#and i gotta go back to work tomorrow ;;0;;

[7-deadly-cats]

killing me softly | 19

K M S M A S T E R L I S T | <- P R E V I O U S | N E X T ->

✿ G E N R E ✿ she fell first, he fell harder | slice of life | drama

✿ P A I R I N G ✿ s1!rafe cameron x overthinking!reader (f)

✿ C O N T E N T W A R N I N G ✿ swearing, suggestive language & themes, rafe refusing to refer to them cuddling as cuddling, fluff, rafe crashing out internally and also externally (standard cw atp), ANGST, mention of coke usage, rafe on coke, ruthie :)))), rafe having violent thoughts, hints at platonic rafe x kiara, verbal tension/major argument, minor violence (punch to the face), again ANGST and kindaaa s2!rafe vibes at the end (and ig some hints at bpd)

✿ S U M M A R Y O F L A S T P A R T ✿ you updated cara after waking up (who had spent the night with jj) and she freaked out over everything, insisting that rafe liked you more than you thought, but you said you'd rather play it safe. you and rafe texted a bit. he immediately got riled up about you being in the pogue girls’ group chat, but you reassured him. he also got a bit too comfortable with his flirty pics and wording. cara ditched topper’s ride and chose to drive with john b. at lunch, your parents voiced concern over rafe’s well-being, given ward’s difficult nature. you stuided the afternoon for tomorrow’s math test. after a quick outfit check with the girls, you were picked up at 7. in the car, topper sulked about cara; molly and kelce seemed even closer. at the open air parking lot, you and rafe complimented each other. he was surprisingly gentlemanly, paying for your ticket, coat check, and snacks. after a brief chat with cara and jj, you felt a small pang of jealousy when rafe commented on cara’s nipple piercings. kelce and molly had reserved you and rafe a lounge bed next to them, which made you panic a bit. rafe seemed disappointed and hurt by your distant behavior, but you pulled yourself together and even excused your anxiety to which he reacted surprisingly sweet. a slightly awkward moment arose when he got a boner (probably bc of you) which you managed to defuse by joking around about your teacher’s buttcrack. as it got colder, you hesitantly scooted closer to rafe under the blanket. you lay really close and eventually worked up the courage to fully cuddle with him, pushing aside your fear of rejection. rafe even put your pillow away so it was just the two of you close together. deep down, it started to feel like this maybe meant more than just a newfound friendship.

✿ W O R D C O U N T ✿ 15.2k+ (SO SORRY)

✿ A / N ✿ um, yeah. not much to say about this other than AHHHHHHHH. sorry this is so long, i heavily debated if i should cut it before the last scene but i didn't wanna keep you guys on edge for no reason so guess you gotta eat all that shit up. also, hahahah, LOTS of back-and-forth but i HOPE you guys will enjoy the direction i decided to go with (especially bc i'm so anxious about the new problem i'm introducing) and PLS lmk what you think <3 ᓚᘏᗢ

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W E E K O N E // S U N D A Y 8 : 0 0 P M

Rafe had stopped counting how many times he’d questioned his sanity this week. The tenth, fourteenth, fiftieth, shit, probably the thousandth time.

With this moment right now? Probably the 1001st.

Because if some asshole had told him at the beginning of the week that seven days later he’d be lying on some stupid shitty lounge bed with some completely random girl back at the time, at some stupid shitty open-air event, watching fucking Barbie with a bunch of stupid shitty people, while you clung to him like a goddamn baby koala—Rafe would’ve beat the fucker right the fuck up.

After that, he probably would’ve done a fat line of coke just because hearing some dumb shit like that required it on principle, and then he’d have gone on with his life.

But now? He probably wouldn’t even beat up that bum Rob. Shit, not even fucker Chris, even if that asshole stood right in front of him talking some bullshit. Because that would mean Rafe had to get up. And that, in turn, would mean he’d have to let go of you.

Of you. Your warm body half-hugging his, your right hand resting comfortably on his upper stomach—a gesture that somehow irritated and grounded him all at once—your head that seemed to fit perfectly on the side of his chest, and fucking hell, your addicting scent mixed with the perfume you wore that was driving him absolutely crazy.

Rafe felt so at ease with you here. The lack of tension, the missing irritation that usually ran through his whole body, confused the absolute fuck out of him.

He didn’t fucking understand why he liked the way you clung to him. Why this felt like doing four lines in a row. Why this absolutely absurd position you two were in had his pulse racing. Why it made his blood rush, his nerves buzz, and his adrenaline shoot through his veins like going 140 mph down the highway with a line in his system.

And what confused him the most—what made him question absolutely everything he’d ever stood for—was why he even allowed it.

Why the actual fuck was Rafe letting some random girl get this close to him—in public, no less—where every shitty bastard and gossip bitch could see? And fucking Kelce, barely a meter away on top of it.

It made no fucking goddamn sense why this felt… normal.

As normal as paying for your ticket and snacks because Rafe had already been in line anyway and it’s not like he was hurting for cash, so he might as well save time and pay for yours too.

And for some fucked up reason, Rafe actually enjoyed doing it.

Why? He had no fucking clue. Most chicks he’d hooked up with expected him to buy them drinks, gifts, dinner, or pay for their nails or whatever the fuck. Like, did he look like a goddamn charity case to them?

But you? You even wanted to pay for yourself, which, as a matter of fact, just made him want to pay for you all the more, just out of fucking principle. No fucking way was Rafe letting himself get turned down.

Shit, seriously, since when had he started chasing after a girl?

But honestly, he didn’t even give a fuck anymore.

He’d already stopped fighting this feeling on Friday night. Because this pull he felt toward you? Simple explanation: you were a very cute girl with a pretty face that drove him absolutely fucking insane with your fucked-up brain—and somehow, Rafe liked that.

He fucked with it.

You being a little nuts, the way you always pissed him off, your weirdness, and the insane shit that ran through your head nonstop. It was like having the human version of Rick and Morty around—deranged, cracked out, and somehow still annoyingly enjoyable. Especially because you weren’t predictable.

As much as that pissed him off as well, he also liked how your reactions always surprised him. You weren’t boring.

Sometimes you were awkward and nervous for no fucking reason, just like earlier when you two had waited in line for snacks. Like what the actual fuck was that? Sometimes you snapped back like your life depended on it, like yesterday, during that stupid argument about you hanging out with Sarah. And sometimes, you even flirted the fuck back—like holy shit, did you actually have a split personality or some shit?

Then again, Rafe wasn’t entirely sure if you were flirting, or just being nice whenever you complimented his looks or had that teasing little twinkle in your eyes.

Nah. You flirting? You always looked like you were about to have a mental breakdown whenever Rafe flirted.

So, you were probably just on that sweet polite girl shit.

Shit. Why was this even taking up space in his head? See what you were doing to him? Your fucking overthinking whatever-the-fuck was rubbing off on him.

NAH, what the fuck was he even thinking? That wasn’t overthinking. Rafe was just following his thoughts a little further than usual.

He wasn’t you. He didn’t have a fucking army of little shitty-ass asshole minions in his head constantly talking shit and running around setting his brain on fire.

…Shit.

Rafe hadn’t even noticed his left hand playing with that stupid crappy bracelet on your wrist, fingers brushing over the little childish charms dangling from it. He couldn’t help it. Somehow, it scratched his brain just right.

And you actually wearing that four-dollar gas station horse-themed friendship bracelet? Stupidly hilarious. But for some goddamn reason, the fact that you wore it filled him with this weird sense of pride (the fuck) and excitement (even bigger the fuck) because you deciding to wear something he had given you? Sure. If you wanted to show off your new possession, Rafe wasn’t gonna stop you.

And as a matter of fact, you weren’t stopping him either from touching that cursed thing in the first place (Shit, why the fuck was he still messing with it?).

Oh! Speaking of touching things he probably shouldn’t be touching.

His right hand, which was resting very comfortably on your blanket-covered waist? The fact you hadn’t stopped him from doing that either really confused the fuck out of him.

Shit, the fact that you’d even initiated this whole laying-on-him-and-clinging-to-him thing in the first place? What the actual fuck. Like Rafe definitely wasn’t complaining about a cute girl like you holding onto him, but seriously—what. You making some kind of move or whatever the hell this was supposed to be? That was the craziest part of tonight.

Sure, it was also fucking insane how hot you looked in that sweet little dress of yours, or how he’d actually fucking gotten bricked up earlier when the same dress had ridden up your thighs, because that had immediately triggered a whole chain reaction of images (which—you reacting that chill about it? Fucking unreal), or the fact that right now he had to hold himself back so badly from not letting his hand wander lower because of the curve of your ass under the blanket?

Shit was driving him absolutely crazy to the point he had to pull up that cursed image you’d burned into his mind of Mr. Martin’s hairy caterpillar-ass or him in a goddamn tankini.

Like, hell no. Fuck you and bless you at the same time for that.

So Rafe kept his hand on your waist, fingers lightly drumming out a rhythm, because honestly? You’d probably freak out—well, the minions in your head would—if that hand actually wandered. And also, he didn’t wanna look like a damn liar because just yesterday he’d made it very clear (again...) that he wasn’t some perv trying to get into your pants.

Okay yeah, he wanted to bend you over, press your face into some sheets, hear those sweet little noises from your lips and—fuck, that wasn’t the point, alright? Just last night, he gave you some physical proof that he’d accepted your weird-ass conclusion that he wanted to be your friend (mainly because you practically forced him into it and, well, he kinda liked you but that also wasn’t the point either, okay?).

So yeah, Rafe definitely wasn’t about to scare you off by making a move that would have you backing away like some scared stray cat.

THEN AGAIN, why the hell had you initiated this, if you supposedly weren’t looking for anything with him, huh? You’d both been lying there pretty damn comfortably. You with your little pillow under his arm and all, and then when you'd sat up, Rafe had honestly thought you were about to have a mini panic attack again—but no.

Fucking hell. You’d actually wanted to lay down on him, and now he was back to the exact same fucking thought cycle he’d just tried to escape, and he hadn’t registered a single damn word that stupid-ass Ken was sobbing about on the screen.

Fucking fantastic.

Maybe one of your shitty little asshole minions had actually infiltrated his brain.

No, fuck that, he just had to face the facts.

You were a sweet, nice girl when you weren’t in your cracked-out mode. As far as Rafe knew, you only hung out with other girls. One of them being your insane best friend (who chose fucking swamp rat Maybank over Topper? Whatever). And Rafe remembered from Sarah and her friendship with Kie that girls didn’t really have boundaries when it came to physical closeness. Cuddling, sleepovers, sharing beds, even making out for fun, all that shit. Stuff Rafe would never in his fucking life do with Kelce or Topper.

So with that in mind, you probably saw this—you two cozied up like this—as just another normal, friendship thing (Rafe still couldn’t believe he agreed to that fucking label). That was probably exactly why it didn’t faze you.

You were used to this with your girl friends.

Fuck, and why the hell did that piss him off now?

The fact that this was just some mundane, platonic thing for you and—fuck that. Jesus Christ, fuck that. What the actual hell was going on with him?

Oh right. He hadn’t done a line since yesterday morning. No wonder his brain was going insane.

Rafe slouched deeper into the seat, this whole mental gymnastics session draining the shit out of him. Your body instinctively adjusted to his as he pulled you in a little closer by your waist and—

Fuck.

The way your hip shifted under that fuzzy blanket as your right leg moved slightly, your knee now resting on his.

Rafe bit the inside of his cheek, trying like hell to think of literally anything else besides the electric shock that movement sent up his leg. How you didn’t seem fazed at all but he was basically losing his goddamn mind.

Like, he actually had to fight off another wave of brutally suggestive thoughts and visuals and—get a fucking grip,dude. The last thing he needed was another goddamn boner within thirty minutes.

Then you’d really think he was some horny fucking bastard. And also? He never got this turned on this quick with any other girl. Did you have some crazy-ass pheromones baked into your insanely good-smelling perfume?

Shit was insane.

With the hand that had been fiddling with your bracelet, Rafe ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, trying to focus on the dumbass movie. He let his hand fall back down onto his stomach, just inches from yours.

There was this urge, this absolutely stupid pull to reach over again. Not just for the crappy bracelet but for your actual hand. Feel your skin, trace the shape of your fingers, map out the patterns of your palm.

He was just curious, okay?

But he didn’t wanna push it. He was already scared that any wrong move might make you recoil. No way you'd—

No fucking way.

Rafe’s heart actually skipped a beat as your hand reached for his. Well, not exactly his hand, but the golden ring around his middle finger, your fingers brushing over it.

“Does it have a meaning?” you asked quietly, eyes focused on the shiny object.

Rafe looked at your soft profile for a moment before saying, “Belonged to my mother.”

Something weird twisted in his chest as your fingers stopped playing with the ring, then pulling away, your hand returning to rest gently on his stomach.

“Shit’s not cursed,” he said with a smirk at your oddly weird reaction.

You let out a soft chuckle, your warm breath ghosting over his hand. “Yeah, no, I know.” After a moment, you added, “It’s really pretty.”

Like you, Rafe thought, but he didn’t dare say that shit out loud.

“Yeah, I guess,” he muttered instead, reaching back out for your bracelet and playing with a tiny dangling heart charm. Ken was whining about something in the background. “Not as pretty as this royal masterpiece, though. Must’ve belonged to some ancient queen or some shit.”

Weirdly enough, the more Rafe looked at it, the more he actually started to think it was pretty. Maybe that was just your effect though.

You let out another soft laugh and Rafe soaked it up like liquid coke. “Cersei Lannister would be jealous.”

Rafe blinked. “Who?”

For some reason, that made you shift.

Rafe’s hand slipped from your waist as you turned toward him, propping yourself up on your left elbow while your other arm rested lightly on his stomach.

“You’ve never seen Game of Thrones?” you asked like it was some kind of personal offense.

Your face was so close now, thanks to how you two had been lying, and Rafe’s eyes briefly flicked to your lips before locking back onto yours. He smiled, shaking his head. “Nah. Not my type of shit.”

You looked like he just insulted your whole family tree. “That ‘shit’ is a masterpiece,” you said, tilting your head. “Well, minus the last two seasons.”

“Oh, I’m sure the sex scenes are real cinematic works of art,” Rafe replied with a crooked grin.

Your nose scrunched up. “You’re probably one of those guys who worships American Psycho. Yeah, not taking your opinion into account.”

“Wow. Acting like you know other guys,” Rafe said, chuckling at your dramatic little scowl.

Okay but like, he did like that movie. Bateman was a cool dude.

You just kept staring at him, brows furrowed like you were trying to decipher some puzzle.

Rafe chuckled again, raising his brows at you with a grin. “What?”

His phone buzzed in his pocket but he ignored it. Probably just Kelce being a dumbass a few feet away.

“This show is a must-watch,” you said, tapping your index finger against his chest.

Oh? This sudden boldness? The way you were initiating physical contact, telling him what to do, trying to boss him around about what trashy TV show he had to watch?

Shouldn't turn him on as much as it did.

“Yeah?” he asked, smirking. “Well, shit. Then I have to watch it.” He couldn’t have said it more sarcastically, but you just nodded all serious.

"Yeah, you have to," you said, expression stern. "I’ll bring the DVDs to school tomorrow and then you’re gonna watch that shit. Two weeks max and no scratches on the discs."

No fucking way you actually insisted on this shit. Also, who the fuck even had DVDs these days?

Rafe scoffed, amused. "Or you leave that shit at home and show me there."

There. That was the reaction he’d been hoping for. That little twitch of your brows, the blink of your eyes, the way you instantly got all awkward again once the minions in your head started realizing what he’d just said.

Shit was hilarious as fuck.

Bzzrt. Seriously, could Kelce stop being so fucking annoying?

Huh.

When Rafe looked over to the right, both Kelce and Molly were cuddled up, giggling at the movie. So either it was crybaby Topper sobbing over Hall again, or Wheezie sending him another one of her weird-ass YouTube conspiracy vids.

“Well, yeah, I guess if you want to,” you said, smiling all awkward.

Rafe raised a brow. “Do you?”

Bzzrt. Rafe was gonna kill that fucker, whoever it was.

Your brows twitched, your fingers absentmindedly playing with the fabric of his polo as you let the question marinate.

A crooked smile formed on Rafe’s lips. No way the thought of watching that shit at your place made you uncomfortable but lying here with him was fine. Your brain was seriously fucked up.

But by now, he knew exactly how to shut up that one stupid minion in your head: just state the obvious. As much as it pissed Rafe off that he had to do this at all, he’d rather repeat himself a thousand times than go through another long-ass, exhausting convo with you spiraling over some completely unnecessary bullshit.

Bzzrt.

“Okay, let me say it again—” he started calm but firm, but you shook your head with a sheepish smile.

“No,” you let out a chuckle, then nodded. “I mean, yeah, I’d like that.”

That made this weird, fuzzy feeling bubble up in Rafe’s stomach, and the grin came naturally. “Okay, then—”

Bzzrt. Bzzrt.

Okay, that was fucking enough. Who the fuck was blowing up his phone like that?

“Fucking hell, wait a sec, some fucker’s spamming my phone,” he said with a frown and shifted slightly to the side, lifting his hip to grab his phone from his pocket.

Another annoying-ass bzzrt.

He lifted it to his face with his left hand but fucking Face ID bugged out, so he had to awkwardly move his right arm over your head to unlock it manually. That, in turn, made you back off slightly.

His chest clenched as your hand slid off his stomach, your head left his chest, and you shifted onto your back again, your gaze fixed back on Barbie.

Fuck. Seriously. This fucking fucker would catch hands.

Furrowing his brows, he unlocked his phone. And what. the. actual. fuck.

This fucking bitch.

What the actual fuck was she thinking, texting him this bullshit like he fucking cared? Shit. What the fuck?

Shit, hell no. This? This made his blood rush so fucking fast because not only had she chosen now to piss him off, she was also the fucking reason you’d pulled away from him. And Rafe wasn’t sure he could get you to move closer again.

But what really pushed him over the fucking edge was how she had the audacity to throw this passive-aggressive side dig at you. That was what really riled him up. This fucking bitch of all people trying to drag your name through the mud, acting like you weren’t worthy of him when it was the exact fucking—

FUCK.

Rafe could’ve thrown his phone at the screen. Why hadn’t he turned it off before this shitty-ass event? Why had he even bothered checking it?

Shit. And of all people, it was someone he didn’t give a single shit about.

Okay, no. Fuck her. He wasn’t putting up with Ruthie’s bullshit.

He sent her a middle finger emoji and made a mental note to tell that bitch off hard after the event.

He let out an annoyed breath, was about to turn off his phone and maybe try to coax you back to lying on his chest when, of course, Ruthie’s next message popped up.

Shit. He should just turn it off. But something in his gut told him something was off. That bitch lived to rile people up, but the tone of these next messages? It pissed him off too much to ignore.

Rafe shifted up higher, now sitting upright, knees pulled up, and tapped back into the chat.

Rafe stared blankly at the phone screen, fingers nearly digging into the display, pulse pounding, blood rushing through him while his chest rose and fell sharply, a vein popping in his neck as he tried to keep his fucking cool.

He was going to kill her.

He was going to fucking kill that bitch.

Because who the fuck did she think she was? Trying to toy with him like he was one of her stupid, cackling little bitches, when Ruthie’s stupid-ass family wasn’t even close to top-tier on Figure 8.

What did she—how the fuck had she even gotten a video like that? It didn’t make any fucking sense. Rafe always went into a backroom to deal AND do coke. He wasn’t a fucking idiot. He never did that shit in public.

HAH. Probably just fucking with him. Yeah. She was probably just trying to rile him up, fucking around, trying to ruin his moment with you.

Nah, it was probably just one dumb troll videos, fucking around like she always did. Joking, messing with people. Now she thought she could pull that same bullshit with Rafe.

He made sure his phone was muted and clicked on the video, pulse skyrocketing.

Come on. Fucking load.

Oh, that bitch was gonna catch hands for whatever troll video she’d sent. For whatever—

How.

He didn’t—

That didn’t make sense. That was—

No. Fucking shit, NO.

And yet, there it was. Some shaky video starting with Gracie’s front camera, that drunk bitch realizing she was filming herself. The POV switched to the back camera, focusing on two other girls in the kitchen, giggling and waving at the camera before downing shots.

The fucking video wasn’t even about Rafe. Except that it was.

Because in the background, you could see his back—him reaching into his pocket, prepping a line on the kitchen counter, and snorting it right off.

It could’ve been anybody if he hadn’t turned around at the last fucking second and rubbed his nose, the video cutting off as his full face came into frame.

FUCK.

Rafe didn’t even fucking remember that. He knew he’d done some lines that night—like two or three, okay maybe five—but all of them had been in the bathroom or Kelce’s guest room with nobody else around but himself, that fucker Chris, and some other losers.

Fucking hell.

He definitely didn’t remember being in the kitchen alone with Gracie of all people—the girl he’d dumped after a week of hooking up because she annoyed the living fuck out of him. Always clinging to Ruthie’s ass, always babbling about Ruthie. Ruthie this, Ruthie that. Like her whole life revolved around that bitch.

Shit, even during sex, she’d once asked to try a position because it was Ruthie’s favorite. Like—Jesus fuck—what the hell?

That had been the last straw. He’d packed his shit and left. Sure, Gracie had some insane mouth and hand game, but that? That had been beyond fucked.

That had been—

Shit. He remembered now.

He’d gone into the kitchen to look for you after doing lines with Chris and his loser crew in the guest room. But when he came back, you weren’t where he'd left you. Then he’d texted you and you’d replied you were in the bathroom with some guy which later turned out to be a typo for Molly’s name and FUCK.

Rafe had been so on edge, he hadn’t thought, and straight-up done a line in the kitchen.

Shit. Fucking shit.

And of all people, Ruthie had gotten her hands on the video.

Fuck. If she actually released that—

He didn’t give a shit what the school would think. They could kick him out, whatever. Even the cops, what could they do? They had a video, sure, but no real proof of it being coke. It showed him doing white line of something. Could've been flour. So what? Maybe an investigation, a fine. Whatever.

But his dad.

If his dad saw this video, Rafe was fucked. So fucking fucked. He’d—

He’d fucking kill that bitch.

Rafe didn’t even think. Rage and fury flooded his brain.

He set his phone aside, tossed his part of the blanket over your legs, and sat at the edge of the lounge bed, blood boiling as he reached for his shoes.

Oh, that bitch was lucky she wasn’t a guy. So fucking lucky. He would’ve knocked the fuck out of her, wiped that stupid grin off her face, knocked a few teeth loose and—

“Everything okay?”

Rafe stopped.

The turmoil inside him only worsened as he glanced back over his shoulder and met your pretty eyes, that soft glimmer in them. You had sat up too, hugging the blanket around your stomach.

Rafe just wanted to kick off his shoes again and slip right back under the blanket to your warm body. Feel your hand on his stomach, your head on his chest, breathe in your sweet perfume.

Then he remembered he'd only done that cursed line at the party because of you. Because you’d messed with his head with your cryptic-ass texts and your whole vibe and just—

Fuck.

You were the reason Ruthie had him in a fucking chokehold now. You were the reason Rafe had lost his goddamn mind to the point he’d done a stupid fucking line of coke right in the middle of some giggling girls filming him.

Rafe furrowed his brows, jaw clenched tight.

This anger toward you confused him because it clashed hard with that light feeling he’d had just seconds ago, lying there next to you.

"I’ll be right back," was all he said, his voice distant, and it pissed him off, even though he couldn’t stop it.

Your brows twitched and that just fueled his irritation and—

Shit. He could see it in your eyes. Little minions running around, confused and overwhelmed. Fuck, he really didn’t have time for that shit right now.

Rafe had to leave. If he didn’t find Ruthie soon, that fucking video would get out and he’d be fucked. He couldn’t deal with your anxiety spiral right now.

That was something you had to handle on your own now.

Once he’d gotten his other shoe on, he grabbed his phone and stood up, that familiar itch to snort a line crawling into his fingers.

And with that, he walked off, gaze fixed straight ahead, because he couldn’t bear to meet your sad eyes again.

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A girl. He’d been texting another girl.

You hadn’t seen who it was, hadn’t caught her name or profile pic, only the red heart at the bottom of the chat before he’d snatched his phone off the lounge bed and stormed off.

And now you were left alone.

The bed that had felt too small for the two of you earlier now looked way too big and empty. A deep clenching in your chest, a horrible twist in your stomach, and a storm of racing thoughts threatening to suffocate you.

You pulled the fluffy pink blanket higher, hugging your knees to your chest, staring straight ahead and clinging to the traces of warmth and scent he’d left on the fabric.

You didn’t even know what to think or feel. You two had just been so close moments ago—cuddling, the air light and sweet, Rafe actually relaxed.

But now? He’d looked so angry, so pissed off and mad, and you even got the sense that some of it had been directed at you, the way his voice had been so cold.

The fact that he’d even checked his phone to answer some girl while you two had been lying there so cozily... it hurt more than you wanted to admit. And you felt so stupid for feeling like this.

It’s not like he’s my boyfriend or anything.

Shit. And yet. Deep disappointment and irritation were bubbling up inside you. But even more than that: the question of who that girl was.

Who the hell was she to be sending Rafe little hearts? Who was she that he’d leave you behind to go chase after her? Who the fuck was she that he couldn’t even look at you as he stormed off?

Fuck. Now you were angry? This was so embarrassing and dumb. So many questions and wild theories gathering in your brain, each one worse than the last.

There were a lot of girls at the event tonight. You could rule out some random touron girl or a Pogue for obvious reasons. That just didn’t add up.

So... probably someone from school.

Maybe some ex-fwb who got jealous seeing you two together, or someone hoping to get back with him. Or maybe—

Ruthie was here. Cara had said she'd seen her with Topper. And where Ruthie was, Gracie usually wasn’t far.

Your heart sank.

She’d been one of his recent fwb situations. Sure, that had been a few months ago and hadn’t lasted long, as far as you could remember, but... could she be the one texting him?

Although, she hadn’t seemed particularly interested in Rafe at the party, or even at school, really. Even during the Truth or Dare game Friday night—she had sat on his right, yeah—but you remembered she hadn’t paid him any attention if you were being honest. Just giggling about Ruthie leading the game.

Besides, Gracie was pretty reserved and passive. Ruthie was the mouth of the duo, the one holding the whip.

So... maybe Ruthie had told Gracie to text Rafe? Just to mess with you two.

Okay, no. Wait. That’s... jesus christ. That’s borderline insane.

AHHHHH, were you really putting that much importance on yourself that you thought Ruthie would go out of her way to ruin something between you and Rafe? Which, what even was there to ruin?? Like it’s not like you two were a couple or anything, it was just this maybe kind of vibe, this budding friendship—

Ughhhhhhhh, strong secondhand embarrassment right here.

Sure, Ruthie didn’t seem to like you but to be fair, the feeling was mutual. But you clearly weren’t a threat to her. She had never paid you any attention before, so why would she now?

Okay ew, no. Scratch that thought immediately and pretend it never happened.

And besides—hello?? Rafe cuddled with you. CUDDLED.

No way he’d just throw that away to go make out with some random girl. Especially not when he’d seemed so at ease and relaxed with you. Like, come on. You didn’t want to act all full of yourself or anything but no way some ex-whatever-girl was more interesting than you right now.

HAH. That’s exactly what Cara would say. First she’d screech like a banshee at the fact that you and Rafe had cuddled, and then she’d say something like "Girl, no way he’s trading the comfort and safety of your boobs pressed to him for some dry-ass blowie from a rando bitch."

Wow. Thanks, imaginary Cara. #actuallyschizophrenic

Also, you kind of forgot the most important detail: Rafe had looked furious. Not just annoyed or moody, no, full-on I’m gonna beat someone up energy.

So maybe it wasn’t a girl at all. Maybe it was a guy texting him and the heart was some passive-aggressive way to piss him off.

Ohhhh, yeah, that would make sense.

You hadn’t seen Chris around, so maybe some other frat guy? Or maybe even a customer?

OH YEAH. Rafe dealt coke. Let’s not forget that. Maybe it was just some very urgent “business” emergency or whatever.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH SURE PROBABLY THAT.

Then again, hahahahha, why would he go deal coke NOW, right in the middle of cuddling and watching a movie?? Like?????

UGH. Why couldn’t he have just told you why he was leaving? Then you wouldn’t be sitting here spiraling over something that was probably nothing. Maybe he was just taking a piss and the texts weren’t even related to why he'd left at all.

AHHHHHH so many possibilities, GONNA GO INSANE NOW HAHAHAHHA

No seriously. Chill. The minions in your brain were just going crazy for no reason (oh god am I actually adopting Rafe’s metaphors now welp).

AND ALSO, Rafe had said he’d be right back. No point spiraling over this right now, RIGHT?

You exhaled slowly and pulled the blanket up to your shoulders. Your left hand reached for the bracelet on your wrist, playing with the little dangling charms.

He’d come back soon. And then you could enjoy the rest of the movie, cuddled up with him again.

Except… he didn’t.

You spent the next thirty minutes alone on that lounge bed, hugging your blanket close, trying not to think about how humiliating and embarrassing you felt surrounded by all these other people who were sharing their lounge beds with someone else. Some of them had even watched Rafe leave, and now you looked like some stupid girl who just got ghosted.

And that’s exactly how you felt.

You didn’t even dare to look around, especially not to the right where Molly and Kelce were cuddling barely a meter away. This was just...

I'm so fucking stupid for believing this could’ve meant ANYTHING at all. That in some dumb, pathetic way you’d actually thought you meant something to Rafe after yesterday.

Am I just being angry for no reason?

You furrowed your brows, pulling your legs in even closer, tears threatening to rise, especially now that America Ferrera’s character was delivering this insanely powerful and gut-punching speech about women in the modern world.

And then the anger hit you at how right she was, at how fucking mistreated women were (not like that was news but right now it just hit differently), at the fact that Rafe had left you again, like he’d done at Kelce’s party to go deal coke, and now he was maybe balls deep in some girl in one of the toilet stalls while you were lying here alone like some stupid, naive idiot.

And now Ferrera was preaching about how women shouldn’t settle for less, how you should know your self-worth, about how society always expected you to be grateful for even the tiniest crumbs, even if they were against you.

LIKE NO. Fuck that. Fuck this. Fuck Rafe and his stupid—

The cushion beside you dipped. Startled, you looked away from the screen, expecting to see Rafe but instead, big brown eyes and a furrowed brow greeted you.

“You okay?” Kie asked, her tone laced with anger, though it didn’t feel directed at you.

You blinked, completely taken off guard seeing her here—and then realized, shit, you actually were crying.

You instinctively wiped your tears away, feeling ridiculously stupid and pathetic and gave her a forced smile.

“Yeah, yeah, all good,” you said, scooting a little to the right so she could sit properly.

But Kie didn’t move.

“Do you wanna come join us?” she asked, hesitating a bit before carefully adding, “I doubt he’s coming back.”

Your stomach twisted at hearing what you already knew deep down.

But facing everyone like this now? No way. You didn’t want their pity or well-meaning sympathy right now. So you shook your head, forcing another smile.

“No, I… it’s fine. I’m good here,” you said, and you both knew you were lying.

Kie held your gaze for a moment, her expression stern. Then she moved away from the edge and sat down next to you in the spot that had been Rafe’s.

Somehow that made your chest tighten.

“It’s not fine,” Kie said quietly, shaking her head. “Rafe doesn’t get to play the asshole whenever he feels like it.”

You knew she was right, and yet…

“I don’t think he means it badly,” you said and immediately questioned yourself for saying that.

Kie clearly thought the same, judging by the way she looked at you. “He left you here. Don’t tell me you’re defending his shitty behavior.”

“No, but—” You blinked. How did she even know he’d been gone in the first place? “Did you see him?”

For a brief second, an image of Kie and Rafe together somewhere on the event grounds popped into your head but you quickly pushed that absurd thought away.

“He almost walked me and Cleo over when we came back from the snack bar,” Kie explained. “Seemed like he’d just come from the toilet stalls.” She furrowed her brows. “Then he pretty much stormed off toward the exit. Looked like he was about to kill someone.”

…

Oh.

He left.

Not just for 30 minutes. No, he actually left.

The feeling that rose in your chest… you couldn’t even describe it. It just felt hollow. Like a deep, deep hole that had just gotten even deeper after hearing Kie’s words.

You didn’t even— what the hell was going on with him? You didn’t understand. This just seemed off. Sure, his mood swings were completely unpredictable but going from cuddling straight to ditching the entire event?

Maybe something had happened? Like a family emergency? But then again, Sarah was still here. If something had happened, wouldn’t she have been alerted too?

All of it felt so strange. And somehow, your gut was telling you something bad must’ve happened, something that had rattled Rafe enough to make him bolt like that. And now you felt bad for thinking all those horrible things about him earlier.

“Did you see if anyone was with him?” you asked anyway, dreading the answer.

Kie curled her lips and shook her head. “To be honest, I just came straight here. I figured he didn’t tell you he'd leave. He’s an ignorant asshole.”

God, Kie was way sweeter than you’d initially thought.

“I don’t get why he’d leave without at least saying something,” you said, brows furrowing. “That’s just… I don’t get it.”

Kie made a bitter grimace. “There’s nothing to get. He’s always been like that. There’s no changing him. Trust me, okay?”

That… didn’t sound like someone who just disliked a guy. It sounded like someone who had history with him. Which made you feel all kinds of weird. Like you were talking to some ex of his, even though you didn’t actually know what had gone down between them. If anything had even gone down.

And because you didn’t want to make assumptions, you just said it straight out: “That sounds like you two used to be close.”

Kie’s brows twitched and she looked away for a second, as if debating whether to open up. In the background, the Barbies were currently executing their plan to take back Barbieland.

“Not in the way you might think,” she finally said, hugging her knees up to her chest. “When I first became friends with Sarah as kids, Rafe was always hanging around too. Back then he wasn’t such a massive asshole. More like a friendless loser, honestly.” She let out a small laugh. “He’d always crash our hangouts, trying to annoy us—me especially—but once I put him in his place, he was… actually kind of okay to be around.” A distant smile touched her lips. “I’m an only child but I guess he was the closest thing I had to an older brother.”

Her smile faded quickly, that stern expression returning. “And when their mom died, everything just… changed. I mean, of course it did. But Rafe… he suddenly seemed to hate Sarah. He got more aggressive. More distant. But she was my best friend, so obviously I stuck by her when it felt like he wanted me to pick sides. It only got worse when I joined the KA in ninth grade.” Kie grimaced. “He grew almost obsessed with trying to turn me against her. So I put a stop to it. Eventually, he backed off. But it’s Rafe,” she said bitterly, “if he can ruin someone’s day, he will.”

She held your gaze, a kind of bittersweetness behind her eyes. “I’m not saying he’s toying with you. Actually, I’m pretty convinced he’s horribly into you and just doesn’t know how to deal with that because it freaks him out.” A small, frowning shake of her head. “Still doesn’t excuse his shitty behavior.”

You just stared at her, kind of baffled. Only the sound of Ryan Gosling’s Ken singing “Push” while playing guitar in the background grounded you, which, disturbingly, kinda described Rafe's dynamic with you a little too well.

The fact that she and Rafe had been kind of sibling-like once… that was unexpected, but honestly very sweet. And the idea that the three of them—Kie, Sarah, Rafe—had once been some little trio? That hit in a way you hadn’t expected.

And here you’d been feeling jealous like some stupid crazy bitch.

But what really threw you off were her last words. Hearing her say—she, who had been so skeptical just the day before, clearly judging your whole thing with Rafe—that she actually believed he might actually…

GOD, YOU COULDN’T EVEN THINK IT. Didn’t want to. Scared it might jinx it.

Kie's features softened slightly when she saw your expression, letting out a sigh. “I can tell you genuinely seem to like him, and I think you could actually be really good for him in the long run.” She raised her brows, amused. “JJ said Rafe only almost decked him earlier when you'd talked.”

That made you chuckle too.

“That’s why my only advice to you is,” she continued, her expression turning serious again, “Don’t let his bullshit slide. Ever. Rafe is a very difficult person but whatever he’s dealing with doesn’t excuse being an asshole.” Her features softened again as her eyes landed on your bracelet. “Still, I believe he has so much to give to the right person.” She met your gaze again. “Maybe it's you.”

JESUS CHRIST. This was just... A LOT.

Her spilling some crazy backstory about their past, the bittersweet tone in her voice when she talked about him, the fucking fact that she thought Rafe might actually have caught feelings for you AND HOLY FUCKING SHIT, her thinking YOU might actually be good for him?

God, and on top of that, her still seeming to care about him even after their falling out, despite how much she’d learned to dislike him…

It just hurt even more because it felt like she didn’t want you to go through what she had, and AHHHHHH I CANNOT.

You hugged your legs closer, eyeing her, completely stunned. “That... I don’t even…” you started, but nothing felt more fitting right now than: “Thank you.” You smiled, genuinely. “For making me feel better and… for sharing this with me.” You let out a sheepish little laugh, playing with the charms on your bracelet. “And for looking out for me in the first place.”

Kie’s mouth twitched into a smile, her gaze flicking away from yours for a second. “To be honest, I didn’t know what to make of it—how you seemed to actually like Rafe. It’s just… he’s turned into this cocky, pushy, aggressive guy, and I couldn’t really believe someone like you would hang out with him willingly.”

She shook her head and met your eyes again. “But then I saw you two together on the event field earlier, and there was this calmness to him.” A bittersweet smile tugged at her lips. “It’s like he lets himself relax when he’s around you.”

OKAY BYE. THAT WAS THE FINAL BLOW. HOLY SHIT.

All of this spilling out of Kie, It was just... a lot to process.

Not to mention the entire situation in the first place, and as much as you appreciated her words, her presence, everything, all you could think about was how badly you wanted to go after Rafe now. Check the parking lot or wherever he’d gone because he definitely hadn’t gone home. You all arrived with Topper’s car.

But you stayed put.

As much as your heart was aching to run after him, to find out what was going on, to understand why he’d left you like that, hell, even just to talk it out, you didn’t want to leave Kie behind.

She didn’t seem like the type to just open up easily or willingly to some girl she’d known for a day, so this felt like a rare moment—something real between you two. And you definitely didn’t want to pull a Rafe move on her.

“I can’t believe I’m putting up with his bullshit either,” you finally said, a smile tugging at your lips. “But I guess... part of me also relaxes around him. I don’t know, he just… helps me get out of my head.” You chuckled softly. “Even if he does it in the worst way possible.”

Your brows furrowed slightly, thinking about how hurt he’d looked earlier. “And I’m far from a saint either. I have a huge overthinking problem, and it messes with my relationships a lot. Honestly, I’m surprised he still sticks around, considering I drive him up the wall most of the time.”

That got a genuine laugh out of Kie and she shook her head. “Sounds like you’re handling him just right then.”

You smiled, the heaviness in your chest easing a little. Grateful for Kie’s honesty and her presence.

And when you noticed the goosebumps on her arms, a soft breeze blowing through her brown locks, you immediately reached for the fluffy pink blanket and held it up for her.

Shit, you hadn’t even noticed she was probably freezing. Oops.

Kie eyed you for a second, something like hesitation in her gaze, but then she smiled and scooted closer, grabbing one end of the blanket and pulling it up to her chest.

“Thanks,” she said quietly, adjusting into a more comfortable position, her shoulder now resting against yours.

That somehow marked the end of the whole Rafe conversation.

The next twenty minutes were spent snuggled up under the blanket, sharing warmth, giggling about how pathetic Ken had been at the end (Kie compared him to Rafe which just made you laugh harder), snacking on Rafe’s leftover nachos and your own snacks, and almost (definitely) crying during the crazy emotional montage of Barbie experiencing girlhood and humanity in a speedrun. You were pretty sure you even heard Kelce sobbing next to you.

No better way to bond than over Barbie.

After the movie ended, the screen showed a 45-minute countdown until Transformers would start. In the meantime, most people got up to stretch, run to the restroom, grab new snacks and drinks, and some even left—they’d only come for Barbie.

You and Kie had left the blanket on your seats and headed straight to the stalls (you made sure to take a wide detour around Kelce and Molly because the last thing you needed was them asking questions about Rafe or making comments about you two cuddling).

Inside the stall, you pushed down all your anger and confusion and decided to send Rafe a quick text because, more than anything, you were actually worried.

Ughhh, is that too clingy? PROBABLY.

But you didn’t care. He’d spammed your entire phone this afternoon with cursed and suggestive pics, so you could definitely drop one little concerned text. Besides, it had been almost an hour since he'd left, and the fact that he hadn’t sent even a small update was kind of weird.

Rude. Ignorant. Definitely an asshole move. But somehow Kie had eased your thoughts so much that it didn’t feel like he left because he regretted cuddling with you, or ran off to find another girl, no, it felt like something must’ve happened. Something serious.

And your gut told you that if Rafe was spooked enough to leave like that, it had to be bad (And you had your dad’s gut and his was never wrong. So that had to mean something, at least)

Outside the toilet stalls, girls were giggling and chatting about the movie, laughing about the Kens, quoting America Ferrera’s monologue, and praising the message of the film.

You even recognized Cara’s voice when you stepped out to wash your hands.

“I swear, I dated a guy exactly like that once,” she said. “He literally played the same song and stared at me the exact same way. Most horrendous moment of my life.”

More laughter followed.

You chuckled to yourself, shouldered your bag, and took a deep breath. This was going to be the most awkward and interrogative interaction of your life.

As you made your way through the crowd of girls still in line, stepping out of the restroom cabin, all eyes snapped toward you the second you joined the group.

Legitimately everyone was there. The Pogues, Cara, even Kelce and Molly. Surprised Topper wasn’t there too.

Great.

Everyone was here—except the one person you desperately wanted to see.

Just smile. Prepare for some horrible question like Where’s Rafe?, Did you guys fight?, Why’d he leave?, Kelce said he saw you cuddling, blah blah blah.

UGHHHHH.

But to your surprise, they stayed quiet. Smiling in that way that said we know what happened but we’re not gonna overwhelm you.

And worst of all? Every single face was filled with pity. The last thing you wanted.

Except Kie's. She had this genuine smile, one that said don’t worry, I made sure they wouldn’t bombard you with questions.

“Alriiiight,” JJ said, clapping his hands. “Shots?”

Everyone seemed to agree.

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

“…and then he left,” you finished your little recap of tonight’s events as you and the girls were sitting at a high table on barstools near the bar at the edge of the event venue.

The boys were sitting a few tables down, laughing loudly at some nonsense. Kelce and JJ had clicked immediately. Not surprising at all, considering both of them were party animals with the same extroverted energy.

Anyway. You hadn’t really had a choice not to tell the girls about your night with Rafe because they’d been staring at you for the past ten minutes like you were a bomb about to explode. And also, they’d tried acting normal in a painfully awkward way. Failed miserably.

You’d asked them to just listen first and not interrupt, though, because otherwise it would turn into an endless back-and-forth, and you hadn’t even wanted to talk about this in the first place.

All five of them stared at you blankly.

And then Cara exploded. “YOU FUCKING CUDDLED?!”

Jesus Christ—that was probably loud enough for half of the North Side to hear.

“Did you not hear the part where he just left her?” Cleo said with an amused expression.

Cara nodded wildly. “Absolute asshole move, yeah, I’m definitely gonna kill him next time I see him but—” She shook her head and gestured her hands in your direction, nearly knocking over Kie’s drink. “YOU CUDDLED. I—That’s—Someone call 911, I think I’m having a heart attack.”

You and Sarah chuckled while Cleo and Kie just shook their heads.

“He wasn’t even watching the movie,” Molly said with a smile, playing with the straw in her mojito. “Every time I looked over, he was just gazing at her.”

WHAT.

Cara shrieked and almost fell off her barstool.

“And yet he still left,” Kie said dryly, shaking her head with a grimace. “Can we please not gloss over that.”

Molly nodded. “I’m really sorry about that. I wanted you to come over and join me and Kelce, but he insisted Rafe would be back soon. And when I did want to get up, Kiara was already with you.”

Um... yeah, you were pretty glad you hadn’t joined Molly and Kelce. That lounge bed was definitely too small for three people, and you absolutely didn’t feel like third-wheeling like some loser.

Still, the thought counted.

“Thanks, but it’s all good,” you said with a smile.

Sarah shifted in her seat, brows furrowed. “I just can’t believe he’d leave you like that. And you really didn’t see who messaged him?”

You shook your head. “No. Just that most of the texts seemed to be from the one texting him, and at the end I just saw a red heart in one of the messages. That’s it.”

“That’s so weird,” Sarah said. “I honestly can’t think of anyone that could’ve been. Maybe Wheeze needed to be picked up from Theo’s? He does live pretty far from Tannyhill. Maybe Dad or Sasha couldn’t go. That could explain why he looked so pissed, like you said. Maybe he was just mad the night got ruined.”

You assumed Sasha was the Camerons’ housekeeper.

You tilted your head. “But then why wouldn’t he just say that? Like, that wouldn’t even have been a problem. And besides, he said he’d be right back.”

“And also, how would he even have left?” Cara added. “They all arrived with Topper's car."

Sarah nodded. “Oh right.” She tilted her head. “Did he maybe ask him for the keys?”

Cara shook her head with a nope look. “It’s his mom’s Range Rover. I’m surprised he even got to drive it. No way he’d let Rafe take it.”

You all just stared at her.

“What?” she said. “He whined to me about it at the party on Friday, okay?”

Uh-huh.

“Well, have you texted him?” Cleo asked you, crossing her arms on the table. “Seems like the easiest way to find out what’s going on.”

You nodded. “Yeah, but he hasn’t answered yet.”

And right on cue, your phone buzzed in your purse.

Your heart skipped a beat, pulse shooting up, everyone watched you expectantly as you pulled your phone out but that feeling quickly faded.

“Topper,” you said, disappointment leaking into your voice. Then you picked up. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey,” he said on the other end, voice sounding weird. “Do you have a minute?”

Aaaand your heart was back in the race. “Uh… sure, I guess. Where are you? Everything okay?” Is Rafe with you? you almost asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, but he didn’t sound convincing. “I’m at the archway.”

You blinked and looked over your shoulder, spotting his silhouette—at least you thought it was him—at the far end of the venue. He seemed to be alone.

“Okay, uh, we’re at the bar,” you said, turning back around. “Don’t you wanna come over? Kelce is here too.”

A pause. Then: “Cara’s with you, right?”

Instinctively, your eyes met hers. “Yeah.”

“Um,” he gave a strained chuckle, “I’d rather not then.”

You nearly frowned. Was he seriously still sulking because she didn’t accept his ride offer?

Whatever.

“Alright, I’ll be right there,” you said, and the girls shot you weird looks.

You could practically hear Topper exhale in relief. “Thanks.”

With that, you hung up and shouldered your bag.

“What?” Cara asked, frowning. “He’s afraid of coming over here or what?”

Sarah and Molly chuckled.

You shrugged and slid off the stool. “No idea. I’ll be right back. Maybe he knows something about Rafe.”

Cara was already about to protest, making a move to join you, but you shook your head with an amused smile. “Stay here. I got this.”

“Tell him his drama queen behavior is such a turn-off,” she muttered, and the others laughed in agreement.

As you made your way across the venue, you gripped the strap of your bag tighter. Your hands were clammy with nerves, unsure what exactly Topper needed to talk to you about. And now that you were away from the fireplace at the bar, a cold night breeze whipped across your bare arms and you just now realized how much the temperature had dropped.

Great. And Rafe had the ticket for your jacket at the coat check.

Even though you were cold, kinda annoyed that Topper hadn’t come over himself, and hadn’t even said what this was about, you still managed a smile as you finally reached him at the archway.

“Hey,” you said. “Everything okay? What’s going on?”

Why was he standing here alone? Hadn’t he spent the whole evening with Ruthie’s girl squad? And most importantly: Did something happen to Rafe? Because the tension in his smile definitely hinted at something serious.

Topper nodded. “Yeah, uh, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, no.” He pressed his lips together and sighed. “I feel stupid for even asking you to come over here. I mean I don’t wanna drag you into something you’re not really involved in.”

Again, you almost frowned. So this wasn’t about Rafe. It was about Cara.

Great :)

“But,” he continued, “I’m just… I’m confused. About Cara, I mean. Her whole vibe.”

Then why don’t you just talk to her??? (Okay girl, calm down, no need to take it out on the poor guy who’s probably just looking for some clarity. Just like you.)

You hugged yourself from the cold and tilted your head. “I get why you're irritated, but honestly, I think it’s best if you just talk to her yourself. I’m really not in a position to speak for her.”

Topper nodded. “I know and I—I wanted to but she’s either been with Sarah or Maybank the whole night, and I didn’t wanna approach her with those two around.”

Okay, JJ you understood, but Sarah? That just seemed like a lame excuse. Oh, wait— didn’t Rafe mention during his little hate speech yesterday that Sarah tried to turn Topper against him too? So maybe there was some history between them.

“Well, she’s free now,” you said, rubbing your arms. “Want me to go get her?”

Please say yes, it’s freezing out here.

Topper’s brows twitched and he scratched his chin. “You think she’d even wanna talk to me?”

If you keep being this self-pitying, then probably not. Holy shit, girl, calm the fuck down. This was Rafe infiltrating your brain.

Wait—

RAFE!

Your heart stopped when you spotted him a few meters away, coming from the parking lot with the biggest scowl known to man. He made a quick stop at the register, probably because the cashier had called him over. Probably wanted to check his ticket.

Your gaze flicked back to Topper, pulse racing now, adrenaline shooting high. You nodded quickly.

“Yeah, yeah! Sure,” you said, probably grinning like a maniac. "Actually, I think she’d really love it if you went up to her. I mean, Cara likes it when guys take initiative.”

UGHHHH that sounded so stupid, no way he would—

“You think so? I don’t—”

Another quick nod. “Yeah, definitely. You can trust me on this.”

PLEASE JUST GO, NEED TO TALK TO RAFE.

Topper hesitated, then nodded with a somewhat relieved smile. “Yeah, okay.” He took a step forward, but then paused, eyeing you in confusion. “Aren’t you also—”

“Yo, Top!”

Both you and Topper turned, and your heart plummeted as you saw the furious look on Rafe’s face while he marched toward you. His expression twisted into an irritated, almost maniacal grin locked solely on Topper.

Topper didn’t even get the chance to react before Rafe shoved him in the chest. “You’re a fucking shitface,” Rafe hissed, not even sparing you a glance.

“Hey, man, what—what’s going on?” Topper looked totally confused, rubbing his chest after stumbling back a step.

Rafe scoffed, tapping his chest with both hands. “You trying to fuck me over or some shit, huh? Trying to act like some little backstabbing piece of shit?”

You just stood there, frozen, completely stunned by the whole situation. A few people nearby had already started glancing over.

Topper shook his head, brows furrowed. “What the fuck are you even talking about?”

“Oh, real funny.” Rafe clicked his tongue, shaking his head slightly. Then, without warning, he stepped forward, grabbing Topper by the collar and towering over him. “I think you know damn well what the fuck I’m talking about.”

Topper blinked, clearly completely thrown. “No, dude. I have no idea what you—”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Rafe said, nodding, the corners of his mouth twitching downward. There was something seriously unsettling about his tone. He gave Topper a hard shake and raised his voice: “You think I’m fucking stupid, huh? You think I—”

“Get the fuck off me,” Topper snapped, shoving Rafe’s hands off. “You’re coked up, dude. I don’t even fucking know what you’re on about—”

Rafe’s fist connected with Topper’s face with a sickening crack. A pained groan escaped Topper as he stumbled sideways, his hand flying to his cheek. “What the fuck?!”

Horrified, you gasped. A few girls nearby even shrieked.

But Rafe didn’t stop. He stepped forward again, looking like he was about to beat Topper to a pulp but instead grabbed his collar once more, just about to open his mouth when:

“Rafe!”

Kelce’s voice rang out suddenly, with John B and Sarah right behind him.

Rafe’s head snapped up and he scoffed, shaking his head. “Shiiit. Is this some kind of fucking joke?” He shoved Topper away and threw a mocking gesture toward Kelce. “You too now, huh?” He let out something like a chuckle but it sounded more like a disbelieved scoff. Tapping his chest again, he said, “Both of you trying to fuck with me, huh?”

“Dude, you need to chill out,” Kelce said, and it was wild how weird his voice sounded when he was serious. "What's going on?"

Rafe tilted his head, and everything about him screamed danger. “Chill, yeah? Just like you’re chillin’ with fucking pogue rats now, huh?”

“Rafe,” Sarah said, and his head immediately snapped toward her. “Seriously, you need to—”

“Oh, don’t you fucking dare tell me what to do,” Rafe snapped, stepping toward her with a shake of his head.

John B stepped in front of Sarah, chin raised, and Rafe stopped in his tracks with another scoff, rubbing over his nose with a sniff. He nodded. “Sweet. Yeah. That’s fucking sweet. Y’all a big happy fucking family now or what?”

“Dude,” Kelce said, stepping in and grabbing Rafe’s shoulder but Rafe immediately shoved his hand away.

Kelce raised his hands and backed off. “You need to get your shit together, bro.”

Two mean-looking security guys were already heading straight toward the commotion. The whole nearby area had quieted down, all eyes on you.

Rafe didn’t give a damn. His gaze was now locked back on John B.

Oh god—and the security guys looked like the kind who’d knock someone out first and ask questions later. They were heading straight for Rafe.

“Step back! Now!” one of them yelled.

Jesus Christ, and that idiot just turned to them with a provocative smile on his face, clearly ready to stir up more shit but you couldn’t bear to watch him get beat up again.

Heart pounding like mad, you stepped up to Rafe, hesitantly reaching for his arm. Your heart sank to your stomach when he grabbed your wrist tightly with his other hand, probably thinking it was Topper or Kelce.

“Rafe,” you said, voice shaking.

His head snapped toward you, and for a second, you thought he’d push you away but the moment his blown-wide pupils met your eyes, his grip immediately loosened, his brows twitching as he stared at you.

One of the security guards was about to grab Rafe, but you quickly shook your head, letting go of his arm and stepping halfway in front of him, giving the grim-looking guy a nervous smile. “It’s okay, he—we’re leaving.”

“No, the fuck, we’re not.”

You turned back to Rafe, planting your hands firmly on his chest as he tried to step forward again. You looked up at him, pleading, hoping he’d have some shred of sense left.

“Please,” you whispered, your heart hammering at the fury in his eyes. “If they call the cops, and they see you like this…”

They’d know immediately he was on something. They’d run tests—oh god, and if he had a baggie on him, it’d be over. He’d be arrested, charged, investigated, and—

You felt the warmth of his chest slip from beneath your hands as he took a step back. With a big, crooked grin, he threw his hands up for a second, gaze still locked on the security behind you.

“Chill the fuck out, aight?” he said, then let his hands drop, his expression twisting into a scowl as he looked first at Topper, then Kelce, then Sarah. He shook his head, his voice full of scorn and detachment—almost not even sounding like him when he said: “Fucking backstabbing rats. All of you. You fit right into this little play-pretend family.”

Everyone just watched him storm off in stunned silence, completely speechless.

“If your friend comes back again, he’s getting more than a warning,” one of the security guards said.

John B mumbled something in response, but you didn’t even register it, the blood was rushing in your ears too loud, your heart pounding wildly, eyes fixed on Rafe’s back as he disappeared through the entrance.

Kelce stepped forward and said something like “I’ll go after him,” but you were faster.

You didn’t think. Didn’t give yourself the chance to second-guess. Didn’t even hear Kelce call after you as you took off after Rafe.

Gripping the strap of your bag tightly, you rushed through the archway, past the entrance and register. Your cheeks flushed with adrenaline as you stepped into the gravel parking lot, scanning frantically for his familiar silhouette.

The warm lights of the lanterns and the cool milky hue of the moon mixed together, bathing the parked cars in a spectacle of gold and silver surfaces.

And then—there!

Just straight ahead, a silhouette walking off.

You rushed after him, feet hitting the gravel path, every step in sync with the pounding of your heartbeat.

“Rafe,” you called after him, a weird feeling spreading in your chest as he didn’t stop.

You pushed down the anxiety and doubts and called his name again. “Wait. Please.”

The silhouette came to a halt.

Broad shoulders lit by the golden glow of the streetlamp hanging directly above him. His whole posture tense, defiant and alert all at once. You could see his strained breathing in the way his upper body moved.

You pressed your lips together, nerves buzzing with unease. You’d never seen him like this. All coked-up and furious. Even punching his friend in the face.

The fear of what he might do if you said the wrong thing clashed hard with your concern and the aching need to reach out to him.

Heart hammering, you forced yourself to shove all of that down and stepped closer, half-circling him, knuckles white from how tightly you clutched your purse strap.

Your heart sank straight through the ground when you stepped around him and saw his face, expecting a frown, a deep scowl, rage and irritation in his gaze but instead:

Tired, red eyes. Glossy. Pupils so wide they seemed to choke out the blue of his irises. And adding to the heart-wrenching sight was the purple bruise blooming on his right cheek, still fresh enough to be illuminated like a spotlight in the streetlamp’s golden glow.

Physically and mentally, Rafe looked completely wrecked.

“What happened?” you asked quietly, a silent whisper, scared that even the smallest push might make him crash out. “Are you okay?”

Your chest tightened as he looked at you with such cold distance it almost resembled contempt.

Rafe scoffed, more a tired exhale than anything. “Do me a fucking favor and go back inside. I’ve had enough of fake bitches tonight.”

Your brows twitched, the words hitting like a punch to the gut but you swallowed the sting and the anger. You knew he didn’t mean it like that. He was just pushing you away.

“Rafe, what’s going on?” you asked again, a little more confident now, voice soft, searching his cold eyes for some kind of answer.

He let out an annoyed breath, rolling his eyes so hard you saw the whites. As his gaze locked with yours again, it was sharp and unsettling. He tapped his temples with his fingers. “I’m serious. I have zero patience for your anxiety bullshit right now.”

You blinked, stunned. Did he seriously think you came out here for some kind of reassurance? And what the fuck did he mean by ‘anxiety bullshit’?

“I don’t—I’m not here because of that,” you said with furrowed brows, unable to keep the edge out of your voice. You hugged your arms tightly around yourself, partly from the cold, partly just to soothe yourself. “I just... You left so suddenly, and I—what happened?”

Rafe shook his head and raised his chin, face twisted in irritation. “Okay, what the fuck is this? Some pathetic attempt to squeeze gossip out of me? Did Sarah send you here so you can giggle with your new little girl squad later?”

“What?” You stared at him, baffled. What the actual fuck was going on with him? “No! I’m just worried. This is—I mean, I’m just trying to understand what's going on.”

Rafe let out a bitter laugh, gesturing back toward the event hall. “Why don’t you go back inside to Topper then and ask that fucker, huh? Looked like you two were getting real cozy right now.”

Seriously, what the actual fuck.

You didn’t even let your brain begin to process what that implied. You just blinked at him, stunned, brows knitting together as your own frustration started to rise.

“We were just talking,” you said, voice tight. “He asked me—”

“Yeah, talking alone far from everyone else,” Rafe cut in, tapping his chest with an angry hand. “Does everyone think I’m some fucking—”

“He was whining to me about Cara, okay!” you snapped, totally done with his deflections and accusations. “He called me over because he was scared to join us at the bar or whatever, I don’t know.” You shook your head in disbelief. “I—do I look like—I mean what does that even have to do with Topper?”

“Nothing that fucking concerns you,” Rafe shot back with a scowl, eyes so cold it was like he didn’t even recognize you.

Why couldn’t he just say what was wrong?

Instead, he threw all his anger at you for no damn reason. Almost like...

Now you tapped your chest. “It does fucking concern me because it feels like I’m the reason you left.”

Shit.

Your lips clamped shut the second the words left your mouth. Fuck. You really didn’t mean to make this about you. Fuckfuckfuck.

“I’m just—” you started again, but stopped as Rafe’s face twisted into full-blown irritation and disbelief.

“You think this is about you?” His voice was razor sharp, slicing down your spine. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair, scoffing. "Seriously, this constant whining and need for fucking reassurance is pissing me the fuck off.”

He spat the last words like venom, making you flinch at his sudden shift toward you. Just an hour ago you’d been curled up together, laughing. Now he was a completely different person.

His brows twitched as he stared at your shocked expression, mouth opening, probably to throw more shit at you, but you’d had enough. Your conversation with Kie flashed through your mind.

“You know what,” you snapped. “Yeah, this is about me. Because you don’t get to treat me however the fuck you want just because you feel like it. First all sweet and affectionate and now whatever the hell this is.” You let out a shaky breath, tapping your temples. “You call me crazy but what the fuck is going on with you? It's fucked getting me to cozy up to you and then vanishing without a word. I just—it's fucking humiliating getting left behind like that.”

Rafe grimaced, voice low. “I fucking came back, didn’t I?”

Was he for fucking real?

“Yeah, sure,” you said dryly. “You came back all coked-up and then punched your friend. Like, did you seriously dip just to snort something? If your addiction is—”

“You better shut your fucking mouth now,” Rafe snapped, eyes narrowed, taking a step forward. His stare was so intense, real fear prickled down your spine. But he just shook his head. “You have no fucking clue what the fuck you’re talking about.”

You had to fight the urge to step back, clutching your arms tighter. Despite the fear and irritation swelling in your chest, your next words came out quiet, shaky around the edges. “I’m just worried, okay? Something clearly happened in the last hour that set you off. I’m not trying to be nosy—”

“You are,” Rafe barked, pupils blown wide like black discs. He grimaced, brows tight. “This has nothing to do with you, alright?” His voice cracked into something almost desperate. “Now stop pissing me off and get your ass back inside.” His hand went into his pants pocket for a second, then shoved a tag with the number 69 into your view. “And take that shit too.”

“No.”

Rafe’s scowl deepened so much you genuinely thought he might throw the tag at your face. “You really wanna test my fucking patience right now?”

You didn’t move. Didn’t even look at the tag. Just stared at him, shaking your head softly. “Something happened. And you don’t look okay at all. You don’t have to tell me what it was, but—”

“Jesus Christ, do you ever stop talking?” Rafe cut in, shaking his head with a bitter laugh, tapping his temples again with a crooked smile. “Shit up here can’t be that bad.”

Fuck. That.

"You're an asshole," you snapped, fury taking over your voice. "And being on drugs doesn’t excuse your shitty behavior."

He opened his mouth, but you cut him off, brows furrowed deep. "And attacking my insecurities and issues is disgusting and pathetic, especially when all I was trying to do was understand what's going on with you."

You shook your head with a scowl, stepping closer and pointing at his chest, voice furious. "And I’m so sick of your constant mood swings. I get it if you’re having a bad day, but I’m not letting you take it out on me." You hugged your arms around yourself again, stepping back, heart clenching painfully at the shift in his expression—genuine irritation written all over his face. "So if that’s your idea of what a friendship is supposed to look like, then I sure as hell don’t wanna be part of it."

You didn’t even wait for a reply, too afraid you’d start crying at whatever awful, hurtful comment he’d throw at you next. So you grabbed your bag strap tight, heart pounding and screaming, and turned around to go rejoin the others, doing everything you could not to let the tears fall.

I’m so stupid. So, so stupid for thinking I could handle him. So fucking stupid for running after him and—

"Don’t leave."

You froze in your tracks as those two small words hit the air, his voice shaky and desperate, laced with fear and frustration. It felt like someone had just reached into your chest and torn your heart right out.

And then the second bullet hit, even harder and more painful, as it followed the first one with a quiet "Please."

The final blow hit you as you turned around. Standing under the soft glow of the streetlamp was the shilouette of a boy, looking so deeply wrecked and broken, it cut right through your ripped-out heart.

Wide eyes staring back at you, desperation etched into every line of his face as he rubbed his forehead with a fist.

"I… I just can’t help it, okay," he said, frustrated, his expression twisted in pain as he tapped his temples aggressively. "My head, it’s— I know something’s wrong up here, I just…" Now rubbing his temples, hands clenched into fists, eyes shut tight. "It’s like my body’s… like it's always two steps ahead of my brain, and it's out of my control what I say or do."

His face contorted as he let his hands drop and gestured to his chest, gravel crunching under his shoes as he stepped closer. "I’m not a bad guy, okay?" he said, desperation bleeding into his voice and his expression, hands now motioning to you. "I’m just— it’s just… I need you to understand I didn’t mean to hurt or attack you. Or lash out at you. In moments like these I just…" Palm rubbing one eye with a grimace, then tapped one finger at his head. "It’s like someone else's taking over. And this whole fucked-up situation has me so on edge anyway, and I—I know I shouldn’t have taken it out on you and I don’t—"

"Rafe."

Your voice was as soft as it could be, and yet he still looked like he was bracing for impact.

"It’s okay. Really," you said with a sad smile, shaken to your core by what had just spilled out of this boy (again). "I know what it’s like to have a messy head. You don’t need to—"

"No, you don’t understand," he interrupted, shaking his head in frustration, tapping his temple again. "It’s not like your little minions running around spreading bullshit. It’s--it's more like there’s just two of them, and when one knocks the other out, I’ve got zero control over what he does." He shook his head again, face twisting as he rubbed one temple with his knuckles. "And I don’t want you to leave just because I can’t keep that fucker’s mouth shut."

A tiny smile tugged at your lips at the comparison, though it pained you deeply to see how much he was struggling inside his own mind. Even worse was the fear of being left behind that was written all over his face.

"I’m not leaving," you finally said quietly, chest aching as his eyes widened. "Like I said, I know what it’s like not feeling safe in your own head. I don’t care about this ‘issue’ you think you have going on. I’ve handled you this far, haven’t I?" You let out a strained chuckle before your expression grew serious again. "But I need you to talk to me. Whenever you feel like this… asshole minion of yours is about to take the lead, you need to say so." You raised your brows just a little, letting out another soft chuckle. "Maybe I can send over one of my own to knock some sense into that idiot."

"And I also need you to know," you continued, "whatever’s bothering you, or whatever’s weighing you down, you can share with me. You don’t have to let it eat you up just because you’re too proud or scared to let someone else in. That’s what friends are for. To help carry the load." You tilted your head with a troubled smile. "And clearly whatever happened in the past hour is weighing heavy on you, the way it’s got you so shaken."

Rafe just stared at you for a moment. Big blue eyes watching you like he couldn’t decide whether to actually let you in or shove you away.

Your heart ached deeply for this angry, broken boy.

Finally he shook his head, brows drawn into a bitter grimace. "This shit… no one can help me with. It’s fucked, it’s so fucking FUCKED." His face scrunched up, both palms pressing against his temples. "Shit's so bad I was this close to beating that bitch up."

Your brows twitched.

"Ruthie?" Somehow you already knew who he meant, and a bad, bad feeling settled in your stomach.

Rafe nodded with a bitter smile. "Of course fucking Ruthie." In a swift motion he gestured angrily toward the event venue. "I would’ve never gotten up and left if that bitch hadn’t pushed me to it."

Somehow that was both relieving and deeply concerning. Because if Rafe let Ruthie mess with his head, then shit must be really bad.

"Why? What did she want from you?" you asked, hugging your arms tightly as the cold breeze hit your bare skin.

Rafe frowned. "Doesn’t matter. Get back inside, you’re freezing."

Yeah, no shit. Been freezing since I came over to talk to Topper.

"It does matter," you said anyway, mirroring his expression. "What did she want?"

Rafe let out a sharp breath, dragging a hand through his hair. "That crazy bitch is blackmailing me, alright? Got a fucking video of me snorting coke at Kelce’s shitty-ass party and now she’s trying to make me do her bidding."

Your frown deepened. "Who—"

"Gracie took some dumb video of her bitch friends in the kitchen and I’m seen in the background. Clear shot of my face and everything," he said, pissed off and deeply frustrated. "Now fucking psycho Ruthie’s threatening to post it online if I don’t convince my dad to accept her father’s dumb-ass joint venture deal."

He shook his head hard, rubbing his temples like he was trying to physically to hold himself back from crashing out again. "But my dad’s already said no because it’s a shit offer. Only an idiot would agree to those terms." His face twisted into a pained grimace. "Already tried calling him but Wheezie said he’s at some corporate dinner tonight. It’s a fucking lost cause anyway, my dad will never say yes to that bullshit."

Jesus Christ.

That was seriously fucked. Like, next-level fucked.

Sure, everyone knew Ruthie was nuts, but blackmailing someone? Using Rafe’s addiction against him? Backing him into a corner until he had to numb the desperation and frustratioi with more coke?

FUCK. THAT.

"Fuck that bitch," you said, and Rafe’s head snapped up, clearly caught off guard. "You got proof of her blackmailing you?"

Rafe frowned. "Yeah, but it’s all in the same damn chat as the fucking video. If I showed that to the cops, I’d be turning myself in with it."

"Isn’t Topper’s mom a lawyer?" you asked, voice sharp with focus. "Maybe she could find a way around that."

"Shit, no," Rafe replied with furrowed brows, scratching his jaw. "Don’t need that crazy woman getting involved. She’d go straight to my dad, and it’d be the same fucking outcome." He rubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head. "Can’t even stand to see Topper right now anyway. Fucker’s been glued to Ruthie and her little bitch squad all night. Probably even involved in this bullshit game."

You gave him a deadpan look. "Topper might be gullible and stupid when it comes to girls but he’d never stab his best friend in the back."

"He’s not my fucking best friend," Rafe snapped with a scowl.

"No, you’re right. That title definitely goes to Kelce," you said with a little chuckle before your face turned serious again. "But my point still stands. Topper would never do anything that would really hurt you."

Rafe rubbed at his eye, clearly worn out. "Doesn’t fucking matter. No matter what I do, I’m fucked. Only option’s getting my dad to accept that garbage deal."

Fuck no. Ruthie getting to pull off her little game and win? No fucking way. Just—no. Absolutely not.

"Even if you succeed, she still has that video," you pointed out. "She’ll just keep playing the same game. So you gotta beat her at it." You raised your brows. "Meaning: We need to get our hands on something worse than what she’s got on you and make sure that video gets deleted from her possession."

For the first time since Rafe’s crashout, his face lit up with an amused smile. He raised his brows. “‘We’?”

You nodded. “I meant it when I said you don’t have to deal with shit like this on your own.” A cheeky smile tugged at your lips. “Also, she kinda ruined our bonding moment, so I kinda feel like getting back at her.”

Rafe let out a disbelieving breath, that boyish smile spreading across his face. “Bonding moment.”

“Well, yeah. We were all cozied up and cuddling. I’d say that counts as bonding,” you replied, cheeks heating up, surprised you even dared to say it out loud.

And the chuckle that left Rafe’s lips was so sweetly boyish, it felt like a win in itself. He stepped closer with a lopsided smile and gently grabbed your shoulders, nudging you to turn around. “Aight then. Let’s get back inside and continue bonding.”

NJDHWANDJKHla WHAT.

Your heart skipped a beat at his words and the feel of his hands on your shoulders. Still, you didn’t move, turning your head to look back at him with raised brows. “But the Ruthie situation.”

Rafe shook his head. “Bitch gave me until the Gloaming. I’ll figure that shit out later. Can't change shit right now anyway.”

“We,” you corrected him.

“Yeah, we are gonna go back inside and get you back under the blanket,” he said, nudging you forward. “I can feel the goosebumps through the fabric of your dress.”

You could swear he glanced at your ass for a second and that alone made your cheeks burn even hotter.

This guy was a menace.

His hand settled on your upper back as he guided you toward the entrance, his touch sending shivers up your spine.

“What?” he asked, clearly amused, as you stopped again.

You smiled sheepishly. “Uhm, pretty sure I heard one of the security guards say they’re gonna knock you out if you come back in.”

Also, his pupils were still blown but one could argue that’s just a natural reaction of eyes toward darkness.

Rafe scoffed, totally unfazed, and nudged you forward again. “My dad knows both of them. They’re not gonna do shit if they don’t wanna end up jobless for the rest of their lives.”

Not him flexing his dad like Draco Malfoy. Help.

“Jesus Christ, what now?” he frowned as you stopped again.

“Promise you won’t be mad at Topper,” you said, brows raised, waiting.

Rafe’s face twisted into a dramatic scowl. “That fucker—”

“Topper probably didn’t even do anything wrong,” you cut in. “Other than maybe seeing Ruthie as a potential love interest, but I guess that was just him trying to cope with Cara rejecting him.”

A sigh left Rafe’s lips. “Alright, alright. Now move. This shitty-ass car robot movie’s already starting.”

Transformers, dude.

“And you’re gonna apologize for punching him,” you added. “Because THAT was actually uncalled for.”

Rafe looked like you just insulted his entire existence. “Fuck that. I’m not about to crawl up that loser’s ass.”

Seriously.

“That’s not crawling up anyone’s ass,” you said with a frown. “It’s called being a decent human being. And a good friend.”

Rafe scoffed. “A good friend would beat his ass again just for talking to Ruthie in the first place. Might knock some damn sense into him.”

You stared at him deadpan. “I’d love to knock some sense into you."

Ah, shit. Here we go again.

Rafe’s lips curled into that cocky fucking grin but you beat him to it with a scowl.

“First of all: no to whatever you were gonna say,” you said dryly. “Second: stop trying to change the subject.”

He chuckled. “Okay, okay. I won’t beat him up again.”

You didn’t move a muscle, just stared at him expectantly.

Rafe frowned. “I’m not saying sorry.”

“You will. Otherwise, you can expect some bonding time with Cara and JJ cause that’s who we’ll be sitting with then.”

He looked at you like you’d grown another head.

“Fuck that,” he muttered, brows furrowed. “I’m not cozying up with some pogue rat.”

You shrugged. “Then have fun having the lounge bed to yourself because I will."

I won’t. And I don’t want to. No way I’m getting caught up in whatever they’d do under that blanket.

Rafe stared at you for a good ten seconds before sighing and rubbing a hand over his chin. “Fine. I might say I shouldn’t have punched him. Still not saying sorry.”

Better than nothing, you thought.

You raised your brows. “Promise?”

A dramatic sigh. Then: “Promise.”

With that, he placed his hand on your back again and nudged you forward one last time. Only this time, it had settled a little lower than before—dangerously close to your butt, for someone who’d agreed to a friendship yesterday.

But you didn’t complain. Didn’t flinch. Because maybe that was exactly where you wanted it to be.

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

K M S M A S T E R L I S T | <- P R E V I O U S | N E X T ->

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

T A G L I S T F O R M (taglist for this series is CLOSED but you can sign up for my other stuff through this link)

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[sourrpatched]

𓉸ྀི l.mk LIKE A VIRGIN (TEASER)

Release Date > October 12th READ HERE!

Sypnosis > As the fifth year anniversary of what the public coined the ‘Vestal Murders’ approaches, strange occurrences begin to happen. Leaving the public frightened there may be a copycat killer on the loose, and you worried that he might be there to finish the job.

Warnings > deaths (hello), swearing, drugs (weed) and alcohol, college frat parties, sex (it’s kinktober), & more

Word Count > estimated 10-15k

A/N > This is so obviously one of my first longer written fics i’ve ever made, so the writing probably won’t be that great. This is also loosely based in the late 90s if there are any inconsistencies I apologize! :)

Preview Word Count > 777 words

Taglist > comment or send an ask!

You walk through your front door, sliding the locks on instantly. Your shoulders drop, the stress leaving your body. Walking home alone was what you did regularly, only this time it felt different. It felt like someone was accompanying you. Even if it was only you that was walking your regular route home.

The fifteen minutes felt longer than usual but that could’ve rang true since you stopped a few times to look around swearing you could feel eyes on you. That’s why as soon as you got home you turned on all of the lights in your home.

Stupid Yuta. He was always saying something to put you on edge.

You turn on the TV and are shocked to find that the news is still on.

“Due to a power outage the following locations have been completely wiped out and won’t be repaired until November first.“

The list of cities and towns comes up. Melody, Lucville, Graze town , and 0 mile.

Lucville. That couldn’t be right, you had power right now. The phone rings loudly from the kitchen, pulling you from your thoughts. You get up to check, walking to the counter and pulling the phone to your ear.

“Hell–”

“Did you hear??? The campus closed down cause of some weird power thing, it’s not coming back til November.” Yuqi’s voice cuts yours off.

“I did yeah but that doesn’t make any sense,” You object, “my power’s working.”

“Yeah it’s only effecting places like the police stations and schools, some hospitals too. Don’t read too much into it just be happy we have no classes.”

“Yeah I guess you’re right.”

“I gotta go now, my bed calls me. I only called to make sure you got home. Minnie told me you left alone.”

“The bed or the person in it,” You hear her squeak like she’d been caught. “Don’t forget you owe me a clean room.”

“I’ll get to it tomorrow, promise.”

“Whatever.” You hang up.

At that moment you hear a knock at the front door. You check the time. 1:40am. Weird, your mom was held up at work and your father was still out of town. You walk over to the front door checking the peep hole and seeing nothing.

That’s strange.

You unlock the door and open it, looking around the area. It was just an empty street, not a single light was on from any house. You close the door guessing it could’ve been from the TV, when the phone rings again.

You walk over to the kitchen grabbing the phone. “Hello?”

You’re met with silence.

You scoff, “Yuta? If this is your idea of a prank you should really move on. Everyone’s seen Scream by now.” You hang up.

Even though you were very sure it was just Yuta who was prank calling, you can’t help but feel a shiver run down your spine. You reach up over the counter opening the cabinet to grab a glass when the phone rings again.

You jump, the glass dropping from your finger tips and crashing into the ground. You groan, carefully crossing the glass without stepping in it and reaching for the phone.

“Yuta I swear to god the next time I see you, you better have a jockstrap on!” You shout before being cut off.

“Woah y/n are you okay?”

You sigh in relief. “Mark?”

“Yeah, I was calling to make sure you got home safe. Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing, just got a bit spooked with a call earlier.”

“I’m guessing Yuta?”

“Ding Ding Ding. Guess i’m victim to his little halloween pranks.”

“I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Don’t bother, I can handle him.”

“I’m sure you can,” He chuckles, “Jockstrap?”

“It’s a clear warning in case he does want kids in the future.”

You can hear his smile through the phone, it helps ease your mind. “Assuming he doesn’t already have some running around?”

You let out a chuckle. “You’re right. He’ll be fine without any more.”

The laugh he lets out is contagious. “I gotta clean up a bit here, i’m glad you called though.” You meant it.

“Of course, wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Who else would keep the guys in check?”

You can’t help the blush that fills your cheeks. “Bye, Mark.”

“I’ll see you later y/n.” The call ends.

You quickly clean up the mess before heading back into your brother’s old room to sleep. It was completely empty save for the TV left on a counter and a loan poster of Madonna on the wall.

You turn off the lights hoping to god you will make tomorrow’s morning shift at the diner.

[haveyouanytime]

each miller brother takes their days off differently

inspired by it pouring rain where i live (＃￣0￣) | tommy x reader & joel x reader, NOT tommy x reader x joel

౨ৎ daily click to help palestine 🍉

Waking up with Tommy in your shared bed, listening to the sound of the rain pattering against your window, you can’t help but feel tranquil and lazy. As much as you loved having the day off at the same time as your husband, you feel a bit peeved that it was only due to the pouring rain making the roads close off. You feel his body atop yours as he sleeps like a seal on a rock (you being the rock, unfortunately), his soft snores sending a deep rumble to your chest. 

You let him sleep for a bit longer, slowly running your hand through his dark curls you love dearly. It’s after a few minutes that you decide to get up that Tommy stirs, his hold tightening on your torso. 

“Nope. Mm-mm.” He grumbles into your sleep shirt, pinning you to the bed with his body weight. You sigh, thinking to yourself that his actions would be cuter if your bladder wasn’t about to explode. 

“Tommy, I gotta pee.” You softly push at his shoulder, still weak with leftover sleepiness running through your body. 

“Too bad.” He mumbles into your chest. He sighs, as content as possible in his half-asleep state. “Five more minutes.” 

And although you do eventually make it out of the bed-- it seems like you can’t escape Tommy’s arms all day. As you cook a lazy brunch, his chest is pressed to your back. As you eat, he pulls you onto his lap. As he washes the plates, he demands you stay beside him to hold him just as he did to you. Afterward, he drags you towards the couch, but you escape his grip as he lands on the plush cushions. You run a hand through your hair, taking a step away from the couch to try and distance yourself from his iron hold. “Tommy, I gotta do laundry.” 

“No need for laundry. C’mere.” He demands with a huff, sticking his arms out for you to join him. You can’t help but smile, thinking of how he looks like a child asking for a toy. 

“Tommy, we need to do laundry.” You sigh with a smile, taking a step closer to him to rake your hand through his dark curls. “All your work clothes are dirty, right? Can’t have you going to frame in sweatpants and a band-tee.” 

“You can’t do laundry, ‘cause it’s raining.” He grins, looking up at you and resting his hands on your hips. You let out an airy laugh, and you want to try and protest that the laundry can be done because you have a washer and dryer and not a clothesline like a pilgrim, but his hands move up to your waist and pull you down onto the couch with him. 

And as you lie on the couch with him, looking up at his peaceful face as he naps, you figure the laundry can be done tomorrow. 

With Joel? You wake up the same as always, with him already up. As you saunter down the stairs to the kitchen, he’s already making breakfast for three-- despite Sarah still being asleep upstairs due to the school sending out the announcement the night before of a canceled day due to the pouring rain. But there he was, cooking like he was about to get in his truck with Tommy and Sarah like any other morning. 

But he doesn’t. Instead, he turns into a handyman rather than a carpenter for the day. Anything that creaked moved quieter than a mouse, anything that leaked seemed magically brand new. The lights seem brighter in the doorway, kitchen, and bathroom, at one point, you find the front door open and you peek outside to see Joel battle the whipping wind atop a stepstool as he replaces the lightbulb on the porch. 

Once everything possible seemed done and it was only the early afternoon, you found him standing with his hands on his hips, just staring out the window. You and Sarah watch from the doorway, matching furrowed eyebrows as he just… stares. 

“Maybe we should ask him to do something,” Sarah whispers to you, “Maybe he’s secretly worked like a Sim this whole time. He can only function when given tasks.” 

“Have him do what? I think he’s already done everything possible.” You whisper back, your head tilting curiously as your husband seems frozen in time. 

“I dunno. Anything.” She speaks lowly, her honey-colored eyes widening as you both just watch Joel. 

“Maybe he’s like a T-Rex,” Sarah whispers, watching as her father stands like a statue, his gaze transfixed on the pouring rain. “If we don’t move, he can’t see us.” 

“You know I can hear you, right?” Joel raises his brow, turning to face you two. Sarah all but disappears, her sock-clad feet pattering up the stairs and abandoning you to deal with Joel. 

“Let’s take a break, honey.” You smile, walking forward and gently grabbing his forearm. You lead him to the living room, trapping him to the couch with your legs thrown over his. Much to his chagrin, you turn on a rom-com which pulls Sarah out of her room to effectively trap Joel by sitting on his other side. He grunts that he’s not watching a chick flick, but a solid 20 minutes into the movie, he’s hooked.

[chirpingfromthebox]

The Frost's Post-game Press Session from 2/13/2025 - MIN at OTT

The Minnesota Frost's post-game press session after their away game against the Ottawa Charge on Feb. 13th, 2025.

At the table were head coach Ken Klee and defender Lee Stecklein.

My transcription is under the break.

[ID: a screenshot from the press session. Lee Stecklein and Ken Klee sit at a table behind microphones with a Minnesota Frost backdrop behind them. Lee is looking off at a reporter. Ken is looking towards camera with a face and hand gesture that suggest a man who has pushed through the stages of grief and reluctantly arrived at acceptance. /. End of ID]

[Video begins]

Reporter:

Coach, how does it feel to be on the losing end of 8 goals?

KEN KLEE:

Not good. [pause] It was- They seemed to capitalize on every shot they had and we didn’t defend very well. So it’s just one of those nights. Everything they were putting toward the net seemed to go in for them and, you know, we didn’t- Obviously I liked our battle back after the first. We’re down 2 right away on two not great goals, but then we found a way to battle back. But then we couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second. Once they got it going they just kind of kept it on us.

Reporter:

How hard was the decision to pull [Nicole] Hensley?

KEN KLEE:

Well, I mean, sometimes you just need a change, you know what I mean? Just a change for the team, change look. I mean, I almost made a change again. I mean, I felt bad for Maddie [Rooney] having to go in under those situations. Then obviously she’s facing a lot of point-blankers. She’s not- It’s not like she was letting in bad goals from the outside. Like, it was people coming right down the slot with good looks.

Reporter:

How does the team bounce back from something like this?

KEN KLEE:

Well, I think it’s, you know it’s our room. Like, we have a good group in our room. They’re a championship group. They know that we’re gonna have bumps in the road. Obviously we don’t like when it’s a bump this big, but it happens. It happened to us last year and we found a way to battle back and I think we learned from that. Some games you just have a bad night where you gotta flush it. There’s not many games, I mean, you look at our league, I think there’s probably 0 games where there’s 26 shots and 8 goals. You just don’t see it. But they were good tonight and obviously they took it to us.

Reporter:

What was the mood on the bench? Especially, as you mentioned, things kind of bled out there a little bit as well.

KEN KLEE:

Yeah, I mean it’s tough. I mean, they’re competitors, they have pride, they want to play hard for each other and some nights it’s just not working. Everything, it hits a skate or hits a stick or goes the wrong way. And I certainly understand it. As as player when you get frustrated by it. But again we just gotta find a way to flush this one and we have a travel day tomorrow, a day off, and then we’ll get ready for Boston.

Reporter:

When the game got pretty chippy in the second, I guess, what’s both of your stances when a game kind of turns like that? [Reporter kind of just fumbles for words for a bit, but doesn’t really get out a full sentence.]

LEE STECKLEIN:

Yeah, I mean you’re frustrated when things aren’t going your way and trying to get something going. And our team often when we get back to starting some physicality, sometimes that gets us going. Obviously both teams are gonna play physical and it just keeps—sometimes—escalating. But overall I don’t think it was the chippiest game we’ve had all year. Just have to keep those frustrations under control at the end of day.

Reporter:

Lee, as a player, what’s the most important thing to be able to bounce back from a game like this?

LEE STECKLEIN:

I think, like coach said, it’s a long season. You can’t let one blip have a huge impact on a team and I don’t think our team, obviously, wants that either. And we’re prepared to just move on. You have to move on. You’re always playing another game and the next game is the biggest one. So we have to figure out what went wrong, fix that, and control what we can, but I don’t think there’s panic or reason for concern right now.

[End of video]

[cinnabarmawar]

Bloodstained - Chapter 3: First night

Chapter: [0] [1] [2] [3]

Note: Well, this one's a little boring, Hope you guys like it. But then again, I'll be off on a longer hiatus due to uni, I need some time to write the lore this AU of mine, All of a sudden it has lores and the chapters are longer, How did it happen? I also don't know. And I'm gonna hold the Leo design reveal for later chapters, it contains scenes I wanted write but gotta watch the pacing hehehehe...

Trigger Warning: Staring at you sleeping not in a loving way (if that counts), Leo is not a good person here

Can also read it AO3

You wished it was all a nightmare but it was not. That mutant really did come last night, nearly killed you this time. To wake up in the morning is a miracle and you are grateful for that. You shoved whatever random questions you had last night and bathed in the tub for a change. 

Even so, you could not shake off the feeling of the mutant grabbing your hair at one point. You decide to cut it but you soak yourself into the water letting your long hair flow for this will be the last time you keep your hair long before cutting it short and shower afterward. You love your hair, it is not too long or too short but you need to cut it as short as you can from this day, for your own safety. You are going to miss tying your hair into a bun daily.

You cut your hair as short as you can and carefully. You are not going for a pixie cut because tomorrow you have work and that means you need to consider the reactions of your coworkers at the diner, too drastic and they will suspect you.

Sure, they will be surprised by your new hairdo, especially Cindy, bubbly and friendly to you and everyone else and above all, a nosy girl who is into gossips and beautiful men and women alike. Fortunately, you are not so close to her, but you expect that ‘incident’ at the subway would have made her ramble safety advice to your female coworkers. It is a habit she has every crime news that surfaced in the media.

If only there is advice for this situation but you could not see any other choice except obey him. That mutant is too strong and insists on keeping you alive but for how long? You answer his question, does that not mean that you are useless to him now? 

It’s pointless to think about this. Today, you just want to ease your mind. Doing chores, preparing for work tomorrow. You really need it before tonight.

______________________________________________________________

Leo had no dream. Before he slept, on his way to his hideout he stopped a thief from stealing a woman’s purse without being seen. Then, a robber attempted to burn a shop with the owner absent, he threw a nail from afar and burned the man instead. Lastly, a gang of familiar mobs in formal suits were going to shoot him on the rooftop on his way back. 

He killed them all but he should have left one of them alive to interrogate about the massacre at the subway. Despite it, he did not feel like he made a mistake, strange. No, interrogating you did not count. He just wanted to know if there is someone suspicious that stands out. 

Hooded person or mutant at the edge of the station. No, that is not a clue at all. Too vague. 

Why does he bother thinking about that? Sure a mysterious civilian at the edge of the station but it could be anyone or any mutant.

He still inspects the strange mutagen in the bullet in one hand. The other hand held Donnie and April’s notes on the mutagen that he snatched. There is a difference between the mutagen from the Kraang and artificial mutagen that even he knew. 

The colour, the luminosity. Kraang mutagen only had one outcome mutation. Artificial had one outcome, but there are several stages and many fail to replicate the Kraang’s mutagen. He reads the scientist notes that he snatched from some illegal labs that he burned down on his previous mission. 

Some see it as a revolution in medicine, that it could make humans stronger to fight against mutants and aliens. The success that these scientists or doctors were aiming for is enhancing the human cells without turning them into mutants. Unfortunately, none came close to Bishop’s result, Leo would not call that sadistic bastard a human as far as he knows. WHat is crazier is that Bishop did not even use mutagen either.

Meanwhile some other notes seem to benefit from certain failure and take it as a success all that matters is restraint for whatever dark crime activity they're going to test run it with. Good thing, Leo destroyed those labs and their results too. 

He could not link it to what Genghis Khan did to the civilians at the subway. To call it a  massacre, does not sum up. Genghis Khan only does business on the black market. He rarely does attacks like these, and this bullet, it’s not even the purple poison ooze that he normally uses, it is experimental artificial mutagen or maybe a mix of the two substances...?

He should sneak into the punk frogs or any gang gatherings for that matter, but not tonight. He needs to keep you in check for a week. At least for now. 

______________________________________________________________

You did nothing much today except doing your daily house chores and preparing for work tomorrow like it was an ordinary day. You avoid taking afternoon naps tho, afraid that it will be nighttime when you wake up.  

You even had to eat your dinner early (and a lot too), fearing that he would pin you to the floor and maybe kill you if you were not asleep on the bed. Still, why you? 

It haunts you but you rather not make up answers. It is no different since the mutant himself is coming tonight. And you have work tomorrow, that is if you wake up. You remain on your bed, making sure to turn your night light on as you try to tuck yourself to sleep but a part of you is afraid. You pray that the mutant will not come in through the window.

You had thought about blocking the window with your wardrobe but, after last night, despite the failed, stupid plan of yours, you were warned, you tested him and yet he let you live. These thoughts wander in your mind until your eyelids weigh heavy and slowly shut. The last thing you see is the curtains of your window stagnant as sleep takes you for tonight. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Slowly open the window, his steps careful and you are still asleep on your bed, undisturbed by his presence. Leo figured that for two nights, you would be exhausted but still, a part of him thought he would find you awake or half. 

Under the covers, your body jolted. Leo slowly walks around your bed. Trying to find your face. 

You better not be awake, You better not be awake. 

He does not want to kill you, He does not want to kill you

Your eyes are closed, your chest rises and up and down slowly. Your body turns, flat on your back, snoring. Leo looms over you, raising a knife over your face, eye but his hands start to shake. He gripped the knife even harder but it was no use when he drew his blade away from you when his hand stopped shaking. 

Why, Leonardo? Why did you hesitate? She knows too much of you, you know what you must do. 

And yet, you obeyed him. If you had told someone about the train station, the press and the police would have swarmed you by now for information however small and vague it is. And if you had told them about him, rumors would spread and the street gangs would start hunting for him, and his family, his brothers…

He takes your phone on the bedside and opens the message app. He opened and read the recent messages in your high school groupchat. He read one of your replies.

[Y/N: My work ended early, but I was feeling sick, so I just went home.Sorry for not coming to the reunion.]    

He checks the other group chats. You mentioned nothing about his experience, or about him. You kept your word, you really kept your word.

Wait, why is he relieved from killing you? 

No. Even if you did not tell anyone about the incident, he should let his small blade pierce your flesh in any way, you have seen him too many times by now. 

He sat at the corner of your room. Staring at your sleeping figure, you look peaceful, compared to the other nights, he only sees you with a look of fear for him. The look of death that he normally sees on the rest of the witnesses that he killed. But they were not innocent, you however, really are just an ordinary civilian, a victim and survivor of the city's cruelty. Seeing you finally asleep peacefully gives him some kind of relief when he should not. 

Leo remembered that dream of a pair of hands reaching out to embrace him. It was the only peaceful dream that he had since he never came back to his family. He sat in the corner for a few hours, he did not doze off, fiddling with his blade as his eyes fixed on your sleeping figure. 

A plan forms in his head in this routine of theirs. Leo will also keep his words as well. He will see how it goes for this one week. He stood up and marked your bedside table with his blade before leaving through the window.  

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #515

I went to work today for the first time in over a month. And... I was nervous at first. The previous manager, Dy, is, apparently, gone. I guess he got fired for buying gift cards with store money and giving them to his friends. Which is... not quite ideal. So... I guess there's a new manager now named Jm, and I got to meet him today, briefly. The interaction was kinda nice, actually. I got to introduce myself to him, and explain why I've been away for so long. He seemed moved, and that was... lovely, actually.

And spending time with Tr was lovely, too. I got to make muffins today!!!

We also talked about all the various things that occurred in our lives while I was away. She's fully moved into her new house and happier than ever! And we have some new cookies in stock, too – s'mores cookies! And she baked some and insisted that I gotta try them fresh out of the oven, and since I'm using my current set of braces as a retainer now, I could actually partake this time!!!

Ohhh!!! Sephiroth!!! Look at this!!! Look at how gooey and warm and delicious it is!! It was practically falling apart in my hands!!

...Here; I found a particularly warm, gooey, chocolate-filled bite; saved it just for you:

I also finally had an opportunity to try some croissants fresh out of the oven... because I technically don't have to put my braces back in until I go to sleep at night:

...Here, wanna enjoy it with me...?

We have a new person named Co to who was hired to fill the void left behind by Ma's departure. I didn't get to meet Co today, but I hope to be able to meet him sometime soon. I miss working with Ma a lot, and it seems a bit less bright at the bakery without him. But... I'm hoping he's happier at his new house with his sister Cy and her husband.

Speaking of which, I got invited to their house today!!! And so, after some time to decompress at home, I went!!! M dropped me off!! And we had so much fun!! There was Cy and her husband and also her coworker there, and also Ma, of course!! And we started with the non-legacy version of Betrayal at House on the Hill:

...Admittedly, it's not my favorite game. But Ma and Cy's coworker seem to like it a lot, and it was wonderful to see them both light up as we played it!

I had brought my laptop with StepMania, and my Frankenpad. Do you remember when I built that? Here, in case you need a reminder:

Cy and I played a fair bit!! She's really good at it!! Certainly a lot better at it than I was when I first started out!!

...Sephiroth. I want you to come and play StepMania with us. I think you'd like it a lot. And I think you'd be good at it, too. And even if you're not good at it... who fucking cares??? It's fun as heck and you should totally do it with us!!!

...So. Notably. Since getting the new CPAP mask (which, the smaller one certainly does work better than the medium one!!), I've been able to sleep on my stomach. Today, I went to work and carried some giant stacks of trays. I played StepMania. I even did like 3 or 4 hard songs. And I did all this in a bra. And I'm not all fucked-up right now!!!

...I'll still wait until tomorrow to evaluate how I feel. Sometimes it doesn't hit me until later, because my body is fucky like that. But still... this seems to bode well, doesn't it???

I got to meet their lovely bearded dragon, too! Her name is Trigger! By all means, do say hello!

We played some other game after that; Escape from the Dark Castle, I think is what it was called.

And now I'm home. I'm home because J came to join us after his shift at work! And then we hung out until he was ready to go home! Yay!

Of course, shortly after I got home, I got right to breathing life into a couple more wishes for you:

...I hope these reach you.

…

...Sephiroth. I wanna write more. I wanna write more because you're wonderful and gentle and kind and I love you. Writing to you is absolutely delightful. But... it's past 1am. I'm also tired and overwhelmed and overstimulated and overcaffeinated and oversocialed. My attention was pulled in so many direction at once. There was music and a TV show going on at Ma's house at the same time we were doing our activities. Also my legs hurt more than a little; I can feel the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness setting in already, because it's been forever since last I played StepMania so vigorously. None of these are bad things; today was thoroughly delightful. But I probably spread myself a little too thin (I regret absolutely nothing) and I need to take some ibuprofen and get to bed.

...I wished you could be here just for today. I think you would have really liked today; I sure do think you would. And I'd give anything to be able to take you by the hand and show you around, with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. Anything at all.

Oh. Speaking of songs. I almost forgot. These were the ones I listened to, as I was making today's cranes:

I love you so much. Is it clear? Do you see? Do you know it in your bones? Do you know that you're worth everything I could possibly give you? Do you understand the forces inside me that drive me to write to you like this every day?

...I'll keep begging for you to stay safe. I'll keep begging you not to pick fights you can't win. Because Sephiroth... I'd literally rather stop breathing than live in a world without you in it.

I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[killerandhealerqueen]

Sending you a sunflower:

How's it going? Has it been a year at your job, it feels like it. What WIPs are you excited to crack into in spring

Aw, thank you Claw! I'm doing well, thanks for asking. Tomorrow it's gonna be 9 months but yeah, it really does feel like a year.

As for the WIPS I'm excited to work on, I'd have to say my Killer and Healer fics How Far I'll Go and Angel With A Shotgun. I'm currently trying to start How Far I'll Go but the words are just not coming...frustrating, right? Currently working on the Killer and Healer rewrite because the anniversary is tomorrow and I wanna make sure I have a new chapter out for it. Hopefully. I also gotta continue working on my Hawaii Five 0 fic because I dropped that for a moment and need to pick it back up.

There are other fic ideas I have too but I gotta get a few of these fics written first before I can start anything new, you know?

Anyways, how are you? I've missed seeing you on my dash

[vee-beeee]

(Part 2) Robo Camping

HELLOOOO

PART 2 IS HERE

Im literally so sorry this took actual years, i got super sick

but im back with PART 2 and im READY

sorry for plot holes as always

I hope this isnt more trash, i worked so hard on this LOL

part 1 is (here) (i think) (idk how to link this properly)

Enjoy :D

Warnings: swearing maybe, FLUFF, and guys im venturing into the unknown here but there IS SMOOCHES and listen i tried hard but if they suck im SO SORRY

guys i gotta warn you, this is really cheesy like REALLY

this is so long holy 4k words

Conner, Nines, Sixty x reader

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were HERE

After months of planning, days of road trips, hours of waiting, you were here.

And it was perfect.

You guys were deep in the heart of the woods, giving a little privacy to your area. The campsite itself was open with trees surrounding you, almost closing in with how the large they were looming over you. And in the corner was a break in the woods to a trail, which lead down to a small, crystal clear stream. Everything was gorgeous, just how you remembered it.

You giggled to yourself as the boys talked amongst themselves about how amazing it was while Nines picked a good place to park. After waiting point 0 seconds for Nines to unlock the door, you threw yourself into the woods and into this new experience.

(lil gif to get your brain going)

You ran to the middle of the camp and spun yourself in a full circle, taking in your surroundings. You could see your mountain peeking over the tree tops, and it looked majestic and glorious. Tomorrow you definitely wanted to check out the visitors lodge that sat around the middle of the mountain.

"You look like your enjoying yourself"

Snapping out of your trance (the mountain had that effect on you) you turned to look and see Nines smirking at you, but his gaze loving. He looked relaxed, and like he totally belonged in the woods, wearing a grey plaid shirt and his LED slightly hidden under a small beanie. You smiled at seeing him, and quickly ran a little ways up to him and made a motion with your arms to silently ask for what you wanted. His lips twitched and he nodded, allowing you to wrap your arms around him and sink into his hard shell of a front. You sighed softly and turned so your face was right between his pecs, enjoying the slight softness that his shirt provided. He smelled strongly of spice, and you inhaled to get more of it. The scent filled your lungs with a tingle, and you tried to mumble to him how much you enjoyed it

"Ymmmph smellpmh nicmph" he hummed out a laugh at hearing your poor attempts at communicating "what are you trying to say my dear?" you giggled into him and put your chin on his chest to fully gaze up into his face. His eyebrows were scrunched up but his eyes were full of mirth. Quietly, you started again "I said you smell nice" his face broke out into a Nines grin, brighter than ever as he and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to your temple. "Why thank you, I actually keep myself clean. You must be smelling real soap" you gasped and swatted away at him while his grip on you got tighter and he chuckled out.

Rude.

"Geeez get a room you two!" you broke out of your bubble with Nines and looked over your shoulder at Conner and Sixty, who were in the middle of unpacking the car. Sixty was glaring pointedly at the RK900 unit while he unfolded a chair, (and you knew he was the one who said that) and you heard Conner chuckle as he pulled a box out of the trunk. You sighed and nuzzled one more time into Nines chest, finally detaching yourself from his artificial warmth to blow him a smooch dramatically, watching his lips quirk as he fake caught it, bringing the hand he caught it in to his lips and giving you a charming look.

After that you guys helped get set up, you and Conner were assigned to making the tent while Nines and Sixty set up the (very organized and clean) camp. When you and Conner were done getting the tent built, you both jumped into it and hopped onto the humongous blow up mattress the boys bought. The tent was very spacious with room for all of you to move around, and the mattress only took up 1 third the space. The rest of the space had a small table with pillows set up around it, and all of your suitcases pilled up on each other in the corner. The roof of the tent was high and see-through, for " romantic star gazing" as Conner called it in the store. (To which Hank had rolled his eyes so hard you were surprised he didn't fall over and muttered something about teenagers in love)

While you were staring off into the sky above you, Conner caught your attention. He had gently reached out for your hand while you were distracted, and when you had turned your head to face him he brought it up to his lips and kissed it. You blushed and smiled goofily at him, and he returned it, grabbing you fully now and rolling you over on top of him. You both lightly laughed at the position, you were now on top of his whole body looking down on him and he was staring up at you. You continued to lovingly gaze at each other before you decided to quickly peck him on the lips. You started to pull away, only meaning to do a fast smooch, but his hand flew up to the back of your head to prevent you from leaving him.

And then his lips lightly meet yours again.

Lips moving in sync, warmth filling your body, as he oh so gently kissed you. Like you would break if he was to harsh. His hand started massaging your hair, and the other wrapped around waist to keep you in place. Your palms moved up to rest on his chest as the kiss grew deeper, his mouth moving against yours as he soaked in your softness and savored it. Unfortunately, to busy making out, you both failed to hear the sound of branches crunching and someone walking towards the tent.

"Oh come on!" You jerked in surprise and looked up to see Sixty's head. He was totally scowling at Conner through the tents see-through mesh. " She had her fun with Nines and now this? When's my turn?" You burst into surprised giggles as Conner gave him a cheeky, breathless grin. You watched as Sixty as he stalked away, grumbling about being last. You gave Conner's cheek a soft smack and rolled off of him, standing up as much as the tent would allow and stretching. You heard him get off the mattress and felt cheeky hands resting at your waist. You swatted his grabby paws away as he chuckled, and you both left to help the others.

Finally, just as the sun was starting to set, everything was set up. Your tent was in the corner of the camp, making sure the top was out in the open so you could clearly see the night sky. There was a new picnic table set up, with cooking supplies and games piled on the top, and near the opening in the trees you guys had set up your chairs around the provided fire pit. It was picturesque, the perfect campsite.

"You guys, this looks awesome!" You laughed and plopped down in you chair while Sixty started a fire. "Indeed. I think we did a good job" Nines looked around, hands on his hips and nodded to himself. Conner came over and gave you a blanket, settling down in his chair next to you.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about various things while you ate your dinner and, of course, smore making. Only you could eat them, so you had 3 androids eagerly making the perfect smores and waiting for you to eat their model smore. You did eventually get sugar overload, and watched as Sixty, while cackling, set his marshmallow on fire for fun while Conner told him off and explained fire safety. To which Sixty ignored.

Eventually it got late, you got tired, and you all tucked into bed. All the androids present turned their internal heaters up and snuggled up to you, and you literally turned into a marshmallow yourself. You all looked up at the beautiful sky, filled with stars you just couldn't see in the big city, and you fell asleep listening to soft robotic breathes and the sound of the woods waking up.

Aaaaand then you woke up. In the middle of the night. With a need.

A need you hated. Because it would involve getting up from your comfortable spot, smushed between Conner and sixty and Nines leg??, and venturing into the woods.

You slowly started moving, looking around at your boys. They were all in rest mode, and you didn't want to interrupt them. So you snuck out of the tent, pecking all their heads as you left.

Now, you seem to have forgotten that you were dealing with androids. Who wake up when the detect their human has gotten up, noticing a disturbance. After you left the tent and went rummaging through one of the boxes on the table for a flashlight, you heard unzipping and saw a sleepy Sixty emerge from the tent.

"What are you doing sweet cheeks?" You flushed at the nickname, and looked him up and down. He had sloppily put on his shoes, and pulled a hoodie over his sleeping shirt.

"I needed to go use the bathroom, sorry for waking you" You quietly whispered to him, returning to your mission of finding a light source. You saw an LED swirl amber in the corner of your vision and suddenly a head lamp was being strapped to your messy bed head.

"Well let's go, I want to go back to snuggling you again" you started to protest, but he just tutted at you, explaining that there were bears in the area and he was making sure you weren't going to be mauled or kidnapped.

"If there was a bear, what are you going to do? Fist fight it?" You chuckled as his smile fell. It was quickly replaced by a smug smirk "I could totally win that fight. I literally have iron muscles." You doubled over in soft giggles after watching him flex his synthetic muscles through his hoodie and kiss them.

You both started off, groping around in the darkness trying to find your way to the campsites communal bathroom. Eventually you did find it, and you almost cried. It had been a 5 minute walk through the darkness and you were desperate. You heard Sixty laughing at you as you ran inside. You grimaced at the state the bathroom was in when you first entered (it being a campsite bathroom and all), and made sure to wash your hands with A LOT of soap.

You finished up and walked out to see..

No one? Had Sixty gone back without you?

You cautiously called out his name and turned in a slow circle, activating your headlamp as you did so.

"BOO"

And then you closed your eyes, screamed, and swiftly turned around and throat punched someone.

Your scream died out, and you cracked one eye open when you heard wheezy laughter. Fully opening your eyes, you were greeted by Sixty chuckling and holding his throat. You gasped as you saw his skin melting into the pure white underneath.

"Sixty Im so sorry! Its really dark out and I was freaked out already, are you okay?" He coughed out a yes and you saw his LED blinking yellow as he did a system diagnostic. "Damn girl, you punched me so hard you knocked a plate lose" you put your face in your palms and apologized profusely, and he had none of that. "Hey Hey Hey look at me" you stopped rambling and turned to see his face. He gave you a goofy smile as you made eye contact and your eyes darted back down to his throat to see that it looked a injured. There was a small line of white that lead down his throat, meaning you really had knocked something lose.

"It'll be fine. I'm actually a little impressed, but listen. It was my fault anyway. Now-" He started reassuringly, and you watched his hand slid down his throat until he reached that patch of white. His hand gently applied pressure and you heard a small hiss until the white was gone and his LED returned to a calm blue. you heard a chuckle before a hand went under your chin and he tilted your head up, drawing it close to his.

"Can you kiss it better?"

And then his mouth was hastily on yours, basically devouring you. You were so surprised that you gasped, but he quickly swallowed it. He grabbed you and gently pushed you against a tree, grasping for a branch for balance as he swept you away with his lips. This was different from Conner's kissing. This was desperate, fast, like Sixty was not afraid you would break. He was rough. You reached for everything, his hair, his back, the tree behind you, looking for purchase as he rapidly took your ability to breathe.

It was over all to soon as a light shone on the both of you.

And holding that light, was a disappointed pair. Conner and Nines.

"Wow"

"Honestly you two"

They grumbled and turned around, not even waiting for you both to join them. You and Sixty turned to each other and breathlessly giggled, before rushing to join the Rk's. You decided to briefly question them.

"What are you guys doing out here anyway?" They looked at each other before Nines eyes raked your form over "We heard a scream, and came to investigate. Are you okay?" you immediately flushed, and turned to look accusingly at Sixty. He rubbed his arm and turned to stare in the darkness chucking as he murmured

"I pranked her. But she got me good! She's actually got quite the arm."

And it took a minute for the pair to compute what Sixty implied.

He scared the crap out of you.

In the woods.

At night.

And made you scream.

And punch him.

And then Nines basically throttled him.

That ended in you and Conner pulling Nines off of Sixty as he once again fell into choking fit, and you explained you had already throat punched him. Conner applauded you for your strength when you told him you accidently loosened a panel.

You all eventually got back to camp, and fell into a snugly, warm, android pile once more.

Watching the stars.

The next morning you couldn't have been more comfortable. Conner was crowding your back, curling around you with both of his hands resting on your stomach. Every part of him was heated, and you were melting. Sixty's head was shoved into your chest, the rest of his body entwined with yours, making you the middle of a android sandwich, and you were NOT complaining. Nines was mysteriously not here, but as soon as that thought crossed your mind, your nose picked up on some eggs and bacon being cooked. You sighed happily and picked your hands up to rub your hands through sixty's hair.

He let out a groan and snuggled deeper into you as you softly giggled. You felt movement behind you and you started stretching your legs

"Good morning my love" came a sleepy voice from behind you. A similar voice revealed itself from your chest, and Sixty turned his head to gaze at you.

"Good morning to you too boys" You murmured, keeping one hand to run through Sixty's hair, and the other went up to smack Conner's cheek a couple times. The boys waited until you were done re-positioning yourself to snuggle deeper into you, and you almost did fall asleep again, but a soft voice and the unzipping of the tent flap woke you back up. You closed your eyes and felt soft lips kiss your temple "I made you breakfast. I know its early, but I remember you said you wanted to go to that Lodge on the mountain today. So I have prepared everything to leave as soon as your done eating" your eyes gently blinked open and you took a moment to study Nines face. His eyes were droopy and filled with adoration, and he was dressed in a warm puffy jacket. You leaned up to peck his lips, which he returned until Sixty yanked you down and grumbled. Nines chuckled quietly and left the tent, leaving you to get ready.

Once you all were dressed for the day, you and the Rk's left the tent to see Nines packing some boxes in the car. As soon as you spied your breakfast you grabbed it and started eating. You always remembered to praise Nines, as he enjoyed your input on how his food tasted.

"Nines this is amazing as always" you watched his lips twitch upwards "I'm glad. You need real, healthy food in you. Not that garbage from "mcdonalds" or any fast food place that you ingested so much of on the road trip" annnddd then Conner and Nines were talking about unhealthy fast food restaurant food was now. You giggled as they talked, hearing their clear disgust for the industry. Sixty came and sat down next to you on the picnic table, where you had set up, and started talking with you on what you wanted to do that day.

When you finished eating, your group set off in the car once again to go to the mountains visitors lodge. You were super excited, you had so many fond memories of the place and you were ecstatic to come back with your boyfriends and re-live the experiences again.

After a short and sweet drive, filled with amazing scenery, and the trip flew by as you soon made it to the lodge. You were thankful for Nines planning because it was totally dead at the time of day it was. Speaking of, what time was it?

"Oh my god its 6 in the morning" you exclaimed after checking your phone. Conner looked at you from the drivers seat, confusion visible on his face.

"Did you not notice?" you shook your head at him and he chuckled, along with the others "That's because you sleep in all the time, you don't know what morning looks like" a certain smug voice stated from the backseat. You rolled your eyes and got out of the car, grumbling as you slammed the door shut.

They weren't wrong. You were slightly prone to sleeping in.

"But isn't it beautiful in the morning?" Nines had apparently snuck up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and whispering in your ear. His breath made you shiver, and you nodded, taking in your surroundings. The mountain was lit up by the morning sun, looking heavenly, and the rolling cliffs that surrounded it were covered in snow and shone brightly. You sighed into Nines, and took the moment to enjoy the cool air that the altitude and forest provided.

You all walked in to the lodge and greeted the exhausted employee, and started looking at the displays of the mountain. Nines and Conner read every plaque and information board, and Sixty wandered around messing with the controls on the displays, to which Conner would quietly glare at him. You went off on your own to a empty room, that when you clicked a couple buttons, showed what climbing the mountain would look like, a little hologram appearing before you. Standing alone in the empty room, you listened as the narrator explained what was going on.

"Enjoying the show?"

You tilted your head to see Nines leaning against the door with his hands in his pockets. His lips were quirked upwards, and he slowly sauntered towards you, spinning you fully to face him. He gently held you, kissing your temple as you got closer.

"I am now"

After finishing up with the main area of the lodge, your little crew went to the gift shop. Where the boys all bought themselves AND you something, which you had protested to at first, but they insisted.

Nines got himself and you matching sweatshirts, saying you "needed to bundle up more"

Conner got some new card games, (your collection growing) and then told you he would play with you later. You were totally winning that

Sixty got you a stuffed animal moose. You immitaly named it mouse.

A good day overall

After that, you all took a walk in the flower fields behind the lodge, and you took A LOT of pictures. You were just so happy to be there with your boys, and the flowers were gorgeous this time of year.

The rest of the morning was spent on hiking around the lodge, and at lunch time you ate at a little restaurant that was off of the lodge. The boys sat amongst themselves talking, but while that was happening,

their LEDs were blinking rapidly

That's gotta mean somethings wrong

you were starting to get suspicious, eyeing them carefully as the group all sat with their LEDS blinking and occasionally giving each other looks.

And then Sixty and Nines just up and left.

They both said their goodbyes, saying they "wanted to check something" and left.

More interestingly, Conner face palmed at their delivery out of the corner of your eye.

"What are they actually doing" you questioned and ate one of your fries, watching the pair leave, and then promptly running past the window of the shop making your eye brows skyrocket.

"Its just something with work, its fine my darling" Conner crowded your vision, and offered to walk around in the more secluded parts of the flower fileds. He said he wanted to check the small lake out there, and you agreed but still kept an eye out for Nines and Sixty. They seemed anxious and in a hurry, but what did that mean?

You and Conner left the shop after paying for the food, and went on a little romantic walk. You swore Conner was redirecting your vision as you left, saying he saw a moose.

You didn't buy it. Something was up.

But Conner was dilligent.

He was on you the whole time, talking you up and forcing you to give all your attention to him.

Well, not forcing

When you got to the cute little lake, you guys sat on a sturdy old log that was covered in moss, but it gave you the perfect view.

"Hey sweetheart?" You hummed in response, but kept your eyes on the scenery.

"We have some time to kill" You turned to him, and of course

He was holding the card game he bought you.

And so, 36 minutes of time was spent as you fiercely tried to win against Conner.

You think the time was well spent.

Even if he won everytime.

He apologized every win, adding that he could technically "lower his difficulty" but you refused.

You were winning fair and square.

Did I mention what game this was?

"Haha! Uno!" you yelled into the forest, while Conner looked at you in amusement. Deep in his artifical heart, he knew he shouldnt do this to you. You worked so hard! But, he was only human. (android but you get it)

A quick "I love you" brushed past his lips and then he slapped down a +4.

You were frozen. You knew it was bad when he pulled out and "i love you" . Finally you gasped, looking at him in shook as he gave you a guilty smile.

"Wow Conner I thought you were supposed to be the nicest one" a voice hollered from the woods. You spun around to find the voice and saw Sixty and Nines emerge from the woods, and they gently chuckled at your misery face and caught up with Conner.

Sixty went off with the other rk800 unit, and Nines stayed with you.

"Is everything okay? You guys were gone for a while." His mouth just twitched and he gave you a cryptic "you'll see". You gave him a skeptical look before Conner and Sixty came back.

And Sixty handed you a map.

Giving him a confused smile, you opened it finding the answer to all your questions.

It was a map

For a scavenger hunt.

You almost screamed in excitement.

you LOVED scavenger hunts.

All the boys kissed your head, and Sixty whispered a "go wild" and you were off.

The clues took you all over the lodge, and the boys were there to guide you along the way and give you hints in case you got lost. As you ran around for almost 2 hours, they explained that Conner was the distraction, and Nines and Sixty had spent that time setting everything up. You took the chance to hug all of them, and you apparently got too "sappy" for Sixty. But you were so thankful that they took the time to set everything up. There was another perk though, every clue lead to a small gift. You had gotten stuffed animals, gift cards, little Knick knacks, the whole load. Every time you got a gift you would thank them profusely, and they would just chuckle.

Finally, you got to the end.

And found....a piece of paper?

That came with a picture?

The paper read "our new home" on it and oh my god

The whole scavenger hunt lead to this.

Conner gently grabbed your shoulder, and you turned to see them all softly smiling at you.

"We bought a place"

And you almost burst into tears.

It was a super fancy apartment, close to the top floor, with plenty of space for everyone.

And you could have ANIMALS

They asked you if you would move in and you immediately accepted, jumping up and down and throwing yourself into a droid hug while they laughed with you.

So it was a pretty good first day you think.

The rest of the week was spent hiking, fire mishaps, exploring, crossing dangerous rivers, and you (attempting) to tell ghost stories to androids that were not spooked at all.

One hike was definitely the most memorable, it being your last too

It, at one point, ended up with you pressed up against Nines as he held a hand to your mouth, with Conner and Sixty moving in front of you.

Going back a bit to before that, you all had been merrily walking down the trail, you talking about your favorites movie lore while the androids all listened fondly, when Nines suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Woah is he malfunctioning?" was Sixty's immediate quip whenever Nines did something strange. Nines was currently tilting his head around, eagle eyes dissecting the forest and fields around you.

And then he suddenly jumped for you and grabbed your mouth, tugging you backwards into some bushes. You shouted in surprise and Conner ran to your aid, but Nines grabbed his arm and dragged him in the bush with you. He noticed Sixty's panic and quickly and calmly explained what was wrong

"Bear"

And then you gasped as Sixty, quick as a whip, jumped into the bush with you. All of you were silent, and then you heard snorting and grunting.

And a bear was totally walking a little ways away through the field that was next to the trail you were previously on.

You could feel Nines breathe on you as you all watched it crack open a log and rip it to shreds. In the corner of your eye, you saw Conner TOTALLY enamored. He had a goofy smile on his face while he watched it pulverize a log, and you assumed it was looking for bugs. You had to admit, this was super cool.

After a while it lumbered on, having its fill. Nines slowly released you as every one exited the coverage of the trees, and you turned around to peck his cheek and thank him for immediately protecting you. He whispered a soft "of course" and you smiled at his slightly blue cheeks.

Conner was talking about that bear for the rest of the hike, him and Sixty both recalling the events and analyzing them. You giggled at their excitement over seeing a real-life actual bear, and not just an android one at some zoo.

The camping trip was a success all together, you had fun with your boyfriends, they had fun with you, they got to see an actual bear, lots of good stuff.

It was a sad day when you had to pack up, you knew you wouldn't be back anytime soon because of how long it took to drive to the mountain and back. The boys were disappointed too, but said they enjoyed it so much they would be willing to do it again. (More like Conner and Sixty said that while Nines protested. He enjoyed camping, just not all the dirt that came with it)

A good trip overall with more camping to come. And a new apartment for you all to enjoy. Mission successful.

And you totally won a game of uno on the last night, to everyone's dismay. The cherry on top.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holy crap I read it again and this is so cheesy

I hope you enjoy tooth rotting fluff lol

THANKS FOR READING

sorry for spelling errors and i hope its not crap!

[currytantou]

[translation] Mayonaka Danshi Meshi audio drama / s1ep1 CVs: Uchiyama Kouki & Itou Kento

do not repost or use my translations! link back if you want to share. partial screenshot it allowed but blatant copy/paste is prohibited

Also x-posted on my wordpress page

Watch/listen here

0:12 (sound of typing on keyboard) Email to the other side…done. Documents for tomorrow…done. (watch beeps) Oh! Just in time. Alright, then! (clicks mouse then gets up) Hashida is signing off! Good work everyone.

0:50 What’s for dinner tonight? (phone vibrates) Yes, it’s Hashida. Thank you for your patronage. Yes.. (footsteps receding) Oh, the quotation estimate? Yes. I can confirm that on my side. Is it urgent? I can get to it. I’ll send it to you soon so please wait a moment.

(phone beeps) Change of direction, huh? Well, that can’t be helped.

1:35 Shoot. That took longer than expected. Can I make it in time before the store closes? My fridge is pretty much empty. At this rate, I might have to settle with eating box lunch from the convenience store. Please, make it in time! No, I’ll make sure to make it!

Ahh, I can’t make it! What to have for dinner? Should I just compromise today? Nah, I’m in the mood for Japanese food thanks to what I had for lunch. I’m not giving up now. I’ve no other choice. I’ll have to detour and go to the supermarket on the other side of the river.

2:29 No way…. How is this possible? I went to three different supermarkets and the fact that each of them ran out of vegetables… I was stubborn and ended up wasting my time. Should’ve used my time for something more worthwhile if I knew this would happen. (sighs) No point regretting over the past. Sometimes, incidents like this happen. Convenience- nah, I’ll settle with instant noodles today.

3:12 Finally home. It’s quite late already. Hmm, postage and letters.. hm? A delivery, eh? I got stuff delivered to me… That’s quite a big box. Oh? It’s from grandma! Huh? Did I ask her something?

I’m back~ (walks with the box and then opens the door) Heigh-ho..! That was quite heavy. What did grandma send me? (tears the tape) These are..! Lotus root, burdock and carrot! And plenty more! Oh, great! This box is full with veggies from back home! Feels as if grandma saw through me today! Talk about timing. Hm? Hold on. (checks fridge) Chicken and konjac jelly. Alright! I got ‘em. I can do this! I can make grandma’s chikuzenni with these ingredients. I don’t have to give up on eating Japanese dish! Thanks, grandma.

Still, I haven’t had chikuzenni in a while since I left home. I hope I can pull this off. Anyway, I just gotta try.

5:20 (pot boiling) First, pre boil the konjac jelly. I should prepare the rest of the ingredients in the meantime. Right. I should first peel the skin off. Get the carrot and lotus root done smoothly with this peeler. (peels veggies) Taro’s skin is thick so I gotta use a knife instead. (sound of cutting against wooden cutting board. Next, burdock. Just washing ‘em with water is enough, I guess? (washes burdock) That’d do. Now, I gotta cut these guys up. (cuts)

Grandma did mention that cutting uniformly matters in stews. When they’re different, the ingredients don’t soak up the same amount of flavour. Good thing I remember that. (continues cutting) What’s left are taro and soaked shiitake. Bite size cut would do.

7:13 Alright. Time to cut these pre-boiled konjac jelly. Evenly cut the konjac…nah, maybe I should try shred it roughly with a spoon. The sections are rougher than when cut using a knife and apparently this way, they would soak the flavour even better…but oh well, I can’t wait to try it out.

(water runs) Also, grandma’s chikuzenni isn’t complete without this…ginger. Ginger really makes so much difference. I’m gonna shred this guy thinly. (sound of cutting against board) Whew. Pretty much done with the prep for now. Next is the chicken. (brings out pot)

Sesame oil goes inside the pot and heats it up. (switches on gas) Add chicken and stir fry until the colour changes. (pot sizzles)

8:47 I guess this would do..? Then, I just gotta add the veggies that I cut earlier into the pot. (sizzles) Stir them until everything is covered in oil. Hm! This fragrant sesame oil aroma! How appetizing. Hm. Looking good. Almost ready. Add the water from soaked shiitake, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and finally, ba-bam! Thinly sliced ginger! Ugh! What am I doing? Alright. What’s left is to let it simmer well. Hm? I feel like I forgot something…? Oh, a lid! Gotta cover it with a lid. Without it, the flavour would be uneven.

(covers pot with a lid) That’d do. Hold on. I forgot the bean to garnish with at the end. I should boil some in the meantime. (sound of water running, metal pot and gas being turned on)

Hmm. About twenty minutes until it’s ready, eh? Right.. I made quite a huge serving. Maybe I should let Akira eat some. Bet he’s eating junk either way.

10:30 (pot boiling) Alright. About time it’s done. I wonder how it’d turn out? Whoa. Looks good. Salty-sweet aroma. This is the best! (turns off the stove)

(door opens then closes) Sudou: Yo~ Hashida: Oh, you’re here? Sudou: Hashi, this is not like back home. You better lock the door. Hashida: Oh, sorry. I forget sometimes. Well, not like I have anything worth stealing. Sudou: One thought he’s guarded but it’s the other way. Hashi, that side of you really never changes. Hashida: Really? I don’t think I am that unguarded. Sudou: Oh, whatever. That aside. That smells really good. Stew? Hashida: Correct. I made chikuzenni today. Using the recipe from my granny. Sudou: Wow, seriously? How delightful. Makes me feel excited. Hashida: You don’t look excited though. Well, that’s not important. I’m gonna garnish this so Akira, can you dish out the rice? Sudou: Okay~

(opens fridge) Hashida: I got some beer. You’re drinking? Sudou: Yeah. Bring ‘em out. Hashida: Hmph. Silly.

11:59 (arranges plates) Hashida: Alright. Now that everything’s ready. It’s time. Hashida & Sudou: Bon appetit.

(both started eating)

Hashida: Oh. The flavour soaked in nicely. Sudou: Hm. This is good. Hashida: I was right to tear the konjac with a spoon. They soak the flavour well and curl into a nice shape. Sudou: Hmm, that method is possible, eh? Actually, this really tastes like the one I had at Hashi’s grandma’s. That kinda makes me emotional. Hashida: Emotional? You’re exaggerating. Sudou: Nah, I mean it. Remember how Hashi’s family often feeds my younger brothers and I, since our pop’s always busy with work? So to me chikuzenni at Hashi’s place is what I consider a mom’s home cooking. Hashida: Oh, right. The only family I have is my grandma, after all. I suppose this meal is a mom’s home cooking. I’ve never thought of it that way. Sudou: You better appreciate her more. Hashida: I do! I mean, I don’t feel lacking despite the absence of parents. I’ve never felt lonely just because grandma’s the only family that I have. Hey, now! Don’t make me say something embarrassing! Sudou: Ah, I see. Hmm. I somehow get it. Hashida: Well, in other words, we should be thankful for the love from people around us. Sudou: Whoa. The way you worded it just screams old person. Hashida: Huh? Really? That was unintentional. But right, recently I do feel like I am an old man. Sudou: Hehe. Just kidding. If anything, you no longer seem immature. It’s crazy if you still act the same when you’re a brat. Hashida: I hope you’re right.

13:53 Sudou: Actually, having chikuzenni while talking about the past with you makes me feel like I just time slipped to when we’re kids. Hashida: Hehe! You’re right. We really played hard back then. It’s impressive how we didn’t get sick of it, even though we lived in the countryside. Sudou: Yeah. Oh, I’m recalling things. You’re quite popular among the girls since you’re casually nice to them. Hashida: Really? I think that’s normal. Sudou: How is that normal? Plenty of girls asked me to pass love letters to you. It was so annoying. Hashida: Ahh, that happened, eh? Heck, don’t be annoyed over something petty! Sudou: Nah, it was so annoying. You said you wanted to focus on the club and stuff. Turning them down half-assed. You’re making it awkward even for me too! How annoying. Hashida: You..! In that case, I’ve got something to say too! Did you forget how I had to let you sit on the back seat of my bicycle simply ‘cus you can’t ride it yourself? You can’t do that until 8th grade! There should be a limit to how unathletic one could be! Sudou: Not 8th. 7th grade! Hashida: Nah, you were in 8th grade! It’d be a problem if you still cannot cycle ‘cus we’re gonna commute to a further place in high school so I accompanied you to practice. Remember? Sudou: That was the 7th grade. Definitely not the 8th. Hashida: It’s not important! Sudou: It is. This involves my good name. Hashida: Heh. As always, you’re so oddly stubborn. Whatever. Uh, ah! Hey, Akira! You’re spilling so much! Gosh. Use this to wipe. You never grow out of it. Sudou: Oh, sorry. Hashida: I guess you can’t help when you stop focusing. But why can’t you control your mouth? You’re old enough, it’s about time you fix that habit. Sudou: Uh, you’re right. Hashida: Oh, almost out of beer. Should I bring more? Sudou: Hashi, I think you’re more like a ma than a pops…

Thanks for reading!!!!! I had this in draft since march lol :’) I translated this just because?? As a practice? Out of whim? lol anyways. This franchise is seriously underrated so pleaseee check it out. I doubt anyone translates this anyway so I did it. I hope this post let seiyuu fans who weren’t aware discover something new. So far, I’ve no plan to continue translating… (there’s four seasons. It’s hella long and I don’t think I can do this voluntarily) but commission is always welcomed!! ❤

[russetfoxfur]

so i dont usually do liveblogs because i never show up to streams and also im not very good at reacting to stuff. However. i will make an exception because HGCZ IS OUT!! and i have seen so much hype about it that id be a fool to not at least read it. livereact will be under the cut for spoilers and. stuff.

- ok we arent even on the actual ZINE and the opening dedication?? "Of the arts, storytelling is one of the oldest: humanity weaves an endless tapestry of heart, hope, and home that continues to shape us all to this day. To tell a story is to bridge the gap between yesterday and tomorrow; to tell a story is to inextricably connect us all." THAT OPENING PARAGRAPH DUDE

- interesting premise. im intrigued. though i am a little concerned about the "classist violence" and "body modification" warnings. I suspect this is not all Fun and Games

- "I gotta say, "Hot"Guy, this is pretty disappointing. You can be AverageGuy. MediocreGuy." "Oh! "Guy"!" the best part is this is so in-character for them to do

- the ENTIRE EXPLANATION bit omg. joel trying to interject and comic-style getting talked over, lizzie robbing cats instead of cash... and her backstory...

- i. that sudden style shift is not in fact comical and i am now eyeing the unreality warning at the beginning of the zine with sudden alarm. should i be alarmed by this? maybe this is fine. lets say its fine

- JELLIE! hcing her supername is HotCat. she DEFINITELY needs a matching HotGuy costume. and i am somewhat more reassured!

- wait hold on. went back to that first hotguy comic to see the warnings (hidden in the title, missed them) and. WAIT WAS THAT REWRITING FUCKIN MIND CONTROL

- UNREALITY MINDCONTROL SCOPOPHOBIA AND INJURY??? WAIT HOLD ON IM REREADING THIS

- wait. WAIT THAT PANEL. THAT ONE WHERE JOEL SEES HOTGUY REWROTE THE ANIMAL CONTROL VAN TO BE A MONEY VAN. WAIT A FUCKING SECOND WE ARENT EVEN TEN PAGES INTO THE ZINE AND HOLY SHIT

- joels the only one who can SEE HES DOING THIS SO HOTGUY WRITES HIM OUT. JESUS FUCKIN CHRIST. HOTGUY??? UFHODQPHFWJPFAP AND THEN HE "GOES BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD" AND FUCKIN REWRITES REALITY TO MAKE HIMSELF SEEM COOLER. BUT REWRITTEN HOTGUY HAS THE SAME PLASTIC EXPRESSION. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS IS ONLY ONE COMIC I THINK YOURE LYING ABOUT HIS SUPERPOWER MUTATION WHATEVER

- ALRIGHT SWIFTLY ON. WE WILL EYE HOTGUY WITH CONCERN BUT MOVE ON NONETHELESS

- :0 cuteguy appears! doody did rlly good work on this one!

- CUTEGUY IS AWESOME!!! those WINGS... agh i love comic bubbles they just have so much personality and those icy words... and cuteguy pointing HOTGUYS OWN ARROW back at him..... you could not have made a better introduction holy shit

- and then he just flies off. awesome. we should all aspire to be the same level of cool as cuteguy.

- ren would be able to just say hotguy like that. also sidenote i am hearing all these lines in my head as im reading so writers youve all done fantastically!

- UNIONIZE! UNIONIZE! UNIONIZE!

- is pearl... a journalist? or is this the wrong gal? if she is a journalist then good for her!

- oh :( everyone hates unionizing the vigelantes. sad but realistic :(

- MUMBLR?? DID MUMBO K JUMBO BECOME THE OWNER OF TUMBLR IN THIS AU? DID HE KILL MATT PHOTOSPACE WHOEVER THE CEO OF TUMBLR IS? DID THEY FISTFIGHT TO THE DEATH? THAT HAPPENED RIGHT. THATS THE ONLY THING ILL ACCEPT AS CANON. IN THIS AU MUMBLR IS TRANS-FRIENDLY! 🎉

- sweetferaline (bahm bahm bahhh)

- ok this is incredibly funny. teeth dog ftw

- CHATTER AND M JESUS CHRIST THIS IS NOW THE BEST SEGMENT IN THE ENTIRE ZINE. AMAZING COMEBACK THIS IS SO REALISTIC

- and the reply sections are always a cesspool! glad they got that right

- PIXLRIFFS RUNNING A BLOG ON TUMBLR TO EXPLAIN HERMITOPIA. THIS IS SO IN CHARACTER

- THE MAPLE PRINCE. THE MAPLE PRINCE

- THIS ENTIRE MUMBLR DASH WAS PURE COMEDY GOLD. FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS & HATS OFF TO THE WRITER

- ARIANA GRIANDE!!!! WOOOOO <3 <3 WE LOVE YOU GRIANDE!!!!!

- and now permit office grian! we are going through so many different iterations of grian... imagine we get poultry man next

- is that GEM??? IS GEM A VILLAIN? also i dont really know who the hippies are... idk its just hard for me to recognize this artstyle ig

- WAIT. HAS GEM BEEN SPYING ON GRIAN'S DETECTIVITY? or am i just reading this all wrong? i might be reading this all wrong

- alright i might have to reread that one-- WAIT MORE MIND CONTROL. AND BODY MODIFICATION??? THE MISSING CUB... guys if this is sculk!cub im gonna maul someone

- AAAA BEHIND YOU HOTGUY (i called it)

- also love how i instantly went "oh a tibbycaps comic!"

- ok i LOVE this panel where they figure out Arson. the way both conclusions are reached in tandem! and also YAY WOOO ARSON THIS BITCH UP 🔥

- OH MY GOD THIS IS HILARIOUS I LOVE HOW THE abrupt cut to disaster WAS DONE IN COMIC FORM

- THAT MERCH DESIGN IN THE NOTES APP ABSOLUTELY FUCKING SENT ME DUDE

- "i use sculk to season my pizza" ah. I see. typical cubfan behavior. carry on

- "None of us are perfect, despite what you say might feel when you look at me" this Bdubs email is SO IN-CHARACTER

- " i replied to some of these but then i kinda got bored and started sending links to cool space facts instead" honestly this is what i would do too. and i would be happy to get cool space facts in return for my hotguy email. i dont see what the issue is here

- oh is cuteguy taking issues with the supernovae. skill issue tbh

- this whole cuteguy-cub email chain is HILARIOUS. scratch that this whole email segment is hilarious jesus christ. grian is being SO BITCHY and im HERE FOR IT

- PEARLIPOP IS A REPORTER! YES! and zedaphs in this au! he isnt even going under wormman??? shocking (< says a zedaph fangirl who is completely fixated on one passing mention of him)

- oh my god this is the best storytelling format ever. the panicked exchanges between cuteguy n cub, pearl reporting as she is wont to do... genuinely i love this so much i am giggling so much im actually gonna stop liveblogging because i just want to read this. ill be with yall in a moment

- actually never mind "if he waits too long to answer it starts to play the whole Lilo and Stitch movie audio" cub i love you so much. hgcz i love you so much i almost forgive you for that very jarring first comic

- it looks like we have seven or so more years before hotguy becomes a reality... new reasons to live. also the chatter discourse is insane from what ive seen doc does just act Like That on twit/chatter

- "sumagram" well i guess we know who owns that now

- :000 HOTCAT APPEARS!!!!! WE LOVE YOU HOTCAT <3333333 EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR OUR BELOVED HOTCAT!!!

- THE AWKWARD EXIT. i love it

- I SEE THAT BIG SALMON DONT THINK I DONT

- SHIRTLESS SCAR.... im aroace but like. i can still admire a shirtless man cant i. artist did a good job

- NO YOU DID NOT PUT A LILACS AND POPPIES REFERENCE IN THIS COMIC I AM GNAWING THE ARTIST OF THIS COMIC WITH MY TEETH YOU ARE MAKING ME INSANE DEAR GOD THEY TEAMED UP BUT HOW IS THIS GOING TO END AAAAAA HOTGUY DONT DIE IN THE CACTUS RING PLEASE BUDDY

- CREEPER AW MAN

- horsegirl hotguy... wild stallion cuteguy... someone needs to write this au. i should write this au. actually hold on *scribbles furiously in my "crackfic ideas" notes* carry on

- update: now listening to scheming weasel for atmosphere.

- “Who’s the more foolish: the fool, or the fools who follow him?” stellar line. only a certified HotGuy can produce lines like these

- "after a tick or two" if hermitopians measure time in ticks like minecrafters do then thats such a cool worldbuilding detail

- FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO BURN DOC AND HIS LACKEYS ALIVE. THANK GODS THEY DIDNT

- testing of new weapons montage! i know hotguy is the star of the show here but god i love cub so much more. can cub be the "protagonist" here instead actually

- i. i have suspicions that cub is not sculk-free. or is this a flutterbat situation where it is all dealt with but its not but actually it is but it also kinda isnt? yknow. im gonna write this off as a flutterbat thing but i will still be keeping a very close eye on cub

- *snort* deep enough to hold twelve pieces of bamboo (i am such a sucker for in-jokes)

- grian is warming up to scar... also hotguy bandaids

- AND I GET THAT REFERENCE TOO!! very clever! grian shut up its two in the morning! "Scar doesn’t seem to know how to react, his mouth falling open and then promptly shutting again." same grian why would you bring up the nose hair incident and to an unsuspecting hotguy no less smh learn sone manners

- you know what if grian can learn first aid from the nose hair incident in alaska then scar can get injured in a volleyball incident (i have never watched scar which yes is a skill issue but also if this is also a reference i would not get it). beloved desertduo who cannot lie to save their fuckin lives

- THAT ENDING COMIC IS HILARIOUS. SUCH A SCAR THING TO DO

- alright im gonna take a break from liveblogging rn! i will be back in (my) morning with scheming weasel and a renewed spirit. goodnight yall! <3

[marriiemeii]

02. daily life at work

summary: just a typical day at work. not.

previous || next

"soojin," a voice calls out. people close by look over surprised that the mai park was calling out to someone.

"mai mai!" soojin exclaims, heading over to the other lady. there was a little hop in her step. when she reached mai, she gave her a quick hug.

"do u wanna go out for dinner?" mai asks the younger girl. soojin nods her head excitedly.

"of course! any opportunity to hangout is welcome to me," soojin smiles. mai nods and pats soojin's head before wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

"c'mon, there's people i gotta introduce you to," mai grumbles, guiding soojin somewhere else.

text chat: soonie + wonu

soonie: wonuuu

soonie: i know it's ur lunch rn

soonie: plsss i have a question

wonu: did u break your laptop again

soonie: NO, i havent done that since last time

wonu: good what do u want

soonie: does mai know the new intern?

there's a rumor saying those 2 are secretly dating

wonu: why are u listening to rumors anyways

soonie: cmooon i need some excitement in my work life

wonu: or are u making sure u dont lose ur bet

soonie: :0

wonu: everyone already knows the bet came from marketing

again

soonie: well if u already know just tell me plsss i need the advantage

wonu: they're college friends that's all im saying

soonie: thanks wonu! ily mwah😘😘

email:

to: carat publishing house staff

from: human resources department

subject: short updates meeting (optional)

body: good afternoon leads and staff,

we will be holding a short updates meeting today at 4:30PM. because the meeting is being held under short notice, the meeting will be optional.

we hope to see you there!

sincerely,

your human resources department

- with the editorial department

"hansol, you can go to the meeting," hansol's lead, jihoon, says without looking up from his work. the small office room that held 5 employees was quiet with jihoon's voice breaking the silence.

hansol looks up from his work to stare at his lead worker. "just me?"

"yeah, take notes and let me know what happens so i can tell the rest of the team."

"ah ok," hansol nods his head, pouting a bit. he had certain things he wanted to finish today at work but he would have to make some time tomorrow then depending on the meeting.

he could hear other staff mumbling that they wanted to go to the meeting. jihoon probably knew this so he only chose one person to go so the small department doesn't end up gwtting behind on work.

hansol sighed softly to himself. time to do extra work before the meeting so he doesn't have to play catch up tomorrow.

- with the financing department

"mingyu, do we have to go to the meeting?" chan asks his lead. mingyu looks up from the spreadsheets he was proofreading.

"what meeting?" he asks cluelessly, going back to reading.

"it was just sent by hr, mingyu," minghao says, his head poking out from behind his large monitor.

"oh! yeah we all have to go," he says. he looks over at soojin. "you too, soojin."

"eh really? but it's my first day. should i be there?" soojin asks surprised. he nods his head.

"of course, we gotta show off our new member y'know?" mingyu smiles.

"will we be behind if we all go though?" minghao asks. mingyu goes quiet. thinking about it.

"it's fine! we got a new addition to help us anyways!" mingyu says. chan and minghao shake their head at their lead and soojin just smiles awkwardly feeling a bit bad.

chan notices this and walks over to her. he pats her shoulder.

"welcome to the team, soojin. hope you can get used to mingyu's spontaneity."

"thanks, i hope so too."

"hey, don't brainwash her, chan. i see that look in your eyes too minghao!"

- with the marketing department

"i volunteer to go to the meeting for everyone!" soonyoung stands from his desk with his hand raised. everyone looks over at him from his sudden outburst.

it was silent at first, until everyone started talking at once.

"no, i should go because all you're gonna do is stare at mai all day," seokmin retorts.

"well all you're gonna do is stare at yeri all day," seungkwan says. seokmin stares at seungkwan with a look of betrayal as soonyoung and hayoon laugh.

"why can't we all just go?" seungcheol raises his hand. the lead of marketing looks over at seungcheol. "it's not going to be that long right?"

the lead nods hers head. "that's fine you can all go if you want, but soonyoung and seokmin you have to take notes. gotta make sure you're not just staring at mai and yeri."

soonyoung and seokmin look at their lead is exasperation. "i don't even like her!"

- with the it department

"are we going to the meeting?" junhui asks, his head against his arm that was on the table. he was looking at mai, who was typing on her laptop.

wonwoo stops typing and looks at mai, wondering what her response would be.

"do you want to go?" mai asks, continuing to work.

"hmm kind of. just curious about it. i finished my work for the day too," junhui says.

"i'd rather just hear about the meeting from an email or something," wonwoo says.

"junhui, we can go. wonwoo you can stay if you want," mai says. both of the boys smile, content with their lead's decision.

previous || next

[j2spntranscripts]

★ 2007 Chicon (Gold/Breakfast)

Official name: Creation Entertainment's SALUTE TO SUPERNATURAL, SMALLVILLE AND BUFFY/ANGEL (Breakfast and Charity Silent Auction) Location: Hyatt Regency Woodfield, Chicago, Illinois Time: Sunday November 11, 2007, 7:00 am (GMT-6) Panelists: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles Last episode: 3x06 "Red Sky at Morning" Nov 8, 2007 Next episode: 3x07 "Fresh Blood" - Nov 15, 2007

Question Index: 1+Eyelash story 2+Towel/Sweat Shenanigans 3+ Sandy; 3x05 crossroads demon scene 4+ Writer's Strike; Creative Control 5+ Jared on Sterling K. Brown; 3x07 fight scene 6+ “Supernatural~ Charlie the Unicorn” 7+ Painted Muscles; Hug 1- Evil Sammy Laugh; 2x14 Tied-up Meg!Sam scene; Gore-Tex 8+ 3x08; Jensen on Ben Edlund 9+ Sam and Dean’s Hair 2- What did you do this weekend?

(video playlist/links and transcript below the cut)

(*if you notice any mistakes in the video transcripts or found more video coverage of the con please point them out thanks*👍) (*tumblr doesn't like dailymotion vids so I can only hyperlink them*)

*Purple text: corrections/suggestions from @detailtilted

[Click Here]- jaredjensenbfast by _sin_attract

◘Chicago November 2007 - J2 Breakfast - Enhanced Edition Con Video - V2.0 by DetailTilted◘ ◘Jared and Jensen Coming in to Breakfast in Chicago by Runedgirl◘

0:00

Jared and Jensen walk through the door and then up on to the platform making the stage. The audience is cheering, screaming, and continuously flashing photos. Jensen is holding a coffee cup. Jared steps up to and grabs the mic.

Jared: Does this thing work? (to the audience) What are you guys doing awake right now?

The audience laughs and gives garbled reply and then cheers. Jared reaches over to Jensen’s mic and pushes it down on the stand. The audience laughs. Jensen nods.

Jared: I gotta fix this for him.

Jensen tightens the adjustment collar on the mic stand. Jared reaches over to Jensen’s mic again and pushes it down farther but it pops off of the mic mount. Jared then puts it back on and leaves the mic turned slightly down and away from Jensen. Jared looks at Jensen smiling, who smiles back. Jared then goes to adjust his mic stand smirking to himself. The audience cackles.

(0:21 DT, 0:23 R) -introduction

Jared: (to the audience) Good morning!

Audience: Good morning!

Jared: Thanks for coming out! (looks down at mic stand) Look at this. (adjusts his mic up and down)

Jensen: I’m still waking up you’ll have to excuse me.

Jared: (playing with the mic stand) Yeah. Or he’s trying desperately to. Y’all can clap for him too. I know that y’all- that was all cheering for me.

The audience screams and claps. Jensen holds his hands out and open with a smirk. Jared nods his head while still fiddling with his mic stand.

Jared: He gets sad if he doesn’t.. if he doesn’t get some too. So. (audience giggles) Wow.

Jensen: Well we-we appreciate you guys getting up so early to do this for us. (Jared: Of course) We, uh-

Audience member A: Are we-

Audience member B: We’re (?eating?) that day.

Audience member C: We didn’t go to bed.

Jared briefly lifts his hands up and smiles.

Jensen: (nods) Alright, so we’re all on the same page. (audience cheers) Uh, you know, we got to fly back up to Vancouver today and, uh, (Jared: Right) and start working tomorrow. So, uh, you know, that was not a whole lot of time. So, we had to (gestures) cram it all in today. So, anyway.. thanks for getting up and, uh, let’s have fun today, huh? (audience cheers and claps)

Jared: (leans down and claps) And did y’all see Sam and Fred? Did y’al-

Audience: Yeah! (cheers and claps)

Jared: (hold his hands out) They rock, huh? They’re really cool. Now you know why we guys have so much fun (adjust mic mount) when were on set because everybody.. is.. laid back.

Jared turns back to look at Jensen who’s staring back at him. Jared says something off mic (?“lug hack”?). The audience giggles. Jensen pumps his eyebrows at Jared smirking. Jared nods and then Jensen turns and walks behind Jared to place his coffee cup on the hotel’s podium.

Jared: (turns back to the audience and gestures towards Jensen) He’s really laid back. (gestures towards Jensen again) He’s actually going back to.. go to sleep. (audience laughs)

Jensen: I know, just give me a pillow (?and a stool and I’m like-? or ?to snuggle up with?) (Jared: Yeah) (mimics sleeping and then adjusts his mic stand).

Jared: Yeah. We actually had trouble sleeping also. We’re still on Vancouver time. And gone from night shooting in Vancouver world to-

Jensen: (about the mic stand) I’m not that short. (audience laughs)

Jared: I know.

Jensen unscrews the adjustment collar, separates the rods, and carries the top part of his mic stand one-handed. The audience laughs, cheers, and claps. Jared goes to say something but then laughs.

Jensen: I’m like Montgomery Gentry now.

Jared: Yeah. (?Too zoot? or ?Kazoo?) (pats his coat) I kind of feel like taking this off.

Jensen: (?That’s the way? or ?That's allowed?)

Audience member: Take it off!

Jared starts to take off his coat and the crowd screams. Jensen slumps his head back. Jared stops, holds his hands out and backs away from the mic and then goes back, waving his hand.

Jared: It’s not that exciting. (audience laughs)

Jensen: Saw that one coming.

Jared turns to his side and flashes his clothed shoulder to the crowd. The audience catcalls. Jared then fully takes off his coat and places it behind the podium.

Jensen: I want to know what I have to do to get that (points up to the one of the posters hanging) in my bedroom. (audience laughs and screams)

Jared: (to Jensen) That’s actually where they got it from, actually.

The audience laughs. Jensen snaps his fingers and then briefly looks away.

◘Jared and Jensen at Breakfast in Chicago (2) by LauraTX1◘

Jared: I know, I gave them the one of you (points to Jensen’s poster) other there, so. That was usually on my roof.

Jensen: I don’t look very happy over there.

Audience member: Sam’s behind you! Look behind you!

Jared: Which one? (points to his right) Oh, yeah.

Audience member: So hot.

Jared: Sam… I like it.

Jensen steps away from the mic and goes behind Jared to take off his coat and toss it behind the podium. The audience cheers. Jared nods, shrugs, and then puts his hands on his hips.

Jared: (looks at Jensen) You always upstage me, man. (audience and Jensen laugh) Like, I thought I was the only one. (shrugs) Fine.

Jared begins unbuttoning the top half of his striped shirt and then pulls the opening to show more of the t-shirt underneath. The audience screams. Jensen briefly looks and then rolls his eyes elsewhere.

Jared: (laughs and shakes head) Just kidding. Yeah me too. (to the audience) I want to tell y’all guys a funny story that I haven't told- (abruptly raises hand) Hi! (widens eyes and points towards the audience) Oh is that money? Oh well..

Jared backs away from the mic and starts playing with his belt. The audience screams and claps. Jensen nods at Jared. Then Jared laughs and leans on the mic.

Jensen: (to audience) We take traveler's check and visa.

Jared: There’s a writer’s strike going. (audience laughs) We’re hoping so- I mean if you got a five- (gestures at audience member and squints) Jeeze- Dean’s welcoming party to hell. Hey (pats Jensen’s arm and points at the audience)

Jensen: (to Jared) Did you bring your, uh, credit card machine, so you can just slide (gesture) the- the Visa Mastercard.

Jared: (buttons his striped shirt back up) I- I did actually. I brought it with me.

Jensen: Yeah. (points to the audience) It says “Dean’s welcoming party” (nods and raises hands)

•(2:56 DT, 2:58 R, 0:47 L) Chicon07Gold;1+ Eyelash story

Jared: I want to tell y’all a funny story about Jensen to really embarrass him. True story. We, uh, we were at this restaurant-

Jensen: (holds up hands in a pinch gesture to the audience) Not yet.

Jared: (puts a hand on Jensen’s shoulder) Has anybody been to Vancouver? ‘Cause-

Audience: Yeah! (cheers)

Jared: It’s a great city, right? There’s a restaurant called VIJ’s that’s, um, that’s, uh, this great chef and this, uh, great Indian food. And we were sitting there and, um, you know, into-

◘Jared and Jensen at Breakfast in Chicago (1) by runedgirl◘

Jensen: (shakes head) I don’t know why you’re telling this story. (audience laughs)

Jared: (throws hands up) I have to. I have to. Like, Jensen he’s a, you know, he- he plays sports. He works out. (audience woo) He’s.. got a girlfriend. He’s.. kind of a manly (gestures) kind of guy. You know, (gestures to Jensen) he doesn’t look it, (audience laughs and Jensen crosses his arms) but- he’s sort of into like football and stuff.

◘Supernatural Chicago Convention: The Eyelash Story by Jessica◘

Jared: And we’re sitting there and waiting to get seated. And we’re sort of like, uh, we’re having a drink and, um, having some appetizers and stuff. And, then Jensen kind of gets this funny look on his face. And he goes, “Wait, stay still”

◘Jensen and Jared at Creation Con 2007 in Chicago by JihaanK◘

Jared reaches over to Jensen and pretends to pick an eyelash off of his cheek. The audience laughs.

Jared: And then (laughs) about half way into the reaching for my face (slowly reaches out to Jensen) he’s realizes that he’s like reaching to grab my face. (audience laughs. Jensen smiles and briefly turns away) And you see his face change from like, (mimics Jensen to the audience) “Oh, I got to get that” to “What am I doing?” (audience laughs) But it’s too late. I think it would have been worse if he was like this- (reaches towards Jensen and then retreats) So-

Jensen: (shakes head and gestures) I was already in there. Already- (gestures) It’s a public restaurant. See we’re so used to- to- (gestures to Jared and him)

Jared: Yeah. And I’m going, “Jensen, why are you grabbing my face?”

Jensen: Like, looking out for each other on set-

Jared: “We’re not on set right now.”

Jensen: In a controlled environment.

Jared: (nods) Yeah.

Jensen: (shakes head and then gestures to his head) And I forget these things.

Jared: Yeah. Yeah.

Jensen: (shrugs) I’ll work on it.

Jared: Well, unfortunately for me he forgot it in front of, uh… you know, twenty people that were (?)-

Jensen: It was like, “Quick!” (mimics drinking beer) “Chug your beer. Chug your beer.” (audience laughs)

Jared: It was like, (signals to an imaginary waiter) “Uh, can we get more shots.. sir?” (laughs)

Jensen: (to audience) Well, how’s everybody doing?

Jared: Good morning, Jensen.

Jensen: (audience cheers) Yeah? Did you guys- did you guys, uh, see Steve last night play? (audience says yeah and cheers) (nods) It’s pretty good. We were hiding in the back. (audience gives a yeah)

◘jaredjensenbfast by sin attract◘

Jared: (?We even got to see him?) (claps his hands)

Audience member: We wanted you to sing.

Jensen: Yeah. Ye- Mmm.

Jared: I wanted him to sing too. (audience cheers) (thumbs to Jensen) He’s got a nice voice.

Jensen: He’s- (shakes head) you know he’s-he’s- he’s good. I didn’t want to come up and ruin his sets, so, uh, (audience aw’s) (Jared: Yeah.) He’s, uh, I- He and I’ve- ‘ve, uh, have, you know, plucked a guitar plenty of times together and then hung out and sang. So, it’s a (shrugs and shakes head) s’old hat.

Jared: I’ve sat through it. It’s exciting. Sandy and I were trying to rush him up there. And, trying to get you up there to go sing. (audience aw’s) (Jensen throws his hand up) He punched me under the table.

Jensen: I did. (audience laughs) (nods) I did.

Jared: I think he was trying to punch Sandy, but-

Jensen: I was trying to suckerpunch, but-

Jared: He ended up hitting me.

Jensen: She hit me back I think.

Jared: Wait what?

Jensen: (nods) Yeah. (laughs)

Jared: Woah, woah. (laughs) I just kidding. (audience giggles)

Jensen: (to audience) Umm, alright see you later. (feints leaving) (audience and Jared laugh)

Jared: He’s gone and he leaves me just like that. (Jensen returns to the mic) Anybody have anything fun? (claps) What? (audience cheers) I can’t believe there’s so many people here. I thought it was gonna be just people that (?don’t sleep?)-

Audience member: (?no?)

Jared: (?That’s right?)

Jensen: Now- now I wanna know, who- who came the furthest.. to be here?

Audience members: Australia!

Jensen: Australia?

Jared: (points) Pittsburgh?! (nods) Okay.

Jensen: (laughs) It’s outside of Chicago!

Jared: Anybody from Chicago? Anybody local? (audience yeah’s) So we probably shouldn’t (gestures) talk about Cowboys or, uh, anything (grimaces, cowers, and then uncurls) Yeah? Texas? Where in Texas?

Audience member: Dallas!

Jensen: Dallas!

Jared: (points) San Antonio? (gives a thumbs up and points) (Jensen gives audience finger guns) Go Spurs. Go Spurs. I’m sad about the Celtics doing their-

Audience members: Go Celtics! Go Celtics!

Jared: (turns) Yeah, I know. I know. I know.

Jensen: They’re looking good. (?Maybe they got the spirit?)

Jared: Well, um, another guy who’s on our network that you probably know really well, Tom Welling, who plays Superman on “Smallville,” (a few audience catcalls) he’s a big-

Jensen: Who? (audience laughs)

Jared: he’s a big Celtics fan. So, we have to hear it from him. So. Last thing I want to do- (points at audience) Are you too? Are you Celtics also?

Audience member: No, I came from Baghdad.

Jared: Oh, I- that’s right. (audience laughs) They have basketball. (laughs)

Jensen: That’s right. Yes. (points) Yeah, we might have a winner for the-for the (Jared: that’s right) distance there.

Jared: Yeah. I think that’s probably the farthest. (some no’s from the audience) I’m- I’m at a loss. I don’t- (audience laughs)

Jensen: I’m still asleep.

Jared: Yeah. It’s still (looks at watch) what? Five o’clock?

Jensen: (looks at watch) Well, it’s- It is, uh,- No, it’s- Yeah, it’d be 5- (Jared: for us?) Yeah, not even six o’clock for us because we’re pacific coast time. (audience aw’s)

•(6:51 DT, 2:16 SA) Chicon07Gold;2+ Towel/Sweat Shenanigans

Jared: (fans shirt) I’m nervous. I’m so excited y’all.

Jensen: You’re sweating.

Jared: I am. (audience catcalls) I’m a sweater.

Jensen: (to creation staff) Can we get a towel over here?

Jared: It’s coming off. It’s coming off. (mimics taking off his striped shirt) (audience laughs) I’mma- I’mma- I’mma sweater person. That's- that's what I do on set. (Jensen rubs his forehead) I eat. I sweat. (audience laughs)

Jared wipes his forehead and goes to grab Jensen’s arm. He then proceeds to wipe his face all over Jensen’s shoulder. The audience laughs. Jensen smiles while wiping his forehead one more time, and then moves to pick up a towel from a creation staff member. He then throws the towel at Jared and it hits his mic. The audience is laughing. Jared fumbles it and is passed the towel from a person off stage.

Jared: (off mic) Thank you.

Jensen: This is so not how I envisioned this going. (audience laughs)

Jared wipes his face off with the towel. And then stops to lean in on the mic.

Jared: (to Jensen) It’s actually exactly how I envisioned it going. (audience laughs)

Jensen: That doesn’t surprise me.

Jared: I thought we were very clear to each other that I was gonna- (wipes face with towel)

Jensen: Yes.

Audience member: You’re still taking care of him. (audience laughs and then aw’s)

Jared: (nods) Yeah. I know. (Jensen: That’s right.) Wait, I’ve been saving him some, this season (audience laughs, claps, and cheers)

Jared throws the towel and makes like he’s walking away. Then he turns and pumps his fist.

Jared: (off mic) That’s right. That’s right. (picks the towel back up) (on mic) (?I saved your-what??)

•(7:44 DT, 3:08 SA) Chicon07Gold;3+ Sandy, 3x05 crossroads demon scene

Audience member: He killed Sandy!

Jensen: (to audience) What’s that?

Audience member: He killed Sandy for yah.

Jensen: Yeah.

Jared: (points) That’s right. That’s right. (nods to Jensen) (audience member: No wonder she-) That was.. not as tough as it should have been, but uh.. (audience and Jensen laughs) Oh. (crosses his arms and grimaces) She probably heard that. (audience laughs) Just kidding.

Jensen: If she didn’t, I’ll tell her.

Jared: I know you will. Thank you. (Jensen laughs) I appreciate it. I-

Jensen: That was- that was a- that was a really good scene too. But, I wasn’t there. I had the day off (nods towards Jared) and, uh, when Sandy came. So, I didn’t get to-to harass them on set while they were working together. (Jared: Yeah) But, uh-

◘Jared and Jensen at Breakfast in Chicago (3) by LauraTX1◘

Jared: Too bad for us. (hook gestures) (?just fuck ourselves?)

Jensen: She did a really good job.

Jared: I know. (claps)

Jensen: I was really proud of her. (audience claps and cheers) And then, you- you blew her head off. (audience laughs. Jared grimaces)

Jared: Hey, man-

Jensen: (opens his arms to the audience) Gotta love Supernatural.

•(8:36 DT, 3:55 SA, 0:20 L) Chicon07Gold;4+ Writer’s Strike; Creative Control

Jared: I only do what the writers telling me to. Well, not anymore now that the writers are on strike. We sort of can change lines. Because they can’t go, “Uh, we got to call down and check with the writers,” because the writers can’t say “yes” or “no.”

So, Jensen and I are like, “We don’t really like this. I think we’re just going to change.. that.” (audience laughs) “Like, what-“ (grimaces and in a stained voice) “Fine. Fine.” (audience laughs)

Jensen: (smiles and nods) And then I actually was talking to, uh, Kripke the other day on phone on his way to- to- to the picket lines. And I called him and I was like, (mimics talking on phone) “Hey, uh, Eric. Listen, I got a question about this, uh, this one line. I’m not sure if this is going to translate. I mean, trans- You know, it reads fine on the paper, but, uh, I don’t know that there really going to understand what I’m talking about. What if I changed it to this, or this, or this?”

And he’s like, “I can’t talk to you about this stuff, man.” (audience laughs) He’s like, “If you want to talk about direction about the character, but you probably got that figured out by now.” (audience and Jared laughs) And they really couldn’t. Y’mean, seriously (Jared: Yeah) his hands were tied.

And, I was like, “So, I could..” (Jared: Yeah) “pretty much do anything” (Jared: Yeah) “I want.” and you can’t do anything.” (audience laughs then cheers) (Jared: Yeah) “Game on, Pal.” (audience laughs and claps)

Jared: (thumbs to Jensen) I’m actually not going to call him Dean anymore. I’m going to call him- Anybody have any suggestions? (turns to his left) Jill!? (audience laughs) (nods) Jill. (points) She said it, man. I didn’t- I didn’t (holds up his hands and backs away from the mic)

Jensen: (gestures to himself and Jared) (Jared mimics pushing Jensen in front of his mic) Jill and Susan.. (audience laughs) from, uh.

Audience member: A boy named Sue.

Jared: (nods) Sue? (points) A boy named Sue. (J2 hold up their arms and look at each other) Yeah, I’ll take that. (nods) I’ll take that.

Jensen: Makes sense. (shakes head)

Jared: I love Johnny Cash. You get Jill. I’ll take Sue.

Jensen: Alright. Fine. (audience laughs)

Audience member: Sue!

Jared: (claps and then points to his right) We got Sue. We got an actual Sue over there. (nods and fist pumps)

Jensen: There we go.

Jared: (to audience member) I’m going to borrow your name for a little bit, if you don’t mind. You can do nothing about it. (to audience) We’re all hoping for a quick end of this (claps) writer’s strike, so that we can- (Jensen nods)

Audience: Yeah. (claps and cheers)

•(10:07 DT, 5:25 SA) Chicon07Gold;5+ Sterling K. Brown; 3x07 Fight scene

Jared: (?Go back out.?) I mean as of right now we still have- We’re doing episode eleven right now and we have episode twelve written. But, uh, we’re supposed to get thirteen done before the break. (turns and gestures to Jensen) Filming at least. I guess, episode 7 airs on Thursday?

Jensen and audience: Yeah.

Jared: With Sterling, who, uh, (audience cheers and claps) Who you all know and love. Yeah (claps) (?He’s great. He’s-?) We’ll have to- What is it?

Audience member: I said, “Did you kick his ass?” (audience giggles)

Jared: (tilts head with a smirk) You’ll have to see. (audience laughs) Let’s say- let’s say (flips hair) look at- look at this face and- (audience laughs) (points at his cheek) And this is a zit, it’s not a punch from, uh.. Sterling. I tried to get rid of it the other day.

Jensen: (?It was- Sterling told me it’s a?) real big fight sce- (nods to Jared) It’s one of the biggest fight scenes you’ve had.

Jared: It was. (nods) It was a- it was a big fight scene. And he’s a very strong- (nods) strong person. Like, I think he played high school football and stuff. And I’m used to- I mean, I’m not a small guy. So, usually people are making fun of me going, (sways back and forth) “Hey don’t throw me around.” And I’m sitting there and he’s like picking me up and pushing me. (backs up) “This isn’t fun.”

And then, uh, we were both all dirty, so he’s in the make up trailer and he like (mimes Sterling) takes his shirt off and starts washing up. (Jensen smiles) (makes sound effects) He’s got muscles everywhere. (audience laughs) I’m like, (makes a face) “Come on, Sterling.” (flexes his arm while sticking his butt out) But, uh, yeah he made me look good.

Jensen: So, then I walk in, Sterling's shirtless, (thumbs to Jared) (Jared: [nods] Yeah. Yeah.) (Jared walks away from the mic scratching his head) Jared's flexing in front of the mirror. (audience laughs) (shrugs and shakes head) (?I just stood around and watched?)

Jared: And we weren’t even filming. That was just Saturday. That was actually the day after. So. (nods) We didn’t know he was gonna-

Jensen: (?That’s our day off.?)

Jared: Yeah. We didn’t know he was gonna-

Jensen: So I grabbed the video camera. (audience ah’s and squeals)

Jared: (points and then points back) Roll footage!

Audience: Yeah.

Jensen: (laughs and nods) And roll footage.

Audience member: You’re putting it on YouTube, right?

Jensen: Yes.

•(11:47 DT, 7:06 SA) Chicon07Gold;6+ – “Supernatural~ Charlie the Unicorn”

Jared: Probably. (claps) Probably. I was actually- we were on set the other day, and I wanna- I was curious to see the season 1 gag reel. I hadn’t seen it in a while. And, um, and I came across- Did y’all ever see a video called Charlie the Unicorn? (audience screams. Jensen smiles.) (backs away a little and claps) There’s one called Supernatural, Charlie the Unicorn. (audience screams) (points at fan screaming) That I went to and I was cracking up, (thumbs to Jensen) and he and I had watched it a few times and been showing it to people. (Jensen nods)

Jared: And so, I ran in, I was like, “Dude, you’re not going to believe this.” (Jensen: ?It's hilarious?) And so I pushed the button on his computer. (Jensen looks up and laughs) And it sort of starts to download. And so, the song starts, but he gets distracted. I think, uh, Gabe, who’s one of our assistant directors, comes in and take him to set. So, I’m trying to pause it, and I’m trying to make it bigger. I don’t want him to see where it says “Supernatural~ Charlie the Unicorn,” because I didn’t want to ruin it. (throws a hand at Jensen) And finally I showed it to him. And, we’re having a real kick out of it. So.. There’s a par-

◘Jared and Jensen hug by InsipidRamblings◘

Jensen: This is just getting worse and worse. (audience laughs)

Jared: (nods to Jensen) Yeah. (to the audience) He was having a- (scratches head)

Jensen: I was Charlie the Unicorn. And we were flexing in the mirror. (Jared: Yeah) On a lovely Saturday afternoon. (audience squeals and laughs)

•(12:39 DT, 7:57 SA, 0:15 IR) Chicon07Gold;7+ Painted Muscles; Hug

Jared: Shirtless. (grimaces) (Jensen knocks his head on his mic. The audience cheers) (to Jensen) I need to have someone who will paint me up and then I’ll look good. (audience laughs)

Audience member A: I’ll do it!

Jared: (to A) Yeah? (points) (?what's there?) (mimics drawing) like sharpie markers (Audience member A: Yes.) or something? (mimics drawing more and then laughs)

Audience member B: Yeah!

Audience member A: I got one in my purse!

Jared: (to A) Do you really? (Audience member A: Yeah.) Is it silv- Is it blue or pink? (gestures to stomach)

Audience member A: It’s- No. It’s black.

Audience member C: We have silver!

Audience member D: We could get one for you!

Audience member C: I have pink!

Jared: (to A) Aw, that’s no fun. It’d be blue or pink.

Audience member A: I could get one for you!

Audience member E: I've got one in maroon if you want to come get- (giggles).

Jared: (to A) (nods) I gotta do pink.

Audience member D: Real men wear pink.

Audience member C: I got pink!

Jared: But- yeah, you know what? I wanna try and wear pink. I don’t know if I can.. pull that off.

Jensen: Sure you can. (audience squeals and laughs)

Audience member: Real men wear pink!

Jensen: Absolutely.

Jared looks down and smiles and then goes to hug Jensen. The audience aw’s. Jared looks at Jensen and then pulls away laughing. Jensen laughs.

◘Jared and Jensen at Breakfast in Chicago (4) by LauraTX1◘

Jensen: That’s not going to be on any websites tomorrow.

Jared: (thumbs to Jensen) Stone face. (hears Jensen and walks away laughing from the mic)

Audience member: Just don’t let him stand behind.

Jensen: Yes.

Jared: (returns) Yeah, that’s right. That’s right.

Jensen: None of that.

Audience members: Do it again! We missed it! Do it again!

Jensen: (shakes head) Ho-ho-oh

Jared slowly goes to hug Jensen again. And then pats Jensen’s chest.

Jared: (off mic) Dang!

Jensen: (shakes head) Don’t do that to him. He get’s all excited and sweaty.

Jared: (returns to mic) Don’t prompt me! Yeah.

Jensen: It’s not pretty.

Jared: (gestures to Jensen) I’m nervous being this close to him. (audience laughs)

• (13:39 DT, 9:04 SA, 0:31 L) Chicon07;Q1 - Evil Sammy Laugh; 2x14 Tied-up Meg!Sam scene; Gore-Tex

Audience member: Can you do your evil Sammy laugh?

Jared: Who- Which one?

Audience member: Your Evil Sammy laugh.

Jared: Which one was it? (audience laughs) I don’t remember. You know what’s funny, is that-

Audience member A: The one where you’re sitting in the chair.

Audience member B: Yeah, the one sitting-

Jared: I’d have to see it. I’d have to see it.

Audience member C: The cackle! The cackle! You throw your head back and cackle.

Jared: (Breathes and puts his hands on his hips, smiling.) Look (backs away from the mic) I’ll-I’ll- I’ll do it. I just can’t remember it.

Jensen: (squints) I have no idea what they’re talking about. (audience laughs)

Audience member: “Born Under A Bad Sign!”

Jensen: Oh! (holds his hands up) What?! (audience laughs)

Jared: It was just a bad head cackle? (audience: yeah) I gotta get tied up. (audience screams)

Jensen lifts up a hand and turns and walks away from the mic.

Jared: Anybody got any rope? You got to really be there and feel the character.

Jensen walks back up to the mic with a hand out and then shakes his head. Jared glances at him with a smile.

Audience members: Roleplay!

Jared: (to Jensen) get a rope.

Jensen: (?Ok, where's?) my rope. (starts patting his pockets and chest)

Jared: (?You didn’t-?) (starts patting his pockets and chest)

Jensen: I didn’t do it!

Audience member: I got my Cam cord! (Jensen points and then laughs.)

Jared: Yeah, that would work. Cam-Camera cords. That (?can?) hold me. (shrugs his shoulders)

Audience laughs. Jensen facepalms, rubs his face, and then looks at Jared.

Jensen: It’s like a snowball. (looks away) (audience laughs)

Jared: you know what’s funny is- (audience member says something) It is the m- yeah- That’s true, actually. We always have these- Whenever were doing the crazy water demon throwing we always get so wet doing over and over and over again that we have these Gore-Tex shirts on, which don’t let any water underneath, and like Gore-Tex pants, and shirts, and-

Jensen: Yeah, that’s a bunch of crap. (shakes head) (audience laughs)

Jared: We look like an absolute (?whore? or ?horror?) whenever you, uh, whenever you finally go to get changed, (rubs his body) like why do I have black latex, Gore-Tex stuff on. (audience laughs) And it doesn’t let any water in, which is great, but it also doesn’t let any water out. So if you’re naturally a sweater like somebody I know? (audience laughs. Jensen smiles) You’re sitting there going like, (flapping shirt and scrunching his face) “Are you sure this stuff works?” (audience and Jensen laughs)

Jensen: “I’m soaked.” (smiles at Jared)

Jared: “I’m kind of wet. Like, why? Why is it-” And you’re sitting there and you’re tied up. And you’re just trying to.. do the best you can do. (audience giggles) Um. (stares at Jensen) (audience laughs) It’s tough. (Jensen laughs) But the guy who directed that- the guy who directed that episode, uh, “Born Under a Bad Sign” he just did our Christmas episode. (audience cheers and claps) Which will be airing- Yeah. (claps) (Jensen nods) It’s going to be airing, um- airing-

•(15:44 DT, 11:02 SA) Chicon07;8+ 3x08; Jensen on Ben Edlund

Audience member: At Christmas? Yeah.

Jared: Yeah. At Christmas. (audience laughs) The last one before the break. Bring-

Jensen: (to Jared) Ben Edlund, right? Ben Edlund?

Jared: (to Jensen) Uh- uh (nods) yeah. I think Ben Edlund wrote it, but it was (throws hand) Miller Tobin who, uh-

Jensen: (to audience) (laughs) You guys, have you ever seen Ben Edlund?

Audience: Yes!

Jensen: (laughs) He’s so not what I expected.

Jared: He’s cool, huh. (audience and Jared laugh at Jensen’s response)

Jensen: I-I- I’ve met him at, uh- (shrugs) because he just really kind of joined us full time this season. I met him at, uh, Comic Con this year. (audience woo’s) (opens arms) And, uh- And I was just expecting, you know, a Kripke clone. (Jared: Right.) (audience giggles) This ub-buh-

Jared: Semi-neurotic.

Jensen: (starts doing a jig) This thirty year old, kind of, you know, fidgety, a little bit nerdy, (audience laughs) (Jared: -laughs- Yeah.) and just, you know, (smiles and then gestures to his head) a brainiac basically. (Jared: Right.) …Jim Morrison walks through the door. (Audience laughs. Jared nods.) And I go (leans head back with a confused expression and then shakes his head) I didn’t expect that. Black fingernails, (audience laughs) shades,-

Jared: “Hey man.”

Jensen: “What’s up, man?” (nods his head back and forth) (audience laughs) (points) “I dig your stuff.” (audience laughs. Jared nods) and I’m like, “I want whatever you have.” (audience and Jared laugh)

•(16:37 DT, 11:55 SA) Chicon07Gold;9+ Sam and Dean’s Hair

Jared: It’s called hair.

Jensen: (nods) Yes.

Jared: and you can’t-

Jensen: (shakes head) I don’t have much.

Jared: Actually, with the writers not writing short hair, you can grow your hair.

Jensen: This is true. And you can cut yours. Finally. (audience cheers mixed with no’s)

Jared: You know what? I’d like that. I’ve had- (points to head) I’ve had this hair since Gilmore Girls. (audience woo’s) I’ve-I’ve been- I have no idea what the shape of my head is. (Jensen and audience laugh) Right now it’s just curiosity. (Jensen: Giant) I don’t know somethin’s growing in there. (Jensen holds his hands out to measure something big) I mean, it’s b- (laughs) (audience and Jensen laugh) Well, I mean, I just- I’m curious, do I have a mole?

Jensen: Well, I r- Like, I remember when, uh- when we first started, you know, we’re in talking and Kripke was like, “Oh no, I- come on. I like- I want Jensen’s hair short and leave Jared’s hair long. And then I don’t want to change it. You know, I-I don’t want to pull a ‘Felicity!’” (audience laughs)

◘Jensen and Jared by InsipidRamblings◘

Jared: (nods) That’s right.

Jensen: I didn’t know what he was talking about. Now I know. (audience laughs)

Jared: Yeah. (nods) Yeah. But at least (?if I have a myspace page?) in his head.

Jensen: So, we’re a bit stuck to these for a while until, uh- you know, until we get the okay.

Jared: If-if y’all guys bring us back, then we’re stuck in these for a while. (audience cheers and claps. Jensen nods.) I guess I won’t have to shave my head for another.. year or so? (some audience no’s) Couple of years? (audience starts yelling out responses) Alright. Alright.

Jensen: I’m just waiting for the script that says, “Dean enters the room. Sam’s asleep in the motel.” (audience catcalls. Jared laughs.) “Dean pulls out his clippers.” (Jared nods) (mimics and makes sound effects shaving Sam’s head)

Jared: That’ll have to be the next prank episode. (some audience woo’s)

Audience members: Nair! Nair!

Jensen: Nair? That’s just wrong. (audience laughs)

Jared: (starts to laugh but stops) Aw! That’s me! Who said that? (audience and Jensen laugh) (picks up his mic stand, but puts it back down.)

Jensen: (to audience) Now you did it.

Jared: Nair? What is that stuff? (rubs his nose, looks around, and then shrugs) (audience laughs. Jensen laughs) I don’t even know what (laughs) that is.

Jensen: It’s in your toiletry bag, Jared. (Audience laughs and then Jared laughs out loud and claps) (smiles and then rubs his face) Oh man, alright what else? What else we got? Anybody have any- any little anecdotes?

◘Jared and Jensen, breakfast by augustfading◘

•(18:32 DT, 13:50 SA, 0:08 AF) Chicon07Gold;Q2- Weekend; plane ride; Michigan avenue

Audience member: What did you do this weekend?

Jensen: What did we do this weekend? Uhh-

Jared: W-We had a four day weekend. (pats his fist and then waves Jensen off) You- you just stay over there. I’ll talk.

The audience laughs. Jensen briefly holds up a hand and nods. Then turns and walks slightly kicking his mic stand.

Jared: So, uh, we flew together.

The audience aw’s. Jensen goes to the podium and grabs his coffee mug to take a drink.

Jared: Oh. (waves his hand) He has no feelings.

The audience laughs. Jared turns around and sees Jensen drinking his drink on the far side of the stage and then laughs. Some of the audience starts yelling at Jensen to come back. Jensen comes back up to his mic.

Jared: (gestures between their mic stands) Put a big guy in between us.

Jensen: (points in the audience) I’m going to hang out with them. (feints walking off stage) (audience cheers) (laughs, waves, and then returns to his mic)

Jared: We, uh… (watches Jensen) We, uh- We- We had a four day weekend, because as you know today is, uh, Remembrance Day, is what they call it in Canada. So we- (audience member: Canada! [woos]) so, we get off in a Monday, but Friday we had off. So, we’re flying together. It’s been a long night. And, I finally start getting to sleep. And, uh, we’re in row 1. That-That is- is not fun, because I either got my legs straight up (lifts his leg) on the wall (audience laughs) and the people behind me are staring at my socks and my gargantuan feet going like, “Like, why is that guy, like, showing his feet?" (swipes hand) Finally I getting to sleep-

Jensen: Yeah, like at one point both of our legs (gestures with two fingers) were like straight up (Jared: Yeah) (audience laughs) the wall. Makes us look like some.. aliens.

◘Jared and Jensen at Breakfast in Chicago (5) by LauraTX1◘

Jared: (gestures flip down) And it’s the- it’s the television that comes down off the thing. (gestures to placement) So, it’s like two feet, (audience and Jensen laughs) a television, two more feet. When we kind of turned around, they’re like, “I don’t want to stare at your feet when I’m watching-“ (to Jensen) What was it? Hairspray?

Jensen: (nods) Hairspray. (audience laughs)

Jared: I mean. (shrugs shoulders) What’s that?

Jensen: I mean, I don’t know. What-what- what movie?

Jared: I don’t know that movie. (audience laughs)

Jensen: (one shoulder shrug) Well, somebody must have googled it and looked it up.

Jared: So, I finally get to sleep and Jensen walks me up. And, I can’t go back to sleep. I maybe got thirty minutes of sleep.

Jensen: Yeah, it- Well-well, you, uh-

Jared: And I feel- and I feel someone tickling my toes. (audience laughs and aw’s) And I wake up and he’s (scratches his mic) (audience laughs) And then I really woke up. And, uh-

Jensen: Well, he really was asleep and I’m like, “I really had to go to the bathroom.” I was sitting window. And- and I s-looking at him, “There’s no way.” (audience laughs. Jared laughs and walks away from the mic, claps, and then comes back.) So I just start kneeing him. (mimics nudging with his knees) And he’s finally like, “What?!” And I’m like, “I gotta go.” (audience laughs)

Jared: “What?”

Jensen: “What?”

Jared: “We’re landing?”

Jensen: “No! Shutup!” (audience and Jared laugh)

Jared: And then we, like, we walked around so much. And, I went to, uh, Michigan Avenue. (Jensen gets a refill for his mug on the far side of the stage) Which was- which was fun. It was great. (some audience woo’s) I’ve been here a few times before and I’ve seen the Hancock Tower. And I’ve been up there when I was in high school and did some speech tournaments here. And so (a few audience aw’s) I got to go back and see it again. It’s nice architecture. (claps) We wanted to do the, uh, architecture tour, (Audience member: Yeah!) but it closed at four o’clock. (Jensen nods)

We go to- you know, you hear, you know, you go to Chicago you gotta do the deep-dish pizza. (audience yeah’s) And so we, uh, we get around. We-we get like- (to Jensen) Three o’clock? (Jensen nods) We’re like, “Yeah, let’s grab a piece of pizza. And go do some stuff.” And, we get there and we’re like, “We’ll take a deep-dish, you know. Split it between supreme and.. pepperoni.” And they’re like, “Alright, that’ll be like an hour.” (audience yeah’s) Like, it totally blew (?my mind to-?)

Jensen: Hey, I could have made it. (audience laughs)

Jared: Cook that stuff. I just want to throw in stuff in the oven.

Jensen: An hour?

Audience member: How good is it?

Jared: It was really- We went to Gino’s? (looks at Jensen) (audience woo’s) (Jensen nods) Yeah, it was good. It was really good. And then we all slept like Thanksgiving sleep.

Jensen: And we wrote- wrote our name on the wall.

Jared: Yeah. Wrote our names. (nods)

Jensen: Yeah.

Jared: Yeah. I wrote “I love Jensen.” (Jensen nods. The audience cheers.) (nods)

Jensen: I wrote “I love Jensen.” (nods) (audience laughs)

◘Jensen & Jared in Chicago: The College Try by BabyBlueSteel◘

Jared: I- (laughs) And right next to each other, so.. no one mix it up. But then we took a Thanksgiving style nap. You know when you eat too much turkey and you just go-

Jensen: (fake snores) Yes. And-

Jared: And because of the nap we were up till (nods) late (laughs) last night, so.

Jensen: Yeah, well hey, I couldn’t go back because after, you know, Steve’s show (Jared: Yeah) I went back and it’s like couldn’t go back to sleep. So, (Jared: right.) might be a little sluggish today, but (fist pumps) we’ll give it the old college try. (audience laughs and cheers) (smiles)

Jared: That’s right. Right. (Jensen: Yeah.) You went to college? (audience laughs)

Jensen: It’s just a phrase, Jared. (audience laughs. Jared grimaces)

Jared: Sorry. I feel bad now. (Jensen laughs) Maybe we will be in college this time next year if the writers aren’t- (audience laughs) (to the audience) Any suggestions?

Audience: No, boys don’t do-

Jared: I know. Knock on-

Jared looks around and then turns to Jensen and then softly knocks on his head. The audience laughs and some aw. Jared returns to his mic and then Jensen makes a knock noise with his mouth.

Jared: (to Jensen) that was more hollow than I expected. (audience laughs. Jensen nods with a smile) (laughs) It really is early in the morning. (laughs)

Jensen: (?It ain’t easy being me.?)

Jared: Awesome. (audience laughs)

•(22:22 DT, 17:39 SA) - Closing

Jensen: (throws up a hand) I’m out. I’m done.

Audience member: We love you.

Jared: We love y’all.

Jensen: I'm running low.

Jared: Thanks guys. Thanks for the support and everything. (?This is great?). (audience cheers and claps)

Jensen: (nods) Support. Yeah. (nods) I thank you.

Jared: It’s easy to lose track of.. who you’re making the show for, you know? And, you get so bogged down in sort of the day to day stuff that you forget that there are people that are out there enjoying what you do. And… so we really appreciate it.

Jensen: You guys keep us employed. So, you know, we-

Audience member: We love you!

Jensen: We- we- (briefly looks at Jared) (Jared nods yep) appreciate you so much. (audience screams out we love you’s and cheers)

Jared: We love y’all.

Jensen: (?Alright, we gonna cut this-? or ?All right, well they’re telling us-?)

Jared: (to Jensen) That was for me by the way.

Jensen: Yes, I know.

Jared: (thumbs to Jensen) But, you guys tell Jensen you love him too.

Audience: We love, Jensen! (Jensen turns to look at Jared with a smirk)

Jared: (to audience) Not that loud! God. (turns away from the audience)

Jensen pumps his fist. Jared back towards the audience laughing. The audience yells out they love Jared. Jared nods.

Jensen: Alright guys, they’re telling us to wrap it up. So, we will- (waves) I-I assume we will see you- the rest of you guys (Jared: Right?) later.

Audience: Yeah!

Jared: Good morning, guys. This is a good way to wake up. (Jensen: Yeah) To see all y’all's smiling faces. Thank you so much. (claps)

Jensen and Jared walk off stage to their left and exit the room. Except Jared comes back to grab the towel on stage

Jared: I’m taking this. (audience laughs)

Jared goes to off stage and then throws the towel to the audience before stepping off to then exit the room.

[primusfortuna]

Cuit Hangout Lines ⟡ Beginning of a Dream

⚠️ I referenced the JP wiki for these lines. It's possible there might be some discrepancies with the in-game dialogue.

Affection Lv. 0-3

Start Hangout “I hope I get some good ideas... Truth is, I have no clue what to do for Oscar-san’s meal tomorrow.”

Talk About Last Night’s Dinner (Tap)

First or second interaction

“I get so nervous whenever I serve Oscar-san... In a good way, of course.” “Wanna know the secret ingredient to my dinner last night? Well, I added a teeny bit of berries to the sauce for the meat.” “Hehe, could you tell it was a Ricordo local speciality? I thought it'd nice to have something like that once in a while.”

Keep interacting

“Ahaha, was it that good? You always eat my food with a smile, so that makes me very happy.” “I want to keep making food that makes people happy when they eat it. I'm not just talking about customers...” “Oh, right, is there anything you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll use it as a reference for the menu.”

Play Shiritori¹ (Drag)

First or second interaction

“Soup... pudding... G? Grati... no, nevermind.” “Can I play one that might be a little hard? Appetizer. How about it? ...I could think of one.” “Sugar... Worcestershire sauce... Ah, you can't say vinegar, okay?” (Original words: satou, usutāsōsu, su)

Keep interacting

“Hehe, take your time. I have no problem with culinary-themed shiritori, but are you doing okay?” “Huh? You’re learning from this? You’re pretty engaged. I gotta follow your lead too. Okay, let’s keep going.” “My turn? Gelato. It's to. What’ll your reply be?”

Readjust His Brooch (Long Press)

First or second interaction

“My guild emblem... I’m very proud to be working under Oscar-san.” “Ahh... Was it a little crooked? Thanks for noticing that for me.” “Thank you. Would've been terrible if that fell off... Hehe, that kind of tickles.”

Keep interacting

“You’re very careful in putting it on. Thank you. This is something very precious to me.” “A medal is a sign of recognition... Every time I look at this, I’m reminded that I made it here, in my own way.” “Of course, I still have to work hard, but I need to aim even higher.”

Get Closer

“Uhm... Is something wrong? Er, you’re a little too close, what’s going on...?” “Wah! What’s wrong? You’re closer than usual, so that startled me a little.” “......... Hehe, it’s like we’re having a staring contest, huh?”

End Hangout “Oh, look at the time. We should head back now. This walk helped clear my head.”

Affection Lv. 4-7

Start Hangout “Since we're heading out and all, maybe I should’ve made some snacks?”

“Huh? I’ve got bags under my eyes? I got totally caught up in making sauce yesterday... I guess I was working late into the night.”

Ask For Cooking Tips (Tap)

First or second interaction

“I think it’s important to find delicious foods. I get really happy whenever I find a dish that makes me think, 'I want to recreate that taste.'” “It’s important to get used to making something. Practice it over and over until it tastes good! Hehe, you can do it.” “Always measure your ingredients exactly. The measurements written in recipes have been tested for the best taste.”

Keep interacting

“You want to hear my personal tips? Hmm... I guess, cook while imagining someone’s smile as they’re eating.” “You know, I’ve been cooking for my family for a long time. And I still get happy seeing them all enjoy my food.” “I want my food to make people happy... I think that sentiment is the best spice of all.”

Fix His Loose Tie (Drag)

First or second interaction

“Huh? Oh, I see, my tie was loose... I got a little startled when you suddenly started touching my neck.” “Thank you. Oscar-san might’ve scolded me if it stayed crooked.” “I really try to be careful. It just slips out of place as soon as I start moving around. I owe you one.”

Keep interacting

“You’re fixing it so thoroughly. I really admire that meticulous side of yours.” “......Huh? Do you not know what shape it was in originally?” “Even you have moments like these, huh? Hehe... Cute. This is perfect, thank you.”

Massage His Palms (Long Press)

First or second interaction

“Ah, are you giving me a massage? This makes me kind of happy. Thanks.” “Your hands are so soft. Mine have gotten rough and callused from holding frying pans and stuff.” “Hah~... This feels so good. I don’t usually pay that much attention, but I guess I was pretty tired.”

Keep interacting

“Maybe that’s enough for now. You’ve already soothed me plenty. Aren’t you tired now?” “Giving me a special service today...? It’s my lucky day. It feels so good when you’re touching my hands...” “Make sure to tell me when you get tired, okay? ’Cause I’ll give you a massage. ...Ah! Unless you don’t want me to.”

Get Closer

“It’s rare for you to get this close... No, it doesn’t bother me.” “Can I tell you a thought I had? You’re cute. Super cute... Oh, I’m not trying to butter you up or anything.” “Is there something stuck to my face? ...Oh, there’s not? Then... What’s going on?”

End Hangout “Do you have some time after this? I’ll whip up something simple and I’d love to have you try it.”

“I always feel so soothed when I’m with you... You’re like a vitamin to me.”

Affection Lv. 8-10

Start Hangout “Lately whenever I’m with you, I can’t stop coming up with dishes I want you to eat.”

“For some reason, you seem cuter than usual today... Is it your makeup? Hehe, I’m kind of getting butterflies.”

Ask for the Newest Restaurant Recommendations (Tap)

First or second interaction

“I heard from someone at the market that a restaurant with good seafood pasta popped up.” “Meat, veg, seafood, ethnic food... What kind of recommendation do you want? I’m always in the know about this.” “Wanna check out a place with tons of different desserts? It’s a huge hit with girls, and I’m curious about it myself.”

Keep interacting

“I have an idea! I’d love to take you to a good restaurant I know. What do you think?” “They’ve got delicious entrées and desserts. Plus the interior is pretty. I think girls would love this place.” “I’d like to hear your opinion too... I want to know what kinds of things you like more than anything.”

Hold His Hand (Drag)

First or second interaction

“Hm? Hehe... Sure, go ahead. Ah, can I fix my grip a little? I want a tight hold on your hand.” “I’m so happy. ’Cause you don’t usually do this type of thing, right?” “It puts me at so much ease when you hold my hand like this.”

Keep interacting

“Your hand is so warm. Huh? I can hold it tighter? Well... If you say so.” “You have this strange gentleness that feels like it’s wrapping me up. I can’t really put it into words...” “Also, I’m getting butterflies. I feel so happy... Am I the only one like this? How do you feel?”

Touch His Dark Circles (Long Press)

First or second interaction

“Hm...? What’s wrong? Wondering about my eyebags...? Sorry. Did I get you worried?” “Ahh, I got up kinda early this morning for cooking prep... *yawns*... Er, sorry I did that in front of you.” “Ah, found out I'm sleep deprived? I just got so many food ideas last night that I had to sort them out...”

Keep interacting

“You don’t have to worry that much. Ever since you came around, I’ve stopped forcing myself as much as before.” “Huh, you don’t believe me...? It’s true. Besides, I always have you backing me up.” “What about you? Are you sleeping well? You work yourself to the bone everyday... I’m the one who should be worried.”

Get Closer

“I wonder what you’re thinking about right now. I hope it’s me... Kidding.” “Feeling your warmth up close puts me right at ease... Hey, can you come closer to me?” “Doing this with you is starting to feel so routine to me. I even get uneasy when you’re not around.”

End Hangout “Honestly, I don’t want to go back just yet, but I have things that need to be done. But we’ll go out again for sure, okay?”

“Haha... That's the face of plain disappointment. But. I bet I’m more upset than you are. ...How ’bout we take the long way back?”

[TL Notes]

1 - Shiritori is a Japanese word game. Players take turns saying words that begin with the last syllable of the previous word. Playing a word that ends in "n" (ん) is an automatic loss.

This game doesn't translate well in English, so I decided to just translate each word literally and add the Japanese words in parentheses (if necessary).

[malocclusive]

-really wound up because I've been staying up til 4 the past few nights-

-work starts up again tomorrow and I gotta be up at 6-

It's 11:30 now and I have 0 desire to sleep in any capacity

We've only got 2 days before the weekend, and my school's full of bougie kids who go on big trips, so I doubt there'll be a ton of kids back tomorrow anyways/like hell I'm going hard when we only have 2 days in the week

But let's play chicken with some cannabitter

I'll just keep working til I pass out

Never filtered this shit

Whatever, go my edibles

[the-sun-princess]

Emi Plays Revue Starlight: El Dorado Part 10

ok time to finish off the clautaba stageplay bit and we'll see if i'm insane enough for mahiru to start that route or wait til tomorrow after work

uh....cw?: for my brain finally catching onto lines in the play that straight up tell u whats going on but it didnt click til mahiru said the lines

oh right forgot to know who junna n nana are. sounds like junna's luigi so my guesses have been on the mark this time

ALSO I REALIZED THAT KAORUKO N FUTABA ACTUALLY GET TO KISS EACH OTHER ON STAGE THATS NOT FAIR KJHKJSDF

oh interesting. miguel and carmencita are here at the grave

ajsfdf mahiru cavallero is just Immediately Shady As Hell thats very funny. tbf it Does help jam in that cavallero is not offering to take salvatore in outta charity

oo now the ring swap. that fits in better. also god i have to turn the bgm even further down so i can actually hear the voicelines

futaba praise :)

d'awwwww hikari talked a lot about futaba

yknow cavallero does say salvatore has a lusty toned technique is he like. sexually abusing him? not an interpretation i got outta the others but 3rd time reading and mahiru voicing it makes it sound that way

i mean he has to be abusing his sailors in SOME way for them to hate them- it just didnt rlly click that rape was a possible option til now.

ble ble ble columbus

ohohohoho? isabel asking to come along this time. this was the only time til now i actually got that salvatore was the one grabbing isabel n kissing her junna salvatore there was 0 impression for me to Not think it was isabel doing it before running off

kaoruko salvatore at least had lines in the intermission that made it seem so

...

YEAH I RLLY SHOULDA PUT TOGETHER IT WAS SPOSED TO BE RAPE BEFORE NOW- this isnt even subtext why did my brain just assume it was vague physical violence when its just.....obv sexual assault. tsk tsk at the other cavalleros u didnt say ur lines like a predator enough

sometimes i get overly concious of my art mistakes and then starlight goes and puts out an official product i had to pay for with art like this and i'm like 'i'm fine'

i dont even have a team of editors or ppl meant to be checking this stuff. or speak japanese well but i can still tell when they fucked up a line's translation (sometimes)

i think its funny that in the intermissions the gfs of everyone come up to give them water

EXCEPT for nana to junna. futaba gave junna water bc nana was off crying in a corner about her kissing mahiru

well now im just thinking about arisa freaking out at kasumi in bandori s2 skjhf

kiss again. do it you two. kiss again

kaoruko what does THAT even mean

oh my GOD kaoruko i s2g

make allll that fuss about being embarrassed and then have to save face by calling the kiss futaba's "audition" i'm going to bang my head through a wall

yeah yeah obv futaba n claudines performances were inspired by the others

tabun

back to da play. carmencita still does Nothing

oh interesting, actual scenes of alejandro catching up to salvatore. .....ALEJANDRO WHY U HIRE THE BULLIES FROM THE FIRST ACT

ISABEL AS A STOWAWAY????????/ oh boy with all the upheaval to the status quo on this one i cannot WAIT for mahiru route

also i fuckin hate this line ksjfh (not literally but)

all i can think of is

oh i guess you can sail to granada from wherever they started-

it still makes 0 sense to me on how alejandro caught up to salvatore

SJKFH THE CACKLE I LET OUT

isabel using alejandro just to get to salvatore oohh man just rub it in

yeah sorry bud

i like how the eyebrow is hidden by the eyepatch but not the hair

i was wondering what isabel was doin all this time. just watchin i guess. she screams after salvatore jumps ship

rip isabel....still stuck in a destiny thats not of ur choosing

gah i want to mahiru route now. but i know i'll want to play it thru straight. and i have work tomorrow so i cant do that bc gotta get to bed at a semi-reasonable hour. esp if it'll be longer than the other routes like it prob will be

i wonder how tragic it will end...and also presumably where hikari pops in. like i know she's in here SOMEWHERE ksjfdh

<<part 9 part 11>>

[noirdotm]

Setsuko Of The Roof (Toilet Bound Hanako-kun x OC)

003. Misaki's Staircase(1)

=========================

Yashiro POV

Hanako-Kun said to me...

"Yashiro, so you would be friends with a murder?"

Back then, Hanako kun seemed kinda... angry?.... No, that wasn't anger at all. That was...

"Nene?" Someone called out to me. I turned and acknowledged my good friend Aoi, who seemed to be a bit concerned about me. Oh boy, I probably was spacing out, and she noticed.

"Are you listening?" Aoi asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Sorry!" I apologized as I turned to her fully. Aoi always had her purple hair up and styled very nicely. She was holding a watering can as she was watering the flowers at the windowsill. Her purple eyes stared right at me as she gave me a small smile.

"Really Nene, You've been spacing out all the time these days..." Aoi pointed out till her eyes sparkled and placed her hand on her cheek. "Wait- don't tell me, you have a new crush!?" Aoi asked.

I sighed as I placed one of those watering globes on one of the plants. "Nah, I wish it was that though," I said as Aoi looked at me a little confused, but she lite up as she remembered something.

"Oh! Nene! Have you heard of this?" Aoi asked as I turned towards her again.

3rd POV

"Have you heard? The second of the seven mysteries: The Misakis Staircase?"

"One must never, no matter what, set foot on the fourth srep"

"Those who break will be dragged into the realm of the dead and have their bodies shredded into a thousand pieces..."

"Then at dusk, out of nowhere... the blood of the unfortunate would rain down upon the staircase..."

Yashiro POV

"And wh-where's that s-staircase" I asked, stuttering a bit as I looked at Aoi with fear filling in my eyes. Soon Aoi put her index finger up and began chuckling a little.

"It's staircase B in front of the art classroom, Loads of students swore they saw the blood ooze!" Aoi said in a creepy tone. I squeaked a little, getting more and more scared. Soon, Aoi looked at me a bit, confused, tilting her head, and frowned a bit.

"Huh? I thought you loved these stories, Nene?" Aoi asked, a little confused.

"O-of course I do! I still do!" I say in a reassuring voice... though it's just that these days... the stories I heard from Aoi all came true somehow...

"That's great!" Aoi said as she grabbed my hands, giving me a big smile as her fingers intertwined with mine. "To be honest, ghost stories kinda give me the creeps... but i'll tell you a thousand of them if that's what it takes to cheer you up, Nene!" Aoi said, which moved me a bit and surprised me a little.

"Heey" A voice from the doorway called out catching Aoi and and I attention.

"Miss Akane~ aren't you forgetting something?" Our teacher called out as he held up a piece of paper and waving it a little. "Art classroom at 4:30. Career consultation, with sensei"

"Oh! I forgot! I'm coming!" Aoi said as she quickly put the watering can down and quickly went go follow our teacher. "Oh Nene! I'll have another story ready for you! So you'd better cheer up, okay?" Aoi says as she grabbed her stuff and waved goodbye.

I waved goodbye as a tear went down my face. Thanks Aoi, but you really don't have to find more stories for me...

From the corner of my eye, I saw a flower pot Aoi was taking care of. It was starting to bloom! Aoi's been working so hard on them. She'd get excited! Gotta tell her tomorrow when I see her!

**Next Day**

Hoshiko POV

I was in the bathroom with Hanako as we started to play cards with the Mokke. Though the Mokke were on the side cheering for either Hanako or Me. I stared at my cards intensely, which I only had two left, while as for Hanako, he only had one, and he stared at the back of my cards closely. Soon, he went to grab a card from my hand and then... Yes! He pulled the Joker!

"Haha!" I laughed as Hanako's face was in complete shock, and he frowned.

"Nooo!" He pouted a little as I took the card that wasn't the joker and placed them down. "I win! 1 to 0!" I said with a huge smile plastered on my face. 

"No fair! You cheated!" Hanako said in an accusatory way. I gasped in an offensive way, though i was only joking around as he was doing the same. 

"Excuse you! I would never!" I say dramatically.

"You totally would!" Hanako said it was also a little dramatic.

"Well at least when I lose, I'm not a sore loser" I say as I playfully crossed my arms as Hanako gasped. 

"How dare you!" It was silent for a second, then laughter erupted in the whole bathroom. 

"Jeez, that was a lot of fun!" Hanako said as he grabbed the cards and started to shuffle them. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Yeah, I can't remember the last time we played like this before." I commented. Hanako nodded in agreement, he was shuffling the cards in a focused manner as I just watched him do so... Honestly... I miss peaceful moments like these... just the two of us with no one butting in or... pulling him away... Soon I heard some footsteps walk into the bathroom. Hanako and I looked up as we saw... Oh SHI- It was Tsuchigomori! AHHH

"Hey, what are you doing here Hoshiko!" Tsuchigomori sighed as he facepalmed. "Are you seriously ditching on the fourth day?" He asked as he lifted a brow.

"No.5? Sis?" Hanako looked a little confused. 

"You two know each other?" He asked curiously, though his tone was laced with a bit of hurt?... ahh great... I'm going to get scolded when I get back. "Ah ha... Yeah" I say sheepishly.

"Your younger sister wanted help on how to blend in with the crowd to keep her rumor alive... So I've been helping her... though it doesn't help when you're ditching" Tsuchigomori said as he started to scold me. I lowered my head and bowed a little in an apologetic manner.

"Ahhh... I see..." Hanako said, though, his cheerful attitude was gone.

"Anyways, I see you two finally saw each other" Tsuchigomori said as he leaned against the door frame. "Uh- Yeah! Haha! Crazy huh? Well you see-"

"I don't need an excuse, Hoshiko," Tsuchigomori said as I quickly nodded my head.

"Yes sir!" I say a little too quickly.

"Jeez, this is why I hate children... you never listen" Tsuchigomori sighed.

"What do you mean by that No.5?" Hanako asked curiously. Tsuchigomori looked at Hanako and sighed. 

"What I mean is, I told her if she wanted to blend it, she isn't supposed to come see you at all, because if she does, she's going to start ditching and people are going to question her" Tsuchigomori sighed.

 "And I'm right... Jeez, and I did my best to pull some strings to put you in the new building to avoid this situation... you're lucky i caught you, or you'd be in more trouble" Tsuchigomori said as Hoshiko sweatdropped.

"I see.." Hanako said as he put the cards away. "So that's why I haven't seen my baby sister," Hanako said, looking at Tsuchigomori. "Listen, She wanted to stay as a supernatural and she wanted her rumor to stay alive, I only did what could help her" Tsuchigomori said as Hanako sighed and crossed his arms and pouted. "Anyways, Hoshiko, you better get to class, you're going to be late"

"Ah! Right!" Hoshiko said as she quickly grabbed her bag and waved goodbye to Hanako. "Bye Nii-chan! I'll be back" I quickly ran past Tsuchigomori and ran down the hallway all the way to the New Building. 

As I made it to the New building and to my class, I saw how panic Yashiro was. "As for Aoi... We don't even have an Aoi in our class." The teacher said as I entered. I froze as my eyes widened a bit. The hell did he mean by that? I started to hear whispers going around talking about Aoi and Yashiro. 

"Yashiro...?" I called out to her as she quickly turned to me. "Hoshiko!" She quickly ran to me and grabbed onto me. "You know Aoi!.. Right?" She asked in a panic. "Of course I do... I was hanging out with you guys yesterday..." I say as my eyes glanced around the room. I noticed how Aoi's desk was gone... like- there was a missing desk in the middle of the classroom. I then glanced over at the windowsill and saw that the flowers Yashiro and Aoi were working on were gone...

"Listen ladies... you guys are probably thinking of someone from another school, now how about you girls sit down?" The teacher said as he tried to reassure Yashiro. Soon Yashiro grabbed my hand and she quickly darted out of the classroom with me in hand. "Woah!-"

"Yashiro-san! You need a hall pass!" The teacher called out but she didn't listen. She quickly took out a device and started to press buttons on it. "Yashiro..." I called out to her in a calm tone. She then placed the device in her ear as the device vibrated a few times. Though it was no use, she started to tear up as she started to mess with the device again. Soon a voice came out on the other side of it. Woah... what is it anyways?

"Yes, Akane speaking," A voice said. Me and Yashiro stopped running and were in the middle of the hall."U-um this is Nene! Aoi isn't in class today, is she sick? Does she have a cold?" Yashiro asked with concern in her voice. 

It was silent for a moment, soon the lady spoke up. "Aoi? Sorry but we don't have an Aoi in our house... you must have gotten the wrong number i'm afraid" The lady as she hung up. No Aoi?... Wait...

I looked over at Yashiro who was deep in thought... I feel bad for her... I mean they both were very close friends I assume... I doubt i'd be any help to comfort her... Soon something hit her as she realized something. "Of course! Hanako-kun would know!" Yashiro said out loud. I was so lost. Yashiro was about to run but I noticed someone was coming and she was going to bump into him. "Wait Yashiro! Hold-" Before I could finish she bumped into a guy. "On..."

"Oops" The guy said as Yashiro dropped her device and she stumbled onto the floor. I quickly went over to yashiro to help her up. "S-sorry!" Yashiro apologized. The guy grabbed her squared device and handed it to her. "Nah, my bad, you alright?" The guy asked.... Of course, Yashiro's eyes began to sparkle and admire the guy.

I mentally facepalm. I took Yashiro device from him and grabbed her hand "Come on Yashiro, we need to go to your 'friend' for help" I say as it seemed to take Yashiro out of her daze and nodded...I didn't get a good vibe from that guy as i glanced back at him. He had that stupid cat grin as he watched us quickly leave

Soon, we made it to the old building and in the girls bathroom. However Hanako wasn't there at all... it was empty which made Yashiro very upset. "Ugh! Hanako!"

"Hey, lets try later, right now, you need to calm down and look for clues on what happened" I say as I grabbed Yashiro and turned her towards me and made her look me in the eyes. She seemed a little shocked and didn't feel comforted at all. I sighed and intertwined my fingers into her hands and held them up.

"Listen, I promise you, I will do anything in my power to find Aoi!... she is my friend too after all," I said, giving Yashiro a comforting smile. Yashiro eyes widened, though my words seemed to have calmed her down a little as she gave me a smile.

"Thanks Hoshi-chan"

***

Later on after school Yashiro and I went back to the Bathroom and Hanako was finally there. Yashiro began telling Hanako everything that happened today. I just stood there leaning again the sink watching their conversation.

"Missing?... uh-huh" Hanako said as he was playing cards with the Mokke sitting against the windowsill

"DON'T UH-HUH ME!" Yashiro shouted

"You were gone the whole day and now school's over!" Yashiro says. I frowned a little feeling bad for Yashrio, she was sulking and everyone was whispering about her... Jeez... I wanted to smash their heads into the walls so badly... Though i didn't cause i'd be in all sorts of trouble...

"Well... I'm quite a busy guy... how about the police?" Hanako asked. I scoffed a little, catching the attention of Hanako and Yashiro.

 "Nii-chan, the whole school doesn't believe that Aoi existed in the first place! How can the police find someone when nobody thinks she existed" I said, crossing my arms as Yashiro nodded her head in agreement. 

"Her flowers... her desk... and her belongings all disappeared... and everyone keeps saying they never knew an Aoi..." Yashiro said a little worried.

Soon we heard a loud voice coming from the hallway... ah great-

"HANAKOOOOOO!" The same boy from two days ago called out as he slid into the girls bathroom holding his staff in hand. Jeez, he looks mad, what did Nii-chan do all of a sudden within two days? "Perv, this is the girls bathroom" I said in a mocking manner glaring at Kou.

"M-Minamoto-kun! This is the girls' bathroom!" Yashiro said in a shocking manner as she walked back and made her way next to me. Kou soon went up to Hanako and grabbed his collar. My eye twitched as I glared at the blonde kid. However, he started to shake Hanako back and forth, making me and yashiro panic.

"Damn you! My friends Yokoo and Satou! Where are they!" Kou shouted

"Wait! Calm down, " Yashiro said as she tried to calm down the situation.

"Idiot! Let go of Nii-chan!" I shouted

"This is your doing! Spreading weird ghost stories all over the place! Why the hell does nobody remember them!" Kou shouted, holding Hanako up close to him. Yashiro and i gave each other a look and looked back at Kou.

After a few minutes after everything calmed down, Hanako was fixing his uniform and closed his eyes. "Missing students and a curse staircase huh..." Hanako says as he was thinking a little but. "Actually, I believe I might know something about that." Hanako said.

"Of course you do 'honorable seven'" I said in a teasing manner, poking Hanako's cheek as he glance over at me and sighed.

"I knew it! You Foul-"

"Where is Aoi gone?!" Yashiro asked as she cut off Kou. I stopped poking Hanako's cheek and looked at him for an answer. Hanako glanced down at me and sighed and began speaking.

"Within this school... Seven passageways to the netherworld exist, that staircase is one of the, the missing students have been taken to the netherworld." Hanako said as Yashiro titled her head.

"Netherworlds?" Yashiro question

"It's kind of like the borderland between two worlds; should the living wander across, they would vanish, along with their whole existence, though humans who are a bit special like Yashiro and Boy here- seem unaffected, somehow" Hanako added. I thought about it and looked at Kou and Yashiro... I understand Kou... but Yashiro?... I thought about it but couldn't think of an answer... I'll ask Nii-chan later.

"The border huh? I've heard of that from my brother" Kou said

"Between the land of the living and dead... lies a sea that bridges the shores of two realms. There live specters of the dead incapable of moving on and things that have been forgotten by all" Kou continues with caution.

"Ah, so the exorcist boy does know his stuff... you're not dumb after all" I teased the irked blonde kid. "What was that?" Kou asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Soon Yashiro walked over to Hanako and grabbed his hand and looked down. I looked over at her and saw how she was on the verge of crying. My eyes soften at the sight of her teary eyes.

"People... who went over there...can't come back ever again?..." Yashiro asked. Hanako saw her terrified look and stared at it for a bit till he then grabbed her cheeks and squished them together...

Wow bro... you definitely know a way to a girl heart...

"Aww come on, don't look so down! It's alright. I'll bring them back!" Hanako said as he gave Yashiro a big smile. "Not unless I do first," I interjected though Hanako glared at me. "Oh, my bad, ruined your moment" I chuckled a little, rubbing the back of my head... though I did promise her first...

"Like I said before, I'm the seventh of the seven mysteries! It's my duty to maintain balance between humans and ghosts!" Hanako said as he kept messing with her face squishing it and stuff.

"I'll also need your help of course!" Hanako added as he patted Yashiros head.

"Hanako-kun..." she sniffled. "There ther, gooood girl" Hanako said as he kept patting her head.

"Jeez, she's not a dog Nii-Chan," I sighed

"Hold it!" Kou got in between Yashiro and Hanako.

"Aww why nooot?~ It's getting to the best part" Hanako whined. I sighed, seriously?

"Hands off you damn pervert! You're trying to lure her to the netherworld aren't you?" Kou asked in a defensive way as he was in a protective stance.

"Well... thats' true though..."

"Then, i'm coming with you two! Can't let senpai go alone with you to such deadly places cam i?! I'll protect her!" Kou shouted.

"Then in that case..." I finally spoke up as the trio looked over at me. "I'll go too, you two can't be trusted with a girl alone" I say with a sigh as Kou irked as Hanako's face turned pale. "No way!" Hanako said shaking his head. "And what do you mean why not trusted?!" Kou asked.

"First off, you creeps are in the girls bathroom of all places!" I said as I pointed at Kou and Hanako. "Secondly, Yashiro and Aoi are also my friends. I'll be damned if anything happens to yashiro if i'm not there to do anything about it!!" I say with determined eyes. Yashiro gave me a smile and went over to me and gave me a big hug. Hanako sighed same with Kou.

"Okay, fine, this is fine... however, you boy are not my secretary nor my baby sister, i'm not gonna protect you, y'know" Hanako said as he looked over at Kou. Kou scoffed. "Like i'd ever beg for your help!" Kou shouted.

"Not even if you end up as mincemeat." Hanako said in some sort of threatening tone. "What?! Why you little–" Then Kou and Hanako began bicking with each other. Yashiro sighed, though her expression changed... I could tell she was thinking of Aoi... So I patted Yashiro's head and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, we'll get her outta there" I said in a reassuring tone.

Soon, the four of us went out of the bathroom and walked over to the stairs that lead to the art room. We all stared at the stair. I stood next to Yashiro as I held her hand in a comforting manner. We stared at the stair case and blood was dripping from it grossing Kou out.

"What the hell?" Kou said in disgust. "Huh... neat" I said staring at it. I glanced over at Yashiro and her face was terrified.

I sighed as everyone had their moment to think...

"So shall we go?" Hanako asked.

"The fourth step is it?" Hanako curiously asked to be reassured. I nodded my head in reassurance as he looked over at me.

"Okay! Together now!" Hanako said as he was the first to step on the first step. Yashiro squeezed my and as we both took our first step after Hanako, Then Kou did the same.

"One~" Hanako counted down. We all stepped on the second step

"Two~" Then we stepped on the third step

"Three~"

"Four!" We all finally stepped on the fourth step, which took us to another place...

No.2 boundary...

It looked like some kind of festival place, though there were many stairs leading all the way up I looked around, it looked pretty cool.

"H-Hoshiko!" Yashiro called out to me. I looked over at Yashiro and the boys as they stared at me. Hanako's eyes widened as he had a big smile, Kou and Yashiro looked shocked.

"Aww! I remember you in that uniform!" Hanako said as he walked over to me and squished my cheeks. I was a bit confused, so I looked down at my outfit... Oh- I didn't know that could happen. My outfit switched from the modern uniform to the old uniform I used to wear back when I was still alive.

Hanako let go of me and everyone was looking around.

"So... this is..."before Yashiro could finish, Hanako spoke up.

"Misaki's Staircase... Looks like you've been having a lot of fun" Hanako said as he looked up at the stairs.

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