#What If *list of everything that can go wrong in a 2 day span*

[mrchiipchrome]

New Girlfriend

W.C. - 1.8 k

prompt 18. -Only I belong with you and only you babe.

prompt 20. -I hope you find peace for yourself, -New girlfriend ain’t gonna fill the void.

a/n: 1. I only know how to intrduce myself in Spanish, so excuse if it's wrong, 2. there's a list of prompts linked in my masterlist if you want to request:)

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3 years. You had just spent three damn years loving someone who was willing to chuck all that away in a second. Three wonderful years tarnished in the span of a minute, just because she decided that you weren’t enough for her.

Just because Alexia decided she was bored, of you and of your relationship.

When she just a week ago told you that you were done, over text nonetheless, you simply couldn’t believe what you were seeing. Everything was going so well, she hadn’t given you any indication of being unhappy whatsoever.

When the shock passed, the despair set in. What could you possibly have done to warrant being broken up with that way? Had you really been that bad of a girlfriend?

The thundering crack of your phone screen hitting the floor marks your breaking point, curling up into a ball on the floor and sobbing until nothing more comes out. 

You’re not even surprised that she doesn’t return back to the shared apartment you once saw as your home, now everything was just a reminder of her and how she’d been yours only seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks before.

And no matter how much you cry, how much secretly wearing her hoodies tears a hole in your heart all over again, you know that she’s not yours anymore. You’ll never feel her feather light touch late at night again, never feel her lips pressing against yours again, never feel her nails scratching at your back.

Her new girlfriend was so much prettier than you, kinder eyes, glossier hair, better lashes, bigger tits, rounder ass. How could you ever compare to that?

Seeing her face everyday at training had you close to breaking down in tears, every look into your favorite pair of eyes bringing you that much closer to the edge.

The only way for you to not fold in two every single second you spend in her presence, is to outright ignore her. 

Something she doesn’t take too kindly to.

Dragging your feet against the floor, you’re instantly reminded of how Alexia used to chastise you for doing that exact thing.

All of a sudden, you can feel your shoulder being pulled on harshly. Stumbling back into the body of the mystery person, you can feel the familiar curves under your fingertips, her fingers clutching painfully at your shoulder. 

“Can we talk?” She rasps out, staring into your eyes with an indescribable amount of venom. The way she was looking at you, you’d think you were the one who broke up with her over text.

“No” Pulling your shoulder away from her iron vise grip, she doesn’t even get a glance in her direction.

“No te alejes de mi Y/n, you do not walk away from me.” Her thick spanish accent covers the english words, the once charming zing of her accent now only making you want to throw up.

“There’s nothing to talk about Alexia. You broke up with me over text, you didn’t even have the decency to look me in the eyes as you threw away 3 years.” Now it was her turn to not look you in the eyes, turning her eyes down to the sidewalk. 

“Say something then Alexia, that’s what you wanted to do right, talk.” You see how her lips move but no words come out, almost like she was expecting you to just lay down and admit defeat. Foolish of her.

“Good talk Alexia, I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh and, don’t forget to pick your things up from the apartment.” Turning on your heel, you feel her stare into the back of your head.

“Will you stop being so sour? I broke up with you a month ago, get over it!” She screams after you.

“Are you that far removed from reality Alexia? You think a MONTH heals your heart from being crushed?” You shoot back, in disbelief at her lack of knowledge of feelings.

“Dios mío Y/n, I hope you find peace for yourself” She tells you calmly, feelings spilling into her voice despite her attempt at composure.

“You do know that a new girlfriend ain’t going to fill the void right? She’s not going to love you like I do, like I did, she’s not going to be there for you like I was. When you realize that, you will come crawling back to me.” You spit back at her, equal amount of emotion in your voice as in hers.

When you turn away from her this time, you actually walk away from her and to your car, driving away from her and the argument. 

That evening is spent drowning your sorrows in ice cream and Alexia’s old very expensive wine. She wouldn’t miss it, she’s got 1000 other things to worry about.

Foolishly, in your drunken stupor you decided that it was a brilliant idea to agree to a night out with the team…including Alexia.

The anticipation of that Sunday night created a lump of anxiety that sat uncomfortably in your stomach, growing like a balloon being blown up until it fully consumed you. 

Foot tapping against the floor, you check your watch for the umpteenth time, fingers starting to fiddle with the buttons on your shirt. You were sure that the loose button would manage to come off before Pina and Patri would pull up, the two planning on getting drunk beyond recognition.

Sucking your teeth, you accidentally bite down on your tongue when you hear the loud noise of the car’s horn.

“HOLA Y/N” Patri shouts in your face directly after you’ve sat down in the backseat, the young girl reeking of alcohol.

“Someone’s already started the party, ey?” You get out through a hesitant chuckle, Pina meeting your eyes through the rearview mirror. 

Without much fuss, you all get to the venue, though the ball of pure anxiety was settling in your throat uncomfortably. The confidence you had only days ago was long gone, nervous picking at your fingers showcasing that.

When you stepped foot in that bar, the smell of alcohol and far too strong perfume hit your nose, overwhelming all your senses.

Yet everything seems to calm as soon as you catch sight of your ex, simply put she looked out of this world. 

No, you tell yourself, I can’t think of her like that anymore.

“Y/n/n let’s go to the bar, I need something to drink!” Pina close to shouts directly into your ear, the young girl clutching onto your right arm like her life depended on it.

You let yourself be pulled along by the two younger girls, setting your body down in one of the barstools, Pina and Patri each hanging off your shoulders. They each order their drinks, waiting for you to do the same.

“Just a coke please” The bartender sent you a quick wink before moving away, Thing 1 and Thing 2 ohhhh-ing loudly. 

“Your drinks ladies!” The pretty bartender hands you the glasses, your coke still in its glass container. Before you leave to join your friends, the woman slides you a piece of paper, her number written on it.

The blush stays on your face all the way until you reach the large table, ready to put your bottle down on the table. It seems like a certain someone was waiting for you to rid yourself off it before pulling you away from the rest.

“Hey, leave me alone!” You shout, not having seen the face of your perpetrator, but the nails digging into your arm gave you a slight indication as to who it was.

Next thing you know, you’re being pushed up against a wall, familiar lips locking with your own. Alexia presses her body up against yours tightly, leaving as small of a space between your bodies as she could.

Pulling your lips away from hers, you quickly wipe your sticky lips.

“Alexia, what are you doing?” The absolute disbelief in your voice makes her look at you like you were stupid.

“I saw how that fucking bartender was hitting on you, I had to send her a message. Only I belong with you and only you amor” She’s got a smug smirk on her face, looking back at the stunned bartender.

“No, Alexia, you broke up with me. You don’t get to do that because we’re not together anymore, I am not yours Alexia. I can date and fuck whoever I want, and you can’t do anything about that and it’s your fault.”

Walking away from her, like you’d done only days before, she once again calls out for you.

“You were right, she wasn’t like you. I have no explanation for why I did what I did, but I just want to apologise, it wasn’t…fair of me.” Her pauses between some of the words show how she’s truly trying her best to apologise.

“I want you back Y/n” You couldn’t even lie to her, say that you didn’t want to get back together, because it was the only thing you’d been thinking about these last few weeks.

Sighing, you look at your watch, before taking her hand and pulling her out of the doors. The cold evening air nips at your skin as you start to talk.

“You broke me Ale, and it’s going to take awhile to make up for that. If we’re getting back together then it’s on my terms, okay?” Alexia nods vigorously, she’d clearly do anything to get you back.

“Can I kiss you?” The timidness in her voice has you close to awwww-ing, leaning back against the brickwall while Alexia leans against the railing parallel to you.

Her intense gaze stays on you as you rest your head back against the cold hardened clay, exhaling through slightly chapped lips. The cloud that forms in the air presents the contrast between the warmth of your body and the cold of the night.

“That’s all I want” This time your lips lock in a calm dance, all the feelings of sorrow and longing being expressed in a single kiss.

"How about we get out of here?” Her hands lay flat against your chest, fiddling slightly with the material of your shirt. A slight chuckle escapes you, making Alexia look up at you through her eyelashes.

“Oh, amor I’m driving Thing 1 and Thing 2 home. I promised them I’d stay over at their place and take care of them after.” You kiss her hairline as she herself chuckles.

Wrapping your arms around her waist, she places her head on your chest, the vibrations of the tune you were humming sending her heart into overdrive.

“But we could stay out here for a while instead, I like having you back in my arms.” The only response you get is a kiss pressed to the column of your neck.

It would take a while for Alexia to get you back, it didn’t matter if it took 10 days or 10 years, as long as she got you back. 

[marleyybluu]

Oscar Diaz x f!reader

Word count: 2k

Content warning: swearing, readers (now ex/husband) is still a piece of shit, Oscar gets a little protective, another half ass ending cus I ran out of words, lmk if i miss any. another untitled one cus i suck.

A/N: this is not necessarily part 2, I guess it could be read as a stand alone… idk lol. But this is a part of the 'Another Man’s Treasure' universe.

(I think I've used this picture before but oh well. not mines though)

You let out a heavy, exasperated sigh after turning your car off. Another long shift at the hospital had kicked your ass, you had no energy, just ready to take off your scrubs and dip yourself in a hot bath. Thank goodness your kids would be with their father this weekend, you just needed a break. You decided not to sit and rot in the car as usual, you grabbed all your things and carried them to the door. You unlocked your door and turned the knob pushing your way inside and immediately noticed something wrong.

You look over at the shoe rack and notice your kids' shoes still sitting in their spots, you close the door and your eyes dart in confusion. "Naomi... Malakai... Nathan." You cautiously called out, the sound of their feet thumping against the carpeted floors upstairs, you dropped your belongings and waited at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi, Mommy." Your youngest greeted. "Hi, guys, what-what's going on? You're going to Dad's this weekend. Who's watching you? Grandma?"

Naomi shook her head. "Oscar, we called him to pick us up."

"Yeah, dad didn't show up." Nathan chimed in. Your blood boiled, your nostrils flared in hot anger. This was his second time missing pick-up, you could excuse him for being late and that was you being generous but completely disregarding your agreement was not only disrespectful of you but of your children. Your children who are always so excited to see him and tell him about their week at school, your children who write a list of things they can do with him in the short span of 72 hours. Your eyes softened at them. "Why didn't you call me? You know I would've dropped everything for you guys."

They shrugged. "We didn't want you to get mad."

"Mad?? You guys this is not your fault, are you kidding? Look, just... head back upstairs, I will call your father. Okay?"

The three of them nodded and jogged back to their respective rooms. You took your hair down from its ponytail and scratched your scalp, freeing it from its current state of stress, you groaned walking into the kitchen to see a pile of dishes in the sink and spilling onto the counter. You were not getting to those tonight, way too tired. You heard the whistling of a familiar tune coming up the stairs of the basement, Oscar flicked off the light and stopped whistling when he noticed you, he presented an uneasy smile on his face. A bit scared that you'd be mad he didn't call you when the kids' dad didn't show up. But you tilted your head and smiled earnestly at him.

"Hi, baby." Sleep was very apparent in your voice. "Hola, mi amor." He stretched out his arms and you fell into them, your head resting on his strong chest, his heartbeat against your ear you close your eyes as the hypnotic rhythm brings you a bit of peace. He kissed the top of your head. "How was your day?" You asked. He chuckled. "Good, I missed you though. Made you some food, did the laundry, and I'll do the dishes soon."

"No, it's okay, I'll do them tomorrow morning." You foolishly protested, still not used to having someone else actually do some chores. He sucked his teeth. "No, you won't because they'll be clean by tonight."

You smiled. "Thank you." You whispered. "It's just dishes baby."

You pull your head back to look up at him. "You know what I mean. Thanks for... taking them. Ugh, in my next life, I'll know not to choose an idiot to be the father of my children." Oscar let go of you so you could fish for your dinner, you popped open the microwave to see a plate prepped and ready for you, all you had to do was heat it up. While the buzz of the microwave continued in the background you pulled out your phone from your back pocket, you dialled your ex-husband's number, your nails tapping impatiently on the counter waiting for him to answer.

"Hey, you know what to do." Beep.

You hung up and called again, if he wanted you to act out, oh you'd act out.

On the fourth call attempt, you finally heard noise on the end. "Hello?" He sounded groggy like he'd just woken up. Oh, poor thing.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

He yawned. "What are you talking about?"

You scoffed beginning to pace back and forth in the kitchen you peaked past the arched entrance to see if you had any little listening ears before you let the words fly out of your mouth like a sailor, when it came to him your words were unlady-like. "What the fuck am I talking about? You know, I threw you a pity party by agreeing to shared custody when God knows I could have full, I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain you fucking asshole."

You could hear the amusement in his voice like getting you riled up got him off. "I can't do it this weekend, I told you."

You gritted your teeth remembering his excuse and you telling him that you didn't care. "Oh, yes, how could I forget? Poor you, you can't go out with the boys if you have responsibilities. Meanwhile, I take my children everywhere I go."

"Unless your little boy toy watches them."

"And yet, he's still doing a better job than you." You bit. "Look," You took a deep breath. "Us separating was hard enough on them, don't make this harder by not fulfilling the one thing you're required to do."

He could be heard soughing dramatically, and if you knew him well enough he was rubbing his eyes with frustration crawling under his skin. "Fine, I'll come get them tomorrow."

"Good." You hung up and tossed your phone on the counter with attitude. Your fingers found their usual spot on your temples, you rubbed them with stress written all over your body. This divorce was supposed to make everything easier, no contact with each other unless it involved your kids and yet he was still getting under your skin. A reassuring hand rested on your back. "Go sit, I'll bring the food."

"No, it's-"

"If you tell me no one more time we're gonna have a problem." A playful warning but a warning nonetheless. You put your hands up in surrender and follow his instructions going to the dining room to sit and wait for him. It didn't take long for him to pop up with your food. You looked up at him with puppy eyes and pursed your lips, he leaned down planting a kiss. "I'm gonna get your pyjamas out and get your stuff ready for bed."

You cooed, "You have no idea how much I love you."

He smiled pridefully. "I love you too, ma."

— —

6 PM.

You checked your phone just to make sure, and yeah, it was 6 p.m. The bright and burning sun was disappearing behind the horizon, the orange and pink hue replaced the blue sky, it was getting darker by the minute and he was still a no-show. Your phone was pressed against your ear as you took a peak at your kids as they sprawled out on the couch watching a movie with Oscar, you smiled softly. "You really don't mind? I'm not trynna get rid of them or anything but their bags have been packed since last night and I just feel so bad." You explained to your mom on the phone.

Oscar turned his head in an attempt to eavesdrop on your conversation. Naomi snuggled herself closer to him, he kissed the top of her head, he'd ask you what happened later.

"Okay, thanks mom, I'll let them know."

You left your phone on the counter and joined your family in the living room with a presentable smile on your face. "Who wants to go see grandma?" They all turned their heads, smiles stretching from ear to ear. "She'll be here soon, you can finish the movie don't worry." They nodded and turned back to the screen, their little bodies wiggling with excitement and anticipation, they loved your mom, she let them get away with anything.

Oscar was still looking at you, you blushed sending him an air kiss and he winked in return. He was first on the to-do list once your gremlins were gone.

Half an hour passed and there was a knock at the door, Malakai was the first to run to the door to let your mom inside. They greeted her before running upstairs to get their belongings. "Thanks again Mom."

"No problem and you two are okay with me dropping them off at school on Monday?"

You nodded. The three musketeers came back downstairs dropping their bags on the floor to hug, kiss and say goodbye to the both of you. Naomi takes a longer time with Oscar's hug. "Can you carry me to the car?" You heard her whisper, he agreed and grabbed her bag taking her outside. And as you stood in the door frame watching him help her inside, all the anger you had from last night and today had seemed to thaw out. You counted yourself as lucky to have found a man who took care of your children as if they were his own, double the luck that they loved him just as much. , sometimes you'd have to pry Naomi off of him when he had to go to work.

Your mom honked her horn and you waved them off blowing kisses until they were out of your view. Oscar walked up the steps, hunched over and looking at you through his brows, you knew what was coming. "Diaz." You warned. He scooped you up throwing you over his shoulder, you squealed and giggled as he carried you into the house. He kicked the door close with his foot, "I'm bout to fuck you up." Such a pleasant threat, especially with the addition of him spanking you. You laughed breathlessly as he tossed you onto the couch, finding himself between your legs.

You cupped his face pulling him in, your lips melting together in a needy chase, his hands wandering your body, making their way inside your shirt. His fingertips tickling your bare skin getting closer... and closer to-

Knock! Knock!

For fuck sake.

"Ignore it." He groaned. You sucked your teeth. "They probably forgot something."

He sighed kissing you once more before you got up leaving him with his blue balls, you opened the door and the smile on your face vanished. "You're kidding. You are fucking kidding me."

"Oh, not happy to see me?" Your ex-husband smugged tilting his head. You were in disbelief, at the audacity of this man to stand on your doorstep with that stupid grin on his face as if nothing was wrong. "I'm not actually. Why are you here?" You asked crossing your arms. He chuckled. "To get my kids?"

Your eyebrows raised in shock. You looked down at your Apple Watch to make sure the time was correct. And it was. "It is almost 7 PM, what time were you supposed to be here?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"It does fucking matter, Anthony! You said you'd be here at twelve, then you called at twelve saying you'd be here at two. Your children have had their bags packed since last night!" You said raising your voice. You pinched the bridge of your nose. "They're not here. So you can go." You proceeded to close the door but he had quickly wedged his foot in the frame. You looked up at him. "Anthony." You warned, your nostrils flared. That was Oscar's cue to get up and see what was going on, he opened the door and stood behind you with a scowl on his face. Anthony rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't wait to move another man into my house huh?"

"And it's never been more peaceful."

He looked past the both of you. "Where are my kids?"

"They're out."

"Where?"

"Don't worry about it." You sassed. "They at your mom's? 'Cause I'll just go pick them up from there."

"You will not."

He took a step forward causing you to take one back. "Watch me."

Oscar stepped in the middle of both of you, sizing up Anthony. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

Now this was a side you'd yet to see of Oscar. In your many conversations of getting to know each other, he'd felt comfortable enough to inform you of his old life. How he was the leader of an infamous street gang, Los Santos, even showed you pictures. You never wanted to say it out loud, afraid you'd make him feel weird, but seeing him in his cholo attire, the gun tucked in his waist and his shirt lifted up or sometimes off... oh it did something to you. You'd never ask him to delve back into his old ways, but you'd have little fantasies about what he used to be like.

Aggressive.

Rough.

Possessive.

"Nobody's scared of you. Some little bitch from Fiji, you just got here, don't know shit about shit."Anthony challenged, but you knew him well enough. He'd never been in a fight his whole life, you could put a gun next to him he'd piss his pants. Oscar half smiled taking another step forward. Anthony stepped back.

"I may have just got here but at least I know how to pick up my kids on time."

Your heart skipped. My kids.

"Your-"

"I know not to fucking lie to their mother about what time I'm coming to get 'em, I know not to disappoint them because the look on their faces is heartbreaking."

Anthony stuttered backwards, further down the steps and closer to his car. "And I know, that if you go to their grandmother's house and fuck up their weekend, I'll knock your teeth down your throat, pendejo."

You could see your ex-husband swallow any comebacks he had tried to come up with, the slight fear in his eyes as they darted to you as a plea for help but you just crossed your arms and shrugged. You weren't gonna help him. "Get the fuck out my face," Oscar growled. Anthony scurried off so fast you swore you saw smoke under his feet. His tires screeched as he pulled out of your driveway and down the street.

Oscar came back inside, trailing off to the kitchen. You closed the front door and followed him like a lost puppy. He reached into the fridge for one of his Corona’s and popped off the top. You bit your lip. "¿Que pasa?" He asked bringing his drink to his lips. You shrugged. "I think that was a solid first meeting."

He laughed. "Me too."

You leaned over the counter dragging your nail from side to side. "Sooo... was that Oscar or was that Spooky?" He playfully rolled his eyes and looked away. "If I have to go back to Spooky for you, I'll do it."

Your heart fluttered. "Any time?"

"Mhm."

You walked over to him, gently grabbing his hand and guiding him over to the steps and up the stairs. "You think Spooky can show out for one night?"

He pulled his hand from you and smacked your ass.

"Absolutamente, mi amor."

if you liked this fic, feel free to like this fic, reblogs and comments are appreciated.

peace and love, see you in the next one🤙🏾

🏷: @darqchilddaydreamz @realhotgurlshit @skyesthebomb

tags who might be interested: @luxaphrodevotee

[caramel1mochi]

ぐちゃ ! (Splat!) [Yoru x F! Reader] [End]

Heya! Guess who's officially done with Yoru? That's right, this gal!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go binge watch Iso's trailer again as a rewar– I mean, to get a feel for his personality, if you catch my drift hehe

Catch you next week! And this time I won't be late!!

❤ฺ·。

Yoru x F! Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 4.5 / Part 5 / Part 6

Genre: Fluff, some angst

TW: Detailed violence

Words: 6k

Synopsis: Hapless doesn't even begin to describe you. With your life flipped upside down within the span of a day; you're left to rely on your best friend Tala to help you pick up the pieces and build the new one forced upon you. And this 'luck' seems to have caught the attention of one of her friends.

。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

To say today had a good start would be a vast understatement.

You woke up feeling untouchable, as if even a bullet wouldn’t be able to take away the triumphant aura you exuded around everyone on your way to responsibly prepare for the mission.

You were smiling ear to ear in the training range; gunning down bots like a particularly happy paperboy delivering the newspapers. Neon definitely felt that something was off. But it wasn’t the fact that you weren’t an anxiety-ridden mess, no. What concerned her was how good your aim was, and especially how calm you were with how you wielded your weapon. It was contagious.

She stood next to you and crossed her arms, speaking loudly to counteract how deafening the shots were.

‎ 

“Someone’s happy today.”

‎ 

You shrugged and continued shooting.

‎ 

“It’s just a good day, you know? Clear weather, chill vibes and everything.”

‎ 

Neon raised an eyebrow. With the upcoming mission, she herself was prepared to reassure you on how things would go as smoothly as they did last time. But this? This attitude was as natural as catching sight of a flying pig.

‎ 

“Alright, lay it all out, A/N. You were gone all day yesterday.”

‎ 

She forced a blush out of you with just those words, and prompted you to stop shooting for a moment. There was no reason for you not to tell her. Well, except for one…

‎ 

“It’s not like you’d believe me.”

‎ 

“Don’t be like that, when have I ever doubted you?”

‎ 

She said with one hand on your shoulder, completely confident in her words. And you could make an entire list in response to that. A sigh escaped you before you finally managed to meet her gaze.

‎ 

“Fine. I may or may not have gone out with Yoru yesterday.”

‎ 

Neon paused for a moment. Then, she snickered, as if you told her you’d won the lottery.

‎ 

“Be honest. I’ll be impressed with whatever it really is.”

‎ 

“I’m not joking, Neon!”

‎ 

“No way, Yoru doesn’t go out with people two consecutive days in a row, I tried!”

‎ 

Sounds like something she’d do, alright. Just as you went to throw a snarky response at her, you jumped once she gasped in the most diva way possible and forcefully tilted your Bulldog upwards.

There, she saw it.

‎ 

“What is this?”

‎ 

Neon called out as if she spotted a bomb. In fact, she scared you, until you realised she was pointing at your prized gift from the day before. She tilted the gun to get a better angle and held the omamori in her hand to make sure it was what she thought it was.

‎ 

“There’s no way– is that from Yoru?!”

‎ 

You flushed and pulled it away, swiftly turning on the safety considering how stupid of a move this was.

‎ 

“I told you, dummy!”

‎ 

“I didn’t think– did he give that to you or did you sneak into a shrine? There’s no way you got that, right?”

‎ 

You allowed her to take your gun to inspect it. And with just a few touches, she confirmed that it was an omamori only he’d get.

‎ 

“I’m serious, he gave it to me!”

‎ 

“How?! I've known him for months and I can barely get a text back sometimes!”

‎ 

Which is why you couldn’t wait until the mission to finally not have something go wrong for once. Nevertheless, you innocently shrugged and tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear in the most smug manner possible.

‎ 

“Oh, well, you know. I guess some of us are naturally irresistible.”

‎ 

“What-ever.”

‎ 

Neon crossed her arms and pouted for a moment. But then, she met your gaze with a devious glimmer in her eyes once a brand new idea popped up. Uh oh.

‎ 

“Sooo… did he cook you something this morning? Anything delicious for breakfast?”

‎ 

“I woke up late.”

‎ 

She clicked her tongue, before getting back to the main task at hand.

‎ 

“Okay fine. When he does, which he will, you wouldn’t mind, you know… sneaking some for your best friend, right?”

‎ 

You couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped you. Of course Neon would request something preposterous like this. Why wouldn’t she?

‎ 

“Ease up, Neon. Too early. We’re still just friends, remember?”

‎ 

“We’re almost a month in and you still don’t know how Yoru’s world works? If he feeds you, he’s basically proposing!”

‎ 

You definitely knew, but you weren’t about to admit that. She began shooting with your Bulldog as each of you spoke, almost as if to emphasise the fact you had an omamori tied to the gun.

‎ 

“That’s a reach.”

‎ 

“Why’s that? It’s not like you’d say no if he does.”

‎ 

“Pshh. As if you know that.”

‎ 

Neon tossed your Bulldog back to you, before grabbing your wrist and forcing you to get a good look at the roots. Only now did you notice how organised and easy-to-digest they were, as if they were sets upon sets of cables that unwrapped from each other. No wonder why it felt like your arm was easier to have.

‎ 

“This wasn’t here before!”

‎ 

Your eyes widened as you took the sight in. And for once, it looked organised.

‎ 

“Wait– when the hell did this happen?”

‎ 

“You didn’t notice this?!”

‎ 

You flushed and pulled away as Neon laughed. But since you were a simple tee, you couldn’t really cover up your arm.

Before she could somehow sneak in one more snarky remark about how unfocused you were, the door to the training range loudly slid open and caught both of your attention. Your eyes promptly darted to the entrance. The strong light from behind shone upon a silhouette that took you a moment to recognise.

But if the imposingly tall stature didn’t help with that, his voice surely did.

‎ 

“Excusez-moi, not to interrupt a pleasant conversation, but we have to leave.” <Excuse me,>

‎ 

Chamber called out, earning a sneer from Neon. One that you unfortunately didn’t see.

‎ 

“Leave? Wait, what time is it?”

‎ 

“One.”

‎ 

Your eyes widened. 

‎ 

“Crap. Okay, talk later Neon! Don’t forget to wait for me until I’m back!” 

‎ 

You quickly reloaded your Bulldog and rushed towards him. Neon excitedly waved as you moved through the doorway with the same grin on her face.

‎ 

“I’ll be waiting, break a leg out there!”

‎ 

She said, earning a nod before you disappeared down the hallways. With Yoru’s omamori in hand, you thought, you hoped it wouldn’t be your leg that would break.

You moved down the halls with Chamber by your side, inspecting your weapon one final time.

‎ 

“Man, time flew by so fast. It feels like I haven’t even trained. Also, am I late?”

‎ 

Chamber chuckled, his polite laughter echoing through the hall just as much as the clicks of his dress shoes did. You couldn't tell whether or not he was mad. But from the looks of things, he seemed... unamused.

‎ 

“Late enough for Brimstone to send me to get you. Was your phone off, by any chance?”

‎ 

Uh oh.Your face turned red. And immediately, you began fiddling with your bracelet. Crap, he mentioned your phone; did they send you a bunch of messages that you didn't see?!

‎ 

“Oh, sorry. I– I left my phone back in my room…” You awkwardly smiled, feeling a bit more embarrassed. “I’m making a terrible first impression on you, huh? Sorry about that…”

‎ 

“No need for an apology, A/N. I completely understand. It must be exciting, non? Your first mission with a team.”

‎ 

Chamber noted with a smile as he fixed his tie.

‎ 

“Ah, to be young, innocent, and on my first mission again.”

‎ 

You couldn't help but smile. His voice was calm. Just the stagnant tone of it could put you to sleep if he just spoke long enough. With everything else, there's no way he wasn’t one of the higher-ups, right?

‎ 

“So you’re Chamber, right? I heard you’re an expert. Does that mean they’ll bring you on the other side?”

‎ 

He shrugged and put both hands behind his back as he walked.

‎ 

“That is a contingency I cannot predict. Personally, I would hope otherwise.”

‎ 

“Why not? Fighting yourself sounds like fun. Speaking of, now I’m curious about how you are on the field.”

‎ 

“I admire your optimism. That being said, if I were you, A/N, I would stay far, far away from my double.”

‎ 

You paused to process what he said.

What did he mean by that? But just as you formed an answer to that question, Chamber stopped in his tracks, and only now did you notice that you had finally arrived at your destination. You stopped as well once you made your way through the doorway. It felt like the voices of your colleagues were drowned out during the conversation, for some reason.

‎ 

“Ah, here we are. Now, as I was saying, keep that attitude up, and I guarantee nothing less than an excellent performance from you.”

‎ 

He said with the same smile he had the entire conversation.

‎ 

“Best of luck to you.”

‎

And with that, Chamber took his leave and left you with your thoughts like nothing happened.

‎ 

“Thanks…”

You mumbled, before quickly looking around in order to distract yourself from what he just said. Luckily for you, however, you spotted Omen in the far right corner of the area, both his arms crossed as he listened to Sage ramble on about something.

Quickly, you made your way towards them.

❤ฺ·。

The place you've arrived at looked vastly different from the pictures you'd seen beforehand. But, to be fair, you looked at it for a picosecond before leaving for more, ahem, 'important' matters. Once the aircraft landed, you stepped out with the rest and prepared yourself for the sand that might enter your eyes, recalling which site you were supposed to be in.

But before any of you could actually move to where you needed to be, you immediately found Brimstone standing in front of all of you.

‎ 

"Alright, let's get one thing out of the way. How many of you read the brief?"

‎ 

You proudly lifted your hand.

‎ 

"I did!"

‎ 

"Me too."

‎ 

Yoru chimed in, and the both of you earned a nod before he turned to look at Omen and...

‎ 

"Phoenix, buddy, you're coming with me."

‎ 

The Englishman’s eyes widened.

‎ 

"Woah woah, why me? Why would you assume I haven't read it?"

‎ 

"Have you?"

‎ 

Brim asked with a raise of his brow, and Phoenix quickly let out an awkward chuckle whilst he scratched his head. Omen, unlike the two of you, minded his own business and proceeded to walk to his designated site.

‎ 

"Well, I didn't read read it, but I skimmed over it. Still counts, right?" 

‎ 

Brim walked off to A site right behind Omen, and Phoenix promptly followed behind.

‎ 

"That's still more progress than last time! Wait, Brim, just hear me out, fam! How come Raze never gets in trouble for it?"

‎ 

You giggled to yourself before moving to your site: B.

While you walked, you extended your arm and took in the sight all over again. Seeing the roots so organised felt like such a breath of fresh air. Not only that, but being able to feel it without it mimicking the sensation of being trapped in a deep maze of a forest.

A shade of deep blue caught your eye, and you lifted your chin to see Yoru standing next to the doorway with his Sheriff in hand. You hadn't noticed him walking off during the feud between Brim and Phoenix.

‎ 

"Testing out a new look?"

‎ 

You playfully rolled your eyes.

‎ 

"Mind you, this is your fault."

‎ 

"Tch. Then no wonder it looks good."

‎ 

There he was, the confident Yoru you knew and probably loved.

‎ 

"You're too confident for someone who got all red over a hug."

‎ 

Yoru chuckled. Just as you took another step forward, he spoke up once more.

‎ 

"You okay?"

‎ 

"Uh, yeah, of course I am. Why?"

‎ 

"Just asking..."

‎ 

This time, his tone was much more... you couldn't really put your finger on it. Despondent? You noticed his awkward stance. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes had this odd glimmer in them.

...

Oh.

‎ 

"Are you talking about the last mission?"

‎ 

"I didn't say anything."

‎ 

"I'm serious, Yoru. If I can't be ready now, then I'll never be."

‎ 

He shrugged and walked through the doorway to which you promptly followed from behind.

‎ 

"I know."

‎ 

His path was curt once he felt a tug at his sleeve, and he looked behind to see you gently holding his wrist.

‎ ‎ 

"Hey, dinner after?"

‎ 

Yoru stared at you for a few seconds and fought the blush that crept up on him. Then, he shook his head.

‎ 

"Save it for next week. I need to rejuvenate."

‎ 

"Rejuvenate?"

‎ 

"Introvert thing."

‎ 

A set of familiar beeping echoed from window. And it wasn't only a few seconds later until an explosion took its place, grabbing both of your attention. Definitely Raze. Even you knew that.

‎ 

"That's our queue. See you around."

‎ 

Before another word could be exchanged, Yoru tore the fabric open and disappeared into the ocean of blue he called a dimension. But you couldn't help but let your thoughts roam as you moved near the radianite crates stacked on top of each other.

Having been around Yoru enough to make him come out of his shell, you knew when he was uncomfortable or not. And he sounded like he held something back. Did you do something wrong? Was it the date earlier? Did you push things too far?!

You mumbled an 'ow' once you picked at your bracelet too hard, a ting of pain following the scratch. In order to distract yourself, the radio was muted and you hesitantly called out your situation.

‎ 

'Uh‎– Raze on B.'

‎ 

Enough anxiety, you had a mission to get to. Evident by the rapid footsteps that came from long. You immediately took position and held out your arm, lightly twisting each root until you found the right one to slow down their push. Since they were now untangled and you were calm, it was exceptionally easy to navigate the maze that used to be your arm. Not the scent, not the hand… You paused once you felt a peculiar one.

The bomb.

Just as you heard the footsteps switch from a sandy ground to a wooden one, a burst of sundew escaped your arm and immediately landed where they would have stepped if they didn't push themselves back.

The roots stuck themselves on the ground and prevented them from entering.

Perfect.

You held up your gun and diligently watched the angle in case they'd start to get bold.

'Any updates?'

‎ 

Brimstone asked over the radio. You were so focused that you'd completely tuned everything out, so you jumped once he spoke. Yoru unmuted.

‎ 

'They're not committing. Probably a distraction.'

‎ 

You were surprised at this. Despite the ruckus, he seemed confident in this assumption.

‎ 

'Good call. Then we're staying here. Think you can hold your own out there, kid?'

‎ 

'Yeah. We just need smokes.'

‎ 

The blast echoed on Yoru's side made you wince. Luckily for you, he muted and spared you the inevitable ringing in your ears. 

And it only took a few seconds before a purple mist emerged right where you were aiming, shielding you from the bullets that would promptly be fired. Combined with Yoru's call, you could now tell they were shooting at random.

‎ 

Some time had passed since that ‘attack’.

Despite what you thought was a hard push earlier, Yoru was ultimately right in the end and they'd aggressively pushed out on A, forcing Yoru to rotate. You, however, decided to go from behind. The distant gunfire took over your ears and unintentionally helped shield your footsteps as you moved. Then, it stopped and a heavy thud followed.

‎ 

"Yo, I got the spike!"

‎ 

Phoenix proudly called out over the radio. But before you could hear who responded to him, you immediately tuned it all out and focused in on the steps right around the corner. You were in bath, and there was clearly someone who wasn't paying attention to you. In the words of Neon, 'easy pick'. Or whatever she used to say.

Then, the sound of the teleporter went off and concealed you even further. Just as he took his final shot and stepped back to reload, you held out your arm and began twisting a specific set of roots to emit a strong scent. You knew you'd started to do something right once  he began to cough into his elbow. And with a deep breath, you mentally prepared yourself to get your first kill.

You peeked and began shooting, refusing to let your finger off the trigger until the Bulldog ran out of bullets. And... you did it.

Gekko's dead.

‎ 

A huff escaped you once you took a step back, reloading with incredibly shaky hands. Your eyes were stuck on the omamori as you worked. You got your first kill.

The teleporter going off twice snapped you out of your trance, before the voice of Yoru took over your ear on the radio.

‎ 

"Who's in bath?"

‎ 

"It was me, I got the pick on Gekko."

‎ 

You said with a shaky yet excited voice. Now you started to understand why Neon spoke like that sometimes.

‎ 

"Finally got a kill? Nice one."

‎ 

You couldn't help but smile at this.

‎ 

"Chamber's stuck in hall with the spike. It's only us here. If we can draw him out, one of us can get an easy kill."

‎ 

You peeked to see the spike sitting right in front of the teleporter. And if you looked closely, you could see a golden glint reflected off of him. Probably the tattoos on his head. Yoru was backsite. With all of this in mind, a plan immediately popped up.

‎ 

"Stay there, I'll lure him out."

‎ 

"Got it."

‎ 

You stood near the doorway and already knew which root to aim for before you even lifted your arm. A shadow slowly emerged from above and blocked the glimmer. 

Then, the air stopped.

‎ 

Just as the building he was in buckled under its own weight, Chamber peeked, shot then disappeared into the teleporter with the spike. It took you a moment to look down on your hand and realise that there was a hole on your palm, blood slowly pooling around the wound and escaping.

‎ 

❤ฺ·。

‎ 

Everything felt like a blur at that point. Noises were drowned out, your mind drew blanks and your eyes were focused on only your hand.

Warmth slowly began to encircle your right shoulder. And like a virus, it began spreading in a line across the inside of your arm, red fluid continuously seeping out of the 'small' wound on your palm. It took what felt like a few minutes to comprehend the fact that he hit his shot almost perfectly. So perfectly, it went through your arm and tore your roots apart.

Then, you realised that the odd deafening noise around you had been reduced to a mere rumble. But once you looked up, the explanation was immediately provided. The exit was blocked by what seemed to be the building you ripped apart before he took his shot.

You couldn't move your right arm whatsoever.

‎ 

You felt a pull on your chin. And before you knew it, you were looking right at a familiar set of brown eyes.

‎ 

"Hey, hey, look at me, are you okay?"

‎ 

How did he get here... so fast?

‎ 

"Y‎– yeah, I'm good, I..."

‎ 

The centre of your right shoulder felt so heavy now, as if the bullet inside now began increasing in weight. You still haven't been able to comprehend the fact you were shot. Yoru, however, wasn't in a state of shock like you were.

‎ 

"We need to get you to Sage."

‎ 

"We have to run to B."

‎ 

You both said at the same time, and you earned a dirty look from him.

‎ 

"Yoru, It's fine. It doesn't hurt."

‎ 

"You're bleeding."

‎ 

"It's not important! Look, let's take care of the spike first, then we can get to my arm. The teleporter's just outside!"

‎ 

"We're not going‎–"

‎ 

"I'll be good, it's not like it hurts, anyway!"

‎‎  

Before he could get another word in, you immediately moved through the entrance from behind and walked as fast as you could towards the teleporter. Yoru followed from behind despite his ability to disappear into the rift. You weren't lying when you said it didn't hurt. But that, unfortunately, was before the adrenaline had worn off. And you hadn't realised such a fact.

‎ 

‎ 

Now that a moment had passed, with each step you took, it felt like you were exerting more and more energy just to get to your destination. You stopped just a few feet next to the would-be teleporter to catch your breath. What you hadn't noticed was that it was blocked by so much rubble, it was impossible to get through even if you wanted to.

You lifted a hand towards the wreckage and began sifting through the remains of roots you had to clear an entrance. But no matter how much you tried, you couldn't locate any points for what you needed. It was as if the roots Chamber sliced stripped you away of your powers completely.

Yoru held your chin and noticed the tinge of blue that painted your lips. That wasn't to mention how deathly pale you were, even more than you naturally were.

‎ 

"You're losing too much blood."

‎ 

You weakly shoved his hand away.

‎ 

"Don't do that..."

‎ 

Yoru rolled his eyes. And since you forgot who you were dealing with, you were to pay the price. He slipped a hand under your legs and one behind your back, exploiting your weakened state to easily lift you in his arms.

‎ 

"Get‎– let me go!"

‎ 

You tried to push him away whilst he moved back, to no avail. And just moving your good arm left you exhausted. Combined with the sudden aching that overtook your right one, it felt like you were stabbing yourself from the inside over and over.So you rested your head on his shoulder and let him take you... 

...

Where was he going again...?

‎ 

"You, you wouldn't let anyone do this to you..."

‎ 

"I wouldn't have used my abilities out in the open‎–"

‎ 

He snapped back, before he caught himself and cleared his throat.

‎ 

"I'm... sorry. You're right, I wouldn't."

‎ 

Yoru sighed. Then, completely unprompted, he let out a whispered cuss under his breath.

‎ 

"I should've taken the chance when I had it."

‎ 

"Huh...?"

‎ 

"Nevermind."

‎ 

You felt the hot afternoon sun shine upon you once Yoru moved through the doorway, before he stopped out of nowhere. You took it upon yourself to lift your heavy eyelids and look at what was in front of you.

The wreckage from A went through the teleporter, enough to block the entrance to the fight. And it was as if Yoru knew what ran through your mind just by the way your foot twitched.

‎ 

"We'll be fine."

‎ 

You heard a bullet whizz by each of you from behind. Luckily, Yoru dodged it and immediately moved towards the rubble, allowing the walls to conceal you. He set you on the sand and took out his weapon.

‎ 

"I'll be back. Try to hold out until then, A/N."

‎ 

You quickly grabbed his sleeve.

‎ 

"Wait‎– don't, don't leave me here, let me help!"

‎ 

"I can't let you get hurt twice."

‎ 

"But Sage can bring me back, I can still‎–"

‎ 

Yoru got on one knee and held your shoulders.

‎ 

"I'm not letting you get hurt. Don't make me repeat myself."

‎ 

You stared at him for a few seconds. Despite your blurry vision and all of the noise from the fight deafening you, you could see the look in his eyes. His irises swam with vulnerability.

‎ 

"You're not giving up, huh...?"

‎ 

He stared at you and let the tense silence be your answer. But just as he went to stand up once more, you pulled him back and pressed your lips against his forehead.

‎ 

"I'm so lucky to have you."

‎ 

Yoru, stunned, simply blushed and weakly smiled.

‎ 

"I... could say the same thing."

‎ 

He caressed your cheek with his thumb, before finally standing up and digging his hand through the rift.

You closed your eyes in order to gather all of the energy that you could. And judging by the constant ringing in your ear combined with the repetitive beeping, it sounded like the spike had been planted. You put your left hand on the nearby stack of crates, helping yourself up. The omamori on your Bulldog caught your eye, its green colour shining brilliantly against the dullness that surrounded you. It almost worked in pulling you out of your dizzy state.

Your eyes locked on the rubble whilst you caught your breath. There must be a way to get through this. But how? Your roots were sliced from within.

You held out your incredibly shaky arm towards the entrance and took a deep breath in an effort to calm down and outline exactly what remained. Scent couldn't be produced and you couldn't squash anything either. That left you with… You perked up once you noticed one single root that was still connected.

The bomb. The bomb was still there!

It wasn't much, but you had to get creative with it. You took a few steps back and leaned on the wall, aiming towards the rubble. Then, you shot.

‎ 

A burst of sundew immediately stuck to it like ducklings to their mother. You then rushed to grab it with both hands, and, despite the ever increasing pain, you pulled on it as hard as you could. The sundew refused to let go. In fact, it stuck to it even more, which pulled the rubble with it. And the more you struggled, the more it held on.

The next thing you knew, you were on the ground once you'd finally pulled out the massive brick the sundew was attached to. This set off a domino effect.

You grabbed the Bulldog and rushed behind cover as the wreckage began to tumble over. Sand upon sand covered the air and the noise from this move split your ears for what felt like minutes.

Then... silence. The dust had settled.

You weakly clutched your Bulldog and leaned on the wall whilst you walked to the now-clear entrance.

‎ 

The fight could be seen through the open window. And so could the spike, surrounded by fire and being defused by Phoenix. The rest were clearly holding off someone in garden alongside Yoru who was behind them. He was only halfway through, and there were only a few seconds before the bomb would go off, judging by the black aura and the unnatural impact it had on the area around it. Victory should be guaranteed...

But that was until you noticed Sova near the doorway who aimed his bow and arrow, ready to shoot a dart. One dart, stall them and that would give the bomb the time it needed to explode. They didn't see him. It seems like he didn't see you, either.

Before he let go, you took aim and immediately began shooting, the bullets rapidly digging through him. It took only one more for you to take his life.

The Englishman immediately met your gaze and said something with a wave of his hand, but his words fell on deaf ears since all you could hear was the pounding of your heart. You huffed and stood up, taking a few steps back to lean against a nearby wall. The Bulldog fell out of your grip, and the omamori's gentle green colour was defiled with the trail of blood that continuously seeped out of you.

Then, it all went dark.

‎ 

❤ฺ·。

‎ 

You awoke from your deep slumber with not only a raging headache, but with an arm so sore it felt like it was only one wrong more away from melting off of your shoulder. Almost completely driven by instinct, you immediately sat up and clutched your head, a gentle voice adjacent to you immediately reacting to such a move.

‎ 

"Oh, A/N, try not to move too fast–!"

‎ 

The pain set in just as Sage held your shoulders, and you mumbled an 'ow'. It felt like the blood inside your body was swirling and sloshing inside you as it got used to the sudden movement.

‎ 

"Ah, really...? I turned my back on you for one second..."

‎ 

"Sorry... First mission, and stuff."

‎ 

"Don't start with that, you did great! Two kills on your first mission is something to be proud about!"

‎ 

You ran your fingers through your hair and began gently rubbing your head, the ringing in your ear slowly dissipating. It took you a moment to comprehend what she said. But once she did, guilt quickly set in.

‎ 

"Thanks... Yo, I wasn't too bothersome to revive, was I?"

‎ 

"Revive? No, you didn't die, you didn't die at all! You've been out for two hours, you actually survived!" 

‎ 

You didn't believe her, despite the wide grin on her face. Probably trying to save you the embarrassment of dying on your first mission.

‎ 

"Totally..."

‎ 

"I'm not joking!" she smiled tenderly and clasped both hands together, "Ah, I– I know this sounds hard to believe, but you truly did."

‎ 

"Let me get this straight, you're saying Chamber tore all my roots and I survived?"

‎ 

"Not just your roots, A/N; he tore a few of your arteries as well and you still made it! It was miraculous!"

‎ 

She placed a finger on her chin once a new piece of information popped up.

‎ 

"Now that I think about it, theoretically, you should have passed out thirty seconds afterwards. Hypotension is no joke."

‎ 

You paused once you caught something from the corner of your eye. On a nearby counter right next to the sink was your trusty little Bulldog, the familiar omamori still tied to it. Unfortunately, it was soaked in blood. And you swore you could see that it was torn, as well.

Huh...

‎ 

"Really...? Maybe my luck's really turning over this time."

‎ 

"Possibly. On another note, if this happens again, I might have to put 'durable' in your files."

‎ 

She winked playfully.

‎ 

"Seriously? Wait, no, Brimstone might–"

‎ 

You heard two knocks before the door behind you swung open, revealing two very familiar silhouettes. Neon and Yoru solemnly stood near the doorway, a serious expression very unnatural for your Filipino friend to have.

But once she noticed that you were awake, her eyes glimmered with an abundance of joy.

‎ 

"A/N!"

‎ 

Uh oh.

Before you could prepare yourself, you were already pulled into a hug that put all the aching in your arm to shame. She hugged you even tighter (and knocked the air out of you for good measure) before finally pulling away.

‎ 

"A/N, you're alive!"

‎ 

"I'll... leave you three to talk. Erm, Neon?"

‎ 

"Huh?"

‎ 

"Brimstone?"

‎ 

"Wha– oh! Oh come on, she just woke up! Can't you tell him to give me a few minutes, at least?"

‎ 

Sage sheepishly smiled, both hands behind her back.

‎ 

"I'm sorry... This'll take just a few seconds, okay?"

‎ 

With a loud groan, Neon decided to follow the healer with an immense amount of reluctance. But you couldn't let her go without some reassurance.

‎ 

"I'll catch you later, Neon!"

‎ 

"I know you will!"

‎ 

The door slammed shut and they disappeared. You wanted to ask Yoru what that was all about; but you had a much better idea in mind.

‎ 

"I– I wanted to–"

‎ 

Just as Yoru looked back, he found himself pulled into another embrace. This one, however, didn't cause him immense pain.

‎ 

"Missed you."

‎ 

You mumbled. And to say Yoru was speechless would be a vast understatement. His mind drew blanks at such a sudden move, despite it not being the first time. And all he could really do in response was put one hand on your back.

‎ 

"You... Um, you had me worried back there, you know?"

‎ 

The words mindlessly escaped his mouth, but he didn't really do much to stop it.

‎ 

"Really?"

‎ 

"Yeah..."

‎ 

He quickly cleared his throat before he continued.

‎ 

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm impressed you got Sova. I don't know how you got through the rubble."

‎ 

You pulled away with an unamused expression.

‎ 

"I– I thought you died back there."

‎ 

"You need to expect more from me, dummy."

‎ 

He blushed and rolled his eyes.

‎ 

"I said don't take this the wrong way, 'dummy'."

‎ 

You glanced at the omamori on the counter behind him, but promptly looked back so that he wouldn't catch on.

‎ 

"So, uh, speaking of dying... Where do you get omamoris again? Shrines?"

‎ 

"Yeah."

‎ 

"Are you going there any time soon?"

‎ 

You tried to be discreet about it, but somehow, he still caught on and looked back to see what your eyes kept darting to. And he saw your weapon, the omamori you spoke of gently resting on top of it.

‎ 

"Huh, it's torn?"

‎ 

"Yeah."

‎ 

A meek smile forced itself on your lips as he walked towards the Bulldog and picked it up. Damp with your own coagulated blood, and torn open just as you thought.

‎ 

"Sorry about that."

‎ 

"What do you mean? It's a good thing."

‎ 

Despite scrutinising it, Yoru didn't sound as bothered as you did. In fact, he sounded pleased.

‎ 

"This means it did its job."

‎ 

You perked up at this, but you caught yourself before you did anything impulsive.

‎ 

"So... remember when you mentioned dinner?"

‎ 

"Totally. You said no."

‎ 

Yoru nervously cleared his throat.

‎ 

"Yeah, I, um, I remember. And I don't want to miss my chance this time."

‎ 

"Miss your chance?"

‎ 

"I don't like it when people get all up in my business. But you know what?" He pulled you close by the waist. "Maybe it's not so bad when you do it."

‎ 

You snickered.

‎ 

"You're just saying that because I almost died."

‎ 

A mischievous smile painted his previously callous features. No matter how much he tried, flirting just wasn't Yoru's thing. That much you could tell. But teasing definitely was.

‎ 

"Fine, guess I'll ask Sage to join me for the date I had in mind."

‎ 

The word 'date' immediately snatched your attention.

‎ 

"Wait. Okay, fine, let's hear it. What's the idea?"

‎ 

"Hanami's coming up and... I haven't celebrated with another person in a while. Wanna join me?"

‎ 

Hanami? That's right, it was the first of May; the trees must've bloomed already, and the celebration must've started. You beamed at this and completely disregarded your sore arm.

‎ 

"Is it just the two of us?"

‎ 

"Tch, yeah. I have a good spot booked and everything. There's this one old lady that sells the best dango, I'm thinking of going to her again this year. If, um, again, you don't have to, but–"

‎ 

You gently elbowed him with your good arm. Even then, he could barely feel the pain you intended him to feel.

‎ 

"Don't say that, yes I am. We're going. Where's the spot?"

‎ 

"Don't you need a minute to rest?"

‎ 

You proudly gestured to yourself.

‎ 

"I'm well rested. Don't I look like it?"

‎ 

Yoru stared at you for a few seconds.

You looked dishevelled. It was natural for someone who danced with death mere hours ago, but the confidence you radiated made it look like it was just the wind after a pleasant jog up a hill. He couldn't help but agree, and that was made obvious from the slight shimmer in his usually narrow eyes.

‎ 

"If you say so."

‎ 

You moved towards him.

‎ 

"So, where's the spot?"

‎ 

"Kitanomaru park–"

‎ 

The words were lodged in his throat once you took his hand in yours, pulling him out of the patient room and into the hallways. If you keep walking down this hallway, you'll eventually pass by someone who'll see you both like this. But he worked to convince himself that he didn't really mind...

You met his gaze with a warm smile, before pulling him close to you.

‎ 

"That sounds amazing."

‎ 

Just the thought of spending the day with Yoru on that river sounded like some kind of paradise only few would achieve. Fortunately, you were one of the 'few', and you were about to enjoy it as much as possible.

You knew what that day would entail, and you were ready for it.

[moondal514]

Some fic reading numbers to wrap up 2024

In 2024, I’d say my fandom habits could be summarized into this: 1) ya girl had a danmei phase (though really, considering that my chief loves in media are historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, and queer love stories with the occasional dash of gothic horror, the better question is why didn't I have a danmei phase sooner lmao), 2) baby’s 1st shounen fandom, and 3) vampires. And of course I’m still haunting my usual AFTG corner, though not as much as years previous.

In 2024, I bookmarked on ao3 1468 new fics for 55 fandoms, though only about 1074 of those were public bookmarks (jfc you can really tell that I was reading a lot of fic to cope with the horrors). The fandom I read the most for was IWTV, managing to unseat MDZS as my most read-for fandom this year, accounting for about 178 of those new bookmarks.

Below is a multi-fandom list of 10 of my favorites of all the fics I read in 2024. I limited myself to only choosing fics that are complete and standalones cuz otherwise I prob wouldn’t be able to limit it to only 10. If there’s one takeaway I think I can take from this list, it’s that this year I was very into experimental formats (somehow every other fic on this list is experimental somehow lol)

In no particular order:

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

the body you become by binkslug

Because you are now a monster made from the rubble of what you wanted, know the taste of greed and wish the world wouldn’t tell you to run, you are worried. But I have loved you my whole life, before the idea of you. Before the world could speak riddles in your ear. I will love you until you ask me not to.

A huge emotional gut-punch chock full of older sister feels

Fandom: Dungeon Meshi

the end of desire by rubiginosa

The magician lords of the dungeon: a triptych.

Literally the entire time I read this I was just thinking a litany of “omg omg omg omg omg”

Fandom: The Locked Tomb

necro elysium (yuck!!) by flemeth/ @mercyisms

"ALARM [Challenging: Success] — Something is wrong. Missing.

YOU — Your body vies for your attention in sudden, competing aches. And! Everything!! Hurts!!!

INDIGNATION — Ugh! What idiot invented the shoulder! What mega-idiot invented shoulder pain!!"

Or: Mercymorn and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. A Disco Elysium AU.

Absolutely phenomenal and heartbreaking character study in a super cool format

Fandom: Interview with the Vampire

Sweet Mephistopheles by cyranonic/ @cyranonic

He would prefer to have Louis more accounted for. He would prefer to never worry about accounting for Louis ever again. Therein lies the kernel of conflict that has rubbed raw within him for all of his years—to cede control somehow without ever losing it.

--

Five snapshots of Louis and Armand's seventy-seven years together. Armand guards the gates of their paradise. Daniel nevertheless slithers through.

Prob my favorite Armand characterization I’ve read so far

24 items from the collection of A.M. (1974 to 1985) by volkswagonblues/ @volkswagonblues

Here, in this Parisian hospital room, Alice and Armand begin their last collaboration: Daniel’s life story. They’re putting it together; no, they’re taking it apart. Events take place, relative to other events. One damn thing after another. But that’s how all stories work.

In 1973, Daniel Molloy meets a stranger in Polynesian Mary’s.

In 1974, he meets Alice and they move to New York City together.

In 1985, he proposes to Alice, who says no. Who says yes. Who says—

-

24 items (more or less) from the A.M. collection, spanning 1974 to 1985 (more or less). Presented with their accompanying manuscript.

I don’t have enough words to describe how this fic blew me away

Fandom: All For the Game

i'd promise you anything for another shot at life by orionauriga/ @orionauriga

Let’s go back. Andrew would like that. All this time claiming regret is a foreign concept and here it hesitates on the tip of his tongue — this, the one time he would say such a thing: if I could go back and change it, I would. Maybe then his brother would still be here. — Just because Aaron died on the upstairs bathroom floor doesn’t mean he’s entirely gone. At least, not to Andrew.

My phone broke in spirit from the amount of internal tears this one had me shedding

it lives in the throat by timeloops/ @billdenbrough

Legally speaking, for a few hours, Aaron Minyard is dead in that car.

Luther Hemmick, the next-of-kin to one Tilda Minyard, 35, pronounced dead in a car accident, is contacted by the relevant authorities. He says, Tilda and Aaron had left our house in an emotional state. He says, Aaron was a good boy. He says, What a tragedy.

Yeah, Aaron thinks. Real fucking sob story.

—

Andrew dies in the car crash too. Aaron picks up the pieces.

I still haven’t recovered from this fic if I’m being honest

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi

Monster Theory (Seven Theses) by mongrelmind

When Nie Huaisang is kissing him, Meng Yao wishes he would just cut off his head and be done with it. Keep it in a locked room, twist his eyelids open so his soul can never rest, gag his mouth with iron and spikes if he has to, but just end it either way. Or: Meng Yao comes back from the dead. Things get worse.

Had me screaming the whole time I read it

star-maps, like fireflies by northofallmusic/ @northofallmusic

There was a year when the star-maps went dark, and Wei Ying went dark with them.

This is a different year. Something different is about to happen.

Gorgeous gorgeous prose omg

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Choke. by valleykey/ @valleykey

Slowly but surely, Suguru builds his boiling pot in the yawning mouth between ideal and reality.

/// an unconventional format Getō character study with some reader interactive elements. Diverges from canon after Shibuya.

Not even exaggerating a little bit when I call this one of the best things I’ve ever read in my life

-

As always, thank you to all you fanfiction writers out there for blessing us readers with your wonderful stories. Cheers to a new year of fanfiction reading!

[kierancaz]

The way I’m literally about to fight and bring the facts to this TikTok comment section because people can have their ships but also can y’all realize that certain characters have certain functions and they may not be big functions that’s ok. Cause like someone posted a video of Miles and Margo of their 30 second interaction with like pieces of the script layered over it and like yah you can see the vibe between these two but ALSO Margo has two functions 1) make Gwen jealous the way Hobie makes Miles jealous and 2) don’t hit the button on the machine and let Miles go back to his own dimension.

“I WANT THEM TO BE TOGETHER SO BAD !!!!” Why? Literally why? Margo has no character, has had a total of like 1 minutes screen time, and 1 scene with Miles.

People trying to use the spider-resonating as something to prove they should be together when that happens to everyone when they meet another spider-person?? Someone commented that in a book or smth it says Margo finds Miles cute which I think in her short screen time they get across really well.

But it just baffles me because like, Gwen and Miles are set up so perfectly. To me they’re on the list of ships I could never break for anyone else and that’s like two other ships. What is it that you see in Margo and Miles besides them idk looking cute together??

Scrolling through these comments is making me actually insane someone said that they were mad at Gwen for pulling Miles away like she owns him and said “and then you have ppl on tiktok acting like it wasn’t weird” ???? GIRL THEY ARE IN A RUSH TO GO MEET MIGUEL ?? GWEN IS CLEARLY STRESSING LIKE THIS WHOLE WALK ???

And then literally the creator of the og tiktok replied to them and said “the whole fandom likes to think Gwen owns Miles- I know the reason, but that’s for another discussion” and then when someone called them out for making everything about race they said they didn’t and that the person calling them out was making it about race like ?? You know don’t actually have to say the words “race” or “black” or “white” to make something about race? Your insinuation was clear as fucking day.

And also, because I did comment what I said earlier about Margo being to Gwen what Hobie is to Miles, someone replied saying that Hobie and Gwen see each other as friends and it’s obviously not the case with Margo and Miles and that they have a connection that will probably be explained in btsv.

I’m sorry. But I think you’re wrong. Hobie is super interesting and layered and I love him for that but he also serves two main functions (the creators just decided to give him much more depth with his five minutes of screen time, which I’m sure they would’ve done with Margo too if she had 5 minutes of screen time). Those functions are 1) make Miles jealous and 2) make the watch for Gwen so that when she gets booted back to her world by Miguel she can still travel dimensions.

Yes we know Hobie and Gwen see each other as friends but Miles does not. What Miles knows is that Gwen for the last however many months she has been in the spider society has been hanging out with some guy called Hobie that she thinks is super cool and he lets her crash in his dimension. What Miles knows is that Hobie is actually super cool and despite not wanting to like him because of Hobie’s relationship he does because he’s just that cool. He knows that Gwen took his shoes and left her sweater at his place and her toothbrush. He knows they’ve been on a couple dozen missions together. He knows that Hobie calls Gwen “Gwendy” and “my drummer” which while we may not have picked that up in a romantic context Miles in his little tiny jealous teen brain could have.

And also. When Miles hears any of that information is it very clear that he is NOT happy about it. It’s very obvious that he is jealous of Hobie. What Margo does is that same exact thing for Gwen but in a much shorter span of time and with much less build up because that’s all they really have to work with. And they get that Miles and Margo have chemistry across great.

But over all, there is no real reason to ship them. Because Margo has almost no character depth and almost no scenes and no real relationship with Miles in like any way. I’m not even sure you could call them acquaintances at this point. It feels like the only reason people ship them is because they’re two black characters.

Anyway thank you for coming to my ted talk ig.

[kelpweedkelpweedingkelpweeds]

Reading analysis about Cal while screaming into the void known as an empty room and here to publish my unneeded thoughts about my blorbo.

Cal deserved more screen time, he deserved more chapters of his POV and honestly VA did him so dirty 😔

Because our dear RQ characters are definitely unreliable narrators, the reader’s perception of characters is based on their own POVs and how other characters perceive them. Unfortunately, every character describes Cal as a lovesick puppy, a mopey matchstick, a dense moron and everything in between. It's not that these are wrong, they're part of his character, but these are incredibly surface level traits which leads to the general perception of Cal’s character being superficial, bland and boring. It seems like his only purpose in the story is to be Mare’s love interest because Maven betrayed her.

However, he has a whole lot of untapped potential. My man did not get betrayed by Mare, betrayed by his brother, find out his mother was murdered buy Elara, get forced to kill his own father, lose everything he had and got sentenced to execution all in 1 day for people to call him boring. Honestly, when I listed it out like that, I truly realised how crazy the whole situation was. Within the span of a day he lost any form of stability he had even known in his life, and found out that one if not the closest person to him (maven) was a lie. If that isn't traumatic, I really wouldn't like to hear whatever other definition of trauma there is out there. I think the only reason we very much overlook Cal's trauma is because 1. It happened in real time, 2. He's no longer a child, 3. We didn't see it from his POV and 4. In this scene he and his father are technically the "bad guys".

Here's the thing though, he has never talked about it. Not once. Never. The closest we ever saw this man to losing his mind was when he was planning the Corros prison break. He'd never mentioned this trauma from any POV, not even his own. Maven told Mare about how Elara messed up everything in his brain, and how he never recovered from it. For Cal, we never found out how he dealt with it and how close to the brink of insanity he was. If he ever just felt like exploding and destroying everything. Nobody except Mare ever asked him if he was ok. He had every right to go mad. But he didn't. Some miraculous way, Cal managed to maintain some semblance of sanity and that is unimaginable mental strength like holy shit.

Another way too glossed over plot point was why he chose the crown over mare in the epilogue of KC. This one I get genuinely frustrated over sometimes because there were so many reasons for him to make that decision. I know many people have talked about this before but I'm just going to repeat it 1. It's the best political move in the situation. Cal isn't stupid, no matter how many people seem to think he is. He knows better than to let the place of King open for anyone to snatch up and that it was the only way the Silvers and the Scarlet Guard would ever work together. 2. To him it's his moral obligation. Cal's loyalty and sense of duty is a huge part of his character. All his life he's been told it's his responsibility, his destiny to become king and serve the people. Not only that, the crown is his family's legacy and considering the fact that he was the one to behead his own father Cal likely feels even more morally obligated to become king. The words he said to Mare, "I love you and I want you more than anything else in this world". He uses the word "want", but how can a want, a desire ever compare to what he believes is a need, an obligation? It's not that he didn't love mare enough like Evangeline suggested, or that he fell prey to the power's lure like Mare insinuated in the epilogue. He did what he full heartedly believed was right, and unfortunately this was barely touched upon in war storm which made me want to tear my hair out.

This yap session is nearly done, just hold on a bit longer. The last thing that DEFINITELY should have gotten more words was his ultimate decision to abdicate. All we got was him reading Coriane's diary, Evangeline telling him "if it's not too late for me, it's not too late for you" and then the decision. WHERE'S THE IN-BETWEEN THOUGHT PROCESS? He read through Coriane's diary and realised that she wanted her son to have a different life, and of course he probably had some thoughts about it. Considering how he knew the Scarlet Guard and Montfort weren't with him, how he still loved Mare, perhaps realizing what his life could have been with an alive mother was what tipped him over the edge. Perhaps it was loyalty to his mother he never had the chance to know, loyalty to the little of her forever bound in a gold-covered book that conquered all. Maybe he asked Julian who seemed to want him to reconsider his decision as king, but we'll never know because it wasn't written 😭😭😭

Cal is incredibly kind, loyal, warm, passionate, motivated, and indecisive, and I love that about him. His story could have been a tragedy, a prodigy put on a pedestal that had everything and was forced to be everything, reduced to nothing in an instant. But it wasn't. He found love in a girl that took everything from him, and rebuilt himself a far better life from the ashes of nothing. Normally the circle between characters I like and characters I respect rarely overlap, but somehow this 6'3 adorable ass dork stuck himself straight in both and this is why I will defend what his character is and could have been. Thank you for attending my Tedtalk, it's literally all my thoughts about this man exploding into text and falling onto a Tumblr post.

This is me getting distracted from writing Fated god send help I just can't stay on track

Funny story I wanted to copy this essay into a document for fun just to see how many words and guess who highlighted a portion of it and clicked space by accident. Hahaha (that whole thing was 1000 words btw I need to learn to shut up)

[inkstainedwanderer]

I told myself this would not be a blog for arguing but...

A wheel is not going to help a grocery list. Nor can it take input like "I'm feeling something like this dish, but I dont have time and my partner has an allergy" and give you an alternative you may not have thought of.

We've cliff notes'd things for ages but they dont always have the info you want or includes info you dont. I'm horrible at notes because of attention span issues and this seems like an appropriate tool/alternative than copying someone's notes or trying to find something online. The repetition from you inputting your prompt can even help with memory because writing down IS proven to be helpful even if you lack the attention/organizational skills for note taking.

I am great at google, but you're lying to yourself if you havent noticed that google is becoming increasingly difficult to get answers you want from proper sources and not just websites that paid to be higher in the listing. Page 2 is no longer the hidden gem of info that it once was and sometimes we dont want to hyperfixate all day on something we wondered in the middle of the night. And if you arent sure how to word your search you may not get anything helpful at all.

Calculators cant help show the work or break down the problem. If you input something wrong you'll get a wrong answer and have no idea why. Maybe you were looking for a percentage and put in the wrong symbol because fuck percentages. Maybe your brain cant wrap around the idea of decimal points or you dont have the skills to do something more complex than simple math. Not everyone's brain is suited for mathematics.

AI has it's problems, but most agree that the issue is with people using it as the end product to be lazy. These people arent doing that. They're using it as a tool to make something they feel deficient in a little easier.

When I was in college for CompSci, the head of the whole tech department was one of my teachers. He told us during exams to use our books and google. Why? Because if we have an issue in the real world we need to know how to best use our tools to solve the answer rather than bemoan not being smarter or committing a class lesson to memory. The smart thing to do is to find the answer with whatever means we have.

So no, they aren't stupid for using a tool the way it's meant to be used. They're clever for figuring out a way to make something work for them that wasnt working before.

Now, if you want to argue ethics, that's something different but even so, the only harm what these people are doing is using a tool you dont want used. That is an issue because AI isnt going anywhere. Balking isnt going to make it go away. Rather than outright wanting it gone, the focus should be on teaching people to use these tools ethically and responsibly and supporting models that have been ethically trained.

I used ChatGPT recently when making stickers for my friends' wedding. I had the idea and the skill to make everything, but puns are not my strong suit and i wanted a pun in place of certain text. Google isnt going to help me there. Crowd sourcing ideas would, but I didnt want to wait days for an answer that fit, so I told the AI my plan, the theme, ideas, and what sort of things I was looking for and it gave me great results. None were perfect but with minor tweaking on my end I walked away with some cute puns. The couple are excited for the stickers, I'm happy with my contribution. 10/10 I would turn to AI for similar ideas again.

[nortnaibz]

if we dont get to talk to them abt the house on wednesday im seriously going to lose it <3

[newronantic]

HAIKYUU!! FICS

so this is mostly gonna be for myself to keep track of my favorite fics i’ve read, but hey if anyone else wants to check some of these out then thats great

MHA one is up!!

ill keep updating this as i read more, feel free to send me suggestions!

KageHina

plain as day - emleewrites

In which Hinata has spent the better part of the last twenty years putting his heart and soul into volleyball, hoping to be recognised, to be noticed. And yet he spends all these years also thinking of himself as rather plain, beyond his lack of height and bright hair, and not really noticeable at all.

In Transit - Mysecretfanmoments

Hinata finds that he likes standing close to Kageyama on buses and trains. It doesn't mean anything--probably. Maybe.

I like the way your clothes smell - Mysecretfanmoments

Power outages, ghost stories, and the presence of a certain orange-haired boy lead to bad decision-making on Tobio's part. He'd planned to keep his crush a secret; the universe has other plans.

Chaotic Neutral - akaraka

Who's this Kageyama person on twitter and is he gay?

1: Anonymous: see title

2: Anonymous: curry king

3: Anonymous >> 1: It's the curry king, obviously. Have you been using his memes this whole time without knowing who he was?

4: Anonymous: 1) Hinata Shouyou's boyfriend 2) See above

jellyfish - mysterytwin

At the beginning of his last year at Karasuno High School, Hinata Shouyou starts a list and calls it THINGS TO DO BEFORE GRADUATION, all with high hopes that he’ll be able to complete it before his time runs out.

TsukkiYama

Try This On For Size - CloudMonsta

A lot changed for Yamaguchi Tadashi over the course of high school. He started trying on dresses, for one.

The Great Yamaguchi-Tsukishima Split (Capitalization Necessary) - WyYeuw

"But no, the current situation isn’t normal. This situation requires the full attention of the team.

No, what’s really concerning this time around, is that Yamaguchi is the one ignoring Tsukishima.”

Yamaguchi confesses. Tsukishima fucks up—like, really fucks up. The volleyball club notices and loses a week’s worth of practice.

IwaOi

Terrarium - sausaged

He's practically a professional at being proactive (lies, lies, and lies when it comes to Iwaizumi).

At this point, is he really happy with just staying best friends forever? Will he be writing journals and collecting rocks forever (he will, he knows, but that is aside from the point)?

Can he really tag his Instagram photos with #YOLO if he doesn't actually put that phrase into practice?

A story about Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime, plants, and rocks.

They Say it Rain Diamonds on Jupiter - exsao

"You're in love with him."

Hajime considers denying it. He considers deliberately choking on his drink to express surprise, to create a distraction by spitting onto the man in front of him's pristine white shirt and causing a commotion. Instead, he swallows his mouthful of soda and heaves a small sigh once his mouth is free.

"Yeah," he says instead.

He's never been good at lying, anyway.

bait and switch - Stylographic_Blue_Rhapsody

Oikawa's university volleyball team knows he's in a long-distance relationship with someone from high school. They imagine a sweet-faced girl that matches his sarcasm with patience. They are so incredibly wrong.

my heart is where it’s always been - foreverautumn

Iwaizumi places his phone down carefully.

Oikawa. Pining after someone. There’s no way.

(Iwaizumi knows he shouldn’t care who Oikawa might have feelings for, but within the span of three days, it’s somehow the only thing he can think about.)

KuroKen

Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life - todxrxki

Kuroo Tetsurou runs a private Twitter account where he's constantly tweeting about how desperately in love he is with Kozume Kenma. Little does he know that Kenma sees all the tweets and keeps referencing the account in an attempt to get Kuroo to confess to him. / Or, five times Kuroo didn't notice Kenma hinting about his private Twitter account, and one time he finally did.

the things that get caught in the valves of his heart - ghostpot

Emotional competency is not exactly Kuroo's strong suit. Kenma finds it quite amusing.

Accidentally In Love - todxrxki

Kuroo frowns, but then slowly, the corners of his mouth lift up into a smirk. "Well, if it's so unbelievable, why don't we give it a try?"

Kenma glances up at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Let's do the 36 questions to fall in love," Kuroo says, still smirking stupidly. "If we don't fall in love, then you're right, it's bullshit. But if we do somehow..." Kuroo waggles his eyebrows. "Then I win." / Kuroo decides he and Kenma should do the 36 questions to fall in love as a joke, but they both start to realize they might actually be in love already.

the galaxy is endless (i thought we were, too) - cosmogony

TW: major character death

Kuroken AU where the last words your soulmate will say to you appear on your skin when you turn 16, and how Kenma and Kuroo learn what this means over the course of their lives

even if you’re ahead for a bit, i will catch up - ghostpot

Kuroo first confesses when they're sticky-fingered, wide-eyed kids, and subsequently every day after that. Kenma takes a while to come around.

you’re the brake lines failing (as my car swerves off the freeway) - ghostpot

Kenma thinks that Kuroo looks ugly with his head bent against the arm of the couch like that. Then Kenma thinks that he wants to marry him, and is promptly thrown into the 5 stages of grief.

teach me the way home - icespyders

“Don’t go far off, not even for a day, because —

because — I don’t know how to say it: a day is long

and I will be waiting for you, as in an empty station

when the trains are parked off somewhere else, asleep.”

Kuroo and Kenma grow up in transit.

in this universe - crossbelladonna

Living with Kuroo is sometimes, just like this. It always feels surreal like he's living half a world and a lot of things rush by too quickly. Kenma feels like he'd watched him come and go in a blink, eyes wide and wordless as the shared space went snug in an instant and far larger in the next.

All this, and a glass of water.

Beginning’s End - todxrxki

Somehow over the course of Kenma's lifetime, he’s never really had an opportunity to miss Kuroo. He’s always been there. Even when they went to different schools, Kuroo would meet him afterwards so they could walk home together, shoulders brushing, Kuroo occasionally taking the opportunity to guide him when his nose was buried in the newest video game. The thought of Kuroo not being there anymore is uncomfortable, to say the least. / Kozume Kenma's third year and the changes the year brings in himself and his relationship with Kuroo Tetsurou.

All I Want for Christmas is You - todxrxki

“Kuro,” he says. “You’re a single guy.”

“Yeah, great, thanks for pointing that out.”

“And my parents already know you, plus they already know you like guys or whatever so… what if you pretended to be my date for Christmas dinner?” / In which Kenma recruits his housemate and best friend Kuroo to be his fake date for Christmas.

BokuAka

just to miss the sun - rosevtea

Everything begins to implode when MSBY Jackals outside hitter Bokuto Koutarou crashes Akaashi's livestream.

Operation BokuAka - kazzydolyn

After spending two whole years watching Bokuto and Akaashi pine for one another, the rest of the Fukuroudani Volleyball Club has had enough. When everyone meets up for a reunion dinner, the team decides to play matchmaker and finally get the two of them together. Unfortunately, their plan starts to fall apart when they discover that Akaashi is already dating someone. And apparently so is Bokuto. What a strange coincidence.

bitter - silvercistern

He accepted his classmate's chocolates gracefully, then declared his lack of interest with as much dignity as he could muster. She deserved the courtesy. At least she'd acknowledged that Valentine's Day was all about her, and not about him in the slightest.

Because if any of these girls had taken the time to actually get to know him, they’d quickly realize something even more important than his lack of interest in girls.

And that was that Akaashi hated sweets.

In Another Life - LittleLuxray

TW: major character death

Sleeping didn't come as easy as it used to. Bokuto knew this, and now Akaashi did, too.

The hospital AU that no body asked for, but that I took upon myself to write.

120% yes - pissedofsandwich

TOKYO FRANCHISE COMING SOON @OnigiriMiya

in reply to @bokkun_official 

Congratulations! In celebration of your historic engagement, please DM us so we can send you a free membership code with a 25% discount on every fourth purchase!

Kissing Ace - karasunovolleygays

It happens right after training camp.

Akaashi Keiji has a secret he has guarded since he was a child. He won’t go so far as to call it a fear, but more of an aspect of himself of which he is horribly mortified. No one on the team knows about it, and Akaashi does his best to keep it that way.

But years of dodging hugs and casual contact come to naught in the blink of an eye and the swipe of a hand.

daisy rings and frivolous things (i am deliriously in love with you) - gabstar

Akaashi Keiji is in love. Bokuto Koutarou is a star. Everyone on Fukurodani has a gambling problem.

SakuAtsu

The MSBY Black Jackals Read Thirst Tweets - isaksara (syailendra)

Sakusa’s eyes are very dark naturally, sucking in all surrounding rays of light and crushing them in his pupils. For an athlete, he is rather pale. His lips look very pink in comparison. Atsumu is suddenly catastrophically aware that in this instance, ‘accent’ is a euphemism. “Good enough for your Olympic-size ego, Miya?”

(In which Atsumu realizes that he is attracted to Sakusa Kiyoomi in the most inconvenient way possible.)

A Liar’s Truth - internetpistol

In which Sakusa Kiyoomi is raised to believe that gay people go to hell but then takes one look at Miya Atsumu and thinks, then why the hell did God make them so fucking hot?

[foli-vora]

more than words, pt.3

A/N: Thank you for all the love! 🥺🥰 overwhelmed by the reaction I’ve had to this story! Super excited that so many of you are coming along for the ride! There is a tag list for this—let me know if you’d like to be added! (I apologise if I’ve missed anyone!) I hope you enjoy! ❤️

Pairing: Francisco ‘Catfish’ Morales x f!reader, best friend!Benny Miller x f!reader

Word count: 3.3k

Warnings: swearing, alcohol, general first date nerves that trigger my anxiety x10

pt.1 / pt.2 / pt.4 / pt.5 / pt.6

+

He was trying to listen. He really was, but God, how many times can you hear the same thing over and over and over again before you start to drift away from the conversation? He knew the answer. He had a very short attention span when it came to certain subjects – he’ll admit that freely – so when you continued to gush about his best friend, his main man, naturally his attention fell to the couple seemingly having an argument by their truck in the parking lot. Hmm… wonder what they’re fighting about? He purses his lips, watching the girl deliver one hell of a slap across her boyfriend’s face and strut away, tears streaking mascara down her face. Cheater. Definitely a cheater.

“Benny? Are you even listening to me?”

His eyes roll back to you, taking in your narrowed eyes and angry chewing as a slice of pizza dangles from your hand. Was he listening? Well, he did for the first few minutes… does that still count?

He finally answers, tone flat and uninterested. “No.”

“Ben.”

He shrugs, gesturing to the scene outside the window with a flick of his head. “Malibu barbie just smacked the shit out of her beau.”

Your head snaps to where he was looking, shamelessly curious. “Cheater?”

“That’s my bet.”

You both fall quiet, watching the strangers play out a scene that really should belong in a cringe-worthy daytime reality show while you chew. It’s almost depressing, how eagerly you both watch someone else’s life seemingly crumble in public. But the longer they scream and cry, the longer they yell and fight, the harder it is to tear your eyes away.

“Shit.” Benny sighs, reclining in the booth and stretching his arms up and behind him once the couple in conflict goes their separate ways. “That was the most interesting thing that happened to me all week.”

“Not me,” you sing with a smile, fondly remembering the phone calls and texts you had been sharing with Frankie the past few days. Benny sighs in irritation, neck cracking as he rolls his head on his shoulders.

“I swear, if you talk any more about Fish, I’m gonna throw myself out of this fuckin’ window.” He levels you with a challenging stare, lips twitching as you eye the glass critically. “I’ll do it, too. Try me.”

Deflating, you sag in your seat and fiddle with the peeling label on your beer bottle, realising with a wave of slight shame that you had been talking about Frankie ever since you sat down at the table. “I’m sorry, Benny. I’m just excited. He seems really cool, and nice, and –”

“Alright then.” He stands abruptly, kneeling on the worn leather to brace a shoulder against the glass panel with a look of severe concentration.

“Okay! I’m sorry, I’m sorry – sit down, you idiot!” Laughing loudly, you tug at his shirt until he sits with a lazy grin and you shake your head. “God, you are such a child, Benjamin.”

He snorts, pinching a cold fry from the basket in the middle of the table and waving it at you. “You love me.”

Grinning, you snatch it from his fingers, and chew it loudly, grinning at his pout. “I sure do, especially when you set me up with your gorgeous fri–”

He groans loudly, “Enough, woman. I’ll throw you out of this fuckin’ window in a minute. Get me another beer.”

-

“You’re callin’ the wrong friend, angel.” Benny drawls lazily, “I’m no good with these kinds of pep talks.”

“Benny, I’m freaking out, please –”

The car feels small, cramped. The open windows letting in the cool evening air does nothing for you trying to suck in a lungful of oxygen as you pull nervously at your jacket. Have you overdressed? Underdressed? What would he be wearing? You hadn’t been on a first date in months.

“Look, I can almost guarantee you he’s somewhere having this exact conversation with another friend of mine. You’re both stress heads. Just relax – he’s gonna love you.”

You stare vacantly at your steering wheel, swallowing around the lump of anxiety stuck in your throat. “I think I’m gonna puke.”

He snorts in amusement, “Well, if you’re gonna do it, do it now – puking on the poor guy isn’t a first date thing. And don’t forget to rinse your mouth out.”

Leave it to the younger Miller to make you feel ten times worse. “Oh God. Ben –”

“You’ll be fine. Now get out of your car.”

“But –”

“Get. Out. of your car.” He waits, listening intently to the mechanical whirr of your windows as they close, smiling when he hears the loud thump of your car door shutting. “There we go. Now breathe, and get marchin’ – you got this. And don’t call me again – I’m watching a fight. Pay per view isn’t cheap.”

“Right. Sorry. Thanks Benny.”

“Anytime, angel. Have fun.”

You ring your hands as you start walking the short distance to the bar, running through a last-minute check of your appearance. Nothing in your teeth. No stains on your clothes. You fidget with the hem of your skirt, brushing the non-existent dirt from the fabric and making sure it’s not horrifically tucked in to your underwear at the back.

Oh God, your palms are so sweaty. What if he shakes your hand? His hand will slide right off. He’d be mortified. Who even goes for a handshake on a first date anyways? You’re being silly. Everything’s fine. You look great. Did you put deodorant on?

The twisting of your stomach and panicked rush of thoughts thankfully pause when your eyes catch Frankie standing outside the bar, hands buried deep in his pockets and dark eyes flickering around at the passers-by somewhat nervously. When they land on you, the apprehension seems to melt from his shoulders and he grins. Unable to stop the smile creeping on your face in response, you now walk without the sick feeling of anxiety creeping up your throat.

He strides forward to greet you, and for a brief second, you wonder how you should greet him. It’s not like you were strangers, per se, you had been talking on the phone all week, but where did you stand in the physical sense? Certainly not a handshake.

Throwing caution to the wind, you bounce forward and greet him with a hug, hoping to high heaven he doesn’t push you away and call the whole thing off.

He doesn’t.

Inwardly screaming, you melt at the feeling of a pair of strong arms winding around your waist, a small quiet chuckle brushing past your ear. Oh shit, oh fuck… he smells divine.

“Hi,” you mutter shyly when you pull away, a flush of warmth flooding through you from top to toe when he smiles kindly and hovers only a step away.

“Hi,”

You can’t help but admire his features up close; the ones that were lost on the photo Ben had shown you when first trying to convince you into this arrangement. His eyes were a lot darker, tousled curls longer than they had looked when they were hidden under a well-loved hat. A light flush of pink sweeps up his neck and along his cheeks, and you watch it fondly with a wild flutter of your heart.

Okay, you could just stand here all night and stare at him, but that might freak him out a little… maybe try speaking. Talk. Just talk. Say something smart – something stimulating. First date impressions and all that.

“It’s fucking freezing.”

What? No. You did not just say that. Seriously? That’s what had to bubble from your mouth? Are you kidding?

You want to face palm, want to just turn around and march right back to your car with a text to Benny saying ‘thanks, but we can’t be friends anymore’ and just disappear from the face of the Earth. God, he’s going to give you so much shit for this.

Thankfully though, Frankie doesn’t seem bothered by your blurted out statement in the slightest, and even grins, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, it is.” He watches you shift on your feet, smile widening just a little more at the look of complete horror that had just washed your features before he had spoken, and then half turns, “Shall we?” Oh God, what was that? Pope’s gonna kill him. You’ve got his head in a complete spin and now he’s forgotten Pope’s whole pep talk. Shit. Shit. Be cool. Be cool... what the fuck does ‘be cool’ even mean?

The bar’s warm when you both walk in side by side, Frankie’s hand placed softly on your lower back as he leads you to the bar, and then through to a spare table, nestled out of the way and tucked into the farthest corner after he buys your drinks. He lets you sit first, and you’re pleasantly surprised when he stays close and, instead of sitting opposite you, he sits to your right, knees bumping yours softly under the table.

It’s not until you both sit, quiet and fiddling with your beers while sharing nervous smiles, that you remember something you had been meaning to ask all day.

“Oh. How did Mena’s appointment go?” You ask immediately, recalling his slight worry the day before over her slightly warmer than normal forehead and uncharacteristic crankiness. Your stomach plummets when he shoots you a startled look.

Oh no… have you blown it? Were you not meant to ask about kids on the first date or something? What were the rules for this kind of thing? You’d never dated someone with a baby, you had no idea what was okay to ask and what wasn’t. You guys had literally only just sat down, and here you were, ruining it already. That’s got to be the quickest end to a date, well… ever.

Panic creases your features and you frown in worry, “Sorry, should I – should I not have said anything? I’m sorry, I’ve never –”

“No, no – you’re fine! I just… I didn’t expect you to remember.” And then he smiles. Blindingly. The dread crushing your chest quickly morphs into something sweeter, something that has your heart quickening. “She’s okay – she’s getting her molars. Thank you for asking.”

You smile, turning bashful under the pure admiration shining in his eyes, and shrug lightly.

“It’s alright. I was worried for you.” You’re quiet when you admit it, unsure if that’s something you should be upfront about with only knowing him for such a short period, but he seems to take it in stride, smiling fondly at you and reaching a hand to cover yours softly. The immediate heat from his skin encompasses yours, shooting wave after wave of electric tingles up your arm and straight to your chest.

If your pulse was racing before, it’s downright wild now.

He flushes when your fingers part ever so slightly, letting his nestle in between yours, and then you’re smiling at each other, laughing quietly as the awkwardness all but evaporates.

You talk about everything. Growing up, moving around, Frankie’s time in the military being a pilot. You have so many questions, but pick up on the wave of tension that rolls through him at the mention of flying. For a short moment, you wonder why he didn’t want to talk about such an achievement – being a pilot was incredible, but not wanting to ruin the easy-going atmosphere that had fallen over you both, you leave the topic of flying instantly, and switch for talking about Mena, thankful to see the light return immediately to his eyes as he gushes about his little girl.

“Can I ask a question?” You ask sometime later in the evening, now comfortably closer to Frankie as your legs tangle under the table.

He hums, sipping on his third beer and nodding, “Of course.”

You watch your fingers play with his on the table, before grinning up at him slyly, “Why ‘Catfish’?”

He groans, throwing his head back with a chuckle, and wipes a hand across his face.

“My whiskers.” He finally admits with a playfully defeated sigh. When you frown in confusion, his grin widens, and he scratches his fingers along his jaw and through the patch of facial hair. “The guys used to give me shit because I can’t grow much more than this.” He gestures to his face, rolling his eyes. “Used to say I had whiskers – like a catfish, apparently.” He chuckles, shrugging light heartedly. “It just seemed to stick after a while.”

You’re laughing, and it keeps the smile planted firmly on his face. What a sound.

“Well, it’s an interesting nickname, but I think I prefer Frankie.”

He softens, unable to resist melting closer to you, and nods, “Me too.”

He likes the way you say it… sweetly, softly. He’s desperate to hear it fall from your lips more, in all sorts of ways.

Disappointment floods you both when you notice the late hour, Frankie explaining dejectedly that he should probably go and relieve his babysitter before said babysitter gets too comfortable with his refrigerator and the beer in there. You can hear the fondness in his voice when he tells you about his sitter for the evening, Mena’s tío – another close friend of Benny’s apparently – as you leave the bar, his hand automatically falling to tangle with yours.

“I’m this way,” you point a thumb over your shoulder, fully expecting to say your goodbyes outside the brightly lit bar, but frowning in slight confusion when he merely nods and starts to walk the way to your car.

“Oh – are you parked over here, too?”

He shakes his head, pointing to the complete opposite direction. “No, I’m over there. I don’t want you to walk to your car alone.”

Your insides turn to jelly, smiling to yourself as you grip his hand a little tighter. Thoughtful. He returns your smile, but hates that you seem so surprised by the notion of being walked to your car in the dark. What kind of losers had you dated previously that either didn’t walk you safely to your car?

“Thank you for tonight, Frankie.”

He grins, thumb rubbing soft circles over your knuckles. “Thank you – I had a great time.”

“Next time, it’s my treat.” You say, hoping you weren’t thinking too much of something that wasn’t there. Would he even want a second date? Was he just being polite saying he had a good time? Is that what people said before never calling them again?

Unbeknownst to you, Frankie was having a hard time reigning in the enthusiastic excitement that had flooded through him the second you had spoken. You wanted another date? With him? He had to mash his teeth together to stop the eager grin threatening to break his face completely in half. Thank God he hadn’t blown it. You were… God. You were fucking incredible. He owed Benny – big time.

“I can deal with that,” he eventually agrees, face warm and giddy at the prospect of taking you out again.

You turn and envelope him in a hug when you reach your car, breathing in one final lungful of whatever delicious aftershave he had used, and smile to yourself against his shirt when he folds his arms around you, a hand cupping the back of your head to keep you pressed tightly against him.

Pulling back to say one final goodbye, you’re struck by how close his face seems, eyes flicking across his face before meeting his dark ones.

Suddenly trapped in a gaze that had a fire licking up your spine, your breath goes in a stuttered exhale. Rough fingertips trace your jaw, and then you’re holding your breath entirely as he leans in closer. Anticipation kicks in, heart thumping through your chest as he closes the distance much slower than you would like, and you fight away the wave of impatience that screams at you to just push forward and kiss him.

You don’t expect him to stop however, only a breath away from your lips, and you panic for a small second, wondering if you’re doing something wrong, but when he murmurs a quiet question, it takes all the strength in your legs to not fall to the fucking ground in a lump of melted goo.

“Can I kiss you?”

God yes. Please.

Unable to stop the shy smile that tugs at your lips, you try not to nod too eagerly and definitely fail miserably. You want this, more than what you’ve ever felt with anyone else. Frankie had you feeling like a giddy teenager with a huge crush and you were desperate to feel more of it, to see where it goes and what it could develop into.

At your nod of approval, he moves in the rest of the way, hand moving to cup the side of your neck below your ear, and he sighs lightly when your soft lips finally meet his. The kiss is tender, warm, and does nothing to soothe your raging pulse. He can’t hear your heartbeat, can he? God, can you hear his? He briefly worries, but when your lips move against his, his mind blanks.

His moustache tickles your lip, nose bumps gently with yours. Your hands find his chest, fingers gripping at the soft material, and for a moment it feels like you two are the only ones in existence, floating in a hazy whirl of space.

You take a minute to open your eyes when he eventually pulls away, and when you do, you find him gazing at you with a shy smile and a rosy flush across his cheeks. Lashes fluttering as you blink, you try to get a hold of your heart beating heavily against your ribs while your lips tingle from the aftershocks of his kiss.

Holy shit.

Before you can even think it through, his shirt tangles in your scrunched fist and you pull him back to you, replanting your lips against his with a desperate urgency he meets head on and returns eagerly. His hands, previously gentle, now grip at your waist, squeezing the flesh greedily as you let him walk you back into the side of your car. The metal is cold, even through your jacket, and you arch into him, moaning softly when his tongue traces your lip.

Your knees buckle when his tongue tangles with yours, and he presses you harder into the car to stop you dropping.

“Holy shit.” He breathes huskily after separating, lips widening into a grin when he sees you mirroring his breathlessness. You giggle softly, the fire roaring in your stomach turning into an affectionate warmth that floods your system when he brushes his nose along yours tenderly. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Stop.” Your smile turns shy, teeth digging into your lips as he chuckles again, dark eyes shining. He watches you wrangle your breathing into something semi normal, glad he wasn’t the only one that got swept up and carried away with the moment. 

He traces your cheek, planting one more, less hungry and more affectionate, kiss to your lips.

“Goodnight, mystery girl.”

“Goodnight, Frankie.”

He backs away, face split as he smiles, eyes admiring you before he turns and starts to meander away to wherever he was parked, turning to look at you over his shoulder every few steps. You climb into your car, grinning at the final wave he sends you before disappearing around the corner.

Finally alone in your car, you let out the disbelieving chuckle you’ve been keeping in all night, face feeling hot as the aftereffects of such a great date rests pleasantly in your stomach, mind running through every little moment of the night. Starting your car, you start the drive home, unable to stop touching your lips every so often, insides clenching at the memory of his lips moving against yours.

+

Tags: @anu-simps @seasonschange-butpeopledont @withasideofmeg @you-got-me-starry-eyed @emilykjh @peterhollandkait @sara-alonso @starlightsearches @bookishofalder @empress-palpat1ne @shadowolf993 @rosiefridayrogersunday @canyonmirrors​ @eoz-stuff @blackonemasie​ @layniapetrovnaaa @alberta-sunrise @goldielocks2004 @betterthanbucky​ @linkpk88​ @afootnoteofhappiness​ @livilottie​

[heyredmoonstar13]

Fics recs

So, after 5 months, today was my last day of vacation. I didn't do anything productive but I read a lot of fanfiction, so, these are some recs (Victuuri edition)

Neither Can the Floods Drown It by isawsevenbirds (Rated T)

Phichit Chulanont doesn't hate many things. But he hates this sickness, hates the way it turns something as beautiful and vital as love against him.

Or, the Hanahaki AU which no-one asked for.

(Major Character Death, one-side phichuuri)

New Definitions for Life and Love by TokiDokiIchinose (Rated: T)

Viktor Nikiforov is a model known by anyone and everyone. On his off days, he spends his time visiting children in a nearby hospital. One afternoon, his life is changed, for the better or for the worst he can't tell just yet, when he meets Yuuri Katsuki. The new patient opens Viktor's eyes to something he didn't think was possible for himself. Love.

(Major Character Death, pain)

Hopelessly Devoted by nerdlife4eva (Rated: M)

As Yuuri adjusts to life in Russia as Viktor continues to be excited about the progression of their relationship. When Buzzfeed requests their participation in a love-themed Valentine's Day couples article, Victor jumps at the chance, dragging a reluctant (but loving) Yuuri along with him.

(Fluff fluff fluff)

Extra Cheese Please by senshoo (Rated: T)

Sometimes you get classy drunk at the Grand Prix Final banquet and win yourself a coach. Other times, you win him with snot running down your nose and half a Big Mac spilled down your chest.

(Or, the one where Yuuri sneaks away from the banquet in order to grief eat and Victor just sneaks away)

(Freaking lovely)

Never Doubt the Swiss by TrepidationChance (Rated: G)

“Ice Skating Champion, Viktor Nikiforov, has arranged a stunning Short Program that will bring him a possible sixth consecutive gold medal.”

AU where Viktor doesn't retire and skates 'On Love: Eros' to Yuuri with the whole world as an audience. AKA Viktor is still sulking about Yuuri's "rejection" after the Grand Prix Final and decides that revenge is sweet, especially if you're famous.

(Victor being petty and extra)

Looking for a rhythm like you by Cesare (Rated: M)

"I know we only really met yesterday, and this may be skipping ahead a lot," says Victor, "but would it be all right if we told people we're dating?"

(If you like misunderstandings this is for you, seriously)

Maelstrom by feelslikefire (Rated: E)

Victor Nikiforov is poised to win gold in his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final. He has the world at his feet, is unparalleled in the sport--right up until a snowstorm blows into Sochi, and he finds himself repeating the same day over and over and over. He stumbles over Yuuri Katsuki, and everything changes.

(Or, the time loop au. Loosely based on Groundhog Day.)

(One of the best 'time loop fics I've ever read)

Jason's Master Plan (to dating the Cute Asian Guy) by Qwertzu (Rated: T)

Jason Hesling, young ice hockey prodigy, rising star of Detroit Ice Tigers and part-time model, had a smile that made women and men alike weak at their knees. It’s been a while since anyone managed to catch his attention – until he met the Cute Asian Guy at Detroit Ice Castle and decided to become his next boyfriend.

Meanwhile, the actual Ice Tiger™ is having the time of his life watching the pretentious JJ-wannabe trying to charm the pants off the completely oblivious, happily married Katsudon.

(This is so freaking funny)

Yuuri Forgetting, by Viktor Forgot by Mats (Rated: M)

Viktor, now retired and acting as an assistant coach to Yakov, has fallen into a monotonous routine. Every day is the same and nothing excites him anymore. It’s not a hard life, but it’s not a fulfilling one. When he takes the wrong bus to the rink one morning, he meets Yuuri Katsuki, a former skater who may be able to give him just the thing he’s been missing... again.

A post-canon memory loss/Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind AU.

(Okay, okay, this is probably my favorite victuuri fanfic besides Rivals series, it has a lot of angst, I just wanna say poor Victor)

Rivals Series by Reiya (Rated: E)

Seriously, what is a list of Victuuri recs without Rivals?

I guess most of you alredy have heard of Rivals, but god, this is one of the best series of fanfics I've ever read in my entire life.

I remember reading it while "doing" my final peoject of Physical chemistry.

Btw, If you don't know Rivals, this is the summary of the first part Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches :

‘…Of all the rivalries in the world of sports over the years, perhaps none has become so legendary as that of Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov and his rival, Japanese Yuuri Katsuki…’

A single event changes the course of Yuuri’s life, throwing him into a bitter rivalry with Viktor Nikiforov that spans across his entire skating career. But as the years go on, rivalry and hatred begin to develop into something very different and Yuuri doesn’t seem to be able to stay away, no matter how hard he tries.

Hatred and love are two sides of the same coin and even though everything changes, some things are still meant to be.

Summary of part 2 Of Bright Stars and Burning Heart (my personal favorite) :

Viktor doesn’t remember the first time he met Yuuri Katsuki.

This however, is what Viktor does remember…

Part 2 of the Rivals series and companion fic to ‘Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches’. One small change alters the course of both Viktor and Yuuri’s entire lives, creating a rivalry that spans across many years and a world where they both tell a very different side to the story.

And this is it. I read a lot of fanfiction, so maybe I'll make a part 2 someday.

[caramel1mochi]

ぐちゃ ! (Splat!) [Yoru x F! Reader]

Heya everyone!

This is it, the winner of the vote! I totally didn't spend a few days trying to get the title right. Japanese people, don't come for me!

I kinda wish the Chamber one won (try saying that out loud) because I have so many good ideas for my KING but maybe after this one's done we'll get to him!! I don't blame people for voting for Yoru, though, he's so much more lenient and... just doesn't care, haha.

Anyway, this might be slow at first, what with how avoidant Yoru is, but I promise it gets good. Hope it's a good read!

❤ฺ·。

Yoru x F! Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 4.5 / Part 5 / Part 6

Genre: Fluff

Synopsis: Hapless doesn't even begin to describe you. With your life flipped upside down within the span of a day; you're left to rely on your best friend Tala to help you pick up the pieces and build the new one forced upon you. And this 'luck' seems to have caught the attention of one of her friends.

。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

To say you were unlucky would be a grand understatement. To also say this day had an awful start would be stupid, because that implied that your days usually had a good start. And if you were to list off all the things that went wrong, you’d be here for hours. Which is exactly what you and Tala did once your schedules for once aligned, and you met up at a cafe after so long.

Yep, that’s right. You spent hours explaining to her everything that went wrong this week. And with permission, she had a grand time laughing at some of the mishaps that made it look like you were cursed by the gods or something.

Tala caught her breath and lifted her head to meet your gaze, holding back tears.

“Wait, wait– let me get this straight, even with three warnings, your boss didn’t fire you?!”

“No joke, I’m as stumped as you.”

“And you’re also infamous for your misfortune with them! Didn’t you get this job just last week?”

You crossed your arms, smiling.

“I am now!”

“Okay, wait, hear me out– what if you’re really just cursed? Like, maybe you rejected some guy and he paid a witch to cast a spell on you.”

You rolled your eyes.

“Yeah? And Manuel said it’s because I didn’t ask my grandma for a blessing before I left, or I don’t pray hard enough.”

As you spoke, you grabbed your bag and placed it on the table, digging through it to find something.

“And this one time, his girlfriend gave me this to help me with my luck.”

You slammed a block of wood on the table, a splinter flying across the surface. And just the sight of it made Tala burst out in laughter again, quickly wiping away the tears that narrowly escaped. In fact, her previously dazzling pigtails had gotten more and more dishevelled throughout this conversation the more she laughed and struggled to keep herself together. Even people were starting to look.

“I’m scared to open the gift he gave me today. He said it’s supposed to ward off bad spirits–”

“There’s more?!”

You nodded, taking out a small black box and setting it in front of you on the table. This immediately drew her attention away from the wood. In fact, it concerned her.

“Wait, this looks like a… hold on, he wasn’t proposing, was he?”

“He has a girlfriend!”

She giggled, before stretching out the palm of her hand expectantly.

“Hand me that thing, I wanna see.”

“No! What if it’s a prank?”

“And? What’s the worst that could happen, confetti ruins your hair? Very scary.”

She pointed at your messy bob, not as well-kempt as her own hair. And not messy in a flattering way, it looked scruffy. The chaos that followed you ruined your day and your looks, so, at this point, why even bother?

“What if it’s something dangerous? Like, a snake or a spider, and it bites us?”

“Fine, okay, let’s go somewhere where we can open up the box safely. If it’s a frog, it’ll jump out, right?”

You stared at her for a second, then the present once more. The plan didn’t sound as bad. You’d have to open the thing eventually, right? Might as well do it right next to your friend, now.

Then, she grabbed the slab of wood and knocked twice, brows furrowed with a smile. This comforted you, in a way.

“Alright! Somewhere safe… I can do that.”

“Good, let’s go, I don’t have all day!”

She grabbed her drink, then you by the wrist and pulled you out before you could gather all your things. And of course, you left the slab of wood on the table by accident.

❤ฺ·。

You knew what she meant by that final comment. Out of all of your inconveniences, the worst thing that happened was Tala’s sudden disappearance. For months, all contact was lost, and nobody knew where she was. Even when she came back, she’d return for a few hours before disappearing again. Her answer? ‘Work’. 

But your mind instinctively focused on something much worse.

“Ow, ease up! My arm!”

She giggled awkwardly, quickly letting go. 

“Sorry, I’m used to being rough, you know?”

“You don’t say.”

A red rim formed around your wrist where she held you, and you rubbed it in annoyance. A little more pressure, and she could’ve easily broken your hand. Nevertheless, you continued down the path you both walked down on, your destination being a forest. Or, if you were lucky, some park right around the corner.

“You were so scrawny before you disappeared, Tala. Are you gonna tell me what this ‘job’ is, yet?”

“I don’t want to get in trouble if I do tell you.”

You raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t meet her gaze since she walked faster than you did. But somehow, she felt your concern rising, turning to look at you with an awkward expression. Maybe she should go back to practising how to keep secrets.

“Okay! Hear me out. You’re luckless, yeah? What if your luckless-ness… passes on to me, or whatever, then you discover what my job is by accident.”

That’s also mostly why people avoided associating with you, too, but that’s by the by. With an eye roll, you walked past her up the concrete stairs, making your way down the less dilapidated pathway. She quickly ran up behind you, somehow catching up to you within the blink of an eye. At first, you thought it was unnatural, but you got used to her speed.

“Come on, you can’t tell me the plan isn’t solid!”

“Solid like jelly, Tala. Let’s get this over with, I’m throwing the box away.”

“Lighten up, Y/N. Who knows, maybe this will turn your luck around?”

You slipped the box out of your bag again, walking up a small hill in a park you both entered a while ago. There were groups of people behind you, so you both purposely went to a spot where you’d both be alone.

“Last time I said that, I almost got diagnosed with diabetes!”

“That’s because you’re always freaked out, seriously!”

She stopped and spread out her arms, as if to tell you to observe the area you both found yourself in.

“Look at this park. It’s innocent and stuff. There’s even kids here! But I bet there’s still something scaring you about this place right now, yeah?”

You looked around, the ever so familiar sensation of anxiety creeping up on you, along with many possibilities of your death. But you also don’t want to let her have this win. 

“No way, I’m not scared. This place is nice.”

“Okay, open the box.”

You stared at her for a few seconds, before awkwardly giggling.

“Uh… What do you, what do you mean?”

“You’re not scared, right? So, open it!”

Tala gestured to the gift in your hand with an incredibly mischievous expression, watching her point get proven right just by the way your left eye twitched. Then, you looked down at the tiny object, mind running wild with possibilities. If it wasn’t a cobra that would lunge at you, what if it was the hatching eggs of a bug? Like, a roach or something, and it’ll burst all over you if you open it. Worse, what if it’s a bomb? Maybe a smell bomb that would make both of you pass out if you inhale too much. Wait, do those even exist?

You quickly handed it to her before your mind could come up with something else, smiling.

“You’re the muscular one, right? I’ll let you take care of it.”

She stared at you with a raised eyebrow, before rolling her eyes and taking it.

“You’re such a chicken, Y/N.”

“I’m not a chicken! It’s… heightened survival senses.”

Tala laughed, taking a few steps back and opening the box.

“Heightened survival senses?! Did your mom tell you that?”

She absolutely did. Of course she would, your mother would never outright call you spineless to your face. That would be rude… and unlucky.

“Shut up and open it.”

“I did, it’s just some bracelet!”

Tala tossed the object at you, the gold quickly bouncing the moonlight off of it moments before it landed on your hand. And she was right. It was just some bracelet, probably pawned or made up of fake gold. Or something like that.

Putting it on your right wrist, and you quickly sighed in disappointment at a new discovery.

“It doesn’t fit.”

You held up your hand and watched the accessory slide down your arm, dangling on your elbow. Of course, Tala simply gave you a wry smile at such an unlucky revelation. To be fair, the least Manuel could’ve done was get your measurements, but it seemed like he nicked some random bracelet and handed it to you as a joke.

“Look on the bright side, if it’s real gold, you can sell it.”

“Sure, we might even get to split the cash.”

She smiled and grabbed your wrist, fixing the bracelet’s position.

“No way, with your luck? You need the money more than I do. Who knows? Maybe you could invest in a mansion.”

“And then an earthquake comes and destroys the mansion.”

You turned your gaze away and sat on the grass. Well, sat is an elegant word, considering you just plopped on the ground and laid your chin on your hand. Tala noticed this, slowly stepping up and taking a seat right next to you, her eyes on yours. The mood seemed to have shifted, and she clearly got concerned.

“Yo, you’re not pissed about the bracelet, right?”

“Pissed? No way. It’s not that bad. On the bright side, I can use it to strangle Manuel when I see him tomorrow.”

You mocked her way of speech, and earned a giggle from her. Then, you heard buzzing around you, jumping and rapidly looking around. Tala noticed this, getting up alongside you with her ever-so-familiar dismissive eye roll.

“Relax, it’s just a fly.”

Just as she said that, a loud smack echoed through the air around you; and the bug fell onto the grass. You couldn’t help but sneer at this.

“Gross, you kill flies with your hands?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

You met her gaze, still harbouring the disgusted expression. Your friend, on the other hand, quickly got defensive.

“You know what’s even more gross? A fly laying eggs on you!”

“What?”

“That’s right. If you don’t kill it, it’ll land on your head and lay eggs. Then, they’ll be embedded in your skin forever.”

You laughed and jokingly elbowed her.

“That’s so filthy!”

“You’ll become a bug, Y/N! Trust me on that. You’ll grow wings, and big red eyes, and– and…”

She quickly turned her gaze away, putting one hand on her chin as she pondered.

“Hey, what do bugs do again?”

You raised an eyebrow. You weren’t even sure what they could do besides lay eggs and eat faeces, and probably vomit some acid to melt food, but you knew it wasn’t turning humans into one of their own. Then, you winced once you heard another buzzing around you, swatting the fly away. And, even though you were too embarrassed to admit it, you partly believed Tala’s egg theory. You stood up to slap the persistent bug away from you in fear.

“These stupid flies, they’re everywhere! Where are they coming from?!”

Tala simply watched you with a cheeky smile, not bothering to help.

“Hey, maybe they wanna lay eggs on you. Your hair might make a good nest.”

“Help me out?!”

She laughed, sitting with her legs crossed and angling her body towards you. Another fly appeared from nowhere, and they began to buzz around you. And despite your frantic waving, it didn’t help.

“I think I'll just watch. Don’t wanna gross you out.”

You started to grow angrier, the air letting out an audible whoosh as you slapped them away. 

And after a few seconds, Tala looked around in concern once she felt something stop around her.

“Gah! Get out of my face, you stupid son of a b–”

Then, a loud bang deafened both you and Tala; a strong gust of wind sweeping both of you off your feet. But with unnatural speed, Tala grabbed you and you held each other for safety.

And when you opened your eyes, terror surged through you.

[xwing-baby]

Impulse: Part 1 (Javier Pena x Reader)

Summary: Top of your class, the DEA have sent you to Colombia to be the poster child for their new ‘placement program’. You’re thrown in at the deep end into the drug war. With Agent Pena as your mentor, what could possibly go wrong?

Warnings: ANGST! Explicit drug and alcohol abuse from the beginning, depressive thinking/intrusive thoughts, swearing

Word Count: 4.8k

A/n: My first ever Javi fic, of course I had to make it the angstiest thing I’ve written in a long time!!  This is part one of the first part of the story which is also the end of the story... just had to make it confusing for you. 

Disclaimer: I do not have any experience with cocaine or addiction, all writing is based on my own research and is not a good representation of how it really is! Don’t do coke kids, it’s never good.

Part 2

---

Four in the morning, the sun was just above the horizon and you were stumbling home from yet another party. Enough tequila swam through your system that you didn’t really think about the wellbeing of your neighbor when you tapped on his door. You wanted to keep going. Javier, you decided, would make the perfect company. And maybe you could continue that kiss you had not stopped thinking about since it happened four months ago! You grinned devilishly at the thought and knocked harder on the door.

“Javi! Javier!” You rapped on the door. “Javier Peña, abra la puerta!” You sang, leaning all your weight on the door as your world span fast around you, “Javi,”

“What?” Javier opened the door suddenly, causing you to fall into him. You laughed as you caught yourself on his arm. You had woken him up, he was dressed in a wrinkled t-shirt and sweatpants with his hair bushy and wild. 

“Hola!” You grinned up at him, not hiding the way you checked him out. You were obviously drunk and high, eyes red and shining brightly even in the dim light of the apartment block hallway. Javi wrinkled his nose as the smell of you hitting him, tequila and cigar smoke clung to you.

“Again?” Javi sighed heavily. This was the third time this week you had woken him up, accidentally or on purpose, coming home drunk. He was starting to worry about you. 

“Si,” You grinned from ear to ear, You were in more of a state than last time. For one you were still speaking Spanish, something Javi had rarely ever heard you speak. You must have been with your local friends, he surmised. “No lo siento Javi. ¡Es divertido!”

“It’s not fun, you’re a mess. Get in here,” He pulled you by the arm into his apartment, shutting the door behind him.

“Eres enojado?” You asked, still grinning. You walked backwards into his apartment, tripping down the step and landing with a thud on his leather couch. You cackled with laughter.Javier frowned and put his hands on his hips, of course he was annoyed at you! It was four in the morning and you both had work the next morning. You dramatically flopped back on his couch and huffed at his grumpy attitude, “It’s only polite, Javi! They gave it to me!”

“It’s poison!! He exclaimed, “Why would you do that to yourself?” 

“It’s helping,” You proclaimed. 

“It’s not helping anyone, you’re gunna fuck up sooner or later.” Javi warned, as he had done many times before. 

“I got that list,” You protested, “That was helpful!”

“And what will you do when they work out that you stole it?” 

“No lo sé,” You shrugged. You reached into your pocket and grabbed the last of the coke you had been given. You wanted a little more. You pulled the tin out of your pocket and placed it on the coffee table at your feet.

“You-,” Javi started before he noticed what you were doing, instantly he was on you, “Para!” He exclaimed as he snatched the coke from your hand before you had time to open it. 

“Necesito!” You whined, pouting at him. You were lying, you didn’t need it. You wanted it, a lot. 

“No,” Javi snapped.

“Lo siento, Javi,” You pleaded with him, eyes locked onto the packet in his hand.

“You’re not though, are you? Fucking look at me!” He yelled. You startled and looked up at him as tears pricked your eyes. “Quit it. Now. You know what this shit does, stop it. Whatever you think you’re doing is not worth it, okay?”

“Pero-“

“No. Me vale!” He cut you off. “You’re better than this, Y/n,”

You sustained eye contact for a moment. The room was deathly quiet, he glared at you with fierce intensity. You had never seen him so angry, if you weren’t so drunk you would have instantly buckled under the pressure. The only thing your drunk brain could think of was how hot he looked, you wondered how rough he would be with you if he was this angry. You couldn’t help the snigger that crept up in your throat at that thought. You clamped your hand over your mouth to stop the laugh, Javi rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry!” You laughed, “It’s just you can’t look at me like that and not fuck me!” 

“Jesus christ,” Javier pinched the bridge of his nose. What little patience he had for you was running out fast. You continued to laugh. 

“Can I stay here?” You asked.

“Take the couch,” Javi waved you off, his back turned heading back to his bedroom. 

“I can’t sleep with you?” Your voice was laced with innuendo, he knew what you wanted. A part of him was tempted, your dress left very little to the imagination, but he knew he couldn’t do it.

“You’re drunk and high,” Javier said plainly, “and we’ve spoken about this before. No,” He was firm with you. He hated having to reject you for a second time but he wasn’t a complete monster. He wouldn’t sleep with you in this state. 

“Worth a try,” You laughed, thankfully giving up quickly. Javi shook his head and walked away again, “Muchos gracias, Javi,” You called after him. He shut the door. 

--

You woke up as the early morning sunlight pushed through the windows. You groaned and turned over, finding you were not in your bed but on a couch. Startled, you sat up and nearly screamed when you recognised the apartment as Javier’s. Luckily you were still fully dressed with your shoes still on, nothing had happened. Memories of how you got there were blurry, you remembered knocking on his door but had blacked out after that.

The clock on the wall said it was six am. You could go upstairs to your own bed clean up and hope that maybe Javi wouldn’t hear you and confront you about it. 

You stood up from the couch, trying not to think about all the things the man had done on it, and grabbed your jacket from the ground. As you stood up the strength of your hangover kicked in, you grumbled. That was when you noticed the discarded coke packet on the counter. You stopped. You knew you shouldn’t pick it up, you didn’t need it. But the taste caught at the back of your throat and you found yourself wanting it. It was undeniably addictive, you had promised yourself you wouldn’t take it this far but the foul substance had made its bed.

“Go home,” Javi’s voice broke you out of the trance. He was only wearing sweatpants, hair mussed up from sleep that you had most definitely disturbed more than once. He pulled the cocaine off the table and threw it into the trash before you could reach it. You gulped, shame rising like hot steam through your lungs. You grabbed your things and left, running straight upstairs to your own apartment.

It was still early but you knew you weren’t going to be able to sleep again. Shame was swirling up in your throat. How ironic that a DEA agent was addicted to the thing she was meant to be stopping? But you weren’t addicted, you reasoned with yourself, you were fine. This was no different to when you lived off Redbull for a month during finals, it was a matter of changing some coping mechanisms. It was a reaction to the stress of being so close to Escobar yet so still so far. You could change it, you had control. 

You made a coffee, instant and black. It was bitter and disgusting but it would keep you awake. You collapsed onto your tired old couch and flicked on the tv to a telenovela rerun. You barely understood what was going on but the hilarious overplayed drama was light enough to stop you swimming into the depressing pool of thoughts currently threatening to drown you. 

Eight o’clock came and you were ready to go to work. You were used to this routine now, hungover and tired, you knew you weren’t at your best but until this morning nobody knew about your slow descent into chaos. You weren’t surprised to find Javi’s truck gone without you. All you could remember from last night as how mad he was, and his face this morning only proved it. You dreaded seeing him. 

Luckily, you were spared the hassle of public transport by Steve who trundled down the stairs after you and offered you a ride. The conversation was light and everything seemed normal for a moment. You got to work, Steve ran off after a call from Javier leaving you with a mountain of paperwork to hunt through. For once you didn’t care, paperwork didn’t judge you.

A few hours passed and the boys returned. You did your best to ignore them while they bickered, hoping that you could melt into the background, until someone tapped on your desk. 

“Hey, I’m talking to you Rookie,” Javi’s voice made you look up. “Come on, we’re going,” 

Before you could say anything he threw your jacket at you and you had no choice but to follow him outside. You tried to rack your brain for why Javi would be taking you anywhere today, especially after this morning. You had expected him to ground you, to be impossibly angry at you, not take you out. You climbed into the passenger seat of the truck and Javi didn’t say a word. He didn’t look particularly angry, he looked stressed but he had looked like that since the day you got down here. He was silent, letting the radio play between you, when all of a sudden he reached over and turned it off. 

You looked over at him, expecting him to start his lecture but he didn’t. He let the silence sit between you for the rest of the journey. Somehow it was worse, you’d rather he got mad at you and shouted. It was just unsettling.

Finally you pulled into the embassy, you flashed your badges at the gate and parked. Fear was starting to grow now. Was he going to get you fired? He wouldn’t bring you down here for that surely? He would have called and said what he wanted, he hated coming down here unless he had to. You stayed quiet, too scared to ask, and followed him inside. 

Javi greeted the assistant at the door, as smooth as ever somehow managing to melt her in her chair in five seconds. You smiled and waved to her, she scowled at you as soon as Javi had turned his back. 

“He’ll be in a minute,” The girl called after you as you entered the Ambassador’s office. You took one chair, Javier took the other, in front of the large mahogany desk.

Unlike Steve and Javi you didn’t see the ambassador often, often left in the office while they had meetings about things higher than your post. Your heart was beating so hard in your chest you thought it might burst. You rubbed your hands on your jeans and fidgeted in your seat. Why in hell were you here? 

Before you could bring up the courage to finally ask Javi the Ambassador walking into the room. You stood up immediately to shake his hand, Javi stayed seated.

“Y/n, nice to see you again,” The ambassador smiled kindly as he shook your hand. “Agent Peña,” He greeted the agent next to you, who nodded casually.

“You too, Sir,” You tried your best to sound confident. The Ambassador sighed heavily as he sat in the leather chair, took a sip of the water at his side and began the meeting.

“So, I got the call from your coordinators this morning, they’re coming down on Monday for the review. I thought we should have this meeting together to discuss things before they come down,” 

Your six month review! That was what you had forgotten. Half relieved that your mentor hadn’t brought you down here to completely humiliate you, you smiled and nodded. With everything going on you hadn’t noticed the months fly past so fast, you barely remembered what day it was anymore. 

The Ambassador carried on with the meeting, unaware of your panicking. You nodded along, answering his questions in short yes or no answers, he then moved to Javier. As your mentor he was the one in charge of delivering your progress onto your coordinators. You watched him speak, sound not registering anymore. You hoped to god that he wouldn’t throw you under the bus and tell the entire truth, he knew how much this meant to you surely he wouldn’t. 

Nervous, you stuffed your hands into the pockets of your jacket. You almost had a heart attack when you felt something inside. A small metal tin, rounded and rusted. You immediately knew what it was and froze. There was coke in your pocket. Javi gave you a sideways glance, as he noticed you stiffen up suddenly. 

You wracked your mind for where the hell the tin had come from, until you remembered. This wasn’t your jacket, Maria had given it to you a few months ago and never asked for it back. You hadn’t worn it before today and had no idea that your friend’s stash lay inside the pockets. You tried to stay rational, tried to listen to the important conversation happening around you but your hand stayed clamped around the drug in your pocket. It would help you concentrate, it could calm you down. You could take it and nobody would notice. 

“I- I’m sorry can you excuse me for a moment?” You blurted out, interrupting the ambassador.  He frowned at you, surprised by your interruption. You had gone white with panic, obviously clutching at something in your pocket but he didn’t think anything of it. He nodded and you ran out the room before he could verbally release you. 

You tried to remain calm as you ran through the halls of the embassy, it seemed like everyone was watching you. They knew exactly what you were doing, they were judging you. You ran into the first women’s bathroom you could find, quickly checked nobody was in any stalls, and locked the door behind you.

Throwing the package on the sink like it was burning through your hand, you stood over it, watching it intensely like it could jump away at any moment. The voice in your head kept tempting you, calling you weak and useless, to do it to get rid of it. Nobody would know if you took it. You’ve given in this far why not do it. It will help you calm down. Take it. 

As if you were possessed, you unwillingly opened the tin and poured the powder onto the surface. There wasn’t much there, barely a pinch full, hardly anything at all. You couldn’t just leave it there now, someone would definitely know it was yours. They all knew why even bother hiding it anyway. You should take it. You were too weak to resist it. Take it.

And you did. The chemical shot straight to your brain giving you the brilliant feeling you had been missing. You sighed in a relief as you felt every anxiety fade from your body. It wasn’t that bad, you feel better with it, the voice in your head said. You weren’t wrong. You did feel better. You looked it too, your cheeks had colour again, you smiled and laughed to yourself as it took hold.

You brushed away the excess powder and unlocked the door. You nearly jumped out of your skin when you saw Javi leaning against the opposite wall. His arms were crossed over his chest, judging you with a cocked eyebrow. He had been waiting for you. You sighed and rolled your eyes immediately walking away from him.

“Don’t stand outside the women's bathroom’s Javi. It's creepy,” You snapped as you passed him. 

“You missed a bit,” Javi commented, following closely behind you. 

“Fuck off,” You grumbled. Despite yourself you wiped your sleeve over your nose. He was right. 

“Shooting up in a bathroom is real low, Rookie, even for you,” He snarled. You continued walking down the hall, ignoring him. You were as angry at your actions as he was but you didn’t have control anymore. You couldn’t stop yourself, “Hey! I’m fucking talking to you,” Javi grabbed your arm and sharply pulled you backwards, pressing your back into the wall and trapping your body between his.

“You’re hurting me!” You complained, shoving him off you with as much force as you could give. It didn’t get you far as he pushed you to the wall again with as much force. Your back slammed against the cold stone hard, no doubt bruising it. 

“Then listen. What the fuck is the matter with you?” He snarled, “Doing that shit here? Or anywhere in fact! You are completely out of control,” You ground your teeth, seething with anger, “Do you have no respect for yourself?” You struggled against him, trying to get away again to avoid the question, Javi held you in place. “Not going to say anything?” You looked away, purposely turning your cheek to him, “Get a fucking grip or I’m sending you home,” He growled. 

You didn’t answer, staring at the patterned tile floor. Finally he gave up. With a grunt he let you go and stalked away down the corridor. 

As he disappeared around the corner, a tidal wave of anger and frustration flooded your system. You kicked the line of chairs next to you, crying out curses as you sent them flying across the corridor. The metal clattered against the stone drawing people out of their offices, they all stood from their doorways and watched you, judging you. You heart hammered in your chest, chest heaving for air and you glared back at them all. You let out a deep breath and turned on your heel, leaving the mess behind you, and walked outside.

Despite himself, Javi had waited for you in the parking lot. You jumped into the passenger seat without a word, slamming the door hard to get your point across. You couldn’t tell if you were sweating from anger or the drugs coursing through you. Neither of you said a word for the journey. Javi had said he needed to, and you weren’t able to string together a coherent sentence for everything you wanted to scream at him yet. 

You were too focussed on the music playing from the stereo to really notice where you were going. The rhythms and lyrics seemed to float around you and soak into your skin. You didn’t see Javi’s furious scowl when you unknowingly started to dance in your seat, something you couldn’t help but do when listening to Columbian radio no matter your mental state. You were having a good time until the car stopped and the music was cut abruptly. Snapping out of your trance you looked around and realised you were at your apartment. 

“Get out. You’re done for today,” Javi said, his voice was eerily calm and you knew to be terrified. Quiet Javi was always the angriest.

“What?” You asked dumbly. 

“Get out!” He leant over you and pushed the door open. You frowned, but slipped out the truck and did as you were told. Javi pulled the door shut behind you and rolled away, leaving you standing on the sidewalk opposite the apartment building completely dumbfounded. 

You were stuck to the sidewalk, staring at the building. The sun beat down on you, scorching your skin yet you couldn’t feel it. You were numb to everything.

Your first thought was to find Maria and get more coke to hide further into yourself and avoid the awful shame creeping up your neck. The speed the thought entered your head petrified you. Your control was slipping through your fingers like sand and your body was screaming to move. Everything inside you told you to give up, that this was the tipping point and you might as well jump because what was the point in pretending anymore. If Javi knew what was the point in trying to cover up how much that narcotic had taken over your life. There was no point at all, you might as well enjoy the feeling whilst you could. 

You turned to leave, letting go of all self control. Your legs knew where to take you, you didn’t even need to look where you were going. But you did, when three steps from your original position you crashed into a woman carrying a bag of groceries. She yelped, the sudden sound snapping you back to reality. 

“What are you doing standing out here? Shouldn’t you be at work?” Connie startled you when she touched you, you had barely noticed her approaching. She frowned, concerned, when she took in your glazed appearance, “Sweetheart?”

“I’m okay,” Your voice cracked as tears filled your eyes. 

“Oh darling, come inside. Come on,” Connie walked across the road, expecting you to follow but you didn’t. You couldn’t bring yourself to move, you wanted to run in the opposite direction. You knew if you went inside you would have to tell her what was happening, you didn’t want to make her as mad as Javi was already. “Y/n? Sweetheart you’re scaring me, what’s wrong?” 

“I fucked it all up,” You whimpered as you began to cry.

“Come with me, I’ll get you some water,” Connie bartered, still you didn’t move. Too scared to admit to her what was going on, “Just come inside, please,” 

Finally, you nodded and followed Connie into the building. She walked you into the apartment, sat you on the couch and left to get a glass of water. You hadn’t stopped crying, everything in you was telling you to go and get more to calm yourself down again. You knew not to believe the thoughts but they scared you tremendously. You have really gone too far now. 

Connie passed you the water, and you drank it gladly. She crouched down in front of you, pressed a hand to your forehead and checked your pulse trying to work out what was wrong with you. 

“Did you take something?” She asked. You tried to shake your head and deny it but the way she’s looking at you, sternly but with so much care in her eyes, you couldn’t lie to her. Your no turns into a yes and you instantly recoil from her each touch, hiding in your hands. “What was it?” 

“It was only meant to help,” You cried into your hands.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what happened,” She pressed. 

“Maria gave me some coke, and it was fine and fun and it helped me get that list from them,” You started to babble, all your words tumbling from your mouth before you could get them into any sensible order, “and everyone was so excited and then I went out kept doing it and then yesterday I ended up at Javi’s and I was tired and-,” 

“Slow down,” 

“It’s my six month review,  and I got so worried then I found it in my pocket! I didn’t know it was there and I just did it! Then Javi caught me again and he kicked me out here!” 

“Do you know how much you took?” 

“Like a tiny bit but I’ll be fine in an hour but-,” Tears slipped from your eyes once again, “What am I going to do?”

Connie didn’t know what to say. She knew you had been going out more with some new friends, Steve had complained because he was always woken up by you when you came back drunk from a party. That's all she thought was going on, you were partying, drinking, like you should at your age. But as she had come to learn, a lot of things in Columbia were not what they seemed. It seemed the darker side of life here had managed to get it’s claws well and truly into you. It broke her heart to see you like this, so broken up. 

You stayed with Connie for the rest of the afternoon, sat on the couch riding out the end of you high. TV kept you company and Connie chewed her nails trying to work out what to do. She thought should call Steve, but if Javier was the one to drop you off here, he probably already knew. She wondered how long it had been going on for, she didn’t get to see you as much as her husband and his partner, whenever she’d seen you you seemed fine, if a little hungover at times. When she thought about, all three of you had taken on destructive habits to cope with the hell you saw every day. Steve was becoming more aggressive by the week, while she knew she was safe she didn’t like what she saw when he flipped out. Everyone in the building knew about Javier’s escapades and now you. It was upsetting to watch from the outside, she couldn’t imagine what it was really like to go through. 

You woke up half an hour later, muddled and more tired than when you’d fallen asleep. 

“Feeling better?” Connie asked with a sympathetic smile.

“Feel like shit,” You muttered. Your head pounded and the heaviness still sat in your chest. That was the kicker, the coke could mask feelings very well but every time you sobered up they were still there waiting. You sighed heavily, pushing yourself to sit up where you’d slumped over, and rubbed your face with your sweaty palms. “What am I going to do?”

“I don’t know sweetie, but I’ll be here to help you,” Connie said kindly, as she sat on the couch next to you. You felt awful for dragging her into all this, yet another person you had let down, ”I think you should tell your boss? Or you’re coordinators, maybe they’ll help,” 

“I’ll be sent home!” You protested, tears filling your eyes once again, “I don’t want to go home, not now!” 

“You can’t keep it to yourself, it will only get worse,” She said, you nodded sadly and cried on her shoulder as she pulled you in for a hug. “I suggest a hot bath, watch some cheesy movie- I managed to find that Indiana Jones movie on tape. I know you love Harrison Ford,” 

“That sounds nice,” You smiled weakly. Connie let you go and grabbed the movie along with a bottle of wine for you. You gathered yourself together, enough to get yourself from Connie’s couch to your own at least. 

“I’m sure Steve won’t notice it’s gone. Go and chill out and watch the movie, have a bit of normality for a change. You’ll feel better I promise,” 

“Thank you Connie, you’re a really good friend,” 

“It’s no problem sweetie, like I said I’m always here for you,” 

Connie gave you another tight squeeze before you left. Iin the hallway you heard the clatter of Javi’s keys in his door below. You wanted to apologise to him, you wanted him to help you! You wanted things to go back to how they were before all this but you knew Javi wouldn’t talk to you. He’d displayed his distaste for the people that fell under the powder’s spell before, he wasn’t going to help. He had trusted you to sort it out yourself but now it was abundantly clear you couldn’t. 

Once again your brain reminded you how easy it would be to get some more coke to cheer yourself up. You could go downstairs and walk down the street, find one of your friends and be happy again so quickly. You didn’t have to feel this pain. 

This time, you ignored it and locked yourself in your apartment. You took yourself to bed immediately, not even bothering to turn on any lights along the journey through the tiny space. You fell on the bed face first. As soon as your body hit the soft material you curled up as tight as you could and began to cry. 

You had failed. You had let your team down, let your coordinators down, let your classmates down and let your family down. You didn’t even want to think about the conversation you would have to have with your mom as to why you were coming home six months early from a placement you fought so hard to get. You thought you could handle it, but you couldn’t. You failed.

--

Part 2

Translations (disclaimer I'm sorry if these are wrong I've been learning Spanish for all of 3 months hence the limited use)

Abra la puerta - open the door

No lo siento Javi. ¡Es divertido! - I’m not sorry Javi, it’s fun!

Eres enojado - are you angry?

No lo sé - I don’t know

Para!- stop!

Lo siento- I’m sorry

Pero- but

Me vale - I don’t care

The next part will be out next Friday! Want to get tagged? Let me know! 

Tag list: @beskar-tano @buckysbeloved @beskarbabs @all-hallows-evie @harrys-stan @browneyes-djarin @themidnightsun-12​

gunna be cheeky and tag some mutuals i think may be interested? @ithinkwehitametaphor​ @wille-zarr​ 

[marimopeace]

there's a limit on how much you can be an isekai intellectual...

a bunch of analyses have been popping up before me all day so i wanted to throw my hat into the ring. all love to ppl who are exercising their creative minds + ppl like geoff here who just talk about these things because of fan interest but i feel like there reaches a point where exploring the "types" of isekai is pointless? i've seen ppl list out the different types of villainess revenge isekai or fantasy mmorpg isekai but eh why fit them all into separate boxes like that?

i think it's easier to think of isekai as a "type" (genre) of itself with only two categories: 1) a focus on isekai (lit. another world) 2) tensei (lit. to be reborn). this allows for a variety of applications and thus tropes that ppl see so many trends of!

with isekai - in another world

you see everything from:

pure fantasy (inuyasha, digimon wait maybe not the best example but in my childhood mind i count digimon as pure fantasy, fushigi yugi)

mmorpg inspired fantasy/adventure (.hack//legend of twilight, sao ugh, log horizon, overlord (LOVE OVERLORD!)

otome game-esque worlds >>> this is where it gets complicated with "villainess routes" since i admit there are multiple villainess tropes but this is why it's nice to not think of this as a "sub-type/genre" bc it frees you from those complications! (the saint's magic power is omnipotent, the white cat's revenge as plotted from the dragon king's lap soso cute!, the savior's book cafe in another world, i'm a villainous daughter so i'm going to keep the last boss wait i can't remember if she's reborn in this one lmaooo see this is why rules make everything hard)

with tensei storylines - being reincarnated/reborn in another world as *insert character/role*

you see...

the same tropes!!

pure fantasy (a returner's magic should be special, reminiscence adonis, the lady and the beast, light and shadow, i can't think of a manga off the top of my head for this ah)

mmorpg inspired fantasy/adventure (so i'm a spider so what i stan kumoko so hard, her majesty's swarm, can't name another off the top of my head ah i hate lists shorter than two things...)

self-insert based games/novels (fiance's observation log of a self-proclaimed villainess, who made me a princess, death is the only ending for the villainess, the villainess wants to marry a commoner, honestly games vs novels are different applications but i'm not in the headspace to try to remember a bunch of both lol)

*insert line break to give random ppl a break from scrolling but tl; dr just enjoy things for what they are no need to micro analyze*

similar variations occur in both genres (if ppl want to be super technical i guess i'm arguing that isekai itself is a massive genre that has the "another world" subgenre and "reincarnation" subgenre tl; dr) so i think it's honestly a huge pain to try to separate all these trends into so many different types of stories. for me personally it's easier to not get overwhelmed by this gigantic umbrella of "isekai" that spans light novels, manhwa, manga, and mobile games by just stripping each story down into its trademark tropes (aka character archetypes, story structures) and slapping "oh this is a person going to a world that's not ours" and "this person gets reborn as blank in another world". none of this "omg this power fantasy is such a this kind of isekai moment" or "there are 14 different types of villainess revenge stories and this series fits into this" bc AH labels! limitations! circle-jerks via ppl trying to compartmentalize everything and sound smart for leaving a comment on story analysis instead of ooh-ahhing over a character's face! dividing things into light novel manga vs manga vs korean manhwa ft. female characters!

the last bit is mainly why i feel frustrated by ppl's insistence to group everything?

the video linked at the beginning of the post (honestly good video essay, i enjoyed it, i just kept thinking in my head the whole time "marimo these are tropes do not take the genre talk literally") has a baby comment thread talking about "korean isekai manhwas" as a genre featuring nothing but reincarnated villainess' and i can't.

like i cannot acknowledge that as a genre of any sort. the energy i felt reading through some of those insights takes me back to 2012 when all yt americans discovered k-pop and deemed all korean music k-pop from then on! (ppl still do this now, yes you are seen and don't talk to me pls i don't like you. k-pop is korean pop music and nothing less and nothing more. take a few seconds and try to parse apart aspects of korean culture instead of slamming everything into a monolithic label that has the letter k and a hyphen.) it feels so odd to see a bunch of young ppl on ig and tiktok acknowledge korean media that happens to be in the form of a webtoon as "oh stories all about young girls becoming villains in stories they made/played" bc it feels so reductive u.u

(positionality disclaimer that i'm praying isn't actually necessary: i am a 3rd-generation korean of japanese descent do not fite me i am exhausted irl of ppl asking for validation/verification bc massive shove off.)

breaking news! korean manhwa...is just as multifaceted as japanese manga...bc how can comics as an art-form not have multiple genres...huh such a shocker?!?! same likely applies to media in other parts of the world like chinese manhwa and french comics--not my place to explain either of those i just know those industries exist bc of wakfu and donghua shows by Tencent.

at the end of the day it's not like analyzing any kind of isekai is wrong--absolutely not!! i think it can be super fun to think about how isekai elements complicate a story (MCs trying to go back home, ppl from the og world, reincarnation plot-twists) or maybe even bash a series for including some kind of other world element when they could have just written a super fun fantasy.

insert marimo's brief ramble that hey you can get sick of truck-kun's hitting disillusioned guys who happen to be super duper smart or girls who happen to be master chefs/craftsmen but transporting a fully-grown being into a fantasy setting is the ultimate cheat code for making mundane modern technology seem cool and overpowered, and being reincarnated as a fully grown person in a world with a pre-made story/game set-up completely bypasses the need for an author to slowly flesh out world-building in a natural progression so isekai is actually a really smart writing tool it's just that there are some series where the author didn't use it well at all and it's cheesy or clearly isekai was misused as a vehicle for character/story development and it was pointless *DEEP BREATH OUT*

in this essay i will argue...lol i am such a culture studies major!! if i were an english major i would be talking all about writing but here i am having a side-tangent about world-building via someone being reborn wow i love this for me (don't get me started on when an author has someone reincarnate as a baby and the story is mostly them having warm fluffy moments with their family--typically father figures--and getting lots of powers i could and would and probably will rant about east asian toxicity)

but anyway am i crazy????? like yes for being passionate about the technical use of a word like genre (i am a scorpio rising let me be fussy pls) but i don't think it's a lot to ask for ppl to not unironically see "villainess revenge isekai" as the definition of korean manhwa.

idk as someone who resonates with why japanese isekai is so popular domestically + why a lot of korean manhwa feat. the same tropes (it's not for great reasons lads it's actually depressing tbh) i'm just starting to feel kind of pained by the generalization and need to separate "cute japanese girl in an otome game"/"japanese boy finds a harem in another world" from "korean girl dies and comes back as a villainess" bc they are just! applications to the same story device!!

recommendations for any who makes it this far down below <3

// also gladly recommend any of the examples i've listed in the above rant as i've read/watched all of them and adore them v much! //

save me princess

super refreshing fantasy manhwa ft. a princess and her ex-boyfriend having to save the world!

the beginning after the end

an AMERICAN web novel turned into a comic (but see it being not korean/japanese doesn't really matter when you just consider isekai as a genre...isn't it nice to not overthink it?) ft. a super-powerful wizard king reincarnated into another world and starting from scratch--gives mushoku tensei vibes but huge twists!

the reason why raeliana ended up at the duke's mansion

love love LOVE this story--read the title and you'll learn how this girl reincarnated as the character raeliana in a book gets married to a duke!

trash of the count's family

such a good novel!! a guy gets reborn as a lazy oaf and he takes the hero of the story under his wing...plot twists come up later on!

this time i will definitely be happy!

v good and refreshing for a shorter series! she's been reborn 3 times and remembers every time the hero's stabbed her in the back, and now she just wants to break up with him!

silver diamond

older manga but v good adventure w intrigue! a boy who loves plants get sucked into a desert world with demonic lizards and a mysterious bodyguard by his side. shonen-ai not BL but wonderful vibes nonetheless + great side characters!

the princess imprints a traitor

adore everything in this from the world (not in that way this society makes me so angry) to the machinations at play and the dynamic between the fl and ml

[missholoska]

What do you think was your favorite part of chapter 2?

Also have you heard of this route’s version of the genocide route? Because it’s arguably more horrifying than UnderTale’s… I think it’s called the snowgrave route or something

[deltarune spoilers]

oh boy I cannot pick just one favourite part so here's a few faves:

the traffic jam outside the library makes me lose it every time. the way that weird musical honking starts with zero context the moment you step outside the school, and then walking over like 'what the hell is this noise' to see Undyne lifting an entire car just because she can, the whole bit somehow clicks something in my brain that immediately makes me start crying laughing

Queen showing up drunk on battery acid before Berdly's awful statue appears. every line in that scene is pure gold

the Suselle ferris wheel scene is a treasure

obviously Toriel and Sans punning at his store was extremely relevant to my interests

there's a ton of single lines and small segments that stood out to me as well but this would get real long if I listed them all jhsdgjh

...as for the Snowgrave route:

I finally watched a playthrough of it yesterday and yeah wow it's worse than UT

unfortunately I'd already heard spoilers for all the main beats of the story, but the visuals and smaller details were new to me and those caught me off-guard :'D the enemies just being frozen in their moment of death, staying in the overworld forever?? that's horrible I love it

since I'm late to the party I don't think there's much I can say that hasn't already been discussed, but I think part of what added to it being worse than UT is just how quickly everything goes to heck; UT's geno route starts slow but keeps ramping up that horrifying feeling for the rest of the game with many beloved characters going down in one hit and few bosses putting up any fight, but here, chapter 1 and the first parts of chapter 2 are just a normal fun adventure! even if you choose to fight, barely anything actually changes! and then the moment you start this route things start to go so wrong so fast, and all of it's within just half a chapter out of several. if one chapter can turn this dark in such a short span of time, how much worse can the full game get?? and how is there only one ending if you can do things like this?????

also one post I saw a few days ago (which I only glanced at before realising it was a huge spoiler and scrolled away, so no idea who posted it) pointed out that Noelle in this route seems to mirror the way Chara becomes corrupted by the geno route, and given the things Noelle says about "the enemy" and "getting stronger"? I absolutely believe it's intentional. someone who's just unwillingly along for the ride at first, eventually taking part of their own accord, having a whole thing about being in control... it all fits too well and it could be so interesting if the full game expands on that concept.

having said all that though, my opinion of it is similar to the geno route in that it has its really cool moments and I get why it's popular, but in terms what I like to draw and focus on I don't think I'll do anything with it myself. it's not a route I'll ever play personally and the the exact opposite of the type of content I enjoy creating, but I do appreciate the story it tells at least o/

[ridiculousn3sswrites]

A Ball to Remember - My Princess Pt. 12

*Zendaya x Reader

*Summary: At long last, the Ball is being held in hope that Prince Thomas finds a potential match.

*Warnings: Swearing, anxiety, Kardashian/Jenner slander. Let me know if I missed anything!

*A/N: Outfits are based off of Met Gala 2018 looks for all the celebrities I name drop lmao. It’s fitting since Zendaya’s Met Gala 2018 look inspired this entire thing. Also I seriously fell in love with the dress inspiration for these chapters. Next chapter may have a little smut piece just for fun :)

Tip Jar

Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six || Part Seven || Part Eight || Part Nine || Part Ten || Part Eleven || Part Twelve

Dress Inspiration 1 || Dress Inspiration 2

**********

At long last, the night of the ball had finally arrived. The remaining foreign royals had been arriving throughout the day, and the castle was a mess. Different handmaidens and servants were running through the halls, helping with last minute decorating, fetching thing for their employers, anything that would need to be done in the hours leading up to the beginning of the ball. The other royals would be announced as they arrived to the ball, but you were on a schedule. You and Prince Thomas were to be announced last, so you would have a bit more time to get ready than the others.

Zendaya was by your side for most of the day as you were shuttled from appointment to appointment in preparation for the night. She made sure that you weren’t getting too overwhelmed with all the activity that was going on, sneaking you snacks and water throughout the day as you went about your business. You’d tried to set it up so you’d be put into your dress first and then sent to hair and makeup, but for some reason (that the handmaidens had described as ‘wanting you to get the full effect’), you were first sent to makeup, then hair, and then getting put in your dress.

Every step of the process, your handmaidens were gushing over your transformation into a properly formal Princess. You would look to Zendaya for help, but all she could do was smile and shrug her shoulders. Getting your hair and makeup done took a few hours on their own, and then there was the whole matter of getting you into your dress. Corsets, hoop skirts, you were convinced they were all torture devices in their own right (even though you had to admit your waist looked good in the corset). When your handmaidens put the dress on you, however, you understood what they meant about letting you get the full effect.

With your hair pulled back and up, a few pieces framing your face, your makeup light but still giving the right amount of a dramatic look, you already could see things coming together. But then there was your dress - the bodice a navy blue with stars and moons trailing down your sternum, stopping just shy of your navel, the skirt a deeper navy closer to black, the two pieces sewn together with stars accenting your hips. 

“Wow,” you gasped, unable to help the little swish of the skirt you just had to do. You looked over at Zendaya, smile bright. “Z, look!”

“I see, my Princess. You look great.” That hint of fondness was there in her eyes and her smile, letting you know that she would tell you the true extent of her approval when the two of you were in somewhat privacy.

“You still have the cape, Princess!” One of your handmaidens reminded you as the other two brought forward the exact piece she was talking about. They secured it around your shoulders, one securing the front clasp while the others worked about making sure it fell perfectly around you. You suddenly understood the seamstress’s frustrations about the detailing she would have to do on the cape, small and large stars spanning pretty much the whole of the cape. You would have to give the seamstress your profuse thanks after the ball was over.

“I think I’m in love,” you said, now doing a full spin to get the full effect. The detailing sparkled underneath the lights, and you could only imagine how it’d look in the candlelight of the ballroom at night. “This is amazing.”

“And to think you didn’t want to go to your fittings,” Zendaya teased. You just looked back at her, pouting.

“Right, we just need to go get your heels and then you’ll be ready,” one of your handmaidens said, placing a hand on your shoulder. “You really do look amazing, Princess. You’ve grown to be a fine young woman and the land of Xerin will do well to have you as their queen.”

You were thrown back into the reality of the situation. You weren’t just dressing up in a pretty gown for a ball that was being thrown for no reason, no. You were dressed up for a ball that was acting as your engagement announcement, while you were trying to get your fiance to put his attention towards another eligible princess. You gave the handmaiden a small smile, trying not to let your sudden wave of sadness overtake you. “Thank you. I’m glad to have done you well as your Princess.”

The handmaidens left the room for a few minutes to retrieve the heels, and Zendaya was immediately at your side. She took your hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over the back of your hand. “What’s wrong? What’re you thinking about?”

“What if tonight doesn’t work out? I want to stay here with my people, with you,” you admitted, your breathing starting to pick up as you began to overthink things.

“If it doesn’t work out, then we find another way. Even if I have to go to Xerin with you.” You looked up at Zendaya with wide eyes. You’d never discussed that, and you would never make her leave her home for a foreign land just to follow you.

“You would do that?”

“I would, my Princess. I want to be with you for the rest of my life,” she admitted, looking away for just a second. You could tell she was a little embarrassed at the admission, but it was out there.

“I want to be with you for the rest of my life as well,” you told her. “Can I have a kiss?”

“I wouldn’t want to ruin your lipstick.”

“Please?” Zendaya rolled her eyes but gave in, pressing a quick kiss to your lips. It was enough to satisfy you for now, but you’d be asking for more kisses later when you were alone. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Zendaya stepped back, releasing your hand just as the handmaidens returned.

“Princess, we’re going to need you to sit while we put these on,” one of them directed you as another pulled up a chair.

“I need to get ready for the ball as well. My replacement will be here soon,” Zendaya told you as you sat down.

“Lady Zendaya, are you going to be attending as a guest or on duty?” the third handmaiden asked.

“A little bit of both,” Zendaya said with a small smile. “I have duty at the beginning of the night, but after shift change I’m welcome to stay at the ball.”

“Per the Princess’s request, I assume,” the handmaiden teased, looking down at you. You looked away, trying to ignore the heat rising in your face. Sure, she was right, but she didn’t have to call you out like that. “Relax, Princess. It’s nice that you want your friend to enjoy the night as well.”

“Right, yes,” you trailed off, lifting your foot for the handmaiden to slip on the heel. She secured it, repeating the same process for the next heel. Zendaya was the one to help you stand, and you were pleasantly surprised at your newfound height. “Zendaya, I’m almost as tall as you now.”

Zendaya rolled her eyes. “You wish. I’ll see you later.”

Sure enough, as she finished her sentence, there was a knock at the door. She went to answer it, and her replacement was there. Zendaya gave you a nod before leaving the room, leaving you to the whims of your handmaidens. Now that they didn’t have to do anything else to get you ready - only waiting for someone to retrieve you to be announced - the handmaidens went about their gossip. They were talking about people they’d seen arriving - royal families, princesses accompanied by other nobles - just enamoured by the glitz and glam of all these people coming into the castle at once. 

“The High Priestess pulled out all the stops for the guest list, I wonder how she managed to convince everyone who came.”

“It’s because she’s the High Priestess. Do you know anyone who could say no to Rihanna?” You were amused at their conversation, knowing how right they were. There were two people you could never say no to - excluding your parents - and that was Rihanna and Zendaya. Rihanna just had that kind of personality that you wanted to go along with her plans.

“You’re not wrong there. Princess, do you have plans with the Prince after the ball?” The little smile the handmaiden gave you made it obvious what kind of plans she was thinking of. You could feel your face getting hot at just the implication.

“No! I don’t know what you mean,” you mumbled, trying to ignore the heat in your cheeks.

“But you’re being formally announced tonight, aren’t you guys going to celebrate?”

“You should know the Princess isn’t like that, we haven’t even heard anything about them holding hands,” the oldest handmaiden said. “Perhaps they’re more low-key than we’d hoped.”

“He’s a handsome young man, you could have done worse. Enjoy your youth. Perhaps the ball will provide the right circumstances for the two of you.”

“Perhaps,” you agreed, knowing fully well you were lying. You just hoped the Prince would find someone else to suit his fancy. Before the handmaidens could go any further into their prying, a knock on the door saved you yet again. Instead of Zendaya, as you’d been hoping, Rihanna stood there in her High Priestess formal garb.

“(Y/n), they’re ready for you in the holding room. Most of the others have been announced already,” she told you. “Lady Zendaya and Prince Thomas are already waiting for you there.”

“Thank you,” you told her. The handmaidens helped you up, leading you over to Rihanna. Before leaving, you turned to them. “Thank you for all your help this evening. I greatly appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“We’re more than glad to help you. Enjoy your night.” With that, Rihanna led you out of the room and down the hall.

“Look at you! You look like a proper Princess now,” Rihanna gushed as the two of you walked. “Wow, the seamstress really outdid herself. It’s amazing what she’s done. And look at your cape! Amazing.”

“And yourself? I always forget how amazing the formal garb looks on you,” you complimented right back. Rihanna just waved off your compliment.

“Zendaya’s already seen you, right? What was her reaction?”

“She couldn’t really have a huge one seeing as we were with my handmaidens, but she did compliment me,” you said, looking away with a slight blush.

Rihanna sighed but looked down at you with a smile. “Young love is so cute. Anyways, after you’re announced, find me and I’ll point out our notable visitors.”

“Thank you for all of this, Rihanna. I know it was a lot of work for you.”

“Shush, party planning’s fun,” she said, opening the door for you. Immediately you saw Zendaya there in her formal armor. A couple other guards were stationed around the room - understandable since there were two heirs to the throne to be held there - and then you saw Prince Thomas and Harrison. Prince Thomas had his hand held over the bottom of his face, doing nothing to hide how red his face was. 

“He thinks you look great, Princess!” Harrison called out with a smug little smile. Prince Thomas smacked Harrison’s arm, but it did nothing to faze him. 

“Thank you,” you said with a laugh. “Though I don’t know if I should thank you or Prince Thomas.”

“Either works,” Harrison said. You went to join Zendaya at her side, highly amused by the two men still bickering. 

“See? You look amazing,” Zendaya whispered, using the lessened height difference to her advantage. When you looked up at her, you saw her smug little smile at your flustered state.

“Lady Zendaya, how’s this gonna work? I know they’re gonna be announced together, but what about us?” Harrison asked, dragging the Prince with him.

“Well, you have a choice. You could be announced on your own, or you could walk behind them with me and not be announced,” she told him. “It’s a safety thing that I watch their backs.”

“Alright, so either announce to everyone that I’m single or just relax,” Harrison said. “I’m fine walking with you.”

“Lady Zendaya, it’s time,” one of the guards said. She nodded before looking at you and the Prince.

“Are you guys ready?” You nodded, and despite his face still being pink, Prince Thomas nodded as well. Zendaya led you to where you knew the top of the steps were, and quickly set you and Prince Thomas to be presentable in front of the guests. Prince Thomas offered his arm to you, and you accepted it. 

“Announcing for the first time, Princess (y/n) of Xaya and her betrothed, Prince Thomas of Xerin,” the herald bellowed into the hall. The doors opened up in front of you, the soft lights of the candles throughout the room glittered off of the chandelier and the gems throughout the room. Though you couldn’t necessarily see the eyes on you, you could definitely feel them. You put on a bright smile, looking up at Prince Thomas for a moment just to find his gaze already on you. You needed to play the part of the happily betrothed, after all.

As soon as you and the Prince descended the stairs, the chatter rose back up and filled the room. Prince Thomas dropped his arm, just to take your hand in his. You looked at him, wondering what his play was but you couldn’t just take your hand back without someone seeing. “Would you care to dance?”

“I’m sorry, but I need to find the High Priestess. She requested for me to join her after we’re announced, but please, enjoy yourself,” you told him, gesturing towards the festivities. He hesitated, but nodded nonetheless. Zendaya appeared at your side, a hand on your elbow, as soon as he walked away with Harrison.

“I found Rihanna. Are you ready to go with her?” You nodded, and Zendaya led you through the crowd to where Rihanna was. Rihanna had a glass of champagne in hand, watching the ball from the side. You could tell she was just basking in the success of the event so far. “Rihanna, I have the Princess.”

“I see that. Congrats on being officially announced,” Rihanna teased. “Right, come here. You want a drink?”

You nodded, figuring you could have one drink for the night. Rihanna handed you a champagne flute from the table beside her, and you took your spot next to her. “Okay. First we have the most important guests, Queen and King Beyoncé and Shawn Carter.”

“Wait, how’d you get them here? Also, isn’t their Princess still a child?”

“It’s not a party without Bey. And you don’t want to disrespect them by not inviting them here,” Rihanna explained with a smile. “Alright, that over there is Sir Michael B. Jordan, he’s not super important but he is attractive.”

“Rihanna,” Zendaya chastised with a roll of her eyes.

“What? It’s true. There’s King Kanye West,” Rihanna pointed out. You tilted your head in confusion.

“Wait, where’s Queen Kim?”

“They’re having issues at the moment. Like, finding a new Queen type of issues,” Rihanna added in a whisper before pointing out other people. “Lady Cardi, she’s always a blast. Queen Sza, Princess Ariana, Princess Selena, Prince Jaden, Princess Taylor.”

“Wait, who’s that?” you asked, nodding towards a woman laughing and joking with someone.

“Princess Letitia Wright,” Rihanna explained.

“I thought she wasn’t seeing anyone?”

“She isn’t. She’s accompanied by Sir John Boyega since her parents couldn’t make it.”

“I like her. I think she may get along with Prince Thomas,” you said. Rihanna looked at you with a raised brow.

“And how do you suppose that?”

“I just have a feeling. She seems… joyous,” you told her.

“Alright, I’ll see what strings I can pull. Enjoy yourself, anyone else will introduce themselves to you.” Before you could walk away, Rihanna pulled you back. “Watch out for Queen Kim’s siblings, they’re here and you know they cause trouble.”

“Noted.” With that, you and Zendaya ventured back into the crowd. Zendaya wasn’t supposed to be by your side for the time she was on duty - trusting the guards posted around the event to ensure your safety - but she wanted you to at least be with someone before she left your side. You were stopped a few times to congratulate you on your engagement, recognizing some of the people Rihanna had pointed out to you. You were in awe when Queen Beyoncé stopped you with a kind smile, complimenting your dress. As soon as the Queen walked away, Zendaya teased you about your starstruck gaze.

“(Y/n)! Where’d you go off to?” Harrison called out, dragging along Prince Thomas.

“I guess I can leave you with them,” Zendaya said as soon as they were close to you. “I do have to get back to duty.”

“Okay, I’ll see you as soon as you’re off, right?” Zendaya nodded.

“I expect you to save a dance for me,” she told you before turning to the two men approaching you. “I need to get to work, I expect you two will keep her company.”

“Will do, Lady Zendaya!” Harrison readily agreed. Zendaya gave you one last look before going to join the guards at the perimeter of the room. “Princess, you look amazing! You and Thomas should go dance, enjoy your engagement!”

You were shocked at Harrison’s insistence, especially since he knew your plan for the evening, but you didn’t see the point in disagreeing with him. Once again thinking of your image, it would appear odd if you didn’t dance with your betrothed at least once. “I would love to, if the Prince would ask me.”

“Wait, really?” Prince Thomas asked, brightening up at your teasing. You almost laughed at his reaction, but then he came to his senses. He dipped his head down, extending his hand out to you. “Princess (Y/n), would you care to dance?”

“I would love to,” you accepted, taking his hand. Prince Thomas led you to the dance floor where other couples were slow dancing, the string players providing the perfect atmosphere for them. You put your hand to rest on his shoulder, his going to rest on your waist (still at a respectable place).

“You do look amazing tonight, (y/n). I’m sorry for my reaction earlier, but you really just… wow. You’re gorgeous,” Prince Thomas told you, looking away as the blush returned to his face.

“I’ll take your reaction earlier as flattery,” you laughed. Prince Thomas gave you a sheepish smile as he led you through the motions of the dance. You knew there would be people watching you - your first public presentation as an engaged couple would serve as a fair source of entertainment for the others - but you couldn’t say it was bad. You and Prince Thomas were joking around, talking about your memories from the festival and just hanging out with him and Harrison over the past few weeks. One dance flowed into another, and then another, the songs flowing together as you just enjoyed your time with the Prince. Harrison would steal you away for a song or two, but you always ended up with Prince Thomas again.

“I heard you’re leaving after the ball,” you said, wanting to address the rumor.

“Haz and I are going to be leaving in a couple days. We’ve been away from Xerin for quite some time,” Prince Thomas joked.

“It’s going to be quiet around the palace without you two.”

“You know, I do really like you. I know this was arranged, but you’re a wonderful person and I would like to marry you,” Prince Thomas admitted as another song finished. Your eyes widened and your mouth dropped open the slightest bit, not sure where this was coming from.

“Thomas, I… I don’t know what to say,” you told him, guilt beginning to bloom in your chest.

“You don’t have to say anything right now. Thank you for the dances, (y/n).” He stepped back with a bow, letting you and the others know that you were done dancing with one another for now. You watched as he disappeared into the crowd, unsure what to do with yourself now. He’d actually fallen for you. You hadn’t led him on, had you? Would Rihanna be able to direct him towards Princess Letitia like you’d hoped, or would this just complicate things further?

You were beginning to spiral just the slightest bit, the people surrounding you not helping. You began making your way through the crowd, trying to find something to drink and just calm your nerves. You brushed off Princess Kylie as she tried to greet you, only focused on grounding yourself. Once you found a nice secluded corner, you leaned against the wall, resting your head against the cool stone.

“Princess, are you okay?” someone asked after a few minutes of you taking the chance to just breathe. Opening your eyes, you saw the one person who could always help you. There, in her formal armor, the lights creating a soft halo around her silhouette, was your beloved, worry evident on her face. You shook your head, trying to maintain your calm. Zendaya immediately stepped forward, taking you into her arms. You rested your head against her chest plate, and though it wasn’t the most comfortable thing, you treasured it.

“I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

“Okay. I’m here for you now.” Of course Zendaya knew what you needed to hear.

**********

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