#aight time for sleep lmao

[espurr-roba]

POV ur pulling some darkness fuckshit and now ur friends gotta square tf up

[craacked-splatters]

These r the last silly scribbles for @pezhead 's Displacement au!!!

Thank you Pez for creating this fic it's very cool & delicious👍

Bonus Dee vers below

Dee finally got a vacation🥹 even if it only lasted a few hours

I couldn't get tumblr to stop crunching the quality but it still looks good I think

I've got 2 more works to go but those r gonna have more effort put into them & it will take a while😔

[genshxn]

guess who wants to (honkai: star) rail another dragon man. there is also (un)fortunately no (star) railing in this.

written pre 1.3 so i’m making shit up for now. (this is also full of vidyadhara headcanons)

in which you find dan heng unable to sleep, you have an awkward conversation, and then he becomes somewhat dragon-brained. twice.

4.2K words (lmao this is way longer than i meant it to be)

you’re not the trailblazer, just another laddie aboard the express.

btw, i bullshited a good chunk of the dialogue and events, so apologies if this is shite. i might've also committed character vehicular manslaughter, in that he might be ooc. lol fingers crossed it's aight.

part 2’s finally up if you wanna read it here

despite the quiet of the night, you had drifted from your sleep. it had been painfully light as of recent, leaving you adrift in the shallows while you’d toss and turn for a comfortable position. could you really be blamed though? yes, the looming threat of phantylia had been taken out, and everyone from the express that went aboard the luofu had been reunited after what felt like weeks. but you were still in the thick of an intricate web of chaos. the threats were far from over, not with the stellaron still active. but at least for now, you had enough time in this brief respite to be able to not fucking sleep.

you rolled over. you were more or less itching with restlessness, sighing to yourself quietly over your woes of no sleep. you rose from your mussed bed and hobbled out of the room. it was a quaint little place—where you had stayed when it was just the express crew (minus dan heng), when you'd first met tingyun. after that, everything happened like a landslide. memories of her sudden death quickly boiled their way up. with each step you took, you stamped them back down again.

out in the small hallway, you made your way towards the small courtyard out the back. as you walked past the other rooms, you were a little jealous at the sounds of others sleeping. from mr. yang's and march’s respective rooms was the odd, soft snore. from stelle’s room, there was nothing (which was to be expected, as you often found her out messing with the cycrane systems at night). as you walked past dan heng’s room, you were expecting more silence—which you were of course met with, but also a slitted door. you peered through into the darkness. from the dim hallway light, it seemed he had also tried and failed at sleep if his abandoned, nest-like sheets were anything to go by.

you continued to the courtyard. once you cracked open the door, you were met with an unexpected sight. moonlight caught on the black, silken strands that spilt down his back. a glassy, teal tail coiled around his feet, almost glinting in the light with each of its subtle movements. dan heng, wearing his simple night clothes of old, baggy slacks and a tight, black tank top. his ears twitched as you slid the door open further. when you stepped onto the stone tiles, he cast you an over-shoulder glance—a new habit he’d picked up recently.

"can’t sleep either?" you asked him softly, approaching from behind. 

the only response he gave was a strained groan, dragging a hand over his face.

"i take that as a no, then," you said, moving over to sit in another stool at the small table just next to him. as you went past, his tail wound tighter around the foot of his seat. 

"i take it that it’s the same for you," he muttered in reply, jade eyes cast somewhere on the ground between him and you. 

"yep." you leaned against the table next to you, arm propping up your head. your eyes flickered to his face. "and not because i’ve been up playing gacha games."

he briefly met your gaze, eyebrows quirked in doubt.

"okay, i don’t do it anywhere near as much as stelle." 

"right," he said with the faintest hint of a smile. the tip of his tail twitched in amusement. "her room was very quiet when i walked past, though. perhaps she’s mended her ways." 

"i think she’s out screwing with the cycranes instead, actually." 

"of course she is," he breathed as he raked a hand through his long hair. as you watched it pass through the delicate tresses, you stared intently at his claws. after his initial transformation, to say you were floored was an understatement. perhaps more like you were punched 50,000 feet below sea level. he could really only be described as beautiful, but even that word couldn’t quite capture his ethereality. even when he was as exhausted as he looked now, he still seemed to glow—quite literally, too. his eyes and those horns atop his head shone faintly in the dark. when someone was that pretty, how could one not be reduced to a staring fool? particularly you.  as of recent, you’ve ended up forgetting you’re supposed to actually talk to him when he’s with you. and if you did remember to ever say anything, you’d make a fool of yourself. 

he watched your gaze affixed to his hands. he took one look at them and then wrung them in his lap, looking off to the side with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. 

"ah, i’m sorry—" you began, but he quickly cut you off. 

"it’s fine," he said hurriedly, tail coiling up tighter.

"no, really. i know i’ve been acting pretty weir—" 

"i said it’s fine. please, just leave it." he said again. he unwound himself just a little, but the tense line of his shoulders still had yet to dissipate. his gaze wandered a little more back towards you. "may i ask what’s keeping you up?" 

you weren’t thrilled at the spontaneous topic change, but replied nonetheless. "just about everything, i guess. a lot’s been going on. it’s hard to take any time to rest with a stellaron still effectively looming overhead," you said. "though i could only imagine it’s about that, but tenfold for you, given the whole..." you gestured vaguely to his whole new look. 

he dragged a hand down his face, rubbing his sleepy eyes in the process. "i don’t want to think about the stellaron for now…"

"agreed. shall we put a pin in that topic, then?"

"that would be ideal."

the two of you sat in more silence. you were (only half) guiltily back to staring at his features, eyes running over all parts of him. he seemed to shrink under your gaze, ears and tail twitching with thought. his eyes drifted up to look at you—oh, there was something new. his pupils must dilate or constrict based on what he was looking at. when his eyes met yours, you could have sworn they momentarily expanded, until his eyes flickered away again, waning right back to slits. at the same time, his ears angled themselves down just a touch. 

"a—are you feeling okay?" you asked, tilting your head a little. he made a small groan and shelled further into himself. you didn’t think you had ever seen him that tense. "hey, look at me. are you alright?" your voice was as soft as you could make it. you tried to reach out to the arm he had leaning on the table, but it was in vain. he inched away moments before contact.

"i—" his tail-tip continued to flicker with apprehension. 

"well, something else is definitely bothering you. can you talk to me about it?"

"m-must i?" he was almost hiding his face.

"only if you want to," you shuffled yourself a little closer to him. "but if it’s weighing this much on you, it may make you feel a little lighter. so you can sleep. y’know." while you spoke, you gestured somewhat vaguely. ever since his vidyadhara heritage was put on full display, he hadn’t quite been the same as you knew him. he was more tense than usual. on-edge and anxious, preoccupied with his own thoughts, much unlike the down-to-earth dan heng you normally knew. it worried you. he wasn’t even really speaking to mr. yang. with everything that had been going on, you could barely begin to imagine what sort of turmoils he had churning within him. 

"i suppose one thing is that i’m simply not used to this form," he ran a clawed, slender finger up from the base of his horn to the tip. "there’s a strange disparity between feeling like i’ve known myself to be like this my whole existence, but also that i’m suddenly someone i’m not." as he spoke, his voice was quiet. "in a similar vein, it’s like my tail has a mind of its own. look at it," he grumbled while he picked it up into his lap. as he held it bundled in his arms, the tip hung over the side, twitching to and fro. "i’m not trying to make it do that. i can’t control it." he sighed, a slight growl in his throat. 

"wouldn’t it do that because you’ve been so… frazzled, as of recent?" 

"what makes you think that?" 

"um…" how were you supposed to tell him that you only had that theory because you had been constantly stealing glances of him, watching his moods, watching his languid beauty. instead, you thought of some other bullshit answer. "i mean, it’d make sense, wouldn’t it? it’s like cats. their tails twitch when they’re irritated, and i’m sure they can’t quite control it." 

he frowned a little, ears twitching downward. "i’m not a cat," he said, almost with a little pout. 

maybe not, but he was certainly cute like one. "anyway, what you said about your new features…" you began, scratching the back of your head. to your surprise, he looked at you with eyes just a little wider than normal. "i could only imagine how weird it must be for you… who am i kidding, no i couldn’t. it’s probably downright foreign, but you’re dan heng. i’m sure you’ll have it under control in no time." 

with his hands on his knees, he aimlessly grabbed at fistfuls of his loose pants. "you…" he muttered, wetting his lips as he swallowed thickly once again. 

"me?" you echoed quietly.

"forgive me for asking something so asinine, but… what… do you think?" as he muttered out the words, you could have sworn his face was turning a light shade of pink. however, it was hard to tell under only the moon and the dim lights of the courtyard. what you could tell was that his tail-tip was twitching like a bundle of nerves.

you stared at him with owlish eyes. "what do i think of what?" 

"what do you think of… me. as i am now?" 

your breath caught in your throat for a moment as he stared at you with such apprehensive eyes. they were slitted from nerves, but they shone with the moonlight, expectation and most curiously, some sort of hope. "um…"

"i’ve noticed how much you stare at me, yet you said nothing when you first saw me, unlike mr. yang or march. now, you feel almost stilted when you’re with me, like you refuse to address what’s in front of you." 

you swallowed hard at his words. "didn’t stelle also not…" you trailed off. you were doing it again, what he quite literally just said. 

"i’ve spoken to her since then. i’m asking you." he seemed to have regained a little confidence, sitting up straighter and looking at you with the slightest bit more intensity.

now it was your turn to grab at fistfuls of your clothes. you fidgeted with the hem of your shirt as you spoke, heart pounding a mile a minute. "you’ve been truthful with me, so i guess i should too," you muttered. "you, ah, um…" this was really not the direction you thought this conversation would go in. "to be really honest with you, i keep staring because you’re so… pretty."

dan heng sat motionless. if it weren’t for his vidyadhara features, he almost could have gotten away with simply being frozen. upon your words, his eyes widened just a fraction, jade-white pupils dilating. his ears twitched back upwards and his tail fell still. heavy moments of silence passed while you two stared at each other. it seemed like he was waiting for you, so you kept talking. "i didn’t speak much to begin with simply because i was so surprised. i mean, we see you again after so long and there you are, just about the most beautiful thing i’d ever seen, suddenly with the power to split an ocean. after that, i didn’t trust myself to not be weird about you, so i… kind of just refused to say anything." you rubbed the back of your neck, face burning. "but i guess that plan fell flat on its face if you noticed me staring so much." 

once you finished speaking, his gaze fell into his lap, gazing down at his hands that held fistfuls of fabric once again. "but… these powers aren’t me." 

"of course not. they’re not you, only a fraction of the whole you," there was a slight smile on your lips. "are you worried that i don’t see you as dan heng anymore?" 

he made no effort to confirm or deny anything, simply remaining as he was—a blatant yes for him. 

a small smile made its way onto your face. "you’re always going to be one and only dan heng that the whole express—that i—know and love, no matter what other forms you take." you shuffled yourself closer to him once again, now finally able to reach out and brush your thumb over the back of his hand. as you sat there, your face was burning up at your words. did you really have to word it like that? if you really wanted to be honest with him, then yes. 

he was still sat ramrod upright, but a blush now dusted his cheeks and his pupils were blown wide. his tail-tip was back to moving, this time wagging back and forth. he looked between you and your hand on his own, letting out a shaky breath. while he was still as nerve-wrecked as could be, a weight on his shoulders seemed to have been lifted. he looked like he was about to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, out came a long yawn. even though he tried to hide it with with his wrist, you still managed to catch a glimpse of his fangs. 

"sorry," he muttered, rubbing one of his eyes. “also, you’re still staring."

"ah, i—i’m sorry, i’ve been acting so weird. i—that habit’s not gonna go away any time soon…" you yanked your hands back into your lap. he looked a little disappointed at the new lack of contact. "anyway, how do you think you’ll sleep now?"

"please do not worry about me. what about yourself?" 

"um…" your heart is still pounding in your throat. "i—i don’t know, to be honest." whatever the answer was, it was bound to be ‘not well’.

"in the past, you’ve come to the archives when you haven’t been able to sleep. you’d place yourself on my bed and then ten minutes later, i’d find you fast asleep." his voice was soft when he spoke, almost with a faint note of mirth. "i wouldn’t mind if you…"

your eyes almost fell out of your head. "hold on, are you really—"

"you’re welcome to sleep next to me, if you’d like." 

"like in your room?" 

"where else?" when he stared at you, there wasn’t much obvious emotion on his face, but at the same time, he seemed so earnest with his tail-tip flicking back and forth happily. 

"but i thought you found it annoying when i did that?" 

"only because you'd wake me in the early hours of the morning. truly, i’ve never been opposed to it."

your face prickled with heat as you raked a hand through your hair. "are you sure you’re completely the same dan heng?" 

"hey." he looked miffed. 

"sorry, sorry." you were just about hiding your face in your hands by this point. "i just thought—" before you could finish, he stood up, long tail unwinding from around the seat. he took two steps and then plucked you off of your own chair. as you yelped in shock, he flopped you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “hey, what’re you—?!" 

"would you stop being so adamant if i say it will help me sleep too?" 

you gave up drumming on his back, only able to hang in embarrassment as you covered your face. your head may as well have been steaming. "wh—what the fuck is this?" 

he made no reply as he marched you back inside. as he walked, you watched his tail-tip as it was curled upwards, swaying from side to side. his room was close—he opened the door with his foot, stepped in and slid it closed again with his tail. as soon as you were properly enclosed, he placed you onto the bed with unexpected gentleness. in the past, if you were causing trouble, his method of dealing with you was hauling you off somewhere and simply dropping you—now, it was the opposite. you were left dazed in the middle of the sheet-nest, only back to your senses once dan heng got in next to you. but instead of settling down for sleep like you anticipated, he was shuffling about on his knees, rearranging the sheets and pillows so they were in a better formation, according to him. he was even using his tail to smooth out the sheets into circular patterns. 

"are you nesting or something?" you asked, bewildered. 

with no reply, he finally settled down further up against the splayed pillows. "come." he held his arms open for you, but when you made no movement, his tail roped you in instead. you were drawn into his not-very-tight vice grip, trapped in next to him. he held you loosely around the waist with clasped hands, head placed atop your leg where he seemed to be using your side like a pillow. his horns poked into your stomach every time he nuzzled... he was really nuzzling you...

"dan heng, seriously, what’s gotten into you?" 

with only a hum, he ceased his movements and craned his head up, staring at you from behind thick lashes. his pupils were still blown wide open. you couldn’t help but find it mildly foreboding. 

"i don’t understand why you’re… so touchy. i thought you were normally allergic to contact?" 

"is it not enjoyable?" he tilted his head. his fluffy hair flopped in his face with his movement. internally, one part of you was screaming YEEEES and crushing beer cans into your forehead, while the other, larger part of you was just plain screaming. you wanted to bask in this shower of attention, but at the same time, it felt so wrong—like he wasn’t really himself. whatever dragon-brain mindfuckery was going on in his head, it was certainly potent. 

"it’s not that, i just… are you sure you’re thinking straight? or do i need to spell out the situation? because you’ve hauled me back to your bed, made a nest around me and are now cuddling me like a pillow."

dan heng blinked once, twice and then his body went rigid. he pushed himself off of you and leapt to the corner of the bed, crouched with his tail once again wound around him. "wh—what was i…?" he looked down at his hands as if they were soaked in blood. his face was flaring red with a blush. 

"you seemed rather convinced i was something like your treasure hoard for a moment," you said.

upon your words, he sank his head in his hands, and whatever noise he made in embarrassment sounded like a groaning sob. "forgive me, i don’t know what came over me…" 

"some kinda vidyadhara instinct?” it was almost like he was trying to court you. 

"something like that," he muttered from behind his hand that now covered his mouth. his gaze was fixed to a random point before him and his ears were down-turned. "i… i’ve never felt it that strong before."

"wait, you’ve felt it befo—?" right before you could finish, his tail silenced you, thwacking itself against your lips. meanwhile, he was hiding his face again. with the way his shoulders hunched, you were worried—he seemed genuinely distressed. it was a miracle he hadn’t run off somewhere by that point. with a concerned frown, you took his tail in hand and spoke again. "hey, um, this might not help whatsoever, but it was actually… rather nice when you did that." you struggled to look at him. if you called it cute like it was, you’d just be blowing whatever chance you had at keeping him in place. 

he looked over at you, ears perked up. his incredulous eyes went as wide as could be, almost like two moons. a moment passed, and the tail in your hands began to sway. "really?"

"really," you nodded. "it was just shocking to begin with, but i—if you want, you can do it again."

dan heng turned his body to face you, swallowing thickly and trying to meet your gaze. he was stuck dithering for a few moments until he ultimately crashed again, flopping forward until his face was flat on the mattress. "i can’t," he muttered, voice muffled. 

"oh, um, why?" your eyes went wide. 

he turned his face to the side, unable to make a coherent reply beyond a strained, squeaky groan. he was still burning hot with a heavy flush, but it was soon covered by his tail that draped itself over his head. "too embarrassing.” 

a small, light laugh slipped from your lips. he coiled further into himself at the sound of it, but he was soon unwound when you had your hands on him, guiding him back up next to you. he was as stiff as could be when he laid down next to you, gaze cast down the other end of the bed. you tucked a stray lock of long hair behind one of his ears. when your touch grazed past him, his pink-tipped ear twitched wildly, and he buried his face into the pillow beneath him. "why don’t you let me do something? you did say this would help you sleep, didn’t you?"

"while i was practically in a daze. i wasn’t thinking right," he complained, voice once again muffled. "this will only keep me awake, if anything." 

"maybe, we’ll see." as you spoke, you took to running your fingers through his long, silky hair. you gathered it up from behind him and brought it forward, draping it over his shoulder. your fingers glided through as though they were passing through a soft mist, fluid and sleek. before long, as you gradually let your hands drift higher until they would pass over his head, he began to decompress. stuttering, held breaths became steady and soft. his nervous-contorted face was dissipating, and his heavy blush was fading to a simple dusting of pink. 

when his eyes fell closed, you glanced up at his horn. beyond just staring at him, you were also tempting fate with how much you wanted to touch his new features. you couldn’t help it though—humans are such curious, tactile creatures, it was simply in your nature. one hand left his hair, which he barely seemed to notice, and inched its way to his horn that threatened to poke you. finally, your fingertip ghosted its surface. it was as smooth as glass, and just as cool to the touch. in fact, you could almost describe it as silky, like his scales. he twitched under your touch, eyes parting open. his pupils were blown wide open again. 

"ah, i’m sorry, i—" you began, but he soon cut you off. 

"no, keep going." he grabbed your hand and placed it back on his horn. you blinked incredulously for a moment, but soon continued as you were, running your fingertips up and down the glassy blue projections. he closed his eyes again and, making yours widen, his soft breaths were followed by a faint rumbling in his chest—a purr. he really was like a cat. 

a few moments later, you felt something long wind its way around your leg. you looked down. his tail was snaking its way up your leg, until the tip draped itself happily over your lap where it laid swishing from side to side. you fell still in shock when he shuffled his body closer to yours until he laid flush against your side. he laid one of his arms across your chest and reached for your shoulder, pulling you in just a little closer to him. 

"you stopped again." his voice was barely a whisper when he leaned his head in the crook of your neck. one of his horns was cool against the back of your neck. 

"it’s a little hard to do anything when you’re this close," you muttered back. 

"then just stay as you are." he nuzzled about with a yawn. he must have been finally settling down for sleep, but that meant using you as a body pillow. your tail-twined leg was drawn towards him, where he draped his own leg over top of it, caging it in between his calves. 

“d-dan heng…” you tried to say his name as if that would do anything, but he paid you no mind. lost in his hypnagogic trance, he only muttered sweet nothings with his lips against your shoulder.

his voice was barely audible. dragon-brain must have been in full swing, because he finished off with a quiet: “you will be mine one day, my beloved…"

you nearly exploded then and there.

i love me some emotive ears, mm yes.

[gojo-enthusiast]

One Week Away

Series — My Husband Toji Zenin

Mature Content— 18+

*I’ve been detoxing life lmao— also I have a girlfriend now yay hehe.*

Toji had a work trip that was mandatory, he had tried to convince you to go with him, but when you weighed out all the options, and knew you would spend 99% of the time there alone, it just was something you weren’t up for. So you took this time out to invite your sister to stay the week with you. Maybe you wouldn’t miss your darling husband too much then.

It has officially been 6 days into your husband being gone, your sister is now on her way back home, and you are officially home alone.

“I miss Toji. I wonder if he would pick up my call? Is he busy?” You think to yourself. Taking the chance to call him.

As the phone rings, you go to press the end call button after three rings, figuring he was too busy to talk on the phone, but then hearing a woman voice answering, “Hello?” She says confused. “Um… Who is this?” You question, “Uh, that should be my line. Who are you?” She said snarky. At this rate, within a couple of seconds your head is fuming, and your heart feels like it had just been stomped on. “Was all that marriage counseling for nothing?” You think to yourself. Then you hear your husband. “Where the fuck is my phone?” You begin to hear other people in the back, one of them being Satoru. “You lost it old man?” He chuckles. “Shut the fuck up, and help me find my phone, I haven’t talked to my wife today.” He says in an agitated tone. “Wait why do you have my phone?” He questions, getting closer to what you think is the woman who answered the phone. “What?” She says, your heart is beating out of your chest. “Thats my phone, who are you talking to on my phone?” He says in an almost growl. “Oh shit, I’m sorry Toji, I thought this was my phone.” She nervously laughs, handing the phone to him. As soon as his phones are placed in his hands, he sees your name and photo. “Fuck. Baby?” He says into the phone. You had already started crying, because of course you assumed the worst, you couldn’t help it. “H-hey T-toji.” You stutter, feeling the tears rolling down. “Fuck, baby… are you crying?” He groans, you hear him walking away from the crowd, hearing Satoru in the background say. “Fuck, what did you say when you answered that phone?”

“I’m fine Toji, h-hows your trip?” You try to brush off like everything is fine. “Baby, she is just a fellow colleague. She grabbed my phone by accident. Are you okay?” He questions concerning. “I-I’m fine. I-I was just a little surprised.” You said with a shaky voice. You knew your husband wasn’t cheating on you, but what can you expect? It wasn’t always easy, especially with being apart. “I-I don’t want to be at home alone anymore. I sh-should have g-gone with yo-you.” You burst into tears, realizing how much you miss your husband. “Doll, I’m sorry. I’ll be home soon. ‘Aight?” He reassures you on the phone.

You both stayed on the phone for a few minutes, before he had to go back to his company dinner, and you fell asleep snuggled up to one of his hoodies. “I miss you.” You whisper into his hoodie, smelling his cologne, and his overall scent. It had been 6PM, and you drifted to sleep.

Toji became distressed with the thought of you being alone, he was ready to see his wife, to remind her that she was his, and he was yours. He had said his goodbyes, and grabbed his bag from the upstairs hotel. The drive was 6 hours, yet he made it back home in 5. Checking his watch, it was 12:36AM. Toji knew you would have been sound asleep, which was perfect for him, he knew how much you loved waking up to his head in between your legs, reminding you how much he loves and adores you. You also knew how much he worshipped your cunt, it had him making laps until your orgasms were almost painful. Toji loosened his tie, flinging across the room, seeing you in your little laced blue panties, and his hoodie, it only made his cock throb with just the mere sight of seeing you laid like that, he always loved how your ass was thick that your panties would almost get swallowed by them, there was so many times, he wanted to beg you to let him fuck your little ass, yet he knew how hard that would be, especially since it was hard to even take him vaginally, but he sure did fantasize about it. Toji took his belt off, unbuttoning his pants, letting them drop to the floor, popping the buttons off of his shirt, throwing it to the corner of the room. He had become a hungry tiger, wanting to devour you, until you shuttered at his touch. Toji was a kind and gentle man to you, but sexually, he could be ruthless, he loved to watch your pretty big eyes cry, whining for him to keep going, then to stop.

Toji crawled into bed, and gently turned you from your side, to your back, and slowly spread your legs apart. You were a bit of a deep sleeper, especially after you had cried. He saw the way your eyes were puffy, he placed a kiss on your eyelids, moving down to your lips, then licking you down your neck, lifting up the hoodie, he lightly sucked on your nipples, light enough to not wake you up, but enough for your nipples to harden. He traced his tongue down your stomach, then to your heat, pulling your panties down swiftly. He eyed your pussy, spreading your labia apart, lapping his tongue, sucking on your clit immediately. He knew your body more than you did, he sucked and licked, feeling your arousal start to come out, and his tongue got the first taste. He dipped his index finger inside of you, feeling your walls. Your moans started to fill the room, while you were slowly waking up. He kept lapping his tongue in your cunt, switching from your hole, to your clit, tasting you inside out. You woke up, wide eyed, seeing your husbands straight black hair between your legs. “T-Toji?” You croak out then moan. “Hmm?” He hum’s, as he continues to suck on your clit. “Ah- w-what are you do-doing h-here? Ah- T-TTojiiii?” You moan loudly. “Hmm you taste so good.” he slurps. He then inserted two fingers, beginning to pump in and out of you slow and agonizing, pulling moan and whimper out of you.

"To-Toji, please.." You whimpered, tears welling up in your eyes, your body feeling overstimulated. "You're so tight doll." He groans, feeling his throbbing cock leak pre-cum. "I need you." You cry silently, tears flowing out of your sweet eyes. "Do you love me?" You question, feeling a sense of insecurity. "Hmm?" He half questions, but he heard you plain and clear. "D-do y-you lo-love me?" You whimper as he continues to pump into you, but his dark eyes were peering into yours as he leaned up and his face was right in front of yours, "Do I love you?" He questions back to you. Your blood turning cold, and goosebumps covering your skin, "Is that what you're asking me? You're asking me if I love you?" He questions you again. "Y-yeah." You stutter, pulling at your bottom lip, biting it. "What makes you think I don't?" He whispers into your ear, curling his fingers inside your squelching cunt. "Ugh- I-I just w-want to h-hear y-you say you l-lo-love me." You whimper out, feeling an orgasm approach. "Hmm? Is that so?" He groans in your ear, his groin dry humping the air, his body was twitching at the sight of your thick tears. "Fuck, I could just fuck that pretty little face of yours, see those tears soak my cock." He groans, pushing you over the edge, you spasming and creaming all around his fingers.

"Toji!" You moan loudly, cumming all over his fingers, feeling that high he had brought you too. Toji removed his fingers, drinking in your arousal, licking his fingers clean. "I love you." He says to you, as he pecks your lips lightly. Tears welling up in your eyes again, pulling your husband into your embrace. "You only love me, right?" You question, pulling down his boxers, watching his throbbing cock slap his stomach. "I want you inside of me." You whimper, touching the tip of his throbbing cock with the pads of your index and middle finger. "F-Fuck. Doll. Wait-" He pushes your hand away. "I do love you, only you." He coos, lifting your chin to look at him, then crashing his lips onto yours, pulling you into his embrace. You felt him wrap his hand around the swollen member, and felt him glide it up your sopping core, slightly pushing it in. The slow stretch, Toji had prepped you as much as he could, he was on the verge of snapping. "Take a deep breath for me doll." He groans, you do as he instructs, taking that deep breath, and you feel him push himself into you, causing your breath to get caught in your throat. No matter how many years you two had been married, you still could never get used to his size. Tears slipped from your eyes, and you felt his tongue lick them up. Thrusting in and out, already pulling an early orgasm. “Toji, s-stop.” You moan. "Can't. You're gon' have to take it." He grunts. Thrusting into you in a Godlike pace, crushing you underneath him. You felt his strong arms pull your legs to wrap around his waist, and him push even deeper into you. "Do you feel how we are connected?" He groaned. Toji lifting your head, sitting up, he had you looking at the way you two were connected, you saw the way he pushed into you, and the way your arousal was mixing with his, foaming at the base of his cock. "Watch how I fill you." He growls into your ear, "Watch how my love spills into you." He adds, "After I'm done with you, you'll never ask if I love you again." He grunts into your ear. He had completley pulled you on top of him, gripping your hips, lifting you up and down, bouncing you on his twitching cock. He thrusted up into you, chasing your release, and his too. Toji pulls you to his chest, your head thrown back, he nussled his head on your shoulder blade, pounding you from underneath. "Fuck- Gon' cum." He grunts into your ear, then putting his hand on the back of your head, pushing your head to his, smashing his lips on yours. He fought for dominance, his tongue exploring your mouth. He quickly detached, sucking on your neck, leaving love bites. "I'm gon' cum, you're gonna have t' take it." He growls into your ear. After a couple sloppy fast strokes, his hot cum shot deep inside of you, slowing his pace, he still continued to pump into you until every last drop had entered into you. "We just created a love child, doll." He groaned in your ear, slipping you off of him, and pulling you into his embrace. "Oh-" You moaned as he slipped out of you. "Let me take you once more." He said into your ear, spreading your legs, and pushing his once again hard member back into you, stroking in you slow and steady.

"Tojiiii- I can't anymore." You moaned, your legs spasming in overstimulation, and your toes curled. "Just a little bit more, let me fill you up, I need you to give me a baby." He groaned, throwing his head back. His cock was twitching already, so senstive from just finishing, he did not want to stop, he wanted to keep feeling this ecstacy that your cunt offered him. Within a couple of minuets, he came again, finally pulling you to lay on your side, and he stayed inside of you. "Toji, take it out." You groan, feeling your womahood tender and swollen.

"Mm Mm, I have to make sure you give me a child." He says with a smirk, nuzzling down to the crook of your neck, leaving pecks.

Eventually you had fallen asleep, and your husband, pulled out of you, going and grabbing a warm wet towel, cleaning you up. He bent down to your stomach and whispered, "This was it, I know it." He smiles, kissing your stomach while you're sound asleep.

[ddamm]

Sleep and cuddles – Daryl Dixon headcanons

(ᵍⁱᶠ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵈⁱᵛⁱᵈᵉʳˢ ᵈᵉᶠ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵐⁱⁿᵉ - ˢᵒ ᶜʳᵉᵈⁱᵗˢ ⁂)

Warnings: lots of fluff, some insecure/not worthy feelings, mentions of nightmares, (following my friend's @dixons-sunshine design cause I have no idea what I'm doing yet. SORRY KRYS 😅)

Word count: 819 (not counting symbols, emojis or ending A/N)

A/N: HEEEEY! So, huh. This is the first time I ever posted on Tumblr or done smt like this (I'm familiar with writing short fics, fics and one-shots, but not headcanons) so idk what the outcome may be... but I'll try to have fun since this is just a way to pass time and write down some kinda random stuff I had in my head! With that said, let's head on to it!

Song: ONLY - Leehi

(play b4 you begin reading)

(cute cloud gif divider from @graphicstorage, in this post)

☽‧₊˚ Daryl wouldn't be the one asking for cuddles. It's more like you felt like it late at night. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Daryl would look at you questioning why you want cuddles out of nowhere, but he would comply with a small smile nonetheless. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Daryl would allow you to cuddle his arm if you guys are still with other people. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ The first time he laid down with you in a bed (way long ago), he was paralysed and didn't know what to do when your body moved closer to him seeking comfort and warmth. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Daryl at first is super shy to even hold you, not to talk about cuddling you. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Even when you occasionally hugged him out of fear/anxiety after a dangerous situation back then, his body would stiffen, and he would barely move (the poor man being too conflicted in his own mind to mind how you were doing yourself). ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Daryl frequently thought it was wrong for you to hug him or seek comfort from him because of how broken he felt he was. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ As you grow closer, he will begin to feel more comfortable with physical contact with you. ONLY you. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Don't get him wrong, just because he stands you better than the others, doesn't mean he is gonna behave all sunshine with everyone ‧₊˚ (He is like a little stray animal who has trust issues and doesn't know how to act towards kindness 🥺😭❤️‍🩹)

☽‧₊˚ Daryl is straightforward and will tell you when he is not in the mood for hugs, cuddles and such. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ That will make you feel a little disappointed, but he would gently kiss the pout out of your face. ‧₊˚ (🤭)

☽‧₊˚ "Maybe next time, peach. Dudn't  wanna spoil yer mood with ma shit." ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ He likes couch cuddles. You are more of bed cuddles. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ He "secretly" loves the cuddles with you sitting in his lap and resting your head on his chest. ‧₊˚ (don't tell him I told ya 🤫)

☽‧₊˚ He has memorised your cuddling patterns and discovered you have a cuddling setting time. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ It is a rule for Daryl now that he will wrap you with his arm and hold you closer on cold nights or when he feels you're distressed. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ "'S aight peach, 'm here with ya." ‧₊˚ (he would def whisper that in your ear with his raspy voice 🤭😆😆)

☽‧₊˚ Sometimes, cuddle times (anytime from 10 pm to midnight) end up in conversations that worry/tire you (mainly after an event has occurred), which is why Daryl prefers not to talk much and just hold you between his arms. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Other times, you guys plan things together like what to look for in the next run, things you'd like to do or want him to teach you or just joke and enjoy each other's presence. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ When you are too worried, Daryl passes his hand through your hair and massages your temple. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ He often kisses your head or forehead when you fall asleep first (which is sincerely always lmao). ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Daryl gets grumpy/worried when he wakes up in the morning and you're not by his side, but he masks it well. ‧₊˚ (to the others tho 👀)

☽‧₊˚ On the contrary, if he wakes first and still finds you sleeping, he will watch over you lovingly and maybe place a kiss or two to wake you up. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ You both like to intertwine your hands as you cuddle. Daryl often kisses your knuckles when you do. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ He will big-spoon you to eternity unless he is angry, or distressed. ‧₊˚ (so you might be the one big-spooning lol or maybe just giving him some space)

☽‧₊˚ During difficult times or when you're most agitated/anxious, Daryl reverts into thinking he isn't worth enough to be with you or hold you like he does. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ You never take it on him when he doesn't know how to console you, instead, sometimes you are the one consoling him, because you know he needs it as well. He appreciates it. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ Daryl has had nightmares previously revolving around his past, his family, his brother, and occasionally even you. You are always there to reassure him that you love him, and you are not going anywhere without him with kisses. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ If you ever fight/argue, cuddle time is not interrupted. Daryl would take the coach and you'd take the bed, though in the middle of the night, you (who couldn't fall asleep after the argument and without Daryl by your side) would feel some weight on the bed and next thing is, Daryl's apologising for acting like that, expressing his mind more openly and calmed, and asking you to not stay angry at him for longer. You (or more like me haha) can't stay angry with him for that long, so you'd have gone to meet him for the same thing. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ After a fight comes reconciliation, and with it comes reconciliation cuddles and quality time together. ‧₊˚

☽‧₊˚ He adores hugging you from behind (softly or firmly) whenever you're cooking or doing something. It will surely be accompanied by some cheek and neck kisses. ‧₊˚ (😆😆)

Alright, that's all I could come up with in the past 2 hours or so (I think...).

I decided to do this basically because... I was feeling sleepy and just felt like having cuddles- 😶 And with my not-so-sudden Daryl Dixon rise concerning stuff about him on Tumblr, and discovering a new page of Daryl's content (fic, hdcs and series) I absolutely adored, I said to myself (in my sleepy state ofc) why don't I make one too? I mean, it could be nice and cute to do short (hopefully, cause this ain't short at all 😭) content about the fandoms and more that I like.

And so here we are! 🙂 Lmk in the comments what you think plsss, so I'll know if to make another similar one in the future!

Also, this is kinda an inspiration/mention to a few Daryl-based pages that make some awesome sauce content. Pls check them out cause they are all amazing! @dixons-sunshine @celtic-crossbow @virginsexgod69 @darylsdelts @littlegodzilla @daryl-fucking-dixon @daryl-dixon-daydreams @lazyneonrabbitt

Thanks to y'all cuties for reading, hope to see ya soon~

Take care and God bless!~

𓆩 ♱ ���

[coridallasmultipass]

He so kity.

*takes a hit* You know... Grim was really tellin' it when he sang "Look at me I'm a kitty cat..."

I felt that in my soul, dude.

[ophernelia]

1-30 for lou and imogen

Well damn. Aight.

1. Where and how did they meet?

Summertime. Copperdale, NY. Right outside of Hattie's home. It's in the pilot episode of the series.

2. Was it love at first sight?

They were seven so... no lol.

3. If it was not love at first sight, how and when did they know it was love?

So, Lou knew before Imogen did. For him it was the summer they both turned 15. Imogen was upset because Krystle was making fun of her for not having her first kiss yet. Lou being Lou he offered to do it. Even though he had a girlfriend at the time. Kiss didn't mean anything to her, but it took Lou's head through a loop. He broke things of with the girl he was dating the next day. We got to see it click in Imogen's head. It was when she was talking to her mom before she hung out with Lou at the campsite. That was in episode 2 of the series.

4. What feature(s) do they find most attractive about their partner?

For Imogen, she'd say it's his eyes, lips, and hair. (Even though he cut it. She's upset about that.) He's also got really nice teeth, so seeing him smile is always a treat. Lou would say the same for Imogen, but he'd also include her legs, chest, and feet. I don't know. He gives me that vibe that feet would be his thing. Imogen's are nice. Tattooed, soft, and she always has a fresh pedicure.

5. What traits / personality aspects do they like most about their partner?

Imogen adores how sociable and chatty Lou is. He'd talk to a brick if it could talk back. She thinks his ability to speak to anyone makes him very brave. For Lou, he adores how sweet Imogen is but primarily towards him. It's a different sweetness and softness that she shows to other people. With him it's how lovingly she'll stare him or how sweet she'd talk to him. As if she had honey dripping from her lips. It's a side of herself that only he gets to see. He thinks it's the best side.

6. Do they have any habits their partner finds annoying?

Imogen is a bed snacker. She likes to crawl in bed with some chips or fresh veggies and just go to town. Lou hates it. He hates the crumbs, he hates the trash. He likes keeping the bed in pristine condition. There's only a few exceptions he'll make and none of them is food related. Lou doesn't stick to a side of the bed and it works Imogen's nerves. She likes to sleep on the right side of the bed. It's in the perfect position. It's close to Sozin's bed. It's close to thefan they have in the bedroom. Lou will fall asleep wherever. Right, left, middle- doesn't matter. He's huge and he takes up so much space. She hates it!

7. Is there anything about their partner they would like to change?

Lou thinks Imogen is the pinnacle of perfection, so he wouldn't change a thing. If you asked Imogen, she's refer to the last question lmao.

8. Where did they have their first date?

Their first real date was to the bronx zoo. It was a day trip. Lou planned the whole thing since Imogen couldn't decide where they should go. He didn't mind. He wanted to take her to see the giant anteaters because he knew she loved them. They hadn't been to the zoo together since they were kids. It was a nice date.

9. When and where did they have their first kiss?

I mentioned it earlier, but it was the summer they turned 15 in Hattie's garden. It was really brief. Just a peck. Nothing memorable for Imogen, but it had an impact on Lou.

10. How long have they been together?

At this current point in the series they've officially been together for about 2 years.

11. Will they stay together for a long time?

I'm sure it comes as a surprise to no one, but Lou and Imogen are end-game. They are my soulmate couple. There's not a lifetime they haven't been together.

12. Do they have many problems in the relationship or just a few? Or none?

They don't have problems often because they've gotten used to each other over the years. They usually squash them relatively quickly, but some times they'll have disagreements that span over a few days. Nothing too deep. It's usually just lighthearted problems.

13. Is there a big age difference between the partners, a small difference or are they the same age?

They're the same age. Imogen is older by two months.

14. Do other people approve or disapprove of the relationship?

They had a rough start, but people love them together now.

15. If someone disapproves of the relationship, who is it, and why do they disapprove?

The most interesting culprit is Dallas. Though she loves them together now, it took some getting used to. She loves Lou, but she felt like the two of them moved way too fast. From getting together, moving in together, getting engaged- it all happened in the span of a few months. They're both still very young and she just wanted them to save some stuff for the future.

16. Does the couple care if people disapprove of them being together?

Imogen adores her mom and wants her approval. As does Lou, but whether they got it or not they'd still be together.

17. Are they married?

Yes but they haven't had the ceremony just yet. Imogen is a Carranza now.

18. If they’re not married, do they want to be?

Lou nor Imogen every really thought marriage would be in the cards for them. Imogen had always been a little too strange to be liked openly, so she didn't think it was a possibility. Lou knew he'd want to get married one day after growing up seeing Dallas and Cale. After the events of the summer before the series began, he didn't think it'd be possible. Who'd wanna marry a monster? They were both painfully wrong.

19. Would they elope, have a small intimate wedding, big fancy wedding, or something else?

They're having a small wedding. Just a few friends and family members in Greece.

20. Where would they go on their honeymoon or dream vacation?

The two of them don't want to have a honeymoon. Travelling isn't much of a luxury for them, because of the amount of wealth Imogen's family has. If they want to go on a trip then all they have to do is make time for it.

21. Do they have any children? Do they want any?

Not yet. Imogen is fine with two. Lou wants a basketball team.

22. What is their favourite thing to do together?

Anything and everything as long as they're alone. They love their friends. A lot honestly, but nothing beats the two of them just hanging out around the house together uninterrupted. They love sitting down and getting into a good show together. Something scandalous and maybe a little trashy.

23. Where is their favourite place to go together?

It used to be the pier when they lived in Copperdale, but now it's a thrift store in their neighborhood. It's over near a pizza shop and ice cream parlor, so they make a whole event of it. They'll shop, grab a bite to eat, and then walk around the area.

24. Do they have a song?

I used to think it'd be Roslyn, but no they'd love "Beach Baby" by Bon Iver. It's one of the songs Lou would often ask Imogen to play on her guitar before they went to bed. It's their thing.

25. Do they have any pet names / nicknames for each other?

I don't think a day has gone by in recent years that Lou hasn't called Imogen "angel". Sometimes he may slip in a "baby" but it is almost always "angel". I haven't found anything that's stuck for Imogen. She's said "baba" or " lovebug" but nothing really works for her. I think it's because she just really loves his name. She likes saying it. I mean it's his, so how could she not?

26. Are they jealous?

YES. IMOGEN MORESO THAN LOU.

27. Is this a first relationship for either of them?

This is Imogen's first relationship. No one has ever liked her enough to ask until Lou. Lou has had plenty.

28. How do they show affection for each other?

They're very hands on with each other. Lots of hugs, lots of kisses. Imogen loves doing Lou's hair. Combing it, washing it, anything really. He enjoys a good scalp massage so he happily allows her to. Lou loves a good smooch. On the cheeks, on her forehead, on her lips- he's not at all particular.

29. How do they cheer their partner up when they’re sad?

Imogen can help Lou get out of a funk by going on a walk. He likes to walk and talk about what's bothering him. So, rain or shine, if Lou is feeling down then Imogen'll suggest a walk. Imogen likes a good cuddle. Especially in any position where Lou will lay on her chest and talk to her. He can usually get a giggle out of her just by rambling as he always does. She can't be upset for long after that.

30. Is either of the partners a ‘hopeless romantic’?  

Honestly.. netiher of them are. If something happened between the two of them it would completely shatter their perception of love. It's the only romantic love either of them have known.

[ovaryacted]

I got one for yea. Anon off because I’m a degen and if I’m going to be sacrilegious, may as well show my whole ass

Leon was raised Catholic. This is canon. Now, he ain’t religious. We know this. But let’s just say he loves an s/o who’s Catholic.

To sum this up rq, us Catholics go through lent. So for 40 days after Ash Wednesday we give up one thing (or do more charity work) for those 40 days. We can have what we gave up after Easter.

Now. With that out of the way, time for me to get excommunicated.

Let’s just say Leon is curious about catholic traditions. He may not go to church but if his s/o gets the ashes on their forehead, he may as well join ‘em.

Now lent begins. And his s/o wants to give us orgasms. Not theirs. His.

For 40 days Leon is edged. At first he thinks he can handle it. It’s a challenge for him. He’s game. He gets edged once, on day 1. Edged 2 times on day 2 etc etc.

But by day like, 10, he’s cracking. He’s being brought to the edge so much and so often he’s damn near desperate. Day 20 he’s sobbing, begging to cum.

Day 30 he’s promising to go to church more he’ll convert back to Catholicism. He’ll get baptized again, just let him cum.

Day 40, on Easter, the most holy day for us Catholics, his s/o finally lets him cum. I think his brain literally shuts down from how powerful his orgasm is. Like neurons full on fizzle out processing the pure pleasure and ecstasy. I’d even bet he orgasms twice from how intense it all is.

He’s trembling, shaking, practically screaming from how good feels. He probably passes out. Leon only realizes he had completely blacked out when his s/o is stroking his cheek and praising him.

It takes a good bit of aftercare for him to return to the world but once he’s back, he’s already counting the days until lent again.

Aight Catholic Church it’s been fun. I’ll see you all in hell lmao.

I think it's kind of funny that I unintentionally saved my response to this for Easter weekend LMAO. But even though I personally am not religious, I think the idea of lent or having to give something up is an interesting one and I applaud people who do that. That being said, Leon voluntarily giving up the ability to have an orgasm because he loves his partner and wants to respect and support their faith would turn him into a reborn catholic.

This is on another level of No Nut November, military-grade abstinence that is slowly killing him over 40 days and 40 nights. He thinks he can handle it when it's first suggested, he's gone without feeling pleasure for years, and he'll make it.

He's wrong, so very wrong. In reality, he gets humbled very quickly, and after the first few edging attempts he thinks it isn't so bad until it feels like his dick is about to fall off from being on edge constantly. His body pulses, rigid as hell, he's antsy and is constantly bouncing his leg when he sits, and now has a hard time sleeping. It'll get so bad that he'll propose not being near his partner for a while because just being in the same room with them makes him hard, and the fact that he can't do anything about that kills him.

But after Leon survives the Lent period and finally gets what he wants, he almost regrets agreeing to it in the first place. The orgasms he experiences after 40 days are intense and overwhelming, and the way he has an out-of-body experience really makes him think that a God does exist. In the back of his mind, he's just thanking this Godly figure for allowing him to live this long to experience something like this. Perhaps he does black out from it all, I think he would, but it would probably change the way he thinks about everything in his life at that moment.

[mysadblacksoul]

Let's talk about Clancy, eh? (plus the livestream)

So I'm watching the livestream (the vod) and I decided to share my opinions about each songs!

without the first 4 singles

But tbh I think I'm an Overcompensate girly, that before hearing the rest of this album this is my top 1

With Backslide as a close second

Wait why should I increase my volume

Oh that's why

It was a trap

Okay Midwest Indigo, let's go I'm so ready

What an outfit Mr Joseph

Omg it's so bouncy

JIM

JENNA

I love the shouty lyrics

This MV is so goofy what the hell

Okay so it's so happy, so funky I love it!

The drums make want to do a lil dance

Hope the next one won't be sad

Yes Tyler, this song will go so hard live, I agree

And yes, put Josh on the mic!

Routines In The Night everybody

Oh so it's the rap one?

It's much less bouncy, but I can still tap my leg to it so I'm fine

You think that this is like the sister song to Ode To Sleep?

The chorous is so catchy what the hell

Yes! Give me those adlibs!

The dances, the visuals, the face card that never declines

What is he eating for Lord's sake

I can't pay attention to the songs when every time one ends those fools pop up on my screen again lol

"not every video is gonna be lore based" my ass

Wait so Routines is not lore oriented? But I see so many references :((((((

Vingette!

So it's a crowd's favourite? Aight

Oh it sound so nostalgic

More rap? okay, okay

Omg the vocals????

It's so different, like I can't predict where are we going with the beat

The bridge is so out of place but so in place???

What is going on

No but I see why they like it, for sure

God I love all the Joshes in the MVs

So Jenna's version will have another MV?

Sounds fun!

Oh it's soft version

So this is a fanmade mv for Jenna, how cute

No for real it is emotional, but in the best way possible

This version is filled with so much love, I can't even explain

The flashbacks to the young dudes? I might cry too

Yeah I se the vision. Like The Craving does feel more "right" played on the ukulele. It gives it much more emotion!

Now you just bully him lol. Tyler has two hands to hold two ukuleles, this is lore guys

Lavish whoo!

Before we start why the hell is the title of this song the only one written in different font in the lyric sheet in the CD, huh?

O damn man in black, get it I guess

The vocals are so dreamy, so different

Another leg mover

Why all of this songs are so catchy are you putting crack in it or what

It's also very chill so far

I also really like the use of the strings, it makes the song more full!

It kind of sounds like a movie soundtrack? Or is it just the MV that makes it feel this way

The silliest MV so far lmao

And seeing the amount of work that went into it makes it even better

And now Navigating!

I have to stop myself from looking for lore

I'm 3 seconds in, why it already sounds like a bop

This might be my new favourite song from this album

The electric guitar? With the synth? 11/10

The chorous is so amazing, simply

Will the bridge be sad or will he scream

Oh come through with this bass

JOSH ISN'T REAL THEORY WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE WE IN THE FOREST FIC

Where did he go irl lmao

No for real it might be my favourite now, sorry Overcompensate

The Bandito one is the real one, write that down

NO I THINK I JUST GOT IT, THE WHOLE LORE MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW

What the hell Tyler, we have such a different taste then

Snap Back let's go!

What is going on

I'm like a second in

Oh no, it's broken

Instead of Snap Back premiere we have the premiere of Next Semester (ukulele version)

I'm not mad at all

Okay, let's go for real this time

Oh it's so dreamy

So this is the MV with head shaving lmao

BACKSLIDE, I heard that everyone

The drums are really shining on that song

And I love the contrast between low tone verses and more melodic, high alibs in chorous

The bridge seems sad I fear

Or are we picking up the tempo?

Nah we are putting more adlibs now!

Even better

Oldies station better be nostalgic

And quick question before we start, what the hell did you do to Josh?

Is this ballad?

Soft, fun and with funky vocals!

The lyrics are so beautiful, god

Omg Josh lmao

What a contrast to the song lol

Oh we are switching

I don't know how to justify it, but it feels like such a twenty one pilots song

Like it just makes sense for them to make it

I really like it

Honestly At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb sounds silly from the start

So is the MV

I really like the rollercoaster of the vocals. They are kind of all over the place, but still makes a lot of sense

It's the beat drop on the "drop"

Oh rap some more sure!

Why does he want to fight in every MV

Very fun, very chill and then you have the post chorous that are hard hitting

Love the contrast

Am I crazy or did they use kalimba in the end? I might be wrong tho

That's so sad that we are already finishing

One last track

Paladin Strait whoo!

I'm afraid that this one will be the sad one

The tears producer

The heart clencher

The ukulele strikes back

Love those low vocals

It's a song to sway this time

The drums strikes back

I don't know why it kind of sounds like the end of the western movie. Like after the good ending the cowboy is walking towards the sun, you see my vision?

This song is full of hope, so amazing

God the lyrics sounds like Clancy is finaly free

I might cry

It sounds like good ending to the trilogy

So it feels like a scam

It's too good to be true

But I don't know, maybe after all the ending of this story is good for all of us

What, is the silence in the official audio or is it just the end of the livestream

NO WAIT THERE IS MORE

no

wait guys no

FPE?????

WHO THE HELL

IS IT BLURRY

WHAT THE HELL

Now I need the MV to see what the hell is going on

The End

Nah, I'm not leaving you like this

I still think that Navigating is my fav from the new songs

But I'm gonna go listen to the album some more and then decide for sure

It's a good mix of everything, very twenty one pilots style

I just wished for more rage and screaming, but we need to be calm sometimes, I get it

There isn't a song that I don't like, that's for sure

So yeah! This are my feelings, thoughts (and prayers)

Give me your favourite song in the comments!

[kindred-spirit-93]

GUYS LMAO HELP IM ON THE FLOOR

me when i try to explain the lore of my latest hyperfixation and brainrot that has been fermenting for who knows how long in my noggin to my beloved who has to keep up with me every dam time

find urself someone who will listen to u rant about dieties and divine law and order out of order and going on tangents of tangents <3

aight so for context me n my platonic soulmate go to different unis and have been long distance friendship-ing for over 3 years now and we barely get to see eachother irl for plenty of reasons. anyway

when we do meet for coffee and plushie hauls we essentially go over everything that happened over the past few months we havent seen each other in (outside of texts lol) and ya girl always has some hyperfixation to yap about (musicals, mythology, all of the above...)

anyway i explained to her epic the musical lore as best as i could in like 15 minutes while she had a lecture lmao (long story) and honestly kudos to her for understanding my incoherent 5678 words per second ramble and endless footnotes etc. anyway i sent her osp's odyssey video to give her an idea of what i was blabbing about lol

ANYWAY shes just texting me saying shes listened to the horse and the infant & just a man and that shes hooked. IM SO PROUD OF MYSELF FOR DRAGGING HER INTO THIS LMAO. MWAHAHAHAAH

said shes going to binge the musical asap lol (we are both dedicated hard working students ill have u know) and now we can both giggle and ugly cry over odypen hehe. literally vibrating with excitement >:D

last sunday we met after my big exam and i was already hysterical from sleep deprivation and brainrot so i gushed about literally everything. and infodumping kindred is not a kindred u want to be anywhere near esp if ur my girl bc i bare my soul to her lol A N Y W A Y

the thing is u cant explain the odyssey without knowing a little abt the illiad and to really get that u need to know the pantheon and how everyone got into this mess in the first place and and......

thats not even the best part before epic id binged osp red's greek mythology videos and was dabbling in pjo so i was very basically explaining the mythos to her about a month or so ago (equally manically)? and this girl says to me 'wait is zeus daddy?' AND I FUCKING DIED RIGHT THEN AND THERE. my soul *ascended* it was single handedly the funniest shit anyone has ever said in my general direction. i love her

anyway so i gently but very firmly explained why hes the dipshit of all time and she messed with me further on purpose (and i quote; IF BAD WHY HOT?) anyway zeus if ur out there dont talk to me or my beloved ever again or so help me.

[yanban-san]

Shdjfkj loving all of the monter fucker darling asks lmao 💟

would seeing emmet in a more natural state affect darling mentally? maybe experience some of that eldritch madness™ but it mixes with horny to create a sucker-for-love style obession with seeing the pretty winged monster thing again so they can fuck it? it might start off with the 'monster' constantly being on darlings mind, which makes the twins very happy. but it evolves into them skipping meals in favor of trying to research any myths, rumors, anything they can find and losing sleep as they sneak around the subway at night, which makes the twins less happy.

darling can't help themsleves tho. after all, it's them!!! the pretty monster that the pretty feather came from. they have to see it again. no matter the cost. of course, everytime darling tries hijinx ensue and alas our eldritch abominations have been cock-blocked again

but at the same time, i imagine darling might try to distance themselves from ingo and emmet at work because 'how would my bosses that are very keen on my safety react to me trespassing at night just to sleep with some monsters?'

-applesauce anon

Aight so- I've been absent from posting about the Eldritch boys for a bit longer than a *hot* minute, and I'm fixing that. That said, this answer will be in two or more parts- Because it was getting excessively long. Like I mean, *excessively* long. The first time I wrote this, before my pc died, it was at ~15k words- Currently this one is sitting at ~8k?? But I am splitting it up just so I start posting again lol That said, I really hope you enjoy Apple! I'm sorry about my absence, I've missed writing a lot! This is a redo partly of the Darling meeting Eldritch Emmet in the first place- With more. And an aftermath, for the time being. Tags: Eldritch Submas AU, Little Angst, Multi-Part Pain, Very Long

---

“It’s really such a shame,” You began, shouting into the darkness of the unending tunnels of the Subway, partially to distract yourself from the terrifying noises echoing through the concrete hallways and partially to, hopefully, attract whatever “monster” was lurking down here. “That I haven’t seen any beautiful, scary, monsters down here yet!”

You half-believed the rumors, and yet, half-didn’t. Agent Cameron had been the one to mention it first to you, prankster that he was- Perhaps he was going to try to frighten you? That would be silly. At this point you’d be frightening him, with your declarations of half-begging the monster to come fuck you and steal you away like some valuable prize-

Still though. Cameron didn’t seem to have been lying when you’d overheard him and some of the other agents of your work discussing the rumor- Not to mention, you yourself had noticed how… there was always an odd feeling hanging about the air of Gear Station. And especially in the tunnels. You assumed it must’ve been due to the sounds of trains running- Heavy machinery in the distance, always out of sight, your mind playing tricks on you to ascribe some meaning to the clanking of gears and grinding of chains- Turning them into the heavy footsteps of clawed feet and growls of some feral beast-

But still.

There might’ve been a chance, you know? “I sure hope no beautiful, huge, magnificent monster shows up after alllll this time I’ve spent down here,” You shouted again- “That would REALLY be a shame! Especially if it tried to pry off all these loose fitting clothes I’m wearing and bend me over and fuck me stupid, that would be TERRIBLE-”

So stupid. Cameron would be begging you to stop any second now-

And then you heard it.

A clicking.

Of something tapping against a concrete wall.

Your words faltered as you noticed the sound- Certainly louder than a Galvantula prowling the tunnels, you thought- And suddenly a whirlwind blur of light and feathers descended upon you, pinning you to the ground of the annex tunnel as strange, soft- Claws? Dug into your arms gently. The air was knocked out of you, your eyes tearing up from straining as they tried to adjust to the light- The blurry form of whatever was holding you down slowly coming into focus. And you gasped. “Would that realllllly be such a shame?” Asked the thing in a whining tone- a hollow smile on it’s strange, mask-like face.

You were too enraptured to reply, hardly noticing it’s words- The creature holding you down was no pokemon, nor human- Something strange and foreign yet painfully familiar, though you couldn’t recall ever having seen something like this- This entity before you-

It’s body was humanoid, though it’s chest was covered in soft, silky, white down that shimmered and shined and wavered- Emerging from it’s backside was an indescribable amount of wings, some with long, lacy feathers that drooped and undulated- Moving less like feathers and more like- tendrils of some sea creature. Other wings were more like a bird’s- Or an angel's. Fluttering and folding around the monstrous entity holding you down. It’s legs were equally feathered, ending in strange, shifting claws that hurt to focus on- Your eyes drifted back up, looking into it’s face.

Hollow, black eyes stared back at you from the mask-like covering on it’s face. A strange, ephemeral light shining out of them, darting around at you like irises of eyes- Peculiar, glowing eyes that they would be, if they were. Behind it’s head was a radiant halo, flaring with light and strange symbols arching over it’s silvery… hair. The horns on the side of it’s head looked strange, and familiar in a different way- And the hollow mouth carved into it’s smooth, white face was held open in a perpetual grin. It brought a claw over to your face, gently touching you as you looked up at it dreamily. The light emitting from it’s form was beautiful and wonderful to behold-

And you couldn’t look away.

Your eyes took in the light, far brighter than the darkness of the tunnel- And a feeling overtook you as though the whole of the world were blotted away in darkness, as your vision was more and more consumed by the radiance-

You couldn’t look away.

“…My darling?” “-Pretty darling-” “Lovely-?” “Your eyes are so verrry pretty like this-” "Sparkling with such wonderful light-"

Your attention gradually shifted to the words it was trying to speak to you- The whispering cacophony of voices in your ear was curious, sounding like one single voice speaking over itself, over and over and over- Terribly difficult to focus on, but you could make out shapes of eyes and mouth-things opening and closing around the head of the creature, and- Across it’s body.

But now that you’d taken in it’s appearance, your thoughts were racing.

There really was a monster of Gear Station.

A beautiful creature, white and sparkling and dazzling and more beautiful than anything you’d ever seen- Everything about it soft and silky, strangely dazzling- It’s claws, it’s body, it’s wings, it’s voices- Smooth and soft and- More desirable than anything you’d ever seen or felt before.

And the monster seemed to be responding to your flirtations…? Calling you darling, pretty, lovely-

Oh sweet Sinnoh above, you thought- A monster. A real, living, breathing monster! And it seemed- It seemed to like you-?

You reached your free hand upwards, trying to touch it’s face. And the strange hollow eyes on it’s mask closed blearily as it leaned into your touch, a trickle of a silver fluid drooling out of it’s mouth as a large, silvery tongue flecked out to catch it- Splitting into several tendrils as they retreated into the darkness of it’s smiling maw. Your eyes strained as you looked up at it’s head, your vision blurring against the harsh light-

You were about to speak, and the monster was too-

When suddenly something shadowy emerged behind it, grabbing the creature forcefully and pulling it away with a sharp whine.

“No, no no no! Wait, come back!” You cried, bolting upright- The tunnel was impossibly dark as your eyes tried to readjust to the low, almost non-existent light of the annex hall- “I wasn’t being serious when I said that it’d be a shame, Please, come back!” You cried out into the darkness, reaching for your lamp- Had something taken the monster, or had it pulled itself away for some reason-? Either way, you were upset. It had been beautiful. It had been so gentle, aside from- Well, knocking you over. It's eagerness- Yeah, sure, that's what it was- Was adorable.

“Let me go, let me go- Brother-!” Kudari thrashed against the heavy, thick shadows binding him and blocking out his light- “Darling wanted me- How dare you! I was going to kiss them, touch them-! I want Darling!” Ingo looked up at his younger brother, a sad, pitiful look on his face. How innocent he could be sometimes. “Brother-” He bound his brother as he settled back into a more human form- Still adorned with horns and claws and extraneous limbs and wings, but his body and face were certainly that of Station Master Emmet’s- “Brother, stop thrashing-” “No! Let me go! Darling wanted me-!” “I said stop-” "No! Now let go!" And suddenly, there was a loud click- And the two were illuminated by the brilliant light of a rail lamp. Your rail lamp. Shining down on Subway Boss Ingo restraining the half-shifted form of Subway Boss Emmet, staring up at you in shock with several more eyes on his face than a human should have, wings and feathers retracting and halting.

Emmet’s mouth hung open in terror, ready to begin explaining away what was happening- Ingo looked at you nervously. You weren’t reacting-? When-

Click. You turned the lamp off.

Click. You turned it on again. Click. You turned it off. Again.

Emmet looked up at you. Standing there blankly in the annex tunnel, flicking your lamp on and off. He turned his gaze to his brother, who was staring at you as well- His mouth shut tightly, and his eyes clearly pained. What-

“Darn thing had to go out, of course-” You mumbled to yourself.

And you grabbed at the side of the tunnel with your unlit lamp, trying to feel your way along the side.

Emmet’s voice failed him- And he ceased all his struggles against his brother’s grip, even though Ingo was no longer holding him tightly. Both were staring at you, a terribly sick feeling sinking deep into their hearts. Emmet collapsed to the ground, the permanent smile on his face completely gone; Replaced with a terrible heartache

No. No. No no no no-! Not you, he didn’t-

A small, delicate light appeared in front of you- reflecting back the glassy haze over your eyes that would not- could not- focus on.

No. No. No. No. Not his darling- Not his precious, beloved, little darling-! Not again, not again- “He-Hello?” You nervously asked to the darkness- It was taking very long for your eyes to readjust, wasn’t it? There should’ve been lights in the annex tunnels for you to see anyway… But the sound of something sobbing distracted you.

“M-Mister monster?” You called out into the darkness- Was that what you were hearing-?

With Emmet barely two feet in front of you, a soft light emanating from him- Illuminating you, illuminating the tunnel, and the growing shadows beside him. Not that you could see him-

You’d been blinded. Completely and utterly blinded.

Emmet kicked off of the ground, away from his brother. Levitating. He held his mouth as he choked back sobs, trying not to be heard by you- “I- I’m so sorry-” He stuttered out, the voice of your beloved boss covered by the chorus that answered you instead- Before he turned and fled from your presence. He couldn’t bear it- He’d hurt you, he’d hurt you so horribly-

“Wait, no! Come back!” You cried after the monster- Why was it fleeing- It said it was sorry? For what?

Ingo stood next to you, watching you painfully. He couldn’t blame his brother, nor admonish him for his foolish actions; There was nothing to say, not now that you were like this. Ingo’s shadows licked at the edge of wall he stood next to- as they shifted, the wall beneath it crumbled, ceasing to exist.

You blindly stumbled ahead, trying to feel for anything familiar. Ingo moved away from you apprehensively.

It was terrible to watch you like this, yet he knew he could not leave you be. Emmet would not have left either, but- Ingo understood. He understood it painfully well. They loved the lie of pretending to be mortal. They loved the lie of being your bosses, of being human-

Hurting you was the last thing the demons wanted to do. It was one of the worst things they could think to do. You were lucky, this time, to have avoided the pain, the burning- And the madness. And seeing you like this- Your eyes glassed over, unseeing-

Was a painful, harsh reminder of the truth they so ardently hated. You were a mortal human, flesh and blood and made in the image of the Creator Deity of this realm- As humans were. As all mortal creatures were-

What were they?

Things.

Aberrations, not meant to exist- And yet-

Here they were.

Bound by strange laws, strange knowledge, and stranger powers, antithetical to the nature of creation, yet inseparable from it. They were poison to your being, no matter how much they desired otherwise- Even if you were the panacea to the pain of their empty, empty hearts.

“I am- terribly sorry for having to do this.”

You flinched and shouted at the deep, thunderous voice rumbling directly in front of you. It was not like the delicate voice you heard from the beautiful glowing monster, but equally as beautiful. Could- Could it be, you thought-?

“Who- Are you another monster?” You weakly asked, trembling- The fact you couldn’t see this one made you grow strangely terrified-

“...Yes.”

“A-Alright. What was that you just said a second ago?” You asked, reaching a hand out into the darkness- It was becoming strange. Why couldn’t you see the lights of the annex tunnel at least? Surely they hadn’t gone out when the monster appeared- “I’m sorry if I’m acting kind of strange, I- I uh, can’t see.”

“I know. The other one is sorry. I am too.”

“Wh… What?”

“It is our fault. I tried to pull him away. His light hurt you. We are sorry, little Darling.”

“You mean, I can’t see because of that monster?”

“...Yes.”

It’s words dripped with ache and sadness- The deep voice quivering as it answered softly, and achingly.

You felt a strange, smooth, shifting and liquidous thing- caressing the edge of your face, shaped like a human hand, almost-

“This will not hurt. I am sorry that this happened to you.”

“Wait, wait- What won’t-?”

But without another word, you felt something- squishy, smooth, cold- wrap around your face- Muffling your voice. You felt your eyes forced shut- And a feeling like you were falling, and then-

You opened your eyes to find yourself standing- Or rather, stumbling- In the Gear Station lobby.

“Good GODS ABOVE-”

You heard a familiar voice behind you half scream, and half-squeal. Wheeling around, who else could it have been but-

Depot Agent Cameron, collapsed into a heap on the floor of what he had known to be a completely deserted Gear Station lobby, only to suddenly see you behind him.

“Oh! Uh, Hello- Agent Cameron, Sir.” You cheerily answered, brushing yourself off- Somehow your outfit was back on you- Something the monster had done-?

“How-did-you-get-there-you-fucking-terrified-me-you-got-damn-”

As much as Cameron loved to scare others, he was terrible with frights himself- And it took a fair while to calm him down, especially with your own confusion- What excuse could you cook up for how you snuck up behind him in an entirely empty lobby, after hours at Gear Station?

“Well, you see… I was handling some uhh, extra… paperwork… the uh, Station Masters asked me to deal with- And uh, time just got away from me! I was trying to sneak out quietly, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Having calmed down, Cameron stared at you- Feeling a terrible smirk trying to creep it's way onto his face. While it was extremely tempting to mess with you- The Station Masters would probably be angry, or worse, your excuse probably had something to do with them, didn’t it…?

“And what are you two doing here so late?”

Oh no-

And from behind you, Station Master Ingo walked up rather briskly- His heavy coat swishing behind him, heels clicking against the elegant marble flooring of the station-

Cameron saluted quickly. “Station Master, Sir! I was just- finishing the cleaning that had to be taken care of tonight, and they were just about to head out, Sir!”

You looked up at your boss nervously. You didn’t actually have a reason to be here this late, and Ingo would know that.

“Agent…” He began- That awful growl in his voice, reminding you of that monster- You were in for it now, weren’t you? Prowling around Gear Station was something both Ingo and Emmet despised, no matter who was doing it. They were almost always calm, but- When dealing with hooligans or delinquents or journalists or any other nosy people poking about where they were not wanted- Trying to break into the access vents or tunnels or wandering the Employees-only areas of Gear Station…

They became terrifyingly angry. Dragging people out by the scruff of their necks and chucking them across the Gear Station lobby like dolls, and then banning them from the Unovan Transit Lines entirely… You would shudder at the memories if you thought of them, and you were trying not to. How would Ingo react to you having been wandering around the station so late at night…? You were a Depot Agent, and you were in the lobby… Hopefully they hadn’t noticed anything… Strange…?

The Station Master looked you up and down, before grabbing your cap, adjusting it on your head. “It’s rather late, Agent. Be safe heading home.” He added quickly, turning away. “Continue your work, Agent Cameron- If you’re not done by midnight, you’ll be cleaning the entirety of the lobby during your morning shift, is that understood?”

“A-Absolutely, Boss!” He grabbed at the mop he was holding as your boss walked away- Sighing heavily. You turned your attention back to your unfortunate coworker. What exactly was he cleaning up? Some weird black stain of something. Whatever it was, it looked foul, though it didn’t seem to smell like anything…?

“You weren’t here when it was stinking to high heaven. I’ve been scrubbing for the past hour.” Cameron bemoaned. Judging by the way he was cracking his back, he wasn’t lying, either.

“Where’s everyone else then? Shouldn’t you have someone to help you?”

Cameron propped himself up on the mop, leaning over sheepishly. “I… may or may not be responsible for this uh, mess.”

You blinked in realization. “Oh… Wait, don’t you have a Muk?”

“Skunktank, actually- But yes. Foul stuff.”

“Ah. Well- Would you like some help?” You offered, coming closer-

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” He screamed- Suddenly blocking your approach to the mess on the floor. “Er- You’re done your shift, aren’t you? You should get some rest! Head home! Relax! I’m good. Besides, Jackie will be annoyed if I make you do my work, haha- I’m almost done, anyway!”

Poor Cameron, in actuality, was not dealing with a Skunktank’s mess on the floor, but rather the remains of some lower worm that had crawled through a tear in the tunnels. It was his fault it’d managed to crawl through- And he was quite lucky to have his punishment only be cleaning up the physical remains it had left in the lobby after Lord Nobori had been nice enough to snap his fingers and cause the creature to explode, unfortunately all over the pretty marble flooring of the lobby. He absolutely could not allow you to come in contact with this thing. He was technically not a human- But you were. He did not need you to get any of this foul goop on you and explain to his Oh-so-very noble lords why you would be writhing in agony and turning into soup on the floor. Absolutely not.

Well, you thought- If he was so insistent, then nothing was to be done. You bid him good night, and headed out.

But the moment you stepped out of Gear Station, into the quiet cool of the night-

Why had you been at Gear Station so late? You wondered.

You- You’d been wandering the tunnels, looking for something…

But what?

Whatever it’d been was gone from your mind, and you couldn’t recollect it.

You were still walking back to your apartment- Gently rubbing your head with increasing frequency. Why did you have such an awful headache? It was truly terrible- The street lights above you hummed- The harsh glare that radiated from the overhead lamps certainly didn’t help your headache. You shook your head again, stepping into the dimmed lights of the halls of your apartment complex.

And a masked figure watched you enter- From far away, of course- His clawed hands dug curiously into the side of the stone building he was resting against, hollow eyes watching you enter into your abode.

There was no longer a mouth upon his mask- And a curious fluid- dark yet light yet red yet silver- dripped from the blackened eye-holes through which no eyes could be seen.

Nobori fixed you. At least, Nobori fixed you-

He tried to sooth himself- You were safe. You were safe. Healed.

From the injuries he gave you.

The thing moved silently across the street, drifting from light to light- It’s body hidden under shifting silken silver robes, and it’s light obscured by a curious hat- Following you. The door to your apartment complex swung open, and you hurried in- The air felt particularly strange tonight, though perhaps it was merely the lateness of the hour. The time of ghost pokemon, the time of hauntings- You caught yourself turning your head behind you more than once.

Nothing was there- So it seemed.

It was strange, certainly. The sense you had. Perhaps some ghost pokemon lurking around? Perhaps. And you shuffled into your apartment- Flicking on the lamps that seemed to be… brighter, somehow- Perhaps your headache-?

A quick shower had you feeling far too exhausted to stay up much later, and you made your way to your bed, cuddling into the soft comforting plushness of your pillow. Perhaps it was how exhausted you were- But it felt nicer than normal- Listening to the gentle sounds of the Nimbasan streets and the soft, almost musical hum of your apartment’s A/C-

And before you knew it, you were asleep.

The thing sat above you, looking down as you rested against it’s tail. The adorable way your hands gripped it, snuggling your face into it’s fur- What could be called an arm reached out from the ephemeral edges of the creature, gently trailing against your shoulders and neck. Kudari brushed your hair back, humming to himself gently. Partly to soothe you into sleeping, and partly to soothe his own, new-found nerves.

You were alright, weren’t you? You didn’t recall anything. If anything at all, it would be a bad dream.

“Dearest love,” He murmured. His voices whispered and stuttered, falling short- Speaking words and uttering sounds meaningless to you- Continuing to caress you gently. The feathers trailed against your skin, clinging to you as sunk into the fluff covering his body.

You were so very precious to them.

“I love you.” It whispered.

“Mm, you too…”

The creature’s feathers stood on end at your quiet mumbling.

“What did you say?”

But you did not respond again, instead only murmuring in your sleep and tossing- You wouldn’t wake up, of course- And you didn’t, though you clutched it’s tail harder with every movement you made, sinking into the fluff-

You really were so very precious to them. And the creature curled itself around you and your bed like some horrifying guardian angel, claws and mouths pecking at you like a fretful mother-pidove, softly singing and softly humming with it’s horrible, otherworldly light- Kudari’s own feathers fluffed up around him, giving him a poofy mane as he settled into the sound of his own voice singing so sweetly for you- The bleary eye holes on it’s face narrowed- blinking, but never closing- Always keeping it’s eyes on you.

Sleep was such a precious, vulnerable thing- Emmet did not understand it in the sense humans engaged in it, but- Curled around you, listening to your gentle breaths- The innocent, adorable way you clung to him in your sleep- There was something about such an act that shook him with a growing, rabid curiosity- An obsession- that could not be satiated.

“I am sorry, little Darling. Sleep well.”

And then-

[Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.]

You awoke with a start, hearing the familiar buzzing of your XTransceiver lying on your bedside table, and the sounds of traffic from the streets below. Sunlight poured into your apartment from a small window, casting rays from the gaps in the shutters on your floor. Just how late had you slept-

And oddly-

What had happened last night? You couldn’t recall. You’d searched for the supposed monster of Gear Station- And-

You’d… just… left, right?

You scratched your head. It felt oddly like more had happened- But you couldn’t recall anything. It felt like- No, it didn’t feel like anything, you argued back at yourself.

Like a dream you couldn’t recall- But knew that you had had.

You quickly got up, showered, and readied for the day. The green uniform of Gear Station suited you well, fitting perfectly and flattering your figure excellently, while being more than comfortable- Shoes went on, a quick, tasty breakfast scarfed down eagerly, and you were out the door as the morning sun continued to rise. Luckily your shift today started later than normal. The only thing you could think to complain about, sometimes, was how early you sometimes got up to work. It could be bothersome, getting ready at 6 in the morning and stumbling up out the door at 7, though Gear Station was open 24/7. The trains ran endlessly, constantly, consistently, and efficiently, and you were certain the Night workers were more tired than you could ever hope to be- And certainly Agent Jackie, or Ramses, or Cloud- It was rare you didn’t see them at Gear Station, even when you worked overtime, or especially the Station Masters themselves-

“Hey! Watch it!”

Your attention was returned to the angry driver honking at you in irritation as you crossed the street rapidly.

“I have the right of way, dumbass.” You muttered under your breath as you sprinted across the road. The driver made a sharp turn, speeding away. Traffic wasn’t usually so heavy in the morning, you thought, scanning the cars rolling down the street-

You squinted as you rounded the corner to Gear Station again. The harsh, intense sunlight, reflecting even brighter off of a brand new street sign put up- “Dearest Darling-” “So very, wonderfully, beautiful.”

You stumbled, suddenly reeling. The sunlight reminding you of the harsh, strange, bizarre-

Light.

The light of the thing-

It’s eerie, mask-like face, the strange halo of light, shifting in and out of your mind like a dream- Like the pavement before you now as your vision went out of focus.

Your mouth went dry as you fell against the side of the building you were next to.

How had you forgotten? How could you have forgotten-? That creature- The gentle way it spoke to you, the feeling of it’s claws along your skin, it’s fluffy, furry, feathery wings…

The strange, eerie grin upon it’s bizarre, hollow-eyed face. The wings wrapping around the edges of it’s grin-

You swallowed hard, heartbeat thudding in your chest. This thing was running around the tunnels of Gear Station-

“Good morning, Miss!”

Your thoughts were interrupted by Agent Jackie calling out to you. He waved, and you returned the gesture as well as you could.

“G-Good morning, Jackie. I-I need to clock in.”

“Of course, of course." He waved, not noticing your frazzled state it seemed- "Once you do, could you please deliver the electrical cabling that was dropped off at the Anville platform to platform C? Ramses will be there, you’ll be working with him and Joshua on replacing some wiring that’s worn away. Joltiks love chewing on them a little too much it seems.” Jackie seemed far too busy to notice, thank goodness, your rather frazzled state.

“Very- Very well, of course.”

Agent Jackie laughed lightly at his own remark, waving as you walked off- Your hand shaking nervously as you ran your card through the scanner and rushed over to the Anville platform, running into several passengers- More than once out of the corner of your eye, you saw things in the lights- Eyes or shadows or things reaching out at you, you swore-

But nothing was there.

Calm down, you told yourself. Calm down.

The load of wiring was heavy, and huge- Having been dropped off at a loading dock used by the Anville line trains to transport construction goods between the train stations. At the very least, it was already loaded onto the trolley- You just needed to haul it.

The loading dock itself was a much different part of Gear Station. Out of sight of civilian eyes, and along the maintenance tunnels.

It was strangely terrifying, now. You knew now, that the rumor of a monster in Gear Station were no longer a mere rumor.

It was true.

“Pretty Darling.”

You blushed as you recollected it’s words. The sweet, sonorous voice it possessed- Calling you darling. And- Had it heard all of what you’d said? It certainly seemed like it. The memories were still foggy as you pushed the cart into the maintenance tunnels- Heading straight for Platform C.

“Mister… Mister Monster?” You called out into the dark, rather nervously.

Why had you lost your memories anyway, you wondered? Was it- Was it the monster? Something told you that yes, yes it was- But the white thing had left-

And shadows had taken it away.

You pushed the cart, a headache beginning to form as you recalled even more. The thing in the shadows- Teleporting you out of the tunnels-

And it took your memories.

It was sorry it had done so.

The wiring was heavy, and huge- Having been dropped off at a loading dock used by the Anville line trains to transport construction goods between the train stations. At the very least, it was already loaded onto the trolley- You just needed to haul it.

The loading dock itself was a much different part of Gear Station. Out of sight of civilian eyes, and along the maintenance tunnels-

It was strangely terrifying, now. The mere rumors of a monster in Gear Station were no longer rumors.

It was true.

“Pretty Darling.”

You blushed as you recollected it’s words. The sweet, sonorous voice it possessed- Calling you darling. And- Had it heard all of what you’d said? It certainly seemed like it. The memories were still foggy as you pushed the cart into the maintenance tunnels- Heading straight for Platform C.

“Mister… Mister Monster?” You called out into the dark, rather nervously.

Why had you lost your memories anyway, you wondered? Was it- Was it the monster? Something told you that yes, yes it was- But the white thing had left-

And shadows had taken it away.

You pushed the cart, a headache beginning to form as you recalled even more. The thing in the shadows- Teleporting you out of the tunnels-

And it took your memories.

It was sorry it had done so.

The wiring was heavy, and huge- Having been dropped off at a loading dock used by the Anville line trains to transport construction goods between the train stations. At the very least, it was already loaded onto the trolley- You just needed to haul it.

The loading dock itself was a much different part of Gear Station. Out of sight of civilian eyes, and along the maintenance tunnels-

It was strangely terrifying, now. The mere rumors of a monster in Gear Station were no longer rumors.

It was true.

“Pretty Darling.”

You blushed as you recollected it’s words. The sweet, sonorous voice it possessed- Calling you darling. And- Had it heard all of what you’d said? It certainly seemed like it. The memories were still foggy as you pushed the cart into the maintenance tunnels- Heading straight for Platform C.

“Mister… Mister Monster?” You called out into the dark, rather nervously.

Why had you lost your memories anyway, you wondered? Was it- Was it the monster? Something told you that yes, yes it was- But the white thing had left-

And shadows had taken it away.

You pushed the cart, a headache beginning to form as you recalled even more. The thing in the shadows- Teleporting you out of the tunnels-

And it took your memories.

It was sorry it had done so.

You pushed onward, slowing down a little.

Two monsters. Two monsters within the tunnels of the station- And for what purpose? They didn’t seem to be… bad, so to speak, but-

Surely the Station Masters wouldn’t be happy about this. Teleporting monsters that could take away people’s memories- That sounded like a safety hazard for certain.

But you also weren’t supposed to have been in the tunnels that late at night. You’d gone in at Cameron’s dare, essentially- Very immature of you, yes, but-

“My pretty, lovely, darling.”

Again it’s voice echoed in your head, making your ears ring and your heart thud. And you could’ve hugged Cameron for urging you to "test" your courage.

That beautiful, beautiful, creature.

It was so, incredibly beautiful-

Painfully so.

“Mister- Mister Monster!” You called out again, louder-

No response. Perhaps it only came out at night, you wondered? And the other one-

The one with the deep, dark voice-

Perhaps it as well, you wondered. You pushed the cart onward.

“Ah, there you are!”

You approached the landing dock for platform C, greeted by Agent Joshua as he ran over to assist. You hadn’t realized how heavy the cart had been until he pushed it away with ease, and you stretched your arms- Causing your shoulders to pop.

“Thanks for bringing this down, Miss. Sorry no one was available to help with this,” He heaved as he moved to pull the cart into position alongside the electrical paneling- “But there was a damaged rail down one of the Castelia lines and most everyone’s dealing with that, and then there’s been an issue with several of the engine carts and they’ve been dragged out to Anville…”

Joshua rambled on, and you nodded, not paying much attention- The lamp light of Ramses’ lamp reminding you of the night prior, and the dim light of the tunnel in the corner of your eyes moving around and making you almost jump with a strange mix of fear and hope every time you tried to focus on it-

“I-Is everything alright, Miss-?” Joshua asked, after watching your head snap several times into the darkness- Unusual for you, he noted. You kept your attention towards wherever there was movement, people, normally, right? Like most humans-

“Everything is fine, I just- I keep thinking I see things in the dark, is all.”

“Oh, there’s nothing there. ‘Cept maybe some little pokemon, but they won’t bother us. And even if they do, me and Magnezone will take care of ‘em, of course!”

Joshua patted his pokeballs at his side confidently. You smiled at his reassurance- But perhaps…

You wondered.

“…But what about mons-” You began- Only for Ramses to interrupt you with a loud pop sound and a flash of light.

“Fucking hell-” Ramses swore, as a spark flew out of a wire he was clutching-

“Are you alright, Sir?” Joshua asked, bending down to his senior officer. “I’m fine, I’m fine," He retorted. "Hand me a C-type wire, please- Actually, you can do the soldering this time-” Ramses ordered, gesturing towards you.

“Me? Of course, Sir. Here-” You moved to the pile of cables and pulled down one of the smallest- Meant for one of the more delicate controller boards- And you leaned down, hair tied neatly back, with heavy gloves on as Ramses directed you. Soldering was a task for the delicate wire work only- The larger cables would simply be replaced in their entirety, and the chewed through cable would be recycled.

And after an hour or two, it was done. The panel was sealed up again, a switch was thrown, and a distant thunk of whirring power was suddenly heard as lights, fans, and display boards for the Anville line came to life.

“Well, that’s dealt with- Here, I wrote this up for you, since the bosses’ll want a record of this for later.” Joshua gestured to a clipboard holding the details of the completed work order. “Thanks,” you replied, taking the board. “You can bring that to the archive actually, I think.”

“The archive?” You asked, quizzically. Archive?

“Oh, where we store… basically anything and everything relating to Gear Station, to be completely honest. Work order records go there, along with schematics, blueprints, news, employee records, pokemon records, all sorts of things.” Joshua answered. "You'll find it easily!"

“No," Ramses interjected gruffly, turning his attention back to you. "You’ll be bringing it to the bosses. I don’t even know if your keycard’ll let you in to the Archive, and uh, the Archivist is not nice about lettin’ just anyone dressed in a uniform in,” Ramses grunted as he grabbed the trolley, handing you a pile of papers. “Bring those up to the bosses as well. Joshua, get to your station on the Singles Train. It’s departing in… 13 minutes. Go. You. Go collect any other work orders and either finish ‘em up or drop ‘em off at the Bosses’ station.”

“Will do, Sir!” And you marched off with the papers in tow- There was a central station where the agents accumulated such orders, and it was the work of junior agents like yourself to make sure they were correct and fully filled out before they ended up on the Bosses’ desks to either approve them to be carried out or to file them away in the Archive- Apparently.

Finally armed with a formidable, tightly bound stack of papers, you made your way towards the office of your bosses- Down the hall that seemed to stretch on forever, around several twists and turns-

Always it grew strangely silent, you noticed. The space around their office was quiet and curious- A sort of empty, almost liminal feeling around this section of Gear Station. Nothing but the quiet hum of the electric lights, in a space with no windows- It felt like another turn and you’d be standing in another world, or as though time was all messed up- Not stopped, but like one could round the corner at morning and find themselves peering into the night sky two seconds later. A heavy scent of something soothing yet spicy filled the air, like scented candles- Or fine incense- twisting around the warren of halls and doors like a great labyrinth. But you’d walked this path so frequently you knew perfectly well where to go. Sometimes there were other doors- Though you’d never had reason to go in them. Some were locked, some lead to meeting rooms- Clean, empty spaces that looked like the most picture perfect business spaces you’d ever seen. The sort of sterile look that spaces in stock imagery had, you thought. A dull, boring cleanliness- That looked more for show then anything else. But then again, you mused- The Station Masters probably just didn’t make much use of them.

“Station Masters? Sir?” You asked, approaching and gently tapping at the door to the shared office of the Subway Bosses. Silence followed, as you listened intently for a sound from the other side. “Come in,” was the muffled reply- But the deepness in the voice, and the loud, clear tone made it clear who it was.

“Hello, Ingo Sir.” You greeted as you walked in. You smiled politely at your boss, who leaned back stood up to take the papers from you. “Hello, Miss. Thank you for bringing these in. I trust they’re all in order?” You nodded. “Of course.”

“Bravo. Thank you.” His eyes scanned the top document, and he nodded approvingly, though his face, to any outsider, would have looked decidedly discontent with whatever he was scrutinizing. “I trust you rested well?” He asked, setting aside the stack as he leafed through it.

“I’m sorry?” You asked.

“You left Gear Station awfully late last night- I was merely asking, did you get enough rest last night?”

“Oh! Of course, I’m doing great, Sir.” You smiled sheepishly. Ingo could be so thoughtful, it was one of the things about your boss that made him so cute.

But what was cuter was that monster-

You swallowed hard, thinking back to it- A little guiltily now. Your bosses were handsome- And human, which probably made them at least better targets for your crushes as opposed to whatever hulking monstrosity was skulking around the Nimbasa Subway-

Or maybe- Maybe the bosses would know something about it-?

“Well, if you would like, I do have coffee here, if you would like some.” Ingo offered. “I heard you were working with Ramses and… Joshua, on fixing the paneling at the Undella... C station? It’s almost lunchtime as well. You can take a little longer of a break.”

“Thank you, Sir- I’d love some.” You agreed. Perhaps, it would be an opportunity to ask-

Ingo almost looked surprise. It was unusual for you to accept his perpetual offers to try to keep you in his presence even a second longer- And he hastily turned his back, grabbing one of the mugs from the small, almost unnoticeable kitchenette the twins kept in their office.

“There you are,” He offered a few moments later, handing you the mug. “Thank you, -Ow!”

A small droplet of the coffee splashed onto your hand, steaming and stinging your skin, but not quite burning. “Are you alright?!” Ingo rushed, grabbing at your hand. His eyes were wide with shock. “I- I am so sorry, Dear-”

And the voice of the creature rung in your head. The voice of the one you did not see-

But heard.

But what had it sounded like, exactly-?

You couldn’t remember.

“It-It’s alright, Sir! It’s my fault it splashed, I’ll just let it cool a minute.” You offered, setting it down on his desk as you took the chair opposite him. Your boss eyed your hand with terrible worry as he took his own seat, sighing and sinking into the soft back. “Ah, see? It doesn’t even hurt anymore!” You smiled, looking at your hand. The red spot where the burn was forming had vanished, and there was nothing there now that it had cooled off. A faint smile appeared on the face of Ingo. “That is good. I hope you enjoy it. Please, let it cool a minute.”

“You look like you could use some coffee yourself, Sir.” And you really meant it; Ingo’s eyes had dark shadows under them, and the way his coat scrunched up around him as he sunk into his chair made him look unusually haggard. “You were up just as late as I was, weren’t you?”

“…Yes, I suppose I was. I am holding steady for now, Miss. Though I do… appreciate your concern.” He drawled, tilting his head as he snatched up a piece of paper laying on his desk, setting it aside on another table. “Idiot tabloids,” He muttered. “’Was the reason myself and Emmet had to stay late.”

“Tabloids?” You asked, curious.

“Annoying reporters who want to traipse around the subway tunnels with no regard for safety protocols, and cause me and Emmet a mountain load of paperwork and headaches,” Ingo explained. “Looking for things that don’t exist to fill some useless space in their useless magazine, trying to pry into matters that don’t concern them.”

“-Like the rumored… strange pokemon?” You offered cautiously.

Ingo turned his attention back to you. Sharp, silver eyes glowered out at you from behind the shield of his hat, and you shifted uncomfortably- There was always something about them- The Twins- Maybe it was the fact Ingo was your boss? Maybe it was the fact he was so much bigger than you were- His coat made him seem huge, his hat added several inches onto his already towering height- Maybe it was the stillness and the silence of the room. Maybe it was the fact that looking at him or his brother made your heart flutter-

“What strange pokemon?” He finally asked, his gaze drifting down to another document he’d picked up.

“Er- Oh, I’ve heard a bit of a rumor, you see, Sir, about there being a… strange pokemon- Some people are calling it a monster- That’s…uh, that might be in the tunnels.”

“That’s merely a rumor, of course.”

You persisted. “But- Are you sure, Sir?”

It was a fine line to be toeing. Or, at least, that’s what it felt like. The bosses were so- Always, always so inscrutable. They seemed to genuinely care for their employees- They even seem to genuinely care for me, you thought.

But always there seemed to be a wall. You poked and prodded it on occasion- But never did it seem to go anywhere. Always they backed off, or you did- A feeling like some great secret, a veil between you and all the others, that you just couldn’t get through- But you could see hints and movements of things you wanted to know about, but-

The veil, as thin as it was, was still a wall.

Between you and Gear Station. Between you and the two men who had taken your heart so easily, with their charming mannerisms and dispositions, sweeping you off your feet the way they swept through the teams of opposing challengers-

Your face fell. They would never, probably, never- Ever, return your silly interests. What would Ingo say, you wondered for a moment, if he knew what you were thinking? It made your stomach churn with a pain far worse than any coffee burn could ever compare to- It was wholly inappropriate to be thinking of your bosses in such a manner- And both of them, at that. Right?

“…Have you had any experiences with this so-called strange pokemon?”

You looked up. Ingo had set aside the next paper he’d been studying, and he was sitting up straight. The shadows under his eyes were gone, but he looked on as dully as his intense eyes would let him. His frown tightened.

“N-No,” You began, hesitating again. “I’ve only heard rumors- I heard someone talking about it, and I was just… concerned a little bit.” You tugged at the brim of your hat, adjusting it and brushing past the feather-

Your hat.

You pulled it off your head suddenly, looking at it intently.

The feather.

“…That’s it.” You mumbled.

“What is it?” You looked back to your boss, who was looking at you from under the brim of his hat, cautiously curious.

“Do you think- Do you think, Sir, this feather- Might be from the strange pokemon?”

Ingo eyed it, gingerly taking your cap from you. From a strange pokemon, indeed.

“…That could very well be a possibility,” Ingo agreed. “But- This talk, if there is a strange pokemon or anything wandering the tunnels- Do not go looking for it.”

“Is there any reason not to?”

Ingo nodded, standing up and walking over to your side. He gently brushed your cap, straightening it and smoothing the top. “Of course. We do not know how powerful this strange pokemon might be, or what it can do. It would be better to exercise caution in that case, Miss.”

“…Of course, Sir.” Your stomach growled, reminding you of the hour. “I think I’ll be taking my lunch break now, so I’ll see you later?” You smiled, gently taking your cap back- You adjusted it on your brow, saluting as you stepped towards the door. “See you!” And you waved, ignoring the stuttered remark of your boss-

“…I was going to offer to accompany you…” Ingo muttered, before settling back into his desk chair- But that was unimportant.

What was important was what you’d just said.

You remembered? Even if it was faintly, you were recalling bits and pieces even after he, Nobori, had taken away your memories?

You really were their soulmate. Ingo’s breathing ceased, and his shadows gathered around his feet. It was going to be problematic, at the very least- What if you recalled anything else? He’d been avoiding influencing you- But what if you recalled what had happened when you allowed them into this realm-

That would be dangerous. What if you recalled anything about last night, about previous events-? He would need to watch you closely- Extra closely.

Bzzt.

His wrist watch- The cross-whatever it was called? Tranceiver. The watch phone thing. Buzzed. Agent Jackie.

[Has anyone seen Master Emmet?]

Buzz. Another reply. Agent Sam.

[He will be disembarking from the Doubles Train within the next ten minutes, when the Entralink roundabout returns to Nimbasa.]

[Understood. Good to hear.]

Ingo sighed. The moment “work” had started for the day, Emmet threw himself onto the Doubles Train- This would be the ninth trip he’d made today? He was running rather recklessly, Ingo worried. His dear younger brother. It had hurt him so to have brought you pain- It hurt Ingo too. And to cause it again? The older brother sunk into the darkness of his chair, drumming his fingers against the arm and over the desk.

Would it be so bad to make you forget again?

[lildudie18]

🐞 lesbians 🐞

🐞 long rant if you wanna read 👇 🐞

🐞 Just to be clear 🐞

1) orihime x ulquiorra

2) orihime x ishida

3) orihime x rukia

4) orihime x chad

5) orihime x tatsuki

99999999999) orihime x ichigo

🐞 see how low that is? yes it is bc she had better chemistry with all of the above than she could ever have had with ichigo. wanting to kiss him in his sleep my ass. how is in every life I'd love the same dude romantic. MARINETTE never gave me half the second hand embarrassment orihime did but to be fair she did want to kiss Adriens statue which was hard to watch but at least it lasted less 🙏🐞

🐞 don't get me wrong I like orihime (to an extend) I mean she was interesting when her brother trauma shit was unfolded but then she just Idk became somewhat boring afterwards like she's not by any means useless, but she's HELPLESS most of the goddamn time bro even Aizen recognized the fire dope ass power she got but like she never really utilized it well until like idk the END OF THE SERIES?? oh n let's not talk ab how shes basically fanservice now lmao 🐞

🐞 imo ichigo didn't deserve either rukia or orihime lmaooooooo THEY ARE FOR THE GIRLIES 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥💯💯 he should've gone with Tatsuki (or jus be gay w grimmjow 🙏) if you may like I'm a sucker for childhood friends (do I even need to elaborate) but these didn't even talk other than for like 5 eps so I was kinda bummed but we aight 🐞

🐞 bleach is cool n all but I fr hated that 2/3 of the series were spent saving rukia n then orihime ain't that spectacular! but fire series either way I mean I totally get mfs hatred over ichihime endgame but me personally? I don't fucking care LMAOAOAO ichihimes n ichirikas constantly fighting?? who said married characters with kids can't be shipped with other people?? ever heard of the jojo fandom?? ahahahaaaa 🐞

🐞 tho like kubo said or according to those translated stuff I saw ichihime mfs pull up all the time this is how his series is n if you don't like it make a better one so yeah I'm not mad I'm just Idk disappointed a bit like so many things other than ships feel wasted like ichigos numerous powerups n forms bro I miss them the fact that the dope ass outfits didn't last!! it's exactly like jojos all over again!! 😔😔😔 🐞

🐞 anyways if you read that far comment with a strawberry. see yall 🐞

[diorkyeom]

‘✷’ : CHAPTER SIX “to be your own person”

<< prev chapter | ao3 fic | next chapter >>

chapter word count: 5.6k+

chapter warnings: none

summary: "lately, seokmin had come to a realisation. joshua hong, he thought, was a little bit of an enigma." - in which seokmin has known joshua for years, but he's always been a bit of a mystery to him. and as the days go by, he finds himself wanting to know who the real Joshua Hong is under his polite smile and warm eyes and sweet words.

notes: aight gays im gonna be real i have no idea how this is gonna progress and any time i made u think i knew what was going on, i was basically lying to you bc i have no idea lmao

“Soonyoung hyung, I think I left my keys at Jeonghan hyung’s,” was the first thing Seokmin said as Soonyoung groggily emerged from his room the next morning.

“Good for you,” the elder croaked, rubbing at his half-closed eyes, before walking past Seokmin and into the kitchen.

Seokmin trailed after him. “I need to go over there and pick them up.”

Soonyoung just grunted, opening the fridge and squinting into its depths. “Okay. Have fun.”

There was a brief pause, as Seokmin watched his roommate squint at the fridge a little longer before pulling out a container of cold chicken and walking to the table, letting the refrigerator door swing shut. 

“You’re coming with me, you know," he said. "Come on, hyung.”

“Hm.” Soonyoung looked up from the chicken, eyes still puffy with sleep, yet still managing to direct a mildly accusing stare at Seokmin. “Why am I getting a sense of deja vu?”

Seokmin just grinned as innocently as he could. Unlike most Saturdays after coming back from Game Night, his head was curiously clear. He supposed it was one of the upsides of not drinking as much. Soonyoung, however, was as thoroughly out of it as usual, and probably wasn't fit to leave the house for another four hours. But when Seokmin had come home last night, discovered his house keys were not in his back pocket as they usually were and had had to fish Soonyoung’s keys from somewhere off of his drunk body to open the door, he'd come to the conclusion he’d left them over at Jeonghan’s. He hadn't had the energy last night to go all the way back and pick them up, though, so Seokmin had made the decision to go fetch them the day after.

Not by himself, of course. He had to bring his lovely friend Soonyoung with him too.

“I’m not coming,” Soonyoung said, looking down at the chicken and then over at their stove, and then down at the chicken again before promptly beginning to eat the cold meat with his hands, evidently deciding it was too much effort to heat it up. “Go get your keys yourself.”

“Hyung! Come on. You’re coming with me.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No, Seokmin, I’m not, and you cannot force me t—”

An hour later, Soonyoung stomped up the path to Jeonghan and Joshua’s front door, arms folded. Seokmin waited further along the steps, grinning widely as Soonyoung frowned and pouted and muttered annoyances under his breath.

“I can’t believe you dragged me out of the house to watch you get your keys,” he grumbled. “My head is still pounding.”

“Nonsense,” Seokmin replied cheerfully. “If it was, and if it was really that bad, then you would’ve put up more of a fight. You basically walked out of the front door hand-in-hand with me.”

He knocked on the door, and beamed wider as Soonyoung glared.

“I’m pretty sure I protested the entire time.”

Seokmin shrugged, as if Soonyoung protesting was a given. “But you walked out by yourself! I didn’t have to drag you kicking and screaming from the house.” He turned back to the door, knocking more insistently. “Why are they not answering? Hello, there are people outside your house!”

Soonyoung winced as Seokmin continued to hammer at the door. “Maybe Jeonghan’s asleep. I mean, he did spend a long time towards the end of the night doing, like, a million cartwheels.”

“Yeah, but he has my keys,” Seokmin whined. “I don’t even know how I left them there. And I want them back— Ah!”

The door suddenly swung open and Seokmin’s hand went sailing through mid-knock. By a sudden, miraculous bout of reflexes, Jeonghan managed to duck the fist, and then stared at him amusedly. “Well, good morning to you too.” His eyes were twinkling, and he looked far too awake for someone who had spent a good majority of the early hours of that morning doing drunken cartwheels around his own home. “What do you want?”

“What, can’t we just come over because we missed our lovely Jeonghan hyung?” Seokmin asked teasingly, as Jeonghan opened the door wider to let the two of them in.

Jeonghan laughed, walking further inside, picking his way through the mess. “You missed me?”

Seokmin nodded his head vigorously as he took off his shoes, before following Jeonghan while Soonyoung stayed in the doorway, cursing at his shoes which refused to be untied. “Of course! We’d only ever come here because we miss you dearly, you know?”

A head popped into view from the stairs as Jeonghan led them to the living room, and Seokmin narrowly managed to avoid bashing his forehead against a person’s chin. 

“Han?” the head asked. “Who’s here?” 

And then the head froze, making eye contact with Seokmin.

Seokmin blinked up at Joshua, who blinked back, startled. His hair was all messed up, eyes still a little heavy with sleep, and there were pillow marks on one side of his face.

Neither of them said anything, and there was silence save for Soonyoung’s continued curses at the front door. Jeonghan grinned at them from the living room doorway, cheeks pulled up, looking like he’d planned this encounter, but of course he didn’t, because no one could plan this, right?

Right?

“You only missed me, hm?” Jeonghan said, and his eyes were still twinkling. “Only me, Seokmin?”

Seokmin laughed. Nervously. With the distinct feeling that he was walking right into a trap. “Haha, not just you, of course. I missed our Joshua hyung as well!”

Someone made a squeaking noise, but when Seokmin turned to look at Joshua again, he was walking down the stairs, shaking his head, running a hand through his fluffed-up hair in an attempt to calm it down.

“Stop messing with him, Jeonghan,” Joshua said, sighing. His tone was long-suffering, annoyed, and yet with a smile to his voice that made Seokmin smile a little too. “He’s here for something. Let him get what he came here for instead of extorting words of affirmation from him.”

Jeonghan laughed. Soonyoung was still in the doorway. Joshua was rubbing his cheeks, glaring at his housemate, and Seokmin felt like he was missing something.

“What if I’m extorting them for you, hm?” Jeonghan grinned, before waving his hand, turning back to Seokmin. “Okay, okay. You’re here for your keys, aren’t you?”

Seokmin blinked. “How did you know?”

Jeonghan grinned, impossibly wider, and Seokmin was a chronic smiler himself but this looked like it was most definitely bordering on uncomfortable. He turned to Joshua, impish. 

Joshua stared at Jeonghan, in disbelief, looking more and more awake with every passing second. 

“I’ll go get them,” he said, after a long, long moment. “They’re upstairs in my room.” And with that, he turned on his heel and disappeared back up the stairs.

At that moment, Soonyoung seemed to materialise at Seokmin’s shoulder. “Alright, have you found your keys? Can we go now?”

Seokmin didn’t even register what he’d said. “Hyung,” he said to Jeonghan, “why are my keys in Joshua hyung’s room?”

Jeonghan pouted. “He messed it up. Joshuji wasn’t meant to get them himself.”

“What?”

“Never mind.” Jeonghan waved a hand. “How are both of you doing, by the way? I don’t think I saw you drink a lot last night, Seokmin.”

“He didn’t,” Soonyoung said. “But I did. And my head hurts. Once we get Seokmin’s keys, we’re gonna go.”

“Go?” Jeonghan repeated. “Goodness, no, don’t go! We still have all this mess to clean up. You’re going to help, you know.” He gestured all around him, at the house which looked more like a dumping ground than a property in a suburban area. “I can’t do this by myself.”

At that moment, Joshua descended the stairs, Seokmin’s keys clattering in his hands. Seokmin’s eyes lit up as the elder handed him his keys, face breaking out into a grateful beam. 

“Oh, hyung, thank you so much!”

Joshua looked up from their hands to blink at Seokmin, before he smiled, all melty soft and gently golden. The gold was unfamiliar, but not extremely so: like Seokmin had seen it perhaps once before. All open and glowing and light. But… where?

“No worries. Jeonghan gave them to me, saying you’d dropped them somewhere in the house,” Joshua was saying. He shrugged. “Knowing Han, he probably just stole it from you while drunk.”

“Joshua!” Jeonghan looked scandalised. “Why would you expose my secrets like that?”

Seokmin blinked, and then laughed, slapping Jeonghan on the shoulder. “You’re so mean, hyung! I can’t believe you’d do something like that!”

Jeonghan joined in with his fake laughs, slapping Seokmin in reciprocation. “It’s just part of my charm!”

Soonyoung blinked tiredly, and he and Joshua exchanged looks as the other two continued with their actions. “I think Jeonghan hyung’s still drunk,” Soonyoung said, and Joshua nodded.

“There’s a very good possibility.”

“Anyways,” Jeonghan said, poking Seokmin in the side before stepping back, “as an apology, I can have you help us clean up our house.”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, but I can’t,” Seokmin said, clasping his hands together dramatically. “I have other stuff to do.” He turned to Soonyoung, grinned, and rapidly turned on his heel. “Bye!”

Soonyoung frowned. “Wait, what? Seokmin, what stuff do you have to do?”

Jeonghan tilted his head, before beaming. “Well, Soonyoung, it seems you’ve been chosen to help clean up the mess!”

Joshua drifted down the hallway as Soonyoung vehemently protested, running his hand amusedly through his hair as Seokmin struggled to put on his shoes. “Do you actually have other stuff to do?”

“I do, actually,” Seokmin said, almost falling over as he tugged on his sneakers. “I have, uh. Something. With Jihoon hyung.”

“With Jihoon hyung.” Joshua crossed his arms, leaning against the wall as he watched Seokmin, the weak cries of Soonyoung echoing behind him. “You have plans with him?”

Seokmin finally won the battle over his shoes, and stood up. “Yeah, actually! I have to record a… thing. For him. He asked me last night.”

Joshua looked at Seokmin for a long moment, and Seokmin shifted uneasily. There was that whirring cogs look in Joshua’s eyes again, but it only lasted a second before he smiled, all fluffy cotton candy. 

“Sure,” he said, leaning away from the wall to step forwards, and Seokmin had no explanation for the way his heart suddenly jumped as Joshua leaned closer, before reaching past him and opening the front door for him. Joshua smiled again. “Have fun.”

Seokmin swallowed, smiling back. “Thanks, hyung.” He nodded to Soonyoung and Jeonghan, who were still arguing further inside the house. “Have fun too.”

Joshua grimaced, and his expression made Seokmin laugh. “I’ll try.”

And then he bid goodbye to Seokmin once more, with a wave that the younger made sure to return, and then Seokmin was walking back down the path, out onto the street, a smile still inexplicably on his face.

───────────── ‘✷,

“Ah, there he is,” Soonyoung said dramatically the moment Seokmin stepped into their apartment. “The traitor. The man who abandoned his hungover roommate who had to clean up last night’s mess with one Yoon Jeonghan nattering in his ear.”

Seokmin just laughed at the echo of Soonyoung’s voice from somewhere in the living room, taking off his shoes and wandering down the hallway. “Hyung, Jeonghan hyung texted me to say that he didn’t actually make you clean up when you were all hungover, and he actually just made you tea and fed you cookies instead.”

There was a pause, before Soonyoung’s voice floated down the hallway again. “Well, you’re still a traitor for abandoning me,” he said. Seokmin grinned, poked his head into the living room, and then upon seeing the other people in their apartment, beamed wider.

“Seungkwan! How’s your head doing, after those handstands last night? Oh, and Junhui hyung! You’re here too?”

Junhui waved from the floor. “Hi! Minghao kicked me out of our apartment. Said I was giving him a headache.”

“Aw, poor Junhui hyung,” Seokmin said, pouting, before sitting on the floor next to him. “What were you doing? Why did Minghao kick you out?”

“I was singing in his ear.”

“Oh.” Seokmin blinked. “Well, if I was Minghao, I would’ve kicked you out too.”

Junhui just grinned.

“Anyways, where were you, hyung?” Seungkwan asked curiously. He was all sprawled out on the sofa, looking like he owned it, while Soonyoung was bunched up in one corner. Seokmin was mildly surprised that Soonyoung had let that happen. “Hyung wouldn’t tell us anything about where you were.”

“That’s because he didn’t tell me anything,” Soonyoung grumped, before kicking Seungkwan’s shins. “Also, move over. You’re squishing me.”

“I was with Jihoon hyung,” Seokmin said, shrugging. “Just doing him a favour. Nothing big.”

Seungkwan squinted suspiciously, but he didn’t have time to push it before Soonyoung bodily shoved him back onto one half of the couch, already talking about something else.

“Speaking of Jihoon, though,” Soonyoung said, ignoring the younger’s squawks of indignation, “He’s recently sold a song to that new boy group. Did you know that?”

“Wait, you mean that boy group that went viral for their debut song?” Junhui asked, and when Soonyoung nodded, he grinned. “Wow, that’s amazing!”

Soonyoung grinned, and his cheeks looked almost rosy with pride. “I know right? Jihoon’s amazing.” He paused, and then somehow, managed to grin even wider. “And guess who was just asked to choreograph their dance for them?”

Junhui’s eyes widened, and when Seokmin finally clocked what Soonyoung meant, he let out a dramatic gasp and clasped his hands together.

“No way! Seriously? Hyung, you’re so incredible!” he cried, throwing his arms in the air in congratulations. “Are you gonna take it? You’re gonna take it, right? Imagine if this comeback goes crazy viral for them too! Imagine if you were able to come back as their permanent choreographer!”

Soonyoung grinned, shrugging. “Dunno. I might. A couple of indie companies have reached out to me, though, so I’m a little bit booked up.”

“No!” Seungkwan suddenly shot up and grabbed Soonyoung’s shoulders, looking like he’d completely forgotten his earlier disgruntled state. “You have to take this, hyung. I gotta show the music video to my colleagues when it comes out and brag about the fact that your name is in the credits!” He turned to Junhui. “Hyung, back me up here!”

Junhui laughed, leaning back on his hands. “Take the job, Soon-ah. You don’t want Seungkwan to not be able to brag to his colleagues, do you?”

That made Soonyoung laugh. “Okay, okay, maybe I will. They haven’t finalised payment just yet, but their offering price was a decent amount, so I might.” He fished out a bag of chips from somewhere amidst the mess, opening them and beginning to chomp really loudly. “I googled the company, and they’ve had, like, really good choreographers under them for a while. One of them left to start his own company though, and I think that’s why they offered a job to me.”

“That’s so cool,” Seokmin said sincerely, eyes wide. “You should take it, hyung. Is it only one song?”

“Both their title track and a b-side, I think,” Soonyoung said, and then smiled, looking utterly delighted. “If they’re going to be performed, normally those two songs are pretty different in style. They must like my work a lot if they think I can pull off two different choreos.”

“As they should,” Seungkwan said, nodding vigorously. “You’re incredible, hyung. You deserve to choreograph for every single song in the world.”

Junhui tilted his head. “Is that a compliment? ‘Cause it sounds more like an overworking curse than anything.”

Seungkwan ignored him. “Do you know what the title track sounds like? Wait, how did you even know that it’s the same song as Jihoon hyung’s?”

“I told Hoon about the job offer, duh,” Soonyoung said simply. “And he said, yeah, he’s recently written a title track for that company, and turns out that it really is the same one."

"Oh!" Seokmin's eyes were wide with amazement. "What are the odds, huh? Does that mean Jihoon hyung let you listen to the demo?"

"He didn't have one," Soonyoung said, shrugging. "Which is weird, because he normally records the demos by himself as soon as he's finished composing a track. But he said he was looking for a different voice, 'cause he wanted someone else to do it."

"Huh, I wonder whose voice he was stealing," Junhui was in the middle of saying when Seokmin's eyes widened and he let out a tiny squeaking noise, making all of them pause and turn to look at him. 

"Seokmin?” Junhui said. “Was that you?”

"No," Seokmin lied, before remembering that he really was a terrible liar. "And I definitely don't know anything about the person that Jihoon hyung used for his demo."

"You're lying," Seungkwan observed, incredibly intelligently, as if Seokmin wasn't the most obvious liar in the world. 

“No shit,” Soonyoung said, narrowing his eyes. “What do you know, Seokmin? Is it something bad?”

Seokmin blinked rapidly. “No?”

Junhui narrowed his eyes. “Is the person whose voice Jihoon stole a really bad person?”

“What? No!” Seokmin shook his head, and then smiled awkwardly. “It’s just that, uh…” He paused, and then shrugged, all jerky movements and embarrassed grins. “Jihoon hyung… might’ve used my voice?”

A beat.

And then there was an explosion of noise, with Seungkwan crying out in disbelief and Soonyoung wailing and pretending to be hurt that he wasn’t told and Junhui just bursting into laughter and slapping Seokmin’s arm over and over again. 

“How?” Seungkwan demanded, before repeating himself thrice more when no one seemed to be listening to him. “Hyung, how? How did you even agree?”

Seokmin grinned again, sheepishly. “Jihoon hyung asked me yesterday,” he said. “Asked if it would be alright for me to sing the demo track. It’s nothing too big or fancy, so I said yeah. And then we recorded it today.”

“Can we listen?” Soonyoung asked, and both Seungkwan and Junhui nodded fervently. “Can we? You have it with you, right?”

Seokmin shook his head rapidly, so hard that his ears started ringing. “Oh, no no no. No. You can’t. It sounds really bad. You shouldn’t listen to it.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Seungkwan protested. “Hyung! I wanna hear it! I wanna be able to use it to prove to you that you could totally be a singer!”

“Nope, none of you guys will ever hear it,” Seokmin said, crossing his arms. “Jihoon hyung has heard it, and Soonyoung hyung might hear it too for his work, but that’s it. No one else. Not if I can help it.”

“Aw.” Junhui patted Seokmin’s shoulder, and then pinched his cheek. “Well, if you’re sure.” He smiled then, all sweet and lovely and Junhui-like. “But I bet you sound really, really good. We’re proud of you for doing that! Jihoon’s probably really thankful as well.” And then he turned back to the others, and abruptly said, “Do you think stars plan when they’re about to die?”

Instantly, the conversation topic changed as they all ranted animatedly about the random topic that Junhui had thrown at them, and Seokmin found himself eagerly participating too, grateful for how easily Junhui had switched their conversation around. Knowing Seungkwan and Soonyoung, they’d have probably wrangled the demo recording out of him, the brats all too aware of their collective ability to wear him down in five seconds flat.

But as it were, the demo and the fact that Seokmin was singing was something he was still a little self-conscious about, especially the idea of other people hearing him. It felt… weird, to have someone listen to his voice in that way. Especially when he wasn’t that confident in his singing.

Oh, well. Maybe he’d get there one day, he thought, as he laughed at Junhui’s earnest expression as the elder argued for the emotional intelligence of stars. Seungkwan would probably love to give him pointers on expression and projection and stuff.

───────────── ‘✷,

“Where the hell do you think you’re going, mister? It’s midnight!”

“Out!” Seokmin yelled back, putting on his coat. “I’m going on a walk.”

“No you’re not!”

“What do you have against me going on a walk?”

“Stay home and watch trashy TV with me!”

Seokmin shook his head as Soonyoung’s voice echoed down the hall from the living room, the small sounds of tinny sitcom laughter floating through the air. He put on his shoes, making sure his keys were in his pocket before opening the door.

“I’m going out, and you can’t stop me!”

“Well, I could go over there and steal your keys.”

“But are you going to?”

Soonyoung paused for a moment, and then came a petulant huff from the living room. “Fine. Go. I hope you get kidnapped!”

Seokmin just laughed before walking out of their apartment, closing the door behind him.

The week had passed by almost painfully slowly. Even more slowly than normal, and by the time Friday had rolled around again, Seokmin felt as if he’d lived through a whole entire month rather than just six days. 

It was why he was going out on a walk now, wandering down empty streets, kicking fallen leaves. He only went on nightly walks when he was truly exhausted, mentally, and the week had been so draining that he believed he definitely deserved to go on one tonight. Even though nothing had really happened, he was still so tired, his brain whirring and rattling so fast that all his thoughts were nothing but crackly clatters, bashing into each other and screeching like metal against metal, and he wanted nothing more than to escape his own head and go somewhere else. Somewhere quieter, gentler. Somewhere soft.

Cotton soft.

“Hello,” a voice said in his ear, and Seokmin felt oddly as if warm light had suddenly spilled over his shoulder as he turned to look over at the man coming to sit beside him.

Joshua smiled, a slight upturning of the lips that made Seokmin’s own lips tingle with the urge to smile too. “Tiring week?”

Seokmin gave in to the urge, and smiled, dimly registering his own lack of surprise at Joshua’s sudden appearance. It was as if it was completely normal, like Joshua blended in with the calm of the silent night, like Joshua wasn’t anything startling or out of place in Seokmin’s late night attempt to escape the mess in his head.

Almost as if, deep down, Seokmin had been expecting to see him. Or hoping to see him, at the very least.

“The most tiring,” he sighed, and Joshua nodded in understanding, sitting down under the streetlamp with him. “I don’t even know why. This was just a normal week.”

Joshua tilted his head. “That’s okay. A week can be normal and utterly exhausting at the same time.” 

Seokmin looked away. “Maybe.”

There was silence, then, calm and soft grey and filled only with the sound of them breathing. Seokmin wondered vaguely how Joshua had even managed to find him: he was sitting in some residential street near his apartment, after all, out of the way of main roads and normal paths that people took walks on. And yet Joshua had found him, found Seokmin at the time he’d hidden himself away, at the time he’d most wanted to be alone.

But Joshua’s presence radiated warmth beside him, shoulders pressed together, both of them sitting right underneath the glow of the streetlamp, and as Seokmin finally felt the tangled screams in his brain slowly unravel, he decided that this was most certainly better than being alone. 

“What have you been up to this week?” Joshua asked softly, and the question made Seokmin blink, before letting out a soft laugh.

“You make it sound like we don’t literally work in the same place, hyung,” he said. “As if I don’t tell you every little detail about my day the moment we leave work.”

Joshua just shrugged, a small smile tugging up the corners of his lips. “Maybe I want to hear it again.”

“All of it?” Seokmin asked. Teasing.

But Joshua just looked at Seokmin, his small smile widening slightly. “Yeah. All of it.”

And, well. Seokmin had to look away after a few moments, because there was something so delicately silver in Joshua’s smile, and it made his fingers twitch and his ears burn, not quite understanding why that expression was affecting him so… weirdly. 

He told Joshua about his week, though, after gathering his thoughts, because Joshua was always such a good listener, and talking aloud to him strangely made his brain unravel even more. Like his mere presence was enough to smooth all the jagged edges of his thoughts, hush the screams in his mind, settle everything back down into a state of peace and comfort.

“—described such a thought-provoking analysis, and I don’t normally make predictions on my students, especially the younger ones, but she is someone who I think would do really well in something like law or philosophy,” Seokmin finished, and Joshua hummed interestedly.

“Really? From just one analysis she did?”

Seokmin shook his head. “It was her entire essay,” he said, eyes wide. “This was, like, top tier writing the entire way through. She talked about themes and changing ideas in a way we’d never discussed in class. She’s a natural, I just know it.”

“I’ll look forward to seeing her named one of the top lawyers in the country,” Joshua said solemnly, and Seokmin laughed, tilting his head back.

“If you ever need a lawyer, just contact her and tell her you’re Mr. Lee’s long-lost twin,” Seokmin joked, beaming. “She’ll be sure to help you.”

Joshua smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Seokmin leaned back, sighing contentedly. “I don’t know, but there’s just something about you, hyung,” he began thoughtfully, “that makes it so easy to be… comfortable.” He turned to look at Joshua, as the elder raised an eyebrow and propped his elbow on his knee, resting his cheek against his palm. “Is that weird? You’re just really easy to talk to, I think. It’s nice.”

Joshua hummed, his gaze sliding past Seokmin before focusing on him again with a smile, eyes meltingly soft. “I guess it’s just part of my charm.”

“Yeah, probably,” Seokmin agreed easily, and Joshua laughed. “You’re charming, hyung. Like, even Minghao thinks you’re a nice person. And that guy won’t even admit to thinking that Junhui is decent, despite the fact he's been living with him voluntarily for years.”

"Well, Junhui's good company," Joshua said. 

"And he's adorable," Seokmin shook his head, smiling. "That's not the point, though." He lightly bumped his shoulder against Joshua's. "You're always so nice to everyone. Even Minghao agrees."

Joshua chuckled, leaning his cheek further into his palm, eyes fixed on Seokmin. The yellow light above them made his eyes look caramel gold, glinting like gilded words on the open pages of an ancient book. Easily read, easily seen, easily identified as the most beautiful thing in the entire world. 

He really looked so… at ease, his frame all relaxed as he sat next to Seokmin, their knees touching, his smile so bright and sweet that Seokmin’s chest did a weird, fluttery thing, and he had to swallow and blink rapidly a few times to get it to go away. 

But Joshua just looked so open, his expressions crystal clear on his face, and as Seokmin thought back to last week, he couldn’t help but feel a little confused.

“Joshua hyung,” he started, and Joshua hummed, eyes refocusing on Seokmin to listen to what he was saying. “You know during last month’s Game Night? When you were talking to Jeonghan hyung?”

Joshua paused, and while his eyes were still copper-gold, he looked more cautious. “Yes?”

“You kind of… shut down, when you saw me,” Seokmin said. He fiddled with his fingers, and Joshua took his cheek off his palm and sat up properly. “Did I… Are you… Was it something I wasn’t meant to hear? I mean, it’s just that I’ve never seen you look so… like that around me before.”

Joshua was looking at Seokmin intently, and not for the first time, Seokmin felt almost as if Joshua was gauging his real emotions, what his real question was, figuring out how much to say and whether it would be okay to say it. But his face was still glittering gold, irises shining around the edges, so it felt less like Joshua was hiding from him, and more like he was trying to find the words to speak about his real self.

After a moment, the elder smiled.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, slowly. Careful. “Han was just being irritating again. I didn’t want you to be irritated by the nonsense he was saying as well.”

Seokmin stared at Joshua, before shaking his head. “You’re really nice, hyung,” he began. “You’re really nice. To everyone. And that’s—that’s really hard to do. Believe me, I’ve tried. But you do it really well, and—and I can tell, you know. That you’re changing for everyone. So you can be this all-round likeable person.

“And I’m not judging you for it. If I could do that, I’d do it too. But I guess, sometimes, I get… worried?” Seokmin hunched his shoulders, curling into himself, shy. “Because I just really like you a lot, hyung. You’re a really cool friend. And I’d never lie to you, and I know you’d never lie to me, but sometimes, when you change your personality like that, it kind of feels like you are.” 

Joshua was silent, before he reached over and nudged Seokmin’s knee with the back of his hand, a gentle press of knuckles against fabric, the warmth of his touch almost instantly making Seokmin want to melt into him. And then his hand was gone, resting back on his own knee, as he looked away from Seokmin and out onto the darkened street. 

“It’s hard to be your own person, once you realise that being everyone else’s person makes life a whole lot easier,” he said quietly. And then he didn’t say anything else.

After a moment, Seokmin sighed softly, bringing his own hand up to cover Joshua’s where it rested on his knee. “I get that,” he said. “But… it’s good to be your own person too.”

Joshua looked down, shrugged. Thought for a long moment, and then spoke. “By now, it’s habit, I guess. I’m used to being someone else’s person so it probably just comes easily now. And normally, most people don’t notice.”

He hesitated, then, words ringing opalescent in the air, so light and feathery and truthful that Seokmin felt kind of dizzy. Joshua’s hand was still warm under his, and he couldn’t quite tell whether the touch was grounding him or making him feel even floatier. And then Joshua’s grip tightened, just slightly, and Seokmin managed to focus back on him again.

“You’re a little different, though,” he said, chuckling softly. “Both you and Jeonghan. I’m not allowed to be someone else with Jeonghan. And you…” His words trailed off, and he looked back at Seokmin, eyes bright. He blinked, and for a brief moment, Seokmin could read every single galaxy within Joshua’s eyes.

Joshua’s eyelashes fluttered, and he looked down at where Seokmin’s hand covered his own.

“Every time I see you, it just gets harder and harder to be the someone else’s person to you.”

Seokmin breathed in quietly, shakily. “I think you should just be you.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Seokmin,” Joshua said quietly, with a small laugh. “It is me. Everything is all me. I just…” He paused, mouth twisting, like there were words he wanted to say but he couldn’t find them. Or maybe they didn’t exist.

“That’s okay, then,” Seokmin said, and then held Joshua’s hand more securely, wrapping his fingers around Joshua’s as the elder looked up at him, mild surprise in his eyes. “That’s fine. I get it. I still think you should allow us to truly know you, though, Joshua hyung. We’re your friends. We care about you.”

Joshua nodded, and his thumb lightly brushed against the side of Seokmin’s fingers, smiling just a little. “Maybe just you, for now,” he said. “Maybe I’ll just have you know me for now.”

Seokmin blinked, before beaming, wide and happy. “You won’t have to do anything different,” he promised. “I’ll help you feel comfortable with me, all by myself. I wanna know who you are, Joshua hyung.”

“Shua hyung,” Joshua said after a moment, and Seokmin tilted his head.

“Shua hyung?”

“You can call me Shua,” Joshua elaborated, and his face was so soft, his smile tinged with a shyness that Seokmin had never seen before. “I just… It’d probably be easier than saying all the syllables for ‘Joshua hyung’. If you want, of course.”

“I—of course,” Seokmin said, earnestly. Then he grinned again, squeezing Joshua’s hand once before releasing it and throwing his arms open wide for a hug. “Shua hyung! That’s so cute.”

Joshua laughed, bright and tinkling like bells, and as his arms wrapped around Seokmin in return, it occurred to him that he’d never heard Joshua laugh like that before. All bright and carefree and as beautiful and soaring as the elegant notes of a song. “It’s just my name in shortened form.”

“Yeah, and it’s cute,” Seokmin said, smiling so wide that his heart felt like it was going to burst, “Shua hyung.”

And Joshua—elusive, cotton soft, polite and unreachable Joshua—gave Seokmin a smile that could have lit up the whole world.

taglist (send ask to be added) : @fairyhaos @atinytinaa @my-moarmy-heart @weird-life-of-a-closet-fangirl @lilsafsafbooyah @stqrrgirle @bittersweet-folder @weird-bookworm @ultrara-re @tianakings @bangantokchy @tiinkerbell @ahuiahoe @trashmeowcan

[sihakadan]

i saw “It’s getting crowded. Here, hold my hand.” and i immediately thought of being one of silco's guards and the man is so touch starved he forgets to let go after lmao

Y'all really, really like Mr. Rat Man. But, aight, I like the prompt. I'm also really sorry for taking longer than usual. My kiddo had a rough week of testing so I was helping her buffer. Also it's Thanksgiving week and I am already tired from the amount of socializing I will be doing.

SFW, this is a sacred blog (it is not, it is full of sins and I am not sorry) and proofreading is for people who sleep 8 hrs a night and have a work/life balance.

Your boss made you so nervous.

Not because he was a powerful man with the undercity under his thumb or because he controlled the production of shimmer. Man, his crazy kid didn't even scare you as much as you thought she would.

Oh no, he made you nervous because he would just disappear. Always without warning and whenever you looked away for one second too many. Sevika almost had your ass a couple times.

But now, he had slipped away while on the way to a meeting, on your watch. You couldn't even begin to think about what Sevika would do if she found out.

You knew which way he was going, where he would be going and would be eventually. Heading that way, you noticed that there was more people than usual on the streets tonight, with lots of dancing and loud debauchery. Was it a holiday and you missed it on your calendar?

Out of the corner of your eye you caught the familiar hair and popped collar of your boss, standing by a street artist painting the neon lights. Panting from all the panic and searching, you came up next to him, giving him an exasperated look.

Silco dragged on his cigar and motioned to the painter and his creation. "Fascinating, isn't it?" His blue eye looking over you before going back to the painter. "To see what is in front of you and just make it come together, using nothing but skill and a few tools."

"Yes it is." You really did agree, but there were lots of people and he had to get to that meeting. "Sir, please, we need to go. They're waiting."

"Let them wait." He continued to watch, seeming uninterested in moving from his spot. "Do you like art?"

It was getting harder and harder to keep you eyes on him and the crowd, but now he wanted you to look at the painting some more. "I like it enough." You moved closer to him, shoulder to shoulder.

"Just enough?" He gave you a side look. "I've seen you watch Jinx with her work and admire the tattoos of the patrons of The Last Drop."

Yes, he had you there. You enjoyed looking at artistic works, of many varieties. "Well, yes, I do-" Someone bumped into you and in turn, you bumped into Silco. He didn't seemed fazed by it however and hummed as you caught yourself, growling in annoyance.

You turned, almost snarling. "Hey! Watch it!" Sniffing, you straightened up and apologized to Silco. "Looks like the streets are full of idiots." And you could very well lose him again. "Here-" You held out your hand to him. "It's getting crowded, take my hand so I don't lose you again."

He almost seemed impressed that you would be so forward with him, but also how you held his eye contact as you did it. "Very well." His gloved hand took yours and even though there was cloth between, you could still feel the heat coming from his hand.

Leading him through the crowded streets, you felt his grip become firm and it almost felt like he was trying to shield you from the people, not the other way around. In fact, he was almost pressed up against your side, taking a few shoulder bumps instead of you.

As you neared the building that was your destination, you thought that Silco may let go, but he didn't. In fact, he didn't as he opened the door for you both and as you both entered the elevator.

You tried to keep your cool, but you could hear your heart beat in your ears and your skin heating up.

"Does it bother you?" He asked, his voice low and by your ear.

Inhaling deeply so you could collect yourself, you turned your head and made eye contact once again with him. The scent of aftershave and cigar wafted over you. "Not at all." The voice that left you was soft, almost airy. The heat in your cheeks intensified.

"Hm." Silco ran his eyes over your face, studying you before standing up straight and looking forward again. "Interesting."

Before you could ask what he meant by that, the doors opened and he stepped out, taking you with him. The door to the meeting room just right there.

His gloved hand slipped from yours and you could feel yourself almost reach out again, but you balled your fingers into your palm, the nails biting skin. "Be good and wait for me here. I wish to discuss things with you later. A proposal of sorts, one that benefits us both." He said, lighting another cigar.

You knew him long enough to understand what that lingo meant and you felt a smirk spread on your lips, making a mischievous chuckle. "I look forward to the benefits."

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

One thing I've always struggled with is what kind of musician Virgil would be.

That started very trauma-y but hear me out LMAO

Because one half of me really wants to say, if he was in a modern au and in a band, he'd play music that sounds like Whore by Get Scared and just songs that generally sound like that. Because it fits with the vibe and I think would be a really cool way for him to handle his anxiety — play it with an instrument and play it loud. Be so loud he can't be anxious, y'know?

But the other half of me wants to say he'd play songs like She Doesn't Sleep by Anthony Amorim (IT'S AN AMAZING SONG PLEASE LISTEN TO IT I CANT STOP LISTENING TO IT) or some select songs from Letters For The Oddities (really big P!ATD AFYSCO vibes, can't wait for his new music <3) where the songs are less loud and more follow a story.

Now, this isn't to say the two couldn't combine with loudness and a story, but they are two very different vibes and then they become two different Virgils in my head. They even look different depending on which type of music it is. Ahh, AUs <3

I think either way Remus would be in love with him. Be it because he's in the band too or he's a fan of the band or (my personal favorite) Roman knows Virgil and was like "rem come to this concert with me it's not my crowd but it's my friend" and then Remus is like aight bet and they have that stereotypical eyes meeting in the crowd moment of like 😶😶 love at first sight. Then they meet after the show and they both hilariously fumble and neither get each other's number but Roman realizes what's going on and gives them each other's number later. Or adds the three of them to a group chat and then leaves so the two are forced to be together.

Yeah genuinely think Rem would be in love either way but I'm so stuck </3 but it's the weekend tho! :D time to go listen to She Doesn't Sleep... again...

— 👑

I think too regardless of what route you go Ree would be absolutely head over heels for Vee like "H E L L O hot Emo in a band what are you doing later 👀" But I L O V E L O V E L O V E the fact that Ro tries to set them up and the two just blow it cause they're too Gay to function XD (You have plenty of time to think it over there's no rush but if you're really stuck you can always have both but one being more frequent than the other if you vibe with it more after all it's an AU and E V E R Y T H I N G is in your hands <3)

[bonnvivre]

a funny thing- ch 24/25 word dump

WUAHAHAHA 4AM BABEY YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS

i’ve been cookin low and slow with this one and i mean real slow like. too slow . as in 2 weeks later whoops

this one’s a real doozy so grab a snack

FIRST PAGE ON THE GOSUKU TAG WHEN YOU SORT BY KUDOS LETS GOOOOOOO major rweiser W

———————————————

ch 24

thinking abt yuuji flying down the sidewalk and megumi becoming the equivalent of a flag whipping behind him pls yuuji not everyone can keep up 😭

fred says fuck

mmmmmm crunchy cookies i love me some egg shell

yeah with cooking, you can play around with the measurements and adjust along the way, but baking is whole different beast :[ i made creme brulee for our new year dinner, my first time baking actually, and i was terrified the entire process cus one wrong step and its over (they turned out good in the end, though i wanted to leave it in the fridge longer) 

sukuna and uraume on the same wavelength love that

daww megumi just be a kid its okay 

gojo’s nicknames for toji PLS father-fushi and fraidy-guro

hehehe he technically called sukuna pretty ,, i agree

LMAOOOOO AINT NO WAYY OFC HE SABOTAGED HIM 

i feel like toji would actually do well in getting sales (if he had the proper cookies) considering he’s “a pro at freeloading off women” which leads me to believe he’s got hella charisma . 

“Fushiguro stops just before the table, one hand balled into a fist so tight, the muscles of his arm are easy to see, flexing dangerously beneath his skin.” uwwheheheerhfbud sorry

OH SHT THE GIRLIES ARE FIGHTING YOOOOOOOO AND SUKUNA JUMPING IN FOR GOJO ???? in front of the kids in a school fundraiser is crazy lmao

pinky

gojo taking bets on who’s gonna win reminded me of mei mei betting on the gojo-sukuna fight

i had a crazy amount of secondhand embarrassment going thru that hhhhhh yknow that feeling when you just wanna curl up and cover ur eyes and you’re fighting to even look back ? yeaaaaa

“Hurting people is bad. And you’re not bad!” ohh yuuji ughhh he has no idea of what sukuna was before, that he’s done more than hurt people .. children really only see the side of their parents that they’ve allowed to show them. it’s why kids usually think the highest of them, so yuuji saying that sukuna’s not bad gets me cus he’s known and seen only the best of him. but it makes me feel gooey inside cus, while everyone else sees the former king of curses, yuuji sees his dad and when he does eventually find out, he’ll still always be his dad before anything else (does this make sense i hope it makes sense im trying to make my thoughts coherent)

oh hey they’re talking abt it !

I GASPED OH MY GOD PLEAS EOLASOE APLEAS EPLAS EPALEAPSLEAPSH NOOOOOOOOO FFGGHGBBVV HITTING MY BED GRFGHJVNGRRAAGGHHFEG

im being tortured i thinj you’re trying to kill me here this is the worst case of edging ive ever had in my life (no not like that) 

post-chapter notes:

IM ALREAYD RIOTING YASTOP BLUE BALLING ME

id read real housewives of jujutsu sorcery

————————————

ch 25

GRADE 1 ?? AS IN ONE ?? AS IN  O N E  ?? AS IN, YUUJI IS NO LONGER A PRESCHOOLER

when you said small time-skip, i thought you meant a few months later . i was wrong

aight time to update the time board: yuuji’s in first grade so he’s 6 yrs old, we’re in 2013 now (i think), gojo is 24 yrs old  23 yrs old (chap takes place during summer, bday not passed yet)

it’s 2013, he can get a 3ds now :D im gonna get him on smash bros . OR KID ICARUS UPRISING IT SHOULD BE OUT ALREADY

they should totally name the potential pet after me (jk)

OKAYYYY THATS A START HE KISSED HIM ON THE HEAD !! WE’RE GETTING SOMEWHERE :O now go lower. preferably on the li

oh yeah yeah definitely not together whatever helps you sleep at night man

im gonna need the bad bitches birthday bash one-shot someday with the way shoko’s bringing it up

the fact gojo’s heard the threat so many times before that he can finish it and brush it off

CANDY CRUSH  !!?!??

AWWWWWW THATS ADORABLE ;____; sukuna wanting to do something to surprise gojo’s first day as a teacher and yuuji suggesting to make a cake cus he knows his daddy loves sweets AND they spent the whole day prepping awawawawaw so cutee

they called on uraume for help too LOL poor them 

yuuji being a snitch HA i can’t help but think of my siblings

you can’t be serious gojo, not after that? people also don’t usually sleep and cuddle the homies cmon man

mother is mothering and mother is leading the herd (no but i love how he adapted to the role very easily, likely to prior experience)

whuh the fundraiser was last year ? am i overthinking the timeframe … ok im back after going thru the calendar that makes sense 👍 carry on wait hold on first semester of first grade ended so they’re on break ... summer break ?? unless this is going off of a different schooling system (oh yeah duh japan lol)

ohhh please let them meet mama-guro i can imagine the absolute shock on their faces trying to comprehend how someone like toji managed to marry someone like her 😭 bonus points if toji is much more softer around her too and the sheer whiplash of seeing him having ANY sort of loving side is enough to send gosuku into a spiral

“It’s exactly the type of thing Sukuna would never be caught dead wearing, which means Satoru must do all in his near-infinite power to make him wear it.” real

THESE THREE ARE RIDICULOUS LMAOOOOOO sorry kids your fathers are busy trying to one-up each other

“But, then again, these are just go-karts; how much damage could he really do?” famous last words before disaster

oh no

hey sukuna’s living life at least he’s having fun and that’s all that matters 🥰

not the pyramid projectiles

CONICAL AMMO !?$&7)-)26 MARIO KART IRL GONE WRONG oh my god its too late for this i need to sleep

OH MY GOD ?????? 

WHADDYA MEAN THEY’RE GONE ??????

post chap notes:

what just happened

no really what jusr happened

the amount of times i’ve said oh my god throughout the entire go-kart scene i was clutching my pearls

he recreates his reign in the silliest ways, all while wearing nice little red bow :3

nah i get it the entire first arc was dedicated to how messed up he was abt suguru so i understand the doubts but they’ve also near kissed multiple times .. unless they were super down with kissing the homies 

“I sure hope nothing bad has happened to them...” STOP