#and was proven right when i saw a photo of it but that also meant my brain went hey remember when ekky-

[ratatatastic]

day whatever it is of thinking about parade shenanigans and the way ekky pulled up his shorts to show off his cup tattoo and wanting to like sit down in the middle of oncoming traffic

[hssprimefan]

Originally written for reddit here

Max Photo booth Essay

This arc builds dread so well.

Julian: Man, I still don't get it... but okay. You always know what you're doing.

You look across the pool patio to where Max is pouring you an iced lemonade. He grins warmly at you... and, in that moment, all you feel is confusion.

MC: ...yeah. I know what I'm doing.

-The Bad Boy

Everyone knows this is a bad idea, and even Max and the MC seem more stressed out than usual throughout this story. Yet the player can still see why they're trying to make it work.

Intro

I told you I'd be back with an essay, u/OkObligation4508

I'm using "you" to refer to the main character, "the player" for whoever plays this quest, and "I" for myself, the writer of this essay.

You believe in people, often before they believe in themselves. Your kindness, resilience, and assertiveness inspires those around you to become better.

Class President: Hey, I'm just trying to follow your example.

MC: What do you mean? I haven't started any clubs...

Class President: I mean by doing my part to make this school a better place! Your reputation precedes you, MC! You help out every student who needs it...So I want to be as helpful to this school as you've been to me!

-Hail to the Chief

And you're discerning enough to recognize when someone is ready for a second chance. You were the first person to trust Wes because you saw how worried he was about Autumn. You're almost always the first to trust and forgive. And you're almost always proven right.

You would think you can change him. Because you change people all the time.

The Formula

There's a certain way this always goes. You meet a character who lives under high expectations, and acts in damaging ways to live up to them. How much they've questioned their box varies, but on some level they know they don't want this. It could be as harmless as hiding their real smile (Phoebe) or as cruel as manipulating someone for weeks just to humiliate them at a fancy party (Chase). But it always goes the same way.

You're very perceptive to insincerity. You won't press them for answers, but you point out when their words don't match what they seem to want from life. You may be lightly mocked when they mistake you for naive, but they also trust you enough to tell you what they actually care about. Then you introduce them to some of your friends. In game mechanics, you send specific classmate types on this quest. In story terms, you look for the people who's lives and perspectives will challenge this person's worldview.

You've shown them proof (people might accept them/the world is kinder than they thought/they don't have to put up with bullies/they don't have to be ruthless to succeed/failure doesn't make them worthless). Once you've shown them people who aren't what this cynic imagined, you're really able to encourage them.

In the end they're faced with a choice, between the safety and regret they've always known, or kind and perilous hope.

This is not that story. Max isn't some sheltered stranger who doesn't know another way to be. He knows your friends already. He knows the cost of freedom. Mia is right there,paying the price every day, fighting with both him and their dad, defying the family to do what she knows is right. And that's a huge transformation from who she used to be.

Kara: You were always such a pushover, Mia.

-Road to the Playoffs

Mia: I admired her, and her opinion meant everything to me! I would've done anything for her. And she knew it. She used me like a pawn.

-Cheer Camp

Her life is harder, but she has real friends and real courage now.

Winners

At first "loser" might not seem any more significant than other pg insults like lame, dork, or dweeb. But both Mia and Max make it clear that a loser is the worst thing a Warren can be.

Mia: In this house, we're WINNERS. What do we train for? To WIN. If you want hugs and cuddles, go live with your mother!

-The Final Challenge

Max: What gave you that idea? It's all about winning, MC. Just like my dad always says. Doesn't matter what you're doing, you gotta be the best, and be ready to prove it.

-The Bad Boy

The Warren name isn't as restrictive as it would seem at first glance. Max is actually quite a silly, attention-seeking, theatrical person. He pretended to be southern for no reason in mock trial. He convinced your school to carve an ice sculpture of himself. He tied for first in a beauty pageant. For his audition, he got on stage and barbecued.

But he mocks theater because Nick is very talented, and if they acted together, everyone would know Max isn't the best at something. It's anti-curiosity. It's cowardice. Max and Kara talk like being a loser is contagious.

Max: Nick, my man. What are you doing slumming it with these ~dweebs?~

-Drama King

Kara: Why am I even surprised? You guys are total losers. Of course you'd hang out with someone like Ellie.

-Who's That Girl?

Max: Whatever. Nice costumes, losers. I guess dorks like you just gravitate to each other, huh?

-Monster High School Story

And this was Kara's experience of their relationship.

Kara: But YOU'VE changed, too! You may have always been a jerk, but you were never a jerk to ME. WE were a team! We made fun of people TOGETHER.

-The Victory Banquet

They put themselves on a pedestal then made fun of all the losers beneath them. Similar dynamic with Lacey. He relates to other status obsessed bullies and that became his whole life. Hearst enables all of his worst behaviors.

But Max hasn't been a winner since you got here. I think Max saw Mia's growth and decided he wanted to be a hero too. We see it in moments like this

Max: I'll save you!

Max picks you up in his arms!

MC: Um... I'm already saved.

Max: There's no need to be afraid! I got you.

MC: The water is literally three feet deep and totally calm.

-Rapid Romance

and the dialogue in other quests that changes if you've completed his date quests.

Max: And?

MC: And... I'd be grateful.

Max: Then it's Max Warren here to save the day.

-Mutual Enemies

If winners must surround themselves with winners, then heroes must be around other heroes.

So he asked out the most heroic person he knew. You.

Playing the Part

The tricky thing is, when he says he just wants a chance, he really does mean it. It's not insincere, it's just shallow. Giving Creatures and Caverns a chance is something the old max never would have done, but he's only doing it for you.

MC: Still... maybe I'm rushing things. Probably wasn't the best idea to drag you to something geeky with my friends.

Max: I think it ~was~ a good idea. I'm never going to care what people think of me, but... if something's important to you, it's important to me.

Max: Look, you know me. Since the day you got here, you've known what I'm all about. But I know you, just as well. I know what you care about.

Max: And I knew what I was getting into when I fell for you.

-The Friend Test

MC: But seriously, I liked it better when you were sharing stuff with me, not just trying to impress me. Like when we were looking at those baby pics.

Max: You like it when I share stuff? Hmmm...

-Rapid Romance

There's no real difference between when he stopped revving his car engine because it bothered you and when he came back to this game. No difference between getting you flowers and showing you the bioluminescent cave, because you said you liked seeing this side of him.

Max: Just so you know, I'm not going to stop trying to impress you, MC. That's just who I am. I ~want~ to impress you. If anything, I'm only going to try to impress you even more now.

-Rapid Romance

You think it's sweet, but that's actually the problem. Until you break up, Max is willing to do anything but ask himself a question.

Max: Look... MC, from the moment you came to this town, you changed everything, just like ~that,~ and made it fit your picture-perfect world...

Max: Everything but me. You can't fix me.

-Falling For You

And that is the most honest Max has been. That's why the formula fails. When you facilitated change in other people, you listened to what they cared about, and showed them proof their life could be different. But at the end of the day, they were willing to look at the consequences of their actions and decide this isn't who they wanted to be. They become better versions of themselves, and live according to their values and interests.

But Max is playing a part. He couldn't be a winner, so he tried to be a hero. Couldn't get his dad's approval, and tries for yours instead. He tried to fit into your picture-perfect world. He didn't want to change, he wanted to be fixed.

[luchicm04]

Lost in the forest - part 21

Masterlist

Summary: More politics and discussions are on the way. However, it seems the canon events are starting to take place.

Pairing: Senju Tobirama/Original Female Character

Tag: #lost in the forest fic

posted on ao3

Word Count: 2.9k

Overall warnings: canon-typical violence, adult content, time skips, angst, kidnapping

Her eyes are swollen, she cannot deny it with a certain camera reflected in her small bureau next to her bed, among parchments and ink that completely clashes with the type of environment that she was forced to get used to when she realized her sad fate, still surprised by the durable type of battery after two years. 

She sighs at the bitter presence that settles at the foot of her door like a ghost not at all empathetic and oblivious to her feelings. “You had them, didn’t you?” Karen breaks the silence without stopping to see what she doesn’t want to disappear. 

Tobirama doesn’t comment anything. 

“I suppose the cell phone had no salvation... although I have to admit that the way you put it together was almost similar if it weren’t for the fact that you broke the screen. It almost looks like you didn’t do anything to it.” The woman turns to look at the person who still doesn’t share anything of his mind. On the contrary, he crosses his arms insolently, as he usually is around her. 

“...” 

“Aren’t you curious?” Karen sighs without making an effort to understand so much about this guy, getting up to take the only survivor of her technology and gently turn it on. “This is a camera. It’s used to take photos and I’m glad you didn’t break it.” 

Tobirama looks proud and haughty, unwilling to get close. 

“Unlike the cell phone,” she looks at the mess still in the bag. “It is resistant, and it only serves for taking images... to remember.” 

“Mph...” an ironic laugh from the man. 

“It is normal that you are curious, I will not judge you.” She gets tired of trying to have less hostility about it, only because of the value of what this detail really meant to her heart... although cold, it was right to that distant wound that was caused by the absence of her family and being torn from her world. 

Her life. 

“I am not a foolish civilian.” 

“It’s not foolish... to be a civilian,” she huffs with a light puff of cheeks. “Two years here... I think I’ve already proven my worth.” 

“I do not think so.” 

“Come on, I just want to smooth things over,” the civilian complains with clear annoyance radiating. Their conversations are never kind or cordial, a notable thing about this time. Clear evidence that she no longer sees them as her kidnappers, especially not with this demonstration. “I know that you are behind these coming back to me... thanks to you, I saw my family.” 

“Hashirama asked me to do it,” the imposing albino pleasantly excuses with a blunt comment. 

“But you gave in,” she sighs with dignity. “If you are curious about technology, I can help you with some things. I’m not a specialist.” She continues rambling by turning on the screen a little. She sees that those austere red eyes shine, but it stops when he sees that she noticed. 

“I am not interested, I told you so,” the shinobi snorts indignantly. “Hashirama says that today he will need your help in some new concepts, also... today will be the first course,” the shinobi clumsily adds at the end in neat English. “On first aid and evacuation organization that is has been worked without your help.” 

“I see,” Karen sighs seeing that, although she moved away from her activities a little, she was just beginning to be called to do other ones. She turns off the camera to leave it as the most valuable object of her entire existence. “Then let’s go.” She blinks at the light cough of the calm man. 

She smiles, seeing that he is still looking at the camera, but she won’t say anything if he doesn’t dare to accept his curious side. In this aspect, he is a lot like Hashirama. She is sure of it. “By the way, before I forget... thanks for bringing my things,” she states to smile slightly at the person who remains as her escort, turning to continue her way away from her bedroom. 

The sky is cloudy. Summer is almost over as evidence that this year is once again getting out of her hands. She smiles... her anniversary is not as sad as before. 

Karen hopes that maybe... she can one day think of this place as her home, even if her family isn’t with her. 

──

Hashirama blinks, looks quickly at Tobirama and then smiles at her. “You are welcome,” the leader accepts when she clearly thanked him for returning her objects back. Karen raises her eyebrow at such a clumsy reaction in the middle of a meeting of processes that would begin to move. 

The civilian sighs. “You didn’t know, right?” 

“Yes?” Innocent with a nervous laugh, the older man remains firm in his own lie, although it is obvious that he did not... in her eyes, which makes her discreetly palm her face. 

“Tobirama?” The woman turns to the person who is like a statue. 

He doesn’t comment on anything as a simple statue that doesn’t feel like socializing. 

“It’s not something we should worry about, Karen, I’m glad you received your things. Tell me, how do they work?” Hashirama immediately gets the youngest out of trouble with ease, shining with detour away from the serious plan for the following year. 

You can tell that he is taking this rapidly... like a leader who doesn’t like paperwork too much. 

“Okay, I’ll pretend I believe you.” The woman raises her hand in a symbol of peace. The room is huge, not avoiding sitting on the floor where the table is placed. The leader does the same to approach with an excited gesture. “I didn’t bring it, but I can explain it to you if you come to visit me.” 

“Oh...” 

“I’d like to introduce you to my family,” she smiles excitedly, a little lighter than before. She didn’t think that in this time of interaction, she still felt chains that bitter her existence, dragging along part of her first bad impression. 

Karen smiles, beginning to talk about how little she understands about how technology works, because deep down she never thought about technical details. She was just satisfied with their correct functioning, and understanding the basics so that things turned out the way she remembers they should be. 

For the first time, deviating greatly in terms and things from her place of origin. 

Her old world. 

──

Tobirama is dissatisfied with this proposal declared in the middle of the meeting. Karen sees that there is something emotional in all this, despite the fact that they are trained shinobi who almost drown her in the atmosphere they usually send out and it brings back bad memories. 

She feels the tension differently, which makes her take an involuntary step back from such austere rejection. 

“It’s the first step, Tobirama.” Hashirama looks firm, not irritated not bothered by the refusal. “That’s why I wanted to talk about it with you two first. I plan to send the letter tomorrow.” 

“It can be any clan... why them?” The albino crosses his arms without moving from his place, a force of will that no longer surprises her is carried, which makes her sigh at being the intermediary in all this. 

“From what I understand, the Uchihas are the ones who you are mainly at war with, right? I think I see the logic of them being first,” the civilian accepts, shaking off the primordial fear by raising her chin and placing herself right in the middle of the brothers. 

The albino frowns to look between them. “You do not understand.” 

Karen doesn’t take a step back. “It’s something I’ve been battling during this time. You never answered my questions about it.” 

“It is something that has been around for a long time.” Hashirama is the one who answers. “It began with our ancestors.” 

“Then it’s practically something you don’t remember... that you have inherited,” the civilian blinks, understanding almost the entire concept. 

“It is a matter of pride. The Uchihas have taken everything from us.” Tobirama, although calm, looks sad in those huge, furious red eyes. 

“I think both parties have taken away the same thing... that normally happens in war, sometimes even the initial concept is lost, dragging many lives into the shadows of endless battles.” Karen remembers the history of her own world.  “Taking the first step does not mean being weak, but rather opening yourself up to the possibility of showing future generations that there is something other than war.” 

“You are a civilian, ” Tobirama insists firmly. 

“I told you once, one that knows about war,” Karen replies. “Hashirama, this proposal is complicated not only for your clan, but for them as well. Are you aware of everybody you have in your favor and everyone you don’t?” She blinks curiously. 

Because it is one thing to be idealistic and another to have the foundations, along with the possibilities that this opens up. 

The rejection of his people, the loss of trust and everything that a good leader has as support, being lost due to a bad decission. 

Furthermore, she has heard from Mikami that the Uchihas have broken up families... indlucing the brothers’. 

“I know what the risk is,” he says, standing firm to look at her. “That is why I came to talk to you about it.” 

“You are just notifying us,” Tobirama bites bitterly. 

“It’s good that you have approached us, since you will need firm support in case there are doubts or recriminations about it.” The woman sighs, looking between the two of them. “Removing the blood, the history between you is difficult, but if there is a possibility for new generations to train, not to fight a battle whose beginning has been lost, but to work on missions like those we analyzed a long time ago... it will be an advance.” 

“You make it sound too easy,” Hashirama complains, sitting drily without any care. 

“It will not be.” 

“I know, but... it’s my dream.” The leader looks at her from his comfortable sitting position, looking for some indication of doubt that every time he touches on this topic, he fears finding in her civilian eyes. 

“You said it,” Karen accepts. “A very noble one, let me tell you,” she complements after a moment of silence. “Tell me, do you think they will accept?” 

“I hope so. Madara, he may be headstrong... but I don’t think he has abandoned his dream, ” the leader looks nostalgically at his hands, sinking into his memories. “Besides, his brother has been unwell since the last battle.” 

“Tch...” Tobirama just stands harshly next to him. Karen sighs to look at him with a slight frown because at this moment, Hashirama needs all the support when taking this step, one that she has been thinking about since he told her about his situation and his dream. 

She can be depressing... a bit selfish, but this world has welcomed her in its cold and distant way, unintentionally becoming close to such a noble character as the brilliant Hashirama, which makes her sigh. “We can use that to our advantage. I understand that the Senju clan has monopolized much of medical matters, right?” 

“Yes?” Hashirama raises his eyebrow at her comment. 

“Do not you dare,” Tobirama bites her point. 

“It’s just insurance to listen to our plan. The deal that you surely have planned, Hashirama.” Karen ignores the squeeze of the albino on her shoulder that, although it seems hard, is surprisingly soft. “Offer a medical exchange in a neutral place to help him... because I hope he hasn’t died yet.” 

“No... I know he hasn’t.” The leader now understands her point, standing up quickly. “But I know he doesn’t have much left.” 

“Okay. And before that, are you sure that he can be saved with your intervention? ” The girl swiftly asks because she doesn’t want this to be a reinforcement after the war now has a recent motivation, like the death of the enemy leader’s brother at the hands of the Senju... right? 

“Yes, it is a wound similar to Masato’s,” the leader remembers firmly, as if he knew all the names of the clan, something that is lost in civilian life, but of little importance. 

“Good, because I don’t want it to be used as a new war standard bearer in your hands,” the civilian sighs easily. “Tobirama...” 

“I do not agree... but I told you a long time ago that I will support your decisions,” the albino states firmly and although with a reluctant tone, he looks honest. “I will not leave you alone.” 

Karen sees that there is some kind of promise between the two, which makes her presence in this place somewhat lost for a few seconds. “Well... having this in mind, it would be good to send the letter now with a time and place. If they present themselves, then the attempt at negotiation will be accepted. If not, well... we must find another way of look out for the future, right?” 

Hashirama smiles to take a step with open arms to her spot, tensing her for a few seconds and if it weren’t for Tobirama’s intervention, it would be an embarrassing moment that would bring a small flashback that she didn’t know it could still erupt with the slightest indication of a hug. 

“Uh... I’m sorry.” Hashirama looks sad, realizing that she made a kind of horrified face. Karen coughs to shake her head. 

“No... no problem... and don’t waste time, that brother’s life is important for our plan, right?” The girl points out, discarding her tight heart to let it go towards her office. Tobirama frowns. “Well, with this finished... I’ll leave,” she sighs easily with an idea in her mind. 

Visiting Mikami shouldn’t be that difficult... ignoring any kind of emotion that bubbles up for a few seconds... without paying attention to what’s in the background. 

Karen prefers to be blind. 

It’s healthier. 

──

Karen did not physically participate in each step of the exchange, she was left aside, but the consultations were increasingly longer, uninterrupted and constant that she even slept in the main house with various papers due to the fatigue of the long-lasting discussions of a political tug-of-war. 

Not only with that external and enemy clan, but also with those who said that there was a lot to pay... for the memory of the fallen and the blood that flows between them. 

But the search for peace was firm in every order of Hashirama, notable for imposing himself even though most of the council was against it. As a civilian, she interfered several times from her point of view and although she does not have the experience that many possess in this place, she knows about history, concepts and things that may be useful. 

“Do you think the war will end?” Mikami is next to her, as a regular visitor in the house she has been using to stay since she was caught. She usually bumps into her during a few moments of rest, when the two most important men of the clan go to do their own jobs. 

The babbling of a baby is the only thing that makes her happy and brings her back to the present. He is almost two months old and although she knows it can’t be seen, she notices that he is intelligent. Little Matsuo aims to be lively like many of the children she has seen in the clan. 

Even more than the boy who usually visits her and she knows has become Hashirama’s disciple to be a doctor. Masarato has successfully completed his first aid training along with a direct pass to specialize. 

Something that very few do. 

“They’re working on it,” the civilian sighs with the little she knows. 

“I see,” her friend looks at the baby. “I hope so.” 

“I’m glad to hear that from you...” The woman huffs calmly with the baby in her arms, sleepy from so much rocking. “There are many who think otherwise.” 

“Well, perhaps. Although I lost my family by their hands... if it ensures that Matsuo does not have to fight, that is fine...” She sighs with a soft but painful tone that she notices from her kunoichi companion, which makes her tighten her grip on her shoulder. 

“I know it’s difficult. Even Tobirama and Hashirama are fighting to leave behind what has happened. However, it is an opportunity for future generations.” 

“I know. And if Hashirama-sama needs me after my rest ends... I will be there with pride, especially if he achieves peace.” 

“It will be difficult to adapt, but I have faith that you will manage to get used to it when the ceasefire is confirmed,” she smiles with a word that, although she cannot adapt it in this langauge... Karen has stopped speaking a lot in English because she deals more and more with people other than the Senju brothers, one thing that she will not point out despite the time. 

Which makes her look at the sky with excitement in her chest... because after so much work, conflicts and so on, hearing that peace will be formally signed at a neutral point was exciting. However, why would she have to go? 

Karen didn’t know what she would witness... the beginning of a dream that would become a will. 

The future of the will of fire... and the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a story that will make its way little by little. 

Oblivious to the true weight of her actions, because if she realized... she would notice that there are changes. Two Uchiha brothers and two Senju brothers would be the main protagonists in this dramatic adjustment. 

An attempt at peace. 

A/N: A chapter that took me a long time to finish, but here it is. Karen has inadvertently made an adjustment to everything that supposedly happened. Of course, she doesn’t know where she is, so she just practically used everything in favor to confirm something that she supposes would take longer (it isn’t said exactly, but Hashirama and Madara make peace long after Izuna’s death), but the poor thing is just a civilian.

Now, with this said, what will happen next? Will Konoha be as it should be? What will the Uchihas be like with a civilian? ...I don’t know, but will find out soon 😀 and in the meantime, our dear girl has already gotten used to speaking the language that she hardly uses hers.

So there will be almost no bold highlighting from now on... yoo-hoo!

Author-chan out! 

[joyfulholland]

Sore Loser

a/n: this is part 3 of The Coconut Debate and Bad at Excuses.  I’ve been trying to write something else but kept getting stuck and these just kind of come out of the chaotic good part of my brain. if anyone has any requests/prompts please send them in!

word count: 1226

Y/N changed the group name to Tom owes us all £10

Sam: I only accept cash

Harry: Can I have mine in the form of an amazon voucher?

Tom: I don’t owe you anything

Y/N: don’t be a sore loser

Harrison: Yeah a bet’s a bet

Tom: it didn’t count

Tuwaine: Yes it did

Y/N: you told me the ending

Y/N: and you said you weren’t going to give anything away this time

Y/N: therefore you owe us all a tenner

Tom: I didn’t think you counted as you’re my GIRLFRIEND

Harrison: Still counts

Harry: Pay up

*

Tommy to Y/N/N: don’t watch it without me

Y/N/N: oh come on that’s not fair

Y/N/N: how did you even know

Tommy: because I’m psychic

Tommy: and you’re predictable

Y/N/N: but you’re so busy and I’m going to see spoilers if I wait

Y/N/N: you saw how everyone found out about destiel

Tommy: ok fine

Tommy: how about we watch it at the same time? on the phone or something

Y/N/N: deal

*

Sam to Tom owes us all £10: Where do you keep Ketchup

Sam: Quick I’m trying to prove a point

Y/N: the fridge

Harry: Fridge

Tom: fridge

Tuwaine: Fridge

Harrison: The cupboard

Sam: Thanks to everyone except Harrison

Y/N: Haz you heathen

Harrison: Is it in the fridge when you buy it in the shop?

Harrison: No

Harry: You can buy multi-pack cartons of OJ not in the fridge and then you put them in the fridge at home

Tuwaine: And it says on the bottle to keep refrigerated

Harrison: I’m a rebel I live by my own rules

Tom: bullshit

*

Y/N to Harry: the only logical answer is to sacrifice the washing machine

Harry: I beg your pardon?

Y/N: sorry lol that was for Tom

Y/N: actually if you’re with him can you tell him that for me

Harry: He said to remind you of the fire sneezes and the plastic

Y/N: shit he’s right

Harry: What the fuck are you two talking about?

Y/N: where you would hide a baby dragon if someone came to inspect your house

Harry: Oh right

Harry: The oven?

Y/N: I thought of that but Tom said you’d have to take the grill shelves out and that would cause suspicion

Harry: Fuck this is hard

*

Tuwaine to Tom owes us all £10: Tom I’m not speaking to your girlfriend

Tom: why??

Harrison: She beat him at the bowling snapchat game three times in a row

Y/N: and he’s a sore loser

Tuwaine: No I’m not

Tom: lol

Sam: Don’t worry about it mate she’s undefeated on all counts

Harrison: I’ve never won against her

Tom: I refuse to play it with her now she’s too competitive

Y/N: that’s not true tom you’re just a sore loser too

Harry: Y/N HOW COULD YOU

Harry: I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE YOU PLAYED SNAP BOWLING WITH

Y/N: Harry if it makes you feel better you’re the only worthy opponent

Harry: Lol yeah it does thanks

Harry: Also Tom would like me to say he’s not speaking to you now either

Y/N: lol point proven

*

Y/N/N to Tommy: would you still love me if I only ever wore the colour brown

Tommy: different shades or just the exact same brown all the time

Y/N/N: does it make a difference?

Tommy: maybe Tommy: lol nah would love you no matter what you wore

Y/N/N: even if I exclusively wore a banana costume even when we went to bed

Tommy: even then

Y/N/N: I miss you

Tommy: I miss you too

Tommy: I’ll ring in a bit x

Y/N/N: can’t wait x

*

Harrison to Tom owes us all £10: What was the name of that song that was on that advert

Tuwaine: Well that narrows it down

Sam: Yeah might need a bit more than that

Harrison: the one with the singing

Y/N: Haz mate come on

Tom: literally still could be any advert

Harry: Specifics needed

Harrison: The one with the opera singing

Harrison: But then there’s the guy on a deck chair

Sam: The Alexa advert?

Harrison: YES

Harrison: What’s the song called?

Tuwaine: aren’t there two songs in that one?

Harrison: Yeah I want the second one

Harrison: Not the one from the Magic Flute

Tom: You can remember the opera but not the other song?

Harrison: I live a cultured life

Tom: once again I am calling bullshit

Y/N: I Feel Love Donna Summer

Harrison: Thank you!!

Harry: I reckon you could have just googled that for a much quicker result

Harrison: Shut up Harry

*

Tommy to Y/N/N: do me a favour and tell Harry you don’t know what a badger is when he texts in a minute

Y/N/N: alright

*

Harry to Y/N: Your boyfriend is broken

Harry: He’s claiming he doesn’t know what badgers are

Y/N: what?

Harry: I reckon its exhaustion from over work

Harry: It’s affected his brain

Y/N: no I meant what is a badger?

Harry: Oh you have got to be kidding me

Harry: When did he text you??

Y/N: Harry I have no idea what you’re talking about

Y/N: are you sure you’re not the one who is exhausted?

Harry: This isn’t funny

*

Tuwaine to Tom owes us all £10: You guys know that Snoop Dog Just Eat advert?

Harry: Oh god not adverts again

Harrison: Let it go Harry

Tuwaine: Do you know how much he got paid??

Tuwaine: 5.3 MILLION

Sam: Damn

Tom: tbf it was a catchy song

Y/N: doggy dog christmas

Tom: exactly what a great lyric

Harrison: I liked the puppet one

Sam: Yeah did that money cover all the adverts because he did more than one

Tuwaine: No idea just says 5.3 mil

Harry: I want a takeaway now

Sam: You just sent me a snapchat of your lasagne

Harry: I know but now I want something from Just Eat

Harry: Snoop has tempted me with his lyrics

Tuwaine: Maybe that 5.3 was well spent if he’s tempting you and we’re just talking about it

Y/N: Harry as if you’re sending Sam snaps when you aren’t opening mine

Harry: it’s because I know yours is a game of wild checkers and I want to give it the proper commitment

Y/N: okay forgiven

Tom: I feel like I need to stage an intervention for you two about your snap game habits

Y/N: you’re just jealous that I don’t play with you anymore

Harrison: Why did you send Sam a photo of your lasagne?

Harry: I wanted him to give it a score out of ten

Sam: I gave it an 8.5

*

Tommy to Y/N/N: just arrived at airport x

Y/N/N: counting down the hours x

Tommy: like the tiktoks?

Y/N/N: yes but I’m not actually recording it

Tommy: so you’re just saying them out loud to yourself?

Y/N/N: no don’t be daft

Y/N/N: I’m telling them to Tessa

Tommy: oh of course my mistake

*

Harry changed the group name to Tom owes us all £20

Y/N: lol I knew it

Harrison: This is easy money

Tuwaine: Tom it’s like you’re not even trying

Sam: We’ll have the full 50 soon

Harry: I might wait to cash out until we do then have one big amazon voucher

Tom: I’m not paying any of you a single penny

Y/N: lol such a sore loser

xxxxx

tagging: @geminiparkers​ @rebekkah4766​ (please message me if you want to be added!)

[hellreads]

Chapters: 3/4 Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, K-pop Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Kim Taehyung | V/Reader Characters: Kim Taehyung | V, Reader, Yandere!Kim Taehyung, Yandere Taehyung - Character Additional Tags: kpopyandere, Smut, Yandere Bangtan Boys, Daddy Kink, Spanking, Drunk Sex, Somnophilia, Twins, Obsession, Yandere Bangtan Boys | BTS, Yandere BTS, Stalking, Photography, Reader-Insert, Emotional Manipulation, Abortion mention, pregnancy mention, unhealthy relationship, bts smut, Taehyung smut, kim taehyung smut, Yandere, Yandere Smut, Oral Sex, Non-Consensual Spanking, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Emotional Infidelity, Dom Kim Taehyung | V, Dom/sub, Love Triangles, Infidelity, Established Relationship, Victim Blaming, yn has low self-esteem, obsessive taehyung, Stalker Taehyung, Missionary Position, Woman on Top

Summary:

Your relationship with your boyfriend hasn't been going well lately. His twin, Kim Taehyung, decides to take advantage of this.

“I know this is wrong of me and I know you probably think of me as some kind of crazy bitch who keeps fucking with you, but I’m telling you now. This is what I want.”

and yes you are a crazy one MC, if you’ve been reading this series since day one you’d know our girl here is in a very uncomfortable and unfortunate situation trying to save her long-term relationship with her boyfriend Minho while having the devil incarnate Taehyung around her testing her loyalty and resolve through and through.

[ SPOILERS AHEAD ]

I don’t think I wrote something for chapter two but that part of the story was crucial for you to see the side of Minho, the side that MC failed to see/acknowledge because she was blindly in love with him, as mentioned before he was master manipulator he knows how to play his cards well in order for people around him to bend to his will and give him what he wants and that was proven when MC decided to make things right by talking to him, ask him what’s going on and prove that what Taehyung told her wasn’t true, that he wasn’t cheating on her and I honestly believe he wouldn’t do that, it’s just Tae shamelessly feeding the two poisonous thoughts so they’d end up separating so he could pursue MC because he always knew that they’re the ones meant to be together. she was made for him as he was made for her.

so long story short Minho spilled the truth and told her he knew everything about the abortion and asked her a lot of whys? actually i’d do the same if I was him, even if she’s not ready it’s just right to let your partner know that you’re having a child together, then you make a decision and let them know that this is what you want to do, what you think is best for you, hiding things like this only feed minds with unpleasant thoughts which made it very easy for Taehyung to plant seeds of doubt by telling the kid might not be Minho’s that’s why she didn’t have the heart to tell him of her plans. but surprise surprise if you thought it was such a sweet moment that the lovers reconciled I viewed it as Minho using the opportunity to pin her down and clip her wings, I truly pity her for not having the voice to tell what she truly feels because Minho was comfortable, they’ve been together for so long it only made sense that they marry eventually even if it wasn’t what she wanted, it was so painful to watch her slowly die on the inside, but also frustrating to know that she was also falling for the wrong guy.

she wanted Taehyung probably because he was similar but also different from his twin, he gave her the attention she wanted, he made her feel things she can’t remember getting from her lover, things were wild when they all got together under one roof, everything escalated quickly and the next thing that happened Minho and MC got engaged and it only put more sinister thoughts in Taehyung’s head he didn’t act out immediately but he had plans, MC added fuel to the fire by wanting to know directly from Tae whether he had feelings for her and then everything just went downhill and he was gone the next day (scenario was wild because MC what are you doing honey?? you okay? please stop playing with fire). 

if you’ll re-read from the start you’ll know that MC here is equally manipulative in a way because of what she’s done to Taehyung, sigh everyone’s just wicked in a sense so here they are MC and Minho back together and planning their wedding and Taehyung found someone new to plaster his broken heart, poor new girl for being dragged into this mess, Tae exactly knew how to push MC’s buttons, time may seem like it wasn’t on his side but it only proved him that his patience even though it was testing him was what he needed and true enough it brought MC to his studio way too many times and waiting for her to go away made her yearn for him more and then they meet again and here goes our MC falling into another trap by Taehyung, she really needs someone to guide her jghaksjdgdfhgkd I was kinda happy that she’s finally being true to herself and accepting it’s Taehyung she wants and she will get him no matter what even if it means breaking Minho and Yumi’s hearts, but just when you thought everything would go smoothly MC wandered around and saw the photos that proved she’s been stalked and put two and two together that Taehyung’s feeling were true but also creepy and she needed to get away from him before all hell breaks lose, but unfortunately for her she ran out of time and who know what’ll happen next, idk if she’ll be kept hidden somewhere or if Taehyung would go to Minho and ruin MC then they’ll be together idk there are so many possible scenarios in my head rn but all I know is MC is regretting everything at the moment and if she could go back she would probably never ask for Minho’s number when he saved her.

ahhhh MC you poor child, I hope you learned from this experience and if you ever manage to run away and save yourself don’t look back. |  🍒🍒🍒🍒🍒

[sunlightwoo]

Going High

☀︎ pairing: sunwoo x reader

☀︎ genre: summer fling au,  fluff, some angst, theme is kinda like the one that got away type of thing?

☀︎ wc: 1.7k

☀︎ plot: summer flings are meant to be flings, nothing more than what it should’ve been known for. however you somehow found yourself reminiscing all those times that you have encountered the red headed boy that always took your breath away at the beach house you find yourself going to whenever you wanted a breather from the hard life you endured.

☀︎ a/n: before i say anything else and forget, there is a section between the breaks that is all italicized and in quotes!! that’s just a long dialogue of sunwoo’s pov of their relationship from the cassette tape. secondly: i hope that you guys liked this piece even though i feel as though it wasn’t my best HOGSJNGshuo it was really fun writing this though and would like to thank @atbzkingdom​​ for hosting the lovely collab with the other amazing writers in it!! be sure to check out everyone’s works as well in the link to the collab masterlist!!

collab masterlist | my tbz masterlist

The smell of the salty beach air fills your nose as the sun is slowly setting in the scenery in front of your eyes, your own body slightly leaning against the railing that was underneath your arms on the balcony at your beach house. You think that this might be the one place that you could call your comfort space.

Memories of being in the exact spot over the years come to mind as you reminisced all of them, wondering how long it has been since you had last been here. Was it a year? Maybe three?

You decide to head back into your room when you notice something sticking out from the floorboard that you didn’t notice earlier. Walking over towards it, you looked to see that there was a box that was visibly hidden underneath the floorboard, making you lean down to take it out from the loose wood and bring it out to your lap.

Opening it up while sitting on the floor, you noticed the various polaroids and notes that were in there along with a cassette tape that was taped against the box. You looked at it in confusion, not knowing where it had originated from or what it could’ve contained but you assumed it had once belonged to you in the past.

Getting up to play it on the cassette player that was on your desk, you carefully inserted it and plugged in your headphones before pressing play, waiting for whatever audio to appear as you flipped through the familiar polaroids. Brinks of red paint your eyes as you wonder who the red headed male in the photos with you were, your mind looking for the answers that you had needed when suddenly a deep voice interrupts you from your thoughts.

“Hey sweetheart, did you miss me?”

Your eyes widened as it finally clicked in your head who it was, hearing the evident smirk in his voice mirroring the one that you were staring at in one of the polaroids. Kim Sunwoo, better known to be your first love, as you can recall clearly from your past memories. He was the one person that happened to be your escapist from the real world after the many times you sought out this house as your getaway from your family and school.

“By the time that you’re listening to this, it must’ve been a while then since I never told you about this tape.”

He was right.

The last time that you saw him was back in 2017, which was roughly four years from how much you could remember. That was your last year of college, and you could remember all of the days that you had spent with him, endless mornings and starry nights that you stayed up for and got away from the reality that you had faced when you left him.

You wonder if he was doing well without you, knowing that you were the one that left him first.

“I don’t think I’m doing okay without you, sweetheart,” His voice vibrates from a pitied chuckle that left his chest as you could feel your heart clench in your chest at how sad his smile must’ve been while recording this.

“You were asking a lot when you told me to wait for you when you’ve finally answered my question from that night. Do you still remember it?”

“Of course I do,” You say out loud as if he were with you right now to hear your response, and you were brought back to the last memories of him that year before you left him once again.

“I hated myself for it because of how much I had hurt you, Sunwoo.”

“I remember the first time that we had met at the beach house. You thought that I was an intruder, when I had only come over to welcome you into the area knowing that the previous owners of it happened to be your distant family members.

There were tales that they used to tell me before you had arrived, different praises and stories that made you seem as though you were a cold person that only kept their nose into a book for fun. However, I think it was that first night where you had proven me wrong by being the complete opposite of what I had assumed of you.

And I think that’s when I might’ve fallen in love with you.

From all the nights that we spent stargazing, to all the times we messed around in the early mornings of sunrise by slashing water at the shorelines, to the campfires with the boys that we’d whisper our secrets to… I think I knew that I had fallen in love with you that night when we kissed under the moonlight of a full moon… until you had asked me about playing a game.

The long game, sweetheart… I think that was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard from your mouth, considering you were, ya know, the smarter one. You knew that I loved you in that moment, and I think that was the reason why you pushed me away from getting even closer to you by wanting to keep in touch with you after you leave this time around.

Was it something that I shouldn’t have done?

You haven’t been here in over a year now, and I miss you, sweetheart. Maybe I should’ve just let you go and keep whatever we had a summer fling, but I can’t help but wonder if you ever felt the same sparks that I felt every time we came close with one another.

That’s my question to you, in which I just want to know the simple answer to.

I don’t care how long it may take to get your answer, whether it be months after hearing this, or a couple years. Hell you can be married already, and I’d rather just let it be told that it was just me that had felt all the highs and the warm feelings of being free whenever we were together.

You already know where to find me, Y/N… and I’ll be waiting there whenever you figure it out on your own terms.

The moment that you hear the sound of a click of the cassette player finally stopping, you realized that your cheeks were wet as you moved your hand back up to wipe the tears away from your face. You couldn’t tell when you started to cry, but you sat in your chair while staring at the sunset that was setting outside of your balcony, thinking about the available choices that you were given in the moment that you were in.

For one part of your heart, there was the fear of him just being a fling that scared you; the fact that he was the one person that you had always relied on every summer when you came to get relief and happened to be available at the time. However, you also pondered about how much love you had felt with him, knowing that you had never been able to find someone like him in the reality of your world that had loved you the way that he did, made you feel as though you were high on cloud nine the way that he had.

Getting up from your chair almost abruptly, you grabbed your phone and made your way out to the familiar cliffs that weren’t too far away from the beach house.  The entire time that you had speed walked over to them had been filled with nervous thoughts and many ways to come up with the right words to say if he were to be there.

You weren’t even sure if he was still going to be there in the first place, cause you felt as though you had waited for too long in order to find the answer to the question.

You make it to the cliffs and get a better view of the sunset that was behind the horizons of the ocean, eyes darting across the waters when footsteps are made from behind you. Your heart is pounding in your chest as you hoped that maybe you weren’t just hearing things; if the person that was close was actually him, you weren’t sure what to say to him because of the lump that was caught in your throat.

“It took you long enough to find your answer.” You hear the person say and turn around slowly to see him once again, this time a coat of black painting his hair as it was no longer the bright red you were used to.

There’s a breath that escapes from your lips as you stare at him in a feeling that was similar to relief with the way that he stood in front of you with his hands in his jean pockets. Clad in a simple white tee like you remember seeing before in your polaroids, the small smirk that was so familiar to your heart and eyes was still painted across his lips as he raises an eyebrow at your somewhat disheveled figure.

“Am I too late?” You whisper, watching as he walks over towards you with an amused look and takes your hands into his before placing a chaste kiss on them and then on your lips slightly, making you relish in the memories of you kissing him all those years ago.

He pulls away slightly, eyes bored right into yours as the loud pounding in your chest was evident from how fast your heart was beating, and you had a feeling that he was able to feel it too. However, you were somewhat elated that he was here in front of you again, ready to hear your answer after years of waiting and you wonder if he’d still keep those same feelings just as you did for him.

“Not one second later,” He grins as he held a pinky up in front of you both with a teasing grin on his face just seconds before looping it with your own, “Are we finally done playing the long game?”

“Yeah… We’re finished playing, and my answer is that I love you too.”

[teamddixon]

A New Normal

Summary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this story follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the world of the undead. It wasn’t like Daryl to let people in to his heart easily, but it was Y/N’s smiles that had captured him completely, and before he knew it, there wasn’t a scenario Daryl could think of about his future that didn’t have Y/N in it.

A/N: Hi guys, this is my first time writing a fic of our TWD badass, Daryl Dixon. It’s gonna be a long one, and a work in progress. I write because it makes me happy, and I hope it’ll make you happy too. The intro for this fic would be pretty long, and Daryl wouldn’t appear until slightly later, but I thought it would be important to touch on Y/N and her brother’s background since we already know Daryl’s background pretty well. I’m not a zombie apocalypse expert, and neither dare I call myself a TWD expert (I’m not, please pardon me if I get some facts wrong!), so some parts of the story may not be realistic. It is most certainly strayed from the current universe since this is meant to be set in the projected timeline after the eventual season 11, which of course we don’t know yet how Daryl’s narrative would be changed or if it would at all, (or do we?), so this story may or may not make sense after season 11 ends (maybe think of this as a spin off?). I do hope you like it, and don’t mind the fact that it is set way in the future of the universe. As mentioned, it’s still a work in progress and I don’t know how many parts it’ll be. But writing this is extremely cathartic for me so I’ll continue writing for as long as my brain (and my full time job) allows.  Comments and feedback are welcomed and appreciated! Please sit back and enjoy this journey with Daryl. :)

Photo is not mine. All mistakes in this are mine, please pardon them. 

There aren’t many moments in Y/N’s life where she’d just sit on a spot, completely and utterly at a loss. The camp where she’d called home for the last month was gone – just like that. Along with it, the people she considered her family. When an unexpected rogue herd of walkers stumbled across the cabin, she was out on a supply run with her older brother, Andrew. By the time they had came back, the cabin was in shambles and the smell of the dead overpowered their senses. Y/N stood rooted to the ground in shock behind the bushes, throwing a look of fear at Andrew. Biting back a scream, knowing it’ll give her position away, Y/N looked around, hoping to see a familiar face. A familiar face that was alive. There was none. It was too late for them to do anything to salvage their family, their home. There were too many walkers to take on and honestly, nothing much left for salvation.

Y/N had no idea how long she was behind the bushes watching the dead feeding on mangled bodies of people she once knew. She knew she had to move, but her feet wouldn’t allow. It was as if they were locked in position, trapped in the nightmare of a scene before her. The only comfort she could gather was seeing quite a number of fallen walkers with slash marks on their heads – meaning they had put up a strong fight against them.

“Come on, we got to go.” Andrew’s voice called out, his hand grabbing hers nudging her to move. There was a catch in his voice, although he tried to hide it. Still in shock and tears, Y/N willed her legs to move. Just one foot in front of another, just one foot in front of another. She had to keep her mind focused on what was in front, and to keep her legs moving forward. Y/N followed him, almost in complete auto-pilot. 

Without actually knowing how long or how she even managed to keep in tandem with her brother’s pace with her state of mind, he had led Y/N to a spot in the woods where the two of them finally crashed on the hard grounds. Y/N was shaking violently as she buried her heads between her knees. She had no idea if she was shaking because of the nip in the air, or because of shock. A low growl shook her awake from her reverie. She looked up to see a lone walker approaching from the right. Reaching for her hunting knife from her belt holster with her shaky hands proved to be a tremendous task. Y/N finally managed to unsheathe the knife and plunged it hard into the walker’s temple right before its jaw got onto her. She had no idea she still had that strength somewhere in her.

“Are you okay?” Andrew had walked over to her just in time to plunge his machete into the head of another walker that had approached Y/N from her blind spot. “Thanks. I didn’t see it coming.” Y/N mustered her strength and stood up before kicking the walker in its head with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“I don’t, I cant –“ Y/N finally allowed herself to sob into Andrew’s shirt. While there were only a few people in the group to begin with, she have had time to know them through this shitstorm and had grown to like them like her own family. They were the people she had been moving with for years. They had lost some people in their journey, but they’d never lost all of them entirely before. To lose them all at once was devasting. But all in all, she was glad her brother was there. Andrew was fiercely protective of her, especially in this new world. She wouldn’t be alive and standing today if not for him. All her survival skills, her knife works, hunting and tracking skills, had all came from him. Y/N was not prepared for this world at all. Without Andrew, she would have become one of the walkers a long time ago. But she was a fast learner, and had more than proven her survival skills. Despite all that, she never lost her sense of hope and cheerfulness, that was until that day.

She was thankful for Andrew for giving her the time to grief while he single-handedly took down more than a dozen walkers while she was still in a daze. She felt horrible, leaving her brother to keep her alive knowing he needed his time to process everything too. Andrew didn’t say anything, he just kept her alive.

Nightfall brings another set of danger – the temperature had dipped drastically. Y/N worked with her brother to build a makeshift shelter with leaves and twigs. Andrew had also got a small fire going to provide a bit of warmth. If the walkers doesn’t get to them, the elements most certainly would. Satisfied with the perimeters, lined with makeshift cans and marbles to alert them when any walkers enter the camp, Andrew gestured for Y/N to sleep while he kept watch.

Y/N tucked herself in next to the small fire and tried to sleep. But of course sleep eluded her. Every time she had her eyes closed, all she could see was the grotesque bodies of her friends back in the cabin. She kept your eyes close despite that, hoping to catch at least a little sleep. Y/N knew she would be in no state to fight for survival without rest. Andrew sat next to the fire and finally allowed himself to process the events of the day. Most of the people in the group had been his friends since he was a child. He had grown up with them, went through triumphs and heartbreaks together. Losing them was painful. Losing them and not being able to do anything for them was painful. He looked at Y/N who had now finally fallen asleep and willed himself to stay strong. He couldn’t – he wouldn’t let the same thing happen to his sister. Y/N was his only family left.

Three hours into Y/N’s fitful sleep, she woke up in a pool of sweat despite the night cold. Before this all happened, Y/N always slept like a log. An earthquake could literally be breaking her room down and she would have no idea. But in this new normal, her body had adjusted itself to wake up within a few hours and it had learned to survive on a couple hours of sleep each night.

She saw Andrew throwing logs into the fire to keep it going. Approaching him silently, she gestured for him to sleep while she took over the watch. Nodding his head, he vacated his space before taking over hers. Y/N was on high alert, determined to keep her brother safe while he catch his much needed rest. Andrew had been there for Y/N all her life. She was only a couple of years younger so they were very close since young. This trip was supposed to be a break from work, but instead, they were thrown with an even bigger shitstorm than they could imagine. Y/N almost laughed when she thought about the irony. She would choose to go back to her office job any day over this. Before long, the cackle of the fire begin to diminish as the day broke. Y/N looked up at the skies, trying hard to fathom how this was the very same sky before the world had turned into hell. The sun still came up in the East and the morning birds still sang, but nothing else about the world right now was the same.

Gathering up all of their belongings, Y/N and Andrew set off for another day. They had to find a more permanent shelter, a sturdier shelter than twigs and leaves at least. Stopping by the creek to gather some water, Y/N took the chance to splash herself with the cold water. As the water hit her face, she perked up. Having not had a shower for days, Y/N’s skin was starting to itch and peel. Her feet was swollen with blisters and her arms were filled with dried scabs from all the cuts she sustained while running away from walkers. Y/N looked at Andrew with a longing in her eyes. She needed that shower. Convinced that the area was free of walkers, Andrew gave in and gave her privacy while Y/N washed yourself. He told her he would try to track something for their food today and set off with his bag, gesturing for Y/N to follow when she was done. A smile almost crept up Y/N’s face as she washed away days of sweat, dirt, and walker blood off her body. She hadn’t dared to take her time though. Once she was done, she quickly put on a fresher set of clothes that she had and set out to look for Andrew.

Feeling more refreshed, Y/N tried to put on a new perspective of how life was going to be moving forward. She was determined to continue living, living for the friends who couldn’t. She was going to continue living for Andrew. She didn’t want all of Andrew’s effort teaching her survival to go to waste. Y/N followed the tracks on the floor, hoping to find Andrew soon. No more than 10 minutes into following the tracks, she heard a slight ruffle of leaves to her left. It was so slight it was almost unnoticeable. It can’t have been a walker – a walker would have made a louder noise than that. It was most certainly a person. She smiled and moved towards the direction where she heard the sound from, anticipating to see Andre.

“Hey, did you managed to –“ Y/N’s whispers faltered into complete silence when a tall, crossbow donning man with striking blue eyes, greeted her. The man had his crossbow trained on Y/N’s head. She stopped in her tracks, knife in hand ready to strike.

“Who are you?” The man demanded. Not only was his crossbow trained on Y/N, his eyes were trained on her too.

“Y/N.” She spoke calmly, hand still steady on the knife. While she knew she’d be dead with his arrow before she could attack him with the knife, she weren’t about to go down without a fight if she had to. Y/N looked at the man, trying to download as much details about him as she could. He wore a long sleeves black shirt with two top buttons missing, a pair of cargo pants that were slightly ripped on some parts and his boots carried the obvious evidence of blood and someone who had been out in the open. Y/N tried not to wince as she stared directly into the man’s eyes. Although his hair covered the side of his face, she could make out his stern expression – an expression of someone who had been surviving on his own. But behind all that, she just had a sense, a strange and unspoken sense that he wasn’t a dangerous man.

“Look, I’m just looking for my brother, all right? I don’t mean to walk into your zone.” Y/N explained. “If you promise not to shoot me, I’ll just turn around and be on my way.”

Adrenaline from meeting a lone stranger in the woods had had blood rushing to her ears, muffling her surrounding sounds. As she prepared to turn and leave, the man spoke again. “Behind ya!” That was when she heard it – the unmistakable sound of a walker behind her. As a reflex, Y/N bent her body forward and side stepped, but in her haste to evade the walker, she had missed her footing. Y/N cursed under her breath but quickly regained her posture. She raised her arm, ready to strike, but before she could, the walker’s dead weight had pushed her, causing her to fall backwards on the hard ground, losing her knife in the process. Y/N quickly worked to fight the walker off but all she heard was the hustling sound of an arrow and the silenced growl from the walker. Feeling the full weight of the walker now, she pushed it off and saw that it had an arrow right smack between it’s eyes. Y/N turned to look at the man as he approached the walker. With one foot on the walker’s head, he pulled out the arrow with one swift motion with his free hand. He then turned sideways to look at Y/N.

“That was really cool.” Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. Seeing that the man had made no move to point his crossbow at her again, Y/N relaxed. She spotted and dug out her knife that had been partially buried during the fall and tussle with the walker.

“That was really cool.” Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. Seeing that the man had made no move to point his crossbow at her again, Y/N relaxed. She spotted and dug out her knife that had been partially buried during the fall and tussle with the walker.

“Thanks. I owe you.” Y/N gestured to the walker on the ground as she dusted herself off. “What’s your name?” She smiled.

Daryl was immediately captivated by Y/N’s smile and the sound of her chuckles. Earlier when he had heard someone approaching, he was ready to strike, ready to take them down if he had to. But as he heard Y/N’s voice for the first time, he knew immediately that she was no threat. He hadn’t seen or heard another person’s voice for days. But even if he had, there was something about Y/N’s voice and her smiles that enchanted him. Despite the situation the world was in, Daryl was comforted to see a smile that seemed to make him forget everything else.

“Daryl.”

“I’m sorry again, you know, for walking into you.”

“Sorry for ta’ crossbow on ya head.” Daryl nodded his head slightly at Y/N as apology.

“We’re even then.” Y/N smiled again. It was nice meeting someone else in this crazy world of the dead. Something about Daryl had made her feel a sense of comfort and calm, despite just meeting him a few minutes ago. Daryl looked away, feeling his face flushed from seeing her smiles. There had never been anyone who had that effect on him before. Her smiles were a huge contrast to everything he had come to know in the last ten years. He wanted nothing but to remember them.

[slygirl666]

love fool (F.W)

A/N: my first request!! Anonymous. So for this person I am doing a ravenclaw reader X Fred Weasley. btw strawberry lipstick part 2 is almost done but I was so excited to get a request 

Summery: when the twins ask you to test a love potion for them you reveal a little more than they thought possible.

Warnings: none (I mean unedited can be one)

Word count:1,506

You walked between Fred and George on your way to Herbology, everyone wondered how the shy ravenclaw got along with the two loudest and most popular Gryffondors in Hogwarts. But they made you laugh, they saw a side of you no one else got to, a playful teasing side that they brought out, they had since your first year at Hogwarts.

It also helped you are a bit infatuated with Fred Weasley, something you were sure no one knew about.

You were proven wrong on that, it started off innocent enough. It wasn’t uncommon for the boys to ask for help when it came to their products so when they sought you out you thought nothing of it.

You 're in the Library of course, in comfortable clothes writing down notes as you read the astronomy book. Hair in an ever present no nonsense ponytail, and an oversized sweater slipping off your shoulder. There was hardly anyone in the library; it was set to close within the hour. But you stayed happily working on your assignment for the next week.

Until you hear heavy footsteps and contagious laughter.

“Boys,” you greeted, not even looking up. They shared a glance before moving to either side of you.

“Y/N” George started from your left. “We have a itty bitty favor to ask of you.”

“As you know we were developing a decent love potion for our shop,” Fred put an arm around your shoulder causing you to put the book down as butterflies erupted in your stomach. “And we think we finally got it right. Would you mind helping us test it?”

“What’s in it for me?” you already knew you would agree, they had to work a little bit though.

“Our undivided attention.” they grinned at you. You pretended to think for a moment before sighing and saying yes. The boys cheered before fred threw you over his shoulder running to the gryffindor common room.

George was kind enough to get your things from the library before whispering the password to the fat lady.

Fred placed you down once you entered, you were rather unfazed they liked to pick you up and move you around since they grew over six feet. “You know I can walk stairs on my own Fred.” you huffed.

“But it's more fun my way,” he winked causing you to blush slightly. Thankfully he couldn’t tell in the glow from the fireplace.

“Sure it is,” you rolled your eyes. “I think walking like a normal person is fun, Fred.”

“You would, Y/N.” he threw an arm around you. Neither of you seemed to notice George's brief disappearance. “You seem to like boring things.”

“Is that why I hang out with you?” Fred looked appalled, George chuckled from the stairs. Both of you turned to the younger twin.

“Nice to know you two can get along,” He walked to you with a vile of pink potion in his left hand. “Like I said we haven quite perfected it, Angelina took a drop of the last batch and she still couldn’t tell us apart.”

You offered George a smile knowing he was quite taken with Johnson. “Well then let's see.”

“Alright Y/N, three drops and look this way,” Fred took the bottle from George pulling a dropper out. “Open up.”

“I can take my own potion,” you pouted as Fred rolled his eyes grabbing your chin to face him.

“You are way too stubborn, you know that?” you stuck out your tongue rather childishly, Fred took advantage of that and put one drop on your tongue. “Now open wide.”

Everything felt slightly hazy as you lazily opened your mouth and he put two more drops in. everything Fred filled your senses.

“Freddie?” you smiled at the boy in front of you. He nodded hesitantly. “I love you, did you know that?”

The boy let out airy laugh. “No, I can't say I did Y/N.”

“Don’t laugh at me, I do Freddie.” you leaned into his chest, “i think I’ve always loved you.”

Fred turned to George, “I guess it worked.”

“You want to get the antidote? I’ll wat-”

“No I want to stay with Freddie” you cuddled further into freds chest. George shrugged at Fred as he walked up the stairs to their dorm. “You know Freddie, I'm sure I've always loved you.”

“Really now and why is that?” He relaxed in your grip thinking he may as well enjoy the attention from you.

“I remember the first year I came to Hogwarts, you were telling the other first years you had to battle a dragon to get into the castle, I told you that was ridiculous it was actually the giant squid. I never saw a face light up so fast.” you sighed, taking your hair down, looking up at him, “i decided that day i wanted to see you smile everyday, I think I have seen you smile everyday.”

“Y/N,why haven’t you said anything then?” you saw a bit of confusion in his eyes.

You laughed, “right, Fred Weasley like the boring little Ravenclaw that stuck around. Freddie you need someone exciting and reckless. I need you, I really do. But do you need me?”

You nuzzle your nose into his chest, you felt his arms loosely wrap around you. “I don't think you get to choose what I need, love.”

“I like you calling me love,” in a moment of boldness, no doubt due to the love potion you moved up, lips only centimeters apart.

“I got the antidote,” George interrupted. He looked between you two before muttering, “sorry.” he handed you another potion. “Drink up.”

You did as told. Before your senses seemed to come back. You shot up from Fred’s arms face hot. “I should head back to my common room.”

You didn’t wait for a reply before sprinting out of gryffindor. You were in tears by the time you got to the ravenclaw entrance luckily Cho Chang was outside.

“Y/N, what happened,” the girl guided you to the dorm sitting with you on your bed.

“Those idiotic twins,” you sobbed into her shoulder. “They had me test a product and I said some things I can’t take back.”

“Y/N what kind of product?”

“A love potion,” your voice was small. You saw her face soffen.

“Oh, sweetheart, dont tell me thats how you told fre-”

“It was and now I can never talk to him again.”

You were pretty sure you couldn’t, spending the next week avoiding the twins even moved your usual spot across the library, Cho was wonderful not letting you be alone if you weren’t feeling like it.

It was one night when you were getting out of DA training that you caught Cho looking at Cedric’s photos.

“I want to speak with Harry, i you wai-”

“I can catch up with Luna, tell me everything later.” you waved at her.

you saw the twins asking harry a question as you left. You locked eyes with Fred.

* * *

Fred spent this last week feeling empty, those few moments in his common room replaying in his head. The way your hair messily draped over your shoulders, the red tint of your cheeks, the way you felt in his arms and mostly the shine in your eyes as you spoke to him.

He tried to find you but unlike usual you were always with someone, mostly Cho, he couldn’t get you alone. He even begged Hermionie to help him sneak into the ravenclaw common room with no luck.

He wanted to hold you to tell you he felt the same, to tell you about how George teased him mercilessly about you since third year. He wanted it to be better again maybe even to finally kiss you.

He locked eyes with you as you walked away from Cho chang, this might be his last chance before the winter holidays.

“George, I’ll catch up to you.” Fred didn't wait for an answer as he walked out into the hall to catch you by the hand.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” you locked eyes once more, you galring while he showed hurt.

“Want me to embarrass myself even more, Weasley?” he looked taken aback as you struggled out of his grip. “I said things Fred, things I meant and can never take back.”

“I don’t want you to embarrass yourself or take them back Y/N.” he pulled you into his arms. “You've never been boring to me, I don't want someone wild I want you. I just never thought you would want me.”

“You’re ridiculous how could I not,” you leaned up on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, but he was quick moving to cup your cheek pressing his mouth to yours sweetly.

“Miss Y/L/N, Mr. Weasley, detention!” you groaned hearing the shrill voice of your defence against the dark arts teacher made you jump apart. She dragged Fred away, but it was kind of worth it.

[jimintomystery]

The Search for Noah's Ark

Many ancient cultures had accounts of a hero surviving a divine flood by building a giant boat, but the story of Noah (Genesis 6-9) stands out, since it is included in the canon of the Abrahamic religions. For centuries, it was not unusual for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim writers to report that Noah's Ark was still sitting on the mountain where it came to rest at the end of the story. But it wasn't until the 20th century that a documented expedition went to look for it.

[Above: A man stands between Mount Ararat, where explorers typically look for Noah's Ark, and a sign for Noah's Ark National Park, the official location of the ship according to the Turkish government.]

The Bible says Noah's Ark landed in "the mountains of Ararat," without any clear indication where that would be. A 4th century Latin edition translated "Ararat" as "Armenia," popularizing that association in Western Christianity. The Armenians themselves used Greek or Syriac bibles, so they only learned of the Ararat-Armenia connection centuries later, from visiting crusaders. Thereafter, the sacred Armenian mountain Masis has been known as "Mount Ararat." Since the 1920s, the mountain has been a part of Turkey, which calls it Ağrı Dağı ("mountain of pain").

After the first confirmed ascent of Mount Ararat in 1829, it became more plausible that someone might go up there and look for Noah's Ark. But the idea wasn't taken seriously until the 1940s, when an article circulated about a Russian pilot spotting a giant wooden boat on Ararat during World War I. Supposedly, the czar ordered a thorough exploration of the structure, but then those no-good godless commies took over and suppressed the findings. The story was ultimately discredited, but not before it stoked the imaginations of American Christians that were eager to prove that the Bible was literally true.

Fascinated by the Russia story, realtor Eryl Cummings and his wife Violet devoted the rest of their lives to tracking down stories about Ark sightings. These tales typically involved American soldiers who said someone showed them a photo of the Ark during World War II, or old Armenian immigrants who supposedly visited the Ark as children. "Ark fever" heated up, though, when a sighting was reported from Turkey. In 1948, Eryl was invited to lead an Ararat expedition planned by retired missionary Aaron J. Smith. Cummings declined, however, and Smith ultimately led the trip himself the following year.

The 1949 expedition is instructive, because it sets the tone for all subsequent attempts to visit Ararat in search of the Ark. Upon arrival, Smith was beset with bureaucratic delays. Permits needed to be paid for, and local authorities rejected clearances that had been granted at the federal level. Reading between the lines, its clear to me that Ark-seekers would pay anything to achieve their dreams, and corrupt Turkish officials took full advantage of that. The team quickly depleted their funds, and didn't get to the mountain until the end of the climbing season.

It's also telling that there hasn't been a lot written about Smith's mission, not even by the Ark hunters who followed in his footsteps. It's much easier to find stories about the Fernand Navarra controversy in the '50s and '60s, or people who couldn't even prove they'd been to the mountain. And it's Eryl Cummings, not Aaron J. Smith, who came to be seen as the father of the movement. There's a simple reason for that: Smith put in the work, but he didn't find anything. Cummings, on the other hand, accumulated all of the tantalizing stories of people who might have found something, which could become a useful lead for the next expedition.

[Above: Reconciling descriptions from two purported eyewitnesses, Elfred Lee illustrates the collapse of Noah's Ark into Ahora Gorge. The gorge was formed in 1840 by a powerful earthquake, which happens to precede the earliest alleged sightings in modern times. Violet Cummings suggested that the quake was divinely ordained to reveal the Ark and usher in the Apocalypse.]

The 1970s saw a wave of books about the search, most of which derived their information from the work of Mr. and Mrs. Cummings. Violet and other writers cast the quest in an apocalyptic light, suggesting that God had hidden the Ark all this time only to reveal it as a sign that the End Times were imminent. The implication was that Noah's Ark could not be discovered until the appointed hour but, paradoxically, Judgement Day will be stalled unless believers find the ship as soon as possible.

"Arkeology" arguably peaked in the 1980s, when astronaut Jim Irwin took up the search. By that point Turkey was wary of letting amateur climbers wander around so close to their border with Iran and the Soviet Union. But the eighth person to walk on the Moon was able to open some doors and, more crucially, cut through some red tape. However, Irwin still had to deal with the punishing conditions of Mount Ararat itself. His adventures there are best remembered for the injuries he sustained, and the heart issues that made it increasingly unwise for him to return year after year.

Jim Irwin no doubt inspired a new generation of Ark-seekers, but by the late 1990s the community was bitterly divided about where to look. For thousands of years, legends suggested that the ship was in plain sight for anyone who dared to climb up and find it. But fifty years of aerial reconnaissance, satellite photography, and boots on the ground had proven otherwise. Debate intensified about whether Ararat was even the right mountain, and about the validity of other possible sites, forcing people to re-evaluate the established lore surrounding the quest. So you end up with one "arkeologist" attacking the reasoning of another, often with logic that could be extended to dismiss the entire search.

[Above: In 2010 Noah's Ark Ministries International released photos like this one, purportedly taken inside a massive wooden structure on Mount Ararat. NAMI refused to reveal the location for independent verification, citing security concerns. Within days of the announcement, former associates of NAMI came forward accusing them of staging the whole thing.]

That background of in-fighting put a damper on a 2010 press event claiming that a Hong Kong evangelical group had found the Ark on Ararat. You'd think video footage of this discovery would delight Ark hunters. On the contrary, many were as skeptical as mainstream scientists. The feuding over which Ark theories were right or wrong had left them wary, because if some flaky story captured the public imagination, it might discredit the entire movement. Which is ironic, considering that the movement wouldn't exist at all if not for an urban legend about a Russian cover-up.

At a glance, it may seem like "Ark fever" is part and parcel with religious fundamentalism, or maybe just a specific flavor of Christian anti-intellectualism. However, even some influential creationists have debunked the search for Noah's Ark. There's no scriptural basis for assuming that God arranged for the Ark to remain intact until modern times, or that it was meant to be rediscovered, or that locating it would have any bearing on the end of the world. The entire rationale for the search is that dozens of unconfirmed reports can't all be wrong, which isn't a solid foundation for an archaeology project.

[random-imagines-blog]

Empty Walls {Sirius Back x Reader}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 2380 Summary: A lot of the order is pretty untrusting of any Slytherins joining their midst - but there is one person who accepts you. Warnings: Mentions of character death.

Molly Weasley shoved a plate of food in front of you, so harshly that little puddles of gravy spilt onto the table, making a small mess. You thanked her regardless of her hostility, and cleaned up the gravy with your own napkin, embroidered with your initials. She was a wonderfully sweet woman most of the time - but you just so happened to be a Malfoy. Despite your loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix, many of its members still didn’t trust you yet, because of your surname. It was more about that than the fact that you had been in Slytherin, while everyone else around here seemed either to be a Gryffindor or even a Hufflepuff. You tied your blonde hair out of your face and started to eat self-consciously, knowing that there were eyes on you no matter what. Sirius Black’s to be specific. He always seemed to be watching.

The room filled with the sound of eating as everyone dug into Molly’s delicious food. You were the first done, vacating your seat quickly and washed the dish - by hand - in the sink. You had grown up completely spoiled, with the house elves doing all of the cooking and cleaning, so earning your place here had been difficult at first. You didn’t mean to be spoiled. You just couldn’t help how you were raised.

Grimmauld Place. It was dark and it was dingy, but there was one place in this house in particular that you were drawn to. The wall with the family portraits - your own included. All of the little faces of your family, and then the burned out one of Mr. Sirius Black. Your eyes went to your brother and you smirked to yourself. He was painted in that little hat. He always hated that picture, which made you love it even more. You then saw your parents, Lucius and Narcissa. They both looked a little snooty, which was how they tended to appear to the world. But they were never like that when it was just the family together. Your fingers graced your mother’s face. You missed her, a lot. She still sent you owls, and your father would always add his own little notes. They loved you, despite the fact that most of their friends saw you as a traitor. That your actions nearly put a bounty on their own heads, like the rest of the order.

But you were going to help take him down before he could try to collect.

“Do you really like staring at your own face that much?” A deep voice came from behind you. You didn’t turn around. It was Mr. Black himself. He always seemed to be following you around. He was probably the most mistrustful of the lot. You just ignored him, and put your fingers over your father. You missed him as well. His opinion was the one that you had been most scared of - but you were doing what he was too cowardly to do. You were making the right choice.

You didn’t even pay attention to your little portrait. You knew what you looked like. You didn’t give into the vanity that the rest of the Malfoys seemed to have. You preferred knowledge over looks.

“It’s not that bad of a picture. Mine was awful. They made me cut my hair for it, so I looked like some dapper gentleman,” Sirius said. He had come and stood right behind you. You didn’t realize how close he was until then. If you took even one step backwards, you would have bumped into him.

“So it’s a good thing that your place is burnt out then?” You asked.

“I like to think of it more as an empty space,” Sirius said. “I’ll probably paint over the whole damn thing one of these days. Most of these people, I don’t feel like I’m that related to anyway. Like you.”

“We’re  hardly related. It’s like ... many branches away,” You said with a shrug. He may be some sort of cousin but it never felt that way to you either. When you looked at him, you saw ... well, a handsome man, even with all of that hair and those tattoos. You had seen photos of him when he was younger and you had some pretty obscene thoughts one should not be having over family members. He’d been, to put it roughly, a hunk. “Why haven’t you painted over it by now?”

“The room needed some sort of decor,” Sirius shrugged. “I don’t know what I’d do with an empty wall.”

“Well, knowing you, I’m sure you’d hang a very flattering portrait of yourself,” You mused, clicking your tongue. “Dorian Gray style.”

“What?” Sirius asked. You laughed then, remembering that someone like him probably hasn’t picked up a book since his time at Hogwarts, let alone one written by a muggle.

“Nothing,” You said, shaking your head. “So what can I help you with? Does Molly need help with something?”

“Why would Molly need help with anything?” Sirius asked, taking a seat in one of his favorite chairs in the bedroom.

“I don’t know - you all seem to think that housework is female only work-” You started but Sirius cut you off.

“Not at all,” He said, shaking his head, those unruly waves flying around him. “I actually wanted to talk to you myself. And it’s really not about housework.”

“Well, talk away,” You said, settling into a chair of your own, facing away from those painted walls.

“I’ve been keeping my eye on you for a while now. I knew your father back in school and-”

“Yes, I’ve heard some of the stories,” You interrupted, crossing your legs. “There’s no need to go into a lot of backstory. I know you don’t trust me and that’s what you want to talk about, isn’t it?”

“Do you always go around making up all of these assumptions?” Sirius asked, curiously. “I don’t distrust you, I actually wanted to tell you that I think you’re doing an amazing job. Especially for someone so young.”

Your mouth went dry at the unexpected praise that he was bestowing on you. “Well, thanks. That actually means a lot to me. It’s been hard, since I had to give up everything but saving the world seems pretty worth it. Wanna tell Molly what you think, because that woman has had it out for me since day one.”

“She’ll come around. She’s just mistrustful of Slytherins, that’s all.”

You were quiet for a couple of minutes there, thinking about all of the times that you had tried to proven yourself to the Order. You had gone out on dangerous missions without hesitation. You had fought people who had once been dear family friends. You were trying to protect the world, which seemed bigger than just one family.

“Guess I just have to give it time - and hope that we have enough of it,” You sighed, realizing there wasn’t much in this situation that you could do. “You’re not so bad yourself, Black. Even if you come from a family of, well, us. Snakes and all.”

“Thanks,” He chuckled. “I’ll take that to heart.”

-

Since you had already graduated from Hogwarts, you spent a lot of time among the rest of the adults. Molly was finally warming up to you just a little, if only because she had no children to keep her busy now that they were all back at school. You were one of the youngest in the Order, having just left school the year before, and so she doted on you. Or, at the very least, she didn’t make a mess of your food anymore.

“Fancy taking me for a walk?” Sirius asked you one day, leash in hand. You laughed, knowing exactly what he had meant. It was the only way that he could leave this house. Being disguised as Snuffles, the big black dog. And the only way not to get Animal Control called on him was to have someone walk him around.

You nodded, also feeling the need to get out of the stifling nature of the house. Get away from the screams of the portrait and the gloominess that clung around every corer despite you and Molly’s attempt to cheer the place up a bit. Sirius turned into his dog form, and you put the leash and collar on him - which always felt weird, no matter how many times you did it. His tongue lolled out as he grew excited for the fresh air and it was enough to make you laugh.

These walks became more and more frequent - especially because sometimes, when you were in a more isolated part of town, Sirius would turn back into his human self and you would have a coffee and sit in a park, enjoying the early fall nature. You ended up having some really long conversations. About everything. You told him some stories about his godson, Harry, and his friends at school - they were rather infamous and it seemed like you knew a lot about them despite not being in their house. And your brother’s complaints, of course.

It didn’t take long for you to realize that you were falling for this much older man, despite the age gap and the fact that he had been in Azkaban for years, and that this was hardly the time for love, given the fact that there was a war that was growing in importance more and more each day.

-

“To the ones that we have lost,” Arthur Weasley said, raising his glass in toast over his head.

It was  not a happy occasion that you were celebrating here tonight, back at Grimmauld Place. “To the ones that we have lost,” you toasted back in return. And then you drank deeply from your flask - Firewhiskey having become a solace these days.

Sirius was taking things particularly hard - the war may be over, but the cost of that victory was entirely too high. He was tearing himself apart about it, but you couldn’t blame him. He lost his only other best friend. And the Weasleys had lost two sons - one to death, and one to the attack of a werewolf, though Bill was pulling through swimmingly.

You stood up slowly, which garnered the attention of the rest of the people around you. “I can’t be here,” You admitted, finding it too hard to be around loved ones, when they weren’t exactly the ones that you wanted.

You went down the hallway into the room with the family portrait on it, your wand in your hand as you closed the door, but you did not lock it. “What have you done to be remembered for?” You asked the portrait of yourself, and of your parents.

“I think this is a long time coming,” Sirius said, staggering into the room. “Patat Pingere.”

“What are you doing?” You asked, as the paint started to peel off of the walls, and then dissolve into nothing, leaving only the bare baseboards that they must have been before the family tree. You watched as you, your parents and the rest of them just seemed to disappear, like you never existed.

“You deserve to be remembered,” Sirius said, leaning against the doorframe, taking in the sight of all of that white. “So we’ll repaint you now, as you are. And... and Remus. And Tonks. And Fred... the others...”

You nodded, looking at the potential of it now. All of the noble house of Black had disappeared, and most of them were better off being remembered - entirely unlike everyone that you had just lost, and whose death was still pulling at your heart.

“And yours,” You said, looking over at Sirius. You were surprised to see that his head was down, and a sob racked through his entire body, and he was barely keeping himself upright.

You rushed to his side and took his weight upon your shoulder, half-dragging and half-carrying him to his favorite chair and helped to lower him into it. He didn’t let you go, so you had no choice but to sit with him. You curled up in his lap like a kitten, and he held you while sobbing into the shoulder of your robes.

You were through with crying - you’ve made yourself dehydrated with it and nothing ever seemed to get better, but seeing Sirius like this was still draining nonetheless. “You’re not completely alone Sirius - you have me.”

That seemed to help somewhat, for his shoulders stopped shaking as much, but he did continue to hold onto you tightly, making sure that you could not leave, even if you had wanted to. You didn’t want to, you wanted to stay and make sure that he knew - that he knew that you would not leave him.

“I love you.”

You weren’t expecting that from him, especially not at this time, but you began to run your fingers through the dirty, straggly hair.

“I love you too.”

“Don’t just say that if you don’t mean it. I can’t take anything more, I just-”

You’ve never seen him so vulnerable before. Even when he was in the middle of a fight, with spells going around him, narrowly missing him, he usually had some excitement showing on his face. But this was a defeated man, who seemed ready to break at the slightest negativity.

“I mean it, with every bit of me. I really, truly do,” You told him, detangling a few knots with your fingers, your wand having dropped on the floor when it seemed like he was falling. “I love you, Sirius Black.”

“Can we fix this - these empty walls?” Sirius’s head rose just a little.

You nodded, looking into his dark eyes, which had the same expression as a dog that had just been kicked. “Yes, I think we can. I know we can. Let’s start tomorrow.”

[briswriting]

『 tamaki captures a picture perfect moment with you in a field of autumn leaves 』

pairing: tamaki amajiki x gn!reader genre: fluff wc: 1701

a/n: ahhh another collab! this is for the attack on academia server! a whole bunch of other amazing writers are participating so go check them out too yay!!! also this is my first tamaki fic i love him with my whole heart but i'm so sorry if i wrote him ooc ajsdhfgjkdsflks also thank you @leiasfanaccount648​ for giving me a plot idea because my brain rn is not big ahahahaha collab masterlist here!!! 

Tamaki Amajiki was socially awkward, everyone knew that, it was no surprise to see him hiding his face away whenever his anxiety spiked and he grew nervous. Yet here you were, the two of you alone, walking side by side as a gentle autumn breeze swept around you, the both of you one your way to the nearest pumpkin patch. A small content smile on his face as he listened to you ramble about your week, the anxious jitters in his body calming down with just the delightful sound of your voice.

Maybe it was the way you looked absolutely radiant in the soft glow of the sunlight, but Tamaki couldn't help the way the usual tension in his body, whenever he was around others, seemed to be at ease when he was with you. Everything but the beating of his heart, which happened to beat a little faster than average every time he caught a glimpse of you.

He wondered if his presence made you feel the same way; wondered if your heart went sporadic every time you saw him or if your breath got caught in your throat when you saw him smile just like his does.

He knew the two of you were just friends, never really showing you any way to indicate that he held feelings for you that were not platonic but deep down he hoped that maybe, just maybe you felt the same way he felt. Little did he know, you did harbor feelings for him that were romantic, that’s why you were rambling to him about your week after he politely asked you how you have been. Words flying out of your mouth because his mere presence made you want to run a mile, your heart going ten times the speed it should be; causing your brain to short circuit and not make your mouth shut at a simple I’ve been well, how have you been.

“Thanks again for coming with me. I know it’s the weekend and you probably had plans but I appreciate it, even if Nejire probably is the one who made you come along.” You smile at him, fingers fiddling with the hem of your sleeves as you look at him.

“You don’t have to keep thanking me and apologizing Y/N, I came because I wanted to,” he whispers out.

What he tells you isn’t completely a lie, but it also isn’t the full truth. He did want to accompany you to the local pumpkin patch after Nejire had told him that you wanted someone to help you take pictures there, but he was quick to say no after learning that it was going to be just the two of you, alone. But with a lot of pushing from his two very insisting friends, he had agreed to go, thinking of all the possible scenarios that could happen while the two of you were alone.

“I didn’t know you were the one who took all of Nejire’s photos that she posts! They’re really good, I can’t believe you just take them off your phone,” you compliment him, a blush rising to his cheeks at your praise.

“I-It’s nothing really. I don’t know what I’m doing half of the time,” he stammers out. “They only look good because it’s Nejire in the photos.” He quickly tries to dismiss your appreciation for his photos, not wanting to combust then and there if you try to compliment him even more.

“Yeah, she’s pretty, everyone knows that! But I think most of the skills come from the one behind the camera otherwise she wouldn’t have any pictures,” you point out to him as he becomes a blushy mess beside you. “You’ll make me look pretty right?” You jokingly ask, a quiet giggle following your words. It took everything within Tamaki to not outright tell you the truth; that you didn’t need some pictures to make you look pretty, you already were in his eyes.

The pumpkin patch, thankfully, was not that busy, making it perfect for taking pictures among the red, orange, and yellows without pesky photobombers in the background.

“So how do you normally take pictures with Nejire? Do you usually, like, tell her what to do?” You ask Tamaki as the two of you walk around trying to find somewhere to start.

“Oh, umm usually I just follow her directions because she knows what to do. I just snap pictures whenever she tells me to,” he quickly replies. His words from earlier proven true as he nervously looks around the field, eyes scanning everywhere but towards your direction as thoughts flooded his mind. Thoughts that you were disappointed that he didn’t know what he was doing, thoughts of regret that you asked him to come along and not someone else.

From his body language, you can quickly tell that he was getting anxious, thoughts of having to tell you what to do even though he himself had no idea as to what he was doing. Softly you place a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. “Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t we just enjoy ourselves and whenever you think the timing is right you can snap a picture? I always liked the more natural and candid photos,” you smile at him, trying your best to ease his nerves.

“Y-yeah that’s a good idea,” he agrees quickly, the tension in his body calming down at the sight of your smile and calming words.

So with that, the two of you set off to enjoy what the pumpkin patch had to provide for its visitors, spending hours enjoying each other’s presence, not even realizing that every time you weren’t paying attention to him, Tamaki snapped a quick picture.

As the sun started to set, basking the field in a warm golden glow, the two of you ended your little expedition with a cup of fresh apple cider. A breeze picked up as the sunlight disappeared, sending a chill through your body as you sat next to Tamaki on a park bench. The two of you silently enjoying the sweet golden liquid that pleasantly warmed up your body.

“Want to see the pictures I took?” Tamaki asked, breaking the comfortable silence that surrounded the two of you.

You had stared at him for a few moments, confused by what he asked before your brain quickly remembered the reason that the two of you were here. Having so much fun with him, you had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be taking pictures of you. You quickly nodded at him before scooting yourself closer to him, peering at his phone screen. Your focus was so directed to his screen that you missed the way his body stilled beside you, his hands slightly trembling as you sat close enough for your leg to be touching his.

“Wow,” you breathed out. “These are really good Tamaki! I didn’t even notice you taking these pictures! You have a real knack for knowing the perfect moment to take them. I can’t choose my favorite one because they’re all so good!” You beamed up at him, averting your gaze from his phone to his face, his breath hitching in his throat at not only the close proximity but your dazzling smile that you were sending his way.

“It’s nothing really. It was easy to just snap them whenever you weren’t paying attention,” he whispered. Because you look beautiful all the time, he silently thinks to himself.

But he hadn’t said that last part in his head like he thought he did, because he quickly noticed the stillness of your form next to him. He mentally scolded  himself for saying something so stupid out loud before trying to stutter out an explanation.

“D-Do you really mean that Tamaki?” You quietly asked, eyes focused on your lap as you fiddled with your fingers.

Of course he meant it. He thought you were the most beautiful person he’s ever known and today just confirmed it even more. The way your eyes sparkled with joy when you were talking to him about the things you were passionate about, the way your smile that reached your eyes seemed to warm his heart, the way you didn’t even have to try for him to feel like putty in your hands.

“Yeah,” he breathes out. “I mean it. I, umm, have liked you for a while; but if you don’t feel the same way obviously that’s okay. We can just pretend that slip up never happened and if you want we don’t have to be friends anymore. I know it was a weird thing to say, we aren’t even that close, you probably think I’m weir-”

You quickly cut off his rambling by grabbing his trembling hands and entwining your fingers with his, your thumbs softly grazing over his knuckles, trying your best to soothe his anxiety after his little slip up.

“Hey, it’s okay, Tamaki. Calm down.” Your soothing voice calmed down his overworking mind. “I like you too if that helps,” you giggle out. Of course, your confession didn’t help, it just made his brain go even more haywire than it already was.

He sat there silently, gawking at your entwined hands as his mind was still trying to wrap around the idea that you liked him back. But once he was able to process your words, his body seemed to relax as he slumped over and placed his forehead on your shoulder, hiding his blushing face away from you.

“Oh that’s good,” he had barely whispered out, sighing contently to himself as you let out another laugh at his words. Lifting his head off of your shoulder, he looked at you for the first time since his confession, the way your face adorned a soft smile set his heart ablaze.

He took a mental image of the way you looked at him with admiration. Admiration for him, and only him. As the two of you sat side by side in the quiet field, the only sound heard was that of your quiet breaths and the soft beating of your hearts for one another. A picture perfect moment indeed.

[xb-squaredx]

Rise of the V-Tuber

As a platform, YouTube has gone through a variety of “eras,” wherein a particular trend catches on and defines the website for some time. In the early days, you had funny cat videos, then Let’s Plays of video games became rather popular, and now we seem to be deeply entrenched into a new era that has exploded in popularity as of late. If you’ve frequented the website at all in the past few months, it is almost inescapable. Cutesy, anime-styled avatars that play games, sing, chat with viewers, or even cook! What does it all mean? Where did they come from? Are they here to stay? Most importantly, how does one crawl out of the rabbit hole once they fall into it? All that and more will be revealed as we delve deep into the wacky, wholesome and sometimes worrying world of V-Tubers. (photo credit YuuGiJoou. Check her out on YouTube, Twitter or Twitch!) 

THE ORIGIN

To begin properly, let’s define the subject. A “V-Tuber” is a “Virtual YouTuber,” someone who streams on YouTube (or any other streaming platform) using a digital avatar as a proxy. The streamer in question typically uses face-tracking software so that the avatar can emote (or at least attempt to emote) to match their own reactions as they provide entertainment for their audience. While it may seem as if V-Tubers are rather new, in doing research on the topic, you’d be surprised how far back things go.

For starters, the concept of a virtual celebrity has been around for a while, with one of the most notable efforts being Hatsune Miku, a Vocaloid voicebank program. Hatsune Miku is every bit as famous and beloved as a flesh-and-blood singer or entertainer despite being nothing but voice synthesizer software. Vocaloid got its start back in 2000, eventually being reworked into a commercial product in 2004, though it wasn’t until the programs started receiving anthropomorphic character designs that it took off, with Hatsune Miku’s own debut in 2007, and the rest is history.

Many will consider “Virtual Idol” Kizuna Ai as the true pioneer of what we call a V-Tuber today, making her debut in 2016, however one could make an argument that Ami Yamato, a 3D-animated vlogging channel debuting in 2013, beat her to the punch. Honorable mention of course goes to Any Malu, a Brazilian animated YouTube vlogger who debuted in 2015 and eventually gained her own show on Cartoon Network Brazil. While Ai may not be the first, she is undoubtedly considered to be the codifier that many later V-Tubers would follow. Ai’s entire shtick was being an AI program that wanted to connect with humans, playing games, singing or interacting with fans. Following her explosive popularity, it was clear that other companies would follow the model established by Ai, with their own spins on it of course.

Nijisanji, established in 2018, proved that this trend could be incredibly profitable, becoming trailblazers in their own right as they established various “branches” of their company in several countries with their own unique performers that could cater to a wider range of viewers. As of this writing, Nijisanji employs over 164 “Virtual Livers,” most of which come from their Japan branch, alongside their Korean, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian branches. Similarly, there is the Hololive corporation, which saw substantial growth throughout 2020 in particular. Established in 2016 originally as Cover Corporation, at first Hololive was the name of an app meant for use in 3D motion capture, though following Nijisanji’s success, Hololive was rebranded as a V-Tuber competitor and also features a variety of colorful characters spread across many different main branches. There is of course the Japanese branch, as well as Hololive Indonesia, the relatively new (and highly successful) Hololive English, a defunct Chinese branch and an all-male Holostar branch in Japan.

Other, smaller V-Tuber groups have sprung up alongside the corporate powerhouses, such as VOMS Project, established in March of 2020, as an independent trio of streamers, and more recently at the tail-end of 2020 with V-Shojo, featuring a group of Western streamers (who ironically mostly stick to Twitch). Outside of this of course are the countless independent streamers who utilize avatars for one reason or another across many different platforms. Even prominent Twitch streamers seem to be getting in on the act, such as Pokimane, though that one has not come without some backlash. So consider that a rough history of how V-Tubers got started in Japan but how did they gain a more global fanbase? Well, in a word…”memes.”

GOING INTERNATIONAL

I won’t deny there had to be at least SOME overseas fans who enjoyed watching V-Tubers before they became more well-known, but for many Western fans their introductions to V-Tubers in general typically came from viral videos taken from various streams that spread like wildfire, eventually getting people curious enough to check them out. For Kizuna Ai, her playthrough of Resident Evil 7 gained notoriety for her mimicking the cursing of the English-speaking player character, and for Hololive, arguably the first real Western breakthrough for the company came from a now infamous moment from Sakura Miko’s stream of Grand Theft Auto 5. 

Also from Hololive, Inugami Korone in particular had a variety of memes spread about her due to playthroughs from various games that even got acknowledged by the developers themselves. Her playthrough of DOOM 2016 resulted in a short-lived Easter egg implanted into DOOM Eternal, and her video on Banjo-Kazooie (and the animated Eekum Bokum fan video that spawned from that) got the attention of Rare, Xbox and even Grant Kirkhope, the composer for the original game.

Honestly, the real unsung heroes of sorts for V-Tuber popularity might just come from foreign fans that would clip and translate various moments from streams that helped to build an international audience. There are dozens of Twitter handles and YouTube channels that specialize in spreading these clips around and if you factor in the YouTube algorithm, once you see one video your feed will be flooded with similar videos. It is no surprise fans call getting into the fandom “falling into the rabbit hole.” When you look at the more popular members of Hololive, often the ones with various viral clips have the higher subscription counts. In the case of Aki Rosenthal, one of the older members, her sub count exploded after a fan translated a section from a then-recent stream in which she talked candidly about her less-than-stellar growth as well as the difficulties of standing out in general. While at one point having the lowest amount of subscribers (well below 200,000), in the months since that video her sub count has more than doubled going past 400,000. Sometimes the talent needs a little push.

Now, within Hololive itself, I think Kiryu Coco is also partially responsible for expanding the fanbase, being one of the few employed talents with the ability to speak English (likely a native speaker), she gained a large international fanbase as she would work to translate what she or other members were talking about on the fly, and later on established an ongoing series where she would directly engage with fans over websites like Reddit and “rate” the various memes they would send in. Coco also pushed for establishing what would become Hololive English, which has proven to be a gigantic success, each member of that branch blowing past more established talent’s subscriber counts, with Gawr Gura becoming the first Hololive V-Tuber to pass one million subscribers and just recently passed the two million mark. So yeah, V-Tubers are a big deal now but…what is about them that makes people want to watch them in the first place?

THE APPEAL

So, right off the bat, if we’re going to ask why someone would want to watch a V-Tuber I think it’s fair to ask that of virtually ANY internet personality. The reason why someone would watch Game Grumps or Pokimane or Jojo Siwa or whoever else is the same reason they’d watch Kizuna Ai or Inugami Korone or Ironmouse: they’re entertaining. I guess that seems like a bit of a cop-out answer, right? There MUST be a reason why V-Tubers have blown up in popularity over the last few years, so are there things that make these particular Internet entertainers stand out from the crowd?

Undoubtedly, the fact that these streamers are playing a character is a deviation from the norm, though the dedication to staying “in character” seems to vary from person to person, and over time many V-Tubers tend to open up and are far more genuine. At any rate, even the best actor out there can’t possibly make up various daily happenings or childhood stories for their characters on the fly, day after day, stream after stream. Still, I’d imagine the decision to use a proxy as opposed to their real self can be liberating, a mask they can wear to speak more freely or a role they can play up for entertainment. For the most part, I think the persona aspect is mostly harmless fun that makes the streamer seem more distinct; ask yourself which is more eye-catching: some normal human playing a game and occasionally cracking a joke, or a one-eyed pirate girl discussing her raunchy past? Or maybe you’d rather watch the grim reaper practice her raps? Even talent that don’t really play up their character much still often have interesting character designs; we have princesses, dragons, devils, robots and more. A little something for everyone!

Speaking a bit more personally, I find it interesting to watch streamers from an entirely different culture and how they interact with fans or engage with games. I find it funny when Inugami Korone or Sakura Miko plays more Western-oriented games like the DOOM series or Grand Theft Auto V respectively. Often times they’re blown away by the culture clash, or they view these games through a different lens since it’s so different from what they’re used to. In particular, those two are just genuine goofballs that are funny all on their own. More chat-focused streams are an interesting view into daily life in Japan, such as the stories Houshou Marine tells, though obviously a given V-Tuber’s viewpoint isn’t a metric you can apply to the whole country, but she’s still interesting to listen to. Takanashi Kiara is also notable for her multilingual skills, which has helped her bridge the gap a bit more between the various Hololive members through her Holotalk segments where she interviews other V-Tubers. Outside of Hololive, Amano Pikamee from VOMS Project is just a bundle of energy that’s fun to watch as she rages in Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. Her tea-kettle laugh is also just kinda charming. The V-Shojo group stands out for being super vulgar compared to the more corporate V-Tubers and while I don’t watch them all that much, there’s still some fun chaos to be had. Still though, I think there’s one big elephant in the room that would also help explain V-Tubers catching on at this specific point in time: the pandemic. Streaming is one of the few jobs not really affected by the pandemic, and with people stuck inside, they’re more likely to scroll through YouTube or Twitter and find a funny clip and then…well, you know… It’s one bright spot in an otherwise dark time…but I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and rainbows.

THE DARK UNDERBELLY

The overall idea behind V-Tubers, at least in Japan, seems to be an extension of Idol Culture…and uh…if you know anything about Idol Culture in Japan, it is all kinds of scummy. Exploitative, filled to the brim with harmful rules and regulations and largely catering to some vary unsavory “fans,” I’ll make it no mystery that I find it incredibly distasteful. Look no further than what happened to Minegishi Minami from the idol group AKB48. To keep a long story short, the obsession with “purity” and being this idealized Japanese beauty means idols are effectively locked into their work, unable to discuss or in many cases partake in romantic relationships, as that would make them less “desirable” to their audience. This unfortunately does at times extend to V-Tubers.

Take Tokoyami Towa, who was suspended for some time and forced to make an apology video for…having some male voices briefly heard over Discord during an Apex Legend stream. She even lost a lot of subscribers and support from Japanese fans following this, though once learning of this, Western fans flocked to her as a show of support. Hololive has also dealt with a variety of issues coming from Chinese fans; though that’s a particular hornet’s nest I don’t want to delve into here too much. To sum it up, fans can get obsessive and toxic, which can lead to the talent being harassed. It is for this reason, it is generally agreed upon by fans to not delve too deep into the personal lives of the V-Tubers, for fear of being doxxed and the illusion being broken. These kinds of issues certainly bring up some interesting questions regarding how talent should be treated moving forward.

Are these V-Tubers characters or just alternate sides of real people? Where does the fantasy end and reality begin? Ultimately, the lines are somewhat blurred. Talent certainly brings some of their own personality into the performance, but they are forced to remain anonymous and as can be seen in the case of Kizuna Ai, they are not always in control of the character they’ve been given. Kizuna Ai’s initial actress was for a time replaced, and “clones” of the character with different voices and personalities started to spring up, likely as an attempt to compete with the likes of Nijisanji and Hololive. In cases where V-Tubers retire from the industry, or “graduate” as some call it, all of their hard work cultivating a fanbase might end up being for nothing as they were forced behind a proxy that isn’t truly themselves and I imagine it can be hard to start over again from square one. Never mind the attempts to step out of the shadow of your older work. Man, Perfect Blue was downright prophetic at times, huh?

I don’t want to dwell on the negatives too much though. It’s worth noting for one thing that Nijisanji seems relatively lax regarding how their talent operates, whereas it seems Hololive is the standout for adhering to the idol ideal, though considering how some of the talent acts (in particular Kiryu Coco), one has to wonder if they’re softening their stances a bit. Many V-Tubers generally talk about the positive aspects of the industry and being given the opportunity to reach people from all over the world. Shortly after Ina’s debut in Hololive English, she was actually brought to tears when told her art streams convinced people to get into (or back into) the hobby, which had been one of her goals for becoming a V-Tuber in the first place. Ironmouse, now a member of V-Shojo, has an immune system disorder that keeps her bedridden and forced to stay inside, so the opportunities afforded by this particular type of streaming has allowed her to reach out to others and as per her own words, has changed her life for the better. While there are definitely “fans” that go too far, corporate practices that are outdated, or harmful and a slew of potential unfortunate implications, ultimately I think most people out there are just looking for quality entertainment, and these digital proxies give these entertainers an outlet to connect with fans in a way that they might not have otherwise.

CONCLUSION

V-Tubers are in a bit of a boom at the moment, though I can’t imagine it’ll last forever. We’re quickly approaching market saturation and after a point, people can only follow so many streamers at once. Hell, as I was editing this up, it seems as if prominent YouTuber Pewdiepie is about to step into the ring, so who knows what kind of shake-up that could bring. The bubble will undoubtedly burst and what becomes of V-Tubers then is still up in the air. Or who knows, maybe V-Tubers will endure and replace all entertainment and we’re just watching the beginning of a cyberpunk dystopia. Stranger things have happened! Considering the world is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, that should largely have an impact on the popularity of V-Tubers for some time to come, though as we emerge into a “new normal” in the world, it’ll be interesting to see how these entertainers continue to evolve. Now, I suppose there is one question I never quite went over before now, isn’t there? How does one escape the V-Tuber rabbit hole? Well, I’m sorry to say but there is no escape.

Enjoy your new home!

-B

[voleurdesoleil-archive]

The things you feel inside

Fandom: Haikyuu!

Characters: Ushijima Wakatoshi, Bokuto Koutarou

Word count: 1.7k

A/N: this was a gift for my pe, and I didn't plan on posting it here but I'm really proud of it so here you go

read on ao3

-Wasn't the captain's reunion supposed to be today?

-It is.

-Then why are you still on your phone?

Ushijima stares at Tendou's text, he doesn't know what to answer. He’d like to tell him that it’s because he’s not here with him, but Ushijima knows he can’t say that, it wouldn’t be fair to his husband. He knows Tendou would be capable of giving up his store and buying a plane ticket if he sent that, so he keeps it for himself and lies. He tells him the other captains went out to order food when Kuroo is actually in the kitchen, on the phone with some fast food place, ordering for all of them, while the others are playing video games with Kenma.

"Hey!"

Ushijima lifts his head from his phone as Bokuto flops himself next to him on the couch.

"You're quieter than usual, are you okay?" Bokuto asks, concern seeping through his voice.

He's not. He wants to say it out loud, but Ushijima knows that if he does, it will only result in more questions and he isn't ready to open up. Not yet.

So, when Ushijima's answer doesn't come, Bokuto adds: "You know I'm here if you need to talk. "

Ushijima nods. They aren't close but ever since they met Bokuto always made sure all of them felt at ease or that no one was feeling left out during their meetings. People often seem to mistake MSBY's ace for someone careless or egotistical, but Bokuto has proven on multiple occasions that he is someone with great empathy who cares deeply for people he loves and Ushijima really admires him for it.

Ushijima's attention is drawn away as his phone lights up with another text from Tendou.

"How's Tendou doing?" Bokuto asks as Ushijima types a reply to his husband. "I saw him in a food magazine the other day. He looked super cool with his chef's hat and all!"

"He is doing great. His chocolaterie has been getting a lot of success thanks to social media. He says people really like his "vibe", although I'm not quite sure what he means by that. And-" Ushijima starts rummaging through his photos, until he finds pictures of Vabo-chan and other volleyball related figurines that he shows Bokuto. "-he's been trying to create a volleyball collection, but his colleagues aren't really up for it."

"Wow man! They're awesome! You should put them in the groupchat, the guys would love them!"

Ushijima nods as he gets another text from Tendou telling him he's going to open the shop soon and urging him to have fun.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"I do…"

"Must be hard. I'm lucky that all my partners live around here, but Kuroo and Kenma often have to go away for work and I miss them a lot when they do. So I can't imagine how hard it must be to be so far away from Tendou…"

Ushijima doesn't quite know what to answer to that so he stays silent as his heart clenches a bit tighter in his chest. Bokuto's deduction is correct. Of course it's hard being away from Tendou, harder than what he thought actually.

When Tendou left after high school it was only supposed to be for a couple of years - he had gotten an internship with a renowned pâtissier, he couldn’t let the opportunity go away, so he took it - and he did come back after that. They lived together for a few years, bought their first house together. They even got married.

But last year Tendou decided he wanted to have his own chocolaterie in France, so Ushijima let him go. It was only for a few years, until Tendou could expand and open a chocolaterie in Japan too. They had done it already, so Ushijima thought it would be easy. But this time it was different. Harder. Simply because they had shared a home.

They had learned to live together, to appreciate each other's company. They had cared for the other when he fell sick. They had prepared the other's favorite meal just because they wanted to surprise him. They got used to coming back to the other after a long day at work or after practice. Ushijima got used to trying Tendou's new recipes just like Tendou got used to seeing Ushijima bring home plants on the verge of death to revive them. They got used to each other's quirks and routine.

So it is hard. Coming back home to an empty house. Not having to open the windows because of a funky smell coming from the kitchen. Waking up in an empty bed. Not being able to touch each other. Saying he misses Tendou terribly would be an understatement.

And what's not helping is the fact that he hasn't seen Daichi in a while either. Because in addition to missing his husband, he now also misses his boyfriend.

Until this morning, he thought that he would finally be able to see him but that was only when Kuroo wished Daichi a happy anniversary that Ushijima remembered his boyfriend wouldn't be here tonight as he was taking Sugawara and Asahi out to dinner for their anniversary.

"Do you want to cuddle?"

"What?" Ushijima blinks, thinking he misunderstood.

"I know it's coming out of nowhere, but Daichi said you're a pretty cuddly person and I thought, maybe, it would make you feel a little better, but if you're not comfortable I totally get that, I mean we don't really know each other that well. I just wanna help and you do look like you give the best cuddles…did I say that? Sorry I'm rambling. "

Trying to hide his embarrassment, Bokuto lifts his arms to rub the back of his neck and gives him a sheepish smile, causing Ushijima to let out a chuckle.

He takes a moment to consider the idea. He indeed has been craving physical affection, so Bokuto’s offer sounds appealing. On the other hand, although Ushijima loves to cuddle, it takes him a while to get comfortable enough around someone to even just consider cuddling with them and, as MSBY’s ace stated it, they’re aren’t really close. So Ushijima doesn’t exactly know why he answers:

"I would love that Bokuto"

"For real?"

"If you didn't change your mind, yes."

Bokuto almost throws himself on Ushijima but stops midway. "Wait, how do you want to do this?"

"I don't know?"

"Okay, first maybe we should- can you stand up for a sec?" Ushijima does as he is told and watches as Bokuto folds out the sofa bed to make more room for them. MSBY's ace then runs out of the room to come back carrying way more pillows than they need. "We'll be a little more comfortable like that." Bokuto says before letting himself fall in the mountain of pillows.

Ushijima pushes aside a few of them to make space for himself beside Bokuto. They stay still for a while, facing each other. Ushijima isn't particularly uncomfortable but Tendou often is the one who initiates their cuddling session and while Ushijima has been working on being the one to initiate them with Daichi he still hasn't fully worked out how to.

Bokuto must sense Ushijima's hesitation because he opens his arms and softly says: "You can lay on me for starters, or maybe you'd be more comfortable spooning, you tell me."

Ushijima takes in Bokuto's reassuring smile, which reminds him of Daichi's the first time they cuddled together - they have that same gentle smile that instantly puts you at ease - and finally dares getting closer to him. He hesitantly drapes an arm across his waist and checks on Bokuto's expression to make sure he's comfortable with this before laying his head on his chest. Bokuto's arms instinctively find their place around him.

"Would you like me to play with your hair?"

"Please…" The word comes out of Ushijima's mouth as barely more than a whisper.

This is awkward at first but, as Bokuto slowly runs his fingers through Ushijima's hair, brushing aside the stray hair lying about his forehead, his whole body relaxes and he makes himself more comfortable in Bokuto's arms.

The ace's embrace is tight around him but offers just the right amount of give, so that Ushijima can escape if he ever feels the need to. His own hold on the ace's waist becomes less stiff and Bokuto shifts slightly so that their bodies fit together more naturally. Their legs tangle together and a faint smile makes its way on Ushijima's lips.

He remembers the first time he and Tendou cuddled. They weren't together yet at the time and, just like today, Ushijima had been getting overwhelmed with his feelings. He remembers how grounding and soothing Tendou's feathering touch had been at the time. How all the stress he had accumulated had melted away when, with a simple touch, Tendou's brightness enveloped him. And right now, subject to Bokuto's touch, this is exactly how he feels.

Almost as a way to prove him how vulnerable he is, Ushijima's breath catches in his throat as Bokuto's thumb starts rubbing up and down the small of his back. Daichi once mentioned that one particular detail about cuddling with Bokuto and Ushijima now understands what he meant when he said that felt heavenly as that small movement sends shivers down his spine.

"Is this okay?" Bokuto asks.

Ushijima nods against his chest and mumbles a soft "yes" as his breathing catches up with Bokuto's.

Ushijima hears the door open behind him but he doesn't look back to see who has entered the room. Whistling fills the room and Ushijima has a hunch Oikawa is the one who entered the room. Bokuto's hand leaves his hair and he intimates to the other captain to stay quiet before combing through Ushijima's hair again.

When they're alone again, he brings MSBY's ace a little closer and, basking in Bokuto's warmth, Ushijima closes his eyes for a second and the ambient noise slowly fades until all he can hear is the steady rhythm of Bokuto's heartbeat. He feels safe.

___

Later that night, Ushijima is on the bus back home when he gets a text from Bokuto.

It's a picture of them both, asleep, cuddled up on the couch.

-Kuroo took it

-Look how adorable we are!

Ushijima can't help a smile to grow on his face. He's so glad they're friends.

[winzenni]

didn't mean to make you cry (lee donghyuck)

Summary: when your design project partner’s joking criticism unintentionally makes you cry, how will he fix it? after all, you’re his crush...

Genre: hurt/comfort?, fluff

Pairing: donghyuck x artist!reader, high school!au

Word count: 1.5k

When you were paired up with the outgoing, edgy, purple-haired boy in class for your design assignment, you thought your final grade was done for. The purple-haired class clown, Lee Donghyuck, who wears leather jackets and looks like he plays with fire in his free time, but actually has a kind heart and warm aura. 

You thought Donghyuck would ditch you in the very beginning, dumping the entire assignment onto you and opting to hit up the local night market with his friends instead, but he had surprised you. Throughout the month, Donghyuck had stayed on task in classes and been very attentive to your vision and goals for the project. Together, you were assigned to create a design layout that would display students’ artwork and be printed in the school newspaper.

Though your peers in class all opted for a traditional newspaper design, with serif fonts and boxy modules, you wanted to break out of the norm and create a futuristic vibe, with circles and vivid motifs, to emanate a clean aura in your work. When you were paired with Donghyuck, you feared he would shut down your creative vision, but instead, he had been extremely supportive and helpful in the project, even offering insight to improve the layout and refine the modern look of the pages.

For fun, you had put some close-up photos of your old sketches and drawings in the background. You thought Donghyuck would have called you self-centered for putting your own personal works on the page, but he had proven you wrong by complimenting the design afterwards. Together, your smooth black pen lines and colored pencil textures created a personal, diary-like feeling to the design, while the minimalistic modules and white space kept the clean modern vibes. 

His willingness to cooperate and kindness to you and your ideas had truly shocked you, and erased the bad boy/lazy rebel image you had thought of him. He seemed like someone you wanted to get closer with, maybe.

“Donghyuck and Y/N, time for your evaluation.” the teacher called you two up.

“Hm, this corner of the page is a little crowded. It’s hard on the eyes,” Ms. Kang says. 

“It’s because y/n drew the picture there,” says Donghyuck. “It’s ugly, right?” He says it in a joking manner, and you know he doesn’t mean it like that, but the words stir up some insecurities you’ve suppressed for a long time.

Ms. Kang laughs along with him. “Donghyuck, don’t be mean. Her drawing looks fine…”

--

You know he was joking when he had called your drawing ugly, but you couldn’t help but think that maybe he truly meant it. People were always like that to you.

In elementary school, your parents had loved your art. Your scribbly golden retrievers, your painted landscapes, they had praised each one and hung them up on the refrigerator, and you were so proud to have a talent that they were proud of. 

In eighth grade, your hyper realistic self-portrait earned you a ticket to New York to have your art displayed at a museum’s exhibit highlighting children’s artworks. You began to think this talent could take off and become a career, but your parents disagreed.

“Art doesn’t make money, y/n. Do you want to starve when you grow up?”

As you grew older, your art got better but your parents’ support decreased. Though you could draw a golden retriever 100 times better than before, your parents weren’t praising you.

“It’s ok, y/n. It looks kind of ugly.”

“That’s supposed to be you? It’s ugly-”

“Why did you draw me so ugly-”

Ugly was such a short word. But why did it hurt so much? Whenever you saw your parents’ faces, you just thought about your ugly, meaningless passion: art.

--

The bell rang. 

“Ah, I barely noticed the time. We’ll finish grading your design next class.” says Ms. Kang.

“Cool, thanks seonsaengnim,” Donghyuck responds. “Y/n, what did you think? She really liked the-”

You stand up, grabbing your bag and leaving for the cafeteria. You couldn’t hear Donghyuck’s words over your parents’ criticisms ringing in your head.

“Are you dumb? You’re NOT going to art school.” “No more art, y/n. It’s meaningless.” It had been a while since the word “ugly” had come up when talking about your art, your hobby, your talent, no -- your sole passion in life that gave you a purpose. You didn’t even notice your eyes watering up.

“Y/n, didn’t you hear me?” Donghyuck catches up beside you. “Ms. Kang said -- wait, are you crying?”

You’re taken aback, looking up to the face on your left. Concern flashes through his eyes as a sense of embarrassment pierces your chest. He thinks I cried because of a dumb joke he made, you think to yourself. He thinks I’m too sensitive and weak like that.

“Don’t worry about it,” you tell him, taking a u-turn to seek refuge in the bathroom. 

At lunch, you plop your tray beside your friend Renjun, taking a seat.

“How was the project evaluation?” He asks. 

“Renjun, you’re gonna laugh when I say this. I cried for no reason in front of Donghyuck,” you reveal.

“Why? What happened?” He asks worriedly.

You explain the purple-haired kid in your class, the design project, the thoughts that had rushed through your mind after Donghyuck had jokingly called your art ugly. Renjun, who you had first met in art class and hoped to become an art student himself, was one of few people who truly understood your insecurities about your future in art. 

“He probably thinks I’m weird and too sensitive now,” you say.

“Maybe,” he says. Renjun was never one to lie, even if the truth hurt a little bit. “It’s okay though, you probably won’t see him ever again after this year.” He puts a hand on your shoulder, patting it comfortingly.

“You’re right,” you laugh, scooping up another spoonful of rice.

--

How can she be laughing so much after crying less than twenty minutes ago? Donghyuck asks himself from across the cafeteria. Did I do something wrong?

“Donghyuck, what’s on your mind?” pipes up Jeno. “What are you looking at?”

“Hm? Oh… Earlier in class, that girl over there cried after I said something but I’m not sure why.” Donghyuck answers.

Jeno raises his head to look over at the girl in question. “Oh! Y/n? She’s so nice though, how did you even make her cry?” “I don’t know! That’s what I want to know!” Donghyuck defends himself. “Who’s sitting next to her though? She was just crying last class, why is she laughing already?”

“Oh, that’s Renjun. Why don’t you just ask him? He seemed pretty chill in math class last year,” Jeno suggests. 

-- 

When Donghyuck sees Renjun turn into the boys’ bathroom before class, he follows.

“Renjun!” he calls out.

Renjun turns around to see the owner of the unfamiliar voice. 

“Why did y/n cry? Did I do something wrong?”

Tilting his head to process the sudden interrogation, Renjun notices Donghyuck’s bright purple hair and makes the connection.

“Oh, you’re Donghyuck,” he remarks.

“Please, Renjun, tell me if I did something wrong. I need to know.”

“Why do you care so much?” Renjun asks. “Don’t worry about it, she’s not mad at you.”

“No, please. Please tell me. I-” Donghyuck starts. How can he admit his crush on you to a stranger right now? He can’t miss his chance. “I-I like y/n. I need to know if I did something wrong. I want to fix it. Please, Renjun.” 

Donghyuck had loved your drawings. He had loved your designs too. And loved you too. He loved how concentrated you focused when designing the layout, how your fingers gracefully pushed hair behind your ears when it fell in your face. He loved how your passion and dedication shined through in everything you did, whether it was your voice in a presentation, or the speed and concentration of your fingers on a keyboard. You were his crush, but also his role model. He couldn’t live with himself if he had made you cry.

Renjun explained your situation, your art, your parents, your self-doubt to Donghyuck. “Shoot your shot, Donghyuck. I think maybe y/n likes you too,” he said before pushing the door open and leaving quickly to hide his growing smile.

Alone in the bathroom, Donghyuck breathes a sigh of relief.

--

The next day in class, Donghyuck slides his backpack on the desk beside you, instead of his usual seat in the back. 

You look up, unsure how to face him. Should you explain why you cried? Or pretend like it didn’t happen?

He slips a folded pink piece of paper onto your desk, nodding at you to open it. 

You unfold the paper to see a doodle of a girl and boy, painting the sky together under some clouds. Amongst the clouds read “Your art is amazing. And you are too.” in a neat script. On the bottom of the paper: “Wanna come with me to the night market on Saturday?”

You look up at Donghyuck, searching his eyes to see if this is some pitiful joke or attempt to amend. Instead, you just see a glazed, lovestruck gaze in his eyes.

“I promise I won’t make you cry this time,” he says.

[selfilluminatingkyu]

Dancing with the Devil(s): Chapter III

Previous|Current|Next 

You don’t go searching for bones in a Lion’s Den. You just hope you don’t become a part of the pile. 

F!Reader x Adult Trio; this takes place during the same timeline as Season 3 of HxH but the events with Kuropika and the crew are just shifted a little. Things will align back up within the next couple of chapters. 

Warnings: Swearing; mentions of conditioning of a child (reader); 

Word Count: 4.8K

After…whatever it was that had taken place with the members of the Troupe, Chrollo had placed you back into his study as he gave further instructions to the rest of the team, who you had been introduced to formally. You would have liked to say that the introduction had cooled your nerves a bit but that would have been a lie. If anything, it made you more anxious. The more you knew, the more susceptible you were to be considered a “loose end” and the likelihood of your impending death became that much more stark to you. Should you prove to be of no use to Chrollo or the rest of the Spiders, as you learned they were frequently called, your time would be clicking down on a timer. 

You still weren’t entirely sure what had happened and what you had done that had proven to be so amazing that had the lot in such a tizzy. You’d spent at least an hour playing a continuous game of “hide and seek” as Nobunaga had dubbed it. Although, you weren’t entirely sure who was exactly supposed to be hiding, seeing you felt their presences the entire time. The only time you had been a little unsure was towards the end. Hisoka’s presence had wavered momentarily, as if he’d suddenly disappeared, but you’d taken in a deep breath and focused yourself only for him to pop back up again, like an object on a radar. Chrollo’s had also been faint at one moment towards the end but his aura had never truly gone away, not that you thought it was possible anyway. Not with how dark and menacing his was. 

“I’m sorry for the delay, but it seems that there’s a new bounty on our heads and we didn’t collect all of the items for auction. There’s also some other matters to attend to.” You looked over your shoulder to Chrollo as he stepped back into the room. The information made you pause…you were certain that everything had been accounted for, for the first round. 

His hair was messy in comparison to the slicked back style it had been earlier, and you mused that it made him look even younger and it suited him more. Looking at him you wondered how many people he’d disarmed and made comfortable with his looks and charm. In another life, he had to have been the eldest son to a very, very wealthy and powerful man. 

Making a noise of agreement, you turned to look back outside. It was getting dark now. The brightest stars starting to pop up in the purple and pink hazed sky. It reminded you of all of the times you and your family went to the country side, away from the city and the light pollution, where you could look at the stars till your heart was content. More than once, you’d fallen asleep outside, wondering what other worlds were out there, what sort of people there were…if any of them ever felt like you did or were raised like you. In your head, there were other girls like you, who’d been raised the same and by some chance, you all ended up together, united and made sure it could never happen to another soul. 

You were people, not property. 

But that was a fantasy and this was reality and in this reality, you didn’t know when your time was up and so you’d decided that you would do whatever was necessary to be reunited with those you’d lost. You’d see your siblings again. You’d save them for your parents. You’d give them a better life, and all the unconditional love they deserved. No fear of being sold to the highest bidder in an effort for your parents to obtain something that was unlikely to act quench their thirst for more power, more money, just more. 

“I don’t believe I ever actually asked you name…or how exactly it was you came to be among the items set for auction.” You jumped, so lost in thought that you hadn’t even register Chrollo. It wasn’t his voice that startled you, but the proximity of his mouth to your ear. He stood behind you, towering over you and making you feel smaller than you already did in his shadow. 

“No, you didn’t. Not that anyone else did, to be frank. But it’s y/n. And I believe I briefly told you earlier how I came to be there. I’m the eldest of four and since a young age, my parents have always been complimented on how beautiful I was. I’m pretty sure from the moment I was born, they were told that they’d been blessed with a precious gem. They took it a little too seriously and decided that what other purpose was there for a gem than to buy them a bigger one? So…my parents figured to obtain more wealth, more power, more notoriety, they’d marry me off to the man or family that checked all of those boxes the most. So, they groomed me to be the perfect wife for a man of that caliber. I got all of the etiquette classes a lady of that birth ranking would get, along with ones that would place me outside of the pack. I had tutors for all of my studies and learned several languages. I was put under pressure and polished to perfection.

“At one point they were in discussions with a family, I was going to be married to their eldest son. I never met him, but I snuck into my father’s office one night and saw a photo of him and his family. While he seemed handsome enough, there was something peculiar about him that had me anxious before I’d even met him. But, while they had the money and power and notoriety…it wasn’t in the form my parents wanted. They wanted to be among those in high society, in the light where people on the street would whisper about them…not among the shadows like that family apparently was. So, my parents started again, except…no one was meeting their standards and the original family seemed to be the best offer they had…till there was someone else. I don’t know how the Don who bought me had heard of me, or how one of the others had, but he did and he was certain that he could tick all of the boxes my parents were trying to fill. So, they made a deal and suddenly I was being brought here to the auction.

“I was in a different room originally, by myself, in a suite. But the Don’s right hand man who’d been watching me prior to the auction came in flustered, talking about something going on and they moved me…which is where I was when…whatever sucked me and the rest of the items into a void happened and then I was backstage where the rest of the Troupe found me. And that’s it.” You turn to look at him and find that the look on his face has you turning around completely. 

The man looks a mixture of furious rage and melancholy heartbreak…and it has you absolutely stumped as to why a man who has killed for sheer joy and amusement—as you’d realized after hearing their names and remembering the scarlet eyes—would look so pained over the story of a young woman being sold as a wife. It didn’t align with the character chart you had started creating in your head for him. No, it was just as peculiar as Hisoka looking concerned when Chrollo had ushered you away from the rest of the group, away from him. 

Regardless, you stood and waited, waited for him to do or say anything so that you could gage how you were meant to react to him when suddenly he was looking at you and cupping your cheeks in his hands. 

“You do not have to worry about being sold to anyone. I’m not in the business of human trafficking.” The sincerity in his words should have calmed you, but it didn’t. You’d heard promises from other men before. Promises to run away with you; promises to marry you and give your parents what they so desired and to save you and your siblings. 

But promises were made to be broken and you weren’t going to hold your breath that this man, lawless as he was, was any different than the rest. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” You said stepping out of his grasp and moving out of arms reach. The moment felt far too intimate for someone you had just met, for someone who was essentially holding you captive as he’d made no mention of letting you go. 

Chrollo dropped his arms and looked at you carefully, you could feel his eyes rove over you, and you wondered if he was appraising you as a woman or as a ward, either way it made your skin crawl and feel like a filly up for auction all over again. 

“I don’t blame you for not trusting me. I’m sure there were people in your past who promised you things and never saw them through. Left you feeling more vulnerable and alone than you had prior to. I understand that, I have been there and been in the same place. The only family, the only true family I had was one I created by bringing together a bunch of misfits who sought to burn the world to the ground for the atrocities that we shared. We are bound by a common goal of watching the world, and the people who prosper from the neglect and despair of others, burn. While I have not been in your exact position, I can still understand where you are coming from.” You turn to look at him, eying him carefully as he continues on with his little speech. “I’ll give you two options. You can leave, right here, right now. I’ll take you wherever it is you want to go and that’ll be the end of it. If we see each other, or if you see any of the other members, we’ll act as if we have no idea who you are. However, I think there are things you want to accomplish, people you want to keep with you and as you are now, you won’t be able to accomplish those things.” 

“So…what exactly are you suggesting?” 

“Stay with us. Let me and the other members train you, tap into the clear raw ability you have. Earlier, the members were using a technique called zestsu. When highly capable Nen users are using this technique, their presence is nearly untraceable. However, when myself or other members of the Troupe do it, along with other high skilled hunters, we should completely disappear.” He says and the way his eyes light up as he describes this has you both intrigued but also unnerved. “You, who has no nen abilities or true knowledge, should not have been able to detect Feitain, Machi, Phink, Shalnark, or Nobunaga when you walked into the room. However, there wasn’t a single presence hidden from you. That’s not something even elite nen users can do, let alone you. And yet…you did and with seemingly no effort at all.” 

You looked him over, knowing this offer was too good to be true, and what was it that he got in return out of this deal? The warning bells in your head were going off, telling you that while this deal seems to benefit you the most…you just knew that there was no way, shape, or form in which a man like him would allow any deal to benefit anyone other than himself. 

So, you did the only thing you could do, ask. 

“How do you benefit from this? It seems burdensome to take on a complete stranger who may have a disposition for high potential. But there’s no guarantee that my nen ability is anything other than this.” 

Clearly, the man wasn’t used to his authority being question—although it wasn’t in your intention to do as such, you could see how it could be construed that way—and seemed to regard you in a new way. He was obviously amused by your honesty and total lack of trust in him and his intention. You didn’t see how he could blame you though. No honor among thieves was a saying for a reason and you very much doubted that him and his ragtag group of thieves, professionals and highly regarded in the underworld be damned, were just going to pull a 180 and do something out of the kindness of their hearts. At the end of the day, a thief was a thief and their word usually meant little. That was something you father had taught you early on. You had been too trusting as a child, wanting to see the good in everything, regardless of the bad. 

“But papa, that doesn’t mean they’re all bad.” A much younger you had said innocently enough as you father had dragged you away from the group of older girls who had been trying to exploit your generosity. 

“No, it doesn’t but you also need to realize that the majority of people do not have good intentions.” Crouching down in front of you, he’d grabbed on your shoulders and made you look directly into his eyes. “And those who never do, never will. Do you understand? You need to understand that you are very valuable, and to the wrong people could be a great bartering chip to be used against others. Make sure you can’t be.” 

You honestly hadn’t understood exactly what he meant, but the message had stuck and several years later, you had known what he meant by it. People who proved themselves worthy of your trust could have it…but you always needed to keep it in your head that there were those who, despite proving themselves as friends, could be masked foes and you needed to have a plan in place should that occur. More often than not, you wondered if you were actually the wolf in sheep’s clothing simply masquerading as docile and inept, when really…you were probably the most calculating and tactile in the room. 

“And what’s to say that you won’t use what I teach you against me, against us?” He asks, and you know he means it rhetorically, but you can’t help your biting response. 

“You wouldn’t ever give me the opportunity.” Your response is lightening fast, coming out before he truly has even finished his question and you know you have truly piqued his interest now, again making you wonder how people truly viewed you. “I told you, I was raised for the sole purpose of being a formidable opponent to anyone who tried to harm by future husband…my mother was not lenient in her pursuits.” 

“Indeed…that certainly is becoming clearer now.” 

You’d come to an agreement with Chrollo. He, and the rest of the Troupe who wished to partake in your training, would do as such. He had already told you that his methods did not truly align with the “generally approved instruction” of other masters, but then again…when did anything he did? 

But as of now, he told you to relax. Take a shower, get some food, sleep, he or one of the other members would come and find you once they’d returned back from the mission he’d sent them on. As for him, he had other things to attend to. His offer still stood, he’d said before he’d walked out the door, that should you choose that you did not want his help or that of the Troupe, he would respect it, but advised you to be gone before anyone got back or the training began. Because after that point, leaving was going to require you going through the front door and would more than likely be a battle with whomever was blocking it. Whether that be him or a different member, he didn’t specify, and you didn’t ask. 

You were currently sitting in the tub; in the room he’d showed you as your own. It reminded you a lot of the room you had at the home your parents owned in the country. It overlooked a beautiful garden in the back and had windows that faced the east, so when the sun rose, you would too. There was an en-suite attached that was larger than you had ever seen before. Shower, tub, separate toil area, two sink vanity, and walk in closet to boot. You knew they had money, despite his comment that “money, power, and fame were not” what drove them to do what they did, it was clear that their endeavors were clearly not fruitless…no, not at all. 

The moment you realized you were alone, you’d crawled into the tub, clothing and all and cranked the water to as warm as it would go and just sat there as the water rose. While you had a thousand thoughts zipping through your head…you couldn’t seem to latch onto one in particular, just staring at the water blankly. 

You thought back to the comment he’d made when you’d walked back into the study after his little experiment. Apparently we didn’t get all of the auction items. While yes, that was true, they hadn’t gotten all of them as there were different rounds and the items showed up in waves so they wouldn’t be vulnerable to a heist—or so Yuuto had explained when you’d asked—the items for the first round had all be within the lot of goods the others had brought back. And you didn’t take Chrollo for wanting silly things like rare videos games…although it was a high ticket item. 

So, all you could deduce from that was that this was a trap. A poorly set one, and one you were certain he’d already figured out but still, the members he’d sent, unless aware were walking into a trap and the Ten Dons had an artillery of their own, with weapons you were led to believe could even take on the Phantom Troupe. 

Regardless of all of this information though…you couldn’t say you cared, nor did you care if you were questioned later as to whether or not there had been more items because while you didn’t think there were any, you couldn’t be certain, and it wouldn’t surprise you if there had been more. Someone didn’t become that powerful by being lax in their paranoia. 

Maybe you could learn and thing or two from that mentality.

You don’t know how long you sat in the tub for. At some point the water became cold and your clothes began to rub you the wrong way. Thus, you took them off, throwing them away from your body, drained the water and stared the process over again. 

Your skin was not only a pretty shade of pink and red, just about all over, but the pruning of it was beginning to feel uncomfortable not that it bothered you. It was a distraction, one you desperately needed. But it also made you think. 

Made you evaluate your circumstances and try to figure out what exactly your plan of attack was going to be; what you could anticipate being Chrollo’s and the rest of the troupes’ motives and actions from here on out…and how you could use all of those pieces to your advantage. You need to uncover their weaknesses and find a way to exploit them. Maybe there was someone who knew them and you could mutually benefit each other? 

“Think too hard and you might hurt yourself little dove.” Were you not as exhausted as you were, you might have jumped out of the tub when you heard Hisoka. No, instead you turned to look at him, leaning against the doorjamb leading into your room, idly shuffling through his deck of cards. 

He looked at you through his lashes, coy smirk growing on his lips as he sauntered forward and again, it struck you that had you not been so exhausted, mentally, emotionally…physically, you probably would’ve jumped up or screamed at him to leave. But you simply did not have any reserved energy left to consider your modesty a priority. 

You also doubted it would do you any good anyway. Hisoka didn’t strike you as the type to listen to a request like that anyway. He seemed to enjoy toying with people’s discomforts. 

“I wouldn’t call what I’m doing thinking.” You mutter, turning away from him and sinking further into the water, nearly causing it splash out of the sides. 

“Oh? Then what would you call it? Planning? Devising?” 

“I’d call it a jumbled ball of messy thoughts that benefit me in no way.” 

He hums at this, coming to sit on the floor beside the tub and you suddenly realize just how tall he is. The tub has to be at least two feet off the ground if not more, yet when he sits down, and slouches even, he’s still considerably taller than you. You would, under normal circumstances, have curled in on yourself in order to preserve your modesty. It was one thing for him to be standing in the doorway, your back to him and the hazy from the steam distorting your image in the mirror. 

However, with him right here, next to you, there is nothing distorting your nakedness from his peering eyes. A nakedness that no man, outside a physician for the Dons’, has seen. But for the fact that you are too exhausted to care, you do not move to cover yourself more than your arms already had. You hadn’t realized that at some point, you’d curled back in on yourself again…maybe your subconscious was more conscious than you realized. 

Despite all of this though, Hisoka turn himself so his back was towards you and in that moment you were struck by something. Most probably would’ve viewed this as trust, but you knew better. You hadn’t known this man for more than a moment. It wasn’t trust at all. 

It was a silent assertion of just how weak he viewed you. How weak they all probably viewed you. For some reason this pissed you off. Rage flared low in your stomach and raced through you veins and clawed at your throat, questing to lash out at the closest target. However, your mind was quick to act and quell those feelings almost as quickly as they appeared. He was right, you were weak and lashing out at someone that much more powerful than you was not only reckless, but just plain stupid. You’d accomplish nothing on your best day as it was, not even including the fact that you were currently exhausted. 

No, getting pissed off was misplaced in this situation…but it was a tangible force that could push you do work hard, to become a formidable opponent. 

One in which Hisoka would never turn his back on. 

As you both continued to sit there in silence, you couldn’t help but wonder if Chrollo had called him back to watch you. You thought it odd but not outlandish. You hadn’t taken Chrollo as a liar though and the offer to leave, while not something you were going to take him up on, seemed to vanish the moment Hisoka walked into the house or within a vicinity to spot you in your endeavors to vacate the premises before anyone got back. 

But then you thought about what Chrollo had said. Leaving before anyone got back and scoffed, shaking your head, wondering how you could be so thoughtless. 

“Something amusing little dove?” Hisoka poses, throwing another playing card towards the vanity. What he’s trying to hit, you’re not sure. 

“Just realizing how inept my critical thinking skills have been lately.” His hesitation in throwing the next card relays to you his peaked curiosity, although he says nothing. “Chrollo told me I could leave should I chose to, but I had to do as such before anyone got back or prove that I was worthy of walking through the front door. At the time I thought nothing of it, assuming when he suggested I shower and sleep, that I’d have time to do those things. When you walked in, I wondered if he’d been lying but thought that odd because…I didn’t sense him lying.” 

You pause and chuckle again. “No, he wasn’t lying…he just also wasn’t being entirely truthful either. He just left out the fact that you and whomever else returned with you wouldn’t be long after he left. Had I been paying attention, been thinking I would’ve caught that. I’m not entirely sure at what point I either reached such a level of exhaustion…or decided you lot were trustworthy enough to not care.” 

The revelation had you looking up from your hands and the man sitting beside you. It also had you wondering what his purpose was for coming into the bathroom. You knew, now, that Chrollo hadn’t ordered him back; hadn’t given him instruction to watch you. No, Hisoka had come here of his own volition and you the question as to why was picking at your brain…and paranoia. Why would he come here? There was a piece to this puzzle that you were missing, and you couldn’t decide if it was because you just didn’t have the information or if it was again to your own obtuseness. 

The thought niggled at the back of your head, running through scenario after scenario. Did he have a connection to someone you knew? Someone you had known? Was he a double agent working for the Dons and was keeping your close so that he could return you to them? No, that didn’t seem likely…but not the double agent part. You didn’t take him to follow orders from anyone; he didn’t seem like the type to play to play well with others for long. 

“I’m starting to wonder if the steam is coming from the hot water or from in between your eyes little dove.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“What is it you don’t understand?” He questioned, throwing another card and this time putting some force behind it as it cut into the vanity and stuck. 

You were certain it was an intimidation tactic to indicate to you to tread lightly. 

“Why you’re in here. I know Chrollo didn’t order you to be here, there’s no reason to place a guard on me. I’m sure he texted everyone telling them I wasn’t going anywhere, regardless of whether I’d come to that conclusion myself prior to or after he’d sent it. And I don’t take it anyone would just…wander in unwelcome. I’m sure there’s something, some presence around meant to keep those who don’t know better away…and those who do, a warning of fleeting life. And I’m not interesting enough to truly pique your interest. Maybe after I’ve spent some time learning nen and training. But as it stands, right not I’m of no consequence to you and so I don’t understand why you’re here.” 

Taking in a deep breath, you realize that he’s completely stopped throwing the cards, and not because he’s out. No, he’s caused four more cards to stick to the vanity. The King of Spades, the King of Aces, the King of Diamonds, and then the Queen of Hearts are all standing up and a feeling goes through you that you can’t place. It warms you, and yet makes your blood run cold all at the same time and leaves you feeling a little lightheaded and dizzy. Maybe you’ve been in the bath for too long. 

“You’re very perceptive little dove, more perceptive than anyone has realized…certainly far more intelligent than you’ve been given credit.” He stands and plucks the random card from the vanity, along with all those he scattered haphazardly on the floor but leaves the Kings and Queen. “I look forward to seeing how you ripen little dove. I’m certain that you will become…especially sweet when this is all said and done.” He chuckles lowly and in the back of his throat, the effect making you shudder, and not in a pleasant way, as he begins to leave before pausing and turning to look at you over his shoulder. 

“I do have a question for you little dove.” He says and you hum, indicating that you’re listening. “What do you know of Illumi Zoldyck?” 

[feeling-uncomfy]

Part two!! I hope you enjoy- I'm really enjoying writing this! :D

There are no specific warnings, just Tokoyami having no clue how to talk to people and then fucking up when talking to hot dudes. Also there's a mention of COPD (I did a little research)

Enioy!

Hawks was there in ten, dragging Tokoyami behind him. Tokoyami grumbled until the door opened again, and he looked up to tell the person to fuck off, but froze.

Gang Orca walked in, bodyguards flanking him, but that's not what caught his eye. Oh no, not the people who could flick him and kill him, damn his size.

It was the boy who followed him in, eyes darting around the lobby, curious and almost.. afraid? He was tall, and the lower half of his face was covered by a skintight mask, while the top half was mostly covered by bangs, hanging low over his eyes no matter how much he swiped them out of his face.

He was muscular, but he seemed so gentle, with a nervous kind of excitement while walking in. He stuck to Gang Orca's side like glue, never straying too far. Tokoyami genuinely found himself frozen, his face burning a bright red at the sight of him. He was shaken from his staring by Hawks brushing past him to greet their guests.

"This is Tokoyami, say hello." Tokoyami blinked up at the boy, who stares right back. Neither said anything, but they didn't need to, really. The taller one broke the silence by bowing at the hip and speaking.

"Hello," the boy kept his head low, and didn't say anything else, almost like he wasn't sure he could. Tokoyami blinked dumbly again before straightening up.

"You don't have to bow, do I look like royalty to you?"

Tokoyami and Hawks winced in unison at Tokoyami's poor choice of words. Luckily, the boy laughed it off as if it was normal to be spoken to in such a way. Tokoyami bristled, and Gang Orca didn't comment.

Hawks spoke over Tokoyami's apology. "Gang Orca, my office should be an okay place for us to talk, Shouji, Tokoyami, why don't you two wait in the lounge?" Gang Orca almost moved in to stop them, but stopped at Shouji's enthusiastic nod.

Tokoyami found himself leading this absolutely handsome, dreamy boy, who's name he now knew to be Shouji, into the lounge. Wow.

He opened the door, and once Shouji was inside, he stood politely in the corner, not a word left his mouth. Tokoyami looked over, confused.

Shouji felt eyes on him, and he looked over to see Tokoyami staring. Instinctively tensing, Shouji fought to find something to say. People weren't really his thing, in fact, new places in general weren't his thing.

Nevertheless, when he'd been told he was going to actually be going somewhere that wasn't a bunker, Shouji didn't think of the consequences when he nodded. Being outside was something that happened once in a blue moon, and while he knew why, he couldn't help but want to be out there, doing something.

He had little to no involvement with the company Gang Orca ran, yet he knew the facility better than even the longest working person there. He probably knew the place better than Gang Orca. Shouji looked around the room, curiosity winning over his preemptive fear.

Forgetting the other person in the room, Shouji walked around and explored the room. Picking up things of interest, putting it back exactly where he had found it. Well, out of habit he organised it a little, but he didn't think about it as he went from item to item, mumbling to himself as he looked through the books.

It wasn't until Tokoyami spoke up that Shouji was brought out of his own world. "What are you doing?" Tokoyami once again winced at his tone. He sounded like Hawks talking to a rude dealer, and Tokoyami shook his head and focused on the guest he'd just startled. Shouji almost dropped the book he was holding. Almost.

"Looking, am I not allowed?" Tokoyami strained to hear him, Shouji naturally talking in a quiet voice. Tokoyami tilted his head at the response, more so how nervous it sounded. "Yeah, you are. I was just confused," Shouji seemed to relax at the words and went back to what he was doing.

Tokoyami watched him move from shelf to shelf, in a world of his own. He wasn't sure why Shouji was so interested in the lounge, it was just full of little collectables that Hawks has gathered over the years. But to Shouji, this seemed to be a whole treasure trove, full of wonders he didn't know existed.

Tokoyami caught glances at his eyes, how they lit up at every new thing he saw. It was endearing, and Tokoyami found himself smiling softly just watching him. It was as if Shouji could see things Tokoyami couldn't, and from how he studied each item, Tokoyami became more convinced he actually could.

But there was something to his curiosity. Tokoyami could go down the street and see half of these things, without fail he could point out where Hawks got them. Either he wasn't as observant as Tokoyami thought, or Shouji had genuinely never seen them before.

"Shouji?" Tokoyami almost snorted at how quickly Shouji put the thing he was holding back where he found it. "Yeah?" Tokoyami looked him up and down before speaking. "Have you.. ever seen these before?" It seemed innocent enough, and Tokoyami didn't miss the way Shouji had started to fidget.

"I-... haven't seen them in person, no." Tokoyami let his confusion show on his face, obviously, and Shouji was quick to explain. "I've seen them in photos, or I've seen them from a distance, but I've never been so close, they're even better up close," Shouji was on a tangent now, pointing out the things he held, giving little facts about them that Tokoyami didn't know before.

For his extensive knowledge, Tokoyami found that Shouji had never actually seen them, or held them. Weird. Tokoyami tuned the talking out, wondering why Shouji hadn't seen them. It wasn't as if they were very rare, in fact, they were common enough for Hawks and Endeavor to compete to get the most.

Hawks won, obviously. He was a hoarder, and a nasty one at that. Anything he could get, he did. Tokoyami was positive Hawks had maxed out one if his credit cards by the end of it.

Getting back on topic, Shouji was still on about a book, oblivious to Tokoyami's spacing out and the large book about to fall off a higher shelf, directly onto his head. Tokoyami glanced up at it and jumped when it wobbled before falling.

Panicking, Tokoyami shot forward, reaching out and yanking Shouji towards him. Unfortunately, Tokoyami completely forgot about the fact that Shouji towered over him, and since Shouji wasn't given a warning, they both were sent to the floor in a heap.

Tokoyami prepared himself to be crushed, but was surprised to find he landed on something soft. Maybe there was a cushion on the floor Tokoyami hadn't seen. That theory was proven wrong when the heard a loud thump. Someone definitely hit the foor.

Tokoyami opened his eyes and was met with grey. It was soft and oddly comfortable, and Tokoyami found himself just laying there, enjoying the pillow. That was, until Shouji spoke from someone above him. "Tokoyami? Are you okay there?" His voice was a lot softer than Tokoyami imagined it would be, up close.

Still, he looked up and froze. Shouji had turned them over, taking the fall and saving Tokoyami the trouble and pain. Tokoyami blinked up at him, realising that his face had just been in his guest's chest, shamelessly basking in its comfort.

To say Tokoyami jumped out of his arms was an understatement. He practically teleported. Shouji blinked before snorting quietly and sitting up. "Sorry about that, you weren't hurt, right?"

Tokoyami looked at Shouji, and couldn't help but think about how pretty his eyes were, Tokoyami could see the concern in them, genuine and kind. Unfortunately, Tokoyami ruined the moment by snapping.

"I can take a hit, you know. I'm not made of glass."

Tokoyami froze at Shouji's eyes widening, and took a step back when he stood up. Tokoyami was half expecting a punch to the face, but felt even worse when Shouji kept his head firmly facing the floor. "Right- right, I'm sorry.." Shouji's voice was even quieter than usual, hesitance ringing clearly.

Fuck. Tokoyami had fucked up. He tried to fix it, carefully stepping closer. "I- it wasn't meant to come out like that, I'm sorry," Tokoyami reached out, only to have Shouji flinch. It was small, but not unnoticeable. Tokoyami pulled his hand back quicker than intended, making Shouji shuffle back. Well, Tokoyami had just earned the title "Asshole of the year" and he couldn't even blame Hawks.

Shouji crossed his arms. He really wanted to make a good first impression, but he messed that up, and Tokoyami probably didn't like him. Shouji looked at the floor and fought the urge to get out of the room. He understood now why he wasn't always allowed outside, he messed up whenever he talked to people.

Shouji opened his mouth to apologise when the door opened again. Hawks was there, not looking pleased. "Hi there kids. Why don't you two go on a walk? It's pretty boring in here." Tokoyami blinked at the clear anger ringing through Hawks's voice, and nodded for his own safety, not wanting the nearest object thrown at him.

"That sounds good, c'mon Shouji." Tokoyami looked over at Shouji, begging him to just listen and not question anything. Thankfully, his enthusiasm from earlier returned to him and he nodded quickly. Tokoyami let himself relax, maybe the damage from earlier wasn't so bad?

The two left the building, missing Hawks putting a hand in front of Gang Orca and glaring, demanding an explanation. "You're telling me that this kid, a kid younger than my brother isn't allowed outside? How long have you had him locked up?" Hawks had one too many questions floating through his head, and a whole lot of anger directed at Gang Orca.

Gang Orca sighed and explained. "He's got Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, have you heard of it?" Hawks nodded slightly. "It doesn't allow the necessary amount of oxygen flow from the lungs, not curable and could make life hell."

Gang Orca continued without hesitation. "In the face of any stressful situation, Shouji has the tendency to panic, and that's not something he can afford to do with this disease. It could be fatal for him."

Hawks nodded, taking it in. "So you're saying he could die if he had a bad panic attack?" Gang Orca nodded and added. "This type of job isn't exactly easy to deal with as you know, it's extremely stressful, and as a child he was constantly sick with it because of his tendency to panic on top of his lungs."

Hawks looked outside, where he had sent the kids. "So you're telling me I just sent a ticking time bomb out into the world, where he hasn't been since he was...?" Gang Orca supplied an age, and Hawks let out a pained noise before taking off and running out into the streets.

He had to find them before his trouble magnet brother got his new friend killed.

[Part 2 end]

[Sorry my writing speed has decreased a hell of a lot, I've got school stuff going on, but I should be moving a little quicker-]

[See you next time ;0]