#also hey I’m back from hiatus how’s everyone doing?

[mimicmerchant]

Karna, I get you’re doomed by the narrative and trying your best, but I think you need a little more than a skincare routine

[whispering-ways]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡ i like you (too much) - part 1 ♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

♡ summary: you just joined a new high school and you're hoping to make a bunch of new friends. unfortunately, you're paired up with katsuki and he seems to despise you. nevertheless, you're determined to make it work. little do you know that you're first interaction would lead to a wonderful friendship and possibly even more.

♡ pairing: bakugo katsuki x reader

♡ tags: no warnings, just fluff :) but the next couple of parts may or may not have some smut ;)

♡ notes: hi besties! I'm back finally with another fanfic after months. I'm so sorry for my hiatus, but I've been super busy with college. I'm graduating in literally in 5 days which is so exciting (neurosci and psychology BS) and also been working on a patent and been doing patient trials in the neurosci lab I volunteer at and been applying for grad programs, so its been a lot. but I'm back with a new (long) Katsuki fic now that things have finally settled! Really this was a story with my OCs, Drew and Kressie (names still yet to be confirmed but that's what I've got for now) but I thought this would still work with Bakugo. Let me know if y'all want me to post the OC version too :) hope you guys like it!

As you sit in the principal’s office with your parents, you start to drown out the principal’s monotonous voice. All you cared about in the moment was how you would fit in. Middle school had been terrible; a journey chocked full of bullies and spending lunches alone. So when your parents told you that the 3 of you were moving to a new state for your dad’s fancy new job, you thought this was your chance to wipe the slate clean. Start afresh and make some friends this time around. You’d been excited for weeks, but now sitting here about to start your first day, you felt your stomach churn with anxiety. 

The principal calling your name brought you back to reality. “So Y/N are you ready to start your first day? I know it’ll be halfway through your periods, but still your first day if you think about it!” 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you replied, picking up your backpack. 

“I’ll take you to your new classroom,” said the principal, standing up and opening the door for you, gesturing you to follow him. After saying goodbye to your parents, you head outside the office with a big sigh, readying yourself. It felt like forever before you reached your classroom. Your principal knocked on the door and stuck his head inside. You heard him say something to the teacher inside, but couldn’t quite make out what. She came out a couple moments afterward and the principal left you in her hands. A short introduction later, she brought you inside to the front of the class.

“Hey everyone, I’m sorry to interrupt you all in the middle of quiet work time, but we’ve got a new student. This is (Y/N) and she’ll be in our class from now on,” she said with a big smile on her face; it was almost too cheery. “I’m hoping since you only came in a week late, it won’t be too hard to catch up with the class.” She scanned around the classroom before continuing, “Looks like we’ll have to place you in the back with Katsuki. We share one big desk between students, so I hope that’s okay with you.” You nod and the teacher turns towards her desk, reaching down to grab a packet. “Here’s what we’re working on right now; answer as best as you can and don’t worry about getting questions wrong. You’ll be sitting right over there,” pointing to the back.

You look toward where she gestured to find a guy in a black hoodie, his eyes covered by his hood and lip curled in disdain. “Fantastic,” you thought, taking the packet from your teacher’s hand. “It’d be my luck to be put right next to someone that looks like they’d kill.” You plop down in your seat and look towards your new deskmate, smiling at him as an olive branch. Maybe he was super nice and just didn’t know how to show it. 

He looked at you up and down, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as if he was wondering why you’d even dare to look over. With a sigh, you turn back around and start to work on your packet. You wouldn’t consider yourself super smart, but definitely above average. But ‘above average’ wasn’t going to cut it for this packet. You chose to take Calculus to challenge you and to look better on college applications, but looking at the work in front of you, you regretted your decision. This stuff was just way too complicated, but you were determined to figure it out. 

You look over at Katsuki to see whether he’s struggling too for some sort of comfort. To your disappointment, you see him flying through the work, his head practically buried in the packet. You tried again to work through the first problem. “Find the derivative of the following function...what even is a derivative?” you thought to yourself. You pulled out your phone, hoping to try and find some sort of video to explain what was going on when you felt a tap on your shoulder. 

You turned around to find your teacher smiling at you once again. “Hey (Y/N), I hope the packet is going good, but in this classroom we don’t use phones to search up answers. If you’re having trouble, why don’t you ask your deskmate to help you out? I’m sure Katsuki would love to help you out!” 

You slipped your phone back into your pocket, giving your teacher a tight-lipped smile in return. “Out of all people, why did I get paired with him,” you pleaded internally. After a few moments, you give up and decide to ask Katsuki for help. “Hey, uh... would you mind helping me out with this question please?” No response. You cleared your throat, hoping to draw attention to your request. Nothing, nada, zilch. It’s then that you noticed he had some earbuds in. “Maybe he really just couldn’t hear me,” you thought. A few moments of contemplation later lead you to tapping his shoulder, hoping to finally get his attention.

He whipped his head around, giving you the chance to get a good look at his face. The first thing you noticed were his eyes. His eyes were red, probably because of contacts, and were coupled with dark circles; it looked like he hadn’t had sleep in weeks. You were finally able to see his hair peeking out from under his hood which had been messily bleached blonde with brown roots growing out. His lips were still in a snarl. “What do you want?” he asked, spitting out each word with anger. “Don’t you know when people are trying to ignore you?”

A hit and a miss. There was no doubting it now; he definitely hated you. You hadn’t even been in the classroom for 20 minutes and your high school dreams of making friends were already coming crashing down. You were just about to reply when he snapped back at you “What? Just going to stare at me forever or something?” 

See, you were nice, but not nice enough to let that sort of behavior go by without saying anything. “What the fuck is your problem dude? I just wanted to ask you about derivatives. Damn, a bitch can’t even be curious about math anymore,” you retorted. You were hoping to put him in his place a little, but instead, you heard him chuckle. 

“Ok fine, I’ll help you out. I’ll admit, that was a little funny. But this doesn’t mean we’re all buddy buddy, okay? I just want you off my back.”

“Sure whatever gets me done with this packet,” you said, flipping through the pages of the problems till you found the one you were looking for. You pointed to the derivative question and said “Just explain this one to me and I’ll be out of your hair. I just don’t really know how to get started with it.”

With an annoyed sigh, Katsuki gets started on explaining it to you. “Okay so basically all you’ve got to do is just differentiate all 3 parts and then add it. Was that too hard for you to understand or something or did you finally get it?”

You didn’t want to say it, but you didn’t get it. What was differentiating? Subtracting? You had no clue. But you couldn’t admit that, not when he was acting so rude; you had way too much pride for that sort of confession. “Let’s say I didn’t get it. I totally did, but if I didn’t, would you be able to explain it more in depth?” you ask him, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on your lie.

Katsuki definitely picked it up. He wasn’t stupid. But he was dreading having to talk to you more. He wasn’t trying to make friends or talk to people and be all chit-chatty; all he wanted was to be left alone, but unfortunately, you didn’t seem to be picking up on that any time soon. He grabbed your sheet and put it right between you two. If you wanted a in-depth explanation, you were going to get one. Bit by bit, he explained every single step of the problem, dragging out each individual part unnecessarily. That’d teach you to bother him again. 

What he did not expect was the beaming smile you gave him in return. “Thank you so much! That actually helped a ton dude! See I knew you could be nice,” you say as you bring the packet back to your side to continue working on the next couple of problems. 

Your response threw him for a loop. Sure, Katsuki was confused over how he could seem nice, but what really had him was your smile. He could’ve sworn it was the sweetest smile he’d ever seen. Slightly crooked, but still shined like the sun. He turned around, pulling his hood down to cover the slight blush that had appeared on his face. He hated the feeling he had his stomach now and it was all your fault. He knew it was a bad idea to help you.

He dove into his work, trying not to focus on you. It felt like decades before the bell rang and people started packing up to move to their last period. Out of the corner of his eye, Katsuki saw you whip out a folded piece of paper, which opened up to reveal your schedule. He heard you sigh as he was packing up and he already knew what was coming. As soon as he came back up from zipping his backpack, he was met with your eyes looking at him and he knew you were about to bother him again. 

“Uh... so I’ve got my next period in room 2301, but I have no idea how to get there. I think its English Lit with Ms. Carlisle, but like we only have 10 minutes to get there and I don’t want to get lost. Do you mind just giving me some quick directions?” you ask.

He wanted to say no and tell you to get lost. But it seemed like his mouth betrayed him when he heard himself saying “Yeah ok, I”ll take you there.”

“Oh! I mean you don’t have to really take me to the room, but I appreciate it a lot!” you reply cheerily with another one of your smiles.

“Do her cheeks never hurt from all that smiling?” Katsuki thought to himself. “It’s whatever, I’m in the same class too so I don’t give a shit.” he said, standing up and slinging his bag over one shoulder.

He starts walking away and you take that as a sign to start walking or be left alone in the classroom. With a wave to your teacher, you speed up to catch up to him. It was a bit awkward walking beside him but not talking. You’d initiate some sort of conversation, but it looked like he was ready to bite your head off and you already felt like you were pushing it. 

Thankfully, Katsuki ended the awkward silence between you two, “So.... like, where did you move from?”

“From Florida, but not like city Florida, think like retirement home type of Florida. North Florida specifically.” you rambled, trying to fill up the silence between you for a bit longer. 

“Cool, so you’ve like seen gators and shit then?” he said, looking down towards you. It was then that he took notice of the height difference between the two of you. He wasn’t super tall by any means, but compared to you he felt like a giant. 

“I mean I’ve seen a couple snakes, gators... and a few lizards too! Nothing too scary though!” you say with a smile. He nodded in response and a silence settled over you two again. You started to rack your brain for something to say to keep the conversation going, when you suddenly felt a yank on your backpack.

“Don’t just fucking walk off, we’re here, English Lit,” Katsuki says, pulling you back to the front of the door after you’d walked right past it. 

“Oh! Thank you” you reply, holding the door open. “After you.”

Katsuki felt weird walking into class and it had nothing to do with the quiz the class had to do today. He walked over to his usual desk and felt you follow behind before sitting down right next to him. You put your bag down in your seat and walked over to the teacher, probably to go introduce yourself. It was obvious to Katsuki that he wasn’t getting rid of you or the weird feeling you gave him every time you smiled anytime soon. 

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sweetest laugh he had ever heard. He turned towards the source of the sound and he wasn’t surprised to see it came from you. It seemed like everything you did added to that weird feeling he felt in his stomach. He hated it. You sat back down next to him, syllabus in hand along with a couple of other forms for you to fill out. 

Class seemed to drag on forever for Katsuki. It took everything in him to focus on what the teacher was saying rather than how your eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and how you chewed your pencil from time to time and how you drew tiny little flowers and hearts on your notes whenever you got bored. The bell finally rang, releasing Katsuki from what seemed to be his own personal hell. He got up wordlessly to walk towards his car, ready to leave and go home. He made it a couple of paces outside of class before he felt a small tap on his arm. 

He turned around to see you looking up at him with big eyes. “Hey.. uhh.. Could I maybe get your number? We have to finish that packet by tomorrow’s class and I know there’s a good chance I could be confused again, so I was hoping to maybe get your help again?” you ask. 

How could he refuse those eyes? With a sigh, he held his phone out to you. You looked up at him quizzically. “Do I need to explain everything to you? Put your number in already. I’ll text you back so you can have mine” he snapped. 

You took his phone and typed in your number, saving your contact while you were at it. “There you go, all saved and everything,” you say. You couldn’t even fully finish your sentence before Katsuki snatched his phone out of your hands. 

“Well, it was nice meeting you Katsuki, but I’ve got to head to the buses soon. I think my bus is leaving in like literally 10 minutes. It was nice meeting you though and hope to see you tomorrow,” you say, running off to catch the bus before you were left without a ride.

“Nice to meet you too, I guess,” he whispered to himself. He hoped you didn’t hear it. He walked to his car, throwing his bag into the backseat and putting his head on the steering wheel. “What’s going on with me? Why is everything so weird all of a sudden?” he thought. He took his phone out from his hoodie, looking for your contact and, more importantly, to put a name to your face.

It wasn’t hard to find since it was the only contact that stuck out like a sore thumb. “Y/N..” he said, reading out your name. He noticed a small smiley face beside your name, a sweet detail that caused an unconscious smile to cross his lips. It didn’t take him long to notice and he immediately shook his head trying to drive his smile away. He put his head back on the wheel with a thud, letting out a frustrated groan. That weird and uneasy feeling in his stomach had come back again and he had a feeling it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

[new-revenant]

Alright! Time to share all of what I have of the 4th chapter. It’s not much, but hey, it’s something. Here is the Ao3 link to the other 3 chapters. And unfortunately, the story is on indefinite hiatus because I just. Couldn’t do it ha, got overwhelmed and majorly burnt out. Anyhow, hope you enjoy what I do have. 872 words.

Edit: Opps! Forgot to tag you haha @bianca-hooks123

When Danny woke up, he was surprised at how refreshed he felt. He really hasn’t a good night’s sleep in a while, huh. His body didn’t ache, his left arm finally felt normal, and the bruises he had were gone. If not for still being trapped in his ghost form, he would’ve been having the time of his life!

As he sat up, Danny noticed that his tray of food was unfortunately gone. But, he now had a new tray of food, breakfast edition! It still had the same mix of human and Tamaranean on it, which was nice. His water bottle was refilled, accompanied by a cup of strawberry milk right next to it.

Danny quickly set out to eat all of the food, like eating the dry cereal and then drinking the entirety of the milk right after, as God intended. He didn’t eat as fast as he did last night-er, before he fell asleep. He honestly had no idea what time it was, and couldn’t see a clock nearby. A clock.

Clockwork.

Danny had to stop eating for a moment, trying to calm down the rage that was beginning to simmer. It’ll all be fine, everything back home would be fine, he just needs to pass whatever this test is and punch Clockwork in the face, then he’d be good to go. But what about this universe? Would he be able to go back here? Would he need to? Would he want to?

Danny shook his head, “No time to worry about that,” he muttered to himself, “Just eat your food, and read this note you just noticed was here.”

Danny picked up the note that he must’ve missed because he was too focused on the food. It was not written in English, or had any letters he was familiar with, and he was pretty sure spoken English here was the same as it was in his universe. It was most likely in one of the written languages of Tamaraneans, since everyone-expect Batman-thought he was a Tamaranean.

Danny flipped the note around, hoping for an English translation. The back of the note had more writing, but it was still in Tamaranean. Well that sucked. Now he has to find someone to read the note, and considering the note’s in Tamaranean, it was probably from either Starfire or Nightwing, maybe saying that they were off doing stuff. Even if Danny couldn’t read it, he did have a half-decent intuition!

With a sigh, Danny put the note back down and decided to finish his breakfast. It was so good, definitely better than anything his parents cooked for him. Who would definitely be okay if Nocturn was to be believed. Wait, was Nocturn telling the truth? Danny shook his head again, he had to believe Nocturn, for the sake of his own sanity.

Once Danny finished his food, he got out of the bed, and looked around the infirmary. He noticed three things; one, there was a clock in here and showed that it was 3 o’clock-whether it was AM or PM he didn’t know, two, someone else was in infirmary, and three, there was a box right in front of his bed.

First things first, the person in the bed was someone he hasn’t seen yet, with white, giant wings on their back. They looked they were in pain and was hooked up to something. They were already awake and was looking over at Danny.

“Ah, hello there kid,” they said with a small wave, “I’m Hawkgirl, glad you’re feeling better. Heard you weren’t in such a good state when you came in here.”

“Well, this is the infirmary,” Danny joked, “But I think I just used up too much energy.”

“Didn’t you also fall hundreds of feet from the sky?”

“Wow news spreads fast here huh? I healed pretty quickly from that though.”

“If you count being asleep for two days fast, then yes, you have.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been asleep for how many days?” Danny couldn’t believe it, two days? That means he’s already been gone for…two minutes back home so he probably didn’t need to worry about that.

“You’ve been asleep for two days,” Hawkgirl’s voice held a pinch of sadness as she spoke, “I wish I could convert Earth days to Tamaranean days, but I don’t know the conversion rate. Starfire might, but she’s on-world right now.”

“It’s okay. Also do you um, know how to read this?” Danny showed her his note, “I can’t read.”

Hawkgirl inhaled sharply, with Danny already knowing what she was going to say and he groaned.

“Yeah yeah you don’t know either, it’s fine,” Danny pinched the bridge of his nose, “Uh, newtopicnewtopic…how are you doing? Got injured in a fight?”

“Unfortunately, yes, I have,” Hawkgirl sighed, “This strange, ghost-like creature managed to mess up some of my internal-“

“Wait a minute, er-sorry for interrupting you but did you say ghost? Like the see-through dead guys?”

“I’m unsure, Batman is looking into it. Oh, and he left that box of clothes for you not too long ago.”

“Ah, that’s what the box was for. Well, I’m going to wander around this spaceship-thing until I find a place to change.”

[bisexualbrainrots]

Okay so I didn't expect to be so inspired by this post (plus my tags), but hey, what a hiatus does to someone right? @unfuckablebogtroll thanks for the inspo!

So, here's a snippet of whatever this will be (haven't finished outlining the whole story yet) also I know nothing about how social workers work in the us, so i just did a lot of google searches to write this, let's suspend our disbelief lmao:

“I’m here to inform you that from now on your son, Scott Howards, is going to be legally put under your care and will be moved into your residency, we have made an extensive background check…”

Buck wasn’t really paying attention anymore, two words running through his mind.

Your son.

Your son. 

“What do you mean son?” he had just interrupted the social worker and yet, she didn’t seem so taken aback by his clear state of shock.

“We tried to contact you these past few days, didn’t you receive our calls and email?” 

That made him immediately go back and look for his phone, quickly checking everything as he went back to the front door.

Three missed calls and an email sent yesterday. They weren’t wrong, but why did it feel like they were?

“Okay… but I don’t know anything about a kid, wh-who is the mother and why am I supposed to keep him now?” 

Tara explained it all, as quickly as she could, while still keeping a soothing tone in her voice. She clearly had experience in working with situations like this one, or at least some similar, based on how calmly she explained that the mother, some woman named Jessica Howards, passed away a couple of weeks ago and that there was no immediate family that could take care of Scott. The grandparents had passed away two years ago and Jessica didn’t have any siblings that could take care of the kid, so the next (or first really) on the list had to be the biological father.

Evan Buckley was a mess. Nothing in his brain was really computing, not even when the social worker told him about the boy, a six and a half year old kid who despite being named Scott, everyone just called Scotty.

“I-I…” 

“I’m sorry but, how did you find Evan? And where exactly is the kid now?” Tommy had taken the lead, something he knew by now to do whenever Buck’s brain was being useless. He held his hand, rubbing his thumb against some of the knuckles in an effort of grounding Buck, which worked slowly.

“We found a letter in her belongings, it was apparently never sent but dated back to 2018, probably around the time Jessica found out she was pregnant. We also had to do some digging based on the information and found his social media which, well, led us to this moment” she sounded exhausted, it probably took them a lot of hours to even find who Evan was, it was something Tommy could respect, that level of dedication. “And Scotty… he’s actually here, I brought him in the car, you don’t have to worry about much since he had a nap today and we explained all of this to him as best as we could. He also has his own blanket and favorite toy with him, it’s been really helpful to calm him down”

Tara mentioned the documents she had in hand and that seemed to snap something in the couple’s heads. They’d been so shocked at the news they didn’t notice the bundle of papers she carried. Tara once again explained everything thoroughly, that those were all the legalities Buck had to sign in order to be granted guardianship of Scotty, and asked if they could get inside to sign papers and let the boy inside the house.

Tommy nodded and took the lead again, telling Buck to get inside with Tara while he would check on the kid. Tara agreed, stepping inside with Buck who guided her towards the dining table, while Tommy stepped into the social worker’s car.

[silent-sanctum]

✧ Polaris ✧ - Jotaro x Reader

Chapter 12: Starlight & Sunshine

— The previous parts of the fic can be found in the pinned post of my profile. Hope you enjoy! —

Hey everyone 🥹

It's been a while since the last update. Why? Well, because I was actually spending my hiatus reviewing for my license, and now that I'm about to get it, I figured that maybe I should finally use my free time to write the new chapter (also admittedly it got delayed a lot mostly due to my executive dysfunction but hey! It's here now).

Anyways, happy reading and advanced happy holidays!

word count: 13.3k

With how superficial Jotaro’s injuries were, one long night of undisturbed sleep was enough for his wounds to recover. Though, looking back at that moment from your point of view, the subtle cheekiness of the delinquent wanting you to sleep with him wasn’t lost on you.

Admittedly, you were sure that either person wasn’t complaining.

His quick recovery allowed the two to use their time productively and be with the others in exploring Luxor, though before they joined them, it was only fair for their other party member to be checked on.

“Hey Nori, how’s our favorite hierophant doing?”

At your voice, Kakyoin sat upright and turned his attention to the direction of the door with a wide smile despite his bandaged eyes. “Y/N, it’s nice to hear you again. Here I thought you guys left for another city already.”

“And leaving a fellow student behind? Under my watch?” You chuckled as you stepped inside his room followed shortly by Jotaro behind you. Once you were within closer earshot of the red-haired teen, you made sure your faux gasp was heard. “The audacity. Were my numerous ice pop offerings not enough to gain your trust?”

He laughs softly at your playful jab. “You still owe me a multiplayer round of Spy Hunter. Other than that, I’m good.”

You rolled your eyes at that, a smirk plastered on your face. “Yeah, yeah. Wait ‘til we get back to Japan and we can have that round Nori.” You turned to your raven-haired companion with a nudge to his arm. “You want a shot at the game?”

“… Not interested,” Jotaro said, albeit with a hint of having second thoughts. “I… don’t play video games that much…”

“It’s not a calculus question. You’ll get the hang of it by the second to third try.”

“I’d rather do the question.”

“Nerd.”

“Jotaro’s here too?” Kakyoin asked with a slight tilt to his head. “I��ve heard from Mr. Joestar that you just got stabbed deep in the stomach. How are you up and walking already?”

“Don’t ask me.” The delinquent crossed his arms and sighed. “Doctor said I was good to go. It turned out my deeper wounds were healed miraculously and any surface cuts got patched up overnight.”

You caught him glancing at you with that almost wistful, contemplative look as if you had the answer to the out-of-nowhere miracle. In turn, you returned the gaze with a shrug. “Lucky you. You seemingly get what’s supposed to be a worse injury but here you are good as new. Meanwhile, I get my eyes scratched a bit and I’m not allowed to leave yet.”

There was an almost frustrated tone in Kakyoin’s voice as he said that and you could understand where he was coming from. “Hey, chin up.” You started, “On the brighter side of things, there’s no bleeding. No complications. It’s only a matter of time until your doctor discharges you.” Two pairs of footsteps approach from the hallway outside. “Speaking of…”

With a couple of soft knocks, the door opened to reveal a nurse and the physician in charge of overseeing Kakyoin’s health. “Pardon us,” the nurse said as she entered the room with the doctor behind her. “How are you feeling, Mr. Kakyoin?”

Kakyoin swallowed as he reached up to touch his bandages. “To be honest, I've never been without my vision before, so it's a bit unsettling.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“Not much. I think the painkillers are working.”

You and Jotaro stepped aside to allow the pair of medical professionals to assess their patient. “Hello, Mr. Kakyoin-”

At hearing his voice, the blinded teenager turned his head to the sound of the adult. “Doctor, when do you think I can take off these bandages?” He said with that faint trace of impatience in his tone. “I don't have any time to waste.”

“Mr. Kakyoin, while your eye injuries are not life-threatening, they are not minor either. I'm afraid we won't be able to discharge you anytime soon. But just a moment ago, we were contacted by doctors from the Speedwagon Foundation. They asked that we put you in their care. With their advanced medical techniques, I'm sure you'll recover much more quickly.”

The doctor continued, inquisitive. “Who are you exactly? The Speedwagon Foundation is world-famous. I don't think they'd get involved with an ordinary high school student.”

For a moment, Kakyoin didn’t answer for a minute until he let a small smile grace his face. “I have… acquaintances who are very reliable, that's all.”

You spared a glance at Jotaro who stood there with a neutral expression, his gaze cast on the floor with a thoughtful look. The memory of first spotting him carry the once-controlled Kakyoin to his house to get treated resurfaced in your mind and you couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered that moment as well.

The delinquent’s eyes slowly trailed from the tiles up to your face the second he knew you were staring, making eye contact the second he looked at you. You held onto that gaze long enough for him to break it with a faint pinkish tint to his cheeks.

Once the doctor had finished with his advice and excused himself together with the accompanying nurse, Kakyoin sighed as he slumped back onto the pillows. “Now that I know faster treatment is arriving, I’m growing more restless than before.”

You huffed, rolling your eyes light-heartedly at his impatience. “Just give it a little bit more time and then you can get out of here and do whatever the hell you want.”

At that, the red-haired boy chuckled.

---

The afternoon following the visit, the duo regrouped with the others as they headed out to explore the city of Luxor. Avdol was generous enough to provide the team with historical background about the locations they’ve visited. One particular spot the dark-skinned man introduced them was the Valley of Kings- an archaeological site where popular Egyptian kings were buried.

While you and Jotaro showed interest in his voluntary history lessons, he doubted the others were as equally so. The old man wouldn’t stop pacing around even if they were idle. Polnareff would rather chat with any nearby locals and be distracted by almost anything that wasn’t Avdol’s information dump. Iggy… well… he was a mutt with an attitude. Did he expect that little menace to absorb anything the Egyptian was saying?

No. The fact that Jotaro considered the dog was dumb to begin with.

“Hey, Avdol!” The entire group turned to Joseph. “I really need to tinkle! Know any toilets around this place?”

Of course, the senior citizen has to pee. “Didn’t you already piss back at the hotel, old man?” Jotaro said, rolling his eyes, while Avdol supplied him with an actual answer.

“There’s one that we just passed by. It’s the singular outhouse by the valley’s walls. You’ll see it when you see it Mr. Joestar.” Joseph turned back to see if he could spot the structure from his current spot. “Oh, and take someone with you as backup just in case of an ambush.”

“Uh… Polnareff?”

“Woah now, hold on,” the Frenchman said. “I know I like to relieve myself as much as our old friend here, but I do have to ask if the toilets here are somewhat… good? Functioning even-”

“Pol.” Whatever the white-haired man had to say got cut off by your abrupt interruption. “Do you have to go to the big boy’s bathroom or not?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Then stop whining drama queen and piss,” Jotaro continued on your behalf.

“Alright, alright,” Polnareff pouted and started to walk to Joseph’s side like a scolded child. “You two really can be direct with your words, huh? I’m still older than both of you by the way.” He and you shrugged in response and the Frenchman nodded wordlessly as he joined the old man on the trip to the outhouse.

While they were on their way, the others remained put and waited until the duo were done answering the call of nature. Avdol settled himself on one of the smaller rocks to meditate, Iggy sat by the same rock and lazed about, and the remaining two teenagers decided to roam around the area, never straying too far from the group.

“Hey Jotaro-ssi,” he looked at you. “We’re so close now. Can’t you believe it?”

Jotaro paused and stared at you, comprehending what you just said. Close? Well… of course. It’s only natural for us to be closer than when we first met. Isn’t that the whole point of spending time with each other and shit?

At that thought, he shied away from your gaze and couldn’t stop the tinge of warmth growing in his cheeks, but he had to respond or it’d be obvious. And god forbid if it came off as obvious. “I… yeah. Yeah, guess I can…”

“We’re so close to Cairo. All those days of travel and it’ll take one more day until we get to the capital! And we can finally put all this Stand fuckery behind us,” you chuckled. “At least, with the whole fighting others with Stands thing. We can’t exactly get rid of our ghost pals.”

Oh. That type of close. He fumed harder at himself for misinterpreting your words. Still battling with his embarrassment, the delinquent tipped his hat over his face in a vain attempt to hide his most likely reddened cheeks. “Sure…”

And of course, you’d pick up on his sudden bashfulness with a teasing coo. “Hm? What’s wrong? Do I see pink in your face?”

“Shut up.”

Like that ever worked on you. You smirked and fully turned in his direction, arms behind your back as you stepped closer to him with a playful type of predatory gait. Much like how you had approached him outside his house when you wanted to come on this journey to Egypt. “Why? I’m just asking. You never know- you might’ve caught an infection from your wound.”

With every step you took, his heart thudded harder in his chest. Not that you’d know any of that when his stone-faced expression is still plastered on his face, but damnit all… you made it hard for him to keep it up with that smug smile you had. He was already near the rocky wall and he’s not going to step back any further.

Jotaro stood his ground and forced himself to return your gaze with his stoicism, feigning a scowl to make it somewhat convincing. “I’m fine and I already told you my stab wound’s already healing.”

“Okay, but there’s nothing wrong in making a reassessment to make sure,” you said and took two more steps toward him. This time, his foot made that step back as his chest started to beat quicker and his cheeks to heat up further. You smiled up at him with a feline-like tilt of your head.

Again, the delinquent let out another one of his annoyed grumbling to get you to stop and spare his heart from bursting out of his chest. Fortunately, you did and stopped a few feet away from him. “You really do like being a menace, huh?”

“Can you blame me? You’re fun to tease.”

He scoffed despite finding your interactions amusing. “Just because I’m choosing to walk around with you doesn’t make you any less of a pain in my ass.”

You nodded with a pout, looking downcast. “Oh, of course, I’m well aware. My bad…” But just as he thought your teasing was over, that smirk returned. “But you aren’t exactly doing anything about it now, are you?”

Fuck. “You… ” He said with a grumble, scowling past his fuming cheeks. You remained unbothered by his punk facade and smiled.

“Yes? Got something to say? I’m all ears.”

Jotaro did have something to say but all it took for his words to fail him was you leaning close to him out of the blue in the middle of his thoughts. His heart skipped a beat and in another subconscious act, he took another step back until he made contact with the rocks behind-

“Agh!” He exclaimed as a zap of electricity shot through his shoulder, shocking him momentarily before he pulled away in an instant. “The hell?”

You stopped with your playful antics and switched for genuine concern as you drew away from him. “Oh my god, did I push it too far?”

Jotaro shook his head, rubbing the affected area of his shoulder. “It wasn’t you. It’s…” He looked back to see what caused that tiny spark. There behind him was an oddly placed electric outlet with one socket. “This?”

He stepped aside for you to see as well. “Who would install an outlet in the middle of this place?” You said. “This place isn’t a resting spot; from a practical standpoint, it’s installed way too high up for anything to be plugged in.”

Was it always there when we got here? Jotaro furrowed his brows, trying to remember if it was the case.

Just then, the faint voices of a complaining elderly American and a whining Frenchman came within their earshot. “Mr. Joestar and Pol’s back. We should return to the guys and step away from that faulty installation.”

The delinquent glared at the outlet accusingly once more, before giving up and sighing. “Fine.” He shoved his hands into his pant pockets and joined you on the way back.

However, as minute as it was, he could still feel the lingering aftershocks from his shoulder.

---

One history lesson and a failed attempt at a satisfying pee session later, the group collectively decided to make a quick stop at a nearby open cafe to discuss what to do next as the sun started to set.

You weren’t one to pass up on a group discussion so while your delinquent friend chose to stand nearby, you pulled a chair from another table and took up a space beside Polnareff.

“We could make it to Cairo in two days, but we're all compromised. Why don't we spend tonight and tomorrow in Luxor to take a break?” Avdol said.

“We should! Since we got to Egypt, our enemies have been getting stronger,” Polnareff said in return, groaning more from being tired than frustrated. “We've just barely been winning. Hell, we’d all be probably dead if it weren’t for Y/N's Stand getting us out of big trouble.“

“I agree. While I don’t mind protecting ourselves, I’d appreciate it if everyone could at least take a breather so our minds can rest. Maybe in that way, we can fight this new batch of enemies with better strategies than just simply facing them head-on,” you said, earning the group’s collective nod of agreement.

“Speaking of dealing with our foes head-on,” Pol craned over his shoulder to look at the delinquent still standing in the same spot, picking something off his sleeves. “Hey, Jotaro! We all agreed to take a mini rest day. I already know you’ll agree to it too but I’m just letting you know, pal!”

You turned to look at him also noticing the repetitive action from your fellow teenager, but you kept your attention on what he was picking that made him scowl with irritation- Coins, discarded bottle caps, safety pins, etc. In the background, the radio had switched from tunes to static.

“Mr. Joestar, are you feeling alright?” At Avdol’s question, you and Polnareff returned their attention to the older adult currently grasping the wrist of his prosthetic hand, which seemed to twitch involuntarily in the case that he wasn’t pranking them.

“I-I’m okay. I probably didn’t calibrate the joints in this bad boy enough.” The elderly man clenched his artificial fist and stood. “Enough of that, let’s find ourselves a hotel for now.” You and the others nodded, standing after him.

Heading out, you waited for the others to go first before you approached Jotaro. On his back, a couple of stray caps stuck to his gakuran. “You seem preoccupied,” you said as you plucked the items off his clothes.

“You think?” He said, dripping with monotone sarcasm. “Let’s just head to that hotel. I want to take a nap.” You gestured for him to go ahead so you could follow close behind.

However, as they passed by a nearby man working on carpentry, you heard the person cry out in pain the further they got away from him. You paused and turned around only to see a hammer flying straight at the clueless delinquent.

Jotaro could only notice what had happened once Silent Sanctuary swiftly caught the hammer by its handle a couple of inches away from colliding with his head. He stared at the object with surprise and drifted his gaze to you with gratitude.

“What? Did you hit your fingers?” Polnareff said. You returned your focus to the source and found the same carpenter hunched on the ground, crying with pain as he clutched the area near his cheek, whose skin was badly punctured by the three nails in his mouth. “Be more careful!”

While the Frenchman berated the poor guy, the hammer held in your Stand’s cloth continued to push against its hold, strongly drawn to the delinquent as it wobbled. You watched it do so with curiosity and he did too with you. Either way, the group left the man to his injuries and headed back to the city.

You stepped past the many locals, keeping close to the delinquent’s side. One of them lightly bumped against your shoulder and with an apology ready, you turned to look at the said person- a white-haired woman in a red hood, black skirt and leggings, and red shoes.

She didn’t look back at you or say anything, but you did your part and went about your day.

As the afternoon came to a close and evening took its place in the sky, the team managed to find a standard hotel and much like their time in Singapore, Mr. Joestar booked enough rooms for 3 pairs with the same room assignments.

The second you and Jotaro unlocked the door to your room, you spoke up first. “Alright, both of us can agree that there’s something wrong with you or at least something’s happening around you, right?”

“Bottle cap and spare change sticking to my pants and uniform isn’t exactly normal. Then there was that hammer wanting to hit me.” He groaned, crossing his arms. “I just recovered from a stab wound and life decides that a concussion should be next to my list of grievances.”

You huffed, smirking. “Who could’ve guessed inanimate objects would take a liking to you too?” You said even as stared at you pointedly. “Giving your posse of fan girls a run for their money.”

Jotaro scoffed, rolling his eyes. “The flying tools weren’t noisy or obnoxious. There’s that at least.”

Both of you stepped inside and almost immediately, the lights flickered and several small items began to shake from their spot. “It’s happening again…” You walked further in and eyed the metal jar decor that slowly inched off the bedside table. “It’s only affecting specific objects.”

With one glance at each other, you reached for the jar and held it firmly in your hands. Between your palms, the decor pushed against your grasp towards the direction of your fellow teenager. He cocked his head and stepped into a different location only for the jar’s pull to follow him. Behind him, the smaller items had dragged themselves to him and stuck to any spot of his body.

All of which were made of metal.

“Magnets,” Jotaro said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Damnit, I became a human magnet. That explains the annoying things being glued to me. But how did this happen?”

“Do you think it had anything to do with the minor shock you got back at the Valley? You know, with the out-of-place outlet?” You replied.

He frowned as he reached over to rub his shoulder where he got briefly electrocuted. “Maybe. Nothing else was strange but that random socket.” He narrowed his eyes. “Was that a Stand?”

“Can Stands come in the form of mundane, inanimate objects?”

“… Did you forget the ship? The car? The damn sun?”

“I said mundane, genius,” you retorted. “If that’s the case, then should we be concerned for everything now? We’re not safe around people, animals, and now random things in this place.”

Jotaro sighed, sitting down on his side of the bed with his hat over his eyes and his back against the headboard. “I can’t be bothered to think about whatever I have going on tonight. I just want to get some sleep.”

You sat next to him, tucking your legs underneath the sheets. “You do know I’ll start talking your ears off tomorrow the second I wake up in the morning.”

“It’s nothing new.” He looked at you. “You always talk my ears off when you get the chance.”

“But you’ve gotten used to it, haven’t you?” You scooted closer to him until your shoulders touched. “I’m surprised you haven’t snapped back at me for my never-ending speeches or dismissed me at any point of this trip.”

The delinquent kept his focus on you, searching your face as his mind looked for the words to say in return. He averted his gaze away shortly after and said, “Like I said, your constant talking isn’t anything new…”

“Not even a single ‘bitch’ for me?”

He pressed his lips into a firm line, his body tensing for a split second before he answered with a quiet, “… No.”

You quirked an eyebrow at his sentiment, a small playful smile growing on your face. “Oh? What’s this? Has the menacing delinquent done a quick introspection? Never expected that in my bingo card.”

“Shut up, woman.”

You let out a huff, still smiling. “Close enough.” You puffed out both your pillows and made yourself comfortable against the mattress. “I suggest you lie down completely unless you wanna wake up with an aching back.” Jotaro nodded and let Star Platinum switch the ceiling lights off as he rested his back on the sheets, his head on the pillows, and an arm laid open.

“The first thing we’re doing tomorrow is finding a solution to your magnet problem…,” you muttered, words slurring as you grew sleepy. Subconsciously, you inched yourself closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder. “Before we… move on to… Cairo…”

“Mm.” He hummed as his arm wrapped itself around your back. “Sounds good…”

---

The first thing you and Jotaro did the morning after Polnareff woke and nagged the whole group to breakfast outside their windows was what you had said to him: Find the source of his magnetism and figure out the person behind it.

But where do we start? Do we return to the Valley of the Kings to find that outlet or skip that and track the user? How though? It could literally be anyone. Your mind paced a million times over trying to figure out what to do. What’s our game plan here?

“You know you don’t need to stress this much, right?” The delinquent said, perched on the edge of his bed watching you walk back and forth. “I’m the one affected. Not you. We also have to eat…”

“I know that but who knows what could happen if we just let this slide any longer?” You replied. “There’s always a catch with this type of stuff. What could be harmless at first could become a threat down the line; so we should come up with a solution to this at least and then we can do the other not-so-threatening things next.”

He crossed his arms. “How harmful could it possibly get?”

“You’re gonna risk finding out?” He shrugged and you sighed. “Of course, you would. You know what? Fine. Let’s join Pol and the others for breakfast then I can return to stressing the fuck out.”

“Again… You don’t have to-”

“Alright then!” You clapped your hands once and headed for the door. You turned to look over your shoulder and smiled. “Food first, plan later!”

Jotaro rolled his eyes and stood to follow you out, only to get hit in the back by the nearby metal chair. He grunted and looked back with an irritated scowl. Once he faced forward again, you were there staring at him with a cocked brow and a face that screamed “I told you so.”

“Don’t.” You gave him one cocky glance over before proceeding out onto the hallway.

Your point only got proven even more as both of you walked down the area. The magnetism of his body had managed to cause a scene with three elderly women and the metal embellishments of their skirts, all of which had both of you intervene quickly with you providing appropriate apologies and him turning away to avoid peeking any senior undergarments.

Things only got worse as the nearby idle room service trolleys started reacting to his presence. He caught onto the noise of cutlery growing louder and not a minute later, he spotted a collection of steel forks and table knives flying straight in their direction. “Y/N. Run.” He grabbed your wrist and bolted with you tugged behind him.

You caught onto the problem and as soon as the kitchenware reached close enough, Sanctuary acted accordingly and shot out a wide strip of rose gold fabric to shield both of you from getting impaled. However, as you were about to round the corner, more cutlery flew through the air at alarming speeds in front of you.

Star Platinum’s precise barrage was the next to deflect the incoming forks and knives. With the way cleared, he increased his speed and ran out of the hotel hallway before any other kitchenware could find his location.

Eventually, you reached the hotel’s escalator leading down to the lobby and Jotaro ushered you to go first. You did and he trailed behind you. “Damnit. I hate that you’re right. Whatever magnet crap I’ve found myself in got worse.”

“I’d love to show off my smug laugh but we should deal with this first. Come on.” You couldn’t wait for the machinery to bring you to the ground floor so you continued to walk down the moving stairs, but another grunt caused you to turn back to see the delinquent stuck on the escalator’s steel steps, both feet and hands glued to its surface.

“Shit,” he cursed, struggling to get up. Star’s hands manifested to at least help push him up. “I lost my damn balance, now this?!”

You were about to help him but as soon as your back was turned, several strings with metal beads flew past you and further ensnared his body against the steps, wrapping around him with its thin strands and making Star’s efforts useless.

Someone rushed down the escalator steps and you quickly turned around to see a familiar red-hooded woman reach the bottom floor with a few of the same strings hung loosely around her waist.

The Stand user. “Hey!”

“Y/N!” You snapped your attention back to your companion, still struggling to free himself to no avail. At the same time, the woman weaved her way into the forming crowd. Damnit. “It’s getting too tight. I… I have to-” His words got cut off as Star’s fist readied to smash the machine he was stuck on.

“No, don’t!” You exclaimed. “You’ll just make more debris and be buried in them. I’ll look for the emergency stop.”

“Then you better hurry. I’m getting too close to the ground floor.”

You quickly reached the bottom steps and stepped to the side. There near the steps was the red button with the words “In case of an emergency” written around it. You pressed it without a moment’s hesitation and the escalator began slowing down, and just as the delinquent reached the bottom floor, the steps stopped.

Star Platinum went to work immediately and pulled off the strings that entangled his user’s body, tossing the freed strands far off into the distance and away from his magnetic field. His hands detached from the steel and ignoring the onlooking locals, you reached out to grab them and helped pull him up.

And as if a switch had been flipped, the magnetic force in his feet disappeared completely. He staggered forward and in turn, you lost balance and stumbled back onto the nearby statue, hands flailing to find something to grab onto.

As your palm found a solid surface, you yelped and recoiled immediately as a tiny zap of electricity shot through your hand. To your misfortune, the same bizarre outlet made itself known again. In that same second, you could feel the air grow tense around you with an invisible “pull”.

“Y/N,” he called out. “You okay?”

You raised a hand to stop him from approaching. “I’m fine but I got zapped too.” You stepped aside to reveal the Stand. “Guess you don’t have the right to say I have to relax, hm?” He cursed under his breath. “But what’s done is done. I saw the lady responsible for this whole mess and if I were to guess, she might still be nearby if her Stand’s here.”

Jotaro nodded and with you taking the lead, both of you pushed past the surrounding people and out the hotel’s entrance. “What did she look like?”

“White hair. Red hood. Black skirt. Red shoes,” you said as you surveyed the streets for the target. “She sort of stands out among the rest. You’ll see her when you see her.”

“Already did,” the delinquent said with Star’s crystal clear gaze fixed eastward. “She’s standing by that building’s entrance watching us from the distance.”

You acknowledged his report and made a move toward her only to find out your wrist had attached itself to Jotaro’s arm. “Now this?” He looked at their joint limbs and back at you. You groaned and continued running. “Whatever. Let’s just get to her. Is she still at the same spot?”

There was no resistance from him as he followed your footsteps, wrists still glued to each other. “She’s making a run for it.” He scoffed next. “But it’s more like she’s going for a casual jog by the looks of it. Like she’s taunting us.”

You breached past several more locals and made it to a small empty street where the woman currently was, her pace unhurried and brisk. Oh, she has the audacity to treat us like toys? Not even taking this seriously? For some reason, that fueled an inner level of petty you never knew you had and led you to sprint even faster.

Sanctuary acted on your command and manifested several of her silk fabrics, intending to bind the enemy user. However, you could spot the grin on her lips as she threw back a large pouch of bolts in your direction. You came to an abrupt halt and diverted the fabrics back to serve as a shield.

Just as you thought you were in the clear, several windows shattered all around the pair, and out flew batches of metal crafts, furniture, and electrical components. Instinctively, you and Jotaro huddled close to each other as both your Stands deflected and blocked the incoming projectiles, with Silent Sanctuary forming an arc on your side while Star Platinum released one of his barrages.

Then there was the car that pushed the teenagers down the empty street and against the wooden fences at the edge. You had his Stand to thank for taking the brunt of the vehicle’s hit while you had your Stand to thank for cushioning the impact against the wood.

When the dust settled, the woman was gone.

And to your late realization, your back pressed against the delinquent’s unable to detach without placing greater effort. “Great. Just great.”

“If you’re right, then she’s still close by. We can search around and deal with her properly then,” he said.

“Uh excuse me, are you forgetting something?” You looked back at him with a deadpan. “Do you want to go looking for her like this? What maneuver shall we use: Crab style or carrying-me-around-like-your-backpack style?” You retorted.

“Shut up and let me try something.” You threw your hands as he turned both of you so he held the fence, while Star hovered out of him and grasped both your arms. “Run a few feet away immediately at the count of three. One. Two…” And with one loud “Ora”, the Stand yanked your body off his and set you down as far as it could reach.

Following his instructions, you immediately ran a couple of feet away as soon as your feet touched the ground. For a second, his plan worked and he turned to see the outcome, but the strong magnetic pull returned not too long after and you yelped the second time as you were flung back to Jotaro’s magnetic field.

Jotaro caught you with a grunt, staggering back a few steps as his arms encircled you. You opened your eyes and found yourself back against his body, this time in a more intimate position with your front glued to his. “So, your plan worked… until it didn’t.”

He said nothing in return, looking away from you with hints of red dusting his cheeks underneath the shade of his hat. You puffed your cheeks as you pulled away enough so you could plant your chin on his chest with traces of warmth present on your face. “Oh come on. This isn’t the first time you held me this close.”

“That… That was different…”

“Was it though?” You hummed. Despite their current situation, you couldn’t help but tease him for a bit by raising your hand to tip his hat. “And we both know we’re used to close proximity like this by this point.”

“But let’s put our game face on because like you said, we can still track her down if my theory’s right.” Jotaro glanced down at you this time and with one look at your determined smile, he nodded with stoic, tinted cheeks. “We need some sort of plan though. Clearly, chasing her won’t do us any good if she anticipates it.”

By that time, a group of curious children had gathered to see the two 17-year-old teenagers seemingly get all close and cuddly in front of their eyes. “We should discuss whatever you have in mind somewhere more private then,” the delinquent said under his breath.

“Ah…” You looked over at your new audience. “Right. Can we at least change positions to something more manageable? Walk-wise? Unless you want to carry me.”

Jotaro made a low sound of agreement and through several, awkward attempts to move against the magnetic pull that may or may not have involved “suggestive” movements, you found yourself in a more… appropriate hold with your back against his chest.

“You lead the way this time.”

He nodded and took a step forward. You moved with him. “Ah, good grief. We better have a way to beat her by the time we get there…”

“Don’t worry. I think I have something in mind.”

---

An hour had passed since then and with a plan now up their sleeves, they ventured out once more and encountered the Stand user lounging by the walls, arrogant as usual with a cigarette in one hand and the other hidden behind her back.

“Look who’s back,” she said, casually turning to the pair. “Had fun being glued to each other, hm?”

“Cut the bullshit bit-”

She groaned and dropped her used stick to the ground. “It’s Mariah. You could’ve asked for my name before calling me other terms, boy.”

“I don’t know if you know this Mariah,” you started, making sure you enunciated her name out loud. “But we don’t give a damn what we call you. I could call you a derogatory slur for siding and believing a human leech with a petty grudge, but I’m more classy than that.”

Jotaro huffed at your blunt words, though from their talks during spare time, you did suggest using a variety of other unsavory terms for their enemies out of the fun of it, ranging from “ass licking cuck” to “cock sucking pussy”- both of which were two words more than his go-to token “bitch” and a string of words he did not expect coming from you.

There was a slight twitch to Mariah’s eye and a subtle frown to her otherwise smug expression but she sneered at you to make up for her break in character. “You’re talking big for a high school teenager. Why don’t you start chasing me down and attack me again using that Stand of yours instead of wasting time with your annoying little chatter?”

“How about you strike first this time so you could have a turn?” You said. “It’s only fair game and justifies this trial of yours once we beat you to a pulp when we’re done.”

Mariah let out a snort before bursting into laughter. “Fair game? Trial? What are you, a judge?” She continued, mocking. “You two going to give me a death sentence, hm?”

“I’m just saying; you want a turn or not? Because I know you know my Stand can easily catch you, lady.”

She narrowed her eyes at both of you and in the next minute, she smirked and stayed put with her free hand on her hip. “I don’t think I want to. Keep those turns for yourself. Not like it matters.”

“Okay,” you shrugged. “Your loss.”

A strip of Silent Sanctuary’s cloth shot out of you and darted straight to Mariah. Expecting it, she grinned and tossed a switchblade she held behind her up into the air, cutting through the electrical cables above her. Due to both of your magnetic fields, the loose wires immediately curved and flew straight to the two teenagers.

But you were prepared.

The second Mariah threw the blade, Star Platinum launched off a sizable rock hidden behind Jotaro toward and over the woman. Wrapped around it was another one of Sanctuary’s fabric strips. As a result, your body detached itself from the delinquent and went flying together with the rock.

He rushed forward to strengthen his magnetic field, drawing the cables away from you and towards him instead. At close range, Star snatched every stray wire and held it firm in one gloved fist.

Still caught off guard by the sudden toss, Mariah stood in the middle of whatever the two had plotted with a frustrated frown, trying to come up with anything to flee. But, as you said, your Stand could easily catch her. Once mid-air, Sanctuary launched several strips of silk toward the red-hooded woman rapidly, binding her arms and torso.

The second you hit the ground, cushioned by your Stand’s spare fabrics, Sanctuary lifted Mariah off the dirt. It spun her round and round until it built up enough centrifugal force to launch her toward the delinquent.

Jotaro held his hat over his eyes as his Stand hovered before him, and with his signature battle cry, Star Platinum landed one heavy jab at the enemy Stand user, followed by his trademark fist barrage. With one last uppercut, Star sent her battered body back in the air.

He intended it to end there considering how crippled and incapacitated she was, but you apparently had other plans as a strip of rose gold quickly caught Mariah while airborne, and with no time wasted, her body flung into a large upward arc. With enough momentum, Silent Sanctuary finished the fight by slamming her to the ground as hard as she did with Steely Dan.

With the enemy Stand user dealt with, the tense magnetic air surrounding him dissipated as her Stand ability became null as its user.

You walked over to Jotaro and went over to the shallow crater where Mariah lay defeated and unconscious. “Defendant,” From the inner crevices of his soul, he pocketed one hand and tipped his hat saying, ”With the jury’s verdict, you are hereby declared guilty…”

He subtly glanced at you, wanting you to come up with something to close his quip. However, knowing how silly his one-liners were for you, he might as well come up with something to finish it himself.

To his surprise, you beckoned him to lean over, only for you to snatch the hat off his head and wear it on yours.

Then, copying his stance, you placed a hand on your hip and tipped his hat over your eyes, holding one side of his hat’s visor. With one smooth sweep of your fingers across its edge, you turned your body together with the movement and stared down at the fallen enemy with your closing remark:

“Court adjourned.”

That was… Jotaro stared at you with wide eyes, his cheeks heating up at an alarming pace. I… He honestly did not expect you to join him in this otherwise dorky gesture, more so within a minute. But as you did so with his motif, his chest raced a million miles a minute and his stomach fluttered with butterflies he never knew he had.

You knew what you did and you didn’t hide it with the way you smiled slyly up at him. You removed the hat and placed it back on his head. He didn’t even realize he hadn’t moved since you made your ending statement. “Let’s check up on Mr. Joestar and the others and get some brunch while we’re at it.” With a playful pat on his shoulder, you went on your way.

Still reeling, he straightened up and held his face as he willed the blush from his cheeks to go away before the others saw him. Especially Polnareff.

“Come on!” You called out from a distance. Jotaro took a deep breath and with his cheeks cooled down significantly, he turned to follow you. “Hurry! I heard a window get smashed nearby!”

"Can... Can you say that again?"

"Absolutely not."

You and Jotaro ran to the sound of commotion from the street nearby and upon arrival, they were greeted by a young man with dark hair and bright blue eyes sprinting in their direction, holding two young boys dressed in oversized clothing in his arms. Behind them was an adult with a weird hairstyle and colored shades, wielding an axe and an oddly-shaped shadow with eyes.

Upon seeing the teenagers, the man made a panicked gesture to shoo them away. While they didn’t run away, they stopped in their tracks and watched. Wait a second. The delinquent narrowed his eyes at the people in front of them: The man himself wearing his grandfather’s clothes and the two children with him dressed in Polnareff’s get-up and Avdol’s robes.

We’re they- “Mr. Joestar?!” “Old man?!” You and he exclaimed simultaneously.

“Stay back, kiddos!” The man grinned and turned back to them, a youthful glint sparking in his eyes. He placed the much younger Frenchman and Egyptian down, both of which waddled behind him. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt this energized.” He cracked his knuckles dramatically and fizzled from his arms was an abundance of pure, channeled energy. Hamon.

“Joseph Joestar’s got this!”

---

Though the group planned to have yesterday be their break period, considering what had happened to both parties, their rest day was far from relaxing. From dealing with magnetic Stands to age-reverting ones, nothing had surprised them by this point.

But time waited for no one. By the time they aged back to normal and the following morning dawned upon them, the group progressed on their trip from Luxor to Cairo. According to the Foundation’s doctor, Kakyoin would stay behind for a few hours but would join them sometime late afternoon once his final check-up was done.

With a train ride and a drive down a couple of streets, they reached the capital at last. They began asking the locals yet again for the location of DIO’s headquarters using Mr. Joestar’s spirit pictures, starting from the outskirts of the city and working their way to the center.

Most of the day was spent with no progress and no news about the whereabouts of the vampire’s base and by the time afternoon came, the group was exhausted from both the constant questioning from people and the heat. Their search brought them to an open cafe where a handful of locals lounged and drank away from the desert heat.

You and the guys asked around and yet again, they provided no valuable information needed to progress their mission. That was until one of them spoke up claiming he knew where DIO was.

But with the way he presented himself with confidence as he played with his cards, you couldn’t help but be suspicious of his motives. Beside you, both Jotaro and Avdol shared the same stance.

Unfortunately, after losing to a 50/50 guessing game, your hunch was right once the group witnessed Polnareff’s soul get taken out of his body by the man before you named Daniel J. Darby, a professional gambler and the user of the Stand Osiris; and according to him, the only way to return the Frenchman’s soul was to beat him in any game.

Mr. Joestar was the first to challenge him with a game involving alcohol, coins, and breaking surface tension. If any of Jotaro’s and Avdol’s stories of the old man were right, then he should be able to use his tricks to beat Darby. You watched as they took turns dropping the coins into the full glass, your heart skipping a beat at every drop of the elder Joestar’s coins, and stayed nonchalant when he used a wet cotton to cheat.

Anything to beat the enemy after all.

However, by the end of the game, the notorious gambler lived up to his name and outsmarted the trickster Joestar at his game. The coin hadn’t dropped yet Osiris had managed to snatch his soul away and convert it into chips just like Polnareff.

By then, you looked among yourselves and pondered who should go next. As wise as he was, Avdol wouldn’t be able to face Darby with a steady mind considering how frequently his panic and neurosis were evident throughout their encounter with this enemy user.

While you were a confident person with no issues taking risks, you didn’t take pride in yourself when it came to any form of gambling. Never in your life would you imagine yourself playing a guessing game that would most likely be rigged against you which would end up losing more than you earned.

Which left the Jotaro to take the player’s seat.

In some way, it made sense despite the delinquent most likely never getting involved in any gambling. Among the three of you, he was the most calm and aloof when it came to high-risk situations like this, and with the game being Poker which involved a ton of bluffing and mental manipulation, you trusted him to beat Darby at his game with his wits.

With the keen eyes of Star Platinum, no card tricks and cheats would be utilized unless the adult wanted more broken fingers. Eventually, a kid was brought in to help deal the deck.

At first, the game was in favor of Darby with him having the better set than his opponent and thus is able to take half his soul chips, but in an unexpected turn of events once the next set of cards were distributed to both players, Jotaro never touched nor glanced at his cards.

You furrowed your brows with uncertainty, Avdol was on the brink of another panic session, and Darby became confused and frustrated on why the delinquent refused to look at his hand.

Instead of playing his hand, he opted to play in a competition on who got to raise the highest pot. On his turn, he wagered both Avdol and Kakyoin’s souls into the game, placing two stacks of six white chips alongside his remaining three. The gambler smirked and evened the bet with both Polnareff’s and Mr. Joestar’s souls.

But he wasn’t done because, on his next raise, Jotaro glanced at you briefly with an indescribable gaze before pulling out a new stack of white chips, wagering your soul next which unnerved the master gambler. Naturally, you were anxious knowing your life was on the line, but then again, when was it not?

At this rate, you could tell the cogs began to run full time in Darby’s mind, constantly doubting and growing paranoid about the situation at hand, more so after the delinquent showcased Star Platinum’s speed via a quick lighting of his cigarette and the sudden appearance of a cold drink.

The final nail in the coffin was yet another raise from the stoic teenager, placing a new stack on the table as he wagered his mother’s soul. Everyone was appalled, you included. Is he this confident that his cards are great? Did Star do something? On Holly’s behalf, your chest tightened with anxiety, and beads of sweat rolled down your temple.

This meant Darby needed to even the pot with something of equal value to two stacks of soul chips such as, as cleverly suggested by Jotaro, the secrets to DIO’s Stand. At that, Darby noticeably panicked having found himself trapped in a corner. With added pressure from the delinquent’s rising voice, the adult trembled from where he stood.

The audience waited with bated breath for his next move. You kept your hands clenched on your lap still trusting in his plan, Avdol began hyperventilating together with the kid dealer, and the man stayed frozen in his spot as his hair turned gray, unable to make that final decision.

In the end, Daniel J. Darby ended up losing in spirit before he could say “call”.

And now with the adult out of commission, all the souls he had stolen were set free, including Polnareff’s and Joseph’s as they were spirited back into their bodies.

Avdol went over to check what the teenager’s cards were and with you joining him, your heart momentarily stopped while the Egyptian beside you keeled over on the verge of passing out.

Jotaro’s hand was trash- no pairs and all cards being among the lowest values of the deck. I could’ve died for real. We all could’ve died. You knew the game was rigged in one way or another since Poker was the gambler’s favored activity, but knowing he was defeated regardless gave off another level of relief upon yourself and admiration toward the delinquent.

“Well, now we can’t ask him that question now, can we?” Mr. Joestar said, looking down at the currently giggling man twitching on the floor. “Let’s head out. The Speedwagon Foundation must have brought Kakyoin in by now.”

“Oh, goody!” Pol said excitedly. “Perfect timing too! I saw this cool place with a bunch of gals and games and I really want to drag him there-”

“Are you seriously going to spend your time doing that instead of asking around where DIO could be, Polnareff?” Avdol said in return, composing himself after nearly passing out a minute ago. “Miss Holly’s life is still on the line. A crucial line at that.”

“I mean I was planning to do that by night because I’m sure most people would be at home, right? And if that wasn’t enough, Kakyoin and I could ask more people while we hang out,” Polnareff grinned. “We get to have some time and we might have more chances for any information about DIO’s HQ. Sounds like a plan, eh?”

Mr. Joestar whacked the Frenchman by the back of his head. “Whatever Polnareff.” Other than their minor squabble, the three older members of the group went on ahead. You smiled and shook your head, wanting to join them.

But you paused in your tracks as something light tugged at you from behind. You turned to look over your shoulder to see a hand holding onto the fabric of your uniform top and you trailed further up until you met Jotaro’s averted, almost-shy gaze. “Something wrong?”

He said nothing as he dropped his hand only to step forward until his chest pressed up against your back. “Jot- oh!” You squeaked a bit when the delinquent suddenly tucked his chin on your head, wrapping his arms around you from behind as he slouched over you. “You alright?”

“Quiet,” he answered gruffly but you didn’t need his response for an answer. You felt his heart pound rapidly in his chest, his breathing coming out in deep stutters, and his hands shaking from where it overlapped over you. Your eyes softened and you leaned back against him, reaching up to hold his trembling hands with yours.

Like Avdol and yourself, he was just as terrified as you were; scared of the idea of his plan not working and sacrificing everyone’s lives in vain.

“Do you want to keep holding me as we walk? Or should I give you a minute to calm down?”

His arms tightened around you and his cheek pressed itself on your head. “Keep walking… we don’t want to lose track of the old man…”

You huffed and patted his hand, smiling. “Okay.”

---

Evening came by earlier than they had anticipated.

By the time they arrived at their hotel, Kakyoin was there waiting patiently in the lobby. Once the doors opened to the group, he turned around and approached them with a welcoming smile. Last Jotaro saw him, his eyes were bandaged but without them, he saw the vertical scars over and under both his eyes.

“Nice battle scars Nori,” you said with a warm smile of your own as you walked over to give him a friendly pat on the arm. “Good to know your eyesight’s still functioning.”

“You’re right,” Kakyoin chuckled. “Still being able to see is great, but it’s not so great to be sensitive to light from now on.”

You shrugged. “It’s a small price to pay. I believe you’ll adjust to it in no time.”

“You’re sensitive to light now?” Polnareff said with a pout beginning to form on his face. “But… But I had plans…”

All three teenagers turned to the Frenchman quizzically. “Plans? Like what?” Kakyoin said in return.

“Hey everyone,” Joseph called out. “Avdol and I will be booking the rooms again with the usual assignments, but a little while after, we’re going to talk over drinks about our plan moving forward.”

“Time’s running short so we’re going to prepare ahead of time just in case we find DIO’s headquarters as early as tomorrow,” Avdol said in continuation. “Anyone care to join us?”

Jotaro couldn’t care less about any of that and would rather act on the spot, but you heard the invitation and immediately chimed in with a quick “I will”.

At this point, he’s not going to deny being disappointed when you decided to be in the grown-up discussion group. He wanted to offer to take another of their casual stroll down the evening streets but apparently, you attended to other plans.

You looked up at him, questioning if he wanted to go with you and he slowly shook his head. You nodded and headed over to the two adults and walked away in the direction of the front desk, leaving him with the boy who had cherries for earrings and a guy with a penchant to do some fuck shit.

“With them on their way, what was it again about your plans? Kakyoin said. “You seemed very eager to talk about it.”

At the mention of nightly plans, Polnareff grinned with that excited gleam in his eyes. “About that! I had a little chat with Mr. Joestar and Avdol about us hanging out tonight! I figured if we’re going to go all out starting tomorrow, might as well have this night for ourselves!”

And some fuck shit it was.

“Oh a night out,” the red-haired teenager said. “That… seems nice. I’d like to do something fun once in a while. What do you have in mind?”

The Frenchman chuckled and slung his arm over Kakyoin’s shoulder. “Oh buddy let me tell you. On the way here, I’ve already spotted a ton of areas we could go to. There’s a nearby arcade with a bunch of games you told me about coupled with similar stuff of that genre. There’s also a bookstore down the street that I could’ve sworn had some of your favorite manga being shown for display.”

“Did you manage to find any VHS stores too? I’ve been wanting to add something to my soon-to-buy list for when I get back.”

“I was about to mention that yes,” Pol said. “There was indeed a VHS store near the arcade. I’m sure we can browse their catalog with something that will interest you.”

“Including the latest releases like The Lost Boys and Full Metal Jacket?”

“You bet your ass, my cherry-licking friend.”

Kakyoin beamed at Polnareff’s eager statement. “You’re quite the persuasive one, aren’t you? Because I’m becoming more interested in joining you.”

Jotaro watched the both of them chat like old-time pals, waiting for his time to insert his opinions on all this. This talk of hanging out for tonight and not once had the Frenchman turned to Jotaro for his input. It seemed like his plans were intended solely for him and Kakyoin only with the way he kept being buddy-buddy with the other teenager in the room. He bit back a scoff and resisted rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Aren’t you forgetting someone, asshole? As if sensing the negative vibe radiating from the delinquent, Polnareff finally turned to him with a cocked brow. “Aha! Looks like someone’s being grumpy today.”

“You think?” Jotaro said, his irritation unfiltered.

The Frenchman walked over to him and placed both hands on his shoulders with a sigh. “Jotaro, my cigarette-smoking little brother, I really do want to include you in our nightly exploration but I’m gonna have to seat you out on this one buddy.”

“And why the hell would you do that?”

“You see, in addition to all the aforementioned locations I shared, I actually intend to divulge our cherry friend here with some juicy Polnareff secret techniques on the way.”

“Secret… techniques?” Kakyoin asked in the background.

At that, Pol grinned and said, “I intend to teach him the ways of talking to the lady folk, and not just the getting to know them phase of it, but including the whole consistency of keeping it close with them for the long run.”

The red-haired teenager choked on his spit. “What?”

Oh, hell no. Almost immediately, Jotaro shrugged off the Frenchman’s hands off his shoulders with a deadpan expression. The action only made him smile wider as he raised his hands in surrender. “I told you. You wouldn’t like it.” He looked over at Kakyoin. “I mean, why would I give the basics to a lady killer like our delinquent friend over here?”

“Hey,” Jotaro grumbled.

“Ah my bad, monsieur. What I meant to say was why would I teach the basics of finding love when Mr. Bad Boy already had set his eyes on one?”

Polnareff glanced over at Kakyoin, who got the memo and smirked after him. “You’re making all the convincing points tonight, Pol.”

Between the two of them snickering to themselves, Jotaro’s cheeks fumed at the blatant observation made. How did they- why would he- “You… you…”

“Now, now.” The Frenchman slung his arm over the delinquent’s shoulders, this time making sure the latter didn’t shrug him off. “Don’t try to deny it. As a citizen of the City of Love, I can tell who’s after who just by a couple of tells and some signs here and there.”

What he wanted now was to bury himself in the dirt, never to reappear while they were here. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“It’s really obvious,” Kakyoin said. “Even I can see something is going on between you two.”

“Now, even if I can’t offer you the beginner’s guide to love,” Polnareff said next. “What I can offer are some words of advice on how to officially get the girl~”

“What do you-”

“Confess. He means a confession,” Kakyoin supplied succinctly.

His face grew a couple of degrees warmer as he glared at the grinning adult. “Fuck off.”

Much like you, the Frenchman continued with his speech regardless. “Alright listen up. The way to ensure guarantee in sealing the deal to her heart is to find somewhere secluded that’s also scenic.” Jotaro kept silent, admittedly listening to whatever he had in mind. “And then-”

Pol pulled away only to splay his arms wide open and break out in the most dramatic way of giving advice. “You proudly speak your heart out and say ‘Je n’arrete pas de penser a toi ma cherie!’ Then the fireworks explode, the crowds burst into applause, and the musicians start playing in the back-”

The delinquent whacked him firmly behind the head before he could spill more nonsense into the air. “Shut up. Your ramblings are going nowhere.”

“Since he’s been projecting too much of his ideal date, let me pitch an idea that could work for the likes of us more… reserved folks,” the other teenager piped in as the the Frenchman rubbed his head. “Pol’s right in one thing and that’s the seclusion. When you get there, you could start by easing your way into confession by opening a casual conversation. Only when you both are settled in good spirits you start telling her honestly about what you’re feeling towards her.”

“After all, nothing’s more genuine than simply saying the truth.”

Polnareff stared at Kakyoin with surprise and awe. “You know your stuff.”

“I don’t actually. I was just saying some stuff out of my head based on common courteous practices.”

“Both of you, look at me.” The delinquent’s voice brought both their attention back to him, who was least pleased about being the subject of their conversation. “Do I look like I’m able to do whatever the hell you just mentioned?” Neither replied. “Also, why are we even talking about this? Aren’t you two supposed to go out on your nightly escapades or whatever the fuck you said it was?”

“Because I mentioned about picking up ladies and said you couldn’t come because you’re already crushing on-”

“I’m not- Shut up!”

“Jotaro-ssi!” On cue, his heart skipped a bit at the sound of your voice. Everyone turned their attention to you by the stairs. “Mr. Joestar managed to convince maintenance to open the rooftop. You should come check it out!”

He quickly composed himself with a cough and nodded, standing more upright and pocketing his hands to at least keep his cool image intact amidst the flustered nature of his state. “O-Okay…”

Both Kakyoin and Polnareff smirked to themselves and gave him a supporting thumbs-up only for the delinquent to glare holes into their souls before following you up the stairs.

---

“Seems like I caught you in the middle of a conversation with the boys. Mind telling me what it’s about?”

You looked over your shoulder and found him shying away from your gaze. “It’s nothing important. Pol just wanted to hang out with Kakyoin and do some exploration around the city. That’s all.”

“Why didn’t you join them?”

Jotaro didn’t reply for a minute, and then he did. “I wasn’t interested…” He turned to look at you. “How about you? I thought you were busy talking with the old man. Got bored?”

“I was.” You tossed him their room key which he caught. “But after a while, Mr. Joestar got a bit too tipsy with the whiskey and proceeded to ramble about some lady he met somewhere in Japan, but he was all over the place with the details.” You chuckled. “And so I excused myself and a thought came into mind… that maybe you’d like to stargaze with me if you weren’t busy.”

He hummed. “That… sounds nice.” You smiled and continued up the last batch of stairs before reaching the door that waited for them at the top. With a gentle twist, it swung open and the two of you stepped out onto the rooftop.

Above them, the night sky was dotted with hundreds of blinking stars, glowing faintly alongside the moon in the darkness that blanketed the warm glow of the city below. You walked over to the middle of the space and settled down onto the cool concrete, bunching your knees to your chest as you took one deep breath.

The door softly clicked behind you, followed by a pair of footsteps approaching you. For a moment, there was a shuffle of fabric and just as you were about to check what it was, Jotaro had already draped his gakuran over your shoulders, as if on reflex, and sat on the spot beside you.

You held onto the edges of his uniform and tugged them over your body, smiling wider as a familiar warmth engulfed you. For a moment, none of you talked to the other and let the calm evening air fill the silence. You simply gazed up at the sky with awe and watched the tiny orbs of light twinkle.

“Back when we were in the desert, I haven’t noticed how pretty the night sky was here,” you said. “I know you’ve seen them before, but tonight, they’re just as pretty as last time, weren’t they?”

“Mm.” Your eyes still faced the stars but from your peripheral, it wasn’t the case for the delinquent. Not when his head was slightly tilted in your direction when he hummed his answer. Your hands gripped his uniform a bit tighter as you could feel your heart beat faster.

“What are your plans after all this?” You asked.

“After what?”

“After killing DIO… saving your mom… what then?”

A brief pause. “I guess… go back to studying, resume our days as high school students, and do some other stuff…” And then another pause. “Like… visiting a beach in Tokyo. Preferably during sunset or sunrise…”

You glanced at him and felt your lips curl into a smile before you let out a faint giggle. “You still remembered that?” He nodded once. “It was such a random thought though.”

“Not to me. It wasn’t.”

This time, you nodded back with nothing to say. You let go of his uniform and instead fiddled with your fingers as an indiscernible feeling bubbled in you, one that had your stomach filling with butterflies and your chest fluttering with every word he spoke during this moment.

There was that comfortable silence yet again, nothing but the gentle breeze, the faint noise of urban life below, and the occasional chirp of a bird or two to create the ambiance the both of you basked in.

But then, the delinquent shifted from where he sat, and when you looked over to see what he did, you saw him pat his pant pockets with furrowed brows and pink-tinted ears. You had a question about what he was doing, but it was left unsaid when something thin and solid pressed against your chest.

You reached inside his uniform’s pocket and pulled out a small paper bag. “What’s this?” You asked him but all he did was stare at the bag with wide eyes and reddened cheeks. “Did you buy something embarrassing?” You teased as you undid the flap and opened it. “Well, I promise not to tell everyone that you bought…” You pulled out the item in it and your words trailed off.

In your hand was an intricately made cherry blossom hair comb with small golden leaves and tiny rhinestones at the center of each rose-gold flower.

“You… bought this?” Jotaro shied away, nodding once as he held his hat over his eyes. “I mean… it’s gorgeous. It must have been expensive too. But why… would you spend money on a pretty thing like this?”

“I… saw it for sale and…” He curled in on himself as he mumbled the next words. “I wanted to give it… to you…”

What? You held the comb gingerly in your hands and began fidgeting it around, feeling every smooth and rough texture of the accessory. “You bought this�� for me?”

Jotaro took a deep breath and faced you with every inch of his cheeks and ears now red. He gestured for you to give the comb to him and with you short-circuiting at the moment, you did what was asked. His eyes narrowed into shy squints as he mumbled, “But let me at least do this…”

Your cheeks grew warm significantly as you inched closer to him. With deft fingers, he tucked any stray hair you had behind your ear and slid the comb’s metal teeth carefully through your locks until it rested neatly on the side of your hair. Once finished, the delinquent gave it one more look over at you and nodded again, before turning away flustered.

No matter how much you sat in silence, your heart couldn’t stop beating hard ever since he gave you that gift, your fingers constantly toying with each other as you processed whatever you had going on in you. You thought back to the times he was there and in doing that, you realized how often he stayed by your side ever since meeting him at school all throughout the whole journey.

At first, you hadn’t thought too much of it. Jotaro was your first true friend you made since your transfer to Japan and you read all the gestures he did for you as platonic, but now, you considered the other option that lie past mere friendship.

All those times where he seemingly just stared at you as if honey dripped from his eyes, that moment where he had found and shielded you with his entire self during your breakdown, his bashful blushes, his willingness to cuddle when he wasn’t the type to do such things.

When he chose to reciprocate and open parts of himself that were hidden beneath his stoicism in the submarine and to be vulnerable in your arms after he distracted your possessed friend away from you, as if to compensate for his inability to communicate his feelings. And now, he had a thoughtful gift he bought for you.

Could it be because…

You glanced at him again and found the delinquent to be focused on the floor, still flustered from minutes ago. Could you actually be feeling this way? You didn’t want to jump to conclusions and possibly make things awkward between you two, but you just had to ask and seek an immediate answer.

To know and confirm whether or not the feelings you recently recognized you had, were mutual.

“Hey…” You started, timid and hesitant, but Jotaro looked over at you as he always did when you called for him. “I… have something I need to get off my chest and you have no other choice but to listen or else I’ll go crazy.”

He huffed and motioned you to continue.

Here it goes. “Take this with a grain of salt or whatever, but I’ll just say it outright. Right now. You can react to it however you want to react, except bursting into a scoff or laughter because I will beat you to the ground for making this embarrassing for me-”

“Good grief. Just say it Y/N-”

“I like you!”

And then the silence returns, more palpable than ever before. You were a blushing mess as you finally blurted out those three words, your chest thundering and your hands clenched into fists on your lap. On the other hand, Jotaro was speechless… a different type of speechless. He stared at you with widened eyes with a blush as deep as yours.

You pressed your lips together and averted your gaze away from him, clutching his uniform tight as you tried to make yourself small. “There… I said it. I think I felt that way ever since Singapore… or maybe even before that. I’m honestly not sure but I had these feelings for you for some time now.”

No response.

And with every second that passed, your embarrassment grew further until it was your turn to raise your voice at him out, flustered. “Could you say something? Your thoughts perhaps? I’m dying over here!”

“You said I could react however I want, right?” You turned to face him with furrowed brows and nodded. “Then feel free to slap me if I ‘reacted’ too much.”

“What do you-”

Your words were left unsaid as Jotaro leaned forward to softly press his lips on yours. You gasped against his kiss, your body stiffening and your heart clawing its way out of your chest.

It was over before you could process or do something in return. He slowly pulled away and hovered near your face, his breath fanning with yours. His hooded gaze found yours and this time, you couldn’t respond. You stared into his aquamarine eyes and waited if he’d continue.

“Jotaro-ssi, I…” He abruptly stood with pressed lips, a choked sound fleeing his throat as he immediately tipped his hat over his heated cheeks and rushed to exit through the door with tense shoulders, closing it behind him.

You sat there for a moment, your mind reeling from the additional surprise the delinquent had for you.

It was mutual. He did like you the same way you liked him.

The floral comb adorning the side of your head seemed to bloom with your emotions. At that thought, a smile blossomed on your face as you lightly touched your lips, still feeling the ghostly touch of his kiss. Now, you want to return it properly.

You got up with his gakuran still draped over you and exited the rooftop.

He couldn’t have gotten that far. If anything… You walked down a couple more flights of stairs to the second floor where your room was. You did give him the room key so if your hunch was correct then, he should be in there. You stopped before your designated hotel room only to see the door was left ajar.

You stepped inside and softly closed the door behind you. Walking further inside, you scanned the sleeping space for any sign of the delinquent. The bed was untouched and the chair was still tucked under the desk, but the glass door to the balcony was open. With the moonlight shining through the curtains, his silhouette was made obvious.

With the same adoration you held, you crossed over the room and stepped back out into the cool evening air. You turned to the side and there he was- sitting on the bench with his hand covering his face.

You silently approached and sat on the empty spot beside him. “Hey…”

Jotaro lowered his hand to his side and still without looking at you, he muttered a quiet “hey.”

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to make the next move, you inched closer to him until your shoulders touched his. “You know… you kinda left before I could say how nice that felt…”

“… Y-You… liked it?”

“Mhm. Just as much as I like you,” you said with a soft smile. You reached up and tenderly cupped his cheek. “And it wouldn’t be fair to you if I don’t return the favor, right?” The delinquent stared at you with shining eyes and subtly leaned on your palm, nodding once.

With your hand guiding his face close, you closed your eyes, leaned forward, and pressed your lips to his. You felt him reciprocate immediately, melting under your touch as he tilted his head to deepen your kiss. You drew back to catch your breath before he sought your lips again. His hands slowly held your waist just as yours held his nape.

This was nice.

It felt… right.

Every time one of you pulled away, the other would return for another and another, already growing addicted to the blossoming affection you mutually shared. In the middle of your kiss, you couldn’t help but smile against his lips and let out a soft giggle as he kept peppering kisses with his smile mirroring yours.

Eventually, you managed to hold back from seeking another by placing two digits between both of your lips. Without masking it, Jotaro pouted a bit as you drew away from him.

Shortly after, both of you remained sitting outside under the stars with your head resting on his shoulder and your hand in his, fingers interlocked with each other. “Guess we’re more than friends now, hm?”

“Yeah… it seems so.”

You chuckled and nuzzled his neck before tucking your chin on his shoulder. “Does this mean we get to call each other with cute petnames now?”

“Don’t get that started,” The delinquent scoffed. “I’m not calling you ‘baby’ or ‘sweetie’ or some other cutesy stuff like that.”

You scrunched your face with him at the mention of those two words. “Oh, hell no. I wouldn’t call you either of those too. I was actually thinking of making our own unique petnames.”

Jotaro cocked a brow and glanced at you. “You have something in mind for me?”

You gazed at him for a solid minute as you thought of what to call him. As you studied his features, you couldn’t help but notice the stars twinkling in the sky behind him and the star-shaped birthmark he had on his skin, and suddenly a thought came to mind.

The lone star glimmering in the darkness of your nightmares, its single light serving as your warm beacon of hope amidst the cold reminder of a forgotten past.

“Starlight.”

You uttered on a whim, the petname coming out naturally. You kept a close look at him and gauged his reaction, hoping it elicited some sort of positive response.

And you got one wherein he covered his mouth and turned away from you, body shaking slightly trying to stifle in a laugh. “Yah!” You swatted his arm and whined, your cheeks growing multiple degrees warmer. “Why are you laughing?!”

He cleared his throat and composed himself. “Sorry. It just came out…”

You narrowed your eyes at him and would’ve called all this off if it hadn’t been for Jotaro squeezing your hand as his way of apologizing and acknowledging your effort. “Well, if you’re gonna laugh about it, how about you try making one for me and see how I react?”

“Yeah, yeah. Give me a second.” He looked over at you and his playful gaze turned fond as he reached into the crevices of his mind to make something up for you. During the whole time, you couldn’t help but feel shy when he looked at you with mild intensity.

With the same soft tone you had when you said his petname, Jotaro said:

“… Sunshine.”

For a split second, your heart skipped a beat at his deep voice saying something as sentimental as ‘sunshine’, but instantly recognizing that fact had resulted in you hiding your mouth behind your hand as you bit back a laugh.

“Oi.”

“See? Not so funny when I laugh at your attempt at a cute name, huh?” You sighed and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek to say she didn’t mean to mock him trying. “Alright, maybe the petnames weren’t meant to be.”

“I think it’s for the best.”

“Should I just stick to calling you ‘Jotaro-ssi’ then?” You said with a teasing little tilt of your head.

“If that’s what you’re used to, then call me that all you want, Y/N-san,” Jotaro said, looking at you with a tiny smirk.

You let out a petulant “hmph” and laid your head on his shoulder, making yourself comfortable with him by your side. In return, he leaned his head on yours.

Even though you treated the petnames as a joke, you tucked your creations in a safe, cozy vault in your memories, holding them close to your heart with affection and care.

Starlight and Sunshine.

… I love it.

[kryptznnn]

𑁍-Simplicity

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➸ INTERESTS; - modern!au arcane lol violet x f!reader

➸ BACKGROUND; - As time has passed you grew to become close with a great friend of yours. The two of you quickly realized your feelings for one another and eventually attempted to make a move, as Violet told you she was ready to. Of course her actions and sudden nightmares of her past showing you that wasn’t true.

➸ WARNINGS; - wc. roughly 2k, angst, mentions of vomiting, mentions of arguing, grief, loss, ex-lovers grief, mentions of anxiety, crying, confusion, break ups, relationships issues, mental health mentions, sexual themes mentioned, slight toxicity, communication issues, etc.

➸a.i; - been on hiatus for a month💔 sorry guys i swear i’m back this time. erm also not too sure if i should make a second part to this

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Her head throbbed as she slowly made her way back to her apartment. Unsure if it was the alcohol she had consumed before with her friends or the waving anxiety that had hit her after receiving such a heavy text, whatever it was it wasn’t helping the churning feeling in her lower belly.

The type of feeling you get before you vomit, your face feeling hot and your throat scratchy, mouth watering on it’s own kind of feeling. She didn’t like it, just as much as she didn’t like cliffhangers or being stood up or lied too, she expected you of all people to understand.

She reached back into her pocket to retrieve her phone, Face ID unlocking it almost immediately before rereading your text messages to her and her responses.

[You: hey what time are you getting home, we need to talk]

[Vi: i’ll be back soon baby, i can step out to talk on the phone if you’d like]

[You: it’s better if I talk to you in person, I’ll see you later ❤️]

[Vi: alright i’ll make my way out now, see you❤️]

You hadn’t responded to her message, just hearted it, which concerned her. Maybe her reactions were tired down due to the alcohol but she knew something was off, very wrong. Maybe it had to do with your work or friends, you had always talked to her about that sort of thing.

She admired it about you, how you were so willing to open up once you were comfortable with her. Even if it came to people you thought were your best friends or close, whenever they did things to push your limits and it would take ahold of your mental health you were quick to come back to your shared apartment and just blow up.

You two would have disagreements, not necessarily arguments per se. Everyone has their own opinion, and she was one to express that frequently between the two of you. It’s what gave the two of you your differences that attracted what another, that’s all that mattered.

Vi has never been a close minded woman, especially when it came to the people she loved. She’s passionate, caring, open, and yet so fragile, possibly too fragile. Fragile to the point where she can’t seem to move on from her past, as if it haunts her and forbids her from moving on.

There’s nothing wrong with the past, or being able to move on. You’ve made that clear time and time over again, but mixing the past with the present was a dangerous game. It wasn’t expected for anything to be lost from it, other than the fact that your relationship was at stake.

It wasn’t subtle or simple, it started off with slight nightmares or short reminiscing of past moments. They hadn’t rang any heavy alarms within your head and forced as an urgency to bring them up. You knew the grief and pain of losing someone you love, it’s never easy. Although it slowly got easier as time began to pass the guilt would never truly leave, and it seemed to you that your girlfriend was paying the price.

As much as you tried to help her with her grief and issues it seemed the situation was harming you just as much as her. You hadn’t known Caitlyn, that you were honest of, but the way Vi would describe or speak of her made you question if you should’ve even agreed to be together in the first place.

You knew of soul ties and you knew of rebounds, maybe this relationship was something that the both of you needed to just realize it wasn’t meant to be. But it doesn’t make sense, you two work so well with one another, when it comes to work, assignments, communication, everything.

Everyone complimented the two of you, seen as the perfect couple that others idolized and prayed for. It felt good and it felt right, the two of you being together just made sense. It made sense to you and Vi, maybe this was just a large rock in the road you had to find out whether you should go around it or climb above it. Maybe things didn’t need to end between the two of you, maybe you’re being over dramatic.

You sat down on your carpet floors, your back against your brown couches as you heard keys enter the doorknob. The doorknob rattled softly before the door swung open, the keys being removed from its hole and the door was shut. You hadn’t left from your position, keeping your eyes glued to the TV with the remote gently in your lap.

No words were shared between the two of you, Vi only made her way over to you after tossing her keys on the table beside you. She crouched down and sat beside you, her head resting against your shoulder before wrapping her arms around you.

“Missed you” she trailed off, you could practically feel the smile in her voice as she said it. A faint smell of light alcohol and the cologne you had bought her for Christmas mixing together hit your nose, making your face contort softly.

“Missed you too… how was it?” You asked, now removing the remote from your lap and looking over to her slightly to see that large smile you had predicted on her face. Guilt churned in your chest, there’s no way you could do this to her, not now.

As she went on and on about her night and how she got Loris to get a girls number at the bar you couldn’t help but get lost in your own thoughts. You began to question if this was even the best possible outcome for this situation. It was just one issue in your relationship, it wasn’t that big of a deal, or at least that’s what you tried telling yourself to calm down.

It was a big deal, especially with how much it hurt you, not even emotionally but mentally. It was as if you had competition for your girlfriend and your own happiness and peace. Would you be willing to sacrifice all of the good memories and love the two of you shared for years over an obstacle?

But it wasn’t just an obstacle, it was your girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend, her dead ex-girlfriend. Listening to Vi say her name in her sleep through her nightmares was enough to keep you up all night, or leave earlier than usual to go to work and just sit in your car in the parking lot and just cry softly to yourself. Nothing about this was normal and none of it was okay.

Regardless of the outcome or what you decide you would end up hurt in the end. Was it really worth it to make Vi go through it all as if she wasn’t going through enough already? It’s not fair to add more onto what she was already carrying, it’s just brutal.

You aren’t sure for how long she had stopped talking but eventually she had, now removing her head from your shoulder and sitting to look up at you. Raising a brow at you as if she was waiting for you to say something, before you could she repeated her statement.

“What did y’wanna talk about?” She asked you, sitting criss crossed beside you. You could see the anxiety washed against her face, maybe it was the suspense or cool tension in the air, but she had sobered up pretty quickly.

You turned your attention back to the TV before pausing your movie, gripping the remote and looking down into your lap. You could feel her eyes on you, a hand reaching out softly to your knee, as if to give you reassurance.

She loves you, she loves you with every fiber in her body. If there was one thing she swore to do no matter what it was to protect you and keep you underneath her wing. For all that’s happened to her before, all of the people shes lost before to make you you hadn’t ended up as any of them.

Ironically however she had even been teaching you to fight, and had you take boxing classes just because. You would train with her from time to time and would have a taser in your purse or work bag in case of emergencies. She was protective to both of your likings and wasn’t too harsh or pushy.

Shes always been gentle with you, no matter how rough she may seem or be with the world she wasn’t that way with you. She loved the way your hair would frame your face, or how you would attempt to hide any moles on your face with makeup. She loved your smile and your lips, or how you’d stand and stare off into the bathroom mirror plucking at your eyebrows before getting dizzy.

She loved how you made her see things differently that she hadn’t before, or even tried to understand when she was with Caitlyn. She liked how the two of you had taken one another’s hobbies, and how you were an artist. She had always seen a quote on social media that real “Oh to be loved by an artist”, she just never understood the true matters of it before meeting you.

She knew she couldn’t draw or paint, especially not well, but she loved how whenever she would draw the two of you together you’d laugh. You’d laugh to the point where you’d collapse on the floor in tears, complaining of your cheeks and stomach tightening. She wanted to fish that reaction out of you over and over again.

No matter how stupid they were or how much it was easy to laugh at them you never hesitated to frame them and put them up. She was quick to send you anything from socials whenever it reminded her of you, and quite frankly everything reminds her of you, so you’d be texted very frequently.

As of now however all of that was on the table and at stake, the weight and fate of your relationship was in your hands. You shook your head slightly as you felt your emotions getting the best of you, immediately building up and your eyes begin to sting from the tears that pricked up in the corners before perking your head up.

“Vi…” you paused, chewing on your bottom lip softly before continuing. “I think that we should take a small break…go through and focus on ourselves.” You stated, now looking up at her, her eyes widening before pausing.

“Why? Is there something I did wrong? I thought we were okay, we were js’ laughing and all over each other before I left. Did something happen?” She questioned, genuine concern now bubbling in her chest as she scooted closer to you, attempting to scan your face for something, anything that foul give her an answer.

“You’re just going through a lot, especially with your past, and I know this will be really good for us, good for you.” You said, emphasizing the last part as if attempting to reassure yourself about your decision. Your sudden soft and fragile demeanor was immediately changed when your earned a scoff from her however.

“And since when are you making decisions for me? About what I want, especially if it’s a break in our relationship?” She asked, now withdrawing her hand from your knee and placing in her lap. You only sucked in a tight breath before speaking back to counter her words.

“I just thought it would be good for you, and for me. Right now your health isn’t at the best and it’s obvious that a break might help. We can still talk and be friends until it’s over, but right now I don’t know if I can-“

“This is about Caitlyn, right? It’s not about anything else other than her, we’re fine and clear in every other situation, it’s just her. It’s always been her right?” She asks, her tone laced with sarcasm and anger. You only agree with her claim, placing your head in your hand before sighing.

“You’re not over her.” You state, now looking up at your girlfriend before watching her cross her arms and roll her eyes at you. You had expected this, the atmosphere to shift and her words becoming spiky, the best you could do is take it. “Your nightmares are getting too much for you, and I don’t know if you realized it but it’s taking ahold on me too.” You say, now looking into her eyes and attempting to grasp her hands with yours.

She pauses for a second before placing her hands in yours, cupping them slightly before taking a deep breath. As upset as she was regardless as before shes gentle with you, massaging your nails slightly before sniffling and speaking.

“We can talk through it like we always have, you should’ve told me instead of letting it build up. If there’s something happening with me y’need to talk to me ‘bout it first..” she started, smiling softly before wiping underneath your eyes, catching your tear before it falls. “You’re my girlfriend, and I love you no matter what, y’know that, but I can’t help you or agree with what you’re saying if you won’t communicate with me.” She adds on, now taking her hand back and placing it back with yours.

“When you’re ready, we can do this again-“

“I’m ready now, I’ve always been ready for you. I know I have troubles with my past, but you love me regardless of it. When I’m with you i’m only focused on the present and future we could have, please baby.” She cut you off, practically pleading with you in a gentle yet quick manner. Tears now streaming down her left cheek as yours now trickled down off your chin into your lap.

“I’m hurting Vi, this isn’t something easy to get over like we have everything before. She’s a piece of you that I have to work with and understand alone if I’ll be able to handle.” You say, slightly standing your ground as you removed your hands from Vi’s now wiping your face before taking a deep breath again.

She looked at you as if you were her last resource of life, and honestly to her you were. She couldn’t fall asleep without you beside her, your voice echoing her mind continuously, the scent of the perfume you’d wear for the day intoxicating her.

The same lips she placed kisses upon and heard moans of her name from when you two made love to one another were now deceiving her. The body she grew fond of and always kept her hands on was now being taken away from her. The eyes she knew to only hold tears from laughter or overstimulation from the secrets she’d share to you through sex now looked at her in a way of repulse.

The hands that she trusted to trail along her body and see her past all of her scars, piercings, and tattoos were now pulled away from her. You can’t leave her, not now, not ever, not after everything shes been through. If you loved your partner at all and had any sense of dignity left in you for her you wouldn’t leave her. This conversation would die right here and it would all end.

“Y/n, babe, please. Don’t leave me, you promised me, we promised each other. After all we’ve done and everything we’ve been through in these nearly 2 years, your gonna throw it all away? Is this really something to break up with me for?” She asked, desperation in her voice as she sunk her head down.

You sat and thought for a moment, taking in her points and your own beliefs. She was right, although the communication between the two of you was some what clear you were genuinely lacking in that category, and the two of you were aware it wasn’t necessarily your fault, and you were working through it. A little effort goes a long way if given the time to progress however.

But you knew you had to be strong, for her and yourself. Although it’s hard to push past it all it’s always been a battle of you placing others over yourself, no matter how much it hurts. This time you had to listen to your own heart and what you yearned for or wanted. What you believed your body was truly capable of and what your body, mind, and heart would permit you to do. You sniffled softly as you now held a bright smile on your face, wiping her face as she wore a hopeful smile before you spoke.

“I’m so sorry Violet.”

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✴🕷 please do not copy, plagiarize, edit, or translate any works submitted by me. all works are originated and all other pictures used within those works are online images. thank you!! @kryptznnn

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Hey Kym, have you talked about how you think this season is going to pan out? Nothing too involved,just bare bones what you think these 18 episodes will deliver

Hey Nonnie

I both have and havent - in that I’ve just talked about it quite a lot in my last post about Tim’s interview, (so go check that out if you want more!) but I haven’t written a dedicated post about what I’m thinking for how season 8 is going to pan out.

I’m very much of the opinion we’re getting a s3 redux if you will. Season 7 was basically a speed run of s2 and all the s3 elements are being nicely set up - we’ve been given hints of how several storylines are going to parallel arcs from s3 - the bee-nado is sounding more and more like the tsunami - in that the bees are the same as the wave - they set off the destruction, but themselves aren’t the actual emergency - the wave created all the various issues we saw the firefam battle through in their various locations in the aftermath and the bees seem to be doing the same thing - causing the issues in e1 and will then more or less be gone and it’s the trail of destruction they’ve left behind that is the actual disaster.

Bobbys arc seems to be the comic relief arc (which he deserves tbh after s7!) with some serious notes in that parallels his s3 arc - s3 bobby was not in the firehouse at the start of s3 (suspended) and he planning his wedding to Athena and supporting the firefam from a distance - we seem to be getting a similar vibe going on here - with him not at the 118, and instead of a wedding he’s looking for a new home!

Athena’s arc is seemingly going to play on her Emmet storyline from Athena begins - which was in s3. I think the plane may well be carrying Dennis Jackson - the guy who killed emmet - so I’m expecting something copaganda heavy but hoping for the opposite (especially as we’ve got Ortiz in play this season and the idea of corruption in politics and how that trickles down into public service roles like policing etc would be so interesting to see!) where we explore how Athena’s choice to pursue and have DJ prosecuted has impacted everyone involved.

Buck and Eddie’s arcs seem to be paralleling s3 as well - we ended s7 with them closer than ever and Chris’s leaving has a similar vibe to Eddie leaving Chris with buck to it - in that buck and Eddie were the closest we’d ever seen them in that moment, and in the initial aftermath of the tsunami, only to then have them pulled apart - and separated before coming back into each others orbits andbring closer than ever - leading into Eddie begins and him changing his will.

S3 for buck was about figuring himself out a lot more - establishing the importance of family to him and about learning who he wants to be and who he doesn’t want to become. The Gerrard storyline seems to be setting up something similar as i think it’s going to parallel the lawsuit arc - and will be about Buck and Bobbys relationship. Tommy also plus into that arc as he is seemingly set up to be the thing that creates distance between buck and Eddie like the lawsuit and the fight club did (the idea that Tim and the writers honed in on the fighting aspect of his similarities with Eddie in s7 so they could use it as an allegory for the fight club is chefs kiss good) so I expect him to be around for a bit (I’m going to take a stab at e7 marking his departure but it could be e8) but he’ll be fine before mid season hiatus!

The entirety of Eddie’s arc seems to be set up for a Christopher return around Christmas (the title puns they could play on with that would be so fun!) on the back of an Eddie religion leading to gay Eddie arc for 8a and then 8b is primed for buddie canon (imo I think we’re looking at 8x11 or 12 for them confirmed and 8x11 would make me super happy as it would be 118 backwards and I love a ply on things like that!)

The Ortiz v Hen storyline has already mentioned the ambulance crash from malfunction which was s3 so I’m seeing plenty of parallels for hens arc with her s3 one but im expecting it to be more front and centre for more episodes than hens s3 arc was - which is as it should be - hens arcs have been more low-key since s5 so she’s due to be brought back to the fore!

Chim and Maddie are the main unknown for me - the Mara arc is clearly important but is very much tied into hens arc. We’ve had hints that Mara will be a springboard for them expanding their family and that in and of itself ties into the s3 arc which was all about madney tentatively exploring the idea of parenthood and it ended with Maddie pregnant - so I’m thinking we might see something similar for them this season. I would also like a dispatch centric episode this season - we had taking of dispatch in s3 and while I don’t know how it would look, we’re due a dispatch heavy episode (which are always great ones).

That’s my super bare bones theory on roughly how s8 is going to pan out - I don’t expect it to completely follow the s3 arc, but I do expect it to hit many of the key markers s3 has!

I hope this is what you were hoping for in your ask Nonnie - I love speculating on 911 it’s so much fun

[fandom-imagines-stories]

The In Betweens Season Three Sneak Peek

AHHHHHHHH it's finally here. I know, I know, this has taken me absolutely forever, and only the first part is done, but I am so so excited to share this with you guys. This series is hands down one of my favorites and I'm hoping some of you have stuck with me during this long hiatus. So, without further ado, here is a sneak peek of Season Three Episode One: Schrodinger’s Cat.

-

He’s just passed out on his couch with his phone off. That’s what Emily kept telling herself as she climbed the stairs to Hotch’s apartment. Everything’s fine. It was just her profiler brain keeping her on edge. If something had happened, he would have called. 

Unless he couldn’t.

“Stop freaking yourself out, Emily,” she muttered to herself, finding the door to his apartment and knocking. “Hotch? It’s me, Emily.”

No answer. 

She pulled out her phone and dialed, that pit in her stomach turning. It worsened upon hearing the ringing off his cell inside. Everything else was deadly quiet. And when she turned the handle, she found the door already unlocked. 

Emily took out her gun and stepped inside. 

Everything seemed normal. Too normal. It looked as if he’d just arrived home and had stepped out for just a minute. But somehow, she knew she was stepping into a crime scene, even before she saw the multiple pooling bloodstains on the carpet around the corner. 

She didn’t waste any time. She called Penelope first and told her to send police and FBI techs as soon as possible. Emily also warned her not to tell the rest of the team.  Lives were in danger, including that of a young boy, and she didn’t want to do anything that could jeopardize their focus on the case. The only one she could tell was Reid, and that was only because he was expecting her to come back with Hotch any minute. 

She’d have to tell Y/N. Her chest ached at the thought. 

Reid was still looking over files when she called. 

“Hey.” 

“Reid, listen, I’m not going to be able to come back. Something’s happened.” 

“What?” 

She sighed, trying to keep the concern from her voice. “Hotch is gone.”

Spencer’s heart stopped. “What are you talking about?”

“What’s going on?” Dr. Barton asked. 

“I just got to his apartment and his car is here, but I can’t find him, and Reid… there’s blood.” Prentiss took a deep breath. “I told Penelope to send police here and I’ll stay to figure this out, but I need you not to say anything to anybody else. You all need to stay focused on protecting the Bartons and anyone else who might be in danger.” 

“Is this about Jeffery?” 

Reid turned to the worried father, his face paling. “No, no it’s unrelated.”

“We only have a few hours left here.”

“I’m really sorry, but I have to take this phone call, ok?” 

Dr. Barton sighed in frustration. “What could be more important than my son right now?”

It took everything in Spencer’s power not to lose it right there while countless panicked questions ran through his mind. 

“I assure you this will take one second. Please, I promise,” he pleaded. 

There was something about his voice. Something familiar. She stared at the twin blood stains and remembered how Reid had been when Y/N had been taken by the Cunninghams. 

“Reid, I’m going to need you to stay with Dr. Barton-” She started, but he cut her off.

“I’ll call somebody else. I have to go down there.”

“You can’t. Everyone has to stay focused on his case-”

“Emily, you don’t understand.” He tried to hold back cries threatening his voice. It confirmed her fear before he did. “Y/N went to see Hotch last night. She-” He inhaled, trembling. “She never came home.”

[xoioel]

QUESTIONS FOR THE UNIVERSE

parings; hinata x 8th member fem! reader

genre; fluff and slight angst??

warnings: none?!

synopsis; you’ve been having your doubts about why you debuted with XG, because you dont have as many talents as the other girls. And plus the age gap, you being a foreign member so the language barriers, it makes you think you need to go on a hiatus to work on yourself..

authors note; hey guys im back from my god knows how long break😭 this is so sweet bc hinata is such a cute patootie

— i speak my mind and don’t think first

It's very difficult being a maknae, especially when you haven't trained as much as the girls. Before the debut and internship only a year passed and boom, debut at 15!

How sometimes you want to stop time and improve yourself, maybe just to restart and try again, if only get closer to their perfection.

It’s so nice to have hinata in the same room, you don’t have to clean it and no one will mind, everyone lives in their own comfort, you can not only laugh with her, but also have a heart-to-heart talk, but sometimes you don’t say a word when returning from the another group photoshoot.

Today is just such a day when everyone, having returned home, scattered to their rooms and went to the shower. having waited your turn, you needed into it. Finally, you can take the weight off your shoulders. People say that the older you get, the less you start to beat yourself up about things, but even after almost two years.

At the age of 16 you start comparing yourself even more. On the way home, you decided to look at your fancam, is that really how you look as you dance. Why are there so many mistakes, but your voice, is it really true? It’s so hard, everyone has their strengths, but what are yours? the comments mostly talk about how cute you are and that's it, but is that really all?

Many tears begin to flow one after another. after standing there for a good 10 minutes, you go back to the room, the light is no longer on, only one lamp near your bed is on, Hinata already seems to be sleeping soundly, turning to the wall, you change into pajamas and go to bed, now you can finally sleep.

But the sobs continue to break out as soon as your head hits the pillow. Your trying to drown it out, as you sit up and start breathing, everything seems to stop.

"Are you okay? what's happened?" Hinata’s voice comes from somewhere on the side, slightly lower than usual and you hear the rustling of comforters, “Sorry, I’m already going to bed” You were about lie down. “I asked what happened to you?” her voice sounds rougher than before.

“I...I just, umm” your hands bury themselves in the hair and head falls to the knees. “come here,” She says nothing more and opens the many blankets, moving back, inviting you to lie with her in it. Doing what she asks, you settle down on her bed, pressing your back to her chest.

Her hands find your hair and begin to stroke and scratch your scalp “well, what’s going on, I noticed in the car that something was wrong”Hina says to you as she continues to play with your hair, “I’m just not sure that I fit in the group, all that they say about me is just how cute I smile or I’m mistaken, how cute my voice trembles, they don’t say that I dance or sing well. It seems to me that I got into the group too early, should I have taken someone else and not me?”

“Stop saying that,” She switches to a whisper, “why are you listening to what they say about you on the Internet? they always divide everyone into beautiful, talented, cute or those who don’t do enough” She breathes loudly, and her hand leaves your hair and squeezes your shoulder.

“You are unique, as unique as we all are, do you think we would have gotten into the group if we weren’t like that? Our group is not just work, we are family and will always support each other, right?”

- nod -

“Then next time, please tell me and the others on how you feel or if you really need just talk to Jurin-chan, if you want to improve your skills, let’s practice together, the main thing is to say, we will definitely cope with everything no matter what happens, okay?”

“Yes, thank you so much Hina unnie, I love you, all of you”.

A long night in the arms of your sister, what could be better and easier, it really helps when family is always nearby.

© xoioel — do not copy or translate my work.

[crystals-cave]

What do you need to hear right now?✨🪐🖤

Hi Everyone, I’m finally back from a long hiatus. Here is finally a new PAC reading from me 🖤

Note: Dear readers, kindly note that all readings are meant to be just a form of guidance and not actual advice from a medical professional.

Choose the pile that sparks a memory in you, be it a person/place/music/object etc. If more than 1 pile sparks a memory in you, pick the pile that makes you feel most strongly. If you feel strongly for both, you may go ahead and read more than 1 pile.

As this is a general reading, do take what resonates for you and take the remaining with a pinch of salt.

Note: photos are all taken by me

Tw: mentions of depression

Pile 1 | Pile 2

Pile 3 | Pile 4

Pile 1

4 of Swords

Knight of Swords (rx)

The Hanged Man

Death

10 of Pentacles (rx)

Hi Pile 1! Right off the bat, what you need most right now is to rest, especially your mind. You have all sorts of thoughts running through your head right now and it’s starting to wear you down. It’ll be great if you can take a break from everything for a few days and meditate and clear your mind off whatever that is troubling you.

Another thing I’m hearing is that you need to take it easier and go with the flow. Once you’re less tense, you’ll be able to see new things flow into your life. You’ll also be able to see from perspectives that you have not been able to before and it will be a self-awakening moment for you.

If you do not take this much needed rest, I see you feeling more miserable and stressed than before. So do take a bit of time off for yourself

Pile 2

Death

Ace of Cups (rx)

The Magician (rx)

10 of Pentacles (rx)

6 of Swords

Dear Pile 2, I’m sorry you’re feeling this way now. I feel that most of you in Pile 2 are feeling rather down right now. You may feel like your mental space is tilt off balance or feel like you’re drowning in a pool and unable to gasp for air. Some of you may be diagnosed with depression. Most of you feel like you’re unable to see the end of the tunnel and you’re just walking blindly in the dark. (Please seek help if you need to).

My advice for you Pile 2, is to start a new journey. I feel that being in the “now” and following your usual routine is just making you get stuck in a loop of helplessness.

I hear that going for a cruise would really help with your mental space a lot. I hope you can step out of room and let yourself explore the world a little to find yourself again.

Pile 3

Knight of Cups

The High Priestess

2 of Swords

Temperance (rx)

3 of Swords (rx)

Hello Pile 3, what I think you need to hear most right now is to make up your mind. You’ve recently heard a message about something that needs you to make a decision. Deep down, you already know the choice you’re going to make. However, I still see you sitting on the fence about it and giving yourself headaches over it.

Whatever the outcome is from that choice, there’s bound to be people happy or unhappy about it. You can’t please everyone. Gather some courage and make the choice anyway. I think some of you in Pile 3 are leaders as well. Bravely make the choice like a leader would. No matter who this affects, those that are truly on your side will stand by you. Those who don’t, you know you don’t need them anyway.

It may be tough and set you off balance initially, but you’ll can sieve away the ‘fake’ people in your life. And, isn’t it better this way?

Pile 4

6 of Wands

6 of Pentacles

King of Swords

Page of Pentacles (rx)

Page of Swords

Hey Pile 4, welcome to your reading. Half of you here may have just received good news and the other half are waiting to hear the good news.

However, what I hear is that you have to remain vigilant and cautious despite the good things rolling into your. There is plenty of peace and harmony coming in with the gifts that you have been waiting for.

Despite the good things, you need to be careful of some who are jealous of you. Be smart about how you reveal it as well! If it's not handled tactfully, it may cause rumours that make people view you negatively. When handled carefully and humbly, it will be clear for everyone that instead of bragging, you are simply spreading good news. That way, people who are envious will not be able to drag your reputation through the mud.

[thenewfuture]

Soooo, what are your thoughts on the latest episode of Despair Time?

Okay, got my affairs in order to talk about this. Despair Time returns after an over 1 year hiatus. Let’s see what we got.

We finally figured out what Charles meant by fucked after all this time. The murder itself could have took place at 7:30 am, not pm. Meaning that why speculation or cloyed perceived previously goes out the window as none of that matters anymore. And that’s what this episode is, the crew realizing they’ve hit a wall and have to chip around it.

There are some good characters moments here and there as they get understand my frustrated at this, but overall, and I am not docking the DRDT Dev at all with this and mean this in the nicest way possible, this entire episode…….was a waste of time. A majority of his episode are spent characters arguing and nagging at each other for mistakes and but were still nowhere close to what actually happened. It makes matters worse when Charles has to chime in and go, “Hey! Can we get back on track, please?! We’re wasting time!” I feel like a lot of scenes could have been cut to make the trial flow better, but hey, I’m not going to backseat ^^;

Now onto the a certain a blue-haired fallen star. David. Now a week ago or so, you’ll recall that I spoke to Suicune saying that I thought David is indeed the bastard he says he is.

Turns out…..I was wrong…

I’ve also mentioned before how I personally think that Xander should have still been alive just so he could see his “beloved hero” turn out to be this giant piece of scum and dirt, and how he doesn’t care about anyone or anything.

….I was wrong…

From how David goes on about Xander, his motivations, his ideals, everything about him up until this point. He cares. David cares. Something pierced his whole edgy persona. David….isn’t the bastard I thought he was.

……Huh… Adding onto this…

Now I’m not saying that David is entirely right here, or some misunderstood soft boy like the canon fandom will make you believe with Nagito and Kokichi. But I was under the belief, I’m sure like many people…that David was empty and had nothing to care for. But look at him now. Talking about something more important to everyone than a bunch of strangers… Does he have that? What is it if that’s the case? How low is he willing to go for this, if at all?

…What goes on in your head, David? I don’t understand you….but it compels me… You intrigue me…I have to know more…

Anyways, after all that. Alibis are questioned and we’re getting nowhere until the cliffhanger of the episode which is….

I’ve had a feeling that Levi’s secret could have been something like that given from what’s left and this confirms it. Of course, this also crosses him off as a suspect because if he were the killer, there would be no way he’d just reveal this outright to everyone.

So who do I think the killer is….I have no idea :/

Like I said, there was nothing truly learned about the case this episode aside from only a few minor things, the Dev was right; we have a loooooong way to go for this trial. It’s just getting started. But, that’s what next week’s all about! Tune in next time when in the next episode, we’ll get-

….Professor Teruko…. Well alright then!

-Mod

[depressedhouseplant]

🔞 Just Fucking Write - Day 33 🔞

Prompt: First time bottoming

Tags: Unprotected sex, mention of Hyunjin’s hiatus, implied bisexuality for Juyeon

A/N: Here’s the Hyunjin / Juyeon crossover I promised!

“Juyeon?” Hyunjin’s surprise was genuine when he opened the door.

“Hey,” Juyeon tried to smile.

“What are you doing here?” Hyunjin asked.

“I wanted to see how you were and I was in the neighborhood so yeah…” Juyeon replied.

“Just happened to be near our dorms when I’m the only one here,” the pretty blonde said.

“Can I at least come in?” Juyeon asked. He knew it was a flimsy excuse, but Juyeon also knew being put on hiatus over something that happened when Hyunjin was a kid hadn’t sat well with him.

“Mi casa es su casa,” Hyunjin moved to let Juyeon in. Their shoulders brushed as Juyeon walked through the door. When he looked at Hyunjin, Juyeon knew his ruse was over.

“I did come here because I was worried about you and knew you would be alone for most of the day and I really want you on my dick,” he blurted out. Hyunjin stared at him blankly for a second then laughed.

“Well, I’m not too happy with the current situation, I will be alone for at least the next 3 hours, and what makes you think I don’t want you on my dick?” he replied.

“I’ve never bottomed before,” Juyeon admitted.

“I guess you wouldn’t have with that massive cock of yours. Everyone wants a ride on it. No, I think I want the Lee Juyeon owner of the legendary cock of the idol industry on my cock,” Hyunjin ran a finger down Juyeon’s cheek and tapped his chin. They were almost eye to eye now that Juyeon had taken his boots off. “Or is that too much for you?”

It wasn’t that Juyeon was against bottoming. It was more everyone he slept with wanted to prove they could take his cock. Even the girls bragged about who’d been able to take him on the first try. Hyunjin was watching him intently waiting for an answer.

“Okay,” Juyeon replied.

“Okay?” Hyunjin repeated.

“Yes, I’d like to bottom for you,” Juyeon said.

“Excellent,” Hyunjin kissed him and pulled him over to the couch. He began unbuttoning Juyeon’s shirt and leaned back long enough for Juyeon to pull off his shirt. Clothes kept coming off until they were naked on the couch, Juyeon on top of Hyunjin.

“Here?” Juyeon asked.

“Why not? No one will be home for hours,” Hyunjin replied, pulling a bottle of lube out from between the couch cushions.

“You keep lube in the couch?” Juyeon raised an eyebrow.

“Technically Jisung and Minho keep lube in the couch. They’ve got bottles stashed everywhere like a couple horny squirrels,” Hyunjin replied. “I’m gonna have to open you up a little first.”

“I’ve fingered myself a few times, but not much,” Juyeon told him.

“So not a total virgin,” Hyunjin said as he lubed up his fingers.

“No,” Juyeon shook his head.

“Very good. Now breathe out,” Hyunjin said.

“Wha-,” before Juyeon could ask, Hyunjin’s finger had breached his entrance. His fingers were smaller than Juyeon’s, but just as long.

“That worked better than I thought it would,” Hyunjin grinned. Juyeon glared at him until the first time Hyunjin grazed his prostate.

“Fuck,” he breathed.

“Ready for another one?” Hyunjin asked.

“Or two,” Juyeon said.

“You sure?” the pretty boy under him questioned.

“Yes,” Juyeon nodded.

“Okay,” Hyunjin agreed, adding 2 more fingers. “My cock is a little bigger than this.”

“Hurry up so I can take your dick,” Juyeon hadn’t meant for that to come out.

“Impatient or horny?” Hyunjin asked as he pressed on Juyeon’s prostate again.

“Both,” Juyeon squeaked as his whole body felt warm.

“I’m trying to make this a not horrible experience for you,” Hyunjin told him.

“If you’re worried that I can’t take your cock then you can stop. That’s a me problem,” Juyeon replied as they sat up awkwardly. Hyunjin withdrew his fingers and lubed up his cock.

“Want to use me then? Just be your human dildo?” Hyunjin teased. “Lucky for you I like being used.”

“I dunno. I guess we’ll find out,” Juyeon lifted his hips and seated himself on Hyunjin’s dick in one movement. It was a little stretch, but nothing Juyeon couldn’t handle.

“Well?” Hyunjin prompted.

“I think I might like it,” Juyeon replied as he began to slowly move up and down Hyunjin’s length. The other boy leaned back and watched.

“Look at you, fucking yourself on my dick already. I don’t even have to do anything. I’ve got you taking my cock like you were meant for me. And no one will ever know,” Hyunjin pulled Juyeon down into another kiss. Juyeon knew the last part was true. Hyunjin was notoriously secretive about his sex life. He’d never say anything about sleeping with Juyeon. He’d just shrug and change the subject if anyone asked.

“You feel so good,” Juyeon breathed against Hyunjin’s mouth.

“So do you,” Hyunjin agreed, putting one hand on the back of Juyeon’s neck and the other on his hip. “Now be a good boy and fuck yourself harder.”

Juyeon almost came at the pet name.

“Say it again,” he whined.

“What? Good boy?” Hyunjin repeated. Juyeon came all over Hyunjin’s abs and chest, more than he thought he had in him. “Praise kink. Noted.”

“I guess so,” Juyeon panted as Hyunjin flipped Juyeon onto his back and fucked into him. He came a few moments later, his hot come shooting into Juyeon’s body. He lied on top of Juyeon, covering them both in come.

“Successful first time?” Hyunjin asked.

“Very,” Juyeon nodded.

“Good,” Hyunjin kissed him. “And now I think we need a shower.”

“And maybe another round later,” Juyeon said shyly.

“I’ve created a monster,” Hyunjin laughed.

“Only for you,” Juyeon replied.

“Even better,” Hyunjin kissed him, both of them ignoring the slowly drying come and the fact Hyunjin was still inside Juyeon as they lazily made out.

[ragingwaters]

🌊INTRO POST🌊

Hey everyone! Nessa here, Hulbury gym leader and part-time fashion model!

Heard some of my favorite blokes were on here, so I figured I’d join in on the fun as well as keep everyone updated with my day-to-day life. 

Water-type pokemon are my passion, and I’m gonna show the world how turbulent they can be!

Now, let’s get the basics outta the way, shall we?

Name: Nessa (obv)

Age: 23

Height: 5’8” (6’0” in heels~)

Pronouns: She/Her (Cisgender)

Sexuality: Lesbian (and happily taken💙)

Pokemon Team:

♀Drednaw (GMAX) - Kaimana

♂Golisopod - Hama

♂Quagsire - Kano

♂Pelipper - Fjord

♀Barraskewda - Hali

♀Seaking - Calypso

♂Toxapek - Hoku

(//OOC: PLEASE READ BELOW BEFORE INTERACTING)

DNI: PRO-SHIPPERS, TERFS RAD/LIBFEMS, TRANSPHOBES, RACISTS, ETC. NO NSFW POSTS/RPS ALLOWED (If you do nsfw, keep it off my blog thank you.)

Hey, mun Nova, here 30+ years old and I use he/they pronouns!

If you have any questions don't be afraid to contact me, my DMs are always open! Also this is an rp blog that takes place in the pokemon universe, so pls keep in mind I will be RPing as such! Also I will be using A LOT of personal HCs, so if you don't like them err... sorry?

>Friendly reminder that if you try to engage in a plot with me without at least discussing it with me first, then I will likely not respond. Even if you do approach me with a plot in mind, there is no guarantee I will agree.

I AM A-OKAY INTERACTING WITH OCS. This involves: Fallers, Eebydeebies, sentient pokemon, hybrids, etc. If you're not sure just ask! I promise I do not bite <3

If you are looking to interact with my muse, and your muse is tied to some potentially triggering topics, I would prefer if you discussed potential interactions with me first. This is for my own comfort, so please keep this in mind.

This is a side blog, so I'll usually send asks on anon and sign off with “-@RagingWaters”

I follow back from my main @galactic-mermaid

IF YOU READ THIS ENTIRE THING, PLS SEND (DM or Ask) THE PHRASE "Sink or Swim" TO ME AS CONFIRMATION.

Check out my other Pokemon RP blogs!:

@piers-official (Piers/Marnie RP blog)

@ghostly-groundskeeper (Pokemon OC)

@darkpunkrocker (Sidney E4 RP Blog)

@thetravelingymleader (Pokemon OC)

@krazy-for-klara (Klara RP blog)

@a-gastly-trio (Pokemon Gijinka OCs) ((HIATUS))

[ackermansimper]

Hey, if I’m asking too much please tell me, it’s cool! I don’t wanna push it, but if you have time and you feel like it could you maybe write about the Ackermans with a S/o who likes joking around a lot?

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU, YOU NEVER PUSHED TOO MUCH. SORRY FOR THE HIATUS BTW IMMA DO ALL MY INBOX REQUESTS 😭❤️

The Ackerman's when their s/o likes to joke a lot

Kenny

-Kenny would absolutely love having an s/o who throws jokes around a lot as he himself, likes joking a lot as well

-He would almost always go along with his s/o's jokes whether it was insulting someone or not. He just liked getting a laugh outta it.

-He'd like someone who can insult him for fun without being afraid. Makes him feel like he can absolutely obliterate them with words and they wouldn't take offense because they throw insults back and then laugh with him about it.

-He also liked having an excuse to insult you (not that he needed one)

-He'd definitely like someone with a crude sense of humor. Ripping into each other with hurtful words would make him quite satisfied as he knew he could say whatever without you actually taking it serious.

-In some weird sense, you would both weirdly sorta bond through it all though. Your joking insults, teases, and snickerings were a way of bonding with each other. He knew that. You knew that. Everyone else didn't and they were confused when y'all would start insulting each other and then laughing about it.

Levi

-Levi wouldn't have any issues with you joking around but he'd never laugh at it or any type of joke you'd make

-You and Levi probably started dating because of it though. You'd be wondering why Levi never laughs at your jokes and you'd then take every opportunity to tell a joke to him that you could. Sooner or later it might've sprung into a closer relationship because of the amount of time you spent together while you told your 'shitty jokes' as Levi called them

-He probably did figure out that you only stuck around him in an attempt to make him laugh but it flustered him a bit on how much effort you were putting

-You still probably wouldn't get a luagh outta him but you'd both end up getting together sooo yeah

-Moving ooon he probably wouldn't take part in most jokes you make but he would make some of his own, insulting people of course but you found it funny with his deadpan face so he saw it worth it

-Although he usually wouldn't partake in jokes you made, he would take part whenever you'd make shit jokes. He would continue them with a straight ass face which made it even funnier in your opinion.

Mikasa

-She honestly probably didn't care for your existence when first meeting you. Her first impression was that you were just some eccentric jokester who thrived on attention

-However, she was definitely easier to get a small chuckle out of than Levi

-Sometimes she did actually consider your jokes funny and although she wouldn't react too big all the time, she'd still sometimes react with a small smile or small laugh

-Everyone would probably be confused as to what Mikasa would find funny with you and why she seemed to not mind your presence and jokes but no one questioned it

-It honestly was probably you who initiated anything more than that though. She never really tried to get to know you on a much personal level apart from your jokes

-After your attempts and her decision to give it a try, she started to partake in your jokes much more often and add to them

-You were most likely the energetic one in the relationship though. She'd add to your jokes but she'd never start it herself.

-You both are honestly probably the complete opposite but she doesn't really care much. She loves you and your stupid jokes so that's all that matters to her.

♥ Thank you for reading ♥

I miss writing so much 😭 Requests are opened for our favorite Ackermans so ask away! I mainly do headcanons though ^^

[lemonhemlock]

Sorry to argue prev here, but it is frustrating to see people suggest Helaegon vs Helaemond ship war has always been prominent. That’s not the case. I have been in the Greencest trenches since Oct 22 (shoutout) and it was not at all the way it is right now or how it’s become over the last few months. Most, if not all, of the people writing fic and meta and drawing fanart back then also were interested in Helaegon and Aegond, along with Aligon, Alimond, Helicent, or even Rhaegon. The most popular Greens art on Twitter has always been Helaegond as a trio, or the three of them and Alicent. This is absolutely born of incessant infighting and unfortunately it’s harmed everyone as a whole, because it only drives away artists and writers. There is so much less content this season then there was in season one; I’m sure some of it is due to the show’s poor writing, yes, but I do not believe that is all of it. You can’t discuss Aegon as an inattentive husband without being called a delusional Helaemond fan, and you can’t talk about Aemond’s inability to get over his childhood bullying without someone saying you’re an Aegon stan. It sucks.

Just as a correction (SPOILERS!) Aemond doesn’t talk about warmth, he tells Helaena they have “a truer call to heed” i.e, this is their role as dragon riders. But you also now can’t discuss either of the leaked scenes without it being about how abusive Aemond or Aegon are to her. As you said, the real problem is Helaena isn’t even Helaena. She’s some blank slate who miraculously knows how her family will end up and doesn’t care to do a thing about it. But that is lost in the dumbass ship wars.

Thanks for reading and sorry it’s so long ❤️ I am PRAYING hiatus is kinder to people who want to explore these dynamics in ways the show clearly will never give us

hey 💚

i think the truth is somewhere in the middle. i do remember a lot of green multi-shippers who enjoyed a wide variety back in the day, BUT. i have to say. that my inbox was also besieged by anti helaemonds as soon as december 2022, so you know 😭😂 it's always been a contentious ship

i think the helaegon v helaemond "wars" came later in 2023 when people were getting bored. i could probably check the dates in my blog but it's kind of tedious and, anyways, it's been a talking point for quite some time now

but, yeah, coming back to the issue: the true impediment to ANY ship involving helaena is that she is barely a character. it was passable after S1 because she was part of the new generation and introduced later, but now we've had an entire season in which they've given us nothing in regards to her. what is the difference between the helaena of now and the helaena of S01E09? the truth is that she is not shown to care about either of her brothers. she barely cares about her mother or daughter. her son = who?

all the cool things about helaemond and helaegon are imagined by fans. not writing helaena with romantic attachments is one thing, but writing helaena as a living statue is entirely another. anything is better than this. helaena/the stableboy scenarios at least would involve helaena having 1 emotion and making an independent decision (not that she needs to have a relationship to function as a character but we are scraping the bottom of the barrel here. she doesn't even benefit from the cliches of female characters)

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Five Performers Special Talk Session - Fan Translation

In celebration of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Live-Action)'s 🎉 20th anniversary🎉, I present to you the never-been-done-before, full translation of the Senshi talk (3 pages long) from the "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Visual Book" (first released on April 30, 2004)!

Some notes & disclaimer:

I'm not a fluent Japanese speaker, but I do know Hiragana, Katakana, basic Japanese grammar and kanji, and a few good tools to use for translation. All's to say, all mistakes are mine. Sorry if there's any!

I'm also not a professional translator. Due to the grammar differences between Japanese and English, some sentences will sound awkward in English for the conversation to make sense.

Hama Chisaki is the old stage name Izumi Rika used when working on PGSM. She changed her stage name to Izumi Rika after changing production company and returning to the entertainment industry after a hiatus where she focused on school.

Please note that everyone's name is written in the order of (Family Name) (First Name) in Japanese style instead of Western style.

You can find scans of the full Visual Book at Miss Dream.org! I own a copy of the Visual Book, so I made some of my own scans for some of the images and was able to double-check the text outside of Miss Dream's scans.

Without further ado...

No matter in transformation as a Sailor Senshi or out of transformation, all 5 girls are incredibly busy in their daily lives.   Although there are not many opportunities for all the members to get together, but just like their development within the drama, the bond between them seems to be deepening day by day.

Here is a guest-talk session with all 5 of them. In fact, this is a "first in history”!

Kitagawa: Among the 5 of us, don’t you seem the most feminine and lady-like? Azama: Is that so?

—For this round of work, the 5 of you are gathered to do this photo shoot for the Visual Book, but you rarely get to all come together in a full group when you're shooting for the drama, right?

Sawai Miyuu (Sawai): That’s true. I think the first time all 5 of us got to shoot together in the drama was the assembly hall scene (Act 18)?

Azama Mew (Azama): And after that, there were a couple more times.

Hama Chisaki (Hama): But for the other times I'm the only one that's not really there. (laughs) Right now I’m Dark Mercury (Editor note: this is how everyone calls Sailor Mercury on site while she’s under the enemy’s control). Because of this, I’m all alone. (laughs)

—From “Crank In” (= Japanese term for starting film shoot) till now, over half a year has passed already.

Sawai: That’s so quick!

Hama: Eh, that means it’ll be farewell soon? (laughs)

Kitagawa Keiko (Kitagawa): But you can also think of it as there’s still another half a year to go.  It’s kind of like a turning point for us.

Hama: I see. From that perspective, it feels like we still have a long way to go. (laughs)

The truth of the 5 girls! Would you want to go back to that day?

—In reality, among the 5 of you which of you is most unlike the character you portray?

Sawai: Isn’t everyone quite similar to their character?

Kitagawa:  Not me.

Hama:  I don't think so either.

Kitagawa: (without hesitation) Yeah, you’re not.

Hama: Hey now. (laughs) But Mako-chan (= Azama Mew) also isn’t, so isn’t everyone quite unlike their character besides Usagi (= Sawai Miyuu)?

Sawai: Wait, what?

Azama: You really are just the way Usagi is.

Sawai: What? …… But one of us is more mature?

Hama & Azama: (in unison) Who?

Sawai: Me! Sawai Miyuu!

Everyone: ……

Sawai: Eh, why? That’s how everyone thinks of me?

Azama: Fashion sense, hairstyle, etc. is different though.

Sawai: Not like that! I meant my personality, my way of thinking, etc. (laughs) …… But, I still think with the 5 of us, we all are like our characters in individual unique ways……

Kitagawa: We look similar.

Komatsu Ayaka (Komatsu): What do you mean by that? (laughs)

Kitagawa: Like our aura, I think we all give off a similar vibe to the original characters.

Komatsu: Ahh, you’re right, we do fit the vibes.

Azama: I don’t think my vibe fits though?

Everyone else: You fit—!

Sawai: Such as the part where you’re both feminine.

Kitagawa: Among the 5 of us, don’t you seem the most feminine and lady-like? 

Azama: Is that so? 

Sawai: Then we’re fine up until the last episode, Minako is alive! Komatsu: Got it. I’ll do my best. I won’t die. (laughs)

Hama:  Seriously though, even for the people who have not seen the show at all, if they see the 5 of us, I think they probably can figure out which character each of us plays (just then, a sound of “pop” came from beside her.) …… Usagi-chan, stop popping your bone. (laughs)

Sawai: Ah, please transcribe the sound you heard just now in a cool* way.

「シャキーン！」(Shakin) was the word Sawai used to describe her request. Which is an onomatopoeia commonly used in manga to describe something done looking cool and eye-catching, like a character's victory pose. What a Usagi-like behaviour... lol

Azama:  That makes no sense. (laughs)

—Now that we’ve gotten to the punchline (laughs), I'd like to ask which of the 5 of you do you think gave a first impression that is the most different from the reality.

Everyone: Chisaki!

Hama:  Me, because I’m shy……

Azama: When we first met, I thought she was not talkative at all. Then before I knew it, she started talking a lot. ....... I don't remember how it happened in between. (laughs)

Kitagawa: But we’ve all changed [since the time of establishing first impressions].

Sawai: That’s true. At first, we wouldn’t even joke with each other.

Hama: Yeah. And before, they wouldn't ignore me or anything like they do now.

Azama: Eh? We would ignore you now?

Hama: I didn’t mean it like that. (laughs) Before, when someone made a [bad] joke, you wouldn't just let it slide, or say something halfheartedly like "yeah, yeah", right? I wish I could go back in time.

Kitagawa: I don’t want to go back.

Komatsu: Yeah, you’d want to move forward. (laughs)

Kitagawa: Yeah, let’s keeping looking forward. Because we’ve all done such hard work to get here already.

Hama: And I don't want to go through that winter again (laughs)……

The Senshi team divided? What would Minako’s fate be?

—As mentioned earlier, it took quite a long time for all 5 of you to get together in the show, hasn't it?

Sawai: I was really happy about it.  It was like, "Finally, all five of us are here!"

Azama: My friends laughed at that assembly hall scene though.

Komatsu: My family too. (laughs)

Hama: Eh? Why?

Azama: Y’know, we paused to pose a few times didn't we? And after all of that, we end up not fighting as a full team after all. (laughs) They said, "Aren’t the 5 of you supposed to fight together?"

Sawai: Speaking of, Venus has a lot of cool-looking arrival scenes.

Kitagawa: Halation*. (laughs)

Halation: (photography/filmography terminology) It means a halo-effect when additional lighting is added.

Komatsu: Come again?

Kitagawa: It's what Director [Sato] Takemitsu said. “This is the scene where the princess appears, so we'll need some halation,” he said.

Sawai: He really did say that quite a few times.  “Halation, more halation”, he’d say.

Kitagawa: He'd say, “It’s an iconic scene. So give me more halation!”  It's strangely still ringing in my ears. (laughs) But by the time this book came out......

—Everyone would’ve found out that Usagi is the real princess, and Venus is the leader (Act. 25~26).

Komatsu: That’s true. (At Kitagawa Keiko) “You’re the substitute”. (laughs)

Azama: And, the rest of us are like the other 2 spares. (laughs)

Hama: The princess, the leader and the sub, and then blue and green, it does feel like that. (laughs)

—No way! (laughs) By the way, do you guys have time to watch the show at all?

Sawai: I watch it. After all, sometimes it’s hard to imagine how I would look on TV. Even with commercial shoots, you never know how it's going to look until the final product is finished .......

Kitagawa:  I’m the opposite. I’m afraid to watch it.  At first, when I watched it on the On Air* date, I felt frustrated and thought, "I could’ve done much better now.” I guess I watch it mostly when I don’t appear much on screen.

On Air: Japanese filmography terminology for the first official footage release of a program, typically means the first episode of a series.

Azama: There was a time when I didn't have enough time to watch it, at its peak I'd miss the show for up to a month's time. So I'd binge-watch all 4 episodes in one go the moment I can instead, and I’m still 2 episodes behind right now. (laughs)

—Excluding your own scenes, what scene has left a memorable impression on you?

Kitagawa:  There are so many that I can’t decide on one.

Hama: It’s practically impossible to say our lines when suffering from pollen allergies. Sawai: It’d be like “In the name of love and justice… achoo!” (laughs)

Azama: For me, the scene where Akumi-chan (Editor’s note: During the time as Dark Mercury, Hama Chisaki’s character Mizuno Ami is referred to as “Akumi”, merging “Aku” (evil) with “Ami”.) was on the merry-go-round was great.

Sawai: That sideway glance was really intense. (laughs)

—Speaking of intense, the confrontation between Rei (=Kitagawa Keiko) and Minako (=Komatsu Ayaka) was also very exciting.

Sawai: And ever since then, I notice those two (Kitagawa & Komatsu) have become very close. (laughs)

Azama: And, those two (Sawai & Hama) are also really close with each other, so I’m left all alone……

Sawai: That’s not true!

Azama: Odd numbers are not good to work with after all. (laughs) From now on, I'll get closer to Luna (Sailor Luna = Koike Rina) instead. (laughs)

Hama: Lately, most of my time is spent in the company of the Shitennou. (laughs) I feel like it's been a long time since I’ve met everyone like this.

Sawai: I've also been spending a lot of time with Mamo-chan (Chiba Mamoru = Shibue Jouji) lately. And most of the scenes are done with gloomy expressions. (laughs)

Komatsu: Minako’s also suffering from time to time...I wonder what will happen?

Sawai: She did say there’s only six months left.

Hama: Let’s make a decision now?

Komatsu: About my illness? (laughs)

Hama: Wouldn't that make it easier [to act]?

Sawai: In talking with the collective staff-san, the story is supposed to be that Sailor Moon protects Minako from dying using the Silver Crystal......

Azama: Eh? Mamoru* dies from the Silver Crystal?

“To protect”( 守る) is pronounced “mamo-ru” in Japanese. Azama mistook Sawai's choice of saying “protect” with “Chiba Mamoru” the character.

Sawai: That’s not it! (laughs) To use the Silver Crystals to "protect" Minako.

Kitagawa: I guess that'll be in the last episode……

Sawai: Then we’re fine up until the last episode, Minako is alive!

Komatsu: Got it. I’ll do my best. I won’t die. (laughs) But before the last episode, I might die a bit.

Azama: Die a bit?

Komatsu: No, I meant to say, “I might die a bit before”. (laughs) (At Sawai Miyuu), Well, I’ll be counting on you then. (everyone laughs)

Sawai: But six months is quite a long time, isn't it?

Komatsu: …… So you want me to die sooner? Even though I just bowed at you. (laughs)

The Sailor Senshi’s message to their fans

—Since Crank In in the summer, winter had come and gone, and now spring has arrived……

Sawai: Crank-in was so hot! And I was running all the time.

Hama: At first it was just the two of us, me and Usagi. And Naru-chan (Kawabe Chieco) too.

Kitagawa: And I joined in September.

Sawai: It would have been rough to wear a shrine maiden costume in August.

Kitagawa: No, because there’s the fireplace, it actually always feels like midsummer for me.

Sawai: Oh I see. But even though I’m really glad winter’s over, now there’s pollen allergy to deal with in spring. (laughs)

Hama: It’s practically impossible to say our lines when suffering from pollen allergies.

Sawai: It’d be like “In the name of love and justice… achoo!” (laughs).

—To wrap us up, would you please give a message to your fans?

Hama: This kind of thing is so hard to do. (laugh)

Azama: Let’s go in the order of the day of the week*.

Japanese days are named according to the elements. From Monday – Sunday: moon, fire, water, wood, gold/metal, earth, and sun. This means Mercury's and Mars's order is flipped when compared to the Senshi lineup.

Sawai: The order of the day of the week. (laughs) So I’m first? …… Hm~mm, it has already been six months since the program started and the 5 of us have come together, please support us until the very end. We will also do our very best!

Kitagawa: For purchasing this book, thank you very much.  It's very much appreciated.

Hama: You can see the 5 of us outside of our usual roles in this book. And you can also see how we spent our New Year's (laugh), so please enjoy this book!

Azama: When thinking about how things will unfold moving forward, I think everyone will be looking forward to how things turn out, so let’s all be excited and watch each episode together! (laughs)

Komatsu: They said everything already. (laughs) I don't know what to do……

—It's the closing of this segment, so please end it with style.

Komatsu: …… Only six more months left.* (everyone laughs)

OMG, she legit just quoted her own line, THAT line from Act 18. lol

—Thank you very much. (laughs)