#UHG IT CAME OUT SO GOOD I COULD CRY

[god-impeaching-dj]

ITS DONE FUCK YES LOOK AT MY BABY ITS WIDER THAN MY GODDAMN SHOULDERS Y'ALL

[mrs-kodzuken]

hard to desire ⨟ kenma k.

chapter four

soaked shy smith

❝'Cause, baby, you get me so

So soaked

This heat is gettin' to me

I want you all over me❞

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After the advice that Keiji had given you, you backed off from the mean streak towards Kenma. You'd given it more thought and honestly hated how you would always act to him because of the way he treated you.

Plus, Akaashi seemed like a very nice guy who wouldn't lie to you.

As a truce, you had picked up Kenma's favorite coffee, remembering the order from heart at this point. Your class had unexpectedly ended early, and you felt like a saint, so why not? Maybe it was the month or the feeling of fall in the air, but you were feeling rather forgiving of Kenma and his past actions towards you.

Texting Kuroo you had asked if he wanted a little sweet treat too, to which he declined because he was hanging out with Bokuto this evening for some 'bro time' as he called it.

You sent back a thumbs and smiley face before ordering your own drink.

Not thinking much of you and Kenma being at the apartment alone, you hummed as you enjoyed the crisp air hitting your face when you walked home. You loved being able to walk everywhere because you get to experience the season in real time, and it saved you gas money.

Feeling much better towards Kenma, you felt like you could actually try again to be friends with him. The coffee sloshed in their brown cups as you unlocked the door. You hurried to take your shoes off by the door and set the coffee holder on the counter.

You had been sure Kenma was unquestionably home because his shoes were by the shoe rack when you entered the apartment. You'd be a good roommate to Kenma and go tell him that you got a sweet treat just for the fun of it.

No lamps or lights were turned on in the apartment, only the afternoon daylight streaming through the opened curtains in the living room and kitchen. Walking up the stairs to his room, you could only hope that he wouldn't be an asshole to you.

You stopped once you heard a strange noise, like a gargled cry or something of the sort. You paused, listening harder, hearing your own breathing and heartbeat, and you had heard it again.

Your brows furrowed together, what in the hell was going on in Kenma's room? You walked a few steps closer; his door was shut so you pressed your ear against the cold wood.

"F-Fuck," A groan came from inside the room. Your face flushed red so fast in realization of what was occurring just behind this door you were pressed against.

Kenma was masturbating.

You felt like you were protruding on something extremely intimate and wanted to leave but couldn't bring yourself to. You were indefinitely frozen there. The noises he made were so exotic and foreign to you, you had to have self-restraint to not whimper in need.

"God, uhg, you make me feel so... s-so good," Kenma moaned out, loudly at that, which sent a throb down to your core. He had no trouble being loud under the false promise that he was home alone.

Was he masturbating to the thought of someone? It made you breathe in deep as you fluttered your eyes, lost in a trance with the thought of him.

You never would have guessed that you would be here, outside of Kenma's door, trying to resist the temptation to touch yourself to the sensual moans and groans he let out.

A dirty thought overtook and soon you realized you were very slowly turning the knob to his door open. If you went slow enough and quiet enough, you would be able to catch a peek. God, you just needed to see how lewd his provoking face looked during this moment.

'Only one', you mentally cursed yourself.

You just had to see him, clenching your thighs together as he, luckily, didn't realize that his door had just opened the slightest bit. You gulped, peeking in on the seductive sight that laid before you.

Kenma was in the middle of his king-sized bed, the silky blood-red sheets making him look more mesmerizing. His head was thrown back against the pillows, his right hand pumping his red tipped cock, that was dripping with pre-cum, in careful motions. Whilst his left hand was holding something over his nose, his eyes were scrunched closed in pleasure.

You realized it was your panties that you swore the washing machine had eaten, not that you told Kuroo or Kenma that they went missing.

Your jaw slightly dropped, face beat red, heart beating extremely louder and a hand itching to touch yourself to the sight of him.

Kenma's black, ripped pants were pulled down to mid thigh. Had he gone somewhere? His outfit seems rather nice than what you've been used to seeing lately. His shirt was pulled up just above his mid stomach, which graciously shown his fucking hot abdomen.

His hand motions slightly went a bit faster, the black rings on his left hand burned into your mind, how they were clutching your panties.

And God, wasn't his cock a sight to see. You hadn't expected Kenma to be so big, not just size but girth too. His hand had almost not been able to hold the damned thing all the way around. You could see a vein running down it on the underside of it, you licked your lips.

You felt so fucking needy because of him, no thought going through your head rationally right now. You just knew that you couldn't help how soaked you got because of the sight.

Your name was murmured by him, followed by a string of curses. You could fall right now if you weren't holding onto the doorframe with a death grip, your knuckles white. You couldn't believe it. Forcing yourself to hold in the whine you had desperately wanted to let out.

The slicked sounds of him masturbating to the thought of you and your panties made you lightheaded and filled with need. You had half a mind to start touching yourself right now because of him.

Kenma's chest started heaving more and his cock stood up taller, getting ready for a release. You were captivated by the estranged sight. You've had your fair share of unsolicited dick pictures from when you were in high school but those paled in comparison to him.

He let out a cry, as you watched the liquid spurt out of his cock, it was red and leaking. He clenched his hand over the burning red tip and whined more with a moan of your name on his lips. His low groans were forever imprinted into your head as you got alarmed and quickly, but quietly, shut his door.

You gulped and tip-toed down the steps, trying to be as quiet as possible. He still didn't even know that you were home. You retraced your steps and opened the front door, quickly slamming it a bit so it could be heard from up the stairs.

You continued to make noise, placing your jacking loudly on the hook, throwing your shoes, the whole nine yards. You hoped your face had calmed down from how red you could feel it was earlier.

After a few moments, you decided that you were heard and took his coffee in your hand, which couldn't help but to shake at the thought of seeing Kenma.

You knocked on his door, loudly too. You could hear a small curse and some shuffling on the other side of the door.

When it opened, you saw Kenma in all his glory, a fleeting drunken expression he wore just moments before almost gone, hair a bit messy, and cheeks tinted red.

"I got you a drink, Kenma. I figured that you may have wanted one since you haven't gone with Kuroo and I to the cafe in a while." You looked everywhere but his face. You hoped that he hadn't had a clue of what you had witnessed just moments before.

"Don't you have class today?" He questioned; his brows furrowed a bit at the look of you.

"Uh, yeah. It ended early though," You were still holding the cold coffee in your hand. "Are you going to take it or what?" You didn't know how else to say it. Naturally falling into the rude pattern that he had made you accustomed to.

"Is it even the right kind?" He scoffed, jerking it from your hand – with the hand he had been stroking his cock to moments before. You could feel your face slightly starting to burn.

"Yes," you said breathily, hoping he didn't catch onto it.

"You're welcome by the way." Trying to make your voice a little firmer, a little meaner.

"Thanks," He gazed at your face, the tension rising. You hoped he couldn't sense the nervousness in your body language – he could though, so it was redundant.

You turned sharply and made a beeline to your room, shutting the door behind you and locking it. Finally, you could breathe right.

What you hadn't known was that Kenma was breathless too, not because of what he just did but because of you. Seeing you right after he had just finished, made him get hard again. This time, he couldn't do a repeat of what just happened, opting to get into a cold shower instead.

You hadn't noticed the way he stared at you while you were talking to him, his eyes dilating more in your presence. He didn't know how to actually talk to you, being rude and trying to convince you that he hated you was his best option.

Kenma wanted you and he needed to know if you felt the same unbearable want for him too. With that last thought, he turned away and closed the bathroom door.

You, on the other hand, were completely and utterly speechless. You didn't know how you could ever get him a 'friendly' coffee anymore, speak to him, sit behind him in class or even see him on your way out the apartment.

Plopping on your bed, face down, you let out a silent scream and doubted yourself. Was the coffee even 'friendly' anymore? Were you actually just pining for Kenma because you secretly liked how mean he was?

You couldn't bear the sound of these atrocious thoughts in your head, opting to turn on your favorite cartoon and force yourself to sleep. You definitely were not leaving your room until Kuroo, Akaashi, or hell even Bokuto came and dragged you out of here.

. . .

Four of the past seven nights you have not even gotten a wink of sleep, and you couldn't help but to blame Kenma. He was the devil to you, his plan to kill you with sleep was working devilishly.

The last three days you survived off of energy drinks mixed with coffee and little twenty-minute power naps that your mind graced you when it wasn't thinking of Kenma stroking his cock, an image you couldn't get out of your head.

Finding things to distract yourself with have been hard and even more increasingly harder to not spill to Akaashi who you've been spending all your week with.

Whether it be a spa day he took you on when he noticed the bags under your eyes or invited you to an art museum showcase just because he happened to have an extra ticket, or maybe when he had given you homemade muffins when you complained that you hadn't eaten that morning.

Keiji Akaashi has been a blessing to be friends with but a curse to not spill what you saw of Kenma to. You were absolutely embarrassed to see anything; you get so bothered by it and there's always a feeling of need in your core.

"Have you been okay recently?" A small and quick question that didn't seem too big but when spoken aloud by Keiji, in the way that he said it almost made you even wonder if you were okay.

Of course, you were mentally fucked in the head for constantly dreaming about getting rammed by Kenma, a secret you'll take to your grave, but you'd never tell him.

"Uh, yeah, why do you ask?" You peered over, trying to pretend that you weren't fucking quaking in your boots, hoping to not give off an answer.

"Just a hunch," He replied, leaving it at that. However, you couldn't stop feeling his slitted eyes on you when you weren't looking at him. It was almost enough to make you confess, almost.

"Well... Kenma has been a lot more not mean." You randomly said, after typing a quick short sentence to answer an email. You both were in the library doing a study session since Kuroo was an upperclassman, he had less work to do, and Kenma was well... Kenma.

"Hm? So, my advice worked for you?" Keiji asked like he was even surprised it worked, which piqued your interest. Now, Keiji Akaashi seemed very articulate and careful in his steps so you could only strongly assume that something was up.

"Yeah, granted we've hardly talked but he hasn't left his room when I come home or doesn't scoff when I pass by." You mention, thinking back to recent events between the two of you. That was all true, it was awkward but true.

Being in the apartment with Kenma alone sparked something in you, which was dangerous. Being alone in an apartment with Kenma who, to you, seemingly has experience, is older, and also is intensely hot feels perilous for you.

"Well, that's good. I was afraid you were losing sleep on something so simple as Kenma." Keiji chuckled at his comment, he said that with a purpose, he wanted to see how you felt because he had intuitively known you were lying.

You forced a laugh, eyes widening for a moment, "No, I would never. Just this course work is difficult for me." You avoided eye contact and hoped that it wouldn't make you seem even more guilty than you already were.

"Ah, I must've forgotten. It's date night with Kou, I'll be leaving now. I'll see you soon, Y/n." Keiji said, peering down at his lit-up phone screen. You silently pleaded for him to stay only because you're not actually doing work. You're just avoiding going home because you knew for a fact that Kenma was there. He's always there.

The walk back home was penetratingly cold, and it wasn't only the breeze that made chills run down your spine either.

You'd have to be stuck with Kenma, with the longing stares you couldn't decipher from him, the hitches of his breath when you accidentally bump into each other, and the random morning tea he's made you.

It was all becoming too much for you.

You are even worried that being like this will ruin whatever kindness he's been bestowing upon you. He didn't know that you knew, and you damn sure hoped he didn't know about you trying to pleasure yourself to the sweet sounds he made that day.

Not having any experience sucks, especially in times like this. Porn always seemed weird and disgusting, you never had privacy living with your parents to actually try and have alone time, and the best thing you knew was the shower head.

You were hesitant on that last option because, well, you weren't sure if the walls were as hollow as you think they are.

Unlocking the apartment door, you definitely made sure to make it known that you were home this go around. You could hear Kenma in his room, only due the fact that the noises were from a game, you guessed that he was most likely streaming it too.

You snuck quietly into your room and finally was able to breathe a sigh of relief. What a week.

synopsis: it's the summer before you go to university, and you decide to become roommates with your pen pal that you've known since you were in primary. big problem arises, he's got a roommate, and it just so happens that his roommate either has a sexual want for you or hates your guts – or probably both?

tag list: [let me know if you’d like to be in the tag list!]

@geektastic84 @lavanderdreamve @hhoneyhan @kirikeijii @marsoverthestars @nymphsdomain @justagirlnamedkai @kodzukein @74zix47 @kakuzone @jaeminaur @3lectraheart

a/n: i hope you enjoyed, and the idea for this entire multi-chapter fic came from @deftrow !! i made the banner

[kurosawa-family]

A sad day... To be a foolish king.

Note: This is placed on the Diabolik Lovers universe! I was inspired by this little video right here and I couldn't help myself—

Warning: This writing contents fancy insults, the death of someone who will not be missed (with the exception of his simps), and just a sad attempt of roasting a corpse. Just that... And cigarettes, and mentions of abuse' victims.

Also, I'm not good at writing the Diaboys in general, so apologies if they seem so ooc in this writing.

It's a sad day. KarlHeinz had died and his funeral seemed as boring as ever... Until his old friend shows up.

Yvonne Beauchene ft. The Diabolik Lovers cast.

It was strange, honestly.

It was rather annoying being there to begin with, but seeing how many people were crying next to his father's coffin was just something he didn't expect. Perhaps it was more of a political thing than something emotional, but still, there were people, both humans and demons (disguised as humans, obviously) that were crying and lamenting what not only was a very important politician, but also the ruler of the whole Demon Realm.

... What a pain will the paperwork be, huh? That's what Shuu thought, making a disgusted expression, but he soon felt Reiji giving him a look so he had to change his expression. Well, the good thing is, he still has his brothers and the human girl at his side, so it won't be so much of a pain to be king.

“Should any of us—” Shu turned his head towards Yui, who of course was dragged in here and, just like most of them, didn't exactly know how to feel or what to do about this. “—Say something? You know, to honor him?”

“...” The eldest Sakamaki glanced at the bunch of people surrounding the corpse. “No. Just... Let's wait until most people are gone. It'll be a pain, but it has to be done.”

“Ayato, for the last time, we're not playing any of your disgusting music while people are paying respect.” Reiji snatched Ayato's phone from his hand, much to the displeasure of his young brother.

“I mean, playing Lady Gaga in a funeral is not that weird~” Laito said, in a attempt to get into Reiji's nerves.

“Shut up! This is so fucking boring! The least you can do is letting me play something nice!” The red-haired boy pointed at the people dressed in black. “Look! Everyone is acting like it's the end of the world!”

“Ayato-Kun, this is a funeral.” Yui glanced at him. By her expression, anyone could guess that she was also running out of patience with him, too.

“How's that my problem?”

“Your father's funeral.”

“Doesn't answer my question.”

As hours passed away, more people came in and out. Most of them were just humans that will miss their "secret weapon" in their silly and pathetic political fights or whatever, but obviously, they said something nicer, even if it was painfully obvious it was fake. Obviously, the others were there,

“Uhg, this is taking forever, dammit.” Subaru mumbled under his breath, leaning back the wall. “How much longer are we going to wait? Most people are gone.”

“We still have...” Reiji took his hand watch out, looking at the hour. “One hour left to go. So we might as well just hang on a little bit more.”

“You—”

It was in that moment they heard wailing from a woman and a few people trying to calm her down. The three clans and Yui turned around and, to their surprise, it was a white-haired woman dressed in pure black, with veil, gloves, and everything. Both Shuu and Reiji exchanged looks, and the eldest just shrugged with a smile. Hah, so she showed up in the end...

“I'm going to be honest, I thought she was going to burn the coffin as soon as she got here, but—” Reiji leaned towards Shuu to whisper to him. The only time they weren't trying to get into each others throats was when that woman was present. Mostly because of the humiliating scolding they would face, but also because they found a way of "bonding" in a safe way: Betting what would the very one and only Yvonne Beauchene and their father would do to each other. Even to the very end, those bets were... Amusing, to say the least.

“Give her a few minutes and we see. I'm actually surprised she's crying like that...”

They both froze, and then looked at Yvonne again. Those were, at least seemingly, real tears. She was crying for real?! They never saw that woman cry like that without crocodile tears, yet here they were.

“M-Ma'am, please, do not cry. He's in a better place.” A man tried to console her as they were in the entrance. The woman saw another man handed her a handkerchief to dry her face and gently grabbed it. Her dark make-up was running down her face and she looked absolutely destroyed.

“I-I just need some time alone with him and the rest of his family... I'm begging all of you, please...”

As she got closer people who knew her started to get out. They all thought that Yvonne needed some time alone with Karl, just like she told them to. None of the seemingly young boys nor Yui said anything until everyone else got out, leaving them and the woman. She kept weeping, and weeping and weeping...

"How could this happen to him, of all people?!”

Until the doors closed, that is.

“Oh, Karl, my dear, dear...”

Her weeping slowly disappeared as she turned around to see if the coast was clear she then smiled like a wicked witch, and finished her sentence.

“My dear son of a bitch, you sure took your time to finally do everyone a favour and perish.”

Yvonne cleared her throat as she snapped her fingers, and a white, sparkling smoke surrounded her, dissolving just a few seconds later. She wasn't wearing her black attire anymore, but she was wearing a blue, long and elegant blue party dress with a white, light cape. Her face was no longer messed up, and it was as clean and smug as ever. Hell, she even had a cigarette with a holder and everything on her right hand. The only ones that noticed this at first were the eldest Sakamaki brothers since the others were heading back to the door.

“Well, well, would you look what the cat dragged in.”

Most of the boys snapped their necks towards the woman, not sure if they heard right or if it was just their imagination. But the eldest Sakamaki brothers, with the exception of Subaru, didn't seem that surprised at the sudden change of tone and attitude.

There was a pause from the matriarch for a few seconds, as if expecting him to answer that, but it was obvious that he couldn't.

“You know, out of respect for the whole people that worked this hard to make this happen and your sons and people that are genuinely devastated about your passing, I'm trying so damn hard to resist the urge of flipping the table and your cold, dead body.” She made a face that could only be described as "OK, nevermind what I said" as she leaned over the open coffin, supporting her weight with her arm. “Not like you were anything else when you were not dead, of course.”

“Excuse you—” Ruki was about to interfiere with what he thought was an insult to the person that saved his life and siblings, but the Sakamaki eldest soon covered his mouth with a little smile.

"Let her have this.”

“Thank you, Shuu.” Said the woman before turning her attention back to the dead old hag. “I'll be completely honest with you, Karl, I was a little bit worried that there were going to be a lot of the ghost of your victims here crying about this "oh so heartbreaking" day. But no, none of them are here weeping about you, everyone is actually having a good time celebrating your end and your sad life right on the graveyard a few blocks down the road, you clown.” She made a glass filled with sparkling alcohol appear on her other hand and took a sip from it. “Did you know Beatrix is actually smiling about it? Yeah, I didn't see that one coming either. Never saw her this happy since Shuu and Reiji were born.”

The second son cleared his throat, trying to give her a sign that if that was a joke, it wasn't funny in the slightest, but she acknowledged it by sighing and nodding. Jeez, what a killjoy. Even Subaru was giggling at the comment.

“I mean, I even expected one of your most loyal servants to show up, since you always loved bragging about how kind you were to them and shit but not even your dentist showed up, my god.”

The Sakamaki brothers were actually having a hard time not laughing not only at Yvonne's petty and spiteful comments, but at the Mukami brothers' faces as well. They looked absolutely and utterly furious but knew they could do nothing about it, since there Shuu was literally now their king, a it was clear that the woman was on his good side.

“Yvonne, please, calm do—” Yui tried to get close to her, but Ayato stopped her from doing so by holding her forearm carefully. She glanced at him, and he just shook his head.

“There are people that cried when your brother died. Because it wasn't you.” He glanced at the triplets, making a gesture with her hands. “And Ritcher himself was a whore, let me tell you that! What. A. Whore. He was!”

“I mean— The old man had more game than Ritcher ever had—”

“He remains a whore, Laito. Both of them.”

A few of the boys got closer to the woman to hear and see the show she was putting better. Subaru stretched his hand at Yui and, with a heavy sigh and a smile full of resignation, she handed him a bag full of popcorn. To hell with it, it was the only fun thing that was happening today and he was going to enjoy every second left of it.

“Anyway, now, my final words to you; the man— No, the monstrosity that was not only my king and the rot of everything bad in the world, but also the mastermind behind what ended up being the destruction of millions of millions of people.”

Her smile slowly faded the more she looked into his face. The white-haired woman could feel her rage building up on her, boiling by the second, and everyone in the room could see that from a mile away. The aura now was heavy and not playful, just like before.

“KarlHeinz "Tougo" Sakamaki, you were a sanctimonious, vacuous, craven, disgusting, clown-looking cockroach the time you were alive and it will never not infuriate me that you outlived thousands of talented, kind, wonderful and generous people, both humans and supernatural beings, that were more fitting to be my king than you ever were...!”

It could be seen that what just came out of her lips was how she truly felt. It made the Mukami family furious, except for the youngest, who was now wondering if there was more secrets and traps into the man that saved their lives than they knew, and thinking how it was useless to even question that now, since the answers will be buried away. And, honestly, it did surprise Shuu a little what Yvonne said with such anger, since they both looked like they were, at least, "frenemies" or somethings dumb like that. But he knew he couldn't blame her, since no matter how intelligent his father was, he wasn't a good king, nor a good husband, nor a good father, nor anything such as a good person. And as much as he wanted to follow his steps for the sake of the people that were now on his hands, it was obvious that it was never going to happen, not if he wanted to get things better.

“Young people like your own children and the poor girls you sent into your house to their death that not only had to endure your awfully obstreperous personality but actual and genuine tortures!” Without looking back at the brothers, she pointed at them, and didn't noticed they all looked the other way. Yui, feeling rather nauseous and dizzy at the whole aura the room took, stepped outside to take a breather, with Ayato and Laito following her. It was a bit much for them.

“And abusing your power not only as the ruler of the whole Demon Realm but also of the greatest and most important politician in the Human Realm to treat your own children like toys and not actual people, and parading your pompous, egocentric, proud and wrinkly ass around this world like some sort of IKEA version if Merlin, if not acting like the cheap clown you were!”

Yvonne closed her eyes tightly and rested her body by her arms supporting her weight once more on the coffin when a hand gently took place on her shoulder. Tears were running down her face again, and this time, they were real, but not because he died... Or maybe, that was one of the reasons, but it was actually hard to tell today. She placed a hand on top of Shu's, and carefully squeezed two of his fingers, now setting herself straight while taking a deep breath, and calming herself down. Her smile came back just in time since the trio came back from taking a breath, and Shu slowly took his hand away from hers, now letting her continue.

“Alright, I'm getting heated, so here are my final thoughts of your bitch ass.” She glanced at him, with a smile that could only be translated as "I'm going to be dancing on your grave on this date every single year" when she sighed. “I wish you a nice trip, Karl. Hell's been colder than usual and I'm sure you'll be loving the freezing part of its many rings. It's fitting, considering that you sent one of your children to fight polar bears, let's see how good you're fighting them yourself.” And just like that, she turned around while waving and making her way to the door. The eldest Sakamaki saw that Ruki was about to say something to her, but he made a gesture to him to shut him up, and followed her outside.

Of course, seeing her sat down the stairs while taking a cigarette was the last thing he expected. She was usually so elegant and fancy and shit...

“... You know I dislike it when you talk in our behalf when it comes to our family.” He sat down next to her, groaning to show annoyance, but in reality, he wasn't even upset about it. Everything about this day just seems so... Unreal to him.

“I know, I know. I'm-I'm so sorry...” The woman sighed as she closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Her stuttering was unusual, but she was just... Conflicted with her emotions. That's all.

“... Doesn't mean you're wrong at everything you just said, though.”

“Heh. Thank you, I suppose.” Her golden eyes glanced at the boy. Since when was he this tall? He was just a pouty little one not too long ago. “So— How does it feel?”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

“You know... This day in general.”

“Ah, that.” His sapphire eyes went up, kind of admiring the night sky. “Well... I guess I don't mind. Or, perhaps... I do? It's hard to tell when he's barelybeen in the picture at all, you know? He's not—...” He paused, frowning and gulping a knot that formed inside his throat. “He's not like August.”

“Hm. Fair enough...” Her thin and pale hand ran through his hair, and just as she expected, he growled. “Oh, don't be such a killjoy now. It's not like you dislike it, now is it?”

“I'm not a kid anymore, woman. Know your place...” A cocky, smug smile crossed his face, and looked at her with what could be described as an "evil look", but she didn't flinch nor seemed taken aback because of it. “Because you're talking to your king in a disrespectful way, you know?”

“Oh, please, I didn't respect your father, what makes you think you'll be any different?” The Kurosawa matriarch finally stopped caressing his hair, shaking her head. “But I suppose I can actually show my respect towards a decent ruler, so, who knows?”

“... Thank you. For coming, I mean.”

“Yeah... Thank you, too, for helping me calm down back there.”

She got up, along with Shuu, and fixed her clothing. Turning their heads when they heard a car honking, it was clear they came to pick her up.

“Well, that's my ride. Will you guys be alright?”

“Hah? What do you mean?”

“Well, just like you said, you're the king now...” Yvonne's golden eyes locked with Shuu's. Her expression seemed neutral, but there was a little glimpse of worry. Was she worried about him? Hmp. Not only insulting, but also hilarious...

... But it was nice that there truly was someone that actually cared.

“... Yeah. We'll be just fine. After all...” There was a pause, and Yvonne noticed that, for once, Shuu was truly relaxed. “It's over.”

“... Alright. Then, we'll see each other again, but who knows when~?”

“Yeah, yeah, keep your old songs to yourself, woman.”

As Yvonne got into the car and soon drove off, Shuu just kept waving until it was out of sight. A sigh left his lips, and thought of the shit load of paperwork that there's going to be again. Not only that, but the great amount of people and other creatures that he's going to have against not only him, but the others as well. Will he be able to protect them all? Are things going to be ok? Shit. Now that he was alone, it was like every single one of his worries came into him in one go. The only thing that got him out of them was his phone ringing two short times. As he got it out, a message popped up.

“By the way! I didn't tell you this, but August was wondering if you needed some help with anything. He's been worried all day and wanted to come but I said no.”

“Well... Paperwork might be a pain.”

“Say no more. We'll be at your house tomorrow morning. At nine o'clock, sharp.”

Well, one problem solved. Maybe this day wasn't as dull as he expected.

[tesseractrave]

Hey LOOK

That trollhunters movie was sooo bad like smh I was facepalming the whole movie.

Actually the whole series after Trollhunters was unnecessary and just...uhg.

Dont get me wrong, 3below and Wizards wasnt horrible. Just unnecessary.

Trollhunters was the gem. Beautiful story, nice armor(I'm a gal for armor. Why i watched it in the first place). Has three seasons that keep you rooted. And it ended. Ended nicely. Should've ended there...but it didnt.

3below only added another weirdness to Aradia. Served no real purpose but to add aliens. The bad guys played no part in the later seasons. It was just to add more character to the two weirdos that appeared in one or two episodes.

Wizards wasnt as useless. I guess it was a little necessary. Added a backstory to Merlin and Morgana, added a way to make Jim human again, and told the history of trolls themselves. And, again, it added more to character you see a few times in the first series. It wasnt actually that bad. Except for the introduction of the three elementals. Yay.

Which brings us to the movie. The biggest fuckup of them all. I may have missed it with some of the skipping I do, but why does the two elements want the world to end? Why do they want to start over? Why did so many characters have to perish in the most useless of ways. They just kept killing off characters for no other reason but to just...do it??!?! And dont get me started on the ending. Like Tobias could do any better? Like Tobias could prevent the apocalypse that was soon coming and Jim couldn't? Tobias is known for being cocky and flamboyant. Even more so than Jim....

I just dont understand the movie and I gave it a thumbs down for that reason. They tried but I think they may have tried s but too much

THANK you... I cannot stress enough how important Tales of Arcadia was to me.

My life revolves around stories, the art of storytelling is the most important thing in my life. It's why I become so passionate about certain topics and fandoms (that and ADHD). The way stories and situations work with the unique characters and their own branching backgrounds and relationships is so indescribably inspiring to me, especially the fact that it is real people who create all of them. Real people who either singlehandedly or work together to create these beautiful weaves of characters, emotions, relationships, and situations.

For some reason, Tales of Arcadia was my absolute favourite story. It wasn't even the best to me, but it was my highest priority in all the things I was passionate about. It was my saving grace at my low points. It brought so much comfort and joy to me, and despite my brain knowing it wasn't the greatest, my heart held it in such high regard.

I wanted to hate Trollhunters. Before I had known it even existed, my older brother (who I look up to the most) talked to my family about how he watched a few episodes, and he thought it was cringy and childish. I stood beside him as he showed me the first episode for the first time and made fun of it in front of me, all the while I just nodded and laughed at his comments. In my head, I could see where he was coming from, but as the days passed, I found myself wondering more and more about it. There were three seasons of this. What even happens in that time? What happens with the girl he liked, and the trolls, and the teacher?

So I caved. I sat down at my computer and remembered what my dad told me about how you couldn't truly judge a show until you've seen at least three episodes. I became hooked, and my ADHD was singing especially. I loved this. I loved everything about this, good and bad. I could see all the layers in the story and I saw how brilliantly this was created and how the story was told.

So I watched more, and more, and I watched 3Below, and I found myself actively anticipating Wizards to the point where I cried when the trailer came out. I cried incredibly hard, and I found myself saying to my family, "You guys, this is my favourite thing in the world!" I said it even to my brother, who I didn't care in the slightest about disappointing in this regard. When it came out, my mother sat down with me and watched it, saying that she knew how important it was to me, and she wanted to be a part of that and understand it so she could make me happier. My family's thing was Star Wars, I was raised on it, and I found myself holding it emotionally closer than even that. It was that unimaginably important to me. I had no way to truly explain why, other than the fact that I was just in absolute awe of the way these stories were told and connected and visualized. I was especially excited for the movie, and I cried when the trailer dropped for it, too. I even made my family watch it with me...

And then it came out. I had invited all of my friends and my boyfriend to come over and watch it with me, and I had bought snacks and sodas. I was giddy enough to sit outside and wait for them to arrive, and when they did, I turned off all the lights, and we all sat down and watched it together, piled onto my couch and giggling as I pressed play.

It was just... one thing after another. It felt like it was slipping through my fingers like sand. I was desperately emotionally grabbing at it and my little ADHD brain was screaming at the screen. All of the destruction of the characters' development, the deaths, and finally... the undoing of all of it. The whole story and franchise I had come to know and love was destroyed before my eyes in just 1 hour and 46 minutes. My friends and I were all blubbering messes from Toby's death and as the credits rolled, and I remember running to my mother in her office and crying into her shoulder for an unimaginably long time before all of my friends came in and hugged me. I was truly heartbroken, and it took me probably much too long to finally come out of the daze of shock I was in from that.

Rise of Titans literally and figuratively undid everything I held dear to my heart about this series. It genuinely hurts my little storyteller heart to even look at any content for Tales of Arcadia anymore. All the mistakes that were made, and all the missed opportunities, I could go on and on. It genuinely hurt me through one of my most vulnerable spots and my emotional connection to it.

I've just been trying to give it time, I guess... maybe I'll find a way to close my eyes and pretend Wizards was the end of Tales of Arcadia instead, or maybe I'll set it down in the dust and leave it as it is like a broken memory of something I used to love. All I know... is that I truly, utterly despise Rise of Titans.

[bothcreativitybois]

The Mayor’s Sweet Treat Chapter 1

Description: Small town AU where mayor Remus knew everyone, until a cute baker opened shop in his town. Patton is struggling to keep open the small bakery while his mother is gone. Then the rambunctious and rowdy Remus appears and vows to save him. 

Ships: Intruality

TW: Swearing, stress, crying, slight burn, implied past bad relationship, food (obviously), sexual references (it’s Remus) 

Taglist (ask if you want to be added): @crazydemigod666 @star-crossed-shipper 

The old green truck rumbled down the road. Remus rubbed his stubble and tried to neaten his hair out but it didn’t do much. 

How did I miss the opening of a new shop? What’s wrong with me?

-A few minutes earlier- 

“Uhg this meeting sucks.” Remus groaned and leaned back in his chair.  “Why do we have to do them every Monday morning?” His coffee wasn’t enough. He contemplated where he could get something stronger. 

“Be my assistant Virgil. I need you Virgil.” He mocked his employers past words.

“Remus, you’re the mayor.” Virgil reminded him. “I know you have trouble paying attention but you need to listen. For your citizens.” The assistant looked over his notes as his employer whined.

“I already know what everyone thinks.” Remus defended. “Mrs Patty needs more wheelchair access, the berry farms proposed an idea to work with the high school to get more workers and Janus was caught spray painting again. It’s not hard to keep track when there are only like 100 people.” Virgil smiled smugly and looked up from his notes.

“So you know about the bakery reporting losses?” Virgil asked. Remus sat up and looked at him dumbly.

“We have a bakery?” Remus was dumbfounded.

“It’s new. Opened 5 months ago.” Virgil informed as he threw some papers on the desk. “The owner asked if there was any assistance we could provide the- Remus?” Remus was already jingling his keys.

“I’ll be back soon.” Remus said as he left. Virgil sighed. 

Remus thought as he drove. He looked at the store fronts trying to find what had changed. They all looked the same. General store, Salamander Silk clothes store, café he’d just gotten another coffee from, Sammy’s restaurant, the closed down florist- wait. The widows weren’t blocked anymore. Remus pulled up in front of the building and got out of his truck. He didn’t bother locking it, there was only one criminal in the town and it was his best friend. There were no new signs on the building, but the old signs were gone. The windows were uncovered but the door was closed.

Remus wasn’t sure where the bakery was exactly but there was only one street of shops so it wouldn’t be hard to find.

Maybe the Ahujas opened a bakery? I’ve always loved Nisa’s kaju katli. 

“It couldn’t be here…” Remus said to no one. He trampled up to the door to check if it was unlocked, it was. He swung it open and was greeted with a sweet scent and bright colours. The walls had new light blue wallpaper and the old stone floor had a cute pink rug trying to cover the large crack. “Are you open?!” Remus shouted past the displays of baked goods. 

There was a crash.

Patton worked lazily on the cake in front of him. He tried not to let his tears get in the lovely icing he’d just finished flattening.

No one is coming anyway. Why bother?

He usually could control these thoughts but this morning he was tired and stressed. He hadn’t had a single customer for a month, he was reaching the last of his back-up funds. Patton dropped the icing spatula and pushed away from the cake for a break, the rolling stool he was on slid to the wall. 

It was a mistake. No one wants you here. I should’ve stayed wit- 

A ding cut through the room. Patton realised he was now full on crying. His cheeks were warmer than the bread he’d made this morning. He stood shakily and walked to the oven, he couldn’t let them just sit there. He put on his green oven mitts and opened the industrial ovens. The muffins sat there, plump and cute. He slowly reached up to get the heavy pan out. Benefit of a large pan is being able to make two dozen at a time, the downside was carrying two dozen dense muffins at once. He’d built up a little muscle these past few weeks hauling the flour himself but it didn’t help much. 

“Oh fuck uh…” The tall figure said, Patton hadn’t quite looked up to see them properly yet. Remus frantically looked around for something to help the man clutching his arm. A sink. Remus grabbed the small man’s good arm and dragged him to the large sink. The tall person pulled Patton to the sink and turned on the water for him. He let go of his arm and shakily took off his oven mitt and put his arm under the stream of water. 

“Are you open?!” A voice shouted through the small building. Patton turned in shock, accidentally hitting both the pan and part of his arm against the oven door. He dropped the pan and clutched his arm.

“Ah!” He let out a small noise. There were heavy footsteps and a tall man appeared next to him. Patton felt his tears rise back up. Not from pain, he was used to burns, but he was overwhelmed. 

“Can you get that pan I dropped?” The smaller man muttered quietly. Remus looked across the room to see a pan of what looked like muffins in front of the oven. Thankfully it had landed without sending any muffins flying. He walked over and picked up the still hot pan. Patton turned to warn the tall person the pan was hot but was met with Remus holding the metal easily. The tall man was wearing a green flannel over a black shirt and some ratty black jeans, a stark contrast to Patton’s light blue t-shirt and pink apron and pants. The man had stubble that thickened along his upper lip and long brown hair pulled back into a messy bun. Remus placed the tray down and looked at Patton, his cheeks were red and he could see tears clouding his eyes. He noticed how much Patton was shaking. 

“Are you okay?” Remus asked, concerned. Patton turned away and focused on his arm.

“Yeah, you get used to burns.” Patton said weakly. He knew that wasn’t what Remus asked but hoped he’d get away with that answer. Remus knew what he was doing but decided not to press the man he’d just met. Patton took his arm out of the cold water and turned to Remus. “So who are you? A prince in shining cowboy boots?” Patton laughed weakly at the black square toe boots.

“Oh right.” Remus suddenly remembered why he was here. “I’m Remus.” He reached out a hand for a handshake. Patton took one look at the dirty hand then looked back up at Remus.

“I’m Patton.” He introduced himself happily. Remus realised his hands were dirty and pulled back. Patton giggled. Something about that giggle made Remus smile. “So Remus what do you do other than scaring innocent bakers?” Patton joked as he walked to his muffins.

“I scare innocent baristas.” Remus retorted, Patton laughed and wiped his face. “But if you mean work, I’m the mayor.” Patton looked up in a mix of doubt and surprise. “I’m surprised you didn’t know that. Actually I’m more surprised I don’t know you. Did you go to Mindville Public?” Remus referenced the public high school which was the only one in town. 

“Oh no. I just moved here actually.” Patton answered. He began removing the muffins one by one. “Came here to start the bakery with my mother, but she had to go back to the city for some stuff so it’s just been me for a few months.” That made sense to Remus. It was unlikely that just one person ran this place. But he still wasn’t sure how he hadn’t heard of the bakery opening.

“I would’ve visited earlier but I didn’t know you were… well… existed.” Remus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Patton sighed.

“Yeah, it seems no one does.” Patton said dejectedly as he took out the final muffin. He picked up the now cool tray and moved past Remus to put it in the sink. Remus caught a sad look in his eyes as he passed, a look that even though they’d just met he could tell was not usual. Remus walked over and put a hand on Patton’s shoulder.

“Hey, you're one of my citizens now.” Remus stated and turned Patton to face him. Patton saw a sparkle of determination in Remus’ eyes. “I’d do anything to help my citizens.” They lingered close to each other. Patton began to tear up, then quickly wrapped Remus in a hug. Remus raised his arms as the small man squeezed his ribs, Remus looked down at Patton. He realised how tired he looked, he blushed as he buried his face into Remus. Patton pulled away and wiped his eyes.

“Sorry… it’s been hard these past few days and... “ Patton looked up at Remus, eyes catching each other. “Thank you.” Patton looked tired, sad and weak. Remus felt a sense of protectiveness rise in his chest. Everyone in town was rowdy and strong, that’s what happens when you’re raised in the country, but Patton was different.

“Remus!” A voice shouted from outside the building. The men looked out the windows to see a tall lanky man with dark hair falling over his face.

“Who’s that?” Patton starred as Remus began walking out of the kitchens. Remus sighed.

“My assistant. I have to go.” Remus said, then he stopped and turned to Patton. “How much are those muffins.” Patton beamed. He picked up one of the still warm muffins and threw it to Remus.

“They’re carrot cake and walnut.” Patton laughed. “Just stop by tomorrow and tell me what you think of them.” Remus nodded. He pulled out a card and a five dollar bill then put both on the counter.

“I’ll call you.” Remus winked. Patton felt his chest tighten, but in a good way.  He waved as Remus walked out to Virgil.

“You can’t just drop out of meetings like that!” Virgil scolded as Remus walked out. Virgil saw an all too familiar crooked smirk on Remus’ face. “Oh no. No no no. What are you planning?” Remus took a bite out of the muffin, the aromatic flavours tingled against his tongue.

“I’m gonna save the bakery.” He said.

“Okay that actually seems reaso-”

“Then get the cute baker to grab my cake.”

“-there it is.”

[jinx06]

*･༓☾ 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 🌑 🌠❃⭒ ' A night full of tears as they comfort you at their best ' 🌊Gn reader 🧿❃⭒ Ft, Albedo ; razor ; bennett ' it was the middle of the night and you accidentally Woke up by a nightmare. They then comfort you at their best! ' comf + fluff hoho ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ

･ﾟ✧ Albedo beloved "Dear?. What happened? are you alright ?. " Albedo is one light sleeper and he knows that you get these nightmares every once in a awhile, he said if he knows a certain way to stop this he would. Wide eyes, slightly shaking and sweat slowly dripping down your forehead. "I u-uhg..*hic*" You tried to speak but nothing would come but threatening tears ready to slide down your rosy cheeks. "Wait here..i'll go get you a glass of water." he hopped out of bed and before running he kissed your cheeks, What a nice man. "here you go My dear, Do drink some water a bit and tell me what happened." he came back fast and sat next to you for the rest of the night until you fell asleep as you hug him tight like a gigantic teddy bear. He kisses your forehead before he passes out as well. the actual reason he passed out bcs of the way you hugged him like there was no tomorrow.../j ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ

･ﾟ✧ Razor Good boy mwa mwa

"lu..-lupical?" He woke up by your quiet sobs, He slowly woke up rubbing he's eyes. You then Looked beside you and there he was a worried mess the second he saw your wide eyes and sweat dripping down your forehead. "l..Lupical! wha happened? who hurt razor's lupical.." he frowned confused if someone came to hurt you because he didn't sense anybody coming. You looked at him and shaked your head, "no..just a nightmare.." you smiled slightly patting his head . "Nightmare? what is Nightmare.." he tilted his head, And there you were. Ended up talking for 30 minutes explaining what a nightmare is, It kinda helped you to focused on something though! so that you wont cry more. "oh..okay, Lupical dont be sad no more. Razor will protect y/n from nightmares..cu's Y/n is razors Lupical." he smiled and went close to you as he nuzzles into your cheek and neck. He ended up being extra clingy to you the next day and guess what you loved it sm we slayed he slayed we are slayers we love razor no questions, no buts and no no's. ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ

･ﾟ✧ bennet sweet baby urgrhrhaagda smooch

"Y/n? is there anything wrong? why're you crying.." he woke up the second you let out you're 3rd sob, you Turned around to see him with wide eyes, i think hes the one about to cry tbh,,,/j "Y/n!! " he went next to you faster than light, "u-uhg.. i..*hic*" you closed your mouth, you know well if you were to try speaking all tears would bomb down, "w-wait here!! i'll go get water!" he jumped out of bed, seeing him run. He litterally tripped but okay.. "uhh..Im okay!! Im okay!! no worries!.." he smiled nervously and got the water as fast as he could, he still tripped actually so the glass of water he once filled full is like kinda half now, "here you go..please dont cry anymore.." he said like hes about to crash into tears. "it's okay i wont, im okay now thank you." you smiled with you're puffy eyes, "okay!. thats good! no matter what i'll always be here so dont be afraid to ask me for things when your sad! because you are one very very so cool member of Bennetts adventure tteaaam!!" he brightly said. You two then talked until you both fell asleep hugging each other sso soossoosso cute ong wowoowowowe

۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪

i was thinking of doing venti too but..i lost it

[jangofctts]

thinking about leaving lipstick marks or hickies on sweets and then the other sunburst boys seeing the marks on him and being like :O "IS OUR BOY GETTING LAID!?!?!" just absolute LAD ENERGY as the crowd him. (also is you make sweets some baked goods or anything he gotta hide em because mfs WILL SNIFF THEM OUT AND TRY TO TAKE THEM)

THIS IS SO ADORABLE AND AHHHH YES sweets has little secret hiding places he stashes his food bc those boYS are piranhAS--even blanche goes feral for the baked goods kejrhkejh ALSO I WROTE YOU A LITTLE DRABBLE

ct-5337 sweets / reader

a/n: no warnings just shits and giggles jekewjhr

He leaves your apartment in the early morning, the sky still an indigo blue, polluted with the flashing neon lights and the jets of passing ships overhead. The window by your bed is cracked open, the cool air is sweet and humid, swelling with the promise of rain later. Sweets sweeps his eyes over to you. 

You’re still asleep, a mess of blankets twisted around your body--his lips quirk. You look like a burrito.

Sweets sits himself on the edge of the bed and skims his fingers over your forehead. He tucks a stray hair behind your ear and kisses your temple. Lovers look so much softer when they sleep, he thinks--and you’re no exception. His own personal angel with lips made from threads of gold and eyes the color of his own personal galaxy. He’s tempted to wake you, kiss you properly--but he knows that’ll only bring a harder goodbye. He hates it when you cry. 

Your eyebrows pinch together as he plants another kiss over your hairline, grumbling in your sleep and attempting to wiggle away in your swath of blankets from the disturbance. Sweets sighs and leaves your tiny apartment, silent as a shadow with the gift you gave him tucked under his arm.  

This time he wont let his brothers pick him clean. It’s his present after all. Baked especially for him. A sweet treat for your Sweets, you told him. 

He smiles under his helmet and by the time he reaches the temple, the sun is barely crawling over the horizon. He makes it into his assigned barracks without a blip but kriff--he should've left your apartment earlier. 

The shuffle of plastoid is deafening in the small space as the squad sluggishly pulls on their armor. The swoosh of the blast doors shutting behind him draw some tired eyes towards him and drift to box he holds. Damnit. 

“Mornin’, Sweets,” Kami greets. He fists his eyes and stretches his back with a loud yawn. “You’re up early.”   

“Went on a walk,” Sweet’s shrugs, nonchalant and planning out a sixteen step maneuver to reach his bunk and stash away the cookies before his brothers realize what he has.       

“Or he never came home at all last night,” The medic’s ever sharp eyes pinpoint the box he holds. With a wink, said medic saunters over with a greasy smile. Void throws an arm around Sweets’ shoulders and jostles his arm. “Say--how ‘bout you gimme one of those cookies and I guarantee, I’ll give ya the good bacta next time you’re hurt.” 

“’M pretty sure that’s medical malpractice,” Jaws mumbles, still curled up in his bunk. He grunts as Bruiser whacks a pillow over his head with a firm thwunk.  

“Get up, asshat--you’re sitting on my blacks.”

Distracted with warding off Void’s nimble fingers, he’s too late to realize Fuse has weaseled his way behind him--his heart stutters has Fuse’s fingers pull at his collar, revealing the smatter of hickies down the line of his throat. 

“Ohoho,” Fuse snickers. “That’s not the only sugar Sweets brought home. Is it?”

A mountain of shocked faces swing towards Sweets--slack jawed and resembling a school of fish. His cheeks flush a deep red as he dips his chin and glowers at the tips of his boots in embarrassment. Bruiser is the first one to laugh. He slaps a large hand over Sweets’ head, nearly crushing his cranium, as he ruffles his hair. 

“Sweets is getting laid!” The heavy gunner belts, the ends of his scars scrunching around his eye as he grins. “And they baked cookies for you! Wish I could get someone like that--last time I went on a date, she stabbed me.”

Sweets bats away his brothers hands, and slinks to his bunk tucked away in the corner. Hiding the cookies under the bed will have to do for now. There’s a caterwaul of disbelieving objections and celebratory cheers that do nothing but embarrass. Oh, Maker--he wants to shrivel into a little ball and fade out of existence.  

They all freeze and salute as the blast doors swoosh open to reveal Commander Blanche and Sergeant Blue. Blanche quirks a dark brow as Blue rolls his eyes and asks with an exasperated exhale. “Who’s getting laid?”

“Sweets.” His brothers accuse in unison. 

His blush burns hotter than a wildfire as Blanche’s mismatched eyes focus on the sharpshooter. 

Blanche’s shoulders jolt with a surprised huff. “Congratulations.”  

“Thanks...” Sweets grumbles, pitching forward to bury his face into his pillow. It’s not as comfy as yours and it certainly doesn't smell like you either. Smells like mothballs and the GAR issued shampoo. His chest tightens with yearning.

Uhg.  

Well...he saved the cookies at the expense of his pride. Sorta...depends on how you look at it. 

Sweets sighs. Totally worth it. 

[katyobsesses]

❤️ ☺️ 👤 🎬 for the WIP ask <3

Send me an emoji from here and I'll give you an unpublished line (or paragraph) from my WIP (probably OMND)

❤️ Share one of your favorite lines.

Okay so fave lines are hard so i chose one from the next chapter of One More New Direction (which will be up... when i finish the Silly Love Songs chapters and at least get an outline done for Comeback until Prom Queen, uhg)

“You calmed down?” Coach asked as his breathing evened out. “Yeah.” Dave replied, blinking against the stinging in his eyes. Fuck… when had he started crying. He swiped the tears on his cheeks away angrily and sniffed once, twice, three times, before his mask fell into place again. “Thanks.” “Any time, seriously. If you need to just… walk away from a situation and think, my door’s open. Actually,” She dug into the pocket of her shorts and fished out a set of keys before rifling through and taking one off of the keyring. She took his hand and put the key in it. “Here’s a spare key to the office in case I’m not in. Anytime you think you’re going to go off the handle I want you to take a deep breath, walk away, and go there. Ya hear me?” Dave blinked at the key in his palm but nodded. Fuck. Why did it feel like he was going to fucking cry again. It was just a key.

(okay, more than a line... opps)

☺️ Share a happy line.

From the first installment of the One More New Direction 'verse set in S2 (One More New Direction)

“It was awesome to finally sing a duet with Kurt.” Sam said earnestly, and Erin could see Kurt purse his lips, holding back a disbelieving grin, and saw Finn, sitting in the front next to Quinn, sink low in his seat.

(I think this counts as happy! makes me happy anyway! Hevans duet! Finally figuring out how to write Silly Love Songs! hell yeah!!)

:::OR:::

From the third installment of the One More New Direction 'verse set in S4 (working title: Violets & Purples)

[REDACTED] gave a soft laugh and took the initiative, [their] hands moving to the back of [REDACTED]’s neck and pulling [them] down into a kiss. Soft and slow and romantic. It felt like it could have been hours, or several days, before they came apart. [REDACTED]’s hands at [their] waist and [their] own playing with the hair on the nape of [their] neck. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” [Shey] whispered into the space between them, but didn’t make any move to pull away and open the front door.

(sorry for the redactions, big spoilers!)

👤 Share a line that shows a character’s personality.

From the first installment of the One More New Direction 'verse set in S2 ( One More New Direction)

She wanted to go back into that gym and shout. She wanted to curse them out, tell them off. How dare they make her best friend sob like this! She hadn’t seen him like this since his dad had been in the hospital. She just wanted to give the Junior Class a piece of her mind. But she kind of felt frozen as well, as the anger flowed through her, and as she watched her best friend break. [...] She really didn’t know what to do when someone cried. One of the reasons she tried not to cry, not in front of people, anyway. She’d been doing a good amount of isolated crying the past few days.

🎬 Share the last line you’ve written.

Last line I wrote today (from the first installment of the OMND 'verse):

Erin rolled her eyes, as Kurt opened the door, humming Dancing Queen under his breath.

The Last Line I've written in the entire verse chronologically so far (like, literally in 2030something):

“SAM!” She called, projecting her voice over the racket. His head shot up, shooting her his signature goofy grin. “You still owe me $40!”

(not sure if I'll even keep this line or this story, but i had fun writing it at the time)

Send me an emoji from here and I'll give you an unpublished line (or paragraph) from my WIP (probably OMND)

[ask-jokeboi]

The Party

Hope everyone's having a great holiday season so far! This time of year isn't always easy but thankfully friends and a good distraction can make things easier. 

I drew these pic’s to pair with a moderately long fic I wrote to follow up the aforementioned party from earlier, it’s below the the cut! Read it if you want! Either way, Happy Holidays! 💜💚💛

Words: 4,142    Relationships: Harlivy /Harley & Joker friendship / Batjokes (mentioned)     Universe: Mine / Lego Batman

A/N: sorry for any typos or weird grammatical stuff, I'm good at art, not writing

Summary: Joker’s felt a little down since Batman’s been out of town, will his best friend Harley be able to cheer him up?

Warnings: Alcohol use, implied depression

_____________________

"C'mon Jay it'll be be fun!" Cheered Harley, mustering all the enthusiasm she could in an attempt to persuade Gotham's former clown prince of crime to pull himself together 

"I don't care!…. Go bother your girlfriend or something. Leave me alone…" He was currently piled under several layers of blankets, sunk deep into the ball pit he called a bed

"Nuh uh, I'm not haulin' my butt outta this room 'till you haul yours. You can stay in that pit and cry all ya like, but it won't fix nothin', you gott-"

"I don't GOTTA do anything!" Jay snapped. Throwing his blanket aside and revealing his less than kempt appearance, his face twisted into a frustrated glare

Harley, already familiar with Jay's usual harmless outbursts only sighed as she looked her long time friend up and down, taking in his surroundings with a curious eye

It'd been a month or two since Batman left the scene and his absence was definitely beginning to take a toll on the poor clown.

She could tell it'd been a while since he'd done anything to care for himself…. His hair, which was usually swept back into a flawless green pomp, lazily draped his face. The dull forest black of his roots beginning to seep back into the rest of it. Same could be said for the state his room which, due to his erratic nature, was always a bit untidy  but had recently fallen into a state of near disrepair. Bags of half eaten junk food and empty bottles of all sorts of things lay strewn across the floor, particularly around his half deflated bed.

Despite the mess, he still seemed a little...thin… more so than usual to be honest… his ribs visible beneath the loose shirt he wore, arms comparable to sticks despite the muscle.

most of all though, he just seemed... tired. Jay always looked tired out of makeup. It was one of the first things she'd managed to take note of when he'd first entered her office years ago…. But right now the purple rings beneath his eyes that never seemed to go away were deepened to a point that made it clear he wasn't getting much sleep or doing much for himself in general...

Seeing her best friend in a state like this was hard to witness… and although her partner, Ivy, didn't have much but mild disdain for Jay, Harley couldn't find it in herself to leave him like this… which is why she thought a party might lift his spirits a little 

"C'mooon! You love parties!! It'll just be a small one anyway!" It was actually much bigger than she was implying but Jay liked big and she didn't wanna scare him off too soon… 

"Yeah, like that'll make things any better… who did you even invite?? A good half of the rogues don't even like me…"

"Sure they do!"

Jay only looked at her, bereft and unimpressed. 

"I mean ok you and Riddler don't always get along and it took a lot a beggin' ta get ya un-banned from the iceberg lounge but still!!"

"Uhg whatever! It doesn't matter! I don't need those bozos seein' me like this anyway..."

"Like what?" 

"I don't know!  I'm just…... I'm not in the right… mood for something like that right now.... You know how this works… they'd see right through me. "

Back when Jay was still her patient they'd end up talking a lot about masks…Batman's would come up more often than not but every now and then he'd end up discussing his own…. Or more specifically, the metaphorical one he'd put on every time he picked up a brush and painted himself a new face…..

"Jay, sweetie…  you don't have to pretend to be okay… they won't think you're weak or nothin', you know that right?..."

Jay gave her an incredibly tired look before turning away.

"What happened to the Jay that wasn't afraid to let people know how he's feelin' huh? The one that turned every emotion into a show….?"

He kept his head down, shoulders stiff, before speaking...

"....Cause I'm not just sad this time…. " As he looked up slowly an emotion that was rarely seen on the mans face showed itself, flooding his eyes. 

"W- when I'd talked to Robin and Batgirl that last time and asked about Batman they gave each other this look and…. Something's wrong… he's in trouble or something I… I can feel it…..  W-what if he doesn't come back and he leaves me here all alone an-" 

Harley put a polished nail up to Jay's lips and smiled warmly.

"Shhhh…. You're worryin' too much puds… ur big dumb brain is just an overdramatic liar… don't listen to it okay?" 

Jay sniffled, giving her an understanding nod.

"You still got me an' your crew an' Bud and all the other little silly things that make ya days good doncha?"

He smiles halfheartedly. "Y-yeah…. But still… he was..."

"I know… he's special….but do you seriously think anything out there could actually kill Batman? THE Batman? C'mon now….  He's luckier than any bastard out there and you know it…"

"Yeah…. Yeah I guess ur right"

"Of COURSE I'm right!… now come on…" she offers her hand and helps her friend stand up. "Let's get that hair done and those nails shined up  so you're brain can take a break from making all those nasty thoughts" 

Jay smiled a little wider this time, forever grateful he had a friend as great as Harley around… he really didn't know what he'd do without her sometimes...

"Right…. Also… uh…. Harley?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for….uh…. Bein'... around… I guess…" Jay practically mumbled...

Harley smiled knowingly, amused with his poor attempt of gratitude

"No problem, Pud's….." she gave him a peck on the forehead leaving a black smudge behind 

"now enough mush...Let's clean this mess and get ya fabbed up"

________________

A few hours later, Jay stood outside the titular iceberg lounge in his best winter fit, a long boa around his shoulders and a pair of unnecessary sunglasses obscuring the mascara he'd only half ruined on the way there…. 

He truly, honestly, did not feel like socializing with anyone at the moment, but who was he to refuse a doctor's orders?....

Taking a deep breath of the cold winter air, Jay stiffened up, smoothed the wrinkles from his vintage memphis style sweater and entered the lounge, heels high and head high as he could manage 

____________

When the doors swung open with a swirl of winter snow, Jay was greeted by a surprisingly full and stunningly silent room. Christmas music cut through the tension like a knife as everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Joker's fashionably late arrival.

He didn't know if it was because of his natural ability to demand attention or the fact that he hadn't been seen in nearly 3 weeks, but for some reason the room seemed slightly on edge. worried he'd come with another Joker brand surprise perhaps. Thankfully, Harley, who'd left his place a little earlier to get everything ready, noticed who'd finally arrived.

"JJ!! YOU MADE IT!!" she leaped off her stool and came running to grab him, The rest of the room taking it as a cue to un-tense and to go back to their festivities, the lounge lighting up  with warm greetings and laughter.

" Hey…" said Jay as Harley put an arm around his shoulder and escorted him to the booth she was sitting at….  

"So… is all of this for me or…?"

"No, did she tell you that?" Ivy who was sitting at the booth with his other less than fond acquaintance, Catwoman and someone else he didn't seem to recognize, gave a snide smile, Jay suddenly felt he should probably sit someplace else

"IVY!! SHHH" Harley shushed

"What? He was gonna find out out eventually…. It was supposed to be Penguin's annual winter ball" 

"Uh,It still is tho…?" said Kat, mouth full of shrimp 

"Well, yah…. Difference is we had to 'finesse' Penguin into letting HIM in" Ivy explained, disdain in her voice

"And you... helped with that?..." asked Jay, surprised. Ivy sighed

"for Harley's sake, yes. not yours" 

Jay smiled, amused. "well how charitable of you, here's to hoping you won't regret it"

Ivy rolled her eyes. "As if I don't already" she said, taking a short sip from her drink, Harley sitting down next to her give her thank u peck on the cheek.

"Hey, why'd you get banned from this dump anyway?" Asked Kat, eyes squinting curiously 

"I have no idea…." Jay shrugged 

"He put a coke and mento bomb in the fountain!" Harley interrupted 

"Oh yeah…." He'd totally forgot

"Ha! Awesome…" 

"Right uh, anyway, who the hell are you?" Jays attention suddenly turned to the woman sitting opposite of kat. She had light blue skin, bright white eyes and hair that made her look like a human lighting rod.

"Name's Livewire." She said, voice sharp as her appearance 

"She's from Metropolis" explained Ivy. Jay rose a brow.

"Metropolis huh?? How'dya like dealin' with boy scout full time over there?" He quizzed 

"Sweet!…" she exclaimed enthusiastically "Big blue aint got a thing on me! 'sides, dweeb's been outta town for months now! metropolis might as well be my personal playground"

The mentioning of Superman's absence made something in Jay's chest twist. He'd known their neighbor hero had been MIA for even longer than Batman, Supergirl taking over the workload just like Batgirl had in Gotham. but still… the reminder was enough to worry him. I mean… if superman was taking so much time up there, what chance did Batman have against whatever it was they were so busy with??

Trying his best to shake off the uneasiness building in his stomach Jay took a breath and snapped back to reality, offering Livewire his hand

"Well, uh... Livewire, i'm this city's head honcho while the bat's gone so welcome to Gotham and try not to wear it out" 

Harley and Ivy exchanged looks as Jay smiled slyly and took Livewires hand…

...Only for his usual gesture of hospitality to be met with an equally shocking grip that sent blue sparks flying in every direction.

"DAMN, what the- !! " Jay yanked his hand back and held it in pain, hot needles running up his arm.The new addition to Harley's crew laughed crudely and smiled

 "why do you think they call me 'LIVEWIRE' genius?" 

Jay stayed silent with defeat as the table went up in hysterics "Yeah fine, okay, I shoulda saw that one coming" he sighed and smoothed out his hair which had sprung up to stand on end, his face ever so slightly red "anyway, you ladies have a nice time… i'll set up shop somewhere else and let you guys… idk… flirt with each other or whatever..." without much fanfare he slunk off to sit someplace else.

After the table had settled down completely though, Harley noticed Jay making his way to the bar looking somewhat dejected.

"Aw Jay…." 

The rest curiously turned their attention to the direction of Harley's gaze.

"You're not going after him are you?" Asked Ivy after a beat.

"Well… yeah…?" Harley shrugged.

"Uhm, why?" Asked kat, dipping more shrimp into her cocktail "like if he's not in the mood for a joke that's kinda his problem…?"

"Yeah, but still…. I've never seen 'im like this for so long…. He's usually so funny and animated, it's like somethin' drained all the life out of 'im…." The concern on Harley's face was very apparent. Ivy brushed back a few strands of her hair and tried her best to reassure her.

"Look i'm sure he'll get his second wind when Batman comes back at some point… but ‘til then it's not your job to take care of him…" 

Harley sighed silently. "I know but… he's still my best friend… and if I hadn't met him, I wouldn'ta met you!" She squished close to her spouse with a smile, Ivy suddenly unable to hold back a small one herself.

"He helped me outta my slump all those years ago, least I can do is help 'im outta his..."

Ivy gave her a soft look before reluctantly caving "Kindness has always been your best and worst trait, silly bee…" she said with a smirk "fine, go ahead and do your thing, I've got plenty of company over here in the meantime…"

Harley smiled happily and gave her one last kiss before running off to join Jay at the bar.

____________

Jay sat alone at the bar in silence until he was suddenly startled by Harley's arrival.

 "What's shakin' grumpy gills?" She asked pulling up a stool.

Jay didn't answer as the bartender slid over a funfetti martini topped with the works, Jay lazily catching it and drinking deeply.

"Those guys didn't get ta ya did they? I know they seem mean bu- "

"Ah… I don't care about them…" said Jay dismissively  "we're all villains here right? I'm sure they got their reasons… sides, Livewire's pretty fun even if she did fry my Joy buzzer" He said regretfully…

"So what's up then…?" Asked Harley, head tilted 

Jay looked down at the table with a frown, fingers anxiously scraping the side of the glass in his hand….

"What she'd said about metropolis…. And… superman…."

"Oh…"  Harley nodded "well…. I'm sure they're together wherever they are…. Right? Him and Batman? And I mean, with Superman around, he's bound to be okay….." 

Jay had a hard time matching her enthusiasm but that logic did comfort him some. "Yeah… yeah I guess so"

"C'mon Jay, you gotta get that stuff off your mind for a minute! Go mingle! Go dance!… look at everyone who came this time! Turn-out's never been so big!"

As Jay's looked around the room, Harley did have a point, usually these get-togethers only managed to scrounge up about half the gang, but it looked like almost all the rogues in town had come this time. Even D-listers like Polkadot man, Killer Moth, Crazy Quilt ect. Had managed to show up, plus people he didn't seem to recognize…

For example at the bar sat Scarecrow and a… Oddly scruffy looking man he looked to be sharing a drink with. He'd heard from Riddler over the phone some time ago that crow had found himself a friend and that the two were "in cahoots".  whatever that was supposed to mean. He supposed that must've been the "friend" in question…

A few tables down sat another unfamiliar  in a polkadot shirt and a pair of cracked thick lensed glasses. He had a peculiar looking puppet sitting on his lap which made J raise a brow, but he didn't judge. Looking at his woefully nervous face he guessed it must it must've been a security thing anyway… 

Despite the big crowd though, Jay did notice one person missing of whom he hadn't seen in quite a while...

"Yeah I guess everyone is here...  except uh, Lex I guess…?" Jay considered himself friends with metropolises king of corruption, even if the feeling wasn't always mutual. Seeing so many crooks he knew in one place made him realize how rare it was to see the mal hearted mogul at these things.

Unfortunately, Harley could only shrug with defeat. "Ah I tried to get Lex but you know how he is… nobody's seen that shut in for ages".

Jay's eyes narrowed at that "How long is ages…. ?" He pressed

"I dunno… a few months guess???  Livewire said he's been quiet lately, probably off in one of his labs making some over convoluted instrument of destruction I guess"

The growing list of missing big shots was beginning to piece something together in Jay's head… what on earth was Lex up to? Where was superman?? Why did the league need Batman's help? How did it all connect?? After a moment Harley noticed Jay slipping into his thoughts again and shook his shoulder lightly to pull him out of it.

"Hey, don't worry about that egghead. he'd only kill the mood if he were here anyway" 

Jay couldn't disagree, the billionaire was kind of notorious for being a giant stick in the mud.

"If you're really worried about what's goin' on with those guys, you can come up with a plan Tomorrow…. right now we got a' open dance floor, unlimited drinks and a Karaoke competition that's about ta kick off in ten"

The word 'Karaoke' was enough to snap Jay back to reality. "Did you say Karaoke?" 

"Yes, I did."

"Do they hav-"

"Yes, they have Queen" 

Jay nearly looked as if someone had told him the best news of his life. "Oh thank god" maybe Harley was right. Worrying would have to wait. 

_____________

The rest of the night went on with few hang ups. Drinks poured, music played and poorly screeched lyrics kept the mood upbeat.

The Karaoke stage hosted performance after performance, some more enthusiastic than others. Some painful, others surprisingly pleasant. Jay's teetered off the edge of both categories, but when "somebody to love" burst through those speakers, he'd sung it with his whole chest. The best performance by a long shot though had to be Ivy's who's affinity for 50's ballads lent to her beautifully rich voice and her's was closely followed by the Dent's who'd decided to attempt a duet with no chorus which everyone found somewhat impressive.

Emotions did flare up once or twice though, as they tend to do when it comes to villain gatherings. Ed and Jay got into a fight about something stupid and unimportant, both obviously enjoying themselves, Bane and Croc engaged in an arm wrestle that woefully ended in a tie, and Jay inevitably got worked up about Batman again, this time with a crowd of eager listeners somewhat entertained by his rambling, giving questionable advice here and there.

At the get-together's height, the dance floor had filled to the point where Penguin was just about ready to call the whole event off until Riddler dragged him on to the floor himself.

After another hour or so the party wound down some more and the night devolved into quiet discussions between friends, everyone either ready to leave or half asleep. Eventually Jay and Two-face of all people were left alone. Once Ed, Crow, Hatter and the rest had gone home.

Jay always liked Harv, for someone known for his temper he seemed to have a lot of patience and Jay found both of his selves uniquely interesting in their own ways. Harvey the "handsome" one was always very nice, easily flustered, and had a sadness in his eyes that was hard to ignore. "Dent", the one famous for all those 2 themed crimes, was a bold individual and one of the most brutally honest people he knew. That night though, even he seemed a little sad. He admitted later that it was because it'd been a while since he'd gotten to talk to his old pal Bruce, someone Jay was mildly familiar with of course, and they spent the rest of the night discussing Batman and wayne and how they seemed so similar until it really was time to head home. 

 sometime after midnight, long after everyone had either left or found someplace to pass out, Harley broke up with her girl gang again to come get Jay who'd fallen asleep in an empty booth.

"Wake up clown" she said loudly, nudging him a bit. Jay giggled quietly in response, turning over after a moment and opening his eyes.

"Oohh what's up??"

"Time to go." 

"Aw…" Jay huffed disappointedly, then did his best to sit up straight, his head slowly spinning as he did so "ah jeeze…"

"Don't worry I called one of your guys, he's waiting outside." She explained "I dragged you here, might as well drag you home" 

"You did that for me?" Jay smiled "That's so nice…."

"Mhm" carefully, she took his hand got him to his feet, doing her best to keep him up straight. As they headed out they met up with Ivy at the door

"Taking pennywise home?" She asked 

"It'll only take a minute" Harley assured 

"Alright… don't take too long…" she turned to leave but before she could, Jay suddenly spoke up.

"H-hey, Wait!" 

Ivy turned around, brow raised "You have something to say to me?"

"Uh… yeah? I mean… sort of? I just, uh… wanted to say i'm sorry for…  messing up your garden all those times…." 

Ivy blinked "Why are you telling me this now?"

"I just thought you shud kno….  And that um…. Maybe you'd hate me…. A little less... if I said sorry for once..." the frown on Jays face was absolutely pitiful, Ivy could only roll her eyes.

"I don't hate you… Joker"

"Oh?"

"I just think you're annoying…."

"Oh…." Jay couldn't really tell if that was any better but at the moment he was too drunk to care. "Okay…"

With that ivy turned around to join Kat and Livewire

"Thanks for the apology though I suppose…Take care of yourself…. And, Harley don't take too long… it's only 1:00am we still have plans."

"Don't worry Ive's  i'll catch up." 

after one last look, Ivy went back on her way and Harley continued walking J to his car.

As they went Jay hummed to himself, swaying slightly, until a certain thought made him go quiet again.

"....Harley….?" He asked suddenly.

"Yeah, J?"

"Am I a bad friend?" The question just as out of the blue as his apology to Ivy…. 

Harley looked at him, concerned "Why do ya ask?"

"I just…. Please?" He pleaded. Harley hesitated for a long moment but decided being honest was probably best.

" not exactly but… maybe sometimes"

"Hm…" Jay decided he'd have to work on that

"But I also know ya don't really wanna hurt anybody…. That you try your best everyday ta make people happy and that you've been through just as much any of us….  A few mean comments an' dumb pranks ain't gonna make anybody think you're the devil or somethin'….not me or any of the other guys... "

Jay had to smile at that, Harley always had something smart or nice to say no matter what. still, her answer only made him feel worse about how he'd been earlier when she was just trying to help… he really, honestly, didn't deserve her…. But the least he could do was let her know he was glad to have her...

"Harley…?"

"Yeah, J…"

"Thanks for being really, really great all the time… and… y'know… around… " Harley smiled as she secured his arm around her shoulders. 

"Thanks J..." 

"also sorry for sucking sometimes..."

She sighed. "It's fine Jay…."

carefully, she hauled his ragdolling body a few more feet and shoved him into the back seat of his car. J grunting as his head hit the leather seat.

"Now go home an' try not to get lost on your way to the door" She said sternly. Jay gave her a lazy wink and a pair of wobbly finger guns.

"Gotcha." 

with that,Harley slammed the door shut and the J-Mobile's engine roared to life. One his lackeys sitting in the driver's seat.

"Where to boss? HQ?"

"Yup… ah, sorry t' call ya out so late…"

"S'alright boss…. Don't worry about it"

As the car lurched forward, street lights shining in through the windows as snow fell ever so lightly over Gotham like a dusting of fresh powdered sugar, Jay did inevitably start thinking about Batman again, wondering when he'd come back, desperately wishing he knew anything about where he was right now….

The thoughts were hard to ignore and when he got home he knew he'd be surrounded by the same walls he'd spent the last month trapped with them in….  even so, the world felt a little less washed out than it had before he left, and it wasn't just because of the alcohol swirling in his blood. 

He may not have had Batman... But today reminded him he wasn't alone.

He had friends… real friends… In a way he'd always considered them such… but deep down there was always doubt. I mean sure he got along better with some than others, but after knowing people so long he shouldn't have been so dumb to think they hated him as much as he thought they did. 

When you're a villain in Gotham sometimes all you have are other weirdos in the same boat as you to help keep you and everyone else afloat. People need people in more ways than one…  and as Jay drifted off to sleep in the back of his gaudy getaway vehicle, laying in a position that was just barely comfortable, he pushed his worries aside and made sure that was something he'd never let himself forget.

~ End ~

[i-amm-writing]

Senseless Short Story Shamble: Sea You Later

Info: fluff, short story, life-is-hard

True love, huh?

I gotta say - the idea just didn't seem possible to me. I mean, how could someone love another person unconditionally? We're humans. We screw up. There are limits. Right?

I sighed into my pillow. You're not helping yourself, Ashley. Just because love doesn't exist for you, doesn't mean others don't experience it.

My mother and father were a great example of true love. Every morning, they gave eachother a goodbye kiss before they left for work. It didn't matter if they had had a fight the day before. They always displayed their love no matter what.

Maybe there was true love for me in the future, but right now, it seemed like everyone on earth hated me.

"Ashley! Better get a move on, or you'll be late!"

I nodded, though I knew my mom was calling from downstairs and wouldn't even see me. It was just one of those days.

I pulled on my shoes and jogged down the stairs. Grabbing my keys, I did a once over of myself in the mirror by the door. Uhg. This was just not a good day.

"Bye!" I yelled.

"Have a nice day, honey!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll try! See you when I get back!"

I walked over to my little, green Honda. It had a few dents, and a little rust was spreading on the rims, but it was mine. I hopped in, started it, then drove away.

Driving down the highway managed to make me feel even more depressed. My life was beginning to get too mundane. I slowed as I neared a stop sign. A few cars drove past. Chewing on my lip, I idled for a moment.

Life is too short.

I flicked on my blinker and turned left. Fifteen minutes later, I was seeing the ocean. It was breathtaking.

"You live so close, and yet you don't see it very often," I said with a tsk. The huge expanse of water before me made me smile. The sight filled me with an awe-inspiring wonder I couldn't even begin to explain.

I pulled off my shoes and socks, tossed them in the backseat, then made my way down to the beach. A man sat out near the water on a rock, fishing. A couple strolled down the shore, a dog running in front of them. I took a deep breath, found a driftwood log, then sat down.

I closed my eyes, leaning back on a higher portion of the log. Cool, ocean air swirled around me. It almost made me start shivering. This is what every day should be like, I thought. No stress. No deadlines. No negative thoughts. Just peace.

I let out a contented sigh.

"You look comfortable."

My eyes shot open. I looked up into the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen. The face around them wasn't half bad either. What on earth was he doing talking to me? Why was he even watching me relax?

"Easy now. Don't be alarmed," he said. His voice could only be described as soft. "I was just paying you a compliment."

Compliment. A compliment? I must have made an ugly face because he quickly explained.

"You look comfortable. At ease, in other words. Feeling that way is hard to come by - especially nowadays."

I couldn't argue with him. Although, it did occur to me that I needed to say at least something - I hadn't even gotten a word out!

"That's true, Mister. . ."

"Just call me Peter."

"All right. I'm Ashley."

"As I was saying, Ashley," Peter said, taking a seat next to me. "You look very relaxed. Does it come naturally?"

I almost burst out laughing. Naturally? I shook my head. "Not at all. I wish it did, though. Why are you so interested?" Peter, I admit, was an intriguing man. He was outgoing, obviously. And a mystery, above all. Why was he talking to me?

"I admit I'm looking for my own sense of comfort. I search for peace, just like everyone else. It seems you have found it here. Has your life not been very pleasant as of late?"

I bobbed my head. "You could say that."

"And could I also go so far as to say you came here to escape it all?"

Peter was a mind reader - there was no other explanation.

I nodded again. "Yes," I said quietly, looking away. "At times it seems like the whole world hates me. People who don't even know me probably hate me. I've screwed up too many times to deserve anybody's love." I turned back to him. "So, I came here. The ocean always helps me feel a little better."

Peter nodded, understanding written on his face. "I must mention, though, how fortunate it is that our paths have crossed," he said. "Had your life not been stressful today, we would never have met."

His smile was contagious. "I suppose that's true."

He continued. "All things happen for a reason. Everything one goes through is a building block placed on the tower of one's life. Every hard experience strengthens the foundation. Every good experience helps the tower rise higher. Nothing happens by accident."

I blinked. "All things happen for a reason," I repeated thoughtfully.

Peter nodded, then looked back out at the sea. I followed his gaze. Sunshine reflected off the surface of the water, mirroring brilliance. Waves rose and fell with roaring energy. It was scary, beautiful, and oh so wonderous. I needed to come here more often.

"I love the ocean," I said aloud.

"I love you." Every tone matched mine, but his words carried a new, weightier meaning.

My eyes leaped over to meet his. "But you don't even know me," I sputtered.

He smiled. "If people can hate you without even knowing you, then I have just as much right to love you."

My mouth just hung there. I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry. I ended up doing a mixture. I covered my mouth, feeling a few salty tears dribbling down.

Peter took my hand. "Don't ever forget that you are loved." He drew closer and kissed me lightly.

It was then I woke up. The wind still scattered my hair in all directions, inspiring me with its fresh scent. The ocean still roared. The sky was still blue. And I was still me - plain, old me.

I sat up. There was no man named Peter before me. All I saw was the empty sea. It had all been a dream?

It had felt so real. Peter had to be an actual person. Why was it all just a dream? I couldn't believe it.

After a while of just staring miserably out into space, a faint smile started teasing the corner of my lips. I had been dreaming. It wasn't the end of the world. Besides, even if it hadn't actually happened, Peter still seemed too real to forget. He'd been so encouraging. I wrapped my arms around my middle, feeling warm inside. He would forever be in my memory. So would his precious, silky words.

All things happen for a reason. Don't ever forget you are loved.

[chocochipsgirl]

Bouquet of violets part 1

inspired of the song “un ramito de violetas”

oc x canon (Aricia x jschlatt)

notes: did I finally grow the courage to make public my love between canon x oc, and also my obsession for asshole x sunshine?

request: nope

summary: Aricia and Jschlatt are in love, but he is an asshole and Aricia is way too naive. Aricia is upset about the way Jschlatt treats her, but a bouquet of violets changes her mood.

tw: jschlatt, slight swearing

Aricia was in love with Jschlatt, that was a fact that everyone knew. But what no one knew is that, in fact, the feelings were mutuals. though, Jschlatt would rather die than let anyone know he had a soft spot for that cinnamon roll.

—Hey schlatt! —greeted the girl with her bubbly happy voice— how are you today?

—Hey —coldly answered the president, as he knew he had to act like she wasn’t the reason she wakes up happy everyday, or else he would be teased non-stop by his fellow coworkers.

Ignoring the fact that, once again, her question was ignored, she proceeded to make a summary of the work she and the rest of the workers made that week. Aricia was indeed one of the most productive workers Jschlatt had. Looking at her eyes, the hybrid could she the cutest shadow of pink those orbs, and her silky brown hair decorated with a pinky hairpin keeping it from falling into her face, her smooth slightly brown skin, and her-

—Mister president! —another energetic voice almost screamed while saluted.

—uhg, hello quakcity —although he was annoyed about the shorter man's sudden appearance, Jschlatt was glad the other broke his trance, hiding all the embarrassment he felt that bare second—the meeting is starting soon, are you both ready with your paperwork?

A chorus of “yes sir” followed before they entered the room, and so, another day in the white house began for everyone.

If there’s one thing Aricia was good at, it was hiding whenever she was upset about something. Nobody notices the way she looks the other way whenever her ram crush flirted with someone, I mean, if it was a few people somethings would be okay (a little bit jealous, nevertheless okay), but everyone except her all the time? There was a lot of time she wondered what was wrong with her that, no matter what, she couldn’t get his attention.

Jschlatt was fine with how things were going, Aricia was not.

The day everything started to change, it started with something really simple.

Jschlatt entered the room of the meeting, sitting as per usual waiting for his dear.

—mister president —was all that the girl said (still with respect but lacking her happy-go-lucky tune). Everyone turned their heads towards her, including the proper president, with a shocked expression he managed to hide fastly, making her slightly anxious —well, uhm, now that I got your attention…

The rest of the meeting was normal, but glances towards both of them couldn’t be helped.

From then on, the distant only grew between them. Both of them started to look miserable without each other, him being always grumpy and getting drunk, her being sad and quite all the time. Until it happened.

This was one of those rare days where Jschlatt would take the day off, one where he finally realizes how much he has fucked up.

He was in the surroundings of his beloved nation, when she heard it. a small, quiet cry.

he wasn’t one to care for other people, but then, the moment he realized whose was that cry, he froze. it was Aricia's. He observed her from a distance.

—I-I Swear fundy —the girl cried— i don’t know what the fuck I did wrong! I don’t get where I failed!

Seeing her like that, Jschlatt was about to swear to all the possible gods from out there that he was about to make the motherfucker who hurt her pay-

—I-I… I love him so much, but he doesn't even acknowledge my feelings! Do I mean nothing to him? —it was this instant that he knew, he fucked up.

He fought the need to go, grab her and hug her right there, it would be creepy if he just revealed that he eavesdropped their conversation.

—It’s alright Aricia, he doesn’t deserve you. I’ll help you move on.

—But I don’t wanna move on, I want him with me! I want him to show me love somehow!

“show her love?” jschlatt though… and an idea came. With that in mind, he left before they could spot him.

Later in the afternoon, Aricia was returning home when something caught her attention.

A letter and a bouquet of violets, her favorites flowers.

“huh…” she picked both things, opening the letter.

When I too long have looked upon your face, Wherein for me a brightness unobscured Save by the mists of brightness has its place, And terrible beauty not to be endured, I turn away reluctant from your light, And stand irresolute, a mind undone, A silly, dazzled thing deprived of sight From having looked too long upon the sun. Then is my daily life a narrow room In which a little while, uncertainly, Surrounded by impenetrable gloom, Among familiar things grown strange to me Making my way, I pause, and feel, and hark, Till I become accustomed to the dark.

— Edna St. Vincent Millay This is a poem I want to dedicate to you, as I think someone as wonderful as you deserves to hear sweet words to make you smile. I am truly in love with you, Aricia, and you don’t know how much I wish to kiss your lips and make you the happiest woman in the world, but for that I must wait. until next time my dear.  love, your secret admirer.

At this point, Aricia’s face was covered in a shade of red, wondering who sent this letter. A few possibilities came into mind, but she was unsure of all of them… and a small hope came into her heart.

[cumbercookiebatchs]

uhg I’m soft.

.....................................................

Jaskier could be silent.

As strange as it was, it happened.

 Being most unusual, it never failed to grasp  the strings of Geralt’ s attention.

But,

Despite his questions on the matter,

the Witcher never asked,

contenting himself with keeping a more watchful eye on the bardling ’s little party.

  And,

Geralt was an observant man,

-He was.

But,

Even if he was,

-He was.

The Witcher never happened to catch the reason behind Jaskier’ s foul mood.

 The more it went on,

The more Geralt’ s frustration grew.

 -It killed him.

It did.

Not knowing what was hurting Jaskier’ s heart.

 But,

See,

Geralt wasn’t good at feelings.

He was better,

Sure,

But far from good.

 -What if Jas didn’t want to talk?

What if Jas didn’t want to talk with him?

What if Jas wanted to talk with him and Geralt made things worse?

 No thank you.

 Geralt would wait.

Geralt was good at waiting.

 Except-

Gerald didn’t wait.

Geralt couldn’t wait anymore.

Not because he didn’t want to,

No.

 Because one night,

 And it was one of the rare nights spent on a real bed, with warm sheets and warmer baths,

One that saw the both of them tucked away from the rest of the world,

One night, Jaskier just-

Crumbled.

 Trembling and sobbing quietly from his perched-up spot at the window,

Huddling his knees close to his chest.

The smell of salty water filled the room,

While pale moonlight came through the filthy glass,

casting shadow on white skin and dark eyelashes, a mocking caress that couldn’t chase away the pain.

 What a decadent picture, his little bardling made;

 The whole of his frame hidden but for a delicate shoulder, white fabric cascading from his gentle body, only to pool at his feet in smooht waves.

He was so beautiful, with his head turned away, looking right at the moon, his chestnut strands glittering in silver.

 The sweet rendition of Apollo,

So young,

and yet so desperate.

 Geralt’ s heart ached from the sheer look of him.

 In no more than an instant, he was at his side,

Kneeling down beside him,

But Jaskier didn’t look.

 His face remained turned,

his eyelashes, treacherously,

fell to rest on dampened cheeks,

hiding away cerulean gems, and Geralt-

 Geralt was crushed,

Words he didn’t know how to pronounce heavying his tongue with bitter thoughts.

 -Speak, you fool. Speak. Goddammit just speak.

 Hesitant hands settled themselves under Jaskier’ s chin,

-and Geralt didn’t even know hesitance could find a home in his rough self.

The Witcher’s body stretched to accommodate the gesture without dislocating his position from the ground.

“Jaskier”

With no response, the Witcher tried again, his beloved’s name falling like music from his lips.

“Jaskier”

 Jaskier whimpered softly, turning his head in Geralt’ s hold, while new tears started to fall from his still closed eyes, each one a stab in Geralt’ s chest.

 “Jas, please, look at me”

Another whimper, and, ever so slowly, blue eyes came back on view, making Geralt smile.

“There you are.” He murmured,

And,

He wanted Jaskier to smile back at him,

He needed Jaskier to smile back at him.

And,

He wasn’t good with words, either,

But,

Falling in Cerulean pools,

Nothing came more natural.

“My darling Dandelion, starlight pales when your eyes blink open. Were you trying to anger the Gods, hiding them under your lashes?”

Jaskier giggled quietly, and Geralt brought him down with an arm around his waist.

 Perched on the Witcher ’s lap, Jaskier moved the sheet, covering the both of their heads.

Now,

surrounded in white fabric,

the Bard squirmed around to find a suitable arrangement for his limbs, hands fluttering mid air before coming to rest on the Witcher’s chest, mumbling slightly.

Jaskier placed his forehead on his own fingers, fitting his whole body under Geralt ’s chin.

Holding him close, Geralt spoke again.

“Jas, you have to talk to me. How can I help you, if I don’t know what’s wrong?”

“But you can’t”

And

He sounded so desperate,

His voice so broken,

And Geralt felt like dying,

While lifting the Bard’s chin,

To place a kiss under each of his eyes.

“How can you know?

“I don’t…I… oh, Geralt, why can’t we make it stop?”

“What? What is it?”

“I don’t want to get old, Geralt. Please. I don’t want to lose you.”

And

Jaskier was crying again

But

Geralt was melting, now.

Burning slowly under Jaskier ’s words,

And

Jaskier ’s eyes were full of devotion,

And love

And tenderness

And fear,

What a miracle he was.

“My sweet boy, you’re still so young”

“Won’t be for much longer”

Geralt ’s thumbs stroked away new tears,

Heated cheeks blushing tenderly under his touch.

The Witcher touched his forehead to Jaskier ’s one,

Molten amber finding haven in liquid blue.

“We’ll find a way. I promise you, we will. Whatever it takes, you’re staying with me.”

And

Jaskier ’s lower lip trembled, settling then in a lovely pout that Geralt didn’t wait to fondle with his own lips.

Jaskier mewled, winding his arms around Geralt ’s neck to hold white strands between his fingers.

 Once parted, the bard smiled up at the Witcher, more serene than he’d been in weeks.

“How can you be so sure, my dear Wolf? Is there something I don’t know?”

“There’s one thing I know, my darling. Nothing could take me away from you.”

“I didn’t know you could be so sweet”

“Just for you”

Geralt got up, carrying Jaskier toward the bed while the sheet fell on the floor

“Now though, off to sleep”

“Will you sleep?”

“Mh”

“Can I sleep on your chest, then?”

“Definitely”

“Will you let me ride Roach in the morning?”

Geralt dumped him on the mattress, chuckling at the chirping noise he let out”

“Don’t push it, little one”

..........................................

english is not my native language, if something’s wrong please tell me <3

[kindajared]

Just  A Kiss || (JotaroXReader) Part 3

(TW: Bullying and Angst)

Uhg. Your head started to throb as you sat there in class, back stiff. You took notes like a mad woman as you always did, but you weren’t exactly having fun. You just wanted to graduate with flying colors so you could go to the college you were interested in. By the end of each day you could barely ever move your writing hand. You wrote everything down. It didn’t matter what it was and honestly, that was the secret to your success.

When the bell rand you dropped your pencil, putting a hand to your forehead. It was rather warm. Oh great. You slid your things into your bag lazily. When you hurt like this your mental state deteriorated as well.

You got up from your chair and left the classroom, heading for the restroom. The good thing was, that it was already lunch time. Three long hours and now you could finally eat and hopefully rid yourself of your headache.

After you walked into the bathroom, you entered a stall and sat, doing what you went there to do. You sighed when you got up, flushed, and let the stall. You went to wash your hands, getting some soap from the dispenser and turning the water from the sink on. You wash thoroughly, turning when you were done, drying your hands after.

When you turned to leave, you were stopped by a group of girls. Great, this wouldn’t help the pain in your head at all.

“Going somewhere?” a girl with brown pigtails spoke down to you. The three girls had smirks on their faces, menacing looks in their eyes.

“Yes. I’m hungry. Please move.” You tried to walk around them, but the girl shoved you up against the sink. You grunted, furrowing your brows. You wanted to see Jotaro…though you thought you wouldn’t at this point.

“I guess that’s to bad. Isn’t it, girls?” She g;anced back at her minions. The nodded in reply. The girl closed in on you and gripped you by your chin. It hurt.

“If you know what’s good for you. You’ll stay away from Jotaro.” She breathed on your face. You had a fearful look on your face, but your scrunched your nose and spoke.

“Yeah sure, just make sure you bring breathmints to school.” You retorted. She scoffed.

“Hit her! Hit her!” The others encourage her from behind. You gripped the sink. This was not good.

She raised her arm up into the air and proceeded to slap you. She didn’t hold back either. Your head fell to the side, hair in your face. Your eyes teared up. The girls clapped.

“There. That’s better!” The girl who assaulted you let go of you, backing away.

“Let’s go girls.” They left you behind, laughing. You fell to the floor. Defeated. You put your hand to your face. It stung. Tears began to fall from your eyes. You couldn’t believe they got to you. They had never gone this far.

Your knees were cold against the tiled floor. You took in a deep breath before rising. When you looked in the mirror, you immediately looked away. You looked pathetic. You fixed your hair as best you could, wiping your tears away. Could you even go out like this? You had to.

You left the bathroom with your head down. When you entered the lunch room you ran a nervous hand through your hair, Jotaro always sat outside. Should you  go see him? The decision was hard to make.

You turned to the outdoor entrance, finding Jotaro in his usual place. You walked up to him and reached into your bag. You handed him a bento box, he took it. He looked up at you. He realized something was wrong by your lacl of words.

“Thanks.” His words were unsure. You brought him lunch occasionally, he usually never ate, so you liked to do this for him, bring him something to eat so that he wouldn’t go hungry which you were surprised he never did.

“Aren’t you gonna sit?” He asked you, still looking at you. You shook your head, meeting his gaze for just a split second. That was all he needed to know that you weren’t okay.

“I have to do something. I’ll see you…I’ll see you.” You turned to walk away. but Jotaro grabbed your hand.

“What happened?” His question was serious, he tugged on your hand so that you would turn around, but you pulled your hand away.

“Nothing…I just don’t feel well that’s all.” You spoke softly, wanting so badly to stay, but what those girls did to you was sort of frightening... You walked away from him then, gripping the strap of your bag, trying not to cry.

Jotaro watched you carefully as you left. This wasn’t like you. You were always so happy go lucky. Talkative and smiley. Cracking jokes. You were the only person that made him smile, made him truly happy. He wanted to be around you. Whatever was going on, he didn’t like it.

--

After school you didn’t go to the usual place you and Jotaro met so that you could walk home from school together,

You sat on a cement bench on the side of the school, just thinking. What would you do? Today was just horrible. You whimpered. Tears fell into your lap. You gripped the hem of your skirt,

When a shadow was cast over you, you looked up. It was Jotaro. You were a bit shocked. Oh god…he couldn’t see you like this! Your eyes widened before you looked away, wiping your tears away with your fingers.

“What happened? I need you to tell me, (Y/N).” Jotaro demanded. His voice was almost scary,

“Look at me.” He ordered.

You stiffened, doing as he asked. You practically cowered, averting your eyes, There was a prevalent red mark on your face and a small cut on your lower lip. Jotaro’s eyes widened.

“Who did this to you? Was it those girls?” His voice grew louder, He turned around, he let out what sounded like a grow. He was pissed. When he heard you whimper, he turned back around.

He closed in on you and sat beside you. You leaned away from him. Totally embarrassed. This was a complete nightmare.

Jotaro, reached out, past your chest, grabbing your shoulder and turned your body towards him. You were forced to look at him. Strands of hair stuck to your face which was soaked with tears,

Jotaro reached forward to push them away so that he could look at your face. Your eyes were red and your face was flushed. You looked into each other’s eyes. Your lip quivered as you sat ther.

“I’m sorry…” You finally spoke, sniffling.

“I know I look pathetic.” You let out a weak laugh, trying to smile. Jotaro’s facial expression didn’t falter.

“No.” He said firmly. He placed his large hand on the side of your face. It felt nice. It calmed you. You couldn’t help but lean into his touch.

“I know there’s no point in asking who did this to you because I know you won’t tell me.” He knew you all to well. His expression then softened. Something you’d only seen just once before.

He then embraced you snuggly. You began to cry again. You placed your hands against his chest and gripped his coat. He rested his face on the top of your head.

“It’s okay.” He mumbled softly. His strong arms made you feel so safe. The world could have been ending…as long as you were in his arms, you’d willingly accept the fact that everything was coming to an end.

You moved your hands upward, sliding your arms around his neck. Jotaro blushed. He’d never been so close to you and for the first time, his heart skipped a beat. He just hoped you didn’t hear it, your head being against his chest.

Your hands were warm, fingers nimble. He let out a sigh, a smile on his face. You couldn’t see each other’s faces, but you were doing the same

After a few moments you pulled away from each other. You tucked a chunk of hair behind your hair, it fell out of place during the hug.

“You ready?” Jotaro broke the silence, raising his brows.

“Yeah.” You stood, flattening out your skirt. Joraro stood as well, putting his hands in his pockets. You both began to make your way to that dreadful staircase. When you arrived, you looked at it from bottom to top, discouraged. You looked forward. You couldn’t go up the stairs either.

Before you knew it, you felt an arm wrap around your back and behind your knees. Jotaro had lifted you up, holding you bridal style.

“Hey!” You exclaimed as you went through the motion. Jotaro smirked.

“You wanna go up by yourself?” He asked, one brow lifted, He knew you’d say no. You didn’t reply. You just held onto him; hands clasped behind his neck. Your bag hung from your elbow.

When he ascended up the steps, you pressed yourself against him. Dear god. This was still scary. You hid your face in his shirt.

“Good grief.” Jotaro let out a small laugh.

When you reached the top, you removed your head from his chest, letting out a long breath. Relieved. You were ready for Jotaro to put you down, but he didn’t. He continued carrying you. You giggled.

“Are you gonna carry me all the way home?” You looked up at him, grinning. He stopped, face flushing red. He didn’t look at you.

“O-Oh, sorry.” He set you down gently. He was practically treating you like a doll.

“S’okay. That was sorta fun…scary, but fun.” You spun the front of your body back and forth. A little giddy.

“Well, I better get home.” You spoke again. Your chest tightened as you quickly reminisced on your time on the bench.

“Yeah.” Jotaro responded. He cleared his throat, nodding the brim of his hat with a hand.

“I’ll see ya tomorrow.” He turned from you. You bit your lip. Fuck it. You ran up to hug him from behind as you did outside the café.

He turned and wrapped an arm around you without hesitation.

“So, is this going to be a normal thing?” He asked you. His blue eyes seemed to shine as you looked up into them.

“If that’s okay!” You replied, truly hoping it was,

“Yeah…I don’t see why not.” He smiled at you before letting go.

“See ya,” He bid farewell once more. When he turned from you, his face turned a bright shade of pink. He looked forward as he continued his trek home.

You sighed to yourself before turning. Despite what happened in the bathroom…some good came out of this awful day... You began to skip, doing so all the way home.

(Hope you enjoyed! I know that was long!)

[seanhtaylor]

Erosion

The breeze that blew the dust around seemed to whisper rumors that a storm was on its way. I’d only swept off about half of the porch, and I wasn’t even close to being finished yet; after the porch came the back storage room. Since I was just a few feet away the from the open doorway, I could hear Pa whistling, but the wall hid him from me. He’d done a lot of counting in there all week.

Big Bull stood silently on the porch, and watched intently as I worked. His stare never left. Never turned. Never stopped. It was as eternal as the thin flat frown the woodworker had given him. He had skin like rust mixed with mud, and his outfit was a rainbow montage of feathers and animal skins. The man who made him was an Indian too.

Three years ago, Pa had finally bought that store he’d always dreamed of owning. Nettle’s General Store was to Pa the culmination of years of hopes, and the end of the elusive vision that never materialized, yet had continued to tease him me mercilessly. Most of his time, free or otherwise, was spent in that store. Neither my mother, sister, nor I saw much of him after that, except sometimes for supper. Meticulously he’d walk each aisle of the small store and stoop to check every bin of merchandise, neglecting nothing at all. Every yarn or straw doll, knitted scarf, Mr. Goodbar, everything was accounted for and inventoried.

Dust flew and danced around me in the breeze while I swept. Every few minutes, whenever his counting brought him to where he could see me out front, Pa would yell out to me to get on with it, or to tell me that I missed a spot. He wasn’t a big man, but he had a big voice. Most of the time he just kept to himself, staying busy with his inventory list.

“Hey, Pa! You need any help counting them yarn dolls?” I yelled, hoping my words would sneak around the doorway to get his attention. “Miss Barnes says my adding’s about the best in the whole class.” I gave him a few seconds to show. “Hey, Pa! “

“What you yelling about now, Midge?” Midge was the nickname given to me by most of the other kids at the schoolhouse. Short for midget, it never let me forget that I was less, at least in stature, than my peers. It was the only name by which most folks in town knew me. “Say, you ain’t done with this porch yet? Dang, son... Quit fooling around with that Indian, and finish the porch.”

“Yes, sir.”

The wind played tag with the dust, and kept me sweeping twice as much as I should’ve just to get done. When I did finish, I gave my broom to Big Bull, leaning it beside his spear. He was surely a sight, that proud warrior, carrying a war spear firm and ready to fight, and there propped up was against him a ramshackle excuse for a broom. If only a real heart beat underneath that chest of oak, it would’ve burst wide open of humiliation.

“So... Who are we gonna get after today, Big Bull? Billy the Kid?”

Indian eyes gazed straight ahead, seeming to point visibly at a victim for the day. Up main street, like the naked emperor in that Hans Christian Anderson story, walked Kyle Lovett.

“Good idea...” I told Big Bull, “Good idea...”

* * *

“Hey Mee-uhge,” Kyle teased, dragging the nickname into two syllables, “You and your Indian chased any rustlers out of town today?”

Kyle stopped in the middle of the street to make sure I didn’t ignore the remark. He looked different than usual. Clean. Dressed in his Sunday suit. Even his brown, mangled hair was combed. He didn’t look like the same Kyle who had bloodied my nose two years ago.

I knew it was stupid to provoke him again, but I couldn’t help it. Besides, Big Bull was with me. “Kyle? Hey, Kyle? What you all dressed up for? Today ain’t Sunday, and there ain’t a funeral in town or nothing.”

“Look here, Midge,” he shook a fist at me, “What I wear is my own business, not yours, runt.”

That was the Kyle I was used to, no matter how he looked. That was the bully who had been responsible for getting me and Big Bull together in the first place. When he had pounded my nose, Pa had been busy in the back of the store, and my mother had been up visiting my aunt and uncle in Missouri, so where else had I to go but to the Indian? He didn’t tell me to hush up my racket, or that I was too big to cry. He had just listened and let me wet his feet and legs with my tears and the blood from my nose. By the time I’d finished, the swelling had gone down, and most of the bruises weren’t sore anymore. Pa had sure been mad though; the blood wouldn’t wash out, so my shirt had been pretty much ruined, and it was a gift from my cousins.

“I just wanted to know. Didn’t mean to make nothing of it.”

“Well, it ain’t none of your business anyhow... but if go telling everybody, I’ll get you like last time.” Satisfied, he spun around, facing away from the big Windham house at the edge of Chattville, and strutted off like the only rooster in a house full of hens.

* * *

Sometimes Big Bull and I would pass the afternoon hoping for a new General Motors’ car to drive by. Most people who owned a car had an older Model T from ten or twelve years ago. The Windhams owned the only General Motors’ vehicle in town, but they only got it out when they went out to another town. Mostly everybody walked since Chattville was so small.

Before Kyle’s dust could get a chance to settle, Molly Windham came skipping up the street, her red hair pulled off to the sides of her head in pigtails, each one bouncing without rhythm, beating softly on her neck.

“That you, Midge?”

Molly was fourteen, three and a half years older than I was, but it didn’t matter much. Especially standing there in her green party dress, made up like she was grown, not just a girl.

“Sure is.”

She bounced right up to the porch, grinning like the cat from Wonderland.

“Midge...”

“Uh-uh.”

“I just got the best news in the world.” Her lips were painted with bright red; they were two roses, growing on her face. “And I’m so excited I feel like kissing somebody.”

And she did. Molly Windham leaned over and stuck her two roses right on my forehead, and puckered like a fish.

I thought the stars had fallen from heaven, and were dancing around me.

While the stars danced, Molly twirled off the porch, and straight over to the dress-maker’s shop. She jangled the bell beside his door a few times, spinning and jangling, jangling and spinning, until Sam Miller finally came out and yelled something I couldn’t make out before pulling her inside. The echo from the bell drifted toward me and Big Bull.

“Did you see that!?”

The Indian didn’t answer, but I knew he was listening, and that he hadn’t missed any of it.

“Pa... Pa... Guess what!”

* * *

“You done with that porch yet?” Pa had come out to the screen door, tapping his pencil hard against that list of his. “There’s plenty more sweeping to be done inside.”

“Pa...”

He slipped his pencil into the front pocket of his work apron, and pulled his watch and chain from out of his pocket. As he flipped it open, he nodded, “Now, don’t ‘Pa’ me. You know it takes a lot of work to keep this place going. That means all of us.”

“But Lucy doesn’t have to.”

“Your sister’s busy enough taking care of your mother. She don’t have the time.”

“But...”

Pa was starting to get mad. His eyes narrowed like an Oriental man, and his ears began to turn a little red under where his hair was cut. “No excuses. First the back room, where the feed is. After that, we’ll see about letting you play some more with that Indian.”

He held the screen door open until I got the broom and drudged inside, dragging it with me. His eyes didn’t leave me until the door to the back room slammed shut behind me. I know. I peeked back out as he turned.

* * *

My wooden friend waited patiently while I swept out the back room. He hadn’t changed a single expression while I’d been gone. Just like always. He was there waiting.

“How much do you think flowers cost, Big Bull?”

I kept watching for Molly to leave Sam Miller’s shop. After a while nobody went in or came out anymore, but there was still no sign of Molly.

“Special flowers, I mean. Something better than I could pick out of somebody’s yard.”

Directly, Sam left the shop too, and locked the door behind him. He left two empty buckets outside the shop’s door like he always did, just in case anybody needed to borrow one late in the day. His brown suit pulled tight over his round frame making him look like a sausage with a lump in the middle.

“What kind of flowers do girls like now, anyway? They’re always so hard to please. That’s what Pa says. He ought to know... he’s known my mother a long time and all.”

Sam had to walk down by the store to get to his house, and as he waddled by, I waved to him and said hello.

“Well, if it ain’t little Midge. Say, you got you a girl for the dance next month? Surely your Pa and...” He made a face like he’d swallowed a horse. “Surely he’s gonna let you and your sister get out to it.”

“We ain’t so good at dancing, Mr. Miller.”

“I ain’t so good myself...” he said, and he was right. Round men who bounce when they walk looked twice as silly dancing. Even though he waltzed like a bag of potatoes, he always went. The girls said he made the best dancing gowns in the state. “But I wouldn’t miss seeing all the pretty girls in their new dresses I’ve made for them. Just today Molly Windham ordered one of the most difficult gowns I’ve ever had to put together. Old Man Windham said not to worry about how much it costs. It’s a dress-maker’s dream, Midge.”

“What color is it, Mr. Miller?”

“Color? It ain’t just any color, Midge. I’ve gotta order the cloth clean out of St. Louis.”

“They got different colors in St. Louis than here in Chattville?”

“No. Now don’t fool with an old man’s funny bone. It’s red, except it’s the same color red as Molly’s hair, lighter in spots, and shiny when the sun hits it right.” Sam pulled on a gold chain that disappeared into the fold-over of flesh and suit where his pocket should have been. Out flopped a gold pocketwatch. He opened it. “Mrs. Miller will be wondering were I am soon. Hope you get to go.”

I waved goodbye, and then when he was gone. “Roses. Red roses. The reddest we can find.”

I knew Big Bull approved.

* * *

Pa said no when I asked him about the flowers. I told him I’d work harder, and even stay away from the gumballs, but he still said no. That he was spending too much on the store already, and with my mother’s fever still not breaking, even though it had been two weeks.

* * *

The wind was picking up, turning a calm kiss-like breeze into a cold slap. Some papers announcing the dance floated across town in short hops, then flew on, bullet-like, when the stronger drafts got a hold of them.

The porch was warm underneath my weight, but when I touched it in a new place the wood was cold. The moisture on my hands would chill and then thaw in a fluid motion. I looked back at Big Bull.

“Sure was nice of old Joe to let me work for the flowers.”

I held the two flowers, roses, red as Molly’s fiery hair and the lips that had kissed me. They had cost me every cent I had plus a promise to work down at Old Joe’s flower shop once a week when I wasn’t helping Pa at the store. It was a high price, but worth it to see the look I knew would be on Molly’s face when I asked her to the dance.

It had seemed like hours until dusk came. Now that it was here, I could hardly wait. But the timing had to be perfect. I had to show up right after the dishes were put away. If I arrived early, the surprise would get lost in the clean-up shuffle; if I was too late, the effect would be interrupted by the family time around the radio listening to Amos and Andy.

“Wish me luck,” I said, and dashed from the porch.

Roses firmly in hand, I hurried down to the house at the edge of Chattville where Molly and her father lived (Her mother had died of tuberculosis when Molly was a baby). I could think only of my dream, my vision, waiting for me there in her red party dress, the fringes dancing in the evening breeze. My heart seemed not only to beat, but to pound with a steady, driving, big jazz rhythm like Benny Goodman or Louis Armstrong was directing its music. Time hardly passed at all, it seemed before I was there, suddenly staring at the heavy oak door.

Mr. Windham answered the door quickly after my small closed hand gathered the resolve to knock. His herringbone suit hung comfortably loose off of his tall thin frame. When he recognized me, his small mustache twitched and his eyes focused down onto mine.

“Why Midge, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”

“Is Molly in, sir? I’d sure like to see her. I’ve got something for her.”

“Sure she is. Right in the den with...”

Kyle Lovett. Mr. Windham didn’t have to say it. I knew it the minute I walked in. He was sitting on the couch with Molly, holding her hand. How could she!? Didn’t she know what he was like? Kyle Lovett.

The roses were trampled underfoot as I choked on the anger rising in my throat, and ran away to Pa, dragging a cracked and tender heart behind me.

* * *

“Pa! Pa!” I pounded at the door with my small fists, knowing he would be locked away in the back office, listening to the clickety-clacks of the adding machine.

The sky had blackened while I had left Molly’s, and had given its first few drops to warn me that a big storm was coming. Rumbles sounded in the distance, but grew a little louder each time. If I’d had sense enough, I’d have let the winds blow me straight up the street to my house, safe from the weather.

“Pa! Please let me in. There’s a storm coming, Pa. Pa!”

As if it had waited for my announcement, the thunder and rain let loose on the earth like God was trying to punish us the way the Pastor down at the Missionary Church had said. The rain began to pelt down, soaking the dirt of the road, and beating it into a shallow layer of mud almost instantly. The papers that had been blown all over town were drenched and wrenched apart by the combined power of the wind and water.

Across the street was the wall of clay we all climbed on in the summer. At least we tried to climb it. It went about sixteen feet straight up, smooth as a polished stone. The only way to make it to the top was to take two pocket knives, and edge your way up, one jab at a time. Only the oldest and strongest boys ever made it all the way. The rest of us could hardly even stick the knives in the wall, since the clay was so hard and set.

Only, the storm washed it down to sixteen feet of mush pretty quickly. Anyone who tried to climb it now would probably drown in the river of wet clay eroding down the face of the wall.

The wind lifted Sam Miller’s two buckets, and sent one through the candy store window, and the other into the outside wall, where it dented and fell, waiting for another flight.

Although the porch kept me safe from most of the wind, it offered me no protection from the worst of the storm. The rain invaded in solid bullets of water, spreading out and joining together to make lakes and reservoirs that ran down between the cracks, only to be replaced by the new puddles that continued to build.

“Pa!” I yelled, but the thunder swallowed my cries. Big Bull stood firm. Since he was so heavy, the wind couldn’t shake him, not even a quiver. The rain soaked into the wood, but that only made him heavier, more secure. It also darkened the colors, and brought him closer to life.

Through the curtain of water, I saw every cut, every strain of artistry on Big Bull’s frame. In each carefully carved inch of his face, pain rested. His eyes were deep- set and sunken a little in sorrow, but somehow friendly in their darkness. The mouth was closed in an eternal silence, and the wrinkled carvings surrounding the flattened frown revealed a subdued bitterness that flamed, no doubt, beneath the painted exterior. Though he held only a single spear, his muscles were tensed and rigid, ready to answer the call to fight, eager. Big Bull captured well not only the hurt and anger of his people, but their strength as well.

So I hid from the storm.

The Indian’s figure kept me dry for the most part. Patches of rain managed every now and then to sneak around his legs and hit me, but I was separated from the worst part of the weather.

In time, the fury of the storm faded away. Its terrible threats and banshee screams died into quiet darkness. The sun had abandoned its post during the attack, leaving Chattville lighted only by the incandescent glow of random windows. Sleep, like a desire for death, found me, and I curled around Big Bull’s wooden feet.

* * *

“Midge... Midge... Get up. You’ll catch a death of cold out here.”

The blackness lifted from behind my mind and eyes, and I saw Pa trying to help me up.

“Pa...”

“Yeah, it’s me. What were you doing out here in the middle of that storm anyway? I thought you were home with your mother and sister.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I reached for the handle of Big Bull’s spear, and used it to pull my worn-out body to a sluggish stance. Pa immediately reached out to keep me from falling again to the porch, but the spear supported me well enough.

“Let’s get you inside. I’ve got some hot cider going if you want some. It’ll sure help warm up your inards.”

I felt Pa’s overcoat as it was put around me to keep me from shivering. I expected it to engulf me, but it barely spread across my shoulders. He was a much smaller man than I had imagined.

© Sean Taylor

[thenixart]

Unedited Dorohedoro fanfic (opening of chapter 1)

Bioremediation

What do we say to Death?

-Location: Hole?-

“Uhg...” Consciousness comes back to Ton like a hammer to the side of his head. Searing pain radiates from his temple to his ear that only increases as he gets up. He groans, “Oww.”

Taking stock of his surroundings, Ton is absolutely certain that he is no longer in the Hole shopping mall. There was no sign of the door he just opened or the wave of sludge that washed over him. Not even the hallway he’d just been in with the numbered doorways. The place he was in now looked decrepit, like a building long abandoned and left to rot. The ground was uneven, cracked and broken in places, large slabs that looked like they’d been moved and some point before being dropped. Massive metal pipes, plastic-covered soft grungy tubing, corroded iron girders, walls with struts, and studs visible. It felt like a half-finished construction project left in the rain.

And it reeked.

A familiar kind of raw sewage, wet mud, and rotting corpses kinda smell. The boss’s scent. Strongly emanated from the thick sticky reddish-black liquid dripping from him. It was some kinda sludge, grainy and thick and not unlike the stuff he’d see in the bathtub as a kid after the boss had done his weekly shower. He had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach about this. Using his relatively cleaner undershirt he wiped the muck from his face and set about trying to find his comrades.

“Saji!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. One hand cupping the side of his mouth and the over carrying his now ruined undershirt. “Tetsujo! Ushishimada! Damnit guys where did you go?”

There’s something niggling in the back of his mind like he’s forgotten something very important, something he saw in the dark fluid that washed over him. As he walked he realized that this place is far far larger than it first appeared, starting to look more like a rotted rundown city not unlike Hole. Just worse. And in places freakishly organic. 

He stops and there is a hole in the ground not too far ahead filled with clay-colored bubbling muck. An arm sticks out of the hole and lays limp along the ground. Seeing what is probably a person in trouble he rushes to action. 

“Hey! Hold on tight!” He grabs the hand and pulls, bracing himself with his weight on his back leg and not the leg close to the edge of the hole. The pit looks nasty and he doesn’t know if the edge is stable or not. The mud makes a horrible sucking sound as he wrenches the person free. Whoever they are they’re fairly slim with long hair and absolutely covered in the muck.

Using his undershirt he cleans the person’s face and after clearing the layer of grime his heart jolts-- “Natsuki!”

He clutches her close and can’t help but shout, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Wake Up! Natsuki!!”

Then he realizes that she isn’t breathing. 

“Shit!” He lowers her back to the ground and tries to pull up those CPR lessons from back in the day. Medicine along with fighting were the two main things that the boss actually taught them. He inhales as deeply as possible then locks lips with her and forces that air into her lungs.

“Natsuki! Don’t die!” He downright orders as he starts with chest compressions. Using his full upper body strength he pushes down directly on her sticky bare chest and then releases and counts. One... two… ten… thirty… forty-two… sixty-six… one hundred! “I said breathe! Damnit!”

Natsuki complies with wet coughing that forces red slime out of her mouth and nose. 

“Thank goodness!” He sighs in relief and cleans more of the gunk off of her. His shirt now irredeemable is left on the ground. As he looks at Natsuki’s naked huddled form turned away from him his mind swarms with questions and the nagging feeling that he’s forgotten something important. 

“Hey,” He says to get her attention as she seems to be very distracted about the whole nearly drowning thing. Ton takes off his jacket and drapes it over her shoulders. “Natsuki, how did you get here? Why are you butt naked? And how did you get to Hole?”

She says something. He knows she’s saying something. He’s looking right at her and can plainly see her mouth moving and she’s even gesturing with her hands. She’s saying something but he heard nothing. It felt like there was water in his ears and something he needed to remember. Whatever had happened to her didn’t change the fact that they were still lost in a strange and possibly dangerous place.

Compared to the other heavy lifting he’d done that day carrying Natsuki was a breeze. Hell, she was even smaller than Dokuga and Ton knew for a fact that he could bench press the other man without breaking a sweat. He picked a direction and kept walking.

And walking.

And walking.

And he is forgetting something important.

A flash of memory passed him by so fast that the only thing that registered was the sound of torn flesh. Ton becomes aware that he has a splitting headache. For some reason, it feels like it’s been hurting for a good minute and he just didn’t notice. Natsuki taps his shoulder and he notices that their surroundings are dimmer and the walls are oozing sludge. An uneasiness settles into the pit of his stomach and he has her hand him one of his knives from his jacket. He carries it in his mouth just in case danger appears and he keeps walking.

The feeling of danger passes and Ton fills the time and silence with idle chatter. Worry gnaws at his gut as they find no exit or any other people around at all. He knew he’d been walking for damn kilometers at this point. Worry turns to dread when he sees a hole filled with sludge. His protests that it couldn’t be the same hole that he pulled Natsuki out of are killed by the sight of his crumpled and dirty undershirt beside it.

He has remembered the thing he forgot.

The realization of death feels like the floor falling out from under him. He feels the pain in his head and ear and ah… That’s why he couldn’t hear Natsuki. The thing in the sludge tore through his head.

They were nowhere. Alone together in the void and fully dressed.  He was so very tired. 

“You’ve been here a long time, huh,” Words came slowly as his mind grew foggy. “I… wasn’t able to help you… I’m sorry...”

The darkness closed in.

Rough slender fingers closed around his hand and squeezed. 

With a jolt, they are thrown from the abyss. It feels like his body is full of pins and needles as his surroundings come into focus. They were laying in a hallway full of numbered doors in a pool of blood and back powder. What?

“Ok! I haven’t had a trip like that since that time Maki gave me a bad batch of Black Powder.” Natsuki’s voice croaked as she rubbed her temples. 

“Natsuki!” Ton shouted and engulfed her into a crushing hug. “Thank the devil! You’re ok!”

She hugs him back just as tight. When he lets go he notices her expression and the fact that he can see right through her to the door behind. Oh.

“Ton...” She says and her smile is tinged with sadness. She pokes him in the chest and he notices that he too is transparent. Weird. Weirder is the faintly glowing blue cord going from her wrist to his on the hand that she’d grabbed not too long ago. “I’m pretty sure we’re dead. Maybe ghosts or something?”

That made sense, given the whole weird ass gunky… limbo? (Limbo? That’s a word he hasn’t thought about in a very long time.) that they were just in. Plus his memories of something taking out a chunk of his skull and slashing up his ear. If the blood on the ground was his then he was extremely dead. But…

“That’s… not possible.” A touch of the past flashed behind his eyelids of a quiet conversation. A heavy hand on his head and flowery incense. A woman’s voice. That may be what happens, but that’s not remotely fair. And damn the devils for it. “Sorcerers go to hell when we die. Like immediately. Only humans turn into ghosts.”

Natsuki shrugged and an ‘I don’t know’ sound. “Big bro, all I know that this isn’t hell and that I definitely died.”

“...how did you die Natsuki? Last I heard Doguka sent you on a solo mission. Did something go wrong?”

She stood and turned her back to him. He heard her take in a deep breath then release it. “I was leaving the manor. For some reason, Dokuga insisted that I leave through the back exit. On the way out I ran into the boss. He… licked me. On the mouth. It was weird. Then he told me he wanted me which you know super exciting--”

“Eww! You like fifteen and he’s almost thirty!”

“Sixteen!”

“Same difference! Still nasty!”

“As I was saying. Super exciting! Butterflies in my stomach and everything. Then he kissed me (btw the boss really needs to brush more often like hot damn) and...” She paused. He could see her hands shaking even while hidden inside of her poofy hoodie. “He used En’s magic. He filled my insides with mushrooms and cut me to pieces with his knives. He was… smiling. Smiling as he killed me.”

She buries her face in her hands and he’s there instantly one arm around her shoulders and another on her head. He makes a soothing sound because his words fail him. He wanted to say that the boss would never because… well, the boss half-raised him and the others. Saved their lives and gave them a reason to live. Sure he was pretty cold and blunt but he… Ton, Saji, Ushishimada, Tetsujo, and Dokuga… they all loved the boss and it was clear that they were loyal. That Natsuki was loyal. Why would the boss…

The one who killed me was a Crosseye! I’m sure of it. Risu’s voice bubbled up from a traitorous part of his mind. As Natsuki turned to cry into his chest he felt the phantom pains of his knives turned against him by Risu’s magic. Powerful rare magic. Yeah… the numbers on Natsuki’s smoke readings were pretty damn good and defense magic? Well that’s really fucking useful, isn’t it? If they’d have met under different circumstances if she hadn’t been a Crosseye and able to use her magic? Well, neither he nor any of the guys would have hesitated to take her head for the boss. That was the stone-cold truth yet something about it made him nauseous. 

Natsuki was a nice person. Hell, from what he heard about Risu before his death the kid was bright eyed and bushy tailed too. Actually in it for the cause and not the money.They were killed by the boss. The faces on the thing that killed me had cross eye marks, his brain supplied. Natsuki and Risu didn’t deserve to die.

“You can let go now.” Natsuki said, pulling away from him. She rubs her eyes and looks very tired. “Alright. So… what next.”

He shrugged. “No idea. Wanna find the others?”

“Why not?”

------

It doesn’t take them long to find Ushishimada, Tetsujo, and Saji who are now rather loudly looking for Ton. Which was nice. 

“Where’d that dumbass go?” Ushishimada was saying when Ton and Natsuki caught up with the rest of the group. Rude. Ton stuck his tongue out at him. 

Natsuki waved her hand in front of Saji’s face as he read a sign about where exactly they were. “I don’t think they can see us.”

“Nope. Let’s see if this works,” Ton took in a deep breath, “HEEEEEEEEEEY GUUUUUUUUYS!!!!”

No response. Huh. The guys continued with their conversation and Ton shuddered when Tetsujo walked right through him like he wasn’t even there. Tetsujo stopped and his shoulders tensed and his eye darted around. Oh! Perhaps? Before he could try again his attention was drawn to the horrible wall of ooze pulsating further up the hall. About around where he’d woken up. Very familiar black slime.

“Ewww, you see that?” Natsuki said, pointing at it. Ah good, he wasn’t just seeing shit. 

“Whooa!” Tetsujo’s hand flew to his sword because apparently he saw that shit too. 

“What’s wrong Tetsujo?” Saji did not see it.

“I--I dunno,” Tetsujo was on high alert now. Granted it didn't take much to really set him off. Man carries his sword even to the bath, he’s got issues. Not saying that the rest of them don’t have issues but Dokuga and Tetsujo were the most paranoid people Ton knew. “But just now something..”

The phantom wall of slime vanished the moment Ushishimada’s shout caught their attention. He’d picked up the powder trail and found the door marked with Ton’s blood. Door nineteen.

“Shit! Ton we have to do something!” Natsuki shouts as she reaches out for the guys. Her touch fails to even raise the hair on the backs of their necks as they open the door. Ton’s nerves feel like they’re on fire, his attention locked onto the bloated monster inside of the room and the meaty sucking noises it was making. It wasn’t the only thing he saw. From the blood spatter patterns and bullet holes in the wall it looked like there’d been a gunfight in here recently. Even from this angle Ton could clearly see that it looked like the boss had been partially decapitated, the top of his head flopping a bit as he… ate. The boss was eating something. 

“...Is that really what the boss looks like now?” Natsuki’s voice was barely audible as the pain in his ear returned. His head throbbed and half of his face felt raw and torn. There was static in one of his legs and it felt like his guts were falling out. 

Ah, well that’s that then. 

A hollow feeling slithered inside of Ton as he detactedly watched Tetsujo, Saji, and Ushishimada’s excitement at finding the boss turn into unease and confusion and then morph into horror as they discovered what Ton had already figured out. There was something weird about seeing your own corpse. Even weirder to see someone who you genuinely loved just going ham on your carcass like your guts were made of bacon. Something that was almost a laugh escaped Ton’s ghostly lips as the puns caught up with him.

Though looking at the boss, he definitely didn’t get that big by just eating him. Hell most of his carcass wasn’t even in him yet. There was a lot of blood everywhere. And there was no way the boss could have gotten to this room on his own and as strong as Dokuga was this was pretty damn far to carry that thing on his own. And definitely no way that Dokuga would have made such a sloppy attempt at decapitation if he had reason to harm the boss. So a firefight in which someone hurt the boss and the boss ate the resulting bodies. As well as Ton because... he’d shown up. The boss had still been hungry and he’d shown up and as far as the boss had been concerned Ton was food.

The monster that was the boss pulled his torso closer and seemed to hesitate for a moment before digging its claws into the flesh of his chest and tearing it open to get access to the organs inside. Ton felt that. Pain seared through his ghostly body and his ribs snapped and popped in time with his real ones as the boss tore out his ribcage. 

Saji was the first to act. His voice was shaky, begging, and on the verge of screaming as he tried to pull Ton’s remains away from the boss. “S...Stop. Stop it already! That’s your friend! Have you forgotten that?!”

Was the boss ever actually their friend? The part of his heart that would always remember being beaned in the face with a burger, the one and only time the boss shared food that was meant for him. The fun trips to the fancy restaurants.The fighting as a team. But… really it was more the boss tolerated them while they loved him unconditionally. Well sort of. The boss… Kai… saved their lives when they were kids. Gave them a reason to keep on living in these shithole worlds. Not the reason they told themselves or the recruits but reason enough. To be useful. To feel protected. To be provided for and free from want. That’s probably as close to loved as a bunch of losers like them could get from someone (something because the boss was never quite like a proper person now was he?) that powerful. They used the fear of Kai to use others. And the boss used them. And threw them away once they were no longer useful to him. Simple.  

And yet it made the traitorous part of Ton’s heart burn with rage.

They’d been loyal! Saji deserved better than to be on the verge of tears playing a pathetic game of tug of war with one of his best friend’s rib cage while begging the man who half raised them all to remember that comrades aren’t snacks. They’d been kind! Ushishimada should have been home, helping Ton cook up a hot breakfast for their brothers in arms instead of sinking to the floor in grief.  They tried to make things better! He didn’t want to see Tetsujo vomit from stress and feel the need to draw his against someone he trusted, it was like watching something get irreversibly broken. 

THEY DESERVED BETTER!  

Like a match in a methane mine heat burned through the numbness of Ton’s incorporeal body. (And how dare that bastard actually finish eating his body while the others were breaking down!) There was a fight brewing and the odds are astronomical bad. Neither he nor Natsuki could really touch anything or be heard. Tetsujo was the most ready to fight but he was emotionally shaken. Saji was still in denial and Ushishimada was in a worse state. And Ton knew exactly how fast Kai’s horrible horrible tube mouth was even if the monster could barely move the rest of its overstuffed body. Then the odds decreased rapidly when it called upon the magic it stole from Natsuki.

Fuck.

That didn't stop Ton for instinctively reaching for his knives. What did stop him was the large gloved ice cold hand grabbing his wrist. Colors muted and time slowed enough for him to actually be able to track the movement of that whip quick tube mouth as the monster simply bit a chunk out of Ushishimada’s chest. Instantly killing him with Saji following soon after and about as gruesomely. From the corner of eye a shadow flies out and over the corpses of his friends, pausing briefly and then flying back out of sight. 

“Ton!” Natsuki calls out in alarm and he sees a similar shadow wrapped around her. 

“Hey!” He shouts turning around quickly the hand still firmly grasping his wrist. The figure before him causes a shiver to run down his spine. Her face was a skull partially obscured by a gas mask not unlike the mask of that Aikawa dude (the one who tried to stop the boss who the boss turned into... ), there was even a thick black tube running from her mask that dropped down in loops around her waist like biomechanical intestines. Thick leather armor reminiscent of firefighter gear largely concealing her figure. She towered over him and Ton was not a small man. The black scythe in her other hand felt like a solid threat.

“You are dead,” Death said, sounding tired which given all of the recent killings she probably was, “Rejoice. These problems are no longer yours. You can rest, forget, and move on. Your friends will meet again in Hell.”  

His friends will meet again in Hell? “But I’m still here now. I could help Tetsujo survive.”

“Buy doing what? You are one soul against a mountain of angry dead. Even if you did manage to kill the host, and he’d probably thank you for it the poor boy’s been trying to stop himself for years… even if you did kill him your living friends are unlikely to survive the birth of that thing. Either they’ll be eaten very soon or just after the kid gains its own physical form.” 

“Host? That thing?” There were puzzle pieces coming together but so much that he still didn’t know enough. And why… hadn’t they been taken to Hell? Ton had to assume that those shadows that ghosted over Saji and Ushishimada’s bodies where their souls getting harvested. But… “Why did you say my friends will meet up again in Hell?”

“You certainly are nosey,” Death sighed. One of her tubes looped around him and she let go of his wrist. She altered her grip on Natsuki to a singly less restrictive loop around the girl’s waist. “And I still have so much work left to do.”

“Ok but--” Ton started only for everything to go dark.

[coconutsugacones]

BUGS BIRTHDAY "STASH"

san and I were cuddling on top of the couch, watching tiktoks and giggling, forgetting what personal space meant and then all of a sudden he He lifts up his white shirt off his body and came straight at my neck, attacking m with harsh hickeys

he took my shirt off and went lower and lower, kissing every inch of my skin. Normally I would have screamed at him to stop but these days my hormones have been acting on me and with all my emotions heightened, I start to enjoy it slightly moaning his name while my hans went up to his face he sliD my panties off and started slURPING up my insides like a slushie. It was when he started to suckk on my lil ball of nerves when the front door opened with an ASTrOmOnIcal Amount of force the door open bUrSt open and two clowns ran in. Two plump looking clowns in striped reD was all I saw for a few seconds in my aroused state. It was then I realised it was my two mates.

“just as it was getting good” i whispered to san as we tried to cover ourselves oP because we realized they we’re tryna film us to make a porno tape??. As Mals was trYnnA gesture at me to keep going, her clown nose detached off and rolled on to to sans ass.

mals tried to pick up her clown nose from sans ass but just ended up making it go further in his holé. "ahhh UhG" San let out a moan that I could only describe as something between an anime girl and a construction worker having a wank on his break.

now all 3 of us were gathered around sans ass, trying to get the clown nose outta his ass, we were working aT iT like a group of engineering students trying to fix a brokEn engine. Then rans had the absolutely thrilling idea of facetiming her bouyften Yuri for help getting it out. While I was trying my best to deter her away from that idea (cause hello that's mY BRO) San that mf spilled all his load on the couch

while ihu was busy trying to clean sans white mess up rans quickly called yuri up, knowing he had plently experiences with getting bALLs outta pacific holes

"yes it only works with strawberry ice-cream" we heard Yuri say. with that rans quicky went towards the fridge to look for the said icY GOodnESs. we were all confused with what yuri said, but at this point we were willing to try anYTHING to shimmy that ball out of there

"Shimmy yeah shimyy yeah shimmy yeah all allalassslll" San Started to sing. It was then rona’ came in with a bUCKet of the sweet stuff™️

She guided San to sit in the bucket and thanked the jeezis for his thin hips and snatched waist. The poor bOi was terrified as to why he was in this situation, calling for HOngJoon hyung even though he's hallways across the continent.

I was doing my best to comfort san, because even though he tried to play it off like it was cOOL*wink* i knew his ass was boutta freeze off

"okay next Yuri said we have to have one hand in the bucket with San" rans said "me MEEee" before I or anyone else could say anythinv, mals dunked her whole hands in.

mals instantly regretted dunking her hand in because it was colder than the mf nITROgen filled icecubes chan shoved up her vaheena the order day. Whilst mals was blowing on her hand as if THat will help we heard some pigeons from the balcony.

my whole face lit up when i realized my m8s were here for the rescue!

All three of us had the same idea and we ushered San in all his naked glory towards the balcony. "Okay San trust us this won't take long"

the pigeons gathered around san in a prayer circle and started chanting in some kinda weird oTher woRLDLY language that none of us had heard before. Slowly but surely the red nose started to slip out of san. This resulted in some ass simulations for the bOi and he stared get hard again, the moans now louder and echoing though the empty street

they all started to cheer clAP in joy, finally the ball was out! but wait what was that-

THE PIGEONS HAD ACCIDENTALLY SUMMONED SATURN 🪐

And there was Saturn! Makinb his way downtown.

san started whIMpering in fear as he didn’t want another ball anywhere nEaR his ass after that traumatizing incident. So we all headed back inside and the pigeon follows us in probably wanting a snack for their hard work. RAns wasnt having any of it and dragged each pigeon one by one by their wings outside and made them drink the now melted ice cream from the bucket.

ihus cancer ass didn’t want her m8s to be drinking anymore of her fiancés gREASE and led them into her bed to sleep, because after all without them san would prolly still have a ball in his ass. The pigeons were all drenched in the pink liquid but they all laid down on my bed like the good slavs they were. as i put the piegeons to resting, i realized we had to do suMN about this wandering satURN 🪐

I went out to sitting room to discuss what we should do about saturn and nealrh choked out sans cum from last night case there was saturn, leaning against the kitchen door just chilling on one leg

“sup ladies” saturn beybe-nim said with a wiNK as he started to hoP towards us

"soo I was thinkinnn" Saturn started with his gay ass voice as he sat down at our table and started helping himslef to sum mashuni and roshi. before saturn could help himself to more of MY food i was coming @ him but then san pushed me aside and started walkin towards sAturn, dick first, at full speed.

"Omg I totally forgot about sans demon kink!" Mals exclaimed taking out her camer and going behind the couch for that "angle" or watever..

san didn’t heard her aNd tRIPPED on the ground, dick in fULL erection and this was when Saturns gay ass Approached him to sing "hey I just met you and this is crazy but hears my number so call me maybe" but san got propelled towards the ceiling from bouncing of top of dick

I had ENOUGH of him flirting with MY mans and went over there and slapped saturn across his smug face.

Saturn immediately burst into tears saying something about how "none of god's niggas can be gay in peace" but the real cAtASrophe was his tears were absolutely boiling hot and dissolving the living room rug

at that moment, san knew EXACTLY what he had to do before the whole place melted into nothing. He laid down in submission, ass up as mouth open for saturn-sunbaenims tears.

saturn immidiAtly stopped cRYING and came over and slAPPED sans ass, at this point we knew we were overpOwERED by saturn and had to let him have his way if we wanted to live.

Even though I would have never been okay with it I decided to let Saturn have a quickie with my mans.this whole thing was unfair and it was supposed to be MY bIrdthay.

My girlies were comforting me and all of a sudden saturn peeled his face off to reveal he was acTUALLY WOOYOUNG all along and said “no homo bro”

"wOOOYOJnG I'm AbOUTTA KILL YOu" I screamed while going after him with ae fruit knife.

then san turned towards me and repeated a quote by the god herself “it’s not cheating if it’s your soulmate”

At This point i had had enough and scrmead at EvErONe to leave so I can go back to my room and chill in the AC with my pink m8s

while i was having some time with the m8s I realized it wasn’t really sans fault, and he only did it to save all of us. Wooyoung was to blame! did he think this was funny to do on my special day?? me and the m8s were discussing a plan to prAnK him bacc. I knew San and all of the clowns were taking refuge in my parents room so I headed there

when i went in i looked around and didn’t see anyone?? was i blind? I could’ve sworn i heard them in there. Then I went to the balcony and saw rans giving wooyoung the actUAl devil a blowjob so I quickly turned around and saw San and mols on top of the ceiling fan.

this made me even more mad! before i could address any of the problems that were going on my m8s quickly flew in to coMMeNse THe plAn. They grabbed onto wooyoung and started flyING him out of the house as fast as they could and I turned to him and said “if you wanna be saturn so bad go live in space”

My m8s unbottomed his shirt and started to fly him out almsot naked. I laughed to myslef cause he'd be having his purple nips out for the public to see. everyone stopped doing what they were doin and came out to thr balcony to see wooyoung being launched into space. But I wasn’t done with them yet! rans was cheating on yuri, san kinda cheated on me but not really? and mols probably invoted wooyOUNg here in yhe forst place.

I called for a group gathering and picked up the melted ice-cream goo with all my might and threw it on towards the traitors.

they finally got what they deserved! or did they? I looked at them and realized they were kinda elEcTRICUTING?? what the actual fuck they weren’t my friends this whole time but ROBOTS.

I gasped and took a step back in disbelief. Were they the AI robots KQ sEan kIm-nim talked about? But how did he actually manage to make and send them here?

i was so relieved but scared at the same time, at least it wasn’t my friends doing all of theese shenanigans but where were my ACTUAL frens.

The robots were now going going haywire in my living room and I was left to my own devices (literally) to clean it up and somehow get rid of them before my parents cake back.I concentrated all my negative energy on them and actually managed to throw them out of the balcony

They landed on the street and dissipated into thin air. I heard a loud elphephantd noise and looked up to see balcony San but now he looks even more like real San!

every thing was such a mess and i knew I couldn’t do it alone so i called him over to help me clean up and maybe sneak out to fiNd my real frens after that

He did a lil salute and ran straight to my house. I was extremely glads that he didn't reject me but honestly thou I did my hair the night before and was feeling like a bOUjee bitch WHo COULD deNy Me AAhA

we quickly cleaned up and went to look for the huMAN m8s

Whilst we were walking his hand slowly slipped into mine and I almost gagged on mylsef.

then I remembered sAN and how dissapeted he would be and sadly broUGHT ma hans back to myself and went aloNG. Balcony San started talking bout how he was a new trainee ata Japanese company-

we wandered along to this dark, kinda scary lookin hALL? all the lights were off and I couldn’t see anything. My clumoy ass slipped in the shiny tiles and balcony chan was too busy talking about CoLOr changing pigeons to notice it

as i helped myself up, balcony san pushed me into this bALL piT and all the lights turned on! then i saw my m8s and as i was gonna run towards them to hUg them i realized they decorated the whole place for ma borthday!!.my HUMAN m8s, rona, mols and sAN that is akakka

There was this huge redvelvet cake and a small lil stage to the side. When the stage lightings cam on I SAW MF Ikon and they started singing their songs but rock version with AcTUAl live drums and guitars. then all of the ateez members also came up from backstage and they all started singing together. San gestured atme to come up

Ateeze and ikom collabed to make me a birthday ballad song and I was fully bawling my eyes out while stuffing the caked in. From the corners of my eyes j saw rans and mals having a swimming battle on the marbled tiles.

i brought them all in for a group hug, even wet ol rans and mols and i thanked them for this amazing gift! this shore was a birthday to remember