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wallspikes · 2 years

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Chapter 3

OK this ones a long chapter. almost 6k words. its to make up for the fact that I took over a year to post this sorry. i'm still trying to come up with a name for this! but i'm kicking around some ideas and I'm getting closer. anyway i don't think there's really any warnings for this chapter that arent like. hugely common in other borrower writings! tw bug death...?

LINKS TO PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Sunday, June 7th

11:43 P.M.

For certain this time, Weld was clean out of food.

The borrower lay stagnant in his nest, staring up at the dirt ceiling, watching the day pass as the sun crossed the sky, and the rays of light passed through the slats of his burrow’s hatch. He fidgeted with a piece of cloth he’d pulled from the pile he lay on, catching the corners of his nails on the loose threads he’d already managed to coax from the weave of the fabric.

He was hungry. The day before, he’d misjudged how much food he had left — one or two of the blueberries had gone too soft, and the quarter portion of the grasshopper wasn’t even enough to ration out into two meals — and after the trip had gone… sour… he hadn’t gotten the opportunity to take a detour to the blueberry bush to get a bit extra, nor would he have trusted himself to climb the thing either way, not with the state he was in at the time. He’d gone home empty-handed, and now he lay here with an equally empty stomach. It rumbled, as if to remind him. Weld grimaced.

The fabric in his hands started to unravel, and he subconsciously brought the remains to his mouth to chew on its frayed edges. He hadn’t properly chewed on anything in a couple of days and his teeth had started to ache in its absence — plus, it helped keep his mind off of how empty his stomach was, and kept his teeth clean.

He didn’t want to leave the house, not after what happened, but he had no choice. It was either he toughened up and took the trip, or he’d starve in his burrow and let the bugs and mice pick at his remains with no means to fight them off — one outcome seemed marginally better than the other. So, he’d wait for the sun to set and the rumbling of the footsteps and bicycle tires on the slats of the boardwalk to begin to die down, and hope he wouldn’t have to suffer another visit from the giant stranger on a night trip.

Weld shivered. He was always afraid of humans, or, a better assessment would be to say he was afraid of strangers, no matter their size. The fact that the human that had settled their weight over him, blocking out the evening sun, was big enough to pick him up and cradle him in their palm only added to his fear, leaving him petrified rather than in the state of awkward shyness he would tend to feel around the other borrowers he had met when he was a child. He was just more likely to meet a strange human than a strange borrower.

It wasn’t humans that scared him — he’d lived among them for twenty-five years now, he had seen them laugh, love each other, cry on one another’s shoulders, as he had with his family — they were just people, plain and simple. People on a different scale living a different life that he’d never truly understand, and the same goes for him. What did scare him was the uncertainty of it all, the lack of knowledge or control — the idea that he, in the end, had no say in whatever they decided to do, human or borrower.

He wasn’t afraid of the stories shared by borrowers for centuries, meant to humble and knock brave, young borrowers down a peg. His parents never really bought into those — though, they’d tell them from time to time — rather they’d bring their sons to watch arguments, and eventually fights, that the patrons of the mechanic’s shop would have with its employees. Watching two humans go toe-to-toe in real-time, or a frustrated mechanic fling furniture and tools around the garage in fits of rage were always more effective methods of intimidation — their terrific shows of strength always put Weld and his brother, Hal, on edge. But, on the other hand, he’d seen the same of borrowers. Not the strength, but the merciless fighting, or the obnoxious bouts of frustration, seemingly over nothing. In the end, who was he to judge a human if he knew nothing about them?

That wasn’t to say he wouldn’t mind if the human that had spotted him decided to come around for another trip. He’d mind that very much. One human always meant more humans, and he didn’t know if that was something he was going to be able to handle. Weld could run from one, hide himself away until it all blew over, but more than one would put his life on lockdown.

Chewing on his bedsheets wasn’t enough. The ache was still there, and his nerves only made it worse. Weld reached from his nest, plucking a flower stem from the bundle near his front hatch. He gnawed on its end, mouth flooding with the bitter taste of the water that leaked from the stem. His stomach rumbled again. He was getting impatient.

By the time he pulled himself from his thoughts, the bustling of humans finding their way home after an evening of friendly revelry quieted to the familiar drone of the night. Weld took pause, realizing the time, reddening a bit at how long he’d been entranced by his memories. Looking down at his hands, the flower stem had been rendered to a limp, mushy mess, covered in bite marks and shredded fiber, staining his palms a bright green. He grimaced and tossed the refuse at the foot of the ladder — he’d bring that out later.

The borrower stood, raising his hands above his head in a long, satisfying stretch, accompanied by a tired whine as he lowered himself back to his nest to wrap his feet and pull on his boots, slipping on his shirt in his typically clumsy manner — finally, poking his head from the neck of his shirt, he forced his hair to lay flat. He gave his gear a thorough once-over, making sure nothing was out of place, no ropes were frayed, canteens were full… he sighed. No food, and no hook. He’d forgotten about his hook. His grapple would have to do. Hopefully, he wouldn’t run into anything too big.

Swinging his backpack over his shoulders and shoving its latching button through the loose eye-hole of the worn leather strap, the sand-colored cloak was next to follow, draping over his shoulders and wavering with each slight movement of his body. The disguise had done him well for the past couple of years of his life — better to hide the stark-red cotton of his shirt — blending into the sand at a moment's notice if need be. Maybe it wouldn’t work quite well enough for the finely-tuned eye of a human, but maybe he would get lucky. He hadn’t exactly had the confidence in the garment enough to put it to the test.

Weld opened the hatch just enough to peek out and scan the area, then shoved his nose up into the little gap to smell out the area, too — nothing around but plants. A relief, but maybe a bit disappointing, he thought as he completed the climb up the rickety bamboo ladder, past the hatch of his burrow and onto the solid ground outside. No suspicious smells meant no special dinner, though he supposed that was a good thing — he was out a hook, after all.

Without big-game hunting gear, his first order of business would be to find an ant. Preferably, one of the big, black ones that measured up the size of his hand, though, the finger-sized red ones would do just fine. He could skewer it through the middle and suspend it on a thread as bait, hoping the rest of the hill would do as they always did and return to pick up their dead, falling victim to the borrower’s little trap he’d created a few human-feet from his doorstep — a deep pit, about his height, lined with discarded vinyl from the bottoms of surfboards and slickened with bicycle oil, a grass-woven net pinned over the top fitted with holes just wide enough for an ant to easily squeeze through on its way in, but struggle to find its bearing through on its way out.

He was proud of his trap, and even prouder of how successful it tended to be. His catches would make for good soups, slowly boiled over a low flame with stalks and flowers of dandelion, or seared in his beer bottle cap pan until it sizzled with a dark char. Or, in a pinch, Weld wasn’t above sinking his teeth into the hard shell of an ant, chewing through the crunchy exterior to the sour, almost zesty taste of its innards — a flavor the borrower was rather fond of.

He pushed through the heavy brambles of bamboo and weeds atop the dunes, skulking along the plants as he listened for any too-loud movement that never came. He’d hoped his trusty trap at the base of his residence and dune would have dinner secure within an hour or so — given the circumstances he even found a few ants, or even just one, chittering to themselves at this time of night.

With no bait suspended from the line, the weaved trap was empty, just as he suspected. Weld sighed, but turned his head to his next destination. The boardwalk, another few paces away, was sure to hold something living beneath it. The borrower wasn’t picky. He’d eat whatever managed to stumble into his path, granted it wouldn’t kill him — there was no food that Weld couldn’t tolerate enough to starve.

He ran his hand along the salt-dried beams of the boardwalk, and stared past the wooden slats at the stars. He liked this time of night. Just late enough for most of the humans to have found their way home, and the air could stretch into the silence, as if to take a much-needed breather from the noise of the day.

If he could stand here forever and not worry about the ever-growing ache that tugged at his stomach and grew in his teeth, Weld would commit himself to watching the stars and listening to the distant crash of waves against the shore, or learning to cook more than just his mother’s ant soup and bottlecap-charred bugs.

But he couldn’t. His stomach grumbled again, and he was pulled from his thoughts by the buzzing of wings — short bursts of flight that disturbed the weeds and kicked up grains of sand. A beetle, Weld determined. One of the green-brown ones with the oil-slick patterning and the little pair of antennae that reached out above its eyes.

He turned on a heel, planting his feet in the loose sand to find a firm footing as he listened for the next intermittent buzz of the beetle. As soon as it came, Weld sprung into a dash towards a patch of moving bramble where the beetle must’ve just landed, thankful he’d already taken off his boots and tied them to his backpack by their laces — he’d learned quickly enough that it was harder to run when his boots sunk into the sand. When he broke past the weeds, there was another flurry of movement from his dinner, the iridescent bug lifting its antenna from its lazy probing around in the sand to flick its head in his direction, and rev up its wings for another burst of flight.

Weld was on it before its transparent wings could flit from beneath its exoskeleton. He pressed closed its elytra, his hands on either side of its bucking body as it clacked its mandible at him, alarmed. He supplemented a hand with a foot against one of its flanks as he reached quickly for his grapple, and wrapped the hook and rope around its belly — past wriggling legs and sharp claws, restraining its wings tightly to its abdomen so all it could do was buzz. Weld bent the beetle’s neck, and with his two longest teeth, pried the exoskeleton from its head until its legs no longer kicked.

He smiled to himself as he held the beetle to his chest. It was fairly small, and couldn't have been larger than his own forearm, including his hand. He could make it last a few meals if he tried; he plucked its spindly legs from its body and wrapped it in a blade of nearby crabgrass before stuffing it into his backpack.

The beetle would make an easy roast. He could cook it over an open flame and scoop its congealed flesh right from its exoskeleton, and hope he had some extra left over for later. The little bit of meat in its legs could boil down to a broth, given he could find some herbs to toss in with them. Weld’s stomach eagerly rumbled. He thought he remembered where some chickweed and wild onions grew. Weld pushed a little deeper into the weeds, his search for an ant forgotten in hopes of something better.

Footsteps fell a few paces down the boardwalk, each step deliberately slow, rolling from heel to toe as the perpetrator did their very best to be as quiet as possible, despite their size. Weld froze. He slowly pivoted his head in hopes to get a glance at whoever had just approached, but the sickly feeling in his stomach practically told him all he needed to know — they stood just inches away from where he’d first been discovered by the human, shining a light into the gully where he had lay vulnerable. For all the weeds in the way of his vision, Weld couldn’t say for sure who the human was — until a familiar voice called out. “Hello?”

Weld bolted, the dune grass in his path a dead giveaway of his location, but he didn’t care. It was already too late — there was a heavy thump into the sand behind him, and the creaking and cracking of weeds and branches snapping underfoot as the human followed hot on his heels. He felt his heart choke him as it leapt into his throat, the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the bile burning in his stomach.

And then the dunes gave way to a wavering wall of green webbing and a bar of metal, all in one seemingly effortless motion.

Weld watched the netting fall around him, tangling up in the weeds and the dune grass in seconds — trapping him in the lush landscape with no way of exit. For a moment, he could feel his heart stop, as the aluminum handle dropped to the sand and two heavy footsteps landed just in front of him, two hands coming down quickly at their side. One was wrapped in bandages Weld realized as the human leaned on their forearms and stared down at the fruits of their capture with stars in their eyes.

Weld scrambled to find purchase beneath the rim of the net, digging at the sand to find it only forced his prison deeper into the ground. The human’s hands cleared a few of the weeds they had trapped alongside him, and curiously peered past the netting. The borrower didn’t hear the first few words that came out of the human’s mouth — rather, he didn’t process them. The buzzing of his ears seemed to drown out the frantic blabbering of the giant that loomed above him, their eyes making the skin on the back of his neck burn an itching heat. Weld backed away, gripping the metal rim as the human’s words slowly became apparent over his heaving breaths.

They’d straightened up by now, gesturing wildly in the flashlight’s glow, tugging at the bandages until they unraveled to reveal the swollen bite mark Weld had left on their hand from yesterday. “—kinda why I came out here,” Weld began to understand the human’s rambling, “Well… it wasn’t at first, but then the bump wasn’t gone in the— it doesn’t matter. You were cool, I wanted to know if I was insane, yada yada yada. That’s… uh… that was the main reason I wanted to come back out.”

Weld conspicuously tugged at the netting behind his back, rarely taking his eyes off of the wound. Looking at the tender, red skin of the human’s hand, Weld almost tasted the coppery blood on his tongue, and felt the warmth of their skin. The sensation made him gag.

“This bite isn’t gonna kill me, right?” The human suddenly questioned, panic in their voice, “‘Cause, it’s, like, not going away, man. And I don’t wanna have to go to the hospital and tell them that some little guy bit me. ‘Cause, that gets you in trouble, and it probably makes me look crazy…”

Weld realized, with some matter of satisfaction, that the events of the day before had been putting the human through their own bout of distress — though, he couldn’t help but wonder if he should’ve let up on his bite a bit earlier. He never thought it would cause that much of a reaction on a human, of all things.

“Are you sure you don’t have venom or anything?” they nervously itched at the spot, “Nothing that, uh, limits my life expectancy to forty-eight hours, or something?”

The borrower froze as the human went silent, waiting in earnest for an answer — one of the affirmative, that Weld was non-venomous, and the reaction they were having was completely harmless. But he couldn’t simply speak to clear the air about the bite — the borrower rules may not have been a proper part of his upbringing, but ‘no talking to humans’ meant no talking to humans, whether it was a borrower’s rule or his father’s rule.

He spared a glance down at the human’s hand, clasped in their other palm as they held it at their chest. He steadied his breath, which had turned into ragged panting throughout the conversation, and anxiously tangled his hand up in the net even further. To the human, he responded with a curt nod.

They paused. Sat back on their heels. Straightened their jaw and shifted their eyes. “Um…” they started, a slight quiver in their voice, “Is that a nod, like, ‘yes, I do have venom’? Or…?”

Weld quickly shook his head, lifting a corner of his lip while he did so to bear a set of sharp fangs, trying to communicate to the worried human that his teeth had no method of releasing venom as snakes did. Just pure, unadulterated bone.

The human stared for a moment, then heaved forward with a heavy sigh, their body deflating until they rested on their forearms in the sand. “Thank god, dude,” they ran their fingers through their hair, “These bites were, like, super freaking me out.”

The borrower jumped to his feet, scrambling back to cradle himself in the netting — anything to get away from the human.

“Here, look, let me let you out,” the human perked up, propping the flashlight up against their backpack before slowly digging their hands beneath the metal rim, “I’m sorry about the net. I was, uh, debating bringing the thing last night, but then I worried I wouldn’t be able to talk to you… kinda harsh, though.”

Weld could feel the netting being lifted away, letting the relief of an exit wash over him — before he felt a sharp pull at his arm as the man’s former prison reached out of range. In all of his incessant worrying at the cords of the net, tugging at individual fibers in the meager hopes he could unravel them enough to tear a large enough hole to slip out through, Weld had found his arm twisted up in the human’s artificial webbing, like self-afflicted handcuffs.

Strung up by his wrist, Weld couldn’t help the strangled yelp that escaped past his lips as his feet briefly left the ground. He reached for his grapple, hoping the little, sharpened hook would be enough to slash through the netting that kept him suspended — but the hurried movement only exacerbated the borrower’s struggle, the rope tightening until the skin around the area pinched white.

“Ah!” the human exclaimed, gently lowering the net back to the sand, though with the forethought to place the lot of it off to the side enough so as not to keep the borrower beneath it, “Sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t see you were so… stuck!”

Weld had yet to speak, hesitantly sparing a glance up at the human who had now leaned to loom over him with worried eyes. He sawed at his bonds, the barbs of his grapple catching on the netting at each push-and-pull, only forming little knots from the fibers each point loosened. Dread made his efforts more frantic as his plan continued to fail, and the matted knots of green nylon around his wrist only grew larger.

The borrower slumped to the ground, defeated, and he could feel the burning prick of frustrated tears finally come to his eyes — they fell before he could blink them away, a few rolling down his cheeks and catching in the thick of his beard. Weld watched the shadow of the human encroach overhead, and one of those massive hands slowly inched towards his webbed arm.

“Hey, alright,” the human spoke softly, and taking the chance of a distraction, slipped a hand behind the borrower, “Stop squirming for a minute, I’m gonna try to untangle this thing. But you got yourself pretty stuck, so, uh, it might take a while.”

Weld felt those fingers on his back again like he had the day before, and his body fell frighteningly still. He could feel the cushion of fresh medical wraps around the human’s palm, and the incessant warmth that, as always, started through them. But, more pressing was the sudden pressure on either side of his wrist as an enormous index finger and thumb caught it in a pinch.

The human heaved a sigh of relief at Weld’s stillness, and shifted their hand to gently hold his atop the pad of a fingertip. “Good! This is— okay,” they took a deep breath as they leaned forward, and started to gently tug on the first nylon knot, shifting the excess of the net off of the borrower, “Sorry, I know I got you into this. With the… net and everything. But, uh, I’m gonna get you out of it! So please, just relax… and trust me…”

Weld held his tongue between his teeth. He watched with wide eyes every move the human made, his back beginning to ache as he refused to lean against their hand, though glad to no longer be surrounded by the green netting. Every part of him was stiff as a board, agonizingly tense with adrenaline for the unpredictability of the giant stranger — who, for right now, had held him gently in their palms the last two times they had met, though he never knew how quickly that could change. The warmth was overbearing, a stifling heat as if the human held the very air around themself in an atmosphere of their own, and he couldn’t stop the other half of his brain from reminding him how these stories usually ended.

He hated that feeling, that fear that he was going to be hurt; Weld knew nothing about the stranger besides that they were human, and something told him he couldn’t judge the content of their heart based solely on that. But he couldn’t help that his nerves buzzed every time the human touched him or stared at him for too long — it was just… instinct.

His breath caught tightly in his throat as he stared past the human’s glasses and into dark-brown eyes, their gaze too focused on the borrower’s predicament to notice his intense studying. Two fingers gently tugged on his wrist with a strength he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Weld decided, despite his unfamiliarity with the human’s values, he didn’t like being held very much.

“My name’s Gio,” the human started, after a brief pause to clear their throat, “Uh, I don’t think I’ve actually said that yet… I’ve done all this to you and I haven’t even given you my name yet, ha— but, I guess, there it is.”

They pulled each nylon thread across his skin — back, forward, tight, loose — until the fibers left red lines in a cuff around his wrist. Weld couldn’t help but stare them right in the face as they continued their work, watching for something to change in their expression of tongue-biting focus.

The human, or ’Gio’, as Weld had learned, caught the little, staring eyes of the borrower, and quickly lowered them back to the sand with an awkward laugh — all attempts to ignore the absurdity of the situation, despite having been the one to cause it. Weld’s breath hitched every time one of their fingers reached from the palm at his back and encroached within his personal space to graze curiously against his body. But, he never could unfreeze himself from his spot — not so long as the human still kept his wrist in a gentle pinch.

“You don’t happen to have a name…” the human started, daring to steal a glance at the borrower, “Do you?”

Weld held their gaze, regardless of that burning sensation at the nape of his neck that made his stomach turn. He nervously tugged at his trapped wrist, and his expression twisted to a hunted grimace. Everything felt terribly wrong, sitting captured in a giant’s hand and being asked questions so casually, like nothing was the issue — yet something in him, past the bile that rose in his throat and the sickly look on his face, wanted to nod. The answer was short, small. Just one, nearly imperceptible movement — up and down.

But even the smallest movement was enough for Gio. The human’s smile cracked from ear to ear — to Weld, a painfully toothy sight that filled the whole of his vision, and sent a prickling heat through each strand of wiry fur across his back. They stared for a moment longer, just enough for Weld to realize he couldn’t take it for another second as he began to tug on his entrapped arm again. “I figured you did,” they exclaimed, voice hushed, turning back to the work at hand, “Everyone has a name. My real name is Giorgio. Most people call me Gio — you could, too, if you want… I actually prefer it — but my mom still calls me Giorgio.”

The netting tugged roughly on the borrower’s arm, and Weld responded with a sharp grimace. Gio lightly hissed, and mumbled an apology. “Um… I don’t think I’m gonna be able to untangle you like this,” they admitted, sheepishly raising their gaze from Weld’s surely-by-now welt-covered hand, and the borrower decided he didn’t like where this was going. The human reached one hand away and patted at their backpack, until they pulled out a folded-up knife, “But I could cut you out of it…?”

Weld was weighing his options as he stared at the utility knife in Gio’s hand, luckily still hidden away in its metal frame. But, as he stared at the handle of a folded blade that nearly sized him up, from what he could tell, Weld considered which option made the sickness in his stomach settle the quickest — continued manhandling by a giant, or the cold sting of a blade against his skin, for just a moment? He paused, as if to consider something again… then his free hand grabbed hold of the netting and tugged on it with a pointed stare at Gio.

The human cocked their head. “What? The net?” They tightened their grip on the knife, then their face lit up in realization, “Oh! Yeah, the net! I’m gonna cut the net! Not— not your arm!”

Weld drew his body away from his arm, sticking the offending limb in its tangled mess as far from himself as he could before giving a stiff, hesitant nod to the human that loomed above him. They opened the knife with a sharp click — Weld’s hair stood on end, and he grimaced as he hung his head low, refusing to watch as the human lowered the tool to level with the delicate limb that he held out of the net as a hopeful sacrifice. Both of the human’s hands fell heavily around him — the air becoming humid and hot as the cool metal connected with his skin, lodging itself beneath the tangle of the net while Weld pitifully pressed his back against the soft palm surrounding him, a watering eye squinting open with morbid curiosity to watch the scene before him.

The pocket blade — a bit dull near the ends and scratched from whatever business — sawed at the net, the serrated bit at its center catching the filaments of the green webbing and doing most of the human’s dirty work, back and forth until Weld could almost begin to feel a line of raw, red skin form on his arm where the back end of the knife had left an irritated scrape. A few of the cords snapped, Weld noted with a soft gasp, and he could begin to wiggle his arm free — but the powerful pinch on his forearm convinced him to do otherwise.

“Just a little more…” Gio promised, and Weld forced both his eyes open to stare at the human who, just for a moment, went back to their tongue-biting face of focus before they decided to speak again, “I am actually really sorry for, y’know, getting you into all this…” they murmured, not taking their eyes off the work at hand as another few pieces snapped, “Is there any way I can make it up to you? Help you out a bit?”

Weld thought back to the scarcity of his shelves lining the storeroom of his burrow — the driving factor behind this trip in the first place — and furrowed his brow. He didn’t much like the idea of taking food from a strange human, especially not after they’d caught him in a net and he’d sunken his teeth into their skin just the day before, but the risk of starving was even less savory, and the offer was staring him right in the face. He wiped his eyes of their watering tears.

Gio brought their knife through the last cord of nylon, and the borrower was pulling his arm free and standing to reel a few steps away from the human before they could even give the go-ahead, “You… beat me to it!” They sighed, sitting back on their heels, and stowed the pocket knife in its place in their backpack, “Um. I guess that’s a big, hard ‘no’ on the help thing, then, yeah?”

The borrower paused, weighing his options once more before hesitantly raising his hands to mime the gesture of biting a piece of food — grasping the air in front of himself and lifting it to his mouth, taking an exaggerated chomp out of the imaginary meal.

Gio cocked their head, and squinted a bit at the sudden display. “…What?”

Weld mimed the action again, this time more insistent.

“Oh!” Gio tapped their head, “Watermelon.”

He had to try a different avenue. Weld pointed at the human’s backpack, just off to their side, and took a cautious step towards Gio’s shoe.

“My backpack?” Gio glanced at it, “There’s not much in it. Kinda just, like, the typical stuff; water bottle, bug spray, pocket knife, a snack, my house keys—“

Gio was distracted by the pantomime borrower whose superstition was proven right. He brought his hands to his face at double speed, and this time the human copied him.

It clicked. “Food!” Gio exclaimed, “You want food!”

Weld couldn’t help his relieved sigh, and the slight smile that cracked along his lips, if only for a second. He nodded.

The human’s eyes glimmered with excitement as they quickly rummaged around in their backpack, barely taking an eye off the borrower. “You smiled!” They laughed, “Just barely, but— but you did! Here, look—“

A loose fist was swung down in front of him, grasping a peeled-open bar of food that Weld only slightly recognized — the families on the boardwalk beside his home would carry them along, and the men at the mechanics would pack them for their lunches. Weld jumped at the sudden approach, but leaned in after a second when the sickly-sweet scent overwhelmed his senses. It reminded him of honeysuckle.

“It’s a granola bar. It’s got, like, ah…” Gio pulled back the packaging a bit, ”…peanuts, oats, and chocolate. I think they’re pretty good. So, dig in!”

Weld inched forward, eyeing the bar and the fist that held it, then plucked a whole peanut out of the sticky sugar with both of his hands. He gave the human a lopsided grin.

“Do you want more?” They asked, shrugging, “If not, I’ll probably just eat the rest. No use wasting it.”

The peanut was set aside in the sand in the face of a better goal. Weld reached out for more, trying this time to break off a chunk of the bar much bigger than last time — about the length of his forearm, both across and long. The grains that messily crumbled into his hands he quickly brought to his mouth, while the rest was stored away in his pack. He turned his attention, again, to the peanut, its sticky coating covered in grains of sand, but easily picked off despite it all. Weld gnawed at the sweet snack, finding a spot he felt comfortable enough planting his feet to pause to eat, although he was charged to dash at a moment's notice.

The human smiled, seemingly satisfied that the borrower hadn’t fled the second he’d gotten his hands on what he’d wanted. They splayed a leg out in front of them — slowly, enough warning for the borrower to step carefully out of the way of the massive action, and another forewarning as the other leg followed — until they were sitting just a few feet across from the little redhead. They took a bite of the remaining granola bar, tapped once on the device sitting idly in their lap, and shrugged.

Weld got the feeling this night was going to last longer than he had once hoped.

#borrowers #g/t #g/t writing #gt #giant/tiny #weld #gio #oc stuff #writing

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fluffs-place · 6 days

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Personal dog related rant below cut

Im so fucking tired of people insinuating were bad dog owners or that our dogs arent happy with us or dont deserve to be with us.

Rins ear is hurt and anyone whos had a dog hurt their ear knows its a fucking bitch to deal with. We haven't taken him to a vet because all theyre gonna do is charge us out the ass for stuff we've already been doing at home. We tried bandaging his ears up and happy hoodie-ing him as well as trying a cone instead. Hes allergic to the self adhesive bandaging which then gave him infections all along his neck. Those healed beautifully and are gone now. But since we cant use self adhesive and he shakes anything else off somehow we have to let him just freely heal. The cone was great while he was bandaged to keep him from scratching it off but once we realized hed have to be free eared, it was doing more harm than good because his ears were slapping it and causing more damage.

So now hes just back to wearing his prongs for walks and otherwise naked. We have to be extremely on his ass though because he tries to roll around and rub off the scabs which then resets the whole process.

So now mom gets home for the hospital and immediately (even after weve asked and then had to tell her firmly to stop talking to us about the dogs cause it was just stressing us out) she was talking about the dogs. I told her rins a wash (hes a great dog but hes so accident prone and just a lil too empty in the head for the work id need him to do) and then she was like oh no im sure you could train him.

We could but he also doesnt really enjoy training he doesnt have the drive so hes not going to enjoy work. Hed much rather be playing so that what were ultimately letting him do. Hes got the temperment. Passed all the puppy tests like holding him on his back, touching his paws, recovering and checking out loud noises. We even thought for a little bit that he was deaf cause he just didnt care about loud noises at all. He was food oriented and still just doesnt care to train. Lovesssss his fishie tho. He will do anything for you to throw the fish. Obviously i cant throw toys to get him to task tho so he a wash. And thats ok.

But anyway shes like oh are you gonna give him up then? Like ok way to word it so were the bad guys but no we arent. Hes staying with us. We still love him regardless of whether hes a wash or not. Then lamb mentions his ears still hurt. Then ofc mom goes oh hes still hurt and oh poor puppy and oh you know theres places that are dalmatian houses you could give him to and oh its not fair to him and oh he needs to just be a dog (as if we arent already doing that). She would not listen to a single thing we said either just kept going on it as if we should get rid of him. As if were the problem.

Its no ones fault no ones the problem. Rins just being a dog. Hes itchy so he shakes thats what dogs do. We cant miraculously heal his ear and we are doing everything in everyones power to fix it. Its not like giving him to someone else is going to change anything. A vet is not going to do anything we havent already. We know that because weve talked to vets. Lamb worked at a place connect to a vet and they literally told him that.

(And i know superglue and whatnot but its not a cut its on the underside of his ear now. It was his ear tip before but thats now healed and scarred over. Then when the reaction to self adhesive happened he got them on the underside of his other ear so now its the problem of getting those to heal despite his persistence to shake and itch. So he is healing its just taking a lot longer because new problems are arising. Which no one couldve expected or planned for because no one knew he was allergic. So literally it is no ones fault. Its just a lengthy process that accidentally got added to.)

So yeah i walked out pretty angrily because one dont insinuate were bad owners. Two stop bringing up the dogs like weve told you. And three dont give us advice we didnt ask for. One of the main reasons we told you to stop talking to us about it. We know what were doing and have done our research on it. Idk im just angry. I love my mother but it fucking pisses me off. Used to happen with my cat too before i moved. Now that we liv3 in their basement the cycles started all over again. I can not wait to move out of this apartment. This was a real weird rambly rant. Sorry lol

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therapy-ghost · 1 year

Text

𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗’𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚗 ; 𝚂𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 (1/4)

This series will go on for 4 parts, but if there is any character you would wish to see that is not on the list; comment or send it to the inbox and I will get to it :)

This first part is for all the students you meet during the introduction of the game in each house WARNING: THIS HAS SLIGHT SPOILERS!

Sebastian Sallow

Darin thinks he's fun to be around. He's like a brother to her; they have good chemistry but they will argue. Will fight anyone that tries to discourage him from helping Anne; even if she doesnt think its possible.

Ominis Gaunt

Gossip buddies; with Ominis being blind, his senses are heighten, so he heres alot of gossip from people and sometimes Darin likes to her that stuff. Empathises with him over his family trauma and is sometimes his illegal therapist. Adores him very much.

Imelda Reyes

Absolutely cant stand her; hates her with all her being. Darin doesnt hate many peole cause its such a strong word but she cant even begin to discribe how much she wants the punch her in the face.

Gareth Weasley

Absolutely loves him; he’s so funny to her. She would commit multiple crimes for him to be happy. Has been a test subject to his potions and has helped with them. Thinks he diserves the moon, but all she could get him was an ashwinders egg.

Nellie Oggspire

Adventure buddies who? Her and Nellie arent to close but when they are together, its because their either on the courtyards roof or simply telling stories to each other. Darin finds nellie to be a very interesting person and enjoys her company.

Cressida Blume

Finds her somewhat annoying: doesnt like how she talks so nastily about people and expectes she'll be fine. Her charms work is interesting... but Darin doesnt find it amusing; kinda lazy.

Samantha Dale

Plant parents! They both will bring their plants outside for little meet ups; like those moms that site at the park as their kids run mahem. Samantha and Darin will mainly just talk about classes and the books for said classes.

Amit Thakkar

Wholesome boy; must protect wholesome boy. she enjoys that he is teaching her about astronomy and the constolations. once she finished the constolation boards, she went straight to him about them. they do knowledge exchanges; astronomy for Beast keeping.

Everett Clopton

Cant really say she dislikes him, but doesnt like his pranks. Connects with him on the whole Imelda thing; shared hatred of her. Tries to stop him from using those stink bombs but has failled; several times. Everett is fine to be around, but Darin wont be around him voluntarily.

Lenora Everleigh

Loves being around her; she's alot of fun to be around and Darin enjoys the riddles and puzzles she does. they go around the castle searching for the moths together. they're study partners.

Aurthur Plummly

Has shown him some animals like mooncalf's and nifflers; is also trying to help with the 'convincing my mother to get me a pet' plan. Bonus piece is that her owl will just sit on him.

Adelaide Oakes

her sister from another mister; wants to help her in everyway she can with her uncle. Finds her adorable and the most precious person in hogwarts(other then deek). Beat the crap out of the goblins that kidnapped her uncle

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS: if their are any request for this mini series or just writing, please do not hesitate to send it in, my ask box is empty right now!

#Darin Leda #Hogwarts Legacy x oc #Hogwart Legacy oc #Hogwart legacy mc

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darlincollins · 2 years

Text

love love love the energy of darlin just tending to accumulate people without meaning to and i desperately want them to be friends with bright eyes so.

on a late night snack run darlin literally runs into this stressed out looking kid who barely seems to see them and doesn't apologize or keep walking, just stares. feeling a little awkward because this random kid is just looking through them basically, darlin offers them a twizzler and their eyes snap to the candy. they look conflicted, say they probably shouldn't... but then they take the whole bag. (hc that newborns can't eat human food for a bit after turning, they have to slowly reacquaint themselves with it)

they sit in silence on the curb while the twizzler thief downs a shocking amount of candy before looking up and actually AT darlin this time with almost startlingly bright eyes. darlin is so terrible at this it physically pains them but they hesitantly ask if everything's okay- after all, it's very late and this kid really seems to be going through something- the stranger tells them to mind their own fucking business before continuing to eat darlin's candy, to which darlin shrugs because fair enough, and only when the bag is empty do the words start flowing out of bright eyes like they can't stop them.

it's a vague enough retelling that darlin doesn't really piece together who this is, but enough that they GET it, the overwhelming guilt from having made a decision that got someone you care about hurt, being thrown into an entirely new community of people who really don't seem to want you or accept you there, having all this anger and grief and hurt tangled up inside you until it boils over uncontrollably, having no idea where to go next or how to even begin to make up for the damage you've done.

and maybe darlin doesn't historically make good decisions or know how to solve their own problems but they can occasionally be wise when the situation calls for it! (as long as they arent thinking about themself). they tell bright that yeah, they made a dumb decision, and yeah, they were probably a bit of a jerk, but they've accepted their hand in the situation and really, the fact that both those regrettable things resulted in tragedy is the fault of their attacker. and they can either spend the rest of their life stuck, feeling guilty and cornered and alone, or they can move forward, whatever that looks like. (somehow it does not occur to darlin that this advice might be applicable to their own situation).

they tell bright they're brave and strong and that if they let their guilt hang over their head forever it will drown them, "which, among other things, would really suck for me because you owe me a bag of twizzlers and i intend to collect"

because it's darlin they change the subject pretty much right after that because... talking about feelings, ew, and the two of them talk about candy and their favorite terrible movies and argue about whether dipping french fries in chocolate milkshakes is a crime or not until they can see the beginnings of the sunrise and bright says they should head on home... they start walking and then turn back and say so quietly that darlin almost doesn't hear, 'thanks' before bolting.

it's not quite a year later when their paths cross again when sam introduces them and they both look at each other like the spiderman pointing meme

#redacted asmr #redacted darlin #redacted bright eyes

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solarstellarstar · 2 years

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nice to meet you, foe. | dialovers oc shortfic

summary: Hiromi Kishimoto gets a new job as a staff member at the agency responsible for many successes in the showbiz industry. They're already friends with one of those up-coming stars, but the atmosphere becomes bitter once the surname of their potential colleagues is unveiled.

characters: hiromi kishimoto (OC), solar fumika (OC), kou mukami

warnings: none (except maybe for the fact I’m a very beginner writer and im just experimenting 💀)

word count: 1289 words

Mango sundae with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle draped onto every curve. No matter how delectable-looking it sounded or smelt, Hiromi gave their full undivided attention on the time that was stated on their phone - only occasionally poking at the sundae with a spoon in their hand absentmindedly.

Saturday, 11:46AM. The café wasn’t empty, but wasn’t hustling with people either. The place was busier on Fridays as it was the closest to the weekend, and most people didn’t have to worry about strict schedules concerning work or school.

Not Hiromi though, according to the person who invited them - this meeting was mandatory. No ‘surprise emergencies’ permitted.

Check time. Check messages. Go to homescreen. Repeat.

This process eventually became ancient, so they had no other option but to reach out to the person who invited them. But as soon the mint-haired figure hit a single letter on the keyboard, the ‘host’ of this meeting sent her message first.

change of plan. we’re meeting at the sundae place

oh im actually already there lol

???

sorry maybe I should of told u first

nvm lets be honest im not the slightest bit surprised

when do you get here?

look up loser

Prompted, Hiromi raises their head but was met with a blank space.

youre actually running late arent you? you liar |

"BOO!" A unison of two voices echoed into Hiromi's ears, both of their voices shared one trait: both were slightly in the higher range.

Two pairs of hands swiftly rest themselves onto both of Hiromi's shoulders, fingernails playfully digging in.

The 'victim' of this lighthearted prank hadn't even moved their eyes from their phone by one inch, in fact - they took the time to slowly glance up and look behind to see the perpetrators. It took about 5 seconds for them to finally react with a surprised yelp.

“Hey! Took ya long enough to react.” The lavender-eyed girl pulled up a seat to sit down at the same table. The blue-eyed blond accompanying them doing the same.

Solar had told Hiromi that she was going to bring along a friend to this meeting. Apparently, this boy had already rose to fame and was very successful in the idol industry. Solar was still only a trainee and Hiromi was going to become a staff member that worked under the same agency, meaning that everyone at the table will soon become work colleagues.

The idol-trainee dreamily slouched down as she laid her head and arms onto the table, letting out a tranquil sigh of relief, “Ahh… I can’t believe it! You becoming my co-worker? Is it really, really true?” The blue-eyed boy smiles an amiable expression, remaining silent so he could let the two converse.

Crossing their legs while letting out a chuckle, Hiromi responds, “Yup… I sent you the proof already, no? I’m not that tech-savvy enough to doctor images.”

“And I’m going to pretend that I understood every word that you said, you talk like you’re way smarter than you actually are!” Solar picks a cherry from the sundae on the table - popping it into her mouth so she could contain her currently bubbling excitement. “But it’s way too good to be true!”

Already used to this sort of behaviour, Hiromi rolled their eyes lightheartedly and focused their attention on the boy that was being treated to the equivalent of a third-wheeler. “You mentioned you were going to introduce me to your friend? Poor guy, we were basically ignoring him this whole time.”

“Haha! Can I finally talk now?” The boy spoke in a cat-like tone, the bangs that were covering half of his face moving slightly as he talked.

“Of course! I’ve actually been DYING to introduce you guys to each other.” The girl beamed with anticipation. “Kou, this is my friend Hiromi!”

Hiromi gave a small peace sign to act as a wave.

“Hiya, Hiromi! I’m Kou. But I’m sure you already know that, right?” The glistening appearance in his eyes felt familiar.

Awkwardly chuckling, Hiromi admits, “Actually… sorry, man. I’ve known you were a pretty popular idol but this is my first month back ever since returning to Kaminashi. I guess I’ve been a bit too busy with the moving process that I forgot to do some research.”

Kou dramatically sighs, faking a bitter tone, “Awe… I’m so offended! How could you? This is devastating!” before breaking out into amused laughter.

Solar shot a sharp glance at Hiromi, meaning she probably was actually offended by the statement.

“So, you’re Kou…?” They allowed their words to trail on, signalling that they were asking for the latter’s surname.

He gasps, “Whaaat? You don’t even know my last name? You’re hopeless! …just kidding, aha! Mukami. Kou Mukami.”

Hiromi nods, as if they were positively interested.

However, time stopped right there. Mukami? M-u-k-a-m-i? No fucking way. This gotta be some sick joke. Maybe he’s not even related to those people in the first place?

With a painful smile, Hiromi manages to utter, “Nice to meet you… Kou.”

disclaimer: hiromi actually already has their scar here but unfortunately there was no option on the picrew for it :,(

Please, let the ground open up and swallow me whole. Or Lord give me the strength to actually get up and bolt the fuck outta here.

Joyed at the fact her mutual friends were getting along, Solar arises from her seat with her purse tucked under her arm. “I’ll be right back, I gotta go to the bathroom. Feel free to continue your conversation without me!” She gave a happy wink before leaving for the bathroom.

Don’t you leave me alone with this guy.

Hiromi picks up the spoon yet again and scoops in to finally dig into their sundae, desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Kou watched attentively.

Sneaking a few glances, Hiromi only grew to become more uncomfortable. I hate the way he’s staring at me.

Before they could spoon the sundae into their mouth - the blond asks,

“How long have you known Solar?”

Pause. A bitter feud was beginning to erupt in Hiromi’s pupils. But unfortunately, there was no way they were going to dismiss the boy rudely in person. They were too fatigued to start a disruption when most eyes in the room were already on the two.

“Since elementary.”

Kou continued to listen, his expression delightfully twinkling. “Childhood buddies, I see.”

This is none of your business.

“It’s amazing how you’re so close after all these years…”

You know nothing.

“I guess you can say that all true friendships last~”

Silence befalls the two again. Hiromi got back to eating the sundae while Kou just… stared. Hiromi kept their eyes on him to make sure he didn’t do anything snarky. Kou fixed his stare, but for a seemingly friendlier reason.

Maybe I’m just overthinking things.

In the distance, Solar hopped out of the bathroom on one foot. She leaned her arm on the wall for support as she used her other hand to adjust the strap on her shoe.

Finally, help has arrived.

"Hey!-"

Before they could raise their hand to frantically wave Solar over, the strength in both of their arms became restrained.

Hiromi tensed up, shocked - desperately looking over at their friend for help. Solar was just as surprised as they were.

Kou had jumped out of his seat to... give a hug? The look in his eyes felt so affectionate and endearing. The way his arms wrapped around the other was intended to be comforting.

But to Hiromi, those fond and gentle arms felt like nothing but pure filth. Absolute filth.

Knowing that Hiromi was too stunned to say anything, Kou leaned in to whisper, "Make sure to smile, Hiromi-san. It's obvious to everyone here that you really don't want to be my friend~"

A malicious smirk curved onto his lips.

#solar fumika #diabolik lovers oc #diabolik oc #dl oc #hiromi kishimoto #kou mukami #mukami kou #diabolik lovers fanfiction #☀️.fanfics

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midnightsconspiracy · 3 years

Text

The Missing Piece

The Missing Piece - @midnightsconspiracy

Summary: Hank being jealous of your and Jay’s platonic relationship leads to a relationship of his own

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1801

Requested: Yes!!

‘I need some jealous hank pleeease 😩💖🙏🏻’

A/N: This is my least favourite thing I’ve written so far, I just feel like it doesn’t flow well but we move :)

I only have one request at the moment so send in as many as you like, trust me when I say this you are not ‘bothering’ or inconveniencing me at all, I love when people message me or send requests in. So don’t overthink it, just do it!!! :)

Masterlist

Your life always felt incomplete, like something was missing, but you could never put your finger on what the thing was. You had a modest apartment, a positive relationship with your family and a job with co-workers you absolutely adored. So what left did you have yet to find? Every having romantic relationships in the past left you feeling that way still, a void that could only be filled by a specific something, without knowing what it was. It was infuriating, finally feeling happy with your life but still, there was a piece of you missing, a bit that felt empty. But maybe you would find that something was nearer than you thought, and maybe that something was a someone.

The day started off as normal, getting up, making breakfast then heading out to start the day at your job in intelligence. Pulling into the car park you noticed Jay beside you, sitting In his car, reading something on his phone. Looking up as you got out of your car, he smiled, proceeding to also get out of his vehicle, greeting you just like he did each day. You walked into the district together and to the upstairs intelligence unit, talking about some recent gossip while having the same playful conversation, laughing with huge smiles on your faces. Once you had reached the unit’s floor, you both headed to the coffee machine, needing your caffeine fix before you started. Noticing that others already seemed to be deep in work, you closed the door behind you, hoping to keep as much noise in as possible. Drinking your coffee, you continued talking to Jay, putting off work for as long as possible and wanting to know anything new that could get from the man. Any time you conversed with him, it always had an unconsciously flirty undertone, not because you liked him that way, but because it was in both of your natures, not being able to turn it off specifically for each other. After a while, you still hadn't noticed that the coffee had been drunk already, the time having flown by, neither of you realising you should have started working ten minutes ago.

Unaware to you, Voight was in his office, working on some files from a case that had been passed down to him from people higher up, stress levels increasing with each sentence he read. The sound of yours and Jay’s conversation breached the walls, seeping into his office, making him angrier than he already was. ‘Why did you have to flirt with Jay all the time, was he not good enough for you?’ He thought to himself, the attraction he had for you clouding his mind. Clenching his jaw, he went back to reading his document, knowing when he thought about you too much it bought out his emotions, and that’s not what he needed right now. But he couldn’t help it when he heard your laugh, knowing it wasn’t caused by him, but instead Jay. That man was a damn good detective but also a bloody good flirt, and in Hank’s eyes that made him a threat. He wanted you badly, having liked you since you’d first joined the unit, although Jay was not the only thing in the way. The biggest problem was himself. He was so insecure, thinking that if he did eventually have the courage to ask you out, you would say no. It was just you were so much younger than him, and much better looking and just all these other things that made him think you were better suited to someone like Jay. However, that still didn’t stop him from getting angry when Jay was buttering you up. Suddenly, he stood up, not being able to stand hearing you and Jay in the room next door anymore. Swinging the break room door open, he stood in the doorway, a stern expression on his face. As soon as the door had open, you and Jay had turned towards the intrusion. Noticing it was just Voight, you both relaxed, thinking he was going to idly chat with two of his favourite detectives.

“Hey Sarg, there is some coffee leftover if you want some,” Jay started, not thinking anything of Hank’s expression, considering he usually had a scowl on. This set the flames alight as the detective completely overlooked the anger he held in his eyes.

“Both of you should be working by now! You’re ten minutes late to start and I don’t appreciate you spending that time In here having fun and joking when you both know damn well there is a case you could be helping to solve,” he shouted, not only startling you and Jay, but also your fellow detections who had looked up from where they were working away quietly.

“Sorry Voight, guess we didn’t realise that time had gone past so fast,” Jay tried to rationalise, not understanding why Voight was getting so aggravated for something that would usually just result in a slap on the wrist.

“Get to work, both of you. Plus you both know the rules about in house dating, so sort out whatever this is out immediately.” And before either of you could tell him otherwise, he had stomped back to his office, slamming the door shut in the process. Looking at Jay, you gave him a confused look, trying to figure out why your boss had come up with these conclusions as you returned to your desk.

Throughout the day, you noticed multiple strange things happening. Firstly, Jay refused to look at you at all, looking at the wall or ground anytime you would address the room or would look away as quickly as possible if you accidentally made eye contact. It was abnormal, to say the least, considering you at Jay were usually tied at the hip, spending a lot of time together, both inside and outside of work. It had started even before Voight had split you up and assigned everyone in the unit new partners. Maybe you had subconsciously annoyed him? That you didn’t know but you tried your best throughout the day to get him to even acknowledge you, but each time failing completely. The second strange thing was the looks you were getting from both Hank and Alvin as well as the looks they were giving each other. Anytime you would look up from your work, you would spot one of them staring intently at you, then quickly retreating to look at each other. The ones from Olinsky seemed to be those of intrigue as if they were trying to gauge your reaction. But the ones from Voight seemed different. How it was different you couldn’t really pinpoint, but it seemed to be more out of fondness and concern, but you couldn’t really be sure, barely seeing it before he looked away. God, what was it with all these men today? One not wanting to look at you at all, the others wanting to look at you all the time it seemed. Eventually, you and your new partner Olinsky were sent out to talk to some woman. Wanting to know if she was aware of the illegal activity her boyfriend was running. After receiving some useful information, you both got back in the car, settling in for the short car ride ahead. A couple of minutes into the drive you turned to him, adamant about getting answers on why these men had been unnecessarily watching you all day.

“Why do you and Voight keep looking at me?” You ask abruptly, wanting to catch him off guard so he would answer your damn question.

“You should speak to Voight in his office after shift.” He replied, the car falling back into silence for the rest of the journey.

The statement played on your mind for the rest of the day, but finally, you would get some answers as the shift came to a close. Waiting for everyone else to leave, you wrote your statement longhand, knowing it would eat more time up. As the last person left the room, you got up, walking into your boss' office, closing the door behind you. He looked at you as you entered, holding an undistinguishable expression on his face, despite the nervous disposition he held inside.

"Detective Y/LN, what can I do for you," he asked, looking down at his papers as if he didn't care, although his brain was screaming at him to do something!

"You keep looking at me." You bluntly stated, wanting to pull him out of his comfort zone and get the answers Olinsky wouldn't give you.

"You are my agent arent you? Therefore I am entitled to look at you." Gazing up at you, he stared into your pretty eyes, resisting the urge to just get up and kiss you.

"B-but, this is different. You keep glancing at me as if you have some sort of adoration for me," thinking he was going to look up and find a disgusted expression, he was surprised as he found nothing but a small smile upon your face.

"Maybe I do, but that doesn't matter though does it? Considering you are seeing Detective Halstead." Confusion, once again fell on your features, still not understanding why he thought this madness, you are Jay were merely just friends.

"Me and Jay? We're just- Wait what did you say? Y-you, feel for me?" The confused look on your face deepened, never thinking this would happen. You weren't unhappy by any means, thinking very fondly of the handsome Sergeant, but he was your boss so why would he go for someone like you when he could have Burgess or even Platt! Rounding his desk, he walked towards you, stopping at a comfortable distance, not too far, not too close.

"Do you deem that as a bad thing?" Stumbling on your words, you managed to mutter a 'no', as you looked back into his eyes, finding a warmness there that started filling that void inside you. Not thinking, you flung your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, placing your head in the crook of his neck as you inhaled his scent. Maybe he was that missing piece?

"Jay and I are just friends and will always just be friends Hank," you told him, removing an arm from his neck to softly stroke his cheek. He gradually tightened his arms around your waist as you reassured him of the matter.

"So you would mind me doing this?" He asked, leaning down to capture your lips in a searing kiss, full of passion, portraying all the things he'd ever want to say to you.

Just as his wish had come true, yours had too, as that missing piece of you started to make its way back to you.

#chicago pd #chicago pd imagines #chicago pd x reader #one chicago #hank voight x reader #hank voight #hank voight imagines

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bridgyrose · 3 years

Note

More Mafia pls? Like, how did that date go, was any secret past revealed by either ruby or cinder?

Ruby stepped out of the car that Cinder had sent to pick her up, the red cocktail dress she wore trailing a bit behind her as she wobbled in her heels. When Cinder had told her where she was going, she didnt realize she’d have to be this dressed up for a simple dinner. Though, what surprised her the most was how empty the restaurant was. Waitstaff and chefs mingled in the dining area, a band played smooth jazz to add to the ambiance of the restaurant, and only one table had anyone sitting at it. Ruby took a breath and started making her way to Cinder, taking small, slow steps in order to keep herself from tripping. “When you said you wanted to take me to a fancy restaurant, I imagined it’d be a little… busier.”

“Normally it would be, however, I did have some business to take care of here.” Cinder stood up and pulled out a chair for Ruby. “So I pulled a few strings and reserved the restaurant for the day. Tonight, it’ll be just the two of us, some good food, and great music.”

Ruby slowly nodded and sat down. She nervously twiddled her thumbs, not quite sure what to think of all of this. “So… what exactly do you do that allows you to pull those kinds of strings?”

“I own this restaurant.”

Ruby paused and looked Cinder over. Sure, it didnt surprise Ruby much that Cinder could own a restaurant, especially since the more wealthy people in Vale ran businesses that had been in their family for generations. Even her mother’s flower shop was one that had been passed down through the years before it had to close. What surprised Ruby was how nonchalantly Cinder had said it. More like it should’ve been known and not guessed. “You own the restaurant?”

“The restaurant and every other building on this street.” Cinder smirked as she watched Ruby, slowly grading her reactions. “My adoptive father started with this restaurant and eventually came to own everything on this street after years of negotiations. After he passed, he gifted everything he owned to me… even if my step mother didnt agree with him.” She took a sip of her wine and cleared her throat. “Though, all of that’s in the past, and since then, I’ve changed how everything’s run here.”

“I never knew…”

“I wouldnt expect you to. I try to keep work and home separate.”

Ruby nodded and started looking over the menu that sat in front of her. “I guess this explains why you’ve been so generous to me.”

“I’m generous to you because I like you.” Cinder gave a genuine smile as she leaned forward, eyeing the girl in front of her. “Unlike others I deal with, you arent scared of me. You speak your mind when you need to and you’re dependable.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Ruby sat her menu down and smiled at Cinder. “So… you were adopted?”

“You say adopted, I say bought.” Cinder sighed and looked down at the table. For the first time in years, the front she put up started to break. “My step mother bought me to work in her hotel. After that, she married my father as a business move. She was greedy, abusive, cold… and her daughters werent much better. My father though… he trusted her. He treated her like a queen until he saw the way she treated me.” She instinctively moved the collar of her shirt to cover her neck. “I still dont understand why he never divorced her, but he took an interest in me. Started showing me what he did, taught me everything I know. And once I was eighteen, I took everything over.”

“And what exactly did he do? I know you said he owned the restaurant and everything else around here, but…”

Cinder nodded and poured a bit more wine into her glass. “That’s a discussion for later. For now, I want to show you my thanks for being here for me and my daughter-” The rest of the words she had wanted to say ended up caught in her throat as one of the waitstaff tapped on her shoulder and whispered to her. She let out a sigh. “I’m sorry Ruby, but I’m going to have to cut this short. Seems like there’s been a small complication.”

Ruby nodded, her smile slowly disappearing. “O-oh… think you’ll be back later then?”

“Unfortunately, I wont.” Cinder stood up and paused and she looked at Ruby. She walked over to the girl and lifted her chin slightly. “But I promise I’ll make it up to you. Dinner will be out in a few minutes for you, I asked the head chef to make a special meal for you. After you’re finished eating, the driver that brought you here will bring you straight back home.”

Ruby blushed a bit and nodded once more. “A-alright. Any idea when you’ll be back home?”

“No, but once I’m home I’ll make it up to you. I was really looking forward to this and I hope you were too.”

“Then I’ll see you tonight.” Ruby felt Cinder pull away and watched her walk out of the restaurant. Her heart fluttered from being so close to her employer, but she couldnt help but feel hurt that she couldnt stay. She took a breath and looked around the restaurant, more questions starting to come into the back of her mind, though one stood out more than the others: who is Cinder Fall?

#rwby #ruby rose #rwby ruby rose #cinder fall #fallen petals #ruby x cinder #mafia au

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dyketubbo · 3 years

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im rewatching doomsday (comps of all povs of course) and. yeah i just.. feel bad for the lmanburgians. i dont know how i could just. say these people deserved it, when they all sound, panicked and desperate and so so fucking sad. long long ramble under the cut as i recount the events and pick out a bunch of little things

even the day before then is painful. ranboos panic room. ranboo and tubbos talk (tubbo admitting that hes wrong, saying he believes that history is repeating itself and trusting ranboo because he believes in his loyalty), fundy showing the ring toss. tubbos surprise at being told to kill dream before stating that quackity would be in control if he didnt (god, did he plan to fail?). tommy being so so excited. everyone playing ring toss and cheering on jack. tommy still believing in tubbo. tubbo panicking. ranboo and tommy and techno talking, ranboo giving them info. dream placing walls and quackity instructing tubbo on where to kill dream. dream lying about the community house. the entire community house debacle. just, everything.

and then doomsday itself. having to frantically get there because it started early, tubbo only having diamond armor to protect him, fundy standing still after he sabotaged them. tubbo and ranboos genuine despair about the apiary.

tubbo eventually going nonverbal and actively putting himself in danger, not even moving away from techno at first and getting in the way of the firework launcher. tubbo trying to save tommy from the fireworks, ponks broken "dont come over here!" after she was trying to save his cat, tommys face falling and desperate attempts at convincing techno, ranboo going "its all gone", niki spiralling and silently burning down the tree, quackitys pure anger. all the death messages.

jack going "what is there left to protect", tommy brokenly trying to accept that its gone as tubbo and quackity blankly do accept it. jack going "i lost everything again". tommy desperately trying to understand dream, on the verge of tears as he asks why dream didnt just hurt him. his low health and food as hes unable to do anything anymore, his quiet gasp as he spots ghostbur, tubbos tiny shake of his head when dream says dream and tommys story wont be over.

tubbo and quackity breaking the repeaters. ghostburs "i didnt even know we were fighting". ghostbur finding out phil let friend die, hes pained "phil? but i- i gave, i gave phil to look after. and dream found me friend, and technoblade said we were friends", tommys pained talk about technoblade. "we were never his friend. to him, all of this was just an act of politics, an act of clout and a-a social ladder, and you won't remember. tubbo you will, and to you big q, this was a friendship. but to technoblade, this was a ladder. and techno climbed to the tippity talk. do you wanna know the only way you can go? on the ladder? -- and once you reach the top of the ladder tubbo, you can only go down."

quackity asking to sing the anthem again, him strumming as ghostbur sings (and tubbo and tommy joining in). ghostbur forgetting the second verse because it blew up. quackity remembering it, them stumbling through it. tommys "tubbo? im so so sorry", tubbos quiet "its okay." the four all singing together. tubbo looking at the lava with an ender pearl in his hand, tommy correcting quackity and going "our l'manburg". ghostburs speech about friend, about people not taking him seriously just because he has memory loss.

meanwhile.. phil and techno were laughing. cracking jokes. phil mocks them as he spawns withers on the apiary, going "ohhh noo not the bees!". techno shouts at tommy and shoots at him and tubbo. he kills jack and doesnt even notice that it was one of his lives lost. jacks death itself proves that it doesnt take any particular intent, doesnt have to mean anything to the killer. techno and phil were willing to kill people. it would be foolish of them to act as if there were no risks in the terms of canon lives, especially with phil. phil doesnt take ghostbur seriously, treats his despair as an opportunity to drill in a lesson. the most either of them lost was some of the dogs and used up potions, fireworks, and wither skulls

and then theres dream. dream whose been harming the l'manburgians since the beginning, who had taken tubbo hostage, offered eret a chance to betray them all, who had been the man in tommys walls and offering money to tubbo and jack to try and get them to destroy things, who tried to get tommy to kill tubbos villagers. dream, who took tommys discs over and over, who killed tommy twice in one day, who stopped caring about his friends that loved him and were so so loyal. dream, who helped schlatt and pushed wilbur deeper into his spiral, who even then tried to manipulate tommy.

dream, who helped destroy l'manburg the first and second time, who took advantage of tubbo so he could have a premeditated kidnapping of tommy. dream, who abused tommy, physically, psychologically, emotionally. dream, who degraded tubbo and had taken ranboos memory book (which btw, since ranboos memory loss counts as a mental disability with the memory book as his aid, thats dream taking the thing that aids ranboo in dealing with his disability).

dream, who had been the reason l'manburg was created. dream, who got to destroy l'manburg three times. dream won. and techno and phil dont regret it, dont care.

maybe l'manburg was never meant to be. and sure, it started with stealing and an attempt to monopolize on potions but. that wasnt even l'manburg then, was it? it was just wilbur and tommy having fun. l'manburg came after. after the police hurt them. l'manburg started as a silly little revolution, led by a naïve man who thought he could win wars by saying no. it was a place for a family, a place for them to escape from dream. it was a place to try and escape the harm of those outside the walls. it was meant to be safe, even if those against them made it hard to be. it was made from love. it was meant to be happy. it was a symphony, however unfinished.

so. i don't know. i just feel, bad. they never really won, did they? tragedy after tragedy, death after death, destruction after destruction, betrayal after betrayal, hurt after hurt. and now what's left of them, really? out of the founders, erets doing the best and even shes doing awful, forever trying to make up for what he did. tubbos paranoia led him to developing nukes in a desperate attempt to stay safe, because he was taught to stay quiet and keep his emotions to himself, because his death was "justified", because nukes and walls and weapons are the only way he can feel safe anymore.

tommy went through months of abuse, lost all of his lives and suffered upon coming back, suicidal but unable to bring himself to do it because limbo is worse, feeling lost and like he has no family anymore other than wilbur, who he knows is hurting him but cant bring himself to leave, who loved lmanburg so so dearly and only wanted a home, still doesnt have one (tommy from everywhere, tommy from nowhere at all). niki who loved lmanburg and wilbur so much that it hollowed her out and made her bitter and shes so used to being spoken over that all she can think to do is raise her voice and get pissed, who cant see wilbur as a good person anymore because shes hurt and hasnt truly recovered and she doesnt know how to cope without being angry.

jack manifold feels forgotten, hes lost all his lives and crawled out of hell and no one truly noticed, he doesnt even believe that niki really cares, hes desperate and has made his purpose to be spiteful and angry because he cant deal with the emptiness that comes when he realizes theres no point. fundys desperate to have friends, family, a partner, anyone thatll love him, anyone thatll keep him safe, slowly killing himself with cigarettes and disowned because of giving too little too late, because he was too little too late.

and wilburs lost himself. spiraling, paranoid. a young, naïve man who wanted to fight swords with words, who wanted to impress his father, who wanted a nation of his own to feel safe, who was so effected by erets betrayal that he cant trust anyone but himself, whose possessive nature eats him from the inside out, desperate for control and unable to let go of the only person he knows loves him unconditionally

all because outside forces kept pushing, kept destroying, kept ruining them and hurting them and traumatizing them and taking away their homes and pets and loved ones. and i just. cant feel happy for the ones that hurt them, i cant feel victorius, triumphant, any of that. i just feel bad that the l'manburgians never got to be a family. i know they arent the best people but shit, i love them anyways, love them because theyre flawed and because theyre *people*, people who tried so so hard and got pushed so so much and. fuck, i cant be happy that the people who loved nature and play fought and laughed by campfires and read poetry and re-enacted theatre and loved each other and wanted to *live* (even if they were willing to die, if it meant giving everyone else a chance).. lost. they lost.

canonical years of work down the drain in one day. records of history gone, now only remembered in full by a traumatized teenager who was taught not to talk about his negative emotions, and even he misremembers some parts. they didnt even lose fairly. they had no chance. they couldnt have prepared for withers, for tnt rain, for the hounds. they were poor, weaker than their opponents, sabotaged by one of their own. thats.. tragic.

doomsday was a tragedy. i cant agree that it was deserved. i cant agree that they had it coming, that they deserved to lose homes and pets and limbs and lives and land because they werent the greatest people around.

a small country of less than 10 people (at both creation and destruction) now a giant crater in the ground, remnants of a parisitic egg taking over the land. and it wasnt even lost fairly. three people were stronger than an entire nation, even with all of its allies. two anarchists working with an abusive tyrant. so, no. doomsday wasnt deserved. people dont deserve tragedy. there were better ways, i truly cant be happy that the way chosen was violence. i cant.

l'manburg's citizens deserved better. they really did. the ends dont justify the means. and god, am i fucking tired of "justice". if justice means choosing violence over love and respect and caring about those less strong than you, i dont wanna hear about it. fuck that man, id rather love and be loved than constantly give a shit about making up for hurting others by getting hurt, thats stupid and cruel and i cant see it as okay on a moral level. not when the people that got hurt deserved to be loved and cared about and protected and *talked to* instead of constantly shot down.

of course for the narrative i can enjoy violence and characters getting hurt and i do like how "real" it all is, the despair and dissonance in tone and how terrifyingly messy it all is. out of story perspective- honestly rather cool even if it makes me feel bad. in story perspective- holy fucking shit no that wasnt deserved and god i hope everyone hurt will be able to heal and learn to love and be loved again because thats such a terrifying thing to go through. from a detached pov i can appreciate the insight into everyone involved and i like the plotlines that came from it, but from a compassionate pov i just wish the l'manburgians were allowed to be happy and treated as equals so they didnt have to go through all of this

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papers4me · 3 years

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Fruits Basket Manga Review , ch 111

sigh~~~ I feel that my recent posts are a bit negative towards the anime, but thats cuz the chapters I’ve read so far are either unbelievably important character depth content cut for no valid reason or content in the anime but packed with million other things that it lost its purpose or importance. Basically tohu’s ep 6 which consists of 4 chapters & now ep 5 which is a momiji ep & yup, packed with 4 chapters as well... so, I apologize for any negativity, my intention is just analyzing artistic & story-telling aspects, I love se03, but yeah it screwed up lots of important characters due to its not so thorough plot decisions & harmful character insight choices.

today.. we explore Momiji... but only before his curse breaks.

Furuba anime struggling to know how to design an episode based on various plot-heavy chapters?

so, they decided 13 eps, & decided one ep for momiji cuz motoko’s graduation & the fanclub is the core of the furuba & have already cut tons of tohru, cuz who cares? she’s kind. be like her. end of lesson. No. really, jokes aside, how to do this?

How to combine several chapters in one ep? collect small snippets from chosen chapters/content like a bee does flowers? you gotta skip some content, you gotta highlight others. The ep is only 20 min after all & you got an op & Ed that you cant always skip.... so.. furuba team decide that momoji’s ep should be true to his zodiac animal, this is the rabbits last appearance in spirit. so, they went with quick hopping from one chapter to the other like a rabbit?

No really, ep 5 is really like a rabbit in its flow, you can’t savior a moment enough before jumping to the other: we learned momiji grew up!! loves toheu romantically, challenged kyo, really meant it, wanted a fair love game, got freed, lost tohru romantically & faced momiji! but that’s not all? we still have space!! quick add akito’s moodiness & love triangle with her dog & her submissive bed partner, add a happy comedy for no reason whatever & make shigue kiss tohru & wish shes 'was his lover instead!!!!!!!!! Mind you all this happened in the anime before shigure hurt tohru with his “the truth of the zodiacs talk & them accepting & feeling consolance that kyo is doomed”talk.

-Gets whats my biggest surprise after reading this chapter ?????????

Shigure is consistent!! He isnt a rabbit hopping here & there. The dog is loyal & is tired for good reason! Him being depressed & his weird talk with thoru makes so much sense given the manga’s order.

Kyo is consistent!! In the anime, momiji surprise him with confession he loves tohru & challenge him, then kyo la~la~la~joins them downstairs for curry. Not a single expression on his face, where is the expression? it will appear when the plot is forced to address it: by the end of the ep when momiji face hin again. Then we get kyo’s reaction.

I need someone to tell the anime that actions require a reaction. You can refrain from showing a certain reaction if you can’t address it now, but you can’t erase it, negate it, then make it appear when have to!!!! couldn’t they make kyo refuse to join them & eat together? the other characters wont be surprised they think he’s needlessly moody. The audience will know that kyo is troubled with momiji’s challenged & it will excite them!!! having kyo just go eat & watch the momiji/hiro/haru/yuki comedy skit is weird.

The manga’s author wanted kyo to join the dinner, like the anime did. but huge difference. the author actually cares for logic reaction & understands that the audience aren’t dumb little kids that will sit & wait for kyo’s turn to...react! nope! she did this: (a) & (b) below.

-Lost Small Bits/ Panels from the chapter.. But Sadly Big Huge Chunks for Characters buildup & Growth:

(a) addressed the fact the hiro noticed kyoru is in love & dressed that shigure was right!! the cat being in love is a weird concept to the zodiacs! hiro reacted naturally & the author used hiro to flesh yuki’s (the rat), momiji’s (the rabbit) & haru’s (the cow) decision to silently watch the kyo (the cat) makes his own decisions to live!!! They won’t interfere or tell akito or remind him of his state as the doomed caged cat. So sad this moment is cut from yuki. Why must yuki only interact with kyo to beat him (all seasons)? why must yuki only think of kyo to envy him (all seasons) ? Here, yuki’s growth towards kyo as a person & his relationship with tohru is 1000 times better than all tohru is my mom’s sh!t & I envy kyo’s Sh!t we saw in the anime over & over till we memorized it.

(b) kyo didnt just go la~la~eat with momiji after knowing he loves tohru. Nope, there’s small bits missing: called logical emotional reaction. He was surprised he’s caught pining over tohru! cuz yuki, the audience representative, has told us in the previous chapter that ppl in love dont notice anything around them. Kyo thinks him being cold hid his feelings. the dummy’s feelings are as bright as the sun in the Sahara, tohru too. a child read her! such small thing that wont take much space from the ep but was cut cuz kyo only needs to be responsive at the ep’s end. & this scene of kyo & tohru looking awkwardly at each other is minor in space but so important cuz kyo is determined to let go but his decision is challenged by not only momiji, but his natural attraction to tohru. Here he knows he’s caught & exposed... here he knows momiji is a better choice for tohru cuz he wont didn’t hurt her mom... here he knows that even yuki is better cuz never had to pretend to be cold to her... here he knows the world is better than him... & here he just cant help by smile & walks towards her... T_T ... another lesson in writing slow burns by Takaya-san.

-Why would the anime team pass on this?? drawing kyoru closer after the epic tear in Cinderella ep, cuz they want empty suspense~! The anime team thinks that if kyo & tohru stand next to each other, then it means all their issues are solved & the audience are so stupid as to forget tohru’s mom, kyo’s imprisonment, kyo not confessing his sins to tohru & tohru’s need to make a choice wether to fogive hom or not.. nope! you see, they think, ppl who read mangas are smart, so the author can give this epic symbolism & pp would still be not sure kyoru is end game & tohru will forgive him or kyo even fogive himself, but ppl who watch, oh no, gotta cut all the plot worthy content, produce a graduation song for a minor character, cut all kyo/tohru interaction cuz it only means romance & not at all character depth & oh if we show yuki actually formulating deep thoughts that aren’t centered around him, the audience might forget his se02 struggles! or that might ruin yuki’s upcoming growth moment in the finale where he .. you guessed it hits kyo.. as he always do & sulk & think abt himself cuz yuki can only do monologues when he’s directly involved.... man~it is so sad how the anime is dumped down.. Who is the target audience again? not kids as young as hiro cuz even hiro is smart!

-just look:

Momiji talks abt kyo shouldn't give up loving tohru & the authr shows this this ghost!!! his mom! The author reminds us that kyo isnt da~~~~ forgetting anything. He’s a deeply troubled soul & hos mom wants him locked cuz she too was locked in a cage & thinks that’s safer...why oh why you dump ur own story! sh!t~

Side Notes:

I like the closeups on Kisa’s face as she interacted with kyo. It’s very rare for kisa to have a world beside the endearing parental/big protective bro/big doting sister love she has with tohru & haru & off course the romantic love with hiro which was perhaps since their birth or sth. lol. Kisa & kyo arent much on the brotherly side as they rarely interact, but its one of those refreshing interactions she has that helps cast a new light on her as tiny as it is, but its sth out of the norm around her. She sees him around tohru & gets to perceive his true unprovoked character. “He is nice guy”.

I really wanted to punch kureno this chapter.. like Shigure is a jerk shitty dog for sleeping with akito’s mom but kureno... dude.. you submissively sleep with the guy’s eternal love interest & still walks in on him talking to her!!! lol. you’re mentally, emotionally & physically weaker than him & yet, she puts you on her bed, not him & you, tho not wanting her at all, dont walk away. No wonder shigure is defeated & wishing for someone like tohru, lol! Even if shigure met an older tohru-like person, it wont work. shigure deserve someone like him mean, schemer & loves playing power games. Tohru is someone who values honesty & commutation, not saying she’s an angel on earth, but tohru knows who suits her.. except fate is saying: NO. .... currently. lol.

I know kureno’s weakness is part of his character & I love that such characters exits. There are ppl ike that in real life. It’s just this chapter, I felt shigure’s frustration. XD

Yuki in this ep is the best yuki. no exaggeration here, I love when yuki is calmly thoughtful of others & here its kyo of all ppl !!!! cutting this scene is sad.. without it, kyo & yuki remain a cat & rat in the anime. Only ever thinking abt each other thro envious binoculars or hateful words or yuki giving kyo comedic hitting or life’s problem-solving hitting. Why can’t anime yuki be interactive outside his self-centered issues is beyond me.

Momiji & kyo’s interactions are always the best! whether comedy or drama.

I hated the curry cooking scene in the anime... so weirdly out of the ep’s flow.. very forced comedy... in the manga it had a purpose! not just quick add comedy cuz next shot momiji curse breaks & drama & we’ll close the ep with tears & sadness & glimpses of hope...

I love haru’s answer to hiro... so him.. “a guy can’t fall in love?”so chill.. so..simple.

#Fruits Basket #Anime Only #manga spoilers #fruits basket manga #manga review #sad paper #mad paper #I'm having shitty personal day dont mind me #sorry for extra anger #if it sounds like I;m screaming or shouting #I'm not i swear #I really love the anime & se03 is the best content among the other seasons #its just have big giant issues in plot & characters....

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latenightdecaf · 3 years

Text

Entry 5 - Good Weather Day

part of let the pile of good things grow series - series masterlist

Previous entry here

Yoongi x reader

Ft. nonidol!bts

Producer!yoongi, roommate!yoongi, soft!yoongi

slow burn romance, friendship, slice of life, series of drabbles/one shots,

a/n: i know it took me such a long time to update this. I even contemplated on just leaving this like this but no, i’ll have to see this till the end. Even i, myself need closure. Anyhow, to anyone who have stumbled upon this I hope you like it.

Word count: 1,700

“Hey.. you run?” he commented as soon as he saw you on your tracksuit and running shoes standing in the living room.

“Yeah… i do.” He looks at you all puzzled. As you make your way to the kitchen and gulped half a liter of water in seconds.

“You just dont get up so early in the morning, my friend. I run and I haven’t run in days and I can’t think—so I have to run.” You continue to babble and looking a far while holding your water mid air “it’s like my head’s all cloudy and the sunlight just wont stream in. And I can’t think….”

He made his infamous tight lipped smile and said, “what are you being so poetic for so early in the morning?” he drank his water and continued to gaze at you.

You let out a small laugh in your own non sense.

“I dont know either. Anyhoo, why are you up…” you paused to eye him from head to toe “and ready to go out? At 7 am in the morning…. who are you?” Not believing your eyes that this, in fact is the man you’ve been living with for months now. He’s not a morning person and you respect that about him.

“I have a schedule to meet with this new artist, for her debut and this is the only time she has and her agency said she really wanted me. So here i am.” You nodded and found an opening to tease him. “Oh, she wants you… wink wink.”

Completely ignoring you like always, he finished his glass of water and grab his keys and turned back on you.

“Arent you going to run?”

“Yeah let’s go.”

Before locking the door behind you, he asked “You sure you have everything?”

Checking your pockets to see, “Yes.”

“Cash? Phone?”

“Check, check!”

“You sure you’re didnt forget anything?”

“Yoongi please.” You irritably answered.

He smiled and locked the door to your apartment. Walking together towards the stairs when you said,

“Thanks for fixing the light bulb by the way… last week.” Gaze fixed he just nodded.

“Are you okay btw?” Surprised by the question, you didnt even realized you both are already at the ground floor and in front of his car. You looked at him puzzled.

“Yeah i’m okay, why won’t i be?” Still looking at you when he pressed on the keys for his car to open.

“Nothing. I’ll go ahead.” He said and be on his way. You waved him bye with a smile and walked away with your airpods on.

Running is the thing you do, when your mind’s all clouded and you can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong either. You ran around the block and into the nearby park. And by the end of it, you were just honestly walking and admiring the view. Thinking to yourself what a good weather day this day is.

Hoping it’ll actually be a decent day indeed.

You went home after a long meeting with a colleague about this new book she’s planning, and asked if you would consider doing the illustrations for her. Of course, you felt flattered and told her you’ll probably need some time to think about it. She respected it of course, and asked you to take your time.

You sneaked in quietly into the living room, and found a girl drinking in her coffee and watching the tv and Yoongi standing by the sofa and watching it intently with her.

Standing behind him, you tapped his shoulder gently and said, “Hi….” Smiling sheepishly.

He smiled at you and you immediately said, “I don’t want to disturb, I’ll just go to my room.”

Before you can even escape, he grabbed your wrist and said, “No, come on. I want you to meet Hyuna.”

The girl, so feminine and soft greeted you with her eye smile and friendly face. You felt almost embarrassed, he doesn’t really have to introduce you. “Hi, I work with Yoongi.” She extended her hand and you shook it embarrassingly and said, “well, i’m…” looking over to Yoongi as you paused, “I’m his roommate.”

You have no idea what are you so shy about, it’s not the first time you’ve met one of his friends. Casually at the same restaurant before, you bumped into each other and he introduced you to Jin and Hoseok. It was fun and casual, but this one felt a little different. You’ve never seen him bring a friend home before and if he did then you probably weren’t home to actually meet them unlike this time.

After the introductions and small talks about the program they were watching and the fact that you were already dying to just go to your room, that is unfortunately across the hall. You opened your mouth to say something, only to close it again. And then after a second you said, “I better get going—to my room.” You wave goodbye to Hyuna, “It’s nice meeting you, Hyuna.”

And before you can move again.

“Why don’t you have dinner with us? I’m cooking.” Yoongi suddenly offered.

‘Well that sounds like a date,’ you thought to yourself. You immediately declined and in sudden panic you said, “No, no, no, no… I don’t want to interrupt. And I… I actually have plans, dinner—with Haneul today. So yeah—I better go get changed.” You hurriedly walked to your room before Yoongi can say anything again.

And as soon you got into your room, you sighed the greatest relief. And wondered why in the world would Yoongi even invite you just to be polite?! It already feels like a date and there seemed like something going on between the two of them. You dont like being caught in the middle of anything that’s why you have developed the habit of lying fast just to get yourself out of situations you don’t like.

And this one is just one of those moments, obviously. So no, you don’t have dinner plans with Haneul. Your original plan for tonight is to actually sleep, but you already said that you’d be out and apparently changing clothes also so that you have to do. With a heavy heart, you’ve changed your clothes after an hour of thinking more ways that you could probably get out of this, and despite that you left the room in defeat.

You went to see both of them in the kitchen, looking at Yoongi’s back as he cooks and her telling him some stories and holding a beer beside him.

‘Aww they already looked like a couple.’ You thought to yourself.

You stopped in the kitchen and quickly told them you’d be going ahead.

And ahead you go, out of the apartment and the sun has just set and you feel really tired after the day you just had. You do have your car keys with you but you decided not to go far instead. So you walked, just a couple of blocks away—your favorite deli just opened a new restaurant beside it and you’ve been meaning to try their food so you thought maybe today’s the day.

You went inside the restaurant, cozy and thankfully enough not that crowded still. You sat by the window, brought out your notebook and ordered yourself a bottle of wine and some oysters. There’s nothing to celebrate but wine is always a good idea. ‘Maybe you can celebrate Yoongi’s love life,’ you thought and that kind of made you smile.

Dinner’s done and as you were just finishing your bottle of wine, and wondering whether to get another one. You thought you saw someone familiar outside, the street’s quite small and the street light’s just adequate. You’re not sure.

You saw this guy, has a black cap on and his back facing you—180 cm in height so familiar and yet so different. He’s with a girl. He opened the door to the passenger’s side of his car, hand covering her head lightly as he guides her inside, gentlemanly. He hurriedly went to the driver’s seat and then the car left.

You laughed to yourself, sipping in your last wine.

‘It can’t be Joon, he doesn’t drive.’ You shake your head to shake those crazy thoughts away and finished your meal and got your bill.

After dinner you stopped by the deli to get some of your favourite sausages and some cheese. Eventually buying ice cream as well to topped off your day. Walked around the neighbourhood for a couple more times before eventually walking back to your place. Thinking to yourself, that you’ve probably given them enough time to themselves and by this time you can just eventually say, ‘It’s late, i’ll probably just turn in’ in case—they would politely ask you for anything.

Bag of groceries in your wrists, hand inside the pocket of your hoodie and ice cream on the other. You went inside your apartment only to find it quiet and empty. Yoongi with his glasses on just sitting in the sofa watching tv.

“Hi” You raised your hands with ice cream to greet him and eventually sat on the sofa.

“What happened to your… date?” Eyes fixed on the tv and still eating your ice cream as you asked.

“It’s not a date.” Yoongi replied

‘Yeah right’ you thought. But you just eventually shrugged your shoulders as a reply.

“Do you have more of that?” Yoongi asked.

Eyes still fixed on the tv, you reached for the other ice cream in your bag and give it to him without even looking.

“I know you like this flavor.”

“It’s okay. I just eat it because you keep buying them.” You turned your head towards him with a confused look.

“Then what do you like then?”

“Nothing in particular, Vanilla’s fine.” Opening up his own ice cream and eyes still fixed at the tv.

You turned your head back, nodding.

You both sat in silence eating some cookies and cream ice cream while watching Batman Begins.

mood board sr: x x

#bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts imagine #bts scenarios #yoongi fics #yoongi fluff #yoongi x reader #yoongi scenarios #yoongi imagine #bts roommate au #roommate!yoongi #producer!yoongi

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maybemanyskeletonhats · 3 years

Note

Can you write about the elves reacting to their hero leaving for a quest one day and completely vanishing? Nobody knows what happened to them, nobody even knows if they're still alive or not. How would the elves cope with that?

This is remarkably creative, yet depressive. I like it anon. I give to you...

°~°~°~°~°~°

"𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚓𝚘𝚢."

Sotha Sil will feel conflicted. Was it something he had done? Had they made the guise of going on a trip to get away from him? Was he suffocating them? Was he too neglectful? Similar thoughts would swim around Sil's head frequently as he comes to terms as time ticks by that they really arent coming back. They're never coming home. His chest lurches uncomfortable and for once he feels nauseous. He should have seen it coming, nothing lasts forever. He'll continue on, just like he needs too, but he'd never recover from this deep down in his...heart. Yeah. Maybe it will tick slower...still, he's here. The only direction to go in times of strife is...forward. Keep going forward.

Vivec can feel the world become more black and white, things are more duller. Had they gone to Akavir like they had talked about so often? Had they grown tired of him? Did he bother them that much? When his Ordinators keep coming back with no news on where they could possibly be, the more the poets stomach sinks. It's as if they disappeared. The adventurous part of Vehk's mind entertained the idea that they had found someplace. Someplace better, far far away from here. In the end, he stays vigilant, eyes centered on the door waiting for them to return. Weeks, months, years tick by and...nothing. Gone. As if they had become one with the wind amidst they came...Eventually, he follows suit, treasuring the last few inhales of crisp night air before he finds his own better place.

Almalexia tough as she may seem finds solace in their company. It wasn't...forced. It was...loving, familiar, domestic...most of all it felt like....she struggles to find the right word for a few moments. Home. She decides, feeling her throat tighten. Is this what people really felt when they were left behind? Had they meant too? She knew she should feel at least a shred of anger yet...nothing. A cruel numbness settles over her being and her heart feels cold. She had hoped they would stay with her, she wanted to see them to the end. Every grey hair, every wrinkle that would settle into their face as the years passed. She feels a bitter smile overtake her face, she supposes this is what she deserves right? She'll cope, cope to the bitter end. This wouldn't fill the hole that was left from them leaving, the piece of her that they took somewhere never to return. For once, she weeps her goodbye.

Voryn Dagoth feels his heart twinge painfully in his chest. Why had they gone? Where did they go where he couldn't follow? Why was it that whenever he had something so good, so happy, so innocent, the one thing that gave him a sense of purpose, the world snuffed it out? Voryn swallows thickly, frowning deeply. If he had known what was so important, he would have come with them. Told everyone else to kick ash...the Advisors, the Dwemer, every one.

Voryn wouldn't cry. Not because he didn't care, but because he knew that his tears would be wasted for what little relief came from them. Only to realize they still weren't here with him. Life is monotonous, but he keeps on, guiding Nerevar with what little hope he has anymore. Voryn Dagoth's fault was that he remained loyal.

Mannimarco feels angry, betrayed. Yet can't deny the way his cold black heart seemingly shatters slightly more in his chest. His resolve breaking leaving his eyes uncharacteristically lost and empty. He curses himself for getting attached but he loves them. So deeply, unconditionally. He would have raised Oblivion with the person who sent them on that quest had they ever disclosed who it was before they wandered away. They would never just leave him alone right? What point was to saving him if they were going to make him feel so much, happiness, anger, love beyond his imagination.

He carries on, doing what he wanted to do before his eyes laid on the Vestige. That small tingling hope in his chest remaining that they'd come running from the horizon. He's bitter, meaner, harsher on people. He'd never tell them it was because people like them took away someone he cared about most.

Neloth tries to ignore the numbness settling in. That eerie white noise ringing in his ears that had since become so accustomed to their voice. He reminded himself plenty of times that they were allowed to leave, decide their own path. Go where they please, gods above know they deserved it. He squeezes his eyes shut trying to curb the incessant lurching of his stomach. Is this what heartbreak felt like? He thought he'd be fine, with them being gone. He just wished they had told him where. It's not like he can send people after them, or send out a search. He was just a wizard. And that for once wasn't enough for him. He'll function just as much as he did before, but with less vigor and excitement. And he'll carry on though the feeling remains in his chest reminding him that he's had a piece of him taken that he'd never get back.

Divayth Fyr cool facade slips away as he loses all semblances of an appetite. Was all that really just something - no, he stops himself before he can finish the cruel notion. They wouldn't. They couldn't have. He is - or was in love with them. And as far as he was concerned they returned those feelings in full. They weren't incapable, not weak, most certainly not a novice at magic either. They wouldn't get themselves killed right? What was so worth the secrecy that it was possibly worth dying for? What was so difficult that they couldn't ask him for help? He'll spend some of his time pondering on this, he doesn't smile much anymore, he tries, but he can't. He absorbs himself into research to escape the grim realization.

Teldryn Sero doesn't cry. He refuses too. He wants to scream, throw things. Get violent. Anything to stop the rolling of his stomach, the pounding of his heart against his ribcage. He never had a breakdown before, is this what this was?

He clenches his teeth. He failed at the one job he was supposed to do. Follow them no matter where they went. Instead they slipped out during the night and he hasn't heard a thing of them. Weeks turn into months and that turns quickly into years. His hero, his lover, his other half. Gone. Like they had never even been there in the first place. Had it all been a dream that his lonely mind conjured up? Teldryn can try to push the feelings away, but he lets it gnaw at him till...one day the spellsword leaves. And no one knows where he ended up.

#the elder scrolls #sotha sil #elder scrolls morrowind #eso #vivec #elder scrolls #almalexia #divayth fyr #neloth #teldryn sero #mannimarco

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mariesocuniverse · 3 years

Text

Relationships: WayV

MaeKun

if it werent for the the laws of ncity he wouldve asked her to join wayv and stay in their dorms

Since they don’t live together or are part of the same unit they don’t really spend a lot of time together but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t want to be with Mae

Large parent/protective older brother energy

not as protective as 127 hyungs but you know

Yeah she’s a menace when she teams up with other WayV members but she doesn’t clown him as much as they do it’s cause she saves that energy for doyoung lmao

mae claims she visits the wayv dorm for him but he’s 50% sure she’s just there for the animals

the other 50% is because she wants him to cook for her which he does even if she doesnt ask

hes like those parents who insist on giving you leftovers to bring home to your family

he taught her to do magic tricks bc she was insistent on wanting to learn at least one

okay but honestly she thinks he really cool despite all the clowning she does to him

like singing? dancing? cooking? visual? magic? and he can fly a plane????

one of the reasons she has high standards ngl

MaeTen

ten has unofficially adopted her whether people like it or not

he has fought with taeyong and doyoung about it she is his baby

if mark and johnny are his brothers, mae is basically his younger sister

if you look at his photo gallery he has a folder dedicated to mae and mae only

any photo or video of them together is basically ten clinging to her like a koala

he looks at her like she put all the stars in the sky but the same goes for mae

she has admitted in an interview that ten is one of her role models because of his talent and work ethic

whenever she needs help with dancing he’s one of the first people she asks

xiaojun once asked him who’s his favorite between yangyang and mae and you could see him malfunction for like six seconds before jokingly scolding him

“yah how could you ask me that type of question?”

fun fact! ten was the person she asked to go with her when she got her first tattoo!

he arranged the appointment at the place where he got his and held her hand when she was getting it

Lowkey considered getting matching tattoos but never really took the time to think of what tattoos they’d get

MaeWin

another top ship among czennies

these two are so soft for each other omg

just one glance at the two and you’re already melting

You can see Yuta screaming about MaeWin whenever the group is together and they’re interacting

And if you can’t see it you’ll probably hear it

MaeWin: casually talking

Yuta: is this what heaven looks like

MaeWinMark is just yuta’s weakness and he doesn’t even bother to hide it

Okay back to MaeWin before I get ahead of myself and make an entire post about Yuta and MaeWinMark

If they’re gathered in a large group their interactions aren’t really noticeable unless you’re actively looking for it

While the others are talking you can just see Mae playing with his hands or winwin giving her a soft smile while patting her head

They talk more when they’re either in a small group or just the two of them

MaeWin shippers were devastated when they got separated so when nct 2020 happened they went feral

Every once in a while they go out for hotpot and talk about what has been going on

LuMae

this man right here

they first met when she was visiting NCT U dance practice for BOSS with food and she heard him from the hallway

its one of the reasons why she wasn’t intimidated by him even though hes a giant

she was excited to see what kind of energy and personality he would bring to nct

and she was not disappointed at all

personal hype man

whenever they’re on a variety show together and mae is asked to do something he just yells “FIGHT HAEYADWAE”

of course the same goes for mae but less loud bc last time she kept yelling she lost her voice and couldnt talk for the rest of the show

He just has this energy where if he’s hyped up about something she feels energized to be hyped up well so you just hear the both of them cheering loudly

its always interesting to see because you just see a gentle giant cheering loudly with this smol girl next to him trying to match his energy

he always makes sure she’s comfortable when they’re at a schedule

like we know how he’s really silly on camera but he’s also very observant and caring

one time mae complained about how her feet hurt from the heels she was wearing so he just picked her up bridal style and walked to the van without a word

XiaoMae

They’ve heard abt each other from Kun and ten and greeted each other when they passed by each other in the halls but they never really had a chance to grow close until nct 2020 happened

Mae wasn’t in the Make a Wish unit so there weren’t a lot of chances to get to know each other while promoting either but it doesn’t mean they’re not friends

ten also hogs her attention when she visits the wayv dorms but we dont talk about that

these two arent as close as the others but not to the point where they actively avoid each other

whenever they’re together they just vibe

theres no awkward silence or small talk they just talk about random stuff

“no lucas, i dont hate xiaojun hyung we just dont hang out as often as we do”

“yes hendery we do have each other’s numbers we just don’t talk often”

WayV is lowkey tempted to lock the two of them in a practice room together and do a vlive to see what’ll happen

prime candidates for “It’s Awkward but It’s Okay”

their dynamic is kinda DoRen where they pretend to be awkward around each other as a joke

like they went out together once and everyone as excited bc omg they were interacting

XiaoMae shippers are starved for content and will accept any crumbs that come their way

HenMae

the duo people didnt know they needed until they met

its not like people didnt want them to become friends its just that theyre energies match well

these two are such a vibe

you know how there are ppl who don’t see for long periods of times but you still want tackle them in a hug whenever you meet? yeah its like that

kun sometimes wants to separate the two bc of how much chaos they cause together

they’re the duo where they think something is a good idea at the time but ends up as something bad at the end

kun has banned the two from the kitchen bc of a fire they started

HenMae shippers are thriving because of all the stories of the dumb shit they’ve done

lowkey considered doing a series together on nct daily but then the channel stopped uploading vids so it was never mentioned again

one time he was on call with his sister when she walked in and accidentally mistook her as his gf and now they jokingly have each other as bf and gf in their phone contacts

ten nearly had a heart attack when he saw the contact name pop up and mae picked up the call

yangyang has the whole thing recorded on his phone and refuses to delete it

MaeYang

(A/N everytime i see this gif i need a moment to pause and try and remember my ideas cause my head goes empty when it comes to yangyang)

okay if HenMae are chaotic, MaeYang are worse

kun doesnt need to dye his hair gray bc of all the stress these two cause him

czennies thought they didnt interact much bc of different schedules and groups but once nct world happened they changed their minds

MaeYang slowly climbing up the ranks of nct ships

during one of his lives yangyang mentioned how he spoke a lot with mae and that she wanted to add him to the 00liner gc

czennies lost it that day bc 1) holy shit theres a 00liners gc and 2) why tf hasnt yangyang been added into it yet

insists that she calls him oppa/hyung even though theres only a one month difference between them

Mae and Yangyang: whispering in the corner of the room

kun: theyre either talking shit about someone or world domination and i cant tell whats worse

he tried teaching her some german once and she now knows like three sentences

“Hallo, Ich bin Mae. Was geht ab? Mir geht’s gut.” (A/N this is the outcome of my three years of german lessons everyone)

and basically all the swear words but we dont need to talk about that

haechan jokes that he’s stealing mae away from the dreamies so he wont be the maknae in wayv

#nct 24th member #24th member of nct #nct female addition #nct female oc #nct au #kpop female addition #nct addition #nct dream female member #nct dream female addition #nct 127 female addition #nct 127 female member

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gamerwoo · 4 years

Text

Wonwoo: Hearing Lips

Characters: Wonwoo x female reader

Genre/warnings: non idol au, angst, a little fluff, a little crack, terminal illness/cancer, implied major character death. basically this starts out a lil happy but just gets worse and worse as it goes on

Word count: 3,053

Summary: Sometimes relationships get hard. Sometimes someone cheats. Sometimes someone doesn’t feel the same anymore. And sometimes, someone gets sick and things take a turn for the worst. But in the last instance, no matter how hard things get, you stick beside them until the end. Because you love them.

a/n: i wanna make a second part at some point bc i have an idea for it but i have a lot of shit to do so we’ll see

Wonwoo took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He looked down at the clippers that one of his friends, Minghao held in his hand.

“This sucks,” was what he decided to say.

You pursed your lips and nodded slowly. It was at that stage where your husband’s hair was starting to fall out, but he decided he didn’t want to go through all that. Wonwoo asked if you would care if he just shaved his head to avoid the hair loss. You asked him why you’d care.

“What if I’m ugly?” was his response, which made both of you chuckle.

“You’re always going to be the most handsome man on the planet to me,” you replied.

So he called on his friend, Minghao to do the cutting for him. A handful of his other friends showed up, promising to shave their own heads along with Wonwoo just so he wouldn’t feel so alone.

“Why can’t I do it?” Mingyu whined. “We’ve been friends longer!”

“Because you’d probably shave his ear off,” Joshua scoffed.

As the group began to tease Mingyu, Minnghao turned to you, offering the clippers to you, “Are you sure you don’t want to do it, _____?”

You looked down at the clippers, considering it. But ultimately, you shook your head, “What if I shave his ear off?”

“The only thing I want to lose today is my hair, thanks,” Wonwoo nodded.

“Alright,” Minghao turned the clippers on, but Wonwoo didn’t react to the noise. The sound of the clippers didn’t scare him like he thought they might. Just because he had to shave his head, that didn’t mean it was the end. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged before he sat in the chair placed in front of Minghao.

While Minghao shaved Wonwoo hair, the strands falling in clumps on the floor around him, the rest of you watched and told various stories of times you’d hung out together just to lighten the mood and make each other laugh. Like the time Soonyoung stuck bubblegum in Jeonghan’s hair to see if peanut butter would actually get it out. Or when they managed to convince Seokmin that girls don’t have to shave, their hair just falls off when it gets too long.

The rest of the boys took turns sitting down in front of Minghao before Josh did the younger boy’s hair.

Admittedly, Wonwoo pulled the bald look off.

Seungcheol absolutely did not.

“Where are you going?”

You had heard the bedroom door closed and turned your head away from the TV in time to see Wonwoo walk down the hall. You’d brought him home from his chemotherapy appointment and knew he was supposed to be resting afterwards, so you were concerned as to why he was going down the hall.

“Office,” he replied.

You got up from the couch and went to follow him, “Why?”

“Bills.”

Wonwoo was always a stickler for paying the bills on time, but you weren’t sure why he didn’t just let you do it or simply ask you to do it for him.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” you told him.

“I’ll be sitting in a chair, it’s fine,” he said before entering the office and shutting the door behind him.

With a sigh, you retreated back to the living room, deciding to text one of your friends to see what to do. Wonwoo had been getting a bit touchy lately, and you didn’t want to tell him what to do and make him mad. So your best option was to get advice because you didn’t want Wonwoo to pass out in the office or something.

To Hansol: wonwoo wont lay down

From Hansol: ???? whats he doing?

To Hansol: paying the bills in the office

From Hansol: ah

From Hansol: maybe he wants to make himself useful??

To Hansol: wdym

From Hansol: all he’s supposed to be doing now is basically nothing

From Hansol: things arent looking good rn

From Hansol: he probably want to do things for you and himself while he still can

You stared at your phone, feeling a pang in your chest reading the texts. You let out a sigh and set your phone down, letting Wonwoo stay in the office to do the bills.

it was the first time all of the guys had come over since putting Wonwoo’s bed in the living room. It was the only place with enough space since it was a hospital bed, and Wonwoo would at least always have the TV since the only thing he could do at this point was lay in bed.

“Wish I could sleep in my living room,” Soonyoung said.

“Yeah, I bet your girlfriend wishes that, too,” Jeonghan nodded.

Once a month, they’d all have a game night where the thirteen of them would gather at someone’s house to play something, whether it be Uno, poker, Cards Against Humanity, or whatever else they could come up with for that many players. But until your husband got better, it would have to be at your house all the time.

You gave them their space despite insisting they could include you in the game. You decided to just go to the office and use Wonwoo’s PC to play some games and watch a little YouTube.

In the living room, the boys were playing Uno together while talking and laughing together. A few of them were drinking beer as well, but most of them stuck to soft drinks instead.

“How’re you doing lately, Woo?” Jeonghan asked after taking a sip of his drink.

Wonwoo shrugged with a sigh, “Fine, I guess. I can only use this blanket because the others feel bad on my skin. I’m bored. I’ve watched like, every YouTube video ever at this point.”

“How do you feel, though?” Chan wondered.

“Tired.”

Junhui laid down a card before looking over at Wonwoo, “How’s _____ been?”

“She’s an absolute angel,” he chuckled. “She takes care of me and everything. She’s the strongest person I know.”

“If you ever need one of us to stay here for a couple days to help out, you know you can ask,” Jihoon stated with a handful of them nodding or giving various sounds of agreement.

“Neither of us wants to bother anyone.”

“It’s not a bother,” Seungcheol said, looking Wonwoo in the eyes. “Neither of you will ever be a bother.”

Jeonghan nodded, “We know things are going to get tough and we’re here for you guys. Just say the word.”

“Yeah...” Wonwoo shrugged with a deep sigh as he put down a card when it was his turn, “there are days worse than others. But lately, it’s been okay, I guess. At least, that’s what she leads me to believe.”

“Yeah, _____’s never been one to break down in front of people,” Seungkwan mumbled.

“I hope she’s doing okay, though,” Wonwoo frowned. “I feel so bad for her...”

You truly were the strongest person Wonwoo knew for doing just about everything for not only him, but for yourself and everything around the house. And you did it all without ever showing if you were feeling negatively -- at least, not around him. Wonwoo thought you were absolutely amazing, but inside, he felt guilty for doing this to you.

But like you’d never tell Wonwoo when you felt overwhelmed, he’d never tell you how he felt, either.

It was one of those days. One of those bad days. You felt like the world was crumbling right in front of you but there was nothing you could do about it. You were sad, scared, stressed out, and you didn’t know what to do next or who to go to. You always just kept things bottled inside even though your friends and family told you it was better to talk to people about things. But you didn’t want to seem like you were complaining about Wonwoo. It wasn’t your husband that was the problem, it was the situation.

You had taken Wonwoo’s empty dinner plate from the living room to the kitchen, setting it in the sink. You dropped your head, hands gripping the edge of the counter as you squeezed your eyes shut to keep the tears threatening to escape from spilling.

Something one of the nurses had said to you during one of Wonwoo’s hospital visits was to be careful of what you say, even quietly, around him.

“People with cancer and the like tend to just hear really well,” she explained. “Especially when they can’t open their eyes anymore. Their hearing is scarily good. Don’t say anything bad around him because he will hear it.”

You learned to only let out your emotions when you were alone in your bedroom, but you couldn’t make it through the living room to get there. So you just stood in the kitchen, trying to compose yourself to go back out into the living room to sit with your husband.

“This is too hard,” you just barely whispered to yourself.

“I know,” you heard Wonwoo say softly from the living room, “I’m sorry, love.”

You lifted your head, your heart breaking hearing him apologize. You didn’t even think about how he heard you, rushing into the other room to promise that you weren’t talking about him. As you walked up to his bed, he looked up at you with a sad half-smile.

“I know I’m making things tough,” he continued quietly. “I’m really sorry you have to deal with it.”

“No, baby, no,” you quickly shushed him, cupping his face in your hands. “It’s not you, it’s the situation. You’re not difficult or making things difficult. None of this is your fault.”

Wonwoo didn’t really like things touching his skin because it had become so sensitive and felt weird when most things touched it, but he leaned into your touch and put his hands over yours. He noticed the tears welling up in your eyes and reached one hand up to brush his thumb under one of your eyes.

“It’s okay if you need to cry, you know,” he told you. “You keep everything to yourself and that’s not healthy.”

You shook your head, whispering so your voice wouldn’t break, “I have to be strong for you. I don’t want to cry and scare you that things are getting bad.”

He chuckled sadly, “_____, I know things are bad. You’re stressed. You can cry, it’s okay.”

Hearing him say that broke you for some reason. You collapsed in the chair you kept beside his bed and just cried while he held your hand. That was the first time you cried in front of Wonwoo in a long time.

While you cried, you heard him softly tell you, “You’re still the strongest person I know.”

Despite not wanting to go, Wonwoo had to be admitted to the hospital. You weren’t sure for how long, but he was complaining about feeling sick and neither of you were sure if it was cancer-related or not. But the doctors decided it was best to keep an eye on him for a couple days until he was feeling better.

Unfortunately, he was getting to a point where his eyes didn’t open as often. Even if he was awake, sometimes he just looked like he was sleeping. You were told that would happen eventually, and whenever Wonwoo looked at you, you looked back at him and tried to memorize the shade of brown as if it would be the last time you’d ever see his eyes.

Jeonghan came to visit you at the hospital after finding out you were there for an entire day without anybody besides Wonwoo. So he rushed there after work and sat with you in Wonwoo’s hospital room, both of you trying to keep your voices down since Wonwoo seemed to be sleeping. You knew if Wonwoo knew that one of his friends were there, he would’ve been talking to them.

Jeonghan reached out with his foot, nudging your shin with the tip of his sneaker to get your attention. You looked over at him. He mouthed something to you, but you weren’t sure what it was.

You cocked your head to one side, mouthing, “What?”

He leaned forward, so you did, too. He tried to whisper his question as quitely as he could, but you still heard absolutely nothing, and you were having trouble reading his lips.

“What?” you mouthed again.

“He asked if you paid the bills on time,” Wonwoo murmured, still looking like he was asleep, “but it’s okay if you didn’t.”

The only part of Wonwoo that moved was his mouth. Even once he was done talking, he looked like he had been sleeping the entire time. You wondered if you almost inaudible conversation was heard loud and clear to him.

“O-oh,” you said. “Um, my mom reminded me, yeah.”

“Did you...have enough?” Jeonghan wondered.

“Please don’t offer us money again,” you frowned.

“You know I have more than enough for myself. And you’re always staying home to take care of Wonwoo. I just want to make sure you’re both okay fanatically.”

It was true that Jeonghan made pretty good money. And considering his last relationship didn’t work out, he only had to support himself. For what he got paid, he definitely had some to spare. Still, neither you nor Wonwoo wanted to take ‘free money’ from your friends.

You opened your mouth to reply, but a nurse had walked in and asked to speak with you. You sent a playful glare toward Jeonghan before you got up and left the room.

Jeonghan was unaware that Wonwoo’s hearing had gotten so strong, and the fact he heard the question surprised him. So he wanted to test it to see how good it was, mouthing something else.

“No, Jeonghan, you can’t steal my wife,” Wonwoo sighed with the hints of a smirk on his face. “At least not until I’m dead.”

Jeonghan ignored the dark addon at the end, letting out a chuckle, “That’s kind of spooky, dude.”

“I hear everything now,” he said.

The older boy sat back in his seat, staring over at his friend who still had his eyes closed -- despite that, he still had his glasses on for whatever reason, “Have you actually...talked with _____ about that, though?”

“About you stealing her?”

“No. Have you told her if you’d want her to move on if you actually do...y’know?”

“Yeah. When I was first bedridden, I figured I should mention it. I told her to just find someone who makes her happy, even if it was one of you. I just said she can’t marry Soonyoung because he’s a fucking idiot.”

Jeonghan let out a laugh, leaning forward in his chair, “Yeah, I don’t think any of us would let that happen. Even Soonyoung knows he wouldn’t be good enough for her.”

“I’m glad she’ll at least have you guys if anything happens,” Wonwoo hummed. “You’ll watch out for her. You’ll make sure she doesn’t get into any shady relationships or do anything reckless.”

“Why do you always assume we need to be there?”

“Because I need to be prepared.”

Jeonghan sat back in his seat again, not knowing what to say. He just stared at his friend, hoping that he was preparing for nothing.

You had a bad feeling this was coming, but you were hoping it was just your anxiety telling you that. But when the doctor told you that you had to have the papers signed, you knew that there wasn’t any going back now.

Wonwoo was going to die.

Just in case, he had already gone to have the papers drawn up for if he’d want to be revived or not if anything should happen. But he had forgotten to get them from your attorney so they had to be retrieved and signed. But you were specifically told you couldn’t just instruct your husband to sign them. You had to sit there and explain what everything was, and then he could sign them. You just weren’t sure if you could do that.

Seungcheol was the one who went into Wonwoo’s hospital room with you with the papers. You sat down by Wonwoo’s bed while Seungcheol sat in a chair across the room and watched, just there for emotional support if you needed it.

“What’re those?” Wonwoo asked.

“I need to go over these with you,” you told him.

You sat by his bed with his table pulled out as you read the papers and explained what they meant. You already knew the decisions Wonwoo had made, but reading them and saying them out loud was hard, especially knowing that this was how things would end. He said he didn’t want to be revived because he knew how hard it would be on you. He wanted to make things quicker and easier.

“So if you’re to...start...going...you don’t want--”

You couldn’t even finish the sentence before you choked on your tears, coughing to clear your throat.

And that’s when Wonwoo knew. This was it.

“Why’re you crying?” he asked quietly. He knew this was coming. He knew you knew this was coming. But he knew you wanted to believe it wouldn’t.

You sniffed while you tried to control your breathing so you wouldn’t break down sobbing. But it didn’t work, tears already falling down your cheeks as you whimpered, “I don’t want you to die.”

“I know,” he murmured. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Seungcheol got up and stood beside you, rubbing your back to comfort you despite tears of his own escaping from his eyes. He couldn’t even say anything to help you feel better because he knew nothing would work. So he helped you go over the papers with Wonwoo while all three of you tried to choke back tears.

It was getting close. You knew it was. You just had a feeling that stuck with you all day, so you never left Wonwoo’s side. You held his hand and sat beside him for hours, trying to keep your crying as silent as you could while you mouthed ‘I love you’ as many times as you could because you were too afraid of your voice breaking if you spoke.

But you knew Wonwoo heard every word.

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