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rosiebbydoll · 1 day ago

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The Right Time - Sukuna x Reader- Chp. 2

Chp. 1 - Chp. 2 - Chp. 3

summary: Your life was blissfully chaotic. Being a single mom and raising a daughter with a bigger attitude than yours was a challenge, but you love every second of it. You decided to move to the city to be closer to work. You’ve been at your new apartment for about three weeks now and everything has been great. Until, your annoyingly hot neighbor decided to open his mouth.

cw: female reader, modern au (no curses), 18+, enemies to friends to lovers, mechanic!sukuna x librarian!reader, slow burn, fluff, smut, crack, angst, toxicity, Sukuna is emotionally constipated, Nobora is readers daughter, Choso and Yuji are Sukuna’s nephews, Toji is a present father in this, LOTS of family fluff, (more tags will be added)

wc: 10k (woops)

chp warning: Toji & Sukuna pov, fluff, tension, angst, crack, sexual content, toxic traits (from reader & Sukuna), mentions of violence

a/n: we are starting this chapter off on the same day, just a different pov! there is also some lovely backstory and some more tension from our fav enemies (who are so in love).

Toji was one of the last parents to walk out of the school. He had lingered behind to discuss pickup arrangements with Nanami, and of course, to indulge in his usual flirting with the single moms – a habit that never failed to make you roll your eyes.

As he sauntered toward the exit, he caught sight of your car spinning out of the parking lot, the tires squealing against asphalt. His head cocked to the side, that familiar crease appearing between his brows. Literal seconds later, Sukuna's car tore out of the lot too, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. Toji's shoulders tensed, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

"Well shit," he muttered, running a hand through his perpetually messy hair, the silver rings on his fingers catching the sunlight. He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the growing unease as he made his way to his car.

With practiced movements born from years of habit, he pulled out a pack of Marlboros, giving it two sharp taps against his wrist before extracting a cigarette. The familiar click of his butane lighter offered a moment of comfort as he lit up, taking a long drag that filled his lungs with familiar warmth.

Toji had always been meticulous about keeping his different social circles separate – not because he was hiding anything, especially not from you, but because he understood that some personalities were like oil and water.

He decided to pretend that your hasty exits were mere coincidence, though his gut told him otherwise. His instincts, honed from years of reading people and situations, were rarely wrong, and right now, they were screaming that something had gone sideways.

Before she passed, his wife had made him promise to look out for you, her eyes fierce even in her final days, and it was a promise he took as seriously as breathing. You'd been his ride-or-die since high school, his A1 through everything. You were the kind of person who saw the best in everyone, sometimes to your own detriment.

Sukuna, on the other hand... well, he was an asshole, plain and simple. The kind of man who wore his reputation like armor, each sharp word and cold glare another layer of protection. He had a way of letting whatever the hell came to mind spill from his lips without filter or remorse. Cold and usually preferring solitude, he was also an extremely cocky bastard.

Sukuna blames it on his success- definitely not his good looks. His car shop downtown wasn't just a business – it was his legacy, built from the ground up with calloused hands and stubborn determination. The place practically breathed with his personality: organized chaos, raw talent, and an undercurrent of barely contained intensity. The air always smelled of motor oil, metal, and ambition, the walls lined with tools that gleamed like soldiers standing at attention.

He started working at the shop when he was 19, just another grease monkey with too much attitude and raw talent burning beneath his skin. The turning point came when his brother passed away. That was a loss that reshaped his entire world. His brother left behind not just two wide-eyed kids who looked too much like him, but a decent chunk of change from a life insurance policy.

Most guys that age would've blown it all on fast cars and faster women, but Sukuna had always been cut from different cloth. Without hesitation, he put most of it into savings accounts for the boys – his nephews were his brother's last gift to the world, and he'd be damned if they went without. The rest? Well, that went into buying the run-down shop from the old man he worked for, a crusty bastard who'd taught him everything he knew about cars and nothing about people.

Seven years later, and the place is barely recognizable. What was once a dying garage with more rust than customers is now one of the most respected shops in the city. The walls that used to leak now house state-of-the-art equipment, and the floors that were once stained with decades of oil now gleam under LED lights.

He's got some loyal employees who understand his moods better than he does. They can read his grunts and scowls like a second language. His customer base keeps growing despite (or maybe because of) his abrasive personality. Toji being one of his most frequent visitors, though that has more to do with how often he destroys his cars than actual loyalty.

His father still hovers on the periphery of their lives, a silent presence that's neither fully there nor completely gone. Like a ghost that refuses to fade away completely. The old man watches the boys when Sukuna needs it, their relationship better with the buffer of distance between them. It's not perfect – nothing in Sukuna's life ever is – but it works, held together with the same stubborn determination that keeps his vintage motorcycle running.

Now when Toji moved to the city after his wife passed, he didn't know many people. He left you in the town you both grew up in, and surprisingly, you didn't hold it against him. He needed a change, and you supported him effortlessly. Besides, the city wasn't too far, only about a thirty-minute drive. You had to drive there for work anyway. You believe it was fate that he lived in the city because that's where you met Nobora's dad. And no, it wasn't fate for you and him, but fate because now you have Nobora. You only visited on rare occasions though, the library and being a mom kept you pretty busy.

Lucky for Toji , fate was on his side too. Because he met Sukuna at the most inconvenient time.

A couple years ago now- on a random Tuesday night, he decided to go to the bar. Being a newly single dad was a lot for him, so he paid his fifteen year old neighbor to watch Megumi for the night.

He was going out to do... something. He didn't exactly know what yet. The weight of grief and responsibility had been crushing him, making every day feel like he was walking through quicksand. You knew he wasn't doing well. You tried to call as often as possible, checking in with that gentle persistence that had always been your way. But even with the frequent calls and check-ins, Toji was still lost, drowning in the silence of his empty house.

So, that's why he found himself sitting at a bar, drinking his little heart out. The bourbon burned going down, but it was better than feeling nothing at all. To his surprise, women started flocking to him. They circled like vultures, rubbing his shoulders, playing with his hair, whispering lewd suggestions in his ears. The attention was suffocating, making his skin crawl with discomfort.

This was weird. He hadn't flirted with another woman since his wife. His nerves were shot, body stiff as a board as he laughed awkwardly at their advances, feeling like he was under interrogation.

It wasn't their fault – these women with their practiced smiles and careful touches. He was just extremely rusty, trying desperately to avoid getting turned on since he hadn't been laid in a while. Not that he came here for that. Did he? No. He definitely wasn't ready for that. His wife had only been gone for six months, and the thought of being with someone else made his stomach churn.

Women kept approaching him throughout the night, each one blending into the next in a haze of perfume and bad pickup lines. Then suddenly, there was one who stood out – long dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black, with short eyebrows and dark brown eyes. For a split second, his heart stopped. But no, she could never be her. This woman's smile was too practiced, too sultry as she greeted him.

"You all by yourself, handsome?" she hummed, sipping something fruity and too sweet. Toji gave her a quick smirk, glancing around at his unwanted admirers.

"Wouldn't call this being alone," he muttered, already tired of the game.

"Oh, I see, so you brought them all here with you?" she giggles, leaning closer. Her perfume is too sweet, making his head spin or maybe that's the bourbon.

Toji gives her a smirk back, but his heart isn't in it. She's trouble walking in stilettos, the kind of beautiful that usually comes with a price tag. Sure, she's hot – all long legs and practiced seduction – but he doesn't need this right now. Not with Megumi waiting at home, not with his wife's photo still on his nightstand, not with the wedding ring still leaving a phantom weight on his finger.

He's not trying to be rude, but subtlety isn't working. Even with his coldest shoulder, she's persistent, determined to break through his defenses. She lays her head on his shoulder, manicured nails trailing across his chest in a way that should be arousing but just makes him feel hollow. The bourbon isn't buzzing the way he wants anymore, and now all he can think about is his wife.

Fuck.

"Listen, doll—" he starts, but she presses a finger to his lips, cutting him off. The gesture is meant to be sexy, but it just pissed Toji off.

"Shhh, how about we go somewhere else, huh?" Her words slur together, her eyes heavy-lidded in a way that suggests she's had way too much to drink. The seductive act is slipping, revealing something desperate underneath.

Alright, I need to leave.

Toji pushes himself up from the barstool, carefully extracting himself from the drunk woman's grasp. She sways dangerously as he moves, and he has to steady her before she falls. "Don't go," she whines, clinging to his arm with surprising strength.

Christ. He's never wanted to hit a woman, but this is testing his patience. All he wants is to go home to Megumi, to the quiet of his apartment where he doesn't have to pretend to be okay.

"Yarozu." A deep voice cuts through the haze of his thoughts. The woman rolls her eyes and huffs, ignoring the man who called her name.

Toji's stomach twists. Great. This is probably her boyfriend or husband, coming to kick his ass for letting his girl drape herself all over him. He'd be pissed too in their position—

Oh fuck.

He definitely didn't come here to fight. Sure, he could probably win – he's handled worse – but he's too old to be throwing hands over some woman he doesn't even want. Hell, he doesn't even want to be here anymore.

Toji lets out an annoyed sigh, ready to explain himself before this turns ugly. But before he can speak, Yarozu is being pulled away from him. The guy is covered in tattoos, looking more annoyed than angry as he pries her off. "He isn't interested, Yarozu. Leave him alone."

Toji turns to leave, eager to escape this increasingly awkward situation, but the tattooed man calls out, "Hey, wait." His voice is gruff but carries no hostility. Toji stops, shoulders tensing. He really isn't in the mood for any petty relationship bullshit.

"Listen man, whatever this is—" Toji starts, but the guy cuts him off with a dismissive wave, his tattooed fingers catching the dim bar light.

"You’re not the first guy she's tried this shit with." He's still holding Yarozu back with one arm as she continues her drunken tirade, her perfectly manicured nails digging into his forearm. Despite her best efforts, he seems unfazed, like this is just another Tuesday night for him.

A smirk plays at his lips as he holds out his free hand. "I'm Sukuna." Yarozu keeps grunting and grabbing at him, but he ignores her with practiced ease.

Toji raises a brow, studying the man before him. After a moment's hesitation, he shakes the offered hand, noting the firm grip and the calluses. Toji studies that tattooed man in front of him. He looks tired, even sad almost. Kinda like him. Toji’s sighs, “Fushiguro”.

Yarozu frowns at their interaction. "Sukuna, baby, why are you being like this?" She whines, her attention suddenly shifting as she tries to reach for him instead of Toji. Her mood swings from seductive to needy in an instant. "We were having fun..."

"No, you were having fun. This guy clearly wants nothing to do with your bullshit." Sukuna's tone is harsh but carries an undertone of practiced patience, like someone who's had this exact conversation too many times before.

He turns to Toji, and there's something like understanding in his eyes. "Let me get her home before she makes another scene. You wanna grab a drink after?"

Yarozu gasps dramatically, her perfectly lined lips forming an 'O' of indignation. "You're such an asshole!"

"C'mon, you need to get home." Sukuna rolls his eyes, already steering her toward the door with the expertise of someone who's done this too many times.

Twenty minutes later, Toji and Sukuna are sitting at a quieter bar down the street, the kind of place where the wood is actually aged and the whiskey doesn't taste like lighter fluid. The tension from earlier has dissolved into something more comfortable, both men recognizing a familiar kind of pain in each other's eyes.

"I can’t apologize for Yarozu," Sukuna says, sliding a whiskey toward Toji. His voice is gruff but sincere. "She gets like this when she drinks, tries to make me jealous or some shit. Usually ends up making some poor bastard uncomfortable instead." He traces the rim of his glass with a tattooed finger, the gesture almost nervous.

Toji appreciates the straightforward explanation. No bullshit, no drama – just facts. It's refreshing after months of people tiptoeing around him, treating him like he might break. "Sounds complicated."

"Nah. We fuck sometimes, that's it. The complicated part is when she forgets that's all it is." Sukuna takes a long sip of his drink, the amber liquid catching the dim bar light. "Anyway, what brings a guy like you out alone on a Tuesday night? You don't strike me as the type looking for whatever the hell Yarozu was offering."

Something about Sukuna's blunt honesty makes Toji decide to return the favor. The words come easier than expected, maybe because this stranger doesn't look at him with pity. "Lost my wife six months ago. Got a kid at home. Thought maybe I needed to..." he pauses, swirling the whiskey in his glass. "Hell, I don't even know what I needed."

Sukuna nods slowly, understanding flickering across his features. There's no sympathy in his eyes, just recognition. "Yeah, lost my brother last year. Left behind two boys. Been trying to figure that shit out myself." The admission hangs between them, heavy with shared understanding.

They spend the next few hours talking about everything and nothing – cars, work, the general mess that is life. The conversation flows naturally, neither man feeling the need to fill silences with empty words.

The next morning, when Yarozu texts Sukuna her usual post-drama apology, he just sends back a quick 'whatever' and saves Toji's number in his phone.

Toji chuckles at the memory and finally pulls his Camaro into his reserved spot at the front of the complex. The familiar rumble of the engine dies as he shifts into park, his mind still replaying both the past and this morning's events. He's got a stack of maintenance requests to handle today. He lets out another sigh. Just another day of being a landlord. But it’s better than what he use to do.

The stack of maintenance requests on his desk seems to multiply every time he looks away. Being a landlord isn't exactly what he'd pictured for himself, but there's something satisfying about fixing things, about making people's lives a little better one repair at a time. The flexible schedule works well with his life, letting him balance work with being there for Megumi and the other responsibilities that come with single parenthood.

And now for Nobora and you too. He promised to pick up both kids at five to give you some extra time at work. Though if he's being honest, he thinks you're pushing yourself too hard lately. But telling you to slow down is like talking to a brick wall.

Toji settles into his office chair, the leather creaking familiarly beneath him. The morning sun streams through the blinds, casting striped shadows across his desk. He pulls up his maintenance scheduling app, trying to organize his day efficiently. Between the AC unit, the washing machine, and whatever new crisis Yamamoto's faucet presents, it's going to be a full day. Toji likes it that way. He likes to focus and work, helps the time go by and doesn’t let his mind wander.

He goes on about his day trying to finish every request he scheduled. Of course, tenants stop and talk to him, some even flirt. It’s nice to feel a since of pride to help others. He thinks his wife would be proud of him. He’s pretty lost without her. And without you? He might’ve been dead by now.

He starts to walk back to his office with his last job of the day finished. His phone buzzes – a text from you. It’s a voice memo. He raises a brow because usually when you do that you’re ranting. You claim it’s easier than texting fifty paragraphs. Toji presses play and he immediately lets out a sigh.

You start off with yelling at him for being “a piss poor land-lord” and continue with how he has some tenants who he should have never let move in here. You finally get to the point and explain why all happened with Sukuna. And you don’t miss a beat, you explain everything. From the porno you heard last night all the way up to you calling him “limp dick” and flipping him off.

Well fuck. Toji was right. He would love to revel in the satisfaction of it all, but he just knew that something bad would happen if you two ever met. You’re polar fucking opposites. And now you’re neighbors. Which is his own fault because he should have payed attention to that. How the hell did he miss that? Either way it’s done and over with now, but man is he proud of you. In high school you were picked on a lot (by Toji mostly) but you developed a thick skin and don’t take peoples shit. He’s damn proud. And Sukuna deserves every bit of it.

Toji quickly sends back a message apologizing and saying, “We can talk about it later”.

He leans back in his chair and lets his body stretch for a moment before checking the time again. He had about an hour left before he had to get the kids. He was finished with his work for the day and was bored.

So, he grabs his keys, deciding to head out early. He could swing by Sukuna's shop, maybe give him shit about this morning's encounter. Besides you, Sukuna is his closest friend, though neither of them would ever admit how much they actually enjoy each other's company. Some things are better left unspoken.

The familiar rumble of Toji's Camaro engine dies as he pulls into Sukuna's shop. The place is busy as usual – the sound of power tools and classic rock music spilling out from the open garage doors. He spots Sukuna's distinctive figure bent over the engine of a sleek black Mercedes, tattoos visible under his rolled-up sleeves.

"Yo," Toji calls out, unable to keep the grin off his face. "Heard you got your ass handed to you this morning."

Sukuna doesn't even look up from the engine. "Fuck off."

"No, no, please – tell me more about how my 'type' threatened to get you evicted." Toji leans against a nearby workbench, thoroughly enjoying this moment. "Actually, what was it she called you? Limp-dick?"

That gets Sukuna's attention. He straightens up, wiping his hands on a shop rag. "She made sure to tell ya, huh?” He chuckles.

"Course she did. We're fucking, remember?" Toji's voice drips with sarcasm. "You’re real good at talkn’ to women ya know?”

Sukuna throws the rag at him, but there's no real heat behind it. "Get outta my shop, Fushiguro"

"What? Ya mad?." Toji catches the rag easily. “You know, for someone who deals with Yarozu's drama, you sure are quick to judge other people's relationships."

Sukuna's jaw tightens at the mention of Yarozu. "Speaking of – she stopped by earlier." He stares at the ground intensely with his brows furrowed.

"Oh?" Toji raises an eyebrow, recognizing that tone. "How'd that go?"

"About as well as everything else today." Sukuna moves to the mini-fridge in the corner, pulling out two beers. He tosses one to Toji. "She wants more. I don't. Same shit, different day."

"Maybe if you stopped sleeping with her..." Toji suggests, cracking open his beer.

"Maybe if you minded your own business..." Sukuna mimics his tone, taking a long drink.

“I know you aint talking” Toji huffs and starts to down his beer, but immediately remembers he has to pick up the kids and sits the beer down. You would kill him if you knew he sipped on a beer before he picked up your daughter.

They fall into a comfortable silence, the garage's ambient noise filling the space between them. Sukuna fidgets with his beer label, peeling it back methodically, clearly wrestling with something behind those crimson eyes.

"So, she’s the ‘good’ friend you always talk about," he finally says, not meeting Toji's gaze, his voice unusually hesitant. "Why’d ya keep her hidden all these years?”

Toji snorts, a knowing smirk playing at his lips. "Look what the fuck happened when you did meet, dumbass.”

Sukuna tries to hold in a laugh and shakes his head. “Never been the best at talking with women.”

Toji rolls his eyes, “Bullshit. You’re just an asshole.” Sukuna can’t argue with that. He also knows he fucked up. He hasn’t stopped thinking about you all day, it’s been pissing him off.

He takes another drink, his expression thoughtful, almost distant. "She's something else."

"Don't," Toji warns, his tone shifting from playful to serious. "She's not another Yarozu."

"Wasn't gonna do anything, fuck head," Sukuna says too quickly

"Yeah, okay." Toji stands, checking his watch. The afternoon light catches on its scratched face. "Gotta go pick up the kids. Try not to piss off any more single moms today."

"Fuck you," Sukuna calls after him, but there's a hint of a smile in his voice.

As Toji heads back to his car, he can't help but wonder if he should be worried. He knows that look in Sukuna's eyes – it's the same one he gets before doing something incredibly stupid or incredibly bold. He decides to ignore it. Sukuna is a stubborn asshole, so he probably isn’t going to listen to Toji (not a surprise at all). He bites the inside of his cheek and starts his car to head over to pick up the kids.

His phone buzzes (again) as he's pulling into the school parking lot, the screen lighting up with your name. The text reads: "Hey, since you're picking up the kids, just take them to my place. I left snacks in the pantry. I'll be home around 7."

Toji sends back a quick "Got it" before parking under the sprawling oak tree, its leaves casting dappled shadows across his windshield. The late afternoon sun bathes the playground in golden light, where a handful of kids are still running around, their laughter carrying across the empty lot.

His phone buzzes (again) with another text from you: "I ordered pizza for dinner. Should be there around 6:30. And please make sure they do their homework before the movie."

"Yes ma'am," he texts back, unable to suppress his amused smile. You always think of everything, planning three steps ahead.

"Don't 'yes ma'am' me, you ass", comes your quick reply, making him chuckle.

The school bell rings, its sharp peal cutting through the afternoon quiet. Kids pour out of the building like water from a broken dam, their excited voices filling the air.

Toji spots Megumi and Nobora immediately – they're impossible to miss, always gravitating toward each other like magnets. Megumi wears his usual serious expression, the one that makes him look too old for his years, while Nobora bounces alongside him, talking a mile a minute with wild hand gestures that paint stories in the air.

"Dad!" Megumi calls out, his face lighting up like a sunrise as he spots Toji. The rare smile transforms his entire face.

"Uncle Toji! Uncle Toji!" Nobora shouts, her backpack bouncing with each excited jump. "Look what I made today!" She's already digging through her bag, pulling out a slightly crumpled piece of paper covered in vibrant colors and imagination.

Toji kneels down to their level, accepting the artwork. "Wow, is that a... butterfly?" He truly doesn’t know what the fuck he is looking at. He has several drawings in his office and at home designed by the artist Nobora, but he cannot tell you what any of them are.

"No silly!" Nobora puts her hands on her hips and rolls her eyes because it should be obvious of what she created. "It's me and Megumi and you and Mommy at the park!"

"And there's the swings," Megumi adds seriously, pointing to some wobbly lines in the corner with the precision of a museum curator. "Mr. Nanami said we did good coloring in the lines today."

"Yeah? That's awesome," Toji says, helping them both into their car seats with practiced ease. Toji and you both have two in your cars now because it’s easier than transporting the heavy fucking things every other day.

As they all get settled in the car Toji turns on the radio and the kids start humming to the songs. They don’t really know the words, but they are trying their best. This is when Toji feels at peace. Megumi will never know how much he means to Toji, and Nobora is a pretty good bonus daughter.

"We're heading to your place today, Nobora,” Toji says as he turns onto the exit.

"Really?" Nobora claps her hands, her excitement infectious. "Megumi! We can play with my new stuffed animals! We can have a tea party!” It seems she had already forgotten about the Gameboy disaster.

Megumi nods quietly, a small smile playing on his lips like a secret.

"Uncle Toji, you have to play too!" Nobora shouts as she kicks her feet in excitement.

"Oh yeah?" Toji chuckles, turning into the parking garage. “Am I the special guest?” Toji smirks back at them. The kids look at eachother and then frown. "No!" both kids shout in unison, dissolving into giggles that fill the car with pure joy. He gives a fake pout and holds onto his heart like the kids just shot him. They start to giggle and say he can sit by them. He chuckles and turns the car off and begins to unbuckle himself.

The kids are still yapping and Toji shakes his head, grinning as he helps them out of their car seats. They do not shut up as the walk up the stairs. Discussing on which stuff animals are invited to the tea party and who would be sitting by who. It is obviously very important. Nobora is sure to tell Toji he has a spot right next to her.

While the kids and Toji settle in at the apartment, you were still busy at work. You made it your mission to distract yourself. After that stupid fucking asshole- no we are not gonna think about him right now. You got caught up on returns and organizing many books, as well as cataloging. It was a pretty productive day. Except Ino noticed you were off from the moment you stepped in.

You both usually chat about anything and everything, but today you were barely ever seen. He overthinks the entire thing and thought you were mad at him. So, around seven, right before you left he decided to be brave and see what the hell was wrong with you.

“Do you hate me?” Ino asks as he slowly leans over your desk.

You stop typing and look up at him, “What are you talking about?”

Ino immediately leans over on your shoulder and pretends to cry, “Oh! Finally she speaks to me! I thought you decided to hate me forever since you have barely spoken to me.”

You roll your eyes and let out a sigh. “Ino you’re being dramatic. I just had some stuff to do today.”

He frowns, “You eat lunch with me everyday.” He leans in even closer to you, “I don’t even think you at lunch today.”

You dead pan at him and shove him away. “I was busy. I’m fine.” You watch as Ino pouts and he literally looks like he is about to cry.

With an exaggerated sigh you give him a soft smile and hold out your arms to hug him. He immediately accepts and bear hugs you- almost making your chair fall over.

“Look, I’m tired and I wanna go be with my kid, but I’ll explain everything later, okay?” You smile at him and he gives you a nod.

You both walk to exit, making sure every light is turned off and every door is locked. “I’m expecting a full debrief over coffee,” Ino states as you walk to your car.

You give him a wave goodbye, “It’s a date.”

You had a silent drive home. It was actually pretty relaxing. You didn’t even think of he who shall not be named. All you wanted to do was go home and see Nobora. You made sure to have a career, you didn’t want motherhood to stop you from that. But now you feel like you’re missing out. Nobora is getting at the age where she realizes you’re gone. You sigh at the thought and slowly pull into your parking spot.

The apartment stairs have never felt longer, each step a small mountain to climb after your exhausting day. Your feet drag slightly against the worn tile as you make your way up, already imagining the cheerful chaos that awaits in your apartment – Nobora and Megumi probably turned your living room into their latest pretend restaurant, with Toji enabling their every whim like the softie he pretends not to be.

You hear voices before you reach your floor, and your stomach drops when you recognize one of them. Of course. Because this day just needs one more encounter with your hot annoying dickhead of a neighbor. Stop thinking about him.

As you round the corner, you see them – Sukuna's holding a sleeping Yuji, the boy's pink hair tousled against his father's shoulder. Behind him, Choso struggles with several grocery bags, trying to act grown up by carrying more than he probably should, his small face scrunched with determination.

Your steps falter for just a moment, but you quickly steel yourself. No. You're not doing this again. Not today. Without missing a beat, you continue up the stairs, eyes fixed straight ahead as if they're invisible, as if the air they occupy is just empty space. You can feel Sukuna's gaze on you like a physical touch, but you don't give him the satisfaction of acknowledgment.

Yuji makes a small snuffling noise and burrows deeper into Sukuna's shoulder. Despite your resolve not to look, you catch a glimpse of his peaceful face, pink lashes fluttering against round cheeks. The sight tugs at something in your chest – damn kids, making it hard to maintain your righteous anger.

"Miss—" Choso starts to say in his child-like voice, innocent and sweet, but Sukuna cuts him off with a sharp look that could slice steel.

You're already unlocking your door, pretending you didn't hear anything, the keys jingling in your slightly trembling hands. The last thing you catch before slipping inside is Choso's confused whisper, "I thought you said she was mean and loud?"

You pause in your tracks and bite the inside of your cheek hard enough to hurt. Do not give him the time of day. Do not let him see he's gotten under your skin. The keys jingle as you open the door and it clicks shut behind you with finality, cutting off whatever Sukuna's response might have been. You lean against it for a moment, letting out a breath you didn't realize you were holding, feeling your heart hammer against your ribs.

The apartment is surprisingly quiet when you walk in. No chaos, no pretend restaurant, just the soft glow of the TV playing some cartoon on mute, its colors dancing across the walls. You drop your keys in the bowl by the door and slip off your shoes, padding quietly into the living room in sock-covered feet.

The sight that greets you makes your heart melt. Toji's sprawled on your couch, his long legs hanging off the end because he's too tall for normal furniture. Nobora and Megumi are curled up against him, both fast asleep in the way only children can manage. Your daughter's got her favorite unicorn plushie clutched to her chest like a lifeline, while Megumi's using Toji's arm as a pillow.

Their homework is spread across the coffee table, completed and ready for tomorrow, pencils and erasers scattered like evidence of their diligence. The sight makes your heart swell. Never in your life would you imagine Toji of all people being such a good dad. You know his wife is so proud and so are you.

Toji slowly looks up and nods his head. "They crashed about twenty minutes ago," Toji whispers, his voice barely a breath in the quiet room, careful not to wake them. "Pizza's in the kitchen. They insisted on waiting for you, but..." he gestures to their sleeping forms with his free arm, a soft smile playing at his lips.

You smile, taking in the peaceful scene before you. Empty juice boxes and half-eaten pizza crusts litter the coffee table, evidence of their earlier feast. There's a stack of drawings too – probably their latest masterpieces they'll want to show you in the morning, full of bright colors and impossible stories.

"Thanks for watching her," you whisper back, grabbing the throw blanket from the armchair and gently draping it over the kids. The soft fabric settles around them like a protective cloud.

Toji just nods, that soft look in his eyes he only gets around the children. It's moments like these that remind you why he's your best friend, why you trust him with everything. He's grown so much from the troublemaker you knew in high school, transformed by love and loss into someone steady and true.

You carefully scoop Nobora up, her little arms automatically wrapping around your neck even in sleep, muscle memory stronger than dreams. Her plushie dangles precariously from her hand as you balance her weight against your chest.

"I got it," Toji whispers, gently taking the plushie before it can fall. He shifts Megumi onto the couch with the care of someone handling precious china, making sure not to wake him as he gets up to follow you.

You carry Nobora to her room, her warm breath steady against your neck. The glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling cast a soft light as Toji helps pull back her covers. You lay her down gently, and she immediately curls onto her side. Toji tucks the unicorn plushie into her arms, and you both watch as she hugs it close, lost in whatever sweet dreams fill her mind.

Back in the living room, Toji's already gathering his and Megumi's things, movements quiet and practiced. "I should get him home," he whispers, carefully lifting his sleeping son. "You good?"

You nod, following them to the door. "Thanks again for today. Sorry about the whole... neighbor situation." The words taste bitter in your mouth.

Toji shifts Megumi in his arms, a knowing look in his eyes that sees right through you. "Don't apologize. Man needed to be knocked down a peg."

You roll your eyes but can't help smiling. "Night, Toji."

"Night," he replies softly, and you watch as he carries Megumi down the hall, disappearing around the corner. Their footsteps fade away, leaving you alone with your thoughts and the quiet of your apartment.

You're too exhausted to even think about the cold pizza waiting in the kitchen. After a quick change into your favorite oversized t-shirt, you collapse onto your bed, not bothering to pull back the covers. The events of the day weigh heavy on your limbs, and your last coherent thought before drifting off is hoping tomorrow brings less drama than today.

Just on the other side of your walls is Sukuna pacing in his living room, wearing tracks in the carpet as he moves like a caged tiger. He's unable to shake the image of you deliberately ignoring him in the hallway, the way you looked right through him as if he were made of glass.

Your complete dismissal burns more than your earlier insults, and he can't figure out why it bothers him so much. He's used to people either fearing him or wanting something from him - this blatant disregard is new territory, and it's getting under his skin like an itch he can't scratch.

"Uncle Sukuna?" Choso's voice breaks through his brooding. The boy sits cross-legged on the floor, homework spread around him like a paper nest. "Is that lady really mean?"

Sukuna stops pacing, looking at his nephew. Yuji's already asleep in his room, worn out from their grocery run, but Choso's still up, his innocent question hanging in the air. "No, kid. She's not mean." He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Your uncle's just a fu—" he catches himself mid-word, eyes widening as he realizes what he almost said.

"You almost said a bad word," Choso points out seriously, his face stern in a way that makes him look like a miniature teacher. "That's fifty yen in the swear jar."

Sukuna snorts but dutifully pulls out his wallet. He stares at the jar for a moment, irritated at himself more than anything else. What the hell is wrong with him? One encounter with some mouthy woman and he's acting like... he doesn't even know what.

The reflection in the window shows a man who looks pissed off, unsettled, and – worst of all – intrigued. No. Absolutely not. He's not doing this. He's got enough complications in his life without adding another one, especially not one that lives next door and has already made it clear she thinks he's trash.

“Shit.” He mutters and is already aggressively shoving another fifty yen into the jar.

Your encounter with Sukuna on Monday sets the tone for the rest of the week. You make it your mission to avoid him while making sure he knows exactly what you're doing – a delicate balance of deliberate ignorance and pointed awareness.

You'd purposely talk to the boys, your voice warm and kind, and then make sure to not make any eye contact with him, as if he's nothing more than a shadow on the wall. The first day didn't seem to bother him. But by Thursday, you can practically feel the frustration radiating off him in waves.

Toji did manage to make him feel bad - which is a rare feat indeed. So, Sukuna tells himself he wants to apologize because you're neighbors after all. He didn't know how long he planned to stay at this apartment, and he didn't want to have to deal with you blatantly ignoring him. Well, that was the excuse he was giving himself for why he wanted to apologize. Or he could say Toji made him. Neither excuse feels quite true, but he's not ready to examine why.

He couldn't stop thinking about you. And that pissed him off even more. He’d rather have you call him “limp divk” for the rest of his days, as long as you were acknowledging his fucking presence. But no, you wanted to play your petty games. That's fine, he decides. If you wanted to play, he would play. The game is on, even if he's not sure what the prize is supposed to be.

Ignoring him made you feel powerful, a small victory in each deliberate non-acknowledgment. Hell, you wanted to cuss him out every time you laid eyes on him. It infuriated you how much his presence annoyed you. It annoyed you even more that his mere existence caused unwanted butterflies in your stomach. So, ignoring him and being deliberately cold was the only option that made sense.

The week drags on, your strategy of avoidance complicated by the fact that Choso and Yuji have become instant best friends with Nobora. You'd figured after the gameboy incident she'd be hesitant about being their friends. But to your disbelief, she's more than friendly and has been begging for them to come over all week. The kids' innocent friendship makes your cold war with their uncle even more complicated.

Now it's Friday. Nobora's with her dad, giving you a rare evening to yourself. Work was fine, though Ino spent most of the day talking about this new girl he's obsessed with. You're actually very happy for him. You hired him about two years ago and have watched him grow into his role. He's basically your little brother at this point. But it's hard not to feel a twinge of something as everyone around you seems to be finding connection.

Jealous wouldn’t be the right answer. You want to see the people you care about fall in love and be happy. It’s just been awhile. So, here you are sitting in the middle of your bed reading the directions to the shiny new vibrator you bought after work. It was kinda risky going into a sex shop, but like we already addressed. You’re desperate. It’s time to release some tension.

You’re now kneeling in the middle of your bed as you are reading the directions on how to charge the new toy. You have a draw full of them , but you wanted to treat yourself. This week was awful and spending a little bit of cash so you could have a mind blowing orgasm was exactly the right move. One point for retail therapy.

You treated this moment like a sacred ritual. The everything shower - exfoliating, shaving, moisturizing. Your baby blue pajama top buttoned just so, with cheeky underwear that wouldn't stay on for long. Chinese food waited in the microwave, a reward for later. Everything was perfectly planned for a night of self-care and release.

Settling onto the bed, you scrolled through your phone, finding a particularly steamy chapter in your latest book. Your underwear slipped off, forgotten in the blankets. The bright red toy buzzed to life, its vibration sending a tingle through your hand.

As you pressed it against your sensitive clit, your back arched immediately. Sensitive as hell. It had been so long since you'd truly enjoyed a moment like this. Your mind began to drift, seeking escape, seeking pleasure.

Your breath became heavy, eyes rolling back as you let yourself slip into complete bliss. The slick slowly dripped down, each sensation a reminder of how long it had been. Oh, how you needed this. Especially after that stupid fucking asshole who ruined your week.

That stupid fucking asshole who is your neighbor. That hot fucking asshole who smells amazing and looks like a god. That stupid fucking neighbor who you heard last night fucking the shit out of god knows who. Only you can imagine how he fucks. How he’d rut into your into you so good making you scream his name-

"Mph! Suku- fuck,"

You freeze as you hear the similar noise that kept you awake a few nights ago.

Oh fuck no.

While you were trying to pleasure yourself. Sukuna decided to answer Yarozus message and gave no time to get down to business once she got here. She was here for one reason tonight and that was to piss you off. Yeah you were fucking hot as you told him off, but you’re not gonna fucking ignore him and threaten to kick him out.

So here he is, slamming his hips into Yarozu as hard as he can while her face is pushed deep down into the mattress. He made sure he positioned his bed right against the wall too. He slaps and pulls on yarozu to get every little noise out of her. And she loves it.

Although, Sukuna isn’t really thinking about her. He never really does. But he is thinking about you. The fucking random ass woman who he just so happened to piss off. The random ass woman who is actually stunning and he can’t get her out of his head. But this woman pissed him off to no end, so here he is trying to piss you off.

You lie there in shock for a moment and listen. You can hear everything. Every slap, every breath, and squelch. And just like the color of your new toy, you see red. This motherfucker. Normally, you’d ignore it. But this is a declaration of war.

You sit up and pull your underwear back up. The toy gets placed on your night stand and you roll off the bed. With a huff and a deep swallow you walk over to the wall. Without even placing your ear next to it you can hear what’s happening as clear as day. So, without any hesitation you start banging on the wall. Not only that, you start moaning as loud as you could.

Yes, this is childish. You know it is, you would never want your daughter to act this way. However, you simply have forgotten to give a shit when it comes to this man. Within the past five days of knowing him he has awoken a beast inside of you that you have tried to keep tame for some time. And you are letting it run free.

Sukuna thinks he’s hallucinating. There’s no fucking way she’s doing this, right? At first he ignores it, well tried to. The banging on the wall gets louder and the moans coming from your mouth sound angelic, almost real. It’s hard to focus.

Yarozu finally lifts her head and looks back at Sukuna in confusion. The banging continues and your moans get louder. Suddenly a framed picture on the wall falls and barely misses yarozus head.

Yarozu gasps and Sukuna holds back a laugh. he pulls out of her and sighs, quickly puts on his grey sweats and heads right toward the door. You’re too busy banging on the walls to realize they have stopped and you suddenly hear a knock on the door.

The smirk on your face is devilish. You trot towards your door and open it. There is your asshole neighbor in only grey sweats and he’s glistening with sweat. If you didn’t hate him so much you’d ask him to come inside and finish the job.

“Can I help you?” You say sweetly and bat your eyelashes at him.

Sukuna holds a groan in his throat has he checks you out. You’re only in some underwear and a pajama top, which shows everything. He can see every beautiful curve you were blessed with. He can’t help but notice the way your hair drapes perfectly framing your face. The way your brow furrows and nose crinkles as you look at him in disgust-

Focus Ryomen.

He lets out a sigh and leans down, “What the fuck Is your problem?”

He’s so close as he speaks. You raise a brow and step closer to him. “What the fuck is your problem?” Suddenly a girl steps out behind him wearing a shirt that is way too big for her

“Sukuna, baby who’s that?” She purrs and reaches for his shoulder and he swats her hand. She just rolls her eyes and stands to the side.

Your blood boils as you stare daggers into him. His look is just as bad. His red ruby eyes melts into yours. You swallow thickly and clench your fists. “Keep it down or I’m calling Toji”

Sukuna scoffs and rolls his eyes. “He ain’t gonna do shit, baby,” he says in a mocking tone. Your eye twitches as you hear that stupid pet name.

As you glare into his crimson eyes, you feel a shadow creeping behind you and turn. Toji appears up the stairs with a pack of beers. His eyes immediately dart to you and shock covers his face.

Fuck, he definitely came here to drink with Sukuna didn’t he?

You’re starting to put two and two together. They for sure know eachother. There is no doubt about that. You didn’t think that they were that good of friends. Hell, he never really talked about him. You then feel helpless. Toji isn’t going to kick him out. You don’t even want him kicked out, he has two kids to raise. Just like you.

The tears swell up in your eyes as Toji walks closer and tries to brush the tears out of your face. “Hey pretty what’s-“ you swat his hand away and turn to the door, pulling your shirt down with one hand and cover your tits with the other arm.

“Fuck off toji.” You say coldly and hurry to shut the door. You make sure to lock every lock and dart to the bathroom, tears streaming down your face.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Sukuna watches with a blank face and Yarozu stands behind him, twirling her hair. “Hey Toji,” she smirks.

Toji quickly nods his head and heads into Sukuna’s place. Sukuna lets out a sigh and follows him.

Yarozu begins to step but Sukuna stops, “Go home Yarozu.” She pouts, but he doesn’t turn around to see her. She simply sighs, grabs her purse and heads back out. In only his shirt and her underwear.

Sukuna shuts his door and locks it. Just like you did. He rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “She left her clothes.” Toji says and his eyes dart toward the clothes thrown around the living room.

Sukuna huffs and walks over to the clothes, picks them up and tosses them off the balcony. Toji watches, his eyes widen a bit, but that’s honestly not surprising when it comes to those two.

He lets out a chuckle and shakes his head, “You don’t even like her, why the fuck do you-“. Sukuna cuts him off by grabbing a beer from him and flipping him off. Toji flips him off right back and smirks.

It’s gets silent for a long moment and Toji watches Sukuna as he twiddles his thumbs and sips his beer.

"Want to tell me what the fuck that was?" Toji asks, his voice low.

Sukuna drops onto the couch, running a hand through his hair. "Not really," he mutters.

Toji raises an eyebrow. "She's my best friend," he says, a warning implicit in his tone.

"I know," Sukuna responds, taking a long drink. "Believe me, I know."

"She's not just some random woman," Toji says, his voice carrying a protective edge. "She's been through enough."

Sukuna says nothing, which speaks volumes.

"I'm serious," Toji continues. "Whatever game you're playing, stop."

“Who says I'm playing a game?" Sukuna responds, but there's no conviction in his voice.

They both let out a sigh and stare up at the ceiling. Letting the silence consume them.

In your bathroom, you lie on the floor, tears streaming down your face. The cool tile against your back provides little comfort. Your mind races - everything blends into a chaotic emotional storm.

You're not crying from sadness. No, these are tears of pure frustration. Anger at Sukuna, at the situation, at yourself for being so affected by this stranger who seems determined to get under your skin.

You glance over to the vibrator as it lies forgotten on the nightstand, your evening of planned relaxation completely derailed. It truly feels like nothing ever goes to plan. And this fucking asshole is making sure of it.

With a defeated sigh you slowly sit up a wipe the tears from your face. You’re about to reach for your face wash when you feel a vibration on the bathroom counter. It’s Ino?

The call came unexpectedly. Ino's excited voice filled the phone, talking a mile a minute about a group night out. "Come on!" he insisted. "Me, my girlfriend, Nanami, and his fiancée. We need you there!"

You were hesitant. Group outings typically meant navigating potential awkwardness - endless small talk and the looming possibility of feeling like the perpetual single friend. But Ino's enthusiasm was infectious, his excitement bleeding through the phone in a way that made resistance futile.

Your outfit came together quickly. A black mini skirt that hit a little above the knee, paired with a tight white t-shirt that hinted at confidence without trying too hard. You added black tights underneath, chunky lace-up boots that could handle a night of dancing, topped with a well-worn jean jacket.

You took extra care removing the day's remnants - brushing out your hair, ensuring any trace of earlier tears was completely erased. This wasn't about looking perfect. This was about survival, about drinking away the stress that had been building for weeks.

The evening passed in a beautiful blur of music, laughter, and strategically consumed alcohol. Nanami's fiancé was stunning - the kind of gorgeous that made you simultaneously admire and slightly resent her effortless beauty. Ino's girlfriend, was a revelation - hilarious, the type of person who made friendship feel instantaneous.

You danced with strangers, laughed without reservation, drank far more than any responsible adult should. Karaoke became an adventure - you were pretty sure you sang something, though the exact song had dissolved into the night's liquid memories. The music, the drinks, the company - everything blended into a perfect escape.

The guys could tell something was wrong. You never go out. Ino told Nanami he’s been worried about you all week. You still have yet to tell him what the hell is going on. But they are happy to see you having fun. You deserve it.

Around 1 A.M., Nanami - ever the responsible one - called you an Uber, his quiet concern a counterpoint to the night's wild energy.

You said goodbye with dramatic kisses on cheeks and tight hugs. Ino has you on his Life 360 (he’s nosey and you didn’t say no when he asked) so he plans to watch it to make sure you get home. The ride home was a blur of streetlights and half-remembered conversations, the city sliding past your window like a watercolor painting.

You slowly stumble up the stairs, making sure you don't trip. The hallway seems to sway slightly as you try to keep your eyes open. You keep humming whatever song they were playing at karaoke - something pop, maybe? The memory is fuzzy, blurred by alcohol and laughter.

Finally reaching your door, you thimble around your handbag for your keys. They slip from your fingers, clattering to the ground. "Shit," you mumble, giggling as you bend to retrieve them. The lock seems particularly challenging tonight, your coordination reduced to a comedic struggle.

Unbeknownst to you, Toji and Sukuna are watching your entire performance. Toji was just about to leave, and Sukuna was seeing him out when your drunken arrival caught their attention.

In your current state, you might normally be mortified. Instead, you look up and see them staring. Your response? A defiant middle finger.

Toji frowns and sighs, a mixture of concern and exasperation. Sukuna, however, can't help but chuckle. "Hey there, drunky," he calls out, his voice a low rumble that makes you shiver despite your irritation.

The door finally opens with a triumphant "Ha!" from you.

"Need any help?" Toji asks, stepping forward.

You look up, still fumbling through your bag for your phone, and raise a challenging eyebrow. "Oh, now you're asking if I need help?" The sass is sharp, cutting through your alcohol-induced haze.

"Pretty calm-" Toji begins.

"Don't call me that," you interrupt, folding your arms and shooting a glare that could freeze fire.

Sukuna can't resist adding fuel to the fire. "Don't piss drunky off, Toji!" he shouts, his laughter echoing in the hallway.

Toji tries again, reaching to fix your disheveled hair. "Pretty, c'mon now-"

"No, Toji," you cut him off, your words slightly slurred but no less venomous. "Go suck his dick or something. I'm mad at you."

Toji rolls his eyes. You were pissed. He hasn’t seen you this mad since you found out you were pregnant (a story for another day).

Sukuna, never one to miss an opportunity, smirks. "Not really interested in him, but you can come over if ya want."

You glare back, and he winks. In his mind, you're beautiful, especially when you're fired up. Every encounter he's had with you - when you’re not ignoring him - has been a hurricane of emotion, and he loves every moment of it.

"Oh, I'm sure I'd be on a long waiting list," you retort, laying your head against the doorframe. The alcohol is catching up with you, making it hard to stand.

Toji huffs and steps closer to you, “Pretty, let me help.”

Before you can fully process it, you're nodding yes to Toji's offer of help. He swiftly picks you up, and you wrap your legs around his torso, your body going pliant with exhaustion.

Toji carries you into the apartment, with Sukuna following close behind. His eyes scan the space - moving boxes still needing to be unpacked, the signs of a recent move scattered everywhere.

Yet, it still felt like a home. Framed family photos and vintage art prints hung over the cream-colored walls, arranged in those trendy asymmetrical clusters you'd probably seen on Pinterest.

Nobora's toys were neatly corralled in a woven basket in the corner, a halfhearted attempt at containing the chaos of childhood.

It looked like every piece of furniture had been meticulously picked by you. The mid-century modern coffee table with its gentle curves, the overstuffed armchair in soft leather that practically begged to be curled up in, even the delicate ceramic vases arranged on floating shelves.

You had good taste. He was almost too distracted until he noticed Toji struggling to help your drunk ass.

"Need any help?" Sukuna asks, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

Toji doesn’t look at Sukuna, too focused on your care. He simply gives a nod and asks, “Can you get a shirt for her? I'm gonna help her change."

Sukuna rolls his eyes but complies, moving to your dresser. He opens several drawers, careful not to disturb too much. Realizing he might upset you further by rummaging, he opts instead to take off his own shirt and bring it to the bathroom.

Toji helps you undress, completely un phased . When Sukuna raises an eyebrow, Toji scoffs, "What? I watched her give birth. This isn't the first time I've seen her naked."

You giggle, raising your arms for the shirt like a child. Sukuna watches as Toji pulls the shirt over you, noting how the fabric falls loosely on your frame.

"Need to wash my face and brush my hair," you mumble, your words slightly slurred.

Toji helps you to the sink, supporting you as you carefully remove your makeup. Sukuna can't help but chuckle at the sight - you're a mix of determination and drunken clumsiness.

You use Sukuna's shirt to pat your face dry, then turn to Toji with a mischievous grin. "Mhmm, this smells like the asshole," you giggle.

Toji starts to laugh, the tension from earlier melting away.

"That's because it is the asshole's," Sukuna's voice cuts through, momentarily sobering you.

Your eyes widen at the sight of him shirtless, and he winks. You glare back - still angry, still defiant.

Toji helps you into bed, and you crawl to the center, wrapping yourself in soft sheets. As he goes to get water and medicine, Sukuna explores your room, his curiosity getting the better of him.

A bright red toy on the bedside table catches his eye. For a moment, his face heats up with thoughts he quickly tries to dismiss.

When Toji returns, he leaves water and medicine, then leans down to kiss your temple. "I'll be back in the morning to check on ya."

You wave lazily. "Bye, asshole," you call to Sukuna, who sighs and responds, "Go to sleep, drunky.

After closing your bedroom door, Toji pauses in the living room. A photograph catches his eye - a memory from his wedding day. You, him, and his late wife at the courthouse, where you served as their witness. The image pulls at his heart, a bittersweet reminder of love, loss, and enduring friendship.

Sukuna watches silently as Toji studies the photo, recognizing the depth of emotion playing across his friend's face.

"I'm actually gonna crash on her couch," Toji explains, breaking the silence. "Make sure she's okay. I'll call her baby daddy in the morning to keep Nobora for the day." Thank god Megumi was at the sitters.

Sukuna raises an eyebrow and nods, a simple acknowledgment of Toji's protective nature.

As Sukuna walks out, he can't shake the thoughts of you. It's unprecedented - he's known Yarozu for almost a decade, and she barely crosses his mind. But you? In less than a week, you've occupied more mental space than anyone has in years.

There's something about you - your fire, your refusal to back down, the way you move through the world with such unapologetic intensity. You're not afraid to show your emotions, to be loud, to take up space. It's intriguing in a way he can't quite define.

What the hell is wrong with me?

The thought echoes in the empty hallway, a whispered confession to no one but himself. With a final sigh, he returns to his own apartment, your presence clawing at his mind like a persistent memory that refuses to be forgotten.

Each step feels weighted, charged with an energy he can't explain. He's realizing something, a truth that both irritates and intrigues him.

You were going to consume him entirely.

A slow, inevitable destruction he would welcome with open arms.

summary/notes: sorry this was another chaotic one! we will slowly but surely see those two warm up to eachother (maybe) lmao! I had a blast writing Toji and Sukuna’s pov. I also realize their backstory could’ve been the beginning to their love story. ah well, maybe in another universe. they are just besties, trust.

I am also still figuring out the mechanics of tumblr so I will have links and everything updated as soon as I can! my asks are open, so if you have any questions I will be so so happy to answer! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I love you all so much! mwah! <3

taglist is open: please comment and let me know if you want to be on it!! (:

@sukubusss @poopooindamouf @tojiswifeforlife @777pluto @emochosoluvr @bookfreakk

@withtanxp @pandabiene5115 @fava-boi

#jjk #jjk sukuna #jujitsu kaisen #ryomen sukuna #sukuna #sukuna x reader #jjk fic #jjk angst #jjk fluff #jjk toji #jjk nanami #jjk ino #sukuna fic #sukuna x you #dividers by @enchanthings a

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reidyourpalms · 2 days ago

Text

on air

summary -> you’re a guest on the useless hotline podcast hosted by your secret boyfriend | george clarke x fem!reader

wc -> 1.2k

WARNINGS -> secret/private relationship, george is smitten

masterlist | main masterlist

george knew inviting you on the podcast was a bad idea.

not because you wouldn’t be great - quite the opposite, actually. you were quick, charming, dangerously funny. the kind of guest that made a podcast episode fly by and rack up views. but because george had a very hard time pretending you weren’t his girlfriend, and the useless hotline was filmed in 4K and recorded with high-grade microphones that picked up everything - including every slip-up, lingering stare, and voice crack.

and right now? he was seconds away from combusting on camera.

you were sitting across from him, legs crossed, mic in front of you, hoodie sleeves pushed up to your elbows, looking like you didn’t have a secret in the world.

meanwhile, george was sweating. literally and figuratively.

“right, welcome back to the useless hotline,” he said into the mic, trying to sound normal, casual, definitely not like a man who had been up until 2 a.m. last night with the very guest now smiling sweetly across from him. “the show where we help you with your problems, whether you want us to or not.”

“usually not,” max muttered next to him.

you laughed—a soft, familiar sound george had heard a thousand times before, but now it echoed in his headphones like a siren call.

max leaned forward, smirking. “and today we’ve got a very special guest... content creator, chaos gremlin, and george’s—what was it? longtime friend?”

george gave him a look. a subtle but deeply meaningful shut up look. you just smiled and said, “that’s what we’re calling it, yeah.”

you were good at this. at pretending. too good.

george could barely keep his eyes off you. the way your fingers tapped the mic stand absentmindedly, how your lips twitched whenever max made a joke, how you’d glance at george when you were holding back something private - something only the two of you knew. well not just you two but also not the rest of the world.

he was so screwed.

“so,” max said, reading the first listener submission. “this person says: ‘my situationship keeps liking my Instagram stories but never replies to my texts. what do I do?’ classic.”

you leaned in, “oof. see, that’s emotional terrorism.”

george barked a laugh - too loud, too sudden. you glanced at him, amused, and he felt his neck heat up. “sorry,” he said, clearing his throat. “just - ‘emotional terrorism.’ that’s gold.”

“tell me I’m wrong, clarke,” you teased, tilting your head.

his full name. dangerous territory. it made his stomach twist in ways it shouldn’t while on camera. “nah, you’re spot on,” he said, but his voice cracked slightly at the end.

max turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing. “you good, george?”

“yep. yep. great.” you smirked. george wanted to crawl under the table.

the episode went on. more questions. more advice. more jokes. and the longer it went, the worse george got. because you were so effortlessly you. because every time you teased him, he had to stop himself from reaching across the table and grabbing your hand like he always did when you were off-camera. because every time you laughed, he remembered what it felt like to kiss you mid-laughter, tangled in sheets and sunlight.

you reached for your drink, eyes flicking to him mid-sip. that look. the look you gave him when you wanted to be alone. private. quiet. yours.

he nearly dropped his mic. max noticed—of course he did.

“george,” he said suddenly, interrupting whatever nonsense advice you were giving. “what’s going on with you today? you’re being weird.”

george flinched. “i’m not being weird.”

“you’re being super weird,” max insisted. “you’re staring at her like she’s about to float away.” you raised your eyebrows in mock surprise. “am i?”

george laughed nervously. “i’m just - she’s just funny. that’s why she’s here.” max narrowed his eyes. “uh-huh. not because you live together or anything.”

you coughed. george blinked, “we don’t live together.”

max smirked. “not technically. but didn’t you stay at her place last night?” george’s mouth opened. closed. you shot Max a look that could kill.

“wow, max,” you said slowly. “way to make it weird.”

george leaned back, palms up. “can we not do this on air?”

“oh my god,” Max gasped. “you two are actually—?”

“nope,” you cut in smoothly. “still besties. he just likes my cooking.”

“yeah,” George added, voice hoarse. “just... spaghetti and stuff.”

you knew he was remembering last night. the way you kissed him in the kitchen, salt still on your fingers, shirt half-unbuttoned from laughing too hard during dinner. the way he picked you up and laid you across the counter, like-

“george,” max said again. “dude. you’re gone.”

“okay, next question!” george blurted, slapping the desk. “this one says: ‘is it a red flag if my boyfriend won’t post me?’”

max raised an eyebrow. “a very fitting question for the current vibe.”

you looked at George. your voice was low, almost teasing. “well, it depends, right? some people just like privacy.”

“yeah,” george said, throat dry. “privacy’s important.”

max squinted. “sure, but like… if you’re dating someone and you’re never in their stories, never on their grid, don’t even get a soft launch - what’s that about?”

you shrugged. “maybe they’re just waiting for the right time.”

“or maybe they’re secretly dating their podcast guest,” max said under his breath. george choked.

you snorted. “i think we’ve veered off-topic.”

george could barely look at you for the rest of the episode. he was red, flustered, and so obviously not okay. the fans were going to eat this up. the clips alone were going to break tiktok. you were cool as ever - effortlessly gliding through the chaos.

but as the outro music played and the red light on the camera clicked off, you finally looked at him properly. the kind of look that said, you’re in so much trouble, but i kind of love you for it.

george leaned toward you, voice low, private, almost pleading.

“i was trying so hard to keep it together.”

you leaned closer, “you did terribly.”

he laughed, soft and warm, “i know.”

you looked over at max, who was pretending to check his phone but was definitely eavesdropping. then you reached over and squeezed george’s hand under the table, a quiet promise between the chaos.

“next time,” you whispered, “maybe we don’t pretend.”

george blinked. “yeah?”

you grinned,“yeah.”

TWITTER

@/uselesshotlinepod - Y’all… there’s NO WAY George and y/n are just “friends.” This episode is wild and you can go watch it now.

i’m on a role rn slayy. feel free to request i get to them within a week of when they are requested

#george clarkey #george clarke fics #george clarke fluff #george clarke fanfic #george clarke #clarke #clarkey #writers on tumblr #reidyourpalms #british youtubers #youtube #yt #useless hotline #sidemen

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iftheresaproblem-whatever · 3 days ago

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KALLUZEB: AN UP TO DATE REFLECTION

I hope everyone has enjoyed Star Wars Celebration. Be it in person, or online, it’s been great seeing all these amazing cosplays, interviews and announcements for our favourite galaxy far far away.

As some of you may have seen, I have been VERY active over the last few days on the Kalluzeb socials. And with celebration out of the way and Andor Season 2 starting, I thought I’d do a little look back to how my favourite ship got to where it is today and what, with recent revelations, it might mean going forward.

For those who may not know, “Kalluzeb” features the relationship between the Rebellion’s Garazeb Orrelios and the Empire’s Agent Alexsandr Kallus in the animated show “Star Wars Rebels”. Two sworn enemies who spent almost 2 seasons fighting each other. That is until, they both crash land on an ice moon and rely on each other to survive and are finally able to put the traumas of their past behind each other. It was, without question, one of, if not THE most homoerotic pieces of media in all of Star Wars. While it may not have been intentional originally, the vibe and consequential shipping of the two as an enemies to lovers story came about very organically.

In season 3, after the experience on the ice moon, Agent Kallus turns against the Empire and turns Fulcrum spy for the Rebellion, saving the Ghost Crew’s lives several times. He gave up EVERYTHING, risked his life for the rebellion and truly earned his place at the table.

In the fandom, there was a lot of shipping from fans on social media, but what was surprising was that a lot of the shipping developed from the cast and crew from the show itself, which lead to conversations about it at fan conventions and Star Wars Celebration.

By the shows finale at the end of season 4, Kallus helped the Ghost Crew liberate the planet of Lothal. And after the events of the original movie trilogy, Zeb takes Kallus to Lira San, the secret original planet of Zeb’s kind. Kallus then realises he hadn’t destroyed the Lasat. They also welcomed Kallus to their planet as one of their own kind. Both Zeb and Kallus have a seemingly developed a very close and intimate relationship since Lothal’s liberation, to the point where Zeb covers Kallus’s eyes to surprise him and proudly wrapping his warm around him infront of his people. While their relationship was never directly specified, it was left in a neutral “maybe they are, maybe they’re not” position.

That being said, Zeb had given Kallus a new life, a new purpose, a new home, a new family and gave his soul and mind peace.

If that isn’t love, then I don’t know what is.

For a while, that’s all we thought we would see of them.

That is until, we saw the first appearance of Zeb in live action as part of the third season of “The Mandalorian” in 2023. He had a 30 second cameo and seemingly without Kallus. Safe to say, the conversation about the possibility of on screen Kalluzeb was re-ignited.

It’s also worth mentioning that in the credits of the episode in question, Zeb’s (well established) surname was excluded from the credits. This begs the question as to what is the status of his surname post-Rebels.

A few months later, the official Star Wars account released a video promoting the Darth Vader comic series with special anniversary covers of the Rebel’s characters. Agent Kallus was one of the covers and the video had the caption; “His pre-Kalluzeb days.”

This is the first time that Star Wars has used their ship name in official media. Fans (and Steve Blum himself) rejoiced.

That being said, Neither Zeb nor Kallus made an appearance in the first season of “Ahsoka”, the self proclaimed “Rebels Sequel.” Much to fan’s disappointment with Zeb’s name being mentioned only once as “training recruits.”

However, at D23 2024, a teaser trailer for the movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu” was released. And Zeb was revealed to be a part of the movie. Which proved to be VERY exciting for fans as Zeb is now going to be a movie star and finally getting his time to shine.

After that, over the next few months, the Star Wars socials posted things about the boys with very specific wording, using a specific shot of the two at Lira San and even a comment referencing to the boys as a couple.

They could have very easily used the term “best friends” in the post, but it’s the deliberate use of “partners” which is very intriguing.

Most recently, Agent Kallus was recently announced to have a classic action figure coming out in the summer of 2025, proving that Kallus is still on the radar of current Star Wars media.

(And yes, I have already pre-ordered mine.)

Which brings us to Star Wars Celebration 2025 where Lucas Animation unveiled a 20th Anniversary poster featuring all of their characters. In this poster, Zeb can be seen with his arm wrapped around Kallus in the same style as some of the other couples in the franchise. Both of them beaming brightly. Hunter from “The Bad Batch” is under Zeb’s other arm, but they’re not from the same show and anyone who knows “Rebels” knows the significance of the two being together.

Zeb was also announced to be a part of the second season of “Ashoka”. While only a few fan favourite characters have been announced to appear so far, I am hopeful that Kallus will be a surprise for the fans (hopefully Rex will be too).

Overall, when we consider how the Kalluzeb ship began and where it is now with the two characters, fans have hope now more than ever before that we will see the two interact again. While we might not know when or if live action Kallus will appear on screen, fans are still very eager and excited to see him with Zeb again.

While the ship is a gay ship, it is debatable whether or not Star Wars will fully commit to it. However, because of all of the support for it from fans, cast and crew, as well as all of the reasons l have listed up above, I choose to remain optimistic that we will see both Zeb and Kallus together on screen again. In my eyes, as well as many other fans eyes, they are as good as canon at this point.

Only time will tell as 2026 comes around and we enter what I am personal referring to as;

“The year of Kalluzeb.”

To finish off, enjoy this video of the best of Kalluzeb mentions at cons, celebrations and podcasts:

Thanks for reading! 💜🧡

#kalluzeb #star wars rebels #agent kallus #garazeb orrelios #alexsandr kallus #zeb orrelios #star wars #Steve Blum #david oyelowo #Dave Filoni #the mandalorian #the mandalorian and grogu #Ashoka #ahsoka series #ahsoka season 2

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muletia · 1 day ago

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something, something snippet from my mer!optimus fic. your first meeting with the obsessed and delusional merman <3

He’s beautiful, unearthly. Not belonging to your world, ripped straight from fairytales and legends, teasing your brain just enough that it no longer knows whether what you glimpse from the corner of your eye is even real. Or maybe such a drastic relocation into entirely unfamiliar conditions was enough to start seeing things?

The creature is enormous, roughly the size of an orca, though you know that the tail hidden beneath the lagoon’s surface could easily stretch your estimation by another meter or two. What draws your eye is the exotic palette of colors decorating his smooth skin. Muscular arms sunken into the clean, wheat-colored sand blaze red, though the crimson is interrupted by streaks of grey that trail down his forearms to his neck, where they fan out toward a white underbelly. His head, adorned with a crest rising from the center of his forehead and extending into a long dorsal fin, suddenly bursts into a pastel navy blue that flows down his back to the massive tail—a mishmash of the entire color wheel.

A merman. A real merman.

Your jaw nearly hits the floor scattered with old leaves, but you shut your mouth just in time before a startled squeak can betray you.

Humanoid. Too humanoid. Toying with your understanding of human beauty’s uniqueness. And yet here it is, just a safe dozen or so meters ahead of you, breathing. If you squinted, he really could pass for a person.

To keep yourself from going insane and to chase off intrusive thoughts, you pinch your forearm. Ouch. You’re real. But that also means he is too, giving you one more reason to go crazy.

Unable to tear your eyes from the siren monster, you decide to examine him more closely. You focus on his face, bizarrely human, yet ancient. Nothing like the stony mugs of instinct-driven animals. You feel like deep thoughts are swirling behind that blue skin, thoughts that also brim in those enormous, azure eyes. The distance between you is small enough that you can even make out the emotions running through him.

He looks sad. Pitiful, even, if you could compare the size and glint in his eyes to a sorrowful puppy, which your brain tries and fails to reconcile with the scarred body, head, and a face bearing the marks of a long life. You know instinctively this creature has years of survival behind him, every second of existence spent fighting for access to basic needs.

Which might also mean he's well-versed in the art of hunting humans, you realize with dread. You can only guess what makes up his diet, but judging by the sharp claws on his long webbed fingers, you suspect he’s not a peaceful herbivore.

Not that you’d risk an interaction with him just to test your theories. No, you'd really like to get back home in one piece.

Great. So now you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. There’s no way you’re getting out of here without catching the siren’s attention. In fact, no matter where you go from here, there's a chance of encountering him again, and you really, really didn’t want to find out if he’s a man-eater and hungry.

You glance around, looking for a wide enough gap in the foliage for a silent escape, but you're not even given the chance to take a single step. Your shoes are nailed to the earth by...

Singing.

A siren's song.

Mournful, pleading, and so raw that you hold your breath, afraid of it interrupting his piece.

It reminds you of the whalesong you’ve heard in documentaries, but each chirp, whine, and groan is loaded with sorrow and bitterness, bombarding your heart, even if you don’t understand the lyrics. You don’t need words to grasp the melancholic message, one that cuts through interspecies barriers.

The siren doesn’t stop singing, feeding his hidden audience new verses, each as depressing as the last. Like a newly discovered song, you can’t stop listening. All your senses retreat to make room for sharper hearing. You inhale his song, fill yourself with sad sounds, experiencing his suffering as if it were your own. Even if it’s just a trick to lure a tasty human snack out of hiding.

That slightly tempers your emotional response.

Right. Of course.

Maybe he knows you’re here. Feels you. Smells your tasty human flesh and is trying to coax you into the open like someone ordering takeout.

You blink a few times, shaking off the last traces of compassion, proud of yourself for seeing through the sad facade of those puppy-blue eyes and the angsty concert. In the blink of an eye, you remember you need to get back to the beach, where you have your only chance of spotting a ship or plane in the tree-free slice of sky.

Because to your left, right by your head, a giant brown tarantula is slowly crawling along a cracked wall. So close you can see every hair on its abdomen.

You return to searching for an escape route when suddenly, you freeze.

Your entire body blue-screens, and it must have rearranged every organ inside you too, because now you can feel your heartbeat in your ass.

Oh, fuck.

“AHHHH!”

Your body reacts faster than common sense can remind you that the real predator, the one that could actually kill you, probably shouldn’t know it has company. You leap right, springing through the remains of a door straight onto the warm sand surrounding the lagoon.

Still clutching two papayas tightly to your chest, you try to stay upright on your wobbling, jelly-like legs, but it’s no use. You drop to your knees, the soft sand cushioning the pain. You know you should be running, right now, immediately. You urge your legs into action, begging silently but desperately for your own body to cooperate, but your rapid, ragged breathing drowns out your pleas.

When you realize that an immediate escape is no longer an option, all you can do is curl into the fetal position, forehead kissing the warm sand.

Hmm. Nice feeling, you think. You wouldn’t mind dying surrounded by the softness of this tropical, clean beach.

You hear nothing but the whistle of air sucked through your lips.

Nothing else.

Nothing...

You freeze.

You don’t need a mirror to know your eyes are now the size of dinner plates.

For a moment, you wonder how the hell you’re still alive. How come you don’t feel claws and teeth ripping through your flesh like a piece of paper? The agonizing pain of muscles tearing and bones shattering while you’re eaten alive, disappearing into the siren’s jaws. Bite by bite, until the last memory of your existence belongs to him.

But nothing like that happens. All your tissues remain intact; no foreign force is acting on you.

Why the hell are you still alive?

Out of stupidity or curiosity, though you suspect it's more the former, you decide to make eye contact with the predator.

Slowly, you lift your head, gradually rediscovering his form. Milky white belly, swirls of red and grey skin on his chest, and finally, his head, flanked by small, bristling navy fins.

Still beautiful. Majestic. Enormous.

But as potential prey, can you allow yourself the pleasure of such hidden compliments? You wonder if antelopes also think like this before being devoured by lions. Do they finally recognize the predator’s beauty only moments before death?

The humanoid face is turned toward you, expression frozen in comforting, familiar shock. The enormous eyes, adorned with rare white pupils, have doubled in size, and his mouth has fallen open, giving you a limited glimpse inside.

Teeth. Sharp teeth, undeniably those of a meat-eater.

For the second time that day, you feel some incomprehensible force rearranging your organs.

A flicker in the blue eye. A twitch in the human-like torso. A subtle lean in your direction pulls your heart from your ass back into place, and with it, apparently, the feeling in your legs, because suddenly, you’re ready to care about your own survival again.

You never believed those myths about time slowing down in the face of mortal danger. You thought that was a tired trope from action movies, overused to the point where you physically rolled your eyes whenever you saw it on screen.

But apparently, it’s very real.

Because there’s no other way to explain how slowly the creature’s expression morphs a few meters in front of you. His brow furrows, jaw opens and closes again and again, chewing, analyzing.

As if wondering what to do with you. If this pitiful, miniature oddity before him was even worth using as a toothpick?

To eat or not to eat? That is the question.

You don’t want to know his answer.

Your body gambles on the oldest bet known to humankind.

You go all in on running.

Faster than you've ever moved in your entire life, you bolt toward the green thicket.

You could swear that the pathetic, almost pleading howl behind you and the shifting sound of something slithering across the sand belong to the siren, but you don’t have the courage to turn your head and confirm it.

You disappear behind massive leaves, blindly trying to make your way back to the familiar beach.

And for a long while, you can still hear the lamenting wail behind you.

#muletia writes #merformers x reader #merformers #optimus x reader #mer optimus

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emeraldserenade · 1 day ago

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Late Night Meeting ~ Joaquín Torres

synopsis: you only seemed to run into Joaquín at night in the kitchen

tw: fem!reader, limited use of y/n, reader has a RBF, annoying person named Clare (sorry if your name is Clare), barely edited.

fic, ficlet, drabble, request

Whoopsie, I kinda went MIA for a while because I had to drive back home and then I was just decompressing from my trip (there were bed bugs in my hotel and I've been miserable). Anyway, I'm back! My trip to see my friends was great AND I got the email last week that I passed my final chem exam! Anyway, now that I am back I will be focusing on finishing my requests but for the time being I hope you enjoy this.

A special shoutout to @sidkneeeee for wishing me luck on my final! Thank you for always reading, liking, and reblogging my stories as well as your kind words, they are very much appreciated and help me keep my motivation for writing.

➽──────────────❥

You moved into the compound after being recruited for the new Avengers. You had met the only other two here, Sam Wilson and Joaquín Torres. You smiled and shook their hands and expected to be treated the same way you always where. Like you would explode the world if someone even looked at you wrong. You knew you looked intimidating and that you would bite the head off anyone who wronged you. But it wasn't your fault that you have a resting bitch face.

You noticed something peculiar though, while both Sam and Joaquín would treat you like a normal person. You only ever seemed to see Sam around, Joaquín was always off doing something else or you just never heard anything about him. You just guessed that he was scared of you and what you could do, so you thought nothing of it. Until you wandered into the kitchen late one night to find him standing in front of a pot on the stove.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were in here," you muttered and moved to the fridge. You wanted the rest smoothie your smoothie rom earlier.

"Nah, you're good," Joaquín told you, flashing you a smile. You gave him one back and second guessed why he was never around. He didn't seem scared of you but he was also never around. You decided to put it to rest and head back to bed, your smoothie in hand and Joaquín watching you leave.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

After that meeting you seemed to run into him almost every night in the kitchen. You had the bad habit of always needing to drink something before bed and brushing your teeth. You would have to guess that it stemmed from your mom having you drink a glass of water every night before bed. And Joaquín seemed to always be snacking when you walked in.

"What are you snacking on today?" You questioned him, you two had started talking each night.

"I cut up an apple," he hummed and you watched him take a bite.

"Ah, nice," you replied and you two feel into a silence. Not an uncomfortable one, just a silence. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot," Joaquín answered and you took a deep breath.

"Why do you avoid me during the day?" You rushed out but before he could answer, one of the newer recruits walked in. She had only joined a few days ago but she was all over Joaquín when possible.

"Joaquín! There you are!" She practically shrieked and you cringed at her volume. You didn't like her but sucked it up because Sam said she was needed for the team. You took her arrival as reason to leave and downed the rest of your drink before leaving. You shot Joaquín a quick smile, ignoring the glare from the girl, and headed down the hallway.

"What was that yell?" Sam groggily asked from his door when you passed.

"Newbie got real excited when she saw Joaquín," you informed him.

"She has a name," Sam mumbled.

"Eh, don't care at the moment," you gently kicked the ground in annoyance.

"Have a good night, y/n," Sam bid you a good night.

"You too, Sam," you waved gently and started heading down the hall to your room again.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

It was a few weeks in the kitchen without Joaquín, you had to guess that he was spending his nights with the newbie. You had resigned to the fact that you would be alone at night when Joaquín finally showed in the kitchen again.

"Is Clare here?" He looked around frantically and shook your head.

"No, why?" You tilted your head a little at the sigh of relief that he released.

"I've been trying to avoid her for weeks, it's why I haven't been here," he explained and you made a shocked face.

"Joaquín!" You heard the newbie say from the hallway and took his arm, grabbing an apple for him on the way out with your free hand. You dragged him to the closest room, his. You shoved him in the door and he pulled you along with him. You only then realized you forgot your drink, but before you had time to be sad, Joaquín handed it to you.

"I only avoid you during the day because I know if I saw you in daylight, I'd fall irrevocably in love with you," Joaquín told you and you gently gasped while handing him the apple.

"Huh?" You cursed yourself for not being more poetic.

"You asked me a few weeks ago why I avoid you during the day, it's because I know if I were to see you in the daylight. Your face lit and warmed by the sun while you smile and laugh with Sam over some joke, I'd fall in love with you," Joaquín reiterated and you stared at him, the straw of your drink stuck to your bottom lip.

"I'm in love with you," you blurted out and slapped a hand over your mouth in shock. "Wait, that-" Joaquín cut you off by removing your drink from your hand, the straw from where it was attached, kissing you. You melted into it and let out a content sigh.

➽──────────────❥

Masterlist | Requests

#joaquin torres #joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres x you #mcu #cabnw #cabnw spoilers #marvel mcu

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dcdreamblog · 2 days ago

Note

Love the blog, just wondering what your take is on the 'Superman has a secret identity' theory that makes headlines every so often when the tabloids run out of other stories? Usually with their fave celeb as the culprit. I usually find that part in bad taste. Everyone has a right to privacy, what if a supervillain actually believes that hogwash, etc. Although as for the latest one it was great that Mr. Wane ran with it and wore blue for a week to raise money for disaster relief. If nothing else his now-viral remarks to Luthor about how 'if he was superman, your buildings would have been redesigned via accidental super fight collateral damage a decade ago, my god man hire a better architect' made for satisfying watching for LexCorp's many critics.

Luthor's the most outspoken disbeliever of that theory, maintaining that the most powerful 'man' in the world, with his own known private hideout in the Arctic, would have no reason to run around pretending to be a normal human. Bruce Wayne might be kind of a dim bulb, but he had a point when he told whatever poor sod from the Daily Planet was covering the Metropolis Spring Gala that Superman seems too personable (at least from interviews and eyewitness accounts) to be anything other than 'just some guy.'

So on the spectrum between the two billionaires what's your take? Does the Man of Steel walk amongst us? If he does, who would he even be when he's not wearing the cape?

Without even having to THINK about it very hard I would come down on Wayne's side in this particular debate just because I don't trust Lex Luthor as far as I could throw him and I have a MUCH higher opinion of Bruce Wayne as, I can imagine, does anyone with some combination of a heart, soul or a brain. As far as the hypothesis goes, it's pretty much confirmed by the Man of Steel himself. He's given multiple interviews where he has shared the outline of his origins and while most people focus on the fact that he's the last son of the lost planet Krypton what he does also say in those interviews is that he was discovered by a human couple and raised as their own in the manner of a normal human child. Now of course he has never shared ANY particular details about his 'foster parents' because any stray detail could be traced back to them but that pretty much seals the deal doesn't it? If he was raised by humans, one would imagine that he went to school, had dreams, wanted a job and a house and a social life and all those things that human beings get used to having and wanting. Anytime we don't see him directly in action we have to imagine it's because he's out there...doing whatever it is he does during the day! That being said I don't think I can, nor will I, speculate as to who or what he might be in that life behind the scenes. It's none of my business, it is none of the WORLD'S business and nothing good could ever come from finding out. What I will say is that I do not believe for a SECOND the most tired and well trodden theory on the subject.

(Bruce Wayne meeting with Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent) Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent is NOT Superman, people come on! It just doesn't add up to the facts. Clark Kent had a totally average childhood, more or less. He was born in the small hamlet of Smallville, Kansas to Jonathan and Martha Kent which is disproving enough in and of itself. Superman has stated he was obviously a foster child. Clark Kent is, by all records, his parents' biological child. There are records of his attendance of school, vaccination records, his journalism diploma, the whole nine yards. There are two main reasons this story remains so popular. In Superman's orbit he is the one who most resembles Superman...in that he is a dark haired white guy with blue eyes and a strong chin. Analysis on his posture and his gait have shown that he doesn't move or articulate like Superman as you would know if you have ever watched the man on television, read or listened to his writing or just been aware of him as a public figure in Metropolis for YEARS. I still get the Planet here in New York just because him and his wife are some of the best journalists I've ever read. And in that is the other reason, his wife, the world renowned Lois Lane who in the early years of Superman's career had a public infatuation and casual romance with the Man of Steel. Many people got very attached to this public love affair and have never quite forgiven Lane for her public "break up" with Superman in the aftermath of her engagement to Clark Kent. This is just real people shipping for all its nonsense, Kent doesn't have to be Superman for Lane to have married him. Lane and Kent have been partners in crime for basically Kent's entire career and maybe Lane just decided she loved Kent more strongly, or that Superman was unattainable, or any one of ten billion other reasons that don't have shit to do with me or anyone else. Kent and Lane's marriage has also put the inevitable final coffin in the theory with the birth of their son Jonathan who by all accounts is exactly as human as his father. Ignoring all the times and in all the ways that Superman and Kent have been filmed or photographed in the same place because Superman and Kent have been close friends for a very long time because Superman is publically very close with a large group of the Daily Planet's staff ever since his first appearance in Metropolis. Bottom line, yes, I believe that Superman spends his 'nights' as a normal human somewhere on this big blue marble. But his only distinguishing features are that he's a white man with dark hair and strong shoulders. He could hide that with a big enough coat.

#dc #dcu #dc comics #dc universe #superhero #comics #tw unreality #unreality #unreality blog #ask game #ask blog #asks open #please interact #worldbuilding #batman #bruce wayne #superman #clark kent #lex luthor

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bronx-bomber87 · 2 days ago

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Hello awesome readers and lovely fandom :) Best part of my week has arrived once again. Our Mid-Week goodness. Well mid-week for me lol Hard to believe we're 3 away from the season ending already.... Insane to think we're at this point. The documentary eps are always so split in how they are received. I personally have always loved them. Usually really funny and produce amazing Chenford content.

If nothing else for people who don't like them we get that. Which we still got in this one. It came in a form I wasn't expecting. But this season as I've said before has been a wild card. It's been giving and unexpected this entire time. Which I really do appreciate. s7 has been one for the books for the most part. Said this before with longer seasons though we do tend to forget is there are more filler-like ones along the way. This one felt more so than others have this year. Other than the Chenford in this ep it wasn't my fav. Not gonna lie.

Honestly once they were no longer a factor in this episode I lost interest tbh. Which was a first for me this season. Because I have been loving the ensemble of it all this year. Even with 7x10 and 7x13 which weren't my fav all around other SL's kept me engaged. They missed the mark with this one in terms of a whole episode. Coming off 'Double Trouble.' being our last one they had a lot to live up to and didn't. But I'll get into that more in my side notes. Lets dig into the ship moments we did get shall we?

7x15 A Deadly Secret

We hit the ground running with our ship. Lucy looking adorable and excited per usual with these. Tim being classic Tim. Not wanting to be here in the least. Their usual M.O. for these kinds of eps. Some things never change haha It was pretty Meta of Alexi to mention them as his 'Favorite' couple heh We are the most-loved and go-to of the ships on the show. Forever grateful for this fact. We all know they are but this was a fun little nod to that. And it having it be Alexi say it made me happy I will say.

Tim barking at him to keep it professional. Seconds after doing this he is already over it LOL The death glare only he can give so well had me cackling. I loved the shots between him and this dude. The way they pan to Tim then to him and back to Tim. Had me laughing so much. Eric the master of expressions crushing it here. He always pushes Tim's buttons and regrets it. I love him effectively killing his questioning with just a look. Getting a defeated 'Sorry. Moving on.' reply in return. Oh Tim Bradford I love you so.

What I always love about these types of episodes are the shared looks. That silent communication on display for all to see. They showcase their chemistry without even realizing they're doing so. It's why this guy loves them the most. They exude it without knowing they're even doing so. It’s in the way they instinctively touch base with each other first, a unspoken check-in that says more than words ever could. Gah I love it sfm. The shared looks up above being a great example of this.

Eric and Melissa do it so well. I don't know how they do it, but I'm deeply thankful these two actors embody this ship. It's more like they're talking to each other more so than the camera or this director. In their own world. It's the little things I always appreciate with them. They barely give the crew eye contact. Just look at them. More engaged with each other than the people around them. Also can't say I hate Tim's posture in the very beginning of this. Hello sexy forearm happy to see you.

This scene proving Lucy is and forever will be the exception for Tim. We may have a more open and emotionally available Tim this season, but not when it comes to this. I was wondering if they were going to lean into that with this but they didn't. I'm pretty ok with that. He is willing to change and be that for her but no one else. No one that isn't someone of importance to him or has a real place in his life I should say.

He opened up to John in 7x07 about Lucy which was massive progress. But Lucy is going to be the main beneficiary of that change more than anyone else. So with that being said he's not going to do that with this crew. Especially when it's just to exploit them and their feelings. Does crack me up he says he'll just ask Rachel later.... Dude just wants to know what happened with them. Get in line bub. The entire station wants to know the answer to that question. You will have to wait good sir.

I love this scene for couple reasons. The main one just being Tim looking at her while she speaks. The admiration and reverence makes my shipper heart skip a beat. Nodding along as she does so. The man says so much with just a look. I mean he always looks at her intently whenever she speaks in these. Which I adore on so many levels. But just has an added level with his eyes extra soft while he watches her tear them a new one.

Which leads me to the second I enjoyed this bit. Lucy just telling them like it is. She has gotten a lot less star struck with these since s4. Not afraid to let her rip so to speak. Telling them their theory is outlandish. That the actions of these people are their own not inspired by anything else. Love our girl.

This is where it really gets good. It was mainly crumbs before this moment. I was excited once we reached here and Tim said ‘I hate making mistakes in front of you.’ I knew we were in for some goodness. Oh my lord. Now they may be high af here but there is truth behind their statements regardless. That line of his. *heart clutch* I said this last year in my 6x07 review and analysis of Tim. How he holds himself to a higher standard and didn’t want to fail in front of Lucy because of it. For her to think less of him when he does.

Because in his mind, mistakes equal failure, and he’s afraid of being anything less than enough in her eyes. Which, as we all know, she’s never seen him in that light. He consistently forgets she saw him at his dumpster fire worst and didn't think it then. But as someone who also struggles with that myself it's not as easy as just telling him that. This is how they figure out they are drugged though. Because all season Tim has been meeting Lucy where she is at. Respecting her boundaries and only sharing what he felt was appropriate to in the moment.

This is clearly a subconscious thing he is letting slip out due to the drugs. A deep rooted fear of his he's felt for years coming out without his consent. For Lucy to see him as less than through his mistakes. I love her soft 'Oh, you've never admitted that before.' Getting a little insight into the man before her in a way she didn't have before. This felt like a preview of a convo to be had later IMO. Their need to have a serious convo literally rising to the surface in this moment.

Tim can feel this and it's why he tries to stop them from talking any further. If they're going to have a serious talk he want to be sober for it. I too would like this lol My soul longs for it really. He's also worried something is going to come out they're gonna have to deal with later. Which does happen... High Lucy can't help herself though. haha I love her starting off with something hilarious though. Asking what his most embarrassing memory is?

Tim doesn't take more than a second to reply. This stuff must be so potent for him to just drop knowledge like this. It's an adorable story about baby Tim. I adore him loving his hamster so much he took it to school with him. Snuck it in. I cannot. My damn heart. Lucy's laughter makes my soul lighter. Clearly thrilled with the answer she got from him about it. I would love to know what happened during all that fast-forwarding. The random convos they must've had.

How and why did she let her hair down? Looks like Tim maybe helped her do this? It went so fast I couldn't tell. I seriously wanna know how we ended up at the convo below. My guess is Lucy's questions got more serious for us to end up there. Or Tim couldn't stop from spilling his guts. A common theme with his relationship with Lucy let's be honest. He's never been able to stop her from extracting things from him that he would never tell anyone else. Her Tim superpower.

This felt like my 6x07 review come to life I have to say. Delighted me to no end. All the things I said in my analysis of Tim last year. Of why he did he what he did. To shed light on the meaning of it all, for a fandom emotionally struggling to understand the root cause of it all. Also because I felt it was something that absolutely needed to be acknowledged and shared. Now even though he's saying it because he's high, it doesn't make it any less satisfying to hear. He has learned something about himself. About why he does things the way he does. Which is a game changer. It shows that therapy has helped Tim grow into this version of himself. Big time. To realize all the things he didn't when he was going through it all during 6x06-6x07. I'm so proud I could cry. Saying things I dreamed about him putting together.

Then telling Lucy one day when he was ready to share it, and she was ready to hear it. Here we are with him sharing all that. What he shares next is growth I have legit longed about him having. Tim saying he internalized all his dad did to him. It was the message he had been fed his entire life: that failure equaled punishment. And without him there to inflict it, Tim punished himself instead. My broken boy. Telling himself he deserved to be punished for failing with Ray. So he did so by breaking up with her. By taking away the one good thing in his life. In his eyes, she represented the highest form of penance for actions he couldn’t even begin to understand himself at the time. This is so big fandom. Because in 6x07 he had zero idea or awareness surrounding this.

Tim found himself at a loss when Blair raised the topic back then; he couldn’t quite make sense of his own actions. At the time he didn’t think about that. Because all he could think was he wasn’t worthy and that was it. So for him to be at this place now is massive. To me maybe this is another shake up. What I mean by that is Lucy was reserved af towards him till the 7x08 confession occurred. The experience left a deep impact on her, and over time, she became more open to Tim and his efforts to change. To make it up to her. This could be the wake up call they both need to finally have their reconciliation convo following this. There is going to be residual emotions after this even if we don't see right in this moment.

Lucy even though she is high as a kite is putting together what happened. Getting clarity for the first time since he left her in that parking lot back in 6x06. It feels SOOOO good for her to finally hear this. Now was this the medium I was expecting this to happen in? God no. Of course not. This season continues its wild card ways, and if it leads to another real convo later on, I’m down. May not be the way we wanted this to start BUT it is huge progress. Because even though there are drugs involved prompting this. These are real feelings coming out. Real confessions. I did love him saying it was kinda flattering right?

Basically telling Lucy she's the best thing that ever happened to him. The one person who made him happier than anything else. *sigh* That losing her was the worst thing he could've done to himself. Essentially telling her she's the love of his life and the biggest thing he could've lost as punishment. LOVE Lucy's reply. It's everything I've wanted her to say to him since it happened. But as we all know he wasn't ready for this convo back then. He is now. Which is exciting as hell. And why Lucy laying it out that he didn't just punish himself when he broke them up. The hurt etched on her face guts me.

It punished her too. Took away her agency. Took him away. She was struck and deeply wounded by the emotional shrapnel he unleashed on them. That she became collateral damage in his attempt to outrun his failures and inflict punishment on himself. I've said this before and I'll keep saying it. I love that they continuously bring up the impact it had on her. That it is a wound that isn't to be ignored or have faded into the background. It is front and center until this is really talked out. Will that happen? Is this it? Idk tbh this season like I've said has been a wild card. What I do hope is that is prompts a deeper convo and reconciliation. My gut feels like it will but we shall see. Beauty of these first impressions. The analysis and guessing game.

Tim saying 'I know.' I'll never be over him owning what he did to her. Makes me so happy. Look at my boy all grown up. So proud. This is SO incredibly necessary for them to move past this. For her to hear this. To witness he is so painfully aware of what he did to her. How he blew it with the love of his life and knows it. Tim is willing to just live with what he gets now with his follow up reply. Because he is still punishing himself in some form. Still not thinking he is worthy of her forgiveness fully. But being ok with that possibility. This is him coming to terms with the fate he created for himself. Now her reply is what makes me think they'll have another convo. If only to explain what she confesses to him. And her second almost confession inside it. (I'll explain that in a second)

Because just like Tim she slips up about something she's been holding close to her chest. That she's forgiven him. It's her 'It's not even-' that gets me. The second almost confession. What do I think this means? I believe she was going to say 'It's not even that.' I think it comes down to another issue for her. Trust. She wants SO badly to trust him emotionally again like that but hasn't gotten there. She has professionally in so many ways. She's forgiven him but it's the trusting him with her heart again where she is stuck. Which is why I think she giggles and is like 'Naww that isn't it. It's something else.' and then cuts herself off.... Too shocked by her previous confession to finish that train of thought. It sobers her a tad and explain her 'When did that happen?' comment.

Now the forgiveness when did that happen? I might have a better in depth answer when I do this for my master list. But for now I mean I feel like her actions in the last few episodes have screamed she had. Like I said in 7x14. Her emotionally opening up and leaning on him again was a sign. Folding immediately into him for their hug like she did in 6x04. Another big one. Her replies in 7x11 were a neon sign. It's been a slow development since 7x08. The whole season really but 'Wildfire' really kicked it off. I think the 7x08 confession dislodged her quite a bit. That and Tim’s consistent showing up for her. Praising her, building her up and just being emotionally available is what sealed the deal here.

I do love her cute giggle when she says it. Like it's supposed to be common knowledge to Tim she has done this. Like of course I forgave you already don't you know? I love you, you idiot. Why do you keep wondering if I will? Her follow up is classic to the giggling. 'Huh. I wonder when that happened?' Shocking even herself. This is going to require a follow up convo to their reconciliation I think. Just a gut feeling. I know nothing of what is to pass even if I had the chance to I wouldn't look. lol Just a feeling. Also I must note how amazing she looks with her hair down in uniform. Never thought I'd see the day lol But she is crushing it.

Is this whole thing going to spawn another real talk? Will it prompt Tim to follow his own 7x07 advice and fight for her? I hope so. It feels unfinished for the reasons I gave above. This reconciliation has been a slow burn. Just like their build up to being together was. Once I was on the other side of that I was so happy it was done that way. It'll be the same way with this. Because of course it's going to take a slow burn to reconciliation. Very on brand for Chenford. Also just mature writing which I love. Now If that is it for the adult convo Idk how I feel about that in full yet. Need to sit on that longer. That's more reserved for post-season. There was a lot of good stuff in it, but once the next three episodes unfold, I’m sure I’ll have a better answer, especially this summer when I dive in deeper into this ep.

But to me it feels like we have one more emotional hurdle to jump before reconciliation IMO. Other than the Sergeant Exam. What I can tell you is Lucy is in a much better place now than she has been all season with the scene above. Why you ask? Her non-verbal reply to being asked if she didn't mean what she said? All season she has denied everything. Vehemently. Been firm about it. She did this in 7x06 with the guy at the booth, after they slept together and claiming just 'ex-sex.' Distancing herself from the emotion. In 7x08 even on fire couldn't say she still loved him back verbally. Fought that too. Watched her internal struggle to accept his compliment in 7x11. Created an emotional boundary in 7x12 to avoid the emotions she feels for this man. Funny thing is all those things she fought led to this.

Here when asked if she didn't mean what she said then? Lucy stumbles....Not only that but looks at Tim and can't refute it. Her reaction is reply enough. Knowing she meant everything she said in that convo. Reminds me of towards the end s4 Lucy. Where her facade to keep her feelings about Tim inside were an absolute farce. Also look at Tim's SOFT eyes when she does. It's the most emotion we see in these interviews. Hoping against hope she meant everything she said. Director then ruins it with his follow up about the babies names LMFAO WHAT?! When did they have this convo? Was it before or after the confessions? I need to know.

My guess is before? Maybe it's what led to them having that talk? Idk but their in-sync refusal to stay had me dying. 'Why do we keep agreeing to do these?' I'm cackling. They are flying out of there so fast. Lucy all but squeaking out in panic 'Excuse Me?!' Too funny. Also they aren't going to have that convo on camera. Took us all season to get to this point and they had to be drugged to get there hahaha Wasn't what I was expecting but hasn't been all season in a good way. One of their themes. Now I did wonder if this was going to prompt a talk for them so I was somewhat right on that guess. heh

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Next week looks GOOOOD. I called Seth crawling his way back in. Idk HOW he did but I knew if anyone could it would be him. Tim and Lucy look like they're all but vibrating with rage with his return. Feral Tim reporting for duty. Gimme all that.

Nolan sure tries to come off scary and somewhat fails. But he's sure going to give it best. I will give him that. Gonna have his hands full. If they wanted him to wash out and shit his pants immediately should've gone with TIm. But that is a conflict of interest because of Lucy and being involved in his firing. Also not fair to Miles and his training.

I loved what Tim said about Seth finding another way of washing out again. I mean the weather service thing never came to light from Wildfire. I could see that coming back to bite him in the ass. It was far more than just the "cancer" that could've fired him. Shall see how it goes down. Thank you to the wonderful people who like, comment ( these are my fav not gonna lie haha)and reblog these. You make doing this so joyful. Shall see you all in 7x16 :)

~~~~

Side Notes-Non Chenford

Bummed because I usually like the Documentary ones. Also they have been killing it with the ensemble side of it all year and this one just didn't land for me. Other than Chenford was probably my least fav of the season. Never got going IMO and felt off and disjointed. Also Rodge made an appearance and he is not my fav lol Miles could've easily replaced his scenes but that's just me.

Appreciate another s2 callback with her but It felt like a missed opportunity. Like her and Henry broke up. That's sad why no explanation of any kind? Were they too young? Clashing wants in life? When did this happen? Was hoping that ending scene with John would've given us a little clarity but no. Felt very lack luster in what it could've been. They're always cooky but have a good tie in and they had tie ins but idk just fell flat for me. But onto the next tis but a small blip in the season.

#Caitlin's First Impressions #chenford #7x15 A Deadly Secret #the rookie 7x15 #tim x lucy #tim bradford #lucy chen #s7 #the rookie #lucy x tim #otp: doing my job

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axl-ion · 3 days ago

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Every Merc and their surprising skills:

+ Miss Pauling and Zhanna

Scout:

Scout has the reputation of being a rather simple Merc, kinda a little silly guy at that. Maybe some street smarts too.

He often surprises people with his visual memory tho, being able to identify places he's been to with the most basic of clues like some piece of road, a garden and a fence. He's also great at identifying paintings.

Soldier:

Soldier already has the reputation of being the Jack of all traits on the base, at least when it comes to jobs. He's got many skills that he applies from time to time, but only if really needed.

What the others found surprising about him is his orientation skill. As someone with a helmet covering his eyes, being partially deaf since he's not protecting his ears from the explosions, one wouldn't assume he navigates himself all that well. But he's can do that. He can lead you from the middle of the desert to civilisation in no time as long as you can run after him. Some suspect he's got a nose of a dog, others that he can use the Earth's magnetic field to find the way.

Pyro:

While Soldier is a man of almost no surprises when it comes to skills, Pyro is the opposite. So mysterious that any skill revealed feels like "Damn, they can do that?"

Pyro has majorly surprised her colleagues with the knowledge of animal care. From horses and dogs to frogs, lizards and even bugs, Pyro knows how to take care of many of such critters to various extent.

Engineer:

Being very problem solving oriented guy, Dell has earned the reputation of being the practical person. As such he's mostly expected to know a lot about technology and science. As a country boy most of his colleagues also assign him knowledge about farming and love of music.

The biggest surprise when it comes to skills that came from Engineer are his skills connected to working with leather. Even tho he's a farm boy and as expected, has slaughtered some animals in the past for meat, nobody really expected him to know how to make things out of leather and take care of it. He's even got a special toolkit and everything, the only thing he lacks is a station for processing raw leather.

Demoman:

Similarly to Pyro, this man is almost always a surprise, because nobody expects much of him. Due to his alcoholism, they set the bar of expectations pretty low for Demoman, only raising it after learning he's got multiple jobs.

Demoman's unexpected skill is definitely vexillology - the knowledge of flags. He's very well educated on both the country flags, but also pirate flags, interesting flags of smaller areas and even some very obscure groups. He even made a couple designs for their team flag, but he's keeping them locked in a drawer.

Heavy:

Heavy's most expected skills are connected to survival and guns. Guns because he's the Heavy Weapons Guy, survival because even when he's not talking about it to anyone, everyone can tell he's went through some rough times in the past. Also he has to deal with people automatically assuming he's a meathead pretty often, which doesn't help.

After surprising folks with his PhD in Russian literature, he also surprised them with his knowledge of some musical instruments, like trombone, harmonica or even some very basic stuff on balalaika (last two he got from a port in Russia as a kid, from a lonesome fisherman, in exchange for a cigarette, which while Heavy is not very proud of, he was very capable of stealing).

Medic:

Often regarded as the most one-trick pony guy on the base and just a crazy scientist, he's also a constant surprise. The difference between him, Pyro and Demo tho is that, when he's about to reveal some surprising skill, others tend to run away. They don't feel like potentially risking it all.

After much hesitation, since he's pretty ashamed of this one, he did eventually reveal he enjoys and knows quite a lot about plumbing. It's kinda a family thing, where few of his uncles were plumbers so he kinda picked up on that. The thing is, he doesn't believe himself to be very good at it, but he's actually pretty decent and least afraid of get his hands dirty.

Sniper:

Regarded as the bushman, an outbacker, whatever you want to call him, for the most part he's got survival skills. And he's very proud of them. From recognising dangerous creatures, to foraging. Animal care? Yeah, he knows that too. He's got all the skills to be self reliant and dwell in the desert.

While he hid his knowledge of saxophone, the most surprising skill he revealed was just how and when he could fall asleep. Sitting up? Yes. Standing up? Did that once. He can essentially do it on command and has abrupted an annoying fight in the car by scaring the living shit out of everyone by taking a quick nap behind the wheel. Aside from that, it was rafting.

Spy:

Jack of all traits of espionage and so on, Spy has everything he needs for any job of his qualifications. Poisons, arranging the murder scene, disguise etc. He's also a polyglot and has good listening memory. Reading people as open books.

What Mercs found surprising about him, was plant knowledge. He is very knowledgeable in plant symbolism, plant care, what flowers go into a bouquet for what occasion, how many. Sure, many think he's a flirt or used to be one, but it still kinda surprises them when he points at a random plant and is like "Ah, a [insert Latin name], commonly known as [insert name], from the genus [something]. Outdoor plant, needs to be planted into a very sunny area, no..."

Miss Pauling:

Regarded as the most skilled as she was the Administrator's helper for years. From destroying evidence to more mundane stuff like making a basic phonecall, she has all the skills needed to get by.

What surprised both her and the Mercs is her natural ability to tell when it's going to be raining. Maybe she smells the chemical change in the air, maybe it's in her bones, but all and all, somehow, she always knows when it's going to rain.

Zhanna (my bbg):

As the last person to engage with the Red team before everything came to a head, nobody had really any expectations of what she's like and what skills she has. For the most part it was assumed she has most of Heavy's skills, except the expertise in miniguns.

Zhanna has the ability to repeat information word for word. She may not understand the information, but she'll parrot it to the beat. This pairs well with her love for films, having a big library of film quotes in her head.

#tf2 #tf2 headcanons #tf2 scout #tf2 soldier #tf2 pyro #tf2 engineer #tf2 demoman #tf2 heavy #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #tf2 spy #tf2 zhanna #tf2 miss pauling #headcannons #axelion headcannon post

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concerningwolves · 2 days ago

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I just finished First You Write A Sentence by Joe Moran & I loved it (so much so that I procrastinated on the last chapter for like a month bc I didn't want it to be over). in no particular order, are some of my favourite things about it/reasons why I think it's great for writers to read:

It really feels like a nice guy is gently but enthusiastically nerding out about sentences and creative writing, in a non-preachy way

encourages writers to think about their voice! Moran isn't a prescriptivist. He talks about why certain styles of writing sentences feel more natural to read, psychologically and linguistically, but also explores lots of ways in which the writing "rules" have been (successfully) broken and explains why these worked

and, similarly, explores different pieces of advice from multiple angles – e.g., instead of "you should avoid the passive voice", Moran's approach is "here's what the passive voice does well, why it's sometimes necessary, and why it weakens our writing at other times"

Little anecdotes that kept it interesting. A lot of "how to be a writer" books wear me out because the focus is so heavily on writing that I get over-saturated with advice, but Moran goes on well-timed and relevant meanders that both reinforce and let you take a lil break from the advice

Takes you through from the small, mechanical level of What Is A Sentence (i.e., nouns & verbs), to word order, to sentence length, to the effects of different punctuation marks, to how to connect sentences seamlessly, to the larger scale of fitting everything into paragraphs and prose

It put into words so many things that I do semi-intuitively bc I've been writing for so long now, but never really thought about. And now that I'm actually thinking about them, I can feel the skills getting stronger!!

Like, you can shift where your reader's attention falls by placing a word or phrase at different points in a sentence. Which i realised I'd been doing anyway, but now I can consciously think about it when I write and revise, and it's really fun to play around with :D

Big focus on clarity and conciseness, but not at the cost of voice and personal style. Really helped me see how to find a balance between the two, especially in my academic writing.

The writing of the book itself feels so graceful and easy to read that it's like you're in safe, knowledgeable hands. this is someone who absolutely practises what he preaches (although, as I said, it doesn't feel like you're being preached at)

There's probably more, and if I get the time and mental space I certainly want to summarise my favourite points from this book, but for now my parting endorsement is that I already want to read it again, this time with a notebook and page markers on hand.

#writeblr #bookblr #writing resources #book recs

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shyxcherry · 3 days ago

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Affair of the Heart Part 2

summary: you had been Seonghwa’s secretary for 6 months. 3 of those months you had been secretly seeing each other. things were going well between the two of you and work. that was until Seonghwa’s father says that it is time for him to get married of someone of his choosing. will Seonghwa go against his father and stay with you? or will he do what he has always done and listen?

pairing: CEO!Seonghwa X Secretary!OC

genre/warning: fluff, angst, smut, very down bad seonghwa

word count: 6.4k

note: finally a part 2! enjoy!

"You know, I am really glad you decided to move closer to me. Even though you are an idiot."

You threw the pillow in your lap at Chae as she insults you. She wasn't paying attention to you causing the pillow to smack her in the face. She lets out a dramatic gasp as the pillow landed in her lap, nearly knocking over her wine.

"How dare you abuse me like this? After everything we have been through?"

"Stop being dramatic." You roll your eyes as Chae throws the pillow back to you. "You can also stop being mean at any time."

"How is it being mean if it is the truth? I know you're suffering." Chae looked at you. You avoid her gaze and put on a fake smile.

"What do you mean? I'm doing great." You lie. "I have a good new job, a nice apartment, and I live down the street from you. What else would I need?"

"You really want me to answer that?"

You pull the pillow up to your chest as you avoid her gaze once again. It has been a month since you left Seonghwa. A month since you have been happy. He messaged and called you every day until you blocked him on every platform. You hated doing this to him. You just had to keep reminding yourself that this is what is best for him. He already found someone better. Someone who didn't run away.

The news that the media released two weeks ago has turned your world upside down. Seonghwa was getting married. Park Enterprise had announced that their biggest bachelor was off the market. With no other than Jiyun. You cried yourself to sleep that night. You still do, but the alcohol helps numb the pain.

You were able to get a new job fairly quick after moving. It is nothing as good as your last job, but it paid the bills. You aren't anyone's assistant anymore. You worked in a small cubicle surrounded by many other people. You only had to go in at least once a week. You were allowed to work from home the other days. You liked that you mostly worked by yourself in the comfort of your home. You didn't need anyone to see you suffer. It also kept you from getting close to anyone again. Not that anyone could replace the man who has your heart.

"I could use another drink." You answer. You don't miss her glare as you grab your glass and stand up. You walk over to the kitchen to fill your glass with more wine. This would be your third glass. You let out a sigh as you take a long chug of wine. You could finally feel yourself relax.

"Am I going to have to cut you off?" Chae walked into the kitchen. You look up at her before laughing.

"I'm fine."

"Yes, because drinking a bottle of wine every night means your fine."

"It helps me forget." You mumble quietly taking another sip of wine. You didn't think she heard you, but the drop in her expression told you otherwise.

"(Y/N)," Chae sighs. "When are you going to stop torturing yourself?"

"For the rest of my life. You read the announcement. He's getting married. Married to someone I could never compare to." You answer.

"And I bet that if you walked back into his lift, he would leave her in a heartbeat."

You nod your head. "I know, but I'm not going to do it."

"You are the most stubborn person I have ever met." Chae groaned.

"It's the right thing to do." You say but stop when Chae mimics you word for word. "Is that really necessary?"

Chae looks at you. "Besides your typical answers, why are you doing this? Why are you hurting yourself and Seonghwa by leaving?"

You look at her before moving your gaze. You go to take another sip of wine, but Chae grabs it before you do. "Give it back."

"He's not your parents, you know?"

"Don't." You glare at her. She knew better than to bring up your parents. She was there. She saw how much that hurt you. She was the one who helped pick you up, piece by piece.

"You think you're smart, but I see right through you. You're scared to go back. Now that he knows how you feel, you're scared he'll leave you." Chae stops talking as she sees the tears well in your eyes. You blink fast before the tears have a chance to fall. "He is not like that. You've seen the photos of him. He looks miserable."

"That makes two of us."

She was right. The media has been following Seonghwa like madmen since his engagement announcement. You could see the dark circles under his eyes that his team as tried to cover up. You could see the dark, emotionless eyes that lack the light and love that he had when he was with you. You hurt every time you look at them, knowing that you caused this pain.

Chae sighs making you look at her. She gets up and walks towards you. "Look. You are my best friend. It is my job to make sure your happy. And the only thing that is going to make you happy is Seonghwa."

You go to reply to her but stop when the radio stops playing music. The two of you look over as the host of the channel starts talking.

"Breaking news. Seonghwa has left Park Enterprise."

"What?" You run over and turn up the radio.

"Rumor has it he has run away to marry his long-time sweetheart, Jiyun. She was supposed to be at an event this afternoon, but she didn't show up. We wish the lovebirds the best with their marriage."

You feel tears well up once again. This time you didn't try to stop them as they ran down your cheeks. You felt Chae grip your shoulder as she pulls you into an embrace. You hold her tightly as you sob into her shoulder. You could hear her talking, but you weren't listening. Only one thought kept repeatedly going through your mind. You thought you did the right thing, so why does it hurt so much?

You spend the next few days locked in your apartment. You told your work that you were having family trouble and wouldn't be able to come in this week. They didn't care as long as you got your work done. That's all you did was work and sleep. You refused to look at any social media or listen to the radio in fear of what you might hear. You don't want to hear or see anything.

At first you refused to pick up your phone, but Chae threatened to drag you to her house if you didn't answer her. You only respond with one-word answers, but it's better than nothing.

You shut your laptop off, completing your work for the day. You get up from the counter to go grab something to help you sleep. You can't hurt if you're asleep. Right as you find what you're looking for, your doorbell rings. You look at the clock next to you. It's 6 o'clock at night. Who would be visiting you? You don't remember ordering anything. You ignore it, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. The doorbell rings again. And again. You groan before slamming your water bottle on the counter.

"I'm coming."

You walk across your apartment to the door. You curse that this place does not have a peep hole so you could see who was at the door. You swing open the door and stop breathing when you see who is standing right in front of you.

"Seonghwa?"

He has a black hood covering up most of his face, but you would recognize it from anywhere. It takes you a minute to realize what was happening. Once you realize, you try to shut to door. You jerk as you felt his hand hold the door open.

"Not so fast, (Y/N)." You hear his deep voice. He pushes the door open and walks inside. "We need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about." You snap, trying to keep your resolve. You need to be strong. You don't want him to see how much you're still affected by him.

"That's not what this says." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the letter you left him. "I found this when I was cleaning out my office."

"Then you also read that I didn't want to be with you anymore."

"Is that why you quit?" Seonghwa asked walking towards you. It took everything in your power to stand your ground. "Is that why you moved away? Why you blocked me? Why you drink every night to try and forget me?"

Your eyebrows shot up at his last question. "How the hell did you know that?"

"A little birdie told me. She also told me where you lived." Seonghwa answered. You glare as only one person knows where you live. Chae.

"I'm going to kill her." You mutter. "You need to leave. I don't want you here."

"Are you sure, baby?" Your heart dropped as he called you that. You had to get him out of here. You couldn't breathe properly now that he's here.

"Yes."

You walk around him and towards the door. As you go to open it, his hand flashes past your face as he closes it. You let out a gasp as he spins you around, pinning you to the door. His arms on either side of you. He leans in close, your noses almost touching. You look away from his intense gaze. His hand moves and grabs your chin. He tilts your head to so you would look at him.

"Look at me." You let out a shaky breath as you do as he says. He smirks at the effect he stills has on you. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that this letter meant nothing, that you don't love me, and I will leave. I will walk out that door and never contact you again."

You look in his eyes and try to work up the courage to tell him to leave, but you can't. You lower your gaze to look away from him. You feel goosebumps as his hand travels from your chin to your cheek. His thumb rubs against your cheek, wiping away a stray tear you weren't aware of.

"Talk to me baby. Tell me what I did wrong?"

Your eyes snapped up to his. You feel more tears fall down your cheeks as you see the sadness in his eyes. "Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why did you leave me?"

He brings you to his chest as a sob comes out of your mouth. One arm wraps around your waist while the other cups the back of your head. You grip his hoodie in your hands as you cry into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I was scared and hurt." You cry. "I didn't know what to do."

You felt your legs sweep out from under you as Seonghwa picks you up. You wrap your arms around his neck as he carries you to the couch. He sits down placing you in his lap. His hand rubs your back as you try to calm yourself down.

"Was everything the media said true?" You sniffle as you pull back from him.

"I haven't been listening, so I don't know what was said."

"They said that you left the company to marry Jiyun." You look at him. He rolls his eyes.

"Why would I marry someone who is only looking for money and sex?"

"So, the other part was right? You really left the company?" Seonghwa nods his head at your question.

"Him and I didn't see eye to eye. I told him I wanted to choose who I married, and he disagreed. I told him it was that or I was leaving."

"I'm sorry. I know how much you loved the company."

"Not as much as I love you." You look away from him as he leans closer to you. "I told you everything would be okay. So, why did you leave?"

"I heard you that night. You said you wanted to marry me. I thought I dreamed it at first. I have never felt happier hearing you say those words. But I couldn't- No I would never make you choose between me and your job. I know I haven't known you for long, but I have never seen someone work as hard as you. I couldn't be the reason you gave that up."

"You are worth giving that up for. What is the point of if I'm miserable? What's the point if you're not there to celebrate with me?" Seonghwa questioned.

You shake your head at him. "You'd regret it."

"(Y/N), I love you." Seonghwa tilts your chin, so you would look at him. "I love you so much it hurts. I would never regret picking you. I would rather be happy than rich."

You shake your head again before standing up off of his lap. You walk into your bedroom before he could stop you. He listened as you slammed your closet door shut. You come back into the room with a picture in your hand. You sit next to him as you place the picture on the table.

Seonghwa smiled as he looked at the picture. It was 6-year-old you on your father's shoulders. The two of you were looking at the camera smiling. Right next to you was your mother. She was looking at the two of you with so much love in her eyes.

"My mother is Italian." You start to say. "She lived in Viareggio, a city in Tuscany."

"Is that why you know how to make pasta from scratch?" Seonghwa's question made you laugh.

"Yes. She taught me when I was 12." You answer. "My father is from here. He flew to Italy on vacation where he met my mother. They both described it as love at first sight. He would joke about staying and additional week to spend more time with her before coming back here. They did the whole long-distance thing. He would beg her to come and visit him. She finally agreed to, and she told her family. Her parents immediately told her she wasn't allowed to go. That she wasn't allowed to date anyone that wasn't Italian."

"Why?"

"My mother's lineage is purely Italian. In their eyes, she was abandoning tradition by falling in love with a Korean." You answered. "They told her to break up with him or they would disown her. She left that next day. I always asked her if it was worth it. Leaving her family to come be with my father. She always said that she would do it again if it meant being with my him."

"You all look so happy." Seonghwa commented looking at the photo.

"We were very happy. We would always go on trips together. My mother wanted to see the world, and my father wanted to see her happy. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn't."

Seonghwa looked over at you trying to hold in your tears. "What happened?"

"I was 14. My mother and I woke up just like any other day, except my father wasn't there. All of his stuff was gone." You take a deep breath as you try to continue. You looked down as Seonghwa grabbed your hand. "There were divorce papers on the table. No letter or anything that helped us understand what happened."

"Did you ever find out why?"

You nodded your head. "About a year after he left, I was able to find him. He was a few towns away. I thought he had found someone else, but that wasn't the case. He told me that he was tired of the two of us. That we were a burden to him. He told me to leave and never come back."

"What the hell is wrong with him?"

"I don't know, but I did what he asked. I did make the mistake of telling my mother that. After I told her, she got even worse. I lost my mother to herself. I had to learn to take care of both of us. We lived off the monthly checks from my father because my mother lost her job. I got a job as soon as I could. But the time came where I had to go to college, and I was terrified to leave her. She assured me that she would be okay. And I believed her."

"I called her every other day while I was away at college." You continue to explain. "She started sounding happy, which made me feel better. She was finally able to get over my father. I had just finished my last final when my roommate handed me a letter. She said that my mother had stopped by with it."

As you were explaining, you grabbed the photo and flipped it around. You opened the back to reveal the letter that your mother gave you 5 years ago. "I don't know why I kept it."

You pulled the letter out and handed it to Seonghwa. He looked over at her. "Are you sure you want me to read this?"

"You wanted answers." You watched as he carefully opened the letter. You had read the letter so many times you could recall it word for word.

Mia Figlia,

I am sorry to write you this letter instead of talking to you. This letter is just easier for me. I love you so much. More than I have ever thought possible, even though it hurts so much to look at you. You have always looked so much like your father. Your bright eyes and big smile that was always on your face. These past 18 years with you have been the best years of my life. Never forget that.

I reached out to my mother a month ago. I never expected to receive a response, but I did. She missed me just as much as I missed her. They all did. They want me to come back home. Something I never dreamed would happen. Only on one condition. That I leave you behind and never contact you again.

Mia Figlia, you have to understand how hard this is for me. Now that your father is gone, my family is the only thing that makes me happy. I will be forever rooting for you to great things. Make me proud.

Love,

Tua Madre

Seonghwa closed the letter before placing it back on the table. You could tell that he was still comprehending what he just read, so you decided to speak up.

"This was the last thing I heard from her. By the time I rushed back home. It was completely empty besides for my things. I remember just sitting on the floor crying for hours. Here I was. 18 in my first semester of college. I didn't know how to be an adult. I couldn't even look for my mother because she never told me her maiden name."

"They just left you." Seonghwa mumbled. You saw the tears in his eyes as he looked at you. "How could they just leave their kid like that?"

"Their love was something that you experienced only once in a lifetime. When it was over, it broke both of them. They didn't care that they also broke me in the process." You take a sigh. "I can use the excuse that I was doing what I thought was right, but that wasn't fully it. It scares me how much I love you. That day in my house I promised myself I would never fall in love. And then you waltz in and stole my heart before I could even realize it. I just... I didn't want to get hurt like my mother."

"(Y/N)-"

"I'm sorry I hurt you." You interrupt him. "I never wanted that. I just wanted you to be happy. Even if that meant I wasn't in your life."

"I have never been happy at my job. The only reason I kept doing it was because I wanted to make my father happy. I would just go through the motions, not caring of the results. When you started working for me, I found myself starting to care. Whenever we would accomplish something together, you would get so happy." Seonghwa had a smile on his face as he recalled the memories. "I started to do whatever it took to make you happy. To make you proud of me."

You close your eyes as you feel tears start to well up in your eyes again. You lean into Seonghwa's hand as he cups your cheek, gently brushing away a stray tear.

"Do you love me?" Seonghwa asked you. You opened your eyes and looked up at him.

"I do." You answered. "Walking away from you was one of the hardest things I had to do."

"Don't walk away from me anymore. Stay with me. Please."

You felt more tears slide down your face as he whispered those words. You could tell how much you hurt him and yourself. You were scared to give yourself fully to him, knowing how your parents ended up, but you decided to do it anyway. He would be worth the pain.

"Okay."

You pushed forward, trapping Seonghwa in a kiss. He instantly responded, pulling you onto his lap as his lips chased yours. You felt like you were still to far away from him. You guess he thought the same as he pulled you closer to him, your chest pressing against his as his arms wound tightly against you.

You pulled away when it felt like your lungs were going to explode. You rested your head on Seonghwa's shoulder as you felt his lips slowly kissing down your neck, nipping and leaving marks in his descent. You tilted your head giving him more access to your neck as he littered your neck and chest with love bites.

"I missed you." You whispered to him. He squeezed you as he leaned back up to look at you.

"I missed you too. This past month has been miserable without you."

"I'm sorry." You apologize, brushing some hair out of his face.

"No more apologizing, okay?" He pressed his lips to yours before pulling away. "I should've stood up to my father."

"But your father is kind of scary, if we're being honest."

Seonghwa let out a low chuckle at your statement. "Not as scary as not having you by my side."

You smiled down at him before leaning in to kiss him again. He immediately reciprocated, gripping the back of your neck and pulling you closer to him. As he pulled you closer, you felt yourself shift over Seonghwa's hardening length causing you to let out a soft groan. You grinded down onto him, watching in awe as he threw his head back in pleasure.

"The thing's you do to me, baby."

You immediately took the chance to attach your lips to his neck, trailing downwards and leaving occasional love bites. Your hands trailed down his sides, tugging at his pants when your hands touched his hips. He shifted his hips, letting you think that he was going to pull his pants down. But instead, he quickly stood up, gripping your ass as he moved to where your room was.

You landed softly onto your mattress before Seonghwa landed on top of you. Your lips met his as hands slowly traveled up your sides. You felt him grab both of your hands, but didn't think anything of it until he pinned them down by your head, keeping you from moving. He broke the kiss with a dark smirk while you looked up at your hands.

"I have to punish my girl somehow for leaving me." He pressed a hot kiss to your cheek.

Seonghwa kept your hands in his as his other hand traveled down to pull up your shirt. Your breast hardened as they felt the cool air. He grabbed the hardened peak, twisting it causing a sharp pain to go through you. You let out a gasp as you arched your chest. He kept harshly pinching one while his mouth covered the other one, sucking on it harshly.

"Fuck, Hwa."

"Sit up, baby." You instantly did as he said. You sat up enough for him to pull your shirt over his head. He laid you back down before continuing his assault on your breasts. You moved your hands as he wasn't holding them anymore, but stopped when he made a 'tsk' noise.

"Grip the headboard." You looked down, meeting Seonghwa's dark gaze as he spoke.

"What?"

He moved up, his nose brushing against yours as he moved your hands. You gripped the headboard like he said causing him to smile darkly down at you. He pulled you into a deep kiss, stealing your breath as his hands traveled to the hem of your shorts.

"No touching." You opened your eyes as Seonghwa pulled away from you. "If I feel your hands on me at any time without my permission, I'll stop. No matter how close you are."

You cursed inwardly, but nodded your head. "Yes, sir."

"Good girl."

His lips trailed down your body as he made his way down to the hem of your shorts. He tapped your hip twice, the silent demand making you lift your hips. He slowly pulled your shorts and underwear down, leaving you completely bare to him. He sat up on his knees, looking down at you with a predatory gaze that made you shiver.

"All mine. Isn't that right, baby."

"Yes." You answered. "All yours."

His large hands spread your knees apart, so he could rest in them. His lips trailed down your thigh as he made his way down to the place you so desperately needed him. You gripped the headboard tighter as he placed a kiss right above your heat. He paused, causing you to moan out in impatience.

His hand held you hips down as he chuckled darkly. "Patience, baby. We have the rest of our lives together."

You didn't even have a chance to question his statement due to him finally giving you what you wanted. You let out a moan as his lips attach to your clit, sucking on the bud harshly. His one hand continues to hold you down while the other teases your entrance. He slowly pushes two fingers inside of you before quickly picking up his pace.

"God, look how good you look for me right now." Seonghwa mumbled against you. "Like a fucking queen."

You threw your head back in pleasure as he added a third finger, arching your back when he curls his fingers. You let out a broken moan. Your hands were starting to hurt by how hard you were holding the headboard.

"Please, Hwa." You begged him. "Can I touch you?"

"Not yet." He chuckled as you groaned at his answer. His hand that was holding your hip down slapped you clit making you jump with a gasp. "Be good, or you won't touch me at all."

"I'm sorry. I'll be good."

You could feel your orgasm start to build up in your stomach. Seonghwa could tell to my the increase in your moans. Right as you were about to climax, Seonghwa pulled away from you completely. You let out a frustrated groan as you looked up at his smiling face.

"Why did you do that? I was right there."

He pulled off his shirt, leaving him topless before he leaned back down in between your legs. His hand gently wrapped around your neck as he kissed you.

"Because the only way your cumming tonight is on my dick."

You watched as Seonghwa pulled his pants down. His length was hard and red as it sprung out of his pants. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he settled back above you. He pulled you into a kiss that was softer than the others as he lined himself up with your entrance.

You both let out a hiss of pleasure as he entered you painfully slow. He continued to stretch you and get you used to his size as he buried his head in your neck, leaving what you know will be a huge love bite in the morning. He stayed still until you shifted your hips.

Seonghwa nearly pulled all the way out of you before slamming back into you making you nearly scream in pleasure. He took no mercy as he pounded into you at a nearly impossible speed. It didn't take you long to start to reach your climax. You tumbled over the edge before you even had a chance to warn him. He continued to thrust into at a fast speed.

"Please, Seonghwa." You moaned. "Please, ca- can I touch you?"

He slowed down his speed some. Smiling down softly, he pulled your hands away from the headboard. He kissed your sore knuckles before wrapping your hands around his neck. You immediately pulled him into a kiss as he sped up once again. Your second climax was getting closer, and you could tell Seonghwa's was too.

"Hwa-"

"I know, baby." He kissed your forehead. "Me too."

He started to rub your clit making you claw at his back. You heard him tell you to let go right as you went over the edge for the second time. He watched you climax before he allowed himself to as well. He slowed down as he rode out his climax.

He pressed kisses all over your face and upper body as he pulled out of you. You whined at the movement as Seonghwa pulled you to lay on top of him. He brushed your hair out of your face while you recovered from him. After you recovered, he helped you shower before bringing you back to bed. Your head was laying on his bare chest as he ran his hands through your damp hair.

"What was your first impression of me?" You asked him. You rested your chin on your hand as you looked up at him. He looked down at you, pressing a kiss to your forehead as he thought about it.

"My first impression was that this was going to go horribly."

You laughed at his answer. "Why did you think that?"

"I was being a stereotypical asshole and couldn't see how you could have both beauty and brains, so I didn't believe it. And man did you prove me wrong. In more ways than one."

"Man, I'm just that good, aren't I?" It was Seonghwa's turn to laugh at you.

"You made someone who hated everything fall in love with you." He told you. "So, yeah. I guess you're just that good."

"You love me?" You asked him. He smiled softly before pulling you closer to him to where you were almost laying on top of him. He kissed you with so much emotion it almost made your head spin.

"I love you so much, baby." He whispered as he pulled away. "I never thought I would fall in love with someone. I always just imagined my days being lonely like my father. And then you came into my life, and I don't know how I ever lived without you. These past few weeks without you were hell."

You opened your mouth to speak, but he shushed you with a kiss. "No more apologizes. I know you were scared. I understand that now. But I want you to know that I will never due to you what your parents did to you. I will always be by your side. No matter what."

By the end of his words, you felt him brush away the tears that had fallen. "I love you, too. I don't know what's going to happen from here, but I won't run away from my fear anymore."

"Not like you have a choice anymore. You're mine now."

Before you could respond, Seonghwa's hands moved against your sides, pulling a yelp as he tickled you. You laughed as he towered over you as you tried to stop him.

"Stop!" You yelled as you smacked his shoulder.

"Tell me you love me again."

"I love you." Seonghwa's hands froze as you said those words. He pulled you into a kiss as pulled you back to the position you two were in previously.

"I love you too, baby."

You shuffled on your feet, nervously shifting as you waited for Seonghwa. You tried to put on a brave face as you walked back into the building you said you would never go to again. You were doing good. That was until Seonghwa left your side with a kiss on your cheek and saying he'll be back in a few minutes. Those few minutes turned into almost an hour.

It had been a month since you and Seonghwa reunited, and things couldn't have gone better. He stayed at your place 95% of that time. The only time he left was to go get stuff from his place. He wasn't going back there fully unless you were by his side. He waited as long as he could, but when he got a call from his father, he knew that it was time to face him.

The door to the meeting door office opened up causing you to look over. You saw the smiling face of Seonghwa as he motioned you to go to him. You rushed over, nearly jumping into his arms.

"Are you okay?" You asked quietly. He nodded his head as he pulled you closer.

"More than okay." He smiled down at you. "Are you ready?"

You back up, looking down to straighten you clothes. "As ready as I'll ever be. Do I look okay?"

"You look stunning, baby." His eyes darked as he looked over you dress again. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

You smiled at him, feeling your nerves wash away. "I love you too."

You linked your arm in Seonghwa's as he walked back into the meeting room. You held your head up high as you looked over everyone in there, even Seonghwa's father. He held your gaze as Seonghwa pulled out a chair for you. He pushed your chair in before sitting right next to you.

"Gentleman, you all remember (Y/N), right?"

"Of course we do." An older gentleman, Jisung, sits up in his seat. "I've been badgering this old bastard to hire her back ever since he let her go."

"Number's have been dropping like crazy since you two left." Another one agrees. "People are wanted to pull their funds over that."

"That was never my intention." Seonghwa's father spoke up. "I just wanted for the best for this company."

"Then maybe you should've kept your ego out of the way." Jisung criticizes him.

He along with another one of the men start an argument with Seonghwa's dad. You looked over to meet Seonghwa's gaze. You didn't expect to see amusement in his eyes as his father got a taste of his own medicine. He placed his hand over your knee as they got settled back down.

"So, are you two back permanently?" Jisung asks with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Seonghwa looked between the men before looking over at his father. "That depends."

"On what?" His father asks.

"If me and my fiancé are welcome back."

The room fell quiet at Seonghwa's words. He lifted up your hand, showing off the beautiful ring that he had surprised you with last week. You were still very scared of marriage, which he did understand. He still kissed away your worries, saying that the two of you have all the time in the world to get married.

"You're engaged?" One of the men asked.

Seonghwa pickled up your hand, kissing the ring before smiling at you. "To the love of my life."

"I knew it!" Jisung celebrated. "You assholes thought I was crazy when I said something was going on between the two of them."

"Because you are crazy." One replied with a laugh causing the others to laugh as well. He then turned to look at the two of you. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." You spoke up for the first time since arriving.

"So Park." Jisung looked over to Seonghwa's father. "You going to congratulate them and let them come back, or am I going to have to kick your ass?"

His father rolled his eyes at him before looking over at the two of you. You expected a glare, or some sort of insult. Instead, you got a small smile. "I've been waiting for someone like you to come into Seonghwa's life. Someone who would make him more human than robot. You did good finding her son. Don't fuck it up."

The two of you stared at him for a moment, not expecting the compliment. The two of you thank him after the initial shock goes away. The rest of the men congratulate the two of you before they leave. Something about having a rematch at golf.

"We'll talk later son." Seonghwa's father says as he got up from his chair. "I'm excited to see what the two of you will accomplish while in my place."

Seonghwa got up as well, shaking everyone's hands as they all left the room. Once they all left, you let out the breath that you were holding.

"Did that really just happen?"

"It did." Seonghwa spoke, equally just as shocked. He moved over, bending down and grabbing your hand once again. You couldn't even count the times he had kissed your ring covered hand. And you didn't even care, because every time he did, he looked up at you with the smile that he only saved for you. "Thank you for being by my side during all of this, baby."

You brushed your fingers along his cheek. "There's no where else I'd rather be."

"Well, there could be one place." Seonghwa mumbled with a smirk.

"Where are we going?" You ask as he pulls you up.

"My office." He answers.

"Why are we going-" You stop when you see the look in his eyes. "Really?"

"I want to celebrate."

"What's you definition of celebrate, Hwa?" You asked him. He turned around with a dark smile. He took a step forward, blocking you against the table.

"By bending my fiancé over my desk and fucking her senseless."

You gulp at his words, but could help but be turned on from them. "Lead the way, sir."

"Good girl."

#ateez #ateez reactions #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios #seonghwa #seonghwa smut #seonghwa x reader #ateez seonghwa #kpop smut #kpop fanfic #ateez fanfic #ateez smut

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junestrider · 3 days ago

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JuneBro: Balatro

Balatro: The Game That Should Have Won Game Of The Year Because It Is Ten Times Better Than The Bullshit That Got The Award

alright, welcome back to another belated and severely late installment of this review thing i do, called JuneBro. real quick, i wanna apologize to the bros (albeit small in number) who saw the last review as that shit was NOT in character and was just written in a way I hated. gonna work on keeping it brotastic here and making sure im actually writing like a cool person instead of some dumb homo tool (homo as in homo sapiens, i respect the gays).

anyways, so lets talk about this card game. when i first heard of balatro honestly i kinda thought it was just gonna be another "flavor-of-the-week" game ala Lethal Company or Content Warning (both are great games but its also like DAMN did those games fall off holy SHIT). i decided impulsively at some point that i was gonna try it since im an apple one subscriber and got the game for free due to apple arcade. so this game is sitting on my phone now and im like, so this is about poker or some noise? im not that into card games, ive played a round of rummy or two in my time (as a bro typically does) but ive barely played poker and i wasnt expecting much to be honest. from what ive seen online a lot of cats seem hella pumped about it, and so i start the game and for some reason, it hooks me in. i dont know how, something about seeing the funny blue and red number go up just awakens something in a motherfucker. but i very quickly realize that the vanilla experience for this game is okay, but when do you get to BREAK some shit? like while youre playin cards or whatever, wheres the satisfaction of knowing youre greatly exploiting the game to your fucking will? wheres the satisfaction of having joker combos that you had a hand in manipulating? when do you get to shove the chips and mult system over the railing and just go to town? how do you get all the luck? all very important and thought provoking questions. were doing so much goddamn thinking over here were turning into the fucking thinker.

so thats when i decide to get it on PC and install a like, FUCK ton of mods. im talking at least 20. and honestly? yeah, i know that some bros are gonna look at me and say "well youre doing it the cowards way, you should finish vanilla balatro before you mod it" and you know what? i dont give a fuck honestly. i dont care that i feel like i need stuff like incremental jokers that give times mult. sometimes you gotta just rig shit in your favor because if it works for politicians and fucking lawmakers then it works for me. back to the review, when you install the right mods on this thing, man you can turn the whole game into a particle accelerator and really fuck some shit up. i wanna eventually get into modding the game with my own mods. i wanna add homestuck jokers, valve jokers, all the fucking jokers. theres gonna be so many goddamn jokers that hollywoods gonna have to make a jokerverse movie because theres that many fucking jokers.

anywho, i decided to give this game a 4.75/5 shades to keep it real.

#junebro #balatro #game review #gaming #homestuck #card games

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feeelslikespace · 1 day ago

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I'm curious as to why you don't like sonadow? This is not to try and "prove you wrong" and tell you you SHOULD like sonadow, I just like knowing different opinions, and especially WHY those different opinions exist.

Is it just not your cup of tea? Don't like how in-your-face most of it is? (Bc lbr, it's hard to look thru any sonic-related tag w/o finding them). Think they don't have chemistry in canon and its just fandom being fandom, seeing two ppl who hate each other and making them kiss? Ppl get too ooc with it just for the sake of the ship? (Which happens everywhere, but still a valid reason lol). Just have personal headcanons that conflict with sonadow existing? Something else?

GREAT QUESTIONNNN omg i love this

YEAAA so it’s kinda all those things at once lol-

First and foremost I really am not a massive fan of many Sonic ships in general it takes a lot for me to ship anything in the Sonic universe, and most of the time I like the ships one sided

Sonadow in particular thoooo I feel is soooooo ooc,,

Sonic to me is aroace thru and thru which is not everyone’s hc and that’s totally fine I don’t mind people wanting to ship him with other characters or whatev but to meee he just wants to do his own thing like relationships(in that sense) are prob the last thing on his mind.

Shadow?? SHADOW GUYS PLEASEEE.

Also wants to do his own thing??? Like he is so independent already.

Also the grumpy x sunshine that it gets reduced down to is bleh

Also some people use it to put sonamy shippers down?? Or just amy down in general.. like leave the girl alone ok.

It’s too in my face, too ooc, they don’t have any crazy like insane interactions in canon that make me go “OOOO YEP FLIRTINGGG FLIRTINGGG” like I genuinely believe that Sonic is too much for shadow and his reactions to him aren’t because he is secreting crushing on him or whatever.

Also growing up I thought shadow was his evil sibling or something? 😀 so yeah will never be shipping them.

I don’t ever see shadow being the kinda thing eagerly pursuing a relationship like that lol he barely has friend relationships outside of rogue and omega sooo..

If people like the ship like each to their own. Just like.. don’t expect me to ship it?? Or be offended when I don’t (not saying u are anon) butttt yeah like it’s gotten to a point where like it’s 1 in 15 shadow posts aren’t sonadow.. he’s his own dude too man..

I’m sure there’s more reasons I just am rambling atp but yaaa thank u for the questionnn🤘🤘

#they are all aroace bc I say so

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matbenetti17 · 3 days ago

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Magic Dimension’s lore

Billions of years ago, when the Magic Dimension didn't exist yet, there was the Unknown, the cosmic void before all else.

It was dominated by two ancestral forces in perpetual battle: the Great Dragon and the Shadow Phoenix.

Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, Life and Death were their weapons.

It was from the fury of their battle that our universe was created.

On the brink of defeat, the Shadow Phoenix disappeared into the dark depths of one of the planets that has been created, the one where Magix will one day arise. Meanwhile the Great Dragon lay down in a secret cave of another planet, Domino.

Domino

For centuries the rulers of the kingdom of Domino have had the task of guarding the Dragon Flame, the source of life itself for the whole universe.

The Great Dragon, dormant, grants to one and only one person with great magical abilities the power of its flame of life, the Guardian of Domino. The last person known to have been the guardian of the Dragon Flame was Princess Daphne, Bloom’s older sister.

The last rulers of Domino were King Oritel and Queen Marion, who “disappeared” during the attack of Domino made by the Ancestral Witches.

When the Ancestral Witches attacked Domino they were trying to take possession of the power of the Dragon Flame, guarded by the guardian fairy Daphne. Her parents, Oritel and Marion, tried to defend the court but without success. Daphne tried to escape with her sister, Princess Bloom, but the three witches were chasing them. Daphne then managed to open a portal to a universe without magic to save her sister and entrusted her with the power of the Dragon Flame, to hide her (and the Flame) as far away as possible from the Witches.

That day, with the death of the guardian fairy (who sacrificed herself fighting against the Witches) and with the disappearance of the Dragon Flame from the Magic Dimension, the planet began to freeze and fell prey to the dark forces.

Domino was the home of the dragons of the Magic Dimension, attracted by the energy of the Great Dragon, along with Pyros.

The last dragons of Domino fled to the small volcanic planet of Pyros, to live in a place warm enough for them.

Dragons are the only beings able to travel from one planet to another autonomously, perhaps because they are linked to the Great Dragon.

Before the glaciation, Domino was a lush planet, full of life, with great mountain ranges, where it is believed the spirit of the Great Dragon still rests.

Solaria

Solaria is the closest planet to the sun and unlike the other planets in the Magic Dimension it doesn’t rotate on itself, so it always has a sunny side and a dark side.

Its economy is based on the marble quarries and the luxury economy.

Its rulers are King Radius and Queen Luna. Queen Luna was born on the night side of Solaria and since she and her husband are separating she has decided to move permanently in their "Nocturnal Residence". Together they have a daughter, Princess Stella.

The people of Solaria have always been divided because of their very different cultures and lifestyles.

The rulers have always tried to unite the people with royal marriages between the two sides, but the imminent divorce of the current rulers is bringing the kingdom to an increasingly fragile political balance.

The people of the dark would like to become independent, which is why King Radius is looking for a new wife.

Even the planet's fauna is divided: the sunny side is inhabited mainly by griffins, while the dark side is inhabited by crepuscular salamanders, small bioluminescent amphibians that love the moon rays.

Lynphea

Lynphea is the planet of forests, it has such a dense flora that its population has adapted its life on the trees.

Lynphea’s flora is also the most varied in the Magic Dimension: its inhabitants are mainly researchers and alchemists, they often go on expeditions to other planets to bring samples of every known plant species to Lynphea to study them.

On Lynphea even animals have adapted to live in symbiosis with the vegetation. The viridella butterflies have developed colorful wings that simulate both the color and the consistency of flower petals.

Kaimosses [sing. kaimoss] also live on the planet: they are panther-like felines with bodies literally made of rock covered in moss, mushrooms or small shrubs.

The kingdom of Lynphea is also a monarchy: Queen Rachel has a daughter, Princess Krystal, with whom she is very protective and has practically never allowed her to leave the palace. After all, Lynphea may be a peaceful planet but its particular vegetation can also be dangerous.

Melody

Melody is the planet of music and harmony. It is a rather poor kingdom composed mainly of farmers and fishermen, who take care of the vast cultivable fields that characterize the landscape and of the fishing. Together with Andros, Melody is the largest exporter of maritime products in the Magic Dimension.

On Melody there is a great variety of birds, the most famous being the alicanto: a colorful bird capable of reproducing the sounds of all known instruments. Even in the sea of Melody animals are linked to music: the melusonda whales are large marine mammals capable of singing for hours.

Melody is ruled by King Garonimus and Queen Allegra. They have a daughter, Princess Galatea.

Espero

Espero is the satellite of the planet Melody. It is mostly mountainous and is known throughout the Magic Dimension for its hot springs. Everyone comes to Espero to spend relaxing weekends, especially royal families.

Andros

Andros is located on the “opposite side” of the universe from Domino and is almost completely covered in water.

Its population is 30% humanoid and 70% mermaids, so the government has been divided between the two brothers King Teredor and King Neptune.

King Neptune, his wife Queen Ligea and their three children Nereus, Tritannus and Tressa rule over the people of the sea while King Teredor, Queen Niobe and Princess Aisha rule over the people of the land.

Being almost completely covered by the sea, Andros' fauna is mainly composed of fish and amphibious creatures: the kelpies, magical aquatic horses with manes of seaweed and the giant axolotls, which live mainly on the seabed near the coasts to be able to get out of the water and sunbathe on the beautiful white beaches of Andros.

Omega Dimension

The Omega Dimension is an interdimensional prison where the most dangerous witches, dark sorcerers and demons of the Magic Dimension are locked up. Its access portal is located on Andros, in the center of its vast ocean and is guarded by the mermaids of the royal guard.

Zenith

Zenith and Dyamond are the two furthest planets from the sun and they are both perpetually covered in snow and ice. Zenith is extremely technologically advanced: to protect themselves from the cold its inhabitants gathered in a single large city under a dome and isolated themselves for hundreds of years from the rest of the Magic Dimension. This led them to progress technologically, mechanically and even cerebrally, so much so that they have the highest average intelligence of the entire Magic Dimension.

The isolation has unfortunately also made the zenithians very workaholics, severe and with little understanding of human feelings: what is not productive is considered useless.

Despite the dome, the city still suffers from the freezing cold of the outside: the buildings are often covered in a layer of frost but the inhabitants have developed a technomagical heating system installed in each building, to prevent the ice from ruining the computer circuits or screens that cover the city.

Because of the harsh climate there are not many animals outside the dome apart from a few packs of ghelvars [sing. ghelvar]: the ice wolves, very hostile and territorial. The ocean is instead populated by nanoxyls: tiny jellyfish that move in large flocks and are able to conduct electricity. The ruler of Zenith is King Cryos who has a son, the very young Prince Vyre. The king of Zenith is supported in his decisions by the so-called “Titania Council”, a parliament composed of the most important minds of the kingdom.

Dyamond

Dyamond and Zenith are the two furthest planets from the sun and are both perpetually covered in snow and ice.

Unlike Zenith, the population of Dyamond is more rudimentary and organized into various tribes. The inhabitants live exclusively by hunting and ice fishing.

Two symbolic animals of Dyamond are the cryonomar and the isbearns. The cryonomar is a giant cephalopod that lives under the ice that covers much of the planet. While the isbearn is a bear, similar to a grizzly, but (like the ghelvar wolves of Zenith) has its coat covered in small ice stalactites.

Rot

Rot is a minor planet of the Magic Dimension characterized by large chasms eroded on its surface, some are so deep that you can see the core. Rot, Orez and Fallat are also called “The Obscure Ones” because of the dark energy that surrounds them.

There is not much life on Rot due to the limited habitable surface but there are some cities and a few villages. The people of Rot have great psychic and illusionary abilities and there also are fortune tellers and clairvoyants able to predict the future.

A fairy animal of Rot is the ashara, the ash phoenixes. It is said that they were born from the very core of the planet and that they were part of the “army” of the Shadow Phoenix. They behave a bit like vultures and scavengers, it is thought that seeing them fly above your head in a circle is an omen of misfortune and that they are only waiting for the return of their lord.

Orez

Orez is a minor planet in the Magic Dimension. Orez, Rot, and Fallat are also called “The Obscure Ones” because of the dark energy that surrounds them.

Fallat

Fallat is a minor planet in the Magic Dimension. Fallat, Orez, and Rot are also called “The Obscure Ones” because of the dark energy that surrounds them.

Romulea

Romulea is a minor planet of the Magic Dimension and is characterized by an extremely changeable climate with continuous thunderstorms, strong gusts of wind and tornadoes.

It is thought that this very changeable weather, interspersed with rare periods of serenity and strong storms, is due to the influences of the two moons, Ohm and Pyros.

It is said that the Romulans have a tough skin but it’s not just a figure of speech, they actually have developed a tougher skin to resist the possible lightning that can strike them. A bit like the crackling wasps: insects native to Romulea that attract electricity from the atmosphere and release it in strong discharges to defend themselves.

Ohm

Ohm is one of the two moons of Romulea. It’s a peaceful oasis almost completely uninhabited, except for a few romulan monks who moved to Ohm to escape from the harsh weather of their home planet and live a quiet life of meditation.

Pyros

Pyros is one of the two moons of Romulea, a small volcanic satellite home to the dragons of the Magic Dimension. With the glaciation of Domino its dragons fled to Pyros finding a perfect environment for them. There don’t seem to be any other inhabitants on Pyros besides dragons.

Eraklyon

Eraklyon is the richest planet in the Magic Dimension together with Solaria, mainly thanks to its widespread metal mines and the extraction of gemstones on its satellite Isis.

The inhabitants of Eraklyon are mainly miners, blacksmiths and craftsmen. In their work, the miners also use the symbolic animals of the kingdom: the giant moles. They have tapered snouts (like anteaters) that they use to sniff deeper into the holes and long, sharp claws perfect for digging even the hardest rock.

The royal family of Eraklyon is made up of King Erendor, Queen Samara and Prince Sky.

Isis

Isis is the satellite of Eraklyon. Although it has its own rulers, it behaves as part of the kingdom of Eraklyon.

If it weren't for its small size (and the fact that it’s part of Eraklyon), Isis would be the richest and most luxurious planet in the entire Magic Dimension.

Its inhabitants are mostly royals, goldsmiths and artisans who work the gems extracted by the workers who come from Eraklyon every day.

There aren't many native animals, most have been imported from other planets, Isis has a beautiful royal zoo that houses them all. But the pride of the kingdom is the gemmed peacock, a splendid peacock with a tail adorned with precious stones. Unfortunately, there are very few specimens left.

The regent king of Isis is King Carnelian. Together with his wife Queen Chalcedony and their daughter Princess Diaspro, they are the most important advisors to King Erendor of Eraklyon.

Magix

Magix is the most multi-ethnic planet in the Magic Dimension, its inhabitants are all immigrants from other planets so there is a great variety of types of magic.

The largest city has the same name and is the largest and most advanced metropolis in the Magic Dimension (second only to Zenith).

It’s thought that it was on this planet that the Shadow Phoenix hid after the battle against the Great Dragon that gave birth to the universe.

Downland

Downland is a kingdom located in the depths of Magix, underground. It’s surrounded by a huge labyrinth of tunnels and galleries so it’s very difficult to reach it if you are not local.

The people of Downland have adapted to living with little light, whose only source for them is the fire of torches and the lumiria, a luminescent crystal that is also a source of food and energy for them.

Downland is a monarchy, its rulers are King Enervus, Queen Foeda and their daughter Princess Amentia.

Alfea

Alfea is one of the three schools of Magix, the most renowned of the Magic Dimension in teaching light magic for young fairies.

Its headmistress is the fairy Faragonda, member of the Company of Light.

Cloud Tower

Cloud Tower is one of the three schools of Magix, the most renowned of the Magic Dimension in teaching dark magic to young witches.

Its headmistress is the witch Griffin, member of the Company of Light.

Red Fountain

Red Fountain is one of the three schools of Magix, the most renowned of the Magic Dimension in training young knights and dragon trainers.

Its headmaster is the wizard Saladin, member of the Company of Light.

Pixie Village

The Pixie Village is a small safe haven for pixies near Roccaluce Lake, on Magix. Pixies are small winged creatures that bond with fairies and help them in difficult times. Like fairies, they have a “talent,” a type of magic they are more gifted at.

Roccaluce Lake

The Roccaluce Lake is the home of the nymph Daphne. After her death at the hands of the Ancestral Witches and the freezing of Domino, Daphne ascended to the state of nymph and her spirit took refuge in the waters of Roccaluce Lake, on Magix.

Callisto

Callisto is a minor planet in the Magic Dimension.

Eros

Eros is a minor planet of the Magic Dimension.

Anne, the childhood friend of Princess Aisha of Andros, comes from here.

Oppositus

Oppositus is a minor planet and home to the greatest library in the Magic Dimension, where all known knowledge is said to be contained.

Earth

Earth is not part of the Magic Dimension but it’s where Princess Daphne, Guardian of Domino, sent her little sister Bloom to save her from the Ancestral Witches during the attack on Domino.

Centuries ago, some fairies from the Magic Dimension went on Earth to help humans learn about magic. They found great complicity in the religious beliefs of the Native Americans of the time.

Their animist communion with nature and with the "High God" reminded them of the adoration for the Great Dragon in their universe, so they joined and mingled with them.

One of them Aiyana (Roxy's mother) lived with the natives for years and years until the present day, moving around the country and between tribes to avoid them noticing that she didn't age like the earthlings.

#winx club #winx rewrite #winx redesign #winx #winx club redesign #winx club rewrite

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anonteractive · 1 day ago

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Hellooo~ Niko anon here ^o^ Came to pop my head out here to reply for a few reasons.

First of all, yayyy I'm glad my comment made you happy ;w; You deserve to feel good about the work you've done and know the joy for the story you have shared with us.

Second of all, NICO PRIME xDDD THIS MAN IS RIDICULOUS, IT'S GREAT. I NEED to kiss him face and call him all manners of vomit-inducing, saccharine pet names.

I have plans to play different backgrounds while also romancing other LIs, sort of like AUs for my Niko since I rarely make OCs. But boy howdy is it gonna be hard for me to romance other people because Niko & Nico are just sooo goshdarned funny to me ꉂ(≧▽≦)

Third of all, I may have written a fic based on this now LOL that I will throw under the Read More. If you read, I hope you enjoy! :D

Title: What's In a Name?

Tags: SFW, OC/Canon, fluff, humor, shenanigans, banter, shameless flirting as a bit, flustering Nico, entertaining Astrid

Pairing: Chih-Cheng “Nico” Wu/Military!MC

MC Specs: Nikola “Niko” Zhu; Female; she/they; jet black hair, dark brown eyes, beige skin, slender body type, height of 5’1”, Chinese; Military Background.

Word Count: 2622 (2273 original; ~349 from The Soulforge Order, Chapter 2 Part 1)

NOTE: Parts originally in the IF (and thus written by Saltpower, the original author of The Soulforge Order, and not by me) in bold and colored purple. Some of these parts were modified to fit the third-person POV, but were still largely written by Saltpower and will be indicated as such.

I originally did this since the scene I imagined was based on a canon scene in the IF, and thus I bolded the "canon" parts for my own clarity while writing. Ultimately though, I decided to leave it like this since I did not write those parts and I felt more comfortable leaving them distinct. My apologies if this messes up the formatting or immersion, but I felt it was better this way.

A quick thank you to my friend Lev for proofreading! ;w; kiskiskis

Anyways have fuuun~

Divider credit: firefly-in-darkness

“I’m sorry for Nico's… brisk tone. It has been a stressful time.” Astrid apologises, closing her notebook and resting it in her lap. Nico snorts, his back to his sister and the newcomer as he shadow boxes, but Astrid tactfully ignores him. “The soul trial is very important to us. Please forgive us if we are a bit tense.”

She gives Niko a practiced smile, her hands elegantly folded over one another on top of her notebook and her spine straight. The picture of a perfect lady, Niko thinks to herself with bitter amusement as they study each other in contemplative silence. The shorter of the two wonders if Astrid feels it as well, if her quiet classmate is also able to peer into the other side of the mirror the way she can right now.

A pang of annoyance flares to life in Niko’s chest. “No, stop thinking like that. This is where you are now and there’s nothing to do about it.”

Unwilling to give that train of thought even a single second more of consideration, she wipes the slate clean with a casual wave of her hands and a gentle, easygoing grin.

“Aw, don’t worry about it. It’s understandable, given the soul trial and all,” Niko replies, tone light. “No harm, no foul.”

With the matter seemingly concluded, Astrid gives her fellow a curt, polite smile and returns to her notebook with perfect poise. But amidst the gentle scratching of a pen on paper, Niko’s ears perk up at the scornful scoff woven between Nico’s occasional grunts of exertion.

Curious, she glances at the man who has not stopped swiping at countless invisible foes since his last interruption. Niko idly wonders how much of the color he has taken on is due to his exercises and how much is from her earlier provocations. The corner of her mouth ticks upwards again at the thought, her brain already cooking up dozens of ways to mess with him again.

She really can’t help herself—not when his reactions are so funny and, dare she say, cute.

...well, okay. She could; she simply chooses to behave like this.

Her boots scraping against the ground alerts him to her approach. Nico glances at her from the corner of his eye, a deep scowl on his face forming as she draws nearer. His once slicked back dark hair falls forward, over his eyes, as he stops his practice to dip down and fetch his sweat towel and water pouch.

He pats his face dry and then rests the sweat towel around his neck. His tousled bangs have a more pronounced curl after his workout - sitting higher on his forehead as he stares at her with an annoyed expression that only deepens when all she does is smile back at him with a playful glint to her eye.

He takes small sips from his water pouch, his eyes never leaving her. Ordinarily, such an unwarranted, almost comedic look of undisguised suspicion would make her chuckle or urge her to crack a joke to break the ice—but she doesn’t miss the tension in his overly-rigid posture, like a bow drawn far beyond its limits and on the verge of snapping, or the way his knuckles whiten around the water pouch like he was poised to strike at any moment.

Instead, she opts to preserve this brittle peace by holding her tongue. For now, anyway.

“Here to disturb me?” He asks drily, raising a single eyebrow.

Now, a sounder strategy would be to approach him delicately, diplomatically. Niko has already experienced how susceptible Chih-Cheng “Nico” Wu is to even the tiniest modicum of sincerity. She is well aware that a friendly smile and a truthful declaration of her simple intent to speak with him and his sister would likely make him fold like a napkin, complete with crisp edges and clean lines.

But unfortunately despite the best efforts of her military bloodline, Nikola “Niko” Zhu is a born and bred gremlin with a natural inclination for tomfoolery that not even her strict upbringing could fully iron out of her, much to the chagrin of an aggrieved and rapidly graying Admiral Zhu.

“Sure am,” Niko chirps, savoring the way his eye twitches as soon as the words leave her mouth.

“Must you be obnoxious here? Do you have no one else to bother?” He asks through gritted teeth, his water pouch contorting under the sudden force of his grip.

Her smile doesn’t falter as she replies, sunny as ever. “There is no one else I would rather bother than you.”

A series of splutters and aborted sentences leave Nico’s mouth, his face steadily growing bright red. Niko leans forward with a widening grin, once again curious if it was anger, a lack of oxygen, or something far more precious that was making him turn that particular shade of red.

Cute. Cute cute cute. She fights to keep her expression at just the right level of annoying.

“Enough, I’m extremely busy and I have no time for your- your shenanigans!”

To prove his point, he throws his sweat towel and water pouch into his tent, starting up his exercise once again. He quickly falls into a horse stance, pointedly looking away from her, and punches the air in front of him. His form is perfect as he throws punch after punch, his stance never faltering.

She throws her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay,” she concedes all too breezily, “I just wanted to ask you a question or two. If that’s okay, I mean.”

“Then make it fast, Zhu.”

She tilts her head, brow wrinkling performatively. “I know that it’s standard procedure to refer to each other by surname, but I’ve got a perfectly good name, C.”

Nico’s workout halts for the third time this evening as he turns to Niko, one eyebrow raised with accusation. “C?”

Niko bites her tongue to stop the laugh that threatens to spill. He says the single letter with so much contempt and bewilderment that she just knows her explanation will only make it that much funnier to her when he inevitably kicks up a fuss and gets all huffy and pouty.

“Yeah, C. That’s you,” Niko points a cheeky finger gun in his direction, waving it between them while she speaks. “Because we’re both Nico, but mine’s spelled with a K and yours is spelled with a C. So that makes you C. And obviously that makes me K. ‘Kay?”

She finishes by winking and jabbing a confident thumb at herself, as if it wasn’t already clear who is who.

He squints at her as if she’d been speaking gibberish the whole time. “The name displayed on your uniform is Nikola Zhu.”

“And that is indeed my name!” she confirms readily. “It’s on my uniform and legal documents and everything. I just prefer Niko. Just feels right to me. Easier to say. Shorter.” Then, with a subtle but purposeful dip in her voice, “Cuter.”

With the way Nico is choking and spluttering, it would be easy to assume his drink went down the wrong pipe. Alas, the water pouch had long been set aside and thus Nico has no one to blame but himself. He coughs violently into his fist once, as if to reset himself.

“This is ridiculous. I refuse.” To his credit, he only needed a moment to wrangle his voice into sounding stern and commanding again, but his ears have grown into two red glowing beacons with how hard he’s blushing.

“Eh? Why not?” she asks, looking and sounding far too innocent for someone who knows exactly what she is doing. “Our names sound the same, so it’s bound to get confusing.”

Nico’s eyes narrow into dagger points. “You can go ahead with a nickname if you want. I will not.”

“But you can’t just separate them!” Niko cries with a theatrical amount of indignation. “It doesn’t make sense for there to be a K without a C!”

He looks at her, mouth ajar as he parses her words, desperately searching for the underlying logic. “What does that even mean?”

“It means that I won’t do it if you won’t.” She holds her hands up to him placatingly. “Okay, here: what if we added something to our names instead of taking stuff away? Like, what if you were Nico Prime and I was, eh…” Niko trails off in thought before snapping back to her original purpose. “...I dunno, we’ll work on mine later. But how about it, Nico Prime?”

A quick, forceful exhale that sounds suspiciously amused catches the Nicos’ attention. Both of them glance over at Astrid, who has remained silent and seated throughout this entire exchange. Her notebook is still in her hands but her pen has gone uncharacteristically still. She deigns to lower the book an inch to fix her brother with a raised eyebrow, the makings of a mocking smirk.

“Really? Prime?” she seems to say with just her eyes.

“...no,” Nico answers after too many seconds have passed. “No, we will not be doing that either.”

Niko waggles her brow at him. “But you considered it, didn’t you?”

“No, no I didn’t.” This time he answers much too quickly and he musters all of his ire to silently will Niko into dropping the subject, glaring sharply at her.

“Okay, fine, geez. We won’t do that either,” she acquiesces, still grousing quietly. “But what do we do then?”

“Simple. You use your legal name,” Nico says with an air of finality that Niko promptly ignores.

“But I don’t want to,” she replies immediately, tilting her head with all the clueless charm of a poor, confused puppy.

“Why not?” The question comes out sharp, the two words frayed like his already short patience.

She smiles brightly at him, the answer rolling off her tongue like it is mere fact. “Because I like Nico.”

Nico opens his mouth to retort but all that comes out is a pathetic little wheeze and an incoherent jumble of “I—!” and “You—!” and “That’s—!”, one after the other, all while his already flustered expression blooms into something positively apoplectic.

His face turns a lovely shade of vermilion, color spreading across his cheeks and down his neck as he flounders for control. Even Astrid has trouble concealing her startled cough from behind her notebook, dark eyes wide in a rare instance of undisguised shock as the scene she’s been watching safely from behind those pages reaches a point that she could not have anticipated.

For a moment, Niko is all too happy to shamelessly grin and bask in the glorious, comprehensive meltdown of a man stuck up his own ass that also happens to share her name, but her triumph begins to wilt when it seems like he may very well burst a vessel. Her only intent was to tease him a bit, hopefully create a moment everyone could look back on and laugh, not cause genuine distress! Had she pushed him too much? Gone too far with her little double entendre?

She steps toward him, concern painting her features and sincerity bleeding into her voice as she tentatively reaches out to him. “Hey, are you okay? I’m sor—“

A strangled and decidedly undignified sound leaps out of his florid throat as Nico abruptly dodges her hand, as if her touch would brand him. Niko pulls back, just as surprised, and regards him with wide, worried eyes. Before she can say anything else, Nico manages to regain use of his failing tongue.

“I! Am headed to the showers! Good night!”

Each word is said so quickly that they practically crash into each other in a garbled mess of a sentence, the last one said so forcefully that it makes Niko’s shoulders jump. Nico speeds past her to reach his tent and haphazardly grabs a few things before rushing away, disappearing in a whirlwind of crimson that leaves Niko and Astrid staring dumbly in his wake.

After a few slow blinks, Niko rubs her neck awkwardly and turns to the sister of the man she just antagonized. Her previously jovial expression has turned sheepish, tinged with a good deal of remorse.

“I-I’m sorry. I...didn’t mean to cause actual harm or anything like that.” There’s a moment where her eyes dart to her boots, but Niko wills herself to look Astrid in the eye as she speaks. “Seriously. All I really wanted to do was talk. I was just teasing and—“ She interrupts herself with a groan, running an agitated hand through her black bangs. “Look, I’ll be sure to apologize to him when he’s cooled off, but maybe I should just see myself out and—“

“We can talk if you’d like,” Astrid interjects softly, gently cutting off Niko’s meandering descent into self-deprecation.

Niko’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wait, really? You sure?”

Astrid tilts her head, expression placid as her voice lilts a little. “Well, we don’t have to…”

“No, no!” Niko scrambles to sit, making sure to keep a respectful distance away from Astrid. “I’d like that! Really!”

A quiet puff of laughter leaves the other woman, nearly inaudible and just as subtle as the slight curve of her pale pink lips. “Though if it’s alright with you, perhaps we should speak quickly so we can get you out of here before my brother returns.”

“Yeah, that’s fair…” Niko nods along.

Then, as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, “Oh! That reminds me! The whole name thing? It’s fine if you guys call me by my legal name. I’m fine being Nikola. It’s really no big deal and I was just messing around.” She trails off a little, fiddling with her fingers as she glances away and mutters offhandedly, “Though, it is true that I like Nico better—ah, Niko with a K, that is!” She is quick to amend her statement to avoid any further blunders, frantically waving her hands in front of her as her mouth warps into a cringing grimace. “Ah fuck, I don’t even know if your brother will even talk to me now…”

The soft slope of Astrid’s smile climbs just a fraction higher. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. As you can see, he can be a bit surly.” Then, her gaze glimmers with a hint of knowing. “But I truly do not think Nico would mind another chat with you.”

Niko rubs her thumb anxiously, brow drawn tight and eyes doubtful yet hopeful. “You sure about that?”

“Yes. In fact, he might even enjoy it.”

That gets a laugh out of the frazzled soldier and she finally begins to relax. “Okay well let’s keep it realistic now, Astrid.”

But Astrid is nothing if not realistic, especially when it comes to her brother. She sees no sense in speaking falsehoods or making flattering statements she doesn’t see the merit in. For now though, she chooses not to voice that truth to Niko.

Yes, it would be better for everyone if Niko figured it out on her own—a small, fragile hope that Astrid keeps to herself. Their audacious classmate has already managed the feat of bypassing a decent number of Nico’s ironclad defenses; if he truly wanted her gone, he would have removed her without hesitation and Astrid finds herself pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. Something about this bold yet bumblingly earnest woman has Astrid smiling more warmly than usual, and she suspects it is much the same for her brother.

And it is why she gladly passes the time with this Niko, heartened by the fact that she has yet to meet a Nico she dislikes—C or K or otherwise.

hello!!! congrats on the chapter 2 part 1 release!!! you've worked very hard and you should be proud of what you've accomplished!

so far I've only played as the Military!MC and god i could just feel how much their family cherishes them. i specifically play as a Military!MC who's not really entirely sure what she wants and is just trying to fulfill their duty so to speak and thus hasn't really voiced any of their doubts, but that little moment made me think, "you know, i don't think they would immediately turn their backs on you like you fear they would." idk it just made me tear up a lil bit ;3; disappointing them would still make me sad, but i was gladdened to see MC loved by their parents and siblings. i will probably defo come back after playing as an Orphan or Wastelander MC (*w*)

that said, i had to mention something funny. so i often use "Nikola", shortened as "Niko" as my preferred name. i also tend to play as a Chinese MC if the setting is conducive for it because well I'M Chinese xD so it was ESPECIALLY funny for me to meet Nico as Niko. like ok buddy, one of us is gonna have to change--especially if we're dating LOL

even funnier is that you said Nico would be a bard in DND...because I, too, am a bard in DND/BG3. when asked the same question about me, all of my friends took one look at my dopey, loves to sing, "but can i kiss the eldritch abomination?", troublemaker gremlin ass and said "yeah that's a bard." and now i am so curious and excited to see what makes Nico a bard >W<

*insert Spiderman pointing meme*

✓Chinese

✓Shared/homophonous nickname/preferred name

✓Bards

✓Military background

✓Rhyming surnames (Zhu VS Wu)

ONE OF US IS GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE, BUDDY!!! nah jk we can just be Nico^2. or to avoid confusion i'm just gonna give him THE most annoying nicknames. and/or petnames if i romance him LOL please wish me luck that i come out of this IF unscathed for i am just as likely to get eaten by an Exillium as i am to get blasted by Nico for calling him "my dumpling" over the comms.

anyhow. once again, congratulations on chapter 2 part 1!!! i look forward to what else you've got cooking up; that said, please take all the time you need! you've worked very hard!!!!

Thank you so much for the kind words, Anon! All the hard work is worth it when I see how much you and others are enjoying the game.

Military!MC has a lot of interesting family moments throughout the game. The battle of wanting to not disappoint your father, live up to the family legacy, fear of isolation and rivalry and tension with siblings will all come into play in later chapters.

But there will be a lot of sweet moments to soften the angst!

Also that is absolutely hilarious, what a coincidence! Not so long ago another anon said the same thing but in regards to being Astrid! So I see I have anon twins. I can't believe it.

I am still new to coding so I'm not sure how to get characters to recognise players as having the same name as them but when I do, I'm writing that as a scene. Nico would 100% insist that he gets to be nico prime and MC will have to go by a nickname.

Perhaps people will get to see his bard side in part two hehe.

Thank you for the ask and you made my night! I love the Niko and Nico duo. Truly iconic

#the soulforge order #nico tsfo #tsfo nico #astrid tsfo #tsfo astrid #tsfo fic #fic #fanfiction #my writing #anon writes #interactive fiction #i cannot believe i banged this out in like one evening #i've been in such a bad writing rut lol #but fuck it we ball

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