#and some would die after but like. come on. there still have to be some

[c0sm1cp0tat0]

Yandere! Saja Boys x Reader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Accept it. Accept it. Accept....it??

Accept their feelings for you?? But you didn't know how. Did they demand you to reciprocate or merely stop resisting their feelings? You didn't even know WHAT feelings they meant, either.

Did they really like you?? Five of them? Five men, no, demons? That was ridiculous. They must not know what temporary attraction is. Thats why they keep driving you crazy and telling you how they'd die and kill for you.

You stumbled now after your side jabbed into a piece of furniture. You were on the run. On the run as in, through their huge ass penthouse, that is.

"Come on, [Y/N]~ The fans want it, so you can't run from ittt~!!" Abby's voice was like the eery hiss of a very beautifully patterned, very poisonous snake in your ear. He was hot on you heels; he didn't even need to try. Infact, you sussed out that you were actually the only one running here. He was about to catch up to you with just his relaxed strides.

You're wondering what's happening right now? A week ago exactly, you'd signed to be their manager. You were allowed back home-- briefly. But then you were thrown into this quick sand-pit of gigs, fan meets, approving merch. Other things that you could have sworn they were able to do themselves.

You spent more time with them that you ever had when they held you captive. You had a feeling they had a part to play in that.

And somewhere along the way, the fans had sussed out a few things. The prime one being how all five of the members looked at you when you weren't looking. That person they all said they already liked?? I wonder who they guessed that out to be.

The members didn't even care. They'd throw their arms around you in public. Fix you with this 'you're making me feel some typa-way' kind of stare while ON CAMERA. Watch you much too intently as your sorted through paperwork during fan meets. Yes, fan meets, as in the one event in which they're supposed to focus full attention on their FANS.

But the worst thing is, you'd expected the fans to do something. To rage. To demand refunds for the lack of attention. And then the Saja Boys would have to fire you and you'd be free. Instead?? You saw comments under the upload of the meet on Youtube.

"Guys GUYS GUYS. The Saja men are hot n all... but hear me out....THEIR MANAGER."

"Omg yea"

"She's clueless man"

"They're S. M. I. T. T. E. N."

"She's adorableee I wanna carry her in my pockettt"

"TAKES CARE OF THEM SO WELL OMG"

Now, there were things online. Fanart. Fanfiction. Direct messages to you, to the members. Asking if you were together. Asking for something you learned as fanservice.

There were shipwars. Now, Jinu had explained this one to you but you still didn't quite get it. Fans... fighting over...who you looked best with?

There were comments that you had to read through in order to delete the hateful ones.

"OH. EM. GEE. [Y/N] and Abby. have y'all SEEN the size difference?? So cute!!!"

"Dumb bitch, [Y/N] X MYSTERY for LIFE have you seen them?? [Y/N] literally has him on an invisible leash!!"

"I don't know, I think I like Jinu and [Y/N]'s love-hate relationship better. Remember when he hugged her and she called him a melonhead?? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ XD,"

"HAHA uncultured swines, y'all ever heard of Baby x [Y/N] x Romance??"

"TRY ME, OT6 FOR THE RUN AHHHHH"

You'd shut down the laptop then. It was too late to delete those either way; the PR manager of their company had already seen.

And decided that they could make some bank off of this. And when a higher-up decides that there's money to be made?? You're delusional if you think you're getting away unscathed.

To top it all off, the Saja Boys were all too happy to encourage this shipping nonsense, too.

So here you were, dashing from the truth. Panting, eyes widened. You kept on looking back. You were going in circles around the huge penthouse complex. Through every single room. By now, you were in a full-on sprint. You looked back. Abby was still right behind you.

And you were so busy looking back, you didn't notice the solid chest that you were about to bash into.

"Don't you know we can teleport? Tsk, tsk, tsk." Jinu tutted with a smile, clawed finger coming under your chin and lifting it so that you looked up at him like an angry albeit guilty child.

Ten minutes later you were pushed into a fancy studio. Tried to slip away, was dragged right back.

The professional photographer hired looks you up and down, chewing his gum obnoxiously loud. He had you figured out in seconds.

"Hmmm, not a normal manager are you? Quite young. Not a bad face. Not bad at all." He paused, regarding your tense shoulders. "Relax yourself hun, you're gonna earn in millions for this."

The first reference pose he showed you already had you rushing for the exit.

"Oh no no no you don't." Jinu smiled, grabbing you by the collar and lifting you right off your feet.

"You're our manager now. Keeping the fans happy is one of your commitments. This is one of your commitments."

So now, you found yourself propped upon Abby's lap. Your feet weren't touching the ground. He'd been grinning like a madman as you struggled to climb into his lap and he'd lifted you up, helping you. Now he was all professional. Arm loosely draped around your waist, leaned back. Staring at the camera with sensuality.

Your arms were twitching around his neck, aching to tear away. under your own biceps, you could feel his own, thrice the size of yours and solid as a rock, flexing.

You only realized now how big he truly was.

While you'd lost weight out of stress, he'd become even more beefy in preparation for the photo shoot.

He could feel you slowly start to tremble. Smiling in pleasure, he leaned in, "Don't worry darling, I won't crush you." He knew you were wary of him in particular due to his physique. Such a caution was...how does he say it... fucking adorable.

"Yeessss...yes yes yess give me all that emotion. The anxiety." Photo dude's eyes swivelled to Abby, "The attraction. [Y/N], don't be shy and lean in a bit closer, will ya babe? It's not everyday you get to sit on the lap of a top idol."

But you didn't want to. The photographer was only doing the top half of your bodies, so it couldn't properly be seen that you were on his fucking lap. Your left leg was subconsciously stretching, trying to reach the ground. How would your boyfriend react to this if he were still alive? Your frown deepened.

While the members leaned into fully assess the photos captured, their eyes sparkling with facination, you hung back, wondering if you could make a break for it now.

The next round was just as if not even more appalling. You were hiccuping, feet tripping and sliding against the floor as you tried to book it to the door. Jinu was smiling happily at the concerned-looking photographer. His large hand held the back of your collar, effectively preventing your escape.

"Sorry, she's very shy."

The photographer tuts, almost pityingly, "Oh, darling darling, we can't have this shyness in the entertainment industry...not if you wanna make the big bucks."

The rest of the member's eyes swivelled and darkened as the man smeared lipstick carefully over your rosebud lips.

While you were still fighting the urge to sprint, he had the audacity to even cheer you on "Don't be shy, get that man!!"

So you walked hesitantly towards Romance, hands shaking in tiny fists. He was leaned back lazily on the red velvet sofa being used. One side of his pretty lips quirked up. Lips that were also painted in that same shade as yours.

He beckoned you with a finger. And when you got barely into arms reach, he reached out and snatched you towards him.

"The whole face, he said, baby." The pinkette man almost snarled into your ear, fine brows furrowed cockily as his small smirk grew into a full on wicked smile.

You winced. Romance didn't hold you still or anything. You had to do it yourself. The handsome pinkette leaned in, cedarwood and rose scent engulfing you. His smirk returns, entertained as he notices your knuckles whitening on the couch fabric, stopping yourself from pulling away.

"We don't got all day." The photographer snarked.

Romance had no qualms of speeding it up. His large hands framed your face. At each peck on your cheek, your nose, your chin and forehead, you winced. You were trying not to struggle. But your legs still squirmed in protest. It was so adorable.

Soon, your face was covered in lipstick prints. Romance's eyes began to glow. He shut it down immediately. His marks. All over your pretty little face Fuck.

Click, click, click.

You tried not to wince at every audible shutter of the camera.

"Oh lord, even I would pay for these. Look at the emotions in his eyes."

When it came your turn, Roman actually had to tighten his hold to stop you from shuffling away, "Keep tryna chicken out, huh? Too bad, you can't because you already signed the contract~" It was rasped in your ear.

You shook off his grip, eyebrows tight in frustration and determination. But it wavered way too easily as one of the boys whistled. Probably Abby. "Come on, sweets!! Just like you did to Jinu that night!!"

The photographer looked at the man with wide eyes then looked back to you. You smiled crookedly, trying to appear innocent. But that wasn't going to get you out of this. Nothing was.

So you shut your eyes, and got to work.

When you opened your eyes, Romance was slumped in your arms. Just like your own, every inch of his face was covered in hot pink lip prints almost matching his hair. Mouth in a blissed-out smile. Face heated. It was like he was on something.

The camera shutter went off, "Excellent," The photographer breathed, eyeing the shots with wonder.

Mystery's reference one had you stumbling. "Is this...really okay to publish to fans??"

"Oh, darling," Photography guy chuckled like he knew something you didn't. But you knew something too; that you didn't fucking want to know what he knew.

So you stood, as they put a fucking collar around Mystery's muscular neck. Put a leash on the collar and tied an intricate knot around your wrist with the end of it.

And while Malak looked thrilled at the idea of being tied to you, you shook your wrist, eyeing the ribbon unaffectionately.

"Woah!" Your finger dug into his back when he delves for your neck. You weren't used to such a sensitive place being touched. Your other hand went to his hair, tightening on his scalp.

"That's it, put those big arms 'round her, champ!! Nuzzle your face in a bit more. Nice and tight now!!"

And oh god, the blue-grey haired boy didn't have to be told twice.

You hadn't thought much about it before. But now they were all pressing into you one after the other and you couldn't help but notice how big they all were. Even Baby, the smallest of them all was much taller than you.

"How much longer?" You couldn't help but mumble now, as you sat leaned back against Baby's chest as per the photographer's instructions. His legs were on either side of you. He'd locked them around you at some point and laughed when you couldn't get free. But he did let go. You still couldn't flee though.

"Trés adorable!! Just like that!! Put your arms around her neck!!" The photographer couldn't even hear you. He was gushing over the sight of you two together. You just didn't understand the appeal.

You actually forced yourself to look at the photos this time. They were aesthetically pleasing to say in the least. Though you didn't like the concept, the photographer had made them into a masterpiece. In some shots Beni looked cocky, smiling at you satisfiedly from the back. In others, he looked at you with this...mix of feelings in his eye.

You looked back at him now and he stared back unwaveringly. His lips didn't turn up into that mean cocky smirk or anything as usual. It was his large eyes that spoke to you instead. Just... pure emotions. Vulnerability. Want. Deprivation. He was spilling himself out to you without even speaking. Without even hesitating.

"Last member, honey. Gee-wizz you must be having the time of your life." Photo guy said jokingly but also seriously you didn't know which it was. You hoped it was joke. You were not having fun.

Especially when Jinu grabbed your shoulders and steered you back to the couch.

You were in shorts. you could feel the taut fabric of his pants as photo dude directed you to put your leg over his. You were told to go closer and you hesitated.

"Come onnnn, you kissed me before without hesitation. You're thinking for this??" This guy had a slap with his name on it lined up if he didn't shut up.

It was the second time photography guy's eyes almost popped out of his skull. You scooted closer to Jinu and quickly said, "Jokes, ahaha. Jinu's really funny off camera." You couldn't help but wince. What a lie. Jinu made you do the opposite of laugh. The amount of times you'd held back tears at the idea of being unable to leave their house, god.

His hand was now on your ankle, caressing. Moving up further. Photo guy was drinking this up. "Juuust like that. Keep looking at her like that."

He wouldn't say much about your emotions. Probably because he could read out clearly how badly you wanted to leave from here. You were sick of being surrounded by these male demons. But no one would understand.

⌗☾︎ ‧₊˚ ︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶⋅₊˚☽︎⌗

It was almost as if they knew how badly they'd pushed you the last day. Today, you were allowed home while the editors did their work on the shots and the bodyguards alone escorted the boys to their gig.

And it was almost as if your body knew how fucking mentally drained you were. The next minute you got home, you were out cold in your own sweet, sweet bed.

Now, 2pm the next day and you were still dead to the world. Your small form submerged in the sheets. Not silken soft ones from the penthouse, but your own. Mediocre cotton with coffee stains. You were in heaven; a dreamless sleep like no other.

You weren't on alert. You were safe in your own home. Your own personal space.

You loved your personal space. But guess what? The Saja Boys love your personal space too.

While you were passed out still, your front door opened. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. She doesn't even have an extra lock on the door." The low voice of Jinu buzzed in the background.

Baby Saja was the first to find your curled up form, barely taking up half your bed. And yet so comfortably asleep.

"Damn, she's exhausted."

"We worked her to the bone so that she'd stay," Abby shrugged, huge form leaning upon the door frame with his arms crossed.

Romance narrowed his eyes. Was he jealous of your bed? Maybe. His hand closed around one of the bed posts. He shook it hard. The entire bed shook. Self satisfied he stood up straight. "This beds rickety. Unsafe for her."

They were talking so carelessly loud. Mystery wasn't talking but was creating his own racket as he crawled onto the bed beside you. Feeling the sheets, grimacing in dissaproval when he sees they're not soft and luxurious like theirs. But you weren't stirring.

You were on your stomach, small arms closed around your head pillow as you mushed it up close to your face. It wasn't difficult for the boys to admire you like this.

Leaning in, pecking your face, stroking your hair. Running their hands down the dips and curves of your body through the duvet. Enamoured, they were. Good for you, you didn't wake up and notice.

"Wakey wakey baby~ We got pizza. It's your favourite; BBQ chicken." Jinu smiled, running his hand through your hair. Never had they seen you in such a state of peace and calm and vulnerability. Even when you slept over at theirs, you forever looked high on alert. Eyebrows knitted together, mumbling as if you were attempting to repell these demons even in your sleep.

You stirred, and turned over, still dozing. They watched, calmly. Until Abby, the more thoughtless and callous of them all, scooped up your small form into his arms. He liked having you against his muscles like this. It was a fixation for him at the moment; how pliant and clueless and soft you were between his arms.

It was a small of a thing as an all-too-familiar ghost of breath against your neck that had you jolting awake. You opened your mouth for a curse but your throat was all closed up from sleep.

You scrambled away and sat up, rubbing your eyes. You chose to ignore the way you were woken up, "How do you know my favourite-??"

They exchanged looks. They may or may not have looked under your car seats for takeaway bills and learnt the contents off by heart.

They wanted to tell you, but they shrugged instead. "All humans like pizza. And these just seemed to be popular toppings."

You walked straight past them to the bathroom, yawning as you did so. They sighed in relief. Thank god you were too tired to give them second thoughts. At the same time they wanted your thoughts though. Seconds, thirds, all of them.

You were an angelic little thing. All flushed cheeks and droopy eyes. Voice husky. Unable to even comprehend what they were saying properly because you were too disoriented. It was the first time they got to see what you were really like after an actual deep sleep. You were fucking ethereal.

In a loose knit sweater and the smallest fucking sleep shorts, you were walking sin and had no idea about it.

Mystery smiled, ringed fingers stroking against the coarse fabric of your pillow. It was an immense joy that filled him as he watched you obliviously walk into the bathroom. He was about to make good on your promise to him.

⌗☾︎ ‧₊˚ ︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶⋅₊˚☽︎⌗

TAGLIST ༉‧₊˚✧↳ @yumekono @levifiance @amery-benson-cvii @wantstoliveinfantasy @osball @apelepikozume @st3f13ily @little-ponkan @strayharmony943 @lazy-panther @scara-simp69 @p1nkpaperstars @ryuucollapse @tatsuri-zomushiki @crescent-z @wpdarlingpan @natllo @daikiswife @kinichportablecharger @realifezompire @i-am-here3 @daiyanomochi @elevenbts @hornehlittleweeblet @reni502 @nonetheartist @sanaxo-o @mshope16 @calmmell @luna-looniesblog @doodle-with-rhy @starr-matterr @fidenciocryptidcreechur @chirikoheina @ceramic-raven @whatdoesthesenpai @megapintofmilkshake @lover-girl009 @yandereaficionado @moon0goddess @neuvilletteswife4ever @hurts-my-brain @consecratedvampire91 @moonchildjae00 @coolnekochan9961 @misdollface

[shellybortpresents]

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? mom yes, dad no.

02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? husby <3

03: Do you regret anything? so much, lol but i'm doing the hard work to let it go, because some things are beyond addressing at this point. in other instances i did my best, and i still feel bad. both get me nowhere, so i do the work. hopefully, one day, it'll work :)

04: Are you insecure? not really, anymore. i guess slightly, sometimes... mostly in situations where i'm dealing with men who i can tell hate women and something important needs to get done. that's always hard. but in general - not really. insecurity is a huge life waster, and i spent enough time insecure in my youth.

05: What is your relationship status? insanely happily married <3

06: How do you want to die? in my old age after a long long happy life, in my husband's arms.

07: What did you last eat? coffee and toast

08: Played any sports? softball when i was young. i was so good at it.

09: Do you bite your nails? no, gross.

10: When was your last physical fight? never. i don't do that.

11: Do you like someone? i like almost everyone.

12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? no, i'd probably die. i've come close, but i doze off for small increments within days... i can't fully stay awake.

13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? just the dictator cheeto, and most men online.

14: Do you miss someone? my perfect angel niece <3

15: Have any pets? in my heart - still 6. currently in my arms - 2 </3

16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? extremely sick. i've had covid for 14 days and i'm just getting worse. i think i have bronchitis or the beginnings of pneumonia.

17: Ever made out in the bathroom? lol ohhhhhhhh yes <3

18: Are you scared of spiders? more so than most things.

19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? 100% yes.

20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? oh gosh, it was 15 days ago, so i can't remember, but probably my hubs in bed before i woke up sick.

21: What are your plans for this weekend? sleep, and protect our kids during the 4th fireworks and fall out. we hate it.

22: Do you want to have kids? How many? no answer, no answer.

23: Do you have piercings? How many? just ears, 4. hoping to get my nose done... maybe on my 50th bday :)

24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? it was always english/reading/literature. i was reading and comprehending at a college level in 1st grade. i failed practically everything aside from english, music, and photography, haha

25: Do you miss anyone from your past? no. i've made peace with those i did, and gotten back in touch with those i couldn't live without. i'm very happy with my life right now, i've done a lot of really hard work.

26: What are you craving right now? sleep. peace. health.

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? oh yes. i was being honest - i have many regrets.

28: Have you ever been cheated on? yes. more so than not.

29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? yes.

30: What’s irritating you right now? being so sick it literally hurts to breathe.

31: Does somebody love you? many people do and i'm so grateful <3

32: What is your favourite color? lavender, mustard yellow, blush pink, sky blue... they all swap places as my favorite.

33: Do you have trust issues? yes. one of the many things i work hard on in therapy.

34: Who/what was your last dream about? i was performing with renee rapp. it was so fun. for some reason i woke up coughing so hard i spit out some blood, no joke. i seriously need to go back to the e.r. but i'm so tiredddddd.

35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? my husband.

36: Do you give out second chances too easily? yes, but i'm working on it.

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? forget. i really have to do the work on forgiving. i tend to be way too hard core about that. it's a flaw.

38: Is this year the best year of your life? in most ways, no. it's been the hardest year of my life. but that may also make it the best. plus, i'm still alive. so isn't every year of life the best? <3

39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 12. then 20 for the next one. the first one was with a boy i loved so much, i didn't want anyone else to touch me for soooo long.

40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? no. never. will never, lol. the world doesn't deserve that, haha

51: Favourite food? my mom's lasagna, and pizza. also french bread with really good butter goes sooooo hard. and chocolate.

52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? no. i believe in action and reaction. i do believe some things happen because destiny exists, but definitelyy not everything.

53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? watched funny videos and played the times games with my husband whilst cuddling our kids, just like every night <3

54: Is cheating ever okay? Absolutely never. there's is never an excuse for disrespecting someone. all things can be done in kindness... even the hardest and most inconvenient things. grow up. be brave. take responsibility for yourself. don't be an a-hole. that's a young person's game.

55: Are you mean? as a default - no. when i feel extremely scared and threatened - i can be.

56: How many people have you fist fought? zero.

57: Do you believe in true love? 100%

58: Favourite weather? 68 degrees, by the ocean, wearing lots of layers, and hopefully it'll rain for part of the day <3

59: Do you like the snow? yes. but not driving in it. it scares me to death because of a situation that happened in 2023.... we literally almost died in a snowstorm. never again.

60: Do you wanna get married? i didn't, no. but then i met the right person, and it's been the best decision i ever made.

61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? no. i don't think "babe" or "baby" are cute. it's infantilizing and uncomfy and lazy.

62: What makes you happy? more things than i could ever list, but the tops are my hubs, my kids, my niece, my friends, coffee, beach, movies, and gardening.

63: Would you change your name? no.

64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? nope, i do it a thousand times a day :) or, i will again, when i'm better.

65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? have a very strange talk with them, cuz they're gay.

66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? of course. i can fully be myself around ALL my friends. they wouldn't be my friends if i couldn't.

67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? my husband. what are these questions? from an 11 year old? haha

68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? my husband.

69: Do you believe in soulmates? no. but i do believe we're perfect for each other.

70: Is there anyone you would die for? i would die for most people <3

70 horrible questions ... Fuck it

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? 02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? 03: Do you regret anything? 04: Are you insecure? 05: What is your relationship status? 06: How do you want to die? 07: What did you last eat? 08: Played any sports? 09: Do you bite your nails? 10: When was your last physical fight? 11: Do you like someone? 12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? 13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? 14: Do you miss someone? 15: Have any pets? 16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? 17: Ever made out in the bathroom? 18: Are you scared of spiders? 19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? 20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? 21: What are your plans for this weekend? 22: Do you want to have kids? How many? 23: Do you have piercings? How many? 24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? 25: Do you miss anyone from your past? 26: What are you craving right now? 27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? 28: Have you ever been cheated on? 29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? 30: What’s irritating you right now? 31: Does somebody love you? 32: What is your favourite color? 33: Do you have trust issues? 34: Who/what was your last dream about? 35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? 36: Do you give out second chances too easily? 37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? 38: Is this year the best year of your life? 39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? 51: Favourite food? 52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? 53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? 54: Is cheating ever okay? 55: Are you mean? 56: How many people have you fist fought? 57: Do you believe in true love? 58: Favourite weather? 59: Do you like the snow? 60: Do you wanna get married? 61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? 62: What makes you happy? 63: Would you change your name? 64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? 65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? 66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? 67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? 68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? 69: Do you believe in soulmates? 70: Is there anyone you would die for?

[organic-bloodbath]

HI BAE! i want to request a fic for junhee x fem reader. like maybe reader carries her during the jump rope game? i miss her so badd

Carry her

Jun-hee x Reader

Summary: As above

A/N: We are not letting her die. Also pls request smth about No-eul or Hyun-ju 🥹❤️

♡♡♡

You watched Myung-gi talking to Jun-hee but couldn't hear their words. She was sitting down on a bench due to her injured ankle. The conversation didn't seem to go well at all, it was more like an argument – neither of them happy whatever the other was saying.

Eventually, Myung-gi turned around and headed towards the bridge, leaving Jun-hee all alone. The hell? Was he actually going to just abandon the mother of his child like that? You knew Myung-gi was a fucking moron but a part of you thought he still cared about her. Cared about someone else than himself anyway.

You glanced towards the bridge, the players starting to cross it one after another. Some managed to progress quite far along the bridge, while some where swept off their feet by the rope and thrown into their death.

Then, you turned towards Jun-hee and started approaching her. She had fallen into her own thoughts after Myung-gi left her, twiddling her thumbs on her lap. Jun-hee battled with herself what she was going to do – she couldn't possibly manage to pass this game by herself. She was certainly dead already, her leg fucking everything up.

Gi-hun promised to come back to get Jun-hee next, first taking her baby into safety. He was going to help her. He– Oh, who was she kidding? He couldn't get back to her in time, the other players trying to pass the game too blocking his way back. Jun-hee knew Gi-hun wanted her safe, knew that he'd do his best to protect her but he couldn't help her now. Not anymore. Jun-hee trusted that Gi-hun would take great care of her baby, keep her safe.

"What was that all about?" you asked, interrupting Jun-hee's thougths, grounding her back to the reality.

"Nothing," Jun-hee mumbled and shook her head, avoiding eye contact with you for a moment.

"Come on, i'll carry you," you offered, taking a step closer to her. Jun-hee's eyes widened as she looked at you.

"What?" she asked, sure that she had heard you incorrectly. When she realized you were serious, she shook her head and continued, "No, you can't carry me. We'll both fall."

"We'll both die anyway if we stay here," you pointed out and sat next to her, taking her hand in yours and brushed her knuckles with your thumb. "We're a team, aren't we?"

"You have to go through without me," she said and gave you a sad smile, trying to assure you that everything was alright. That it was alright to go and leave her on this side while all the others attempted to cross the bridge.

"Jun-hee," you sighed and put your arm around her shoulder. "I'll take you over there. I'll take you to your baby, alright?"

Jun-hee trusted you, of course she did. You had saved and helped her in almost every game and would offer your help now as well.

She had held your hand while she gave birth, squeezing it so hard it could have crushed your bones but you didn't complain a word. You had pulled her into a room during Mingle. You had helped her stay still during the Red light Green light when the baby kicked her, startling her. You had given a part of your meal to her because "she was eating for two" and "you weren't that hungry anyway".

Now that Jun-hee thought about it a little more – what had she ever done to you? You had helped her in so many more ways than just one, but how had she managed to help you?

Jun-hee hadn't known you for a long time but you had been there for her more than Myung-gi had during the entire time with him. She felt so much more appreciated and seen with you. That's why she couldn't possibly let you get killed because you were dragging her with you in this state.

But Jun-hee looked into your eyes, a glimmer of hope in them that maybe, just maybe, she could hold her daughter at least one more time. Maybe she could live yet another day.

"Please, Jun-hee?" you said, giving a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. "Let's get out of here, you and me."

Eventually Jun-hee gave in and climbed on your back, clinging herself tightly against you with her arms around your shoulders and neck, legs wrapped around your waist.

"Hold on tight," you whispered, making sure you had a firm grip on her too before putting your foot on the bridge. Her hand grabbed your shirt on your chest, keeping the fabric inside her fist right against your heart. You wished Jun-hee wouldn't take too good of a notice how fast your heart was beating right now.

Having looked at the bridge and the rope from afar, it hadn't looked so bad. However, now that you were about to cross the bridge yourself, the reality of it struck much harder. You made a mistake to briefly look down, seeing a few bodies scattered around the flower patterned floor, each lying in their own pool of blood.

Jun-hee squeezed her eyes closed, not daring to look down. No matter how much she did trust you, she was still sure that the two of you wouldn't make it. Well, at least you tried and didn't completely give up.

Jump, thump. Two steps forward.

Jump, thump. Two steps forward.

Everyone else had crossed the bridge by far, which meant that every player who had survived was now staring at you and Jun-hee, giving you even more anxiety than you already were going through. God, how much you hated people staring at you when you were trying to concentrate on doing something.

Especially something which would result to ending your life completely.

Then... there was the gap. Fuck, you hadn't thought of this. The gap looked wider than it probably was. You swallowed, unsure if you could make it or not.

Jump, thump. Jump, thump. Jump, thump.

What's going on, why did you stop? You were doing so well, Jun-hee thought but didn't open her eyes and kept her mouth shut.

Jump, thump. Two steps forward.

There we go.

Jump, thump. Two steps forward.

Jun-hee was waiting for the moment when she wouldn't hear and feel the thump anymore, the bridge steady under your feet. When she'd only feel air brushing her as you'd fall to the field of flowers among the other corpses. But that moment didn't come. Jun-hee still didn't dare to look how far they had progressed and also how much was still left to go. How many jumps over the rope.

Then suddenly, people started to cheer. Jun-hee finally opened her eyes and looked around her, being now surrounded by other players.

You let Jun-hee down just when the timer hit zero, her legs shaking from fear and anxiety. Jun-hee tried to comprehend the situation for a moment, trying to make herself believe that she, too, had passed the game and was still alive.

Jun-hee grabbed your arm and pulled you into a tight hug, burying her face against your chest.

"Thank you," she mumbled against the fabric, warming your chest with her hot breath. "Thank you, Y/N."

After she pulled away from you, she lifted herself on her tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss on the corner of your lip.

"If we'll get out of here alive, i'll repay the favor for you," Jun-hee promised with a smile.

"You'll save my life too some day, huh?" you smirked but felt your cheeks warming up. Jun-hee noticed the slight pink spreading on your cheeks and thought it was cute.

"Well, i would if i could. But i hope we won't end up in another life or death situation," Jun-hee smiled, crossing her fingers.

Gi-hun approached her, handing the baby over back to Jun-hee who took the baby in her arms, wrapped in her own jacket.

"Hi, sweetie," Jun-hee whispered and caressed the baby's cheek with her finger.

You made eye contact with Myung-gi who was standing a little further back but was watching you and Jun-hee, guilt and shame washing through his face. He knew Jun-hee wanted nothing to do with him anymore, that was clear enough.

"Y/N?" Jun-hee said, ripping your attention to herself from Myung-gi. "Would you carry her back to the dorm? You know, um, my leg."

She offered the baby for you to hold. You looked at Jun-hee and her baby for a moment until smiled and nodded.

"Of course," you agreed and carefully took the baby in your arms, wrapped inside the jacket. An even wider smile spread on your face. "Hi, there."

Jun-hee looked at you with her daughter in awe, the sight making her heart flutter. She knew for sure that she'd want to have you in their life.

That was, if both of you survived the final game tomorrow.

♡♡♡

[revelboo]

Howdy! So idk if you heard or not, but Michael Bay is coming back and is in progress of making another movie. How do you feel about that? Honestly hope it doesn't flop like the last 2 he made 🤩😖

🤣 so he’s going from directing Skibidi Toilet straight to the Transformers/ GI Joe crossover… I have so many fears/concerns about this… can’t… can’t we just have a sequel to TFO? Or the Bumblebee movie with those lovely G1 designs from the beginning instead of that blasphemy they did to Wheeljack in ROTB? Please? Please?

Someone had asked about created Cybertronians and their sparks/ability to bond or have sparklings and my brain kind of took off.

So I’d think that even though Sunstorm is Starscream’s clone created by Shockwave, his spark would have been altered enough from Star’s own for Sunstorm to functionally be independent of Star.

Springer’s spark was created from scratch by Mesothulas to be indistinguishable from the genuine article, so I’d think he’d be able to function like a normal Cybertronian bonding/sparking, too. Thought there might be some oddities.

Then we have the Vehicons. Who seem to be expendable, mass produced identical clones meant to be cannon fodder. I don’t see the Decepticons creating them and bothering to go to the effort to tweak each spark to make them true individuals, so in my head they’re kind of a collective consciousness with each Vehicon developing their own personalities. Maybe even dimly aware of each other to a point and aware when they lose one of their own, feeling it echo through them when a spark is snuffed out. If we go with that interconnected interpretation, then if one of them, Steve, for example, bonds a human, that human just inadvertently bonded all of them. Accidentally unlocking the achievement of most alien husbands.

Legion

Steve and Vehicons x Reader

• Sandwiched between Steve and one of his many, identical brothers, you run your fingers over the mesh of his neck as his own hand rests against your side, servos flexing occasionally like a cat kneading a blanket. And his head bumps yours, visor brightening. Because these soft touches are the norm between you. Have no idea what you are exactly to him and the other Vehicons, but they tend to reach for you. Touch you almost reverently and at this point, you can’t manage to feel shy anymore about it. “I wish they were nicer to all of you,” you whisper after he tells you about his day.

• Nudging your head with his own and rumbling softly, he loves how sweet you are for caring about them when no one else does. They’re expendable. Built to fight until they die. That’s their only purpose. But spending time around you makes him want more. Want things not allowed him or his brothers. And he’s aware of them all around the two of you, recharging as near to you as they can get and he’s not sure if it’s just you or if they’re being infected by his own needs. To be close to you, to feel the warmth of you against him, the beat of your heart. And one of his brothers shifts at your back, servos fisting in your shirt. Clinging to you.

• It’s not right and it makes your heart ache for them when he talks like this. Like nothing that’s done to them matters. Like he doesn’t matter. He’s sweet and kind and gentle. He’s not just a thing to be used and thrown away.

• “You’re a real person,” you argue, chin lifting and eyes angry on their behalf to make him love you even more. Even this, just being able to touch you feels wrong. You’d been the one to reach out to him. Holding his hand, touching his chassis, his face, because humans are tactile and he’d been so desperate for contact he hasn’t corrected you. And it still makes him feel guilty for being allowed these moments, like he’s dirtying you with himself. Shouldn’t touch you, hold you.

• “We all have the same cloned spark,” he argues and you frown at him. Why does he always talk like they’re nothing? Less than other Cybertronians. And he’s shifting his plating and you lose what you were going to say as you stare at the pulsing light inside him bathing you in its glow. Alien and still oddly familiar. Breath catching at the beauty and warmth of it, you reach out and it arcs to meet your fingertips.

• Should have stopped you, but couldn’t move. Frozen because you’d reached for him like you’ve done all along and he’d wanted to feel you brush up against his spark, sure that nothing can come of it because he’s only a clone. So it’s a delicious shock to feel you tangled in him. Your soft, warmth held inside his spark and he’s desperately wrapping around you. Clinging to that feeling of home and belonging that’s you. Asking for more of you, to keep you as your memories and emotions drug him. And you accept him. Accept them all. Aware of his brothers stirring, that they can feel it spreading through them.

[nevergetoffthebus]

Excerpt from Greg Rucka's weekly newsletter "Front Towards Enemy" 1 July 2025

Once upon a time, I wrote a story I described as "a fairy tale of blood and bullets."

It was, on its face, an action-adventure that centered on an immortal woman – a warrior – who was at least 6,000 years old. I liked the idea that, if experience is the best teacher, and that, if our greatest lessons come from our mistakes, that she'd be the most lethal person in the history of… history. Six thousand years of fighting, I figured she'd made just about every mistake it was possible to have made. Since the ones that would've killed her didn't, she was the walking, talking proof that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Andromache the Scythian, art by Leandro Fernández

I thought about all she'd have seen and experienced, and how much that would've changed, especially in the last three centuries. How the world was accelerating. How frustrating it would be to her, and how exhausting. I thought about the fact that, when a new weapon or tactic or technique came along, she could just slip off and spend a year or five or ten mastering it.

I thought about the fact that, after all her time, with all the places she had gone, the languages she had learned and forgotten, the people she had met, the cultures she had experienced, all she'd seen, she would have no patience for racism or bigotry or prejudice. Her personal experience simply wouldn't allow it. She would have long ago determined that, wherever you went, people were always just… people. Some were good, some were bad, and most were just trying to get by. It didn't matter how they looked or who they loved. They were people.

Then I thought, given all this, that kind of bullshit would actually piss her the hell off. It would make her angry. Cruelty would make her angry. Exhausted and worn down by life she may be, but cruelty would always bring her back to the battle.

I thought about how lonely her life would be, and what a double-edged sword (or labrys?) her continued existence would have become. I thought about how impossible it is to move through the world without making some connections, how impossible it would be to defend her heart for centuries upon centuries. I thought about how we fall in love when we absolutely do not want to, and I thought about how many times she had fallen in love, and how many of those loves she had lost.

Nicolo di Genoa and Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Kaysani, called al-Tayyib, or Nicky and Joe, if you'd rather. Art by Leandro Fernández

I thought about the existential dread of never dying. The cold horror of outliving the planet. The galaxy. The universe. Of everything being gone… except you. 

I really liked this woman, but that wasn't a story. It was a character, but it wasn't a story.

For a story, I needed more. There needed to be others like her. Not many. Very few, in fact. And to complicate matters, and to highlight that existential dread, I decided that sometimes these immortals could die, but they didn't know how or why, that it would just sometimes happen to them out of the blue. The wound that had never claimed them a hundred times before suddenly would. They didn't know why. They didn't know when.

Sébastien le Livre, a.k.a. "Booker." Art by Leandro Fernández

So this woman, she was the oldest of them by far, and yet she kept going. Her time just wouldn't come, and she was so tired, genuinely tired of life, and so worn down and so repeatedly disappointed by the world, and still, as friends and lovers and brothers-in-arms passed, she continued.

Writing all of this, that sounds grim, but the thing was, the story I wanted to write wasn't meant to be grim. It was, sincerely, meant to be fun. I mean, I'd created this group with this woman and these two guys who'd fallen in love trying to kill each other during the First Crusade, and this other guy who'd been conscripted into Napoleon's army, and they did what they knew how to do. They fought. They were soldiers.

And since they couldn't die, I could pretty much do to them anything the Road Runner did to the Coyote in those cartoons, you know? 

Blow 'em up, drop an anvil on them, drive them headlong into a cliff, you name it, I could do it. 

I could do it because Leandro Fernández was going to draw it, and Leo's got an amazing art style that is at once emotive and cartoony. Things that would look turn-your-guts disgusting in another artist's hands instead looked icky and goofy, not gross. Leo understood the absurdity as much as he understood the emotion. Bonus? Leo is something of a history nut, and if I said a scene was set in 1478, he'd get to work finding reference.

The first story, the introductory story, was pretty self-evident. There was a new member to the group. This new member, contemporary, she'd be our way in. 

Nile Freeman, by Leandro Fernández

And this first story would set the foundation, which meant that it had to set stakes, but it had to define the world. Mythology could wait. In truth, I didn't want to ever explain why they were immortal. I think far too many stories are obsessed with explaining the why, and I think it cheapens them. Nine times out of ten, the why doesn't matter, and answering the why very often leads to betraying the promise of the premise.

Beware the why, my children, for that way lies midi-chlorians.

I was writing the fourth issue of the original series of THE OLD GUARDwhen I realized – as I have remarked before elsewhere – that I was really writing about the death of my father. I was trying to make sense of it, not specifically (fuck cancer) but generally. Why do we have to die? What is the merit in it? What is death's benefit?

I've found some answers, one or two that satisfy me. But I still wrestle with it. I suppose that's one of the things life demands, that we wrestle with this question.

I wrote the initial series not expecting much of it, honestly. I'd lucked out big time when Leo had agreed to draw it, I knew that, and I knew the book looked amazing, what with Leo's art and what Daniela Miwa was doing on colors and Jodi Wynne was doing with the lettering. But I didn't really have high expectations for the book. I figured, eh, maybe people will enjoy it. That's not dismissive – if some people enjoy my work, that's pretty much the win condition for me.

I just hoped some people would enjoy it, that was it.

THE OLD GUARD is arguably the most successful thing I've ever written, comics or prose, which just shows you how little I understand the market and my own audience, I guess.

One thing led to another and Hollywood came calling, and the folks at Skydance were willing to let me write the screenplay. This amazing director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, read the script and wanted to direct it. Then this actress nobody had ever heard of before agreed to play Andromache the Scythian. Skydance brought in Marc Evans to produce. The movie did well enough that Netflix wanted another one.

And here we are.

I hope it makes you laugh, and maybe makes you cry, and most of all, gives you a chance to slip into a fairytale of blood and bullets, if only for a short time.

Most of all, I hope that you enjoy it.

(View in browser and sign up here https://front-towards-enemy.ghost.io/09-time-after-time/?ref=front-towards-enemy-newsletter )

[mydarlingclaudia]

He waits for you, always yours, especially now.

Death came to him softly, later than he’d expected and gentler than anything he ever deserved, but his last stand was in your shared room in the house you both bought and fixed up together.

It's getting eloped instead of having a big wedding, you don't get a diamond, just a gold wedding band that matches his own, his initials carved into yours and yours into his. Simon never said "I love you" very much, but you saw it in the way he looked at you in the mornings and when you did yard work together.

He wouldn't say you got married young, mostly because you didn't, but thirty is still pretty young when you look at the bigger picture, you got married because he was in town. Your brother had just died, he was too young for it and death wasn't kind to him in the slightest, Simon was there for the funeral since him and your brother had grown up together. It was a stupid idea and one that didn't really make a lot of sense, but he asked you to marry him because he didn't want you to be alone.

It took time, but he still found a way to be comfortable loving you. He began to miss a little more every time he left for a mission, he found more reasons to talk to you when he was home (it was really your house, you were living separately at the time), he got you things and took you out for dinner if you were feeling up for it. And he'd kissed you before, usually just when he'd come home, but the first time he really put some heart into a kiss was on Christmas when you'd gotten him a mug with a stupid joke on it.

After that he began to seek you out more, he'd hug you when you'd do dishes and pull you closer when you sat down to watch TV together, you especially seemed to like it when he'd pull you back into bed when he stayed the night.

Simon bought the house he'd die in when he was thirty-nine and you were thirty-six, he took some of that vacation time he's been accumulating for years to help you paint it and fix the lighting. There's this spot in the kitchen that makes the room look golden when the light hits it right, his team met you for the first time when he invited them over for drinks, he'd never uttered a word about you before then.

Your daughter was born in a blizzard, it was the only baby you'd ever have, but neither you or Simon were particularly picky about that fact. She completely flipped your house upside down, it was one of the best things that had happened to Simon, she'd hang from his biceps and headbutt his gut, Simon told her you were strictly off limits when it came to roughhousing.

He'd wake up to her being sandwiched between the two of you, unable to deny her the very narrow spot in your bed. He'd make breakfast for the three of you and would take her to the playground after you went to work, ice cream was bought almost every day.

After she grew up and you and Simon both retired, not much changed. You still had slow mornings and you'd sit on the porch each day and eat dinner. When she started her own family, she'd bring your grandson over every week and Simon would talk to his son-in-law about the weather and his daughters old play-pen he never got rid of. When one grandkid turned into three, Simon bought a bigger dinner table and would talk about how you stole his heart right out of his chest.

When the grandkids got older and eventually started to spread their wings, you and Simon were slowing down. He thought a lot more, he knew he didn't deserve all of these good things and that there were so many different ways the two of you could have started off, but he can't find it in himself to be upset. He never expected to have a life like this and he's just happy that his grandkids weren't scared of his smile.

He dies three years before you do, and you swear that every morning you can feel a kiss being planted on your shoulder, even that you hear his laugh sometimes.

[roniii-ii]

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader; Bless the Broken Road

Fandom- Top Gun: Maverick

Pairing- Jake x fem!reader

Summary- After moving to Fightertown, USA, you decide to go to The Hard Deck for a drink. It was the most highly recommended bar in town, so why not? And you run into a bit of a familiar face. Is there still a spark there? Or are you just going to end up with your heartbroken?

Notes- This is my first Top Gun fic and I haven’t written an x reader fic in literally like. 3 years 😭 so please bear with me with this one y’all. And yes I wrote this while having ‘Bless the Broken Road’ by Rascal Flatts on repeat (don't judge). Also! @/geminiwritten helped me come up with some ideas for this fic and helped to flesh a couple parts out, so go give her love cause it was actually her fics that gave me the want to delve back into this and they’re all amazing! (Thank you Bee you’re literally amazing! 🎉)

Warnings- lots of fluff with a sprinkle of angst (it’s barely there), Jake is very sweet to the reader, italics, some misunderstandings, not proofread we die like Goose

Word Count- 6805

You never thought you’d find yourself in Fightertown, USA. Yet here you were. When your mom moved out here for a job opportunity, she asked you to move with her. You agreed, thinking it would be easier just to be closer to your mom. Of course, you had your own space, just a small little apartment. And your job paid well enough, so you were comfortable.

But living in this town only reminded you of a past you thought you’d buried over a decade ago back in your little town in Texas. The past that you’d forced yourself to bury when a certain blond haired man left and just…didn’t come back. And no, he’s not dead. You knew that much at the very least.

Jake Seresin had been your boyfriend in high school. Junior year of high school, he asked you out to homecoming, all embarrassed. But genuine. And you’d fallen for those green eyes, so you said yes. And god was that year and a half the most magical of your life, for a high school relationship anyway.

And then he sprung on you that he was going to be joining the Navy. Of course, you weren’t going to demand he stays. He had expressed his interest in the past, but it was in passing when military recruiters had come to their high school during college fairs. But you both had a conversation about it. You both agreed that it would be easier if you weren’t officially together anymore when he left. Letting him focus on boot camp and so you wouldn’t be tied down, simple as that. Though, of course, it was far from simple.

So the day came that he left for boot camp. You cried, he hugged you and kissed you goodbye, saying he’d call as much as he could. And he did at first. But when he graduated from boot camp and got his first orders, the calls became almost nonexistent. You got updates through his parents when they knew things. But when they moved away a year after Jake’s first deployment, that whole ritual ended.

And that was years ago. You’d had a couple relationships in that span of time, but nothing that stuck. Nothing that felt like him.

You decided that tonight, you really needed to just relax. You’d been in San Diego for two months and hadn’t given yourself much of a break. Moving into your apartment, helping your mom move into her place, work. Finally, things didn’t feel so chaotic. And as much as you loved your mom, you were an adult. You needed to have some time to yourself.

So what better than to find a bar in town to go to on Google? When you typed in the searchbar, a place that had outstanding reviews called The Hard Deck popped up. Good service, nice atmosphere, and it was right on the beach. You took a quick 15 minute shower and got dressed in something super simple, not bothering with makeup before slipping out your door.

Luckily, the bar was only a 10 minute drive from your apartment building. When you got there, it was only 5:30 pm, but it already seemed like there were a good amount of people here.

You got out of your car and walked inside, looking around. It was certainly naval themed, and considering the amount of khaki uniforms and men and women wearing flight suits you could see? It was definitely popular with the people from the naval base here.

You squeeze your way towards the bar and lean against it, still taking in everything around you when an older woman came over to you from behind the bar. “Hi, hun. Can I get you started with something?” She asked.

“Surprise me.” You decided to say and she smiled, giving you a little wink. She disappeared and placed a beer in front of you. “Beer?”

“Best damn beer in town. Why so surprised?” “Most people take me for a wine drinker.” She looked you up and down as she smiled.

“And are you?”

“No, not really.”

She smiled wider. “I figured. What’s your name, hun? I’ve never seen you in here before.”

You gave her your name and shook her hand. “I just moved into town a couple months ago and figured it was time I got out of my apartment.”

“Well, welcome. I’m Penny. If anyone gives you any trouble or you need anything, you just give me a holler.”

You smiled and raised your beer to her. “I will. Thank you, Penny.”

“No problem, sweetheart.” She quickly moved to serve someone else at a different part of the bar. You already had a report with your bartender. You counted that as a personal win.

You slowly and quietly nursed your beer, taking in the aesthetic of the bar. It was nice and you could understand why it was so highly rated and recommended. It was cozy. There were plenty of booths and standing tables, not to mention a fair amount of space at the bar. And almost everyone who happened to bump into you threw out a quick and respectful “sorry ma’am” before moving on. So at least the people were enjoyable too. On one side of the bar, there were a couple pool tables and a dart board. Both of which currently had khaki clad men around them. Oh- and one woman.

Said woman seemed to have just won the game of pool. She cheered before turning to the one man that wasn’t in uniform, a man in an open Hawaiian shirt and a pretty impressive moustache, and threw both of her middle fingers up in his face. He looked wildly unimpressed while looking down at her while a man wearing aviator glasses just started laughing at the woman’s antics. You couldn’t help but stifle your own giggles too. They were amusing to say the least.

You kept glancing around before your eyes landed on a jukebox against one of the walls. You were surprised to even see one. The last time you’d seen one was when Jake had taken you to this little diner back in high school. It was a cute place and he’d insisted on dancing with you. You were embarrassed beyond belief, but you couldn’t help the way you smiled with the way he spun you around and held you close. Not to mention the women behind the counter thought you two were absolute sweethearts.

You blinked and shook your head. Why were you thinking about him? You were supposed to be trying to relax, not make your heart hurt over the one who got away. You were too busy just looking at the bartop to realize someone had sidled up next to you. He was going to call for Penny when someone nudged him fairly hard and it caused him to stumble in your direction.

And spill his drink directly into your lap.

You gasped as both drink and ice hit your legs, immediately soaking into the jeans you wore. “Oh shit!”

“Ah- damn. I’m sorry about that darlin’!” You noticed a bit of a southern drawl came out with that pet name. “Let me make it up to you and buy you a drink, on me.” And now you caught the sudden hint of flirtation.

“No, no, it’s alright. Just get me a couple napkins and we’ll call it ev-” you had glanced up for a second before having to do a double take at the man’s nameplate.

Seresin.

There was no fucking way.

Your head shot up to look at the man who’d just accidentally spilled what was left of his drink on you. And you met green eyes that, even after all this time, hadn’t changed.

“Jake..?”

Jake Seresin hadn’t changed much in the years since you’d seen him last. Though he wasn’t quite as lanky as he used to be was your first thought. But what were you expecting? He’s in the Navy. His blond hair was almost perfectly styled, probably regulation, not messy like you were used to. His facial features had become more defined now with age. Sharper nose, not so full of cheeks, a more chiseled jawline. And he had a playful smirk gracing said features. By God himself, Jake had somehow gotten a thousand times hotter and just waltzed back into your life as you were thinking about him.

That smirk on his face had fallen, however. He gazed at you with wide eyes before a more genuine expression took over his face and he said your name. God the way he said your name- okay! Pull yourself together, girl.

“Holy shit, is that really you?” And you couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Hey Jakey. How you been?”

He made a face at you, raising an eyebrow. ‘You know I absolutely hate when anyone calls me that.”

“No. You hate when most people call you that. I was your exception.”

He gave a charming smile that made your heart flutter and ache at the same time. “Damn, it is so good to see you. Hold on.” He leaned his forearms on the bartop. “Pen, dear? Could we get some napkins over here? I accidentally spilled my drink on this fine young lady here.” He called.

Penny almost immediately was standing in front of you both, handing you napkins that you quietly thanked her for. At least this wasn’t one of your nicer outfits, just an old pair of jeans.

“You sure you didn’t do it on purpose, Hangman?” Penny asked, raising an eyebrow and setting her hands on her hips. Jake raised his hands up before you quickly jumped to his defense.

“Oh- no, Penny. It really was an accident.” With your reassurance, she nodded and moved away again before you looked back up at the man next to you. “Hangman?”

He chuckled a little and nodded. “I��m a pilot, it’s my callsign.”

You smiled a little wider. “You’re a pilot? Jake, that's amazing. I remember you talking about wanting to do that in high school.”

“Yep. I’m a fighter pilot in a squadron stationed right here in Fightertown.” He smiled and you couldn’t help but smile back. He was still so perfect to you. Just as easy to talk to as if no time had passed between the two of you. But that was also a huge elephant in the room that it seemed neither of you were ready to address. “That’s actually most of my squadron over there playing pool.”

Your gaze was redirected to the pool tables where you’d watched the woman flip off the tall man in the Hawaiian shirt. “That’s amazing Jake. I’m really happy for you.”

“Did you wanna meet them? Only if you're not busy of course. I wouldn’t want to just steal you away if you have plans.”

“No plans. I’d love to.” You smiled at the way he seemed to light up a little and gestured for you to follow him. He still seemed to be the Jake you knew back then. But you weren’t going to get your hopes up.

– – – – –

Catching up with Jake over this next week was practically magical. You got his new number and you texted when neither of you were working. You even told him that your mother was demanding to have him over for dinner soon so she could see him again, which he immediately said he’d love to..

And not to mention, he’d introduced you to his friend group, which quickly became your friend group too. You got names and callsigns, which confused you a bit. At least Bob would be easy to remember. Everyone had been extremely nice when meeting you. You and Natasha, being the only women in that group, immediately clicked and were fast friends.

Saturday, when they all had time off, you all were back at The Hard Deck. You all were squished into a booth together, chatting away while Jake was off grabbing another round of drinks for everyone.

“So. You still haven’t told us how you know Hangman.” Reuben said as you sat on the end of the bench, pressed to Natasha’s side.

“Well, he and I grew up in the same little town in Texas, so we’ve at least known of one another since we were little. But he and I actually dated for a while in high school.” You were smiling a little at the memory. No matter how much you tried to keep that buried, you couldn’t help but think about it. It was a fond time. And Jake coming back into your life had dug a lot of those feelings back up.

When you realized no one had made a comment, you looked up and looked around at everyone. Most everyone was looking at you like you were crazy, except Javy, who just had a knowing look in his eyes.

“What?”

“Well it’s just that Hangman can be a bit of di-” Mickey was saying when Reuben elbowed him, causing him to start whining and complaining.

“You talk like you might still be in love with him.” Bradley said from his spot across from you. You couldn’t help the way the heat seemed to rise to your face. Because he wasn’t wrong.

Jake was just…something else. You knew it was more than just nostalgia over your first love. It had always been more than that. No matter how hard you tried to move on when he basically disappeared from your life, you just couldn’t. Everything reminded you of him, especially back in Texas. And now he was here. The universe had given you the gift of having him back, you just didn’t want to push things. Sure, he still acted like that boy who was absolutely taken with you back in high school. But literal years had passed since then. It was like you were getting to know him all over again and you didn’t want to rush into something, if there was anything that was going to happen that was.

“Oh Jesus, you are.” Natasha groaning caught your attention again, confusing you even further by the pure distaste in her tone as she sipped from her beer. “You better watch yourself, girl.”

“Okay- there was a much gentler way to put that, Phee.” Bob said, looking at his pilot in slight disbelief. Natasha met his look with one of her own with her eyebrow raised.

“I am a girls girl and I am just trying to warn her.”

Bob sighed and turned to look at you with a kind smile. “I think what Phoenix is trying to say,” he shot his partner another look which she waved off a bit, before he looked back at you with another smile, “is that you should remember people can change. Especially in that kind of time.”

“I…realize that. Is there something about Jake I should know?” You asked, beyond confused.

“Well, he’s known for being a bit of a player.” Reuben put simply.

“Flirts with anything that has legs.” Bradley said, causing Mickey to nearly choke on his beer with laughter.

Now you were really confused. Sure, in high school, Jake was a bit of a flirt. He’s always been good looking and you knew that. He certainly knew it too. But he was far from a player. He’d been so dedicated to you while he was with you. He never even spared any other girl a glance. The only one he paid any attention to was you. It made you feel extremely secure in your relationship with him while you were together, to the point you never questioned him when he had told you he loved you. Because he didn’t just say it.

Had he really changed that much..? Now you were really starting to think things over. Was the way he’d been acting recently really him anymore? And it must have showed on your face because Javy nudged your foot under the table, getting you to look at him.

“Don’t overthink this. I’ve known Jake for a while now. Trust your gut.” He said with a smile. You smiled back when Reuben cleared his throat.

“Bar. He just sidled up next to a woman.” Everyone's attention immediately went to the bar since they were all nosy. Even Bob was watching from over his cup of peanuts. And sure enough, Jake was leaning against the bartop with a gorgeous woman standing next to him. They seemed to be talking, at least she was.

She was being so obviously showy to attempt to get his attention. You’d encountered enough of those kinds of people in your lifetime to see it from a mile away. And you couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that struck you, tightening your grip on your beer bottle. But you had to remind yourself.

You and Jake were just friends reconnecting. You stopped being more when he left for boot camp. You had no room to feel jealous over a girl fawning over him. And touching his arm. And looking at him like she wanted all of him. Okay nope, you still felt jealous. And even felt a little sick to your stomach with dread. Because from what your new friends were saying, it was likely that he’d take this girl up on her forwardness.

But you saw Jake get the drinks from Penny, thank her, and then walk away from the girl, who looked offended by being blown off by him like that. You felt a sense of satisfaction at the upset look on her face. The entire squad was looking between each other in shock.

“Oh my god, did he just-” Bob looked between Natasha and Bradley.

Bradley was just as shocked as he looked at Natasha. “I think I’m dreaming. What just- OW! Phoenix what the hell, why’d you just kick my shin?!” He glared at the woman and she just smirked a little.

“Nope. You're not dreaming.”

“I hate you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh softly at their antics. You found yourself feeling relief when he walked away. Maybe they were wrong. Or maybe they were right and he just wasn’t interested in this specific girl.

“See?”Javy’s voice drew your attention. “Told you not to overthink it.” And before you could question him about the knowing look on his face, Jake rejoined them at their booth.

“Beers all around. Ah- except for you, Baby on Board. I got you your normal Sprite, keep your glasses on.” Jake said. And you caught the deadpan look Bob shot him as he accepted his drink from Jake. You had seen his snide remarks a few times already in the couple of times you’d hung out around the Daggers in the past week. But you could tell he did it just to get a bit of a rise out of people, not to piss them off. At least you hoped it wasn’t.

You lightly hit his arm as he slid into the booth next to you. “Jakey, be nice.” You chided him lightly, the nickname falling from your lips naturally, just like it used to. He looked at you with dread written all over his face when the table started to snicker.

“Jakey?” Reuben asked and the whole table erupted in laughter. You swore you could see Jake’s ears actually go pink from embarrassment.

“Oh shut it, Payback.” Jake snapped, shooting you a little glare. But you could see there was no real malice behind it. There was almost a hint of fondness when he looked at you. Or maybe you just imagined that.

You just smiled and shrugged. “Whoops?”

“Oh yeah, sure. I’ll never hear the end of this now.” You couldn’t help but laugh and Jake eventually laughed along with you, even if he still looked embarrassed.

But it seemed that Javy had other plans. He wasn’t going to let this topic of the woman at the bar go so easily. You all were laughing and talking when you heard Javy clear his throat, catching both your and Jake’s attention.

“So. Hangman. What was that whole thing with that woman at the bar?” Jake raised an eyebrow.

“Who? You mean the girl who was starting to get a little handsy?” You felt that pang of jealousy again just at the mention of her but shoved it down. “She’s just not my type.”

“Last I checked, everyone was your type.” Javy teased, only earning a chuckle from Jake. He didn’t deny it and that hurt a little. You glanced away and caught Phoenix’s eye, who was giving you a look that screamed I told you so. You were going to say something to her when Bob poked her in the side, getting her to jump. You thought you heard him tell her to lay off you and she started whisper-shouting at him. You swore, they bickered like an old married couple.

“Well, this girl wasn’t. I wasn’t interested in talking to her.”

“Like how you turned down that girl when you and I were here yesterday?” Javy prodded again and Jake rolled his eyes, just trying to blow it off. This only got Javy to chuckle. “Careful, Hangman. Keep turning down every girl like that and everyone will think you’re off the market and got a reason to turn them down.”

When Javy said that, Jake glanced your way and you met his eyes. And it felt like the air was stolen from your lungs. The way he was looking at you, like there was something there. The way his green eyes seemed to soften while looking at you. You felt your heart rate increase as you looked back at him, unable to breathe or look away.. There was no way this was how this went down, right?!

And then, the moment was over. He looked back at Javy with a casual smirk. “Come on. If I was off the market, you would’ve already known, Coyote. I’m still open to anyone.” And now it felt like your breath was gone, but in a completely different way. That one hurt. He must really not be interested anymore.

You couldn’t exactly blame him. I mean, you just had to look at him and his career. He was an attractive man, a part of a special squadron of elite fighter pilots, and excelling in his career. You should just feel happy that he’s back in your life as your friend.

…

You couldn’t help but want more though.

– – – – –

Jake

Jake couldn’t shake the way you had looked at him when Javy started pressing him. It had been two weeks since that conversation and he couldn’t shake it.

He had to be real with himself, he couldn’t shake any look you’d given him in the past three weeks since reuniting. He tried to play it off as he was just thrilled to have you back in his life. After so long apart, seeing you again? Having you around at almost all of his squads outings? It was like he completely shifted. His mood improved dramatically. Was he still egotistic and a bit of an asshole at work? Of course he was, when was he not? But he was just happier.

He also couldn’t deny how he felt whenever you stood between Reuben and Mickey as they argued over what was better, Star Wars or Star Trek, and laughed at their bickering. Or the way he felt whenever Bob nerded out to you over a book he was reading or a show he was watching and you listened, completely enraptured as he spoke. Or how he felt last night. When everyone had gone to The Hard Deck after work. And Bradley had dragged you from their booth, very begrudgingly he might say, to dance with him. And the way it made you laugh and your eyes light up when he spun you around.

That inherent feeling of jealousy.

But did he really have the room to feel that jealousy? It had been literally over a decade since he’d broken it off with you. And over a decade since he’d stopped calling. God, he was an idiot. Why would he ever think that you’d forgive him for that?

He had just gotten out of a shower when there was a knock on his apartment door. He looked at his phone and looked beyond confused. Who the hell was knocking on his door at almost 11 o’clock at night, on one of his nights off?

He threw on a pair of boxers and grey sweats, foregoing a shirt for now, when the person knocked again. “I’m comin’, keep your shirt on!” He opened the door and stared. “Coyote, what the hell are you doing here?” Javy pushed his way inside and Jake deadpanned. “No please, come inside, make yourself comfortable.”

The sarcasm was laced in his tone, but Javy did exactly that. He sat down on Jake’s couch as the door was shut. He leaned against the door and stared at his friend and before he could speak, Javy interrupted.

“When are you going to ask her out?” Jake was taken aback by that statement.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, Jake. I know you. I’ve known you for years now. I have never seen you act this way over a girl. Sure. Some girls you’d see more than once. But ever since she came onto the scene? You haven’t so much as looked at another girl. Everyone notices.”

Jake scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Okay? What’s your point?” He asked.

“My point?” Javy looked at him. “The Jake Seresin I know wouldn’t be afraid to flirt upfront with a girl. He wouldn’t hesitate to take that leap. But here you are, hesitating. You’re being subtle when she’s looking and practically making heart eyes when she’s not.”

Well, Jake had been found out. He expected Natasha or maybe even Bradley to catch on and piece things together. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Javy did, though.

“Well- it’s complicated, okay? We have a history.”

“That has never stopped you before.”

“Well this is different!” Jake huffed as he came over and sat next to him. “I hurt her because I was an idiot, okay? I told her I would call as much as I could and then I just…stopped. I was an idiot, I recognize that, so shut your mouth, Javy.” The other man’s mouth closed. “And I wouldn’t blame her if she never fully forgave me for it if she knew the full reason.”

Javy sighed and set a hand on his shoulder. “Listen. I get that you’re groveling over your past decisions? But you need to get over it.” Jake looked at him. This sounded like the worst pep talk ever. “Hear me out man.”

“I don’t have much faith.”

Javy rolled his eyes before continuing. “You were, what? 18, 19 at best? You were a stupid kid. I’m not asking you to give me all the details. What happened between you guys isn’t any of my business. But I’ve seen the way she looks at you when she thinks no one is looking. I may have only known her for a few weeks, but she’s a lot like you in certain aspects, so I feel like I know her pretty well. She looks at you the way you look at her.”

Jake felt his heart speed up a little at that, before sighing. “Javy. My reasoning for what I did is beyond dumb. Who’s to say she won’t be mad and tell me to fuck off for it?”

“Well, then I think she’d be missing out. And isn’t it better to lay everything out on the table and have the possibility of not dating her, than keeping it in and you guys continuing to dance around each other?”

Jake sighed. He knew that was the right thing to do. He was just scared. And that wasn’t like him at all. Which only scared him even more. He didn’t want to lose you now that he had you back.

“I don’t know, man.”

“Listen. All I’m saying is the Jake I know wouldn’t run away from a fight or a challenge. And I can tell you love this girl. I see it in the way your eyes soften when she shows up at the bar. From the way you talk about her and look at her? I’d say she’s worth the risk.”

Javy saying that flipped a switch in him. He was right. You were worth every risk to him. He would risk anything and everything for you. And if he didn’t take this leap now, he never would.

He got up from the couch and went into his room, throwing on a white t-shirt and one of his brown flannels. He threw on a pair of boots and walked back out, grabbing his keys from their hook.

“Go get her, Jakey!” Javy called.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Would you prefer cowboy?” Jake only flipped him off as he exited his apartment and went down to his truck. It was now or never.

– – – – –

You

You were practically hanging off of your couch in your apartment’s living room, in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs and an oversized sleep shirt. You had been having trouble sleeping recently, something you’d struggled with on and off since you were young. So you were trying to bore yourself to sleep by watching old reruns.

It was about a quarter past 11 when there was a knock on your door. You sighed and got up, answering the door and finding Jake standing there.

“Hey.” That was all he said and damnit, why did he have to say it so softly and make your heart swell?

“Hey. What’s up, is something wrong?” He looked almost upsettingly good at the moment, standing on your door. Hands shoved in his sweatpants pockets, the flannel he was wearing open to show the almost too tight white tee he was wearing. Was he trying to kill you?

“No. I’m okay. Did you wanna go for a drive?”

You rose an eyebrow. “Jake, it’s 11:30 at night.”

“Actually, it’s 23:22.”

“You smartass, you know what I mean! And quit it with military time.” He chuckled and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. Your eyes flicked to his arms for a second before looking back up at him.

“Come on. Neither of us has work tomorrow, I can tell you can’t sleep. For old time’s sake.” He flashed that charming smile of his and you just couldn’t say no. It was hard to say no.

“Fine. Just let me get changed into something more suitable.” You let him come into your apartment before disappearing to your room. You traded the oversized shirt for a hoodie and threw on a pair of pajama pants, slipping on a pair of slip-on sneakers. You came back out to find him looking at a couple of your family pictures on the wall and smiling.

“Okay. I think I’m ready to go.” 

He turned to you and smiled, gesturing for you to follow. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

You grabbed your keys quickly and followed him out, locking your door behind him before going down to the parking lot.

“You still have this beat up old piece of crap?”

“Excuse you! It still drives just fine, so why mess with perfection?” Jake had been driving the same beat up Chevy pick up truck since she could remember.

“I’m just surprised this thing still runs.” You saw him shake his head and you could only assume he rolled his eyes at you. He opened the passenger side door for you and held his hand out to you, causing you to smile. “Oh what a gentleman.” 

“Course. I gotta be, darlin’.” The pet name and the feel of his hand holding yours caused your heart to flutter.

He helped you up into the truck and got into the driver seat, pulling out of the parking lot and starting to drive, the radio playing music quietly to fill the silence. You couldn’t help but glance at him every now and then. Seeing him dressed so casually rather than a flight suit or uniform was something to see. And his hair wasn’t perfectly done. It was messy and a bit unruly, but it looked good. He looked good.

“So. Where are you taking me?” You asked and he smiled a little.

“It’s a secret.” You rolled your eyes and shook your head before looking out the window. “Doesn’t this bring back memories?”

You turned back to him and smiled. “It’s a little different from Texas.”

He laughed softly. Truly, genuinely laughed. And your heart fluttered again at the sound. You were so done for. “Yeah, guess you're right. There’s a lot less flat fields. But you remember how I used to sneak you out of your window some nights, right?”

“Of course I remember. If I hadn’t trusted you, it would’ve been sketchy when you’d drive into the middle of nowhere.” You both laughed as one of his hands rested on the stick and the other held the wheel.

“Yeah, guess it could seem freaky. But it was so nice to just drive out and lay in the truckbed and watch the stars.”

“Is that what we’re doing now, Mr. Seresin?”

You saw him smiling in the light of passing streetlights. “Why, yes ma’am.” You couldn’t help but smile as well at his tone. He backed into a parking spot near the beach and looked at you. “Go get in the back.”

You climbed out of the truck and opened the tailgate, climbing into the back and sitting down. This section of beach didn’t have many lights, especially this late. So when you looked up, you could see the stars. Suddenly, you heard music. You realized that Jake had turned up the radio. The song that was playing was Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts.

“This song of all songs.” He laughed as he grabbed blankets he kept in the back seat and climbed up next to you, offering you the softer of the blankets.

“I used to play this song all the time whenever we’d go on drives.”

“Yeah, to the point it drove me insane.” You covered up with the blanket as he got settled next to you. “It does bring back a lot of memories though.”

“Good ones, I hope.” You looked at him, and he was watching you as you nodded.

“Yeah. Good ones.” You assured quietly and he smiled before you both looked up at the sky. It was quiet and luckily wasn’t too cold. A benefit of living in San Diego. The only sounds were of the radio and the waves crashing softly against the sand of the beach. The silence between you both seemed to hang heavy. That elephant in the room was getting a bit annoying.

“So I-”

“Jake, I-”

You both looked at each other and started laughing with how you both had tried talking at once. It seemed like such a cliche, but maybe a cliche wasn’t such a bad thing.

“Go ahead.”

“No, please. Lady’s first.” He insisted.

You smiled a little before you sighed. It was now or never. And not only did you want an answer. You felt like you deserved one. You’d been in the dark for long enough.

“Why did you stop calling?”

You kept your eyes on him, watching him sigh and look away from you. He rubbed scratched the back of his neck before looking at you.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I didn’t want to keep leaving you in the dark over it.”

“Well, I’m listening.”

It took him a few more moments of silence, seemingly trying to get his thoughts in order. “Because I didn’t think it was fair.” Before you could question him, he just kept talking. “We were broken up, sure. But we both knew that it wasn’t because we stopped loving each other. It was so it was easier on us and less distracting. But I got my first deployment orders so fast after boot camp and-” he sighed. “I didn’t want to be the person you were stuck on. I didn’t want to make you waste all this time waiting for us to happen again when it’s possible we never would have.

“And I know that sounds like me trying to excuse myself. I really am not trying to do that. I realized later down the line just how stupid that is. It’s not an excuse in the slightest. But it’s the only reason I’ve got.”

You were quiet for a bit as you took in his words. “Don’t you think I deserved to have a say in that? I was willing to wait.”

“I know you were. And of course, you deserved that choice. But I was a stupid kid who loved you so fiercely that I wanted what was best for you, even if that wasn’t me. I still do.”

You felt your heart leap into your throat as you looked at his side profile. The way his eyebrows were drawn together and his jaw was clenched as he leaned back on his hands. It was obvious he was frustrated with his past self’s decisions.

“Which part?”

“What?” He looked at you and he stopped, looking into your eyes.

“Which part? You still want what’s best for me or…you still love me?” You swore you heard his breath catch as you asked that question, also leaning back on your hands now. Your hand barely brushed his and it felt like sparks flew.

“Would it be selfish to say both?” His voice was quiet, as if he was afraid speaking too loud would break this fragile moment between the two of you. You felt his hand slowly rest over yours, making you let out a shaky breath you didn’t even realize you were holding.

“Yeah, it would. But what’s wrong with being a little selfish?” He smiled a little at your playful comment, gazing at you gently as he lightly squeezed your hand.

And before you knew it, he’d leaned in and kissed you. It felt brand new and like it was habit all at once. You closed your eyes and kissed him back. It was simple. There was no rush for either of you in that moment. His other hand came up and cradled the back of your neck to keep you close. You felt like you were drowning in the best way. Drowning in him. His taste, his touch, his scent. You never wanted it to end.

But you both did need to breathe. He pulled away and kept his hand on the back of your neck, pressing his forehead to yours. You both took deep breaths, just basking in each other’s warmth and presence.

“I am still helplessly in love with you. And I’m sorry I stopped calling.”

You shook your head. “I get why you did it. And don’t worry. I’m also still helplessly in love with you too, Jake.” He smiled and kissed you again. It was quick and simple, but god it was perfect. Everything was perfect about him. About this moment. Once he pulled away, you continued to speak. “Even if Nat tried her damndest to ward me away from you.”

Jake rolled his eyes as he looked at you. “Well, Phoenix can shove it. I’m just glad you didn’t listen to her.” You smiled and curled into his side. His arm wrapped around you, holding your waist to keep you pressed close to him.

“Nah don’t worry. I know you. You may have an even bigger ego now than you did back in the day. But you’re still my Jakey.” Your teasing tone made him roll his eyes, but both of you ended up laughing.

Once more, it was quiet again. The only sounds being the early 2000s country coming from his radio, the waves, and your breathing.

“You know.” You looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe Flatts was onto something. ‘God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you’.” He was grinning like an idiot when he sang that line from the song in a low and playful tone, leaning down towards you.

You groaned and pushed his face away, causing him to bark out a laugh. “You are insufferable, Jake Seresin.”

“And you love me for it anyway, darlin’.”

You smiled and gently grabbed the collar of his flannel. “Damn right I do.” Before pulling him into another kiss that he happily reciprocated. Maybe he had a point.

And you were thanking whatever force was listening for leading you both back to each other.

END

[ganondoodle]

as funny as this scene is ... toby and the team are very good at combining humor and serious things (or rather, the humor works so well bc it has a solid base? idk words) the longer i think about it the 'worse' it gets

even with them trash talking each other constantly its so obvious that they still care (they share so many phrases and themes you cant even tell who got what from whom.. though i suppose its more likely spamton got them from Tenna .... but also he would have had to be there for quite a while to have so many similarities) even if its complicated- and like, spamton kind of sounds so genuinely happy here?? and the fact he (if you have the dealmaker) comes out of your inventory on his own here when Tenna talks to himself about being at his lowest and wishing him back (more or less) is kinda heartbreaking to me????? for all i know (cut me some slack its been a long time) we dont know why spamton never came back or left in the first place (and there is the thought of ... would he have even been able to come back given that they are all tied to physical objects and to get Tenna to safety later -if you dont let him die- susie literally has to carry him away) and even if its some sense of resentment or pride or shame or something that made him stay away/avoid him, NOW that you got him here and he hears and sees this he actually makes a move????????

for all that spamton is weird and kinda fucked up for unkown(?) reasons, treated badly (even if for good reason(??) i dont remember everything of the first chapters) and everything im just so?? he could have just stayed in your inventory like hes done before but he doesnt

but you also cant really blame Tenna for reacting the way he does here (and yes i do think he knew it was spamton and the overblown reaction was mostly trying to think of soemthing to do bc HOW would you handle this?? and also i do think he could be petty about it but also maybe overreacting ... i know how it feels to overreact in weird ways ahaha- just .. i get it but, dude, why q-q)- you were hiding and he was talking to himself and then spamton just freakinge appears in front of him like that (when Tennas desperate attempt to avoid being thrown away fails, no matter how far he went, when everything is falling apart, when its kinda .. too late) after who knows how long of silence, knowing literally nothing about where he went or why (yet he still kept the pipis.......)---

and then how spamton says hes never gonna do that again, while understandably so and very funny in the moment, im just so .... the one time he actually does seem to try to reconnect (?) with someone he seems to have actually genuinely cared about he gets rejected like that (for also understandable reasons aaaaah) and swears to never try that again ......................................................

blaming each other for their downfall but still caring and then fumbling the one chance they get to meet again im so .............................................. fine about it.

(and not to derail but why .... why is it so easy to let Tenna disappear or die ..............?? even if you do all the nice things if you dont go to the hub after church (if thats possible, i dont ...actually know), or dont give him to mettaton, toriel throws him out and once it rains and hes outside its like the last chance to get him to safety (and most people would probably avoid going there before the church bc you are told to go home when its raining and most would then check everything else first and end up in the church at night.. skipping out on finding him outside in the rain and after that he is just gone??? (i think?)- ALSO if you dont recruit enough/are nice enough Susie says she still went back and searched for him in the dark world (i love her so much) but couldnt find him and the other NPCs refused to help out.................. the boarded up tv room in the hub??? arhj my heart man q-q .......... and when you actually break him the broken TV just stays in the room????????? at least spamton can just chill in your inventory nfjksbfshfkjnfksl)

((also also ...i found it weird you dont get to see susie help him in the dark world or the sealing of the fountain there, i know its at the end of the chapter and sth happens with Kris and the shelter but ... i think thats the only time we havent seen the actual sealing?? and then she tells you what happened if you interact with the TV instead ... i do love the highly missable dialog of her telling you she found and patched Tenna up with the help of the other NPCs if you got them all recruited though.... qwq))

(sorry these thoughts have been spiraling around sicne i woke up today and i literally could not concentrate on work at all bc i kept ... thinking about it .... either way these all all just current incoherent thoughts im throwing around........ i hope we get to see Tenna again later on, though i kind of doubt that)

[thewinter-eden]

You Live Like This? - PT V

Series master list PART 2 INFO

pairing: Bang Chan x fem!reader rating: mature, dark themes summary: home invader!Chris makes good on his promise to rob your ex to avenge your painful breakup, only to find that you're already there trying to collect your belongings. In order to keep your ex-bf from including you as an accomplice in his inevitable police report, you have to pretend you don't know the robber who keeps flirting with you. (plus like a lot more)

warnings: camping, murder, Ateez mentioned, mature

word count: ~3k

The officer asked you a few questions regarding your whereabouts last night, and after you spent nearly thirty minutes letting him watch your dash cam footage that caught you entering your tent and not leaving until early morning, he offered his condolences and sent you on your way.

Making a mental note to thank your brother for insisting that you install the camera in the event of accidents or carjackings, you secure yourself into your vehicle, crank up your music to calm your shaken nerves, and hit the road.

It’s not grief that keeps your mind on Woosung for the next few solitary hours, but disbelief.

Murdered.

Strangled with a rope and thrown into the lake.

A man you had known intimately, had shared a home and a bed with, cold and dead in a black vinyl bag somewhere.

It doesn’t make you miss him, or reminisce on your good days the way you keep expecting to. It doesn’t even give you the slightest hint of vindication to know that someone who hurt you so badly got punished like this.

You don’t care about that, not anymore.

The strong emotions don’t come.

It must be shock that keeps your eyes locked on the road in a haze, your heart in a numb state of confusion.

You’d seen him just last night.

You’d spoken to him last night—sending him away with a mild threat and watching him leave with the fear that he might sneak back into your camp after dark to harm you.

You never dreamed that he would be the one who had been attacked.

Had he even made it back to his camp? Had he been stolen out of bed? Had his girlfriend watched him die, or had she woken up alone and confused?

You can’t imagine.

It doesn’t even fully process that he’s gone.

When you pull up to the first gas station of the day, you half expect to see him step out of the next car.

While you’re paying for a sandwich and a pack of cigarettes, you expect the next jingle to be him walking into the store, leering and sneering and ready to bully you just for thinking you’re better than him.

But he never comes.

He’s gone.

He’s dead, and your brain can’t make sense of it.

Shouldn’t you be crying?

Shouldn’t you be distraught, or guilty for being mean to him on the last day of his life, or remembering all the soft kisses and sweet words you had once shared?

Maybe there’s something wrong with you.

“We heard what happened.”

You hadn’t even heard them get out of their cars. You’re sitting outside the convenience store, chewing on a sandwich that tastes like paste, squinting up past the glare of the sun to see Chan and Hyunjin staring down at you.

“Oh, hey guys.” You greet emptily. Should you act sad?

Are you wrong for only feeling perplexed?

Chan pulls up a chair with a metal scrape and sits down. Concern swirls in his brown eyes, fixing on you like your moments from falling apart. “Are you okay?”

You swallow thickly and nod. “Yeah, I’m…” Are you okay? “I think so.”

He reaches out and covers your hand gently with his. It’s gentle. Comforting. “I know he was an ass sometimes, but I’m sure it still hurts.”

It doesn’t really hurt. Maybe it will later. Can you say that without sounding cold and apathetic? “It’s…shocking.”

Hyunjin peers at your sandwich, choosing to express his sympathy in a more removed way that doesn’t make you feel like you’re suddenly on suicide watch. “That looks terrible. There’s a fast food joint across the street, some of us are going over there to grab some burgers. Let us get you something.”

You shake your head, even though your sandwich tastes like congealed mayonnaise and stale cheese. “That’s okay—”

“Seriously.” Hyunjin pulls out his phone. “If you’re doing all the driving by yourself, you should eat something better than that. You want a cheeseburger? Fries?”

Your stomach grumbles, your nasty lunch suddenly the worst thing you’ve ever eaten. What were you thinking, buying a sandwich from the back of a gas station refrigerator? “Thank you. I’ll pay you back.”

He waves you off. “I sent them your order. Let me throw that away.” He gathers up the remains of your food and garbage and disappears inside the store.

Chan sits with you, his hand still comfortingly on yours. “It’s also okay to be okay, you know.” He says quietly. “I expect he was kind of a stranger to you by now.”

That feels right.

Woosung was a stranger to you.

He wasn’t the man you fell in love with, or even the man you loved through frustration and flaws.

He was a completely different person.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Chan’s eyes land on the unopened pack of Marlboros. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

You’re confused, following his gaze. Had you bought those? You must have.

Vaguely remembering pointing them out to the cashier, letting her scan your ID, you let out a slow breath. Maybe you are in shock. “I don’t. I quit.”

His eyebrows lift, features concerned. “When did you quit?”

It’s so long ago that you have to think back. “Years. After college. It started when my grandmother died, and then…” why did you buy them? “I quit after I got myself back on my feet again. A long time ago.”

He’s quiet for a minute, and then he reaches for the pack. “Can I hold onto them for you? I’ll give them back if you ask, but…” he’s careful, expression turning serious. “You’ve been off them for a long time.”

You don’t stop him when he slides them into his pocket. The moment they’re out of sight, you breathe a sigh of relief.

Had you really almost fallen back into a bad habit, just like that? Without even realizing it?

After all the discipline it took to get yourself free, you would have thrown it all away over something you can’t even understand your feelings for?

Your name breaks the silence, and you glance up into his worried eyes. “You look pretty spacey there, babygirl.”

That’s fair.

You’d thought you were fine, but you’re moving like molasses. You hadn’t even realized you’d gone through the motions of purchasing a controlled substance. You’d picked up a sandwich that you never would have bought in your right mind.

Spacey is an accurate assessment.

You don’t even have the mental energy to feel confused or frustrated by the old nickname.

“Did you kill him?” The question leaves your lips in a breath.

Chan blinks. Blinks again. “No.” His face reddens, hand tightening over yours. “No, I swear. On my life, I didn’t. I’ve never hurt anyone.”

You didn’t think he did, not even when you asked.

But to be fair, he’s the only criminal you know. You shrug blankly. “Had to ask.”

He frowns, leaning closer, your name on his lips again. “I don’t think you should be driving. I’m serious, you don’t look too good.”

A huff hisses past your teeth, tasting like stale bread. “You want me to sit here until I can feel my hands again?”

Chan glances down at your fingers, now more concerned. “Let me drive for you today. Please? You look like you might fall off the highway. Like, you wouldn’t even realize it until you notice your car’s upside down.”

You laugh.

The picture is funny.

And since you can’t even remember how long you’ve been sitting here, it might not be too far from the truth.

“You’re traveling with your friends, Chris, you can’t drive me.” You don’t know how you feel about getting in your car with him, even if you do have the same destination.

He shrugs. “We’ve got plenty of drivers to rotate. If you don’t feel comfortable with me, one of the other guys can do it. I just don’t think you should be behind a wheel like this.”

He’s right.

You’re as good as drunk like this.

It’s a miracle you made it this far.

Hyunjin appears then, pulling up another chair. “Oh are we carpooling? That’s fun, I can drive for you.”

You shake your head, loath to inconvenience all these guys who have already been so needlessly kind to you. “No, no, I can—”

Hyunjin gives you a withering stare. “You realize you look like you’re not even on earth right now, right?”

Your gaze switches to Chan, who doesn’t even try to argue that statement to defend you.

You must be more of a mess than you realize. “Okay,” you relent finally. “Only to the next pit stop.”

One of their vans pulls up in the parking spot in front of your table, and before the engine even switches off, most of Chan’s crew spills out into the parking lot. You count four of them, and when you realize that’s not the right number, your eyes travel to the gas pumps, where the other van is sitting, refueling. Minho and Seungmin sit in the front seats, eyes down, presumably on their phones.

“We bring food,” Felix announces, laden with paper takeout bags that smell a hell of a lot better than your first attempt at lunch. Jeongin is behind him with another armload of food.

You’re in a haze as Jisung and Changbin push two more tables over to yours to make room for everybody, barely processing as the other van pulls up and parks, and Minho and Seungmin join you.

“Hey.” Jisung scoots a chair close to you on your other side, sitting down with worry written on his face. “We brought you food. You hungry?” His hand touches your shoulder, a comforting squeeze.

You’re not alone.

You feel completely lost, but at least you’re not alone.

When you slide your hand from under Chan’s you find him frowning down at the burger that has appeared before him. His hand remains on the table where you left it, a space still cupped beneath where yours used to be, until he closes it into a fist and drags it into his lap like it offends him to look at.

You mutter a distracted thanks as Jisung removes a burger and fries from a bag and sets them down in front of you.

“Yeah, of course.” He smiles and digs into his own lunch.

“So…” Felix glances at you cautiously, holding a fry between two fingers like he’s afraid to eat it. “Is it wrong to just keep going? Like, someone died and we’re still just going to a concert.”

Changbin shrugs, taking a huge bite out of his burger. “It’s not like we knew the guy.”

Jisung’s eyes go wide, elbowing him hard enough to nearly knock the burger out of his hand. “Hyung,” he snaps with a sharpness that surprises his friends. “For real?”

Changbin stares at him, ketchup smeared on his fingers, shocked. “What?”

“The man who died was her ex.” Chan explains quietly. “Let’s be more respectful.”

Changbin’s expression turns apologetic as he looks at you. “I didn’t realize. Sorry.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Felix adds softly. “I wouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Just stop talking about it.” Jisung urges, pushing your carton of fries closer to you when you don’t reach for any of your food.

You don’t mind them talking about it. It’s not like you can really comprehend what happened anyway. It all feels too surreal to hang on every word. “It’s fine. You can talk about it.”

“Are you still going to the concert?” Seungmin asks you, and they all go quiet to listen to your response.

You hadn’t intended to change your plans. Maybe you should. A very small, very selfish part of you refuses to let Woosung ruin any more of your life.

You’re a horrible person.

“I’m still going.” You tell them. “But it’s horrible what happened.”

Chan watches you, expression soft. He pulls his eyes away for a moment to eat, and then drags them back to you when you’re still not moving.

Before he can say anything, Jisung leans over to you. “You should eat something. Are you sure you should be driving? Why don’t you let one of us help you? I can —”

“I’ve got her.” Chan’s voice interrupts abruptly. “I already told her I’d drive for her today.”

Jisung’s eyebrows lift in surprise as he meets Chan’s eyes over your head. They’re quiet for a moment, like they’re communicating in silence, and you choose to take that moment to sip at your drink instead of throwing out some useless argument against them inconveniencing themselves for you.

They won’t listen anyway.

You wouldn’t listen.

Not when you’re like this.

“You sure?” Jisung asks, uncertain. He glances at you, watching you finally reach for your food with listless movements.

“I’m sure.” Chan responds firmly. “Eat your lunch.”

The guys have started talking again, picking their way cautiously through conversation topics that won’t exacerbate your delicate state of mind, but you’re not listening.

It feels like something has changed.

Maybe you’re too out of it to be judging the situation properly.

But it feels like a shift happened somewhere.

A shift that involves Jisung being pushed back out of your space, and Chan stepping back in.

You must really be in shock.

“What’s your favorite Ateez song?” Jisung asks you, scooting his chair closer despite the hard look Chan gives him.

You don’t even have to think about it. “I’m Still Here,” The fast food is so much better than the gas station sandwich. A touch of clarity seems to return to you with every bite. “The Japanese version.”

He makes a noise of approval. “That’s a good one. What do you like so much about it? I’m partial to Cyberpunk myself.”

“It’s a sweet song,” you explain distractedly. “And I like Seonghwa and Wooyoung’s vocals in it.”

Jisung nods agreeably. “It’s interesting that you like the more ballad type songs. I actually do a little songwriting myself, and I’m working on this one—”

“Jisung.” Chan cuts in again. “Let her eat.”

There’s a harsh protectiveness in his tone that drags your gaze to him, finding him already looking at you. He nods to your lunch. “Eat. We’ll get on the road when you’re done.”

When lunch is over, and the guys have disposed of the trash and separated the tables again, Chan pulls your keys from your hands. You feel numb, standing in the parking lot as they bustle around you.

The vans start with nearly synchronized rumbles, air conditioning immediately kicking on in the vents, music pounding from the radios.

Chan’s hand lands on your shoulder, but he’s looking at his friends. “I’ll text you when we’re ready to stop at the next fill up.” He tells Minho, and then glances at you. “I’ll be right back.”

With waning focus, you watch him seek out Jisung, pulling him aside. They speak quietly, both trading glances at you, and you think you see frustration flicker across Jisung’s face. Chan’s demeanor turns almost apologetic, and the next look he throws your way is more gentle.

Jisung runs a hand through his hair, shoulders tense. It takes him a second to respond, and then he’s nodding at Chan, pulling away from the conversation, mood darkened as he crawls into the back of one of the vans.

Chan looks distressed as he watches him go. He scrubs his hands over his face and sighs into the summer heat, accepting a pat on the shoulder from Changbin with a nod.

When he comes back to you, his features are lowered in a discomforted frown.

“Are you okay?” You ask him, unsure what just happened but inconceivably worried by the slump in his posture.

Managing a smile for you, Chan puts his hand to your back and guides you to your car. “Yeah, everything’s fine. You ready?”

He opens your door for you, helps you shuffle some things out of the passenger seat to make room. When he settles himself behind the wheel, you feel lost again.

There’s a crack in your windshield you hadn’t noticed.

And grime streaked across the upper corners.

You should have washed your windows.

Chan connects his phone to your car, pulling up a map on the display. “You want music?”

“Yes please.” You sound pitiful, your voice small and diminished.

He doesn’t comment on it, instead queuing up an Ateez playlist, and shifting the car into gear.

“Why didn’t you let Jisung drive me?”

His jaw works tightly, steering out onto the road and getting onto the highway before answering. “I wanted to do it.”

Even in your haze, or maybe because of it, you can’t make sense of the situation. “I thought you would want him to do it.”

“Changed my mind.” He utters gruffly.

Because apparently any form of consistency is impossible for him.

“Great.” You mutter. “Let me know when you change it again.”

His hands tighten around the wheel, the leather squeaking beneath his grip. “I’m sorry.” The words bite past his teeth. “I shouldn’t have thrown him at you. I thought he would be a better option than me.”

A better option than him.

“You’re not my fucking matchmaking service.” You grumble. Maybe if you were in a better state of mind, you would be smarter than to insult the person who is taking the task of driving from you, but you’re overwhelmed by confusion. “You shouldn’t have assumed I was looking for options.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have.”

the music fills the silence.

He lets you sleep.

When you blink awake again, late in the afternoon, still seeing roadside scenery flashing past the window you’re leaning against, you feel more like yourself.

The conversation from before you drifted off returns to you with uncomfortable regret, and as you pull yourself upright, you realize that you had been unfair.

He’s driving for you.

He’s caring for you.

He never promised you forever, but you needed him today, and here he is.

As uncertain as you feel, as hurt as you felt, that makes a difference. What would you have done if he hadn’t stepped up today?

Driven into oncoming traffic?

Swerved off the road on accident?

Been left bleeding and stranded in the middle of nowhere, without anyone knowing what happened to you?

He could have stuck to his belief that he’s no good for you, and kept his distance, but he didn’t.

He’d seen that you needed something, and he’d stepped up.

You didn’t even ask him to.

“Chan.” Your voice is hoarse with sleep, and you scramble to tame your tangled hair and smooth down your clothes, as though it will somehow make you more presentable.

He reaches wordlessly for the center console and picks up a bottle of water that hadn’t been there when you fell asleep, handing it to you.

It lands in your hands with cool weight, and makes you feel worse.

“Thank you for doing all this.” You say meekly.

He nods. “No problem. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.” You crack open the water and take a long sip. Ateez is still streaming softly from your speakers, turned to a low volume that wouldn’t disturb you as you slept.

He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t try to lighten the mood. Doesn’t try to make you feel better. Doesn’t try to make conversation.

“Your past never scared me, Chris.”

His head turns toward you, and you catch the surprise on his face in the reflection of the radio display.

“Call me stupid. Dumb as fuck. I’ll own it. You’ve got a hell of a rap sheet for questionable decisions, but I never thought it made you a bad person.”

He snorts, to dispel the tension or to mock you for your comparably questionable choices, you don’t know. “You have bad taste in men.”

“I know.”

“Daddy issues?”

“Fuck you.” But you’re smiling. “My parents are great. They’re watching my dogs for me.”

His hands relax around the wheel. “I just don’t want to make trouble for you. If I ever get caught for what I did, it would reflect badly on you.”

“I would miss you in prison.”

Chan chokes on a laugh. “Oh, you would?”

“I’d come visit you. Cry into a filthy phone and get hepatitis. Put my hand on the glass and wait for you to do the same.”

The grin that splits his face is every bit the reward you were hoping for. “Wow, that’s romantic.”

“I’m in shock. I’m vulnerable. Say something nice.” You take another innocent drink of your water and watch him from the corner of your eye, just happy that he’s laughing now.

“You are majorly fucked in the head, you know that?”

“Swing and a miss, Chan.”

“I’d put my hand on the glass for you.”

“Strike two.”

“Oh, so it’s romantic when you say it, but when I say it I’m striking out?”

“Try something original. Piggy backing off of mine is cheating.”

“I’m not having this conversation with you while you’re in shock and vulnerable, babygirl. Go back to sleep.”

to be continued

< last part

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[xoxonamgyu]

Oops stole ya girl

Pairing : Thanos x f reader - namgyu x f reader

Warnings: swearing, toxic relationship (from thanos), fluff sorta?, use of y/n, mention of abuse

SUMMARY: after your boyfriend Thanos died you couldn’t help but go to his “bestfriend”

————————————————————————

you and your boyfriend thanos “the rap god” entered the games cause he blew all your guys money. Yes. He blew his and took yours how rude!

so here you are about to play children’s games for cash

“Baby I promise you I’ll get us the money and you can have all of mine!” Thanos pouts

“Mhm. Doubt that.”

“Cmon don’t be down this might be fun!”

“There’s a guy saying people will get shot playing red light green light!”

“Oh he’s bluffin we won’t”

“You don’t know that.” You huff

GAME STARTING IN 3..2..1

“oh god.” your stomach turns

after the game starts your halfway through and then you trip and while your tripping

RED LIGHT!

you thought this was it thanos left you to fend for yourself he didn’t care.

Until! a guy quickly caught you

“you should be more careful baby.” The man said

“Don’t call me that. I have a boyfriend”

“Thanos yeah I know I met him at my old job didn’t he just leave you?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Whatever you say just be careful” he winks

after the game thanos comes up to you

“Babe I’m so sorry for leaving you I didn’t realize and-“

“Fuck off subong.”

he hated when you called him that and he knew you only called him that when you were really mad.

“Y/n. Please stop.”

“What did I just say. Get the fuck off my bed go to your own.”

He scoffs and leaves to go to that guy who saved you he did say he knew thanos.

the next day it’s now the six legged pentathlon and thanos practically BEGS you to join his team

so here you are sitting with Thanos the guy who saved you he said his name is namgyu semi and some girl named Mina and of course yourself.

you picked to play gonggi you have always been good at it and got it first try.

after the game you sit with your team, you talk with semi for the most part you catch namgyu starting at you a couple times and that mina getting close to thanos as he barely shows interest little do you know he was acting.

A BIT BEFORE

“Cmon why does she gotta know?” Mina asks

“she’s my girlfriend I’m not cheating!” Thanos snaps

“Please just one kiss” Mina puts her hand in his hair and plays with it

*fuck it.* he thinks

thanos grabs minas jaw and kisses her

PRESENT

The masked guards come in and people start to hide.”

“Players congrats on making it through another game. we will now vote”

You vote to leave but the vote to stay is much higher your whole team picked to stay. Lovely.

————————————————————————

the next day Thanos still hasn’t tried to talk to you again since the last game.

The next game is mingle.

The game is blur 4 PLAYERS 5 PLAYERS 10 PLAYERS

after what seemed like a while it was the last round

2 players

just cause Thanos was “mad” and so were you, you still thought he would come grab you but no. No hesitation he grabbed Mina!

you stood there in shock not knowing who to go to when someone grabbed your wrist you couldn’t even see who!

You got in the room you both out of breath you look up to see NAMGYU?

“oh my god I thought I was gonna die thank you so much namgyu”

“Hey don’t thank me just wanted to save my own ass to” he chuckles

“Still you did save me.”

“yeah I’m your saviour i guess” he jokes

You let out a small laugh

god namgyu liked you, your long silky hair, your eyes , the way you smile just everything about you.

“I gotta tell you something that Thanos told me y/n.”

“Uhm what?”

“He cheated on you.”

“what…”

“he told me he kissed Mina and usually I wouldn’t do anything but I had to tell you.”

“why would you tell me tho i don’t get it”

“because you don’t deserve it.”

“…” your speechless

“I’m sorry”

“not your fault.”

“you gonna say something to him?”

“No, I’m gonna pretend it’s okay don’t bring him suspicious he might hit me again.”

“Sorry the fuck did you just say?”

“Well if I ignore him to long he gets way to mad and takes it out on me.”

“you know that’s not fucking right”

“yeah i know but i can’t leave i don’t know why.”

namgyu doesn’t answer he opens his mouth a couple times thinking of something but he doesn’t know what to say

After the game Thanos is all up in your face apologizing, getting mad, threating, back to apologizing

finally your annoyed so you just say

“Thanos I forgive you I know you didn’t mean it.”

“Thank you baby”

“Mhm of course”

You fight back tears

later in the evening Thanos and namgyu go to the bathroom *probably doing drugs.” You think

About 10 minutes later

“Players ***, *** , *** , *** ,230, …. Eliminated.

you freeze and you see namgyu coming out the bathrooms

You run up to him as you look around you see Mina crying great.

“Namgyu what the hell is going on?”

“Those fucking Xs started fighting us. Fucking myunggi got thanos.”

You tear up

He just looks at you for a moment

“cmere.” He pulls you in

You guys stand there for a bit just hugging as you cry

“He was a motherfucker anyway right.”

“But I didn’t want him dead!”

“I know.”

you guys stayed with eachother for the rest of the evening you not wanting to be alone

namgyu takes you to your bunk for the night and then after a couple minutes you doze off

You wake up in the middle of the night after having a nightmare of Thanos your panting shaking and about to cry you couldn’t breathe.

guess you were louder than you thought you were

“Y/n? Are you okay?” namgyu asked you look up and only see his tall shadow

“n-no..”

“what do you need?”

You can’t answer

he sits down on your bed

“Y/n please tell me what’s wrong”

“t-Thanos.” you say barely any sound coming out

You felt pathetic crying to thanos’s “bestfriend”

“Thanos?”

“Mhm”

“What about Thanos y/n?”

“when he would get mad and then I seen his ghost at the end of the bunk.” You cry

Namgyu pulls you into a hug for second time today you weren’t complaining.

As you cry you look up and you guys lock eyes

“Y/n I’m sorry I promise it will all be okay.”

you half smile at him

You guys just stay there you sitting next to namgyu being held by him

you look up at him again “thank you gyu.”

He blushes at the nickname

“Of course baby”

“What did I say about calling me that.” You frown at him but not a serious frown

“What you technically don’t got a boyfriend anymore” he jokes

You can’t help but let out a little laugh

you blush a bit

he just stares at you and you stare at him

“Oh fuck Thanos.” He scoffs

he leans in and kisses you. You are taken back by it at first but then you ease into it not wanting the kiss to end

“oops stole ya girl” namgyu smiles and winks

You smile and giggle

this might become a new start a happier one.

————————————————————————

I am obsessed with both of these men and I had to write them I didn’t wanna make Thanos the abuser type but it fit better with the story line to me. This came into my mind randomly so I had to write it! Hope you liked it!

[stqrrymxxn]

"When I die, I will come back as a jellyfish"

Azul, Jade, Floyd (separately) x reader -

notice: angst, reader is not yuu, pronous used for reader are they/them, charas may be ooc., mention of death but not detailed and death topics, english is not my first language

synopsis: one day you tell them casually that you belive that when you'll die, you'd come back as a jellyfish; then, during a battle, you die and the next day a jellyfish appears in the dorm aquarium...

author note: haii !! first post here, i hope you like it! this was an idea i had in mind since i LOVE jellyfishes and the octotrio sm, so finally decided to write it! i'm sorry for the angst as first post tho lol- (let me hold your hands while you read this) enjoy!!! <3

✦ It was a nice a nice afternoon, Azul invited you to the Mostro Lounge to have an afternoon tea with him and spend some time together. School work and Crowley tasks kept you pretty busy, as well as the lounge business for Azul

✦ You were in a comfortable silence until you said "you know Azul, i think that when i die i will come back as a jellyfish" while staring at the giant aquarium the dorm had.

He looked at you and smiled lightly "and why is that darling?" he asked while sipping his tea "i don't know, i just like them, they're cute and i would always stay with you even if i die first" you said. His heart sank for a moment thinking about you dying one day and leaving him "now now, why thinking about these things while you're still here? let's enjoy our little free" he replied trying to avoid the death topic. at the end you ended talking about other things as you smiled softly at him

✦ One day, you found you and Azul fighting against some rivals, it was a hard battle. Azul was about to get hit by a powerful hit and you didn't hesitate to go in front of him and take the hit for him. You fell to the ground instantly while the rivals escaped from the scene.

✦ Azul froze for a moment, he then dropped to his knees and try to wake you, save you in either way but it was too late.

Here were you, fell to the ground, after taking a hit that was directed to Azul, your beloved boyfriend. Azul tried to save you, he took you to the infirmary but it was already too late. The hit was too much for you. The last thing Azul saw was you smiling at him faintly whispering a small "i love you".

He was devastated, he locked himself in the vip room. The twins tried to comfort and help him since he kept blaming himself for your death. Eventually, Jade convinced Azul to come out of the vip room and to eat something during Mostro Lounge closing time. He sat to one of the tables in the Lounge and stared at the huge aquarium... He then saw something, a new creature apperead. It was a jellyfish, small, cute and shining. " at the end, you were right, you really came back as a jellyfish... it looks just like you... i miss you so much, i'm so sorry" he whispered to the jellyfish at the other side of the glass trying not to cry once again and thinking it was for real you as you said back then.

✦ It was closing time at the Mostro Lounge, and you were helping your boyfriend Jade tidying the atrium so you could spend the night together, then you stopped for a moment to look at the huge aquarium.

✦ out of the blue, you gently said "you know, i belive that when i die, i'll come back as a jellyfish not gonna lie" while looking at the big glass and its marine life

He observed you softly, chuckling a bit "Oh, is that so? How interesting, your way of thinking about this topic" He noticed how amazed were you about the sea creatures, and he being a merman himself was surprised a bit, he smiled but his expression didn't falter. You giggled at his antics while finishing your work and finally spend the night together

✦ One day you decided to accompany him to mushroom hunting and on the way you found yourselves fighting against some hostile creatures. Jade was about to be hit by one of this things and before he could react, you were in front of him and took the hit.

✦ He was fast to catch you before you could fall to the ground, his expression worried, he didn't hesitate a bit to take you to the infirmary, but unfortunately they couldn't do anything to save you.

Jade caught you before you could fall to the ground, your body slumped in his arms. His face showing fear and worry, which is not an usual thing for Jade, letting his emotions come out like that. "my pearl, please hold on, i'll take you to the infirmary, please don't leave me" You just smiled one last time at him before you saw dark.

After that, he tried to keep his usual façade up, trying to keep his expression normal, like it was all good, but Azul and Floyd noticed and could clearly understand he wasn't fine at all. Then after the closure of the Mostro Lounge amd the end of his shift, he sat down and observed silently the big aquarium you used to love so much; it was then that he noticed a new jellyfish joined the immense water body in front of him... he then remembered what you said some time before and he knew you were with him even after death "Ah, i see you really came back as a jellyfish like you used to say... How intriguing..." he said, closing his eyes and letting the façade slowly slip while no one watched

✦ it was a fine day, you were going to class but Floyd had other plans for you today. He took you around to ditch class and spend all day with him. At the end of the day he asked you to go to the Mostro Lounge, he said that your presence would have helped him going through his shift. So wrong. He actually just sit at your table while Azul was losing his head lol.

✦ after the chaos of the evening, he sat next to you and put an arm around your shoulders, while you stared at the aquarium next to you

"jellyfishieeee~ are you ignorin' me? no fairr" he said quietly squeezing your shoulds a bit "no i'm not ignoring you silly, i was actually thinking... i think that when i die i will come back as a jellyfish you know?" you said softly. He looked at you curiously "oh oh~ i call you jellyfishie for a reason you know~ but why would you die and leave me here all alone, i won't permit it-" he said pouting a bit, you just laughed it off and hugged him

✦ you two were hanging out together, when you get attacked by some mysterious entities. While Floyd was squeezing some of these, he didn't notice he was about to get hit by one of these, and you instinctively went in front of him and took the hit.

✦ Floyd instantly let go of the entities he was squeezing to come to you, he took you in his arms while trying to get you to wake up but in vain.

Floyd noticed by the end that you were on the ground laying almost lifelessly. He instantly forgot about the entities and came up to you "jellyfishie, don't joke around like that" he tried to shake you to wake you up but in vain, "no no no you can't die on me jellyfishie, i won't allow it" he ran as fast as he could to the infirmary but the doctors couldn't do anything.

After this, Floyd was always in a bad mood, he would squeeze all people who got on his nerves or he would just shut the world away and ignoring everything. It was obvious the reason why he did this, and Jade tried to comfort him, but Floyd wasn't hearing it. At night he decided to take a walk around the Lounge and ait aimlessly at one of the tables. He was quick to notice something change in the aquarium. There was a new jellyfish. Cute, colorful and shining more than the others, it looked just like you. "jellyfishie, is that you? i miss you so much, it's not fun anymore without you aroun', i knew you would come back as a jellyfish but at what cost?" he kept talking to the sea animal at the other side of the glass like it was you for the rest of the night.

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

Stan gets cursed, howls moving castle style!!

Youve heard of old stan turning young, get ready for young stan turning old!

Freshly homeless teen stan gives some old lady (witch) on the road lip for... idk saying he should be in school or something. Says hes plenty old to be out and own his own and also shes a nosy bitch.

She gets pissed, bam! Old man stan whose only 18 actually. Now hes old enough, all right!

Omg this sucks, thinks stan, but then. Opportunity.

His resolve had not yet hardened since hes still a kid and super sad and not used to it, so he thinks that being an old man who literally cant say who he is and what he knows makes this curse the perfect disguise to go see his brother!!

He, in a totally non-stalker way, finds ford and tries to be like an older mentor or just like friendly grandpa type guy to see ford again.

Maybe he gets a job as a janitor (backupsmore is so last choice they dont even care about stuff like ids when it comes to staff) for the science department and hangs out with ford when he stays super late doing experiments or studies or whatever.

Ford starts to think this old guy is super weird, but in an endearing way. He provides a role as a goofy, randomized, rule hating friend who is comfortingly familiar and also really bad at advice even though he keeps calling himself a wise old man.

He also gets really caught up on his age and mortality sometimes, which is like. Kind of a bummer. But the guys like almost 70 so fair enough.

He also is really supportive, even if ford knows hes being outrageous. In fact, he was really, really for ford going for it when he mentioned his interest in the supernatural. Maybe hes serious, maybe hes just kind of old person crazy. Its pretty nice either way.

(Stanley starts to get hope that he wont die a sad old man before hes 25 after all...)

Oh man this is kind of sad? And a recipie for disaster lol.

Stan's old, he's 18, he's pushing 70? (unclear). No idea how long he has, and so desperate he uses his new look to just. See his brother again. He just wants to use the last remaining years to make Ford happy or at least support him, get some kind of bond. Something to make his last remaining years on this planet miserable (funnier if Stan's like, 60 but because he was 18 he feels ancient. He's still got a good two decades left)

Oh. Incoming idea.

The witch isn't actually the one who cursed him, Stan cursed himself (just like in howls moving castle). The witch didn't do anything but put a small curse that made Stan realize magic was real, and he accidentally muttered something along the lines of 'man i'm never going to get home until i'm old and grey. Wish i could just get there already' or something.

Then just like Sofie, Stan's curse fades when he's not thinking about enforcing the idea that he's as good as an old man already, and Ford realizes its him through them having a bonding moment, and Ford turns to see Stan's young face. Gets the shock of his life when Stan's awkward smile fades and he rapidly becomes an old man.

Cue huge fight.

Fords furious Stan would go around and trick him like that, make him feel like he has someone who actually cares and supports his ideas, didn't aplogize, and just! AGGH! He's hurt and furious and sad and feeling so many things.

Stan feels even worse than before. He was finally feeling some kind of happy, finally got to see his best friend, and he blew it. Doesn't know how Ford figured it out, but now he's got nothing.

He's gonna die as a sad old man at 25, doesn't bother keeping his job at the college, why bother. All that would do is make Ford even more angry.

And Ford is angry. Even angrier when he can't find Stan anywhere. Stan already ran off once, Fords not gonna let him do it a second time! Especially when he's so old?

Finds Stan and oh god. He looks even older than before. He's an ancient old man, sadness seeping into him and thoughst spiralling out of control.

Cue delayed yelling match, as Ford needs to figure out how to fix his brother before he kicks the bucket on the worlds angriest quest. Not sure how it'd get resolved, but Stan still keeps his silver hair at the end of it.

[dawn-the-rithmatist]

Okay act one of Harrow the Ninth!

Nine months before the murder and we’re back in second person. Based on the previous one and the timeline of the first book, I’m guessing this is just after the first book wraps up.

I have a small theory about the narration but I low-key hope I’m wrong because it would make me sad

Is that Gideon’s sword 😭

Wait why are we in a hospital

Harris getting violently ill every time she’s forced to acknowledge Gideon’s sword but refusing to let go of Gideon’s sword, FUCK

The Body has Gideon’s eyes 🥺 Harrowwwww you insane pining sapphic

“Ortus Nigenad did not die for nothing” UMMMMMMMMMM

OKAY SO NOW IM SURE, HARROW’S BRAIN IS EDITING OUT GIDEON

UHHHHHHH

Mental break or curse or WHAT

Even the Emperor looks confused lmfao girl what are you sayinggggg

Somehow entirely unsurprised that the thing God needed restrained and locked away forever was. A woman.

Crazy how this story does not mention AT ALL that there was another kid there-

ORTUS WAS NOT YOUR CAVALIER. WHAT IS HAPPENING

There was another girl- tf you mean she DIED

Is part of becoming a Lyctor forgetting the person who sacrificed themselves???

Wait no because Cytherea still remembered her cav Loveday. Unless that’s not actually who her cav was. Aghhhh I need answers and it’s only chapter 4

Wait a second.

The beginning of the book has one of the Lyctors named ORTUS in all caps. That. Can’t be right.

What the fuck happened to Harrow’s brain

And WHY ARE WE BACK IN SECOND PERSON

Dude the letter

The LETTER

Whatever she did was absolutely to forget Gideon, this is so fucked

The first genuine free choice of her life and she CHOOSES NO

Is the maybe-insanity a new development or an old one? The Body feels like an old one, but the rest feels like maybe a side effect of however the fuck she FORGOT GIDEON

I am cooking a theory about the narration, brace for a long and conspiracy-like bullet point. I want to see some more characters to be sure but. I am cooking. I suspect that Gideon might be narrating this one.

A second person narrator who never says “I” has to be a narrator who isn’t. In the story. And if harrow has absorbed Gideon’s soul then it would make sense that Gideon is like. Present but not participating. Also certain lines of narration sound awfully sassy to come from Harrow’s brain. So I’m wondering if it’s Gideon like. Observing from within Harrow? I need to see more characters appear to make sure an “I” doesn’t sneak into the narration, and I want to know more about Lyctors and how they’re made to be sure it’s even possible.

But yes that is the theory, stay tuned for supporting evidence or a “lmao nevermind”

(This user is delusional and misses Gideon and refuses to accept death in the necromancy book)

This, at least, she hadn’t expected—how could she, what the fuck—and her mouth froze against yours, which gave you time to work. Yeah this “what the fuck” sounds like Gideon

Wh. Why doesn’t she remember Camilla 😭

that stab wound was written like a sex scene. This book is insane

Oh so that murder attempt was real! Interesting!

The altered history is so fucking upsetting. I miss my griddlehark. Give them back to me

Thinking about Harrow in the first book going “I don’t even remember about you half the time” and now she. She fuckin. Doesn’t.

I’m trying to think back to GtN what the requirements were for becoming a Lyctor and if there’s any reason why THIS would be the outcome. But Ianthe seems to remember good old Babs just fine so

Only thing I can think of is Ianthe says you have to “preserve the soul, with intellect and memory intact”. So maybe Harrow ripped out her memories and fucked with her sanity/intellect to prevent herself from fully absorbing Gideon? But like. Gideon is still dead, and if I’m right about the narration then she’s very much along for the ride

Cross referencing books rn like I’m in a class

the narrator just called Harrow the saint of emesis, you’re telling me that ISN’T Gideon??

The body telling her to lie about her age?? For what. And why was nurse Joy over here so relieved when she lied

Why is nurse joy basically going “ew minors”

(Idk what the Saint of Joy’s name is, so Nurse Joy will work for now)

The river is freaky as fuck

The tea was overwhelming, and tasted too much. By choice Harrowhark had only ever drunk water. When she had been younger, or ill, the marshal had made her sugar-water with a drop of preserved lemon in it, as a treat; even then she’d had to take her time over each sip. Why is she a Victorian child.

She hated it when people dressed constructs; it smacked of whimsy, like making one’s hammer wear a hat. “Ugh, not the whimsy”. Let’s make that a Calvinist Victorian child

Hm. This is not how Canaan House went down even a little bit. Starting to suspect there’s more reason to Harrow’s fucked up memories (hallucinations?) than just editing Gideon out

“Is this how it happens?” No! Obviously not!

Fake-memory-Ortus DOES seem aware of what’s going on though, which is interesting

You strained to see, chin tucked hard against the top of your chest, and beheld with relief your double-handed sword. Your relationship with it was becoming increasingly complex: you hated its presence, but the world without it would be unimaginable. J-just like. Gideon. Aaaaaaaaaaaa

“Ortus the first” yeah safe bet that the name is actually Gideon :)

“I need a cavalier with backbone” and Ortus saying he’s so glad he didn’t become that cavalier? Insane. I miss griddlehark. GIVE THEM BACK

And that’s act one! I am cooking! Acts two and three going up shortly because I have the self restraint of a child!!

Tag list: @pastelsandpining @sycadadrawsstuff @scoundrelwithboba @turtletotem @g1ngan1nja

[boglove]

ok i want to actually legitimately talk about my interpretation of aaron in mcd more in depth because i have Thoughts, so enjoy this disjointed collection of 1 AM ramblings

like i’ve said before, i like to think of aaron less as being Dark and Edgy or whatever and more as awkward and stiff. when he’s first introduced, he’s literally just some guy wandering through the woods, presumably tracking zane. during that time, he was probably solely focused on enacting his revenge—and then, all of a sudden, he meets aphmau, he ends up getting brought into the fold of her village, and he suddenly has things to care about again. his behavior, how he deals with that, and how he evolves as a character is very interesting to me.

he was clearly very withdrawn for a good chunk of the series. i think part of this was because, after being alone for so long, just wandering ru’aun and focused solely on revenge, he lacked a lot of social skills and kind of forgot how to, like.. talk to people LMAO. dude was walking around the woods, half-clothed, fighting werewolves for some reason, probably sweaty and dirty as hell. he was basically a feral dog. (i say this affectionately)

he also reminds me very much of a feral/stray dog in the sense that he’s wary to trust, but keeps coming back to aph anyway, particularly in the earlier episodes where he’s featured; he sort of just shows up out of the woods, only ever seeks out aphmau when she’s alone, then disappears again, but never strays too far.

i also think part of the reason for that aaron being withdrawn was because he was trying to resist making connections with aphmau and her people. after the loss of his family and village, he didn’t want to open himself up to any more loss and pain. truthfully, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was suffering from PTSD, and social isolation as a way to avoid re-traumatizing yourself can be a part of that.

also, on another one of my posts, someone mentioned him being in his 30s or 40s and all the other characters being in their 20s, which i think would also explain him being a lot more stoic and unsociable.

i’m not the first person to say this, but aaron could honestly be a great narrative foil for aphmau; he’s lost everything to zane, and, as a result, he becomes vengeful and instinctively distrustful of people, closes himself off, no longer forms bonds. aphmau lost so much to zane too, but she reacts differently to experiencing that loss; she tries to move forward, to continue building community, to continue being kind and caring, to keep the loved ones she still had even closer than before. aaron and aphmau still impart lessons on each other things though, and, at their core, they are very similar; they were both lords at some point with an unwavering devotion to their people.

that all being said, as the series continues, aaron does change, his final act being one born out of love and devotion, not out of a desire for revenge, as he explains in his letter to aph. it’s a stark contrast to how he acted at first, and yet, somehow, also very similar. i think, in a way, he was always motivated by a need to protect, but when he failed at that when it came to his wife, son, and village, it turned into a need for revenge. to me, aaron being able to die by protecting his new family was something that ultimately fulfilled him in the end.

i have a very love/hate relationship with aaron; i’m not a huge fan of him now and i recognize that there’s a lot of issues with the execution of his character, but he was very near and dear to little me. i think a lot of criticisms of how he was brought into the story and resulted in a lot of male characters being sidelined are valid, but i also think that he was genuinely a good match for aphmau because they understood each other.

[lsd-astronaut]

☀️SAMFRO SUMMER☀️

Hi guys!!! It's been so long yes I'm so sorry about it, but guess what! I'm participating in my first ever event hehe I apologize if the fanfics are not up to the quality I'm used to produce, I've had some hard days lately, but nothing that can stop me :)

Day 1: Large Gatherings / Festivities

Prompt: meeting family

Disclaimer: This will be a Modern AU because I felt like it :P

His boyfriend is looking at him with the saddest eyes he has ever seen both in TV and in real life, and Sam feels like an asshole.

Let's rewind a bit, shall we? A mere minute ago, Samwise Gamgee (Sam for friends; my dear Sam for a select group of one sole member) has uttered a phrase that could very well signify a breach in the trust of his partner. A trust that has been nurtured for as many years as they have known each other, which makes up a really big percentage of their lives. Before he can open his mouth to amend the situation, reality comes crashing down like a hurled rock.

"You don't want to meet my parents?" Frodo's voice is soft and gentle, yet he notices the hint of sadness and, fear, maybe, in the hidden notes of his tone.

There's nothing he can do to avoid the blush that is spreading steadily across his face. You would think that after a year of sharing a bed, talking about these things would stop making him feel like he was in a racing car, bracing for dear life.

"That's not what I meant!" His hands are frantic, trying to find nonexistent purchase on the air in front of him. "It's just..."

Frodo is crossing his arms and looking away. Shit, he's losing him. Quick, Sam! Out with it!

"Look, I just don't think your parents are going to like me, that's all." His voice loses its little force as the sentence leaves his mouth, and the last words are barely audible.

However, Frodo has a sixth sense for these things, and quite a selective ear. And apparently, he really wants to hear what Sam has to say.

"Are you stupid?" Sam's head snaps up, and Frodo's hand flies to his mouth. "I'm sorry!" He grins slightly, with that smile that reminds him so much of his Brandybuck cousin. "But you have to admit it is stupid."

"Frodo!" He is blushing even more and for a moment wonders if someone can die of a heatstroke or something similar from embarrassment. "It's a totally valid concern."

The raven-haired boy waves his hand, as if banishing his concerns out of their shared space. "Not when we're talking about my parents. What brought this up? You've known Bilbo since you were little!"

"Well yeah, he's not the one that worries me." A quick side glance and a murmur. "Although he can be pretty scary sometimes."

Frodo hums with a mischievous smile. "Couldn't tell you. I've always been an angel." He walks up to Sam and throws his arms around his shoulders, in a loose hug that makes his heart calm down even the tiniest bit. "Is it Thorin, then?"

A quick nod is all he needs for an answer before he is sweetly but sternly moving Sam's face to look at him. "You don't have to worry about him at all. He is like the biggest softie I've ever seen. And it'll be only the four of us today; you don't even have to meet the rest of my uncles and cousins."

Sam swallows thickly. "How many are there?"

"Oh, at least twelve!" Frodo says as if having at least twelve direct relatives is the most normal thing in the world. Him and his shenanigans. "Anyways, we should get ready! We have to get the bus in less than 20 minutes."

Yes. In less than twenty minutes, Samwise Gamgee will make the first step into a new phase of his relationship with Frodo Baggins.

The clock is ticking.

The house where the Baggins-Durin currently live has not changed in the last decades. If what Frodo said is anything to go by, both Bilbo and him approximately 40 years later, have grown in this exact house. Still, for having seen the entire life of at least two generations, the building looks like new. He comments as much as Frodo, who smiles as they walk up to the driveway.

"It looks like it, right? It's all Thorin, he loves doing that kind of work."

"I thought he did drawings for Bilbo's books."

Frodo leans his head slightly toward Sam, as if conceding. "He does, but he likes to spend his free time doing manual labour."

Before he can reply, the front door slams open and two creatures rush over to where they am. He doesn't have time to protect Frodo from the impending danger as his boyfriend is already squatting and hugging the furry monsters? Oh, now that he notices, they're cats.

"Oh, Sam! Come see them! This one is Gollum." He points to a sphynx cat who has busied itself with gnawing his index finger. "And this is Smaug." A tabby orange cat who is shooting daggers at him. They don't exactly exude trust to Sam, but he is not going to ignore his partner's pets.

The sphynx cat does not seem to like the unwanted attention and so Sam is well-received with a slap that has him retracting his hand in surprise.

"Frodo Baggins! Leave those devil spawns alone and come inside already!" The voice comes from the doorway and when Sam looks up, his blood freezes. There he is. Thorin Durin. Their eyes cross and he immediately regrets it. Thorin's eyes are as blue as his adoptive son, but where Frodo's are gentle like the calm sea, Thorin's remind him of jagged ice. Certainly not a good vibe.

His partner does not seem concerned about such trivial things and runs up to the tall man, who immediately engulfs him in a hug. Huh, maybe he is really a softie.

"Dad, this is Sam!" The man looks at him and he feels himself stiffen up. Nope, definitely not a softie.

Thorin hums and extends his hand, which Sam takes as he tries to say "Nice to meet you" without stumbling too much. The man seems amused so either he did an actually decent performance or he is about to get thrown out on the street like a dirty handkerchief.

"Do come in, both of you." Alright, it seems he has passed the first test.

The house in the inside is as he remembers from the snippets of his childhood as Frodo and him passed the afternoons playing together. The kitchen looks smaller now, though, probably a product of both of them growing up. However, the image itself has not changed at all. Bilbo Baggins is still in charge of everything concerning this specific room.

"Oh, my dear boy! How much I've missed you." He goes to hug Frodo, and grabs him by his shoulders. "I've told you multiple times to call us, haven't I?"

Frodo nods and apologizes.

"No matter, you're here now and that's what matters." He turns around and his gaze falls on Sam. "Ah, and you must be Hamfast's boy! My, you have grown up mightily. I barely recognize you." Sam smiles and nods shyly.

Before long, the four of them are sat around a table in the backyard, at the insistence of Bilbo, who uses the lovely summer weather as an excuse to eat outside. The other three have not the heart to refuse and so, the lunch is served. Thankfully, it seems there are no pesky bugs waiting to feast on their meal.

"Well," Bilbo says as they're eating the main dish. "How are your studies going?"

Frodo swallows his bite and smiles. "Oh, it's going great. By the way, Merry and Pippin told me to ask you whether you have leftover Old Toby and to say hello to you. In that order, as I recall."

"Now, those pesky rascals you have as cousins... I'll see what I have for them later. And you, Sam?"

Surprised at being directly spoken to, he needs a second or two to compose himself, before he speaks a bit about his classes and his family. Frodo's steadying hand on his thigh is working a miracle on his nerves and, with sudden clarity, he wishes to stay like this forever.

The illusion is briefly broken with Thorin clearing his throat. "So, Samwise. For how long have you known Frodo?"

"O-Oh, since we were little."

Thorin shakes his head. "Allow me to rephrase my question. Since when have you been dating him?"

"Dad!" Frodo tries to take the reins of the conversation but Thorin raises his hand in a final gesture.

Sam swallows and sneakily wipes his hands on his pants, as they have started to sweat quite a bit. "A-A year, sir."

Thorin hums and crosses his arms, leaning back on his chair. "I see. You know what will happen if you hurt him, right?"

"Dad, I think that's enough!" Now Frodo sounds like he is pissed, yet Sam cannot focus on that right now. He feels angry himself. Who does this guy think he is?

"I apologize for my impertinence, sir, but I would never hurt Frodo as long as I'm conscious of my actions. It goes against every principle of mine and would not be a rightful showcase of my love for him. So, I ask of you not to doubt me, Mister Durin."

It's the longest he has ever talked with someone that isn't from his immediate circle of friends. He realizes that his hand is enclosing Frodo's and when he dares to look up, he sees that his boyfriend's face is the reddest he has ever seen. In front of them, Bilbo is hiding his laugh behind his hand and Thorin is looking at him with what seems to be newfound respect and approval.

"I see," he nods and stands up. He walks up to Sam and claps his back so hard, he's sure he has broken a rib or two. The sudden side hug is even more surprising.

"Welcome to our family, then, Samwise Gamgee."

[sincerelyamee]

So I just read your reply about nine-tailed fox Spices and Istg I’m gonna cackle.

Let’s not pretend we don’t all know Gojo is gonna try his absolute best to cha-cha real smooth into the DMs of the really pretty widow of the King of Curses. And obviously the poor grieving madam deserves something (coughsomeonecough) to take her mind off such sad things. Like c’mon, the guy’s been dead for centuries, who could blame Gojo if, in his boundless benevolence, he wanted to make a beautiful lady happy after spending that long guarding a grave?

On the other hand… The elders are gonna have a conniption when their prized weapon of war starts courting the wife(???) of mother-flipping Sukuna.

Alright, so operating within the premise we’ve set for this new AU, the power dynamic between Gojo and this version of Spices would shift completely. In the main timeline, no matter what happens between them, they’re still fundamentally teacher and student, savior and the one being saved. That imbalance shapes their interactions in a big way.

For example, early in the prequel, Spices was deeply insecure, always worried that her actions might disappoint Gojo or make him stop liking her. She still did what she thought was right, but the fear lingered. And that same imbalance kept Gojo from making any moves too. He was afraid of scaring her off, or worse, making her feel obligated to reciprocate. So they danced around each other for seven whole years.

But in this AU, where Spices is a Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit, the entire dynamic is flipped. According to folklore, nine-tailed foxes grow more powerful and cunning with age, so by the time she and Gojo meet in the modern era, she might be the closest thing he's ever had to an actual equal.

Imagine: Gojo strolls into this mission like he always does, ready to one-shot some ugly special-grade curse, as usual, only to find a very pretty young woman lounging on a couch, casually reading or typing away on her laptop. Because of course Spices is still obsessed with learning in every timeline. Now that she doesn’t age or die, she’s making the most of it, devouring knowledge, keeping up with modern science, writing research papers like she’s on her 13th PhD.

She’s lived through the rise and fall of empires, watched revolutions unfold, witnessed scientific breakthroughs firsthand. Maybe she’s even befriended a few historical icons along the way - why not? She’s contributed where she could, lived countless lives, fought Kenjaku once a century just for tradition’s sake, and is now besties with Tengen.

So when Gojo shows up to “exorcise” her, she just gives him one look and goes, “Ugh, another insufferable Sugawara. Go home, boy. I’ve got a research paper due in three days and I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

Maybe Gojo tries to fight her anyway. After all, a job’s a job. But he’s too bewildered to go all in right away. Besides, he probably thinks he doesn’t need to. She, on the other hand, actually has a paper to finish, so she lightly kicks his ass, pulls a few clever tricks, and sends him packing.

Now intrigued, he keeps coming back. And every time, she’s got a new surprise waiting for him, just enough to outmaneuver him, never enough to hurt. Slowly, Gojo starts to realize that she’s not bloodthirsty, doesn’t eat humans, and isn’t causing any harm. In fact, the local people love her, whether they know what she really is or not.

So with every visit, he drops more of the “exorcist” act and starts poking around her life instead, asking questions, pestering her about her research, being his usual noisy, shameless self. Not in a hostile way, just… Gojo being Gojo.

She absolutely cannot get rid of him. Eventually, she’s so fed up she writes to Tengen like: “There’s this loud, obnoxious boy who keeps bothering me. He’s distracting, he talks too much, and I’m falling behind on my research. Order him to leave me alone.”

Tengen, unhelpfully but wisely, replies: “Well, it has been a while since your last relationship. Maybe it’s time to let someone in again.”

Spices is unconvinced. Determined to avoid Gojo, she starts working in other places—libraries, cafés, random rooftops—but he shows up everywhere. (Reverse roles, baby—he’s the one following her around now!) And before she even realizes it, those encounters start feeling a lot like dates.

Meanwhile, the Council possibly under Kenjaku’s influence takes advantage of her distraction. They break into the tomb to steal Sukuna’s remains… only to find absolutely nothing. Because of course she had accounted for that risk ages ago. The remains were never there to begin with.

She just likes living in that particular place because it used to be their home.

Now, though? Someone dared to wreck her sanctuary.

And that... That was a mistake. Now it's personal.