan's." This time Jeanie doesn't run away, in fact she sniffs your hand cautiously.

She looks back at Logan and he nods. You smile when she rubs the side of her face against your hand. Walking around slowly as she takes you in.

"I think she likes you." Logan says.

Carefully you pet her head, making sure not to overstep any boundaries and Jeanie seems to love it. She even rolls on her back surprising both you and Logan.

"Her owner passed away, that's why she's here." He explains as you continue to pet her. Her big eyes are too much to resist. You know senior cats often get overlooked but she deserves to be loved again.

"Is she adoptable?" You ask and Logan hesitates. The answer is yes but apart of him doesn't want to see her go. He's grown very fond of her. But...she deserves a home. Even if it will hurt letting her go.

"Yeah, she is." He says softly.

"If its okay with you, I want to adopt her." Logan's heart clenches, he smiles but he feels the sadness creep in.

"Of course, let me get the paperwork." When Logan disappears you see Jean start to look around, wondering where her friend had gone.

"Hey there girl, If it's okay I want to take you home. I promise I'll take really good care of you." You say gently.

Her little whiskers twitch and she gently headbutts your face. The connection you feel with Jeanie is something you just haven't felt with any of the other cats. You want to love her and give her a nice warm home with toys and treats and anything she could ever want. But apart of you feels guilty knowing how close she is to Logan.

"Just need you to sign a few things and then pay the adoption fee." Logan says, coming back through the door.

Jeanie trots up to Logan and rubs her head all over his hand and torso. Purring happily as he scratches her head. But she makes no move to get on his shoulder, in fact she trots over to you and does the exact same thing. He's always heard that cats have a good sense of character, so he trusts Jeanies judgement here.

After signing the papers and paying the fee Logan helps you carry Jeanie to your car. You can see the hesitancy in Logan's face. The sadness behind those hazel eyes of his.

"Logan, do you want to say goodbye?" You ask softly. He was never going to ask for himself but you could sense he needs it.

"If you don't mind." He mumbles.

"Of course, I'll go put the rest of the stuff in my car." You touch his arm, squeezing it gently before giving them their space.

"Alright Jeanie listen up, you gotta be on your best behavior okay? You deserve this and I know they're gonna love you real good." Logan holds Jeanie up to his face. She just meows as Logan talks.

"I'll miss you bub, don't tell any of the other cats but...you were my favorite." He gives her one last chin scratch.

Jeanie headbutts his face one more time, rubbing her head along his jaw as if to say goodbye. You watch the whole thing from your car, you feel horrible taking her away from Logan. But you know that your building has a rule against more than one pet. If anyone were to take her, he's glad it's you.

Maybe...maybe this is your chance to talk to Logan. Your crush lingers but maybe you don't have to get over it. Logan walks over and hands her to you. He starts to walk away but you call his name, chasing after him.

"You know, I could really use some help with Jeanie. I mean I don't know what food she likes or her favorite toys or anything like that." You ramble, seeing Logan's face turn to that of confusion.

"I was wondering, if you wanted to come over for dinner tomorrow night? Help Jeanie get settled in and stuff." You ask nervously. Your anxiety building as you wonder if this was a mistake.

"You sure?" Logan asks, unsure if you're just doing this because you feel bad for him.

"Yes. I mean. I've been wanting to ask you to dinner sooner but I've never found the right moment because you're really hot and you make me very nervous but Jeanie is going to miss you and it would be cruel of me to keep you two apart so it's a win win situation and I'm going to stop talking now." The words vomit from your mouth before you can stop them.

Great now he's going to think you're creepy and lonely. Logan chuckles, a blush creeping up his face. Was it always this hot outside today?

"Dinner sounds great. I can't cook for shit but I can try for you." Your face breaks out into a smile, Jeanie purring as you hold her close to your chest.

"Then its a date." You say shyly. Logan steps closer to you, his eyes on your lips.

"It's a date." He starts to lean but Jeanie meows loudly making both of you laugh.

"Okay I should get her home, the doors always open if you miss her by the way." You tell him and he thanks you. He stands in the parking lot with a smile, watching as you drive away. Wade sneaks up next to Logan, scratching behind his ear before Logan pushes his hand off in annoyance.

"What the fuck?!"

"Look at you boy! Did someone decide to take you home?" Wade asks in fake excitement.

"Shut up." Logan grumbles, rolling his eyes as he turns around to walk back to the shelter.

"Is someone grumpy? How about we get you a new collar and some treats huh boy?"

"I said shut the fuck up red." Logan snaps but Wade just smiles wider. He's been waiting for someone to adopt his friend. Wade was this close to posting an ad on craigslist.

Old man mutant available for adoption. Loves beer, hates everything else. Is potty trained.

Wade sees the smile Logan's trying to hide. He's been waiting for you guys to get together forever.

"Aww does someone need a belly rub?"

"Touch me and die asshole."

[rainbow-wolf120]

PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR TWISTED RND LORE PELAAASSPELLEALLEASPLEASEPELASE😭🙏

*rubs hands together* okay asker… if you insist 😈

Twisted RnD! Teased their relationship in my previous post and now I’m gonna go more into their relationship / dynamics!!

Kinda a yap fest under cut:

Going for the doodle above, Razzle is the one that takes control as a Twisted (the ribbon vines, etc), but that also takes up a bunch of energy on his end. So, he sleeps. A lot (He probably did as a Toon as well). He's asleep 95% of the time before being woken up.

This leads Dazzle to "keep watch." She's still conscious, unknowingly to Razzle, and tries her absolute best to keep her and Razzle in check. Asleep or awake.

She doesn't like guard duty, but what do you do? Say no to a clearly unstable individual who's apart of you?

Dazzle does take advantage of the situation. It gives her the ability to "warn" other Toon's about Razzle.

You see, Razzle is sensitive to vibrations in the circle while he's asleep. Even if Dazzle doesn't wake Razzle when a Toon walks in their area, he certainly can feel them if they run.

After a few casualties, Dazzle picks up on it and manages to communicate (somehow) this information to the Toons on the floor, so they don't die.

But it's not all gloom, self-isolation, and masking (hah).

Dazzle's mindset is the same as Glisten when it comes to consciousness, though on different levels.

Glisten yearns for company; Dazzle yearns for freedom.

Something they can both find in each other.

Glisten find company from finding someone to talk to. He's tried talking to the other Twisteds before, but it's nice to have someone who actively acknowledging that they're listening.

The two can't speak coherently of course, but Dazzle can nod, and that's all Glisten needs.

Dazzle's only sense of freedom is going against Razzle. It's found in both her warning Toons and talking with Glisten. Though it's more of the latter.

Why does she find talking with the mirror rebellion? Cause Razzle is hella overprotective.

It's not just their space, but her as well. Razzle thinks that he knows best for both him and Dazzle, which is why he shuts her down so often.

It's not out of malice, just an overamplified sibling bond. I think turning Twisted enhances and exaggerates a certain trait, and this one being Razzle's care for Dazzle. (Think of DDLC iykyk)

Dazzle clearly dislikes when Razzle brutally kills a Toon in front of her, but he doesn't listen. Dazzle's just scared and wasn't thinking straight. He's here for her. He's the only one that understands her.

Going back to the vine vibration murder aspect of Razzle, he's not doing this for himself, but for Dazzle (or so he claims).

He wants what's best for her and what makes her more comfortable. He wants her to be happy, and if that means killing anyone who disturbs their (his) sleep, then so be it.

Razzle is unaware that Dazzle is conscious, all he knows is that she's terrified, and will do anything to comfort her in their dark times.

He knows her better than she knows herself after all.

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

That was my yap fest, so crazy sauce. I have normal thoughts about these two and am sick of people thinking Dazzle's the batshit insane one like come on guys

I finally finished this months old doodle page today. I apologize for the wait lmao.

I hope people eat this up as much as they did with Dazzle, but my long posts don't get that much attention </3

Thank you for the ask, and have an awesome sauce day !!

[thehighpriestess1]

Make a wish: New beginnings

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Pairing: Gojo x y/n, Nanami x y/n

Warnings: Angst, Mentions gun, Su!c!de mention

Ask Box | Previous Chapter | FIC Masterlist | Other works

A wide smile was plastered on your face as you pedaled through the streets, the wind playfully tousling your hair. The sun shone brilliantly overhead, casting golden hues on the pavement. You had always loved mornings like these—crisp air, a clear sky, and an exhilarating sense of new beginnings. Today was different, though. Today wasn’t just any morning; it was the start of a new chapter. The excitement coursing through your veins was undeniable, and nothing could have dampened your energy.

As you maneuvered through the familiar streets, you made sure to greet everyone you crossed paths with—a nod to the elderly woman tending to her potted plants, a cheerful wave to the café owner who was arranging fresh pastries in the window, and even a quick “Good morning!” to the jogger you always saw on your morning rides. It felt surreal to be here, to be moving forward after all those years stuck at Domain. That lingering “what if” that had haunted your thoughts was finally being answered. The uncertainty that had once held you back no longer had any power over you. Today, you were stepping into something new, something filled with potential.

You soon arrived at your destination, your heart beating with anticipation and excitement. As you parked your bike and took off your helmet, your eyes locked onto the building in front of you. It was breathtaking—modern yet distinctly Japanese-inspired, exuding both elegance and tranquility. The Golden Ratio logo was carved in gold, standing out against the dark wood facade, almost as if it were welcoming you into its world. Wooden slats were arranged in a structured yet artistic pattern, allowing glimpses of the warm, ambient lighting from within. The entrance walkway was lined with ginkgo trees and occasional black pine, their lush greenery blending harmoniously with the refined architecture. It felt like a place that had been designed not just for work, but for inspiration.

As you stood there, admiring the building and absorbing the reality of your new job, a movement caught your attention. A young man, dressed in a crisp white shirt and loose black-lined pants, approached you with a polite smile. His black lanyard bore the company’s logo, and dangling from it was his ID card. You quickly read his name—Hitoshi.

“Y/n?” he asked, his voice warm and respectful.

“Yes…” you replied, adjusting your bag strap.

“I am Hitoshi! I am here to escort you to the office. Nice to meet you!” He bowed slightly and extended his hand forward.

You returned the bow before shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you too. This is a… lovely place.”

Hitoshi chuckled nervously. “Yes. Nanami-san loves nature, and he was very adamant about maintaining this walkway.”

“I see,” you murmured, clasping your hands in front of you as you followed him through the large screen doors.

“I’m really happy you joined our firm,” Hitoshi continued as he walked beside you.

You giggled. “Me too.”

His enthusiasm seemed to grow as he spoke. “When I saw your portfolio, I knew I wanted to work with you! Your projects are so creative and witty. They make people think and create an emotional connection between the product and the customer. It’s so clever!”

“Oh… I’m glad you think I’m clever.” You chuckled, feeling both flattered and slightly amused at his excitement.

Hitoshi’s eyes practically sparkled as he went on, like a child who had just met their favorite superhero. “I asked Nanami-san to place me in your department. I will be your junior, and I have so much to learn from you! I’m just an undergraduate student, but this is my third summer internship with Golden Ratio. I’m determined to work here full-time one day. Please feel free to make me run around as much as you want—I am at your service!”

His sincerity made you smile. It was rare to see such enthusiasm so openly displayed, and it reminded you of when you first started out—brimming with ideas, eager to prove yourself, and ready to soak up every bit of knowledge you could find. It was endearing to see that kind of passion reflected in someone else.

“Well, Hitoshi,” you said, looking at him with amusement, “I hope you don’t regret saying that.”

He laughed. “Never! I mean it. I want to be useful, so please don’t hesitate to give me tasks.”

You nodded, appreciating his enthusiasm. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

As you walked deeper into the building, the serene atmosphere embraced you. The scent of cedarwood lingered in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly brewed tea. The walls were adorned with minimalist art—subtle brush strokes that depicted landscapes and abstract designs. Everything about this place felt carefully curated, balancing modernity with tradition.

Hitoshi led you down a sleek hallway, stopping in front of a door with your nameplate already mounted on it. Seeing your name there, officially part of Golden Ratio, sent a thrill through you. This was real. This was happening.

“Here we are,” Hitoshi announced, opening the door for you.

You stepped inside, taking in the cozy yet professional space—large windows letting in natural light, a tidy desk waiting for you, and a small bookshelf already stocked with materials. A new beginning.

Turning to Hitoshi, you grinned. “Well then, let’s get to work.”

He beamed. “Yes! Let’s!”

And with that, your journey at Golden Ratio truly began.

His excitement made your laugh. It was pure innocent excitement to do something creative and it resonated with you. Hitoshi tapped his card and opened another screen door for you. 

Compared to the facade, the interiors had modern design. However the decor was traditional Japanese and the common areas looked like a traditional tea house engulfed by a modern cafe. 

“Where do I get my ID card from?”. You asked Hitoshi as the two of you entered the elevator.

“Oh yes! I have it ready for you in your cabin. I was so excited to meet you. I didn't want to waste time at the HR”. Hitoshi admitted and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Nanami-san is at a client meeting but he will meet you after lunch. He always makes time to meet each new employee. He is my idol! My final year design project is based on his design principle. Oh by the way, I am a product designer. Well a product design intern for now”.

You nodded and smiled. His childlike enthusiasm reminded you of your brother. “I am sure you are very talented!”.

The elevator doors opened to a courtyard surrounded by glass walls. The stone walkway was lined with tiny bonsai trees and koi ponds on either side. 

Hitoshi pointed upwards,”The roofs of this open area are retractable. When it is too sunny or raining we bring them back up! And we can even adjust them to allow as much light as we want. Today is a pleasant day so even the fishes get to enjoy it”

“This is one the most beautiful offices I have ever seen!”. You admitted. The atmosphere throughout the office felt tranquil. 

As you followed Hitoshi through different corridors you noticed the walls lined with framed awards and recognition. However you didn’t see a single photo with Nanami alone. It was always with a team and he was standing on the side. 

“This is your office!”. Hitoshi opened a glass door and smiled widely at you.

You stepped inside and took a deep breath. This was a new start to your life. 

The office itself was smaller than your older office, if you can even call it your previous office, But it was well lit and felt welcoming. The office cabin exuded a sense of tranquility and refined simplicity, blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern functionality. Bathed in warm, golden sunlight filtering through expansive shoji-style windows, the room felt open yet intimate. The wooden ceiling, adorned with exposed beams, added a rustic charm, while the polished wooden floor enhances the space’s elegance. At the heart of the room stood a sleek yet minimalist wooden desk, accompanied by a modern ergonomic chair. Above the desk, a delicate hanging lamp casted a soft glow, complementing the natural light. 

To the left, a sliding wooden lattice door led to another section of the office, maintaining privacy while preserving the openness of the space. Against the far wall, a scroll featuring traditional Japanese ink painting hung gracefully, adding a touch of cultural depth. A carefully placed bonsai tree in the corner breathed life into the room, reinforcing the connection to nature. 

As you made your way around the desk and ran your fingers along the edge of the chair you noticed that you could see the main lobby clearly from your chair. Hitoshi noticed your observation and walked over to the side of the desk, “If you want privacy then you can press this button and the glass door will become opaque”. He pressed a small button under the desk and the glass door became opaque in an instant.

“I see. This is beautiful”.

Hitosi pulled out a drawer and took out a docket. “This is your ID card”. He handed you the ID card with the same Lanyard as his. “You can wear it however you want but you will need it to access all the rooms in the office”. 

You took the ID card and saw your smiling face with your employee ID, birth date, and a barcode on it. “Thank you”.

Hitoshi removed a sleek folder from the main docket and placed it on the desk. “This is a brief for the new Project. Nanami-san wanted to hear your thoughts on it later in the day. He said it is not a rush and you should take your time settling in”. 

You nodded and picked up the brown file. “No worries. This would give me something to do today”. You smiled.

Hitoshi nodded happily. “This is your induction document. It has some forms that you need to fill for your emergency contact and insurance. It also has a brief overview of the firm and our past projects so feel free to go through that. I think you will find it interesting”.

“I see”.

Hitoshi placed the thicker document on the table and clapped his hands, “Well I will leave you to it. Oh and if you need anything then please call me”. Hitoshi extended his work card with both hands and you took it with a bow. “It has my mobile and office number so…call me on any. I am here to help you”.

“Okay”.

“Oh and this is your laptop, The login id and password are in your induction file. We all have lunch together in the cafeteria together at 12:30 PM sp please join us. You can meet the rest of the team!”.

“Sure I would love to!”. 

“Great, then enjoy your day and explore!”. Hitoshi gave you a courteous bow and left your office. 

You took a deep breath and plopped down the chair. As happy as you were you had an unsettling feeling that something was about to happen. You had erased the path that led you to Gojo but does this mean that you will never see him again? You tried hard to recollect what the man had told you, “Redo your fate…”. Did that mean that you could completely erase Gojo or did it mean something else. 

By the time lunch time rolled around you had finished going through the project brief and finished your formalities. The firm was quite smaller compared to the domain with only 120 people working here. You even took a video of your new office and sent it to your mom who was in awe of how beautiful it was. 

“y/n!!”. Hitoshi called out to you and waved his hand when he saw you walking through the doors of the cafeteria. 

You made your way to the long wood table where everyone was sitting. “Hello everyone, I am y/n. Nice to meet you all”. You bowed as you introduced yourself. 

Everyone bowed in return and welcomed you to sit with them. “This is maya”. Hitoshi pointed to a blue haired girl. “She handles our digital marketing so you will work closely with her”.

“Nice to meet you y/n-san! Hitoshi has said such good things about you. I look forward to working with you”.

“Nice to meet you Maya. Please call me y/n”. 

“This is Juno,” Hitoshi pointed to a brown haired, spectacled guy in a crisp blue shirt. “He works in accounting”.

“Nice to meet you Juno”. 

Juno smiled politely and bowed in return. 

“He doesn’t talk much but he is really good with numbers!”. Hitoshi continued. “And he is dating Maya”.

Both Juno and Maya turned pink. “Congratulations!”. You smiled at the couple. 

“This is Suzume,”Hitoshi pointed to the girl with a ponytail and rimless glasses. She handles appointments and office administrators. If you need anything, she will help you”.

“Nice to meet you Suzume”.

“Nice to meet you too y/n. I hope you didn’t have trouble settling in”.

“No. None at all. Hitoshi was very kind and gave me a tour of the office”.

She smiled, “If you ever need anything please reach out to me. I will be happy to help you”.

“Thank you”.

"Welcome to the gang!”. Hitohsi exclaimed with jazz hands.

The lunch was filled with chatter about office gossip and latest projects. But you didn’t feel left out at all. Everyone happily shared context to every gossip, sometimes even talking over one another. Juno was the quietest of the lot but everytime he spoke he sent everyone laughing till their stomachs hurt. You could tell that the group was very close but not exclusive. Their unique personalities blended well together and Hitoshi felt like the glue that held everyone together. 

After lunch everyone went for coffee and a small stroll around the garden and it gave you an opportunity to get to know everyone individually. You exchanged numbers and social media id with everyone even Juno who had only two posts and both were with Maya, which was endearing. Suzume, though she looked stoic, loved to chat about anything and everything. Maya and Hitoshi were like siblings who were always bickering. Juno was a man of few words but he was not cold. He spoke about the office and how he met Maya, you could tell he was really warm and loving man.

As you made your way back to your office your phone buzzed in your pocket. It was an unknown number but it seemed familiar. Maybe it was someone from the group. 

“Hello?”. 

…..

“Hello? This is y/n..”

….

You frowned and stared at the number. 

“Nanami-san?”

The person on the other side cut the call. You shrugged and put your phone back in your pocket. 

You stood outside Nanami’s cabin staring at the plaque on the door. You were nervous about meeting him despite Hitoshi assuring you that he is a kind and generous person. You raised your fist and gently tapped on the wooden door.

“Come in”.  A stern voice replied from the other end. 

You turned the knob gently and walked in. “Hi, I am..”

“y/n. Yes. I am Kento Nanami. Nice to meet you finally”. Nanami got up and bowed at you.

“Hi. Nice to meet you too”. You smiled and relaxed. 

He motioned towards the seat and you sat across from him. 

“How was your first day?”.

“It was good. Hitoshi introduced me to some people and also gave me a tour”.

“Oh he is very excited about working with you. He is talented but talks a lot”. Nanami chuckled and his eyes glinted like a proud father teasing his child.

“Yes he did”. You felt a bit nervous now that you had gotten a good look at Nanami. He was exceptionally good looking. His crisp blue shirt clung to his well built torso. His blond hair shimmered in the light and was set very neatly on top of his head. He had a calming and respectful presence. Even his office was neatly organized and well kept. 

“Are you settled in? There were some formalities for the HR”.

“Yes I submitted the forms right before coming here actually”.

“That’s great. How has your day been so far?”.

“Quite good. I went through the project brief that you had sent”. “Oh yes. But before we discuss that I would like to get to know you. What are your ambitions and dreams? And above all, what can my firm do to support you?”.

You were taken aback by his question. No one had ever asked you what you wanted let alone wanted to support you. “I..I just want to do meaningful and creative work. I want to ..help businesses grow through strategic creativity. I am not overly ambitious with respect to position and pay. As long as I can create value and support my family I am happy”.

Nanami pondered over your words for a while and the silence made you question your answer. But your anxiousness was soon washed away by his warm smile. “That is a refreshing answer. I have asked this question to many people and very few have ever given me a genuine answer. I look forward to working with you”.

You smiled widely. “Thank You”.

“So are you from Kyoto?”. Nanami asked.

“Yes and No. I was born and raised in Tokyo but moved to Kyoto 5 years ago for my family. But I love it here”.

“Oh I see. I am also not a native but moved here around the same time as you did”. He added.

“What brought you to Kyoto?”

Nanami leaned back in his chair and he thought about it for a while. He had spent so much time here that he had almost forgotten why he moved here. “For some peace and quiet. The firm I was working with in Tokyo was good and quite well paying but money isn’t everything. Once I had earned enough to move here I packed my bags and left the city”.

You nodded.”But why..Kyoto? If you don’t mind me asking”.

Nanami chuckled. “My Grandmother was from here and I remember visiting her as a child and falling in love with the culture and architecture. In some ways it inspired me to do what I am doing”.

“I can understand. Beauty of the architecture here is unmatched in my opinion. It compels me to take a step back and observe and be present but at the same time brings the creativity out of me”.

Nanami looked at you and gave a satisfying smile. “I couldn’t agree more”.

A light tap on the door broke the comfortable silence in the room.

“Come in”. Nanami said and sat up straight in his seat.

A petite girl with a bob cut peaked her head in through the gap, “Sorry to disturb you, but..Kasumi-san is on the phone”.

“I will take my leave”. You got up and bowed. “I hope to speak to you again”.

“Yes. Thank you for stopping by. If you need anything please reach out to me”. Nanami replied with a professional smile. 

“Yes”.

You rode back home with a smile on your face. You felt content..mostly. These were good people. Honest people. You knew that not all days would be good but you would rather go through the bad days with good people than good days with the bad ones.  But something was tugging at your heart and you couldn’t understand what. Maybe you were scared that all of this was a dream and when you woke up you would be back in the alley drunk and miserable. But this was real. The air on your face was real. The grip on your bike handle was real. The sight pain in your left shoulder was real. Nanami was real. Histoshi was real.

As you parked your bike near the garage, you could hear the chatter form the television inside and the light chatter between your mom and brother seeping through the walls. This was real.

“I am home!”. You announced as you took your shoes off and slipped into your house slipper.

“Welcome home! Dinner is almost ready! How was your first day?”. Your mother called from the kitchen. 

You walked in the living room and saw your brother sitting in front of the television with his eyes glued. He looked up at you briefly and then back to the television. Were you the same as a teenager? So brooding. 

“It was good”. You kept your bag on the couch and plopped down next to your brother.

“Did you make any new friends?”. Your mom asked as she made her way in the living room with a tray and gently put the glass of water on the table.

You chuckled. “Mom, I am not in school anymore. But, yes I did make new friends”.

Ren looked at you through the corner of his eyes, “Are they all nerdy like you?”.

You threw a cushion at him, “At least I have friends”.

“Enough you two! I washed these cushions today! y/n go wash up and come for dinner”.

As you sat down to eat dinner you felt grateful for the choice you had made. Seeing your mom and brother happy made it all worth it. “Mom, there are tomatoes in the curry!”. You whined.

“Oh god y/n. You should eat tomatoes. They are in season and good for you”.

“She is such a child”. Ren chuckled.

“Do you want that new game or not?”. 

“You are the best sister in the world”. Ren bowed sarcastically, making you giggle.

You mom put her spoon down and looked at you trying to recollect something.

“What?”. You asked.

“Oh yes! Someone called for you today”.

“For me? Who?”.

“I don’t know. They asked whether you were home and I told them you were at work”.

“Did you ask for their name?”. You asked, eating a spoonful of rice.

“I did.. But they cut the call”.

You shrugged. “Must be the HR confirming my home number”.

“Yeah..but-”.

“Mom”. You tilted your head and looked at her reassuringly. Your mom had an affinity for fussing over these things. “It’s all good”.

“Are you sure?”.

“Yes. I am sure”. You turned to Ren, “How was school?”.

“Good”. 

You stared at him prompting him to expand on his reply.

“What?”.

“You were supposed to get your test result today?”.

“Oh Yeah I did. I did alright”.

“Alright?”. You mom scoffed. “He scored the highest y/n! I am so happy!”.

“Oh wow. So there is a brain inside that skull!”. You and your mom giggled. “How about all of us go for a picnic to celebrate this weekend?”.

Ren shook his head. “I have a soccer match”.

“After the match?”. Your mom asked, raising her brows excitedly.

“Maybe..”.

You and your mom exchanged knowing looks as you mimicked his signature brooding expression, causing her to burst into laughter. The sound was warm and familiar, wrapping around you like a comforting embrace. It filled your heart with joy, yet beneath the surface, a dull ache lingered. The memory of a conversation from what felt like a past life weighed on your mind. She was a kind woman—selfless, devoted. Was it truly wrong for her to have been ambitious? To have wanted more, after spending her entire life working tirelessly for her children? She was simple at heart, never asking for much. A flawed human, yes, but still the mother you loved with every fiber of your being.

Without a second thought, you crawled closer and wrapped your arms around her, burying your face into her shoulder. The warmth of her embrace was immediate as she instinctively draped an arm over you, her laughter fading into quiet concern.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked, her voice gentle yet firm.

A lump formed in your throat, making it impossible to speak. You simply nodded, gripping the fabric of her sleeve a little tighter.

“Can you stop being so emo?” Ren deadpanned from across the table, breaking the silence.

A surprised giggle escaped your lips.

“Dick!” You shot back, sniffling as you leaned back onto your cushion.

“Language, Y/N!” your mom scolded, though there was no real bite to her words.

“Sorry… Dick-san,” you corrected yourself, purposefully avoiding her gaze.

Ren couldn’t hold it in anymore—his giggles burst forth, and soon, you joined him. Laughter rippled through the dining room, filling the space with warmth, momentarily washing away the heaviness in your chest.

You walked into your room with a smile on your face, a rare kind of lightness in your steps. The day had been kind to you, filling your chest with a warmth you hadn’t felt in a long time. You placed your bag on your study chair, its usual spot, and let your eyes drift to the blue paper lying on your desk. It was as if it had been waiting for you. You picked it up, running your fingers over the slightly crumpled edges before reading the three words printed on it—Make a wish. A soft sigh escaped your lips as you held it a little longer, as if hoping the words would whisper their magic into your heart.

Without another thought, you slipped the paper under your pillow and crawled into bed. The ceiling above blurred as tears welled up in your eyes, sliding down silently, tracing cold lines on your cheeks. It was only now, in the quiet solitude of your room, that you finally understood—why your heart felt both light and unbearably heavy at the same time. You were happy, yes, but not over him. The realization settled over you like a weight you didn’t know you were still carrying. A part of you despised him, resented the way he had left you tangled in memories you couldn’t escape. And yet, another part—one you wished you could silence—still longed for him. Still wondered why life had given you this moment of happiness but had refused to let you have him too.

A soft chuckle bubbled up through your throat, shaky and bitter, as more tears seeped into your pillow. How greedy of you to want it all. The fatal flaw of human nature—greed. Was that what this was? Wanting happiness and love at the same time, as if the universe hadn’t already decided what you could and couldn’t have? You took a deep, trembling breath, wiping your face as you reached for your phone.

His number. You still remembered it, every digit burned into your mind. Almost unconsciously, your fingers tapped it in, and you stared at the screen, at the sequence of numbers that once connected you to him. The thought crossed your mind like a whisper—If I call now, just to hear his voice… would he pick up? Would he hesitate? Would he sigh before answering? Would he want to talk to you, even now?

Doubt gnawed at you. Should I call? And if he answered… what would I even say?

Your thumb hovered over the call icon, your heartbeat pounding in your ears. It would take just a second, just one small movement to bridge the silence between you.

But before you could tap the screen, your phone vibrated in your hand. A notification flashed across the display.

It was from Nanami.

Nanami: Hello y/n. Sorry for messaging you so late. I apologize for cutting out conversation short today. I would like to continue it. Would you be available to discuss it over lunch sometime?

y/n: Hello. I look forward to continuing our conversation. Will you be out of office tomorrow?

Nanami: Yes. I am flying out tomorrow to meet with a client. I will be back in 2 weeks.

y/n: Good luck for your meeting :) Looking forward to our conversation :)

Nanami: That’s good to hear. I will see you tomorrow. Good Night.

Y/n: Good night.

You stretched your arms above your head as you woke up five minutes before your alarm rang. The soft glow of early morning light filtered through your curtains, casting gentle shadows across your room. Turning off the soon-to-ring alarm, you sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes before swinging your legs over the side of the bed. A cool breeze drifted in as you opened the window, carrying the crisp scent of the morning air. You took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill your lungs, a simple but refreshing start to the day.

Over the past few days, you had come to a realization—you needed balance. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Life had been moving at a relentless pace, and you often found yourself dwelling on things that had already passed, replaying scenarios in your head that you had no control over anymore. But that had to stop. You had to accept that whatever had to happen, happened. It was in the past, and no amount of overthinking was going to change it. Moving forward, you wanted to be more intentional about your time, about how you took care of yourself.

With Maya’s help, you had finally found some skincare that suited your skin. It had been trial and error for a while, and you had never really paid much attention to it before. But now, cleansing your face and applying a light moisturizer every morning had become a part of your routine—something small, but something that makes you feel good. You also started attending yoga classes three days a week, incorporating morning meditation into your daily schedule. At first, sitting still and focusing on your breath felt unnatural, but as the days went by, you began to enjoy the sense of calm it brought you. It was a slow, grounding practice, a stark contrast to the chaos of daily life.

To be honest, you felt good about it. You had always been skeptical of the so-called "self-care" routines promoted all over social media. It all seemed like a marketing gimmick—just another way to sell overpriced products and push people towards overconsumption. But as you settled into your own routine, you realized that self-care wasn’t about buying things you didn’t need; it was about creating habits that made you feel like a better version of yourself. The clarity that came with a consistent routine was something you hadn’t expected, but you welcomed it.

On top of that, you had started taking a pottery class with Hitoshi. He was exceptionally good at it, his hands shaping the clay with ease, as if it were second nature to him. You, on the other hand, were still figuring things out. You had done some ceramics back in college, but nothing that compared to his skill level. Still, you were determined to keep going. There was something incredibly satisfying about working with your hands, molding something from nothing, watching it take shape. The imperfections didn’t bother you as much as they used to. It was a process, just like everything else in life.

Hobbies, routine, balance—they were all good for you. You were finally starting to understand that.

On the work front, things were looking good as well. Nanami was coming back to the office today, and you were excited to share your project progress with him and get his thoughts on items you were unsure about. His insight always brought a fresh perspective, and you were hoping for some clarity on the lingering issues in your report. So, you packed your bags and got dressed in a navy blue pleated skirt and a light blue sweater to beat the slight chill in the air. Your ever-trusted white sneakers were all ready and waiting at the door as you said your goodbye to your mom and hurriedly stepped out.

The streets looked especially busy today. Lots of black cars with tinted windows lined the roads, idling at the curbs, their drivers standing around, speaking into earpieces or quietly observing passersby. It was a little unusual, but you chalked it up to the trade summit happening in Kyoto this week. You had seen news reports about the influx of foreign delegations and the heightened security measures around the city, so it made sense that the streets were bustling with official-looking vehicles.

As you parked your bike in the usual spot, you noticed that a lot of similar cars were lined outside the office as well. That was strange. Usually, the client visits were low-key, nothing that warranted this level of presence.

“Morning, Y/N!” Maya chirped as she walked up to you, her coffee cup in hand. She was in her usual sleek business-casual attire, her blazer casually draped over her arm.

“Maya! Morning!” You smiled as you locked your bike. Maya and Juno shared an apartment close to the office and often walked in together, so you were surprised to see only Maya today.

“Where’s Juno?” You asked as the two of you began walking towards the office entrance, weaving between the neatly trimmed trees that lined the pathway.

Maya took a sip of her coffee before responding, “He had to come in early today to prepare for the meeting with the big client from Tokyo.”

“New client? I didn’t know about the new cliente.” Your brows furrowed as you pulled out your phone, scrolling through your emails in case you had missed an important announcement.

“Chill.” Maya laughed. “They’re just visiting today. Probably to start a new project in Kyoto, and apparently, they want to collaborate with us to get some street cred.” She giggled, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “You know Juno, he likes to triple-check everything, and the finance team has been lean for a while, so he has to do some extra work.”

“Aaah… I see.” You breathed a sigh of relief. “Looks like an important client, though. I saw a lot of those black cars on my way here. I thought they were here for the summit.”

“Me too!” Maya nodded. “But then Juno told me about this big-shot client. Between the two of us, it’s a multi-million-dollar project. Nanami-san has been trying to get this project for quite some time.”

“Really? What changed?” You asked, curiosity piqued.

Maya shrugged as she tapped her ID card to check in at the entrance. “No one knows. They’ve been rejecting our proposal for two years, and now they’re suddenly ready to move forward.”

You nodded thoughtfully. Even inside, the office was bustling. Employees were gathered in small groups, speaking in hushed tones, some looking over documents, others straightening their suits as if bracing for an important encounter. The energy was different—there was an air of anticipation.

As you walked in, you overheard snippets of conversation. Words like ‘contract finalization,’ ‘strict timeline,’ and ‘biggest deal of the year’ floated through the air. The excitement was palpable.

Juno rushed over, adjusting his tie and holding a tablet. “Y/N! You made it just in time.”

“For what?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They want to see our project proposal,” Juno said, looking slightly out of breath. “Nanami-san asked if you could present some of your findings on the community project. Apparently, the client is particularly interested in that section.”

Your stomach did a little flip. Present? Today? To a client you didn’t even know was coming until this morning? “Wait, I thought this was just an initial visit,” you said cautiously.

Juno shook his head. “Things are moving fast. They might be signing today if all goes well.”

You exchanged a glance with Maya, who simply grinned and patted your shoulder. “Looks like you’re in the spotlight, Y/N.”

Taking a deep breath, you straightened up. “Alright. Let’s do this.” You were confident that you had done some really good work and hoped that you could make Nanami proud.

Whatever had changed the client’s mind, this was a major opportunity—and you were about to play a part in it.

“Oh I need to check some things with the IT so I will go ahead. Catch you at lunch?”. Maya raised an eyebrow.

“I might be having lunch with Nanami today”. You smiled.

Maya gave you a teasing look. The gang had been teasing you with Nanami ever since the two of you started talking on the phone and texting. You felt giddy but you knew it would take you some time to completely get over him. “It’s a work lunch!”. You added.

“Sure. I believe you!”. Maya rolled her eyes and waved you bye. 

Walking up to the elevator you were excited to meet Nanami today. All the talking and texting on the phone over the past two weeks had made you feel a bit closer to him.Even if some conversations were about the analysis you were working on you felt closer to him .You were lost in your thoughts about Nanami when the elevator doors opened. 

You looked up, and time stopped.

Standing in front of you, bathed in the soft morning light, was Gojo Satoru. His white hair caught the sun just right, making it glow like a halo, but the smirk tugging at his lips was anything but angelic. He wore his signature blue Zegna sweater and fitted trousers, effortlessly elegant yet impossibly relaxed. His gaze, hidden behind dark-tinted lenses, was trained on you—steady, unreadable, predatory in a way that made your breath hitch.

The elevator doors were about to close when he reached out, pressing a button without breaking eye contact. “Gettin’ in?” His voice was smooth, teasing, dripping with something that made your stomach tighten.

“I… yes.” You swallowed hard and stepped in, your heart pounding so loudly you were sure he could hear it.

The doors slid shut, enclosing the two of you in a space suddenly too small, too warm. The silence crackled. You could feel his presence beside you—broad shoulders, lean frame, the faint scent of something expensive and clean, laced with an undertone of danger. His gaze was heavy, deliberate, traveling over you in a way that made your skin burn. You refused to look at him, but your body betrayed you, every nerve ending acutely aware of his proximity.

Your head was spinning so fast that when the elevator gave a tiny jolt, your balance wavered. Your breath hitched as you stumbled slightly only to be caught by firm hands.

One large palm splayed against your waist, the other curling gently around your wrist, steadying you with ease. His grip was firm, warm, the heat of his touch searing through the layers of your clothes. You sucked in a sharp breath, finally daring to look up.

Gojo was watching you, the usual playful smirk nowhere to be seen. Instead, something darker flickered across his face, something unreadable yet entirely consuming. His fingers flexed slightly before he let go, his touch lingering just a second too long.

"Careful," he murmured, voice softer now, but no less dangerous.

When the elevator chimed and the doors slid open to the top floor, you bolted, clutching your bag as if it were a lifeline. You barely registered where you were going, only stopping once you reached your office chair. Exhaling shakily, you forced yourself to focus—until you glanced up and saw him through the transparent door.

Gojo Satoru, still smirking, was walking towards Nanami’s office. But just before disappearing inside, he turned his head—locking eyes with you through the glass.

And this time, you couldn’t look away.

Only when he disappeared behind the door did you finally let out the breath you had been holding. Your chest rose and fell rapidly, heart pounding like a war drum. Beads of sweat rolled down your forehead, sliding down your neck, and your throat felt parched, as if you had swallowed dust. You could still feel the ghost of his touch burning on your waist, a brand that refused to fade. You knew what he was capable of. You knew the kind of power he wielded, the lines he had already crossed. And yet—the butterflies were back. A treacherous warmth spread through your body, leaving you weak at the knees.

Your vision blurred as you stumbled down the dimly lit L-shaped corridor toward the bathroom. A few people greeted you, their voices distant, but you barely managed a nod. Some gave you questioning looks, sensing something was wrong. You didn’t care. You just needed to get away.

The moment you locked the bathroom door behind you, you rushed to the sink. Cold water. That was all you could think about. You splashed it over your face again and again, until your cheeks stung, until strands of your hair were soaked, clinging to your skin. But you didn’t care. You needed to wake up. This had to be some kind of nightmare. Why was he here? What did he want? A thousand thoughts clashed in your mind, each one more terrifying than the last. You wiped the patch of skin he had touched so harshly that you almost gave yourself a rash. 

You looked up, meeting your own reflection. The blood had drained from your face, leaving you ghostly pale. You looked like you had aged overnight.

Straightening up, you took a slow, deliberate breath. What were you so afraid of? He didn’t know you. He didn’t know anything about you. He did not exist in your reality.

All you had to do was stay out of his way. Yes, stay out of his way.

Not too hard.

You could do it.

Grabbing a paper towel, you wiped your face, inhaled deeply, and stepped out.

“y/n! Are you seeing this?” Hitoshi exclaimed as you walked into your office, his voice laced with urgency. Maya and Suzume sat on the love seat, looking nervous, their hands clasped together in silent tension.

“What happened?” You asked, your brows knitting together as you looked between them. You sniffled slightly, the remnants of a cold making your throat feel scratchy, before making your way to your chair. The air in the room felt thick, charged with unease.

“The chaos!” Suzume blurted out, her eyes darting towards the large glass windows. “They are everywhere.”

You exhaled, leaning back in your chair. “So what? It’s just a matter of a few days, and once the project is finalized, they will be out of here,” you said, trying to sound convincing, but your own words felt hollow even to you.

“Y/n,” Suzume called out, her voice unsteady. “This is not a project. Nobody brings this many people for a project.”

She was right. Your stomach twisted uncomfortably as you processed her words. It was unusual—no, it was more than that. It was downright alarming. And then there was him. His presence alone made this situation far more complicated.

“What are you implying?” you asked, your voice quieter this time, as if afraid to hear the answer.

Heavy silence hung over the room. No one wanted to voice what you all knew deep down. The truth was there, glaring and undeniable. Maya bit her nails nervously, her eyes refusing to meet yours. Finally, she whispered, “It’s an acquisition.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut. You exchanged glances with your team, all of them reflecting the same fear. Change was coming, and not the kind you could easily maneuver around.

But you had to keep the morale up. “So what if it is?” You straighten your posture, forcing a confident tone. “We are the core team. Our jobs are secure. You guys don’t need to worry. And as far as all this chaos goes, an acquisition doesn’t necessarily mean that they will move here. That wouldn’t make sense. They can acquire and let us be as well.”

You saw their shoulders drop slightly, the tension easing just a fraction. “It’s going to be fine. We just need to make sure that we nail the presentation, and we’ll see where to go from there.”

“Can you please talk to Nanami-san?” Maya asked, her voice hopeful.

“Yes! Please, y/n!” Suzume added. “I… please, y/n.”

“Now?” you asked, your nerves kicking in.

“If possible,” Hitoshi said, his tone almost pleading. “You are the only one he will listen to! I know this! Please!”.

You bit your lip nervously, pulled out your phone, and began typing.

y/n: Hi, I know you must be busy, but can we please talk? It’s urgent.

You set your phone down, uncertain of when or if Nanami would reply. To your surprise, your phone buzzed almost immediately.

Nanami: Sure. You can come to my office.

“Okay. I will go and talk to him. Stay here!” You grabbed your phone and hurried to his office, hoping—praying—not to run into Gojo on the way.

You tapped on the door gently, your voice steady despite the nerves bubbling under your skin. “It’s me.”

“Come in,” Nanami replied, his calm voice providing the smallest sense of reassurance.

Stepping inside, a smile unconsciously formed on your face at the sight of him. But your smile faltered the moment another figure swiveled in his chair.

Gojo Satoru.

You felt the air shift as he turned, his signature grin in place, eyes sharp and knowing.

“Y/n, meet Gojo Satoru,” Nanami said, first looking at you, then at Gojo.

You swallowed, plastering on a polite smile. “Hi. Nice to meet you.” You gave a courteous bow, mentally chanting Fake it till you make it, y/n.

Gojo smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Nice to meet you… y/n,” he drawled, drawing out your name with an unsettling familiarity.

“Please, have a seat,” Nanami offered, gesturing to the chair next to Gojo.

Your pulse quickened. “Oh, it’s alright. I can come in later,” you said quickly, trying to keep your voice steady.

Nanami, ever perceptive, caught the nervousness in your expression. He exhaled softly before speaking. “Mr. Gojo, if you could excuse me, I have something to discuss with y/n, please excuse me” He stood, moving around his desk, and gently took your hand, guiding you towards the door.

The moment was brief but not unnoticed. You could feel Gojo’s eyes on you, his gaze lingering with keen interest as you stepped out with Nanami, the weight of the encounter pressing heavily on your shoulders.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”, Nanami asked with genuine curiosity as the two of you stood outside his office.

“Yes. Yes I am but..all this..what is going on?”. You fiddled with your phone in your hand.

“I know this is too sudden. I wish I could explain in detail but..”. Nanami looked at you like he was searching for the right word, “The truth is that we are being acquired”.

“What about-”.

“All jobs are safe y/n. I assure you. It was a key condition”.

“Will we have to move?”. 

“No. We are not going anywhere”. Nanami smiled.

You breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much! Everyone was so nervous. I was so nervous.”.

Nanami smiled. “Don’t be. Nothing changes for us”. Nanami felt compelled to hold you but he couldn’t. Not now. Not here. Not yet. Instead he squeezed your hand gently to reassure you.

You nodded happily. “I will leave you to attend to..him”. You nudge your head towards the door.

Nanami smiled and went back in.

“Good news everyone!”. You announced as you walked into your office confidently. “Nothing changes for us. Our jobs are safe. We are not going anywhere”.

“Seriously?!”. Maya jumped from the couch and hugged you.

Suzume joined in, “Thank you, y/n! I was so scared”.

“Can I join in as well?”Hitoshi asked.

You all nodded and were soon in a group hug.

“But wait..”, Hitoshi was the first to pull away. “...If we are not going anywhere does it mean they are moving here?”.

You hadn’t thought about that possibility yet. 

“Who cares if they move here? They are too uptight to survive here. As long as we have each other we should be fine right?”. Maya added happily.

“Yes”. Suzume spoke. “This is my office and this is my gang. No one messes with us!”.

You smiled painfully. Would he actually move here? No. He loves his Tokyo office too much. Everyone he loves and cares for is there. He will never move here.

The conference room was silent as you set up your presentation. The projector flickered to life, displaying your carefully prepared slides. Nanami sat at the head of the table, his arms crossed, his eyes sharp and attentive. Hitoshi tapped his pen against the table, looking eager yet tense. And then there was Gojo.

He lounged back in his chair, long legs stretched out, one arm lazily resting on the table as he watched you. His gaze was heavy, teasing, knowing. It made the air feel thick, your skin prickling under his attention.

You cleared your throat. "Good afternoon, everyone. I'll be walking you through our marketing strategy for the new community center." You clicked the remote, and the first slide appeared.

"Mmm, community engagement," Gojo murmured, "I do love getting involved."

Your fingers momentarily slipped on the remote. You shot him a sharp glance, but he merely grinned, tilting his head as if daring you to react.

Nanami cleared his throat. "Y/n, continue."

You steadied yourself. "Right. As I was saying, our goal is to position the community center as a cornerstone of social support and development. We've outlined a multi-tiered marketing approach to ensure maximum reach and engagement."

You advanced to the next slide, outlining key engagement strategies. "First, we plan to leverage digital marketing—social media campaigns, email outreach, and targeted ads. This will help us attract younger demographics while maintaining communication with existing community members."

Gojo hummed softly. "You think social media alone is enough? A few posts and hashtags, and suddenly people show up?"

You met his gaze, trying to ignore the way your pulse quickened. "No, which is why we’re also implementing offline strategies, including community events, partnerships with local businesses, and promotional materials distributed across key locations."

Nanami nodded approvingly. "That’s a well-rounded approach. Have you considered potential barriers to engagement, such as accessibility or public perception?"

You smiled slightly, grateful for the constructive question. "Yes, accessibility is a key concern, so we're prioritizing inclusive events and transportation support. As for public perception, we’ve designed a community outreach program to build trust through transparency. Open house events and Q&A sessions will allow residents to voice their concerns and feel involved."

Nanami’s lips curled slightly upward. "Impressive. That level of detail will go a long way in securing support."

Your cheeks warmed at the compliment, and you looked down briefly before moving to the next slide.

A soft scoff came from Gojo. "Huh. Didn’t realize Nanami gave out compliments now. Must be a special occasion."

You glanced at him, but he was already looking away, his jaw tight. His fingers drummed against the table a little too firmly, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen.

You swallowed and continued. "Next, we have our timeline—broken down into three phases: awareness, engagement, and retention. In the awareness phase, we’ll generate buzz through teaser campaigns and influencer collaborations. Engagement will focus on community-driven events, and retention will involve long-term initiatives like membership programs and recurring events."

Gojo leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "And how do you plan to measure success?"

You hesitated for only a second before answering. "Through key performance indicators: attendance rates, social media analytics, membership sign-ups, and community feedback. By tracking these, we can adapt our strategy as needed."

Gojo smirked. "Smart. Adaptability is attractive."

Your breath hitched, and you fought to keep your expression neutral. Nanami, seemingly unfazed, ignored him. "What’s your budget allocation for these strategies?"

You exhaled, focusing back on the presentation. "We’ve broken the budget into three main categories: promotional materials, digital marketing, and event organization. The majority is allocated to events since direct community interaction is our primary goal."

Nanami nodded again, thoughtful. "That’s a sound distribution. Have you anticipated any risks?"

You moved to the next slide. "Yes. Low initial engagement, budget constraints, and potential resistance from the community. We’ve developed contingency plans, including alternative funding options and additional outreach efforts."

Gojo leaned in slightly, his voice softer. "And if something unexpected happens? What’s your personal approach when things don’t go as planned?"

You hesitated, feeling the intensity in his stare. "I adapt," you said finally. "Find solutions on the spot. Panic doesn’t solve problems."

Gojo’s smirk deepened. "Good answer."

Nanami shifted in his chair. "I think that covers everything. Well done, y/n. Your strategy is comprehensive and well-thought-out."

Your chest warmed at the praise, and you gave a small nod. "Thank you."

Gojo let out a breathy chuckle, tapping his fingers against the table. "Guess we’re lucky to have someone so capable."

Nanami stood. "We’ll move forward with the plan. I’ll arrange for a follow-up next week."

As the meeting ended, you began gathering your notes. Nanami reached over to hand you a stray document, his fingers grazing yours. "You really did a great job. This will set a solid foundation for our project."

You smiled, nodding. "I appreciate that, Nanami. I really do."

From the corner of your eye, you saw Gojo shift in his seat. His usual smug expression darkened slightly, his lips pressing together in a thin line.

Then, just as you turned, Gojo suddenly stood, stepping closer than necessary. His fingers brushed the small of your back, a light but unmistakable touch. "Careful, y/n," he murmured near your ear. 

Your breath caught, and you turned your head slightly, only to find his gaze locked onto yours, a knowing glint in his eyes. The room felt too small, too charged. Was he seriously flirting with you? Here? Now? When he didn’t even know you? Dick!

Nanami cleared his throat, breaking the moment. "Let’s wrap up. We all have work to do."

Gojo exhaled dramatically. "Right, right. Work first."

As you gathered your things, Gojo lingered for just a second longer watching you attentively like a predator sizing up a prey.

The restaurant hums with quiet conversation, the soft clinking of silverware filling the space between you. It’s been two weeks since you last saw him—two weeks since you’ve felt this strange sense of steadiness that only seems to settle when Nanami is near.

You shouldn’t have missed him. You tell yourself it’s just the adjustment period—just the way work has been hectic. But sitting across from him now, watching as he carefully rolls up his sleeves, you realize how much you had noticed his absence.

Nanami sets his phone down, screen facing the table. His gestures are always deliberate, his presence as composed as ever, but there’s something almost hesitant about the way his gaze lingers on you before he speaks.

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.”

You shake your head. “Not at all. I just got here.”

He nods, glancing at your glass. “Not drinking?”

You glance at the untouched wine. “Didn’t feel like it.”

His eyes sharpen slightly, just for a second. “You seem tense.”

You exhale, leaning back slightly. “It’s just work.”

Nanami studies you for a moment, quiet and unreadable. Then, as if making a decision, he leans forward slightly, voice softer now.

“As long as I am here, you don’t need to worry about anything.”

The words settle deep in your chest, warm and certain.

You blink, caught off guard. “That’s… a bold statement.”

Nanami doesn’t look away. “It’s the truth.”

Something about the way he says it makes you believe him.

You look down at your plate, focusing on the way your fingers toy with the edge of your napkin. “You don’t have to look out for me.”

“I know,” he says simply. “But I will.”

A quiet moment stretches between you.

Nanami tells himself he shouldn’t have said that. That this is a work lunch, just a routine check-in, nothing more. But the way your shoulders relax ever so slightly, the way you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding—he knows he can’t take it back.

And worse, he doesn’t want to.

So he clears his throat, shifting the conversation back to safer territory. Work, deadlines, next week’s meetings. He keeps his voice even, his demeanor steady, but beneath the surface, he feels it—the way his restraint is beginning to fray at the edges.

Somewhere between discussing a client proposal and finishing your meal, he finds himself speaking before he can stop himself.

“You can call me Kento.”

You blink, looking up. “What?”

Nanami’s jaw tightens, like he’s already regretting it, but his voice remains steady. “Outside of work. In the office, we keep things professional. I’d rather not have people getting the wrong idea.”

 “And what idea would that be?”, You asked hesitantly.

He holds your gaze, fingers tightening slightly around his glass. “That I favor you.”

The words come out firmer than he intends, laced with something he refuses to name.

You could tease him, lighten the moment with a joke. But instead, you let the words settle, something unreadable flickering in your own eyes before you nod.

“Alright,” you say softly. “Kento.”

Nanami exhales slowly, but he doesn’t allow himself to react. Not to the way his name sounds coming from you. Not to the way his pulse betrays him.

The plates have been cleared, the check untouched between you, but neither of you move to leave just yet.

And for now, that’s enough.

Gojo woke up sweating and panting, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps. His heart pounded violently against his ribs as he frantically scanned his surroundings. The dim morning light filtered through the curtains of his penthouse bedroom, casting long shadows across the room. His sheets were tangled around his legs, damp with sweat. His fingers trembled as he reached for his phone on the nightstand, the bright screen forcing him to blink rapidly.

1st January 2021, 10:00 AM.

A sharp, throbbing pain coursed through his skull as he fell back onto his pillow, pressing his fingers against his temples in an attempt to dull the headache. His head felt like it was being split open, every pulse sending fresh waves of nausea through him. He gritted his teeth and let out a low groan, his body tense as he forced himself to take slow, deliberate breaths.

What the hell was going on? His mind raced, searching for an explanation. Was it just a nightmare? A lingering hallucination from the relentless drinking? The hazy remnants of some twisted memory? His throat was dry, and his body felt heavier than usual, like he was sinking into the mattress. Something was off—terribly off.

As he sat across from the new recruit, Gojo felt a bitterness seep into his heart, curling around his ribs like a vice. The poor girl was not at fault here—he knew that. But that didn’t stop him from despising her nonetheless.

He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders back before half-heartedly picking up her resume. The paper crinkled slightly between his fingers, his grip unintentionally tight.

“Can I just say, sir, that I am so excited to work with you! I have dreamt of working for you—I mean, for Domain Dynamics—for such a long time, and now that I’m sitting here, I—”

“Did I ask?” Gojo interrupted, raising a brow as he leaned back in his chair, his tone flat, his expression unreadable.

“I… I’m sorry,” she stammered, her enthusiasm instantly deflating.

“Do you even know where your office is?”

“Uh… no,” she admitted, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

Gojo let out an exasperated sigh before pressing a button on his desk. “Miwa. In. Now.”

Within seconds, Miwa rushed in, her ever-efficient presence a stark contrast to the girl’s nervous energy. “Yes, sir.”

Gojo gestured vaguely in Sakura’s direction. “Can you show…” He paused, tilting his head slightly as if only now realizing he didn’t know her name. “What’s your name?”

“Sakura,” she replied, her voice quieter now.

“Yeah. Can you show Sakura her new… office and make sure she’s settled in?” His words were dismissive, as though she were an afterthought.

“Yes, sir!” Miwa chirped, already gesturing for the girl to follow.

“Oh, and Miwa,” Gojo added casually, just as they were about to leave. His lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. “Don’t move her into the office across from mine. Keep that one empty.”

Miwa hesitated. “But sir… that’s where—”

“I have a feeling it’ll be filled soon.” His smile widened, sharp and almost cruel.

Miwa nodded, understanding her cue. “Sure, sir. Sakura, please come with me.”

Sakura cast one last, uncertain glance at Gojo before trailing after Miwa, her earlier excitement all but gone.

With a sigh, he shifted in his seat, his foot bouncing against the floor in a restless rhythm. His fingers skimmed through the stack of resumes on his desk until they landed on one buried beneath Sakura’s. He pulled it free, lifting it to eye level.

The photo attached to the top corner caught his attention first. A smiling face, bright yet oddly familiar. His chest tightened—not with unease, but with something warmer, something steadier. It was rare for a simple photograph to evoke such a feeling.

But his moment of quiet curiosity was interrupted when his gaze dropped to the bottom of the page. A small, neatly printed note stood out against the crisp paper: Candidate withdrew.

His brows furrowed. Withdraw? Who in their right mind would turn down an offer at Domain Dynamics?

His fingers curled around the edges of the resume as he reached for his phone, his expression unreadable. He pressed a button, and the line connected almost instantly.

“I’m sending you a resume,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “Find out everything about this person. Everything.”

A pause, then a sharp, efficient reply. “Yes, sir.”

Gojo exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around the paper as he glanced at the photo once more. This wasn’t over. Not yet.

It had been days, and he knew everything he needed to know about the mystery candidate. Every detail, every piece of information had been meticulously gathered, analyzed, and stored away in his mind. And yet, something was missing—pieces of the puzzle that refused to fit, gaps in the picture that made no sense. It gnawed at him, an itch he couldn’t scratch, a frustration that wouldn’t let go.

For the past week, sleep had eluded him. Every night, the same dream. Over and over. He was driving—no, running—through hazy, dimly lit streets, his pulse pounding, his breath ragged. Searching. Desperately looking for someone. But who? The answer was always just out of reach, slipping through his fingers like smoke. He woke up every morning with the same frustration, his mind clouded, his nerves frayed. It was affecting him more than he cared to admit. He could barely focus on anything else.

As he stepped into his penthouse, he loosened his tie roughly, exhaling sharply. The tension in his shoulders never seemed to leave these days. He had dismissed the security team for the night—he needed silence, space to think. His sanctuary, untouched and undisturbed. But the moment he walked through the heavy wooden doors, he knew something was off. A sound, faint but distinct, came from the kitchen.

He froze, muscles tensing.

“Hello?” His voice was sharp, edged with suspicion. “Who is there?”

Silence. No reply.

His jaw clenched as he moved towards the couch, reaching under it with practiced ease. His fingers wrapped around the cold steel of his hidden revolver. Slowly, deliberately, he pulled it out, steadying his grip before making his way toward the kitchen.

“Who is there?” he repeated, voice lower this time. Controlled. Dangerous.

He turned the corner, gun raised, finger steady on the trigger—only to be met with a sight that made him pause.

A man sat at the kitchen island, completely at ease, dressed in an expensive blue velvet coat. He was eating a bowl of cereal.

The man looked up, spoon mid-air, and grinned. “Hello!” he said cheerfully, as if this were a casual breakfast meet-up. “No need to get aggressive.”

Gojo didn’t lower the gun. His cerulean eyes narrowed. “Who the fuck are you, and what the hell are you doing here?”

The man sighed dramatically, putting his spoon down with deliberate slowness. Then, reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a silk handkerchief and dabbed his mouth. Every movement was calm. Unbothered.

“Come on, Satoru,” he said, tilting his head. “Forgot me already?”

Gojo’s grip on the gun tightened. His patience was wearing thin. “You have two minutes to explain yourself before I—”

“Before you what?” The man raised an eyebrow, amused. “Shoot me?” He leaned forward slightly. “Go ahead. But I should warn you… no bullet in the world can harm me.” His voice dropped, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. “So, if you actually want some answers, I’d suggest you take a seat.” The man pointed at the seat opposite to him.

Gojo didn’t lower the gun, but after a long moment, he moved to the stool across from the man, his expression cold. “Continue.”

The man smirked. “Wow, straight to the point, huh?” He leaned back, stretching lazily. “Alright then… where should we start?”

“Who are you?” Gojo asked sternly, his grip tightening around the gun.

The man waved a hand dismissively, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. “Irrelevant. Ask a better question.”

Gojo’s jaw clenched. His usual confidence wavered against the man’s unshaken composure. “How do you know me?”

The man chuckled, a deep, knowing laugh that sent a chill down Gojo’s spine. “I know everyone in this world,” he said simply, as if stating an undeniable fact. Then, with an exaggerated motion, he scooped another spoonful of food into his mouth.

The silence between them was thick, weighed down by unspoken tension. Only the sound of loud, deliberate crunching filled the space.

Gojo inhaled sharply. “Are you here to kill me?”

The man stopped chewing mid-bite. Slowly, he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Then, he leaned back against his chair, arms crossing over his chest. “Kill you?” he repeated, almost amused. “I saved your life, Satoru. From the same gun you’re holding right now.”

Gojo frowned, glancing down at the weapon in his hands.

“The bullet in the barrel,” the man continued, voice unwavering, “has your name written on it. Not mine.”

Gojo’s fingers flexed over the grip. “When?” he demanded, his voice barely above a whisper.

The man tilted his head, studying him carefully. “The dreams…” he mused, stroking his chin. “Satoru, are they really dreams? Or are they flashes of memories?”

Gojo stiffened. A sharp inhale.

“How do—”

“What do you want the most right now?” The man cut him off, his voice softer this time, almost hypnotic.

Gojo stared at him blankly. The question caught him off guard.

“Hmm?” The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “What do you want the most right now? At this moment. Money? Power? Answers?” His dark eyes glinted under the dim light. “I can grant you one wish. But first, you need to tell me… What do you want the most right now?”

“What do you mean?”. Gojo scoffed. “Who are you a magician?”.

“Funny huh?”. The man quipped. “How about I tell you about the dreams you have been having?”.

Gojo remained silent.

“So the dreams about wanting to save someone? Running through the dingy lanes? A bridge? A gun? Feeling lost and helpless?”.

Gojo stared at him silently. He had nothing to say. There was no way this guy knew about all of it. He hadn’t even shared it with Geto.

“Oh, only because Geto doesn’t know, I can’t know?”. He teased, leaving Gojo startled. “Look, I know everything. So what is it going to be? I can leave right now. I can make a meteor crash and destroy this earth. What do you want?”.

“Okay, even if you do know about…my dreams..how do I know that you can give me what I want?”. Gojo asked, still unsure.

“Hmmm, Interesting. Go ahead and ask for something instant. Try”.

“An apple”. He said.

With a poof an apple appeared in Gojo’s hand. “Go ahead and have a bite. It’s real”.

Gojo sniffed the apple and then took a bite and indeed it was real.

“A cat”. Gojo said.

The man rolled his eyes, “You are allergic to cats”. 

Gojo didn’t respond immediately. His mind raced, trying to find footing in the spiraling confusion. He had fought countless enemies, faced death a thousand times over, but this—this was different.

The man waited patiently, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The air between them felt electric, charged with something unseen yet tangible.

Gojo parted his lips, but no words came out.

Because for the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure what to say. Words had always come easily to him—sharp, clever, effortless. But now, standing in the vast emptiness, facing the man before him, he found himself lost. His lips parted slightly, but nothing coherent escaped. Only hesitation, only uncertainty.

“I…” Gojo’s voice barely made a sound. His eyes flickered between the man and the empty space between them, as if searching for an answer that wasn’t there. He felt the weight of something heavy, something that had been pressing on his chest for far too long. His throat tightened. He swallowed hard, but it did little to stop the burn behind his eyes.

And then, a single word. One word raced through his mind, over and over, beating in his skull like a relentless drum. A word that had haunted him since the start of the year, threading itself through every thought, every moment of solitude. A word so powerful it had rooted itself deep inside him, becoming a part of his very existence. A word that embodied his wants, his needs, his deepest desires.

“Y/n…”

The man before him smiled, pleased, as if he had been expecting this answer all along.

“That’s your wish?” he asked, voice calm, measured, almost teasing.

“Yes.” Gojo breathed. The moment the word left his lips, he felt it settle within him, as though confirming what he already knew in his bones. It wasn’t just a wish—it was a truth more certain than his own existence. That’s what he wanted. That’s what he needed. Whether this was all a trick or not, he had to take a chance and know who y/n is.

“Y/n.”

The man tilted his head, amused. “Do you even know who that is?”

Gojo’s fingers trembled as he slowly lowered the gun he had been holding, the weight of it suddenly insignificant. He knew everything about her and yet nothing at all.

“...no,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t know why he was drawn to her. Why her name clung to his mind like a stubborn ghost. Why, out of all the possibilities, she was the only one he could think of. But he knew—without reason, without explanation—that he needed to be drawn to her. That whoever she was, she was the answer, the missing piece, the key to something far greater than himself.

His happiness. His life.

The man leaned back, arms crossed, studying him with an expression that was unreadable.

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “You don’t know who she is, but you’re certain she’s what you want?”

“Yes.” Gojo didn’t waver this time. His voice was steady. Sure.

The man chuckled, shaking his head as if in disbelief. “I can give you everything, you know. Power beyond imagination. Wealth that no mortal could ever dream of. I could carve a place for you in history so grand, no man or god could ever erase it! I could make you untouchable!” His eyes gleamed with something dangerous. “And you’re telling me, out of all that, you still choose ….y/n? Someone you don’t even know”

Gojo met his gaze without hesitation. A slow, knowing smile spread across his lips, the kind of smile that carried the weight of certainty.

“Yes.”

The man let out a soft laugh, shaking his head as if entertained by the sheer absurdity of it all. “Good job, Satoru,” he murmured, his amusement clear.

But then, something shifted. The lightness in his tone faded, replaced by something far heavier, something more ominous.

His expression darkened.

“But tell me,” he said, voice dropping just slightly. “Are you sure you can handle what I’m about to show you?”

Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken meaning.

Gojo nodded.

No hesitation. No second-guessing. Just certainty.

The man exhaled through his nose, eyes narrowing slightly before he finally smirked. “Alright, then.”

And with that, the world around them began to change.

After what felt like an eternity, Gojo opened his eyes and found himself sitting on his couch, his body trembling as if he had been drowning in the depths of his own mind. The air in the room felt heavy, suffocating, pressing down on his chest like an unbearable weight. Across from him, the man stood in eerie silence, watching him with an expression that held no sympathy ,only truth.

Tears streamed down Gojo’s cheeks, unchecked, raw, his breaths coming in uneven gasps. His fingers dug into his knees as he whispered, voice hoarse and broken, “I… I did that to her.”

The man gave him a slow, measured nod. “All of that.”

Gojo let out a shuddering exhale, his head hanging low as his vision blurred. His mind replayed every moment, every agonizing second he had been forced to relive. Every cruel word he had thrown at you, every time he had turned his back when all you needed was for him to stay. He saw the way your eyes had dimmed, the way your laughter had died in your throat. The moment you stopped reaching for him. And worst of all, the way you looked at him at the very end—broken, betrayed, as if he had torn out your very soul and crushed it beneath his heel.

His gut twisted violently. He thought he had been protecting you. He convinced himself that every decision he made had been for your own good. But no—it had never been about you, had it? It was his selfishness, his arrogance, his fear of losing you in ways he couldn’t control. He had let his love consume him, twist into something unrecognizable. And now, all of it—the pain, the regret, the love he had tried to push away—came rushing back with a force so intense it made him want to tear himself apart.

His nails dug into his palms. He had been ready to die. When he found out you were gone, that you had left this world with nothing but sorrow in your heart, he had walked to the edge of that bridge with every intention of following you. He hadn’t even seen you, hadn’t held your lifeless body, hadn’t been there to say goodbye. Just a hollow message, a whisper of finality.

Gone.

It didn’t seem real. He thought if he ended it right there, he could find you. Maybe in another life, maybe somewhere beyond this hell he created.

He had stood on that bridge, gun in hand, the barrel pressing against his temple as the wind howled around him. His heart was hollow, his mind filled with nothing but you—your scent, your voice, your smile, all the things he had taken for granted.

He couldn't exist in a world where you didn't. It was that simple.

But then, as his finger began to tighten around the trigger, a voice cut through the storm inside his head.

“That won’t bring her back.”

Gojo's breath hitched, his grip on the gun faltering as he turned his head slightly. The man stood there, calm, composed, unaffected by the sheer devastation radiating from him.

“What the hell do you know?” Gojo growled, his voice rough, unhinged.

The man stepped closer, gaze unwavering. “I know you don’t want to die. You want her back. And I can give you that chance.”

Gojo’s hands shook. He wanted to laugh, to scream, to tell this stranger to go to hell. But the weight of those words settled deep within him, a flicker of impossible hope threading through his grief-stricken mind.

He remembered the way he had hesitated, the way his hands had trembled as he lowered the gun. The wind had howled around him, a bitter, unforgiving force, but for the first time since hearing of your death, he had felt something else. A pull. A whisper of something he couldn’t ignore.

Now, sitting here on his couch, he exhaled sharply. He had been given a second chance. A miracle he didn’t deserve. But he wouldn’t waste it. He would find you. He would make things right. He would earn back the love he had shattered, no matter what it took. Even if he had to crawl through hell itself, he would not lose you again.

This time, he wouldn’t let you go.

You belonged to him. And he would make sure that this time, you knew it. 

He looked up at the man, his eyes still red and had a look of determination. “I will redo my fate..for her”.

“Are you sure you can?”. The man smirked, “It won’t be easy”.

“I will do everything in my power to make her mine. This time I will …not mess it up!”.

"Do you love her or do you want her?". The man teased a little more.

Gojo scoffed, shaking his head, a twisted grin pulling at his lips—but there was no amusement in it. It was something darker, something raw, something that pulsed beneath his skin like a second heartbeat. His fingers flexed, nails biting into his palm as his breath came out unsteady, ragged.

“I love her,” he murmured, voice low, almost reverent. Then he laughed, but it was hollow, almost broken. “I love her.”

His chest ached with the weight of it, with the sheer force of what he felt, with the need that had rooted itself so deep inside him it had become part of his very being.

“I love her with every fiber of my existence,” he said again, more forcefully this time, like he was daring the universe to challenge him. “She is the air I need—the only thing that keeps me breathing, the only thing that makes sense. Without her, everything is suffocating. Everything is wrong!”

His voice wavered, but his eyes burned, fever-bright, manic.

“You dare ask me if I love her?", He threw his head back and laughed, "She is the blood in my veins,” he continued, his fingers twitching like he didn’t know what to do with his hands, like he wanted to tear them through his own skin just to prove it. “She’s inside me, running through me, keeping me alive even when I don’t want to be.”

His breath hitched, his expression twisting into something wrecked.

“She’s my bones,” he whispered, pressing his palm against his chest, as if he could feel her there, carved into his ribs, woven into his very structure. “My conscience. My clarity. My fucking ruin.”

His heart was hammering against his ribs now, erratic, frantic, desperate.

“She is my heart, my soul, mine.” His voice cracked, something on the verge of a plea, a demand, an obsession that had long since consumed him. His pupils were blown wide, his pulse wild beneath his skin.

“She is everything to me. Everything!”

His breathing was uneven now, his hands shaking. He squeezed his eyes shut, running a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands like he was trying to ground himself, like he was trying to stop the storm inside him.

But he couldn’t. He never could. Because she was the storm.

And he was drowning in her.

The two men exchanged deranged smiles. One knowing what was about to happen and the other determined to right his wrongs.

Tag list: @commandertorindhepard @inlove-maze @starlightanyaaa @missybrat @lem-hhn @valleydoli @definetlythinkimanalien @luckyangelballoon @sheep-infog @gojoprincesss @kanaojacksonofc @bubera974 @ginginha @mari-ho14 @mashtura

[brunettemarionette]

𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 😈 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞.

💜femalemechanic!reader x sons of anarchy

🔮summary. When you first got hired at Teller-Morrow, you thought you'd just be turning wrenches and fixing bikes, but it quickly became obvious that you're the new favorite around here.

But when a customer gets too bold and puts hands on you, suddenly everyone is reminded you're untouchable when the guys step in.

🌙t.w. Sexual Harassment. Threats of Violence. Intimidation. Mild Language/Crude Remarks. Physical Confrontation

✨wc. 1.1k

This post is what inspired this little femalemechanic!reader series I'm going to do so reblogs, comments and feedback are very highly appreciated. Please feel free to send ideas my way or inbox me (even if just for anonymous feedback). Hope you all enjoy!

The sound of wrenches clinking and engines rumbling filled the air at Teller-Morrow, the familiar scent of oil and grease clinging to your skin like a second layer.

The shop had quickly become a second home to you, though you still didn't fully understand the club's inner workings. What you did understand, however, was that the Sons of Anarchy seemed to take an unusual interest in your presence.

At first, you chalked it up to them being friendly.

Jax, for instance, always seemed to be around when you needed something though, in hindsight, you never actually asked for help. "Need a hand with that, darlin'?" he'd offer, even if all you were doing was tightening a bolt. He'd lean against a nearby workbench, arms crossed, watching with an amused smirk.

It was nice that they were all so willing to help, even if it sometimes felt like you had too many supervisors at once.

Opie had a similar habit of being conveniently nearby. He never lingered as obviously as Jax, but he was always nearby. "Just grabbing this," he'd say, reaching for a tool, rag, or something completely unnecessary. He'd stick around longer than needed, watching with that unreadable expression of his.

Then there was Tig. He had no concept of personal space; that much was clear. "Damn, girl," he'd say, leaning way too close for someone who didn't need to be in your workspace. "You sure you weren't born to work on bikes? 'Cause I swear, watching you turn a wrench is the highlight of my day."

You'd roll your eyes, laughing it off. Tig was just like that with everyone.

Even Chibs and Juice had their own ways of hovering. Chibs would tease, calling you lass and finding ways to keep you engaged in conversation, while Juice, sweet but a little awkward tried to get your attention with random trivia or stupid bets with the other guys.

And then there was Happy, who'd just silently walk into your work area and take a seat, watching as you tinker, all while moving that toothpick around in his mouth before stalking off again wordlessly a while later.

It was all a little overwhelming, but you figured this was just how the Sons were—flirty, overprotective, and oddly competitive with each other. Besides, it was nice to feel included. You'd never had this kind of easy camaraderie before in this environment, and you weren't about to question it.

Gemma, on the other hand, saw right through them. She watched it all unfold with a knowing smirk, arms crossed like a mother watching her kids make fools of themselves.

Even Clay seemed amused by the way the guys found excuses to be around you. "Bunch of idiots," he muttered one afternoon, shaking his head as Jax and Juice argued over who got to hand you a wrench before Happy silently handed one to you.

Gemma chuckled. "Let 'em have their fun."

You, of course, remained blissfully unaware that you were the fun.

That all changed the day a customer got a little too comfortable.

You were at the front of the shop, wiping your hands on a rag as you explained the details of a tune-up to a man who had just brought in his car. He was middle-aged, maybe in his late forties, with a cocky smirk that immediately set off warning bells, not that you noticed.

Smiling politely, you handed him the clipboard, explaining the breakdown and keeping your tone professional. "So, with the labor and parts, you're looking at about—"

"You got a pretty face for a mechanic," He interrupted, looking you up and down.

You blinked partly in shock at his audacity and the other in surprise he was so bold in his words. "Uh, thanks?" You tried to steer the conversation back. You were used to men either hitting on you or speaking down to you. "So, if you're good with this, we can—"

"You sure you wanna be doing this?" He smirked, leaning in slightly. "Seems like a waste. A girl like you should be doing something... prettier. A pretty girl like yourself should have a guy taking care of her."

You felt your stomach twist, your grip tightening on the clipboard, trying not to yell at the customer. "I like what I do," you said, clearing your throat and trying to keep your voice even. "Now, if you're good with the estimate—"

He didn't let you finish as his hand slid to your waist, fingers pressing just enough to make your skin crawl. "Come on, sweetheart," he drawled. "maybe I could take you out sometime. Show you what it's like to be treated right. Show you how a real man—"

The hand was gone before you could react. One second, the guy was standing too close, and the next, he was stumbling backward, Jax's fist curled in his collar. The sound of the impact—fabric twisting, shoes scuffing against the concrete—was sharp, final.

Jax's voice was low, dangerous. "You touch her again, you're leavin' in a body bag."

The shop had gone silent. Tools were set down, and chairs scraped against the floor as Tig, Opie, and Juice moved in. Chibs cracked his knuckles, and Happy—who still hadn't said a word—was now staring the guy down with an intensity that made your stomach drop.

The customer, who had, up until now, been cocky and self-assured, realized too late that he had made a very big mistake. His hands shot up in surrender. "Hey, man, it was just a—"

"Get the hell out," Jax snapped, taking a step closer. "Now."

The man didn't hesitate. He turned and practically ran out of the shop, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process, leaving his car behind without a second thought. The moment he was gone, the tension snapped like a rubber band.

It took you a second to realize you were still holding the clipboard in a death grip. You exhaled, forcing yourself to loosen your fingers. Opie was suddenly in front of you; his usual stoic expression softened. "You okay?"

You blinked at him, still processing what just happened. "Uh, yeah. I mean... that was a little intense."

Tig grinned, but there was still something dangerous in his expression. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart. No one touches what's ours."

You frowned at that. "Ours?"

Jax smirked, running a hand through his hair like he hadn't just threatened a man's life. "Don't think too hard about it, darlin'."

You did think about it. For about two seconds. And then you shrugged, figuring it was just their way of saying they had your back, but one thing was clear—this wasn't just a job anymore. These guys weren't just co-workers. They were family, and they had just made one thing very clear.

You are untouchable.

[azonewithu]

Hello im Emma Lawson. Please to meet you Emna i’m Collin Finely. Yes you are. Ive called you ip here to ask you about your entrance exam resukts. Really? There was an actual result to that shit? Yes snd the result was obviousky you just vuecked all B in your answering of the all the questions on the exam. Yeah thats what i always fo for those kinds if tests. And modt of thevtime i never hear back about it anyway. Yes well here you ars, i mean hearing sbout it because we check the results oursrlves. I fo i snylyzevthem snd it fidnt take long for me to conclude you didnt evrnbread the test at all. What were you doing for thecrest of the thrre hours? Hobestly i jist hot hete that day do i font renember. It was a tough sleep fowntoen in jail. Emna im dorry thats probablyvehy i just fucked off the test ok. What woukd you like me to do? I love your outfit bybthe way. Im mot tryn yo be the big flirt in loserville goofwood either but thats great haircto go eith it and the light dhones do nicrky off your eyes. What fo you do here may i ask. At dddriifft i mean Brentwood. Thank you for the compliments. You look too good looking a young man. Im older than uou Emna. I know that i can read. Uoure still young that means something, to be sitting in this place in the situation youre in. I keep trackmof all you mostly guys on the bail from jail program. Or whatever its technicsl nanebis we fall it thst here. Recovery beil rekease program they keep changing the name. Some wantvthe program done away with all together because of the far lower rate than the average of success. Andvyoure starting out in typical fashion. Not even filling out your entrance exam properly. Im sorry usually no one cares i filled outva few in the joint. Well i dont jnow which joint yourevreferring too bit this one rnters these into the vomputer. Yours cane back as not being filled put ptoperly bynthe computer then i had a look at it snd vongotmed you just checjed sll B in uour answers. Well if you give me snother cuanvmce ill CCC i fo it right this time. Ok. Ill make you and the computer happy i huess its slli can do to make it up to you. The computer i font give s fuck about. Yes uh…mind your langusgecwith ne to please Collin. Ok Emma. Heres thectest you can do it in the staff lounge. Where you fid the first time. May i have a coffee. You can. Only this time please font vkean out our coffee bar. Was thatvyou? No. Of course not. Well someobe did. Ok off uou go. Ha ha ga you say that like a school teacher. Well i was gping to be a teacher at one point but now im doing this. I lovevuour Engoish accent. Here gommevthat test ill go before i get carried away. Im just down there with a bunchnof drunk fuckn crazy men then i talk to you….-snywsyvthank you ill bring back the test when om done? No you can just put it with reception. Donitnproperlybifbit comes back this timevyouvecwssted a lot of my time. Okie dokie i got you. Whats thst in the sir it mmsnells sweet in here. Snywsy bye Emna it was reslky nice meeting you. Ok Collin goidbye good luck. Youll be up to see ne when thevresults are in. I csnt wait. Not sbout the results but to see you agsin.

Emma Watson

[kotegiris]

[Event Story] Valentine's Day with the Butler

previous chapter ✧ all ✧ next chapter

Chapter 10: Handmade Sweets

【Inn - Aruji’s Room】

After that, I snacked on more of the test cat’s tongue cookies, but not enough to make me full.

> Thank you for the cookies.

Haures: Aruji-sama. Thank you for having so many of them.

Haures: I was really happy to hear you say they were delicious.

Fennesz: Now then, Aruji-sama…

Fennesz: How about some light sweets after cookies?

Fennesz: There are some macarons that I made on the tea stand, so if you’d like, please have some.

Just as Fennesz said, there were small chocolate macarons laid out on the tea stand.

Boschi: Macarons… They’re pretty hard to make.

Ammon: Hehe and… It’s a bold choice for Fennesz ♪

Ammon: Giving macarons as a gift means…

Fennesz: …“You’re special to me.”

Ammon: Heh, saying it yourself~... I feel like it’s rare for you to do things like that.

Fennesz: W-Well… It’s not that I’m not embarrassed, but…

Fennesz: I… I’m the one who decided to give these sweets to Aruji-sama.

Fennesz: This may sound like an exaggeration, but… I strengthened my resolve to gift these sweets.

Fennesz: After all… Aruji-sama is a special person to me.

> Fennesz…

Fennesz: O-Or something like that… It’s still embarrassing to say it out loud.

Fennesz: But… What I just said now are my true feelings.

Fennesz: That’s why… I won’t gift these sweets to anyone other than Aruji-sama.

Fennesz: For me… The only person worthy of these sweets is Aruji-sama.

Fennesz: That will never change… Not now and not in the future either.

Fennesz’s cheeks were slightly red as he said that.

I put one of the macarons he made in my mouth, and it had a somewhat gentle taste.

> It’s very delicious, Fennesz.

After I told him that, Fennesz smiled fondly.

Boschi: Heh… Seems like you did a good job, Fennesz.

Boschi: Well… Not as good as my tea, though.

> Tea?

Boschi: Yeah.

Boschi: Instead of sweets… I made you tea as a gift.

Boschi: Even if it’s good if you keep eating only chocolate, you’ll get tired of it.

Saying that, Boschi poured black tea into my teacup.

From the steam, the smell of fresh tea leaves together with a fruity aroma spread.

> It smells so nice…

Boschi: The tea leaves are a special blend of dried fruits.

Boschi: I learned from Berrien-san and made my own unique blend.

Boschi: I recommend drinking it straight, but it also goes well with milk.

Boschi: Have it however you like.

> Thanks, Boschi.

Muu: It’s a nice gift. It’s very you.

Muu: Haures-san and Fennesz-san gave sweets… So you picked something that has nothing to do with chocolate…

Boschi: They weren’t the only ones I was taking into consideration.

Boschi: I heard what the 2nd floor villa and basement floor butlers had planned too.

Boschi: Based on that, I picked black tea.

Muu: Y-You did!?

Boschi: Doing this much is nothing to be surprised about.

Boschi: If you put yourself in Aruji-sama’s shoes, you’d get tired of only having chocolate too.

Boschi: If it were me, I’d want something else.

Ammon: By doing this, you’re not using chocolates or sweets to express your feelings, but…

Ammon: Instead, you’re trying to casually show them that you’re a considerate person. 

Boschi: Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to say that you guys aren’t considerate.

Boschi: But… I won’t fight a battle with many enemies. 

Boschi: …That’s all.

Haures: Boschi…You…

Boschi: What? Are you gonna tell me, “Don’t say things that are unbecoming of a butler”?

Boschi: I think the feelings you had when you made those cookies clearly crossed the line of a butler.

Haures: Guh……

Boschi: Hmph…

Boschi: Hey, Aruji-sama.

Boschi: If you like the tea, then I’ll make it for you again when we go back to the mansion.

> Huh…?

Boschi: Just tell me whenever. Got it?

> T-Thank you.

Fennesz: Boschi…… He really is amazing…

Ammon: Heh~... Boschi-san usually thinks everything’s a pain to do, but not if it’s for Aruji-sama’s sake ♪

Boschi: Hey. Shut up, Ammon.

Ammon: Oh my~ No need to look so scary.

Ammon: Now, now. We’re in front of Aruji-sama, you know? 

Boschi: Tch…

Muu: U-Uhmm… By the way…

Muu: Ammon-san, what did you make for Aruji-sama?

Ammon: Hehe… I made sweets full of my love for Aruji-sama ♪

Ammon: In Boschi’s words, this is a head-to-head fight, but…

Ammon: I’ll win over Aruji-sama’s heart in my own way.

> (...I’m kind of getting nervous now.)

Ammon: Aruji-sama. Please wait a bit.

Ammon: I’ll go get it now.

> Okay.

Ammon cheerfully left the room…

Shortly later, he returned with a tray in his hand.

Ammon: Aruji-sama, thanks for waiting. These are my sweets.

After he said that, Ammon laid out a white hemispherical chocolate and a milk pitcher filled with chocolate sauce on the table.

Muu: T-This is…

Muu: This is uhmm… What is it?

Haures: If I had to say… It looks like a dome made of white chocolate.

Fennesz: Truthfully… We don’t know what Ammon made either.

Boschi: It’s his sweets anyways. I’m sure there’s something more to this dome.

Ammon: Hey, Boschi-san… You’re right, but I wish you’d let me say it.

> Is there something else about the dome?

Ammon: Hehe… That’s right.

Ammon: And so… Aruji-sama.

Ammon: I want you to try pouring the chocolate sauce in this pitcher over the dome.

> Okay.

I did what Ammon told me to and poured the sauce on the chocolate dome.

And then, the dome slowly melted…

Inside the dome was fruits and… 2 roses made of dark chocolate. 

Ammon: Look. You made chocolate roses bloom ♪

> W-Wow…!

Fennesz: Fufu… Nice, Ammon. It’s very cool.

Boschi: You’re always so smug. But it does look good.

Haures: Yeah.

Haures: The sweet smell from the melted white chocolate makes you hungry.

Ammon: Hehe… It doesn’t just look good. I can guarantee it tastes good too.

Ammon: Anyways… More importantly, do you like it, Aruji-sama?

> I do. It’s very beautiful.

Ammon: Thank you very much ♪

Ammon: But… That isn’t all.

Ammon: Look at the color of the roses and how many there are.

> The color and the amount…?

Ammon: Yup.

Ammon: Inside the chocolate dome are 2 roses made from dark chocolate.

Ammon: In flower language, black roses mean… “A love that never dies out” and “eternal love”...

Ammon: And in flower language, 2 roses mean… “There are only the two of us in this world.”

Ammon: Hey, Aruji-sama… Please keep your eyes only on me from now on too, okay?

> Uhmm…

Haures: Geez… You got guts, Ammon.

Haures: Saying, “There are only the two of us in this world,” when we’re still here…

Fennesz: And “Please keep your eyes only on me from now on too, okay?”...

Fennesz: The way you phrased that… Makes it sound like Aruji-sama only has eyes for you now.

Ammon: Hmm~? But isn’t it true?

Ammon: Aruji-sama is always crazy for me ♪

> T-That’s…

Muu: Ahaha… This feels very Ammon-like.

Boschi: Geez…

And so… With the 2nd floor butlers tending to me, I enjoyed a fun tea time.

Haures’s cat’s tongue cookies, Fennesz’s macarons… Boschi’s black tea, and Ammon’s chocolate dome…

They were all delicious. Every bite was a taste of happiness.

[lalavenderangel]

Meet The Chavez Family - Stepbro!Nicholas x Fem!Reader

a/n: okay, okay, i’m throwing my hat in the ring lmao here’s my attempt at stepbro!Nicholas, enjoy 🤍

summary: After your dad had left it was just you and your mom and you perfectly content with that for years. But then your mom started seeing someone she met on a business trip. Soon they get married and you not only get a step dad but a step brother as well. He was annoying, obnoxious, and seriously so fucking hot. It was wrong, so wrong but you couldn’t resist him.

warnings: 18+!! eventual smut, kind of asshole Nicholas if you squint, bratty reader again if you squint, Nicholas taunting reader sexually, somewhat innocent reader, oral m!reciving (not by reader), some praise, female masturbation and i think that’s all, if i missed anything please let me know! (also it’s technically not stated just implied but reader is 20 years old.)

word count: 4.1k

You never thought the day would come that your mother met someone. Not that you didn’t want your mom to be happy of course you did but you liked that it was just you and her but of course on a business trip she met someone and within a couple months she was making plans for you to meet him. He was a nice guy, you had to admit that and you could tell he really liked your mother. It took some time but you eventually got used to him being around. But then it happened, after a year of them being together he proposed to your mom. She said yes and now your life was about to change.

“What? But mom I just started college here!” You huff as you cross your arms when your mom comes to inform you that you both would be moving to California with her fiance.

“Oh sweetie, people transfer all the time plus you’ve only been there, what, a month? It will be fine.” She says.

“Why can’t he move here?” You ask her.

“He doesn’t want to leave his son in California by himself.” She says.

“I thought his son was twenty-three years old, almost twenty-four actually. He’s an adult so why can’t he be there by himself?” You asked, shaking your head a little. This was truly unbelievable. She was just expecting you to up and move your life for some man she fell in love with? Please.

“Well yes but the thing is, he has a tendency to get himself in trouble and he actually almost got kicked out of the university so he needs to keep an eye on him.” She says sitting next to you, gently running her fingers through your hair. “Look sweetie, I know it’s not ideal at all, you grew up here but this is for the best okay?”

“Whatever.” You say and she just sighs and gets up. Was this really for the best? Who cares if his stupid son got in trouble, that’s his own fault. He’s a grown adult, sort of. You hadn’t even met him and he was already ruining your life, and he was going to be your step brother? Oh how you wished the universe would swallow you up now.

You finish packing up your room, looking around it one more time with a frown. You grew up in this room and now you had to say goodbye, it was a nightmare. Sighing you go around your room making sure you didn’t miss a single thing before you grab the last box and carry it out to the moving truck. You set the box down before climbing up and maneuvering it around to go against the others before jumping back down.

“All set?” Your mom asked as she walked out of the house, closing the door behind her. “I went around a few times to make sure we got everything so if you’re ready we can go.”

“Yup, I have everything.” You say with your arms crossed.

“Trust me, you’ll love California sweetie, promise.” She kisses your temple and you just huff before looking at your old house one more time, your eyes watering before you get into the moving truck with your mom not at all ready for the long trip ahead of you.

Plopping down on your bed with a sigh you look around your new room. Your mom and you had got here about a few days ago and you finally finished unpacking all your stuff well at least for your room. You still had your bathroom stuff but you fully couldn’t be bothered with that at this moment.

A knock on the door frame has you sitting up to see your moms boyfriend or well, fiancé standing there with a big smile on his face. It was hard to dislike this man or even be mad about this move when he’s been so nice and super welcoming. He even let you paint your new room baby pink just like your old room so you would feel a little more at home. It somewhat worked.

“All settled in kiddo?” He asked. You smile and nod your head.

“I am, thanks.” You say.

“Good, how are you liking the room?” He asked, leaning against the door frame.

“It’s bigger than my old room so that’s a plus.” You say. “I’ll get used to it.”

“Take your time, I understand how you’re feeling. I had to move a lot when I was younger. But I really am happy to have you and your mom here and I can’t wait for you both to meet Nicholas.” He smiles.

“Can’t wait either.” You slightly lied, of course you wanted to meet your soon to be step brother but after your mom mentioned him getting in trouble and almost being kicked out of school you also were not looking forward to it.

“He’ll be home this weekend so you’ll get to meet him then, I’m sure you two will get along really well.” With that he walks away and you slightly shake your head. There was no way you and him would get along. You didn’t get in trouble, you didn’t do much of anything at all. Some would say you’re a nerd, some would say you’re boring and some would say you’re a prude. You weren’t, surprisingly, you had your first boyfriend at seventeen and he was the reason you were able to go to college, not a virgin. Granted you did follow the crowd a little but you were young, and you don’t regret it, not fully at least. And it was that one time but you wouldn’t call yourself a prude. You get up and walk over to your door, closing it, once again plopping down on your bed. This weekend should be eventful.

A knock on the bathroom door startles you while you shower, peaking your head out a little as you wait for someone to speak.

“Sweetie, are you almost done? Nicholas is here.” Your mom says on the other side and you sigh in relief.

“Yes mom, I’ll be down in like twenty minutes.” You say. She says okay then leaves. You huff as you finish your shower and turn it off, wrapping the towel around yourself, wiping away the fog on the mirror, looking at yourself for a moment before reaching for your favorite lotion and moisturizing your skin to keep it nice and soft. You set it down and walk over to the door and open it, bumping into something hard or well someone hard.

“Whoa, sorry about that. You okay?” A deep voice fills your ears and you look up to see who you assume is Nicholas standing in front of you. Holy fuck he was hot!

“Uh, y-yeah I’m good.” You stutter a little. Oh no, oh no, oh no!

“Good, uh your mom asked me to come and check on you.” He says, looking you up and down, a slight smirk forming on his face. Did he just check you out? No, no way, he just looked at you for a moment. You cleared your throat.

“Oh, uh I told her I would be down soon, I just need to get dressed.” You say looking at him. He had a fucking killer jawline, geez.

“I’ll let her know,” He looks you up and down again. “I’m Nicholas by the way, it’s nice to finally meet you, sis.” And with that he walks away and down the steps. ‘Sis’ of course, because hello he was going to become your step brother once your parents got married and here you were thinking he was hot. You needed to get a grip. You quickly go to your room and get dressed, drying your hair a little before finally making your way downstairs.

“There she is! Hey kiddo, Nicholas said you guys finally introduced yourselves.” Nicholas’ dad says.

“Yeah, we did.” You say softly.

“Good! Well come on, I just finished barbequing, let’s eat!” You all head out to the back porch and sit down, your mom and Nichola’s dad on one side and you and Nicholas across from them. You all start plating your food, in silence before your mom speaks.

“How are classes going Nicholas?” She asked.

“Oh they’re going well! But I’ll admit I’m already ready for the semester to be over, miss being home.” He says and your mom laughs a little.

“I don’t doubt it.” She says. Nicholas then turns to you with a smirk on his face again.

“Your mom tells me you’ll be starting classes next week.” Nicholas says and your brows furrow a little as you look at your mom.

“It wasn’t easy but I managed to get you enrolled for this semester so you wouldn’t have to miss any more classes. Your mom had told me before how much you care about your studies so I wanted to make sure you weren’t behind.” Your eyes widen a little and a smile forms on your face as you get up and go over to Nicholas’ dad and hug him tightly.

“Oh my gosh, thank you so much!” You squeal a little and he laughs.

“It’s no problem, really, and I’m sure Nicholas would have no problem showing you around campus, right son?” He turns to Nicholas as you sit down.

“No of course not, I would gladly show my new sister around.” He says and looks at you. Maybe this move wasn’t that bad and maybe you had judged Nicholas too harshly before meeting him, he was sweet.

Wrong, wrong, wrong you were so fucking wrong. He wasn’t sweet. He was annoying, rude, and cocky. You had taken his advice and stuck by his side when at the university and it went well for the most part. Then of course you made friends and didn’t need him anymore, I mean you saw him and sometimes he would have you come hang in his dorm but you mainly stuck with your new friends. But then came the wedding and the second he officially became your step brother he became your nightmare. He was always pushing your buttons and getting under your skin, and you noticed he would sometimes subtly flirt with you. It was wrong, you knew it was wrong but you never catch yourself stopping him, and sometimes you couldn’t help but flirt back. But that never changed a thing in your mind, he was still an asshole.

“Nicholas! You have been in there for almost an hour now, what could you possibly be doing?” You shout as you pound on the bathroom door. You had been waiting for him to finish so you could go to the bathroom but of course he had gotten in there before you and he was taking his sweet ass time. “Nick!”

“Would you fucking chill, its all yours little sis.” He says when he opens the door, standing there in just his towel. You couldn’t help but let your eyes wander over his muscular body, water still dripping down it. Fuck, you quickly looked up and he had a smirk on his face and you rolled your eyes. “Take a picture, it lasts longer.”

“Get a grip.” You snap.

“You’re the one staring.” He remains smirking as he walks past you, nudging your chin with his knuckle a little as he walks to his room, closing his door. You let out an annoyed groan as you step into the shower, slamming the door closed.

Once you were done you made your way downstairs expecting to see your parents downstairs but you only saw Nicholas, sitting at the bar, eating a bowl of cereal. “Mom and dad are out for the day so it’s just you and me.”

“Oh joy.” You say sarcastically walking to the pantry to get your cereal. You grab the box, realizing how light it was, opening it up to see it’s empty. You look up at Nicholas and see he was eating your cereal.

“Oops.” He looks at you smugly and you just storm over to the trash and throw the empty box away.

“How hard was that to do? And thanks for eating the last of my cereal.” You huff.

“It’s in the pantry, it’s for everyone, don't be a spoiled brat.” He says.

“I am not a spoiled brat!” You snap.

“You so are, any time you don’t get your way or something you want isn’t available you borderline throw a fit. You always get your way, well for the most part so you act like this, aka a spoiled brat.” He says taking another bite of his cereal as he looks at you.

“That is not even close to true. Just because we have known each other for a few months does not mean you know me so well. I am not a spoiled brat!” You shout.

“You know what you need? You need to get laid. Maybe someone who will put you in your fucking place. Is that why you’re also so uptight? Need to get fucked?” He asked, taking the last bite of his cereal before he drank the milk. He gets up and walks over to the sink to rinse his bowl out.

“Excuse me? Fuck you, you need to, to-” He cuts you off before you could even finish by turning around and pinning you to the counter behind you.

“You have such a mouth on you. Would you like your big brother to put it to better use, hmm?” He says huskily, your body instantly becoming covered in chills.

“W-what?” You ask him.

“You heard me. Need me to shove my cock down that throat to get rid of that mouthy attitude?” He asked. Of all the times he said things to you and hit on you, never once did he say things like that. He was becoming more bold.

“Nicholas…that’s not appropriate.” You say softly, kind of cursing yourself in your head for that being the only thing you could say. He looks at you for a moment before he chuckles, making your brows furrow.

“Relax little sis, I didn’t mean it, don’t get your panties in such a twist hmm?” He says with a smirk and you instantly become flustered.

“You’re a dick.” You say. You just grab a couple granola bars, wanting to get away from him.

“Mmm and you really do need to get laid, princess, maybe you wouldn’t be so uptight.” He says. You roll as you start to walk away. “My offer still stands by the way.” You freeze in your spot. “Could fix that filthy mouth by shoving my cock down your throat.”

“You’re disgusting.” You snap.

“I know you would like it. I see the way you look at me. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, we are only siblings by marriage you know.” You turn to look at him and you can tell by the look on his face he was serious. You quickly head up the stairs and into your room, closing the door and locking it before you lean against it. Was this a dream? This had to be right? I mean you really couldn’t deny the attraction you had for him but again, he was your step brother and yes you guys were only siblings by marriage but it was still wrong, right? Yes, yes it was still wrong.

This went on for days, which wasn’t a lot of time but to you it felt like months already. Nicholas and you were constantly fighting and him making sexual comments about you that left you flustered and running to your room to hide from him. Thankfully with your parents around it wasn’t too bad but he still managed. But of course now would be a time that your parents would be going out of town for a week for a business trip and since you were still on vacation you would be home alone with Nicholas, yay.

“Can’t I just come with?” You ask your parents as you sit on their bed as they start packing their things. Your step father laughs a little.

“Wish you could kiddo, it’s only a week. Besides Nick mentioned that he has some things planned for you two, some sibling bonding as he stated.” He says coming over to you and kisses the top of your head. “Look I know Nicholas can be a bit much but I promise you, you’ll have a great time with him okay? But you call me if he does anything, I’ll put him in check, he may be in his twenties but he’s still my son.”

“Thanks dad.” You say softly as you look down. You could only imagine what he had planned.

You say your goodbyes to your parents along with Nicholas before he shuts the front door and turns to look at you. “Alright, here’s how tonight is going to go, I’m having a few people over and you’re going to stay up in your room and stay out of our way, got it?”

“Excuse me? You can’t tell me what to do Nicholas.” You say.

“I’m older, and as of right now, the man of the house.” He says crossing his arms and you can’t help but laugh.

“First of all you’re older by three years, I’m an adult and second of all you are not the man of the house so please get a grip.” You tell him.

“Just stay out of our way okay?” He says.

“Whatever, just keep your party down, I have some assignments I need to work on.” You say.

“You’re doing school work, on vacation?” He asked before he laughed.

“Yes I am and there is nothing wrong with that.” You huff before you storm up to your room and slam the door shut. This week was going to drag on, you just knew it was.

You had just finished your second assignment, smiling as you saved it to send to your professor later. You were thankful that Nicholas had kept it down and he had even brought you dinner earlier. It was a bit odd to see him being nice while your parents weren’t around but you just let it be. You took a quick shower and did your skincare routine before you went to your room throwing on your light pink robe and sitting at your vanity to brush and blow dry your hair. You looked around your room in the mirror, a soft smile on your face. As much as you didn’t want to accept it, this had become your home and this room became your new comfort just like your childhood room. You guess your mom getting remarried wasn’t that big of a deal after all. Once your hair was dry you turned your blow dryer off and set it down, brushing through your hair a few more times before setting the brush down. You grabbed your Chanel perfume and did a couple spritz on yourself when all of a sudden you heard a groan. Your brows furrow a little as you set the bottle down, tuning in as you wait to hear it again.

“Just like that.” Your eyes widen as you hear Nicholas' husky voice on the other side of the wall. “Fuck, such a good girl for me aren’t you?” You knew you should have stopped listening, put some headphones in or shit even letting him know you could hear him but you remained in your spot at your vanity, leaning closer a little. You had never noticed before when you sat here how much you could hear him but in this moment, it was as if he was in the damn room with you, or well almost.

His loud groans filled your ears and as you continued leaning in you could faintly hear some wet sounds. Oh, oh, oh!

“That’s it, a little deeper, fuuuuck, good girl taking my cock down your pretty little throat so well.” You hear the girl gag a little and Nicholas groans again. “Mmm stay still baby.” You finally get up, stepping past your vanity as you press your ear against the wall, hearing rapid thrusting along with a lot of gagging and it that was all it took to know he was fucking her throat.

“Look at you, taking this shit like a champ, keep being a good girl like this and you’ll get my cock in that tight little pussy in no time.” It was then you realized you were getting turned on and even though you couldn’t see you could feel your cheeks becoming hot as you quickly back up, bumping into your vanity and knocking a few things over and well causing the mirror to hit the wall slightly. You freeze for a moment, listening for any sign that he heard anything but all you could hear was him still fucking the mystery girls throat. You quickly but quietly get to your bed and climb onto it grabbing your headphones and turning on some music to drown out the sounds.

After a while you took your headphones off, listening for any sounds but you heard none. You laid in your bed, looking at the ceiling, still fully turned on. You couldn’t believe you had got so turned on by hearing your step brother getting his dick sucked. You grabbed your phone and looked at the time, it was too late to take a shower and since the house seemed silent you knew Nicholas had to be asleep. You know what? Fuck it. You pull up your little sleeping nightgown up and over your boobs, gasping softly as the cold air hits your nipples making them hard. You bring your hands and start squeeze your boobs a little before you start to pinch and pull at your nipples, moaning softly as your eyes flutter closed. You pinch your nipples a little harder making you let out a little whimper, not thinking you would really like it but wanting to give it a try and you could feel your pussy become more wet.

“Mmm.” You moan a little as your hands start to travel down your body getting closer to your pussy making it clench around nothing in excitement. Slowly as you continue to get lost in the pleasure, teasing yourself a little, images of Nicholas doing this to you flood your mind. You couldn’t help it, you may have not heard a lot but it was still enough for you. You finally slip your hand into your underwear and slip two fingers into yourself easily.

“Nicholas.” You breathe out quietly, trying not to make too much noise. You thrust your fingers in and out softly, the sound of your own wetness filling your ears making your cheeks get hot again as you feel how turned on you got. Your free hand continues playing with your nipples, working yourself up even more. A semi loud moan slips past your lips but in this moment you did not care you just wanted to cum. And Nicholas had said before that he was a heavy sleeper so you weren’t too worried about it.

You curl your fingers up, hitting that sweet spot inside of you making you let out another semi loud moan, fully not realizing how loud it actually was. As you’re still lost in your pleasure, Nicholas is laying back on his bed, scrolling through his phone when he hears a soft moan, lifting his head up before he hears another and a smirk forms on his face. He knew you were listening earlier when he heard your vanity hit the wall and some stuff fell over. He was glad you could hear him, he wanted you to hear him, and from what he was currently hearing it turned you on. He quietly gets out of bed and walks over to the wall, pressing his ear against it where he could faintly hear you getting yourself off. He could hear all your moans and whimpers and the sound of your wet pussy. He knew you were getting closer as your moans got a bit louder and your whimpers got a bit needier.

“That’s it princess, cum for your big brother.” He whispers to himself.

“Nicholas!” You gasp out as you cum and Nicholas’ smirk grew at the sound of his name falling from your lips and he knew right then and there he had you. He makes his way over to his bed when he no longer hears anything, getting comfortable.

“Sweet dreams little sister.” He whispers before closing his eyes.

taglist: @hoffmansgirl @iamsebastiansstan @nicholaschavezslut69 @nicholaslut

[starlitnightdream]

Love Of The Divine Tree FINISHED THOUGHTS AHHHH

I LOVED THIS DRAMA GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL AMAZING YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WATCH IT. ( if you watched till the end of the moon and are in pain please watch this it will heal you)

Small review: Amazing drama where both ml and fl are very very likable. BOTH ARE AMAZING. This one does not raise your blood pressure heh both are perfect for each others stubbornness to save each other hahah.

About the ending: A great ending . Both come out of the final boss fight alive. no one person waiting in front of a reincarnation tree or whatever ( been there done that in the beginning of the drama instead ) A wedding scene ( fancy hair accessories yay) A proper happy ending they contributing to overpopoulation at this point lol was seeing him do all the work and was like NO? this can't be? the whole drama they were equal -but then they said they drew lots to see who was the shifu and who was the disciple for the day and I was like ah okay fair enough ( best would be alternate lmao but whats the fun in that for them ig)

Now we move on to some longer thoughts ahah. ( btw I still have lots of screenshots to post but wanted to post this first)

Su Yishui: adorable cutie who has done no wrong (if you actually think about it its basically nothing lmao) other than that one time man thought getting the spirit spring would be good for him.he blames himself for mu qingge's death which is pathetic bec its obviously everyone else's fault but his bruh why the guilt for something he didn't do AHHH. anyways best boi. (this drama also shows that tantai jin could have lived happily if he met someone nicer) man went through so much to save mu qingge and xue ranran later best shifu and disciple lmao. ALSO towards the end? they reveal man was so good to people even without mu qingge lmao bro was doing side quests saving everyone woahh. but man really thought mu qingge would blame him after she died to save him?? where did that genius go su yishui?

Mu Qingge/Xue Ranran: Best person su yishui could have ever met she sees him and decides yes this dude shall be saved. can't blame her lmao bro looks amazing and also was literally a sweetheart inside all that hissing cat exterior lmao. The efforts to save him man respect to her. another best shifu and disciple right here too ahah. The fl we all need who literally tells ml nah not believing those harsh words you say to push me away lol. ( because some fls really after the ml cares for her the whole drama one incident and they believe ml is bad???) Love her for defending him every single time and being there for him.

Wei Jiu: this dude was there for the comic effect you cannot convince me otherwise lmao. He and elder Tu could be the main characters of the usual misunderstanding filled drama lmao. Man is not a villain bahaha. man's pretty clueless lol.

Elder Tu: she needs to stop hiding her thoughts lol and with wei jiu especially lol crazy combo there both of them need to just COMMUNICATE BRUH. also she was crazier for giving up after one try wow. her full life she never told him anything and once tried it and decided to give up? not a fan of her hiding it from him because she should have told him he isn't that bad. if she told he def would have done something nice lol.

Su Yu: this guy started off good hmm thought he would just be the dude who liked fl lmao but man had a mini villain arc right there but then went back to do something great in the end lol. but also didn't like him ever since he purposely tried to make Su Yishui think Mu Qingge liked him. that hairpin scene was low ahhhh if he specificvally searched for the hairpin bec he knew what Su Yishui's mom had done.

Mu Ranwu: total evil bish. had no reason to become a villain but still somehow became one lmao. like even su yu fine his brother who he saved poisoned him.. but mu ranwu? her sister SPOILT her. still she got her killed and almost killed her in second life also that bish.

Wang Suizhi: Clown who liked mu ranwu because bruh what is there to like in that shallow evil person. she saved him? thats crazy she tried to kill her sister then but okay I guess... bro was crazy sacrificed his life for her. so not worth it.

these were random character thoughts lol there more but laterrr

still can't get over xue ranran and all the others saying he looked bad with the marks on his face lmaooo its was just some pretty lines bahaha the man looked equally gorgeous lol not much difference with the marks gone ahhh

[spider-ghoul]

Letting Percy Jackson borrow your notes...

Percy jackson x gn!reader

No cws/friends to lovers fluff

-------

It surprised no one when Percy Jackson, your best friend, missed school. His attendance average had to be awful.

So when he inevitably asked to borrow your notes, you sighed dramatically and grabbed your backpack.

You had drawn little stars, flowers, and hearts in the margins, you hadn't considered that someone would actually need them (though, at this rate you should've expected it).

You handed over the notebook, and he took it happily.

That night, he copied them down. A part of him was jealous of how nice your handwriting was. He took note of your doodles pretty quickly, and was very happy to add his own details onto the pages.

Little sharks, waves, and hearts joined yours, and by the time he was done, he was very happy with his work.

He gave them back to you the next day, and you didn't bother to look through them till the night before a test... and you found his master piece. You teased him about it, and he was proud of himself.

It became a routine. Even if he was at school, he'd clamined he had slept thought the lesson, he needed your notes, pretty please?

Doodles turned into little messages for each other: inside jokes, making fun of how you spelled something, anything, really.

One of the doodles he left you even became your phone background.

His favorite doodle was a little shark. You added little flower crowns to them.

You almost looked forward to studying now.

Just you and your best friend passing notes. Best friend. Right.

If that's what you wanna think.

That's not what he wanted to think.

It happened just like it always did, meeting him at his locker handing him your notebook. He had that goofy grin he always did, promising to give them back soon.

He did.

The next day, he passed back then notebook, but he acted... weird.

He ran off quickly, saying he had to do something.

Thats when you noted the little paper sticking out of your notes. It was a piece of paper, folded in half.

You tugged it out, unfolded it, and tried your best to decipher Percy's handwriting.

"Date me?

Yes □

Yes □ "

You froze for a minute.

You checked off the box, and when he asked your notes that day, they were filled with your intinals next to his, hearted.

-----------

(Part two???)

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Crushed 21

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, manipulation, cheating, sleazy behaviour, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your next door neighbours hook up, bringing to surface deep-seated feelings.

Characters: Colin Shea, Jonathan Pine

Note: Surprise.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you like my dog loves belly rubs (that’s a lot). Take care. 💖

You’re late. Despite all your warnings and effort, you’re late. Your mother is going to kill you. 

As you get out of the car, your thighs brush together and you quiver. He left a bite mark right along the meat of your leg. His ravenous energy swept you entirely off your feet. You think he shifted a few pins in your hair even. 

He’s unbothered. As calm as her ever is. Well, your mother’s wrath won’t be aimed at him. 

He comes around and you latch onto his proffered arm for strength. He walks you toward the hall and your heels tap loudly. The noise addles you’re already swirling nerves. 

You enter through the heavy double doors. You hear a buzzy beyond the sign that denotes your family’s party with an arrow. Jonathan keeps your steps even. You shrink down as you approach the archway. 

“Darling, do stand tall,” he bids as he smooths his jacket with his free hand. 

You push your shoulder back and glance at him. He’s so handsome and perfect. His blonde hair is combed back so effortlessly and its as if his features were crafted so that he could never look anything but certain. More than ever, you feel out of place. 

As you enter,  you look around. Your mother finds you first as she accosts you by your other arm. She hisses at you. 

“You’re late,” she sneers. “How lucky you are that the catering is too or you’d have awful timing.” 

“Mom,” you flinch and look at her. 

“Oh, Eugenia, please forgive me and do not hold it against your daughter. It’s quite my fault. I should have pressed my suit yesterday,” he speaks over you before you can muster an apology. “How utterly inconsiderate of me.” 

She winces and looks at him. Her expression brightens and she smiles, “oh, Jonathan, I’m so happy you could make it. Ah, and you look so dashing. What a suit that is.” 

“Me? You’re daughter is glowing, I wilt in her shine,” he banters. Your mother’s eyes dart over sharply and her brows arch. “And I’ve saved my best suit for the day of.” 

“Oh,  yes, I’m certain you will be entirely charming, as always,” she as good as ignores you as she steps around you and clasps his other arm. “Let me introduce you to the rest them.” 

“Yes, let us get it over with before I fall to shambles,” he chuckles. 

You let your arm slacken but he does not let you slip away. He merely shifts and instead brings his hand to the small of your back. You walk along with him, gripping your clutch tighter and tighter. 

Geri turns and spots your mother. She waves but falters in her ivory sheath dress. She tweaks her head as she steps past your other sisters, away from her groom. 

“Mom,” she crosses toward you. “There you are, we were just about to get everyone seated. Who’s this?” She looks at Jonathan then flinches as her eyes fall on you, “oh!” Her eyes round, “I hardly recognised you. You brought a date.” 

“Geri,” you give a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, uh, this is Jonathan.” 

She preens up at him and offers her hand, “Jonathan, it’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard nothing about you.” 

“Yes, well, it has been a rather whirlwind romance,” he unsnakes his arm from your mother’s and shakes Geri’s hand. “I’m honoured to be invited. You look wonderful. A blushing bride.” 

She giggles, “oh, English? That’s quite the accent.” 

“Ha, I suppose.” He lets her go and slips his hand around your hip, drawing you closer. 

“You know, I almost did a destination wedding. I looked at a few places over there. Some castles.” 

“Castles? Yes, many do think those are rather amusing, don’t they?” 

Your sister twitches. The way he says it is almost patronizing. As if he were speaking to a child, yet his accent makes it hard to be sure. 

“Well, we are so happy to have you here. Nice of her to finally find a date,” she snickers. “So good to see you, sis.”  

She squeezes your shoulder and flutters away. You blink after her and your mother sighs and claps her hands. “There are three more!” She turns and marches forward, “Vicky, come,” she beckons to your oldest sister. She is swollen and waddling. “This is Jonathan,” she introduces as Vicky leans on her husband, Marshall. 

“A pleasure,” Jonathan shakes both their hands, “should you not sit?” 

Vicky chuckles, “oh no, I can manage,” she rubs her stomach. “I’m fine.” 

“I didn’t know you had a man,” Marshall comments. 

You shrug and Jonathan’s fingers curl deeper into your hip. 

“Good things come to those who wait,” Jonathan rebuffs. 

“And my other girls,” your mother ushers you onward. “Charmaine, Sienna,” she beckons them closer, “these are my youngest, “both in school still.” 

“Ah, you’ve quite the brood. No sons?” Jonathan muses. 

“Oh, it isn’t for lack of trying,” she chirps. You make a face. “It helps that we started early, like Vicky.” 

“Well, I’m certain we’ll make a go of it,” Jonathan laughs. You gulp and look at him sharply. The insinuation is chilling. Kids? You only just started dating? That’s what it is, right? You assure yourself he’s only putting on a front. 

“Yes, well, as you said, good things come to those who wait,” your mother hums. “Forgive me, I must help. We’re about to begin.” 

She clops away in her heels and you chew the inside of your lip. Well, that wasn’t a whole disaster. Jonathan was the perfect shield against the onslaught, if not a bit much. Sienna nudges you, “you’re sitting with us.” 

You follow your sisters to a table. Jonathan pulls out your chair. Vicky sits and watches you do the same, Marshall already in his seat. Her eyes narrow. You thank your escort and he sits beside you, shifting his chair closer. 

“Darling,” he leans in, “I must remind you for it strikes me every time I look, but you are beautiful.” 

“Jonathan,” your murmur. 

“It is the truth,” he brings his lips close to your ear and softens to a whisper, “especially in your afterglow.” 

The allusion to your prior activities makes you squirm. He puts a kiss on your cheek and hums. You smile and pat his knee. 

“You are too much,” you keep your voice low. “Please, it’s my sister’s dinner.” 

“And yet all I see is you,” he continues. Your younger sisters giggle and peek over at you. “I wonder if we might sneak off during the speeches and find somewhere.... private.” 

You blanch and grab his hand as he rests it on your leg. You smile and turn to him, “let’s wait until we get home.” 

His blue eyes search your face and he grins, “home?” He echoes. “Yes, for you, I would wait.” 

💗

As you come out of the hall, you yawn. You take out your phone and the shine makes you wince. It’s dark as the moon shimmers through streaky clouds. You trip as your heel catches a crack in the lot. 

“Darling, you should really look where you’re going and not at your phone,” Jonathan girds, “besides, the light is not good for your eyes in the dark.” 

“Sorry, I just...” you trail off as your phone vibes. It’s your mom. Already. 

‘You better not be late for the wedding!’ You sigh. It’s your fault always your fault. 

You reply with a thumbs up and reach for the car door. It opens before you can grab the handle. Jonathan exhales as he holds it for you. You sit in the passenger seat and thank him. 

He shuts it without a word. Your phone buzzes again. You’re surprised that for how long you didn’t have it, you got almost no calls or text. Your mom, once more; ‘Jonathan is lovely. Try not to ruin it’. 

You frown as Jonathan gets into the driver’s seat. He buckles up his seat belt and reminds you to the same. You rest the cell in your lap as you click in into place. You pick up your phone as it buzzes a third time. 

It’s Geri. She’s resent her invitation, a passive aggressive reminder of when you need to be at the church. Yes, you get it. You were late. You huff. 

“Darling, you shouldn’t spend so much time on that if it makes you unhappy,” Jonathan chides. 

“It’s just my family--” 

“The light will make it hard to drive,” he interjects and snatches it from your hand. He taps the side button and puts it in the cup holder. “The blue light will also affect your sleep so late.” 

You look down at your empty hands and frown. You don’t mention his late night calls to his parents, there must be blue light in the tablet. You don’t because you wouldn’t. You clasp your hands together. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t meaning--” 

“I do hate to see your upset,” he twists the key in the ignition. “You know that and I would not have you moping over that device anon.” 

“I know, I wasn’t, erm, moping.” 

“You should relax,” he pulls out of the spot. “Things are going well, are they not? Your family was rather pleasant.” 

Yeah, to you. 

You don’t voice your chagrin out loud. It isn’t fair. Jonathan has been so supportive and you just bring everything down. After all, you’re not a victim, all this is your own fault. 

“I think I should fit right in,” he continues, “don’t you?” 

“Oh, Jonathan,” you begin, “sure, but... it’s a bit early, isn’t it?” 

“Early? Well, I’m certainly doey-eyed for you, fawn, but it isn’t so bad. I would say it’s worth the risk,” he affirms. 

You feel worse for his declaration. Guilty because you’re still a mess. Your heart aches for another even as he plucks at it. You wish it would stop. You wish you didn’t care about Colin anymore. You wish your brain was in your chest instead of this useless thing. 

“Do you not... feel the same?” He asks sheepishly. 

“Jonathan, of course I like you. I... you’re so wonderful to me and this is... amazing,” you fidget. “It’s late, I’m sorry, I’m a bit burnt out from all that.” 

He drones a disappointed tone, “yes it was rather long.” 

“It was,” you agree and stare out the window. You don’t want to let him down. Not like everyone else. 

“Well, when we get in, how about...” he slithers, “you take your shoes off, take your hair down, wash off your make up...” he steers between the streetlights, “then I’ll help you out of your dress. You can lay down and I’ll help you relax.” 

You sit in silence, shifting at the heat that sparks in your core. 

“I’ll start with your shoulders, you care a lot there, then your back... feel all the perfection beneath my fingertips,” he clears his throat and shudders out his breath, “then your hips, those precious curves, and that bottom...” 

“Jonathan,” you squeak. 

“And your thighs, I shall need to work those well. The calves and ankles, so delicate, and your feet. Those shoes must be untenable,” he purrs. “And when you are putty, I will turn you over and bow to you as a proper gentleman. As I did before our departure--” 

“Stop,” you wisp and squirm. 

“Darling,” he growls, “I can hardly wait.” 

He startles you as he reaches across the car. The light limns his sleeve as he tugs at your skirt. You wriggle and clasp onto his wrist. 

“Jonathan, the car--” 

“I can manage,” he tuts and shakes off your grasp. He dips his hand beneath the hem of the skirt and tickles along your thigh. The fabric rumples around his arm. “Mmm,” he flutters his fingers just beneath your pelvis, “I can feel your warmth already.” 

He presses his fingertips against your panties. You twitch and yelp in surprise. He rubs against the lace, the friction heating up instantaneously. You quiver and murmur as he pushes down on your clit, rolling it beneath his touch. He purrs and you can’t help but echo him. 

You soak through your panties and he clucks, “fawn, you are wet.” 

You squeal and latch onto the door as you writhe, legs splayed. “I... I know.” 

“Naughty minx,” he keeps his fingers moving, slowly, steadily. Enough to tease but not enough to take you over the edge. “You will not cum until we get home.” 

“Huh?” You choke and reach over to grab his shoulder, your stomach clenching as you crush his hand between your thighs. 

“You heard me. You will not cum. Not until I say so.” He wiggles his fingers and you puff out weakly. “Or you will be thoroughly punished.” 

You close your eyes and moan, slapping your hand against the window as you tremble. 

“Say, ‘yes, Mr. Pine’, so I know you understand,” his voice is rigid as steel. It makes you whine again. 

“Yes, Mr. Pine,” you gasp. 

[cosmetichorror]

ASSIGNING LU BOYS MIDWEST EMO SONGS (and their main lyric/s in said song)

Okay chat get ready

Time - Scott Pilgrim Vs My GPA “Don’t go back to our old place, it’s probably locked up anyway, I bet it still looks the same as when I ran away that day. It doesn’t matter anyway, ‘cause I’m happy here.”

Twilight - Tears Over Bears “He needed more than me. I’m friendly and thoughtful and quite awfully pretty, but he needed more than me.” - “I said All I can hope for is for you to get better, cause all I can take is no more. So I’ll hide where I can, away from you and your friends, leaking tears over bears once again”

Warriors - Trees (Note: hate McCaferty and don’t support this artist but bomb ass song) “She says I need a certain satisfaction kind. It’s something you could never give to my type.” (HEY ANGST HC GUYS) “Just string me up, two or three. Just string me up by down the trees, just bought my pants, I’m such a freak, I’m a fucking fag that never sees” (Bisexual Wars who grew up thinking he was weird for liking boys? The chain helps him see he’s just fine as is? 😗 self internalized homophobia gets punched in the face?)

Wild - Be Nice To Me “I got boulders on my shoulders, collar bones begin to crack, there is very little left of me and it’s never coming back” - “I try to show emotion, but my eyes won’t seem to wet, and I’d love to tell you stories but I can’t remember how they went.”

Hyrule - Now THIS is Podracing “ ‘Cause I have a tendency to take on more than I can handle, and you have a tendency to get mad when you’re bored. And will you risk your sanity plus all the other things you might not end up liking about me? Will you promise to love me more than you might hate me?”

Legend - Death Cup “I think it’s ‘bout time that I warned you that I might cry in front of you, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m afraid of the truth” - “So what’s the point of talking if you’re not changing your mind?” - “If all my love was well spent, my night-time hikes and weekends, you are my best friend and I don’t want this to end” - “Please tell me how the fuck I’m supposed to deal with losing you”

Wind - Sober to Death “Take your hands off my neck and hold on to the ghost of my body, you know that good lives make bad stories”

Sky - I Would Throw My Vape Into a Cornfield For You “And I could sleep forever, but it’s just not my scene” - “Hope the summer comes quick so I can see you around, and all the friends I’ve missed since the new years came and went, it’s how you came and went”

Four - Twin Size Mattress “For the warning signs I’ve completed ignored, there’s an amount to take, reasons to take more” - “With tears in my eyes, I begged you to stay. You said; Hey man, I love you, but no fucking way” - “She hopes I’m cursed forever to sleep on a twin size mattress in somebodies attic or basement my whole life. Never graduating up and size, and my nightmares will have nightmares every night”

No I won’t be taking criticism and Before anyone says anything yes I can say that word

[hergan416]

Coming across another please comment post, specifically about people who say nice things about fics to their friends but won't tell the author, and how betrayed authors feel by private book rec servers and stuff.

And yes, that's not an adequate substitute for talking to the author and isn't motivating and I don't think we should be privatizing our community. But the idea it is a generational fault kind of is bugging me because I notice myself doing some of that too- reading something recc'd to me and only responding in depth in the server or in priv instead of on the fic, and I didn't used to do that five years ago. Granted sometimes that person is in the server or I'm talking in private with the author, and that's... something different? But regardless, it's still not completely generational, it's a changing norm and I want to examine my experience to figure out why that might be.

And for me, I think it comes down to safety and vulnerability. It's easy to see this from the perspective of an author. To post a work for the judgement of The Internet is to be vulnerable. Comments help sooth over that moment of vulnerability. They help make it worth it. Whether the work is low or high effort, doesn't matter.

But commenting is also a moment of vulnerability. It is becoming visible to the author, for a brief moment, and writing down your thoughts when your interpretation might not be "as intended." I've known friends who anxiously waited to see what an author would say about a comment- would it be well received? Would the author be happy?

I feel that too when I comment. I reread the thing and try my best to not impulsively edit it over and over again to be more clear with what I want to say. That this is meant as a compliment, please don't assume malice with my words.

I didn't used to feel like that.

Where did that anxiety about being misinterpreted come from? Why do I feel I have to say everything perfectly or not at all, unless I know you well enough to know you will tolerate a mistake?

Is it of my own making, having had a reader look at the events I wrote and coming to the exact opposite conclusion about the morality of the situation as I did? I was so confused about that, think it ended up being a cultural difference, but I'm not sure because I had the last word, and I still feel terrible about that interaction. I wish I knew how to properly express how fascinating it was to be challenged on my assumptions like that, even if my definition of what constitutes rape didn't shift at all.

Or did it start before then? Was it because of that one time that I got all the way to the end note of a story to find out that alwill shippers weren't supposed to interact because they didn't want readers to interpret an interaction between them as anything but brotherly? (I hadn't read it that way, the fic was tagged sherliam and they hadn't wrote it that way. I left a comment anyway at the time, but I don't think I would have done that if I came accross that fic today.)

In fact, the fact that a loud and vocal subgroup of people simply don't want you to exist because of your taste in ships makes it hard to engage with any people you don't know in fandom at all. What if I leave my comment then click on the author's socials and see that their bio says proship DNI? What happens if they click on my profile and get mad at me for existing around them, like AO3 is Twitter or something? It hasn't happened yet but what if it does?

I'm basically "out" about shipping dark and disturbing content and so this next one doesn't apply to me per se, but what if a group of antis trolls the comment section of my fics for people to harass over their tastes? That's a public admission trying you to me. That could be dangerous in the current internet environment.

And my friends ... know who I am and know I say stuff stupid and largely don't care. So it's easy to tell them "hey look at this, it's y ship and does h really well."

I have no idea if these experiences line up with anyone else's. I don't want to say this ought to excuse me from trying to also tell the author they did h really well. I just am trying to parse through some of my own fears and anxiety and seeing how that relates to the current state of things.

Because I also want more comments. I just also empathize with people who might not always leave them. I don't think it's a moral failing to choose not to comment on a fic you liked. And also I know many of my original core readers have left the fandom/gotten busy/etc. And I know that my writing is probably "tolerable and I finished it, but I am not excited about it enough to talk about what just happened" to a fair amount of people. (And the barrier to talking about it just keeps getting steeper and steeper for me, so maybe that's what's happening with you too.)

[nancynancydrewdrewdrew]

A lot of people asked about this lol this was like a very formative experience in my life unfortunately a lot of it is lost to time due to mods and deleted blogs and such but the basic gist is as follows:

Dagny used to be married to a woman

A very large subset of the HeR boards were conservative, homeschooled religious kids and their parents who lost their damn minds over this

Sooooo many posts about not wanting to see it, “keEp PoLitiCs OuT oF tHe GaMes”, “I don’t disagree with it I just don’t like it and hate it”, petitions to not have any more gay ppl, threats to boycott, etc…

Nearly all of these posts had two things in common, they used their religion as the reasoning and also had some variation of “that’s just my opinion!” ie something like “HeR shouldn’t support LGBT people, it goes against the Bible! I don’t have a problem with them but I don’t want to ever see them and I pretend they don’t exist and I hate them, but that’s just my opinion so you can’t be mad at me!”

Sooooo what happened was there were a big group of us who didn’t like this and thought that was all not very nice. So one genius starting pretending to be in a religion that followed Big Island Mike. If they were going to use their religion to be hateful then we could do the same thing!

So a lot of us started doing that! We would say stuff on those homophobic threads like “well BiM is a loving and omniscient god and His word says that you are a jerk and that every character in the Nancy drew games is gay, sorry but that is just my onion” (the onion thing was on purpose we were saying it to make fun of people claiming hate was just an opinion)

It went on a loooooot. We kept making more and more things about the lore of big island Mike, his ponytail was like a sentient god that whispered secrets in his ear, we capitalized He and Him when talking about him, made theories that he was behind every game, everything we could think of. I’m realizing here this doesn’t sound like much but please believe me it was like a weeks long Thing where this was all we did and every post was like this.

This was like an actual coordinated thing, most of us were on tumblr and we would like discuss the best ways to push back against the homophobia, unfortunately I don’t think many of those blogs are active anymore (for myself it was an old blog that I deleted many years ago, and I haven’t seen any of the others around since making this one more recently. If any of you still exist I’m sorry!)

The homophobic people were doing the same thing on twitter and we knew that so we were like one step ahead lol. One time one of the main ones posted a list of the users he hated the most and I was on it and I was very proud of myself!

We would also do non-BiM things, like making petitions for games with only gay characters from here on out, and also talk about other social justice issues, stuff to get under their skin

The mods HATED all of this (most of them fell in the conservative homeschool type parent group if I remember correctly) but we weren’t really breaking any rules. Eventually they started deleting all the posts about BiM and His power and saying that made up stories had to go in the magic library

Then they amended the rules to say that no trolling is allowed and started deleting everything en masse, which they weren’t really doing to the homophobic stuff but they eventually I think did that as well. But that was another proud moment because they literally changed the rules because of us lol.

To circle back to OP’s original point, a big part of the fan base really was homophobic (at the time, I hope that is no longer the case) and their fit after SEA came out really did a number on the fan base and likely the company. Right after this the whole MID thing happened and they got a lot less interactive with the fans and basically killed off the original fan base. And we were all super divided anyway so the message boards just died. I’m really happy that there’s a newer group of fans with the clue crew now but that was like a very stark end of an era for sure!

And, to my knowledge, that is the origin of all the BiM worship. It does my heart good to see that all live on despite the loss of the original meaning or even like that there was a meaning at all lol (something something ancient history, meaningful things living on, I’m old now, blah blah blah)

Anyway I think that about sums it up! Please forgive me if I left anything out, this was like literally ten years ago and like I said nearly everything has been deleted at this point. If you go on the HeR boards and look at the summer of 2015 I think there are still some remnants hanging on but like very heavily edited by the mods. Writing it all out it doesn’t sound all that interesting but it was a truly wild time and one of those you had to be there type things, I hope it was at least mildly entertaining to read, I’m sorry I forgot the actual content of the memes lol

OP sorry to hijack your post!

(takes a long drag of a cigarette) remember when homophobia destroyed her interactive

[egophiliac]

Malleus' bday is coming up, thoughts on what his sleepwear might be?

anticipating that reveal any time now, so gotta get my predictions in real quick (aka extremely fast drawings) (I'm sorry)