#academics can wait I have ass to kick

[corvidat]

BACK TO SCHOOL IN TEN DAYS AND FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON ON THE 24TH JUST KILL ME NOW

[rosemaeridream]

how abt jealous lecturer!aeri and she gets lowkey possessive n shit ouuuu PLS I BEG OF U i need ur thoughts on this

how come you guys love jealousy?? do you want me to recommend you a therapist or..? before you dated, lecturer!aeri was about to sweep you to the side to talk to you once again, she just can't stop herself, you're too pretty with your hair slightly messy from waking up 20 minutes before her lecture - but she can't because you've just seen someone from one of your clubs, and they're approaching you too quickly for her to intervene. So she just stands there, looking over her lecture notes, watching the two of you interact.

The girl is an upperclassman, she knows that at least, someone who's been milling around the university for a couple years now, and someone who she hates around you. It's always too much, she smiles too brightly and she's too talkative and most importantly, she's age appropriate for you – and that pisses aeri off. her mouth moves before her mind does and she's telling the both of you to get out of the lecture theatre so that the next lecturer can set up in peace. her tone is too stern and too vindictive that you scuttle from your spot without a word, head down and a pit of shame bubbling in your stomach.

it's not like she doesn't make it up, i suppose, in her own way though. meaning she finds you in your usual studying spot and wordlessly hands you a coffee and a packet of biscoff biscuits to munch on while you study.

after you kiss, she's more secure with herself. aeri's just waiting for you to make a move, or at least an increment of a move to let her take the lead on-wards. sometimes when you work together and your phone pings! a message, you reach for it out of habit - doesn't matter that you're meant to be studying. there's approximately a three second time period after you open your phone and aeri recognises the name, still that same fucking girl, and when she gently pries the phone from your hands, putting it out of reach on the other side of her with a short, "you're meant to be writing, sweetheart." it immediately kicks you back into gear, not without a pink tinge to your cheeks and the avoidance of eye contact for the next 5 minutes.

when you start to date, aeri gets simultaneously better and worse. most of the time she's fine with you talking to other pretty women - but sometimes, usually when someone else is overtly flirting with you in her line of sight she pulls you out of the situation as soon as no one else would notice to roughly kiss you in the closest storeroom, her nails marking your stomach with red lines. most of the time you give in, letting her unbutton your pants or lift your skirt so she can feel your stretched hole clench around her fingers. you have to hold back mews of pleasure, burying your teeth deep into your lip as you lean your weight on her. it's always complimented by "that's it, princess. who's pussy is this?", gravelly in your ear, followed by a sharp slap on your ass if you don't answer quickly enough - which, to be honest, is most of the time since she's fucking you so well it gets way too hard to think about anything other than chasing that high.

very, very occasionally – perhaps when she thinks you're flirting back – aeri will voice her innermost desires. she's got you pinned to the bed, sliding a strap between your folds but never fully giving you what you want. like you, she's blind to anything but pleasure and making sure you know you're hers. you whine for her to put it in, but all she does is mumble thoughts aloud. "wanna knock you up. make sure you're mine." that makes you just as crazy as her. your relationship is mostly hidden after all it'd get both of you into trouble and it risks aeri's academic integrity, but god, the thought of being hers in that way almost makes you finish untouched.

after it all, you'd talk. you like aeri, a lot, and you want to put in every ounce of effort possible to keep the relationship healthy, so it's only natural to talk. it's obvious that she's at least partially insecure about the secrecy of your relationship. (it helps, but it doesn't stop her from jealous fuckery. not that you'd want that to stop anyway.)

love lec!aeri she's my wife 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 (i have NOT proofread sorry for mistakes)

[crguang]

not fuckboy Kafka being a fuckboy on accident, that is honesty kind of funny, but I am still running…towards her.

ok but Kafka in the firefly animation was kind of funny for some reason. she was also really hot in the animation but Elio definitely told her to be there, so she’s just sitting on a space while waiting for something and she’s just drinking. I was looking through firefly’s story and there was nothing about Kafka 😔 except for when she’s recruited and only mentioned as “the woman” there was stuff abt silver wolf and blade, so obviously everything abt her is going to be plot relevant when she shows up very soon in the main story.

Also Kafka at the interrogation scene was so silly. Like they took her jacket, her contacts and wiped off her lipstick for what? her back and her shoulders do be looking fine tho people like me are why there’s dress codes in school and her eyes are gorgeous, like she looks so much softer when you can see her pupils, she’s so pretty.

your post abt how Kafka slows her speaking was very interesting and I’d like to know how her va was directed for those scenes, and I definitely need to rewatch the interrogation again I’ll def get distracted

Speaking of her voice actor, Cheryl texiera was so good on the white night cover. Her belting was amazing. Definitely feeding my headcanons for my university au. In aural class you have to sing notes (from my research) to prove that you can tell the difference or smth, and I just think it’s be funny that reader would be so mad at Kafka for having perfect pitch and having a good voice and generally just being good. I’ll write whenever my actual uni isn’t kicking my ass.

-🌠

fuckboy kafka’s lowkey a loser when you think about it… that’ll make more sense in the next part but the unnecessary things she does as proof that she cares are so silly. firefly’s trailer was so good i remember losing my mind when kafka was shown at the end because it was so unexpected 😭 but she did look gorgeoussss, my timeline was just profile pictures of this for a while hdjdhdj. she needs to put that glass down she’s always gotta be drinking something like let’s start carrying a water bottle baby (i love exaggerating her unhealthy habits). i also love that the trailer confirmed kafka was the first SH recruited even tho i already knew like yess prove me right hoyo

TRUST ME KAFKA’S COMING BACK 2.7. like she is just trust me she’ll be back so soon beautiful as ever i just know it…

i love the interrogation scene of the luofu i think it’s my favourite, i remember squealing when she walked in the frame without her coat like i was a victorian man seeing a woman’s ankles for the first time— at the time i hadnt checked anything about her so when i saw her without her coat i realized that she was mostly wearing it to look good (she cut holes into it to pass her arms through them instead of it being over the shoulders like himeko bc she wears fancy long sleeves… just unnecessary?3!4?) then i read her character description in the archives and it said she loved collecting coats i was like “i knew it…”

SHE DOES LOOK SO MUCH SOFTER RAHHHHHH. she’s much less intimidating and i love it so bad because we were seeing her without her defenses for the first time + we got to see her full design (it’s my favourite). they took her jacket and contacts/wiped her makeup cause she actually got arrested so they likely needed information like eye color and fingerprints etc, plus she was hiding three grenades, two rifles and a sword like i’d confiscate that stupid ass coat too. i think the funniest part is that she went back for it afterwards 😭

ALSO YES THAT WHITE NIGHT HIGH NOTE CHANGED MY LIFEEEEE LIKE HSR IDOL/BAND AU WHEN???? i need that university au im gonna email your profs to cut you some slack so you can write because im itching just at the idea of an academic rivals story with her… hope your classes aren’t too stressful tho!

[cinnaminyoons]

LIAR, LIAR !!

!!   ksj x m!reader

!!   wc | 5.7k

!!  tags | guns, threats, mentions of violence/sex work, drinking, reader has an older sister

[ event masterlist ]

petty thief/mob boss

stuck in interrogation rooms across from one another 

“i’ve been waiting to kick your ass all week.”

“i’m telling you, the guy’s innocent. just look at his file – look at his face. nobody that young and anxious can lead the country’s most notorious crime syndicate.”

the two officers glance into the plain white room. a dark-haired man sits inside, hands in his lap. he wears scuffed white sneakers and ripped blue jeans, and he shivers in a plain t-shirt. he’s staring across the hall into another room, where a younger man lazes with handcuffs around his wrists and a bored, dangerously calm expression – his head rolls in his direction and their supposed gang leader snaps his gaze quickly away, eyes wide as his knee bounces rapidly.

the older officer scoffs. “looks can be deceiving, junior. his handsomeness doesn’t make him innocent.” he shares a glance with another officer on the other side of the bullpen and claps a hand on his shoulder, herding him towards their suspect. the cadet fumbles with the manilla folder and clutches it to his chest.

“now,” he says assertively, “don’t speak to him. let me do the talking. guard the door in case he makes a run for it.”

the cadet isn’t sure that’s exactly protocol, but the senior officer has several major cases under his belt, and he’d be damned if he told an expert how to conduct himself. he nods, passing it over, and opens the door for him.

the officer takes a seat opposite the man, who watches them rigidly. he opens the folder and shuffles through the stapled and free sheets of paper silently, letting the room stew in uncomfortable tightness.

he whistles, impressed. “you’re a sky university graduate and student, mr kim? already one doctorate under your belt and you’re still studying?”

seokjin smiles tightly. “yes, sir.”

“what in, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“radiopathology. i’m going for a medical degree this round. sir,” he adds as an afterthought.

the officer locks his fingers together on the table. “studies like this – must cost you a fortune. how are you, financially?”

his gaze flicks to the younger officer by the door. he shrugs, small and tight, and his shoes scuff against the floor. he sighs, a haunted look in his eyes. “fine, i guess, but i’ll die before i pay off my student debt.”

the cadet snorts and covers it up with a cough. the senior officer gives him a sharp glance.

“then why continue?” he flicks through the pages, more for appearance than any mental refreshment. “your academic records tell me you could get a hefty paycheck, even fresh out of university, with your current doctorate. seems like overkill to me.”

something flickers over seokjin’s features. he drops his gaze and sits straighter, as if bracing himself. “my father developed cancer. an occupational hazard. with both degrees, i’ll gain the ability to not only prevent such deaths, but also to treat those in suffering, alleviating their pain.”

the officer eyes him with an unreadable smile. “you’ve practiced that.”

“yeah. i’ve had lots of experience with therapists and applying for tertiary grants. it gets easier to say every time.”

the officer leans in. seokjin leans away.

"so, will i be free to go anytime soon? i'm not trying to obstruct justice or anything, but i have a tutorial tomorrow at eight in the morning and i really need to get my affairs in order." seokjin frowns, mostly to himself. "i haven't even started my flashcards. i'm so screwed..."

"you'll be right to leave when i say so," he says sharply. "i've got a couple more questions for you, mr kim."

across the hall, a young woman in a blue pencil skirt and black heels enters the interrogation room. she shuts the door gently, sharp eyes raking the young man's figure, and shifts the folders against her chest.

"eyes up, little brother."

your gaze flickers upwards, following her without raising your head as she takes a seat across from you, smoothing her skirt beneath her legs.

"hello, yn," she murmurs, clasping neatly manicured hands over the files. "i haven't found you here since you were twelve. what would father say?"

"that i'm a terrible son. now everyone knows that i failed to get the job done."

she sighs, pursing her lips. "don't joke like this. what were you thinking? you're here for charges of petty theft and assault and battery. you're a better man than that."

"i fucked up, okay? it should've been a clean job – in and out without so much as a whisper. how the hell was i supposed to know that the lady had a side bitch? and," you lean forward, chains clinking as you press your palms against the table, "and, he threw the first punch. all i did was defend myself."

her eyes narrow into a glare. "you nearly killed the man! you're lucky he's not going to the media with this. there's only so much i can do for you, idiot, and i've only got two choices for you."

"jail time or – let me guess – community service?"

"no. jail time or help me find evidence for a case."

you blink. "what?"

she glances up at the camera in the corner of the room and sighs. "do you see the man across from you? white shirt."

you don't need to look over. "yeah. why, he your boyfriend?"

"he's the leader of an international crime syndicate. i know it. i just don't have the legal proof of it." she drums her fingers against the table. "this is where you come in. i need you to get close to him, grab some irrefutable audio recordings, and return to me. that's all i need."

you lean back in your chair, which creaks. you rub your eyes and wince. "fuck, noona, i'm not a grifter. i don't do��long-cons. i like jewellery and shitty safes."

"it's either this or jail," she says firmly. "i can clean these charges off your record if i get him. let's just say that some very important people are banking on his arrest. please, yn – do it for me."

you shake your head incredulously, pressing your lips together. "you're asking cats to bark, noona. even if i wanted to, i don't have the right skillset – i'm no actor. and besides, what the fuck can someone like me do to get into a gang leader's inner circle?"

"i don't care how you get it done. if my intel serves, then he's partial to men like you," she emphasises, widening her eyes meaningfully. "get him chatty in bed if you have to; i don't give a shit. i believe in you, yn – you've got a solid history of excelling at everything you set your mind to. you could've been a brain surgeon, if you really wanted it."

you glance over at the man himself. your tongue darts over your lower lip. you turn back to the sergeant, slumping back in your chair. "there's no way that he's got any experience. he looks like a prude. he'll probably be asleep before i close his legs."

she makes a face. "i don't ever want to hear about that. listen, just try. for me? maybe you can get by with a little flirting – finally put that face of yours to good use. you didn't suffer through our family pinching your cheeks and telling you how you'd be a heartbreaker when you grew up to do absolutely nothing with it, right?"

"noona, i don't know..."

"oh, come on. it's not like he's hideous. can't be too hard to tell him he has nice eyes, can it?"

you sneak another glance, doubt written all over your features. it crumbles and you grimace, lifting a hand to rub the back of your neck. the other arm dangles from the cuffs. "fine! fine. i'll do it. for you. if i die, it's entirely your fault."

she lights up. "thank you! you've got this. stop by my apartment tonight, alright? i'll fill you in on the details, and you can get started in the morning. you can crash on my couch if you want to – i'm sure i've got enough of your clothes in a box somewhere to last you until you leave."

"yeah, yeah." you lift your hands towards her. "just get these fucking things off me, noona."

—

"what is this?"

"a good time, hyung!" taehyung grabs seokjin's elbow and drags him out of the sleek black car. he grins, bright and giddy, with a childish charm that suits his face but not the price tag of his suit. he wears burgundy, and if one looks closely, his glossy black shoes carry scars and scuffs from many tumbles. a surprising number of people have been close enough to notice – taehyung's carefree demeanour always masks his brutality.

seokjin's face twists, lightly peeved, as taehyung breezes past security without so much as a glance. "you told me you needed to pick something up. you lied to me."

he lifts a finger as the heavy bass music squeezes his lungs. "nuh-uh. i didn't lie – i do need to pick something up! i'll grab you something on the way in, too."

"can't you go one night without getting your rocks off?" seokjin nearly shouts. he can barely hear himself over the music. it is, however, satisfying to raise his voice, especially as taehyung flaps a dismissive hand in his direction.

"of course i can! but would i like to? no! oh – is that a new dancer? he's cute."

seokjin lets taehyung reel him through the club, blinking against the blue strobe lights. someone brushes against him and the hard steel lump in seokjin's jacket gives him pause, but seokjin meets his eyes unflinchingly and he drops his own, pushing his way through the crowds.

"i have better things to spend my time on," seokjin says, rather crossly. taehyung sits him down at an empty booth, firm hands on his shoulders. "not even a private room? i didn't raise you this way!"

taehyung huffs. "come on, hyung. it's not like it'll kill you. you deserve a little rest, especially after that fiasco with the mole! private rooms are quiet, and quiet means space to think, and space to think means that you'll be grumpy for the next two days. just let the music drown out the stresses of everyday life."

as he speaks, arms animated and dramatic, a good-looking man sashays over, wearing nothing but a pair of tight black shorts that leave little to the imagination. he sets down a beer in front of taehyung, who pushes the glass across the table towards seokjin.

then, when taehyung's mouth opens to continue his lecture, the man crawls onto the table with a seductive smile and begins to dance – or grind, really, against the air.

he's good. seokjin notices the snappy, controlled edge to his smooth, rolling movements more than his nakedness, and he wonders if he's a dancer. he wouldn't be surprised – with a body like that, he's bound to do well in such a place.

"are those moccasins?"

evidently, taehyung has different priorities.

taehyung prods at the dancer's ankles and he slides into a neat perch on the table's edge, his thighs trapping taehyung in the booth. he tilts taehyung's chin upwards with a flirty smile.

seokjin half-expects taehyung to vanish into a bathroom with him, but to his surprise, he shakes his head and gently places his legs aside.

"we're here for you," taehyung explains in response to seokjin's raised eyebrow as the dancer sways away. "plus, you're my ride home; my car's still being fixed up, can you believe it?"

"it's been a day, taehyung. give them time." seokjin glances around, hands resting almost mechanically on his thighs. if it wasn't for the frown on his face, he would look at home on set and in front of a camera. "so, your plan was to get me drunk? i'm not going to drink this."

"why not? you're getting paranoid again."

"someone could've spiked it," he argues. "and it's not paranoia – it's called vigilance and helps me stay alive. do you know how many times you would've died if i wasn't there? more times than i can count."

"oh, please. you're holding air above my head. i can take perfectly good care of myself. you just like to feel important."

if he were anyone but his little brother, he would no longer have a tongue to wag.

taehyung shrugs and reaches for seokjin's untouched beer. he lifts it to his lips, sipping delicately, and his face screws up in disgust. he gags, pushing it back towards seokjin. "no. still gross. ew."

he shakes his head like a dog ridding itself of water before his expression clears. he leans forward. "anybody here catch your eye?"

"no."

"come on. someone here has to at least touch your impossibly high standards."

seokjin rolls his eyes. his gaze sweeps over the dark club. "the bartender."

"bold move." he squints harder at the bartender through the strobe lights. he purses his lips. "you know what? i don't think i know him. damn. but finders keepers, i suppose – i'll go find out who he is."

"taehyung," seokjin says sharply. "he's working. don't make it harder than it needs to be."

he blows a raspberry, settling back down in his seat. "buzzkill. fine – you go talk to him, then. give him your number, or something."

"and do what everyone else does? present myself as desperate? absurd."

taehyung groans. "you are making my job way too hard. i am trying to get you laid. you're as good-looking as me – this should be easy!"

"as good-looking," seokjin mutters disdainfully. he raises his voice slightly. "i was just accused of a myriad of crimes, embezzlement and racketeering included. forgive me if i'm a little wary of strangers."

"you're fine," taehyung drawls. "you played the good boy so well. i barely recognised you in cuffed levi's." he casts an appreciative glance in the bartender's direction and begins to stand. "i'm gonna shoot my shot with smiley over there. my dear, he's a sight for sore eyes. wish me luck!"

"i'll break your legs."

"it's 'break a leg', generally."

"sit," he demands.

taehyung whines, "i'm not a dog," but sits anyway.

seokjin rises to his feet. "stay," he says, as if he hadn't heard his last words at all.

taehyung wiggles a finger. "that's the kind of attitude that makes people dislike you, hyung." he starts to sway. "be open-minded. easy as the ocean waves. light as a sea breeze."

"are you drunk from one sip of beer?"

he stops swaying. "you're so cruel! you'd be nicer if you just shot me in the head. since you care about your stupid reputation so much, i'm gonna go have my fun, and you can sit here and brood like the handsome and emotionally-unavailable man that you are. good-fucking-bye."

he stomps off – far too suavely, so that it looks more like a catwalk stride than a temper tantrum. however, once his grumpy gaze catches sight of a familiar head of blond hair sitting at a booth with three equally-familiar friends, he brightens and waves his arms, shouting over the music in frantic german.

the woman turns, her arm linked with a pretty korean girl. she grabs taehyung's hand and pulls him down next to her, squishing the three of them into the wall, and the beaming grins and laughter around the table suggests to seokjin that taehyung has been rather well-received.

a small smile tugs at seokjin's lips. at least he has his friends.

he sighs and stands, dusting off his trousers. he pauses by the end of the booth's table, his attention caught by the bartender. he's smiling, chatting to a co-worker as he shakes a mixer. he wears a bowtie and a waistcoat, the sleeves of a crisp white dress shirt rolled up tight at the elbows – same as the other bartender. but he seems to glow in it: everything around him appears brighter, sharper, more vivid.

maybe taehyung was right. maybe he does need to loosen up.

"hey. what can i get for you?"

seokjin slides onto a bar stool. "just a rum and coke, please. thanks."

the bartender grins. nods. he looks better up close. "not a problem. shall i open up a tab for you?"

seokjin hums in thought. he shakes his head. "i'll just take this one. you have a nice smile."

it takes a half-second for the bartender to register the compliment. that smile grows slightly flustered. "oh! thank you. one rum and coke."

he bustles away. seokjin thinks it's a shame that he wears no name tag.

he returns quickly with seokjin's drink in his hand, and seokjin almost smiles at the fact that he skipped over all the other waiting patrons to complete his drink first. he hides his amusement with the chilled rim of the glass.

"so, handsome... when does your shift end?"

the bartender grins. "half an hour. is there any reason in particular you're asking?"

"i'm not so ill-mannered as to take your attention off the other lovely patrons just to compliment your arms or the way that bowtie looks on you. i can appreciate a strong work ethic."

"you're starting to sound like my boss," the bartender laughs. "but for you, handsome, i can make it twenty minutes. think you can nurse a rum and coke for that long?"

"for you?" he raises the glass. "as long as you need."

—

seokjin's waist fits in your hand ever so perfectly. when you'd first met him, you'd played it so safe that you'd almost forgotten to give him your name. you gave yourself a new last name and a subtle accent, but that was as far as the changes went. sure, you were well-known for being in the drama club in high school, but it wasn't your... passion. nothing quite hit the spot like black gloves and diamonds.

"you look lovely tonight," you comment with a smile, leaning in to keep the waitress out of it. she slows to a stop beside a table set for two and bows before taking her leave.

"as do you," seokjin says gently, a smile lighting up his face when you pull his chair out for him. if it's not the candlelight throwing shadows, you think there's a warm blush on his cheekbones. "i adore the way you dress. i can appreciate a taste for the finer things."

you finger the diamond choker around your neck, set with white gold. it sits above the deep v of your black shirt, accentuating just how deep it falls, and provides a nice contrast. it matches the chopard watch and its woven steel bracelet on your wrist.

"finer things?" you tease, stroking the collar of your shirt. his eyes flicker from the diamonds to the split of your chest. "it's more of a... bad habit, to be truthful. but when i heard where we were headed tonight, i was afraid i'd be wildly underdressed, and then overdressed."

he laughs softly – a sweetly unique sound that has your lips curving up automatically. "you don't have anything to be worried about. you look like you were born for this life. actually, you make me self-conscious – i should've tried something more avant-garde than a suit."

you shake your head with a laugh. "it's a learned skill. you've found something you look ravishing in; why not exploit it?"

"you're too kind." he's had a thousand people compliment the cut of his jacket and tailoring of his pants, but none felt quite so heart-fluttering as yours. he hides his smile with his slender fingers and averts his eyes to escape the alluring heat of your gaze. "but, truly – those diamonds do look stunning on you. do you have much of a collection?"

"oh, no; i couldn't afford it if i tried. it's such a shame. i feel like they're calling for me to touch them, and sometimes the desire is simply too strong to resist, you know? i indulge myself terribly."

he brushes his fingers over his plush lower lip. "it's alright. i know the feeling. i really do love the way you look with them, so would you mind bringing me the next time you go to a jeweller's? anything that catches your eye, you can have. anything at all. it'd be a sin to deprive you of them when i've seen you in these simple ones – i can't imagine what i'd do with myself if you wore something a little more... eye-catching."

you pause. your eyes widen. "oh – oh, no, seokjin – i couldn't ask that of you."

"that's why i'm offering, love." he smiles sweetly.

"you'd really buy such expensive things for me? i'm flattered, truly, but i wouldn't want our relationship to become... transactional." you reach across the table and place your hand on his. his bright smile turns shy. "i've loved our time together, seokjin. i don't want to lose that."

it takes a second longer than usual for him to compose himself and find his words. "you wouldn't lose it. they'd just be gifts – you wouldn't have to do anything in return. don't worry," he emphasises, squeezing your hand gently, "about the money. i have lifetimes of it. i'd be glad to know where it's going."

you squeeze his hand as well, turning your palm up to grasp his knuckles as if you're about to kiss them. your thumb runs over his joints and the curves of his knuckles, and chuckle. "you really are too good to me, seokjin."

the hum of the restaurant fades away into a low murmuring ripple. the lights fade to dull spots. everything but him vanishes, pushed to the furthest extremities of your consciousness, and you lean in. he follows.

the kiss is soft and silky. his lips tingle where they press to yours, like the gentle tang of a teaspoon of lime juice. you sip on him slowly, like mezcal, and relish in the sweet sting, as rich and bright as an amaretto sour.

he tilts his head, and the kiss deepens to something more appropriate for the bedroom. he catches himself before it goes too far with a soft gasp, pulling away. his dark eyes flutter open, flicking up to yours.

he clears his throat. "so, are you hungry?"

"of course," you reply, matching his nonchalance. you shrug with an embarrassed, lopsided grin. "i've just never been to a restaurant that doesn't offer their menu anywhere..."

seokjin's eyes widen slightly. a flush remains on his cheeks – the memory of your lips on his sticks to the forefront of his mind, crowding out much else. "oh! it's a fixed menu, love. it's why i asked for your dietary requirements the other day. they base the size on how many people there are. i'm so sorry – i'd forgotten all about it the moment i saw you." he giggles at himself endearingly. that severe, revenge-served-cold persona at the bar seems entirely removed. he even sits differently – a little more open, relaxed.

you watch him with a soft smile. "you're quite the charmer, did you know that? i could sit here and listen to your voice the whole night long."

"well," he laughs again, "i think that's how dinner dates work, so you’re in luck."

a waitress, different to the one who seated you, stops by with a polite smile and the entrees. you thank her and glance back down at each other, smiling when your eyes meet.

this might not be so hard, after all.

—

it doesn't take much to slide into seokjin's 'inner circle' – and not the one he lets you into in the bedroom. that one came first. after that, it was simply existing by his side, practically living in his luxurious penthouse apartment and massaging his shoulders when work became rough, until he grew comfortable enough not to flip over his classified papers when you leant over his chair to kiss him on the cheek.

you have yet to find anything incriminating in those glances; it's all reasonable numbers in those financial year statements. he takes his work with him – not just between work and home, but even to the bedroom. he sets his messenger bag on a chair with his tie next to the wardrobe, which means that you can't creep away and take a late-night sneak peek at anything under those superficial numbers.

one night, you're milling around the living room directly in front of the entrance, your shoes patient by the front door. the apartment is oddly shaped, as far as apartments go. maybe they're different for rich people, but you haven't seen one quite like it before. the living room branches out like a capital 't' and hooks around in a loop, with a staircase on the right leading up to a mezzanine containing the bedroom, office, and bathroom. in the day, it's brightly lit; huge panels of glass stretching across the walls from floor to ceiling display downtown seoul's skyline. at night, spots of light glimmer in the darkness, and a slow, blinking red dot will sometimes make its way over the roofs. before you, seokjin says, he kept the curtains closed as soon as the sun went down, but that you've shown him a beauty in the night that he can no longer ignore.

you lie along the leather couch, a pillow folded beneath your head. your eyes are closed. conventional, inoffensive radio songs float through speakers inset in the ceiling. despite those speakers in every room – so that he doesn't have to carry one around with him – he still has a dedicated movie setup, complete with atmos speakers. somehow, he'd found the sweet spot for the audio, despite his open-plan home being a noticeable springboard for sound.

the door opens, and a set of footsteps enters. the door closes behind them. your brow furrows and you're on your feet in half a second – those aren't seokjin's steps.

the young man in front of you instinctively reaches for something at the back of his belt. you've watched enough movies to know what it is that he's got his fingers around.

"well, he-llo, gorgeous," he greets flirtatiously in a deep, smooth voice. he wears a peach-coloured three-piece with a matching tie and a black shirt. a lock of dark hair curls romantically over his eyebrow, and you wonder how long he took in the bathroom to get it right. "you look familiar. have we met?"

you don't relax. neither does he. you smile politely. "i don't believe we have. i imagine someone like you would be hard to forget."

"hm." his lips curve up. "then allow me to introduce myself. kim taehyung: art aficionado, music connoisseur, and lover of many. i decorated this place – do you like what i've done with it?"

"it's better than most apartments i've been to."

he hums and moves towards the bar on the corner. he moves behind it to pour himself a glass of cherry cola – he's not as clueless as he looks, then. he'll keep an eye on you this way. he adds ice, and it clinks in his glass. 

he begins, "my brother... he's not one for aesthetics. i'm certain he'd live in a cement box if it had everything he needed in it. i've made it my personal mission to fill his homes with as many useless objects as i can before he becomes suspicious. take this, for example."

he points to a white vase of lilacs on the end of the bar and fixes it, brushing his knuckles over the flowers. "this vase... it's beautiful, but it cost as much as a car. i haven't the slightest idea why. i could go to the nearest department store and get something identical for a handful of spare change."

he lifts his glacial gaze, staring at you from the corner of his eyes. he's not talking about vases.

you scoff and sit back down, turning your back to him. he's not going to do anything – not when he's assuming such things about you. "you don't even know my name, but you're already insulting me."

"i've been pushing him to release some stress. he takes himself too seriously – someone needs to loosen the stick up his ass, maybe replace it with something better." he pops a blue umbrella in his glass with a twirly pink straw and lifts it to his lips. "i've had this conversation with three other men before you, did you know? you're the first to understand it." he tilts his glass in your direction, almost a toast. "i like you."

"what are you here for, kim taehyung?" you ask bluntly. you rest your arm over the backrest and watch him over your shoulder. his sad little glass of cola makes your fingers itch – you need to make him a proper drink.

he gestures vaguely at the city skyline with the cola. it sloshes dangerously close to the rim. "what we're all here for. a good time. that, and i wanted to know who had my stoic brother wrapped around their pinky finger. seeing you now – i can see why."

"thought he wasn't one for aesthetics," you comment drily.

he laughs at that, full and animable. "oh, attractive and witty. that must be the reason why my brother can't think straight anymore – as soon as someone has a sharp tongue, he's completely enamoured. do you like him as much as he likes you?"

you rise to your feet, finally unable to hold back the carnal desire to make him a drink of the clothes he's wearing – that little party glass won't do. smoothly, he moves around the bar, keeping to the opposite side at all times as you slip off your white jacket and drape it over the bench you wouldn't notice the action if you weren't looking for it. you already had seokjin in the palm of your hand – it was this boy you needed to worry about. his suspicion might brush against something it shouldn't.

you reach for a coca-cola and the bottle of grenadine syrup. "i keep his company because i enjoy our conversations."

"sounding more and more like an escort," he comments blithely. "there's no need to be so tense around me, big boy. i just want to know if my big brother is in good hands. yours seem very capable."

plucking a couple of maraschino cherries out of the fridge, you balance them on the ice in the tall glass. you turn, and you bite back a smirk as taehyung's brow twitches upwards.

"thank you," you say, setting the glass down and sliding it across the bar. "i didn't poison it, if you're wondering. just a simple roy rogers. a man of your standing deserves better than a can of coke garnished with an umbrella."

he watches you move around the bar, whipping up a pisco sour. he plucks the cherries off their stems with his teeth and chews slowly, savouring the sweetness. "huh. you're ticking all the boxes – hyung might have to share you with me. that – or you can tell me why you're really after him. you're not an escort, so it's not about money. you don't fuck him nearly as often as he needs to be, so it's not about sex."

a dull, steely thump. you turn around, the shaker in your hands.

his fingers slide off of the silver handgun on the bar. he raises the roy rogers to his lips, his eyes fixed on yours.

he's seen a lot of reactions to a gun. he's seen fear, he's seen hysteria – hell, he's even seen lust. the drink pauses halfway to the bar when you laugh boisterously.

"you can't intimidate me, kim taehyung," you chuckle, shaking it dry. "you wouldn't believe the number of people who've pulled a weapon on me. some were twice your size – ex-military types, far too trigger-happy to continue shooting and call it patriotism. i'm not going to hurt you or your brother, and i won't tell the cops that you're packing. pleased?"

you pop open the shaker and drop in the ice. you resume shaking.

the front door opens. those are seokjin's footsteps.

you turn around with bright eyes, grabbing a glass. "oh, seokjin! how was your day? i've been waiting to kick your ass all week – my mario kart skills are getting better."

"my day was boring, but much better now that i've seen you. you'll have to show me your new moves." he looks up from digging around in his messenger bag and halts at the sight of taehyung in his peach-coloured suit and platform boots. his gaze hones in on the glint of steel taehyung didn't quite manage to hide.

his eyes narrow and his expression hardens. his voice snaps their consonants, arctic-cold. "are you threatening my partner, taehyung?"

"of course not," you interrupt, sending taehyung a candied grin. "your little brother was just making himself comfortable. it'd be hard to be at ease with that digging into your back, wouldn't it?"

the thick silence between them is palpable.

"come now, darling," you hum, pouring the cocktail. you add the garnishes and hold it out with an inviting smile. "you're at home. relax."

after a pause, he steps forward. another step. he dumps his bag on the couch as he passes it and accepts the drink with a grateful sigh.

"you're too good to me, love," he murmurs, tilting his head to allow you better access with your kisses. "i'm sorry i didn't introduce you to taehyung earlier. he's always so busy with the family business. did he play nice with you?"

"mm, of course," you whisper sweetly, sliding your hands up over his thighs and hips. you press a kiss to his jaw and lift your eyes to taehyung's – he glares daggers back, and his mouth thin into a tight line. "we're getting along well. a few initial speed bumps, yes, but all relationships have their rocks and pitfalls. even if we didn't," you nibble on his earlobe just to see taehyung divert his gaze, "he'd have to get used to me, sooner or later."

[wolfnlamb]

Under 18 or ageless, do not interact.

Professor Hayakawa Aki

Aki sends you emojis when he wants to get ‘lunch’.

“🍌”

“🥨”

“🍓”

Your phone vibrates from each message, ping-ping-ping, and you grab it quickly in between typing your email. The messages are silly, and you know their true meaning. The time is 12:05pm, so you lock your computer and slam the laptop shut.

He’s waiting in his usual spot in the parking garage. You both have gotten into the habit of parking on the highest floor, away from the congested areas, in the spaces near the stairwell. The cigarette drops from his hand when he meets your gaze, stepping in the cherry tip. He’s got his heavy backpack singed over his shoulder, definitely full of books and papers he needs to grade. His smile is subtle on his lips, but he eyes are intense and locked on yours.

“We have close to an hour, and then I have an academic support meeting at 1:15pm” you say. He’s already opening the passenger door of his car, letting you climb into the back seat.

Aki sits on the cushioned seats, panting and already covered in a sheen of sweat, his pants pulled down to his ankles. With you to his side, slowly kissing him as you stroke his cock languidly. Your hand squeezes his shaft as it trails up to his swollen head, letting your fingers draw tiny circles over the tip. His thighs shake.

Between panting breaths, Aki speaks, “Climb on top….I wanna feel you.”

He doesn’t have ti ask twice. Your panties are already soaked and laying the floor of the car, shoes kicked off and your dress hiked up to your titis. You swing your leg over his and settle on to him, your aching pussy resting upon his cock.

He gropes the fat of your ass; his big calloused hands holding as much of you as he can. No words are spoken at this point between you two. You both know what you want, and what’s next; he pulls your hips upward to give his cock the leeway it needs to slide in and disappear inside of you.

As much as you’ve taken his cock before, it’s always a surprise when you feel him stretching you out. A tiny gasp leaves your lips, and he pushes your hips down a bit before pulling you back up. He eases his cock into you, so patiently. Aki’s good at being patient; it’s why he’s such a good teacher. He can teach his subject effortlessly and his students always get the attention they need to pass his otherwise hard class. You admired him for that. So of course he’d be patient in other aspect of his life, like fucking you secretly in his car each day.

[blushweddinggowns]

When Steve’s mom forced him to get a tutor for biology, he was not happy.  Frankly, he was pissed. Sure he was sitting on a solid D- and yeah he wasn’t exactly known for his academic prowess, but it still sucked. He didn’t have time for tutoring. He had things to do, especially when it came to Sundays. It was one of only two days a week when Steve got Eddie all to himself, no band practice, no sports, no Hellfire, just the two of them. 

But Eddie, the goddamn hypocrite was actually on his mom’s side.

“I’m just saying that it would help with the college thing.” He said, rolling his eyes at the way Steve glared at him. Maybe it would have been more intimidating if he wasn’t currently straddling his lap and playing with a piece of Eddie’s hair, but Steve was too comfortable to move, even if he was pissy. 

“Y’know, there’s a solid chance nothing I do will be good enough for a college.”

“Well then at least we can say you tried, can't we?"

“I’m just saying, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment if you think I’m just going to start academically succeeding out of nowhere. My dumbass won’t be our ticket out of here,”  Steve sighed, ignoring the way Eddie’s eyes softened at his words. He was staring downward, eyes focused on a suddenly interesting bleach stain on Eddie’s shirt. 

"You’re not stupid Stevie."

And as sweet as that was, it wasn’t true. He was a straight C- student on a good year, and that took effort. And yeah, the two of them may be in the same ballpark with their grades, but it was different. Eddie was actually smart, just not when it came to people outside of Wayne and Steve telling him what to do. He taught himself how to draw, how to write, Jesus, he basically taught himself how to read, all while living in a house from hell for his formative years. He didn’t know what it was like to be truly dumb. He missed 2⁄3 of middle school and he was still doing better in English than Steve was. 

Steve could feel his eyes start to get wet as he sniffed, instantly annoyed at himself for getting emotional over something so stupid. But at least it fits the profile, stupid people do stupid things. 

He didn’t fight it when Eddie hooked a finger under his chin, forcing him to look up at him. He kissed him first, two light pecks to his lips before mumbling against his mouth, “I could never be disappointed in you. You could drop out tomorrow and I’d still love you as much as I do now.”

Steve couldn’t help but smile a little at that, “Yeah?”

“You know I would. And well…in all honesty babe I always thought drug price inflation was going to be our ticket out of here. I have been overcharging ninth graders for like, a year and a half now.”

Steve smacked his lightly in the chest for that, even if it made him laugh, “Ass. If you can’t trust your local drug dealer then who can you trust?”

“Not my fault I have a family to take care of,” Eddie grinned, swooping in for another kiss, "But seriously baby you're not stupid."

Steve opened his mouth to argue but Eddie slapped a hand over it before he had a chance, “And I know you don’t want to hear it but you’re not. Who was the one to find out that Rick was shortchanging me?”

Steve rolled his eyes. That didn’t even count. He was just the first one to notice that the numbers Rick had written didn’t match up with what the scale said, and the first one to threaten him over it. Eddie would have figured it out eventually. 

But he let it go, mumbling beneath his hand,  “I did.”

“And who saved us fifty bucks in rent after threatening the landlord with a lawsuit?”

That…that shouldn’t have counted either. Steve had been on a cleaning kick that day and just happened to stumble across an old copy of their lease. And he only read through it because he was bored waiting for Eddie to come home. And the only reason he knew there were violations was because he spent nearly 80 percent of his time there, and yeah maybe he was good at threatening people with legal jargon, but that was only because he retained shit he’d heard from his dad.

“I did but-”

“But nothing,” Eddie interrupted, “Because you were also the guy who actually paid attention during CPR class and saved that lady from drowning sophomore year. And you’re managing to scam your parents into giving you money while banging gay trailer trash. If that’s not smart, I don’t know what is. So I think that you're more than capable of passing a biology midterm. And even if you're not it won’t erase all of the other things you’ve done. Understand?”

Steve blushed, a confusing mix of annoyed and pleased at the praise. Part of him still wanted to fight him, even if everything he said was technically true. But a bigger part wanted to get back to kissing him, and he knew Eddie wouldn’t let it go without him conceding at least a little. 

“I understand,” Steve sighed, “But if I’m a big fat failure at this you’re still contractually obligated to love me.”

He wrapped his arms around Eddie’s neck, eyes darting to his lips every few seconds while Eddie chuckled, “Baby, you could try to kill me and I’d still love you.”

Steve leaned back in, tired of waiting. He licked over Eddie’s lips, smiling when he obediently opened his mouth so he could slip his tongue inside. Besides, maybe he was right, maybe Steve could handle it, but it didn’t matter either way. As long as Eddie loved him, he’d be fine. 

And that’s how Steve found himself being shaken awake by Eddie on a Sunday for freaking studying. Yeah the make-out session from last week had been pretty convincing but it was a whole different thing in the light of day. 

He groaned at the sound of Eddie’s voice, purposefully loud as he sang out, “Time to wake up sunshine! You got some learning to do!”

Steve buried his face in his pillow, groaning again when Eddie took that as an invite to sit on him. He leaned over, whispering in his ear, “If you wake up now I’ll make it worth your while.”

Steve giggled, immediately charmed by the asshole who was already starting to tickle his sides, “What, like you did last night? How are you going to top that?”

Eddie whispered a few more things in his ear, some very interesting things that suddenly left certain parts of Steve very much awake. He pushed Eddie off of him before jumping out of bed, scrambling to put on the loosest pair of sweats he owned while Eddie laughed behind him. 

They went downstairs together, and somehow Steve only managed to embarrass himself twice during the whole interaction. It helped that Nancy ended up being  one of the most patient people on the planet, always willing to re-explain the things that Steve didn’t get on the first try. It helped even more knowing that Eddie was in the other room, like his presence alone was his own personal security blanket, even if all he was doing was snoring on the couch. 

The whole thing wasn’t nearly as bad as Steve had been expecting. He had kind of thought that the daughter of someone who could stand to be friends with his mom would be…well a bitch. But Nancy was nothing like that. She was straightforward and to the point, but also kind with 0 condescension to Steve’s lack of studying skills. 

They drove her home after, and he had to admit she dealt with him and Eddie bickering over the radio like a champ. Eventually she just threw her hands up and batted both of them away, with a stern, “Passenger side gets to pick!”

But at least he knew who ABBA was now, and Steve was a pretty big fan of both their music and the way it made Eddie cringe. He kept it on the whole ride home and surprisingly enough, he was actually looking forward to their next session. 

He thought that would be the next time he saw her, so imagine his surprise when he walked into first period with Nancy Wheeler already seated by the window, a book in hand. That was new. He walked up to her, taking the desk in front so he could turn back. She didn’t notice him at first, too absorbed in her book. He gently tapped on her desk, knowing from previous experience that it was really easy to jumpscare people when they were absorbed in reading.

She glanced up at him, surprise written all over her face. Which made sense, this was probably the first class they’d ever had together.

He smiled at her, “When did you get added to this class?”

Steve frowned when she looked away from him before answering, voice quiet, “I’ve uh, been here all year actually.”

Steve blinked at her, stomach twisting in a knot. Oh. Oh no. Could he look like a bigger dick? But maybe he could still save this, “Oh. Then I guess this is what you meant when you said we’ve met before?”

Nancy shook her head, still looking anywhere but at Steve’s face, “It was uh, actually last year? We were lab partners in Mrs. Kay's chemistry class. And um, I guess as a warning I’m also in your History class. And uh, Biology. That’s why I’m your tutor.”

Steve stared at her, mouth opening and closing like an idiot. He knew that he was a bit notorious for his one track mind, but he didn’t realize that it was that bad, “I am so sorry.”

She shrugged, “It’s not your fault I’m forgettable.”

Steve opened his mouth to argue, but the next thing he knew he was being shushed by the teacher and Nancy was already back to reading. He wiped a hand down his face, mind already racing on just what he could do to make up for accidentally ignoring her existence for a year plus. But by the time class ended and he turned around she was already walking out of the door. 

She was fast for such a little person. And despite the fact that they apparently had three classes together he couldn’t manage to catch her once. He whined to Eddie about it the whole way home, glaring at him when he had the audacity to laugh. Steve was still pouting about it by the time they walked through the front door of the trailer, especially since Eddie was still giggling behind him. 

“Babe, I said I was sorry! And hey, at least you didn’t fake date her right?”

Steve groaned as he flopped down into their bed, only the slightest bit appeased when he felt Eddie tug his shoes off for him, “Lab partners is so much worse. I didn’t even know her name until last week. I’m awful.”

“Oh come on, you can still win her over!” Eddie said as he plopped down next to him, laughing when Steve immediately started to play with his hair, “You just got to use some of that signature Harrington charm.”

Steve sighed as he twisted a lock of Eddie's hair around his finger, trying and failing to make his brain come up with an answer. But then it hit him, “Hey, do you still have enough stuff here to make more muffins?”

Eddie raised a brow at him, “Are you going to try and bribe her into liking you with chocolate?”

“If you make them for me I will,”  Steve was trying to put on his most convincing face, the cute one that almost always got Eddie to do what he wanted. And it seemed to be working if the way his eyes softened was anything to go by. 

Eddie sighed, pretending to think about it for a second, “What’s in it for me?”

Steve leaned into kiss him, two quick pecks to the side of his mouth before saying, “My undying love?”

Steve loved how something so corny was enough to make Eddie melt, “Deal.”

God, he was so easy. 

He left Eddie to bake while he drove all the way back to his house. There were a lot of other things he’d rather be doing than digging around in his mom’s desolate wrapping paper drawer in the middle of the night, but he made it work. 

By the time he got back to the trailer they were baked and cooled, and Steve made sure to give Eddie a thorough kiss for his efforts. He wrapped a few of them up in some purple cellophane, paired with a pink and white bow, the least ugly combination he was able to find at one a.m.

He added a small white card, scribbling a little something into it before presenting it to Eddie in bed, “Tada! What do you think?”

Eddie laughed as he took it from him to inspect, in good spirits despite the fact that Steve insisted he stayed awake until it was finished. He seemed just as impressed with his handiwork as Steve was, “I think it’s perfect."

Steve preened, “You think she’ll like it?”

“She’ll love it,” Eddie reassured before gently placing it on the nightstand. He grabbed Steve’s arm, hauling him down from his sitting position to nearly laying on top of him before grabbing a blanket to cover them both up in, “Now can we please go to sleep?”

Steve didn’t argue when Eddie went to turn off the light. He was right, especially since he was going to make them wake up early on top of it.

The next morning Steve was actually in class early. For the first time in well…ever. But Nancy had still beat him there. She was in her usual place, nose in her book. She didn’t even look up when Steve sat in front of her, but she did startle a bit when he dropped the gift on her desk. 

He grinned at her, way too excited for her reaction, “These are for you! To say I’m sorry for y’know. Being oblivious.”

Nancy looked at the muffins and back to Steve, a small smile slowly growing on her face, “You made me apology muffins?”

“Well…Eddie made them,” Steve admitted, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, “But I helped! And did the decorating and wrote the card.”

Nancy plucked the small card off the ribbon. She read it out loud, her small smile transforming into a full blown grin, “‘I’m Sorry I’m an Asshole.’ I’m guessing you did the little frowny face too?”

Steve nodded, “I may have the art skills of a ten year old but I do mean it. You’re not forgettable Nancy. I’m just an inconsiderate moron. Okay?”

Nancy stared down at the gift in her hands before looking back to Steve, voice soft, “I…thanks. I appreciate that.”

They talked for a while after that and Steve was pretty sure he was planted firmly on the path of forgiveness. But he wanted to be 100 percent sure. He had made it this far, why not push a little more?

“Do you want to have lunch together today?”

Nancy looked more than a little surprised at the request, “Oh, I already have plans with Barb.”

Steve shrugged, “She can come too. The four of us can go to Benny's and get some burgers or something.”

“Isn’t that against school rules?”

Steve smiled to himself. He forgot for a second that he was talking to a goody two shoes over here, “Only if you get caught. And if we did Eddie and I would take the blame, scout’s honor.”

She bit her lip, hesitating before finally nodding her head, “If Barb says yes then, um, sure.”

That was good enough for Steve, even if he had no clue who Barb was. But he’d trust Nancy’s judgment. And surprisingly the whole thing goes a lot better than Steve had been expecting. He was a little scared that their table would be dead quiet after they all realized they had nothing in common, a completely unfounded fear considering that Eddie was with them. He had a knack for getting people to open their mouths, even if it was only to tell him to shut up. And that little skill was great to get both girls to open up a little. 

Turns out Steve and Nancy actually had something in common, a mutual love for Blondies, in particular Heart of Glass, while Barb and Eddie both agreed that it was one of the most annoying things they’d ever heard. They created a united front to tease them both over it, and Nancy and Steve bonded over just how misunderstood Deborah Harry was. 

It was fun, fun enough for Eddie to invite them both to lunch more and more often. Nancy says yes more than Barb, who is surprisingly busy with a few of her extracurriculars. But it’s still fun. Nancy’s fun. And soon spending lunch together turns into inviting her over to watch a movies with him and Eddie at the trailer, or getting food while Eddie was caught up in Hellfire or Band practice. 

It all snowballs into the two of them spending a lot more time together, most of it outside of their tutoring sessions. And Steve was starting to think that he had actually managed to make a friend.  The real cincher is just how well she gets along with Eddie, and watching them both laugh together was enough to make Steve feel all warm and happy inside. 

Because he likes Nancy. Like, really likes her. Like doesn’t want to throw her to the wayside likes her. She’s smart and kind, a little strict in a weird but pleasant way. And sometimes he’ll look at her and Barb doing something, something as casual as whispering to each other at  the lockers, all smiles and shared secrets, and Steve can’t help but want that. 

Because he doesn’t really have his own friends outside of Eddie. He has his teammates sure, but it’s not like he can let himself get too close to them. Then there were Eddie’s friends, and they were all great, really, but they weren’t…his. There was Wayne, but as much as he loved him he’d always be more of a parent then a friend. That said, Eddie was still his best friend. He loved Eddie, he loved Eddie more than anything on the planet. 

But he can’t…talk to Eddie about Eddie. And yeah, maybe it was a bit too feminine to want to gossip about your boyfriend at the lockers with a new girl bestie. But then again, he probably lost his “man” card the second he shoved his tongue down Eddie's throat for the first time. And it’s not just that he wants someone to talk about his relationship. He wants her to be able to talk to him too. Whether it be her own crushes or complaining about her parents, he wanted to connect with her more. It sounded…fun. Maybe gay as hell but whatever. Technically it was fitting. 

But he knew that he couldn’t have that if he didn’t tell her the truth. 

~

 From this fic, and the 1.5 Part of this post

Part 2 Part 3

@missarte-beltane

Idk tag etiquette so I only added the person who asked for it because I don't want to be annoying! But if you want to be added let me know!

[jayvolans]

𝐥𝗼𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝗼𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫 | 𝐚𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝗺 𝐬𝗺𝐚𝐮

𝐗𝐈𝐈. 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇

the scream you let out was more than loud enough to send Childe, kaeya, and yae barging into your room, concern clear on their faces. “yn? what’s going on? what’s happened?” you grinned obnoxiously at them, eagerly showing them your phone.

“look! look! I pretty much aced my quiz!” you shouted, flopping back onto your back. they were quiet for a moment before breaking into cheers.

“we have to celebrate! i know how much that class has been kicking your ass,” childe grinned, sitting beside you. kaeya and yae both shared a knowing grin. “so alhaitham really helped, didn’t he?” yae interjected, teasingly.

kaeya’s eyebrows wiggled, adding to the joke. you just flipped them off before standing up. “he did. in fact, he offered to buy me padisarah pudding to apologize for missing the recording,” you stated matter of factly.

“why did he miss?” childe asked curiously. “…a hangover,” you admitted sheepishly. the three of them stared incredulously, not believing your words. “he got that drunk, on a school night?” kaeya reiterated, a smirk overtaking his face.

you stood up, smiling deviously. “anyways, i do need to get going so-“ “wait!” yae commanded, hands on her hips and evil grin on her lips. “you’re going out, willingly, with alhaitham?” she questioned.

you shrugged playfully. “i’m going to start changing whether you guys are in here or not,” you threatened. groaning, the three trouble makers left out the door, but not before promising to ‘figure you two out’.

still riding the high of your test score, you all but skipped through the tables of lambad’s cafe. seated in the corner, reading a book, was alhaitham.

grinning, you practically sprinted towards him, startling him when your hands slammed down on the table. “y-yn?! what the hell…?” he shouted, jumping to his feet.

your mind only on your rising grade, you threw your arms around alhaitham, words falling from your lips faster than you could process. “i aced my org chem test, thanks to you! like actually!”

after a beat of silence his arms slowly wrapped around you in return. “congratulations, yn, but that was all you, i just helped you study,” he replied softly.

your grin widened for a moment and then dropped when your mind caught up with your body. eyes widening, you pulled away, your face warm. you averted your gaze with an awkward cough and rocked back on your feet.

“well, thank you anyways, you really helped me,” you stammered. alhaitham nodded, his hand covering the pink tint rising on his cheeks. “of course. did you finish the eleventh and twelfth chapters?”

and just like that, the tense air dispersed and you were both sitting down, the conversation flowing.

even though you’d started off by talking about the books, your conversation has quickly drifted from the topic to other things. it had suddenly occurred to you that you really didn’t know much about alhaitham besides his academic prowess and the opposite was the same as well.

but that tended to happen when all of your interactions for over a year only included harsh jabs and searing scowls. but that didn’t mean you couldn’t find out more now. better late than never, right? “you mean to tell me, that you killed not only a cactus, but a succulent too?” alhaitham echoed incredulously. you huffed under your breath.

“everyone lied when they said it was easy. i either overwater it or underwater it and amount of sunlight? don’t even get me started!” you whined helplessly.

you expected to hear more teasing, but instead you heard a soft laugh. alhaitham was laughing at you, but it wasn’t mocking or derisive. he was genuinely amused by you (or your lack of gardening skills).

“one of these days, i’ll make a manual so you can properly take care of a plant. no more plants deserve to die at your hands,” he snickered. you protested, but you couldn’t help but latch onto the fact that he was willing to help you, even if it was only for the plants sake.

“okay, okay, enough about me! what are you bad at? besides holding your alcohol, of course,” you smirked. he scoffed, but leaned back in your chair.

“hmmm, that’s a hard one…” he sighed jokingly to which you scoffed tamely at, “honestly though, i’d have to say cooking,” he mumbled, shaking his head. your eyebrows raised. “cooking…?” you echoed.

alhaitham nodded, frowning petulantly. “yes, cooking. it’s awful and i never get the proportions right,” he sighed. you cocked an eyebrow. “do you use a… recipe?”

just as you feared, alhaitham looked at you as if you’d said the stupidest phrase known to man. “i once heard that cooking is like chemistry, so why wouldn’t i experiment?”

you took a bite of your padisarah pudding and waved your spoon at him. “now why,” you swallowed, “would you treat it like actual chemistry? use a recipe, you’ll do much better,” you promised.

the silver haired scholar moved your spoon away with the tip of his finger before responding. “that’s the thing! even when i use one it comes out awful. either it’s burnt or undercooked or i missed some obscure instruction!” 

you shook your head with a smirk. “so you made fun of me for being bad with plants, but you’re struggling with a life skill?” you teased. alhaitham rolled his eyes, waving a dismissive hand.

"I just make my roommate, kaveh, do it. he doesn't pay rent, so he has to earn his keep somehow," he grinned evilly. you nodded sagely. “and they were roommates,” you teased, straight faced.

alhaitham groaned aloud. “if i hear that phrase one more time… kaveh has even started calling himself a ‘male wife’?” you couldn’t help but dissolve into laughter at the absurdity of it all.

alhaitham was pretty much the opposite of every one of your pre conceived notions about him, in fact, you were genuinely having fun getting to know him.

it was a scary thought, but as alhaitham lamented over the ‘woes of having a helpless idiot as a roommate’ you couldn’t help but find that that was a future problem for a future yn.

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝗼𝐮𝐬❧ 𝗺𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭❧ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭❧

Happy Valentine’s Day my beloveds!!🫶🏾

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓❧

@ruisann @imma-too-many-fandoms @coffeecasket @kokxm1 @lunastarjay @dksfl920 @chiisananingen @itonashi @pidgey-ontheloose @ceylestia @jinxnotpowder @natsum-s @xirthia @adorablezhui @sunsethw4 @deartoru @baelloraa @nambii @simplyxsinned @aixaingela @whipped-for-fictionals @keithsaccount @blayxe @nekogakuro @richxelle @rifran @flutterawayx @nolvngerhvman @celestair @klementime @apinu @http-mewchuu @phoenix-eclipses @court-jester-stuff @dustofthedailylife @albedos-world @taoluv @salamiwrites @imkaaayy @turtl3-warr1or @zombieb1t3 @nachotrash @xiaossocksniffer @catgirlwannabe @duckyyyx

[theoryandahalf]

I just realized I have literally no time & skill to write the Fnaf au/joking because it'd take forever

seriously though, why does everyone want to give students homework. I go to school , that should be enough :/

In a question I swear is relevant , team theorists as types teachers

MatPat would probably be English - don't ask my why he just gives english teacher vibes

I'm pretty sure there are studies that show too much homework is ineffective but don't quote me on it. Hang in there pal, fanfic can wait for the weekend.

I kinda agree Matt gives off Dead Poets Society vibes but I think he's said on record he hated English classes (was I the only one shocked that MatPat doesn't read?!). If he's teaching high school, yeah he's the AP Lit professor. If he's teaching college, he's the really young, oversharing Psych101 professor who's really cool but you also know too much about his wife, kid and cat, and his weekend hobbies. He's overcommitted on five hundred faculty committees and faculty Senate. He's won Teacher/Professor of the Year five times and he's not even 40 yet. In his spare time he consults for Google.

My other guesses:

Stephanie: Chemistry Professor or high school Chem teacher. God help you poor kids in her class, she's the strictest grader and the only time she unwinds is when Mr. Patrick sneaks into her classroom in between break periods. You know nothing about her personal life. Is she married to Mr. Patrick/Dr Patrick, or are they just friends?! Unless you have Mr Patrick and he overshares about her, you won't know, and you never will.

Lee: Bad ass History teacher all the way, in university and high school. He's also the advisor for the academic decathlon team. He's the chillest teacher ever and he'll let you sleep in his class. Just don't disrespect Tolkien in his presence.

Amy: Art teacher in high school, teaches fashion and design at the college level. She gives off 'mean teacher' vibes because most people only see her interact with Mr. Massa and Mr. Robinson and she often rips them a new one for being too loud and obnoxious. But she's actually fantastic to have in class and you learn a lot from her.

You also work your butt off. Don't take her as an elective.

Tom: ...I have no idea. I guess choir director? Tom is dyslexic and ADHD so teaching would be a hard profession for him. I can see him doing choir/show choir at the high school level though. He seems to give really good advice on his streams so maybe he's a school guidance counselor or adviser.

Santi: Physical education or kinesiology professor. He beefs with Mr. Robinson all the time because he keeps stealing his best football players for his stupid little drama club. Clearly PE is superior because there's more sports scholarships than there are art, so Tom is really just bringing down the entire school. Mr. Massa is also a very chill teacher, he'll let you skip class so long as Mr. Patrick doesn't notice you're not at the all school assembly (because he will notice).

Ash: The overburdened AV instructor/school librarian/media specialist in the Theorist high school. For college, they are the media librarian that just wants you to return the dvd copy of Return of the King, LEE. Ash never has enough money or time in any incarnation but they are the most cheerful and bad ass LGBTQ+ student club advisor you've ever had. Lies to homophobic parents and says they're just a gaming club because you do usually end up discussing FNAF lore for hours until Ms. Cordato knocks on the door to politely kick you all out because its 5pm.

BONUS

Head Editor Dan: Animation professor or creative writing teacher at Theorist High. Also does freshmen homeroom so he's constantly in pain and in need of coffee. Gives off 'don't mess with me' vibes but is a real sweetheart if you get to know him. But what you don't know is that he's pitching five different tv pilots and one of these days he will just randomly disappear because his show was bought by ABC. Ten years from now you'll see his name in the credits of your favorite show as the Executive Producer.

[technically-ghostly-collection]

I said I’d be writing a Miguel O’Hara fan fiction. This is my first time actually posting a fan fic. It’s a slow burn, a brief summary is you’re a journalist in Nueva York. And your saved by the one and only Spiderman 2099.

If this does well I’ll post part two, I’ve already finished writing this fan fic in Google Docs and it does get smutty so I’ll be sure to disclose that if, again, this does well.

Part one | Part two | Part three

TW: Action Sequence, Violent Crime, Weapons, and Retaliation

Word count: 1,371

————————————————————————

When you published that article against Alcamex and their unethical working conditions and practices you didn’t expect that you’d get your ass handed to you for it. Or that you’d meet the one and only spiderman because of it. Fidgeting and squirming in your seat as your publisher agonizes over your article. You watch their eyes skimming over the screen. “So… what’s the verdict?” you ask anxiously.

“Well I think it’s fantastic, well written, academic. This is probably the best thing you’ve written yet” they look up over their glasses at you. “However, I hope you’re ready for the repercussions that will come from this. This will put a target on your back and you need to be prepared for that.”

You laugh a bit, sweat starting to make your collar damp. “I think I’ll be fine, what are they gonna do? Threaten me? Sue me? I’m the best journalist in Nueva York. There would be too much media coverage if they did anything to me.”

“Can you be sure of that?”

Weeks later and those words are still echoing in your mind as you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering if it really was worth it in the end. As predicted those death threats came through but surprisingly there hasn’t been any legal action taken against you. The worst part is that’s what you’re most anxious about, ‘why hasn’t mr. Stone taken action yet’ you think to yourself.

Eventually after rolling your anxieties through your mind a few more times you slip into a restless sleep. Tossing and turning for a few hours before you hear something on the fire escape, eyes flying open the sudden noise shocking your system. At first you think it’s nothing, your downstairs neighbor uses the fire escape more often then you’d like but in an apartment complex can you really have peace? You try to roll over and go back to sleep when the sound of your window creaking open makes you sit up. Your heart rate rises and you can feel your breath quicken, you wait a few moments before hearing the window slide back in place.

‘Oh god I’m gonna die’ you think to yourself. In a panic you reach for the bat you keep beside your bed and slip a sock on the thicker end in case the intruder catches it. You slowly creep towards your door frame and tuck away in your closet, trying to take deep breaths to calm your heart. ‘Please just be a really smart racoon or possum or something’.

Your breath hitches as the door starts to slowly creaking open, eyes widening as you see a masked person creep in holding a gun. You swallow hard and wait for them to be fully in the room before jumping out and swinging at the intruder's head. Luckily for you, your sock trick has been successful, you don’t have enough time to figure out how they turned and caught the bat so quickly before you take another swing at their chest this time. You land a nice wack to their right side and watch the gun drop, kicking it across the room. You drop the bat before jumping onto the intruder as they scramble for the gun despite their new injury.

What you didn’t anticipate is that the intruder would have a friend come along with them, you feel hands grab your sides and gasp as you’re pried off your original target and tossed to the ground. You scramble to your feet and manage to dodge a punch before intruder number two lands a punch to your ribs. You gasp and grit your teeth, swinging at their head before hearing a gunshot ring out and feeling the skin on your side rip. You scream out and hold your side, luckily it just side swiped you, the adrenaline is keeping you going as you rush to the kitchen to get a knife or some other weapon. You dive behind the counter as more gunshots ring out, you can hear the wood slipping as the bullets claw through the island counter.

You wait for the gunshots to cease before grabbing the knife block, quickly ducking again and grabbing the giant chef's knife. ‘I’m so glad I sharpened these’ you think to yourself, trying to peek through the bullet holes at your attackers. You feel one of the aspiring murders grab your hair before you see them, scream out as they drag you around the counter and toss you across the room. You try to reorient yourself and get a grasp of your surroundings, the room is pitch black and all you can do is hold the knife close to your body, ready to be used.

“Who the fuck are you?! What do you want from me?!” you yell out, your eyes finally start to adjust and you see one of your attackers start to charge you. You slash the knife wildly and manage to catch their chest, you hear them scream out before they slap the knife out of your hand. You try to dive for it but the intruder grabs your arm and drags you back. “Get the fuck away from me! Get off me!”

In a panic you pull against the intruder and manage to bite his hand, your mouth filling with a metallic taste as he yells out again and punches you right in the nose. You’re instantly crying from the impact, hearing a sickening crack as your nose starts to spill blood down your face. Before you can think, you feel a gun press to your forehead and you start shaking.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was accepting your fate but you find yourself glaring up at your attackers, giving them a challenging look.

“Fucking shoot you coward” you grit out.

You close your eyes, anticipating the bullet to crash through you before hearing one of the intruders shout and the gun being removed from your forehead. Your eyes shoot open and you can see the man’s hand wrapped in glowing red rope, the glass from the window scattered across the floor as a man climbs through. All you can do is watch as the new contender kicks the original intruder and starts wrapping them in the ropes.

You feel pain enveloping your head again and scream out as the second intruder grabs your hair and pulls you up, getting you in a choke hold and holding you to his chest.

“Don’t come a step closer spiderman! Or I’ll kill the snake!” he shouts as he flexes his arm, making you gag and gasp for air.

There’s no fucking way spiderman is in your living room right now, then again, you hardly expected to be held hostage by an unknown intruder. You try to pull his arm away from your throat, refusing to give up and try to bite his arm before he covers your mouth with a gloved hand. You can feel his fingertips dig into your face and start crying more as his thumb presses against your freshly broken nose.

You watch spiderman pause, assessing the situation. You start to feel light headed as the oxygen is drained out of your lungs, clawing desperately at the intruder’s arm before feeling him suddenly release his grip on you. Gasping for air you fall to the ground and cough, swallowing as much oxygen as possible, at this point you could care less about the intruders, you’re just happy you’re alive.

You hear a scream ring out behind you and a body drop, you scramble away from the noise and turn around and watch spiderman wiping some blood off his lips, your former attacker laying at his feet and deathly still. He quickly pulls his mask back down as if you could see his features through the darkness before dragging the intruders to the window.

“T-thank you” you cough out, your throat and lungs now sore from the lack of air. The spider-man nods, not even saying a word before he grabs the two intruders and tosses them onto the fire escape. He turns back to look at you one last time before climbing out and dragging the intruders off with him.

[youuuimeanmee]

RWTGI 34 Thoughts

😆🥰🤗 I've been waiting for Kirishima's past to be translated since forever 😭😭Now I can FINALLY talk about this chapter wkdbjsnsjsjk

Out of all the mysteries presented in this series (the hell's up with Suo Azami, Renji, Yoshino's parents, the brewing yakuza civil war), Kirishima's past is one thing that hyped me up the most; mostly because I've been dying to know the background this insane yet lovable(?) ML lololol.

⚠️ Though the title is Ch 34's Thoughts, I actually started it from ch 33. If you haven't read it then what are you doing here, go to MangaDex if you don't wanna get spoiled here.

⚠️⚠️TW; Bullying, Abuse, Self H4rm, yk how Kirishima is.

👏 Okay! So!

We FINALLY get to see Kirishima's rich ass mommy and daddy 🥳🥳🥳

(tho they don't have a face, I'll take it)

Looks like the parents are busy people, they missed the fact that their son is not normal since birth. That, or Kirishima is just damn good at hiding it. Maybe both.

"My 2 classmates are fighting over irrelevant things. Solution? Erase the thing without anyone knowing. No more things to fight, problem solved 🙂"

He has a shrewd moral compass, I have a feeling he was being genuine when he "helped" his classmates. Aww my cute baby gremlin.

Or if he wasn't being 100% genuine, maybe he tore up the cards to surpress his urges for violence, to ease the boredom he felt because he couldn't feel anything while living in a normal, peaceful life.

The parents slowly realize the abnormal blood that's been there since Gaku era has never disappear from their family.

Since Gaku is the black sheep of the family, Kirishima's dad prob thought: 'Oh fuck this is uncle all over again. No wait I can do this. He already released his energy using a good outlet (karate), he just needs to surround himself with good people. Friends, yeah. The school we picked is the best; surely there's no bad influence that's gonna taint my son. No more psycho #2.' Umm, I hate to break it to you, but daddy-

Ironically, the dad might be the first person who gave him insight about the feeling of having fun by being with a friend. Up until that point, he probably didn't know the feeling he felt when he did the karate. He did it many times, and the dad claimed he liked it, but he never registered it as 'liking something' until it was pointed out to him.

(just like when kirishima threw daggers at yoshino's back until she pointed out he might be jealous of Shoma and he got a little 'ahh that explains it' moment.)

Aww look at that probing eyes, trying to search the answer of his boredom from his dad 🥺

Let's be real Kirishima could really use a proper diagnosis and therapy back then, even right now.

The smile of a child who has found the spark of his life:

LMAO seriously, he smiles because Kodaka can kick hard. The more pleasure (read: pain) he gets from other people, the more he's gonna seek it.

But Kodaka is still weaker than him, so the pleasure ends quickly.

Enter Otogawa.

She's cute. Sweet. More importantly, she's important enough to trigger Kodaka.

She told him all he needed to know about Kodaka. Great in academics, gyms, and karate. Secretly violent too. Just like himself.

"He's just like me, so we matched right? We can be friends! 😃"

Kirishima be like: FUCK YES MORE FRIENDS TO FUCK.

Remember in ch 25.2 when Kirishima told Yoshino he once formed a "friendship plan" that went down the drain?

Whelp, looks like Kodaka is that "friend." We all know how that ends, tho.

Anyways.

Thus, began Kirishima's scheme to ✨️nurture✨️ Kodaka into a person who could kick him harder & also strong enough to not break easily. He befriended (read: flirted) with his crush, lured him into a desolate place, provoked him, stayed docile & easy to kick, yadda yadda.

Really an elaborate plan for someone his age, it's almost cute.

This moment of Kirishima and concealer really highlights his cleverness since he was a kid. If he buys a concealer for his bruise, it's too pricey for his budget. Parents will question unnecessarily if he were caught buying it. Solution? Pretend to return the high schooler's money (even though it's his own) so they'd do the makeup for him. Bruise covered, money covered, no one's gonna know ☺️ Little manipulative shit.

I was gonna feel sorry for him for getting beaten up, but then his innocent, excited smile turned me off so quick. Ugh.

(This is prob the beginning of his exploration to find new "fun" stuff to try. Like choking himself, for example.)

Kirishima is a pathological liar huh. Saying his birthday is in September even though it's in November. This really adds weight to his words earlier that he only revealed his true birthday to Yoshino 🥺🥲

Kirishima's plan to nurture Kodaka is going smoothly in this chapter. Maintaining good relationship with Otogawa, making him jealous and all that.

I bet bringing a 10,000 yen bill is part of the plan too, because kids need the motivation to keep coming back to him. Extorting a broke student is boring afterall.

It's been 300 days since Kodaka had beaten him up? Um. Excuse me what the fuck. With that many injuries, Where are his parents??? Did he ever get questioned at all?? Is Kirishima just that good at lying?? I'm sorry, but I also smell neglection. Intentionally or not.

Moving on, Kirishima is damn good huh. His fights like an adult, prob even better than some yakuza. He's 12. Let that sink in.

(should've seen it coming tbh, but it still surprises me.)

I wanna say he's so disgusting when he ripped the poor dude's ear (where on earth did he learn that?), but he's also my son, so...

Also, the art is so clean. My eyes is blessed, thank you Konishi.

I'm running out of gas. Yeah that's all for today! See you next time 👋

[sunny-speaks]

First Kiss

Characters: Henry Morgan (@homecomingvn) x Reader

Pov: you’re just chillin’ with your good buddie Henry, your best friend. One you may have had like a tiny little crush on… You’re whining about how you haven’t had your first kiss, complaining on and on about all these hopeless guys who’ve never liked you back.(Am I indulging myself? Ofc i am) or relationships you couldn’t pursue because you had academic pressure on your back? (ok now im totally projecting)

Fic under the cut! Have a good time reading !!

You were sprawled out on Henry’s bed, whining about how post-secondary school was kicking your ass, how life was kicking your ass, a lot of things that were kicking your ass. To be fair, adulthood seemed much better in YA novels and shows compared to… ugh, reality. Honestly, why do they produce such bullshit to make it seem fun?

“Buttercup, I’m sure things’ll get better for you! Just give it some time, mhm?” Henry added on while you noticed you had grumbled that last line of thought out loud. They then turned all his attention back to his FNAF game before you let out a wistful sigh.

“At least they make it seem so… rose-tinted. What I would do to actually have a love life, I swear to God.” You combed your hands through your hair, the summer heat making you perspire more on your friend’s bedsheets as you groaned at the thought. “Dude, I can’t believe I’m this old and I still haven’t had my first kiss. God, what am I even waiting for at this point…?” You dejectedly mumbled the last part to yourself.

Henry, albeit barely noticeable, perked up at the word ‘first kiss.’ They could hear the discouragement in your voice, ears picking up on that last note. “Well, guess we’re both hopeless romantics then…” 

“I don’t know, I’ve always thought that there’d be this great guy waiting for me when I got old enough. He’d want nothing more than to be the best partner, and he’d just sing my praises. I know it’s kind of…” You flushed a little at your wording, “Self-serving. I know you care about me and all! But it’d be nice to have someone care about me romantically. Ugh, my expectations are too high, aren’t they?” You sat back up, legs dangling off the edge of the mattress, hands fiddled with in your lap.

Were you being too obvious on what you were trying to signal him? You wanted a partner, a boyfriend even, and your best friend would be so perfect and you really wanted him to at least reject you and give you closure rather than drag this out. But if things turned out positively? Well, that’d just be a cherry on top.

He totally wasn’t your first friend and first love. Totally not the only one who you would never outwardly confess to without prompting. Totally not the one that you’ve loved since childhood.Totally not the one who made all your past loves pale in comparison. Totally not th―! You were getting distracted.

“Yeah, don’t think anyone would wanna kiss me…” You muttered to yourself under your breath.

Henry quickly paused his game. He wanted nothing more than to jump out of his seat and say ‘I want to be the best partner! I want to sing your praises! I care about you romantically! If I’m not good enough, you can do anything to fix me! I’ll be whatever you want me to! I’d make sure no one could ever hurt you again! If they did, I’d make them pay suffer rethink their decisions!’ But that would come off a little too desperate. He’s waited years for you.

It wouldn’t kill to wait a little longer.

Well, if only he knew how much you liked him. He was a little… dense when it came to others trying to court him, after all, he never thought that he’d be the object of someone else’s affections. Henry hummed out their reply after some thought, trying to subconsciously hint that there’s someone out there who’d love to be your partner. Even if he didn’t outwardly say it was himself. “I don’t think they’re too high. Maybe there is someone out there perfect for you. Besides, who wouldn’t want to kiss you?”

You sarcastically chuckled with no malice behind it, “Maybe all the people I’ve liked in the past?”

He opened his mouth, sputtering rebuttals, “Well that’s because they were clearly all blind! They just have no taste! You know what?” He gets out of his chair and stands in front of you, pointing an accusing finger at your window.

“What?” You raised an amused and curious eyebrow at his mild aggression to your past crushes. 

Still gesturing to the window, he referred to your past admirations. “Clearly, they’re just dumb, because I would totally kiss you! And I would enjoy it!” He puffs out his chest in some sort of… pride at his words before realizing what he said. “Uh.” After a single noise from him, his face almost erupts into a bright red. “I- wow, um. I- Yeah, uh…”

As he struggled to mentally compute what he had just said to you, to your face, (oh my god he was going to die from rejection or embarrassment or even both, ahhh―) and how you were gonna react, you were in our own world.

Everything going through your brain was a disorganized chaos alarm that had only one cohesive thought.

Which was to shut up his mumbling by kissing him.

And so, that’s what you did. No fear, no hesitation, no consequences. You snaked your hand up to the back of his neck, feeling a couple of goosebumps. You gave him chances to pull away as you drew your heads closer together. Your fingers entwined themselves into strands of his golden hair, nails gently raking his scalp.

Fuck, you left him breathless. You looked up at him through your eyelashes and he swore his heart stopped for that solid second. The question ‘Is this okay?’ was left unsaid, but not unheard when he gave you a shaky whine in response, “Please, yes…” was muttered from the pretty lips of his. Pretty lips that you were about to kiss.

It was inexperienced and a little awkward at first, teeth clacking against each other awkwardly as you both got a feel for what you were trying to do. It was chaste as you pulled away rather quickly to see a very flushed Henry begin to open his eyes that were closed to soak up all the pleasure before you went back in for another, his eyes fluttering wide in surprise.

“Hhn—?” You pulled on his scalp a little, tilting your head to the side so you could slot your mouths together a bit more easily. He jolted a little before slowly hovering his arms around your waist before deciding to settle them there. He keened and pulled you closer to him until there was barely any space between the two of you.

Of course, oxygen was, unfortunately, necessary for one to survive and that need had caused you to pull away from him. The two of you stared at each other for a moment, as you drank up the sight of a dazed Henry who looked back at you with reverent eyes, clearly more than interested in continuing kissing you.

You soaked up all the attention before gently booping him on the nose, “You enjoy that enough?” You gave him a small teasing grin, regardless of your internal panic over how that was your first kiss, with the first guy you’d been friends with, with the first guy you ever really loved like that. God, maybe YA shows weren’t bullshit?

He stammered, light puffs of air passed through his mouth as his eyes darted everywhere except towards yours.

You weren’t that bad at kissing… you hoped. “Was I so good at kissing you that I took your breath away?” You instantly cringed at your words as they slipped out of your mouth. Why did that seem so cheesy?

After a moment of silence, he quietly mumbled, “...yeah.”

You could feel heat rise to your face at his reply. He was too adorable to not tease and he was too honest for his own good. 

“... That was my first kiss too.” He quietly admitted. If it was to you or to himself, neither of you knew. “I’d been saving it for you, buttercup.”

Your heart leaped in your chest at the implications of his statement, hope filling your eyes. “Well, there’s no easy way to say this. Henry, I’ve liked you for years now. It was on and off, if I’m being honest. But you’ve always been the one constant in my life, you’ve always been there for me, supported me. Henry, I really, really, really do like you. I, uh—” You paused, it was so much harder to confess after you had kissed, because it was usually the other way around first. “Will you date me?”

He held a shaky hand to his mouth to barely hide the biggest grin on his face before exclaiming in elation, “Of course, buttercup, a thousand times yes.” He gently began peppering your face with soft, chaste kisses. The temples of your face, the crown of your forehead, the corners of your eyes, the tip of your nose before planting a soft gentle one on your lips.

He picked you up and sat laid on the bed, before getting you to lie beside him as he draped his arms over your shoulder and pulled you in closer. He snuck his head into the crook of your neck and let that guide him to sleep.

“D’you mind if we take a nap, love?”

“Geez, already pulling out the ‘L word,’ Henry? You move quick!” He could feel your laughs reverberate through your chest as you looped your hands around his waist. “Of course we can take a nap. All that excitement tired me out for sure…”

He looked over your shoulder, pulling your warmth closer to him, to see a picture frame with a photo of the two of you.

He had been patient for so long. Clearly, it had paid off.

A/N: AUGH THIS TOOK ME LIKE 4 HOUrS I'M SO SORRY I MEANT THIS TO RELEASE ON JUNE 28TH BUT THEN I WROTE TOO MUCH AND COULDN'T STOP. (1.6k words i think? uGH AND THATS NOT A LOT OF WORDS BY MY STANDARDS EITHERRRR--)

Once again, go check out Henry Morgan from @homecomingvn's tumblr !! They are very cool !! Also I hope you don't mind that I tagged you, I can always remove it if you'd like?

[esote-rika]

Fic Snippet!

- Spencer Reid x Female!OC

“No - well, I don't know. I fear I might have offended you.” Dr. Reid says, pushing his hands into his pockets. To hide something? A nervous tick? I file it away for later. “Earlier. During the briefing.”

How did he know? 

And then, I kick myself mentally in the ass. Of course he knew, they're trained for this. My heartbeat quickens the slightest bit as the reality of their skills hit me like a bolt of lightning. My smile never falters - it is my most used weapon, and therefore the most practiced. Perfected. Briefly, I wonder what would happen if I played the denial card. Would he be able to tell I'm lying? But it dawns on me that I could learn from this. 

“How could you tell?” I ask instead, tilting my head to the side. Disarming. Sweet. His adam’s apple bobs comically as he swallows and I know my charm has worked. Genius or not, he's still a man and I'm still a beautiful woman. 

“Your hand,” He answers, his voice softer now as his gaze ducks to my hands, “They clenched around the remote the moment I finished speaking.”

At his pause, I can feel my hands almost tightening around the handle of my go bag, but I catch it just in time. “Is that so?”

“Yes, but that's not all,” He continues in earnest, “You also avoided my gaze for the rest of the briefing after that. You'd been keeping eye contact with everyone in the room prior” Fuck he's right, “Which is the basics of communications and good public speaking,“ Yes, I'm aware, why is he explaining my job to me? “But after my correction, you'd skipped me all together. I'm sorry, I truly didn't mean to offend.”

The sincerity in his voice takes me by surprise, and my smile drops. “Oh,” I reply, uncertainly. I hadn't realized I'd been doing that. “I don't appreciate being profiled so early on, Dr. Reid.” My voice has no venom. 

He smiles, “No, no, that was merely an observation.”

“Oh?” I say again, raising an eyebrow, “And what would the profile be?”

He pauses, his gaze travels down the length of me. I wait for the goosebumps of horror that usually comes when I'm perceived by men, but to my surprise, it doesn't come. His gaze is neutral, clinical, almost coldly so. I recognize the look of academic curiosity when I see one, and find myself relaxing my stance. “Well?”

---

The intro to this has been posted on my Wattpad but I will be crossposting it here as well.

[catindabag]

TBOSAS on Crack short take (28)

*The Capitol Zoo Fiasco* Read [this] & [this] first.

Reaper: *is extremely annoyed* Are we there yet?

Drunk!Sejanus: *starts singing* 🎶We’re going to zoo in our favorite rocket ship🎶

Drunk!Coryo: 🎶Zooming through the sky🎶

Drunk!Lysistrata: 🎶Little Einstein!🎶

Drunk!Festus: 🎶Climb aboard! Get ready to explore!🎶

Drunk!Coryo: 🎶There’s so much to find🎶

Lucy Gray: 🎶Little Einstein!🎶

Jessup: Lucy Gray, what are you doing?! You can’t just join them! They’re Capitol!

Lucy Gray: Oh, Jessup, don’t be shy now.

Reaper: Are we there yet?!

Drunk!Lysistrata: 🎶We’re going on a mission🎶

Drunk!Sejanus: 🎶Start the countdown🎶

Drunk!Festus: 🎶5, 4, 3, 2, 1-

Peacekeeper: *aggressively opens the door* Will you kids f*ckin’ shut up?!

Drunk!Coryo: Never! We haven’t sung the best part-

Peacekeeper: We’re already here! Everyone get out!

Drunk!Coryo: BOO. HOO. You can’t just order us around, officer. We have President Ravinstill on our side!

Drunk!Sejanus: Yeah! What my Snow Angel said!

Peacekeeper: THAT. IS. IT! You’re all going down the chute with the Tributes!

Drunk!Festus: Wait! I’m afraid of falling!😭

The Tributes: Well, sh*t!

Everyone: *slides down the chute*

Drunk!Coryo: My poor gorgeous back!

Marcus: Who kicked me?!😠🔪

Drunk!Sejanus: Someone get their thigh out of my face!

Treech: My beautiful thigh!

Drunk!Lysistrata: My elegant elbows!

Mizzen: Get your stupid hand off my face, Pablo!

Panlo: It’s Panlo!

Drunk!Festus: Someone’s kicking my head!

Teslee: Who is squeezing my foot?!

Reaper: Stop crushing my ribs, Dill!

Tanner: Stop touching my ass, Brandy!

Brandy: I swear that ain’t me!

Coral: Whoops! That was actually me. Sorry!

Jessup: Can you guys just get off already?! There’s a camera crew filming us right now!

Drunk!Coryo: Really?! Hi, Tigris! Hi, Grandma’am! I’m on TV!

Drunk!Sejanus: *follows Coryo* Hi, Ma! I’m alive and well!

Lucy Gray: Jessup, look at me! Is my hair alright? Do I look pretty for the cameras?

Jessup: I’m not qualified enough to make that judgment.

Coral: We all look like sh*t, 12.🙄

Drunk!Coryo: Nope. That’s false information. I always look fabulous~!💅

Drunk!Sejanus: Yup! Those lips are pretty as always, gorgeous!😘

Drunk!Coryo: Oh, thanks, love!

Drunk!Sejanus: No problem, Babe.

Mizzen: Go get a room or kiss already!

Drunk!Lysistrata: Kiss! Kiss! Kiss-

Lepidus: You kids are from The Academy, right?

Drunk!Lysistrata: *tries to cover her face from the camera* Who are you?! Why are you asking?! Are you here for my drugs- I mean, vitamins?!

Lepidus: What?! No! I’m-

Drunk!Festus: We ain’t telling you nothing! I ain’t no snitch nor criminal!

Lepidus: Calm down, kid. I’m Lepidus Malmsey.

Treech: Lepidus who?

Lepidus: A reporter for Capitol News!

Drunk!Coryo: Capitol News?! Are we in jail?

Drunk!Sejanus: Why are those people staring at us?

Drunk!Festus: Am I in trouble?

Drunk!Lysistrata: I never smuggled anything illegal, officer! I swear it on my father’s stethoscopes!

Lepidus: To be fair, you four are not even allowed to be here in the first place.

Drunk!Festus: That’s a lie! Felix Ravinstill never said we can’t!

Drunk!Coryo: So here we are.

Drunk!Lysistrata: Of course, all in the name of research!

Drunk!Festus: Yup! Good ol’ academic research for Dean Casca Highbottom!

Drunk!Sejanus: My good old friend, Marcus from District 2 even invited us here!

Lepidus: So Marcus invited you to fetch him and the other Tributes at the train station for research?

Drunk!Sejanus: That’s right!

Marcus: What?! Why would I- They’re clearly lying to you!

Drunk!Coryo: Nope. Our research is very important!😉

Marcus: They’re all delusional!

Drunk!Sejanus: Marcus, that’s so mean!🥺

Marcus: And they were drunk too!

Coral: Unfortunately, they still are.😒

Drunk!Festus: No, I’m not.

Lepidus: Seems like you are, kid. But Marcus-

Marcus: I swear I never met them in my entire life!

Lepidus: So why does the Plinth boy know your name?

Marcus: Who said I was Marcus?! I’m not Marcus!

Reaper: Whatever you say, Marcus.

Lucy Gray: Oh, don’t be too harsh on our Mentors! They even gave each one of us gift baskets and ham sandwiches!

Mizzen: The cookies were delicious too. 10 out of 10! I’m willing to eat again!

Brandy: Same.

Lepidus: That’s so thoughtful of them-

Peacekeeper: Oi! Oi! Show’s over! We were ordered to bring the four of them back to school.

Drunk!Coryo: No fair! We haven’t even greeted the crowd yet!

Drunk!lysistrata: Hello, kids!

Peacekeeper: Nope. Not today.

Drunk!Festus: But the crowd is waiting for Festus Creed!

Peacekeeper: *turns to his partner* Bring the handcuffs! They’re being ridiculous and rebellious!

Drunk!Festus: I can’t believe you just said that!

Drunk!Lysistrata: The audacity!

Peacekeeper: I’m an officer. Your argument is invalid.

Drunk!Sejanus: Are we still on TV?

Lepidus: Yeah. Unfortunately, the cameras are still rolling.

Drunk!Sejanus: I think I’m gonna be sick.

Drunk!Coryo: I think I’m gonna puke.

Drunk!Festus: Me too.

Drunk!Lysistrata: Does anybody have water?

Peacekeeper: What?! No! Not here! Not in front of Panem!

Lepidus: Think about your school’s reputation!

The Tributes: Oh, it’s happening!😱

Coral: Yup. It’s totally happening.

Jessup: Not in front of my stale bread!

Lucy Gray: Everybody, scatter!

*Meanwhile, at The Academy*

Felix: *sighs and turns off the TV* Well, I think we should just practice singing ✨Gem of Panem✨ before we meet our Tributes.

Iphigenia: Why? What’s the occasion?

Vipsania: Are we gonna attend another funeral?

Arachne: Maybe a wedding?

Felix: Nope. Not even close.

Apollo: So why do we have to sing-

Felix: Our reputation as esteemed Mentors is officially dead.

Androcles: Yup! Dead on arrival.

Pup: I don’t get it.

Felix: We literally saw it dying on live television just now.

Hilarius: So when’s the rehearsal?

Livia: Oh, shut up, Hilari.

[obeymematches]

Hello! Are you taking matchup requests? If yes, I'd like to send one in for Obey Me. I'd like a pina colada please

I'll go by ⭐. My pronouns are she/her and I'm demisexual

Appearance: I am South Asian with long wavy black hair. Usually tie my hair in a half ponytail at the back because I like how it looks and I don't really like the feeling of hair on my shoulders. I am 165 cm tall and reasonably fit

Personality: I'm calm, collected and hardworking. I can be a bit aloof and arrogant sometimes, but I make sure it doesn't get out of hand. I am curious and perfectionistic, and I'm also pretty academically smart (though I sometimes struggle with impostor syndrome lol). The gifted kid burnout syndrome is catching up, though. People say I do have a bit of a cold facade, but once they get to know me, they say I'm much warmer and gentler than they initially thought. I care deeply for my friends and my family, so I'll do whatever I can for them. I do face a lot of pressures too from having to be the perfect oldest daughter, the therapist friend (despite psychology not being my major, more of a special interest) and from having to do well in school (as much as I enjoy engineering, it is kicking my ass low-key). It may not look like it, but I'm very much a romantic, but I'm more practical about it if that makes any sense 😅😅

I often bake my closest friends and family a cake on their birthday with a silly message written on it. I also has a soft spot (special interest) for outer space and love to stargaze wherever the skies are clear. Don't know if this is important, but I do make some pretty mean South Asian food if I do say so myself

Likes: Books, herbal tea, art, lofi hip-hop, video games, anime, drawing, spicy food, affogato, outer space

Dislikes: Incompetence, unnecessary conflicts, bullies, fake friends dishonesty, cruelty, dog-eared book pages, anyone who dares threaten my family, loud noises, itchy fabrics

oh! we've done an exchange not too long ago.

I've decided to match you with Solomon.

• Your academia vibes definitely match his; don’t get me wrong, although he is a master of many things, unfortunately he isn’t a fashion icon (yet?) but he thinks academia style looks elegant / cute depending on the day. • It just means that he is attracted to you at first sight. Which is always a good start, even if you don’t elope into a long talk the very first time you meet. • (Bet she looking 🔥 when she feels comfortable and cute!) • To be fair he isn’t here to make friends with humans; he was fine neglecting the human world for several decades. He isn’t going to care more, now that another human is here…. but curiosity got the best of him and eventually he made sure to meet you before classes. (No. He didn’t attend that class.) • After your quick chat it became a weekly habit of his, to meet you there and then, start some kind of conversation (you’d think he was awkward and you’d be very wrong. Listen he communicates and manipluates his ways into forming a pact with almost every person there.) • It only starts getting awkward when he starts to like your personality for real real. For example this week he arrived 5 mins earlier and was waiting for you. • After a while you two found yourselves in front of your class’s door 20 minutes (!) before it would begin. Huh. • He liked your cold facade ngl, he likes a challenge. However, his ice cold frozen heart slowly, very slowly starts to melt as you warm up to him more and more. • He learned that you are reliable and trustworthy, which he very much appreciates. It lowkey made him want to get closer to you, I mean spiritually. Please help him with this or that, let me show you something, you must see this, etc. • This went on for months, you were truly good friends when he asked you the question you were excited to hear; Would you date me? Shall we go on a date? • Of course he jokes about it being a human thing and at first you can’t tell if hes just being funny or he is serious…. • By now he figured out that you like romantic stuff so if you agree to date him he is going to make the first date romantic just to please you! Possibly stargazing as you like that, or maybe a museum if you are not comfortable with meeting at night. • He secretly craved for a long time to have this level of intimacy with someone and so he’d make sure to please you; whatever you r love language is he does it to make you feel loved and secure! • The fact that you can and will cook is going to be life saving in the long run! • Some downsides of this relationship include him making dog ears to some of the books, he is always up to no good, very known public image so it’s hard to go out in public without anyone stopping you two (in the devildom, the human realm is safe).

My second option for you was Barbatos, honestly the only downside of that relationship is that neither of you is going to start and try to have a good conversation…. so it’s a rocky beginning, but if you get past that phase somehow, it’s going to be pretty solid if I do say so myself.

[birues]

Wip whenever

I was tagged by soo many people 2 weeks ago but academic suffering was kicking my ass so jdjdjdhdhd this time I tag first since tomorrow is Wednesday anyways! @lavampira @hythlodaes @verraising @scionshtola @galadae @hylfystt @consulaaris @impossible-rat-babies @sirotras @coldshrugs and anyone else, bc i know I'm forgetting some beloved mutuals, consider yourselves tagged friends!

ENDWALKER SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Tuana has arrived to Elpis and with the memories of the two lifetimes and unresolved traumas stacking up. Unknown to Hythlodaeus and Hades, a ghost from the future came to haunt the heavens.

*****

Five minutes and one thing becomes painfully clear, Themis was right. She meant to be nothing but an observer here. The doors, too gigantic for her sundered form, will not budge and her shouts will not be heard. Neither she can pass the warded walls like a ghost. Frustration tears a huff from her but she concedes to wait. Surely someone will go in… Some time. One can only hope it won’t take too long. Oh, Ardbert. How did you endure this a hundred years?

She tries to breathe. He’s with her. And surely she can–

“Is this truly necessary? Surely you can tell who we are.”

That voice. That voice. Once a star’s worth of light tore down her very being. Yet… yet… the emotions clawing through her wretched presence are far more vicious. This is no hallucination, no. No half-remembered dream. Not a memory long forgotten surfacing from her soul. This is real. He is real. He is here.

And he's not alone. Another voice, amused and calm and full of love coerces Hades to remove his mask.

She thinks she can burst out of this reality right there. The ache, all-encompassing. Transparent tears fall to the ground, making no dots on the carpet. Hythlodaeus.

Paralyzed, she watches the pair making their way to open the door that bars her way. Why them? Why now? Was carrying the burden of long gone memories not enough? Is she condemned to exist as a ghost? Reaching out but only haunting?

At this exact moment a pair of golden eyes, far brighter than they were on the First, pierce through her own. A weight she's far too used to have on her chest. But no. He can't possibly be seeing her, right?

Hades abruptly cuts her inner dilemma by tearing his eyes from her and he proceeds to guard his displeased demeanour with vigour. Like nothing has happened. Like he never saw her. Tuana pinches the bridge of her nose. Rhalgr…This isn't a good time to start hallucinating.

She stills her breath as the couple approaches the gate. A small mercy, at least she will have a way in. Even if the price is way too high.

Too high. Her hand goes to Azem’s crystal, hanging on her neck, inside her shirt, out of sight. Small habit of comfort where none can be found. To her dismay what Hades apparently chose to ignore, Hythlodaeus does not.

“By the by...you see it too, yes?”

Hades’s scoff is heart wrenching in its familiarity. A bittersweet feeling, intertwined by the memories of two lifetimes twists her lips into half a smile half a grimace.

“I haven’t the foggiest what you’re talking about.”

His dismissal does nothing to deter Hythlodaeus. “Hmm?” He raises his eyebrows. “That's odd.” Then he kneels down right in front of her. Just like his shade on Amaurot used to. Hades really had done an excellent job, hadn’t he?

“It's right here. A bit thin in the aether, but there's no mistaking it—the color of its soul is almost identical to Azem's.”

She wills her expression blank. Of course. Of course they would recognize her soul. Fear drills into her brain, just how is she supposed to explain this? Thankfully, blissfully unaware of her inner turmoil he continues with his musings. “Do you suppose she created it? Rather unusual for a familiar to have a soul, though…”

A familiar. Huh. She would laugh if the wretchedness hadn’t seized her. Can she go by that route though? She immediately crosses the thought of her mind. It would require her past self to cooperate with her or everything would fall easily like a house of cards. There's only so much she can stomach.

“Don't ask me. All I know is that it's trouble—doubly so if it's her spitting image.”

A trouble. Understatement of the millenia. That’s what she’s ever been to him, wasn’t she? A mistake. An anomaly. A trouble. His chest, unmarred by her axe, heaves.

“So let’s leave it be.” He beckons his husband. “Come now.”

You can see me? Oh Gods… how long has it been?

Tuana lunges toward with a despair and rage that would turn her to a blasphemy if she were on the Source.

“You don’t get to turn away from me you fucking bastard!” She snarls at Hades, but her hands are intangible as Ardbert’s ever were. If only her anger could solidify her form. “You don’t get to treat me like dirt under your shoe.”

Her words go unheard but her outrage does not. Hades squints his eyes to her small form as if his glover can sniff her out.

As always it’s sweet Hythlodaeus who rushes in to quell the flames. No wonder they ended up destroying each other once he was out of the picture.

“It's trying to say something...but it's literally too intangible to form words.” He says his thinking gesture is still adorable even after aeons. He turns to Hades, with that particular grin indicating he’ll ask something from him. “Why don't you give it some aether? Spare a snifter of your bounteous reserves.”

For a moment, Hades stands there utterly perplexed. “Who do you take me for?”

“Why, your partner and a dear friend, of course! One who wouldn't let acts of kindness—such as my accompanying him on errands to far-flung outposts—go unrewarded.” He smiles and Hades sighs in defeat. This was a battle lost from the beginning. He could never say no to him. Nor Azem.

His mistrust apparent, he stares down at her. “I suggest you close your eyes, or this may be...unpleasant.”

And she does, at least to partly shield herself from breaking down while feeling his aether, as familiar as her own, with no trace of Zodiark, wove her flesh to something tangible. A familiar click, and there she is. She opens her eyes to find two men looking at her intently.

“Oh, you even adjusted its size.” Hythlodaeus beams.

“The better to indulge your whim.” Then he inspects his work, stopping on her face. “This way it will be easier to communicate.”

“How very thoughtful of you.” Hythlodaeus says, with admiration in his lovely eyes. “And may I applaud your artful reinforcement.”

“Right.” She quips back. “We wouldn’t want you to bend your back too much, trying to communicate poor tiny me. You’d look horrible with a permanent slouch.”

Her comment steals a genuine laugh from Hythlodaeus, even if he doesn’t get the irony.

Hades’s mouth opens, from astonishment as much as irritation. “Hah. Says you, being able to form words only by my grace. Or maybe you’d like to go back to how you were.”

“Now now,” Hyth intervenes once again. “No need to get that far. Without further ado, then... Greetings! I am Hythlodaeus, chief of the Bureau of the Architect.”

A genuine smile crosses Tuana’s face, infectious as his is. A fond memory of their celebration of his promotion blooms in her mind, oh how proud they all were. And how he still insisted that he was nothing remarkable...

It sickens her to the bone to think he sacrificed himself deeming he was nothing remarkable.

Before she can descend properly to the depths of grief, he gestures to his side, to the man who refuses to let go of his frown. “Sulking beside me is the most honorable Emet-Selch of the Convocation of Fourteen.”

Ah yes. She probably should stop referring to him as Hades. Even in her mind. That particular knowledge is too dangerous to slip out. Especially when she knows he’ll be on the hunt for every clue. Just as she was on the First. Oh how the tables have turned.

“And how might we address you, my new friend?”

His smile hasn’t faded and the love she feels towards this gracious man entangles through her soul. As if twelve millennia of life death cycle never has occurred. Loving him is such an effortless, easy thing to her. As natural as breathing.

As it is to the man glovering right next to him. Of course he would drown at the depths of the ocean without him.

[hyenahunt]

Saga: Rivals - 26

Writer: Akira

Season: Winter

Characters: Chiaki, Jin, Hokuto, Jun, Hiyori, Tori, Seiya

Proofreading: 310mc (JP) & hyenahunt (ENG)

Translation: kotofucius

Hiyori: Come now, don’t make that face. Give us a smile instead — You look far more lovely with a smile on your face…

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

[Location: Reverse Live Stage

Time: Minutes later

Chiaki: Fuhahaha! At last, the final battle is here! I feel so fired up~!! I’m ready to go anytime!

Jin: …Alrighty, it’s our turn. C'mon, kiddos; after the old man.

Hokuto: Couldn’t you have phrased that some other way? It’s made me lose motivation… You’re always so far off from the ideal leader, sensei.

Jin: Ahaha. It would’ve been nice if I could've been someone you could look up to, huh, Hocchan.

Hokuto: No, it's fine. I’m done with looking for someone else to tell me what to do, and just doing as they say.

Seeing you take even the coming final battle in your own stride helps me stay composed, too.

Hokuto: You’re incredible as a leader and an idol in your own right. I’ve always known that.

Jin: Come again~? Don’t butter me up so much, alright? I’m bound to just let you down right away~… ♪

Jun: Sagami Jin! I’ve been waiting for ya! So the moment's finally come at last, hasn't it~!?

Jin: Woah!? Someone’s raring to go… There, there. Easy, tiger.

The murderous aura's fine and all, but don’t actually try to punch me, ‘kay? The audience is watching, plus I hate pain.

Jun: Hah! Why would I need to punch you when I can kick your ass in a fair fight?

Don't you dare look down on me, alright~? I’ll treat you with the bare minimum of respect, at least!

Hiyori: Yes, yes. Don’t you worry, I’ve given him a thorough education on etiquette ♪

Tori: …Hiyori-sama. Umm, I think you’ve noticed, but…

Hiyori: Hmm? Oh, yes, I do see some faces in the audience and staff areas that seem rather unbefitting of an idol concert.

It seems all the local dignitaries are assembled here — What's this, has Reverse Live become a socialite party?

My family is here, and so are your parents, Tori-kun… Come now, why don’t we give them a merry wave? ♪

Tori: Woah… But why are Papa and Mama here? This isn’t something like a parent observation day~

Hiyori: I wonder. Perhaps there is a “massive wave” silently flowing behind the scenes of Project-Saga — No, behind everything we know…

A gigantic scheme, involving even those local dignitaries.

Far beyond merely reconstructing academic facilities; this entire land may be remodeled… With power like that, he might not be simply after the reformation school rules anymore, but instead a protest against the very laws of this country.

Eichi-kun has always been aiming to do such things, as much as feasibly possible. He’s committed to revolutionizing the idol industry, as it is the world that he lives in.

Everyone scoffed at his claims. You must be kidding me! their faces said.

But we felt differently… so we fought together with him, as fine. After all, we shared the same desire: to make a happier, better world.

Whether Eichi-kun’s idea will amount to nothing but an insane fantasy or if it'll actually change the world, I still don’t know yet.

And as someone who has parted from fine, I have no right to see it through by his side.

That’s why you’re needed. Tori-kun of the Himemiya family; the adorable boy who would look up at us with admiration in his eyes…

Should Eichi-kun ever lose control of his ambition, and be reduced to naught more than a great calamity that destroys everything in sight…

I want you to stop him, yes? If that might prove difficult, just say the world — I’ll come to help you anytime.

A long time ago… You asked for my autograph and gave me your love, so consider it my gift of thanks. Of course, I know Eichi-kun was the one you always had your eyes set upon.

Tori: ……

Hiyori: Come now, don’t make that face. Give us a smile instead — You look far more lovely with a smile on your face…

Perhaps your smile may not change the world, but it can bring comfort to those who wish for it.

You can save their souls, and guide them to the right path. And this role, you see, is an important one that “Ohii-san” can't entrust to anyone else.

Tori: …Yes, I understand. Your words are still a little complicated for me, so I can’t understand them completely, Hiyori-sama —

But I won’t ever forget them. Eichi-sama and fine… Please entrust them to me.

Hiyori: …Very well ♪

Seiya: All right, then. Let's bring an end to your chatting, shall we? We have a program to run, so I would ask you to not get me in trouble, and refrain from doing as you please.

Hokuto: Hmph. Get in trouble? I’d love to see it.

Seiya: My, how nasty… Where did we raise you wrong? But I suppose there is a saying that the more troublesome the child, the cuter he is.

Hokuto: Raise me? I hardly remember being raised by you — How many times do I need to repeat myself?

Seiya: Indeed. I was expecting you to say that; in truth, it stirs me with emotion.

You were so obedient when you were little, holding your tongue despite all the dissatisfaction you must have had.

But now, you challenge me outright like this. As your father, how can I not feel joy? I'm certain my wife will protest in envy later.

A naughty boy who charges at an adult will only have his arm twisted…

An experience like that would foster the spirit of rebellion in any child, but we’ve never had such an opportunity.

Without any parental bonding between us, you — being the clever child you are — silently built up that dissatisfaction inside you.

There was never any way to resolve them, so for the longest time, we’ve been in a cold war, haven't we?

But threatening each other through untouchable glares is far too lonely. We’re family, privileged to live in the same house from the start.

I want to close this distance between us. Won’t you let me hug you, Hocchan…?

You don't need to hug back. You can even shove me away in annoyance if you'd like.

It is natural contact like this that we have always needed.

We were oblivious for so long that this overblown ruse became necessary just to do this much, but…

I want to believe that it isn’t too late for us.

Hokuto: ……

Seiya: When you were born, my entire world lit up.

The life of a common man was like another world to me, and I never imagined there could be such bliss to be found there.

In meeting my wife, she showed me the way… And with our love, you were brought to me as our baby.

That was all I needed to feel fulfilled. Of course, I experienced much sadness and pain as well, but…

That moment alone gave everything a meaning. Hokuto, thank you for being born.

I should have repeated those words to you until you were convinced. Just as most people in this world do with their children, I should have given every last effort to never lose you.

Seiya: But instead, I've neglected to do such a natural thing for all this time… I’m so sorry.

[ ☆ ]

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →