#anyway all of my dear beloved close people are people that i do not argue with because we're just good for each other. case closed

[vulpinesaint]

"how do you handle conflict with people you love" well that's very simple. i just very specifically pick people that i know i will never have any conflicts with ever and then if i do i either avoid it as if it didn't exist or end the relationship in my head entirely. no conflict to handle. very simple

[sakurabutterflyart]

Take a Break Sweetheart 🧡💚 [COMPLETED](Delta Dawn x John Dory)

(WARNING: ENGLISH is not my first language)

John Dory is Delta's bestfriend. Who's obviously hitting on her. But as time went on, they've become inseperable. Even after so many rejections, they somehow still get along, also despite being so different yet similar in some way. Though she can't see why. There's something about John that she felt a sense of comfort around him, where she can be herself around him.

Delta stared at his bestfriend, preparing coffee for the both of them as she continue on her work as Mayor in Lonesome Flats. The blue haired troll caught the lady staring at him, then gave him a soft flirty smile, causing her to scoff at his goofiness.

"What's with that look? Are you finally falling for me Ms. Mayor?" He gave her his most charming smile, that most Brozone fans will faint at the sight.

"In. your. dreams." She leaned in her palms, rolling her eyes as she looks away from the handsome troll. Though she admits, she can't deny that he has charming looks that can  make every girl swoon. Which almost got her too.

Ever since he came to the village, her exhaustion disappears simply by having his presence or company.

As he placed down the coffee, the red haired troll immediately stop writing all of her paperworks to take a little rest. She yawns, making John Dory look up noticing the fatigue of her eyes.

"Uuuh my dear Mayor,  how many hours did you sleep last night?" John Dory asked, narrowing his eyes. As she saw her shrug.

"Ummm, maybe 5, 3 or..." Delta mumbles as her voice gets very high pitch, clearly hiding something.

"Ms. Delta Dawn, did you sleep last night?" He asked again, getting her cornered.

"Uh... no?" She hesitantly answered, seeing his face ready to scold her, causing her to be a little angry about it. "Hey! Don't give me that look Mr! I'm the Mayor and Sheriff in Lonesome Flats! Don't expect me to just go around sleeping."

She scolded back,  as she took a sip of her coffee. Helping her ease her temper, by relieving her sleepiness.  The pop troll sigh, as expected from her best friend. Well that's what makes her hot anyway, her strong personality with a heart to look after her people is what also made him fall for her. But still...

"Look Delta you should really go to sleep, you haven't slept for 3 days now." He said worriedly.

"What? I did fall asleep, I took an occasional nap wherever and whenever I can." She argued back. "Plus I can't afford to rest right now. I have some fences to repair, some thieves to catch and also a niece to look after, to pick up from school and make dinner. "

John watch as Delta rub her head, stress showing on her face by just thinking of what she has to do for the following days. Becoming more worried that if she's even gonna make it through the entire day.

He sigh, took a deep breathe and whispered,  "You leave me no choice sweetheart."

He approached his beloved friend, walking behind her. She was confuse until he felt him slide his hands throughout her palms to her coffee mug to grab it, while his other hand grabbed her shoulder. Which made her heart jumped.

The women was used by her friend's touchiness, especially because pop trolls loves to hug every hour.

Both of them never really hug often. But John Dory enjoys physical touch, especially with fellow country trolls with his patting at the back, some high fives, handshakes and also some bro hugs. Both of them shared some physical touch too, with his hand kissed greetings, holding hands when he guides her to somewhere,  some back patting, also playing around with her hair to mess with her, tickles her so she can get annoyed to chase him around town and ocassional hugs too. She acts like she hated it, but she secretly likes it.

But this one's a little different, John Dory was too close, she felt her face burning by too much physical contact.  "What are you doing?!"

The women yelled. John Dory gave her his cocky grin, placing down the coffee and pulling her away from her desk preventing her to grab it. John Dory then lean in and place his head on her forehead, feeling her face's temperature. "Your face is heating up, you really need to rest now lady Sheriff."

"I'm heating up because you're too close, Mr. Idiot Detective!" She yelled, but receiving a smirk from him.

"Oh so you're telling me that you're falling for me Ms. Delta." He raised his eyebrows in flirtation,  causing Delta to lightly punched him.

"Stop messing around you idiot, I need to get back to work.  " She gets up, but realized her body is too weak to get up, falling back to the chair. She saw the man's face formed into an anxious expression, which somehow made her insides felt touched by his caring nature. 

"Woah, easy there." She felt the blue haired troll, starting rubbing her head, massaging her all the way to her shoulders. She can't even protest, it made her feel good from all the exhaustion.  Then she sense that her chair was pulled to the coach. John Dory then lifted her all the way to the coach, laying her down, with pillows and blankets  being placed.

"John Dory... I can't-" She muttered, feeling her eyes drop when she sense the softness of the pillow, ready to fall asleep.

"Shhh..." He sat down, holding her hand. "You need to sleep, I promise I'll wake you up soon."

"B -but what about... the... village... the thieves... my niece?"

"I'll take care of them." He whispered.

"I swear.... John... Dory, if something... happens in this village.... I'll kick your bloody face." She threatened,  making John Dory internally gulped, yet she's still very  beautiful even when she's angry. Internally laughing at the thought.

"Don't worry, I got this m' lady."

She finally let's go and lose consciousness, sleeping peacefully.  John Dory watched his friend fall asleep, admiring her beauty, sighing in relief that she's finally resting. Hesitantly stroking her hair.

"You're so stubborn." He said to her, lovingly gazing at her. He didn't want to invade her personal space and wanting to respect that.  But he can't help it, he place her beautiful red hair aside and gave her forehead a quick peck. "I love you... Ms. grumpy lady,"

He giggled then got up and left, proceeded working on her desk. The scarlet haired woman was actually awake, feeling her heart screaming in joy from what he just say. She opened her eyes, and look at her beloved friend doing her work. She was a little worried of what's gonna happen, but she trusted him, cause she's known him for almost a year now, he's been helping her around the village. He's also been able to raise his brothers on his own and being able to work at the band, while managing finances in a young age.

"How did I get so lucky..." She thought. 

"I love you too,  idiot..." She whispered, drifting off to sleep.

[justafairytailofinnocence]

Hi! Can I request one shot with mom reader x Carlisle wholesome moment with Rosalie. Rose would definitely be my fav child and not Edward 🙄. She’s so feisty and Carlisle nickname kitten for her just fit her so much lol.

Also Because I have daddy issue hahahaha

Hello dear💖, thanks for your request.

Carlisle Cullen x mom reader 👧🧛‍♂️ Vampires and Kittens👧

Y/n was a vampire, she had recently been founded by the Cullen’s and since then she had met her mate Carlisle. Y/n and Carlisle met through the hospital; she was a nurse who had feelings for the doctor. Y/n changed when Carlisle proposed to her, she made the choice, she wanted to live a life of eternity with her dear beloved mate.

Changing into a vampire at first was quite difficult, it felt like you were suffocating and then you no longer breathed. All the sights, scents, sounds became clearer, y/n could hear a human’s blood flowing from a mile away. Animal blood wasn’t exactly like human blood, it was enough to satisfy you, but human blood fulfilled you. Y/n’s speed was unnatural, her strength was supernatural, and her beauty was phenomenal.

Y/n was sitting down in the lounge, she picked up a book and started to read it. Y/n’s eyes scanned through every part of the text, word by word she tried to picture the scene in her head that was until a door swung open. “Come on Rosalie, it’s not that bad, Bella’s quite cool” Emmett was trying to reason with Rosalie “She shouldn’t be here, why does she even want to throw her life away”. Y/n closed the book to see what the two were even arguing about. “Well, she’s not a vampire yet, who knows she might change her mind” Emmett smiled, Rosalie rolled her eyes “Bella’s made her choice, she’s prepared to give up something everyone would want”.

Y/n felt bad, she was closer to Rosalie then out of anyone from the Cullen’s, they share a mother-daughter bond.

“Emmett, do you mind giving Rosie some space” y/n held Emmett’s shoulder, she knew when Rosalie wanted space. “Fine, whatever” Emmett sped off annoyed, Rosalie didn’t like Bella, she thought the whole thing of her becoming a vampire was idiotic. “Rosalie, do you mind if we can talk” y/n smiled “I guess, whatever it won’t change anything” Rosalie sighed. “Why are you and Emmett arguing” Y/n knew how close they were, Emmett was Rosalie’s mate, they were soulmates. “Nothing its just-, I can’t believe ever since Bella joined, she would give her life away when she has a choice”.

Y/n placed a hand over Rosalie’s shoulder, Bella had chosen to be apart of the family and Edward had found someone that made him happy. Rosalie in truth was jealous Bella had the freedom to do as she pleases, to have a family, have people care for her, enjoy life. Rosalie could never understand why Bella would throw all of that away, her life as a human.

“To give up something so precious to become something monstrous” Rosalie’s eyes slightly glared “Rosalie, I know you want that life back but you’re with someone that loves you truly” y/n smiled.

Rosalie smiled to herself, she leaned into y/n’s grasp “you will always be my daughter, me and Carlisle couldn’t ask for anyone else”.

Speaking of timing, y/n heard someone knock lightly on the door “hey y/n, I finished work early”. Carlisle’s eyes gazed on y/n and Rosalie’s as they seem to be having a moment “hey kitten, everything all right?”. Carlisle sat in between, he wrapped his arms around y/n and his Rosalie.

Rosalie didn’t say anything, she leaned into her loving parents arms, they might’ve not been her real mum or dad, but they were there for her. “Don’t worry kitten, we will do our best to care for you” Carlisle smiled.

For the rest of the night, y/n and Carlisle spent time with Rosalie, the one thing she was grateful for when she was turned. She was loved by people who care about her, her tragic past seems like a figment when y/n and Carlisle came into her life.

Anyways that's all I have for now:

Ta Ta✨

Oneshot requests: open

[simpforgojosatoru]

ALL-NIGHTER (One-Shot) - Gojo Satoru x Reader

Summary: Your boyfriend is the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, while you are a successful, hot-shot lawyer, both of you are incredibly good at what you do in your respective jobs, that you often have to pull some overtime. Tonight however, it happens to be your boyfriend who’s free, so he pays you a visit to your office.

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x f! Reader/Reader-insert

Rating: NSFW

Waking up, you turn and smile as soon as you saw the sleeping face of your dear Satoru. You ran a hand softly through his hair, you lean in to give him a soft peak, and then back away, only to have him chase after you with lips pouting and eyes still shut, whining like a puppy, asking for more kisses. You laugh, and lean back in, and continue kissing him, as he encloses you into a tight embrace.

“Good morning, baby,” you greet with a smile.

Now under him, Satoru smiled down at you, and kissed you lovingly. “Good morning, baby girl.”

You hold his face as you look up at him lovingly, “We both have to get up for work soon.”

Satoru whined, “I don’t wanna gooooo…”

You chuckled, “I know, but you do have students to teach, Teach.”

Satoru rolled his eyes, and groaned, “Yes, yes, fine, I’m getting up…”

You laughed, “Come on, lazy boy.”

“Do you think you will be over-timing today?” Satoru asked.

“I can ask you the same question,” you replied with a wry smile.

Satoru turned on his innocent look with a pout, “Can you blame me, baby? I’m, after all, the strongest; I am always expected to be on-call.”

“Yeah, yeah, Sato,” you laugh, as you get dressed for work.

“But I really do hope I won’t have to pull overtime,” you say. “I hate overtime.”

He came up behind you and wrapped you in a reverse hug, and his lips dove down to your neck, fluttering you with melting kisses, while your head roll back, back arched, enjoying his lovemaking to your neck.

Satoru hummed, “How about we text each other…? I will update you if I will be home late.”

You smile, “Okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Work at the law firm today turned out to be very hectic; phone calls, meetings, and urgent cases popping up for some of the highest-paying clients, you and your colleagues didn’t get to get out for lunch hour, and you eventually had to order takeaways. Of course, you also kept in contact with your boyfriend, texting back and forth, during which you gave him prior warning that, you may indeed have to stay overtime tonight.

“Aw…that sucks! ”Satoru had texted back.

“How about you? What’s your likelihood of overtime for tonight?”you text back.

“Still possible… We can’t see each other tonight…really, really sucks!”

Both yours and Satoru’s hearts sank, even though you both understand each other’s work, you hate being away from each other. Though, right now, there’s nothing else you can do, but focus on work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Time skip*

It’s the evening now, you are still at the law firm, sitting in your own office along with your close friend and colleague-Mayumi, going through the piles and piles of legal documents, both sighing now and then, having a last-minute case which popped up involving one of the more important clients for the law firm.

“I know there is somewhere else you’d rather be,” Mayumi stated sympathetically. “I’m sorry you are stuck here instead.”

You sigh dejectedly and roll your eyes, “Won’t make much of a difference, looks like Satoru is pulling overtime too.”

“He’s pulling overtime too?” Mayumi queried.

You sigh, “Well, he’s the strongest jujutsu sorcerer; he’s needed pretty much almost always.”

Mayumi smiled in awe, “Though I must say, I’m really impressed; you are both extremely busy people, yet you are still working very hard with your relationship and still going strong as ever.”

You smile casually, “It’s all about mutual understanding and compromise.”

You look at her seriously, “But I believe you also have a thing for a certain jujutsu sorcerer, my boyfriend’s colleague, don’t you?”

“Whatever do you mean by that?” Mayumi asked.

“Cut the crap, Mayumi, I know you like Nanami,” you reply.

She swallowed; she was not going to argue, considering you know her so well. “Is it that obvious?”

“Well, it is to me, but I don’t know about the others.”

“Listen, I won’t do anything, it’s clearly unrequited, I know that, but I am still in the process of getting over him.”

You smile sadly at her, “How long do you think it’s going to take you?”

Just as Mayumi was about to answer, someone rang the office bell, you look to each other in puzzlement and confusion.

“We are the only ones in the office right now, right?” you ask.

Mayumi nodded, “Yeah, who else would be here at this hour?”

You both get up and go out to the main front doors of the law firm, to find the one and only Gojo Satoru standing right there, holding a couple of paper bags, grinning and waving at you two. Both gobsmacked, you quickly open the door for him, and he walk in briskly with a kind-of apologetic smile.

“Baby, what are you doing here? I thought you have to pull overtime?” you ask, shocked.

Satoru handed one paper bag out to Mayumi, and handed the other one to you, “Didn’t have to last minute.”

Your eyebrows rose at his words, and you look at him quizzically, “Or…does that translate to you tossing your mission to your students?”

Satoru whined and pouted, “I’m not that bad…anyway I’m giving them the opportunity to train and become stronger; it’s tough love, babe.”

You roll your eyes, “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”

“I will leave you two alone. Thank you very much for the food and cake,” Mayumi stated with a cheeky grin, and holding up the paper bag containing a piece of dessert, a slice of delicious Belgian chocolate fudge cake, and a main course dish.

Satoru nodded with a smile, “You’re welcome.”

You then take hold of his hand, and lead him to your office. “Come on, baby.”

Setting aside the paperwork and documents on your desk, and placing the paper bag, you take the food and cake out, as Satoru sat down in a chair by your desk. Then you place your hands on his shoulders, giving him a massage, you lean your head low, and you both engage in a kissing session.

“Thank you very much for coming up to my office,” you say with a grin.

“You are welcome, baby,” Satoru said back with a smile.

Satoru just sat watching and staring at his beloved girlfriend, as you eat the food and cake, and he giggled.

“What?” you ask. “I have something on my face?”

Satoru giggled, “You have cream on your lips.”

You blush, embarrassed, looking away, he grinned at you adoringly. You pick up a tissue, and are about to wipe your lips discreetly, when Satoru just took hold of your chin, and leaned in to kiss you deeply and passionately. You gasp, taken aback by his unexpected action, but you soon sink right into it as he wrapped his arms tight around you, and you respond by wrapping your arms around his neck. Engaged in a heated making-out session, Satoru got you out of your chair, and have you set your butt on the edge of your desk. Both on fire, even if you break off the kissing now and then to take a breather, there is still fire, deep lust, love and passion burning in you both, and you are both aching for each other.

“This is my office, we can’t really…” you start breathily.

“But we’ve never done it in your office,” Satoru stated huskily.

“Ugh…” you groan.

Satoru tugged your hips closer, and he grinded against you, making you feel his hardening member, he buried his head into the crook of your neck and grinned, “Come on, baby, let’s christen it.”

“Ugh…I’m not sure that’s a good idea…,” you moan as he continued kissing and sucking your neck.

“Come on, baby, there’s nobody here but us,” Satoru begged.

“Mayumi is in the other office!” you hiss.

“But isn’t she a few doors away? And she won’t bother us now that I’m here,” Satoru stated with a grin.

You stare at him, dumbfounded, you cannot believe he would be so daring, your office is not exactly opaque, people can see through your office unless you use the blinds.

Satoru stared back innocently with a pout, “You can use the blinds, can’t you?”

Your mouth twitch, but you easily gave in, you sighed with a reluctant smile, “Fine…”

“Thank you very much, baby,” Satoru grinned.

He tugged you over to the leather couch, after he quickly shut and locked your office door, and pulled the blinds, giving yourselves privacy. He kneeled on the carpeted floor as he pried your thighs apart to settle between them, and he tugged you in for a deep, passionate kiss. He engaged you in a making-out session again, but his hands were now very busily undoing your work jacket and shirt. He threw away your jacket and shirt as soon as the buttons were undone, leaving your upper body in nothing but a black lace bra, and you stop kissing for a while, as he stared at your heaving breasts encased in a lacy prison, without another word, he quickly and roughly pulled the bra cups down and ripped the bra away from your body, exposing your voluptuous breasts to his naked eyes, he quickly latched his lips on to your creamy, smooth but firm mounds.

You throw your head back and moan, Satoru paid his full and complete attention to your breasts, sucking and nipping, while his hands busied themselves with taking off your skirt, tights and underwear, and your hands busy themselves with taking off his shirt, and undoing his belt. You cooperate with one another by moving now and then to allow the other to remove pieces of clothing much easier, and soon you both are completely naked. Satoru wrapped his arms around your waist and swapped positions, so that he is now the one sitting in the couch, with you sitting in his lap.

“Ride me,” Satoru whispered huskily.

You did not need to be told a second time, you position yourself over his rock hard member, and you slide down ever so slowly and smoothly, and he groaned into your neck as you consume him inch by inch. He held tight to you, his face nuzzled you neck, groans slipping from his mouth uncontrollably, as you wrap so deliciously tight around him.

“Fuck! You are so tight! Baby, ride me,” Satoru stated huskily.

You grin teasingly, “Beg.”

Satoru growled.

You laugh, “Hey, you are the one asking for it, not to mention, this is my office.”

He growled, frustrated, then he sighed. “Fine, I give up, I beg of you, baby. Please ride me.”

You laugh a tinkling laugh. “There you go, baby.”

You start to move your hips; his hands slid down to grip them, he moaned as you move and gyrate your hips.

“Baby, you are so perfect,” Satoru moaned.

He started to thrust his hips, thrusting up his hips to give you some support and leverage, and you continue to move up and down his cock, giving him his own private little show of your breasts bouncing up and down, he groaned at the purely erotic show, but then he cradled your face in his hands, looking at you seriously.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Satoru asked.

“I thought it was just the sex,” you respond jokingly.

Satoru rolled his eyes, then turned serious, “Y/N, I really do love you, so goddamn much. It’s not just the sex, the sex is only part of what we have, and I love you, all of you.”

You smile lovingly at him, “I know, silly. I love you too, all of you.”

He grinned, and kissed you deep, and you both continued making love into the night, and ended up falling asleep with you on top of him and him still inside you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A knock on your office door woke you up; you panic and frantically got up from the couch, while pulling away from Satoru gently, careful not to hurt him. You start picking up your clothes from the floor, cleaning up the mess frantically, while throwing on clothes at the same time.

“Y/N, you in there…? It’s Mayumi,” Mayumi announced.

“Yeah, I am, I will be right there,” you state hurriedly.

Just then, Satoru stirred awake, sleep still clear on his face, he groaned and stretched. “What’s going on, baby?”

“A new day, a new day is what going on,” you reply frantically.

Satoru grinned lazily as he stares at you throwing on clothes in a hurry, and he just sat back against the couch casually. “Last night was absolutely amazing.”

“Yes, it was, really good,” you say awkwardly.

You then stop, stalk still, you are staring at your ripped bra, courtesy of your boyfriend.

“Damn it, I have no bra to wear today,” you complain, annoyed.

“Sorry, baby, I was just way too excitedly last night,” Satoru stated.

However, when you turn to see Satoru grinning goofily at you, it is clear that he did not feel apologetic at all, and you roll your eyes. “I have work today, babe. How on earth am I going to work with no bra?”

More knocking came on the door.

“Y/N, are you okay in there?” Mayumi asked worriedly.

You wrap yourself, and opened the door to see a stunned Mayumi, and you smile awkwardly. “I’m fine.”

“Satoru stayed the night?” Mayumi stated teasingly. “I figured.”

“Well…” you start to respond.

“Morning, Mayumi-chan,” Satoru greeted with a bright grin.

Mayumi grinned teasingly, “And…ah ha, you did more than sleeping…”

You roll your eyes and admit, “Yes, we did, and it will never happen here again.”

“Don’t bet on it, sugar,” Satoru called.

You then turn to him, and hiss, “Throw some clothes on, will you?”

Mayumi laughed. “Don’t worry, I am just here to inform you that it’s still early, and you still have time to get washed and dressed. Just make sure you both look presentable before all our colleagues arrive.”

Mayumi walked away chuckling and you shut your office door; you turn back to Satoru, who has begun to put on his clothes, and you walk up to him, wrapping your arms around him, and kiss him lovingly. He grinned in response, and wrapped his arms around you, and started kissing back.

“I will see you later today?” you ask with a soft smile.

“I will pick you up for lunch,” Satoru replied with a grin.

He ran his hands up to cup your breasts, and gave them a squeeze. “You need me to bring you back a bra?”

Seeing the cheeky glint in his eyes, you roll your eyes, “Shut up.”

Satoru laughed.

“But seriously, do you? Your shirt is too flimsy, and I don’t want other people to be able to see what’s mine,” Satoru stated seriously.

You shrug casually, “I should have a sports bra here somewhere, and it should suffice.”

“Good,” Satoru grinned, satisfied. “I will see you at lunch, baby.”

[wondersofdreaming]

Keepsake

Characters: Captain Syverson x female reader (3rd person)

Word count: 1.827

Warnings: Death, loss, hopelessness, light cursing, sadness, melancholy, grief, heartache, mourning.

Author’s note: This story was inspired by the song 'Everglow' by Coldplay.

Do me a favour and listen to the song, while reading this, I'll link to the different versions, depending on your mood.

Everglow (original) by Coldplay

Everglow (acoustic) by Coldplay

Everglow (instrumental) by Alexandre Pachabezian

The links are for Spotify, if they don't work try this link for YouTube

I do not own any characters in this short story, except the wife, son and Elijah Reed, who are figments of my imagination.

A massive, MASSIVE, thank you to my beloved angel, @radaofrivia, for giving me the idea from just a few thoughts, for sitting through with me while I wrote this, for giving me advice and for just being there.

Please check out her stories right here: RADA'S MASTERLIST

MY MASTERLIST

Feedback is appreciated.

(Young Syverson, picture credit to @killjoy-assbutt-1112 - find it here)

Oh, they say people come Say people go This particular diamond was extra special And though you might be gone And the world may not know Still I see you, celestial

Lyrics are from Everglow by Coldplay.

The looming grey clouds were moving closer towards him. He could hear the distant sounds of the rumbling thunder. Before long it started to rain and lightning lit up the entire house. The dirt road was flooded in no time, giving the crops the liquid nourishment they needed.

The former army captain was restless. It was on days like these he missed him, more than anything else in the world. He couldn’t sit still and had planned on working on the house, but the coming storm was putting a stop to that. Instead, he sat on the porch swing he built with Elijah when Lucas bought the house.

The Syversons had moved to their farm when Lucas was 4. A few days into the move, their neighbours had stopped by with some casserole, and to welcome them to their community. Mr and Mrs Reed also had a son who was a few months younger than Luc. Elijah had hidden behind his mother’s leg, a little shy, but with some encouragement he greeted Lucas.

“I’m Lucas, but my baby sister can’t say it yet, she keeps babbling Luc, so if it’s easier, you can call me Luc too.”

“I’m Elijah.”

Sy remembered he was trying so hard to pronounce his new friend’s name. He smiled at the memory, the name had been permanent in Lucas’ mind, only using Elijah, when he was mad at him or thinking he was about to do something stupid, which he did often.

“Lija, wanna play?” Lucas asked awkwardly.

“What?” Elijah looked profoundly confused. “I… don’t know.”

“Go on, son. It’s okay,” Mr Reed tried to encourage him.

“Come with me, Lija. I wanna show ya somethin’.”

Lucas had shown Elijah his new toy tractor that his parents had given him for his birthday. The two young boys had played together, and before long were inseparable.

A round yellow object in the palm of his hand. He was fiddling with it. The coin was always in his pocket, so he could keep his best friend close to him at all times. It was an old arcade coin that you could plot into any machine and play one game.

The two best friends had each gotten a dollar’s worth of coins, but the man at the ticket booth had miscounted, so Sy had gotten an extra coin, which the two friends had fought over during their time in the arcade. Lucas being the protector he was, lost to Elijah on purpose, so his friend won the coin.

“I’ll savour it, it’s going to be my lucky coin!” Elijah has announced.

Syverson swung the porch swing with his booted foot. He stared at the coin, wondering why he had been the lucky one. Luc shook his head faintly, his face full of pain and sorrow.

The coin became a thing that decided their fate. When the boys couldn’t agree on something, they would flip the coin. The picture side was heads and the text ‘No cash value’ side was tails. It might have been worth nothing, but it was a priceless item to the two friends.

“Heads: I ask her on a date, tails: you ask her,” Elijah flipped the yellow coin and covered the back of his hand as it landed. The two teenagers looked over at the brunette cheerleader, who was laughing with her friends. Prom was upon them and they both wanted to ask her. Elijah lifted his hand, it was heads.

The dumb coin was always on Elijah’s side. Lucas let out a soft laughter of the memory. Elijah’s face had been priceless, Sy wished he had taken a picture of it. It had been Elijah’s first kiss that night.

When Lucas decided to enlist, Elijah followed him, even with a lot of arguing against it from Sy’s side. He didn’t want his best friend anywhere near a warzone but in the end, he was glad that Lija was there with him through every hardship during training, when they lost people on their team, when they had to carry the dead back to base, it was better to have a friend by your side and share the pain with.

It didn’t take Syverson long to rank up and become captain. He ended up leading a large group of soldiers in a village in Iraq, with Elijah as his lieutenant, he felt like he could conquer the world.

During one of their trips home, Sy had bought a house he wanted to renovate, maybe start a family in. Elijah had spent every moment he could, helping Lucas with the house. It had made them closer as friends, and they had heartfelt talks about their future. Elijah wanted to come home and help his ailing parents with the farm, maybe get into breeding horses, preferably racehorses. Sy hadn’t thought of his future in that sense by then. He just wanted to relax, drink beer and ride his motorcycle.

There was hardly a moment in Lucas’ life where Elijah wasn’t a part of it. Elijah was his best friend, and if he had to be a little girly, they were BFFs. His best friend’s presence had made every moment special, made them better. It was the hardest part, to not have Elijah by his side anymore. He missed Elijah’s silly, huge and sometimes irritating grin, which somehow made the world seem a bit brighter during the dark times. Elijah made his life easier… he just made it better to have a friend to share everything with.

His heart had broken in a million pieces when the building collapsed on top of his best mate.

“Captain, we need a scouting team. I’m taking three soldiers towards those buildings and see if there are enemies up ahead,” Elijah had suggested.

“Lieutenant, I make the orders here. I’m going,” Lucas commanded.

“Heads or tails, Luc,” Elijah picked out the coin from his breast pocket.

“This is no time for such thing, Lija,” the captain grumbled.

“This is the perfect time, Luc. We promised that whenever we couldn’t agree on something, we would use the coin. So, heads or tails, captain Syverson.”

“Heads.”

The coin had landed on the tails side. Lucas had cursed the coin, fuck, shit, crap, dammit!

“It’s my turn to protect you, Luc. I’m not the scrawny little kid anymore, let me show you!”

Elijah had gathered three soldiers and run between two concrete buildings with a big smile on his face. Sy would never forget the smile. It was a grin of pride and determination. And it was the last time Lucas would ever see his best friend.

Moments later a huge explosion shook the ground they were standing on. Sy watched with horror as the buildings collapsed, trapping Elijah and his team. What they didn’t know then was that the impact with the concrete walls had killed him instantly.

The rest of the soldiers watched as their captain went on his knees. Utter despair and anguish plastered on his face, tears about to escape the corners of his eyes. The usual strict army captain, the man with the muscles, the tough guy who could break you with a stare, was breaking down.

“Lija…” he whispered into the dust-filled space, his voice breathless like somebody knocked the air out of his lungs.

At night he had screamed in pain of the loss of his most beloved friend. His days were filled with hopelessness as he prepared to fly home with Elijah’s corpse in a coffin. The nights only brought nightmares, so he started writing a letter to his best friend and thinking of how to tell Elijah’s parents.

“Dear Lija. I can’t believe you’re… Shit, I can’t even write the word. Just a four-letter word, and yet I can’t fucking write it down on a piece of paper. I wish I could have taken your place, man. It should have been me. I hate you for forcing me to pick a side on that stupid coin. I hate you for being so brave. I hate you for wanting to protect me. Fuck you for dying. Fuck you for leaving me. Here. All alone. What about your parents? How am I going to tell them that you’re… how am I going to face them? You are and will always be my best friend. I wish you could go back to your parent’s farm on your own two legs, not in a fucking box. I miss you, Lija. You’re the closest thing to a brother I will ever get. So rest in peace and keep the seat next to you warm, I’ll see you on the other side. - Luc.”

Lucas had sneaked the letter into Elijah’s breast pocket of his uniform before they had shut the coffin. The coin that Elijah had on him, had been put in a plastic bag with the rest of his belongings, prepped to be given to his next of kin, his parents. But Lucas took the yellow token. He needed a memento to remember his best friend by, something that he could keep with him always. A keepsake.

It had taken every ounce of courage for Lucas to step up to the front door of the Reed’s farmhouse. A house he was so familiar with and had so many adventurous sleepovers in Elijah’s space-themed bedroom. He could smell Mrs Reed’s famous peanut brittle, making it harder for him to knock, but he did it anyway. Standing there in his military uniform, he told the two people, who had acted as a second set of parents to him, that their only son had died heroically in battle. Lucas stood frozen, watching them mourn the loss of their son. He was about to step away to give them space, but Mrs Reed grabbed his wrist and brought him into the hug.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect him,” he pleaded, his voice breaking slightly.

“Was he in pain?” Mrs Reed asked, breaking Lucas’ heart all over again.

“No, ma’am. It happened really fast.”

Sy fiddled with the arcade coin. Having zoned out the thunder, not noticing the storm had come and gone. The sun was slowly setting on the horizon. It was a peaceful ending to an emotional day.

A loud wailing came from inside the house. The front door opened and out came his beautiful wife with their young son in her arms. His face was stained in tears. The tiny boy reached towards his father the minute he saw him. In his father’s arms was the only place the boy was happy and content. Sy’s face broke into a happy grin at the sight of his son. His tiny fingers trying to grab the coin in the former captain’s hand.

“This,” Sy showed it to his son, “will be yours when you’re old enough not to eat it.”

He chuckled at the frustrated look on the boy’s face. Sy kissed the top of his son’s head.

“I love you, Elijah.”

[ask-hunterxhunter]

I placed those two asks together because they’re very similar.

 Illumi

It’s not quite so easy to fool Illumi and after spending so much time stalking/studying you (not to mention how long it’s been since he kidnapped you), he may already know how to tell whether you’re lying or not. So, yes, it’s very likely that he will be able to tell you’re pretending right away unless you’re cunning about it and plan it carefully. For example, instead of just starting to act as if you’ve given up out of the blue, take your time with it, start slow before going for something more serious. This way, you have at least a better chance…

But honestly, this makes little to no difference for Illumi himself. You might be trying to make life more bearable or get him to lower his guard so you can try to escape, or anything else. If he does realize it, while he won’t like it, he will accept this form of “affection” (including sex) for a simple reason: It will be easy for him to twist the situation to his advantage.

 If you do end up having sex, he would tell you right after (hoping to catch you in a vulnerable moment) that he knew all along you were faking it. And he might be cruel about it, but is this any surprise? Even so, Illumi would probably keep you isolated for a while as a “punishment” for trying to lie to him. After all, he already considers himself your husband, and honesty is important in a marriage, dearest.

 If you were trying to kill him, well, he may either find the idea just silly (he’s a trained assassin, do you actually believed it would be so simple to end his life?) or get quite angry about it. He loves you, he truly does, but you shouldn’t do such things anymore, okay? He’d prefer to not have to put a needle in you… (Or he may reveal he has already done it, in a similar way he did with Killua, to prevent you from ever being able to even try to end his life).

 If this works and Illumi believes you’re finally coming around to the point he does lower his guard eventually and you manage to escape (let’s be honest, you have better chances of success at escaping rather than killing him), well, Illumi would be furious at first, considering how you used his feelings against him and if he captures you again, things may take a bad turn for you until he calms down (Illumi may even act as the victim, how could you hurt him like this? Don’t you understand he loves you?)… Then again, note that even if you do manage to fool him, it might not be enough for him to lower his guard for quite a long time.

 Regardless if this works or fails, an important detail is that Illumi will use it against you. Are you sure you hate him? My dear, don’t you think you used this “strategy” because, actually, you do feel something for him and are just too scared to admit it? If you had sex, didn’t he make you feel good? Wasn’t it better to let it go and just let him love you? Why not give in, then?

 Yes, the manipulation would get pretty bad.

 It’s also possible that Illumi would become a little more physical (if he wasn’t already) with you. After all, you already had sex, and what’s wrong with him kissing his beloved?

 He would mean that in affection, but it would be creepy on several levels.

 Hisoka

Being a liar and a manipulator himself, it would take a lot of talent and planning to fool Hisoka. The “long term” acting is the best course of action with all of the Adult Trio, but you would have to be careful all the time with him: Just a little slip and he will realize what you’re doing.

 Not that he would call you out on it. Not right away, at least if you’re good enough. If you indeed tried this “suddenly”, it would be too obvious and he would let it go on for a few minutes before pulling you close and whispering how he would believe this if not for your heartbeat or any other sign of you lying. This is such a poor attempt that is almost offensive, sweetheart. Besides, you don’t want to provoke him, do you? Who knows what he may do if you get him… Excited, right?

 Now, even if he does see through your lies but your acting is good enough for him to find this amusing, Hisoka would prefer to let it carry on to see what happens and how far it goes, also taking the opportunity of you pretending to be affectionate from time to time to increase his own seduction, turning the “game” against you (often testing how long you can keep it up).

 It’s not easy to tell whether or not he would just go and have sex under this pretense: It depends on his mood and how far his obsession is, and what he would consider the preferable option. He may act as if he’s going to go with it to see you getting nervous, then tie you up with bungee gum and reveal he knows you’re faking it, reveal it after getting your body worked up, and finally, say so after everything is done (probably leaving you tied up as a sort of punishment). The last option wouldn’t bother him. After all, if you’re willing to have sex with him to escape, what does it matter if he’s aware of it or not?

 You’re already his, anyway, love. Shouldn’t you be getting used to it by now?

 Either way, if he notices what you’re doing, you’re better off dropping the idea. Hisoka will not lower his guard (quite the opposite) and find many ways to use this against you. Now, in the event of this working and you escaping, Hisoka would be more focused on hunting you down rather than anything else. Yes, he would be furious that you managed to fool him, but it’s not easy to tell if he would care how you did it. What we do know is that things would be a lot worse once he captured you again.

 If your plan is to kill him, there are several ways Hisoka can react to it. There are many people who want to end his life, so he may just ignore this (especially if the whole ordeal was amusing enough and he believes he may have made progress with you) and even joke about it or he may let you know he didn’t like this one bit. While this could make most people’s obsession start to fade (even to the point of killing the other), it seems unlikely it would happen with Hisoka, given he has been through worse in comparison.

 It should be noted that the same manipulation Illumi used would follow, regardless of the circumstances. Once the truth is out, Hisoka will smirk and point out the times when you enjoyed yourself or he made you feel good. If he knew what you were doing, it might even be more severe than with Illumi in a sense: Because Hisoka was aware of it, he didn’t use just physical seduction but also tried to make you lower your defenses.

 Chrollo

While it’s hard to predict how someone would react to certain events when they’re in “yandere state” because things depend on how far the obsession goes and how it changes them, we can say this would be a dangerous move with any of the Adult Trio for particular reasons with each of them. You might argue that Chrollo often seems the most “reasonable” of them, but this is superficial and only because he seems calmer and saner than the others. Remember his actions. And that little saying of beware the quiet ones.

 Fooling Chrollo is hard, but not impossible (Hisoka pulled it off, remember?), so you do have a chance of success at least at escaping (though it would take very long for him to lower his guard and, due to his lifestyle, his senses are always sharp). Considering you’re against a very intelligent man and that the Spiders would also be watching you from time to time, it would be useless to change your behavior suddenly. Too obvious. Chrollo would enjoy the fake affection for just a few seconds before suddenly holding you tighter and saying that, while this is cute, he would prefer if you did not… Lie to him.

 He may not let you go for a while, perhaps even pretending to wonder what you were hoping to achieve with this. The warning might be subtle and Chrollo may not be a violent sort of yandere usually, but this would still be frightening.

 However, if your acting is good enough, he may let it go on for a while even if he knows you’re lying (or if he doesn’t realize it right away, at least) for his own reasons. It’s not like Hisoka, is likely to see this as a game: Chrollo may believe himself to be in love with you, but this man is, at his core, a murderer with little to no morals whatsoever. He will want to study the situation and the possible ways to use it to his own advantage and get you to surrender yourself to him, or at least help you “understand” that you belong to him now. Simple as that.

 For how long he would keep it up would depend. He may get tired of this whole thing very soon and take a moment of “affection” to coldly tell you he’s perfectly aware of what you’re doing and he’s also quite displeased. How cruel of you, to taunt him by acting as if you’re finally falling for him… And here he was, hoping you’d have understood how much he loves you…

 He may or may not accept having sex with you. It depends on how far his obsession is. Oh, he would much rather do so because you want him, but he isn’t quite above rejecting the idea if he decides this may “help” making you fall for him or if his obsession is already so deep that he has reached the point where he simply doesn’t care for details as long as he has you. After all, it isn’t rape if you’re willing to do it, beloved. Another possibility, if he isn’t too far gone, is Chrollo acting as if he is falling for it and provoking your body, exciting it with stimuli, and then revealing he knows what you were doing. Now, dear, how far were you willing to go with this lie of yours?

 It should be noted that you’re better off trying to escape than to end Chrollo’s life. As mentioned, because of his lifestyle, even if he does lower his guard around you, his senses never fully relax (even when he’s asleep) so your chances of success are far too low. Besides, there’s the matter of the Spiders: Even if Chrollo doesn’t consider your attempt serious enough, they would be quite pissed at you.

 If you escape and only then Chrollo realizes what you did, well, he will be both hurt and furious. Yes, perhaps a part of him is still sane enough to understand what he is doing and your reasons, but this won’t mean much at the end of the day. He’ll still hunt you down and while he may, may be still able to see the reality of the situation, it won’t be enough for him to not be upset about how exactly you fooled him. Pretending to be falling in love with him? That’s far too cruel, isn’t it? He would do what he would if you escaped in any other circumstance: Hunt you down until he has you again. And he would be upset with you for quite a while… Physical punishments may not be his style, but Chrollo would still find ways to make his displeasure known.

[sideofmango]

You Have My Heart...

Word Count: 2.14 k Pronouns: feminine (she/her) Pairings: K. Bakugou x reader Warnings: gore, dark fic ahead, violence, cursing, death

Thanks Marie ( @dailydoseofscenarios​) for letting me be part of the server event! I had a lot of fun writing this, and as you can tell, I took the prompt kinda literally...anyways....I hope you like it! Don’t forget to check out all of the other fics in this event under the server event hashtag!

The ash blonde sat in the oversized red leather arm chair that faced the large window overlooking her garden. He let out a soft sigh, readjusting his position to get more comfortable as he leaned his chin in the palm of his hand. 

“What am I supposed to get her, that she doesn’t already have?” He questioned aloud, his crimson eyes shifting to the side as the large dog beside the chair let out a sigh himself moving into a laying down position, as if to say, I don’t know why you’re asking me. 

“You aren’t very helpful, Khan.” Katsuki muttered, as his eyes focused back on the window, a ghost of a smile pulling at his lips at the sight of his beloved wife in the garden below. Khan let out a whine in protest, as a close lipped smile grew on his owner’s face a moment later. “I’ll ask Shitty Hair.” Katsuki stood to his full height, the large black dog standing as well, prepared to follow him.

The ash blonde and his loyal dog walked down the long expanses of hallway, ornately decorated with golden accents, on the way to his private quarters. “Good day, Master Bakugou. Please give my best to the Mistress.” A few servants said as he passed them in the hallway, simply nodding in acknowledgement before he closed the heavy wooden doors to his study.

“Khan get me the ink.” Bakugou stated without looking up from where he was writing, the quill held firmly in his left hand, an almost empty ink well beside the letter he was in the process of writing to his best friend. “Good boy.” He threw the dog a treat as a reward before going back to writing, Khan settling at Bakugou’s feet once more in content silence.

“Dear Shitty Hair, Help me or else. What do I get Big Hair for Valentine’s Day? Come over and help me now. I won’t help you next time with Raccoon Eyes if you don’t help me. Signed, K. Bakugou.” The explosive man read aloud, nodding once before shoving it roughly into an envelope. He scribbled the information down before sealing the expensive stationary with golden wax, pressing the Bakugou Family Crest into the warm wax to leave an imprint.

“You!” Bakugou’s loud voice startled the butler walking past him in the hallway, the man blinking up at his employer nervously. 

“Master Bakugou?”

“I don’t care how you get this to Kirishima, just do it. And get it there by this afternoon.” Bakugou told him before walking away. He didn’t have to tell anyone anything twice, and he liked that.

A number of hours later, one of the servants announced that Kirishima had arrived, while Mina went to the garden to spend time with (y/n). 

“So is there a reason a winded man servant showed up at my door some time ago? You aren’t a father yet...are you?”

The ash blonde scoffed, quickly dismissing the idea with a roll of his eyes. “Fuck no.”

“Well, you aren’t getting any younger...”

“Well, I’m not getting any older either...”

“Don’t counter my point with another point.” Kirishima argued back as Bakugou rolled his eyes and flipped the redhead off with a small smirk.

“Whatever.” Bakugou stated as they both sat down in a chair. “I can’t think of anything to get (y/n) for Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s your anniversary, too right?” Bakugou nodded. “How many years?”

“183.” Bakugou said after a moment in thought. Kirishima stayed quiet as he thought.

“Do you remember how we all met each other?”

“You mean on our wedding night?” The blonde snorted as Kirishima rolled his eyes.

“Well, I guess...but you remember the first time you saw her right?”

“Well yeah, but she was just an extra then...I didn’t even know she was the woman I was going to marry.”

“What did you do? You weren’t an asshole to her, were you?” Bakugou simply glared at Kirishima. “Damn, you were.” Kirishima frowned.

“That’s a lie, Shitty Hair!”

“Whatever, just give her something super unconventional. Mina loves those types of gifts.” 

“Like what?”

“Well, you remember those super exclusive auction seats that we scored a few decades back?”

“Which ones? The Body is Art ones?”

“Yeah...well, I contacted Pierre and he lined up this whole private show and he let me harvest the different pieces...anyways, Mina loved it....We ended up keeping a few things.” Kirishima shrugged.

“How did you contact Pierre? Didn’t he say he hated technology?”

“That just what he tells everyone. He owed me a favor from a while ago. Anyways, the man loves you, I’m sure he’d do it for you in a heartbeat.”

“Whatever.” Katsuki shrugged dismissing the idea, but he would definitely look into it later. “Are you staying for dinner or not?”

“Are you asking?”

“Answer the question, Shitty Hair.”

“Sure!” Kirishima smiled widely, showing off his sharp teeth before the pair of friends decided to join their partners outside in the garden.

“Hey Mina?” (Y/n) questioned, looking over at the pink skinned girl who had her back against a tree. Mina’s eyes focused on her, a kind smile on her face.

“I’ve been thinking of what to get Katsuki for Valentine’s Day...and I want your opinion on it...” (y/n) trailed off, growing slightly nervous that Mina would think the gift was weird or stupid.

“If you wanted to model lingerie for me, you could’ve just said that...though Bakugou wouldn’t care if you were in a sack or lace...have you seen the way he looks at you? How do you not have gremlins...I mean children yet?”

“Mina! Get your head out of the gutter! I’m not modeling lingerie for you...right now at least...and we’re too young for children...”

“You’re 200 years old, but keep lying to yourself.” Mina teased as (y/n) rolled her eyes at one of her best friends, her face still slightly hot from what Mina had said earlier.

“What’s the surprise then? If it isn’t you in new lingerie or a child?”

“So...I thought it would be fun to recreate the night we first met?”

“But you literally just said you weren’t giving him lingerie.”

“Mina! The actual first night we met! Not our wedding day!” (Y/n) laughed, throwing her hands up in mock exasperation.

“Oh...the hunt? Ohhhh, the hunt.” Mina’s smile grew wider the longer she thought about it.

“That’s perfect! But the lingerie thing would’ve been nice too.”

“Mina! If you wanna see me in lingerie, then you should’ve just said that.” (Y/n) giggled before further explaining her plans for Valentine’s Day. 

It was the only plan she could think of for the man she had loved for almost all of her life...a man that seemed to have everything he could ever want.

ON VALENTINE’S DAY...

“I don’t understand why you couldn’t have just hired more people to help.” Mina complained while straightening a string of lights. 

“It’s more fun, and besides, all of the girls are back together!” (y/n) commented, gesturing towards all of the girls that were gathered around the room, each hanging different decorations.

“How long has it been since we’ve all been in the same place?” Ururaka questioned with a wistful sigh.

“At least 30 years.” Momo chimed in. “We really do need to see each other more.”

“Then we should have more balls, like we used to.”

“This isn’t a ball, Tsu.” Mina pointed out. “It’s the hunt. You know, like we used to have way back when.”

“Wait a second...where are we getting the prey from?”

“Aren’t you vegetarian?”

“No, Iida and I gave that up like 5 years ago.” Midoriya laughed. “Iida just likes sustainably sourced and organic.”

“Oh come on, you haven’t ever just gone to a night club to pick up a few?” Mina teased as the girls, Midoriya, and Denki laughed. 

“No, that’s so 1960s, Mina.”

“No, that’s date night.” Mina corrects as (y/n)’s face heats up slightly as she laughs.

“We’ve done it a few times...not recently though, we’ve been pretty busy...one of our neighbors called the cops because she thought she saw us doing something suspicious.”

“What were you doing?”

“Well we may have been hiding a body, but that’s besides the point. That old lady should’ve minded her own business. It’d be a shame if she were to suddenly...go missing.” (Y/n) mumbled with a roll of her eyes as they all laughed.

“Alright, everyone go change! We’ll be starting in three hours!” Jirou announced, ushering everyone to different parts of the large castle to change into their special outfits. 

It only took everyone an hour and a half to two hours to get ready, the last hour was spent doing finishing touches and everyone calling their partners to come as a surprise.

“Oi Shitty Girl! What’s the problem? You aren’t hurt are you?” The aggressive blonde questioned quickly, his red eyes gliding over (y/n)’s body as if checking she was ok for himself. 

“Then what’s the problem?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow at her as she placed a blindfold over his eyes. “Shitty Girl, what are you doing?”

“Be patient, Katsuki. You’ll like the surprise.” (y/n) said in a teasing voice as she led him into the large ballroom. The sun had just sat and the night sky was dark and littered with stars that could be seen from the windows.

“What’s all of this?” Katsuki questioned, finally removing the black blindfold as he scanned the room, surprised to see all of his friends equally surprised from where they stood with their partners. 

“Surprise! I thought it would be fun to recreate the party that happened the first time we met each other. Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“We’re going on a hunt?” Denki questioned excitedly, practically bouncing up and down as Jirou just smiled lightly at his antics.

“Duh.” Jirou mumbled from beside him with a quick roll of her eyes as everyone made their way outside. 

“Ok here’s the rules...and it’s the Valentine’s Day edition! So there’s 20, whichever couple can get the most hearts wins.” Midoriya announced with a large smile on his face. “(y/n) release them, and we’ll give them a minute long head start.”

(y/n) walked over to the where the 20 individuals were lined up single file, metal cuffs around their wrists and longer ones around their ankles. Each one wore a black leather collar with a number from 1 to 20 on it. “You evil bitch! Let me go!”

“Where are your manners, Thomas? You were so good up until now...I wouldn’t want to have to make an example out of you.” (y/n)’s voice was kind and soft, but the look in her eyes was anything but that. 

“Why are you doing this?” Thomas questioned, his blonde hair falling into his light eyes as she stared in fear at the group around him before meeting (y/n)’s eyes once more.

“It’s fun, Thomas.” (y/n) told him, patting him on the head before releasing everyone’s cuffs. “Go ahead...you’re free now.” (y/n) urged as they all just stood there with blank stares. They continued to stand there, looking at each other. “I said go!” (y/n) repeated, her eyes practically glowing in the light of the full moon. The soft light shining against the sharp points of her canine teeth. 

The group of 20 broke off into a sprint, disappearing into the tree line as Iida looked down at his watch. “Is it time yet?” Denki questioned, obviously ready to begin.

“Almost.” Iida replied shortly, a smile growing on his own face as the seconds counted down to zero. “Now!”

Everyone ran after that, disappearing into blurs with the speed they were moving. (y/n) ran with a long spear, the silver tip shining in the moonlight as she jumped forward, releasing the spear into the unsuspecting number 13. 

13 fell to the ground after looking down at the sharp spear poking through his chest. No sound leaving his lips since it had all happened too quickly. “One down!” (y/n) called out, seeing the recognizable flash of blonde that belonged to her husband. 

Katsuki came to a stop beside her, his hands stained red along with his lips. He smiled at her. “Two, actually.” He told her, showing her the heart in one of his hands. “Happy Valentine’s Day...I’ve already given you my heart figuratively, so now I’m giving it to you physically.”

“Aw, that was cute.” (y/n) laughed before accepting the gesture. “You can have mine too.” She added after her laughter died down, picking up the bloody organ from number 13 before holding it out to Bakugou.

Tags:

[vallkyr]

June: What a view

Stray Kids take a little vacation and Minho has a plan for how he and Jisung can pass their time.

Prompt: surreal mountain landscape

Characters: Lee Minho, Han Jisung, Bang Chan is mentioned

Pairing: Minho x Jisung

Rating: Teen and up audience

Warnings: mild wearing, thunderstorms

Genres: Romance, Slice of Life

Tags: Fluff, Established Relationship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Minho and his obsession with butts (especially Jisung's), very vaguely set in the Alps because why not, Jisung can’t say no to Minho for the life of him

Word Count: 3.809

Writing Workshop Masterpost July: A morning at the pool

Hello, dear people. I've started doing a writing work shop with a few of my friends and will try to post my result here every month. I have no idea what the fics will be about since we take turns picking prompts. I hope you'll have as much fun as I do!

“Jisuung.” Oh god. He wants something. Minho always gets that specific tone when he’s about to ask for something he knows Jisung would otherwise turn down. Damnit, they just had breakfast with the others. Jisung was hoping for a quiet day in bed and a movie or two, but he highly doubts that’s what Minho has in mind. Minho wouldn’t use his please-I’ll-do-anything voice for being lazy in their hotel room. Jisung looks up from his phone, finding Minho kneeling on the bed right next to him and looking at him with a way too sweet smile. Mr. resting-bitch-face is up to something big. Fuck, this is going to be a tough one.

“I told you, I’m not holding your phone while you video call your cats. Get a tripod or something.”

As expected, the joke breaks Minho’s façade a little: he rolls his eyes “First of all: how dare you? My children will hear about this. Secondly, that is not what I was going to say.” Jisung raises his brow but decides to believe him. One horrible request is off the list, thank fuck. Feeling generous now that he knows he won’t be used as a stand, Jisung puts his phone aside. Whatever Minho has on his mind can’t be that bad, right? “I would like to go hiking with you.” Boy was he wrong.

“No.” And just like that Jisung is back on his phone. Fucking hiking. That’s what Minho is using his persuasion tactics for? This is supposed to be a little vacation for their group to get some rest after the tour. They came here to relax with their friends not to walk around without an aim for hours on end. How Minho ended up with hiking on his list of hobbies is beyond Jisung’s comprehension. Isn’t fishing already boring enough?

“Please?” With that Minho is back to his cute smile and honey dripping voice and Jisung can already feel his resolve crumble a little under the weight of Minho’s warm eyes.

Jisung groans. No, Minho is not going to wear him down on this. “Can’t you go with someone else?”

“I want to go with you,” Minho stresses and takes Jisung’s hand into his. “Isn’t it obvious? I want to see you move your sweet ass up the mountain.”

Does he really thing compliments are going to help him with this shit? “Chan-Hyung has a sweet ass too.”

Suddenly, Minho breaks into a laugh. Oh fuck, his laugh is way more effective at softening Jisung’s heart than all of Minho’s persuasions. “You want me to go hiking with Channie-Hyung and stare at his ass? Did you really think that one through?”

Okay, yes, well played. “I did not,” Jisung admits while starting to laugh himself.

“Does that mean you’ll come with me?”

For fucks sake, Minho. “No, it’s boring and I hate moving.”

“It’s relaxing!” Minho tries to argue. It’s cute when he tries to convince Jisung of doing physical activities with wildly inaccurate opinions like that.

“If you think very hard you might be able to come up with a relaxing activity that doesn’t require us to go out into the middle of fucking nowhere.” For emphases, Jisung lets the fingers of his free hand slide along Minho’s thigh. Minho hitting his arm cannot stop Jisung from grinning. Considering the amount of time Minho spends with his hands on Jisung’s ass, he should really be able to take a dirty joke.

“Okay, how about this: You go hiking with me and when we get home again, I’ll make you a chocolate cheesecake.”

“Now we’re talking.” Jisung puts his phone down – it’s not like he had been paying attention to it anyways – and leans into Minho’s space. “When you say chocolate cheesecake do you mean chocolate mixed into the creamy part or do you throw chocolate chips into a regular cheesecake?”

Minho blinks at him. The little smile on his face tells Jisung Minho knows exactly he’s about to win Jisung over. Honestly, a chocolate cheesecake might just do the job. A little trip with his boyfriend can’t be too bad anyways, right? “I was going to make a regular cheesecake but with chocolate crust and put chocolate glaze over it.”

Fuck, that sounds good. “You’re a genius.”

“I’m aware.” Minho grins and leans even closer. “So do we have a deal?”

Jisung ponders on it for a moment. He still thinks hiking is going to be boring as fuck. Besides, he’d definitely prefer staying in their room, having dinner with the others and watching a movie together afterwards plus maybe some relaxing activities. But Minho seems really insistent on this. Maybe hiking will be somewhat bearable together with him. Plus, the cheesecake sounds amazing. Why stop at one cheesecake though? Minho might even agree to two if Jisung plays his card right.

“I don’t know…” Jisung turns his head to the side, away from Minho.

“Please?” Minho places his hand on Jisung’s cheek, turns Jisung’s face towards his own and puts on that same sweet smile again, which makes Jisung feel weak in his knees even if he doesn’t want to admit it. “We could watch Spirited Away afterwards, you know? Please Jisung…” Yeah, okay. He can’t say no to Minho’s smile. Jisung tries to lean closer and kiss Minho but is stopped by a hand on his chest. “Answer first.” Of course Minho wouldn’t let his guard slip.

“Okay. I’ll go.” Minho beams at Jisung before going in for the kiss. Yup, this is a good deal. Cheesecake, Spirited Away and a content boyfriend, what else could Jisung possibly need?

🏔️🏔️🏔️

“I should have demanded way more than a fucking cheesecake,” Jisung grumbles while fanning himself with his – Minho’s – shirt. Obviously he put on Minho’s shirt for this. He’s not going to get his own clothes sweaty for Minho’s nature kink.

“Come on.” Minho pats Jisung on the butt before continuing on without mercy. “Get your act together, we’re almost at the summit.”

Asshole. Why did he want Jisung to come along so badly? He really should have known Jisung would only slow him down. “You say that like we won’t have to go back home after that.”

“Well, we can spend some time at the top and rest a bit. That’s kind of the point, you know? Relaxing, enjoying the view and all. It’ll be nice, I promise.”

Yeah, sure, nice for Minho. “Not if I die before we get there. You’re way too fast for me.”

Jisung doesn’t have to see Minho’s face to know he’s rolling his eyes. Pretentious country folk. “Crybaby.” And now he’s insulting Jisung too. Really, Jisung should just turn around and leave. But he doesn’t have the energy for that and would probably get lost on the way back, so he quickly ditches that thought.

“Can’t you give me a piggyback ride?”

Minho turns around and raises his eyebrow at Jisung as though he just said something crazy. It’s ridiculous for him to react that way. By now, Minho should be used to far more obscure ideas. They’re part of the all-inclusive deal of being in a relationship with Jisung. “You’re too heavy.”

“Oh come on! Why the fuck do I date a person who willingly spends time at the gym if they don’t even carry me?”

“Are you saying that you want me to stop going to the gym?”

“Don’t you fucking dare!”

Minho laughs at that and finally stops. He turns around and beckons Jisung over. As soon as Jisung is close enough, Minho grabs his shirt and pulls him in for a kiss. It’s surprisingly sweet after all the bickering. Usually Minho just slaps his ass or gives him a quick kiss on the cheek after an “argument” like that. Jisung enjoys the little treat though. He lifts his hands to Minho’s hips and pulls them closer together, which lurs a little giggle form Minho.

After a while Minho ends the kiss and leans their foreheads together instead. Jisung sighs contently when Minho suddenly caresses his cheek. “Just a little longer. Okay, baby? I promise the sight is worth it.”

A little grin tugs at Jisung’s lips. “Maybe I like the sight right here better.”

“That’s it. I’m going alone.” Without any bit of hesitation, Minho turns around and starts walking again. As though their kiss never even happened. What a dickhead. Just when Jisung thought this trip was getting nice.

🏔️🏔️🏔️

“What a sight.” Minho beams while looking out into the mountain range. Finally, after what felt like a small eternity to Jisung, they arrived at the mountain top. After all the hassle, Jisung feels obligated to follows Minho’s gaze. Despite his earlier reservations, he has to admit Minho was right about the nature. He lets his eyes wander over the jagged mountains, the deep green conifers filling the valley, the lush grass underneath them and the little flowers scattered across it like stars in the night sky. Jisung has never seen anything like it. And he had no idea air could be this fresh. He closes his eyes and fills his lungs. Soft gusts of wind caress over his skin like silk. Jisung takes another deep breath and feels his entire body relax. Maybe Minho was right about that part. When Jisung opens his eyes again, Minho still looking at the nature. His smile is so bright as he enjoys the sight in front of them. Honestly, seeing Minho this content is really making the strenuous way up here worth it.

“Usually you say that while looking at my butt.”

Giggling, Minho turns away from his beloved sight and looks at Jisung. “And I mean it.” Minho pulls Jisung closer and kisses his cheek – the one in his face – before tugging at his hand. “There should be a table up there. We can take a break and eat lunch.” Jisung lets Minho pull him along. Sure enough, they soon come to an old wooden table with benches on the sides. The whole thing looks a little shaky from years of being exposed to the elements, but Jisung figures it will survive a simple lunch. He sits down on the bench cross-legged and watches Minho unpack everything. At the very least, his boyfriend had the decency to carry all their food since he already talked Jisung into this exhausting trip. Jisung hadn’t realized just how hungry he was until he sees the food.

Jisung doesn’t know whether it’s the exhaustion or the breathtaking view, but the food tastes incredible. He leans his head onto Minho’s shoulder as they enjoy their lunch and the view. Sadly, they’re soon done eating and Jisung is already dreading hiking all the way down again. “Can I take a nap here?”

“No. I know your type of naps and I’d like to go back to the hotel before it gets dark.” Jisung would love to protest, but Minho does have a point with that. Which doesn’t mean Jisung is about to give up.

“You’re so damn cruel. You’re really going to make me go home without a nap?”

“Unless you feel like staying here all by yourself.” Damnit. It’s useless, Minho isn’t going to agree to a nap. Of course, they’re going to stay here for a while longer, but Jisung doubts the bit of rest will charge his batteries enough to survive the descent. How can Minho still be so unbothered? It’s like the hiking didn’t phase him in the least. No, Minho has energy for two. Jisung smiles when an idea hits him. He holds onto the table while moving to straddle Minho’s lap and sitting back on his thighs.

“What are you trying to pull?” Despite his obvious suspicion, Minho holds onto Jisung’s waist and gently caresses Jisung’s sides.

“I’ll earn myself a piggyback ride home,” he announces with a grin. Minho may be good at persuading Jisung, but the same is true the other way around.

“Not happening, Jisung.”

“You say that now…” He’s about to kiss Minho when he feels something wet on his back. For a moment he considers if Minho tried to purr water over him, but then more and more drops seem to land on his body. “Is it seriously starting to rain now?” Jisung glares up, finding a dark grey cloud right above them. “We should find somewhere to take shelter.”

“Knew it,” Minho mutters while squeezing Jisung’s butt. “Your ass is made from sugar.”

Jisung sighs. Shitty weather isn’t enough, of course Minho has a dumb comment to add. “That remains the worst pick up line you ever pulled and excuse me for not wanting to catch a cold.”

“Relax, I’m sure it will pass soon.” Of course, Minho stays completely unaffected. He pulls Jisung closer and nuzzles his face into the crook of Jisung’s neck. “Whatever happened to earning your piggyback ride?” Jisung tries to ignore the rain and go back to kissing Minho, which seems to work for barely a minute. The occasional rain drops become bigger and bigger and more frequent until a cloudburst breaks down on them and drenches them to the bone. They gather all their stuff accompanied with muttered curses of ‘What the hell.’ and ‘Fucking shit.’ As soon as everything is inside their backpacks again, they make a run for a group of trees, hoping that it will keep at least some of the rain away from them.

“That much on ‘It will pass soon.’ Fuck!” Jisung tries to shake off the water, which proves rather useless. They’re completely soaked. “What do we do now?!”

“Sit here and wait?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?! I knew we should have stayed in the hotel.” Jisung crossed his arms. Hiking sucks by itself and now they’re stuck up here in the rain? Shit. This is what he gets for not being able to tell his boyfriend no. Stupid handsome face and sweet smile.

“Maybe we should have checked the weather forecast…” That idiot really didn’t check the weather? Jisung can feel Minho’s gaze on him, but he refuses to turn around. Minho sighs behind him. Suddenly Minho’s strong arms wrap around Jisung’s body and Jisung finds himself trapped in a hug with Minho pressed against his back. “Baby, are you mad at me?” Yes, Jisung most definitely is.

“You’re going to need way more than Spirited Away and a chocolate cheesecake to make up for this bullshit.”

Minho hums in thought and snuggles even closer. “Ponyo and a chocolate cheesecake?”

“No, you idiot. Howl’s Moving Castle and a chocolate cheesecake.” Jisung can’t help but smile when he feels Minho tremble with laughter behind him. Fuck, he can’t be mad at his boyfriend when he’s adorable.

“This certainly explains why we saw so little people on the way up.”

Jisung groans. “How come we never realized that?” Now that Jisung thinks about it, it really should have struck them as weird that not a single soul was up here.

Minho leans over Jisung’s shoulder to kiss him on the cheek. “I’m sorry, baby. Next time I’ll definitely check the weather forecast. Now come on, if I remember correctly there’s a hut a bit further down the path.” They shoulder their backpacks and get going hand in hand. As though this shit wasn’t enough yet, lighting starts to flash in the distance. Just great. They go from walking to running, which makes Jisung’s hood bounce around his head. He laughs as he grabs it and tries to keep it in place while running behind Minho. More and more water splashes around his feet as they run, but at this point it really doesn’t make much of a difference.

Luckily it doesn’t take too long until a wooden hut comes into view. The final spurt towards it drains the little bit of energy Jisung still had. They almost crash into each other under the roofed over entrance. Jisung leans his head against Minho’s shoulder and tries to catch his breath again, which is difficult when both of them are laughing. With all the noise and his eyes closed, Jisung almost misses the rattling of the door.

“Closed,” Minho comments with a pained laugh.

“Of fucking course it is.”

“Stay here.” As if Jisung even considers moving. He leans against the closed door and watches Minho snoop around, lifting the doormat and pushing potted plants around until he triumphantly raises a key in the air. “Knew it!”

Jisung raises his arms and cheers as he watches his boyfriends unlock the door. They trudge inside and get rid of their backpacks. “By the way, are we even sure this is legal?”

“Would you prefer going back into the thunderstorm?”

Just in that moment, another lightning flashes outside. What a nice way to avoid decision making. “Fuck it. We’re staying.” Jisung throws the door shut.

Minho laughs before grabbing Jisung by his jacket and pulling him into a kiss. It feels a little like kissing in the shower with how wet they are. Except they’re usually far less dressed when they shower together. Minho pulls away with a smile. “I’ll see if we have towels or anything here.”

Though a little hesitant, Jisung lets Minho go and starts to get rid of his soaked clothes. There’s a small table pushed against one of the walls with three chairs around it. The perfect place to spread out their clothes. Hopefully they’ll dry until it’s time to leave.

When he hears footsteps, Jisung turns his head only to freeze right away. Minho is staring. He doesn’t bother with being subtle in the least. Well, Minho never does. Especially not if Jisung is almost naked. Minho fucking grins and wiggles his eyebrows at Jisung when their eyes meet. “There we have the sight again.”

“Shut up, give me a towel and get out of those clothes you’re going to catch a cold.”

“So demanding,” Minho complains. He gives Jisung one of the towels and slaps his ass as soon as his hand is free. Jisung wraps himself up in the towel and returns the favor of blatant staring while Minho sheds his clothes.

“Oh what a sight,” Jisung mimics his boyfriend, laughing when Minho starts to make a show out of it. Minho puts on an exaggerated sexy expression while stripping down piece by piece. In the end Minho even throws his shirt over to Jisung, who catches it and starts clapping. “We should get caught by rain more often.”

“I don’t need rain for this.” Minho grins before putting the towel around his shoulders. “We should probably let the others know we aren’t coming back any time soon. With how much it’s raining, we probably wouldn’t make it home before dark.”

“You’re planning to stay?”

“I could imagine worse than spending a night in the mountains with my boyfriend.” Minho places a kiss on Jisung’s cheek before getting his phone. They quickly call Chan to let him and the rest of their friends to tell them everything is fine and that they’ll return tomorrow before slipping into bed. There’s no wood to make a fire, so they snuggle up against each other underneath the blankets. Because he’s so tired, Jisung feels sleep clawing at him faster than usual. He fully wraps himself around Minho – almost like a koala – and closes his eyes.

“Good night, cheesecake-maker.”

Minho chuckles quietly. He sounds tired too. Very softly, he runs his hand through Jisung’s hair and kisses his forehead. “Good night, my favorite view.”

🏔️🏔️🏔️

Jisung groans and tries to turn away from the light that stings in his eyes. It’s way too early to wake up. At least, Jisung supposed that. He has no idea what time it is. What he does know is that he isn’t even close to being rested enough to get up and hike down this fucking mountain.

“Minho, can you close the curtain or something?”

Minho unlocks their legs and removes his arms from around Jisung’s waist. For a moment, Jisung thinks he’s actually going to stand up and close the curtain until he hears a low, rough voice from beside him. “You’re free. Go do it yourself.”

“Asshole.”

“Love you too.” Jisung pouts when Minho does a kissy face into his direction with closed eyes. Fuck, the asshole is cute and Jisung still can’t say no to him. Jisung immediately misses the warmth and comfort of the bed and Minho’s embrace when he gets up. Damnit. Just hurry and close the fucking curtain.

Jisung has already grasped both of the curtains and is about to pull them close when his gaze falls out the window. Is this really the same mountain range they saw yesterday? It looks like an entirely different world. The mountains emerge from thick layers of fog. The sun is just peaking out from underneath it, coloring everything in a beautiful pink-orange glow.

“Minho!”

“No.”

“You wanted to get a view so come here and look at it!”

Minho grumbles and rolls out of bed while keeping the blanket around himself. Of course, Minho would never willingly abandon the warmth of the bed. He waddles over to Jisung. He can barely keep his eyes open against the sunlight, but obviously he’s immediately able to locate Jisung’s ass and give it a firm slap before stepping up behind him.

“Woah…”

“Yeah.”

Minho brings his arms around Jisung from behind and wraps both of them up in the blanket. A little smile dances over Jisung’s lips while he snuggles back into Minho’s body. This is what heaven has to feel like. It’s so peaceful in this cabin. Everything is quiet and bathed in the golden sunlight of the morning sun.

“Maybe, but really just maybe, hiking wasn’t a bad idea after all.”

“Oh?” Minho places a soft kiss on Jisung’s neck. “Does that mean I don’t have to bake that chocolate cheesecake after all?”

“You don’t have to, you should want to. You still forced me to hike and caught me in the rain, you know?”

“I’m deeply sorry.” Minho sounds sly, amused, smug and anything but sorry, but Jisung can’t be bothered to get annoyed by that. There’s something soft and magical about the moment, about the scene stretching out in front of them like a door into a whole new world.

“Is this real?” Jisung whispers while letting the tips of his fingers dance over his forearm. “It doesn’t feel real.”

“Starting reality check.”

Jisung yelps when Minho suddenly pinches his ass cheek. “Ouch! Asshole!”

“No actually, that’s a bit more to the left.”

Jisung blushes. “Shut up. Please just shut up.” Of course Minho only grins stupidly when Jisung slides his hand into Minho’s neck and yanks him into a kiss. He’s a fucking idiot, but Jisung would give him or his weirdness or his stupid plans for anything in the world.

[ninjakasuga]

Sonally Week Year 3 Day One

Another year, another of @gojira007 and their blog @boundforfreedomsonsal hosting another week of one of the best OTP’s of fiction. Here’s my entry for Day One: Dawn.

Foreward: Another year; another Sonally Week! Here’s my entry for Day One, and hope ya’all enjoy. This one is a sequel of sorts to my “Surprise” Day entry last year, where after some heckling over certain aspects of his romance with Sally; Sonic gets the news he’s gonna be a big brother! Instead of a literally dawn I decided to do a more thematic ‘dawn of a new part of life’ aspect than the actual time of day.

“Sonic.”

The blue furred Hedgehog in question continued to pace the floor, seeming to either not hear, or simply not regard the call of his name. He stopped, but not to reply, and began to tap his foot repeatedly as he often did in a show of impatience. Soon he was pacing yet again, causing the one trying to get his attention to sigh in exasperation, again.

“Sonic!” Raising her voice, just-oh-so-slightly, Sally again, attempted to get the attention of her fiancé’ this time reaching out and managing to grasp his tail and give it a small yank. Probably not the best thing for Sonic’s pride as he let out the cutest squeak in response, but Sally didn’t mind. Smiling coyly yet with a hint of apology in her eyes as he turned to face her, she reached for his arm, softly rubbing it. “Calm down a bit hun, you’re going to wear the floor out.” Rubbing his slightly sore posterior, Sonic gave his beloved a mild glare that softened almost as soon as it appeared; agitation giving way to the concern plaguing him. “Sorry Sal, it’s just, well it’s been over an hour since the expected due date. What’s the hold up?”

A voice quips from a chair along the opposite side of the waiting room from Sonic and Sally. “Well that’s how labor sometimes goes Sonny-boy. I mean you didn’t exactly pop out as soon as your Ma’s water broke. Slow-going was the name of the game.” Chuckled Charles Hedgehog, finding much amusement in his nephew’s impatience. An impatience he very much empathized with, but knew better than to get too riled up at this point. “So an hour past when the doctor expects the babies to come is small change, especially compared to how you made everyone wait a whole ten hours and ninety-one minutes before you finally graced us with your presence.”

Sitting besides Charles, Rosie Woodchuck let out her own dainty but hearty giggle as she reached to give the silver-furred Hedgehog a gentle squeeze of his hand. “Oh the language coming out of that room. We both feared for your brother’s manlihood if not his existence.”

“I wasn’t that hard on Mom was I?” Inquired Sonic with genuine curiosity mixed with a mild hint of indignity. His gaze only half-way went to his Uncle and Rosie; mainly because he still found it weird they were dating. Correction had been dating on the down-low since, well, a long time with the two only having a ‘break’ when he’d been roboticized all those years. He was genuinely happy for them, but it was still just plain weird to him.

“I think pregnancy is hard for any woman the first time around, or so I read and was told.” Mused Sally as she gently pulled Sonic to sit beside her, rubbing his quills to both straighten them out, and to soothe his nerves. Not unlike Sonic she was still processing the semi-recent revelation that her beloved former Nanny and Sir Charles had been dating under everyone’s noses for so long. Then again should she be surprised? Both were rather private people about their personal lives outside of whatever they did with friends and family. Not to mention the true reason they kept it quiet back in the day had more to do with concerns their positions in the Royal Court would cause unrest for some if their more intimate relationship came to light.

Looking toward Rosie, Sally was now curious about her own birth given the topic. “Were Elias or I rough on Mother?”

Rosie shook her head, “Not really, Elias took some time, but your dear Mother thankfully did not have too rough a time of it. Her calm demeanor kept up even dealing with labor pains, and the end result more than made up for it. You were much easier, as she knew what to navigate and you only took so many hours after the labor contractions began to grace us with your presence.” She smiled fondly, thinking about the two occasions, then giggled. “That said she wasn’t above occasionally reminding your Father it was his fault she was in that state, and well, that’s her story to tell more than mine.”

Snickering, Sally looked at Sonic with a very straight face, barely keeping a grin from forming. “I promise if we have kids, not to threaten your masculinity. That said, I will probably get my vengeance some other way.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Sonic elbowed his girlfriend-now-fiance’ gently in the arm. “Oh reeeeeeeally? Well you gotta catch me first Sal.”

“I already did.” She murmured, leaning in to kiss his cheek as she laced her fingers with his.

“Got me there,” Relenting, Sonic returned the smile, as well as the kiss, planting it on her fluffy cheek before leaning back in his seat. His concern for his Mother and his impending siblings, slightly alleviated for the time being.

The elder couple shared a look, one they had often shared when they were witness to the dear love and devotion between Sally and Sonic. From children to adults, the two always seemed to be a pair they fit so well, it was clear as day even when they were in diapers or arguing up a storm as toddlers, to their teen years. The small things in life that made all the gloom and doom of the past decade and some odd-change worth living for. Soon everyone’s heard turns as the double-door leading to the maternity ward opened and Doctor Quack limped out, leaning on his cane carefully, but with a confident stride; showcasing he’d come to master the walking tool quite well.

“Well-?!”

Holding up his free hand, both to interrupt as well as allow Quack to pull down his mask, his bill forming into a smile. “Your newborn sister and brother are here, healthy and loud, and your Mother is doing very well herself.”

The four cheer as they stand up, mindful this was still a hospital and kept it down, but their jubilation was completely understood.

“Can we see them?” Asked Sonic, already antsy and looking ready to speed down the corridor.

“Yes, we’ve already handled all the post-birth clean up, and checked their vitals as well as Bernie’s, who herself wishes to see you all as well. So I see no issue with allowing visitation right away, but do keep it brief, they do need their rest.” Advised the water-foul doctor as he kept himself straight, if just to fight off his own fatigue which was now creeping up after the long labor. “Just NO running Sonic, got it?”

At the mild admonishment, the Hedgehog simply grinned. “Me? Run through a hospital? Would I do thaaaaaaaaaaaat?”

“Yes, you would.” Everyone else remarked with amazing timing and matching deadpan. To which Sonic rolled his eyes.

“Sheesh, talk about a crowd! Anyway let’s go, let’s go!” Sonic urged, already half-dragging Sally along, forcing his beloved to keep in rapid pace close to him as they held hands still. Sally simply went with it, laughing softly at Sonic’s outright adorable impulsive need to see his new siblings. Chuck and Rosie merely followed at their pace, but there was certainly a spring in their step as well.

Eventually the group, along with Doctor Quack, reach the room designated for Bernie and her newborns. Managing to keep Sonic at bay enough, Quack pushed the door open for them and cleared his throat. “Jules, Bernie, your guests have arrived.”

Like an impatient puppy, Sonic squeezed past Quack, Sally trailing hand-in-hand still from behind. His emerald-green eyes, zeroing-in on the target, even as his breath hitched softly as a wave of emotion floored Sonic as he finally gazed upon his Mother and new siblings. As tired as Bernie Hedgehog looked, nothing could dull the intense love and adoration in her eyes and face as she held two swaddled bundles in her arms. Her husband Jules’ own expression was a mirror of his wife’s, only tinged with the pride only a Father can know. Each look up their expressions beaming more at the sight of their eldest child, with Jules instantly waving him over.

“Hey there son, come say hi to your baby brother and sister!”

Noticing that Sally seemed a bit frozen, Sally found back a ‘snerk’ that wanted to come out, and simply pulled him along. Upon seeing the two infants, mewling and cooing, her own eyes mist. “Awww, they’re adorable!”

“Y-yeah they are…” Sonic managed a dry chuckle,  why did his throat feel so dry? He’d been psyched for this ever since his Mom laid the bombshell she was pregnant nine months ago! Of all the times for Sonic the Hedgehog to choke and lose his cool, it’s this? He didn’t lose his cool this much, asking Sally to marry him for Almighty’s sake! Leaning over he got a much better look at the two.

One of the two clearly favored their Mother’s more light-purple coat, another had the milder-blue of his Father. Both were cute as a button, and just, the sounds they made! Sonic usually wasn’t one to obsess over cute things, but he was entranced. “So we got names for these two? Or do I call em’ Li’ Sib one, and two?”

“We were thinking of Sonia, for this little angel.” Explained Bernie as she gently pet the back of her daughter’s head. The newborn curled against the warm hand that carried the scent of her Mother. “As for this handsome young man, I was thinking of something with M, like Manwell or Manny.”

“If he’s anything like Sonny-boy he’ll be one manic child.” Chuckled Charles as he and Rosie moved closer taking the end of the bed so as to not crowd anyone.

Something about that line struck a chord with Jules, who instantly adopted a thoughtful look as he rubbed his chin. “Manic, manic, why not Manic?” He grinned even as his wife looked at him rather funny. “Face it hun, if Sonic’s any indication, these two are going to be spirited, and it kind of goes well don’t you think?”

After a moment, Bernie tired rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she however smiled, “Manic it is. However if that name causes him woe, I’ll be sure he knows he has you to blame.”

“Anybody gives him or Sonia woe I’mma deck em’.” Sonic proclaimed, pounding his fists together.

“Nor alone,” Agreed Sally as she leaned against him. They weren’t her siblings biologically, but already she had decided she would help protect them at all cost.

“Triple, and quadruple so.” Added Rosie, who nodded along with Charles. The family was united on this front.

“Fantastic.” Giggling, Bernie kissed the heads of her newborns. “Hear that, your family is ready to murder for you.”

“You all can plot future murder later, as much as I hate to spoil the moment, Mother and both newborns need rest.” Spoke up Quack as he stood at the door, keeping silent until now.

Yawning, Bernie nodded in agreement, she was drained. Her gaze lifted to her husband. “You get some rest too, you’ve been up with me through all this.”

“I didn’t do even a fraction of the work; but, rest sounds good.” He yawned, quickly covering his mouth. “Mind if I just crash here Doc?”

“I’ve already asked an orderly to bring a rollaway for you. I know better.” Smiled the duck-doctor in a knowing fashion. “Now come now everyone, time to go.”

Looking at his parents, Sonic instantly stated. “We’ll visit tomorrow, promise.”

“Looking forward to it son, looking forward to it.”

Giving his siblings one last look, Sonic smiled and winked at the two infants. “Welcome to the world you two, hopefully by the time you can talk and explore the world there’ll be one last fat-man to worry about. That’s a big-bro promise!”  

[hellflame-for-a-reason]

Ingenium Fracta

Chapter three: Fear and pain

Tw: funerals, doctors, suffocation, nightmares.

"Dear friends and family, we are gathered here to celebrate the life of Iida Tenya; honoured friend, beloved son and brother. He was a good young man, taken from us too soon. Tenya was a model student and a perfect future hero, who was taken from us by an event none could see happen. It's safe to say that he's in a better place now, he's-"

There had been a funeral, the entire class had shown up. No one really spoke, it was nice catching up with Tensei he supposed, but the fact that it was at a funeral for the poor man's brother really put a damper on things. Aizawa had never felt more guilty for anything in his life, he couldn't believe he'd let a student die like that, how could he be a teacher now?

They never even found the body, Aizawa figured it was because Iida had been fighting Shigaraki at the time. That poor boy, Aizawa couldn't imagine what his family was going through. Class 1-A had completely refused to vote in a new class president, seeming offended at the very idea. Aizawa couldn't blame them at all and he managed to get Nezu to agree that the class would be fine with only a vice president. It was going to be a bit difficult for poor Momo but she was adamant she could manage, replacing Iida would be an insult.

Recently, Aizawa had found himself having regular nightmares about losing more students. It was one of those nights where Hizashi found him, he didn't know where Hizashi had been but he didn't really care. All that mattered to Aizawa was that his loving husband was now holding him gently, "Sho? What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" He nodded in response and was suddenly lifted up and placed onto Hizashi's lap, a hand combing through his hair, "it's ok babe, it wasn't real, it's just a nightmare."

"I dreamt I lost more students…"

"Oh Shouta…" Hizashi kissed the top of his head, "it isn't your fault, it never was. You couldn't have known the villains would be there, no one could."

"But…" he was crying now, "I'm supposed to be their teacher, Hizashi, I'm supposed to be a hero!"

"You are a hero! You're EraserHead! Those kids adore you Sho! And they don't hold a single thing against you, please don't hold it against yourself." He was brushing Aizawa's hair now, making sure to be careful of all the knots and tangles. Aizawa had no idea where he found such a perfect husband, he certainly didn't deserve someone so loving. "You did everything you could, but you had to watch the whole class, it's understandable that one slipped through the cracks."

It was silent for a bit after that, Aizawa just sat there trying to process Hizashi's words as the husband in question continued to brush his hair- he was braiding it now. It was very bad when Aizawa couldn't sleep, he usually slept through everything, his thoughts had to be incredibly bad if they were keeping him awake. The guilt that followed losing a student was more than enough though, not only that but it had been the class president, it had been Tenya Iida, Aizawa used to be in the same class as Tensei; the guy was the sweetest, most caring hero they had in their class. It really showed when he saw how Tenya behaved with class 1-A, everything he did reminded Aizawa of Tensei, but now seeing Tensei's face at the funeral, Aizawa had only seen Tenya. What a horrific way for the tables to turn.

The Iida's were a proud family, with a long and incredible lineage; they'd been doing good for people before quirks even evolved. Aizawa had always known them to be a little stuck up in their attitudes, Tensei being the clear outlier- the more he'd seen of Tenya, the more he realised both the Iida brothers were outliers. The funeral had been the first time he'd ever seen any of the Iida's cry- well except from Tenya, who had cried when the hero killer had hurt Tensei and was now unable to cry at all, or even feel emotions. Aizawa couldn't blame Iida's parents for crying; their baby had just died after all. They'd had one hell of a year, first Tensei's legs and now their youngest son.

A child had died. That was the hardest part for Aizawa to cope with; the fact that a child, barely 16, had died due to his failings as both a teacher and a hero. The civilians that had been on the same floor had praised Iida, commenting that they had felt safe around the next Ingenium. They told everyone about how cool and composed he had been when instructing them to evacuate and then one even mentioned him running in to disarm the villain. Aizawa honestly couldn't have been prouder of the kid, Iida had been the perfect picture of a model hero. That's what it was all about, saving and protecting the public. That was why Aizawa was a failure; he couldn't even save one child.

Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do now. It was too late to save him. So all Aizawa and everyone else could hope to do was move on and grow from it, he had argued with Nezu for the fourth time about getting his class a specialist councillor and he'd finally agreed to it, saying he'd look for one. His kids really needed it, Aizawa could well imagine how the death of a classmate felt to them, and it wasn't any classmate either; it was their beloved class president. When the news was broken to them, Aizawa had even seen Mineta and Bakugou shedding tears, and neither of them were even friends with Iida.

It was safe to say that everyone would miss the boy greatly, Aizawa didn't even like calling him a boy; Tenya Iida had proven himself more of a man then Aizawa was. The hero course favoured the flashy and the violent, but true heroes like Iida were really overlooked. Aizawa would make sure to praise the model students he had in the future, he shouldn't waste so.much time with the problem children. There should be a balance; heroes are supposed to be the protectors, but who protects the heroes? Aizawa would've liked to say it was him, but clearly he was lacking in that department.

-

Black smoke, filling his lungs, stealing his air. He was choking, he was on the floor. He'd been asked to revv his engines, to show what they could do, now he was choking on his own exhaust fumes. He was on the floor, when did he fall to the floor? There was yelling all around him and he wasn't sure what was going on in the slightest. He felt his consciousness slipping away from him as he gasped for air, his eyes were shut tight but he could feel the tears running down his face. He finally lost consciousness as he heard one of the men yelling, "get both! Just in case!"

When he came to, he was laying in a bed. Judging by the room it was probably Toga's bed, the mattress was so soft and the aching feeling in his legs didn't feel so bad when he lay there. He was surrounded by Toga, the burnt man and three men Tenya hadn't met yet. One man was wearing a full body suit, in blacks and greys, the second man was clearly just a mechanic, the third being a doctor, both the two regular men were clearly being held at gunpoint. Tenya had the vague idea that this was illegal, but he was too tired to think much of it.

"Are you alright kid?" The burnt man asked, putting a hand on the bed frame, "apparently part of your engine got disconnected and we had to get a doctor and a mechanic to fix it for you."

"Oh," Tenya paused, he hadn't considered the fact that bring trapped under rubble would affect his engines, although to be fair, he didn't really understand how his engines worked- or at least he'd forgotten, "well they do kind of ache…"

The doctor nodded, "that'd be the stitches, they'll ache for a little while but they should degrade on their own… can I go home now?" The mechanic looked just as desperate to leave as the doctor, and both men were led downstairs by the man in the catsuit.

Toga sat on the bed next to him, "normally I like seeing boys all injured like that, but that was really scary- there wasn't even any blood!" She frowned at him, "are you sure you're alright? I don't want my new friend dying on me!"

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm from very hardy stock."

The burnt man raised an eyebrow at that, "do you remember what stock? Recall any family members?"

"Hmm…" unfortunately Tenya still couldn't remember anything about his family outside of his last name, "still no, my apologies."

"Don't apologize kid, they abandoned you too didn't they? Didn't even care that their kid 'died', only about those poor, defenseless heroes."

"Yeah!" Toga added, frowning, "those meanie heros left you to die! You shouldn't care about them!"

Tenya nodded, that made sense to him. The thought of people calling themselves heroes leaving someone to die in a wreckage made his blood boil- he hoped that didn't translate to his engine, he didn't want to put any strain on it at the moment. Instead he just watched them leave the room, and he settled down for a nap; he may as well use Toga's bed whilst he had it.

Dispite Kurogiri's concern, Tenya had ended up moving into Toga's room anyway; they were the only ones close enough in age and since Tenya was gay and Toga already had a crush, the adults figured it would be fine. Tenya had been happy to help the burnt man, who Tenya later found out was named Dabi, set up his bed. Kurogiri even bought him an Ingenium poster, which Tenya found off because he could have sworn that *he* was Ingenium… but nevertheless, Tenya found it very nice of him, he hadn't been expecting that. The man known as Twice somehow managed to get him a new pair of glasses as his last pair had been broken, he'd also bought Tenya some bedsheets and pillow covers, as well as many books to help Tenya keep up with his studies.

In fact, Tenya was studying when Toga looked over at his book, "whatcha doin'?"

"I'm reading about algebra, see?" He showed her the notebook he was trying the questions in, "it's like maths but there's letters! It's rather fun!"

"Why would there be letters in maths? That doesn't make any sense!"

He chuckled at that, shuffling to the side so she could get on the bed with him, "oh it's easy when you think about it, come on; I'll show you." He put his bookmark in the book and flipped back a few chapters, understanding that Toga would probably need something a little easier.

"Let's try something simple, okay?" He smiled at her, beginning to write the question down when she nodded. "So let's say that A means one, and B means two, what would A plus B make?" He wrote the question down as he said it, making sure it was clear.

She nodded slowly, taking the pen from Tenya as she slowly wrote down the answer, at least she understood basic maths- although her handwriting was terrible. "Is it three? Or do I have to write down another number?"

"Well technically you're right, unfortunately the rules of algebra dictate that the answer would be AB."

Toga proceeded to look at Tenya like he was a moron, "so it's not even numbers? Why is it still maths?"

He sighed, unsure of how to explain it to her, "well you've got to figure out how to shorten the question I suppose, it doesn't entirely make sense- but that's what makes it so fun!" He smiled, knowing there was no point in explain it to her, she hadn't finished middle school so there wasn't much of a chance of her grasping algebra.

"You're so weird Ten-chan! Stick to liking murder like the rest of us!" She giggled, they both knew there was no malice behind that, her genuine smile showed that. Toga got off of the bed and went back to her own, toying with her knife. "Do you want to talk about Izuku?"

"Who?" Tenya didn't think he'd ever heard that name before, but he had a funny feeling of deja vu from it.

"Huh?" Toga was once again looking at Tenya like he was stupid, "you know? Green hair, freckles? Sometimes goes by Deku? Izuku Midoriya?"

A gasp, "Midoriya?" Tenya knew Midoriya, he loved Midoriya! Midoriya was his best friend, was Izuku his first name? Tenya felt a little guilty that he didn't know his best friend's full name, or even how he looked. To be fair though, he did have memory issues, so he couldn't be blamed really.

"Yeah! That's Izuku's last name! You wanna talk about him?"

"Of course I want to talk about Midoriya! He's my best friend!"

Toga giggled, taking out her phone and beginning to show him the photos she'd taken. They were photos of Midoriya, Tenya instantly recognized him, despite not remembering his face. The fear on his face in every photo was particularly familiar, and Tenya found himself having flashes of an image in his head, of nothing but pure worry and stress on Midoriya's face. Toga snapped him back to reality, beaming happily, "isn't he cute??"

Tenya had to nod at that, "his hair is very fluffy, and I like his freckles." He did agree with Toga, Midoriya was a lot more adorable than Tenya had expected. This was his best friend? Oh Tenya must be the best at making friends then, to befriend someone so pretty.

"I know, right? I like him best when he's covered in blood!"

"Why?"

A moment of silence and Toga paused, "I don't know, just think he's attractive," she shrugged, clearly not having a real answer. Tenya didn't really mind, he was just curious, he didn't actually care either way.

[feeling-uncomfy]

H e l l o

In light of the masterpiece that is Wandavison, my small brain made up a Shoutoko AU and I would now die for it :D

If you haven't watched it, I strongly recommend it, but it's okay, there's no major spoilers to the show here(I hope), cause fuck canon.

The only warning is Tokoyami absolutely destroying a bunch of heros like the anit-hero he is.

Hope you enjoy! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with both this and the Mafia AU, it should come out in the order I posted these, so Mafia AU first, then Wandavison AU

Anyways! Enjoy!

Tokoyami closed the door to his house with a sigh. Another day was over, another random shenanigan, another dramatic plotline, another day with his beloved complete. Not that it was hard to get through a day with him, the parts where they were apart felt like hours, and when they were together, everything just seemed to work.

It wasn't something that Tokoyami thought to be odd, he just found things were easier when Mezou was around him. No, he wasn't attached, he was just.. making sure nothing went wrong.

Speaking of, Tokoyami looked around the room for him, finding that he was alone. Panic hit him immediately and he sprinted to the living room.

"Mezou-?!" Tokoyami looked around the room and he could feel himself physically relaxing when he got an answer. "Upstairs, love, I'll be down in a minute." Tokoyami gave a quick response and sank onto the couch.

So far, this little place they learned to call home was going great. Mezou was happy, the neighbor's didn't ask questions, and no one was trying to kill them. It was everything the pair could've wanted. Mezou didn't need to hide his face as often, and Tokoyami thought he'd never seen him so happy.

Of course, there was the odd thing of needing to force someone to look away from Mezou, or have people remember the script, but it wasn't hurting people. The only thing that had broken so far was the radio, and there was a good reason for that.

Mezou had been cleaning the counter listening to music from the radio, perfectly normal, Tokoyami was set to walk in once a good song came on and they'd dance, that was, until the radio feed cut out. Mezou put down the dishes and walked over, naturally curious. Tokoyami hadn't been paying attention until he heard a voice that was not meant to be there.

"Shouji? Shouji, can you hear me?!" Mezou blinked, not knowing if he should answer, apparently he didn't need to. "I need you to listen, n̴̤̞̍̔͛o̶͇͋͆ṋ̴̍é̸͍͗̍ ̵͎̹̄̆̔ő̷̼̇f̷̨̟͇̈ ̶͍̥̰͝t̷̫̘̓́h̵̦̘̩͛͑̓í̸̪͂s̴͎̎̒͠ ̶̠̻̈́̀i̷̼̱͇͝ś̶̬̀̏ ̴͖̈́r̴̜̯͊è̵͙ä̷̪̬̇l̸͙͐̊́ ̷͕͔̔ You need to get Tokoyami to—"

The radio suddenly flew out the window, falling silent as it crashed into the bushes. Mezou jumped when Tokoyami calmly appeared beside him, looking out the window. Mezou looked between his boyfriend and the radio, wondering why it had sounded so... alien.

"Did you see that?" Tokoyami turned to him at the question. "See what, dear?" Mezou tilted his head, and pointed at the bushes. "The radio, didn't you see it fly out the window?" Tokoyami laughed softly and reached up to gently move a strand of hair behind Mezou's ear. "I didn't see anything, it must've just been a trick of the light,"

Tokoyami hated that he'd done it, but once he left, so did Mezou's memory of the radio. It was as simple as the last few times he'd done it, and yet the guilt never failed to make Tokoyami rethink everything. Yet, Tokoyami shook the thoughts away and left, waiting for his que as normal. Mezou shook himself out of his daydream and looked at the bushes, before shrugging and continuing what he was doing.

That was only two episodes ago, surely they wouldn't bother trying again? Tokoyami hoped they were smart enough anyways.

Apparently, he overestimated them. By a lot, it seemed.

Tokoyami jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the door, and he got up to answer it. He opened the door and immediately went to slam it shut again. Their homeroom teacher, Mr. Aziawa, stood at the door.

Tokoyami couldn't help the dry snort at his teacher's clothes, he fit in perfectly with his world, but he stood out like a sore thumb all at once. "Tokoyami, please listen to me," Aziawa was holding the door open.

Tokoyami glared. "You expect me to listen after the radio stunt?" Aziawa didn't let up, pushing against the door. "Tokoyami these are innocent people you've got in here, let them and Shouji go, please-"

At the mention of Mezou, Tokoyami's little restraint snapped, and Aziawa was sent flying backwards. "Get. Away. From. Us." Tokoyami snarled, fully prepared to murder his own teacher. Aziawa sat up, dazed, and stood up to meet Tokoyami's glare. "Tokoyami. People are being hurt. I know you miss him, but you can't—"

The rest of the sentence died with the door slamming shut, Tokoyami apparently having had enough of the conversation. Great. Aziawa sighed and called in the backup team, and reminded them only to engage when told to. And not a second before, or after.

Tokoyami glared at the people outside, wishing they would just leave them alone. He wasn't hurting anyone! Mr. Aziawa doesn't know what he's talking about, Tokoyami came to this conclusion as he prepared to shift the reality to suit tomorrow's script. Once he did that, he could deal with the problem outside and get some sleep with Mezou.

"Tokoyami! You have five seconds to stop this and hand Shouji's b̵̋��̙͕̬̺ͅò̸̦̰̖̩̓̽̈́́̈̆d̴̙̖͛͆̌̀̇͛̂y̷̹͇̻͉̰͚̓͂͜͜—"

Tokoyami scoffed, flicking his wrist, making the voices distorted and hard to understand. Tokoyami hummed as he continued, not giving a damn about what they were doing out there. It was nothing Tokoyami couldn't fix.

"Fumikage...?" Now that made Tokoyami freeze. He stopped what he was doing to look up at the stairs. Mezou stood, looking half awake and concerned. Tokoyami cursed, he must've taken too long. It was fine, he could fix this too. Stupid Mr. Aziawa distracting him..

"Yes, Mezou? What's the matter?" Tokoyami kept a level head as he walked over, taking one of his hands and gently running circles into it. He noticed Mezou's head tilt towards him. Good, that was good. "I heard yelling, is everything okay..?" Tokoyami's heart broke a little at his quiet tone and the underlined fear behind his words.

The whole point was he'd never have to feel afraid again. Tokoyami suppressed a wave of anger at the strangers outside, no longer considering them hero's. If they were, they'd understand what he was trying to do. Tokoyami brought his attention back to Mezou, who had his eyes glued to the door.

Tokoyami shook his head. "It was nothing dear, just the neighbor's arguing..! You know how they get," Mezou nodded, but wasn't convinced. Tokoyami noticed and led him to the couch and sat him down, gently combing a hand through Mezou's hair. He mumbled words of reassurance while untangling the knots in his hair.

Mezou didn't notice from the affection that Tokoyami had a hand glowing a bright purple, settling around Mezou like a blanket, a sudden feeling of calm washing over him, making him relax and go slack in Tokoyami's hands. Tokoyami smiled softly and continued to gently brush through Mezou's hair while his magic worked the rest of him.

Mezou found himself completely relaxed and limp in minutes, his eyelids growing heavy. A bang at the door ruined their quiet moment, and startled Mezou so he was standing again. "Are you sure it's just the neighbor's? It doesn't sound like-" Mezou made his way over to the door, and Tokoyami forgave himself later for lunging across the room to grab the door handle.

"Mezou, dear, I'll get it, you wait by the couch, alright?" Tokoyami had always found Mezou's stubbornness to be endearing, but for the love of fuck, could he just once agree? Mezou stared at Tokoyami, then the door. "If it's our neighbor, why can't I see them?" Tokoyami blinked, and cursed himself. He'd been caught out in his own lie.

Tokoyami sighed softly, and leaned in, kissing Mezou slowly to buy himself some time. Which, thankfully, worked wonders. Mezou went a bright red and kissed back, successfully distracted. Tokoyami smiled into the kiss, and flicked his wrist towards the door.

Aziawa was preparing for a lot of things, but he wasn't prepared for his own student to walk out and start yelling at him. Kirishima never yelled, or was angry, in fact. Aziawa was at a loss of words, and even more so when Bakugo of all people started yelling back. It was getting heated, literally.

Aziawa had his team step back, watching both of them, eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was no way these two were arguing, not in a world where everything was apparently "perfect". Kirishima knocked on Tokoyami's door, looking mad. Aziawa couldn't help his surprise when Shouji answered.

Last time he'd seen him, H̴̨̗͈͇͚̃̋̈́̋̋͛̅ḛ̸̡̛̤̠̦̤̘̺͕͇̰͇͎̬̑̐́̈́͛̈́̚ͅ ̴̧̧̘̠̦̭̞̣̞͙̌͗͐͂̃̆w̴̩͓̫͓̐̀̈͐̈́̉̋̕ả̸̢̢͔̻̺̮̬̗͓̿̍̇̍̐̊͒͆̇̕͝͝ş̴̡̛̪̺̬̺̿͂̊̓͗̾́̐ ̵̨̢̢̛̣̻̭̳̯͎͎̬̄̎̈̇̋͌̀̎̎̉͗͛͂͒d̴͓̤͙̖̫̬͇͒͆̅͒͐̀̎̕͘e̸͚̯͛̎͛̇̆ǎ̸̧͎̪̝̬̺̯̈́̾̑̓͌͊͒͜d̵̜̤̈̌̈́̀̚̕͠͝

Aziawa gasped loudly and clutched his head. Wow, that hurt. Aziawa shook his head, hearing thoughts that weren't his own. Looking around wildly, Aziawa stupidly repeated the thought.

Shouji Mezou was d̴͓̤͙̖̫̬͇͒͆̅͒͐̀̎̕͘e̸͚̯͛̎͛̇̆ǎ̸̧͎̪̝̬̺̯̈́̾̑̓͌͊͒͜d̵̜̤̈̌̈́̀̚̕͠͝.

""̶͖̳͖̙̣̙̬͆̽̈͜͝S̷̛̯̤̪͆h̸̺̼̥̬̳͖̙̗̟̫̮̱͛͌̎͂̌̿͘͜u̶̢͍̞̱̫͇̳͕̠͐̌̀̊͂̀͂͂̍̀͝ṯ̵̦̟̣͚̖̘̙̞͂̂̾͗͌͝ ̵̱͖̦̦͔̭̙̮͉̳͕̄͠ư̷͕̲͇̰̖̼͉̰͈͇̬̳̻̯̌̽͑͝p̸͇͓͕̖̜̺̗̥̖͖̌͗͆̆͘͝.̵͍͙̻̲̫͈̹̪̅̀̿̋͂̓̀̒́̎̎"̵̡̧̛̰̪̙̯̬̜͙͚̪̭͈̹͋͑͋̆́̌͑̓̚͘͝͝ͅ"

Aziawa froze at the voice. That wasn't his, yet when he looked around, he was alone. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to turned back to the conversation Kirishima and Shouji were having, Aziawa becoming nothing more than a cameo.

It didn't make sense why Tokoyami would change that now. But the focus wasn't on A̷̢̮͔̟̰̩̪̿́́̿̾z̶̬͈̭̀i̵̮̋͂̈͗̅̓̌̚͝à̶͔w̷̛̫͕̯̭̫̹͎͆́̓͝͠͝ą̶̟̞͚̫̩͇̪̕͝͠ anymore.

"Shouji!" Kirishima's smile was forced and he went on a rant about how annoying Bakugo was being, his voice raising whether he meant it or not. Shouji couldn't help the flinch at Kirishima slamming his hands a little forcefully on the door.

Every time Mezou tried to jump in, Kirishima brought them onto a new topic. Mezou listened, patient as ever, until Bakugo suddenly made his way up the driveway. Kirishima and Bakugo stared at each other. Mezou wasn't surprised by the laughing track that followed in the background.

Kirishima and Bakugo started fighting, forgetting about Mezou, who was leaning on the door. Mezou looked over at the bushes, and froze when he saw something move. No one was paying attention, maybe he could take a look?

Mezou made his way over slowly, the yelling in the background sounding like static and distorted. He got to the bush and saw more movement. Very hesitantly, he moved a branch to the side. At first, he didn't see anything. Mezou looked closer and his wrist was grabbed, making him jump.

Someone was staring at him, their face half melted and looking like they're in agony. They pulled Mezou close, screaming at him, trying to tell him something. Mezou's breathing picked up, giving away his panic. They were yelling nonsense, until Mezou was right in their face, they're voice was as clear as day.

"Get out of this town."

Mezou blinked and he was back in the bedroom. Alone. He looked around to see that everything was how he left it. It was clean, and quiet. Too quiet. He jumped at the front door slamming shut. Curious, Mezou made his way downstairs and saw Fumikage standing alone in the living room.

H̶̨͊͊̊̍͌̈́̎͊̒͂̇̍̑̊͊́̓̓͛̃͐͋͘̕͘͝ą̵̮̫̥̺͈̺̘̰̫̜͉̘̼̑̂̃̀̉͠s̶̨̨͙͖̳̰̫̻͇̤̩̩͎̻̜̠̳̩̹̤̟̥͎̱̘͕͘͠ń̷̡̡̛̲͕͉̻̭̮̻̭̺͓̚'̴̝̻͈͉̘͓̞̩̬̲̰͇̠̉͊͛̑́̈́͆̀̔́̽̂̍͂̚͘ͅt̵̨̘̻̭̝̼͆̀̄̉̒͋͘͝͝ͅ ̷̨͙͕̖̪̱̺̥̖̟̩̦͎̬̤̳̉̄̃͜t̶̡̻͔̮̹̩͙̖̩͉͈̗̪̱̫̝̰͙͌̈̋́̌̓͐̀̒̌̆̐͌͘̕̚͜h̶̭̩̦͉̪͕̫̬͍̚ȋ̵̘̯̈̅͌̾͑͑́̍͊͋̆̀̇̾́̽̿͌̽͊͐̃̎̚ş̴̡̗͈͔̞̤̱̯͚̘͔̯̜̞̲̦͎̖͔̫̥̬̮̭͐̍̌͒͐̋͆̐̐̇̓́̋̀̑̓̽́ͅ ̴̡̢̫̪̼̱̦̫̉̀̓͘̚h̶̡̢̛͚̫̦̘̬̀̇͌̓̓̐̊̈́̿͗͝ą̶̢̡̜̞͙̱̝̘͓̝̟͚̘̭̱̱̯̫͎͓͈̖̳͊̈́̈̐͌̊͗̀̅͊͗͜͜͝͝p̵͎͚͐̆̉̍̉̄̇͒́̄̿̾̚͠͝ṗ̴̡̺̜̭̙̪͇̙̺͈͇̞̈́̇̈́̑͛̔̌́̄̽͌͂͐̈̐̓̈́͛͑̐̚͠ȩ̶̮͔̘̖͔͇̥̪̰̤͍͈͕̥͕̫͓̍́ñ̸̨̨̜̻̹̫̰̣͖̩̯̠̫̗͉͉̭̲̱́̄̈́̈́͆͂̉̑̌̾̉͘̚ė̵̡͓̩̳̮̘͓̦̦͈͕͇͚̼͕͂͑̌̔̄̈̊̿̈̀̋̄͑̉̚d̶̡̛͎̟͉̩͍̫͕̫͑̿̑̊̾̂́̍ ̵̳̭̲͉̲̟̙̩͔̜̙̰̼̈́͆͂͒̊͜͝b̸̛̬͓̰̮̪̰͎̮̫̭̣͔̤̤̯͔͌̀̀̌͑̑́̏͌̇͛̕̕̕̕̚͝͠e̶̮̲̻̮͑̾̏͗͗f̷̢̡̛̺̹̼̞̘̬͇̤͙̱͒̆̔͑́͂̍̿͂͗̾̓̇͐̏̕͘͝ǫ̷̨̢̼̦̻̦̫̠͔͓̩̫̺̱͕̥̹̩̾̈́̈́̓̀̽̋̀̽͊̈́̉͝ŗ̴̢̛̤͓̼͉̟̹͎̂̔̈̅̆̏̎̽́̔̂͊̋͛̿͂́͊͒́̚͘͠ͅe̷̘̮̭͔̱̲̼̣͗̉͐̊̅̃̂?̴͙̼̣̝̀̒̈͛͌̈́̈́́̉́̎͛̊̌͂

"Fumikage...?" Mezou's voice was quiet, wondering why there was a slam. Fumikage seemed to freeze for a second before looking up. "Yes, Mezou? What's the matter?" Fumikage made his way over and gently held his hand, an instantaneous calming feeling washing over him. "I heard yelling, is everything okay..?" Fumikage frowned at Mezou's tone, clearly having a problem with his fear.

Fumikage assured him it was the neighbor's arguing again, and Mezou found himself sitting on the couch, feeling fuzzy. Wasn't he just by the stairs? How did he-? All his anxieties disappeared when Fumikage ran a hand through his hair, that fuzzy feeling returning ten-fold.

Mezou felt his eyes closing, and didn't even register the door slamming again, all he heard was Fumikage whispering to him. "I think you should go to sleep, Mezou.." Tokoyami gently tilted Mezou's chin up so he could look at him and smiles slightly at Mezou's eyes drooping.

Mezou didn't think he could get a full sentence out, so he returned Fumikage's smile with a nod and leaned into the comfort. He didn't see the mist surrounding them both, didn't realise the calming effect it was having on him, and even if he did, he was put to sleep too quickly to be able to say much about it.

"...goodnight, Mezou." Fumikage placed a small kiss on his forehead before laying Mezou down, wrapping him up in a blanket and keeping the mist around him, making sure he stays asleep.

Then, Fumikage turned to glare at the door. Thankfully, this time it would be different. He walked outside, where Dark Shadow was having their fun with the trespassers. Aziawa was thrown onto the ground, feeling blood well up in his mouth. He sat up and glared at his student.

Tokoyami payed no mind to him, and continued changing the people and sending them on their way. No matter what, he wasn't going to listen. Aziawa searched for something to say. "What about Hawks? What about the rest of 1A? Tokoyami, Shouji and the other's can't stay here!"

Tokoyami turned his glare onto his teacher. "Shut up. You have no place here." Aziawa was picked up by Dark Shadow and was held tightly by the neck. Tokoyami stared at his teacher, honestly looking a little bored. "This isn't your world, you have no idea what you're dealing with. Leave, and never come back."

Aziawa blinked, and he was flying backwards towards the wall. Another blink, and he was back in the real world, hitting the ground harshly. Hawks ran up to help him stand. "What happened in there?! Did you see either of them?"

Aziawa sat up and stared at the barrier. "...I didn't teach him any of that-"

T̶̡̡̢̧̛̘̪͎̖͍̪̪̦̬͙̺̫̫͖̯̠̠̖̝̠͙̳͓̯͍̦̫͕͒͆͆̀̾͗̾͒͘͜͝͠h̴̡̧̗̩͕̬̞̼̞͎̥̥̄̍̅͂̀͂͐̑̾̓̚͘͘̚͝͝e̴̠̾̎͛͝ ̴̗̪͕̭͖̦͚̼̝̦̻̜̖͚̟̏̈́̿̀̀͆̆̎͑̈̊̓́̏͑̅͑̓͝͝͝o̶̥̩̠̦͎͙͇̩̮͋̈͛̿͂̃͐̑̚ͅų̷̧̢̢̛̛̘̞͔̦̤̞͚͉̹̻̝͖̙̘̫̗̣̗̰̫͙̥̺̰͇̮͚͔̞͊̂̆̏͛̈́̊̅̈́̔̔͑̈́̊̈͂͘̚̚̕͠͝͝ť̸̛̝̖̠͓̦̻̊̑̊̇͐͗͊͗͛̈̓̈́̏̄̔́̈́̾̇̈́͑̓̂̚͘͘͠͝͝ş̸̟̘̤̤̪̟͓̩͍̬̗̠̰͖̥͎̗͇̞̫̘͚̞̠̻͈͓͎̮͍̦͍̑̒͛í̷̧̡̪̥̳̖̗͉͚̙͓̗̫̺͍̪͙̥̖͈͇̞̦̜̺̣͚̪̳̮̠̈́͛̏̒̔͆̿͛̑͐͑̀̐̑̑̌͗͘̕̕̚ď̵̡̨̡̨̧̨̫̮̯̪̜̱̩͔̩̺̫̫̺̞̱̻̥̯͙̤̀͊̔ề̷̖̹͎̪̯̣̊ͅ ̵̡͕̰̥͚̳̫͈̤̥͈̭̖͕̟̗͙̦̬̟̯͒͋̋̀͐̒̏̾͐̇͜ͅḑ̷̢̡̨̲͎̬̺̲̰̥͔̤͈̪̯̗̮͇̻͙̯͙̱͓̦̠̜͇̝̱͉̌̀̈́͐͑̐̔̔̀̏o̵̡̲̮̺͑e̵̡̡̨̙̼̼̳͓͖̜̗̥̹͕̞̭̪̹̙͕̺̣̥͎͈͚̾͆͜ͅͅŝ̵̡̨̢̛̺͎͚̩̥͍̪̩͓̹̘̘̫͍̙̫̟̭̞͓̰̩̱̅̐̂͝ņ̶̨͖̦̰̮̮̳̫̼̹̦̲̲̲̭̭̮́̾̅̇̓͊̆̿͛̋̾̇͊̈́͋̎̏̚͝'̸̪̣͓͚͍̍̅͂͗̒̽̀̓͜ͅt̷̢̙̰̥̝̙̳̊̏̽̀̽̔͌̔̌͝ ̷̢̛̝̯̯̳̦̖̬͔͇͓̗͙̗̭̞̈́͒͆̎̆̔̒̋͑̐̒́͌̓̂̎̇̏͘͝m̶̱̬̙͇̱̆̇̏̂̐̊̀̋̒̽͌̕͝ą̸̲͕̗̪̭̲̻̳̺̘̰̯̲̳̺̲̩̠̫̓̾̓̾̈́̊͑̌͘ṫ̴̡̢̧̰̳̪̞̰͍̹̦̤̮̜̫̝̳͙̒̑͋̈́̉͛̈́̒̀̍̃͛̌̋͒͐̈́͒̕̕͜͜͜͠ͅţ̶̢̢̛̤̜̰̤̞͉̗̗͉̬̬̰͉̜̬̪͕͇̘̯̰͌̏͗͋̽̋͂̀̒͂̀̈̿̔̅̉͘͘͘͜͝͠͝ͅe̷̢̢̪̗̟̩̝͈̘̤̙̺̤͂͌̇̀̓̈́̏̿̈̈́͜ŗ̴̧̧̛̖͉͉̭̹̳̫̼͎̙̣͔̪̹̪̖̙̥̩̠͚̣͍͖̥̲̹̍̆̈́͊̈̒̎̓̍͘.̷̺̥͈̪̹̲̭͔̙͉͇̥̦̠̎̅̃͛̌͐̑̾̀̿͐̕͘͘͜͠ ̸̨̧̧̛̛̛̻̬̬̪̙̫̝̣͓̬̝͉̪̙͙̝̼̒͌̋̐̈́̇̓̄͛͊̓̑͗͊̊̓͒͒̌̐̑͂̀̑̌̀̅͛̕͘

Tokoyami closed the door with a sigh. Another day was over, another random shenanigan, another dramatic plotline, another day with his beloved complete. Not that it was hard to get through a day with him, the parts where they were apart felt like hours, and when they were together, everything just seemed to work.

He walked over to see Mezou still sound asleep, curled around a blanket. Tokoyami smiled softly and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. The light of his life, was safe for another day, and that's all Tokoyami needed to call it a successful day.

"Dark Shadow," Tokoyami muttered, and the quirk came to attention, picking Mezou up carefully and keeping the blanket around him. Tokoyami nodded to the entity before leading them upstairs to their shared bedroom.

Tokoyami had Dark Shadow lay Mezou down while Tokoyami closed the blinds and with a click of his fingers the lights were off and he was in bed. Immediately, he was pulled into a hug by Mezou, a small kiss on his cheek and Mezou buried his face into Tokoyami's hair.

Tokoyami hugged back, kissing Mezou and gently running a hand through his hair. Mezou was quiet for a moment before letting put a small purr. "Love you, Fumikage." Tokoyami's heart shattered and rebuilt itself with just those words.

In no way at all did he deserve this, did he deserve Mezou. But he had him, and Tokoyami didn't plan on letting him go. "I love you too, darling, always." Mezou hummed in response, drifting back to sleep, blissfully unaware of his whole world being rewritten outside his window.

Tokoyami sighed and watched Mezou fall asleep again. It would be fine in the morning, this wouldn't have happened, and there would be no real memory of it..

Tokoyami held onto tighter as the bedroom changed to suit the time and settled down to sleep. "You never have to worry again, Mezou," Tokoyami closed his eyes and held the love of his life closer.

"I have e̶̲͎̎̎̔͒́̐̂͐̈͌͋̍̇̄́̓̔͗͂͗͐̋̑͊̀̇̑̿͊͝v̵̢̧̢̡̧͖͕̤̩͇͎̖͔̯̦̼̞̣̹̯̝̩̻̫̜̭͔̮͍̠͔̥̖̖͈͓̬̦̀̎̎̔̿̿̽̐͑̕͘͠͝͝ͅͅe̴̞͎͚͓͈̣̹͎͎͂̓̊͊̒͒̍͊̽͐̒̍̾̄̅͘r̷̢̤̘̖̗̟͐́̈́̀̈́̋̐́̓͋͋́̀̋̆̇̏͒̑̕̕̕͜͝͝͝ͅy̸̧̨̢̖̜̫̠̣̲͈̼̩̦̗͇̱̙̥̼̪̘̳̥͚̖̗̙̳̻͎͓̻̗̲̱̘̬͈͎̻̼̳̤̿̓́͋̍̽̊̚͠t̵̢̜̘̱̖̞͖̹͇̹̞̀͑͑̈́̾͊̍̾̌̃͐́̆̽͝͝ͅh̴̡̨̧̧̛̛̛̛͉͙̝̱̲̗̬̩̤̘̺͉̯̿̀͌̌͗̄̈̈́͌̎̃̓͛͑̓̎̓̔̉̋̍̀͌̐̈́̐̐̆̈́̊͒̂̓̈́̅̕͘͜͝͝į̷̡̧̨̫̜̲̣̭͎̝̖̩̲̰͚̮̥̦̗̘̜̱̣̼͔̦̖͔͇͎̲̞͍͓̠̑̊̃̈̈́̊̾͂͐͘͘͝͠ͅn̸̝͖͈̏̇͜g̵̛͍̺̯͎͕̏͊͊͗͗̓͌͌̉͋ under control."

[The text sort of fucked up, but I don't know how to fix it soooo]

[I hope you enjoyed! I had a lot of fun with this, and I can't wait to write more]

[it-stheaulifeforme]

“I didn’t say kill the damn boy!!”

“You said to break the bones in his body---”

Sakharine aggressively shoved Allan against the wall of the cabin by the front of his long coat. “You simple minded---” he spat, “there’s a difference!! I still want him alive!! You think I can get a scroll from a dead wretched little brat??”

The man in red let go, trying to remain calm and adjusting his own jacket, still with a glint of fury in his eyes as he looked at the other man. He sighed exasperatedly, briefly glancing away. “Did you manage to get him to say anything important?” he asked, a rigid firmness in his voice.

Tom, standing behind Sakharine, exchanged nervous looks with Allan.

“Well??” Sakharine angrily insisted, looking very expectantly at both of them.

There was a small silence. “Nothing, boss.”

He looked at both of them like they’d just lost their entire minds. Not that he didn’t always think that, but this was baffling enough as it is for even these two.

“What do you mean, nothing?”

Another silence.

“He said nothing.”

“You beat him within an inch of his damn life and he said NOTHING??”

Sakharine was more infuriated than ever, mainly showing it in his eyes, before his voice leapt up louder and more aggressively this time. Allan and Tom practically jumped out of their own skin at his raised voice before trying to stammer out a reply. Predictably, they were cut short.

“I’ve had grown men break before they’ve hardly had a finger laid on them but you couldn’t even get a teenage boy to crack??”

Sakharine wondered who he had more problems with; his idiotic crew who couldn’t get answers from a literal boy to the little brat himself. He didn’t understand how such a young person would not give in despite the physical suffering he was put through. What had this ginger brat been up to that made him that defiant to remain quiet through that?

If the simple minded crew couldn’t get an answer out of him, he’d do it himself. He couldn’t refuse to say anything forever.

They were interrupted by a noise outside the door, followed by a low growl and barking. How in god’s name had that stupid mutt of the boy’s manage to get onto the damn ship??

The door swung open to reveal one of the crewmates, the small struggling bundle of white fur snapping at him with the fur of his neck in his right hand. “Found this mangy dog looking around, boss,” he remarked snidely, trying to avoid being bitten, “must have been searching for its young master.”

Before anything else happened, Snowy managed to wriggle free, landing on all fours with a thud, baring his teeth and barking ferociously at the people that surrounded him. Sakharine was about to bat the damn dog with his cane to get it to shut up before it stopped, bounding over to the metal cage on the other side of the cabin.

Sakharine narrowed his eyes at the sudden change in the behaviour of that dog. It had gotten all the way here and the first chance it got, it had leapt straight towards the boy, a curled up bruised and bloodied figure. It whined, pawing through the bars, standing on its hind legs to get him to wake up. Clearly distressed, it eventually poked its head through, pulling on the boy’s blue jumper to get him to respond.

“What on earth---” Allan made to say, taking a step forward before his path was blocked by Sakharine’s cane who was fixated on the dog’s behaviour around the boy. There seemed a particular thought running through Sakharine’s mind as the dog desperately tried to get his owner to wake up. A noticeable shift in the latter’s movement despite his injuries caught his attention.

“Snowy...?” It was quiet and cracked, but audible. The crewmates observed a more malicious glint in their boss’ eyes almost as if to know what he had in mind. It didn’t help also observing the particular sickly, self satisfied grin that formed soon after on his face at this vocalisation.

Perfect.

Not looking back, he took the cane from in front of Allan. “I’ll handle this,” he remarked, “unlike you lot.”

He strode forward towards the dog, obviously named Snowy, who turned to him defensively, growling viciously under its breath. “Oh for god’s sake,” he muttered, batting at the dog with his cane, “will you shut up---”

He finally kicked it and it responded with a yelp, managing to tumble over into the metal cage. “Finally, you dirty little mutt,” he dryly remarked and stepped in, slamming the door with a loud clang behind him.

Tintin, the boy, flinched in surprise and managed to lift his head, displaying the mess that had been made of his face. Sakharine wasn’t one for hands on work - his henchman did that for him - so naturally he felt the physical inclination to recoil. Of course, despite the bruising along his cheekbones and the blood that had run down mainly from head wounds and especially a vivid dark purple bruise around his right eye, there was still a sense of defiance in his face.

Whether that was by the curl of his split lips upwards in an expression of disgust or fire that seemed to burn in those clear pupils of his, he could see it. He was almost endeared by it.

Almost. Unfortunately, it was an obstacle and he wasn’t about to be a victim of sentiment. Maybe what he was about to do next would make him see sense. Not like those traitorous crewmates back there managed to be of any help in that area.

Snowy almost darted forward but Sakharine was quicker this time, abruptly yanking the dog with a grip on the fur of his neck. He yelped again, but this time he was more whimpering than growling, flailing his legs. He turned down to look at Tintin, whose eyes seemed to burn with a new kind of anger but also remained cold, reading almost like a new level of fiery disdain specifically for what was happening to his dog.

Sakharine raised his eyebrows in a faux affable gesture. “Why don’t we try this again?” he asked, a sickening politeness in his words. Tintin merely glared at him.

“Put him down,” he stated through gritted teeth, a sneer across his bloodied lips.

Sakharine wanted to laugh. This felt like Marlinspike Hall again, but with more control over his side. This brat wouldn’t be able to walk away with an attitude like that this time.

“Perhaps you’re forgetting something,” he continued in a conversational manner, as if to ignore that rebellious tone in Tintin’s voice, “I still need to know what you’ve done with that scroll.”

“I said I don’t---”

Tintin was cut off by a vicious kick to his ribs and he practically choked out a scream, eyes widened from the unbearable pain. Not long ago he felt like he’d had one or two broken and the kick did enough to make the pain flare up, but he was not able to do much about it apart from a choked scream that tore itself from his throat.

Snowy was now throwing up more of a fuss, though quietened into whimpers as Sakharine singlehandedly ripped his sword from its holder, an agonised cry coming from Tintin as the blade was held to the dog’s throat.

“Don’t play games with me, you stupid boy,” he seethed, watching Tintin’s clear eyes appear to set alight with multiple emotions in the dimness of the lower decks, “you knew exactly what you spoke about earlier, so unless you want your dear dog you love so much to die, I suggest telling me where the scroll is.”

Tintin didn’t think he could get any angrier, or even show more of it with how much pain he was in. “You’re sick, you know that?” he spat, hints of distress clearly making themselves known with the shake in his voice and the shine of his eyes, “Don’t you even dare!”

Sakharine laughed, amused. “Only because I know how to get the job done, you insolent child,” he remarked, the blade glinting underneath the dog’s jaw, “so would you rather let your dog live compared to remaining secretive about scrolls that were none of your damn business in the first place?”

The sickly grin appeared back on his face, and Tintin couldn’t help but flick his eyes between the other man’s face, the blade and the black, pleading eyes of his beloved dog, Snowy. He wasn’t remotely in a position to argue, emotionally or physically. He wasn’t just a boy though, even though he knew he was always that despite everything that he’d done. He couldn’t possibly let this man get away like this; he just wanted a nice ship and he’d thrown himself face first into this mystery with the criminal dealings underpinning it all.

But he couldn’t bank on solving this mystery and catching criminals at the cost of his own dog. How much could come close to how much Snowy meant to him? Even if he wanted to figure out the means to stop these people. Not like he didn’t know that these kinds of people had many ways to play dirty. Of course they would.

Of course he would.

“It’s be a real shame to stain such lovely white fur...” Sakharine trailed off with faux sympathy in his voice, before the cracked voice of the boy spoke up, fervently.

“Stop!” he cried, feeling nausea in the pit of his stomach at the description, “just stop! Please, don’t!”

Sakharine stopped, moreso at the distress in the boy’s voice, however much he tried not to. Not like he had the strength, anyway. The shine in his eyes was very clear, as if something was going to fall from them. He was grinning now, contemptuously, self-satisfied, as if the mere idea of reducing what appeared to be a strong-willed boy almost to tears was enjoyable, in of itself.

“And why is that?” he asked, that grin not budging in the slightest.

“I...” Tintin started, hating himself for saying it, “I don’t have the scroll on me.” Evidently putting emphasis on that last part. “It’s still on the mainland, because it’s in my wallet that was stolen from me.”

Sakharine raised an eyebrow. That explains why the brat didn’t have it on him. He frowned; it was frustrating enough that this was the case without it being back where they started. But he appeared satisfied enough, pulling the sword away from the dog’s throat and dropped him as if was diseased. Predictably, the dog scampered over, now more concerned for the worse state his owner was in, licking him and whining in his face. The boy was more or less zoned out now, eyes bright with tears, a hand absentmindedly stroking the mutt’s head.

He looked down, patronisingly, though his voice remained clear to the crewmates outside. He could see anger and hurt boiling behind that deadened expression. “Never underestimate the influence of the bond between a boy and his dog,” he spoke, his voice once again sickeningly polite, “especially when he forgets to value the life of the animal over business that had nothing to do with him to begin with. Anyone can be influenced if you just do it right.” He glared over at his henchman, but didn’t say anything else.

He left the metal cage, putting his cane back together, the boy and dog barely flinching as metal hit metal. “It’s a real shame,” he said aloud, his thoughts wandering with a malicious undertone, “Killing that damn animal would’ve been frankly enjoyable.”

[falcon-eye]

So I’ve been writing on my phone and this one almost made me lose my shit because when initially hitting “copy” I accidentally hit “paste” and deleted the entire fucking thing. Thank GOD gmail keeps a copy of your notes. Holy shit.

Again made for @inexplicifics Accidental Warlord AU

Veko and Eloise’s domestic adventures continue! I’m so happy people actually like them! I’ve grown so close to them both. This will be part of their bigger story, because since I’ve been writing on my phone they’ve been really small and when I expound on them I want to add more details before all this, like about Veko and Hamra and all that. So consider these teasers I guess? That’s why the endings feel so abrupt. Or that’s the excuse I keep telling myself. I don’t know. But when I finally post everything it will be on AO3, and I may put these little ficlets on AO3 as a fic as well.

Anyway hope you enjoy this one! Veko and Eloise return!

——————

The next time Veko saw Eloise was just as bizarre as the first. Except this time, she ended up helping him as opposed to him saving her father again. It was, somehow, even more awkward.

It was a few weeks of a full year later. What was supposed to just be one kikimora turned into a while nest, and despite this, the alderman barely wanted to pay him what he said he would for the one kill, let alone a whole cluster of them. He wouldn’t even let Veko inside. Luckily it had almost literally just stopped raining. But it was getting to the point where Veko was having to take a few calming breaths between the arguing; the alderman was a miserable prick, but Veko didn’t want to snap on the guy.

“You take what I give ye an’ be done with it!” the alderman shouted, reaching for the dagger at his belt. “Or you’ll get no coin and—“

“Husband!” a woman’s voice rang out. Veko and the alderman jumped; fucking rain and yelling, making Veko’s senses dull. A small force practically ran into him from the side and wrapped a hand around his elbow. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Uh—“

“Eloise!” the alderman exclaimed. Oh shit, that’s where Veko knew her from! “Nothing t’ worry about, this Witcher was jus’ leaving.”

Eloise turned to Veko, pressing closer. “You were?” she asked, faking concern to apparently Veko’s ears only. “But darling, you just got here!”

Veko’s mind went totally blank. “Hello?” he said dumbly.

The alderman’s eyes narrowed. “What?” he hissed. “Eloise, this man—“

“Is my beloved,” Eloise cut in. The alderman’s mouth shut with an audible click. “Last year, don’t you remember? The Witcher that saved my father from those drowners!”

Veko continued to stare at her.

“But—“ the alderman stammered.

“Now what’s with all this shouting over here?” Eloise barreled on.

“I sent this Witcher here to kill the kikimora roamin’ about,” the alderman said.

Eloise gave Veko’s arm a little shake to snap him back into the conversation. “I, uh,” he stammered. “It wasn’t just one. There was a whole nest.”

Eloise clapped a hand over her mouth and gasped dramatically. “A whole nest!” she exclaimed, drawing the attention of the townspeople nearby. “My goodness! I’m so glad it’s been taken care of! Oh, Lennart, I don’t know what we would have done had a whole nest of those beasts descended upon the town!”

People were starting to whisper. The alderman—Lennart’s heart rate sped up. “Oh, well yes, I, eh, was good indeed.” He looked like he was trying to both glare at Veko and keep the shock of Eloise’s outburst off his face at the same time—and failing.

Eloise finally let go of Veko and took the alderman’s hands. “Do you need help with the coin?” she asked innocently. “For the additional kikimora? I know things have been difficult since Nora left—“

“I can handle it!” Lennart exclaimed, eyes darting around at the growing mass of people who’d come to hear about the monsters. The alderman patted Eloise’s hands and laughed nervously. “I mean, that’s alright dear! I-I’ve plenty of coin for the Witcher here! Let me—I’ll go get it.”

Lennart raced back into his house and the crowd of people began to disperse, clearly boring of the now dwindling conversation. Veko was still not sure what the fuck just happened. But before he could ask, the alderman burst back outside and practically threw a pretty hefty sack of coin into Veko’s hands.

“Splendid!” Eloise exclaimed, and then turned to Veko one more. “Shall we go, darling?”

Veko nodded, letting himself be led away, once again, by this bizarre woman. But just before Lennart went back inside, Veko turned to him, held up the bag of coin, and winked. Lennart turned an ugly red and slammed the door behind him.

“Fucking weaselly prick,” Eloise hissed. Veko guffawed.

“Holy shit,” he said. “Where did you even come from? How did you find me? What—what the hell was that?!”

Eloise held up a hand and ticked answers off her fingers. “I was in town putting an order for paints in, saw your horse tied to a tree near the edge of town, and Lennart is a right prick but easy to exploit because of it. His wife Nora left a few weeks ago with some adventurer who came through town. She knew he’d been trying to bed any girl in sight and rightfully left.”

Veko pocketed the bag of coin. “Well I’m not going to complain,” he said.

Eloise tucked her hand into the crook of his arm again. “Are you planning on staying?” she asked. “Papa says it’s supposed to rain; he can feel it in his knees, he says.”

Veko started itching at his burns. “I, uh—“

“Right, coming with me then.”

Veko laughed again and Eloise guide the way.

——————————————————

For having apparently acquired Eloise and her home, this was the first time Veko had actually been inside. It was cozy, the walls painted a pale pink and yellow. The kitchen was warm and smelled amazing, Eloise having apparently left something cooking while she’d been out.

Peering into the next room, the apparent main room of the house, Veko found bottles of paints and an assortment of brushes set up at an easel against the far window (splattered in paint); blank canvases were piled behind it. But actually giving the room a look-around, his attention was immediately drawn to the walls lined floor to ceiling with the most beautiful paintings Veko had ever seen.

Landscapes of what Veko recognized as the local stream and the goat paddock out back, faces he didn’t recognize but could have started up a conversation with him with how real they looked, random assortments of everyday items put together to make some interesting structure—there was art everywhere.

Veko didn’t realize he was gaping until he heard Eloise chuckle. “Like what you see?” she asked.

“They’re amazing,” Veko replied, reaching towards a painting of a young boy.

“Don’t touch!” Eloise snapped; Veko jumped. “Sorry, sorry, they’re just—when they dry the colors fade of you touch them.”

“Sorry,” Veko said, shoving his hand into his pocket.

Eloise shook her head. “It’s always been a dream of mine to be a famous painter. Sometimes I get commissions or sell some in Oxenfurt. There’s a man who comes by to take them to market every now and then. Anyway, apparently my father went to bed early,” she said. “Stew?” Eloise chuckled. “I can paint a delicious meal but actually cooking it, eh...”

Now it was Veko’s turn to laugh. “I’d love some, whatever it tastes like,” he said. “And—thank you, for that shit with the alderman.”

Eloise waved him off. “Honestly? Bringing you up has been doing wonders around here,” she said.

As Veko sat down at the table, he remembered: “Did you call me husband?”

“How long ago was that and you’re just realizing that now?”

“In my defense, you came out of nowhere!”

“Aren’t you supposed to be this great warrior with heightened senses?”

Instead of answering, Veko leaned forward and smirked. “You think I’m great?”

Eloise stared at him for a moment before scoffing and shoveling a spoonful of soup into her mouth. “A great pain in my arse,” she said, “and you’ve only been here five minutes.”

“Might I remind you that you’re the one who dragged me here.”

“Yeah, because you looked like a bloody kicked puppy when I asked!”

“Kitten.”

Eloise blinked. “What?”

Veko tapped his medallion. “I’m from the School of the Cat, so I’d be a kitten.”

There was a moment of silence before Eloise let out a ‘PFFFT!’ and burst out laughing. “Did you really just—“

“I can leave right now!” Veko exclaimed, but there was no heat behind it. Eloise’s laugh was loud and hoarse, hardly ladylike or cute, but for some reason Veko liked hearing it. He wanted to hear it again.

Eloise wiped tears from her eyes. “Just eat your stew, Witcher,” she said.

“Veko,” Veko said. “My name is Veko.”

“Veko,” Eloise repeated, like she was getting used to how it sounded. “Nice to officially meet you, husband.”

Veko started scratching his burns. “Oh gods.”

Eloise smacked his hand like she’d done last year. “Stop doing that,” she snapped. “You’re going to make it worse.”

“I’ve had it for fifteen years; I don’t think it’s going to get worse.”

Eloise was quiet. “How—? Never mind.”

“No, it’s ok,” Veko reassured her. “My brother and I got into a fight. Or something. I can’t remember. But it was an accident, either way.”

“Is your brother also a Witcher?”

Veko nodded, having just stuffed his face with stew again. “Yah,” he said, his mouth full. He swallowed. “Identical twins, actually. Though my hair’s longer and he’s a bit bulkier than I am. His name’s Hamra.”

“Veko and Hamra,” Eloise said, “twin Cat Witchers, huh?”

“Yes ma’am,” Veko replied. Over the course of the meal, Veko explained the basics about the Cats and their caravan, how they worked and why they occasionally split up. Eloise, for her part, only asking questions when he’d finished a story and let him talk most of the conversation. Normally, talking is what Veko was used to, but both times he’d been with this woman she’d shocked him into silence. It was nice to be comfortable again.

Night settled quickly and when they finished their respective meals, Eloise took both their bowls to wash. “I’m going to set a cot up for you,” she said over her shoulder.

“What, no bed?” Veko teased.

“Other than my father's bed, there’s only one other and it’s mine,” Eloise replied.

“Not enough room for husband and wife?”

Eloise suddenly turned serious. Without even turning to him she said, “I’ll not bed you, Witcher.”

Veko held his hands up in surrender, even though her back was still turned. “Ok,” he said softly. “Just messing around, sorry. Didn’t mean to upset you, truly.”

Eloise sighed deeply and finally turned to him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just. I don’t want that. From anyone, ever. It’s—it’s hard to explain. Just thinking about... that... makes me... extremely uncomfortable.”

Veko nodded. “I understand,” he said. “I mean, I don’t, but I respect that.”

Eloise smiled. “Thank you,” she said.

“Is that why me being your husband is useful?” Veko asked; Eloise’s heart rate sped up. “I don’t have a problem with that!” he quickly assured her. “It’s just, last year you said something to that effect.”

Eloise looked him in the eye for a moment, maybe trying to assess if he was telling the truth? And then nodded. “Yes.”

“Well, that’s no problem here,” Veko said. “Gods know I only really come through this area once a year. I could swing by to keep up appearances.”

“And I could help you bleed Lennart dry of all his coin.”

Veko smirked. “I like the way you think.”

Eloise smirked back. “I think this is going to be a very successful partnership.”

[the-peak-of-despair]

Mahiru Koizumi x Blackend!Reader

I NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO THE ORIGINAL ASK! 

anon asked:  Omg I just read the Fuyuhiko angst and it was amazing 🥺💖 Anyways I was wondering if I could have the same sort of plot with Mahiru if it’s not too much trouble? I love your blog💖💞💖

Definitely don’t listen to as the world caves in by matt maltese as you think about Mahiru watching your execution. I’m kidding, do it. Interalize it. -Mod Akane

Holy shit.

Holy.. fucking.. Shit.

You’d done it.

You’d killed Peko Pekoyama. 

You watched her eyes, she was there, at your feet, dying, looking up at you. So many emotions warped her red eyes. She rasped, as if she wanted to say something, but then.. Her eyes.. The light faded, near a gray dull color as she expired in front of you, moonlight shining down and giving her body a light glow, the most light it would ever give off again. 

You never thought you’d kill someone. Let alone the Ultimate Swordswoman. But still, looking down at her now, lifeless...bloody… a knife still in your hand….

The world around you collapsed, as you started to realize...

oh dear god, what had you done?

---

As everyone shuffled into the courtroom once again, Mahiru warily looked around, eyeing down anyone suspicious as she put her hand in (Y/N)’s, approaching her podium cautiously as (Y/N) joined right next to her. 

“So.. where shall we start..?” Sonia trails off as everyone settles. 

“I’m not sure, but whoever did this..” Mahiru starts, “it’d be better to just fess up.” She feels (Y/N)’s grip tighten, for only a second.

“W-Well, for now it might be easier to start with Mikan’s autopsy results?” Hajime suggests. 

“A-Ah, y-yes..!” Mikan starts. “W-Well, it’s obvious, her c-cause of death w-would be the gash o-on her neck.. T-There’s signs of a struggle with her clothes and scratches on her t-torso, b-but that’s a-about it..” She plays with her thumbs, looking down and away from the rest of the trial. 

“Man, to think someone got the jump on Peko..” Akane says, scratching the back of her head. “It’s hard to believe, you know?” 

“Maybe someone close to her betrayed her?” Sonia suggests. “It is the only thing I can think of, for such a skilled fighter..” 

“Hey.. Fuyuhiko.. You alright..?” Kazuichi asks, turning the room’s attention to Fuyuhiko, who was breathing heavy and gripping his podium, staring down at the floor.

“I-I’m fine. Just get o-on with the stupid trial..” He mutters, briefly glancing up at everyone else in the room. (Y/N)’s grip tightened once again, and Maihru glances at her. Eyes widened and almost like she was shaking.. 

“..You okay?” Maihru asks quietly, worried more about her lover than everyone else as the trial moved on.

“Y-Yeah. I-I’m fine.” (Y/N) turns to Mahiru and smiles weakly, before turning back to Hajime, who was rambling something about finding the murder weapon.

As a photographer, Mahiru knew smiles in and out. Better yet, she’d known your smile like she knew photography. She’d fallen in love with it. Which is why it concerned her, realizing that your smile was forced, and most likely fake…

Had you been hiding something from her? 

“Well, obviously, the weapon was a knife. We’d seen it at the scene, correct?” Nagito asks, a blatant rhetorical question. It was only the second trial, but it was pretty clear that this is how he would be acting during every trial.

“Well, duh! We saw that much, genius.” Akane rolls her eyes. “That doesn’t help any.”  

“Maybe it could help..?” Sonia suggests. “Does anyone know where the knife came from?” 

“U-Um.. judging by the size of it.. And the d-design i-itself.. I-I’d assume it’s a k-kitchen knife..” Mikan comments, shaking like a leaf. 

“Well, the only people who go into the hotel kitchen are.. Mahiru and (Y/N).” Kazuichi points out. Mahiru drops (Y/N)’s hand in shock.

“Me? You’re going to accuse us?” Mahiru asks. “Why would- would either of us have any reason to kill Peko? That’s ridiculous!” She waves her hands around dramatically, akin to a mother lecturing her children. 

“We haven’t accused either of you yet..” Hajime comments. 

“Still, the notion is ridiculous!” Mahiru argues. 

“I-I did it.” (Y/N) states, shaky yet a calm demeanor plastered over her face.

“W-What..?” Mahiru turned quickly, looking at (Y/N) with fear. “I-If you’re joking, this i-isn’t funny…” 

“I..I killed Peko.” (Y/N) takes a heavy breath, eyes brimming with tears. “I- I didn’t.. I don’t want you guys to argue a-and potentially get hurt c-cause of me..” “T-This isn’t funny, (Y/N)!” Mahiru places a hand on her shoulder, as she begins to cry. “S-Stop trying to joke around!” 

“I-I wish I was..”

“Y-You..” Fuyuhiko begins.. “Y-You bastard!” He takes a heavy breath, finally standing up straight before beginning to scream at the girl. The girl Mahiru loved- the girl- who killed their friend- oh God..

“L-Leave her alone!” “Like fucking hell I will! She fucking- she- sh-she killed Peko! Whatever fucking punishment she gets, she can take it!” Fuyuhiko argues, refusing to even look at (Y/N). 

“Take that back!” Mahiru reprimands him. “I don’t care, she didn’t kill Peko!”

“Mahiru..” (Y/N) sets a hand on her arm, even though she was still wincing from Fuyuhiko’s verbal assault. 

“I’m not gonna believe it! Not until there’s cold, hard evidence!” 

“You can deny it all you fucking want, she’s a FILTHFY FUCKING KILLER!” Fuyuhiko screams. “I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU WON’T BELIEVE!” 

“Guys, please stop argu-” Chiaki tries to intervene. 

“Stay out of this, Chiaki.” Mahiru stops her, without even looking at her.

“Mahiru!” (Y/N) snaps for her attention, and finally Mahiru- along with everyone else- finally turns and looks at (Y/N). She rolls up her sleeve, to reveal a gash across her arm, still slightly dripping with blood. “This is proof. When P-Peko fought back..” 

“N-No..” Mahiru covers her mouth, going as far as biting her hand to hold in her sobs. This isn’t happening. This was a dream, she’d wake up any second, or maybe Hajime would prove (Y/N) wrong..

“See?! There’s your fucking evidence!” Fuyuhiko yells. “Let’s just start fucking voting already!” 

“Weeell, if you insist!” Monokuma cheerily intervenes. “NO!” Mahiru starts screaming as she turns to her classmates, already pulling their levers. “PLEASE! She’s not- she’s not guilty! Please! You- You’ve gotta believe me!” 

“Stop, Mahiru..” (Y/N) sets a hand on her shoulder, even as Mahiru votes for herself instead of (Y/N). She turns, tears streaming down her beloved’s face..dear God, this was a nightmare. The world began to cave in around Mahiru as it was confirmed, (Y/N) was guilty.

“W-Why? WHY’D YOU FUCKING KILL PEKO?” Fuyuhiko slams his hands against his podium, daggers in his eyes as he stares down (Y/N) with daggers in his eyes. “I WAS PROTECTING MAHIRU!” (Y/N) screams. “I-I played that stupid game Monokuma set up! A-And- I saw what happened! And I heard you talking to Peko, Fuyuhiko!” 

Fuyuhiko’s taken aback. “What?” 

“Sh-She was your friend! Your bodyguard! And Mahiru- Mahiru just wanted to talk to everyone and- and fix everything! That’s why sh-she even wanted to invite Hiyoko, and Mikan, and I-Ibuki!” (Y/N) argues, wiping tears from her eyes.

Mikan looks between them, overwhelmed. “O-Oh, dear, l-l-let me t-take care of your arm-!”

“Don’t you fucking dare, Mikan!” Fuyuhiko interjects, earning a startled shriek from Mikan.

“Please, fix her arm, Mikan!” Mahiru adds, only overwhelming the poor girl.

“What am I missing here?!” Akane interjects. “What the hell happened?” 

“That- that game! I-It was about- our school life- our memories. and Mahiru just wanted to talk to everyone involved- b-but Fuyuhiko and Peko were planning to kill her! Because F-Fuyuhiko’s sister-”

“Don’t you fucking DARE-” Fuyuhiko starts to yell, before taking a deep breath- “talk about my fucking sister.”

“Heey, hey, hey hey!” Monokuma interjects. “The vote’s over, y’know! (Y/N). Is. Guilty!”

“N-No! M-Monkuma, d-don’t-” Mahiru begins pleading, and some part of her is praying to every god she’d ever known, please, don’t take away (Y/N), don’t take her away.. 

“Don’t whaaaat? You know the rules, sweetheart! (Y/N)’s the blackened! And I’ve prepared a veerry special punishment for her!” “Wait, I’m still confused..” Sonia stops Monokuma. “Let them explain..”

“Heey, I’m sure Mahiru and Fuyuhiko can do all the talking! Come on, stop delaying me!” Monokuma complains as Mahiru pulls (Y/N) into a hug, holding her close. 

“D-Don’t leave me, p-please..” Mahiru starts sobbing, hiccups to boot. “P-Please, (Y/N)! Tell me you didn’t kill her!” 

“I-I’m sorry, Mahiru..” (Y/N) wipes Mahiru’s tears as the hug ends, and Mahiru leans into the touch. “B-But it’s like y-you said at the s-start of the trial, right..? T-The killer d-deserves to be punished..” (Y/N) forced another smile. 

The realization slams into Mahiru as she realizes what she’s said, and what she’s done. “Oh, god, n-no..” Mahiru can’t even protest as she starts to cry even more, maybe the last time she’d ever see (Y/N) alive begins to blur with tears.

“Come on! Iiiiit’s PUNISHMENT TIME!” Monokuma shouts with glee as (Y/N) walks away, out of her grasp. “I’ve got an extra special punishment for our Ultimate (talent)!” 

Mahiru can’t even speak as she watches the execution. Her entire world, maybe even the Earth around her itself, began to cave in on her. It all became blurry, through her tears and her screams of protests.. All she really knew anymore was you were dead by the end of it all. No one said a word, not even after the execution was over, the room was near silent aside from Mahiru, on her knees crying and screaming for (Y/N) to come back, her entire personality itself shattered. 

No one said a word on the way back to their cottages. The killing game would continue, if you were there or not...

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Save Me From Myself - Leone Abbacchio

The best thing that could ever happen in my life is to become a part of the gang Passione - Or, to be more specific, a part of Buccellati’s team, filled with people with so many past issues that somehow manage to work together and support each other with everything they’ve got, despite their huge differences.

We have, from youngest to oldest, we have:

Giorno, a super cute and pure angel of a kid who is super smart and ambitious. Fugo, a super smart and caring yet hella violent kid who can’t control his temper. Narancia, ADD kiddo who behaves like a 10 year old, but is funny and has nice dance moves. Mista, hella funny guy and easy going, but can get distracted by weird things. Bruno, the mum of the group, everyone loves and looks up to him. And we have Abbacchio, who’s the oldest, acts somehow like the responsible dad of the group, yet he’s more of a very gloomy wine dad.

Of course, being a part of Bruno’s team, we already know each other’s backstories and we know how to support and protect each other when we need it, both morally and emotionally, since, after all, nobody is made of ice or stone.

But that is something that perhaps neither Abbacchio nor I chose to admit...Or maybe we already know that, but we don’t want to say it out loud, because if we do, it will make it real, and we don’t want the bad parts to be real.

When we have pair up missions, I’d usually be paired with Abbacchio, since apparently, we make quite a good team, and can’t say that I complain - He knows when to stay silent, when to make a witty or sarcastic comment, has very nice dark jokes and can be a great conversation partner, especially when it comes to music and bands.

What I realised, however, that I’m not sure everyone knows, is that Abbacchio has a dose of self-hatred so large that it would include the dose of everyone from the team...No, rather said, of all Italy.

Unfortunately, when you’re someone like me, you can easily realise when someone isn’t doing mentally and emotionally too well, and what’s worse, as an empath, you can feel it just like an arrow impaling your heart.

It’s already been about a year since Giorno joined our team and for some reason, things started taking a turn for the unexpected whenever we’d have our weekly restaurant gatherings.

It all started when Mista got himself a girlfriend, and honestly, everyone was shocked because so far, nobody actually had any kind of love life, but we were all super proud and happy for him. He has always been a fun and easy going guy, very adventurous and this charm of his unexpectedly drew interesting girls to him, and managed to get completely head over heels with one.

Three weeks later, Mista couldn’t come to the hang out because he was taking his girlfriend on a date out of the city, but we found out that Giorno, with his really cute tricks and natural innocent charm, found himself in a relationship with a flower girl, very kind and sweet. They met when she was walking her puppy and he pulled on the leash so hard that she fell, but Giorno caught her and helped her out with the puppy, and it was love at first sight.

Of course, we were all very happy for them, because obviously, Giorno deserves the best in life...

And yet, it was weird when we were so few at the table at weekend hang outs.

It didn’t take long for Bruno to fall for a beautiful singer at a jazz bar, who, he found out, always bought meals for children of the streets and bought them clothes and tried to take care of them the best she could.

And now that our Mum friend was busy with his beloved, we are told by Fugo that he also managed to find a girl who is extremely calm, patient and intelligent, just his type, and they are planning a few museum and bookshop dates, as well of some very chill hang outs in the park.

Not even a week later, it was only me, Abbacchio and Narancia at the table, but the little duck was overly enthusiastic today, and told us that he found a girl who doesn’t mind his energetic and airhead personality and wants to take HIM out on an arcade date, and he needs some dating advice so he wouldn’t screw up.

“These kids are so pure and adorable, don’t you think, Leone?” I let out an amused breath, realising that, by now, it was only I and him at the table. “Yeah...They are. they deserve it.” he nodded simply, yet he seemed to not be over with his thoughts. “You seem like you want to say something else. Do you have anything on your mind that you’d like to share?...Hold up, is that lipstick on your neck?” I ask in a gentle voice, that turned into a gasp, which made him hum as he closed his eyes and think over, trying to wipe away the lipstick from his skin. “Well, I suppose I should say it after all. I asked a girl out and we’re going on a date next weekend, so I won’t be present for our weekly hang out...Not that it would make much of a difference, considering we’re the only ones left.” hearing him say that so nonchalantly, broke my heart in very little pieces, but at the same time, I was happy for him. “Woaw, that’s great, I’m so happy for you, Abba! I hope she’s everything you wish for and that you’ll both be happy together!” I congratulated him, but he only let out an amused breath, looking away slightly. “Yeah...Thanks, I guess.” he spoke in a low voice, seemingly absent minded. “You still have something on your mind -... No, rather said, on your heart. Is it something you’d rather keep to yourself?” I ask in a softer voice, leaning a bit on the table. “I’m not sure...” he trailed on, before glancing at him, blinking but not saying anything for a while. “Well, doesn’t matter, I’m not really a talker anyway. I have to go. See you around, Kat.” he nodded at me before leaving the restaurant, leaving me alone. “Bye...” I mutter to myself, staring at the empty seat in front of me.

It was then that I was reminded just how alone I really was, even when surrounded by people that I hold dear, and in turn, hold me dear... Well, not that it really mattered now anyway, since I was truly alone now, both spiritually and physically.

I got up from my seat and started walking around the city aimlessly, not really knowing what to do. When everyone else wasn’t so busy, I’d cling on one of them, depending on the mood I had at the moment...But now?  Now I feel like nothing more than a wingless bird, or a paper plane in the wind, just trying to stay in the air.

Everywhere I looked, everyone was happy, everyone had someone that made them happy, and in turn, would make said person happy... And then I’d think at myself, and I’d find nothing more than an endless void of nothingness.

It’s true, I used to date someone too, before Giorno joined us, but...I never, even once, missed one of our hang outs.  I suppose the team, my family, for me, was always more important than a relationship that may or may not be fleeting. And...I suppose that’s why my ex kept speaking like that to me, and seeing me in such a bad light. A difference in ideals and mind views that is so radical is never going to work out.

I already miss my Family, despite of how dysfunctional we all are.

How odd.

The next weekend, I went to the restaurant at the regular time, hoping that I would see at least one of the guys... But I was merely lying to myself, or my heart, that is. My brain already knew I was going to be alone.

One week, two weeks, three weeks...

The only time I’d meet them is when we’d have to go on missions or stuff like that.

I can’t believe how fast happiness can disappear...It’s almost like it never existed in the first place. How is that fair?

Why am I the only one left alone? Am I really that much of a bad person? Am I really that bad? Or ugly? Or annoying? Or what the hell is wrong with me? And more, what the hell is wrong with my heart? Why does it hurt so much? Why do I keep feeling the need to break down and cry every night with no exception? But I’m not sure what’s worse, the fact that I feel the need to cry my emotions out and scream my frustrations out at the sky... Or the fact that I can’t?

For the love of God, I can’t express my emotions, I can’t feel them, or maybe I feel too many at once and they threaten to explode, hell, I don’t even understand anything anymore.

This...Is really not fair at all...

About two months into this whole mess, I found myself going out by the sea every night, drinking some red wine that Abbacchio always drank and surprisingly, wasn’t too bad for my tastes, and I would just stare at the sky and let my emotions pour out, but not without cursing myself for looking like an alcoholic.

What was different that night, however, was a very familiar voice that seemed rather irked, continued by a very pitched and nagging female voice.

It sounded like Abbacchio...But I could always be mistaken. After all, drinking a whole bottle of red wine by myself wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

They seemed to be arguing...I don’t know...I wouldn’t want to intervene in their couple affairs. Or at least, that’s what I said, until I heard a loud slapping sound, followed by a deathly silence, which is when I realised that the woman he was with slapped him.

I may not be his girlfriend, but godamn it, nobody treats my family like that...

I marched to where the sound of the woman yelling at him came from, and despite possibly being a bit wobbly, I wasn’t even sure, I glared at her, catching her wrist before she could slap him once again.

“Who the hell are you?! Who do you think you are, getting between me and my boyfriend like that?! You look like some drunk slut from the highway, we have no money for your cheap ass!” she shrieked in my face, trashing violently, but I made no hostile move, except for glaring blankly at her. “He’s my family...And I’ll be dead before I allow anyone to treat my family with such disrespect.” I spoke in a low and threatening voice, gripping her wrist tighter. “It’s fine, Katrina, I deserved it.” Abbacchio tried to defend his girlfriend, but I was having none of it. “No, it’s not fine. And you didn’t deserve it. Nobody deserves to be treated like that by the person they love.” I reply simply, but that seemed to make hell break loose. “Oh my GOD! Leone, this is all your fault! Who the hell made you know such a fucking annoying chick like her who doesn’t mind her own damn business?! Screw it, I’m going home! You owe me a nice fucking date next time!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, before pushing me away and stomping in the opposite direction. “God damn it...” Abbacchio’s low voice was barely audible. “Are you okay, Abba...? Does it hurt where she slapped you? Can I heal it with my Stand?” I tried to reach out instinctively with my hands, but he slapped them away harshly, glaring at me, which made me widen my eyes in shock. “Abba...?” I was barely able to speak out. “What the fuck is your problem?! Why do you have to put your nose everywhere that doesn’t concern you? That was MY girlfriend! My date, my problem, my responsibility! ALL mine! You never stop trying to pry into others’ business, under the pretext that we’re family and you want the best for us, but have you ever thought that maybe we DON’T need OR want that?!” it was the first time he spoke so harshly and aggressive toward me, that I had to take a few steps back, away from him, then turn around to hide the tears streaming down my face. “Okay. I won’t bother you ever again. I’m sorry I’m such a bother for everyone around me. Goodbye.” I manage to speak in a shaky voice, as I started walking back towards the place where I stood previously, but I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. “W-Wait...Are you crying...?” Leone spoke in an unsure voice, as if he was somehow taken back to reality. “That shouldn’t concern you, should it? It’s none of your business and you shouldn’t pry so much into it. That IS what you said, right, Abbacchio? Who cares about poor little, annoying Katrina, after all? Nobody. Let it remain that way. Who knows, maybe you’ll have the look to completely get rid of me very soon.” I slapped his hand away, before disappearing into the night, not even bothering to hear him out anymore.

From then on, I wasn’t even able to fake my happiness, my face remaining blank and emotionless for most of the time, and I’d only stay around the team for as long the mission needed me, and then I’d just leave back home, to my little safe heaven where I could be myself... But honestly, I couldn’t even be myself there, for I wouldn’t even be able to cry out my feelings or anything of the sort, and for the most time, I’d just watch a movie or listen to music, without feeling anything at all, just wasting my time blankly.

The other guys would voice their concerns quite often and loud, since I wasn’t my usual calming, gentle and happy go lucky self anymore, and it was clear that something was wrong...Especially when I refused to stay anywhere near the silver haired man.

It wasn’t until Bruno paired me up with said man that hell broke loose in a way, and the whole drive to the assigned place was filled with awkward silence, with Abbacchio trying to make conversation by asking if I like the song that’s on or I want to change it, but I didn’t bother giving him any answer, merely looking in front of me as I drove.

By the time we got to the docks to investigate the place, I walked away from him to do my job, but he just stood there, staring into the horizon, trying to say something, but something was keeping him - Most likely his own walls he created.

“We should talk.” he finally spoke up after excruciating minutes. “Really?” I asked sarcastically, now even bothering to look at him. “What were you doing at the beach that night?” he asked after a long pause. “Strictly confidential.” I replied blankly, looking at the little dock house. “What...?!” my response seemed to shock him since I was never so harsh and direct with him, always preferring to speak with a gentler and softer way. “It’s none of your business, is it? Your words, not mine.” I explained as I got inside and looked around the place. “I didn’t mean that. Not a word I said.” he tried to say, but I cut him off fast. “Activate your Stand already, stop wasting time.” I got out, looking at him with a bored expression. “Besides, words spoken always have a meaning and consequences. Action-Reaction, like in Physics, y’know?” I pointed out, as I took a seat on one of the logs around. “Look, I know I fucked up. I lashed out at you for no reason, and I’m sorry about that. I want to make it up to you. You were right to worry about me. Anyone from the team would have done the same. I was an asshole with you, I know that. I let my feelings go out of control... I'm just that kinda guy... a worthless guy who can't see anything through to the end. I always screw it up halfway through.” he spoke now more than I’ve ever heard him before, but the way he described himself made me cringe. “Don’t...Speak like that about yourself...” I muttered, shifting my gaze from him to Moody Blues. “Huh? Even now, after I was such an asshole with you, you try to protect me? Aren’t you an angel?” he chuckled lightly, which only made me sneer. “Shut up. I’m sorry for caring about you and for not wanting you to go through what I’ve been through. But I should’ve known better. You’re 21, you already have enough experience to know what you get yourself into. I won’t say a word next time, don’t worry. I promised not to bother anyone again.” I rolled my eyes, crossing my legs to get more comfortable in my seat. “That guy really was a bastard, wasn’t he...?” he muttered with a somehow softened expression. “Don’t try to turn this around. This conversation isn’t about me and nor should you be concerned about me or my feelings in any way.” I reminded him once again, but he was always a stubborn guy. “Lately, I’ve been feeling worse and worse...I guess I just needed a distraction. I never held any feelings for that woman, nor did she for me.” he tried to justify himself, but I merely shrugged. “I don’t see how that concerns me in any way.” I scoffed in annoyance. “You’re the only one I’d trust with my feelings.” he spoke after a brief silence, but I could only laugh sardonically. “Oh, really? Really, now? Are you sure you want to say that after that night? Because, as far as I’m concerned, you want me out of your life! Why would you even bother trying to justify your actions to someone like me anyway?!” I got up, glaring at him dead on. “Look, I give you every right to be mad at me! You can go ahead and punch me or kick me or slap me or whatever, it doesn’t matter, I won’t feel anything so if it will make you feel better, lash out your anger on me, I’d deserve it anyway.” he spoke a bit louder, yet he wore his raw feelings on his sleeve. “Why...Would I do that? You, of all people, should know that I would never, in a million years, do something like that, no matter how angry I am. Are you trying to mock me...?” I narrowed my eyes at him, but he merely shook his head. “I’m trying to get you to forgive me. I’m just very bad at this whole feel-thing...Or people-thing. You already know my past and I’m pretty sure you figured by now why I act the way I act. It’s not rocket science. So just...Tell me what to do to get you to forgive me and be the way we were before. I can’t stand the idea of you hating me.” his voice became much softer and more emotional by the end of it, something uncharacteristic of him. “I don’t hate you.” I looked down, crossing my arms. “You don’t...?” he stepped forward, his face shocked. “I can’t. No matter how much I want to hate you for what you did...I can’t.” I mutter, biting my lip, averting my eyes away from him, until...”Hey...Doesn’t that look oddly enough like your girlfriend...?” I ask breathlessly as Moody Blues took the shape of the girl at the beach. “Oh, great...My hookup is a villain Stand user. Great news.” he facepalmed in anger, before he ran full speed towards me, pushing me away. “Look out!” “Wh-What...?! Leone...?!” I gasped in shock, seeing him on the ground, a really ugly wound on his torso. “Guess we have to kill her.” he chuckled weakly, as I could feel a drop of sweat run down my back. “Damn it, you idiot! You shouldn’t have done that! Why the hell would you do something like that?!” I freaked out, looking at his bleeding wound. “I’ll tell you if I make it through this.” he wore the ghost of a smile that almost challenged me. “...You always know how to irk me the wrong way, don’t you?” I grit my teeth, before I got up, activating my Stand. “I’m not a violent person, chickadee, but now you’ve done it. You really got me mad.” I growled, creating blasting shots of water and throwing them at the woman in front of me. “Awww, what is it? Were you jealous, after all? Were you after my man all this time~?” she giggled, throwing her own blasts of whatever kind of energy that was. “I have no reason to be jealous. Especially not on someone like you.” I smirk as I made molecules of water depart from the actual blast, that would glue themselves on her skin and would get absorbed into her organism. “Oh, really? Can you really afford to say that, even now, knowing that he fucked me?” she laughed condescendingly, but she had no idea what a gruesome demise she’d have. “I almost pity you, you know? You seem like the kind of person who never knew what love is...Not that I’m sympathetic to you in any way. But sure, use that as an excuse to pretend you’re not just an empty shell of yourself.” I chuckled, before snapping my fingers together, which made her explode. “Au revoir.” I flipped my hair, looking at the place she was at just a few seconds ago, before rushing to the fallen ally. “That was pretty cool.” Abbacchio smirked breathlessly. “Guess my plan worked. I tried to look cool in front of you.” I let out an amused breath, before I took off his top, focusing the water to regenerate the cells on his wound so he would heal. “It worked damn well.” he said in a lower voice, watching me heal his wound. “Next time, don’t do that. I almost had a heart attack.” I bit my lip, not daring to meet his gaze. “It’s fine...I don’t feel anything. I haven’t in a long while.” he tried to make light of the situation, but I knew. I knew the truth, but I couldn’t say anything.

I didn’t even realise that I stopped healing him until tears started falling down my cheeks without any means to stop.

“H-Hey, why are you crying? I was joking, don’t take me so seriously-” he tried to take that back, but I knew better. “Don’t do that...Don’t. Just don’t. I already know...I know that so much that it hurts...” I manage to speak, hiding my face with my hands, not wanting him to see me crying. “Hey, come on...No need to cry over someone like me. Your pretty face should shine with a smile all the time, not cry.” he put his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. “Don’t act so brave in front of me, it’s annoying. Not when I already know how much you’re hurting...I understand you so well...I’m just too scared to say it out loud...But lately, I couldn’t even pretend that it’s not true. That’s why...I wanted to protect you from everything bad that would make you feel even worse...” I tried to explain myself, until I felt a kiss on the top of my head. “Look, I’ll be frank. I love you. I’m done hiding. I didn’t want to say anything ‘cause you deserve better, not a depressed guy who’s stuck in the past. You deserve someone bright and caring like Buccellati who’d treat you like a princess and all that. I’m not worthy of your feelings.” he stroked my hair gently, pouring all his feelings out. “Don’t...Say that...Ever again. Look at me...You think I’m any better? Do you have any idea how lonely I’ve felt all this time since you all got too busy for your family? Do you have any idea how bad I felt without you guys around? As if before that wasn’t bad enough...Now I’ve become an even greater mess. I either cry randomly, or feel nothing at all. I don’t even know what I am or what I feel anymore...And you say you’re no good for me? Did you hit your head too or what?” I spoke out everything I had to say, not even feeling embarrassed or scared anymore. “Don’t say that...You will regret it later on. I can’t even help myself, how could I possibly support you emotionally in any way?” he asks in a self-deprecating tone. “You’re impossible...” I sigh dramatically, as I raise my head and cupping his face, I capture his purple-painted lips in a tender kiss, with enough passion to show him that I mean it, but gentle enough, almost as if afraid that either of us would break from the pent up emotions that kept overwhelming us. “Are you sure...?” he mutters, his eyes wide in surprise. “If you want another one, you can just say so.” I smirk softly, before he put one arm around me, while his other hand was on the back of my head, and he pulled me into another kiss, just as full of love. “Do I really have to ask?” he let out an amused breath. “No. I’ll just let you steal them.” I could feel the ghost of a side-smile creeping on my face as I helped him get up from the ground. “Well, mission complete. Let’s go back home now. We gotta report to our dear Capo, after all.” I intertwined my fingers with his. “There’s gonna be a lot of explaining to do. How bothersome.” he said, yes the chuckle betrayed his words. “Hey, I’ll just look at the bright side. I won’t have to sit at the restaurant table by myself anymore.” I shrugged with an innocent smile on my face. “Low blow, tesoro. Low blow.” he shook his head, yet he was smiling, just as much.

[kacychase]

“I do”

AeGi; yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking lol

My  mirror  image  looks  so  different  from  the  usual.  My  hair  is  made  up  in  a  hairdo  that  is  more  elaborate  than  I  have  probably  seen  for  a  while  –  Rika  and  Maya  insisted  on  making  the  make-up  and  hairstyle  extravagant.

To  be  honest,  having  been  younger,  I  bet  it  would  have  felt  a  bit  different  from  today’s  standards.  Though,  today  is  a  bit  of  an  exception.

Nope.  That’s  an  understatement,  today  will  be  one  of  the  most  terrifying  days  of  my  life…  What  if  I  just  got  out  of  here  with  Nol,  and  we  would  just  sit  in  the  Wac’s  a  few  blocks  from  here?  That  would  have  been  awesome.

But  probably,  the  white,  beautiful  dress  I’m  wearing  would  get  too  dirty  for  it  to  be  ruined  by  the  street’s  mud.  Its  lace  for  the  long  sleeve  and  the  v-neck  cut  really  makes  my  rather  slender  figure  look  less  like  a  stick.  Taking  in  a  deep  breath,  I  realize  that  maybe,  this  wedding  won’t  be  a  disaster  –  after  all,  my  friends,  the  Parks,  Nana,  dad  and  Rika  have  all  helped  me  through  this,  and  I  bet  Dieter  and  Soushi  were  Nol’s  anchors,  too.

I  bet  he’s  just  as  nervous  as  I  am.

“Shin-Ae,  your  necklace  is  put  in  the  wrong  way,  do  you  want  me  to  turn  it  around?”  Ah,  that  was  what  made  me  look  in  the  mirror  in  the  first  place.  Keep  your  head  together,  Shin-Ae!

It’s  not  like  he’s  any  less  nervous  than  I  am.  Well,  maybe  I  did  most  of  the  organizing  of  the  wedding,  but  honestly,  he  probably  is  just  as  nervous  as  I  am  about  becoming  my  husband.

Yeah,  that  must  be  it.  I  am  about  to  become  his  wife,  huh?  That  means  Mrs  Lochlainn.  Yeah…  Thinking  about  it  now,  his  proposal  feels  like  yesterday.  When  Nol  proposed  to  me,  it  was  oddly  romantic,  and  he  looked  like  he  wanted  to  escape  all  throughout  the  date.  Kinda  rigid,  but  at  least  I  found  out  why  after  we  decided  to  go  to  a  chicken  joint  instead.

Oh  man…

Anyway,  I’m  going  to  marry  in  30  minutes,  and  my  heart  feels  like  running.

“Shin-Ae!  Do  you  want  to  talk  to  your  dad?  Or  Min-Hyuk?  You  look  dead,”  Maya  deadpans  with  a  single  glance  into  my  direction,  shortly  checking  her  make-up  before  looking  back  to  me.  Rika,  through  the  while,  just  peeks  through  the  door,  then  turns  back  to  the  two  of  us.  “Well,  your  dad  is  definitely  at  the  door,  Min-Hyuk  looks  like  he’s  talking  to  Dieter  and  Soushi  about  something,”  she  announces  at  our  direction,  having  Maya  exclaim:  “I  bet  it’s  a  good  idea  right  now!  We  will  check  if  everything  in  the  wedding  goes  according  to  plan,  okay?”

This  is  going  too  fast.  Feeling  my  hands  shiver  about  the  whole  thing  and  the  fact  that  the  wedding  event  has  started,  I  feel  like  my  mind  is  blanking.  For  some  reason,  I’m  a  bit  scared  of  messing  up,  becoming  tongue-tied  when  the  vows  start.  Not  keeping  up  the  vows.  Being  a  bad  wife.  Everything  about  this  is  kind  of  strange.  But  thinking  that  Nol  is  my  husband  from  today  on  makes  it  reasonable  again.

“Alright.  Thank  you  guys,  I  owe  you  one,  for  real,”  I  sigh  in  distress  and  smile  at  my  two  bridesmaids.  Although  we  were  off  to  a  rocky  start,  we  really  have  grown  close  over  time.  “Just  repay  us  when  Dieter  finally  marries  his  fiancée,”  Maya  nonchalantly  replies,  while  both  women  in  their  yellow  dresses  head  to  the  exit

But  even  that  doesn’t  compare  to  the  way  Nol  and  I  have  evolved  into  two  dorks.  Even  during  the  times  when  I  was  crazily  stressed  out,  he  somehow  manages  to  put  up  with  my  attitude.  How  does  he  even  do  that?

Either  way,  I  could  need  him  right  now.  At  least  I  will  see  him  at  the  altar  I  guess.  When  we  are  about  to  listen  to  the  priest,  vow  to  each  other,  kiss  and  be  husband  and  wife.

Ugh,  this  is  going  to  be  something  else  for  sure.  I  could  use  a  good  old  hug,  or  a  laugh,  or  some  chicken.

But  my  father  entering  the  room  is  what  makes  me  rethink  rushing  to  Wac’s  for  a  Wac  burger  as  he  closes  the  door  behind  him,  and  maybe  his  excited  face  reminding  me  of  the  occasion.

“There  you  are,  Shin-Ae.  I  was  already  wondering  if  they  had  abducted  you  or  something,”  dad  says  as  he  approaches  me,  then  takes  a  halt  to  take  in  the  way  I  look  –  a  beautiful  bride  about  to  be  bound  off  to  the  man  he  used  to  hate.

He  would  have  hated  any  man  that  would  come  into  my  life  anyway.

His  stunned  but  soft  and  moved  voice  hits  me  as  he  mutters:  “My  beautiful  daughter,  about  to  marry…”  Closing  the  distance,  he  carefully  watches  as  he  probably  debates  whether  he  should  hug  me  or  not.  “This  guy  still  doesn’t  deserve  you.  If  it  went  by  me,  he  would  have  been  hist-“  “Dad!,”  I  interrupt  him,  “Who  else  will  support  the  fried  chicken  industry  as  much  as  he  does?  We  need  to  keep  him  alive,”  I  argue  back,  a  smile  creeping  on  my  face  as  I  giggle  eerily.

Today  really  does  it,  huh.

“Well,  you  seem  very  happy  honey,  and  I  hope  that  you  two  can  continue  to  be  there  for  each  other.  That  guy  really  blooms  with  you  around.”  Whenever  I  hear  that,  my  heart  starts  melting.  I  know  that  Nol  and  I  appear  to  some  as  the  ‘OTP’  (not  looking  at  Maya  at  all),  but  I  always  feel  a  little  softer  whenever  I  see  Nol  being  happy,  smile  like  the  fool  he  is,  or  actually  just  hearing  someone  how  great  he  looks  in  general  whenever  he  speaks  of  us  and  the  engagement  stuff.

At  least  now  I  know  that  Nana  didn’t  entirely  force  him  into  proposing  to  me.  But  we  do  have  a  catholic  prayer  included  into  the  ceremony.

My  stomach  feels  oddly  bubbly  right  now,  and  I  wish  I  wasn’t  so  affected  before  I  would  even  see  my  redhead  idiot  fiancée.  “Dad?  I  don’t  know  what  to  do  right  now,”  I  admit  to  him,  feeling  myself  take  in  a  deep  breath,  suddenly  hyper  aware  to  the  way  air  fills  my  lungs.

“I  am  about  to  go  out  there  and  vow  to  him,  and  everything.  I  don’t  even  know  if  I  am  a  good  fiancée  or  not.  What  about  wife  then?”

  Silently  listening  to  me,  dad  does  not  really  say  anything  as  silence  spreads  itself  in  the  room,  and  I  slowly  concentrate  on  my  breathing  as  Nol  has  taught  me  once  when  I  was  close  to  panicking  because  of  the  nurse  job,  and  it  has  served  me  for  quite  an  amount  of  times.

“Shin-Ae,  this  guy  is  already  happy  to  have  you  the  way  you  are,  don’t  worry  about  that,”  he  just  says,  strokes  his  fingers  through  his  hair  to  look  at  my  hair  and  my  make-up.  “This  guy  looks  at  you  as  if  you  saved  his  life,  and  look  at  you.  Now  both  of  you  are  here.  I  think  that  should  already  make  the  case  that  he’s  happy  with  you  marrying  him,”  he  finally  answers,  “Now  come,  let  me  give  you  a  hug.”

Feeling  his  arms  hesitantly  embrace  me,  I  also  lay  my  arms  around  him  slowly  to  avoid  getting  anything  from  the  dress  caught  onto  his  elegant  suit.  “Thanks,  dad,”  I  just  mutter,  careful  not  to  stain  his  shoulder  with  make-up  either.  “No  problem,”  he  responds,  releasing  me  seconds  after.

“Now,  how  long  do  you  need  to  revise  on  the  speech?”  he  asks  as  he  goes  back  a  few  steps  and  looks  at  the  cards  I  have  prepared  to  reread  before  I  might  blank  out  on  them.  “I-I  think  I  got  it.  I  revised  it  at  home  quite  a  bit,”  I  respond  with  another  breath,  stealing  a  glance  at  the  tiny  little  flashcard  that  I  have  tried  to  write  so  much.  It  feels  like  too  little  now.

In  my  nervous  stupor,  I  swear  I  wish  I  could  change  the  speech  right  now  and  just  add  more.

“Honey,  you  will  do  great,”  I  hear  dad  say  and  I  nod  absentmindedly.

“It’s  really  just  Nol  I’m  talking  to.  He’ll  probably  goof  out  more  than  I  will,”  I  mutter  and  stifle  a  chuckle.  I’m  just  as  bad  as  him,  so  I  shouldn’t  laugh.  Technically.

“Alright,  because  I  think  it’s  time  already.”

  This  sentence  makes  me  feel  a  huge  stone  weigh  down  my  stomach,  but  my  dad’s  genuine  doesn’t  tell  me  otherwise.  “What?”  My  voice  sounds  like  it’s  choking  on  itself.  “B-but  the  people  don’t  sit  yet,  do  they?”

“Actually,  they  wait  for  you  now.”

“OMG  WHY  DIDN’T  YOU  TELL  ME!!”  My  nervousness  shouldn’t  be  this  terrible.  “Sorry  dad!”  I  immediately  add,  feeling  sorry  for  my  little  outbreak.  “Let’s  go!”

“Alright,  honey.  Here  you  go.”

  And  as  he  gives  me  his  arm,  I  intertwine  my  left  one  with  his  right.

When  the  both  of  us  go  down  the  hall  of  the  church,  everything  feels  so  incredibly  dreamlike.  All  the  past  work  in  the  months  before,  all  the  organization  that  went  into  today,  all  the  guest  lists  and  seat  orders  and  bills  and  themes  –  they  all  fade  into  nothingness  as  I  finally  see  my  redhead  look  at  me,  his  eyes  so  intense  and  so  glassy  that  my  heart  might  jump  any  time.  His  smile  is  so  genuine  and  so  full  of  happiness,  and  I  can  see  nervousness  ooze  from  him  as  much  as  from  me  as  we  slowly  approach  him,  dad  still  firmly  holding  my  arm.  If  he  hadn’t,  I  really  don’t  know  what  might  have  happened,  but  the  way  Nol  and  I  look  at  each  other  now…  It  makes  all  the  doubts  and  fears  go  away.

I’m  ready  for  a  long  life  with  this  goofy  bigfoot.

  The  steps  to  the  altar  have  made  me  worry,  but  now  that  I  can  finally  see  Nol  within  my  reach,  I  suddenly  feel  calm,  as  if  I  didn’t  need  to  look  for  my  husband  anymore.  But  as  my  father  releases  me  with  a  smile,  all  I  can  see  are  Nol’s  smile,  and  I  swear,  teary  green  eyes.

My  heart  is  wrenching  as  I  see  one  drop  from  his  right  eye,  and  my  own  eyes  water.  Is  my  smile  even  a  pretty  one  at  this  point?  I  don’t  care.

“Dear  beloved,  we  are  gathered  here  today…,”  the  priest  starts  to  say,  and  he  is  a  friendly  one.  His  way  of  speaking  about  us,  our  duties  for  each  other  as  husband  and  wife  from  a  Catholic  standpoint  somehow  is  really  encouraging  and  sweetly  put.  I  am  glad  that  we  got  him,  and  before  the  ceremony,  I  remember  him  wishing  us  the  best.

While  I  smile  and  nod,  I  can’t  help  but  catch  myself  stare  at  the  freckled  groom.  There  he  stands,  in  a  suit  that  makes  him  more  handsome  than  he  already  is,  styled  hair,  a  yellow  boutonnière  and  funnily,  a  last-minute  addition  of  the  pizza  cufflink  Min-Hyuk  has  bought  him.  I  think  he  has  mentioned  that  he  got  them  for  him  last  week.  Looking  at  all  the  groomsmen,  I  can  see  Dieter,  Min-Hyuk  and  Dieter  looking  at  us,  and  as  I  glance  at  them,  each  of  them  smiles  at  me  and/or  gives  me  a  thumbs  up.  Trying  to  suppress  a  chuckle,  I  look  back  at  my  groom,  my  heart  already  elated.  His  face  tells  me  so  much  to  the  point  that  I  can’t  breathe  for  a  second.  Another  tear  falls  down  his  eye  and  he  smilingly  wipes  it  away  with  his  hand  as  my  heart  aches  to  hug  and  kiss  him.  But  for  now,  holding  hands  should  work.

This  man…

This  man  makes  me  cry  at  my  wedding,  too.  “As  now,  the  groom  can  from  now  on  proceed  with  his  speech  to  the  bride.”  With  a  short  Thank  you  smile  to  the  priest,  Nol  now  locks  eyes  with  me  again,  so  much  more  intense.  For  a  while,  nothing  happens  as  we  just  stare  at  each  other,  until  he  breaks  and  laughs:  “Sorry,  I  didn’t  know  that  a  wedding  could  make  me  this  nervous  today.”

A  few  short  laughs  fill  the  room,  mine  included.  In  the  background,  I  can  see  Shin-Hye  film  the  whole  thing,  but  I  couldn’t  care  less  right  now  as  my  eyes  gravitate  back  to  his.

“Shin-Ae.  When  I  first  met  you,  it  was  when  you  splashed  orange  juice  at  me  in  a  burger  joint.  You  stood  up  for  your  friends  and  gave  us  a  piece  of  your  mind,  even  punched  my  school  uniform  clean.  Back  then,  I  had  no  clue  what  a  ride  I  was  in  for,  and  what  kind  of  person  you  were,”  I  can’t  help  but  chuckle  at  the  memory.  I  was  a  socially  awkward  person  just  trying  to  make  things  right  with  the  little  money  we  had.  When  I  met  you  the  second  time,  you  stood  up  for  your  beliefs.  ‘I  don’t  care  whether  you  are  the  son  of  the  prime  minister  or  a  random  cashier  at  a  food  mart,  you’re  a  human  first’,  you  said  to  me.”  As  he  mentions  said  thing,  I  feel  starstruck.  He  remembers?  How?  Even  I  barely  remember  what  I  said  to  him  years  ago  at  the  party.  His  genuine  but  also  proud  smirk  is  telling  me  that  my  reaction  must  be  obvious,  as  I  hear  his  speech  to  me.  “And  it  was  that  that  made  me  think  of  you.  After  we  became  friends,  I  have  seen  you  defend  your  loved  ones,  and  over  the  time  yourself  from  what  is  bad.  You  are  brave,  you  have  a  heart  too  big  for  your  own  good,  and  the  best  taste  in  chicken  wings  I  could  wish  in  a  wife.  Thank  you  for  believing  in  me  when  only  my  Nana  told  me  I’m  handsome.  I  love  you”

His  unwavering  gaze  at  mine  gives  me  goosebumps,  but  I  don’t  care  and  wish  I  could  just  kiss  him  already.  At  least  my  cheeks  hurt  from  all  the  smiling.

"I,  Nolan  Lochlainn,  take  you,  Shin-Ae,  to  be  my  wife.  I  promise  to  be  true  to  you  in  good  times  and  in  bad,  in  sickness  and  in  health"  Although  I  have  seen  him  tearing  up  and  nervously  laughing  just  now,  these  words  come  out  in  such  an  assuredness,  warming  my  heart.

God,  now  it  is  my  turn.

Luckily  having  taken  my  flashcards  with  me,  I  smile  at  him,  vision  blurry.

“Nol,  back  when  I  didn’t  have  it  too  easy,  to  me,  you  were  a  sly  person,  a  good-willing  guy  who  came  off  too  strong.  I  didn’t  understand  that  when  you  were  doing  these  things,  you  were  probably  the  most  genuine  person  I  could  have  ever  met.  And  I  am  glad  we  made  it  through  the  times.  You  have  proven  to  me  time  again  that  even  if  there  was  no  other  way  to  both  chase  your  dreams  and  be  there  for  your  loved  ones,  you  made  it  work.  Whenever  I  was  down,  or  had  moments  of  doubts,  you  were  there  to  light  up  my  day,  and  make  the  best  potato  dishes  I  had  the  pleasure  of  eating.  I  love  you,  and  can’t  wait  to  spend  my  life  even  more  with  you.”

I  wish  I  was  better  at  this.  My  voice  quivers  as  I  keep  eye  contact  with  Nol,  taking  a  deep  breath.  But  seeing  him  break  into  a  smile  and  glassy  eyes,  I  just  have  to  reciprocate.  “I,  Shin-Ae  Yoo,  take  you,  Nolan  Lochlainn,  to  be  my  husband.  I  promise  to  be  true  to  you  in  good  times  and  in  bad,  in  sickness  and  in  health.”

He  shortly  looks  at  the  floor,  then  back  to  me.

“Nolan  Lochlainn,”  I  hear  the  speaker  say,  “Do  you  take  Shin-Ae  to  be  your  beloved  and  wedded  wife?”

The  tall  groom  tightens  his  grip  around  my  hand,  closing  up  my  throat.  “I  do.”

I  can’t  help  but  grin  at  him,  looking  shortly  at  the  pizza  cufflink  on  his  suit  to  calm  myself.  But  I  can’t  miss  his  gaze  right  now.  I  want  to  remember  this  for  the  rest  of  my  life.

“Shin-Ae  Yoo,”  there  is  a  long  pause  before  I  look  into  the  eyes  of  the  speaker,  eventually  hearing  the  only  words  that  keep  me  separated  from  calling  Nol  my  spouse.  “Do  you  take  Nolan  Lochlainn  to  be  your  beloved  and  wedded  wife?”

Looking  at  Nol  with  a  smile,  I  have  to  nod  while  saying  “Yes.”

  I  also  tighten  my  grip  around  his  fingers.  Is  this  really  happening?  His  face  looks  just  as  shocked,  but  I  can’t  wait  for  what’s  about  to  come.  “Now  you  may  kiss  the  bride.”

  I  don’t  care  about  the  cheers  once  Nol  approaches  me  and  I  put  my  arms  around  him.  It’s  too  sweet  to  really  describe,  but  I  am  sure  in  will  stay  engraved  into  my  mind.

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Fin.